The Vice President noted that with an estimated 90 percent of African imports and exports conducted by sea transport, the issues of maritime safety and marine pollution has become a critical issue that calls for serious attention.

[contextly_sidebar id=”5OYX73EUdjxw7xt4NcCRzgy8ZCavaGPc”]Speaking at an opening ceremony of Third Ministerial Conference of the Abuja MoU on Port State Control for West and Central African Countries, in Accra, the Vice President said security at the various port should be tightened so as to meet international standards.

“Tighten your net when carrying out port state control inspection in order to ensure that all ships that call to do business at our port are seaworthy and operate in accordance with standard and regulations,” he said.

A Ghanaian fishing vessel was reported to have been hijacked by some unknown persons believed to be pirates yesterday[Wednesday]

The Deputy Director of Environment and Safety Standards at the Ghana Maritime Authority, Captain Inusah Abdul-Nasir, who confirmed this on Eyewitness News, narrating the circumstances under which the vessel was hijacked, said the incident was reported to the Ghana Navy around 6:00 pm on Monday.

There were five persons on board the fishing vessel, but the abandoned vessel has been rescued by the Ghana Navy.

The five, including three Koreans, one Ghanaian and a Greek national, are believed to have been taken hostage by some alleged Nigerian hijackers, who attempted to seize the tuna vessel, Marine 711 on the Keta high seas on Monday.

Briefing the media at the Tema Port, the Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Commodore James Kontoh said although the Ghana Navy was taken unaware in this instance, they will intensify their surveillance to forestall any such occurrence.

“For the past 48 hours, we have had series of attacks which we tried to unravel. It all happened Monday dawn about 03:30 when a speedboat came to the Tema anchorage area and forcefully took over a vessel and started heading towards the Togolese waters until the vessel complained of not having enough fuel to continue the journey.”

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Vice President, who touched down from British Airways Flight minutes after 8:00 pm, was met by the President Nana Akufo-Addo, and the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo.

A smiling Dr. Bawumia in a blue-black jacket and a black pair of trousers, and flanked by his wife, was hugged by the President and the First Lady before he entered a car to the VVIP Lounge, where several dignitaries and members of the media had converged.

At the VVIP lounge, the Vice President exchanged pleasantries with several ministers of state and other members of the governing New Patriotic Party, [NPP], who had lined up to meet him.

He then sat down with the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, as they engaged in a hearty chat full of smiles, although the details of their conversation were not known to the press.

Some of the government officials and members of the governing New Patriotic Party [NPP] who were at the Airport included the Interior Minister Ambrose Dery, Trade Minister Alan Kyeremanten, Hackman Owusu Agyemang, Sheikh I.C. Quaye, and Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin among others.

Dr. Bawumia, who’s the Head of the government’s Economic Management Team, left Ghana for the United Kingdom on Friday January 20; after the Presidency revealed that he had taken ill a day before on January 19, and had undergone medical tests.

According to a statement signed by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, the trip became necessary following the advice of Dr. Bawumia’s doctors.

The Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid, later explained that, the decision to fly Dr. Bawumia to the UK was to ensure that he was kept away from visitors who may disturb his rest and recuperation period.

On January 27, during his medical leave, a video emerged of the Vice President taking a stroll on the streets of London with his wife, Samira Bawumia.

At a point in the video, the Second Family stopped to interact with a Ghanaian national who ran over to greet them.

Citi News identified the Ghanaian as Christian Asante, a security officer at a Primark store on the Oxford Street.

Whilst many were excited to see the Vice President in the video, others suggested it was stage-managed to give an impression that he was well, and that government was in reality concealing the true details of his health status from the public.

Some likened the video to the incident where the late President Atta Mills who appeared physically ill, at one-time trotted at the Kotoka International Airport when he had returned from a trip outside, to give an impression that he was healthy.

Others later shifted the argument to the fact that, it was not prudent for the Vice President to have been strolling the streets of London without security, a claim that was dismissed by some government spokespersons.

The video also came at a time the Minority in Parliament had called for full disclosure on the health status of the Vice President.

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, however described the Minority’s call as “hypocritical and preposterous”.

Prior to those pictures coming out, Samira Bawumia, offered some assurances concerning the recovery of the Vice President, saying her husband was “doing very well” and looking “forward to returning to work soon.”
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Now known as Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium, incumbent Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, inaugurated it at a colourful durbar of chiefs from the entire Northern Region.

The late Alhaji Aliu Mahama lobbied for the stadium’s construction in Tamale as part of the stadia built to host the 2008 Cup of African Nations in Ghana.

As a soccer enthusiast, he was among the founding fathers of Real Tamale United (RTU) that bonded the people of the Northern Region.

He was very influential in grooming most of Ghana’s soccer legends including the Maestro, Abedi Pele Ayew.

Most of the chiefs in a Citi News interview lauded government’s decision, and encouraged the youth to live exemplary lifestyles.

Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia recounted the late Alhaji Aliu Mahama’s humanitarian services, and concluded that he deserved the honour done him.

“He was principled, upright and caring. His whole life was devoted to uplifting humanity from obscurity to limelight.”

“He was immensely very influential in lifting Abedi Pele and many other sports men and women from obscurity to the limelight.”

“Alhaji Aliu Mahama is indeed a national hero and a sports icon. His achievements and deeds transcends space and time. His name is therefore immortalized by naming the Tamale Sports Stadium which after all he was instrumental in building it, and so it is only fair and just that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo will name this Stadium after him.”

He implored Ghanaians to emulate the late Alhaji Aliu Mahama’s leadership qualities.

“As means of uniting many fragmented football teams and supporters from a position of weakness and mediocrity to an enviable position of strength and excellence, so should the name of this stadium be a symbol of unity, an edifice to ignite the spirit of selflessness and honesty, an emolument to inculcate the values of patriotism, nationalism and volunteerism in Ghanaians.”

The late Alhaji Aliu Mahama’s widow, Hajia Ramatu Mahama, Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, Youth and Sports Minister, Issac Kwame Asiamah, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kwesi Nyantakyi among other dignitaries graced the occasion.

A special Quranic recitation and a health walk preceded the inaugural ceremony which was climaxed with a football match between the northern and the southern eleven, and finally an explosive entertainment show by Fancy Gadam, Macassio and the rest in the northern music industry.

By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The president announced it via his Twitter handle on Thursday, November 9, 2017.

Barrow had named her his vice in January this year, after beating long-serving Yahya Jammeh in elections last December. The appointment was however mired in controversy as the nominee was said to have exceeded the age limit to hold the office.

Local media reports indicate that the necessary legal rectifications were done in order to properly allow her to occupy the post. The president described her as “a woman with wealth of experience highly required for rebuilding the New Gambia.”

Photos from the presidency showed Barrow handing her a legal document after which she is seen appending her signature to a register.

Barrow himself took two oaths of office, first in Senegal where he was based at the height of the political crisis with Jammeh’s refusal to leave. The second was post-Jammeh, on a date that coincided with the country’s independence.

Fatoumatta Jallow-Tambajang is a prominent pro-democracy activist, who was part of the opposition coalition that unseated Yahya Jammeh.

She is touted as one of the main brains behind the formation of a coalition going into the December 1, 2016 polls.

The Gambia – Fatoumata Jallow Tambajang

Mrs. Tambajang, who was a former United Nations Development Program (UNDP) gender/development expert, also served as a cabinet minister in the government of Yahya Jammeh. She was Minister of Health, Social Welfare and Women’s Affairs.

She replaces Isatou Njie-Saidy – Jammeh’s deputy since 1997. Isatou resigned in early January at the height of the political uncertainty that gripped the tiny West African country. Jammeh citing irregularities in the polls had unilaterally canceled the outcome of the election.

The regional political bloc, ECOWAS, mandated a mediation team led by Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari, and met with Jammeh twice, but failed to convince him to leave.

It took a belated mediation by Guinea and Mauritanian presidents to convince Jammeh to leave.

At the time, the United Nations had okayed a regional standby force to enter The Gambia and to force Jammeh out. He is currently living in Equatorial Guinea.

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By: Africanews

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Dr. Bawumia pointed out that Ghana was able to secure the commitment due to   new financing model designed by the Economic Management Team.

[contextly_sidebar id=”bKaRewBYeStuE23JYck84qACDTLP1S7c”]Speaking to journalists after returning from a four-day visit to the Peoples Republic of China, Dr. Bawumia stated that there is an outstanding 4 billion dollars deal that will be concluded soon.

“The Peoples Republic of China and the State and Private Sector Enterprises have together committed to support the economic transformation agenda of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. So far the commitment that we received in China before leaving amounted to 15 billion dollars,” he disclosed.

“There is a possibility that within the next month or so there are some discussion that we couldn’t conclude and another 4 billion dollars will be added to that. Of course, we will follow these through,” he added.

Dr. Bawumia stated that the government’s goodwill appealed to many investors such that the private sectorin China were eager to invest in Ghana.

“At various meetings during the 4 day visit, leading Chinese companies and agencies of the government of China signed these MoU totaling about 15 billion. In the area of industrilisation for example the China National Building Materials Equipment Export and Import Cooperation signed a facility with the Private Sector led by the Association of Ghana Industries,” he said.

Dr. Bwumia debunks compromise

Meanwhile, Dr. Bawumia refuted assertions that the commitments to invest 15 billion dollars in Ghana’s economy will compromise the fight against galamsey.

He downplayed possible concerns the support Ghana is getting from China could compromise efforts against illegal mining, of which Chinese nationals are known to be heavily engaged in.

According to him, China is happy with Ghana’s clamp down on illegal mining, which has seen a significant number of Chinese nationals in Ghana arrested.

“The issue of Galamsey is not a China matter. The issue is a galamsey matter and we deal with anybody who is involved in galamsey per our laws and the Chinese are very happy with us enforcing our laws,” the vice president stated.

“They [the Chinese] won’t tell us how to enforce our laws as we can’t tell them how to enforce their laws and I think the fight against galamsey is no respecter of persons regardless of where you come from… you are going to be dealt with the same.”

He added that, the Chinese “are very supportive of us dealing with the galamsey issue as per our laws and our laws are doing a wonderful job so far… I don’t think there is any link between the fight against galamsey and our support from China. China wants us to do the right thing.”

Chinese involvement with the state has been looked on with suspicion from the public given Chinese nationals have gained notoriety for involvement in illegal mining activities, with a significant number of them currently dealing with cases in the court of law.

High-profile donations made to the police and Attorney General’s office from Chinese, were met with criticism from the public with fears the donations could comprise law enforcement stakeholders.

These concerns are not without merit given that a former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, revealed pressure was put on him from Chinese officials in Ghana when he tried to fight against illegal mining. According to Inusah Fusseini, the former Chinese Ambassador tried different methods to get him to ease up on the fight against illegal miners within the small-scale mining sector.

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By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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He said China stood ready to pass on knowledge, expertise and assistance to Ghana to facilitate the transformation agenda of the Akufo-Addo government.

[contextly_sidebar id=”zpEZimEUM9MeZHp8tFrjle4XX5L6Jru6″]The Chinese Vice President disclosed this during a State Reception for his Ghanaian counterpart, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Mr. Yuanchao said China was looking particularly at deeper trade and investment cooperation, as well as value addition to Ghana’s natural resources.

In addition, Chinese companies would provide assistance in the railway, agriculture, industrialization, energy, and transportation sectors, he indicated.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is on a four-day official visit to China, at the invitation of the Chinese government. It is the first by a high level government official since the New Patriotic Party took office in January this year.

Dr Bawumia is leading a delegation of Ministers and government officials to the Asian country in a quest to deepen diplomatic and economic ties as well as create opportunities for Ghanaian businesses to form partnerships with their Chinese counterparts.

Ghana was among the first group of Sub-Saharan African countries that established diplomatic relations with China, and the two countries have enjoyed decades of strong ties.

The government is seeking to leverage Ghana’s abundant natural resources to undertake a massive overhaul of her infrastructural, industrial and agricultural base. In this regard, it is seeking partnerships to extract and process the massive deposits of bauxite at Nyinahin and Kibi, with a potential value of $460 billion, to fund the construction of thousands of kilometres of railway lines, roads, provide irrigation facilities and dams, and construct bridges, among others.

The government is also seeking greater diplomatic ties with her development partners, a step in the right direction, according to the Chinese Vice President.

“Since you were elected Vice President of Ghana, you and President Akufo-Addo have been committed to developing relations in a win-win cooperation with China. We highly appreciate this and thank you for that.

“Your Excellency, you are the first Ghanaian leader to visit China since your new government took office. This visit has a great significance for embarking on a new chapter in China

Ghana friendship and cooperation. I look forward to a deeper and open relationship between our two countries,” Li Yuanchao stated.

Vice President Bawumia on his part said it was time for deepened ties between both countries.

“Both President Akufo-Addo and I have been following with keen interest and have been very much impressed with the successes of the Chinese Government under the leadership of H.E. President Xi Jinping since becoming the President in November, 2012.”

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Source: GNA

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Speaking at the opposition National Democratic Congress’ (NDC)  25th anniversary rally at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region, Mr. Amissah Arthur also charged teeming NDC supporters to hold the NPP accountable to its promises.

[contextly_sidebar id=”maMLn6Y2bnea4p9qrkahgZm6jwUQktaR”]“The NDC must continue to champion the agenda of the people of this country and this agenda is simple. We have to protect the interest of our people. We have to ensure that the NPP government meets all the promises that they made. I have been told that they have made 170 promises. They have to ensure that all those 170 promises are fulfilled so the people of Ghana can also benefit from the work that they came to do. “

While emphasizing the need for the party to “move on” despite a painful defeat, the  former Vice President also called for unity within the NDC, saying “the 2016 election is over and it is important for us to move on because the agenda of the Ghanaian people is important. We must unite our people so that we can work together combining all strengths and attributes of the people in the NDC so that we can work for the good of this country.”

The former President also extended his appreciation to Ghanaians for their support, saying  “I am here to pay homage and to say how grateful we are to the common people of this country”

“We are here also because we also want to celebrate another 25 years of progressive politics” he noted.

The rally will mark the end of the week-long activities to mark the party’s 25th anniversary.

Notable promises by the NPP

As part of plans to industrialize and transform the Ghanaian economy, President Nana Akufo-Addo, who was then Flagbearer of the NPP, indicated  his government’s plans to help establish a factory in each of the 216 districts across the country.

Nana Akufo-Addo also promised to establish one dam in every village in the northern part of the country to boost agriculture through a well planed irrigation policy.

The NPP Flagbearer also promised to create another region from the Western Region, should he emerge winner in the December polls among others. The party’s flagship programme, the free SHS policy, is set for implementation from September this year.

His promises were however met with questions of feasibility and criticism from the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) with the party largely accusing him pandering for votes.

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By:Marian Ansah/citifmonline,.com/Ghana
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The Minority at a recent press conference accused the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta of conflict of interest, for allegedly selling the $2.25 billion domestic bond to his cronies.

[contextly_sidebar id=”MekCm4gWEWGsaxdtMpFsLRN24dP8eSQU”]But Dr. Bawumia speaking to media at the IMF/World Bank Spring Meeting in Washington, described the Minority as ignorant for criticizing government over the bond.

A statement signed by the Deputy Ranking Member on Employment, Richard Quashigah, described the Vice President’s statement as “jaundiced.”

“If indeed those were his words, then it is not only unfortunate, but a very jaundiced conclusion to have been made by him,” Mr. Quashigah said.

Mr. Quashigah in the statement further cautioned Dr. Bawumia to be mindful of his comments saying his words could cause Ghana an international embarrassment.

“If indeed the reportage as put out by the media is accurate, then he is advised to learn to speak with diplomacy and dignity expected of a Vice President or else before long he could cause this nation an incalculable international embarrassment. Assuming without admitting that the minority got it wrong, couldn’t he have clarified without insults?”

He further called the Vice President to do the honourable thing by apologizing.

“Mr. Bawumia, the current Vice President of Ghana, must do the excellent thing by withdrawing and must apologize to the good people of Ghana. The use of intemperate language is unbecoming of the Vice President,” the statement added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The Vice President, who disclosed the cost, questioned whether the doors of the apartment were gold-plated to merit such profligacy.

Speaking at the Action Chapel Good Corporate Governance Initiative, Dr. Bawumia said upon enquiries as to why the construction of the Vice President’s official residence was delaying, he was told that the state owed the contractor who worked on the project, an amount he later found was close to 14 million USD.

He made the comment while sharing his thoughts on sole-sourcing and its associated challenges, questioning why such a huge amount would be spent on a home for a Vice President.

“There is this whole brouhaha about the Vice President’s residence, so in the context of discussing this issue , there is supposed to be a Vice President residence under construction officially, so to speak. So I asked a question as to why this project is being delayed and they said the contractor is owed a lot of money and I asked how much is this money, and I am told it is actually a lot of money. And I asked ; how much is this house actually costing and I was shocked when I was told. Can you believe in Ghana we are building a house to house our Vice President, and this house is supposed to cost 13.9 million dollars.”

“I mean what sort of a house is this supposed to be?Is the gate made of gold?The pavement of gold?The blocks of gold?A house in Ghana for 13.9 million dollars?I could not believe it. How many boreholes could we have done…?Of course, I am 100 percent sure it did not go through competitive tender, otherwise we would have known about it. It was most likely sole-sourced, and there it stands uncompleted at the moment. This is just an example of many contracts that we do not have value for money for.”

Dr. Bawumia criticized the pervasiveness of single-sourced procurement in public projects, stressing that the previous administration had made single-source procurement the rule rather than the exception.

He said the NPP government would take a closer look at the Public Procurement Act, to cease the resort to sole-source procurement.

Although the project was started by the previous NDC administration, Vice President Bawumia would have stayed in the house, if it had been completed.

Click on audio to listen to Bawumia

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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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.”

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.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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