🇬🇭 Ghana's finance ministry warns against anti-LGBT bill
Ghana's ministry of finance has advised against the anti-LGBT bill, saying it could see the West African country lose almost $3.8bn in World Bank funding over the next five years.
The bill, which prescribes a three-year jail term for people who identify as LGBT and five years for promoting their activities, was passed by parliament last week.
The ministry of finance has recommended that President Nana Akufo-Addo does not sign the bill into law until the country’s Supreme Court rules on whether it aligns with Ghana’s constitution or not.
In a statement issued on Monday, the finance ministry said Ghana could lose about $850m in support this year alone.
Officials say this would negatively impact an already struggling economy, reduce the country’s foreign reserves, and affect exchange rate stability.
#Ghana
@africaintel
Ghana's ministry of finance has advised against the anti-LGBT bill, saying it could see the West African country lose almost $3.8bn in World Bank funding over the next five years.
The bill, which prescribes a three-year jail term for people who identify as LGBT and five years for promoting their activities, was passed by parliament last week.
The ministry of finance has recommended that President Nana Akufo-Addo does not sign the bill into law until the country’s Supreme Court rules on whether it aligns with Ghana’s constitution or not.
In a statement issued on Monday, the finance ministry said Ghana could lose about $850m in support this year alone.
Officials say this would negatively impact an already struggling economy, reduce the country’s foreign reserves, and affect exchange rate stability.
#Ghana
@africaintel
Africa Intel
🇬🇭 Ghana's finance ministry warns against anti-LGBT bill Ghana's ministry of finance has advised against the anti-LGBT bill, saying it could see the West African country lose almost $3.8bn in World Bank funding over the next five years. The bill, which prescribes…
🇬🇭 Ghana's president says anti-LGBT bill has not reached his desk
An anti-LGBT bill passed by Ghana's parliament last week, which could derail international aid for the country if it becomes law according to an internal government memo, has not yet reached the desk of President Nana Akufo-Addo, he said on Monday.
In his first comments on the bill's passage, he said Ghana will not backslide on its human rights record, and added that the bill had been challenged in the Supreme Court.
"I have learnt that, today, a challenge has been mounted at the Supreme Court," Akufo-Addo said in a statement. "In the circumstances, it would be as well for all of us to hold our hands and await the decision of the Court before any action is taken," he added.
Akufo-Addo would need to sign the bill in order for it to become law.
#Ghana
@africaintel
An anti-LGBT bill passed by Ghana's parliament last week, which could derail international aid for the country if it becomes law according to an internal government memo, has not yet reached the desk of President Nana Akufo-Addo, he said on Monday.
In his first comments on the bill's passage, he said Ghana will not backslide on its human rights record, and added that the bill had been challenged in the Supreme Court.
"I have learnt that, today, a challenge has been mounted at the Supreme Court," Akufo-Addo said in a statement. "In the circumstances, it would be as well for all of us to hold our hands and await the decision of the Court before any action is taken," he added.
Akufo-Addo would need to sign the bill in order for it to become law.
#Ghana
@africaintel
🇬🇭 Ghana Deputy Finance Minister John Kumah has died, finance ministry says
Ghana's Deputy Finance Minister John Kumah has died, the finance ministry's spokesperson said on Thursday.
Kumah died in the company of his doctor while an ambulance was taking him from Ejisu - the constituency where was MP - to the capital, Accra, about 235km away.
"We decided this morning to take him to Accra so that he takes the next available flight to continue his treatment in Germany," Kumah's spokesperson, Bismarck Owusu Twumasi, told.
Kumah, a lawyer by training and a father of six, assumed office as deputy finance minister in 2021.
Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has led the country in paying tributes to Kumah.
#Ghana
@africaintel
Ghana's Deputy Finance Minister John Kumah has died, the finance ministry's spokesperson said on Thursday.
Kumah died in the company of his doctor while an ambulance was taking him from Ejisu - the constituency where was MP - to the capital, Accra, about 235km away.
"We decided this morning to take him to Accra so that he takes the next available flight to continue his treatment in Germany," Kumah's spokesperson, Bismarck Owusu Twumasi, told.
Kumah, a lawyer by training and a father of six, assumed office as deputy finance minister in 2021.
Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has led the country in paying tributes to Kumah.
#Ghana
@africaintel
🏴🇹🇬🇬🇭🇧🇯 Terrorists in Sahel affiliated with al-Qaeda plan to expand operations in Togo, Ghana and Benin
Departamente reported about a plan of JNIM (affiliated with al-Qaeda) to expand the terrorists' influence in Togo, Ghana and Benin. During a February meeting between the head of JNIM in Burkina Faso and the jihadists' right-hand man in Mali's Mopti region decided "the future of the southern countries".
These plans are indirectly confirmed by the terrorists' activity near borders of coastal countries. Recently, jihadists attacked the village of Tissaogin in southeastern Burkina Faso yesterday, killing 27 civilians, including the local chief. The village is near the Togo-Ghana border.
And Benin was attacked by terrorists late last month, prompting increased security measures.
ECOWAS states are already working on counter measures. On March 7, Benin's army arrested the chief of the village of Malanville in the north of the country for harboring terrorists.
#Togo #Ghana #Benin
@africaintel
Departamente reported about a plan of JNIM (affiliated with al-Qaeda) to expand the terrorists' influence in Togo, Ghana and Benin. During a February meeting between the head of JNIM in Burkina Faso and the jihadists' right-hand man in Mali's Mopti region decided "the future of the southern countries".
These plans are indirectly confirmed by the terrorists' activity near borders of coastal countries. Recently, jihadists attacked the village of Tissaogin in southeastern Burkina Faso yesterday, killing 27 civilians, including the local chief. The village is near the Togo-Ghana border.
And Benin was attacked by terrorists late last month, prompting increased security measures.
ECOWAS states are already working on counter measures. On March 7, Benin's army arrested the chief of the village of Malanville in the north of the country for harboring terrorists.
#Togo #Ghana #Benin
@africaintel
🇿🇦🇳🇬🇬🇭🇱🇷🇧🇯🇧🇫🇨🇮🌍 South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Benin, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast hit by major internet outages
Major internet disruption has been reported in various countries across Africa.
Widespread outages were reported on Thursday in countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Ghana and Burkina Faso.
"There seems to be a pattern in the timing of the disruptions, impacting from the north to the south of Africa," said Cloudflare Radar, which provides information on internet connections.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which regulates the telecoms industry, said the outage was caused by damage to international undersea cables running along the West African coastline.
"The cuts occurred somewhere in Ivory Coast and Senegal, with an attendant disruption in Portugal," said NCC spokesman.
He added: "You can also have undersea earth slides - sections of seabed can become unstable, sending huge amounts of mud down a canyon or gulley."
#SouthAfrica #Nigeria #Ghana #Liberia #Benin #BukinaFaso #IvoryCoast #Africa
@africaintel
Major internet disruption has been reported in various countries across Africa.
Widespread outages were reported on Thursday in countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Ghana and Burkina Faso.
"There seems to be a pattern in the timing of the disruptions, impacting from the north to the south of Africa," said Cloudflare Radar, which provides information on internet connections.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which regulates the telecoms industry, said the outage was caused by damage to international undersea cables running along the West African coastline.
"The cuts occurred somewhere in Ivory Coast and Senegal, with an attendant disruption in Portugal," said NCC spokesman.
He added: "You can also have undersea earth slides - sections of seabed can become unstable, sending huge amounts of mud down a canyon or gulley."
#SouthAfrica #Nigeria #Ghana #Liberia #Benin #BukinaFaso #IvoryCoast #Africa
@africaintel
🇬🇭 Ghana says repairs on subsea cables could take five weeks
Repairs on damaged subsea cables that are causing internet outages across West and Central Africa are expected to take at least five weeks before completion and full service restoration, Ghana's communications regulator said.
The break in the cables has led to widespread disruption of internet and telecommunications-linked businesses, including banks, mobile phone operations, money transfer agencies and stock exchange markets.
Ghana's National Communications Authority said the service providers had located the approximate location of the damage and had made preparations to dispatch repair vessels.
"The cable landing service providers have indicated an estimated time frame of a minimum of five weeks for full service restoration from the time the vessels are dispatched to the various locations," the regulator said.
#Ghana
@africaintel
Repairs on damaged subsea cables that are causing internet outages across West and Central Africa are expected to take at least five weeks before completion and full service restoration, Ghana's communications regulator said.
The break in the cables has led to widespread disruption of internet and telecommunications-linked businesses, including banks, mobile phone operations, money transfer agencies and stock exchange markets.
Ghana's National Communications Authority said the service providers had located the approximate location of the damage and had made preparations to dispatch repair vessels.
"The cable landing service providers have indicated an estimated time frame of a minimum of five weeks for full service restoration from the time the vessels are dispatched to the various locations," the regulator said.
#Ghana
@africaintel
💰🇬🇭 IMF's Georgieva said that Ghana programme going well, official creditors' MOU close
Ghana has made tangible progress on signing a memorandum of understanding with its official creditors and is making good progress on its programme with the International Monetary Fund, its Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.
Ghana reached a deal to restructure $5.4 billion of loans with its official creditors, including China and France, in January.
The agreement with official creditors had been key to unlock further tranches of its $3 billion programme with the IMF. However, it had not yet signed the MoU.
"Ghana is in a good place now because it's advanced negotiations with the bilateral creditors. In fact, there's a very tangible progress concerning the signing of MOU with the bilateral creditors," Georgieva said.
She said she was leaving Accra with "strong confidence" that the Fund's program will be implemented.
#IMF #Ghana
@africaintel
Ghana has made tangible progress on signing a memorandum of understanding with its official creditors and is making good progress on its programme with the International Monetary Fund, its Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.
Ghana reached a deal to restructure $5.4 billion of loans with its official creditors, including China and France, in January.
The agreement with official creditors had been key to unlock further tranches of its $3 billion programme with the IMF. However, it had not yet signed the MoU.
"Ghana is in a good place now because it's advanced negotiations with the bilateral creditors. In fact, there's a very tangible progress concerning the signing of MOU with the bilateral creditors," Georgieva said.
She said she was leaving Accra with "strong confidence" that the Fund's program will be implemented.
#IMF #Ghana
@africaintel
🇬🇭 Ghana president won't act on anti-LGBT bill before legal challenge resolved
Ghana's anti-LGBT bill passed by parliament in February should not be transmitted to President Akufo-Addo for assent until two legal challenges against it are settled, a senior presidency official said.
Lawmakers unanimously passed legislation that would intensify a crackdown on the rights of gay people and those accused of promoting lesbian, gay or other minority sexual orientations in Ghana.
The bill could jeopardise $3.8 billion in World Bank financing for Ghana over the next five to six years if it becomes law, derailing a $3 billion IMF loan package, according to the finance ministry.
Nana Asante Bediatuo, Secretary to the President, said in the letter dated March 18 and addressed to the Clerk of the Ghana's parliament that it was "improper" for the president's office to receive the bill as required by law until the supreme court rules on challenges against it.
#Ghana
@africaintel
Ghana's anti-LGBT bill passed by parliament in February should not be transmitted to President Akufo-Addo for assent until two legal challenges against it are settled, a senior presidency official said.
Lawmakers unanimously passed legislation that would intensify a crackdown on the rights of gay people and those accused of promoting lesbian, gay or other minority sexual orientations in Ghana.
The bill could jeopardise $3.8 billion in World Bank financing for Ghana over the next five to six years if it becomes law, derailing a $3 billion IMF loan package, according to the finance ministry.
Nana Asante Bediatuo, Secretary to the President, said in the letter dated March 18 and addressed to the Clerk of the Ghana's parliament that it was "improper" for the president's office to receive the bill as required by law until the supreme court rules on challenges against it.
#Ghana
@africaintel
Africa Intel
💰🇬🇭 IMF's Georgieva said that Ghana programme going well, official creditors' MOU close Ghana has made tangible progress on signing a memorandum of understanding with its official creditors and is making good progress on its programme with the International…
🇬🇭💰 Ghana must get fair deal from international bondholders, IMF chief says
Ghana should make sure the debt relief deal it negotiates with commercial creditors do not undermine the country's efforts to recover from its economic crisis, International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva told President Nana Akufo-Addo.
The comments were made on Sunday in a private meeting during Georgieva's visit to the Ghana, whose economy is recovering from its worst crisis in a generation after it defaulted on most of its external debt in December 2022.
"You cannot allow the Eurobond creditors to twist your arm," Georgieva told Akufo-Addo.
"Why? Because you have done a very painful domestic debt restructuring that hurt people here and you have agreed, in principle, a debt restructuring with the official creditors of Ghana under certain conditions," she added.
Georgieva said Ghana had to strike a fair deal or else risk facing a scenario akin to Zambia.
#Ghana #IMF
@africaintel
Ghana should make sure the debt relief deal it negotiates with commercial creditors do not undermine the country's efforts to recover from its economic crisis, International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva told President Nana Akufo-Addo.
The comments were made on Sunday in a private meeting during Georgieva's visit to the Ghana, whose economy is recovering from its worst crisis in a generation after it defaulted on most of its external debt in December 2022.
"You cannot allow the Eurobond creditors to twist your arm," Georgieva told Akufo-Addo.
"Why? Because you have done a very painful domestic debt restructuring that hurt people here and you have agreed, in principle, a debt restructuring with the official creditors of Ghana under certain conditions," she added.
Georgieva said Ghana had to strike a fair deal or else risk facing a scenario akin to Zambia.
#Ghana #IMF
@africaintel
🇬🇭 Ghana seeks to speed up debt restructuring negotiations
Ghana wants to speed up remaining debt restructuring negotiations, its finance minister said on Tuesday, as the government pushes for a deal to rework over $13 billion of international bonds.
The government reached a deal in principle in January to restructure $5.4 billion of loans with official creditors. It has since started formal talks with one bondholder group under non-disclosure agreements.
Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam told that the government had received counter-proposals from two bondholder groups that would be assessed.
"Government has received counter-proposals on the debt treatment scenarios from the two bondholder groups," he said.
"In the coming weeks, government and our advisors will start extensive discussions with bondholder representatives to advance restructuring engagements."
#Ghana
@africaintel
Ghana wants to speed up remaining debt restructuring negotiations, its finance minister said on Tuesday, as the government pushes for a deal to rework over $13 billion of international bonds.
The government reached a deal in principle in January to restructure $5.4 billion of loans with official creditors. It has since started formal talks with one bondholder group under non-disclosure agreements.
Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam told that the government had received counter-proposals from two bondholder groups that would be assessed.
"Government has received counter-proposals on the debt treatment scenarios from the two bondholder groups," he said.
"In the coming weeks, government and our advisors will start extensive discussions with bondholder representatives to advance restructuring engagements."
#Ghana
@africaintel