November 22

NO. 100775 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2018 

PRICE: GH¢2.00 

DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

• Mr Kofi 

Osei-Ameyaw, 

NLA boss 

•Leslie Dwight Mensah (M), Research Fellow 

at the IFS, flanked by Prof. New Kusi, 

Executive Director, IFS and Dr John Kwakye, 

Director of Research, IFS at the press confab 

visit us: @dailyheritagegh dailyheritage facebook.com/daily.heritage.9

02 

DAILY QUOTE 

I am blessed to have so many 

great things in my life - family, 

friends and God. All will be 

in my thoughts daily 

— Lil' Kim. 

CONTENT 

ANNIVERSARIES 

Fri. Dec. 7 — Farmer’s Day 

Tues. Dec. 25 — Christmas 

Wed. Dec. 26 — Boxing Day 

DAILY HERITAGE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2018 

Published by: EIB 

Network / Heritage 

Communications Ltd. 

Managing Editor: 

William Asiedu: 

0208156974 

Editor: 

Kofi Enchill: 

0265653335 

ISSN: 0855-52307 

VOL 7 

Location: Meridian 

House (Starr FM) Ring 

Road. Box AD 676, 

Adabraka, Accra,Ghana. 

Telephone: +233-0302- 

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www.dailyheritage.com.gh 

Adverts/Mktg: 

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Email: 

news@dailyheritagegh.com.gh 

heritagenewspaper@yahoo.co.uk 

Press Freedom 

under threat in E/R 

BY KWAME ACHEAMPONG 

THE GHANA Journalists Association 

(GJA) has demanding justice 

for an Akwatia-based journalist 

who was arrested, put into cells 

for two days and subsequently remanded 

by a court without any legal representation. 

The journalist, Odiasempa, was allegedly arrested 

in a Rambo style after he did a story 

which unearthed some misconducts of the Akwatia 

district Police commander. 

“The GJA -Eastern Region is unhappy and 

vehemently condemns the circumstances that 

led to this unfortunate happening. 

“The police have indicated not to be in the 

position to tell us what really transpired except 

to say that the case has gone beyond them and 

that it was still being investigated by the Crime 

Unit. However, our investigations indicate that 

Odiasempa was charged for impersonation and 

defamation for which he was hurriedly 

processed for court without a legal representation 

and was subsequently remanded by the 

court,” the GJA said. 

In a statement, the GJA called on the Inspector 

General of Police to investigate the 

issue and bring his staff to order. Below is the 

statement: 

THE INCIVILITY AT AKWATIA 

MUST NOT BE ENTERTAINED! 

The attention of the Ghana Journalists Association 

(GJA) – Eastern Region has been 

• As GJA seeks justice for journalist 

remanded without fair trial 

drawn to a Rambo style arrest and subsequent 

remand of an Akwatia based 

reporter Ebenezer Ofori Agyei (A.K.A. Odiasempa) 

– respectively by the Akwatia Police 

and the Kade Magistrates Court last Wednesday 

November 14, 2018. 

The GJA -Eastern Region is unhappy and 

vehemently condemn the circumstances that 

led to this unfortunate happening. 

The police has indicated not to be in the 

position to tell us what really transpired except 

to say that the case has gone beyond them and 

that it was still being investigated by the Crime 

Unit. However, our investigations indicate that 

Odiasempa was charged for Impersonation and 

defamation for which he was hurriedly 

processed for court without a legal representation 

and was subsequently remanded by the 

court. 

Since the police is not in the position to give 

us detail of the matter, we will present what we 

have gathered per our enquiries: 

At about 3pm last Wednesday November 

14, 2018, the Akwatia Police Commander, one 

DSP Yaw Agyekum Dankwa, ordered his men 

to arrest Odiasempa. The men effected the arrest 

and presented him to their boss. Eventually, 

DSP again ordered his men to 

Odiasempa’s home, ransacked his room and 

seized his laptops, phones and other electronic 

gadget. Odiasempa was locked up till Friday 

November 16, 2018 and was processed for 

court at about 11am same day on the charges 

of defamation and impersonation. 

According to our enquiry, Odiasempa had 

gathered information which suggested that 

DSP Dankwa was allegedly misconducting 

himself in line of duty which sort to harass residents 

of Akwatia, especially drivers. The District 

commander was alleged to have been 

demanding bags of cement, fowls etc. from alleged 

recalcitrant drivers in exchange for their 

freedom. After gathering the negative reports 

from his sources which included some drivers 

operating in Akwatia and one of the District 

Commander’s junior officers, Odiasempa is 

said to have unsuccessfully used all means to 

approach the Commander to get his side of the 

matter. 

Odiasempa went ahead to publish the story 

of the alleged misconduct of the Police Commander 

(though without his side of the issue) 

on a number of radio stations in the country. 

According to our enquiry, upon hearing the 

news about himself, DSP Dankwa allegedly ordered 

his men to arrest the reporter. 

Without any shred of protecting, promoting 

and condoning acts of unprofessionalism, 

the Eastern GJA believes the action of DSP 

Yaw Agyekum Dankwa is uncalled for and we 

wish to remind that the days of throwing 

media workers into jail in a ‘Kangaroo’ style is 

over. 

As far as we are aware, the journalist was 

executing his duty to maintain sanity in the society 

by ensuring that society is rid of corrupt 

practices. In any case, even if Odiasempa’s 

work seemed to have defamed the police commander, 

there was an avenue for him to rejoinder. 

The Rambo style with which DSP Dankwa 

ordered his men to arrest him, seize his gadget, 

put him in cells and arraigned him before court 

as though he had committed a heinous crime, is 

uncalled for and deemed an abuse of power. 

Again, we deem the police commander’s action 

to be intimidatory and an affront to freedom 

of the press and fundamental human 

rights as ascribed in the 1992 constitution. 

We further call on the Inspector General of 

Police (IGP) and the entire police hierarchy to 

call DSP Yaw Agyekum Dankwa to order and 

investigate all allegations of extortion and corruption 

against him. 

The GJA, and for that matter the Eastern 

Media, has enjoyed a mutual working relationship 

with the Ghana Police Service at all levels 

and we hope this relationship continues. 

Ghana is far advanced to entertain this incivility. 

We also expected that the court would 

have also done due diligence since a charge of 

defamation or even impersonation could not 

attract a week remand on a defendant. This is 

harsh! 

We equally call on the Chief Justice and Attorney 

General to investigate the particulars 

which influenced the Kade Magistrate Court’s 

decision to remand the reporter. 

We are therefore calling on the police hierarchy 

and the judiciary to relook into this matter 

and ensure that due diligence and justice are 

followed. ODIASEMPA MUST BE RE- 

LEASED NOW!!! 

Signed 

Maxwell Kudekor , Chairman – GJA. 

Mc Anthony Dagyenga, Secretary – GJA, Eastern 

Region 

NLA pays GH¢30m into Consolidated Fund 

BY PHILIP ANTOH 

philip.antoh@dailyheritage.com.gh 

THE LEADERSHIP of the Public 

Forum for Economic Justice (PFEJ) has 

commended the Director-General of the 

National Lottery Authority (NLA), Mr 

Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, for achieving breathtaking 

and amazing innovations at the authority 

in less than two years. 

“We want to commend Mr Osei- 

Ameyaw for shining at the NLA since his 

appointment by President Nana Addo 

Dankwa Akufo-Addo in March 2017 to 

replace Brigadier-General Ahiaglo (Rtd) 

•Mr Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, NLA boss 

• For 2017 

as the Director-General of NLA,” 

it said. 

In a statement signed by 

PFEJ’s National Convener, Mr 

Bismark R. Ansah, and issued in 

Accra yesterday, the Forum said 

“we like to state clearly that under 

the leadership of Mr Osei- 

Ameyaw, NLA had paid into the 

Consolidated Fund an amount of 

GH30 million for the year 2017.” 

The statement copied to the 

DAILY HERITAGE in Accra, 

noted that the achievement was 

unprecedented as compared to the 

GH¢16 million the former Director-General, 

Mr Ahiaglo, paid into 

the Consolidated Fund for the 

year 2016. 

According to the statement, 

the leadership of Mr Osei- 

Ameyaw was able to convince the 

economic management team of 

the government to abolish the 

7.5% income tax on the commission 

of Lotto Marketing Companies 

as well as ensure the removal 

of the 5% withholding tax on 

lotto prizes. 

“Per our checks at the National 

Lottery Authority, Mr Osei- 

Ameyaw's leadership with the support 

from the Board of NLA has 

contributed hugely to the refurbishment 

of the lotto marketing 

companies national head office in 

Accra. 

“We would like to commend 

him and the Board of NLA for 

taking pragmatic steps and initiatives 

to positively redefine the lottery 

business in Ghana,” the 

statement noted.

WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 


03 

2019 budget 

commendable 

RENOWED ECO- 

NOMIC Think Tank, 

the Institute for Fiscal 

Studies (IFS) has, after 

a critical examination 

of the 2019 Budget Statement presented 

by the Finance Minister, 

Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, commended 

the 2019 Budget. 

The IFS, however, pointed out 

key areas government could focus 

on to achieve the needed economic 

transformation that Ghanaians 

crave for. 

At a post-budget press conference 

held at the Institute’s Head 

Office in Accra, Leslie Dwight 

Mensah, Senior Economist and 

Research Fellow at the IFS 

pointed out that though the Institute 

supports the prominence 

given infrastructure in the 2019 

Budget, it believes there is a need 

to anchor Ghana’s infrastructure 

development on a long-term national 

infrastructure plan. 

The Research Fellow said the 

long-term national infrastructure 

plan “will identify, cost, and prioritise 

the country’s infrastructure 

requirements on a long-term basis 

to meet the demands of a modern, 

middle-income economy. 

The infrastructure plan itself 

should be based on a long-term 

national development plan.” 

Finance Minister 

Presenting the 2019 Budget Statement 

in Parliament, Mr Ofori-Atta said 

infrastructure, both hard and soft, was 

the backbone of economic development 

and growth, as well as a source of jobs 

and wealth for a majority of people. 

“In a rapidly changing global marketplace, 

traditional infrastructure like electricity 

and power, transport and logistics, 

water and sanitation, roads, highways, 

and railways have combined with new, 

mostly soft infrastructure like digitisation 

of government services to enable 

emerging economies like ours leapfrog 

the development path to prosperity. 

“Mr Speaker, this Government, is 

committed to embarking on an inte- 

• Says IFS, but cautions govt to 

anchor planned infrastructure 

dev. on long-term national plan 

grated infrastructural development programme 

across the country that will move goods, food 

items and people from one location to another that 

will create jobs and prosperity and ensure value for 

money for Ghana as well as position Ghana as the 

transportation, energy and logistics hub in the region.” 

The Finance Minister, for instance, said “Cabinet 

had given approval for the establishment of a 

Home-Based Airline with private sector participation 

to provide regional and inter-continental services 

for efficient movement of people, goods and 

services as well as promote tourism. Strategic investors 

will be engaged, and the airline is expected 

to commence operations in 2019.” 

Commenting on the government’s elaborate 

plans on infrastructure, some of which funding are 

not captured in the budget, the IFS said “we also 

want to draw attention to a recurring practice in the 

country whereby various amounts which are borrowed 

to finance infrastructure are not captured in 

the budget. The increase in such extra-budgetary 

borrowing activities has important fiscal and debt 

sustainability implications for the country. 

“There is the need therefore to control the 

growth of these activities and to widen the coverage 

of the fiscal accounts to incorporate these 

transactions. We believe that it would be appropriate—and 

indeed prudent—to align these borrowings 

strictly with the budget cycle. The IFS intends 

to examine this issue more closely to come up with 

necessary reform proposals to enhance fiscal transparency 

and long-term debt sustainability.” 

Below is the full presentation by the IFS: 

Institute for Fiscal Studies 

Post-2019 Budget Press Statement 

Introduction 

Ahead of the reading of the 2019 budget, IFS 

presented its views and expectations in key areas in 

a press conference. After the reading, the Institute 

has assessed the budget in light of its expectations. 

The Institute is once again meeting with the press 

to comment on issues it deems pertinent. The presentation 

will cover: 

Economic Growth and Job Creation; 

Fiscal Policy Stance and Realism of the 

Projections; 

Domestic Revenue Mobilization; 

“There is the need 

therefore to control 

the growth of these 

activities and to 

widen the coverage 

of the fiscal accounts 

to incorporate these 

transactions...” 

Expenditure Control and Rationalization; 

Infrastructure Development and financing; and 

Exiting IMF Financial Program and Legislating 

Fiscal Responsibility. 

Our statement is intended to contribute to the 

public discussions as well as the debate that will 

take place in Parliament prior to the approval of 

the budget. 

Economic Growth and Job Creation 

It is recalled that Economic Growth and Job 

Creating was the centrepiece of IFS’ pre-budget 

press briefing. The views expressed therein reflected 

those articulated by the Institute in a paper 

titled: “Strong Economic Growth and Significant 

Reduction in Unemployment: The Critical Issues to 

Address in Ghana’s 2019 Budget” and published in 

October. 

Among others, the paper pointed out that unemployment 

has become the most serious challenge 

currently confronting Ghana. To ensure 

significant creation of jobs and minimise the problem 

of unemployment and its attendant socioeconomic 

ills, IFS suggested that strong broad-based 

economic growth, driven by agricultural growth 

and transformation, industrialization, and the closing 

of the country’s infrastructure gap, is critically 

needed. The Institute is, therefore, happy—and, indeed, 

feels vindicated—to see that the 2019 Budget 

has included agricultural modernization, industrialization, 

and infrastructure development in its strategic 

pillars, alongside improving efficiency in 

revenue mobilization and protecting the public 

purse. 

IFS noted that recent growth had been driven 

largely by the extractives sectors, but since activities 

in those sectors were highly capital intensive, they 

had not created enough jobs. The nonoil sectors, 

particularly agriculture and manufacturing, which 

have higher capacities to generate jobs, however, 

had virtually stagnated in the past few years and 

this had compounded the unemployment problem 

in the country. The Institute, therefore, welcomes 

the attention being given these sectors in the 

budget. The agricultural sector should be aided by 

scaling up irrigation facilities, extensions services, 

storage and preservation facilities, and marketing 

facilities. Regarding industrialization, the 1D1F policy 

could be the fulcrum to achieve major transformation 

of the economy so as to reduce our 

dependence on imports and increase employment. 

The 1D1F policy, however, needs careful planning 

in terms of the type of products, factory sizes, locations, 

ownership, management, and the supplychain 

(or raw material base). 

These decisions should be informed by Ghana’s 

previous industrialisation experience and international 

best practices. To ease the burden of financing 

the 1D1F policy on the public purse, privateand 

PPP-funding options should be considered. In 

terms of direct creation of jobs, NABCO and the 

YEA programs may be important interventions to 

help alleviate youth unemployment, in particular. 

However, the capacity of the state to create large 

numbers of jobs on a sustainable basis is always 

tempered by issues of efficiency, productivity and 

budgetary costs. Ideally, the private sector should 

be spearheading growth and job creation. The 

Ghanaian private sector, however, remains weak, 

bogged down by a myriad of bottlenecks, including 

overly regulatory burden, poor infrastructure, high 

taxes, high cost of credit, high cost of public services 

and the general adverse effects of macroeconomic 

instability. It is important for government to 

continue to enable the private sector to drive 

growth and durable job creation by addressing the 

numerous bottlenecks mentioned above that continue 

to inhibit the sector. 

Fiscal Policy Stance and Realism 

of the Projections 

The 2019 budget indicates a policy change from 

fiscal consolidation to fiscal expansion. This is reflected 

in the projected increase in the budget 

deficit to 4.2% of GDP from 3.7% of GDP in 

2018, and follows a period of consolidation in 

which the deficit was also reduced from 6.5% of 

GDP in 2016 to 4.8% in 2017.The policy change is 

seen in the fact that government spending for 2019 

has been projected to increase significantly. In 

2019, government spending is projected to increase 

by a whopping GH₵15.62 billion, up from the increases 

of GH₵5.78 billion in 2017 and GH₵5.88 

billion in 2018. If realized, the increase in government 

spending in 2019 will be the highest in absolute 

terms in the Fourth Republic. In percentage 

terms, the projected increase in government expenditure 

of 27.0% in 2019 is the highest since 2012. 

While this policy reversal was not exactly anticipated 

by IFS, it did not come as a surprise to the 

Institute because the consolidation process had seriously 

constrained fiscal policy and affected economic 

growth. Therefore, it was just a matter of 

time that some policy stimulus would be injected 

into the economy. 

• CONTINUE ON PAGE 12

Inside NOV 22, 2018 .qxp_Layout 1 11/21/18 9:36 PM Page 3 

•Italy's PM Giuseppe Conte 

and his two deputies are facing 

pressure from Brussels 

Italy budget 'sleepwalking into instability' - Commission 

THE EUROPEAN Commission 

has taken the first step towards 

sanctioning Italy over its 

national budget in an ongoing 

row over the country's finances. 

In October, the EU executive 

body rejected Italy's draft 

budget and told it to make 

changes - an unprecedented 

event in European politics. 

Italy, however, said it would 

stick to its high-spending goals. 

On Wednesday, the Commission 

said formal proceedings 

that could bring financial 

sanctions were "warranted". 

Commission Vice-President 

Valdis Dombrovskis said: "With 

what the Italian government 

has put on the table, we see a 

risk of the country sleepwalking 

into instability." 

He said that the EU's disciplinary 

measure known as "excessive 

deficit procedure" 

(EDP) was now appropriate. 

Italy's populist-led government 

had already been told by 

the Commission to revise its 

budget, because of the high 

level of national debt, which 

eurozone officials worry could 

cause instability for the entire 

bloc. BBC 

DAILY HERITAGE THURSDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2018 


World news in 4 stories 

Zimbabwe MDC leader 

calls protesters 'stupid' 

CAMEROON'S 

SECURITY 

forces have rescued 

kidnapped 

students and one 

teacher after a 

raid on a camp of separatist fighters 

in the South-West region. 

The group of nine, not 20 as 

first reported, was taken from a 

school in the city of Kumba, on 

Tuesday. 

Four attackers were shot dead 

in the operation but one was captured, 

a senior official told the 

BBC. 

Cameroon's North-West and 

South-West regions have been hit 

by a separatist rebellion since last 

year. 

Armed groups in the two English-speaking 

regions have called 

on local residents to boycott 

schools until a referendum on independence 

is held. 

Protests against marginalisation 

by the country's French-speaking 

majority have been met with a 

crackdown. 

They want to create an independent 

state called Ambazonia. 

Gunmen entered the Lords 

Bilingual School on Tuesday afternoon 

causing panic. Many of the 

students jumped over the school 

fence walls to avoid being taken. 

In the confusion, earlier reports 

had suggested that a higher 

number of students had been 

taken, journalist Peter Tah, who 

has been covering the conflict in 

the region, says. BBC 

•Daniela Tejada previously said 

her husband Matthew Hedges 

was being held in "inhumane and 

degrading" conditions 

Briton Matthew Hedges jailed 

for life on UAE spy charge 

•There has been a security 

crackdown in Cameroon's 

•Elections were last held 

•President •Prime Joseph Minister Kabila Abiy Ahmed was supposed has been behind to a 

•Some 80% Anglophone of victims regions 

in Libya four years said their 

have stepped down nearly two years ago 

attacker was • armed Nancy ago 

whole series of reforms in the last seven months 

Pelosi- taking the House will help restore "checks and balances". 

A BRITISH PhD student has 

been sentenced to life in 

prison after being found guilty 

of spying in the United Arab 

Emirates (UAE). 

Matthew Hedges, 31, of 

Durham University, denies the 

charge and said he had been 

conducting research. 

A court in Abu Dhabi has 

declared him guilty of "spying 

for or on behalf of" the UK 

government. His family claim 

the verdict is based on a false 

confession. 

The PM said the UK was 

urgently seeking talks with the 

Emirati government. 

Theresa May said Foreign 

Secretary Jeremy Hunt was 

"urgently seeking a call with 

Foreign Minister Abdullah bin 

Zayed." 

Mr Hunt said he was 

"deeply shocked and disappointed" 

by the verdict. 

A statement from the family 

said during the first six 

weeks of his detention, 

Hedges was interrogated without 

a lawyer or consular access 

available. 

During this time, they said, 

he was made to sign a document 

in Arabic which it transpired 

was a confession. 

"Matthew does not speak 

or read Arabic," the family 

statement said. 

Hedges' wife, Daniela Tejada, 

who was present during 

the brief hearing earlier, said 

she was in "complete shock”. 

BBC 

Hichilema quizzed over 'anti-China comments’ 

POLICE IN Zambia have questioned 

main opposition leader 

Hakainde Hichilema for allegedly 

fueling attacks against Chinese nationals 

in the country's second city 

of Kitwe, the AFP news agency 

reports. 

Police chief of the Copperbelt 

province, Charity Katanga, said 

the politician was questioned for 

alleging that President Edgar 

Lungu's administration had sold a 

state-run timber company to a 

Chinese company, sparking 

protests. 

"He has been cautioned for 

sedition," Ms Katanga told AFP. 

Anti-China sentiment has 

grown in Zambia over allegations 

that lucrative contracts are being 

awarded to China. 

President Lungu's administration 

has also been accused of burdening 

the country with loans 

borrowed from China that it is 

struggling to pay. 

However, the government has 

dismissed the allegations. 

Mr Hichilema, who arrived at 

the police station in a convoy of 

supporters, said that he had "remained 

silent" during police questioning 

as "per our constitutional 

right". 

The politician was arrested in 

April last year and spent 100 days 

in prison after being accused of 

treason after a convoy he was travelling 

in allegedly blocked the 

presidential motorcade. 

The charges against him and 

five aides were dropped after a 

deal was negotiated by the Commonwealth. 

He has repeatedly questioned 

the 2016 presidential results where 

he lost to President Lungu. BBC 

•Mr Hichilema (R) was 

accompanied by scores of 

supporters to the police station



05 

Editorial 

Need to assist mental patients 

A DRIVE through the principal streets 

of the nation’s capital, Accra and other 

cities across the country would reveal 

that there are increasing numbers of 

mentally ill patients roving the streets 

dangerously. 

So grim is the situation that some 

mentally deranged persons are seen on 

almost daily basis preparing meals 

metres away from main streets with no 

help in sight. 

Some of the mental patients have 

also turned into beggars and are seen 

asking for money from motorists. 

On the Kaneshie to Korle-Bu road, 

for instance, junkies are spotted 

harassing drivers for money on daily 

basis. 

Female mentally ill patients are 

reportedly sexually harassed by thieves 

and people engaged in money rituals. 

These and many other inhumane 

conditions are some of the challenges 

mentally ill patients face in our part of 

the world. 

We must, therefore, show concern 

and be committed to helping them. 

Not long ago, Parliament passed the 

Mental Health Bill aimed at ensuring 

best standards in mental healthcare. It 

has embedded in it a Legislative 

Instrument that calls for the 

establishment of a Mental Health Levy. 

The levy is expected to make 

available to the supervising authorities 

the needed resources to effectively 

implement projects aimed at helping 

mentally ill patients. 

But, the Ghana Health Authority is 

already complaining about the 

implementation of the law. A project it 

initiated to take 6,000 mentally ill 

patients off the road is currently in 

limbo. 

The project was launched two years 

ago on the theme ‘Operation clear the 

street and unchain mental health 

patients’ and was expected to provide 

shelter for mentally ill patients, treat 

and send them to their families. 

However, due to lack of cash, the 

authority is unable to begin and 

complete the project. The Ministry of 

Finance, under the previous regime, 

failed to approve the authority’s yearly 

mental health levy of GH¢ 130 million. 

If the then government could waste 

money on the Savannah Accelerated 

Development Authority and other 

unprofitable ventures, then it was 

disappointing that it could not devote 

resources to support mentally ill 

patients. The current government 

should therefore take the necessary 

steps to secure funds to make this and 

other mental-health-related projects a 

reality. 

Nat’l Cathedral suit: 

S/Court sets date 

for judgement 

Mahama right in 

‘Montie 3’ pardon 

BY MUNTALLA INUSAH 

muntalla.inusah@dailyheritage.com.gh 

THE SUPREME Court has 

fixed January 16, 2019 to deliver 

judgement in the case 

challenging the construction of 

the National Cathedral by the 

government. 

This was after the parties 

had duly filed the statement of 

cases and made oral legal argument 

before the court. 

It was the case of the plaintiff, 

James Kwabena Bomfeh, 

the acting General Secretary of 

Convention People’s Party that 

Ghana is a secular state and it 

was therefore wrong for the 

state to be “excessively entangled 

in any religion or religious 

practice.” 

But, Deputy Attorney General, 

Godfred Dame, said a 

country that had for many years 

observed principal religious celebrations 

as public holidays 

could be said to be one that 

does not recognise the existence 

of a Supreme Being of 

God. 

“We respectfully submit that 

a country that invokes the 

name of God in its pledge of 

allegiance and anthem, regularly 

observes religious holidays as 

public holidays and grants formal 

representation on a constitutional 

body to specifically 

named religious bodies, cannot 

be said to subscribe to a vision 

of secularism that does not 

permit the Government to 

make reasonable accommodation 

for religion,” he argued. 

Controversy 

The decision by the government 

to provide land and seed 

money for the construction of 

the cathedral has met opposition 

from a section of the public. 

While some argue that the 

state should stay away from religious 

issues, others are of the 

view that there are other pressing 

issues that the taxpayer can 

pump money into. 

But, those in favour of the 

construction have also argued 

that the state has for more than 

two decades played a role in 

supporting Muslims’ pilgrimage 

to Mecca.The government has 

also courted public anger because 

the land being used to 

host the cathedral currently 

houses the residence of Appeal 

Court judges, buildings that are 

barely five years old. 

BY MUNTALLA INUSAH 

muntalla.inusah@dailyheritage.com.gh 

ASEVEN-MEMBER 

panel of the 

Supreme Court has 

dismissed the application 

brought before 

it that challenged former 

President John Dramani Mahama’s 

remission of three persons sentenced 

for contempt in the infamous 

‘Montie 3’ case. 

The apex court in a 5 – 2 majority 

decision, declared that it 

could not question the decision 

taken by the President at that time 

since the then President followed 

due process in activating that constitutional 

decision. 

Justice Sophia Adenyira, who 

chaired the panel comprising of 

Justice Yaw Appau, Justice Jones 

Dotse, Justice Annin Yeboah, Justice 

Baffoe-Bonnie, Justice AA 

Benin and Justice Gabriel Pwamang 

held that, “The remission 

cannot be questioned as it followed 

due process.” 

Who said what in the 5-2 

decision? 

Delivering the decision of the 

Panel, Justice Adenyira said the 

President has powers to grant pardons 

cover criminal contempt. 

Justices Adenyira, Baffour-Bonnie, 

Appau, Pwamang and Benin 

all dismissed three reliefs being 

sought by the applicants while Justices 

Anin Yeboah and Dotse disagreed 

with the majority decision. 

The 70-page judgement, the 

court said would be made available 

at the office of the registrar for the 

parties to pick copies. 

Plaintiffs’ case 

It was the case of the plaintiffs, 

Nana Asante Bediatuo; Elipklim 

Agbemeva; and Alfred Yeboah 

who were represented by lawyers 

Mr Bright Obeng Manu; Mr Akoto 

Ampaw; and Dr Ernest Owusu 

Dapaah that the former resident 

erred in granting pardons to the 

three National Democratic Congress 

activists who threatened 

Supreme Court justices on radio 

and later came to be known as the 

Montie Three. 

According to them, the former 

President could not arrogate unto 

himself powers exclusively within 

the bosom of the judiciary per the 

1992 Constitution of Ghana. 

They prayed the apex court to 

declare the pardon null and void. 

They claimed that the Presidential 

pardon granted the three was unconstitutional 

as the former President 

purportedly exploited the 

exercise of the prerogative of 

mercy. 

They further claimed that in 

this particular case, it was tantamount 

to an exercise of judicial 

functions in a matter not within 

the scope of Article 72 (1) and undermines 

the principles of separation 

of powers and independence 

of the judiciary. 

They maintained the then President 

did not have the power to 

grant pardons in criminal contempt 

matters. 

What happened? 

Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako 

Gunn, and Salifu Maase who were 

part of a political talk show on 

Accra-based Montie FM were 

jailed on July 27, 2016 following 

threats, made live on radio, to kill 

some judges whose judgements 

they disagreed with. 

They also threatened to rape 

the Chief Justice then, Mrs 

Georgina Theodora Wood, on the 

same show. 

One of them, Godwin Ako- 

Gun, was elected Deputy Communications 

Officer of the opposition 

National Democratic Congress 

(NDC) just last weekend. 

Despite a three-month jail sentence 

handed by the Supreme 

Court, the NDC supporters were 

set free by then President, Mr Mahama 

on August 22, 2016, after 

they had served a little over three 

weeks in jail.


06 

News DAILY 

HERITAGE THURSDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2018 

Road fatalities: my view 

on the recent happenings 

BY REV ISMAILA AWUDU 

IT’S RATHER unfortunate and 

sad to have our able-bodied and 

future leaders perishing on our 

roads on daily basis something 

that is avoidable and needs to be 

condemned in no uncertain 

terms. We’ve watched and seen gruesome 

deaths on our roads something 

that is gradually wiping us out and has 

caused, sorrow, pain, misery, endless 

agony in families and has greatly affected 

our noble country Ghana’s 

human capital and GDP. 

Road deaths are the highest more 

than HIV and other related deaths in 

the world. It will interest us to know 

that people that have been maimed by 

road accidents are even more than 

those that have lost their lives; they’re 

living but have become a burden to 

themselves, family and their community, 

a sad situation for such able-bodied 

people, bread earners of their 

family has now become incapacitated. 

None of us is safe from this looming 

danger on our roads. 

One may therefore ask what has 

accounted for all these unfortunate 

deaths, human pain and deformation. 

Its simple indiscipline by drivers 

and pedestrians, lack of state priority 

in tackling projects, low political will 

and unnecessary political equalisation, 

lack of project continuity, poor road 

engineering, delays in accident response, 

poor maintenance culture, 

disjointed inter road sectoral collaboration, 

inadequate funding, and enforcement. 

I would like to elaborate on few of 

the above raised points: 

Indiscipline on the part of 

drivers and pedestrians 

First, is indiscipline on the part of 

drivers and pedestrians; Sad to say but 

factually, majority of our deaths and 

misery on the road result from this; 

people should know the first safety 

rule is to think and act safety personally. 

How do we drive in this countryover-speeding 

and total disregard for 

other road users, lack of patience for 

pedestrians, text driving, wrong overtaking, 

total disregard for road signs 

and traffic regulations, display of impunity, 

drunk driving and substance 

abuse. 

Other bad driving practices are 

lack of proper maintenance on our 

vehicles, use of wrong tyres, overage 

vehicles and lack of being responsible 

for our lives. 

Other areas worth looking at are 

pedestrians visibly ignoring footbridges 

and crossing roads dangerously, 

jail walk, crossing roads at 

unapproved places, crossing roads 

sometimes with ear phones on, making 

a call, picking a call or listening to 

a call and ignoring danger of incoming 

car at the peril of their lives 

among others. 

Second, is our road engineering: 

since independence our population 

keeps increasing both human and vehicular 

yet our roads have not been 

improved to meet world standards or 

meet our national demands; we have 

•Rev. 

Ismaila 

Awudu 

become a reactive society without 

proper planning to mitigate future demands, 

for example why should we 

have a motorway since independence 

and is still not improved and is full of 

death trap potholes, no provision for 

settlers around the motorway, no 

lights etc? We sometimes finish constructing 

roads before we think of 

human safety after lives have been 

lost and many maimed and in most 

cases this is even considered when 

public pressure is mounted, we have 

long stretch of roads that are single 

lane instead of it being a dual carriageway. 

Most of our road networks are 

not lighted, so people drive in darkness, 

there are not rest stops for long 

distance drivers so they drive tired, 

sleepy and stressed, hence end up 

having accidents. 

Sometimes road contractors ignore 

safety by leaving sand, packed 

vehicles, open trenches and other materials 

without caution thereby resulting 

in accidents like a case of Ebony’s 

death- May Her Soul Rest in Peace. 

Political insensitivity 

Thirdly, seeming political insensitivity 

to the plight of the citizenry; 

many a time happenings and responses 

to accident related issues and 

road engineering or equipping of 

road agencies by subsequent governments 

leave one to wonder whether 

government really considers this sector 

as a priority to national development, 

though there has been some 

interventions in this regard it sometimes 

comes very late when much 

damage had been done. 

One thing that really saddens my 

heart is the continuous political equalisation 

instead of tackling this accident 

menace as a state or nation we 

tend to politicise it and look for avenue 

to attack each other politically 

and pass on blame. Over the years the 

problem of lack of continuation of 

projects funded by state money by 

successive governments has resulted 

in most of our pain and needless 

deaths. 

Health and safety point of 

view 

From a health and safety point of 

•Accident 

vehicle 

view, what could be done to stem the 

gradually rising morbidity and mortality 

associated with Road Transport 

Accidents (RTA) in Ghana? Various 

measures have been recognised and 

tested which granted not specifically 

directed at the factors contributing to 

the Ghana situation listed above, but 

clearly will impact positively and help 

stem this health and safety problem. 

Driver behaviour and education 

can be highly influenced by targeted 

health promotion campaigns. Seat 

belts, alcohol and drug regulation and 

monitoring are definite known preventive 

interventions. Pedestrian education 

and protection, especially for 

the LAMIC sphere like Ghana, 

should be given due attention. 

Attention to development and 

maintenance of strategically placed 

emergency response and trauma centres 

for timely attendance to RTA victims 

to reduce morbidity and 

mortality is important. Additionally 

appropriate capacity building in the 

areas of road and transportation enforcement 

and regulatory bodies/personnel, 

legislation and data collection 

and management among others, 

count greatly towards containing this 

important health and safety problem. 

One other thing that saddens my 

heart in all of this also is we lack 

community mobilisation spirit in carrying 

out projects as a community to 

save our life instead we want government 

to do everything for us, in as 

much I share in that it is also imperative 

that citizens and organisations 

now rises up to contribute to safety 

and sponsor certain road projects like 

footbridges, speed ramps, zebra crossing, 

lollipop stands, education of the 

community on road safety etc and not 

only wait for things to get out of 

hands before react. 

Additionally, our response to accident 

and accident victims in our 

country leaves much to be desired. It’s 

so sad that life that could have been 

saved through road accident is lost 

because there was a delay in responding 

to the victim. People will have 

pleasure in filming an accident to 

share on social media than calling for 

help or making an attempt to send the 

victim to hospital for treatment. 

Sometimes we also have the unfortunate 

situation of other road users obstructing 

the smooth movement of 

an ambulance responding to an emergency. 

Elsewhere as part of ones education 

you’re taught safety and how to 

administer first aid or help an accident 

victim but sad to say most of us 

lack the basic knowledge in handling 

accident victims or application of first 

aid and sometimes in our attempt to 

help an accident victim we end up 

killing the person or worsening his or 

her injury because of how we handle 

them. 

Logistically we lack modern, well 

equipped state of the art ambulances 

to help save situations during accidents 

not to talk of inadequate ambulances 

and personnel. Our hospitals 

and how accidents victims are treated 

is also something that should concern 

us as a state. 

Finally I would like to comment 

about the enforcement and education 

in respect to Road safety, it is worrying 

to realise that certain vehicles have 

been licensed and have road worthy 

certificate yet that vehicle by all intent 

and purposes should not have been 

on the road, majority of people have 

licenses and drive on our roads but 

are visually impaired, emotionally and 

psychologically unstable, have not 

gone through proper test, does not 

understand road signs and other traffic 

regulations but are operating 

within our road space. 

Political and personality interferences 

has also accounted for enforcement 

challenges not to talk of 

nepotism, open taking of bribe from 

drivers by some corrupt law enforces. 

Road safety education 

Road safety education has also not 

been intense, well engaging and deliberate 

enough due to human, logistical 

and financial challenges. 

RTA related fatalities and injuries 

continue to be an important morbidity 

and mortality problem, as well as a 

health finance problem in Ghana requiring 

urgent attention and containment 

as has been done in some 

countries with developed economies. 

The problem of RTAs’ in Ghana 

though must not be seen and managed 

through the lens of ‘RTAs’ 

being just a safety issue”, and hence 

being tackled as such; as has been reflected 

in the public domain in the 

past. What this article particularly 

stresses and brings to the Ghana RTA 

discussion, is that the problem of 

RTA containment should primarily 

focus on prevention by utilising a 

multifaceted public health approach. 

This approach draws on all the relevant 

public health disciplines of epidemiology, 

statistics, environmental 

sciences, behavioural sciences, safety 

and injury prevention, health services 

administration and others, as well as 

the incorporation of emergency and 

advanced trauma support services, to 

guide and formulate policies towards 

containing the scourge of the RTA 

problem currently confronting the 

country. Of note in ending this piece 

is that the problem of RTAs in 

Ghana is not typical of Ghana only, 

but a problem in the sub-region and 

Sub-Saharan Africa in general. 

Hence the public health implications 

and solutions discussed above 

apply as much to Ghana, as well as 

other countries in the Sub-Saharan region. 

The urgency for containment of 

the RTA situation in Ghana (and the 

Sub-Saharan region) is especially important 

now; more so as the United 

Nations considers the problem of 

RTA containment a global public 

health priority, and has declared the 

decade 2011 to 2020 as the “decade 

of action for road safety” 

In conclusion I would like to recommend 

the following: we should 

wake up as a nation to deliberately 

and tactically tackle our road sector in 

terms of effective road engineering, 

strong enforcement to bring sanity 

and discipline on our road, engage in 

purposeful, deliberate Road safety education, 

citizens and community 

stakeholders championing the cause 

of safety and contributing towards 

safety measures or projects, the media 

willingly donating space or airtime 

consistently for Road safety education 

than rather waiting for an accident to 

occur before they devote much time 

and attention to it by running minute 

by minute commentary it will greatly 

help if the media can channel the 

same energy into a minute by minute 

reminder of road users to be responsible. 

Government and politicians alike 

seeing the issue of safety beyond political 

differences but rather a state or 

national concern will go a long way to 

help in saving life on our road. We 

should also translate the talks into action 

and learn to react to issues 

promptly than wait until there is possible 

pandemonium. MTTD and national 

Road safety should be well 

resourced to be able to carry out their 

mandate, for example Road safety 

should be extended to all the districts 

and not only the regions, increase 

their staff strength empower them to 

undertake institutional enforcement 

of their stakeholders like MTTD, 

DVLA, Roads and highways etc. 

The writer is the Board Chairman 

of the National Road Safety 

Commission and the head pastor of 

International Central Gospel 

Church, Yahweh Temple East 

Legon Branch


Facts about G6PD 

• Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase 

deficiency (also called G6PD 

Deficiency) is a genetic disorder that 

mainly affects red blood cells, which 

carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues 

throughout the body. A defect 

in an enzyme called glucose-6- 

phosphate dehydrogenase causes 

red blood cells to break down prematurely 

(hemolysis). 

• This can cause hemolytic anemia, 

which can lead to symptoms of 

paleness, yellowing of the skin and 

whites of the eyes (jaundice), dark 

urine, fatigue, shortness of breath, 

and a rapid heart rate. 

• Factors such as infections, 

certain drugs, or ingesting fava 

beans can increase the levels of reactive 

oxygen species, causing red 

blood cells to be destroyed faster 

than the body can replace them. A 

reduction in the amount of red 

blood cells causes the signs and 

symptoms of hemolytic anemia. 

• Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase 

deficiency is located on 

the X chromosome and tends to 

affect men more often than 

women. 



&Env. 

Blood banks need right 

infrastructure – UCC Dean 

PROFESSOR MRS Ivy 

Adwowa Efiefi Ekem, 

Dean of Medical Sciences 

at the University 

of Cape Coast, has 

called on the government 

to provide the right infrastructure 

for the blood banks to 

enable workers to give world-class 

service. 

Prof Ekem said the budgetary 

support for their activities came 

from the government and appealed 

that their activities should 

be prioritised since “the blood 

service requires sound infrastructure 

to make it successful and 

avoid a crisis.” 

She made the appeal at the 

opening of the third ECOWAS 

regional conference of the Africa 

Society for Blood Transfusion 

(AfSBT) in Accra. 

The two-day conference is on 

the theme ‘Voluntary unpaid 

blood donation – Requirement for 

quality health system”. 

Prof Ekem explained sound 

infrastructure as putting the right 

system and structures in place, including 

effective information technology, 

appropriate buildings, 

vehicles, financial fluidity and 

quality systems for all processes. 

Professor Ekem said an effective 

blood service, recruiting voluntary 

unpaid donors, needed to 

work in collaboration with the 

Ministry of Health, the Ghana 

Health Service, Christian Health 

Association of Ghana, Red Cross, 

institutions of learning, the media, 

corporate institutions, the Ministries 

of Women and Children, 

Roads and Highways, the general 

populace and the National Ambulance 

Service. 

These collaborations, she 

stated, must come with mutual understanding 

and respect. 

Professor Ekem called for regular 

dialogue with funders to ensure 

that regulations would be enforced 

and also have an independent 

body with legal backing. 

This, she said, would ensure 

that members in the sub-region 

applied the same standards in 

donor recruitment and retention, 

testing and storage, use of blood 

and blood products and above all, 

being equipped to do so. 

She called on members of 

AfSBT and the ECOWAS region 

to recruit more voluntary blood 

donors to help achieve the 100% 

donation with a blood collection 

index of 10, saying that the centres 

in Ghana were increasing 

their voluntary blood pool. 

She discouraged the giving of 

souvenirs to donors, except for 

special occasions, stating that they 

should be made to understand 

that their efforts were invaluable 

and that they were being recognised. 

Professor Ekem, on the other 

hand, said doctors should be 

trained to investigate anaemia and 

how it could properly be treated 

to avoid the situation where they 

would need a blood transfusion. 

Professor Aba Omotunde 

Sagoe, a Consultant Haematologist, 

said the donors should be educated 

to overcome their fears of 

blood donation and be made to 

appreciate the benefits such as 

free health checks, rejuvenation of 

blood and saving the lives of others. 

Mrs Mavis Okyere, Chairperson 

of the Local Planning Committee, 

said the conference offered 

members the opportunity to 

renew contacts and discuss issues 

of mutual interest. 

GCB donates medical items to Korle-Bu Hospital 

•Mr Anselm Ray Sowah (L), MD 

of GCB Bank, presenting the 

items to Dr Daniel Asare, CEO of 

Korle-Bu 

GCB Bank, in partnership with 

the Global Outreach Consortium, 

a non-governmental organisation, 

has donated medical items and 

equipment worth GHȼ 28,850.00 

to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. 

The items include ultrasound 

transmission gel, respironics, paediatric 

airway circuit, urine transfer 

straw, ice packs, chemo spill kits, 

theatre light handles, limb restraining 

product, hemi-knee brace, absorbent 

pad, blankets, water jugs, 

bedpans, lead jacket, neurosurgery 

equipment among others. 

The items will be distributed to 

various units in the hospital, 

namely Anaesthesia, Laboratory, 

General Surgery, Orthopedic, 

Plastic Surgery, Urology, General 

and Radiology. 

The Managing Director of the 

Bank, Mr Anselm Ray Sowah, together 

with Dr Priscilla Vandyck- 

Sey, the Executive Director of 

Global Outreach Consortium, 

made the presentation to the 

Chief Executive Office of the 

Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr 

Daniel Asare. 

Mr Sowah 

said the items 

were to support 

Ghana’s premier 

medical 

institution. 

He also 

thanked the 

Global Outreach 

Consortium 

for 

partnering with 

the Bank to 

provide critical 

equipment necessary 

for the 

delivery of efficient 

and effective 

health 

care. 

On behalf of the Global Outreach 

Consortium, Dr Vandyck- 

Sey expressed gratitude to GCB 

Bank for its support towards this 

good cause. 

Dr Asare, on behalf of the 

hospital, expressed gratitude to 

both Global Outreach consortium 

and GCB Bank. 

He also appealed to the Bank 

for financial assistance to help revamp 

the wards towards the hospital’s 

centenary anniversary 

celebration in 2023. 

Dr. Asare gave assurance that 

the hospital would strengthen its 

business relationship with the 

Bank. 

Earlier this year, GCB Bank 

partnered Global Outreach Consortium 

to organise the Restoring 

Hope Outreach programme, in 

which some doctors from the 

USA and Germany performed 

surgeries in some communities 

like Labadi, Ridge and Korle-Bu.

spread_NOV 22, 2018.qxp_SHOWBIZ TEMP 11/21/18 9:40 PM Page 1 

News 

DAILY 

Junior Road Care 2018 

held for schoolchildren 

WITH THE spate of road traffic accidents 

in the country, especially during the 

Christmas holiday season, basic schools in 

the Greater Accra metropolis have joined 

forces to renew basic road safety principles 

for schoolchildren, to safeguard their 

precious lives. 

This was made possible when Vivo 

Energy Ghana, in partnership with 

Applause Multimedia, brought together key 

stakeholders including the National Road 

Safety Commission (NRSC) and the Ghana 

Education Service (GES) at the third 

edition of its flagship road safety 

programme dubbed ‘My Road Safety, My 

Life: Junior Road Care 2018.’ 

Junior Road Care is an interactive 

programme aimed at influencing the 

attitudes and behaviour of children to 

become more conscious on the road as 

pedestrians, cyclists and responsible future 

drivers. Over 15 basic schools participated 

to learn, share and compete in entertaining 

road safety related activities such as drama, 

poetry, art and quizzes. 

In a speech, read on behalf of the 

Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, 

Vivo Energy’s Corporate Communications 

Manager, Mrs Shirley Tony Kum, expressed 

displeasure at the disregard for road safety 

regulations by some motorists, referencing 

some of the recent deadly road accidents 

involving schoolchildren. 

“News of avoidable deaths involving 

children and other young people are 

worrying, especially when the future of this 

country hinges on a healthy and empowered 

youthful population. Vivo Energy Ghana 

wants to use this platform to appeal to 

drivers to be cautious on the road to 

preserve lives, property and the 

environment, especially during the festive 

•Prince Akpah (2nd l) with some of the students 

•Mrs •Some Elizabeth pupils Naa in Afoley a sketch Quaye, on Fisheries the impact Minister of road and 

Christopher accident Lamora, on children Chargé at the d’Affaires Junior Road of the Care US Embassy 2018 

period,” she said. 

The Greater Accra Regional Basic 

Schools Coordinator, Mrs Susana Kennedy, 

advised the schoolchildren to implement all 

the lessons shared and road safety best 

practice in their daily lives to ensure their 

safety. 

“This road safety programme is 

important for all of us. The children are our 

future and as motorists, we must exercise 

restraint in using the road, especially at 

places where schoolchildren frequent. I will 

encourage the children to try hard to apply 

all these lessons shared here in their daily 

lives,” she advised. 

The Greater Accra Regional Manager of 

the National Road Safety Commission, Mrs 

Catherine Hamilton, thanked Vivo Energy 

Ghana for its ongoing efforts to drive road 

safety education in the country. She further 

called on other corporate organisations to 

join the fight against road safety accidents 

in the country. 

At the end of the competitions, 

Salvation Army ‘A’ basic school and Kings 

Royal Basic school emerged winners in the 

poetry and drama categories, respectively. 

Lincoln Montessori school and Salvation 

Army ‘B’ were also judged winners in the 

art and quiz competitions. 

Vivo Energy Ghana has implemented 

impactful road safety initiatives to create 

awareness, educate and sensitise the general 

public - particularly drivers and children - 

on the best road safety practices to reduce 

accidents on the roads. These include the 

Fit2Drive wellness and road safety 

campaign, the donation of an alcohol meter 

to the Achimota Bus Terminal and 

commercial transport operators in the 

Ashanti Region, the formation of road 

safety clubs in schools, among others. 

THE MEMBER of Parliament 

(MP) for Krachi Nchumuru 

Constituency, Mr John Majisi, has 

provided over 700 dual desks to 

basic schools in his constituency. 

According to the MP, the 

furniture which was procured 

through his share of the MPs 

Common Fund, is aimed at 

improving teaching and learning in 

the Krachi-Nchumuru area. 

He reiterated his commitment to 

education, adding that he would 

make sure every school in his 

constituency has furniture by the 

end of his tenure as MP. 

“This is not the first time I made 

donation to schools in my 

constituency. I have donated 

furniture, laptop computers to 

schools and also provided 

motorbikes to the local circuit 

supervisors. 

"I donated several thousands of 

exercise books and mathematical 

ASURVEY by 

Afrobarometer, a pan- 

African survey 

research organisation 

has indicated that 

about 57% of 

Ghanaians prioritise the availability of 

decent work and economic growth 

over any other challenges facing the 

country. 

In view of this, the government 

has been urged to invest more into 

the creation of jobs in order to 

improve the economic conditions of 

the country. 

According to them, the top most 

priority of the average Ghanaian is 

the availability of a decent work, 

hence the need for the government 

to address the unemployment 

situation. 

Explaining the findings of the 

research, which was to ascertain the 

citizens’ priorities in respect of the 

Sustainable Development Goals 

(SDGs), Dr Edem Selormey, 

Afrobarometer Fieldwork Operations 

Manageress for West, North and East 

Africa, said the government’s 

performance is weak in areas that the 

citizens prioritise most. 

sets and again implemented policies 

like scholarship to students, 

especially the needy ones. It is my 

pleasure to change the narrative. I 

want to see students feel better in 

the Krachi Nchumuru, 

constituency," he stated. 

In his view, government alone 

could not solve challenges in the 

educational sector and that all 

stakeholders should come on board 

to bring hope to children who are 

often described as future leaders. 

Though she admitted that the 

government was performing better as 

compared to some of the 34 other 

African countries that the survey was 

conducted, Dr Selormey indicated 

that the government could do more 

to reduce the problem. 

In her presentation, she said “only 

four countries [the Gambia, Ghana, 

Botswana, and Mozambique] where 

only a third said the government is 

effective on that issue. 

“So creating jobs, which is SDG 

8, is the highest priority SDG 

objectives among our respondents 

and it also recorded very low 

government performance in 19 out 

of the 34 countries,” she added. 

She further hinted that, their 

findings could help track the 

performances of the SDGs, as well 

as, serve as a guide in achieving the 

goals. 

Speaking to the media, Prof. 

Henry Kwasi Prempeh, Executive 

Director, CDD-Ghana, mentioned 

that their research was a feedback to 

the government to help them invest 

in the area which would benefit the 

masses. 

“It’s just a useful feedback to any 

government so that they could finetune 

their policies to ensure that they 

provide something that the people 

HERITAGE, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2018 WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

MP donates dual desks to schools in Krachi Nchumuru District 

PHILIP ANTOH 

philip.antoh@dailyheritage.com 

want,” he said. 

Key findings 

Almost three years after the 

launch of the SDGs by the United 

Nations, Ghana is yet to achieve 

majority of the goals. 

From their research, 

Afrobarometer indicated that, “across 

He said he went around 

during the campaign and 

found out that most of the 

schools did not have furniture, 

hence the decision to embark 

on the initiative. 

Mr Majisi urged teachers in 

the constituency to work 

assiduously to improve the 

performance in the Basic 

Education Certificate 

Examination, stating, "let’s put 

in place measures to improve 

34 surveyed countries, 

unemployment tops the most 

important problems that Africans 

want their governments to address, 

followed by health, 

infrastructure/roads, 

water/sanitation, education, 

management of the economy, and 

poverty.” 

performance so that those who are 

investing will be motivated.” 

He emphasised that the furniture 

would go a long way in reducing the 

furniture crisis within the district. 

The District Director of 

Education, Benjamin Quame, who 

received the desks on behalf of the 

schools, thanked the MP for the 

gesture, stating that, the MP had 

provided several needy logistics 

including computers, laptops, both 

text and exercises books, among 

others. 

Furniture, he said 

was one of their 

greatest challenges 

and that, the donated 

pieces of dual desks 

would give students 

peace as they could 

now study 

comfortably without 

laying on their bellies. 

The donated desk, 

he noted would be 

distributed to all 

students within the six 

circuits in the district. 

Govt urged to invest more in job creation 

BY BENJAMIN TANDOH 

•Mr John Majisi (3rd L), MP for Krachi 

Nchumuru (Inset) the dual desks 

•Prof. Henry Kwasi Prempeh, 

Executive Director, CDD-Ghana 

They also 

disclosed that, 

“Each of seven 

other SDGs 

captures the 

attention of 

between 20% and 

31% of 

respondents, 

including SDG2 

(“zero hunger”) 

(31%), SDG3 

(“good health and 

wellbeing”) (27%), 

SDG16 (“peace, 

justice and strong 

institutions”) (26%), 

SDG9 (“industry, 

innovation and 

infrastructure”) 

(24%), SDG6 

(“clean water and 

sanitation”) (24%), 

SDG1 (“no 

poverty”) (22%), 

and SDG4 (“quality education”) 

(21%).” 

They further argued that jobs and 

or economic growth and good 

governance were higher priorities for 

wealthier individuals and for more 

economically developed countries. 

Among poorer people and countries, 

jobs and growth were still important. 

NGO supports 

Asankrangwa hospital 

ASANKRANGWA KROYE 

Kuo, (AKK), a nongovernmental 

charitable 

organisation based in the 

United States of America 

(USA) has presented hospital 

equipment including wheel 

chairs, clutches and detergents 

to Rev. Father Arthur Rooney 

Hospital in Asankrangwa, in the 

Western Region. 

The NGO has also spent 

over $25,000 on rehabilitation 

works at the hospital. 

Asankrangwa Kroye Kuo 

was formed two years ago and 

it is made up of sons and 

daughters of Asankrangwa 

living in the USA. 

According to Madam Joyce 

Williams, Board Member of the 

non-governmental charitable 

organisation, AKK was moved 

to help the hospital because “it 

has a very specific need.” 

“The support and 

partnership of AKK is aimed at 

placing Rev. Fr. Arthur Rooney 

hospital in the spotlight to 

address some of the gaps and 

needs of health facilities as well 

as attract positive attention and 

development,” she said. 

She said AKK was also 

touched by the deplorable 

nature of the facility of which 

many of them have benefited. 

“This is a community that 

we all belong. Some of us grew 

up here, we have our families 

here and seeing the health 

facility that we had the privilege 

of benefiting from when we 

were sick, we thought about the 

community, because we believe 

that if we improve the 

community we improve 

ourselves together,” Madam 

Joyce William stressed. 

According to her, AKK was 

committed to complement 

government’s efforts towards 

proper improvement of 

healthcare delivery in the 

country, especially Asankrangwa 

and its environs. 

The Hospital Administrator, 

Mr Samuel Arhizi was grateful 

to the association and asked for 

assistance from all indigenes of 

the town. 

According to him, the 

hospital, which was built in 

1954, has outstripped its 

infrastructure capacity due to 

spontaneous growth in its 

operations and therefore needed 

an adjustment in building to fill 

the gap. 

He, however, regretted that 

since 1954 the hospital has not 

witnessed any major 

transformation due to its 

operations, hence the 

infrastructure deficit. 

He added that, the hospital 

faces major challenges including 

accommodation for the staff, 

and called on philanthropists to 

come to the aid of the hospital 

since they have land available 

which could be used to put up 

accommodation for the staff. 

He added: “This facility 

serves as district referral 

hospital for people from 

Samreboi, Enchi, Dadieso, 

Wassa Akropong and other 

areas, and so the pressure is 

always on us to go the extra 

mile… we need Ambulance that 

can help us to do more to help 

the people,” he stressed. 

The administrator noted that 

because the hospital is a 

religious facility; it is very often 

neglected in terms of 

distribution of equipment and 

appealed to the government to 

assist them because of its 

peculiar nature. 

Board chairman of the 

hospital, Mr Ernest Kwadwo 

Abeka expressed his 

appreciation to the AKK and 

called on other indigenes of 

Asankrangwa living outside the 

shores of the country to 

emulate AKK’s kind example. 

•The hospital administrator, Samuel Arhizi explaining 

a point to Madam Joyce Williams and some elders of 

Asankrangwa


21ST 

NOVEMBER 

2018 

WEDNESDAY 

CURRENCY PARIS CODE BUYING SELLING 

US Dollar USDGHS 4.7870 4.7918 

RATES Pound Sterling GBPGHS 

6.2566 

6.2648 

Euro 

GBPGHS 

5.4657 

5.4719 

10 



Producer Price Index rises to 7.2% 

BY ROSEMOND BOATENG ADDAI 

Rosemond.adjetey@yahoo.com 

PRODUCER PRICE 

Index (PPI) for the 

month of October 

2018 increased to 

7.2% from 5.8% 

recorded for September. 

The PPI is the system that 

measures the average change over 

time in the prices received by domestic 

producers for the production 

of their goods and services. 

Briefing the press on Wednesday 

(yesterday) in Accra, Mr Baah 

Wadieh, Acting Government Statistician 

of the Ghana Statistical 

Service, explained that the rate 

represents a 1.4 percentage point 

increase in producer inflation relative 

to the rate recorded in September 

2018. 

"The month-on-month change 

in PPI between September 2018 

and October 2018 was 1.6%," he 

said. 

The Statistician said the PPI in 

the mining and quarrying sub-sector 

increased by 4.0 percentage 

points over the September 2018 

rate of 0.4% to record 4.4% in 

October 2018. 

"The producer inflation for 

manufacturing, which constitutes 

more than two-thirds of the total 

For manufacturing, 

the Statistician 

said during the 

month of October 

2018, three out of 

the 16 major 

groups in the manufacturing 

sub-sector 

recorded 

inflation rates 

higher than the 

sector average of 

9.7%. 

of the industry, increased by 1.2 

percentage points to record 9.7%. 

The utilities sub-sector recorded 

an inflation rate of -0.1% in October 

2018, indicating an increase 

of 0.1 percentage point over the 

September 2018 rate." 

For manufacturing, the Statistician 

said during the month of 

October 2018, three out of the 16 

major groups in the manufacturing 

sub-sector recorded inflation 

rates higher than the sector average 

of 9.7%. 

"Manufacture of coke, refined 

petroleum products and nuclear 

fuel recorded the highest inflation 

rate of 36.1%, while manufacture 

of machinery and equipment not 

else classified recorded no change 

in inflation,” he said. 

He also explained that the producer 

inflation rate in the petroleum 

subsector was 36.9% in 

October 2017, but declined to 

27.7% in November 2017 and 

that the rate increased to 36.4% in 

December 2017 but declined consistently 

to record 15.9% in 

March 2018. 

“Subsequently, the rate consistently 

increased to record 44.2% 

in June 2018, but decreased to 

31.1% in September 2018. It, 

however, resumed an upward 

trend to record 36.1% in October 

2018. 

Access Bank climaxes ‘Sustainability Week’ with donation to deprived schools 

AS A way of re-enforcing its commitment 

to sustainability principles 

and commemoration of the bank’s 

10 years of sustainability, Access 

Bank Ghana has climaxed its 

weeklong activities which began 

from November 5 to 9, by donating 

hundreds of recycled school 

bags to pupils in deprived schools 

across the country. 

On the theme ‘Financing a Sustainable 

Future,’ the week was 

aimed at reminding all employees 

of the crucial role they had to play 

in creating a sustainable future for 

the Bank and the communities in 

which it operates. It was also used 

to encourage them to engage in 

activities that would positively impact 

the environment as well as 

touch lives, leaving positive memories 

on people. 

Beneficiary schools include the 

Mantse Tackie ‘3’ KG & Primary 

School in Accra, the Gbanyamni 

L/A Primary School in Tamale 

and the Ohwimase L/A Primary 

School in Kumasi. The others are 

the Heve E.P and Kpetoe Basic 

Schools in Ho, the Zongo L/A 

Primary School in Techiman and 

Methodist L/A Primary School in 

Takoradi. 

Explaining the rationale for this 

•Nana Adu 

Kyeremateng presents 

school bags to officials 

of the school 

celebration, the Chief Operating 

Officer of Access Bank Ghana, 

Mr Ade Ologun, noted that the 

Bank was keen on raising the consciousness 

of its employees and 

other stakeholders on embracing 

green behaviour or responsible 

practices as an everyday life, so as 

not to jeopardize resources for use 

by future generations. 

Making one of the donations 

on behalf of the Bank to the 

Mantse Tackie ‘3’ KG & Primary 

School in Accra, the Head of Corporate 

Communications and 

Brand Management at Access 

Bank, Nana Adu Kyeremateng, 

said “Through our “Bag A Smile” 

initiative, we are converting tons 

of used banner materials and having 

them recycled into school bags 

as part of efforts to manage waste 

impact on the environment. This 

is because we have taken a serious 

view of protecting environment, 

so as we carry out our business we 

put the community at the centre of 

everything we do.” 

Commending Access Bank, the 

Circuit Supervisor of the Mantse 

Tackie ‘3’ KG & Primary, Reverend 

Charles Akafia, indicated 

that the bags will go a long way to 

benefit his pupils and also serve as 

a reminder to the students about 

the importance of recycling. 

“We thank Access Bank for this 

kind gesture and ask other corporate 

bodies to emulate their example,” 

Rev Akafia said. 

The Access Bank Sustainability 

Week was packed with series of 

events and activities which included 

carpooling, training sessions, 

sensitization on walking and 

healthy eating tips. Other activities 

included the screening of ‘Dry’, 

starring popular Nigerian actress 

Stephanie Linus, which higlights 

the effects of obstetric fistula, as 

part of creating awareness for the 

Bank’s “Fist against Fistula” initiative 

which was launched earlier in 

August this year. 

The Sustainability Awareness 

Week was replicated across all subsidiary 

locations of the Bank. 

Over the years, Access Bank has 

demonstrated its continued commitment 

to influence social, economic 

and environmental systems 

beyond making profits and continues 

to spearhead its sustainability 

drive through unrivalled investments 

in Education, Health, Environment, 

Sports and the Arts. 

Currently, Access Bank is 

ranked as one of the largest banks 

in Ghana by assets and is operating 

one of the largest branch networks 

in the country. The Group 

currently boasts a considerable 

number of award-winning sustainability 

initiatives since inception.



DAILY HERITAGE THURSDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2018 11 

Politics 

Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about 

anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for 

yourself —Henry James 

2019 budget commendable 

• Continued from page 3 

We note that just as it happened in 2017 

and 2018, total revenue and grants has once 

again been over-projected, high above what 

can possibly be collected, resulting in a 

small but artificial difference between total 

revenue and grants and total government 

expenditure. In 2019, the government has 

projected to increase total revenue and 

grants by as much as GH₵12.1 billion, 

compared with increases of GH₵7.5 billion 

in 2017 and GH₵7.1 billion in 2018. 

Thus, while government was able to increase 

total revenue and grants by a total of 

GH₵14.6 billion in both 2017 and 2018, it 

has projected to increase total revenue and 

grants by GH₵12.1 billion in 2019 alone. 

Again, in 2018, nominal GDP growth was 

16.3% and revenue growth was 17.9%. 

However, in 2019, despite the projected fall 

in nominal GDP growth to 15.3%, revenue 

growth has been projected at 25.8%. Given 

this obviously over-optimistic projection, it 

is hard to see the revenue increase in 2019 

being realized. After all, the government 

has proposed to implement similar revenue 

enhancing measures in 2019 as it did in the 

past two years. 

It is important to point out that fiscal 

expansion has been a common characteristic 

of the country’s fiscal policy whenever 

the country leaves an IMF program, which 

has normally led to high fiscal deficits and 

macroeconomic instability. The IFS therefore 

cautions government that it has to be 

careful not to derail the fiscal gains made in 

the past two years, since the consequences 

could be unpalatable. In this regard, the IFS 

recommends that in 2019 the government 

should continue to pursue the expenditure 

policy it pursued in 2017 and 2018, i.e. 

aligning expenditures with actual revenue 

collections, so as to avoid fiscal 

overruns.We have more to say below on 

what the policy direction should be post- 

IMF program. 

Domestic Revenue Mobilization 

IFS made domestic revenue mobilization 

one of the key points in its pre-budget 

statement. It has to be said that revenue 

performance has been generally disappointing 

in the past few years, with actual collections 

consistently falling short of targets. 

Indeed, Ghana’s tax effort leaves a lot to be 

desired. The tax/GDP ratio was 11.3% in 

2016, 11.9% in 2017 and is projected to be 

12.6% in 2018. These ratios are significantly 

below the potential of the country as well 

as the average ratio of about 25% for low 

middle-income-country peers. IFS has written 

and spoken extensively on the revenue 

quagmire, citing a number of reasons, including: 

the near-exclusion of the informal 

sector from the tax net, high level of exemptions, 

pervasive evasion, overly-generous 

incentives offered to the extractives and 

free-zones companies, under-taxation of 

real properties, illicit financial flows, and 

other fraud and corruption. The Institute 

has stressed the need to address these 

lapses in the context of a comprehensive 

strategy involving reforms in policies, systems, 

administration and enforcement. 

The Institute is pleased to note that 

measures are being taken in the 2019 

budget in several of the areas it has been 

drawing attention to. The Institute particularly 

recognises and welcomes the following 

proposed measures: 

Major institutional reforms within GRA 

to make it more effective and efficient and 

plug sources of irregularities and revenue 

leakages; 

Intensified tax compliance, including by 

checking import undervaluation, avoidance 

of tax payment on warehoused goods, nonissuance 

of VAT receipts and other irregularities; 

Using legal actions to retrieve overdue 

tax liabilities; 

Accelerated automation of tax administration 

systems; 

Engaging more creative strategies and 

new approaches to broaden the tax net to 

rope in individuals and businesses that continue 

to operate outside the net; 

Using TIN to get more persons 

and businesses on the tax radar; 

Increased formalization 

through the National Identification 

Scheme database 

as a tax 

administration tool; 

and 

Government 

partnering with, 

and resourcing, 

MMDAs to enhance 

local-level 

revenue mobilization, 

including 

in the area 

of property registration 

and valuation. 

IFS is also 

pleased to note the 

Minister’s expressed 

displeasure with the 

growing incidence and 

magnitude of tax exemptions, 

which the Institute has 

continually drawn attention to. As 

the Minister acknowledged, the exemptions 

are subject to gross abuse and irregularities. 

The decision to draft a policy to be 

passed into law to regularize the exemptions 

is, therefore, a step in the right direction 

and should be fast-tracked. 

Another area that IFS has focused on 

extensively is the under-taxation of the 

mining sector as a result of the overly-generous 

rebates offered to mining companies 

in the original agreements signed with 

them. The Institute has called for a review 

of these agreements to bring taxes paid by 

the companies in line with the current high 

profits being generated in the industry and 

with international standards and practices. 

Here, the Minister only indicated the intention 

to aggressively enforce existing legislations 

and regulations to improve tax 

compliance, as well as plans to capitalize the 

exemptions granted them into additional 

government equity in the concessions. 

While these steps are welcome, they still fall 

short of what IFS has been calling for, viz. 

a complete overhaul of the existing agreements. 

It is noted that in light of the aforementioned 

and other initiatives to boost 

taxes, the tax/GDP ratio for 2019 is projected 

to be 13.1%, which is 0.5 percentage 

points above the projected 2018 figure of 

12.6%. The 2019 ratio is still nowhere near 

Ghana’s potential or that of its peers. Even 

more disappointing is the fact that over the 

medium term, the tax/GDP ratio is projected 

to rise marginally to only 13.3% in 

2020 and then thereafter retrogress to 

12.9% in 2021 and further to 11.9% in 

2022.These figures suggest that Ghana is 

still not getting it right when it comes to tax 

collection and that more innovative measures 

are needed to further scale-up the effort 

in that regard. Without sustained effort 

to this end, not only will long-term fiscal 

sustainability be elusive, but also economic 

growth will be seriously compromised while 

the vision of “Ghana beyond aid” will remain 

a dream. 

Expenditure Control and Rationalization 

IFS has continuously pointed to the importance 

of ensuring that we spend whatever 

revenue we collect prudently and 

efficiently so as to maximize the benefits to 

the Ghanaian people and promote national 

development. The 

Institute 

has 

• Ken Ofori-Atta, 

Minister of Finance 

articulated 

extensively 

the presence of rigidities—in the 

form of earmarked funds, wages and debt 

service—that virtually hold the budget 

hostage and leave little or no fiscal space to 

address critical development and social outlays. 

With this limited fiscal space, the Institute 

stressed in its pre-budget press 

conference the overriding need to restrict 

consumption spending, including relating to 

travel, entertainment, subsidies, free allowances, 

etc. The Institute further suggested 

that public sector reforms that had 

been long delayed should be carried out as 

a matter of priority. The reforms should include 

right-sizing of the sector to reduce 

what is obviously an over-bloated pay roll, 

plagued by, among others, large numbers of 

ghost names and other irregularities. The 

Institute also called for reexamination of 

some of Government’s policy initiatives, especially 

the consumption-based ones, such 

as nursing trainee allowances, teacher 

trainee allowances and some components 

of the FSHS policy, with the aim of 

streamlining them so as to reduce costs 

while exploring other non-Government 

funding options. 

It was the Institute’s expectation that 

the 2019 budget would entail a serious 

strategy of expenditure rebalancing in favor 

of productive capital spending to enhance 

long-term growth. In the budget, CAPEX 

is projected to be 2.5% of GDP. However, 

while this is up on the figure of 1.8% for 

2018, it is the same as the figure of 2.5% 

for 2017 and less than 3.6% for 2016. It has 

to be recognized here that the CAPEX line 

in the budget does not include grants to 

other Government units for capital projects. 

Thus, total capital expenditure will be 

higher (it comes to some 4.1% in 2019). Yet 

still, we can also look at major expenditure 

lines in the budget that fall under recurrent 

expenditure to compare with CAPEX. For 

example, wages/GDP for 2019 is 5.6% of 

GDP, compared with 5.9% for 2018,5.6% 

for 2017 and 5.6% for 2016. Goods & services 

for 2019 is 1.8% compared with 1.5% 

for 2018, 1.0% for 2017 and 1.5% for 2016. 

Interest payment is 5.4% for 2019 compared 

with 5.0% for 2018, 5.3% for 2017 

and 5.4% for 2016. Clearly, these individual 

recurrent expenditure items as well as their 

total (12.5% in 2016, 11.9% in 2017, 12.4% 

in 2018 and 12.8% in 2019) have generally 

been trending upwards over the period, 

while CAPEX appears to have stagnated. 

This calls for further expenditure rationalization 

and rebalancing to give increasing 

weight to CAPEX to drive growth and 

jobs. The medium-term budget shows 

CAPEX increasing over the 2019 

figure of 2.5% to 3.3% in 2020 and 

then falling slightly to 3.1% in 

2021 and further to 3.0% in 

2022.While the medium-term 

figures seem to be in the right 

direction, they could even be 

scaled up further with continued 

rationalisation of expenditure. 

Infrastructure Development 

and Financing 

As noted in our introduction, 

infrastructure development is one 

of the strategic pillars of the 2019 

budget, which recognises efficient infrastructure 

as a prerequisite to drive the 

government’s industrialisation and agricultural 

modernisation programmes. To begin 

with, and as stated earlier, the central government 

capital budget is to be scaled up in 

2019 to GH¢8.5 billion, rising to GH¢13.0 

billion after including capital spending by 

other government units. The higher spending 

will benefit roads, railways, ports (air 

and sea), hospitals, ICT, and sanitation infrastructure 

development, among others. 

Other initiatives to develop infrastructure 

are the Sinohydro infrastructure for 

bauxite arrangement, which is planned to 

take off in 2019; securitization of the 

GETFund to the tune of US$1.5 billion to 

provide education infrastructure; and creation 

of a Sovereign Century Fund as a vehicle 

to raise bilateral long-term 

concessional financing for commercial infrastructure 

projects, including Public-Private 

Partnership (PPP) investments. 

Another critical announcement in the 

budget is the development of standardised 

designs and costs for infrastructure projects 

in education, health and roads to ensure 

standardised public construction and value 

for money. 

While we support the prominence given 

infrastructure in the 2019 budget, we believe 

there is a need to anchor Ghana’s infrastructure 

development in a long-term 

national infrastructure plan, which will 

identify, cost, and prioritize the country’s infrastructure 

requirements on a long-term 

basis to meet the demands of a modern, 

middle-income economy. The infrastructure 

plan itself should be based on a long-term 

national development plan. 

We also want to draw attention to a recurring 

practice in the country whereby various 

amounts which are borrowed to 

finance infrastructure are not captured in 

the budget. The increase in such extra-budgetary 

borrowing activities has important 

fiscal and debt sustainability implications 

for the country. There is the need therefore 

to control the growth of these activities and 

to widen the coverage of the fiscal accounts 

to incorporate these transactions. We believe 

that it would be appropriate—and indeed 

prudent—to align these borrowings 

strictly with the budget cycle. The IFS intends 

to examine this issue more closely to 

come up with necessary reform proposals 

to enhance fiscal transparency and longterm 

debt sustainability. 

Exiting the IMF Financial Program and 

Legislating Fiscal Responsibility 

Ghana has an unenviable history of fiscal 

indiscipline manifested in recurring 

deficit overruns that increase borrowing 

and debt. The indiscipline tends to escalate 

in election years due to spikes in expenditure 

in those years. The response to the 

usually ensuing macroeconomic instability 

has been to seek an IMF financial bailout. 

The bailout is normally accompanied by a 

program that prescribes strict policy conditionalities 

geared to restabilising the economy 

and placing it on a path of sustainable 

growth. 

Over the past three years or so, Ghana 

has been on an IMF program that has 

served as an anchor for the economy, with a 

brief interruption in 2016. The program 

has generally ensured prudent conduct of 

fiscal policy. 

Government has indicated its intention 

to exit the program at the end of 2018. Exiting 

the program means that we are going 

to free ourselves from the conditionalities 

that anchor fiscal policy. We have been here 

before. In fact, Ghana has sourced IMF financial 

assistance 16 times in its history. 

This is precisely because we have failed on 

our own to exercise the needed fiscal discipline 

that the IMF program usually imposes 

on us. 

Government has indicated that it plans 

to legislate fiscal responsibility after the 

IMF program.. Furthermore, the mediumterm 

budget deficit profile provides indication 

of Government’s commitment to 

enduring fiscal discipline and macroeconomic 

stability. It has to be emphasized that 

it is only by entrenching macroeconomic 

stability that we can place the economic on 

a path of sustained strong growth, job creation 

and prosperity for all Ghanaians. 

Government has indicated its intention to 

pass a Fiscal Responsibility Law (FRL), in 

line with what it states to be its commitment 

to “ensuring irreversibility of the 

macroeconomic gains.”The FRL will allegedly 

encompass a fiscal rule that will 

place the budget deficit within a 3-5% 

band. There is available empirical evidence 

that suggests that a deficit within that range 

is likely to ensure long-term fiscal and debt 

sustainability. The West African Monetary 

Zone, of which Ghana is a member, also 

specifies a deficit ceiling of 3% for the 

membership. The envisaged fiscal deficit 

band of 3-5% would, therefore, appear to 

have a justified basis from that standpoint. 

The medium-term deficit profile—4.2% in 

2019, 3.7% in 2020, 3.2% in 2021 and 3.1% 

in 2022—also seems to be in line with the 

planned rule. 

In principle, IFS welcomes the passage 

of the FRL. It is a subject that the Institute 

has taken keen interest in since it was first 

mooted by the Vice President in 2017. In 

due course, the Institute will make its views 

known on the FRL and its key components 

— the fiscal rule and Fiscal Council — 

based on its own analysis and international 

best practices so as to contribute to the 

process of entrenching fiscal discipline and 

sustainability in the country.


12 

DAILY 

View 


HERITAGE THURSDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2018 

The Cathedral palaver 

still lingers on 

BY NANA BRAM OKAE II 

TO ALL intents and 

purposes the discourse 

on the 

building of the 

proposed National 

Cathedral is not 

over yet. But the question now is 

not ‘whether to build or not to 

build it’ but rather ‘where to build 

it, the location.’ 

The issue was raised once 

again by Arch-Bishop Duncan 

Williams at his church last weekend 

when he took the pulpit to 

preach the word of God. 

Passing remark 

In a passing remark he spoke 

about the building of the National 

Cathedral and wondered 

why fellow Ghanaian Christians 

were against it. He said this was a 

project which the sitting President 

could not legally will to his 

wife and children or to anybody 

else because it will become a national 

asset to the glory of God 

when completed. 

He said even Moslems were 

not against it because they have 

something similar at Kanda and 

implored Christians of Ghana to 

embrace it because it will be used 

for the work of God and country 

when it’s built. 

The Arch-Bishop even managed 

to bring in the political slant 

since at the moment everything 

in the country is looked from 

party political lenses. 

‘Against people’ 

He said: ‘You are against the 

building of the Cathedral because 

your party, your President is not 

the one building it. I have been 

here for a while and no President 

has come to say I’m building a 

Cathedral to the glory of God except 

the current President. It’s a 

good thing to have a Cathedral, I 

support it’. 

I thought he went too far on 

that tangent although what he 

said was true. 

If you may recollect, the NDC 

opposed the introduction of the 

National Health Insurance policy 

when it was first mooted under 

former President Kufuor and 

they even walked out of the 

chamber of Parliament when the 

bill was about to be read. 

Today, they are also vehemently 

against the free SHS policy 

and have even given notice 

that they would review it anytime 

they won power. 

But, that’s a digression. Let’s 

go back to the discourse on the 

Cathedral. 

Those connected 

Those who are connected to 

this project say it’s a complex that 

will have a sitting capacity for 

5000 people at a go but for now 

they can’t tell us the estimated 

cost of it. How sad! 

But there will be conference 

rooms, cafeterias and bookshops. 

There will also be a museum and 

lecture halls. There will be small 

chapels where private individuals 

can have their own religious 

events at a fee. Security workers 

and other low level officials will 

have their accommodation on site 

to make their work easy for them 

because they may close very late. 

Also, there will be a huge car 

park that should be able to accommodate 

the cars of all the 

potential 5000 guests that will be 

present at very important functions 

like swearing-in of the head 

of state or such similar events. 

In short, it will be a monumental 

complex and a tourist-attraction 

centre, very similar to 

what obtains at the Vatican City 

in Italy or at Yamussoukro in 

Cote d’Ivoire. 

•Arch-Bishop Duncan Williams 

•The cathedral 

Lots of money 

This, no doubt, will cost a lot 

of money but the government 

says no tax payers’ money will be 

spent on it, not even a pesewa. 

I have a problem with that assertion 

though—tax payers’ 

money will go into it either directly 

or indirectly and nobody 

can dispute that. 

Considering the proposed location 

and the massive demolition 

that will take place before 

the project is begun, that is, if 

government goes ahead and insists 

on that same location in 

spite of massive public opinion 

against that, nobody can convince 

anybody that tax payers’ money 

will not be used in rebuilding all 

those structures that will be 

pulled down. 

Arch-Bishop 

Arch-Bishop Duncan Williams 

may have a point in saying what 

he said at his church but I suspect 

that many people who are against 

the construction of the Cathedral 

are not necessarily against the 

building of it but where it is 

going to be located—the siting of 

it, at a place which is already well 

developed for which reason many 

expensive buildings may have to 

come down and make way for it 

in order to fit into the architecture 

of the new project. 

Crux 

That is the crux of the opposition 

to the Cathedral and not 

because people don’t want it at 

all. Ghanaians want the Cathedral 

but they want it built at a virgin 

place where no demolition of 

government structures will take 

place whatsoever. 

The area needed for this 

Cathedral project is massive; we 

are told from the Ridge roundabout 

encompassing College of 

Physicians and Surgeons beautiful 

building and ARB Apex Bank 

Head office, the residence of the 

Greater Accra regional minister 

and several other government 

buildings in the vicinity. 

All these have to go down for 

the Cathedral and that is unfortunate. 

Economic and 

business sense 

Honestly, this doesn’t make 

economic and business sense at 

all. The government should think 

again about the location of this 

project. If the government goes 

ahead to bring all those structures 

down in order to erect a Cathedral, 

I bet it will lose the next 

election in 2020 with ease. 

Many factors go into winning 

or losing elections. You may take 

the cue from the years 2000, 

2008, and 2016 and draw your 

own conclusions. 

The Cathedral doesn’t have to 

be at Ridge when there are virgin 

lands all over Greater Accra or in 

other parts of the country. There 

are virgin lands in the Accra 

Plains, before or after Miotso; in 

the Dodowa area, before or after 

Valley View University; on the 

Accra-Nsawam road before or 

after Kotoku junction. Again, 

there are virgin lands soon after 

you go past Budumburam in the 

Gomoa enclave or after Winneba 

junction. 

Authority 

The government has the authority 

to acquire any land anywhere 

under executive instrument 

for any project required by the 

state and I don’t see the reason 

why the government will fail to 

take advantage of this prerogative 

and rather go out of its way to 

demolish buildings some of 

which are barely 4 years old to 

build a Cathedral. 

Yes, you can build the Cathedral 

but try as much as possible 

to reduce cost and don’t tell us no 

tax payers’ money will be touched 

because that is not true. 

Take heart 

So, Arch-Bishop Duncan 

Williams should take heart. 

Ghanaians are not saying they 

don’t want any Cathedral built. 

They say the area that has been 

pin-pointed for the project will 

add a huge cost to it by relocating 

and reconstructing all the current 

facilities there and that will be 

costly and needless, to say the 

least. 

Find a place that will not add 

to the cost of the project, directly 

or indirectly, and nobody will 

raise a finger, Christians and non- 

Christians alike. 

But if government stays 

adamant and goes ahead to pull 

down all those existing structures 

there, they will not be able to survive 

the backlash that will follow 

for years. Already, the current 

NPP government seems vulnerable. 

They say a word to the wise is 

enough.

13 

WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH DAILY HERITAGE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2018 

Kwesi Arthur 

motivated me to unveil 

Empawa — Mr Eazi 

‘LAGOS TO London 

artiste Mr. Eazi has 

launched a new product 

christened ‘Empawa 

100’, which 

aims to support upand-coming 

artistes 

in African countries 

doing great with their 

God-given talent. 

Mr. Eazi, during 

the press launch, affirmed 

to the media 

in his speech that he 

was enthused to unveil 

this 'Empawa 

100' due to how 

Kwesi Arthur had 

chalked up his success 

in the music industry. 

The ‘I Surrender’ 

act, in his address, 

recalled how he 

blessed the 'Grind Day' hit 

maker with a music video, 

something he [Mr. Eazi] 

has been doing as Corporate 

Social Responsibility 

(CSR) for many artistes. 

He added that, "today 

happens to be a great day 

because Kwesi Arthur 

motivated me to unveil 

this mouthwatering package 

for up-and-coming 

artistes in seven African 

countries with $3000 to 

each artistes out of 

$300,000 budget allocated". 

So far, #empawa100 

has been launched in 

some African countries, 

namely Nigeria, Rwanda, 

Zimbabwe, and Kenya, 

among other continents. 

About Mr Eazi 

Nigeria's Mr Eazi is a 

Ghana-based performer 

known for his R&B-influenced 

Afro-beat sound. 

Born Oluwatosin Oluwole 

Ajibade in Port Harcourt, 

Nigeria, Mr. Eazi grew up 

in Lagos. After high 

school, he relocated to 

Kumasi, Ghana, where he 

studied mechanical engineering 

at the Kwame 

Nkrumah University of 

Science and Technology. 

While there, he 

launched his musical career 

in 2012 with the single 

‘Pipi Dance.’ A year 

later, he collaborated with 

•Mr Eazy 

U.Kbased 

DJ Juls on the track 

‘Bankulize’ 

(featuring Pappy Kojo). 

The single caught on well 

and more high-profile 

recordings followed, including 

2015's ‘Skin Tight’ 

(featuring Efya), which 

also performed well, garnering 

thousands of views 

online. 

From there, he collaborated 

on tracks 

with Sarkodie, Lil 

Kesh, Burna Boy, and others. 

Despite his 

success, Mr. Eazi was denied 

participation in the 

2016 Ghana Music 

Awards because he was 

not a Ghanaian citizen. 

Nonetheless, that same 

year he signed with the 

Starboy Worldwide record 

label. In 2017, he released 

the mixtape Life Is Eazi, 

Vol. 1: Accra to Lagos, 

which featured guest appearances 

by Big 

Lean, Tekno, Phyno, DJ 

Cuppy, and others. Included 

on the album were 

the singles ‘Leg Over’ and 

‘Tilapia.’ 

The album debuted at 

number four on the Billboard 

World Albums 

chart. A string of singles 

appeared over the following 

year, including the hit 

‘Decline’ with British 

R&B singer RAYE and 

the Lotto Boyzz and M.O. 

collaboration ‘Bad Vibe.’ 

Music is 

lucrative but 

you need 

foresight to see 

that — King Enam 

BY ERICA ARTHUR 

BUDDING GHANAIAN 

artiste born Kingsford 

Lumor Kwame, but known 

in showbiz as King Enam, 

has said that the music industry 

is a multi-million dollar industry 

and to see this, you need foresight. 

According to him, most upcoming 

artistes do not look at the business side 

of music; they are only interested in 

getting their songs played on radio or 

TV rather than promoting the songs to 

earn income. 

Speaking to the DAILY HER- 

ITAGE, he added that, “As an emerging 

artiste, I actually want to do a lot to 

affect the industry, especially with my 

authentic music, and it’s in my plans to 

at least make it big and also extend 

helping hands to other upcoming 

•Esy 

artistes, because it’s not easy down 

there. 

“It has been in my plan to have a 

label in my name to bring up more 

artistes. I want them to know that 

music is a multi-million dollar industry 

and it takes a lot of insight and foresight 

to know that.” 

King Enam, who is signed on to 

Vimrecordz label, has 15 songs produced 

by Master Brain and Crownzy 

Beat. He has an album dubbed ‘Beyond 

The Ordinary’(BTO). 

He has currently released two singles, 

‘Love U More’ produced by Master 

Brain already from the album under 

Vimrecordz, and ‘Thanks’, which was 

produced by M-Fresh and Possigee, 

“whose videos we working on. I have 

more songs coming that will blow people’s 

minds.” 

Enam says he ,looks up to the late 

Lucky Dube, who, according to him, is 

BY ERICA ARTHUR 

TAKORADI-BASED female 

hip life artiste Esy, known in 

real life as Gifty Esi Edmondson, 

is set to challenge her colleague 

female artistes in Ghana 

with her new single ‘Feel My 

Thing.’ 

According to the promising 

artiste, her craft and her vocal 

strength will put other artistes 

on their toes to make the music 

scene interesting and challenging. 

In an interview, she said that 

“my new single is hot and fit to 

compete with other songs in the 

music scene. It talks about a guy 

whom I sacrificed my hard 

earnings for but wasn't appreciative 

of it. 

“He left me for another lady 

who, he thinks, has a big body 

and looks good, but was disappointed 

by the maltreatment he 

received from her, and he later 

regretted leaving me for the 

other lady. 

“The mentality of some 

guys is looking for beautiful 

ladies to marry and later become 

disappointed with the 

kind of treatment and emotional 

torture they go through. 

There is a saying that real beauty 

is in the mind, and outer beauty 

doesn't guarantee happiness, but 

inner beauty does. ” 

very good musically. “I love his songs. 

I live all my time listening to his 

songs.” 

Enam says his songs are inspired by 

the things he sees and the happenings 

in his neighborhood and around him 

“and if you could notice all my lyrics, 

carry messages that are relating to lives 

no matter the story line 

King Enam has currently released a 

new song dubbed ‘Adjoah’, a mid 

tempo and love jam produced by M- 

fresh and mixed by Kwesi King. 

“My advice to those who look up 

to me is that whatever they are doing 

in life they should take it seriously because 

everything is very possible once 

you are focused , and also they should 

bear in mind that prospect for success 

wholly depends on them. They will either 

decide to lose or win. Believe in 

whatever you do.” 

Esy dares female artistes 

with ‘Feel My Thing’ 

•King Enam 

Esy’s ‘Feel My Thing’ 

is her first single produced 

by Bodybeatz, a 

young talented engineer 

based in Takoradi. 

She says she looks up to 

popular female artistes like 

Mzvee, Becca and a few others. 

“Their energy, whenever 

they mount a stage, inspires me 

a lot,” Esy said. 

She said, “I look forward to 

seeing the day when event organizers 

will put another female 

artiste called Esy on every show. 

In the next five years I am looking 

forward to having national 

and international recognition 

and rubbing shoulders with 

other big names in the Music 

Scene.” 

Esy advises her fans to be 

unique in their areas of endeavours.

14 



• Bola Ray 

Bola Ray named 

Most Influential 

personality of 

the year 2018 

THE CHIEF Executive 

Officer of EIB Network, 

Nathan 

Kwabena Anokye 

Adisi, popularly known 

as Bola Ray, has been named the 

‘Most Influential Entertainment 

Personality for the Year 2018’. 

The award was presented to him 

on the premises of Accra-based 

Starr FM by representatives of 

Shine Publication, organisers of the 

award scheme. 

The Managing Director of Shine 

Publications, Jerry Wonder, said 

since entertainment personalities 

help in shaping the society, it was 

necessary to award them to encourage 

them for a good work done. 

Giving the rational behind the 

award, Mr. Wonder said Bola Ray 

had been a thriving force in the 

Ghanaian entertainment industry 

with his concept, ‘Ghana Meets 

Naija’. 

He added that the concept had 

grown into a ‘tool’ that is continually 

uniting cultures. 

“He, indeed, is a brand that 

must be encouraged for others to 

follow, especially in recent times 

when young acts are more focused 

on acquiring wealth only rather 

than merging their ambitions with 

positive societal impacts,” he said. 

Bola Ray was the topmost on 

the chart list which presented 20 

entertainment giants. 

The chart was accumulated by 

the Shine Publications survey team 

made up of university graduates 

and received support from other 

scholars from notable tertiary institutions. 

The main objective of the chart 

is to set difference between the 

popularity of the celebrity and the 

influence they have on the society. 

Style Tips 

for Men 

IT CAN seem like there’s a lot to 

know about good style, and there is, 

at least, if you want to be enrolled in 

its master class. But looking sharper 

than 99% of other guys is actually 

fairly simple and merely 

requires knowing and doing little 

stuff right. The kind of stuff that 

can be encapsulated into short, easyto-remember 

principles and adages. 

Below you’ll find the best of the 

best of such tips: a hundred things 

(plus one extra) that you can be 

doing, right now, to make yourself 

look sharper. You can thank us later. 

1. Throw out or give away anything 

you haven’t worn in over a 

year. 

You get two “beloved old favorite” 

exemptions here, as well as formal 

wear. Ruthlessly pitch or donate the 

rest. 

2. Get everything adjusted. 

Well, okay, not everything. But 

most things: nice pants, shirts, and 

jackets should all go to the tailor for 

adjustments, unless they came custom-tailored 

already. 

3. Spend more money on less 

pieces of clothing. 

Quality lasts longer than quantity, 

and you look better in it. 

Make AFRIMA successful — Tourism Minister 

THE MINISTER of Tourism, Mrs Catherine 

Afeku, has urged Ghanaians to help 

make the country's hosting of the All Africa 

Music Awards (AFRIMA) successful. 

According to her, the four-day event, 

which started yesterday, Wednesday, November 

21, and running till Saturday, November 

24, can only be successful if Ghanaians give 

it massive support. 

Speaking at a press conference to address 

pertinent issues about AFRIMA at the 

Kempinski Hotel in Accra on Monday, November 

19, the Minister said Ghana was 

ready to host the event and make a comfortable 

home for other nationals who would be 

attending the event. 

In her opinion, the occasion is a good 

one for Ghanaians to show their hospitality 

as well as promote the Pan African agenda 

while selling brand Ghana on the international 

scene. 

“Let us all be ambassadors of our nation 

because we are putting Ghana on the map 

and that is good for us. We should offer the 

necessary help to foreigners and be extracourteous. 

“We take pride in ourselves in hosting this 

continental awards between November 21 to 

• Minister of Tourism, 

Mrs Catherine Afeku 

24, which is consistent with our national development 

agenda for the growth of culture 

and the creative arts. 

“We project a boost to the tourism economy 

of Ghana and the creation of opportunities 

for artistes and investors in the culture 

and creative arts industry of Ghana,” she 

stated. 

The founder and Chief Executive Officer 

of AFRIMA, Michael Dada, put to rest any 

doubts about the successful organisation of 

this year’s event. 

He said the annual awards scheme was a 

big deal for the continent and nothing could 

stop it. He also urged stakeholders to help 

make it successful. 

The Country Director for AFRIMA, 

Francis Doku, entreated Ghanaians to vote 

for artistes nominated from the country. He 

said it would not be a good image for Ghana 

should its acts performed poorly when they 

were hosts of the biggest music event in 

Africa. 

Some Ghanaian artistes nominated in various 

categories for AFRIMA are KiDi, 

Kuami Eugene, King Promise, Sarkodie, 

Stonebwoy, Efya, Ebony, Joe Mettle and 

Becca. 

AFRIMA ACTIVITIES 

The 2018 AFRIMA seeks to reward and 

celebrate musical works, talents and creativity 

around the African continent while promoting 

Africa's cultural heritage. 

The four-day event, according to organisers, 

is packed with various activities which 

started from the nominees and delegates, 

African Union officials, members of the International 

Committee of AFRIMA, the 

media and other invited guests. 

This is followed by the Africa Music 

Business Summit (AMBS) today, Thursday, 

November 22, at the Ballroom, Kempinski 

Hotel, Gold Coast City, Accra. 

Later in the day, African music lovers will 

enjoy performances by artistes from across 

the continent, "a festival-style music concert" 

at the AFRIMA Music Village at the Black 

Star Square in Accra. 

There will also be a nominees' party on 

Friday, November 23, at the Kempinski 

Hotel and then the main awards will take 

place on Saturday, November 24, at the 

Accra International Conference Centre.

DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

Sports 

DAILY HERITAGE 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2018 

15 

Kumasi catches ‘Maltavator Challenge Season 2’ fever 

EXPECTANT RESIDENTS of Kumasi 

poured out onto the Opoku Ware Senior 

High School (OWASS) Park as the Maltavator 

Challenge Season 2 train made a 

stop in the Garden City. 

Hundreds thronged the venue to register 

and participate in the fierce obstacle 

course challenge, with the hopes of grabbing 

a place in the most sought-after six 

spots to represent Ghana at the Pan 

African Championship to be held in South 

Africa in 2019. 

At the end of a gruelling competition, 

10 top performers were selected from Kumasi 

to join the already selected 20 from 

Accra and Takoradi. 

The overjoyed winner of the Kumasi 

Challenge, Daniel Gawuga Abotsi, said he 

was grateful for the motivation from his 

family and friends to participate. 

“I was initially apprehensive about participating 

until my friends and loved ones 

encouraged me to try my luck, and I’m 

glad I listened even in the face of the intimidating 

physique of some of my opponents,” 

he said with a laugh. 

• Some of the participants 

The Brands Manager of Malta Guinness, 

Roland Ofori, said he was already 

looking forward to the Ghana grand finale 

because of the stock of competitors recruited 

so far. 

“I must say that I am super-impressed 

by the sheer determination and dedication 

exhibited by everyone who has participated 

in the recruitment events in Accra, 

Takoradi and Kumasi. All the 30 finalists 

have showed they can be great, and I am 

excited Malta Guinness is fuelling that passion. 

I am highly confident that team 

Ghana can go all the way to South Africa 

to pick up that $20,000 prize money.” 

The Maltavator Challenge makes its 

final recruitment stop at the Tamale Stadium 

Annex in Tamale on November 24, 

2018 where the final 10 contestants will be 

selected for the Ghana finale. 

The 40 top contestants will then compete 

for the last of the six available slots in 

the grand finale to represent Ghana in 

South Africa. Ghana’s six representatives 

will battle other competitors from Nigeria, 

Cameroun, Kenya, Ethiopia and Cote 

d’Ivoire for the $20,000 prize money. 

Encourage playing of 

draughts — Ho clubs 

appeal to govt 

• Two of Black 

Maiden players 

BY PATRICE SYLVESTER SELORMEY, HO 

pselormey2015@gmail.com 

THE CHAIRMAN of Ho 

Cards Club, Innocent Dei, has 

appealed to the government 

to support the playing of 

draughts as a national sports 

as done to other major sporting 

disciplines. 

Mr Dei noted that in the 

early 1970s draught was listed 

as one of the sporting events 

in the country and clubs were 

formed but due to unavailability 

of funds and sponsorship, 

the whole thing waned. 

He is, therefore, appealing 

to the National Sports Authority 

(NSA), the National 

Youth Authority (NYA), philanthropists 

and lovers of the 

game to support its development. 

The Chairman, in an interview 

with DAILY HER- 

ITAGE, said Ho Card Club 

is registered with the NSA, 

NYA and the Ho Municipal 

Assembly as a communitybased 

organisation and had 

launched a campaign against 

the use of illicit drugs such as 

tramadol, cocaine, heroine 

and marijuana amongst the 

youth. 

Heve All Stars won by 180 

games to 150 against Bazuka, 

another draught club. 

“As a youth club, we 

would be glad if NYA can 

support our activities in a way 

of encouragement to be 

united and to also acquire 

skills for our development,” 

Mr Dei said. 

...in the early 1970s 

draught was listed 

as one of sporting 

events in the 

country and clubs 

were formed but 

due to unavailability 

of funds and 

sponsorship, it 

waned. 

Under-17 FIFA Women World Cup: 

Black Maidens face 

Mexico in semifinals 

Sunday 

GHANA WILL face 

Mexico in the quarterfinals 

of the FIFA 

Under-17 Women's 

World Cup on Sunday, 

November 25, in Montevideo, 

Uruguay. 

This was after the Maidens topped 

Group A after beating New Zealand 

2-0 in the final match and scored a 

total of 10 goals while conceding one 

throughout the three games, making 

coach Evans Adotey's side one of the 

favourites for the title. 

By way of statistics, the Maidens 

thrashed their Uruguayan counterparts, 

the host country, by 5:0 before 

beating Finland 3:1 in the second 

group game and finished as group 

winners when they dispatched New 

Zealand 2:0 

Ghana has qualified for the last 

eight for the fourth consecutive time 

with their best performance in tournament 

history in 2012 when they 

finished in third place. 

As Group A runners-up, New 

Zealand will take on Japan in Colonia 

Del Sacramento on Saturday, November 

24. The Kiwis will be competing 

in the knockout stage of Under-17 

Women's World Cup for the first 

time.

November 22

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