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Ghana’s ECG cuts electricity to parliament over $1.8m debt

A back-up generator was used to power parliament's main chamber until electricity was restored later in the day
A back-up generator was used to power parliament’s main chamber until electricity was restored later in the day

 

The state-run Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) on Thursday cut power supplies to the parliament over a debt of 23m Ghanaian cedi ($1.8m; £1.4m).

The outage interrupted a debate on the president’s State of the Nation speech.

A video shared by local media showed MPs in the dimly lit chamber chanting: “Dumsor, dumsor”, which means power outage in the local Akan language.

Local media reported that a back-up power generator restored power to the chamber a few minutes later.

But other parts of the parliament building remained without power for most of the day before supplies were restored.

MPs and parliamentary staff who were using the elevator when the abrupt blackout hit were stuck, Ghana’s TV3 channel reported.

The power company’s communications director William Boateng told Reuters news agency it had resorted to disconnecting power because of parliament’s refusal to “honour demand notices to pay up”.

Electricity was restored later in the day after parliament paid 13m cedi and made a pledge to settle the remaining debt within a week, Mr Boateng added.

Parliamentary finance official Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror denied that parliament owed the amount quoted by the power company.

He said that the company’s system failed to record recent payments made by parliament and insisted that the outstanding power bill was about $950,000.

Ghana’s electricity company, which is facing crippling financial difficulties, frequently disconnects power from indebted clients.

“Disconnections are for everybody; anyone who doesn’t pay and fails to make arrangements, the team will disconnect,” Mr Boateng told Reuters.

In recent years, power shortages have worsened as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis in a decade, and these have become even more frequent in the past few months.

Private electricity suppliers are owed $1.6bn by the state power company, according to Elikplim Kwabla Apetogbor, the head of the organisation representing them.

Last July, they threatened to shut down operations over the arrears.

Opposition MPs have urged the government to invest in the power sector to prevent it from collapsing. They have attributed the current challenges to a lack of funds to purchase fuel for the country’s thermal generation plants.

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Culture Latest News

Ghana Parliament Passes Stringent Anti-LGBTQ Law

Speaker of Ghana Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin speaks at the Parliament House in Accra, Feb. 28, 2024.
Speaker of Ghana Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin speaks at the Parliament House in Accra, Feb. 28, 2024.

 

Ghana’s parliament passed legislation Wednesday that intensifies a crackdown on the rights of LGBTQ people and those promoting lesbian, gay or other non-conventional sexual or gender identities in the West African country.

Gay sex was already punishable by up to three years in prison. The bill now also imposes a prison sentence of up to five years for the “willful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities.”

The bill is one of the harshest of its kind in Africa.

“My heart is broken and devastated at the moment, that’s all I can say for now” Angel Maxine, Ghana’s first openly transgender musician and LGBTQI+ activist, told Reuters, adding “My pronouns are she/ her/ hers.”

A coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders sponsored the legislation.

Following the vote in parliament, the bill will be presented to President Nana Akufo-Addo after which he has seven days to assent or refuse to assent, according to Ghana’s constitution.

If he assents, the bill becomes law. Akufo-Addo, had avoided the heated debate over the bill, but said he’ll react once it is voted by parliament.

Winnie Byanyima, executive director of the United Nations AIDS agency UNAIDS, said in a statement that the bill would affect everyone if it became law, adding that punitive laws as embodied by the bill, are a barrier to ending AIDS and ultimately undermine everyone’s health.

“It will exacerbate fear and hatred, could incite violence against fellow Ghanaian citizens, and will negatively impact on free speech, freedom of movement and freedom of association,” Byanyima said in the statement.

“If it becomes law, it will obstruct access to life-saving services, undercut social protection, and jeopardize Ghana’s development success,” she said.

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    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world’s largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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Finance Latest News Law

Ghanaian Minister arrested after she reported theft of $1.5m to police

Ms Dapaah
Ms Dapaah

 

A Minister in Ghanaian government may have raised suspicion for herself after she reported to the police, a theft of about $1.5 million USD by burglars suspected be her domestic staff.

The minister  must have thought she was doing the right thing by going to the police to report a theft at her house, but it backfired spectacularly when she was arrested.

According to a court charge sheet dated last Thursday relating to those accused of the theft, Cecilia Abena Dapaah had a vast amount of money stolen.

It describes a “cash sum” of $1m (£780,000), as well as 300,000 euros ($333,000) and 350,000 Ghana cedis ($30,000), plus other personal items including handbags valued at $35,000 and $95,000-worth of jewellery.

The 68-year-old disputes the figures given in the court document but the revelations outraged many in Ghana.

The country’s currency has been losing value rapidly in recent months, with those in charge of the troubled economy blaming dollar hoarders for the woes of the cedi.

It was shocking for many to learn that a government minister may have been holding foreign currency herself.

Ms Dapaah resigned as minister of sanitation and water resources, a post she had held for the last five years on Saturday in order, she said, not to distract from the work of government. She added that she was sure that any investigation would show she had acted with integrity.

That did not quell the anger. By Monday she was under arrest.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor, which deals with graft allegations against high-level officials, announced that it had arrested and was questioning Ms Dappah for “suspected corruption and corruption-related offences regarding large amounts of money and other valuable items reportedly stolen from her residence”.

She was released on bail late on Monday evening after her official and private residences in the capital, Accra, were searched.

The saga began with a burglary – or possibly a series of burglaries – at the minister’s private home, which she shares with her husband and daughter.

Two women, who worked as domestic workers for the family, are at the centre of the accusations. One is alleged to have operated as a look-out, while the other allegedly stole the cash and other goods. They – as well as the three others accused – have not commented on the charges.

The “brief facts” of the investigation, which are attached to the charge sheet, say that last October Ms Dapaah’s husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, returned home and heard “an unusual noise” from his bedroom and then found one of the accused hiding behind the door.

It was afterwards that the couple realised that things were missing but they only went to the police seven months later.

It is not clear why there was such a long delay, but in that time the accused are alleged to have gone on an extravagant spending spree.

One allegedly bought a three-bedroom house on the outskirts of Accra as well as items to go in it: a double-decker fridge, a television, a washing machine, a chest freezer, a gas cooker and a water dispenser. She allegedly gave money to her boyfriend to buy two cars – a Hyundai Elantra and a Honda Civic.

The couple are also accused of renting another three-bedroom house in a different city and a store room.

The other former employee of Ms Dapaah is alleged to have spent some of her share of the stolen money on building her own three-bedroom house.

But for the former minister herself, the source of the money that funded this alleged huge shopping bill was a mystery.

In her resignation letter, Ms Dapaah said the reports that she had “various huge sums of foreign currencies and millions of Ghana cedis… do not represent correctly what my husband and I reported to the police”.

President Nana Akufo-Addo’s response disappointed anti-corruption campaigners as it appeared to prejudge the outcome of the investigations.

“I am confident… that at the end of the day, your integrity, whilst in office, will be established,” he wrote to Ms Dapaah.

She had served as a minister since President Akufo-Addo was first elected in 2017, initially in aviation and a year later she was switched to water and sanitation.

Ms Dapaah was well known as she was one of just three women in the president’s cabinet.

Now her political future hangs in the balance as the special prosecutor investigates whether she really had such huge amounts of cash in her house and if so, where it came from.

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Culture Latest News

Gays in Ghana may get 3 yrs in jail as parliament pushes for anti-gay bill

Gays in Ghana may get 3 years in jail as parliament pushes for anti-gay bill
Gays in Ghana may get 3 years in jail as parliament pushes for anti-gay bill

 

Parliament in Ghana has backed a proposed amendment to an anti-gay bill that would make identifying as LGBT punishable by a three-year prison sentence.

People who campaign for LGBT rights could also face up to 10 years in jail.

The amendments were backed by a cross-party group of MPs, but will be scrutinised again before becoming law.

One female MP who dissented was heckled into submission.

Gay sex is already illegal in Ghana.

The proposed legislation has faced condemnation at home and abroad. Critics say it infringes on rights guaranteed in Ghana’s constitution.

Supporters say it will help preserve Ghanaian values.

Multiple lawsuits have also been filed to challenge the bill in the country’s courts.

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Extreme Sport Sport

Ghanaian Herbert Mensah Elected as President of Rugby Africa

Herbert Mensah
Herbert Mensah

 

Herbert Mensah has been elected as the new President of Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com), the governing body of Rugby in Africa, following the conclusion of the Rugby Africa Executive Committee Elections held on 18th March 2023. Herbert Mensah, who is known for his passion for the sport and his extensive experience in sports administration, will lead the continent’s rugby governing body in the next four years.

Video B-roll is available for media to download here: https://apo-opa.info/42k9meq

In his acceptance speech, Herbert Mensah reiterated his passionate vision for the growth of African Rugby. He highlighted that his priority would be to continue the work he has already begun, helping rugby progress and grow not just in Africa, but globally. Mensah emphasized his business experience and stated that he would apply it to Rugby Africa, to generate revenues and development opportunities for all member associations.

Mensah said, “As we embark on this journey, I want us to project rugby as an alternative team sport, gain financial independence and improve the World Rugby Elite Program. My aim is to make Rugby Africa the gold standard for sports administration in the African continent.”

Rugby fans across the continent would be delighted by Mensah’s vision, which aims to raise the level of African rugby internationally. Mensah added, “My vision for the next four years is to foster an all-inclusive competition framework that will provide members equal opportunities to grow and develop. I am also determined to build a positive and strong brand for Rugby Africa, expand the women’s rugby program, and provide a national stadium for each member association.”

Herbert Mensah is a well-known figure in Ghanaian and international sports administration. He has been a driving force for the development and growth of Rugby in Ghana, and his contribution to the sport’s progress in the sub-Saharan region has been significant.

Mensah’s vast experience in sports administration and leadership, coupled with his passion for rugby, positions him well to lead Rugby Africa through its next phase of growth and development. Under his leadership, we can expect to see more investment in rugby development programs, increased participation of African nations in international tournaments, and greater visibility of rugby in mainstream media.

With Mensah at the helm, Rugby Africa is poised for growth and development, and his team’s collective experience and vision for African rugby bodes well for the continent.

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Business

Ghana traders protest new VAT Policy, list reasons

Ghana Traders
Ghana Traders

 

Some traders in Kumasi have called on the government to adopt more business-friendly and sustainable tax policy that would help the government optimise revenue mobilisation and also encourage business growth.

According to them, the current Value Added Tax (VAT) policy being implemented by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) “does not support our system.”

“The tax structure and its administration do not support the features of our market. The policy introduced taxation for each item as it travels along the distribution channel,” the Executive Secretary of the Ashanti Business Community, Charles Kusi Appiah-Kubi said at a media briefing in Kumasi today (October 12, 2022).

He said the current system where the tax was applied to every single item along the distribution line was making the cost of items more expensive and beyond the reach of customers.

Point of entries

Mr Appiah-Kubi proposed that the government should collect all tax at the point of entry of the goods into the country and allow those in the value chain to operate free of intimidation and harassment.

He said the current practice where the same item was charged from the key distributor down to the last consumer, was overburdening the consumer and making goods more expensive.

He said the tax should be collected just once at the point of entry, either at the ports or at the factories, thereby allowing the businesses to operate freely.

“Government should take all its revenue from the points of entry. Take all the charges you want to charge at the point of entry or at the manufacturing and leave us alone,” he said.

“We are ready to pay our corporate income tax and our Pay As You Earn (PAYE), but we can’t pay the VAT again,” he said.

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Latest News Nature

Ghana man who attempted to steal lion cub killed by the lions

No lions escaped during the incident
No lions escaped during the incident

 

A man in Ghana was attacked and killed by lions after scaling a fence at a zoo in the capital, Accra.

The man was spotted in the enclosure that has a lion, lioness and two cubs moments before the deadly attack.

The zoo authorities later coaxed the lions into a corner and the body of the man was retrieved.

Police are investigating the motive of the middle-aged man. The man was allegedly attempting to steal a cub, according to local MyJoyOnline news website.

Authorities have ascertained that no lions escaped during the incident, urging the public to remain calm.

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Culture

Ghana’s Richard Baawobr, is New Head of Catholic in Africa

His Eminence Richard Kuuia Baawobr, of Ghana, President of SECAM
His Eminence Richard Kuuia Baawobr, of Ghana, President of SECAM

 

The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa, and Madagascar (SECAM) (www.SECAM.org), the association of Catholic Bishops of Africa, Madagascar, and the Islands, has elected His Eminence Richard Kuuia Baawobr of Ghana as its new President.
Download more audios: https://bit.ly/3zmT4Us

His Eminence Richard Kuuia Baawobr is now the highest-ranking member of the Roman Catholic Church in Africa.

Video B-roll, photos, soundbites and interviews in English, French and Portuguese are available for media free of charge and can be used without restriction and without asking for authorization: https://bit.ly/SECAM-PDT

Watch the interview of His Eminence Richard Kuuia Baawobr, New President of SECAM: https://bit.ly/3zi4xok  

Watch the B-roll: https://bit.ly/3S8725b  

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.

The new President succeeds His Eminence Philippe Cardinal Ouédraogo from Burkina Faso.

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).

More information about the 19th Plenary Assembly of the SECAM: https://bit.ly/3yIv8KD

Signed:

Most Rev. Emmanuel A. Badejo

President, Pan-African Episcopal Committee

for Social Communications (CEPACS-SECAM)

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Culture

Gay Pride: Ghana Authority pulls down billboard promoting gay in Accra

Gay Pride Billboard
Gay Pride Billboard

 

Gay Pride: Ghana Authority pulls down billboard promoting gay in Accra

 

A giant billboard mounted in Ghana’s capital, Accra, to mark pride month – to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities – has been pulled down.

The sign had gone up over the weekend on the N1 Tema motorway, a major highway in the city, according to media reports.

But some MPs objected to it, giving the head of police a 24-hour ultimatum to remove it.

It is still unclear who actually removed the billboard.

Gay sex is punishable in the West African nation with a prison term of three years.

A local journalist has tweeted a picture of the sign:

Ghana MP Sam George confirmed in a tweet on Thursday evening that the billboard had been removed.

“We salute the authorities for their swift response. We are a country of laws and would fight till the end to protect our cultural sovereignty,” he said.

“We can get results from the authorities if we unite and collectively demand the changes we desire. True power belongs to the people. The billboard has fall ‘frat’. Power to our cultural sovereignty,” he added.

Ghana’s parliament has been debating a bill that proposes to impose harsh penalties on the LGBT community.

Rights groups say the bill is the “worst homophobic document ever”.

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Business

Ghana signs agreement with ADF, Switzerland, for grids, solar metering

The agreements, for the development of 35 mini-grids and stand-alone solar PV systems, were signed on Wednesday 25 May at a short ceremony held on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Group’s 2022 Annual Meetings
The agreements, for the development of 35 mini-grids and stand-alone solar PV systems, were signed on Wednesday 25 May at a short ceremony held on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Group’s 2022 Annual Meetings

 

Ghana signs agreement with ADF, Switzerland, for grids, solar metering

The government of Ghana has signed a grant agreement with the African Development Fund, and a financing agreement with the government of Switzerland, for the Ghana Mini Grid and Solar Photovoltaic Net Metering project. The project will benefit schools, health centres and communities across the country.

The agreements, for the development of 35 mini-grids and stand-alone solar PV systems, were signed on Wednesday 25 May at a short ceremony held on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Group’s 2022 Annual Meetings. They were signed by Ghanaian Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, chairman of the board of governors of the African Development Bank Group, Ambassador Dominique Paravicini, the African Development Bank Group’s governor for Switzerland and Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, president of the African Development Bank.

The post Covid-19 era has highlighted the importance of reliable energy services. The project will support Ghana’s Covid-19 Alleviation and Revitalization of Enterprises Support (Ghana CARES) program, which identifies the energy sector as an enabler of economic transformation.

Minister Ofori-Atta said the agreement demonstrated his government’s commitment to enhance the economic and social viability of low carbon investments and achieving energy efficiency. Ghana’s electricity access rate is currently at 87.13% the minister revealed. The last mile was often the most expensive and difficult, he noted.

Today’s event not only marks the first stage but marks an important milestone for providing climate conscious development across the country,” Ofori-Atta said. “It is truly important and significant for us as we move toward net zero.”

Ambassador Paravicini said: “We are pleased to have reached another milestone in our cooperation with this wonderful country. We hope that, together, this project will bring sustainable and affordable electricity to over 6,000 small and medium-sized enterprises and almost 5,000 households, besides 1,100 public buildings.”

Dr. Adesina said: “The Bank supports Ghana’s efforts in building resilience to the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing electricity to health care centers, schools and island communities, currently without access to electricity services, thus enabling refrigeration of vaccines and testing facilities in these communities “.

The government of Switzerland financing will specifically support the scale up of the existing Ghana net metering program and deploy up to 12,000 units of roof-mounted net-metered solar PV systems for Small and medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) and households. Solar cells, also called photovoltaic (PV) cells, convert sunlight directly into electricity.

The systems will power 750 small medium-sized enterprises, 400 schools, 200 health centers and the energy service systems in 100 communities in the Volta Lake region and Northern region of Ghana. The Ghana Mini Grid and Solar Photovoltaic Net Metering project is expected to have an annual electricity output of renewable energy estimated at 111,361MWh, corresponding to an installed capacity of 67.5MW. The project will mitigate greenhouse emissions of 0.7795 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year and create up to 2,865 jobs during construction, of which 30% will target women and youth

The overall project cost is estimated at $85.88 million comprising the mini grid component – $40.29million, and a $44.89 million net metering component. It will be financed through $27.39 million from the African Development Fund; Ghana government counterpart funding of $16million; and $14 million from the Swiss government. In addition, the African Development Bank Group as an implementing entity of the Climate Investment Funds, leveraged concessional financing of $28.49 million.

The African Development Bank Group’s annual meetings are taking place in Accra, Ghana, under the theme: Achieving Climate Resilience and a Just Energy Transition for Africa.

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