The government raised the VAT by 2.5% in its budget statement on last Thursday, November 24, 2022, raising the threshold for paying VAT to 15%.
Following the presentation of the nation’s economic policy statement to the Legislature by finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Mr. Samuel Okudjeto-Ablakwa, ranking member of the parliamentary select committee on foreign affairs, questioned the president’s honesty in a news conference.
The congressman emphasised that “this is a president who organised ‘Kumepreko, Sieyenkpreko,’ among other protests against the implementation of VAT in the early 1990s.
“Where have principle and integrity run to? I am embarrassed by the legacy the president is leaving behind for the next generation,” he further charged.
“How on earth will this man be increasing VAT at this crucial moment of our times when businesses are folding up because of the high cost of doing business in the country?” he questioned.
DOHA, Qatar — Brazil are sweating over the fitness of Neymar for the remainder of the World Cup group stage after he suffered an ankle injury in Brazil’s opening win against Serbia.
On Friday the Brazilian FA (CBF) confirmed that both Neymar and Danilo, the right-back who also injured his ankle in the same game, would miss Brazil’s next match against Switzerland on Monday. But sources have told ESPN that the pair could also miss their last group game against Cameroon.
Neymar’s injury came after the Paris Saint-Germain forward was repeatedly fouled during Brazil’s 2-0 victory against Serbia on Wednesday night before being replaced in tears in the 80th minute.
“Players Neymar and Danilo started treatment yesterday immediately after the game,” Brazil doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said in a video published on Friday. “This morning they were reevaluated.
“The tests showed a lateral ligament injury, on Neymar’s right ankle, along with a small bone edema, and a medial ligament injury, on Danilo’s left ankle. The players are still undergoing treatment.
“We can already say that we will not have the two players for the next game, but they remain in treatment with our goal of trying to get them back in time for this competition.”
Neymar has scored 75 goals in 122 games for Brazil and is two goals away from breaking Pele’s all-time scoring record for the national team.
Richarlison scored two goals to lead Brazil to victory against Serbia at Lusail Stadium as they aim for a record-extending sixth World Cup title.
A five-month-old bar-tailed godwit recently smashed the record for long-distance migration after flying 13,560 kilometers non-stop over a periodof 11 days.
Every autumn, millions of migratory birds take to the sky for a long and perilous journey to escape the coming cold, feed and breed for the next few months.
Many of them cover impressive distances of over 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles), but this year, one small bird surpassed all expectations regarding long-distance flying, traveling a whopping 13,560 kilometers (8,425 miles) without stopping, and setting a new Guinness record in the process.
And it was all because of an unusual detour that could have cost the bird its life, considering that the non-stop journey pushed its flight capacity to the limit.
Last month, the young bar-tailed godwit – a wetland bird species – took off from Alaska on its way to New Zealand for the winter, but somehow, at one point during its grueling journey, the small bird took a little detour that added an extra 500 kilometers to its initial itinerary. That seems like a small distance to cover, considering that the normal route would have seen it fly around 13,000 kilometers, but it’s actually a significant difference that could have had fatal consequences.
“Short-tailed shearwaters and mutton birds can land on the water and feed,” Eric Woehler of Birdlife Tasmania told ABC News. “If a godwit lands on water, it’s dead. It doesn’t have the webbing in its feet, it has no way of getting off the water. So if it falls into the water from exhaustion, if bad weather forces it onto the ocean surface, that’s it.”
Scientists were able to track the godwit’s record flight with the help of a tiny tracker that only weighed 5 grams. Technological advancements have allowed researchers to track such small species of birds without endangering them, as adding any kind of significant weight to a creature that weighs only between 300 and 400 grams could put its life in danger.
“It’s one thing to put a satellite tag on an albatross that weights five or more kilos but it’s a completely different story in terms of technology and ethics to put a tracker on a bird that weighs only 300 or 400 grams,” Dr. Woehler said.
Recorded data showed that the five-month-old bar-tailed godwit took off on October 13 from the wetlands of the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska, followed the regular route across the Pacific Ocean down to New Caledonia and through the Tasman Sea, before making an unexpected 90-degree turn that saw it head towards Tasmania rather than New Zealand.
Dr. Woehler estimates that the bird lost “half or more of its body weight,” during the 11-day continuous flight, but it made it to dry land safely, setting a new Guinness record for long-distance bird flight. The previous record had been set in 2020 by another bar-tailed godwit that had covered 12,000 km (7,500 miles) in 11 days.
Interestingly, scientists have yet to understand how birds like the bar-tailed godwit are able to navigate such large distances without stopping and without getting lost.
For those who have been fans of Jack Sparrow, there is news. Multiple reports claim that Johnny Depp will soon be returning to play the famous character on screen. Depp last played the popular character five years ago in the fifth and final instalment of ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise.
Depp will now again reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow, a character that catapulted him to superstardom. But there is a twist. The project is reportedly a spin-off and titled ‘A Day At The Sea’.
A source close to the project stated, “Johnny is set to return as Captain Jack Sparrow and is scheduled to start filming at the beginning of February at a top-secret location in the UK.”
The project is apparently in its initial phase and no director has been finalised. However, Disney, which has bank rolled the project is planning a test shoot and will begin production soon.
“A call sheet has been distributed among those in the know. Bruce Hendricks, who worked on the first three films, is named as the Executive Producer on the new project,”the source added.
A final statement revealed, “All the other details are being kept under lock and key. The whole project is shrouded in secrecy and Disney want to keep everything under wraps as best they can.”
One of the most successful franchises that Hollywood has made, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ made Depp one of the highest-paid actors at one point of time.
However, his role in the series hung in the balance after recent legal issues with ex-wife Amber Heard.
According to Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the ranking member of the parliament’s finance committee, “all he offered us was grammar.”
He claimed that Mr. Ofori-Aatta had “explicitly advised us that the Ghanaian economy is, in fact, in an Intensive Care Unit.”
“This minister has informed us that going forward to the year 2023, there is going to be a freeze on employment at a time when we know that unemployment, particularly with the youth, is in excess of 50 per cent,” Dr Forson noted.
While presenting the budget in parliament on Thursday, Mr Ofori-Atta, among other things, announced an increase in VAT from 12.5 per cent to 15 per cent.
A phone repairer who inflicted machete wounds on a labourer following a misunderstanding over non-payment of rent has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
Raphael Abiwu, who has been charged with causing harm, pleaded guilty.
The court presided over by Mrs Patricia Amponsah convicted the accused person on his own plea but deferred sentence to December 1.
Abiwu has, therefore, been remanded into lawful custody.
Meanwhile, the court has ordered Abiwu to pay compensation of GHS5,000 to the complainant.
Abiwu informed the court that he had already paid the complainant’s medical expenses worth GHS4,000.
Prosecuting, Inspector Rosemond Anyane said the complainant, Isaac Frimpong, resided at Baatsona, Accra together with the accused person.
The prosecution said on November 2, 2022, at about 0600 hours, the complainant in the company of two other witnesses in the case went to demand for rent from the accused person.
It said Abiwu refused to pay and told the complainant to go and come back after close of work.
The prosecution said that generated into exchange of words and a scuffle with the accused inflicting machete wounds on the complainant’s head and left hand.
The prosecution said the complainant was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment.
It said a report was made at the Police at Baatsona and the accused person was arrested and the machete used in committing the crime was retrieved.
In Friday’s 3-1 loss against Senegal, the defending African champions, Mohammed Muntari scored one goal for Qatar.
He has scored in a FIFA World Cup match for the first time ever for a player from Qatar.
“I’m so much excited for seeing my player Mohammed Muntari scoring on the biggest stage,” Nii Odartey Lamptey told Kickoffghana.com
“He started his Football career at Glow Lamp Soccer Academy and he was here for a year, and he was a great striker during our league season.” Odartey said.
“My academy has produced many players, the likes of Kwame Kizito, Samuel Appiah, Daniel Lomottey, Dickson Afokwah and Maxwell Ansah so is not only Muntari.” He added.
Hosts Qatar are out of the global showpiece after Netherlands and Ecuador played out a 1-1 draw.
Qatar will play Netherlands in their last Group A game.
The number of new students entering the Ghana School of Law to pursue the Professional Law Course has risen to 699 after the General Legal Council released a final supplementary list of candidates who passed the entrance exams written in September 2022.
The final supplementary list, approved by the GLC and released in Accra on Friday, added 177 more candidates to the initial list of 522 candidates said to have passed the entrance exams.
The first pass list came two weeks ago, with successful candidates waiting for admission letters from the Ghana School of Law.
GUTA claims that this clearly violates the commitment the government made to interested parties during the budget hearings.
According to GUTA, the administration made it plain at the aforementioned discussions that the 2023 budget will not include a tax increase.
On Friday, November 25, 2022, Mr. Benjamin Yeboah, the Director of Welfare at GUTA, indicated the association’s dissatisfaction with the raise during an interview with Emmanuel Quarshie, the host of Ghana Yensom morning show on Accra 100.5 FM.
“As an association, we have some challenges with compliance with the VAT.
“And we have raised it with Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and we were thinking there was going to be some reduction to enable more people to comply.
“We understood that the government will look at the implementation as well as the compliance rather than increment of the tax,” he bemoaned.
The government has announced that the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate has been increased from 12.5% to 15%.
The 2.5% hike was announced by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta when he presented the 2023 budget to parliament on Thursday, 24 November 2022.
According to him, the rate hike is expected to yield GH¢2.70 billion in revenue to fund road infrastructure development.
“Mr. Speaker, the demand for roads has become the cry of many communities in the country.
“Unfortunately, with the current economic difficulties and the absence of a dedicated source of funding for road construction, it is difficult to meet these demands.
“In that regard, we are proposing the implementation of new revenue measures.
“The major one is an increase in the VAT rate by 2.5 percentage points,” he told parliament.
America has recorded 609 multiple-victim shootings so far in 2022, according to The Gun Violence Archive.
It’s the third year in a row that the country has surpassed 600 mass shootings.
The data paints a disturbing picture of increased gun violence over the last eight years.
The US set a chilling record earlier this month amid a spate of recent mass shootings: This year marks the third in a row that the country has recorded more than 600 multiple-victim shootings, according to gun violence data.
The Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs that left five people dead and 17 wounded on Sunday marked the 601st mass incident in 2022, according to The Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that tracks and records shootings and gun violence throughout the country.
The archive calls mass shootings an “American phenomenon,” and defines the incidents as any attack in which there are at least four victims shot, injured, or killed by a gun, excluding the perpetrator.
Tragedy struck again just two days after the Club Q shooting when a Virginia Walmart manager opened fire at a store in Chesapeake, according to authorities, killing six employees and marking the 607th multiple-victim shooting in 2022 thus far.
As of Thanksgiving day, there have been 609 mass shootings this year.
With more than a month left in the year, the US is on pace to reach 675 mass shootings before 2022 ends, according to The Gun Violence Archive, which would be the second-highest number of multiple-victim shootings since the nonprofit started tracking gun violence in 2013.
The archive recorded 690 mass shootings in 2021 as gun violence peaked while the Covid-19 pandemic abated, and 610 shootings in 2020.
“GVA had never logged a month of 60+ mass shootings before 2020,” the nonprofit tweeted after the Club Q shooting. “It happened five times in 2020, six times in 2021, and now six times again this year.”
The data paints a disturbing picture of increased gun violence in the last eight years.
In 2014, the archive recorded 273 mass shootings. By 2017 — just five years ago — that number had jumped to 348. There was another significant increase between 2019, which saw 417 multiple-victim incidents, to 2020, in which there were 610 recorded mass shootings.
The 2022 statistics come out to an average of 1.86 mass shootings per day, The Gun Violence Archive said.
Following the Colorado shooting, President Joe Biden condemned the “senseless attack,” and urged the country to “address the public health epidemic of gun violence in all of its forms.”
“Earlier this year, I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly three decades, in addition to taking other historic actions,” Biden added. “But we must do more. We need to enact an assault weapons ban to get weapons of war off America’s streets.”
Ghana is expected to record slow growth in economic activities in 2023 as the Government tightens expenditure amid reduction in revenue targets and missing macroeconomic performance for 2022.
Presenting the “NKABOM” (Unity) budget to Parliament on Thursday, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, announced that the country’s projected monetary value of final goods and services for 2023 would be 2.8 per cent.
This is a decline in growth in economic activities, compared with the revised overall real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of growth of 3.7 percent for 2022 and the initial growth target of 5.8 per cent.
The Government said it was expecting a total Revenue and Grants of GHS96,842 million (16.4 per cent of GDP) in 2022, down from the 2022 budget target of GHS100,517 million (20.0 per cent of GDP) being 3.7 per cent reduction.
It also revised total Expenditure (including payments for the clearance of arrears) downwards to GH¢135,742 million (22.9 per cent of GDP) from the original budget projection of GH¢137,529 million (27.4 per cent of GDP).
Meanwhile, the interest on Government’s borrowing increased from GHS37,447 million (7.5 per cent of GDP) to GHS41,362 million (7.0 per cent of revised GDP), mainly on account of inflationary pressures and exchange rate depreciation resulting in higher cost of financing.
The largest spender in the Ghanaian economy – the Government, also announced several policy measures to reduce expenditure as it readies to implement the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan support programme.
The IMF loan support programme is aimed at restoring macroeconomic confidence and make the economy resilient to alleviate the plight of Ghanaians amid the current economic hardship.
Among others, the Government said there would be a freeze on new tax waivers for foreign companies and review of tax exemptions for free zone, mining, oil and gas companies in 2023.
There would also be a freeze on the hiring of civil and public servants, in addition to reduction of expenditure on appointments, salary freezes and suspension of allowances on housing, utilities, and clothing.
Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) have also been directed to reduce fuel allocation to political appointees and their Heads by 50 per cent.
In the first half of 2022, the Services sector led growth in the economy by contributing an average share of 46.2 per cent, with the Agriculture sector recording 21.7 per cent, and Industry sector contributing 32.1 per cent.
This trajectory is expected to continue in 2023, with the Services sector projected to grow by 46.6 per cent, industry – 33.4 per cent, and Agriculture – 20 per cent.
Meanwhile, for an economic structure like Ghana, it is expected that agric and industry will lead the economic growth through increased agricultural production and industrial activities, before transitioning to the services sector.
While all these show that Ghana’s economy will record a slow growth in 2023, Mr Ofori-Atta said the Government was determined and had resolved to confront the current daunting economic challenges facing the nation head-on and reset the economy.
He said: “In the immediate term, we will work towards securing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, execute the debt exchange programme, improve the management of foreign exchange, and support our local productive capacity for food security.”
The budget, the Finance said, would focus on Government’s resolve to structurally transform the economy through aggressive domestic revenue mobilisation, boosting local productive capacity and promoting a diversified and vibrant value-added export sector.
Also, there would be streamlining of expenditures, protection of the poor and vulnerable, expansion of digital and physical infrastructure and the implementation of structural and public sector reforms.
Mr Ofori-Atta, therefore, called for the support of all Ghanaians and said: “This is the time to rebuild, not to destroy and tear down. Let us work together for our collective benefit.”
When the policy was first established, practically everyone, he said, opposed it, but the administration did not pay attention.
On Friday, November 23, while discussing the introduction of the 2023 budget, he commented on the Big Issue on TV3 with Roland Walker, “Those who rejected the e-levy were weighing the weight of such tax system on the poor.”
He also announced a proposal to “increase the VAT rate by 2.5 percent to directly support our roads and digitalization agenda; Fast-track the implementation of the Unified Property Rate Platform programme in 2023; and Review the E-Levy Act and more specifically, reduce the headline rate from 1.5% to one percent (1%) of the transaction value as well as the removal of the daily threshold.”
He said these when he presented the 2023 budget statement in Parliament on Thursday November 24.
Mr Ofori-Atta further assured Parliament and Ghanaians in general that every dime that is collected in the form of taxes will be spent well by the government.
He said “There will be fiscal discipline, every pesewa will be spent well.”
He further proposed in the 2023 budget presentation an increment in the Value Added Tax (VAT) by 2.5 per cent.
The standard VAT rate is 12.5%, except for supplies of a wholesaler or retailer of goods, which are taxed at a total flat rate of 3%.
The proposal to increase the rate forms part of the seven point agenda to revitalize the economy, the Finance Minister told Parliament on Thursday November 24.
He also announced that the government will undertake major structural reforms in the public sector.
Regarding the economic challenges, he told Parliament that the government was determined to change the narrative after admitting that the country has been going through troubles.
“The government is determined to change the negative narrative and rebuild for a better future,” he said.
According to Forbes, Messi took home an astonishing $75 million in on-field earnings over the last year – more than any other sportsperson on the planet.
His Paris Saint-Germain salary alone is worth $35 million annually, which means he earns $738,000 a week, or $105,000 a day, or $8,790 per hour.
The Argentine also pocketed a tidy $25 million joining fee when he signed for the French team last summer, reported the Evening Standard.
But he also earns a lot off it.
Messi’s off-field earnings of $55 million over the last year can only be topped by tennis icon Roger Federer and NBA superstar LeBron James.
On top of a $20 million-a-year partnership with cryptocurrency “fan token” platform Socios, the 35-year-old’s endorsement portfolio includes deals with Adidas, Budweiser, and PepsiCo.
Last June, he also became Hard Rock International’s first ever athlete brand ambassador.
In total, he’s earned over $1 billion during his career.
According to Forbes, Messi has earned $1.15 billion during his career on-and-off the field.
Only three currently active athletes – LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tiger Woods – have ever earned more.
Only two other current athletes – Roger Federer and Floyd Mayweather – other than those mentioned above have ever surpassed $1 billion in career earnings, according to Forbes.
Messi likes to spend his money on luxury cars.
According to Goal, Messi‘s impressive car collection includes a $2 million Pagani Zonda Tricolore, a Ferrari F430 Spyder, a Dodge Charger SRT8, and a Maserati Gran Turismo.
The Argentine is rumored to have bought the most expensive car ever, a 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Spider Scaglietti, for $37 million in 2016. He appeared to deny the speculation, however, by way of an Instagram post in which he shared a photo of himself holding up a toy car with the caption, “My new car.”
He owns a host of stunning properties.
The most luxurious of Messi’s properties is his $7 million mansion on the outskirts of Barcelona.
Located in the exclusive, no-fly zone suburb of Castelldefels, the property includes a pool, indoor gym, theatre, and spa, as well as stunning views of the Catalan mountains and the nearby beach, according to Architectural Digest.
There’s also a football pitch where Messi likes to have a kickabout with his dog, Hulk.
Messi also owns an “eco-house” themed around his career, a mansion in his home town of Rosario, Argentina, and the entire floor of a luxury condominium in Saint Isles Beach, Florida, which he paid $7.3 million for in 2021, according to The Real Deal.
As well as a number of hotels.
Since 2017, Messi has owned the hotel chain MiM Hotels, operated by Majestic Hotel Group, which has resorts in Ibiza, Majorca, and Barcelona.
In 2021, the chain opened its first winter resort in the the heart of the Pyrenees, in the Aran Valley.
The four-star hotel has 141 rooms and includes a spa, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, and mountain guide services, according to Forbes.
He has been forced to demolish his hotel in Barcelona, however.
Messi bought the building in 2017 for $35 million, at which point its demolition had already been approved because its balconies are too big.
He’s unable to fix the issue too as any attempt to remove or downsize the balconies could result in the hotel collapsing.
Whoops.
To get around the world, Messi flies in his $15 million private jet.
Messi’s 2004 Gulfstream V private jet, includes two kitchens and bathrooms, and can accommodate up to sixteen passengers, according to the South Morning China Post.
It features the number 10 – his shirt number from his time at Barcelona – on its tail and the names of his wife, Antonella, and their children on its steps.
He likes to vacation in Ibiza.
This summer, Messi celebrated his 35th birthday with his family at the Ushuaia, a beach hotel in Ibiza.
The soccer star’s former Barcelona teammates Cesc Fabregas and Luis Suarez and their wives also joined.
According to the Miami Herald, Messi chose to vacation on the beaches of South Florida after winning the 2021 Copa America with Argentina.
The PSG star rented a $10,000-a-night, four-story mansion in Key Biscayne, which boasted five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a gym, a rooftop terrace, and an infinity pool, reported the Mirror.
Messi is very generous with his wealth.
The Lionel Messi Foundation, formed in 2007 in partnership with UNICEF, helps vulnerable children around the world.
In 2017, Messi donated his own money to help the foundation build classrooms for 1,600 war-orphaned children in Syria, according to UNICEF, while in 2019, the foundation donated $218,000 to provide food and water for citizens in Kenya, reports Goal.
“It excites me every day that I get a child smiling, when he thinks there is hope, when I see that they feel happy,” reads a statement from Messi on the foundation’s website.
“That’s why we decided to create the Leo Messi Foundation, and I will continue to fight to make the children happy with the same strength and dedication that I need to continue being a soccer player.”
“As stated in the Budget Speech by the Honourable Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, the Government of Ghana is contemplating a debt operation aimed at alleviating the pressures on the national budget and restoring debt sustainability. This would also open up financing streams and provide needed balance of payment support from the Fund.
“Details of the different layers of a debt operation, including the terms of principal payments and interest on the public debt, are still being discussed, taking into account principles of debt sustainability and international best practices,” parts of the statement read.
Addressing the nation on measures being taken by the government to rescue the economy on Sunday, October 31, Akufo-Addo said: “I also want to assure all Ghanaians that no individual or institutional investor, including pension funds, in government treasury bills or instruments will lose their money, as a result of our ongoing IMF negotiations.
“There will be no “haircuts”, so I urge all of you to ignore the false rumours, just as, in the banking sector cleanup, government ensured that the 4.6 million depositors affected by the exercise did not lose their deposits.”
He cautioned, “those who make it a habit of publishing falsehoods, which result in panic in the system, I say to them that the relevant state agencies will act against such persons”.
But the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, later came out to explain Akufo-Addo’s assurances that there will be no haircut, cover only principals.
“My understanding is that no principals will be touched. No principals will have a haircut. The debt sustainability strategy is yet to be announced in full.
“When they are done with the rest of the strategy, and they come out and do a full announcement, we will have clarity on the form that the debt restructuring will take,” the information minister said.
Prof. Godfred Bopkin, a lecturer at the University of Ghana, has demanded further information regarding the recent announcement of a ban on the use of V8 by all government appointees in the capital.
He worries that the directive contained in the 2023 Budget, which was delivered to Parliament on November 24, may be disregarded until clear guidelines are provided.
“We must be very careful we don’t push people beyond the point where they will not be able to tolerate. That is the part that we are getting towards and especially when you don’t see greater commitment in internalizing that austerity.
“So, if you tell me that don’t drive V8 in Accra, who monitors that? If I see V8 leaving from East Legon, do I conclude it’s going to Central Region?” he quizzed in an interview on Joy FM, November 25.
Government bans the use of V8, V6 vehicles except for cross-country travel
The Second Deputy Majority Whip, Habib Iddrisuhas dismissed claims by the Minority in Parliament that the NPP MPs betrayed them when they backtracked on their stance to boycott the 2023 Budget.
According to him, the claim has no substance.
“I do not know the betrayal that he is talking about because in the first place, we never promised you that we were going to support your motion of censure. We never said that we were going to vote to support you to get the Finance Minister out, so we never betrayed them…any motion of censure we are not going to be part of it,” Mr. Iddrisu said.
He added that the motion is “ill-intended” and theNDC Caucus is alone in terms of the censure motion against Mr. Ofori-Atta.
The Majority MPs had earlier threatened not to partake in the presentation of the 2023 Budget if Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta is not dismissed.
However, barely 24 hours before the presentation of the 2023 Budget the national executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held a meeting with the NPP MPs and asked them to rescind their decision.
The leadership of the party appealed to the MPs to allow the Minister to present the budget.
Following this development, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu on the floor of Parliament after the Budget has been presented on Thursday, accused the Majority MPs of betraying the NDC Caucus.
“We feel let down and we feel betrayed by the Majority Caucus who have shown no wit in supporting us with our impeachment process within the letter and spirit of Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution. We are not abandoning our censure motion.”
But the Second Deputy Majority Whip, Habib Iddrisu in an interview on Top Story, Friday, said they will not support the Minority’s motion of censure.
Meanwhile, the 8-member Ad-hoc Committee set up by Parliament to probe the Minority censure motion against the Finance Minister has laid its report before the House.
It comes a week after the Committee concluded its work.
Speaking to JoyNews after the presentation, Member of the Committee Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa expressed disappointment about the slow pace in dealing with the Committee’s report and taking a final decision on the Finance Minister.
“I was unhappy about the laissez-faire attitude …the heart of this issue is that Article 82 has been triggered. It says that during the debate, the Minister facing a vote of censure must be heard and that has been done. I thought that in the Business Statement for next week it would have been programmed specifically and clearly so that we will have a day set aside for the debate,” he said.
He stated that in order to ensure compliance, this will be enforced with assistance from the Ghana Audit Service and Internal Audit Agency, and in exchange, the government will promote the manufacture of strategic substitutes.
He further added that large-scale agriculture and agribusiness interventions will be supported through the Development Bank Ghana and ADB Bank.
The move to make the country an import substitution and export-oriented one becomes necessary as the currency has been on its knees – suffering sharp depreciation partly due to high dependence on importation, which exceeds US$10billion annually.
“Ghana’s heavy dependence on imports places tremendous pressure on the cedi, creating an unfavourable balance of payments position. On average, Ghana’s import bill exceeds US$10billion annually and is accounted for by a diverse range of items including iron, steel, aluminum, sugar, rice, fish, poultry, palm oil, cement, fertiliser, pharmaceuticals, toilet-rolls, toothpicks, fruit-juices, etc.,” the minister indicated.
He added that: “Currently, the country has capacity to locally produce items which account for about 45 percent of the value of its annual imports. These include rice, fish, sugar, poultry, cement, pharmaceuticals, jute bags and computers, etc.
“To this end, government will target these products for import substitution by supporting the private sector through partnerships with existing and prospective businesses – to expand, rehabilitate and establish manufacturing plants targetted at producing these selected items.”
Also, to promote exports it will expand productive capacity in the economy’s real sector and actively encourage consumption of locally produced rice, poultry, vegetable oil, fruit-juices and ceramic tiles among others.
Domestic revenue
Indicating that the 2023 budget will focus on government’s resolve to structurally transform the economy, Ken Ofori-Atta said it has become more urgent to mobilise domestic revenue – especially since the country’s access to the international capital market is largely closed.
He said government will take the hard, unpopular but necessary decisions to build back better and emerge stronger by leveraging domestic revenue.
“We urgently need to restore debt sustainability/macro-economic stability and grow the economy,” he said, adding that measures are underway to improve revenue collection efforts by leveraging technology to enhance tax administration, identify and register taxable persons, and improve tax compliance.
According to the budget, domestic revenue for the period amounted to GH¢64.6billion (10.9 percent of GDP), falling below the target of GH¢66.5billion (11.2 percent of GDP) by 2.9 percent. The outturn however represented a year-on-year growth of 34 percent, and constituted 98.8 percent of total revenue and grants.
Ghana striker, Inaki Williams has revealed that music plays an important role in the camp of the Black Stars.
According to the Athletic Bilbao forward, music is one of the things that connect and unite players in camp.
“Music is one of the things that keeps us all connected and united. Traveling by bus is also always a good example of this, we feel it and live it as a natural part of who we are. We are always with a smile and with very good vibes,” Inaki Williams said in an interview before the Ghana game against Portugal.
Due to the dominance of music and dancing in the camp of the Black Stars, Inaki Williams says he now tries to dance in private after dinner to work on his dance moves.
“For the moment, I only dare to dance in private after dinner. I have little things, but the level here is very high,” Inaki Williams disclosed.
The Steering Committee for the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS), comprised of top executives, was established by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) to bring on board their expertise and gather resources to achieve a successful national export strategy.
The Coordinating Committee and other agencies are above the Steering Committee, which is the second-highest body under the NEDS and is made up of the CEOs of some of the largest state agencies and businesses.
The 13-member Steering Committee has the principal roles of providing overall oversight and direction for effective implementation of the Strategy; considering and streamlining projects implementation issues; making recommendations to the inter-ministerial oversight body; and undertaking advocacy and promotion for the NEDS to both external and internal organisations.
The committee also has a mandate to provide quarterly and annual reports to the Inter-ministerial Committee on implementation progress, and make recommendations to the committee as well as mobilise financial resources.
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Herbert Krapa – speaking on sector minister’s behalf at the inaugural ceremony, mentioned that the NEDS provides an objective picture of Ghana’s current export environment and a clear vision of the desired evolution for Ghana’s non-traditional export sector from 2020 to 2029.
“The NEDS is a national export development blueprint for significantly increasing Non-traditional Export (NTE) revenue within 10 years, with total NTE revenue of US$25.3billion by 2029,” he said.
He emphasised that because membership of the Committee is a result of being CEO of their respective institution, a member’s tenure is tied to that of the position. Therefore, once a person resigns or is redeployed, their membership of the Committee comes to an end.
The Committee is chaired by the Chief Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
The team comprises representatives from the following institutions: The Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Local Government Decentralisation and Rural Development, National Coordination Office of AfCFTA, National Development Planning Commission, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Export-Import Bank, and Ghana Standards Board among others.
The trade minister emphasised that AfCFTA provides a great opportunity for countries like Ghana to harness effective implementation of the National Export Development Strategy. The recently launched NTE statistics Report revealed a 17 percent increment, which reflects US$3.3billion in export revenue.
Steering Committee Members
Board members included Patrick Yaw Nimo, Chief Director-Ministry of Trade and Industry; Dr. Afua Asabea Asare, CEO-GEPA; Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, CEO-Ghana Enterprises Agency; Reginal Yofi Grant, CEO-Ghana Investment Promotion Centre; Seth Twum Akwaboah, CEO-Association of Ghanaian Industries; and Marjorie Abdin, Vice President-Federation of Association of Ghana Exporters.
The others are Mark Badu Aboagye, CEO-Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Lawrence Agyinsam, CEO-Ghana Export-Import Bank; Mike Oquaye Jnr.-CEO, Ghana Free Zones Authority; Prof. Alexander Dodoo, Director-General – Ghana Standards Authority; Benonita Bismarck, CEO-Ghana Shippers’ Authority; and Delese Mimi Darko, CEO-Food and Drugs Authority; Eric Bentsil Quaye, Director-Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate.
Activities under NEDS so far
The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and its partners have been on the road to sensitise 261 districts across the country on the National Export Development Strategy and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The sensitisation’s first phase covered 30 of the 74 clusters in the country’s 261 districts. There were 115 districts in the first 30 clusters covered. Three teams were composed – namely the Northern Team, the Middle Team and the Southern Team – to cover the northern zone, middle-belt and southern zone respectively.
So far, 249 potential exporters have been identified through this exercise, and they will be guided as they develop their products to be exported.
Mobile money users and operators have expressed their displeasure about the new electronic levy (E-levy) directive to be applied to all transactions from 2023.
Following an announcement made by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, on a reduction of the E-Levy from 1.5% to 1%while presenting the budget and economic policy, he added that, the policy will be applied to all transactions effective 2023.
Speaking to a cross-section of mobile money users and vendors by Citi News’ team in Accra to ascertain their opinions on the new directive, one of the mobile money operators said: “I will handle cash. I will do bank transfers. Yes, I will use that one to beat it because I am also wise. If you say it is one percent, but it will be on everything you do, whether you send or allow cash, then it means that, you are rather coming to punish me”.
He added: “It is rather two percent. It has not been reduced to one percent. At first, I could allow cash out and not pay anything but now if you are even allowing cash, if you are withdrawing, or you are sending then it is now two percent. It is not one percent”.
Another mobile money user asked, “What’s the difference between 1.5% and 1%. It is not profitable. It is still not meaningful. These days, I use cash. It is a bit risky, but I’m always careful, so I will rather have cash than be cashless and still be owing”.
The e-levy, initially introduced in May 2022 was a 1.5% percent made on the transfer amount for electronic transactions.
A review of the rate has been announced to take effect from next year.
The aim of the levy is to improve revenue collection through growing digital financial services.
“Our fishermen have done well in reducing dangers to fishing and petroleum activities; a safety zone is an area spanning 500 metres from any part of offshore oil and gas installations.
According to him, “with their support and collaboration with the navy, the rate of invasions surrounding petroleum facilities dropped from 1,424 in the third quarter of 2021 to 36 in the third quarter of 2022, showing an approximately 97% decrease.”
This, he noted, can be attributed to the fisher-folks’ cooperation by refraining from fishing in the exclusive zones; increased patrols around the exclusive zones; as well as the annual multi-stakeholder landing beach sensitisation campaign at selected beaches in the Western Region.
“While commending them for their efforts, I wish to appeal for chiefs to encourage fisher-folks to continue respecting the rights of other stakeholders in the marine space, so as to maintain a conducive environment for sustainable activities along the upstream oil and gas value chain,” he added.
Mr. Faibille was speaking at a meeting with the Western Regional House of Chiefs at Sekondi to apprise them of activities in the country’s upstream petroleum industry.
Also, the meeting served as a platform to share ideas with a view to improving on the region’s socio-economic development, and the role the oil and gas industry can and must play in that direction.
Giving an update on recent tensions between fishermen and personnel of the Ghana navy, he explained that in August this year the Commission received a petition from the Western Regional branch of the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council over alleged physical harassment of some of its members by personnel of the Ghana navy.
Subsequently, he said, the Commission conducted a preliminary investigation into the matter, which revealed that such allegations were widespread in the coastal communities.
A stakeholder engagement was organised to unravel the facts and for an amicable solution, and it was later announced that significant progress had been made toward resolving the issue.
“The navy has given assurance that it will investigate the matter, and those found culpable will be appropriately sanctioned. We have also requested a copy of the incident report on the matter from the Ghana navy – with full particulars including dates of the incidents, vessel numbers, and if possible names of the naval ratings or officers involved in the alleged harassment to aid further investigations into the matter.
“I wish to assure you that the Commission cherishes the harmonious relationship it enjoys with fishermen, and is committed to pursuing the matter to its logical conclusion and ensure this unfortunate practice is cast off,” he said.
Awulae Angama TuaGyan, Chief of Gwira Traditional Area, thanked the Petroleum Commission for the yearly update on their activities.
“PC has been supporting the Western Regional House of Chiefs over the years, and we are very grateful. However, we are appealing to you through the oil and gas service companies to ensure that our conference hall is renovated to befit the status of the Regional House of Chiefs,” he said.
Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa, saw his net worth reach $19 billion on Wednesday, the first time since the first week of September. This was made possible by a little increase in the share price of Dangote Cement Plc, his principal business, on the Nigerian Exchange.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which gauges and analyses the fortunes of the world’s 500 richest people, Dangote’s net worth increased by $800 million in a single day, from $18.3 billion at the opening of business on Wednesday, Nov. 23, to $19.1 billion.
The increase in his wealth figures above the $19-billion mark can be attributed to widespread optimism on the Nigerian Exchange on Wed., which saw shares in leading companies listed on the local exchange recover strongly after trading at record low levels between August and October.
Dangote Cement is Africa’s largest cement producer, with a 51.55-million-tonne-per-year production capacity spread across ten countries. Dangote owns 86 percent of the cement firm through his manufacturing company, Dangote Industries Limited.
As of press time on Nov. 24, Dangote Cement shares were trading at N262.3 ($0.592) per share, 9.98-percent higher than their starting price on the local exchange on Wednesday.
At the current price level, Dangote’s 86-percent stake in the cement company is worth $8.64 billion, consolidating his position not only as the richest man in Africa but also as the wealthiest Black businessperson in the world.
The recent increase in Dangote Cement shares comes roughly three days after the cement manufacturer announced plans to buy back up to 10 percent of its outstanding shares for N406 billion ($917 million).
The shares that will be repurchased under the share buyback program using the group’s retained profits of N740.32 billion ($1.69 billion) may be held as treasury shares or canceled, resulting in a decrease in share capital.
A viral video of Portugal forward, Ronaldo, has got social media talking. The footage shows Christiano Ronaldo pulling something from his shorts during Ghana’s match with Portugal and chewing it subsequently.
In its report for 2020, the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) lamented that it was unable to account for portion of the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) for the first quarter of 2020.
This is due to the ministry’s ongoing failure (for the fourth time) to provide half-year data on ABFA utilization, which Noble Wadzah, the committee’s chairman, said in the report “is adversely affecting the work of the committee and [is] also [eroding] gains in the fight for transparency and accountability in the management and use of Ghana’s petroleum revenues for the benefit of citizens.”
The Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), which monitors the use of petroleum revenue, says it is unable to report on the programmes and activities undertaken with an amount of US$169.51 million disbursed to the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) for the first quarter of 2020.
The ABFA is the portion of petroleum revenue used to support government’s budget.
In its 2020 semi-annual report, the committee said it was also unable to provide an update on the status of unutilized and unaccounted-for ABFA funds, which stood at GH?1.5bn.
For this reason, Mr. Noble Wadzah, chairman of PIAC, repeated his earlier call on Parliament to strengthen the committee’s oversight mandate on the Ministry of Finance.
“This is because the ministry’s persistent failure (fourth time) to provide half-year data on ABFA utilisation is not only adversely affecting the work of the committee, but [is] also eroding gains in the fight for transparency and accountability in the management and use of Ghana’s petroleum revenues for the benefit of citizens,” the chairman said in the report.
The report also disclosed that the cumulative indebtedness to Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) continued to increase to US$942.26 million.
This, the report said, is as a result of the failure of GNGC’s customers to honour their obligations.
The Ghana Petroleum Fund reserves, according to the report, recorded a 24.1 percent reduction at the end of June 2020 compared with the same period of 2019. This was as a result of the lowered cap and subsequent withdrawals from the Ghana Stabilisation Fund (GSF).
“Consequently, the GSF yield reduced by 68.08 percent from that of the same period of 2019,” it added.
During the first half of 2020, cumulative raw gas production increased significantly by 65 percent, the highest recorded half-year volume of gas produced since 2010.
Total petroleum receipts in the Petroleum Holding Fund (PHF) in the same period stood at US$322.57m, indicating a decline of 11.32 percent from a year ago.
According to PIAC, GNGC received US$1.78 million under the Cash Waterfall Mechanism in order to address its indebtedness to the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) for gas supplied. However, the committee said there was no payment to GNPC.
Consistently, the non-payment of gas revenue denies the PHF of its due entitlement, the committee added.
He claims that despite the fact that many people complain about the Commission’s bad customer service, they are unable to access crucial information that would enable them to finish the procedure in a certain amount of time.
“If we are working on a document and find out that there is a mistake, we have to write to your email or post, or further call. Assuming you use a third party and we try reaching out yet do not get in touch, then it means the document must be on hold till we get in contact with the right person before we can continue. This can affect the regular 90 days that the process is expected to last. So, give us the right information so that we can get back to you,” he said
“More often than not, when people want to acquire property they are hasty to transact business with dealers before they want to approach the Lands Commission. For you to show interest in any land, the first thing to ask for is a site-plan. That will indicate at which part of the earth the land can be located, then you visit any of the Land Commission’s offices to make a search. That search is very critical, because it will decide whether you continue to make a deal on the land or not.
“Unfortunately for some people, the search is done after the contract has been concluded and money has been paid; that is when they come to register. In registration, that is when they get to know that the land does not belong to the said person or belongs to government,” he said.
He advised that potential land owners must adopt the habit of visiting lands about to be sold them to get first-hand information that might not be in the public records. This, he says, can save them from being defrauded by people who pose as landowners.
“Always visit the land more than once. The first time will have to do with the landowner, and you are not likely to be informed whether the land has been sold to someone else or it belongs to a different person, or there is a potential litigation until you visit the land alone. Then, people around are likely to give you information that may not be in the records,” he advised.
Yunus Musah, a midfielder of Ghanaian descent, has given an explanation of why he chose to pledge his loyalty to the United States of America over England.
Although he had played for England’s youth squad, the 18-year-old decided to represent the United States.
The Valencia star admitted that he will have mixed emotions about playing England at Al Bayt Stadium and that his decision to represent the USA was also motivated by a desire to play senior football more soon.
In November 2020, Musah received his first call-up from the USA, but soon after, Gareth Southgate declared that he still preferred the adolescent to stay with England.
“I played for England for a few years. I had a really nice time with them, I have a lot of respect for them, for everything they’ve done for me, but Gareth Southgate I never had any conversations with, no,” he said.
“That decision was very difficult, because, as I said, I had a great time with England and that country did a lot for me, so when the time came to make the decision it was difficult.
“I made the decision because I was born in the US. That was one of the main things. Also I got the opportunity at such a young age, that was something that I wanted to take. It was great when the manager called me and gave me that opportunity.
“I don’t think I know how I’m going to feel [facing England] that day. But it’s a special game for sure because I’ve played for both sides and to be able to be on the pitch with both national teams that I’ve played with is special.”
An Accra Circuit Court has granted a GH₵70,000.00 bail with two sureties to a self-employed man who allegedly took GH₵70,000.00 from a woman under the pretext of helping her make her ex-lover impotent.
Prudence Osabutey, the complainant, who said she could not share her ex-lover with other women, sought help from Modesto Seddoh, the accused person, to put a spell on her ex-lover’s manhood.
The Court ordered that one of the sureties should be justified with land title deed.
Seddoh denied the charge of defrauding by false pretense.
He is to return to the Court on December 8, 2022.
The Police told the court presided over Mrs Patricia Amponsah that Prudence is a pensioner and lived at Teshie-Nungua Estates, where Seddoh also resides.
The prosecution said in March this year, the complainant’s boyfriend introduced Seddoh to her as a friend.
The court heard that later, a misunderstanding ensued between the lovers and the complainant confided in Seddoh.
The prosecution said Seddoh took advantage of the complainant’s domestic conflict and collected GH₵70,000.00 via MTN momo under the pretext of giving it to a spiritual father in Kumasi to cleanse her and make her boyfriend impotent, but failed.
It said a report was made to the Police for investigation, which led to the arrest of Seddoh.
The prosecution said investigations revealed that Seddoh had tried to use the money to buy vehicles from Togo but he was swindled.
The high incidence of cetacean bycatch must be taken into account in the Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) policy under the project to improve fisheries governance, so he urged a concerted effort from all stakeholders to stop the nuisance. He also emphasized the need for the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture to streamline the Marine Fisheries Management Plan, which has not yet been gazetted.
Mr Donkris expressed these sentiments in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Takoradi, as part of activities marking the celebration of this year’s International Fisheries Day,
Mr Donkris said the database must cover selected hot spots on the coast to afford Ghana the chance to access the number of mammals.
He said as part of the process, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) could access environmental management plans to avoid collision in terms of vessel trafficking and advised coastal dwellers using marine mammals as delicacy to halt the practice as they played a pivotal role in the resilience of the ocean and ecosystem.
He urged the government to expedite action on the marine mammals’ law.
A Project Officer with FoN, Eric Atiatorme also told the GNA that section 89 of the Fisheries law explicitly mandated fishers to release the mammals to sea during the bycatch and called for a robust enforcement regime to enforce the law.
He reminded fishers that the mammals were key to the food value chain as they protected the pelagic from big sea animals such as sharks and efforts were underway to reduce marine mammal bycatch by 50 percent at the end of 2022.
The project officer disclosed that FoN and its partners were in the process of reaching a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fisheries Ministry to inform regulators on a policy action plan.
Mr Atiatorme stressed the need to engender discussions on marine mammals as an Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated issue.
Inaki Williams of the Black Stars, a striker, nearly shocked Portugal with a sensational late equalizer that sent Cristiano Ronaldo dumbfounded.
The Athletic Bilbao forward was positioned behind Diogo Costa, the goalie, who had the ball in his hands as the Black Stars trailed Ronaldo’s Portugal 3-2 in stoppage time.
Williams sneaked up behind Costa to win the ball after he rolled it out because Costa neglected to glance behind him.
However, the 28-year-old made touch with the goalkeeper at a critical moment and slipped. After the incredible escape, Danilo Pereira cleared off the line as captain Ronaldo shook his head in shock.
Inaki Williams responded to the Black Stars’ World Cup 2022 loss to Portugal following the match.
There is no time for regrets, there are 2 games left still… 🦾
Thank you fans for the unconditional support. ♥️🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/3haQ8M2w6e
In an interview with Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga, Mr. Akalbila claimed that the government flagship initiative, which was based on five pillars, had strayed from its initial goals and required a comprehensive implementation rather than the simple distribution of seeds and fertilizer.
He claimed that the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJs) program, which has been in operation for the past five years, is only focused on production, with the only adequate intervention being the distribution of fertilizer and seeds.
“There were cases where seeds sown did not germinate, some fertilizer supplied was not what the farmers needed and what only works for us is when we have a good rainfall, however, the key aspect we needed was market access,” he said.
Mr Akalbila decried the “Wholesale purchase of seeds supply and fertilizer importation to the farmers by government and the private sector with Policy institutions meddling with sales of food to farmers,” and said it was not a safe way to go as it had caused the trust of the farmers in the interventions to drop.
The farmers he indicated were given farm inputs, but not educated on the mode of applications “It is not enough until people are educated on how to use them, otherwise they would continue to do the old ways of cropping and learning from peers whether right or wrong.”
Responding to his outfit’s interventions, he reiterated that the GTLC continued to focus on whole market structure as an aggregate to business and cited the promotion of Ghana’s locally produced rice particularly from the northern parts of Ghana, where people shieded away from it because of stones.
According to him, the GTLC interventions had led to people investing in milling facilities to remove stones from the rice, but he said it was not about milling to remove stones but required a complete market system.
Mr Akalbila also bemoaned the current challenge of food prices in the market and said it was a food security threat, “if anyone is unable to buy food then he or she is not food secured.”
Government has announced a ban on employment for civil servants effective January 2023.
This was contained in the 2023 budget statement and economic policy read in Parliament on November 24, 2022.
According to the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, this is part of measures to ensure fiscal discipline amidst the current economic crisis.
Speaking in Parliament, the Minister also announced a “reduction of expenditure on appointments, including salary freezes together with suspension of certain allowances like housing, utilities, and clothing,” among others.
“As far as possible, meetings, and workshops should be done within the official environment or government facilities,” Mr Ofori-Atta added.
Additionally, government sponsored external training and staff development activities at the Office of the President, Ministries, and SOEs will be put on hold for the 2023 financial year.
No new government agencies shall be established in 2023.
Government has also announced no hampers (during the festive season) for government workers this year.
“There shall be no printing of diaries, notepads, calendars, and other promotional merchandise by MDAs, MMDAs, and SOEs for 2024. All non-critical projects must be suspended for 2023 Financial year,” the Minister directed all MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs.
Further, the Minister announced an increase in the VAT rate by 2.5 percent to directly support our roads and digitalization agenda as part of measures “toward expenditure rationalisation.”
Government also intends to cut the imports of public sector institutions that rely on imports either for inputs or consumption by 50% and will work with the Ghana Audit Service and the Internal Audit Agency to ensure compliance; support the aggressive production of strategic substitutes, including the list disclosed at the President’s last address to the nation; support large-scale agriculture and agribusinesses interventions through the Development Bank Ghana and ADB Bank; introduce policies for the protection and incubation of newly formed domestic industries to allow them to make the goods produced here competitive for local consumption and also for exports.
Honeypot Ants, r honey ants, are specialized workers of several species of ants whose sole job is to gorge on nectar until they become living honey-storage.
Did you know that honeybees aren’t the only insects capable of producing the sweet, viscous, and brown-to-golden-colored natural product we know as honey? Several other species of bees, as well as bumblebees and even wasps are known to produce the sugary treat, but perhaps the most unusual insect able to convert nectar into honey is the honeypot ant.
Belonging to a number of ant species, the most common of which is Camponotus inflatus, honeypot ants are specialized workers that act as living storage for their colonies when food is scarce.
Worker ants feed honeypots nectar collected from various plants until their abdomens expand to the point where they look ready to burst and spill the amber liquid inside. Known as ‘ant honey’, the sweet liquid is regurgitated by the honeypot ants whenever members of their colonies are in need of sustenance.
Species like Camponotus inflatus constantly feed honeypot ants with honeydew and flower nectar. At one point, the honey ants’ abdomens become so big that they are unable to move, so they just hang from the roof of their nest chamber until their fellow ants require their precious cargo.
Most species of honeypot ants are found in dry, desert, or semi-arid regions in Australia, the USA, Mexico, and on the African continent, where finding food sources can be tough, so the production and storage of honey is believed to be an adaptation to survive in these rough environments.
Honeypot ants are such a valuable resource that other ant colonies will sometimes attack and steal them. In Australia, aborigines also prize the honey-filled insects and will dig around for them. In the 1990 documentary Trials Of Life, David Attenborough himself was filmed popping a honeypot ant into his mouth.
So how does ant honey compare to honeybee honey? Well, according to one study I could find, although the two varieties look very similar at first glance, the honeypot ant honey has a less viscous consistency than bee honey. It is sweet, but not quite as sweet as the treat we humans are used to, and has a sour undertone not detected in the honeybee honey.
Another significant difference between the two types of honey is that glucose is present in higher quantities than fructose in ant honey, whereas the opposite is true for honeybee honey. Both varieties are high in antioxidants.
A 26-year-old animal lover from Chinahas been taking care of over 300 wolves at a wildlife rescue station in the country’s Inner Mongolia region.
Ever since he was a child, Wang Nan was fascinated by the unity and bonds of wolves as a species, so when he got a chance to work with his favorite animals as an adult, he jumped at the opportunity.
In 2015, he started working at an animal rescue reserve in Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, taking care of injured wild wolves, feeding them, breeding them, and slowly earning their trust. Over the years, his pack of wolves grew to around 320 animals, including young pups, who seem to consider him their friend.
In a short video that recently went viral on Chinese social media, Wang explains that he spends every day with the wolves, playing with them, feeding them and that he considers the animals his most loyal friends.
Even though many of them came to the wildlife rescue station as wild wolves, they gradually accepted Wang Nan and now consider him one of their own.
they gradually accepted Wang Nan and now consider him one of their own.
The 26-year-old man admitted that he suffered injuries during his years of trying to get close to the wolves, the most severe of which was a bite that required 30 stitches. He considers the injury a worthy price to pay, as the wolf that bit him eventually allowed him to get close, pet him and even started playing with him.
Wang Nan said that his 320 wolves are everything to him and that he hopes to grow old taking care of them.
Interestingly, Wang Nan’s story is reminiscent of another Chinese wolf whisperer we featured a while back.
In 2016, we wrote about “The Wolf King“, a businessman who was raising 150 wolves from 8 different species in a valley that had become known as Wild Wolf Valley.
Lawrence Ati-Zigi of St. Gallen, who the goalkeeper for the Black Stars in their 2022 World Cup opening against Portugal, was crucial to their success.
The shot stopper made his debut for Ghana at the international competition on Thursday, when the Black Stars fell to the European nation 3-2 at the 974 Stadium.
With his second-half penalty giving Portugal the lead, Cristiano Ronaldo made history by becoming the first player to ever score five goals at a World Cup.
Andre Ayew of Ghana then tied the score, but Portugal won and topped Group H despite Osman Bukari’s late winner with to two goals in three minutes from Joao Felix and Rafael Leao.
Even though the Black Stars were defeated, Ati-Zigi made two powerful interventions against Ronaldo.
The Portugal star came from the depths, put the ball a little too far and Zigi intervened to prevent Ghana from a heavy defeat.
With seven minutes remaining, Zigi took center stage again as he emerged victorious in a one-on-one with Ronaldo. However, the Portuguese had started offside.
The 2016 European Champions currently sit top of Group H with three points.
Meanwhile, the defeat means Ghana are bottom of Group H after Uruguay and South Korea played out a goalless draw earlier on Thursday.
The Black Stars will now turn their attention to their upcoming matches against South Korea and Uruguay on November 28 and December 2, respectively.
Speaking to the B&FT at a pre-budget event in Accra organized by the Ghana Employers’ Association (GEA), TUC General Secretary Dr. Yaw Baah noted that pay inequality and poor pay issues from the past still exist in the public sector.
He said in a presentation that workers on the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) are receiving far less in pay compared to their counterparts on other pay structures in the public sector.
“This will imply restoring the daily national minimum wage to the poverty line of at least US$1.90. It will also mean negotiating a base pay on the SSSS that is reflective of current inflationary trends,” Dr. Baah said.
He appealed to the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to ensure that the work of its Technical Committee be completed without further delays.
This year, government constituted a tripartite technical committee to make recommendations for a review of the SSPP.
Indeed, the incessant hikes in inflation have led to a general change in cost of living across the country.
Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels recorded inflation of 69.6 percent in October 2022.
Impact on workers
Even though the minimum wage was increased by 8 percent in 2022, the unusually high inflation of 40.4 percent has washed-out any gains on wages.
In July, public sector workers received a Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA) of 15 percent, but that has been dwarfed by current inflation hikes.
The Union however concluded that while the IMF programme will be key to resolving some immediate economic challenges facing Ghana, it will not address the country’s long-term development needs.
It therefore recommends government to: focus on transforming agriculture; add value to commodities; improve road and transportation networks; and improve access to and quality of education and health delivery.
Ghana’s local currency has lost 53.8% of its value against major currencies since the beginning of this year, according to Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
While presenting the 2023 budget statement in Parliament on Thursday, Ken Ofori-Atta revealed how certain economic activities this year in particular have contributed to the cedi’s depreciation.
He cited the rise in demand for foreign currency as one of the causes of the cedi’s depreciation.
“The demand for foreign exchange to support our unbridled demand for imports undermines and weakens the value of the cedi. This contributed to the depreciation of the Cedi which has lost about 53.8% of its value since the beginning of this year, compared to the average 7% annual depreciation of the Cedi between 2017 and 2021,” he mentioned.
Between 2017 and 2021, the annual depreciation of the cedi stood at 7 percent.
Among major trading currencies, the Ghana cedi has fared worse against the United States dollar.
In October this year, the value of the dollar against the cedi rose to GH¢16 from GH¢6.8 in January this year.
Information from the Bank of Ghana reveals that as of November 23, 2022, a dollar was trading at GH¢13.11. Interbank rates pegged a pound at GH¢15.78, and traded a euro at GH¢13.59.
At the forex bureaus, a dollar is sold at GH¢14, while a pound and euro are sold at GH¢17 and GH15 respectively.
Due to the depreciation of the cedi, there has been an incessant hike in fuel prices, which has resulted in an increase in transport fares.
The high cost of transportation has translated to a rise in the cost of goods and services in the country.
Meanwhile, the government has introduced some measures to curb the depreciation of the cedi.
The Central Bank has been working with the mining firms, international oil companies, and their bankers to purchase all foreign exchange arising from the voluntary repatriation.
On Thursday, the Black Stars fought valiantly in their matchup with the 2016 European Champions.
Portugal’s opening match of the competition in Group H unfortunately resulted in a 3-2 victory over Ghana.
Coach Maxwell Konadu said in an interview with Akoma FM that he thought the outcome would have been different had the Black Stars played more bravely and with more openness.
According to him, the second-half substitution of star attacker Mohammed Kudus did not help matters.
“We should have opened up the game after finding the equalizer. For me, changing Kudus was a bit wrong but probably the coach might have had a special reason why he did that, I can only imagine it was due to the yellow card he picked up.
“Kudus was on top of his game and we should have kept him for a while in my opinion. But maybe the coaches will give us some better explanation as to why they made those substitutions,” coach Maxwell Konadu said.
After the defeat to Portugal, Ghana now turns its attention to the second match against South Korea on Monday, November 28.
An unemployed man who shared nude pictures of his ex-wife has been sentenced to one year imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.
Samuel Baah is said to have sent his ex- wife’s nude images through WhatsApp to a female friend of the complainant.
Baah was charged with threat of death, non-consensual sharing of intimate image, threat to distribute prohibited image and publication of obscene material.
He pleaded guilty to the charges and the court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah convicted him on his own plea.
The case of the prosecution led by Chief Inspector Isaac Anquandah was that the complainant, name withheld, was a businesswoman while the accused, a resident of Ablekuma in Accra.
An unemployed man who shared nude pictures of his ex-wife has been sentenced to one year imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.
Samuel Baah is said to have sent his ex- wife’s nude images through WhatsApp to a female friend of the complainant.
Baah was charged with threat of death, non-consensual sharing of intimate image, threat to distribute prohibited image and publication of obscene material.
He pleaded guilty to the charges and the court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah convicted him on his own plea.
The case of the prosecution led by Chief Inspector Isaac Anquandah was that the complainant, name withheld, was a businesswoman while the accused, a resident of Ablekuma in Accra.
He also threatened the complainant that if she divorced him, he would kill her and himself.
On September 12, this year, the prosecution said at about 8:30 am, the complainant received a phone call from her friend known as Afia who informed her that, she had received pictures and messages from a cell phone number with the complainant’s nude pictures.
The prosecution said the Director General of Criminal Investigations Department was petitioned over the issue and the matter was referred to the Cyber crime Unit for further investigations.
It said the complainant’s friend was invited to assist in investigations and Baah was discovered as the one who took the naked pictures of the complainant without her consent and sent to the complainant’s friends.
The prosecution said the accused was then picked up and during investigations, he admitted the offences.
Bristol City forward Antoine Semenyo made his World Cup bow for Ghana against Portugal on Thursday, four-and-a-half years on from scoring a hat-trick in a Somerset Cup quarter-final.
In four short years Antoine Semenyo has gone from playing for sixth-tier Bath City in the Somerset Cup to representing Ghana at the most prestigious tournament in all of sport … how’s that for career development?
The London-born 22-year-old, who can play both up front and off the flank, only made his debut for the Black Stars in June but squeezed into Otto Addo’s 26-man squad for the World Cup after making a flying start to the season at Championship side Bristol City.
He was brought on as a second half substitute during Ghana’s 3-2 defeat to Portugal on Thursday as his side went in search of a late equaliser – and got a front row seat for Inaki Williams’ agonising slip in the dying moments.
Semenyo signed for Bristol City as a 17-year-old in 2017 but after finding first-team minutes hard to come by he was farmed out on loan to National League South side Bath.
There he got some much-needed game-time under his belt, and with his confidence flowing the goals started doing the same. He scored six in 16 games for the Romans, including a memorable hat-trick in an 8-1 Somerset Cup quarter-final tie against (the mighty) Welton Rovers.
He then started climbing the ladder, getting loaned to League Two outfit Newport County the following season, and the year after that to League One side Sunderland, before returning to Ashton Gate for the 2020/21 season
A bag of gari, which was sold between GH¢800.00 and GH¢850.00 depending on the size has been reduced to GH¢750.00 and GH¢800.00 respectively, with a bowl of gari being sold at GH¢20.00 from GH¢25.00 previously.
Also, a pack of sachet water, which was sold between GH¢8.00 and GH¢9.00 depending on the brand, presently sells at GH¢6.00 and GH¢7.00, while a sachet goes for 30 Pesewas from 50 pesewas.
“Ice water used to be dominant in rural communities including those without electricity where sellers refrigerate it or put big chunks of ice on it to get it chilled. It used to be sold at an affordable price to consumers but was kicked out of the market as it could not match sachet water in terms of hygiene.
Though its purity is still in question, it is about affordability in this time of economic hardship, according to the consumers interviewed.
Mrs Eunice Ayamba, a sachet water producer, in an interview with the Ghana news Agency (GNA), said they were left with no option than to reduce prices to stay in business.
I usually supply my water to the Pelungu, Kongo and Yorigo among other communities in the region but overtime, I realized demand was coming down, my distributors would take water to these communities and return with almost same, because sellers still had water packed and could not take more since demand was low.
“Even in Bolga here, the demand for sachet water is high at Lorry stations, mechanic shops among others, but that is where ‘’ice water ‘’ is dominating now and so we are left with no option than to reduce prices even though we are only breaking even,’’ she added.
Ms Victoria Ayinbisah, alias Ama Gari, told the GNA that apart from students who said they were compelled to buy at the increased price because there was no option, most customers walked away when the increased prices were mentioned to them.
“In fact, we just don’t have any option than to reduce prices because customers just walk away when you mention the price with some telling you it is better, they use their money for other foods instead of gari which should be affordable,”she stated.
It will be challenging for Ghana’s team to defeat South Korea in their second group encounter, according to coach Otto Addo.
On Thursday at the 974 Stadium, the Black Stars faced Portugal in the opening match of their 2022 World Cup campaign.
The European team defeated the four-time champion African team 3-2.
The second group match between Ghana and South Korea will take place on Monday at 13:00 GMT at the Education City Stadium.
Addo emphasized that they must defeat the Koreans in order to advance to the tournament’s next round before the game against the Asian team.
When asked if Ghana could advance to the next round of the competition following the match against Portugal, the 49-year-old responded, “First of all, there is no doubt that we have a chance, especially since they played a draw. If we defeat South Korea and Portugal defeats Uruguay, which is what Portugal is hoping to do, then we will finish second, increasing our chances.
“And since South Korea is a good team, it will undoubtedly be very, very difficult to defeat them. But now, we must triumph.
He continued, “Not only are we under pressure, but so are they.
Portugal already leads the group after the victory, although today’s setback to the Black Stars might not be too costly given that South Korea and Uruguay earlier in the day drew 0-0.
On Thursday, November 24, the 2023 budget statement and economic policy were presented to Parliament by Ken Ofori-Atta, the finance minister.
“A ban on new tax waivers for foreign corporations and a reassessment of tax exemptions for free zone, mining, oil, and gas industries; A hiring freeze for civil and public officials,” the minister declared.
There won’t be any new government organizations created in 2023, and there won’t be any hampers in 2022.
He admonished the youth to challenge themselves to break their dependence on public employment and develop an attitude of entrepreneurship.
“People use a lot of excuses to avoid work. Let’s change the narrative around this time they say there is a freeze. It means you have to get out of laziness and get something doing. Maybe, by the time we get out from the freeze, we would have had more entrepreneurs, more self-employed people; [every danger that comes] for me, every threat should come along with an opportunity that we all must ensure we take over . . . there will always be job available for those who are ready,” he advised.
“Let the youth of this Republic become creative,” he added.
A 30-year-old man who beat his wife to death at Sehwi Apente in the Bodi District of the Western North Region, is in police custody after he faked suicide.
Kwabena Ahi, after beating his wife, Patience Armah to death supposedly took in a chemical believed to be a weedicide to kill himself.
Mr Ahi was found ‘helpless’ in the bush by some residents of the Apente community.
He was rushed to the Juaboso Government Hospital for treatment, however, it was later established that Kwabena Ahi did not drink the suspected weedicide.
The police were informed following which he was arrested to assist in investigation.
A $27.9 million grant to Ghana has been authorised by the board of directors of the African Development Fund (AfDB) for the creation of agricultural value chains in the Savannah Region.
The Bank’s acting Vice-President of its Regional Development, Integration, and Business Delivery Complex, Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade stated the grant is in line with the Bank’s African Emergency Food Production Facility.
She noted that the grant will increase the climate-resilient production of maize, rice, and soybeans, support the poultry value chain, and generate employment for women and youth.
Again, she mentioned that the $27.9 million will help Ghana mitigate the negative impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on global food systems.
On his part, Martin Fregene, the Bank’s Sector Director of Agriculture and Industry, pointed out that the grant for the Savannah Agriculture Project would help reduce imports of food items.
He said the grant will support farmers with farm inputs to produce climate-resilient rice, maize, and soybeans.
“This builds on the Bank’s earlier investments in the savannah areas of Ghana, putting 20,000 hectares of maize and soybeans under production using conservation agriculture practices and technologies. This project has come at a time when Ghana seeks to enhance domestic production and reduce imports. These are the key objectives of the Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy.”
The Savannah Agriculture Value Chain Development Project will be implemented by Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture from 2023 to 2027.
The project will benefit at least 150, 000 people indirectly and 50,000 directly.
African Development Fund
The African Development Fund (AfDB) is a financial provider to African governments and private companies investing in the regional member countries (RMC).
The AfDB was founded in 1964 by the Organisation of African Unity, which is the predecessor of the African Union.
The AfDB comprises three entities: The African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigeria Trust Fund.
NBA star José Alvarado has reacted to Inaki William’s blooper in Ghana’s clash against Portugal on Thursday.
The Athletic Bilbao forward was in action for the Black Stars yesterday in their opening Group H encounter against the Portuguese opponent.
Late in the match in stoppage time, Inaki Williams smartly lurked behind Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa and picked his pocket.
Unfortunately, he tripped and could not put the ball in the back of the net for a goal that would have helped Ghana to hold Portugal to a 3-3 draw at full-time.
Reacting to the blooper incident, NBA star José Alvarado who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans says he loved the move by Inaki Williams.
“Did he just try to do the move in the WORLD CUP ? I LOVE IT,” José Alvarado Tweeted after the game.
Did he just try to do the move in the WORLD CUP ? I LOVE IT !!!
A viral video of a Chinese couple recently sparked controversy online after the couple punished their child for watching too much television by making him stay up all night watching TV.
It’s a problem most modern parents – myself included – deal with at some point. Kids today love looking at screens, be they big or small, and unless you do something about it, they become little addicts.
And it’s up to parents to either prevent that from happening or manage screen time to ensure they actually do something else. Anyway, this story is about a couple of parents who decided that more TVwas actually the way to wean their son off watching TV. So they made him stay up all night watching whatever he wanted.
Before going out, the couple, who hail from China’s Hunan province, reportedly asked their 8-year-old son to finish his homework and be in bed at 8:30. But when they returned later that night they found him on the sofa watching TV even though it was passed his bedtime. They also learned that he had not done his homework, so they decided to teach him a lesson.
According to the home CCTV footage that recently went viral on Chinese social media, the events unfolded on the night of November 11. When the parents came home, the boy can be seen going into the bedroom, but upon checking the TV and his notebooks, the couple quickly realize what’s going on and drag him back into the living room.
The boy actually gets more than the verbal scolding he was probably expecting. Instead of sending him back to his room and saving his punishment for the following days, his parents actually turn on the TV and tell him to keep watching his favorite programs. He actually looks relaxed at first, but as the hours go by, you can see him struggle to stay awake.
This form of punishment has attracted the parents a fair bit of criticism online, with some calling it a form of abuse. The video shows the boy repeatedly trying to go to his room to sleep, only to be turned back by his mother and made to watch more TV. At around 2 a.m., he can be seen crying and pleading with his mother to be allowed to sleep, but to no avail.
More than once, the boy can be seen falling asleep on the couch, only to be nudged awake by his mother or father and forced to watch more television. According to the CCTV timestamp, the boy was only allowed to finally go to sleep at around 5 in the morning.
A Nigerian woman has bailed her ‘abusive’ husband out of jail after he was arrested and detained for brutally beating her.
A group, DPA Family Law Clinic, disclosed this in a Facebook post on Thursday, November 24.
“We got her husband arrested and detained for beating her and doing this to her. His kinsmen refused to come to bail him out. They said he should die there. Guess who went behind us to bail him out? This is how the woman’s sister narrated it to us:
“My sister paid 10k to bail the husband because his people refused to come. She said that even if they take man to court that he will still end up in prison and she can’t bear it. She had been the one paying all bills including rent because he’s not working.”
According to the figures, inflation for both food and non-food increased to 43.7 percent and 37.8%, respectively.
In response to the findings, Dr. Evans Ntiamoah, Food Security Analyst with the Chamber of Agribusiness, asserted that post-harvest losses on various farms were to blame for the recent increases in food costs.
In addition, he highlighted the poor investment in the agriculture industry as one of the problems contributing to the woes of the sector.
“About 30% of the food that we produce gets spoiled at the farm, that is a big challenge and so we should find innovative ways to protect our produce,” he said.
Speaking on university-based Radio Station, Radio Univers, the agricultural expert urged the government to pay attention to the industry and advocated for significant changes in the agri-business.
He criticized the ongoing importation of food products into the Ghanaian market, which he claims is to blame for recent increases in food costs.
He then counselled the government to develop more creative methods of lowering post-harvest losses and to study other nations’ agricultural advancements to improve Ghana’s agriculture.
“Agriculture is still an important sector of the country. Even though our contribution to GDP has declined so low, not only does the sector provides food, we also provide raw materials for the processing and manufacturing sector. It’s also very crucial in terms of providing jobs and livelihood for a vast number of people, so we should find innovative ways to protect our produce,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ghana is recognized as the nation with the biggest increases in food prices by the World Bank.
With a 122% increase in food prices, the nation has achieved the toughest achievement in sub-Saharan Africa.
