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Ghana’s sanitation minister resigned on Saturday over reports staff found and stole stashes of local and foreign money from her home, she said in a letter to the president in which she denied any wrongdoing. Cecilia Abena Dapaah made headlines on Friday after two former household staff appeared in court accused of stealing cash and […]
Announcement of the death of former President Rawlings pic.twitter.com/7ext0fp4sd
— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) November 12, 2020
Watch our report:
Ghana has reimposed a ban on social gatherings as the number of Covid-19 cases spiral in the West African nation, the president announced Sunday.
With a little less than three weeks until Ghanaians vote in another presidential and presidential elections, the country's president, Nana Akufo-Addo, has been put under pressure by the resignation of a Special Prosecutor he appointed in 2018 as part of the government's anti-corruption agenda. Martin Amidu, a popular anti-graft campaigner, submitted his resignation letter to...
The post Nearing elections, Ghana's Akufo-Addo accused of impeding corruption probe involving cousin appeared first on Face2Face Africa.
April 21: President Bio enters in quarantine
\tSierra Leone president Julius Maada Bio is to undergo 14-day self-isolation after one of his bodyguards tested positive for COVID-19, reports from the West African country indicated as of Monday evening.
March 31: Sierra Leone confirms index case
\tSierra Leone president Julius Maada Bio has confirmed that the country has its first case of COVID-19, multiple media outlets in the West African country have confirmed.
March 27: Sierra Leone closes borders for 30 days
\tVirus-free Sierra Leone on Friday announced closure of its borders for a 30-day period barely days after President Julius Maada Bio announced a state of public health emergency.
VIDEO
March 24: President Maada Bio declares 12-month state of Public Health emergency
\tDespite being among 11 African countries that have not recorded any cases of the coronavirus, Sierra Leone president Julius Maada Bio has imposed a twelve-month state of public health emergency effective today March 24.
Sierra Leone records COVID-19 scuffles over quarantine at airport
\tThe Freetown International Airport, Sierra Leone’s main entry point via air witnessed a coronavirus related scuffle after passengers aboard a Kenya Airways flight refused necessary health protocols.
Ghana will reopen its international airport but with new regulations in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the president has announced.
Also Sunday, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said the country's health minister has the coronavirus.
Ghana has among the most COVID-19 cases in West Africa, but one of the lowest death rates because of what experts say has been extensive testing.
In hard-hit Colombia, the number of COVID-19 cases climbed past the 50,000 mark, the health ministry said Sunday.
French President Emmanuel Macron told the nation Sunday that the coronavirus pandemic has taught him what he says is the need for more economic independence.
With the French economy expected to contract as much as 11% this year, Macron said he will come up with a blueprint for more economic independence by next month.
Ghanaians will be voting on December 7, 2020 in general elections. The keenly watched poll is a re-election push for the two main presidential candidates. Incumbent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former president John Dramani Mahama.
The winner will be serving their second and final term as president of one of Africa’s stable democracies. The vote is the eighth consecutive since the return to multi-party democracy in 1992.
The voting process
Ghana employs a series of processes in ensuring transparency, fairness and credibility of the polls.
The main elements include use of ballot papers, biometric verification processes, a secret ballot and transparent ballot boxes. The ballot papers are foldable sheets of paper bearing details of each candidate. It has three slots per candidate – the photo, the party’s symbol and a space for the thumbprint mark. Ballot papers are the basic voting material.
But before a person is handed the ballot paper, he or she must have presented their voters card at a polling station and gone through biometric identification process, which involves placing their finger on a biometric verification device (BVD).
If it fails to recognize their details, there is room for a manual process after the party officials and Electoral Commission, EC, are satisfied with the processes. A person with a stamped ballot then enters a voting booth where they are supposed to cast their ballot and fold their papers before dropping it in a transparent box set in the open.
Ghana previously used opaque boxes and with that there were reports of ballot stuffing in party strongholds especially, hence after a series of electoral reform proposals the transparent ballot boxes were adopted in 2000.
Major figures around the poll / declaring a winner
Over 17 million voters were registered in a contentious compilation of a new register earlier this year. The main opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC; called the move unnecessary but it was defended by the ruling New Patriotic Party.
The number of voters is two million up from the 15 million that were captured for the 2016 election. Being a general election, voters will elect a president and some 275 members of parliament across the 16 regions.
There are a total of 33,000 polling stations as against (over 28,000 stations in 2016) dotted across the country where the EC will be supervising affairs with security agencies to conduct the country’s eighth successive general election.
After voting, counting and collation takes place. The former at the polling station before certified figures are then transmitted to the constituency collation centers. From that point, parliamentary results are declared.
In the case of the presidential race, results are counted and transmitted to collation centers from where there is an onward transfer to the national collation center where the EC boss acts as a returning officer and thus the only person bound by law to declare a president-elect.
Ghana operates the usual 50%+1 rule for a c
May 17: 5,735 cases, prez fact-checked on testing ‘record’
\tTotal confirmed cases = 5735 (new cases = 97)
Total recoveries = 1,754 (new = 294)
Total deaths = 29 (new = 5)
Active cases = 3,952
\tFigures valid as of close of day May 16, 2020
\tGhana maintained her spot as West Africa’s most impacted after the Health Ministry released latest figures yesterday.
AFP Fact-check – Ghana’s leader falsely claims his country fronts COVID-19 testing
May 16: 5,530 cases, jumbo recoveries
\tTotal confirmed cases = 5,638 (new cases = 108)
Total recoveries = 1,460 (new recoveries = 1086)
Total deaths = 24 (new deaths = 0)
Active cases = 4,150
\tGhana recorded a boost in recoveries with a record 1,086 discharges authorities reported early Saturday.
READ MORE – Uniting behind a people’s vaccine against COVID-19
\t
May 14: 5,530 cases, 13 of 16 regions infected
\tTotal confirmed cases = 5,530 (new cases = 122)
Total recoveries = 674 (new recoveries = 160)
Active cases = 4,832
\tThirteen of the 16 regions in the country have recorded cases of the disease.
Statistics as at close of day May 13, 2020
\tTotal confirmed cases = 5,408 (new cases = 281)
Total recoveries = 514
Total deaths = 24
Active cases = 4,872
May 12: Cases hit 5,127; gold-rich Obuasi new hotspot
\tGhana’s case statistics passed the 5,000 mark after 427 new cases were recorded according to head of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Aboagye.
May 10: 4,263 cases, Accra prison ‘infected’
\tGhana’s case statistics as of close of day May 9 stood at 3,263 according tallies released by the health service.
The Pan-Africanist Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo
The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, is seeking a second term in the upcoming presidential election on Monday. Although often positively-viewed by many other Africans on the continent and abroad as a Pan-Africanist, his win is not guaranteed in his home country as he must succeed in convincing Ghanaians that he is still the same worthy candidate for whom the majority of the population voted four years prior. Early Days and Career Début
Born in 1944 in the capital, Accra to a family of the national political elite, Akufo-Addo saw his own father Edward Akufo-Addo become president in the late 1960s as a member of the \"Big Six\" i.e. the fathers of independence of the nation of Ghana. Educated in London, Akufo-Addo he worked as a lawyer in France and England — specialising in human rights before returning to Ghana where he eventually became involved with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 1992 when the country returned to democracy following decades of military rule.
His career path as a lawyer then as a member of parliament and minister garnered Akufo-Addo a strong anti-corruption reputation which resulted in high expectations for his presidency.
According to Kwesi Jonah, a researcher at the Ghana Institute for Democratic Governance, \"Everyone saw him as the one who would be able to put an end to corruption.\"
Accusations of mission obstruction by the special prosecutor — who resigned a month later, to oversee a corruption investigation initiative appointed by Akufo-Addo upon his election in December 2016, raised questions about the authenticity of his presidential brand amongst the Ghanian public.
Presidential Term Overview
Kwesi Jonah believes that the 76-year-old Ghanaian president was in a better position to win the election than he is today. President Akufo-Addo had promised to improve education accessibility- a sector which has seen success, and create job employment as a substantial percentage of Ghanian youth is without work.
An asset for the president, in a country where 18 to 35-year-olds represent more than half of the electorate.
He also pledged to diversify the Ghanian economy which has been dependent on primary resources (gold, cocoa and, more recently, oil), and to reduce taxes in the private sector to encourage investment.
Since his election in 2016, although President Akufo-Addo has managed to contain the increase in debt and inflation, more than half of voters believe that he has failed to improve their standard of living and create jobs — according to a survey conducted by Afrobarometer in 2019.
Economically, Ghana has taken a giant step forward in the last decade, but the country - just like most other countries, has been very much affected by the Covid-19 pandemic with its economic growth this year expected to fall to 1.5%, the lowest rate in 37 years.
Another Four Years as President?
Nevertheless, the President’s swift handling of the coronavirus crisis has been applauded both in Ghana and abroad. In particular, the
[Ghana Presidency] The Vice President of the Republic, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on all Ghanaians, irrespective of religious or political beliefs, to cherish the peace Ghana enjoys and work together for the collective good.
[GhanaToday] President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Seth Amoama, to act as the Chief of Defence Staff, effective Friday, February 5, 2021, pending consultation with the yet-to-be-constituted Council of State.
The four-day event is hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) – the leading U.S. business association focused solely on connecting business interests in Africa.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCA Leaders Forum will be the first time Heads of State, senior USG officials, African government officials, private sector executives, and leaders from multilateral institutions will be convened around U.S – Africa Business engagement.
The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) is the leading U.S. business association focused solely on connecting business interests in Africa.
Established in 1993 to promote business and investment between the United States and the nations of Africa, CCA serves as a neutral, trusted intermediary connecting its member firms with the essential government and business leaders they need to do business and succeed in Africa.
Working closely with governments to improve Africa’s trade and investment climate CCA are committed to championing business and trade between the U.S. and Africa.
Preparations for the poll fact check assignment was mooted a year to the polls, when in 2019; GhanaFact conducted a reconnaissance survey to measure the fake news ecosystem in the country.
KENYA IS the last country in East Africa to reopen schools for students after closing...
The post Schools in Kenya reopen after nine-month COVID-19 closure appeared first on Voice Online.
Ghana is West Africa’s most impacted nation behind Nigeria, at a point in May 2020, Ghana led the regional case load. June has started with progressive lifting of more virus restrictions.
President Akufo-Addo in his tenth address announced that whiles borders remained closed, some categories of academic institutions are allowed to resume, religious places can also reopen with strict conditions and the observance of health protocols.
Social gatherings -weddings, funerals etc. – are to be allowed under certain conditions – among others with maximum 100 participants. As the 2020 polls loom, even political activity is allowed to be undertaken.
This article will be focused on tracking case increases and major developments from the West African country. It will build on our April – May 2020 updates page.
July 2: 18,134 cases; protocol flouting in voter registration
The Electoral Commission insists it has done well in managing coronavirus safety protocols at registration centers amid ongoing voter registration exercise across the country.
The EC got the apex court’s go-ahead to conduct a new registration exercise after a case brought by the main opposition NDC was dismissed. Concerns continue to be raised over the conduct of people who went to centers to register.
Photos shared on social media showed that virus protocols were being flouted in many places with people crowded at some centers with disregard for basic social distancing. Most of them also did not have masks even though it is an offence per a presidential Executive Instrument.
Cases in the Greater Accra region have passed the 10,000 mark with the Ashanti region in a distant second with over 3,600 cases, the oil-rich Western Region completes the top three regions with over 1,550 cases as of today.
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Confirmed cases = 18,630
Active cases = 4,467
Recoveries = 14,046
Number of deaths = 117
Ghana Health Service stats valid as of July 1, 2020
#DAWURO
Greater Accra Region’s Coronavirus cases cross 10,000 mark#UTVGhana #UTVNews #DespiteGroup pic.twitter.com/o8AnFj2alV— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) July 2, 2020
June 25: 15,473 cases; mask arrests, apex court ruling
Case load as of today hit a total of 15,473 cases with 11,431 recoveries and 950 deaths, according to stats released Friday evening by the Ghana Health Service. The new cases were 460 which tally brings the active cases to 3,947.
Arrests over lack of wearing of masks also dominated” local news headlines”:https://t.co/mFVtCxfZtI?amp=1 as people bemoaned the police for highhandedness in the implementation of an Executive Instrument that made mask wearing in public an obligation.
The Greater Accra regional police disclosed that it undertook an operation in which some people were arrest in the central business district of the ca
[Ghanaian Times] The government will hold a two-day National Conference in Accra from Tuesday, October 20 to 21, 2020 on the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
Ghana, reputed to be a democratic example in West Africa, is preparing to elect its president on Monday in what promises to be a particularly close election between two long-time political adversaries.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, 76, a candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is seeking a second term against his predecessor John Mahama, 62, leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In 2012 and 2016, they had already competed for the highest office. Each narrowly won one of the two ballots.
So Monday's election looks like déjà vu, even though 11 other candidates, including three women, are in the running.
The contenders will have to convince Ghana's 17 million voters, more than half of whom are under 35, who will also elect their 275 deputies.
Unemployment, infrastructure and roads, education, and health are the main issues, according to pre-election surveys.
Since the early 2000s, this country, rich in gold, cocoa, and more recently oil, has experienced strong growth. And the rate of extreme poverty has been halved in less than 25 years.
But some regions, particularly in the North, continue to live in extreme poverty, without drinking water or electricity.
Above all, the crisis caused by the coronavirus has hit the country hard, with growth this year expected to fall to 0.9 percent, according to the IMF, the lowest rate in more than 30 years, compared to 6.5 percent in 2019.
The outgoing president was praised for his management of this crisis, and he kept some of his campaign promises for 2016, including on education and access to electricity, but he disappointed on his main commitment: to actively fight corruption, after the mandate of John Mahama, tainted by scandals.
According to an Afrobarometer survey conducted in 2019, 53% of Ghanaians believe that the level of corruption has increased in the country. In addition, the special anti-corruption prosecutor, appointed after Akufo-Addo's election, resigned in November, accusing the president of obstructing his work.
No election fever
For his part, Mr. Mahama will have to make people forget the accusations of economic mismanagement that prevented his re-election in 2016.
This year, however, he can count on his running mate, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, a former Minister of Education with a reputation for integrity and from the Centre, one of the key regions to win the election.
In the polls, Mr. Akufo-Addo is ahead of Mr. Mahama, but many analysts predict that his party's majority in Parliament could erode.
With the coronavirus - which has officially affected more than 50,000 people and killed 300 since March - election fever has not taken hold of the country.
\"There are indeed some parties and activities organized by the militants and political slogans that are played over and over again on the radio, but there is no big meeting,\" Kojo Asante, of the Ghanaian Center for Democratic Development, told AFP.
So far, Ghana has always escaped post-election violence and political transitions have been largely peaceful, unlike m
Total confirmed cases = 7,117 (new cases = 309)
Total recoveries = 2,317
Total deaths = 34
Active cases = 4,766
\tFigures valid as of close of day May 26, 2020
May 26: 6,808 cases, further easing of restrictions expected
\tA major religious group is advocating a phased lifting of remaining restrictions in the country.
Total confirmed cases = 6,617 (new cases = 131)
Total recoveries = 1,978 (new = 27)
Total deaths = 31
\tFigures valid as of May 21, 2020
May 22: 6,486 cases, NDC jabs EC
\tMain opposition NDC continued their collision with the elections body over the compilation of a new voters register ahead of December 2020 polls.
Total confirmed cases = 6,269 (new cases = 173)
Total recoveries = 1,898 (new = 125)
Active cases = 4,340
May 20: Cases pass 6,000 mark, govt eyes COVID-Organics
\tGhana’s case count passed 6,000 mark reaching 6,096 on Tuesday according to tallies released by the Ghana Health Service.
Total confirmed cases = 6,069
Total recoveries = 1,773
Active cases = 4,292
\tFigures valid as of May 19, 2020
May 19: govt to explain boom recoveries and address hot spot case management
\tNo new figures were released on Monday but the government through the Information Ministry will release new tallies at a press conference scheduled for later today.
\tGhana maintained her spot as West Africa’s most impacte
… issues affecting the interests of African American and minority communities including the …
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, has stated that the tourism sector as a result of the 'Year of Return' initiative has recorded US$3.312 billion in revenue.
She was responding to a question asked by North Tongu Member, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa who sought to know the volume of visitors associated with the Year of Return initiative and its estimated economic impact on the country in the year 2019.
In addition to the economic impact, social such as schools, boreholes, and ICT centres in some selected communities across the countries have become legacies of the year of return, she said.
\"The coverage on the year of return has changed the narrative about Africa and branded Ghana as the gateway to Africa and one of the top tourism and repatriation destinations in the world,\" she stated.
To build on the success of the Year of Return, Mrs Oteng-Gyasi said 'Beyond the Return' a follow up initiative as initiated would be pursued to boost Ghana's tourism industry.
President Nana Akufo-Addo said the country’s health minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu is in a stable condition after contracting the new coronavirus.
“Let us wish our hardworking minister for health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, a speedy recovery from the virus, which he contracted in the line of duty,” Akufo-Addo said in an broadcast, giving an update on the pandemic situation in Ghana.
Let us wish our hardworking minister for health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, a speedy recovery from the virus.
Ghana has recorded 11,964 positive coronavirus cases, one of the highest in the region, but has also carried out one of the highest number of tests in the continent at 254,331 and has one of lowest number of deaths from the virus.
With 54 deaths reported thus far in Ghana, the ratio of deaths to positive cases stands at 0.4%, compared to the global average of 5.5%, and the African average of 2.6%, Akufo-Addo said.
[GhanaToday] President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the rank and file of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to keep themselves together and support the government to develop the country.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At a lecture to peers this month, John Nkengasong showed images that once dogged Africa, with a... View Article
The post As US struggles, Africa’s COVID-19 response is praised appeared first on TheGrio.
[ANGOP] Accra -- The re-elected President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, stressed last Thursday, in Accra, the intention of his country to strengthen cooperation with Angola, in several domains, beyond those areas in which a relationship already exists.
