TOUCH GHANA🇬🇭

Dancehall artiste, Ebony Reigns if alive would have turned twenty-one years today.  The artiste who is known for songs such as Hustle, Sponsor, Maame hw3 which made waves throughout 2017 but lost her life in a road accident when she was traveling from Brong Ahafo region to Accra.  Prior to her death, she had plans to go for a tour in Europe this year and was booked for a show in Belgium where she was headlining.  Although she has died, information gathered by mynewsgh.com indicates that her management and friends will today celebrate her birthday in her memory before her one week is commemorated on Sunday.  Meanwhile, social media users have started wishing her the best of the day.                  A brief history   Priscilla Opoku-Kwarteng (born 16 February 1997; known by the stage name Ebony) is a Ghanaian dancehall/Afrobeats artist widely known for her hit songs "Poison" an...

Madam Beatrice Oppong Martin, mother of sensational dancehall artiste, Ebony Reigns who died exactly a week ago has visited the scene of the accident to ascertain things for herself.  The grief-stricken woman who is yet to come to terms with the death of her last born in the gory accident a week ago while returning to Accra from Sunyani visited the scene with members of Ashanti Regional Security Council.  It would be recalled that Ebony Reigns and two others including her personal bodyguard who is a soldier and close pal died in the accident at Nyamebekeyre close to Mankranso in the Ahafo Ano South District of the Ashanti Region.  Ebony’s black Jeep vehicle with registration number AS 497-16 collided head-on with a KIA Grand Bird VIP bus with registration number GT3232-17 from the opposite direction.  Her mother who until recently was in the UK appealed to contractors to execute work given to them properly to avoid a recurrence of what befell her daughter....

Minority Chief Whip Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka has hinted that they may be compelled to file a motion for the removal of the speaker of Parliament Professor Mike Oquaye.  Speaking on Joy News on Thursday, the Asawase lawmaker observed that the conduct of the speaker towards the minority is a smack of dictatorship.  According to him, if it persists they have no option but to file a motion in the house for his removal; indicating that parliament requires the contributions of both sides in order for government business to progress.  In his view, this is not the first time the speaker has exhibited bias towards the minority in violation of the standing orders of the house.  He observed that disrespect by the Speaker to him and the Minority Leader is enough testimony that he has become “dictatorial.” There was fracas in Parliament on Thursday when the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu was not recognized by the speaker when he rose to speak during the passage ...

The Biakoye Constituency 2nd Vice  Chairman Hopeful of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yakubu Mohammed,  has  asked  members of the party  to vote massively in the upcoming Constituency  Executive  elections,  but to vote for competent leaders. According to him, some of the aspirants ‘have no good intentions’ for the party in the Constituency and hence ‘are not up to the task’ and therefore, must not be given the chance ‘to destroy the party’ with their divide-and-rule leadership styles which has the potency of dividing the party and ultimately causing it to lose the next general election.  He alleged that some of the aspirants are already engaged in vote buying in their bid to win the elections which he said it's a bad practice and detrimental to the democracy of the party and the country at large.  The Constituency Executive  Elections  is slated for February 21, 2018.  The outspoken '' grassroots president",...

South Africa’s embattled President Jacob Zuma has resigned his office with immediate effect. He made the announcement in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday evening. Earlier, Mr Zuma’s governing ANC party told him to resign or face a vote of no confidence in parliament on Thursday. The 75-year-old has been under increasing pressure to give way to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, the ANC’s new leader. Mr Zuma, who has been in power since 2009, faces numerous allegations of corruption. His resignation came at the end of a long speech in which he said he disagreed with the way the ANC had acted towards him. He said he did not fear a motion of no confidence, adding: “I have served the people of South Africa to the best of my ability.”

Popular dancehall artiste, Ebony Reigns, has died in a gruesome road accident that occurred late Thursday evening on the Sunyani-Kumasi road. According to police, Ebony and two military officers were on board a Jeep with registration AS 497—16 from Sunyani heading towards Kumasi when it collided head-on with a VIP bus heading towards Sunyani from Kumasi.

I humbly wish to use this opportunity with all good intent and purposes to formally announce to you that after several weeks of  receiving advises from my political, mentors,and with numerous calls from some family members,friends,party members and admirers, as well as intensive consultation and self  introspection , I have successfully considered to once again avail myself to the service of the NPP and biakoye  constituency,and had accordingly considered and  file  my nomination to contest for the position of Constituency second vice chairman in the upcoming Constituency delegate  Conference, slated for 21st February 2018. It would interest you to know that I have lived all my life in the realm of politics and sports as a Youth activist and leader. It is my conviction that the vast repertoire of experience I have galvanized in Youth activism and leadership should be more than enough to assist me in this innocuous journey; having formerly served as a gra...

The Minority in Parliament has stormed out of Parliament to avoid being part of the debate to approve and adopt the report of the committee which probed extortion claims against the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The 5-member ad hoc committee of Parliament in its report cleared the Minister Alan Kyerematen and his officials of any wrongdoing over claims that they charged expatriates $100, 000 to secure seats close to President Akufo-Addo at an awards ceremony. Prior to submitting the Committee’s report to Parliament, the Minority had issued its own version indicting the Ministry of Trade and Industry of engaging in “serious ethical violations” by allowing its credibility as a public agency to be used to “amass profit” at the awards. Ahead of the boycott, the Minority Leader Harruna Iddrisu told the House there was no need to rush the report since MPs are yet to study it. “I got a copy of my report only this morning and it’s only fair and p...

President Nana Akufo-Addo has suspended with immediate effect from office, the Minister of the Upper West Region, Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan, pending the outcome of investigations into the “unfortunate incident” that occurred at the premises of the Upper West Regional Office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), in Wa, on Wednesday, 31 January 2018. The President, in a statement signed by Director of Communications at the presidency, Eugene Arhin, reiterated his commitment to the application of the laws of the land, which, he said “must occur without fear or favour, affection or ill will and without recourse to the political, religious, or ethnic affiliations of any citizen of the land.” More to come soon!!

The first Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei Owusu, has said shooting illegal miners can be an effective way of dealing with the illegal mining menace.  The anti-galamsey task force, Operation Vanguard, recently expressed unhappiness about what it said was the courts leniency in dealing with illegal miners brought before them.  According to the Commander of the task force, Colonel Michael Amoah Ayisi, if the situation lingers, illegal miners and their financiers will be motivated to act with impunity.  The task force since its composition last year has arrested some 983 illegal miners, violating the government’s ban on small-scale mining. Twelve Chinese and four Burkinabes are among those arrested by the eight-month-old operation. ADVERTISEMENT In an exclusive interview with Starr News’ Parliamentary Correspondent, Ibrahim Alhassan, Hon. Osei Owusu prescribed that the only viable way to clamp down on the menace is to be ruthless.  “The ot...

Three major Television Stations in Kenya have been shut down as opposition leader Raila Odinga prepares to swear himself in as President today. Odinga challenged the result of the original August vote winning an unprecedented annulment, but then boycotted the court-ordered re-run in October handing victory to Kenyatta who won 98% of the vote but with a turnout of just 39%. The country, according reports, is tensed as many have trouped the capital Nairobi to witness the supposed swearing in. Speaking to Morning Starr from Kenya, journalist Alex Mwangi said  Kenyan’s are now relying on social media platforms to follow news developments in the country. “Our three major TV stations have been shut down by the government. Many are depending on Whatsapp and other social media platforms for news updates. People have come from different parts of the country to Nairobi to probably witness the swearing in ceremony. No one seems to know where exactly the swear in ceremony as d...

   Cases of sexual harassment of female students by their male teachers in senior high schools appear to be on the ascendancy, a development that has gotten moralists condemning the reprehensible behavior. Just last week touchghana reported a case in which some female students of the Ejisuman Senior High School in the Ashanti Region alleged that their Assistant Headmaster and teachers have been sexually assaulting them. They claimed they’re under intense pressure following the harassment from their teachers who demand that they have sex with them, failure of which they’re threatened of being expelled from the school. In December 2017, female students of senior high schools within the Assin area in the Central Region made damning allegations against their male teachers, claiming they were being sexually harassed by their teachers in exchange for grades and money. They claim female students who fail to give in to the demands of the male teachers are usually abus...

The Electoral Commissioner and some religious leaders from DR Congo, have called on former president John Mahama for some electoral advice. The religious leaders in DR Congo are impressed with the manner in which faith-based organizations have helped to promote peace during electioneering periods and are in Ghana to learn from their counterparts and duplicate same in DR Congo.   Electoral Commissioner of DR Congo, Nanga Yobeluo Corneille, who accompanied the religious leaders briefed Mr. Mahama on the political make-up of the country. Mr. Mahama then briefed the EC and the religious leaders about the evolution of elections in Ghana.   He also highlighted the peace agreement that all political leaders are made to sign before elections. “The religious leaders, traditional leaders and Civil Society Organizations make us sign a peace declaration and it is published in the newspapers, so that is an effective means of committing us [politicians] to a peaceful proce...

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Monday, 29th January, 2018, launched the 70th anniversary celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with a call on all to ensure that the fight for the protection and respect for human rights remains a constant one. Speaking at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the Declaration, which took place on the side-lines of the on-going 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, President Akufo-Addo noted that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, since its adoption on 10th December, 1948, has been the basis of considerable advances in the universal protection of human rights. With Africa having overcome several trials and tribulations, such as slavery, imperialism, colonialism, tyranny, and dictatorship, the President indicated that the African peoples continue to chalk significant successes in advancing the promotion and respect for human rights in their governance. He noted that the rise and spread o...

A riot by students of the Eremong Senior High Technical School in Lawra in the Upper West Region has led to the indefinite closure of the school. According touchghana.com sources, the rioting began over a misunderstanding during an entertainment session on Saturday, 27 January 2018. A teacher is said to have cancelled the entertainment programme because many of the students were not in prescribed uniform. The angry students began destroying school property in protest. The students said they only began rioting after one of their colleagues was manhandled by a friend to a teacher. They destroyed furniture and scattered documents at the administration block. The police were called to restore order. The school has since been shutdown. Source: ClassFM

The United States Ambassador to Ghana has expressed surprise that ex-Guatanamo Bay detainees Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby have been granted refugee status by the government of Ghana. Mr Robert Jackson told journalists in Tamale, Northern Region that: “I did not know until this week that they had been granted a refugee status.” “That came as much of a surprise to me as all of you,” Mr Jackson told the journalists, adding: “However, that decision just gives them certain rights and if the government of Ghana wishes to relocate them to a third country, they need to discuss that with the two refugees under the international”. According to Mr Jackson, the Government of the United States has no say in the matter anymore. “We have no role in that and no objection to it. At this point we consider it as a matter between the government of Ghana and the two”, he said. Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs,...

An Accra Circuit Court has adjourned to Tuesday, 30 January, the hearing of the case of some 12 suspects in connection with an attack on the Kwabenya Police Station resulting in the murder of a police officer. The suspects were arraigned on Monday, 29 January under heavy security presence. The court presided by Mr Aboagye Tandoh, however, adjourned proceedings to enable the prosecution to make some corrections on the fact sheet. Seven suspected criminals broke cell at the Kwabenya police station on Sunday, 21 January 2018. The seven suspects were assisted by a group of armed robbers to escape from police custody.

Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, has said government will soon institute welfare plans for families of police officers who die in the line of duty. This, according to the Minister, will ensure that police officers are not worse off than their counterparts in the military. Mr. Dery gave this assurance at the one-week observation of the passing of the police officer who was shot dead in last Sunday’s attack on the Kwabenya  Police Station. “As the IGP said, some provisions have been made for the family of the deceased officer. That provision is not a provision that existed in the past. It is a special provision that was initiated by the President and at the appropriate time the details will be known to the family. But Mr. President is committed to institutionalizing a system that will ensure that when a police officer dies in the line of duty, they are not worse off than their colleagues who die in the army,” the Minister stated. A gang of suspected armed robbe...

The Central Regional Operations Manager for the National Road Safety Commission [NRSC] Linda Afotey Annan has disclosed a rather damning statistics placing the region on the high side in road accident in 2017. According to Afotey Annan, provisional statistics indicates that road accident in the region is on the ascendancy and blamed it largely on indiscipline on the road by motorists. She explained that the high number of vehicles plying the roads each day also account significantly to road accidents She described the high level of road carnage as worrying and called for intensified education and sensitization on road safety. She said her outfit will continue to prioritize road safety education but can be successful if other stakeholders join to achieve their goals. She further called on the government to consider granting the Commission the mandate to enforce road safety laws.  

The Ministry of Education has directed private university colleges to do “self-auditing” to ensure that the right students are admitted before it cracks the whip on those that are guilty.  Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, who gave the directive, said an ongoing audit report on randomly selected private university colleges in the country revealed a disturbing and an embarrassing state.  He said even though the academic auditing was still ongoing, the report had indicated that 20 per cent of students admitted by the private university colleges did not provide information as to whether they even wrote the WASSCE, “not to talk of whether they got the required grades.”  Flouting laid down rules   Speaking at a forum in Accra for managers of private university colleges yesterday, Prof. Yankah said there were cases of irregularities in admission requirements right through to examination malpractices. ADVERT...