Preparations are underway for the burial of Rev Anthony Kwadwo Boakye on Saturday, August 5, 2023 in spite of a court injunction secured by the wife to restrain the burial and final funeral rites from going ahead. On Wednesday [August 2] afternoon, Graphic Online observed that the 600 metre road from Kalabule junction to his house at Mataheko, near Ngleshi Amanfro in the Ga South Municipality was being fixed. Aside that, his house had been freshly painted. Funeral posters, a billboard, banners and ribbons in black and white colours had been used to decorate the house. A cloth specially designed for the funeral is selling at GH¢500 for 12 yards, Graphic Online understands. He is expected to be laid in state at the arena of the Accra International Conference Centre from 9am on Friday, August 4 to Saturday, August 5, 2023 - 4am, per the funeral poster adverts on television seen by Graphic Online. The burial service will be held at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday from 8am to 12 midday. The remains would be transported to the church premises at Ngleshi Amanfro where a special tomb has been prepared by the church as his final resting place. It will be a private burial to be followed by a thanksgiving service on Sunday, August 6, 2023 at the Resurrection Power New Generation Church auditorium. The late Rev. Anthony Kwadwo Boakye, was a popular pastor and founder of the Resurrection Power New Generation Church, located at Ngleshi Amanfro near the Kasoa toll booth. He died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in February 2023. Before his death, there were reports he was not well and was not seen in public for a long time. He was reported to have received treatment at a hospital from where he was referred to Korle Bu, where he died. Said to be controversial, he once claimed that he died and resurrected after five days. He had thousands of church members and was noted for providing free bus services for members from various parts of Accra and nearby regions for church activities. The widow of the late clergyman has secured an injunction against the funeral slated for this weekend. She wants the burial and final funeral rites to be halted following a disagreement with the deceased’s family larger family members. However, one of the deceased's children - Yaa Boakye, has declared that her father's funeral will come off as scheduled. She expressed her views in a video posted on social media. In the video post, Yaa Boakye said any person seeking to block the funeral would incur the wrath of God. She said the congregation is not for Kwadwo Boakye, it belongs to God and Boakye was at the helm. "Nobody can stop the funeral, I am telling you... I cannot come on social media and talk my mind. God has asked me to warn those that want to stop the funeral. If you want trouble, then venture..." she stated. In November 2021, it was reported Rev Kwadwo Boakye had suffered a stroke but his wife denied the reports and said he was only taking a break from active Ministry after more than two decades. She later assumed responsibility over the church. But she is reported to have broke away to form her own church after some disagreements with the church leadership. Some considered Rev Kwadwo Boakye as a controversial man for the curses he sometimes rained on people who opposed his views. Controversy over Rev Kwadwo Boakye's burial: Preparations underway in spite of court injunction. Meanwhile, Graphic Online's Emelia Ennin Abbey reports that Margaret Boakye, the wife of the late Rev. Anthony Kwadwo Boakye has secured an injunction from the High Court in Kumasi to prevent the family from going ahead with funeral arrangements. The wife is litigating with the family for excluding her from the arrangements for the burial and funeral. In her claims, Mrs Boakye said the family had fixed August 4 and 5, 2023 to bury the deceased and organise a final funeral rite without her involvement. She said posters, obituaries, invitation cards and other notices had excluded her identity as the wife, while she had also not been officially notified of the funeral arrangements of her late husband. Defendants The widow has also secured a court order restraining a funeral home where the body of the late Pastor Boakye is being kept for preservation, from releasing the body to the family. A copy of the writ of summons seen by Graphic Online indicated that apart from the funeral home, the injunction was also against, the Resurrection Power New Generation Church, maternal family head of the deceased, Abusuapanin W.O. Amoah; the Ankobiahene of the Asantehene, who is also the Gyaasehene of Manhyia in the Ashanti Region, Nana Ampong; the biological children of the deceased, Benjamin Boakye, Jennifer Boakye and Maame Afia. Why is she suing? In the statement of claim, Mrs Boakye, indicated that she was legally married under the ordinance to the late pastor for 26 years until his death. She said she was prevented from attending the one-week observance and had been barred from performing and observing widowhood rites and mourn her late husband as custom required of a surviving widow. She claimed she was also restricted from participating in the one-week observance by the family head and his children without any reason. That, she said, resulted in an argument, but the Otumfuo’s Ankobiahene intervened and asked that, for the sake of peace, the two parties should hold separate events to mark the one-week observance. She said the Ankobiahene assured all parties that he would ensure that the differences were resolved amicably to allow the parties to organise the final funeral rites of the late pastor together while Mrs Boakye performs the customary widowhood rites. Subsequently, Mrs Boakye said the Ankobiahene invited her and the other parties to a meeting to address the issues, but the other parties, for some unexplained reasons, did not attend the said meeting. The prohibitory order was, therefore, to restrain the defendants from undertaking or purporting to undertake to bury and or observe any burial rites until all the parties had mutually and unconditionally agreed to allow her to perform all widowhood rites as required by the customary law and practice of the Asantes and or until otherwise ordered by the court. Credit: Graphiconline.com

Information reaching Thinknewsonline.com indicates that a pregnant woman together with five other persons have died in a gory accident at Offinso North in the Ashanti Region. According to reports, the six who perished were onboard a VIP bus with Registration number AP-1986-22. Further details reveal that driver of the VIP bus spotted a Burkina Faso trailer with registration BP 2311 which was parked in the middle of the road spoilt. Sources say, the VIP bus driver on spotting the spoilt trailer decided to switch lanes but rather ended up in a head on coalition with another Burkina Faso trailer, BP 2315. It is emerging that five (5) others are in a critical condition and have been referred to the Komfo Anokye Hospital for better treatment. Driver of the trailer died while the VIP bus driver also survived. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Former President of the Chartered Institue of Taxation Ghana and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Mike Kofi Aflu, has petitioned the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to conduct a comprehensive tax audit on the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Abena Dapaah. “I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirit. I am writing to draw your attention a matter of utmost importance and public interest. “As a citizen of Ghana, I am deeply troubled by recent revelations regarding the discovery of various sums of cash in different currencies at the residence of Mrs. Cecilia Dapaah, the former Minister for Sanitation. “The news of this discovery has sparked significant public concern and has raised questions about the potential tax implications of such large sums of money found in her possession. Given the esteemed role she played in the government, it is crucial that all necessary legal procedures and tax laws are followed to uphold transparency, accountability, and the rule of law in our beloved nation,” portions of his petition said. His petitions comes after the Attorney-General asked the Police to investigate the ownership of the US$200,000 and €300,000 stolen from the home of Cecilia Abena Dapaah. This was after the A-G said Madam Abena Dapaah did not mention the owner of the cash. The A-G in its advice on the money stolen from Madam Dapaah said that “[She] stated in her initial complaint that $800,000 belonged to her deceased brother and GHC300,000 of contribution towards her mother’s funeral contained in a box and a bag respectively were stolen. This is confirmed by Henry Osei Kwabena who told the police on 4th July 2023, that he brought the box of money to her sister for safekeeping. This notwithstanding, it is important for the police to conduct independent investigations into these assertions to ascertain the following: i. The true ownership of the amount of US$800,000. ii. The source(s) from which the established owner of the amount of US$800,000 acquired the money. iii. Whether the accused actually stole the full amount of US$800,000 from the house of the complainants.” Cecilia Dapaah did not indicate who the amounts of $200,000 and €300,000 stolen from the room belonged to. The $200,000 and $800,000 have been lumped together in one count on the charge sheet as belonging to Cecilia Dapaah. The total of all the sums retrieved from the accused together with the value of properties acquired does not appear to amount to the sum reported by the complainants as having been stolen. It is important for the police to conduct investigations into: i. The ownership of the US$200,000 and €300,000. ii. The source(s) from which the established owner(s) of the amounts of US$200,000 and €300,000, acquired the money. iii. Broaden the investigations on money laundering and other financial crimes to cover the complainants. Credit: 3news.com

A group calling itself, Express Aid Foundation has donated school uniforms, drinks and an undisclosed amount to pupils of  T.I Ahmaddiya basic school at Mampong, a town in the Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region. According to the group, it consist of an army of helpers who have come together to contribute their quota to the development of the country. Founder of the Express Aid Foundation, Jullien Kwasi Parry in an interview said "What we do basically is that we identify areas in the country that are in need and less privileged." "So this year, we settled on coming to T.I Ahmaddiya basic school around Mampong and we are here to support them with a few basic school supplies" The group noted that education is very important for the development of every country and therefore it was justifiable to contribute to the molding of future leaders. "We will use this medium to also call on other NGOs and foundations to help support such schools especially those in the rural areas as there are so many things that we can do to help" The Chief and students thanked Express Aid Foundation and assured that the uniform, drinks and money will be used appropriately. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ministry of Finance has engaged the Parliamentary Press Corps, Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists, and selected Editors and Business Journalists, for a Technical Briefing session on the Mid-Year Budget Review. The session, chaired by Chief Director, Madam Eva Mends, was held to engage the media on the technical details of the Mid-Year budget review. It also provided updates on the improvements in Ghana’s macro-economic indicators; the nation’s journey to debt sustainability; and progress towards the upcoming IMF Review. Madam Eva Mends, in her welcome, shared that the Ministry was committed to consistently engaging the media as strategic partners towards nation building. She also encouraged members of the media to continue diligently in positive reportage about the nation’s economic progress. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Government's spokesperson on governance and security, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah has chosen Vice-President, Mahamudu Bawumia, and four others as his top five picks in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential race. The other four are the MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, former minister for trade and industry, Alan Kyerematen, former energy minister, Boakye Agyarko and former attorney general and minister for justice, Joe Ghartey. The governing NPP will hold a super delegates’ congress on 26 August to reduce the 10 presidential aspirants to five. Speaking on Asaase 99.5 Accra’s news analysis and current affairs show – The Forum – on Saturday, Boakye-Danquah said he is optimistic his prediction will come through because the quintet standout among the lot. The party will then hold its main internal poll on 4 November to elect a presidential candidate for the general elections taking place on 7 December 2024. Credit: Asaase Radio

The GUTA President, Dr Joseph Obeng has expressed disappointment at the 2023 mid-year budget. According to him, despite the fact that no new taxes were introduced, they expected some existing ones to have been scrapped or the rates reduced. “The budget did not touch on the high cost involved in doing business, no revision on taxes, high interest rate and high inflation issues have not been solved. Inflation from 53% to 42% is not acceptable, nothing has changed, there is no new thing in the budget,” he said. Speaking in an interview on TV3’s Ghana Tonight, July 31, Dr Obeng disclosed that when the Finance Minister, Mr. Ofori-Atta engaged GUTA, he told them not to expect any changes in the mid -year budget review. “The Finance Minister, pre-empted to us in a stakeholder’s engagement that we should not expect any changes, the November budget will consider some of our input,” he disclosed. The GUTA president was speaking in relations to the mid-year budget which was presented by Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta.  To Parliament on 31st July. 2023. He explained that conditions imposed by the IMF have affected growth of businesses and the high exchange rate did not help businesses to thrive. “Effects of the IMF and high exchange rate did not help; utility bills have gone up to 50% all these are not good for businesses,’’ the GUTA president noted. Dr Obeng added that, the non- introduction of new taxes was bound to happen because, the businesses are overburdened and people were requesting for reduction in taxes instead. He advised government to reduce expenditure to avoid a fall back on tax collection to overburden the people, adding that government should shy away from old ways of expenditure and adopt prudent ways to avoid high expenses. “Stability and sustainability are what we want, so our businesses can grow. Government must ensure reduction in expenditure,” he urged. Credit: 3news.com

Content creator cum actor, Jeffery Nortey has opened up on how some Ghanaian do not appreciate his content creation. Jeffery Nortey disclosed this during an interview with Andy Dosty on Daybreak Hitz. According to him, it is not his intention to “step on toes”, but the truth is that, Nigerians appreciate his contents more than Ghanaians do. “When the Nigerians come to my DM, they say things like ‘Omo, make you no shake, na we wey go blow you’. They appreciate what I’m doing, content in Nigeria is a big deal, a very big deal” Jeffery said. He added that it is indeed not a joke when it comes to content creation in Nigeria. He stressed that their efforts are evident on YouTube and the other platforms through which they share their contents. "You see the support they give each other by appearing on upcoming content creator’s content to help them get the numbers. Jeffery’s thought is not far from the truth" "On the contrary, the messages he gets from some Ghanaians are not encouraging" Jeffery added. During the interview, he mentioned some of the comments from some Ghanaians that are demeaning. Jeffery said; “So there was a post somewhere and there were lots of comments – positive comments. But one guy came and said ‘Really? You guys find Jeffery Nortey funny?" Another comment he added goes like this; “Another person on YouTube said ‘I think you should learn from the Nigerians.’ In another video, the same person commented ‘I think you are copying the Nigerians’.” As Jeffery mentioned, it is not his intention to “step on toes”. But the truth is still the truth, and a lot of content creators in Ghana can relate. Jeffery also mentioned that, he started as an actor, but he was not getting the roles. However, the fire in him was burning hot, and at the same time he was depressed by the lack of movie roles. Hence his decision to start creating contents. “I started as an actor hoping that I’ll be shooting in movies, doing the drama thing and all that. But at a point, I was not getting gigs and I was super depressed. Not because of the money but it was the fire, it was burning so I needed to do something,” he said. Jeffery Nortey has also featured on some movies as well as TV shows along side his content creation. In 2019, he won the Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Movie Awards. Credit: Akunye Michael

The members of the Association of Women Accountants Ghana (AWAG), have extended their career development mentorship and public outreach to the Sokode Senior High Technical School (SOSTECH). Madam Mawushie Dzikunoo, the President of AWAG said the objective of the mentorship outreach, was to equip the students especially those offering business courses with insights, knowledge and align their interests with future career goals. She said apart from the gesture, being a civic responsibility of AWAG to mentor students with a focus on the girl-child, it was to help them to set goals and act. She advised the students to aspire to become Chartered Accountants by opting for accounting as a profession. Madam Dzikunoo urged the students to shun social vices such as alcoholism, taking illicit drugs and engaging in occultism, but “you are to justify the investments of your parents focusing on your academic.” Mrs Vivian Lovelace Worlanyo-Deh, the Volta Region leader of AWAG, sharing her own career pathway with the students said she had to combine her work with schooling, performing house chores and making babies in an innovative manner in to reach her current position. She encouraged the students to remain dedication, focused, persevere and sacrifice for the present, reminding them that “beyond the skies will be the beginning point.” She said members of the Association would make themselves available to help students to take challenges in new ways and urged them to dedicate more time to their books to expand their career options. Mrs Worlanyo-Deh said the Institute of Chartered Accountants at Okponglo offers a training programme for zealous students eager to pursue accounting urging them to take advantage. Mr Alex Gbadegbe, the Head of the Business Department of SOSTECH was grateful to AWAG for settling on them with a student population of 1,188 and 126 management staff including 37 non-teaching had achieved many laurels in academic and extra-curriculum activities. He said the mentorship outreach was timely as he believes that would promote studiousness, perseverance, and leadership at the Business Department, with its 52 students offering accounting. Members of AWAG broke into cells to listen to the concerns of the students while providing on-the-spot answers to guide them. The Ho Chapter of the AWAG was inaugurated as part of the programme. Some drinks were donated to the school in addition to branded AWAG T-Shirts. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Government of Ghana has announced that it is inviting Pension Funds holding domestic notes and bonds of the central Government, E.S.L.A. Plc and Daakye Trust Plc to exchange approximately GHS31 billion principal amount of eligible bonds for a package of new bonds. According to Gov't, the terms and conditions of the Invitation are described in the exchange memorandum and available at https://projects.morrowsodali.com/PensionFundsDDE and https://mofep.gov.gh/news￾and-events/debt-operations In a communique signed by the Ministry of Finance, it read "This Invitation is intended to enable the Pension Funds to preserve their patrimonial value while exchanging their Eligible Bonds for Bonds that offer more potential liquidity" Explaining further it noted that the invitation is available only to registered holders of Eligible Bonds that are Pension Funds. "Eligible Holders tendering their Eligible Bonds pursuant to the Invitation will receive Exchange Bonds of the Government on the terms and subject to the conditions described in the Exchange Memorandum. All offers to exchange Eligible Bonds made by Eligible Holders are irrevocable subject to withdrawal rights under certain limited circumstances" "By tendering their Eligible Bonds, Eligible Holders represent and warrant that such Eligible Bonds constitute all the Eligible Bonds owned by them and consent to the blocking by the Central Securities Depository (CSD) of any attempt to transfer them prior to the Settlement Date (as defined below) or the termination of the Invitation by the Republic." It also stated that Eligible Holders who deliver valid offers at or prior to the Expiration Date that are accepted by government will receive on the settlement date in exchange for their Eligible Bonds accepted by the government. It stressed that the same aggregate principal amount distributed across new tranches of the currently outstanding GOG Bonds issued in February 2023 and maturing in 2027 and 2028. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has commended investors, financial institutions and bondholders for their sacrifice, support and forbearance in this difficult period of this country’s economic history. The Minister made those remarks in Parliament on Monday while delivering the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana for the 2023 Financial Year. "Indeed, our sincere gratitude also goes to all investors, financial institutions and bondholders for the sacrifice, support and forbearance in this difficult period of our country’s economic history" "We appreciate your contribution towards 'turning the corner’and commitment to partner us in transforming the economy." "We must also extend our appreciation to the IMF, the World Bank and other Development Partners as well as the G7 and G20 members who stood so strongly with us: The Minister who described 2022 as the most difficult year for him noted that on July 1st 2022, Ghana took a very difficult but necessary decision to request support from the IMF to implement our Post-COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG). He confessed that the country was going through a dire period of economic uncertainties and despondency. He further noted that a year on, Ghana's steps were more grounded, vision became clearer with path to recovery also better set, as well as confidence in the economy "Mr. Speaker, we have turned the corner and, more importantly, we are determined to continue down that path. Soon, we expect the measures taken resulting in economic activity greater than anything experienced in the history of the Fourth Republic. Our plans and programmes should soon lead to a sustained increase in domestic production, including manufacturing and farming, replacing many of the products that we are used to importing" "Mr. Speaker, when I presented the 2023 Budget in November last year, I indicated that we would pursue major fiscal and monetary policy measures within the framework of the PC-PEG – our coordinated response to the macro-fiscal challenges, which H.E the President charged us to develop in March, 2022, before going to the IMF – thus the PC-PEG" Mr. Ofori-Atta explained that as a first step towards fulfilling this objective, Parliament passed the revenue, and expenditure measures as well several other macro-critical economic policies it presented in the 2023 Budget. "Along these lines, we also needed to create additional fiscal space by negotiating an International Monetary Fund (IMF) Programme, concluding a debt operations programme; and attracting significant investments (especially green investments) for a vibrant growth strategy. "Mr. Speaker, I can now report that we have been diligent and resolute in implementing these measures and successfully negotiated the US$3 billion 3-year IMF-ECF Programme, which was approved on 17th May, 2023 to support the implementation of our PC-PEG. Concluded on February 14th the initial part of the Debt Operations, of which the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP). "Developed a framework for the V20 Climate Prosperity Plan to attract climate investments from the private sector; and initiated the Mutual Prosperity Dialogue to crowd in domestic and external private investment to underpin our growth strategy." "These achievements have been with the support and commitment of this august House and the Ghanaian people. It demonstrates that when we speak with one voice, we can achieve what we set our minds to do- Genesis 11:6- “if as one people speaking the same language, they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them” Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has held a stakeholder meeting to update its stakeholders on the Authority’s regulatory activities and 2022 achievements. The meeting, which was held at the Authority’s Head Office formed part of FDA’s performance monitoring indicators and targets instituted with the support of the State Interest and Governance Authority. The meeting created a platform for the Authority to engage with stakeholders, solicit stakeholder feedback on the Authority’s performance and suggest areas for improvement, as well as promote awareness and understanding of the Authority’s role in protecting public health and safety. 2022 Performance Evaluating the performance of the institution, the FDA presented the highlights of its 2022 performance, including product registration and facility licensing against its performance in 2021. The Authority recorded a 24% increase in the number of facilities inspected from 7,913 in 2021 to 9,829 in 2022. In the area of import and export controls, FDA’s operations increased by a significant margin of 36%. Other presentations made highlighted the number of street food vendors licensed with permits, FDA’s market surveillance activities and product quality testing done in 2022. Proposed Amendment to the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) As part of the FDA's mandate to advise the Health Minister on measures for the protection of consumer wellbeing, the Authority proposed some relevant amendments to Parts 6,7 and 8 of the Public Health Act 851 and advocated for a standalone Act that will guide its operations. This has become necessary because of changes in the regulatory space and also to accommodate provisions from the Africa Union Model Law on Medical Products Regulation and other new and emerging international best practices. Notable Achievement in 2022 Touching on highlights of 2022 achievements, Dr. Delese Mimi Darko noted that the Centre for Laboratory Services and Research (CLSR) expanded its ISO 17025:2017 accreditation from 48 to 58 tests. The Food Laboratory was accredited for the first time for 5 tests. The Drugs Laboratory of the CLSR achieved WHO GBT ML4 and was awarded a WHO-Prequalified Quality Control Laboratory (QCL) status. This means that the results of analysis from this laboratory are acceptable globally. The FDA-Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) joint application system was operationalized to enable applicants to obtain the FDA registration and GSA certification simultaneously with a single application. The FDA opened new offices bringing its services closer to its clients and consumers by operationalising the Western North Regional Office in Sefwi Wiawso and two District Offices in the Central Region. The FDA in collaboration with ProPer Alliance, launched the ProPer Platform to enable consumers to verify the registration status of FDA regulated products and batch control of products. Despite the significant achievements in 2022, the operations of the Authority were met with many challenges. Some of the key challenges identified are inadequate vehicles and other logistics for inspections, ageing laboratory equipment and the absence of a module for processing exports on the ICUMS, amongst others. The Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Delese Darko assured stakeholders that the Authority is putting in measures to improve its regulatory processes. She called for improved conditions of service to help retain the highly trained staff of the Authority. To help improve the financial state of the Authority, she asked that FDA should be allowed to retain all its internally generated funds or at least the service charges. Present at the meeting were members of the FDA Governing Board, and representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, GSA, Customs and the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) as well as some trade organizations. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith