The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has applauded the first batch of beneficiaries of the Free Senior High School policy for their excellent showing in the 2020 West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
According to President Akufo-Addo, “I am reliably informed that the WASSCE results of Aburi Girls Senior High School, and, indeed, of all 2020 SHS graduates, was extremely impressive. Those who claimed that the policy was not achievable must be very ashamed now. I will shelve that conversation for now so we deal with it another day.
The President continued, “However, I wish to congratulate all the students for their brilliant performance in WASSCE examinations,” President Akufo-Addo said.
President Akufo-Addo made this known on Monday, 23rd November 2020, when he addressed party faithful and traditional rulers at Aburi, on day 2 of his 2-day tour of the Eastern Region.
Indeed, the 2020 results of the WASSCE candidates is the only year in the past six (6) years that more than fifty percent (50%) of candidates who sat the examination obtained A1-C6 in all core subjects.
Further analysis of the 2020 results revealed that performances in Mathematics and English Language were the highest, recording 65.71 and 57.34 percent, respectively. Social Studies and Integrated Science recorded 64.31 and 52.53 percent, respectively, the checks further indicated.
The data also shows that about 60% of the 342,500 candidates who wrote the WASSCE, representing over 200,000, scored between A1 and C6 in their best six subjects, including English and Mathematics, which qualifies them for tertiary education.
Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and late husband,J.J Rawlings
Information RICHNEWS is gathering from the office of the Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings indicates that, she has sends letter to the electoral commission office to withdrawn from the 2020 presidential polls, after a shock from her late husband J.J Rawlings demeneses, RICHNEWS has learnt.
RICHNEWS sources say, Mrs Rawlings, who is also the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Party (NDP), has informed the Electoral Commission of her decision.
The party is set to address a press conference today Monday, November 23, 2020.
Mrs Rawlings is the wife of late former President JJ Rawlings, Ghana’s longest-serving leader, who died on November 12, 2020
Manchester United manager Ole has update the press the injury situation at Manchester United game ahead of WBA, speaking to RICHNEWS.COM said, The short version is it’s Luke Shaw, Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones are the only ones who didn’t join in parts of the training today, some are in different stages after internationals, recoveries and working back after illness and fitness and we’ll make a decision tonight but most of them have joined in today and some yesterday, so it’s looking good. . “Possibles but some of them are probably some doubts. Marcus joined for the first time today, hopefully no reaction, Bailly first day today so no, him and Marcos Rojo joined for the first time for a month, so they’re not ready, Victor, we’ll have to check tomorrow because his back is not great.” . On dementia: “I can’t claim to be an expert on the subject but of course we’ve seen it close hand with Nobby [Stiles] and Sir Bobby [Charlton] as well, it’s a serious issue, the good thing is it’s raised awareness. . “I need to know more about it myself as well so we in football can help raise discussions. The debate is going, that’s good, progress has to be made with kids in training, not allowed to head a ball in training before such an age and I just want to say that football has a big responsibility here as well with the profile of what we’re doing.” . On move to five subs: “Those go hand in hand, we had a very good managers’ meeting the other day where we discussed it. Player Welfare has to be at forefront of our heads, mental and physical health and 2020 is a year no one could have foreseen and nobody knows the after-effects of it, but we can use common sense with fixture scheduling as well and we as managers need to look after players when they’ve played too many games. We need to try and give them rest when possible. . “It’s a complex situation for many of us and I know loads of injuries happen towards end of games and if you have the chance in the last 15 or 20 minutes to take players off, instead of making three [subs] you might save some injuries. Fatigue is the main cause, you might be late in a tackle and hurt someone else or yourself.” . On Greenwood: “You have to take a step back sometimes, the boy’s only 19, he’s had a fantastic year, if we go a year back I left him out of the Carabao Cup against Chelsea, Mason stayed back and played against Doncaster in the Checkatrade Trophy to get game time, that’s how far he’s come. Now he’s got 19 goals, made his England debut, scored in his first Under-21s game and of course the headlines are gonna be about when he scores and doesn’t play. . “Everyone’s allowed to not be well, if you’re not well you can’t train. He’s been away eight or nine days from training, we’re just building him up again and I have no doubts about him. . “He has a very good head on him and the talent is there for all to see.” . On home record: “Home and away now is different, not like it used to be. We’ve had four home games in the league,the first one we look at having no preparation and Palace deserved it. Tottenham deserved win after Anthony sending off, other two games if we had our fans might have sparked that little extra X Factor we needed in two close games. . “Our best win this season was against Leipzig at home though. It’s something we wanna correct and get our first win hopefully against West Brom but it’s a different sensation playing in front of the Stretford End without fans, they normally score a goal for us.” . On Pogba: “Paul’s had a difficult season last season, had COVID now, those three games he played for France helped, I spoke to Paul and he felt towards end of Potrugal and Sweden game he felt stronger for it, he played well, they qualified, I think he’s only going to improve. . “Paul is a very important player and very important person for us and to have him in form and happy is gonna be important.” . Secret to home and away form: “It’s not as easy as why don’t we win at home why don’t we do so well, every game lives its own life, there are reasons behind that and, as I said, the best game we played at home this season was against RB Leipzig, . “Home and away is not the same, in Norway there are a few hundred fans and they help. Here it’s sterile. . “The Everton game last time out showed a Man United team as we want to see it. We scored some good team goals and I was very pleased with that last performance.” . On game against West Brom: “They’ve had some players out with covid. We played them before the restart with two 11s and both 11s were good teams. . Slaven is a good coach, I’ve known him for many years, chirping in my ear when Iw as playing against him. . “I expect a good team who will come and cause his problems, but I focus on us and I want to see more of what we’e been good at. I want to see us dominate. “
RICHNEWS has gathered that, the Deputy Special Prosecutor Ms Jane Cynthia Naa Torshie Lamptey has been asked to act as Special Prosecutor until a substantive one is appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo following the resignation pf Mr Martin Amidu from the post.
Ms Lamptey is a lawyer of over 30 years standing at the Ghana Bar and former acting Director of Public Prosecutions.
Commenting on her new assignment, Chairman of the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas, Dr Steve Manteaw said “Mad. Cynthia Lamptey, Acting SP I salute you. It’s a difficult task, we know, but we trust you to fulfill our aspirations.”
Her former boss, Mr Amidu resigned on Monday November 16, citing a number of reasons for his resignation.
He said in his letter to the president that “It is essential for me to state for the purpose of the records, and contrary to public perceptions, that my appointment letter was received on 5th February 2020 (almost two (2)-years after my appointment).
“The copy addressees made no efforts to honour any of the conditions of appointment in terms of emoluments and benefits of the appointment ever since my warrant of appointment was issued on 23rd February 2018 to the date of my letter of resignation. The Deputy Special Prosecutor has also not been paid any emoluments since her appointment, and there is the need to redress that situation for her now that I am out of the way.
“The events of 12th November 2020 removed the only protection I had from the threats and plans directed at me for undertaking the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions anti-corruption assessment report and dictates that I resign as the Special Prosecutor immediately.
“I should not ordinarily be announcing my resignation to the public myself but the traumatic experience I went through from 20th October 2020 to 2nd November 2020 when I conveyed in a thirteen (13) page letter the conclusions and observations on the analysis of the risk of corruption and anti-corruption assessment on the Report On Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions and Other Matters Related Thereto to the President as Chairman of the National Security Council cautions against not bringing my resignation as the Special Prosecutor with immediate to the notice of the Ghanaian public and the world.
“The reaction I received for daring to produce the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions anti-corruption report convinces me beyond any reasonable doubt that I was not intended to exercise any independence as the Special Prosecutor in the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and recovery of assets of corruption. My position as the Special Prosecutor has consequently become clearly untenable.”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has however, vehemently denied interfering with the work of Mr Amidu.
“Your accusation of interference with your functions simply on account of the meeting the president held with you is perplexing.
“In exercise of what you considered to be your powers under Act 959, you had voluntarily proceeded to produce the Agyapa Report.
“The president had no hand in your work. Without prompting from any quarter within the Executive. you delivered a letter purporting to be a copy of you report to the president.
“The purpose of presenting a copy of the Agyapa report to the president is decipherable from paragraph 32 of your letter to the president in which you indicated that you hoped the report will be ‘used to improve current and future legislative and executive actions to make corruption and corruption-related offences very high risk enterprise in Ghana’,” the president said in a statement responding to the accusation against him by Mr Amidu who resigned from his post on Monday.
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has commissioned Government’s flagship Free Wi-fi Project to tertiary institutions project in Accra.
The Tertiary Institutions project, currently anchored on 650 kilometres of the fibre optic network of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), is part of Government’s ongoing programme to provide Free Wi-fi to all 722 public Senior High Schools, 46 Colleges of Education, and at least 15 traditional Public Tertiary Institutions across the country, 13 of which are in the operational zone of ECG.
The two other public tertiary institutions, University of Development Studies (UDS), Tamale and the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Sunyani as well as the campuses of newly created University Colleges in northern Ghana, fall outside the operational area of ECG and will be served by the Northern Electricity Company (NEDCO) in collaboration with GRIDCO and NITA.
Dr Bawumia
The 13 beneficiary institutions are: University of Ghana, Legon; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi; University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast; University of Education, Winneba; Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Accra; University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ho; University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa; and University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
The rest are Regional Maritime University, Accra; Ghana Technology University College (GTUC), Accra; Ghana Institute of Journalism, Accra; Ghana Institute of Languages, Accra and National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), Accra.
Speaking at the commissioning of the project at the new campus of the Ghana Institute of Journalism in Accra on Friday, November 20, 2020, Vice President Bawumia noted that when the Akufo-Addo Government conceived of the Free Wi-Fi to schools’ project, nobody could have predicted that COVID-19 would make distance learning a central part of academic work at all levels of education, and this visionary move had enabled Ghana’s educational institutions to prepare students for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“As disruptive and devastating as COVID is, it has supercharged the need to accelerate high speed internet connectivity to ensure that academic work, commercial transactions, social interactions and other human activities can go on uninterrupted without physical contact.
“The benefits of this Free Wi-Fi Project cannot be over emphasized enough. Lecturers, teachers and students will have access to the necessary educational information to enhance teaching, learning and research in our Universities, Colleges, Senior High and Basic Schools across the country.
“Government is therefore determined to pursue the digitization agenda at all facets of the Ghanaian economy. Government is committed to leveraging ICT technology as a cross-cutting enabler of economic growth, innovation of service delivery and powerful tool of accelerated learning. This commitment is reflected in the sheer number of related digital applications and policy plans that government has adopted in the past 4 years.”
Describing the Free Wi-Fi Project as “a leveler of academic opportunities” and “an equal opportunity window to the world of ‘Internet of Things”, Vice President Bawumia pointed out that a student in a less endowed school will have access to the same academic material available to his or her counterpart in a more endowed school.
Dr Bawumia and Peter Amawu
“The difference now will be the student’s own ability and discipline to apply him or herself diligently to studies.”
Given the success of this pilot project, Dr Bawumia disclosed that Government is determined to roll out the Free Wi-Fi to cover all tertiary and secondary institutions from next year.
The beneficiary institutions include, but is not limited to all Technical Universities, all Colleges of Education, all Nursing Training Colleges and all Senior High Schools.
“The ongoing Wi-Fi Project in the Senior High Schools, which is being led by the Ministries of Communication and Education, will be accelerated and enhanced through high speed internet connectivity leveraging on the combined fiber optic infrastructure of ECG, GRIDCo, NEDCo and NITA.”
Further activities to be undertaken under the Tertiary project include the provision of 4,800 additional Wi-Fi Access Points (APs) made up of 4,186 outdoor and 614 indoor to the already existing ones in the 13 institutions. Given the average radius covered by each AP, it is estimated that the total radius to be covered by the 4,800 additional APs will be approximately 840km. With this extended coverage area, students, lecturers and the academic community will have access to high speed internet in every strategic facility on the various campuses.
“The Akufo-Addo government is committed to deepening our digital infrastructure, our digital skills and digital entrepreneurship in our effort to build Ghana as a central hub in the sub-region. Government will continue to count on the private sector as we seek to offer more innovative services as well as create more jobs for our youthful population,” he pledged.
RICHNEWS has gathered that, Ghana has become the first country in Africa and 3rd country in the world to roll out a national Quick Response (QR) Code payment system, following the formal outdooring of Ghana’s Universal QR Code on Thursday, November 19, 2020.
Ghana’s Universal QR Code, unique in its ability to meet the needs of both banked and unbanked customers, is the first of its kind in the world, and is a key plank in government’s efforts to ensure financial inclusion, and follows the successful implementation of Mobile Money Interoperability.
It allows customers to make Instant payments for goods and services from different funding sources (mobile wallets, cards, bank accounts) by scanning a quick response code on a smartphone, or dialing the USSD Code of the payment service provider and following the prompts to make payment.
Dr Bawomia demonstrating
Demonstrating the practical use of the Code, Vice President Bawumia, accompanied by the Minister of Communications, Hon Ursula Owusu Ekuful, bought packs of local delicacy waakye from the famous Auntie Muni and paid for it from his phone.
“Today is a historic day. Once again, we are moving to solve a major problem in our society, making it easier to access and pay for goods and services,” a delighted Dr Bawumia stated.
“Ours is a cash-based economy, which is very inefficient. Historically, many have been excluded from the financial system, but we have since been working to make Ghana’s economy a cash-lite, more efficient one, with the introduction of the Mobile Money Interoperability and today, Universal QR Code.
“A cash-lite economy has so many advantages. It promotes transparency, prevents robberies, helps the growth of e-commerce and fintech, and in this day of Covid 19, cash, which is a known spreader of the disease can be avoided by using the QR Code.”
GhQR
Vice President Bawumia disclosed that 13 banks have so far rolled out the QR Code, while telcos Vodafone and Airtel-Tigo have also joined, with MTN on the verge of doing so.
Dr Bawumia praised the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Communications, Bank of Ghana, Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), telcos and fintechs for once again achieving the seemingly impossible, and pledged government’s commitment to ensuring greater financial inclusion.
Kumasi metropolitan assembly in collaboration with Road safety commission, MTTD and Accident and Emergency unit of Okomfo Anokye teaching hospital have joined the rest of the world to commemorate World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims who have lost their lives on our roads to shown love and to support those who have suffered fatal injuries leaving many lives disabled.
The team also sympathized with those who have suffered physical, emotional and psychological trauma as a result of the persons involving in a road crash or losing a love one’s through such occurrences.
The united Nations has designated third Sunday of November each year as a day to reflect on the number of road crashes, remember the lost lives through road accidents and advocate against it.
Hon Osei Assibey Antwi , Mayor KMA Speaking at the celebration held at Emergency conference room at Okomfo Anokye teaching hospital, the mayor of Kumasi, Hon Osei Assibey Antwi maintained that, every year more than 1.35 million people are killed in the world on road and up to 50 million are seriously injured.
He said, Ghana lost 1,585 people between January and August 2020 while between January and November 2019, 334 persons lost their lives in the Ashanti region and between January to October 2020, 434 persons also lost their lives according to Ashanti regional MTTD.
He however call on all stakeholders to continue partner with the government and KMA to embark on public education about road safety.
The Special Prosecutor position has become vacant following the resignation of Martin Amidu on Monday, November 16.
This means that the President must, in accordance with the Office of Special Prosecutor Act 2017, Act 959, nominate a new person to be vetted by Parliament for the post.
Mr Ampaw has an impeccable legacy in the legal fraternity. He has over the years championed human rights campaigns and fair justice.
He is known for the instrumental role he played in ensuring that Ghana gets a Right To Information Law to ensure transparency in the utilisation of public resources.
Although he is fully qualified for this position, he is likely to be challenged if eventually his name comes up for consideration because of his role in the election petition hearing in the Supreme Court after the 2012 polls in which he served as one of the lawyers for the then opposition leader and now President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
If this becomes an issue, he can, however, cite the appointment of Mr Yonny Kulendi as a Supreme Court Justice by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo even when the had been friends and also worked together in the same law firm for years.
If Justice Kulendi is able to work without fear or favour as justice of the apex court with this background, then Mr Ampaw should also be able to work as the Special Prosecutor in spite of his relationship with the president.
Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare (Azar)
Stephen Kwaku Asare is the KPMG Professor of Accounting at the University of Florida where he teaches courses in forensic accounting, financial reporting, attestation, managerial accounting, corporate governance, and controls.
He is a Certified Fraud Examiner and a member of the Florida Bar.
Given his rich background in accounting and also law, he will be able to deal with the issues of financial malfeasance that come before the Special Prosecutor.
Linda Ofori Kwafo
The next person likely to be appointed the next SP is Mrs Linda Ofori Kwafo
Mrs Ofori Kwafo is currently the Board Chair of the Office of the Special Prosecutor. She is an anti-corruption campaigner, working with the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII).
She has worked on various corruption-related issues and chaired a lot of workshops on corruption relation related topics.
She is fit to be the next SP because she is familiar with the operations of the Office after serving as the Board Chair.
The next person is Mr Kofi Abotsi.
Mr Abotsi is an academic and legal practitioner. He is also the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
Mr Abotsi was the Dean of the School of Law at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) from 2014 to 2018 for his appointment at UPSA.
Among his recent feats was his role as Executive Secretary on the Commission of Inquiry into the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence back in 2019.
Anna Bossman
Anna Bossman is a Ghanaian human rights advocate. She was formerly the director for the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
In 2017, she was appointed Ghana’s ambassador to France.
After serving as an Assistant State Attorney in Ghana’s Ministry of Justice, Bossman went into private practice, and over the subsequent 25 years would pursue a career in the oil and gas industry and energy sector, working with major international companies including Tenneco in Gabon (where she was the first woman secretary-general of the Gabonese Union of Petroleum Companies), Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Angola, as well as in Ghana, where in 1996 she founded Bossman Consultancy Limited to provide support to power utilities and energy sectors, international institutions and donor agencies as well as private companies and business investors.
She was Deputy Commissioner of Ghana’s Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) from 2002 to 2010, where she was appointed Acting Commissioner.
In July 2011, she was employed by the African Development Bank Group as Director of the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department, in charge of investigations of fraud, corruption and other malpractices.
In June 2017, she was appointed Ghana’s ambassador to France, and presented her letters of credence to French President Emmanuel Macron on 13 October 2017. She was also Ghana’s ambassador to Portugal and her country’s permanent representative to UNESCO
Interestingly, our motherland Ghana is becoming something else. A country that now accepts forbidden acts. The above narrative stems from the fact that an audition for a p0n0 film has been opened in Ghana. A flyer calling on interested actors and actress have been trending on social media. The supposed audition started from 13th Nov 2020 till Nov 31st.
The notice on the banner reads: “Horse Media House presents: “P#rn Audition Ghana. Are You Young, Energetic and Love S#x?? Have you ever thought of Being in the Lucrative industry of P#rn? Have You Ever Dreamt of becoming a P#rn Actor/Actress?? Then Here is your Opportunity Call the numbers below for further Enquiries”
The poster upon hitting the internet met with mixed reactions from all walks of life, having them expressed their views in total shock and disappointment, while others expressed interest.
It appears Ghana is lost, a country many call a Christian nation, now see gayism and lesbianism practice at the watch of leaders, and here comes another.
Do you think this is good for our mother country Ghana?.
Drop your comments in the section below and let us get interacting with this article.
The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has resigned from his position.
In a letter addressed to President Nana Akufo-Addo, Martin Amidu said his decision is to “enable Your Excellency to take steps to appoint a replacement to that position as required by law.”
He suggested that President Akufo-Addo has not been able to ensure his independence and freedom of action.
“The one condition upon which I accepted to be nominated as the Special Prosecutor when you invited me to your Office on 10th January 2018 was your firm promise to me that you will respect and ensure same by your Government for my independence and freedom of action as the Special Prosecutor,” he stated.
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