Category: General

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has advised women in the mining industry to maximise the training opportunities available to build their capacities for occupying crucial decision-making positions.

It was important to create opportunities for women to participate in all aspects of the industry, especially in the ranks of administration, from entry-level positions to leadership roles, the Minister said, and highlighted training and education support in fields, such as geology and chemical engineering.

Mr Jinapor made the remarks at the National Policy Dialogue of Women in Mining Ghana, held in Accra on Thursday. The event was on the theme: ‘Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Actions for the Mining Sector’.

He expressed the Government’s commitment to partnering with women in mining, and other stakeholders, to drive meaningful changes towards ensuring more inclusivity and a prosperous mining sector.

‘So, I charge the Women in Mining to pay particular attention to training b
ecause part of inclusion is training and educating the women to become part of the process from the very beginning…,’ the Minister advised.

Expressing the determination to align the government’s policies with women in mining needs, Mr Jinapor called for collaborative efforts to enhance inclusivity and promote women’s success in the sector.

He said it was imperative to invest in women’s empowerment in line with the vision of International Women’s Day celebrations.

He underlined inclusivity and justice in broadening participation in the industry and applauded Women in Mining Ghana for its advocacy efforts and commitment to the core industry values.

‘There is the need to come together to promote policies and practices that are pro-gender equality, creating opportunities for women to advance their careers, and fostering a culture of respect and inclusivity within mining companies, ‘Mr Jinapor emphasised.

Highlighting Ghana’s rich mining history and its pivotal role in the national economy, the Minister state
d the government’s goal to position Ghana as the primary hub of Africa’s mining activities.

Regarding economic empowerment, Mr Jinapor pointed out the substantial contributions of women to the mining sector and cited that the local content initiatives, such as catering services, generated significant revenues, amounting to two million dollars annually.

Mrs Judy Nakuor Crayem, the Chief Executive Officer of Rapport Services, and board member of the Minerals Commission, who presided over the function, stated that women in artisanal mining constituted 50% of labour in the sector.

However, women in mining were mostly ignored in the critical decision-making processes.

She, thus, called for a level playing field without discrimination for all women in the mining sector.

Mrs Crayem announced that Women in Mining Ghana, in partnership with the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Mining (GNASSM), was offering women avenues for training in jewellery-making as an alternative livelihood.

Mrs Georgette Barnes
Sakyi-Addo, the President of Women in Mining, Ghana, in her welcome remarks, stated that lack of access to information, financial resources and inadequate policies to support their active involvement were some of the challenges them.

She urged the stakeholders to pursue the agenda of diversity, inclusion and belonging to make the relevant impact on the continent.

There were solidarity messages from the Association’s counterparts in Nigeria, Congo, Namibia and Niger.

Source: Ghana News Agency

As the world marks Water Day today, March 22, the people of Nintin and Hwidiem, a twin farming community in the Asante Mampong Municipality, are struggling unendingly to get potable water for their daily household use.

The perennial water scarcity in the two farming communities, located on the Kumasi-Ejura Highway of the Ashanti Region, is becoming a huge socio-economic burden for the people.

These communities are noted for the sale of organic fruits such as bananas, pawpaw and avocado.

The situation, according to Mr Nicholas Osei-Owusu, the Assemblyman for the area, has affected basic school attendance and the health of the people.

The most affected are school children and women who trek deep into the valley of the Mampong scarp to collect water flowing from the rocks and forming small dams on the rock surfaces.

A visit to the community by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) showed that aside the women and children walking far distances to search for water, healthy living, sanitation and hygiene in the two com
munities have become a challenge as most of the residents resort to open defecation.

The yellow gallons, popularly referred to as ‘Kufuor gallons’ are the esteemed household assets in the towns since they are the most sought after and popular water fetching articles.

Commercial tricycle riders, who travel to Bosofour, near Mampong to fetch water, charge GHc 2.00 per gallon.

The situation, Mr Osei-Owusu noted, was not only affecting the financial situation of the people, who are peasant farmers, but also eroding their meagre incomes.

He told the GNA that several efforts to sink boreholes at various locations in the communities had proved futile due to the hard rocks beneath the ground.

With a total population of approximately 5,000 residents, the two communities have endured this situation for many years and with the impact of climate change, the challenge was becoming more unbearable since the water from the rocks was also depleting.

‘School attendance, household incomes and social life are being worst
affected daily, and urgent attention is needed to save the situation,’ Mr Osei-Owusu said.

He appealed to the Government, foreign missions and non- governmental organisations in Ghana to go to their aid in finding lasting solutions to the communities’ predicament.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Scores of natives from the Asante Akyem North Constituency based in Accra staged a mini-demonstration on Thursday to express their frustrations over the closure of Salt FM.

Salt FM, a popular private radio station based in Agogo, was closed down by the National Communications Authority (NCA) last December due to licence renewal issues.

However, according to the indigenes of Asante Akyem, they suspect foul play in the closure of the FM Station, especially when its owner, Ohene Kwame Frimpong, is set to contest as an independent candidate in the December 2024 polls.

Mr. Ebenezer Kwaku Asomaning, the Secretary of the Group, addressing the media, stated that Salt FM served as a source of information for the residents of over 50 villages and its closure had affected businesses in the area.

‘The FM station is the only tool that gives information on both local and international news. The media outlet has over the years educated, entertained, and informed people.

‘But following its closure, we are finding it di
fficult to get access to all these, and we want to plead with NCA to reopen it,’ he said.

‘Our focus is that the NCA should be up and doing and not allow some people to downplay their integrity.

‘We believe in them, and so they should do the needful by reopening Salt FM,’ he said.

Mr Asomaning said there had been efforts by the Agogo Traditional Council to get the FM station reopened, but it had not been successful thus far.

The group also pleaded with Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to intervene and ensure the reopening of the FM station.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Scancom PLC (MTN Ghana) will pay a dividend of 17.5 pesewas per share to shareholders effective April 12, 2024.

The total dividend for the 2023 financial year will be 22.5 pesewas per share, including the interim dividend of 5.0 pesewas per share paid on 8 September 2023.?

MTN Ghana made this known to shareholders at the Sixth Annual General Meeting of the Company in Accra on Accra.

Dr Ishmael Yamson, the Board Chairman of MTN Ghana said it was because of the exceptional business performance, and the strength of the cashflow position and projections.

The total dividend amount of GH?3.0 billion is equivalent to 74.8 per cent of the company’s profit after tax (GH?4.0 billion) and represents a 37.2 per cent increase in dividend payout per share.

He said despite the economic challenges faced by the country, the Company had continued to demonstrate discipline in executing its strategic goals for 2023.

He said MTN Ghana’s financial report for 2023 showed a robust performance with a strong total revenue growt
h of 34.6.per cent compared to the previous year.?

‘The growth was achieved through targeted business strategies that led to an increase in Voice, Data, and Mobile Money revenues,’ he added.

The Chairman said as part of the company’s commitment to disciplined execution, the management team?executed the expense efficiency programme proactively to control costs, maintain profitability and ensure business growth.

Dr Yamson said as a result, Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) grew by an outstanding 40.2 per cent year-on-year, and the EBITDA margin also increased by 2.3 percentage points from 56.1 per cent in 2022 to 58.4 per cent.

He said profits after tax grew by 39.4 per cent year on year, and earnings per share increased by 29.5 per cent year on year.

These impressive results demonstrate the company’s commitment to driving sustainable business growth in challenging times.

‘MTN has remained unwavering in its commitment to better the lives of people in Ghana by support
ing various environmental, social, and economic initiatives,’ he added.

He said in addition to investing heavily in their network and technology in an environmentally sustainable way, the company dedicated GH?39.8 million towards projects related to healthcare, education, and economic empowerment in 2023 through the MTN Ghana Foundation.?

He said this was a testament to their vision of creating a better future for all Ghanaians and bringing about positive change to uplift communities.

MTN Ghana remained a development partner to the government through their contribution to the fiscal and socio-economic development of the country.

He said in 2023, the Company paid GH?5.9 billion in direct and indirect taxes and GH?O.4 billion in fees, levies, and other payments to Governmental agencies.

‘Combined, this represented 47.1% of MTN’s total revenue paid to the Government for the 2023 financial year,’ he added.

Mr Selorm Adadevoh, the outgoing Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, said management remained

focus
ed on pursuing its Ambition 2025 goals, which aimed for growth, cost efficiencies and creating shared value for stakeholders.

He said the growth could be attributed to well-executed commercial strategies and the focused investment in maintaining high network quality, expanding coverage, and delivering a good experience to their customers, as well as achieving progress in their pricing initiatives across the business.

He said the national SIM re-registration exercise resulted in a 6.3 per cent year-on-year decrease in their subscriber base.

‘Despite the challenges presented and the potential implications on the business, our unwavering commitment to providing high-quality services to attract new customers and retain existing ones helped partially to mitigate the full impact of the national SIM re-registration exercise on the business,’ he said.

He said in 2023, they invested a total of GH?4.1 billion in capital expenditure to modernize their infrastructure, enhance their IT systems and expand their network
capacity and coverage across the country.

‘As part of these efforts, we deployed 350 2G, 353 3G, and 350 4G sites, supporting 99.3 per cent 4G population coverage,’ he added.

The CEO said voice revenue recorded a 9.0 per cent year-on-year growth to GH?3.6 billion supported by customer value management initiatives, which offered bundles and packages that met the diverse needs of our customers.

He said the company’s commitment to improving network coverage and the quality of service, along with pricing initiatives, had been instrumental in the growth of voice.

The contribution of voice to total service revenue declined from 33.1 per cent to 26.8?per cent as customer behaviour evolved in line with global trends.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Donyina Circuit Court has remanded four drug peddlers into police custody for allegedly attacking police officers who were conducting operations at the Aboabo School Park in the Asokore-Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

Philemon Agyei, 22, Ali Abdallah, 18, Baba Issah, 18, and Mohammed Yussif, 20, will reappear before the court, presided by Mrs Aliata Saeed, on April 8, this year.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Andrews Banafo, prosecuting, told the court that the Airport Police Command in Kumasi received information that the Aboabo school park had become a den of ‘wee’ smoking and drug peddling.

He said on March 20, 2024, at about 1930 hours, the Airport Police Command launched an operation in the area to arrest persons involved in those activities and succeeded in arresting the four.

Other drug peddlers and smokers who were also at the vicinity, numbering about 100, attacked the police personnel on duty with cutlasses, mallets, sticks and stones, prosecution said.

The police had
a hectic time to disperse the crowd after arresting the four members of the gang.

ASP Banafo said the suspects were sent to the police station and arraigned after investigations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Assembly Member of Wute Electoral Area in the Akatsi South Municipality, Mr Wisdom Akpablie, has called for the need to champion quality education, to secure the future of this and the next generation.

Mr Akpablie made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after presenting an undisclosed amount of money to headteachers within his area, in support of the ongoing Inter-school sports being hosted by the Avangor E.P Basic School.

He said the future looked bright for the young ones ‘Looking at how they are accurately displaying their skills.’

Mr Akpablie said the support was to motivate both the schools and pupils to work hard to unearth their potential through sports and the beneficiaries were glad to receive the support.

The various sporting disciplines included football, volleyball, athletics, high jump, long jump, and triple jump, with beneficiary schools made up of the Logote Basic School, Wute E.P Primary and JHS, Ahlihadzi Primary, and Lawui Basic School among others.

Source:
Ghana News Agency