Sometime in 2019, I ventured and predicted somewhat evocatively that former President John Dramani Mahama cannot return to the presidency in 2021, given his calamitous errors in decision-making which disappointingly halted Ghana’s economic upsurge.

My dearest reader, please read below how and why I predicted that the 2020 NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, cannot get the 50+1 threshold in the December 2020 general elections.

Upon a carefully considered reflection, I would like to submit that the good people of Ghana made a terrible mistake by voting the NPP government out in 2008 general elections, as Ghana, so to speak, was heading towards the right direction following the eight years of prudent governance by Ex-President Kufuor and his equally dynamic team.

The good people of Ghana, unfortunately, fell for the NDC’s well-executed political stratagem and voted out the NPP government in 2008 despite the NPP government’s pragmatic programmes and policies which put the country in a highly favourable economic position.

Back then, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communicators, as a matter of fact, displayed sheer complacency and disappointingly failed to counter the NDC’s contemptible propaganda.

In retrospect, former President Kufuor passed on the baton to the late President Mills on 7th January 2009, following his victory in the December 2008 general elections.

The late President Mills was extremely fortunate to have inherited a very good economic foundation laid by the forward-thinking President Kufuor and his equally hard-working team.

Take, for example, three years after former President Kufuor’s NPP government had discovered oil in commercial quantities, the late President Mills had the joyous task of turning on the valve at an offshore platform in December 2010 to pump the first commercial oil.

And, lo and behold, Ghana joined the petroleum exporting countries. You may believe it or not, Ghana started to export crude oil and thus boosted the economic growth.

The economy grew auspiciously from around 8.4 per cent to around 14 per cent by 2011, and Ghana thus reached the Lower Middle-Income status.

“Ghana has come a long way and is the world's fastest-growing economy today-2010.

“Ghana's economy is growing at a blistering 20.15 per cent, says Economy Watch.

“Blessed with rich reserves of natural resources, Ghana has suddenly turned around and is now speeding along the growth path.

“Ghana is oil-rich, has large gold and diamond deposits, and has a booming tourism industry” (Economy Watch 2010).

So, who says that the favourable economic foundation laid by former President Kufuor and his team was not the main contributory factor in Ghana’s economic upsurge?

Unfortunately, though, things started to fall apart. It went from bad to worse following President Mills sudden and mysterious death in July 2012.

The then vice president, John Dramani Mahama, (the automatic successor to the presidency) and his government officials had a field day leading to the 2012 general elections.

President Mahama and his appointees ignobly went ‘haywire’ in their desperation to cling on to power. Thus they broke all conventions. Many government departments spent over and above their allocated budgets, which brought about double budget deficit amid huge and unmanageable debt stock.

Given the circumstances, it is extremely bizarre to see the NDC loyalists blissfully moving heaven and earth to reclaim power after being voted out by discerning Ghanaians as a result of their dreadful errors in judgement which culminated in massive economic meltdown.

With all due respect with no attached condescension whatsoever, former President Mahama had had an ample opportunity to show discerning Ghanaians his ability to steer the nation to the right direction but woefully failed to do so. So, what can he do at the presidency next time around?

Strangely though, Ex-President Mahama and his teeming supporters are moving up and down the country and unfairly criticising President Akufo-Addo who is prudently fixing the humongous mess left behind by the erstwhile NDC administration.

Perhaps more than anything else, Ex-President Mahama and his loyalists are still holding on to the elusive belief that Ghanaians suffer from memory loss and therefore cannot recollect the revoltingly ugly events which took place under their watch.

Dearest reader, if that was not the case, what would then drive a president who willfully brought the country to its knees through catastrophic decision-making to persistently accuse his successor who is doing everything humanly possible to undo the massive mess?

But contrary to former President Mahama’s seemingly isolated thinker’s view, discerning Ghanaians have miraculously overcome their memory loss and cannot be taken for granted.

We cannot deny or hide the fact that former President Mahama and the vast majority of the brassbound NDC loyalists have been going through a process analogous to Dr Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s stages of grief.

We have, unfortunately, been witnessing unbridled reactive emotional responses from the likes of former President Mahama ever since the NDC lost the 2016 election to the NPP.

Given the unpardonable economic mess under his watch, Ex-President Mahama should do the right thing by eating humble pie and apologise to the good people of Ghana for wilfully messing up the once favourable economy.

If former President Mahama cannot see the need to beg discerning Ghanaians for forgiveness for abysmally dragging the 14% economic growth in 2011 to a disappointing 3.4% by December 2016, then what right does he have to come and stand in front of the good people of Ghana to solicit for their votes in 2020?

So does former President Mahama really believe that he owes no one apology for needlessly raising Ghana’s debt from GH9.5 billion in 2009 to an incredible GH122.4 billion by December 2016 with a little to show for?

Honestly, some of us do not suffer from chronic amnesia and can recall vividly that Ghana’s Cedi to US Dollar in December 2011 was GH1.65 to $1. However, due to terrible economic decision-making, within five years the exchange rate took an unbelievable flight and stood at GH4.20 to $1 by December 2016.

Indeed, the good people of Ghana cannot so soon forget and forgive former President Mahama for the business crippling dumsor in the last five years of the erstwhile NDC administration.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has broken his silence on the raging issue of same-sex relations, declaring that his administration will never legalize same-sex marriage in the country.

Speaking at an event in Asante Mampong to outdoor the second Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Ghana, President Akufo-Addo stated:

“It will not be under the presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that same-sex marriage will be legalized in Ghana; it will never happen in my time as president.”

This statement from President Akufo-Addo will bring finality to the raging issue of same-sex relations in the country for the past two weeks.

The opening of an office for the LGBTQI+ group in Ghana and statements made by some ministerial nominees during vetting have culminated in a highly divisive and emotive discussion on the matter, with the police eventually closing down the office.

Some persons and religious groups have been calling on the President to break his silence on the matter.

“I will want to see the government come to state a clear position on that but the offices, in my view and speaking for all Muslims, must be closed immediately,”, Sheikh Aremeyaw, the spokesperson for the National Chief Imam said in an interview.

Ghanaian filmmaker, Leila Djansi has called on social media users in the country to stop attacking Ama K Abebrese following her comment about the gay community.

The issue of LGBT has been a heated topic for discussion in Ghana now after they inaugurated an office.

In the midst of the discussion, television personality and actress, Ama K Abebrese said she cannot judge them.

Ama argued that just because she may not fully understand what they go through doesn’t mean they do not deserve basic human rights.

Her post attracted harsh replies from some Ghanaian social media users.

In a post sighted by Zionfelix.net, Leila Djansi urged them to cease the derogatory comments.

She raised some points justifying why they shouldn’t attack those who hold divergent opinions.

Former Bantamweight champion Isaac Dogboe has sworn to cause the imprisonment of some officials at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Dogboe in social media post vowed to ensure the said persons go to jail.

“I’m going to make sure some individuals at the Ministry of Sports Go to Jail. Mark It On The Wall!!!” Dogboe tweeted.

Dogboe’s post was however silent on the reasons for which he would institute legal action against the persons. No name was also mentioned in the short post made on Twitter.

Dogboe recently confirmed that his father Paul Dogboe is no longer part of his management team.

In a Starr FM interview that Dogboe confirmed that he has made changes to backroom staff and his father was a victim of the changes.

Right now I’m self-managed, no more managed by my dad, a lot happened over the years and since I took control I said to myself, It’s time to restructure and rebuild some of the bridges that were broken.”

He stated further that no malice was attached and that he still has a very good relationship with his father.

“A lot of people are putting our situation in a negative light. The only thing happening between my father and me is that he’s no more training and managing me and I don’t see anything negative about that”, he said.

“I informed him of my decision to want to be in charge and everything is fine, I hold my family in very high esteem. I believe if there’s any problem between myself and my father, I believe he can call and sit me down as a son and talk to me.”

Chief Executive Officer for the Public Sector Reforms Kusi Boafo has noted that Ghanaians planned to end the political plans and ambitions of the NPP in the 2020 elections.

According to him, this was because some appointees had stinking attitudes and the people wanted to prove to them that power resides in them.

He was shocked that even the good policies implemented by the government did not convince the people of Ghana who had decided to punish the party because of their appointees who had stinking attitudes.

Apart from the stinking attitude of appointees, he noted that the NPP’s handling of issues with regards to illegal mining was not the best and therefore people in these mining communities ganged up to “teach them a lesson”.

He said the NDC benefitted very well from the poor handling of the country and bad attitudes of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s appointees in the first term that they were even shocked by the numbers they were able to garner.

When the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame took bold steps and closed down over 6000 alleged wayward churches and mosques, he invariably received avalanche of condemnations and curses from church goers, but wasn’t censured by God.

Yes, Paul Kagame was not sanctioned by God for allegedly clamping down on false prophets, and if anything at all, Rwanda is being blessed by God, if the country’s economy is anything to go by.

I cannot for the life of me, get my head around how and why any authority on this planet would turn a blind eye to the complexities of false prophets and their antipathetic teachings of Christianity and societal norms.

In Ghana today, false prophets are at work and command a multitude of truth seekers, many of whom lack knowledge, hence following the con-artists, who are probably resorting to black magic or necromancy, albeit masquerading as “Men of God”.

Regrettably, the Ghanaian authorities are reluctant to regulate the activities of the one-man churches. It would thus appear that the authorities fear the repercussions of being labelled blasphemous by the uncritical church goers or do not want to risk votes, considering the massive church population.

It pains my heart so much to state that the founders of the one-man churches have long been getting away with their ceaseless scheming guiles and irrevocable self-aggrandisement.

Absolutely, it is an undeniable fact that freedom of worship is an inalienable human right, which is encapsulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

More significantly, freedom of worship has been transposed and given meaning in Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.

As such, there is no permitted abridgment as to which religious sect one could join. Indeed, individuals have their inherent dignity and inalienable rights to choose or join any congregation of their choice.

But that being said, the founders of those churches do not have God’s given right to trample on the inalienable rights of their church members, while the authorities look on unperturbed.

Let me however stress forcefully that this treatise is not seeking to censure those churches that have contributed in the past, and still contributing meaningfully to the advancement of humanity.

Indeed, the vast majority of Ghanaians owe a great debt of gratitude to orthodox churches for their unstinting missionary endeavours.

In my humble opinion, the orthodox churches deserve every commendation for their numerous charitable endeavours. However, the same cannot be said about the “one-man churches”.

Regrettably, the founders of the one-man churches have succeeded in proselytizing and swindling unsuspected truth seekers, who only want adulterated, more 'palatable' forms of Truth, watered down and compromised for convenience.

It is written, “but the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die”(Deuteronomy 18:20).

Jeremiah 14:14: “Then the LORD said unto me, the prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.” And if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? (Deuteronomy 18:21).

When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follows not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:22).“

Truth be told, the influx of the so-called Men of God and their revoltingly ugly activities are worrisome, so to speak.

How long can we endure the complexities of false prophets and their antipathetic interpretations of Christianity?

Some of us were over the moon when the Members of Parliament prudently called for the enactment of regulation to curb the unscrupulous activities of the men and women who are swindling and maltreating the unsuspecting followers in the name of God.

There are numerous Bible verses on false prophets and their self-aggrandisement and therefore the need for their followers to be on their guard.

The Ghanaian authorities have unfortunately turned a blind eye to the revoltingly ugly activities of the one-man churches such as noise making, illegal trading (anointing oil), torturing followers, fleecing of general public and unnecessary tax evasions.

Of course, the one-man churches have registered or often seen as charitable organisations-non-profit making organisations. But do they deserve such benevolent status? No.

As a matter of fact and observation, the founders of the one-man churches are making a lot of profits from unconventional trading in addition to ripping off their poor followers to feed their opulent lifestyles.

The impression that the British colonial government left huge sums of money to Kwame Nkrumah’s government to usher Ghana to independence - which they accuse him of “wasting” before February 24, 1966 coup is one of the biggest falsehoods lingering for so long which must be corrected. Most often than not, you will hear cynics of Nkrumah making reference to this spurious claim without any exact proof but just to show the cause of their unrepentant loathes for him.

History is written for heroes, not villains. But in today’s Ghana, the issues of the elitist few who were long ago rejected are struggling to rewrite Ghana’s history in a way that suits their interests. Do we still allow these people to change our history to make villains appear as heroes and reactionaries appear as democrats under the guise of multi-party democracy? Absolutely not. In this article, the aim is to clarify Nkrumah’s internal self-government generated revenue for the Gold Coast, as part of the funding of the Five-Year Development Plan from 1951-1956 from the Cocoa Duty and Development Funds (Amendment) Act of 1954, and also explain a bit of the formation of the National Liberation Movement (NLM) in November 1954 and the collapse of the British economy after the Second World War.

Cocoa Duty and Development Funds (Amendment) Act

First, the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) was established in 1947. The purpose of the establishment of the Board was to look into a series of disputes between cocoa farmers and their European buying partners. Initially, cocoa farmers used to sell their produce directly to a cooperative of European buyers but their dissatisfaction with the prices they were offered a new arrangement that was designed to give them more leverage against European buyers and to insulate them against fluctuations in the world market price for cocoa.

Ghana’s main source of income then came from the export of cocoa. And the world price of cocoa was steadily on the rise. In 1949-50 the country had received £ 178 for each ton of cocoa sold abroad. In 1950-51 the figure rose to £ 269. In the two following year, it was slightly lower. But in 1953-54 it was £358 a ton. And in 1954, it reached £467 per ton, the highest ever paid till then. All appeared necessary to spend money on the modernization of the Gold Coast economy. (Basil Davidson, Black Star)

But the real dispute on cocoa and the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) begun when it became politicized after the then Minister for Finance K.A. Gbedemah introduced the Cocoa Duty and Development Funds (Amendment) Bill in 1954 which fixed the farm-gate price of cocoa at 72shillings (£3 12s) per 60lb load for four years.

Here is what Gbedemah said in the concluding debate in parliament:
“[F]irstly, that it is not in the general interest of the Gold Coast to be subjected to considerable or frequent fluctuations in the prices paid for its cocoa; secondly, that having regard to all other circumstances which obtain in the Gold Coast today, the present price paid locally of cocoa is fair, reasonable and provides an incentive to increased production; thirdly, that it follows that it is in the general interest that the cocoa farmer should receive a good and steady income for a period of years….and lastly, that the funds which may accrue to Government through the fiscal policy it is now establishing should be concentrated as far as possible on expanding the economy of the country as a whole with special emphasis on its agricultural sector”. (Ekow Nelson, Nkrumah’s Cocoa Policy and Economic Development).

In essence, cocoa reserves were kept in London as investment from the revenues generated from the cocoa duty with the hope of making the country a better place to live in the near future. Sadly, this development led to agitations from the cocoa area of Ashanti, especially the Asantehene, who girded the separatist movement while calling for a Federal State in order to ensure that all revenue from cocoa export are vested in the Asante Kingdom, not to the central government.

The impression that the British colonial government left huge sums of money to Kwame Nkrumah’s government to usher Ghana to independence - which they accuse him of “wasting” before February 24, 1966 coup is one of the biggest falsehoods lingering for so long which must be corrected. Most often than not, you will hear cynics of Nkrumah making reference to this spurious claim without any exact proof but just to show the cause of their unrepentant loathes for him.

History is written for heroes, not villains. But in today’s Ghana, the issues of the elitist few who were long ago rejected are struggling to rewrite Ghana’s history in a way that suits their interests. Do we still allow these people to change our history to make villains appear as heroes and reactionaries appear as democrats under the guise of multi-party democracy? Absolutely not. In this article, the aim is to clarify Nkrumah’s internal self-government generated revenue for the Gold Coast, as part of the funding of the Five-Year Development Plan from 1951-1956 from the Cocoa Duty and Development Funds (Amendment) Act of 1954, and also explain a bit of the formation of the National Liberation Movement (NLM) in November 1954 and the collapse of the British economy after the Second World War.

Cocoa Duty and Development Funds (Amendment) Act

First, the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) was established in 1947. The purpose of the establishment of the Board was to look into a series of disputes between cocoa farmers and their European buying partners. Initially, cocoa farmers used to sell their produce directly to a cooperative of European buyers but their dissatisfaction with the prices they were offered a new arrangement that was designed to give them more leverage against European buyers and to insulate them against fluctuations in the world market price for cocoa.

Ghana’s main source of income then came from the export of cocoa. And the world price of cocoa was steadily on the rise. In 1949-50 the country had received £ 178 for each ton of cocoa sold abroad. In 1950-51 the figure rose to £ 269. In the two following year, it was slightly lower. But in 1953-54 it was £358 a ton. And in 1954, it reached £467 per ton, the highest ever paid till then. All appeared necessary to spend money on the modernization of the Gold Coast economy. (Basil Davidson, Black Star)

But the real dispute on cocoa and the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) begun when it became politicized after the then Minister for Finance K.A. Gbedemah introduced the Cocoa Duty and Development Funds (Amendment) Bill in 1954 which fixed the farm-gate price of cocoa at 72shillings (£3 12s) per 60lb load for four years.

Here is what Gbedemah said in the concluding debate in parliament:
“[F]irstly, that it is not in the general interest of the Gold Coast to be subjected to considerable or frequent fluctuations in the prices paid for its cocoa; secondly, that having regard to all other circumstances which obtain in the Gold Coast today, the present price paid locally of cocoa is fair, reasonable and provides an incentive to increased production; thirdly, that it follows that it is in the general interest that the cocoa farmer should receive a good and steady income for a period of years….and lastly, that the funds which may accrue to Government through the fiscal policy it is now establishing should be concentrated as far as possible on expanding the economy of the country as a whole with special emphasis on its agricultural sector”. (Ekow Nelson, Nkrumah’s Cocoa Policy and Economic Development).

In essence, cocoa reserves were kept in London as investment from the revenues generated from the cocoa duty with the hope of making the country a better place to live in the near future. Sadly, this development led to agitations from the cocoa area of Ashanti, especially the Asantehene, who girded the separatist movement while calling for a Federal State in order to ensure that all revenue from cocoa export are vested in the Asante Kingdom, not to the central government.

Trade and Industry Minister-designate, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, on Friday, announced, that the Free Zones Enclave in Kumasi would be turned into Ghana’ second industrial city, after Tema.

Mr Kyerematen said a public-private partnership was advancing towards developing the land acquired by the Government at Ejisu for activities in the industrial city because of the strategic location of the Ashanti Region.

He described the Region “as being linked to several other geographical regions of Ghana” and being a transit corridor to the Sahelian countries of West Africa.

The renominated Minister for the portfolio, who is a lawyer, an entrepreneur, diplomat, and management consultant, said this as his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament, at the Parliament House, in Osu-Accra.

Currently chaired by Mr Joseph Osei Owusu, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, who is also the MP for Bekwai, the Appointments Committee of Parliament derives its existence and power from the 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament to vet nominees of the President for ministerial positions or other public offices, such as the Office of the Chief Justice.

The Committee, subsequently, recommends to the plenary of Parliament to either reject or approve the nominees.

Mr Kyerematen announced that the One District One Factory (1D1F) flagship programme of the Government included the development of industrial parks, and the Ejisu land had been incorporated into the Greater Kumasi Industrial and Economic Zone.

The Director of communications at Ghana Gas Company Limited Ernest Owusu Bempah has received and accepted an invitation “to come home for tea” from the CEO of Engineers and Planners, Ibrahim Mahama, MyNewsGh.com reports.

Mr. Mahama who described Ernest Owusu Bempah as his “younger brother” invited him to come home, indicating a sealing of peace and forgiveness from the businessman.

The businessman had secured a court order to empty Ernest Owusu Bempah’s account of Ghc310,000 but only Ghc107,000 was found in his account at NIB.

Sources hinted MyNewsGh.com that the generous Ibrahim Mahama who “didn’t actually need the Ghc310,000 for anything” pardoned Ernest Owusu Bempah from paying the balance. This is yet to be confirmed though.

All this comes after Owusu Bempah placed a call to apologize to the businessman after issuing out an official apology as well to the magnanimous businessman who in 2018, the business mogul sued along with the Despite Group of Companies, operators of UTV for defaming him.