Residents expect Bono Regional Minister-designate to address child labour
A cross-section of the public in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital has urged Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister designate to address surging child labour and exploitation in the Sunyani Municipality, when she assumes duty. They expressed worry many school going-age children, and minors were exploited, and being used to sell, and undertake economic activities in the municipality, instead of being in schools. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, they hailed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for nominating Madam Owusu-Banahene, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, and congratulated the President’s nominee for her elevation. However, the residents noted the task ahead was herculean, and advised the nominee to collaborate effectively with traditional authorities in the area to address peculiar development challenges in the region. Ms Andrina Fameye, a trader at the Sunyani Central Business District regretted the influx of minors doing all sorts of trading activities, though school had re-opened, which she noted was detrimental to their health and education. Mr Kennedy Boampong, a Taxi driver at the Yamfo-Tanoso lorry said he and other colleagues welcomed the President nominee, and hoped that the minister designate would perform to the expectations of the people. He said he expected the President nominee to facilitate work to resume on the construction of the Sunyani Ring road, which was abandoned for some time now. Mr Richmond Okyere, a pharmacist lauded the good human relations of the President nominee, and urged her to build and strengthen relationships with chiefs and Queens to identify and address peculiar challenges impeding development of the region. GNA Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
‘Legacy of impunity,’ the darkest blot on Rawlings – Gyimah-Boadi
Extra-judicial killings during the military era of former president Jerry John Rawlings’ leadership was the darkest blot on his legacy as someone who had ruled Ghana the longest since independence. According to Prof Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi of the Afrobarometer think tank, the killings which he called ‘legacy of impunity,’ was the darkest aspect of Rawlings’ legacy. “His line of defence was to say that some people deserved it, or even that ‘you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs’,” said Gyimah-Boadi. “For me, this is the darkest aspect of his legacy: the legacy of impunity,” he added in an interview with the AFP news agency. Records show hundreds of documented extrajudicial executions under the former leader. He had over time refused to offer any public apologies to the affected families. Asked whether her father regretted his action, his daughter Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings told the BBC that her father’s views on the issue are public and she could not posthumously make any comments to that effect. The particular killing of three high court judges and a retired army general are well reported. The four were Mrs. Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addo, Mr. Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong, Justice Fred Poku Sarkodie and Major Rtd. Sam Acquah. On the night of 30 June 1982, Mrs Addo, Justice Poku Sarkodie and Justice Kwadwo Adjei Agyapong, as well as a retired military officer, were abducted from their homes. The murders took place at the Bundase military shooting range in the Accra Plains during the hours of a night-time curfew. Ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
We must behave well to sustain democracy that Rawlings built – Woyome
Businessman and sympathizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Alfred Agbesi Woyome has said there is the need to protect the Fourth Republican Democracy that was started by the late former President Jerry John Rawlings. He told TV3’s Komla Adom after filing past the remains of Mr Rawlings at the Accra International Conference Centre on Monday, January 25 that fellow compatriots paid the ultimate price in order to build this democracy. Hence, he said, the need to sustain it by “behaving well.” “The late former President Rawlings e was the father of the Fourth Republic, the father of our modern democracy and stability.” “He has done his part and we have to keep it going…we must not lose this democracy, we must behave well. It should last hundreds of years to come. The price for the achievement of this stability is too much to be thrown aside.” “We must behave according to the constitution and June 4th and June 5th lessons. The constitution was gazetted on June 5th and it says power to the people,” he said. For his part, Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Boamah Otokunor, has noted that the NDC, a party formed by the late Former President Rawlings was excluded from the organization of the funeral of the late former President. He said the ongoing ceremony would have been better organized if the NDC had been involved in the planning by the government. Mr. Otokunor told Komla Adom after filing past the remains of the former Ghanaian leader. “Some of us are a reflection of what he stood for and so we are in deep sorrow, we are very sad. We think that the nation has lost greatly, some of us have lost very greatly.” “We are inspired and consolation in the fact that Rawlings left us something an unfinished business, an unfinished service to the nation which we have to continue.” “We would have wished to honour Rawlings in a better and greater, more friendly and inclusive way than what we have seen the government lead us to. There are few problems with family and government, and the government deliberately and consciously excluding the NDC, a political party that he founded.” 3 News Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
Ghanaian climate activist, Joshua Amponsem, leads global youth to deliver adaptation demands to world leaders; BY PROSPER ADANKAI
A World Climate Ambassador and Ghanaian youth climate activist, Joshua Amponsem, is scheduled to meet with the President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo and other Head od States today, Monday January 25, to raise ambition, finance and investments on adaptation as part of Climate Adaptation summit 2021 which is hosted by the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The High-Level Opening Session of the Summit will profile the contributions of Heads of State and Governments and other invited high-level dignitaries. The Ghanaian climate activist is the only young speaker present at the Summit to represent the voices of young people across the globe and particularly youth who are faced with the harshness of climate change impacts. Joshua Amponsem is the Executive Director of Green Africa Youth Organization and led the authorship of the first-ever background paper on the role of youth in climate adaptation in 2019 and has since been an anchor in the advocacy for increased efforts on adaptation to climate change. The objectives of today’s Summit includes Enhancing Ambition on Adaptation by building on the Climate Ambition Summit in 2020, where Joshua Amponsem emphasized the need to increase investments in Global South where adaptation is needed the most. The summit also seeks to forge Solutions and Tools by mobilizing the billions and shifting the trillions to power a climate resilience transformation within the world economy, upscale solutions to confront the challenges from climate change, and invest in capacity building. It also seeks to support Communities to Adapt by sharing the best international partnerships, national adaptive efforts, and sub-national innovative collaborative experiences to deliver the most effective results. Additionally, it hopes to adopt the Adaptation Action Agenda that seeks to deliver enhanced ambition, accelerated actions and tangible solutions to the problems of a warming world, showing how a climate-resilient future can and will be achieved. Ahead of today’s High-Level Opening Session, Joshua Amponsem led the global youth climate community to handover a set of key recommendations for adaptation action which had been developed through series of consultations with young people from every region of the world. The Ghanaian youth activist has been leading the global youth consultations on adaptation which has now been developed into a Global Youth Call to Action which he handed over to Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary General of the United Nations and Chair of Global Center on Adaptation among other world leaders. In a conversation with Inger Andersen, Director of UNEP, and other leaders on Friday evening at the Youth4Climate Live series, Joshua Amponsem said: “Adaptation is needed now. It cannot wait, because the impacts of climate change are here! We need to give young people the knowledge and skills to face the future ahead of them.” According to the agenda of the Opening session, high ranking personalities include host, Netherland Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Global Commission on Adaptation – Co-chair Ban Ki-moon and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Other World Leaders include Ghana: President Nana Akufo-Addo, Germany: Federal Chancellor Merkel, Chile: President Sebastián Piñera, United Kingdom: Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Grenada: Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, France: President Emmanuel Macron, China: Vice Premier Han Zheng, United States of America: Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, International Monetary Fund: Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Gabon: President Ali Bongo, India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, World Bank Group: President David Malpass, Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, among others. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
UER: Upper East Region will get the larger share of the resources–Stephen Yakubu
The Upper East Regional Minister-designate Stephen Yakubu has said, the people of the Upper East Region will get its larger share of the resources that will be shared by the government. The Former Ghana Ambassador for Morocco made the revelation in an exclusive interview with Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of Apexnewsgh.com on Monday January 25, 2021. Following the Abysmal performance witnessed by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its candidates in the region during the 2020 general elections, most citizens across the region both home and abroad have started registering some displeasure indicating, that the government is not going to pay any attention to the people of Upper East after such an abysmal performance by the party. However, the perception deepens, after President Akufo Addo’s appointment of his Ministers without any representative from the Upper East Region. But speaking to the Upper East Regional Minister-designate Stephen Yakubu, he assured the people of Upper East to be confident of receiving their larger share of the resources from the government. “We are developing even Volta Region, where we know that is not even our stronghold. So, as for the government, the government doesn’t distribute resources based on voting patterns. We even want to develop where people don’t like you more, so that next time the people will like us and vote for us. I am very sure that Upper East will get their larger share of the resources which is going to be shared and am going to fight for that one on one. You know there is an index that they use, and Common Fund is been distributed depending on the poverty levels in the country. So, for example in Accra, some are getting more Common Fund than Accra Municipalities, so that is the way is distributed”. “So, what am going to be concentrating on is, how to pull more resources into the region, not only even from government but also from other investment into the region. Because Private investment even creates more jobs than the government. Let’s do things differently and achieve different results”. He told Apexnewsgh.com Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
He didn’t want us to grow up in airs of superiority– Zanetor Rawlings
Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings the daughter of late former Ghanaian President Jerry John Rawlings, has said that, they could not spend much time with their late father because of his position and his principles. the Klottey Korle Constituency Member of Parliament (MP), said made the revelation during a round table discussion at a vigil held in honour of the late father, she said although their time together was always brief, every encounter had its wonderful remembrance. “There was a threat to his life at some point and he didn’t want us to be a part of that, so he felt that if we lived in a separate location it kind of decrease the risk”. “He also didn’t want us to grow up in airs of superiority by virtue of living in the Castle, it was just to give us a life as normal as possible. “Which meant we didn’t see him as often, but when we did there was always something, he wanted to impact so much knowledge; teaching me and my siblings how to drive before our feet could even touch the gas pedal, teaching us how to drive the model plane, and to ride our bicycles,” she said. The former president left behind a wife, former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, and four children. The vigil was honored by dignitaries and people across other parts of the world, including government officials and members of the two political parties. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
Parliament to debate Ayariga’s motion for suspension of tertiary fees tomorrow
Parliament will debate a motion pushing for the government to absorb fees of students in public tertiary institutions tomorrow. The motion advanced by Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga who argues that this move is necessary to cushion parents against the impact of COVID-19. The last time it came up, on January 21, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin called on the leadership of both sides of the House to help streamline the motion. The motion which seeks to get the President to suspend the payment of fees in public tertiary educational institutions for a year due to the impact of COVID-19 was moved on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Disagreements over procedure and the wording of the motion have however stalled the debate for two sittings. The NDC Caucus is supporting the motion with arguments that the suspension of the fees is necessary due to the economic hardship imposed on parents by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Ayariga cited the loss of jobs and economic instability brought on by the pandemic, describing his petition as a “condition of urgent public importance”. The NPP side on the other hand holds the view that such a measure would be unnecessary because the government has already provided enough support and interventions in the area of education due to the pandemic. Tertiary students returned to lecture halls from Saturday, January 9, 2021. Citinewsroom Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
Rawlings died betrayed – Rawlings’s confidant speaks
Group Captain Richard Fordjour (Rtd.), a confidant of the late President Jerry John Rawlings has revealed that the late former president in his last days on earth felt betrayed by those that he had worked with in the past. Therefore, the former president died betrayed. Speaking at a vigil held in his memory at the Air Force Mess in Accra, Group Captain Fordjour (Rtd.) stated that the release of Kwamena Ahwoi’s book which was very critical of Rawlings, was the final nail in Rawlings’s coffin. ‘Working with Rawlings,’ a book authored by Prof Kwamena Ahwoi who served as Secretary for Local Government and later Minister for Local Government tells details of experiences of people who worked with the late military leader who later became an elected head of state. The book described the former Ghanaian leader as someone who always intimidated his subordinates. Professor Ahwoi described the former president as “a divisive leader who is incapable of keeping and sustaining friends”. ”Oftentimes, he would feign disinterest and be looking through the window or playing with his toy planes,” the former minister wrote on page 232 of his, “Working with Rawlings” book. Professor Ahwoi also on the same page said that the former president “did not understand many of the very technical issues” tabled at cabinet meetings, a weakness which led him to engage in activities which were not part of such discussions. Reflecting on those matters, Group Captain Richard Fordjour (Rtd.) said while remembering his last encounter with Rawlings: “In his last days, he [Rawlings] died betrayed. That book, that was and the response that came from those he worked with, really hit him very hard. We did our best to restrain him from responding but it was a big blow to him.” He further stated that the release of the controversial Ahwoi book, coupled with the death of Rawlings’s mother Madam Victoria Agbotui – both events occurring close to each other in 2020 – were a big blow to Rawlings. “Given the benefit of hindsight, his late days [were] not his best, apart from the medical condition that got deteriorated,” Group Captain Fordjour stressed. Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings (Rtd.) passed away on Thursday, November 12, 2020, at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after a short illness. He left behind his wife the former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, and four children. Ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.
Wontumi begs NPP leads counsel to give him opportunity to enable him expose Tsatsu Tsikata
The NPP’s Ashanti Regional Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has pleaded with the counsel lead lawyer for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the ongoing election petition at Ghana’s Supreme Court to offer him the opportunity to expose NDC Tsatsu Tsikata . The controversial chairman is pleading with the lead counsel, Akoto Ampaw, to give him the opportunity to lead the case for the NPP as current proceedings so far show that the NDC has no case and he Wontumi can easily win the case hands down. Chairman Wontumi who was speaking on Wontumi TV on Saturday, added that if the opportunity is given to him to represent the President, president Akufo- Addo will have no cause to worry about the case. “I will plead with the lead counsel for the president, Akoto Ampaw, to leave the case for me so that I handle it because from what I’ve seen, I can easily handle the case,” he said on Wontumi TV’s Nsempa Fie on Saturday”. However, he further explained that the leads counsel for the NDC Tsatsu Tsikata, is only enjoying some praises even though the Proceedings so far have already exposed he is a weak lawyer. “For a lawyer of such pedigree to ask the question on whether the results from the 2020 elections were transmitted by the NCA, exposes him as a “weak lawyer who is slow at learning.” Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093.