After 18 months of military rule, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, the head of the military government, believes the forum should pave the way for “free and democratic” elections. Despite some opposition parties refusing to attend, the long-awaited negotiations on the future of Chad, which the country’s military government describes as a “decisive moment,” began. In preparation for the three-week “national dialogue,” more than 1,400 representatives of the military, civic society, opposition parties, labor unions, and rebel groups convened on Saturday in N’Djamena, the country’s capital. General Mahamat Idriss Deby of the army is the one who started the negotiations. Deby arrived to begin the forum while wearing military attire and was met with heavy security. He called the forum as a “decisive moment in the history of our country.” Prior to reviewing an honor guard, he unveiled a statue representing national unity at the capital’s January 15 palace. After his father, who had governed for 30 years, was murdered in a military operation against rebels in April 2021, Deby, then just 37, assumed power. After 18 months of military rule, Deby has stated that the forum should pave the way for “free and democratic” elections; this is a deadline that France, the African Union (AU), and other organizations have asked him to uphold. The “conversation,” which was supposed to start in February, has been delayed due to disagreements among the numerous rebel groups from Chad that are gathering in Qatar. In the end, on August 8, roughly 40 parties agreed to an arrangement that included a truce and assurances of safe passage back to Chad. A new constitution that will be submitted to a referendum, institutional reform, and a durable peace are all on the agenda for the discussions. Decisions made during the forum would be “legally binding,” according to a decree Deby signed on Wednesday. According to Saleh Kebzabo, a deputy president of the forum’s organizing committee and a former rival of the elder Deby, the formal debate will start on Sunday or Monday. Moussa Faki Mahamat, the head of the AU Commission and a Chadian, will also speak at the beginning of the discussions. There will be a variety of issues covered, Hiba Morgan of Al Jazeera reported from N’Djamena. The election and whether armed groups will be permitted to run for office would be the main topics of discussion, she added, along with the disarmament of armed groups that have signed the Doha peace agreement. “Skewed ahead of time” Two exiled rebel leaders, Timan Erdimi and Mahamat Nouri, came back to Chad on Thursday to take part in the discussion. Erdimi, the leader of the Union of Resistance Forces, stated that the pact was struck in order to reconstruct Chad (UFR). Since its independence in 1960, Chad, one of the world’s poorest nations, has experienced several upheavals and instability. Observers claim that there are many obstacles to the discussions, including time constraints, the absence of two of the most important rebel groups, as well as a significant political alliance. The Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) is one of the organizations; it was responsible for the military onslaught in the northeast last year that resulted in the elder Deby’s demise. The talks, according to FACT, are “skewed in advance.” Wakit Tamma, a sizable alliance of opposition parties and civil society organizations, also declines to take part, blaming the military for “human rights crimes” as well as for setting up Deby’s presidential run. Succes Masra, the head of the Transformers party, a member of the Wakit Tamma alliance, called for civil resistance on Saturday during a gathering in N’Djamena that drew hundreds of supporters and a sizable police contingent. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUWHcyvsdoI[/embedyt] In the meantime, the head of the UN urged Chad to take advantage of a “historic opportunity” presented by the approaching historic meetings in order to restore peace to the nation and chart a route for democracy. On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated the people of Chad and the transitional government and recognized “the efforts done by all other parties to reach this historic moment.” Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for Guterres, stated that the secretary-general “marks that the dialogue offers a historic opportunity to build new foundations for the stability of Chad, via the strengthening of democracy and good governance.” The UN chief also asked the political and armed forces that have not yet ratified the Doha peace accord to join the dialogue and urged “all elements” of Chadian society, including women and young people, to participate. Source: www.aljazeera.com
A Ghanaian guy who walked to Germany claims that living there is much better.
A Ghanaian living in Germany named Kwaku Asante has talked about his difficulties traveling to Europe and how he now wishes he could go back. In an interview with SV TV Africa, Kwaku claims that by going to Germany in search of better lands, he took a significant risk. He said that as a result of his unlawful movement, he was detained for more than a year and was arrested numerous times in different nations. After settling in, the Ghanaian guy evaluated the standard of living in both nations and came to the conclusion that he preferred Ghana. If I get a truck right now, I’ll come back to Ghana. It costs 30,000 euros, and if I get it, I won’t stay here or go anywhere else but Ghana. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohjRAtqIgvU[/embedyt]
Manchester United responds to Nana Aba Anamoah after she says the club is the love of her life.
The official Twitter handle of Manchester United has replied to Ghanaian media guru Nana Aba Anamoah after she labelled the giant English club as the love of her life. Nana Aba is a very staunch supporter of the Red Devils and she doesn’t miss any chance to rub this fact in the face of fans of rival clubs, particularly the traditional ones like Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea. The new season of the 2022-2023 English Premier League kicked off yesterday, August 6 with exciting fixtures and intriguing results at the end of the day. Manchester United has been struggling since the exit of Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in May 2013 and had another disappointing campaign last season. They begin the journey of ending their domestic drought by hosting Brighton and hove Albion today at exactly 13:00. It’s against this background that Nana Aba Anamoah pumped adrenaline into the air ahead of the match by saying Man U is the love of her life. In reply, the club sent warm wishes to her and all their Ghanaian fans. Nana Aba and her love affair with the club turned sour when she was dragged in 2015 after she allegedly stole pictures some fans of the club took of Manchester United players and passed them off as hers. While her tweets seemed to show that she was actually in England (her location was on) at the time of the tweets, the authenticity of those pictures became a subject of controversy after some Twitter users including the supposed real owners of the pictures made claims that she was lying about being there. The people believed to be the real owners of the pictures had previously put up the pictures they took on social media where Nana Aba sourced from and edited them in a way that showed she was there physically. Apparently, she also posted a picture of their ticket as hers. We all knew what happened thereafter, which also include her sacking from TV3 where she was the mainstream news anchor at that time. Meanwhile, see the tweet from Manchester united to Nana Aba Anamoah;
Afena-Gyan performs ‘On God’ by Shatta Wale at the AS Roma presentation.
When Felix Afena-Gyan arrived for AS Roma’s formal introducing ceremony ahead of the 2022-23 season, Shatta Wale’s ‘On God’ was blasting. Over 60,000 supporters cheered the adolescent as he came onto the Stadio Olimpico pitch, with Shatta Wale’s song playing in the background. The young striker is a great fan of the dancehall singer and has frequently shared dancing videos on social media. Afena-Gyan later appeared in a charity match between Roma and Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, which Roma lost 5-0. The Ghanaian played 85 minutes, but couldn’t find the back of the net as a much-changed Roma team was defeated. Since making his debut for AS Roma last September and scoring twice against Bologna a month later, Afena-value Gyan’s has skyrocketed. He was able to gain manager Jose Mourinho’s trust and was promoted to the first team after his debut. Following that, the 19-year-old was invited to Ghana’s important 2022 World Cup playoff match against Nigeria in March. He started both games as the Black Stars qualified for Qatar on away goals after a 1-1 aggregate result. Afena-Gyan appeared in 25 games for Roma in all competitions last season, scoring two goals. When Roma won the Europa Conference League last season, the young striker became the first Ghanaian footballer to do it. After just signing a long-term contract, the Ghanaian is anticipated to see game time in the upcoming season.
After being assaulted by assassins, Kofi Adomah Nwanwani was transported to the hospital.
On Saturday, August 6, 2022, the host of Accra-based Angel FM’s morning broadcast was attacked by unknown attackers. According to reports, the broadcaster was returning from DAMAX Estate in Kuntunse, an Accra suburb, when he was approached by these suspected assassins on a motorbike and attacked him at old Ashongman. The perpetrators on a motorcycle approached him and assaulted him with a sharp weapon, causing major damage to his body. According to the complaint, after inflicting wounds on him, the mysterious persons attempted to light him ablaze. “Kofi Adomah visited his House at DAMAX estate at Kuntunse, on his way back he was assaulted outside old Ashongman,” a source told Ghanaweb. “He was passed by two guys on motorcycles.” They aimed sharp items at his face, but he shielded his face with his hands and shoulders. They poured an inflammable material suspected to be fuel on him and attempted to set him on fire.”
KNUST students arrested, remanded for Gang-Rapping
A first-year student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has been gang-raped by six young men, including her boyfriend. The victim allegedly declined the continuous demands by her boyfriend, Partick Fosu to engage in a threesome. The victim’s boyfriend allegedly lured her to a dark room, forcibly had unprotected sex with her, and invited his friend, Kingsley Asiedu Andoh who was already in the room to join. The other suspects also joined and committed the act, according to the police. The six accused persons have been charged with rape after they admitted to the crime in their caution statement. The accused persons appeared before the Asokore Mampong District Court and were remanded into police custody. Counsel for the accused persons, Richard Adu Darko said he would resort to the appropriate court to secure bail. The victim, who is currently writing her exams, is undergoing counselling and physiological care. Police are awaiting medical examination results from a hospital as part of their investigation.
All about YouStart: A graduate work program
The three-year program that elapsed in October 2021 but was extended for an additional year will end in September. The initiative sought to reduce the unemployment ratio of Ghanaian university graduates. Instead, they will be encouraged to start their own businesses as part of a new government-backed training program called Nation Builders Corps. The programme is benchmarked against similar successful models in the US and UK. It aims to commit about GHS10 billion over the next 3 years towards the creation of at least a million jobs. The project is part of the GHS100 billion Ghana Cares “ObaatanPa” programme which was launched by Government in November 2020. NABCo Modules The Nation Builders Corps had many modules that catered to all graduates from all sectors of the economy. The modules sought to provide the needed support for graduates and to build their portfolio. These included: Educate Ghana, Focus on STEM and other subjects in primary and secondary schools, Heal Ghana, Feed Ghana, Provide extensive support to farmers across Ghana and Revenue Ghana. Youstart Youth entrepreneurship and start-up grants are expected to culminate in job creation, job sustainability, business innovation, and growth for enterprises owned by the youth in the country. YouStart is a vehicle through which Government intends to provide funding and technical support to youth and youth-led businesses. Features of YouStart The Youstart program has 4 features. Each feature has its own target group, the amount involved, implementing agencies, and the project partners. These features have been discussed below. District entrepreneurship programme Target group: All urban and rural youth entrepreneurs Funding: Up to GHS100,000 at concessionary rates Implementing Agencies: GEA and the NEIP COMMERCIAL PROGRAMME Target group: All medium-sized businesses across the country Funding: A standardized loan up to GHS500,000 at a concessionary rate Project Partners: NYA, TVET Services, and YEA Project Partners: 13 Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) -Ghana Association of Banks (GAB) YOUSTART GRACE Target group: unemployed youth across Ghana with priority for, women-owned businesses and rural entrepreneurs. Project Partners: Faith-based organizations YOUSTART NABCO Target group: NABCO beneficiaries Implementing Agencies: NABCO Secretariat, GIA, and NEIP Project Partners: NYA, TVET Services, and YEA Source: Adesuafie.com