Stay up to date with Prime News' daily cheat sheet of topical news, opinions and analysis...
1. Ghana makes progress with anti-gay agenda as new bill criminalises raft of LGBT+ activities
Ghana’s Parliament is making bold progress to criminalise a host of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender activities as snippets of a new bill is made public. The bill, appropriately titled “The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021†prescribes severe sanctions against various activities of the LGBT+ community.
2. #FixTheCountry convener describes draft anti-gay law as ‘dumb, stupid’
One of the Conveners of the #FixTheCountry campaign, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has criticised the anti-LGBT+ bill as lacking depth. In one of a series of Facebook comments about the bill, the Cambridge Researcher and law consultant described the draft legislation currently before Parliament as stupid.
3. Teachers, students convicted for WASSCE malpractices
Seven persons, made up of three students, two teachers and two administrators, have been convicted of impersonation in the 2020 West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) by the Agona Swedru Magistrate Court. One of them received custodial sentence while the rest were fined.
4. Ato Essien files application for stay of proceedings in Capital Bank case
Lawyer for William Ato Essien, founder of the defunct Capital Bank, Baffour Gyau Bonsu Ashia, has filed a motion at the Commercial Division of the Accra High Court for a stay of proceedings. This is in the case where three persons are standing trial for the collapse of Capital Bank Limited.
5. Sam George tops Twitter trends over Ghana's anti-gay bill
One of the parliamentarians championing a bill to criminalise LGBT+ activism and activities has topped Twitter trends on Friday after snippets of the bill hit the internet. Sam Nartey George, Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, and six other MPs have succeeded in laying the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021†before Parliament.
6.  GRA identifies over 14 million tax payers after integration of Ghana Card, TIN
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has identified over 14 million people, who are qualified to pay tax after the successful integration of the Ghana Card and Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TIN). The GRA and the Registrar-General’s Department in collaboration with the National Identification Authority started the exercise effective April 1, 2021, where the Ghana card Personal Identification Number (Ghana card PIN) will replace the TIN of individuals issued by the GRA for tax identification purposes.
7. Ghana spent over $3m to evacuate 10,025 stranded Ghanaians at peak of COVID-19 pandemic
Government of Ghana spent GH¢8,725,000 and $1,866,934 in repatriating Ghanaians in China and the United Arab Emirates respectively and others who became stranded in other countries across the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
8. Never sing the songs I produced on any platform – Ogidi Brown warns ‘ungrateful’ Fameye
Ogidi Brown and Fameye are at each other’s necks barely a week after they smoked the peace pipe. Ogidi Brown has issued a stern warning barring Fameye from laying claim to any song or video produced under OGB Music.
9. Vaccine hesitancy has risen in Ghana: a closer look at who’s worried
As of 13 July 2021, Our World in Data report that only 2.95% of the African population had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In Ghana, this figure is just 2.8%.
10. Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony in pictures
With a blaze of indigo and white fireworks lighting the night sky, the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony started. In a nearly empty national stadium, devoid of any crowd energy, it began with a single female athlete at the centre of the stadium, kneeling.