Construction of BOG HQ: Dr. Addison and deputies must be investigated for corruption - Mahama Ayariga
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Hello, good afternoon. Welcome to join you today. We're coming to you live from our studios in Kokumlemle.
00:04 We're on DGTV because we're free to air on DSTV channel 421 and GoTV channel 125.
00:11 We are your home of independent, fearless and credible journalism.
00:16 Coming up this afternoon, minority MP Fowles petition demanding criminal probe of the Bank of Ghana governor
00:24 and his deputies for allegedly inflating the cost for the construction of their new headquarters.
00:31 We have details of that petition for you.
00:34 Also this afternoon, there should not be closure on the corruption case involving former Minister
00:43 of State Charles Edubuaye with a flimsy excuse from the OSP. That's according to lawyer Martin
00:50 Puebu on the OSP's explanation that even though the former minister was found to be involved in
00:58 influence peddling, his actions did not amount to a crime.
01:01 Peddling doesn't wash away or doesn't delete the corruption aspect.
01:10 We have details of the OSP's report on the investigation and some legal analysis on what
01:19 has happened. Plus, the electricity company of Ghana says it cannot be blamed for last week's
01:25 power outages. The minority suggests we could go back to darkness if government does not take steps
01:32 to settle the country's huge energy debt.
01:35 If 20 million complying the whole nation into massive loadshed with the deficit of 850 megawatts,
01:48 that should tell you we have a major, major problem.
01:50 We are also live on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and X at Draw News on TV.
01:58 My personal handle is @DenanaAisha. Please stay for details.
02:03 [Music]
02:25 The special prosecutor, Kesea Jabein, has directed the closure of investigations
02:30 into the conduct of former Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Edubuahin,
02:36 for corruption and related offences. Charles Edubuahin was caught on video demanding huge
02:42 sums of money to introduce some businessmen to President Ekofuato and the Vice President,
02:47 Dr. Baumea. But after months of investigation, the OSP has concluded that despite trading and
02:55 influence peddling, the actions of Charles Edubuahin did not amount to a crime.
03:00 Head of our research desk, Raymond Akwa, has been breaking the report down for us.
03:05 OSP had the responsibility of perusing the report that was submitted by Tiger IPI,
03:13 as also complained of by the President, so that they would get to determine whether any conduct
03:20 at all of Mr. Edubuahin had any relation at all with the mandate. And let's not forget this one,
03:26 the OSP's mandate is primarily to deal with corruption and corruption related offences.
03:31 True.
03:32 So whichever reference that has been made to it should sit within that particular space.
03:36 Yeah.
03:37 The OSP says, I did not only deal with Mr. Edubuahin, all others that were named or
03:43 named in connection with this report were equally called upon to come and provide some evidence.
03:49 After painstakingly going through the issues that have been raised and thoroughly dealing
03:54 with the issues that have been raised, I called the individual house, I spoke to the other parties
03:59 involved and I realised that this was a sting operation, a sting operation by the investigative
04:05 team, among other things, to determine whether the man indeed takes bribes or engages in the
04:10 kind of corruption or corruption related offence that we are talking about here.
04:14 Then when I reviewed the data submitted by Tiger IPI and also engaged the people who are related
04:20 to this matter, my conclusion was that the very responsibility I have as an institution,
04:28 which is to find that the gentleman is involved or had done something that was involved in
04:34 corruption or corruption related offences could not be upheld.
04:38 So what's the explanation by the OSP that no criminal offence has been conducted by Mr. Edubuahin?
04:46 Brilliant. So what he did is that he said, though the conduct of Mr. Edubuahin amounts to trading
04:52 in influence or influence peddling, those keywords, trading in influence or influence peddling,
04:59 which is closely associated with corruption.
05:04 Again, as I stated earlier on, OSP's business is to investigate corruption and corruption
05:10 related offences. But he says here, even though this is closely associated with corruption,
05:16 there is no actual criminal prohibition of his acts in respect of which the OSP has a mandate
05:23 to further act. So that means what Mr. Edubuahin did, at least according to the documents and the
05:30 report from TAGA-IPI and the one forwarded by the president, there is no criminal prohibition
05:36 of what he has done. It is not a crime. It is not prohibited under any stated law. The very thing
05:44 that he's referencing here, trading in influence and/or influence peddling. So that is what the
05:50 OSP said. Then they moved on to say that on the reckoning of that, the Special Prosecutor directs
05:55 the closure of this, at this time of this investigation in respect of the allegations
06:01 of corruption and corruption related offences. That's still the allegation. Involving Mr. Charles
06:07 Edubuahin contained, and that's the basis for which this is important, contained in the investigative
06:14 documentary titled "Galamsey Economy", which was published by Anas' team. And he concludes by
06:20 saying that there is no criminal offence conducted by Mr. Edubuahin, correct? No, he says what he did
06:26 was, it's not prohibited by law. I hope you get my point. So currently, it's the belief of the OSP
06:33 that the laws of this republic do not make this an offence that I can pursue him on in relation
06:40 to corruption and corruption related offences. Well, constitutional lawyer Martin Kwebu says
06:46 the matter cannot be brought to a closure because the allegations of corruption against the former
06:52 minister has not been exhausted. The matter of influence peddling doesn't wash away or doesn't
06:59 delete the corruption aspect. The influence peddling side was, oh, I will take you to see
07:04 XYZ, thus he could arrange to see the Vice President and then the President. And even in
07:11 that context, he said they should pay, what, $200,000 to be able to see the Vice President,
07:17 right? So when you say something is influence peddling, it doesn't mean that that same thing
07:23 cannot amount to corruption, because what we are talking about is that he received $40,000.
07:30 That $40,000 was because of who he is as a Minister of State and the Minister of Finance,
07:38 and that he was going to organise a meeting with the Vice President. And then apart from that,
07:46 he had also negotiated a deal to receive 20% of the $500 million investment. So is that not,
07:58 what do you call it, private gain? So apart from the $40,000, let's explain this. When you say
08:06 gain, we are not, the money must not necessarily, that's the rest of the 20%, the 20%, it must not
08:13 necessarily hit Mr. Dubuahin's account before you say there is a crime. No. The moment you start
08:21 discussing it, the two of them plan, when the two of them were planning conspiracy, yes, conspiracy,
08:31 the two of them, that he would give, the Sheikh says, I'll give you 20%, then Dubuahin says,
08:38 no, sorry, the Sheikh asks Dubuahin, what does he want? And he says, 20%, yes.
08:45 So now that the OSP has exonerated the former Minister, should the matter be allowed to rest?
08:53 No, no, no, I don't think so at all, far from it. And that's why the debate is just beginning.
09:01 Today is Tuesday. I'm sure as we start pulling out the laws, look, let's have this conversation
09:06 again 24 hours from now. Let's pull out the laws and read them out. As I say right now, I'm not
09:12 in a position to access the laws. I'm getting fresh ones. Let's have this conversation tomorrow.
09:20 Let's continue bringing other minds. Let's do further analysis. You see that, no, this docket
09:26 should not be closed. I see corruption and see it clearly. It's not just influence peddling.
09:32 Influence peddling doesn't end the matter. He has taken $40,000. By now, the first thing OSP
09:38 should be doing is that, they say Dubuahin should be directed to return the $40,000 to the OSP
09:44 before close of 72 hours. That's the first thing that he should be doing. How can Dubuahin
09:51 retain the $40,000? Are we serious? We say Jambini should be asking Dubuahin to return
09:57 the $40,000 to OSP or bring it to OSP. Well, Church Commissioner Joseph Wittal believes the passage
10:11 of the public officers conduct bill will ensure corruption in the public space is curtailed.
10:19 Well, let me say that for about 10 years, you know, the commission has been
10:24 sponsoring the conduct of public officers bill. Yeah.
10:28 When we say there's no law, there is actually a bill that has been in and out of Parliament for
10:36 some time that would administratively deal with the conduct of public officers in areas that are
10:43 not necessarily criminalized. Now, the law doesn't mean that if it is not criminalized, it's no law.
10:50 There are areas of the law that need administrative sanctions, which can be as
10:58 biting and even more effective than criminalizing that aspect of the conduct of a public officer.
11:05 And so, this is the opportunity for us to remind government and all other stakeholders that
11:14 look, the issue of conduct of public officers in terms of the bill that is presented before
11:20 Cabinet is a very critical issue if we are going to fight corruption from all angles comprehensively.
11:28 Right. So, this bill, I'm guessing from your response that really that would have been the
11:40 solution. If this bill had been passed into law by now, we could then have seen a prosecution
11:48 for someone who, like you said, takes advantage of, you know, a public office to, you know,
11:55 enrich themselves. Not necessarily a prosecution. It can be an investigation that would lead to
12:02 administrative sanctions. Under the bill, there is a provision clearly on
12:08 speeding and inflowing, and it's attended with a number of sanctions, including removal, as
12:18 happened in this particular case, among others. But don't forget, the Commission has also got
12:24 a broad mandate in respect of corruption. So, while the OSP may be limited because you have
12:33 to deal with corruption and corruption-related provisions, another criminal offensive act,
12:38 ours is broader. So, we would not have stopped investigating this case because of a limited
12:48 budget in corruption. We can now go to Parliament, where NDC MP for Boko Central,
13:00 Mahama Yariga, is demanding that Bank of Ghana Governor Dr. NS Addison and his two deputies
13:07 are investigated for corruption and related offences for allegedly inflating the cost of
13:13 the construction of a new headquarters for the central bank. Mahama Yariga claims the Governor
13:19 has not been able to explain why the cost of the new head office escalated from $121 million to
13:27 $222 million. Parliamentary Affairs Correspondent Kwaku Asante joins us with the details. Kwaku,
13:35 you have cited a copy of this petition to the OSP. Does Mahama Yariga provide any further
13:41 evidence to back his claims? Well, Mahama Yariga starts his petition by claiming that the Bank of
13:48 Ghana originally intended to construct this Bank of Ghana head office at about $100 million, but
13:54 by a little review in the costing and evaluation and other variation in the project, the Bank of
14:00 Ghana suddenly says this project is expected to cost more than $220 million. And in fact,
14:06 there are those who believe that this project will cost in excess of $250 million if it is
14:11 finished, the construction is concluded. And the claim by Mahama Yariga is that he believes the
14:16 Bank of Ghana Governor, his deputies, and in fact the Board of Governors may have undertaken some
14:22 underhand dealings which is leading to this cost variation to astronomical levels. He does not
14:28 agree that a Bank of Ghana head office to be constructed at $100 million could soon, within
14:34 a year or two, be inflated, in his words, that is his allegation, to about $250 million. He believes
14:39 that there are some corruption issues around that, and he believes that a special prosecutor is best
14:45 placed to investigate this. So he also tells the OSP he is ready to cooperate and provide further
14:51 details to aid their work. Tell us more about this. Yes, it appears Mahama Yariga is saving
14:58 the best of his evidence to present to the special prosecutor because in that petition that he has
15:03 submitted to the OSP, he says that he is ready to testify to all material issues that have come up
15:10 around this construction of the Bank of Ghana headquarters. We know that Mr Mahama Yariga had
15:16 written to the Bank of Ghana demanding some answers on all the construction issues. Dr
15:21 Haddison wrote back to Mr Mahama Yariga issuing a statement saying that because of certain national
15:27 security considerations, he is unable to provide those details. Mahama Yariga said all these points
15:32 out. All right, Kwaku Asante is our correspondent. Kwaku, go ahead. Yes, so what I'm saying is that
15:45 Mahama Yariga says that the patterns that we have seen so far of the Bank of Ghana, and he
15:50 alleges that the Bank of Ghana refusing to provide him information under the pretext of national
15:55 security consideration, points out to a certain concerted efforts to actually conceal the public
16:01 information about the construction of the Bank of Ghana headquarters, which he believes has
16:06 significant issues to be answered. He believes that the Bank of Ghana government, Dr Haddison,
16:11 his deputies, the Board of Governments must all be investigated by the OSP because they may have
16:16 done something untoward, criminally, in terms of the construction of the Bank of Ghana headquarters.
16:22 Right, so this is something we'll have our eyes on. Definitely there is more we'll bring to our
16:27 viewers, but Parliament has just reconvened from a three-month break. I mean, what's on the agenda
16:32 for this meeting? Well, Aisha, the mic talked about the Affirmative Action Bill is set to be presented,
16:39 and if you look at the other paper, that presentation and first reading of bills is there. But also,
16:43 perhaps one of the big issues that we will be looking at is the representation of the people,
16:49 parliamentary constituencies, amendment instrument. Our understanding is that the Electoral Commission
16:54 is seeking to pass this new amendment to increase the seats in Parliament by at least 25.
17:00 Currently, the seats in Parliament is 275. 275 seats in Parliament. We understand that
17:07 this is expected to go up significantly to close to 300 or at least 300, and that is what the
17:12 representation of the people, parliamentary constituencies, amendment regulation is also
17:17 expected to do. There's also the district electoral areas and designation of units,
17:22 amendment regulation. So, by the close of the day, if the majority leader lays these papers before the
17:27 House, we'll get more information in terms of how many seats the Electoral Commission intends to add
17:33 to the August House of Parliament. Already, people have raised concerns that for a small country like
17:38 Ghana, you do not need 275 constituencies. But the EC is seeking to add up to that because we know some
17:44 new districts have been created. In particular, the Gwan district has been created. It means that
17:49 they need to be a Gwan constituency, or what is popularly called the Saar constituency. And so,
17:54 in terms of the exact numbers, we do not know now. We are waiting for that paper to be laid. But what
17:59 is clear is that the Electoral Commission is going to increase the seats in Parliament.
18:03 Kogwa Santé is our parliamentary correspondent in Parliament. He'll be bringing us more
18:09 in our subsequent bulletins. Now, ranking member on the Minds and Energy Committee of Parliament,
18:15 John Ginnapo, is worried the lights may go off again if government does not make efforts to pay
18:21 our energy sector debts, including the IPPs who we owe so much. The electricity company of Ghana
18:28 has been explaining it cannot accept blame for last Thursday's power cut in some parts of the
18:34 country. On October 26, a Ghana-grade company, Limited Gritco, in a statement explained the
18:40 cause of the outage was due to limited gas supply to Thema, leading to a shortage of 550 megawatts
18:48 at peak time. Mr. Ginnapo says he senses danger if nothing is done about the situation.
18:55 Waku is the tip of the iceberg. Waku is not a problem.
19:02 If 20 million can plunge the whole nation into massive loadshed with a deficit of 850 megawatts,
19:11 that should tell you we have a major, major problem. Look, as we speak, the World Bank
19:18 LC has been overdrawn by $340 million. That becomes a debt for Ghana.
19:28 Apart from that, the amounts owed to ENI, the toll, is $172 million. When you put the two together,
19:39 you have a debt of $512 million. That is where the problem is. It's a value chain.
19:48 You see, the energy sector ought to be looked at from a holistic point of view. When you pick just
19:56 segments and try to address it, another problem would arise. You're looking at sustainability.
20:01 Are we going to have this again? Let's even assume you've paid Waku all their money.
20:06 Does that resolve the problem? The answer is no. Because the raw gas that you are consuming,
20:12 you are building huge areas, over 500 million. So if you can't deal with 20 million,
20:21 then how do you deal with 500 million? Well, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation,
20:27 which is responsible for the payment of services rendered by the West African Gas Pipeline Company,
20:34 has absolved itself of blame for last Thursday's power supply challenges.
20:39 Managing Director of ECG Dubik Mahama on PM Express also expressed disappointment
20:45 over GNPC's handling of the matter, saying the press release was unnecessary.
20:50 Conversations concerning WAPC and GNPC. This is not the first time ECG has had to step in
20:59 and bail GNPC out, concerning WAPC. Earlier on in the year, if you quite remember, the same time
21:09 we were having these conversations with the IPP shutdown, the Friday that they gave us to the next
21:16 day, when they didn't shut down, the next day WAPC had taken the gas, ECG stepped in again
21:22 and provided some good amount of money for WAPC to, what do you call it, to turn back its operations.
21:32 We managed it in such a way that nobody even felt it. Now, fast forward to this. I remember
21:38 receiving letters from them concerning the payments and you haven't given us what is due
21:46 us under Cash Waterfall. Every single person or every single entity under Cash Waterfall
21:53 complains about not getting enough. But if you clearly see, their bill is in USD.
21:58 When Cash Waterfall is doing its denominations, it's in Ghana City.
22:06 So GNPC, clearly, there's a plan for GNPC to make up whichever shortfall it is.
22:12 Now, again, legally, ECG has no contract with WAPC. So the CWM is a suggestive approach
22:24 to making sure that GNPC gets something on a monthly basis or even, let's say,
22:30 on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
22:32 [Music]
22:34 Let's now take you to the Jubilee House where Ghana's president is having that bilateral convo
22:57 with the German Chancellor. Over the
23:01 compact with Africa. We had an opportunity in our meeting to discuss powerful economic matters
23:11 in Ghana, to discuss issues of migration, to discuss problems to do with the instability
23:21 in parts of West Africa and the Sahelian region, the coup d'etats that have engulfed
23:29 at least four of the states of West Africa, and shared very common views as to how we're looking
23:37 at the future and how we can work together to restore democracy to these countries and
23:44 strengthen democratic development in West Africa as a whole. We're looking forward to
23:50 working together to promote the reform of the United Nations, especially of its Security Council.
24:01 I think we have all seen in recent times that the Council, in many ways, is not fit for purpose
24:08 in dealing with questions to do with international peace and security. The classic example is what
24:14 is happening over the Ukraine conflict, where the nation that is the aggressor is also the
24:21 veto-wielding country and which is blocking any initiatives that the Security Council can take
24:28 over the conflict. So clearly there is a need for all of us to rethink how the future will be.
24:38 Ghana continues to be strong in a denunciation of Russia's aggression over Ukraine,
24:44 but at the same time we believe that greater and greater efforts should be made to see
24:53 the possibility of a resolution of the conflict. It has important international implications for us
25:03 and we need to be able to make sure that as quickly as possible we come to peace. In the same way,
25:11 we have been, we were very clear and vocal in our condemnation of the attack on Israel
25:21 on the 7th of October by the Hamas organization and recognized fully
25:30 Israel's right to protect itself and defend itself. But at the same time,
25:36 you look at the humanitarian consequences of what is going on over there. There is clearly a need
25:42 for us, all of us, the international community, the global community, to look beyond the immediate
25:48 issues of the consequences of the Hamas attacks on Israel, to be looking at the possibility
26:00 of a comprehensive settlement of this matter. It's not possible for us to have a 10-year cycle
26:07 of vengeance and vendettas in the Middle East unless a concerted effort is made by all of us
26:14 to see how we can fashion an understanding based on the two-state solution. These are some of the
26:22 matters that I've had the opportunity to talk to the Chancellor about and we are finding ourselves
26:28 in agreement about so many of the issues. I want once again to thank you very much indeed for
26:34 making the effort to come and visit with us and I have no doubt that I'll see you again very soon.
26:42 Thank you.
26:42 Mr. President, thank you for the warm welcome to Ghana. It is a pleasure for me to visit your
26:50 country and to engage with you and your government in talks about subjects of common interests.
26:55 It is my first time in Ghana and I'm looking forward to experience
27:00 the beauty and generosity of Ghana. And now I will continue in German.
27:08 [German]
27:15 [German]
27:19 [German]
27:21 [German]
27:22 [German]
27:26 [German]
27:28 [German]
27:30 [German]
27:42 [German]
27:58 [German]
28:02 [German]
28:04 [German]
28:06 [German]
28:08 [INAUDIBLE]
28:17 --irregular migration.
28:20 For that to work, of course, we also have to make sure that
28:23 those people who are not entitled to reside in Germany
28:26 can return to their home country.
28:29 We see a great potential for skilled labor and talents from
28:31 Ghana who would want to come to Germany to work there.
28:36 And of course, we also want to increase the number of language
28:41 courses here in Ghana.
28:42 [AUDIO OUT]
28:50 [INAUDIBLE]
28:51 [INAUDIBLE]
29:21 Those were excerpts of the meeting of Olaf Scholz,
29:26 German chancellor, with Ghana's president.
29:29 They've been speaking about some possible collaborations
29:33 the two countries can have to deepen
29:38 our bilateral relationship and also improve
29:44 on economic conditions as a country.
29:48 There's more we'll be bringing you from the presidency
29:51 in our subsequent bulletins.
29:53 But information reaching Joy News
29:56 indicates that there's been a violent disturbance leading
29:59 to death of one person at Nkwanta in the OT region.
30:03 We understand the police has arrested seven persons
30:06 in connection with the disturbance.
30:08 According to reports, two others clashed
30:10 with an opposing faction during a traditional festival
30:15 in Nkwanta.
30:16 Five other persons sustained gunshot wounds
30:19 with a number of houses set ablaze.
30:22 The suspects are currently in police custody
30:24 assisting the investigation, while efforts
30:27 are underway to get other suspects arrested
30:30 to face justice.
30:31 Calm has since been restored in the Nkwanta area.
30:36 Well, joining us for more on this
30:38 is the OT regional minister, Joshua Makabo.
30:41 I'm grateful for your time, sir.
30:43 Are you aware, or has this come to your notice?
30:46 And can you confirm the arrests by the police?
30:51 Yeah, thank you very much.
30:53 The issue has come to my attention.
30:57 The Municipal Security Council met on the issue.
31:00 And then after that, they had communicated
31:03 to the regional security council.
31:05 That conveyed last week, Wednesday.
31:09 We met all the contending factions
31:12 that were actually who are celebrating the YAM Festival.
31:17 Then the Adele group, then the chala on the other side.
31:22 We also interacted with some religious leaders,
31:25 after which we debated it.
31:26 It was a joint meeting with the regional security
31:29 council and the Municipal Security Council.
31:32 And then we had advice.
31:34 They are looking at the tensions that were mounting up in town.
31:37 And then the security situation, it
31:39 was not conditional for the festival to come on.
31:43 And for that matter, we're advising the RTD
31:46 to hold on with the festival.
31:49 Yes, as of Saturday, where there were
31:51 reported incidents of clashes between the RTD, the one side,
31:56 Adele, and chala, the police had intervened.
32:00 But aside of the need to call on the military,
32:03 it was also coming.
32:04 We established the necessary protocols quickly.
32:08 And then they also joined later in the evening of Saturday.
32:12 And as you rightly said, yes, the police
32:15 have confirmed to me that one party had been confirmed dead.
32:18 Other people have suffered some injuries
32:20 and they were in the hospital, so receiving treatment.
32:23 Some houses were pulled down, and then some shops
32:27 were also banned.
32:28 However, the situation as of this morning
32:32 is a much, much improvement over the situation
32:36 on Saturday.
32:38 So we say that some level of calm has returned to the area.
32:46 I'm grateful for your time, sir.
32:48 Joshua Makabo is the member of--
32:52 he's a regional minister for the Oti region.
32:56 Also, updates from the Garu district military
33:00 have detained eight persons from Garu and Tempane
33:03 in the Upper East region.
33:04 After allegedly subjecting many of them
33:08 to physical assaults of an alleged attack on their men
33:12 on Sunday, the Garu DCE, Osman, Musa, and Tempane DCE,
33:17 Isa, Ka, and Bedi say the eight were selected out
33:21 of 16 suspects after a screening and later airlifted out
33:26 of the area for further interrogation
33:28 by the military unit.
33:30 This is after the National Security released a statement
33:32 explaining their actions.
33:34 The Upper East region minister, Stephen Yakubu,
33:37 has been to the community to assess the situation.
33:42 Upper East region correspondent, Albert Sori,
33:44 has been updating us on the situation.
33:50 So the regional minister, Stephen Yakubu,
33:53 was in Garu yesterday afternoon.
33:56 He basically wanted to get firsthand information
34:01 on the incident, also see the victims, those
34:05 who sustained injuries and were in hospital,
34:08 and even those who were discharged.
34:09 He was also meeting with chiefs of the communities
34:14 where people were beaten.
34:18 And so basically, he went there to give them assurances
34:23 that what happened would not happen again.
34:29 Because what he said was that they understood
34:32 that many of the young men and even the older
34:36 men in the community were staying away from their homes
34:39 for fears that the soldiers could return.
34:43 And so he basically told them that the soldiers were not
34:47 going to return and attack them, and so they should come back
34:52 to their homes.
34:53 He also promised that those of them who were in hospital
34:59 would be given some money to support their medical bills.
35:03 And so these were basically the things that he went there to do.
35:09 He said that for those who had been arrested,
35:12 he couldn't just tell them that they
35:15 were going to be released.
35:16 But he was sure that once investigations were concluded
35:20 on the reasons for the arrest, they
35:22 would definitely return home.
35:23 And how have residents been responding to this?
35:29 Yeah, so for many of the residents,
35:31 even when the regional minister was there,
35:33 they were still very angry about the incident.
35:36 Remember-- sorry, Garu is one of those communities
35:40 or those areas where you rarely hear any sort of bad news.
35:44 And something like this is very new to many of the residents
35:48 who were angry about it.
35:50 And so for instance, there was a patient
35:52 who sustained a head injury and a chest injury at the same time
35:57 and had to be transferred from the Garu Cresby
36:01 Hospital to the Tamale Teaching Hospital
36:03 yesterday morning for further medical treatment.
36:07 This is a patient who was not charged with any crime
36:10 or even arrested.
36:12 And for him to sustain those injuries for no reason
36:15 was a source of anger for his family and even
36:17 the residents of the area.
36:20 Russell, I will join you today when
36:22 we return to this business.
36:23 [MUSIC PLAYING]
36:26 Hello, and welcome to the business segment
36:31 with me, Emma Davis.
36:33 Entrepreneurship and private enterprises
36:36 remain vital in expanding local economies.
36:39 But many who venture the path fail
36:42 to realize the needed financial support
36:44 to bridge the knowledge gap.
36:46 The Youth Empowerment Center of SOS Children's Village
36:49 is investing resources to keep small enterprises afloat.
36:53 Nana Yawjima engaged a beneficiary
36:56 and filed this report.
36:57 Susanna Wezani, after completing senior high school,
37:03 relocated to the Ashanti region for a better life.
37:06 Fortunately for her, she was enrolled
37:11 into fashion designing, hoping to become
37:14 a top one in her community.
37:16 But after the year's training, the journey
37:18 has not been as smooth as expected.
37:20 Susanna is just one of many dressmakers
37:40 who are struggling to keep a balance in their finances.
37:44 Through soft skills training, she
37:46 is imparted with knowledge of the best business practices.
37:50 Her research by the Youth Empowerment Center of the SOS
37:54 Children's Village has shown customer service and quality
37:58 of job done are some key factors militating
38:01 against the growth of the fashion industry.
38:04 Roberta Aite is project coordinator for the hub.
38:08 So she has been able to start her business.
38:10 But when it comes to registering her business,
38:14 which system she needs to put in place
38:16 to ensure that her business becomes sustainable,
38:19 something that she didn't know much about, all of them,
38:22 most of them, she in particular, had the aim
38:24 of training other people.
38:26 But if she doesn't get the training,
38:27 she needs to sustain the business today.
38:29 How does the business live long enough
38:31 to benefit other young people?
38:33 So in as much as we're looking for people
38:36 who had no idea what to do, there's
38:39 a need to also support those who have started something little
38:42 so that they can expand their businesses
38:43 and really keep their businesses growing.
38:47 To improve the service provided by the startup,
38:50 Susana is receiving further training with sponsorships
38:54 from the Youth Empowerment Center.
38:56 Even before the training comes to an end,
38:58 Susana is witnessing an improvement,
39:01 especially in her new designs.
39:04 When I go there, I was able to upgrade my skills.
39:11 The way I run my business and the way I receive my customers,
39:17 it was making my work difficult.
39:22 But through MBU, I now know how to take care of my customers.
39:28 And even the arrangement of my shop,
39:33 the way I arrange it, it's really nice.
39:36 And it attracts customers, too.
39:39 The dream to become a leader in the fashion industry
39:42 and impact lives of the youth in her community looks bright.
39:48 For Joy Business, Nanaia Ojima, Kumasi.
39:51 The high attrition rate of salaried workers,
39:57 especially public sector employees,
40:00 is negatively affecting the rural banking sector,
40:03 as customers leaving jobs default in loan repayment.
40:07 Chief Executive Officer of Amancia Rural Bank, PLC,
40:11 Frederick Kwachichie, has revealed
40:13 employees migrating from Ghana often
40:16 leave without repaying their loans.
40:18 He's therefore encouraging reassessment of strategies
40:21 to improve the situation.
40:23 Clinton Yabua has more in this report.
40:27 The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, GRNME,
40:31 has revealed that about 4,000 members were cleared
40:34 to work outside the country.
40:36 Similarly, over 10,000 teachers have relocated to Europe,
40:40 according to the registrar of the National Teaching Council.
40:43 Chief Executive Officer of Amancia Rural Bank, PLC,
40:46 Frederick Kwachichie says the trend has adverse impact
40:50 on clients' loan portfolio.
40:52 He was speaking at the 38th annual general meeting
40:54 of the bank at Antwerp Krom.
40:56 Even three days ago, we had the president
40:58 of Nurses Association of Ghana advising the government
41:02 to regularize their migration.
41:04 So certainly, those who were our customers
41:07 and might have migrated would definitely have left out
41:10 some loans, which are likely to go default.
41:13 There was some kind of default from the salary
41:15 and it's because of the migration.
41:17 So the bank is reassessing a strategy
41:21 so that we can move to commercial and micro financing
41:24 so that we can increase commerce and then other businesses.
41:29 For the salary earners, yes, those who are likely to stay,
41:34 we will also extend credits to them.
41:36 But now that the micro economic situation is not too good,
41:41 we are very careful extending credits to the salary earners
41:45 because of their potential migration from Ghana.
41:49 But we are in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana
41:52 and other state institutions to arrest the situation.
41:55 - That's all for Business With Me, Emma Davis.
42:01 Up next is sports.
42:03 - Good afternoon, let's do sports now.
42:10 I wanna join you today with me, Mufti Abulunogbila.
42:12 Later today, Ghana will come up against Berlin
42:15 in the second round of the Paralympic 2024 qualifiers.
42:20 Ghana leads the first leg three-zero.
42:23 However, head coach of the team, Nora Hufford,
42:25 insists that she and her girls
42:28 are not going to be complacent ahead of that time,
42:31 which is going to happen
42:32 at the Accra Sports Stadium later today.
42:34 My colleague, Lawrence Bedu,
42:36 was at the team's final training session
42:38 at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday
42:39 and comes through with this report.
42:42 - The Black Queens are one step away
42:43 from booking a place in the third round of qualifiers
42:46 for the 2024 Olympic Games to be staged in Paris.
42:51 The Black Queens command a three-zero first leg advantage,
42:53 having beaten Benin in Cotonou.
42:56 The Black Queens held their final training session
42:58 at Accra Sports Stadium on Monday,
43:00 with 22 players completing the session.
43:02 Priscilla Adubia seems to be the only player out
43:05 after nursing an injury.
43:07 - They're always for results.
43:08 We're in a qualification and it's the second leg.
43:11 And so, of course, we will drive to win this game.
43:16 It's the second round of the Olympic qualifiers
43:19 and it's our objective to pass through
43:21 to the third round in February.
43:25 So we take this game with the full seriousness, focus,
43:29 and we analyzed very well the game, the first game.
43:33 So we also set our training tactic wise
43:36 to find, again, a bit better solutions.
43:40 And yes, we will show the answer tomorrow on the pitch.
43:45 - Despite a three-goal deficit,
43:47 Benin are confident of ending the Black Queens
43:50 unbeaten record in Accra.
43:52 - Okay, so yes, of course, football is played in 90 minutes.
43:57 Like I said, we lost in Benin.
44:00 We can still win here because the game is going to be played
44:04 in the versus 11.
44:06 Yes, we respect Ghana so much.
44:07 Ghana is a big country.
44:08 Ghana is a big football nation.
44:10 We respect Ghana, but anything can happen tomorrow.
44:13 And no team is unbeaten.
44:15 Yes, of course, Ghana is a world-renowned team.
44:17 I'm a big fan of them.
44:19 No matter what tomorrow will decide.
44:21 - Advancing to the next stage of the qualifiers
44:23 will mean the Black Queens will face
44:25 one of Africa's heavyweights in Zambia.
44:28 However, before the third round fixture
44:31 will be an African Cup of Nations qualifier
44:33 against Namibia next month.
44:34 The Black Queens are yet to lose a game
44:39 under Nora Habto since taking over in January.
44:42 Reporting for Joy Sports from the Accra Sports Stadium,
44:45 Lawrence Bedu.
44:46 - That's your sports now.
44:48 We do have more sports stories on myjoyonline.com.
44:51 The news continues with Aisha Ibrahim.
44:53 - And as I drop the curtains this afternoon
45:00 on Joy News today, my name is Aisha Ibrahim.
45:02 Log on to myjoyonline.com.
45:04 There's more of the news and updates
45:05 of all the developing stories.
45:07 You will see Bahumia was unaware of
45:12 Edoubwa Haynes' reckless deal.
45:16 That's OSP.
45:18 There is more when you log on.
45:20 My name's Aisha Ibrahim.
45:23 To enjoy the rest of our programs.
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