NDC shoots down calls for voter registration exercise extension
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it does not see the need for the calls for the Electoral Commission (EC) to extend the just ended limited voter registration exercise.
Thousands of qualified Ghanaians reportedly could not register in the 10-day exercise due to the limited registration centres provided; something that has triggered calls for an extension in order not to disenfranchise those who could not register.
But the NDC disagrees, arguing that an extension of the exercise could cause people who do not qualify to take undue advantage to register.
General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia told Onua FM Monday morning that it is unfortunate some people, especially students, could not register .
He argued university students do not need exeat to move out of their various campuses, hence they should have gone to registration centres outside the campus to register.
He said “the NDC believes the exercise has been reasonably successful” but was quick to add that only the EC can tell whether they achieved the target set.
Violence
Mr Asiedu Nketia attributed the pockets of violence recorded in some areas to the different training given to the agents of the various political parties and the EC officials.
“NDC trains its agents separately, NPP trains its agents separately, all the other political parties also train their agents separately and the EC also trains its agents separately so they understand the electoral laws differently,” he argued.
Minors
Mr. Asiedu Nketia was doubtful minors can be eliminated from the country’s electoral register, until the EC introduces a device that could detect the age of people, saying “there should be some mechanisms that when you put your finger on, can detect your age. We should look at this but if this is not done, we cannot eliminate minors completely from the register.”
He said the various political parties are to be blamed for the minors on the register.
Punishments
Mr. Asiedu Nketia said electoral offenders must be punished in an unbiased manner, saying “We should put the political colour aside when it comes to electoral offences and deal with the issue”.
By Kwaku Antwi-Otoo|Onua 95.1FM|3news.com|
‘I won’t be distracted by my VGMA awards’ – E.L
Newly crowned Ghana Music Artiste of the Year, Elom Adablah, known in showbiz as EL, says he will not allow the hype associated with the award to distract him but spur him on to achieve more success.
“I’m not for the hype or unnecessary noise making but I’m for making music for people to enjoy all around the world and that’s what I represent. We are going back to the studios to make more music because that is what we represent,” he said.
The award-winning Ghanaian record producer cum rapper emerged as the favourite when he won the five awards, including the Artiste of the Year, at the 17th edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards last Saturday.
He beat stiff competition from his contemporaries Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Bisa Kdei, VVIP and SP Kofi Sarpong to win the ultimate award.
He told TV3’s Mark Tetteh after the event that he has always longed for the prestigious award since the first time he stated making music, noting “I’m literally out of words and out of breath because this is something I have always wanted”
By Nana Afrane Asante|3news.com|Ghana
Metro Mass bus accident claims four lives, 41 injured
A fatal accident has occurred on the Tema- Aflao highway involving a Metro Mass bus and a tipper truck near the entrance of the Central University College.
Four people have been confirmed dead and 41 sustained serious injuries.
The accident occurred Monday dawn. The drivers of the two vehicles survived whiles the 41 are receiving treatment at the Tema General Hospital.
The Metro Mass bus was heading to Tema from Aflao whiles the tipper truck was from Tema heading in the opposite direction.
The Tema Divisional police are handling investigations and have blamed poor visibility and fatigue as likely reasons behind the accident.
This is the third accident in a month at the same spot on the highway. Two weeks ago three students of the Central University College died while another was injured when their saloon car was involved in an accident around the same spot.
By 3news.com|Ghana
Politics in churches: Clergy warned against double-standard
“I think the first thing is to talk to members of the clergy to show the example that they really don’t want politics in the Churches and we’ll stay away from it,” he said in response to a Bishop who prevented two politicians from campaigning in his church on Sunday.
The Member of Parliament for Tema East, Daniel Titus- Glover and the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Isaac Ashai Odamtten, were disallowed by the Methodist Diocesan Bishop of Tema, Rev. Thomas Brown Forson from using the pulpit to campaign.
The two had sought an opportunity to to address the Church’s 19th Annual Synod. Although the Bishop was said to have granted them the permission, he prohibited them from speaking on party lines, saying that should not be encouraged considering a lot of politicians would visit the church since we are in a campaign year, the Ghanaian Times reported.
Rev. Forson is reported to have advised the clergy not to allow politicians to use their pulpit to promote themselves.
But speaking on the matter on TV3’s New Day Monday, Mr Adongo said the churches are key stakeholders in the country’s political dispensation, and that for the clergy to debar politicians from using the pulpit to tell the congregation their messages mean the clergy want to monopolise politics.
“I see this also as some kind of difficulty for us because we know the bishops are telling us not to do partisan politics in their church because they are asking us to give them the monopoly of doing the politics themselves,” Mr Adongo said.
He claimed that sermons of some pastors on Sundays are often fraught with nothing than politics, saying ” If you don’t read politically sensitive sermons on a weekend basis, then also we will not be compelled to enter the churches.
“We already have a challenge trusting some of the bishops themselves not to do politics, not to do divisive politics in their pulpits. I believe that example must come from the leadership of the church,” he indicated.
Mr Adongo argued that the various church groups in the country occasionally issue statements on political happenings hence wondered why the clergy should prevent politicians from using the pulpit to educate the congregation on their policies among other things.
“Why don’t you [the clergy] let the people be educated in your church in order that they themselves [the clergy] will not have to come out with such statements. I do believe that as a church it’s a key institution that involves all of us and so whiles we don’t go out there to do politics that divide the people, while we don’t go out there to do politics of insults and we are decorous and we are just preaching alternative policy initiatives that different political parties can bring to bear on the lives of the people, I think it is in order,” he said.
For him, politics in the church is not bad if it is done in a decorous manner, arguing that how the people can access healthcare and potable water, get community schools, and how the vulnerable can get enhanced social protection among other things depends on politics.
“And so, I basically think that politics in the churches in a decorous manner should not be discouraged,” he argued.
Titus-Glover disagress with the Bishop
On his part, Mr Titus-Glover, said although he respects the decision, he disagrees with the Bishop, saying “Sincerely, that is his Church and he calls the shots but for me, I respect his decision but I disagree.
“They take money from our pockets. When I left, I gave them money but for me to market myself and retain my seat they say no I can’t speak on political issues. At least, to give me the opportunity [to tell them] what I have done as a Member of Parliament for my constituency”.
He said indiscipline has permeated the church lately but it is unfortunate that the church is always blaming politicians for that. Transparency in the handling of funds in the churches, particularly in one-man churches, he said, is a big issue and that it was an opportunity for him to have dealt with all those issues.
“My Bishop, yes he did say that we should not do politics and none of us took any political lines. We spoke so well. We spoke about peace, more about bringing us together particularly on the registration.
“He did not help us to some extent. Now that he’s cautioned us, we’d know the angle at which we’re going to speak ; not to incite the people but to speak with wisdom. At the end of the day when we go back home, you look at yourself” and decided who to vote for.
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana
Twitter @steviekgh
The agony of ‘Kayayei girls’
Each year, many women and girls in Ghana join the millions across Africa who are migrating from rural to urban centres in search of economic opportunities in some of the country’s southern commercial centres.
But far from finding jobs, homes and safety in these cities, many of them – largely unskilled and uneducated – find themselves doing back-breaking work, including so-called ‘Kayayei girls’, female porters forced to carry heavy luggage around cities in order to earn a living.
Major decentralisation took place in 1986 in Ghana which, as a consequence, created a few commercial hubs throughout the country away from Accra.But in many cases, these urban centres are still not fully equipped to deal with the vast amount of women and girls travelling from Ghana’s rural areas.
While a lot has been done to tackle some of these issues, Ghana still needs to make more effort to create opportunities for the uneducated and unskilled women that make the journey from the rural north to its urban centres – women and girls that often find themselves off the grid and vulnerable to abuse,” she says.
According to a report published by the World Bank in April 2015, Ghana’s urban population has more than tripled in the last three decades, rising from four million to nearly 14 million, accounting for over half of the country’s population of approximately 27 million.
While urbanisation has been relatively well managed, and poverty in some major commercial hubs has even fallen – such as a 20-percentage-point decrease in Accra’s poverty incidence between 1991 and 2012, according to the World Bank – many have been left out of this development as uncoordinated urbanisation has led to the creation of slums, a lack of basic services and insufficient transport structures in some places.
While accurate numbers of how many of these vulnerable women, such as the Kayayei, fill Ghana’s cities are difficult to come by, one trend has emerged: internal migration of women and girls in Ghana from rural to urban centres, once dominated by men, has seen a significant increase.
In 2010, data from Ghana’s last census showed that just under 50% of all internal migrants were women, higher than in the majority of other African countries. Some academics have gone as far as to refer to this as the ‘feminism of migration’ in Ghana.
The key fact remains that a lot of women and girls are making their way into cities because they are not making enough money and they don’t see opportunities for themselves in Ghana’s rural north.
“But one way in which we can work around this is through meaningful financial inclusion. We need to give women the chance to develop businesses in sectors such as agriculture – away from just subsistence farming – by providing them with affordable and accessible financial solutions in rural areas.This is one way in which we can tackle some of the mounting pressure on Ghana’s cities,”Tola Oni, a Nigerian based entrepreneur and a Mandela Washington Fellow, has stated in an interview with Business Day.
According to a 2010 survey of the Kayayei, conducted by the Ghana Federation of the Urban Poor, out of the girls surveyed, the majority – 58% – were engaged in farming prior to their migration. While continuing with education should be a priority for Ghana’s administration, financial inclusion to develop the country’s agricultural sector by women could be a viable alternative to dealing with overcrowded cities.
Africa’s mobile banking revolution has greatly increased access to financial services and products for Africa’s rural population, but there are various initiatives out there that specifically tackle access for women.
Banks are central to the drive. Access Bank Ghana launched the ‘W’ Initiative in March 2015, which seeks to create specialised banking products for women and promote gender equality. Since 2009, Ecobank has been involved in the Women in Business programme sponsored by the International Finance Corporation, which not only focuses on the elevation of women inside the bank, but also on the financial inclusion of women on the continent. The presence of microfinance products, as well as cooperatives for the implementation of fair market prices, is also increasing in Ghana, helping support women through financial inclusion.
“But we also need to look beyond microfinance loans for women, which often come with very high interest rates, up to 35% in some cases. Concessional finance can be achieved, but we will need more coordination and cooperation from all institutions involved, be that banks, non-governmental organisations, development finance institutions and governments,” MrTola added.
“While this may sound obvious, increased cooperation is lacking and women are bearing the brunt of this,” he added.
Women’s financial inclusion also has the added benefit of bringing a huge portion of the population into Ghana’s growing formal economy. With a population of around 27 million, only around one million of these people are part of the formal economy, paying tax and ultimately contributing to Ghana’s tax revenue.
Bringing women into Ghana’s formal economy will add to this base and potentially have huge benefits to economic growth. Women are genuine consumers. Tap into their potential and your business will thrive; give them access to credit and the banking sector will thrive.
“We can’t control urbanisation in Ghana and elsewhere without creating opportunities and implementing financial inclusion for women. It’s not rocket science,” Mr Tola stated.
Source: Felix DelaKlutse | Business Day
Occupy Ghana receives all Smarttys documents but one from AG
The pressure group Occupy Ghana requested for the documents to enable it get to the bottom of the transaction which raised eyebrows over the tax payer’s money which was paid in excess to Smarttys for branding some metro mass buses at the cost of GHC 3.5 million.
The cost of the transaction caused a public uproar which led to an investigation by the Attorney General ordered by the Chief of Staff. The storm over the deal also led to the resignation of the then Transport Minister, Madam Dzifa Attivor.
After the AG’s investigations it emerged that in excess of GHC 1.5million had been paid to Smartty’s. Subsequently an order was given for the retrieval of the amount.
Occupy Ghana requested for documents about the entire transaction which was initially denied by the AG.
But in a turnaround move, the AG’s office has released the documents to Occupy Ghana without a specific one which was bothered on the investigations carried out by the AG’s office.
Below is the full statement by Occupy Ghana
8th MAY, 2016
OCCUPYGHANA® PRESS STATEMENT
OCCUPYGHANA® RECEIVES M.M.T. BUS BRANDING DOCUMENTS FROM ATTORNEY-GENERAL
OccupyGhana® is pleased to announce that it has received from the Honourable Attorney-General and the Ministry of Transport, 22 documents covering the Smarttys Transaction (“Transaction.”)
It would be recalled that by a letter dated 1st February, 2016, OccupyGhana® requested from the Honourable Attorney-General, documents covering the Transaction. However, by a letter dated 3rdFebruary, 2016, the Honourable Attorney-General declined to provide us with the documents on the ground that there was a pending legal action with respect to the same matter.
Not satisfied with this response, OccupyGhana® issued a Press Statement dated 7th February, 2016, in which it announced its intention to seek legal redress against the Honourable Attorney-General. On 18thFebruary, 2016, OccupyGhana® commenced legal action against the Honourable Attorney-General, in the exercise of our right to information under article 21 of the Constitution.
In the meantime, the other action to which the Honourable Attorney-General referred, as the basis of her refusal to give the documents to us, was heard and determined by the High Court against the Attorney-General. While we waited for our action to be heard, we received word from the Honourable Attorney-General that she would make the documents available to us.
True to her word, by an Affidavit dated 26th April 2016, filed on 28th April 2016 and sworn to by one Lawrence Kumi, Director of Research at the Ministry of Transport, the Honourable Attorney-General has delivered to us, documents relating to the Transaction, except one. The Honourable Attorney-General refuses to give to us, the report that she delivered to the Chief of Staff after her investigations on the ground that she considered that as confidential and privileged.
We have delivered these documents to our legal and audit teams for their review and advice. We will keep Ghanaians appraised and updated with the findings of our legal and audit teams, and as we have promised, should we find that any laws were broken or anything was done that was illegal, wrong or untoward, OccupyGhana® will pursue the matter to its logical and legal conclusions.
Yours in the service of occupying hearts and minds for God and Country
By Martin Asiedu-Dartey|3news.com|Ghana
Twitter: @NewsyMartin
Making all criminal offences bailable will put pressure on prosecutors – Amaliba
He fears the development would likely let many criminals go unprosecuted.
Although he lauded lawyer Martin Kpebu for securing that judgment, he thinks more needs to be done to ensure its enforcement.
‘‘I agree it will decongest our prisons but it will also put a huge burden on our prosecutors because it is not staffed with the requisite number of personnel needed and that for me is not the best. What this means is that the state will be under immense pressure to speed up the process for prosecution.
“With this ruling [judgement] we need to ensure that we put in place a system to employ more lawyers else a lot of people will go home unprosecuted’’.
He has further warned criminal minded persons not to rejoice as the judgement is not automatic condition to bail.
‘‘The language of the law says that a court shall refuse to grant bail so there are some offences which were non-bailable but does this mean that it is an automatic condition to be granted bail when you commit an offence? NO. And I want to tell criminal minded persons that they will still have to meet the conditions in 96(6) and 5’’.
The Supreme Court struck out Section 96 (7) of Act 30. This makes the law on non-bailable offences unconstitutional. This means a court that has jurisdiction to try cases such as murder, rape, treason, piracy and defilement has the authority to grant bail.
By Sarah Apenkroh | 3FM | 3news.com
TV3 celebrates mothers
A mother’s selflessness, immeasurable love and unexplained strength is worth celebrating any day.
For this reason, every year, TV3 celebrates women on mother’s day and this year was no exception. As expected, our lovely mothers showed up in their numbers. It was all fun and laughter as they danced till they could dance no more.
There was more than enough to eat and drink, as well as presents for everyone.
The fabulous songstress Kakie was there to grace the occasion
Grandma boogieing on the dance floor
A mother enjoying a makeover
By: Ayerkie Narnor
There was more than enough to eat and drink, as well as presents for everyone.
The fabulous songstress Kakie was there to grace the occasion
Grandma boogieing on the dance floor
A mother enjoying a makeover
By: Ayerkie Narnor 