Day: May 20, 2023

The ‘Ghana Week in DC’ which is set to take place from October 9 to 14, 2023 in Washington, DC, would be launched in Accra, tomorrow Sunday May 21, 2023, at the Accra City Hotel.

The Week would feature a series of activities with a goal of promoting Ghana as the preferred destination for travels, investments, trade, sports and culture for the historical diaspora.

Last year, a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and the Beyond the Return Secretariat travelled to Washington DC to engage with key stakeholders involved in planning the historical event.

A release issued to the Ghana News Agency, in Accra, said the highlights of the Ghana Week DC would be a football match between one of Ghana’s Premier League teams and DC United.

It said Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia were known as the DMV area and one of the key markets when it came to promoting Ghana for tourism and business opportunities.

The release said Paxton Baker, CEO PKB Enterprises, would be at the Ghana Media Launch to share details on the collaboration.

The Chief Executive Officer of the GTA, Mr Akwasi Agyeman, said the ‘ Authority is excited with the outcomes of the partnership outreach culminating in the organising of the Ghana Week, DC.’

That, he said, would help cement the gains of the ‘Beyond the Return’.

‘Already we have seen a steady rise in arrivals in the first quarter of 2023’.

Partners of the event are GTA, GIPC, Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Ghana Football Association, Embassy of Ghana – Washington, DC, City of DC, Mayor Office and PKB Enterprises.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Thousands of mourners from all walks of life, Saturday, thronged Kumawu in the Ashanti Region to pay their last respect to the Member of Parliament (MP), Philip Atta Basoah, who died after a short illness in March, this year.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was among the key government officials and MPs who were at the funeral.

Also in attendance were some New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopefuls; Mr Allan Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, and Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.

All parliamentary candidates representing various political parties in the Kumawu by-election also paid their last respect to the man they are seeking to succeed.

Kumawu has been the centre of attraction for the past one week with visitors, especially political figures, storming the town ahead of the by-election scheduled for Tuesday, May 23.

Personalities such as former President John Dramani Mahama, Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, National Chairman, and Mr Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, General Secretary of the NDC, all been visited constituency this week.

The NPP is poised to retain the Kumawu seat, which it won in 2020 with a little over 3,000 votes, knowing that the independent candidate, Mr Kwaku Duah, who gave the late MP a run for his money, is still in the race.

Its Regional Chairman, Mr Bernard Antwi- Bosiako, has been living in Kumawu since the demise of the MP to make sure no stone is left unturned in maintaining the seat for the ruling party.

Source: Ghana News Agency

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says Africa and the world will miss outgoing Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari.

‘As leaders, we all have our high and low moments, but I have no doubt that posterity will be kind to Muhammadu Buhari.

‘West Africa, Africa, and, indeed, the world will miss his leadership – the leadership of the military ruler turned consummate democrat, who was extremely solicitous of Nigeria and Africa’s interest, and who sought for principle in all decisions in which he took,’ the President remarked.

He was speaking at the public presentation and launch of two biographies, ‘State of Repair – How Muhammadu Buhari tried to change Nigeria for Good’, by Anthony Goldman, and ‘The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’, by Senator Abu Ibrahim, in Abuja, Nigeria.

The two new books talk about the legacies of President Buhari.

He is expected to exit the seat of power on May 29, 2023, when the incoming government would be sworn in.

President Akufo-Addo, who chaired the event, in a Facebook post, congratulated the Englishman, Anthony Goldman, and the Nigerian, Senator Abu Ibrahim, the two authors, for their industry and scholarship.

He urged authors, poets and playwrights on the continent ‘to tell the African story truthfully and with flair, and to give praise where it has been earned, and criticism where it is deserved.’

In 2015, Buhari (born on December 17, 1942), was elected as Nigeria’s President, the first time an opposition candidate assumed the helm peacefully, following years of political turmoil in the country.

The former military leader had served as Nigeria’s Head of State in 1984-85.

Buhari assumed office at a period when jihadist insurgencies had reached their peak, with abductions and kidnappings being reported daily.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mrs Evelyn Keelson, a Chief State Attorney, says the Attorney General’s Department is in the process of developing guidelines for the implementation of the Plea-bargaining law in the country.

She said the guidelines would indicate specifically what was expected of prosecutors regarding the preparation of the Plea-bargaining agreement.

Mrs Keelson was speaking at a training programme for Police prosecutors in the Greater-Accra Region as part of a project being implemented by the Legal Resources Centre with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) in Accra.

The project is dubbed: ‘Improving Criminal Justice And The Administration Of Justice Through Advanced Technology Solutions.’

The training is being organized for 120 Police Prosecutors over four days, segregated into two batches with the focus of building the capacity of Police Prosecutors on legal processes to follow in criminal processes and to educate them on recent changes in the law.

She said currently, the Attorney General had not issued any authorization for any prosecutor to enter into any Plea-bargaining agreement with any accused persons.

The Chief State Attorney said the guideline would also help in uniformity.

She said in the coming days, the AG would issue a letter to all Police prosecutors to indicate that cases that exceeded GH?500,000 value should be referred to the AG.

Mrs Keelson said the letter from the AG would also include how Police prosecutors should carry themselves while conducting prosecution in court, they were representatives of the AG in all criminal matters.

‘We have to conduct ourselves properly and very well in all the things we do regarding prosecutions,’ he added.

She called on the Police prosecutors to collaborate among themselves and support each other with information in their practice.

Mr Richard Gyambibi, Principal State Attorney, urged the prosecutors to have ample knowledge of the offence for which the accused had been charged before considering Plea-bargaining agreements.

He said they needed to develop negotiation skills and have knowledge of Plea-bargaining.

He said the prosecutor had the role to initiate the plea agreement, inform the victim or his representative about the contents of the plea agreement and consider the views of the

Investigator.

Mr Gyambibi said to conclude the plea agreement, the plea agreement needed to be signed and filed within seven days after its conclusion and serve the victim with the plea agreement.

He said after conviction and sentence based on a plea agreement, no appeal shall lie against the judgment, however, the accused or prosecutor may apply to set aside judgment by reason of fraud, misrepresentation, undue influence, and mistake.

Others are duress, illegality, incapacity, and breach of rules of natural justice.

Mr Gyambibi said Plea-bargaining might result in the withdrawal of the charge, which had been proffered against the Accused person and by engaging in plea bargaining, an accused may have the number of charges reduced.

He said a plea-bargaining agreement may enable an accused to receive a reduced sentence.

‘Plea-bargaining enables the accused to reasonably predict, and to an extent, reduce his punishment,’ he added.

He said parties in a plea-bargaining negotiation might negotiate on the sentence to be recommended to the court.

Mr Gyambibi said this gives the accused an idea of the punishment which he was likely to serve, and it reduced the uncertainty involved in the sentencing of an Accused through a full trial.

Mr Enock Jengre, the Programmes Officer of the Legal Resources Centre, said the project sought to use technology solutions to improve the administration of criminal justice.

This is done by building a well-developed automated software system linking all relevant Institutions in the administration of Justice, the Police, the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Department, The Judiciary, and the Prison Service.

He said advantages of e-justice projects could include significant financial and time saving cost efficiency, a reduction of the cost of justice, easier access to information, enhanced data security and high-quality legal data sets.

It will also minimise the chances of corruption, speeding up proceedings and to have the capacity to handle more cases with fewer staff, creation of new sources of services and better revenues

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has asked the four other Heads of State who are party to the implementation of the Abidjan-Lagos Highway Corridor Project to ensure that it commences next year.

The construction of the homogenous highway corridor, linking Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria, was formally approved by Heads of State of ECOWAS member countries at the 42nd Ordinary Summit in February 2013.

However, after more than a decade, the project is yet to commence.

The Vice President, in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Senior Advisor to the President, at the opening of the 19th Steering Committee Meeting on the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Project, in Accra, on Friday, said member countries ‘must do whatever it takes for the project to commence in 2024’ as proposed.

He explained that the commencement of the project would give real meaning to continental free trade.

The meeting was to review the project’s implementation progress and discuss bottlenecks towards addressing all issues before the project commences.

The meeting was attended by Ministers in charge of roads and/or infrastructure of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor member countries of Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo.

The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor is a six-lane (three-lane dual carriageway) covering a total distance of 1,028km and connects some of the largest and economically dynamic cities in Africa namely Lagos, Accra, Cotonou, Lomé, and Abidjan.

It also covers a substantial proportion of West Africa and links very vibrant seaports, serving all the landlocked countries in the region- Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

Ghana accounts for the longest section (576km) of the corridor, including a proposed 2.7km under tunnel from Ga East in the Greater Accra Region to Berekusu in the Eastern Region.

The project, when completed, would generate economic and social activities, promote cross-border trade, and integrate economies within the ECOWAS community.

It is being implemented by the ECOWAS Commission at an estimated cost of $15 billion.

Dr Bawumia said the Government of Ghana placed a high premium on the development of roads in the country as they were key to its socioeconomic development.

‘It is for this reason that for the past seven years, the Government, under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has invested a lot in road construction and the results are visible throughout the country,’ he said.

The Vice President said, the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Project was, therefore, on the priority list of the Government, and was keen on its commencement.

‘This road is key in realising the full benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area. The integration of the rail infrastructure and industrial zones along the corridor will help the sub-region achieve the full potential of this highway project,’ he added.

Dr Bawumia assured all of the Government’s commitment to the successful implementation of the project.

Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, the Steering Committee Chairman of the Project, explained that the change in political leadership over the years had hindered the delivery of the project.

Despite this and other challenges, he said, progress had been made and very soon the project would start.

‘All the people I met when I took over as chairman in 2016 have all changed. Our Commissioner for Infrastructure has changed, and ministers have changed. Some of the heads of state who started this project have also changed. Do you know why? Democracy is thriving in our region, people are participating in the Government and they are making choices, and those choices have consequences.

‘And some of the consequences are that political actors will change but, our commitment to this project does not change. We will deliver it,’ he indicated.

Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah, Minister of Roads and Highways, indicated that detailed engineering studies were almost complete, adding that ‘we are preparing the ground for the long-awaited implementation phase.’

Ghana, he said, had embarked on sensitisation of communities along the proposed alignment for the highway project, to ensure a smooth take-off in 2024 as proposed.

He, therefore, emphasised the need for the committee to quickly assess the cost of compensation, and make funds available to secure the Right of Way as quickly as possible.

Mr Mike Sawalou, Director, Infrastructure and Urban Development at the African Development Bank, one of the development partners, assured that it was fully committed to making the project a reality.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Government’s Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) programme has established about 46,000 hectares of cashew plantation in the Bono Region since 2018.

The programme had supplied thousands of cashew farmers with free improved seedlings and provided them with free services by Agriculture Extension Officers to adopt best agricultural practices for improved yields.

Mr Dennis Abugri Amenga, the Bono Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), said this at the launch of the ‘Amplifying the Voices of Cashew Farmers (AVFC) Project’ at Drobo in the Jaman South Municipality.

The 15-months project, being implemented by Cashew Watch Ghana (CWG), a non-governmental organisation, and funded by STAR Ghana Foundation, aims at mobilising and empowering civil society organisations (CSOs) to get rid of bottlenecks impeding the growth of the cashew industry.

It further sought to push state-actors to take meaningful actions that would contribute to create and promote a vibrant cashew sector through advocacy, transparency and accountability.

Mr Amenga commended STAR Ghana Foundation for the project, saying, over the years, it had extended its advocacy programmes to support cashew sector development.

‘It is glad to note that CSOs have understood the need to support the government and its development partners to build the prospects in the nation’s cashew sector,’ he said.

‘The cashew industry can only grow and survive if all the players in the industry contribute their quota.’

Mr Amenga also commended the CWG for the advocacy and said with the region being the leading producer of cashew, the project would help empower farmers to increase production.

The region produced about 170,000 metric tonnes of raw cashew nuts in 2021.

Mr Simon Asore, the Functional Steering Committee Chairman of the CWG, said the organisation was formed in 2019 by the Global Media Foundation (GLOMeF) to champion the cause of cashew farmers.

‘It is made up of CSOs, cashew farmers and local processors…We sought to advocate change and promote the livelihoods of cashew farmers, especially women in cashew farming’.

The cashew value chain had significant potential for job creation and poverty reduction, hence the need for the advocacy, he said.

As one of the top non-traditional export commodities in the country, Mr Asore said cashew, for the past five years, had contributed immensely to widening the nation’s foreign exchange receipts.

The nation earned US$128.70 million dollars from cashew export in the first quarter of 2021, he said.

He, however, said the lack of proper coordination among actors in the sector had resulted in smuggling of the nuts, which had also paved the way for unauthorised buyers and exporters to buy directly from farmers at lower prices.

Mr Andrews Bediako, the Jaman South Municipal Chief Executive, said the Government was doing everything possible to create an enabling policy environment for the cashew industry to thrive, and urged the farmers to maintain their confidence in the ruling Party.

Source: Ghana News Agency