Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, December 17, 2019, swore, into office, 45 Justices of the High Court and Court of Appeals, on the advice of the Judicial Council, at a ceremony at Jubilee House, the seat of the Nation’s presidency. According to President Akufo-Addo, the 45 Justices, i.e. 34 in the High Court and ten11in the Court of Appeal and thirty-four in the High Court,five Justices, three men and two women, “have been considered are eminently fit and qualified for the position of Justices of the Court of High Court and Court of Appeal,  and High Court, respectively, and are deemed to have the independence of mind and impartiality of spirit to hold theise high offices”.  Out of the 34 Justices of the High Court, there are 22 women and 12 men, and out of the ten11Justices of the Court of Appeal, there are 5 women and 6 men. “As a I am very pleased to see such high numbers of female justices in our Superior Courts. strong advocate ...

Ghana's President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has tasked Justices of the Supreme Court to ensure the strict application of the laws of the land, a nd do so without fear or favour, affection or ill-will, and, therefore, without recourse to the political, religious or ethnic affiliations of any citizen of the land. According to President Akufo-Addo, “When anyone falls foul of the law, the society expects that the person will be dealt with accordingly, and the law enforcement agencies must ensure this is done. That is the true meaning of the concept of equality before the law. The Judiciary plays a central role in law enforcement, with the Supreme Court as the apex Court.” The President made this known on Tuesday, December 17, 2019, when he swore into office Justices Mariama Owusu, Avril Lovelace-Johnson and Justice Gertrude Araba EsaabaTorkornoo, 3 female Justices who have been appointed to fill three vacancies on the Court as a result of the retirement of two Ju...

Christmas is here with us again. To most people⁠ — Christians and non-Christians alike, this is the season to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Globally, the festive season comes with public holidays and marks an end of a year. In Ghana, the celebration starts from December 20th to the first week of January, which marks the beginning of another new year. ‘Bronya’ the Akan translation of Christmas, brings memories and joy to Ghanaians when mentioned. The festive season is a big deal for all Ghanaians. It is this time that many people travel from all walks of life to visit their loved ones. Gifts are exchanged among loved ones, corporate end of year get-togethers are organised, parties and social gatherings cannot be left out of the yuletide. When it comes to Christmas rituals, there are so many of them: ranging from carol services, nativity plays, church activities, gift-giving to Christmas dinners. For the Christian celebration of Christmas, the viewing of the Nativity play i...

As part of the preparation towards the 2019 District Level Elections, mounting of platform is being organised throughout Ghana in all electoral areas where elections will take place. This is in accordance with the Constitutional Instrument, C-I 89, the law that currently governs the conduct of local government elections in Ghana. The mounting of the platform is unique and a very important component in the District Level Election process. It offers all the candidates equal opportunity on the common platform organised by the Electoral Commission to present their manifestos to the public at no cost to the candidates. It also provides the public the opportunity to see and hear their prospective representatives and ask them questions based on their manifestos and scrutinise their abilities and eligibility to lead the Electoral Areas as Assembly members and Unit Committee members. Furthermore, the platform will help the electorate to make informed decisions. One important thing that the e...

Ghana Friday, December 6, honoured its gallant farmers and fishers for the role they have played and continue to play in the nation’s socio-economic development. It is fulfilling that 35 years on, the state continues to observe the day instituted in recognition of the role farmers and fishers play in the economy especially their arduous efforts in reviving agriculture after the poor performance of the country’s agriculture in 1982 and 1983 due to intense drought.  For a decade, the agricultural sector’s contribution to GDP has dwindled. It has been overshadowed by the contribution of the services and industrial sectors. With the possibility of the nation taking its eyes off the sector, the theme for this year’s Farmers’ Day Celebration, “Enhancing Small Scale Agriculture Towards Agribusiness Development”, cannot be more appropriate. The sector contributes about 19 per cent of GDP, in addition to significantly contributing to foreign exchange earnings and tax revenue as well as hol...

Most of Ghana’s prisons have been built decades ago. They were constructed for few prisoners but with population growth and increase in crimes, the prisons have been overstretched. The nation’s home for criminals are overcrowded, they lack basic facilities while the prisoners receive merger feeding fees among others. In view of these challenges, it is important for the state to device strategic means of decongesting the prisons and making them a little conducive for human habitation. The unfortunate thing is that some of the prisoners have been on remand for years without been properly convicted. Some of these citizens who are sometimes found to be innocent only languish in jail for nothing. Their skills and abilities which they could have used to develop their communities and the country as a whole are locked up while they rot away physically and psychologically. The system doesn’t provide real and adequate result-oriented reformation programmes that build up the convicts to come bac...

The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities was proclaimed in 1992 by United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006, has further advanced the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other international development frameworks. This year’s event is themed: Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership: taking action on the 2030 Development Agenda. This year, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities focuses on the empowerment of persons with disabilities for inclusive, equitable and sustainable developme...

The decision by President Akufo-Addo to cancel the referendum scheduled for the 17th of this month was a wise one and well thought out albeit with legal ramifications. It saved the country’s democracy and indeed the local government system. The issue, however, is whether President Akufo-Addo is clothed with the requisite powers to effect the cancellation. The earlier decision to introduce multi-party politics into the country’s local government system was fraught with several discrepancies. President Akufo-Addo in a televised address last Sunday announced the cancellation of the Referendum which sought to seek the people’s mandate to amend Article 55 (3) of the 1992 Constitution to allow for the direct election of Metropolitan Municipal and District Chief Executives and encourage political parties to be involved in local elections. The direct election of MMDCEs was a campaign promise of President Akufo-Addo. The proposed changes would involve amending Article 243(1) which provides for...

People around the world unite on 1 December each year to commemorate World AIDS Day. The Day is used to show support for people living with HIV/AIDS and to remember those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses. Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first-ever international day for global health. Annually, United Nations agencies, governments and civil society organisations campaign around specific themes relating to HIV. The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is, “Communities make the difference”. The commemoration is an important opportunity to recognise the essential role that communities have played and continue to play in the AIDS response at the international, national and local levels. Communities contribute to the AIDS response in many different ways. Their leadership and advocacy ensure that the response remains relevant and grounded, keeping people at the centre and leaving no one behind. Communities include peer educators, networks of people living with or affected ...

For decades, successive governments made efforts to make Ghana fully sufficient in food production. Several initiatives and programmes have been implemented with the aim of producing enough to feed the population and for export. Unfortunately, this dream is yet to materialise as the country continues to depend on other countries to meet demands for certain types of foodstuff. Apart from tubers and a few other food items that the country is somewhat producing to meet demands, most of the food items on major supermarkets across the country are imported. Rice which is heavily consumed by many, is one such product that the country has for years been struggling to produce to meet demands. Ghanaians have fed on the so-called perfumed foreign rice to the extent that the consumption of locally produced rice is at an all-time low, even though it is very nutritious and healthier. It is in view of this that we commend government in its efforts to increase the production of rice and s...