The year 2015 started with the trial of renowned broadcaster, Kwesi Kyei Darkwa popularly known as KKD who was charged with rape.
The year also saw government commence the $940 million IMF bailout programme which was aimed at salvaging the nation from its economic woes. The bailout programme was initiated because the nation was saddled with several economic challenges including the depreciation of the cedi, huge wage bill among others.
Twin disaster
The June 3 disaster which claimed over 150 lives also shooked the nation. Government announced measures to curb the situation and also allotted some amount of money to the victims.
Politics
On the political front, there was turmoil in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which saw the death of the party’s Upper East Regional Chairman, Adam Mahama.
This was followed by internal party wrangling which subsequently led to the suspension of the NPP’s National Chairman, Paul Afoko, General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong and Second Vice Chairman, Sammy Crabbe.
Prior to that the NPP held primaries nationwide to elect parliamentary candidates to represent it in the various constituencies in the 2016 general elections.
The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) also held its primaries later in the year.
Dumsor
2015 was also the year the term ‘Dumsor’ became prominent. This was because the lingering power crisis worsened and caused many job losses while many businesses collapsed. Government received a lot of bashing from unhappy Ghanaians. Government’s unfulfilled promises to solve the situation triggered demonstrations including the popular Yvonne Nelson Dumsor Vigil. This was after President John Mahama had created the Power Ministry to put an end to the power crisis.
The Power Ministry promised to resign if he fails to solve the load shedding in the country, unluckily for him, he on the last day of the year resigned because he could fulfill his promise.
JANUARY
January 1: President John Mahama promised that his government will banish dumsor from the country in 2015.
The president’s comment was not taken lightly as political commentators and opposition parties descended heavily on him. Energy think-tank African Center for energy Policy (ACEP) dismissed the promise to “banish” the erratic power supply and described it as a “wet dream.”
January 2: The death toll from the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa reached 7,905, out of a total 20,206 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The outgoing Head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) observed that “we are nowhere near eliminating the deadly Ebola Virus.”
January 3: The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mahama Ayariga warned Ghanaians against discussing the salaries and other benefits paid the Black Stars players.
January 4: The Black Stars Players left to Spain to begin preparations for the 2015 African Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea which starts on the 17th.
January 5: The trial of hiplife artiste Emmanuel Botwe popularly known as Kwaw Kese begun today and was adjourned to Febraury 5.
January 6: Nayele, the woman busted at the Heathrow Airport for carrying cocaine into the United Kingdom (UK) appeared before a London court where she changed her lawyer. She was later sentenced to 8 years in prison. The NPP claimed that the governing NDC is complicit in the controversial cocaine scandal.
January 13: The Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Lauretta Lamptey was suspended by President John Mahama for spending about $180,000 on rent and about GHC182,000 to renovate her official residence.
January 13: Ace broadcaster KKD apologized for what he described as the “trauma” he has caused the 19-year-old woman he allegedly raped. The lady also on that same day withdrew the case. KKD was granted bail on January 15.
January 26: The former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Real Estates Developers Association(GREDA), Dr. Alexander Tweneboah was arrested for SIM box fraud.
FEBRUARY
February 1: The Volta River Authority (VRA) acknowledged that Ghana is facing serious power crisis as a result of accumulated problems which have remained unresolved over the years.
February 2: The Power Minister, Dr. Kwabena Donkor directed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to publish the load shedding timetable and adhere to it.
February 3: Some mining companies shut down heavy equipment and mills in a bid to save power and remain in business.
February 3: The Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection temporarily shut down the Countryside Children’s Home pending investigation after the Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ exposé on the orphanage.
February 3: The opposition NPP accused the John Mahama led government of misleading Ghanaians on the power crisis that has bedeviled the nation.
February 8: For the second time in 5 years, Ghana’s hopes of lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy were dashed despite coming so close. After 120 minutes of football, the two teams settled for the penalty shootout after which Cote D’Ivoire won 9-8.
February 11: Government spent about $5.717.869 on preparation and participation in the 2015 AFCON tournament in Equatorial Guinea. Minister of Youth & Sports, Mahama Ayariga made this known when he appeared before Parliament.
February 16: Chief of Staff Prosper Bani was relieved of his position by President John Mahama and appointed Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Julius Debrah, to replace him.
February 18: An Audit report presented to Parliament showed that the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum spent $1,745, 159 on 38 luxurious vehicles.The amount according to the report was meant to extend electricity to about 1,200 communities in the country under the Multi-Donor Budgetary Support Programme between 2010 and 2012.
February 18: Nana Akufo-Addo, the New Patriotic Party(NPP) flagbearer led supporters of the party onto the streets of Accra to demonstrate against the government dubbed ‘Wɔn Gbo’.
February 20: The Muslim Community in the Western Region took to the streets of Sekondi Takoradi to protest what they call human right abuses of Muslim students in the country. The demonstrators numbering over 300 were given strict police protection throughout the process.
February 24: An Accra Circuit Court acquitted and discharged all six persons accused of aiding Nayale Ametefe, jailed for trafficking 12 kilogrammes of cocaine into the United Kingdom in 2014.
February 25: The Office of the President was ranked as the second most corrupt institution in Ghana. This was revealed in a Socio-economic and Governance survey conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs(IEA).
February 26: President John Mahama gave his State of the Nation Address in Parliament where he promised to ‘fix the energy crisis’ and transform the Electricity Company among others. Full speech here.
MARCH
March 1: Over 100 men and women who turned up at various Police training institutions for recruitment later found out they had been duped by fraudsters. Two suspects were subsequently arrested.
March 2: The Supreme Court directed the Electoral Commission [EC] to call off the much publicized District Assembly elections which was scheduled for March 3, 2015. Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan was later summoned by Parliament to answer questions on the suspension of the elections.
March 5: The Police arrested five more suspects including two serving Police officers, in connection with the Police recruitment scam. The five included Director General of Police Human Resource and Administration, COP Patrick Timbilla.
March 9: The Member of Parliament (MP) for Obuasi West, Kwaku Kwarteng, together with Mr Elijah Adansi-Bonah, the Research Director of Development Data (a policy research organisation) sued the National Communications Authority (NCA) over the Interconnect Clearing House project being initiated by government.
March 11: President Mahama sent the strongest indications yet that his government will not be coerced into over spending in 2016 by the weight of demands and strikes of workers saying he has the “dead goat syndrome.”
March 23: The national executives of the NPP agreed to hold its Parliamentary primaries on May 24, 2015. Nominations for the party’s primaries was to be opened on March 30 2015.
APRIL
April 1: NPP deferred the controversial affirmative action policy which sought to secure seats for female Members Parliament (MPs) and indigenous Gas but many of the party members disagreed.
April 3: Former Attorney General Martin Amidu revealed that construction firm, Waterville Holdings, owed the state €47,365,624.40 and not €25m as being reported by the media.
April 5: Former Joy FM morning show host, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah officially announced his intention to run as parliamentary candidate for the Ofoase Ayeribi constituency in the Eastern Region, on the ticket of the NPP.
April 10: Ghana lost between GH¢320 million and GH¢ 924 million in 2014 alone due to the ongoing power crisis, a report by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) revealed.
April 14: YFM’s Western Regional presenter, Ms Ada was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted. It later emerged that the act was staged.
April 16: The Ghana Employers’ Associations confirmed that close to 13,000 workers were sacked in the last four months due to the power crisis.
MAY
May 1: Outspoken award winning Ghanaian actress, Lydia Forson lashed out at President John Mahama for his failure to solve the numerous challenges facing the nation, especially the power crisis.
May 1: The Ministry of Finance cleared the Agriculture Development Bank (adb) to proceed with the sale of its shares on the stock market saying parliamentary approval is not required.
May 4: The Minority in Parliament threatened to drag government and the management of the Agricultural Development Bank (adb) to the Supreme Court over the bank’s failure to get Parliamentary approval to float shares on the stock exchange. It was later suspended.
May 13: The National Coordinator for the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Kofi Portuphy resigned. Ghana’s largest opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had been advocating for his resignation indicating that Portuphy’s continuous stay in office as NADMO boss is a clear violation of Article 78, section 3 of the constitution.
May 16: Thousands of Ghanaians led by Yvonne Nelson and other celebrities including DKB, Sydney, Van Vicker attended the much anticipated ‘Dumsormuststop vigil’ in Accra. The peaceful protest was aimed at pressurizing government to resolve the power crisis.
May 21: The Upper East Chairman of the NPP, Mahama Adam was attacked with acid and later died from his injuries at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital where he was receiving treatment.
An Autopsy report revealed he died from shock lungs (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and extensive acid burns. Gregory Afoko, brother of suspended NPP Chairman, Paul Afoko and other accomplices were arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder.
May 28: Some supporters of Paul Afoko clashed with the “Invisible Forces,” a security group guarding the party’s headquarters.
May 31: Doctors served notice to begin strike on July 1 if government failed to provide them with a codified working condition.
JUNE
June 1: A one week fasting and prayer session aimed at seeking God’s intervention to solve the current crisis within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was launched at the party’s headquarters in Accra.
June 2: The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) deregulated price of petroleum products. The NPA boss, Moses Asaga told Citi News that they trust the Bulk Oil Distribution Companies (BDCs) to fairly price petroleum products.
June 3:The GOIL fuel filling station near the GCB bank towers at Circle in Accra was gutted by fire amidst heavy flooding in the city. Over 96 bodies of persons who were seeking shelter at the fuel station were burnt to death. The death toll of victims that died through the flooding later increased to 150.
President John Dramani Mahama later declared three days of mourning for the victims of the floods and the GOIL fuel station fire.
June 9: The Minority in Parliament threatened to sue government if it fails to seek parliamentary approval before issuing guarantees for the Karpower purchase agreement.
June 10: Memorial service was held for victims of the June 3 disaster in Accra.
June 13: NPP held its parliamentary primaries; some party big wigs lost their seats while new ones came on board. Former broadcaster, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah beat off competition from two candidates in Ofoase Ayirebi constituency to represent the party in the 2016 elections.
June 25: President John Dramani Mahama in accordance with Article 70(2) of the 1992 Constitution, appointed Mrs. Charlotte Osei as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana.
JULY
July 7: Supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) engaged in bloody clashes in Talensi as voters elected a new Parliamentary candidate in a by-election. The National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) candidate, B.T. Baba won.
July 8: The Interior Minister Mark Woyongo jumped to the defence of vigilante groups, Azorka boys and Bolga Bulldogs who were involved in the Talensi clashes, describing their actions as a pure case of “violence begets violence.”
July 22: A major blackout hit Ghana’s Parliament forcing proceedings to come to a halt.
July 25: Carlos Ahenkorah defeated New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) incumbent MP for Tema West, Irene Naa Torshie Addo in the party’s Parliamentary Primary. He said Naa Torshie is likely to lead his campaign team.
July 28: A gunman who said he had wanted to assassinate President John Mahama was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. The suspect, Charles Antwi was arrested for wielding a loaded and cocked pistol at the Ringway Gospel Centre branch of the Assemblies of God Church in Accra where President Mahama worships.
AUGUST
August 1: A leaked document outlining the official demands of members of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) showed that the Association wants among other things clothing and fuel allowances and on-call duty allowance.
Augus 14: The National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams rejected claims that the party’s leadership is protecting President John Mahama from any form of competition during their primaries on November 7.
August 18: The New Patriotic Party’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said they uncovered evidence that shows that close to 80,000 Togolese have also registered as Ghanaians in the voters’ register, evidence the party claims show that the register is “bloated.”
But the governing National Democratic Congress disagreed. They however called for auditing of the register instead of the compilation of a new one.
August 27: Candidates vying to contest in the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) Parliamentary primaries started picking nomination forms. Dr. Zanetor Rawlings, daughter of NDC founder, John Rawlings was lacing her boots to join the NDC parliamentary bid.
SEPTEMBER
September 2: The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo announced that he will begin a month long tour of the country ahead of his commencement of the campaign for the 2016 general elections. The tour, dubbed ‘Rise and Build Tour,’ was aimed at providing a platform for Nana Akufo-Addo to meet up with regional executives, constituency executives, and aspirants in the NPP parliamentary primaries, [both winners and losers] in every region he visits.
September 2: The Electoral Commission organised the district level election. The fisherman who sued the Electoral Commission (EC) for preventing him from filing his nomination to contest the District Assembly Elections, seems to have been vindicated, following his victory in the Ayipey electoral area in the Central Region.
September 3: The National Democratic Congress (NDC) sanctioned its staff who sold presidential nomination forms to one, George Boateng who is seeking to challenge President Mahama for the flagbearersip slot.
September 8: The Minority in parliament demanded the International Monetary Fund (IMF), freezes further disbursements of monies to Ghana, alleging that the deal with the fund was not constitutional because it did not receive parliamentary approval.
September 9 : Two of the country’s top judges tendered their resignation, before the video by investigative journalist Anas Arimeyaw Anas showed them taking bribes.
September 10 : Ghana’s mid year population was estimated at 27.9 million, up from the 24. Million recorded in the 2012 National Population and Housing Census according to Chief Statistician at the Statistical Service, David Y. Kombat.
September 22: Scores of Ghanaians besieged the Accra International Conference Centre to watch the controversial video which caught over 30 judges and more than 100 other judicial service workers allegedly taking bribes.
OCTOBER
October 11: President John Dramani Mahama sparked debate when he said the country was rising because, many Ghanaians have access to iced-water because they are connected to electricity.
NOVEMBER
November 18: The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) was directed by the government to investigate K.T. Hammond, a former Deputy Energy Minister under the erstwhile Kufuor administration, over circumstances surrounding the sale of Ghana’s drill ship.
November 24: A Junior High School teacher, Phanuel Yaw Ayawly, petitioned the Ministry of Education to withdraw the Integrated Science Textbooks for Junior High Schools from schools for what he calls unpardonable errors.
November 27: Businessman Herbert Mensah resorted to court to have access to his two children with Dr. Zanetor Rawlings, eldest daughter of former President Rawlings.
November 26: Inundated with floods, poor sanitary conditions, and other challenges over the years, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) slipped from 35th to 37th position, in the latest Ghana District League Table for 2015.
November 28: The much-anticipated 225 capacity Karpower barge finally docked at the Tema Fishing Harbor.
DECEMBER
December 2: Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, running mate to the opposition New Patriotic Party’s 2016 Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, said it “makes no sense” for government to secure a power barge as an emergency solution to the power crisis, explaining that the deal does not give the country value for money.
December 16: Government spent about GHC 3,649,044 on rebranding 116 buses for the Metro Mass Rapid Transit (MMRT) imported to improve the transport system in the country.
December 22: The majority in Parliament lost a crucial vote that sought approval for Government to issue another Eurobond.
December 23: The Minister of Transport Dzifa Attivor, resigned over the bus re-branding saga.
December 24: The Chief of Staff, Mr. Julius Debrah asked the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to recover from Messrs Smartty’s Management Limited, a total of GHC 1.9 million.
December 30: The Ministry of Power announced an end to load shedding in a statement released on Wednesday. The three-paragraph statement signed by Kweku Sersah-Johnson, Head of Public Affairs, for the Power Minister, said ” the Ministry of Power wishes to inform the public that its load shedding programme in respect of electricity supply has been brought to an end.” But the Load Shedding Committee released a counter statement insisting the load shedding exercise hasn’t ended yet.
December 31: The Minister of Power, Dr. Kwabena Donkor resigned from his position. He had promised to resign if he failed to end the four-year old power crisis by the end of 2015.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana