President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Archives - Page 13 of 18

Bawumia touts government’s investment in TVET as he launches 2021 National Skills Competition and TVET Expo

The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has, on Wednesday, October 27, launched the 2021 National Skills Competition and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Expo in Accra. Organised by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training (COTVET), the National Skills Competition is to create a platform for competitors to showcase their skill, while the expo affords stakeholders in TVET to exhibit the impact of government’s investment in the promotion of technical and vocational education and training. Opening the three-day event, Vice President Bawumia underscored the importance of TVET to job creation, as well as government’s commitment to its promotion. ‘TVET is a key catalyst to spurring industrialization and decent job creation for the citizens of this country,” Dr. Bawumia said. “For sustainable development to occur, there is an urgent need for us to pay significant attention to training highly skilled human resources to serve as key drivers of the economy. A Ghana beyond aid could only be possible when the youth are equipped with competitive global skills and introduced to various skilled careers,” he added. Highlighting the prioritisation of TVET and massive investment in it by the Akufo-Addo government since 2017, Dr. Bawumia recalled, how TVET was replete with serious challenges, which had affected the quality of TVET when the Akufo-Addo government assumed office in 2017. Among the challenges the Vice President named were: poor linkage between training institutions and industry; deeply fragmented landscape and lack of coordination among multiple TVET delivery agencies; multiplicity of standards, testing and certification systems; low quality instruction, due to inadequate instructor training and lack of instructional support and TVET infrastructure. TRANSFORMATION OF TVET But with massive investment and several policy by the Akufo-Addo government, a number of these challenges, Dr. Bawumia noted, have been addressed, and TVET, he added, has beceme more attractive and is benefiting many young people. “To begin with, we have sanitized the TVET sector to ensure the effective regulation, administration and promotion of technical and vocational education and training for the transformation and innovation for sustainable development,” Dr. Bawumia stated. “Our government has ensured the passage of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023). The Education Regulatory Bodies Act resulted in the merger of the erstwhile Council for TVET (COTVET) and National Board for Professional and Technician Examination (NABPTEX) to establish the Commission for TVET (CTVET).” “The government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has also established sector skills bodies to focus on exploring business opportunities, innovation and capacity needs within the sectors. “Furthermore, Free TVET is a key component of the Government’s Free Senior High School initiative, and over 65,000 students have so far benefitted from this in the various technical institutes under the Ministry of Education.” “Our government is also constructing, upgrading and modernizing all National Vocational Training Institutes (NVTIs) and Opportunity Industrialization Centres (OIC). So far, 17 Technical and Vocational Institutes across the country are being upgraded and modernized.” Dr. Bawumia stressed that the Akufo-Addo government will continue to prioritise the promotion of TVET, adding that no government, since independence, has paid as much attention, and invested as much in TVET as the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. —modernghana Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Business

FULL STATEMENT: John Jinapor on the recent fuel hike.

STATEMENT READ BY HON. JOHN ABDULAI JINAPOR ON THE RECENT FUEL HIKES UNDER THE AKUFO ADDO/BAWUMIA-LED GOVERNMENT. Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen of the press. We welcome you to this Press Conference by the NDC parliamentary caucus and wish to begin by expressing our gratitude to the media for your continuous support in the professional discharge of your duties. The Minority has followed with keen interest the persistent and rampant increment in fuel prices which appears to be worsening in recent times with no hope in sight. The recent astronomical increases in fuel prices at the pumps and its attendant high cost of living to the ordinary Ghanaian cannot be glossed over. Ladies and gentlemen, it may interest you to know that within a spate of just one year fuel prices have risen from 4.77 cedis per litre to 6.8 cedis per litre representing a whopping 43% increment under this insensitive government. These astronomical increases has resulted in untold hardship which is threatening lives of ordinary Ghanaians. The Minority has equally taken notice of the lame and flimsy excuse from government and its communicators that they cannot do much to cushion Ghanaians because in their own words “they do not control the world market price of crude”. What they have failed to inform Ghanaian is that the devaluation of the cedi is a major contributor to these astronomical increases. We wish to state emphatically that we completely and flatly reject these lame excuses from government; the question we seek an answer to is “since when did the current NPP government led by President Akufo Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia realise that government had no control over world market prices? Ladies and gentlemen, is it not these same people who promised the people of Ghana prior to assuming office that they will abolish the energy sector levies describing them as obnoxious and further promised to move the country from taxation to production? On the contrary, what Ghanaians are witnessing under this government is a complete display of incompetence, arrogance, and deception as far as the Energy sector is concerned. Not only have they retained the so-called obnoxious taxes, they have gone a step further to increase the existing taxes and in some instance introduced new draconian taxes which continues to worsen the living conditions of the already impoverished citizens of this country. Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, it will be recalled that the Akufo-Addo government during the course of the year announced a paltry 4% increase in wages for public sector workers for the 2021 financial year, by comparing this wage increment against the current inflation of about 10.6% (Bank of Ghana), one can only come to the conclusion that the ordinary worker is already worse off and therefore cannot be burdened further with such astronomical increases in fuel prices as this negatively impacts on the cost of living. In short, the income of workers are really not increasing but the steep rise in prices of essential commodities is making it so unbearable for the citizenry to cope under the economy. As a result of bad leadership under Akufo Addo and Bawumia, the level of frustration and discontent are fast spreading among the populace with increasing loss of confidence in the current administration. Members of the press gathered here, despite the announcement of a so-called 100 billion cedis “Obatampa Cares Programme” in the 2021 budget, the ordinary Ghanaian is today faced with unprecedented hardship, suffering and excruciating poverty with no hope in sight. The current state of the Ghanaian economy clearly signals complete despair, characterized by a mounting unsustainable debt level which threatens the very foundation of the economy. Is this what we were promised prior to the December 2020 elections. Rather than taking the necessary and pragmatic steps towards ameliorating the suffering of the citizenry from their harsh policies, the NPP government has resorted to their usual sloganeering by claiming to suspend the Price Stabilization and Recovery Levy for just two months. This is a complete insult to Ghanaians as it demonstrates government’s lack of sincerity and seriousness towards mitigating the suffering of the citizenry. Ladies and gentlemen, a critical look at the price buildup of petroleum products at the pump reveals that taxes, levies and margins alone account for almost 40% of the final ex-pump price. Today Ghanaians and businesses cannot even plan properly due to the unbridled and unpredictable fuel price increments which is fast becoming the order of the day. Ladies and Gentlemen, the attempt by government to blame world market prices of crude for this high fuel cost is untenable. Following the additional increment of the Energy Sector Recovery Levy of 20 Pesewas, and introduction of the Sanitation and Pollution Levy of 10 Pesewas in the 2021 budget as well as increment in margins fuels prices jumped by about 12.48% between the last pricing window of April to the 1st window of May. The almost 13% increment in fuel prices arising from these aforementioned tax handles cannot be attributed to world crude prices. At this juncture let me set the records straight! For the record, Ghana is a net exporter of crude oil and must rather benefit from any price increment at the world market and not the contrary. It is therefore untenable to punish Ghanaians with such an astronomical fuel hikes on the back of world crude price increments. This irony and contradiction cannot be tolerated. Distinguished Members of the press, the minority taking cognisance of the worsening situation and the incompetence being exhibited by this government has taken the pain to proffer some concrete and cogent suggestion as part of our responsibility to ensure that the consumer is cushioned and have some respite, proposes the following: The Special Petroleum Tax imposed on petroleum products must be suspended in the 2022 budget to provide some respite for Ghanaians from the agonizing high cost of fuel at the pump. We make this demand because crude prices which was pegged at a bench-mark price of $54.75

Politics

‘I won’t take excuses’ – Akufo-Addo warns MMDCEs

President Nana Akufo-Addo has sent a clear and unambiguous warning to all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in his government. He says he would not take any lame excuses for non-performance and failures on the part of any of his appointees. Speaking at an orientation put together for MMDCEs in Accra this morning, he said “the argument that you are not aware of or are not responsible for government initiatives in your localities will not wash with me.” That, he said was because “all government initiatives at the local level come within your purview whether you initiated them or not.” He has therefore asked all appointees especially MMDCEs to familiarise themselves with every programme and policy initiative whether of their own making or not, insisting that “a Chief Executive who is indifferent or unaware of government activities in his or her area is not a suitable Chief Executive.” The challenge all MMDCEs to take advantage of the various programs and projects of the government to develop their localities, saying “ones a lot of funds continue to flow in the localities, every attempt will be made to get the Common Fund Allocations to you regularly and on time”, to thunderous applause from the gathering. That notwithstanding, the President encouraged all MMDCEs to as it were “work to increase internally generated funds” “You will not make the progress you should if your development programs are fully dependent on the relatively modest sums you get from the Common Fund allocations.” He equally had cause to warn them against getting involved in what he described as ‘unnecessary conflicts’ that would dent the image of the Assembly and by extension government. Rather, he charged “work with your staff, deepen transparency and promote popular participation and accountability at the local level.” Those, he said are the hallmarks for successful leadership and the attainment of results. “If you are fruitful in this, then we will be making good progress towards strengthening the structure of our governance system and bringing democracy and progress to local government” he emphasized. He however had cause to reminded all his appointees especially MMDCEs that “I won’t hesitate to disappoint any DCE who does not live up to expectation.” Whilst he admitted that the Minister for Local Government, Decentralization Rural Development has oversight responsibility for decentralization, implementation and local government, he charged Regional Ministers to monitor and evaluate the performance of MMDCEs in their regions and submit periodic reports to him. “I therefore expect you to accord the regional ministers the due respect as they are the President’s representatives in the region”, he advised. The MMDCEs as political and administrative heads are expected to provide leadership at the district level. In their leadership roles, MMDECs represent the Central Government at the local level and are required to implement national and local policies. They are obliged to preside at meetings of the Executive Committee, be responsible for the day-to-day performance of the executive and administrative functions of the District Assembly, and be responsible for the supervision of the departments of the District Assembly. These responsibilities require some specific competencies including leadership and managerial skills. MMDCEs are also required to deliver the sessional address to the District Assemblies on policy matters determined by the President; present periodic reports on the performance of the Executive Committees as well as the state of the districts, and submit recommendations of the District Assemblies through the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs), to the Minister responsible for Local Government on matters of national concern, at the end of each session. The MMDCES serve as chairpersons of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Security Committees and also represents the Districts on the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs). The orientation and training programme has been designed to be implemented in thre phases including a general orientation for all appointed MMDCEs on 26 and 27 October, 2021 at the Accra International Conference Center (AICC); an Orientation for only first-time appointed MMDCEs on 28 and 29 October, 2021 at the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), Ogbojo and a nationwide zonal refresher course for all MMDCEs at designated training centres across the country shortly following the completion of the orientation. By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Business

President Akufo-Addo Launches Employment Programme For Galamseyers

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has launched the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme, a programme designed to help alleviate the hardships of those affected by the Government’s efforts to sanitize the mining industry. Speaking at the launch on Monday, 25th October 2021, at the auditorium of the George Grant University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, President Akufo-Addo acknowledged that the lives of several people, including women and children, depend on illegal mining. However, following Government’s heightened drive to deal with illegal mining activities in Red Zones, many more illegal miners have lost their “illegal sources of livelihood”. “A comprehensive approach to tackling this canker, which demonstrates also our commitment to social solidarity and harmony, requires that, while working with the security agencies for the protection and proper utilization of our natural resources, we fashion alternative means of livelihood for those affected by the crackdown,” he said. To this end, the President indicated that his government has decided to diversify sources of livelihood, even in mining communities, to reduce the impact of the depletion of the resources on the lives of persons in mining communities. The National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme (NAELP), he said, will mitigate the unavoidable hardships, which the government’s efforts to sanitize the small-scale mining sector have created, particularly in the five (5) regions that Operation Halt carried out its operations. “It is intended to provide good economic livelihood options to illegal mining and its associated activities and to enable those adversely impacted the opportunity to work and support themselves and their families. The Programme will also focus on reversing the negative impact of illegal mining on the environment through the National Land Reclamation and Reafforestation component of the Programme,” President Akufo-Addo said. He continued, “Given that most of our degraded lands are due to illegal mining activities, it is very fitting that any programme targeting illegal mining should include a reclamation portion. This component of the Programme will restore degraded lands into economically viable lands, creating job opportunities for the youth, landowners, and communities at large”. In keeping with Government’s commitment to promoting responsible, viable, and sustainable small-scale mining, he revealed that the Programme will also include a Community Mining Scheme, which will be the model for small-scale mining activities in the country. Commissioning the Akoon Community Mining Scheme, on the day as well, President Akufo-Addo stated that “Community Mining Schemes will be supported by the Mine Support Services, and, altogether, are expected to create some two hundred and twenty thousand (220,000) direct and indirect jobs”. He reiterated that his Government will not condone any illegal activities in the mining sector, as the strengthened monitoring and enforcement regime put in place, under the auspices of the enhanced Mine Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission and the Regional Security Councils, will ensure that all small-scale mining activities are environmentally compliant. The President, thus, urged Regional Coordinating Councils, and Municipal and District Assemblies, in areas where this Programme will be implemented, to give their full support for its implementation. “The nation is grateful to the George Grant University of Mines and Technology for its collaboration and cooperation to make this Programme successful, by putting its teaching resources at the disposal of those who are involved in the Programme to enhance their capacity and expertise, and improve their productivity. University, let me say ayekoo, well done,” he said. Towards the sustainable funding of this Scheme, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that “at my request, the Ministry of Finance has committed to making adequate budgetary allocation in the upcoming 2022 Budget of Government to fund this very important policy”. —starrfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Opinion

Akufo-Addo To Ghanaians: ‘Change Your Attitude!’

President Akufo-Addo thinks the implementation of by-laws and logistics alone cannot solve the insanitary conditions in the country. Rather he believes attitudinal change will help rewrite the narrative to a large extent. He has therefore called on his fellow countrymen to change their attitude to rid the country of filth. This was when he launched the Operation ‘Clean Your Frontage’ in Accra on Friday. Operation ‘Clean Your Frontage’ is part of the “Let’s Make Greater Accra Work” transformational agenda that seeks to mobilise and empower all urban actors to practically and sustainably respond to the region’s waste management and sanitation challenges. It is also intended to create opportunities for sustainable urban and economic growth in the context of enhanced security, clean and green environment, public private partnerships and good urban governance. The Agenda was formulated by the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council under the leadership of Henry Quartey, the Regional Minister in response to President Akufo-Addo’s vision of making Accra the cleanest city in West Africa. The “Operation Clean Your Frontage” campaign would make it mandatory for property owners of residential, private and public institutions and the citizenry to clean and green their frontage and all open spaces around their property. President Akufo-Addo believes “the aesthetic appearance of our communities, especially the urbanized communities is critical to among other things attract tourist, investors and promote the wellbeing of the citizenry.” This implies that, cleaning and greening would be a daily practice in the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region. Some of the strategic interventions under the “Operation Clean your Frontage” campaign includes by-laws on cleaning of the frontage of premises formulated and gazetted, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAS) deployment of systematic approach to sensitize residents, corporate organizations and community members on their roles and responsibilities in waste management. Under the initiative, Assemblies are expected to create extensive awareness on sanitation and cleaning by-laws and commit to enforcing the by-laws, deployment of a new City Response Team, evacuation of accumulated refuse at sanitary sites and other locations. It will also involve transfer stations in MMDAs, daily sweeping of streets, curbs, walkways, and open spaces, picking of litter from walkways, road medians and open spaces, daily collection of refuse from streets, road medians, and public open spaces, daily emptying of street litter bins, provision of concrete bins by the major highways, desilting of public drains, regular weeding of road medians, greening of public open spaces road medians and road shoulders and periodic curbs painting on ceremonial streets. Looking at the enormity of the project, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the JOSPONG Group is releasing logistics and equipment to support the Accra Must Work Campaign to achieve maximum impact aside the already deployed logistics for its regular operations. Chairman of the JOSPONG, Joseph Siaw Agyepong who announced this in addition to providing its personnel, the company is providing about 85 compactors and 1,000 Tricycles to support this campaign. He revealed that “the company has come out with the new tricycle model and system of operation that will unionize and assist the informal waste collection sector to contribute to the waste management processes in a more formal and organized manner to improve waste collection in slums and poorly planned areas.” He has therefore encouraged all Ghanaians to as it were “take advantage of this laudable initiative to clean their frontage to ensure that we, in our own small ways, also play our parts in making Ghana a clean and health country.” —mynewsgh Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Opinion

Change Greater Accra to GaDangme Region – Ga Mantse begs Akufo-Addo

Ga Mantse Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II has appealed to President Nana Akufo-Addo to assist ongoing efforts to change the name of the Greater Accra Region to GaDangme Region “in order to advance the unification and consolidation of GaDangme and to increase the teaching of the Ga language in schools in the region”. The Ga Mantse made the appeal when he delivered a statement on Friday, 22 October 2021, when President Akufo-Addo paid a courtesy call on him, as part of his working tour of the Greater Accra Region on Friday, 22 October 2021. The chief also applauded the impact of the policies, programmes and development projects undertaken by the government in the Greater Accra Region. “Your Excellency, we are seeing development in Accra”, said the Ga Mantse, adding: “But we encourage you to do more.” According to him, the Ga state “recognises and appreciates the developmental projects being undertaken in the Ga State, for example, the James Town Fishing Harbour and the Salaga Market.” Pursuant to this, “the Chiefs of the Ga State shall collaborate with President at all times to ensure that Accra becomes the cleanest city in Africa. In that regard, all the Chiefs in the Ga State pledge to be ambassadors in promoting the clean Accra Agenda.” Cognisant of the fact that development thrives only in a peaceful environment, he added that “the Ga Traditional Council pledges to maintain peace within the Ga State and to also resolve all chieftaincy disputes within the shortest possible time to facilitate the development of the Ga State and Ghana as a whole.” The Ga Mantse also commended President Akufo-Addo, “for the various social interventions introduced, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the nomination of the first female Mayor of Accra.” He also extended the appreciation of the chiefs of the Ga state for the appointments of Nii Dakutso Otsii I, Member of the Council of State, Greater Accra Regional Minister Henry Quartey and Mr Edwin Obodai Provencal, CEO of BOST, who, he described as competent indigenes of the Ga state. The Ga Mantse was confident that the newly confirmed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) “will work together with the Regional Minister, Local Government Minister and we the traditional leaders to make Accra work again.” —classfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Opinion

There’s no space to admit you into law school – Akufo-Addo to 499 law students

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says there is no space to admit the 499 law students who were denied admission despite attaining the 50 percent threshold in the Ghana Legal Council (GLC) examinations. Describing the situation as unfortunate, the President said government is working to resolve the challenge. “For the time being, there is no space in the law school for them. There are several others who unfortunately fell into the same pit. Maybe this group has been more vocal than their predecessors.” “I think the idea of more lawyers in the system is good for the health of the nation. We want a country that is governed by the rule of law. It means we need to have lawyers in all aspects of our national life guiding the development of our country. The conversation is ongoing and I am hoping that soon or later a solution will be found,” he said in an interview on Peace FM. The 499 candidates who sat for the 2021 examinations were failed after a new quota system was introduced by the GLC. The new quota requires candidates to pass 50% in each of the A and B sections in the exam. The affected candidates have since been agitating and calling on the GLC to give admission to all 499 students who attained the 50 percent pass mark. The President admitted that reserving admissions for just a select few will not serve the country’s interest. “I myself, I think that idea of more and more lawyers in the system is good for the health of the nation. If we want a country that is governed by the rule of law, it means that we need to have lawyers in virtually all aspects of our national life guiding the development of our country so that the rule of law really makes sense,” he said. He believes it is a reasonable expectation for Ghanaians to demand a solution from him due to his status as a celebrated lawyer. “I think it’s a decent, reasonable expectation; I will not run away from it. I think it’s a reasonable expectation to see that this is a good moment for these matters to be resolved, and all I can say is that God willing, by the time I come back here the next year, substantial progress will be made in trying to deal with this. “It’s unfortunate, I can’t pretend that this is a happy coincidence for me at all, on the contrary, I’m very disturbed by it, and I’m hoping that soon the cooperation of the various stakeholders, the Ghana Legal Council, the Chief Justice himself, Attorney General and myself, we’ll all find a solution to this situation” Various groups have called on the GLC to provide raw scores of candidates who took part in the Ghana School of Law entrance exams for 2020 and 2021. —citinewsroom Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Politics

Cape Coast: President Akufo-Addo apologized for a mistaken promise

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, has rendered an apology to the people of Cape Coast. He says his promise to build a harbor at Cape Coast while campaigning in the run-up to the 2020 elections was a mistake. President Akufo-Addo said, he was only human and could make a mistake at any point in time, saying the initial plan was not to build a harbor at Cape Coast. He made the apology during an interview with PeaceFM on Thursday, October 21, 2021. According to him, the then Candidate for New Patriotic Party (NPP) promised to build a harbor in the Central Regional capital while campaigning in the run-up to the 2020 elections. He further added that the commitment was never to build a harbor, rather, a landing site. However, his apology came as a surprise to the people of Cape Coast as their long-awaited hope was suddenly truncated. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Politics

FULL TEXT: NDC’s Press Conference on recent increase in fuel prices

STATEMENT DELIVERED BY THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION OFFICER OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS, SAMMY GYAMFI ESQ., AT A PRESS CONFERENCE HELD AT THE PARTY’S HEADQUARTERS ON THE PERSISTENT INCREASE IN FUEL PRICES BY THE AKUFO-ADDO/BAWUMIA-NPP GOVERNMENT. Monday, 18th October, 2021 Good afternoon distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the media. It is my singular honour to welcome you on behalf of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to this press conference which is intended to address the high and unbearable cost of living that Ghanaians are experiencing under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Bawumia, which has been largely been occasioned by steep increases in the prices of the Petroleum products over the last four (4) and half years. Permit me to state from the word go, that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-NPP government has shown itself to be callous and does not appear a give a hoot about the plight of Ghanaians. Otherwise, what can be the justification for the rampant and persistent increases in fuel prices we are witnessing in Ghana today. As you may be aware, Ghanaians have once again been slapped with another increase in pump prices of fuel by the insensitive and clueless Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration. Only yesterday, the price of diesel and petrol was increased by 7%. This is the ninth (9th) consecutive time in the year 2021 alone, that the prices of petroleum products have gone up. This has increased the price per gallon of diesel and petrol from about GHc21.00 as at January this year, to about GHc31.00 currently. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, the rampant and persistent increase in the prices of fuel products we have witnessed under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and his deceptive Vice, Dr. Bawumia, are a direct product of their insensitive and bad leadership. The introduction of a raft of new draconian taxes on Petroleum products such as; the introduction of 20 pesewas Energy Sector Levy on every liter of diesel and petrol; the increase of 18 pesewas in ESLA per Kilogram of LPG; the introduction of a 10 pesewas sanitation (“borla”) tax on every liter of diesel and petrol; the introduction of a 1% COVID levy on NHIL & VAT, by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government, coupled with the free-fall of the Ghana Cedi which has been occasioned by their gross economic mismanagement, are the major factors responsible for the persistent and steep increase in the prices of fuel products. The introduction of these regressive and draconian taxes by a group of people who berated the erstwhile Mahama regime for “over-taxing” Ghanaians and a group who promised to move Ghana from taxation to production when elected, smacks of deception and insensitivity of monumental proportions. The cascading effect of these draconian tax measures, have among other things, led to an escalation in the prices of fuel products, transport fares, building materials, food products and other commodities on the market, without a commensurate increase in incomes, thereby making cost of living unbearable for the vast majority of Ghanaians. This is the cause of the excruciating economic hardships Ghanaians are currently experiencing. It will be recalled that a gallon of petrol and diesel was sold at about GHc16 in December, 2016 when the NDC/Mahama administration was leaving office. The NPP-led by their then Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo and Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Bawumia, lambasted and berated President Mahama for this and promised to scrap some taxes on Petroleum products, particularly the Energy Sector Levies and the Special Petroleum Tax so as to significantly reduce the prices of fuel. I am sure you would recall how the NPP in their 2016 manifesto described ESLA as a nuisance tax and promised to scrap same when elected. Unfortunately, many Ghanaians, fell for these lies and voted for the NPP. Little did they know that this and other similar sugar-coated promises of the NPP were pure sophistry. Instead of scrapping the ESLA as promised, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-NPP government has collateralized it for a loan which has extended its intended duration from five (5) years to now fifteen (15) years, and increased it by over 20%. As if that was not enough, this government introduced a new Energy Sector Levy of 20 pesewas on every liter of diesel and petrol just this year. Additionally, they have introduced a sanitation (“borla”) tax of 10 pesewas on every liter of petrol and diesel. As a result of this and other increases in existing taxes on fuel such as; the increase of the BOST Margin from 3 pesewas to 9 pesewas per liter representing an increase of 200%; the increase in the Fuel Marking Margin from 3 pesewas to 5 pesewas representing an increase of 67%; and the increase in the Road Fund Levy from 41 pesewas to 46 pesewas, a gallon of petrol and diesel which was sold at about GHc16.00 in December 2016 is today is selling at about GHc31.00. This is almost double the price they berated NDC/Mahama administration for. It is therefore clear from the foregoing facts, that the high increase in the prices of fuel products we have experienced in recent time, is largely as a result of the many draconian taxes and tax increases this government has callously introduced on fuel. That is the major contributing factor. Friends from the media, this astronomical increment in the prices of fuel commodities by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government and its concomitant effect on transport fares, have led to steep increases in general prices of goods and services thereby making life unbearable for the vast majority of Ghanaians. A cursory look at the Construction industry, with a focus on the prices of building materials reveals a very worrying trend that is of major concern to many Ghanaians. A 50kg bag of cement that was sold at GHc27.00 in the year 2016, is being sold at GHc52.00 and in some cases above this price today. A tonne of iron rods (16mm) that was sold at about GHc2,800 in 2016 is today going for GHc5,300, while a packet of aluminum

Opinion

No gov’t mortgaged future of Ghanaian youth than NPP – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has accused the Akufo-Addo-led government of mortgaging the future of the youth of Ghana. According to Mr Mahama, no government in the history of the country has done so more than the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration. Speaking at a meeting with stakeholders of the NDC’s Volta regional arm, as part of his ‘Thank You’ of the region on Monday, 18 October 2021, the 2020 flagbearer of the main opposition party assured the youth that a future NDC government will invest more in the educational sector especially in technical education. He told the gathering that: “There’s no government that has mortgaged the future of the youth of this country more than NPP administration. Look at all the work we did, look at this Ho Technical University, take all the infrastructure here who built this infrastructure?” “The point is they can come and deceive our people and say: ‘You always vote for the NDC; what have they done for you?’ And I said: ‘There was no public university in this region. The highest you could get was HND [from] Ho Poly. If you wanted a degree, you had to leave the region and go to Cape Coast or Kumasi, or Accra, Legon or UDS.” Mr Mahama explained: “It was Prof Mills’ idea and he said every region must have a public university. Brong Ahafo doesn’t have, Volta region doesn’t have and so let’s build the university of health and allied sciences and I remember when he went and cut the sod it took some time for us to get the funding in place and they were cartooning him cutting sods with lizards and snakes and things. “Today, that university is the University of Allied Health and Sciences”. “Today, this institution is Ho Technical University and we didn’t even finish what we were doing..” The former Ghanaian leader noted that his government had plans to upgrade all technical universities and put in equipment and everything to make sure “we were giving a good technical education for all our people and we are not done with you. If NDC comes back into government, you’ll see the infrastructure development that will take place in this university.” —classfm Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

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No gov’t mortgaged future of Ghanaian youth than NPP – Mahama

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