National

Traditional leaders to gain more power as government moves to amend Chieftaincy Act

Published

5 months ago

June 28, 2024

The Chieftaincy Minister, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, says his ministry is working on amendments to the Chieftaincy Act to empower traditional leaders with the authority to adjudicate petty disputes within their jurisdictions.

The proposed changes aim to address the limitations imposed by Section 63(D) of the Act, which has been challenged in the Supreme Court, restricting traditional authorities from resolving matters within their areas and thereby limiting their scope of influence.

During a royal conference organised by the Church of Pentecost at Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region, Stephen Asamoah Boateng emphasised the need for a strong commitment to the institution of chieftaincy.

He highlighted that the amendments are designed to strengthen the role of traditional leaders in maintaining peace and order in their communities by granting them the ability to handle minor disputes locally.

The minister also addressed the significance of chieftaincy as a vital institution in Ghana, urging all stakeholders to support the proposed changes.

He noted that empowering traditional leaders would enhance their ability to contribute effectively to local governance and dispute resolution, which is crucial for community harmony and development.

“The government appreciates your impact on the sound character formation of several thousands of generations of men and women in our country.”

“Nananom, you administer a lot of work for the government, and in my interaction, we are amending the Chieftecy Law. In its place, we want to include some very clear authority to be given to the Nananom to be able to resolve petty disputes in your communities.”

“This already exists in Act Section 62(D), but you and I know that it has been disputed in the Supreme Court, but we need to make some amendments.

“They will appreciate that we need to give Nananom back the authority, but it should be slightly amended, which I am working on very closely,” he stated.

National

Fuel prices to fall between 2% and 4% in coming days – IES

Published

4 months ago

July 31, 2024

Melody 911FM

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.

National

Graduate Unemployed Nurses welcome over 15,000 recruitment

Published

4 months ago

July 31, 2024

Melody 911FM

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.

National

NDC targets 14 parliamentary seats in Northern Region

Published

4 months ago

July 30, 2024

Melody 911FM

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.