Month: April 2025

Thousands of people in Tsiame, Volta Region, have welcomed their proud son, Alexander Afenyo-Markin to his ancestral hometown on Thursday April 17, 2025.

The excitement exhibited by the people attest to how proud they are with their son, who has carved a niche for himself in in various fields in Ghana including politics, business and law.

He has since become the face of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in parliament, as the Majority Leader and even outside parliament since the party lost the 2024 general elections.

Addressing a durbar to welcome him, Chairman of the occasion Mr Kenneth Ashigbey urged the people of Tsiame in the Volta Region to move away from politics and seek for the development of the good people of the area.

The durbar was attended by the Chief and elders of Tsiame, MP for Keta, Hon. Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey, opinion leaders, the clergy, and women groups among many other groups.

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The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has said the deliberate plans to remove the current Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, Getrude Torkornoo would be a setback to Ghana’s democratic journey as the purpose of the petition is to malign the head of the Judiciary.

And further to silence the judiciary and finally exert control of the Judiciary more especially as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is an offshoot of the PNDC.

Addressing the press on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Parliament, the legal Counsel of the Minority Caucus noted that the framers of Ghana’s constitution made each arm of government a separate arm and made provisions for check and balances therefore to ensure that there is respect for each branch of arm of government, the framers did not provide for an Executive overreach.

John Darko again noted that the Minority is watching with concern attempts made to remove the Chief Justice (CJ) stating that they are worried as the Judiciary has stood the test of time since Ghana’s independence, especially the period of military take overs and constitutional rule.

The judiciary has been nonpartisan despite the days of Ghana’s first president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s attempts made on the judiciary, same with the military era of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC).

And some of the allegations made against the current CJ are that she advised then President Nana Akufo-Addo to promote several judges to the Supreme Court and being the one presiding over a matter that involves the Speaker of Parliament in an ex-party motion.

Again, a gentleman who committed contempt and was punished by the court want the CJ removed because he has been punished by the court not the CJ; and one of the ridiculous things is that the CJ has misappropriated seventy-five thousand Ghana cedis which according to the Judicial Service has been deleted by the Auditor General.

Quoting the ground for the removal of the CJ as stated in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana; “A justice of the superior court shall not be removed from office except for stated misbehavior or incompetent or on grounds of her inability to perform her function of the office arising from infirmity of the body or mind” they contend that the basis for the petitions do not warrant the removal of the Chief Justice.

“How can a serious country, mindful of this facts with its desire to improving its democratic credentials entertain such a lose petition to orchestrate this? We are aware of plans being put in place to invoke article 146 (10) (A) to suspend the CJ and appoint someone who is tilting towards the NDC government to Act as the CJ of the Republic”.
The Minority therefore urged civil society organisations and the traditional authorities as well as the diplomatic community not to entertain this as it will undermine the country’s democracy.

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Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has admonished the Kantamanto traders not to engage in any act of violence, rather they should go about their trading activities peacefully and pay their tax as law abiding citizens of Ghana.

Leading the Minority Caucus to donate GHC200, 000.00 to the traders on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, he stated that after the December 7, 2024, election, there is a new government in place led by John Dramani Mahama, and “we need to do whatever we have to do to make Ghana a peaceful place”.

“We should all stay as people from one mother whether you are from, CPP, NDC or NPP. For those of you who support NPP, when we vote one party would be the winner. If you remember in 1996, we had only 61 seats, NDC had 133, within four years under the leadership of late J. H. Mensah, the then Minority turn the seat to 104 and later we won majority of the seats and John Agyekum Kufour became the president of Ghana”.

Again, in 2016 everybody was sad, people were in despair, but with our leader and presidential candidate then Nana Akufo-Addo, we had 169 seats and formed the Majority. And added that If nothing at all Ghanaians would remember President Akufo-Addo for the introduction of the free senior high school policy which is benefiting a lot of Ghanaians.

“We are not many, we are just 88 and this number if we can have time for ourselves and work hard, we would do better next time. Do not be sad if you are an NPP person here; know we have good and bad times”.

He reminded the NPP supporters of the pending elections of executives at the various levels to be followed by the election of a flagbearer towards the 2028 elections; thus the need to work together devoid of acrimonious tendencies
“We should not talk against each other; whatever happens we are from one mother, we should not speak against each other on radio, TV.”

He assured that the Minority leadership in Parliament would work hard, show respect to Ghanaians, and offer good suggestions for Ghanaians to know that NPP has Ghanaians at heart.

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The Minority Caucus has sent a note to the government demanding an immediate increase in the cocoa producer price from GHC3,000 to GHS6,000 per 64kg bag, fulfilling the promise it made to Ghanaians.

They warned that failure to act swiftly risks economic sabotage, border smuggling, and a betrayal of Ghana’s hardworking cocoa farmers.

In a scathing rebuke of government inaction over cocoa producer prices at a press conference held at Miklin Hotel in Kumasi, the Minority Caucus, led by its Ranking Member on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, Isaac Yaw Opoku, urged the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the current administration to stop “shifting blame.” Instead, they want the government to deliver on the promises made to cocoa farmers during the 2024 election campaign.

The immediate past government set the cocoa producer price at GHS48,000 per tonne for the 2024/2025 crop season, representing a significant increase from previous years. This translates into GHC3,000 per 64kg bag.

However, during the 2024 electioneering campaign, then-flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, promised to increase the price of cocoa per 64kg bag to GHS6,000 to reflect prevailing world market prices.

Having successfully transitioned into government, the NDC has since backtracked on its promise, instead issuing contradictory statements to avoid accountability.
On April 8, 2025, COCOBOD cited “operational challenges” and other factors as reasons the producer price could not be adjusted.

A day later, on April 9, 2025, another release offered different justifications, signaling inconsistency in their communications.

Worried about this trend, the Minority Caucus slammed COCOBOD for issuing contradictory statements within 24 hours, describing the move as “shocking and highly disappointing.”

The group questioned whether the government was backtracking on key manifesto pledges, including the assurance to pay farmers 70% of the Free-On-Board (FOB) price and the campaign promise to raise cocoa prices to GHS6,000 per 64kg bag.

“They promised farmers GHS6,000 per bag. Now they claim they can’t increase the price. Were those just empty words for votes?” the Minority queried.

Pointing to COCOBOD’s strong financial standing, the group argued that the agency has both the economic size and capacity to absorb any financial strain resulting from a price hike. With over 560,000 tonnes of cocoa already purchased and more than US$2 billion in receipts reported through the Bank of Ghana, the Caucus contended that farmers deserve a fair share of the cocoa export value.

SMUGGLING
They also raised red flags over a deepening regional threat. Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana’s neighbouring cocoa-producing country, recently raised its farmgate cocoa price by over 22%, creating a price disparity that the Minority fears could trigger mass smuggling of Ghanaian cocoa across the border. At current exchange rates, Ivorian farmers earn over GHS3,600 per bag—more than GHS600 higher than their Ghanaian counterparts.

The Caucus warned that failure to match regional prices could lead to a surge in cocoa smuggling and illegal mining, as farmers abandon unprofitable cocoa farms for more lucrative ventures.

“The government must act now to protect our farmers and secure Ghana’s cocoa economy. This is not just about economics—it’s about national security,” the Minority declared.

They concluded their remarks by calling on the government to honour its pledges to Ghanaian cocoa farmers.
“No more excuses. COCOBOD and the government must keep their promise and pay the Ghanaian cocoa farmer a minimum of GHS6,000 per bag.”

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The Minority Caucus in Parliament on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 presented GHC200,000.00 to the leadership of the Kantamanto Traders.

The money according to the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin is aimed at supporting them to get back on their feet following the unfortunate fire disaster on January 2, 2025 that consumed their entire trade.

In a similar development fire victim at Adu Market were also extended the same gesture by the Minority with the same GHC200,000.00.

Presenting the money to the Kantamanto Market Executives, the Minority Leader appealed to banks and other financial institution that the traders usually receive financial assistance from by way of loan, to consider the ordeal of the traders and reduce the interests on the loans they contracted so that they can pick up the pieces of their trade as early as possible.

While commending the traders for their efforts in putting the place in order for business after the inferno, he assured them that the government would also through the contingency fund extend the needed support to them in due course to give them the needed relief they are looking for.

Meanwhile, Mr Afenyo-Markin urged the traders to be law abiding and tax compliance to the government to help the government raise funds for development.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh at a press conference on the Bawku conflict has noted that the Minority would not be irresponsible like their colleagues in the Majority then in Minority who exploited the situation but would be responsible and push for a lasting solution to be reached on the matter.

According to him then Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) noted that, anytime they are in power, there is peace in Bawku but whenever the NPP is in power the conflict escalates; a rather unfortunate statement when all everyone is looking for is lasting peace in the area.

The Nsawam/Adoagyiri lawmaker further noted that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is now in Power, “they must show responsibility; they are scratching the surface, the eminent chiefs are showing leadership but the bus stops with the government”.

He further added that, NDC should show more maturity in this matter, “we are going to sustain our interest until there is lasting peace at Bawku; you would not get the Minority to make those irresponsible statement to say that anytime one government is in power the conflict escalates. Our, interest is peace and security; we would hold NDC to their promises until they deliver on that.

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The Member of Parliament for Amenfi West Eric Afful has appealed to Ghanaians to be measured in their expectations from the months old John Dramani Mahama led government.

According to the Chairman of the Committee on Economy and Development, the promises made by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2024 presidential elections would be fulfilled in due time.

In an interview, he pointed out that, the government has just been given its maiden budget by parliament through the appropriation and this is the time that government is going to do a lot of expenditure within the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the government has started to hit the ground running and “all we have said within the Manifesto, we are going to tackle it. The expectations people are having in this government with our promise, we are going to do it”.

He advised that the citizens should see this government as a young one and it cannot do everything it has promised at the same time within the short frame of time, adding that the situation is not different with the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) as their maiden common fund has not come in yet. “As we speak today, most of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are not in place, “if funds are given to the various MMDAs who are going to expend these funds?” He queried.

Let us make sure the MMDCEs are sworn in first before the funds can be expended.

As to whether the expectations should be after a year, he noted that until all the Ministers and MMDCEs are fully in place, expectations should be well managed.

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In view of the revision of Ghana’s Parliamentary standing orders, a new Committee has been curved out of the Finance Committee – Economy and Development Committee.

According to the chairman of the Economy and Development Committee Eric Afful, this is a new Committee and it has a critical role to play, as it would work hand in hand with the Finance Ministry when it comes to fiscal policy, revenue expenditure and tax within the fiscal space.

The Chairman further added that same Committee has an oversight role over the Bank of Ghana on Monetary Policy and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

Again, we have oversight responsibility with all the Ministries, Department and Agencies on how they are spending the appropriation sum approved for them in the 2025 budget. More especially in which areas they are spending the funds; how much was appropriated to them by the Ministry of Finance; and if they got the amount appropriate to them.

Mr Afful further revealed that, they have something to do with the development Authorities – they have oversight over the Middle Belt Authority, Northern Belt Authority and Southern Belt Authority. “Our mandate also covers them and their mandate is broad”.

And anything that relate to the Finance Ministry, which is related to development which would have an economic impact would be referred to them; adding that the government’s 24-hour economy programme is also the work of this committee.

The Committee has to work with the 24-hour Economy Secretariat for them to explain to Ghanaians better how it would impact their lives. “It is a new committee and we need to let its functions well known; and we have drawn up our programme for the year. We are going to monitor various MDAs as to how they are expending their appropriated amounts”.

He disclosed that the Committee is likely to hold public hearing where “we invite all the MDAs; we have to let Ghanaians know what they are doing. The mandate of the committee we cannot keep this committee in the dark, so that people would know the work the Ministries, Department and Agencies are doing.”

He explained that unlike the Public Account Committee (PAC) that relies on the reports of the Auditor General, the Economy and Development Committee would work directly with the MDAs. “We would invite you and you tell Ghanaians the work you are doing. You have been allocated money; we will call you to tell us how you are working to develop this economy”, he concluded.

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The Deputy Ranking on the Committee on Security and Intelligence Kofi Amankwa-Manu has commended the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno, for visiting Bawku in the wake of the escalating Bawku conflict.

He was however not enthused about alleged comment by the IGP in which he said to have asked the youth to lay down their tools and they would be considered for recruitments.

“I am reading from social media, if that is true then the IGPs visit is rather going to create more problems. To say that lay down your tools and then we would consider you for recruitment is something that one cannot understand. It is important to get all parties involved to lay down their tools; for me it would be absurd to recruit people into the security based on the fact that they have laid down their tools which means If you do not meet the criteria to be recruited into the security service, you would be given the opportunity because you have laid down your tools?”.

He expressed worry over the burning of the House of the Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for the area Mahama Ayariga; and further added that his colleague the Member of Parliament for Pusiga Laadi Ayii Ayamba was also affect and the steps taken by the IGP is a step in the right direction.

The former deputy defence Minister in the Akufo-Addo led administration, who was speaking at a press conference by the Minority in parliament on Friday lamented that the IGP’s call to the youth is not the way to go, because “we all know the sensitivity surrounding the Bawku issue.”

“So, if one ethnic group laid down their tools and they are recruited into the security service, we all know the chaos it is going to create for the nation. The minority would support every move to get solution and bring finality to this conflict in Bawku. As a border town, if care is not taken and we get these armed groupings to use Bawku as a weak point the entire country would be on its knees”.

Meanwhile, the Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh adding his voice to the Bawku conflict situation lamented that this is a major statement made by the IGP since he was appointed; and maybe the statement was made just on the spare of the moment and it’s clearly an unfortunate statement. “If any other person says this, no seriousness would be attached to it but from the IGP, the ramification of that statement is so critical”, he added.

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The Minority in Parliament has charged the government to take urgent steps to douse the recent violent clashes in Bawku as the New development is worsening and endangering lives and property in the area.

They assert that the intensity and frequency of attacks including sporadic shootings, arson and home invasions have escalated the death toll with many more people said to be missing than those reported dead.

The Minority is particularly disturbed about the growing sophistication of weaponry used in these attacks, which raised questions about the sources of arms and the effectiveness of measures to curb their proliferation. “Recent developments, including targeted bus attacks and the setting ablaze of the residence of Hon. Mahama Ayariga, reflect the increasing volatility of the situation and the level of frustration among sections of the youth”.

At a press conference addressed by the Ranking Member on the Committee of Defense and Interior, Rev. John  Ntim Fordjour contends that any failure to de-escalate tensions leads to a cycle of reprisals, which, if unchecked, will further entrench insecurity in the area.

As a Strategic border town, Bawku’s instability poses a wider national and regional security risk. The expansion of attacks to other regions, including the North East and Ahafo, further underscores the urgent need for a more coordinated response, he emphasized.

They also expressed deep regret at the devastation the conflict is imposing on critical sectors such as education, health noting that not only are schools been forced to shutdown, depriving children of their right to education, but key institutions and businesses are fleeing the area due to safety concerns while various professionals are refusing postings to the area for sale reasons.

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