Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has commended Suzy Pinamang’s caregivers for returning to Ghana from the UK.

In a post shared to his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Ablakwa expressed joy that the team kept a promise made to him prior to the trip to the UK that they will return.

Suzy Pinamang, a student of the Adventist Senior High School in Bantama, was shot in the eye by a colleague, leaving her partially blind in both eyes.

Ghanaian businessman Ibrahim Mahama took charge of her treatment and flew her to the United Kingdom in May to undergo treatment.

Pinamang’s treatment was succesful and she returned to Ghana this week, upon which her family visited the Foreign Affairs Minister in his office.

Okduzeto Ablakwa shared photos of the meeting with the caption: “It was all joy when Suzy Pinamang and her caregivers made sure they first came to my office right after landing in Accra on Thursday night to say thank you. I am so thrilled she can finally see again. I deeply admire Suzy’s fighting spirit and know she’s going to accomplish great things for herself and our country.”

He added: “God bless Ibrahim Mahama, Suzy’s medical team, H.E. Harriet Thompson, the UK High Commissioner to Ghana, our amazing staff of Ghana’s High Commission in the UK and the MFA Protocol Department — a really inspiring partnership. I wish to particularly commend all the caregivers for keeping their promise to me and returning to Ghana after the successful surgery — that’s the true Ghanaian spirit!”

Suzy Pinamang’s recovery is great news for all Ghanaians, a welcome development capping off a story that nearly destroyed a young girl’s life.

Ibrahim Mahama deserves huge commendation for his actions and should always be held forth as the role model of what people with great wealth in this country should do.

Political scientist Dr. Joshua Jebunie Zaato has raised concerns about the implementation of the 24-hour economy initiative launched by the John Mahama-led administration.

Dr. Zaato argued that while incentives are necessary, they are not enough to justify around-the-clock operations for every institution.

“Incentives alone are not sufficient to operate a 24-hour economy.

“There must be the need for the service being rendered by the organisation to warrant a 24-hour operation,” he stated on TV3’s KeyPoints on Saturday, July 6.

He further pointed out that the campaign message around the policy, particularly the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) 2024 slogan “one job, three shifts”, has not been clearly reflected in the policy’s rollout.

“Ghanaians are rather interested in how this policy will address unemployment because that was the main selling point of this policy,” Dr. Zaato added.

In response, the CEO of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, rejected claims that the 24-hour policy lacks direction or inclusivity.

He explained that consultations with civil society organisations (CSOs) and sector experts were held prior to the launch.

“President Mahama reached out to experts and CSOs on how to roll out the policy,” Edudzi clarified.

He also reaffirmed that the “one job, three shifts” framework remains central to the initiative, despite its absence from the launch narrative.

“The three-shift system is very much part of the newly launched policy,” he said, citing the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority’s (DVLA) pilot 24-hour service at its Adenta office as a practical example.

The issues highlighted by Zaato are valid, especially given how the previous administration under Nana Akufo-Addo misled Ghanaians with various initiatives such as the 1D 1F policy.

These initiatives were intended to create jobs and reduce poverty.

However, nothing materialized, shattering the hopes of Ghanaians.

Source: Liberalprint.com

Ghanaian polling firm Global Info Analytics has released the list of candidates leading the race to become the next leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In the latest poll released by the firm, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu led the race with 27% of respondents selecting him to be the next NDC flagbearer.

Veteran political operative and current National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, followed closely with 26% of the vote.

Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson finished third with 22%, with Chief of Staff Julius Debrah coming 4th with 11%.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Klottey Korle MP, Zanetor Agyemang Rawlings, brought up the rear with 8% and 4% respectively.

The poll excluded current Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, due to her recent health scare.

Global Info Analytics’ Executive Director, Mussa Dankwah, said the decision was made to exclude the Veep, who led the last poll, because her health scare would have adversely affected her chances.

“We had Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang in our April poll, and she was performing very well, but we took her out for some tactical reasons. We took the decision to drop her for the simple reason that the health scare would damage her,” he said.

Aside from the aforementioned names, other NDC operatives in the flagbearer sweepstakes included Ofosu Ampofo, Goosie Tanoh, Hannah Tetteh, Omane Boamah, Fiifi Kwetey, and others.

Analysis of NDC flagbearer race frontrunners

The Global Info Analytics poll gives a clear indication of who Ghanaians can expect to lead the NDC into the next Presidential elections.

The three frontrunners, Haruna Iddrisu, Ato Forson and Asiedu Nketia, are clear favourites, although Julius Debrah remains a dark horse due to his close ties to President Mahama.

The NDC’s flagbearer race has the potential to be just as spicy and confrontational as the NPP’s ongoing fracas, and Ghanaians are in store for a treat when the race kicks off in earnest within the next few years.