An evangelist might spend years in prison, following allegations that he had sexually assaulted a teenage boy at Gomoa in the Central Region.
The preacher identified as Frederick Darko has been arrested by the Gomoa Nyanyano police for sodomising a 15-year-old boy.
A 37-year-old evangelist from the information gathered is a self-styled man of God who is well-known in his community.
Sources have disclosed that a few years ago, he sought permission from the parents of the victim to stay with him.
However, in the last two years, he has reportedly been abusing the teenager sexually.
The victim according to reports disclosed that he could not come forward earlier to expose the suspect because he had been threatened that he would die.
After finally gathering the courage to report his ordeal to his mother after recently falling ill, Evangelist Frederick Darko has been arrested as the Police conduct an investigation into the matter.
Evangelist Frederick Darko will be arraigned before the Ofaakor circuit court on Friday, August 5.
A robbery attack on a gold buying shop at Konongo in the Ashanti Region have been prevented by the Police.
According to the Police, on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, at 7:30 p.m, they received a distress call reporting a robbery attack on the Adom Gold Buying Shop.
They hurried to the scene immediately, however, when the robbers saw the police, they started shooting randomly, injuring an officer in the process.
The Police said they returned fire but the robbers managed to escape.
The officer is currently on admission at the Konongo Odumase Government Hospital and in stable condition.
The Inspector-General of Police has spoken to him and the commanders on the ground.
There is currently an ongoing anti-robbery operation in the area to get the suspects arrested.
The Police have, therefore, urged members of the community to remain calm and be on the lookout for any suspicious character among them and inform the Police accordingly.
They have also urged hospitals and other health facilities in the area to report to them any persons who report to them for treatment of gunshots wounds or any other wounds.
The Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) in charge of Corporate Services, has warned prospective voters to obtain a Ghana card since that will be a requirement for voting in the 2024 election.
Speaking in an interview on The Pulse on Wednesday, Dr. Bossman Asare said without a Ghana card, one will not be registered to vote.
This, he said is because the Ghana card has made an impact in our society with almost 17 million Ghanaians registered for it.
“Commission in collaboration with our partners took the decision that now let us have the Ghana card as the main requirement.
“So what this means is that as soon as you acquire your Ghana card with a continuous registration, you just go to our district office where you are located then you go and register and your name will be put on the roll of voters,†he said.
For this reason, he used the opportunity to encourage citizens between the ages of 15 to 18 to register for their Ghana card “so that as soon as you turn 18 then you present it to the registration officer then instantly you are going to be registered.â€
The Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, says the Bolgatanga Technical Institute will remain closed indefinitely until a committee set to investigate disturbances submits its report.
On Monday, a riot broke out at the school following the arrest of two of their colleagues and a teacher for allegedly engaging in examination malpractice.
Students were asked to vacate the school premises.
The Upper East Regional Minister and Chairman of the Regional Security Council, Stephen Yakubu, said the final year students will be writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) from their homes.
In an interview, Mr Yakubu said he does not know when he will order a direct opening of the institute.
He also noted that there will be a committee to investigate the culprits and ringleaders who caused the riot.
Thus, for the time being, he indicated that the final year students of the institute will write their WASSCE from home, while, the other students would have to stay home till a directive is given on the reopening of the school.
Mr Yakubu also revealed that he is working closely with the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum to have the investigations done and a report filed to him.
The Ashanti regional office of the National Population Council (NPC) has been operating without electricity for the past two years.
Regional Director, Mercy Adomaa Besseah, laments work has been tough because the office also lacks operational vehicles, computers and other office equipment.
The NPC was established in 1994 as the highest statutory body to conduct research and advise the government on population matters.
The Council has a strong advocacy role to promote the goals and objectives of the National Population Policy, the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II) and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
The NDC office in Ashanti region is however starved of the needed resources to be productive.
Speaking to David Akuetteh on Luv In The Morning on Luv Fm, Madam Adomaa Besseah noted that the under-resourced office is gradually contributing to the ineffectiveness of its workers.
“All the equipment is outmoded; they have broken down. Sometimes, working becomes difficult. We have the District Population Advisory Committee, however, as a result of financial constraints, we are unable to go down to the district level,†she said.
With a non-functional District Advisory Committee, the Council partners the Ghana Statistical Service to access data to be able to advise the government.
According to Mercy Adomaa Besseah, there has been no proper planning with population figures previously.
This has resulted in the infrastructural disparities in the health and educational sectors.
“When you visit our health centers, one doctor services about 500 patients. How will the doctor find time for you? The situation is the same in our schools. A teacher handles over 100 students. An example is the Free SHS programme. The student numbers are huge. You will find that student discipline is low, what are we training?†she quizzed.
A factor contributing to the growing population is teenage pregnancy.
Currently, the Ashanti Region leads in the prevalence of teenage pregnancy.
Young girls in mining communities are often victims who have little knowledge about sexual reproductive health.
Mercy Adomaa Besseah wants education and sensitization intensified in such communities to curb the menace.
“Let them know the consequences of such acts. If not, the dependency ratio also increases. Often you will find that the victim also has five other siblings who are also pregnant,†she said.
Yet community outreaches done by the National Population Council has been challenging.
A Japanese national, Morikawa Hikawu, has been arrested in Ghana upon a request by INTERPOL Tokyo, following the revocation of his passport by Japan.
According to the Ghana Police Service, the suspect was put before court and was remanded into lawful custody awaiting his removal from the country.
The INTERPOL Unit of the Ghana Police Service is working with the Ghana Immigration Service, INTERPOL Tokyo and the Japanese Embassy in Ghana for his removal.
“We would like to assure the public that the Ghana Police Service will continue to use due process to deepen our regional and international law enforcement cooperation,†parts of the statement read.
The Public Utility Workers Union has directed its members with the Electricity Company of Ghana in the Yilo Krobo and Lower Manya Krobo areas to boycott work until their security situation improves.
PUWU is currently worried about signals from the youth of Kporwunor, Maadam, Nuasu Old town and Agbom communities in the Krobo District.
“The persistent threats by the youth and the demonstration of violence put the lives of the ECG staff in danger. It would be recalled that the youth of these communities have been threatening the staff of ECG since 2019,†it said in a statement.
The two areas have been in darkness since July 27 following a protracted power outage to them.
But the Union feels the ECG has lost control over its network in the Krobo district, posing risks to the lives of staff and public property.
“The Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) of TUC-Ghana hereby calls on all stakeholders to engage the youth of the area and bring them to order so that the staff of ECG who are PUWU members can go about their duties and serve the good people of the Krobo District in a safe and peaceful environment devoid of threats and physical attacks,†PUWU said in the statement.
“Until a conducive working environment is guaranteed, where ECG staff can freely go about their duties to enhance the business of the company without the support of the security agencies in the municipalities, our members will not risk their lives any further.â€
There have been tensions in some parts of the area over a dispute in the installation of prepaid metres.
Management of the Electricity Company of Ghana has come out to say power will be restored to residents in the Krobo enclave in the Eastern Region after challenges faced by staff of the power distribution company are addressed.
Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by fungi called Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus and these toxins, according to the research, can cause cancer.
A Myjoyonline report revealed that some samples of Brukina were bought from producers in Nima and Ashaiman for a period of 7 months. In all, some 21 samples were collected from each site.
Scientists found after investigations that, 1 sample from Ashaiman and 2 from Nima had unacceptable levels of aflatoxins in them.
Furthermore, 12 samples of dairy milk from Ashaiman and 10 from Nima also contained high levels of aflatoxin above the acceptable limit.
Two other millet samples were found with the cancerous substance from Ashaiman while same was found in 6 samples from Nima.
Toxicologist and lead scientist at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Prof. Regina Appiah-Oppong, commenting on the development urged that farmers and brukina producers are monitored by regulatory agents and educated on good storage practices in order to avoid exposing the public to health risks from consumption of the drink which is popular.
A human rights organization in Ghana, Rectify Ghana, has raised concerns over a recent report that indicated that a higher number of people contracting the Monkeypox disease in the world are from theLGBTQ+ fraternity.
The report, attributed to Dr. Emmanuel Addipa-Adapoe, a member of the COVID-19 management team in the Greater Accra Region, stated that over 90% of recovered cases of monkeypox in the world, especially in Europe, the Americas, and other places, are members of the LGBTQ.
According to him, monkeypox is on the rise in the LGBTQ community, which was not so previously.
“Now, hitherto, we thought it was just transmitted to humans from animals, and man to man by direct contact through the respiratory droplets and then through contact with the body fluids of those animals or man. Now over 90% of the cases, especially in Europe, the Americas, and other places, unfortunately, members of the LGBTQ+ fraternity are the ones who are getting the infection, and therefore we have had to revise our books to include sexual transmission. Majority of those with Monkeypox right now are men having sex with men,†he stated.
But in a series of tweets shared by Rectify Ghana, it is surprising that the world now wants to blame the LGBTQ+ community for the spread of the new, deadly disease.
The group added that, should this blame game go on, it would harm everyone.
“It seems the world has not learnt anything from the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics. Blaming LGBTQ persons for monkeypox will harm everyone. We need to address risks effectively without stigma. We must make it safe for people to report their symptoms, get tested and get care.
“If people who are infected are afraid of the stigma they could experience by coming forward, then transmission will go undetected — harming many individual bodies, as well as our collective public body,†it said in the tweets.
By that declaration, a ban has been placed on the hunting, capture and destruction of wildlife species.
The four-month ban was announced by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio, last Friday in accordance with the Wildlife Conservation Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 685).
L.I. 685 states: “During this period, the hunting, capturing or destroying of any wildlife species is absolutely prohibited. The only animal that could be hunted during closed season is the grasscutter, but with a valid license issued by the Wildlife Division. Any person who contravenes any provision of these regulations shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine”.
Mr Owusu-Bio said the institutionalisation of the closed season was one of the measures meant to protect wildlife species.
He observed that the closed season provided the necessary conditions for animals to procreate, nurse and nurture their young ones for replenishment.
The deputy minister said wildlife provided enormous benefits such as ecotourism, research, medicine and environmental protection, for which reason, they must be preserved.
Enforcement
To ensure compliance with the closed season, Mr Owusu-Bio directed the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission to ensure that rangers and forest guards intensified their monitoring activities in forest and off-reserve areas across the country.
He also called for urgent steps to curb the increasing cases of poaching and destruction of wildlife species in the 21 protected areas across the country.
“Indiscriminate hunting, bushfires, unregulated farming and poaching, if not checked, will bring some of the wild animal species under serious threat of extinction,” he said.
The deputy minister said as part of measures to sustainably manage and utilise wildlife resources, the Wildlife Bill had been put before Parliament for consideration to be passed into law to provide the legal framework to support effective management of wildlife.
The Executive Director of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Bernard Asamoah-Boateng, said his outfit would take the necessary steps to enforce the ban on hunting to give the wild animals some respite during breeding.
He said through the vigilance of the division, 144 illegal hunters, popularly called poachers, were arrested for flouting the closed season directive last year.
He said 57 of those cases had been successfully prosecuted, with the rest at various stages of prosecution.
Mr Asamoah-Boateng said 33 Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) covering 784,999 hectares of land had been created in 78 communities across the country to support the division to protect wildlife.
He urged hunters and dealers in wildlife enterprises to be circumspect in carrying out their trade by adhering to the law and obtaining the needed permits during the closed season.
He also called on chiefs, security agencies and non-governmental organisations in the environmental conservation space to help in enforcing compliance during the closed season.
The Bethel Methodist Church in Tema Community 8, on Saturday, August 13, 2022, will host a one-week observation service in honor of the late Ghanaian Highlife veteran, AB Crentsil AB Crentsil.
AB Crentsil known for several hits songs such as Devil, Atia, Juliana, I Go Pay You Tomorrow, Papa Shamo, Ayen among other songs died at The Bank Hospital, Accra on Wednesday, July13, 2022.
According to the Abrodze Ebusua of Ewoya family, after the service, the celebration will continue with a gathering at the Community 8 Number 2 School Park where the final funeral and burial plans would be made known.
AB Crentsil was born in 1943, in Prestea in the Western Region. He had his primary and middle school education at the Takoradi Methodist Primary and Rev Cleveland Middle School respectively.
After his middle-school examinations, he worked as an electrical apprentice under his father, who was Works Superintendent of the technical branch of Ghana Railways at Takoradi.
While in middle school, he was introduced to the guitar by a Mr Thedoh. AB Crentsil became proficient in playing guitar and started singing along when playing it.
He was simultaneously working as an electrician and playing with the Strollers Band owned by one Kwesi Donkor.
He has played with bands such as El Dorados, Sweet Talks and his own band, Ahenfo.
He won numerous Ghanaian music awards, including the Fontomfrom Evergreen Award, a special honour bestowed upon a musician with 1520 years of continuous music experience.
At the 2013 MTN Legends and Legacy (LAL) Ball at the Accra International Conference Centre(AICC) AB Crentsil was honoured for the immense contribution he had made to the progress of popular music in this country.
On December 30, 2017, a concert dubbed A Tribute to AB Crentsil was held in his honour at the +233 Jazz Bar and Grill in Accra.
The Divisional Officer of District Fire Office III of the Ghana National Fire Office, Mr. Rexford Nortey Agblazo, says fire officers are committed to providing efficient services but lack of fuel is hampering their efforts.
He said officers were faced with a myriad of challenges that included a lack of staff bungalows, a lack of fuel for fire tenders, and a lack of vehicles for sensitization programmes, particularly during the harmattan period.
Mr Agblazo was speaking during a meeting of the Birim North Association of Chiefs (BNAC) with the District’s National Fire Service and Ambulance Service at New Abirem.
He said the office occupied by the fire fighters had become a death trap and urged the Birim North District Assembly and traditional authorities to assist them.
He also appealed to the public to be patient when there was a fire outbreak because it was not their intention to delay their service delivery, blaming it on the challenges the Service was encountering.
He recommended that homes, malls, and stores had fire extinguishers to help combat fire outbreaks during difficult times, and promised to continuously educate the public on efficient ways of dealing with fire outbreaks.
He further warned the public against providing false information to fire officers.
Obrempong Kwesi Amoh Kyeretwie I, Chief of Abirem and President of the Birim North Association of Chiefs, asked the government to assist the Birim North District’s security services to enable them to provide improved security to the population.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority (MHA), Dr Akwasi Osei, has revealed that there are 55 psychiatrists currently providing mental health service to citizens in the country.
Speaking to The Independent Ghana, he said the psychiatrist to patient ratio in Ghana stands at about 1:800,000, per the current population of over 31million people.
According to Dr Akwasi Osei, the recent figure, although unimpressive, is an improvement from what used to be a decade ago.
He said “at the time the Mental Health Act was passed in 2012, there were just about 10 psychiatrists. At that time, the population was about 24 million. As we speak right now, there are 55 psychiatrists attending to about 31 million people. That is about 1 to 800,000 people. Much better than 2.4 million. It is still worrying.â€
However, Dr Akwasi Osei disclosed that 10 out of about 20 psychiatrist trainees would pass out and increase the current figure to 65 psychiatrists in September.
For him, it is imperative that the Mental Health Authority is able to reduce the psychiatrist to patient ratio to at least 1: 300,000 for the current 1:800,000.
The Mental Health Authority per the Mental Health Act 2012 (Act 846) is mandated to promote mental health and provide humane care including treatment and rehabilitation in the least restrictive environment; and promote a culturally appropriate, affordable, accessible and equitably distributed, integrated and specialized mental health care that will involve both the public and the private sectors.
While interacting with the media, Dr Akwasi Osei also recounted how the number of psychologists and occupational therapists have increased.
Currently, Ghana has about 50 psychologists and seven occupational therapists.
“We are improving. The number of psychologists is also increasing. There was a time we didn’t have a single psychologist in any public health centre, but now, there are about 50. There was a time we didn’t have a single occupational therapist in the country. Now we have about seven,†he said.
It is reported that the government will see to the construction of two psychiatric hospitals to be situated in the middle and northern belt of the country as part of efforts to fight mental health illnesses.
The two facilities would ease the pressure faced by Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Kintampo Hospital, Ankaful Hospital and Pantang Hospital by admitting mental health patients, who ordinarily would have been left unattended.
According to Dr Akwasi Osei, the continent is seeing a growth in mental healthcare delivery.
He, however, said African countries cannot rest on their oars but strife to reach the very top.
“I must say, our mental health care delivery in Africa is among the best. But why should you remain there if you can compete favourably at the top,†he said.
The National Identification Authority(NIA), has announced that it will not offer Identity Management Services on Monday, 1st August 2022.
The Identity Management Services by the NIA includes replacement of lost cards, update of personal details and error correction.
The Authority in a press statement dated Sunday, 31st July, 2022 , stated that these services will be continue on Tuesday, 2nd August 2022.
“The National Identification Authority wishes to inform the general public that there would be no Identity Management Services (replacement of lost cards, updating of personal records and correction of errors) at the Elwak Sports Stadium on Monday, 1st August 2022.
These services would resume on Tuesday, 2nd August 2022, any inconvenience this may cause is deeply regretted,” the statement added.
His Eminence Richard Kuuia Baawobr is now the highest-ranking member of the Roman Catholic Church in Africa.
The election took place in Accra, Ghana, during the 19th Plenary Assembly of SECAM, whereby 130 participants, including cardinals and bishops representing over 600 catholic bishops of Africa came from all corners of the continent.
Another Cardinal, His Eminence Fridolin Besungu Ambongo of the Archdiocese of Kinshasha, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was elected First Vice-President, while Most Rev. Lucio Andrice Muandula of the Diocese of Xai Xai, in Mozambique, was elected Second Vice President.
The new President of SECAM, His Eminence Richard Kuuia Baawobr, was created a Cardinal on May 29, 2022 by Pope Francis and will be officially installed Cardinal on August 27, 2022.
This is the first time since the establishment of SECAM, 53 years ago that a Ghanaian has been elected the President of SECAM.
The SECAM, established in 1969 in Kampala, Uganda during the visit of St. Pope Paul VI, was born out of the desire of African Catholic Bishops present at the Second Vatican Council to speak with one voice on matters pertaining to the Church in Africa.
The Symposium, headquartered in Accra, consists of eight regional associations:
-Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa (ACEAC).
Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central African Region (ACERAC).
Assembly of the Catholic Hierarchy of Egypt (AHCE).
Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA).
Episcopal Conferences of the Indian Ocean (CEDOI).
Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa (CERNA).
Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA).
Reunion of Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA/CERAO).
Reports have it that, members of the Gas Tanker Drivers and Petrol Tanker Unions will embark on a sit-down strike beginning Monday, August 1.
According to the Association, the decision to lay down their tools has been triggered by what they term as poor working conditions and unfair treatment of drivers by BOST and NPA which stems from the continuous ban on LPG Stations under construction since 2017.
Speaking to Citi News, the Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union, George Nyaunu says all efforts to get the government to address their concerns have fallen on deaf ears.
“We intend to embark on a sit-down strike. They have failed to give us tangible reasons for the ban on LPG stations under construction.â€
The drivers declared a sit-down strike on March 4, 2022, for its members who cart LPG products across the country over a similar reason, saying the situation had affected remuneration and other conditions of service.
The industrial action was to push the government to lift the ban on the establishment of new LPG stations following the Atomic Junction explosion in 2017 that claimed lives and destroyed properties.
The strike was suspended following an assurance from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to address their concerns.
Government has explained that the ban is aimed at sanitising the space and also ensuring that the required protocols are followed through.
One of Ukraine‘s richest businessmen has been killed with his wife in “massive” Russian shelling of the southern city of Mykolaiv.
Oleksiy Vadatursky, 74, and his wife Raisa died when a missile hit their home overnight, Ukrainian media said.
Mr Vadatursky owned Nibulon, a group involved in grain exports. He had also received the “Hero of Ukraine” award.
Mykolaiv mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said it was probably the heaviest Russian bombardment of the city so far.
There was damage to a hotel, a sports complex, two schools and a service station, as well as homes.
Mykolaiv is on the main route to Odesa, Ukraine’s main port, and has been hit repeatedly.
The region’s leader Vitaliy Kim said Mr Vadatursky “did a lot for the Mykolaiv region, a lot for Ukraine.
“His contribution to the development of the agricultural and shipbuilding industry, the development of the region is invaluable,” he said on Telegram.
Nibulon has built many storage facilities and other infrastructure for exporting grain.
Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of wheat and other grains, and the disruption of exports caused by the war has sent food prices soaring worldwide.
The two countries signed a UN-brokered agreement in Turkey last week, aimed at easing the food crisis. But Ukrainian shipments are expected to be slow amid heavy security checks.
Ukraine accuses Russian forces of stealing grain from farms on occupied land and exporting it via Crimea. Russia denies those claims.
Blow to Russian Navy Day
Meanwhile, Russia has cancelled Navy Day celebrations in occupied Crimea.
The reason given by Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev was an alleged Ukrainian drone strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters. The fleet has long been based in Sevastopol.
But a senior Ukrainian official, Serhiy Bratchuk, dismissed the Russian report as a “provocation”.
“The liberation of our Crimea will take place differently and much more efficiently,” he said.
Russian forces annexed Crimea in 2014. That was internationally condemned as illegal and triggered sanctions against Russia.
Navy Day is an annual Russian holiday, and celebrations are taking place across Russia on Sunday. President Vladimir Putin is overseeing events in St Petersburg, his home city.
In a Telegram post, the Sevastopol governor said “an unidentified object flew into the courtyard of the [Black Sea] Fleet headquarters” and “according to preliminary data, it was a drone”.
Blaming “Ukronazis”, he said six people – Fleet HQ staff – were wounded, and none were killed.
Russia has often accused Ukrainian authorities of being “Nazis”, as part of the Kremlin’s propaganda campaign to justify its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
A photo posted by Governor Razvozhayev showed him in a courtyard littered with leaves, but with no obvious structural damage. He said the Navy Day celebrations had been cancelled for security reasons.
In a previous blow to the Black Sea Fleet, in April, the fleet’s flagship Moskva sank after what Ukraine described as a strike with two Neptune missiles.
Russia admitted there was a big fire on board caused by exploding ammunition, without attributing it to a Ukrainian attack, and said the missile cruiser sank in a storm while being towed.
It remains unclear how many Russian sailors were killed or injured in the ship’s demise.
Meanwhile in the north, Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv was hit by Russian missiles again, mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram. Three Russian S-300 missiles struck a school there, destroying the main building, he said.
The BBC was unable to verify the latest reports independently.
In a late-night address on Saturday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told all civilians still living in parts of eastern Donetsk region under Ukrainian control to evacuate.
The region has seen heavy clashes amid a slow advance by Russian forces, who already control large parts of it.
“The more people leave Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill,” Mr Zelensky said. “We will use all available opportunities to save as many lives as possible and to limit Russian terror as much as possible.”
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is beginning a tour of Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, her office says – with no mention of a possible visit to Taiwan.
There has been intense speculation that she may visit the self-ruled island.
Taiwan is claimed by China – which has warned of “serious consequences” if she goes there.
No high-ranking US elected official has visited Taiwan in 25 years.
Ms Pelosi, a California Democrat, tweeted that the six-person Congressional delegation tour would seek to “reaffirm America’s unshakeable commitment to our allies and friends in the region”.
Her office said the tour was to the “Indo-Pacific region” – “including” visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that must become a part of the country. Beijing has not ruled out the possible use of force to achieve this in the future.
Chinese officials have expressed anger over what they view as growing diplomatic engagement between Taipei and Washington. There was a surprise visit to the island by six US lawmakers in April.
The US has formal diplomatic ties with China, and not Taiwan.
Ms Pelosi has long been a vocal critic of the Chinese leadership, denouncing its human rights record. She has met pro-democracy dissidents and visited Tiananmen Square to commemorate victims of the 1989 massacre.
Her original plan was to visit Taiwan in April, but she postponed the trip after she tested positive for Covid-19.
Earlier this month she said it was “important for us to show support for Taiwan”.
President Joe Biden has said the US military believes a Pelosi visit to Taiwan is “not a good idea right now”.
The statement from her office on Sunday said the tour would “focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance in the Indo-Pacific region”.
Their talks will also cover trade, the climate crisis and human rights.
The delegates accompanying Ms Pelosi are leading members of the House of Representatives: Gregory Meeks, Mark Takano, Suzan DelBene, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Andy Kim.
The last House Speaker to visit Taiwan was Republican Newt Gingrich, in 1997.
Compiled as part of the 30th anniversary of the NDC, the launch was attended by the Chairman, the General Secretary and members of the Council of Elders of the party.
Also present were the Regional and Constituency Executives, members of the diplomatic corps and supporters of the party.
FA Cup champions, Hearts of Oak have released Isaac Agyenim Boateng and Enoch Addo ahead of the 2022/23 Ghana football season.
The Phobian Club within the week released six senior players ahead of the new season.
Kofi Kordzi, Frederick Ansah Botchway, Patrick Razak, Manaf Umar, Larry Sumaila, and William Dankyi were the players who have been shown the exit.
Auroras FC graduate, Enoch Addo, who has been struggling for playing time despite his loan spell at Berekum Chelsea and Elmina Sharks has been offloaded following the expiration of his contract.
Addo was told by the management of the club that his contract which will be expiring next month won’t be renewed for sporting reasons.
Former Medeama SC attacker Isaac Agyenim Boateng who signed a multi-year contract with Hearts of Oak on a free transfer before the commencement of the 2021/22 season has been released after eight months.
His poor output at the club resulted in the technical team’s decision to declare him as surplus to requirements ahead of the new season.
Hearts of Oak have acquired the services of Cameroonian striker Junior Kaaba to beef up their upfront in the next season’s Ghana Premier League and African Campaign.
Also, it has been reported that Hearts of Oak have signed Konadu Yiadom from WAFA, goalkeeper Eric Ofori Antwi, Francis Twene of Bechem United, and Swedru All Blacks centre-back Zakaria Yakubu.
Samuel Boadu will be hoping for an impressive season after an uninspiring performance in their last season’s campaign which saw them finish the sixth position on the Ghana Premier League log.
Meanwhile, Hearts of Oak will represent the country in the CAF Confederations Cup in the 2022/23 season.
Supporters of powerful Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have stormed parliament for the second time in a week.
The protesters again breached the high-security Green Zone in Baghdad, as they oppose the nomination of a pro-Iran rival candidate for prime minister.
Over 120 people were injured in the latest unrest. Mr Sadr’s block won the most seats last October, but it is not in power due to a political deadlock.
The most influential coalition in parliament has condemned the protest.
The Shia-led Co-ordination Framework has called on Iraqis to stage “peaceful” demonstrations, adding: “The state, its constitutional bodies and civil peace are a red line.”
The Iraqi health ministry said about 100 of those injured on Saturday were civilians and 25 were security personnel. Six are in a serious condition.
The protesters have vowed to occupy parliament until further notice, AFP news agency reports.
They initially massed at the end of a bridge leading to the closely guarded Green Zone – which is home to a number of the capital city’s most important buildings, including embassies.
But dozens of them tore down concrete barriers protecting the area and ran inside parliament where they waved Iraqi flags and pictures of Mr Sadr.
Iraq’s current prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, instructed the security forces to “protect the demonstrators”.
He called on protesters to “maintain their peaceful move, avoid escalation and abide by the directives of the security forces whose goal is to protect them, and to protect official institutions”.
Saturday’s protest follows one staged on Wednesday, when hundreds of people broke into parliament.
The unrest come after nine months of stalemate, during which disputes between the country’s different political factions have prevented the creation of a new government.
Mr Sadr, a Shia cleric who wants to end US and Iranian influence over Iraq’s internal affairs, claimed victory for his nationalist Saeroun movement following October’s election.
But it has proved impossible since then to build a new governing coalition, as Mr Sadr has refused to work with rivals.
He and his supporters have opposed the candidacy of Mohammed al-Sudani – who is backed by the Co-ordination Framework – for prime minister, as they believe him to be too close to Iran.
Devastating flash floods have killed at least 25 people in the Appalachia region of eastern Kentucky – the worst such disaster there for decades.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said he expected the death toll to continue to rise. He said hundreds of homes and businesses had been flooded.
President Joe Biden has declared the floods “a major disaster” and ordered federal aid to help local rescuers.
Among the dead are at least six children, including a one-year-old.
Scientists say climate change is triggering more extreme weather events like the Kentucky flooding.
After an aerial tour with the National Guard, Mr Beshear said the flood was “by far the worst” he had seen.
“There’s still a lot of people out there, still a lot of people unaccounted for. We’re going to do our best to find them all,” he added, warning that it could take weeks to find all the victims.
Hundreds of people have been rescued by boat or helicopter.
There is widespread poverty in affected areas, where at least 33,000 people now have no electricity. The flooding – after torrential rain – caused mudslides and made roads impassable.
Appalachia has had flash floods before, but not on this scale, Mr Beshear said.
“Folks who deal with this for a living, who have been doing it for 20 years, have never seen water this high,” he said.
Some areas reported more than eight inches (20cm) of rain in a 24-hour period.
Perry and Knott counties are especially hard hit, and there has been some flooding too in neighbouring Virginia and West Virginia. Rivers in the region are expected to crest throughout the weekend.
More rainfall is expected early next week, Mr Beshear said, urging people to have a safety plan in place.
Representatives from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived on Friday to assist local rescue efforts.
Mr Beshear said it’s unclear yet exactly how many people are affected or missing. Some areas have been difficult to reach due to damaged portions on 28 state roadways.
He confirmed that the bodies of four young siblings were among those who were found – the oldest an eight-year-old and the youngest a one-year-old.
The children’s cousin – Brittany Trejo – told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the children and their parents “managed to get to a tree”, but later “a big tide came and wash them all away at the same time”.
She added the mother and father, who survived, were stranded at the tree for eight hours before help arrived.
Mr Beshear said “it’s going to be a tough couple of days, it’s going to be a long rebuild”.
Kentucky, like other parts of the world, has seen the impact of more frequent extreme weather events. The state has seen more inches of rain outside the historical average in the last 10 years, according to date from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Bill Haneberg, a climate expert and the state’s geologist, said this rainfall event is “extraordinary” for Kentucky.
He added that the increases in the amount of rainfall over the years are consistent with what experts have predicted for the region – that Kentucky’s climate would become hotter and wetter due to climate change.
The historic flooding comes as the state recovers from the deadliest tornadoes in its history, which killed more than 70 in December 2021.
AÂ US judge Friday ordered the military chief of eastern Libya, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, to compensate Libyan plaintiffs who allege he ordered the torture and extrajudicial killings of their family members.
The federal judge in the state of Virginia, where Haftar lived before returning to Libya, ruled that he had not cooperated with the court and that by “default” was ordered to pay damages to the families.
Haftar, a dual US-Libyan citizen whose name is spelled “Hifter” in American legal documents, can still appeal the decision, and future hearings will need to be held to determine the level of compensation.
Nonetheless, Friday’s ruling represents a major setback for the military leader.
“Justice has prevailed. Hifter will be held responsible for his war crimes,” said Faisal Gill, one of the lawyers spearheading the cases, in a statement shared with AFP.
Filed in 2019 and 2020, the civil lawsuits argue that Haftar, as head of the eastern-based Libyan National Army, authorized the indiscriminate bombings of civilians during his unsuccessful 2019 campaign to take Tripoli, resulting in the death of the plaintiff’s family members.
They are suing Haftar under a 1991 US law, the Torture Victim Protection Act, which allows for civil lawsuits against anyone who, acting in an official capacity for a foreign nation, commits acts of torture and/or extrajudicial killings.
The court had paused the case ahead of Libyan elections in December 2021 — but restarted it after the vote was once again delayed.
Haftar has also unsuccessfully attempted to dismiss the suit, claiming immunity as a head of state.
Oil-rich Libya has been mired in a bitter power struggle since the fall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi’s regime in 2011, with a major division between the north African country’s east and west.
Two governments are vying for power: one based in Tripoli and another supported by Haftar’s army, which controls portions of the east and south.
Haftar, 78, is a Soviet-trained soldier who assisted in the 1969 coup that brought Kadhafi to power. After taking on a senior military position in Libya’s war with Chad, Haftar was taken as a prisoner of war, and subsequently disavowed by Kadhafi.
He was ultimately offered political asylum in the United States, where he lived for 20 years and gained American citizenship as well as, according to the Wall Street Journal, several properties worth millions of dollars.
Spain and Brazil reported their first monkeypox virus-related deaths on Friday, followed by Spain reporting its second death on Saturday, marking what are thought to be the first fatalities linked to the current outbreak outside of Africa.
Spain is one of the world’s worst-hit countries, with 4,298 people there infected with the virus, according to the health ministry’s emergency and alert coordination centre.
“Among the 3,750 patients … 120 have been hospitalised and two have died,” the Spanish health ministry said in a report.
In Brazil, a 41-year-old man died of monkeypox, local authorities said on Friday.
The man, who local media said had serious immune system problems, died on Thursday in Belo Horizonte, the capital of the southeastern Minas Gerais state.
He “was receiving hospital treatment for other serious conditions”, the state health ministry said in a statement.
“It is important to underline that he had serious comorbidities, so as not to spread panic in the population. The death rate is very low” for monkeypox, said Minas Gerais health secretary Fabio Baccheretti, who added that the patient was undergoing cancer treatment.
A global health emergency
Brazil’s health ministry has recorded close to 1,000 monkeypox cases, mostly in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states, which are also in the country’s southeast.
Early signs of the disease include a high fever, swollen lymph glands and a chickenpox-like rash.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last Saturday declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency.
According to the WHO, more than 18,000 cases have been detected throughout the world outside of Africa since the beginning of May.
The disease has been detected in 78 countries, with 70 percent of cases found in Europe and 25 percent in the Americas, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
As cases surge globally, the WHO on Wednesday called on the group currently most affected by the virus men who have sex with men to limit their sexual partners.
Ghebreyesus told reporters that the best way to protect against infection was “to reduce the risk of exposure”.
“For men who have sex with men, this includes, for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners, reconsidering sex with new partners, and exchanging contact details with any new partners to enable follow-up if needed,” he said.
The disease usually heals by itself after two to three weeks, sometimes taking a month.
A smallpox vaccine from Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic, marketed under the name Jynneos in the United States and Imvanex in Europe, has also been found to protect against monkeypox.
A group calling itself Alliance For Footsoldiers Advocacy (AFFA), a grass root wing of the ruling NPP, is calling on President Akufo-Addo to urgently reshuffle his appointees to energize the economy.
According to the group, some notable appointees of the government are dormant in their discharge of duty which is slowing the economic growth.
Addressing the media in Accra, an Executive Member of AFFA, Kamal Deen said there is a rising level of despondency in the NPP which has to be tackled immediately.
He added that some dormant appointees of the ruling government are retarding economic progress hence the urgent need to retire them from their duties and roles.
Kamal Deen further mentioned that AFFA is ever ready to present the names of such dormant appointees to President Akufo Addo as and when the need be.
He stated that ministers and government officials who are desiring to lead the party in 2024 should also be retired immediately to pave way for fresh energy in the governance.
Kamal Deen commended President Akufo-Addo for taking bold steps to sack Sarah Adwoa Safo as Gender Minister.
He further urged party executives to also turn to the welfare of NPP grassroots members as they work tirelessly for the party.
The Head of Economic Regulation at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Abass Ibrahim Tasunti, says his outfit is expecting further fuel price reductions at the pumps from August 1, 2022, following the reduction in prices of Petrol and Diesel on the World Market.
Abass Ibrahim Tasunti, who was speaking to Citi Business News on the sidelines of an NPA media interaction in Takoradi assured that the NPA would be monitoring the pumps to see if fuel stations are complying with the pricing formula in changing their fuel prices.
“The fuel price changes are influenced by changes of the price on the world market and the exchange rate in particular. We have seen reductions at the pumps in the past one month purely because the world market prices have dropped. In the next window in which we are going into, we have observed that the price of petrol and diesel have gone down again, and therefore we expect some price reductions at the pumps in the next window which starts from the 1st of August.â€
“Regarding the level of reduction, because of the deregulated pricing, the percentage changes will vary from company to company. So what we do as regulator is that we will allow the marketer to make their price changes and as we will monitor to see whether they follow the pricing formula in changing their prices“, he said.
Already, the Chamber for Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) has hinted of a six percent drop in prices at the pumps in the coming days.
Currently, diesel is almost GH¢15 per litre while petrol sells for over GH¢11 per litre at the pumps. Some filling stations over the weekend recorded some marginal price drops.
After a rampant increase in the price of fuel at the pumps, consumers seem pleased with the recent drop in prices at some fuel stations and are hopeful of further reductions in the coming months.
This comes as some Oil Marketing Companies across the country reduced their prices by up to 60p per litre over the weekend.
The arrest of the yet-to-be identified man was captured in a viral video which has been sighted by GhanaWeb.
The video captures a living room with about five persons seated. Some men suspected to be military officers identified themselves with one giving his name as WO2 Adu Boateng and another also showing aGhana Armed Forces ID Card bearing the name Kusi Bright.
They go-ahead to interrogate the young man who was seated facing them and looking visibly shaken.
Also seated by the young man was a woman who is suspected to have fallen victim to his recruitment scam.
“You told her you are a soldier and asked her to bring money so you recruit her into the military. What is your rank?†one of the soldiers who was in plain clothing questioned.
With the suspect fumbling to give a reasonable answer, the senior officer ordered his men to handcuff the young man who was immediately triggered into a pleading mode.
“I beg you, please have patience and let my mom come. Please have patience let me call my mother so we can solve the issue,†he pleaded while struggling with the officers to avoid being placed in handcuffs.
“My brother is the MP for Ejisu and my mom is around let us call her and settle this,†he pleaded further.
“You are mad, going about proposing marriage to women because you know the women are struggling,†one of the military officers is heard saying.
The suspect then reaches for his mobile phone to call his mother but had the phone taken away from him. The team of officers go on to show the screensaver on phone which has him in a military uniform as the wallpaper.
“Where did you get the uniform?†the officers shouted in sync.
While fumbling, the suspect blurts saying “I was part of the group which went for training in 2015 and were sacked.â€
The unrelenting officers move ahead to drag him out of the room by his waist while the suspect’s incessant calls for his mother continued.
A building and roads consultant, Ing. Abdulai Mahama, is calling on the Akufo-Addo‘s government to officially announce the resumption of toll collection in the country.
He contends that government owes a number of road contractors and bringing toll collection back will help in the revenue generation for the country.
His call comes after the Finance Minister disclosed that users of the Accra-Tema Motorway will pay tolls post the completion of the expansion project.
Speaking to Citi News, Ing Mahama stressed on the need for toll collection to be digitalized in order to monitor at real time the monies realized.
“The tolls should be brought back because government is over-burdened. There are so many arrears that are owed all the contractors who are even doing normal routine maintenance to ensure improvement on our roads. Government is owing contractors. I even think that, the 38 toll booths in the country are not even enough. The earlier you bring the tolls back, the better. The digitization has to be apt so that we can make about four times of what we are already making.
Ing. Abdulai Mahama further questioned the government’s plans to reintroduce tolls on newly constructed Public Private Partnership (PPP) roads after completion, beginning with the Accra-Tema Motorway.
“If you start to toll the Motorway and any other new road, how many new roads are we going to construct? How many are going to be heavy to attract PPP because the investor is coming to make money within a stipulated time.â€
Government suspended the collection of road and bridge tolls during the 2022 budget statement.
But following Ofori-Atta’s disclosure of the tolling of some new roads during the mid-year budget review presented on Monday, July 25, 2022, some Ghanaians lambasted the government over the issue.
In a statement, the Roads Ministry insisted that government does not intend to re-introduce the road tolls which were suspended a few months ago.
The Minority in Parliament has been putting pressure on government to reinstate the collection of road tolls .
According to the caucus, bringing back road tolls will help government in its revenue drive following current economic challenges.
Vice chairman of the Ghana Association of Road Contractors, Mr. Stephen Attasi, has refuted assertions that the country’s collection of road tolls was the root of the heavy traffic on certain of these roads.
According to him, these claims forced the Ministry of Roads and Highways to stop collecting tolls across the nation.
His comment after the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in his Mid-Year Budget Review presented to Parliament on Monday, July 25, 2022 disclosed the government’s plan to impose a Public Private Partnership agreement toll on some newly built roads.
The Finance Minister indicated that, tolls will be imposed on the finished road to cover the full cost of the finished infrastructure, pay lenders, and give equity investors a profit.
Speaking on the Ghana Yenson morning show hosted by Kwame Obeng Sarkodie on Accra 100.5 FM on Thursday, July 28, 2022, Mr Attasi, said what is needed is the major expansion of many of the roads to ease traffic and not the cancellation of the collection of tolls.
“In some jurisdictions, they are no more building two-lane roads. The building of two-lane roads has been scrapped, so why should we be here and be constructing two-lane roads that will eventually result in a head-on collision� he stated.
He said many countries now are building 12lane roads – six here, six there – to ease traffic.
He was of the view that road toll is the way to go even though what Ghanaians pay by way of the toll is minimal.
He said the decision to cancel the collection of the tolls was an ill-conceived one and called on the government to offer an unqualified apology to Ghanaians.
Anti-corruption crusader, Vitus Azeem has attributed the increasing rate of corruption in institutions to the lack of commitment on the part of government to ensure the prosecution of offenders.
According to him, institutions including the Office of the Auditor General have consistently released reports which expose corrupt practices by some officials.
These officials are however not tried in a court of law.
His comments follow a survey conducted by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) which revealed the ranking of top 10 state institutions perceived to be corrupt.
In an interview with Citi News, Vitus Azeem said government must show dedication by ensuring that corrupt officials face legal action.
“From 2020 to 2022, how many cases are before the courts from the Office of the Special Prosecutor? How much money has the Office recovered from corrupt practices? It is just not about the setting up of the institutions and claiming to be giving them money.â€
“Every year, the Auditor General comes out with its report, and it ends there. How many people have been prosecuted from the audit report? Government has set up institutions and is financing them, and so if we are not seeing the results, it cannot boast that it has resourced them.â€
According to the Afrobarometer study undertaken by the CDD-Ghana, police are believed to be the most corrupt people in Ghana.
The Office of the Presidency followed in second place on the corruption perception.
For the police service, 65 percent of Ghanaians believe most police are corrupt, while 31 percent believe only some police are corrupt.
At the Presidency, 55 percent of Ghanaians said it was mostly corrupt, while 40 percent said it was partly corrupt.
Legislators, judges and magistrates and tax officials rounded up the top five perceived corrupt institutions.
At the bottom of the list, Non-governmental organisations, Private media and public media were viewed more favourably as being the least corrupt.
Per the report, 77 percent of Ghanaians believe corruption has increased.
This figure has risen from 53 percent of Ghanaians in 2019.
Only 6 percent of Ghanaians currently believe corruption is reducing.
In line with this, the most recent Corruption Perception Index released by Transparency International showed that Ghana has failed to make significant progress in its fight against corruption.
Between 2020 and 2021, Ghana maintained its score of 43, which is still below the average, with countries scoring higher viewed as less corrupt and those with the least scores being more corrupt.
As far as fighting corruption is concerned, fewer than 30 percent of Ghanaians believe that people can
report corruption without fear of retaliation, which is a decline of 4 percentage points compared to 2019.
Among key public institutions, the Ghana Armed Forces, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and the courts are the most trusted.
In general, trust in institutions declined between 2019 and 2022, with trust in the presidency declining by 25 percentage points.
The Inspector General of Police, COP Dr George Akuffo Dampare, IGP, has penned down a 5-page response to a report released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and its partners.
The report by GSS and its associates placed the Ghana Police Serviceat the top of the institutions that take the most bribes.
But Dr Dampare reacting to the survey stated that the report doesn’t reflect the current state of the Service.
“We want to place on record that we are concerned about this since the continuous empirically and scientifically unsubstantiated labelling of the police as the most corrupt institution in the country only goes to feed this perception and damage the reputation of the Police Service as well as weaken the morale of its personnel.
“As we have all now come to accept, perception tends to be more powerful than reality, and therefore we have no choice than to share our position on this matter,†Dr Dampare said.
Also, the IGP raised 14 concerns from the report, seeking answers from the researchers.
Find below the 14 reasons, as stated in the police statement of Wednesday, July 27, 2022:
– It has been observed that the research did not cover some other public institutions such as the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Audit Service, Parliamentary Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Gaming Commission, Public Media houses, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Narcotic Control Commission (NACOC), the Attorney-General’s (AG’s) Department, the Registrar General’s Department among others and these are all institutions, we believe, that the public deal with regularly.
– More importantly, a further scrutiny of the report shows that your two institutions (CHA] and Ghana Statistical Service) were also not part of the research and we are wondering why you do not think they are also candidates for corruption investigation, considering that they also provide critical services to the public.
– We also noticed that some institutions such as the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) were disaggregated into components with one part touching on Customs officers and another part on tax officers. Another example is the Ghana Health Service where you had doctors, nurses and midwives in one group and other health workers in the public hospitals constituting the other group. Even some other institutions such as public utility services, which include the Ghana Water Company, Electricity Company of Ghana and others were aggregated as one. One wonders why the lack of consistency in your approach.
– In addition, in some instances you combined different institutions as one entity; for example, prosecutors are not part of the judicial service but you put them together as one. Also, teachers and lecturers, though both operate in the education sector, do not belong to the same institution but were lumped together. We consider this to be a clear case of combining mangoes and oranges to corrupt the flavour of each.
– For some other institutions, only sections were covered; for example, the Judicial Service is not made up of only judges. Lecturers, professors and teachers are not the full complement of the institutions they represent. What about the other officials of these institutions? Do their actions not affect service delivery of their institutions? This is evident that you compared the whole of some institutions to the parts of some others. In specific terms, you compared the whole of the Police Service with sections of the Judicial Service, sections of the GRA and others.
– We Know that there are three branches (arms) of government, namely the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. From our understanding, most of the institutions covered in your research are under the Executive branch and yet, you also introduced another institution named the Executive Branch of Government without offering any explanation as to what it constitutes. Your comment on this will be helpful.
– We have also read that you used some multiple levels of quality assurance to eliminate errors in your research, but looking at the report, we believe we have good reason to be skeptical about this quality assurance mechanism. For example, we wonder whether you made any attempts to verify and authenticate from any of the affected institutions the credibility of the information given interviewees since we cannot feel that in the research.
– From your report, the corruption prevalence rate is determined by the number of contacts who paid bribes or were asked to pay bribes bu refused as a percentage of the total number of contacts. We realized that a contact is defined as at least a single experience with the institution. This suggests that there could be single or multiple contacts. Did you treat multiple contacts and single contacts in the same way, knowing that this would affect the denominator of the corruption prevalence rate formula and therefore the final percentage for each institution and ultimately, the ranking? For example, if there are two people and one of them has had only one contact with institution A, and the other had 20 contacts with institution B. If we treat the 20 contacts as one contact, then in institution A, there will be one contact and in institution B, there will also be one contact. If in institution A, the contact resulted in a bribe, then the prevalence rate will be 100 percent (1/1×100=100%) and if in institution B, the 20 contacts are treated as one, then the prevalence rate will be 100% (1/1×100=100%). However, if we treat the 20 contacts separately, we will have a prevalence rate of 5% (1/20×100=5%) for institution B. This means that the prevalence for institution B will be 20 times less than institution A. We would like to know which approach you used.
– Closely related to point (xili) above is the issue of how often bribes are paid by a single contact to a public official. In your research, it was analysed in isolation and the average number of times a contact paid bribe during the research period was reported. We want to know how this was factored in the computation of the overall prevalence rate which informed the contact-based ranking.
– From your research, the definition of corruption is about the aggregate of those who paid bribes and those who were asked to pay but refused. This aggregate was used to compute the corruption prevalence rat. We are interested in knowing the portion of those who paid bribes as against those who were asked but refused to pay and whether those who refused to pay were disadvantaged in the service they required. This will enable us assess our mechanisms aimed at educating and empowering the public to resist attempts by any officer to engage in any corrupt practices.
– As you are aware, one of the major consequences of corruption is its ability to take away resources meant for socio-economic development for the benefit of all. Therefore, the value of the amount lost to corruption will play a key role in determining the prevalence of corruption and which institutions are causing the most harm when it comes to the size of bribes paid. When you did the ranking using the value-based (size of bribes paid) method, we realised that the Police Service was one of the least corrupt institutions and came nowhere near the top as per figure 21 of page 32 of your report. This should be projected in the same way that the contact-based ranking is being projected. You also indicated that about Five Billion Ghana Cedis was lost to corruption during the period of your research and we would like to know how much of this was police related.
– Using your contacts-based and value-based ranking methods for your analysis, we would like a regional, monthly and departmental breakdown of your findings for the Police Service to enable us pinpoint where the issues are and tackle them.
– We also did not see any specific recommendations in the report and we find it surprising that a major research like this did not offer any recommendations and solutions.
– There is also the real risk that your research may have been affected by a historically pervasive stereotyping of the Police Service. The Service has almost now become the default institution of choice for such research and has therefore encouraged a deep-seated public stereotype over the years. This stereotype may easily influence respondent choices and it is therefore fair to expect that you factor it in assessing the validity of your findings.
A 32-year-old farmer, has allegedly, impregnated his 15-year-old step-daughter.
Per police report, the class five student who is seven months pregnant, lives in a neighborhood close to Peki in the Volta Region with her mother and her step-father.
Reports also indicate that, whenever the mother of the girl was out for her all-night prayer sessions, the suspect and his step-daughter have several sexual encounters.
It has also been disclosed their intimate relationship started in 2021.
Further information reveals that the victim was unaware of her pregnancy until her condition was recognized by her teachers, who then told her mother, who the victim afterwards blamed for the pregnancy when questioned.
However, Teye Victoria, a 30-year-old corn dough seller and the mother of six children, after being informed of the situation, failed to report the case to police.
The Odumase police who got wind of the issue promptly moved in and arrested Nazah while he was in a meeting with other family members to settle the case.
The victim’s mother who’s not enthused about the arrest of her husband is pleading with the police to release Nazah on the grounds that she’s not in a position to single-handedly cater for the six children.
On Monday, Nazah Joshua was taken into custody by the Odumase Krobo Police while the family was at Nuaso.
On Wednesday, the suspect will be transferred to Peki, for additional inquiries.
Over 300 exhibitors have converged on the Adisadel College School Park, the venue of the Central Expo 2022, to showcase a variety of goods and services to the public and the necessary exposure to the investment community.
The lack of exhibition space hindered the organising committee’s original plan of opening up the fair to over 500 exhibitors.
At 10 a.m. last Monday, when the Expo officially opened, vendors had already set up shop and were ready for the patrons.
There was the display of jewelry, apparels, beverages, agrochemicals, handicrafts and herbal remedies, among other products, by beverage producers, tour operators, insurance providers, banks, educational institutions, hotels and government agencies such as the Food and Drugs Authority at the many booths.
The Central Regional Trade Fair and business and investment fair is aimed at increasing global visibility for the region, as well as ensuring promotions, collaborations and revenue generation in Cape Coast.
Exhibitors
In an interview, the exhibitors expressed delight at the opportunity and said it was a great way to provide them a platform to showcase their products and services to the larger community.
They said that such an initiative would also provide a platform for startup companies to network and meet with potential investors, and expressed the hope that if it was bone the right away, then eventually, they would reap the rewards of the fair’s exposure.
The Director of Operations at R&B Farms, Benjamin Turkson, in an interview said the show had presented an opportunity for exhibitors because it exposed them to investors who might come in and invest even in growing their businesses.
“This is an excellent platform for enterprises and growing businesses because people continue to visit and ask for our contact and services, while others patronise our products ,” he stated.
The highly anticipated fair which has as its theme “Promoting Trade, Tourism and Investments in the Central Region: Challenges, Prospects and Solution”, has exhibitors from the region’s 22 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, as well as an eight-day business opportunity, partnership, network and job development event for indigenes and the rest of the world.
There would also be a two-day business forum, which would bring together creative ideas, entrepreneurs, investors and corporate bodies to find opportunities and solutions for their mutual benefit.
The opening ceremony was graced by various metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs), religious leaders, corporate institutions, some members of the Council of State and traditional rulers from the various paramountcies in the Central Region.
Strengthen institutions
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Odeefuo Amoakwa Buadu VIII, called on the government to resource institutions that had been mandated to oversee developmental projects with the necessary resources to enable them to live up to expectation.
“If we want to see a nation that has fully developed, then institutions like CEDECOM and the likes that have been given the mandate to spearhead developmental projects should be adequately resourced to allow them to function effectively,” he stressed.
He continued that “if these institutions are not given adequate attention, it will be difficult for any developmental goal to materialise and this will subsequently undermine national efforts.”
Commitment
Odeefuo Buadu added that the fair was a commendable initiative that needed the full backing of traditional leaders in the region.
He said with the concerted effort and collaboration from stakeholders in the region the “aspiration as a region to see a new Central Region where there would be more industrial activities to spur development will materialise.”
The expo, he further stated, would also foster a distinct atmosphere that would give young people greater self-assurance to launch their own endeavours.
“I am very hopeful that the outcomes of this fair will help us create the new Central Region we we wish to see and also change the narrative of being one of the poorest in the country,†he said.
Traditional rulers in the area, he said, were prepared to dedicate themselves to the effort of turning the Central Region into a magnet for investors, by making available problem- and litigation-free areas for enterprises and construction initiatives.
He lamented the fact that chieftaincy disputes had prevented the area from experiencing significant economic growth for a while but stressed that the situation was more likely to come to an end because traditional leaders were prepared to move forward with a unified front and resolve all outstanding disputes amicably to make the area peaceful and appealing to investors.
Improve roads
The Omanhen of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, who chaired the function, made a request to the government and other stakeholders to step up efforts to improve road infrastructure in the Central Region in order to improve tourism.
If road infrastructure is not expanded to allow tourists the ease of transportation to the area, he cautioned that efforts to revive the tourism industry would most likely encounter roadblocks.
“The tourism industry will be enhanced if the main road from Accra to Cape Coast is improved. Something must be done about it because it takes a long period for tourists to travel to the region and this can cripple efforts to improve tourism in the region,” he said.
Sustainability
The Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan, sought the support of regional stakeholders and development partners to ensure that the programme was sustained for the region’s economic benefit.
She expressed the hope that the fair would increase interest in the Central Region for investment, trade and tourism.
She stated that the event would foster the expansion of successful business alliances and networking across the nation, adding that the Regional Coordinating Council was poised to encourage constructive dialogue between institutions and individuals to promote local economic development.
The agreement was laid in the house, a day after the Majority Leader and Suame MP, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, was attacked in his constituents over the nature of roads in his constituency where the interchange will be constructed.
Speaking during the debate, the Majority Leader urged his constituents not to foment trouble due to the nuisance of dust pollution that may occur during the construction.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu recently assured that the project would start in September 2022.
Construction of the road started late in June 2022, but was suspended due to a shortage of bitumen.
The contractor is however said to have resumed work after the tensions that saw the MP accosted by artisans in the Suame Magazine enclave when he visited the area.
Residents have complained that the poor road is hampering business in the industrial hub due to the build-up of dust brought on by the moving cars.
Education think tank, African Education Watch, is demanding what it calls further details on specific strategies being deployed by the Ministry of Finance to clear the over three hundred million debt owed food suppliers.
African Education Watch says Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta during the mid-year budget review, missed an opportunity to give fine details of interventions being put in place by his Ministry to resolve the poor disbursement of approved funds for feeding under the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.
Speaking to Citi News, the Executive Director of African Education Watch, Kofi Asare indicated that strategies should be made known to stakeholders, to avert a widespread shortage of food in public second-cycle schools.
“The main cause of the food supply disruptions is the GH¢340 million owed the Buffer Stock and by extension owed the suppliers under the Free SHS program.â€
“We thought that, the Minister of Finance had to explain why the Ministry is unable to disburse cash in accordance with cash flow projections by the Ministry of Education and more importantly what is being done to ensure that there is cash flow so that the academic calendar is not disrupted because of the lack of food.â€
Kofi Asare also alleged that there are inconsistencies in the expenditure figures on the Free SHS put out by the Finance Ministry and the Education Ministry.
He called for clarification on the expenditure.
“We want the Minister of Finance to come and clarify what the actual expenditure on the Free SHS is from inception to 2021 because data credibility on the expenditure is very important for policy accountability.â€
President Akufo-Addo has said in times of crisis and difficulties, people tend to pay attention to their faith hence his decision to build the National Cathedral as a symbol of faith.
President Akufo-Addo was speaking in Accra at the 19th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), where he said all over the world people are turning to their faith, hence a project like the National Cathedral will be something Ghanaian Christians can look up to in difficulties.
The president noted that if one were to consider only developmental needs, there would never be a good time to build a Church, a Cathedral or any of the great buildings of faith around the world in France, Italy and the United States.
In an address yesterday, the President told critics of the National Cathedral project that he will go ahead with the project no matter the cost involved or how long it will take because there can be no better time to build it.
“My personal view has always been that even though the Cathedral will be very much a national institution, the cost should be largely borne by the Christian community, with the state providing the land and initial funding to get the project off the ground.†He said.
“It will serve as a collective thanksgiving to the Almighty for the blessings He has bestowed on Ghana sparing the nation of ravages of civil war that have bedevilled the histories of virtually all neighbours, and the outbreak of mass epidemics.
“Looking through the history of all the great cathedrals of the world, there has never been what can be called an appropriate time to build a cathedral. Invariably, it has taken many years, sometimes centuries, to complete,†the President added.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the particular section that will be affected is the Akasanoma to Nsawam route.
The road will be blocked from midnight of Friday , July 29, 2022 through to Sunday midnight, July 31 2022.
The Ministry indicated that the closure is to aide the contractor, QG KONSTRUKTION AB, fix some damaged areas on the stretch.
The Road Ministry, however, urged commuters and motorists to bare with the new development and abide with all traffic management measures that will be put in place at vantage points of the road.
According to the MP, Koku, despite being a benefactor of the benevolence of former President Mahama, has rather decided to return the favour with disdain for the former President.
“Koku’s campaign as deputy general secretary was partly financed by me and Lordina Mahama. Ask him who the Land Cruiser he went around the entire country to campaign with belongs to. It was mine. Who was giving him money to fuel the car? Lordina Mahama and Julius Debrah. We don’t want to talk.
“I won’t say everything, but what I can say is that if there is anyone justified to be bitter because of ingratitude, it is rather John Mahama who should get hurt. But President Mahama is all forgiven; he has forgotten about it. Every day he keeps asking what the problem with Koku is? It worries him because he loves him. Lordina calls me sometimes and asks what the problem with my brother is,” he stated during an interview on Power FM.
Koku Anyidoho, who served as director of communications at the presidency during the era of the late President Mills, fell out with former President Mahama, who was vice president under the late President.
Following the demise of President Mills, Koku Anyidoho also fell out with the NDC after he lost his bid to move from the party’s deputy general secretary to the general secretary position.
But according to Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Koku, who feeds on attention, has allowed that trait to lead him into a state of bitterness which is causing his own downfall.
“The message I have is that those who love him should call him and advise him that he is hurting himself. I looked at him yesterday and I realized he looks older than me even though I am more advanced in age than him. This is because he is engulfed with bitterness. He does not listen to advice,” the MP stated.
Koku Anyidoho has accused former President John Dramani Mahama of harbouring hatred toward him.
He also accused the former President of undermining the late President Mills when he was his vice.
On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, President Akufo-Addo, made an additional four new appointments to the apex court of Ghana, the Supreme Court.
The appointment, which was announced by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, is on the advice of the Judicial Council, as a result of pending vacancies in the Apex court.
In a statement to parliament, the president said, “he is fully satisfied that each person is duly qualified, and eminently fit to discharge the functions of justice of the apex court.â€
In all, President Nana Akufo-Addo has made 15 appointments to the Supreme Court since he assumed office, making him one of the Heads of State with the highest appointments in Ghana, only next to John Agyekum Kufuor.
Among the new appointments made by President Akufo-Addo is Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, who was captured in a 2016 poster as a contestant for the Ho central constituency seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party; the ruling party.
Below is the list of all the justices appointed by President Akufo-Addo to the Supreme Court since 2018. It must be stated that of the 15, one of the judges recently passed on:
The popular movie producer Actress Tracey Boakye is set to tie the knot with her sweetheart, Frank Badu Ntiamoah, a young and fine gentleman whom she has kept a secret all this while.
On Tuesday morning, her confidant and member of the ‘Mafia Gang’, Afia Schwarzenegger, published the pre-wedding photos of Tracey and her man.
She congratulated her and also welcomed the man she described as her son-in-law.
“Let me officially introduce you to my son-in-law #Francey22. Congratulations Piesie @tracey_boakye,” read the caption of the post sighted by GhanaWeb.
Afia, however, deleted the photos a few minutes after they were released.
As earlier reported, the actress held a black-themed bachelorette party on July 26 ahead of her big wedding, which is expected to take place in Kumasi.
Ahead of Tracey Boakye‘s much-awaited wedding, her bridesmaids and friends organized an intimate bachelorette party for the bride-to-be, whose union came as a surprise to many.
The actress and producer could not hide her excitement at the July 26, 2022 party that came as a warm-up towards her big day.
The wedding dubbed #Francey22 will take place in Kumasi and already friends of the actress have disclosed that they will leave no stone unturned when it comes to ensuring that Tracey’s marriage to her heartthrob trends across all social media platforms.
On the morning of July 27, the incoming bride published some scenes from her bachelorette party on her official Instagram page and also announced the vendors that are on board for her wedding.
Ghana’s favourite musicians including Kwabena Kwabena, Becca and Ohemaa Mercy have been billed to perform at the actress’s wedding.
Ghanaian actress and socialite, Tracey Boakye has released the full list of persons who would perform different functions at her much-anticipated wedding.
Although the groom-to-be is unknown, the stipulated time for the wedding is Saturday, July 30, 2022. On her official page, Tracey Boakye dubbed her wedding #Francey22.
The occasion is expected to be graced by some musicians booked to perform.
The likes of Abena Serwaa Ophelia, Brother Sammy, Ohemaa Mercy, Obaapa Christy, Piesie Esther are scheduled to perform at the traditional marriage ceremony while Nakeeyat The Poet, Clevester The Poet, Ohemaa Mercy, Becca and Kwabena Kwabena will perform at the dinner.
Mc PapJay of Y102.5FM, Kumasi, has been billed to be the Master of Ceremonies with DJ Lamar as the official disc jockey.
The event, according to Tracey Boakye’s post, will be produced by filmmaker Kofi Asamoah.
Below is the full list of event planners and their respective roles alongside musicians performing.
For Reggae/Afro Dancehall artiste, Article Wan, the reason why Nigerian acts seem to be doing much better than their Ghanaian counterparts is because more money is pumped into their craft than it is done here.
“This is because they have more investors who understand the business and are ready to back the artistes financially in order to grow their music industry.
“I won’t say their songs are better than ours but they put so much into their works. They have so many investors who support them financially in their work, unlike here where they are very few.
“That is the advantage they have over us but the truth is we are also trying our very best to get there,” Article Wan told Graphic Showbiz in an interview.
Further commenting on the current music industry, the Solo hitmaker said things had changed since COVID-19 reared its ugly head.
“Everything has changed. We are just balancing it; the music scene is not how it used to be. Music does not trend for long.
“Everyone is struggling in the system. From the A-list artistes to the up and coming ones, everyone is struggling. That is the situation we find ourselves in at the moment”, he said.
Asked if it is difficult to get a hit song, Article Wan said: “That is a very dicey question because you might be doing something in the studio and before you realise, it is all over the place and becomes a hit.
“On the other hand, you might be working on something and you are so sure it will become a hit but it comes out and it is so ordinary.â€
Article Wan said he believed there could be a strategy in landing a banger. “It depends on what you want to do, the writing, the beats, the lyrics and the recording. They all come to play. The major thing is promotion; promotion can make a hit song,” he stated.
Article Wan, however, said he did not believe that an artiste who did not release a hit song for more than two years was lazy.
He said: “Making music is not easy. Let me give you an example. Shatta Wale was down for almost 10 years but currently, he is one of the strongest musicians we have, so you can never tell.”
Touching on controversy, he disclosed that he did not mind riding on one to trend, saying: “So far as I am a musician, if the chance is there, why not? It is not my thing though but when the opportunity comes, why not?
“However, not every controversy is good for an artiste, some may bring you down.”
Born Bright Homenya, Article Wan has been on the scene for almost a decade and has songs like Solo, Fire Burn Dem, That Thing, Hallelujah feat. Joey B, Wala feat Prince Bright, Jollof and Afrobeat feat Lilwin, Position Yourself, among others.
He is currently working on his latest single, Mute and Shoo, which he intends to release before the end of this month.
Actress Tracey Boakye has hinted at her wedding, which will take place in the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi at an undisclosed date.
Rumours of the marriage between the movie producer, nicknamed ‘East Legon Landlady”, and her secret man was first fueled by blogger Zionfelix, her close friend.
He shared an image that declared July 26 as Tracey’s bachelorette party.
Earlier, the actress published a video of herself wearing a golden engagement band on her ring finger. This development further heightened the rumors.
On July 26, Tracey Boakye announced her wedding hashtag. The union has been dubbed “#….cey22”. She has left followers to guess the identity of her soon-to-be husband.
Some wedding vendors, including Menscook, have already published the said image on their Instagram page, adding that they can’t wait to serve the incoming couple and their guests.
On Tuesday morning, the 31-year-old mother of two took to her Instagram story to repost some congratulatory messages from fans.
Also, videos captured the arrival of some friends at Kotoka International Airport who are in for the supposed wedding.
Ghanaian-born American-based musician, Okaidja Afroso, is hopeful his new album will help promote Ghana’s traditional music to the international music space.
Okaidja Afroso is currently in Ghana promoting his sixth album titled “Jaku Mumor”, which translates into English as “Ancestral Spirit”.
According to the artiste, who has performed on some big stages in the USA, more should be done to promote traditional music despite the dominance of other foreign genres.
Okaidja Afroso explained that traditional highlife music represents Ghana’s music identity and takes pride in doing traditional music, having performed on some international stages.
Speaking about the album, the traditional musician said his new project seeks to protect the identity and culture of the Gadangmes with various poetic rhythms.
“My new project contains a lot of traditional literature as I aim at educating listeners about the virtues of the Gadangme culture.
“The traditional percussion used for projects gives a natural and authentic feel of Ghanaian traditional music, which I am very proud of,” he said.
Okaidja Afroso further revealed that he is open to featuring other Ghanaian artistes in his quest to generate more traditional music in the system.
Sports presenter, Countryman Songo, has disclosed that back in Achimota Senior High School, daughter of Ghana’s former President, Jerry John Rawlings, saved him from going hungry.
According to Songo, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, who was his classmate at Achimota Senior High School showed him kindness and that he will forever be grateful to her.
“There was a day I was famished. It was break time…one interesting thing was that Zanetor had bodyguards meaning all other students had maximum protection. Students who attended Achimota those days felt so proud. You will mostly spot her car and the bodyguards monitoring every move.
“I was hungry and went looking for my cousin, thinking I will get some food. I spotted Zanetor setting alone so I approached her. I said hello and she responded calmly and asked how I was also doing.
“I straight forward said I was hungry and so she offered me her toast and tea in her flask, I ate it. The interesting thing was that I took food from the President’s daughter,” he added.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM, the sports presenter, described Zanetor as the genius of the their time back in school adding that “she swept all the awards at our speech and prize-giving day”.
Zenator is the eldest daughter of the 1st President under the 4th Republic of Ghana Jerry Rawlings and former first lady Nana Konadu Agyeman.
She was born on 1 June 1978 in Accra, Ghana in. She hails from Dzelukope in the Volta Region of Ghana.
She had her basic education at the North Ridge Lyceum school and Achimota School and high school the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast.
She is currently a member of parliament for the Klottey-Korle Constituency and a medical doctor.
Ghana’sMzVee has shared a story of how her previous relationship collapsed due to her status as a female celebrity who has “a lot of men coming her way”.
She has disclosed that any man who wishes to be in a relationship with her type must deal with his insecurities and also get rid of jealousy.
The female vocalist explained that dating a famous lady comes with sacrifices and a lot of understanding.
A man must possess confidence in knowing that he is enough for his girlfriend despite the big men that come her way.
Speaking in an interview with Zionfelix, she explained how her relationship with a man she dearly loved hit the rocks due to his insecurity.
“He started getting jealous and stuff like that. He just couldn’t handle it because it comes with the work. Female musicians get a lot of passes from men and to be with a female musician, you have to be very confident about yourself because she’ll meet a lot of men along the way and at a point, you’ll feel like she doesn’t love you…and that is what happened.”
In MzVee’s case, her then-boyfriend, wanted more of her, a situation that conflicted with her work. Eventually, they had to call it quits after several attempts to keep afloat.
“He was insecure I think. I didn’t try to make it work because the way he was handling it, it wouldn’t have worked. I didn’t even stress it. I did love him. We were together for a while and it got to a point where I realized that no matter what we do, it is still going to be bad. I talk to him once in a while,” MzVee said in an interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
The award-winning Ghanaian musician is considered as one of the industry’s most successful female singers.
She has a number of songs to her credit, in June 2022, MzVee released her 5th studio project titled “10 Thirtyâ€.
Ghanaian gospel musician, Obaapa Christy, will celebrate her 20 years in the music industry with a concert on September 4, 2022.
The concert to be held at theUPSA Auditorium would witness the celebration of the illustrious music career of Obaapa Christy, who is one of Ghana’s finest gospel music veterans.
Speaking at the launch of the concert dubbed “Obaapa Christy at 20 concert”, the award-winning gospel musician said she wanted to use the concert to demonstrate her gratitude to God for his blessings in her career.
Obaapa Christy revealed that her childhood dream was to become a gospel musician and inspire people, and she was overjoyed with how far she had come in her career.
“God has really blessed me in my 20 years in music, and I want to thank him for how far he has brought me. I started music in school and at a young age, my aim was to become a gospel musician.”
“God has been a helper and very compassionate in my music career despite coming from a very poor home. I never dreamt of being a big gospel musician, so I want to praise God for his mercies with this concert, “she said.
Obaapa Christy, who once featured with the Hallelujah Voices Group, has 12 albums to her credit which has numerous timeless gospel hit tracks.
The 2022 edition of TV3’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful pageant (GMB 2021) was launched on Sunday, July 17, 2022.
This year’s edition, the 15th season, will commence on Sunday, July 17, 2022, with the first four weeks being eviction-free.
At the launch, the 16 contestants who passed the auditions to represent the various regions of Ghana were unveiled.
1. Ahafo – Tiwaa
Lauretta Tiwaa Boateng, from Duayaw Nkwanta, is the representative of the Ahafo Region. Tiwaa is 26
Tiwaa is a graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where she studied Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Linguistics with Akan as her major.
Hariya Yussif is the representative for the Savannah Region. At 20, Hariya, as she will be known on stage, is one of the youngest contestants for this edition.
Hariya is a student at the University of Ghana, where she is studying Information Studies, History, and Archaeology.
