Category: General

By Charity Nginyu

The Federal High Court in Lagos State, Nigeria has granted bail to businessman Pascal Okechukwu, famously known as Cubana Chief Priest.

The court presided over by Justice Kehinde Ogundare, sanctioned a bail sum of N10 million alongside two sureties.

Cubana Chief Priest’s appearance before the court follows allegations of tampering and abusing the national currency, the naira, during a social event held at the prestigious Eko Hotel on February 13, 2024.

The charges levied against him are in direct violation of the Central Bank Act of 2007, according to details gleaned from Punch Newspaper.

During the proceedings, Cubana reportedly entered a plea of not guilty to the charges brought against him, vehemently denying any wrongdoing in the alleged incident.

However, the prosecution maintains that Cubana Chief Priest engaged in the act of ‘spraying’ the naira, an action deemed illegal under Nigerian law.

This legal development comes hot on the heels of a similar case involving another notab
le personality.

Just days prior, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured a conviction against popular cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, more commonly known as Bobrisky, on analogous charges of abusing the national currency.

Bobrisky was handed a six-month prison sentence in connection with his actions.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, the Director-General, Cyber Security Authority (CSA), says the Authority is committed to working with stakeholders to embark on some major policy initiatives geared towards child online protection.

He said ongoing was the development of a Legislative Instrument to support the implementation of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038), with which United Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and other partners were greatly involved.

The Director-General said this at the launch of the 2024 edition of the National Cybersecurity Challenge (NCC) in Accra, which marks a milestone of an event that has imparted the third knowledge to thousands of school children across the country.

The theme for this year’s edition is ‘Empowering young minds, creating opportunities, promoting a safer digital Ghana.’

This initiative is aimed at promoting cyber safety and awareness among high school students by providing them with first-hand experiences in identifying, preventing, and mitigating digital threats
, especially online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Dr Antwi-Boasiako said the development of the National Child Online Protection (COP) Framework, was currently before Cabinet, and the development of guidelines to support child online protection initiatives, the annual Africa Safer Internet Day (ASID) in February, among others.

He said over the last 10 years, children and young adults had consistently been the two groups found most likely to go online.

‘According to Statista, a global research platform, as of January 2024, an estimated 24.06 million Ghanaians were connected to the internet, with 7.60 million active on social media,’ he added.

He said currently, Ghana was ranked eighth globally on daily time spent on social media with online child sexual exploitation and abuse among the top 10 cybercrimes in the world, and that this figure was expected to increase in the coming years if attention was not given to child online safety.

The Director-General said UNICEF and the National Centre for Missi
ng and Exploited Children (NCMEC), had reported that almost 22,000 reports of child sexual abuse material that were accessed, shared, or produced in 2022 were from Ghana.

‘In that same year, the Child Online Protection Division of the CSA conducted a survey in selected senior high schools in the Greater Accra region, aiming to collect information about the online habits, risks, and vulnerabilities of students using the internet’

‘The key findings of the survey established that about 64.35 per cent reported receiving pornographic materials in various forms, including images, words, and videos,’ he added.

He said another concerning statistic established that 55.90 per cent of students admitted to interacting with strangers they met online, highlighting the potential dangers of online meetings.

Dr Antwi-Boasiako said as a flagship programme of the Authority, it had been decided that the Challenge was run by a National Steering Committee to give it a national character and the needed impetus.

He urged their
partners to be part of the Committee when called upon to support this exercise, calling civil societies, the media, businesses, and stakeholders across the country to support the event to empower children and to help keep them safe online.

Madam Joyce Odame, a Representative from UNICEF, expressed excitement for the innovative approach employed by the CSA to enhance the knowledge of all and sundry to stay smart in the online space.

She called on other relevant stakeholders to join the journey by supporting to equipping the next generation to know how to use the digital space to their advantage.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Wednesday stressed the need for active participation and involvement of the private sector in Ghana’s energy supply and distribution chain.

It was time the Government focused on policy formulation and regulation and allowed the private sector to take over the distribution and supply of energy to ensure efficient service delivery while increasing investments in the sector, he said.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Anwomaso branch and metering station in Kumasi of Genser Energy, the only private owner of gas pipeline in Ghana, Otumfuo Osei Tutu noted that private investments were crucial in the supply and distribution of sustainable energy to promote industrial and commercial growth of the country.

The Genser Energy Station will connect natural gas pipelines from Nyinahin to Anwomaso for onward supply to industries in the northern sector of the country.

The Asantehene said it was worrying that state institutions involved in the distribution and supply of energy wer
e struggling to manage resources available to them.

Allowing the private sector to take over would not only attract the needed investments but also qualified and competent employees to ensure efficient management and creating employment opportunities for the youth, he said.

‘It works that way and therefore you can attract more investments to come to the country and create employment,’ the Asantehene said.

‘The Volta River Authority (VRA) and GRIDCO are both public sector establishments; let’s give them to the private sector to inject money in them and get the right and qualified people to do it.’

‘The Electricity Company, for instance, is in a situation we do not know, let’s settle that and give it to a private company. Why are we still holding on to it when we do not have the money?’ he quizzed.

It was time Ghanaians faced the realities and decide on what the Government should be doing and what private sector should do, Otumfuor Osei-Tutu noted.

He said the achievements of Genser Energy was a testament
of what the private sector could do, and it was important that the Government supported such investments.

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Energy, said the commissioning of the pipeline would bring more natural gas supply to the northern sector and boost industrialisation.

Nana Osae Nyampong, the Board Chairman, Genser Energy, said the Company would work to deliver energy solutions to Ghana and beyond.

Genser Energy is a diversified energy company with operations in West Africa.

It is an embedded power generation producer in Ghana with just over 200MW of installed capacity.

The company distributes natural gas through pipeline networks of over 420km, selling power and natural gas to energy intense industries.

The network is divided into three phases: phase one (BP01), phase two (PP01), and phase three (PP02).

The main supply of natural gas starts from the Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas) at Prestea Regulating and Metering Station (PRMS).

The first phase spans Prestea to Tarkwa to Damango
and ends at the Golden Star Resource, Wassa Mine.

The second phase stretches from Prestea to Gyegyetreso to Manukrom.

Phase three is 110 km in length and consists of five gas stations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo- Addo has appointed a new Acting Controller and Accountant-General to head the Controller and Accountant-Generals Department (CAGD) following the resignation of Mr. Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem.

Mr. Kwasi Agyei, the New Acting Controller and Accountant-General, assumed office on Monday April, 15, 2024.

Mr. Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem, the immediate past Controller and Accountant-General, at a short handing over ceremony, was excited that a new Acting Controller General had been appointed from within the Department.

He said this would serve as a motivation for staff of the Department, that through hard work, dedication and integrity one could rise to the top.

Mr. Kwaning-Bosompem said he had enjoyed massive support from staff of the Department right from top management to the least person and was very thankful for this gesture.

He said under his leadership, the Department had seen massive improvement and major technological transformation to the admiration of many stakeholders espe
cially in the areas of Payroll, National Accounts and Public Financial Management policies and programs.

He thanked President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo Addo, the Chairman of the Head of Service and Public Service Commission, and all staff of the Department for their support and the opportunity given him to serve the nation through the CAGD.

Mr. Kwasi Agyei, the new Acting Controller and Accountant-General, thanked the immediate past Controller for his exceptional leadership from which he had learnt a lot.

He also thanked President Nana Akuffo Addo, Mr Mohammed Amin Adam, the Minister for Finance, for the opportunity to serve the nation in this capacity.

‘I am fully aware of the responsibilities and challenges that lies ahead as the new Acting Controller and Accountant General, and will therefore need the support and dedication of all staff of the Department,’ he added.

Mr. Kwasi Agyei said the success of every organisation depended largely on the happiness and well- being of staff, hence the welfare of the
staff was paramount to him.

He assured staff that he would create a work environment that fostered growth, recognised achievements and prioritised employee welfare to maintain high productivity and achieve goals.

Mr. Kwasi Agyei urged all staff to support him to make CAGD a better place for all.

Mr. Wisdom Komlan Messan, the Deputy Controller in charge of Audit and Investigations, on behalf of management, thanked the immediate past Controller for his exceptional leadership.

He assured Mr. Kwasi Agyei of their support.

Mr. Kwasi Agyei comes to the office with over 20 years wealth of experience in the public sector.

Until his appointment as the new Acting Controller and Accountant General, he was the Deputy Controller and Accountant-General in-charge of Treasury.

Mr. Kwasi Agyei is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana.

He holds a Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Accounting and Finance, and International Master of Business Administration (MBA).

He also ho
lds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Degree in Accounting and Economics.

Mr. Agyei has served on various Boards including the Ministerial Advisory Board of the Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Road Fund Management Board and the Railway Development Fund Committee.

He has also held several positions in different organisations including Director of Finance at the Ministry of Energy, Director of Accounts at the Ministry of Petroleum, Head of Finance at the Food and Drugs Authority and Chief Treasury Officer at the Ministry of Finance.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Abu Kansangbata, a former Deputy Upper West regional Minister has called on the government to fulfill its promises of providing quality roads to the people of Savannah and Upper West regions.

‘In the wake of the declaration of the ‘Year of Roads,’ the state of the Wa-Bamboi to Kumasi roads stands as a testament to governmental neglect.

‘Traveling from Accra to Wa has become a grueling ordeal, with the journey stretching to an agonizing 17 to 18 hours.

In a statement signed and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, he said the prolonged travel time was not only inconveniencing passengers but also endangered their lives on what had become an hazardous route.

‘The Wa-Kumasi Highway, a crucial road for Trans-Ecowas trade connecting Ghana and Burkina Faso, along with other Sahelian communities in West Africa, has deteriorated into a perilous condition’.

Mr Kansangbata said the neglect had sparked outrage among citizens of the Upper West and Savannah Regions, who were demanding immediate action from th
e government to address the crumbling infrastructure.

‘The failure to fulfill promises of development adds insult to injury for the neglected communities. The pledge to transform the Kparigu Dam into a large-scale irrigation and hydro-power system held the promise of substantial benefits for the region’.

He said during the 2016 election campaign and subsequent years, the current government promised to usher in development for Northern communities, but the communities were yet to receive such projects.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Army Headquarters has received an undisclosed consignment of Personnel Body Protective armour from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence through its High Commission in Ghana.

The equipment include several boxes of bullet proof vests and helmets, gloves and other protective gears worth 260,000 British Pounds.

The gesture from the British government, Major General Bismack Kwasi Onwona, the Chief of Army staff, said would help improve the efficiency within the Army particularly, the Special Operations Brigade.

‘I expect this equipment to improve the combat efficiency, particularly of our Army Special Operations Brigade Forces and the personnel of the Ghana Army generally,’ he said.

The gesture, he stated, formed part of the mutual support and Defence Corporation with the UK’s Armed Forces aimed at enhancing the country’s security and beyond.

‘This donation is a further demonstration of a clear commitment of the United Kingdom to contribute to security and stability not only in the country, but
most especially in the subregion,’ he said.

Brigadier General Barimah Brako Owusu, the Chief Staff Officer (CSO) at the Army Headquarters, stated how the defence corporation between Ghana and UK had brought positive results to the country in the form of several logistical and training support.

The items were presented on behalf of the UK government by Naval Commander Richard Walters, Defence Attache at the UK High Commission in Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency