News
LEG trains volunteers on environmental laws
Participants
Aware of the need to promote environmental justice and community rights in mining communities in the country, the Livelihood and Environment Ghana (LEG) has organised a two-day training programme for its Voluntary Community Facilitators (VCFs).
The VCFs, who were selected from the major mining-affected communities in the country (seven mining regions), were taken through ethical reporting and Ghana’s minerals and mining laws to enable them to be abreast of issues on community rights, including the right to safe and clean water, sanitation, compensation, and resettlement issues, as well as afforestation and restoration projects, which are core focus areas of LEG.
The VCFs would serve as intermediaries between their communities and the LEG to ensure an environment free from all forms of pollution to enhance sustainable development, community livelihoods, transparent mineral governance, and environmental sustainability.
The training, which was organised by LEG in collaboration with the Third World Network Africa (TWN-Africa), was sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Power of Voices Project (PVP) and Fair4ALL Programme.
The Executive Director (ED) of LEG, Mr. Richard Adjei-Poku, pointed out in a presentation that “our main goal is to promote environmental sustainability, community rights, sustainable livelihoods, and mineral governance.”
He noted that the NGO had trained many people in the mining communities in Ghana on transparency and accountability to enable them to hold their leaders and the companies operating in their respective communities accountable and responsible.
Mr. Adjei-Poku told the participants to take the training seriously to be in a better position to gather accurate information on issues pertaining to environmental threats and human rights violations in the mining communities.
Mr. Kingsley E. Hope, Chairperson of the Ghana Journalists Association in the Ashanti Region also explained the importance of ethical reporting to the participants, saying it was a process of transparency.
“Fundamental to proper, professional, and ethical conduct is the intent to be honest, accurate, and complete when providing required information,” he said.
Some of the participants said the training had given them more insights into how to gather and disseminate accurate information on mining laws.
LEG, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) was established in 2004 in Ahafo Kenyasi Number 2 to respond to the growing social, environmental, and human rights threats from the Newmont Ahafo Mine, which now operates in seven regions, namely, the Bono, Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Western, Ashanti, and Western North regions.
It promotes environmental justice, community rights, sustainable livelihoods, and mineral governance, particularly in the extractive and forest sectors
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
News
NPP condems arrest of Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the arrest and detention of Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah by operatives of the National Security.
In a statement signed by the General Secretary, Justin Kodua noted that “This unlawful action by the marauding operatives of the National Security is the latest installment of the ongoing series of state-sponsored attacks on the media by the NDC government, in their desperate attempt to silence the media and curtail press freedom.”
According to the him, “The Party condemns in no uncertain terms this state-sponsored lawlessness and commends the many well-meaning Ghanaians who spoke loudly against this shameful conduct by the National Security. We also commend the young people and the team of lawyers who stormed the National Security Secretariat this evening to see to the release of the abducted journalist.”
“The NPP wishes to remind President Mahama and his government that the Ghana that was bequeathed to them on January 7, 2025, was a free country. It was the bastion of democracy, underpinned not only by the existence of functioning democratic institutions but also by our unflinching commitment to upholding press freedom as enshrined in Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution,” they added.
Read the full statement below
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 19, 2025
*NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY CONDEMNS THE UNLAWFUL ARREST OF VETERAN JOURNALIST, OKATAKYIE AFRIFA MENSAH BY NATIONAL SECURITY OPERATIVES*
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) condemns the unlawful arrest and detention by operatives of the National Security, of Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah, a veteran journalist, who has been critical of the John Mahama administration.
This unlawful action by the marauding operatives of the National Security is the latest installment of the ongoing series of state-sponsored attacks on the media by the NDC government, in their desperate attempt to silence the media and curtail press freedom.
The Party condemns in no uncertain terms this state-sponsored lawlessness and commends the many well-meaning Ghanaians who spoke loudly against this shameful conduct by the National Security. We also commend the young people and the team of lawyers who stormed the National Security Secretariat this evening to see to the release of the abducted journalist.
The NPP wishes to remind President Mahama and his government that the Ghana that was bequeathed to them on January 7, 2025, was a free country. It was the bastion of democracy, underpinned not only by the existence of functioning democratic institutions but also by our unflinching commitment to upholding press freedom as enshrined in Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution.
In line with this commitment, the country also went through the painstaking process of repealing the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law in 2001, a process that was spearheaded by the immediate past President, H.E Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, who was then the Attorney General of the Republic.
It is therefore completely repugnant and unacceptable for the John Mahama administration to be using State Security to intimidate political opponents as well as media personnel in a bid to silence all critical voices This, in fact, is an egregious affront to our democratic and constitutional tenets.
We call on the Ghana Journalist Association, the Media Foundation of West Africa, Civil Society Organizations, and all stakeholders to join us in demanding an immediate cessation of this tyranny and growing culture of state-sponsored attacks on the media.
Enough is enough.
…Signed…
JUSTIN KODUA FRIMPONG
GENERAL SECRETARY
News
We have built enough buffers to pay all DDEP obligations – Finance Minister Ato Forson
Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has assured banks that the government has built sufficient financial buffers to meet all Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) obligations this year.
Speaking at a high-level meeting with over 22 Managing Directors of banks, he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and restoring confidence in the financial sector.
“We do not intend to default,” Dr. Forson declared.
“All outstanding holdouts have been paid, and we have put in place the necessary buffers to ensure that every single DDEP obligation for this year will be met.”
The Minister explained that these buffers were created through fiscal discipline, strategic investment cuts, and prudent resource allocation.
As part of this approach, the government has reset goods and services expenditure to 2023 levels and is working to achieve a primary surplus of 1.5% to sustain economic stability.
He also announced plans to submit a fiscal responsibility rule to Parliament, which will set a debt ceiling that the Ministry of Finance cannot exceed.
This measure aims to prevent excessive borrowing and reinforce financial discipline.
Beyond ensuring timely DDEP payments, Dr Forson revealed that the government is taking deliberate steps to reduce reliance on the Treasury bill market.
By improving coordination between fiscal and monetary policies, the government aims to stabilize interest rates and ease liquidity pressures on the banking sector.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
