News
…but NPP rubbishes claim
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has debunked claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that it had failed to fulfill most of its manifesto promises leading up to the 2016 election.
It said the Akufo-Addo-led government made 388 promises in its 2016 manifesto and not 631 as claimed by the NDC at its press conference earlier yesterday.
In a press conference held yesterday in Accra, the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the claims by the NDC was false and that the opposition party had lifted words from the vision and strategy framework of the NPP manifesto and copied the words and phrases as articulated in them and created them as new promises in order to increase the promises.
He said “this is attempt to distort the base and claim that we have made a declaration that is dishonest. This attempt itself is the true definition of intellectual dishonesty.”
According to the Minister of Information, the NDC had added on to the 235 new promises to its initial promises of 388 thereby increasing it to 631.
Mr Nkrumah said the NDC had made two claims saying that the first one is the claim that whilst government in its report in February this year, outlined 388 promises and accounted for them, they (NDC) have discovered an extra 235 promises which the government has hidden or refused to account for.
“The second claim was that, the NPP has failed in delivering 86 per cent of this supposed 631 promises, “in other words, they claim we have only achieved 14 per cent of this supposed 631 promises,” he said.
The NDC had in an earlier press conference accused the government of “mind-boggling” intellectual dishonesty because it was not being candid with citizens in terms of delivering on its 2016 manifesto.
A presentation on the promises of the NPP which was led by Samual Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu MP, said the fulfilment of the NPP’s promises was woeful.
“You are given four good years of the destiny of the people and all you can do is 14 per cent. And even this we have been so generous. You scored an F.”
“You don’t even have the courage to apologise for it and try to see if you can make amends but you think you can lie your way through by understating the number of promises that you made,” he argued.
Source: Ghanaian Times
News
Sunon Asogli: IPPs yet to reach an agreement with govt – Apetorgbor
Independent power producer Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited has rejected accusations from the government of acting in bad faith, following remarks by Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam criticizing the company for shutting down its 560-megawatt power plant amid ongoing debt negotiations.
Sunon Asogli, in a statement on October 16, announced the plant’s closure, attributing the decision to the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) significant outstanding debt of $259 million, excluding fuel costs, as of September 2024.
The unpaid amount created severe financial strain for the power producer, hindering its ability to maintain normal operations.
The shutdown led to widespread power outages across various parts of Ghana, with many communities experiencing unreliable electricity supply.
In response, the government moved quickly to renegotiate terms with Sunon Asogli to restore stability to the national power grid.
Sunon Asogli maintains that the plant’s closure was a necessary action due to escalating operational costs and insufficient working capital.
Dr. Elikplim Apetorgbor, CEO of the Independent Power Producers’ Association, defended Sunon Asogli’s decision, contending that the government had not upheld its financial commitments, which left the company with few options.
The company’s leadership reiterated that they remain open to negotiations to find a lasting solution to the debt issue and ensure consistent power supply across the country.
“I am not aware when we have agreed to sign restructuring terms with anyone. We are still negotiating. No one goes into a negotiation to lose. It is always a win-win affair. And he [Amin Adam] has always maintained a position that if you will not accept this, I am not going to pay you. And even if we are signing, what it means is that we have reached a meeting point. But to the best of my knowledge, there is nothing like that. We are not there yet.
“He [the Finance Minister] has promised countless times to make payment to Sunon Asogli but he has not honoured those obligations or those promises. But today he’s saying that somebody is acting in bad faith. What is worse than that? You owe me about $259 million.
“Give me $60 million out of that for us to negotiate about the $2 million. And you are saying this is bad faith. We are faced with a challenge. We lack the working capital to resume operation or to continue operation.”
Source: citinewsroom.com/
News
CONFIRMED: GFP’s presidential candidate Akua Donkor passes on
A family source has confirmed that the presidential candidate of the Ghana Freedom Party, Akua Donkor has passed on.
She died on Monday night at the Ridge Hospital in Accra, according to the family source.
She first reported at the Nsawam Government Hospital in the Eastern Region with respiratory issues.
She was referred to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital) in Accra.
She reportedly got to Ridge around 7pm and by 10pm on Monday, she was gone.
Madam Akua Donkor was personally present at an Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting in Accra last two weeks, where she gained public attention for expressing her unhappiness with what she termed as derogatory comments about her qualifications as a presidential candidate for Election 2024.
She was particularly not happy with what she said was continuous derogatory remarks about her qualification as a presidential candidate, considering she was not educated in a school classroom.
Madam Akua Donkor founded the GFP in 2011 and got it registered in 2012.
This was after she attempted an election as an Assembly member a number of times and failed at her native Kwabre in the Ashanti Region.
In 2004, she filed to contest as a Member of Parliament at Kwabre East in the Ashanti Region and competed with the late Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, a former Judicial Secretary and former Ashanti Regional Minister.
After two unsuccessful elections in 2004 and 2008 as an MP, and determined to move her political career a notch higher, she moved up into the presidential race and formed the GFP in 2011.
She filed to contest the 2024 presidential elections on the ticket of the GFP and has been attending all IPAC meetings herself.
With her passing, her running mate in 2024 presidential election, Kwabena Agyeman Appiah Kubi known in the media as Roman Fada, is now expected to step into her shoes.
Source: www.graphic.com.gh
