Category: General

Ebenezer Acheampong, the former Head of Procurement at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has said that Agribusiness is the way forward for the economic development of Ghana and has urged all farmers to take advantage of the emerging opportunities and go into crop farming.

He said this during an Agribusiness Summit organized by the Men Ministry of the Church of Pentecost, Obuasi Area.

The Church of Pentecost Men Ministry (PEMEM) in Obuasi Area under the chairmanship of Apostle Williams Boakye Agyarko held the summit on Saturday 23rd of April 2022 at the Bedieso Chapel Auditorium in Obuasi under the theme “Equipping Men with Opportunities and Skill Set to Possess the Nations”.

Mr. Acheampong mentioned that the fundamental elements and their percentages are key to one’s bid to be prosperous in business. He stated that for one to be prosperous, Knowledge and Wisdom takes ten percent (10%), Character takes forty percent (40%), and the Environment takes the remaining fifty percent (50%). He then advised the farmers to study their environment by way of needs before going into a particular crop farming, acquire knowledge before taking any adventure and to also possess the right character for it.

After setting the context, the guest speaker also spoke about agribusiness value chain and the emerging opportunities in agriculture. He categorized the agribusiness value chain into four segments (1. Input Manufacturing and Production, 2. Input Sales and Supply, 3. Farming and Harvesting, 4. Processing, Packaging and Retailing). He went on to explain the business opportunities in all the segments and encouraged the participants to find a suitable segment for themselves.

He again informed the farmers the six emerging Tree Crops such as Coconut Trees, Rubber Trees, Oil Palm Trees, Mango Trees, Cashew Trees and Shea Trees required for the socio-economic development of Ghana and asked the farmers to pursue those tree crops, take advantage of government initiative and support for growing these Trees for their personal benefit and that of the nation.

The summit saw One Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty-Eight (1,268) members and Pastors from all the Twenty-Eight (28) Districts in the Area.

Apostle William Boakye Agyarko – The Area Head of the Church of Pentecost in Obuasi admonished all Christians to be diligent in their work for the blessings of God to be manifested in their lives.

He advised the members not to be lazy but work hard in their chosen profession. He mentioned that contemporary Christians prefer to pray for the blessings of God without doing any work but said “our God blesses us through our hard work and diligence as stated in the bible”.

The Area Men Ministry Leader – Pastor Benjamin Sarpong Mensah thanked the facilitators, the guest speaker and asked all the members to use the knowledge acquired for the betterment of their lives, the society and to possess the nations for Christ.

Source: Modern Ghana

The Ghana Football Association [GFA] have started documentation of Inaki and Nico Williams as they undergo a process to switch nationality from Spain to Ghana ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Athletico Bilbao brothers have been a long-term target for the Ghana Football Association [GFA] but their attempt to lure them to play for the Black Stars have proven futile.

However, according to a report filed by Kumasi-based Kessben FM, the country’s football governing body started the documentation process after the parents of the two players gave the clearance to switch allegiance from Spain and play for the Black Stars.

Inaki has featured for the Spanish national team with his last appearance was a friendly game against Bosnia and Herzegovina back in 2016.

This makes him eligible to play for the Black Stars at the 2022 World Cup.

Earlier this month, Modernghana.com Sports reported that the leadership of the FA have held positive talks with the parents of the two brothers.

Inaki in an interview last year cast doubts on switching nationalities for Ghana saying, “My parents are from Accra and I really enjoy going. But I wasn’t born or raised there, my culture’s here, and there are players for whom it would mean more.

“I don’t think it would be right to take the place of someone who really deserves to go and who feels Ghana 100%,” he added.

Ghana have been pitched in Group H alongside Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea for the Mundial later this year in Qatar.

The Black Stars will open their 2022 World Cup campaign in Group H against Portugal on November 24 before the second group game against South Korea on November 28 before the final group game against Uruguay on December 2.

Source: Modern Ghana

The war in Ukraine has dealt a major shock to commodity markets, altering global patterns of trade, production, and consumption in ways that will keep prices at historically high levels through the end of 2024, according to the World Bank’s latest Commodity Markets Outlook report.The increase in energy prices over the past two years has been the largest since the 1973 oil crisis. Price increases for food commodities—of which Russia and Ukraine are large producers—and fertilizers, which rely on natural gas as a production input, have been the largest since 2008.

“Overall, this amounts to the largest commodity shock we’ve experienced since the 1970s. As was the case then, the shock is being aggravated by a surge in restrictions in trade of food, fuel and fertilizers,” said Indermit Gill, the World Bank’s Vice President for Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions. “These developments have started to raise the specter of stagflation. Policymakers should take every opportunity to increase economic growth at home and avoid actions that will bring harm to the global economy.”

Energy prices are expected to rise more than 50 percent in 2022 before easing in 2023 and 2024.Non-energy prices, including agriculture and metals, are projected to increase almost 20 percent in 2022 and will also moderate in the following years. Nevertheless, commodity prices are expected to remain well above the most recent five-year average. In the event of a prolonged war, or additional sanctions on Russia, prices could be even higher and more volatile than currently projected.

Because of war-related trade and production disruptions, the price of Brent crude oil is expected to average $100 a barrel in 2022, its highest level since 2013 and an increase of more than 40 percent compared to 2021. Prices are expected to moderate to $92 in 2023—well above the five-year average of $60 a barrel. Natural-gas prices (European) are expected to be twice as high in 2022 as they were in 2021, while coal prices are expected to be 80 percent higher, with both prices at all-time highs.

“Commodity markets are experiencing one of the largest supply shocks in decades because of the war in Ukraine,” said Ayhan Kose, Director of the World Bank’s Prospects Group, which produces the Outlook report. “The resulting increase in food and energy prices is taking a significant human and economic toll—and it will likely stall progress in reducing poverty. Higher commodity prices exacerbate already elevated inflationary pressures around the world.”

Wheat prices are forecast to increase more than 40 percent, reaching an all-time high in nominal terms this year. That will put pressure on developing economies that rely on wheat imports, especially from Russia and Ukraine. Metal prices are projected to increase by 16 percent in 2022 before easing in 2023 but will remain at elevated levels.

“Commodity markets are under tremendous pressure, with some commodity prices reaching all-time highs in nominal terms,” said John Baffes, Senior Economist in the World Bank’s Prospects Group. “This will have lasting knock-on effects. The sharp rise in input prices, such as energy and fertilizers, could lead to a reduction in food production particularly in developing economies. Lower input use will weigh on food production and quality, affecting food availability, rural incomes, and the livelihoods of the poor.”

Special Focus: The Impact of the War in Ukraine on Commodity Markets

The report’s Special Focus section offers an in-depth exploration of the war’s impact on commodity markets. It also examines how commodity markets responded to similar shocks in the past. The analysis finds that the war’s impact could be longer-lasting than previous shocks for at least two reasons.

First, there is less room now to substitute the most affected energy commodities for other fossil fuels—because price increases have been broad-based across all fuels. Second, the increase in prices of some commodities is also driving up prices of other commodities—high natural-gas prices have raised fertilizer prices, putting upward pressure on agricultural prices. In addition, policy responses so far have focused more on tax cuts and subsidies—which often exacerbate supply shortfalls and price pressures—than on long-term measures to reduce demand and encourage alternative sources of supply.

The war is also leading to more costly patterns of trade that could result in longer-lasting inflation. It is expected to cause a major diversion of trade in energy. For example, some countries are now seeking coal supplies from more remote locations. At the same time, some major coal importers could step up imports from Russia while reducing demand from other large exporters. This diversion will likely be more costly, the report notes, because it involves greater transportation distances—and coal is bulky and expensive to transport. Similar diversions are occurring with natural gas and oil.

In the near-term, higher prices threaten to disrupt or delay the transition to cleaner forms of energy. Several countries have announced plans to increase production of fossil fuels. High metal prices are also driving up the cost of renewable energy, which depends on metals such as aluminum and battery-grade nickel.

The report urges policymakers to act promptly to minimize harm to their citizens—and to the global economy. It calls for targeted safety-net programs such as cash transfers, school feeding programs, and public work programs—rather than food and fuel subsidies. A key priority should be to invest in energy efficiency, including weatherization of buildings. It also calls on countries to accelerate the development of zero-carbon sources of energy such as renewables.

Source: Modern Ghana

Absa Bank Ghana has unveiled the winner of its English premier league customer promotion dubbed, the “Card Assist campaign.”

The promotion was launched last December to encourage customers to take advantage of the bank’s contactless cards in managing their transactions seamlessly, with lots of prizes at stake as well.

The “Card Assist” campaign was also in alignment with the bank’s alliance with the English premier league (EPL), for which it is the official banking partner on the African continent.

The winner, Jamil Marwan Maraby, emerged as the customer with the highest number of card transactions in value and volume during the duration of the promotion. He is presently the Marketing Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and has been a customer of the bank since he was a teenager.

At an exclusive EPL match viewing event organized for the winner at Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel, Charles Addo, Retail Banking Director at Absa Bank said:

“The promotion was one way of bringing our customers closer to the products and services that make their lives easy and convenient. Jamil has a long history of association with the Bank, dating back to a time when he was literally in his teens. This is a demonstration of our commitment to stand beside our customers every step of their journey and to ensure that we are able to bring their possibilities to life.”

Apart from the match viewing event, Mr. Maraby received a Home Entertainment system, with a big TV screen and signed sports paraphernalia from the English premier league.

Commenting on his prize, Jamil Maraby said:

“I thank the bank for giving me the opportunity to celebrate such a great day with my friends and family. Absa has been a very important part of my personal and professional life and it is always fulfilling to know that I can count on them in any area related to financial empowerment and support.”

Source: Ghana Web

Kumasi, April 26, GNA – Mrs. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, has asked beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme to use the funds for their basic needs.

This would help achieve the government’s objective of helping the very poor and the marginalized in society to cater for needs such as food, drugs, and other essential daily requirements.

Mrs Dapaah, who is also the Caretaker Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, made the call when she inspected the ongoing payment to the beneficiaries of LEAP in the Ashanti Region.

The inspection was to monitor and ensure that the monies were appropriately dispensed to help the beneficiaries meet their needs.

The LEAP programme is a cash transfer for the extremely poor and vulnerable households in Ghana.

The programme aims to reduce poverty by smoothing consumption and promoting human capital development among extremely poor households.

It is expected that the LEAP cash grants would promote access to services and opportunities for these poor households and help them to meet their basic needs.

Mrs. Abena Dapaah, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the inspection, expressed satisfaction with the disbursement of the monies.

She said due to the digitalization of the process, it had been smooth and the issuance of the receipts had shown a lot of satisfaction.

“The process is smooth and orderly.

It is a good policy to help the poor and vulnerable households and the government needs to be commended for continuing it,” she said.

The Caretaker Minister said the current beneficiaries were the extremely poor, elderly, 65 years old and above.

The rest, she said, were orphaned and vulnerable children, persons with severe disabilities who could not work, and pregnant women or mothers with children under age one.

Mrs. Abena Dapaah advised the beneficiaries to utilise the monies well to help go a long way to cater for their basic needs.

The current disbursement is for the 75th and 76th cycle payment and beneficiaries received double their bi-monthly grant.

They were paid through E-zwich at designated pay-points in their respective communities.

Places visited were Dakojom, Daban and Sokoban, all in the Kumasi metropolis.

At Dakojom, 10 households were benefiting, 22 from Daban and 21 households from the Sokoban community.

A household with one eligible member receives GHC64.00, two receive GHC74.00, three receives GHC88.00, and four and above received GHC106.00.

Some of the beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the government for the support over the past years, saying that the monies had gone a long way to help them cater for their families.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Gambian actress Princess Shyngle says she charges men an amount of $30,000 before she accepts to go on a date.

In a question and answer series on Instagram, the actress indicated that the amount is expected to be deposited into her account before she accepts the invitation.

She made this known when a fan requested to meet her in Ohio.

“I charge $30,000 to go on dates,” she replied.

Princess Shyngle is widely known for extraordinarily small waste which gives her a peculiar look attracting lots of following on social media.

The Ghana-based Gambian actress got many talking when she announced her divorce from her husband, Gibou Bala Gaye, three months into their marriage.

She accused her ex-husband of constant abuse.

Source: Modern Ghana

Accra, April 26, GNA—The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) and the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) are to collaborate and implement the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038).

A joint statement signed by Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, Acting Director-General, CSA and Mr Richard Okyere-Fosu, Director-General, NITA, and copied the Ghana News Agency, said the Director-Generals of both institutions exchanged views on the benefits to be derived from working together.

It said they agreed that it was prudent for them to learn best practices from each other to effectively strategise and implement their respective mandates whilst addressing issues of mutual concern.

 The statement said they recognised the importance of securing Critical Information Infrastructure (CII).

It said they also noted that NITA, which was responsible for implementing Ghana’s IT policies had been designated as a CII pursuant to section 35 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038).

The statement said both highlighted NITA’s role as a government ICT lead to work closely with the CSA to ensure the protection of government data and critical systems.

 It said after successful deliberations, recommendations, and suggestions, they agreed to collaborate more closely on some critical areas.

The statement said the two institutions further agreed to provide each other with all the necessary assistance for the execution of their respective mandates and functions.

It said the CSA and NITA reaffirmed their commitment to work together and agreed to partner each other to engage their common stakeholders to hold joint discussions with them on the areas of their respective mandates.

The statement said they also agreed to collaborate in the development of a sectoral directive for the protection of CIIs in the government sector.

It said they resolved to collaborate in the area of capacity building and knowledge transfer through personnel exchanges.

The statement said the two institutions noted that they would collaborate in the area of incident response as NITA was considered a Sectoral Computer Emergency Response Team (Sectoral CERT) lead pursuant to Section 44 of Act 1038.

Also, it said they would collaborate on standardisation, certification and accreditation activities as part of both institutions’ regulatory mandates.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Takoradi, April 26, GNA – The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has been advised as a matter of urgency to replace its treatment machines at Daboase and other Dam sites in the Western Region.

This, according to Mr Sekyere Osei Yaw, Director of Conservation Foundation, had become necessary because the machines were deteriorated to the extent that they could no longer produce quality water for public consumption.

Mr Osei Yaw who made the call in an interview with the media in Takoradi blamed the activities of illegal mining and said they have contributed to the poor condition of the GWCL treatment machines and the water crisis in the Region.

“Unauthorized miners who have taken the law into their own hands and are mining illegally have resulted in such mess”, he stated.

He further admitted that illegal mining activities were adding more cost to the operations of the water company and called on Ghanaians to pay their water bills for the company to get funds for its activities.

Nana Yaw Barnie, Western Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of GWCL, confirmed that their treatment machines at Daboase and other treatment plants in the region had deteriorated.

This, he said was affecting the quality of water being produced.

He explained that the turbidity of the raw water required additional treatment, which came at a high cost to the company.

“For instance, our machines often break down, which takes days to fix and extra cost in maintaining it because we have to import technicians from Tema,” he said.

“Sometimes we use 40 bags of Aluminum Oxynitride (alon) instead of ten bags to treat the water to make it safe for consumption due to the level of pollution”, he added.

Source: Ghana News Agency