President John Dramani Mahama President John Dramani Mahama has embarked on his first official trip abroad since his swearing-in, visiting The Gambia and Senegal. The tour comes just 10 days after his inauguration as Ghana’s President on January 7. President Mahama arrived in Banjul, The Gambia, to personally express his gratitude to President Adama Barrow and his Senegalese counterpart, President Macky Sall, for attending his swearing-in ceremony. The gesture underscores his administration’s commitment to fostering strong diplomatic ties with Ghana’s West African neighbors. The visit, described as a goodwill mission, also aims to reinforce cooperation between Ghana and the two countries, particularly in areas of mutual interest such as trade, security, and regional integration. President Mahama is expected to conclude his trip today, returning to Ghana from Dakar, Senegal. Source link

President John Dramani Mahama The formation of a lean government as promised by the then candidate John Dramani Mahama is on course, as he has so far named 25 potential ministers, out of the 60 he promised Ghanaians in the heat of the campaign. This means he has 35 more ministers and deputies to be appointed. On Thursday, January 16, 2025 Jubilee House announced the nomination of nine sector ministers and three regional ministers, bringing the total ministerial appointments to 25. It would be recalled that last week three sector ministers were announced, who have already been vetted by the Appointments Committee of Parliament. Early this week, ten out of the 16 regional ministers were announced and yesterday three were added, alongside nine sector ministers. APPOINTMENTS The statement announcing the nominations said, “The President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, has submitted the names of the underlisted to Parliament, through the...

Dr Gideon Boako addressing the media The Minority in Parliament has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the vetting process for three ministerial nominees, accusing the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor of obstructing thorough scrutiny. Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, the Member of Parliament for Tano North, Dr Gideon Boako, who spoke on behalf of the minority, contended that this conduct undermined their constitutional oversight responsibility and jeopardised the integrity of the vetting process. The Appointments Committee convened three days ago to vet nominees for the roles of Finance Minister, Energy Minister and Attorney General. Per Article 78(1) of the Constitution, such nominations are subject to parliamentary scrutiny. Traditionally, the process allows up to three weeks for the committee to invite public comments. However, citing national interest, this window was waived to expedite the process. Despite their cooperation to ensure a smooth process, the Minority claimed the Chairman’s actions compromised...

Finance Minister designate Ato Forson Chairman: Thank you very much. I will now give the floor to Honourable Alhassan Umar. Alhassan Umar, MP, Zabzugu: Thank you, Chairman, for giving me this opportunity. Mr. nominee and Leader, congratulations. I have a question on public debt. And I’ll base it on the Mid-Year Review, 2024 Mid-Year Policy Review. Paragraph 51 states that the public debt of Ghana is GH¢742 billion as of today. I want to ask you how do you plan to manage this huge debt? Thank you. Chairman of the Appointsment Committee Bernard Ahiafor (L) and Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo Markin Dr. Forson: Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, we will manage the public debt. I know it’s a matter of concern to most of us. But I can assure you, don’t be dismayed. We’ll do whatever it takes to clear the harms that have been created as...

Accra Circuit Court Jonas Awini, an unemployed resident of Sakumono Railways, has been arraigned before the Circuit Court in Accra, presided over by Judge Susana Edufu, on charges of unlawful entry and stealing. Awini pleaded not guilty to both counts during his initial appearance. He has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 with two sureties, who must be public servants earning not less than GH¢3,000 per month. The case has been adjourned to February 5, 2025 for further proceedings. The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Josephine Lamptey, on behalf of Inspector Mina Kwafo, detailed the facts of the case. According to the prosecution, the incident occurred in broad daylight. At about 3pm on January 3, 2025 a witness, Moro Baba, noticed someone throwing metal items over the complainant’s fence, while dining at a nearby restaurant. Suspicious, the witness hid behind a container near the fence to observe the...

The destroyed buildings Eric Nyarko, the Operations Director of Intatec Iconic Enterprise Ltd, has issued a formal statement alleging the destruction of company property on a disputed piece of land that is currently the subject of legal proceedings. According to Mr. Nyarko, the company has held a land title certificate for the property since 2014, signifying rightful ownership. The land has been under the company’s possession since then, with physical developments, including structures and walls, erected on the site. “The land dispute is before the High Courts in Accra, with an injunction currently in place, restraining all parties from any development activity. We have respected the court’s ruling and halted any development activity on the land,” Mr. Nyarko stated. Despite this, Mr. Nyarko revealed that his boss received a distress call at 1 a.m. on January 12, 2025 reporting acts of vandalism on the property. Below is the full statement;...

Regent Nii Sowa Ako-Odoi (2nd right) briefing the media at a meeting yesterday The Okponglo Royal Family has issued a strong warning to the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) Team against attempts to invade or forcefully take over their lands. The warning follows an incident involving some National Democratic Congress (NDC) party individuals, under the disguise of the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL). The erected fence wall The group allegedly stormed the 6-acre land premises at Shiashie, around East Legon, without provocation. According to the Regent of Okponglo, Nii Sowa Ako-Odoi, the land was acquired by the colonial government and later returned to the family, after the Supreme Court affirmed their ownership in 2019. He said the land has since been leased to a private developer, IOP Group of Companies, for redevelopment into a commercial area, featuring a lorry terminal and shops. Nii Sowa Ako-Odoi expressed concern over the invasion,...

TurkStream is the last remaining pipeline route for Russian gas exports to Europe Russia has accused the United States of seeking to sabotage TurkStream, the last pipeline carrying Russian gas exports into Europe. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov alleged at a news conference on Tuesday that Washington is encouraging “terrorist” attacks on his country’s energy infrastructure, and claimed there are plans to target TurkStream. “The US does not tolerate competition in any sphere, including energy. They are recklessly endorsing terrorist activities aimed at undermining the energy stability of the European Union,” Lavrov said, according to Turkiye’s Anadolu news agency. “They are encouraging their Ukrainian proxies to disable TurkStream following the sabotage of Nord Stream,” he added. Russia said on Monday that it had downed nine Ukrainian drones that had tried to attack part of TurkStream’s infrastructure. The pipeline is the last carrying Russian gas into the EU after Ukraine refused...

Mr John Abu Jinapor, Minister for Energy Designate Energy Minister-Designate, John Abdulai Jinapor, has vowed to ensure discipline, honesty and integrity as he steps into what he describes as a “very difficult job.” Speaking at his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on January 13, 2025 Mr. Jinapor outlined his vision to address Ghana’s mounting energy sector challenges, with a focus on sustainable reforms and pragmatic solutions. “I want to be remembered as the young minister who insisted on discipline. I will step on toes, but I will step on them gently,” he declared. Energy Sector Debt Crisis Mr. John Jinapor faces an uphill task, inheriting a sector burdened by a staggering $3 billion debt as of January 12, 2025. He revealed that the financial strain is compounded by unpaid obligations to Independent Power Producers (IPPs), which reached $1.2 billion in October 2024. Comparing the current situation to his tenure under...

Dr Siaw Agyepong, Group Chair of Jospong The Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, says his conglomerates are ready the support the 24 hour economic policy about to be introduced by the new John Dramani Mahama government. According to him waste management trucks belonging to his companies had already been branded to reflect his desire to support the new economic policy. He was speaking at the Jospong Leadership Conference (JLC 2025) which opened at the Pentecost Conference Centre at Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region yesterday. Some of the participants at the conference Apart from the 24 hour economy, Dr. Agyepong also revealed that his outfit would collaborate with the government on green economy projects, stressing the importance of sustainability in Ghana’s economic transformation. The conference, which will end on January 17, 2025 is on the theme, “Transformation through Leadership”. The aimis to...