The Supreme Court order on the Electoral Commission on the voters’ identification card and the resumption of work on the constructing of the rail line from Tema to Mpakandan in the Asuogyaman District are the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Thursday.
The Graphic reports that the Supreme Court has ordered the Electoral Commission (EC) to provide the legal basis why it decided to refuse to accept the existing voters’ identification card as a form of identification in the upcoming mass voters registration exercise.
The report said that the seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, presided over by the Chief Justice, Justice Anin Yeboah, gave the order on Thursday, June 4, during hearing of a suit by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) challenging the upcoming compilation of a new voters register by the EC.
According to the report, the EC must provide the legal basis by Monday, June 8, 2020.
The newspaper says that President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has on the advice of the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service (GHS), directed AFCONS, the company constructing the rail line from Tema to Mpakandan in the Asuogyaman District, to resume work immediately.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Eric Kwakye Darfour, communicated the President’s directive to the company at a short ceremony to welcome AFCONS workers back to site.
According to the report, all the 82 workers of the company who tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have recovered.
The report added that the workers, mostly Indian supervisors, and other workers of the company had to quarantine themselves, leading to the suspension of work for more than 11 weeks.
The Times says that despite government easing of coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions on social gatherings, some churches have decided not to congregate for church services until further notice.
The report recalled that on Sunday, May 31, President Nana Addo Dankwa- Akufo-Addo announced that religious activities would commence in stages starting from June 5.
He said “an abridged format for religious services can commence. Twenty-five percent attendance, with a maximum number of attendances of 100 congregants can worship at a time in a church or at a mosque with a mandatory one metre rule of social distancing between congregants.”
According to the report, the churches, including International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Destiny Empowerment Chapel International, Spiritlife Revival Ministries and The Makers House (TMH) have decided to continue having virtual services in order to protect their members from contracting the disease.
In a communique signed by the General Secretary of ICGC, Rev. Morris Appiah, it said the church would use the entire month of June to assess, monitor and evaluate all protocols in simulation exercise with selected local assemblies in various districts.
The newspaper also reports that the government has found a strategic investor for the Komenda Sugar Factory, according to the Trade and Industry Minister, John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen.
The minister had in April 2019, reported to Parliament that government was in search of a strategic investor with the requisite technical and financial capacity to operationalise the sugar factory efficiently and profitably.
In an answer to a question by the Member of Parliament for Chereponi, Samuel Abdulai Jabanyite, Mr. Alan Kyerematen said that an investor had been settled on and that the factory was set to take off.
“Mr Speaker, I am happy to inform the House that in June 2019, Park Agrotech Ghana Limited was approved by cabinet as the preferred strategic investor for the Komenda Sugar Factory,” he told Parliament in Accra yesterday.
GIK/APA