News
Allegiance to God or Political Party
As an intellectual, I watch and listen to discussions on TV and Radio respectively. I also sometimes browse the net to watch and read what is happening on social media platforms.
The attitude that are displayed by a lot of the political activists in terms of their comments is deeply concerning. Then comes the shock when these people begin to declare that they are Christians and start mentioning the denominations they belong to.
Early this week, one of them, mentioned that he belongs to the same denomination I belong to and I suddenly felt sad. People are defending the indefensible so long as it is in the interest of their political party.
They deliberately run commentaries that support the party line instead of upholding morality. Such attitude is the beginning of corruption and should such people get into public office, they are certain to condone wrong doing, no wonder the unacceptable corrupt acts that get exposed at Public Accounts Committee hearings, year after year.
I keep saying that the problem of this country is not the lack of expertise or resources, but lack of morality because it is the glue that holds each sector of the economy together and the overall governance together.
When society, does not prioritise morality, it does not matter how intelligent the people are, governance systems will not deliver expected outcomes. Citizens must therefore have a mindset of putting the nation first, in other words, citizens must be patriotic.
It is therefore worrying to see a lot of people rather doing everything possible to maintain allegiance to their political party. When national issues are being discussed, you find them towing their party line of argument, even if their party position lacks moral value.
Taking into account the population census, about 71 per cent are Christians and about 19 per cent are Muslims, implying that majority of the population are religious. Hence, the moral decline is the fault of the religious people, especially Christians, since they form the majority.
There are a lot of youthful people, who are quite intelligent and eloquent in the two leading parties in the country. When you listen to their logical analysis of issues, it leaves you in no doubt about their high level of intelligence.
As I keep saying, the most dangerous person, is not the armed robber but an intelligent person with a criminal mindset. Such a person can engage in propaganda that can create tension in the country.
Such people can lie with a straight face in such a convincing manner that, it can create chaos in the country. The political parties have a responsibility for ensuring a mindset change of their communicators to adhere to moral values and to be patriotic at all times.
What they should realise, is that, should the nation erupt in flames as a result of their careless utterances, as happened in Rwanda, no one will be spared.
The clergy, are usually the voice of conscience, who comes in to quell the storm, when there is confusion in the country. Unfortunately, some of them have lost credibility. They have tarnished their reputation by being partisan.
They have allowed their actions and utterances to betray which political party they sympathise with. This has taken away the neutrality which would enable them to mediate in conflicts that may arise.
It has gotten so bad that the youth openly insult them on social media platforms and so they do not have the moral authority to admonish, criticise or advise politicians who by their utterances go overboard and needs to be condemned or criticised.
It is high time the clergy with credibility, used their pulpits to preach against unpatriotic behaviour in our political space. God bless.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has announced the commencement of enforcement of the National Identity Register (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2523), warning institutions that fail to comply with the new requirements of possible fines of up to 2,000 penalty units.
The Authority says it will deploy a Biometric Verification Implementation Task Force to inspect institutions and ensure they comply with the regulations, following the expiration of a three-month grace period granted to businesses and public institutions.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Monday, November 2, 2026, the NIA’s Corporate Affairs representative, William Ampomah Emmanuel Darlas, said the Authority had completed its public education and stakeholder engagement activities and was now moving into the enforcement and compliance monitoring phase.
He explained that the regulations require institutions that verify the identities of customers or applicants as part of their operations to use the NIA’s approved biometric verification platform instead of relying solely on visual inspection of the Ghana Card.
Under the new rules, institutions are prohibited from photocopying, scanning or keeping copies of the Ghana Card for identity verification purposes.
Mr Darlas stressed that simply collecting a customer’s Ghana Card, looking at the photograph and comparing it with the person presenting it would no longer be accepted as a valid method of identity verification.
He, however, clarified that the Ghana Card remains the country’s official national identity document and that citizens are not required to register for a new card or capture their biometrics again under the new regulations.
He said the new system is intended to reduce identity fraud, impersonation and other crimes by ensuring that the person presenting the Ghana Card is the actual owner.
According to him, the biometric verification process will rely on information already captured during Ghana Card registration, including fingerprints, iris details and facial features stored in the card’s chip.
Mr Darlas warned institutions against using third-party companies or individuals to access the NIA’s identity verification platform, insisting that the Authority does not work with intermediaries.
He said institutions seeking access to the National Identity Register must deal directly with the NIA and complete its official onboarding process.
The process requires institutions to prove that they are legally registered companies in Ghana, obtain certification from the Data Protection Commission and work with the NIA’s technical team to establish the necessary connection to its platform.
He further cautioned institutions already connected to the platform against subletting their access to other businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.
He disclosed that the Authority had received reports of some institutions providing their verification services to other businesses without the NIA’s approval and warned that those involved would face legal action.
Mr Darlas said organisations that fail to comply with L.I. 2523 could face fines ranging from 500 to 2,000 penalty units, depending on the nature of the offence.
He explained that the NIA does not have the authority to impose the fines directly but would take offenders to court for the appropriate punishment.
He indicated that Institutions found guilty could also face additional administrative measures, including being barred from accessing the NIA’s verification platform in the future.
The NIA representative further clarified that the new regulations do not prohibit all institutions from physically using the Ghana Card during transactions.
The Managing Director of the Ghana Publishing Company Limited, Nana Kwesi Boatey, has revealed how he transformed a major overstaffing challenge into a success story through the government’s 24-Hour Economy initiative.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, November 2, Mr. Boatey disclosed that when he assumed office in February 2025, and inherited a bloated workforce of 250 employees doing work that could be efficiently handled by 150 people, a situation that created serious liquidity challenges for the state-owned company.
Instead of resorting to downsizing, he adopted an innovative approach by instituting a 24-hour operational system.
Under the new system, staff were redistributed across three shifts: 7 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., and 10 p.m. – 4:30 a.m.
This not only ensured optimal use of labour but also maximized machine utilization and improved overall output.
According to him, the single move redefined the productivity culture within the company, reinforcing discipline, accountability, and efficiency.
The Ghana Publishing Company’s turnaround is being cited as a practical example of how the 24-Hour Economy policy can drive growth without job losses.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
