Host of Onua Fm's morning show, Onua Maakye, Blessed Godsbrain Smart known by many as Captain Smart has thrown shots at the Akufo-Addo administration saying it is heavily involved in galamsey in the country. The Broadcast Journalist made the revelations while hosting a live show on Onua Fm on Thursday morning. Captain Smart said "The Presidency is involved in galamsey. I am not afraid to say it. Who born dog!" The angry morning show host fumed at top government officials asking them to shut up and not dare him. Captain Smart said "What do you want from me?" The morning show host further revealed that he saved the life of President Nana Addo in 2016. "I saved Nana Addo's live in 2016. I believed in Akufo-Addo since 2005" He took a swipe at President Akufo-Addo describing him as the biggest disgrace to Ghana's constitution. Background It will be recalled that Captain Smart was on Wednesday evening picked up by twelve (12) National Security officials while on his way home from work. The news of his arrest generated lots of tension as many wondered what his crime was. He was however released on that same day. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Minister for Tourism, Creative Art and Culture, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal has told Journalists that, Ghana has recorded more one million tourists visiting the country between January and September, 2022. According to Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, these were both domestic and international visitors recorded within nine months. Addressing the media at a press briefing at the Information Ministry, the sector minister said, "Within January to September 2022, 534,711 domestic tourists recorded with an increase of 60%" Dr Mohammed Awal also mentioned that 645,047 international visitors were also recorded, adding that their projection is estimated at one million. He hinted Ghana is expecting to create about 150,000 both direct and indirect jobs in the country. Touching on events for 2022, he said "Ghana Tourism Authority has so far approved about 50 events for the 'December In G.H' event scheduled this year" He revealed government through the support of World Bank is spending GHc350 million to improve tourist attractions in the country. Touching on Sanitation, he stressed that although his outfit is not responsible for it, he was however worried about the level of filth engulfed the country adding that it can affect Ghana in a negative way. Responding to whether government will consider building museums in all the 16 regions, he said "The Museums, we don't have only Accra. The Accra one is called National Museum because Accra is the capital. We have museums in various castles and we plan to have museums in the key Paramount areas in the 16 regions of the country" He added "It is something we plan to do next year" Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

News reaching Thinknewsonline.com indicates that, host of Onua TV's Morning show, Onua Maakye, Blessed Godsbrain Smart known by many as Captain Smart has been arrested by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB). According to sources, the morning show host was picked up on Wednesday evening. Checks reveal that the arrest happened around Kanda, a community in the Greater Accra Region. A staff of Media General, Caleb Nii Boi who was with Captain Smart at the time of his arrest, Caleb Nii Boi said "This evening, I experienced the NIB formerly BNI as they stopped Captain Smart’s car which I was in around Kanda" "They escorted us to their office opposite the Bureau of Ghana languages. Took our phones & gagdets for some minutes and released it" He added that the NIB has, however, detained Captain Smart and ceased his phones. "As I type this— we ( 5 guys) have been released but Captain has been driven to an unknown location" More to follow.... Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Kwame Asuah Takyi has paid a three-day working visit to the Bono Regional Command of the Service to engage Officers and other stakeholders. The Immigration boss’ tour saw him engaging with border security Officers and key stakeholders such as the Dormahene Nana Agyemang bad I I I, Overlord of the Dormaa Traditional Area, and MMDCEs in various areas. The CGI, Mr. Kwame Asuah Takyi engaged border security Officers at the Kato Checkpoint, the Berekum Sector Office, Jinijini District Office, Kofibadukrom Border Point, Gonokrom Border Point, Kofikumikrom Border Point, Frimpongkrom, Sampa Border Post, Kwameseikrom Border Point, and Kwameprakrom-Atuna Border Point; on the need for vigilance and collaboration in their work. He said, “Security demands collaborative effort”, entreating that all Officers adopt an integrated approach in playing their respective roles in order to prevent lapses that can threaten Ghana’s peace. At all the Commands visited, the Comptroller-General held meetings with Officers and admonished them to collaborate with their counterparts at the various borders and raise their alertness level especially in the wake of the threat of terrorism and even as we approach the festive season. He also directed the various commanders at the border points and inland checkpoints to as a matter of great urgency engage with the border community residence. "See the border residents as your collaborative partners and team up with them to win their support and trust. This is the way to go in contemporary border control and management”, he intimated. The morale of Officers were very high especially in Atuna where it was the first time a Head of immigration had visited. The CGI assured Officers that government in spite of the difficult economic situation has done a lot to improve on the fortunes of the Service especially in the areas of office and residential accommodation and also vehicles and logistical support. He admonished Officers to justify this support by working extra hard to protect the territorial integrity of the country. The CGI also met briefly with the Dormaahene Nana Agyemang Badu II who was in the middle of some communal works with his subjects. The MCE for Dormaa Central, Honorable Dryssa Outtara and the DCE for Dormaa West, Honorable John Oppong Francis were also called on by the Immigration boss. He entreated that Border Security Committees (BORSECs) be given all the necessary supports at the District levels to help keep the country secured, adding that “the government on the national level has been very supportive, and same should be reflecting at the very district level”. He was grateful to the Chief Executives for their continuous support for the border agencies, particularly the Immigration Service, and encouraged that more be done on sensitization of community members and landlords especially. Speaking during the tour, the Comptroller-General carried the message that all landlords should avoid harboring undocumented immigrants in their houses as it poses serious security threats, especially in light of recent terrorist threats. He called for all citizens to be more circumspect and report suspicious movements and persons to the nearest security agency. MCE for Dormaa Central Municipal Assembly, Honorable Dryssa Ouattara applauded the CGI for his leadership and intimated that the Immigration Service had been very helpful in the region. “It took the efforts of your Men for us to combat the spread of COVID-19 effectively”, the Chief Executive recalled, adding that the Assembly had allocated an Office within the Municipal Assembly Block for the use of the GIS in order to help their work. He appealed to the CGI to ensure that Officers give due recognition to the sophisticated social settings among people who live along the borders in the course of their duty, even while they are firm in ensuring border security, explaining that “most of the families at the borders are related.” Below are some pictures: Story by: Think News Online

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor has charged the Ghana Chamber of Mines to take up lead roles in the fight against illegal mining even as government takes all the necessary measures to come to grips with this menace. He said apart from its negative environmental impacts, illegal mining, also, affects their operations and indeed, their employees. "The occasional clashes between illegal miners and your employees will be a thing of the past if we join hands together to deal with illegal mining and develop our mining communities" He also called on the Chamber to join hands with government and the Ministry to build a viable and sustainable Mining industry which will go a long way to benefit the Ghanaian economy and the Ghanaian people. Hon. Jinapor made this call when he joined the Ghana Chamber of Mines in Obuasi on Wednesday 19th October, 2022 to give the keynote address at their 5th Human Resource Conference on the theme "Transforming People Management for a Sustainable Mining Industry in Ghana" The Minister in his address applauded the efforts of the Chamber since its establishment on 6th June, 1928, saying" the Ghana Chamber of Mines has continued to play a critical role in the exploitation and management of our natural resources, and this Conference, which brings together Human Resource professionals to deliberate on issues of human capital within the mining industry, is yet another testament of your commitment to efficient exploitation of our natural resources" He added that government considers the Ghana Chamber of Mines as a true partner and intends to continue to collaborate closely with it, in moving the all-important Mining industry forward. Addressing the Managers the Lands Minister said despite the unprecedented developments in science and technology, which is revolutionising the way people live and work, "human capital remains crucial to the success of every industry" and therefore the need for Human Resources Professionals to attract and retain new talent to meet the industry’s future demands. The Minister asserted that building a sustainable mining industry requires that Managers incorporate into every aspect of the industry, Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Principles, which have become the basic standards, globally, for regulating and evaluating institutional performance based on environmental responsibility, social welfare and economic growth. He opined that motivation, fair treatment, and better remuneration are important for the mining workforce, in the industry, which is particularly associated with many risks, these incentives he said are required for the employees to give out their best at all times. Hon Jinapor allueded that this motivation agenda can only be achieved when Human Resource Departments work closely with workers’ unions to build consensus and strive towards organisational objectives. He highly commended the Ghana Chamber of Mines for instituting the Best Mine in Diversity and Inclusion award, as part of the Ghana Mining Industry Awards. This he said demonstrates the Chamber’s understanding of the need for diversity and inclusion in the workforce of the mining industry. The Managing Director for Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine and Chairman at the Event, Dr. Eric Asubonteng in his address said if Ghana can achieve the targeted aim of becoming the Mining Hub of Africa, then stakeholders must take deliberate steps to beef up the workforce. "in the Ghana Mining industry, if we are truly going to realise the vision we have set for ourselves to make Ghana the Mining hub of West Africa and Africa as a whole, then we must be deliberate about nurturing the workforce skilled in the required practical and mordern mining methods" He tabled a number of challenges the Mine has faced since the last Human Resource Conference noting that to address these Challenges, all stakeholders need to be proactive in strategies and from an HR perspective, strengthen the employer value proposition. Dr. Asubonteng said their vision as a Mine to is to be a safe and viable tier one assert that is at peace with it's stakeholders, adding that this vision cannot be realised without the right human resource management wing and also assured that their organisation remains focused on "turning this world class ore body into a world class value" He urged the Managers saying "Human Resource managers must therefore intensify efforts to transform the industry through comprehensive people-management practices and finding innovative ways to boost the effectiveness and efficiency of our people" Appreciating the need and importance of the Conference Mr. Sulemanu Koney, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines said there is the need for the Human Resource Managers to constantly update themselves to do better at their jobs and meet up with the competition and world standards. He touted a number of initiatives the Chamber has embarked on to support the human capital development in the mining sector mentioning an 804,000 dollars research grant presented to the University of Minesand Technology as an example. He gave an assurance that the Chamber will continue to support the industry with innovative and relevant training modules that will help train and develop a pipeline of talents and skills for the industry and for Ghana as a whole. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, has sought the support of all and sundry in the fight against illegal mining as he noted that the fight against galamsey is not going to be an event but a process that will be won eventually. In a telephone interview with some media outlets in Kumasi, on October 19, Hon. Jinapor said government’s efforts and measures to bring an end to galamsey will continue unabated, taking into review and consideration the various ideas and suggestions from the general public. "Operation Halt II is in session with soldiers all over the country, and we are also working acidiously to bring up reforms in the mining sector and this fight is not going to be an event, it has to be a process and we need the support of all and sundry" He however dismissed the idea for illegal miners to be shot to kill on site, stressing that "We are a country of due process and the rule of law must prevail so No we cannot do that, that will be against the laws of human rights" He warned that nonetheless, government will continue to enforce the law to ensure that those who are still engaging in illegalities of any sort are brought to book. The Lands Minister reiterated a number of measures that government has put in place to nib the menace in the bud, sighting Operations Halt II, Community Mining Scheme, the involvement of Chiefs, Regional Security Council (RECSECs) and the Metropolitan Municipal District Assemblies, (MMDAs) as examples. Confident about the measures of government to fight illegal mining, the Minister said that if all these interventions, which are geared towards the resolution of the menace are followed through, galamsey will soon be an issue of the past. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The protest by the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) over Ghana’s forex challenges and the cost of living crisis has been largely met with support from traders. While most of the traders joined the protest by locking their shops, a significant number of traders had opened their shops for trade. At Tudu, for example, only about a third of shops were closed in support of the protest. “I don’t believe in closing shops, but I am wearing this [red band] to show the government that I am very troubled about our capital that is going down,” one trader who opened his shop said. “We have done this thing several times, but we are not getting any results. If we continue to close our stores, it will not add to anything,” he added. But in areas around the Makola mall, nine in ten shops were closed in line with the protest. Most of the traders who closed their shops were people who imported their products. Only a handful of hawkers set up within the precincts to sell their wares.Vehicle and human traffic flow were much lower than normal because of the protest, and head porters who help consumes transport wares were seen idle. The leadership of the GUTA met with members of the council of state in the latter’s attempt to urge the traders to stop the protest. Ahead of the protest, the dollar had crossed the 11 cedi mark, with industry players predicting a further depreciation of the Ghanaian currency. Below are some pictures: Credit: Citinewsroom

Duraplast Limited in partnership with the Kaneshie Polyclinic has organised a 'drop a blood to save a life' blood exercise in the Okaikoi South Sub-District in the Greater Accra Region. According to the organisers, the move was aimed at dealing with Hemorrhage which is a number one cause of maternal mortality in the country. In an interview with Thinknewsonline.com, a member of the Organizing Team, Enoch Nucky Osei said "Hemorrhage remains the number on cause of maternal mortality in the Greater Accra Region and blood banking services and availability of blood within the Greater Accra Region remains a challenge" He added "In order to curtail the challenge in the Okaikoi South Sub-District, Duraplast Limited in collaboration with Kaneshie Polyclinic organized blooding donation exercise dubbed “DROP A BLOOD TO SAVE A LIFE” on Tuesday October 18, 2022" "This was a second exercise by the company this year" He noted that the first exercise took place on Wednesday March 30, 2022. Over 60 staff including the management of the company partook in the exercise. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

An Accra Circuit Court has ordered the arrest of Kofi Owusu Hene aka Kofi Capito, Chief Executive Officer, Consumer Protection Agency, for failing to appear before it. Kofi Capito who is standing trial before the Court failed to turn up in court when the matter was called. The Court presided over by Mrs Christina Cann issued a bench warrant for his arrest. The matter has been adjourned to Thursday, October 20, 2022. The CEO of Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) is being held on the charges of deprivation of the use of property of deceased person, engaging in domestic violence to wit economic abuse and causing unlawful damage. The CEO of CPA is alleged to have deprived his late brother's wife a house the couple had jointly acquired at Ogbojo, and he is said to have threatened to dispose off the said property which the later brother's wife has an interest in. He has denied all the charges and he is currently on bail. Credit: GNA

Information reaching Thinknewsonline.com indicates that President Akufo-Addo has sacked the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa. The unfortunate incident was made known in a letter issued on October 17. In a letter sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, it said "The Ministry of Education had informed the Office of the President that the exigencies that required Prof Opoku-Amankwa’s skills and expertise no longer exist" "The Ministry of Education has informed this office that the exigencies that required your skills and expertise as Director-General of the Ghana Education Service do not exist any longer," The secretary to President added that the extension of Prof Opoku-Amankwa’s secondment by the 14th June, 2021 letter is in contravention of the Human Resource Policy Framework and Manual of the public service commission. "Accordingly, the President of the Republic has instructed that your secondment be terminated forthwith, and you are directed to return to your position at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science And Technology," It will be recalled the sacked Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa was appointed as the Director General of the Service on secondment from the (KNUST) on 22nd January, 2021. Below is a copy of the letter: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Energy Minister and Member of Parliament for the Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has insisted that the NPP government, under President Akufo-Addo, has done a great deal of work for Asanteman. Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony of the Suame Interchange on Tuesday, Dr. Prempeh also known as NAPO touted the achievements of the governing NPP in the Ashanti Region. According to him, the party has the development of the region at heart and that numerous projects are ongoing in the region courtesy the governing NPP. He urged the residents in the region to be mindful of some agenda-setters in the media who are bent on denigrating the government for whatever reasons, no matter the reality. It will be recalled that recently, a media furore erupted over a Kumasi-based morning radio host who had allegedly received a bribe of $2,000.00 to run negative stories about the government in the Ashanti Region. Acknowledging that more can and will be done for Asanteman, Dr. Prempeh said it was important to be thankful for what has been achieved so far. ”Even God who created us requests for thanks from us anytime he does something good for us hence we the people in the area must be thankful to the Nana Addo government for what he continues to do for us” On the Suame interchange, he said those who leverage on the challenges of the project delay to insist government had not done anything for Asanteman are not being fair to the facts. “Suame Interchange is not Asanteman, other roads and infrastructure are being developed in the region”, he declared. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Christian Council of Ghana has added its voice to the growing list of Ghanaian individuals and entities who have called on the government to band small-scale mining, otherwise known as galamsey. In a statement issued on Monday, October 17, 2022, the council said that the ban on small-scale mining is necessary because it will help the country stop galamsey which it describes as an existential threat to Ghana. The council also called for a week of prayer and fasting across the country to beg God for the destruction some Ghanaians have caused to his creation. “For many years now, our sovereign country Ghana has been witnessing under our very naked eyes, the saddest "environmental coup d'éta" ever unleashed upon our nation, heralding a programmed and complete "ecological disaster" or destruction. “We are calling for a week of fasting and prayers to pray for change of heart and for God's mercy upon our nation for the destruction we have caused the environment 2. We call for the IMMEDIATE BAN of all small-scale mining. “We have taken notice that many groups or companies hide behind a legal license to wreak havoc in the environment, To that end, we call for an immediate ban on all forms of small-scale mining, whether licensed or not, until a workable and satisfactory mad map has been established to ensure responsible mining in our country,” parts of the statement by the council read. “We call for an immediate national stakeholder's dialogue under the auspices of religious leaders (while the has is in place) to dialogue with all political parties, mining technocrats, the media, traditional leaders and all stakeholders to commit to a non-partisan National Strategy to sustainably deal with this national canker before we sink as a nation. “We call on government to swiftly arrest and prosecute all those involved in galamsey activities in Ghana without fear or favour, to serve as deterrent to others. Those who desire to be rich at the expense of the future of our country should face the full rigors of the law,” it added. Credit: Ghanaweb