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Ahafo Region major flashpoint in elections

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The Ahafo Region, with just six constituencies, has emerged as a major flashpoint in local politics, with the police mapping out a strategy that will zero in on the region in the lead-up to the December polls.

While the strategy seeks to contain the issue at the national level, security insiders have hinted to the Daily Graphic that the scale of the problem in the region does not reflect its size and population.

With a population of just 564,668, it is the least populated region in the country.

But even before it was carved out of the then Brong Ahafo Region, the six constituencies of Asunafo North, Asunafo South, Tano North, Tano South, Asutifi North and Asutifi South were notorious spots for political violence across the spectra of voter registration, voter register exhibition, voting and counting of votes; declaration of results and other high-octane activities.

Only last month, the police granted bail to the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South, Collins Dauda, over violent clashes during the limited voter registration exercise.

With the claims and counter-claims reinforcing the violence tag acquired by the area, it appeared to provide a just cause for the intended clampdown by the police on political violence, with a big focus on the area.

But more than just a situation with the Ahafo Region, political hot spots have become a threat to national security. Eight people, including minors, were killed when security forces fired at them in nearby Techiman South in the Bono East Region during the 2020 general election.

Police

According to the Ghana Police Service index, flashpoints or hot spots are decided and reviewed based on a number of factors such as incidents recorded in previous elections, voter registration exercises, crime risks and volatility.

Police sources told the Daily Graphic that the security agencies were aware of the situation in the Ahafo Region and neighbouring areas, and would work to contain the situation. The sources said the security agencies were mapping out strategies to declare every polling station a hot spot, and design an operational agenda to deal with all breaches.

In the 2020 elections, the police identified 6,178 hot spots in its 17 operational regions, with the Ashanti Region leading the pack with 975 hot  spots; Central Region with 906; Eastern with 891;  Accra with 500; Northern with 393; Upper East with 345; Western with 323; Western North with 292; Upper West with 292 and Volta with 275.

The rest were Oti Region with 261; Tema with 189; Bono with 179; Savannah with 129; Bono East with 118; North East with 60 and Ahafo Region with 50.

The sources said the increase in the number of police administrative regions to 25 would not only bring policing closer to the people but also help in operations to deal with any flashpoint.

At a meeting with the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission on March 18, this year, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, said the Police Administration had established an election security secretariat in line with its commitment to enhance election security management.

“We view election as a process rather than an event, so managing election security must also be approached from that point. We do not want to wait until a few months to the elections before we begin to think about election security management,” he said.

He said the police had put in place a grand plan to manage security at all points of the electoral process. “What we need from the EC is the election programme to revise our election security management,” he stated.

CDD-Ghana

Speaking to the issue, the Teams Lead for Elections for the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the Coalition for Domestic Elections Observers (CODEO), Gilfred Asiamah, said through its long-term observation and monitoring, as well as pre-election surveys, CDD-Ghana had identified some of the hot spots and shared them with the appropriate agencies.

He said the Ahafo Region was known for some of the electoral breaches all the time. That, he explained, was because of the inability of the security agencies to prosecute the perpetrators.

As a result, Mr Asiamah said the perpetrators kept rehearsing, waiting to get sponsors or patrons to indulge in another round of electoral violence. He said if the consequences in terms of punishment far outweighed the benefits, particularly cash incentive, both the sponsors and perpetrators would stop.

Mr Asiamah said he was expecting the police to decisively deal with the perpetrators.

Conflict spots

He explained that hots pots were recurring conflict spots in elections. “They are known places that consistently experience violent incidents and chaotic atmosphere in different phases of elections, including voters registration, voters’ register exhibition, election campaigns, voting and counting and immediate post-election events,” he said.

Mr Asiamah said CDD-Ghana used hot spots identified by the Ghana Police Service and the EC, stressing that “CDD-Ghana monitors the political environment and tracks acts of political violence in the phases of elections.

The centre shares information with the security agencies and election management body to help them in making decisions on election security”.

Weakness

Mr Asiamah said the persistent occurrence of electoral violence in particular places reflected weaknesses in law enforcement and the inability of the system to take on perpetrators and their sponsors.

“It also reflects the low level of trust of the perpetrators in existing state security arrangements. In effect, cyclical violence at particular places give confidence to perpetrators and their financiers to continue to act; it’s rewarding to politicians who sponsor violent actions without any fear of consequences,” he stated.

He explained that when the state refused to punish people who committed violence, it often led to counter mobilisation against the perpetrators, so people took matters into their own hands to seek justice.

“In these areas that the state does not appear to be taking on people who commit violence, the victims are emboldened to organise themselves to pay back in kind,” he stressed.

“When people begin to mobilise or get mobilised to commit violent acts, it gives birth to vigilantism. Other people take advantage of the situation to mobilise to counter violent acts,” he said.

Politics

‘Burning galamsey equipment doesn’t make any sense’ – Alan fires

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The presidential candidate for the Alliance for Revolutionary Change, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has laid out a detailed plan to tackle illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, with a focus on demobilising the equipment used in the activity.

Mr Kyerematen criticised the current government’s approach of seizing and burning excavators, calling it ineffective and short-sighted.

According to the former Trade Minister, the practice of burning equipment does not offer a long-term solution to the galamsey crisis.

He proposed a more strategic approach that involves the military in a systematic and sustainable demobilisation of mining machinery.

This, he believes, will better address the root of the problem without causing unnecessary destruction.

The demobilisation plan is part of Kyerematen’s broader 10-point blueprint to combat illegal mining.

A key aspect of this blueprint is a one-year nationwide ban on small-scale and community mining, which will provide the necessary time to introduce proper regulations and rehabilitate the damaged environment.

He has called for a shift in government policy, advocating for a more measured and impactful response to the galamsey issue, which continues to pose serious threats to Ghana’s land and water resources.

“Demobilisation of all machinery and equipment that are currently used in small-scale and community mining. Under the supervision of the military, if you demobilise equipment, you need to do three things- first, you need to keep them under inventory, two, you need to have them properly stored and three, you preserve them.”

“This practice of burning equipment doesn’t make any sense. And that is why the GTP (Great Transformational Plan) proposes that you demobilise, and inventorise them so that you know what you have. Otherwise, after one year, they will be out of use,” he stated.

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It is possible to fight corruption – Dr Nyaho Tamakloe 

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Statesman Dr Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe has called for spirited, commitment and endurance in the fight against corruption. 

He said that despite the level of corruption, the quest to eliminate the canker was attainable and should attract the support of all. 

Dr Tamakloe was speaking at the third edition of the Asogli Anti-Corruption forum and said fighting corruption need not be the responsibility of the government alone. 

He called for strong, independent institutions which he said should be “properly resourced and encouraged to carry out their mandate without fear or favour,” 

He said crucial entities such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor should be given the needed independence and support to function. 

A call was made for the Right To Information law to be fully implemented. 

Dr Tamakloe Said the government should adopt transparent processes in public procurement, budgeting and policy implementation, and commended anti-corruption agencies such as the Ghana Integrity Initiative for sustaining the fight. 

The Statesman also said asset declaration laws should be made more effective in implementation,  

“Leaders must lead by example. There must be a higher standard of ethical conduct for those in power, both within the government and the private sector,” 

Dr Tamakloe emphasised the need to build a culture of accountability from the ground up, and to make effective, various platforms for whistle-blowing, which would protect those who fight corruption.” 

Daniel Yao Dormelevo, former Auditor General turned anti-corruption campaigner also was a speaker at the event and called for a national transition from corruption to integrity. 

“This can be achieved sooner or later if we fight corruption,” he said. 

Mr Dormelevo went on to say that ethical and transformational leadership was required in establishing and sustaining a multi-faceted approach to the fight against corruption and called for the strengthening of anti-corruption laws. 

He said laws to ensure proper lifestyle audits of public officials should also be affected. 

“If we build a good system, we all will benefit from it,” he asserted. 

Other speakers at the anti-corruption forum include Mensah Thompson and Eric Ahiafor, also known as anti-corruption campaigners, and all who helped expand the conversation surrounding corruption in the country. 

The various speakers commended Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli for institutionalising the anti-corruption day celebration and hoped it would bear significantly on the national outlook. 

Togbe Afede, in his remarks, spoke of the extended consequences of corruption and stated, “massive job losses,” and rising suicide rates in the country. 

He said it therefore became crucial to work together as a nation against the corruption menace and to eschew tribalism and other forms of disunity which he said caused corruption to strive. 

Togbe Afede said the Asogli State recognised the need to actively contribute to the fight, and thus the anti-corruption day celebration would feature permanently in the popular festival. 

“The fight against corruption is very important and that’s why it has been made part of the Yam Festival,” he said. 

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Politics

Government spends over ¢30m on Rent Assistance Scheme implementation – Oppong Nkrumah 

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Government has spent approximately GH¢30.4 million in implementing the Rental Assistance Scheme rolled out on January 31, 2023. 

The Scheme has benefitted 2,336 individuals so far, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Works and Housing, announced this during the Minister’s news briefing in Accra. 

Under the Scheme, the government makes an advance payment for applicants who are renewing, renting a room/apartment or a complete house. The applicant will, therefore, repay the monthly rent to match the tenure of the rent. 

The briefing focused on government’s efforts to resolve the stalled housing projects, develop public public-private partnership framework with incentives to close the housing deficit, ensure sustainable financing for housing projects, fast-track the completion of affordable housing projects and secure and grow land banks. 

The minister highlighted some of the priority affordable housing projects the Ministry had tackled to close the housing deficit in the country. 

He mentioned the 8,000 housing units under the Pokuase-Afiaman Housing Project, 5,000 Saglemi Housing Project, of which 1,506 were partially completed, 342  units of houses under the Koforidua Affordable Housing Project, 1,904 housing units under the Tema Development Company (TDC), of which 1,072 completed, and the ongoing 609 housing units for public sector workers, which would be ready in October, this year, for distribution to interested applicants. 

“This government remains steadfast in its commitment to providing decent, safe, secure and affordable housing for all its citizens,” Mr Oppong Nkrumah assured. 

According to Population and Housing Census data, Ghana’s housing deficit has significantly decreased from 2.8 million in 2010 to 1.8 million in 2021, representing a 33 per cent reduction. 

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