Day: February 8, 2024

Tolon: The DANIDA Alumni Network has held a forum with farmers in the Tolon District of the Northern Region to share knowledge on sustainable agricultural practices.

The forum was to discuss ideas and opportunities and formalise what is known as the Lead Farmer Concept, where farmers have been trained to take up advisory roles aimed at bridging the extension officer-to-farmer ratio gap in the area.

It formed part of the Ghana Agricultural Innovation Network (GAIN), a project being undertaken by a four-member group of the DANIDA Alumni Network, under a grant by the DANIDA Fellowship Centre.

The GAIN project, which has been running for a year, seeks to present innovative concepts to transfer knowledge in the smallholder farming systems in the Northern, Savannah and North East regions.

Mr Eugene Dela Setsoafia, a Member of the DANIDA Alumni Network, who led the forum, said the concept was informed by the Alumni members’ observation, which showed that there were challenges in the northern smallholder farming
systems.

He said the initiative was to train farmers as leaders, who were capable of transferring knowledge to other farmers to cover up the lapses that resulted from lack of agriculture extension services.

Mr Setsoafia said experienced and knowledgeable farmers, who had some social capital, were in a better position to advice their peers to adopt this knowledge.

Participating farmers at the forum shared some perceived challenges they might encounter practicalising the concept of lead farmers, notable among them being the issue of logistics.

He said despite the challenges that the lead farmer concept could face it presented great opportunities for innovation.

Madam Garcia Amelle Honvoh, a Representative of the Denmark Embassy, Accra, who joined the forum virtually, said DANIDA invested in diverse fields, including Agriculture, by offering grants to people who had potentials of making significant impact in the industry.

He lauded the DANIDA Alumni Network for their involvement in the GAIN project and exp
ressed his hope for insightful outcomes.

Mr Bassit Abdul Zakari, the Tolon District Director, Department of Agriculture, lauded the lead farmer concept saying it had the potential to bridge the persisting agriculture extension services gap in the district.

He noted that the extension service officer to farmer ratio was 1:3000 as against the recommended ratio of 1:500.

Mr Zakari said the beneficiary lead farmers trained for the project were from various communities in the district, which meant that their acquired knowledge with on new technologies and sustainable farming practices would be shared effectively with most farmers in the area.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: Fitch Solutions, an international rating agency, says Ghana’s disinflationary trends could be hampered by geopolitical concerns and stalled foreign debt restructuring,

In a report detailing Ghana’s inflation and interest dynamics, the rating agency noted that an increase in geopolitical tensions could disrupt global trade, causing further increases in global commodity prices.

The rating agency stated that because Ghana was a net importer of both fuel and food, such an increase would raise the cost of imports and undermine the disinflationary process.

Ghana’s disinflation rate has been drifting downward, with the Ghana Statistical Service reporting 52.2 percent in December 2022, compared to 23.2 percent in the same month in 2023.

The Bank of Ghana (BOG) stated that the disinflation process will continue, with headline inflation predicted to fall from 13 to 17 per cent by the end of 2024 before gradually returning to the medium-term target range of 6-10 per cent by 2025.

Fitch Solutions also warned
that negotiations between Ghana and its commercial creditors could stall and take longer than expected.

Ghana’s external debt restructuring with government creditors is complete; however, negotiations with commercial creditors are still ongoing.

According to the rating agency, this would delay IMF payouts and erode investor confidence, culminating in a Cedi sell-off and a resumption of inflation.

The agency said that in both scenarios, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) would embark on a more conservative monetary easing cycle than we currently forecast.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has declared that it will sign a social contract with political leaders vying for the presidency in 2025. This agreement would be based on their economic policies and manifesto commitments.

Dr. Joseph Obeng, President of the Association, indicated that the decision was made to ensure that the business community and Ghanaians hold the next president accountable for his words.

‘We will subject the policies and promises of political parties and individual aspirants to a credibility litmus test and hold them accountable. We will, therefore, sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with them ahead of the 2024 elections,’ he said.

Dr Obeng was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday, February 8, following the delivery of the vision of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He said that they had seen some indications of candidates beginning to listen to and align with the requirements of the business comm
unity in their visions.

He stated that their observation was based on their participation at the National Economic Summit hosted by the leader of the Movement for Change, Mr Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, as well as Dr Bawumia’s outline of his vision for Ghana.

‘We want the politicians to know that this year’s election is not going to be business as usual. We will critically assess their policies to see how it will be helpful to businesses, particularly, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)’ he said.

Dr. Obeng added that the business sector was interested in policies which, when implemented, would support business growth while contributing to revenue generation through taxation and job creation for the youth.

He encouraged all political parties, and their leaders, as well as individual aspirants to extensively engage the association and incorporate their needs in the drafting of their manifestoes.

Dr. Bawumia, in articulating his vision for the country, said that he would repeal the Electronic Transac
tions Levy (E-levy), Emission Tax, and the 15% Value Added Tax on electricity if he becomes president.

He talked about creating a flat tax for individuals and SMEs, simplifying the corporate tax system, and implementing a VAT regime to make tax payments easier and more business-friendly.

Dr. Obeng spoke on tax regimes, saying that when applied successfully, the flat tax ‘will prevent under declaration and under invoicing and make the government get the right taxes.’

He did, however, encourage the Vice President to use his position to influence the implementation of the specified policies, stating that ‘some of the solutions can be implemented in the shortest time possible.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, has laid out a comprehensive vision for the mining sector, which would help to effectively regulate the industry, especially small-scale miners and protect the environment.

Speaking to the nation in Accra on Wednesday to unveil his vision for Ghana, Dr Bawumia said about one million Ghanaians were engaged in small-scale mining, hence the need to transform those miners to practice responsible mining, create more wealth, and protect the environment.

‘About one million people are engaged in small scale mining. Our goal would be to help small scale mining companies to grow into large scale companies with capacity building and skills to access financing to acquire equipment.

‘We can create many millionaires in the small-scale mining industry if we support them,’ Dr Bawumia said.

‘My government will support the Minerals Commission and key stakeholders to formalise the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector with the o
bjective of ensuring that the activities of the entire value chain are sustainably and responsibly done.’

That would ensure that most of the gold produced by this sector could be sold to the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and be eligible to be part of the gold reserves of the Central Bank, the NPP Flagbearer said.

In line with that, he said his government ‘would license all miners doing responsible mining. District mining committees, including chiefs, will provide initial temporary licenses to the miners.’

‘As long as miners mine within the limits of their licenses, there will be no mining in river or water bodies, there will no longer be any seizure or burning of excavators.’

‘I will fully decentralise the Minerals Commission as well as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ensure that they are present in all mining districts.’

Dr Bawumia said under his government, every Ghanaian in small-scale mining would be registered under the Ghana Small Scale Miners Association with their Ghanacard.

‘We will, in collabo
ration with the large mining companies, convert abandoned shafts into community mining schemes and open more new community mining schemes.’

Other initiatives include a pension scheme for small-scale miners similar to what pertains in the cocoa sector for cocoa farmers.

He intends to introduce vocational and skills training on sustainable mining for small-scale miners in the curriculum of TVET institutions.

He would provide equipment to government authorities in mining communities to undertake reclamation of land, set up state of the art common user gold processing units in mining districts, in collaboration with the private sector, and conduct an audit of all concessions with various licenses.

‘To encourage exploration, a Bawumia-governement will abolish the VAT on exploration services (like assaying) to encourage more exploration.’

‘We will establish, in collaboration with the private sector, a Minerals Development Bank to support the mining industry.’

‘We will establish (through the private sector) a
London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) certified gold refinery in Ghana within four years.’

‘All responsibly mined small scale gold produced would be sold to the Central Bank, Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) and Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), which would be required to be refined before export.’

The event was on the theme: ‘Ghana’s Next Chapter: Selfless Leadership and Bold Solutions for the Future,’ which enabled the NPP Flagbearer for the December Election, to outline his vision and direction for the nation.

Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady, Wife of the Vice President Hajia Samira Bawumia, former President John Agyekum Kufuor, former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye, and Mrs Osei Frema-Opare, the Chief of Staff were in attendance.

The others include the National Chairman of the NPP, Stephen Ayensu Ntim, Mr Justin Kodua Frempong, General Secretary of the Party, former presidential aspirants, ministers of State, members of Parliament, Party Executives, Council
of Elders of the Party, and the diplomatic community.

The Kofi Ohene Konadu Auditorium of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) where the forum was held, was filled to capacity with enthusiastic party supporters and sympathizers having to find space outside the auditorium.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, the Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), says over 500,000 hectares of Cocoa farms in Ghana have been lost to the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Viral Disease (CSSVD).

He said this was posing a major threat to the country’s cocoa production.

Mr Aidoo said measures have been put in place and continue to be implemented to address the issue.

The CEO made this known during a panel discussion at a partnership meeting of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) in Amsterdam, where he shed light on the multifaceted challenges confronting cocoa production in Ghana.

Mr Aidoo, in addition to CSSVD, highlighted the detrimental impacts of illegal mining and climate change, which further exacerbate the decline in cocoa productivity and pose a great threat to the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.

‘The unregulated mining industry is causing deforestation, soil degradation, and water pollution, all of which are negatively affecting the growth of cocoa trees,’ he said.

He said coupled with this menace
was climate change which was having a devastating effect on cocoa trees, which are highly sensitive to temperature and weather patterns.

Mr Aidoo said the rise in temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and prolonged droughts were affecting tree growth and reducing their output.

He said to address the CSSVD challenge, COCOBOD instituted the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme in 2018 to halt the spread of the disease, restore unproductive farms and ultimately improve the livelihood of cocoa farmers.

The rehabilitation programme involves identifying diseased farms, cutting down affected trees, replanting with disease-resistant cocoa varieties, compensating affected farmers, and promoting good agricultural practices.

The CEO stressed the importance of securing sustainable incomes for cocoa farmers, underscoring the Living Income Differential and the recent significant hikes in Ghana’s Producer Price for cocoa farmers as crucial advancements in this regard.

He said there was the need for a collective commitment ac
ross the industry to prioritize the sustainable incomes of cocoa farmers, backed by concrete action to ensure its realisation.

Mr Yves Brahima Koné, the Director General of Conseil du Café Cacao, urged the industry to show immediate commitment to addressing the issue, emphasizing that failure to do so could result in the industry succumbing to these challenges.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Kpone: The Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly (KKMA) has cut the sod for the construction of an ultra-modern market facility at Kpone in the Greater Region to boost trading activities in the municipality.

Mr Samuel Okoe Amanquah, the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), explained that the existing market did not befit the area’s status, hence his administration’s resolve to reconstruct the facility into a modern trading centre.

The existing market had just a few sheds, shops and containers, therefore, was unable to supply all the needs of the residents, he said, and that thieves also continued to take advantage of the unprotected space to steal from traders.

He said the new edifice, when completed, would contain 120 lockable shops on the ground and first floors, 64 sheds at the centre of the market, a banking facility, and a pharmacy to create an enabling environment for trading.

Again, the eroded grounds of the lorry station adjacent to the market would be paved, with sheds created and office
s made available for the transport operators as well as washrooms for commuters.

The MCE indicated that logistics needed for the work to start had been made available, saying: ‘Now that we have approval from the Government who has voted GHS10 million for the construction of the new market’.

Construction works were estimated to take a maximum of 12 months, with the contractor assuring the Assembly of his resolve to complete it ahead of schedule within eight months.

Mr Joseph Akuerteh Tettey, the Member of Parliament for Kpone-Katamanso, pleaded with the contractor to stay within schedule and hand over the completed project, for effective trading to commence.

Ms Christina Teiko Ablade Kpobe, the Market Queen, commended the MCE for his effort, which would provide more spaces for traders to occupy.

Source: Ghana News Agency