Category: General

The Association of Ghana Industries has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ghana Commodity Exchange to support the agriculture sector increase liquidity in commodity markets and enhance price discovery.

The parties aim to establish a commercial project to promote food security, and nutrition as well as to create a platform for the trading of designated agricultural commodities.

The agreement will also help improve existing value chains by linking production to high value markets, increase farmers bargaining power and ensure the integrity and transparency of trade and reduce default risks.

Dr Humphrey Ayim-Darke, President of the AGI, who signed the deal with Tucci Ivowi, the chief executive officer of the Ghana Commodity Exchange, said the AGI believed that the relationship was critical for the agriculture value chain activities from the farm gates to the consumer and from businesses to businesses.

‘We believe the AGI fits into this relationship perfectly to enhance the clear agenda of th
e Ghana Commodity Exchange. We believe that this is just the beginning. There are other products for the same space. But it is so critical to start with the agriculture space because it has significant impact on our macro economic fundamentals.’

He said with commitment and transparency, the partners would enhance and create wealth for the farmers and the business community.

Responding, Mrs Ivowi said the partnership had taken a deliberate decision to start with agricultural commodities because they were key to growth and industrialisation.

‘We cannot truly industrialise a nation if we haven’t got a strong agricultural sector. So we’re really working together with our partners in the private sector to boost this industry. We believe that the future is now and the future is in agriculture,’ she said.

‘I don’t know of many industries that don’t touch agriculture in one way, shape, or form and at the heart of it, which is of concern to everyone.’

She expressed excitement about the private sector’s readiness
to work with the Ghana Commodity Exchange to really improve, scale up and accelerate the efforts that the Exchange is making.

‘So I think we have a very good place to be with this partnership,’ Mrs Ivowi said.

She said the partners were looking to start as soon as possible with maize and soya beans and add more commodities as and when storage facilities were available.

‘We started with security crops because we wanted to ensure that the nation has these crops available, but we do plan to expand to other crops,’ she said, adding that last year the Exchange conducted some trading of cashew.

‘We’ve just done some value chain analysis of shea nuts and also for cow peas. Beyond the agricultural commodities, in the medium term we will be looking at metals minerals so that we’ll be having discussions with different institutions,’ she said.

Ms Ivowi said aside from warehouses, interventions were needed in the areas such as transportation and logistics as it was difficult getting produce from farm gates to variou
s warehouses and onto the end client.

Mr William Agyei-Manu, Chairman Agribusiness sector of AGI, said the move was to support existing government’s projects such as commercialisation of agriculture.

He said the focus was to explore ways to make all year round raw materials available to industry to go into processing to help reduce imports.

‘So we’re trying to now streamline the import substitution to see how we can create jobs also make products available for industry and also to ensure that there is a guaranteed market for what the private sector produces, and that also to streamline the marketing of agricultural commodities,’ Mr Agyei-Manu added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Some residents of Ketu South have attributed the prevailing peace in the country to prayers offered to God by school children.

The residents said though the workings of the Almighty in sustaining Ghana’s peace could not be left out, it was important to give credit to the young learners for praying over the country five days in every week.

They spoke to Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the Municipality’s Independence Day parade in commemoration of Ghana’s 67th Anniversary celebration saying, a lot of underlying conditions that could drive people to radicalise and join groups to disturb the country’s peace were on the rise but still, peace prevailed.

Madam Cynthia Agbodo referred to the National Anthem which opens with ‘God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong’ to drive home her point.

‘Just listen to the words of our anthem. These young school boys and girls, some of them very innocent, sing this song from Monday to Friday. Why won’t God listen to them? We have peace in Ghana
not because we’re doing everything right, we are tolerant, forgiving, or anything. It’s just by grace and that’s why we should be thankful to God and our children.’

‘I tell you; things are hard. Socio-economic issues, poor governance, just to name it. It’s important for our leaders to sit up and make the necessary corrections because for me, we need this peace currently in the country,’ she said.

Another, who identified her name only as Mawusi said she had come out to witness the parade only because her children were participating in the march past.

‘There’s nothing interesting about the anniversary celebration. It’s been 67 years since Ghana gained her independence from English colonial rule but there is little, we as Ghanaians can be proud of.

We’re in one piece as a country because of the prayers of our children – The National Anthem and the Lord’s Prayer (from the Holy Bible) and we thank God for their lives.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Africa Centre for Human Rights and Sustainable Development (AfCHuRSD), a non-governmental organisation, has provided financial literacy training to women and girls with disability in small scale businesses in the Jirapa Municipality of the Upper West Region to enable them to sustain their trade.

They were also trained in branding and records keeping as well as introduced to financial products they could access from financial institutions to support their business growth.

The intervention was part of the implementation of the Promoting Equal Rights for Women and Girls with Disabilities (PERD) Project, aimed to protect the fundamental human rights of women and girls with disability in and out of school, particularly their rights to employment and protection from sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

The project is being implemented by a consortium of women-led organisations – AfCHuRSD, Plan Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) and Women in Need (WIN), with funding from the Netherlands Embassy in Gha
na.

Speaking at the training in Jirapa, Madam Bernice Naah, the Executive Director, AfCHuRSD, touched on the necessity of the training, which was to help the women to sustain their businesses.

‘Some of you have been in these businesses for long but you are not able to expand because you spend your capital.

So we feel that by giving you this kind of training, you will know how to manage your finances to sustain your businesses,’ she said.

Madam Naah explained that they held similar training programmes in Sanarigu in the Northern Region and Nadowli in the Upper West Region.

She said they would provide start-up capital to the women and girls with disability, who had received the skills training and were interested in starting and managing their own small businesses.

The NGO had also built the confidence levels of the beneficiaries to appreciate their self-worth and engage in any legal economic activity of their choice.

The AfCHuRSD is implementing the project in the Jirapa Municipality, Nadowli-Kaleo Dist
rict, the Wa School for the Blind and School for the Death in the Upper West Region and Sagnarigu in the Northern Region.

The beneficiaries shared their testimonies to motivate those in small businesses but could not expand to take part in activities of the NGO to receive some support.

Ms Margaret Liere, a beneficiary, spoke about the support she received to start a soap-making business from which she was deriving the expected benefits, and commended the NGO for the intervention.

Mr Titus Danaa, the Head of Operations, Sonzele Rural Bank PLC in Jirapa, educated the participants on the various financial products available at the bank for small businesses and how they could take advantage to support their businesses.

He encouraged them to inculcate the habit of savings by opening accounts with the bank as well as to register their businesses, which were requirements for accessing bank loans.

Mr Mohamed Awal Abubakari, the Head of the Business Advisory Centre, Jirapa Municipality, took the participants thro
ugh business records keeping and planning on expenditure, which was necessary for their business growth.

He said they ought to always know their needs and budget accordingly to avoid excess expenditure, which could ruin their businesses.

‘Some people end up spending on unplanned things … for such a person even if you are given the whole world you still can’t achieve anything from it,’ Mr Abubakari observed.

Madam Ayisha Nasiri-deen, Head of the Social Welfare Unit, Jirapa Municipal Assembly, encouraged the participants to take the knowledge and lessons from the training seriously to improve their businesses, which would impact their lives positively.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Maxwell Koffie Lugudor, the Municipal Chief Executive, Ketu South, has called for unity among the citizenry to consolidate Ghana’s democratic gains.

He said the country’s journey, just like many others on the continent, had not been smooth as she had her fair share of political instability, but in 1992 Ghanaians concluded on constitutional, multi-party democracy as the best path to sustainable economic development and prosperity, thus, efforts must be made to sustain that.

Mr Lugudor said this during the Municipality’s Independence Day Parade held at the St Anthony R.C. Basic School, Hedzranawo, on the theme: ‘Our Democracy, Our Pride.’

He urged the public to actively play a role because ‘we need unity to consolidate our democratic gains.’

‘As we edge closer to 7th December 2024 to elect our leaders, I urge all political party functionaries, youth and opinion leaders to resist the temptation to divide people along narrow, political and sectarian lines. Our strength is in our unity, despite our cultural
differences.’

‘It is that unity, which gave us our independence. It is that unity that gives us our strength as a nation. This was the dream of our founding fathers. This was the spirit of our Constitution. We should not move away from this.’

He commended the Government for taking specific steps to lead Ghana’s economy into the new digital age through introduction of e-business registration, paperless port clearance, and digital address systems to formalise the economy and reduce cost of doing business.

‘All these achievements, including our efforts as a nation, will come to nothing if we do not have peace in our country. The primary requirement for prosperity is peace and the first obligation of any government is to ensure the safety of its citizens,’ Mr Lugudor said.

‘Let me, therefore, use this occasion to remind all of us to forget about the petty quarrels because they downplay our democratic credentials and risk making us ungovernable citizens.’

He encouraged Ghanaians to reflect on Ghana’s 67th Ind
ependence anniversary not only to reflect on the past and present failures but also as a moment to celebrate the success story.

‘Even more, it is a moment to rekindle hope in the Government and the unwavering belief that together, we can perpetuate our democratic credentials, continual growth, unity and prosperity of the people of Ghana.’

The parade, which had in attendance municipal security chiefs, heads of department, traditional leaders, and the clergy saw students and pupils, cadet corps and other identifiable groups taking part in the march past.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Drivers plying the Bolgatanga-Bawku Road in the Upper East Region have decried the deplorable state of the road and the poor visibility, especially at dawn or dusk, making vehicular movement very difficult.

The drivers said due to the current volatile nature of the area, anything that affected free and smooth driving could be fatal as criminals sometimes laid ambush at vulnerable spots to attack travellers.

The drivers called on the authorities to make the shoulders of the roads more visible.

Some of the drivers who spoke with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Bolgatanga said there were inadequate road and pavement reflectors to help control movement as well as warning signs to encourage safe driving at night.

The most affected parts are Kongo in the Nabdam District, through to Zebilla in the Bawku West District to the Bawku Municipality, and along the Kobore Bridge on the White Volta.

Mr Adams Yakubu, a salon commercial car driver, who is a regular user of the road, noted that due to the stalled works and
the curfew imposed, the drivers competed to get to their destination within time to avoid security issues.

Road signs were most crucial to alert drivers of dangers along the stretch when trying to beat the curfew hours.

One of the drivers was particularly uncomfortable with traders of watermelon, onions, and other vegetables located on the Bazua Bridge despite police presence, making it difficult for drivers to manuevre.

‘This place is particularly dangerous because in the evenings the reflectors are not bright enough and people sometimes hurriedly run across the road, which can cause accidents,’ the driver said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The 67th Independence Day parade held within the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality and hosted at the Tarkwa Senior High School park in the Western Region attracted a large crowd made up of residents, school children and the elderly.

The people defied the scorching sun to be part of the historic event, which was held at the urban council premise within the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.

At the Tarkwa urban council, 10 cadet corps, 20 Basic, Junior and Senior High Schools, and some groups of persons participated in the parade.

Security officers, chiefs, clergy, imams and cooperate institutions also graced the occasion.

Selected schools and students were recognized for their sterling performance in the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

They received a certificate and cash prize.

Mr Benjamin Kessie, the Municipal Chief Executive, in his address, advised Ghanaians that ‘As we prepare for the polls on December 7, let us keep in mind
that we cannot sacrifice our Ghanaian character of harmony on the altar of political bigotry.’

He said multiparty democracy was not synonymous with enmity and division, rather, it offered them a melting point for the exchange of ideas, stressing that the essence of democracy, laid

not only in the electoral processes but also in safeguarding of fundamental rights and protection of minority voices.

‘Therefore, in order to ensure a democratic society, it is important to have a safe and secured community where people are able to move freely without, fear or hindrance which is why the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) meets regularly to ensure that our Municipality is devoid of any issues that will pose a threat to our safety.’

‘It is based on this that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, under the leadership of His Excellence, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo rolled out the groundbreaking and transformative free Senior High School (SHS) Policy to improve upon literacy levels across the country,’ Mr Kessie a
dded.

The MCE stated that the assembly had made several interventions and would continue to ensure the success of the free SHS Programme in the Municipality.

Source: Ghana News Agency