Seth J. Bokpe's Ghana Newsreel

The Greater Accra Regional branch of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN), the student’s wing of the National Democratic Congress, is calling on all delegates for the party’s congress in Kumasi   to give a massive endorsement to President John Dramani Mahama as the party’s flag bearer for the December elections. “Mr President, TEIN wants you to know that we will support all your endeavours anywhere, any time,” Mr George Dadzie Junior, the Interim President of the network said at a press conference in Accra yesterday. The NDC will on August 30 go to congress to acclaim President Mahama as the party’s flag bearer following the sudden demise of President J.E.A Mills who was the party’s flag bearer for the elections. With about three months to the elections, the NDC’s National Executive Committee endorsed President Mahama for the position pending acclamation by the congress, the highest decision making body of the party. Flanked by Mr Bilal M. Sulemana, Pr...

Use Campaign To Address Problems The Moderator of the Global Evangelical Church, Rt Rev Dr Edem Tettey, is urging the country’s politicians to use their campaign messages to address problems confronting the country rather than attack opposing parties. “When they mount the platform, we want to know what they want to do for us and how they will solve our problems. That will help us decide if we would vote for them,” he said Rev Dr Tettey, who spoke to graphic.com.gh on the sidelines of the commissioning and ordination of pastors of the Church, said, “we want to appeal to them to not insult one another. This ends up in retaliation and sometimes avoidable violence.” “Party supporters should not see each other as enemies. We are all partners in the development of Ghana; we should see ourselves as working towards a common goal and not to destroy one another.” “These days, a lot of lies and half-truths are peddled around just to score cheap political scores. It is not healt...

After many months of speculation and denials, it is now certain that a new party, the National Democratic Party (NDP), which, from all indications, has the backing of the Rawlingses, has been formed. Some of the leading members of the new party presented its application to the Electoral Commission (EC) in Accra on Wednesday for registration as a fully fledged political entity to contest the December 2012 and future elections. The symbol of the new party is a white flying dove carrying the ‘Gye Nyame’ emblem against background of black, red, white and green. A former General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Josiah Ayeh, is the Interim National Chairman, while Dr Mamboa Rockson is the Interim General Secretary of the new party. A leading member of the NDP, Dr K. Ofei-Agyemang, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that “the party also submitted its constitution and other documents to seek its approval to operate as a fully fledged political p...

THE Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has condemned the increasing use of intemperate language in the country, describing it as a threat to the rule of law. “History is replete with incidents of intemperate language that has torn nations and states apart. Let us love our country more than we disagree with one another,” the President of the GBA, Mr Frank W.K. Beechem, said at the 30th Remembrance Service for the three High Court judges and a retired Army officer who were murdered in 1982. “Falsehood is peddled as truth; the integrity of our leaders is impugned without just cause. The President of the Republic and other officials of state are addressed and caricatured in the most disgraceful manner, our chiefs are maligned and ethnicity is given a bad bane by our careless use of language. “We cannot and should not be complacent. Lately, there have been more pernicious threats to the rule of law. These threats manifest themselves in the abuse of our democracy, namely, the use of intemper...

Leaders of some political parties have welcomed President J.E.A. Mills’ assurance to maintain peace in the run-up to this year’s election but asked the President to back his word with action. They said the President’s affirmation of peace was timely because it was only in an atmosphere of peace that the country could come out united after the election. However, they said, the President should move beyond the words and create the enabling environment for peace to prevail before, during and after the election. They were reacting to President Mills’ independence speech during which he rededicated his commitment to ensuring peace before, during and after this year’s election. Speaking to the Daily Graphic on the fringes of the Independence day celebrations at the Independence Square in Accra Tuesday, Samia Nkrumah, the Chairperson of the Convention Peoples Party, Hassan Ayariga, the presidential candidate of the Peoples National Convention and Dr Henry Lartey, the lea...

Religious bodies in Ghana have been asked to engage officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) to increase the level of awareness about the biometric voter registration process. “The biometric voter registration is a very sensitive exercise which we need to get our people well informed about. Our religious bodies have a very important role to play by serving as a platform to educate the populace.” A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who made the call in an interview with the Graphic said this would go a long way towards reducing the myth surrounding the biometric voter registration exercise. He was speaking on the fringes of the launch of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Accra New Town Bethel Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Accra. “The various churches for instance can have their leaders engage with resource persons from the EC where they could get an understanding of the biometric registration and then relay it to the larger c...

THE General Overseer of the Action Faith Ministries, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, has advised Ghanaians to use track record as the benchmark for voting in the 2012 elections. “We need selfless leaders that care for the people to the extent that they can make sacrifices for the next generation,” he stated. The Archbishop who had an interaction with the media in Accra condemned the insults that had eaten deep into the country’s political fibre. He observed that contrary to claims that politicians were the only people involved in the insult spree, it also had to do with a section of the populace. “Today, it is common for people to just insult and dishonour persons in leadership and authority and it is rampant on our radio and television programmes. It is very sad.” “We are allowing western culture to adulterate our culture, where people in the name of freedom of speech and expression can just say anything and we have no respect for the elderly anymore. We don’t have res...

THE National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) is urging all students and youth who are members of the various political parties to shun politicians who preach violence as the country girds its loins for the 2012 elections. “We are calling on all students and the youth who are members of the various political parties to always know that their first love is to this nation and not for someone who understands the language of violence. Speaking at a press conference that touched on many issues of national concern, the NUGS President, Mr Ayari Osman Abdulai, said the student body’s message to officials of the ruling National Democratic Congress and party functionaries of the opposition parties was simple. “The students of Ghana will not permit you to make such unguarded statements this year.” While appealing to the Electoral Commission to adequately consult and engage all political groupings in the country for a peaceful election, Mr Abdulai also urged the media to provide equal platfor...

GHANA’S ability to further consolidate its democratic gains and economic development hinges on putting leaders with conscience at the helm of affairs, former President John Agyekum Kufuor has observed. “ I am not talking about only political leaders. What we need are transformational leaders who are selfless and have a high sense of societal responsibility to serve. Unless our societies are served by good leadership, we cannot make progress,” he stated. The former President made the observation at a community fund raising event in Accra to gather financial support for the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA)’s intervention programme for 2012-2015. The intervention include programmes based on economic renaissance which seeks to improve upon the economic livelihood of young people by inculcating the culture of entrepreneurship, self employment, savings and investment. While that of civic engagement aims at promoting the participation of young people in decision making and social...

Ghana's democratic path can only be strengthened if Ghanaians put aside differences that endanger the significant gains made in the country's democratic process, the Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Ebow Barton-Odro has said. "We may belong to different religious persuasions, speak different languages, belong to different political groups,or might have attended different schools, we however, are essentially Ghanaians with a common destiny," he stated. He said as the country opted for a democratic system of governance, the success of which was firmly rooted in the promotion, protection and respect for the fundamental human rights of groups and individuals, the government had a responsibility to promote and protect the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the citizenry. “We cannot achieve sustainable national development when the environment is not convenient for the people to achieve their legitimate aspirations,” he stated. The deputy m...

AFRICAN countries can no longer remain indifferent to the suffering and plight of their neighbours if the ideals of Pan Africanism is to be realised, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mohammed Mumuni, has said. He said a true expression of Pan-Africanism could be achieved when member states of the AU and societies in Africa regarded peace, security and the well-being of their neighbours as fundamentally intertwined with theirs. The Foreign Minister was speaking in Accra at  the opening of a two-day experience-sharing workshop on ‘Improving West African Capacities in Mediation and Peace Process organised by the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre. The CMI is an independent non-profit organisation, working to resolve conflict and to build sustainable peace. The workshop brought together experts in peace building from ECOWAS countries who would share ...

THE usual bubble and carnival that characterise the vetting of aspirants for national executive and flag bearer positions of political parties in the country was missing on Tuesday, at the Peoples National Convention (PNC) Headquarters at Kotobabi in Accra where the party’s vetting committee began vetting a number of aspirants. The brass bands, the traditional drummers, the colourful twists and turns of dancers , and the vociferous cheering supporters were no where to be found  rather, the various aspirants were routinely outdoing each other with their posters plastered all over the place. A party source told the Daily Graphic that the euphoria would pick up as aspirants for the hot seats come up later in the week. Speaking to the Daily Graphic after her vetting, Miss Janet Nabila , an aspirant for the position of  Women Organiser said “the vetting went well and I am hopeful that I will go through. I believe, I handled the questions well.” Even before she  receive...

The Inter-Church Relations Director of the Global Evangelical Church (GEC), Rev. Samuel Dickson K. Dumevi, has urged Christians in political positions to use their status to positively influence society. He noted that it was rather regrettable that some Christians use their positions to pursue personal interest to the detriment of the larger society. “Today, we live in a world in which people openly abuse their office by stealing, robbing and grossly abusing others they are supposed to protect,” he observed. Rev. Dumevi was delivering a sermonon the theme “ Leadership in this World of Conflict “ at the 2011 commissioning and ordination of pastors of the GEC in Accra. In all, 12 pastors were ordained, while 11 were commissioned for the work of the vineyard. According to the church’s doctrine, a married pastor qualifies for ordination after graduating from the Global Theological Seminary (GTS) and serving and pasturing a congregation for two years, while candidat...

  Top: Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings in a celebration mood, Down left: National Democratic Congress, General Secretary: Johnson 'General Mosquitoe'  Asiedu-Nketia and Down roght: Nana Konadu at a 31st December Women's Movement function The Nana Konadu for 2012 Campaign Team has accused the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of sidelining the team as the party constitutes its Electoral Committee for the July 8-10, 2011 congress to elect its flag bearer. “We have written to the General Secretary asking for us to be included on the electoral committees of the party which are responsible for ensuring a fair, unbiased and democratic election at the congress. This was treated with contempt, as we received a letter informing us that our request cannot be granted,” it said. Addressing a news conference in Accra, to give an overview of the team’s campaign tour of seven out of the 10 regions, the Co-ordinator of the Nana Konadu for 2012 ...

President J.E.A. Mills has directed the office of the District Assemblies Common Fund to develop modalities with financial institutions to pre-finance the budget of district assemblies before their funds are released. This, in the view of the President, is necessary  in order not to stall development projects in the various assemblies, as well as ensure that such projects are monitored, evaluated and completed on schedule. The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, made this known when he received the executive of the National Association of Local Government Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) when they made a courtesy call on him at the ministry. The delegation, led by the President of NALAG, Mr Theophilus Adu-Mensah, were at the ministry to congratulate the minister on his appointment as well as pledge their support for an efficient local government system in Ghana. NALAG is the umbrella organisation of all Lo...

GHANAIANS have been urged to ignore the negative political banter that has crept into the country’s politics in order to consolidate the country’s prevailing  peace and unity. “Peace, unity and stability are very important if we want to consolidate on the gains we have made so far, therefore, we must not allow politicians to derail that,” said Apostle Dr Stephen K. Amoani, the Chairman of the  Christ Apostolic Church International (CACI). Apostle Dr Amoani who made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic during the dedication service of a GHC 400,000- Odorkor Central branch of  the CACI said it was important that politicians  eschew actions that could divide the nation and place it on the path of other politically unstable countries in Africa. “We have so much to learn from the experiences of other countries that travelled the path of political instability,” he stated. He said as the 2012 general elections approached, the world would be looking forwar...

THE Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has called on the government to expedite action on the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure to ensure that workers are cushioned enough to promote productivity. “It is important that we reduce salary and wage disparities between public sector institutions, while promoting productivity within the public service and the national economy as a whole.” Presenting the party’s position in its weekly press conference dubbed “How the CPP Will Do It”, the CPP’s Shadow Member of  Employment, Mrs Susan Adu-Amankwa, said the CPP stood with labour in asking the government to implement reforms that brought modern technology, facilities and the right human resources to the public sector so that productivity gained could be made to match improvement in pay levels. The conference, the last of its kind this year, attracted other Shadow Members including Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom for Finance and Economic Planning, Hajia Hamdatu Ibrahim Haruna, Shadow Mi...

 The CPP Chairman,  Mr Ladi Nylander The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has called for a balance between the country’s quest for economic growth and national development for the rational exploitation of the country’s natural resources. “As we continue to exploit our natural resources to meet socio-economic needs, we invariably leave trails of a footprint of destruction. The importance our party attaches to the issues of the environment is underscored by the fact that the country’s ability to develop and reduce poverty is directly linked with the state of health of our environment.” The CPP Shadow member for the Environment, Science, Technology and Communication, Mr Eric K. Benyako, made the remark at a press conference  to provide highlights of the party’s vision and strategies for managing the environment. Mr Benyako, flanked by some members of the Shadow cabinet including the party Chairman, Mr Nadi Nylander, Mr Bright Akwetey for Atorney General and J...

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ablekuma North, Mr Justice Joe Appiah, has called on the youth to eschew social vices and be law-abiding. This, he said, would prevent them from falling prey to acts that could alienate them from their future progress. Mr Appiah gave the advise at the thanksgiving service of this year’s Children’s Camp of the Accra Presbytery of the Global Evangelical Church (GEC) in Accra. It was on the theme: Faithful stewardship, key to divine blessing”. Over 600 children drawn from 28 congregations of the 63 congregations that made up the presbytery attended the one-week camp. Mr Appiah noted that, “Indiscipline, promiscuity, pre-marital sex could lead you to teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and ‘sakawa’ which continue to devastate the lives of many in this country”. The MP congratulated the organisers of the camp and urged the youth to be obedient to their teachers, church leaders and role models and take active part in all communal eff...

The Asafoatse of the Osu Mankralo Stool, Nii Akapeh, has called on Parliament to amend aspects of the Dual Citizenship Law that prevents Ghanaians living abroad from returning home to contribute their quota to national development.                                   The Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Joyce Bamford-Addo Nii Akapeh, who just returned from the United States on a trip there to celebrate the Homowo festival at the invitation of the Ga-Dangme Foundation, told the Daily Graphic that “a number of Ghanaians with US citizenship wanted to come back home but because they had American citizenship, they did not think the current law favoured them. The Dual Citizenship Act came into effect in 2003 and sought among other things to provide for dual citizenship and grants the "right of abode" to Diasporan Africans. Under the law, a Ghanaian may decide to acquire the citizenship of another nation ...