The Doba-Kandiga Conflict Resolution Committee (DK-CRC) has warned that should the traditional authorities fail to resolve the land issue which has been the cause of conflict leading to the death of tens of people, loss of property and human dignity by the end of January 2023, it will facilitate the parties to adopt a Customary Arbitration approach to ensure that the matter is resolved in a rapid and amicable manner. The Doba-Kandiga Conflict Resolution Committee (DK-CRC) made these known after it successfully engaged the feuding factions to the conflict for the third time. In a statement sighted by Thinknewsonline.com and signed by the Chairman of the Doba-Kandiga Conflict Resolution Committee, Retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice William Anaam Atuguba, he said "The Doba-Kandiga Conflict Resolution Committee (DK-CRC) having successfully engaged the feuding factions to the conflict for the third time, proposes that should the traditional authorities fail to resolve the land issue which has been the cause of the conflict leading to the death of tens of people and the loss of property and human dignity by the end of January 2023, the committee will facilitate the parties to adopt a Customary Arbitration approach to ensure that the matter is resolved in a rapid and amicable manner" The Committee also added that having listened to repeated verbal statements, studied written statements and many documentations gathered from the past and presented by all parties, it has come to a firm conclusion that all efforts by any interested peace maker will only reduce tensions and improve peaceful co-existence for a period. It, however, mentioned that other efforts at tackling the land issue and resolving it completely will inure to a lasting peace for the people of Doba and Kandiga. The Committee further appealed to the chiefs and people of Doba and Kandiga to continue to hold on to the current calm and peaceful co-existence amongst them. The Committee says it will continue to partner with any peace initiators who has special focus on the Doba and Kandiga area conflict to ensure that calm and peaceful co-existence return to the area to enable the innocent and vulnerable people go about their daily activities without fear or hindrance. The committee also appealed to the Paramount Chiefs of the Navrongo and Mirigu Traditional Areas, Navro-Pio, Pe Asagpaare Aneakwoa Balinia Adda II and Naba Anosona Abisa Atasige III under whose respective traditional jurisdictions Doba and Kandiga fall respectively to hold firm the chiefs of Doba and Kandiga to control their subjects to allow peace a chance. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD), Ursula Owusu-Ekuful ( MP), has been adjudged the Digital Leader of the Year for the second consecutive time at the 12th Ghana Information Technology and Telecom Awards (GITTA) which was held last night 21st October 2022 at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra. This was in recognition of her excellent performance in championing Ghana's Digital Transformation Agenda for national development. The GITTA awards also celebrated other Change Makers and those providing Digital Leadership in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry with the aim of spurring business and enable corporate leaders to innovate and provide better and more efficient services and products. The Deputy Minister for MoCD, Ms. Ama Pomaa-Boateng (MP), who received the prestigious award on behalf of the Sector Minister, commended the organizers, INSTINCT WAVE, for a laudable and inspiring event to encourage individuals and institutions to continue to work hard for a resilient digital economy. She said the GITTA event was one of the most celebrated ICT awards in recent times and might be arguably referred to as the Oscars of the ICT and Telecom industry, noting that, the ICT and Telecom industry had also cemented its position as the most important enabler of development. Ms. Pomaa-Boateng said innovation remains the hallmark of entrepreneurship which provides huge opportunities for job creation and economic growth to build a robust digital economy. She added that having a digitally literate workforce was necessary to enhance the widespread adoption and use of digital products and services by all Ghanaians irrespective of geographical location and economic status. According to the Deputy Minister, it was against this background that governments across the world continue to adopt digital technologies to fast-track their development, provide better and more efficient services, while better responding to the needs of the people. She said the MoCD remains committed to the President’s digitalization agenda and would continue to work around the clock to transform Ghana’s economy. To achieve this, she mentioned that the Ministry has implemented several initiatives including the annual Girls-in-ICT programme that provides a platform for Ghanaian girls in High schools to acquire digital skills and stir up interest in them to pursue ICT courses at higher educational levels. "Over 9,000 girls have been trained so far since the inception of the initiative in 2012 in Ghana. We also have the cyber security version of the Girls in ICT which focuses on the Senior High Schools and has so far trained over 50,000 young women across the country", she stated. She indicated that, in order to equip the youth with digital skills to manage the transforming economy and meet the labour market’s expectations of our growing digital economy, the Ministry facilitates ICT knowledge and skills acquisition by individuals and institutions. She revealed that MoCD has established a state-of-the-art mini tech hub, called the Ghana Digital Centres Limited (GDCL) to harness the digital potential of Ghana by driving Digital innovation and entrepreneurship to create digital and ancillary jobs for the youth through the hosting of Tech firms and Digital Start-ups. She noted that the Centre which commenced operations in 2017, has incubated 200 digital start-ups over the period, adding, that with funding from the World bank, the Ministry set up an Innovation Centre at the GDCL made up of an Innovation Hub (iHub) and a mobile Applications Lab (mLab). She mentioned the ministry’s effort to provide training in Digital marketing, call centre skills, basic IT, Microsoft office suite, BPO skills to disadvantaged youth in the Greater Accra Region at the Centre and the success story was being replicated in other parts of the country primarily to create more job opportunities for the youth irrespective of geographical location. The CEO of Instinct wave, Mr Akin Naphtal in a short welcome address indicated that the GITTA awards is aimed at promoting and celebrating governments institutions, digital operators, Infrastructure Providers among others to share the progress of their successful innovations aimed at further enhancing the Ghanaian community as part of Government’s vision of building a robust digital economy. “GITTA was created as a strategic platform to recognize, reward and showcase the pioneering ICT initiatives driving the Ghanaian private and public sectors with a vision of setting a benchmark to the sub-region’s wave of development in ICT”, he added. According to him, GITTA will recognize organizations and individuals at the forefront of Digitization with innovative products and services that keep ICT sector exciting. “The prestigious annual ICT gala awards night has inspired and promoted further development, growth, and innovation of the country’s ICT industry as a regional leader”, he said. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Haemovigilance Documents To Ensure Safety Of Blood Products Launched In Accra (PICS) A Haemovigilance documents aimed at ensure safety of blood and blood products has been launched in Accra. According to the documents, it will enable health workers at all levels to report safety issues to tye FDA for appropriate regulatory action. Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman Manu, the Director, Technical Coordination, Dr. Baffler Awuah said "Blood and blood products were essential in the treatment of blood and bone marrow disorders, immune deficiency conditions, bleeding in women associated with pregnancy and childbirth, severe anaemia among others" "Universal Health Coverage meant that all individuals and communities must have access to affordable and timely supplies of safe and quality-assured blood and blood products" "To ensure that Ghana achieved Universal Health Coverage, systems and structures have to be put in place to address causes of morbidity and mortality, including timely access to safe blood and blood products and their appropriate use" The Director stressed that the Haemovigilance Framework will outline all steps involved in the haemovigilance processes, reporting of adverse events and roles and responsibilities of all relevant stakeholders with an action plan. Taking her turn, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Delese Mimi Darko said "Transfusion of blood and blood products is an essential therapy that saves lives in emergencies, improves quality of life and enables many complex medical and surgical procedures to be undertaken. "The Food and Drugs Authority is the agency mandated by the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851 to regulate whole blood, Blood components and Blood products as biological products" The CEO added that Haemovigilance is an integral part of quality management in the blood transfusion chain and is required for the continual improvement of the quality and safety of blood and blood products and the blood transfusion process. She stressed that the the Haemovigilance systems will provide valuable data on a range of adverse events related to blood donation and clinical blood transfusion, from donor syncopal events to Transfusion-reactions. "The National Haemovigilance Framework for Ghana is developed with the objective to record all steps involved in the haemovigilance process, reporting of adverse events and the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders" "Key stakeholders in the national haemovigilance governance structure including Ministry of Health, FDA, National Blood Service, Blood facilities and transfusing facilities, have been identified at each administrative level, local, regional and national with roles clearly defined to ensure effective coordination of the haemovigilance activities" "One major action plan outlined in the National Haemovigilance Framework to be completed over the next 3 years is training on the haemovigilance systems for all stakeholders and the development of online reporting to complement data collection at all levels to improve the current national haemovigilance system and ensure timely reporting" Explaining further, Madam Darko noted that the guidelines for Haemovigilance in Ghana was developed to create a working document for health workers involved at different level of the transfusion chain to follow in order to guide their activities and bring about standardization of the activities within the blood transfusion chain, taking into consideration the country’s systems for managing transfusions. "The guidelines is targeted at all stakeholders in the haemovigilance system including healthcare professional regulatory agencies, blood donor organizations, patient groups, scientific and professional bodies, development partners, hospitals, blood banks and health facilities where transfusion takes place" "The guidelines provide important information in detail covering the key activities in haemovigilance including reporting and investigation of adverse reactions and adverse events, haemovigilance data collection, data management and use of haemovigilance data, traceability, haemovigilance methods and haemovigilance rapid alert system" "The development of these two documents is very timely and would contribute to Ghana’s efforts to become a WHO Listed Authority not only in medicines and vaccines but also blood and blood products. The two documents will serve as good reference and invaluable teaching and learning materials for all stakeholders" On her part, Dr. Shirley Owusu-Ofori, Acting CEO, National Blood Service said "Hon. Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, blood transfusion is a necessary medical intervention that saves lives and improves the life expectancy and quality of life of patients with various acute and chronic conditions" "There are, however, risks of adverse events associated with blood donation and transfusion. These adverse events include reactions, incidents, errors and accidents which occur during blood donation and transfusion" She noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises the importance of haemovigilance; the systematic blood safety surveillance, to identify and prevent occurrence or recurrence of transfusion-related adverse events, and to increase the safety, efficacy and efficiency of blood transfusion. "In spite of the critical role of Haemovigilance in ensuring a comprehensive quality system in blood establishments and hospitals, only 40% of countries in the Africa region had a National Haemovigilance system as compared to 83% of European countries as reported in a 2015 WHO Global Database on Blood Safety.  Even where haemovigilance systems are in place, opportunities exist to further raise the bar in safety and quality by expanding the scope of these systems – for example, by incorporating rapid alert or early warning channels; by including capture of poor transfusion decision-making, under- or unnecessary transfusion, and avoidable blood wastage" Toiching on the journey, she noted that in August 2016, the Ministry of Health in conjunction with the National Blood Service signed a Minutes of Meeting (MoM) with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Terumo Corporation regarding the routine use of the Terumo BCT Mirasol® Pathogen Reduction Technology System and the implementation of a Haemovigilance program in Ghana. She explained that a Kick-off meeting was held in May 2017, which initiated a series of capacity-building training programs with audits by Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) Consulting Services to clinical staff and Blood service staff. This, she said, culminated in the National Blood Service receiving 18-months of technical assistance support from JICA and Terumo BCT to establish a Haemovigilance system in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. "The Primary Objective of the programme was to monitor and evaluate the safety of the blood supply while comparing Mirasol-treated Whole blood and conventional Whole Blood in routine use with primary focus on Acute Transfusions Reaction" "Building on this, in June 2020, the NBS and the FDA welcomed the Paul Erlich Institute ‘Blood Train’ who offered to support Ghana to establish Haemovigilance as a National Programme. A joint technical team was then constituted whose unflinching efforts have resulted in our gathering here today to officially launch the HV Framework and Guidelines for Haemovigilance in Ghana" The Food and Drugs Authority later in the day organised a blood donation exercise its premises for its staff. The blood donation exercise saw other institutions such as National Identification Authority (NIA), Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) among others partaking in it. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Government of Ghana has revealed that it remains fully committed to reaching a Staff-Level Agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the programme. The Government made this known after it successfully concluded a trip to Washington D. C to attend the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). In a release sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, it said "A Government Delegation has successfully concluded a trip to Washington D.C., to attend the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF or the Fund); and continue negotiations for IMF support for Ghana’s Post-Covid Programme for Economic Growth" The release also added that several meetings were held between the Government of Ghana and the IMF, advancing negotiations towards a Fund-supported Programme. During the meeting, it emerged that a clear path towards the final details of the programme has been agreed upon by both parties, with the goal of reaching a Staff-Level Agreement by the end of the year. "A pathway towards fiscal sustainability has also been extensively discussed, and the Government of Ghana and the IMF remain fully committed to the goal of reaching a Staff-Level Agreement on a Programme, within the shortest possible time" Thinknewsonline.com has gathered that, with this objective in mind, negotiations will continue, with the IMF Mission Team expected in Accra in the next few weeks. The Annual Meetings concluded successfully with a renewed sense of urgency for countries to rally together to bolster the global economy, in light of the dim outlook for advanced and frontier markets alike. The Delegation also had several positive and encouraging engagements with the World Bank, Bilateral Partners, US State Officials, and External Investors. The Government of Ghana says it is thanking the IMF, the World Bank, Bilateral Partners, and External Investors, for their continued support. Furthermore, the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana has also showered praises on the people of Ghana for their forbearance in what is undoubtedly a troubling and challenging time for the country’s economy, and economies globally. The statement said "Government will continue to work with a fierce sense of urgency, to stabilize the economy and place it back on a firm trajectory of growth" The Ministry of Finance noted that it undertakes to continue to provide regular updates and further details of Ghana's economic programme to the public, immediately they become available. These updates will be posted on the Ministry’s website, under a section titled IMF Programme Updates. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Ghana is set to see a new airline entering its aviation industry to ply the Manchester -Accra routes. Sentra Airways, a Manchester based startup Pan African Airline is set to launch operations with its maiden flight to Accra scheduled in the last quarter of 2022, with initial long-haul flights from Manchester to Accra. The strategy of Sentra Airlines will see its operations expand to other West African countries and the United States later. The company was established in 2019, initially under the name ‘Majestic Mallard Airways’ with a startup capital of £600,000. The name was later changed to “Sentra Airways” in January 2020. The airline’s shareholders are Bilqis Ismail and Ishmael Musah, both Ghanaian citizens. Sentra Airways secured its 1st airplane in April this year; an Airbus A330-200 from the from Air Lease Corporation (ALC), a US based lessor. The airline aims to start operations this winter as Operations at the airport are due to begin in the second half of the year. Meanwhile the Airline has long obtained its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. The management of Sentra Airways has completed the first phase of its recruitment of personnel with a majority sourced from the Ghanaian Aviation Space and held a pre-departure and onboarding orientation program for its newly recruited crew members in Accra, Ghana. The 16-member crew were oriented on topics such as work ethics, basic cabin crew management and also briefed on the administration and communications in Sentra Air Services Limited. Ghanaian employees of the airline recruited are expected to join their counterparts in the UK later this month for a 3-month intensive training and also prepare them for their general duties as cabin crew attendants on board Air Sentra flights. The airline has chosen Accra as its first destination because they believe, it will help in positioning itself as the airline of choice and wants to establish regional partnerships. Experts say, the entry of Sentra Airways to the Ghanaian aviation industry will be crucial in consolidating the Kotoka International Airways (KIA) as a major entry point into West Africa. Sentra Airlines is therefore calling on the regulatory agencies to support the new entrants meet their planned timelines to start operations. The news of the possibility of a new airline linking Ghana and the UK follows a recent decision of the British Airways to cut its number of flights on its UK-Ghana route. Story by: Clara Allotey

Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio has assured that government will put in place the necessary measures to protect the Ramsar Site from encroachment. Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio said Ghana as a signatory to the United Nation’s convention on protection forests and Ramsar sites has an obligation to safeguard the site and preserve it for the purpose for which it was created. The Deputy Minister told the Media after a tour of the place on Thursday, October 20, 2022 that the plan to save the land is in phases and that phase one will see the moving out of all encroachers and fence walls erected at the site. The second phase of the project will see the marking out and inventory of structures which falls within the perimeter. After this inventory, the Deputy Lands Minister says his outfit will inform the public on the affected illegal structures and advice the obstructionists to vacate the area. He warned that the government will not watch unconcerned for people to encroach on the land and that the protection of the land is a visionary approach towards the prevention of a flood disaster in the near future. “There is a flood-prone area but people have blatantly developed and encroach on it. This space is a protected area and Ghana by virtue of signing on to the Ramsar convention, it is our duty to protect for the purpose for which it was laid down”. “This is a flood prone that is supposed to serve as a reservoir for floods from Aburi towards Accra and flow peacefully into the ocean. Phase one is to remove the fence walls of the speculators. The second phase will be marking out structures in the waterways with the inscriptions ‘to be demolished”. “There is no building here that is affected that is habitable. All those structures are almost not habitable and they all do not have building permits,” he said. Mr John Allotey, the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission disclosed that previous attempts by his outfit to demolish the illegal structures have been shackled by legal actions. He said following consultations with key stakeholders, the various legal hurdles have been removed and that clearance has been given for the commission and the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council to pull down the buildings and free the sites from the commission. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Waste Management Company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) has announced a $100,000 package to support school children to learn more about sanitation and the need to protect the environment. The Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, who made the announcement, indicated that Zoomlion was also sensitising school children more through its Zoomkids. "The whole idea of Zoomkids is to catch the kids young and educate them on good sanitation practices and hygiene," he explained. The Executive Chairman of JGC made the announcement at the launch of Waste Water Education organised by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) in Accra on Thursday, October 20, 2022. According to him, through Zoomkids, Zoomlion inculcates the culture of sanitation and hygiene into children. He said since its inception in 2008, Zoomlion Foundation can boast of about 526 Zoomkids in various schools in the country. In 2016, he said, Zoomkids organised a quiz competition where a young girl emerged as the winner and was sponsored to Dubai to continue her education. "The 2022 winner will be sent to Hungary for further studies," he disclosed. Dr. Siaw Agyepong gave a firm assurance that Zoomlion will also continue to sponsor schools that have Zoomkids with facilities that to aid them in learning as well. The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, cautioned farmers who farm on the banks of water bodies in the country to put an end to such practice. She said stopping such a practice will contribute to polluting water bodies. She reinforced that the fight against illegal mining (popularly known as galamsey) was a collective commitment, hence urged Ghanaians to support President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on that front. "We should all help fight against the few selfish people who want to destroy our water bodies and lands," she charged. The galamsey war, she asserted, cannot be won without the support of Ghanaians. According to Mrs. Dapaah, President Akufo-Addo has shown massive commitment in tackling sanitation, stating that the evidence was obvious for all to see, especially as the country has been recording zero cases of cholera and other sickness relating to sanitation, for some time now. Further, she maintained that her ministry was equally not relenting on its efforts to bring an end to irresponsible mining across the country. She stressed that it was crucial that "we start inculcating good sanitation practices and protection of our water bodies and environment into our children." This, she pointed out, will sink deep into the minds of children to consciously and always protect the environment. For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Pureco Group, Mr. Balint Horvath, stated that it was important for such programmes to be organised to protect Ghana's environment. He lamented the damage galamsey was causing to Ghana's environment and water bodies. Pureco Group seeks to let children know the importance of sanitation and hygiene through games," he said. "We want to bring a new way or alternative way of teaching in Ghanaian classrooms on sanitation and hygiene," he further added. Mr. Balint Horvath indicated that his outfit was in collaboration with Zoomlion to organise other projects aimed at helping the country to safeguard its environment. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah says the fight against illegal mining is a collective responsibility and must not be left to only government. According to the Sanitation Minister, the fight illegal mining cannot be achieved without the support from Ghanaians therefore calling on all and sundry to join the force and help the government. She made these comments at the official launch of the Waste Water Education Program which is being spearheaded by Zoomlion Foundation in collaboration with the Pureco Group of Companies. The program sought to educate children about proper sanitation and hygiene in their classrooms through play base learning and teaching. In an interview with Journalists, Madam Abena Dapaah said" The President has shown massive commitment the fight against the illegality thus the duty of Ghanaians to help fight the few selfish individuals as she says teaching sanitation from schools is best way to go" Taking his turn, Executive Chairman for the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong commended the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and Pureco Group of Companies for the initiative. Explaining the rationale behind the program, hinted that the aim of Zoomkids Foundation was to catch the them young, educate and inculcate the culture of Sanitation and Hygiene into them for future purposes. On his part, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pureco Group of Companies Balint Horvath said "It is an important program where they want to help the Ghanaian environment and also for people to see the damages poor sanitation is doing to the environment. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister just 44 days after taking over from Boris Johnson. In a statement read outside Downing Street, Ms Truss said: "I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability." "Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills."She said she was elected "with a mandate to change this", adding: "We delivered on energy bills."Ms Truss said she recognised she "cannot deliver the mandate" on which she was elected and that there will be a leadership election "to be completed within the next week". Her time in office has been dominated by market chaos prompted by the mini-budget that was announced by former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng last month. Despite sacking Mr Kwarteng last week and reversing almost all the unfunded tax cuts that had been proposed, the prime minister's position had continued to come under pressure. Some Tory MPs had publicly called for her resignation, but many others had privately suggested her time was up. While Conservative Party rules prevent a challenge in the first 12 months of a new leader's tenure, it was reported that a significant number of MPs had written to Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 committee, to make clear they had lost confidence in the PM. On Monday, new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the government would be cutting the energy price guarantee back to six months from the two years previously promised and abandoning the planned 1p reduction to the basic rate of income tax. The announcement was widely seen as the complete upheaval of Ms Truss's economic programme, central to her leadership bid.After Mr Hunt's statement, the prime minister's official spokesman refused to deny that Ms Truss was about to resign, instead saying she was "working very closely" with the new chancellor. On Tuesday, Ms Truss sent House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt to answer an urgent question in the Commons tabled by Labour on the sacking of Mr Kwarteng. Ms Mordaunt denied to MPs that Ms Truss was hiding "under a desk".PM: 'I'm a fighter, not a quitter'In a calamitous 24-hour period on Wednesday, Suella Braverman lashed out at Ms Truss's "tumultuous" premiership as she resigned as home secretary, after sending secure information using a private email. Ms Braverman was the second departure from the four great offices of state within Ms Truss's first six weeks in Number 10. A few hours later, there was mayhem in the Commons over whether a fracking vote was being considered as a confidence vote in the government and whether the chief and deputy chief whip had quit. There was speculation that Chief Whip Wendy Morton and her deputy, Craig Whittaker, walked out after a last-minute U-turn on a threat to strip the party whip from Conservative MPs if they backed a Labour challenge over fracking. Later, Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg had to deny claims made by Labour MP Chris Bryant that some MPs were "physically manhandled into another lobby and being bullied" during the vote. Mr Rees-Mogg told Sky News he had seen no evidence of anyone being manhandled, but senior Tory MP Sir Charles Walker said what took place was "inexcusable" and "a pitiful reflection on the Conservative Parliamentary Party". Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirmed on Thursday morning that he had asked officials to investigate allegations made about incidents in the Commons on Wednesday night. Credit: Sky UK

Dr. Eric Nkansah was the Director in charge of Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Ghana. He joined the Ministry of Education in April 2021, having served as a Senior Lecturer at the Kumasi Technical University for over eight years. At Kumasi Technical University, he contributed heavily to teaching, research, programme development, and community service to the university's development. He also worked as the Executive Director of Career Spring Institute, a private consulting firm licensed to provide training for members and potential members of local and international professional programmes and specialised training for small, medium, and large corporations. Before joining the University and Career Spring Institute, he worked with Barclays Bank of Ghana (now Absa) for over six years and rose through the ranks to the position of Sales Manager. Whilst working for the Bank, he also lectured on a part-time basis at the Garden City University College and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. Dr. Nkansah has over 15 years of experience working in industry, academia, and education policy administration. He holds a Ph.D. in Financial Economics from the University of Zululand, South Africa, a Master of Business Administration (Finance) from KNUST Business School, Ghana, and B. A (Hons) Economics from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He has published widely in peer-reviewed academic journals. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (ACIB), Ghana. He is married and blessed with three lovely boys. Dr. Nkansah is passionate about educating and developing people. He believes increasing access to education is the fastest way to transform our country. Credit: Latifa Abass

President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed Dr. Eric Nkansah as the new Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES). The appointment comes two days after the President sacked Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa on Monday, October 17. In a letter from the Presidency signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, it said the skills of Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa are no longer required at the GES. Today, a new letter from the Presidency has disclosed that President Akufo-Addo has settled on Dr. Eric Nkansah as the new GES Director-General. “Pursuant to Section 19 (1), (2) (a) and (b) of the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049), I am pleased to inform you that the President has appointed you to act as the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (the "Service") pending receipt of the constitutionally required advice of the governing Council of the Service, given in consultation with the Public Services Commission.“ "Your appointment is effective 19th October 2022. I take this opportunity to congratulate you formally on your appointment,” a letter signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante has said. Dr. Eric Nkansah is to reply to the letter and indicate his acceptance or otherwise of the appointment within 14 days of receipt of the letter. Below is a copy of the letter from the presidency: Credit: Modern Ghana

Onua FM’s morning show host, Captain Smart, was released by police late Wednesday evening after his arrest earlier in the day. He had been picked up by National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) operatives. Before the arrest, the government had cited the controversial broadcaster for making unsubstantiated claims that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is actively involved in illegal mining. Mr. Smart was referred to the National Media Commission for the comments. The government also said Mr. Smart, along with his employer, Media General, could face a lawsuit over the claims. Credit: Citinewsroom