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Zambia president orders ministers to stop sleeping in cabinet

Ghana News
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Zambia president orders ministers to stop sleeping in cabinet

Hakainde Hichilema, who took office in 2021, said he has gone public with his concerns Hakainde Hichilema, who took office in 2021, said he has gone public with his concerns

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has warned ministers against dozing off during meetings, attributing their lack of attentiveness to “indulgence” and an absence of self-control.

“In cabinet somebody’s sleeping at 10 hours – the question is where were they… if you can start conking there? To me that is a crime, a serous crime,” Hichilema said during a swearing-in ceremony for a new minister.

He did not spell out what exactly he meant by “indulgence” but local media have interpreted this as referring to excessive alcohol drinking and late-night partying.

The president warned that such behaviour risked exposing state secrets and delayed service delivery to the public.

Hichilema won a landslide victory in 2021 with ambitious plans to turn around the economy of Africa’s second largest copper producer.

Since assuming office, he has sacked several senior officials including ministers over performance issues.

Speaking on Monday as he welcomed newly appointed Local Government Minister Gift Sialubalo, the president said he has now gone public with his concerns about cabinet members after saying it in private “over and over”.

Without naming anyone, he said that some ministers “develop a knack” of revealing confidential state information on social media “especially during happy hours”.

“I have advised cabinet that we must have a self-censure. When you’re in public office you must have… self-control, not to over-indulge,” the president added.

Citing the Bible, he warned such behaviour could lead to self-destruction.

“So how do you participate in a meeting when you are sleeping? The message is very clear: you are not interested in cabinet deliberations on behalf of Zambians. So why are you sitting there?” he asked.

The president is expected to seek a second term in next year’s general election. He could face stiff competition from his predecessor, Edgar Lungu, who has mounted a political come back but is currently barred from running.

NPP Communicator applauds choice of Adaklu DCE Nominee   

Ghana News
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By Emmanuel Nyatsikor  

Adaklu Waya (V/R), April 1, GNA – Mr. Bright Nyatsikor, a Volta Regional Communications team member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has said the nomination of Mr. Jerry Ameko by President John Mahama to serve as the District Chief Executive for Adaklu was a wise decision.  

He said apart from Mr. Kwame Agbodza, Minister of Roads and Highways and Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Mr. Ameko was the most competent among the party members in the Constituency.  

Mr. Nyatsikor, who is also the Volta/Oti Regional Public Relations Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority, was commenting on the nominee in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.  

He noted that Mr. Ameko once served as a government appointee and also served as an elected Assemblyman in the Adaklu District Assembly.  

Mr. Nyatsikor said the nominee had the expertise and experience to handle the technocrats of the Assembly.  

He stated that one of Mr. Ameko’s strong weapons was his ability to relate well with members of other political parties in the district and was hopeful members of the Adaklu District Assembly would unanimously endorse him.  

Mr. Nyatsikor called on citizens of the area to support the nominee if endorsed to enable him move the district to another level.  

“The development of Adaklu supersedes our political and individual ambitions therefore let us come together and work in unison devoid of political affiliations,” he stated.  

He urged members of the National Democratic Congress in the area, family members and friends to be moderate in their demands from the nominee, adding “let us refrain from putting too much financial and other demands on him.”  

Mr. Nyatsikor took the opportunity to congratulate the nominee and was hopeful he would use his expertise to the advantage of the district.  

Mr. Ameko is the incumbent Adaklu Constituency Chairman of the National Democratic Congress.   

He is one the 71 people nominated by President John Mahama in a letter signed by Callistus Mahama, Secretary to the President, to serve as Chief Executives of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in eight regions of the country.  

GNA  

MA/CA  

Drug trafficking, money laundering cases rising under NDC – Minority

Ghana News
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Drug trafficking, money laundering cases rising under NDC – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns over what it deems as the increasing cases of drug trafficking and money laundering in the country, barely three months after the New Patriotic Party NPP handed over power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to them, nearly two months after a raid on 12 containers of gold and cash at Sapeiman in Accra, the National Security has failed to brief the public on the status of investigations to ascertain the culprits and the actual quantity of gold and specific amount of money retrieved in the operation.

Additionally, the caucus has demanded accountability for cargo suspected to be cocaine and cash transported into the country by two suspicious flights that landed at the Kotoka International Airport in March 2025.

Addressing journalists, the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, urged the government to be transparent in its fight against drug trafficking and money laundering.

“We demand accountability from the National Security for the gold bars and cash retrieved and what they intend to do with it. The Minority Caucus, as responsible opposition as we are in absolute circumspection, has been patient and originally given two clear months for National Security to communicate the status of their investigation with the public,”He demanded.

The group also attributed the pirate attack on a Ghanaian-registered fishing vessel on March 27, 2025, to the NDC MPs’ opposition to the planned procurement of two offshore patrol vessels by the Akufo-Addo government.

“You will recall the diligent attempt of the erstwhile government to procure two offshore vessels for the Ghana Navy in 2024. This plan in its final stages was fiercely opposed by the NDC in parliament, who called for the process to be terminated.

“Indeed, subsequently, the process of purchase was thus aborted. As pirates are aware of Ghana Navy’s lack of offshore patrol vessels, the vulnerabilities of the security of our waters are likely to be exploited by these pirates,” he said.

Actress Annie Macaulay visits Regina Daniels and Ned Nwoko

Ghana News
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Actress Annie Macaulay visits Regina Daniels and Ned Nwoko