Day: May 5, 2023

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Ghana Tourism Development Project supports four technical universities

The Ghana Tourism Development Project (GTDP), has supported four technical universities with equipment and lower – level tourism and hospitality skills training.

The equipment, valued at GHS900,000 were presented to the Tourism and Hospitality departments of the Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi and Tamale Technical Universities to facilitate the training of their students and boost tourism development in the country.

Speaking at a ceremony to hand over the items to officials of the four technical universities, Prof Gabriel Eshun, Technical Advisor at the GTDP, said the equipment was financed by the World Bank.

He explained that the GTDP as part of measures to improve tourism and revenue generation from the tourism sector had included training of industry players who would provide top notch services.

He said, Ghana stood a comparative advantage in terms of tourism offerings, hence the need for modern equipment for the training of students who would take up spaces in the industry.

Prof Eshun added that, Ghana had the potential for tourism to become the number one contributor to Gross Domestic Product, hence the need to ensure that the right approach and interventions are put in place.

‘The idea is to strengthen the Tourism, Arts and Culture landscape to compete favourably with all the other generating income sectors of the economy,’ he said.

Receiving the items on behalf of the beneficiaries, Prof Amevi Acakpovi, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Accra Technical Univeristy, said the equipment would help in the training of the students to meet modern demands.

He explained that the intervention from the GTDP came as a relief to the university because it was financially handicapped to procure most of the modern equipment.

He said the university would ensure that the longevity of the equipment.

Prof Acakpovi expressed appreciation to the GTDP and the World Bank for the gesture, and called for more support from other donor agencies and partners.

The items included industrial food processor, electric food mixer, electric rice steamers, ovens, gas cookers, gas cylinders, cake mixer, commercial blenders, microwave, kitchen and cook ware, chest freezers and refrigerators.

Others are, washing machine, air conditioners, ceiling fans, desktop and laptop computers with accessories, office machines, ceiling mount projector, office furniture, double Beds and mattresses.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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MMDCEs urged to be transparent and exhibit good leadership

Mr Simon Osei Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, has charged metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) to exhibit high sense of transparency and effective leadership.

That, he said, would help engender the trust of the people, especially the assembly members, to be able to unite and mobilise them for development in their communities.

They should also work closely with traditional leaders in their communities on all development initiatives and secure lands for future projects.

Mr Osei Mensah made the call during a meeting of the Offinso North District Assembly to approve the nomination of Mr Albert Safah as the new District Chief Executive.

Mr Sefah was nominated by President Akufo-Addo to replace Mr David Akwasi Asare, the former DCE (late) of the area.

Mr Sefah obtained 29 out of the total 34 votes cast by the Assembly members to secure his nomination.

Mr Osei Mensah commended the Assembly for exhibiting strong unity and working together to improve the lives of the people.

Mr Augustine Collins Ntim, the Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, said effective leadership was needed to bring development to the people.

He commended the Assembly members for approving the nominee and called for support to enable him to discharge his duties effectively.

Mr Ntim, also the Member of Parliament for the area, appealed to the people to rally behind the Government as it worked to address the economic challenges of the nation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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CARISCA holds Supply Chain Action Network Meeting

The Centre for Applied Research and Innovation in Supply Chain – Africa (CARISCA) has organized a Supply Chain Action Network (SCAN) Meeting in Accra.

The one-day meeting on the theme ‘Supply Chain Traceability: Improving Africa’s Agriculture and Health Sectors’, discussed supply chain traceability, the key to unlocking the potential of Africa’s agricultural and health sectors.

CARISCA is a Centre of Excellence established at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in partnership with the Arizona State University and sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

It seeks to improve supply chains throughout Africa.

Its mission is to transform African supply networks through education, research, and action.

CARISCA supports and builds capacity by finding solutions to complex development problems through education and training, bolstering the talent pipeline, and engaging private sector partners and policymakers in applying research best practices.

Professor Nathaniel Boso, Director of CARISCA and Dean of the KNUST Business School, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the SCAN Meeting in Accra, said the event was a platform for thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding supply chain traceability in Africa’s agricultural and health sectors.

He said participants at the meeting explored the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and the establishment of effective cross-sector collaboration to enhance supply chain traceability.

He noted that from June 20-23, CARISCA would host the third annual Supply Chain Research Summit in Accra.

He said this year’s summit would take an in-depth look at ‘Africa’s Supply Chains and the Future of Work’.

Prof Dale S. Rogers of the Supply Chain Management Department at Arizona State University and Principal Lead Investigator of CARISCA, in virtual presentation noted that CARISCA would advance research, translation and training in supply chain management and address barriers to development caused by insufficient and ineffective supply chains, especially in health and agriculture, to drive Ghanaian and Pan-African self-reliance and increase the impact of USAID investments.

Mr Stephen Acheampong, the Senior Officer for certification bodies monitoring in-charge of Africa, Rainforest Alliance, said supply chain traceability was the process of tracking the origin and journey of products and their inputs, from the very start of the supply chain through to the end-user.

Speaking in the topic ‘Supply Chain Traceability in Agriculture, Ghana and Africa’s Perspective’, Mr Acheampong focused on the agriculture sector, examining the significance of traceability in ensuring food safety, reducing waste, and supporting sustainable practices.

He shared successful case studies from across the continent, demonstrating how traceability had improved productivity, market access and profitability for African farmers within the cocoa value chain industry; citing case studies from Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroun.

Madam Bindiya Vakil, the Chief Executive Officer of Resilinc, in virtual a presentation entitled ‘Building Resilience into Your Health Sector Supply Chain by Understanding your Sub-Tier Supplier Network’, said Africa was well situated for long-term supply chain success; citing the availability of clean energy, raw materials and resources, and access to technology.

She illustrated how supply chain mapping helped companies better understand the health care supply chain landscape and who the players were, down to the supplier, site, and part level.

Dr John Frimpong Manso, Senior Technical Advisor in-charge of Capacity Building and Training, CARISCA, speaking to the Ghana News Agency said CARISCA was a five-year project sponsored by the USAID but has been run by the KNUST and the Arizona State University.

He said the CARISCA Project, which was in its third-year hinges on two sectors – health supply chain and agriculture supply chain; stating that the whole idea was to conduct more research, build more stakeholders engagement and to see how best to address the identified challenges.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Togolese border security officials hinder Ghanaians from crossing into Lome

Some residents in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region, are raising red flags over what they described as harassment from Togolese border security personnel.

The residents say the security personnel have in recent times deploy measures that made it difficult to freely cross into Lome, in the neighboring Togo.

The residents poured out their frustrations in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, at Aflao.

‘Togolese border security officers are making life difficult for the people living in the border community and more especially the businessmen and women, who use that entry point for business daily,’ the residents complained.

Ms Cynthia Henyo, a resident and trader, who plies the route every day, said: ‘These people are not treating us well at all – we always cross the border each day without any problems, but nowadays they are not cooperating at all.

‘I mean the Togo People- sometimes you are asked to pay something small and allowed to cross, but like few days now, you cannot cross at all.

Ms Henyo lamented: ‘This situation is taking a toll on those of us who rely on trading at ‘Asigame’ (Lome- Big Market) to make ends meet – it is not just those of us living in Aflao and surrounding communities, other people from Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi are all stranded here unable to cross.’.

She appealed to the authorities to intervene in finding a solution to the development.

‘As you can see for yourself, everyone seems to be stranded. Nobody is going nowhere especially we Ghanaians – Togolese and other nationals are allowed to cross except Ghanaians and we cannot just understand – our big men must quickly do something about this,’ Ms Henyo said.

Mr Joshua Norsah, a security analyst the GNA spoke to, decried the development, and described it as worrying.

‘What is happening at the border now has nothing to do with the Ghana Immigration Service, but with the Togolese police at the border, who are preventing the free passage of people, especially our Ghanaian brothers and sisters,’ he said.

Mr Norsah added that ‘the deprivation and repressions at that side of the border, sometimes makes you wonder, what they are looking for – because they do it more than necessary.’

He observed that the Togolese security at the Aflao border no longer recognized Ghanaians and their identify cards.

He questioned the importance of the ECOWAS treaty that bounds neighbouring countries together and wondered what happened to the treaty on the Free Movement of Persons, Goods and Services across our common borders and within ECOWAS member states all these years.

‘How can you pay 2000 CFA, which is GHS 40 before you are allowed to cross the border – When you are returning, you pay the same, that is if you have the Ghana Card at all,’ he wondered.

The GNA took a stroll around the border and saw several people, mostly Ghanaian traders and businesspeople loitering about, unable to cross over into Lome to do their business, some from as far as Accra, Takoradi and Kumasi, all bemoaning the development as they poured out their frustrations.

Meanwhile, Mr Maxwell Kofi Lugudor, the Municipal Chief Executive of Ketu South and chairman of the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC), told the GNA that his attention had been drawn to the development and preliminary findings confirmed somehow the concerns raised by the residents.

He said he was informed that the situation was not so until a couple of days ago and was attributed to an ongoing voter registration exercise in the neighbouring country, which is expected to end on Sunday, May 7.

Mr Lugudor appealed to the residents to remain calm as MUSEC was working to ensure that the issue was resolved amicably in the interest of the peace and security of both countries.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Chief of the Army Staff pays working visit to Obuasi mine

Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, Chief of Army Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, has paid a working visit to the AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi mine.

A statement issued by AngloGold Ashanti, copied to the Ghana News Agency said, the purpose of the visit was for Major General Oppong-Peprah to acquaint himself with the mine’s operations and the security issues in the mining industry.

He was accompanied by a team of high-ranking military officials and was welcomed by Mr Eric Asubonteng, the Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana) Limited, and his leadership team.

In his welcome remarks, Mr Asubonteng expressed gratitude for the invaluable contribution of the army in controlling illegal mining around the Obuasi mine.

‘The increasing aggression of armed illegal miners is a major challenge for the Obuasi mine. As such, we appreciate the support of the government of Ghana in ensuring the safety and security of our employees, host communities and assets’ Mr Asubonteng said.

On his part, Major General Oppong-Peprah expressed gratitude and appreciation to the Obuasi Mine for its support and cooperation.

He said the army would continue to protect the Obuasi mine from security threats, highlighting advanced discussions to establish a Forward Operating Base in Obuasi to help maintain law and order.

The statement said it was envisaged that the Forward Operating Base would assist in the fight against illegal mining and associated criminal activities.

It said illegal mining and associated activities present safety risks to illegal miners, socio-economic and environmental risks to the company’s host communities, as well as a significant threat to AngloGold Ashanti’s operations at the Obuasi mine.

The statement said the Chief of Army Staff and his team were given a tour of the mine and on its operations and illegal mining hotspots within the concession.

It said in response to a request by the mine for enhanced support to protect its concessions, four new military vehicles were unveiled to strengthen patrol effectiveness within the mine’s operational areas.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Over taxation, a major cause of unemployment – Abraham Koomson

Mr Abraham Koomson, the Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour, has reiterated the need for the Government to reconsider some of its economic policies, saying over-taxation has worsened the country’s unemployment situation.

He said most companies were on the verge of collapse due to over-taxation, with some economic policies having negative effects on businesses, resulting in laying off workers.

Speaking at the Ghana News Agency’s Industrial News Hub platform at Tema on Friday, Mr Koomson said the three new taxes introduced by the Government: Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill 2022, and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022, would collapse the few businesses left and most people would be jobless.

”It would be best if the Government prioritised creating more jobs rather than over-burdening companies with taxes…The targeted revenue to be accumulated may not be achieved if businesses are over-burdened with taxes,’ he said.

He noted that some companies had stopped production to monitor the market trends and consumer reactions to the new taxes.

Government says the Growth and Sustainability Levy is to raise revenue for the growth and fiscal sustainability of the economy.

It is imposed on the profit before tax of companies/institutions and on production in the case of mining, and upstream oil and gas companies.

The estimated revenue for 2023 is approximately S2.26 billion. The levy is subject to review by the finance minister in 2025.

The amendment to the Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896) is to revise the rates of income tax for individuals and introduce an additional income tax bracket, introduce a withholding tax rate on the realization of assets and liabilities and winnings from lotteries, among other things.

It is also intended to increase the optional rate for individuals on the gain from the realization of an investment asset, revise the upper limits for the quantification of motor vehicle benefits, and increase the concessional income tax rates.

The object of the Excise Duty Act, 2014 (Act 878) is to revise the excise tax rates for cigarettes and other tobacco products to conform with the ECOWAS Protocols and raise revenue to mitigate the harmful effects of these excisable products.

It is also intended to increase the excise duty in respect of wine, malt drinks, and spirits and impose excise duty on sweetened beverages, electronic cigarettes, and electronic liquids to increase revenue.

Source: Ghana News Agency