Category: General

The Deputy Minority Chief Whip in Parliament Ahmed Ibrahim has blamed the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin for turning a blind eye on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, by not ensuring the rules of the floor was brought to bear during the Majority’s one-sided approval of the controversial E-levy.

He has further accused the Speaker of betraying their course in the one-sided approval of the E-levy.

He was of the view that the Speaker should have instructed the Clerk of Parliament to call for a headcount when the Minority walked out on the passage of the E-levy.

Mr Ibrahim explained that in the same scenario, when the First Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei Owusu assumed the seat to overturn what the Minority did with the Speaker presiding, he (the First Deputy Speaker) instructed the Clerk of Parliament to call for a headcount and counted himself to satisfy himself they have formed a quorum to pass the 2022 budget.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Banda Constituency in the Ahafo Region said this in an interview with Kwame Obeng Sarkodie on the Ghana Yensom morning show on Accra 100.5 FM, Thursday, March 31, 2022.

He stressed that before the decision was made for the Minority to walk out on the passage of the E-levy; Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrissu notified the Speaker.

“The Speaker asked when the leadership of the Minority intends to walk out and he (the Speaker) was told immediately after the Minority leader finished making his submission on the E-levy,” Mr Ibrahim said. “So, nothing came to the Speaker as a surprise, when the Minority staged the walkout,” he added.

He noted that the Speaker ought to have known that the NPP could not have formed a quorum to have passed the E-levy because the Majority numbers were 137.

This, he indicated, implies that the Majority fell short of forming a quorum to have passed the E-levy per the Supreme Court’s ruling on the formation of parliamentary quorum.

He said the Speaker failed to make article 108 work when the Minority staged the walked out.

“I’ve always been number one defender of the Speaker but on this front, the Speaker betrayed the Minority big time on what transpired in Parliament last Tuesday,” he bemoaned.

Source: Modern Ghana

Bolgatanga, March 31, GNA – Stakeholders at a forum in Bolgatanga have said unregulated transhumance and the recent instability in neighbouring countries put border communities in northern Ghana at risk of violent extremism and terrorism.

Transhumance is the seasonal movement of livestock from one grazing ground to another in search for available pastoral resources under the guidance of herders.

For instance, each year, due to the ecological situation in the Sub-Sahara Desert, there are always livestock movement from countries like Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso into countries including Ghana.

Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, the Executive Director, Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), a Non-Governmental Organisation, said those cycle movements, through the country’s porous borders, were unchecked and created issues within the border communities.

He called for the security forces to have workable systems in place to regulate movements and resolve border conflicts, while preventing extremist groups from entering the country, especially in northern Ghana.

These came to light at an evaluation workshop in Bolgatanga, organised by the GDCA on the implementation of the Reinforcing Cohesion in Northern Ghana through the Peaceful and Coherent Development of Agro-Pastoral Sector project.

The three months project, being piloted in five communities in the Bongo and Bawku West districts in the Upper East Region, was funded by the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office in the United Kingdom through the Acting for Life, France-based organisation.

Alhaji Abdel-Rahman acknowledged the significant contribution livestock movement had had on Ghana’s economy in terms of helping to meet the demands of meat, “however, Ghana needs to be wary of the instability in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in recent years and develop short to long-term policies to regulate movement and secure the borders,” he added.

“Some of the things that the herders do in Ghana they cannot do in Burkina Faso, Mali or Togo because they have put in place very strict policies that are working and that is what Ghana needs to do and provide the needed logistics to enforce the directives,” he said.

Mr Martin Soyeh, Deputy Superintendent of Immigration, the Upper East Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Immigration Service, said community involvement was key to fighting crime at the borders and called for sensitisation of residents to support the security services to protect lives and property.

He proposed the formation of community watchdog committees to provide relevant information to the security agencies to act.

Mr Lukman Yussif, Project Coordinator, GDCA, said as part of the implementation strategies, five Village Savings and Loans Associations comprising 100 women and 120 mixed agro-processing groups were formed and trained on shea butter, rice, and groundnut processing, with each beneficiary given GH₵700.00 as start-up.

That, he added, was to improve the socio-economic situation of communities to reduce their vulnerability to external actors.

Source: Ghana News Agency

 The African line up for the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup has been concluded with the return leg matches of the play-off round completed in sensational and exciting fashion.

African champions Senegal headline the five African countries to proceed to the World Cup alongside Morocco, Ghana, Tunisia and Cameroon.

The stories of Ghana and Cameroon stands out because they both went away and secured qualification.

Nigeria 1-1 Ghana (1-1 aggregate): Ghana qualified for their fourth World Cup after edging out Nigeria on the away goal rule following a 1-1 draw in Abuja. The two sides drew 0-0 in the first leg in Kumasi last week and heading into the return fixture, the Ghanaians only needed a scoring draw to progress.

And they did exactly that, qualifying for the World Cup after missing the 2018 showpiece in Russia. For Nigeria, this is the first time they will be missing the World Cup since 2006.

Thomas Partey had given Ghana an 11th minute lead before William Troost Ekong levelled for the Super Eagles in the 22nd minute.

Partey broke the deadlock with a sleek shot from the edge of the box with keeper Francis Uzoho seeing the ball sneak between his body and the ground, a dream start for the visitors.

Nigeria fought to get level and they did so in the 22nd minute from the penalty spot awarded after a lengthy VAR check. Ademola Lookman was clipped inside the box by Dennis Odoi and Ekong stepped up to score and put Nigeria firmly back in contention.

The Super Eagles thought they had grabbed the lead in the 34th minute but Victor Osimhen was flagged down for offside and the decision was confirmed by VAR.

In the second half, Ghana managed to soak in the pressure from Nigeria and saw off the result after 90 minutes.

Algeria 1-2 Cameroon (2-2 on aggregate): Karl Toko Ekambi swept home perhaps the most important goal of his career, scoring in the fourth minute of added time as Cameroon beat Algeria 2-1 in Blida to qualify for their eighth FIFA World Cup.

The two teams played to a 2-2 aggregate score, but Cameroon qualify to Qatar on the away goal rule.

Algeria had scored two minutes to the end when Ahmed Touba headed home Rachid Ghezzal’s corner, but the never say die Indomitable Lions had the last laugh, Ekambi sweeping the ball home inside the box after Michael Ngadeu headed down the ball for him.

It was massive heartbreak for Algeria with their coach Djabel Belmadi sinking to the turf after the fulltime whistle in a case of too close but too far for Les Fennecs.

The game was forced to extra time after a 1-0 score-line to Cameroon in the regulation 90 minutes.

In regulation time, skipper Maxime Choupo Moting scored the lone goal for Cameroon, slamming the ball home after keeper Rais M’Bohli dropped a corner right at his feet.

Algeria had chances to draw level and the best of them fell on Youcef Bellaili. Off a counter, Islam Silimani collected the ball and squared to Bellaili on a silver platter, but the midfielder fired wide with only the keeper to beat from 10 yards out.

In extra time, Algeria thought they had scored a vital goal when Slimani netted from a cross on the left. However, Algeria’s celebrations were cut short by the VAR, with the Algerian forward adjudged to have handled the ball as he headed the ball in.

Andre Onana made two brilliant saves denying Bellaili from close range and Youcef Attal’s thunderous strike from distance. 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

The Roads and Highways Ministry has clarified that the 10,875 kilometres of roads constructed as claimed by the President during the State of the Nation address, includes ongoing works on unpaved roads.

His comment follows the contentious update by President Akufo-Addo on roads constructed under his tenure.

“Technically, any activity on the road amounts to “construction” hence, His Excellency the President’s statement that “so far, more roads have been built, improved and upgraded than at any other equivalent period under any government in the history of Ghana,” the ministry explained in a statement.

It said a lot of investment had gone into both the paved and unpaved roads “to improve the riding quality on our roads.”

The construction work the Ministry said it does on unpaved roads includes “grading, graveling, re-graveling, and spot improvement.”

The Ministry said in 2017, the total network size was 78,402 km and as of the end of 2021, “the projected network size had increased to 94,203km.”

It added that these developments are currently undergoing validation.

The Ministry’s response comes after some criticism from some members of the Minority in Parliament.

The Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament, Kwame Agbodza, called on the government to back the President’s update with data, threatening to resign as MP for Adaklu if they were able to prove the claim.

Source: Modern Ghana

Accra, March 31, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has signed the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) Bill passed by Parliament last Tuesday into law.

The President signed the Bill into law moments after a Cabinet meeting at the Jubilee House, Accra, on Thursday.

The Bill, which for sometime generated angst, both in public discuss and in the legislature, was passed by a one-sided Parliament after members on the Minority side refused to take part in the deliberations on the tax on electronic transactions.

They said the Bill was unfair to Ghanaians and walked out of the Chamber of the House before the consideration stage of the statute last Tuesday.

The President’s assent to the Bill paves the way for a charge of 1.5 percent tax on all electronic transactions, including mobile money payment, beginning May this year.

Government says the tax would help the country rake in some 900 million dollars that would help solve the current economic challenges of the nation.

Moments after the passage of the Bill, three members of Parliament on the Minority side filed a suit at the Supreme Court challenging the passage of the Bill.

Their contention is that the House did not meet the required quorum of members before the Bill was passed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Chief Operating Officer (COO)-Environmental Sanitation Cluster, Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Mrs. Florence Larbi, has received a Global Women Achievers Award, in 2022 from India.

The Global Women Achievers Award (TGWWA) was presented to Mrs. Larbi via zoom recently in recognition of her contributions to the environmental and sanitation space in Ghana.

The Global Women Achievers Awards is organised annually by CMO Global and World Women Leadership and Congress & Awards–all in India, and is aimed at honouring outstanding women who have impacted societies positively. It also celebrates women who have excelled in various spheres of life.

In a citation accompanying the award, Mrs. Larbi is recognised for her huge contributions to the transformation and expansion of the Jospong Group of Companies.

“With a great passion for growing a local brand coupled with hard work, she was promoted and appointed the General Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited,” the citation read.

Furthermore, the citation was full of praise for Mrs. Larbi’s contributions to the management of municipal solid waste in Ghana.

In a brief remark, Mrs. Larbi thanked the organisers for the recognition and urged all women in society to always aim high.

The Chief Corporate Communication Officer of JGC, Ms. Sophia Kudjordji, also received a TGWAA for her impactful role in the communication space.

Source: Ghana Web

Management Committee member of the Black Stars, Samuel Osei Kuffour is confident Ghana will make an impact at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The four-time booked their place in the global showpiece after holding Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in the return game in Abuja.

Speaking to the media, the former Black Stars defender congratulated the players for their explosive display in the two-legged tie against Nigeria to secure qualification, adding the team will do wonders at the tournament later this year.

“The World Cup is the biggest stage and every player wants to be there, you fought a good fight and I am proud of your performance,” he said.

“Every legend is proud and I can say Ghana will do wonders in Qatar,” the former Bayern Munich centre back added.

Arsenal star Thomas Partey opened the scoring of the decisive game after 10 minutes at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong converted a penalty to draw the Super Eagles level after a VAR decision in the 22nd minute.

Ghana is returning to the biggest soccer Mundial for the fourth time after missing out in Russia in 2018.

The Black Stars’ best performance at the World Cup came in 2010 when Ghana reached the quarterfinals of the tournament in South Africa.

Ghana will know its group opponents on Friday, April 1.

Source: Modern Ghana

Accra, March 31, GNA -The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) Ghana are supporting the promotion of Ghanaian exotic fruits under the theme “Discover the superior taste of Ghana’s green gold”.

Part of it is the participation of seven GlobalG.A.P. certified members of the Sea-freight Pineapple Exporters of Ghana (SPEG) at Fruit Logistica 2022 from April 5 to April 7 in Berlin, Germany.

A statement from GEPA said among other products, the focus would lie on highlighting the Ghanaian Sugarloaf, a sweeter pineapple variety than the more common MD2.

Ghanaian producers already export Sugarloaf pineapples to France and in the next few years, this variety will also be introduced to other European markets.

The Fruit Logistica trade fair is the place to be to get acquainted with Sugarloaf from Ghana.

Europe is the main destination of 90% of Ghanaian pineapples and among the top five European markets are Belgium, France, the UK, Switzerland, and Germany.

Ghana’s proximity to the European market means the environmental footprint from distribution is relatively small compared to shipments from Asia and Latin America.

Meet the pineapple producers and exporters of other fruits like mangoes at the Ghana Pavilion in hall 26 stand E24.

The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) is the national focal point agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry with the mandate to develop and promote non-traditional exports in Ghana.

The goal of GEPA is to ensure that Ghana’s non-traditional export trade contributes to accelerated economic growth through the strategic marketing of Made-in-Ghana products in the competitive global economy. GEPA provide relevant trade information to buyers interested in sourcing quality products from the country. To this end, GEPA assists buyers to make well-informed decisions on doing business in Ghana.

The Sea-freight Pineapple Exporters of Ghana (SPEG) is specialized in the export of high-quality pineapples. Its mission is to bring together operations in the pineapple and the larger fruit industry and promote good agricultural practices and provide effective and economic logistics services.

The West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) is funded by the European Union and aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the West Africa region and enhance the integration of ECOWAS Member States and Mauritania into the regional and international trading system.

Source: Ghana News Agency