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Don’t politicise COVID-19 combat—MP
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The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ayawaso Central Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Henry Quartey, has cautioned against politicisation of governments effort in addressing threats posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
According to him, the disease was no respecter of persons and does not discriminate between the rich and the poor or party colours, and it behove on the citizenry to rally behind the government to win the war against the virus.
Mr Quartey cautioned yesterday when in collaboration with the Ayawaso Central Municipal Assembly distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to traders at the Mallam Atta Market in the constituency.
The items which include hand gloves, nose masks, hand washing soaps and hand sanitisers were to replenish the stock already supplied by the assembly a fortnight ago.
Mr Quartey, who is also the Deputy Minister for the Interior, indicated that “the constituency and the whole country will be the end losers if collective efforts are not made as a people with a common destiny to wage a united front and relentless war against the common enemy which is the virus”.
The devastating nature of the disease, the minister stated must not be taken for granted, and charged the residents especially the traders to strictly adhere to all existing precautionary measures and hygienic protocols to avoid contracting the virus.
“The devastating nature of the pandemic must not be taken for granted and I urge the constituents to complement governments effort by strictly adhering to all existing precautionary measures and hygienic protocols and also ensure that you stay at home when you do not have anything doing outside the comfort of your homes, we must tackle the pandemic head-on and defeat it once and for all.”
Mr Quartey admonished parents against allowing their children to loiter as they could easily contract the disease, and hinted of provision of more PPE supplies, and stated that the planned demolition of part of the market had been shelved.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Alhaji Mohammed Quaye, urged the traders to ensure that the PPE are always used in their daily activities and also insisted that their patrons wash their hands before entering the market or buying anything from them.
By Lawrence Vomafa-Akpalu
The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has announced changes to how the purity of gold will be tested for local purchases, with the new rules taking effect from October 1, 2026.
The notice was issued today by the Compliance Directorate of the Ghana Gold Board.
Under the new arrangement, the Water Density method will only be used to give an indication of the purity of gold and will no longer serve as the final basis for determining its purity, price or payment.
In a compliance notice issued on September 28, GoldBod said X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) testing would become the definitive method for determining the purity of gold doré purchased by the Board and its licensed buyers.
It explained that the applicable payment for gold would therefore be based on the purity determined through the XRF method.
However, GoldBod said where a licensed buyer is unable to use XRF due to genuine operational or logistical challenges, or where both the buyer and seller voluntarily agree to use the Water Density method, the gold would be purchased at a 0.7 percent purity discount.
The Board introduced a tolerance level for differences between successive XRF test results for the same gold or transaction.
According to the notice, the permissible difference between one XRF report and another must remain within plus or minus 0.1 percent.
GoldBod said any difference beyond that range would have to be verified before the transaction is completed or reported to the Board.
The new requirements apply to all aggregators and licensed gold buyers, who have been directed to ensure that they are fully prepared to comply with the changes by October 1.
GoldBod said the notice forms part of the terms and conditions of licences issued to aggregators and licensed gold buyers.
It warned that failure to comply with the new requirements would constitute a breach of the applicable licence conditions and could result in regulatory or enforcement action under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140).
By: Jacob Aggrey
Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has waded into the debate over government support for Ghanaian evacuees, describing complaints over the amount given as “nauseating entitlement.”
In a strongly worded post shared on Facebook, Manasseh argued that Ghanaians who were airlifted from South Africa after xenophobic threats should show gratitude rather than discontent.
“Some countries abandoned their people because they either did not care enough or they did not think it was economically wise to spend huge sums of money chartering planes and evacuating their people. Your country did not abandon you. It chartered aircraft and lifted you,” he wrote.
According to him, government spent huge sums to bring citizens home at a time when the country has pressing needs that could have been addressed with that money, but no one complained because “your life as a citizen is just as pressing.”
Manasseh said it was therefore worrying that after the evacuation and subsequent financial support from the state, some beneficiaries are complaining that the amount is not enough.
“Sir, some people need only 2000 cedis to start a business, but the state has not given them anything. Others worked and paid taxes while you were away, but have not received a pesewa from the state. Think about that,” he stated.
He added that while the frustration of losing opportunities abroad is understandable, the evacuation was not forced but was done to save lives.
He added that “We can sympathise with whatever opportunities you may have lost by returning home, but note that the government did not forcibly evacuate you. Your safety was paramount. You could have lost your life if the government had abandoned you.”
Manasseh warned that such complaints only fuel negativity in the political space.
“Your complaints will please a section of our society that lives in perpetual search of negativity with which to score cheap political points. But to the discerning people, it is a nauseating sense of entitlement,” he stressed.
He concluded with a call for appreciation “And whatever you have been given to ease your return is an added bonus. Appreciate it and pray for more. There’s a vast difference between a favour and an entitlement.”
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
