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Let’s allow the law enforcement agencies do their work and stop interference- Mrs.Yamfoah Amua-Sekyi
The Director of Public Education at the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mrs Yamfoah Amua-Sekyi, has courted public support in enforcing laws against human rights abuses in the country.
According to her, most cases brought before CHRAJ suffered many interferences which often delayed justice and entrenched the culture of impunity in the country.
“If we do not use our laws, they won’t work. If we interfere with the law then turn around to complain, we are not doing ourselves public good. Let’s allow the law enforcement agencies do their work and stop the constant interference.
Often times, people bring complaints to CHRAJ but are unwilling to cooperate in investigations to get to the end of the matter. If we talk, build capacity and make all the efforts and still interfere, we come back to square zero,” she noted.
Mrs Amua-Sekyi was speaking at a close-out ceremony on a three-year UN Women Trust funded project on gender-based violence against women and girls in selected communities in the Greater Accra region.
Implemented by the International Network of Religious Leaders living with or personally affected by HIV and AIDS (INERELA+ Ghana) in partnership with the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DoVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, CHRAJ and the Department of Social Welfare, the project benefitted over 1,000 individuals in areas including Chorkor, Nima and Jamestown.
The Director lauded INERELA for the great work done in the last three years in reducing social vices and sexual and gender-based violence in the communities and encouraged community leaders to ensure the work done does not go to ‘waste’.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jones Blantari, Board Chair of INERELA+ Ghana, said the NGO had made tremendous strides and impacted so many lives in the project-selected communities.
He said, over the implementation period, the project had empowered women and young girls who hitherto were at risk of violence, helped improve access to legal assistance, psychosocial counselling, health care, skills training and built a better network among stakeholders.
“Violence against women and girls is unacceptable in our society and together, we can help minimise it,” he stated.
The National Coordinator, INERELA+ Ghana, Mrs Mercy Acquah-Hayford, said, going forward, the NGO would continue monitoring the progress of the beneficiaries to fully realise the project’s goal.
“We hope that if we are sustained and supported we can train and recruit more interested and vulnerable girls to learn from the beneficiaries to help reduce poverty in the country,” she said.
Captions
A cross section of participants at the close out ceremony
The National Coordinator of INERELA, Mercy Acquah-Hayford granting an interview at the close-out ceremony.
News
Over GH₵80m was collected in betting tax, Amin Adam got it wrong – Finance Minister
Ghana’s Minister for Finance Ato Forson says the claim by former Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam that the erstwhile administration never implemented the betting tax is not factual.
Speaking at a new conference on Tuesday, March 11, shortly after the Finance Minister presented the new government’s first budget statement and abolished the e-levy, betting tax among others, the former Finance Minister said the NPP government never enforced the controversial tax on lottery and sports betting winnings.
Dr Amin Adam said it was deceptive for the NDC government to claim to abolish a tax that was never collected although the law was passed in 2023.
“Betting tax that they said they have abolished, we never collected Betting Tax. So to come and tell Ghanaians that you have abolished something that you have not implemented, is to deceive the people of Ghana.”
Responding to the claims in an interview with Evans Mensah on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday night, the Finance Minister said his colleague on the other side appears not to be on top of that issue.
“I don’t think he’s on top of that matter because my checks revealed that it was implemented in the second half of 2024. And my checks also reveal that year-to-date, the government of Ghana has collected over GH₵80 million from betting tax, so I don’t know what he’s talking about. It is not the fact. The fact on the ground does not support his assertion. Clearly, the betting tax was implemented,” he insisted.
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Whoever created BoG’s GH₵53bn negative equity mess should be held responsible – Dr. Atuahene
Banking consultant Richmond Atuahene has called for accountability over the Bank of Ghana’s (BoG) GH₵53 billion negative equity, insisting that those responsible for the mess must be held accountable.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Midday News on Wednesday, March 12, he called for those responsible for breaching financial regulations to be summoned before Parliament to explain their actions.
“There was a law that stated they should not exceed a 5% fiscal financing threshold, yet they went as high as 60%. This is a clear violation, and they cannot claim ignorance. The Governor, the Minister, and those involved must be held accountable for their actions,” he asserted
His comment comes after the Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, advised BoG to explore internal cost-cutting measures instead of relying on taxpayer funds for a GH₵53 billion bailout to address its negative equity position.
Dr. Atuahene supported the Finance Minister’s stance that the government cannot afford to recapitalise the central bank at this time, given the nation’s fiscal constraints.
“Like the Minister said, you don’t create a mess and leave it for others to clean up. Whoever created this mess must take personal responsibility. When they engaged in the monetisation of fiscal deficits in 2021 and 2022, some of us warned them about the consequences, but they didn’t listen,” he stated.
Dr. Atuahene stressed that rather than relying on external funding, the Bank of Ghana should explore internal restructuring, cost-cutting, and asset sales, including a sale-leaseback arrangement on some of its properties, to raise the necessary capital.
He also highlighted the potential damage to Ghana’s international credibility if the Bank of Ghana remains in a financially distressed position.
“This affects Ghana’s credibility. BoG has correspondent relationships with the Bank of England, the Federal Reserve, and the African Development Bank. If it continues to operate in a capital-deficient state, international institutions may lose confidence in our financial system,” he warned.
Dr. Atuahene also criticised the central bank for insisting that it is “policy solvent,” arguing that capital solvency is more critical in this situation.
“You can claim policy solvency all you want, but if you are capital insolvent, it means you cannot function properly. BoG has been making losses year after year. They made losses in 2023, and they are making losses in 2024. How long will this continue?” he questioned.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
