Pax Boniface

  GES sets June date for 2025 BECE, WASSCE Starts on August 4. The Management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced the dates for the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).  In a letter from GES to all Regional Directors of Education, the Council noted that while this year’s BECE will be held from June 9 to June 16, the WASSCE will be held from August 4 to September 19. The letter noted that the West African Examinations Council will communicate the period for the registration of candidates for the respective examinations to the heads of schools in due course. By this letter, Regional Directors of Education are requested to communicate this information to Metropolitan/Municipal/District Directors of Education to inform all Heads of Basic and Senior High Schools to take note and prepare the candidates for the examination accordingly,” GES said in its letter. Below is a copy of the letter....

Mahama nominates Johnson Asiamah as BoG Governor President John Dramani Mahama has nominated Dr Johnson Asiamah as the next Governor of the Bank of Ghana, pending approval by the Council of State. His nomination follows the acceptance of a formal request by the current Governor, Dr Ernest Addison, to proceed on leave ahead of his retirement on 31st March 2025. Dr Asiamah brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously served as the Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana between 2016 and 2017. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and has extensive expertise in monetary policy formulation, financial stability regulation, and economic research.  According to the press statement from the Presidency, his deep understanding of Ghana’s financial system makes him well-positioned to lead the central bank. With over 23 years of experience at the Bank of Ghana, Dr Asiamah has played a crucial role in shaping the country’s banki...

  BoG Governor Dr. Ernest Addison proceeds on terminal leave ahead of retirement Dr. Ernest Addison  ,Governor of the Bank of Ghana, has begun his terminal leave from February 3, 2025, ahead of his retirement on March 28, 2025, after serving two full terms. The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison is set to begin his terminal leave on February 3, 2025, ahead of his official retirement from the central bank on March 28, 2025. Dr. Addison, who was first appointed as Governor on April 3, 2017, and reappointed for a second term on March 29, 2021, has successfully served two full terms in office. His departure aligns with the provisions of the Bank of Ghana Act, 2002 (Act 612), as amended, which stipulates the tenure of the central bank’s Governor. According to an official statement from the Communications Department of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Addison has opted to take his accumulated leave before his retirement, a decision that has received the approval of President Jo...

 “You can’t be a true Catholic and a Freemason” – Archbishop of Accra declares In the wake of growing discussions about the compatibility of Freemasonry and Catholicism, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie CSSp. , has reiterated the Catholic Church’s stance on the matter. Addressing the faithful this afternoon, the Archbishop declared, “You can’t be a true Catholic and a Freemason at the same time.” This firm position follows public revelations by prominent figures such as former President John Agyekum Kufuor and NDC National Youth Organizer George Opare Addo, both of whom have openly identified as Freemasons. Their admissions have sparked national discourse, with some questioning whether the Church’s teaching on Freemasonry has evolved. Archbishop Kwofie dispelled such notions, stating unequivocally that the Church’s position remains unchanged. Citing the 1983 “Declaration on Masonic Associations” by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Fait...

Scrapping betting tax will not affect the economy – Ato Forson Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson The Minister-Designate for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has downplayed the economic impact of revenue generated from the betting tax, arguing that its removal would not adversely affect the country. His remarks follow a campaign promise made by President John Dramani Mahama to scrap the tax. Speaking during his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on January 13, Dr. Ato Forson noted that the betting tax generates less than GHC50 million annually. He maintained that removing the tax would have minimal economic consequences, provided expenditure is adjusted to offset the revenue shortfall. “Some of the taxes are not bringing in any revenue that you should [increase]. For example, the betting tax is bringing in less than GHC50 million a year. It’s a nuisance tax and scrapping GHC50 million will not mean anything in a way that will affect the economy.”

 Analysis: Pope’s Peace Diplomacy in Era of Multiple Wars Pope Francis waves to pilgrims gathered for his general audience on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. (photo: Vatican Media / VM) With diplomatic relations spanning more than 180 sovereign states, the Holy See maintains one of the world’s most extensive diplomatic networks. At the height of World War II, as the Allies coordinated their strategy, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill suggested involving the pope in peace negotiations. The proposal drew a mocking response from Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin: “The pope? How many divisions does the pope have?” The popes have been calling for peace on an international platform since at least the beginning of the 20th century,” EWTN Senior Vatican Analyst Francis X. Rocca said. “Pope Benedict XV tried and failed to bring a negotiated end to the first World War. Half a century later, St. Paul VI went to the United Nations and famously called for ‘no more wa...

 Group petitions Mahama, seeks removal of EC chair Jean Mensa, deputies over financial loss Electoral Commission of Ghana A group calling itself, Positive Transparency and Accountability Movement-Africa (PTAAM-Africa), has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama, seeking the removal of  Electoral commission of Ghana (EC) Chairperson, Mrs. Jean Mensa, and her deputies from office. The petition, filed pursuant to Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, cites three key grounds for the removal: financial loss to the state, creation of a constitutional crisis, and misconduct and abuse of public office. According to the petition, the procurement of a new biometric voter device and the compilation of a new voter register before the 2020 general elections caused significant financial loss to the state, amounting to millions of taxpayer dollars. The petition argues that this expenditure was unnecessary, as the 2016 voter register and biometric devices were robust and fit for p...

  Don’t Disconnect Children from their Roots The Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast has called on Africans particularly Ghanaian parents and teachers to desist from disconnecting children from their roots by instructing them in the English language instead of the mother tongues or Ghanaian languages. He was worried that African children speak the English language fluently but do not understand nor speak their mother tongues, stressing that this has created a disconnect between them and their culture. He said this at a durbar to climax the 10th anniversary celebration of the Christ the King Catholic Church at Kasoa C.P in the Cape Coast Archdiocese. Archbishop Palmer-Buckle said this phenomenon creates a pedagogical disconnect in the minds of the children. He added that the criticism of everything African and Ghanaian has led to a new generation who do not think of Africa as a heritage but a place to run away from. He bemoaned the fact tha...