THE THOUGHTS ROOM

Chief Executive Officer at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Prof Nii Otu Nettey, has denied a report claiming the hospital is seriously engaged in the sale of sperms to women who are desirous of children. He said, as it stands, the health facility does not have the mandate and capacity to venture into that business and has further given the assurance to Ghanaians that, “at the moment Korle Bu has no sperm bank to sell sperms or to give out sperms to individuals who need them.” Prof Nettey was reacting to a Ghanaian Times report headline “K’Bu sells sperms?” during the newspaper review programme on e.tv Ghana. According to the Ghanaian Times report, it (the newspaper) had gathered that more than 60 women, including Togolese and Nogerians visit the hospital every month to purchase the sperm for fertilisation. The paper further gave details of the cost of sperm noting that, “A syringe-sized container of sperm is sold between GHC2000 and GHC3000,” adding that, it had att

The Electoral Commission is being charged to either repeal the law on political party funding or ensure that political parties strictly adhere to it. Mr Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Ghana made the call in respect to the latest allegation by AFAG that the NDC is being funded by a Chinese company called Huawei. AFAG alleged that government indiscriminately continues to award contracts to Huawei Company in return for funding for its 2012 campaign activities, contrary to the political rules of Ghana. The political parties act; Act 574 Section 23 (1) states that, “only a citizen may contribute whether in cash or in kind to the fund of a political party. Section 24 of the same act states that “A non-citizen shall not directly or indirectly make a contribution or donation or loan whether in cash or in kind to the funds held by or for the benefit of a political party and no political party or person acting for or on behalf of a political party shall demand or accept

Available statistics show that Ghana lost 1.74 million Ghana cedis to fire in the first quarter of 2012 as against 1.62 million Ghana cedis in 2011. This, according to the Managing Director of Star Life Insurance, Kojo Addisson, should be a worry to government and stakeholders and find a way of addressing. Mr Addisson was speaking in a phone interview with host of e.tv Ghana’s Awake, Rashida Nasamu on the recent fire which gutted the Mallam Market in Accra on Monday morning. About 200 traders were affected by the fire. Footage from the scene at the time the Ghana National Fire Service was battling to put out the fire saw people, mostly women, wailing for the lost of their goods and monies which they had kept in the stores. When host, Rashida sought to find out the role insurance could play in ensuring that people who lose their goods and monies to fire find some solace in the fact that their goods are insured, Mr Addison was of the belief that it indeed could play a

Gladys Boateng, a mother of three, lost one of her breast to cancer; today, she is proud to say she took that step of faith in order to save her life. To her, having breast cancer, or losing one breast to cancer doesn’t make her less of a woman. Thirteen years ago, Gladys walked into the hospital complaining of waist pains; pains she says she had to live with for some time. It started as a pain in her breast, but she didn’t take it too serious since at the time (1999) she knew nothing about breast cancer. “I didn’t know about breast cancer and I hadn’t checked my breast to know. I went to the hospital and the doctor examined me, he touched my breast and said, this part is very hard can you see a surgeon,” she narrated her story to hostess Rashida Nasamu on e.tv Ghana’s flagship programme, Awake. “After the surgeon had examined she did a biopsy and the result showed it was cancerous and so they had to remove the whole breast. That was thirteen years

Former President Rawlings is under some kind of spell, this is according to a member of the NDC communications team, Alhaji Halidu Haruna. According to him, the ex-president has one several platforms contradicted himself which in his opinion is an indication that the former president “is not in the natural.” Alhaji Haruna thus told Bismark Brown of Breakfast TV and the viewing public, especially NDC supporters to pray for Mr Rawlings. He said, “Listening to Jerry Rawlings and knowing him the way he was in the past, there is a bit of difference and I have come to the conclusion that every NDC member, those of us who pray five times a day we should pray for Jerry Rawlings and those who go to church should also pray.” “I believe that the man is not doing this out of... if I should say natural; that he doesn’t know exactly what he is doing. I suspect that he is under some kind of spell. That is my suspicion,” he added. Surprised by Alhaji Haruna’s utterance, Bismark

Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, yesterday paid a courtesy call on former President Jerry John Rawlings.   The two conferred at the Ridge residence of the former president, where both men discussed issues of peace, and electoral processes.   The NPP flagbearer indicated that the gesture was to enable both parties, put aside their differences and work together for the common good of Ghanaians, a move the former President conceded was a “real bonanza; we've never seen this in Ghana before."   According to Nana Akuffo Addo, “The time has come in our country where the principle activists in our political scene find a way to talk to each other rather than attack each other which has been the case in our country for a very long time. I am very, very concerned; all of us are in making sure that these elections in December are conducted in a good spirit and peaceful manner.”   Former President Rawlings could not hide his senti

The ability or otherwise of the Sole Commissioner, Justice Yaw Appau to confront Ghana's mounting judgment debt cases is highly dependent on political will on the part of government. According to the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Intergrity Initiative, Mr Vitus Azeem, the appointment of the Sole Commission would not resolve the issues of judgement debts if the government does not wield the political will to go by his recommendations. President Mahama yesterday, sworn into office Justice Yaw Appau to probe the numerous cases of judgment debts paid by the government to individuals and multinationals and to advice on the way forward in settling judgment debts. Mr Azeem made these observations in a telephone interview with host of e.tv Ghana's Breakfast TV , Bismark Brown and noted that it was not expected of the Commissioner to stop the payment of judgment debts but to find out the underlying issues and make recommendations to government. However

The Electoral Commission is being tasked to clean its books following news that about some 23 political parties have been registered by the commission with only eight of them ready for the 2012 elections. The Daily Graphic in its Monday, October 08, 2012 edition reports that even though many of the parties which are yet to elect their flag bearers appear moribund; their names remain in the books of the EC. The parties that have organised their national congresses and elected their flag bearers are the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), the Convention People’s Party, (CPP), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), the United Front Party (UFP) and the Independent People’s Party(IPP). Speaking on e.tv Ghana’s Breakfast TV , a member of the NPP communications team and parliamentary aspirant for Tema East Constituency, Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, noted that the EC h

President John Dramani Mahama has been challenged to order the Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor to make public the amount of money from the oil revenue which have been spent on education. This challenge was thrown to the President by a member of the NPP’s communication team, Mr Asamoah Gyamfi, when he made a guest appearance on e.tv Ghana’s Breakfast TV. The issue of oil revenue and education came up for discussion when host, Bismark Brown paved way for a critical scrutiny of the NDC’s manifesto which was launched yesterday in Volta Regional capital of Ho. The flagbearer of the ruling NDC, President John Mahama, stated yesterday that the issue of free education should not be “a matter of partisan political debate” and that “if there are additional resources, where is it best to spend those resources. That is what we should be debating.” The President made this remarks in response to the free Senior High School education being touted by the New Patriotic Par

Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee, Mr Osei Kwame Prempeh, has described yesterday’s incident in Parliament as the “saddest day in parliament” which will pass for a “record”. His comment follows Parliament’s rejection of the Subsidiary Committee's recommendation that the CI 78 which would give legal backing for the creation of 45 new constituencies be annulled. According to Mr Osei Kwame Prempeh who was speaking in a telephone interview with host of e.tv Ghana’s Breafast TV, Bismark Brown, during a sitting of the committee on Monday, September 24, 2012, members agreed that indeed the CI78 had some mistakes in it such as the omission of some electoral areas. He said, it was based on that conclusion that the committee’s report recommended that the creation of the 45 new constituencies be annulled. He said, “After we had deliberated on the instrument we wrote the report and then on Monday last week we met and then a conclusion came out. At that time, it wa

Ex-president Jerry John Rawlings is urging President John Mahama to do away with people he referred to as "evil dwarves." Addressing teeming supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the party’s manifesto launch in the Volta Region Thursday, the ex-president said well meaning members and supporters of the party must remember the president in prayers as he cuts ties with those same old evil dwarves. He did not however mention who the evil dwarves are. “My fellow comrades, I’ve come to share something very interesting with you. There is nothing more oppressive than when a political leader refuses to see the actions of negative elements around him,” he stated. “In the same vein, there is nothing more rewarding than when a political leader begins to recognise their negative actions. It means there is hope.” The ex-president and founder of the NDC is convinced the president is beginning to see the actions of these same old evil dwarves and u

A retired diplomat, Dr K B Asante has described the upward salary adjustment of Members of Parliament as “inappropriate” in the present condition of Ghana. According to the one-time Secretary to the late Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanaian MPs need to show leadership by example by “cutting their coats according to their cloth” and stop “imposing” some sort of lifestyle upon themselves. Dr K B Asante said this in a telephone interview with Breakfast TV host, Bismark Brown in reaction to a latest report that MPs were to receive a salary increase from GHC3000 to GHC7200. He said, “ it is certainly not an excessive salary for a Member of Parliament, but it is inappropriate in the present condition of Ghana.” “The MP’s should give to their constituencies what they can offer, they should cut their coat according to their cloth, again the people in their constituencies should not demand so much of them as well. The cost of living is hard for everyone