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Sylvia Annor: We’ll institute COVID-19 safety protocols before undertaking registration exercise
The Electoral Commission (EC) has assured the electorate that it will put the necessary safety protocols in place to ensure that they are adequately protected against COVID-19 contraction while undertaking the exercise.
In furtherance of that it indicated that not more than 25 people would be permitted at a registration centre at a given time when the commission begins the mass voter registration exercise for the December polls.
Sylvia Annor, the Communications Director for the Electoral Commission, made the disclosure and noted that the commission was poised to develop a new voters’ roll for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.
“At each point in time we will ensure that we do not have more than 25 persons including the officials at any registration centre, people coming to register will be given hand sanitisers before they enter the registration centre, you need to wear a face mask, without a face mask you cannot enter a registration centre and there will be no crowding at the registration centre, I can assure you,” she said.
Ms Annor reiterated the EC’s position that existing Voter’s ID cards would not be accepted as proof of identity during the registration exercise and insisted that the electorate needed a Ghanaian passport or Ghana card, if for one reason or the other the electorate don’t have any of the two then they have to get two guarantors to guarantee for them.
“We are not using the old voters’ ID card, the voters’ ID card, some people argue, is not a good index for identification, it’s an established fact that the ID card is not a good index for proof of identification,” she maintained.
But the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has alleged that the EC and the National Identification Authority (NIA) are conspiring to suppress votes in the strongholds of the party.
Addressing a news conference recently, Ofosu Ampofo, the National Chairman of the NDC, alleged that the decision of the commission to push for the Ghana card, birth certificate and passport as the primary documents required to register during the voters’ registration exercise was part of a grand scheme to rig the 2020 elections in favour of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).-starrfmonline.com
News
President John Dramani Mahama to kick off 2025/26 Premier League season in Accra
The 2025/26 Premier League will officially kick off on Friday, September 12, 2025, at the Accra Sports Stadium, with the President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama, performing the ceremonial kick-off ahead of the season opener between Accra Hearts of Oak and league debutants Hohoe United.
President Mahama will be joined by Football Association President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, members of the Executive Council and football fans from across the capital as the curtain rises on what promises to be one of the most exciting campaigns in recent years.
Giants Hearts of Oak will open their quest for a league title when they take on newly promoted Hohoe United under the floodlights of the Accra Sports Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm local time (19:00 GMT).
The Phobians, bolstered by new signings and a strong pre-season campaign, are eager to end a four-year run without an opening-day victory, while United will be aiming to make a statement in their first-ever top-flight match.
Before the main fixture, there will be a curtain-raiser between the Black Starlets (Ghana U-17) and Auroras FC, the youth side of Hearts of Oak, at 4:00 pm local time.
Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, top Afro-dancehall and reggae musician Stonebwoy (Livingstone Etse Satekla) will deliver a live performance at the venue, ensuring fans enjoy not only football but also top-class entertainment on opening night.
This season is expected to be one of the most competitive in recent memory, with traditional heavyweights, ambitious newcomers and revitalized clubs all targeting glory. From title races to survival battles, fans are set for months of excitement, drama and unforgettable moments.
News
GES opens promotion applications for teaching staff
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has invited applications from qualified teachers and officers for promotion to higher ranks within the service.
In a notice signed by the Acting Deputy Director-General for Management Services, Prof. Smile Dzisi, the GES said the ranks available are Deputy Director, Assistant Director I, Assistant Director II and Principal Superintendent.
According to the statement, applicants must meet the minimum years of service required for each position.
Teachers seeking promotion to Deputy Director must have been promoted to Assistant Director I in or before 2021.
Similarly, those applying for Assistant Director I should have held the rank of Assistant Director II since 2021 or earlier.
Applicants for Assistant Director II must have been Principal Superintendents from 2021 or earlier, while those applying for Principal Superintendent must have been Senior Superintendent I since 2021 or before.
The GES stated that teachers with approved Master’s or PhD degrees may use their certificates to apply for promotion out of turn if the qualifications meet set conditions.
These include completing an approved course of study and obtaining the certificate after their previous promotion but not later than 2023.
Applicants are to complete the online application form and upload all required documents in PDF format, except for the passport-size photograph.
The application window runs from Thursday, September 11, to Thursday, October 2, 2025. The GES urged all applicants who had applied earlier to re-apply.
By: Jacob Aggrey
