General News of Thursday, 30 September 2021Source: Eunice Oppong, ContributorA study conducted by the Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong-Akuapem (CPMR) has revealed that a significant number of Ghanaians are hesitant towards COVID-19 vaccines. He further said, "To understand the attitudes and opinions of respondents, a focused group discussion was also conducted." The study also revealed that only 35.4% of respondents believed the vaccines were not developed by some people to destroy others. They also indicated that the low level of education on the part of the government to counteract the barrage of false information accounted for the significant number of people who believe the COVID-19 vaccines were developed to harm people. "Similarly, 46% of the respondents either believed the COVID-19 vaccine will not offer the desired protection (18.7%) or were not sure (27.2%)."

The Minister and his entourage of security officials also decommissioned 19 changfans and other illegal mining equipment found on the site. Mireku Duker lamented the hard-heartedness of the illegal miners and chided them for breaking the laws with impunity. Mireku Duker warned that, government’s fight against illegal mining is in full swing and that the seven suspects will be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others. Mireku Duker said that like every Ghanaian, he is concerned with the continuous degradation of the forest and water resources of the country. All hands must be on deck to fight illegal mining.

In a statement issued on Thursday, September 30, 2021, to mark the World Maritime Day, Chief Obosu said that the welfare of seafarers should a priority for the maritime industry across the world. He commended highly the staff of the Ghana Maritime Authority for their service and emphasized that the role of seafarers in maritime trade should be highlighted and recognized. Among other things, Chief Obosu intimated that countries that breach the laws that govern Port and Flag countries should be face sanctions. “Stringent sanctions must be applied to Port and Flag state countries who have not yet ratified and or have inferior laws to the Maritime Labour Convention, MLC 2006,” part of the statement read. World Maritime Day is marked annually to direct public attention to maritime safety and the marine environment.

The centre which has been established by the central bank forms part of efforts to reduce Automatic Teller Machine (ATM)and cyber-related fraud in the banking sector. Fortunately, we are looking very closely at that.”“We have the security operating centre at the Bank of Ghana, which monitors our cyber resilience. Meanwhile, a 2020 report on banking industry fraud showed there has been a rise in cases and value of ATM fraud and other types of fraud activities. The value of fraud recorded by Banks and Specialized Deposit-Taking Institutions operating in the country was about GH¢1 billion in 2020. This represented a surge of over 750% as compared to a reported value of fraud recorded back in 2019 which was pegged at GH¢115 million.

Sports News of Thursday, 30 September 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.comMustapha Ussif, the Minister of Youth and Sports has committed himself to the development of the Ghanaian youth and sporting activities in the country. The action plans are Digital Skills Training, Digital Economy, Enterprise Development and Entrepreneurship Training and Youth in Sports. Addressing the press after the signing ceremony, the Nigerian Youth and Sports Development Minister, Hon. Sunday Dare announced the need to work together to facilitate development in the area of youth and sports collectively. “On our part as Ministers of Youth And Sports, we will marshal the political will necessary, chart a course of initiatives and sports policy development that can deliver a brighter future for sports development,” Dare said.

He said national security referred to “the totality of factors affecting the survival, the protection, the safety, the well-being and the contentment of the people” requiring a partnership between the state and society for success. Mr Baffour who was speaking at a town hall meeting organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in partnership with the Ministry of National Security on national cohesion and inclusive participation in governance, said the emergence and risk of complex security issues including violent extremism and cross-border crimes should be of great concern to all. When they come, they will live among you to familiarize themselves with everything they need before they strike. Already, there are complaints of no jobs but that will get worse if we continually allow the illegal travellers entry. Border communities are virtually locked down and the residents whose livelihoods depend on crossing the border daily are hungry due to the closure.

Sports News of Thursday, 30 September 2021Source: footballghana.comAFC Fiorentina midfielder, Alfred Duncan will miss Ghana's 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification double-header against Zimbabwe. The Black Stars will host the Warriors on Saturday, October 9, at the Cape Coast stadium on matchday three of the qualifiers before travelling to Harare three days later for the reverse fixture in the round three games. Duncan has played in Fiorentina’s last five games and delivered impressive performances despite the mixed results for the club. Duncan is currently ranked as the second-fastest player in the Italian Serie after clocking a speed of 34km/hr. The Black Stars will be aiming to return to winning ways having suffered a defeat against South Africa in their second Group G games.

Sports News of Thursday, 30 September 2021Source: footballghana.comIvorian goalkeeper Boris Junior Mandjui will feature for Ghana Premier League side Medeama after completing a move to the club, Footballghana.com can report. Despite the acquisition of experienced goalie John Moosie from Eleven Wonders FC, the club has also added Junior Mandjui to their ranks as they seek to make an impact next season. Junior Mandjui last played for Association Sportive de L'Indénié in Abidjan before heading to the Ghana Premier League to sign for the Tarkwa based club. He also played for Burkina Faso side Salitas FC where he joined in July 2019 from Ivorian club Williamsville AC. The highly-rated rated goalkeeper has had stints with Ivorian giants ASEC Mimosas, Salitas FC, Williamsville AC and USFA Ouagadougou.

Business News of Thursday, 30 September 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.com• The finance minister is expected to present the 2022 budget statement on November 15, 2021• The presentation is in accordance with Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and PFMA 2016 (Act 921)• The ministry is seeking inputs from the public and various bodies before the presentationThe Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to deliver the 2022 budget statement before Parliament on November 15, 2021. According to a statement issued by the ministry, it is prior to the presentation, seeking inputs from various business associations, professional bodies, faith based organisations as well as the general public. The inputs the ministry added will cover the budget preparation from 2022 to 2025 and should reach its offices not later than October 8, 2021. This approach, the ministry explained, forms part of government's commitment to deepen citizen engagement and participation in the budget process. The ambitious plan, the finance minister said will deliver one million jobs for the youth over the next three to four years which will be facilitated through the Ghana Coronavirus Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprises Support (Ghana CARES) programme.

He said factories are not sold in shops, therefore, building factories need time, hence, the delay in their promise. Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen has explained why government is yet to achieve a significant percentage of its flagship one district, one factory promise. He said no government can just get up and get factories overnight because in his words, “factories are not sold in shops”, but rather it is built from the grounds up, and building takes a year or two or even three to finish. He warned Ghanaians not to expect factories’ construction ‘overnight’ across the country as part of the government’s one-district-one-factory programme. He pleaded for the public to be patient with government as there are procedural checklists government must tick.

In a viral video, De Don stated: "I have a message for Nana Addo and the NPP...listen clearly, I haven't heard from Jonas all day. You have two days to let me know, let me know if Jonas is arrested or not. If you guys don't let me know, I'm coming to Ghana myself...don't play...I will come to Ghana myself says De Don." Twene Jonas is a Ghanaian based in the US and is known for criticising the policies of the current government which he claims are not favourable to citizens. Meanwhile, a member of the NPP, Hopeson Adorye, who was the 2020 Parliamentary candidate for Kpone Katamanso in a video disclosed that Twene Jonas has been sacked from his workplace in New York.

The 15-year-old is confident about his talent and believes with just one-minute chance, he can impress the handlers of the Black Stars. “All I need is just 1 minute to prove what I can do for the team. If I’m given the opportunity at the Black Stars I’m ready for the challenge,” he told Asempa FM. Opening up on his goal, Mizak Asante said that part of his game is to create memories for fans who follow his craft. “I will be very happy with a call from the Black Stars.

He said the central bank receives the GH¢1 and GH¢2 notes torn, weak and soiled and averred that the money processing machine is unable to process these monies. One of the interviewees said, “Replacing the smaller denominations won’t be of help to us. We the traders don’t like the coins because it easily gets lost and customers mostly reject the coins so we also do not want the GH¢1 and GH¢2 coins. These days, the offering bowls are glass so the GH¢1, GH¢2 coins will make noise when dropped. Others, however, sided with the BoG's decision to replace the GH¢1 and GH¢2 notes with coins.

General News of Thursday, 30 September 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.comKissi Agyebeng, the Special Prosecutor, has said he was shocked to have noticed that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) after its establishment in 2018, had not be set up and operationalized. According to him, before any work could be done, he needed to set the office up and operationalize it. “The office was established in 2018…the Special Prosecutor (SP) and Deputy Special Prosecutor were in office, so, imagine my shock when I go in to the office after August 5 and I noticed it has been established but hadn’t been set up and hadn’t been operationalized. (but) none at all when I took up office,” Kissi Agyebeng explained to Nana Aba Anamoah on Starr Chat, Wednesday, September 29. There is no Human Resource Manager (HR), there’s nothing when I took over,” Agyebeng explained further.

General News of Thursday, 30 September 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.comKoku Anyidoho has accused some officials he worked with under the late President John Evans Atta Mills of being jealous of the close relationship he had with Mills as his Director of Communication at the time. Anyidoho, who is CEO of the Atta Mills Insititute, said some of the said officials are presently trying to run him down because of anger they harboured back then and still harbour. He told Accra-based OKAY FM on Wednesday, September 29, that he maintained close proximity to the late Atta Mills because he had a unique role as a speechwriter, spokesman and Public Relations chief of the then-president. “I have learnt something, I picked something from Prof Mills which has made me a better person. If you consider the children of Professor Mills, he is a vagabond,” Vanderpuye stressed.