Ashanti Regional Chairman for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako has expressed gratitude to those who worked tirelessly to get him re-elected. He disclosed this when he met all the party executives in the region today at Rotary Park in Kumasi where a small dinner took place. Popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, he thanked the entire leadership and supporters of the NPP in the Ashanti Region for the decisive re-election. “I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation to the leadership and supporters of the NPP for their unflinching support and votes in the recent elections. I believe if we are united, we will break the 8,” he said. Chairman Wontumi expressed appreciation to the leadership and supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for another opportunity to lead the Ashanti Region ahead of the “Breaking the 8” agenda. He said the NPP has a strong message for Ghanaians, but before that could be translated into governance, the party must be united and ready to 'break the 8.' “We should demonstrate this by standing together and being united so that we can ‘Break the 8’ in 2024. “We may have our differences, but we need to work together since a lot is expected from us as a formidable political party,” he admonished. He noted that NPP believes in healthy competition, and they will give their closest contenders that in 2024. According to him, that is the only way the target can be achieved. Chairman Wontumi was emphatic on the fact that it is by getting everyone onboard that the 'breaking the 8' agenda would be a reality. “Internal elections bring their own issues. There are oftentimes, acrimonious exchanges amongst aspirants and their supporters. If these are not addressed after internal elections, the unity we so desire to win the next elections would elude us,” he emphasised. Watch full video below: Story by: Richard Obeng Bediako

Samini can now add 'Mr President' to his name as he has emerged victorious in the GIMPA elections. The Ghanaian dancehall star contested as SRC President of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. According to results from the polls this evening, Samini has beaten the other candidate to win the election. He polled 307 votes against his competitor, Theophilus Quartey, who gathered 212 votes. This makes Samini the official GIMPA SRC president-elect. Some GIMPA students have already started congratulating the musician. Samini wins GIMPA elections Samini returned to school this year after he announced that he is now studying at GIMPA. In a post he shared on social media, he encouraged anyone who wishes to return to school to do so as it is not too late. "This post is to inspire whoever wants to go back to school that it’s NEVER too late to start from wherever you left off,” he wrote. The 'My Own' singer is in the Business School where he is studying Finance. Samini who actively campaigned for the NPP in the 2020 elections later announced that he would be contesting in the GIMPA SRC elections as the President. "I Emmanuel Andrew Samini popular known as Samini picked up forms to stand for GIMPA SRC Presidency," he said in a video recorded on campus. "If all things go well and I am approved, I will be going for the elections coming few days time," he continued. Campaigning for votes, he added that "and I urge all of you to come in your numbers to vote for me so we bring a massive change". Accordingly, Samini has now won elections. However he is yet to break his silence from the victory he has chalked from the elections this night. Story by: Selorm Tali

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta says all programmed, mobilised and utilised funds pertaining to the Covid-19 had been dully reported in line with government’s commitment to accountability and transparency. According to him, the public should not pay attention to the lies being preached by members from the opposition, National Democratic Congress (NDC). Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, he said "All programmed, mobilised and utilised funds pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic had been dully reported in line with government’s commitment to accountability and transparency" "Government was transparent on its expenditure items and would continue to operate an open-door policy, while welcoming any opportunity to engage to in the national interest" “Mr. Speaker, at this juncture, I wish to dispel the notion that there have been inconsistencies in government data on COVID-19. His Excellency, the President intimated during the State of the Nation Address on March 30, 2022, that we had mobilised about Gh¢17.7 billion since 2020 to fight the pandemic." “We have subsequently reconciled the data and I can report that, as of end of May, 2022, we have mobilised GH¢18.19 billion to mitigate the effect of the pandemic. Again, when His Excellency the Vice President indicated on April 7, 2022 at the National TESCON Conference that Government had spent Gh¢8.1 billion on Covid-19, it was within the context of expenditures for 2020 as I have already indicated,” Touching on disbursement, Ken Ofori-Atta revealed that out of the Gh¢18.19 billion expended to mitigate the effect of the pandemic, GH¢1,550 million was disbursed under the Support to Households Programme, and GH¢1,049 million was allocated to health response-supplies equipment and relief for health workers. He further explained that GH¢600 million was also released to begin the construction across the country. The Finance Minister also disclosed that an additional GH¢763.92 million had been released to continue the construction of the 111 district hospitals. He stressed that government also programmed a total amount of GH¢875 million for security operations, evacuation of Ghanaians stranded abroad and coordination of MMDAs’ sanitation and disinfection exercises. "In line with measures to stabilise the economy after the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, government had implemented programmes to revitalise the economy and protect jobs. This includes the GH¢600 million utilised under Coronavirus Alleviation Programme Business Support Scheme (CAPBuSS) by the NBSSI, now the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA),” Hitting on vaccine procurement, Mr. Ofori-Atta noted that GH¢929.30 million had been allocated, explaining that “a total amount of GH¢775.82 million was released for the purchase of Sputnik V, the Janssen COV SARS 2 Covid Vaccines and the Emergency deployment of vaccines in schools among other key disbursement by government”. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Information reaching Thinknewsonline.com indicates that that the Father of the Founder of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Samuel Kwame Agyepong is dead. Sources say, the Late Kwame Agyepong died after a short illness. According to the head of family, it will be hold a one week celebration in memory of the great son of the land. Among the notable children of Late Samuel Kwame Agyepong includes; Industrious Entepreneur, Dr.Joseph Siaw Agyepong. The family says the one week celebration will be held T the Agyepong Family House at Teshie, a community in Accra. It is also emerging that all Covid-19 protocols will be adhered to. Late Samuel Kwame Agyepong was 98 years old. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Coalition for Accountable E-levy Fund (CAEF), a public policy advocate and analyst, has asked the government to disclose the amount generated from the electronic transfer levy (E-Levy), after 51 days of its implementation. It noted that barely 24 hours after the implementation of the E-Levy in May this year, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) announced that the government had raked in one million cedis. CAEF, in a statement signed by its convener, Kwame Baa Mensa, indicated that the aforementioned suggests an increase in the amount generated, hence the need for the government through the GRA to account to the public. “It is speculative to say that the five charging entities in 24 hours multiplied by the 51 days, suggest that the government through the GRA has made millions of the Ghana cedi out of Ghanaians to support the economy,” it said. Usage Again, it believes that with a regulation backing the implementation of the E-Levy, it must be clear, unambiguous and precise, the usage of its accrued funds. This is because, having embarked on public engagement in the Ashanti, Greater Accra, Eastern, Bono and Ahafo regions, soliciting the views of Ghanaians on the initiative, “the majority are of the concern that the government seems to have gone to sleep after the implementation of the policy and fear the promises made might yet be left at ‘no parking’ or yet another white elephant project.” “A visible outdoor projects and ventures(sic) undertaken with proceeds of the E-Levy should be modelled after the erstwhile Preseident John Kufuor’s ‘HIPIC Benefit’ but in this case ‘E-Lvey Benefit’ to spur confidence in Ghaanians to transact more electronic transfers,” it suggested. “The proceeds from the E-levy cannot and should not be diverted. It will be a cardinal sin and the New Partiotic Party (NPP) government shall be punished by Ghanaians come 2024,” it added. CAEF added: “It is the high expectation of Ghanaians, especially the huge number of unemployed youth, that the government never disappoints them, and chanel the E-Levy funds to the promises made before its implementations.” Story by: Isabella Agyakwa

The Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL), Kwame Osei Prempreh, says the company’s bitumen plant will start commercial production in August this year. Speaking at the 53rd Annual General Meeting of the company, he expressed confidence that it would reduce Ghana’s import bill significantly. He disclosed that the 7,000 metric tonnes storage capacity plant worth US$35 million is 99.9 percent completed. According to him, there would be a test run of the plant in July ahead of the commercial production in August this year “so that the company will begin to enjoy the investment it has made.” Profit GOIL Board Chairman, Reginald Daniel Laryea, said the company registered a profit after tax of GHC98.74 million, up by nine percent compared to GHC90 million it made in 2020. He averred that the company’s earnings per share also increased from GHC0.23 to GHC0.253. Mr Laryea expressed, “I came to inherit a strong company and our commitment is to make it stronger and we are taking every step to improve upon performance, practices, and the culture so that we can continue to see results.” Despite the challenging nature of the year 2021, the company’s volume of sales of fuel was approximately 886.6 million litres, about 11 percent above that of the previous year. Story by: Think Business Desk

General Corporal Isaac Opoku Asumam has become the second Police officer to benefit from the 6.1 Million Cedis Police Emergency Medical Intervention Fund (PEMIF) after he was flown to New Delhi, India for medical attention. The PEMIF, an initiative of the Police Administration which was approved and launched in January 2022, by the President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is aimed at providing full funding for the medical care of Police officers who sustain injuries in the line of duty. Corporal Isaac Opoku Asuman’s support comes after Chief Inspector Mac-Victor Anako, who was the first beneficiary, had undergone a similar treatment in Germany. Corporal Isaac Opoku Asuman was flown to New Delhi, India on May 22, 2022, accompanied by an Orthopedic Surgeon at the Police Hospital, to fix a new prosthesis leg. The Corporal returned to Ghana on June 15, 2022, after a successful surgery. The Corporal was knocked down by a taxi driver on April 26, 2021, while on an anti-robbery duty within the Accra Metropolis. He was taken to the Police Hospital and was admitted for treatment. During the course of the treatment, his left leg was amputated due to the severity of the injury. The Police Administration will continue to prioritise the health and well-being of personnel of the Service through the Emergency Medical Intervention Fund whenever the need arises. Credit: Ghana Police Service

Commission Secretary of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Kojo Tito Voegbolor is calling on the Ghana Education Service (GES) for the inclusion of civic education in the country’s academic curriculum. According to him, the inclusion will help pupils or students to know their rights and responsibilities as citizens of the country. In an exclusive interview with Thinknewsonline.com at a civic education programme held in collaboration with trained 2022 Miss Ghana Contestants in Accra, he said "Indeed that has been the point NCCE have been making over the years that we need to make civic education part and parcle of our curriculum right from the basic to the territory level" "It is important because it will help the pupils and students know their rights and responsibilities" "You can be a good Engineer or Pilot but you need civic education to back you to be committed to tye work that you are doing. Civic Education is very important and that is what we are advocating for" Speaking on the civic education held in partnership with the trained 2022 Miss Ghana Contestants, he said "After the theoretical session, we thought that it was important to bring the beauty queens to the field to come and have an experience on what civic education is" "So today, we paired and sent them to the various classrooms for them to talk to the children. From my observation, I realised that they did well and the children also complied very well. We have achieved our goal" "What the models have seen today, I feel will ginger them and as they go out, they will become ambassadors of civic education on the field. Any platform they get, they need to talk about the importance of Ghanaians loving their country, the importance of Ghanaians sacrificing for their country and also for them to display the qualities of our national values; hardwork, integrity, punctuality and discipline" "Those are the values that we want Ghanaians to imbibe. If we have these values exhibited by all, Ghana will be a wonderful place that we want it to be." Advising the school children, he said "They should imbibe what the beauty queens have taught them today" "They were taught national values, patriotism and nationalism. They should not see this as a talking show. They should see the opportunity and imbibe in this value" "Once they imbibe, it will help them in their lives" On her part, the Girls' Education Officer, La Dadekotopon Education Directorate, Bernice Berlinda Bullah said "THe kids were so happy listening to the beauty queens were so happy and it has given me joy. I am going home with an excitement which I can't even express" She commended the school pupil for their contributions adding that such programmes should be organised to help broaden the knowledge of tye children. "I have worked with NCCE for some time and I know what they have for our students, since we are losing our tradition, culture and everything, with this, I know it will revive what we have lost" She appealed to the NCCE to make civic education a continuous project. "They should do this in every school not just my Municipality" One of the trained 2022 Miss Ghana Contestants, Gladys Cassandra Bugashie thanked tye NCCE for such great opportunity to interact with the school children on civic education. "I think this has thought me a big lesson that ij my own small way, I would have to tell people about their rights and responsibilities" "I have a greater voice and a platform which I can reach out to many people to do so" "It was very fun and I was really happy because I came to realise that lots of them knew so much about tye country that was a plus. That is whatvwe want to achieve as a country" She assured Ghanaians of the prestigious crown if chosen to represent the country on the global stage. The students thanked the NCCE and trained 2022 Miss Ghana Contestants for the great exposure. They promised to imbibe they have learned from the beauty queens. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye has confirmed that there are no cases of ebola recorded in the country as purported by some media outlets. The Director-General made these known at a meet the press series in Accra on Wednesday. Speaking to Journalists, he said "There are no cases of Ebola recorded in the country" Touching on Covid-19 cases, the Director-General revealed that four new deaths have been recorded. He stressed that although some regions have not recorded cases of Covid-19, 10 out of the 20 Districts which have cases has Greater Accra leading the chart. "Osu has recorded over 400 cases while Dzorwulu has over 200 cases recorded" He hinted that 20% of the cases recorded in Greater Accra are found in children. He stressed that the driving factors for the surge are BA.4 and BA.5 omicron sublineages. Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye advised the public to go in for the booster. "749 active cases in Accra are mild, 19 are moderate and 13 are also severe" On the age distribution of Covid-19 recorded in June 2022, the Director-General hinted that persons between the ages of 21 to 35 are tye most affected. "We have intensified active school surveillance to ensure prompt response to outbreaks" Explaining further on the deaths recorded, the Director-General said "We have recorded 4 deaths. One was a 43 years old female, 63 years old with multiple cases, 18 years old males and 83 year old. Two of the deaths were in Accra and other 2 in the Eastern Region" He stressed that total vaccines received in the country are 32, 836,648 while over 16 million Covid-19 doses have been administered. Touching on monkeypox, the Director-General said "We have 72 suspected cases in Ghana and 18 of them have tested positive" He added that 14th June, 2022 was the last time a monkeypox case was recorded in the country. "We are dealing with multiple public health emergencies currently, i.e Covid-19 and monkeypox" "If you feel threatened in an enclosed area, please wear you mask" "I believe that the education is enough and people are seeing the need of wearing the mask. We have not reached the point to make a law for mandatory wearing of the mask. Asia is wearing a mask, there is no law but they have seen the need to do so" "We are not at a stage where I see the need to get the vaccine for monkeypox" Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

A couple is complaining of unfair treatment following a warning letter against their three-times daily loud sex that neighbours say they’ve had enough of. Lydia Barker and Billy Brown from the United Kingdom admitted to having sex three times daily with what they refer to as "a few moans and groans" that, in their view, neighbours should be able to cope with. Lydia Barker, a 31-year-old mother of one, could not believe that her neighbours would go to the extent of reporting her and her boyfriend to the landlord when they could have settled the matter amicably. According to her, although she and her boyfriend have sex in the morning, afternoon, and night, they are mindful of the timing to avoid inconveniencing their neighbours. "It’s not as if I’m a screamer. I’ve never had any noise issues before. I’d not call my sex sessions extreme... a few moans and groans, of course. "We are doing it morning, noon, and night, but not at anti-social hours. "If there was a problem most people would knock on the door, or stick a polite note through. Making an official complaint to the housing association is very extreme," Lydia lamented. Meanwhile, Billy Brown, an engineer whom Lydia met a year ago on the Crazy Mouse ride at a travelling fair, said the neighbours just blew the matter out of proportion. "The neighbours only have to put up with it for two minutes. What are they complaining about?" he quizzed. The couple live in a semi-detached property in Castle Cary, Somerset. Despite their feelings of betrayal, they have no option but to comply with the landlord’s warning letter by limiting the sounds of their groans and moans or risk being evicted. Credit: Pulse GH

Channelling out the model in her, the Ghanaian entrepreneur showed off her a new baby bump in unique shots she shared on social media to commemorate Fathers' day. In the photos, Hamamat posed in a two-piece yellow wrap and blouse that leaves her growing belly on display. "Happy Father’s Day to the Responsible men who make us Good mothers, we love you" she captioned the photo. "Men are an important part of our society and they must be celebrated," she added. This will become the first time the former Miss Malaika queen is giving hint about expecting a new child. Hamamat is already a mother to two beautiful girls, Zuri and Sasa. This will be her third child. However, she hasn't disclosed how far she has gone with the pregnancy or if she has already given birth. Regardless, Her friends and fans have since been congratulating her. "Such a beautiful woman. God bless you and congratulations," an Instagrammer, @l0ndonparis_chick wrote and another , @adeledejak, said "Congratulations sis 💫🙏🏿 wishing you more happiness". Below are some pictures: Story by: Selorm Tali

Sonnie Badu has cleared the air about an alleged payment he received to perform at the launch of the Ghana National Cathedral in America. According to him, he was not even given a seat when he attended the launch. It has been claimed that the Gospel musician was paid $50,000 for a brief performance at a fundraising ceremony held in America towards the building of Ghana's National Cathedral. However, according to the Rockhill Church founder, the report is untrue. He clarified this on social media after a Twitter user drew his attention to the rumour. Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral "I’m sure the handlers of @SonnieBaduuk will alert him to clear the air whether he allegedly took $50,000 for singing 5mins 15 seconds at the launch of Ghana National Cathedral in USA," the Twitter user, @Cecil_Kwabena, tweeted. Replying the tweet to clear the air, the Ghanaian Gospel minister said "wow, thanks for alerting me, I was not given a dime .. not even a seat for me and my team, We stood outside". This comes to add to many controversies surrounding the government's decision to build a National Cathedral. According to the NDC and other critics, the NPP government is hiding behind the project to engage in corruption. Latest to add his voice to the debate is Ningo Prapram MP, Sam George, who shared a screenshot of Sonnie Badu's tweet to say that "I have tried to be silent on this Cathedral matter but I honestly believe it is about time the Church distances itself from the blatant theft and robbery going on in the name of GOD". In a Facebook post, he continued that "they claimed to have paid SONNIE BADU $50,000 for a song ministration at the launch in the US. Now he has come out to say he was not given a dime and not even a seat was offered to him and his team. So who took the $50,000? Surely the Trustees do NOT know about this! "Again, they claimed to have paid GHS30,000 to each of the gospel artists who ministered at the launch here in Accra. Can those artists also confirm if they received these monies?" the MP further quizzed. "I shall return with even more questions but the Church and the Fathers of the faith must be minded by the spirit of Ananias and Sapphira. Accountability is the bedrock of the faith. A temple of truth, holiness and piety cannot be built on a foundation of unholy lies, deception and financial opacity," Sam George concluded in the post below: Story by: SELORM TALI