Politics

The five-member panel reviewing proposals for and against demands for a new voters register says arguments for a new register are unconvincing.

The EC, a month ago organized a two-day forum for political parties, Civil Society organisations and individuals to collate views on the credibility or otherwise of the register.

The EC decided to hold the forum following heated national debate over the register after the opposition New Patriotic Party claimed it had evidence suggesting the register had been compromised with as many as 76,000 non-Ghanaian voters on it.

There were a number of demonstrations some of which turned violent.

A panel was therefore constituted to solicit opinions from stakeholders on whether or not to compile a new register.

Weeks after the two day forum, the panel has submitted its report to the EC.

Chair of the Panel Justice VCRAC Crabbe is recommending that EC should not replace the current voters’ register. The panel however stated that it will still continue to monitor events relating to the register.

The following is the full statement from the Electoral Commission

ELECTORAL COMMISSION’S POSITION ON THE VOTERS’ REGISTER

The Electoral Commission is pleased to inform the general public that it has received the report submitted by the Independent Panel set up by the Commission and tasked to look into the concerns and views of stakeholders on the Voters’ Register. Following the receipt of the report on December 21, 2015, the Commission has concluded its study of the report submitted by the Panel and wishes to advise the public as follows:

1. The Panel finds the arguments for a new register unconvincing and therefore does not recommend the replacement of the current voters’ register;
2. The Panel is of the view that the responsibility for having a clean and credible register is the shared responsibility of all citizens of Ghana;
3. The Electoral Commission accepts the recommendations of the Panel and will progressively implement the recommendations made therein;
4. The Electoral Commission will continue to engage stakeholders to ensure that a clean and credible voters’ register is in place for the 2016 general elections through an inclusive and collaborative audit process;
5. The Commission will publish the full report of the Panel on its website- www.ec.gov.gh by 7th January 2016 for the benefit of the public.
The Commission further wishes to inform the public that it has examined all the allegations and complaints made by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on the voters’ register and has responded appropriately to the party. A copy of the findings of the Commission into the claims made by the NPP will also be made available to the Public on the Commission’s website.
The Commission takes the opportunity to thank the members of the Panel led by His Lordship VCRAC Crabbe, the Political Parties, Civil Society Organizations, Faith Based Organizations and all stakeholders for the support and cooperation shown to the Commission during the engagements on the Voters’ Register.

The Commission reiterates its commitment to ensuring transparent, inclusive and credible general elections in 2016 and to ensuring democratic growth and stability in Ghana and takes the opportunity to wish all citizens of Ghana a blessed, peaceful and prosperous 2016.

SIGNED
CHRISTIAN OWUSU-PARRY
ACTING DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Source: myjoyonline.com

US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump says he is planning to spend $2m (£1.3m) a week on campaign advertising.

Mr Trump said he would bring out "substantial" adverts in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina ahead of primary elections in February.

Meanwhile, former New York Governor George Pataki has pulled out of the race for the Republican nomination.

Correspondents say he has failed to make any impact in the polls.

Mr Trump, a property tycoon, has previously said that he is funding his campaign himself and wouldn't be in the pocket of lobbyists or powerful corporate entities. He has also insisted that he has spent very little on his campaign so far, and yet is the frontrunner.

"I'll be spending a minimum of $2m a week and perhaps substantially more," Mr Trump said in a video broadcast on CNN.

"I'm going to be doing big ads in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and they're going to be very substantial."

More on Donald Trump and his 2016 chances

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22 things that Trump believes - Muslims, Mexicans and Putin

Is Trump a Democratic secret agent? - the conspiracy theories that he's a Republican wrecking ball

The true cost of his deportation plan - Trump wants to kick out every undocumented migrant, but how?

Mr Trump's campaign so far has been marked by a series of controversial statements.

Earlier this month, he said Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton had been "schlonged" by Barack Obama in 2008, using a vulgar Yiddish term that means a penis.

He said he was referring to Mrs Clinton's defeat to then Senator Obama in the primary contests that year.

He has also called for Muslims to be banned from entering the US following a deadly attack in California carried out by a radicalised Muslim couple.

The billionaire, who has no political experience, leads the polls nationally among Republican voters, and is also ahead in some key states.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Mr Pataki said he was suspending his campaign but was "confident we can elect the right person".

He launched his campaign in May, positioning himself as a moderate in a heavily conservative field.

However, he has barely registered in state or national polls and was not eligible to take part in televised debates involving the high-profile candidates.

Bruce Breton, a member of Mr Pataki's New Hampshire steering committee, said the former governor had told him on Tuesday that he would be leaving the race.

He said Mr Pataki's campaign had struggled to win media attention or to raise funds.

"He said he couldn't get any traction. He worked hard, it's just a different type of year,'' Mr Breton said.

The primary contests begin at the start of February and the presidential election is in November.

Source: bbc.com

Long queues formed at polling stations in the Central African Republic's capital as presidential and parliamentary elections were held to end years of conflict.

UN troops patrolled Bangui to stop a repeat of the clashes during a recent referendum on a new constitution.

Thirty candidates vied to replace interim leader Catherine Samba-Panza.

CAR has been torn by sectarian violence since a largely Muslim Seleka rebel group seized power in March 2013.

A band of mostly Christian militias, called the anti-Balaka, then took up arms against the Seleka.

In January 2014, a transitional government was formed but elections have been postponed four times since February 2015 due to insecurity and logistical challenges.

Will elections end the fighting in CAR?

Can Pope tackle religious divide in Central African Republic?

More about the Central African Republic

'We want to be free'

Three candidates are considered frontrunners for the presidency.

Two of them - Martin Ziguele and Anicet Dologuele - were prime ministers under late President Ange-Felix Patasse. The third, Karim Meckassoua, is a Muslim who served as a minister under President Francois Bozize until he was ousted in 2013 by Seleka rebels.

UN peacekeepers staged patrols and positioned armoured personnel carriers at polling stations in Bangui.

"I've been dreaming of this election for two years since the day armed men killed my father and my brother in Bangui. I voted for peace," said Ahmat Abouna, who fled to the Cameroon border town of Garoua-Boulai and voted along with thousands of other refugees, Reuters news agency reports.

Businessman Gradias Vara said: "We came to vote because we want to be free to get back to our professions. We want to put an end to the conflict."

Voting was extended at numerous polling stations where logistical problems had delayed voting, including in Bangui's flashpoint PK5 district, the AFP news agency reports.

The new head of the 11,000-strong UN force, General Bala Keita, said the atmosphere was "good-natured", and there had only been a few "administrative issues".

"It won't be like last time [the referendum vote]. We have learned, the people have learned, the saboteurs have learned. So we have all have learned. So today, God willing, all will go well," he told journalists in Bangui.

Analysis: Abdourahmane Dia, BBC Afrique

Judging by the long queues in Bangui, it seemed that people were determined to turn the page on violence and division which they blame on rotten politicians driven by their own interests.

The same determination was seen during the 13 December referendum when many voters in Bangui's mainly Muslim PK5 district defied armed men who tried, and partly succeeded, to disrupt voting.

General Keita promised that troops would be more aggressive during the election, and said it was unacceptable that they could not help citizens fulfil their duty of voting when there were so many of them in CAR.

So the election is likely to be peaceful compared with the referendum, especially after a powerful Seleka leader, Nourredine Adam, backpedalled on his threat to disrupt voting in areas under his control following pressure from Muslim leaders.

The interim government and international donors pushed for the poll, believing that an elected president and parliament would help CAR, where most people are poor despite the fact that it is rich in resources, move forward.

But it is not going to be a perfect election, and if the poll is marred by widespread logistical problems and claims of vote-rigging, the post-election period will be difficult to manage.

Pope Francis ignored safety fears to visit CAR last month, and said Muslims and Christians were brothers and sisters who should live in peace.

Results are not expected for a few days. Observers say a second round is likely and could be held by the end of January.

Elections also took place for the 149-seat National Assembly.

After seizing power, the Seleka rebels installed Michel Djotodia as the first Muslim leader of the majority Christian country.

But under pressure from regional leaders and former colonial power France, Mr Djotodia stood down and was succeeded by Ms Samba-Panza.

All three former presidents were barred from contesting the election.

Mr Djotodia and Mr Bozize are both in exile and face UN and US sanctions over violence in the country.

Mr Bozize described the Constitutional Court's decision to reject his candidacy as "shameful".

About 1.8 million people are registered to vote, out of a population of roughly five million.

More than one million people have been forced to flee their homes because of the fighting.

Source: bbc.com

Government has announced an official end to the four-year long load shedding exercise which plagued the country.

In a statement signed by the head of Public Affairs of the Ministry of Power Kweku Sersah-Johnson, Wednesday, government thanked Ghanaians for their patience during the difficult times.

The announcement comes two days before the January 1 2016 deadline given by the Power Minister Dr Kwabena Donkor.

He had vowed to resign if the perennial power crisis continued after the end of the year. 

It appears however that government has resolved the crisis.

The following is the full statement;

END OF LOAD SHEDDING

The Ministry of Power wishes inform the public that its Load Shedding programme in respect of electricity supply has been brought to an end. 

The Ministry takes this opportunity to express its profound gratitude and appreciation to the entire citizenry and residents of Ghana for their forbearance and understanding during those difficult times. 

The Ministry and its Agencies wish to assure the public that it shall continue to pursue policies and programs to consolidate the gains so far made in the generation and transmission of Electricity for the country. 

Source: myjoyonline.com

A court in Buenos Aires has given jail sentences to two former Argentine transport ministers for a train crash which killed 51 people in 2012.

Ricardo Jaime and Pablo Schiavi were given six- and eight-year sentences for negligence.

The accident, which injured 789 people, happened when a morning rush hour train hit the buffers at the Once rail station in the capital.

t was one of the worst train accidents in Argentina in decades.

The train driver received a three-year prison sentence.

Two of the directors of the company Trenes de Buenos Aires (TBA), which operated the rail line concession at the time, received sentences of between five and nine years.

The train hit the barrier at about 12mph (20km/h), destroying the front of the engine and crushing the carriages into it from behind.

One of the carriages was driven nearly 6m (20ft) into the next.

The train hit the barrier at about 12mph (20km/h)

The Buenos Aires rail system transports about four billion passengers a year, making it the biggest in South America.

In the 1990s most of it was privatised in the hope of boosting investment in infrastructure.

But little investment in the network happened since the companies were not obliged by contract to invest, and they had little incentive because they continued to receive income from state subsidies.

Source: bbc.com

A top aide to the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has died in a car crash, state news agency KCNA has said.

Kim Yang-gon, 73, was a secretary of the ruling Workers' Party and was in charge of ties with South Korea.

He was part of a high-level delegation from North Korea that helped ease a stand-off with the South in August, after an exchange of artillery fire.

The state news agency called him Kim Jong-un's "closest comrade and a solid revolutionary partner".

"Comrade Kim Yang-gon, a Workers' Party secretary and member of the party Central Committee Politbureau... died in a traffic accident at 6:15am, Tuesday, at age 73," KCNA said, without giving details.

It added that Kim Jong-un would lead an 80-member state funeral for Mr Kim on Thursday.

Tension between North and South Korea increased in August when a border blast injured two South Korean soldiers.

Meetings at that time eventually led to the two countries stepping away from a military confrontation.

Source: bbc.com

David Cameron has defended the government's spending on flood defences following widespread devastation across parts of northern England.

The prime minister dismissed suggestions of a "north-south divide" in investment, saying more per head was spent on flood defences in the north.

Parts of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester were flooded after several rivers burst their banks.

The Environment Agency has called for a "complete rethink" of flood defences.

The Met Office says areas of Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire have seen record December levels of rainfall.

'Real anger'

A thousand homes have flooded in Leeds, but the leader of the city council, Judith Blake, said the flooding had been a "preventable disaster".

She said the North had not received "anywhere near the support that we saw going into Somerset" - which flooded in 2014 - and there was now a "real anger growing across the North".

But speaking while visiting communities affected in York, Mr Cameron rejected the accusation.

He said ministers needed to assess "what we are planning to build, what we are planning to spend and see if more can be done".

The government has ordered a major review of flood prevention strategy.

But the prime minister insisted the government had spent "more per head of the population on flood defences in the north than we do in the south".

"We are going to spend £2.3bn on flood defences in this parliament but we will look at what's happened here and see what needs to be done," he added.

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The Environment Agency has nine severe flood warnings - meaning danger to life - in place in north-east and north-west England, and more than 100 other flood alerts across England and Wales.

It comes as a fresh storm - which has officially been named Storm Frank - is set to bring further heavy rain late on Tuesday into Wednesday.

Many places in northern England have seen record river levels over the past 24 hours, including the River Aire in Leeds, and the rivers Calder and Ribble, affecting places such as Whalley, Hebden Bridge and Ribchester.

The River Ouse is now thought to have stabilised in York, where hundreds of people had to leave flooded homes following the torrential rain over Christmas, but water levels are still believed to be rising in the town of Selby.

In developments elsewhere:

• The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) says Storm Frank could bring further flooding to Scotland
• Wales is also bracing itself for more rain
• Analysts estimate the cost of flooding across northern England could exceed £1.5bn
• People affected in Yorkshire and Lancashire will have access to the support package announced earlier in the month for those hit by Storm Desmond in Cumbria.
• The Department for Transport is also to provide £40m to help repair and rebuild flood-damaged roads and bridges
• Electricity North West says about 350 properties remain without power in Greater Manchester and Lancashire
• The Archbishop of York has praised the "tremendous spirit" of people responding to the floods

The Environment Agency deputy chief executive David Rooke said the UK was moving from a period of "known extremes" of weather to one of "unknown extremes".

"I think we will need to have that complete rethink and I think we will need to move from not just providing better defences... but also looking at increasing resilience," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued yellow (be aware) warnings for rain on Wednesday in areas of northern England, Wales and Northern Ireland, bringing the threat of further flooding.

Amber (be prepared) warnings for rain are also in place for parts of Scotland on Wednesday. There are currently no flood warnings in Scotland.

People can access information from council websites and the Environment Agency Floodline.

The agency is also operating a phone line - 0345 988 1188 - which will be staffed rather than offering recorded information.

Source; bbc.com

Vice president, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has justified the need for Ghanaians to retain the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) in power ahead of the 2016 general elections.

According to him, in spite of the socio-economic challenges, government has been able to maintain the peace and stability of the country.

Mr. Amissah-Arthur addressing the University of Cape Coast branch of Tertiary Educational Institutions Network (TEIN) was skeptical about the opposition New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) ability to maintain the stability of the country should it win the 2016 general elections.

In his view, an opposition party characterized by violence which has led to the death of its members is not worthy of leading a peaceful nation like Ghana.

“If they can with their own people like this, how much more the NDC” he quizzed.

The vice president maintained that “John Mahama guarantees the stability and the peace of this country [which] allows us all to progress rather than the other side [NPP]”.

He charged the youth is work assiduously to make the NDC attractive to the over 50 percent of Ghanaians who have not decided who to vote for in 2016.

“More than half of the Ghanaian people have not decided yet who they want to vote for. It means that we need to do well to convince them to vote for NDC”.

Kwesi Amissah-Arthur is confident with hard work and determination; the Mahama-led government will surmount the challenges.

source: myjoyonline.com

Flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says his 2016 resolution is to assume the highest office of the land.

The NPP leader says he wants to become President to give Ghana the government it deserves.

“A government that will deal with the problems facing the people of Ghana; problems of unemployment, jobs for youth, how to sustain our economy, grow our economy, bring prosperity to the ordinary man and the people of Ghana. That’s the new year resolution,” Akufo-Addo said.

Akufo-Addo was speaking to Joy News’ Latiff Idrissu after a thanksgiving service at the Resurrection Power and New Generation Church at Kasoa in the Central Region.

The flagbearer was joined at the service by the Acting General Secretary of the party, John Boadu, Chairman of the party’s Council of Elders, C.K. Tedam, former MP Sheik IC Quaye and some members of parliament and parliamentary candidates.

Nana Akufo-Addo said he has the solution to the country’s troubled economy and lack of opportunity for the youth in Ghana.

According to him, winning the 2016 elections will give him the chance to put the economy back on track for recovery.

He said he was in church to give thanks to God for steering the NPP through turbulent times which have seen three national officers suspended.

Chairman Paul Afoko, General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong and Second Vice-Chairman, Sammy Crabbe have all been suspended for allegedly acting in ways that vitiate from the party's goal of capturing political power next year.

Source: myjoyonline.com

The President’s Special Advisor on Governance and Corruption, Daniel Batidam has indicated that the Transport Minister Dzifa Attivor’s resignation involving the rebranded Metro mass transit buses is a good sign for the country’s democracy and the fight against corruption.

‘For me, it’s a good sign for our governance, for our democracy and our fight against corruption. Now this Minister’s action I believe is an example that it does not always has to be the ultimate authority of the president to sack people who are involved in corruption,’ he remarked.

He indicated that this is the first bold decision taken by a state official directly or indirectly involved in corruption.

‘This is another test in terms of governance in our country Ghana, as you do know hardly does a public official or Minister of state step down or aside from his/her office or position as a matter of principles, or taking responsibility,’ he observed.

Mr. Batidam admitted that this rarely happens in Africa, urging Ghanaians to look at the progress made so far than looking at it from political angle.

‘Let us not look at it as though as if this is a feel of guilt, all over in the world, especially in the most advanced countries it is almost a natural thing for people with whom the back normally stops to take responsibility for any actions, commissions or omissions that happens under their supervision, and normally in those highly democratic environment people don’t even have to call on you before you step down, but you and I know that in Africa this a rarely case,’ he maintained.

Speaking on Ultimate breakfast hosted by Prince Minkah, he encouraged state officials to own up to their responsibilities.

‘In terms of governance and principles it does not always have to be that one is guilty or has done something wrong, there are certain standards or principles that must be upheld by duty- bearers at a certain level, whenever failure happens under their watch. In real democratic world, they should take responsibility even if they were not necessarily involved,’ he entreated.

The President’s Special Advisor on Governance and Corruption advised Ghanaians especially politicians to examine accountability in its broader framework.

‘Mind you corruption is a very complex thing, sometimes because of our emphasis on corruption itself. We make people look at it more as to who is corrupt and who is not corrupt. We have to look at it in the broader framework of accountability, and in accountability, we have answerability, who is answerable, who takes the ultimate responsibility. When we move from just the talk about corruption which then makes us reduce it to finger pointing and look at the broader issue of accountability, corruption is the absence of accountability, who is to be held accountable,’ he stated.

He further entreated people to own up to their responsibilities wherever they find themselves.

‘When we develop up to a point when our ethical standards are high enough, we should be having people in positions taking responsibilities of anything that go on. It does not only has to be about resignation but by accepting the consequences of what has gone wrong, this boost democracy, Ghanaians should be proud about it,’ he said.

Source: peacefmonline.com

A member of the legal team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ato Dadzie, says Parliament’s failure to properly scrutinize projects presented for approval is partly to blame for recurrent reports of bloated expenditure.

Ato Dadzie says being a key part of government’s machinery, Parliament needs to be strengthened to appropriately check facts and figures contained in the motions presented to the House.

“We have a constitutional order, and the oversight responsibility for financial disbursement and all that is in Parliament. Parliament must do more in terms of investigating and examining documents placed before them,” Ato Dadzie said.

The NDC lawyer was speaking on a special edition of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Thursday, hosted by New Patriotic Party (NPP) member, Gabby Otchere-Darko.

Ato Dadzie was reacting to views that corruption has steeped under the current administration.

Citing the controversial 3.6 million Ghana cedis bus branding deal and the over 500 million Ghana cedis AMERI power plant contract, Gabby Otchere-Darko suggested that the current administration has done a poor job at fighting corruption.

Some analysts say Ghana could have gotten the 235MW power plants that AMERI has provided at a lesser cost.

A Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, K.T. Hammond the committee said he was misled to approve the controversial AMERI power project contract.

According to him, the Power Ministry failed to provide full details of the transaction to the Committee members.

Also, the Chief of Staff has ordered the Attorney General, to recover GHC1.9 million the company that branded the buses.

Speaking on the Super Morning Show Thursday, Ato Dadzie said Parliament and other government institutions need to be strengthened.

 “You shouldn’t come and tell us that you were misled. That is why we put you there. That oversight responsibility is that of Parliament.” Ato Dadzie said.

He said Parliament and state instutions that have the mandate to check graft must invest in capacity building to enable them deliver on their objectives.

Source: myjoyonline.com

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari while presenting the 2016 fiscal year budget has assured that there will be free eduction for science, technology and education students in tertiary institutions.

President Buhari stressed that this would indeed mark a historic milestone for Nigeria as a nation.

“Furthermore, through the office of the Vice President, we are working with various development partners to design an implementable and transparent conditional cash transfer program for the poorest and most vulnerable.

“This program will be implemented in phases. Already, the compilation of registers of the poorest persons is ongoing.

“In the coming weeks, we will present the full programme which will include our home-grown public primary school feeding and free education for science, technology and education students in our tertiary institutions.

“Indeed, this will mark a historic milestone for us as a nation”, President Buhari said.
 

Source: Daily Trust

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been thrown into a state of confusion since the John Dramani Mahama administration unveiled its “Accounting to the People” publication chronologically cataloguing the countless development projects embarked upon by his government, the Republic Newspaper can report.

Sources have told this paper that the NPP is currently groping frantically for a new line of criticisms against the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government since the publication popularly dubbed the Green Book has significantly neutralized the NPP’s narratives against the government.

President Mahama launched the publication at an event at the State Banquet Hall late last week, and since the launching, the Green Book has become an important topical issue in the media.

“ We note that ever since government began the publication and provision of irrefutable evidence of its achievements, the leadership and membership of the opposition party have changed their oft-repeated narrative of “non-performance” to one of “inflation of project cost”. In their misguided view, this desperate narrative will taint these projects and obscure the benefits that our people will derive from them,” Dr. Omane Boamah, stated in a press release on Monday.

The often repeated criticism of the NDC government by the NPP includes the fact that the NDC administration had secured billions in loans and grants more than any other administration but yet have been unable to show anything for it because the funds have been siphoned into private pockets.

This allegations is preposterous says the Communications Minister. “ Let me place on record that our performance in Government as summarized in the book, ‘Accounting to the people’ is unassailable and cannot be wished away. The unparalleled investments we have made in education, health, water, housing, roads, transport, and security among others have led to significant and measurable improvements in the living conditions of our people. We are aware that the NPP perceives these achievements as an existential threat hence their resort to outright falsehood as a means to detract from them. No amount of falsehood about government’s performance, however, will change the fact that the NPP’s record over the eight years they were in power pales into insignificance when set against what the NDC has done in office,” he said in the statement released on Monday.

Touting the achievements of his administration on Tuesday at the launching event at the State Banquet Hall, Mahama said the government has done a lot in all sectors to put Ghana on a sound footing. “Ghana is on the path of recovery and our medium-term prospects of becoming an upper middle-income country are brighter now than ever in the history of our country.”

“Development occurs within space and time, and so very often it’s not easy to comprehend that development is taking place because if you live in, say Chorkor, and there is a hospital being built in Nungua, you might not have the consciousness that healthcare is improving…, and so what I’ve tried to do with this book is to bring an overview of what we’ve been doing in the whole country over the period of our governance. Accounting to the people brings together in one space and volume, major highlights of what we have achieved so far as a government,” the President explained to dignitaries at the event.

The book is a combination of the numerous significant strides made in various sectors of in the country, adopting a combination of pictures matched with crisp and incisive text.

The book is presented in two parts. The first part gives a broad overview of this Government’s performance in various sectors based on the four pillars of the 2012 NDC manifesto. The second part provides pictorial proof of work done at the district level.

The green book shows that the NDC had been particularly active in the roads and transport sector, where it has significantly modernized the over 71,063 Km network criss-crossing the country. “One of the key planks of President Mahama’s transformation agenda is to expand and modernizes the road network. This is a prerequisite to open up the country in order to reduce road traffic accidents and congestion, boost economic activities and move goods and services freely. Unparalleled investments have been made in road projects across the country in the last few years,” the publication stated.

For instance, the government is spending GH¢3 billion in five years on what is known as the Cocoa Roads Improvement Programme (CRIP) which has commenced with the ongoing construction of several roads in cocoa-growing areas. Beyond the massive road construction in cocoa growing areas, other road projects funded from various sources are underway, the green book acknowledged.

On the transport sector, to provide the public with greater options and flexibility in road transport, public transportation is being improved through the acquisition of a total of 495 buses to strengthen the operations of two public transport companies, namely the Metro Mass Transit and the Intercity STC; and the implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

Some of these buses have been designed to allow for easy access by persons with disability. The first batch of 116 buses has already arrived and is to be deployed to provide intra-city transport services after the installation of electronic ticketing systems in the buses. Procurement processes are underway for the Bus Rapid Transit project. Ten of the buses for the BRT.

On the aviation sector, the Mahama administration has heavily invested in the development and upgrade of the country’s aviation infrastructure including airports, aerodromes and expansion of runways. The idea for the aviation sector is to allow Ghana to consolidate itself as the Aviation hub of Africa. Already these investments have attracted prospective investors in Dubai and Europe.

Statistics shows increasing volumes of passengers and cargo through the Kotoka International Airport. In 2014, over 40,000 flights were recorded at the airports. In the same period, total passenger throughput stood at over 2.5 million compared with a little over 1.3 million in 2009, representing nearly 100% increase.

To accommodate this increases in throughput serious expansion work has been undertaken at the arrival hall. Also, Preparatory work is underway for the construction of an ultramodern international terminal with a capacity of 5 million passengers a year, to be known as Terminal 3 at the Kotoka International Airport.

Meanwhile similar massive investments are being undertaken in the ICT sector, a sector known to have contributed greatly to Ghana’s economic growth over the years. Investments in the sector include the National Data Centre which will form an essential part of the e-Government infrastructure.

Designed to be the largest in West Africa, the Data Center will promote an integrated use of ICT to improve efficiency and transparency in governance and facilitate storage, management and dissemination of data for both public and private establishments. It will among others, provide web hosting and cloud infrastructure services. Fibre optic backbones are currently being laid across the country to facilitate the ICT drive of the government.

Source: The Republic

The case in which Mr. Philip Addison, a parliamentary aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Klottey Korle Constituency, is challenging the results of the primary, has gone back to court. 

Counsel for the party, Dr. Opoku Adusei and Prof. Mike Oquaye, told the Accra High Court that attempts to settle the matter out of court had proved futile, and as a result the party would want to remain neutral. 

They said since the plaintiff, Philip Addison, and the third defendant, Nii Noi Nortey, were both members, the party would not want to take sides. 

Counsel prayed the court to hear the matter and deliver its ruling, saying the party would oblige by the ruling.

The NPP, earlier sought an out of court settlement of the case in which Addison, who was defeated in the parliamentary primaries, is demanding an annulment of the result, alleging the election was illegal.

Acting on behalf of the party, Dr. Adusei had prayed the court to allow the party to use internal mechanisms to settle the dispute and later report to the court.


The plaintiff and the second defendant in the matter, Valentino Nii Noi, who won the primary, agreed to the submission and moved the motion to set aside the earlier default judgement given by the court when the party failed to make an appearance.

The court, presided over by Ms. Patience Mills Tetteh, granted the plea for an out of court settlement and adjourned the case to December 16, for the parties to report the outcome to the court.

Unfortunately, the disputing parties failed to reach an agreement.

Following this, they prayed the court for another adjournment with the view that the case would be resolved by then.

The counsel for the party told the court yesterday [Tuesday] that they had held two meetings with the National and the Regional Executives in an attempt to settle the grievances of the two sides, however, they had proved futile.

Consequently, the court adjourned the case to January 12.
 

Source: Ghanaian Times

Information available topeacefmonline.com indicates that Minister of Transport, Dzifa Attivor has resigned over the Metro Mass Rapid Transit Bus scandal.

According to a statement signed by her Personal Assistant, Egypt Kobla Kudoto, the Minister of Transport can no longer continue with her duties and has accordingly submitted her resignation letter to the President, John Dramani Mahama.

Issue

Government has spent about GH¢ 3,649,044.75 on the Re-branding of 116 buses for the Metro Mass Rapid Transit (MMRT) imported to improve the transport system in the country.

Re-branding for each of the buses cost GH¢31,457.28, leading to a total of GH¢3,649,044.75 for the 116 buses, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu quoted figures from the 2015 annual report on the Petroleum Funds.

But the Transport Minister, Dzifa Ativor in her response to the claim by the Minority Leader said she did not have the details of the re-branding at hand and promised to make it available to the House at a later date.

Below is the full statement:

Hon Mrs Dzifa Attivor, Minister of Transport wishes to inform the good people of Ghana that, as the Minister with oversight responsibility for the activities of the Metro Mass Transit (MMT), she has tendered in her resignation as Minister due to the current issues surrounding the branding of the 116 buses.

She further wants to take the opportunity to thank her Party for the opportunity offered her to serve, first as Deputy Minister of Transport under the late President JEA Mills, and later the substantive Minister.

Mrs Dzifa Attivor also wishes to thank the President sincerely for the honour to serve in his government. She has already communicated this decision to His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama through the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah.

Signed

Egypt Kobla Kudoto

Personal Assistant

Source: peacefmonline.com

The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) has lauded the decision to complement biometric verification with manual verification in next year’s general elections, but cautioned against abuse of the discretion.

Deputy Director of the agency, Franklyn Oduro, says it is likely that polling officials in the rural areas may even put aside the verification machines and do manual verification only.

“It’s a good thing but what we need to avoid is excessive discretion on the part of polling officials in terms of who can be verified manually and who can be verified with the machine,” he said.

At an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting Tuesday, representatives of political parties agreed to allow manual voter verification during the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections.

This will be done for voters whose particulars appear in the voters register but may be rejected by the biometric verification machines.

The Committee also set out a definition for over-voting on Tuesday.

“Over-voting would be deemed to have occurred where the number of ballots in the ballot box exceeds the number of verified voters,” was the definition set by the political parties.

Also due to budgetary constraints, the polling stations have been reduced from 30,000 to 29,000.

Commenting on the reduction in the number of polling stations, Dr Oduro said the Electoral Commission (EC) would still "meet the objectives of reducing the huge number of voters at polling stations.”

Source: myjoyonline.com

Parliament has approved a request for sovereign guarantee for the Finance Minister to issue a $1 billion Eurobond.

The House approved the motion to allow Seth Tekper to issue the bond through a voice vote.

The Minority had attempted to block the loan, citing poor economic management by government.

The MPs said they do not want to be a part of unwarranted government borrowing, characterized by excessive domestic loans.

In a rare outcome in Parliament on Tuesday, the Minority won a vote to stop government from securing approval for a sovereign guarantee on one billion dollar Eurobond.

The motion by the Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, seeking parliamentary approval to borrow from the international market lost by one vote.

Sixty-seven Members of Parliament (MPs) voted against the motion, whilst 66 voted in favour.

A head count to establish the number of legislators voting in favour or against approval of the Eurobond became necessary after a voice vote proved impossible to determine whether the motion had been approved or not.

However in a dramatic turn, Ebo Barton-Odro, First Deputy Speaker, announced that the number of Parliamentarians present in the House, i.e. 133, does not meet the requirement to take a decision on a matter.

The motion was subsequently tabled for debate on Wednesday.

Seth Terkper says the entire one billion dollar Eurobond would be used for refinancing Ghana's short-term debts.

Source: myjoyonline.com

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has mocked Hillary Clinton for apparently taking a toilet break during a televised Democratic debate.

"I know where she went. It's disgusting," he said to supporters at a rally in Michigan.

The former secretary of state returned to the stage late after an advert break during Saturday's debate with her party rivals for the presidential nomination.

Mr Trump also said Mrs Clinton had been "schlonged" by Barack Obama in 2008.

Using a vulgar Yiddish term that means a man's penis, he was referring to Mrs Clinton's defeat to the then senator in the primary contests that year.

"Even her race to Obama. She was going to beat Obama. I don't know who'd be worse. I don't know. How does it get worse?

"She was favoured to win and she got schlonged, she lost."

Mrs Clinton's spokeswoman, Jennifer Palmieri, tweeted: "We are not responding to Trump but everyone who understands the humiliation this degrading language inflicts on all women should. #imwithher"

It is not the first time Mr Trump has referred to women in a controversial way.

In August, he implied that he received tough questions from Fox News debate host Megyn Kelly because she was menstruating.

And he has previously described comedian Rosie O'Donnell as a "fat pig".

Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump have been feuding in recent days over claims she made that Islamic State militants were using Mr Trump as a recruiting tool.

He has called for Muslims to be banned from entering the US, in light of a deadly terror attack in California carried out by a radicalised Muslim couple.

Mr Trump, a billionaire property tycoon with no political experience, leads the polls nationally among Republican voters, and is also ahead in some key states.

The primary contests begin at the start of February and the presidential election is in November.

Source: bbc.com

The Acting General Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party [NPP], John Boadu, has admitted that the ‘Elephant’ has indeed suffered in 2015 but hopefully will ‘fully’ bounce back in the coming year.

According to him – “Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.”

The opposition NPP has on several occasions been in the media for some ‘bad’ reasons this year – the party has faced some internal wrangling leading to suspension of some national executives of the party.

NPP’s infightings allegedly also led to the terrible death of their party’s Upper East Regional Chairman of the NPP, Adams Mahama.

Also, the party’s headquarters has been a ‘war zone’ on numerous occasions – all these compelled party’s flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to call on the party to “ceasefire” on the issues tarnishing the image of the party in the public domain.

Speaking on NEAT FM’s morning show, Ghana Montie, John Boadu who also serves as the National Organizer of the NPP stated emphatically that – “trust me it has been a very difficult year for the NPP but surely we are bouncing back.”

He opined that – the party will build a united front to campaign strategically for the 2016 polls – “we will never give up. Ghanaians are craving for the NPP and we will not let them down. They can’t again suffer under the Mahama-led administration.”

Source: peacefmonline.com

Former National Youth Organiser of the PNC Abu Ramadan has sued the Electoral Commission over non-credibility of the current voters’ register.

The PNC member and one Evans Nimako want the Supreme Court to declare the voters’ register null and void.

In a writ filed Tuesday, the two are praying the court to set aside “the 2012 voters' register and compel the electoral commission to compile a fresh voters’ register before any new public election or referendum is conducted in this country”.

 “A declaration that the 2012 voters' register which contains the name of persons who have not established qualification to be registered is inconsistent with article 42 and 45(a) and therefore unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect,” the writ further stated.

The suit comes in the wake of a huge cut in the budget for 2016 general elections by Parliament.

The electoral body in its presentation in parliament was silent on whether or not it will compile a fresh register.

The main opposition New Patriotic Party has been pushing for a more credible register. They say the current one is bloated and contains names of minors.

Meanwhile, the EC has set up a committee to probe the concerns that have been raised about the existing register. The committee is yet to submit a report.

Source: myjoyonline.com