The list of 19 entities that are providing loan services without the approval from the central bank and the declaration of President Akufo Addo that he has no preference for who becomes the presidential candidate of the NPP for the 2024 elections are the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has provided a list of 19 entities that are providing loan services without the approval from the central bank.
The BoG said the actions of the entities were in contravention of the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930).
The central bank described these entities as ‘illegal’ that mostly employ the use of mobile applications and social media in their activities.
Among the entities providing loan services without a licence from Bank of Ghana include, SikaPurse Quick Online loan, 4Cedi Instant Mobile loan application, Zidisha Online Loans, GhanaLending, ChasteLoan Application, LoanClub-Ghana Instant Loan, AdamfoPa Loan and MetaLending- Instant Cash Loan.
The other unlicensed financial companies are Wohiasika Loan (Ghanaloan.net), Boseafie – Bosea Micro-Credit, SikaKasa Online Lending, LoanPro – digital and instant loan, SikaWura Loan Application, BegyeBosea Loan and LendingPapa – Online Loans.
The rest are, CrestCash Loan, Credxter – Loans and Hire- Purchase, MobiLoan Application, Cedi Now – Cash Loans Application.
The central bank further said, “the activities of these unauthorised entities amount to non-adherence of the consumer protection requirements and an abuse of customers’ data and privacy laws”.
“The Bank of Ghana is taking steps to take action against these entities and hereby advises the general public to desist from doing business with all unlicensed loan providers.”
The BoG in a statement advised Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions as well as payment service providers not to facilitate the illegal transactions of the unlicensed loan providers.
The newspaper says that a total of 23,495 people tested positive for HIV in the first half of this year (January to June).
The figure is two per cent of the 948,094 people who undertook HIV testing from January to June 2022. They were from different segments of the population, namely: men, pregnant women, non-pregnant women, homosexuals and female sex workers.
The Programme Manager of the National STIs and HIV/AIDS Control Programme, Dr Stephen Ayisi Addo, who made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, said even though last year’s half year figure was 25,545, this year’s figure was too high.
“The figure for this new infection is too high, so we need to intensify education to let people know that HIV is still real; it is around and there must be constant reminders. We have to let people know that they need to stick to the prevention strategies, whether they are children or adults,” he said.
He said of the number of people who presented themselves for testing, four per cent each were from the Bono, Ahafo, Eastern and Western North regions, while the Ashanti and the Greater Accra regions had three per cent each.
For the rest of the regions, he said, while some had two per cent, others had a percentage each.
Dr Ayisi Addo said most of the 23,495 people who tested positive had since been put on HIV treatment.
On reasons for the new cases, the Programme Manager said unlike small pox and other diseases that had been eliminated, HIV was still circulating among the population, and that as long as people had sex and were getting married, they would transmit it to others.
He said complacency and ignorance were responsible for the new cases, explaining that because health authorities were no longer making noise about the dangers of the disease, people thought there was no longer a problem.
“Some youth today don’t know HIV is there. Some know, but they have assumed that it’s gone. People are now more afraid of COVID-19 and the Marburg fever than they are of AIDS,” he pointed out.
The Ghanaian Times reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has declared his neutrality in election of a new presidential candidate for the New Patriotic party to contest the 2024 general election.
“I have no preference in the upcoming NPP delegates’ conference to elect a new presidential candidate for the 2024 elections however, I will do all I can to ensure victory for the party and the flagbearer who will be elected to lead the NPP to a three conservative electoral victory,” he stated.
According to the president, he would be neutral in the whole process and stated that what the party needed now was somebody who could unite the party to confront the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and defeat them overwhelmingly for the third time in the 2024 elections.
President Akufo-Addo pointed out that the only time that preference would be shown is when he goes to vote, but until then he has no preference saying “my attitude, is a simple one, just create conditions for a fair, firm, transparent and credible processes to enable delegates after the completion of the internal elections to unite the party.
“We must elect somebody who will come and have the capacity to unite our party and put it in a position to confront our traditional opponent, the NDC, and defeat them convincingly for the third conservative time so I have no preference with regard to who leads NPP to the 2024 general election,” the president indicated.
President Akufo-Addo insisted that he is the arbiter and umpire of the whole exercise, thus he does not need to have a preference and the only time he show his preference is when he votes, but until then he has no preference and assured of assisting and supporting the new leadership of NPP to organise the processes in such a way whoever wins or loses would accept defeat.
“From the basis, we will bring the party together and present a formidable force because I am aware members and sympathisers of opposition parties, particularly the NDC, had begun to celebrate the country’s current challenges but let us remember one swallow does not make a summer, tell them they should not hesitate.
“They have been writing me off all my political career, they say I cannot make it, I have won twice and I am going to win again for NPP in December 2024,” he added.
GIK/APA