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95% of road contractors are Ghanaians – Mahama excitedly reveals

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road contractsPresident John Mahama has expressed satisfaction in his government’s ability to award at least 95 percent of road contracts in the country to Ghanaians.

Giving himself a pat on the back, the president in an exclusive interview with TV3 New Day, broadcast on Monday, said this is as a result of specific directives he issued.

He indicated that the result fits into his government’s “deliberate policy to give advantage to Ghanaian business”.

“I have given specific directives which are beginning to yield result. For instance, I said that for all road and building construction that is financed from the government of Ghana funds, the majority of those projects should go to Ghanaians,” he pointed out.

“And I am happy that today, 95 percent of contractors working in the road construction sector are Ghanaians. It wasn’t so a few years ago. We had a lot of Asian companies and other companies from all over the world competing with our local contractors.”

The president was also excited that the local contractors have not been disappointing, noting that they are “doing well”.

President Mahama recalled that some few years back there were only six companies in Ghana with asphalt plants and were all foreign owned.

“Today 22 companies have asphalt plants, and of the 22, when you take out the six, the rest are all Ghanaian companies,” he announced.

“And so we are giving effect to the things that we say and that is why evidence-based learning is important to be able to showcase exactly how that is helping to transform things.

“Otherwise, these are things people take for granted and then they don’t realize that there is something going on,” President Mahama emphasised.

 

Source: Isaac Essel | tv3network.com | Ghana

Critics have failed to contradict my ‘evidenced-based’ State of the Nation Address – Mahama

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Prez John MahamaPresident John Mahama says his critics have failed to contradict the evidence-based stories of progress and development he told in his State of the Nation Address.

“After the SONA [State of the Nation Address], nobody has contradicted those stories,” President Mahama said on TV3’s New Day show during an exclusive interview on Monday.

The President said it is thus unfair and an insult to Ghanaians for his critics to describe the people he used to demonstrate the reality of Ghana’s development at the event as “concert party”, especially when they have failed to discredit their stories.

“I felt very sad that people described ordinary Ghanaians, whose votes you want, as being a part of concert party. It’s an insult to Ghanaians unfortunately. You might detest your political opponent as much as possible but you don’t insult the Ghanaian people,” he said.

President Mahama said his resolve to use the “evidence-based” approach was borne out of the fact that often Ghanaians take for granted the progress and development taking place in the country.

“We’ve built a new hospital so? Until you let people see by evidence how it has changed their lives, often they will take it for granted,” he said and explained that the lady he brought from Nkrankwanta had his first child at the Dormaa Hospital so she had to spend much money on transportation for herself and relatives.

“The [her] next baby was born with a Polyclinic in her own backyard so she literally walked to the polyclinic, had her baby. These are the things that until you tell the story, people will take for granted” he explained.

Mr Mahama said the people were randomly chosen from all over the country to “show how the social and economic infrastructure programme that government is implementing is having effect on the lives of the people”.

According to President Mahama, the evidence-based approach, which has become an order of the day in the world, was used to demonstrate actually what the reality is.

“Evidence-based learning is the fashion in the world today and so I just used it to demonstrate what progress we’re making in Ghana. The driver is still driving from Wa to Tamale in four and a half hours. He’s able to go twice in one day. He goes to Tamale, loads back, gets home and his tuozaafi is still warm for him to be able to eat,” President Mahama said.

“That’s the reality you cannot say does not exist. If you say I’m out of touch with reality, I mean I wasn’t telling the story, the people were telling the story. Iwanna express my commendation to them for coming and standing up and being able to be part of the testimony of the change that is happening in Ghana,” he added.

By Stephen Kwabena Effah|tv3network.com|Ghana
Twitter @steviekgh

I’m willing to debate Nana Addo any day – Mahama

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I’m willing to debate Nana Addo any day – Mahama

Nana Akuffo Addo and Prez MahamaPresident John Mahama has dared the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo Addo for a debate indicating that “he (Nana Addo) has made a lot of contentious statements.”

According to the President “I’m willing to debate Nana Akufo-Addo any day even if you call him today, I will put it here and start debating the issues. So I don’t have a problem with debating Nana Addo…, I would have wished that you had him hear so that we would debate those issues”.

The president was speaking to TV3 New Day on Monday on a number of issues including criticism over his governance style which he says “is transforming lives of Ghanaians.”

The main opposition New Patriotic Party, its flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo and his running mate, Dr. Mahmudu Bawumia have on several occasions questioned the governance style of the president accusing him of running down the country’s economy and bringing unbearable hardships on the citizenry.

Nana Addo recently held what he termed was the real state of the nation address after the president had delivered his mandated State of the Nations address to the house of Parliament.

This, the president has denied and said his achievements are evident for all to see. President Mahama has indicated that he would be available for a debate during the campaign season depending on whether his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is willing to participate.

He said “Essentially our parties are involved in agreeing on the format of the debate and who organizes it and all that so it’s not for me to say. I’m sure the NDC party at the appropriate time, if they are invited to a debate, would have to take a decision on whether they feel comfortable with whoever is organizing the debate.”

By Martin Asiedu-Dartey|tv3network.com|Ghana
Twitter: @NewsyMartin

Kwarasey set for Ghana return after two year absence

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Kwarasey set for Ghana return after two year absence

Adam Larsen KwaraseyAdam Larsen Kwarasey is set for a return to the Black Stars with his name pencilled down for the twin Nations Cup qualifier against Mozambique later this month.

The USA based goalkeeper has had a difficult relationship with Ghana coach Avram Grant after he turned down an invitation for a friendly against Canada but he will be handed a second chance against Mozambique. Kwarasey has not played in two years since appearing at the 2014 World Cup in a game against USA.

Kwarasey’s return will spell temporary doom for Fatau Dauda who has been dropped from the squad. Grant’s 23-man squad for the two games on March 24th and March 27th is dominated by familiar names but there is no place in the side for Mubarak Wakaso who is absent through injury.

Ghana is top of Nations Cup qualifying group H after two wins in their opening two games.

By TV3 Sports Desk
Twitter: @TV3SportsGH

Tigo’s Shelter 4 Education Initiative lauded

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Tigo’s Shelter 4 Education Initiative lauded

Among the refurbished schools was the one at DimabiAt the recent brand re-launch of Tigo’s digital revolution at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, the Deputy Minister for Communication, Ato Sarpong, praised the company for its social responsibility flagship project, Shelter 4 Education.

He commended the project for its positive impact on the lives of school children, the beneficiary communities and the country’s educational landscape as a whole.

“Over the past few years, Tigo has been top of mind in the media, particularly with Shelter 4 Education, building schools across the country. The project supports government’s effort to tackle the lack of educational infrastructure particularly in rural parts of the country,” he said.

The telecoms company constructed four schools and refurbished two others expected to serve as motivation to encourage parents to send their wards to school, thereby increasing enrolment.

Tigo launched its new tagline ‘Live it. Love it.’, which reflects the company’s ambition to become the most consumed digital services brand of choice.

At the launch, the Deputy Minister was hopeful of the telecom sector and upbeat about Tigo’s transformational journey, explaining that despite the various industry challenges over the year, Tigo is still a dominate force in the market.

He praised the company for investing millions of Ghanaian cedis in the last couple years to improve network quality, rollout of new cell sites and data centers.

Source: tv3network.com|Ghana

Mahama wants margin of preference under Procurement Act moved to 20 %

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Mahama wants margin of preference under Procurement Act moved to 20 %

Prez Mahama 2President John Dramani Mahama has advocated for an upward adjustment of the margin of preference given to local content under the Public Procurement Act.

The president is proposing that the threshold should be pegged at 20 percent from the about existing 12-15 percent.

Section 60 (1) of Act 663 states that “A procurement entity may grant a margin of preference for the benefit of tenders for work by domestic contractors or for the benefit of tenders for domestically produced goods or for the benefit of domestic suppliers of services.”

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Bridget Otoo on TV3 New Day on Monday, President Mahama said the increase would make Ghanaian products competitive.

“To make Ghanaian product more competitive, you give them a certain percentage. I think that that percentage should even be increased to about 20 percent.

“If even a Ghanaian product is 20 percent more expensive than a foreign product, because it manufacturer is creating jobs in our economy we should go for their Ghanaian product.”

However, President Mahama noted, Ghanaians, especially government agencies’ budget cost will go up if we are to give preference to local products that are often expensive.

“If Ghanaian product is far more expensive than the foreign product then it means we must be prepared to buy it and that is going to come out of the consolidated fund,” he underscored.
President Mahama also indicated that his call for the increment is influenced by government’s “deliberate policy to give advantage to Ghanaian businesses”.

He therefore prayed that persons working to amend the Public Procurement Act, 2003 Act 663 would do well to fix the “loopholes” in the Act for Parliament to ratify it.

 

Source: Isaac Essel | tv3network.com | Ghana

Mahama mourns Bob Okala: “you brought joy to many homes”

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Mahama mourns Bob Okala: “you brought joy to many homes”

Prez MahamaPresident John Mahama has celebrated late Ghanaian comedian, Bob Okala who passed away Sunday dawn saying, “you brought joy to many homes.”

In a tweet to express his condolence to the family of Bob Okala, Mr. Mahama said “RIP Bob Okala, you brought joy to many homes and of course to Lordina and I. #RIPBobOkala”

The 64 year old veteran comedian, Samuel Kwadjo Boaben, know in Showbiz as Bob Okala died after collapsing onstage.

His death occurred in Koforidua after he had performed at a musical concert put together by Joy Herbal Industries.

He is said to have collapsed after a short performance on the stage and was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.

Bob Okala’s death comes barely a month after fellow stage comedian, ‘Nkomode’ also died after a prolonged illness.

The two of them became popular through the Key Soap Concert party which used to be shown on TV in the middle to late 90’s and early 2000s.

It is reported that staff of Joy Daddy industries who rushed him to the Koforidua hospital after he had collapsed, where he was pronounced dead.

The late comedian was with his son at the event and has since reported to family members who according to our sources have been to the hospital to ascertain the veracity of the news.

By Martin Asiedu-Dartey|tv3network.com|Ghana
Twitter: @NewsyMartin

Bank of Ghana governor shocked over arrest of fugitive cocaine in-law

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Dr. Henry Kofi WampahGovernor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Henry Kofi Wampah has confirmed that British fugitive, David Macdermott who was arrested in Ghana over cocaine related offences is indeed married to his step daughter.

In a short statement released on Sunday following the arrest which took place on Friday, Dr. Wampah said “I have received news about the arrest of David McDermott, who is married to my step daughter, Ramona, with shock.

“David has been known to me as a worker in the mining sector and has been living in the country with Ramona since their marriage some three years ago.”

The statement went on further to say that “until I received information about his arrest, I had absolutely no knowledge about David being a fugitive of the British government.”

Mr. McDermott, described by some as Britain’s most wanted cocaine fugitive has been hiding out in Ghana at his home in Burma Hills in Accra.

The 42-year-old is married to Ramona Wampah, the step daughter of the governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Henry Kofi Wampah and they have a child together.

Suspected of being a member of an organised crime syndicate from Liverpool – he has been on the run for three-years for his connection to a smuggling plot to import£71 million worth of cocaineinto the UK.

Tracking down David has been a relentless task, the British High Commission in Accra has been working tirelessly with Ghana’s Bureau of National Investigations and with the police in the UK in a joint operation that has been swift and successful.

“The Ghanaian police acting on a tip off stepped into arrest David in conjunction with British officials.

“They have since began their extradition application – no British police have been to the country yet – but if the case is granted going forward they will send out a team.”

The news of the arrest is yet another boost for the British Foreign Office in Accra who last month expedited the extradition of Arthur Simpson-Kent who was arrested in connection with the murder of Eastenders actress Sian Blake and her two sons.

McDermott’s gang is believed to be responsible for a failed smuggling operation discovered by Border Force at Tilbury Docks in May 2013, when officers seized 400kg (881Ibs) of cocaine smuggled into the country in a container of frozen Argentinian beef.

The suspected drug trafficker is also wanted for conspiracy to blackmail.He is currently being held in custody by the Ghanaian authorities.

His arrest means that 76 out of 86 fugitives on the Captura list have now been caught.

The Operation was launched in 2006 to trace wanted criminals suspected of fleeing to Spain to avoid the British authorities.

Speaking after McDermott’s arrest, Dave Allan, head of the NCA’s international crime bureau, said: “This arrest is a result of closely working with the Ghanaian authorities, and shows our determination and success in tracking down fugitives, however far they run in an attempt to evade capture.

“McDermott was the last man outstanding in a plot to smuggle a huge quantity of cocaine which would have ended up on the streets of Merseyside. He will now be returned to the UK to stand trial.”

By Martin Asiedu-Dartey|tv3network.com|Ghana
Twitter: @NewsyMartin

E/R Police Commander Awuni passes on

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E/R Police Commander Awuni passes on

DCOP Angwubutoge Awuni was the Eastern Region Police CommanderThe Eastern Region Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Angwubutoge Awuni, has passed on, tv3network.com can confirm.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) died Monday morning after a short illness.

Until his death, DCOP Awuni was a Council Member of the Institute of Public Relations, Ghana. He was also an accredited member of the Institute.

He was also the first director of the Motor Traffice and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service.

He joined the Service as a physician and later rose through the ranks to become a trainer at the Ghana Police Hospital. Until his death, he was Physician Assistant Anaesthesia/EMT Trainer at the Ghana National Ambulance Service.

Source: tv3network.com|Ghana

Ghana@59 brochure: Errors avoidable, caused by printer’s devil -Mahama

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Ghana@59 brochure: Errors avoidable, caused by printer’s devil -Mahama

Prez Mahama on Brochure sagaPresident John Dramani Mahama has described the errors in Ghana’s 59th Independence Day anniversary brochure as avoidable and blamed it on what he says is “the printers devil”

“It’s unfortunate. I think those mistakes are avoidable,” he said in an exclusive interview Monday on TV3’s morning magazine show, New Day.

The anniversary brochure, allegedly produced by the Flagstaff House Communication Bureau, was fraught with errors, inaccuracies and misrepresentations.The brochure among other errors, addressed Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta as the President of Ghana; something that grabbed international headlines and criticism.
Brochure saga

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social media was awashed with snapshots of the various errors and inaccuracies, which some Ghanaians say has exposed the country to international ridicule.

But President Mahama believes those unpardonable errors and misrepresentation did not mar what he said was a beautiful celebration of Ghana’s 59th independence day on March 6.

“It was a beautiful celebration. I don’t think it should have been marred by something as simple as the printer’s devil in the brochure,” he stated, adding that the Chief of Staff is working to ensure such event does not occur.

“The Chief of Staff is working on it to make sure that does not happen again. The Chief of staff is dealing with that and I think that the Chief of Staff has received reports on what happened and so he is taking remedial action to make sure it doesn’t happen again and I think that those are administrative measures that are within his ambit to take,” he said.

He added: “Ghanaians want to be sure that when we have such impressive ceremony its not marred by things like mistakes in the brochure. I think we can do it well.”

On whether the Kenya’s President saw the misrepresentation of his designation and what he said about it, President Mahama said President Kenyatta did not spot the error.

“We actually went through the brochure and he didn’t show that he notice he was described as the President of Ghana…he was particularly intrigued by the picture of Nkrumah and his family” he said, adding that Mr Kenyatta has requested for a framed copy of the said picture.

By Stephen Kwabena Effah|tv3network.com|Ghana

Twitter @steviekgh

Regulate the use of mobile phones in Parliament – Dr. Dramani

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Mobile phones in parliamentThe Executive Director of the African Sector for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Rashid Dramani is making a strong case for the use of mobile phones on the floor of parliament to be regulated.

The Speaker of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho recently bemoaned the conduct of members of parliament on the floor of the house, complaining that members were fond of engaging in unparliamentary conduct.

Speaking on 3FM’s ‘Late Edition’ hosted by Alfred Ocansey, Dr. Dramani said measures should be taken to curb the situation from escalating.

“In some parliaments once you walk into the premises of the chamber, your phone is disabled immediately”.

He noted, “Sometimes when we have a delegation come in to visit Ghana and they go to our parliament, they are amazed by what they see…

“In other parliaments in East Africa, the moment you walk into the chamber your network is disabled until the session is over.

“We see how members of parliament during debates pay more attention to their phones rather than focus on issues being raised”.

“We want to encourage the use of technology but I think sometimes the use of technology in the house should be only to enhance the work that the honorable members are doing”.

 

Source: Nana Afrane Asante |tv3network.com

Ivory Coast: Deadly shooting at Grand Bassam beach resort

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GUN SHOTSUnidentified gunmen have killed at least five people at a beach resort in southern Ivory Coast, officials say.

The assailants fired on beach-goers in the town of Grand Bassam, about 40km (25 miles) east of the country’s commercial capital Abidjan.

The resort is popular with local people and foreigners. Security forces have been sent to the scene.

Ivory Coast was seen as a model of stability in West Africa until a civil war erupted in 2002.

The conflict pitted the mainly Muslim north against the largely Christian south. Since then, peace deals have alternated with renewed violence.

AFP news agency quotes a military official as saying five people were killed, but other reports put the death toll higher.

A witness of Sunday’s attack told AFP news agency that “heavily armed men wearing balaclavas” had opened fire near the L’Etoile du Sud hotel, which was full of expats in the current heatwave.

Another eyewitness, Souleymane Kamagate, says he saw people running from the beach and fleeing in all directions.

BBC regional reporter Maud Jullien says Ivory Coast has been identified as one of several countries in West Africa at risk of being targeted by Islamist militants.

Luxury hotels were targeted by such groups in Mali in November and Burkina Faso in January.

Source: BBC

MTN makes GH¢6.3m a day

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MTN makes GH¢6.3m a day

mtn

Mobile network operator MTN Ghana posted a strong revenue performance last year, raking in about GH¢2.32billion in a year many businesses in the country reeled under a challenging macroeconomic environment exacerbated by the erratic energy supply situation, affirming the company as the most profitable telephony operator in the country.

This means that MTN last year generated about GH¢6.34million in revenue every single day and is looking to up its revenue performance as while preparing to launch its entry into the LTE (4G) arena by middle of the year.

The revenue performance of MTN represents a 15.9 percent increase over the 2014 figure of GH¢1.99billion and was supported strongly by its data services, which contributed 30.6 percent to the company’s total revenue.

Out of the revenue it made in 2015, MTN paid GH¢675.6million as taxes to government, which is GH¢70.6million more than it did in 2014, and represents about 70 percent of the total tax collected by the Ghana Revenue Authority from the telecom sector.

According to the financial figures of MTN as seen by the B&FT, the Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) — which indicates how much profit the company makes with its current assets — increased by 24.4 percent to GH¢938.3million, which is equivalent to 3.197 million South African rand at an exchange rate of one rand to GH¢0.2935.

The EBITDA margin, which tells the company’s core or operating profitability, increased 3.1 percentage points to 40.5% despite an increase in US dollar-denominated expenses associated with sharp depreciation of the cedi against the US dollar.

According to MTN’s hierarchy, the increase in the EBITDA margin — which was also impacted negatively by weak macro economic conditions and increased competition — was mainly due to well-maintained costs and no management fees paid to the MTN Group in the year.

The performance of MTN has revived calls for the South African-controlled telephony operator to allow Ghanaians a share in its fortunes by listing on the Ghana Stock Exchange, a move many consider the needed catalyst to increase liquidity on the local bourse.

MTN Ghana CEO, Ebenezer Twum Asante, who has not yet ruled out the possibility of listing on the stock exchange, explained in Accra on Thursday that the company will soon decide on the appropriate channel to allow Ghanaians to share in its ownership, since acquisition of the LTE licence in December last year requires the company to have at least 35 percent local ownership.

“The 4G licence comes with a localisation condition, and we are looking at various options to localise about 35 percent of our business in Ghana – and the stock market will be one of the options. But is it going to be the most favoured option looking at the time we have to do the listing? I don’t know. But as and when we are ready with the full details, we will share how we will go about the localisation condition,” he said.

MTN, currently the biggest mobile network operator in Ghana, controls 46 percent of the mobile phone subscriber market — with total voice subscriptions totalling a little above 16.25million as at the end of December last year.

In 2015, the company increased its voice subscriptions by 17.3 percent on the back of what the management considers to be “attractive voice and data offers aimed at subscriber acquisition and churn management”.

The company’s performance in the data market was also encouraging with 8.634 million subscriptions, which makes up of 47.8 percent of the entire data market share. Revenue from the company’s data services, according to Mr. Twum Asante, increased by 85.2 percent last year, which is an exciting outcome for the company as the data segment has long considered the next frontier of profitability for telecom companies across the globe.

Source: thebftonline.com

Occupy Ghana threatens court action over error-laden brochure

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Occupy Ghana threatens court action over error-laden brochure

Brochure sagaPressure group Occupy Ghana has threatened a legal action against government if it fails to make available documents surrounding the printing of Ghana’s 59th Independence Day celebration.

The acting head of the Information Services Department, Francis Kwarteng Arthur, was sacked from post over the error-laden brochure which he took responsibility for.

Several concerns have been raised about the poor work that went into the editing of the brochure which had unpardonable errors such as naming Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta as the president of the Republic of Ghana.

According to Occupy Ghana, the sacking of the head of ISD, does not lay the matter to rest but wants government to make available documents of agreements at various stages until the final printing of the brochure.

They are seeking documents which should be provided within 3 working days, failure of which they would be dragging government to court.

Below is the full statement from Occupy Ghana:

RE: PRINTING OF 59TH INDEPENDENCE DAY BROCHURES – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION/NOTICE OF INTENTION OF CIVIL ACTION

OccupyGhana is composed of citizens of Ghana who are interested in ensuring good governance in Ghana, and are committed to the principles of freedom, justice, probity and accountability, as are enshrined in the preamble to Ghana’s Fourth Republican Constitution.

As citizens of Ghana, we are also mindful of our constitutional duty under article 41(f) of the Constitution “to protect and preserve public property and expose and combat misuse and waste of public funds and property.”

We have closely followed the matters surrounding the printing of brochures for the 59th Independence Day Celebrations (“the Brochures”), and which have culminated in the relieving from office of Mr. Francis Arthur as the acting Director of the Information Services Department, and the placing of the

Flagstaff House Communications Bureau under the authority and supervision of the Ministry of Communication.

As citizens of this country, we are not satisfied that this is the end of the matter. We believe that there is more to this matter than meets the eye, and that there is more information that the people of Ghana deserve to have, with respect to this matter.

We are fortified in this belief by Article 21(1)(f) of the Constitution which provides that “[a]ll persons shall have the right to… information, subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society.” We are not aware of any restrictions and laws essential to democracy that prevent citizens from being informed of all the facts surrounding this matter.

We also respectfully assert that there is no conceivable public interest privilege that applies to deny us access to that information. We also have cause to believe that part of the undisclosed circumstances surrounding this matter may amount to corruption, and the misuse and waste of public funds.

On the bases of the foregoing, we write to you to request information from you, based on the following questions:

1. Which company or companies was/were invited to submit bids for the publishing, production and/or printing of the Brochures? May we have copies of any relevant letters or other communication?

2. Were any quotations received from the company or companies, and if so, may we have copies of such quotations and their covering letters, if any?

3. Which public procurement procedure was adopted in selecting the winning bid? If it was single-source procurement was the approval of the Public Procurement Authority (“PPA”) sought? May we have a copy of any letter requesting approval and all attachments to it?

4. Was the PPA’s approval obtained, and if so, may we have a copy of any letter to that effect?

5. Was a contract entered into with the company with the winning bid, and if so, may we have a copy of the signed contract?

6. Has the Ministry of Finance been requested to release funds for payment to the company with the winning bid, and if so, may we have a copy of any such letter?

7. Did the Ministry of Finance approve of any payment in writing, and if so, may we have a copy of that written approval?

8. Have any payments been made to the company that undertook the transaction, and when? May we have copies of all the usual, relevant documents, including, but not limited to: (i) request for payment by the Ministry, (ii) release letter from the Ministry of Finance, (iii) Controller and Accountant-General’s letter to the Bank of Ghana for payment, (iv) payment advice from Bank of Ghana, and (v) any payment vouchers issued?

9. Were any taxes paid or withheld, as the case may be, particularly with respect to withholding tax, value added tax and the national health insurance levy, and if so, may we have copies of any relevant invoices?

Considering the urgency surrounding this mater, we respectfully request that you supply the information requested herein within three (3) working days of the date of this letter, failing which you should consider this letter as the written Notice of Intention of Civil Action under section 10 of the State

Proceedings Act, 1998 (Act 555), effective as at the date hereof.

Yours in the service of God and Country

OccupyGhana®

cc The Head
Information Services Department
Accra

Source: tv3network.com|Ghana

Mahama, Nana’s security clash smacks of uncivilisation – Security expert

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Secuirity clashThe near bloody clash between the security details of President John Mahama and opposition leader, Nana Akufo-Addo, has received a round condemnation as despicable.

For a security expert with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Mr. Chukwuemeka Eze, the act depicts a lack of civilization for the security of the country.

The free-for-all fight broke out on Thursday when the president, in the company of some government officials, joined the Asantehene to perform the final funeral rites of the late Bantamahene, Baffour Asare Owusu Amankwaatia V.

TV3’s William Evans-Nkum was at the event and reports that the show of power nearly marred the otherwise solemn occasion in the Ashanti Region.

The late Baffour Asare Owusu Amankwaatia was the warlord of the Asantehene.  He died some weeks ago.

Hundreds of mourners including a high-powered government delegation and some political figures were at Bantam in Kumasi to pay their last respect.

Moment after President Mahama in the company of the Chief of Staff and the other top government officials exchanged pleasantries with NPP’s flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, the clash erupted between the security details of both sides.

But for the timely intervention of a combined police and military personnel, the fight would have escalated.

However, the Executive Director of WANEP told Martin Asiedu Dartey on TV3 Midday News Friday, the incident is not “surprising but regrettable”.

Mr. Chukwuemeka Eze said such an occurrence would not happen in a highly civilized and revered country.

“It doesn’t connote civilization or respect for the security of the state,” he stressed.

He said for people, especially political leaders, to hire private persons to guide them shows a loss of confidence in the security agencies.

Nonetheless, he believes persons who want protection should officially write to the police instead of going for macho men to protect them.

Chukwuemeka Eze also charged the security agencies to ensure that the incident does not fester to disrupt this year’s general elections.

Source: Isaac Essel | tv3network.com | Ghana

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