The failure of hundreds of civil society organisations to get registered with the Department of Social Development and the appeal to the Electoral Commission to review its decision to go on a month-long leave after the December 7 general election are some of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that out of 9,251 civil society organisations (CSOs) registered with the Department of Social Development (DSD), only 788 of them renewed their operating permits last year, the latest Ghana CSOs Sustainability Index Report (Ghana CSOSI) has revealed.
Out of 9,251 civil society organisations (CSOs) registered with the Department of Social Development (DSD), only 788 of them renewed their operating permits last year, the latest Ghana CSOs Sustainability Index Report (Ghana CSOSI) has revealed.
The report suggests that more than 8,000 CSOs across the country had either collapsed, were dormant or operating without permit.
They comprised private, non-profit service providers, advocacy groups, social service agencies, professional associations, community-based organisations and religious groups among others
They comprised private, non-profit service providers, advocacy groups, social service agencies, professional associations, community-based organisations and religious groups among others
Presenting the findings of the report at a press conference in Accra yesterday, a Development Consultant at the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) and Author of the Ghana CSOSI Report, Mr. Douglas Quartey, attributed the situation to what he described as a strict registration process.
He said the bureaucratic procedures involved in securing permits burdened the CSOs financially and made it difficult for some of them to register.
The newspaper says that the Electoral Commission has explained that its failure to receive a petition on the 2020 Techiman South parliamentary poll by the Minority Caucus in Parliament, was occasioned by the failure of the petitioners to serve the EC prior notice.
The Commission, according to a statement it issued explaining the circumstances leading to its failure to receive the petition, said it later learnt that the Minority delivered a letter informing the Commission of its intended presentation at 10:08 on the morning of Tuesday.
The letter, however, gave the start time of the presentation as 10:00am, “giving the Commission no notice to receive the Minority Caucus given that the Chairperson and her senior team were not in the office.”
The Graphic also reports that seven Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have urged the Electoral Commission to review its decision to go on a month-long leave after the December 7 general election.
The CSOs find it unacceptable that the EC is going on a recess given that many issues have arisen in the outcome of the election.
The CSOs include Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Civic Forum Initiative (CFI), Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and Norsaac.
“At an emergency meeting of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to assess the current post-election political impasse, we noted with concern, a circular signed by the Deputy Chair (Corporate Services) of the EC. Dr Bossman E. Asare, suggesting that the Electoral Commission (EC) may be going on recess from the 23 December 2020 to 19 January 2021,” the CSOs said in a statement.
“Given the current post-election context and the matters arising, some of which might require their attention, we find it unacceptable that the EC should be shutting down at this critical moment at this critical moment, and without any clarification to the public of the alternative arrangements that have been put in place”.
The Times says that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the African continent reached 2,508,815 as of Monday as the death toll due to the pandemic climbed to 59,099.
According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the continental disease control and prevention agency stated that a total of 2,108,302 people infected with COVID-19 had recovered across the continent as of Monday afternoon.
The most affected African countries in terms of the number of positive cases include South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, and Ethiopia, figures from the Africa CDC showed.
South Africa had the most COVID-19 infections, with 921,922 cases. The country also had the highest number of deaths related to COVID-19, at 24,691.
Morocco came next with 417,125 confirmed cases and 6,957 deaths, followed by Egypt with 125,555 confirmed cases and 7,098 deaths, the Africa CDC said.
GIK/APA