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 ‘I will sack you if you don’t report to work’ –Ebonyi gov tells striking workers

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Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru

Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru, has given workers in the state 72 hours ultimatum to resume work or face dismissal.

The governor also threatened to replace them after their dismissal from duty.

Nwifuru’s action followed a seven days warning strike embarked on by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Ebonyi State wing.

Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru, has given workers in the state 72 hours ultimatum to resume work or face dismissal.

The governor also threatened to replace them after their dismissal from duty.

Nwifuru’s action followed a seven days warning strike embarked on by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Ebonyi State wing.

Addressing newsmen on Monday in his office at the new Government House, Centenary City, Abakaliki, Nwifuru said the state government is not owing any worker.

He stated that the state government has approved N75,000 as minimum wage and has already started paying.

The NLC, Ebonyi State, had on Sunday commenced a seven days warning strike over the non-implementation of the new minimum wage in the state.

However, reacting to the strike, Nwifuru said, “If you didn’t go to work, not only that I will not pay you salary, but I will replace you within 72 hours in your office.

“If I don’t see you in your office, consider yourself sacked. So far I am not guilty, I am not owing you.

“I am paying you what is supposed to be paid. And according to the agreement and the Constitution, I am not owing you. If you don’t go to work within 72 hours I will replace you.”

Credit: dailypost.ng

Nigeria, France sign MoU to develop mineral value chain

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French President, Emmanuel Macron, in a photograph with his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Solid Minerals Development,

The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of France to promote and diversify the critical mineral value chain in the solid minerals sector.

This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori.

He said the MoU signing was done by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, on the sidelines of President Bola Tinubu’s visit to France.

“Critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements are essential to clean energy technologies,” the statement read.

“Both countries agreed to collaborate on research, training and Franco-Nigerian students exchanges for knowledge and skills transfer.

“A key component of the MOU is the promotion of sustainable mining activities by executing projects and programmes that reduce the environmental impact of mining on carbon emissions, water consumption, and climate change.”

Tomori said Alake stressed that the ministry would leverage the partnership to open the mining sector to French investors.

“It also includes the establishment of joint execrative and processing projects through co-financing by public and private entities to diversify and secure the supply of critical minerals and decarbonise energy projects critical to the value chain.

“Dr. Alake signed for Nigeria while the Inter-Ministerial delegate for Critical Ores and Metals of the Republic of France, Mr Benjamin Gallezot, signed on behalf of France.

“Both nations agreed to adopt international best practices in the execution of projects conceptualised to improve the conditions of the local populace affected by mining whilst placing premium on transparency,” he stated.

Credit: channelstv.com

Woman Denied Bail Over Alleged Visa Fraud Scheme

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BERNICE BESSEY
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Accra Circuit Court

Isaac Addo, the presiding judge of the Circuit Court 2 in Accra has denied bail to a 45-year-old woman accused of defrauding by false pretences.

Faustina Foli, an unemployed and a resident of Ablekuma, pleaded not guilty to allegations that she falsely promised to secure U.S. visas for a Complainant’s family members in exchange for GH¢265,000.

Foli is charged with Defrauding by False Pretences, contrary to Section 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

The case has been adjourned to December 10, 2024.

Foli was denied bail on grounds of a prior incident at the Weija Police Station, where she reportedly jumped bail in a separate matter.

The Allegations

According to police Inspector ASP Isaac Anquandah, Faustina Foli approached the Complainant, Daniel Acquaye, an insurance officer residing at Bortianor, in October 2024.

She claimed her fiancé, one Charles Agbele, works at the Canadian High Commission and could secure protocol visas to Canada and the U.S. at a discounted rate.

To bolster her claim, Faustina Foli allegedly presented copies of Canadian visas purportedly secured by her fiancé for other applicants. Convinced by her representations, Acquaye paid her GH¢265,000 to secure visas for his daughter and three relatives.

Faustina Foli reportedly promised to deliver the visas within a month, but disappeared after collecting the money and passports. Efforts to contact her were unsuccessful, leading Acquaye to report the matter to the police.

Police Investigation

The Police arrested Faustina Foli after a complaint was filed. In her caution statement, she admitted to receiving the funds, but claimed she was instructed to hand the money to a man named Kojo, on behalf of her fiancé.

She failed, however, to provide investigators with sufficient information about these individuals or their whereabouts.

Faustina Foli also asserted that she is a Togolese national. However, a search revealed a Ghana Card bearing her name and identification number, suggesting she is a Ghanaian.

Police noted that Faustina Foli lacks a permanent place of residence, raising further concerns about her reliability and contributing to the decision to deny bail.

Ongoing Investigation

The police are extending their investigation to the Canadian High Commission to verify the existence of Charles Agbele and his alleged involvement.

Meanwhile, the accused remains in custody as law enforcement continues to piece together the case.

BoG maintains Policy Rate amid Inflationary Uncertainty

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JENNIFER AMBOLLEY
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The Governor of Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Ato Addison

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has decided to maintain the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 27.0 percent in response to ongoing inflationary pressures and the sluggish pace of disinflation.

This decision was announced at a press statement on Friday, November 29, 2024 following its November 2024 meeting. 

According to the statement, headline inflation, which stood at 20.4 percent in August, increased to 21.5 percent in September and further to 22.1 percent in October.

 

The surge was primarily driven by rising food prices and residual exchange rate pass-through effects following earlier currency depreciation.

“The price increases in food items have been steep this year and together with a fast-paced depreciating currency earlier on, these factors have altered the inflation trajectory and stalled the disinflation process,” BoG noted in its statement. 

 

While inflation has eased significantly from the 35.1 percent recorded in October 2023, the persistence of price pressures compelled the MPC to take a cautious stance.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile items like energy and utilities, has also moderated over the year, reflecting a more stable underlying trend. 

 

Economic Activity Strengthens Amid Challenges

Despite inflationary pressures, the country’s economy continues to show resilience. The Composite Index of Economic Activity (CIEA), a key measure of real-sector performance, recorded a 2.2 percent annual growth as of September 2024, a marked recovery from the 0.4 percent contraction in the same period in 2023, per the statement. 

 

This growth, it explained, was supported by increased port activity, higher household and business consumption, a boost in construction projects and improved private-sector credit availability. Additionally, business confidence improved significantly, with firms expressing optimism about future industry prospects. 

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) which tracks business conditions rose to 50.6 in October, up from 49.1 in September, indicating expansion in the manufacturing sector. 

 

Banking Sector

The MPC highlighted the soundness of Ghana’s banking sector, despite lingering challenges. Non-performing loans (NPLs) remain elevated at 22.7 percent, compared to 18.3 percent in October 2023. However, banks have built substantial capital buffers and total assets have grown by 42.4 percent year-on-year to GH¢367.2 billion as of October 2024. 

 

“Commercial banks have accumulated enough capital buffers to withstand the effects of external debt restructuring,” the statement noted, adding that the sector’s stability is expected to support economic growth moving forward. 

Lending rates also showed marginal declines, with average bank rates falling to 30.45 percent in October 2024 from 32.69 percent in the corresponding period last year. 

 

External Sector Gains

The external sector performance has been robust, buoyed by a higher current account surplus, strong remittance inflows, and increased gold and crude oil exports.

The current account surplus surged to $2.2 billion in the first nine months of 2024, up from $912 million in the same period in 2023. 

 

The improved external position contributed to a build-up of foreign reserves, which stood at $7.92 billion in November, equivalent to 3.5 months of import cover.

This stability has helped strengthen the Ghanaian cedi, which recorded appreciable gains of 6 to 9 percent against major currencies between October and November. 

 

The MPC noted that while inflation is expected to gradually decline, the horizon for achieving the target range of 6-10 percent has shifted to the fourth quarter of 2025, reflecting lingering price pressures from food, fuel, and utility costs. 

“The strengthening of the cedi will augur well for future price developments,” the Committee stated, emphasising the need for continued vigilance in managing inflation risks and ensuring macroeconomic stability. 

 

The Bank of Ghana also underscored the importance of monitoring global developments, including geopolitical tensions, trade protectionism, and energy price volatility, which could influence domestic conditions. 

With steady progress in economic growth, improved investor confidence, and a resilient financial sector, the MPC expressed cautious optimism about the economic prospects.

The next policy meeting is scheduled for January 2025, where the Committee will reassess its stance based on updated data and forecasts.  

French PM risks no confidence vote after forcing through budget

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Michel Barnier was appointed France's prime minister in September

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has used special powers to push through a social security budget bill without a vote by MPs, in a move expected to trigger a vote of no confidence in his government.

Barnier’s minority government is unlikely to survive the vote, which the radical left France Unbowed (LFI) opposition party said it would trigger this afternoon. It could take place as early as Wednesday.

Despite last-minute concessions, Barnier clearly did not think he would be able to get his budget bill over the line.

He therefore used article 49.3 of the French constitution, which allows the text of a bill to be passed without a vote, to push through his 2025 budget in the face of dissent from the left-wing opposition and the RN.

“I don’t think French people will forgive us for choosing party interests over the future of the country,” Barnier told MPs on Tuesday as he explained the reasons for his decision. “Now, everybody will need to assume their own responsibility as I have assumed mine.”

Several members of the left-wing alliance New Popular Front (NFP) have already said their parties would vote against Barnier, while Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally (RN) said she would vote to oust him if her party’s demands on pensions were not met.

Barnier was invited to form a government by President Emmanuel Macron in September.

The New Popular Front, an alliance of several left-wing parties, came out top against the far right following early elections in July.

Credit: bbc.com

Belgium apology for mixed-race kidnappings in colonial era

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Belgian PM Charles Michel has apologised for the kidnappings

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has apologised for the kidnapping of thousands of children born to mixed-race couples during colonial rule in Burundi, DR Congo and Rwanda.

The “métis” children born to Belgian settlers and local women were forcibly taken to Belgium and fostered by Catholic orders and other institutions.

About 20,000 children are believed to have been affected.

Most fathers refused to acknowledge the paternity of their children.

The children were born in the 1940s and 1950s and taken to Belgium from 1959 until the independence of each of the three colonies.

Some of the children never received Belgian nationality and remained stateless.

Speaking in the Belgian parliament, Mr Michel said the country had breached the children’s basic human rights, seeing them as a threat to the colonial system.

It had, he said, stripped them of their identity, stigmatised them and split up siblings. “I vow that this solemn moment will represent a further step towards awareness and recognition of this part of our national history,” he said in his statement.

Many of the mixed-race children had gone on to help Belgium become a “more open and tolerant society”, the prime minister added.

He also expressed Belgian compassion for the “African mothers whose children were snatched from them”.

Two years ago, the Catholic Church apologised for its role in the scandal.

Last year, Belgian MPs called on the government to help the affected children find their biological parents and also gain Belgian nationality.

Meanwhile, their mothers have also been searching for their children.

Credit: bbc.com

Georgia’s PM hits back as protests and resignations intensify

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Georgia Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze

Georgia has seen a fourth night of street demonstrations and a string of public resignations, triggered by the ruling party’s decision to suspend a push to start talks on joining the European Union.

As tens of thousands of Georgians headed back to the streets of several cities, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said they had fallen victim to opposition lies and he rejected calls for new elections.

He confirmed reports that Georgia’s ambassador to the US, David Zalkaliani, had become the latest senior diplomat to stand down, explaining that he had come under considerable pressure.

But Kobakhidze sought to deny the reason for the protests, saying on Sunday that “we have not suspended anything, it’s a lie”.

Only three days before, his party Georgian Dream had accused the EU of using talks on joining the union as “blackmail” and said the government had decided not to put that issue on the agenda until the end of 2028.

Pro-EU protesters were out in big numbers again on Sunday night, and when fireworks were aimed at the parliament building as well as riot police, the police responded with water cannon.

Large groups of riot police huddled in side streets beside parliament, and it was not until early on Monday that the protests on the main Rustaveli avenue were dispersed.

As demonstrators fled the area, a number of people were detained, including Zurab Japaridze, one of the leaders of opposition alliance Coalition for Change.

Georgia’s interior ministry said later that 21 officers were injured in clashes overnight, while the pro-opposition president, Salome Zourabichvili, said arrested protesters had been subjected to beatings and cited lawyers who said the majority of them had sustained serious injuries.

Credit: bbc.com

US President pardons son Hunter despite pledge not to

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President Joe Biden has pardoned his son Hunter

United States President Joe Biden has pardoned his son Hunter for his firearms and tax convictions despite previously pledging not to use his presidential authority to grant him clemency.

Biden said on Sunday that his son had been “singled out” and “selectively, and unfairly” prosecuted due to his family name.

“There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

“In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”

Explaining his decision, Biden said that throughout his career he had followed the principle of telling the public the truth out of a belief that Americans are fair-minded.

“Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further,” Biden said. Credit: aljazeera.com

Selected African Engineers laud JICA, ECG

By
INUSAH MUSAH
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Ms Suzuki Momoko, Chief Representative for JICA, Ghana Office

Selected Engineers from a number of African countries have commended the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Training Centre of the Electricity Company of Ghana in Tema for enabling them to undertake a training session in aspects of power distribution systems in Ghana.

The appreciation was part of a message delivered by a representative of the group at a closing ceremony held at the ECG Training Centre in Tema, where the seven-week training took place.

Wisdom Kwame Aglimah, a Ghanaian and one of the Trainees, on behalf of his colleagues, thanked JICA and ECG for creating an enabling environment for all of them to get the needed work done over the period.

He said, “The skills acquired here would not be kept to ourselves, but would be shared with colleagues in our various companies so we can be more impactful.”

Participants in a group photo

The training was part of deliberate efforts by JICA to support some countries to build sustainable electricity systems to reduce power outages and to provide affordable electricity for all.

To this end, the agency has been supporting the energy sectors in these counties by strengthening electricity transmission and distribution networks, promoting introduction of renewable energy, as well as energy efficiency, developing human resources and strengthening human networks in the energy sector.

Ms Suzuki Momoko, Chief Representative for JICA, Ghana Office, who graced the closing ceremony, indicated that the seven-week training programme targeted technicians in maintenance of electrical equipment and engineers in the distribution, planning, design, system protection and control.

He emphasising that “we believe capacity building of technicians and engineers are indispensable as they are the technicians and the engineers who are maintaining the network and ensuring that electricity is distributed as planned.”

She admonished the trainees to share and be impactful with the knowledge gained, adding “I hope that what you have learned here will contribute to your country’s sustainable electricity system.”

She expressed the hope that the training programme would further enhance collaboration among the participating countries and provide a platform for continuous sharing of experiences.

The Director of the ECG Training Centre, Ing Godfred Mensah, gave an overview of the subjects the training covered.

He also called for continued bilateral partnership between Ghana and Japan and between ECG and JICA.

The electrical engineering training for African countries was the second session to be held since its inception last year.

This year’s edition, which is an expansion of the first session, which was for only the West African zone, saw trainees from nine African countries – Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana (NEDCo), Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda.

More queue to test for HIV/AIDS, communicable ailments in Ashaiman

By
INUSAH MUSAH
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Several people queue to be tested for the various diseases

Health Personnel from the Ashaiman Municipal Hospital, with support from the Ghana AIDS Commission and the Ashaiman Assembly, on Thursday, 2024 conducted free HIV/AIDS tests for several hundreds of people at the Mandela Market.
The free medical exercise was to mark the 2024 World AIDS Day, which was on the theme: ‘Take the right path’.

However, the national theme was: ‘Ending AIDS together; stepping up prevention efforts’.
On Thursdays, hundreds of traders and volumes of vehicles from far and near thronged the Ashaiman Mandela Market to hustle for their daily bread.

Given the large number of people who visit the market on such a day, the team of health personnel and Ashaiman Assembly further set up free medical tests, including Blood Pressure (BP), Tuberculosis (TB) and Sugar.
Led by Juliet Selassie, the Focal Person for the Ashaiman Assembly, the team walked to sheds and stalls to educate and woo the people to take advantage of the day, to know their health status.

A health personnel creating awareness in the market

The stall-to-stall and shed-to-shed campaign strategy by the team drew numbers to the health screening tables, where more women were tested for HIV/AIDS, TB, Sugar and BP.
Excited at the participation, Juliet Selassie, the Ashaiman Assembly Focal Person told The Chronicle that “The previous years saw us reach out to schools and lorry stations. Last year, the day coincided with the National Farmers’ Day, so the team set up at the Divisional Command to test several people who graced the occasion.

“Today is the Ashaiman Mandela Market day and since the World AIDS Day is December 1, 2024, a Sunday, the team has come ahead of time to engage with the people and to share the information with them. We believe that they will propagate it in their communities. That way, we think we can drastically slow down the spread of HIV/AIDS,” she noted.

Condoms were distributed to both sexes who checked their HIV status, for protection against any form of STDs and avert unplanned pregnancies.
“Yes, so we are doing the same thing here for the community and this won’t be the last. We can’t wipe the virus out completely; we can only work hard as a country to reduce its spread.

“And we can achieve this when we carry the community along to lead in the campaign,” Juliet Selassie explained.
She educated the residents to shun sharing sharp objects, stop having unprotected sex if they can’t abstain and advised barbers to ensure that their machines are always sterilised.
“Let us all be vigilant when we go to the hair-dressing or barbering salons, where sharp objects are used,” she added.

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