The commencement of trading of rice on the electronic trading platform of the Ghana Commodity Exchange and the increase of Ghana’s active COVID-19 cases to 1,011 are some of the leading stories I the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that the Ghana Commodity Exchange (GCX) has commenced trading of rice on its electronic trading platform.
This brings the number of commodities traded on the exchange to five, with the four others being maize, soya bean, sorghum and sesame.
The GCX was established two years ago to help transform and standardise commodity trading in Ghana.
At the launch of the programme in Accra, the Chief Operating Officer of the GCX, Mr. Robert Dowuono Owoo, said it was a structured marketplace where buyers and sellers of agricultural commodities met to transact business using modern and innovative technology.
He said the local rice industry was very key to the commodity value chain, since almost all regions in the country cultivated rice, a staple food.
He said it was, therefore, necessary for the industry to be well developed to ensure that the rice value chain benefited from the marketing structures put in place by the GCX, adding: “I hope this will be a win-win situation for everyone in the local rice value chain.”
The newspaper says that the women’s wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by the National Women Organiser, Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw, on Tuesday, December 15, 2020 went on a street demonstration to protest results of the December 7, 2020 elections.
The group accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of conniving with the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to rig the election.
Clad in red and black shirts and holding placards, the women marched from the Amakom roundabout, through some principal streets of Kumasi and ended at the Ashanti Regional of the EC, where they presented a verbal petition to the EC.
Even though the group did not inform the police about the march, the police provided them with protection and led them throughout.
Mobile police patrol men on motorbikes and a riot control van accompanied the protestors.
The police cordoned off the premises of the EC, which is next door to the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, with barricades to prevent the protestors from having access to the premises.
Addressing the media, Dr. Bissiw said as women, they were protesting against what they described as the broad day light robbery by the EC in favour of the NPP.
The women called on the EC to let the votes of people of Ghana who voted for the NDC count and to let peace prevail in the country.
The Graphic also reports that Ghana’s active COVID-19 cases has soared to 1,011.
The country has also recorded 116 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 53,386.
This is according to an update by the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
According to the GHS, the total number of recoveries or discharge as at December 12 was 52,048.
Meanwhile, the total number of deaths remains 327.
The GHS last Thursday said it anticipates an increase in COVID-19 infections during the festive season and as a result of post-election activities.
The Times says that the Minority caucus in Parliament yesterday protested what they believe is a “stolen election verdict” and to “mourn the death of Ghana’s democracy” by wearing black and red attire.
The opposition NDC has indicated it was unwilling to accept the “fictionalised” and “flawed ”results of the December 7 presidential election.
The Electoral Commission (EC) on December 9, 2020, declared President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo winner of the presidential race, having polled 6,730,413 votes, representing 51.595 percent of valid votes cast, to ward off challenge from his closest contender, former President John Mahama, who had 6,214,889 votes, representing 47.366 percent.
After the declaration, the Commission, in a statement corrected the total valid votes cast from 13,434,574 to 13,119,460, but said that did not change the percentages stated for each candidate and the declaration made by the EC Chairperson.
GIK/APA