Posts in category: Other News

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has reminded the public that companies, institutions and individuals are prohibited from engaging in the foreign exchange business, pricing, advertising, receipting or making payments for goods and services without authorization.

The BoG in a public notice dated April 5, 2022, said this is in accordance with the Foreign Exchange Act, 2006 (Act 723), which states that companies, institutions and individuals are prohibited from:

i. engaging in foreign exchange business without a licence issued by Bank of Ghana; or

ii. pricing, advertising, receipting or making payments for goods and services in foreign currency in Ghana, without written authorization from the Bank of Ghana.

Violations

The bank said such violations were punishable on summary conviction, by a fine of up to seven hundred (700) penalty units or a term of imprisonment of not more than 18 months, or both.

The notice reiterated that the sole legal tender in the country is the Ghana cedi.

“Bank of Ghana, in collaboration with National Security and Law Enforcement Agencies, will continue to clamp down on illegal foreign exchange operations. All offenders shall be dealt with in accordance with the law,” the notice reads.

The BoG further urged the general public to report any violations witnessed.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

Some parents and stakeholders in the country’s educational sector have lauded the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, for the peaceful and event-free school placement exercise this year.

While commending the Minister for the smooth exercise, they have, however, appealed for an extension in the reopening date for fresh students of senior high schools (SHSs).

Following the successful placement of BECE 20221 candidates by the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), all successful SHS One students are expected to report to their respective SHSs or technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools today, Monday, April 4, 2022, to begin their academic year.

However, some parents are appealing for the rescheduling of the opening date to enable them to complete the process of enrolment.

“I would like to appeal to the Ministry of Education to consider extending the time for reopening for SHS One students. This year, the placement system was smooth, but the reporting date is too close. We had hoped we would have about four weeks to prepare, but we are required to report today.

“Although it is free SHS and our children will report without having to pay any fees, there are still some things we need to get for them, and that is why we are asking for a consideration of the reporting date,” some parents who spoke with the Daily Graphic said in interviews.

Smooth exercise

Unlike previous exercises which saw parents and guardians and their children and wards frustrated over various challenges, this year’s exercise has passed without many incidents, much to the relief of parents.

According to them, apart from the placement exercise being peaceful and event-free, they were also particularly happy that they did not waste much time at the various resolution centres across the country, as the staff there worked hard to ensure that parents and guardians did not spend too much time at the centres.

“This year, there was so much improvement in the placement process. I think that is what we all expect — that each year there will be improvement in the process. I commend the Minister of Education for supervising this,” a parent said.

With the objective of making the exercise more efficient, convenient and seamless for students and parents, the Ministry of Education, through the Free Senior High School (SHS) Secretariat, put in place some measures.

Among the interventions were the change in the time of school selection from before the BECE to after the examination and the establishment of call centres to receive complaints from parents with challenges after the placement.

That seems to have helped to reduce the incidence of concerned parents and students converging on the Black Star Square, where the Free SHS Secretariat set up to attend to the immediate past CSSPS exercise.

Relieved parents

A parent who went to the centre to have her child’s school changed from one region to another expressed satisfaction with the service.

“Having watched what had happened during previous exercises, I was concerned about how my issue was going to receive attention. But when my daughter and I went there, we were attended to and we did not have to spend the whole day there.

“Thankfully, we got our issue too resolved. I’m a single parent and my daughter was placed in a school in Sunyani. I told them about the challenges and we got an equally good school in the Eastern Region and I’m very grateful,” she said.

Mr Appiah Adomako Kusi, the Country Director of CUT International, lauded Dr Adutwum and all the other stakeholders for putting in place various remedial measures to ensure that the exercise took place smoothly for the good of all stakeholders across the country.

“For the first time since the introduction of the free SHS policy, the reports that usually came up after the placement had been very minimal and most parents who went to the various centres did not have to go there many times or spend long hours there before having their issues resolved,” he said.

Mr Kusi, however, wondered why the opening date for first-year students was not extended due to the late commencement of the self-placement exercise nationwide.

“Most parents and guardians in the country will be very happy if the opening date for first-year students is extended for some two weeks, so that parents can have ample time to prepare their children to go to school,” he said.

He also appealed to the Education Ministry to ensure that something was done about the supply of foodstuffs to schools, so that students could stay in school peacefully without food shortage.

Madam Sheila Mantey, a trader at Adabraka in Accra, said the teams used this year should be maintained to continue rendering such good services to parents each time there was school placement.

She also added her voice to the call for the opening date to be extended for two weeks to afford parents and guardians ample time to purchase the needed items for their children and wards.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

Ghana has been drawn against Portugal, Uruguay and Korea Republic in the 2022 World Cup which comes off in Qatar.

The Black Stars will play their first game against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, then face off against Luis Suarez’s Uruguay and play their last group game against Korea.

Ghana’s journey to the World Cup

After eight years without an appearance on the world’s biggest international stage, Ghana has made a return to the 2022 World Cup to be hosted in Qatar.

Drawn in a group with South Africa, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe it did not come as an easy task. Ghana began its World Cup qualifiers on September 3rd, 2021, at home against Ethiopia.

Mubarak Wakaso’s 35th-minute goal was enough to secure the Black Stars its first win of the qualifiers.

Three days later Ghana had to face South Africa at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg but unfortunately lost to Bafana Bafana by a 1-0 scoreline.

Returning to play at Cape Coast stadium on the 9th of October 2021, the Black Stars had a convincing 3-1 victory against Zimbabwe and went to Harare to secure a 1-0 victory as well.

Ethiopia after losing to South Africa home and away needed to find themselves back in contention for the only qualification spot. Playing at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, a neutral ground. Both nations went home with the points shared after a 1 -1 draw.

It came down to Ghana and South Africa fighting for first place to qualify for the next round. Ghana came out victors at the Cape Coast stadium.

Drawn against Nigeria in the playoff round of the qualifier, Ghana drew goalless at Baba Yara Stadium and qualified on the away goal rule in Abuja after a 1-1 draw.

After the World Cup draw on Friday, April 1, 2022, Ghana was drawn in Group H with Portugal, Uruguay, and the Korea Republic.

The Black Stars faced Portugal in the 2014 World Cup, hosted in Brazil. Unfortunately, the Ghanaians could not match the Portuguese as they lost by two goals to one, causing the Black Stars to exit the competition with just a point.

Uruguay also brings back 2010 memories, as La Celeste denied Ghana its chance of qualifying to the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup kind courtesy of a handball from Luis Suarez to deny Ghana a 120th-minute goal scoring opportunity. This could be a revenge moment.

The Black Stars are yet to face the Taegeuk Warriors of South Korea in the World Cup.

Source: Myjoyonline.com

Ghana became the first African country to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup (Qatar 2022) on Tuesday after a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff in Abuja.

Ghana progressed to the finals via the away goal rule after the game ended 1-1 on aggregate.

So far, a total of 27 countries have qualified for the World Cup, leaving five slots open to complete the 32-team line-up for the mundial.

They are; Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Ghana, IR Iran, Japan, Korea Republic, Morocco, Netherlands, Qatar, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia and Uruguay.

Remaining playoffs

Five countries have also qualified for the remaining playoffs;

Qualified for the Asian play-off are Australia and United Arab Emirates.

Qualified for the Oceanian final are New Zealand and Solomon Islands.

Qualified for the intercontinental play-offs is Peru.

When is the World Cup group stage draw?

The draw will take place on Friday, April 1, 2022, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar at about 5 pm.

Not all the teams in the draw will be known when it is made with the two winners of the inter-confederation play-offs yet to be decided, and with either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine still to come through UEFA’s qualifying playoff.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is scheduled to deliver a message on the State of the Nation (SONA) to Parliament on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

This is in accordance with Article 67 of the constitution that states that the President shall give the State of the Nation Address at the beginning and close of every parliamentary session.

The Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, announced this when he presented the business statement of the House for the 10th Week yesterday.

“Pursuant to the convention of this House, Honourable Members are urged to be punctual and accordingly be seated in the chamber latest by 9:15 a.m, as it may not be courteous for members to enter or exit the House after the President has taken his seat in the chamber to deliver his address,” Mr Annoh-Dompreh said.

Debate on SONA

He stated that a motion to thank the President for the Message of the State of the Nation would be moved on Thursday, March 31, 2022 and time would be allotted to members to make contributions, eight from each side of the House.

He said the two leaders together with two members, one from each side of the House, would conclude the debate on the SONA on Saturday, April 2, 2022.

Sitting on Saturday & Monday

Mr Annoh-Dompreh said with regard to the exigencies of the time, the House would sit on Saturday, April 2, 2022 and on Monday, April 4, 2022.

He added that sittings of the House might also be extended to ensure that business scheduled for the week under consideration was completed.

Bawku conflict

Mr Annoh-Dompreh, who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, said the Ministers for the Interior, Defence and National Security would also appear before the House on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 when sitting resumed to apprise the House of the renewed clashes between disputants to the Bawku conflict.

That, he said, followed a directive given by the Speaker on Thursday, March 17, 2022.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

The Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) has appealed to residents of Bawku in the Upper East Region to allow peace to prevail in the area.

A recent eruption in the age-long conflict in the area has partially grounded social and economic activities in the Bawku area.

For instance, the Presbyterian Midwifery Training College in Bawku has partially been shut down due to insecurity, and the final year students have been transferred to the Bolgatanga campus.

This is to enable them to prepare adequately for their final examination.

First-year students have also begun their training at the Bolgatanga campus while other continuing students who are supposed to be in school, are currently at home waiting till the security situation is favourable enough for them to return to school.

Partly empty hospital

Aside from that, at the Presbyterian Hospital in Bawku, which has a 400-bed capacity and serves as a major referral centre for cases from adjoining communities and districts, only 20 patients are currently on admission.

Regarding the Out-Patients Department (OPD), although it previously received an average of over 400 patients daily, the number has reduced to an average of 50 patients daily.

The acting Head of the Bawku Presbyterian Health Services, Thomson A. Apana disclosed this when the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Rev Prof Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante visited the area.

Accompanied by the Upper Presbytery Chairperson, Rev James Awuni, and the PCG National Director for Mission and Evangelism, Rev Dr. Emmanuel Sarbah, their mission was to acquire first-hand information on how the security situation in the area was impacting on the hospital and the training college.

It formed part of the Moderator’s pastoral tour of the Upper Presbytery of the PCG comprising Upper East, Upper West, and some parts of the North East and Savanna regions respectively.

Briefing the team, the acting Head of the Bawku Presbyterian Health Services, Thomson A. Apana said the staff was currently being paid while staying at home and thereby causing a huge financial drain on the facility.

Let peace prevail

In his response, Rt Rev Mante appealed to the feuding factions, whether Kusasi or Mamprusi, to know that they are first and foremost Ghanaians and should not allow the divisive aspects of their history to destroy the peace they are currently enjoying.

“We are all having the same Ghanaian blood flowing through us and that it is only a design of history that one is Kusasi and another a Mamprusi; we should not let our history destroy our future,” he said.

He said “the world is moving forward and improving in many areas of development and that we cannot afford to draw ourselves back with inter-ethnic issues”, adding “I plead with all my heart for you to let peace prevail and be done quickly”.

He added that the PCG did not want to be compelled to get to a situation where it had to move both the hospital, the training college, and other educational institutions out of Bawku if the current volatile situation persisted.

Dedication

During the dedication of the Chapel of the Peniel Congregation of the PCG, Bolgatanga, Rt Rev Mante, called on the people of Bawku to let peace prevail to accelerate the development of the area for the benefit of the people.

“I have visited Bawku to pray for the peace of the community and also encouraged members of the Christian community to let the peace of Jesus Christ dwell in their hearts towards ensuring lasting peace in the area,” he said.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

The deadline for the registration of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards using details of the Ghana Card has been extended to July 31, 2022.

A statement dated March 22, 2022, signed and issued by the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said the extension of the deadline is to “ensure that every eligible SIM card is captured and we produce a credible database by the end of the exercise.”

As of March 17, 2022, a total of 14,091,542 SIM cards had been linked to the Ghana Card.

Out of that, 10,348,532 had been bio-captured and 99,445 being new SIM cards, the Minister stated.

She explained: “Due to a number of factors including the fact that over 7.5 million citizens and residents are yet to obtain Ghana Cards to enable them register their SIM cards, it is clear that the deadline for completion of the registration of the remaining active SIM cards cannot be met.”

The SIM registration exercise began on October 1, 2021 and was expected to end on March 31, 2022.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful added that more time will also be required to update the SIM Registration App for the registration of diplomats, while a Self-Service SIM Registration App is also being developed to facilitate registration of SIM cards for Ghanaians resident abroad.

She said this will be operational by mid-April.

“These issues make it imperative for the deadline to be extended to ensure that every eligible SIM card is captured and we produce a credible database by the end of the exercise.”

Source: Graphic.com.gh

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has sanctioned some major reliefs as part of efforts to recover the economy and set it back to its pre-COVID-19 levels.

The reliefs include the opening of the country’s land borders, the easing of general COVID-19 restrictions and measures to arrest the depreciation of the cedi.

There are also measures to tackle rising fuel prices occasioned by the global economic turmoil brought on by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and measures to address the persistent rise in the prices of goods and services.

Cabinet retreat

The reliefs were sanctioned at a crunch three-day Cabinet retreat that took place at Peduase in the Eastern Region over the weekend.

Easing burden

In a tweet last Thursday, the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, disclosed that the essence of the retreat was to enable the government to proffer solutions to ease the burden on Ghanaians.

“In the coming days, details will be announced, including when and how the borders will be opened, the removal of some testing protocols, shoring up the currency and further cutting expenditures while assuring growth,” the minister told journalists on the sides of the retreat.

Details

It is expected that, in the coming days, President Akufo-Addo, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, other sector ministers, as well as the Bank of Ghana, will provide details on the reliefs and which sectors will experience expenditure cuts.

The reliefs are also expected to answer questions being posed by economic watchers on how the government will respond to current global economic challenges.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

The Accra-Tema passenger train service will resume full operations next week after it was suspended for nearly two years, the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) has said.

The Company said it had initially planned to resume operations earlier this week after series of successful test runs, but had to reschedule to next week after another test run on Tuesday, March 08, 2022.

“We have conducted series of successful test run. The plan was to start the commercial running on Tuesday but yesterday there was another test run. We are yet to get the actual date for the commercial running, but it will not go beyond next week,” Mr Ernest Ahene, Acting Personnel Manager, GRCL said.

He said the company would in due course communicate the actual resumption date to the general public.

The Accra-Tema train shuttle was suspended in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The GRCL said the suspension became necessary because the social distancing rules limited passenger intake – and that affected its revenue due to high cost of operation.

Mr Ahene said after the suspension, its engineers detected some “technical challenges” with the rail lines and had to work on them before service resumed.

“Now everything is set for the commercial running to commence,” he said, adding, “The coaches are also in good shape.”

On the issue of encroachment of rail lines, Mr Ahene said the company had commenced an exercise to clear all authorised settlers along the lines before it resumed operations.

He said settlers along rail lines exposed themselves to danger, and appealed to the public to refrain from mounting authorised structures or trading along the lines.

With respect to the Accra-Nsawam rail service, Mr Ahene said he was not in a position to determine when passenger service would resume on that line due to ongoing construction works on some culverts at the Avenor and Taifa sections of the line.

“We are done with work on those culverts but from a technical point of view, we still have to do some major works on that stretch so we have suspended operations until we are done with the maintenance works,” he said.

Shuttle service on the 40-km Accra (Kantamanto)-Nsawam line was equally suspended in March 2020 to pave way for the construction of culverts at Taifa and other sections to provide buffer against flooding.

The shuttle provided affordable and faster transport service for many commuters and traders on the Accra – Nsawam corridor and contributed to relatively low pressure on the Accra-Nsawam highway.

The Accra-Nsawam rail line was constructed in 1912 in the colonial era. The rail line at the time was used to transport goods to and fro the Eastern part of the country.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

Ghanaians studying Medicine in Ukraine whose education has been truncated due to disturbances in that country can now continue their studies in Grenada.

Last Tuesday, the government secured an agreement with the Caribbean island state for 200 Ghanaian medical students who had to flee Ukraine to continue and complete their education at the St George’s University of Medicine, Grenada.

The Registrar of the Scholarships Secretariat, Kingsley Agyemang, and the Director of Recruitment and Commercial Engagement of the university, David Anthonisz, signed the agreement to this effect in the United Kingdom (UK).

Those present at the ceremony included the Chief Growth and Strategy Officer of Medforth, a global healthcare education organisation, Molly K. O’Neill, the Chief Accountant of the Scholarships Secretariat, Richard Aidoo; the Head of Education and Recruitment of the Ghana High Commission, Afua Gyasiwaa Gaisie, and the Officer in charge of Diasporan Affairs at the Scholarship Secretariat, Richard Gyamfi.

Other agreements

Mr Agyemang told the Daily Graphic that the country was engaging other countries it had educational exchange agreements with to strike similar agreements.

The move, he said, would ensure that the 200 medical students continued with their education seamlessly so that they would return to the country after their programme to augment the number of medical doctors in Ghana.

Interaction

The Registrar said within the month, officials of St George’s University would interact with the affected medical students on individual basis towards offering them admission.

Mr Agyemang indicated that those who would not have placement at St George’s University, which had over 200 affiliated schools around the world, would liaise with the affiliate schools to offer the Ghanaian students the opportunity to continue their studies.

Context

The agreement follows an earlier Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ghana and the university, signed in 2019.

Under the MoU, selected students who have first degrees in medical sciences would be offered scholarships for postgraduate training in the medical field.

The scholarship packages ranged from 50 per cent to 100 per cent funding by the awarding institutions, with the Scholarship Secretariat as the coordinating agency.

Proactive move

Mr Agyemang noted that the secretariat brokered the additional arrangement because the Ghana Medical School could not have placement for such continuing students.

He said some of the students had a few months left to become full-fledged medical doctors.

The Scholarships Secretariat Registrar added that not all the students had arrived from Ukraine but the government was being proactive.

Asked about the remaining 800 students who were not studying Medicine, Mr Agyemang said the government was liaising with other educational institutions both home and abroad to ensure that they continued with their studies.

He added that the students who had so far left Ukraine for Ghana through the efforts of the government would be contacted and the necessary arrangements done to quickly get them to continue with their studies in Grenada.

Mr Agyemang further stated that the moves were important in complementing Ghana’s efforts to train medical professionals as it worked towards achieving universal health coverage.

Rep from St George’s University

For his part, Mr Anthonisz said St George University of Medicine was excited and ready to absorb the medical students.

He said the university would ensure that they continued with their studies under the best of conditions.

Mr Anthonisz commended the country for having a reputation for providing great students at the international level, saying that was one of the reasons for the partnership.

He said the university had trained over 16,000 professionals, with over 10,000 of them practising in the United States and other countries.

The university’s director of recruitment expressed the hope that the collaboration between Ghana and St George University would see to the grooming of great health professionals in the country.

Source: Graphic.com.gh