Category: Politics

The Progressive People's Party (PPP) has asked the citizenry to join the Party to form 'Great Alliance 2.0 to rescue the country from the abyss'. It urged the populace to vote out the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration for its 'abysmal performance' and usher in a government that would bring change to the life of the people. 'Ghana needs a rescuer, a rescuer that does not reside in the corridors of power, but in the hearts and minds of its people.' Nana Ofori Owusu, National Chairman of the PPP, speaking at a press conference dubbed 'Change' in Accra, highlighted some challenges facing the country and attributed them to leadership failure and mismanagement of resources of the country. He said the fight to bring about change was a call to action for Ghanaians to stop the country from 'bleeding'. 'It can only come to an end when the people rise up against oppression, nepotism, suppression … and look government in the eye and tell them they must go,' he said. Nana Owusu said given the debt situation o f the country, it would only take a responsible party like the PPP to use the next four years to clean up the mess created. He assured that the Party would complete abandoned projects from the first Republic and cut the size of government to reduce government expenditure while encouraging the indigenous private sector to thrive, create jobs and provide support for government initiatives. Source: Ghana News Agency

Former President John Mahama, Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Election 2024, has said the next NDC government will revitalise the cotton industry to produce up to 100,000 tonnes of cotton per season in Northern Ghana. He said the next NDC government would also regulate the soybean industry and allow the export of soybeans to ensure increased production and sales. Former President Mahama said this while addressing a town hall meeting in Tamale on Tuesday. The meeting was to engage residents of the Tamale Metropolis on the NDC's agenda as well as solicit the input of various groups in the Metropolis to be considered for implementation if the party assumed power next year. It was attended by some civil society organisations and traditional authorities as well as provided the platform for leaders of some industries to present their concerns to the NDC Flagbearer, who took turns to address them. Former President Mahama said the country could generate significant income from cotton pro duction adding Benin and Burkina Faso generated so much from the industry although their lands were not as fertile as that of Ghana. He said the NDC, under the leadership of late Professor John Evans Atta Mills, relaunched the cotton industry and moved cotton production in the country from 3,000 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes in a season. He touched on the effects of the restrictions on soybean export on farmers saying soybean farmers were unable to break even after harvesting because the cost of production surpassed the income as prices were extremely low due to the export restrictions. The NDC Flagbearer said: 'Government placed a ban on exporting soybean thinking it will drive the price down to make it affordable for the feed makers but what they do not realise is that if the price goes below the cost of production, then the farmer cannot expand his farm for the next season.' He promised residents of Tamale a modern abattoir if he assumed office as President indicating that the abattoirs in the region were su bstandard. He said the use of tricycles and motorcycles as commercial means of transportation would be legalised to enable their regulation. Source: Ghana News Agency

The new development today in the case of the martyr's assassination is the fact that there is an official judicial version of the formation of an association of a group of people belonging to the Ennahdha movement since 2012 to have some personalities assassinated. This association led to the intended result, namely the assassination of Chokri Belaid on February 6, 2012," said member of martyr Chokri Belaid's defence team Abdennaceur Laouini. Speaking at a press briefing held on Wednesday in Tunis to present the developments in Belaid's case, Laouini said that the Court of Appeal had confirmed last November 27 the indictment division's ruling to bring defendants Fethi Damak, Tahar Boubahri, Kamel El Aifi, Belhassen Nakkach and Ali Ferchichi to trial over "formation of an association to commit all kinds of terrorist crimes." The latter are members of Ennahdha Movement, including leaders and an adviser to former Interior Minister Ali Laarayedh. The indictment division said in its ruling, confirmed by the Cou rt of Appeal, that the association had led to the assassination of Chokri Belaid, according to recordings related to businessman Fethi Dammak, featuring a conversation about the assassination of Belaid, which was on a list of other assassinations. By affirming this truth, there is no room for adopting another version, including the one that presents Belaid's assassination as a response to the so-called "Om Yomna" operation during which the wife of Ansar Charia military leader Ridha Sebtaoui had been killed by the security forces, the lawyer indicated. Group coordinator Tahar Bou Bahri, former Interior Minister Ali Laarayedh, Kamel El Aifi who has been at large since 2021, Belhassen Nakkach, Ali Ferchichi and Mustapha Kedher are among those involved in this case. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament says the House will complete the consideration of the anti-LGBTQ Bill by Friday, February 9. The Majority Leader stated this during the Parliamentary Leadership engagement with the Parliamentary Press Corps at Parliament House in Accra. He noted that the Business Committee of the House at its meeting on February 5th, programmed to have the first consideration of the 'Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2022', beginning Wednesday, February 7. He said the House anticipates that they would be able to close it by Friday, February 9. The consideration stage of a Bill is where the House considers the provisions of the Bill clause by clause and makes amendments before it can be passed into law. The object of the 'Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2022' is to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values proscribe lesbian, g ay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and related activities. Source: Ghana News Agency

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA) to Parliament. Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution imposes an obligation on Members of Parliament (MPs), the Speaker and the Judiciary to receive the President's Message on the State of the Nation. Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament disclosed this on Wednesday during a media briefing of the Parliamentary Leadership at Parliament House in Accra. He indicated that the House, would from Monday, February 19, 2024, begin to have extended sittings. This, he said, was necessary to enable the House to carry out the numerous businesses, adding that from the third week, Mondays would be included in the sitting days of the House. He noted that the first meeting of the Fourth Session of the Eighth Parliament, which began on Tuesday, February 6th, would have seven weeks and would end on Thursday, March 21st, for the Easter Recess. He said the First Meeting of a Session of Parliament usually had nine to 10 weeks, sometimes 11 weeks. However, the seven-week period for the current Meeting was due to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) having its Parliamentary Primaries on the 27th of January, which pushed their resumption period further back. The Majority Leader said: 'Originally we were to come on the 30th of January, but it was pushed to the 6th of February because, in the considerate opinion of the Speaker, he felt that soon after the holding of the primaries, which was certainly going to involve some casualties, we needed some time for people to maybe console themselves or be consoled before coming to Parliament.' Touching on the House adjourning on Thursday, February 21st, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said this would also enable the Leadership of the House to attend the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Meeting in Kampala, Uganda. He said in the seven-week period, the House would be able to work on 15 to 16 Bills. He said the Bil ls that the House would be able to handle within this Meeting would include the Presidential Transition Amendment Bill and that there was a Parliamentary Transition Bill that was yet to be unveiled. He said the House would also be dealing with the Ghana Boundaries Commission Bill, the Environmental Protection Agency Bill, and the Vaccine Development and Manufacturing Bill. He said the Internal Audit Agency wanted to have a Bill to reposition it to enable it to deliver adequately on its mandate. Source: Ghana News Agency