General News of Thursday, 20 May 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.com• Sam George claims Ghana's poor healthcare is attributed to politics and witchcraft• The MP cannot comprehend why there is a "no bed syndrome, whilst UGMC is not utilised fullySamuel Nartey George, the Ningo-Prampram MP says Ghana’s healthcare inefficiency is “political and witchcraft”. According to him, it will take only political will to improve the healthcare system of the country. “The problem of fixing the health sector is politics and witchcraft,” George told Bernard Avle on Citi TV monitored by GhanaWeb on Wednesday, May 19. Sam George indicated that “calls were made to 37 Military Hospital, and they agreed to take the child. It became clear quickly that Battor had done all they could and it was in the hands of 37 Military Hospital.

General News of Thursday, 20 May 2021Source: peacefmonline.comThe Ministry of Energy has refuted claims made in a Facebook post by Hon. Edward Bawa, in reaction to an earlier press briefing by the Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, and which was earlier carried by GhanaWeb.com. Dr Prempeh, I challenge you to publish all the 40 PPAs you claimed have been cancelled and the 3 renegotiated PPAs from Take or Pay to Take and Pay. These lies must stop.’In a rebuttal, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Mr. Kwasi Obeng-Fosu, strongly refuted the claims ascribed to the Minister by Hon. Renegotiating the start date of a contract is not the same as renegotiating the core terms of the contract”, he said.

Politics of Wednesday, 19 May 2021Source: classfmonline.comThe Savanna Regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has suspended Salaga South Constituency Chairman Haruna Salifu, Organiser Murtala Falalu and Communications Officer Abubakari Abu Omega, pending an outcome of investigations into some disturbances that led to the destruction of party properties at its regional office earlier in the week during a meeting. The party’s constituency executive committee has also been directed to investigate some non-officeholders who are members of the party in the Constituency involved in the mayhem and swiftly take disciplinary actions against those found guilty and to report same to the Regional Executive Committee within 30 days from today, Wednesday, 19th May 2021. The party in the statement identified Sofo, Babamu, Manager, Tahiru, Hardi Tuferu and Malik all of Salaga and Kpembe as the youth leaders who may have a hand in the disturbances. The statement, however, urged the party supporters in the Salaga South constituency to remain calm amid the tensions. It is said it will “not tolerate any act of indiscipline or anti-party behaviour by any member of the party at any level of the party.”

He indicated that countries on the continent, including Ghana, must chart a new path to growth centered around its cultural identity because none of the developed countries relied on another's cultural identity to attain that status. The Speaker made the call when a section of the leadership of the Tijaniya Muslim Council of Ghana led by Sheik Muhammed Mutawakil Iddris paid a courtesy call on him in Parliament. "The poverty in Africa is not the poverty of wealth or property but rather it is the poverty of the mind," he said. The Speaker called for a more radical approach to sway the minds of Africans, particularly the youth into embracing and promoting their own culture as their contribution to the development of the continent. The Leader of the delegation, Sheik Muhammed Mutawakil Iddris, expressed gratitude to the Speaker for the support he had over the years given to the Tijaniya Muslim Council.

“The truth is our systems are not working because if they were, we would not have had youths crying for the country to get fixed. He also noted that the systems in the country are very corrupt and it is difficult to accept change. “How can systems work in a country where it’s a crime to know your right?” he asked. In an interview with Rev Nyansa Boakwa on Happy 98.9 FM’s NsemPii he questioned that, how can systems work in a country where it is a crime to know you are right? Till date, there are certain acts in the constitution I still do not understand and think should be removed”.

General News of Wednesday, 19 May 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.com• The Church of Pentecost has announced plans to plant 1 million trees across the country• The planting projects come after the Church donated a fully furnished Prison Camp to the Ghana Prison Service• The project which is in collaboration with the Forestry Commission will begin on May 29The Church of Pentecost has announced plans to plant 1 million trees nationwide. The Church’s all-new Environmental Campaign will witness a million trees planted across the various regions at the end of the project. The Pentecost Men’s Ministry (PEMEM) starting May 29 would plant 50,000 seedlings. Also, the Evangelism Ministry will plant 100,000 trees starting June 5, 2021. According to the Church, the Youth Ministry will on June 12, 2021, climax the project with the planting of 350,000 seedlings nationwide.

General News of Wednesday, 19 May 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.com• The Minister said, All Night mining phenomenon will be stopped soon through the Operation Halt being carried out• He also noted that regulations are being put in place to fight illegal mining in the country• According to him, the government is not against small scale mining but rather against the methods being usedSamuel Abu Jinapor, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has indicated that plans are steadily being made to curb the “All Night” Phenomenon of illegal mining in the country. According to him, illegal miners have resorted to mining in the night to avoid being caught by the military operatives. He said the illegal miners are aware of the schedule of the military so they do not go to the mining sites during the day anymore. Speaking at the Minister’s Press briefing in Accra, he noted that, stringent policies and measures will be adopted to ensure that, the night activities of illegal mining will be halted. “The mining activities in the night, they call it “All night” in the communities we visited, I think it is important that we deal with this “All night” phenomenon of mining activities.

Sports News of Wednesday, 19 May 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.com• Daniel Kodie has thanked Togbe Afede XIV for financing his surgery• The midfielder has been out of action since 2019• He will continue his rehabilitation at the Blue Valley Medical Centre in AccraInjured Accra Hearts of Oak midfielder, Daniel Kodie has backed the Board Chairman of the club, Togbe Afede XIV to take the club to the promised land. His teammates showed him immense support in Hearts of Oak's 2-0 win over Elmina Sharks after displaying a banner that communicated the message of the club to the player who has been out with injury. Kodie has expressed his gratitude to the entire hierarchy of the club and the Board Chairman Togbe Afede XIV for making sure that he gets his career back. “I felt my career had come to an abrupt end, after that career-threatening injury. I'm extremely grateful to his Majesty for such a wonderful gesture.““The man is really working, let’s all rally support behind him, he will take us to the promised land,” he told Fox FM.

Business News of Wednesday, 19 May 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.com• Ghana has secured €170 million for the establishment of a new national bank• Akufo-Addo said the bank would be pivotal for the economic transformation of Ghana in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic• The Ministry of Finance and the European Investment Bank signed the agreement on Wednesday May 19, 2021 in BelgiumPresident Akufo-Addo has said the establishment of a new national bank, the Development Bank of Ghana (DBG) will play a significant role in the rapid economic transformation of the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. His remarks come after Ghana through the Ministry of Finance secured some €170 million from the European Investment Bank for the establishment of the bank. “The Development Bank Ghana is going to play a very important part in the rapid economic transformation of Ghana, following the onset of COVID-19. Akufo-Addo commended the President of the EIB, Dr. Werner Hoyer for the facility and urged for further long term partnerships between Ghana and the EU. Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta had earlier disclosed that the Development Bank Ghana will commence operations in July this year.

“I find statements by the National Security coordinator disappointing and without merit. His rationalization of the alleged abuse of the regional security coordinator on grounds of contract termination is most nauseating and reduces the national security to a mob. “These actions have the potential of creating a disconnect between the national security and the Ghanaian population as more and more people will begin to see them as misfits. “It’s time to scrap the position of regional security coordinator as it has gradually been hijacked by political actors. Rather, we should infuse those functions into the regional security council,” Adib Saani added.

General News of Wednesday, 19 May 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.comThe National Peace Council, NPC, will revisit recommendations from a 2015 religious rights conference that was instituted during the John Dramani Mahama presidency, its Chairman has said. Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, the NPC hopes to conclusively deal with the subject of religious rights in Church-run mission schools as part of current engagement with stakeholders. “In my interaction with the Ministry of Education, we have come to a consensus that within the next two weeks, there should be an MoU governing all mission schools, all public schools in this country. He stressed that the Peace Council’s proposed document will serve as a concrete guide going forward for relations between the state and church-run educational facilities. “This document will also incorporate some of the issues that the Peace Council also recommended in 2015 when the hijab issue came up.

The Phobians are second on the league table with 43 points as they trail their rivals Asante Kotoko by two points ahead of the matchday 26 games over the weekend. With nine games remaining before the end of the season, Accra Hearts of Oak will play six of their remaining games in the Greater Accra Region. Speaking after their 2-0 win over Elmina Sharks, Afutu stated that the playing body is aware that their destiny in winning the league is in their own hands and will fight to win their remaining games. "We know we are not where we want to be; we are not focusing on any other team. We have our destiny in our own hands and would have to win the games so in the end, we don't rely on others for favours."

That is the feeling that has engulfed most Twitter users following Madam Elizabeth Ohene’s latest epistle. Elizabeth Ohene said she felt that Kudah was trying to take advantage of the perceived discrimination against Ewes in the country to court some fury or sympathy. “Either Caleb was terribly confused and/or traumatised by his experience at the offices of National Security 24 hours earlier or he had been carried away from reality by the tale he was spinning." Below are some tweetsMadam Elizabeth Ohene shouldn’t be speaking like this. ?May God help us in this country because in less than a week the suicide cases recorded amongst the youth is becoming alarming and gradually becoming a National Security issue.

According to him, Operation Halt II is making a lot of impact as water bodies damaged due to small scale illegal mining - galamsey - operations are seeing some improvement. Speaking at the Meet the Press briefing in Accra, the Minister noted that, the support of military and other security operatives has yielded positive results in the fight against galamsey. He noted that plans are being put in place to curb the mining activities which takes place at night. This is because the illegal miners have now resorted to mining at night to avoid the day-time operations of the task force. “The mining activities in the night, they call it “All night” in the communities we visited, I think it is important that we deal with this “All night” phenomenon of mining activities.

The former MP was reacting to the plea by the Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa, for the NPP to be given a third term because they are the better managers of Ghana’s economy. “[NPP] said there is no policy that you can’t use eight years for that policy, so if they say they need another term it’s just politics,” the former NDC MP said. He added that Mr Buaben Asamoa said the NPP are “better managers of the economy but there is no sector in the economy that the NPP is managing properly”. The NDC told Ghanaians that Free SHS is no no no but it took the grace and visionary leader of Nana Addo to bring it to reality”. The former MP said “they built E-blocks…which was very nice…but they should have been divided for the existing schools because today, Free SHS has brought a lot of relief to this country”.