Monday, 6th June, 2022

Page 2

An average of 11.2 million

people in the UK

watched the Platinum

Party in the Palace on

BBC One on Saturday.

The concert saw stars including

Diana Ross, George Ezra,

Queen and Elbow perform in

front of a Buckingham Palace

crowd including the Royal Family.

It attracted the BBC's biggest

audience of the year, peaking at

13.4 million.

A huge pageant in central

London and thousands of street

parties across the UK are highlights

of the final day of Jubilee

celebrations.

Saturday evening's concert

also saw speeches from Prince

Charles and Prince William, with

Charles paying tribute to the

Queen and her reign of seven

decades on the throne.

Its audience beats many other

recent high-profile events - December's

Strictly Come Dancing

final averaged 11 million viewers;

last month's Eurovision Song

There have been 780

confirmed cases of

monkeypox in countries

where the virus is

not usually found, the

World Health Organization says.

That is roughly triple the 257

cases it reported a week ago.

It says the figure - for the

past three weeks - is probably an

underestimate and assesses the

global risk level as "moderate".

The infection is usually mild,

but this is the first time it has

spread widely outside Central

and West Africa.

The WHO said cases had been

identified in 27 countries where it

is not already "endemic" - meaning

places it is expected to be

found.

Most of these new cases are

in Europe and North America as

well as small numbers in Mexico,

Argentina, Morocco and the United

Arab Emirates.

The UK has the most cases,

with 207, followed by Spain with

156 and Portugal with 138.

In its latest update, the

WHO said some countries were

reporting that new cases were appearing

beyond known contacts

of previously confirmed cases,

which it said suggested chains of

transmission were being "missed

through undetected circulation

Contest averaged nearly nine

million; and the Queen's Christmas

message drew an audience

of 8.96 million.

The BBC said it had a 74.3%

share of the audience, adding:

"The Platinum Party at the

Palace on BBC One was the most

watched programme of the year

so far."

The Queen, who has been

experiencing mobility problems

in recent months, was not able

to attend the event herself.

It began with a pre-filmed

comedy sketch showing her

sharing a pot of tea with Paddington

Bear, where they both

confessed to carrying around a

marmalade sandwich.

Some 10 million people are

expected to take part in the final

day of Platinum Jubilee street

parties and celebrations across

the UK.

More than 85,000 have

signed up to host Big Jubilee

Lunches. Prince Charles and

Camilla appeared at one at south

London's Oval cricket ground on

DAILY ANALYST Monday, 6th June, 2022

Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, the Duke and

Duchess of Cambridge have

tweeted pictures of Kate and

their three children baking cakes

in a kitchen decorated with

Union Jack bunting.

The caption explained the

cakes were for people in Cardiff to

enjoy at a Platinum Jubilee street

party taking place this weekend.

The Jubilee pageant, against

the backdrop of Buckingham Palace,

will involve more than 10,000

people, including key workers

and members of the armed forces,

as well as performers.

A two-mile carnival procession

- featuring a huge cast, puppets

and celebrities - will move

down London's Mall and past the

palace.

The evening finale at 17:00

BST will feature Ed Sheeran performing,

and the singing of the

national anthem in front of the

palace.

Singer Elaine Paige, ambassador

for the Royal Voluntary

Service which hosted Platinum

Champions at The Oval lunch,

met Charles and Camilla at the

event and said they seemed to be

having a "marvellous time".

"I think he seemed very

relaxed and full of good humour,"

she said. "I think his opening

comment was - because it was

only half past 11 - 'It's a little

early for lunch'."

The West End star added the

Queen's sketch with Paddington

Bear showed perfect timing and

Monkeypox: Cases outside Africa

rise to 780 in three weeks

of the virus".

"It is highly likely that other

countries will identify cases and

there will be further spread of

the virus," it added.

While the current risk to

human health for the general

public "remains low", the public

health risk could "become high"

if the virus becomes widespread

in countries where it is not normally

found, it said. No deaths

have been reported as a result of

the current outbreak.

The global health body said

most, but not all, of the reported

cases so far have involved men

who have sex with men. There

is no evidence that monkeypox

is sexually transmitted, but it is

passed on through close contact.

The organisation said many

cases were not presenting with

the typical clinical picture for

monkeypox, with some describing

pustules appearing before

symptoms such as fever.

Most cases of the virus clear

up on their own within a few

weeks. Symptoms include fever,

headaches, swellings, back pain,

aching muscles, as well as a rash

which goes through different

stages.

Monkeypox can sometimes

be more severe, however, and

has been reported to have caused

deaths in West Africa in the past.

Global News

More than 11m people watch

Platinum Jubilee concert

said: "I thought to myself what a

brilliant actor she is."

Sarah Friar, CEO of neighbourhood

social media app Nextdoor,

sat opposite the Prince of Wales.

"He said at the end how great it

was that everyone comes together

this weekend," she said.

Ms Friar said Charles commented:

"When it comes to Monday

are we going to go back to all

the bickering again? Let's hope

we don't do that."

The Duke and Duchess of

Cornwall are not the only royals

to be at a Big Jubilee Lunch -

Princess Beatrice and Princess

Eugenie have been at an event organised

by Westminster Council

for local volunteer and community

groups who helped during the

Covid-19 pandemic.

The Cambridges were in

Gunmen have killed

worshippers in a Catholic

church in Ondo,

south-west Nigeria,

the state's governor

has said.

Rotimi Akeredolu called it a

"vile and satanic attack" on innocent

people.

The armed men entered St

Francis church in the town of

Owo during a Sunday service.

They fired into the congregation

and then kidnapped a priest as

well as some other church-goers,

witnesses said.

Nigeria has experienced an

upsurge in violence in recent

months.

Kidnappings and attacks have

been reported across the vast

country.

No figures for the numbers

killed or abducted in Sunday's

violence have been confirmed.

But a doctor at a local hospital,

quoted by the Reuters news

agency, said that "several worshippers

were brought in dead".

After visiting the church and

hospital, state lawmaker Ogunmolasuyi

Oluwole told the Associated

Press news agency that

children were among the dead.

In a series of tweets, Governor

Cardiff on Saturday as part of a

series of visits to the UK nations

by royals across the bank holiday

weekend, which also saw Prince

Edward and his wife Sophie meet

crowds in Northern Ireland.

Princess Anne visited Edinburgh

and represented the Queen

at Saturday's Derby Day at Epsom.

Sunday's weather in much

of the UK does not look ideal for

outdoor festivities. England and

Wales are forecast to see spells of

heavy and thundery rain in places,

with yellow weather warnings

in place.

In London, where the pageant

takes place, some sunshine is expected

during the afternoon but

heavy showers are likely too.

Northern Ireland and Scotland

should be mostly sunny and

dry, however.

Nigeria gunmen kill

worshippers in church

Akeredolu appealed for calm and

said people should not "take laws

into your hands".

"We shall commit every available

resource to hunt down these

assailants and make them pay,"

he added.

No-one has said that they

were behind this attack, but Nigeria

is facing worsening violence

by armed groups, the BBC's Chris

Ewokor in the capital, Abuja, says.

But Ondo state has, until now,

been relatively untouched.

Exactly a week ago the head

of the Methodist Church in Nigeria

was abducted along with two

other clerics in the south-east of

the country.

The Methodist prelate said

he paid $240,000 (£190,000) to be

freed with his companions.

Two weeks ago, two Catholic

priests were kidnapped in

Katsina, President Muhammadu

Buhari's home state in the north

of the country. They have not

been released.

In March, gunmen targeted

the vital rail link between Abuja

and the northern city of Kaduna

killing at least nine people and

kidnapping dozens of others,

many of whom are still being

held.

DAILY ANALYST

Monday, 6th June, 2022 Page 3

The Ministry of

National Security has

detected what it calls

“suspicious movement”

of persons in the Garu

and Bunkpurugu/Nankpanduri

districts in the North East and

Upper East regions

According to a confidential

document dated June 3rd, 2022, and

signed by the National Security

Coordinator, Ambassador Major-

General Francis Adu -Amanfoh

(RTD), intelligence indicates that

the group was sighted on board

motorbikes dressed in apparel

that hid their faces and headed for

the mountainous area in the Garu

district.

The Security Coordinator

consequently advised the Chief of

Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed

Forces and the Inspector General of

Police to be on high alert.

The National Security Ministry

recently launched a citizen

awareness campaign dubbed

‘See Something, Say Something’

campaign to encourage people to

report suspicious acts of terrorism.

The aim of this campaign,

among other reasons, is to get

Frontpage Stories

COA boss shortlisted for top leadership award

Founder & Chief Executive

Officer of COA Research

and Manufacturing,

Professor Samuel Ato

Duncan, has been

shortlisted for a top leadership

award at the Sixth edition of Global

Business Quality Award 2022.

Deal decisively with Wa brutalities!

The Member of Parliament

(MP) for Builsa North

Constituency in the

Upper West Region,

James Agalga, has

underscored the urgent need

for MPs to attach seriousness

to the report of the unfortunate

incidence of military brutalities

in Wa.

According to him, the resolve

of Parliament to decisively deal

with the matter, bringing to book

the culprits and mitigating the

plights of the victims, would aid in

forestalling a future reoccurrence.

Mr. Agalga was speaking on

the floor of Parliament during a

presentation of a committee report

on the recent military brutalities

in Wa.

He, however, cautioned that if

the matter was treated lightly, it

would serve as a recipe for disaster

citizens highly alert and report

suspicious characters in the wake

of terrorism threats suspected by

security analysts.

It forms part of the operational

strategy in collaborating efforts

between security agencies and the

citizens to safeguard the borders of

the country.

The National Security Ministry

recently asked the general public

to be vigilant as terrorists have

targeted Ghana.

A statement signed by the

sector minister, Albert Kan Dapaah,

on Tuesday, May 17, noted that the

recent attacks in neighbouring

countries have made Ghana a

target of extremist groups.

“The Ministry of National

Security will like to draw the

attention of the general public to

the growing threat of terrorism

in our sub-region and urge

everyone to be vigilant and extra

careful about their personal and

community security.”

“Many of our neighbours have

Suspicious movements detected

Prof Duncan will be awarded

for his commitment in the

pursuit of quality plant medicinal

leadership, excellence, innovation,

and accomplishments making

significant differences to the

remarkable growth of alternative

healthcare development and

in the future.

He called for measures to be

put in place to ensure that the

incident does not repeats itself.

In his bid to second the report

presented by the vice-chair of

the committee to be adopted by

the House, he indicated that it

was about time the military took

responsibility for their actions.

According to him, if the

military starts facing the full

rigours of the law, it will instill

some level of discipline.

Presenting the facts of the case,

Mr. Agalga said the case was a clear

opportunity to cause the military

to be responsible to the people.

According to him, the trigger

of the incident was a phone

snatching supposedly belonging

to one Lieutenant Gyasi who was

recently commissioned into the

military.

unfortunately suffered attacks

from the terrorist groups as their

activities have spread from the

Sahelian region towards the

coastal West Africa states.

“Our immediate neighbours,

Burkina Faso, La Cote d’Ivoire, and

Togo have all experienced such

attacks and we have to recognize

that our country remains a target

as the security services work to

keep us all safe.”

This statement comes after

an earlier alert by the National

Security Ministry to churches and

mosques.

A statement from Ghana’s

National Security said measures

have been instituted in order to

forestall these attacks however, the

churches must also be on alert.

According to the statement,

the measures instituted include

the installation of Closed-Circuit

Televisions (CCTVs) in churches,

as well as engaging the services

of accredited private security

agencies.

research in Ghana

The awards event is slated for

Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at the

Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in

Accra at 8.30 am. The theme for the

event is "Celebrating Decades of

Quality Global Brands in Ghana".

A letter from the organizers

of the event, Entrepreneurs

Foundation of Ghana to the

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

COA Research and Manufacturing

Professor Samuel Ato Duncan said,

“ We have the honor to inform you

of the advisory board's decision

based on our assessment to honour

Prof. Samuel Ato Duncan as the

Quality Alternative Healthcare

Leadership Award 2021 at the

Sixth edition of Global Business

Quality Award 2022, a breakfast

business Summit and Awards

event, for your commitment in the

pursuit of quality plant medicinal

leadership, excellence, innovation

and accomplishments making

significant differences to the

remarkable growth of alternative

healthcare development and

research in Ghana”..

Global Business Quality Awards

He said this army officer

went to town in a "Mahama can

do" whose phone was snatched

and upon reaching the barracks

mobilised his colleagues to unleash

terror on the people of Wa.

“In view of the growing

threats of terrorism from the

subregion and the expansionist

drive of terrorist groups towards

Coastal West African states,

with a renewed modus operandi

2022

The Global Business Quality

Awards 2022 sixth edition is an

Awards and bus *less breakfast

summit networking event

designed to promote, advertise

premium quality and most

valuable global brands in Ghana

for decades that have met the

standard of premium quality and

seemingly thrived during the

pandemic.

Business breakfast Summit

The business breakfast Summit

will also present a great business

and investment networking

opportunity for CEOs, Business

Executive, Entrepreneurs,

diplomatic Corps and Government

officials to access new ideas and

successfully grow their business

in Ghana. The award and Summit

will measure global quality

brand strength based on three

key criteria: economic success in

the market; best—selling quality

brand; and popularity among

consumers. The distinctive feature

of the event is that the winner is

not selected by a jury but by the

consumers themselves .

"We are in a democracy and the

military must accord the civilians

respect. Gone are the days where

the military abused civilians with

impunity, but now the time has

come for them to note that these

same civilians whose taxes are

used in their training and upkeep

are given much respect,” he said.

of targeting public gatherings

including places of worship, it

is imperative that precautional

measures are taken by all

stakeholders,” a statement from

the national security said.

We take this opportunity to

congratulate you and would be

grateful if you could kindly confirm

your availability and acceptance

. All COVID—19 protocols would

be strictly observed. Please find

attached the award details .

The COA Research and

Manufacturing Company Limited

recently re-launched COA Mixture,

the world-acclaimed herbal

medicine that supports the general

wellbeing of people.

COA Mixture is a wellresearched

plant medicine that is

scientifically developed for general

wellbeing and has also been

approved by the Food and Drugs

Authority (FDA).

The re-launched COA Mixture

is an upgrade in drug development

and after going through the

processes from the FDA, it has been

upgraded from a food supplement

to herbal medicine for general

wellbeing.

Speaking at the launch, the

Founder and Chief Executive

Officer (CEO) of COA Research and

Manufacturing Company Limited,

Professor Samuel Ato Duncan

debunked notions that the COA

Mixture is a cure for HIV.

However, he noted that the

COA Mixture is so powerful that

it preserves itself and has unique

phytochemicals that can support

the immune system for healthy

living.

He also made it known that

the COA Mixture is a 100 percent

natural product from plants and

has no artificial preservative.

Professor Ato Duncan

announced that the COA Research

and Manufacturing Company

Limited is close to a research

breakthrough, adding that when

successful, Ghana stands to realize

not less than 32 billion dollars

annually from this plant medicine.

"This is what I want to achieve

for Mother Ghana as part of my

Global peace Mission Project. This

will bring economic relief to Ghana

and also get treatment for some

diseases the world is struggling to

treat," he said.

He, therefore, called on the

government, research institutions,

and investors to collaborate with

the Company in order to carry the

above vision to reality.

Page 4


Breman chief

bars burial of

late farmer!

The decision of the Chief of Breman-Brofoyedu, a

mining community in the Upper Denkyira West in

the Central Region, to bar a family of cocoa farmers

from burying their late brother, Kwadwo Konadu

(aka KO), is brewing tension in the town.

According to the bereaved family, Nana Amoabeng Kwasu

II, who is the Chief of Breman-Brofoyedu, has categorically

made it clear to them that he will not allow for the burial and

funeral rites of their late brother, Kwadwo Konadu, to take

place in Breman.

This understandably became known when the Head of the

Konadu family, Opanyin Kojo Bio, fea w weeks ago, led a small

delegation of family members to the chief’s palace to inform

him [the chief] and his elders about the death, funeral and

burial rites of their deceased brother.

Unfortunately, after pleading with the chief to rescind his

decision, Opanyin Bio said Nana Kwasu II asked them to pay a

fine of GHC10,000, 10 bottles of Schnapps, and 20 sheep before

they will be allowed to go ahead with the funeral, excluding

the burial.

But addressing a crowded press conference in Breman on

Friday, June 3, in an all-black and red attire, the Head of the

Konadu family, Opanyin Bio, flanked by the widow of KO and

his three daughters, said they were surprised at what they

described as a “unilateral decision” by the chief.

He stressed that they will use all legitimate means to ensure

that they lay their brother to rest on the scheduled burial

date—June 17, 2022 in Breman.

“Our late brother (KO) was born and bred in Breman, and

raised a family here too. His late father who was a royal was

a warrior of an Asafo group in Breman. Therefore, we have

nowhere to bury our brother but here in Breman!” the head of

family underscored.

Though he said they will not resort to the use of force, he

cautioned that failure by the chief to allow them go ahead

with the burial and funeral rites will compel them to carry

the corpse to the palace.

According to Opanyin Bio, the underlying reason why the

chief of Breman was preventing KO’s burial and funeral ceremony

was the refusal of “our late brother to give his parcel of

land to Perseus Mining Ghana Limited (PMGL) for mining.”

“At least if Nana Kwasu II is claiming our brother verbally

abused him some time ago, as our Chief, we would have expected

that such a matter would be brought to our attention.

Nothing of that sort happened!” he pointed out.

“…resurrecting this issue now which we members of the

Konadu family have no inkling about is not only fair but outlandish.

It raises loads of doubts,” Opanyin Bio indicated.

On that score, he re-affirmed that they had made all the

necessary arrangements for the funeral of their brother, adding

that any disruptions will seriously affect them.

On the issue of the fine by the chief which was later reduced

to GHC5,000, 2 Schnapps, and 2 goats, he indicated that

the family does not have that sum of money.

“We are a poor family and cannot afford this huge fine by

our chief, a reason we severally pleaded with him,” he said.

Concluding, the head of the family called on the police to

intervene in the matter to avoid any chaotic scenes on the

burial date.

Meanwhile, when journalists after the press conference

contacted Nana Amoabeng Kwasu II in his palace, in an arrogant

posture and angry tone he drove them away.

“You journalists don’t know your work. You should have

called me first from Accra before coming to see me in my

palace, so go away I will not talk!” Nana Amoabeng II angrily

said.

We need leaders

who can’t be bought

The General Secretary

of the Church

of Pentecost, Apostle

Alexander Nana

Yaw Kumi-Larbi

has made a passionate appeal

to traditional leaders to rule

with integrity and selflessness

in order to eradicate

the menace of bribery and

corruption.

When expounding the

word “integrity” to specify

what he needs from the

leaders, Apostle Kumi-Larbi

explained it as wholeness,

perfection (without blemish

or wrinkle), soundness, simplicity,

completeness and sincerity;

the exact behaviour or

personality expected by the

clergyman from the leaders

of this country.

Using the concepts of

engineering as an analogy to

buttress his points, Apostle

Kumi-Larbi said in engineering,

a structure such as a

bridge or a building would be

described as having “structural

integrity” when it is

sound and fit for purpose. In

the same way, the Christian/

Leader who has integrity is

sound, reliable, trustworthy,

and could therefore be described

as dependable. “Leaders

must be fit for purpose”,

he stressed.

“Our generation critically

needs leaders with integrity

– people who cannot be

bought, will not compromise

with wrong, will walk the

talk, and will be completely

honest in small things as in

great things”, he highlighted,

lamenting that “unfortunately,

integrity seems to be

a critical aspect of leadership

which are mostly found

wanting, both in the church

and society as a whole.”

Using the analogy of what

informs Paul’s admonishing

in choosing leaders for the

church and ministry in Acts

6:3-5 and 1 Timothy 3:1-2,

Apostle Kumi-Larbi said, God

expects his children to stand

out and be counted as people

who do not yield to corrupt

practices but always upholding

to ethical values in every

area of their lives – at home,

in the workplace and in the

church.

Apostle Alexander Nana

Yaw Kumi-Larbi was speaking

at the 3rd Royals’ Conference

of The Church of Pentecost

at the Pentecost Convention

Centre (PCC), Kasoa

on Wednesday, June 1, 2022

under the topic, “Chieftaincy

and integrity”

Zooming in to specifics,

the General Secretary revealed

that our society is

bedeviled with corrupt practices,

including procurement

breaches, tax evasion, cronyism

and nepotism, over and

under-invoicing, wrongful

and inappropriate acquisition

of academic accolades for

vain glory and acquisition of

power. Again, he said we can

also talk about lateness to

work and closing earlier than

expected, the use of office

hours for private work/Job,

indiscipline, and poor time

management.

With a sorrowful voice,

and great disappointment

showing on his face, he outlined

some of the effects that

the country is suffering due

to these unhealthy attitudes.

Just to mention a few, he

mentioned poor healthcare

delivery causing premature

deaths, shoddy works in

construction, poor roadwork

causing road accidents, poor

educational system, increasing

gap between the rich and

poor, inequitable distribution

of wealth, the galamsay menace,

environmental degradation,

land tenure system and

total indiscipline.

In order to put an end to

this enemy that is ruining

our country, Apostle Kumi-Larbi

challenged traditional

authorities, who are

the custodians of our lands

and our culture to use their

positions to influence their

spheres positively and to

transform their societies by

ruling with integrity that will

serve as an example for others

to follow. He advised that

leaders, especially traditional

leaders eschew all attitudes

that will bring disrepute to

their thrones and kingdoms.

Quoting Proverbs 16:12, he

cautioned, “it is an abomination

before God for kings to

do evil, for the throne is established

by righteousness”.

He also implored traditional

leaders to copy the integrity

of Nehemiah on how

he led the people of Judah

(Nehemiah 5:1-19). “Generally,

a position of authority

may entitle a person to

certain rights and privileges,

however, just as Nehemiah

remained faithful to God in

all aspects of his life, believers

are encouraged to be loyal

citizens and conscientious,

faithful workers, especially

when in a privileged position

of authority”, he advised disclosing

also that, Nehemiah

used the privileges associated

with his position to serve his

people. “Leaders are not supposed

to use their position to

amass wealth. Instead, they

use their power and resources

to help the poor, needy and

vulnerable in the society”, he

revealed.

The 3rd Edition of the

Royals’ Conference was

organized by the Chieftaincy

Ministry of The Church of

Pentecost in collaboration

with the Pentecost Men’s

Ministry (PEMEM), under the

theme, “Equipping Royals As

Gatekeepers To Possess The

Nations”. Over 1,500 royals

(traditional leaders) from

Ghana, Togo, and Burkina

Faso attended the programme.

DAILY ANALYST


Perspective

The Achimota Forest Reserve,

The Accra Region Green Project

The only rational reason

for which Three Hundred

and Sixty-One

point Five Zero acres

(361.50 acres) or One

Hundred and Forty-Six point

Three Zero hectares (146.30 ha)

of the Achimota Forest Reserve

lands were purportedly released

to a phantom Owoo Family under

the Forest (Cessation of Forest

Reserve) Instrument, 2022 (E.I

144) and the Forest (Achimota

Firewood Plantation Forest Reserve)

(Amendment) Instrument,

2022 (E.I. 154) by the Akufo-Addo

Government is the consummation

of the state capture by a

bi-partisan Ghanaian political

elite of the natural resources of

Ghana for the private profit of

the political elite and their collaborators.

This is a transaction disgustingly

tainted with the suspected

commission of corruption and

corruption-related offenses by

the political elite in the New Patriotic

Party (NPP) and National

Democratic Congress (NDC) Governments

from 2006 to date.

The Provisional National

Defence Council (PNDC) Government

and the first and second

NDC Governments under the

late President Jerry John Rawlings

were so concerned about

preserving a green zone within

the Greater Accra Region that

they planned and commissioned

a green zone area for the region

which included the preservation

of the green zone with the entire

Achimota Forest Reserve area

lands forming part of that Accra

Green Zone Project.

The Ministry of Lands, the

Lands Commission, and the

Forestry Commission under the

Rawlings Governments partook

in the drawing up of the Greater

Accra Green Zone Project that

was on display at the Castle, Osu.

These are matters of public record

and successive governments

are deemed to have known about

them.

An Owoo Family suddenly

emerged almost six years after

the change of Government from

the Rawlings NDC to the New

Patriotic Party (NPP) Kufour Government

to petition the second

NPP Government for a lease and

not the return of a portion of

Achimota Forest Reserve to the

the the family.

This had all the hallmarks of

a pre-arranged state capture of

the portions of the forest reserve

for the private profits of the

then political elite in Government

and their collaborators in

the so-called Owoo Family. By

November 2008, the second Kufour

Government agreed to grant

the Owoo Family a Head Lease

over the portion of the Achimota

Forest Reserve measuring ninety

(90) acres.

The initial success of the

political elite state capture of

portions of the Achimota Forest

Reserve resulting in the agreement

to release 90 acres to the

family emboldened the political

elite and their so-called Owoo

Family collaborators to continue

with their petition to the third

and fourth NDC Governments

which changed the acreage from

90 acres to 118.023 acres pursuant

to presidential executive

approval.

The sequel to this potentially

corrupt decision was the execution

of three separate leases in

favor of the so-called Owoo Family

of One Hundred and Forty-

Eight point Four One One acres

(148.411 acres) by the Forestry

Commission without any executive

approval for such increased

release.

This execution of the lease releasing

148.411 acres of the forest

to the so-called Owoo Family was

again corruptly varied in 2014 to

One Hundred and Ninety-Eight

point Five Zero One acres (198.501

acres) without any evidence of

presidential executive approval

before the NDC exited Government

on 7 January 2017.

Enter the NPP Government

of Nana Akufo-Addo, and another

deed of variation is executed for

the total release to the so-called

Owoo Family of Three Hundred

and Twenty-Nine point Zero

One Two acres (329.012 acres) in

2020 with presidential approval

during the tenure of the late NPP

General Secretary and former

CEO of the Forestry Commission,

Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie.

Come to the tenure of the

current fourth Government of

the NPP after January 2021, the

total acreage was again corruptly

increased to Three Hundred and

Fifty-Five point Four Six Six acres

(355.466 acres) without presidential

executive approval. On 28

March 2022, this is further corruptly

varied to Three Hundred

and Sixty-One point Five Zero

acres (361.50 acres) with no prior

presidential executive approval.

The emergence of the last

will and testament of the late

former General Secretary of the

New Patriotic Party (NPP) and

former Chief Executive Officer

(CEO) of the Forestry Commission,

Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, appointed

by the Nana Akufo-Addo

NPP Government was simply

an act of God to expose to the

Ghanaian public the opacity of

the way the bi-partisan political

elite corruptly loot the nations

natural resources for their private

profit.

I have read the ten (10) page

press statement signed by the

Minister for Lands and Natural

Resources and listened to his

argument on the radio on 28

May 2022. They reinforce my

belief that the Minister did not

appreciate what he was doing

when he purported to seek executive

presidential approval for

the transactions and purported

to sign Executive Instruments

which could only legitimately be

signed by the President himself

under the law.

The late NPP General Secretary

and former CEO of the Forestry

Commission was a lawyer

and knew that he could not just

go into the Achimota Forest Re-

serve and help himself to pieces

and parcels of the Achimota

Forest Reserve lands as the then

head of the Forestry Commission.

He knew that the only way

he could claim title to the lands

bequeathed in his will was to

acquire them or to have received

them as gifts from the Owoo

Family to whom portions of the

Achimota Forest lands had appeared

to have been released by

the Government of which he was

a part and in which he participated

as the head of the Forestry

Commission.

It is obvious and commonsensical

from the foregoing that

the sub-leases granted by the

Owoo Family to the late NPP

General Secretary and former

CEO of the Forestry Commission,

Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, of those

portions of the Achimota Forest

land released to the Owoo Family

cannot be declared void by the

Minister as claimed in his press

statement and his contribution

to a Joy FM radio discussion on

28 May 2022.

What the emergence of

the last will and testament of

the late NPP General Secretary

and former CEO of the Forestry

Commission warns the public

about is the existence of several

other sub-leases granted by the

so-called Owoo Family to their

co-conspirators of public officers,

political and non-political elite

over the years in the expropriation

of the Achimota Forest Reserve

under the so-called corrupt

Head Leases as corruptly varied

like the medieval English Lord

Chancellor’s foot at the court of

equity.

The corrupt consideration

for the determination of the first

acreage of 90 acres through to

the final 361.50 from one government

to another government is

the suspected commission of corruption

and corruption-related

offenses by a bi-partisan political

elite of the two major political

parties in Ghana, the NPP, and

the NDC, for private profit.

The Sakumono Ramsar site

In 2019, when I was the

Special Prosecutor of Ghana, the

Office of the Special Prosecutor

was petitioned to investigate

encroachments by public institutions

and public officers on the

Sakumono Ramsar Site. The allegations

alluded to the complicity

of the Tema Development

Corporation and the Forestry

Commission in the suspected

commission of corruption and

corruption-related offenses in

the disposition of and expropriation

of the protected Sakumono

Ramsar Site.


and former CEO of the

Forestry Commission, Kwadwo

Owusu Afriyie, was then alive

and heading the Forestry Commission.

The Tema Development

Corporation and the Forestry

Commission obstructed the investigations

by delaying responses

to the request for information

and particulars on the allegations

contained in the petition.

When a response was eventually

received from the CEO

of the Forestry Commission in

2020 it contained evasions of the

substance of the petition with

the late CEO of the Commission

pretending to have defended the

statutorily protected status of

the Ramsar site.

The investigations were ongoing

at the time I resigned my

office in November 2020 with the

Acting Special Prosecutor who

succeeded me as the supervising

case officer. The Ramsar Site

complaint about the investigation

lodged with the Office of the

Special Prosecutor must hopefully

still be alive and pending in

that office!

What the will and last testament

of the late NPP General

Secretary and former CEO of the


Owusu Afriyie, now disclose is

the fact that he and other public

office holders colluded and

abused their offices for private

profit in the expropriation of the

Sakumonoo Ramsar site in the

teeth of statutory prohibitions

preserving the site as a Ramsar

site.


and former CEO of the


Owusu Afriyie must have

derived his title to the Sakumonoo

Ramsar Site from a family

or stool to whom the site was

unlawfully released, and in

consideration of which he was

granted the portion of the site

bequeathed in his will.

Just as the Achimota Forest

lands were released to the Owoo

Family, Sir John would not have

been the only beneficiary of sub

leases of the prohibited Ramsar

site. The corruption and corruption-related

offenses informing

the release of the Ramsar site,

and the Achimota Forest Reserve

lands must have involved various

public office holders including

Ministers of State and other

public office holders of past and

present Governments. It is all

part of the bi-partisan political

elite state capture of Ghana’s

natural resources from January

2001 to date.

Conclusions

The 1992 Constitution

enjoins public office holders

and ordinary citizens, including

the Owoo Family, to act in

accordance with the Constitution

and the public interest in

the discharge of their duties and

fulfilling their obligations to the

Republic of Ghana.

Unfortunately, the practical

application of the Constitution

has brought this nation to the

stage where the two political

parties, the NDC and the NPP

alternate in the sharing of political

power and the looting of the

collective national patrimony of

natural resources for the private

profit of the political elite have

become two sides of the same

coin in terms of political elite

state capture and elite corruption.

The fight against corruption

is only meaningful to either the

NDC or the NPP as far as it assists

them while in opposition, for the

time being, to mobilize the votes

of disgruntled citizens against

the incumbent government to be

voted into power to continue the

loot from where its predecessor

left office.

The continuation of this situation

can only lead to undermining

the 1992 Constitution and

serve as an invitation for the

destabilization of the Constitutional

process which every

patriotic Ghanaian must prevent

from happening to the 1992 Constitution.

The NDC will be paying a

great tribute in remembrance

of, and to the memory of the

founder of the NDC, former

President Jerry John Rawlings,

should it commit to the original

Rawlings Greater Accra Region

Green Zone Project and join the

patriotic campaign to defend the

Constitution in revoking the latest

Executive Instruments 2022

(E.Is.) affecting the status of the

Achimota Forest Reserve.

It is for the foregoing reasons

that all Ghanaian patriots have

a constitutional duty to ensure

that the Forest (Cessation of

Forest Reserve) Instrument, 2022

(E.I 144) and the Forest (Achimota

Firewood Plantation Forest Reserve)

(Amendment) Instrument,

2022 (E.I. 154) by the Akufo-Addo

Government are immediately

revoked and the Achimota Forest

Reserve preserved in the state in

which it was before 2006.

Let’s put Ghana First in this

struggle to preserve the Achimota

Forest Reserve and the

Sakumono Ramsar Site.

By Martin Amidu

Page 6


Private legal

practitioner, Martin

Kpebu finds it hard

to understand why

government is bent

on establishing the National

Cathedral amidst the current

economic challenges.

A letter, signed by the

Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-

Atta, to the Controller and

Accountant’s General, directed

that GH¢25 million be credited

to Ribade, for part payment of

outstanding claims.

“Authority is hereby granted

to you to release the sum [of]

GH¢25,000,000.00 as additional

seed money to the National

Cathedral Secretariat for the

construction of the National

Cathedral for part payment

of outstanding claims from

RIBADE Limited,” the letter

added.

Speaking on The Big Issue

on Citi TV, Mr. Kpebu said the

cathedral is a misplaced priority.

He believes it is time for

Christian leaders to declare their

position on the matter.

“This Cathedral conversation

‘It’s wrong to invest in

National Cathedral amidst

economic hardship’ – Kpebu

is quite dicey. It is all about

timing, and I do not think this

is the right time to push for

such a project. Indeed, we are all

religious people, I am a Catholic,

and so I know the essence of

the church. But because we

are currently hard-pressed for

money as a nation, I do not think

this should be the focus of the

nation now.”

He believes it is time for

Christian leaders, especially, to

declare their position on the

matter.

“It is even time for the

religious leaders to assess where

they stand on this matter. The

Board of trustees comprises all

the top Christian leaders you

can find in Ghana, and yet see

how the public is resisting the

project. This should be a strong

message to our leaders that the

society is constantly evolving.”

“We could shelve the project

for now and then when things

are better, we could take it up. It

is not as though the country is

short of places of worship,” he

added.

The Minority in Parliament

has already filed three urgent

questions to compel the

Minister for Finance to provide

details on how much the state

has spent on the National

Cathedral Project.

The National Cathedral

project was proposed by the

government in March 2017

as a physical embodiment of

national unity, harmony, and

spirituality.

The $350-million interdenominational

cathedral will

have an auditorium capable of

seating 5,000 people, as well as

chapels, and a baptistery.

It is targeted to be completed

in March 2024.

President Nana Addo Dankwa

Akufo-Addo has been criticised

for his decision to build the

National Cathedral in the face of

numerous challenges facing the

country.

In his defence, the President

has said the construction is in

fulfilment of a promise he made

to God in the run-up to the 2016

election.

Government to establish

STEM universities in five

new regions

Imani’s Fiscal recklessness index report

was ‘poorly’ done – John Kumah

A

Deputy Minister

for Finance, Dr.

John Kumah has

discredited the latest

Fiscal Recklessness

Index report released by policy

think tank, IMANI Africa.

In the report, which was

jointly authored by IMANI and

Oxfam Ghana, the Ministry

of Finance was said to have

been the state institution

with the highest level of fiscal

recklessness between 2015 and

2020, recording more than GH¢11

billion in losses to the state.

Data from the Fiscal

Recklessness Index 2020

report also ranked financial

irregularities for Ministries,

Departments, and Agencies

within the period.

The Deputy Finance Minister

in a Citi News interview said the

policy think tank only rehashed

the Auditor-General’s report

and failed to indicate instances

where losses had been recovered.

“I have read the Imani

report and I think they did a

poor job. They only rehashed

the report given by the Auditor-

General which was widely

misinterpreted by many people

that government has lost

billions of cedis, which was not

so.”

“When you accumulate

previous irregularities, and you

don’t tell us the following year’s

irregularities that recovered

much of the losses that were

identified in the previous

years, then you will be doublecounting

the losses, which is not

the case. For instance, in 2018

where they said GRA could not

collect about 5 billion worth of

cedis in taxes, the following year,

that is 2019, GRA came out with

a report showing 95% of that

money that was locked in 2018

was recovered and the 5% was

a subject of litigation in court.

About the arrears and advances

to workers guaranteed by their

salaries, all those were recovered

the following year.”

Excerpts of the report

During a presentation at the

launch of the report, a research

consultant with IMANI, Dennis

Asare disclosed among other

things that commercial banks

who collect tax revenue on

behalf of government fail to

lodge the funds based on the

time frame provided by the PFM

Act, which is one of the major

issues that government faced.

“Overall, this is the fiscal

recklessness of the 29 MDAs in

Ghana. The recklessness or the

financial cost of the recklessness

of the Ministries Departments

and Agencies are increasing as

compared to 2010 and 2014,” he

added.

The policy think tank also

observed that the current

public financing system is not

delivering efficiency.

“If you compare 2010 to

2014, the financial cost of

the recklessness of MDAs to

the period 2015 and 2020, you

see that the recklessness has

increased by about 13 times.

So between 2010 and 2014, the

financial cost of irregularity was

about 1.4 billion, but between

2015 and 2020 it is about 13.9

billion, which shows that

the Public Financial System

that we have, to some extent,

is not delivering the level of

efficiency.”

The Ministry of Health was

also ranked as the second most

financially reckless institution

in the country.

The government is

set to establish five

Science Technology

Engineering and

Mathematics STEMbased

universities in the five

newly created regions in the

country.

This move by the

government according to the

Ministry of Education, is in line

with the government’s policy

of expanding and promoting

education of STEM education at

all levels.

The Deputy Minister

of Education, Rev. Ntim

Fordjour, who disclosed this

at the investiture of the Vice

Chancellor of the University of

Environment and Sustainable

Development, Professor

Eric Nyarko-Sampson and

induction of Registrar Mrs.

Mary Abena Agyepong in

Somanya said government has

programmed finances to start

the universities this year.

“I must indicate that the

proposal of the university in

seeking government support

in establishing this university

as STEM education centre is

a laudable initiative in line

with government’s policy in

expanding and promoting

education of Science Technology

Engineering and Mathematics

and ensuring that in all levels

of education strong emphasis

is placed on STEM. It is in

line with this policy that the

government has programmed

finances to establish 5 STEM

universities in 5 newly created

regions starting this year

and has gone on further to

construct 10 STEM high schools

and a STEM academy to take

care of the pre-tertiary level

to create a viable and credible

pipeline to ensure that we are

on track to attain our strategic

objective by 2030 of having a

60/40 science to humanity ratio

as against the current 40/60 in

favour of humanity, to this end

be assured most sincerely that

your proposal will receive rapid

attention.”

“Management of the

University of Environment

and Sustainable Development

who called on the Ministry

of Education to elevate

the university into a STEM

university also pleaded with

the government to assist the

university to establish a basic

school for the children of the

university workers, improve

transport and accommodation

facilities for both workers and

students to improve smooth

teaching and learning.”

DAILY ANALYST


The Central Regional

Office of the Ghana

Red Cross Society (

GRCS) has pledged

its commitment to

assisting three districts with

mechanised boreholes by the end

of 2022.

The water project, funded

by the Swiss Red Cross, will be

implemented nationwide.

The beneficiary districts are

the Asikuma-Odeben- Brakwa

potable water in the region and

beyond.

Mr Baidoo said his outfit

and its partners were working

around the clock to ensure the

completion of the project by close

of the year.

“Many regions have had their

fair share of the project and so

Central Region would not be an

exception, we desire to be the

solution to water shortages in

our region,” he said.

On COVID-19, Mr Baidoo

said the GRCS had collaborated

with the Ghana Health Service

to clarify the notion that the

pandemic was no longer in

existence.

He said the GRCS, within

the collaboration, had trained

28 volunteers in the Cape Coast

Metropolis, Twifo- Hemang-

Lower-Denkyira and Abura-

Asebu-Kwamankese districts to

assist.

“ It is still relevant to

sensitise communities on

the need to vaccinate against

‘We’re suffering; we still haven’t

received our compensation’

– June 3 disaster victims

Seven years after the

June 3 twin disaster,

some victims of the

unfortunate incident say

they are yet to receive

monies promised them by the

government as compensation.

On June 3, 2015, heavy

torrential rainfall leading

to severe flooding in several

parts of Accra, coupled with an

explosion at a GOIL fuel station

at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle,

resulted in the biggest disaster

the country has ever witnessed.

Over 150 persons died and

many others were left injured.

Although significant

donations were made and money

was promised to the victims

and the bereaved families, seven

years on, some of the victims are

saying they have not received

the compensation.

At the time of the explosion,

people in the area were

contending with heavy rain and

flooding.

The flooding caused diesel

and petrol to flow from the gas

station, which was ignited by

fire from a nearby house, leading

to the explosion.

A victim who spoke to Citi

News said “I sleep on the streets

right behind this bank. Five of

the survivors have died. Two of

our members have gone mad.

Life has been very difficult for

us. Most of us lost our means

of livelihood. We have nothing

to survive on. We plead with

government and individuals; it

has not been easy for us.”

(AOB) , Ajumako- Enyan-Essiam

(AEE), and Gomoa West.

Mr Mohamed Baidoo, the

Acting Central Regional Director

of the GRCS, in an interview with

the Ghana News Agency (GNA),

said the project would help

address the challenges of water

scarcity in beneficiary districts

upon completion.

It would be a direct response

to the need to promote

sustainability and accessible

“It hasn’t been easy for me.

We plead with well-meaning

Ghanaians to come to our aid. We

will appreciate all the support

we can get, at least to help us

find places to lay our heads, we

are suffering” another victim

appealed.

Meanwhile, the One Ghana

Movement has renewed its calls

for justice and fair compensation

for the victims.

“It is our hope that the

pursuit of justice will not only

result in fair compensation for

victims and their families but

will, in the end, punish officials

found culpable, and drive the

sense of accountability and

responsibility on the part of

citizens, corporate Ghana, and

public officials.”

“Avoidable disasters will not

stop when no one is punished

Ghana Red Cross Society

takes water to 3 districts in

Central Region

for their negligence and

dereliction of duty. On June 3, we

said ‘never again’ and yet again

there was the La gas explosion,

the Atomic explosion, the

Takoradi explosion, and more.

We certainly cannot go on like

this as a country!”

The Movement holds that

“justice delayed for the lives

affected is justice denied and a

failing of the duty of care owed

to our fellow citizenry.”

The Movement and the

victims, through their lawyers,

(Darko, Keli-Delataa & Co.) and

(A-Partners @Law), commenced

a class action lawsuit in 2018,

chasing GOIL, the National

Petroleum Authority (NPA), and

the Accra Metropolitan Assembly

(AMA) for their “complicity in

the disaster.”

the virus and desist from

stigmatising recovered COVID-19

patients.”

“We are doing this to ensure

that our society is free, equal and

conducive for all and sundry and

to ensure that we record zero

COVID-19 cases in times ahead.”

Touching on the Strategic

Approach to Girls Education

(STAGE) Project, Mr Baidoo

noted that AOB was training

marginalised girls in literacy and

vocational skills this year and

National Security

Minister commends

Military for commitment

to terrorism fight

Mr Albert Kan-

Dapaah,the

Minister for

National Security

has commended

Military personnel deployed in

the Northern region for their

commitment against threats of

terrorism.

“The personnel of the

Unit have stayed true to their

constitutional mandate to

protect the territorial integrity

and sovereignty of Ghana at all

times,” the Minister noted in a

statement from the Ghana Armed

Forces after a high-powered

security delegation visit to the

11 Mechanised Battalion Area of

Operation in Bawku and Mognori

Detachments in the Upper East

Region.

The visit was necessitated by

the emerging threats of terrorism

along the northern frontiers of

the country and national efforts

against the threats.

Mr Kan-Dapaah said the

Government was aware of the

challenges the personnel faced

and efforts that had been made to

deliver the necessary resources to

enable them work effectively and

efficiently.

The Minister encouraged the

personnel to remain professional,

hardworking and vigilant and

shared his joy over the level of

commitment by beneficiaries.

Tracking the progress in its

eighth week, he lauded master

crafts persons and facilitators for

their hardwork and unflinching

support to the project.

“ I am surprised of the

progress, I know their impact

would be felt on their families

and society at large, I will urge

beneficiaries to hold on to their

studies so that they can become

useful to themselves and society.”

continue to protect the north

eastern frontiers of the country.

Lieutenant Colonel Minta-

Agyemang, the Commanding

Officer, 11 Mechanised Battalion,

briefed the Minister and his

entourage on the operations,

training and logistical matters in

the operational area.

The Ghana Armed Forces

with sister security services have

embarked on several counterterrorism

training exercises and

operations with the collaboration

of their international partners in

recent years to deter and rid the

country of any terrorist element

or threat while protecting the

citizenry and national assets.

They are: Exercise Eagle

Claws, Exercise Burning Arrow

and Operation Conquered Fist.

The delegation visited

Pulmakom Detachment to

ascertain at first hand, boundary

issues with neighboring

countries and the total welfare of

troops.

The delegation include: Mr

Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East

Regional Minister and Head of

the Regional Security Council,

Mr Edward Kwaku Asomani,

the Deputy National Security

Coordinator, and Major General

Thomas Oppong- Peprah, Chief of

the Army Staff.

Page 8

Health


Mr Kwaku

Agyeman Manu,

Minister of

Health, has

pledged Ghana’s

commitment to the World

Health Organization’s (WHO)

Global Health for Peace Initiative

at the just ended 75th World

Health Assembly held in Geneva,

Switzerland.

In his statement for the plenary

debate, Mr Agyeman Manu

expressed the country’s support

COVID-19 deaths in the

African region are

expected to decline

by almost 94% in 2022,

compared with 2021

which was the pandemic’s most

lethal year, a new modelling

by World Health Organization

(WHO) finds.

This comes while cases are

estimated to drop by a little over

a quarter this year.

The analysis, which was

published this week in the

scientific journal, the Lancet

Global Health, finds that while

the region reported 113,102

deaths in 2021 through official

channels, about one in three

deaths were missed and the true

number of deaths was 350,000.

The modelling suggests

that around 23,000 deaths

are expected by the end of

2022 if current variants and

transmission dynamics remain

constant. However, a variant that

is 200% more lethal would cause

an increase in deaths to more

than 70,000.

COVID-19 Less Deadly in

Africa in 2022

“Last year, we lost an average

of 970 people every day. This is

a catastrophically high toll,”

said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO

Regional Director for Africa.

“Our latest analysis suggests

that estimated deaths in the

African region will shrink to

around 60 a day in 2022. The low

number of deaths expected this

year is a huge achievement for

the region and a testament to the

efforts of countries and partners.

However, the job is not yet done.

Every time we sit back and relax,

COVID-19 flares up again. The

threat of new variants remains

Ghana to commit to Global

Health for Peace initiative

for the theme for this year’s

ensuring adequate security of

Assembly: “Peace for Health,

lives and property.

Health for Peace.”

He said the potential of

The WHO’s Global Health Initiative

(GHPI) envisions a theory

providing them with education

the youth could be realised by

of change based on equitable

and employable skills, as well

access to health services, health

as leveraging technology and

public-private partnerships for

job creation.

He said that would help to

reduce the burden of unemployment

among the youth, which

was a security threat.

interventions that promote trust

and dialogue, strive for universal

health coverage, generate trust,

and promote peace and reconciliation.

Mr Agyeman Manu indicated

that the Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs) and Universal

Health Coverage (UHC) could not

be attained when there was no

peace.

“The endorsement by global

leaders in September, 2019 on

Universal Health Coverage

shows that there is enough

political ambition and commitment

by governments to

increase health spending, reduce

out-of-pocket payments, and

inequalities by strengthening

health systems based on strong

primary health care,” he said.

According to Mr. Agyeman

Manu, health for peace started

with the provision of fair and accountable

governance and social

support systems to the people,

creation of equal opportunities

for decent livelihoods for all, and

WHO: COVID-19 deaths in Africa

fall by nearly 94 percent in 2022

real, and we need to be ready

to cope with this ever-present

danger.”

A significant number of cases

have also gone unreported. The

study’s findings infer that only

one in 71 COVID-19 cases in the

region are recorded and 166.

2 million infections are

anticipated in 2022 compared

with the estimated 227.5 million

which occurred in 2021. The gap

in number of cases and deaths

in 2022 is due to increasing

vaccination, improved pandemic

response and natural immunity

from previous infections which,

while not preventing reinfections,

stop severe forms of

the disease and deaths.

In 2021, the African region

experienced a particularly deadly

pandemic, with the analysis

estimating that COVID-19 was

the seventh major cause of death,

just below malaria, while in 2020,

the virus was the 22nd major

cause of deaths in the region. The

significant increase in deaths in

2021 was due to the delta variant

which was more infectious and

caused more severe disease.

“We have learnt many lessons

on how to stay a step ahead of the

virus,” said Dr Moeti.

“Now is the time to refine

our response and identify

populations most at-risk of

COVID-19. Countries must

intensify efforts to conduct a

targeted response that provides

the most vulnerable people with

the health services they need,

including COVID-19 vaccines and

effective treatment,” they add.

The Pandemic is Still Here &

Comorbidities are Still Dangerous

As the pandemic persists,

it is crucial to ramp up

comprehensive health care

services including preventive

measures, treatment and

vaccination for vulnerable

populations. Targeted

surveillance will also be critical

to monitor hospitalization, the

burden of comorbidities and the

emergence of new variants.

The burden of COVID-19

deaths has been uneven across

the African region. Highincome

or upper middle-income

countries and those in the

South African Development

Community have around double

the mortality rates in lowerincome

and lower-middle-income

countries in other economic

regions of Africa.

The analysis shows that

the variation in the number

of deaths were driven by

biological and physical factors,

primarily comorbidities such

as hypertension, diabetes,

chronic obstructive pulmonary

disease, HIV and obesity which

increase the severity and the

risk of mortality in COVID-19

patients. The prevalence of

these comorbidities increased in

countries with higher death tolls.

The divergence in cases and

deaths is evident in the latest sixweek

surge in southern Africa,

where the average reported

deaths hovered at nearly 200 a

week, compared with more than

44,000 new weekly average case

numbers.

For the past two weeks new

cases have decreased after four

consecutive weeks of increase

across Africa, signalling the

possibility that the latest surge

has reached its peak./ITNews

(2022).

The Ghana Health

Service (GHS) Council

has inaugurated a

nine-member Ashanti

Regional Health

Committee with a call on

members to support the Health

Directorate in community

mobilisation towards success in

all interventions.

The Committee, chaired by

Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua,

the Kumawumanhene, was

made up of representatives

from the clergy, Muslim leaders,

traditional authorities, and the

Regional Coordinating Council.

They would, among other

things, represent community

interests in the formulation

of policies on health issues

and facilitate feedback on the

management and performance of

health service in the region.

Monitoring the effectiveness

of communication with

communities and the extent to

which management of health

service in the region addresses

and resolves complaints

submitted by communities

would be one of its core

mandates.

Dr Sefa Sarpong Bediako, the

Chairman of the Council of GHS,

who inaugurated the committee,

charged the members to build

a strong partnership with

the directorate to ensure the

priortisation of the region’s

health agenda for effective

implementation.

As an advisory body to the

health directorate, Dr Bediako

urged the committee to work

closely with the Regional

Director in the performance of

his duties to address the health

needs of the people.

He charged the committee

to facilitate dialogue with

various stakeholders including

local government and political

leadership, traditional

authorities, public and private

institutions to support health

interventions at all levels to

improved outcomes.

It must also set up alternative

dispute resolution mechanisms

to resolve issues between the

Mr Agyeman Manu said there

was the need for a concerted

effort at the highest level of

government to promote global

peace for health.

The Seventy-fifth World

Health Assembly was held in

Geneva, Switzerland, on May 22

– 28, 2022.

It was the first in-person

Health Assembly since the start

of the COVID-19 pandemic.

GHS Council Inaugurates

Ashanti Regional Health

Committee

Health Service and stakeholders,

and between management and

staff, he said.

Dr Bediako challenged

the committee to champion

resource mobilisation for

implementation of programmes

and ensure accountability and

transparency in the use of

resources.

It is also required to

facilitate the establishment of

metropolitan, municipal and

district health committees and

perform oversight roles on their

activities to ensure effective

service delivery.

Barima Sarfo Tweneboa

Kodua, Chairman of the

Committee, said the role

assigned the committee was a

national call to duty and pledged

the commitment of members

to work to improve the health

delivery system in the region.

“The committee will deliver

strategic advocacy and service

support to the Regional Director,

to advance health and wellbeing

at the community, district

and regional levels,” he assured.

He said they were assuming

office at a time the regional

health care system was

challenged with poor and

inadequate infrastructure,

inequitable distribution of staff,

and inadequate funding for

regular supportive supervision,

and promised the committee’s

readiness to help address those

challenges.

DAILY ANALYST


Opinion

JOINT PRESS STATEMENT OF WACAM, CEIA

AND CEPIL TO MARK WORLD ENVIRONMENT

DAY CELEBRATION ON 5TH JUNE 2022

The earth plays

multiple roles in

our lives, including

being a source

of livelihood,

protecting biodiversity and

providing clean air for all.

The Earth plays hosts to forests

which cover 31% of total

land area of the earth while

at the same time supporting

80% of terrestrial biodiversity.

Many of the world’s most

threatened and endangered

animals live within these

forests, or underneath the

earth crust making them

crucial to sustaining ecosystems.

Forests serve as

home to more than 300

million people worldwide

and other animal species.

The earth provides many

important natural resources

such as timber, fuel, rubber,

paper, medicinal plants and

minerals. Forests also help

to sustain the quality and

availability of freshwater

supplies. More than three

quarters of the worlds’ accessible

freshwater comes

from forest catchments.

Water quality declines with

decreases in forest condition

and cover, and increases

the natural hazards such as

floods, landslides, and soil

erosion.

Some of the benefits from

the forest are listed below:

- Climate change

Mitigation It is well known

that forests play a key role

in our fight against climate

change; storing carbon and

sucking in carbon dioxide

from the atmosphere and

locking it into their biomass.

These are of great benefit in

mitigating Global Warming.

- Regulation of water

quality: Forest provides

clean water by regulating

water for many of the

world’s rivers. Forest resources

help to secure water

quality, and supply for both

domestic and industrial purposes.

- Biodiversity: As the

most biologically diverse

ecosystems on land, forests

are home to more than half

of terrestrial species, from

the great apes to the smallest

of creatures.

- Economics and Livelihoods:

Forests also provide

food security at the household

level and livelihoods

for 60 million Indigenous

people, whilst contributing

to the livelihoods of 1.6

billion people worldwide. In

many developing countries

more than 80% of total energy

consumed by people and

industry are derived from

forests. Trade in timber and

other forest products, are

estimated at almost 330 billion

US Dollars /year in the

raw state and multiplies in

value as they are processed

into myriad of products used

globally every day. Use of the

genetic diversity within forest

enables the development

of new medicines, progress

in healthcare and science.

Forests however, are

facing major challenges

as a result of the rate at

which forest ecosystems

are dwindling from human

activities. Forests are referred

to as “The Lungs of

the Earth” for its ability to

absorb pollutants. When

the absorbing capacity of

the forests are stretched

beyond their limits then we

have crisis on hand. Forests

have the capacity to

absorb nearly 20% of global

greenhouse gas emissions.

however, continued, and

uncontrolled deforestation

impacts global economies

negatively. Therefore, it is

worrying that 36 million

acres of natural forest are

lost each year. The UN General

Assembly initiated the

World Environment Day to

be celebrated to protect the

forest as an important legacy

which must be passed on

from the current generation

to other generations after

us. The World Environment

Day gives us the opportunity

to discuss the level of

degradation of our forests

through polluting activities

such as mining and the need

to preserve the integrity of

our Forests as a precious

legacy to be passed on to

generations after us. Practices

that destroy the integrity

of the forest result in society

losing its cultural values,

natural protection and

exposing forest resources to

permanent damage.

The World Environment

Day (WED) being celebrated

this year is under the theme,

‘Only One Earth’. The theme

is more appropriate given

the fact that man-made

activities have destroyed

the very ecosystem and its

services on which provide

the foundation for human

survival. It also re-echoes

the fact that, we have only

one earth without any substitute.

In Ghana for example,

the decline of biological

resources has been evident

at the turn of the century. It

has been estimated that the

total forest cover of Ghana

has reduced from 88,000

km2 in 1938 to between

15,800 km2 and 17,200 km2

at present. A study by the

World Bank (2002) has revealed

that Populations of

wildlife species within the

savannah have dwindled as

a result of increased human

activities such as inappropriate

farming practices,

road construction, bush

burning and deforestation.

The reduction in forest cover

has resulted in habitat loss

which is important for the

maintenance and protection

of biological diversity.

Wacam, CEPIL and CEIA

wish to use the occasion

of the World Environment

Day celebration to bring

out some of the challenges

facing our planet earth

in terms of proper management,

control of deforestation

and degradation.

Wacam, CEPIL and CEIA are

unhappy that government

is engaging in policy contradictions

which violate

national laws, visions and

regulations and demand

that government should as

a matter of urgency revoke

the mining rights granted to

all mining companies in the

country that are mining in

forest reserves of Ghana and

to take a policy decision not

to permit mining in forest

reserves. For example, government

has granted mining

right to Newmont Ghana

Gold Limited and SAVACEM

respectively to mine gold in

the Adjenua Bepo Forest Reserve

and Limestone in the

Yokumbra Forest Reserve

near Buipe.

Again, government has

de-classified large portions

of Achimota Forest, the

only green space to absorb

the pollutants emanating

from Urban Accra to private

people to put up residential

and other properties which

have the tendency to affect

the ecological integrity of

the remaining forest reserve.

The Achimota Forest

Reserve was created in 1930s

and should be allowed to

serve the purpose for which

it was created.

We further call on government

to enforce its

directives to stop granting

exploration rights to companies

in the country within

protected areas. Mining in

forest reserves contravenes

certain provisions in the National

Land Policy developed

by the Ministry of Mines,

Lands and Natural Resources

in 1999. Section 4.5(a) of

the National Land Policy

states that, “To ensure the

conservation of environmental

quality, no land with

primary forest cover will be

cleared for the purpose of

establishing a forest or tree

crop plantation or mining

activity”.

The National Land Policy

of 1999 states further in

Section 4.4(b) that, “All lands

declared as forest reserves,

strict natural reserves,

national parks, wildlife

sanctuaries and similar

land categories constitute

Ghana’s permanent forest

reserves and wildlife estates,

and are ‘fully protected’ for

ecosystem maintenance,

biodiversity conservation

and sustainable timber production”.

We wish to question the

ability of mining companies

to rehabilitate mined off

reserves in accordance with

best practices suitable for

tropical forests.

We call on government to

halt attempts to de - gazette

portions of Globally

Significant Biodiversity

Areas (GSBA) in the Western

Region and other areas in

general for logging.

We are of the belief that,

when government halts its

policy contradictory actions

such as granting of permits

to mine in forest reserves,

de – gazetting of Globally

Significant Biodiversity Areas,

then the good initiatives

of government to “Green

Ghana Initiative” would be a

reality.

We must regard our environment

valuable treasure

which we must use and

preserve as important legacy

for future generations.

Collectively, we should work

to derive the full benefits of

our standing forests.

Page 10

Kwame Osei-

Prempeh, the Group

Chief Executive

Officer and

Managing Director

of GOIL Company Limited,

has been decorated with the

“Outstanding Group CEO of

the Year Award for Petroleum

Downstream category”.

Mr. Osei-Prempeh received

the Award at the 6th Ghana CEO

Summit which was attended

by the Vice President, Alhaji Dr.

Mahamadu Bawumia.

He was honoured for his

dedication and exceptional

leadership for the progress of

GOIL Company Limited and for

projecting the image of the Oil

and Gas Industry - Downstream

Petroleum.

Managing

Director of

GCB Bank PLC

(GCB), Mr. Kofi

Adomako,

says the arrival of the new

Development Bank Ghana (DBG)

is timely for banks like GCB and

also for the growth of Small and

Medium-sized Enterprises (SME)

in the country.

Mr. Adomako who was

speaking to the collaboration

between GCB and DBG, stated

that “DBG is actually not going

to be a commercial bank or

behave like one; rather it is

a wholesale bank and will

typically on lend, like many

other development banks, to

commercial banks to intervene

in markets.

DBG has come at the right

time in a country like Ghana.

It is true we have had other

banks who tried to play the role

of development banks but DBG

comes with a big difference.

The difference DBG brings is its

independence, governance and

the way it was set up.”

He explained that, “the

development partners that

DBG brings to the market are

immense. I think the Bank has

come at the right time and it is

going to be a different bank from

what we have seen in the past.

DBG is not going to compete

with commercial banks but it is

going to bring out the value in

commercial banks in the sense

Business

The Ghana CEO Summit

is a gathering of top CEOs

from diverse industries in

Ghana, who have led their

organizations to greater

heights. The platform also seeks

to discuss topical leadership

topics that promotes their

talents and business.

This year’s Summit was on

the theme “Digital leadership

for the digital economy:

Leading Digital Business and

Government Transformation. A

Private Sector CEO Dialogue and

Learning.

Since becoming the

Managing Director and Group

Chief Executive of GOIL in 2019,

Mr. Osei Prempeh has presided

over the steady growth of GOIL,

showing resilience, especially in

that it is going to on-lend over

much longer terms, in both

foreign currency and Cedis

which commercial banks have

lacked for a long time and has

stifled the growth of SMEs. So,

DBG coming into the market

is timely for a bank like GCB

Bank. We see them as a unique

partner, who will help us deepen

our focus in the market and

help us develop those areas in

agribusiness, ICT, tourism for

which much needed funding is

required.”

GCB has over the past

69 years built an extensive

network which has enabled it

to maintain the largest SME

portfolio in Ghana.

Through the bank’s over

184 branches and offices, it has

provided dedicated support

to the sector, significantly

contributing to the country’s

economic development. The

Bank has a Call Centre which

serves as a hub for its satellite

branches across the country and

this ensures a good engagement

with SMEs.

To make the collaboration

with DBG beneficial to SMEs, the

Bank will have dedicated officers

in its branches who will assist

SME clients. This dedicated

support would also be available


GOIL CEO adjudged the

best downstream petroleum

CEO of the year

the face of industry turbulence

caused by the COVID-19

pandemic.

In an interview with the

Ghana News Agency, Mr. Osei-

Prempeh commended the GOIL

Board, Management, and Staff

for their dedication to duty and

commitment to GOIL, “I share

the join with all”.

He said GOIL as the foremost

indigenous Oil Marketing

Company continues to focus on

marketing quality petroleum

and other energy products

and services in a safe, ethical,

healthy, environmentally

friendly and socially responsible

manner.

He recounted that the

Company had gone through a

series of changes, all aimed at

transforming it into an efficient

and profitable entity in the

Oil and Gas industry with the

customer at the core of its

business.

Mr. Osei-Prempeh outlined

some of the accomplishments

in recent years as the

registration of three GOIL

subsidiaries; GOEnergy

Company Limited, a Bulk Oil

Distribution Company, which

distributes petroleum products

on the Bank’s electronic

channels.

According to Mr. Adomako,

“GCB Bank collaborating with

DBG, is an opportunity to further

take advantage of our wide

branch network to reach out to

SMEs. The reach we bring to this

collaboration is immense. Also,

GCB Bank has the expertise and

experience in the SME sector

and has the largest SME book

in this country. It is therefore

an excellent opportunity to

work with DBG to deepen that

arrangement in terms of skills,

scope and in terms of the value

we bring through technical

expertise, through managerial

expertise and through capacity

building.”

The collaboration with DBG

is expected to deliver several

benefits all aimed at improving

the lot of SMEs.

It will help share risk by

channeling funds through it

to GCB and to the huge SME

clientele of the commercial

bank. It will also offer capacity

building and technical support

opportunities.

Ultimately it will help GCB’s

SME clients benefit from support

which would position them

favourably to compete on the

African continent on the back

to Oil Marketing Companies.

Others GOIL Offshore Ghana

Limited, an upstream subsidiary

that has a partnership with

Exxon Mobil Ghana Limited

for exploration operations in

Ghana’s Deep-water Cape Three

Points Bloc, and GOIL Financial

Services Limited, which

provides an electronic payment

system and aims to provide

money transfer services.

He said GOIL has a large

and growing retail network

of unparalleled geographical

spread, currently comprising

more than 400 filling and

service stations, and 150

consumer outlets spread across

the country.

The consumer outlets

include companies, schools,

hospitals, factories, hotels,

and banks amongst others.

In addition, there are several

other retail outlets established

to market premix fuel and

kerosene to rural areas.

LP Gas is sold through

purposely built filling plants,

some of which are sharing

locations with filling and

service stations in the country,

Mr. Osei-Prempeh noted.

Mr. Osei-Prempeh noted

of the African Continental Free

Trade Area (AfCFTA) and also via

other trade arrangements Ghana

is a signatory to.

Through this opportunity,

the Bank believes that its SME

clients would learn how to

compete better internationally

that GOIL’s geographical spread

places it first in terms of the

distribution of petroleum

products. “This network enables

products to reach virtually all

parts of the country timeously”.

On quality and standards,

he said GOIL is ISO 9001:2015

certified (Quality Management

System). Our ISO 9001:2015

programme was started in 2008.

“In January 2015 our

certification was approved

and a formal presentation was

done on March 12th, 2015. GOIL

is presently well prepared to

venture into international

markets, especially West Africa.

GOIL has also been certified

with an ISO 14001:2015 standard

on Environmental Management

Systems (EMS).

“GOIL finds itself in a

competitive market, more so

when the industry has been

deregulated with the number

of players increasing by the

day. Regardless, the company

continues to hold its own in

the marketing of petroleum

products and remains a key

player in the downstream of the

petroleum industry,” Mr. Osei-

Prempeh stated.

Development Bank Ghana's entry is timely

for banks, entrepreneurs - Kofi Adomakoh

and thereby improve its export

potential leading to expansion

and more jobs.

DBG will launch on 14th

June. It is expected to begin

making loan announcements in

the very near future.

DAILY ANALYST


French president Emmanuel

Macron has revealed

the details of the

private conversation he

had with Kylian Mbappe

before the Paris Saint-Germain

star snubbed a transfer to Real

Madrid.

Mbappe had been strongly

linked with a move to Madrid

for well over a year before PSG

shocked the world by announcing

a new three-year contract for

the 23-year-old on May 21.

GOAL reported that Macron

played a part in convincing

Mbappe to stay in his homeland,

and the head of state has now

confirmed that he reached out to

the World Cup winner in a bid to

"defend the country".

What has Macron said about

Mbappe?

The French president felt

it was his "responsibility" to

advise Mbappe, who is widely

regarded as the most talented

player of his generation and a

major asset to Ligue 1.

"Yes, it is true that I had

a conversation with Kylian

Mbappe before he made a firm

decision about his future," Macron

told a press conference.

"In it, I merely advised him,

in a totally informal way, to remain

in France. I believe it is my

responsibility, as president, to

defend the country when asked

in an informal and friendly

manner."

He added: "I have never

intervened in any transfer. Just

French

president says

he pushed

Mbappe to stay

at PSG

like any other citizen, when it

comes to sporting matters, I

always want to see a good game

and cheer on a team, especially,

in my case, Olympique de Marseille."

Macron on Champions

League final chaos

Macron also weighed in on

the ugly scenes outside the Stade

de France before the Champions

League final between Madrid

and Liverpool last month.

The kick-off for the showpiece

event, which Madrid won

to extend their record haul of

European Cups to 14, was delayed

by 30 minutes due to supporters

forcing their way into the

stadium without tickets, while

police used tear gas and pepper

spray on a large number of fans

left behind the barriers despite

having valid passes.

UEFA has issued an apology

for the chaos and Macron has

vowed that he will try and bring

the truth of the matter to light.

"I sympathise with all those

who could not get access to their

seats despite having paid for

their tickets, these people must

be compensated as soon as possible,"

he said when quizzed on

how supporters were treated.

"And I also want maximum

transparency: I have asked the

government to clarify what happened,

to determine responsibilities

and to explain everything

down to the smallest detail to

the French, the British, and the

Spanish."

Ghana remains top

of Group E of the

standings of the

qualifiers for the

2023 TotalEnergies

Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)

tournament despite drawing 1-1

against Central African Republic

on Sunday.

The Black Stars played

against the Wild Beast in

Luanda, Angola this afternoon to

clear the second game of Group E

in the qualifiers.

After dominating the early

parts of the first half, Ghana

deservedly took the lead through

poster boy Mohammed Kudus in

the 17th minute.

Despite controlling the

game from there on, the Central

African Republic managed to

get back in the game before

the break. A strike from Karl

Namnganda in the 44th minute

forced the game to end in a

stalemate at full time.

Thankfully, the two points

dropped by Ghana today

change nothing on the Group E

standings.

A draw between Madagascar

and Angola means that the

Black Stars remain top of the

standings with four points after

two matches.

on converting to Islam and

his Moroccan girlfriend

Ghana midfielder

Thomas Partey has

revealed that his

Moroccan girlfriend

Sara Bella is the

reason behind his conversion to

Islam.

The Arsenal star divided

opinion in Ghana when he

changed religions in March but

he has now explained that he

did it because of the woman he

loves.

Thomas needs a

comedy show on TV pic.twitter.

com/EsXzcy88wC

— n.a (@thenanaaba) June

3, 2022

“I have a girl that I love but

I hardly speak about it,” Partey

said in a clip shared online by

Ghanaian broadcaster Nana Aba

Anamoah.

Anamoah probed further, “So,

your girl is Muslim?” to which

Partey responded, “Yes.”

She then asked Partey:

Sports

2023 AFCON

African Republic

draw 1-1 with Ghana

“That's why you have converted

to Islam?” with the player

responding, “I grew up with

Muslims so at the end of the day

it’s the same thing.”

The Black Stars vice-captain,

who is not available for Ghana’s

2023 Africa Cup of Nations

qualifiers due to a hamstring

injury, went on to reveal that his

Muslim name is Yakubu.

In March, Partey was pictured

holding the Quran while standing

next to a Sheikh in London, with

multiple reports saying he had

changed religion.

Thomas Partey has converted

to Islam.

Congratulations, @

Thomaspartey22! pic.twitter.

com/m3M4x2jbTK

— Connor Humm (@

TikiTakaConnor) March 18, 2022

The former Atletico Madrid

midfielder is currently back home

in Ghana enjoying his holidays as

he continues his recovery.

He was in the stands on

Wednesday to watch the Black

Stars take on Madagascar, a

match the home side won 3-0 to

record their first victory in six

months.

In Partey’s absence, coach

Otto Addo fielded Idrissu

Baba in midfield and the Real

Mallorca man made the most

of the opportunity, recording

the most recoveries (10) against

Madagascar while winning all

his aerial duels.

Partey, whose goal sealed

Ghana’s place at the 2022 World

Cup following a 1-1 draw away to

Nigeria in the playoff in March,

was on Friday honoured for those

heroics in his hometown of

Odumase Krobo.

Arsenal Star Thomas Partey

honored by his hometown with

the title of "Mahefalor". Was done

by the chief of Krobo Traditional

Area Nene Sakite II.

Mahefalor means " Defender

of Krobo Traditional Area"

Goal he scored that qualified

Ghana to #Qatar2022 was

particularly cited. pic.twitter.

com/Te0lsZm15v

— Saddick Adams (@

SaddickAdams) June 3, 2022

The midfielder was honoured

with the title of "Mahefalor"

which means ‘Defender of Krobo

Traditional Area’ in a ceremony

conducted by the chief of Krobo

Traditional Area Nene Sakite II.

Partey, who made his debut

for Ghana in 2016, has earned 40

caps for the Black Stars while

scoring 13 goals.

The midfielder was enjoying

a fine season with Arsenal before

the injury in April during his

team’s 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace

at a time the Gunners were

firmly in the race for the top four.

His absence coincided with

Arsenal’s dip in form as they

went on to lose three straight

games, allowing Tottenham

Hotspur to close in and

ultimately deny them a place in

next season’s Uefa Champions

League.

Monday, 6th June, 2022

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