Category: Industry

Tolon: The DANIDA Alumni Network has held a forum with farmers in the Tolon District of the Northern Region to share knowledge on sustainable agricultural practices.

The forum was to discuss ideas and opportunities and formalise what is known as the Lead Farmer Concept, where farmers have been trained to take up advisory roles aimed at bridging the extension officer-to-farmer ratio gap in the area.

It formed part of the Ghana Agricultural Innovation Network (GAIN), a project being undertaken by a four-member group of the DANIDA Alumni Network, under a grant by the DANIDA Fellowship Centre.

The GAIN project, which has been running for a year, seeks to present innovative concepts to transfer knowledge in the smallholder farming systems in the Northern, Savannah and North East regions.

Mr Eugene Dela Setsoafia, a Member of the DANIDA Alumni Network, who led the forum, said the concept was informed by the Alumni members’ observation, which showed that there were challenges in the northern smallholder farming
systems.

He said the initiative was to train farmers as leaders, who were capable of transferring knowledge to other farmers to cover up the lapses that resulted from lack of agriculture extension services.

Mr Setsoafia said experienced and knowledgeable farmers, who had some social capital, were in a better position to advice their peers to adopt this knowledge.

Participating farmers at the forum shared some perceived challenges they might encounter practicalising the concept of lead farmers, notable among them being the issue of logistics.

He said despite the challenges that the lead farmer concept could face it presented great opportunities for innovation.

Madam Garcia Amelle Honvoh, a Representative of the Denmark Embassy, Accra, who joined the forum virtually, said DANIDA invested in diverse fields, including Agriculture, by offering grants to people who had potentials of making significant impact in the industry.

He lauded the DANIDA Alumni Network for their involvement in the GAIN project and exp
ressed his hope for insightful outcomes.

Mr Bassit Abdul Zakari, the Tolon District Director, Department of Agriculture, lauded the lead farmer concept saying it had the potential to bridge the persisting agriculture extension services gap in the district.

He noted that the extension service officer to farmer ratio was 1:3000 as against the recommended ratio of 1:500.

Mr Zakari said the beneficiary lead farmers trained for the project were from various communities in the district, which meant that their acquired knowledge with on new technologies and sustainable farming practices would be shared effectively with most farmers in the area.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: The government has announced the suspension of the implementation of the 15 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on electricity consumption.

The suspension, the Ministry of Finance, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday, February 7, said was to allow for further engagements with key stakeholders, including Organised Labour.

‘The Ministry expects that these engagements will birth innovative, robust, and inclusive approaches to bridging the existing fiscal gap, while bolstering economic resilience,’ the statement said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: Zenith Bank (Ghana) Limited has marked a significant milestone with the official opening of its 42nd physical business location in Ashaiman.

With the Bank’s presence in 11 out of the 16 regions, the new branch located at the Ashaiman Shell Filling Station on the Ashaiman-Klagon road demonstrates the Bank’s commitment to expanding its reach and bringing its services closer to communities.

A statement issued in Accra by the Bank said it also underscored the Bank’s aim to solidify its presence in the country’s vibrant financial landscape.

Mr. Henry Onwuzurigbo, the Bank’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, speaking at the ceremony emphasised that the new branch

reflected the Bank’s philosophy of being wherever its services were needed.

He acknowledged the impact of digital banking but underlined the importance of maintaining brick-and-mortar branches to ensure the benefits of human interaction are not lost in the banking industry.

According to the MD/CEO, the choice of Ashaiman for the new b
ranch was strategic, considering its dense population, multicultural composition, and thriving micro, small and medium sized business ecosystem.

He said with a bustling manufacturing sector encompassing textiles, agricultural inputs, metalwork, and others, Ashaiman he said presented a compelling opportunity for Zenith Bank to contribute to the local economy.

‘With this branch opening in this vibrant and commercially active town that is Ashaiman, Zenith Bank has once again demonstrated its commitment to wider accessibility, and we have more openings coming,’ Mr. Onwuzurigbo said.

He hinted at another branch opening in the pipeline.

The MD/CEO said the Bank was always committed to an exceptional customer experience, assuring all present of the readiness of staff to serve.

Mrs. Getrude Amui, the Market Queen of Ashaiman, acknowledged the initial apprehensions many traders have towards financial institutions.

She commended Zenith Bank’s approach, citing positive interactions with leadership, transparent com
munication, and visible growth, factors that instilled confidence and encouraged wider participation in the formal financial sector.

‘When you come to the markets many have not had very good experiences and are therefore hesitant to commit to financial institutions, but Zenith Bank’s approach, our interactions with the highest level of its leaders, the assurances provided and what we have seen with our eyes give us confidence that our deposits are not only

safe, but we will grow with the bank,’ she explained.

The event was graced by a notable assembly of dignitaries representing various sectors and institutions within the Ashaiman community.

Among the esteemed guests were Imam Yakubu Abdul-Hamid, the Imam of the Ashaiman Jericho Mosque; Superintendent Osman Alhassan and ASP Isaac Avornorkadzi, Acting District Police Commander – Ashaiman.

Others are Rev. Anslem Okafo, Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Traders – Ashaiman; Mr. James Ahiadome, CEO of J.K. Ahiadome Transport Limited.

Source: Ghana News Agen
cy

Accra: Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, says Ghana will have a new ‘friendly’ flat tax regime if elected as President of Ghana.

Addressing the nation in Accra on Wednesday to outline his vision and policy priorities for Ghana, the NPP Flagbearer said to enhance businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), he would constitute the majority of the Ghanaian business community to reform the tax system to their advantage.

He would also encourage the payment of the new friendly taxes to boost the national treasury.

‘My Administration will introduce a very simple, citizen and business friendly flat tax regime. A flat tax of a percentage of income for individuals and SMEs, which constitute 98 per cent of all businesses in Ghana, with appropriate exemption thresholds set to protect the poor,’ Dr Bawumia pledged.

There would be digital reforms to boost online filing of tax, tax returns should be completed in minutes, he added.

‘With the new tax regime, th
e tax return should be completed in minutes! We will also simplify our complicated corporate tax system and VAT regime,’ Dr Bawumia added.

‘To start the new tax system on a clean slate, my government will provide a tax amnesty, i.e. a complete exemption from the payment of taxes for a specified period and the waiving of interest and penalties up to a certain year to individuals and businesses for failures to file taxes in previous years so that everyone will start afresh.’

‘Tax digitalisation will be implemented across all aspects of tax administration. Everyone will be required to file a very simple tax return electronically through their mobile phone or computer.’

‘There will be no manual or paper filing of taxes from 2025. Faceless assessments will provide transparency and accountability,’ he added.

Dr Bawumia said with the new system, there would be no need for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to send officers to go to shops and monitor proceedings in order to collect taxes as the E-invoicing, being
implemented by the GRA, would be extended to all companies.

‘Any audits by the GRA would also be done electronically and facelessly by the GRA. Furthermore, no entity would be audited more than once in five years unless anomalies are detected, which the individual or company does not correct after being given the opportunity to do so,’ he said.

‘My government will amend the law such that if there is a dispute about tax assessment, a binding arbitration will take place through a body constituted by institutions such as the Ghana Arbitration Centre, Institute of Taxation, AGI, Institute of Chartered Accountants, PEF, and Ghana Employers Association with a mandate to resolve any appeal in a maximum of three months’.

‘This will not affect companies who by their agreements have such arbitrations taking place in international jurisdictions.’

Dr Bawumia announced that his government would abolish e-levy, the tax on electronic payment transaction, to enhance a cashless system, as well as the emissions tax, tax be
tting, and the proposed 15 per cent VAT on electricity tariff.

The event was on the theme: ‘Ghana’s Next Chapter: Selfless Leadership and Bold Solutions for the Future,’ which enabled the NPP Flagbearer for the December Election to outline his vision and direction for the nation.

In attendance were Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady, Wife of the Vice President, Hajia Samira Bawumia, former President John Agyekum Kufuor, former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye, and Mrs Osei Frema-Opare, the Chief of Staff.

Others include Mr Stephen Ayensu Ntim, the National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Justin Kodua Frempong, the NPP General Secretary, former presidential aspirants of the party, ministers of State and members of Parliament, Party Executives, Council of Elders, the diplomatic community and supporters across the 16 regions.

The Kofi Ohene Konadu Auditorium of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), the venue of the lecture,was filled with the interior decoration magnifying the e
lephant family colours: red, blue and white.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: The new Standing Orders of Parliament have allowed the creation of an Economic Committee, which will have the primary function of scrutinising the implications of government loan agreements meticulously.

The Committee would constitute Members of Parliament (MPs) with expertise in economics ‘to enhance Parlaiment’s ability to offer and seek professional advice economic wise,’ Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader, said at a Leaders’ Media Briefing in Parliament on Thursday.

The briefing is a periodic engagement between the leadership of the House and the media at the beginning of every meeting of Parliament to outline the framework of the meeting.

It also serves as a platform of interaction between the leaders, the Media Relations Department of Parliament and the Parliamentary Press Corps.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said: ‘We didn’t use to have a committee on the economy, we now have one. The reason is simple, when we contract loans and we refer the same agreements to the Finance Committee, they
will come to us with the goodness or otherwise of the facility.’

‘Usually, they will relate to the terms and conditions of the loan, the payment schedule, and the impact of the loan they don’t report on.’

‘And we felt that, no, we need a committee on the economy that will dive into this. Even if they don’t have the competency in its entirety to advice, we will engage experts who will go into this and inform Parliament accordingly so that in making any decision on the approval of a loan facility or whatever facility we will be so guided,’ the New Patriotic Party MP for Suame told the media.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: The Vice President and Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, says Ghana needs a new paradigm in natural resource contracts to ensure the nation maximises the benefits of her natural resources.

He said successive governments had often come under criticism for the type of agreements they entered into with external interests for the exploitation of Ghana’s natural resources.

In an address in Accra on Wednesday to outline his vision if he became the president of Ghana, Dr Bawumia provided measures, including value addition and Ghanaian ownership of the natural resources, to streamline the sector and ensure it brought Ghanaians the maximum benefits.

‘As president, I will usher Ghana into a golden age for the maximisation of the benefits from our natural resources like gold, lithium, bauxite, and so on.’

‘The key to doing this is value addition and Ghanaian ownership. We need a new paradigm in natural resource contracts,’ the NPP Flagbearer said.

Some of the key policies his govern
ment intended to implement are formalised, regularised and regulated environmentally sustainable small-scale mining.

‘About one million people are engaged in small-scale mining. Our goal would be to help grow small-scale mining companies into large-scale companies with capacity building and assisting them to access financing to acquire equipment.’

‘We can create many millionaires in the small-scale mining industry if we support them,’ he said.

‘My government will support the Minerals Commission and key stakeholders to formalise the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector with the objective of ensuring that the activities of the entire value chain are sustainably and responsibly done so that most of the gold produced by this sector can be sold to the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and be eligible to be part of the gold reserves of the Central Bank.’

In line with this vision, Dr Bawumia said his government would license all miners doing responsible mining and that district mining committees, including chie
fs, would provide initial temporary licenses to miners.

‘As long as miners mine within the limits of their licenses, for example, no mining in the river or water bodies, there will no longer be any seizure or burning of excavators.’

The event was on the theme: ‘Ghana’s Next Chapter: Selfless Leadership and Bold Solutions for the Future,’ which enabled the NPP Flagbearer to outline his vision and direction for the nation.

Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady, Wife of Vice President Hajia Samira Bawumia, former President John Agyekum Kufuor, former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye, and Mrs Osei Frema-Opare, the Chief of Staff were in attendance.

The others include the National Chairman of the NPP, Stephen Ayensu Ntim, Mr Justin Kodua Frempong, General Secretary of the Party, former presidential aspirants, ministers of State, members of Parliament, Party Executives, Council of Elders of the Party, and the diplomatic community.

The Kofi Ohene Konadu Auditorium of the University of Profess
ional Studies, Accra (UPSA) where the forum was held, was filled to capacity with enthusiastic party supporters and sympathizers having to find space outside the auditorium.

Source: Ghana News Agency