Micro, small, and medium-sized firms (MSMEs) have been urged to seek partnerships in order to survive as businesses brace up to stay afloat despite fears that the economy’s ongoing deterioration could restrict access to financing.
Over 85% of manufacturing jobs are held by micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, which make up about 70% of all industrial establishments in the nation. These businesses also contribute to 70% of GDP.
“Ratings like this that paint deficient and somehow gloomy economic situation to foreign investors would make it difficult for them to come in. And that’s a cause for worry and it’s a big blow,” he stated.
“To ensure that it doesn’t affect the sector, MSMEs must be willing to give away shares, and partner with others to scale. But that’s where most of the time, our people are not willing to or don’t want to open up to such partnerships; everybody wants to be on their own as the CEO. But, it’s time to understand that partnership is key,” he added.
He said there must be deliberate policy to educate MSMEs about the importance of partnership if the sector is to play a major role in the African Continental Free Trade Area, and also lead the country’s economic recovery.
“It’s very important that we encourage our people to start thinking beyond the box of being called a CEO of a US$1,000 company, and rather hold a 10 percent or 40 percent share in a US$100,000 company. It’s time we start looking beyond such thinking for the better of the Ghanaian economy and its sustainability,” he said.
The CEO of Crescendo Consult Ltd., Mrs. Doris Ahiati, on her part, urged MSMEs to look out for collaborations and partnerships that can help their businesses stay afloat, saying that would help them bounce back better when the economy sees the light of day because they would not have to start afresh.
Acknowledging the difficulties MSMEs might be dealing with, she was of the view that closing their shops is not an option; however, they should explore every available option to sail through.
“My recommendation to MSMEs is to not close their shops. It is very tempting to quit because it is tough and rough. It is easy to close shops, but that is not an option; explore all that is possible besides quitting or closing shops.
“Already, some have reduced the scale of operations, and it is a way to go. You do not have enough cash flow to support the usual rate of operation, demand is not supportive, and not to even talk of the cost you have to cover.
“You might be a food vendor who used to serve 100 people a day but now you can adequately manage 10; go ahead with that. Or say you have a processing plant and used to process many tonnes but now can only manage half of that, just reduce the size but do not fold up,” she advised.
For those who owe banks or other financial institutions, she advised that they have an open discussion with them to find a way out instead of hiding and putting up excuses.
On the latest episode The Daily Show, Trevor Noah blasted the artist formerly known as Kanye West over a series of antisemitic comments the rapper has made in recent days.
“I don’t even know where to begin with this shit,” Noah said. “I mean promoting antisemitism to your 50 million followers?”
Ye’s Instagram and Twitter have since been locked, after a series of antisemitic comments he made on the platform. “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” Kanye wrote on social media. “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
“I know this is not the point but that’s not how you say it. I know it’s not the main issue. I know that,” Noah joked. “But it’s DEF CON 3. Alright, not death con 3. Death con sounds like like a trade show where they unveil all the latest coffins or something.”
Noah suggested that he “feels bad” for the American right as they’re forced to deal with Ye, who just recently sported a “White Live Matter” t-shirt to much criticism. “I feel bad for American rightwingers, you know? Because they’re getting Kanye now,” he said. “They missed College Dropout, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Graduation. They missed all that and they’re getting this Kanye. It’s like getting to date the high school prom king, but decades after high school.”
Noah is no stranger when it comes to trading shots with Ye, who notably got restricted from Instagram in the past for an offensive post directed at the TV host. Ye’s latest comments have provoked Noah to once again criticize the rapper, who he has praised the music of in the past.
Earlier this week, unaired footage from Ye’s interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson surfaced online and showed him making more antisemitic comments. “Think about us judging each other on how white we could talk would be like, you know, a Jewish person judging another Jewish person on how good they danced or something,” he said. “I mean, that’s probably like a bad example and people are going to get mad at that shit.” A moment later, he added, “I probably want to edit that out.” During the same interview, he suggested Planned Parenthood was created with the KKK in order to “control the Jew population.”
Ye was also scheduled to appear on an episode of LeBron James’ interview series The Shop, but the decision was made to scrap the episode due to apparent hate speech from. “While The Shop embraces thoughtful discourse and differing opinions, we have zero tolerance for hate speech of any kind and will never allow our channels to be used to promote hate,” reads the statement from Maverick Carter, the co-host of the show. “I take full responsibility for believing Kanye wanted a different conversation and apologize to our guests and crew. Hate speech should never have an audience.”
Because the leaders they chose to ensure that the country works smoothly seem to have utterly failed in their task, many of the citizenry’s everyday problems to make ends meet have been made worse by external issues that directly affect them.
On the basis of numerous economic statistics, many Ghanaians have come to the conclusion that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-administration Addo’s is underperforming.
In this GhanaWeb article, we take a look at some of the achievements of this government that have turned out as infamous because the NPP government which touted itself as ‘having the men’ have found it tough in dealing with the economic turmoil of the country.
For better perspectives, the article focuses on metrics since Ghana become a democracy in 1992 till date.
GhanaWeb’s daily reports on the performance of the Ghana cedi showed that on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, the Ghana Cedi is trading against the dollar at a buying price of 9.7176 and a selling price of 9.7274.
This is compared to trading of Tuesday, October 11, 2022, where there was a recorded buying price of 9.6427 and a selling price of 9.6523. At a forex bureau in Accra, the dollar is being bought at a rate of 11.03 and sold at a rate of 11.23.
Against the Pound Sterling, the Cedi is trading at a buying price of 10.7807 and a selling price of 10.7935 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 10.6465 and a selling price of 10.6581.
At a forex bureau in Accra, the pound sterling is being bought at a rate of 11.98 and sold at a rate of 12.28.
The Euro is trading at a buying price of 9.4435 and a selling price of 9.4530 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 9.3489 and a selling price of 9.3582.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Euro is being bought at a rate of 10.52 and sold at a rate of 10.77.
The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.5372 and a selling price of 0.5374 compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 0.5318 and a selling price of 0.5321.
At a forex bureau in Accra, South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.45 and sold at a rate of 0.80.
The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 45.0656 and a selling price of 45.1827 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 45.0656 and a selling price of 45.1827.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 13.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 15.50.
At the time of taking over power in 2017, the cedi to dollar rate was around GH¢4.
The debt stock which stood at GH¢392.1 billion in March 2022 dropped to GH¢388.1 billion in April 2022, and later went up marginally to GH¢389.2 billion in May 2022 and to GH¢393.4 billion in June 2022.
In early October 2022, Ghana was classified as a high debt distressed country, by the World Bank.
The Bank’s October 2022 Africa Pulse Report said that Ghana’s rising debt-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is now projected to reach 104 percent by the end of this year.
This would represent an increase from 76.6 percent a year earlier with the report attributing the development to the depreciation of the cedi, widening government deficit and rising debt service costs.
It further attributed Ghana losing its access to international capital markets as another contributing factor.
“Debt is expected to jump in Ghana to 104.6% of GDP, from 76.6% a year earlier amid a widened government deficit, massive weakening of the cedi, and rising debt service costs,” the report noted.
Inflation hits 33.9%, highest in 21 years:
In August 2022, GhanaWeb reported that Ghana’s consumer price inflation had hit a 21-year record high of 33.9%, according to the Ghana Statistical Service.
This means that prices of goods and services went up by 2.2% between July and August 2022.
July’s inflation stood at 31.7%. Government’s statistician, Samuel Kobina Annim, who announced the rate on September 14, 2022, said for the first time in 2022, month-on-month inflation was 1.9%, the lowest this year.
This made it another of the infamous achievements under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government because since the dawn of the fourth republic, no such inflation figures have been recorded before in the country.
Food prices:
Multiple reports have shown that in the history of Ghana’s fourth republic, the rates at which food prices have been increasing in recent years have been nothing as have been experienced before.
For instance, food vendors now sell one egg at GH¢2 compared to GH¢1 in 2021. The raw eggs on the shelves of provision shops are also being sold between GH¢1.20p and GH¢1.50p for one, whereas they were sold at 70 pesewas and 80 pesewas depending on size.
And those who sell cooked eggs with ground pepper, which is usually bought as a snack, also sell an egg at GH¢1.50p compared to GH¢1 previously.
“The profit I make initially has reduced significantly. I used to sell over 600 crates in a week and make a profit of GH¢2 on each crate. And now, because farmers are also complaining that their production cost has increased, they are unable to produce more for us, their clients. Presently, I sell about 500 eggs in a week,” a wholesaler at Mallam, Kuukua Krampah, told the B&FT in an interview.
The same situation has affected the prices of rice.
A 5-kilogram bag of rice now sells at almost GH¢80, GhanaWeb’s checks have revealed. The alarming rate of the increase has been attributed to the increase in fuel prices and the rippling effects on transport fares.
During a market survey by GhanaWeb on August 15, 2022, Ama Amoabea, a seller of grains, including rice, beans, and other products at the Lapaz Newmarket, said the price of rice had increased from GH¢300cedis for 25kg, translating to GH¢60 for each 5kg bag.
“The foreign ones too are becoming expensive, it was 300cedis at first but it is 350cedis and 400cedis currently. They told us that since transportation fares have been increased, the prices of everything have increased as well so they should reduce transportation so that we can also reduce the prices,” she said.
Fuel prices:
At the fuel pumps in 2022, Ghanaians are having to pay more than they have ever paid for before. The prices of petroleum products have been soaring since the start of 2022, with petrol currently selling at GH¢11.55 per litre, while Diesel is selling at GH¢14.50 per litre across various pumps in the country.
Public transport fares have also been affected by this, with all other forms of products and food items eventually being affected.
Government explanation
The government has admitted to the challenges in the economy but maintains it is a global phenomenon triggered by the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and exacerbated by the recent Russia and Ukraine war.
Ghana international Nana Ampomah has picked up a fresh injury at Fortuna Dusseldorf.
The midfielder who has been struggling for playing time in the German Bundesliga 2 has sustain a tendon irritation and could be out of action for sometime.
The 26-year-old is among the seven players currently injured at Fortuna Dusseldorf.
Nana Ampomah is yet to make an appearance for the club in the Bundesliga 2 this season.
He has two goals from one game in the lower-tier league with Dusseldorf.
The former Royal Antwerp star has capped four times for the Black Stars.
In addition, the traders have also been concerned with the strength of the cedi.
The Ghana cedi has depreciated by 37.5% to the US dollar as of the end of September 2022 according to the Bank of Ghana.
Currently, the dollar is trading at a little over GH¢11 to $1.
GUTA has warned of more agitations across the country if the concerns of traders are not addressed.
“First, we were managing our frustration, but now our frustration has turned into anger and that is what is showing in the business community. This is only the beginning because others are going to follow. If I listen to the agitations of our members, it means that a lot more is going to follow, and it is going to be massive”, says GUTA president, Dr. Joseph Obeng.
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGS) traders in Adum, Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region are protesting the government because they believe its 6 percent VAT policy rate is “killing” their businesses.
Executive Secretary for the Ashanti Business Community, Charles Kusi Appiah Kubi, expressed their concerns during a press conference and claimed that the government’s VAT policy rate on traders is endangering the survival of their businesses. If nothing is done to lessen its devastating effects, the government will ultimately suffer, he added.
Furthermore, Mr. Kusi Appiah Kubi, explained that their members will not be able to charge the 6 percent VAT policy rate because the tax structure and its administration does not support the FMCG market’s features; the policy introduces multiple taxations for each item as it travels along the distribution channel. And, also, high competition coupled with high non-VAT compliance makes charging the tax a disincentive to the few VAT-compliant firms.
“We have demonstrated to government that the 4 percent VAT Flat rate does not sync with dynamics in the FMCG sector, and recommended tax policies which will help government optimise its revenue mobilisation while promoting self-compliance.
“We were so optimistic that government was going to heed our recommendations in last year’s budget reading, only for us to wake up with another complex VAT regime – the VAT standard rate which has 6 percent as levy for businesses with sales thresholds greater than GH₵500,000 per year.
“If we couldn’t charge a 3 percent or 4 percent flat rate, what would make government think we can charge the 6 percent flat rate on goods sold? This obviously introduced a compounded problem for our market players,” he said.
He indicated that government’s VAT revenue has fallen below its expected target this year, and this has led government to vent its frustration on a few identifiable businesses like traders who deal in FMCGs to make up the revenue lost.
“Government’s attempt to salvage the situation has led it to vent its frustrations on the few identifiable businesses to make up for its revenue fall. We are compelled to pay them from our working capital. This act is depleting our working capital; government’s VAT policy is collapsing our businesses. We are scared, because day in and day out we see our businesses fall apart. The scariest thing is while our businesses are going down, our economy is also going down faster than we can comprehend,” he observed.
The traders, numbering over 100, have since Monday closed down their shops in an attempt to make government know the gravity of their demands – stating that they have no plans of opening their shops unless government intervenes.
“Government should take all its revenue at the point of entry for goods; that is, from the port or from the domestic factories.
“We strongly recommend that government should adopt more sustainable and business-friendly tax policies which would help it optimise revenue mobilisation while promoting business growth.
“This would add to the means of widening the tax net. Government would be able to increase its revenue mobilisation. The adoption of our proposition would promote healthy and even pricing within the market,” Mr. Kusi Appiah Kubi stressed
Far-right conspiracy theorist and InfoWars founder Alex Jones has been ordered to pay $965 million in damages to the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting victims.
As reported by Reuters and CNN, a Connecticut jury decided on the amount on Wednesday at the conclusion of the lengthy trial. Jones claimed on multiple occasions that the shooting, which claimed the lives of 27 elementary school students and staff, was a “false flag” operation conceived by gun control advocates. He accused the families of being “crisis actors,” and called the shooting “a giant hoax” that was “completely fake.”
He was initially sued for his comments by the family of a victim in 2018, and the defamation suit later grew to represent 15 plaintiffs. The decision comes after Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems LLC, was ordered to pay over $49 million to Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the parents of 6-year-old shooting victim Jesse Lewis, by a Texas jury in August.
Jones later responded after being ordered to pay the $965 million. “They want to scare everybody away from freedom,” he said in a segment on InfoWars. “And scare us from questioning Uvalde and what really happened there, or Parkland or any other event. And Guess what? We’re not scared, and we’re not going away. We’re not going to stop. Literally, for hundreds of thousands of dollars, I can keep them in court for years. I can appeal this stuff.”
He called the entire lawsuit against him “a joke,” and then asked for his followers to purchase dietary supplements from his online store. His media empire filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.
“You may say that is astronomical. It is,” said Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the plaintiffs. “It’s exactly what Alex Jones set himself up to do. That’s what he built. He built a lie machine that could push this stuff out. You reap what you sow.” Throughout the case in Texas, he called the proceedings a “kangaroo court,” and labeled the judge a “tyrant.” He also took a moment to go on a rant about “liberals.”
Ghanaian Highlife musician Black Sherif has landed another international nomination.
Days after he lost the 2022 BET Best International Flow award to France-based Hiphop artiste Benjamin Epps, the Ghanaian singer and rapper has been named a nominee for the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards (MTV EMA).
Kwaku Killa, as is his nickname, has been nominated for the Best African Act award.
The category has keen competition from the likes of Ayra Starr, Burna Boy and Tems.
On Thursday, October 6, 2022, Sherif released his debut album of 14 tracks. It is called ‘The Villain I Never Was’ and has proven to be a formidable chart-topper since release.
Our forex bureau rates are provided by Afriswap Bureau De Change in Osu, Accra.
On the Interbank forex rates from the Bank of Ghana on, October 13, 2022, the Ghana Cedi is trading against the dollar at a buying price of 9.7871 and a selling price of 9.7969.
As compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 9.7176 and a selling price of 9.7274. At a forex bureau in Accra, the dollar is being bought at a rate of 11.25 and sold at a rate of 11.45.
Against the Pound Sterling, the Cedi is trading at a buying price of 10.8373 and a selling price of 10.8501 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 10.7807 and a selling price of 10.7935.
At a forex bureau in Accra, the pound sterling is being bought at a rate of 12.00 and sold at a rate of 12.30.
The Euro is trading at a buying price of 9.5005 and a selling price of 9.5109 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 9.4435 and a selling price of 9.4530.
The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.5356 and a selling price of 0.5360 compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 0.5372 and a selling price of 0.5374.
At a forex bureau in Accra, South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.45 and sold at a rate of 0.80.
The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 44.9602 and a selling price of 45.0378 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 45.0656 and a selling price of 45.1827.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 13.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 15.50.
In a statement issued on September 30 and signed by the sector minister, the Ministry said it has taken note of “publications about certain operations by Akonta Mining Limited in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Amenfi West Municipality in the Western Region”.
According to the Ministry, even though Akonta Mining Limited has a mining lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Samreboi, outside the Forest Reserve, “the company has no mineral right to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve”.
The statement said the sector minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has therefore directed the Forestry Ministry to, “forthwith, ensure that the company does not carry out any operation in the Forest and to take the necessary action against any person found culpable in this matter”.
“Our records show that Akonta Mining Ltd, on August 25, 2022, applied for a Mining Lease to undertake mining operations in the said Forest Reserve. By a Ministerial Directive, all reconnaissance, prospecting and/or exploratory activities in Forest Reserves in the country are suspended, except in exceptional circumstances.
“Although this directive does not affect mining in Forest Reserves, Akonta Mining Limited’s application has not been determined. Accordingly, any alleged activity being undertaken by the company in the Forest Reserve is illegal”, the statement further disclosed.
In conclusion, the Ministry pledged its commitment to dealing with the menace of illegal mining in Ghana, popularly known as ‘galamsey’.
Meanwhile, the conversation about illegal mining continues to gain prominence with many calling on government to prosecute management of Akonta Mining Limited.
The accused persons are being tried alongside galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang, for engaging in activities of illegal mining.
However, critics have questioned the commitment of the government to the fight with the development of the legal representation of the accused miners.
Speaking to Citi News on the matter, the Convener for the Coalition, Dr. Ken Ashigbey, said though the situation presents risks, the role of the media is critical to ensure that the tenets of the law are upheld.
“It’s a wrong impression that some people have. The fact that my law firm is defending them does not mean that government supports and is involved in illegal mining. We all support efforts against galamsey. Personally, I am against galamsey.”
“This does not mean that innocent people should not be represented. Let’s wait for the court to decide. At the end of the day, we will know the truth, that my clients are innocent. They have done nothing wrong and are not involved in galamsey”, he added.
In Ghana today, there is a general consensus that things are no longer working as smoothly as they should have been in the country.
The daily struggles to make ends meet, for many of the citizenry, have been compounded by external factors that directly affect their struggles because the leaders they have elected to ensure that the country runs smoothly appear to have woefully failed at it.
It is the same understanding that has given a number of Ghanaians course to rank the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government as a poor-performing government, premised on many economic indicators.
In this GhanaWeb article, we take a look at some of the achievements of this government that have turned out as infamous because the NPP government which touted itself as ‘having the men’ have found it tough in dealing with the economic turmoil of the country.
For better perspectives, the article focuses on metrics since Ghana become a democracy in 1992 till date.
Worst exchange rate against foreign currencies:
Under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government, Ghana has experienced its worst exchange rate on the Ghana cedi against foreign currencies such as the United States dollar.
GhanaWeb’s daily reports on the performance of the Ghana cedi showed that on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, the Ghana Cedi is trading against the dollar at a buying price of 9.7176 and a selling price of 9.7274.
This is compared to trading of Tuesday, October 11, 2022, where there was a recorded buying price of 9.6427 and a selling price of 9.6523. At a forex bureau in Accra, the dollar is being bought at a rate of 11.03 and sold at a rate of 11.23.
Against the Pound Sterling, the Cedi is trading at a buying price of 10.7807 and a selling price of 10.7935 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 10.6465 and a selling price of 10.6581.
At a forex bureau in Accra, the pound sterling is being bought at a rate of 11.98 and sold at a rate of 12.28.
The Euro is trading at a buying price of 9.4435 and a selling price of 9.4530 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 9.3489 and a selling price of 9.3582.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Euro is being bought at a rate of 10.52 and sold at a rate of 10.77.
The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.5372 and a selling price of 0.5374 compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 0.5318 and a selling price of 0.5321.
At a forex bureau in Accra, South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.45 and sold at a rate of 0.80.
The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 45.0656 and a selling price of 45.1827 as compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 45.0656 and a selling price of 45.1827.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 13.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 15.50.
At the time of taking overpower in 2017, the cedi to dollar rate was around GH₵4.
Debt to GDP:
The current Debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the country is at all-time high, at GH¢402.4 billion as of July 2022.
The debt stock which stood at GH¢392.1 billion in March 2022 dropped to GH¢388.1 billion in April 2022, and later went up marginally to GH¢389.2 billion in May 2022 and to GH¢393.4 billion in June 2022.
In early October 2022, Ghana was classified as a high debt distressed country, by the World Bank.
The Bank’s October 2022 Africa Pulse Report said that Ghana’s rising debt-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is now projected to reach 104 percent by the end of this year.
This would represent an increase from 76.6 percent a year earlier with the report attributing the development to the depreciation of the cedi, widening government deficit and rising debt service costs.
It further attributed Ghana losing its access to international capital markets as another contributing factor.
“Debt is expected to jump in Ghana to 104.6% of GDP, from 76.6% a year earlier amid a widened government deficit, massive weakening of the cedi, and rising debt service costs,” the report noted.
Inflation hits 33.9%, highest in 21 years:
In August 2022, GhanaWeb reported that Ghana’s consumer price inflation had hit a 21-year record high of 33.9%, according to the Ghana Statistical Service.
This means that prices of goods and services went up by 2.2% between July and August 2022.
July’s inflation stood at 31.7%. Government’s statistician, Samuel Kobina Annim, who announced the rate on September 14, 2022, said for the first time in 2022, month-on-month inflation was 1.9%, the lowest this year.
This made it another of the infamous achievements under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addogovernment because since the dawn of the fourth republic, no such inflation figures have been recorded before in the country.
Food prices:
Multiple reports have shown that in the history of Ghana’s fourth republic, the rates at which food prices have been increasing in recent years have been nothing as have been experienced before.
For instance, food vendors now sell one egg at GH₵2 compared to GH¢1 in 2021. The raw eggs on the shelves of provision shops are also being sold between GH₵1.20p and GH₵1.50p for one, whereas they were sold at 70 pesewas and 80 pesewas depending on size.
And those who sell cooked eggs with ground pepper, which is usually bought as a snack, also sell an egg at GH₵1.50p compared to GH¢1 previously.
“The profit I make initially has reduced significantly. I used to sell over 600 crates in a week and make a profit of GH₵2 on each crate. And now, because farmers are also complaining that their production cost has increased, they are unable to produce more for us, their clients. Presently, I sell about 500 eggs in a week,” a wholesaler at Mallam, Kuukua Krampah, told the B&FT in an interview.
The same situation has affected the prices of rice.
A 5-kilogram bag of rice now sells at almost GH¢80, GhanaWeb’s checks have revealed. The alarming rate of the increase has been attributed to the increase in fuel prices and the rippling effects on transport fares.
During a market survey by GhanaWeb on August 15, 2022, Ama Amoabea, a seller of grains, including rice, beans, and other products at the Lapaz Newmarket, said the price of rice had increased from GH¢300cedis for 25kg, translating to GH¢60 for each 5kg bag.
“The foreign ones too are becoming expensive, it was 300cedis at first but it is 350cedis and 400cedis currently. They told us that since transportation fares have been increased, the prices of everything have increased as well so they should reduce transportation so that we can also reduce the prices,” she said.
Fuel prices:
At the fuel pumps in 2022, Ghanaians are having to pay more than they have ever paid for before. The prices of petroleum products have been soaring since the start of 2022, with petrol currently selling at GH¢11.55 per litre, while Diesel is selling at GH¢14.50 per litre across various pumps in the country.
Public transport fares have also been affected by this, with all other forms of products and food items eventually being affected.
Govt explanation
The government has admitted to the challenges in the economy but maintains it is a global phenomenon triggered by the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and exacerbated by the recent Russia and Ukraine war.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has stated that budgetary allocations for the Presidency must be reduced as the government negotiates an economic support program with the International Monetary Fund.
He claimed that by doing so, the government would demonstrate to the populace its willingness to make concessions in trying circumstances.
John Mahama stated that “if the President himself is slashing the budget of government apparatus, then everyone must be prepared to make a sacrifice” in an interview for VOA’s Straight Talk Africa program.
He however called for an end to the country’s continuous resort to the International Monetary Fund whenever it is confronted with economic headwinds.
“This government has twin problems. One is macroeconomic instability because expenditures far exceed revenues. Revenues are not performing properly. The second thing is also that they went on a borrowing spree and they have pushed our debts to levels that are unsustainable.”
“Just recently the World Bank came and said we had almost 104 of debt to GDP and so we have twin problems. One to achieve fiscal consolidation and two, to bring debts back to sustainable levels. So that is what they are faced with,” he submitted.
The former president said government must begin to implement sustainable home-grown policies which seek to create jobs, particularly for the youth.
“You can implement a home-grown fiscal consolidated policy, but unfortunately, a lot of local and foreign investors will probably doubt that you can live by the promises that you make unless you have an institution like the IMF working with you,” he opined.
Meanwhile, officials from Ghana and the IMF are holding the second round of negotiations in the United States of America geared toward reaching an agreement with the Fund for an economic support programme.
Ghana is targeting $3 billion once an agreement can be reached with funds likely to be accessed in 2023.
At the moment, IMF officials and Ghanaian authorities are working towards assessing Ghana’s debt sustainability.
Darren Tenkorang is the co-founder of TRIM-IT, an app that allows users to request a haircut from the comfort of their homes. Tenkorang was inspired to start the app after spending so many hours in barbering salons to get a haircut.
“I got sick of waiting for an hour at the barber’s, especially on a Friday or Saturday,” he told the BBC. “The new generation, like me, just wants a trim and to get on with their day. We live our lives fast-paced.”
“So I thought maybe we should put a barber shop in the back of a van and have them come to you. At the time it sounded silly, but now it has come to life, so it’s an idea that made no sense but made sense at the same time, “he told Business Insider.
The Ghanaian native got the idea for the UK’s first app-powered mobile barbershop when he got a one-year placement at a reinsurance company in London. After six months in his new role, the University of Sussex graduate realized that he was dyslexic and decided to take a different career route.
“I love it for the first six months but after the first six months I realized I was really struggling, so out of fear I said to myself I need to control my destiny and create a business,” he told the Insider in an interview.
Tenkorang started the business with $11,000, prize money he won from a business competition. His initial business idea was to create a booking app so that customers could book appointments with barbers online.
He had over 300 barbers signed up but customers started complaining of poor service and, considering the fact that it was his platform that was being used, he needed to fix it. This led to the unorthodox idea of creating a mobile barbershop by renovating the back of a van.
He restricted the operation of the business so that, through the app, customers would book a mobile barbershop for their home, office, or even the gym.
According to Forbes, the first mobile barbershop proved successful, and Tenkorang leveraged that to raise money from angel investors to scale up his mobile vans to seven, with 11 barbers who offered at least 65 haircuts a day prior to the pandemic.
During the lockdown in London, TRIM-IT saw almost a 300% increase in sales and even struggled to meet demand. To cope with the rising demand for their services, the team decided to franchise their startup like McDonald’s. And according to Forbes, TRIM-IT raised $1.1 million to scale out this franchise model. They charge barbers £335/month ($367)and a 0-9% commission on sales.
The ambition of the company is to operate up to 2,500 vans across Europe and the U.S.
Tenkorang was born to immigrant parents with roots in Ghana who came to Britain in the 1990s. His father worked as a security guard while his mother worked as a cleaner.
On October 8, 2022, Ghanaian performer, Gasmilla thrilled his fans with the maiden edition of his ‘Abelefest’ at Alliance Francais in Accra.
The artiste, on Saturday, prepared the well-known Kpokpoe eaten by the Ga people as promised.
For the people who didn’t have the Kpokpoe, they had the option to get other foods from vendors who made an appearance with different delicacies that had a touch of corn.
By late afternoon, famous people like Wanlov the Kubolor, and Cina Soul, among others, had shown up for the musical show where they each performed.
Gasmilla didn’t disappoint his fans when he delivered a superb execution with a dash of culture and tradition at the kick-off of his show.
Detailing what each emblem in his attire meant, the ‘Telemo’ artiste disclosed to GhanaWeb’s Doreen Abanema Abayaa, that his attire was worn by warriors whenever they were going to war.
He also added that should any bullet be shot at him while donned in it, it would never penetrate.
The festival had numerous delightful individuals extend their support to the artiste.
Gasmilla in return, vowed to hold the occasion yearly to have a deeper connection with his fans.
It appears that customers may have to consider shopping options from other stores as some of their favorite major outlets have been shut down by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
This is because the Authority has locked up some popular shopping centers in Accra due to their non-compliance with the E-VAT Invoicing system which took effect from October 1, 2022.
The e-invoicing system for VAT collectors was rolled out for 600 large taxpayers that generate more than 90 per cent of the VAT revenue.
But per reports, some of these notable shopping centers have failed to heed to the narrative.
In all, ten shops, including the Palace Mall, China Mall, and Game, have been locked up by the tax collector since it commenced the exercise.
GAME
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, shut down the Game Shopping Centre at the Accra Mall due to non-compliance with the E-VAT Invoicing system.
Palace Mall
In the case of Palace Mall, four of its branches have been locked up.
The affected branches are; Labone, Spintex, Atomic Roundabout, and Weija.
China Mall
Enforcement Officials of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) have closed down four branches of the China Mall Shopping facilities in Accra for non-compliance of the e-invoicing system for Value Added Tax (VAT) introduced by the Authority.
Dr Adwoa Kwegyiriba, Principal of the St. Francis College of Education (FRANCO), Hohoe, has urged fathers to be more committed and invest in the education of their girl child to enable them to have a bright future.
She said investment in the girl child involved building their confidence, providing security and resources to support them.
Dr Kwegyiriba during the 2022 International Day of the Girl Child held at Gbi Akplamafu, said fathers were the head of the home when it came to governance and as well, made policies that ensured the welfare of the home hence the need to prioritise the education of the girl child and formulate policies to guide the child.
She said the fathers must then see it to it that the mother and siblings of the girl child, implemented the policies that were tailored to the education of the girl child adding that a father’s presence in the education of the girl child, boosted their confidence and help them progressed.
The event, organised by the St. Francis College of Education in collaboration with the Hohoe Municipal Education Directorate is themed: “Our time is now, our rights, our future.”
Mr Janet Valerie Datsa Agbotse, Hohoe Municipal Education Director, said parents must do away with the notion that the education of the girl child was not important, but be aware that girl child was a precious gift.
She said they must not relent in educating their girl child adding that the best way the girl child would excel was to encourage them and lead them towards a bright future.
Mrs Agbotse said parents must talk to their girl child and guide them to deal with their teenage and body changes, address their needs without anger and make them aware that their needs that could not be addressed immediately would be catered for later.
Ms Bertha Dogbeten, Headmistress of Gbi Akplamafu M/A Basic School, said one of the benefits of the girl child education was to help the girl child to be morally upright and enlighten the girl child on the importance of education was to enable attain their full potentials.
She said the most worrisome challenges facing the girl child in the school were teenage pregnancy and high-rate dropout.
“Most of our girls are exposed to premarital sex at a very tender age, and as much, they find themselves involved in all sorts of sexual activities which in the long run leads to unwanted teenage pregnancy.”
Mr Ben Kemkpor, a parent, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the programme was educative especially the call on fathers to prioritise the education of the girl child and advised that parent must be willing to offer all they could to the ensure their better future.
Caleb McLaughlin, best known for his role as Lucas Sinclair on Stranger Things, has said that he’s down to portray DC’s Static in a future project.
As part of an extensive Q&A session at Heroes Comic Con Belgium 2022 in Brussels, per Insert Coin, McLaughlin revealed his aspirations to play the superhero, who notably appeared in the animated series Static Shock. When asked what movie roles he’s interested in, McLaughlin said he’s eager to get involved in the world of superhero films.
“What other movie would I like… I want to do a superhero film. I would love to play Static Shock honestly,” he said, per Screen Rant. “I would want to do something like a superhero, or even something… it doesn’t matter. I’m really open to being any character. I feel like I can play anybody honestly. It really—I feel like how I pick my films is really what speaks to me. Also, I’m also developing other projects myself that will be coming out. Not soon, but soon. But yeah, it really doesn’t matter actually. It’s just whatever, like, project speaks to me and my creativity.”
DC announced plans for a Static Shock film in August 2020 at DC FanDome, although no further details about the project were revealed. Michael B. Jordan is on board as a producer for the film, which currently doesn’t have a release date. “I’m proud to be a part of building a new universe centered around Black superheroes,” Jordan said at the time. The last update for Static Shock came last year when Safety writer Randy McKinnon was hired to pen its script.
The frustrations of talented Belgian-Ghanaian attacker, Jeremy Doku is set to continue for a while.
Since late last season, the former RSC Anderlecht man has suffered several injury setbacks which have now become frustrating for him.
Although he was recently fit and enjoyed some playing time last month, he has been unfortunate following another injury.
Last weekend, the forward was absent when his Stade Rennais FC side cruised past FC Nantes 3-0 in the French Ligue 1.
According to his manager Bruno Génésio who opened up to the press, he said Jeremy Doku is out injured again.
According to him, the numerous injuries are having a toll on the player which is not a good thing.
“Mentally it’s very difficult for him. He’s still on treatment and recovering. He’s gotten into a vicious circle,” coach Bruno Génésio said while adding, “He gets injured, comes back, gets played time, then gets injured again and has to start from 0.”
Ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Jeremy Doku hopes his latest injury will not be very serious to ensure he recovers in time to fight for a place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, Chief Justice, says service to Ghana can be rendered by all and not only those in certain positions.
He said Ghana would be great if the citizenry collectively worked hard to build it.
The Chief Justice was addressing pupils and students at the 2022 edition of the CJ mentoring programme held at the Supreme Court in Accra.
The beneficiary schools included the EP Church School, Martyrs of Uganda School, Adjen Kotoku Senior High School (SHS), Amasaman SHS, Akropong School for the Blind and Morning Star International School.
Dubbed, “I pledge myself to the service of Ghana”, the programme also had 20 head porters or “kayayei” on it.
Justice Yeboah encouraged participants to see themselves as capable of doing the same for Ghana.
In helping to build the nation, remember to keep the norms and values of the society as that would differentiate you from the others, he said
He advised them to ensure that they did not deviate from the laws of the land as the society was founded on law.
He said the exposure would open their eyes to some aspects of the law that would guide them in any profession they choose if they did not pursue law.
In a speech read on her behalf by Mrs Barbara Oteng Gyasi, Chair of the Minerals Commission, the First Lady asked the students to be committed and aspire for excellence in a bid to make Ghana a better place.
Mrs Rebecca Akuffo-Addo said as future leaders, they had to know Ghana’s challenges, brace themselves and be problem solvers.
Be role models Ghana needs, there is no success without preparation, studying hard and being people of integrity to make a positive impact on the country, she said.
Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Minister of Education, said the Ministry would reform the curriculum for learners to acquire skills and raise a productive workforce with morals and virtues.
He said their service to the nation must be paramount no matter the career path they chose.
Justice Margaret Welbourne, Chairperson for the programme, said the occasion would give participants the chance to interact with legal professionals, and induce in them virtues of service, adding that they would be given the opportunity to observe court proceedings.
This, she said, would help them gain a better understanding of issues and help them make informed decisions, especially those who want to read law.
Ms Kathleen Addy, Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education urged the pupils and students to use their time profitably, adding that they should take advantage of social media to enhance learning.
Also in attendance were justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, academia, and the President of the Ghana Bar Association, among other stakeholders.
The programme, supported by the UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities) is supporting head porters to go to school and possibly pursue law, thus, it has since brought on board the porters to the mentorship Programme since 2015.
The Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) says it has no intention to relocate the Presbyterian Nurses and Midwifery Training College (NMTC) in Bawku in the Upper East Region.
“Temporarily, when the fighting was at its peak, we had to relocate students quickly for lectures in Bolgatanga, but lectures are still going on in Bawku,” the Right Reverend Professor Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, Moderator of the General Assembly, PCG, said on Tuesday.
“We don’t intend at this point to move it from Bawku, but then, if they don’t stop the fighting and push us, we wouldn’t want to waste resources.”
“I really want to beg them, I don’t know the ins and outs of the causes of the fight, but whatever it is, it is costing us too much.”
Prof J.O.Y. Mante said this in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the commissioning of a Psychiatry Hospital in Bolgatanga.
He said the PCG, over the decades, had invested in various sectors of the economy, especially in the health sector, citing the Presbyterian Hospital in Bawku, which served residents of the area and beyond even in the midst of the conflict.
“I have been thinking as to whether we should continue to invest resources and money in the Bawku Hospital because if we do and people just go and shoot and destroy it, that will be waste of time and money,” he said.
“The whole of the Bawku area, not just the tribes will stand to lose. So I want to really beg, for whatever reason it is, they should sit and talk, otherwise, the development will slow down in the whole area.”
The Moderator said during the peak of the conflict, Out-Patients attendance in the Presbyterian Hospital reduced from above 400 a day to about 40 patients.
He reiterated calls for the people to cease fire and find an amicable solution to the conflict.
“There are people who think that they are fighting for their rights. Sometimes, you will have to negotiate your rights for a peaceful co-existence,” he said.
Mohammed Sulemana, 27, unemployed, has been diagnosed with ‘Valvar Pulmonary Stenosis’ and appealing to philanthropists and charitable organisations to support him with US$9,000 to undergo surgery.
“I’m dying slowly. It’s extremely difficult because I sometimes feel agonizing pains in my chest area any moment I breath,” Sulemana, resident of New-Dormaa, a suburb of Sunyani, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Tuesday.
The Sunyani Regional Hospital referred him to the National Cardiothoracic Centre (NCTC), Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where he was diagnosed with ‘Valvar Pulmonary Stenosis’ , a congenital defect of one of his heart valves, which required surgery to repair.
“My parents are struggling to raise this amount of money. The doctors told us to raise the money within three months for me to undergo the surgery. I need the support of Ghanaians to save my life,” Sulemana said with pain.
A letter signed by Dr Lawrence A. Sereboe, the Director of the NCTC, said Sulemana was referred to the NCTC for “evaluation and management on account of dyspnoea”.
“Clinical evaluation and investigations revealed that he suffers from a severe congenital defect. Further management will involve open heart surgery to repair the defective valve, a procedure termed; open pulmonary valvotomy.”
The 9000 dollars would cater for the cost of further investigations, surgery anaesthesia, intensive care and boarding for a maximum period of two weeks, it said.
Aggrieved parents on Tuesday rushed to the local Roman Catholic Primary and Junior High School at Odumase in the Sunyani West Municipality after a teacher allegedly caned one of the students.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered that the aggrieved parents went to the school in connection with the caning of their son, a form two student by a teacher.
The teacher, only known as Amoah, allegedly beat the boy, leading to multiple scars on his back.
The Ghana Education Service has banned any form of corporal punishment in primary and secondary schools in the country and teachers are expected to use alternative but appropriate punishments as measures for correcting pupils and students in schools.
Some teachers, however, intervened, restrained and calmed down the parents, who were determined to vent their anger at the teacher.
Mr Issah Baffoe, the Sunyani West Municipal Director of Education, who confirmed the story, told the GNA he had since directed the school authorities to investigate the matter.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, Mr Baffoe assured the teacher would be sanctioned accordingly if found culpable to serve as a deterrent to others and urged the parents to remain calm.
Kofi Ntow Gyan is not happy with the preparations done by Ghana ahead of the 2022 World Cup which will be held in Qatar.
The 2022 World Cup will be played in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022.
The Black Stars of Ghana recently played two international friendly games against Brazil in Le Havre, France, and Nicagarua in Lorca, Spain.
Brazil beat Ghana 3-0 and Ghana beat Niacargua 1-0 thanks to a Fatawu Issahaku goal.
“The Brazil and Argentina we always talk about they prepared early. It is not like that here we wait till two weeks to the tournament and start calling in players it does not help us,” he said on Dan Kweku Yeboah TV as monitored by footballghana.com
“All this can be attributed to money it is expensive to prepare that is why some of these things worry us. We have money here and if so why don’t we take that money and use it,”
UPDATED 10/12, 11:40 a.m. ET: Davante Adams has been charged with misdemeanor assault, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
See original story below.
The photographer shoved to the ground by Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams has filed a police report, claiming he was a victim of assault, TMZ reports.
The shove, which was caught on camera, came after the Raiders fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in a 30-29 loss. Adams was leaving the field when the push occurred, and shortly after the incident issued an apology.
“I want to apologize to the guy, there was some guy running off the field, and he ran, like jumped in front of me coming off the field and I bumped into him, kind of pushed him, and he ended up on the ground,” Adams said at his locker. “So I wanted to say sorry to him for that because that was just frustration mixed with him literally just running in from of me. I shouldn’t have responded that way, but that’s how I initially responded. So, I want to apologize to him for that.”
Adams also apologized on Twitter.
Sorry to the guy I pushed over after the game. Obviously very frustrated at the way the game ended and when he ran infront of me as I exited that was my reaction and I felt horrible immediately. Thats not me..MY APOLOGIES man hope you see this.
“Sorry to the guy I pushed over after the game,” he wrote. “Obviously very frustrated at the way the game ended and when he ran infront of me as I exited that was my reaction and I felt horrible immediately. Thats not me..MY APOLOGIES man hope you see this.”
Regardless, the cameraman, who was a freelancer hired by ESPN’s Monday Night Football team, filed a police report after the game and went to the hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. Authorities said they are investigating the matter.
Adams, who was acquired in a blockbuster offseason trade with the Green Bay Packers, is reportedly facing discipline from the NFL, a source informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
A two-day training workshop for selected Journalists working in five regions in Northern Ghana to equip them with skills to cross-check facts related to news gathering before publication has opened in Tamale.
It is organised by Dubawa, a fact-checking and verification organisation, with funding from the United States (US) Embassy in Accra.
Ms Caroline Anipah, Team Lead of Dubawa, said the training formed part of efforts to carry out fact-checking in news gathering across rural areas of the country.
She said the scale of misinformation being circulated had increased in recent times following growing technology, which she indicated called for attention, as it influenced political decisions and election outcomes.
Ms Anipah said Ghanaian Journalists must be equipped to adapt to change adding that misleading news could affect the country because the world was interconnected.
She noted that social media was not the only platform that misinformed the public, saying “Journalists increasingly rely on user-generated content on social media as a source of news stories. Some people do not verify thereby moving such information to the mainstream media.”
Mr Kevin Brosnahan, Press Attaché at the U.S Embassy in Accra said fact-checking was the foundation of democracy given the fact that people needed facts to make electoral decisions.
He said rural folks must access verified information to enhance their ability to effect better community policies and noted that there would be follow-ups to ascertain fact-checking projects undertaken by participating Journalists after the workshop, adding that the US Embassy had other exchange programmes for Journalists in other collaborating areas.
National u15 coach Kofi Ntow Gyan wants Kumasi Asante Kotoko to engage their former players in the coaching department of the club.
The former Black Stars midfielder lamented the sidelining of the former players who have various coaching licenses by the club to appoint foreign nationals.
“They don’t respect us this is the truth look there are former players who have served Kotoko and are now supporters. If you need a qualified coach the old players too lots of them are qualified some have license A, some have even coached the national team,” he said on Dan Kweku Yeboah TV as monitored by footballghana.com
“I have been saying that in Kotoko the politics is too much, the politics is killing Kotoko, and this has made me try to coach outside Ghana. Our premier clubs don’t like my philosophy, Ghana we don’t like the truth when they are doing the wrong thing to me I will say it they don’t want that,”
“The lower division is where I coach, only Wa All Stars which was given to me by Kwesi Nyantakyi to manage, from there the premier division clubs tell me Ntow we know you are good but you are someone who speaks the truth too much,”
A 23-year-old Okada Rider who was nabbed with a locally manufactured pistol loaded with four rounds of AA cartridges, has been ordered to sign a bond to be of good behavior for one year.
The Accra Circuit Court also seized the gun and ordered that it should be sent to the Police Armoury.
Benwub Kojo, 23, pleaded guilty to possession of firearms and ammunitions without authority.
Prosecution led by Inspector Daniel Danku narrated that the complainants are Police officers from the Accra Regional Headquarters Visibility Team positioned at Kinbu Traffic Light.
Inspector Danku told the Court presided over by Mr Samuel Bight Acquah that Kojo resided at Haatso in Accra.
On September 30, this year, at about 11:20am, the accused person was riding a red Royal 125 model motorbike with registration number M-22GR-2-17 with a small bag hanging around his neck.
Prosecution said on reaching the Kinbu Traffic light, Kojo saw the Police officers on duty, and he exhibited some signs of fear.
The prosecutor said accused was stopped and when searched, one locally manufactured pistol loaded with four rounds of AA cartridges was retrieved.
Kojo was arrested and handed over to the Police Regional Criminal Investigation Department for investigations.
Prosecution said accused person in his caution statement claimed ownership of the gun.
Dr Charity Binka, Executive Director, Women, Media, and Change (WOMEC), says girls must be at the forefront of change initiatives to ensure their inclusion in decision-making.
She said while investments in girls continued to be scarce, the COVID-19 pandemic and other global crises had negatively affected them, making life harder for them.
She said girls faced unknown challenges, including threats to their physical, and mental well-being, access to safety and life without violence.
Dr Binka stated in a speech read on her behalf by Ms Dulcie Delali Attipoe, WOMEC Programmes Coordinator, at an empowerment programme to commemorate the 2022 International Girl Child Day at Kpone.
The WOMEC International Girl Day commemoration was used to highlight the GTP Turning Point Programme Mentorship and Leadership Forum and adopted the global theme “Our time is now – our rights, our future.” The event was used to equip girls to rise above the status quo.
The beneficiaries were selected from Kpone Methodist Basic School, Casmin International School, Kpone Presby Basic School, and KKMA Basic school.
Dr Binka mentioned that through the interventions of WOMEC over the years, about 500 girls in the Kpone-Katamanso Municipality have been empowered to fight for their rights.
She noted that empowerment, however, was a process that must be nurtured by the girls themselves.
Dr Binka urged the girls to share the information with their peers who were not privileged to be part of the activities.
“As we mark the International Day of the Girl Child, WOMEC adds its voice to the call from UNICEF for more resources, and action to support adolescent girls’ leadership,” she said.
Ms Thecla Wricketts, Lawyer and facilitator at the programme, said the girl child was the greatest asset the world had for the progress of tomorrow hence the need to unyoke them to become who God created them to be.
She said it was time parents prioritized the needs of their children and stir them up to achieve their goals.
She urged the girls to rise above all odds to become vital instruments of development in the country.
Ms Josephine Eva Arthur, Zonal Head, Retail Banking, Access Bank, who did a presentation on ” Managing your finances for a better future” urged girls to inculcate the habit of saving to be financially independent.
The Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital (DPH) has organised a training for 21 selected nurses on breast cancer-related topics as part of activities to mark breast cancer awareness month in the Dormaa Central Municipality.
The trainees would be located at various screening centres to educate, sensitise and counsel women visiting the centres.
The campaign being organised by the Hospital, in collaboration with the George Gyawu Family Foundation, is expected to screen about 500 women in the Municipality.
Mrs Florence Effah, a public health nurse and campaign coordinator, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Dormaa Central Municipality of the Bono Region.
“The trainees were taken through topics such as the risk factors, behavioural choices and related interventions that reduce risk of breast cancer, signs and symptoms, diagnoses and treatment”, she said.
Mrs Effah said 2.3 million Ghanaian women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 while 685,000 deaths occurred globally due to breast cancer.
As at the end of 2020, 7.8 million women alive had been diagnosed with breast cancer in the preceding five years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer, she added.
Mrs Effah said in Ghana, 2,688, 2,784 and 2,902 deaths occurred in 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively, adding that the DPH too recorded 33 breast cancer cases in 2020 and 11 in 2021.
She said signs and symptoms of the disease included painless lump or thickening in the breast, alteration in size and shape of the breast and abnormal nipple discharge.
Mrs Effah stressed “the disease is treatable”, hence there was the need for early detection, diagnosis and treatment.
The newly-renovated Ghana Embassy building in Paris has been inaugurated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
It is located in the prime area of the 16th Arrondissement of Paris.
The Paris Mission has a unique address, located in the famous Villa Saïd.
The villa is named after Mohamed Sa’id Pasha, a former Prime Minister of Egypt.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, congratulated President Akufo-Addo on the prestigious award of Doctor Honoris Causa conferred on him by the reputable Sorbonne University.
“Mr President, your service and sacrifices to the nation and humanity will always be recognised and your example should spur us all on to do more for God and country,” she said.
She thanked the President for his commitment and support ensuring that the Paris Mission was well-housed and in the best of conditions.
“You insisted that we included Paris in the list of Ghana’s Diplomatic Missions to benefit from the Société Générale Bank credit facility acquired to purchase, construct, reconstruct and/or renovate Ghana Missions abroad,” Madam Ayorkor Botchwey stated.
The Minister also congratulated Madam Anna Bossman, Ghana’s Ambassador to France, for her spirit of importunity and determination that had seen the successful completion of the project.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey said the President was right that the Paris Mission was significant and touched all aspects of diplomacy – bilateral, multilateral and economic diplomacy – in all its forms and expressions in the prosecution of Ghana’s foreign policy agenda.
She said France was one of the first countries with, which Ghana established diplomatic relations immediately following its independence in 1957.
“Our long-standing relations with France have since grown and blossomed into fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation, in many aspects of our national development to the mutual benefit of our peoples,” the Minister said.
“To the Ghanaian community, this is your home.”
She said the renovation meant the Government of Ghana was sending a strong message of the importance it attached to the interests of its citizens, which was the priority of diplomacy.
The Minister said the beautifully fitted consular section should complement the high-quality services it would provide for the public’s satisfaction.
She urged the public to enjoy the facility and cooperate with the officers, who were ever ready to assist them in all that they needed; saying: “Let us keep the flag of Ghana high. “
The Minister expressed gratitude to the staff of the Paris Mission for their dedication and hard work.
“Our success requires that we meet the high expectations of our citizens and others who demand our services. Let us go over and above the call of duty, for the sake of our country,” she said.
Former Hearts of Oak CEO Harry Zakour has stated that supporters of the MTN FA Cup holders should have patience as the team gets ready to face ASR Bamako.
The experienced football administrator also added that Hearts of Oak should have engaged a standby coach before sacking Samuel Boadu.
“I think by sacking the coach there should be a standby coach I don’t know what really went wrong. I haven’t been following the football in Ghana but I was told that Hearts of Oak was beaten three nil and I was surprise,” he said on hotfm as monitored by footballghana.com
“I know the board of directors they are doing very well they need a small advice from the old members, Nii Ayi Bonte is there, Frank Nelson is there, they still have experience in football so they should say what really happened,”
“In football you can go and lose and come home and win what I want to tell the supporters is that they should have patience. By sacking the coach I know the board is looking for a new coach to come in and that will help the club. If we have been beaten three nil it is nothing we have to have patience,”
He has, therefore, called on Ghanaians to revert attitudes such as excessive drinking, bad sleeping pattern, tobacco use and poor eating habits to reduce the risk of cancers, particularly breast cancer.
Dr Dodor noted that one factor leading to the deaths of many cancer patients was late reporting.
The Director of Clinical Services was speaking at the launch of the Port of Takoradi Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Takoradi in the Western Region.
He mentioned some signs of the disease condition to include lumps, redness, or wrinkles on the breasts, discharge from the nipples or sudden change in nipple colour, sudden change in breast size or shape and swollen lymph nodes.
Madam Sandra Opoku, the Director of the Port of Tema, who was the special guest of honour at the launch, entreated people with the condition to trust in God for healing by pursuing early treatment as God only helped those who first make the right choices.
She recounted her encounter with the condition in 2014 and how she focused on treatment and strict adherence to all clinical procedures that saved her life.
Madam Opoku said, “then, I was the legal services director, but God had a bigger plan for me and see me eight years down the line as Director of the Tema Port…if I had relied on some unfolded belief patterns, societal connotations and attitudes I may not have been alive to see this goodness of God in my life”.
She continued, “of course I prayed and occupied my mind with the word of God, work and treatment, but did not move from prayer camps to another…I want families to know these truths and support people in this condition to take the right decisions for their survival’s sake”.
Ms Daphne Kemmeh, a Deputy Director at the Western Regional Coordinating Council, noted that there was hope for the afflicted and encouraged them to brace for the storm to their survival.
The ADP is a human rights treaty that addresses forms of discrimination affecting people with disabilities living in African countries, including harmful practices, beliefs and superstitions.
It was adopted in 2018 by the African Union
Mr Kwaku Ampratwum – Sarpong, Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, expressed the Ministry’s support when the Ghana Blind Union and the committee working towards Ghana’s ratification of the ADP called on him.
He said: “You don’t have to worry, you have our support, it is good for Ghana to ratify the protocol.”
The ADP addresses specific African practices and culture with regards to disability which is not addressed in the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
Dr Peter Obeng Asamoa, Executive Director of the Ghana Blind Union, who led the team, said “We need Ghana to ratify the ADP,” explaining that the ADP puts the rights of persons with disabilities in Ghana and Africa in an African perspective.
The African Disability Protocol (ADP) builds on the rights enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and UN charter and has an African relevance
The Protocol needs 15 African States to ratify it into law, so far five African countries have ratified the protocol.
Dr Obeng-Asamoa called on other African countries to work towards its ratification to promote the dignity and inclusion of persons with disability in Africa.
The Accra Academy Old Boys Association (AAOBA) is putting up an ultra-modern national secretariat to enhance their administrative work.
The secretariat would consist of a gift shop, conference centre and recreational centre and it is expected to be completed in two years.
Mr Kofi Amoa-Awuah, President of the association who disclosed this at the association’s homecoming in Accra said the association had also provided the school with sachet water plants and had provided the school with boreholes to help solve the perennial water problem the school faced.
Mr. Amoa-Awuah said the association had also provided a recreational square for the school and had also renovated the dormitories and the science laboratory.
He said the annual homecoming was the biggest event on the calendar of the association and called on members of the association to socialise, make merry and plan their support for the school.
The President said the association will soon launch an endowment fund to raise funds for the school and support brilliant but needy students.
He urged the students to desist from all forms of negative tendencies that may ruin their future careers.
The MTN FA Cup holders will take on ASR Bamako on Sunday at the Accra Sports Stadium. The first leg ended 3-0 and the performance of the players angered the supporters.
The NCC chairman sounding positive ahead of the game on Sunday stated that the Phobians have what it takes to beat ASR Bamako but they have to prepare well.
“I am 500% sure because it is football if you understand football the way Real Bamako beat us three we will use the same way but with a different approach to also beat them four or five,” he said on Happy FM as monitored by footballghana.com
“Everything depends on our preparation I think the coach has seen the way ASR Bamako plays football but we have the advantage of playing at home,”
“The only disadvantage is that the team will be playing under so much pressure but I think with the necessary psych we give them the proper psych the is no way that we cant qualify. We have the quality to match the Real Bamako team boot for boot on Sunday,”
Naba Roland Atogumdeya Akwara III, the Paramount Chief of the Sirigu Traditional area in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region, says the unresolved land dispute between Doba and Kandiga is retarding development in the area.
He said huge sums of money, which could have been used to undertake development projects to improve the livelihoods of the people had been spent on the security of the area and it was worrying.
He said they were all one family since they inter-married and therefore appealed to the feuding factions including the chiefs and people of Doba and Kandiga to embrace peace, to ensure sustainable development.
The Paramount Chief said this at the annual walk of Sirigu which brought together a lot of community members and the nearby communities including Doba and Kandiga.
The conflict was because of ownership of a piece of land on which a police post and Community-based Health Planning Services compound were to be constructed.
Naba Akwara III said anytime he drew the attention of the District Assembly to the development needs of the people, he was always told that all the resources had been spent on the Doba-Kandiga conflict.
He said many of the bridges in the area particularly Kandiga -Sirigu Bridge, Sirigu-Zorko Bridge, Paga-Sirigu Bridge, and the Bolgatanga-Sirigu Bridge had all collapsed cutting off most of the communities.
He appealed to the factions to consider the development of the area and to see themselves as one people and use dialogue instead of violence to resolve their differences.
He told the factions to be mindful that future generations would not be content with them if they continued to engage in such acts that drew the development of the areas backwards.
On the Health Walk, the Paramount Chief indicated that Health Walk was started four years ago, aimed at ensuring that the people were physically fit to support development initiatives.
He said the Sustainable Medical Missions (SMM), an international medical training and empowering organisation based in the United States had been supporting the annual exercise and admonished Ghanaians to always exercise to keep fit.
Naba Akwara said apart from the annual health walk, the NGO partnered with the traditional council to end open defecation through sensitization and the construction of toilet facilities.
Mr Thomas Lerewanu, the representative of the NGO explained that the mission of SMM over the years had been to train and support indigenous healthcare and faith-based leaders in underdeveloped communities to treat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and other endemic conditions affecting the poorest community members.
He mentioned various tropical diseases including Trachoma, Onchocerciasis, Leprosy, Trypanosomiasis, Dracunculiasis, Buruli Ulcer, Hookworm, Schistosomiasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Ascariasis, Trichuriasis and Leishmaniasis; as some of the Tropic Diseases SMM targets through its initiatives.
He said his outfit often started with the reading of the Gospel through showing documentaries before sensitising the community members on how to curb Intestinal, standards form of handwashing and de-worming.
He stressed that God was emphatic about the healthcare of the people as stated in many portions of the Bible and therefore called on the community members to take loving care of their personal hygiene.
The occasion which attracted other stakeholders including Non-Government Organisations, teachers and students from the Sirigu Senior High School, NGOs, Assembly Members, and opinion leaders, was also used for a clean-up exercise and football matches.
A 23-year-old Okada Rider who was nabbed with a locally manufactured pistol loaded with four rounds of AA cartridges, has been ordered to sign a bond to be of good behavior for one year.
The Accra Circuit Court also seized the gun and ordered that it should be sent to the Police Armoury.
Benwub Kojo, 23, pleaded guilty to possession of firearms and ammunitions without authority.
Prosecution led by Inspector Daniel Danku narrated that the complainants are Police officers from the Accra Regional Headquarters Visibility Team positioned at Kinbu Traffic Light.
Inspector Danku told the Court presided over by Mr Samuel Bight Acquah that Kojo resided at Haatso in Accra.
On September 30, this year, at about 11:20am, the accused person was riding a red Royal 125 model motorbike with registration number M-22GR-2-17 with a small bag hanging around his neck.
Prosecution said on reaching the Kinbu Traffic light, Kojo saw the Police officers on duty, and he exhibited some signs of fear.
The prosecutor said accused was stopped and when searched, one locally manufactured pistol loaded with four rounds of AA cartridges was retrieved.
Kojo was arrested and handed over to the Police Regional Criminal Investigation Department for investigations.
Prosecution said accused person in his caution statement claimed ownership of the gun.
The Central Region House of Chiefs has directed the abdicated Paramount Chief of Agona Nsaba Traditional Area, Bishop Isaac Kwesi Dadzie Buabeng, to appease the Dwumana Okropong Family of Agona Nsaba with a befitting apology in his bid for reinstatement.
They issued the directive after both Bishop Buabeng and the family head, Opanyin Kofi Andoh, who is responsible for enstooling chiefs at Agona Nsaba, made their cases during arbitration in Cape Coast.
The case heard on camera at the House in Cape Coast was presided over by a three-member panel led by Nana Kwame Akonu X, Omanhen of Enyan Abaasa with Nana Kojo Kondua XI, Omanhen of Elmina and Okofo Okatakyi Nyarko Eku, Omanhen of Agona Nyakrom Traditional Area as the other member.
Bishop Buabeng, enstooled in 2016 as Osabarima Bishop Boapiah Afriyie II, willingly and duly renounced his stool on January 20 this year to heed incessant spiritual calls to do the work of God.
The abdication was to give him the leverage to oversee all the 13 branches of his church; All Nations Pentecostal Church, headquartered in Agona-Nsaba, where he superintends as the General overseer.
However, the bishop wrote to the Agona-Nsaba Traditional Council on September 1, 2022, to rescind his decision, and asked for reinstallation as the Paramount Chief with immediate effect.
“I regret any inconvenience caused and will fully cooperate with you to ensure the effective administration of the Council for the benefit of Nsabaman,” he said in his letter.
But the Nsaba Traditional Council, “vehemently and vigorously” rejected the withdrawal of the abdication letter based on “procedural impropriety” to compound his woes.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the arbitration, the family insisted that it was “too late” for the former Paramount Chief to be reinstated despite the directive by the Regional House of Chiefs.
Obaahemaa Adwoa Nkansa Aduam III, the Paramount Queen Mother and acting Paramount Chief of the Traditional Area, said the family had already initiated the process to select a new paramount chief, stressing that Bishop Buabeng had no chance of coming back.
She recounted how all attempts by the traditional authorities to talk him out of his decision to renounce the throne had failed.
She said Bishop Buabeng had already tried to abdicate the stool on two occasions which the family rejected, but they got fed up and accepted his decision on his third attempt.
She said the abdicated chief, who was already a pastor before his enstoolment, indicated that God had given him two years to serve as a chief, but the family managed to persuade him to serve for five years before he finally decided to leave against all appeals and advice.
“You cannot abdicate a stool and casually bring a letter to say you have resumed your position as Omanhen with effect from September 1. We want him to understand that the stool is sacred and the position of Omanhen cannot be taken for granted like any other,” the queen’s mother said.
Describing the development as unprecedented, Obaahemaa Aduam expressed surprise at the incident and reiterated that the family had resolved not to give him back the stool.
“The House of Chiefs has directed him to bring an apology to the family, but I am not sure we will accept it. Even if the family accepts it, we will have to present him to the whole town and that will be another hurdle for him,” she said.
She noted that the chieftaincy position had been opened to all worthy and qualified members of the family to contest.
Bishop Buabeng, however, declined to speak to the GNA.
Statistics from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) indicate that over 45,000 people died in road accidents between 2000 and 2021 alone in Ghana.
The general road safety problems identified as the causes of the carnage were indiscipline among road users such as speeding excessively, wrong overtaking, drink-driving, non-adherence to mandatory rest periods, inattentiveness and distraction.
Others were pedestrians road crossing without due care, passengers not wearing seatbelts, motorcyclists not wearing crash helmets and disrespect to traffic rules, especially at signalized intersections.
Mr Daniel Wuaku, the Director of Planning and Programmes of the NRSA, made this known to the Ghana News Agency at a two-day workshop on Strategic Communication for Road Safety in Accra as part of efforts to help reduce accidents.
It was sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety and its international partners Vital Strategies, Johns Hopkins University, World Bank, Global Road Safety Fund, World Health Organisation and the World Resource Institute.
Mr Wuaku said with the regional distribution of fatalities in Ghana, Greater Accra top the list with 43.1 per cent, followed by Ashanti at 23.5 per cent and Eastern Region at 10.5 per cent.
He said travel speeds had a major effect on the probability of road traffic crashes and the severity of the injuries.
The Road Safety Expert said: “When a car knocked you down running on a speed limit of 32 kilometres your chance of survival is 95 per cent but when it was running on a limit of 64 kilometres your survival rate is 15 per cent.”
Mr Wuaku said, in view of the problems, the NRSA introduced the use of vehicle logbooks targeted at transport operators to help enforce the protocols on maximum driving hours and high speeds.
Another activity to enforce road regulation is a supply of speed guns to the Motor Transport and Traffic Department of the Police Service to check over-speeding and ongoing dialogue on the speed limiters in commercial vehicles.
He urged drivers to abide by road safety regulations and desist from acts such as speeding that puts the lives of passengers in danger.
Mr Osei Kuffour, the Initiative Coordinator for Bloomberg Philanthropies, highlighted some of the achievements when he welcomed the participants such as the launch of the Accra Road Safety Strategy Council, to effectively tackle the menace in the Accra Metropolis.
Others were donations of several policing items to the Police MTTD Taskforce, road safety enhancement work in several places in Accra and the commissioning of the Tactical Urbanism Project at James Town to curb fatalities.
The NCC chairman of Accra Hearts of Oak Hesse has revealed that he will meet with the supporters to address their concerns after Sunday’s crucial game against ASR Bamako.
Phobia supporters are unhappy with the way their dear club has been managed and the poor start to the 2022/23 football campaign.
“ We beg the supporters, the apologies we have given it to them several times but still we will beg them. What is more painful is that every year when we go and perform badly then we come and apologize it is painful but moving forward there is a lot to talk about and there is a lot to address,” he said on Happy FM as monitored by footballghana.com
“Issues that if we what to progress as a club we must address but lets finish the game on Sunday we will all come together and see what we can do moving forward,”
Statistics from the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) indicate that over 45,000 people died in road accidents between 2000 and 2021 alone in Ghana.
The general road safety problems identified as the causes of the carnage were indiscipline among road users such as speeding excessively, wrong overtaking, drink-driving, non-adherence to mandatory rest periods, inattentiveness and distraction.
Others were pedestrians road crossing without due care, passengers not wearing seatbelts, motorcyclists not wearing crash helmets and disrespect to traffic rules, especially at signalized intersections.
Mr Daniel Wuaku, the Director of Planning and Programmes of the NRSA, made this known to the Ghana News Agency at a two-day workshop on Strategic Communication for Road Safety in Accra as part of efforts to help reduce accidents.
It was sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety and its international partners Vital Strategies, Johns Hopkins University, World Bank, Global Road Safety Fund, World Health Organisation and the World Resource Institute.
Mr Wuaku said with the regional distribution of fatalities in Ghana, Greater Accra top the list with 43.1 per cent, followed by Ashanti at 23.5 per cent and Eastern Region at 10.5 per cent.
He said travel speeds had a major effect on the probability of road traffic crashes and the severity of the injuries.
The Road Safety Expert said: “When a car knocked you down running on a speed limit of 32 kilometres your chance of survival is 95 per cent but when it was running on a limit of 64 kilometres your survival rate is 15 per cent.”
Mr Wuaku said, in view of the problems, the NRSA introduced the use of vehicle logbooks targeted at transport operators to help enforce the protocols on maximum driving hours and high speeds.
Another activity to enforce road regulation is a supply of speed guns to the Motor Transport and Traffic Department of the Police Service to check over-speeding and ongoing dialogue on the speed limiters in commercial vehicles.
He urged drivers to abide by road safety regulations and desist from acts such as speeding that puts the lives of passengers in danger.
Mr Osei Kuffour, the Initiative Coordinator for Bloomberg Philanthropies, highlighted some of the achievements when he welcomed the participants such as the launch of the Accra Road Safety Strategy Council, to effectively tackle the menace in the Accra Metropolis.
Others were donations of several policing items to the Police MTTD Taskforce, road safety enhancement work in several places in Accra and the commissioning of the Tactical Urbanism Project at James Town to curb fatalities.
Mrs Bertha Demennu, the Political and Public Affairs Officer at the Canadian High Commission in Accra, says national peace and stability are the collective responsibility of every Ghanaian.
Peace, she explained, was a human development factor, which ought to be prioritised, and advised Ghanaians to cherish and jealousy to preserve the prevailing national peace and social cohesion for development to thrive.
She said, “in any society where everybody is a watchdog, conscious of preserving peace and preventing intruders of peace, it develops faster”.
Mrs Demennu said this during a two-day meeting on violent extremism, attended by the youth in the Techiman Municipality of the Bono East Region.
The meeting was in line with a project dubbed “Dialogue on Preventing Violent Extremism, Terrorism and Vigilantism for Women and Youth”, being funded by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiative (CFLI) and implemented by the National Peace Council (NPC).
“We should not see the preservation of peace and security as a reserve and the business of few stakeholders, instead collective and shared responsibility”, Mrs Demennu said.
She urged Ghanaians to be watchful and help prevent terrorist attacks and violent extremism in the country, saying terrorist attacks on neighbouring countries threatened the peace of the nation.
Mr Frank Wilson Bodza, the Deputy Director in-charge of Conflict Management and Resolution at the NPC, said the project aimed to curb violent extremism in the country.
He said poor governance, vigilantism and illegal mining, poor environmental practices and poverty were all threats to national security.
Mr Ernest Ansah Lartey, the Head of Peace and Security Studies at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), said peace remained a major tool for national development and assured Ghanaians of the Centre’s commitment to collaborate with stakeholders to promote national peace and stability.
“The Centre is also collaborating with other partners, including the NPC, civil society actors, and other development partners to help sustain national peace,” he added.
The Constituency Executives positions of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have attracted a total of 834 aspirants in the Volta region.
Among them are a total of 135 females.
Mr James Gunu, Regional Secretary of the Party, who disclosed the developments to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said all were successfully vetted with a non-significant number of disqualifications.
He said the constituency elections would be held from October 22 to October 23 in all except Hohoe.
“We have a different strategy for taking back Hohoe,” he noted.
He said the nomination, filing and vetting processes, which have been digitised, had been “very smooth.”
“What is heartwarming is the enthusiasm and the growing desire for people to serve the Party, to see the Party regain power in 2024.
“We can see clearly that everybody is fed up with this Government”
Regional Executives’ elections for the Party have been slated for the 11th and 12th days of the month of November, processes for which had advanced past the nomination stage.
The regional positions also have attracted some stalwarts of the party, and Mr Gunu told the GNA he was seeking to maintain his position as secretary.
He said Volta Region remained the stronghold of the Party, and with cues from previous elections, victory would not evade.
“We are going to adopt very dramatic steps to ensure we win 2024. We will take every election process very seriously.”
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Koforidua Area Office has warned registered businesses against their failure to issue Value Added Tax (VAT) invoices to consumers following an invigilation exercise to crack down on offenders.
Briefing journalists in Koforidua during a VAT invigilation exercise to enforce compliance, Mr John K. Andoh, Head of Enforcement and Debt Management at the GRA’s Koforidua Area Office, condemned business owners for not complying with tax rules, which is costing the state huge sums of money.
“We need revenue to develop the country, so when shops and company operators issue unauthorised invoices to their customers, the GRA cannot get the tax for the state,” he said.
He urged people to insist on collecting VAT invoices and receipts from business owners after doing business, stating, “I urge customers to collect VAT invoices whenever they purchase items.”
Africodua Trading, Khawajia Brothers, and Africodia Impex Limited were discovered to have failed to issue the VAT invoice.
Mr Andoh stated that those firms would be sent to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service in Koforidua for a thorough investigation and prosecution.
He also stated that the Area Audit Unit would conduct a full-scale and comprehensive audit of their operations to quantify the amount of taxes evaded.
Black Stars new defender Patric Pfeiffer has been voted as the Man of the Match for Darmstadt in their narrow win over Fortuna Dusseldorf in the German Bundesliga 2.
Darmstadt beat Dusseldorf 1-0 on Saturday, thanks to Ghanaian defender Patric Pfeiffer’s goal.
Pfeiffer scored in the 70th minute to extend Darmstadt’s league unbeaten streak to ten games.
Darmstadt is currently second, and if they maintain their current form, they will be promoted to the Bundesliga at the end of the season.
The former Germany youth international not only won the match for Darmstadt, but has been voted as the club’s best player in the clash.
Pfeiffer polled 212 votes out of 338, representing 63% of the vote cast whiles Matthias Bader and Christoph Zimmermann finished second and third spot respectively.
The 23-year-old, who pledged his international future to Ghana in June, made six clearances and won six aerial duels.
Saturday’s goal was his second of the season, and he hopes to be named to Ghana’s World Cup squad in Qatar this summer.
About 400 women-led Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) will benefit from the Women SME Innovation Programme – Digitalize for Jobs (D4J) to fully leverage the potential of digitalisation and to better organise their business information.
The programme will also support the women with efficient record-keeping and financial management practices to facilitate their access to finance, expand their customer base and turnover and develop new products and services.
Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) at the launch of the programme, said SMEs today were critical to the growth, employment, and poverty reduction in the country.
The Programme is supported by the Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation, which operates under the brand ‘Invest for Jobs,’ an initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Implemented by GEA and supported by “Invest in Jobs”, the project sought to provide capacity-building to women-owned/led SMEs on different aspects of digitalization and how their companies can grow from its use and increase their process efficiency and competitiveness by providing access to knowledge, and digital tools.
It will create a digitalized business environment conducive to the rapid growth of SMEs in Ghana and this will ensure that they are creating jobs after the programme
The SMEs will also be trained to build their online visibility via company-owned websites and social media to reach more clients.
The CEO said the SMEs account for over 50 per cent of private output, nearly 70 per cent of employment, and 90 per cent of businesses in Ghana.
“Consequently, the importance of the SME sector and the role it plays in national development and economic transformation cannot be underestimated,” she added.
She said the Programme was a scale-up measure of the COVID-19 SME Innovation and Digitalisation Support Scheme, which helped 500 SMEs to ensure business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby sustaining 6,750 jobs.
Mrs Yankey-Aryeh said SMEs, with a focus on those that were women-owned/led, were faced with challenges that compromised their ability to function effectively and to contribute to the economy.
He said over the years, GEA had encouraged SMEs, especially women-owned to adopt digital methods to augment business growth and competitiveness.
“So far more than 11 million dollars have been utilized to train or support over 10,000 Women Entrepreneurs,” she said.
Mr John Duti, Team Leader of Invest for Jobs at GIZ Ghana, said if SMEs were to remain competitive in the global world, they have no choice but to digitalise.
He said focusing on women-owned and led enterprises represented an opportunity to reduce the digital gender gap, which brings social and economic benefits for the whole country given the significant role of women and their enterprises in Ghana’s socio-economic development.
“Female empowerment is a powerful tool to make everybody’s life richer and successful,” Mr Duti said.
He commended the entire GEA team which ensured the excellent delivery of the first phase and subsequently played a major role in securing the scale-up of our partnership.
He said digitalisation involved a lot of investments in modern software and hardware, as well as capacities in its applications and these costs involved indeed, could not be borne by most of the SMEs.
He expressed optimism that the programme would provide the tools and skills to benefit from digitalisation and harness SMEs’ potential for sustainable growth and job creation in the digital area.
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education said the two programmes had essentially provided a huge opportunity for every Ghanaian youth to access quality education.
Dr Adutwum said this in Sunyani when he interacted with the members of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs during a working visit to the region.
“The Government is investing hugely in TVET education not only to fetch direct jobs for graduates, but also push rapid industrialisation,” he said.
Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) centres had been put up in many schools in the region to ensure effective implementation.
He cited the SHSs at Jinijini in the Berekum West District and Koase in the Wenchi Municipality as well as the St. James Seminary/SHS at Abesim, near Sunyani as the locations of some of the centres.
“For a country to develop in this modern age, education, particularly STEM, should remain at the forefront and that is exactly what the Government is committed to doing”, the Minister said.
He said the nation’s gross tertiary education enrolment was low, hovering around 25 per cent, and called on all stakeholders to contribute to ensure that more students pursued higher education for the country to have a quality human resource base for development.
Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Dr Agyeman Badu II, the Paramount Chief of Dormaa Traditional Area, and the President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, implored the Government to expand infrastructure at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, the Sunyani Technical University, and second cycle institution to facilitate teaching and learning.
He expressed concern over the abandonment of construction works on the Bono Regional Library project and appealed to the Minister to intervene for work to resume.
The Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC-Ghana) has renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2019 with the Gambia National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC-Gambia).
The MoU is to promote and intensify cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas industry.
A statement issued in Accra said the MoU will run for three more years until 2025.
Mr Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah, Chief Executive Officer, of GNPC, said “GNPC-Ghana is excited to share knowledge from its operations offshore and on-shore to enable GNPC-Gambia to begin its offshore and onshore operations on a sound footing.”
Under the MoU, GNPC-Ghana will support GNPC-Gambia by providing technical capacity building in petroleum research, exploration and production techniques, information systems and data management.
The two parties will also share expertise, equipment, and personnel along the oil and gas value chain.
Mr Yaya F. Barrow, the Managing Director of GNPC-Gambia, expressed “appreciation and gratitude to GNPC-Ghana for lending expertise to the GNPC-Gambia during the first phase of the MOU.”
He said there would be attachments and executive visits, which would add significant value to GNPC-Gambia.
He asked GNPC-Ghana to advance the cooperation through joint ventures with GNPC-Gambia in its frontier exploration efforts.
The Managing Director was accompanied by a five-member delegation from GNPC-Gambia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Petroleum Energy.
The relationship between GNPC-Ghana and GNPC Gambia started in 2018 with GNPC-Ghana providing secondment opportunities to the technical staff of GNPC-Gambia and assisting with the development of the Human Resource capacity of GNPC-Gambia.
A total of 19 GNPC-Gambia staff are currently on rotation secondment in various departments at GNPC-Ghana.
The growth rate for Ghana for the fiscal year 2022 has been reduced by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 5.2 percent to 3.6 percent.
In a recent economic forecast study, the IMF voiced concern that nations like Ghana might be affected by the continued economic problems in industrialized nations, according to a Joy Business story.
However, it warned that if action is not taken to reverse the general downturn in the global economy, it is likely that the economies of industrialized nations will experience contraction.
“Global economic activity is experiencing a broad-based and sharper-than-expected slowdown, with inflation higher than seen in several decades”, the report said.
“The cost-of-living crisis, tightening financial conditions in most regions, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic all weigh heavily on the outlook. Global growth is forecast to slow from 6.0 percent in 2021 to 3.2 percent in 2022 and 2.7 percent in 2023. This is the weakest growth profile since 2001 except for the global financial crisis and the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic,” it added.
Despite the forecast, the IMF has cautioned that decisions by central banks in developed countries in hopes of checking inflationary pressures will rather impact economies such as Ghana’s along with fallouts from the Russia-Ukraine tensions.
Meanwhile, the latest forecast by the IMF for Ghana is slightly lower than the 3.7 percent growth rate announced by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
He said this when he delivered the Mid-Year Budget Review before Parliament on July 25, 2022.
For the 2023 fiscal year, the IMF in its latest outlook said economic growth will slow down to 2.8 percent and is expected to peak strongly in 2027 to reach 6.8 percent.
