Category: General

Mr Abdul Raman Mohammed, Manager of the business wing, Akuafo Nketewa Company Limited, Tempane District of the Upper East Region, has attributed the high yield of sorghum to prompt intervention by aggregators to ensure availability of inputs for farmers to facilitate production.

He reiterated that Sorghum was a time bound crop and failure to follow each of the activities at the right time during cultivation could lead to total failure, which the company did not want to happen.

Akuafo Nketewa was able to arrange the right inputs at the right time for farmers, which contributed to the company exceeding its quota of supply by 20,000 metric tonnes of the crop to Guinness Ghana PLC between January to September 2023 and hoped to do more if given another quota, he said.

Mr Mohammed , also a member of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), who spoke to the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga, said the current arrangement with Guinness Ghana was the only way farmers had reliable means of assurance of income
from their produce.

Though in the open market, traders patronised the produce it was in low quantity and farmers were not able to sell in large quantities to get money on time to offset their loans, he said.

The company was dealing with more than 11,000 farmers in the Upper East Region, who were into Sorghum production in Tempane, Pusiga, Bongo, Bawku West and Builsa districts, the Kassena Nankana and Bawku Municipality.

Also, farmers at Gushegu, Saboga and Cheriponi in the North East Region, where there are aggregators mobilizing the sorghum produce, were part.

Mr Mohammed, however, noted that huge quantities of sorghum were still on the farms and ware houses.

The aggregators who were buying from the farmers were doing well, being able to manage the huge quantities involved and ready market available, he said.

He noted that there were challenges in dealing with farmers as loan recoveries were not so encouraging, explained that the company did not provide credit but linked the aggregators to sources of
farm inputs to give to their farmers.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Three border communities in the Upper East Region hosting some asylum seekers from Burkina Faso because of the Sahel crisis, have benefitted from three solar powered mechanised and high yielding boreholes to help address water challenges.

The facilities, constructed at a cost of about GH?440,000.00, benefited Fatega and Kare, a suburb of Sapeliga in the Bawku West District and Kugri in the Garu District of the Upper East Region.

The facilities have been connected to overhead polytanks with multiple water collection points for the host communities and the asylum seekers.

Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships (CLIP) in collaboration with Acting for Life (AFL) with funding from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office of the United Kingdom High Commission provided the support.

It was under the Supporting Agropastoralism to reinforce Social Cohesion in the cross-border territories of the Ghana-Burkina Faso (SAPSOC) project’s third phase, which aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence between host commu
nities and transhumance.

The aid was also in response to the requests by the district assemblies to support them with sustainable water access for host communities, asylum seekers and pastoralists.

At the inauguration of the facilities at the different locations, Mr Lukman Yussif, the Director of CLIP, said the water facilities were to help address the water challenges as a result of the influx of the asylum seekers from neighbouring countries, particularly Burkina Faso.

He said due to the disturbances in the Sahel region, many people had been compelled to seek refuge elsewhere, particularly in Ghana, and the situation had put pressure on the limited resources of the host communities.

‘These communities are already deprived in terms of social amenities and the presence of the asylum seekers has further compounded their problems including putting pressure on the limited food and healthcare facilities among other things,’ he said.

The communities prioritised water challenges after series of engagements bet
ween them, the district assemblies and his outfit, and that necessitated the move to construct the water systems, Mr Yusiff said.

He explained that the gesture was to complement the efforts of the assemblies to address the water challenges, adding ‘although the Tarikom reception and resettlement centre is there, the reality is that we still have many of them at the communities’.

Alhaji Issah Salifu, the Board Chairman, CLIP, noted that apart from the water issues, the communities were still faced challenges including livelihood interventions and his outfit would work to support them in any way possible.

‘I will appeal to the indigenous people to still hold onto your Burkinabae colleagues and see how organisations can support as CLIP is doing its best to support the communities on other issues,’ he said.

Mr Anania Daniel Atampoba, the District Chief Executive for Bawku West, lauded CLIP and its partners for the intervention and that the asylum seekers had been registered moved to the reception centre at Ta
rikom.

Mr James Agaogo, the Assemblyman for Sapeliga Electoral Area, pledged the community’s resolve to maintain the facilities to last and serve the intended purposes.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Nana Ato Arthur, the Head of Local Government Service, has implored the members of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana Ladies Club (CLOGSAGLAC) and all staff of the Service to ensure prudent use of resources at their disposal.

The Head of Service made the call when he addressed members during the first quarter meeting of the Club at the CLOGSAG auditorium in Accra.

Dr Arthur stressed the need for a fundamental change in attitude, and all forms of ill-mannered behaviour that had the tendency to bring the image of the mother institutions into disrepute.

He entreated members of CLOGSALAC to share best practices and inspiration among themselves through networking, mentorship and advocacy initiatives.

That, he believed, would empower members to excel in their career and foster a sense of loyalty to their respective Services.

Dr Arthur described the theme of the meeting which was ‘Excellence and Loyalty in the Civil and Local Government Service’ as very appropriate and charged members
to maintain a high level of professionalism in executing their mandate to reflect excellence and loyalty as core values of the Civil and Local Government Services.

He asked them to work in unison with focus on achieving the common goal of improving the lives of citizens.

Dr Arthur urged members, as stakeholders, to understand the need to promote citizen-oriented administration and service delivery.

He advised them to continue to remain apolitical before, during and after December 7, 2024, General Election.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, has reiterated that businesses and individuals will have a clean tax slate under his Presidency in 2025, to usher in a new tax system.

During his maiden address to the nation as flagbearer of the NPP, Dr Bawumia announced that his government would introduce a new friendly tax regime aimed at boosting businesses and making the private sector competitive.

At a stakeholder interaction with members of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Accra, Dr Bawumia underscored the need for a new tax regime to aid his vision of carrying the private sector along, if he becomes President in 2025.

‘Our tax system has been the same since independence and it has not helped us so we have to change it,’ he said.

‘We are going to have a new tax system. It is going to be a flat tax system to ensure competitiveness and business friendliness. To usher in the new tax regime, there will be tax amnesty for individuals and businesses 2025
under my Government.’

‘It will be a clean slate for everyone for us to start afresh,’ said the Vice President, amidst cheers from the business community.

As part of Dr Bawumia’s new tax system, he also stated that beginning 2025, under his Presidency, there will be no longer human interface in tax audits.

‘We are also going to have a faceless tax audit to prevent harassment of businesses and corruption. And audit of any company cannot be more than once in five years unless there is a reason. This is what other countries are doing,’ he added.

‘My vision is to make Ghana one of the most tax competitive countries in the world. I have studied many tax systems and recently, I went to Estonia, which is one of the most digitised and competitive tax countries in the world, to study their tax system. I believe it is possible for us to achieve that in Ghana and even be better.

The NPP Flagbearer also reietreated his pledge to abolish a few taxes as President, including taxes on electronic financial transactions.

‘I will abolish certain taxes like the e-levy as I have said, because we want to encourage a cashless system.’

For importers, Dr Bawumia also committed to his pledge of instituting a flat rate for the importation of spare parts as well as benchmarking Ghana’s port charges with Togo, to be competitive.

‘We can even be lower, to make Ghana the most competitive,’ he assured.

The Chamber, while making some suggestions to Dr Bawumia, commended him for his policies, and welcome, especially, his new tax regime of flat tax and tax amnesty for businesses and individuals, as well as his pledge to make the private sector the driving force of the Ghanaian economy.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Fisheries Commission has called on Ghanaians to partner it to conserve and preserve marine species.

Mr Prince Dankwa, the Assistant Manager of the Fisheries Commission at Dangme East, who made the call, said, the partnership would help to conserve the biodiversity of the country’s marine ecosystems.

Mr Dankwa was speaking at a sensitisation programme for fishermen at Ada, organised by the Sharks and Rays Conservation Group, an advocacy organisation.

He said there had been several calls from the government, various institutions and organisations to halt activities that were causing danger to marine space, but such efforts continued to fall on deaf ears.

Activities such as light fishing, casting of used nets back into the sea, and dumping of plastics into water bodies among others, had over the years caused havoc to water bodies, and it was about time Ghanaians became intentional about conserving the sea, he said.

Mr Dankwa said it was important for fisher folks to adopt sustainable fishing methods to
maintain stock for generations ahead, advising consumers to be very selective in purchasing fishes caught through Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) methods.

He said the government had over the years put in more effort to make sure that fishermen adopted best practices in preserving and sustaining marine space; however, attitudinal challenges have been the major cause of most interventions failing to achieve that goal,

He said the Commission had formed a committee to ensure that persons engaging in illegalities would be brought to book and urged the fishermen to maintain self-disciplined and desist from activities that posed threats to the sea and its ecosystem.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Minister for Roads and Highways, has implored beneficiary communities of road projects to support the contractors to deliver quality work.

He said it was important for members of such communities to avoid putting impediments in the ways of contractors to potentially delay or compromise the quality of work.

Mr Asenso-Boakye was speaking after inspecting the progress of work on the Bonwire-Antoa-Abira-Abirem road, as part of his inspection tour of ongoing road projects in the Ashanti Region.

‘In other areas, contractors will bring equipment and materials for road construction and before you say jack, some community members have stolen the items,’ the Minister said.

He said such behaviour was inimical to nation building and urged communities along the stretch to refrain for engaging in such practices, but rather back the contractors to execute a good job.

Mr Asenso-Boakye described that stretch as a critical section of the road network in Ashanti Region which passed through a v
ery important traditional town known for its quality Kente.

‘This road connects trunk roads in the region and those trucks that are moving goods from the harbour to the north using the Mampong side of the stretch do not have to go through the city centre,’ he stated.

He applauded Kofi Job Construction for doing a great job so far, saying that the company was making a strong case for local contractors in terms of the delivery of quality work.

The Minister who was in the company of other officials of the Ministry and the Ghana Highway Authority, also inspected the Santasi-Apire-Bebu-Ampabame road.

The road which for many years had been a source of discomfort for residents due to its bad nature had been asphalted and users could be seen rejoicing when the team arrived to inspect it.

Some of them openly expressed their appreciation to the government for fixing the road which they described as a nightmare.

The Minister ended his inspection tour at the Manso enclave where he inspected several projects includi
ng the 17-kilometre Mim Junction-Manso Adubea-Kumpese road.

Source: Ghana News Agency