The rankings also showed Ghana placed first in West Africa with regard to investment attractiveness. The nation outperformed Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Nigeria on that front.
A statement issued by the corporate and investment banking arm of First Rand Bank Limited said Ghana had entered the COVID-19 crisis on a relatively stronger footing than its African peers.
It added that Ghana’s economy despite the adverse impact of the pandemic managed to avoid a recession following the onset of the pandemic while registering a growth rate of 0.4 percent, outperforming other Sub-Saharan Africa economies which faced contraction.
“Structurally, Ghana’s economy has seen major shifts over the past few years, positioning it for significant growth going forward.
“This is supported not only by primary sector industries like oil and gold but accelerated development in the tertiary sector. We see the construction, agriculture and services sectors as the main catalysts for strong 4.2 percent average growth between 2022 and 2023.” it stated.
It further added that in 2021, Ghana’s economy had shown a steady recovery with the Gross Domestic Product at 3.9 percent.
“Over the next few years, oil production output will rise in the near term supported by higher oil prices that should encourage further oil exploration in Ghana. There are similar expectations for gold production, which have further supported the government’s efforts to curb illegal mining activity, thereby promoting the formal sector,” it stated.
Managers say it will be a“huge logistical challenge” to recruit and train 25,000 people to return the airport to pre-COVID capacity.
The UK’s busiest airport is still less busy than it was before the pandemic, but it is planning measures to avoid Christmas travel chaos.
Demand for air travel is still below 2019 pre-pandemic levels, Heathrow Airport said, with numbers expected to be down a quarter on 2019 for the whole of 2022 at between 60 and 62 million people.
The numbers won’t return to 2019 levels for a number of years, the airport said in its financial results for the nine months ending 30 September.
Heathrow served 18 million passengers over the summer, more than any other European hub.
Airport bosses blamed the headwinds of a global economic crisis, the war in Ukraine, and the impact of COVID-19 for the lower passenger numbers.
But there was some good news for the airport as it managed to turn a £1.4bn loss in the first three quarters of last year into a £643m profit this year.
In order to bring up passenger numbers and cope with peak demand, the “huge logistical challenge” of recruiting and training 25,000 security-cleared staff needs to be done by businesses across the airport.
Global coronavirus cases are expected to gradually increase in the coming months, reaching approximately 18.7 million per day by February.
The current daily average is around 16.7 million, according to the University of Washington report.
It is far fewer than last winter when the Omicron variant pushed the estimated peak daily average to about 80 million – and the increase is also not expected to cause a big increase in deaths.
COVID infections in the US are predicted to rise by a third to more than a million per day over the same period, driven by factors such as people being inside more over the winter.
But a surge in Germany has already peaked, according to the study’s authors, who expect cases there to fall by more than a third to about 190,000.
The IHME suggests the recent rise in cases and hospitalisations in Germany could be down to Omicron subvariants BQ.1 or BQ.1.1, and that it might spread to other parts of Europe in the coming weeks.
Another Omicron subvariant called XBB is also driving a surge in admissions in Singapore, according to the analysis.
The University of Washington researchers say the variant is more transmissible but less severe.
The World Bank has warnedthat it is too expensive for governments to assist everyone with their rising energy bills.
According to the bank’s president, Covid support schemes were not targeted enough toward the most vulnerable, and the debt will take decades to repay.
The same policy, according to David Malpass, is being implemented to assist people in dealing with rising energy bills.
“Governments are saying we will take care of everyone, which is just too expensive,” he said.
It is pushing global debt to record levels and people at the bottom of the income scale are hardest hit, he said.
It comes as separate research suggests the UK’s own energy support scheme is far too expensive in its current form.
The government is limiting average bills for households using a typical amount of energy to £2,500 a year for six months but will review the support offered from April.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research said the current scheme could cost some £30bn because it was untargeted.
It also said households could save up to £20bn per year if they were incentivized to invest in energy-saving measures like solar panels.
Covid comparison
During the pandemic, governments borrowed billions of pounds to get through lockdowns.
They paid for job retention schemes like furlough, increased benefit payments, and loans and grants for businesses that were forced to close.
Mr Malpass told the BBC’s World Service there was an accepted economic view that there should be a social safety net, some protection for people during a crisis.
The subsidies should be temporary and targeted to those who need them most, he said.
But Mr Malpass said many of the Covid subsidies were not targeted. “They went to everyone…and now the consequences are coming home.
“People will be left for years and even decades paying for that debt,” he added.
The Institute of International Finance reports that global debt topped $305 trillion earlier in the year and is expected to increase further.
The war in Ukraine is causing energy prices to spike. Across Europe, governments have introduced energy subsidies to help households pay for rising prices.
The energy crisis comes at a time when governments have already run up large amounts of debt.
Mr Malpass said he was concerned that the additional help for people will push inflation – the measure of rising prices – even higher.
In the UK inflation is at a 40-year high of 10.1%.
The International Monetary Fund expects global inflation to peak this year at 9.5% and says it will not begin to fall until 2024. It’s causing many low-income countries to default on loan repayments and pushing vulnerable people into poverty.
In light of the current issue, he recalled how the government demonstrated leadership during the COVID-19 era and he has urged the president to act similarly.
“Ghana was a shining example during the COVID-19 era, so what kind of leadership are they showing in this economic crisis to solve the problem,” Mr. Darkwah asked. Ghana is not the only country dealing with the problem. It is international. However, how do you demonstrate leadership?”
He said we needed the government to show sterling leadership. I would say the economy has collapsed. It is crooked, and we can do something about it. We need to show leadership to solve the problem.
All COVID-19 travel restrictions have been abolished by the Spanish Ministry of Health.
It will no longer be necessary for visitors from the European Union and non-EU countries to present documentation of their immunizations, tests, or submission of health control forms.
According to a government website, “all COVID-19 travel restrictions for tourists visiting Spain have been eliminated.”
“Travelers to Spain are no longer subject to the rules that previously applied.”
Until now, proof of vaccination, a negative test or COVID-19 recovery certificate were needed.
Even though the Spanish government has lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions, the rules on COVID-19 can differ from region to region within the country. Travelers can check the Spanish Tourist Board’s website for guidance.
According to Euronews, face masks are still required in Spain for public transport and in medical settings. But they are no longer required in bars, cafes, cinema and museums.
Spain is the last European nation to fully lift COVID-19 international travel restrictions.
A private jet that crashed off the Costa Rican coast on Saturday is thought to have been carrying the German businessman who owns Gold’s Gym.
NBC Chicago reports that Rainer Schaller was listed as a passenger on the flight manifest, alongside five other passengers. According to The New York Post, Schaller’s partner, Christiane Schikorsky, their children, and a fitness trainer were also onboard the airplane.
The flight couldn’t be found Friday after around 6 p.m., apparently crashing into the Caribbean. On Saturday, Costa Rican authorities discovered pieces of the aircraft in the ocean, 17 miles away from the airport in Limon, a resort town in Costa Rica. Two bodies and luggage were also found. The bodies haven’t yet been identified.
“We have recovered some pieces of the plane that were washed in by the tide, and two bodies,” Public Security Minister Jorge Torres said.
The aircraft was a nine-seat Piaggio P180 Avanti, made in Italy. The plane was headed for Limon from Mexico. Authorities launched an initial search but it was postponed because of bad weather.
It’s not confirmed that Schaller is the same man who owns the fitness and gym outlets, like Gold’s Gym and McFit, which he operates in 48 countries under the RSG Group. RSG purchased Gold’s Gym in 2020 when it filed for bankruptcy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has signed an agreement to extend a loan facility of 60 million dollars to the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo).
A statement issued by the Bank, copied to the Ghana News Agency said the signing ceremony took place in Lome, Togo, its head office.
Dr George Agyekum Donkor, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, EBID, signed on behalf of the bank, while Mr Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi, the Chief Executive Officer of GRIDco, signed for the Company.
The facility is to finance the installation and upgrading of transmission lines in Ghana.
Dr George Agyekum Donkor (r) and Mr Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi, exchanging files.
Dr Donkor said as ECOWAS Member States worked towards post COVID-19 economic recovery, it was necessary to expand regional electricity connectivity to accommodate growth.
Therefore electricity infrastructure expansion in the sub-region is a key sector that must be given the necessary attention.
The Bank’s total commitment to Ghana stood at 250 million dollars as of October 12, 2022, he said.
He reiterated the Bank’s commitment to continuously finance infrastructure projects across all sectors of the economies of ECOWAS Member States to accelerate recovery and development of the Sub-region.
The project is in line with the Bank’s strategic objectives and aligned perfectly with Ghana’s Agenda for Jobs II.
Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, GRIDco, said projects to be undertaken with EBID’s facility were part of a broader plan to upgrade infrastructure for improved efficiency and increase power transmission within Ghana and other West African countries such as Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and the Ivory Coast.
While appreciating the confidence reposed in GRIDCo by EBID, he noted that the completion of the project would lead to reduction in technical losses to enhance businesses and livelihoods in Ghana and the ECOWAS sub region.
Mr Blay-Amihere commended the President of EBID and his team for their dedication and professionalism that saw the expeditious completion of the credit process and the consummation of the transaction.
Present at the ceremony were Mr Kofi Demetia, Ghana’s Ambassador to Togo, Mr Philip Owiredu, the Managing Director of Calbank PLC., and executives from C-Nergy Ghana.
EBID is a leading regional investment and development bank, owned by the 15 ECOWAS Member States.
These are Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, the Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Based in Lomé, Togo, it is committed to financing developmental projects and programmes covering diverse initiatives from infrastructure and basic amenities, rural development and environment, industry, and social services sectors, through its private and public sector windows.
President Akufo-Addo has commissioned the Nsawam Skills Acquisition, Vocational and Reformation Camp at the Nsawam Prisons in the Eastern Region for use.
This happened on Saturday, October 22, 2022.
The edifice comprises fully furnished 320-capacity dormitory blocks for the inmates, a skills training centre in carpentry, tailoring, a state-of-the- art ICT Lab, Administration block, and a Chapel that would also serve as classroom.
Included in the facility is a Kitchen, a dining hall, laundry, inmates’ washrooms, seven sentry posts, two mechanized boreholes, offices, an infirmary, a visitors’ lounge, a shop, CCTV Installations, and other ancillary and recreational facilities.
Constructed by the Church of Pentecost, in furtherance of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) detailing the respective roles of the Ghana Prisons Service and The Church of Pentecost, the facility is the second to be commissioned, after the maiden one at Ejura was handed over to the Ghana Prisons Service a year ago.
At the ceremony, part of his three-day tour of the Estern Region that began last friday, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that “this is an example of the collaboration between the Church of Pentecost and the government.
“We saw it during the height of the COVID crisis, when the church made available its facilities in the Gomoa Fetteh area, and also organized food for the needy at the time. It shows the commitment of this church towards contributing to resolving the socio-economic problems of our nation. All Ghanaians should therefore join me in saying a big ‘ayekoo’ to them.”
The President said the church of Pentecost, by the act, had demonstrated exceptional leadership in its desire to maintain and grow a partnership with the state to address the problems of the country.
“I can say with confidence that this ceremony is the highlight of my 3-day working visit to the region. I say so because we’re witnessing today, a very important example of the collaboration that we seek in this country, between the government and several stakeholders in our nation, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations and independent institutions in our nation.”
“Apostle, (Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of the Church of pentecost) your leadership of the church has already been commended by the General secretary, I want to add my voice to that commendation, about the sterling work that you’re doing in the name of Christ and the Christian community in our country, it’s exceptional and we must recognise it,” he stated.
The Camp is the second of such facilities that are being constructed by the Church of Pentecost. The church has indicated that three others were in the offing, two of which are expected to be commissioned by the end of the year.
Apostle Nyamekye said the Ejura Prison camp project constructed last year was already yielding some dividends.
He said that the vision of the Church “is hinged on a three-pronged approach, one of which is partnering with the Government for the socio- economic development of the nation.
“As a church, we believe that we have not only been called to worship God but to also serve God’s purpose within the society. It is from such a conviction that we are gathered here to commission this prison camp project,” he added.
Currently, 36 inmates are being trained in different trades including tailoring, kente weaving, leatherworks, carpentry, and metalworks. A good number of the inmates have already been trained at the workshop and have since been discharged.
Apostle Nyamekye noted that prison overcrowding was a key contributory factor to poor prison conditions around the world, and was also arguably the biggest single problem facing prison systems.
“Such overcrowding and associated challenges prevent prisons from fulfilling their proper functions,” he noted.
Apostle Nyamekye indicated that the Ghana Prisons Service was experiencing acute overcrowding in its holding facilities across the country. “Available statistics at the time of crafting our vision 2023 strategic document in 2018, indicated an overcrowding rate of 50.43% (i.e., 50.43% beyond the normal capacity).”
“As of last Thursday, October 20, 2022, there were a total of 14,957 inmates in our prisons, as against the maximum capacity of 9,850. Using the Nsawam medium security prisons as a case in point, Mr. President, this holding facility was built to hold a total of 850 prisoners, but currently, the facility is holding 3,187 prisoners. This represents over 275% above the required capacity,” he stated.
A former president’s adviser, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, revealed this today, October 24, 2022, in a Facebook post.
She posted on her Facebook that “John Mahama talks on Thursday, October 27th at 7 pm about Ghana’s failing economy, the unparalleled difficulties sweeping the land, and the way forward.”
Ghana’s economy has in recent times witnessed a downturn with the government admitting that the country was facing challenging times.
Many economists have also pointed to the rate of inflation, fuel price hikes, and fast depreciation of the Cedi as the basis for the claim.
Amid economic downgrades from rating agencies such as Fitch, Standards and Poor and Moody’s, Ghana has been prevented from accessing the international capital market which has compelled it to initiate contact with the International Monetary Fund for a programme. Ghana is looking at securing a $3 billion facility over a three-year period.
Mahama in his recent commentary on the economy has urged the government to fast-track negotiations with the IMF in order to secure the programme with the Bretton Woods institution quickly.
He added that with the passing of each day, Ghana’s economic situation was getting worse.
“Distressing! Every passing day makes our economic situation worse. Gov’t must work with greater alacrity to lock in a programme with the Fund in order to create a more predictable economic outlook,” John Mahama tweeted on October 4.
The former president also in an October 19 tweet said the economic hardship confronting the country is the worst in thirty years.
He made the remark while reacting to news that a man had died by electrocution on a high-tension pylon near Kasoa.
“I returned from a trip to the sad news of Kakra who electrocuted himself. Levels of hardship in Ghana are dire; the worst in 3 decades. But suicide is never an answer. Even in the darkest night, there’ll come dawn. The sun will rise again. Let’s be each other’s keeper & keep hope alive,” Mahama tweeted.
The anticipated address by John Mahama will be his second major address on the economy in recent times. On May 2, the former president engage with Ghanaians on the topic “Ghana at a Crossroads.”
Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, says the tourism sector by 2025 will become Ghana’s biggest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contributor with a value of US$ 4 billion.
“By 2025, the tourism sector will generate not less than UD $ 4 billion dollars and will become the biggest contributor to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).”
The sector is currently said to be the third largest contribCOVID-19
utor to GDP.
At a press briefing at the Ministry of Information, Dr Awal said the Ministry had been developing projects and building capacities to boost tourism and drive traffic of about 1.5 million visitors between 2024 and 2025 and expected to go up exponentially.
“So if we have 1.5 million people and they spend 12 days or two weeks, and they spend about $2500, we shall be hitting over $3 billion and that is just international arrivals,” he said.
This year, 645, 047 international arrivals have so far been recorded from January to September, with a projection of one million creating 150,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The Minister said before the COVID-19, the international visitors were spending between US$ 2600 and US$2800 for a week or ten days.
He said with domestic tourism, the goal was to attain one million this year, a figure that would not only boost the local economy but build national cohesion and unity.
Domestic tourism is said to have increased by 60 per cent from 334, 921 visits in 2021 between January and September to 534, 711 visits the same period for this year.
The Government with support from the World Bank is spending GH¢350 million to modernise tourist attraction sites across the country, Dr Awal also said.
He said the Pikworo Heritage Slave Camp in Paga Nania was at phase one of development and that the Yaa Asantewaa Museum at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region would be completed in the first quarter of 2023.
The Minister said whiles the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park had been under construction and earmarked for reopening in March 2023, Cape Coast and Elmina Castles, Shai Hills, Mole Park and the W.E.B Du Bois Centre were yet to be rehabilitated.
He said the initiatives were in line with Government’s commitment to make tourism sector a veritable tool for economic transformation, thereby contributing to job creation and wealth of the people.
Tourism, last year, 2021, generated a revenue of $2.1 billion out of a target of $2.3 billion.
This was revealed during a presentation on the key findings of the audit at a training for MSMEs on energy and resource efficiency across six districts in Ghana. The audit approach involved a walk-through and patterns analyses of utility usage and waste generation by 15 selected businesses including manufacturing MSMEs and hotels across six selected districts.
The recommendations for the MSMEs include the need to install photo sensors to control compound lights, as almost all facilities audited have manually operated compound or outside lights which are kept on for several hours. Use of efficient water closet (WC) systems will also help the MSMEs reduce water utility costs.
For instance, the audit recommendations suggest the use of a WC system with at least six cisterns capacity. This is because, it was noted that most of the facilities use high water volume WC systems with high litre cistern capacities ranging from 22, 18, 16 to 12.
The energy and resource efficiency training falls under UNDP’s inclusive integrated MSMEs support programme for six districts, seeking to support the Government of Ghana’s Covid-19 recovery efforts. The programme, which is building on previous MSMEs interventions in the districts, is providing support in three specific areas. These involve business development services including good corporate governance, mentorship, and access to finance; increased citizens’ engagements to prevent radicalization; and the energy and resource efficiency capacity enhancement.
Speaking at the energy and resource efficiency training, Head of Environment and Climate at UNDP, Stephen Kansuk emphasised the importance of the integrated MSMEs support programme.
“The interventions are expected to facilitate skills upgrading, encourage innovation and targeted investments to create jobs, decent employment, and income. This is to unleash the potential of women and youth-led MSMEs to drive a sustained economic recovery that is greener and more inclusive”, noted Mr. Kansuk.
Mr Oscar Amonoo-Neizer, the Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission of Ghana encouraged MSMEs to ensure the prudent use of energy and resources in their establishments. He urged them to serve as energy and resource managers to conduct walk-through energy and resource audits on regular basis to conserve energy and save costs.
“Most small businesses and hotels for example spend about 60-70 percent of their operating costs on energy and resources. They need to adopt best energy and resource use practices to reduce costs, increase revenue generation, and the capacity to withstand future challenges,” he noted.
About 600 participants are benefiting from the energy and resource efficiency training. These are selected from the six targeted districts including Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Ketu South Municipal Assembly, Sefwi Wiawso Municipal Assembly, Jomoro Municipal Assembly, Sagnarigu District Assembly and Kassena–Nankana West District Assembly. The training is also being supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ghana.
“I didn’t know that I can reduce the amount of energy I use in my business but now I know. I will invest in energy-efficient appliances that will help me minimize my production cost”, noted Voicelyn Deladem Quao, CEO of Refined Reveal Enterprise, producers of cosmetic products in the Volta Region.
For Ghana and rest of Africa to fully reap the benefits of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), there is the need to “strategically” move away from short term price-based buying to value and developmental based sourcing.
Strategic sourcing, according to Professor Douglas Boateng, refers to the ‘big picture’ element of supply chain management, with a prime focus on the entire benefits of sourcing to organisation, industry and society.
“There are many existing structural inefficiencies that have threatened the success of the Agreement but thankfully, we are gradually removing them. But this will not yield the intended results if we continue to stick to the old, and evidently flawed approach to the sourcing factors of production,” Professor Boateng stated in an extensive session with the B&FT.
Strategic sourcing has come into renewed focus following the advent of COVID-19, as individuals, companies and governments sought value pricing due to unprecedented disruptions to global supply chains.
Prof. Boateng, however, emphasised that whilst “maximizing” spending remains one of the principal goals of strategic sourcing, it does so by taking into consideration the total acquisition cost of ownership incurred over the medium-to-long term. “Strategic sourcing is not about the cheapest price, but rather about value pricing and attainment,” he re-emphasized.
According to Professor Boateng, oftentimes decision makers have been carried away by the notion that the best value for money purchase is the one where they pay the least amount of money upfront. However, the global evidence from extensive research and experience shows that, it is not necessarily the case.
Africa’s first-ever appointed Professor Extraordinaire for supply and value chain management, governance and Industrialisation, former non-executive chairman of the Public Procurement Authority and currently chairman of Ghana’s Minerals Income and Investment Fund also advised if Africa can focus on developing its supply chain infrastructure, it would not only allow for improved intra-continental trade but would see the region emerge as a major player in the global trade.
Already, the continent’s infrastructure investment deficit according to the African Development Bank will be as much as US$170 billion a year by 2025, with an estimated gap of around $100 billion a year with transportation networks being one of the areas in which this is most pronounced. Road networks in the continent’s 16 landlocked countries are woefully inadequate, coupled with poor port administration, and underdeveloped rail and waterway systems.
In addition to measures being undertaken to overcome some of these challenges, Prof. Boateng called for individuals, businesses and nations to think outside of their local and national contexts and to make use of enabling information technologies to foster continental networking and information flows.
“Large political and socio-economic issues need to be tackled as a collective to break down artificial trade barriers. In time, African economies can move away from country-specific initiatives to ‘Proudly African’ initiatives – for example, a product might be labelled ‘Made in Africa,’ produced in Ghana or South Africa or Kenya etc.
Through this, the definition of ‘buying local’ automatically changes to strategically sourcing continental-wide produced goods and services. Such a move has positive implications for AfCFTA,” Prof. Boateng explained.
He also recommended that strategic sourcing becomes a mandatory feature across the education spectrum as well as in the procurement policies of businesses and the central governments.
He claims that the action is intended to provide support for importers of commodities into the nation and also addresses concerns raised by some trader organizations over unrest caused by the depreciation of the cedi.
“The goal is to make them very comfortable in business. The fixed exchange rate is expected to provide better certainty for importers and help the government maintain low inflation,” he explained.
The currency has now been ranked by Bloomberg as the worst-performing currency in the world against the US dollar, overtaking the Sri Lanka Rupee.
Checks by GhanaWeb Business to some forex bureaus in Accra show the cedi is selling above the GH¢14 to the dollar as of October 21, 2022.
The development has since forced members under the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations to close down their shops in Kumasi in the Ashanti region and subsequently the Central Business District in Accra.
Ms Ama Pomaa Boateng, the Deputy Minister for Communication and Digitalisation, says Ghana had come a long way in its efforts to digitalise the economy in line with the digital revolution of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
She said digitalisation efforts could not be sustained without the development of a strong cybersecurity infrastructure in the country.
Ms Boateng was speaking at the Civil Society Forum on Regulating Cybersecurity through Strategic partnership as part of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2022.
The month-long celebration is on the theme: “Regulating Cybersecurity: A Public-Private Sector Collaborative Approach.”
The month is to enhance the public-private sector’s understanding of cybersecurity regulations and receive inputs from industry players and stakeholders on the implementation of the various regulatory activities currently being implemented by the Cyber Security Authority (CSA).
It is to build synergies among all relevant stakeholders to ensure compliance with cybersecurity regulations and create awareness of the Cybersecurity Act 2020 and promote the relevance of cybersecurity regulations among children, the Public, Businesses and the Government, whilst highlighting the need for public-private cooperation
She said digital technologies had increasingly become integral to the effective functioning of societies worldwide and these technologies provided the critical infrastructure necessary for work, play, education, health, business, and shopping as evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic era.
She said the focus of this year’s NCSAM was essential in bringing all stakeholders together and ensuring alignment to issues that affect everyone in cyberspace.
She said the engagement with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) was thus an indication of the government’s appreciation of the role of CSOs in the socio-economic development of the country.
She said it was also because of the commitment to continue working with CSOs concerning cybersecurity development in the country.
Ms Boateng said CSOs were not left out of the digital experiences as they increasingly rely on digital technology and the internet for their operations and service delivery, however, they are increasingly at risk of cybersecurity incidents.
“Cybersecurity attacks on the civil society sector were on the rise,” she added.
The Deputy Minister said civil society groups were faced with sophisticated attacks such as ransomware and phishing, financially motivated cyberattacks which were hitherto mainly targeted at public and private sector organizations.
She said maintaining cyber resilience was, therefore, necessary for ensuring organizational resilience, the ability to prepare for, defend against and recover from cyber incidents when they occur.
She said the Government was committed to ensuring that the rights of citizens offline were equally protected online, and this could best be achieved if we work together.
Mr Benjamin Ofori, a Representative of CSA, said the Authority as part of activities marking Awareness Month sought to collaborate with organisations in the public and private sectors as well as civil society groups in ensuring the safety of Ghanaians in the digital space.
He said internet penetration in Ghana had increased exponentially from 2.31 million in 2012 to 17 million users in 2022, which was 53 per cent of the population; the average time spent per internet user on mobile phones alone was not less than five hours daily.
He said in recent years, several major cyber incidents had significantly impacted businesses, including financial institutions and other critical information infrastructure worldwide.
“As dependency on digital technologies surges, so does cybercrime. Cybercriminals are seizing every opportunity to exploit vulnerabilities against people, businesses and organisations, having a grave impact on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems and networks, including critical information infrastructures,” he said.
He said the proliferation of cyber-attacks targeting individuals, businesses and critical infrastructure had led to the establishment of several mandatory cybersecurity regulations.
Mr Ofori said the implementation of cybersecurity regulations was imperative to deal with both existing and emerging cyber threats, which have the potential to undermine the digital dividends expected from our digital economy.
The Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) provides the regulatory framework to promote cybersecurity development in the country.
The Authority has commenced some regulatory activities, including the protection of Critical Information Infrastructures, according to Sections 35 to 40 of Act 1038; licensing of Cybersecurity Service Providers under Sections 49 to 56 and regulations on cybersecurity incident reporting and response, under Sections 41 to 48 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2022.
He said there was also the National Child Online Protection Framework, which was aimed at tackling the incidents of Child Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, including child sexual abuse material, online harassment, and cyberbullying against children.
The Civil Society Organisations called on the Authority to intensify education on the issue of cybersecurity by using existing channels for education.
They said a lot of the populace was vulnerable on matters of cybersecurity.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalistfrom Indian-administered Kashmir has alleged that immigration officials at Delhi airport prevented her from travelling to the United States.
Sanna Irshad Mattoo received a Pulitzer Prize for her coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak and was on her way to the award ceremony.
Ms Mattoo said she was stopped “despite having a valid visa and ticket”.
The Indian government has not made a statement yet on why she was stopped.
News agency PTI quoted Jammu and Kashmir police officials as saying that she had been placed on a no-fly list.
Ms Mattoo said this was the second such incident in four months. The journalist toldthe BBC she asked officials why she hadn’t been allowed to travel but was not given a reason.
I was on my way to receive the Pulitzer award ( @Pulitzerprizes) in New York but I was stopped at immigration at Delhi airport and barred from traveling internationally despite holding a valid US visa and ticket. pic.twitter.com/btGPiLlasK
She said she was “heartbroken” at not getting the chance to attend the ceremony, describing the Pulitzer as a “dream for every journalist”.
Several activists and journalists have been stopped from leaving or entering the country this year.
In March, journalist Rana Ayyub – who writes for the Washington Post – was stopped at Mumbai airport when she was about to board a flight to the UK to deliver a speech at the International Centre for Journalists.
Ms Ayyub was allowed to travel a few days later after she won an appeal against the decision in the Delhi High Court and got permission.
In April, former Amnesty India chief Aakar Patel was stopped twice from boarding a flight to the US at Bangalore airport.
This followed a federal investigation into Amnesty allegedly breaking India’s foreign currency exchange laws during Mr Patel’s tenure as its chief. The agency called him a “flight risk”. He was later asked by a court not to leave the country without its permission.
In August, Angad Singh, an Emmy-nominated American journalist of Indian origin, was reportedly deported to New York soon after he landed in Delhi.
While the Indian government did not comment on the incident, Mr Singh’s family said his passport was confiscated at the airport before he was deported. His mother alleged his treatment was a response to the documentaries the journalist had made on India’s Covid crisis and farmers’ protests for Vice News.
Earlier this year, the federal government deported Professor Filippo Osella, an anthropologist at the University of Sussex, who had been visiting India for more than 30 years.
Prof Osella challenged his deportation in the Delhi High Court,calling it arbitrary and unconstitutional. He also said he was treated like “a hardened criminal” by Indian authorities without being given a reason for his deportation.
Last week, the Indian government defended its decision in court, saying that the academician had been placed in the “highest category of blacklisting” based on “sufficient material” against him.
Serum Institute of India (SII), an Indian vaccine manufacturer, stated it had to dispose of 100 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine after they expired.
According to CEO Adar Poonawalla, the company ceased making Covishield in December of last year due to low demand.
SII, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, has been producing the local version of AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria jab.suit for several years.
Covishield accounts for over 90% of the doses given in India.
India has administered over two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines.More than 70% of the Indian population has taken at least two doses, according to the federal health ministry.
In January 2022, India began giving boosters to healthcare and frontline workers, and those above 60 years with comorbidities. It was later expanded to all adults.
In July, free booster doses – or precaution doses as the government calls them – were provided to all adults for 75 days to mark 75 years of India’s independence.
But so far, India has administered just 298 million booster doses, according to the health ministry.
“The booster vaccines have no demand as people now seem fed up with Covid,” Mr Poonawala told reporters on Thursday. “Honestly, I’m also fed up. We all are.”
According to Mr Poonawala, the SII had around 100 million doses of Covishield in stock. The vaccines – which have a shelf life of nine months – expired in September this year.
“Going forward, when people take a flu shot every year, they may take a Covid vaccine along with it,” Mr Poonawala said. “But in India, there is no culture of taking a flu shot every year, like in the West.”
Meanwhile, Mr Poonawala said the SII had completed trials for the Covid vaccine Covovax as a booster dose. The company expects the vaccine to get approval within the next two weeks.
It has also partnered with the US biotech company Novavax for an Omicron-specific booster, he said.
In a Facebook post dated October 19, 2022, the outspoken lawmaker sarcastically listed nine major headaches the Country is currently facing and ‘attributed’ all of them to the doing of the NDC.
The issues ranged from the economic headwinds being faced, the stalled National Cathedral Project, recent booing incidents the president has suffered, even a rift with his former spiritual ally, Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah.
Referring to Akufo-Addo as ‘fellow Ghanaians’ – a term the president used to open his COVID-19 addresses, Sam George wrote: “‘Fellow Ghanaians’ is begging. He won’t call you Jeremiahs or Naysayers again.
“He promises not to carry his chair around. He promises not to promise again. Can you just stop ruling the Country from opposition? He says you are forcing him to play nonsense too much.”
The NINE NDC instigated challenges listed by the MP were:
a. Changing the exchange rates at the Forex Bureaus.
b. Booing Akufo-Addo at Global Citizens Concert. You booed him in Kumasi.
c. Made the IMF to review their stance on the problems of Ghana’s economy.
d. Halted the building of a Cathedral to the glory of Akufo-Addo.
e. Asked GUTA to close their shops.
f. Asked public transporters to seek a 40% rise in transport fares.
g. Made the cost of a litre of diesel today more expensive than a gallon in 2016.
h. You have even made his personal Prophet to abandon him.
Please stop changing the exchange rates at the Forex Bureaus. Fellow Ghanaians is at his wits end.
You booed him at Global Citizens Concert. You booed him in Kumasi. You have made the IMF to review their stance on the problems of Ghana’s economy. You have halted the building of a Cathedral to the glory of Akufo-Addo, sorry god.
You have asked GUTA to close their shops. You have asked public transporters to seek a 40% rise in transport fares. You have made the cost of a litre of diesel today more expensive than a gallon in 2016. You have even made his personal Prophet to abandon him.
‘Fellow Ghanaians’ is begging. He won’t call you Jeremiahs or Naysayers again. He promises not to carry his chair around. He promises not to promise again. Can you just stop ruling the Country from opposition? He says you are forcing him to play nonsense too much.
I just hope this appeal is not plagiarised. So help us GOD.
Renowned gender advocate, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo (Previously Nana Oye Lithur), has called on President Akufo-Addo to resign, if he cannot resolve the prevailing economic crisis.
According to the former Gender Minister, there is no need for the President to stay at post, if he lacks the ability to lessen the prevailing hardship.
Speaking in an interview on the AM Show on Thursday, she bemoaned the present state of the economy and lamented government’s inability to meaningfully address the challenges.
The former government appointee said the increasing cost of living has become a headache for many citizens, hence the need for government to fast track efforts to make the situation better.
“The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo get serious. This is leadership. You undertook to lead Ghana and lead our government. We have a problem. Solve that problem or resign. People are dying. People are stressed out. People are hungry. The economy of Ghana has collapsed. We’re in a dire situation”, she told host, Benjamin Akakpo.
In her submissions, the former Gender Minister added that the widespread public anger needs to be addressed by government.
According to her, the angst amongst the masses is similar to what fueled the 1948 riots, hence government must take a serious view of the President’s recent booing.
Madam Oye Bampoe Addo’s comments adds to the series of lamentations about government’s failure to better the situation.
Currently, Ghana is in a dire economic situation with citizens feeling the brunt of the hardship.
The economic crisis is evident in the constant depreciation of the local currency, in addition to the rising rate of inflation.
These developments have become very topical, with stakeholders constantly bemoaning the situation.
Meanwhile in the wake of the widespread public agitations about the state of the economy, government maintains that it is working tirelessly around the clock to put the smiles back on the faces of Ghanaians.
According to the government, the economic situation has been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covid-19 vaccination coverage has stagnated in half of African countries, while the number of doses administered monthly declined by over 50% between July and September, a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis has established.
Although Africa is far from reaching the year-end global target of protecting 70% of the population, modest progress has been made in vaccinating high-risk population groups, particularly the elderly.
The WHO analysis shows that the percentage of people with complete primary vaccination series (one dose for Johnson and Johnson and two doses for other vaccines) has barely budged in 27 out of 54 African countries in the past two months (17 August – 16 October 2022).
In addition, in September, 23 million doses were given, 18% less than the number registered in August, and 51% less than the 47 million doses administered in July. The number of doses provided last month is also about one-third of the peak of the 63 million doses reached in February 2022. However, there are signs of improvement this month, with 22 million doses given as of 16 October 2022, representing 95% of the total administered in September.
Overall, as of 16 October 2022, just 24% of the continent’s population had completed their primary vaccination series compared with the coverage of 64% at the global level. Liberia has now joined Mauritius and Seychelles as one of three countries to surpass 70% of people with full vaccination coverage. Rwanda is on the verge of achieving this milestone as well.
Other small signs of progress are that the number of countries with less than 10% of people completing their primary series has dropped from 26 in December 2021 to five now. Despite these achievements, at the current pace of vaccination, Africa is expected to meet the global target of 70% of people with complete primary vaccination series by April 2025.
“The end of the Covid-19 pandemic is within sight, but as long as Africa lags far behind the rest of the world in reaching widespread protection, there is a dangerous gap which the virus can exploit to come roaring back,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
“The biggest priority is to shield our most vulnerable populations from the worst effects of Covid-19. On this front, we are seeing some progress as countries step up efforts to boost coverage among health workers, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.”
Based on data from 31 countries, by 16 October 2022, 40% of African health workers had completed their primary series. This latest data uses country estimates of population size instead of previous figures which used International Labour Organization estimates of the health workforce. In 15 of these countries, more than 70% of health workers have been fully vaccinated compared with 27% at the beginning of the year. Thirty-one per cent of older adults (between 50 and 65 years and older depending on country set age limits) have been fully vaccinated according to data from 27 countries, an increase from 21% in January 2022.
While difficult access to doses undermined vaccination efforts in 2021, these issues have been largely resolved with countries on average receiving 67 doses per 100 people compared with 34 doses per 100 people at the end of 2021 and 13 doses per 100 at the end of September 2021. The continent has received 936 million vaccine doses, 62% of which came from the COVAX Facility.
“After a bumpy start, the COVAX partnership has assured a steady pipeline of Covid-19 vaccines to Africa,” said Dr Moeti. “Now, we are a victim of our own success. As vaccines have helped bring the number of infections down, people no longer fear Covid-19 and so few are willing to get vaccinated.”
Mass vaccination campaigns have been instrumental in boosting Covid-19 vaccine coverage, contributing to 85% of total doses administered in the African region. However, in the past few months, the number of people vaccinated has dropped significantly while the operational costs per person keep increasing. This decline in effectiveness is due to sub-optimal planning and preparations, especially at the sub-national levels.
“Covid-19 vaccination campaigns are quick operations and are only effective with good planning,” said Dr Moeti. “I urge countries to make our goal of reaching every district a reality by improving preparations for vaccination campaigns.”
Vaccine hesitancy and a low-risk perception of the pandemic, notably with the recent decline in cases are also dampening uptake. Over the past 12 weeks, Africa has recorded the lowest case numbers since the start of the pandemic. In the week ending on 16 October, 4281 new cases were reported, representing 1.3% of the peak of the Omicron-fuelled surge reached in December 2021. No country is currently in resurgence or on high alert and deaths remain low across the region, with a case fatality rate of 2.1%.
The response to multiple public health emergencies is also affecting Covid-19 vaccine rollout. Outbreaks of polio, measles, yellow fever and now Ebola have shifted priorities in the affected countries.
To assist countries to intensify vaccination efforts, WHO in Africa has embarked on a raft of measures including supporting countries to assess the preparedness for vaccination campaigns at provincial and district levels, tracking vaccination among priority groups, carrying out high-level advocacy to boost uptake, helping countries integrate Covid-19 vaccines in other planned mass vaccination campaigns as well as deploy surge missions to countries to improve quality of vaccination drives.
Dr Moeti spoke on Thursday during a virtual press briefing. She was joined by Dr Wilhelmina Jallah, Minister of Health, Liberia; and Ms Aurelia Nguyen, Special Adviser, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Also on hand from the WHO Regional Office for Africa was Dr Modjirom Ndoutabe, Polio Programme Coordinator; Dr Phionah Atuhebwe, Vaccines Introduction Medical Officer; and Dr Patrick Otim, Health Emergency Officer, Acute Events Management Unit.
The Government views this as crucial, according to Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor, who spoke at the 5th National Conference of the Ghana Chamber of Mines on Human Resource Management in the Mining Industry. The Minerals and Mining Act (Local Content and Local Participation) Regulations, 2020 (L.I. 2431) was enacted to, among other things, develop local capacities in the mining sector through education, skills transfer, and expertise development, transfer of technology, and development.
He, therefore, charged Mining companies to take the localisation programme very seriously and ensure strict compliance to ensure that we build adequate capacity across the value chain.
The theme for the 2-day conference was “Transforming people management for the sustainable mining industry in Ghana”. This the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, who is also a Member of Parliament for Damango, said is in sync with the Chamber’s mission statement, to use “resources and capabilities of its members to deliver services to government and community needs to enhance sustainable development.”
He again reminded that the mining industry is associated with many risks; hence motivation and fair treatment is key for the workforce, who he said constitute the backbone of the success of mining companies.
Chamber of mines must play active role in the fight against illegal mining
Hon. Abu Jinapor seized the opportunity to admonish the Chamber of Mines to play a more active role in the fight against illegal mining. He further stated that Government is taking all the necessary measures to come to grips with the menace.
“Apart from its negative environmental impacts, illegal mining also affects your operations and your employees. The occasional clashes between illegal miners and your employees will be a thing of the past if we join hands together to deal with illegal mining and develop our mining communities”.
Chamber of mines takes steps to support human capital dev’t – Dr. Koney
He said the Chamber has handed over 804,000 dollars research grant to 6 faculty members and five postgraduate students at the George Grant University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa to conduct research into the mining industry.
He said this was the second tranche of support to the University with a total of 1.3 million Ghana cedis grants dedicated to research the mining industry.
Dr. Koney further emphasised that the mining industry can only be productive and sustainable with a conference of research as well as attraction, retention, and nurturing of talents with the right skills.
Radical rethink needed to attract, retain and nurture talents in the mining sector – Eric Asubonteng
The immediate past President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the current Managing Director of Anglogold Ashanti, Eric Asubonteng, has called for a radical rethink of the mining sector’s approach to attracting, retaining, and nurturing talents in the industry.
He said the effects of COVID-19 and the Russian- Ukraine war have impacted the mining sector’s supply chain; hence mining sector players need to be proactive in their strategies and strengthen the employee’s value chain proposition.
Citing the EY report on the top 10 risks in 2023 for the mining and metal industries, he said it was identified that the current talent shortage in the industry is the worst as skills and experienced ones retire and resign.
Replacing them, he added, requires a critical rethink on the attraction, retention, and nurturing of talents.
The African German Health Association (AGHA) have organised a Covid-19 workshop for healthcare service providers within the Ga East and Ablekuma North districts in the Greater Accra region.
This is in partnership with the German Development Cooperation implemented by GIZ and government through the Health Ministry and Ghana Health Service.
The project, which will span three months, will focus on five main working packages.
They include Infection Prevention and Control Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Building for Covid-19 Vaccines; Healthcare Waste Management Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Building for Covid-19 Vaccines; Supply Chain and Cold Chain Logistics for Covid-19 vaccines; Increase Acceptance of Covid-19 Vaccination for Clinical and Non-Clinical Healthcare Facility Personnel.
Addressing the media after one of the workshop sessions, the Project Manager for AGHA, Nana Ama Konadu Aning, said the team started the training with Infection Prevention & Control because they believe it is very vital at vaccination centres.
She explained that the outcome from the assessments, workshops and mentoring sessions at the vaccination centres will be shared with their counterparts in Germany, and the German team will also do the same to enable both countries to compare their approaches and where necessary, bridge the gap to improve Covid-19 vaccination.
“With funding support from the German Development Cooperation implemented by GIZ, AGHA undertook a Covid-19 vaccination campaign project. This is a training and workshop program that focuses on five main areas. Today we came to do the Workshop for Infection and Prevention Control at vaccination centres.”
“We are engaged in a knowledge exchange and capacity building between Germany and Ghana in order to better understand the situation at the vaccination centres in both countries and find ways to bridge any gaps that exist”
Among other things, the workshop will also aim at identifying the challenges that the districts face in discharging their duties which is the administration of the Covid-19 vaccines.
She said the two districts were settled on for the campaign because they were recommended by the Ghana Health Service. According to her, the workshop was also used to educate healthcare personnel on the need to get vaccinated.
What Has Been Uncovered?
Biomedical Engineer and Infection, Prevention & Control expert with AGHA, Josephine Owusu-Akyaw who represented Ghana as part of the campaign indicated that their visit to the two districts brought to light an array of issues that healthcare service providers are facing in administering the vaccines.
According to her, some vaccinators have to deal with being given very little space to operate and sitting under trees where they are exposed to harsh weather conditions.
“There are a lot of struggles at the various vaccination centres. For example, in Ablekuma North, there are no government hospitals so most of these vaccination centres are forced to attach to private hospitals where they are given just a small space to operate. Some have to sit under trees exposed to the weather, insects and other forms of conditions.”
She said the team from AGHA also took note of items that were lacking at the vaccination centres and are planning on contributing their quota to ensure that the vaccinations are carried out under strict adherence.
Outcome compared to Germany
Marcus Ricken, a German representative of AGHA said the same exercise took place in Germany where vaccination centres were assessed to check their compliance with international standards. He said;
“The concept was basically to exchange knowledge so that the participants could draw their own conclusion and witness how certain Covid-19 vaccination-related challenges were handled.
“We provided templates and guidelines to hygienic concepts which the participants used as free samples useful for adaptation purposes.”
Mr Ricken said that based on their visits, the major challenge faced by vaccinators is largely logistics hence their inability to fully discharge their duties.
Indeed, the Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign is timely and needs all the support as it will help increase acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in Ghana to reduce the infection burden.
The prospect of an expedited programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was given another boost this week as the United Kingdom, Germany and France pledged to support the Ghanaian economy to overcome the current crisis.
These financing commitments, came on the back of closed-door bilateral meetings hosted by the government of Ghana delegation in Washington, DC.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta told the Ghanaian media that “Ghana still has great strengths to build on, as our productive sectors are still growing, expenditures are being contained, and the formal conclusion of IMF negotiations should support our balance of payments position. Consequently, our bilateral partners are demonstrating increased support for our recovery plan.”
Negotiations with the IMF are set to continue over the coming week as the Ghanaian delegation outlines the broad policy anchors for the Government’s flagship “Post-Covid Programme for Economic Growth” (PC-PEG).
The PC-PEG referred to in the 2022 Mid-Year Budget Statement as the Enhanced Domestic Programme (EDP), contains a set of time-bound structural reforms and fiscal consolidation measures to place Ghana’s debt levels and fiscal accounts on a sustainable path over the medium term.
A combination of IMF assistance, structural reform programmes, and increased bilateral support are expected to ease existing macroeconomic imbalances over the next few months.
Like many other countries, Ghana is operating amid a confluence of adverse shocks heightened by debt vulnerabilities.
Consequently, the completion of IMF negotiations in a timely manner continues to dominate the government’s agenda.
Authorities in Kenya plan to exhume the body of a British tourist who died at the home of a controversial cult leader two years ago.
Luftunisa Kwandwalla was buried at a Mombasa cemetery in August 2020after reportedly dying of natural causes.
She arrived in Kenya as a tourist in August 2019 but her return to the UK was delayed due to lockdowns imposed in Kenya and Britain during the Covid pandemic.
Her family says she then joined a controversial cult in Mombasa.
The family alleges the 44-year-old was murdered and her body buried quickly to hide evidence.
Last week it obtained court orders for the exhumation to allow for a post-mortem examination to ascertain the cause of death.
The family told the BBC that the autopsy would be the first step in bringing closure to her death.
No one has been arrested in connection with the death and policerecords show that there are currently no active investigations.
The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources has entreated market women and other traders to practice personal hygiene to render hygienic services to their customers.
Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the Minister, who gave the advice, said since traders handled money, food, and other edibles, it was important they washed their hands properly, especially when they visited the washrooms.
At the launch of the 2022 Global Handwashing Day at the Kejetia Market in Kumasi, Mrs Dapaah said washing of hands properly could save a million lives every year as opportunistic diseases like cholera, dysentery and COVID-19 would be prevented.
Global Handwashing Day, which is celebrated on October 15, is to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to deliberate on essential and sustainable hand hygiene interventions.
This year’s celebration was on the theme: “Unite for Universal Hand Hygiene”.
The Ministry’s choice of the market was because market players had critical roles to play in promoting hygiene in terms of food stuff and ensuring their safety for consumption.
“It is, therefore, important to throw more light on the relationship between food and hygiene practices,” the Minister said.
“Hand washing is an important part of a set of hygiene behaviours that keep food safe and prevent food-related illnesses.”
Mrs Dapaah said the contamination of food items with fecal matter could easily occur without conscious effort to practice hand washing with soap under running water.
She called on the public to make hand washing a priority in their daily activities to ensure better health for all.
She donated 10 hand washing sets of equipment to the Kejetia Market Traders’ Association to enhance the hand washing culture in the market.
Nana Kwasi Prempeh, the President, Federation of Kumasi Traders, pledged to continue the education on sanitation and hygiene during their meetings and maintain healthy surroundings at the point of sales.
He appealed to the Ministry to supply them with more hand washing equipment as there were more than 7,000 traders in the market.
He said the available kits would not be sufficient to ensure hygiene and health among traders and customers who patronised the facility.
Four Christian groups in the country want galamsey to be a thing of the past. In view of this they have stressed the need for effective collaboration among stakeholders to fight the illegal mining menace popularly known as ‘galamsey.’
They said standing united to fight the canker was the surest way the nation would win the battle and restore the degraded environment to its original condition.
They made the call after touring some ‘galamsey’ sites at Apinamang, in the Eastern Region.
The groups included the Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Ghana Catholic Bishop Conference and the Independent Charismatic Churches Council.
The delegation was led by Bishop Dr Paul Boafo, the Immediate Past Chairman of the Christian Council; Rev Professor Paul Frimpong-Manso, President, GPCC; Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of the Pentecost Church; Rev Cyril Fayose, General Secretary; Christian Council; Rev. Father Dieu-Donne Kofi Davor, Director of Communications, Ghana Catholic Bishop Conference, among others.
The tour was to enable them to assess the level of devastation caused by ‘galamsey’ activities in the area to inform their decision.
Speaking to journalists, Bishop Boafo, said as religious leaders, they were appalled by the level of destruction that activities of ‘galamsey’ had caused.
He, therefore, called for a more emphatic approach to be adopted and for all stakeholders involved to enable the country to win the battle.
“This is the approach we all have to go. This is the way we all have to approach this canker. it’s like COVID, so all should come on board. Let us all come on board, ministers, market women, traditional rulers, school children, the youth, the old and everybody,” Bishop Boafo urged.
Going forward, Bishop Boafo said the Church would do its best to educate Ghanaians on the negative impact such activity had on the environment.
“We will let them know that this is not the right way to go for wealth if indeed they are the people doing it. Yeah, for me, I believe that they would know better because we are the people who are to cater for creation.
“In Genesis, God said, tend it, care for it, and in caring this is not the way to care for it. And I will say that this is not the right way to go for wealth and then to bring it to church,” he said.
Bishop Boafo also called on the leadership to come up with policies that would address unemployment to help curb the menace.
Apostle Nyamekye, Chairman of the Pentecost Church, said strong leadership was required if the country was to make any significant progress in the fight against ‘galamsey.’
He said the reason successive governments had failed to end the menace was due to a lack of political will and weak leadership.
“God created human beings and he gave us leaders. Where there is no leadership, there will be no control. The human being has to be controlled. That is why we need leaders,” Apostle Nyamekye said.
He added that “If leaders are not doing what they are supposed to do, then people would take the law into their own hands, you see all this corruption everywhere. So for me, I’m calling on our leaders to lead. Leaders must lead. Human beings have to be controlled, somebody will have to control these young men in their galamsey industry, somebody would have to educate them and they will stop, but where there is no leadership then things go wayward.”
Rev Frimpong-Manso, President of the GPCC, who described the situation as a “total disaster,” challenged Ghanaians not to fail the future generation.
“I am really overwhelmed and I need to weep, Ghanaians, we have only one Ghana. If all the systems will fail, I’m challenging anyone who is hearing me not to fail posterity because we are in a total disaster,” he said.
Rev. Father Davor, Director of Communications, Ghana Catholic Bishop Conference, said drastic measures must be taken to end the canker, saying: “We cannot go on this way.”
Osaberima Pinkro Oware Asare III, Apinamang Hene, called for assistance to fight the ‘galamsey’ menace in his community, saying “I am helpless.”
Many people in China normally don’t pay much attention to these set-piece, long, predictable speeches from their leaders.
However this year they were looking for any indication that the country’s strict Covid amelioration measures might be eased after the Communist Party Congress.
The short answer from Chinese leader Xi Jinping: no.
He said that there would be no wavering on zero-Covid because of the need to prioritise saving people’s lives.
The lockdowns, the mass testing, the health code scanning, the quarantine, the travel restrictions are all here to stay for the foreseeable future.
There was not even the slightest acknowledgement of the social and economic pain being caused by the policy.
Other massive challenges being faced by the government but which didn’t get a mention include: soaring youth unemployment and the property crisis.
Instead, this nearly two-hour long speech was heavy on standard Party rhetoric and short on actual solutions to China’s problems.
If you are a university graduate who can’t find a job in the tech sector following government crackdowns on these companies, Xi Jinping urging you to “follow the Party’s guidance… striving to be the new generation, building a modern socialist county” is not going to be much comfort.
The largest applause, no doubt scripted, came when Mr Xi spoke about unification between the mainland and Taiwan.
He said Beijing would encourage economic cooperation with the island, that it would genuinely strive for peaceful unification but that the Party would “never promise to renounce the use of force as an option”.
He also defended the much-criticised state security law in Hong Kong which he said had restored order to the city.
Likewise, he justified the demolition and alterations to many mosques in the northern Chinese provinces of Ningxia and Xinjiang – home to a mostly Muslim population – by saying that religions here must be “Chinese in orientation”.
Structures seen as reflecting an Arab image of Islam have been replaced by those with a more Chinese aesthetic.
There were a few other elements that did not go unmissed.
Former leader Jiang Zemin was not present but he is now 96 and perhaps too frail to attend. Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao from the former administration were on stage with Mr Xi.
Also in attendance, seated at the front row of the podium, was former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli – his first public appearance since Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai accused him of sexual assault last year.
The 75-year-old has not publicly commented on the accusation.
Zhang Gaoli (C) was seated at the front row of the congress
However, Mr Xi’s administration does have a good story to tell in terms of climate change and other environmental initiatives.
The congress opened in Beijing under a clear blue sky. There was a time when this was unusual in the capital. Now it’s the other way around; the bad pollution days are the ones that stand out.
China’s leader said: “We’ll boost low carbon industries and promote low carbon ways of life. We’ll intensify pollution control. We’ll work to eliminate all serious pollution”.
But coal fired power won’t be phased out until the new sources of power are in place. “We’re building the new before discarding the old,” he said.
There may still be a massive income disparity here between the richest Chinese people and those less well-off but, in poverty alleviation, there have also been improvements and Xi Jinping referred to this.
Yet, if you watched this speech and had no idea what is actually going on in China right now, you would have a distorted picture of reality.
The overall message from the speech was that China is charging ahead in leaps and bounds under the Communist Party’s guidance – but the economic uncertainty swirling around here right now is of a kind not seen in the country for decades.
SEND Ghana, a policy research and advocacy organisation, has urged the government to prioritise waste recycling as a means of generating revenue for development.
The organisation also called on the government to re-introduce the road tolls as a means of mobilizing revenue in the face of the country’s economic difficulties.
Mrs Harriet Nuamah-Agyemang, Programme Officer, SEND Ghana, made the suggestions in Accra at a stakeholder engagement on the development of the 2023 Budget statement and economic policy organised by the Ministry of Finance.
The engagement was to solicit input from the stakeholders for consideration in the 2023 annual budget preparation to be presented in November.
The forum brought together stakeholders, including the Trade Union Congress, the Association of Ghana Industries, the Accra Market Association, the Association of Road Contractors, and civil society organisations, among others.
On the health sector, she called on the government to establish a Health Emergency Fund to replace the COVID-19 Fund to support the country’s health sector.
“We urged the government to establish and strengthen adolescent girls’ clubs for sex education in health and school facilities with subsidized sanitary pads,” she said.
Touching on the education sector, she called for the provision of suitable infrastructure at the basic school level, including kindergarten, and the review of the free Senior High School policy.
Dr John Kumah, the Deputy Minister of Finance, stated that continuous monitoring of the government’s programmes would help shape the country’s development agenda.
” We believe in a culture of governance that promotes transparency and accountability. The Ministry has been exploring avenues to deepen citizen participation to advance the country’s democratic governance,” he said.
He said the country’s economic situation was still faced with internal and external factors and stated that the Government was negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.
The Deputy Minister urged the public to consume local products to boost the country’s revenue and pay taxes to maximize revenue mobilization to address the economic challenges.
He said the Government intended to restore and sustain macroeconomic stability, ensure durable and inclusive growth, and promote social protection.
Dr Alex Amankwa Poku, Head of Budget Development and Reforms, Ministry of Finance, said the country’s budget cycle covered the formulation, approval, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation processes.
He said Ghana in the latest Open BudgetSurvey in 2021, improved its transparency score from 54 out of 100 in 2019 to 56 in 2021.
As the government faces an Ebola outbreak, two areas in Uganda have been placed under lockdown for three weeks.
Bars, nightclubs, houses of worship, and entertainment venues in Mubende and neighbouring Kassanda will be closed, and a curfew will be imposed.
The move is a U-turn for Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, who previously said there was no need for such measures.
This latest outbreak has killed 19 people among 58 recorded cases.
However, the real number of deaths and cases may be higher.
The outbreak began in early September in Mubende, about 80km (50 miles) from the capital Kampala, and has remained the epicentre.
President Museveni had previously ruled out lockdowns, saying Ebola was not an airborne virus so did not require the same measures as Covid-19.
But on Saturday he halted all movement in and out of Mubende and Kassanda districts for 21 days.
Cargo trucks will still be allowed to enter and leave the areas, he said, but all other transport will be stopped.
“These are temporary measures to control the spread of Ebola,” he said in a televised address.
“We should all cooperate with authorities so we bring this outbreak to an end in the shortest possible time.”
The president had already ordered police to arrest anyone suspected of having the virus who refused to isolate.
And he has forbidden traditional healers from trying to handle cases. In previous outbreaks, healers have been associated with hotspots for the spread of the virus.
The first recorded death in this outbreak was a 24-year-old man in Mubende. Six members of his family also died.
It later reached the capital Kampala, with one death recorded in October. But health officials said the city remained virus-free, as the man who died had travelled from Mubende.
This latest outbreak is of the Sudan strain of the virus, for which there is no approved vaccine. The Zaire strain, which killed 11,000 people in an outbreak across West Africa from 2013-2016, can be vaccinated against.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated material.
Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, and in some cases internal or external bleeding.
The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and the virus can be associated with other illnesses, such as malaria and typhoid.
Ghana and four other ECOWAS member countries have benefited from a USD 250 million fund from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID).
The other beneficiary countries are Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.
A copy of its release to the Ghana News Agency said the Board of Directors of EBID approved the fund to boost the oil and gas, energy, road infrastructure and agriculture sectors of member states.
The approvals are part of the intensified efforts by EBID to invest in key sectors to spur up post-COVID pandemic recovery and mitigate the impact of the Russian – Ukraine war on the Member States of ECOWAS.
The disclosure was made by Dr George Agyekum Donkor, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EBID, at the just-ended 79th session of the Board of Directors of the bank.
Dr Donkor observed that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russian – Ukraine war has left many economies in tatters.
He said the current market conditions had compelled investors to seek premiums on investments in sub-Saharan Africa thereby increasing the cost of capital.
According to the President of EBID, this had resulted in dampening economic growth, the wide-spread balance of payments deficits, unfavourable terms of trade, depletion of central bank international reserves, fiscal deficits, and debt distress.
Dr Donkor stressed the need for EBID, as the financial arm of ECOWAS, to deepen its financial inter-mediation in all the critical sectors of the Member States to assist them to recover from the economic challenges.
Present at the session was Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, who lauded the tremendous impact of EBID’s interventions in the sub-region and assured the Bank of the commitment of the new administration of the ECOWAS Commission to collaborate and support EBID in its multifarious activities especially in the area of resource mobilisation to transform the ECOWAS Communities.
The EBID is a leading regional investment and development bank, owned by the 15 ECOWAS Member States, namely, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Based in Lomé, Togolese Republic, the Bank is committed to financing developmental projects and programs covering diverse initiatives from infrastructure and basic amenities, rural development and environment, industry, and social services sectors, through its private and public sector windows.
EBID intervenes through a long, medium, and short-term loans, equity participation, lines of credit, refinancing, financial engineering operations and related services.
A study suggests that January 2021 was nine to ten months after Covid-related lockdowns were imposed
Longer lockdowns resulted in fewer pregnancies according to the study
The decline was more common in countries where health systems struggled.
Lithuania and Romania saw the biggest drops – at 28% and 23% respectively – while Sweden, which had no lockdown, saw normal birth rates, according to findings published in the journal Human Reproduction.
Researchers say the findings may lead to “long-term consequences on demographics, particularly in western Europe where there are aging populations”.
“The longer the lockdowns the fewer pregnancies occurred in this period, even in countries not severely affected by the pandemic,” said Dr Leo Pomar, a midwifesonographer at Lausanne University Hospital, who wrote the study.
“We think that couples’ fears of a health and social crisis at the time of the first wave of Covid-19 contributed to the decrease in live births nine months later.”
Social distancing measures fears related to the virus, and the social and economic crisis caused as a result may be “indirect factors that played a role in the decision of couples to postpone pregnancies”, the report states.
England and Wales saw a 13% drop in January 2021, compared with January 2018 and 2019 – while the number of babies born in Scotland decreased by 14%.
France and Spain saw a 14% and 23% drop respectively.
In March 2021, births returned to a similar rate to the pre-pandemic level, corresponding to a rebound nine to 10 months after the end of lockdowns, the study says.
But researchers say that this rebound does not appear to havecompensated for the drop in birth rates two months before.
“The fact that the rebound in births does not seem to compensate for the decrease in January 2021 could have long-term consequences on demographics, particularly in western Europe where there are aging populations,” Dr Pomar said.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted a tough 2023 as it cut growth predictions and forecast economic contraction in a third of the world.
“The worst is yet to come,” the global financial institution’s World Economic Outlook report said.
“For many people 2023 will feel like a recession,” it added.
A downward revision of the global growth rate for 2023, from the amount the IMF said it expected in July, has been made in the report.
Now, 2.7% growth is expected next year. It’s down from the 6% growth experienced last year and the 3.2% growth forecast for this year.
This is the “weakest growth profile” since 2001, excluding the acute phase of COVID-19 pandemic and the global financial crisis, the IMF said.
It reflects “significant slowdowns” for the largest economies as America’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted in the first half of 2022, followed by the Euro area’s contraction in the second half of 2022, and prolonged COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns in China with a growing property sector crisis.
“The world is in a volatile period: economic, geopolitical, and ecological changes all impact the global outlook,” the report says.
While the IMF issued a warning to the UK, following the mini-budget market turmoil, this World Economic Outlook report was completed prior to the chancellor’s mini-budget announcement, so does not reflect the ensuing market activity.
Nevertheless, IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told reporters that the government should ensure its tax and spending plans are in line with the Bank of England’s inflation-fighting remit.
“Fiscal policy should be aligned with monetary policy,” he said when asked about Britain’s economic situation and the turmoil in its government bond market.
“Central banks are trying to tighten monetary policy, and if you have at the same time fiscal authorities that try to stimulate aggregate demand, it’s like having a car with two people in the front… each trying to steer the car in a different direction. That’s not going to work very well.”
The future health of the global economy relies on the “successful calibration” of monetary policy, the course of the war in Ukraine, and the possibility of further pandemic-related supply-side disruptions, for example, in China.
Inflation could also continue to worsen as more energy and food price shocks cause it to persist for longer.
About a third of the world economy faces two consecutive quarters of negative growth, the IMF also forecast.
After the success of the National Booking Service during COVID, the NHS in England is exploring whether people can schedule their flu vaccinations online.
For 12 million individuals aged 50 to 64, reservations for the autumn COVID booster shot will be available on Friday.
Appointments will be available to book online or by phone after the successful trial of the National Booking Service during the COVID vaccination program. Those who are unable to get online will be given alternative ways to book.
The service is also testing whether flu jabs can be booked in a similar way, with people at 200 sites across the country offered the chance to book this way.
People can still book flu vaccinations through their GP practice or by visiting a pharmacy delivering the jabs.
Around 33 million people in England will be eligible for a flu vaccine this year, including some children who will be given the flu nasal spray.
Since the COVID booster programme began a month ago, seven million people have come forward for their vaccine.
Some 26 million people are eligible for the COVID booster and people have been urged to get the jab amid a warning of a potential “twindemic“ of flu and COVID.
Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, said “the rollout is off to a flying start”, adding that it is vital to get protected against COVID and flu in what could be an “extremely challenging winter for the NHS”.
Steve Russell, director for vaccinations and screening, said more than seven million autumn COVID boosters have been administered so far.
He is urging people between the ages of 50 and 64 to log on and book an appointment.
Dr Susan Hopkins, the chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “The double threat of widely circulating flu and COVID this year is a real concern, so it’s crucial that you take up the free flu vaccine as soon as possible if you are offered it.
“It will help protect you from severe flu this winter, and even save your life.
“All those over 50 are now eligible for the jab, many of which will have low natural immunity due to COVIDrestrictions over the last two years.”
About 400 women-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) will benefit from the Women SME Innovation Programme – Digitalize for Jobs (D4J) to fully leverage the potential of digitalisation and to better organise their business information.
The programme will also support the women with efficient record-keeping and financial management practices to facilitate their access to finance, expand their customer base and turnover and develop new products and services.
Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) at the launch of the programme, said SMEs today were critical to the growth, employment, and poverty reduction in the country.
The programme is supported by the special initiative on training and job creation, which operates under the brand ‘Invest for Jobs,’ an initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Implemented by GEA and supported by “Invest in Jobs”, the project sought to provide capacity-building to women-owned/led SMEs on different aspects of digitalization and how their companies can grow from its use and increase their process efficiency and competitiveness by providing access to knowledge, and digital tools.
It will create a digitalized business environment conducive to the rapid growth of SMEs in Ghana and this will ensure that they are creating jobs after the programme
The SMEs will also be trained to build their online visibility via company-owned websites and social media to reach more clients.
The CEO said the SMEs account for over 50 per cent of private output, nearly 70 per cent of employment, and 90 per cent of businesses in Ghana.
“Consequently, the importance of the SME sector and the role it plays in national development and economic transformation cannot be underestimated,” she added.
She said the Programme was a scale-up measure of the COVID-19 SME Innovation and Digitalisation Support Scheme, which helped 500 SMEs to ensure business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby sustaining 6,750 jobs.
Mrs Yankey-Aryeh said SMEs, with a focus on those that were women-owned/led, were faced with challenges that compromised their ability to function effectively and to contribute to the economy.
He said over the years, GEA had encouraged SMEs, especially women-owned to adopt digital methods to augment business growth and competitiveness.
“So far more than 11 million dollars have been utilized to train or support over 10,000 Women Entrepreneurs,” she said.
Mr John Duti, Team Leader of Invest for Jobs at GIZ Ghana, said if SMEs were to remain competitive in the global world, they have no choice but to digitalise.
He said focusing on women-owned and led enterprises represented an opportunity to reduce the digital gender gap, which brings social and economic benefits for the whole country given the significant role of women and their enterprises in Ghana’s socio-economic development.
“Female empowerment is a powerful tool to make everybody’s life richer and successful,” Mr Duti said.
He commended the entire GEA team which ensured the excellent delivery of the first phase and subsequently played a major role in securing the scale-up of our partnership.
He said digitalisation involved a lot of investments in modern software and hardware, as well as capacities in its applications and these costs involved indeed, could not be borne by most of the SMEs.
He expressed optimism that the programme would provide the tools and skills to benefit from digitalisation and harness SMEs’ potential for sustainable growth and job creation in the digital area.
An effective and functional financial sector is essential in speeding up economic growth. However, the ability of Africa’s financial sector to perform this crucial role and boost its economic integration plans has been weakened by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outlined below are possible strategies on what needs to be done to ensure the finance industry thrives despite the current challenges, and will be able to influence and support national and regional economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current Challenges and Gaps
The pandemic has caused severe disruption of economic activities worldwide. African countries have not been spared, as the International Monetary Fund reported a significant decline in national outputs (-2.6 percent) for the year 2020. Restrictions in physical contact during and after extensive lockdown periods have hindered the volume of activities in the informal economic sector, which makes up a significant part of the continent’s economy.
The extractive industry, the core of several African economies, has suffered a dip in demand and global trade, resulting in job losses and increasing the risk of more Africans becoming poor. All across Africa, these factors have triggered a delay in loan repayments, less income available for savings and investments, and frantic fund withdrawals by customers. Some African banks have been forced to restructure loan arrangements to allow for greater repayment flexibility, and have had to draw on previously untouched deposits held by central banks.
Therefore, there are fears regarding the resilience and liquidity of Africa’s financial institutions. This is particularly relevant in light of planned economic and trade integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement because financial sector support is critical for local firms and industries to benefit from this pact. The African Development Bank reports that unmet demand for trade financing in Africa was about USD$81.8 billion in 2019. This huge gap is due to a number of issues, including limited available funds; underdevelopment of the financial sector; preference for funding low-risk transactions; and non-inclusive behaviors. The gap is expected to have widened by the end of 2020 because of the pandemic, and could further expand if committed efforts are not implemented to boost the capacity of the continent’s financial systems.
Future Opportunities and Strategies
While the pandemic has hit the continent’s economy hard, it has also provided an opportunity for reducing bureaucracy in pushing for faster adoption of regulatory reforms given the many COVID-related policy responses being implemented. In addition, Africa’s renewed focus on digitization can further expand the adoption of financial technology services, which have proven to be useful in the development of the financial sector.
Africa’s financial service providers have an opportunity to reach a wider customer base, especially due to the inclusion of previously excluded individuals into the financial system as a result of social assistance programs provided to citizens through banking systems to ease pandemic hardships.
Collaboration, risk-sharing, and coordinated efforts and interventions among stakeholders are key. Development finance institutions and relevant stakeholders need to be strategic in choosing the sectors to support at the moment, in order to generate a positive ripple effect within Africa’s economy.
The pandemic is still evolving, and its future impact is unknown. This suggests the need for Africa’s financial sector actors to apply flexible strategies in order to be able to adapt to frequent change. Alternative business operating models need to be considered in order to serve customers effectively.
Finally, while Africa’s immediate focus should be on economic recovery and stabilizing activities, it is also important for the continent’s business and political leaders to be pro-active and initiate plans to strengthen the African financial sector’s capacity.
Sone Osakwe is a development economist who is committed to understanding how poverty and inequality can be reduced to achieve improved welfare and more inclusive societies. Her expertise includes public policy advisory, domestic revenue mobilization strategies, research, and advocacy, among others.
Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) Secretary-General, Mr Solomon Gayoni, has observed that only 32 percent of the entire Ghanaian population had fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemicas of September 1 this year.
He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on the sidelines of a Poliomyelitis vaccination monitoring and community education and sensitization exercise by the GRCS at Abi, a farming community near Jinijini in the Berekum West District of the Bono region.
Mr. Gayoni said the main goal of the exercise was to ensure no child within the polio immunization age would be left out in the ongoing nationwide vaccination against the poliomyelitis disease.
He also stated that a large number of people had only received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccinationand had not received the second dose or booster, attributing the situation to “vaccination hesitancy” caused by conspiracy theories and faith-based beliefs.
Mr Gayoni noted that as part of the ongoing poliomyelitis vaccination campaign, community sensitization in hard-to-reach and vulnerable communities was required.
Meanwhile
Ghana’s Ministry of Health confirmed the first two cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on Thursday, March 13.
According to authorities, the individuals had returned to Ghana from Norway and Turkey. They were isolated for weeks with a series of tests and possible contact traces.
To prevent further spread of the virus, the Ministry of Health advised people to observe good personal hygiene, avoid shaking hands, and practice social distancing. Individuals who feel unwell with symptoms such as fever, cough, and breathing difficulties are advised to stay at home.
Context
The first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31, and the source of the outbreak was linked to a wet market in Wuhan (Hubei province, China). Human- to-human and patient-to-medical
staff transmission of the virus was confirmed. Many of the associated fatalities were due to pneumonia caused by the virus.
Cases of the virus were confirmed in numerous countries and territories worldwide. Virus- screening and quarantining measures were implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions.
Pneumonia symptoms include a dry cough, chest pain, fever, and trouble breathing. Pneumonia is contagious and can be transmitted from human to human. The influenza virus, or the flu, is a common cause of viral pneumonia.
As of August 10, 2022, Ghana had administered over 19.8 million doses of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. Ghana was the first African economy to receive vaccination doses from the COVAX Facility in 2021.
GIZ and its mining partners, including Golden Star Wassa Limited (GSWL), are investing €13 million in various projects to run concurrently for three years.
Menstrual health
As part of the GIZ health programme, dubbed “Pandemic Management in Catchment Communities in Times of COVID-19 & Beyond”, Golden Star recently donated sanitary towels to 1,162 females in 14 basic schools in the Wassa area.
In a release, Gold Star said the year-long distribution programme was being coordinated by the Wassa East District Health Directorate, and would see 1,162 pupils and students receive a set of sanitary pads every month for the period.
This was after the company organised a forum and a float for all basic schools in its host communities to create awareness on menstrual hygiene under the theme: “Making menstruation a normal fact of life”.
Forum
The forum at Daboase, the district capital, discussed and promoted access to science-based information about menstruation and hygiene.
Some of the issues touched on included discrimination and stigma due to the natural process of menstruating.
The Community and Health Coordinator of GSWL, George Amankwah-Kumi, expressed happiness that Golden Star, under a new ownership of Chifeng Jilong Gold, had continued to support the communities.
He said the company continued to collaborate with strategic development partners such as GIZ and the Ghana Health Service to deliver projects with long lasting positive impacts for its host communities.
Partnership
The GIZ partnership to develop health also has Asanko Gold and AngloGold Ashanti working in partnership with the extractive communities in the Western and Ashanti regions.
GSWL said the project was expected to mitigate the negative social impact of COVID-19 and to increase economic and health resilience of communities.
Some of the projects include enrolment onto the National Health Insurance Scheme, COVID-19 vaccination, medical screening and care, financial literacy and improved social protection.
The programme will also benefit staff of the health systems of the various communities and families, it added.
President Akufo-Addo has charged Member States of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to ensure that education remains a priority in the common development agenda of countries.
As the recently appointed Domestic Financing champion of the Global Partnership for Education, President Akufo-Addo sought the co-operation and support of UNESCO “to work towards developing sustainable homegrown financial solutions, so we can develop the educational system for the future we want in our various countries.”
Addressing the 215th Meeting of the Executive Board of UNESCO, on Monday, 10th October 2021, in Paris, France, the President noted that the world does not have the luxury to pick and choose which crises it wants to fix.
“At this moment, we cannot pick and choose between funding guns and education. We cannot pick and choose between the interests of the present generation and the future of our girls and boys. We cannot choose geopolitical concerns over preserving our cherished cultural heritages, lest we perish universally,” he said.
Due to global instability, however, President Akufo-Addo noted that, education has become one of many competing priorities of domestic budgets, with development aid to the education sector also seriously under pressure.
“Indeed, countries reduced their spending on education after the onset of the COVID-19, and, at the same time, direct aid to education by bilateral donors fell by some three hundred and fifty-nine million dollars ($359 million), which is not compatible with the objectives of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda for financing sustainable development and the goals of the SDGs,” he said.
The President continued, “We are further informed that prospects for reaching funding target, through voluntary contributions, are uncertain as several long-term donors have already reduced significantly their voluntary contributions to UNESCO due to a change in development cooperation priorities, thereby significantly impacting our planned programme implementation.”
In spite of these challenges, President Akufo-Addo commended UNESCO for the lead role it played in ensuring the success of the Transforming Education Summit, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September this year.
Necessitated by the seminal “Futures of Education” report from UNESCO, the President indicated that the Transforming Education Summit, and, indeed, the pre-summit held here in Paris, have been extremely successful in getting the world to reflect deeply on the trajectory of educational systems, and how to addresses the challenges of our time.
Touching on Global Priority Africa Programme, which has been adopted by the UNESCO General Conference at its 41st Session, President Akufo-Addo was delighted that UNESCO has made Africa a Global Priority, and was delighted to see UNESCO’s flagship programmes as being relevant to achieving the objectives of the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063, i.e. “The Africa We Want”.
He also urged UNESCO’s Executive Board to help win the fight against Climate Change, especially as the planet is heading towards a dangerous tipping point as a result of climate change.
In furtherance of this, he commended UNESCO for the effort to strengthen the “Man and Biosphere Programme”, whose goal is to help protect nature and biodiversity loss globally, through the Biosphere Reserve Concept.
“I urge UNESCO Member States to strengthen measures, at their respective national levels, that recognise formally the contribution of Biosphere Reserves, and designate more biosphere reserves and geoparks as a sure way for solving the climate crisis”, he added.
In concluding, the President informed the Executive Board of the news that Accra has been named as the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2023, making Accra part of the prestigious World Book Capital Cities Network.
This, he stated, is an acknowledgement of the giant strides Ghana and Africa are making in developing Ghana’s book and creative arts industry.
“The year-long programme to celebrate this honor done us by UNESCO will commence from 23rd April 2023, which is celebrated globally as the World Book and Copyright Day. I wish to use this opportunity to invite you all to join Ghana in this year-long celebrations,” the President added.
The Government says it is encouraged with the progress so far made in its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan support for its homegrown economic programme.
The loan facility is to help Ghana navigate through the current economic hardship and improve its fiscal balances sustainably.
Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, said the Government remained committed to working tirelessly to create a stable and resilient macroeconomic environment.
The Government would also ensure that Ghana’s debt was sustainable, and maintain social cohesion.
In a press statement issued after a two-week long engagement with the IMF team, which ended on Friday, Mr Ofori-Atta said: “The Government of Ghana remains steadfast in its resolve to fast track negotiations with the IMF, towards achieving a historic agreement that will help strengthen post-covid economic growth”.
He thanked the IMF team for its effort in ensuring that the economy of Ghana was restored post COVID-19 pandemic.
During the visit, the delegation from the IMF called on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and held high level meetings with the Vice President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, Ken Ofori-Atta and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Ernest Addison.
Similarly, the delegation met with Parliament’s Finance Committee, Trade Union Congress, private sector, civil society and development partners.
Key areas of focus according to statement by the IMF included public finance sustainability, protection of the vulnerable, bolstering the credibility of the monetary and exchange rate policies to reduce inflation and rebuild external buffers.
Others included preservation of a financial sector stability and encouragement towards private investment and growth.
Discussions with the IMF, would continue during the Annual Meeting of the World Bank and the IMF, starting October 10, 2022.
The most recent statistics, this summer’s heatwaves caused more than 2,000 additional deaths, which is the largest ever recorded number since a new heatwave plan was adopted in 2004.
In England, the predicted overall excess mortality for people 65 and older, excluding COVID-19, was 2,803 deaths.
This is the highest excess mortality figure during heat periods observed since the introduction of the Heatwave plan for England in 2004.
In July, some places in England recorded temperatures of over 40C for the first time in recorded history, prompting the UKHSA to issue its first-ever Level 4 Heat Health Alert.
After six years of deficits, the Volta River Authority (VRA)has effectively reversed the company’s fortunes, generating a profit of GHC112.76 million in 2021, with management poised to maintain the pattern.
This is the second year running that the VRA, the country’s largest power producer, has made a profit; having earned a net profit of GHC156 million in 2020.
Presenting last year’s performance to VRA stakeholders – including representatives from the Ministries of Energy and Finance, State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA), the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Electricity Company of Ghana, and the Select Committee on Mines and Energy of Parliament – at a stakeholder interface in Accra, its board chairman, Kofi Tutu Agyare, attributed the achievement to VRA’s Financial Recovery Programme (FRP) and a sustainability plan.
He noted that despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and other difficulties in the energy sector, these initiatives along with cost-reduction measures, technology, and an aggressive export strategy, as well as the effective leadership of the board and the management team coupled with the commitment of staff, have significantly ensured the strong position VRA finds itself in.
The stakeholders commended VRA for the significant turnaround in its operations, noting that efforts of the board, the chief executive, management, and staff in transforming the company, are rare in the public sector.
“A state institution moving from a negative to positive deserves a standing ovation. VRA, you have done very well! You deserve applause,” Samuel Atta Akyea, chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, said at the event.
By 2025, VRA hopes to increase its renewable footprint to 200MW. Among the renewable projects soon to be rolled out are included a 60MW Bongo Solar Power project in the Upper East Region and a 75MW Wind Power Project at Anloga in the Volta Region.
Meanwhile, the Authority is also working with the Ministry of Energy to relocate the 250MW AMERI Plant from the VRA Aboadze Power Station to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, and also rehabilitate its 132MW T3 Power Plant in Aboadze within the 2023 to 2024 time-frame.
Two of its simple cycle power plants in Tema and Kpone in Accra will also be converted into combined cycle plants for generation efficiency.
Residents of Sakyikrom a suburb of Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality in the Eastern region say they are gripped with fear following the heightening chieftaincy dispute in the community.
The Queen mother of Sakyikrom, Nana Agyarkwabea, and a few palace Elders allegedly staged a palace coup by enstooling a new chief Nana Sakyi Agyarkwa known in private life as Percy whilst the substantive Chief Nana Osei Anka IV had traveled abroad for medical intervention in 2020 before COVID-19 lockdown.
The return of Nana Osei Anka IV to the community has since heightened tension as the Queen mother and her cohorts of chiefs aided by the security have allegedly hijacked the palace denying the alleged destooled chief access.
According to residents armed police and some plain cloth security operatives have been marauding in the town under the guise of maintaining law and order but say it is rather causing more fear and panic.
“When they come, they fire warning shots indiscriminately. We are all afraid. Our children, our wives are all afraid to go out. The last time they beat the assembly member mercilessly and he was rushed to the hospital “a resident said.
Tension was high Sunday, October 2, 2022, during the celebration of Akwasidae as both factions performed customary rites to observe the day.
Oheneba Nana Asante Okodie, the Apegyahene of Sakyikrom said, “this community is no longer safe because of the weapons being paraded in town. But I must emphasize that the Queenmother can’t destool a chief so the so-called destoolment by the Queenmother is illegal, null, and void”.
The embattled Chief of Sakyikrom, Nana Osae Anka IV explained that he was legitimately enstooled in 2013 but whilst abroad for medical treatment in 2020, he was informed by Abusuapanyin Kofi Owusu, the Queenmother was enstooling a new Chief.
Nana Osae Anka IV has since petitioned the Eastern regional House of chiefs as well as the Regional Police Command for the law to take its course rather than using violence to liberate the palace and his personal properties.
“We are peace-loving people so deposit having the numbers to face them squarely I have told my followers to remain calm. We are using the legal means to regain the stool and librate the palace” Nana Osae Anka IV.
The Mawerehene Nana Sakyi Ankomea, however, denied allegations of indiscriminate shooting in the community.
He admitted to the presence of security personnel during events due to the chieftaincy dispute in the community but said the security is to maintain law and order.
“We don’t fire warning shots. Whenever you hear gunshot that is from the musket during procession of chiefs to an event or ceremony so it is absolutely malicious to say we fire gunshots indiscriminately. There is serious chieftaincy dispute in the community so I have asked the factions several times to sit and resolve the feud for peace to prevail to stimulate development,” Nana Sakyi Ankomea, Mawerehene said.
Mette Frederiksen bypasses vote of no confidence over handling of mass cull by calling 1 November ballot.
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has called a general election for 1 November after a member of her ruling coalition threatened to withdraw its support over her handling of the country’s controversial Covid mass mink cull.
The Social Liberal party issued an ultimatum demanding that Frederiksen, the center-left leader who became Denmark’s youngest prime minister in 2019 aged 41, call elections before parliament’s first debate on 6 October, seven months before they were due.
“I have today informed the Queen that elections to the Folketing [parliament] will be held,” she told a press conference on Wednesday. “We want a broad government with parties on both sides of the political centre line.”
Polls show the race is too close to call, with the “red bloc” of left-leaning parties led by Fredriksen’s Social Democrats on 47-50% and its rival “blue bloc”, which includes the Liberal and Conservative parties and three nationalist parties, on 49-50%.
Frederiksen’s popularity has slipped after the government’s 2020 decision to cull Denmark’s entire captive mink population of 15 million for fear of a Covid-19 mutation moving from the animals to humans that could jeopardize future vaccines.
A parliament-appointed commission said in June that the government had lacked legal justification for the cull and made “grossly misleading” statements when it ordered Europe’s first compulsory shutdown of an entire farm sector.
While the cull was illegal, the commission agreed with Frederiksen that she had not broken the law intentionally. The decision devastated Denmark’s mink industry. The country was previously one of the world’s biggest exporters of furs.
Denmark is the focal point of a global political crisis after two pipelines carrying gas from Russia to Europe across the Baltic Sea were last week damaged in what world leaders have called an act of sabotage.
Frederiksen conceded on Wednesday that it was “peculiar to have a general election in the middle of an international crisis”, but has been speaking openly for some time about governing with center-right opposition parties.
She said a broad government would “get us through uncertain times”, adding that the time had come “to try a new form of government in Denmark. We are ready for both compromise and collaboration.”
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has revealed that the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will carry on with their negotiations on an economic programme for Ghana in the United States of America (U.S.A.).
He stated this during the signing of a $1.13 billion cocoa syndicated loan in Accra, which will ensure that the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) meets its financing
needs for the 2022/23 cocoa crop season.
Mr Ofori-Atta said, “the ministry will go to Washington, DC at the end of the week to continue with these discussions,” while asserting that “we are very confident that the discussions that we are having with the Fund will put us in the right landing zone.”
The government of Ghana and the IMF, led by the Mission Chief for Ghana, Stéphane Roudet, on Monday, September 26, 2022, resumed formal negotiations for a Fund-supported programme. Ghana’s team is scheduled to leave
the country on Friday, October 7, 2022 for the US to resume negotiations.
Ghana formally contacted the IMF in July 2022 and asked for a comprehensive package to restore and maintain macroeconomic stability, guarantee sustainable and inclusive growth, and advance social protection.
The IMF/World Bank and the government of Ghana are currently conducting a debt sustainability analysis (DSA) in order to inform programme negotiations.
Interactions between Ghana and the IMF also include a review of the country’s medium-term macro-fiscal framework.
This means an intricate look at a three-year expenditure plan which sets out the medium-term expenditure priorities and budget constraints, as well as a focus on sectors that need to be developed and refined.
The Finance Minister, updating the press on the extent of Ghana’s engagement with the IMF, noted that the country needs a viable domestic financial system to support its development programme.
According to him, this is because Ghana has had limited access to the international capital market as a result of rating agencies downgrading its creditworthiness.
“Everything must, and will be done, to protect our financial sector; and there must be room for a win-win conversation through extensive stakeholder engagement with both our domestic and external investors. Ghana has always had a collaborativeapproach with its partners, and we shall, I am confident, come out with an ‘historic arrangement,“ he said.
From January to July this year, Ghana’s overall fiscal deficit amounted to GH¢31.1 billion, which is 5.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Ghana’s inflation is at an all-time high, with 33.9% as of August 2022.
The struggling cedi has also seen a steep decline in value against the US dollar, by about 37.1%, as of September 27th, 2022.
Already, the IMF has established that Ghana’s economic challenges have been exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Meanwhile, as part of being transparent in its engagement with the IMF, the government has noted that it will set up a 5-member committee that will consist of prominent financial services professionals to engage key stakeholders in the financial services sector.
This will be in addition to ongoing engagements with civil society organizations (CSOs), social partners (labour unions, employers, and FBOs), persons in academia, industry professionals, and the leadership of Parliament.
The committee’s membership roster has not yet been made public.
The IMF programme Ghana is in search of is hinged on seven pillars, namely: Debt Sustainability; Fiscal Consolidation; Strengthening Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies; Building Strong Financial Institutions; Macro-Critical Structural Reforms; Maintaining Peace and Security; and Economic Growth and Transformation.
The Danish Queen hasexpressed regret for depriving four of her grandchildren of their royal titles, but she has not changed her mind.
Queen Margrethe II said she wanted the monarchy in “keeping with the times”, that her decision had been a long time coming, and that it would “future-proof” the institution.
But she “underestimated” her family’s reaction “and for that I am sorry”.
The initial decision was announced last week, to begin next year.
“The titles of prince and princess that they have held up until now will be discontinued,” the initial statement said. “Prince Joachim’s descendants will thus have to be addressed as excellencies in the future.”
Prince Joachim – the younger son of Queen Margrethe – said he was upset by the change.
“It’s never fun to see your children being mistreated like that,” he told Ekstra Bladet. “They find themselves in a situation they do not understand.”
His wife, Princess Marie, said her youngest child had been bullied at school following what she called the “short-notice” announcement.
In an interview, the couple also saidMargrethe had not spoken to them since the changes were announced. One grandchild, Prince Nikolai, said his family were “shocked” by the decision.
From the beginning of 2023, Joachim’s four children – Prince Nikolai, 23, Prince Felix, 20, Prince Henrik, 13, and Princess Athena, 10 – will be known by the titles Count and Countess of Monpezat instead of Prince and Princess.
The palace said this was a “natural extension” of the Danish monarch’s desire to slim down the monarchy.
“Her Majesty The Queen wishes to create the framework for the four grandchildren to be able to shape their own lives to a much greater extent,” last week’s statement said.
But following what Margrethe described as “strong reactions” to her decision, she apologised in a new statement for underestimating the reaction.
“No one should be in doubt that my children, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren are my great joy and pride. I now hope that we as a family can find the peace to find our way through this situation,” she said.
Queen Margrethe II’s oldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, is first in line to the throne. His four children will keep their titles.
His wife, Crown Princess Mary, supported the Queen, saying “change can be difficult and can really hurt. But this does not mean that the decision is not the right one”.
The Danish monarch, 82, tested positive for Covid-19 after attending the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II– who was her third cousin.
A central bank poll,indicates that the business climate for Japanese manufacturers deteriorated in three monthsbetween July and September as the third-largest economy in the world struggled with rising expenses, a falling yen, and pandemic restrictions.
Big manufacturers’ business outlook fell to plus 8 in September from plus 9 in June, the Bank of Japan’s “tankan” survey showed on Monday.
Service sector sentiment improved slightly from three months ago, the survey showed, although retailers were less optimistic due to rising living costs stemming from higher commodity prices and the weakening yen.
The index measures corporate sentiment by subtracting the number of companies saying business conditions are negative from those that view them as positive.
Japan’s economy is under strain as the plummeting yen exacerbates the cost of living pressures sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The declining value of the yen, which last month hit a 24-year low against the US dollar, has driven up the cost of food and energy imports, burdening households and retailers.
Asia’s second-largest economy, which has struggled with stagnant growth for decades, is also grappling with more than two and a half years of pandemic-related border restrictions that are set to be lifted from October 11.
Japan’s economy grew an annualised 3.5 percent in the second quarter, but analysts expect it to have slowed in the third quarter as slowing global demand and rising materials costs sap exports and consumption.
The Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, has assured the public that the judiciary will continue to adopt technology in order to expand access to justice delivery.
In a message at a special church service to usher in the new legal year last Saturday, the Chief Justice said the COVID-19 pandemic showed the importance of technology, with the judiciary adopting many digital tools in order to serve the public, while at the same time, avoiding the spread of the virus in courtrooms.
Justice Anin Yeboah said the judiciary had already started utilising technology in its operations before the pandemic, and would continue to aggressively pursue that to improve access to justice delivery.
Technological drive
The Chief Justice mentioned some of the technological initiatives as the automation of High Courts in Accra under the e-Justice project, the e-Judgement system and the national digitisation project, which was digitising court documents in selected courts across the country.
“Today, with the use of teleconferencing equipment that we have procured, we are able to organise virtual hearings in some of our courts, with incalculable benefits for speed and convenience to all who have to interact with the justice system,” Justice Anin Yeboah said.
However, the Chief Justice said in spite of the technological drive, justice delivery would only improve if all the stakeholders in the justice delivery system performed their duties diligently as ascribed by law.
“Let us remember that the justice system rests on our daily actions and so we should endeavour to place those actions in the best possible light,” Justice Anin Yeboah indicated.
New legal year
The 65th legal year, which commences today and ends on July 31, next year, is the calendar period during which the judiciary fully operates.
In August and September, majority of judges go on vacation, with a few judges staying on call to work in order for the wheel or justice not to grind to a halt.
The 65th legal year is on the theme “Improving Access to Justice in a pandemic through the use of technology.”
Last Saturday’s church service at the Cathedral Church of the Most Holy Trinity of the Anglican Church in Accra was the first church service to mark a new legal year since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020.
Aside from the Chief Justice, other justices of the superior courts, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the President of the Ghana Bar Association, Yaw Boafo, and the Director of the Ghana School of Law, Yaw Oppong, also attended the church service.
Expectation
The Attorney-General, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said his expectation of the new legal year was for the judiciary to continue to dispense justice efficiently as it always did, with emphasis on fairness, justice and the rule of law.
“Lawyers must also play their part. Sound advocacy is what enables judges to deliver justice in a manner required by law. The duty is not only on the judges but lawyers also play a major role,” Mr Dame said.
Sermon
Delivering the sermon, Archbishop Emeritus of the West African Province of the Anglican Church, Most Rev. Dr Robert Garshong Allotey Okine, advised judges and officers of the law to uphold integrity and not sacrifice it for expediency.
“Do not fail to do what you know is right. Again, be consistent in your utterances and actions. Inconsistencies are major problems facing our society. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no,” Most Rev. Okine said.
He also urged judges to refrain from all forms of corruption that would affect their duties and derail the effective administration of justice.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo claims that since taking office in 2017, his administration has implemented policies and programs that have helped Ghana develop a vibrant tourism industry.
“We want to use tourism as an effective vehicle for economic development, which will help to create jobs and wealth for the people,” said President Akufo-Addo.
To increase tourist arrivals this year and in the future, the government is spending extensively on key tourist attractions with the help of international partners.
Speaking at the formal opening of the Tema Branch of the Alisa Hotel, on Friday, 30th September 2022, the President indicated that the hospitality sector is the third largest contributor to the country’s GDP, after cocoa and oil and gas, accounting for two (2) out of every ten (10) jobs in the country.
Following the rebounding of the hospitality and tourism sectors, “after government undertook some bold and decisive measures, which saved lives, livelihoods and businesses, as well as through the global easing of (COVID-19) restrictions”, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that Government has put in place plans to build a state-of-the-art tourism and hospitality training school in Accra.
“The ten-million-US-dollar (US$10 million) facility will serve West Africa, and provide customer care training to operators in the tourism and hospitality value chain. When customers are happy and delighted, they do not only stay longer in hotels, but also spend more, and likely to return in the future with family and friends. Building the capacity of tourism players is, therefore, important in our quest to be the tourism destination of West Africa,” he said.
The President noted that government’s focus, over the next eighteen (18) months, is to exploit Ghana’s culture, heritage, history, hospitality and beautiful natural scenery to attract tourists, fun-lovers and leisure seekers hoping to find a unique experience in Africa.
In addition to the abundance of natural resources, he stated that Government has embarked on a product improvement plan, where several tourist sites in the country are currently undergoing site renovations. These include the Aburi Botanical Gardens, the Yaa Asantewaa Memorial Museum and the Kente Museum, both in Kumasi.
“This year alone, it is expected that some twenty-five million United States dollars ($25 million) will be expended to upgrade some of our iconic sites, including the famous Elmina and Cape Coast Castles, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the Mole and Kakum Parks, and cultural Museums in Yendi in the Northern Region, Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, Akropong in the Eastern Region, and Ho in the Volta Region, under the Ghana Tourism Development Project, supported by the World Bank,” he said.
The President continued, “this Project, in all of a value of forty-million-US-dollars ($40 million), is expected to position the tourism and hospitality sectors as key drivers of social and economic development. Some of the benefits that the project is expected to bring are an enriched access to Ghana’s tourism market, better provision of tourism products and services, and the upgrading of skills in the labour force in the tourism, arts, and culture sectors.”
Before Marian Akoto, 24, agreed to receive the injection, immunized peer volunteers had to provide proof of their advice in the form of a COVID-19 vaccination card.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognises themes in news sources especially social media as a tool that may impact on vaccine confidence.
Its Confidence Insights August 2022 Report, says, a section of the public globally believes that vaccines are not safe or effective.
Marian’s initial posture towards the vaccine is not different from many especially PLHIV who are said to have a weakened immune system, because of their unique medical conditions.
But with timely and accurate communication on Covid-19, she was not left behind.
Currently, some 150,000 of 346,120 PLHIV in Ghana are on antiretroviral therapy to boost their immune system, according to 2019 National HIV estimates and projections.
PLHIV were part of the groups that were hardest hit by COVID-19.
To cater for their needs, she says an initiative called, “Reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and maximize vaccine uptake towards attaining the National HIV targets” was introduced.
The initiative trained youth-PLHIV to undertake a door-to-door education to convince and encourage members on the need to take the vaccine.
Madam Elsie Ayeh, President of NAP+ Ghana told GNA that a team of volunteers were formed in Kumasi and Accra to help convince their “community members” to take the vaccine.
She says to cure the claim of getting sick after taking the jab, the group carried along the outreach with meals to take before the vaccine is administered.
Nearly, 10, 000 PLHIVs at 11 communities in Accra and 13 communities in Kumasi, Ashanti Region were convinced and took the COVID-19 vaccine as a result of the project.
This has contributed to Ghana’s gains of administering 19,055,059 doses of all the five vaccine types, AstraZeneca, Sputnik-V, Moderna, Pfizer-BionNTech and COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen as of August 30, 2022, according to GHS.
She says none of the PLHIVs died of COVID-19 and members although facing the pandemic disruptions they were doing well.
Ms Catherine Bentum-Williams, PACTGH2022 Project Coordinator at Hope for Future Generations explains that the members of the group could not access their medication due to lockdown and other restrictions.
In other to cater for their needs, she says an initiative called “Reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and maximize vaccine uptake towards attaining the National HIV targets” was introduced.
The initiative trained youth-PLHIV to undertake a door-to-door education to convince and encourage members on the need to take the vaccine.
Ms Bentum-William says the project, which ended in August 2022, worked with closely with key partners including NPL+ and GHS to ensure easy access to vaccine centres at the convenience of the targeted group.
Other vulnerable populations like pregnant women and the aged benefited from the project activities.
The initiative supports the ideals of the Africa Health Strategy 2016 – 2030, Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want” and Sustainable Development, which talks about ensuring long and healthy lives and promoting the well-being of all in Africa
False videos and audios on the COVID-19 vaccine that circulated on social media prior to the vaccine roll-out programme heightened her fears.
These contents, which were wildly shared by prominent persons made claims about how people’s health conditions had worsened.
Strong partnerships with stakeholders
Dr Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, the Programme Manager for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) at the Ghana Health Service, told the Ghana News Agency that the main objective of the vaccine programme was to reduce morbidity, hospitalization, complication and death.
While more than six million people globally lost their lives, according to the World Health Organisation Ghana’s share stands at 1,450.
The country’s health sector, he states achieved these objectives through strong partnerships with many local and international partners and unique initiatives such as that NAP+ and Hope For Future Generations.
He says the inter-sectoral action for health engages other ministries, levels of government and non-state actors in a manner that demonstrates broad stewardship by ministries of health towards all actions conducive and necessary for health.
“Everybody realised that the pandemic was grinding the nation to a halt so there was that united front to find solutions. From vaccine development, cold chain storage and sensitization all hands were on the wheels to reduce protect lives. This is the power of partnership as enshrined in the sustainable development goal 17,” he said.
However, he has asked state authorities and stakeholders in West African countries’ trade sectors to step up initiatives like risk profiling and cross-national, cross-sector cooperation that will be able to appropriately remove trade barriers while assisting governments in maintaining good security.
He made these remarks while analysing the state of trade facilitation across the West African Borders, and identifying associated challenges.
Mr. Hamoui chronicled the shutdown and reopening of borders where he maintained that the disuniform reopening of borders demonstrated by African countries has had its negative effect on cross border trade.
He said while many countries had for a long period opened their borders to commercial vehicles, travel restrictions for people have impeded the flow of cross border trade.
“For example if you go to Cote D’Ivoire, the borders are closed. You can leave Elubo but you will get stuck at their side.”
Mr. Hamoui stated that, “even if the corridors are open for the movement of commercial vehicles, there is still that difficulty in the movement of people and until we get to a time where we have the normalization of free movement of people, trade will be stagnant because trade moves where people move. This has created uncertainty within the business space, so people have been unable to adequately plan and anticipate.”
These restrictions according to him, go beyond safety measures against the spread of COVID 19, but also a deliberate effort by nations in the wake of political unrests and widespread insecurities in certain areas of the continent.
According to the National President of Borderless Alliance, if strategic collaborative approaches are not taken, trade facilitation will suffer at the expense of excessive nationalism.
“At the end of the day, countries have to look at the risk element and enhance risk profiling and based on that, you address the core roots of the problem so we can reduce the risks,” he said.
This approach, Mr. Hamoui said, is better than the outright, ad-hoc closure of borders, which do not serve Africa’s trade liberalization objectives.
According to the trade advocate, aside the restrictions that have emerged out of nations’ desire to mitigate the wave of health and security threats, cross border trading in West Africa is becoming increasingly expensive, creating extra barriers to trade.
“We know that some traders are compliant but some others are not. On the other hand, we know some agencies are not facilitating trade at the level they are supposed to even when traders are compliant. Sometimes money exchanges are made, and with these activities, economic losses are incurred,” he elaborated.
The National President of Borderless Alliance did not fail to mention the numerous security checkpoints and barriers along the various West African corridors, where he recalled that the number of such along Ghana’s corridor was approximately 75, last time he checked.
He acknowledged that while security reasons are reasonable, the numerous checkpoints open the corridor up to corruption and uncompetitiveness.
He made a strong appeal to authorities to simplify and make affordable, trade processes in order to encourage increased trade activities especially for the informal, small scale trade sector, which represent the large chunk of businesses within the region.
Ziad Hamoui, reiterated that for success to be seen in regional protocols and interventions intended to improve trade facilitation, political will is of utmost importance.
