The report that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commenced processes on a petition for the removal of the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah and the call by Energy Minister for more consumer advocacy bodies to protect the rights and interests of consumers are some of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Thursday.
The Graphic reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commenced processes on a petition for the removal of the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah.
An anti-corruption civil society organisation, the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), filed the petition over the Chief Justice’s alleged involvement in a $5 million bribery case.
The allegations were made by a private legal practitioner, Mr Akwasi Afrifa, but the Chief Justice had denied the accusation and asked the police to probe the matter.
A letter dated July 26, 2021 and signed by the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, acknowledged receipt of ASEPA’s petition to invoke Article 146 of the Constitution for the removal of the Chief Justice.
“The President of the Republic has, in accordance with Article 146 (6) of the Constitution, commenced the appropriate processes subsequent to being petitioned for the removal of the Chief Justice, ”the letter from the Executive Secretary said.
In its reply to the President’s letter, ASEPA expressed gratitude to the President for acting on its petition.
It said the President was on point in acting in accordance with the constitutional provision of Article 146(6).
ASEPA’s letter dated July 28, 2021, was signed by its Executive Director, Mr Mensah Thompson.
The newspaper says that the Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has called for more consumer advocacy bodies to protect the rights and interests of consumers.
Dr Prempeh, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South, made the call when the Head of the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), Mr Kofi Kapito, paid a courtesy call on him.
The minister noted that in the absence of vibrant consumer protection groups, intellectual arguments seemed lost, adding that in other countries, daily items such as food, clothing, drinks and services, among other things, were strongly protected by powerful advocacy.
That, he said, made it possible for consumers to know where to turn to when they were not satisfied by particular goods or services.
Turning to the energy sector, Dr Prempeh noted that while industry was key for jobs, it was driven by affordable energy, among other factors, and it was, therefore, important to have a better structured tariff.
For his part, Mr Kapito said his agency had always argued for simple power tariffs as the best way to support and protect the consumer.
He, therefore, lauded the minister for his position and pledged to give the needed support to make it a reality.
The Graphic also reports that the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has partnered the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) to develop products from cocoa to aid in the management of some life-threatening infections and metabolic diseases globally.
The partnership will allow some fellows of the GAAS to research into the components of cocoa that can be used to produce the products to manage such infections.
A statement from COCOBOD said the research would form part of COCOBOD’s programme to increase the usage of cocoa beyond the confectionery and cosmetic industries, and thereby expand the global market for cocoa.
“In the maiden meeting among the management of COCOBOD, the President of GAAS, Emeritus Prof. Samuel Kofi Sefa-Dedeh, and the fellows involved in the research via zoom, the parties acknowledged the need to conduct more studies into the health properties of cocoa. The president of the academy strongly welcomed the collaboration,” the statement said.
The Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, said there was the need to support every claim about the health properties of cocoa with empirical facts as anecdotal reports were not sufficient.
“You cannot just go out there to say that cocoa has health and nutritional benefits when there’s no solid scientific basis or backing for what you are saying. However, if your statement is backed by robust scientific proof, then the world will also buy into it,” Mr Aidoo said.
He added that COCOBOD deemed it important to establish a lasting collaborative relationship with the national science community and would give it the fullest support to succeed.
The Daily Guide says that the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta will present the 2021 Mid-year review to Parliament in accordance with Section 28 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
Under the Act, the Minister for Finance is expected to present the Mid-year Review to Parliament not later than 31st July of each financial year and this year’s presentation is being done on Thursday 29th July 2021.
A statement issued by the Ministry said the presentation would provide the economic and fiscal performance of the economy for the first half of 2021 as well as provide an update on the implementation of key programmes, including, strategies by the government to create employment for Ghanaians in general and the youth in particular.
It said the Mid-year review would also highlight the status of the implementation of the Ghana CARES “Obaatanpå’ Programme that sought to revitalize and transform the economy to pre-pandemic times.
“The review is also expected to focus on revenue, expenditure, and financing performance for the first half of 2021 and provide an overview of the implementation of the 2021 Budget,” it added.
It said the Mid-year review was also expected to touch on the assurance of the government on securing Covid-19 vaccines for vaccination and effective domestic revenue mobilization initiatives.
GIK/APA