The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Alhassan, has asked police personnel to exhibit a high sense of professionalism and discipline in the maintenance of law and order in the country.

On August 26, 2008, a new business newspaper hit the newsstands with the banner headline, ‘Loan Sharks’ killing businesses, which was launched by Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, a finance Minister, now deceased, with Mr Bernard Otabil as the launch editor.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe threatened on Sunday to retaliate "tit for tat" against companies from Britain and the United States if these Western powers persisted in pressuring his government with sanctions and what he called "harassment".

The government is upbeat about the growth prospects of the economy because of the various economic measures it is implementing.

Let’s say you’re on the road, engrosed in a Kojo Antwi track, singing along the highlife maestro’s song on the radio, then suddenly your car goes hobbling—you have a flat tyre.

The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, has appealed to individuals, institutions and benevolent organisations in the country to support the various children’s homes in the country.

Two men on Sunday agreed to share a woman in a written contract in which they vowed never to fight over her.

My answer to this question which worries many Ghanaians is no.  I said so on a radio station and the questioner was surprised.I was not surprised that she was surprised.  It is possible to quarrel bitterly or fight to a finish about nothing.  And we seem to be heading towards that blind corner. 

The Judicial Service has given an assurance that it is making strenuous efforts with the government to resolve the looming strike by the Judicial Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) to pave way for the delivery of judgement on the presidential election petition before the Supreme Court.

Popular Nigerian minister of the gospel, Prophet T.B Joshua, says he has no revelation concerning Ghana’s upcoming Supreme Court verdict but maintains that nothing will happen.

A $75-million loan granted by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) in 2009 without any valid contractual agreement became the topic for discussion at last Friday’s sitting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament.The BoG granted the cedi equivalent of $25 million and $50 million bridging facility to the GCB under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on February 19, 2009.Although the agreement expired six weeks from February 1, 2009, an outstanding balance of the cedi equivalent of $50 million remained unsettled as of December 31, 2010.According to the Auditor-General’s Report on public boards, corporations and other statutory institutions for the year ended December 31, 2010, there was no new agreement or addendum established with the GCB to extend the terms and conditions contained in the MoU, which expired on March 31, 2010.“The absence of a valid loan agreement and contracts to govern the facilities could impede the efficient and effective management of the loan portfolio,” it stated.It added that as the tenure of some of the facilities had not been clearly agreed with the GCB, the recovery of the loans might not occur in a timely manner and might extend unduly, while the BoG was also losing interest on the facility.Although the Chief Internal Auditor of the BoG, Mr Felix Adu, explained that the bank was in a discussion with the GCB to agree on terms for a new payback, that explanation did not go down well with members of the PAC.Another issue that came up for discussion was the net debit on the special accounts maintained at the BoG by the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD), contrary to the Loan and Fiscal Agency Agreement.The CAGD maintains receiving accounts and HIPC funds and withdrawal accounts for development projects and as of December 31, 2010 the net position of the two accounts showed an overdrawn amount of GH¢83 million.That, according to the Auditor-General’s report, indicated that the bank had advanced funds to the government under terms that appeared contradictory to the provisions of the Loan and Fiscal Agency Agreement.The Auditor-General recommended that where it became necessary for a temporary advance to be granted to the government, the required procedure should be duly adhered to.COCOBOD & CMCWhen officials of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and its subsidiary, the Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC), appeared before the committee, the main issue that attracted the attention of the MPs was the GH¢17,750,256 expenses incurred on the CMC by COCOBOD.According to the Auditor-General’s report, that amount entered in the books of the CMC could not be substantiated, while there was no confirmation from COCOBOD.“The correctness of the amount could be in doubt. We, therefore, recommend that the amount involved should be substantiated with the relevant documents,” it said.Another issue was the pre-payment of GH¢3,307,716, which was not substantiated, in addition to the fact that not all title deeds and leasehold agreements entered into in respect of immovable properties were available.“The absence of such documents will not give support to the CMC’s claim to ownership of such properties and might lead to loss in the event of any dispute,” the report stated.Although the Director of Finance of COCOBOD, Mr William Mensah, and the Chief Executive Officer of the CMC, Nana Oduro Owusu, explained that measures were being taken to get the proper documentation to such properties, members of the committee were not happy that it had not been done over the years.Another issue that generated a lot of heat was the number of persons on the board of the CMC.Although the regulations filed by the special resolution in April 2009 indicated that the members of the board should not be less than two or more than five, the report indicated that the current board had eight members.The Chairman of the PAC, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, directed the CMC to do the right thing by amending the company’s regulations to cater for the increase in the number of board members.He added that the committee would decide whether officials of the CMC should be surcharged with the allowances paid to the extra three members on the company’s board, in contravention of its own regulations.Securities and Exchange CommissionThe Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr Adu Anane Antwi, and the Head of Finance and Capital of the commission, Mr Frederick Sappor, represented the commission during the hearing.The SEC recorded an operational surplus of GH¢213,213 in 2011, as against GH¢166,974 in 2010.The committee, however, questioned the commission about outstanding loans amounting to GH¢382,746 granted to its staff.Mr Antwi said the SEC had taken stringent measures to ensure that members of staff did not slack in the repayment of their loans by demanding post-dated cheques for at least 12 months before loans were given out.The Minister of Finance, Mr Seth Terkper, and one of his deputies, Mr Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, were present at the sitting to support institutions under the ministry.Sitting resumes today.By Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah/Daily Graphic/Ghana

By Alfred Sarpong Ghana's first ever Big Brother Africa reality show finalist, Elikem Kumordzi  was until the final announcement,  inches away from winning the final prize of 300,000 US dollars.

The flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012 general election, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says he has confidence in the Supreme Court to deliver a fair judgement on August 29, 2013.

A member of the Council of Elders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Akenten Appiah-Menkah, has called on the parties in the presidential election petition to make “the most crucial decision” of accepting the Supreme Court judgement live in the courtroom for the millions of Ghanaians across the country to see and hear through the media.

By Dr Ransford Edward Gyampoh As part of its commitment to deepen and consolidate Ghana’s constitutional democracy, the Institute of Economic Affairs - Ghana has commenced a constitutional review series, within which to review the Report of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) vis-a-vis the Government White Paper.

An eight-member technical committee has been commissioned to work out the modalities and plans towards converting polytechnics into technical universities.

Newmont Ghana has stated that almost 80 per cent of its earnings from gold sales were retained in the country in 2012.

ARMAJARO Ghana Limited, a cocoa purchasing company, has inaugurated a cocoa warehouse in the country.

GuaranteeTrust Bank Plc, parent company of Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited, has provided a unique educational experience to students throughout Africa at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has stated that money laundering and terrorist financing have become herculean challenges in the country’s economy, particularly in the banking sector.