Author: nii Ghanamps

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs has proposed the creation of a dedicated Consular Fund to assist Ghanaian deportees facing difficult conditions abroad.

At his ongoing vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Friday, January 31 2025, Mr. Ablakwa stressed the need for a financial mechanism that would enable foreign missions to provide legal and humanitarian support to Ghanaians at risk of deportation.
He noted that the Fund would serve as a critical resource for embassies and consulates worldwide, ensuring that no Ghanaian is left without representation or assistance in distressing circumstances. He also expressed particular concern over recent mass deportations by the United States.

He stated that many affected individuals often face degrading treatment and lack access to legal counsel or consular intervention.
“When given the nod, I will ensure that we establish a Consular Fund. We must make sure that this Fund exists and can be accessed by our foreign-service staff to extend assistance particularly in this period where the United States has announced mass deportations.”

He added that deportees are entitled to consular assistance and legal representation to prevent violations of their rights and dignity.
Beyond addressing deportations, Mr. Ablakwa indicated that his ministry would engage key foreign partners to negotiate improved migration policies that safeguard the welfare of Ghanaians abroad.

“Those who may be rounded up to be deported are entitled to consular support. We must get them legal support so that they are not just rounded up and deported with their rights violated. That is a violation of their human rights and affront to their dignity and these are matters that I will pursue”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Minister-Designate for Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has dismissed claims suggesting that it is morally wrong for public workers to legally acquire state lands, asserting that such acquisitions are legitimate if conducted properly.

His comments were made during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on January 24, amidst ongoing efforts by the government to reclaim illegally acquired state lands—a subject that has fueled intense public debate.

Muntaka disclosed that he had personally acquired government land in Accra through lawful means, emphasizing that public officials and private citizens alike have the right to acquire state lands legitimately.

“I know the whole of East Legon was for the state; we have private people living there; people who have worked in government before, and others. Airport Residential was all state land, and people acquired it legitimately and are living there. I don’t see anything wrong with it if it’s done legitimately and rightfully,” he explained.

On matters of security, Muntaka assured the committee of his commitment to confidentiality, emphasizing that sensitive information would remain strictly within authorized channels.
“I will never spill security matters to my wife or any other person. I can assure you no third person can ever know,” he pledged.

Ghananamps.com

Minister designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Ahmed Ibrahim has said the procurement of the District Road Improvement Programme equipment was not done with the Local Government Ministry then, but was rather done from the presidency.

According to him it is a laudable initiative conceived through the Local Government Committee, the sector Ministry and the District Assemblies Common Fund.

During his vetting on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, he noted that workers in the Ministry will bear with him that they do not have records of any agreement of the DRIP project and they do not have programme inventory of all the DRIP machines.

Again, there is no management contract, there are no spare parts, there are no committee established to take care of DRIP machines.

When the Immediate past sector Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Martin Korsah asked a question about the DRIP equipment, the Minister designate noted that as a House they need to work together to get the best of the DRIP machines and put them to good use so that the money pumped into it will not go to waste.

“We should have proper structure, proper agreement, proper monitoring, and proper system to ensure that we make good use of the machines that were procured. I hope I can count on the former Local Government Ministers here; we have the men from both sides if we can come together we can solve Ghana’s problems”, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority in Parliament has given indications that they will not cooperate with the Majority to transact government business on the floor of the House until President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) take immediate and decisive action to curb the violence allegedly instigated by their supporters across the country.

According to the second deputy whip Jerry Ahmed Shaid recent vandalism of the Electoral Commission’s Greater Accra Regional office during attempts to re-collate results for the Ablekuma North Constituency is a glaring example of the rising lawlessness in the nation.
He accused the party of deliberately inciting violence, with supporters engaging in thuggish behaviour in a bid to overturn the democratic process in the Ablekuma North constituency—an election he insists the NDC lost. “The Minority Caucus stands united in sending a clear and urgent message to His Excellency the President, and to the Ghana Police Service, about the escalating lawlessness in the country,” Mr Shaid declared.
“We are deeply concerned by the growing chaos following the declaration of John Dramani Mahama as President.”
Mr. Shaid announced the NDC’s actions allegedly involved obstructing the Electoral Commission from carrying out its constitutional duties.
“The latest incident, in which NDC supporters, led by the regional organiser, physically attacked the Electoral Commission’s officials and damaged property, is a shocking display of lawlessness,” Mr Shaid said.

“This is not just an isolated event, but part of a deliberate, coordinated effort by senior NDC members to disrupt the electoral process and prevent the NPP’s legitimate victory in Ablekuma North from being recognised.”

The NPP graciously accepted our losses, even when the margins were as narrow as fewer than a thousand votes, he noted.

“We chose the path of respect for the democratic process, while the NDC, despite their clear defeat in Ablekuma North, has resorted to violence and disruption, claiming they are defending the Electoral Commission. This is nothing more than a smokescreen for their refusal to accept the will of the people”, he added.
Kwaku Sakyi-Dnanso/Ghanamps.com

The leadership of the Majority side in Parliament is opened for replacement following the nominations of 3 of the current occupants to ministerial positions.

The first batch of President Mahama’s ministerial nominees saw the Majority Leader and MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, Cassiel Ato Forson taken away as Minister designate for Finance.

The second batch of ministerial nominees saw two more persons from the leadership including Governs Kwame Agbodza, MP for Adaklu and Majority Whip as Minister designate for Roads and Highways with Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda and Deputy Chief Whip as Minister designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.

It is romoured that the rests of the current leadership have also been penciled for other positions yet to be known as the president continues with the nominations.

Meanwhile, the development will not in any way affect the performance of the Majority Leadership since there are a huge number of competent and experienced hands among the Majority to easily step into those roles.

Some names are being speculated around are possible replacements of these persons already given ministerial roles and with time all these will be made public.

Ghanamps.com

President John Dramani Mahama has appointed Member of Parliament for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim as Minister-designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.

His name was included in a list of 12 newly appointed ministers-designate submitted to parliament, through the Speaker, to serve as regional and sector Ministers.

The President has also appointed former Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu as Minister of Education designate.

NDC youth organizer, George Opera-Addo, is also heading to the newly created Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment while Agnes Naa MoMo Lartey has been appointed Minister designate for Gender, Children and Social protection.

Below is the list of newly appointed ministers:

President John Dramani Mahama has submitted a list of 10 nominees to Parliament.

The list which is the first batch of Regional Minister nominees was submitted through the Speaker for prior approval.

They include as contained in the release below:

Mr Jinapor had indicated that CenPower had up to 23 days of fuel reserve as at the time of President Mahama’s swearing-in on January 7, 2025.
The Minister-designate for Energy, John Jinapor has stated that his recent claim that Ghana had only 5 hours of fuel reserves left and that the entire country was going to experience serious load shedding was only in respect of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO).

Mr Jinapor further admitted and confirmed to the Appointments Committee that CenPower, one of several power generation companies in the country has up to 23 days of fuel reserve as at the time of President Mahama’s swearing-in on 7 January 2025.

Mr John Jinapor, answering a question posed to him by the Ranking member of the Appointment Committee in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo Markin, when he appeared before the committee, noted that the media misquoted him based on the headlines they put out following his social media post and his comments after President John Mahama’s swearing-in on January 7, 2025. “I was specific; I said we had 5 hours of HFO, and it is true. We had 5 hours of HFO. I said we had zero hours of DFO for Sunon Asogli, and it is true. I gave a breakdown, but I don’t develop the headlines; I do not write the stories.”

“The recording is there, and the truth is that we had 5 hours of HFO, and if there is any problem with gas supplies, we are going to lose as much as 370 megawatts in 5 hours’ time, which will lead to load shedding. So, as far as I am concerned, that is a fact,” John Jinapor stated before the Appointments Committee.

In his earlier post on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, John Jinapor claimed that “as a result of this unpatriotic and reckless decision [by the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration not to purchase fuel for power generation before leaving office], Ghanaians will experience serious load shedding during the period of the pipeline maintenance and pigging exercise scheduled by WAPCo on the West African Gas Pipeline from Nigeria to Ghana, from 20 January to 16 February 2025.”

“Today, as President Mahama prepares to assume office, our checks from the system operator (GRIDCO) have revealed that Ghana has less than 2 days of stock for both Distillate Fuel and Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) with no plans put in place by the outgoing administration to restock the depleting fuel stocks despite assurances by government officials to the transition team.

“The Ministry of Energy confirmed at the joint transition team meetings that WAPCo had originally scheduled to begin the pipeline cleanup and inspection exercise in October 2024 aimed at protecting the integrity and assuring safe operations of WAPCo’s offshore pipeline. However, the Akufo Addo-led government deliberately coerced WAPCo to postpone the exercise to 20 January 2025 under the guise of requiring time to secure the needed parcels of liquid fuel to augment any gas shortfall during the maintenance period.

“Indeed, at the meeting of the subcommittee of the joint transition team on Energy and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Energy gave numerous assurances that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and other key players in the country’s gas-to-power sector, adequate provision had been put in place to mitigate the impact on the country’s grid system and ensure a reliable and stable power supply during the shutdown,” John Jinapor’s post read.
Ghanamps.com

In a remarkable turn of events, Ghana’s 2024 general elections have concluded with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) achieving a significant victory over the New Patriotic Party (NPP). This outcome reflects a dramatic shift in the nation’s political landscape, as the NDC not only increased its vote share but also secured a dominant majority in Parliament.

Though the EC is yet to release the full complement of the total votes in the presidential elections because of some outstanding constituencies yet to be received, the EC attests that not even all that figure added to the NPP’s candidate will change the outcome. In similar vein, there are some parliamentary results yet to be declared.

The NDC garnered 6,328,397 votes, translating to 56.55% of the total valid votes cast. This marks an increase of 115,215 votes (1.84%) compared to their 2020 performance, where they obtained 6,213,182 votes (47.36%). The party’s parliamentary seats also saw a substantial rise, with the NDC winning 181 seats in 2024 per the 274 out of 276 constituencies so far declared, compared to 137 in 2020, solidifying their control in the legislative arm of government.

On the other hand, the NPP experienced a significant setback, securing only 4,657,304 votes (41.61%) in the 2024 elections—a steep decline of 2,073,283 votes (30.81%) from their 2020 tally of 6,730,587 votes (51.30%). This loss translated into a reduced parliamentary presence, with the NPP retaining only 89 seats per the 274 out of 276 constituencies , a sharp drop from the 137 seats they held in 2020.

The results mark a pivotal moment in Ghana’s political history. The NDC’s increased dominance signals a renewed mandate to lead, potentially altering policy directions across key areas such as economic management, education, and infrastructure development. Conversely, the NPP’s decline suggests a need for introspection and recalibration as they transition to the opposition.

The election outcome has sparked diverse reactions across the country. Supporters of the NDC have celebrated their party’s return to power with calls for immediate action to address pressing socio-economic issues. Meanwhile, analysts attribute the NPP’s losses to various factors, including voter dissatisfaction and changing political dynamics.

As Ghana ushers in a new political chapter, the focus now shifts to how the NDC will utilize its renewed mandate to address the nation’s challenges. For the NPP, the task ahead involves rebuilding trust and re-establishing their connection with the electorate.

The 2024 elections underscore the vibrant nature of Ghana’s democracy, reflecting the will of the people and setting the stage for the country’s future governance.

In the wake of the act of vandalism of vehicles in parliament on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, security has been beefed up at the premises of the lawmaking House.

Parliament’s security personnel could be seen giving thorough checks on visitors who were coming to the premises of Parliament House.

Even journalists signed to the House were directed to display their identification cards for checks before being allowed into the premises.

On Wednesday, December 18, 2024 two suspects namely Wisdom Ahlie, forty-two and Christopher Okyere, thirty-three were apprehended by the police in Parliament House for vandalizing windscreens and side glasses of parked vehicles in Parliament House.

Five vehicles were involved; two Toyota Land cruisers belonging to Members of Parliament, a Toyota Rav 4, and twoToyota Camry belonging to staff of the parliamentary service.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com