NDC

Claim: Social media user Richard Gyamfi says the government has introduced a Growth and Sustainability levy, which places a 5% tax on all companies.

Verdict: This is false. The Growth and Sustainability levy was introduced by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in the 2023 budget. The current government only made amendments to its application. 

Full Text

Social media user and former NPP-UK Youth Organiser Richard Gyamfi says the government has introduced a Growth and Sustainability levy, a 5% tax on all companies.

“The NDC govt has again introduced a new levy in Parliament called the Growth & Sustainability Levy. It’s a new tax of 5% on all companies operating in Ghana. My goodness!!!” He published on X.

The post has garnered over 500K views and over 2.1K likes.

Several other pro-NPP accounts have made the same claim on Facebook.

Collage showing some online users making the claim

DUBAWA Ghana decided to investigate the claim as it could influence political commentary.

Verification

The Growth and Sustainability Levy was first introduced in the 2023 budget statement, presented to parliament by the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta.

“Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of burden-sharing, the National Fiscal Stabilisation Levy (NFSL) will be converted into a Growth and Sustainability Levy (GSL) to cover all entities,” he said (page 56, paragraph 220).

The levy was applicable as a percentage of Profit Before Tax (PBT) or Gross Production of businesses. Per the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act 2023, the rate of application for financial institutions, insurance companies, breweries, oil marketing companies, bulk oil distributors, among others (category A) was 5% of profit before tax. 

The rate for mining companies and upstream oil and gas companies (Category B) was 1% of gross production, whereas other entities not falling within Category A or Category B had 2.5% profit before tax.

The levy came into effect on May 1, 2023, and was set to expire at the end of December 2025. However, Parliament recently approved extending the levy’s application to 2028.

The amendment also saw the application rate for gold mining companies increase to 3% from 1%. 

Conclusion

The claim that the NDC government has introduced a Growth and Sustainability Levy, which places a 5% tax on all businesses, is false. 

Claim: An X user claims Ghanaian President John Mahama said he could not fight illegal mining localised as galamsey because his people are involved in the destructive activity.

Verdict: False. DUBAWA’s research showed President Mahama did not say he could not fight galamsey because his people were involved, as alleged. The video accompanying the X post was a 2022 interview with Mahama, the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate. In the interview granted to Accra-based TV3, Mahama questioned the commitment of his predecessor, Nana Akufo-Addo, to protect the country’s water bodies and forest reserves against illegal mining. 

Full Text

An X user, @tesconinformant, claimed Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has said he could not combat illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, because his people are involved in the activity.

There are reports about renewed activities of illegal miners across the country that are destroying water bodies and forest reserves.

Some Ghanaians here and here have urged Mahama to focus on retooling the police and soldiers to end the environmental destruction.

However, an X user, @tesconinformant, has alleged that Mahama could not address the issue because his people are neck-deep in illegal mining.

“How do you expect me to fight Galamsey when my people are involved in it?” Mahama, allegedly quizzed.

The social media platform has disclosed that the post made on Mar. 26, 2025, has received over 15,342 views, 19 comments, 26 reposts, 155 likes, and 23 bookmarks as of Mar. 27, 2025.

Commenting on the post, an X user, @PrinceHotor, wrote: 

“Eeei, the video you are showing has highlights saying Prez Akuffo Addo must resign, and you claim this is current. This attitude might make the NPP lose in 2028 because you think spreading lies will not be noticed.”

Another X user, @KyleStephen77, also wrote:

“How can you expect him to fight galamsey when his own people are doing it?”…you changed “him” to “me,” also “his” into “my”…. party of intellects indeed. No wonder you’re the ones growing up to become the successors of Mr Afenyo Markin.”

DUBAWA decided to probe the claim as part of its campaign against misinformation and disinformation in Ghana 

Verification

DUBAWA’s research showed President Mahama did not say he could not fight galamsey because his people were involved, as alleged. 

The video accompanying the X post was a 2022 interview with Mahama, the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate. 

In the interview granted to Accra-based TV3, Mahama questioned the resolve and commitment of his predecessor, Nana Akufo-Addo, to protect the country’s water bodies and forest reserves against illegal mining.

“How can you expect him [Akufo-Addo] to fight galamsey when his own people are involved in it?” Mahama asked the interviewer.

See Mahama’s comment from minutes 0:38 to 0:43 of the video Accra-based TV3 posted on YouTube.  

Mahama continued: “Actions speak louder than words…our river bodies are still the coffee colour they were. Maybe they were Milo before, but they look like coffee now [and] are getting darker.”

See minutes 0:38 to 0:43 of the video Accra-based TV3 posted on YouTube for Mahama’s comment.

Mahama’s 2022 galamsey comment was directed at then-president Nana Akufo-Addo and how he handled the issue.

Also, DUBAWA’s Google keyword search findings showed no credible media outlet in the country had published a news report attributing the claim to Mahama.

Conclusion

President Mahama has not said he could not fight galamsey because his people were involved, as the X user has alleged.

Introduction 

Elections bring many promises from political parties and their presidential candidates. Generally, candidates for elections present promises, ideas, and policies that are designed to entice voters to them and eventually propel the country to its full potential if such promises are implemented.

In the events leading to the 2024 Ghanaian election, the leading parties presented their manifestos, promising Ghanaians a lot of goodies. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) launched its manifesto on Aug. 24, 2024. On the other hand, candidates for the then ruling party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), presented its manifesto on Aug. 4, 2024. 

Both parties had several similarities in their manifesto. DUBAWA highlighted the similarities in the link here. 

Fast forward to elections, the NDC had a resounding victory with an impressive 184 Members of parliamentary majority. 

But these promises and the resounding victory in Parliament must mean something to Ghanaians. At the very least, once the candidate in opposition has won power, citizens expect to see an attempt to manifest the fine manifesto promises in the new ruling party’s policies. 

Cassiel Ato Forson,  Minister of Finance, started that journey by presenting the 2025 budget on March 11. DUBAWA seeks to highlight key promises in the NDC’s manifesto that were featured in the recent budget. 

Manifesto promises on the economy 

The NDC promised to scrap “draconian taxes,” which was plunging the average Ghanaian household into economic distress and poverty in the former government. Specifically, the NDC promised to abolish: 

• E-levy
• Emissions Levy 
• 10% levy on bet winnings. 
• COVID-19  levy.
• Import duty on vehicles and equipment imported into the country for industrial and agricultural purposes.

2025 Budget Statement

In the 2025 budget statement, the finance minister affirmed the government’s commitment to remove the following “nuisance taxes:” 

• 10% withholding tax on winnings from the lottery, otherwise known as the “betting tax.”
• Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) of 1%.
• Emissions Levy on industries and vehicles.
• Value Added Tax (VAT) on motor vehicle insurance policy.
• The 1.5 tax on winning of unprocessed gold by small-scale miners.

However, the COVID-19  Levy will be abolished as part of VAT Reforms, which are scheduled to be completed “this year,” with guidance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

Promises on gender-specific policy fulfilled 

The manifesto promised some gender-specific policies to help women. The NDC promised to introduce a Women’s Development Bank initiative to offer loans to women in business. The 2025 budget has allocated GH¢ 51.3 million as a “seed fund” to fulfil this pledge.

“Mr Speaker, we have also allocated GH¢ 51.3 million as seed fund for the establishment of the Women’s Development Bank,” the finance minister told parliament.   

Also, the NDC promised to distribute “free sanitary products” to girls to relieve them of the financial stress associated with menstruation. In the 2025 budget, the government has allocated GH¢ 292.4 million to distribute sanitary napkins to females in primary and secondary schools.

Promises on job creation and apprenticeship fulfilled  

In its manifesto for the 2024 election, the NDC promised to curb the country’s increasing unemployment rate, especially among the young. See pages 27 to 31 of the NDC’s promises on job creation. 

“The current unemployment crisis has been occasioned by reckless economic mismanagement, rampant corruption, waste, and a disconnect between government policies and job outcomes. Increasing hopelessness and desperation have compelled many to join the mass exodus of Ghanaians in search of greener pastures – a phenomenon called ‘jakpa’ by the youth. This poses a significant threat to our fledgling democracy. Thus, job creation will be a high priority for the next NDC government,” the manifesto stated.

To create jobs and decrease the rate of unemployment, the NDC promised to implement the 24-hour Economy Policy, the National Apprenticeship Programme, the ‘Adwumawura’ programme, and the Digital Jobs Initiative.  

In the 2025 budget, the government allocated GH¢ 300 million, GH¢ 100 million, and GH¢ 100 million to implement the National Apprenticeship Programme, the “Adwumawura” programme, and the National Coders Programme, respectively.  The National Coders Programme is under the Digital Jobs Initiative. 

The government has yet to send the 24-hour Economy Policy to parliament for consideration. However, to ensure the policy’s smooth operation, the government has allocated GH¢13.85 billion to the “Big Push” Programme, which seeks to ensure infrastructural growth as a foundation for the broader 24-hour Economy Policy.

Educational promises fulfilled 

There were several promises on education. Though decrying the current state of senior high school education, the NDC promised to improve the free senior high school policy by providing a “dedicated and sustainable funding source.”  

Toward such fulfilment, paragraph 200 of the budget statement indicates that the government has “uncapped” the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to cater as a dedicated source of funds for financing free senior high school education. 

“Mr Speaker, this year, the budget for the free secondary education programme is GH¢3.5 billion. By uncapping the GETFund, we will be making available an additional GH¢4.1 billion to the GETFund, specifically for financing the free secondary education programme and other related expenditures,” Ato Forson said.

Similarly, the uncapping of GETFund will ensure the availability of dedicated funds to cater to the tertiary education of Persons with Disability (PWD).

Also, the then-presidential candidate pledged to introduce the “No-Fees- Stress” or “No-Academic- Fee” policy, which seeks to cater to the seemingly stress-free transition from senior high school to public tertiary institutions for first-year students. Find other promises on education on pages 39 to 42 of the manifesto. 

Paragraph 196 of the 2025 budget speech indicates that the government has allocated GH¢ 499.8 million to implement the policy. 

“Mr Speaker, an amount of GH¢  499.8 million has been allocated for the No-Academic-Fee policy for all first-year students in public tertiary institutions under the “No-Fees-Stress” initiative,” the astute economist told parliament.  

In addition, as promised in their 2024 manifesto,  the 2025 budget allocated GH¢ 203 million for payment of teacher trainee allowances.

Key Health Manifesto Promises and the 2025 Budget  

The NDC, in their manifesto, promised Ghanaians “Free Primary Healthcare” to ensure that everyone receives quality and holistic healthcare. The 2025 budget has “uncapped” the National Health Insurance Levy to cater for this. This will raise GH¢ 9.93 billion. For 2025, the amount allocated will also cater for:

• Claim payments
• Essential medicines
• Vaccine payments
• USAID financial shortfall
• Ghana Medical Trust Care (MahamaCares), among others.

In addition, to cushion trainee healthcare professionals, the budget has allocated  GH¢ 480 million as nursing trainee allowances, as promised in the 2024 Manifesto.   

Key promises  yet to be fulfilled 

Although the NDC promised to abolish “import duty on vehicles and equipment imported” for industrial and agricultural purposes,  the 2025 budget did not emphatically state any taxes related to doing business at the ports and harbour that have been scrapped yet. The budget promised to “review all taxes, fees and charges” at the port. 

“Mr Speaker, Government will, in addition, reduce the cost of doing business at the Ports by conducting a review of all the taxes, and charges, to remove those that are inimical to importers,” paragraph 259 of the budget stated.

Also, the NDC promised to implement the 24-hour Economy policy initiative. However, no budget allocation was made for it. The finance minister told Parliament that the policy would be presented to them “in due course” for consideration, but this does not give certainty when the policy will be implemented. 

Conclusion 

To reset Ghana, the finance minister presented the first budget for the current administration on behalf of the president, John Dramani Mahama.  The budget seeks to fulfil key promises made to Ghanaians.  However, the key question is how these promises will be fulfilled efficiently and effectively. 

Claim: Some Social media users on X claim that the 2025 Budget presented by the NDC government did not explicitly mention the scrapping of the COVID-19 Levy, despite earlier indications that it would be abolished.

Verdict: False! DUBAWA’s review of the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy on Tuesday, 11 March, shows that the Finance Minister highlighted the government’s plan to abolish the COVID-19 Levy during his delivery.

Full Text

Barely two hours after the NDC’s 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy presentation to Parliament on Tuesday, 11 March, several Ghanaians like @Naaameen, @KwasiNtimY, @kofi_233 claimed the government didn’t mention scrapping the COVID-19 Levy as promised in their manifesto. 

Before the 2025 Budget presentation, the NDC government hinted at abolishing several taxes, including the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), COVID-19, Emissions, and Betting Taxes. 

These tax cuts are expected to ease Ghanaians’ financial burden. The Minister stated that the government remains committed to scrapping these taxes to improve disposable incomes, support business growth, and enhance tax compliance.

During the budget reading, the Finance Minister confirmed the removal of five nuisance taxes, including the 10% withholding tax on lottery winnings (Betting Tax), the 1% Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), the Emission Levy on industries and vehicles, the VAT on motor vehicle insurance policies, and the 1.5% withholding tax on unprocessed gold winnings by small-scale miners.

However, some social media users have argued that the COVID-19 Levy was not explicitly mentioned as being scrapped, raising doubts about its abolition.

Verification

A review of the budget document on page 47 shows that the COVID-19 Levy was discussed under the Value Added Tax (VAT) Reforms section. 

Specifically, paragraph 167 highlights that Ghana’s effective VAT rate includes the 1% COVID-19 levy, along with the GETFund Levy (2.5%) and the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) (2.5%). Paragraph 172(i) quoted the abolishment of the COVID-19 Levy.

Presenting the 2025 Budget, Ato Forson said, “Mr Speaker, ahead of the IMF Technical Assistance Mission, I will inaugurate a VAT Reform Task Force to hold broad consultation with key stakeholders for their inputs. Mr Speaker, the parameters for the VAT reforms which will be completed this year will include: 

i. Abolishing the COVID-19 Levy

ii. Reversing the decoupling of GETFund and NHIL  from the VAT

iii. Reducing the effective VAT rate for households  and businesses.”

The budget, which explicitly listed the COVID-19 Levy in the VAT reforms section, strongly suggests its removal as part of the restructuring process. 

Conclusion

The claim that the COVID-19 Levy was not mentioned as part of the abolished taxes in the 2025 Budget is false. The VAT reforms address the levy as part of the government’s plan to streamline taxation. 

Claim: An account on X, Ghana Chronicles, with handle @_GhChronicles, has alleged that some youth in Accra stormed Angel FM to meet one of their broadcasters, Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the Dec 7. elections. 

Verdict: True! Investigations conducted by DUBAWA revealed that some irate youth stormed the media houses’ premises at Lapaz to find the popular broadcaster Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah.

Full Text

An account on X, Ghana Chronicles, with handle @_GhChronicles, garnered more than 140,000 views when he posted a photo of Angel FM’s controversial broadcaster Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah, alleging that some irate youth went after him following NDC’s win in the Dec. 7 general elections. 

Taking to the digital platform on December 12, 2024, circa 10 am, Ghana Chronicles wrote: “Some youth in Accra stormed Angel FM looking for Okatakyie Afrifa. Reports indicate that Okatakyie has not been found since the declaration of John Mahama as President-Elect.”

The post generated over 2,500 likes, 49 comments, 249 retweets, and some bookmarks, reaching a wider audience and tending to keep spreading.

Some users who chanced on the post had these to say: 

X user Trasacco, with the handle @OheneTheArtist, also said, “I thought this guy was just a normal person with no faults.”

Meanwhile, Nayoy with the handle@Nayoy1 asked: “Where is the evidence of that claim?”

Also, an account on Instagram @mari_gyata claimed the video was an old video and not as current as being disseminated, so DUBAWA decided to investigate further to verify the claim.

Verification

Through interviews with Angel FM staff, DUBAWA confirmed that a group of individuals stormed the station on December 12, 2024. According to Kwaku Nti, a staff member, who was also spotted in the viral video, the group appeared agitated and demanded to see Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah. “Their mood wasn’t friendly,” he noted.

Further verification through a Google keyword search pointed to a video showing people entering a building believed to be Angel FM’s premises at Lapaz, located along the N1 highway at Nyamekye. The individuals in the video were chanting songs and calling out for Okatakyie Afrifa.

The group reportedly demanded an apology from the broadcaster, alleging that he had made disrespectful remarks about their tribe. Afrifa, known for his bold and sometimes controversial political commentary, was notably absent during the incident.

Conclusion

The claim that youth stormed Angel FM seeking Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah following the NDC’s electoral victory is true. Verified accounts and video evidence confirm the incident.

By: Aboko Peter

CLAIM:  An X account named Hon Haruna Iddrisu has claimed that the NDC polled 90,000 votes for John Mahama. 

VERDICT: False, John Mahama did not poll 90,000 votes but 69,591 votes. It is also necessary to mention that the account that posted the claim is different from the official account of the Member of Parliament for Tamale South Haruna Iddrissu. 

FULL TEXT

 An X account named Hon Haruna Iddrisu has claimed that John Mahama had 90,000 votes from the Tamale South constituency. 

This post was made on December 8, 2024. The claim says, “The 90,000 votes promised to JM were delivered in Tamale South. #Victory #thankyouGhana.” 

The claim displayed a picture showing the voting results of two political parties, NDC and NPP. The poster bears the name and picture of Haruna Iddrisu the incumbent Member of Parliament for the area.

So is the poster truly the MP for Tamale South and did John Mahama garner 90,000 votes? Dubawa decided to look into it. 

The post made on X  has received over 3.1k, 64 comments, 365 shares, and got over 63k views. 

VERIFICATION

First, since every constituency has the actual results of each polling station on the pink sheet Dubawa had access to the pink sheet from the Electoral Commissioner reps in the Tamale south constituency. Checks revealed that Mahama didn’t get 90,000 votes claimed by the X user.  But rather he had 69,591 votes.

Source: Electoral Commission 

But is the account the original X user of the Member of Parliament for Tamale South Haruna Iddrisu? DUBAWA’s checks revealed the account is not the original account of the member of parliament. His original account shows he never made that post. 

 CONCLUSION 

The claim that John Mahama had 90,000 votes from the Tamale South Constituency is false. DUBAWA’s investigation reveals that Hon Haruna Iddrisu never passed such a comment. 

This report was produced under the DUBAWA “Combating Election Misinformation and Disinformation in Ghana’s 2024 Elections” Project aimed at promoting a culture of truth and verification ahead of the 2024 General Elections with support from the Federal Republic of Germany in Ghana.

Claim: A trending video shows NDC Chairperson Johnson Asiedu Nketia allegedly stating that the NDC will cancel the Free SHS policy if elected in 2024. He suggested the policy is unsustainable.

Verdict: False! Johnson Asiedu Nketia did not say that the NDC party plans to cancel the Free SHS policy if elected into power in the upcoming elections. DUBAWA’s investigations reveal that the video was edited and framed to distort Johnson Asiedu Nketia’s utterances concerning the free SHS policy and the double-track system.

Full Text

A video has been circulating specifically on TikTok showing Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), informing the public that the NDC will cancel the free SHS policy when they come into power. This video has accumulated over 474,900 views, 16,500 likes, over 6,000 shares, and over 1,000 comments.

This has sparked discussions and comments about the NDC’s political intentions; while some users say the video has been doctored, other social media users have decided to vote to keep the free SHS policy running.

Since its inception in September 2017, the Free Senior High School policy has been the subject of national discussion, with comments for or against the policy sparking continuous debates in the nation’s media space. DUBAWA decided to look into the authenticity of this video as several commenters suggested it had been manipulated.

Verification

The researcher first conducted a keyword search on the subject. The findings revealed

that several news outlets had reported on Mr Asiedu Nketia’s activities in the Ashanti Region. Still, none had reported that he announced the abolition of the free SHS policy.

The researcher also found reports of Johnson Asiedu Nketia accusing the NPP of sabotaging his campaign by doctoring his video.

The researcher also carefully studied the full-length video and discovered that the footage circulating had been framed and re-edited to misinterpret what Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia said.

In the full-length video, Asiedu Nketia explains how the NDC will review the free SHS policy and cancel the double-track schooling system, saying,

“The Free Senior High School Policy is good, but we [NDC] will not leave it in the state it’s in. We will review it. We will make changes to it. This change we intend to make is the reason the NPP is going about claiming we[NDC] will cancel it.”

“He went on to say that they [NPP] have arranged the school system like a traffic light—red track, yellow track and green track. As for that one, no matter what they do, when the NDC comes into power, we will cancel that track, track system.”

This was during a political rally in the Ashanti region.

Following the circulation of the video claiming he announced the NDC would cancel the free SHS policy, Mr Asiedu Nketia has, in another video, publicly refuted the claim, saying, “Everything I say is recorded by the media and even streamed live on Facebook for all to see.”

Other media spaces like Citinews and Joy News Checks also debunked the claim of the viral video.

Conclusion

Based on the above search and findings, the video circulation about NDC’s Johnson Aiedu Nkeitah abolishing the free SHS when elected into power is false. DUBAWA’s investigations reveal that the video was edited and framed to distort Johnson Asiedu Nketia’s utterances concerning the free SHS policy and the double-track system.

This report was produced under the DUBAWA, “Combating Election Misinformation and Disinformation in Ghana’s 2024 Elections” Project aimed at promoting a culture of truth and verification ahead of the 2024 General Elections with support from the Federal Republic of Germany in Ghana.

Claim: Kapital Radio published false claims misrepresenting key politicians before the December 7 elections. 

Verdict: False! DUBAWA’s verifications show that Kapital Radio did not produce or publish the flyers. Kapital Radio’s management has called these publications fake and warned the public to be wary of them. 

Full Text

In the lead-up to the just-ended December 7 election, several politically affiliated social media accounts surfaced on TikTok and Facebook. In addition to campaign materials, these pages also posted questionable news flyers believed to have been published by various media houses.

DUBAWA took note of a series of news flyers, particularly claiming that notable figures in the NDC have made some politically damning remarks. Some of these were attributed to former president John Mahama, see here and here; his running mate, Prof Opoku Agyeman, is seen here, and other notable figures are seen here and here.

In our effort to contribute to safeguarding the integrity of Ghana’s election, DUBAWA investigated these claims.

Verification 

The researcher sought other news sites that may have also reported these claims attributed to various political figures. It was discovered that although these posts had garnered thousands of views, likes, and shares on TikTok and Facebook, no media house had reported on the claims.

A further search for any such quote from the persons mentioned revealed that  Professor Opoku Agyeman had debunked the claim on her official Facebook page. 

DUBAWA’s investigation revealed that Brigadier General Nunoo Mensah’s most recent media engagement ahead of the elections, reported by major media outlets, does not record him commenting on citizens’ perceptions of John Mahama as one of these Kapital Radio branded the fliers suggest. Brigadier Nunoo Mensah (retired) spoke to the claim on Lawson TV and clarified that he had made no such statement.

The researcher contacted Korsi Asiseh, a Managing Director of Kapital Radio, who clarified that the flyers circulating were not from Kapital Radio. He said, 

“Those flyers are not from us, and the political stories on them are not even true. They are all for political propaganda.”

Kapital Radio has published a flyer on its official Facebook page (Kapital Radio 97.1 fm), warning the general public to beware of the ‘fake flyers’ circulating in the media.

Conclusion

Based on DUBAWA’s investigations, the Kapital Radio flyers of political stories circulating on social media are false news created to impersonate Kapital Radio.

Claim: Social media users claim that the National Democratic Congress intends to change all ECG meters when elected. They are backing their claim with a 30-second video featuring the party’s National Communications Director, Sammy Gyamfi.

Verdict: This is misleading. DUBAWA Ghana has analysed a longer version of the video and found that the planned change of ECG meters was related to businesses that will opt to enrol in the proposed 24-hour economy.

Full Text

A 30-second clip featuring the National Communications Director of the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has gone viral on social media. 

In the video, he elaborated on the party’s plan to introduce a time-of-use tariff system to offer businesses affordable electricity as part of their 24-hour economy policy.

He can be heard saying, “The meter will be time-of-use and will be calibrated to run 24 hours. Therefore, if it doesn’t work during the day but only at night, it will cut you out, and you wouldn’t benefit.” 

He commented when he appeared as a guest on UTV’s United Showbiz on Saturday, November 30.

The clip being shared on social media has the writing, 

“Sammy Gyamfi: under the 24-hour economy, John Mahama will change all meters.” 

The captions of posts by social media users who share the clip promote the narrative that the NDC plans to change all electricity meters when elected into office.

Some of these posts can be found here, here, here, and here.

Did Sammy Gyamfi say they were going to change all meters when elected?

Verification

DUBAWA Ghana analysed the full interview of Sammy Gyamfi for a better understanding of the context within which he spoke. The full length of his comments about electricity tariffs and the 24-hour economy can be found between minutes 2:05:26 and 2:09:58.

Explaining the proposed time-of-use tariff system, Sammy Gyamfi said that the system’s meter will be “calibrated to run 24 hours,” hence, “if you use it only at night, it will cut you out.”

“The bottom line is, we are going to reduce taxes and electricity tariffs,” he added.

Amidst concerns about the high cost of power since introducing new meters, Sammy Gyamfi was asked if his party’s time-of-use tariff system will be run even with the existing meters.

He said, “No, it will be a different meter, and it is only for those who will be running the 24-hour economy and have signed onto the 24-hour economy because we want to reduce the cost of doing business so that they can scale up,” between minutes 2:09:40 and 2:09:58.

Conclusion

Although the NDC’s National Communications Officer discussed the party’s intention to change meters, he clarified that it was only for those who choose to enrol in the 24-hour economy.

Claim: NDC supporters stormed the Kpandai Collation Centre to disrupt the exercise, according to JoyNews (Archived).

Verdict: True

Explanation

The Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition spoke to a local journalist, Kissi Samuel, who confirmed the incident occurred between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM on December 8, 2024, at the Kpandai District Assembly while the collation process was underway.

According to the reporter, the NDC supporters arrived in vehicles branded with the party’s colours in disagreement with the election results which certified the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate as the winner. 

 “Before we realised, they entered the collation centre room, all the materials the EC were using, they destroyed everything, the projector, the laptop, the computers, the papers, the pink sheet, the verification machine, everything, they destroyed everything,” the journalist said. 

The claim that supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) disrupted the collation exercise at the Kpandai collation centre has been verified as true.