The Director of Operations at the Office of the President, Mr Lord Commey has said that President Akufo-Addo has chosen the Volta Region as the host of the national Independence Day Celebration.
According to him, the selection is in line with the president’s personal commitment to rotate the event among the Regions to enhance national cohesion.
He made this known when he led members of the National Planning Committee for the event into the Region on Friday to inform traditional authorities on the development.
Mr Commey first called on the Asogli Traditional Council and then led by the Ho Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Divine Bosson and other stakeholders in the Region.
“The President has sent us to inform you of his decision to honour the people of Volta by getting the Region to host the 66th anniversary of Ghana’s independence. The Independence square alone cannot continue to host this key celebration of Ghana’s freedom. He has decided this year that it is the turn of the Volta Region – the oxygen city of Ghana.”
He said the essence of the meeting was to seek the support of local stakeholder’s particularly traditional authorities, on the celebration and that their input would be crucial to ensuring the event becomes a “full display of a national character.”
Mr. Commey also touted the gains for the local economy.
The Warlord of the Asogli State, Togbe Adzie Lakle Howusu XII said “it is an honour to be informed of this event in Volta and that it would be taking place on our land.”
He said the celebration was sure to become a historical event that would bring the glory of independence to the Region.
“Those of us who saw independence are happily honoured that we are seeing the celebration here. Those of you here who did not see the first celebration, come and join us. We are therefore thankful to the President for choosing Volta. We are very grateful,” the Warlord said.
Togbe Howusu commended the committee which was made up of heads of the various security agencies among key others and said he was sure of their excellent delivery, and thus promised the support of the people of Asogli.
“We will be with you. We will give you all the support to make this celebration a success. We believe with our support and your support, this celebration will be equal to none.”
President of the Volta Region House of Chiefs, Togbe Tepre Hodo, said when the team called on the House, that it was “good news” to host the event in Volta.
He said the Region would wholeheartedly support the celebration to make it one of the best.
“I can assure you that the Volta Region has a lot to offer in terms of showing commitment to this great mother Ghana, and we will display all to make this celebration the best.”
Leading the delegation to the House of Chiefs was Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, and the team proceeded to the new Ho sports stadium to access the progress of work.
The 5000-capacity facility, which had hitherto slowed in progress, was being hastily completed when the team visited.
The Director of Operations at the Office of the President inspected the site and made necessary recommendations while charging stakeholders to take advantage of the event to market the Region.
“The breaking news is that for the first time in Ghana’s history, Volta Region would host the Independence Day Celebrations. We are putting Volta on the world map,” he told reporters at the venue.
However, the site engineers told the media the facility would be delivered before the set date, considering the pace of work.
The Regional Minister also gave the assurance that planning was ongoing in earnest and was sure of unbroken progress with the support of all stakeholders.
The prices of petroleum products are expected to fall between 2% and 4% for petrol, diesel, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas, beginning tomorrow August 1, 2024.
This follows the slowdown in the depreciation of the Ghana cedi during the second half of July 2024 and the favourable international market dynamics.
According to the Institute for Energy Security (IES), the price of petrol and deisel fell by 2.99% and 4.59% respectively and LPG by 1.10% in the second half of July 2024.
“Precisely, the price of gasoline [petrol] fell by 2.99%, gasoil [diesel] by 4.59%, and LPG by 1.10% in the second half of July 2024. The Ghana cedi also recorded slowed depreciation (0.52%), the lowest since February 2024.
“Following the positive realised on the foreign fuel market coupled with the slowed depreciation of Ghana Cedi recorded on the domestic forex market, the Institute for Energy Security (IES) projects a fall in fuel prices in the coming days”.
World Oil Market
The second pricing window for July 2024 for the first time since the post-OPEC+ meeting saw Brent crude futures dropping below $80 per barrel.
This was driven lower by disappointing global demand as Chinese imports in July 2024 hit the lowest level in two years.
Brent Crude traded at $78.70 per barrel compared to $83.03 per barrel at the start of the pricing window.
Local Fuel Market Performance
The second pricing window for July 2024 saw the price of liquid fuels jump at the pumps on the local fuels market.
Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) increased the price per litre of petrol by GH¢0.30 and Gasoil by GH¢.20 respectively.
The IES computation of the national average price for the three refined petroleum products for the first pricing window for July 2024 showed petrol and diesel selling at GH¢14.23 and GH¢14.70 per litre respectively, whereas (LPG) went for GH¢15.22 per kilogramme.
The Graduate Unemployed Nurse and Midwives Association has welcomed the latest decision by the government to recruit over 15,000 new health professionals.
In a statement released on Friday, July 26, 2024, the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced the recruitment of 15, 200 nurses and midwives, effective Monday, August 5, 2024.
The MoH confirmed that the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has granted the necessary financial clearance for the recruitment process.
Interested and qualified candidates are expected to apply through the MoH’s online application portal, where they can select their preferred agency under the Ministry. The application period will close on Friday, August 23, 2024.
This comes on the back of numerous protests and demonstrations by several health professionals over the government’s inability to clear the backlog of 2020, 2021 and 2022.
National President of The Graduate Unemployed Nurse and Midwives Association Ibrahim Haruna has been reacting to the latest development.
“We’re very grateful in the first place to the Ministry of Health. It’s not bad news, but it’s not completely what we’re expecting.
“That is what we have got for now, so we will take it… Last week Friday, we received a call from the Ministry that they have got clearance for us around 15,000, so we were expecting an official communication and it came in from the ministry, so it’s welcome news,” the National President of the Graduate Unemployed Nurse and Midwives Association said.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Northern Region has set an ambitious goal to win 14 parliamentary seats in the 2024 general elections.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Northern Regional Secretary of the NDC, stated that the party is determined and prepared to secure victory in the upcoming polls.
On Saturday, July 27, the NDC launched its campaign in Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region, with the aim of increasing their parliamentary seats in the area.
Abdul-Salam expressed confidence that the party would reclaim some of its previously held seats from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He also mentioned that the NDC has established adequate structures to ensure the achievement of this target in the forthcoming election.
“We should be able to win 14 seats, and that is clearly doable, but our target is to win all the 18 seats because they are all winnable, we have mopped out strategies to get out there on the field, our men are on the ground every day.”
“That is why if you have observed, every genuine survey that is done regarding the election 2024 in all the regions, put the NDC way ahead of the NPP,” he stated.