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Rigging Election 2020 for NPP impossible – Sammy Awuku
The New Patriotic Party’s National Organiser, Sammy Awuku, has refuted claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Identification Authority (NIA) are scheming to rig the elections in favour of the ruling government.
To him, it will be impossible for such an action to succeed.
“We have never relied on the Electoral Commission since 1992. In today’s Ghana, it will be a miracle and an accident in history for the Chairperson of the EC and her commissioners to rig the elections for a political party; it will be difficult,” he said while contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM in Accra recently.
The NDC, at two press conferences recently, said activities being undertaken by the NIA and the EC ahead of the 2020 polls were all geared towards rigging the elections for the governing party.
The opposition party had earlier posited that the use of the Ghana Card and passport as evidence of identification during registration despite the limited number of Ghanaians who have these requirements, was unfortunate.
National Chairman of the NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and NDC’s Director of Elections, Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, at two separate media briefings, said the EC Chairperson and Executive Director of NIA intended to rig the elections by denying about 11 million Ghanaians- majority of them are from the stronghold of the NDC– the Ghana Card which would enable them to take part in the EC’s planned compilation of new voters register.
They contend that the decision by the EC to use the Ghana Card and passport as the only required documents to get registered as voters was a calculated plan as part of the rigging process as many people would be disenfranchised.
“As we predicted, the Ghana Card registration process by the NIA has been very slow such that till date, the process which commenced with a pilot in late 2017 and was supposed to be completed in one year, has been able to register only 11,062,055 out of about 19 million Ghanaians (15 years and above) who are eligible to be registered.”
“Even more bizarre is the fact that out of this 11 million Ghanaians who have been registered, only 7,074,048 have been issued with cards (per NIA’s own website https:nia.gov.gh) as at May 2, 2020,” Samuel Ofosu Ampofo explained.
Mr Awuku, has however, disagreed with the opposition NDC’s assertion.
He pointed out that under no circumstance would the ruling party even consider the idea.
“NDC should not think the EC can rig the election. The NPP rejects the NDC’s accusation that we are in active connivance with the Commission and the NIA,” he said.
Sammy Awuku urged the opposition party to rather focus on how to be vigilant at the polling stations instead of making unfounded allegations.
“The NDC failed to be vigilant in 2016 and that led to their defeat. NDC, I can confidently tell you; they couldn’t collate their results in 2016. They did not even know where they lost and where they won,” Mr Awuku said, adding that, “You can’t blame the EC for your inability to open your eyes”.
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Ghana-Colombia strengthens ties through diplomatic engagement
In an important diplomatic engagement, the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Daniel Garces Carabali paid a courtesy call on the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, at his office in Accra to discuss some key areas of collaboration.
The meeting focused on pressing issues, including security, decongestion of Ghana’s prisons, prison reform programmes, training programmes, improving the welfare of prisoners and enhancing disaster management in the country.
The courtesy call underscores the growing bilateral ties between Ghana and Colombia, building on previous engagements, such as the visit of the Colombian Vice President to Ghana in 2023.
The meeting demonstrates the commitment of both nations to fostering cooperation and addressing shared challenges.
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Ghana to host African Catholic Journalists from August 10
The Union Catholique Africaine de la Presse (UCAP), also known as the African Catholic Union of the Press, in collaboration with the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners-Ghana (CAMP-G), is set to host its prestigious Triennial Congress from August 10 to 17 August, 2025.
The programme would be held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Legon, Accra, Ghana.
This landmark event, the most significant gathering of Catholic journalists in Africa, will bring together media professionals, researchers, and experts in digital technology from across the continent and beyond.
The theme for the Congress is: “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
Congress Highlights
The UCAP Congress 2025 will feature discussions and deliberations on critical issues arising from or related to integral human development, particularly within the framework of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Some of the key sub-themes to be addressed include:Corporate Social Responsibility in Managing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Values, Deploying AI in Eco-friendly Business Start-ups in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges, Technology and the Reprogramming of Social Reality, Distortion of Reality in Social and Digital Media, Ecological Education and Action Against Unsustainable Exploitation of Natural Resources, and Media and the Promotion of the Recommendations of the Synod on Synodality in Africa.
Participants will include media professionals from both ecclesiastical and lay organisations, media researchers and academics, representatives from the Vatican, government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the digital technology sector.
Objectives of the Congress
The primary goal of this Congress is to strengthen the capacities of media professionals and educate the public on the necessity of preserving human values amid rapid technological progress. Specific objectives include; Training 100 media practitioners in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, with a focus on balancing innovation and human values.
This will include promoting ethics and bioethics in technical research and technological innovations through media.
Advocating for human values such as respect for life, human dignity, charity, solidarity, and human rights and assessing the impact of technological progress to better understand the challenges, risks, and opportunities presented by AI will be part of the objectives.
UCAP is a continental organisation dedicated to promoting communication within the Catholic Church and its partners in Africa. With a mission to foster spiritual growth, collaboration, and responsible journalism, UCAP works to spread the Gospel, uphold human values, and support developmental initiatives across Africa and beyond.
UCAP is an independent, autonomous, non-political, and non-profit organisation comprising African Catholic journalists, communicators, academics, researchers, and institutions in various media fields.
