Deputy NDA CEO sacked
The appointment of Patrick Seidu as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Development Authority has been terminated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. According to the termination letter signed by the Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, his dismissal takes effect from March 21, 2023. Read full letter below: Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email apexnewsgh@gmail.com
Adopt the ‘can do attitude’–Minister tell GES
The Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Stephen Yakubu has urged Municipal and District Directors of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and teachers to adopt the “can do attitude” to improve the quality of education in the Region. He said even though the region had similar working conditions with other regions in the country, its examination results were poor as compared to sister-regions, and therefore, called on managers of the GES to eschew all forms of excuses and deliver on their mandate. The Minister made the call when he joined the Bolgatanga Municipal and Bolgatanga East Directorates of the GES to mark ‘My First Day at School.’ “Our region is not in isolation, the pay is the same, everything else is the same, we went to the same Training Colleges, and all have the same degrees. It therefore means there is something in this region we are not doing right which could account for the poor performance of students,” he said. Hon. Yakubu said the methodology adopted by some teachers could discourage some pupils from attending school, adding that the attitude of some teachers who engaged pupils on their farms should be stopped. He admonished parents and guardians to take up the responsibilities of their wards seriously as education was key to the future of their children, and the development of the nation. He cited instances where some children went to school on empty stomachs, some abandoned school to help their mothers to sell in markets, while some engaged in illegal mining activities for quick money. Soft drinks and biscuits were distributed to the Kindergarten and Primary Schools the Minister and his entourage visited. —RCC— For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email apexnewsgh@gmail.com
NDC defending the indefensible, an act of ill-will, preposterous and cheap politicking–UER-NPP Comm.
The Communication Directorate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Upper East Region has described the demand for justice for the 8 dismissed Chiana students by the NDC Youth Wing as a malicious attempt by the NDC and its cohort to make President Akufo-Addo look bad in the eye of Ghanaians. The statement says “Any political player worth their sort in Ghana that appreciates the modus operandi of state Institutions or willing to learn same would have known that the President had no prior knowledge of the decision of the GES”. Read full statement below: The statement signed by the Regional Communication Director of NPP Peter Ayinbisa further says, “In spite of this, when the attention of the President was drawn to the dismissal of the students, he immediately intervened rendering the dismissal null momentarily”. RE-NDC YOUTH WING DEMAND JUSTICE FOR THE CHIANA 8 The Upper East Regional Communication Directorate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has sighted with disbelief a press statement from the NDC youth wing calling for the reversal of the dismissal of the Chiana 8. While it is factual that the decision to dismiss the recalcitrant students was in conformity with the code of conduct of the GES, it is an act of ill-will, preposterous and cheap politicking from the NDC to seek to defend the indefensible. The malicious attempt of the NDC and its cohort to drag the President into issues of this nature is unfortunate, unfair and unreasonable. Any political player worth their sort in Ghana that appreciates the modus operandi of state Institutions or willing to learn same would have known that the President had no prior knowledge of the decision of the GES. The GES like all other state institutions did what was deemed right in accordance with its institutional regulations to tame and dissuade the unbecoming behaviour of the Chiana 8 and their ilk. It is trite knowledge that insults, satire, invectives that offend the dignity of a public official are punishable by law. In spite of this, when the attention of the President was drawn to the dismissal of the students, he immediately intervened rendering the dismissal null momentarily. The swiftness and compassion of the President in this matter should be the focus of our political discourse while without reservations condemning the unscrupulous behaviour of the affected students by all.The disposition of the NDC in this case is not only shameful and a ‘low-blow’ to our democratic credentials, but a seeming attempt to ‘weaponize’ the youth of Ghana against this government. Indeed, the NDC is depleted physically, depressed mentally, despairing spiritually-their ability to stand the record of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo is all gone; the only thing left is to support conducts that our constitution and customs abhors without shame. We in the Upper East Region commends the President for his gracious magnanimity while calling on our daughters and sisters at the center of the case to go and sin no more. Beyond the rules and regulations that guides our conducts in public and private institutions, we are Ghanaians and such misconduct stinks in our culture. Let’s together help build a better future for the youth. Signed Hon. Peter Ayinbisa AyamgaDirector of Communications (U/E/R). Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email apexnewsgh@gmail.com
GES Directed affected students to report to the Headmistress
“……… In the meantime the affected students are to report to the Headmistress of the school for further directions” Source:Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana
C/R: Assistant headteacher shot in the eye while defecating in the bush
A 35-year-old Assistant Headmaster of Ekumfi Akra Methodist Basic School, who also doubles as the Ghana National Association of Teachers’ Local Secretary in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region, has been shot while defecating in a bush near the teacher’s bungalow.A report gathered by this platform’s Central regional correspondent, Nana Tawiah, revealed that the teacher, Mr Shadrack Frimpong, on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, around 5:30 AM, went to a nearby bush around their staff bungalow to empty his bowels but was shot at by some assailants. It has also been revealed that the attackers initially missed the teacher and rather hit a tree in front of him. The bullets ricocheted, however, hitting the victim in the left eye and arm. It is suspected the unknown attackers shot at the teacher to kill him. In an interview with some of Mr Frimpong’s colleagues, it was revealed that they were in their rooms when they heard the Assistant Headmaster screaming and calling for help. Upon getting to him, they saw him in a puddle of blood which indicated that he had been shot. Quickly, they rushed him to the Mankessim Roman Hospital for treatment. Some of the teachers wondered why someone would plan to shoot their colleague when he had no known issues with anybody in the community. Also, the father of the victim, Mr Richard Anaman, has asked the police in the Ekumfi District to thoroughly investigate the matter. According to the father, he suspects the person planned to kill his son in retaliation for caning a student. Mr Anaman explained that his son, the headmaster, had a misunderstanding recently with some of the parents in the community for caning a student for misconduct but the issue had been settled. He was not sure, however, whether the gun attack was related to that matter. The Assembly Member for Ekumfi Akra, Mr Seth Kofi Entsie, also added that the near-fatal incident happened because there is no toilet facility attached to the teacher’s bungalow. He said the case has been reported to the Ekumfi Essiohyia Police for an investigation. Meanwhile, no arrest has been made by the police. —Classfm–
Expect full-blown IMF programme in mid-Jan or Feb – Akufo-Addo
Ghana’s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund are expected to reach a full-blown agreement either in January or February, President Nana Akufo-Addo has announced. Speaking at a meeting with some African-American students from the Harvard Business School at the Jubilee House, the president acknowledged the challenges facing the economy: “We’ve had difficulties in the past few years trying to reposition our economy to grow again”. He said: “Some basic statistics that all of you are familiar with have pushed us back: the energy sector crisis, the global food crisis, and many others and Ghana is yet to escape from all of these crises”. Giving an update on the IMF talks, Mr Akufo-Addo said: “We are going through the processes with the International Monetary Fund right now and hopefully, by the middle of this month or February, a full-blown IMF programme will be put in place which will help us repair our public finances which took a big hit from external forces.” In December 2022, the IMF and the Ghanaian authorities reached a staff-level agreement on economic policies and reforms to be supported by a new three-year arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) of about US$3 billion. The IMF said the Ghanaian authorities’ strong reform programme is aimed at restoring macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability while protecting the vulnerable, preserving financial stability, and laying the foundation for strong and inclusive recovery. To support the objective of restoring public debt sustainability, the government of Ghana has launched a comprehensive debt operation. In addition to a frontloaded fiscal consolidation and measures to reduce inflation and rebuild external buffers, the programme envisages wide-ranging reforms to address structural weaknesses and enhance resilience to shocks. An IMF team led by Mr Stéphane Roudet, Mission Chief for Ghana, visited Accra from December 1 – 13, 2022, to discuss with the Ghanaian authorities IMF support for their policy and reform plans. At the end of the mission, Mr Roudet issued the following statement: “I am pleased to announce that the IMF team reached a staff-level agreement with the Ghanaian authorities on a three-year program supported by an arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) in the amount of SDR 2.242 billion or about US$3 billion. The economic program aims to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability while laying the foundation for stronger and more inclusive growth. The staff-level agreement is subject to IMF Management and Executive Board approval and receipt of the necessary financing assurances by Ghana’s partners and creditors. “The Ghanaian authorities have committed to a wide-ranging economic reform program, which builds on the government’s Post-COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG) and tackles the deep challenges facing the country. “Key reforms aim to ensure the sustainability of public finances while protecting the vulnerable. The fiscal strategy relies on frontloaded measures to increase domestic resource mobilisation and streamline expenditure. In addition, the authorities have committed to strengthening social safety nets, including reinforcing the existing targeted cash-transfer program for vulnerable households and improving the coverage and efficiency of social spending. “Structural reforms will be introduced to underpin the fiscal strategy and ensure a durable consolidation. These include developing a medium-term plan to generate additional revenue and advancing reforms to bolster tax compliance. This will help create space for growth-enhancing measures and social spending. Efforts will also be made to strengthen public expenditure commitment controls, improve fiscal transparency (including the reporting and monitoring of arrears), improve the management of public enterprises, and tackle structural challenges in the energy and cocoa sectors. The authorities are also committed to further bolstering governance and accountability. “To support the objective of restoring public debt sustainability, the authorities have announced a comprehensive debt restructuring. Sufficient assurances and progress on this front will be needed before the proposed Fund-supported program can be presented to the IMF Executive Board for approval. “Reducing inflation, enhancing resilience to external shocks, and improving market confidence are also important program priorities. Accordingly, the Bank of Ghana will continue to strengthen its monetary policy framework and promote exchange rate flexibility to rebuild external buffers. As part of the authorities’ debt strategy, a domestic debt exchange has been launched. The authorities are committed to taking the necessary mitigation measures to ensure financial sector stability is preserved. “IMF staff held meetings with Vice President Bawumia, Finance Minister Ofori-Atta, and Bank of Ghana Governor Addison, and their teams, as well as representatives from various government agencies. The IMF team has also continued to engage with other stakeholders. Staff would like to express their gratitude to the Ghanaian authorities, Parliament’s Finance Committee and all the private sector, trade union, and civil society representatives for their open and constructive engagement over the past few months.” Classfm—
Good News: President Akufo-Addo intervenes, instruct Director General to….
President Akufo-Addo intervenes, instruct Director General to initiate disciplinary action not dismissal Following the issuance of a dismissal letter by the Management of Ghana Education Service to the eight students of Chiana Senior High School in the Upper East Region who were seen in a viral video insulting the President of the Republic of Ghana. The general public condemned the students actions but however, considered the decision of the Management of GES to be too harsh. A lot calls coming from the families of these students and members of the general public calling on President to intervene has yielded good results. The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo in a release signed by Kwasi Kwaeteng, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, has finally intervened in the matter after his attention was drawn to it. Read the full statement: Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email apexnewsgh@gmail.com