The former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen says he has resigned from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and will contest in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
This follows the decision of the former Minister for Trade and Industry to withdraw from the Presidential race of the NPP three weeks ago.
At the time of announcing his withdrawal, Mr Kyerematen indicated that in due course, he will provide details of his future political career.
Addressing a section of the party members on Monday September 25, 2023, Mr. Kyerematen catalogued a number reasons for his decision to resign and go independent.
“Under the circumstances and given the context provided, I wish to use this platform to announce that I am honourably resigning with immediate effect from the New Patriotic Party to contest for the high office of the President of the Republic of Ghana in the 2024 General Elections, as an Independent Presidential Candidate,” Mr. Kyerematen stated.
He continued: “To actualize this goal I will establish a lead a new Moment for Change in Ghana. The brand logo for the moment is the Monarch Buttterfly, which politically symbolizes change and transformation, hope and positivity.
“It also communicates strength, endurance, spirituality, and trust, which are key traits that I cherish as a leader. In Akan, it is known as Afrafranto. The brand motto of the movement “Ghana Will Rise Again” which symbolizes hope for the future of Ghana
To enhance effective collaboration between stakeholders in the food and medical products research space, the Chief Executive of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Dr Delese A. A. Darko, has called for stronger partnerships between the Authority and industry players.
Dr Darko made this call at the maiden edition of the FDA’s Scientific Forum, which was held on Thursday, September 14 in Accra.
Under the theme ‘Protecting Public Health and Safety Through Partnerships’, the forum brought together the academic community, industry players, sister agencies, research institutions, as well as current and potential collaborators of the FDA to share knowledge for the general advancement of food and medical products’ safety, quality and efficacy in Ghana.
The forum also had as part of its objectives to encourage discussions on partnering for success in local vaccine research, development, and production.
“We are in a fast paced scientific world and as a key player in the field of science in Ghana, our work requires close collaboration between the organization and higher learning institutions and industry players at the forefront of knowledge in research and development.
“As a regulator, we must regularly engage with such bodies to keep at pace with our field. We put this forum together to provide a platform for active discussions on ensuring the quality and safety of food and medical products through effective collaboration.
“We will need even stronger partnerships for us to fulfill our mandate. Our aim is to strengthen the relationship between us and all the stakeholders whose work impact food and medical products so we learn from each other in order to improve the work we do for the benefit of the consumer,” Dr Darko remarked.
The forum featured keynote speeches from the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, and the Vice Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof Rita Dickson.
There were, as well, concurrent panel discussions, and poster presentations from researchers to live and online audiences.
Speaking on the importance of the forum to government’s agenda for enhancing research into safe foods and medical products, Minister of Health Kwaku Agyeman Manu commended the FDA for organizing such a forum to provide the platform for synthesize ideas for the work the FDA does and to support vaccine research in Ghana
“This forum presents a unique opportunity for knowledge sharing and I want to commend the FDA for putting it together. Public safety is important for economic growth and it is in these fora that stakeholders are able to bring ideas on board to enhance the safety of food and drugs,” Mr Agyeman Manu said.
“Let us cease this opportunity to forge stronger alliances for a safer and healthy Ghana,” Minister said.
With support from its partners, giz, USAID, Pharmanova, WHO and Atlantic Lifesciences, the FDA put together this first Scientific Forum as part of the Authority’s strategic objective to promote food and medicine safety governance through the promotion of inter-agency collaboration.
Ideas from this forum is expected to culminate into implementation strategies which enhances the Authority’s mandate as the regulator of food and medicines in Ghana
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has taken on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for engaging in politics when he addressed members at the 23rd Ghana Bar Association Annual Conference in Cape Coast.
The 2024 National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer assured of balancing this out by appointing legal professionals who are also inclined towards his party.
This, President Akufo-Addo condemned in no uncertain terms on Monday, September 11 at the Conference.
“Not only are these concepts of ‘NPP’ and ‘NDC’ judges new in our public discourse, but are also extremely dangerous and represent the most brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary by any allegedly responsible politician of the 4th Republic,” he said.
“They provide another reason, if more were needed, why right-thinking citizens should ensure the defeat in 2024 of the man whom the first Special Prosecutor identified as Government Official No.1 in the still unresolved Airbus Bribery Scandal.”
But speaking on Ghana Tonight on TV3 later in the day, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Association Saviour Kudze suggested that the President went too far.
“Regarding today’s comments that the President made relative to the condemnation of what [former] President Mahama said in respect of the allegation regarding the packing of the bench by the current President of people he described as NPP-inclined judges, I think we will not fault the President for that because already we have gone ahead to condemn that same statement,” he indicated.
“But to go ahead and say that because of that and other reasons, citizens should reject him come 2024, we condemn that because we wouldn’t like any politician to use our platform to campaign because that amounted to political campaigning.”
The legal practitioner also questioned the basis for which the President referred to Mr Mahama as a “perennial” candidate because he stressed that the reference better suits him, having contested elections several times in the past.
“So by and large, it is not true and we will not agree that our platform can be used by the current President to attack his political opponents. It just happened that he is a lawyer who has always been attending our conferences before he had become a president.”
He absolved the Association of any blame, saying it does not usually have the opportunity to know the content of the speeches of guests at such conferences
Nigeria’s Appeal Court has rejected one challenge to Bola Tinubu’s narrow victory in February’s presidential election.
After a six-hour verdict, they said the appeal by Peter Obi’s Labour Party was without merit and dismissed all his arguments, including fraud.
Their verdict on the challenge by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party is expected shortly.
Despite the election challenge, Mr Tinubu was sworn into office on 29 May.
The election was the most fiercely contested since the end of military rule in 1999, with three strong candidates for the first time. Mr Tinubu won with 37% of votes cast, against 29% for Mr Abubakar and 25% for Mr Obi.
The country was tense before Wednesday’s ruling, with increased security in the capital, Abuja.
Despite warnings from authorities against demonstrations, various political groups gathered outside the courthouse, singing and dancing.
The ruling on the same day he marked 100 days in office will be a huge relief to President Tinubu who will now keep an eye on the Supreme Court where his opponents are likely to appeal against this judgement.
But the unanimous verdict by the judges at the Appeal Court will fill him with confidence. This was already on display as he was not even in the country for Wednesday’s ruling, travelling to India for the G20 summit.
Lead justice Haruna Tsammani, who read the verdict, said “the petitioners failed to prove allegations of corrupt practices and over-voting”.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who are lawyers to get ready for appointment to the bench if he returns to power.
He said the current constitution of the judiciary is New Patriotic Party-inclined as almost all the appointments made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo are meant to do his bidding.
“You can see what the current president has done,” he noted in an address to the 3rd Annual Lawyers Conference of the NDC on Saturday, September 2.
“He has appointed the biggest number of judges onto the bench, it is more than 80 towards 100 and counting.
“He has packed the court and we know they have packed the court because they want to avoid accountability after they have left office.”
Mr Mahama, therefore, charged the lawyer members of the NDC to get ready for a balancing-out of this act by the President.
“We must be prepared as NDC legal persons to also go onto the bench so that we can balance out the judiciary.
“Currently, the judiciary is packed with NPP-inclined judges because this government has carried out a deliberate policy of putting their people on to the bench.
“So, I encourage some of you to look at careers on the bench so that we can balance out what the current situation is
The Alan 4 President (A4P) Campaign Team has served notice the former Minister of Trade and Industry will deliver a public broadcast on the way of his campaign this week.
According to a statement issued a day after he placed 3rd with 95 votes in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Super Delegates Conference, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen says he is currently analysing results.
Earlier in the statement, Mr Kyerematen expressed sorrow about the “brutal” assault on his Polling Agent in the North East Region.
Ali Zakaria was left with swollen eyes after he was allegedly attacked. He was treated and returned to the Nalerigu Senior High School, where the exercise was held.
But Mr Kyerematen says, “This is an indelible blot to the integrity of the internal democratic process within the NPP.
He wished Mr Zakaria well, assuring him and his family of “my unwavering support for his well being”.
The former Ghana Ambassador to the US expressed appreciation to his family and delegates who voted for him as well as the other aspirants for a successful process
For the 2nd time in the history of the NPP, specially selected delegates of the party go to the polls in a special conference, for a special exercise.
Ten members of the ruling party have successfully filed to be elected as the party’s flagbearer for next year’s presidential election, and as we may all be aware, Saturday’s exercise is a simple mission of whittling down the number of contestants from 10 to 5, in accordance with NPP’s Constitution.
The Special Delegates Conference, is also a platform, through which, we will have a clear indication of who-is-who in the contest; the pretenders, the empty noise makers, the saboteurs, the realists and the man of the people!
On Saturday, 961 delegates will have the privilege to take part in the special exercise, but the specially selected delegates is a representation of key stakeholders of the party, namely constituency, regional, MPs, diaspora and national levels of the party.
WHY A LANDSLIDE VICTORY WILL REPRESENT THE WILL OF THE GRASSROOTS
Yes, 961 people will be voting in the special delegates, but the direction of their votes, is largely influenced by the grassroot. For example, all 275 Constituency Chairmen of the party will be voting, and in 137 Constituencies where the NPP has sitting MPs, the Constituency Chairmen will be voting alongside their respective MPS, as well as all regional executives.
These three categories of voters are the biggest blocs voting on Sunday, representing over 70% of the votes, and these categories; Constituency Chairmen, MPs and Regional Executives, vote to reflect the interests of their respective constituents, the grassroots.
The grassroot, made up of polling station executives and electoral area coordinators, always make their choices clear to the Chairmen and the MP, who represent them at the Special Delegates Conference. The Constituency Chairmen and the MPs conduct broad consultations among their constituents, to vote for a candidate who truly represents their choice.
In fact, throughout the campaign leading to the special delegates conference, many constituencies have been calling on their leaders to vote for Vice President Bawumia, and the leaders – Constituency Chairmen, Regional Executives and MPs, have been echoing these sentiments that they will vote massively for Dr. Bawumia.
HISTORY SHOWS OUTCOME OF SUPER DELEGATES REFLECT POPULAR CHOICE
A number of the candidates contesting have attempted to rubbish the outcome of the Super Delegates election, even before the election is held. Their argument is that the super delegate election will not reflect the will of the people in the main contest in November.
Clearly, this is a defeatist strategy by the aspirants. They face impending defeat and they are aware of the big victory awaiting Dr. Bawumia on Saturday. So to keep their relevance and fading flagbearership dream alive beyond the Super Delegates Conference, they are trying to downplay the effects of the outcome if the super delegates.
But they are wrong. There is a direct relationship between the results of the Super Delegates and what will happen in the main election in November. History clearly supports this.
In 2014 when the NPP held its first ever Super Delegates Conference, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo swept the votes in the Super Delegates Conference and he even performed much better in the main Conference.
Out of 740 people who voted, Nana Akufo-Addo got 598 votes representing 80.78%. His main contenders Alan Kyerematen got a paltry 59 votes, representing 7.98%. Addai Nimoh and Joe Gahrtey both got 22 votes each representing 2.98. Osei Ameyaw managed 16 votes, which was 2.17% to make the top 5.
Just as what is happening now, with party executives and MPs saying they will vote for Dr. Bawumia to reflect the will of the grassroots, who have asked them to vote for him, same happened in 2014 with many chairmen and MP announcing they would vote for Nana Akufo-Addo to reflect the direction of their constituents.
Again, just as we are hearing now, those who list miserably in 2014 outrightly downplayed the effects of the Special Delegates election on the main election. But they were wrong! The overwhelming victory for Nana Akufo-Addo in the Special Delegates election was emphatically endorsed by the grassroot in the main Conference throughout the regions.
Indeed two contenders who made it to the top 5; Joe Ghartey and Osei Ameyaw, who understood the dynamics and the message of the grassroots, stepped out of the main race, leaving Nana Akufo-Addo, Alan Kyerematen and Addai Nimoh to go for the main election.
At the end of the main election, Nana Akufo-Addo, just as he did in the Super Delegates Conference, win the main election emphatically by 94.35%, which wad even better than the 80.78% he got in the super delegates election. His closest contender Alan Kyerematen, got another paltry 4.75%, which was worse than the 7.98% he got in the Super delegates. Addai Nimoh got 0.9%.
Clearly, what happens in the Super Delegates Conference is a reflection of the call of the grassroots, and it is a clear indication of what will happen in the main election.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will win the Super Delegates emphatically, and it is an indication of his popularity, a reflection of the support he enjoys from all levels of the party, as well as the groundswell of support he enjoys from the grassroots, which will be overwhelmingly confirmed in the second phase of the election in November, to endorse Dr. Bawumia as the new NPP flagbearer.
However, as the results of the Special Delegates Conference come out with Dr. Bawumia in commanding lead, expect the lovers to increase their attempts to downplay the effects of the resounding victory for Dr. Bawumia innthe Super Delegates Conference.
It is just a face-saving tactic to keep their fading flagbearership ambition alive until the 2nd Phase of the elections in November.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has described Ghana’s unemployment rate as unacceptable.
The unemployment rate in Ghana is expected to reach 5.00 percent by the end of 2023, according to Trading Economics’ global macro models and analysts’ expectations.
In the long-term, the Ghana Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 4.70 percent in 2024 and 4.50 percent in 2025, according to our econometric models, Trading Economics said.
President Akufo-Addo, while honoring some young men and women entrepreneurs in respect of the Presidential Pitch initiative, on Friday, 18th August 2023 said that “Entrepreneurship is a vital component of economic growth and development, and has been embraced globally as an important driver of economic transformation.
“I believe firmly that the fastest way to deal with the challenges confronting our economy and the unacceptable rate of unemployment is the fusion of technology, entrepreneurship, and business.
“Governments, the world over, recognise youth entrepreneurship as the appropriate tool to address the unemployment challenges of our times.”
He added “That is why I am happy that, under Seasons One, Two, and Three of the Presidential Pitch, 702 direct and thousands of indirect jobs have been created by our winners, with majority of these jobs being established in rural communities.
“I want to single out the Chief Executive Officer of Pizzaman Chickenman, Christian Boakye Yiadom, the tenth-place winner from Season Two for special mention. He started his pizza business on the campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.
“He received twenty-five thousand cedis (25,000), which he used to scale-up his business. It eventually led to the opening of the first Pizzaman Chickenman branch on KNUST campus on 17th January 2020, some six months after the competition. Today, Pizzaman Chickenman has become a household name and a favourite bite for many
Niger military ousted the elected government in a coup last month
A new US ambassador to Niger is expected to soon take up her role in the country’s capital, Niamey.
Kathleen Fitzgibbon has been tasked with leading the US mission in Niger during what State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel described as a critical time.
The envoy is also expected to co-ordinate the US government’s efforts in addressing the coup and supporting Americans stuck in Niger.
Mr Patel did not clarify when the new envoy would travel to Niger. However, he told reporters on Wednesday that her travel to Niger does not signal a change in the American government’s stance towards the military’s seizure of power.
He said the US remained committed to promoting security, stability, and democracy in the Sahel region.
“Her arrival does not reflect a change in our position, and we continue to advocate for a diplomatic solution that respects the constitutional order in Niger, and for the immediate release of President Mohamed Bazoum and his family,” Mr Patel said.
Ms FitzGibbon is a diplomat with significant experience working in Africa. She was confirmed by the US Senate as the Niger ambassador on 27 July, a day after the coup.
Niger has been without an American ambassador since December 2021.
The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has served notice the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Ernest Yedu Addison, and his two deputies will not escape jail in the next government of his party.
The notice was served on Tuesday, August 8 when he was translating a presser addressed by Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson at the NDC Headquarters.
The NDC is calling on the Governor and his two deputies – Maxwell Opoku-Afari and Elsie Addo Awadzi – to resign within 21 days
“We demand the immediate resignation of the Governor and his deputies within 21 days,” Dr Ato Forson demanded.
“We will march to occupy the Central Bank to save the Bank of Ghana if he fails to resign. The march will ensure accountability,” he said.
But adding to what the Minority Leader said, the NDC Communications Officer said the Governor and his two deputies cannot be allowed to stay in office till 2025.
He said that will only balloon the expenditure of the Central Bank after going beyond 5 percent of its spending threshold.
He said if for any reason they don’t meet the demands to resign, the governors will be prosecuted in the government of John Mahama to “answer” questions.
He said with the “reckless” spending by the Central Bank, it does not have the moral rights any longer to call on commercial banks facing mismanagement issues to do the right thing.
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