Category: General

The Ghana National Petroleum Commission (GNPC) Foundation for Livelihood Empowerment Programme has trained and graduated 389 artisans in the Ashanti Region at a colourful event at the Kumasi Cultural Centre on Saturday.

The programme, under the Skilled Artisan Project (SAP), initiated by the Government, seeks to support and build the capacities of Ghana’s youth to ensure that many of them became employable and economically independent to support their families and communities.

The various training modules were put together by GNPC with support from ASEDA Foundation, which facilitates the training and liaises with the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) to examine the trainees and issue them with certificates.

The graduands went through three years of apprenticeship in varied vocational skills such as fashion designing, carpentry, tiling, plumbing, makeup, auto-mechanics and general electrical.

Others were hairdressing, interior and exterior designing, event decoration, aluminium fabrication, mo
tor vehicle mechanic, engineering, steel bending, shoe making, catering, and baking.

They were also provided with soft skills training as well as standards of business and entrepreneurship practices such as bookkeeping, marketing or sales, branding, customer relations, attitude to work and safety at work.

The graduands received sets of start-up kits relevant to their specialisation to prepare them for their entrepreneurial journeys.

The start-up kits included industrial sewing machines, dryers, local ovens, tile cutting machines, aluminium sawing machines, diagnostic machines, Polishing machine, cylinder, and gas stoves.

Dr Dominic Eduah, the Executive Director of GNPC Foundation, said the training would enhance the employability of the artisans and empower them to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.

He said the Foundation had, since 2018, granted scholarships to more than 7,500 people, including the 1,700 who were graduating in 2023.

He noted that more than 350 students had also been given scholarship
s for studies in some specialised academic areas.

Among them are about 200 medical students in their final year in Cuba, who would soon return to work in some deprived districts in Ghana.

Dr Eduah said the Foundation had commissioned several schools to help in the delivery of technical and vocational education and to ensure that Ghanaians, no matter their geographical location, benefited from the oil money.

Education, he noted, remained an important platform towards national development, hence the Foundation’s investment in the sector to make it accessible to every Ghanaian child.

In the Ashanti Region alone, the Foundation had built over 150 boreholes, which were greater achievements in the developmental agenda.

The GNPC was also responsible for ensuring that Ghanaians obtained the greatest possible benefits from the development of the country’s petroleum resources, he said.

Nana Okyere Kusi Ntrama, the Paramount Chief of Essumeja Traditional Area, who chaired the programme, advised the beneficiaries t
o put their skills to good use to benefit themselves and society.

Some of the beneficiaries told the GNA that they were happy with the intervention and hoped that the GNPC would extend the programme to other areas, especially the villages.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Cocoa farmers in the Western North Region said the Government and stakeholders must initiate steps to amend the Concession Act 1962 (Act 124) to give farmers reasonable benefits from proceeds accrued from the commercialization of off-reserve timber resources.

The planting or nurturing of trees and timber resources forms part of a major climate change mitigation strategies for most farmers, but existing tree tenure and benefits sharing arrangements for off-reserve timber resources had been a great disincentive to the farmers.

With support from TROPENBOS Ghana, they called on the Forestry Commission to take urgent steps to address the situation to improve tree cover in off-reserve areas, and help combat climate change, while enhancing sustainability.

Mr Boakye Twumasi Ankra, the Project Manager, TROPENBOS Ghana, on behalf of the farmers, explained that the Concession Act 1962 (Act 124) gave the state authority over all naturally occurring trees, which was not motivative enough for farmers to genuinely nurtu
re the trees on their farms.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency after a sensitisation programme for more than 300 farmers in region, he said the Act took away tree ownership rights from farmers.

‘The only right the farmer has is to give written consent to the harvesting of specified trees on their farms with no direct financial benefit from revenue accrued from such trees.’

Mr Ankra, therefore, urged stakeholders to initiate steps to amend the law to help farmers benefit directly from trees on their farms.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority has noted with relief the Government’s announcement to suspend the laying of the proposed regulations on Restriction of Imports of Selected Strategic Products, 2023.

A statement signed by Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minority Leader, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the Minority had always maintained that those regulations would breed corruption.

That was because not only were they arbitrary and opaque but they were designed to encourage exercise of discretionary power in the hands of one person, particularly the Minister of Trade and Industry.

‘We have argued that by vesting too much unfettered and unchecked power in the Minister to determine who qualifies or not to be granted a permit to import as many as 24 commodities, the regulations lend themselves to abuse of power, state capture and rent-seeking conduct reminiscent of the days of ‘essential commodities’ and ‘price control’,’ the statement said.

‘Indeed, various stakeholders inc
luding the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), the Food and Beverages Association, Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Chamber of Automobile Dealership, and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have all joined us in kicking against these proposed import restrictions.’

It said the Minority, in principle, was not against any legal regime or policy that sought to protect indigenous businesses by regulating imports.

‘What we are vehemently against is a law that confers unfettered discretionary power on a single individual, in this case a Minister of Trade, to issue import license and to restrict the quantity of certain imports into the country, without any checks and balances.’

That defied sound logic for the Government to seek to restrict imports, contrary to what it had signed regarding Ghana’s current International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, the statement said.

It said one of the quantitative performance criteria in Ghana’s current I
MF bailout was a requirement to avoid the imposition or intensification of restrictions on imports for balance of payment reasons.

At a time Ghanaians were reeling under countless taxes, including those contained in the 2024 Budget, it would not be right that government introduced import restrictions that would fuel inflation and hoarding, the statement said.

‘We are happy that the Government has jettisoned these regulations after stiff resistance and opposition in Parliament by the Minority Caucus.’

‘We wish to assure the Ghanaian people and the business community that the Minority will always be on their side and put their interest first. Ghana First!’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (Ahafo South Mine), has been crowned the best company in the country at the 20th Ghana Club 100 awards, held in Accra.

The mining firm, which placed second in the 2022 edition, topped 99 other companies, including Scancom Plc Ghana (MTN Ghana), who took the second spot, and Amanex Company Limited, which clinched the third position.

Held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Friday, December 8, the event was laced with strategic networking sessions, as well as music and dance.

The event was organised by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), in collaboration with the MIE Group – organisers of the China Trade Week.

The GIPC flagship event honours top performing entities in the Ghanaian business landscape whose contributions continue to propel the country’s economic growth, and have positive impact on their serving communities.

The top 100 companies that were celebrated were from the agriculture and agribusiness, financial services, ICT, infrastructure, pe
troleum, mining services, manufacturing, tourism, health, and education sectors.

The financial sector dominated the night as the sector with most numbers enlisted in the 20th Ghana Club 100 awards.

However, none of its two predominant subsectors at the ceremony – microfinance and insurance made it to the top 10.

GoldFields Ghana (Tarkwa Mine) placed fourth, Newmont Golden Ridge Ltd (Akyem Mine) – fifth, Anglogold Ashanti Ltd – sixth, and Dansworld International Services – seventh.

The Abosso Goldfields Ltd, Benso Oil Palm Plantation Ltd, and FBNBank Ghana, placed eighth, ninth and 10th positions, respectively.

This year’s Ghana Club 100 awards is held on the theme: ‘Accelerating Economic Growth: Amplifying Ghana’s Global Market Footprint through AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area).’

The theme was crafted to engender significant promotion of investment, trade, and knowledge exchange, leading to the stimulation of national economic growth.

AfCFTA, which took effect in early 2021, is the world’s
largest free trade area by membership, embracing 54 African countries with 1.3 billion population, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$2.4 trillion.

Its implementation reflects the collective vision of African leaders to create a unified market, by removing all forms of trade barriers to stimulate economic growth and shared prosperity.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President, stated that: ‘Ghana thrives when the private sector thrives.’

He said it was, therefore, important to strengthen companies in the private sector to enable them to compete effectively in the global market, especially by making them transition into a formalised economy.

The Vice President said the government was doing its part with various initiatives, including the digitalisation of systems, advancement in technology and innovation, and improving infrastructural development.

He stated that the country’s digitalisation programme had been anchored on the Ghana Card – a biometric-technology national identity card, w
hich had so far enrolled about 17 million people.

‘Today, we’ve linked all bank accounts and SIM cards to the Ghana Card. Your tax identification number and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) number is your Ghana Card number,’ Dr Bawumia said.

He also said that: ‘Today, we’ve linked the Ghana Card number to the Controller and Accountant General Department’s payroll, and we’re seeing increase in formalisation of the economy as a result of digitalisation.’

He encouraged Ghana’s private sector to see AfCFTA as a catalyst for economic expansion, as the implementation of the free trade agreement provided an opportunity to explore opportunities for the continent’s economic prosperity.

‘The African Continental Free Trade Area, our compass for this journey is not merely an agreement; it is a beacon guiding us towards a future where Ghana stands tall in the global market place,’ Dr Bawumia said.

Mr Yofi Grant, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), GIPC noted that investors were aggressively pursuing opportunities i
n Accra.

That, he said, called for the formation of stronger alliances with Ghanaian companies to create a win-win situation for investors and the country, reiterating that the private sector remained the engine of growth of the Ghanaian economy.

He pledged the Centre’s support to create more avenues for enhanced private sector interaction with government.

This will help businesses to thrive, and generate Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to support Ghana’s economic growth and stability.

This year’s celebration, preceded with a three-day Ghana Investment Week in October, which brought together, investors, industry leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

The summit served as a platform to unlock infrastructural bottlenecks, including in roads, railways, airlines, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and energy to make intra-trade on the continent easier and faster.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Institute of Statistics, Social, and Economic Research has indicated that the new restriction on mobile money (MOMO) transactions could derail the digitization of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and progress in the cash-lite economy.

In a press statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, the Institute acknowledged that the proposed rate would have a minimal impact on small-value transactions.

However, ISSER noted that the move would adversely impact micro, small, and medium enterprises that rely on MoMo for their financial transactions.

‘Worthy of attention is the potential impact on micro and small enterprises, especially traders and farmers within the agricultural value chains concentrated in rural areas. For these segments, especially traders and transporters of foodstuffs who rely on MoMo to address security concerns with carrying cash across the country, an increase in cost is likely to be transferred to consumers,’ the statement said.

This move, the institute said, could be a trigger
for both food and non-food inflation.

The institute raised concern that beyond the move to restrict MoMo transactions, the developing social media-driven e-commerce ecosystem, which relies on MoMo for payment, would also see the transfer of the revised charges to consumers.

‘As service providers on the various e-commerce platforms will pass on the charges to consumers in the form of increased prices of goods and services,’ the statement said.

In a joint statement copied to the media, MOMO agents around Ghana said they would implement a temporary measure that limits cash withdrawals to GHS 1,000 per transaction from December 1.

ISSER said that the potential impact of the restrictions might be significant, particularly for neglected and last-mile populations.

‘On average, 76 percent of mobile money agents are within 30 minutes of consumers in rural areas. On the other hand, it takes 2 hours for over 50 percent of rural dwellers to reach an ATM, with only about 40 percent being able to reach a bank or micro
finance in two hours,’ the statement said.

This situation ISSER said that many MoMo users in rural areas, where ATMs, banks, and microfinance institutions were not an option, would be confronted with the option of either enduring the high transaction costs or resorting to cash.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has held a media sensitisation on the implementation and evaluation of Ghana’s National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACAP)

NACAP, a 10-year plan (2015-2024), is a strategic action plan consultatively developed by stakeholders to help fight corruption and promote national development in the country.

It also provides a framework for mobilising public support and resources for anti-corruption activities and promoting integrity, transparency, and accountability in all areas.

The occasion was used to commemorate this year’s International Anti- Corruption Day (IACD), which is marked annually on December 9 to promote collective action against corruption.

Speaking at the event, Charles Abani, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, said United Nations estimated that corruption cost the global economy around 3.6 trillion dollars annually adding: ‘It is estimated that Africa lost 50 billion to illicit financial flows.’

Mr Abani said United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently produced a report on Sahel countries and estimated illicit financial flows from illegal mining at 12 billion dollars per annum.

‘We talk about corruption as if it is a moral issue that needs to be dealt with by the Church, but it is not only an immoral issue, a crime…’

He noted that corruption was organised, and it crossed borders and called for collaboration among institutions.

Touching on the theme: ‘Uniting the world against corruption,’ Mr Abani said it was extremely important the Ghana Statistical Service, CHRAJ other stakeholders worked assiduously in achieving the objectives and goals of NACAP.

He said a Public Service Survey Report indicated that Ghana loses GHC5 billion through corruption and illicit financial flows.

‘If we don’t stem corruption, it would be stemming the plan that we want to achieve. The nature of corruption is diverse, that is, it exists in public procurement.’

Mr Abani urged stakeholders to connect with international institutions suc
h as the Global Operations Network of Anti-Corruption Enforcement Authority to fight the canker.

Prof Samuel Kobina Anim, Government Statistician, said the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) together with CHRAJ and its stakeholders would be evaluating NACAP within a six-month period and the evaluation launched in June 2024.

Prof Anim said the evaluation would complete the cycle between laws, policies, and statistics in the anti-corruption campaign in Ghana.

‘We hope to deepen the collective interest and mobilise national efforts in fighting corruption.’

Prof. Anim said in a nationally representative survey of people’s experience of corruption in Ghana, ‘26.7 per cent of adult population paid a bribe to a public official in 2021?.

According to him ‘a total of GHC5 billion was paid in cash bribes to public officials in 2021.’

Mr Richard Quayson, a Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, said one of the main objectives of NACAP was to build capacity to condemn and fight corruption and make its practice a high risk and
low gain activity.

Mr Emmanuel Adumua- Bossman, Deputy Chief of Staff, said the government was committed to the fight against corruption.

NACAP has led to the automation and digitalisation of the Law courts, revision of code of conduct for Judges and Magistrates, unification of allowances of boards, councils and Committees of Public Service, among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ghana has renewed her global methane pledge with a commitment to reducing methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.

‘This commitment is not mere rhetoric; it is exemplified by the bold and visionary steps taken by our President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,’ Dr Freda Prempeh, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, stated.

Dr Prempeh, also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North in the Ahafo Region, renewed the nation’s pledge at the authorization of internally transferred mitigation outcomes for the integrated waste recycling and composite facilities during the 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai.

The authorization process involves regulatory compliance checks, documentation review and approval from relevant authorities as well as ensuring adherence to waste management regulations.

A statement issued by the Ministry and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the nation recognized the pivotal role of keeping organic waste out of landfills in her relentless pursuit
of sustainable waste management practices.

‘It is with great pride that I highlight the incorporation of this priority area into Ghana’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), reflecting our commitment to mitigating climate change’, it said.

‘Under the dynamic leadership of President Akufo-Addo, Ghana has embarked on a transformative journey through Public-Private Partnerships.’

‘This partnership has resulted in the initiation of a large-scale installation of 16 integrated waste recycling and compost plants strategically located across all regions of our nation’.

On completion, these facilities would divert about 35 percent of the total volumes of waste generated from reaching landfill sites and would be integral to the nation’s waste management strategy, specifically designed to rapidly diminish methane emissions from waste, the statement said.

‘Beyond their environmental impact, these projects yield significant co-benefits for our nation, job creation, spurred by the expansion of these fac
ilities, is a tangible result, fostering economic growth and sustainability’.

‘The strategic alignment of our waste management initiatives with climate investments is beginning to attract the needed foreign direct investments, which would render these projects commercially viable’.

The infusion of capital from climate-conscious investors not only fuels the success of these ventures but also reinforces Ghana’s prominence and importance as an attractive destination for sustainable development.

It said Ghana’s collaborative efforts transcended national boundaries, particularly with the Government of Switzerland, the nation had laid the foundation for climate investments that supported the suitability and sustainability of waste-related projects in the country.

‘It is, therefore, great joy for the Ministry to officially announce that we are here today to witness the signing of the Letter of Authorisation for four integrated waste recycling and compost facilities installed by the Jospong Group’.

The statement
commended President Akufo-Addo for his vision of creating an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and urged the Jospong Group to work up to expectation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Edward Ampratwum, Head of Governance and Growth at the United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP) has said the passage of the Disability Act 715 will positively impact the lives of the over 2,098,138 Ghanaians with functional difficulties.

He therefore urged the Government and Parliament to expedite action to pass the Re-Enacted Act of the Act 715 and any associated instrument.

‘The UN Country Team is excited to support the re-enactment of Act 715, (Persons with Disabilities Act). It is our hope that by the end of 2024, the Act 715 and its accompanying legislative instrument addressing the preconditions for disability inclusion, would have been reviewed to be in line with the CRPD standards, and passed.’

Dr Ampratwum made the remarks during a training organised by the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) for Members of Parliament on the rights of persons with disabilities and inclusive development.

The training was attended by about 24 members of parliament who have interest in promoti
ng disability rights in parliament.

Dr Ampratwum said, ‘the Ghana we want should be disability-inclusive, tackle injustice and discrimination, provide accessible infrastructure and create opportunities that increase access to technology that result in strengthened institutions and creating sustainable jobs and access to markets for persons with disabilities as well.’

Mr Abdul-Wahab Adam, Programmes Officer at the GFD urged the members of parliament to fast-track the process of re-enacting the disability act and called on the government to ensure the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Ghana.

Dr Clement Apaak, Member of Parliament for Builsa South Constituency and Chairman of the Disability caucus in Parliament said more Members of Parliament were recognising the need to mainstream disability issues in Ghana.

He said the caucus would canvass for members of parliament to push for the re-enactment of the disability bill pointing out that Ghana should
not lag in the disability mainstreaming issues.

Dr Emmanuel Marfo, Member of Parliament for Oforikrom Constituency and Vice Chairman of the disability caucus said there was the need to move beyond the talk in terms of disability issues and take practical steps to ensure disability inclusion and mainstreaming.

Mr Joseph Atsu Homadzi, President of the GFD, who also emphasized the urgency to pass the disability bill said disability was everybody’s lot and called on parliament to put measures in place to include persons with disabilities.

Source: Ghana News Agency