Author: Web Desk

The clergy have been asked to gazette themselves and their places of worship before they can officiate ordinance marriages.

Mr Oladele Kwaku Aribike, Head of Marriages, and Chief State Attorney at the Registrar-General’s Department, indicated that under the Marriages Act 1884-1985 (CAP. 127), a church that was not gazetted could not be used to celebrate ordinance marriage. Likewise, a minister who was not gazetted could not officiate the marriage.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, he said the Law applied specifically to ordinance marriage.

When a church is gazetted, it means that church can be used for officiating marriages and when a minister is gazetted, it means that minister is licenced by the State to officiate marriages.

Mr Aribike emphasised that when an ordinance marriage is officiated by a minister who is not gazetted, and takes place in a church that is not gazetted, that marriage is not recognised by the State and thus becomes null and void.

‘You can officiate the marriage in a big auditorium, but once that auditorium has not been licenced, the marriage is not recognised under the Law,’ he said.

He said it was criminal, specifically, a misdemeanor for a minister to officiate ordinance marriage whilst he or she had not been gazetted.

In the past, such persons could be jailed for up to three years, Mr Aribike noted.

He said however that the prison term had been removed and now the offence attracted a fine.

Mr David Nartey Addetah, Marriage Registrar, Registrar- General’s Department, advised would-be spouses to ensure that the church where they want to celebrate the marriage was gazetted and the minister was also gazetted.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Government has opened an administrative window for the GHS31 billion pension funds and USD809 million domestic notes and bonds to August 25, 2023.

The move is to allow bondholders who have not tendered additional time to secure internal approvals to participate in the debt exchange programme, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday.

The announcement date for both programmes is now on or about Monday, August 28, 2023, with September 1, 2023, as the Settlement Date, while the Longstop Date was Monday, September 4, 2023.

The issue date, interest accrual schedules, payment schedules, and amortisation schedules for the New Bonds will be adjusted to reflect the actual settlement date, the Ministry stated.

The Government on July 14 and July 31, 2023, domestic debt exchange pursuant to which it invited Eligible Holders to exchange approximately USD809mn of its dollar-denominated domestic notes and bonds and a swap of GHS31bn in pension funds for new ones.

That was part of efforts to address its liquidity challenges in the country under the US$3bn International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan-support programme.

‘The Government would like to thank all eligible holders who have so far tendered their eligible bonds.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has commissioned the Tamale International Airport Phase II Project at a colourful ceremony in the Northern Regional capital.

Facilitated under the auspices of the UK-Ghana Business Council (UKGBC) established in 2018 and co-chaired by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the project is part of the Government’s aviation sector infrastructure development programme.

It is designed to expand the frontiers of the aviation industry and to make Ghana the aviation hub within the West African Sub-region.

Dr Bawumia, who broke ground on August 15, 2019, for works to begin on the project, expressed delight that four years on, the Tamale International Airport Phase II project had been completed.

‘This project is so dear to the Government and particularly the hard-working people of the Northern Region and its trading partners across the length and breadth of the country and the Sub-Region,’ Dr Bawumia stated at the Commissioning, held on Tuesday, August 22, 2023.

The completion of the ultra-modern terminal building together with a multi-purpose Terminal and other ancillary facilities are expected to provide the needed impetus for increased economic trading activities and to re-inforce the status of Tamale as a Sub-Saharan Hub Airport for flights to and from neigbouring West African countries and the Sahel region.

The Airport will serve as an alternative to the Kotoka International Airport.

Works undertaken at the Airport include an approximately 5,000 metre square expandable ultra-modern Airport Terminal Building with annual passenger throughput of 400,000; a multi-purpose Terminal (Hajj Facility), 5km Single Carriageway Access Road; a 330 capacity car park, a Technical hub to manage electricity, waste water treatment and other essentials, as well as other ancillary facilities.

The features of the New Terminal Building include a VIP lounge; two Boarding Gates; two Self-Service Check-in Kiosks; eight Check-in Desks; Airline offices and Commercial Retail Areas.

At $70m, the cost of works on the Tamale Airport Phase II Project is significantly lower than the $110m cost incurred under Phase I, undertaken between 2014 and 2016, although the scope of works – extension of the runway by one kilometer, installation of lights and the partial fencing of the airport – were fewer.

The Northern Region is renowned for its vibrancy in agricultural and economic activities, Vice President Bawumia said, noting that the location of the Airport within the Sahelian belt, also referred to as the food basket of Ghana, was expected to enhance access to market for the local agriculture produce, enhance tourism and attract passengers from neighboring countries.

‘Indeed, Government intends to use Tamale International Airport to support the programmes of the Northern Development Authority (NDA) of Ghana to harness fresh agricultural produce for export to other parts of the world and to generate employment and create wealth in this geographical zone.

‘The boost in agriculture would be leveraged to support the development of Agro-based industries in Northern Ghana. The expansion of the Tamale International Airport is expected to serve as a catalyst for industrialisation and rapid socio-economic development.

‘It is my hope that other service providers will leverage the completion of this project to invest in other areas such as the establishment of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, development of cargo facilities and cold stores for export of fresh produce and establishment of Aviation Training Organization (ATO) among others.’

Dr Bawumia said the expansion would address some challenges Muslims faced in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

‘Significantly, it is also expected that the Tamale International Airport will make Tamale the Hajj hub in Ghana and facilitate seamless travel directly to Saudi Arabia for the seasonal pilgrimage to Mecca. It is gratifying to note that the multi-Purpose Terminal, which was completed in 2022, has been used in facilitating Hajj Pilgrims in 2022 and 2023.’

Vice President Bawumia expressed concern about the widespread encroachment on airport lands, warning that it threatened future expansion of the airports and could hamper rescue efforts in the unlikely event of an accident.

‘The operators and regulators of our airports and the Lands Commission need to work closely together to ensure that airport lands are properly protected and well managed not only for future airport expansion, but also to safeguard lives and property in the unlikely event of an accident occurring at or around the airport enclave. I, therefore, charge the authorities involved to enforce the law and I also entreat all citizens to cooperate for us to fully benefit from the development of the aviation sector.’

The Minister of Transport, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, urged airline operators in the subregion and beyond to take advantage of the increasing aviation offerings in Ghana, promising them an ‘unmatched travel experience’ to – and in – Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

At least two people were killed and as many others wounded in a suicide car bombing in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, police have said.

The attack took place near Mogadishu stadium which is currently housing Somali military police on Tuesday.

Ibrahim Ali, a police officer in Mogadishu, told Anadolu over the phone that two civilians, including a municipality staffer, were killed and two soldiers were injured in the attack.

Sidik Dudishe, a Somali police spokesman, said in a news conference that the incident happened at a security checkpoint operated by Somalia’s military police.

Since 2007, the Al Shabaab terror group has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a multidimensional mission authorised by the African Union and mandated by the United Nations Security Council.

The terror group has increased their attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected for a second term last year, declared an “all-out war” on Al Shabab.

Source: TRTworld.com

The Somali government has offered amnesty to al-Shabab militants amid an ongoing military offensive in central parts of the country. The move is seen by some analysts as a way to remove al-Shabab fighters from the battlefield, thereby weakening the insurgent group.

The amnesty offer is part of a widening approach by the Somali government in its fight against the al-Shabab militant group. The government has deployed the military, targeted financial networks and waged an ideological battle against the group.

The announcement by the National Counter Terrorism Center to open doors for defections follows President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s remarks that al-Shabab leadership was not willing to negotiate with the government.

Abdiaziz Hussein Issack, a security analyst with Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center, said the amnesty offer to al-Shabab is a strategic tactic by the Somali government to further weaken the group.

Already, he said, there have been reports of discontent among the foot soldiers that they are not getting support from the top leadership as the government forces pile pressure on them.

The federal government launched a large-scale offensive against al-Shabab in the Mudug and Galgaduud regions in central parts of the country.

Clan militias also provided support to the forces, which, the government said are on course to finish the first phase of the operation. Issack says amnesty might also provide government forces with intelligence about the group.

If well-coordinated, the amnesty could be a plus for the government, he said. If the fighters desert their positions, the government forces will not only face little resistance but will also benefit from intelligence from the defectors.

Despite the expected positive outcomes, some analysts think an amnesty offer may not tilt the scales of the war. Abdirashid Farah Ali, a security and political analyst at Linking Governance, a policy and strategy consultancy in Mogadishu, warned not to expect too much from the amnesty offer.

He said there is no guarantee the amnesty will net a major gain for the government. There might be just a few defectors out of the thousands of soldiers, and while it has a psychological effect on the war against al-Shabab, it may not change the course of the war.

Several senior figureheads in al-Shabab have defected in the past. The current minister for religious affairs was the founder and the second most senior leader before he defected to the government in 2017 and he’s currently leading the ideological warfare against the group.

Ali says if the amnesty does work and several militants defect, it might force al-Shabab to the negotiating table.

He says major defections are unlikely. But if there are some defections, al-Shabab might be forced to consider negotiation rather than face humiliation. So, there might be a good opportunity for the government to pursue amnesty.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been leading the war campaign in Galmudug state in central Somalia for the last two weeks. The two-time leader has staked his presidency on the annihilation of al-Shabab.

As he prepares to launch the second phase of operations in the south, he faces two tasks: an ongoing al-Shabab build-up and tough terrain. But should he succeed in getting defectors, the war might work in his favor.

Source: Voice of America