The call by the Trades Union Congress on the government to direct all economic recovery and transformation efforts in the next four years on job creation and the directive by President Akufo-Addo to all Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts Chief Executives to remain at post until further notice are some of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on the government to direct all economic recovery and transformation efforts in the next four years on job creation.
It has, therefore, called for effective collaboration among stakeholders, whom it describes as social partners, to create more and better jobs for young Ghanaians, both in the public and the private sectors of the economy.
In a New Year message signed by its Secretary-General, Dr. Yaw Baah, the TUC said: “We can make a huge difference if we work together to remove the numerous constraints in the way of domestic production, including corruption, high interest rates, ultra-liberal trade policies and the deficit in our social and economic infrastructure.”
The TUC said it was counting on the new leadership of the country to deliver the people from mass poverty that had afflicted a significant section of them.
It said the introduction of more initiatives, such as the recruitment of additional teachers, security personnel and the implementation of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), as well as state-sponsored entrepreneurship development programmes, would help address the employment crisis facing the youth.
The newspaper says that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed all Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to remain at post until further notice.
A communique signed by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare, said the directive was in accordance with Article 243 (3) of the 1992 Constitution.
The communique further warned the MMDCEs against taking any policy-related decisions.
“I am directed by H. E. the President to inform all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) who were.at post immediately before the inauguration ceremony on Thursday r January, 2021 to remain at post until further notice,” the communique read.
“This directive is in accordance with Article 243 (3) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
“You are to take note of the provision of section 14 (5) of the Presidential (Transition) Act (2012) which states that “shall -not take a decision involving a policy issue”. Also, you are to act in accordance with letter No. SCR/DA555/555/01 dated 21st December, 2020 which gives directives on financial commitments, recruitments among others,” it added.
The Graphic also reports that the Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has issued a Public Health Alert warning the general public against the patronage and use of any COVID-19 vaccine.
The FDA in a press release issued today said it had come to its attention that “some unscrupulous members of the business community are peddling information on the sale of COVID-19 vaccines to hospitals and other health facilities”.
The release said the “peddling of such information contravenes Section 118 of the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851 and constitutes a very serious offence”.
“It has come to the attention of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), that some unscrupulous members of the business community are peddling information on the sale of COVI D-19 vaccines to hospitals and other health facilities. The information is ostensibly to inform the general public of the availability of these vaccines from well known pharmaceutical brands indicating their price ranges,” the release said.
“The general public is hereby cautioned against the patronage of such vaccines since the FDA has not yet approved any COVID-19 vaccine for use in Ghana.
In view of the above, the FDA wishes to inform all health facilities and the general public that, peddling of such information contravenes Section 118 of the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851 and constitutes a very serious offence”.
The Times says that Professor Ransford Gyampo, a political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, has postulated that the structure of the current Parliament gives the National Democratic Congress (NDC) some amount of leverage on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the government.
He explained that the NPP and the government would at some point need approval from some NDC Members of Parliament (MPs) in the decision-making processes and advised the NPP caucus in Parliament to be mindful of his choice of words when dealing with the NDC caucus in Parliament.
“This percentage of approval can only be attained with the help of the leadership of NDC caucus which should be enough reason for Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who has been proposed as the leader in the next Parliament to tone down his ‘overly partisan comments’ on Haruna Iddrisu going forward.
“With respect, I think Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu may rather be living in dreamland if he doesn’t learn the rubrics of sounding conciliatory in his utterances and comments in response to “provocations” from Mr Iddrisu.
“This, coupled with the unprecedented voter attitude of Ghanaians in ensuring that Parliament remains what it is likely to be in the next few days, should make him approach his overly partisan commentary with some trepidation, going forward.
GIK/APA