The chiefs and people of Nkroful in the Western Region are demanding that NPP’s running mate, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh goes to Nzema to apologize to the traditional leaders and the family of Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
They say his comments at Kumasi was an affront to Ghana’s democracy which has the potential to derail the peace and unity of the country and describe his apology as hollow.
New Patriotic Party (NPP) running mate, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh sparked outrage and public disaffection after suggesting that not even Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah achieved anything closer to what President Akufo Addo has done.
Following intense public backlash, he issued a statement last Friday to apologize, but this seems not enough to placate some groups of people.
A group, the concerned youth of the Western Region on Friday, July 12, called for a proper apology from him whilst urging the traditional leaders of the land to add their voices and also ban him from their palaces in the interim.
The latest call is from the Chiefs and people of Nkroful who say his comments on July 9, sought to undermine, denigrate and humiliate their icon, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Addressing the media on Sunday July 14, at Nkroful in the Ellembele District, the Chief of Nkroful, Nana Kwasi Kutuah the fifth demanded that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh goes Nzema to meet Nananom and the family of Dr Kwame Nkrumah to render an unreserved apology to the kinsmen of the late president.
“We think that Dr. Prempeh was not forthright with Ghanaians when he alluded to the fact that he didn’t mean to insult Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. We have also learned that he has apologized to the good people of Ghana, and you know past presidents of Ghana. We want to demand that Dr. Prempeh, running mate of NPP should come to Nkroful to come and meet nananom and the family of Kwame Nkrumah and make a formal apology to us”.
He has also cautioned political actors and their followers to foster unity, peace and development.
Meanwhile, the District Chief Executive and NPP Parliamentary candidate for Ellembelle Constituency, Kwasi Bonzo says plans are far advanced for Dr Matthew Prempeh to meet the traditional authorities in Nzema land to apologize particularly the Chiefs and People of Nkroful.
“I have spoken to him personally in my capacity as Ellembele DCE and he has assured me that even after his national apology, all politics is local. He says he’s coming home, Kwame Nkrumah’s hometown to meet the chiefs and the elders in the shortest possible time to render an unqualified apology, so that we can all move on us a people. So, we are working on fixing the date for him to render the apology. It had been agreed even before this press conference”.
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.