The claim by Vice-President that the Ghanaian economy is on the cusp of substantial growth and the signing of a Presidential Elections Peace Pact on December 3, by the presidential candidates of the two leading political parties are some of the trending stories in the Ghanaian press on Friday.
The Graphic reports that there are exciting times ahead of the nation because the economy is on the cusp of substantial growth, the Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has said.
He said in spite of all the challenges Ghana encountered this year, the prudent management of resources by the government had ensured that it stayed afloat and was taking giant steps to take its rightful place in the global economy.
Delivering a lecture on the Future of Ghana’s Economy at the Cedi Conference Centre at the Department of Economics of the University of Ghana in Accra yesterday, Dr. Bawumia said the transformation that had taken place over the last four years was because “we were clear in our minds what must be done and we had a plan to do it, starting first with the restoration of the economy”.
The lecture, dubbed: “The case for four more years to do more for you”, saw the Vice-President systematically taking his audience through the economy the Akufo-Addo administration had inherited and how it had worked assiduously to position the country strongly in all facets.
Painting a broad picture of what the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government had tried to do over the last four years and how each of them connected to a central theme, Dr Bawumia said everything that had been done was designed to make an impact on the lives and livelihoods of every Ghanaian.
The newspaper says that ahead of the December 7, 2020 elections, the presidential candidates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former President John Dramani Mahama, respectively, will sign a Presidential Elections Peace Pact (PEPP) on December 3, 2020.
To be signed on the theme: “Eradicating vigilantism: The role of political parties”, the signatories will commit to non-violence, the resort to judicial process to seek redress in case of disputes and work towards eradicating vigilantism.
This follows elaborate consultations and a commitment by the two presidential candidates to sign the PEPP.
The Graphic Communications Group Limited and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation are the media partners for the programme.
Peace pacts were signed before the 2012 and the 2016 elections, and the signatories committed themselves to working together to tackle electoral violence, impunity and injustice.
The Graphic also reports that the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has licensed five companies to operate commercial drones for various services in the country.
The licensed companies — SKT Aeroshutter, Rocketmine Aerial Data Solutions, Zipline International, Rudan Engineering, and Axis Drone Surveys — have successfully completed all the necessary processes and procedures of the regulator, and have subsequently secured approval to operate.
The five were among 977 companies that applied to the GCAA, seeking approval to operate drone services in the country.
Technically called remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), drone services are gaining momentum in the country as businesses and individuals resort to their use for photography, information gathering, and the supply of essentials, among other services.
However, recently, the malicious use of drones has begun to emerge among criminals, including cyber users.
The probability and frequency of these attacks are both high and their impact can be very dangerous with devastating effects.
The Times says that Ghana’s Food and Drug Authority (FDA) and the Centre for State Control of Drugs and Medical Devices (CECMED) in Cuba, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the improvement of healthcare delivery in both countries.
The five-year agreement, which was signed in Accra, allows the two agencies to exchange information and experience on evaluation results, application of medicinal, vaccines and quality control and other information concerning products in both countries.
It would also provide training opportunities for staff of FDA and establish extensive cooperation, by exchanging information and expertise, mutual knowledge, inspection and certification and post marketing surveillance.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FDA, Mrs. Delese Mimi Darko, signed the MoU on behalf of the authority, and the Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Pedro Luis Despaigne Gonzalez, signed on behalf of CECMED.
Mrs. Darko said the agreement would enable both parties benefit from health logistics and technological advancement they have, ensure the production of the right drugs and promote existing ties between Ghana and Cuba.
GIK/APA