OustAlleged Plot To Oust IGP: Some senior police officers petition Ad Hoc Committee | News Desk
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Also authorities of Argentina, Pia Mencat University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development
00:05 Considering measures to control excesses during students whole week celebrations at the university following death of a student
00:14 We have details plus business and more all in the ZAR. Please stay with us
00:22 You
00:24 Now some senior police officers have petitioned the ad hoc committee probing the alleged plot to oust the IGP
00:50 Chairman of the committee at our chair made the revelation to newsmen and said the committee will be taking a look at the petition and
00:56 Take necessary actions. We'll be bringing you that to you in a bit
01:00 But first here's a wrap from yesterday's sitting filed by Samuel in Bura
01:04 The latest to stroke more fire is a third police officer
01:08 Superintendent George Asari who is collaborating claims that the IGP engineered their conversation with star witness boogering able to be recorded
01:17 George Asari in spite of his request to give his testimony in camera alleged
01:22 Daniel Boogerman was used as a conduit by the IGP to trap them is however denied portions of the tip
01:30 He claims they adopted but
01:33 later
01:36 Upon further inquiries remember I'm a policeman for investigations. I'm very smart
01:42 but that side
01:45 When I when we meet in camera, you know who did the recording who was sent by who?
01:52 And on what promise to whom?
01:55 You will get it when we meet in camera
01:58 He further alleges a contract was awarded to Daniel Boogerman
02:02 By the IGP to procure over 40,000 boots for the Ghana Police Service as a reward
02:15 On video in his office the same office
02:18 his relationship with
02:21 IGP and contracts
02:24 for
02:26 240,000
02:27 Boots contracts. Mr. Asari also revealed that Daniel Boogerman Abu
02:32 Suggested spiritual fortification for them to secure the position of the IGP
02:38 Like I said
02:42 that
02:43 Spiritual matter
02:45 It was in two ways either
02:47 Christianity or
02:49 other
02:50 other face, but he insisted he insisted please honorable chair he insisted that
02:57 insisted that
03:00 He has some malams as I use those words interchangeably or imams. Yes
03:06 Yes
03:12 But Alfred Dacqua who is lawyer for Sgt. George Asari says he is satisfied with the probe so far because it has given
03:20 His clients an opportunity to clear his name in the public
03:23 had already been
03:26 Crucified and at least today he's been able to at least see his side of the story and I think that's the most important thing
03:33 Now, will you be surprised if the committee doesn't invite the IGP?
03:37 Will you be surprised a lawyer if the committee doesn't invite the IGP? I think it wouldn't even be fair to the IGP if
03:44 He's not invited because allegations have been made against him and it's important that I mean principles of natural justice
03:52 He also gets opportunity to also say his side
03:56 He doesn't need to have a case he was invited as a witness so he came to say his side of the story
04:05 It's not really about the Republic against him or he against somebody his name came up and I think he came to
04:11 Explain how all these things happen
04:14 Meanwhile, there is an emergence of a new tip the ad hoc committee is considering to scrutinize
04:21 Chairman of the committee Samoa Attachia said
04:24 They will consider even an in-camera hearing and invite all persons of interest in the probe
04:30 that the first audio
04:35 Is not authentic in terms of some aspects
04:38 But they admitted as some of them were authentic
04:41 Now you've had the benefit of a tape
04:45 on the assumption that is authentic the members of the committee will have to internalize that tape and
04:52 It is also transcribed and look at it and that will give us the ideas as to what to do
04:59 First of all, do we bring all the I mean stakeholders together with their lawyers?
05:05 for cross examination and
05:08 Crossfiring to take place as we listen attentively later when they finish they will have our turn and then are there
05:16 Matters which should not come into the public domain because of national security implications. So we'll do long
05:23 in-house or
05:25 in camera hearing
05:28 For now all four witnesses including Daniel Burin Abu
05:32 COP Alex Mensah
05:35 superintendent Emmanuel JB and pretending Georgia sorry have since been released
05:39 The Parliament ad hoc committee will continue in an in-camera hearing of this probe from Parliament House
05:47 Samuel Mbura join you
05:49 We can also listen to the committee chair attach here who says some police officers have petitioned the committee
05:58 Their
06:00 Petitions were brought to us. So we've not even read them
06:03 No perils the petitions but trust us as a committee that there is nothing of consequence that we brush it aside
06:10 It's going to be a very comprehensive interrogation
06:13 So if you want to aid us to do our fact-finding would not block them. We've also just seen that some
06:22 Police officers have even taken the IGP to court in relation to their promotion
06:27 So I've instructed that issue first the the rate that we know the content of what is pending in court the rest of it
06:36 We're joining studio by former chairman of Parliament's legal and constitutional committee in yourself Husseini to share some thoughts about the committee
06:45 So far and they're hearing. Thank you so much for your time here
06:50 I'm well, I hope you're well too and you've been following proceedings so far. What will you say are your
06:55 views about the hearings so far
06:58 Well, we are interesting times. Also
07:01 The what is happening in Parliament is quite revealing
07:05 some extent troubling
07:07 Resisting matters of concern the unity of the police service
07:12 the whether or not there was a criminal conspiracy by some elements within the police service to to pedo the
07:21 Canaan IGP and what whether their acts can be related
07:25 now again
07:28 The revealing nature of what is happening is that if we if the speaker had not decided to set up a committee to look into
07:35 The matter we would have treated it as one of the hearsays and probably in the public domain
07:41 Arguments were made to suggest that the tape is a fake
07:46 But today we all know that a meeting that took place it took place in the office of
07:51 Bougainvillea with a former regional chairman of the MPP and and and and that some persons were
07:57 Were part of the meeting those persons have come and admitted
08:02 That they were part of the meeting
08:04 Why they met?
08:06 Who recorded?
08:08 What the intentions were
08:11 Whether their acts are criminal or not are matters that the committee will determine
08:16 But so far these witnesses who have appeared before the committee. What do you make of their testimonies?
08:22 well the
08:25 for instance COP Alex Mensah I felt and and thought
08:31 that his
08:34 Testimony was influenced or he was consumed by an inordinate partisan ego
08:41 What do you mean by that?
08:43 In the sense that the police service a bureaucracy is an institution of state. Yes
08:48 That being so they have interests they have values
08:53 Recruitment into the police service is impersonal depends on merit and qualification educational qualification
09:02 Now so a person normally will ascend the highs of the police service based on his output
09:10 and performance
09:12 For a person to think that the most overriding
09:17 consideration for the appointment of an IGP should be
09:21 Whether or not he's a party member and whether he can assist a party to continue to stay in office
09:28 It's subversive to say the least
09:30 Subversive. Why is this subversive? It's subversive because
09:35 in our democracy and particularly in our constitution
09:40 Sovereignty resides with the people and government should be for the people it is we
09:44 who elect government and so
09:48 the election results must be a
09:51 manifestation of the wishes of the people
09:54 And so for anybody to think
09:56 That if he's IGP he can't subvert
10:00 the will of the people
10:03 It's criminal. Well does this come as a surprise that it's something of this sort is happening
10:08 I mean for the first time that something of this nature is happening to the extent that the committee has been set up
10:14 Does it raise concern about the institution itself and the happenings going on?
10:21 Clearly, like in my introduction statement, it clearly raises matters. They're troubling
10:26 Alex Mance says as we speak
10:30 The police service which is a bureaucracy is
10:34 divided between the MPP and the NDC
10:38 That should pose a danger to all of us
10:41 but we see
10:43 if you are
10:45 invited by the police
10:48 Or if you are to be protected by the police, I spoke about the interests of the police service
10:52 They are for law enforcement and maintenance of law and order
10:57 They are also to protect
10:59 property and persons or persons and property. They have values. They serve with what?
11:05 Integrity. Now if these values and interests are compromised
11:10 Then we are not sure that an establishment like the police service, which is a state establishment
11:16 Can protect the citizens of the state and that will lead you to what
11:21 Francis Fukuyama calls political decay. It means that the institution is decaying
11:27 Unable to perform the functions for which it has been established to do largely because of the undermining within the police service
11:35 Well, a committee has been set now and it's being probed. Do you think it's going to cause any reforms in the service?
11:42 First of all, it's going to enable all of us
11:46 Ghanaians to know that something is basically and fundamentally wrong within the police service
11:53 It's going to let us know that as a country we need to take matters of the police service
12:01 Seriously, and all other bureaucracies. We need to work together
12:05 to create the
12:08 Autonomy that these institutions should have to be able to discharge their functions
12:14 And people who get into state institutions must know that their loyalty is to the state and not to government
12:22 So I believe that the committee after the end of his job will make recommendations
12:28 Well ahead of that you think there should be an independent inquiry into the allegations that have been made especially in the police service
12:36 There's already an independent inquiry except there is no established personal to the Constitution
12:40 The committee of Parliament is some is a committee of Parliament. I said independent committee of Parliament
12:46 None of them is working with the police. Great, but then should the IGP be invited?
12:51 I don't think so. I mean there's a conscious deliberate effort to shift
12:55 the terms of reference in this matter
12:57 to
12:59 The trial of the IGP. It's very conscious and deliberate. It's a red herring that has been pushed
13:06 He's at the center of this and a lot of allegations have been made against him
13:11 Does he not deserve the right to answer to some of these things? We might lose focus
13:16 I mean you must in any undertaking you must define the remittance parameters of your operations
13:22 To be able to come out with something concrete
13:24 Is that the IGP part of the problem?
13:28 We do not know
13:30 What are the terms of the preference of the committee?
13:33 to investigate the circumstances leading to the
13:37 Production. But we agree there's a fundamental problem in your in your submission earlier
13:43 You said these raises troubling concerns in the service and so for the man at the head of the hierarchy
13:49 Doesn't this you know I mean give the opportunity for us to hear from him what he has to see about what is happening
13:56 The fear is that it diverts attention from
13:58 the criminal activities of those who met
14:01 To the man himself we might end up
14:05 turning the man into a
14:07 villain
14:09 Might end up. Why would that be so? I mean
14:12 It's just because because because because a lot of things have been said about him
14:17 Which obviously?
14:20 Or not to have been said about him
14:22 I mean a police officer comes on set to say publicly to Ghanaians and the world at large that this is the worst
14:28 IGP we've had in history and in recent history in the fourth Republic
14:36 Then you wonder what metrics that he used what management metrics that he used to come to that conclusion
14:43 How many people did he speak to? Is it a pervasive view in the police service?
14:50 Or is the personal idiosyncratic view of the dissatisfied few within the police service?
14:57 But we allow that to pass
14:59 You understand?
15:00 And many such many many I mean an IGP comes on I mean a
15:06 Senior police officer comes on set to say look. Yes, I admit and I'll say it again
15:11 That I do not regret what happened in the Ayahuasca Wastewagon concert. Senior police officer
15:19 I mean he even ignores the findings of the
15:24 Commission of inquiry that was set up
15:27 And their recommendations and he says look I'm proud that I was part of it
15:32 All that in my view
15:35 Speaks to a larger problem. Those problems could be engineered or fixed by reform
15:42 But those reforms cannot be initiated by the Committee of Parliament
15:46 Right, okay. So then how then do we address the particular part of the problem?
15:51 I mean getting to hear the side of the IGP if not at this committee
15:56 Well, so if we want to get to hear the side of the IGP, there's a police council
16:01 And and and this should not be a trial by the public opinion I mean
16:08 The police council should be interested also in what is happening in Parliament and then they can invite the IGP to respond to them
16:17 On what have they raised in Parliament?
16:19 But by considering the kind of revelations we've had from the committee
16:24 Do you think that should be done in camera?
16:27 I disagree with the
16:30 There's no national security implications involved in any of this
16:33 people were just like people conspiring to overthrow the state that you are trying them for the
16:41 intention to commit an act of
16:44 treason or subversion and they say well
16:47 There are some matters involved that we can we can reveal to the state
16:52 We can say that openly publicly. I mean, I I think that it is greatly out of difference to the
16:58 persons involved most of them being seven
17:01 Police officers that the committee agreed to listen to them in camera. There is nothing
17:07 I mean secretive about what happened there. There's no state secret involved in this. We're not producing a nuclear weapon, are we?
17:15 There are only general
17:17 I wonder but I mean the chair of the committee Atacha has always
17:22 repeated that for the sake of you know
17:25 and state security public safety and all that you don't want to expose certain things because of the kind of
17:31 Allegations or revelations they are making at the committee and so they are inclined to have an in-camera hearing
17:38 The public safety in this case will be probably protecting those who have appeared before the committee
17:43 There's no any threat to public safety by listening to what they have said. So according to you
17:47 We should have all hearings in public. All the hearings should have been, they should have
17:52 demanded and
17:54 Encouraged them to speak publicly for, you know, transparency is very important in a democracy
17:58 Right. All of us must get carried along
18:01 The gravity of what they have done the seriousness of the problems in the police service must be understood and appreciated by all
18:08 All right. So then what then happens or what would be the impact of an in-camera hearing to this year to this probe?
18:15 It raises, it will put doubt in our minds
18:18 When they do produce their reports
18:22 It will introduce a level of doubt or suspicion
18:26 Whether in our minds whether or not the report adequately captures and these people are free
18:32 Those who have appeared before the committee are free
18:35 To tell the public or their friends what they told the committee and if they don't find it that
18:39 Express in the report of the committee, you know what that would mean. That would reduce
18:44 The integrity of the report that they will produce. Well, let's move away from the committee and head into the judiciary
18:51 You know recently former President Mahama has made some, raised some concerns about the judiciary about the appointment of judges
18:59 Into the courts partisan on partisan basis and he feels that the judiciary is in danger
19:05 What do you make of his his comments?
19:07 I share in the view of the former president as a lawyer
19:11 I think that the
19:14 excessive appointments to the
19:18 Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and
19:20 The High Court by current president introduces some level of imbalance
19:26 in
19:28 Representation of the Supreme Court in the sense that we have many schools of thoughts. We have the those who are liberals
19:35 and those who are
19:37 social
19:39 Democrats we have realist American realist and we have
19:43 Contextualist so and all these people represent shades of opinion in society
19:49 And so when you pack the courts you deprive a large segment of the society
19:58 Representation in the courts. That is why in the American judicial system
20:02 You see there's a conscious deliberate attempt to continue to maintain a certain level of balance
20:08 and when that balance is distorted people are able to read and you see the reversal of the decision in Hyde and Wade
20:16 Largely because of the imbalance in the American, I mean the federal court
20:24 So a long a long-standing decision of the court was reversed largely because conservatives had taken over now
20:32 and I
20:34 Also see as a student of science
20:36 that it appears to me that
20:39 His Excellency John Dramani Mohammed statement has some backing in science
20:44 In particularly Newton's law of motion
20:49 it says that
20:51 to get a
20:52 equilibrium
20:54 The action
20:56 Must always a reaction to a situation must always be equal to the action
21:03 So that you get a what you said it a balance
21:07 To balance the equation the action must be equal to the action indeed
21:13 Does this does this bar anybody with maybe a political affiliation, but is qualified
21:22 From being a judge of the court. I mean nobody is really
21:26 What would I put it is really you know
21:31 my
21:33 Macy's in your mature
21:35 We say that there's no law
21:39 That bars and discriminates amongst women
21:45 In Ghana, there's no law
21:48 But you and I know that cultural practices and traditions in the way
21:53 gender relays in workplaces
21:57 Has inbuilt
21:59 Discriminatory practices, you know that right? Well, we live it here
22:03 With us here this morning and we've been hearing from former chairman of Parliament's legal and constitutional committee
22:10 Innocent for Sydney this morning on a news that we are very grateful for your time
22:17 Moving on leadership of the teacher trainees Association of Ghana fears the recurrence of students dismissed
22:22 Overland performance stemming from the continuous strikes by the teachers
22:27 Although the strike by CTAC has been called off
22:29 The association is worried an inconclusive resolution to the impeding or impending issues could hamper
22:36 academic activities in the future president of
22:38 Teachers training Association of Ghana and an economy Jeff says the recent industrial action so many students idling on campus
22:46 There's more in this report
22:48 for six weeks now
22:50 Teachers at the colleges of education have abandoned lecture halls to push the government to redeem its promise on
22:56 Implementing its negotiated conditions of service. The indefinite strike is bringing academic activities on college campuses
23:04 To their knees as many students idle
23:07 The cumulative effects of the endless strike by the teacher union are forcing shifts in academic timelines
23:15 Impeding continuity of learning at its 27th annual general meeting president of the teacher trainees
23:21 Association of Ghana Nana Kwame Jephthah noted the strike could culminate in a dismissal of non-performing
23:28 Students as recorded in previous years
23:30 Student I came to
23:33 College of Education in the year 2018 in a subsequent academic year. Most of them were dismissed because of failure
23:39 There's a record that's one the gain admission that time CTAG was also on strike
23:45 It took CTAG for about four or five before they could report back to campus and for all those weeks students didn't do anything
23:51 They were just on campus
23:53 They didn't have the chance to meet their teachers to learn and that's had impact on most of them
23:58 leading to the failure in the examination that they wrote and we couldn't spare them
24:02 They were dismissed because of poor performance which we could not only based on the fact that they are just not performing
24:08 But we have real factors that might have contributed to this and we are seeing the same thing in this current situation
24:14 Because currently we are entering the sixth week that CTAG has been on strike
24:20 They went out of lecture halls, they went out of campus, nothing is going on
24:24 Their concerns are compounded by the upgrade of the pass mark for the upcoming licensure examinations
24:30 from 50% to 70%
24:33 The association maintains that a balanced minimum pass rate would provide fair opportunity for all students
24:41 while the demand for preparatory logistics
24:43 We don't mean to say that 70% is too high for us to pass because we've been writing exams in our College of Education
24:50 We've been passing. We've written about 50 to 60 different coursework papers that we've passed
24:55 So why can't we sit and pass for licensure exams?
24:57 We believe that how the structure and organization for academic content in the courses that we study in the College of Education
25:04 That's lead us to come and write examinations and we pass. It's not as we see in the NTC
25:08 We don't have course outline for NTC examinations that we are going to write
25:11 We don't have textbooks that we read from and these are all logistics that need to be in place
25:16 Before we could probably raise the bar to the 70% we are talking about
25:19 Meanwhile registrar of the Ghana National Teaching Council Christian Adeyepoku says a crunch meeting with stakeholders is in the offing
25:27 to address the concerns
25:29 The National Teaching Council's board has held on to this position
25:37 that the upcoming licensure examination should be marked at 70% pass
25:46 And the leadership of TAC has insisted on 50% pass
25:58 And lo and behold I've received a letter from the president, a copy to me but a letter to the Minister for Education
26:06 asking for an intervention in the matter
26:09 As I speak, yes last week I had a meeting with the Minister and he has indicated that he would want to meet the leadership of TAC
26:19 The annual General Assembly was held under the theme
26:23 Shaping the future of teacher training and education, prioritizing infrastructural development
26:29 For JOHR News, my name is Emmanuel Brite-Kweku
26:32 Management of Akenten Apiamenka University of Skills, Training and Entrepreneurial Development
26:40 is considering measures to control excesses in the celebration of whole weeks at the university
26:45 This follows the death of a level 300 student who suffered severe burns during a whole procession at the school
26:52 A committee has been constituted to investigate the incident and make recommendations
26:58 Zanabuache Yadom has more
27:00 The 23 year old mathematics student was seen leading a procession as part of the whole week celebration on August 25
27:08 While performing some rituals, he is alleged to have accidentally set his regalia on fire, suffering severe burns
27:16 [Screaming]
27:23 Prosper Owusu was rushed to the Konfonoche Teaching Hospital but died on September 1st
27:29 University Relations Officer David Owusu-Amwa says a committee has been constituted to investigate the incident
27:37 Yes, this information has reached management and management has swiftly begun investigations to unravel all the issues that surround the incident
27:50 Management assures the public that it will keep it updated as and when it gets further details about all that happened
28:01 So for now that is what is happening
28:04 Management has already called on the family of the deceased and every how that management can support in the barrier of the lead, Prosper Owusu, is being taken care of by management
28:22 The committee is expected to put in measures to avert future occurrence of such incidents
28:28 So yes, this is a sad incident and we are trying as much as possible to find out what actually happened
28:36 So that going forward we put in place measures to forestall its repeat
28:42 The team that is working on it will make recommendations based on what they find out in the course of the investigation
28:49 So sad decisions will be the end result of the investigations that we are doing
28:54 So yes, some decisions will come that will safeguard the university from such an incident again in the university
29:03 So behind me is the Opokuwari Hall where Prosper Owusu, the supposed chief priest of the hall, came across his untimely death during the hall's procession
29:13 Prosper's regalia is said to have caught fire leading to his untimely death
29:18 As a stance, management of the university says they have begun their preliminary investigation into the matter
29:25 Reporting for JOY News, my name is Dana Bwacha, Dankwa Yadom, Kumasi
29:29 Demands to remove decommissioned tollbooths from the nation's highways are escalating, fueled by the tragic death of one individual on the scene while four others fight for their lives at the Tema General Hospital
29:43 These individuals sustained injuries in two separate accidents that occurred at the Accra Toll Plaza on the Accra-Tema Motorway on Sunday
29:51 In the following report, eyewitnesses recount a minute-by-minute chronicle of the harrowing incident
29:57 This is the state of the tollbooth on the Accra-Tema stretch of the motorway after a four-ton car plunged into it at around 5 o'clock a.m. Sunday
30:10 The driver's mate died on the spot and the driver critically injured
30:14 The next day, Monday, three persons on board this truck also suffered life-threatening injuries when their truck crashed into the spiller
30:23 Some eyewitnesses recount the incident
30:26 Yesterday, like 5 o'clock a.m., we get car inside, when we hear boom, we come out
30:37 When we come out, we see some, this one is a trailer, tanker
30:45 The tanker, we get the accident, we go come out the driver, he died, he died
30:56 So, around 10 to 11, we get inside and we hear another boom
31:06 We come out, we see this car, we get some accident, the people was trailing inside
31:15 We come out, we come out too, we put down the car, we send him to hospital
31:22 The driver, he leg, we call fire service, we come out, we come out, we send him to hospital
31:31 Right now, this tow boot, it's not working, always, accident
31:37 Right now, I'm travel, where I become, Mali, Niger, Abidjan, anywhere
31:47 I go there, but this accident, I've not seen before, but Ghana here alone, always
31:53 This tow boot, the tow boot, what they call, Accra, Wajah, what they call, Islam Room, the same thing, Amid, accident
32:04 These crashes are not limited to just the Accra Tow Plaza
32:08 Eyewitnesses claim between January and August this year, over 20 people have died in a similar way at the Tema Tow booth
32:18 Between January and August, I've seen, I've actually witnessed over, I may say 20 deaths, what I've seen
32:25 Yes, and it normally occurs at night, because normally there is no light on the tow boot at night
32:34 And then also, you know, especially those who are new on the road
32:38 And when we are driving along, you know, the Flower Accra Road, the marginal lines in between the road
32:45 That you should follow, some of them come and face to the walls of the tow
32:51 So, without you being new, you being new on the road, you wouldn't even know you are heading towards a wall
32:58 Since there is no light, or there is no indication that, ok, you are approaching danger zone
33:03 Or maybe, there is no reflector, nothing to show that there is an empty tow ahead
33:08 By the time you realize, you are already driving into the tow boot
33:11 This has angered many motorists and residents who are demanding the total removal of the commissioned tow booth from the country's highways
33:20 Yesterday, I was here, and my auntie called me and said I should come and see something
33:25 Accidents happen at motorways, I was running, come and see, it's very, very, very bad, sad
33:32 Some people are dying just like that, so we beg the people
33:37 We beg Mr. McArthur, we beg them, they should come and remove the room
33:41 So that the driver will take time and go
33:44 They are on speed, so if the tow booth is not there, they will come and go, pass free
33:50 But because of the room, they are losing control
33:53 So innocent people are dying, stomach hurts here, everything is, the stomach was flowing like this
34:00 You can't see, daddy, you can't see, very sad
34:03 How this tow booth, they kill human beings for here, you know
34:07 If they don't have a repairman, they will come and clear it for us
34:11 Because especially the Ashaman tow booth, every day we know how many people, they know there are four or five
34:16 But to the house you are here, we don't have a few tow, but you are here, there are no say you can go out
34:21 So we beg, we beg the government of Ghana, they should come and repair the tow booth or they will clear it for us
34:27 Visibility at these tow booths at night is low, and there are no warning signs
34:32 Until these tow booths are either put to good use or removed
34:37 Drivers will have to exercise a lot of caution when approaching any of these booths anywhere in the country
34:44 Carlos Kalonis reports, Joy News
34:48 Upper West Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalist Association, Swala Abdul Wahab
34:55 Has called on motorists in the country, especially in the Upper West Region, to use crash helmets for their own safety
35:01 He explained that wearing a crash helmet is not for the pleasure of the police, instead the protection of their own lives
35:07 He is speaking when the Upper West Branch of the GJA donated a little over 18,000 Ghana Cedis
35:13 To support the medical bills of an accident victim
35:17 Rafik Salam has more
35:19 Maurice Banangmene was heading home on July 9, 2023
35:25 When he was crossed on the middle of the road by a middle-aged man, a few meters after the main road traffic light at the West Central Business District
35:35 As a result of the crash, he was rushed to the Upper West Regional Hospital for medical attention
35:41 Medical doctors at the hospital, after examining him, realized that he had several injuries on his head
35:49 That required major operations to create the anomaly and needed to be transferred out of the region
35:55 Maurice Banangmene was then transferred to the Kung Fu Anarchist Teaching Hospital in Kumasi for the surgical operation
36:04 The cost of money involved in the surgical operation was pegged around 60,000 Ghana Cedis and shouldered by benefit individuals
36:13 The Upper West Branch of the Ghana Journalist Association, of which Maurice Banangmene is a member because of his part-time work as some radio stations in the region
36:24 including Radio Wa, did not stand aloof but created a platform for money to be donated to help pay his medical bills
36:33 Ibrahim Sidi Boumanjo is the Upper West Regional Vice Chair of GJA
36:38 When he was involved in an accident, the GJA leadership came together and said, "Look, we need to do something"
36:44 We sought clearance from the family to be able to do what we did
36:50 Some people were even questioning. I had a call from somebody who said, "Who gave us the clearance to go and do what we were doing?"
36:55 Because at that time we needed time to do what was needful, I decided to ignore those things
37:01 But I think that the general public, particularly the Upper West Public, were very, very helpful
37:08 I now realize that there are a lot of good people in the Upper West Region
37:12 and they, in fact, contributed a lot, even though we had some from other parts of the country
37:18 So as we are going to give this money, it's 18,424 Ghana Cedis
37:24 Upper West Regional Chairman of GJA, Swola Abdel Wahab, in a brief remark before presenting the money to Maurice Bonamoni
37:33 asked motorists to use glass helmets whenever they are to ride in order to save their lives
37:38 So assuming he was not in a helmet, look at what happened to him, his condition
37:44 He was in a helmet, so if he was not wearing the helmet, you can imagine the kind of situation he would find himself
37:54 So we are also standing on this same platform to appeal to all the people in Upper West and in Ghana at large
38:03 to please put on a helmet when you are riding a motorbike
38:09 It is not because of the police. When you are involved in an accident and your head hits the ground
38:16 it is not the head of the police that will be affected, it is your head
38:21 So don't say you are wearing the helmet because of police, you are wearing it to protect yourself
38:27 to stay alive so that you can take good care of your family and your relatives
38:33 Maurice Bonamoni thanked the Upper West Branch of the GJA and the public for their monetary support and their prayers
38:40 I want to send my regards to the Almighty Allah for keeping me safe up to today
38:49 Not forgetting the Ghana Journalists Association and the leadership of the GJA
38:57 including its members of the Upper West Region for supporting me even before today
39:04 I also want to thank each and every one of the general public within the Upper West Region and outside the Upper West Region
39:16 Reporting for GJA News, Rafik Salaam
39:22 Ghana is set to become the first African country to manufacture its own cholera vaccine
39:32 It is a significant step to join the global fight against infectious diseases
39:36 Speaking at a technological transfer event at the National Vaccine Institute
39:41 Acting Technical Coordination Director at the Ministry of Health, Dr Bafwe Wa revealed this initiative is to ensure that Ghana is self-sufficient
39:50 There's more in this report by Jacqueline Ansuma-Ebua
39:54 There are fewer African countries with the capacity to produce vaccines
40:00 So many African countries are dependent on developed countries
40:04 To break this chain of dependency, Ghana has taken a huge step to produce its own vaccines
40:11 It will begin with the production of oral cholera vaccines
40:15 EU Biologics, based in Korea, is set to transfer the technology of producing the vaccine to Ghana's local partners, D.E.K. Vaccines
40:25 in order to increase global vaccine production capacity and reduce disparity in vaccine access for African children
40:33 Acting Technical Coordination Director at the Ministry of Health, Dr Bafwe Wa revealed that this initiative is a step in the right direction
40:43 to ensure that Ghana is self-sufficient
40:48 The principal aim of manufacturing your own vaccine
40:55 When you import, we have import duties here, all these add to the cost
41:02 So when we are doing it locally, you give jobs to local people
41:10 We want to be self-reliant in all the vaccine space
41:14 Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsia Asare, is excited that the private sector is leading this new development
41:23 He said, with time, Ghana will continue to limit the importation of vaccines
41:29 The President said, let's do this into the private sector
41:32 We said the private sector is the engine of growth
41:35 We are giving all the necessary backing to the private sector to become the engine for vaccine production
41:45 The private sector does things and does it very well
41:47 Because this company like D.E.K., which is made up of Ghana Darms, NS Chemist and Kina Pharma
41:53 are very industrial, very well established pharmaceutical companies
42:00 which have footprints in the West African sub-region
42:02 and that's what we have been doing
42:04 So D.E.K. has already cut, the President cut the sword in April for the setting up of the factory
42:10 which is ongoing now
42:13 They have been supported by the EU, they have been supported by GIZ and the German government
42:19 and now, today, the Koreans have come in with the International Vaccine Institute of Korea
42:26 and also EU biologists to transfer the technology
42:30 They signed an agreement today to give them products for the production of oral cholera vaccines
42:37 They've already signed an agreement, as I know, with the Social Institute of India
42:41 and I know also that Lative Life Sciences, which is another private company
42:45 which was commissioned last year by His Excellency the President
42:48 they are going into also vaccine production and then anti-snake and anti-rabies vaccines
42:54 The first locally produced oral cholera vaccine is expected to be made available after testing
43:01 For JOYNE News, Jacqueline Ansuma-Iyobua
43:04 This is News Desk, we'll be right back with Business
43:09 Hi, good morning, welcome to Business, my name is Darrell Kwao
43:19 Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance Dr Mohamed Amin Adam is pushing for scheduled timelines
43:25 when it comes to renegotiating debt restructuring with external creditors
43:30 The Minister noted that the time taken to secure a deal under the G20 framework is not helping countries like Ghana
43:37 He disclosed this during a discussion on climate financing at the ongoing climate change conference in Kenya, Nairobi
43:45 There are challenges associated with this, particularly if you have to do debt restructuring
43:50 and pay fiscal to finance your development
43:54 Number one is the time period involved in debt restructuring under the G20 outcome framework
44:01 Look at the example of Zambia, then Ghana is following Ethiopia chart
44:06 The time involved is so long and until we have definite timelines to do debt restructuring
44:13 and negotiate the negotiation, countries are going to continue to suffer
44:17 So Ghana submitted an offer with, they started looking at negotiating an MOU
44:26 much more to negotiate the debt restructuring scenarios
44:30 So that is the time period, even though countries are faced with difficulties and they need funding urgently
44:36 the debt restructuring under the G20 need to be looked at
44:40 We need definite timelines because a number of countries are going to follow
44:44 I've seen data that suggests that of the 68 V20 countries, 40 of them are debt distressed
44:51 And so if they are debt distressed, the likelihood is that a number of them will also join Zambia, Ghana, Ethiopia chart
44:58 for debt restructuring under the G20 common framework
45:02 It's very likely, and therefore we need definite timelines to guide the negotiation of the debt restructuring
45:10 Now the Bank of Ghana has indicated it is committed to instituting measures to bring inflation down to its target
45:16 to help stabilize the economy
45:18 Director of Research at the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Philippe Abidou Otu, disclosed this in a speech
45:23 read on his behalf at a workshop for some financial journalists
45:27 Like many economies around the world, Ghana's was not spared with the devastating effect of COVID-19 in 2020
45:36 and post-pandemic effects. The country's attempt to revive the economy suffered another major setback in 2021
45:44 with the Russian-Ukraine war which had some implications on the supply chain
45:49 Bank of Ghana explains, surge in inflation in 2022, coupled with fiscal policy implementation
45:56 and net vulnerabilities, led to loss of confidence and access to the international capital market
46:02 putting pressure on the balance of payment
46:05 Speaking at the program, Dr. Philippe Abidou Otu says, confidence is needed to turn things around
46:13 He added that measures being implemented are beginning to yield results
46:18 We are seeing inflation declining steadily
46:22 While we see non-food inflation going down significantly
46:26 I think we've moved somewhere from 49 or 50 percent to around 33 for non-food
46:35 But the food still remains high and therefore the overall is not coming down very fast
46:42 But I think there's some good news in there
46:44 For your non-food in six months to decline by 17 percentage points
46:49 is very encouraging and we need to work more on the food side
46:55 Fiscal policy implementation for the first six months is also on track
47:01 And that's it for the segment, the news continues after the break
47:06 Welcome back, now we move on to our stories of hope
47:16 He dropped out of school in class six
47:18 knowing that his qualification could not earn him any meaningful job then
47:22 He resorted to menial jobs which could at least help him cater for himself
47:26 After trying some laborious work, Mr. Ejei resorted to selling coconut
47:30 Through that trade, he has ensured his children have what he did not get when growing up, education
47:36 After enjoying a juicy coconut from Kofi Ejei and his coaching son, Hanna Odame sat with him to hear his story
47:44 [Speaking in Kofi Ejei language]
47:54 Kofi Ejei has engaged in lots of menial jobs
47:59 He's done mason work, he's driven commercial vehicles
48:03 But years ago, he settled on the coconut business
48:07 [Speaking in Kofi Ejei language]
48:16 To say it was easy would be an understatement, he says
48:20 [Speaking in Kofi Ejei language]
48:25 When I started, I used to carefully arrange the coconut on a tray
48:30 Then I hawk in town till it finishes
48:33 [Speaking in Kofi Ejei language]
48:36 And the cycle continues until all I purchased runs out
48:40 Did Kofi Ejei think of quitting along the way?
48:46 Considering how his colleagues, who had fully attended and completed at least senior high school, were progressing
48:53 It got to a point I thought I could do other jobs because it was energy draining
49:00 So I stopped and began driving commercial vehicles
49:04 That was also not sustainable for me
49:07 I then began doing masonry work
49:10 That too was not profitable so I decided to return to selling coconuts
49:15 As I realised that was more lucrative
49:18 Throughout the journey of changing jobs, I realised all that is required is for one to be determined and willing to work
49:26 [Speaking in Kofi Ejei language]
49:30 Sometimes calculating how much he earns a day as against that of his colleagues
49:37 Not for once did he believe he must rely on someone else for a job
49:42 Self-help, to him, was the best way to go
49:45 [Speaking in Kofi Ejei language]
49:47 As for the job, it requires diligence
49:50 Just decide how much you intend to save and if you are disciplined, you will be able to save and even invest
49:59 And that's it for Newsdecks here, we'll be back at Mayday with news today
50:04 There's more news on myjoyonline.com
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