Samuel Dubik Mahama, the new Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has been sworn in by Energy Minister Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh.
This swearing-in follows the appointment of Mr. Mahama, who was formerly a member of the Board, as Managing Director by H.E. the President.
To replace Mr. Kwame Agyeman-Budu, who retired, Mr. Mahama is appointed.
At a time when the ECG is undergoing reforms and pursuing Ghanaians for stealing electricity, Mr. Mahama enters the picture.
He is anticipated to assist the organization in generating revenue.
The Minister also took Mrs. Nana Nsafoah’s oath of office as a member of the ECG Board on that day.
While administering Mrs. Nsafoah’s oath of office, the minister stated that as a fresh face, he anticipates that she will bring her wealth of expertise to the company’s advantage.
Dr. Patrick Assuming, a development economist at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), has emphasized that although some tax policies may temporarily address some of the problems facing the nation, Ghanaians should think about more long-term solutions.
He argued that rather than calling for the complete elimination of taxes, Ghanaians should hold the government responsible for the taxes they pay.
This follows demands made by Arise Ghana protesters for the elimination of levies on products like petroleum.
He said, “But we also have to look at the broader picture and think longer term. So, we may do that today and it may bring fuel prices by around 3cedis and 50 pesewas or so. But if we have not addressed the fundamental challenges, the fundamental problems that have brought us here, you’d do that today and three months down the line we’re back to 11 cedis.”
“So, while some adjustments to the taxes may bring immediate relief, for me I think the most important thing is to look at addressing the weaknesses within the Ghanaian economy that has led to a point where the currency is sharply depreciating, and frankly over the last few years the economy is not doing well, and it’s not creating enough jobs for the youth,” he said on JoyNews.
According to Dr. Assuming, tax cuts now would cause Ghana’s debt gap to expand, increasing the nation’s debt to GDP ratio..
“I think if the demonstrators were making that kind of demand or requesting that government show a little more accountability in terms of how public money is spent, I think that will be a more sustainable solution to the current problems we have.
“We may decide to cut the taxes, but the other thing is that if we decide to cut taxes today, you know, the state of government financing is such that it’s going to lead to a situation where our deficit will widen and our debt will widen ultimately at some point down the line you have to bring back taxes to pay off the debt,” he said.
“So, I think there is every legitimate reason to ask and demand that there is better accountability and better use of the taxpayers’ funds and also that the economy is better managed and ensure that we are on a sustainable path, that the currency gets strengthened and also there is growth that leads to better employment opportunities for the youth,” he concluded.
Many people were perplexed by a social media post in which a person claimed to have paid GH7,400 in taxes on an imported MacBook Pro laptop.
This was discovered after the tax receipt for the laptop was posted on Twitter.
Among the 17 tolls levied on the single item were the COVID-19 Recovery Levy, the Ghana Education Trust Fund Levy, and the ECOWAS Levy.
The invoice was posted on Twitter by @justicea83 with the caption, “This is the amount I paid for duty on a Macbook Pro.”
Many Ghanaians responded to his message on social media, lamenting how the system is set up to deny its people and make them poorer.
Another Twitter user who had a comparable experience disclosed that he had paid about GHC 3,000 in import taxes on an S22 ultra and an iPhone 12.
He posted “Imported an S22 ultra and iPhone 12 through DHL, still paid duty of over GH3000” in the comment area.
Some commenters even suggested that the user may have bought more than one MacBook Pro to justify the exorbitant taxes.
He responded by clarifying that he only bought one thing and bemoaning “Even if we are unable to manufacture laptops, we nevertheless demand exorbitant prices from people who import them solely for use. It is unfair!”
As Arise Ghana protesters and police officers battle, it appears that there is a misunderstanding on the demonstration grounds at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
After some crowd members opted to push against the police, who had erected a roadblock to prevent protesters from going from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle toward the Ringroad Central area, tear gas was thrown into the crowd by police for roughly 15 minutes.
The confrontation took place after the organizers met with senior police officers to debate the best course of action in the wake of obstruction as protesters attempted to leave Obra Spot.
Local police officers had advised organizers to follow the court-designated path for the protest, which is from Obra Spot via Independence Square.
The Arise Ghana demonstration’s organizers, however, insisted on using the Ring Road Central area through the Ako Adjei Interchange to reach the ministries and refused to accede to this.
The organizers returned to speak to the crowd about the situation after this discussion with the police, but during this time, irate protesters rebelled against the police and attempted to push back the barricade.
To disperse the crowd, which was now shoving and throwing things at the police in addition to pushing back against them, the police used tear gas.
Since 500 police officers have been sent to the region to deal with the problem, there is a significant police presence.
There are still pockets of protesters dispersed throughout the area, burning tires and throwing stones at passing police.
The National Mosque and the alleged role of the former government in its construction have frequently been highlighted in the midst of the dispute that has dogged the construction of the National Cathedral.
Sammy Gyamfi, the communications officer for the opposition National Democratic Congress, is the most recent to bring up the facility in Kanda in a Cathedral conversation. Gyamfi believes that former president John Dramani Mahama facilitated Turkish government financing to help create the facility.
Sammy Gyamfi made comments on a political talk show on Peace FM on June 27, 2022, criticizing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the issues that have plagued the project and asserting that the administration should have allowed Christians to employ the alleged Muslim fundraising model.
“This particular Cathedral, there are a lot of issues with it because of how President Akufo-Addo personalized it from the outset.
“It is not as if the churches and Christians came up to put efforts together just as our Muslim brothers sometime ago came together to build the National Mosque, so (that) the government should help by playing a certain facilitating role.
“So, when President Mahama came into office, his first trip was to Turkey to facilitate that grant from the Turkish government to build that mosque,” he claimed.
According to reports, a non-governmental organization rather than the Turkish government provided funding for the National Mosque’s construction.
The claim that the NGO built the structure without any assistance from the state has also been rejected as incorrect, along with the claim that the government was involved only through facilitation.
COMOG contests the same claim.
When Dr. Opoku-Mensah of the National Cathedral of Ghana made comments on GBC’s Talking Point show to the effect that government played a facilitative role in the construction of the National Mosque, the Coalition of Muslim Organizations, Ghana (COMOG) disputed a similar assertion made by him.
Following a denial of the charges by COMOG in a statement on Monday, June 13, 2022, Dr. Opoku-Mensah apologized and withdraw the remarks.
“What I had been informed was ‘facilitation’ – but not ‘state resources’ – did not actually happen. I retract, and apologize, for the use of ‘state facilitation’ in my response, and deeply regret the pain it might have caused the COMOG and the Muslim Umma in Ghana,” the CEO pleaded.
Dr. Opoku-assertion Mensah’s was made to defend the government’s decision to provide state funding for the National Cathedral’s construction, but the president of COMOG, Hajj Abdel-Manan Abdel Rahman, branded the assertions an intentional fabrication in a statement.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has instructed the police officers protecting the Arise Ghana pressure group protest not to treat the demonstrators rough. Mr. Dampare informed the officers that the protesters were Ghanaians and human beings deserving of respect.
“We must never forget that these protesters are also people just like us. They are Ghanaians just like us, so we should treat them with the utmost respect, he remarked.
Today, Tuesday, June 28, members of Arise Ghana are participating in the protest known as #KromAyeShe.
Arise Ghana Demo: IGP Dampare warns police officers against misconduct; he wants them to treat demonstrators with respect and dignity.#3NewsGHpic.twitter.com/x6EwFHcZch
According to them, the goal of the demonstration is to express opposition to the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration’s ongoing and exorbitant increases in fuel prices, which have caused Ghanaians to endure severe economic problems.
Additionally, it’s a protest against the callous Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration’s imposition of “the odious E-Levy on the already-burdened Ghanaian people.
“Demand a full-scale, bipartisan parliamentary investigation into COVID-19 spending; protest the government of Akufo-Addo and Bawumia’s officials’ appropriation of public lands, particularly their declassification of substantial areas of the Achimota Forest reserve.
“Protest against the growing culture of human rights abuses under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and Alhaji Bawumia, as well as the increased rate of police brutalities and state-sponsored murders of innocent Ghanaians.”
Actress Lydia Forson has informed the government that they have lost the trust of the populace due to the way they have been running the nation’s affairs since assuming power. In a series of tweets on Monday, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko revealed that the e-levy is not bringing in as much money as the government had anticipated.
He disclosed that it is only bringing in 10% of the income they anticipated it would, which is concerning given the nation’s debt levels.
According to Otchere-Darko, the government must take action to maintain investor trust in the nation.
In response to Gabby Asare Otchere-stance, Darko’s Lydia Forson stated that the public no longer has faith in the administration.
She claimed that if the government had listened to the people of Ghana and had not taken them for granted, it would have had their support in implementing the necessary measures to ensure that the economy recovered.
As part of his support to their development, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, the founder of the Kasapreko brand, pays for the education of every single member of his clan. Dr. Kwabena Adjei is an industrialist and businessman who launched Kasapreko in 1989 to compete with other new firms at the same time in Nungua, a suburb of Accra, including Kantamanto, Ravico, and Macbell.
Dr. Kwabena Adjei claimed in an interview with YouTuber Wode Maya that every member of his clan from his birthplace is able to attend university for free as a result of him and his own expenses. He claimed that it is his effort to help them become accountable members of society.
Additionally, Dr. Adjei disclosed that he has established a Special Fund for all of his grandchildren so that they will never go without anything as they grow. According to him, the fund will support his grandchildren no matter where they choose to attend school or what they choose to do as adults, regardless of the financial circumstances of their own parents.
In Ghana, Dr. Kwabena Adjei is well-known for creating the Kasapreko product line.
Dr. Adjei engaged in general trade prior to founding Kasapreko and imported a wide range of goods for sale in Ghana.
He also held a gold buyer’s license. In the beginning, all businesses that manufactured distilled goods used the same blend and purchased their ingredients from the same vendor to create a generic gin. In order to manufacture gin, brandy, and whiskey with different blends from those of its competitors, Kasapreko broke with tradition and obtained ingredients from a separate supplier. Due to its unique positioning, the business was able to develop a niche market.
Initially, the business operated in the unofficial sector, but after ten years of operation, Dr. Adjei made the decision to formalize his operations by hiring experts to review the company and put in place structures like a board, a skilled management and technical team, as well as a good operational, human resources team.
The company’s brands include Alomo Bitters, brandy, Cardinal liqueur, Cocoa liqueur, dry gin, Kasapak, lime cordial, Kalahari, Ogidigidi bitters, Opeimu bitters, tonic wine and Kasa Vino. The company uses 25 million litres of ethanol per annum. It exports its products around the world.
According to a ruling by the Accra High Court, the pressure group Arise Ghana may only demonstrate between the hours of 8 am and 4 pm.
The protest was also ordered to start at the Obra Spot in Accra and terminate at Independence Square by the court.
In a case brought by the Ghana Police Service, the court reached this conclusion.
To stop the two-day demonstration that was scheduled to start on Tuesday, the Service filed the lawsuit.
This came about after it was claimed in a statement that the organization Arise Ghana had refused to start and halt the protest before dusk.
However, the group asserts that it came to a deal with the Police and is consequently shocked by the change of events.
DSP Sylvester Asare requested an adjournment of the case on Monday since the Police Service had not yet received the protestors’ documentation.
He requested a two-day postponement.
However, the protestors’ attorney, Godwin Tameklo, accused the police of acting in bad faith and noted that the protest was scheduled for Tuesday.
According to him, the protest would effectively be put on hold if the court granted an adjournment. He proceeded by saying that the group had informed the Police about the rally as early as June 2.
In order to give the Police time to review the documents, the court, presided over by Justice Comfort Tasiame, postponed the hearings until 11:30am.
On Monday at 11:30 a.m., DSP Asare once more requested a break.
He explained that additional time was required for the Police to review the materials.
Mr. Tameklo argued that granting this request would give the Police more power to utilize similar procedures to thwart the rights of citizens to protest. He urged the court to reject the application.
After rejecting the police’s plea, Justice Comfort Tasiame instructed the Service’s attorneys to provide justification for why the demonstration should be put to an end.
The proposed timetables put up by the protestors have the potential to impair efficient policing, DSP Asare later informed the court.
He clarified that the Police had made their request for a restraining order based on this justification.
Godwin Tameklo, an attorney for Arise Ghana, disagreed.
He emphasized that the legislation does not grant the Police the authority to decide when a protest should take place.
He once more charged that the Police were acting in bad faith and violating their agreement with the group. According to him, the protest’s organizers had originally planned to hold it nonstop for 48 hours but eventually agreed to cease it at 3 and 5 p.m. on the first and second days, respectively.
By defining the aforementioned deadlines and routes, the Court, presided over by Justice Tasiame, agreed to partially grant the Police’s motion.
Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a prominent NPP member, lamented the state of the nation’s revenue generation.
He claims that even though the Electronic Transfer Levy was approved in March 2022 and put into effect in May of that same year, it is only producing 10% of the country’s projected revenues.
In a string of tweets on Monday, June 27, 2022, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko claimed that Ghana’s revenue generation was still comparatively low compared to the rest of the world.
He also lamented the nation’s mounting debt, which at the end of March 2022 was estimated to be worth GH 391.9 billion.
“After 5 months of stalemate and bashing, the e-levy, after implementation, is delivering only 10% of estimated revenues; our revenues remain very low as compared to the rest of the world; debt levels dangerously high, cedi, like most currencies, struggling against the US dollar,” he tweeted.
Despite vehement opposition from a cross-section of Ghanaians, the minority in parliament, civil society organizations, and numerous stakeholders, President Akufo-Addo enacted and signed the E-Levy into law.
Even while many have condemned the tax plan as regressive and one that would undo progress made toward a paperless economy, the government believes it is vital to overcome revenue gaps and help solve the nation’s revenue mobilization and economic management.
Below is the tweet
The E-expected Levy’s income for the 2022 fiscal year had to be reduced from GH6.9 billion to GH4.9 billion as a result of a five-month delay in Parliament over its adoption.
