Presidential Hopeful for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has filed his nomination forms at the party’s headquarters in Accra. Campaign Manager, Prof. Joshua Alabi together with some NDC bigwigs filed the nomination forms on behalf of candidate, John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday. Addressing the NDC Election Committee, Prof. Joshua Alabi said "Just as we are not going to cheat anybody, we are also not ready to be cheated by body" Prof. Alabi told the media that he was cofident that candidate, John Mahama will be elected to lead the party in 2024 upcoming Presidential Elections. "This campaign is your campain. This campaign is my campaign and I know we will go round the country and talk to our prople." "Even if it's 51%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90%, he has won but we want 99.999%" he added. Prof. Joshua Alabi was optimistic that the next John Mahama administration when elected into office will not only clear debts owed by the Akufo-Addo administration but also make life comfortable for the ordinary Ghanaian. Receiving the nomination forms, General Secretary of the NDC, Fiifi Kwetey charged followers of the John Mahama team to exhibit good behaviours to avoid misunderstandings and fights. He thanked the John Dramani Mahama team for presenting the nomination forms and wished them well. Fiifi Kwetey charged the party faithful to rally behind whoever the party chooses as its Presidential Candidate in order to secure victory in the upcoming December 2024 Presidential Elections. He believed that the new Mahama administration will save the Ghana from collapsing. Present at the filing of John Mahama's presidential nomination forms were the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma South Constituency, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije among some other NDC bigwigs. Libation was also poured by some wulomei to signify a peaceful filing of Presidential nomination forms for Candidate, John Dramani Mahama. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

In 48 months, more than 136 people died on the Accra Tema motorway. With the current road state, more people are still at risk of their lives every day, and they can avoid serious injury or death. According to the Motor Traffic and Transport Department, at least 39 people died in accidents in 2018, while 150 were injured. On the roads, 107 incidents were also recorded in 2018. Out of 75 accidents that were recorded in 2019, 91 people sustained injuries and 36 died. Data on motorway accidents also show that 22 people died and 74 were injured in the 80 accidents that were recorded in 2020. Reports indicate that there were at least 105 motorway accidents in 2021, resulting in 39 deaths and at most, 39 injuries. The road, which was 57 years old, showed more weariness than a woman fifty-seven years old. As if screaming for help, it showed signs of fatigue and lay helplessly, as heavy trucks drove by with huge tires. This cracked up the large potholes and other problems that had been left over 50 years of neglect and insufficient repairs. The weather has left the current condition of the motorway in a state of flux and it is uncertain what its future holds. The motorway is no longer a fast and easy route to Accra or Tema. It has been ravaged by serious potholes and cracks that drivers must navigate to return home. Every time they choose to use the Tema–Accra motorway, users face obstacles. On the 19-kilometre stretch between Accra and Tema, drivers must carefully navigate around 400 potholes. This is far more than what it takes to complete a game of chess. The dangers that come with it are much more severe. Tema Motorway, Ghana's only motorway linking the Volta Region, Tema metropolis and Togo by road to the capital of the country is the Tema motorway. Today's motorway is like a circus. Passengers bump up every second the car hits a crack. Cracks and potholes Investigative reporters, Redeemer Buatsi and Prosper Prince Midedzi walked from Tetteh Quarshie roundabout where the motorway begins to Tema tollbooth within a period of two and half days. The reporters recorded over 417 potholes on both the Accra-Tema and Tema-Accra lanes. Many potholes had iron rods sticking out of them, but others were exposed to the ground. The reporters observed cars trying to navigate around potholes and edging dangerously towards other road users. Accidents, dangers The bitumen on the concrete road has separated from the concrete surface like oil from water. This created huge bumps similar to those created by unprofessional speed bumps by members of the community on busy roads in their area. It is not clear what engineering knowledge was used to fix the concrete cracks using bitumen. It is clear, however, that such thinking has led to increased discomfort and added hurdles for drivers on the road. Redeemer and Prosper recorded 432 patches in their two-and-a-half-day eyewitness inspection. Some have become speed bumps while others have developed into larger and more dangerous potholes. U-Turns Over 55 illegal U-turns were also reported by the reporters during the two-and-a-half-day survey. Driving a U-turn is a 180-degree turn to reverse the journey's direction. Experts strategically position U-turns on the roads to protect road users and others who make them. Some drivers make illegal U-turns on the motorway, which violates highways traffic regulations. This also poses a great danger to drivers and other road users. Other commuters who do not know about U-turns may not be able to take safety precautions, which could lead to an accident. Illegal Bus Stops Motorcyclists using the motorway park incongruously on the roads. Reporters recorded 33 illegal bus stops along the motorway. Taxi drivers and commercial drivers, also known as "trotro", park anywhere they like on the highway to collect and drop off passengers. Other car drivers can also park anywhere on the highway. An Okada rider at KICC spot said that every week there is an accident because of illegal bus stops. Government attention is urgently needed to end this threat to the highway. One of the 'trotro’ drivers, Mr Kwame Asare, said that if he didn't stop at illegal bus stops to pick up passengers, his colleagues would. ‘We are all doing the wrong thing for survival’, he said. Road Traffic Act Section 19 of the Road Traffic Act (Act 683) says: "A person who parks their motor vehicle entirely or partially on the verge of a road or on any land between two carriageways, which is not a footway or pedestrian crossing, or in a place reserved to the physically handicapped, commits an offence." This offence will result in a summary conviction and a sentence of "a summarized conviction to a fine not surpassing 250 penalty units (Ghc3000), given that one penalty unit equals Ghc12 or to a term not exceeding 12 months or both." However, the authorities and police have not enforced the law, even though they are aware that motorists continue to violate it. The reporters met with a police officer, who had taken a "trotro driver" at 'under bridge'. This is one of those spots where drivers can stop randomly. The police officer stated that the car had been taken into custody. However, others were doing the wrong thing, but he was the only one present, making it difficult. Ghana Highway Code The Ghana Highway Code of Conduct Section 35 states that "Leave enough distance between you and the vehicle in the front so you can pull up safely if the vehicle suddenly slows down or stops abruptly." It is best to not get closer than the total stopping distance. In good conditions, however, a gap of 1 yard per mph may be sufficient on open roads. The gap should be wider on wet roads. If an overtaking vehicle fills in the gap, you should drop back. Responding to section 35 of the Ghana Highway Code of Conduct, Inspector Kingsley Addo, head of the Accident Investigative Unit of Tema Motor Transport and Traffic Department stated that "Most motorists don’t know how to use the motorway." In November 1965, the Accra-Tema motorway opened to traffic to connect Tema and Accra. It was constructed under the leadership of H.E. Dr Kwame Nkrumah (the first president of Ghana). It was built in the style of the Autobahn, a German motorway. Rehabilitation The motorway was rehabilitated to its original condition in August 2009. It cost 500,000 cedis. Part of the motorway was to be reconstructed using epoxy cement. Eight weeks of rehabilitation were required to remove and replace concrete slabs that had become damaged and repair the asphalted shoulder of the motorway. The motorway was made safe for motorists in 2009 after the rehabilitation work. Plans for expansion After years of public outcry over the poor condition of the motorway, many promises have been made to improve it in the past. Recently, Hon. Kwasi Amoako Atta claimed that the motorway would be redeveloped to become a 10-lane urban highway, with 5 new interchanges. The highway is still unfinished as of January 2023. Potholes continue to develop every day and are being repaired with bitumen. According to Empire Parking Lot services (a construction and repairs company based in the United States), it is cheaper to repair asphalted roads over concrete ones, but it is technically not safe to repair concrete floors with bitumen since these are completely different materials. Efforts to get the roads ministry and the Urban roads department to comment on the issue proved futile. However, one thing is clear, the Tema-Accra motorway continues to deteriorate, posing serious threats to the thousands of Ghanaians who ply the road daily. Credit: Redeemer Buatsi and Prosper Midedzi, NGIJ-Media Foundation for West Africa (2021 cohort)

Presidential Candidate Hopeful for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ernest Kwaku Kobeah has filed his presidential nomination forms at the party’s headquarters. Speaking to the media after the filing of Nomination forms, spokesperson for Kwaku Kobeah, Aliu Zomira expressed his gratitude to the party leadership for the healthy reception given to him and the team m. Mr. Zomira noted that Kwaku Kobeah is a well trusted candidate who can lead the party to power in 2024 general election. He indicated Kwaku Kobeah is ready to solve the Ghanaian sewage system issue which has become a major problem to the country. He emphasized that Ghana needs young and experience person who can work hard to revive the ailing economy through sanitation among other measures. According to Aliu Zomira, it is very paramount the party engage in decent campaign since everybody will be needed on board after the primaries and commended Mahama for his record whiles he calls on support for Kwaku Kobeah who has the grassroots at heart. “Kwaku Kobeah is a grassroot person and with his policy dubbed Wo Daakye Nti, all the qualified grassroot members will be taken care by the policy because it is about time they also form part of the government not only the party financiers” he noted. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Information reaching Thinknewsonline.com indicates that the Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Old Tafo Constituency, Dr. Anthony Osei Akoto has passed on. The cause of his death is yet to be known. The Parliament of Ghana took to its Facebook page to break the sad news. The late MP also doubled as the Former Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation under the Akufo-Addo administration. May his soul rest in peace. Below is a screenshot of the post: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ministry of Energy says it has noted reports that it suffered a disconnection exercise from its agency, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) over unpaid electricity bills last Tuesday. The Ministry describes the report as wrong as the whole facility runs on prepaid meters. Speaking on the matter, Communications Specialist at the Ministry, Kofi Abrefa Afena said, at no point has the Ministry been disconnected from the grid. "The Ministry only had prepaid payment challenges and therefore called the ECG to intervene," he said. He continued “The Ministry of Energy as the supervising agency of the ECG will support ECG in recovering all its moneys accruing from energy sold to consumers.The Ministry will lead by example in paying for its energy consumed" The Ministry according to Kofi Abrefa urges all and sundry to pay for their energy consumed to enable ECG and NEDCo to provide essential services to consumers. Credit: GhanaWeb

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) on Tuesday, March 14, disconnected power supply to the Energy Ministry, JoyNews sources have disclosed. The disconnection plunged the entire Ministry into darkness for almost half a day. According to the sources, power was, however, restored to the Ministry after it paid its debt bill in full. The power distributor will from Monday, March 20, embark on a massive disconnection exercise in a bid to mobilise revenue. The exercise is using almost all ECG staff from top management to junior officers to retrieve all the monies owed to them. The Managing Director of ECG, Samuel Dubik Mahama, said the company is owed over GH¢5 billion from the month of September 2022 to February 2023.Most of this debt resides with the SOEs and MDAs. He added that the agencies that would refuse to settle their bill immediately will face the same consequence as the Energy Ministry. Ahead of this exercise, Mr Dubik Mahama has toured all the operational regions of ECG to sensitise the staff on how to go about the mobilisation of the revenue, and to respect the customer at all times. He also reminded the staff that ECG is a business and not a charity and everyone must start to behave as such. It is expected that at the end of the exercise, 100% of the debt would be recovered. Credit: Myjoyonline.com

The Government of Ghana has commended the Ghanaian media for its dedication to developing Ghana-related content in celebration of Ghana's independence this month of March. The efforts of the media have not gone unnoticed, and the impact of the dedicated airtime to promoting Ghana and Ghanaian values has been exemplary. A statement from the Ministry of Information and signed by sector Minister Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah said “Through your coverage, you have brought attention to Ghana's rich history, culture, and people. You have showcased Ghana's achievements and highlighted her potential for growth and development.” Mr Nkrumah said “The media's efforts have helped to promote Ghana's tourism and culture, and have helped in efforts to attract investors to the country.” Government encourages more of such content is encouraged even beyond the month of March. By doing so, we can continue to raise awareness of Ghana's rich history and contribute to the growth and development of the country. Below is a copy of release: Story by Thinknewsonline.com

Thinknewsonline.com can confirm that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) aspiring Presidential Candidate, John Dramani Mahama, will file his nomination to contest the May 13 primaries on March 21st at the party’s headquarters in Accra. This was made known in a release signed by Spokesperson for John Mahama Campaign Team, Joyce Bawah Mogtari. In a release signed by Thinknewsonline.com, it said "Originally planned for Monday, the John Mahama Campaign says it is very sorry for the postponement, which is in response to a request from the party to reschedule because of the presentation of the party’s True State of the Nation Address on Monday" Madam Bawah Mogtari also added that President Mahama will however continue his first phase tour of the Ashanti Region, which ends today. Below is a copy of release: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Ghanaian rapper, Medikal and longtime manager, Flow Delly have parted ways according to the AMG Beyond Kontrol boss. He made this known in his latest interview with Andy Dosty on Daybreak Hitz. According to the Stubborn Academy singer, the professional relationship between him and his former manager has been terminated due to a sensitive matter. "I am no longer working with Flow Delly. The reason is quite sensitive so I don’t really wanna go into that but he is good, we are hustling,” Medikal also revealed that he now manages himself as an artiste and talent "I am my own manager. I have a management team but I make things happen on my own and I have positive people around me helping out,” he pointed out. Quizzed on the duration of the split, the 2019 VGMA Hip Hop Artist of the year said they’ve been apart for close to two months. The sad news of their split comes on the heels of allegations by incarcerated artiste, Showboy that Medikal had turned his manager into a domestic servant who did his family’s laundry. Medikal and Flow Delly have been through thick and thin together from the latter’s days as an upcoming artiste to his current status. Flow Delly is yet to comment on the matter. Credit: 3news.com

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Delese Mimi Darko received national recognition on March 14 for the significant efforts the Authority made towards the fight against COVID-19. The Authority was awarded the Presidential Award of Honour for Distinguished Service while the CEO was awarded the Companion of the Order of the Volta. In the award citation, the FDA was commended for providing regular and consistent communication as well as an enhanced regulatory regime that proffered sound scientific direction for drug utilization and performance of COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics. His Excellency commended the FDA for its outstanding contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic. He acknowledged the initiative of the Authority during the period when Ghana was faced with a shortage in the supply of personal protective equipment (PPEs), by leading the development of a national standard for locally manufactured face masks. It is remarked that to ensure the adequate supply of key essentials to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Authority also instituted a 72-hour product approval process for “low risks” COVID-19 related products such as hand sanitizers. This 72-hour product approval process helped to ensure a constant supply of quality sanitizers and face masks to the market to stem the tides of the pandemic while providing employment and sustaining livelihoods in society. As part of the awards ceremony, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, recognized the dynamic leadership of Dr. Mimi Darko, who is the first female CEO of the Authority. His Excellency also noted the leading role Dr. Darko played on the continent as Chair of the WHO African Vaccines Regulatory Forum (AVAREF) and her extensive work with the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences Vaccine Safety Working Group. Through the instrumentality of Dr. Mimi Darko, the Authority instituted the Joint COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Review Committee which worked tirelessly on the vaccine approval processes and related safety monitoring activities. Several investigations and causality assessments on reported adverse effects were conducted and bi-weekly regulatory updates were churned out the provide the needed assurances to the nation on the approved vaccines. The Authority is receiving technical support from the GIZ and the European Union to build its capacity to deliver regulatory support for the manufacturing of mRNA vaccines in the country. Currently, the WHO is considering the Authority for qualification to Maturity Level 4 which will make the Authority comparable to the FDA of any developed country. With the construction of an ultra-modern molecular laboratory and a number of capacity building programmes for its staff in specialized areas such as lot release, the Authority is positioned to provide regulatory support for the manufacturing of vaccines in Ghana. The awards conferred on the Authority and the CEO, therefore, come with greater opportunities for the FDA to continue to be the beacon in medicines regulation on the continent. The FDA with support from its Governing Board is poised to work to achieve greater laurels in the years to come. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Those kids are mostly from poor homes, so the deal is done in exchange for poverty amelioration. No wealthy family will release their daughter for marriage at this tender age It’s quite unfortunate that the young girl’s future, hopes, aspirations, life, and right to choose have all been taken away from her in such a disgusting manner. Sadly, religion is the biggest problem in this part of the world and something needs to be urgently done about it. Trending photos and videos on social media which have enraged a lot of netizens capture the moment an 11-year-old girl was handed over to her 65-year-old husband in the course of their marriage ceremony. In the short disgusting videos, the young girl appeared sad while the man who’s old enough to be her great grandfather was in a jubilant mood. I still don’t understand how the old man found the 11-year-old girl attractive enough to wife her. Someone that is supposed to be watching cartoons and playing without having to worry about responsibilities; This world is just messed up. Below are some reactions: Credit: GHPage

A Female Journalist (Name withheld) who works with Adom TV, a subsidiary of the Multimedia Group Limited has received series of bashing on social media for asking late Christian Atsu's son, 'how does it feel to lose?'. The female journalist was trying to get a word or two from the little boy following the demise of his dad. However, the move by the Journalist has received series of backlash on social media with many saying the question or conversation at that time and to the kid of such age was irrelevant. The Adom TV reporter threw the question while the wife, kids as well as in-law of late Christian Atsu were making their way to sit at the VIP section provided to them at the funeral grounds. The little boy, however smiled but ignored the question. Late Christian Atsu was married to Marie-Claire Rupio with whom he had two sons and a daughter. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith