Day: December 13, 2023

Mrs Mary Awelana Addah, the Executive Director, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), said called for the strict monitoring of public accountability institutions mandated to enforce Ghana’s anti-corruption laws.

She said this would ensure their effective operation, bringing corruption under control and sanctioning those who exploit vulnerabilities in the system.

Mrs Addah said the nation must focus on discerning actions that were needed to foster anti-corruption practices, comprehensively indicating that it was important to take stock of achievements and identify exact areas that required policy interventions.

She was speaking at a forum in Tamale to commemorate the International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) and the 20th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

It was organised by GII in partnership with the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA).

The event assembled religious and traditional leaders, students, persons with disabilities, accountability and law enforcem
ent institutions to discuss the nation’s efforts in combating corruption and to assess the effectiveness of existing interventions.

Participants made contributions on strategies to whip up citizens’ interest to unite against corruption, among which was a call for increased pay and incentives for workers to deter them from undertaking dubious acts.

The IACD is marked annually to create awareness on corruption and the need to combat it and celebrated this year on the theme: ‘UNCAC @ 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption.’

Mrs Addah said observing two decades of UNCAC was to reflect on progress, the challenges faced, and the imperative for collective action in the fight against corruption.

She mentioned that it was an introspection period, saying, ‘This introspection is particularly critical as Ghana faces perceived stagnation in its anti-corruption endeavours and grapples with unprecedented economic challenges.’

Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, the Executive Director, GDCA, said Ghana’s effort in enacting ant
i-corrupt laws and infrastructure was commendable, however, implementing challenges persisted.

He called on the citizenry to renew their commitment and form new alliances against corruption.

Mr Seidu Alhassan, the Deputy Chief Investigator at the Northern Regional Office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, outlined some corrupt cases investigated by the Commission, which included that of high-profile individuals, underscoring the need for combating corruption.

He said the war against corruption was winnable, hence the need for stakeholders to intensify commitment in fighting the canker.

He indicated that laws and laudable policies by themselves were not self-executing, but it took people with the capacity and well-resourced institutions to implement the laws and policies.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, says the government will not renege on its responsibility to create the enabling environment for Trade Unions to thrive.

He said, ‘We will explore all avenues to make sure Trade Unions including the Ghana Mineworkers Union are resilient enough to help build the Ghana We Want.’

The Minister was speaking at the 13th Quadrennial Delegates’ Conference of the Ghana Mineworkers Union (GMWU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Ghana in Obuasi.

The event was on the theme: ‘Building Trade Union Resilience in a Rapidly Changing World of Work: Strategies for 2024 and Beyond.’

He said the government recognized the contribution of the mining sector to the national economy.

‘I encourage you to be unwavering and open-minded in your deliberations as discussions of this nature can be sensitive. I expect that discussions would reflect the concerns of delegates as well as meet the objectives of the conference,’ he said

He said the timing and releva
nce of the delegates’ conference could not be overemphasized as it affirmed conversations around the future of the global labour market.

He said without any doubt, the concept of work has evolved from a philosophical, sociological, historical, and juridical perspective.

He said across the globe countries were at different levels of development with different capacities to navigate the future of work.

‘While certain countries are at the forefront of innovation and technology, others are also trying to catch up,’ he said.

He said this represented the precarious situation of Africa and catching up to the technological standards entailed investments in all dimensions.

‘Considering where we find ourselves as a country and the modest successes we have chalked so far as partners, I applaud labour for the diverse roles and immense contributions to Ghana’s transformation,’ he added.

He said building the resilience of Trade Unions in a rapidly changing world of work is non-negotiable.

He reiterated that the gove
rnment would continue to give priority to trade unions, including the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union to contribute their quota towards national development.

The Minister said the mining sector was a multi-billion-dollar sector that employed many people along the value chain.

He said, therefore, challenges such as poor working conditions, exploitation and abuse of workers’ rights, including freedom of association and unfair termination of contracts of employment, did not help to build the resilience of workers and Trade Unions.

‘Rather, they tend to limit the full realisation of the potential of the sector, and we must take advantage of the sector’s prospects to transform the economy and improve the livelihoods of the communities,’ he said.

He said in as much as ‘we are committed to building Trade Union resilience; we should also draw inspiration from best practices.’

Abdul-Moomin Gbana, General Secretary Of GMWU, said in today’s rapidly changing world of work, technological transformation was also revolutioniz
ing the way businesses operate, impacting every aspect of the workplace.

He said from cloud computing to artificial intelligence, companies were leveraging a range of digital tools and technologies to improve their processes, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth.

The General Secretary said research at the University of Oxford predicted that 47 per cent of current job forms be at risk of being automated in 20 years and in sub-Saharan Africa, estimates showed that between 40 and 60 per cent of jobs could be affected by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in most countries, including Ghana.

He said the introduction of AI, robotics, automation, and digitalization in the mining sector therefore presents a unique set of challenges.

‘While these technological tools can enhance safety, optimize operations, and improve resource exploration, they also pose workforce displacement risks, particularly for jobs involving manual labour and routine tasks,’ he added.

These technological advancements are reshaping the
nature of work, potentially disrupting traditional job roles and employment structures.

He said as technology continued to evolve, they needed to adapt and transform to remain competitive.

He said that an even more crucial question that needed to be asked was, how prepared were ‘we as a country to deal with the obvious disruptive potential of AI and what are we doing to ensure that AI is integrated into our economy in a manner that is fair and sustainable because it is coming anyway.’
Source: Ghana News Agency

Parliament on Wednesday approved the GHS298,772,253.00 million budgetary allocated to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development for the year ending December 31, 2024.

The amount would be used by the Ministry to transform the Fisheries and Aquaculture sector into a viable economic segment to contribute to national development.

Out of the amount, a total of GHS28,264,220, representing 9.46 per cent, would be used for compensation of employees.

GHS100,986,032, being 33.80 per cent, would cater for goods and services and GHS169,522,001, making 56.74 per cent, would be capital expenditure.

Mr John Frimpong Adjei, the Chairman of the Committee on Food, Aquaculture and Cocoa Affairs in Parliament, said having thoroughly examined the Budget Estimates of the Ministry, the policies and programmes outlined for the year would go a long way to ensure adequate growth of the sector.

‘…Mr Speaker, the committee accordingly recommends to the House to adopt its report and approve the total sum of GHS298,772,2
53 to implement planned programmes and activities of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development for the 2024 financial year,’ Mr Frimpong Adjei, also a New Patriotic Member of Parliament (MP) for Abirem, said.

For the 2023 financial year, a total of GHS213,308,814.00 was approved by Parliament to the Ministry.

However, out of the amount, GHS66,751,635.74 had been released as of September 2023.

Per the Committee’s report, in addition to the release, the Ministry also received f GHS20,000,000.00 from the General Government Services to procure relief items for the affected fishermen during the closed fishing season.

Within that year, the Ministry completed 50 out of the 300 Premix Fuel Automation Projects at designated landing sites as of September 2023.

It also distributed 20,000 bags of rice; 8,333 cartons of cooking oil; 3,000 wire mesh and 10,000 aluminium basins to the fisher folks in the four coastal regions during the closed season.

‘The Ministry conducted 72 pre-departure and arrival ins
pections to ensure compliance with the ministerial directives for trawlers and to help reduce the catch of juvenile fish as well as address the issue of excessive by-catch and fish stock depletion,’ the report said.

‘In 2024, the Ministry seeks to intensify public awareness of fisheries laws and regulations; certify 30 fish processing facilities under the Safe Fish Certification and Licence Scheme and demolish and reconstruct the Asuogyaman Zonal office at Akosombo among others.

Mr Eric Opoku, the Ranking Member on the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, and National Democratic Congress MP for Asunafo South, called for measures to sustain the sector.
Source: Ghana News Agency

A former employee of the Pacific Oil Company Limited is before an Accra Circuit Court over an alleged GHC1,588,848.00 oil theft.

Alhaji Malik Ibrahim, the former company’s director was granted a GHC100,000.00 bail with two Ghanaian sureties.

He was brought to court after a bench warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Meanwhile, a bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of five other accomplices namely Ibrahim Seidu, Mumuni Suleiman, Ayuba Alhassan Maiga, Hakim Tahim and Awal, all at large.

Detective Chief Inspector Agartha Abena Asantewaa told the Court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah that Alhaji Zakari Ibrahim, the complainant, is a Director and sole shareholder of Pacific Oil Company Limited.

She said Malik Ibrahim was an employee and a director of the complainant’s company.

Detective Chief Inspector Asantewaa said Seidu was a security man stationed at the Obeyeyie branch of Pacific fuel station.

She said Suleiman, Maiga and Tahiru live in various suburbs of Accra.

Chief Inspector As
antewa said the Court heard that in 2016, Malik was employed by the Pacific Company Limited as the purchasing and construction officer in charge of Greater Accra and Eastern Regions.

He was later promoted to the position of a manager in charge of Amasaman and nearby stations.

According to her, however, somewhere in 2019, Malik started parading himself as the owner of the company thereby making major decisions for the company without recourse to the management, the Prosecution said.

Detective Chief Inspector Asantewaa said when his actions were discovered by management, he was warned to desist from them.

The Prosecution said Malik was asked on July 21, 2021, to resign which he did.

She said subsequently on August 28, 2021, management issued a disclaimer for public notice to that effect.

The prosecution said on September 01, 2021, management sent a team to go and draw fuel from Achiama and Obeyeyie stations and upon hearing the information to draw fuel, Malik recruited and armed his accomplices to go and
prevent the workers from drawing the fuel and later syphoned all the fuel underground and bolted.

She said Malik then threatened to deal with the owner of the company and for fear of his life, the complainant made a report to the Police which led to the arrest of the accused persons.

The Prosecution said after investigations they were charged and brought before court.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Farmers participating in this year’s Western Regional Research-Extension Linkages Committee (RELC) workshop have called on the Ministry of Agriculture to make available demonstration farms in all districts for the teaching and practical knowledge on new innovations in the sector.

They also called for regular training, irrigation facilities, and designated shops within every district for approved and certified seeds as against open market sales which continued to compound low yields.

The farmers also called for a deliberate policy on commodities pricing and the introduction of commodity Price officers into the various markets and sales points to ensure a controlled price that protected farmer Income Security.

These and other concerns arose from the catalogues of farmers and other value chain actors’ constraints table developed in the 2023 farming season during the Annual Research-Extension Farmer Linkage Committee Planning and Review session for 2023 supported by the Accelerating Impact of Climate Research
for Africa Project (AICCRA).

It is expected that stakeholders will critically examine the constraints and assist in the development of action plans for the year 2024.

In all, 34 commodities were discussed at the Workshop, including maize, rice, vegetables, cassava, and plantain. Cocoyam, cocoa. Oil palm, coconut, rubber, poultry, sheep, goats, rabbits, pigs and grasscutter.

Pressing issues for redress under the constraints hinged on low or poor yields, lack of preservation and processing as well as irrigation facilities, scarcity of land, lack of ready market and seasonal glut for crops while, animal husbandry recorded issues in the area of low meat yields, high mortality, poor marketing, high cost of production, high price of feed and stunted growth, among others.

Madam Josephine Vida Asiedu, a cocoa farmer from Adum-Banso in the Mpohor District also tasked the government to regulate the fertilizer and chemical industry which was gradually causing the land to lose its fertility.

She was worried that man
y chemicals in the name of fertilizers and land nourishers were making farming a herculean task since many farmlands had lost their strength and ability to sustain crops over the period.

The Woman Cocoa Farmer said, ‘When you apply these chemicals, you see the cocoa coming in larger quantities but after one or two years, the story changes.’

Mr. John Kwamina Gyimah, the Western Regional Director of Agriculture, was grateful to CSIR and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for the annual support that brought stakeholders together to deliberate on sector-specific issues and find research-based solutions to them.

He noted how the engagement had resulted in successful research into cassava cultivation and the introduction of 18 new cassava varieties.

The Regional Director of Agriculture encouraged Extension Officers at the workshop to make it a duty to always visit farmers and solicit their concerns for prompt assistance as the country strived towards food security.

Dr. Faustina Obeng Adomaa, the Gender and S
ocial Inclusion Lead of the AICCRA Programme in Ghana, said AICCRA aims at integrating climate information services into the core mandate of the RELC by bringing on board Ghana Metrological Agency, ESOKO, Farmerline and Syecomp to help strengthen cooperation and knowledge sharing to lessen the effects of climate change on farmers.

She said, ‘We believe that climate-smart agriculture moves hand in hand with climate information services’.

The AICCRA project, she mentioned, operates in six African countries: Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia to scale the use of validated climate-smart agriculture innovations and climate information services, among farmers.

Dr Adomaa said there were lots of innovations in addition to collaborations with stakeholders to advance research and innovations to enable farmers to adapt to the changing climate.

She added, ‘As farmers, you need not lose hope, despite the challenges that are coming up around agriculture, I can also assure you that there are a lot of stake
holder activities,

research and innovations that are trying to solve many of the challenges and get these innovations into the hands of farmers’.

Ms. Prospera Anku, Deputy Director, Directorate of Agric Extension Services, noted how extension activities were key to food security and the need for field officers to ensure that extensive consultation and engagement with farmers were paramount for food security.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Gbetsile Circuit Court has remanded a 32-year-old driver, Wisdom Apetorgbor Sadey, into police custody for attacking one Anku Edem, a Police Officer with a gun and overpowering him in his resistance at the Gbetsile.?

The court presided over by Mrs Eleanor Kakra Banes Botchway, remanded the accused and adjourned the case to December 20, 2023, for the prosecution to file a witness statement and serve the same on the accused.?

The prosecutor, Inspector Maxwell Ayeh, told the court that the complainant, Anku, is a police officer living in Gbetsile, while the accused, Sadey, is a driver who lives in Zenu, Ashaiman.

The prosecutor said on November 16, 2023, at about 02:00 hours, Anku was asleep in his room when Sadey and two others at large forcibly entered his room armed with locally made guns.

The prosecution said Sadey pointed his gun at the complainant and threatened to kill him if he dared shout for help. The two then tied the hands of the complainant with a nylon sponge, disarranged his room, and mad
e away with two techno mobile phones valued at Gh?3,000.00.

The prosecution said a community member who noticed the unusual events in the residence of Anku called the police, and the Afienya District Motorbike Patrol team rushed to the scene. The accused and his accomplices, upon seeing police, fled the scene and left one of their guns and a mobile phone behind.

Inspector Ayeh said the police, however, chased and caught up with the accused. An investigation is still underway to have the remaining two arrested.
Source: Ghana News Agency