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ALL SET FOR MUSIGA ELECTIONS ON JAN 12
All is set for the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) to hold its national and regional elections after over two years of litigation.
This follows various interventions by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the decision of the court to ask the litigants to resolve the matters using the Union’s internal mechanisms.
Next year’s elections is novel in that this is the first time that all paid up members of the Union. Previously, MUSIGA elections involved an electoral college selected from the branches.
This was changed after the last congress of the Union in 2015 Koforidua when Bice Osei Kuffour was reelected to a second term.
Since then, the Union’s constitution has been amended thereby allowing for all paid up members to be eligible to vote in the elections.
According to the chairman of the National Election Committee, Peter Marfo, the committee has completed its vetting of candidates at both the national and regional levels.
He noted that, “Once the vetting has been done, all is set for the candidates to campaign and prepare for the elections on Wednesday, January 12, 2022. We are prepared at both the national and regional levels.”
Over one hundred and four (104) candidates are contesting for the seventy-seven (77) positions nationwide. Of this number, eleven (11) candidates are contesting for the seven positions are the national level.
The contestants are for President – Bessa Simons, Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi and Deborah Freeman; General Secretary – Samuel Kofi Agyemang and Francis Derman Dogbatsey; 1st Vice-President – Rev Dr. Thomas Yawson; 2nd Vice-President – Abena Ruthy; Treasurer – Edward Edusa Eyison; Organizer – Nii Adu Chizzy Wailer; Welfare Officer – Gifty Oppong Ghansah.
The elections will be supervised by the Electoral Commission of Ghana and both the regional and national elections will take place on the same day in all the regional capitals of the old ten regions.
The MUSIGA elections is expected to herald the dawn of a new era for the Union.
News
Sam George authorises dismissal of about 100 Ghana Post staff over irregular recruitment
Communications Minister, Sam George, has authorised the dismissal of nearly 100 staff of the Ghana Post Limited, citing an irregular recruitment process.
The affected staff members were employed after the December 7, 2024, election, a period during which the minister says proper procedures were not followed.
Speaking about the decision, Sam George expressed his commitment to clearing the ministry of individuals whose recruitment was not in line with the established protocols.
He stated that as the head of the ministry, he could not work with staff members whose employment was marred by irregularities.
“If you are a minister and you take over a ministry that has 3,117 staff in the ministry and its agencies and 600 were recruited after December 7, you cannot expect me to come and inherit such a mess, and so the rationalisation is ongoing,” he told the press on Tuesday.
He added, “Today, I have authorised a termination of a few more at Ghana Post, almost 100 that were done post-election.”
The Communications Minister explained that the irregular recruitment had created a situation where positions were filled without following due process, leading to inefficiencies within the department.
The Ningo-Prampram legislator emphasised that he is on a mission to “Clean up the ministry to make sure that it is lean and efficient and carries out its works.”
The government has been reverting many post-election employment in the public sector, which it says was done without following the laid down procedures in various sectors of the economy.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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High Commissioner of Barbados to Ghana pays courtesy call on Minister of Health
The High Commissioner of Barbados to Ghana, Juliette Byone-Sutherland, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to discuss key issues in the health sector.
During the meeting, Mr.Akandoh highlighted the need for increased funding to ensure the effective implementation of healthcare processes.
To address the challenges faced by health workers in rural areas, the Minister mentioned a proposed package of incentives, including an additional 20% of their basic salaries, quicker promotions, and scholarships for further training.
He also emphasised the importance of providing steady leave with pay to encourage health workers to remain in these areas.
Mr.Akandoh stressed the need for six additional hospitals to cater to the new regions created in Ghana. He also discussed plans to upgrade regional and teaching hospitals to attract more skilled health workers.
In response, High Commissioner Byone-Sutherland expressed her appreciation for the Minister and the government’s efforts to improve the health sector.
She also suggested that nurses from Barbados could benefit from health training programmes in Ghana, gaining practical experience in the field.
This courtesy call highlights the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing between countries to improve healthcare outcomes.
The Ministry of Health remains committed to addressing the challenges faced by health workers and ensuring that Ghanaians receive quality healthcare services.
