Category: General

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has held a media sensitisation on the implementation and evaluation of Ghana's National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACAP) NACAP, a 10-year plan (2015-2024), is a strategic action plan consultatively developed by stakeholders to help fight corruption and promote national development in the country. It also provides a framework for mobilising public support and resources for anti-corruption activities and promoting integrity, transparency, and accountability in all areas. The occasion was used to commemorate this year's International Anti- Corruption Day (IACD), which is marked annually on December 9 to promote collective action against corruption. Speaking at the event, Charles Abani, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, said United Nations estimated that corruption cost the global economy around 3.6 trillion dollars annually adding: 'It is estimated that Africa lost 50 billion to illicit financial flows.' Mr Abani said United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently produced a report on Sahel countries and estimated illicit financial flows from illegal mining at 12 billion dollars per annum. 'We talk about corruption as if it is a moral issue that needs to be dealt with by the Church, but it is not only an immoral issue, a crime…' He noted that corruption was organised, and it crossed borders and called for collaboration among institutions. Touching on the theme: 'Uniting the world against corruption,' Mr Abani said it was extremely important the Ghana Statistical Service, CHRAJ other stakeholders worked assiduously in achieving the objectives and goals of NACAP. He said a Public Service Survey Report indicated that Ghana loses GHC5 billion through corruption and illicit financial flows. 'If we don't stem corruption, it would be stemming the plan that we want to achieve. The nature of corruption is diverse, that is, it exists in public procurement.' Mr Abani urged stakeholders to connect with international institutions suc h as the Global Operations Network of Anti-Corruption Enforcement Authority to fight the canker. Prof Samuel Kobina Anim, Government Statistician, said the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) together with CHRAJ and its stakeholders would be evaluating NACAP within a six-month period and the evaluation launched in June 2024. Prof Anim said the evaluation would complete the cycle between laws, policies, and statistics in the anti-corruption campaign in Ghana. 'We hope to deepen the collective interest and mobilise national efforts in fighting corruption.' Prof. Anim said in a nationally representative survey of people's experience of corruption in Ghana, '26.7 per cent of adult population paid a bribe to a public official in 2021?. According to him 'a total of GHC5 billion was paid in cash bribes to public officials in 2021.' Mr Richard Quayson, a Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, said one of the main objectives of NACAP was to build capacity to condemn and fight corruption and make its practice a high risk and low gain activity. Mr Emmanuel Adumua- Bossman, Deputy Chief of Staff, said the government was committed to the fight against corruption. NACAP has led to the automation and digitalisation of the Law courts, revision of code of conduct for Judges and Magistrates, unification of allowances of boards, councils and Committees of Public Service, among others. Source: Ghana News Agency

Kawthar Ben Hania's "Four Daughters," a portrait of a Tunisian mother and her four daughters living in a society wracked by extremism won the inaugural Asharq Documentary Award. The winning entry was announced during the 2023 Red Sea International Film Festival hosted in Jeddah, November 30-December 9. The awards are named after Saudi Research and Media Group's Arabic free-to-air channel Asharq Documentary. The new channel aims to provide a platform for creators to showcase their stories and productions, the company said in a statement. Seven other films were in the running for the award. They were: Iraq's 'Hiding Saddam Hussein,' 'Iraq's Invisible Beauty' and 'The Dalkurd Story,' Morocco's 'The Mother of All Lies,' Libya's 'Donga,' the UK's 'Copa 71' and Ireland's 'In the Shadow of Beirut.' Besides, "My Father Killed Bourguiba," a documentary project by Fatma Riahi, was awarded at the Red Sea Souk Project Market, organised in conjunction with the festival. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The sky will be slightly cloudy, on Saturday night, over most regions of the country, with the possibility of scattered rain falling in the north and southwest, according to a monitoring report, published Saturday, by the National Institute of Meteorology (INM). Temperatures will be between 12 and 15 degrees in coastal regions and between 7 and 11 degrees in inland areas. The wind will blow from the west, strong near the coast and on the heights, and relatively strong to moderate elsewhere. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The number of valid hydrocarbon licenses dropped to 16 by the end of October 2023 compared with 20 end of October 2022, including 13 exploration licenses and 3 prospecting ones, according to the monthly report on the energy situation for October 2023, released by the National Observatory of Energy and Mines. The total number of concessions is 56, including 44 in production. The State participates through the ETAP in 34 of these concessions in production and directly in 3. A new "Boughrara" exploration licence was awarded in January 2023 (JORT no. 6 of January 17, 2023). As regards exploration operations, no new seismic acquisition operations were recorded to the end of October 2023. On the other hand, 5 new exploration wells were drilled by the end of October 2023, namely: the "Araifa-2," "Sabeh1," "Wissal-1," "Larmina-1" and "Chaal-2" exploration wells. Drilling operations to expand three new wells were also recorded at the end of October 2023, namely "Nawara-2," "TT27" and "SMGNE-1." Source: Agenc e Tunis Afrique Presse

National crude oil production stood at 1314 kt (thousand tonnes) at the end of October 2023, down 5% compared with the end of October 2022, according to the October 2023 energy outlook published by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy. This fall affected most of the main fields, namely Halk el Manzel, which came on stream in 2021 (-38%), El Borma (-17%), Ashtart (-13%), M.L.D (-28%), Ouedzar (-39%), Cherouq (-17%) Miskar (-14%) and Fanig/Bag/Tarfa (-19%). On the other hand, other fields recorded an improvement in production, namely Cercina (+31%), Nawara (+33%), Gherib (+29%), Baraka (+50%) and El Hajeb/Guebiba (+11%). Average daily oil production fell from 35.3 thousand barrels/d at the end of October 2022 to 33.7 thousand barrels/d at the end of October 2023. Natural gas resources down 7% to end-October 2023 Natural gas resources (national production + tax package) reached 2 248 thousand tonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe) at the end of October 2023, down 7% compared with the same period last year. P roduction of dry commercial gas fell by 10%, while the fee for the passage of Algerian gas was down 1% to 2045 ktoe at the end of October 2023 compared with the same period of the previous year. As for natural gas imports, the document shows a 1% increase in purchases of Algerian gas, between the end of October 2022 and the end of October 2023, to stand at 2045 ktoe. National supplies of natural gas declined by 4% to 4028 ktoe between the end of October 2022 and the end of October 2023. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse