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Rotary Club donates to Tetteh Ocloo State School
The Rotary Club of Tema has donated nose masks and hand sanitisers to Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates of Tetteh Ocloo State School for the Deaf at Adjei-Kojo in the Ashaiman Municipality.
The President of the Club, Mr Seth Otoo Larbi, who made the presentation on behalf of the club, noted that the exercise was necessitated by the humanitarian mandate of the club for the deprived and disadvantaged in society.
He said the club had identified the school for the deaf and other deprived groups in the Ashaiman municipality as those that needed assistance.
Mr Larbi said because nose mask needed laundering after it had been worn all day, school children needed additional ones and that, children should not use the same mask to school two days in a row, hence the gesture.
He said there was nothing more important now than promoting the safety of school children and in doing so, called for a concerted effort to safeguard their safety.
Headteacher of the school, Mr Isaac Arthur, admonished the students to strictly adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols, and that this must be seen as a new rule they ought to follow to avoid contracting the disease.
He said families needed to complement the efforts of stakeholders and ensure that the COVID-19 protocols were strictly adhered to at home.
Mr Arthur said the task should not be left for only teachers who were not supposed to get within arm’s reach of students because of the need for social distancing.
He advised parents to wear nose masks to serve as an example for their children and guardians to encourage children to wear face mask whenever they were in contact with other members of the household.
From Ken Afedzi, Ajei-Kojo
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.
News
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
