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A study by the Institute for Liberty and Policy Innovation (ILAPI), a research organisation, has revealed that only one out of 10 Ghanaians has a written will.

The quantitative research on accessing funds by next-of-kin, revealed that 85.5 per cent of the 1000 respondents from across the 16 regions of Ghana do not have written wills.

Mr Peter Bismark, the Executive Director of ILAPI, and Mr Stephen Dansu, the Organisation’s Head of Research, revealed this during a high-level policy dialogue on ‘Reducing family poverty via the use of next of kin.’

They indicated that the research, which was carried out between February and July 2023, also found that 38.75 per cent of those who did not have written wills, and said they were yet to acquire any property or asset.

Other reasons given were that they were not ready, they did not believe in writing a will, it was not yet time for them to die, their family knew their property already because they were residing in family property, while others had no reason for no
t having a will.

They said the research also revealed that 80.50 per cent were not informed about their status as next-of-kin, while 63 per cent were not informed by banks about the amount of money the deceased had, and how much they were entitled to.

The ILAPI said the bureaucratic nature of accessing funds as next-of-kin was costly, as respondents revealed that they spent an average of GHS7,550 and as much as GHS15,000 on these processes.

Some of the identified institutions a next-of-kin might deal with in the process included health facilities for the acquisition of a certificate of cause of death, police for the acquisition of a coroner, the Birth and Death Registry for a death certificate, and a death extract.

A burial permit must be acquired from the district assemblies, a probate or letter of administration from the court, as well as documents from financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), among others.

ILAPI recommende
d that there should be frequent public education by stakeholders such as the National Commission for Civic Education, financial institutions, insurance companies and SSNIT, on the processes and procedures involved in accessing an estate.

They also called for the streamlining of administrative processes, to reduce the duration of accessing the funds of the deceased to avoid boredom and abandonment, which usually occurred empirically because of frustration and stress the next-of-kin, beneficiaries, and nominees go through to access these claims.

It urged Ghanaians to inculcate the habit of registering their property and having written wills, to avoid setbacks next-of-kin, beneficiaries, and nominees faced.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Pandemonium broke at the Mataheko Police Station Park in the Ablekuma Central Constituency where the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is conducting parliamentary primary, after delegates abandoned voting and followed someone with a violet bag.

The bag contains small sealed envelopes.

A delegate, who sought anonymity, told the Ghana News Agency that the envelopes contained money for delegates, who voted for a particular aspirant.

Scores of delegates, including the elderly and persons with disability, about an hour into the election, deserted the voting and went after the ‘Manager’ of the bag.

Quickly, a long queue was formed ,with jostling and shoving for the money.

It is not clear, which candidate is giving out the money.

However, the tent under, which the money is being shared has the image of Mr Collins Amoah, one of the four aspirants.

A total of 1,571 delegates are expected to vote to elect one of the four aspirants to represent the Party in the parliamentary election next year.

The aspirants are Mr Jef
ferson, Sackey, a Presidential Staffer, Mr Ebenezer Nartey, a former Member of Parliament, Mr Collins Amoah and Mr Larry Angered Adjei.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Apostle Joseph Felix Kwesi Mensah, the Chairman of the Executive Council of the Great Commission Church International (GCCI), has urged Churches to focus on finishing the task of world evangelism.

He reiterated that each Church must be a factory for producing Holy Spirit-filled disciples for Christ, who also produce Christ-like disciples.

He said world evangelism was God’s topmost agenda and therefore, Churches must ensure that the gospel of Jesus Christ reaches the four corners of the earth.

Apostle Mensah made the appeal in his sermon at the 33rd General Council Meeting (GCM) of GCCI – Ghana at Adenta near Accra.

The GCM on the theme ‘Structuring to Deliver the GCCI Mandate’, is being attended by 160 participants, which consists of GCCI pastors and their wives, Board of Trustees, presiding elders and presbyters.

Apostle Mensah said there were about 20 unreached ethnic groups in Ghana, while across the African continent there were about 998 unreached ethnic groups, which need to hear the gospel of Jesu
s Christ.

Speaking on the topic ‘The Vision of GCCI’, Apostle Mensah noted that vision was the staff of leadership and the anchor of followers.

‘As a Church, we need to be clear about our vision.’

He underscored that the vision of the Church was to make disciples of all my nations.

Quoting from the Bible Apostle Mensah said: ‘After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.’

Apostle Mensah urged Churches to develop strategies and plans for finishing world evangelism; adding that it would be achieved within a generation.

Apostle Dr Samuel Vincent Ansah, the Chairman of GCCI Ghana National Council, advised Christians to be prayerful, declaring that the prayerful Christians would experience divine breakthroughs.

The GCCI was founded on 1st April 1991, on the campus of the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra.

The Church has since
been established in other countries such as Togo, Benin, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, and Gabon.

The founding fathers include Apostle Joseph Felix Kwesi Mensah, Apostle Professor Samuel Asuming-Brempong, Apostle Joseph Kwabena Antwi and Apostle Dr Samuel Vincent Ansah.

The rest are Apostle Richard Kwami Adanu, Apostle Komla Ebenezer Hagan, and Apostle Derrick Sarpong.

Source: Ghana News Agency