Accra, May 7, GNA – The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has opened a state-of-the-art 24-hour service centre in Adentan near Accra in line with the Government’s public service transformation agenda.

The new office will offer all DVLA services related to driver licensing and vehicle registration and meet the diverse needs of the motoring public.

The opening of the Adentan Office, makes the DVLA one of the foremost public institutions to operationalise the Government’s 24-Hour Economy Policy.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Julius Neequaye Kotey, DVLA Chief Executive, said the Adenta Office and the facilities therein formed part of strategic move to enhance service access and customer experience.

He said the addition of Adenta meant that the Authority now had 35 offices across the country, adding that the DVLA would deliver on the quest to make its services easily accessible to the public, irrespective of their location.

“This facility will serve as a centre of excellence, providing a full range of DVLA services—vehicle registration, driver licensing, renewals, compliance and enforcement, driver testing and vehicle inspections—operating on a 24-hour basis,” he said.

Mr Kotey said the DVLA was working diligently to develop modalities for the registration of excavators entering the country, in support of the national fight against illegal mining.

He said as part of measures to increase revenue, the Authority had replaced the issuance of aluminium DP plates with a new sticker-based DP identification system to curb their misuse.

Mr Joseph Bukari Nikpe, the Minister of Transport, commended the DVLA for embracing the Government’s transformative agenda in the transport sector.

He expressed confidence that the decentralisation of the DVLA’s services would bring relief to the public.

The Transport Minister said the operationalisation of the 24-hour service would help prevent the use of productive working hours to access essential public services.

Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, Deputy Chief of Staff in Charge of Administration, said the President was focused on delivering his promises to the people and that the resetting of the country would be experienced in different sectors.

She said the transformation of DVLA’s services formed part of the Government’s reset agenda and assured that the President would continuously account to the people and demonstrate his commitment to resetting the country.

“We are resetting and each and everyone should get involved in the resetting motion of the President,” she said.

GNA

A three-day ceasefire in Ukraine that was unilaterally declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month has come into effect, as Russia prepares to mark the anniversary of its World War II Victory Day on Friday.

Russian state media agency Tass said the ceasefire began at midnight local time on Wednesday (5 p.m. ET Wednesday).

But within hours, Russia appeared to have broken the ceasefire, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Overnight, Russia launched guided bombs over Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, the military said in a post on Telegram.

A Russian aerial bomb hit a home in Mykolaiv around 3 a.m. local time, killing a 55-year-old woman and wounding her son, according to the Prosecutor’s Office in the Sumy region. About half an hour later, a 70-year-old woman was wounded when another bomb landed on the city of Vorozhba, the local prosecutor said.

CNN has not independently verified these claims.

A statement from the Kremlin last month said that Putin ordered “all military actions” in Ukraine to be suspended from midnight May 8 to midnight May 11 based on “humanitarian considerations.”

Kyiv rejected the short-term truce when it was first announced. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called Putin’s announcement a “theatrical performance” and reiterated his country’s support for an earlier US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire which Russia has rejected.

The three-day period Putin picked for the ceasefire coincides with Russia’s World War II Victory Day commemorations, including a traditional military parade set for Friday, May 9.

The high-profile event is expected to be attended by the leaders of several countries that are friendly with Russia, including China’s Xi Jinping.

As in previous years, it is expected to be used by Putin and his government to peddle propaganda, which falsely frames Moscow’s current aggression against Ukraine as a fight against a “Nazi” regime in Kyiv.
Ukrainian drones shut Moscow airports

As Russia prepares to mark the anniversary of the end of WWII, Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow for the second consecutive night overnight into Wednesday.

The attacks forced Russian authorities to temporarily halt air traffic at 13 airports – four in Moscow and nine further afield.

More drones were flying on Wednesday, with the Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin saying one drone that was heading to Moscow was shot down on Wednesday afternoon.

The shutting down of airports was potentially embarrassing for Moscow, as delegations from countries that have remained friendly to Russia were flying in to attend the parade on Friday.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Vietnam’s President To Lam and Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko are among the 29 leaders on the guestlist, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.

Ukraine has previously said it “cannot be responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation” because of the war.

Zelensky said his country would not be “playing games to create a pleasant atmosphere to allow for Putin’s exit from isolation on May 9.”

While Russia has rejected the US ceasefire proposal, the unilateral ceasefire around the Victory Day celebration was the second short-term truce Putin announced in less than a month.

In a surprise move over Easter, the Russia leader announced he instructed his troops to stop all military activity for some 30 hours. Ukraine accused Russia of breaching the truce, although it did say that fighting had slowed along some parts of the front lines.

Source: CNN.com

Development Economist and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Planning (IERPP), Dr George Domfeh, has delivered an assessment of President John Dramani Mahama’s economic reset agenda.

He pointed out that while the government has achieved a modest overall score of 45.5 percent, its efforts remain fundamentally flawed in execution.

Dr Domfeh shared his insights at a press conference held at the Ghana International Press Centre under the theme “The 120-Days Accountability Showdown: Are We Resetting or Repeating the Past?” on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

He presented on the “economic reset” under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, focusing on tax reforms, job creation, and industrial growth within the government’s first 120 days.

He noted that the IERPP’s assessment covered 25 key manifesto promises across four thematic areas, with performance measured using verifiable implementation data and a weighted scoring system aligned with international benchmarks.

He explained that the administration’s flagship economic policies, though ambitious in their design, have so far failed to translate into meaningful, tangible outcomes for ordinary Ghanaians.

Central to his critique was the government’s much-publicized 24-Hour Economy, which the economist described as existing largely in name only. According to him, while the idea has captured public imagination, it lacks a concrete policy framework and detailed implementation plan, leaving many sectors unsure of how it will function or benefit businesses and workers in practice.

Dr Domfeh further raised concerns over the government’s job creation agenda, particularly programs like the “One Million Coders” initiative.

He argued that it lacks the necessary structural foundation and ecosystem to achieve sustainable job creation. Without strong institutional backing, industry partnerships, and capacity building, Dr. Domfeh warned that such programs risk becoming symbolic gestures rather than engines of real economic transformation.

According to him, President Mahama had campaigned on a platform heavily focused on economic transformation, noting that nine of his twenty-five major campaign promises were directly related to economic issues.

However, Dr Domfeh stressed that simply fulfilling campaign promises does not end the national conversation, as Ghanaians must critically ask whether these actions genuinely address the country’s pressing needs.

Dr Domfeh pointed out that President Mahama’s pledge to run the leanest and most efficient government had seen notable results, particularly in the reduction of ministerial appointments, which earned strong praise.

However, he was quick to caution that the conversation around lean governance should go beyond just the number of ministers and encompass all government appointees and overall expenditure.

As he colorfully put it, “having one wife doesn’t automatically mean you spend less than someone with ten wives,” highlighting the need for a deeper examination of government spending patterns beyond the optics of smaller cabinets.

Reflecting on the administration’s efforts to engage stakeholders, Dr. Domfeh acknowledged that the government’s organization of a national economic forum was a commendable step.

However, he raised questions about its necessity, recalling a similar initiative previously undertaken by the National Development Planning Commission that had already developed a broad economic framework. He stated that the recommendations from the recent forum were not fully reflected in the national budget, indicating a gap between consultation and implementation.

Dr Domfeh also addressed the administration’s widely celebrated decision to scrap unpopular taxes, including the Electronic Transfer Levy, popularly known as the E-Levy.

While he acknowledged this as a fulfilled campaign promise that deserved a high rating, he expressed concern that eliminating the levy may have been a missed opportunity, given that it was one of the few taxes effectively capturing revenue from the informal and rural sectors. In his view, thoughtful reform, rather than outright abolition, might have been a more prudent course of action.

The development economist offered a mixed assessment of the government’s efforts to reduce import taxes on agricultural and industrial inputs. While he described the policy as sound and well-targeted, he noted that its implementation has been delayed, leaving its full potential unrealized.

On the 24-Hour Economy, Dr. Domfeh observed that although a national coordinator had been appointed, the draft policy remains unclear to the public, and key questions about its sectoral applications and benefits remain unanswered. He stressed the need for more public education and clarity if the initiative is to succeed.

Dr Domfeh highlighted that although some preparatory work has begun toward establishing the Accelerated Export Development Council, the council has not yet been formally set up, making progress in this area limited.

Regarding job creation, he acknowledged the launch of initiatives such as the Generational Youth Program, the National Apprenticeship Program, and the One Million Coders Program, but pointed out that their tangible impacts have yet to materialize.

He expressed strong reservations about the government’s intention to lift the ban on salvaged vehicles, warning that such a move could undermine recent achievements in attracting car assembly plants to Ghana, including investments by global brands like Toyota. Dr. Domfeh urged the government to carefully reconsider this policy.

On the matter of state-owned enterprises, he noted that while President Mahama has shown some awareness of the sector’s underperformance, including public remarks questioning the inefficiency of a state-owned alcohol producer, the country still awaits concrete reforms and measurable results.

Dr Domfeh further emphasized that governance should not be reduced to the mere fulfillment of campaign promises. Instead, he argued, what truly matters is whether the policies implemented are meaningful, effective, and responsive to the genuine needs of the nation.

He added that Ghanaians deserve not just delivery on promises but delivery that genuinely transforms lives and strengthens the country’s future.

AM/KA

The second edition of the Ghana Wellness and Healthcare Awards has been officially announced, with the event set to take place on 23rd August 2025 in Accra.

Organised by Albony Global Communications, this year’s awards ceremony will be held under the theme “The Role of the Wellness and Healthcare Sector in Ghana’s Socioeconomic Development.”

The awards aim to celebrate excellence and innovation in Ghana’s wellness and healthcare sectors, which organisers describe as foundational to the country’s long-term prosperity and resilience.

By recognising outstanding professionals, initiatives, and institutions, the event seeks to counteract growing demotivation and migration among health workers, and to re-establish national pride in the sector.

“This event challenges the narrative of underappreciation in the healthcare and wellness space,” said organisers in a statement.

“We aim to fuel national pride, raise the bar for excellence, and restore value to a sector too often overlooked.”

The 2025 edition is expected to bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, wellness advocates and the media. It will serve as a platform to highlight the direct impact of health and wellness on Ghana’s socioeconomic growth.

The awards are spearheaded by Founder Mr. OB Sinachy, Co-founder Dr. Alberta Ama Atta Ackon, and Project Chair Madam Vivian Awinne—leaders who share a commitment to promoting health equity and nationwide wellbeing.

Nominations open

Nominations for the awards are currently open, and individuals or organisations, professionals, teams and projects that demonstrate innovation, impact, and dedication in the wellness and healthcare space across Ghana are expected to submit entries.

To nominate, sponsor, partner, or cover the event, interested parties must visit the official website: https://ghanawellnessandhealthcareaward.com or email: [email protected].

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

Ghana’s local currency, the cedi, has recorded marginal gains against major trading currencies, particularly the US dollar, at some forex bureaus.

In its daily update, the Central Bank noted that the cedi is trading at a buying price of GH¢13.29 and a selling price of GH¢13.30 to a dollar.

The British pound is being bought at GH¢17.72 and sold at GH¢17.74, while the euro trades at a buying price of GH¢15.07 and a selling price of GH¢15.09.

Checks by GhanaWeb Business on May 8, 2025, at 08:00 AM indicate that the cedi is trading at GH¢14.10 to the dollar, while the pound is trading at GH¢18.50 at some major forex bureaus across the country.

Additionally, the euro is trading at GH¢16.20 on the retail market.

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The rate of inflation in April 2025 stood at 21.2 per cent, a decline from 22.4 per cent in March 2025, marking the 5th consecutive monthly decline, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) said on Wednesday.  

Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, the Government Statistician, at a press briefing said the sustained drop was a positive signal of moderating inflationary pressures.   

However, a month-on-month increase to 0.8 per cent, following the 0.2 per cent in March, suggest that vigilance was still required to tame inflation.  

The overall outlook is cautiously optimistic, with opportunities to consolidate gains and enhance economic resilience.  

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April 2025 was 258.6 up from 256.5 in March 2025 and 213.3 in April 2024.    

Food inflation stood at 25.0 per cent, showing a decline from 26.5 per cent the previous month.   

Non-food inflation also declined to 17.9 per cent from 18.7 per cent compared to the previous month.  

The inflation on locally produced items was 22.7 per cent in April from 24.0 per cent, while inflation for imported items stood at 17.7 per cent from 17.7 per cent.  

At the regional level, the year-on-year inflation rate ranged from 37.1 percent in the Upper West Region as the highest and 18.3 per cent in the Volta Region as the lowest. 

Source: GNA  

File photo of US dollar notes

A financing roadmap drawn by the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other United Nations (UN) agencies in Ghana shows the need to raise about US$522billion in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

However, if government’s annual revenues appropriation – the budget – is excluded, the country needs to raise a whopping US$430billion in financing.

“When you spread that between 2020 and 2030, Ghana needs to raise about US$43billion annually before we can meet the 2030 SDGs,” said Mr. Peter Aidoo, an economist and Development Coordination Officer at the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office.

These figures at least give a clear picture of where the country stands in terms of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by the said deadline.

The SDGs are a set of 17 global objectives adopted by the United Nations in 2015. They aim to address critical development challenges and promote a more sustainable and equitable future for all by 2030.

These goals include eradicating poverty, ensuring good health and wellbeing, gender equity and achieving universal access to quality education and clean water & sanitation.

While countries in the global north are leading the park, with countries like Finland, Sweden and Denmark having achieved more than 85 percent of SDGs, the global south’s path still remains tortuous.

The devastating impact of climate change and lack of funding derailed efforts toward achieving these goals.

To accelerate attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals in Ghana, UN Global Compact Network Ghana organised a Business Executives Dialogue in Accra on the theme ‘Financing Ghana’s sustainable future and strengthening private sector contribution to the VNR process’.

The event brought together stakeholders from public and private sectors, banks and the UN to discuss sustainable finance and opportunities and challenges the private sector faces in supporting Ghana’s drive to achieve sustainable development.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Aidoo expressed worry about the quantum of illicit financial flows out of the country – stressing that when checked, those funds could help bridge the funding gap.

“We are chasing the IMF for just US$3billion while every year we lose US$1.44billion to illicit financial flows,” he bemoaned.

Africa has lost over US$1.4trillion to illicit financial flows in 3 decades. Sub-Saharan Africa lost US$528.9billion between 2003 and 2012. While Ghana alone between 2022 and 2011 lost US$14.39billion to illicit financial flows.

However, he commended government and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) for their commitment in reporting on the Voluntary National Review (VNR) and successful incorporation of the 2019 Vienna recommendations.

“They have been very consistent since 2019, using a global society and system-wide approach,” he said.

He therefore advised that district and regional GDP be computed to aid in assessing the country’s SDG progress. “One of the key recommendations was to have a comprehensive report on the SDGs,” he added.

Following US President Donald Trump’s abolition of USAID, which sent shockwaves across Europe with some developing partners including Sweden and Denmark also withdrawing funding, President John Dramani Mahama acknowledged that the country would lose about US$150million in critical funding.

In view of this, the economic advisor suggested that there should be some rationalisation in the budget to make up for the cuts. Otherwise, critical health supplies – the procurement of vaccines for immunisation of children and pregnant women, antiretroviral drugs, malaria vaccines, a chunk of health expenditure – will be impacted severely, since “that whole stream of financing was technically funded by USAID”.

While commending government’s commitment to the IMF programme and the reforms being implemented including the cancellation of e-levy, the UN Economist underscored the need to fix the financing gap.

The UN has made recommendations to that effect. These include a review of the policy and regulatory framework to create an enabling environment for investments, catalyse financing through private partnerships and improve capacities of MSMEs to make them bankable.

The economic advisor advised government to prioritise strengthening food systems, a just energy transition, future-ready education, decent work and social protection and climate & biodiversity in order to meet the SDGs by 2030.

“Divert most of your investment into these areas and that will catalyse growth in all other areas,” he noted.

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has voluntarily submitted himself to the Ghana Police Service to assist in an ongoing investigation regarding an alleged altercation with a police officer during the “Save the Judiciary” demonstration held on Monday, 5th May 2025.

In a statement issued by the Police, it was confirmed that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is probing claims that Mr Afenyo-Markin assaulted a uniformed officer at the entrance of Parliament House.

The inquiry was launched following a formal request made by the CID to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, who subsequently instructed the Effutu MP to cooperate fully with law enforcement.

Acting in compliance with the Speaker’s directive, Mr Afenyo-Markin appeared before the Police on Wednesday, 7th May 2025, to offer his account of the incident.

However, the matter has taken an unexpected turn, as the Police Service disclosed that a parallel investigation has also been initiated into a counter-complaint lodged by Mr Afenyo-Markin, in which he alleges that he, in fact, was the victim of assault at the hands of the same officer.

Detailing his version of events, the Minority Leader claimed that as he led demonstrators to Parliament House to present a petition advocating for greater judicial independence, he was unexpectedly struck on the left side of his chest by an officer identified as Constable Forson.

“The blow left me momentarily dazed and struggling to breathe,” he recounted.

He added that he received immediate assistance from parliamentary security staff and fellow protestors and was briefly taken to a nearby rest area before resuming the petition presentation.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

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The government is preparing a new bill to be introduced in Parliament to rename the C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS), along with several other public universities across the country.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education, announced this during the inauguration of the Governing Councils of CKT-UTAS and Tamale Technical University (TTU), which was renamed Dr Abdoulaye Salifu Technical University under the previous administration.

Mr Iddrisu said there had been a policy shift under the current administration regarding the naming of public universities.

He noted that while changes may be made, the intention was not to erase history or disregard the contributions of individuals previously honoured.

“It is not to fail to recognise the contribution of any individual or their standing, or to undermine the legacy of any statesman or diminish their contributions to our national effort,” he stated.

He added that those who deserve national honours would still retain them.

Mr Iddrisu stressed that he was currently consulting a wide range of stakeholders, including traditional authorities, members of academia, alumni associations, students, and civil society organisations to take such a decision.

The Minister emphasized that these engagements were essential to ensure that the final decisions reflected both national values and the sentiments of those directly connected to the affected institutions.

Prof Stephen Kendie, Chairman of the Governing Council, CKT-UTAS, commended the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged to work to meet their responsibilities.

“Having established the first Peace and Development Studies programme in Ghana in 2008, I have been working on the issues of peace, conflict and human and peace building since then,” he said.

He said the University was plagued by so many unnecessary lawsuits, from one court case to another, and that the Council would work on addressing the issue.

“We need to be able to get all those cases out of the court and build some environment of peace that will allow you people to work,” he said.

Other Council members are Prof Albert Luguterah, Vice Chancellor of the University; Dr Gregory Abe-I-Kpeng, representing the University Teachers Association of Ghana; Mr Fatai Usman, representing the University Senior Staff Association of Ghana; and Mr Richard A. A.Akumbas, representing the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools.

The rest are Mr Barnabas Kofi Waja, representative of the Students Representative Council and Graduate Students Association, and Mr Huaru Alhassan Marifa, representing the Alumni Association of the University.

Prof Godwin Awabil, Prof Agnes Apusiga and Mr Amos Alemiya Ayuure, all nominated by President Mahama.

Source: GNA