At a time when Africa is mobilizing resources for pandemic recovery and sustainable development, illicit financial flows (IFFs) are robbing the continent of $50 billion annually, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a high-level virtual meeting held under the African Union’s (AU) ‘Silencing the Guns’ initiative.  These “staggering losses” would be enough to bridge nearly 75 per cent of Africa’s ...

Today, December 7, 2020, a total of 17,027,655 registered voters are expected to cast their ballot at about 33,367 polling stations across the country from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm The presidential race has twelve candidates seeking to occupy the Jubilee House for the next four years though it is an open secret that it’s a two-horse race between the ...

U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan joined the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD) and Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) to open the National Information Center.  Representatives from the Electoral Commission, Election Security Taskforce, and the National Peace Council as well as members of the diplomatic corps also attended the ceremony.  The National Information Center will be based ...

An additional 207 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty by 2030, due to the severe longterm impact of the coronavirus pandemic, bringing the total number to more than a billion, a new study from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has found.  According to the study, released on Thursday, such a “high damage” scenario would mean a protracted recovery from COVID-19, anticipating that 80 ...

On Monday, December 7, 2020, Ghana will hold the eighth presidential and parliamentary elections since the advent of democratic rule in 1992. Elections are among the most political institutions and voting gives majority of citizens the opportunity of voice. However, as central element of democracy, elections must be inclusive where all those eligible have the opportunity to vote as well ...

In Ghana, Cocoa has historically been a key cash crop and a major source of export and financial earnings. The cocoa industry has played a crucial role in the economic development of the country by contributing significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Cocoa sector is one of the critical sectors of the Ghanaian economy and source of livelihood ...

A new study conducted by a network of NGOs, including the Global Tax Justice Alliance, revealed that Tax evasion costs Africa more than $25 billion a year. As African countries are grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic, tax evasion is considered “unacceptable”, as it reduces revenues that could be spent on citizens’ health. Twenty-three billion dollars is the estimated amount that ...

The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination. Britain’s medicines regulator, the MHRA, says the jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe to be rolled out. The first 800,000 doses will be available in the UK from next week, Health Secretary ...

The Commonwealth has deployed a team of election observers to Ghana to keep watch during the country’s General Election slated for Monday next week. The Commonwealth Observer Group is made up of politicians, diplomats and experts in law, human rights, gender and election administration from across member countries. Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said the group was constituted following an invitation ...

The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare has asked the government to depoliticize the scholarship scheme. He claimed that most deserving students are unable to access the scheme due to politicisation of the programme. In a statement, Mr Asante explained that the minimum cost of scholarship for a needy but brilliant tertiary students is GH¢4,000/year: 2,500 for academic ...