President Archives - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always https://citifmonline.com/tag/president/ Ghana News | Ghana Politics | Ghana Soccer | Ghana Showbiz Tue, 30 Jan 2018 17:13:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.8 https://citifmonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/cropped-CITI-973-FM-32x32.jpg President Archives - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always https://citifmonline.com/tag/president/ 32 32 Kenya’s Raila Odinga ‘inaugurates’ himself as president https://citifmonline.com/2018/01/kenyas-raila-odinga-inaugurates-president/ https://citifmonline.com/2018/01/kenyas-raila-odinga-inaugurates-president/#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2018 17:13:41 +0000 http://citifmonline.com/?p=396698 Kenya’s main opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has declared himself the “people’s president” at a controversial “swearing-in” ceremony in the capital. Thousands of his supporters attended the event, despite a government warning that it amounted to treason. The authorities shut down TV stations to prevent live coverage of the event. President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in […]

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Kenya’s main opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has declared himself the “people’s president” at a controversial “swearing-in” ceremony in the capital.

Thousands of his supporters attended the event, despite a government warning that it amounted to treason.
The authorities shut down TV stations to prevent live coverage of the event.

President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in for a second term last November. He won an election re-run in October, but Mr Odinga boycotted it.

Elections were first held in August but the courts ordered a re-run, saying Mr Kenyatta’s victory was marred by irregularities.

Holding a Bible in his right hand at a park in Nairobi, Mr Odinga declared that he was answering to a “high[er] calling to assume the office of the people’s president of the Republic of Kenya”.

People had had enough of election rigging and the event was a step towards establishing a proper democracy in the East African state, Mr Odinga told a cheering crowd.

Speaking earlier to Kenyan broadcaster KTN, Mr Odinga said his “swearing-in” was intended to “show the world that what we are doing is legal, constitutional and not something you can remotely describe as a coup”.

It was a public relations stunt that ended in disappointment for many opposition supporters, says the BBC’s Alastair Leithead in Nairobi.

Mr Odinga turned up for just 20 minutes. He signed a statement, swore an oath and left the stage, leaving his supporters wondering why it was such a low-key affair, he adds.

His deputy, Kalonzo Musyoka, was not at the event, and Mr Odinga said Mr Musyoka would be “sworn-in” at a later date.

However, his absence suggested there were divisions in Mr Odinga’s National Super Alliance, BBC correspondent says.

One of them, Larry Oyugi, said there was nothing illegal about Tuesday’s event: “We have warned the police enough and we are also going as per the constitution. The constitution of Kenya, article one, allows all Kenyans to exercise their power directly.

“This is why we are here to exercise our powers by gathering here and also article 37 allows peaceful assembly. We are citizens of this country, we are allowed to peacefully assemble here and elect our president as per the constitution.”

Police allowed the event to take place, despite warning earlier that they would prevent it from going ahead.
Three privately owned television stations – NTV, KTN and Citizen TV – went off air from around 09:10 (06:10 GMT), BBC Monitoring reports.

Citizen TV told the BBC the authorities had forced them off the air over plans to cover the gathering.
It live streamed the event on its website, and on YouTube and Facebook.

KTN viewers watched their screens fade to black as the news presenter read a statement confirming that the national communications authority was switching off the transmission.

Switching off the broadcasting signals of media organisations is unusual in Kenya, the BBC’s Anne Soy reports from Nairobi.

Threats have been made in the past and some media groups have been raided, but none have had their signal deliberately disrupted.

Kenyan journalists have denounced the move as outrageous and in a statement called for “respect of the constitution” and an end to the “unprecedented intimidation of journalists”.

There was tension in Kenya on Tuesday as some schools closed in the capital because of the event, and people did not know what to expect, our correspondent says.

Mr Kenyatta was officially re-elected with 98% of the vote on 26 October but just under 39% of voters turned out. He was inaugurated in November.

His victory is not recognised by Mr Odinga, who argues he was elected by a small section of the country.
Mr Kenyatta also won the original election on 8 August but that result was annulled by the Supreme Court, which described it as “neither transparent nor verifiable”.

When the repeat vote was called, Mr Odinga urged his supporters to shun it because he said no reforms had been made to the electoral commission.

Correspondents say the election dispute has left Kenya deeply divided. About 50 people are reported to have been killed in violence since the August ballot.

Source: BBC

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Legal Oddities: Swearing-in an Acting President under 1992 Constitution [Article] https://citifmonline.com/2018/01/legal-oddities-swearing-acting-president-1992-constitution-article/ Mon, 22 Jan 2018 10:19:35 +0000 http://citifmonline.com/?p=393909 On Sunday the 7th of January 2018, the country celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the 4th Republic. The success of the 4th Republic has invariably been hinged on the 1992 Constitution – a document bastardized at birth, but yet remains the longest-serving constitution in the 60-year post-independence history of Ghana. That notwithstanding, the 1992 Constitution […]

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On Sunday the 7th of January 2018, the country celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the 4th Republic. The success of the 4th Republic has invariably been hinged on the 1992 Constitution – a document bastardized at birth, but yet remains the longest-serving constitution in the 60-year post-independence history of Ghana. That notwithstanding, the 1992 Constitution has also, in its implementation, thrown out some challenging provisions that have required interpretation by the Supreme Court. One of such provisions is Article 60 (11) of the 1992 Constitution. Article 60(11) and Article 60(12) of the 1992 Constitution provide as follows:

  • Where the President and the Vice-President are both unable to perform the functions of the President, the Speaker of Parliament shall perform those functions until the President or the Vice-President is able to perform those functions or a new President assumes office, as the case may be.

 

  • The Speaker shall, before commencing to perform the functions of the President under clause (11) of this article, take and subscribe the oath set out in relation to the office of President.

This article takes a critical look at this provision and its implementation and posits that the current interpretation of the Supreme Court is, respectfully, problematic; and places an unnecessary clog on our constitutional development.

There are clear grounds for the invocation of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in matters of constitutional interpretation. In the case of Republic v Special Tribunal; Ex parte Akosah [1980] GLR 592, the Court of Appeal at page 605 identified the following as the grounds upon which the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to interpret a provision of the Constitution may be invoked:

  1. Where the words of the provision are imprecise or unclear or ambiguous. Put in another way, it arises if one party invites the court to declare that the words of the article have a double meaning or are obscure or else mean something different from or more than what they say.
  2. Where rival meanings have been placed by the litigants on the words of any provisions of the Constitution.
  3. Where there is a conflict in the meaning and effect of two or more articles of the Constitution, and the question is raised as to which provision should prevail;
  4. Where on the face of the provisions, there is a conflict between the operation of

particular institutions set up under the Constitution and thereby raising problems of enforcement and of interpretation.

It is on the back of these grounds that the Supreme Court was invited to look at the meaning of the provisions in Article 60 (11) of the 1992 Constitution in the case of Asare v. Attorney General [2003-2004] SCGLR.

The Supreme Court in Asare v. Attorney General reasoned that “unable to perform the functions of the President” connotes a situation where the President and the Vice President are both outside the country. The Supreme Court speaking through Professor Kludze JSC stated that “…the basic assumption of article 60(11) is the idea that the executive power of the presidency should never be in abeyance.”

The Court further stated: “…to have a situation when there is no person in Ghana to exercise the executive power of the presidency would be a prescription for chaos and anarchy, and could expose this nation to both internal and external instability”

It is for this reason that whenever the President and the Vice President are out of the jurisdiction even for just a few hours, Parliament is convened to swear in the Speaker of Parliament as Acting President.

This practice raises a number of issues particularly in the 21st century and in the era of technology.

First, a close look at Article 60 will reveal that the framers of the Constitution never intended the word “unable” to mean being outside of the jurisdiction.

Article 60(8) 0f the 1992 Constitution. That provision provides that:

“Whenever the President is absent from Ghana or is for any other reason unable to perform the functions of his office, the Vice-President shall perform the functions of the President until the President returns or is able to perform his functions.”

It is in the provision that the Constitution mentions “absent from Ghana”. When this provision is compared to Article 60 (11), it becomes evident that the ONLY time the speaker can be sworn-in as Acting President is when the “Both President and Vice are unable to perform the functions of President”. Thus, it is my considered view that while the President and Vice may be out of the country performing executive functions another office cannot be sworn-in as Acting President. This interpretation makes mockery of the Presidential Oath since sometimes the Speaker is sworn-in for just a couple hours. It is this absurdity in the current interpretation of Article 60 (11) that at point in our history, a Speaker of Parliament decided not to re-take the Presidential Oath since he had taken it once when both the President and Vice were out of the country. This “Phoenix-Presidency” by Rt. Hon. Speaker Doe Adjaho was challenged and the Supreme Court again was called upon to look at this interpretation of Article 60 (11) in Samuel Atta-Mensah v. Attorney General. The Supreme Court stuck to the fidelity of their earlier decision in the Asare v. Attorney General case, and ordered the Speaker to take and subscribe to the Presidential Oath.

This issue has gained currency again with the travelling of the President to Liberia for the swearing in of that Country’s President and the Vice-President’s medical leave in London. Parliament which was on recess had to be reconvened on Sunday 21 January 2018, to swear in Rt. Hon. Speaker Oquaye as “President-to-stop-Abeyance”.

It is my considered view that the time has come for this practice to cease. The Supreme Court should be the avenue for a suit for a possible review of the decision in Asare v. Attorney General. The implementation of the decision has led to the trifling of the Presidential Oath and the associated cost of reconvening Parliament, when on recess, in is unnecessary. Section 3 of the Oaths Act, 1972 (N.R.C.D. 6) is headed “Unnecessary repetition of Oaths”. The contents of this section of N.R.C.D 6 makes it clear that “A person who has duly taken the Oath of Allegiance or the Judicial Oath shall not be required again to take that oath on appointment to any other office or on any other occasion.” Thus, if the Oath of Allegiance and Judicial Oath have such protection from unnecessary repetition, the Presidential Oath should also be insulated from unnecessary repetition.

The Constitution Review Commission and the subsequent Implementation Committee made recommendations on how to address this matter. But this is Ghana and we have allowed the report of the Constitution Review Commission to remain a “good document”.

Furthermore, the Constitution in its second schedule, prescribes the form and manner of administering the Presidential Oath. It states:

The Presidential Oath

I,……………………… having been elected to the high office of President of the Republic of Ghana do (in the name of the Almighty God swear) (solemnly affirm) that I will be faithful and true to the Republic of Ghana; that I will at all times preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana; and that I dedicate myself to the service and wellbeing of the people of the Republic of Ghana and to do right to all manner of persons.

I further (solemnly swear) (solemnly affirm) that should I at any time break this oath of office I shall submit myself to the Laws of the Republic of Ghana and suffer the penalty for it.

(So help me God). To be administered by the Chief Justice before Parliament.

The form of the Presidential Oath in the second schedule of the Constitution in my considered view ONLY contemplates the administering of the Oath to elected President. When the Speaker is sworn-in in the absence of the President and Vice President, he is sworn-in as an Acting President or President-to-stop-Abeyance and not as President. Moreover, he has not been elected as President. The Presidential Oath together with the provisions in Article 60 are entrenched provisions. It is my view that any amendment or variation of the Presidential Oath without going through the correct process of amending same is unconstitutional and makes the Oath ineffective. I know the proponents of modern purposive approach to interpretation will want to hide in the cloak of Aaron Barack and scream that “elected” should be given a purposive interpretation. My question is, has it been given a purposive interpretation by the Court given the authority to do same?

Only solution available to us in the short term is to review the decision in Asare v. Attorney General that equates travelling out of the jurisdiction to being “unable to perform the functions of the President”. Unable in my view connotes incapacity, inability, and powerlessness. When our President and Vice President are out of the jurisdiction, are they powerless? Actually, most of the time when they are out of the jurisdiction, they exercise and exhibit the finest form of Presidential power – executing international agreements and making commitment on behalf of the State.

In the long term, should we ever get to the point of amending the Constitution, this is an area worth looking into. As said earlier, the Constitution Review Commission and the Implementation Commission have already made adequate proposals in their draft bills on how to deal with this issue.

By: Clement Kojo Akapame

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Ramaphosa believes South Africa’s President Zuma rape accuser https://citifmonline.com/2017/12/ramaphosa-believes-south-africas-president-zuma-rape-accuser/ Fri, 08 Dec 2017 12:28:54 +0000 http://citifmonline.com/?p=381237 A leading contender to replace President Jacob Zuma as head of South Africa’s governing ANC has said he believes the woman who accused Mr Zuma of rape over a decade ago was telling the truth. Mr Zuma’s deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, told a local radio station: “Yes, I would believe her.” In 2006 Mr Zuma was […]

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A leading contender to replace President Jacob Zuma as head of South Africa’s governing ANC has said he believes the woman who accused Mr Zuma of rape over a decade ago was telling the truth.

Mr Zuma’s deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, told a local radio station: “Yes, I would believe her.”

In 2006 Mr Zuma was found not guilty of raping Fezekile Kuzwayo – the daughter of an old family friend.

He said she had agreed to have sex.

Mr Ramaphosa is competing against Mr Zuma’s ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to become the leader of the ANC in a contest starting next Saturday.

The winner of the party race will be well placed to become the country’s new president in 2019.

Analysis – Lebo Diseko, Johannesburg

There has been mixed reaction to Mr Ramaphosa’s comments about Ms Kuzwayo’s rape allegation.

Some have praised him for being more unequivocal in his response than rival candidate for ANC presidency Lindiwe Sisulu.

When she was asked the same question she responded: “I believe she believes she was raped”.

But many on social media have asked why Mr Ramaphosa did not publicly support Ms Kuzwayo when she was alive.

There has been renewed public interest in the rape trial, following the release of a book detailing Ms Kuzwayo’s account of events.

In particular there has been public anger over her alleged treatment by members of the ruling ANC at the time.

In the radio interview, Mr Ramaphosa praised Ms Kuzwayo’s courage for taking the case to court, saying:

“I know how difficult and painful it is to for a woman to garner up the courage and say: ‘Yes I was raped’. It must be one of the most difficult decisions she had to make.”

Ms Kuzwayo, who was 32 years younger than Mr Zuma, fled abroad and later died after a long illness, but the BBC’s Andrew Harding in Johannesburg says controversy surrounding the case has lingered.

Ms Kuzwayo was HIV-positive and Mr Zuma’s statement during the trial, that he showered after unprotected sex with the woman to guard against possible infection, provoked ridicule.

When he acquitted Mr Zuma, the judge concluded: “The complainant was inclined to accuse men of raping her or attempting to rape her,” .

The president’s office has issued a statement saying: “The court acquitted the president of the rape charges.

“The presidency affirms the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the primacy of the courts as the final arbiters in disputes in society.”

The race for the ANC:

Cyril Ramaphosa

  • Detained for two years for anti-apartheid activities; launched mineworkers’ union in 1982
  • Headed committee that prepared for Nelson Mandela’s release from prison
  • Left politics to become one of South Africa’s richest businessmen – on Lonmin board during 2012 Marikana massacre
  • Became South Africa’s deputy president in 2014.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

  • A leading anti-apartheid activist, fled South Africa to complete medical training in UK
  • Met Jacob Zuma while working as a doctor in Swaziland, divorcing him after 16 years of marriage in 1998
  • Declined offer to take place of her ex-husband as deputy president in 2005 after he was sacked
  • Chair of the African Union commission from 2012 to 2016.

Source: BBC

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Don’t embarrass gov’t with violent acts – Sammy Awuku to NPP youth https://citifmonline.com/2017/04/dont-embarrass-govt-with-violent-acts-sammy-awuku-to-npp-youth/ Sat, 08 Apr 2017 06:09:31 +0000 http://citifmonline.com/?p=308935 The National Youth Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Awuku has called on the youth of the party across the country to desist from violent activities which he says is bringing the name of the party into disrepute. Addressing the Party’s Constituency Youth Organizers in Wa on Thursday [April 6, 2017], Sammy […]

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The National Youth Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Awuku has called on the youth of the party across the country to desist from violent activities which he says is bringing the name of the party into disrepute.

Addressing the Party’s Constituency Youth Organizers in Wa on Thursday [April 6, 2017], Sammy Awuku urged the youth to refrain from all forms of violence and use the appropriate party structures to communicate their misgivings on any matter.

Various youth groups linked to the party have caused public unrest in various parts of the country since the Party’s electoral victory in December 2016.

Some youth of pro-NPP vigilante group, Delta Force, on Thursday stormed the Kumasi Circuit Court and freed 13 members of their group who were facing charges for causing disturbances at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council.

The group vandalized some court property, and almost assaulted the Judge, Mary Senkyire.

The judge had ruled that they be remanded to reappear before the court on the 20th of April, 2017, after charges of conspiracy to assault a public officer and causing unlawful damage.

But addressing some party youth in Wa later in the evening, Sammy Awuku said such violent acts were not encouraged by the NPP.

“What happened in Kumasi is despicable. It is not our character to go and carry that, and what has happened this afternoon [Thursday] too there in relation to Delta Force is not proper. We need to contribute towards the success of our government. We don’t need to contribute towards the destruction fo the government. We know what we went through to bring about this victory, the youth carried the campaign on their shoulders, so I beg you, let’s control our youth groups in our various regions and districts.”

He further called on the youth leaders to support and encourage the President to succeed.

“The President’s message to you is that lets support him and encourage him to deliver to the expectations of Ghanaians. You are his ambassadors in the campaign and he has not forgotten you. And so as a government and as a party, we won’t encourage groups to foment trouble and you as youth leaders must be at the forefront of this.”

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Drogba pays surprise visit to Nana Addo https://citifmonline.com/2017/02/drogba-pays-surprise-visit-to-nana-addo/ Fri, 10 Feb 2017 19:35:41 +0000 http://citifmonline.com/?p=292902 Former Chelsea and Ivory Coast star, Didier Drogba, paid a surprise visit to Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House today [Friday], February 10, 2017. President Akufo-Addo posted a photo of himself and the two-time African Footballer of the Year at the Flagstaff House on Facebook on Friday evening, but did not explain what the […]

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Former Chelsea and Ivory Coast star, Didier Drogba, paid a surprise visit to Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House today [Friday], February 10, 2017.

President Akufo-Addo posted a photo of himself and the two-time African Footballer of the Year at the Flagstaff House on Facebook on Friday evening, but did not explain what the purpose of the visit was.

Nana Addo, who speaks very fluent french, is believed to have held private discussions with the football legend.

Drogba was capped 104 times Ivory Coast between 2002 and 2014, scoring 65 goals, and is the nation’s all-time top goalscorer with 65 goals.

Much like the Black Stars in 2016, he led the Ivory Coast to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament.

He was part of the Ivory Coast teams that reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2012, only to beaten on penalties on both occasions.

In Europe, Drogba scored 157 goals in 341 appearances for Chelsea in his first spell at the club, winning the UEFA Champions League with the London club in 2012.

He returned to the club for a year in 2014 and scored seven goals in 40 games.

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Minority Leader slams Nana Addo, Bawumia for mistakes in presidential oath https://citifmonline.com/2017/01/minority-leader-slams-nana-addo-bawumia-for-mistakes-in-presidential-oath/ Tue, 24 Jan 2017 13:10:10 +0000 http://citifmonline.com/?p=287651 Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has said President  Nana Akufo-Addo and his Vice, erred by mixing up some words while taking their presidential oath of office, during their inauguration on January 7, 2017. Haruna Iddrisu, who raised these concerns on the floor of the House today [Tuesday], said “President Nana Akufo-Addo actually replaced some words during the […]

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Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has said President  Nana Akufo-Addo and his Vice, erred by mixing up some words while taking their presidential oath of office, during their inauguration on January 7, 2017.

Haruna Iddrisu, who raised these concerns on the floor of the House today [Tuesday], said “President Nana Akufo-Addo actually replaced some words during the oath, instead of going strictly by what is originally in the constitution.”

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

According to him, the President said welfare instead of well-being, while the Vice President also mispronounced the word sovereign.

The Minority Leader believes “Any allusion to any honourable member of this house, not taking the business of this House serious or such an allusion to any other public high official should not be the practice in this House.”

“Mr. Speaker, I will try and substitute not taking the work seriously that they should next time follow religiously the citation, her ladyship the Chief Justice in administering the oath, so that it will reflect whatever the constitution provides for,” he added.

Budget statement to be read in March

Citi News’ Duke Mensah Opoku  reporting from Parliament, said the Speaker, Prof. Michael Oquaye, indicated that the new government’s first budget statement will be read in March this year.

The Speaker also advised new members of Parliament to be diligent and dedicate themselves to study the rules that govern proceedings in the house.

His comments come few days to the scheduled induction seminar for MPs which begins on Friday. He made these comments in a speech on the floor of Parliament, as the house resumed sitting today [Tuesday], after a two-week break.

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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V/Region GES bemoans apathy in President’s Independence Day Award https://citifmonline.com/2017/01/vregion-ges-bemoans-apathy-in-presidents-independence-day-award/ Mon, 16 Jan 2017 16:20:21 +0000 http://citifmonline.com/?p=285283 The Head of Basic Education for Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Volta Region, Togbe Dzidoah I, has expressed worry about the low turnout in the number of pupils who took part in this year’s vetting for the President’s Independence Day Awards. Since its inception in 1993, the President’s Independence Day Awards celebrate pupils from […]

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The Head of Basic Education for Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Volta Region, Togbe Dzidoah I, has expressed worry about the low turnout in the number of pupils who took part in this year’s vetting for the President’s Independence Day Awards.

Since its inception in 1993, the President’s Independence Day Awards celebrate pupils from each of the ten regions of Ghana, who have performed creditably in their Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).

Each year, two deserving students; a male and a female from each region, are awarded on the eve of the Independence Day Celebrations.

However Togbe Dzidoah observed that, unlike previous years, most pupils eligible to represent the Volta Region in the National Awards have failed to turnout for the last vetting exercise.

This he said was unfortunate, as it raises questions about the quality of students needed to represent the Volta Region.

He said although they expected about 50 students to take part in the final selection, barely half of the number turned out with most their district coordinators exhibiting poor preparedness towards the exercise.

“Out of the 25 districts that we have in the Volta region, 14 districts attended the programme. We had a total of 28 students; a boy and a girl each from a district. It is a sad situation because it was an opportunity for the young ones to get selected. And in this case we want the best to represent our region so if you don’t get the total number of people that should be part of this exercise, definitely it would affect the quality of the materials we are presenting as our ambassadors.”

He said although adequate information had been conveyed to the various directorates of education, he cannot readily tell what accounted for the low patronage towards the exercise.

He added that, he would in consultation with the Regional Director of Education probe further into the matter for necessary action to be taken.

One of the participants who completed Vehem Mawunyo International School in Dzodze, and currently a student of Mawuli Senior High School, Godwin Kofi Danyo, told Citi News he was hopeful he would emerge as one of the awardees.


By: King Norbert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Nana Addo heads to Mali in first presidential trip https://citifmonline.com/2017/01/nana-addo-heads-to-mali-in-first-presidential-trip/ https://citifmonline.com/2017/01/nana-addo-heads-to-mali-in-first-presidential-trip/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2017 06:07:14 +0000 http://citifmonline.com/?p=284444 President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will today [Friday], January 13, embark on his first official trip outside the country since his inauguration. Nana Akufo-Addo will be in Mali to hold bilateral talks with his Malian counterpart, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, as well as sign some trade agreements. The two leaders will also discuss recent happenings in […]

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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will today [Friday], January 13, embark on his first official trip outside the country since his inauguration.

Nana Akufo-Addo will be in Mali to hold bilateral talks with his Malian counterpart, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, as well as sign some trade agreements.

The two leaders will also discuss recent happenings in The Gambia and proffer possible solutions.

Nana Addo was sworn into office on January 7, 2017, as the 5th President of the 4th Republic.

Since the swearing-in, Nana Addo has been busy forming his government, and has so far named 36 ministers to serve in various ministries, and has also appointed 12 persons as his backroom staff.

The President has asked Parliament to speed up the vetting process for his appointees in order to enable him begin government business.

Prior to his swearing-in, Nana Akufo-Addo visited Nigeria on a three-day visit, where he attended the 2016 Future of Africa Awards ceremony in Lagos.

He also called on the President of Nigeria, Mahammadu Buhari at the state house in Nigeria.

By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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‘Dumsor must remain in the past’ – Nana Addo https://citifmonline.com/2017/01/dumsor-must-remain-in-the-past-nana-addo/ Wed, 11 Jan 2017 06:05:56 +0000 http://citifmonline.com/?p=283521 President Nana Akufo-Addo in nominating his Policy Adviser for the 2016 election campaign, Boakye-Agyarko, for the Minister of Energy, asked him to ensure that the power crisis, which was christened ‘dumsor’, becomes a thing of the past. President Akufo-Addo also indicated that, the Ministry of Power and Petroleum will now fall under the Ministry of Energy, […]

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President Nana Akufo-Addo in nominating his Policy Adviser for the 2016 election campaign, Boakye-Agyarko, for the Minister of Energy, asked him to ensure that the power crisis, which was christened ‘dumsor’, becomes a thing of the past.

President Akufo-Addo also indicated that, the Ministry of Power and Petroleum will now fall under the Ministry of Energy, and will be headed by Mr. Agyarko, pending parliamentary approval.

[contextly_sidebar id=”UMHHM6DwQRQnW6B1VBh5yGnimAx4wXBZ”]The Power Ministry was created in 2014 in a bid to resolve Ghana’s power crisis, which slowed economic growth and frustrated citizens with frequent power cuts and scheduled load-shedding popularly referred to as ‘dumsor’.

In a charge to Minister designate for Energy, President Akufo-Addo said the power crisis “has to be a thing of the past. We must find a way to be able to have a reliable supply of energy for our industries and enterprises and affordable for our consumers.”

“Essentially what he has to do is to assure the Ghanaian people that dumsor is going to be a thing permanently of the past and that its head will not rear up again especially in Akufo-Addo’s time as President,” the President stated.

President Akufo-Addo also expressed confidence in Mr. Agyarko’s ability to fulfill his mandate, saying, “he is in a position to provide the leadership of this important sector of our national economy.”

Boakye Agyarko’s nomination was part of 12 other nominees by President Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House Tuesday. The 2nd and final ministerial appointments are expected on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

Find the list of 13 Nominees below:

Senior Minister – Yaw Osafo-Maafo

National Security Minister – Albert Kan Dapaah

Minister of Trade and Industry – Alan Kyeremanten

Minister of Finance – Ken Ofori-Atta

Minister of Agriculture – Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto

Minister of Energy – Boakye Agyarko

Minister of Defence – Dominic Nitiwul

Minister of Interior – Ambrose Dery

Minister of Foreign Affairs – Shirley Ayorkor Botchway

Attorney General  – Gloria Akuffo

Minister of Local Government – Hajia Alima Mahama

Minister of Education – Matthew Opoku Prempeh

Minister of Health – Kwaku Agyemang-Manu

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Nana Addo sworn in as Ghana’s 5th President of 4th Republic https://citifmonline.com/2017/01/nana-addo-sworn-in-as-ghanas-5th-president-of-4th-republic/ https://citifmonline.com/2017/01/nana-addo-sworn-in-as-ghanas-5th-president-of-4th-republic/#comments Sat, 07 Jan 2017 11:23:59 +0000 http://citifmonline.com/?p=282698 Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo  has been sworn-in as Ghana’s 5th President of the 4th Republic, after winning the recently held Presidential elections in December, 2016. Taking the presidential oath of office and oath of allegiance, Nana Akufo Addo said : “I Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, having been elected to the high office of President of […]

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Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo  has been sworn-in as Ghana’s 5th President of the 4th Republic, after winning the recently held Presidential elections in December, 2016.

Taking the presidential oath of office and oath of allegiance, Nana Akufo Addo said : “I Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, having been elected to the high office of President of the Republic of Ghana do (in the name of the Almighty God swear) (solemnly affirm) that I will be faithful and true to the Republic of Ghana; that I will at all times preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana; and that I dedicate myself to the service and well-being of the people of the Republic of Ghana and to do right to all manner of persons.

 “I further (solemnly swear) (solemnly affirm) that should I at any time break this oath of office I shall submit myself to the laws of the Republic of Ghana and suffer the penalty for it. (So help me God).”
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Clad in in a fine woven multi-coloured kente cloth at the swearing-in ceremony, The New Patriotic Party (NPP) leader takes over from the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, who served just one term.

Akufo-Addo thwarted John Mahama’s plan of serving a second term beating him to secure 53.85% of the total valid votes cast, against Mahama’s 44.4%.

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Akufo-Addo’s victory was described as historic in many ways, as it was the first time a sitting President was beaten in an election, and also the first time a total vote difference of more than 1 million was recorded, between the winner and his closest opponent in an election in Ghana.

Many analysts who sought to explain Akufo-Addo’s victory attributed it to factors that include the general trend of public disaffection for sitting governments that have served 8 years in government, impunity and the perception of massive corruption in the NDC government among other things.

72-year-old Akufo-Addo, a lawyer, had earlier made two unsuccessful attempts at the presidency.

He contested the NDC’s John Evans Atta-Mills in 2008 but lost. He again failed on his second attempt in 2012 against the NDC’s candidate John Mahama.

The NPP’s conviction that, the NDC rigged the election forced it to file a motion at the Supreme Court to challenge the results of the elections.

An 8-month-long legal tussle over the matter, eventually saw the Supreme Court upholding the election results declared by the Electoral Commission in favour of the NDC.

This however led to some reforms in Ghana’s electoral laws.

While on the campaign trail for the 2016 elections, Nana Addo announced policies that include setting up a factory in every district, building a dam in every village of the three Northern Regions, and providing a Ghc 1million development fund for every constituency, as some of the things he will do when he comes to power.

He also pledged to reintroduce the payment of monthly allowance to nursing and teacher trainees in the country – something the NDC government stopped doing because it said it wanted to invest the money into educational infrastructure to enable it admit more trainees.

Although Akufo-Addo has not explicitly given timelines to his pledges and policies, most Ghanaians are highly expectant of moves to implement them especially in his first year.

Akufo-Addo names administrative staff, ministers

Before his swearing-in today [Saturday], January 7, 2017, Akufo-Addo, had named some 12 individuals who will serve as his administrative staff.

They included Mrs Frema Osei-Opare as Chief of Staff, Samuel Abu Jinapor and Francis Asenso-Okyere as deputies.

The staff included security, communication and protocol officers.

He also made some ministerial appointments.

‘Akufo-Addo’s salary and entitlements’

Coming into office, Akufo-Addo will benefit from a recently approved GH¢22,809 monthly salary for sitting Presidents.

He is entitled to quality and free medical care and will be offered state security and protection.

‘About Akufo-Addo’

Akufo-Addo is the son of a former President of Ghana, Edward Akufo-Addo (ceremonial 1969 – 1972).  He was born in Accra some seventy-two years ago at Nima, a suburb of Accra.

He grew in a political family having J. B. Danquah is his grand-uncle, William Ofori-Atta, his uncle and his father, the third Chief Justice of Ghana as key political figures in Ghana’s history.

He started his education at the Government Boys School, Adabraka – Accra, and later at the Rowe Road School, now known as Kinbu Secondary Technical School also in Accra.

He proceeded to England for his O and A level education before returning to Ghana in 1962.

He served as a teacher at Accra Academy Secondary School for about a year before proceeding to the University of Ghana, Legon to read Economics in 1964.

Nana Akufo-Addo proceeded to study law in the United Kingdom and was subsequently called to the English and Ghanaian Bar in 1971 and 1975 respectively. Before then, he had relocated to France where he practised law for about five years.

In 1975, he returned to Ghana to pursue his legal career with a private firm before co-founding a law firm; Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co. He is named in Ghana’s history as championing the cause of human rights, rule of law and justice in the country in the 1980s.

Akufo Addo entered mainstream politics serving as the General Secretary of the People’s Movement for Freedom and Justice (PMFJ) that sought to champion the freedom and rights of Ghanaians.

He is credited with working to restore multiparty democratic rule in Ghana in 1979 through a campaign against a referendum for a one-party military-led State.

In 1991, he was the chairman of the Organising Committee of the Danquah-Busia Memorial Club; dedicated to the preservation of the memory and ideals of the two great advocates of Ghanaian democracy, J. B. Danquah and K.A. Busia, Prime Minister of the Progress Party government of the 2nd Republic of Ghana.

From 1996 to 2008, he served as the Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa South Constituency of the Eastern Region.

Nana Akufo-Addo himself, aged 72, has already served Ghana as the Attorney General and then as Foreign Minister in the John Kufuor-led NPP government from 2000 to 2008.

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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