The United Kingdom High (UK) Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson has indicated that by 2050, over 70 per cent of the lands in Ghana used to grow cocoa will no longer be suitable for that purpose.
She says this will happen if temperatures continue to rise as they are doing currently in the country.
Madam Thompson said this in a tweet on Tuesday November 29 after she paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Food and Agriculture Dr Owusu Akoto Afriyie.
The courtesy call was to enable the two of them deliberate on issues of relevance in the agriculture sector especially on the United Kingdom Support Climate Smart Agriculture in Ghana.
Madam Thompson said “Over 70% of land currently used to grow cocoa in Ghana will not be suitable for that crop by 2050 if temperatures continue to rise as they are doing currently.
“Now is the time to adapt – and the potential to do so is great.”
Over 70% of land currently used to grow cocoa in 🇬🇭 will not be suitable for that crop by 2050 if temperatures continue to rise as they are doing currently. Now is the time to adapt – and the potential to do so is great. https://t.co/FLNuE9NZhe
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said that Ghanaians made a mistake by voting out his government in the 2016 presidential elections.
According to him, in spite of the achievements of his government, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was able to convince Ghanaians that he was incompetent, which led to his being booted out of office.
Mahama, who made these remarks while addressing constituency and regional executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Upper West Region, added that Ghanaians are now suffering the consequences of the wrong choice they made in 2016.
“Whatever happens in this country affects everybody. When we make a wrong choice, it affects us not today, but tomorrow and tomorrow next, and next year and the year after.
“We made that wrong choice in 2016. Despite everything we did, the people of Ghana were convinced that we were incompetent, and so they voted against us. And the effects of that decision in 2016 are continuing to follow us every day till now,” he said.
Mahama also said that Ghanaians should not accept the excuses of the government that the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic are what caused the hardship in the country.
He implied that the government’s poor management is causing unprecedented hardships for Ghanaians.
The former president, therefore, urged the executives of the party, from the polling stations to the national level, to work hard to rescue Ghanaians from the current NPP government.
The leadership of the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) has petitioned the National Health Insurance Authority to speed up processes leading to the revision of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Medicines List.
The leadership of GHOSPA said that would ensure that the prices of medicines on the list would reflect prevailing market prices.
This was in a press statement issued by GHOSPA, signed by Mr Samuel Owusu, its General Secretary, and copied to the Ghana News Agency.
The statement said the review of the prices was necessary in view of the depreciation of the local currency and rising inflation, which had led to a rise in the cost of almost all essential medicines.
It said, “Although the NHIA updated the old version of the Medicines List (released in March 2021) as recently as July 2022 the acute economic straits facing the country have forced pharmaceutical distributors to hike the prices of medicines at rates of more than 50 per cent.”
It said, “This in turn has led to a situation where almost all essential medicines covered by the NHIS Medicines List are no longer within the price limits of the Authority’s 2022 Medicines List Version.”
The statement added that “A lot of the medicines on the NHIS Medicines List are lagging by an average of 100 per cent of current market prices. For example, a tablet of Paracetamol, which used to cost 0.05 Ghana Cedis, is now 0.21 Ghana Cedis on the market whilst the NHIS price is currently set at GHC0.09.”
The statement said “Consequently, adequate stocks of essential medicines in hospital pharmacies was now becoming a luxury, a dire situation, making it difficult to provide pharmaceutical care and services to NHIS-insured clients.
“Our patients residing in rural and underserved areas of the country, who are mostly farmers, whose income levels are far below the daily minimum wage, are the most affected, since they do not have the financial capacity to make out-of-pocket payments to obtain the necessary medicines, which would have otherwise been covered by the NHIS.”
It said, “We again make a clarion call on the NHIA to leave from the usual practice of waiting for one year or more before updating the NHIS Medicines List since current economic situations would not favour such “business as usual” attitude.”
It said, “Ghana’s aim of accelerating the achievement of Universal Health Coverage is strongly linked to the availability, affordability and access to essential medicines within the health system.”
The statement said, “Against this backdrop, the NHIA, which is the biggest health payer in the country, must review its medicines benefit package to ensure NHIS-insured clients, who form the majority of the working class and poor folks in our towns and villages, are not disadvantaged.”
The Alliance for Social Equality and Public Accountability (ASEPA) has asked the government to rescind its decision to purchase oil from the world market using gold.
Instead, it called on the government to put in place measures to strengthen the local currency that had depreciated against the US dollar by 50 per cent this year.
Mr Mensah Thompson, Executive Director of ASEPA who made the call, said barter trading gold for oil would deplete the country’s forest reserve.
He said this while addressing a news conference on the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government, in Accra, on Monday.
The government last week disclosed that it intends to purchase oil from the world market using gold instead of the dollar due to the depreciation of the Cedi against the US dollars.
Official data also shows that Ghana’s gross international reserves have fallen from $9.7 billion at the end of 2021 to around $6.6 billion at the end of September 2022.
Mr Thompson explained that gold was a commodity which had an extremely high price volatility on the world market and indicated that should the value of the commodity (gold) decline on the world market, government would require more gold to make the purchase.
“The sad situation about this is that Ghana has an oil refinery which has been abandoned since 2017.”
He added that: “The volatility of gold prices set another stage for the fast depletion of the mineral resources the country has if the prices of the commodity fall.”
Mr Mensah Thompson also urged the government to revise the 2.5 per cent VAT rate as maintaining the current rate would worsen the already precarious economic situation of Ghanaians.
He said: “Inflation is currently at 40.4 per cent, Producer Price Index sits at 61.7 per cent, the 2.5 per cent increase in VAT would skyrocket prices even further in such a precarious situation which would fuel inflation to unprecedented levels.
“In response to the skyrocketed inflation in 2023, the Central Bank would automatically increase the Policy Rate to curb inflation, this would worsen cost of borrowing in 2023, people would not be able to borrow due to the high interest costs, those who would be able to borrow risk falling into a debt trap, NPL sitting on the books of banks would skyrocket leading this country into a recession.”
He also emphasized the need for the government to cut down on expenditure to avoid incurring more debt.
The government, among other things, froze recruitment, purchasing vehicles and printing calendars to cut down on its expenditure.
Estimates made using the 2022 budget shows that , every Ghanaian owes approximately GH¢15,175.32.
Given the current public debt stated in the budget amounting to GH¢467.37 billion (US$48.87 billion), shared among the 30.8 million Ghanaian population, amounts to a debt of GH¢15,175.32 per person.
The domestic debt component, according to the budget, is GH¢195.65 billion making a 31.79 percent of GDP while the external debt stock was at 58.1 percent of GDP with GH¢271.71 billion.
For a decade now, the public debt has increased by about 159.67% – from US$ 18.82 billion (GH¢35.38 billion) in 2012 to US$ 48.87 billion (GH¢467.37 billion) in 2022.
The year 2022, has been on a downward stream with rising inflation and depreciating of the cedi.
Loss to depreciation of the cedi amounted to added external debt stock of of GH¢93.86 billion There have also been vast increases in the public debt on month-on-month bases.
The diagram gives the public debt per person for the year 2022. The increase per month is associated with the increases in the public debt.
On average the public debt person increased by 32.89% from January 2022 to October 2022.
Director General of Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) has appealed to the private sector and industry to support government to ensure sustainable funding for the TVET sector.
Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah said the government alone could not shoulder the cost of funding TVET and that the private sector and industry who were beneficiaries of TEVT product must contribute their share to ensure a viable means of financing the programme.
Dr Asamoah made the call at the National TVET EXPO 2022 and Awards and the inauguration of the National Apprenticeship Policy and Skills Gap Analysis in Accra.
The exhibition is intended to provide a platform for multi-sectoral collaboration towards promoting TVET in Ghana and bringing it to the fore in national discussions.
The objective of the TVET Expo is also to promote awareness and interest among various stakeholders about the importance of TVET in Ghana, bring visibility to the key projects being undertaken by the Ministry of Education and the Commission for TVET in the TVET space as well as provide a platform for dialogue among key stakeholders on how to enhance TVET delivery in Ghana.
Dr Asamoah also stated that investments in TVET in the past had been extremely low because government had not paid much attention to the sector saying there was no particular focus on TVET even though the country needed more people in the TVET sector to support the growth of the economy.
He said the current huge investments by government in the sector were intended to fill the gaps in terms of lack of equipment, obsolete machines, and training institutions for students.
“In our quest to bridge the gap, we have to do more than the normal…we are hoping that the investments in the sector will even double so that they can catch-up with their counterpart in the grammar schools,” he added.
Dr Asamoah also explained that to address the issues of skills mismatch between training institutions and the industry the government has conducted a skills gap analysis and audit for priority sectors.
He said the survey was more critical in a time of accelerated technological development when industries globally kept transforming and TVET was at the centre of providing the skills needed for industries, employability, and enhancement of livelihoods.
Mr Samuel Thompson, Policy, and Planning Coordinator, CTVET in his remarks noted that setting up of the Sectors Skills Bodies to help with the generation and upgrading of standards within the Competency-Based Training (CBT) framework was crucial.
He explained the gaps in the curriculum were also being addressed under the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project, which were expected to develop competency-based training packages on the national TVET qualification framework.
Parts of the Kantamanto market in Accra have been destroyed by fire.
The incident on Tuesday morning destroyed many goods and shops worth thousands of cedis. It is not clear yet what started the inferno.
The fire has already engulfed more than 200 shops in the area.
Eyewitnesses say initial efforts by the Ghana National Fire Service to douse it did not yield the desired results as they ran out of water in the process.
Some personnel are still at the scene doing their best to halt the blaze.
Over seven fire tenders are said to have been dispatched with two more expected to join soon.
Other vendors stood by helpless as their wares burned on, waiting for the appropriate time to count their losses.
Director of Business Operations at Dalex Finance, Joe Jackson, says the 2023 Budget has woefully failed to tackle the situation that landed the country’s economy in the trenches.
According to him, the government should have used the opportunity of the budget statement to propose policy measures that would tackle the debt issue head-on to prevent further loss of investor confidence, however, it failed to do so.
He noted that a great policy measure would have entailed the government making significant cuts to its expenditure budget.
Instead, Joe Jackson has noted that government is still indulging in its profligate ways while imposing austerity on the rest of Ghanaians.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, he said, “The cedi tanked because foreign investors lost confidence. And the foreign investors lost confidence because they could tell from our numbers that we’re unable to pay our debts.
“We’ve now confirmed, the Deputy Minister has confirmed that if there was ever any doubt that we can’t pay. Borrowing 61billion cedis is not what you do when you can’t pay. You take an axe to your expenditure.”
He stated that after perusing the budget statement he realized government’s failure to apply sound judgement when it came to the distribution of funds.
According to him, key ministries capable of championing an economic recovery were being starved of funds while certain agencies whose usefulness in the government machinery have recently been questioned were being furnished with disproportionate amount of funds.
“I’ll be honest just this evening I got what I thought was a reliable version of the tables and I started looking through, some of the numbers just don’t make sense to me. Why is there 80billion still there for the Cathedral? Forgive me, I don’t know. Why is there a contingency vote of 1.4 billion?
“The office of government machinery, I don’t care where you came from, why is it at 1.4billion? Guess what? Ministry of Food and Agric, do you know how much we’re giving them? 1.2billion. Do you know how much we’re spending on free SHS? 2.9billion. The Council of State is receiving more money than the Food and Agric Ministry,” he said.
Joe Jackson has opined that the 2023 budget was a missed opportunity for the government to bridge the trust gap between the citizenry and the government and the market, both local and international.
“The point is this, we want reassurance, we want to believe that this government can even carry the rest of the country with the austerity budget it has to impose. We want to believe somebody is trying to bridge the trust gap between the government and the public. That can be done when you trim down and all of us feel that you’re taking the pain as much as we have to take the pain,” he said.
Dr. Ernest Addison, the governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), has expressed worry about the solvency of some Ghanaian banks.
According to him, the Central Bank will put in measures to ensure that banks remain solvent. This, he said is the most important task of the Central Bank.
The decision by the BoG comes as the government prepares to restructure its debt to pave way for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout. This will include haircuts to bondholders.
Dr. Ernest Addison explained at a media briefing that: “The good thing is that we think that there are adequate buffers. Nevertheless, the Central Bank will put in measures that will ensure that the banks remain solvent.”
On the subject of Ghana’s galloping inflation, the Governor said, “The inflation forecast shows that inflation will likely peak in the first quarter of 2023 and settle around 25% by the end of 2023. This forecast is conditioned on the continued maintenance of the tight monetary policy stance and the deployment of tools to contain excess liquidity in the economy.”
He noted that there are some risks associated with inflation such as additional pressures from the proposed VAT increase in the exchange rate have to be monitored.
Dr Addison added that “to continue to anchor inflation expectations, the committee, therefore, decided to increase the policy rate by 250 basis points to 27%.”
Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, has taken his campaign for flagbearership of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to the Ashanti Region.
He delivered an address to a cross-section of traders at the Race Course market in the region, calling for their support and outlining plans that he had to support their business and welfare.
“There is hope, let’s keep hope alive. I will consult with all relevant stakeholders to see how best we can help you. When I come to a place like this, I try to avoid politics.
“But I am being told to share my aim for this visit. All I am saying is that, come 2024, I will lead the NPP,” he said to loud applause.
The KenCity Media boss also underlined his credentials as someone with a background in trading: “Leaders have come and gone, none of them had a mother who was a trader. My mother sold things at Okaishie.
“I know your struggles and how you suffer to cater for your children, so I am a product of trading and of the street. So, I will do all it takes to protect the interest of women,” he stressed.
He also promised to support the market with 200 pieces of streetlights and poles to beef up security in the area as well as lobby the Roads Minister to look into the plight of traders relative to the nature of roads.
He also promised to look into the issue of MASLOC loans that had not reached a section of the traders. Agyapong was well received at the premises by hundreds of traders who cheered him.
Addressing the media, some concerned youth in Aburi noted with disdain that transportation fares in Aburi to any part of nearby areas are high compared to other places despite having good roads.
The youth in Aburi cited that, while a 23km road from Aburi to Madina now costs Ghc13.60, a 26.9 km road from Madina to Dodowa costs Ghc10.
The youth argued that transport fares from Aburi to Madina shot up during the reconstruction of Tetteh Quarshie to Mamfe road two decades ago due to the diversion of the road through Kitase -Brekuso to Kwabenya.
However, drivers failed to reverse the Ghc2 additional increment as agreed with passengers after the road construction rather keeps increasing the fares unfairly.
This they say is worsening the plight of the people and also affecting businesses and tourism.
Fred Odei Addo Duodu, Secretary to the youth group demanded an immediate reduction in transport fares else the youth will rise.
He further stated that “it is our fervent prayer that our demands today on paper must translate into a renewed action by the transport unions to expose those unscrupulous drivers who charge exorbitantly based on their own discretion, push for bolder policies to flush out drivers who disregard the approved general pricing principle by the transport unions”.
Some opinion leaders in the community said they have made several efforts to petition the Greater Accra Regional GPRTU executives and Akuapem South District Chief Executive but the GPRTU have failed to act on their grievances.
Residents have given a one-week ultimatum for the fares to be reduced else will stage massive demonstrations and subsequently expulsed recalcitrant drivers from plying to Aburi township.
However, some of the drivers told Starr News, they can’t be blamed because they only implement fares approved by GPRTU.
The former First Lady of Ghana, Lordina Mahama, has described her husband, President John Dramani Mahama, as her perfect life partner.
In a message to the former president as he marks his 64th birthday on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, Lordina expressed her love to her husband and called for God’s blessings upon his life.
“On your 64th birthday, all I ask for is God’s continuous blessings upon your life, John Dramani Mahama.
“You have been a dependable husband and inspiring father. Our Good Lord has blessed you with robust health, a great sense of judgement and a pure heart. There is nothing more I could have asked for in a life partner.
“I love you now, more than ever before. Happy birthday, John,” she wrote.
The couple recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in what turned out to be a colourful, joyous celebration.
With several photos of the couple shared across multiple online platforms, they climaxed their anniversary with the inauguration of a Maternity and Children’s Ward for the Bole District Hospital.
Pedri has just turned 20. Jamal Musiala and Jude Bellingham still have a few months to go. The kids who are going to break the bank have arrived at the World Cup and are showing their quality.
There are stars who shine brighter, even veterans ready to bow out in style at their last World Cup, but the value of these three players have skyrocketed.
All three are valued at over 100 million euros. And their value continues to grow. They arrived at the World Cup with teams who are candidates to win the tournament.
England, Germany and Spain are among the options to put one more star on their jerseys, but ahead of them, teams like Brazil, Argentina or France started as bigger favourites.
Pedri is the light of Luis Enrique’s side, Musiala brings something different for Germany, and Bellingham has half of the Premier League in love with him.
Getting them out of their teams will not be easy. Especially because Pedri and Musiala are at clubs that are not very good sellers, Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively.
However, with Bellingham, in a Borussia Dortmund side that has never been afraid to get rid of its best players, things change. The fight for the Briton started already a few months ago and promises to be fierce as soon as the English leave the World Cup in Qatar.
Gvardiol unleashed
Perhaps these three are the ones who shine the brightest, but there are others, a little more hidden, who are going to impact the transfer market in the next few windows.
Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol is one of them. The 20-year-old RB Leipzig center-back is poised to break the record price paid for a defender set by Matthijs de Ligt earlier this summer.
Fernandez on the score sheet
Enzo Fernandez’s goal against Mexico was just the tip of the iceberg. At 21, the Benfica midfielder is a quality figure and could become the next big transfer from the Primeira Liga to the Premier League.
Musah is making waves
Perhaps at another level, but also showing quality, appears the Valencia player Yunus Musah.
With the USA he is shining brightly and his price is rising. This week he turns 20 years old. Valencia are willing to sell, but want an offer of substance.
Hopeson Adorye of the New Patriotic Party has asked the government to be realistic with a budgetary directive to slash fuel allocations by 50% and also a freeze on the use of V8s.
He insisted on Oman FM’s Boiling Point programme (November 24) that it was imperative to provide the necessary support for appointees in the line of their duties.
Adorye alleged citing a text message that deputy ministers were being given GH¢250 as fuel allowance, an amount he considered very little for the kind of engagements that ministers undertake.
“On the fuel issue, I have a text message that shows that deputy Ministers get 250 cedis worth of fuel every week. GH¢250 cedis only, how much is one litre, for a minister to be given GH¢250 cedis for a week? That comes up to GH¢1000 cedis for a whole month.
“If they arrive late at an event too, they have issues. GH¢250 cedis of fuel is among some of the factors that breed corruption in this country,” he lamented.
What Ofori-Atta said about V8s and fuel allocations
Under the section of the budget on “Implementation of the Cabinet directives on expenditure measures,” the Minister said:
Mr. Speaker, as the first step toward expenditure rationalisation, the Government has approved the following directives which take effect from January, 2023:
● All MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs are directed to reduce fuel allocations to Political Appointees and heads of MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs by 50%. This directive applies to all methods of fuel allocation including coupons, electronic cards, chit systems, and fuel depots. Accordingly, 50% of the previous year’s (2022) budget allocation for fuel shall be earmarked for official business pertaining to MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs;
● A ban on the use of V8s/V6s or its equivalent except for cross-country travel. All government vehicles would be registered with GV green number plates from January 2023;
● Limited budgetary allocation for the purchase of vehicles. For the avoidance of doubt, the purchase of new vehicles shall be restricted to locally assembled vehicles;
● Only essential official foreign travel across government including SOEs shall be allowed. No official foreign travel shall be allowed for board members. Accordingly, all government institutions should submit a travel plan for the year 2023 by mid-December of all expected travels to the Chief of Staff.
A woman believed to be in her early sixties has committed suicide on her farm at Breman Essiam in the Central Region.
The deceased, Antie Esi Annan, was a popular shopkeeper who operated her own provision store at Breman Essiam.
She went missing on Sunday, November 27, 2022, so residents thought she had travelled to visit her children.
Several calls were made to reach her children to find out if she was with any of them. But it turned out that none of the children had seen her.
She was found hanging from a tree on her farm in the afternoon of Monday, November 28, 2022.
Her death has thrown residents into a state of shock, wondering what might have pushed her to take her life.
Reports gathered by Kasapa News’ Yaw Boagyan indicate that the brother of the deceased also committed suicide by hanging himself about three months ago on the same farm.
Police at Breman Nkwantanum were informed and officers proceeded to the scene and conveyed the body to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital Mortuary.
Former New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Obuasi East, Edward Ennin has bemoaned the level of wealth accumulation by some members of the current administration.
Speaking in an interview with Kwame Nkrumah Tikese of Okay FM on Monday, November 29, 2022, the former MP expressed worry about the quest for personal wealth characterising the current political sphere.
Do you know the reason why I don’t find politics attractive anymore? There are so many of them who are ministers today that I know very well. A lot of them used to come around when we were in parliament those days. They will follow you all around for even GHC100 but today they are millionaires. I look at that and ask myself if it is the same politics we used to do. Levels don change now,” he said.
Despite his concern about members of the government of his own political party, Mr Ennin said the issue cuts across the political divide as the situation will be no different if the opposition National Democratic Congress are to come to power.
“But even with NDC the noise they are making now is hunger induced. If they get the advantage, they will do worse,” he said.
The former MP however noted that politicians who amass wealth dishonestly tend to lose it all when they live power.
But God has a way of doing his things, you will lose all the money just after 8 years of being out of office… if you don’t make money the right way you lose it easily,” he said.
Former New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Obuasi East, Edward Ennin, has bemoaned the level of wealth accumulation by some members of the current administration.
Speaking in an interview with Kwame Nkrumah Tikese of Okay FM on Monday, November 28, 2022, the former MP expressed worry about the quest for personal wealth that characterizes the current political class.
“Do you know the reason why I don’t find politics attractive anymore? There are so many of them who are ministers today that I know them very well. A lot of them used to come around when we were in parliament in those days. They will follow you around for GHC100, but they are now millionaires.I look at that and ask myself if it is the same kind of politics we used to do. Levels don change now,” he said.
Despite his concerns about members of the government of his own political party, Mr. Ennin said the issue cuts across the political divide as the situation will be no different if the opposition National Democratic Congress comes to power.
“But even with NDC, the noise they are making now is hunger-induced. If they get the advantage, they will do worse,” he said.
The former MP, however, noted that politicians who amass wealth dishonestly tend to lose it all when they live power.
“But God has a way of doing his things; you will lose all the money just after 8 years of being out of office… if you don’t make money the right way, you lose it easily,” he said.
Managing Director of the Agricultural Development Bank PLC (ADB), Dr. John Kofi Mensah, is set to retire from his position, effective November 30, 2022, after serving for five years in the role.
Appointed in August 2017, ADB PLC has seen a significant transformation from a loss-making Bank in 2015/16 to a consistent profit-making bank during his tenure.
A statement issued by the Bank noted that, Dr. John Kofi Mensah led a strategic vision of refocusing the Bank to its core mandate of agricultural financing with the aim of ensuring a significant portion of its loan portfolio was dedicated to the agricultural sector and also increased the number of branches of the Bank from 78 in 2016 to 87 by the end of this year.
With a remarkable banking career of more than three decades, Dr. Kofi Mensah has positioned ADB stronger than it was in 2016 with significant growth in assets, deposits and consistent profit growth.
The Board Chairman, Dasaabre Akuamoah Agyepong II thanked Dr. Kofi Mensah for his contribution towards the growth of the Bank “On behalf of the Board, Management and Staff we wish to thank Dr. Kofi Mensah for his remarkable contribution towards the growth and development of ADB.”
According to the ADB Board Chairman, Dr. Kofi Mensah’s tenure will be remembered for the numerous positive changes that he spearheaded, including the Bank being the first in the country to establish the Security Operating Centre (SOC) and also the attestation and certification of the Bank in a number of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certificates and the refocusing of the Bank to its core mandate of agricultural financing.
On his part, the outgoing Managing Director thanked the Board, Management and Staff for their support during his tenure which led to the stability and growth it witnessed over the period.
Shareholders have since appointed the Deputy Managing, Mr. Alhassan Yakubu-Tali as the new Managing Director awaiting regulatory approval.
ABOUT AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT BANK PLC (ADB)
Established in 1965, the Agricultural Development Bank PLC is the leading Bank in Agribusiness Financing in the country, with one of the largest branch networks of 87 locations nationwide. The Bank has won several awards, including the Best Bank in Cocoa Financing at the Ghana Cocoa Awards.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, wants the government to be open and candid with Ghanaians as its negotiation with the International Monetary Fund nears completion.
Mr. Bagbin said the government must bring all Ghanaians on board to find solutions to the challenges.
Speaking to journalists in Ho in the Volta Region, Mr. Bagbin said the Finance Ministry must show openness in all its dealings.
“The absence of openness and transparency can lead to suspicion and a profound sense of despair and hopelessness. It is in this regard that I call on the Minister of Finance to muster the courage to be candid, open and to speak truth to power,” he said.
“Don’t come and repeat what we have been told already, We know it. Give us policy alternatives,” Mr. Bagbin added.
Critics of the government have accused it of not being forthright about the country’s finances.
The opposition National Democratic Congress, for example, accused the government of fiscal recklessness and creative accounting as Ghana’s economic crisis took shape.
The government is currently seeking $3 billion from the International Monetary Fund to support the economy.
The government sought the International Monetary Fund’s support months after being urged by the opposition to do so amid worsening inflation and forex challenges.
Before going to the International Monetary Fund, the government had claimed it was on sound financial ground and did not need International Monetary Fund support.
Former Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Moses Asaga has shot down the idea of the government’s use of gold to buy oil from the international market.
The former Member of Parliament for the Nabdam constituency in the Upper East Region said that it is not a brilliant idea to buy oil with gold because the total consumption of oil per year against the country’s gold receipts that go through the Bank of Ghana per year do not tally.
“Our total refined product including LPG, petrol, and diesel was almost $4 billion per year which could have even increased by now. So, if we import $4 billion worth of refined products, how can the receipt of gold be able to match the $4 billion? That is where I think the Vice President didn’t really go deep to do his analysis unless this is just a temporary measure.”
The former CEO expressed worry over the deliberate neglect of the National Petroleum Authority from the deal, knowing very well it is the authority mandated to regulate and ensure the supply of petroleum products across the country.
“If you are dealing with gold in exchange for refined products, the NPA should be involved in this because it is the NPA that has all the statistics and figures. Our total bullion gold reserve is 8.7 tons that we have been accumulating all these years. And if you have 8.7 tons and multiply that by 36,000 ounces and further multiply that by $1,700 per ounce, it brings us to $500 million. That is what we are holding today in our bullion at 8.7 tons of gold. So, if you have $500 million, how can this translate into collateral for a product worth over $4 billion?”
The idea of using gold to buy oil was first made by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in a Facebook post which he said is needed to tackle the country’s dwindling foreign exchange reserves which have resulted in the depreciation of the cedi.
The Vice President’s post which was widely reported partly said: “The demand for foreign exchange by oil importers in the face of dwindling foreign exchange reserves results in the depreciation of the cedi and increases in the cost of living with higher prices for fuel, transportation, utilities, etc. To address this challenge, the Government is negotiating a new policy regime where our gold (rather than our US dollar reserves) will be used to buy oil products.”
Enumerating the benefits Ghana is expected to derive from the policy, Dr. Bawumia added that “the barter of sustainably mined gold for oil is one of the most important economic policy changes in Ghana since its independence. If we implement it as envisioned, it will fundamentally change our balance of payments and significantly reduce the persistent depreciation of our currency with its associated increases in fuel, electricity, water, transport, and food prices.”
“This is because the exchange rate (spot or forward) will no longer directly enter the formula for the determination of fuel or utility prices, since all the domestic sellers of fuel will no longer need foreign exchange to import oil products. The barter of gold for oil represents a major structural change. My thanks to the Ministers for Lands and Natural Resources, Energy, and Finance, Precious Minerals Marketing Company, The Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana for their supportive work on this new policy. We expect this new framework to be fully operational by the end of the first quarter of 2023.”
Members of Parliament will today, November 29, 2022, begin debate on the 2023 budget statement presented by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta last week.
Portions of the budget have been met with opposition as industry players lament the impact it will have on their businesses and livelihood.
The government intends for the 2023 budget to focus on strategies to restore and stabilise the macroeconomy, build resilience, and promote inclusive growth and value creation.
The budget statement featured updates on Ghana’s engagement with the International Monetary Fund for a $3 billion programme, the macro-fiscal performance of the economy; the YouStart initiative under the Ghana CARES Programme; climate action strategies; fiscal measures and debt management strategies to ensure fiscal and debt sustainability and promote growth.
Among the new policies proposed in the budget, which are likely to be implemented under an IMF programme, will be a freeze on public sector employment and new tax measures as the government moves to cut down expenditure and boost revenue.
The freeze on employment has already courted criticism from the Minority in Parliament and the Trade Union Congress.
Among the notable proposals, the Electronic Transfer Levy headline rate is to be reduced to 1 percent, Value Added Tax will be increased from 12.5 percent to 15 percent, the benchmark discount policy is to be fully phased out in 2023 and an additional income tax bracket of 35 percent is to be introduced.
Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance, disclosed in the 2023 budget statement that Ghana’s public debt has increased by GH₵93 billion ($6.53 billion at the current rate) due to the depreciation of the Ghanaian cedi since the beginning of 2022.
According to him, the said amount is twice more than the anticipated US$3 billion bailout Ghana is seeking from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In the 2023 budget statement, he said the cedi has depreciated by 53.8% and 54.2% against the dollar as of October 2022 and November 2022.
The depreciation is due to the fact that the country cannot access the International Capital Market due to the continuous credit rating downgrades. The tightening of domestic financing conditions and the increasing cost of borrowing has also contributed to further depreciation.
Ofori-Atta added that there has been a high demand for forex to finance the import bill, including the import of crude, and the financing of electricity has worsened the performance of the cedi and led to the high depreciation.
“Ghana’s import bill, the budget stated, exceeds US$10 billion annually. Considering the low foreign earnings, it has been difficult to meet the import requirements including crude oil and petroleum products of about US$400m (GH₵4.80 billion) a month. The Ministry of Finance also requires about US$1.0 billion per year to finance the lights in homes and workplaces,” he said.
“For us at the Ministry of Finance, the depreciation of the cedi seriously affects our ability to effectively manage our debt. Indeed, our stock of debt has increased by GH¢93 billion this year alone due to the depreciation of the cedi at the beginning of 2022,” the Finance Minister added.
Ghana is seeking a three-year Extended Credit Facility (ECF) programme of $3bn at the International Monetary Fund. This means that this potential bailout cannot even finance the debt accumulated as a result of the depreciation of the Ghanaian cedi.
Hopeson Adorye of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has questioned the realistic nature of a recent budgetary directive to the effect that the use of V8 within Accra has been banned.
He questions whether or not those with V8 cars will be given new saloon cars in order for them to quit the usage of the V8s.
“With the issue of V8s, I am wondering how it will be done. Are we going to buy new saloon cars for Ministers or what? Because most of them use V8s already,” he submitted on Oman FM’s Boiling Point programme, November 24.
He also questioned the issue of fuel cuts of 50% for appointees: “Even this government fuel that has been slashed, how do we want the appointees to work? As for that one, I disagree, so what should they do?
“Some of these things must be tackled realistically. Imagine a Minister with a fuel coupon of 2,000 cedis, now having 1000 cedis but his full tank costs 1,800, so if their car runs out of fuel after three days, what do I do?” he quizzed.
What Ofori-Atta said about V8s and fuel allocations
Under the section of the budget on “Implementation of the Cabinet directives on expenditure measures,” the Minister said:
Mr. Speaker, as the first step toward expenditure rationalisation, the Government has approved the following directives which take effect from January, 2023:
● All MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs are directed to reduce fuel allocations to Political Appointees and heads of MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs by 50%. This directive applies to all methods of fuel allocation including coupons, electronic cards, chit systems, and fuel depots. Accordingly, 50% of the previous year’s (2022) budget allocation for fuel shall be earmarked for official business pertaining to MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs;
● A ban on the use of V8s/V6s or its equivalent except for cross-country travel. All government vehicles would be registered with GV green number plates from January 2023;
● Limited budgetary allocation for the purchase of vehicles. For the avoidance of doubt, the purchase of new vehicles shall be restricted to locally assembled vehicles;
● Only essential official foreign travel across government including SOEs shall be allowed. No official foreign travel shall be allowed for board members. Accordingly, all government institutions should submit a travel plan for the year 2023 by mid-December of all expected travels to the Chief of Staff.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has said Aflao, as the most vibrant border town in Ghana, deserves more than it currently has and, thus, in line with the party’s promises in the 2020 People’s Manifesto, the next NDC government will give the people of Aflao a modern international standard market, a new hospital, in addition to other socio-economic infrastructure.
Mr Mahama made the promise when he joined Togbui Amenya Fiti V, Paramount Chief of Aflao, on the occasion of his 25th anniversary over the weekend.
Tobgui’s anniversary coincided with the Godigbe Festival of the chiefs and people of Aflao.
Mr Mahama expressed joy that Togbui visited and personally invited him to grace the occasion.
Aflao being a border town, people from I thank the people of Aflao Togo and Benin thronged the durbar ground to witness the ceremony.
Aflao is a town in Ketu South District in the Volta Region on Ghana’s border with Togo.
The Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Dr Yaw Baah has said that net freeze on employment into the public sector is better than total embargo.
He explained that net freeze is when retirees are replaced when they exit. This, he said, allows productivity and efficiency to go on.
Total freeze on the other hand, he added, is when the retirees are not replaced neither are new employees recruited. That will be detrimental to productivity hence, they do not want that to happen.
Speaking in an interview with TV3’s Daniel Opoku on the sidelines of a post budget analyses forum held by the TUC in Accra on Monday November 28, Dr Yaw Baah said “we still don’t have the details of the IMF conditionality but you will not be wrong if you think this is part of IMF conditions. Since 1965 when Ghana Government started going to IMF, employment freeze has always been part, in the last one that ended, employment freeze was one but in that case it was net.
“Net meant that if somebody retires you can replace the person. So the net freeze is what we need. But this one, we don’t know the details, whether it is the net freeze or total freeze.
“If it is a net freeze then it is like the previous one but if it is a total freeze it is another ball game all together. There are 644,000 people on the single spine. Let us assume without admitting that about 5 per cent of them retire yearly.
“If only five percent retire every year, we are talking now about over 30,000 people retiring and if the 30,000 people retire and they don’t replace them it will affect service delivery. If you reduce numbers by over 30,000 and they are not replaced then your effectiveness in service delivery will be affected.”
The Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta announced in the 2023 budget a freeze on employment into the civil and public service.
He also said there shall be no new government agencies established in 2023. He said these while presenting the budget in Parliament on Thursday November 23.
Mr Ofori-Atta said as a first step toward expenditure rationalisation, government has approved a number of directives which takes effect from January, 2023.
These are “All Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and State-Owned-Enterprises (SOEs) are directed to reduce fuel allocations to Political Appointees and heads of MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs by 50%. This directive applies to all methods of fuel allocation including coupons, electronic cards, chit system, and fuel depots. Accordingly, 50% of the previous years (2022) budget allocation for fuel shall be earmarked for official business pertaining to MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs;
“A ban on the use of V8s/V6s or its equivalent except for cross country travel. All
government vehicles would be registered with GV green number plates from
January 2023; Limited budgetary allocation for the purchase of vehicles. For the avoidance of doubt, purchase of new vehicles shall be restricted to locally assembled vehicles;
“Only essential official foreign travel across government including SOEs shall be
allowed. No official foreign travel shall be allowed for board members.”
The Finance Minister added “Accordingly, all government institutions should submit a travel plan for the year 2023 by mid-December of all expected travels to the Chief of Staff; As far as possible, meetings and workshops should be done within the official environment or government facilities; Government sponsored external training and Staff Development activities at the Office of the President, Ministries and SOEs must be put on hold for the 2023 financial year; Reduction of expenditure on appointments including salary freezes together with suspension of certain allowances like housing, utilities and clothing, etc.;
“A freeze on new tax waivers for foreign companies and review of tax exemptions for free zone, mining, oil and gas companies; A hiring freeze for civil and public servants, No new government agencies shall be established in 2023; There shall be no hampers for 2022; There shall be no printing of diaries, notepads, calendars and other promotional, merchandise by MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs for 2024; All non-critical project must be suspended for 2023 Financial year.”
Ghana’s Central Bank has increased the benchmark interest rate as the significant upside risks to inflation outlook remain.
To continue to contain inflationary pressures, the Monetary Policy Committee on Monday, November 28, 2022 decided to increase the policy rate by 250 basis points to 27.0 percent.
This means cost of borrowing is expected to go up further.
The inflation forecast shows that in the outlook, inflation will likely peak in the first quarter of 2023 and settle at around 25% by the end of 2023.
“This forecast is conditioned on the continued maintenance of tight monetary policy stance and the deployment of tools to contain excess liquidity in the economy. There are however some risks to this forecast that would have to be monitored, including additional pressures from the proposed VAT increase, and exchange rate pressures. Continued vigilance to the evolution of these potential price pressures in the outlook will be key”, Dr. Ernest Addison, Governor of the Bank of Ghana stated.
The Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Dr Yaw Baah has said the congress does not have details of the government’s plan to freeze hiring next year as stated in the 2023 budget statement.
He said they do not know whether or not this forms part of the conditions the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is giving to Ghana.
Again, he said, they are unable to tell whether this is a net freeze or total.
Speaking in an interview with TV3’s Daniel Opoku on the sidelines of a post budget analyses forum held by the TUC in Accra on Monday November 28, Dr Yaw Baah said “we still don’t have the details of the IMF conditionality but you will not be wrong if you think this is part of IMF conditions. Since 1965 when Ghana Government started going to IMF, employment freeze has always been part, in the last one that ended, employment freeze was one but in that case it was net.
“Net meant that if somebody retires you can replace the person. So the net freeze is what we need. But this one, we don’t know the details, whether it is the net freeze or total freeze.
“If it is a net freeze then it is like the previous one but if it is a total freeze it is another ball game all together. There are 644,000 people on the single spine. Let us assume without admitting that about 5 per cent of them retire yearly.
“If only five percent retire every year, we are talking now about over 30,000 people retiring and if the 30,000 people retire and they don’t replace them it will affect service delivery. If you reduce numbers by over 30,000 and they are not replaced then your effectiveness in service delivery will be affected.”
The Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta announced in the 2023 budget a freeze on employment into the civil and public service.
He also said there shall be no new government agencies established in 2023.
He said these while presenting the budget in Parliament on Thursday November 23.
Mr Ofori-Atta said as a first step toward expenditure rationalisation, government has approved a number of directives which takes effect from January, 2023.
These are “All Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and State-Owned-Enterprises (SOEs) are directed to reduce fuel allocations to Political Appointees and heads of MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs by 50%. This directive applies to all methods of fuel allocation including coupons, electronic cards, chit system, and fuel depots. Accordingly, 50% of the previous years (2022) budget allocation for fuel shall be earmarked for official business pertaining to MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs;
“A ban on the use of V8s/V6s or its equivalent except for cross country travel. All
government vehicles would be registered with GV green number plates from
January 2023; Limited budgetary allocation for the purchase of vehicles. For the avoidance of doubt, purchase of new vehicles shall be restricted to locally assembled vehicles;
“Only essential official foreign travel across government including SOEs shall be
allowed. No official foreign travel shall be allowed for board members.”
The Finance Minister added “Accordingly, all government institutions should submit a travel plan for the year 2023 by mid-December of all expected travels to the Chief of Staff; As far as possible, meetings and workshops should be done within the official environment or government facilities; Government sponsored external training and Staff Development activities at the Office of the President, Ministries and SOEs must be put on hold for the 2023 financial year; Reduction of expenditure on appointments including salary freezes together with suspension of certain allowances like housing, utilities and clothing, etc.;
“A freeze on new tax waivers for foreign companies and review of tax exemptions for free zone, mining, oil and gas companies; A hiring freeze for civil and public servants, No new government agencies shall be established in 2023; There shall be no hampers for 2022; There shall be no printing of diaries, notepads, calendars and other promotional, merchandise by MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs for 2024; All non-critical project must be suspended for 2023 Financial year.”
The Chairman-elect of the Ghana National Council of the Great Commission Church International (GCCI), Apostle Samuel Vincent Ansah, has charged all citizens particularly Christians to stand up and lead the fight against corruption.
He explained that there is a huge responsibility on the body of Christ because it forms the larger population of the country and therefore requires Christians take the forefront in this fight, as it will have a rippling effect across the nation.
Speaking to GhanaWeb after the commissioning service of the church’s pastors in Accra on Sunday, November 27, 2022, Apostle Samuel Ansah stressed that the religious institutions must begin to walk in its function of living lives worth emulating.
He added that there is the need for Christians to work hard towards the fight against corruption, which he described as endemic.
“Our function is to pray, and our function is to lead the kind of life that will ensure that we come out because there is a lot of talk about corruption; it’s not just a talk – it is something that as you go through this nation, you go through schools, you go through institutions, the universities, the ministries, everything we have, you find out that corruption is endemic and to some extent, it will become a pandemic,” he said.
Apostle Samuel Ansah added that if indeed Ghana’s population is composed of more Christians than other religious faiths, then it behooves on the church to emulate traits that are synonymous with its teachings.
“Everybody is worried because once there is corruption, our visions and dreams as a nation become compromised and we are not able to succeed. Therefore, as Christians, it is important that our lives shine. We should be first and foremost against corruption. Our lifestyles, our functions in offices, in institutions, in the structures of this nation should be corruption-free.
“And gradually, if we are 71%, then if we begin to function well and our lives begin to shine well, within a short time, you’ll find that this country will change for the better; our economic woes will dwindle, and this nation will begin to function and be successful,” he added.
In all, there were 51 permanent elders of the church inducted into the church, with seven (7) reverend ministers ordained as well.
The newly-elected executives are: Apostle Samuel Vincent Ansah, Chairman; Apostle Richard K. Adanu, First Vice Chairman in-charge of Missions; Rev Moses Pinkrah, Second Vice Chairman in-charge of Finance and Administration; Rev Samuel Arthur, Director of Evangelism;
Others include; Rev Emmanuel Oppong, Director of Ministries; Rev Charles Samerset Adanunyo Director of Church Life; Rev Stephen Toku Cato, Director of Finance; and Rev Alex Obeng Oguamena, Director of Personnel.
The Minority in Parliament has described the government’s flagship policy, One District One Factory, as a failed programme.
According to the Minority, the policy has failed to drastically cut down on the country’s imports.
The comment by the Minority comes on the back of the government’s withdrawal of FX support to importers of some food items such as rice and poultry.
Speaking to journalists, the Ranking Member on the Trade, Industry and Tourism Committee of Parliament, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah said the government must initiate policies that inure to the benefit of the citizenry.
“Unfortunately, as we speak, this government’s flagship policy of One District, One Factory…has that been able to really address one problem of the things we import? Can we point to one factory in the last seven years and say because of 1D1F, we are no longer importing rice or poultry?”
Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has also served notice that it will thoroughly scrutinize the amount of money the government is pumping into the National Cathedral.
Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said there are so many controversies and lack of openness in the building of the project that needs to be answered and assured that no stone will be left unturned when the 2023 budget is tabled for debate on Tuesday, November 29.
The project has seen a lot of controversies, as many Ghanaians continue to question the prudence of the state financing an edifice that is said to be President Akufo-Addo’s personal pledge to God.
While assuring that the Minority Caucus is not against the building of such a monument, Haruna Iddrisu at a post-budget engagement in Ho, observed what he said were needful answers on the budgetary allocation, procurement, and other matters, missing from the conversation.
“Ghana is a secular state and a Republic which guarantees freedom of faith, freedom of conscience, and freedom of religion but when you make a budgetary allocation for the construction of a national cathedral at GH¢80 million, we must know what is the total cost of that project, how were procurements undertaken to assure value for money, what is the duration of the project, how much will it cost the State and when will the project be completed.”
“These are needful questions we will ask while we support it,” he added.
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has increased the Monetary Policy Rate by 250 basis points to 27 percent.
The prime rate, which is of keen interest to businesses, signals the rate at which the Central Bank will lend to commercial banks.
It also subsequently influences average lending rates on loans to individuals and businesses.
In his address to the media, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison, noted that the increase forms part of efforts to address current inflationary pressures.
“The inflation forecast shows that in the outlook, inflation will likely peak in the first quarter of 2023 and settle at around 25 percent by the end of 2023. This forecast is conditioned on the continued maintenance of tight monetary policy stance and the deployment of tools to contain excess liquidity in the economy. There are however some risks to this forecast that would have to be monitored, including additional pressures from the proposed VAT increase, and exchange rate pressures.”
“Continued vigilance to the evolution of these potential price pressures in the outlook will be key. The Committee is of the view that significant upside risks to the inflation outlook remain. To continue to anchor inflation expectations, the Committee therefore decided to increase the policy rate by 250 basis points to 27.0 percent,” he said.
Following the increase in the policy rate, his means cost of borrowing is expected to go up further.
The Ministry of Interior has declared Friday, December 2, 2022, as a public holiday to be observed by Ghanaians across the country.
“The general public is hereby reminded that Friday, December 2, 2022, which marks Farmers’ Day, is a Statutory Public holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country,” the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, in a statement said.
The first Friday in December every year is set aside in Ghana to honour and recognise farmers and fisher folk in the various regions, for their efforts in the promotion of agriculture.
Last year’s National Farmers’ Day was celebrated in Cape Coast in the Central Region.
Business development consultant Kwame Okyere Darko has described the 2023 budget as the most disrespectful budget by any government in the history of Ghana.
According to him, the measure proposed by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to reduce the government’s expenditures is an insult to the people of Ghana.
“This is the most disrespectful budget ever. When we were experiencing dumsor, the president acknowledged it any time he speaks because he had some respect for Ghanaians.
“For the past few months, Ghanaians have been complaining about the expenditure of the government, they have been saying that the government should cut down costs because it is the main cause of the challenges the country is facing.
“And when he (the finance minister) come to tell us about the government reducing expenditure he said the government is coming to change the number plate of land cruisers.
“This government does not respect us. This particular leadership of the NPP, they don’t take us for anything,” he said in Twi in an XYZ TV interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
Kwame Okyere Darko made these remarks in response to Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta’s announcement that the use of V8 and V6 vehicles by government officials will cease in January 2023 as a cost-cutting measure.
The finance minister made the revelation when he presented the 2023 budget in parliament on November 24, 2022.
He said, “A ban on the use of V8s/V6s or its equivalent except for cross-country travel. All government vehicles would be registered with GV green number plates from January 2023.”
He also said, “there will be a limited budgetary allocation for the purchase of vehicles. For the avoidance of doubt, the purchase of new vehicles shall be restricted to locally assembled vehicles.”
“Only essential official foreign travel across government including SOEs shall be allowed. No official foreign travel shall be allowed for board members…Accordingly, all government institutions should submit a travel plan for the year 2023 in mid-December of all expected travels to the Chief of Staff,” he added.
The Ranking Member on the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee of Parliament has berated the minister for Food and Agriculture for creating the impression plantain was part of the crop list for the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ).
According to the Ranking Member, plantain production was not part of the budget nor the crop list for PFJ.
“I was amazed seeing the minister parading plantain as the success story of PFJ,” he said.
Mr Eric Opoku took issues with the minister’s purported impression that it was the Planting for Food and Jobs that led to the glut in the production of plantain production.
He noted that plantain is a seasonal crop and it has always been available at this time of the year.
“So it is not as a result of the PFJ that there is the availability of plantain on the market,” he added.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asunafo South Constituency in the Bono Region was speaking in an interview with the host of the Ghana Yensom morning show, Emmanuel Quarshie (The Hitman) on Accra 100.5 FM on Monday, November 28, 2022.
He challenged the sector minister to parade the crops from the work of the PFJ.
He was quick to say PFJ has not been able to ensure food security in the country.
“It is important to note that PFJ has failed because the government has cut investment in the country’s agriculture sector,” he said.
He further said the reason imported rice is relatively cheap in the country is because of the investments made in the production from the country of origin.
He said fertilisers among other inputs from where the rice is imported are catered for by the government.
“In Ghana, this (NPP) government pays a 15 per cent subsidy on fertiliser for the ordinary farmer to pay 85 per cent,” he complained and added that in 2016, the NDC government imported tractors from Brazil and subsidised them by 60 per cent for the farmer to pay 40 per cent.
Under the current government, however, the farmers are bearing the full cost, he added.
He said the NPP government has refused to make investments in Agriculture, adding that now Ghana imports 730,800 metric tons of fish annually to augment its consumption levels of one million metric tons all because premix fuel is unavailable.
Michael K Obeng, a Harvard-trained Ghanaian American plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, has been awarded the US President’s Volunteer Service Award by the United States of America President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
This honour recognises the crucial role of volunteers in the United States of America.
Obeng, a philanthropist, humanitarian, and global health strategist, has been honoured for his exceptional service that embodies the strength and national identity of the United States of America, which not only influences but also inspires those around him to take action in their communities.
He does this through his excellence in plastic and reconstructive surgery as well as through his pro-bono medical work across the globe with his charitable foundation R.E.S.T.O.R.E. Worldwide Inc., The Foundation for Reconstructive Surgery.
R.E.S.T.O.R.E. is an acronym that stands for Restoring Emotional Stability Throughout Outstanding Reconstructive Efforts.
R.E.S.T.O.R.E. provides free reconstructive surgery to patients in developing countries. The organisation has performed over 2000 free surgeries since its inception in 2007, in three different continents, to a tune in excess of over US$75 million.
A man with a big heart, a father of six, Dr Obeng is one of the most sought-after surgeons in the world. Throughout his two-decade career as the youngest Chief of Plastic Surgery at St Elizabeth Boardman Health Centre in Ohio and Director of MiKO Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, he has performed numerous groundbreaking surgeries.
Hanging proudly on his wall of accomplishments, include a successful forearm reattachment, rib removal, forehead reduction and complex breast surgeries to name a few. His passion has always been intricate and complex reconstruction and surgeries other surgeons deem impossible, earning him the nickname, “The Surgeon‘s Surgeon” by his colleagues.
As an avid advocate for breast reconstruction, Dr. Obeng hosted the first ever Bra-Day (Breast Reconstruction Awareness) event in Los Angeles in 2012 under the auspices of the American Society of Plastic Surgery.
“Dr. Obeng is a true visionary, who has transcended barriers and all stereotypes; continuing to trail-blaze paths that many only dream of,” said Dr Paa Ekow Hoyte-Williams of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, who serves as the R.E.S.T.O.R.E Foundation’s director of medical affairs.
The flag of excellence flew high again last year after the hashtag #GorillaGlueGirl trended on social media following an incident where a woman accidentally stuck Gorilla glue to her hair. In the midst of the media frenzy, in stepped an angel in the form of the Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr Obeng, who did not just provide a chemical solution to dissolve the “devastating” adhesive but provided his services free of charge.
In Ho, the Volta Region of Ghana, last month, Dr Obeng and the R.E.S.T.O.R.E group of medical volunteers set a record for the most life-changing interventions in the organization’s 14 years history. The team evaluated 500 patients; 174 patients were actively impacted including 135 patients receiving life-transforming surgeries. This surpassed the previous record of 111 surgeries completed in Dakar, Senegal in December 2021.
Obeng’s service to humanity has earned him several humanitarian awards including, GHAPAC Humanitarian Award (2022), HAPAwards International man of the year award (2021), The Amanfoo Goodness & Excellence Award (2021), Ebony Magazine 75th Edition Power 100 Honouree (2020), GUBA Humanitarian Spirit Award (2017), NAACP Humanitarian Award (2013) and the list goes on. In addition, he has been commended by the City of Beverly Hills and the County of Los Angeles for his “dedication to improving and bettering the lives of individuals around the world using his medical expertise”.
“None of these accolades would have been possible without the selfless volunteers over the years and the patients who trusted us with their lives, not to mention the Almighty God,” Dr Obeng said.
“It is with great pleasure and humility to accept this award on behalf of all the R.E.S.T.O.R.E volunteers. I hope this phenomenal recognition inspires others to reach out and lend a helping hand to those in need. I would like to thank our team and donors over the last fifteen years and all the people behind the scenes, without whom none of these great works that we do across the globe would be possible,” he added.
About the President’s Volunteer Service Award
The President of the United States bestows the President’s Volunteer Service Award as a civil honor. The award was established 19 years ago by executive order of George W. Bush to honour volunteers who donate hundreds of hours each year to helping others through the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) recognizes incredible individuals who are committed to a high level of volunteer and service. These individuals work tirelessly to help solve some of the toughest challenges facing their communities, and our nation.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award has been honoured to few Americans in recognition of their exceptional service. Notable recipients include S. Truett Cathy, Mark Carman, and Zach Bonner.
The prestigious annual U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Awards Gala will take place at the Hilton Long Island Huntington, New York, on 2 December 2022.
The chief executive of the Atta-Mills Institute, Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has said the general secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketiah is not fit to be the national chairman and leader of the party.
Anyidoho’s comment follows a tweet he posted on Monday which read, “I saw Asiedu Nketiah jubilate when NDC led by John Mahama lost in 2016. I can’t forget the trauma I suffered seeing my general secretary rejoice because John Mahama had led the NDC to defeat.”
Anyidoho indicated that the NDC general secretary has no moral right to aspire for the top post of the party.
“I use to be his deputy for four years and I don’t think he is fit to become chairman and leader of the NDC,” Anyidoho, the former deputy general secretary of the NDC, exclusively told Asaase News.
“This is not about John Mahama per-say, John Mahama is an individual and the NDC is bigger than John Mahama.
“All I am saying is that Asiedu Nketiah does not have what it takes to be chairman and leader because Article 25 of the NDC constitution, as we are in opposition today, whoever is chairman, is also leader until we have a flagbearer,” he added.
Anyidoho has in the past accused Nketiah of orchestrating the defeat of the party in 2016.
In a series of tweets on 3 October 2022, Anyidoho revealed that the 65-year-old seasoned politician, popularly referred to as General Mosquito made sure the NDC lost the Tain constituency.
He stated in his tweets that Nketiah undermined every NDC Chairman he has worked with including the late Dr. Kwabena Adjei, Kofi Portuphy, and Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.
Anyidoho also threatened to expose Asiedu Nketia adding that “the day Asiedu Nketia becomes Chairman of the NDC, would be the burial date of the party”.
He further asked Asiedu Nketia; “Where is the land President Atta-Mills bought for the construction of the NDC school?”
Ghana is currently in talks with member countries of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) over the adoption of its serialisation policy, Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said.
The policy of serialisation means that students at different examination centers and even at the same examination center will receive different questions of the same level of difficulty.
Speaking at the 50th anniversary of the Northern School of Business in Tamale on Saturday (26 November), Bawumia attributed the successful piloting of the policy in the BECE and WASSCE to the non-leakage of exams questions in 2021.
“I was guest of honour at the 50th anniversary of the Northern School of Business in Tamale yesterday. In my remarks I noted that one of the problems that has bedeviled our education system is the persistent leakages of examination questions for our BECE and WASSCE examinations.
“As a solution to this problem, last year the Ministry of Education implemented a policy of serialisation of examination questions as is the case in some advanced countries. The policy of serialisation means that students at different examination centers and even at the same examination center will receive different questions of the same level of difficulty,” Bawumia said.
“This serialisation policy was implemented by the Ministry of Education in the 2021 BECE and piloted for the 2021 WASSCE. The Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Adu Twum has reported that as a result of the policy there were no leakages of examination papers for the 2021 BECE examinations. The pilot for WASSCE was also successful and Ghana is in discussions with member WAEC countries for the adoption of this policy. We are making progress,” he added.
The Awutu Krodua Police Command has reportedly arrested an alleged serial goat thief.
The suspect, Kofi Bondour, is said to have been on the police wanted list for about four years for committing a similar offence.
According to a report by Onuaonline.com sighted by GhanaWeb, the 25-year-old suspect is known by residents as being a specialist in goat theft, as he has practiced the act for years.
The suspect is currently in the custody of the police, who are preparing to arraign him before a court.
The father of Ghanaian-American gospel musician, Britney Boateng, Ernest Boateng, has spoken out for the first time following the death of his daughter.
Speaking in an interview with Frank Ntiamoah, monitored by GhanaWeb, Ernest Boateng said that the last time he spoke to his daughter, she asked him to prepare her spinach (kontomire) which was her favourite.
He added that he prepared the stew for her, which is in the fridge, only to hear of her untimely demise.
He then went on to remove the stew from the fridge and showed it to the camera.
“… one thing that hurts me the most (is this happened after I prepared her favourite stew). Her favourite thing that I used to cook for her was spinach stew.
“She told me that papa, you know I haven’t had that thing in a long time and I said you know what Maame Jata, ‘m off Sunday, I am going to make it for you. It is still in the fridge right now.
“Let me bring it out for you to see. I cooked and told my daughter to come and get it… If you think I’m lying, this is it,” he said.
Ernest Boateng also said that the police are still investigating the death of his daughter.
He said that he heard of the incident on Saturday after it happened.
He added that he does not know what really transpired and is not going to speculate on the matter.
The Ghanaian female singer based in the United States of America, Britney Boateng, was reportedly shot dead by her sister-in-law.
Information gathered by GhanaWeb from multiple international online platforms indicates that there was an argument between the singer and her sister-in-law, 41-year-old Tyona Dodson.
The incident, which took place in East Columbus on Friday, November 18, 2022, ended the life of 22-year-old Britney Boateng, who was pronounced dead at 1:12 a.m., the Columbus Division of Police said.
A report by 10tv.com said that “officers were called to the 400 block of South Weyant Avenue, just north of East Main Street, around 1 a.m. Police found Britney Boateng with a gunshot wound, who was pronounced dead at 1:12 a.m.”
The police have since charged Tyona Dodson with murder.
Nine persons have been arrested in a joint police and military operation by the Northern Electricity Company (NECo) in the Tamale Metropolis.
The operation aimed at preventing power theft by NECo customers resulted in the arrest of nine people suspected of making illegal connections.
According to a report by Dailyguidenetwork.com, NEDCo loses as much as GHC8.5 million, representing 45% of its revenue in the Northern region every month due to illegal connections.
There have also been attacks on NEDCo employees by some residents seen to have been engaged in illegal acts in recent times.
The joint operation targeted communities including Sabonjida, Bilpela, Nyohini, and Bamvim.
The Northern Area Loss Control Officer of VRA-NEDCO, Samuel Marvellous Kumi, informed journalists that the nine arrested persons will be arraigned before the court.
He also stated that several other people had been served with court summons to be prosecuted.
The Area Loss Control Officer emphasized that NEDCo will not relent in its fight against illegal connections, adding that persons found engaging in illegal connections will be dealt with severely to serve as a deterrent for others.
1960 was declared the ‘Year of Africa’ as many African countries around the continent broke free from European colonial rule and gained independence,with the joy and excitement of celebrations signalling hope and possibilities as Africa has ‘arrived’ on the world stage.
It turns out it was more than liberation in Africa, a single moment in the global process of decolonization because it also marked the end of civil wars, dictatorship, corruption, and so on.
But many countries in Africa where to go on to experience stagnation, failed attempts at nationalisation of foreign assets, military dictatorships and Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) that international financial institutions were to later apologise for worsening many national economic woes. These events were not allowed to dampen continent-wide spirits as a new era of democratic governance ushered in impressive records of GDP growth.
The much-achieved political stability coupled with macro-economic gains in the region unseated the deep sense of ‘Afro-pessimism’ dominantly around the 1980s–2000s and replaced it with a more optimistic and at times even ‘Afro-euphoric’ outlook.
Remarkably by 2010, the continent made waves in international media outlets, publishing narratives with catchy headlines such as Life Africa, Rising Africa, and Imaging Africa among others.
This again raised hopes and expectations to lift the region’s ‘bottom millions’ out of poverty by 2030, though dogged by the question – how realistic that goal is.
Over a decade now and we are seeing contrasting headlines about this same continent once positioned on a global economic scale as a result of a resurgence of economic increase predominantly within the Sub-Saharan countries.
This raises a fundamental question of when will Africa get out of the doldrums. How have countries once known as front-runners of higher GDP growth fared in development trajectories? Do the current development parameters offer much hope for poverty eradication by 2030 as anticipated?
Countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Morocco among others with higher GDPs around that time had nominal growth of 11.3% in 2010, 14.05% in 2011 and 3.82% in 2010 respectively.
Ghana’s Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) had its agricultural sector perform reasonably with growth by 4.5 percent per annum over 1994–2013 as the cocoa sector also grew by 5.6 percent per annum over this period, coupled with one of the highest GDP growth now suddenly possesses the worst-performing currency in Africa.
What could have gone wrong? Why has optimism faded once again?
Protests against economic stagnation already began in mid-2021 in Accra. While some are saying the reason for this is not far-fetched, given the current Covid-19 pandemic coupled with the Russian-Ukrainian war happenings, others are questioning why the gains of 2010 -2012 have not been deepened to withstand such external events.
Does it mean that the macro gains of 2010 were not translated into individual gains of the citizens? Does it mean that individual citizens are being excluded from the macro expansion of the economy despite the regular mantra of inclusive development, social inclusion and the like?
Recounting the 1960 euphoria of independence that gave way to the 2010 economic pessimism within the continent and contrasting current realities. Problems of exclusion, economic underdevelopment, political instability, and ethnic tensions continued to pose difficulties for the continent.
Of course, the continent has made tremendous improvement over time. Politically Africa is more integrated than ever through institutions such as the ‘African Union’ and since the launching of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), emerging as a single, integrated market. However, is the continent confidently charting its course, has attained greater agency in world affairs and is poised to take up its rightful place in international
affairs?
It is high time we start questioning the definition of growth and the ways in which macroeconomic developments are translated in a way that leaves no one behind.
My answer still anchors hope on the kind of development that is inclusive. The kind of growth that raises the living standards for broad swathes of a population.
The kind of growth that will emphasise efficiency at the cost of inclusiveness and warns that inequitable growth may have
adverse political outcomes.
Such will help reduce social inequality and provide opportunities for enhancing human well-being while reducing the resource base and exacerbating the
climate vulnerability of these people.
The question is what ways can public governance succeed at inclusivity?
All large-scale gold mining firms in Ghana will, effective January 2023, have to sell 20% of their refined gold to the Bank of Ghana (BoG) before exporting.
This is to ensure that the government has enough gold to purchase petroleum products under the government’s gold for oil programme, which is also set to begin next year.
The government made this known in a letter addressed to the Minerals Commission and Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) dated
Wednesday, November 23, 2022.
“Effective 1 January 2023, all large- scale mining companies (as agreed with the Bank of Ghana) shall sell 20% of all refined gold at their refineries to the Bank of Ghana (in Ghana cedis) before the export of the gold. The Bank of Ghana and the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) will coordinate with the large-scale mining companies to ensure compliance with this directive,” the letter said.
“Effective 1 January 2023, all Community Mining Schemes (CMS) shall sell their gold outputs to Government through PMMC. All mining licences for CMS shall include a clause mandating licensees to sell their gold output to government.
“Effective 1st January 2023, all Licensed Small-Scale Gold Miners shall sell their gold to government through PMMC. All small-scale gold
mining licences shall include a clause mandating licensees sell their gold to government,” the letter read.
When implemented, the policy will fundamentally alter Ghana’s balance of payments and may significantly reduce the cedi’s persistent depreciation.
The policy, which is still at the negotiation stage, is expected to come into force by the second quarter of 2023, according to the Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia.
“The demand for foreign exchange by oil importers in the face of dwindling foreign exchange reserves results in the depreciation of the cedi and
increases in the cost of living with higher prices for fuel, transportation, utilities, etc.” he said.
He noted that, “to address this challenge, government is negotiating a new policy regime where our gold (rather than our US dollar reserves) will be used to buy oil products.
The barter of sustainably mined gold for oil is one of the most important economic policy changes in Ghana since independence.”
About 48 districts in six regions of the country will benefit from a US$450 million credit facility under the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project, which was launched in Bolgatanga.
The project is intended to support the northern parts of the Gulf of Guinea countries, which suffer instabilities owing to food insecurity, climate change, conflict,
and violence.
It will be implemented in the Upper East, Northern, Upper West, North East, Savannah, and Oti regions. Other countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Benin, will also benefit from the credit facility.
Launching the project in Bolgatanga, the Upper East regional capital, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia noted that “the project has been conceived and designed to address the effects of the spillover of conflicts and extremism from the Sahel region with its vulnerability, because of the exposure to the impact of
climate change, strengthen local institutions, improve economic opportunities, and build public trust.”
He also indicated that out of the total amount, US$150 million would be used to implement development projects in the 48 districts across the six regions.
The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, would ensure the implementation of the project in the districts.
Dr Bawumia said the project would focus mostly on communities in the Upper East Region, which has 15 municipalities and districts, and their residents, especially women and children, who are exposed to terrorist attacks.
“Thus the project focuses on dealing with issues relating to fragility, conflict, and violence. This is very significant as countries all over the world are pursuing strategies to address these challenges in view of the anticipated worsening of the situation if the necessary interventions are not promptly instituted,” he added.
While highlighting the relevance of this project, he cautioned the implementing agencies of the project both at the national and sub-national levels, stressing that implementation delays would not be tolerated.
He entreated implementers to remain committed to the due processes outlined in the project documents.
“Indeed, Ghana must ensure that the delivery of the project through the decentralised structures culminates in the outcomes and impacts contained in the
project appraisal document and implementation manual,” the Vice President said.
He also expressed profound gratitude to the World Bank for the credit facility, which is intended to complement the government’s efforts at building resilient humans.
On his part, the Country Director of the World Bank, Mr Pierre Frank Laporte, said the Bank was deeply committed to collaborating with the government through
the new Country Partnership Framework to address spatial and other inequalities, improve socio- economic and improve governance to promote inclusive growth and poverty reduction.
He further noted that the SOCO project has been designed to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable communities in the North to proactively prevent the
spread of conflict from the Sahel, reduce vulnerability to climate change, and strengthen local institutions.
The Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development, Mr Daniel Kwaku Botwe, also pledged commitment to ensuring the project is properly supervised and completed in time.
“We will ensure that there is value for money and the aspirations of the people will be met. That is the assurance we can give,” he added.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has received criticism from Rev. Renault Amofa Danquah of the Asante Akyem Agogo Methodist Circuit for its prohibition on caning in elementary and senior high schools (SHS).
Speaking at the Wob3tumi Career Seminar at Asante Akyem Kurofa, Rev. Amofa urged GES to reconsider its “no-cane in school” policy, claiming that it has currently increased indiscipline amongst students.
As part of efforts to make pre-tertiary schools in the country safe and secure for teaching and learning, GES introduced the Safe Schools policy, which is explained as a school with zero tolerance for any form of violence such as bullying, sexual harassment, corporal punishment, and other forms of violence.
In 2017, Ghana Education Service (GES) officially banned all forms of corporal punishment on children in schools as part of efforts to promote a safe and protective learning environment for children.
However, the Akyem Rev is unhappy about the policy saying that if GES refuses to budge on its ban on caning, students would go wayward and the school’s role of instilling discipline and shaping character of students not only on academics would become a daunting task to do.
He added that children were getting away with a lot of things in the schools in the name of child abuse by their teachers, who are supposed to be correcting them.
Meanwhile, Founder of Matumi a Wob3tumi Career Seminar, Williams Amoako, also urged the youth in the country to strive hard for success, inculcating in
themselves the “Can Do Spirit” and advised the youth to be focused and determined in pursuing their dreams.
The ban was met with several concerns, with many saying the move would have a severe impact on the attitude of the youth.
It is also on record that some stakeholders in education, like Mr Angel Carbonu, President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), have suggested that the increase in indiscipline in schools can be attributed to a relaxation of the school discipline policy, and that that directive needs to be reviewed.
But Ghana’s education minister, Dr Yaw Adutuwm, thinks otherwise. He believes that, comparatively, canning “hasn’t gotten the Ghanaian student anywhere.”
In agreement, an educationist and Christian counsellor, Dr. John Boakye, also pointed out that studies have shown that corporal punishment does not correct
children or solve problems, it creates fear and hatred in them, which leads them to abuse others as a result.
Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu is concerned about the government’s decision to freeze public sector employment in 2023.
He fears this will compound the high youth unemployment situation in the country.
Expressing his grievances over the decision at a post-budget workshop at Ho in the Volta Region, Mr Iddrisu, charged the government to consider its impact on the youth of this country.
“Mr. Speaker, Ghana’s economy and as I listened to the Honourable Minister of Finance, the 2023 budget statement is replete with evidence that the government is simply ‘broke’ and the economy in crisis,” he said.
The concern follows the reading of the 2023 budget, dubbed the “Nkabom budget.”
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori- Atta, during the budget reading announced various policies aimed at “expenditure rationalisation” which included a freeze on hiring into the public and civil service effective January 2023.
Addressing the content of the budget, the Minority Leader, who doubles as the Tamale South MP, intimated that the budget was an indication of the highly distressed state of the country.
It is “an economy under life support that needs some resuscitation,” he stressed.
He contended that some of the interventions that the government is seeking to embark on, including the capping of enrolment of nursing and teacher trainees and the reduction of the size of convoys, would rather worsen the state of the economy.
The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu, on the other hand,explained that the shocks and the depreciation of the cedi have been major contributing factors to the current economic hardships, which the 2023 Budget seeks to tackle.
“These (COVID-19 and Russian-Ukraine war) have created internal and external imbalances in the clearly economic woes; high inflation and unsustainable financing of the current economic deficit and rapid depreciation of the cedi. Suddenly, these variables have brought a lot of hardships to the citizenry, particularly the poor and vulnerable,” he noted.
He added that the budget intends to alleviate the plight of Ghanaians through increased spending on social protection.
Government has defended its decision to privatise the Saglemi Housing Project.
According to the deputy Finance Minister, John Kumah, the decision is the best, given the current circumstances.
Speaking on Saturday, November 26, 2022, during Newsfile, he
explained that “the project is no longer affordable per the arrangement that has happened to it because if you divide $200 million by 10,000, you are going to get it at $10,000, and they reviewed it to 1,500 (housing units) which makes
it up (from) $40,000 to $50,000 per unit. So how affordable can
that be?”
“So in the present circumstances, the best option is to bring the
private sector in,” he said.
He, however, assured the citizenry that the government will be transparent in choosing a buyer.
The Saglemi Housing Project was initiated by the erstwhile Mahama Administration.
It was originally meant to be a 10,000 residential unit later
reviewed as a 5,000 unit facility to address the country’s housing
deficit.
However, after the Mahama administration left office, the project was abandoned and left to rot, despite various assurances by the current administration to complete it.
Government initially blamed its failure to complete it on lack of
financial resources.
In the latest development, the government, through the Works
and Housing Minister, Francis Asenso Boakye announced plans to privatise the project.
“Government has decided to – Explore the possibility of selling the Saglemi Housing Project, covering the 1,506 housing units, at the current value to a private sector entity to complete and sell the housing units to the public, at no further cost to the State,” Mr
Asenso-Boakye said at a press briefing in Accra.
“In furtherance of the above, and to facilitate the processes, a Technical Working Team has been set-up, comprising professionals and experts to oversee and spearhead all engagements required for the completion of the project.
This is being done with the goal of ensuring transparency and accountability, while guaranteeing value for money in the completion of the project,” he added.
Subsequently, the Minority in Parliament issued a caution to the
government to rescind its decision.
Minority Spokesperson for Works and Housing, Vincent Oppong
Asamoah argued that the project is viable therefore, “government should be compelled to look for funds to complete the project instead of privatisation.”
Delays in the promotion of teachers will soon be a thing
of the past, as the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has
charged the new Director General of the Ghana Education Service,
Dr. Eric Nkansah, to immediately take proactive measures aimed at
addressing challenges associated with the promotion of teachers.
It is no secret that the promotion of teachers has been a major concern for many stakeholders in the past few years.
Teachers continue to complain over the development which does not only stall their career progression, but also affect their livelihoods.
Following these concerns, the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei
Adutwum, has tasked Dr Nkansah to see to it that measures are
implemented to address the challenge.
“I don’t see the reason why we should hire somebody for six months, and they don’t have a staff ID and therefore, they are
not being paid. Obviously, they won’t be happy employees, and happy employees create happy classrooms where you get better
learning outcomes.
“So, the Director General has been tasked with the responsibility to
work with the teachers, unions and other organizations to ensure our teachers have what it takes so their payments would be processed in a timely fashion,” he said.
He made the remarks after paying a surprise visit to the Asem Cluster of Schools in Kumasi on Friday, November 25, 2022.
He further explained that “with those who have to go through promotion, not through the ranks (the lower ranks) or the beginning ranks, I want to make sure they prioritise it because it is not fair for somebody to teach for 2 years and promotion is due, they’ve done all the evaluation, but the document has not been sent to the headquarters for them to receive their promotion letters.”
“We have directed the GES to do whatever it takes. If they need
more staff, we will provide them with more staff to ensure teachers’ promotions are not delayed,” he added.
The World Bank may be approached by the government for financial support in order to complete the Pwalugu multipurpose dam project, according to the Vice President, Dr Bawumia.
It will be recalled that the government cut sod for the $993
million Sinohydro funded Pwalugu multifunctional dam project in
2019 with the goal of providing flood control, irrigation for year-round farming, and electricity.
But because of a lack of funding, the project has been put on hold.
In 2021, the consultant for the multi-purpose Pwalugu Dam, Prof.David Millar, expressed doubt about the project’s completion
within the government’s stipulated 48-month period.
On his part, the exclusion of the dam from the government’s budget shows no indication that it will be built.
He added that Ghanaians should reduce their expectations for the
completion of the dam, particularly due to the current economic hardship.
However, speaking at the launch of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project in Bolgatanga, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia mentioned that the project was faced with financial constraints, hence the urgent need to seek support from the World Bank.
According to the Vice President, the aforementioned project is one the government is keen on completing due to its numerous benefits, such as climate resilience, among others, which is another reason why he “believes the World Bank should really take a keen interest in it, and development partners as well.”
“One of the major projects that the government has a major intention to see happen in the Northern regions of Ghana because it will really impact climate resilience, food production, flood control, and so on, is the Pwalugu multipurpose dam project” Dr Bawumia noted.
He further went on to appeal to the World Bank, saying, “I want to put it on the table that we will be discussing this project further with you [the World Bank] so that we can see to its construction.”
In response, Naab Kasom Yelazoya, the Paramount Chief of Nangodi, praised the government’s initiative to work with the World Bank to hasten the construction of the dam and urged the World Bank to act quickly to address their situation.
“I would plead with the World Bank to respond to our call immediately to start the construction of the Pwalugu multipurpose dam. We taught the constitution of the dam would have come much earlier and so already we have lost so much time so we are pleading that the World Bank comes to our aid.”
The incumbent government approved US $700 million for the
construction of a multipurpose dam at Pwalugu in the Talensi District in 2019.
It is reported to be the largest investment any government has
ever made into infrastructure expansion in the northern sector since Ghana’s independence.
The construction of the dam will serve as a receptor, as it is expected to hold large volumes of water spilled from the Bagre Dam for irrigation purposes and the generation of electricity.
The minority in parliament has urged the government to seriously consider further lowering the e-levy rate to 0.5 percent and establishing a daily tax-free threshold of 300 cedis in order to gain their support.
Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, who made this appeal, noted that the minority caucus will vigorously advocate for the reduction in parliament.
Presenting the 2023 budget on Thursday, November 24, 2022, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta announced that the government was reducing the e-levy rate
from 1.5 percent to 1 percent and removing the 100 cedis tax-free daily threshold.
That means any amount transferred is taxable. The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu during the inaugural ceremony of the post Budget in Ho stated that such a review will worsen the hardship on the average Ghanaian.
Thus, he urged the government to reconsider the newly proposed rate and reduce it to a 0.5%“We will subject it to a further critical and thorough discussions
as a caucus but without going into the scenarios, as you look at your scenarios, consider for say of 0.5% at a threshold of ¢300 as compared to what you have admitted of 1%”.
Mr Haruna noted that his party had not yet made up its mind regarding the suggested increase of the VAT rate by 2.5 percent.
However, he cautioned that this can have a negative impact on businesses.
But according to Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, the government’s inability to access the global market has made the measures crucial for raising domestic revenue.
He believes that these taxation policies are essential for saving Ghana’s economy from total collapse.
The Finance Minister has called on the MPs to rally their support for the measures suggested, so they can be passed on time. “It has become more urgent to
mobilise some domestic revenue as our access to the international market has been largely closed and our debt levels increased”,
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori- Atta had said on Thursday, November 24, during the 2023 budget presentation. The electronic transfer levy, popularly known as e-levy, was introduced in May 2022.
Ghana’s e-levy is a 1.5 per cent tax on the transfer amount of electronic transactions. The objective is to improve tax revenues by tapping into fast-growing digital financial services.
Hopeson Adorye, a former National Security Ministry official has lamented the circumstances under which he recently lost his job.
He states in one breath that he is unperturbed by the turn of events but also that his contributions to the party, particularly the rise to the presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is well known.
Speaking for the first time about his dismissal on Oman FM’s Boiling Point programme last week, Adorye disclosed how he purportedly helped secure the Volta Region from vote manipulation by way of Togolese being brought into Ghana to vote for a particular party.
“You can testify that I was not seated behind the fence wall, I was in the thick of affairs. Ghana – Togo border operations,” he told host of the show, before adding: “I did it with four youth organizers in the Volta Region, we did it at the blind side of the regional executives.
“Because if we had informed them, they will claim they had plans to do it,” he added before narrating how it wasn’t until the day of vote in 2016 when he met the regional secretary at Kpando, then the secretary said they had gotten wind of his undisclosed operations.
He stated further that with his operation, the other party that usually brought illegal voters in, failed so to do: “We all saw the results in Volta Region, when they went to recruit voters, it was unsuccessful but this is my reward today?”
On his dismissal, he stressed: “I’m not a zombie, uncle, I was told that my support is not towards a particular camp so I should be dismissed, I have been dismissed. ‘Your appointment has been terminated with immediate effect. That is why I am stressing that God will cater for us, we will never die.
“I have left it all to God, we won’t sleep hungry. I know it is not my minister who will do this, Kan-Dapaah will not do this. But from what I am hearing, I pity those who issued the instruction,” he added.
The Deputy Energy Minister, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, says government is ready to implement its gold-for-oil barter deal.
According to him, the country has enough gold in its reserve to exchange for oil in order to reduce the current skyrocketing prices of fuel.
He made this disclosure while contributing to discussions on JoyNews’ The Probe on Sunday.
“Gold mobilisation and gold purchases are everyday activities. And so we have looked at the market and the Bank of Ghana is already buying gold and they are able to do 50,000 ounces of gold a month. The PMC [Precious Mining Company] also purchase gold from small-scale miners and they are able to buy 160,00 ounces every month. And what we need is 205,000 a month.
“And so if you look at our oil bill vis-à-vis the worth of the gold we are able to mobilize monthly, there is no doubt that we’ll be able to get the required gold to exchange for the requirement of our petroleum products and so we are very confident that this is a policy we can implement without difficulties,” he said.
Government on Thursday revealed that it is negotiating a gold-for-oil barter deal to address the country’s “dwindling foreign exchange reserves” to procure oil products.
Since Vice, President Mahamudu Bawumia announced this, many have wondered if the necessary consultation have been held.
Addressing the matter, Dr Adam said that prior to the announcement of this new policy, government had engaged all relevant stakeholders.
He stressed that it is therefore on the back of positive feedback that the government was confident it can embark on the policy.
“We have been engaging the Bank of Ghana and we also have been talking to oil suppliers. Those who have been supplying petroleum products to our country. We also have been engaging gold refiners and brokers.
“And so extensive discussions and engagements have taken place over the last one month and this is why at this point we can implement that policy, hence, the announcement,” he explained.
Head coach of the Black Stars, Otto Addo, has revealed that the hunger of the players to play and succeed ahead of their next World Cup match in Qatar, is making it difficult for him to make decisions.
Addressing a pre-match presser ahead of the team’s Group H game against South Korea, he stressed that Ghanaians will see a more ‘passionate’ Black Stars.
He however disclosed that the enthusiasm of his troops is making it difficult for him to finalise his decisions.
“We will see a passionate team against South Korea. We will see this same passion they showed the last game. Everybody is hungry to play and training [well], making it difficult for me to make decisions”, Otto Addo said.
Meanwhile, coach, Otto Addo, has dismissed assertions that the team over-respected Portugal in their first World Cup clash at Doha’s 974 Stadium.
According to some critics, the team lost their opening Group H game because they were overwhelmed by the calibre of the Portuguese, forcing them to coil into their shells.
But reacting to these concerns, the Black Stars trainer stated in a presser on Sunday that his boys played without any intimidation.
According to him, even though the squad had some inexperienced legs, it did not affect their confidence against the star-studded Portuguese side.
Responding to a question from JoyNews‘ Gary Al-Smith, he said, “I don’t think it’s true. Our players did so well. I don’t think we over respected them”.
He continued, “For me, we showed that we could compete with them, even though we had a lot of inexperienced players.
Some even had their debuts in the last game against Switzerland, but they performed”.
In a match that saw what has been widely described as ‘unfair officiating’, the Black Stars lost by three goals to two against the Portuguese last Thursday, November 24.
After a goalless first half, the Portuguese drew first blood after Ronaldo converted a controversial penalty in the 65th minute.
The lead was soon canceled by Ghanaian skipper, André Dede Ayew in the 73rd minute, after tapping home from a pass by Ajax midfielder, Mohammed Kudus.
But the Portuguese took the lead again and deepened their dominance with goals from João Félix and Rafael Leão in the 78th and 80th minute respectively.
The Stars managed to close the gap with an 89th minute strike from substitute, Osman Bukari, heading home a cross from former Chelsea defender, Baba Rahman.
However, this was not enough to stop the team from conceding their first defeat in the tournament.
The team is therefore poised to make amends in their next match against South Korea, Otto Addo said.
Addressing the press, he said his charges are fired up for their second game in Qatar.
He said Ghanaians will see a passionate Black Stars team against South Korea on Monday.
