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Ghana to write 2022 WASSCE alone
Only Ghanaian candidates are left to write the West African Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), scheduled from August 1 to September 27, 2022.
This is because the other four-member countries of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) — Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia have returned to the May/June calendar and had administered the WASSCE for their school candidates from May 9 to June 24, this year.
The four countries have had their academic calendars streamlined to enable them to write the examination in May/June, as Ghana sticks to the ‘new normal’ calendar occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Notwithstanding the late sitting, Ghanaian candidates will still compete for the National Distinction Award and the WAEC Excellence Award with candidates from those countries.
“Our candidates will still compete for the National Distinction Award and the WAEC Excellence Award, which is normally competed for by all candidates in the five-member countries,” the Head of the Ghana National Office of WAEC, Wendy Enyonam Addy-Lamptey, said.
Semester system
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic, Mrs Addy-Lamptey explained that because candidates in the country started their academic year on February 7, this year, as a result of the new semester system, they were unable to subscribe to the examination.
She explained that considering the beginning of the 2022 academic year, the time was too short for the candidates to write the WASSCE in May/June.
“The time was too short and the candidates would not have adequately prepared for the examination and so the Ministry of Education requested that it be conducted for them in August and September 2022.
“Following from that, Ghanaian candidates will write a Ghana-only version of the WASSCE for School Candidates, starting from August 1 and ending on September 27,” she explained.
Caution
Mrs Addy-Lamptey observed that rogue website operators and scammers had already obtained snapshots of past question papers for WASSCE 2022 administered in the other member countries and were using those snapshots to advertise their websites.
“Some have requested candidates to register by paying a fee. We want to inform our publics that the examination being conducted has totally different questions/parallel questions from the papers written in the other member countries,” she emphasised.
The Head of the National Office of WAEC, however, added that the questions would certainly be of the same difficulty level and gave an assurance that “all post-examination arrangements will be handled internationally”.
“For example, the Standard Fixing and Grading Awards meetings will have representatives from the five member countries,” she explained.
Preparation
A total of 422,883 candidates from 977 schools registered for the WASSCE after the extended closing date of April 8, 2022.
The entry figure included 72 candidates with visual impairment, made up of 39 males and 33 females, as well as 14 candidates with hearing impairment.
Mrs Addy-Lamptey explained that 60 subjects, comprising four core and 56 electives, would be administered to prospective candidates.
“In addition to the four core subjects that all candidates write, candidates have the option to select up to a maximum of four elective subjects from the seven programmes offered in senior high schools,” she further explained.
Depots
She explained that the council utilised dedicated facilities (depots) for the storage of confidential materials in the various communities, and gave an assurance that “such facilities have been inspected and the necessary fortification and refurbishment works are being done to ensure that they meet the security requirements”.
“This year, the number of depots has been increased to reduce the time taken in moving the question papers from the depots to the examination centres, pushing the depots closer to the examination centres,” she said.
Source: Graphic.com.gh
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
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Attorney General charges Chairman Wontumi and two others over alleged GH¢18.7 million Ghana Exim Bank fraud
The Office of the Attorney General has charged Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and two others over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of funds from the Ghana Export-Import Bank for a farming project.
The charges were brought against Chairman Wontumi, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is currently at large, and Wontumi Farms Limited.
According to court documents released by the Attorney General’s office, Chairman Wontumi, identified as the first accused person, allegedly approached the Ghana Exim Bank in January 2018 for financial support to undertake a large-scale farming project.
The prosecution said he applied for a GH¢19 million facility on behalf of Wontumi Farms Limited and claimed that the company had secured a 100,000-acre parcel of land for the proposed farming venture.
The Attorney General alleged that documents submitted together with the application contained false information.
According to the prosecution, one of the documents presented as a board resolution letter was dated January 23, 2018, but referred to a board resolution supposedly passed on December 9, 2017, four days before the company was officially incorporated on December 14, 2017.
The prosecution further stated that the accused persons also submitted a project proposal claiming that 2,500 hectares of the proposed farm would employ about 6,000 families, representing nearly 38,000 individuals.
Court documents indicate that the Ghana Exim Bank later approved an GH¢18.7 million facility made up of loans and grants for the project.
The facility was reportedly intended for the purchase of agricultural machinery, working capital, staff costs and consultancy services.
According to investigators, the bank disbursed more than GH¢14.3 million to the company between January and March 2018.
However, investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office of the Attorney General allegedly found that the proposed farming activities were never carried out.
The prosecution said the accused persons neither purchased the agricultural machinery nor secured the land they claimed to own for the project.
Investigators also alleged that Chairman Wontumi later submitted a document to the bank as proof that the company had purchased agricultural machinery worth GH¢4 million.
However, investigations reportedly established that the document was originally a pro-forma invoice from KAS-SAMA Enterprise and not an actual receipt.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the inscription “Pro-forma Invoice” was allegedly altered and replaced with the word “Receipt” before it was submitted to the bank.
The prosecution further alleged that Chairman Wontumi withdrew large sums from the company’s accounts and used the funds for personal expenses and investments in other businesses.
The Attorney General stated that attempts by the bank to recover the money were unsuccessful.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office reportedly began investigations into the matter in March 2025.
Chairman Wontumi was later arrested, cautioned and officially charged on May 14, 2026.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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