Dr. Clement Apaak is the Deputy Minister of Education-designate

The Deputy Minister of Education-designate, Dr. Clement Abass Apaak demonstrated a high level of maturity and accountability during his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.

The lawmaker displayed humility when, in response to a request from the Ranking Member of the Committee, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, offered an apology and retracted certain statements he had made in the past regarding the former New Patriotic Party government.

Afenyo-Markin confronted Dr. Apaak, referencing a statement made by him on his X account dated September 2024.

The statement in question, which characterised the former Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-led government as “corrupt, useless, and reckless,” accused the previous administration of failing to take decisive action against illegal mining.

Dr. Apaak further alleged that members of the New Patriotic Party were benefiting from the destruction of forest reserves and water bodies caused by illegal mining activities.

However, Afenyo-Markin took the opportunity to voice his concerns and dissatisfaction with the tone and language used by the deputy minister-designate when addressing the former leaders, demanding both an apology and a retraction of the statement.

“Do you stand by this statement or you believe that with the benefit of hindsight, you could have used a more measured language as a politician? I understand you made this in the heat of the campaign but would you say that you could have been more measured in the language you used?” Afenyo-Markin said.

Dr. Apaak backtracked on his earlier statement admitting that the language used against Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumia were inappropriate.

“I must admit that the language was rather harsh, I’m grateful,” he conceded.

He went ahead to apologise for claiming that the former government was profiting from the destructions caused by illegal miners, explaining that his statement was influenced by the findings from a report by Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, a former Chairman of the Inter Ministerial Committee on Illegal Minning.

The committee was tasked to conduct findings on the effects of small-scale mining activities in the country.

“Whiles it is fair to admit that the content of this post could have been better presented, I must admit that it was influenced by the Prof. Frimpong Boateng statement as contained in the report that was in the public domain for discussion.

“Given the context provided, it is only fair and appropriate that I concede. I was rather too excessive in blaming an entire government for the infractions of a few, I’m grateful,” he added.

His vetting however proceeded smoothly after his apologies.

See a screenshot of the post Dr. Apaak apologised for

The corrupt, useless, and reckless Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP gov’t would rather deploy the military to chase phantom grain smugglers than deploy the military to deal with the galamsey menace. Then again, what do you expect from a government/party that is profiting from the…

— Dr. Clement Abas Apaak (@DrApaak) September 4, 2024

MAG/EK

You can also watch as Otumfuo destools Ohwimhene

Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown featuring NPP MP Patrick Yaw Boamah

A video of President, John Dramani Mahama and his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, together at a public function for the first time has sparked social media reactions.

The Mahama brothers were guests at the 80th birthday celebrations for Mr Eddie Annan, a top National Democratic Congress (NDC) donor and the co-founder of Ghanaian airline, Passion Air.

Eddie Annan’s birthday came off over the weekend and saw numerous top politicians and prominent Ghanaians in attendance.

Aside from the President and his brother, the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang was in attendance, as was Bettie Mould Iddrisu, Marietta Brew Appiah Oppong, Honourable Sam George and his wife, as well as Emefa Hardcastle, all made an appearance.

A video from the event making waves online showed the President, Mr Mahama and his brother, Ibrahim, exchanging pleasantries. Despite their relationship, the duo have barely ever been spotted together publicly.

Watch the moment below…

President John Dramani Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the Bank of Ghana (BoG) operates free from political interference, guided solely by its mandate.

“This is the path to building a resilient economy—one where policies are driven by discipline, foresight, and the best interests of the Ghanaian people,” President stated on Tuesday when he officially sworn into office Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama as the Governor and Zakari Mumuni as the First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank at the seat of Government in Accra.

The President reiterated that the Government would not ask the Central Bank to print money for it.

“I encourage you to work closely with key institutions, including the Ministry of Finance, Parliament and the financial industry while maintaining the independence your mandate requires.”

The swearing-in follows the approval of the Council of State.

The President extended his congratulations to Dr Asiama and Dr Mumuni and expressed confidence in their expertise, vision and integrity to discharge their mandate with excellence.

President Mahama urged them to go beyond mere technical considerations and act in full recognition that every statistic, every movement on a chart, and every shift in an index was more than just data—it was the pulse of an economy, a measure of resilience or distress.

He said a dip in confidence indices might signal businesses on a brink, evolving market conditions, or changing household prospects.

He said behind these numbers were real human stories—dreams either nurtured or shattered—that demanded not just highly extolled analytical expertise, but empathy and foresight that acknowledged the profound human consequences of every decision.

President Mahama noted that recent banking history had shown Ghanaians the cost of neglecting this truth.

He said during the supposed banking sector cleanup exercise thousands of jobs were lost and lives disrupted because decisions were made with a narrow focus rather than considerations of the human impact.

“The Bank of Ghana had the opportunity to salvage some institutions, to protect livelihoods while ensuring stability, but instead, an approach that ignored human consequences prevailed,” the President said

“The test of your patriotism in this solemn duty of economic governance lies in learning from these missteps—recognizing that policies must not only enforce regulations but also safeguard the future that depend on them.”

He said the lessons of the past reminded Ghanaians of the dangers of fiscal recklessness and the lasting harm it could inflict on an economy.

He said when governments resorted to unsustainable consumption expenditure, financed by excessive and unregulated printing of money, the consequences were severe— from spiraling inflation, erosion of incomes to driving millions into poverty.

The President said such actions, not only weakened public confidence in financial institutions but also threatened long-term stability.

“To safeguard our economy from these risks, we must uphold responsible fiscal management, strict adherence to legal and regulatory frameworks and protect the independence of the Bank of Ghana.”

On his part, Dr Asiama expressed gratitude to the President and the Council of State for the confidence reposed in them.

He said the challenges facing Ghanaians require decisive leadership and prudent macroeconomic policies to reset the economy.

“Indeed, the Bank of Ghana is a key institution in this agenda to reset the economy and must remain steadfast in its mission to maintain price stability, ensure a sound financial system, and support economic growth,” he said.

Dr Asiama said as Governor, his focus would be on six priority areas; such as the need to recalibrate Ghana’s Monetary Policy Strategy and enhance the policy framework to achieve the mandate more efficiently.

He said his second priority was the need to preserve exchange rate stability and limit excessive volatility in the rates.

He also mentioned the need to boost financial inclusion and innovation to promote inclusive economic growth, reduce poverty, empower individuals, and ensure the stability and competitiveness of the financial system.

“The reset path we have embarked on is more than mere sloganeering. It is about restoring public trust, rebuilding confidence, and ensuring that Ghana’s economy is stable, innovative and ready for the future,” Dr Asiama said.

Samson Lardy Anyenini (L) would be defending Manasseh Azure Awuni (R) in the SML suit

Renowned investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has waived personal service in the GH¢21 million defamation suit filed against him by Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) over claims he made about the company in his book, ‘The President Ghana Never Got’.

Manasseh, in a post shared on X on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, indicated that his lawyer has written to the court where the suit was filed to receive a copy of it.

He said that his lawyers would appear before the court to start his defence, stating that he stands by everything he said about the company in the book.

“My lawyers have written to the court and have been served the writ of SML’s GHS21 million defamation suit against me. They will enter appearance today, and the rest of the processes will continue.

“I stand by everything I have published on the SML scandal and am ready to defend it in court,” he wrote on X.

The post had a copy of the ‘Waiver of Personal Service’ filed by the lawyer of the journalist, renowned legal practitioner and broadcaster, Samson Lardy Anyenini.

The lawyer stated that he had been instructed by Manasseh to receive the suit.

“We are solicitors for Manasseh Azure Awuni, who is named as Defendant in the above-named publicised suit (ie. a Writ and Statement of Claim). Our firm is on record as his lawyers, including in the suit filed on February 15, 2024, by this same Plaintiff with same legal representation (i.e. STRATEGIC MOBILIZATION GHANA LTD. VS. MEDIA FOUNDATION FOR WEST AFRICA & MANASSEH AZURE AWUNI with SUIT NO. GJ/0431/2024) on the same subject of the famed SML deal.

“Our client instructs us, pursuant to Order 7 Rule 12 of C1. 47, to receive a copy of a suit numbered GJ/0117/2025 widely circulated in both traditional and social media, and said to have been filed on November 7, 2024. Our address for service remains as first above, and as in previous processes before this court, I shall be counsel with direct conduct of this matter for the Defendant,” the document reads.

Background:

Manasseh Azure Awuni was sued by Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited over claims made in his book, ‘The President Ghana Never Got’, regarding the company.

SML accuses Manasseh of publishing defamatory content, particularly in Chapter 28, titled “The Mother of All Scandals”.

In a writ of summons filed at the High Court of General Jurisdiction, which has been sighted by GhanaWeb, SML asserts that the journalist misrepresented facts with the deliberate intent to tarnish its reputation.

“The Plaintiff avers that, notwithstanding the pending defamation suit, the Defendant, in Chapter 28 of his book ‘The President Ghana Never Got’, discusses the Plaintiff’s contract with the Government of Ghana (GoG) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in a chapter titled ‘The Mother of All Scandals’. The Plaintiff says that in Chapter 28, the Defendant makes several non-factual statements that tarnish the Plaintiff’s reputation and have caused right-thinking members of society to shun the Plaintiff.”

SML further states that Manasseh characterized its contract with the GoG and GRA as “the biggest scam,” a “shady deal,” and referred to it as “the SML scandal.”

Additionally, the journalist allegedly described statements and projections made by SML regarding its contracts as “falsehoods” and “a lie” and labeled the agreement “needless” and “redundant.”

The company contends that these allegations severely damaged its reputation, leading to public backlash and the loss of potential contracts in Tanzania, Kenya, and Ivory Coast.

Claims SML is seeking from the Court:

• GH¢1,000,000 in general damages for defamation.

• GH¢20,000,000 in exemplary damages for what it describes as malicious reporting.

• A perpetual injunction restraining Manasseh from publishing further defamatory statements about the company.

• A public retraction and apology for Chapter 28 of his book.

• Any other reliefs the court deems fit.

View Manasseh’s post below:

My lawyers have written to the court and have been served the writ of SML’s GHS21 million defamation suit against me. They will enter appearance today, and the rest of the processes will continue.

I stand by everything I have published on the SML scandal and am ready to defend… pic.twitter.com/UljSo4dHRs

— Manasseh Azure Awuni (@Manasseh_Azure) February 26, 2025

BAI/EK

You can also watch as Otumfuo destools Ohwimhene