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There is no need for indelible ink- Jean Mensah justifies exclusion
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensah has justified the exclusion of Indelible Ink from the voting process.
The EC announced that there would be no need for indelible ink in the upcoming district-level election and subsequent polls.
Indelible Ink is a semi-permanent dye applied to voters’ fingerprints to indicate who has exercised their franchise and prevents double voting.
Addressing the media in a press conference yesterday ahead of the District Assembly elections, she said “The question is when we were not doing biometric, we were basically using your face to say this picture looks like you.”
According to her, the biometric technology makes it difficult for a person who has verified to cast his vote to come the second time.
Against this backdrop, she said, “so there is no need for indelible ink.”
She further added, “Once you have verified, it goes into the system and you cannot come back the second time.”
“So you can try it if you wish at this election, of course, it would be deemed as an electoral offence,” she said.
According to her, because of biometrics “your facial features are or your fingerprint is recognised and verified. Therefore there is no need for indelible ink which had been in place since the beginning of 2012 when we were not using biometric.”
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Ghana First Alliance, a movement, is today staging a protest in Accra against the renewal of the mining licence of Gold Fields, a mining company owned by a South African citizen operating in Ghana.
The demonstration, dubbed “Operation No Contract Renewal: South Africa Must Go,” is being held to demand that government does not renew the company’s licence.
The group says their protest is linked to recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa by a protest group known as “march to march.”
They claim that many Ghanaian-owned shops were looted, while others were attacked, with some cases leading to deaths.
They also say the situation forced the Ghana government to evacuate thousands of Ghanaians from South Africa back to Ghana.
Speaking to some of the protesters, they said they will move to several key locations in Accra, including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Jubilee House, where they intend to present their petition.
The protesters are calling on government to terminate the Gold Fields contract and hand over the mining concessions to capable Ghanaians to manage.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
