GAPNEWS

GAPNEWS NDC appalled by $12 million dollar expenditure on botched Agyapa deal; threatens prosecution The National Democratic Congress has accused the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government of “causing financial loss” to the state over the botched Agyapa Gold Royalties deal. At a press conference addressed by the party in Accra today, National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, accused President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of habouring what he describes as “countless skeletons of corruption in their closet”, following recent revelations at the Public Accounts Committee hearings. It has emerged per disclosures by the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Edward Nana Yaw Koranteng, that government has already committed some $12 million into the failed Agyapa Gold Royalties arrangement which came under intense public scrutiny sometime in the year 2020. Speaking earlier today at the NDC’s ‘Moment of Truth’ press conference, Sammy Gyamfi call...

GAPNEWS Finance Minister Amin Adam outlines seven priority points in his first meeting with mg’t of MoF The Minister for Finance, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has outlined seven priority points in his first meeting with the Management of the Ministry. He met the entire management on Monday February 19 I will bring new urgency to bear on the work so we can run and fly and make an impact within this short period” he said. Dr Amin succeeded Ken Ofori-Atta at the Ministry in the recent ministerial reshuffle done by President Akufo-Addo on Febraury 14. Earlier, he told journalists that “Revenue collection will be pursued aggressively. So you are going to see me moving around the revenue centres, the ports, the airport, and the market areas to encourage the staff of GRA to collect more revenue but also to institute a friendly approach to collecting revenue.”

GAPNEWS Re-assigned ministers must be vetted –Dafeamekpor The Minority in Parliament has said that all the re-assigned ministers will have to be vetted and approved by the Appointment Committee of Parliament. The opposition lawmaker says served notice to contest the re-assignments of 5 ministers of state to the office of the president at the Supreme Court. South Dayi Member of Parliament contends that the ministers must be subjected to parliamentary approval and not just occupy the office without approval. “I am saying on the authority of the constitution that those persons’ appointments were revoked by the president, and their re-assignment must be subjected to parliamentary scrutiny. “So, we are demanding that those five ministers he has reassigned must be subjected to parliamentary vetting, and that is the procedure, so they cannot escape parliamentary scrutiny,” he said in Parliament on Friday. He added “We will do our duty as the constitution demands, and we will demand that their...

GAPNEWS TEWU suspends its two-week-long strike . The Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWU-GH) has brought an end to its two-week-long strike which commenced on February 1. They embarked on the strike over the nonpayment of their vehicle maintenance allowances by the government. A statement issued on Friday Febraury 16 said “The leadership of TEWU-GH was invited by the National Labour Commission (NLC) on 14th February 2024, in attendance from Government representatives was the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC). After a series of discussions with the National Labour Commission and the government, NLC directed the union to suspend the strike action and engage the Government to resolve the issue of the vehicle maintenance allowance to our members. “As we are all aware, the government denied some of our members the vehicle maintenance allowance payment which compelled the union to embark on an indefinite strike action.”

GAPNEWS Reshuffle does not increase Bawumia’s electoral fortunes – Political Analyst Political analyst at the University of Cape Coast, Dr Jonathan Asante Otchere, has stated that the much-awaited ministerial reshuffle by President Akufo-Addo does not inure to the benefit of the NPP’s presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, going into the December 2024 elections. Dr Otchere made the assertion in an interview with Alfred Ocansey, host of TV3’s current affairs programme, Ghana Tonight, on Thursday, February 15. According to Dr Otchere, the President lost an opportunity to cut government expenditures. Civil society organisations and the public have criticised the government for its excessive spending leading to huge borrowing. “If you keep supplying members of your party to occupy all these positions that have become vacant so to speak, in actual fact, this particular decision by the President will not in any way affect positively the electoral fortunes of Dr Bawumia,” said the polit...

GAPNEWS Running mate: Togbe Afede won’t reject the opportunity but the choice is Mahama’s prerogative – Asogli State, The choice of a running mate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is the prerogative of the flagbearer, Former President John Dramani Mahama but the Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli, will not reject any opportunity to be selected, the Asogli State Council has said. The Council in a statement released on Tuesday, February 13, while reacting to news that his name popped up in the discussion to choose the running mate, said that Togbe Afede has not instructed any individual or group to advocate for him to be picked by Mr Mahama. The statement said that the esteemed chief conveyed this stance during a visit from a group known as “Change Forum Makers” to discuss the matter. “A group of people who identified themselves as ‘Change Makers Forum’ were the latest to approach Togbe to consider joining President Mahama as his running mate for the 2024 Presidential ...

GAPNEWS Happily, the two directors who caused PBC woes lost their bid to be NPP parliamentary candidates – Mahama Former President John Dramani Mahama has said that the directors of the Produce Buying Company (PBC) will be investigated for their actions that caused the problems of the company. Mr Mahama accused the two directors of attempting to seek refuge in Parliament from accountability, but God being so good, they lost their bid to be parliamentary candidates on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Speaking with cocoa farmers in Kumasi and the General Agriculture Workers Union on Thursday, February 8, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said, “The workers of PBC have not been paid for about 8 months to 9 months and it is not known when they will receive their salaries, it is instructive to note that two of the directors who have left PBC into the ditch could see that they had finished the company and so they were looking for new careers and so they wen...

GAPNEWS Bawumia is a man of destiny, give him chance to be president – Kufuor Former President  John Agyekum Kufuor has described the Vice President and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as a man of destiny. Mr Kufuor appealed to Ghanaians to give Dr Bawumia a chance to be president because he can do the job. “I have always seen him as a man of destiny. when I first saw him that was about 2002, a research assistant to the Governor of BoG. This young man delivered a paper of international conference of giants in London…immediately he finished his address I told him he is a man of destiny,” Mr Kufuor said at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) auditorium, the venue for the address on Wednesday February 7. “Give him the chance to come. I have a strong feeling he is truly the man of the moment and Ghana must accept,” he added. The National Chair of the NPP Stephen Ayensu Ntim also described Dr Mahamudu Bauwmia as a hard-working person. He ...

GAPNEWS The Economic Management Team does not have decision-making powers – Bawumia The head of the Economic Management Team (EMT), Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said that the EMT does not have decision-making powers. He says they only advise the cabinet. His comments come at a time when he has been blamed for the economic challenges that Ghana is facing. It is recalled that former President John Dramani Mahama asked that he should be removed as head of the EMT for the challenges. Delivering his address at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) on Wedmesdsy Febraury 7, Dr Bawumia, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)., said “Thankfully I was appointed as chair of the EMT, as a committee of Cainet we do not have decision-making powers but I am very proud of the quality of advice we have been providing over the years to Cainet. as vice president I was asked by the president to assist in solving the problems that were inhibiting the economy. my approach was t...

GAPNEWS I will abolish e-levy ,betting and other taxes as President – Bawumia hints Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has stated categorically that he will abolish the tax on electronic financial transaction, e-levy, if elected President of Ghana. The controversial tax was introduced in 2022, and prior to the introduction, Vice President Bawumia had declared his opposition to levies on electronic financial transaction in an interview. Delivering his first major address to the nation after his election as NPP flagbearer, during which he gave broad policy outlines of a Bawumia Presidency, Dr. Bawumia minced no words in declaring his opposition to taxes on electronic financial transactions, declaring that he will abolish e-levy as President. Dr Bawumia added that his bid for a Digital and Cashless Ghana will be significantly boosted if e-levy is abolished. “To move towards a cashless economy, however, we have to encourage the population to use electronic channels payment. To accomplish t...

GAPNEWS Vote buying: Some demand cars and land from MPs – Majority Leader The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah- Bonsu has revealed a new dimension in the ongoing debate on monetization and vote-buying in Ghana’s politics. He has alleged that some persons in political party leadership demand cars and parcels of lands in exchange for votes and political favours from MPs. The Suame Legislator who has been in parliament since 1997 leaves the house in 2025 after 7 terms, is of the view that the model of money-induced politics creeping into the public space is not sustainable and acceptable. Speaking at a media engagement on Wednesday, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu said, ”You have people coming to you that buy a car for us before we vote for you. Especially the leadership of the parties, they ask for cars before they allow you to contest, even land…we should be real.” He advocates an expanded voter base and open primaries which would allow for all card bearing members of the party at...