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Tag: Ghana

  • Buhari Arrives In Ghana For ECOWAS Summit

    Buhari Arrives In Ghana For ECOWAS Summit

    President Muhammadu Buhari is currently in Accra, Ghana participating in the 59th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

    The Summit is chaired by Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo.

    President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina is also at the Summit.

    The Presidency earlier in a statement on Friday announced that President Buhari will be joining other Heads of State of Government of ECOWAS for the mid-year statutory meeting of the regional bloc, with the exception of Mali, which was recently suspended from the group.

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, ECOWAS Special Envoy, and Mediator to Mali is also at the event and expected to present a report on his latest working visit to the West African country to the summit of the Heads of State.

    See photos;

  • Ghana Beat Nigeria, Niger In Female, Male Categories CAA Marathon

    Ghana Beat Nigeria, Niger In Female, Male Categories CAA Marathon

    By Gabriel Udeh, Kaduna

    As Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Region II sport event kicks off with a 21 kilometers Marathon race, Ghanaian runners have emerged first both in male and female categories, beating their Nigerian and Nigerien counterparts.

    Ghana’s Williams Amposah outranks his male challengers from Nigeria and Niger to finish the 21 kilometer race at exactly one hour five minutes and nine seconds.
    While Nigeria’s Adamu Shehu and Nigerien Abdulkadir Sahley got to the finishing line right inside Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Sports Complex Kaduna at 1hour :05 minutes :42 seconds and 1hour :16 minutes :38 seconds amidst cheers from spectators who trooped into the sport complex to witness participants as they reached finishing line.

    The female marathon category was also won by Sakut Juliana from Ghana who finished the race at one hour 21 minutes and 40 seconds beating Nigerian and Nigerien runners, Vera Yohanna and Mary Offor who finished at one hour 22 minutes and 1hour, 22minutes respectively.
    The development, many have however attributed to apparent poor financing and inadequate preparation of Nigeria teams.

    Earlier, Zazzau Emir palace, which was the starting point of the race, Ambassador Nuhu Bamali expressed satisfaction on high level of preparedness and number of athletes from 14 African countries taking part in the competition, saying the sporting event would promote Unity amongst Africans and strengthen the spirits of love and togetherness which he noted were vital ingredients in achieving greatness.

    In his speech, Vice President Confederation of African Athletics, Region II, Engr Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, while paying a glowing tribute to Emir of Zazzau Ambassador Nuhu Bamali for passion and love to develop his community, disclosed that over five thousand participants would feature in the three day field and track event, commending Vice Chancellor of ABU Zaria, Prof Kabiru Bala for his hospitality.

    Other events to feature in this year’s edition of Africa Athletics Federation include, sprint, long jump, high jump, relay among others.

  • Gbajabiamila, Ghana’s new speaker seek improved parliamentary relations

    Gbajabiamila, Ghana’s new speaker seek improved parliamentary relations

    …African speakers to meet in Nigeria this year

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, and the new Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament, Mr. Albert Bagbin, have agreed to strengthen parliamentary relations in a bid to find lasting solutions to challenges such as the trade dispute involving some Nigerian traders in Ghana.

    The two speakers reached out to each other during a zoom meeting they held on Friday.

    Gbajabiamila told his counterpart that the two countries were like siblings and should continue to explore the avenue of parliamentary diplomacy in addressing shared challenges, adding that there was much both could learn from one another.

    The Nigerian Speaker also introduced the project he initiated with five other African Speakers, namely the Conference of Speakers of African Parliaments (CoSAP), saying that last year they worked together to advocate debt relief.

    He further stated that this year, African Speakers and Heads of Parliaments were expected to gather in Abuja to explore how they could work better together to tackle collective challenges.

    While congratulating the Ghanaian Speaker for his success at the recently contested polls, Gbajabiamila said while he worked very closely with the predecessor, he looked forward to doing the same with Bagbin in continuation of the age-old tradition of solidarity between both nations.

    The Nigerian Speaker updated his Ghanaian counterpart on his visit to Ghana late last year in an effort to douse tensions and extract commitments from the Ghanaian government over the trade dispute.

    He said he would want the discussions on the matter to continue under the new Ghanaian Speaker.

    “I look forward to working with you. There are a lot of issues for both our countries, that, I think through Parliamentary Diplomacy and backchannel discussions, we can resolve for the people of both countries.

    “I’m sure you are aware of a couple of them, including the relationship between Ghana and Nigeria in terms of our traders and residents over there and yours over here too. I think the onus rests upon both of us to try and resolve whatever issues there are. We started on this trajectory last year with the former speaker and we made very significant inroads and headway.

    “I visited Ghana, I met with some of your ministers, including Mr. President and very far-reaching decisions were made and we are expecting outcomes of a report from your Minister of Trade. We were supposed to set up a friendship group between the two parliaments. That group has been set up by the Nigerian Parliament and if the list is not with you yet, I’m sure in the next few days, you will get it.

    “Your President was absolutely gracious, he was absolutely wonderful. He met with us, he has a rich pedigree with Nigeria as you all know, so it worked out well. We just need to cement it, and I’m sure that between you and I, we will be able to take this a notch further.

    “I want to use this opportunity to invite you to Nigeria as well, we will be able to discuss a lot of things and of course there is the issue of CoSAP, which I’m sure in your handover notes you are aware we set up with some African countries. The issue at hand last year was debt relief for African countries, that has strangulated many countries’ economies based on the debt portfolio they had”, he stated.

    Gbajabiamila said COSAP would have its inaugural meeting this year in Nigeria where “hopefully we will be able to concretise on that issue and actually address other issues going forward for this year.”

    “There are two issues that are critical in this moment like the relationship between Ghana and the Nigerian traders and the issue of CoSAP, and I’m sure there will be many more issues as we go along”, he said.

    He also used the opportunity to invite Bagbin to visit Nigeria to deepen the parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.

    On his part, Bagbin said he welcomed the idea of having a better relationship with the Nigerian Parliament and that he was ready to reciprocate the Nigerian Speaker’s visit so that they would discuss issues.

    He also applauded Gbajabiamila for coming up with the idea of CoSAP, which he described as a noble project.

    “On the issue of CoSAP, yes, we already have somebody as the focal person and it’s not only the handover notes, I have also been given a brief on CoSAP, and I want to applaud your efforts for the initiative, it’s a very good initiative and it’s going to propel parliamentary diplomacy to a higher level.” So, definitely, you have my support in that direction”.

    “I am sure other African countries are looking up to Ghana and Nigeria to show the way, and I’m sure that with your immense experience and what I have gone through over 19 good years in parliamentary diplomacy, I am sure that there will be nothing that we will not be able to surmount.”

    The two Speakers agreed it was important to meet sooner rather than later and concluded with an agreement to meet in Abuja before the first half of this year.

  • Ghana Suffers Nationwide Power Outage

    Ghana Suffers Nationwide Power Outage

    Ghana suffered a nationwide power cut on Sunday, the west African country’s electricity provider GRIDCo said, as it attempted to restore power.

    The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) said it was dealing with “a total system shutdown”.

    “At approximately 2.10pm on Sunday March 07, 2021, a challenge in the power system led to a total system shutdown. This led to an interruption in power supply to all parts of the country,” the company said in a statement.

    “The technical team is currently working to restore power supply,” it added. “GRIDCo is also working to ascertain the reasons behind the total system shutdown.”

    Ghanaians took to social media to express their frustration.

    “Can you give us a timetable for these power outages. It’s so not cool. We’re fed up and we can’t continue to suffer in this heat in our own homes,” Vivian Quartey posted on Facebook.

    “GRIDCo and ECG what is this? Do you want to destroy our home appliances? Enough!!” Frank Dodoo added on Twitter.

    Power had still not returned in the capital Accra by 1845 GMT, an AFP reporter said.

    Some 84 percent of Ghana’s population has access to electricity, according to the World Bank — one of the highest rates in sub-Saharan Africa.

    The country has both hydropower and thermal plants fuelled by crude oil and natural gas, and exports power to Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso.

    However, power cuts are frequent — a problem that sparked major demonstrations in Ghana in 2015.

    The country has enjoyed one of the fastest rates of economic growth in the world since the 2000s, fuelled by its significant supplies of gold, cocoa and oil.

    However, some regions continue to suffer chronic poverty, and the global Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to Ghana’s economy.

    Ghana’s economic growth is set to fall this year to 0.9 percent, according to International Monetary Fund forecasts — the lowest rate for 30 years.

    AFP

  • Ghana receives First COVID-19 Vaccine Shipment through Global Sharing Program

    Ghana receives First COVID-19 Vaccine Shipment through Global Sharing Program

    Ghana has become the first country to receive the shipment of COVID-19 vaccines through the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global vaccine-sharing program.

    The 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccines arrived Wednesday in the capital, Accra.
    This is according to a joint statement from WHO and UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. The vaccines were manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.

    The statement added that the vaccines sent to Ghana were purchased through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, or COVAX, an initiative launched by WHO in cooperation with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, an organization founded by philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates to vaccinate children in the world’s poorest countries.

    The project purchases vaccines with the help of wealthier countries and distributes them equitably to all countries. U.S. President Joe Biden pledged $4 billion to the COVAX program last week.

    Recall that the WHO had in December announced that COVAX has secured agreements for nearly two billion doses of several “promising” vaccine candidates.

    The supply of vaccines is expected to grow after the U.S. determined that a one-shot COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson is apparently safe and protects against the disease.

  • Jerry Rawlings buried in Ghana with full military honours

    Jerry Rawlings buried in Ghana with full military honours

    Former Ghanaian leader Jerry John Rawlings has been buried with full military honours on Wednesday after a state funeral attended by representatives of world leaders.

    Rawlings, who died in November aged 73, held power for two decades in Ghana, first as a military ruler and later as elected president.

    He was buried in a coffin draped in Ghana’s national colours of red, yellow, green and black, and an officer’s cap was placed at the head of the closed coffin with a glittering gold-plated sword.

    Rawlings, a former air force pilot, was given a guard of honour at Independence Square — a symbol of Ghana’s victory over colonial Britain — in the nation’s capital Accra.

    Hundreds of Ghanaians earlier this week paid their final respects as his coffin laid in state during two days of national mourning under strict COVID-19 protocols.

    “You took pride in your fatherly duties… you’re passionate and open-hearted,” said his widow Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings in a tribute.

    “Your gift of sharing knew no bounds. You never hesitated to help in the passing of laws to protect the vulnerable in society. Jerry, I know that God created us for each other. You did your best and I played my part,” she said, breaking down in tears as her daughter Princess Amina read out her tribute.

    Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo described Rawlings as a “charismatic and fearless leader.”

    Papa J, as Rawlings was known, was buried at a military cemetery in Accra after a three-hour ceremony of tributes, prayers, cultural displays and songs.

    Behind the scenes, Rawlings’ family, traditional chiefs and political figures have been at odds over the legacy of the former air force flight lieutenant, who twice overthrew governments but was widely seen by the poor as their champion.

    Rawlings got his first taste of power in 1979 when he banded together with other junior officers frustrated over widespread corruption to take control.

    He quickly handed the reins to an elected president, but was soon back at the top following another coup on December 31, 1981.

    The son of a Scottish father and Ghanaian mother, he became a national icon as he headed Ghana for 20 years until 2001, being voted in as president at the ballot box in 1992 and ushering in democracy.

  • COVID-19: Schools In Ghana Reopen After 10-Month Closure

    COVID-19: Schools In Ghana Reopen After 10-Month Closure

    For school teacher Prince Asante, going back to work on Monday was a huge relief after being out of a job for nearly a year, sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic.

    “It was really difficult for me to survive,” Asante admitted.

    “I became an Uber driver and on weekends I helped my wife with her small business selling clothes to survive. Things were not easy.”

    The West African country introduced a lockdown and closed schools in March after the first confirmed COVID-19 case in sub-Saharan Africa was confirmed in neighbouring Nigeria and eventually spread to Ghana.

    In the coastal capital Accra, the lockdown was lifted in April but strict measures to help contain the spread of the virus remained in place.

    After a 10-month closure, children wearing face masks flocked to the gates of Asante’s Christ Vision School with mini hand-sanitisers attached to their school bags.

    “I’m happy to see my friends but I’m scared. We can’t do most of the things we used to do anymore. I doubt school will be fun like it used to be,” said primary school student Anita Gyampo.

    Despite mixed feelings, many are glad the days of homeschooling and virtual classes are over — for the time being.

    “We had virtual classes through Zoom but it wasn’t effective. Sometimes I waited for over 20 minutes without hearing or seeing anything on the screen,” secondary school student Andrews Lomotey said.

    “My parents didn’t always have money to buy data for online class. Thank God I can now learn while taking safety precautions,” said another secondary school student, Emefa Dzakpata.

    Schools and universities closed around the world but a report by UNESCO, Unicef and the World Bank published in October found that children’s education in countries like Ghana were more severely affected.

    “Schoolchildren in low-and lower-middle income countries were the least likely to access remote learning, the least likely to be monitored on their learning loss, the most likely to have delays to their schools reopening and the most likely to attend schools with inadequate resources to ensure safe operations,” the UN children’s agency said in a statement.

    In Ghana, COVID-19 cases are rising and some parents were hesitant about sending their children back to school.

    “It’s of great concern to us… why free them now when cases are alarming? I won’t forgive this government if anything happens to my children,” said Priscilla Koomson, a mother of three.

    “I wanted to keep them at home for three more weeks to gauge how things go, but I’m giving the government the benefit of the doubt.”

    The tally of currently-infected people has nearly doubled in a month, to 1,924, according to Ghana’s Health Service. The overall figure of infections since the start of the pandemic is 58,000, but this is widely believed to be conservative as testing is low.

    President Nana Akufo-Addo warned Sunday that Ghana may return to a partial lockdown if the situation continues to deteriorate.

    AFP

  • Nigerian drug kingpin and Ghanaian counterpart escape from prison in Ghana

    Nigerian drug kingpin and Ghanaian counterpart escape from prison in Ghana

    A 27-year-old Nigerian drug kingpin identified as Chukuda Onyabu and his 26-year-old Ghanaian counterpart Emmanuel Osei who were remanded in Abokobi Police Cells near Adenta in the Greater Accra Region, have reportedly escaped from prison. 

    The suspects who are facing charges of possession of narcotic drugs and conspiracy to commit crimes and stealing respectively, were detained in prison custody while awaiting the next court date.

    However on January 1, 2021, it was detected that the two suspected criminals had escaped from the cells by using the iron rod used at the ventilation hole of the bathroom’s door to scrape a portion of the cell’s wall and removed one of the blocks. They reportedly escaped through the hole they created. 

    It was further learnt that efforts are underway to arrest the suspects whose images have been circulated to various police outlets in and outside Accra.

  • Ghanaian parliamentarians exchange blows over who takes the majority side

    Ghanaian parliamentarians exchange blows over who takes the majority side

    A chaotic scene was recorded at the Ghanaian parliament yesterday December 6, following the dissolution of the 7th parliament. 

    In a footage which has gone viral on social media, it was gathered that the fight was between NPP and NDC members and centered on who takes the majority side in the parliament and who also produces the next Speaker of Parliament.

    It was however gathered that while NPP has the majority in parliament with 137 seats, the NDC has 136 seats.

    Soldiers were eventually sent in to restore order in the parliament.

  • Davido and Burna Boy allegedly fought in Ghana

    Davido and Burna Boy allegedly fought in Ghana

    Nigerian superstar singers, Davido and Burna reportedly had a brawl in Ghana.

    According to reports making the rounds on social media, both singers had performances to in the neighboring country and due to the prevailing ‘bad blood’ between them, a fight ensued.

    A viral clip on Twitter has seemingly backed up these reports as it captured the moment an agitated man who looked like Davido shoved and pushed another man who had the likeness of Burna.