Completely reject LGBTQI+ in Ghana – Christian clerics to Akufo-Addo
Some Christian clerics led by the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, have asked President Akufo-Addo to ensure that all avenues for LGBTQI+ sexuality are shut in Ghana. They made the appeal when they, comprising the Methodist Church, Apostolic Church, and Christian Council, presented a memorandum to the constitutional, legal and parliamentary affairs committee in support of the anti-LGBTQI+ Bill before parliament. The 36-page bill, which is yet to be considered by parliament, seeks to unequivocally criminalise LGBTQI+ activities. Among other things, it says people of the same sex who engage in sexual intercourse are “liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than seven hundred and fifty penalty units and not more than five thousand penalty units, or to a term of imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than five years or both.” It covers any person who “holds out as a lesbian, a gay, a transgender, a transsexual, a queer, a pansexual, an ally, a non-binary or any other sexual or gender identity that is contrary to the binary categories of male and female.” The legislators promoting the bill submitted a copy of the draft to the Speaker of parliament on 29 June 2021. The bill is not only targeting persons of LGBTQI+ orientation but also promoters of such spectrum of sexuality. For instance, it proposes that: “A person who, by use of media, technological platform, technological account or any other means, produces, procures, markets, broadcasts, disseminates, publishes or distributes a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, or a person uses an electronic device, the Internet service, a film, or any other device capable of electronic storage or transmission to produce, procure, market, broadcast, disseminate, publishes or distribute a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than ten years.” Additionally, it suggests that persons who engage in any activity that “promotes, supports sympathy for or a change of public opinion towards an act prohibited under the Bill” be held liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years or not more than ten years. It also wants all LGBTQ+ groups, societies, associations, clubs, and organisations disbanded. Flouters of this section could face up to not less than six years or not more than ten years imprisonment. However, a group of academicians and other professionals, who also presented a memorandum to the committee expressing their opposition to the passage of the bill, have raised serious concerns about the document. According to the group of 18, the bill, Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, when passed into law, would erode a raft of fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution. Members of the group opposing the anti-gay bill include Mr Akoto Ampaw; author, scholar and former Director of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Prof. Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh; a communications and media expert, Prof. Kwame Karikari; the Dean of the University of Ghana (Legon) School of Law, Prof. Raymond Atuguba, and the Dean of the University of Ghana School of Information and Communication Studies, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo. The Director of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Professor Dzodzi Tsikata; the Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, and a former Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Prof. Kofi Gyimah-Boadi, are also members of the group. Others are Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, Dr Yao Graham, Mr Kwasi Adu Amankwah, Dr Kojo Asante, Mr Kingsley Ofei-Nkansah, Mr Akunu Dake, Mr Tetteh Hormeku-Ajie, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, Dr Joseph Asunka and Nana Ama Agyemang Asante. In their view, railroading it through would mean challenging Ghana’s 1992 Constitution. The 18-page memorandum noted that “the proposers of this far-reaching claim have not provided any data or evidence to suggest that there is such a threat, beyond a resort to some dogmatic religious tenets and so-called Ghanaian family values.” The opposers said: “Christ’s message was/is that we should love our neighbour and not be judgmental and promote the hate and bigotry that many self-styled Christians exhibit and seek to impose on Ghanaian society.” They argued per Article 18 of the Constitution that Ghana is a secular democracy and “not a theocratic Christian or Islamic Republic or an African traditional monarchy or chiefdom.” “In other words, while it allows Christian, Islamic, African traditional and other religious beliefs and practices to exist in harmony with one another as fundamental rights, our Constitution rightfully forbids the imposition of a religious dogma, whether Christian or Islamic or traditional on Ghanaians.” They cautioned the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs against creating a “society where the state, through legislation, imposes one view of ‘proper human sexual rights’.” They also want the bill rejected. —classfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. 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Akufo-Addo commissions Gh¢6.2 Million shoe manufacturing factory in Akuapem North District
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday, 6th October 2021, commissioned ‘Shoe Fabriek Ltd.’, the GH¢6.2 million shoe manufacturing company operating under Government’s 1-District-1-Factory initiative. The state-of-the-art factory is fitted with the requisite infrastructure and equipment capable of producing 800 pairs of high-quality shoes, including security boots, school shoes and casual shoes for men, women, and children, per day. According to the promoters of the project, the siting of the factory in the Akuapem North District is going to create jobs for the residents, which will help reduce rural-urban migration. Shoe Fabriek has, so far, created jobs for one hundred and forty-four (144) people in the district, and is a classic example of the import substitution programme being implemented by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, as part of the 1D1F Initiative. President Akufo-Addo congratulated the promoters of the factory, Michael Asare Bediako, Opoku Benson and Salomey Gyamfi, for supporting the industrial transformation agenda of his administration. Whilst encouraging Ghanaians institutions, such as schools, to patronize made in Ghana shoes from this factory, the President expressed gratitude to the traditional authorities and the residents of the community for their unflinching support to the company, and advised the workers to put in their best to ensure sustained growth of the company. As of September 2021, 278 1D1F projects are at various stages of implementation under the 1D1F Initiative. Out of this number, 104 are currently in operation, 150 are under construction and 24 are at the mobilization stage. one hundred and sixty-five (165) out of the 278 are new projects representing 60% whilst 113 companies are existing projects being supported, representing 40%. In promoting the 1D1F initiative, the Akufo-Addo Government is seeking to address the youth unemployment challenge, by attracting private sector investments into the development activities of these communities. Adukrom-Nkurakan Road 30% complete The President also inspected ongoing work on the reconstruction of Nkurakan – Adukrom – Trom Junction Road. This bituminous road has not seen any major intervention for a very long, as such the road is narrow and in poor condition. The road was awarded on 23rd December 2020 to Messrs. General Construction & Development Limited, with work commencing on 19th July, 2023. It is expected that, when the road is completed, it will bring relief to both motorists and pedestrians. It will reduce vehicle operating cost and reduce travelling time and facilitate the movement of goods and services. It will also serve as alternative link to Koforidua, the regional capital when coming from Mamfe. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Invitation to Ghana’s Largest Enterprise and Startup Ecosystem Virtual Networking event
MEST Africa and EyeCity consortium cordially invite all enterprise support organisations, hubs, innovation centres, businesses and startups in the Ghanaian enterprise and startup ecosystem to the largest Ecosystem Virtual Networking Event which is funded by the African Development Bank and Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. The Virtual Networking Event seeks to promote collaborations amongst existing ecosystem players and enterprises/start-ups in the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Ghana; promote cross-sector collaborations amongst enterprise support organisations and enterprises/startups; and equip ESOs with the right resources and tools, thereby enhancing their support to enterprises/startups participating in their programmes. Join us to acquire a deeper understanding of a wide range of enterprise support organisations, enterprises, startups, financiers, and investors as they connect on a single platform to broker partnerships to provide direct support to ecosystem partners and industry stakeholders. Meeting some of our participants National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP); Societe Generale Ghana; Graphics Communications Group; The Business Finder; Ghana Hubs Network; Ghana Tech Lab; Ashesi University Innovation Lab; Kumasi Innovation Hub (KNUST); Kumasi Hub; Northern Innovation Lab; Stanbic Innovation Lab; Kosmos Innovation Centre; Eastern Tech Hub; Ho Node; University of Cape Coast Incubator; Ghana Chamber for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities; Ghana Creative Network; Tarkwa Entrepreneurship Development Hub; ICODE GH; HOPin Academy; Henson Geodata Technologies Ltd; Agric and More Ltd; Duapa Werkspace; Yison Tech Hub; HapaSpace; iValley Ghana; IoT Network Hub; Noni Hub; Developers in Vogue Foundation; German Sparkassenstiftung; MRP CONSULT; Innohub; Stanbic Incubator; Ho Node Hub; 3B consult; Ghana Innovation Hub (MDF West Africa); Duapa Werkspace; Mind Builders Africa; Potter’s Farms and Consult; Farmer Globale Agribusiness Ltd; Aya.Cash, Sesi Technologies and many others Please, click the https://lnkd.in/eipSdAKe to register for the event. As part of this project, we are organising sector-specific training sessions for participants in the virtual networking event. Invites for the sessions will be sent to only participants of this event, please ensure that the email provided is accurate. Date: 0ctober 7, 2021. Time: 9.30 AM-13:10 PM GMT Thank you, in advance, for your participation in this event. For further information, Contact Kojo Ahiakpa on +233 277 786 645 Or email: kojo.ahiakpa@eyecity.ng Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
MTN Ghana bags three prestigious awards at Instinct Women Awards
MTN Ghana has won three prestigious awards at the maiden edition of the “Instinct Women Awards’ held in Accra on Friday October 1st 2021. MTN received awards in the following categories: Excellence in Promoting & Developing Women Leaders, Exceptional Woman in Human Relations – Amma Benneh-Amponsah and Exceptional Woman in Customer Service – Jemima Kotei-Walsh. MTN Ghana was commended for the interventions it has put in place to promote diversity and inclusion at the workplace and the initiatives to empower and develop women across the business in the various functions and in the area of technology especially. The Chief Human Resources Officer at MTN, Amma Benneh-Amponsah won the award for Exceptional Woman in Human Relations for the strategic role she continues to play which is focused on shaping MTN Ghana’s talent resourcing, management, development and workplace culture. Amma’s intervention over the years has led to MTN winning the UK based Investor in People Platinum Accreditation and as a result of the constant promotion of MTN’s culture, employees continue to live the values of the organization. Jemima Kotei-Walsh, Customer Relations Executive at MTN received the Exceptional Woman in Customer Service award for being instrumental in providing strategic direction and execution of customer-related programmes and policies in MTN Ghana. Under her leadership, there has been excellent results recorded in MTN’s Net Promotor Score which has led MTN to winning various awards in customer service in the telecoms industry in Ghana. Both Amma and Jemima were at the event to receive their awards. Commenting on the awards, the Chief Executive Officer at MTN Ghana, Mr. Selorm Adadevoh congratulated Amma and Jemima for their leadership in driving MTN’s strategy which has motivated MTN staff to live the values and Culture of the organization. He said, “MTN will continue to support women to develop their potentials and careers while ensuring they are well represented at the leadership level within the organization. I am happy that a few years ago, MTN rolled out the Women in Technology program which trains and gives exposure to women in various fields of the organization.” “These awards add up to the numerous awards received by MTN as it celebrates its 25th anniversary in Ghana. We are inspired by the awards to do more for our customers and the nation as a whole,” Selorm concluded. The ‘Instinct Women Awards’ honors and celebrates outstanding African women who have excelled in their various field of work. The efforts of women who have worked to become game-changers, pioneers and norm challengers across the continent were crowned at the event. —Modernghana Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Burundi President Reportedly Fires All Married Government Officials Who Have Side Chics
Burundi’s President, Evariste Ndayishimiye has reportedly dismissed government officials who have an intimate relationship with other women outside their marriage. This shocking development which will definitely cause intriguing reactions on social media was masterminded by Minister for Internal Security, Gervais Ndirakobuca as a way to bring sanity into the country starting from the top. According to the directive, every married government official who has a side chic will be affected by this new ‘shake up.’ Sidechic jumps down from a three (3) storey building when wife came knocking on the door Sugar daddy and side chic caught ch0pping themselves in public Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Scandal Hits Law School Admissions Again
The year 2021, has not been spared the perennial trouble with admissions into the Ghana School of Law (GSL), with reports that authorities there, are involved in selective recruitment of students, whether they passed the entrance exams by the General Legal Council (GLC) and its affiliate, the Independent Examination Council (IEC) or not. There are reports that, although some 499 students out of the 1289 applicants have met the eligible 50% minimum requirement set by the GSL, they have not been considered for admission into the law school, setting the state for the GLC led by the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin Yeboah, to be accused of lack of transparency and dishonesty. The GLC, is indicted of not explaining the propriety of a new criteria it has adopted in this year’s admission, overlooking identifiable errors in the results from the entrance exams, missing students’ index numbers, as well as the non-admission of some students who had indeed passed the exams in accordance with the new criteria. The controversy has sent out the Member of Parliament; Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor of South Dayi Constituency of the Volta Region, describing the conduct of the GLC, as offensive to the spirit of openness, accountability and transparency accustomed to such institutions. Reports available to The Herald is that, 499 students who were not in the records of the three campuses namely; University of Ghana- Legon, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), but paid some monies and were made to write the exams. Additional reports are that, some two secret bank accounts were opened by GLC with payments made into them by some students to sit for the exams. Other reports were that some did not write the exams as they were not in the records of schools, but has been offered admissions. Some others were said to have passed their Part 1 exam, while others didn’t. There is another category of students who interestingly, wrote the exams, but without index numbers. Mr Dafeamekpor’s colleague, Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu of the Madina Constituency in Accra, has also waded into the matter with a petition to the Speaker of Parliament, demanding an investigation into the matter. The two MPs on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who are lawyers on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, are not alone in this crusade. The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the GLS and the Private legal practitioner and Professor of Accounting, Stephen Kwaku Asare, are also interested in the matter. While the SRC is about to petition Parliament to look into the matter, Prof. Asare, has already petitioned the GLC to release the raw scores of candidates who sat for this year’s law school entrance examination, insisting that he “will call on the Special Prosecutor to investigate the matter and prosecute all those involved in any such abuse of their public office.” Mr Dafeamekpor, in a statement he issued yesterday noted that the recent release of results of the 2021 law school entrance exams by the GLC and its affiliate, the IEC “and the controversy same has generated is concerning and deserves national attention”. He explained that “the initial results released by the GLC on the 28th of September suggested that 790 out of the total examinees of 2824 met the entry requirements. However, a further release by the GLC of all exams results after public pressure would suggest that 1289 examinees met the minimum pass requirement of 50% in keeping with the known pass standard for all previous entrance exams conducted by the GLC”. “It is most bizarre therefore that 499 of the 1289 have not been considered eligible for admission into the GSL when indeed they scored a minimum of 50% or better”, the MP said. According to him, “in attempt to explain this inconsistency of not admitting the 499 students, the GLC, through its director further released a notice on its Notice Board, setting out what clearly is an afterthought, and setting out an est post facto rationalization of the inconsistency. In the said notice, the director purports to set a previously unknown new standard of a pass of 50% in each of the two sections A and B in the exam”. This, he said “is strange given that all examination rules and pass criteria ought to be made known to examinees prior to, but not after the exam is written. It is so strange to observe, for instance, that the afterthought notice allows a student with 50% of total exam score to be admitted, whilst her colleague with 69 or better is rejected”. The North Dayi MP, said, “the GLC has not explained the propriety of the new criteria, the subsequent released results contain errors, missing Index Numbers and some students who indeed have passed in accordance with the new criteria and yet have not received admissions. The conduct of the GLC offends the spirit of openness, accountability and transparency accustomed to such institutions, adding “…it is discriminatory and leaves no space for procedural fairness. He demanded “first, that all 499 students who have passed with the *minimum of the pre-determined criteria of 50%* be immediately admitted without further delay”. “Secondly, a public enquiry should be conducted into this year’s law school entrance exams to ascertain the level of arbitrariness and lack of transparency”. “Thirdly, the future of Professional Law training ought to be pragmatic in allowing pre-qualified Law Faculties to run the professional law programme whose students would be admitted into the Ghana Bar upon sitting and passing a one-off Ghana National Bar exams”. “Some of the students who attained as high as 61 marks are denied admission while some other students had 50% and are given admission, adding “it’s pertinent to note that, the Students were not given any prior information of any criteria as brought out by the Director of the Law School prior to the Examinations”. He insisted that “the future of the Ghanaian youth and in particular,
Minority In Parliament Intensifies Probe Into Alleged ‘TOR’ massive Scandal
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority Caucus in Parliament has initiated a probe into the recent alleged missing oil scandal at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) The statement said, “this unfortunate development comes on the heels of several corruption scandals that have characterized the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP Government particularly, in the energy sector is fast becoming a sector noted for naked thievery and flagrant disregard for due processes”. Apexnewsgh.com reports Below is the full statement: PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release 6/10/2021 MINORITY CAUCUS TO LAUNCH PARLIAMENTARY PROBE INTO THE MISSING OIL SCANDAL AT TOR. The Minority Caucus in Parliament has noted with disgust the unexplained disappearance of 105,927 litres of Gas Oil, a wrongful loading of 252,000 litres of Aviation Turbine Kerosene, the disappearance of 18 drums of electrical cables, the disappearance of LPG and loss of Naphtha. The estimated cost of the stolen items is in excess of GHS42 million, that is, excluding the value of the Naphtha. This unfortunate development comes on the heels of several corruption scandals that have characterized the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP Government particularly, in the energy sector-which is fast becoming a sector noted for naked thievery and flagrant disregard for due processes. The Tema Oil Refinery has its standard operating procedures requiring the daily briefing to management on stock accounting and inventory, which confirms to management the total quantity and quality in their tanks and the identities of parties who own such stocks. It is therefore untenable to hear of such huge losses without any tangible explanation. This scandal raises issues of dereliction of duty on the part of the management of the Company which require parliamentary inquiry. Since 2017, the Tema Oil Refinery has been mismanaged into a state of comatose, with it’s attendant appointment of 4 different Chief Executive Officers. Indeed it is becoming obvious that the refinery is gradually moving into a state of total collapse. This is why the current Government has proposed to turn it into a Tank farm. Prior to leaving office in January 2017, the NDC/Mahama government had initiated, implemented and managed the restructuring of the entire refinery operations. In our quest to revamp the refinery, the NDC procured Nine (9) million barrels of crude to be refined including an indigenous crude from the TEN fields in Ghana. The Refinery was saved millions of dollars by restructuring its existing debt of $650 million which we inherited and reduced it by 300million dollars. This was done through the issuance of the Tema Oil Refinery Bond in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Petroleum to pay off four (4) Commercial Banks. As a matter of fact, the NDC/Mahama government bequeathed crude oil worth $2million including the TEN crude to the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government when we were leaving office in January 2017.TOR got a tolling fee on this crude oil to help finance its operations. Sadly, this crude oil was disposed off under very opaque and suspicious circumstances by the Akuffo Addo/Bawunia led NPP government. Additionally, the NDC/Mahama government attracted the largest single investment in the downstream industry in Ghana’s recent years for the Tema Offshore Mooring Systems, now called the Ghana Petroleum Mooring Systems (GPMS). An amount of $110million was brought into the TOR through this structure as at December 2016, a balance of $90million was in TOR accounts when the NDC government left office. Despite these major interventions, TOR incurred a loss of $24 million plus, after processing just 950,000 barrels of crude which was enough to plunge TOR into further debt, leading to a forced shutdown of the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) on the morning of Friday 30th November 2018, largely due to poor management and political interferences. It is sad to note that the managers of the refinery failed to adequately find off-takers for the refined products before sourcing for the crude, thus rendering the products “stranded” in tanks. This bizarre business module means the refinery made huge losses as prices kept falling on the global commodity market and giving room for siphoning of the products. The Minority wishes to serve notice that it will not sit unconcerned for greedy and self-seeking Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government to plunge the only oil refinery in the country into comatose. We are well aware of the cover-up in the BOST scandal and cannot therefore trust this Government to conduct any fair, transparent and unbiased investigation. We therefore wish to serve notice that we shall in the coming weeks, trigger the appropriate rules and processes for a full scale Parliamentary inquiry into this broad daylight thievery and embarrassing spectacle. In the meantime, we wish to call on government to appoint competent personnel devoid of partisan parochial interest onto the management and governing Board of the refinery, and also desist from the unnecessary political interferences in the operations of the refinery. Signed, John Abdulai Jinapor- MP for Yapei Kusawgu and Ranking Member for Mines and Energy Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
GNAT angered by Akufo-Addo’s perennial absence at best teacher awards ceremony
The National President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has lashed out at President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for never attending any of the annual best teacher awards ceremonies since he took office in 2017. Phillipa Larsen said teachers are sad by this development and the earlier the president changes his posture the better. She was speaking to Media General‘s Paa Kwesi Larry Moses on the sidelines of the Ghana Teacher Prize Ceremony held on Tuesday, October 5 at Sunyani, the Bono Region capital. “Teachers are so sad because we love the president and we know our president also loves us,” Ms Larsen indicated. “But it must be shown not just by words. Your words can be given to anybody to present but seeing you is a different thing altogether.” The GNAT National President said the presence of the president at any event speaks volumes about the backing the country’s leadership gives to that programme and his absence also speaks volumes. “It is our prayer that next year God willing he is able to join us. I want to state that whatever programme that is scheduled for October 5 must be cancelled. This is not a national event, it is a global event and if our president is not with us, it means a different thing altogether.” This year’s celebration saw Winneba Senior High School’s Ebenezer Kojo Otoo emerge as the National Best Teacher, walking home with a three-bedroom house as his prize. Rev. Sister Jucinta Kwakyewaa of St Francis SHTS in the Eastern Region came second while Nelson Saviour Kwashie of Awutu Swinton SHS came third. 3news Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Religion will play a significant role by way of determining the person becomes the next presidential candidate of NPP– Ben Ephson
Ben Ephson, the Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper has stated, that religion will play a significant role by way of determining the person becomes the next presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).Apexnewsgh.com reports According to the pollster who spoke on Tuesday’s edition of the ‘Good Evening Ghana’ programme monitored by Apexnewsgh.com he said “If you realized, the Wesley Girls Muslim thing really went into overdrive and I suspect that certain supporters of some of the candidates will use the Muslim card. They will play the religious card, they are going to play it.” He added that such card play will unify the Muslims who may have been voting for another political party. “Now, that will have a double-edged sword because when you play the Muslim card, you are going to unify the Muslims who may have been voting for another political party…that means the Christian vote is going to be split among three or four candidates; that is the danger of the card that could be played.” “as we speak now, most of the candidates who are serious either they are at the various regions where the voting is taking place, or they have highly placed persons within their campaign team to be there and try to get their supporters elected at the various levels… “I believe that, from the 2007 experience where they had 17 leading members, contesting for the slot, I am sure the various mechanisms put in place by the NPP will ensure that three or four or five will be voted for…and it could be very interesting.” He said Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Corruption and fraud: Whooping amounts paid to ghost schools for School Feeding Programme
When Mr. Kufuor launched the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) it worked. Both children and parents were satisfied and happy. The programme encountered some financial problems. Salaries and payments for food items were in arrears. When Akufo-Addo took power, he extended the feeding programme to Senior High Schools. The good news is that the National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme, Dr. Gertrude Quarshie, hinted that the government has given approval for the release of funds to pay all arrears up to the first term of 2021. Since its inception, appointments to GSFP were done on party lines. The programme was a laudable one but the financial difficulties it encountered were man-made. The GSFP was fraught with corruption. As a result the former coordinator, Dr. Adu Nsiah, was suspended, in December 2018 over allegations of supervising fictitious deals in the management of the programme. He was, however, exonerated by a committee set up by Akufo-Addo. Several financial irregularities revealed in the 2018 Auditor General’s Report have led to losses to the state in the running of the programme. 81 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) were blamed for excessive financial mismanagement. It came to a point when there was not enough money to pay food suppliers. The Auditor-General uncovered a serious financial loss to the state from 2014 to the present day. In 2014 it was alleged that GHc12m were paid to ghost schools. This fraud continued and when it was uncovered by the Auditor General in 2021, the defrauded amount had reached GHc2bn! Now the question is: how can such fictitious deals go on for such a long time when the Auditor General’s department sends out annual audit reports? Who were the cheques paid to? In which accounts did the monies go? I will not be surprised if some big shots are involved. Ghanaians are interested in the scandal. (UNESCO) started a case study to see how effective the school feeding programme was in 14 countries. The countries in Africa involved in the study were Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Morocco. Five countries each were also chosen from Asia and Latin America. Many things went into the study, including procurement of food, budgetary planning, the quality of food given to the children, and employment procedures. The conclusions drawn from the study was a woeful one for Ghana. Ghana was at the bottom of the list of all the countries in terms of budgetary planning, quality of food served to the children, corruption, and fictitious deals. The Ghana School Feeding Programme is likely to enter into crisis if strict measures are not taken. The first step is for the authorities to make sure that jobs are given to those who are qualified rather than giving employment on party lines. It is also not proper for matrons or cooks to play the role of suppliers of food items while they receive salaries for the jobs they do in the schools. One sad thing is that these suppliers condone the authorities and hike up the prices. It seems the Ministry responsible for GSFP is not on top of the affairs. Some of the workers have not been paid for more than six months. Suppliers are also facing a similar problem. Not all schools in Ghana are enjoying free food. If the government does not take the programme seriously, the scheme is likely to collapse. —Stephen Owusu Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093