Day: January 25, 2024

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has encouraged Africa to go beyond rhetoric and dialogue to develop concrete strategies for transformative change.

These dialogues must critically examine the private sector’s obligations and expectations, as well as demand the same from the governmental sector, to achieve the desired Africa.

They must be representative of all sectors needed to bring prosperity, ensuring that the growth targets that area attained are sustainable, irrespective of future global challenges.

President Nana Akufo-Addo was speaking at the opening second edition of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2024, at the Peduase Lodge, in the Eastern Region.

He stated that the conversations should focus heavily on the development of sustainable farming practices.

This must be complemented with targeted investment and infrastructure for innovation and technology, especially in agribusiness and industry that boost production.

The President emphasized the importance of ensuring the agriculture sector’s
resilience in the face of global challenges and climate change.

‘I am encouraged that Africa now has a private sector that is ready, deliberate and eager to see to the 60-year-old dream of a united Africa manifest,’ he noted.

To unlock the full potential of trade for prosperity, the President stated that it was important to prioritise efficient transport and logistics infrastructure, expedite trade processes, and emb

Furthermore, stakeholders should strive diligently to promote cross-border transactions without relying on foreign currencies.

He emphasised the importance of facilitating the free movement of people, products, and services across the continent, as outlined in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA).

The President hailed the African Prosperity Dialogues as a worthwhile endeavour that aimed to promote understanding, dialogue, and commitment to achieving the AFCFTA’s goals.

He applauded the organisers for their efforts in bringing together the high-profile resource persons and stakeho
lders, saying, ‘This will leave no one in doubt that this is a project that requires all the support we can muster.’

‘The Network provides a unique platform dedicated to mobilising Africa’s energetic private sector to own and drive the fulfilment of the promises that the AFCFTA presents,’ he said.

President Akufo-Addo urged participants to work hard to achieve the goals of the programme, citing the continent’s ability to industrialize, add value to raw materials, and invest in social, digital, economic, and physical infrastructure.

Mr. Joaquim Alberto Chissano, former President of Mozambique and Chairperson of the Africa Forum pointed out that the continent’s leaders needed to get together to discuss and find solutions to the development challenges hindering Africa’s growth.

Mr. Njack Kane, acting Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Prosperity Network Secretariat, stated that the programme’s strategic objectives included facilitating comprehensive dialogue, promoting regional integration, prioritising i
nclusiveness, and providing a platform for sharing best practices.

The summit will feature thematic roundtable discussions, high-level sessions, and a Presidential Gala Dinner, culminating in a High-level Presidential Dialogue session.

Mr. Wamkele Mene, the Secretary-General of AFCFTA, urged private businesses to take advantage of the opportunities offered under the initiative to expand their businesses.

The three-day programme, being held on the theme: ‘Delivering Prosperity in Africa; Produce, Add Value, Trade’, aims to address key issues hindering Africa’s progress and chart a course towards a more prosperous and inclusive future.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The government has been urged to reconsider policy targets relative to climate change, especially in climate migration issues for the country to meaningfully contribute to the global reduction efforts.

Dr Seth Christopher Yaw Appiah, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sociology and Social Work, at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who made this call, said, ‘from the policy level, we are looking forward to where Ghana will be able to implement the migration policy fully, the implementation is currently hanging up there.’

He explained that Ghana had a Migration Policy, Labour Policy adding that, inherent in these policies appeared to be a limitation such that it doesn’t really focus on how climate induced migration.

‘There was supposed to have been the establishment of a migration commission which, I know some works have been done, but till date we do not have the migration commission.

If this commission had been in existence, they would have strictly had the mandate to re
look at all migration related issues,’ he stated at a climate change symposium in Kumasi.

The Climate Migration, Displacement, and the Social Determinants Health Symposium, which was organized at the KNUST, brought together students and researchers to convey the discussion of climate migration beyond the physical science domain to social sciences.

This is because it is human behavior that is at the centre of climate change and interrogating the issues using anthropological, socio-medical, historical lenses is empirical.

Dr Appiah cited the Bagre Dam Spillage as one that had increasingly displaced people over the years.

He attested that if Ghana had instituted climate mitigation and adaptability responses, the people who had been affected by the Dam spillage and had to move, or those trapped, would have benefitted some social protection interventions.

Dr Appiah pointed out that there were obviously a lot of health effects from the spillages, and it had become cyclical and yearly.

He said climatic conditi
ons were leading to situations of excess flooding and heat waves, such that some people are trapped in conditions and are not able to migrate.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Health Sector Occupational Pension Scheme (HSOPS) has launched a new mobile application to enhance services to its tier-two pension scheme beneficiaries.

The mobile application will allow beneficiaries to access and update their information, follow up on their contributions as they are provided with in-dept analysis of their investments.

It also provides a link to the HSOPS website which connects every member to the main database where each member could track their contributions, access and print membership certificates, make benefit projections and a host of other benefits.

Dr. Derek Amoateng, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the HSOPS, said the scheme was made up of all public health sector workers, allowing members to enjoy tax reliefs and other benefits provided under the Pensions Act 766.

He said the scheme’s asset under management had experienced tremendous growth due to prudent management and wise investment decisions made by the Board.

He therefore urged other health unions who were not yet
part of the scheme to join the HSOPS to ensure growth under one umbrella.

Speaking about the benefits of the mobile application , he said it would allow beneficiaries to indentify their payment issues, find solutions to them, and also monitor funds deducted from their salary.

He said the app was designed as a mobile friendly one and available to members across all geographical locations.

He advised members of the scheme yet fill their enrollment forms to contact their head of facility and do so in order to access their member statement and other relevant information through the HSOPS mobile application.

Nana Ansa Prem IV, Chief of Akosombo, in his closing remarks, congratulated the Board of the HSOPS, for the bold step to taken to make information related to the second tier pensions easy to access and close to members.

He advised the Board of Trustees to make an offline version of the app to enable users without access to internet partake in this initiative

He hoped that the Board would continue to disp
lay efficiency in the management of pension funds.

The HSOPS is one of the four public sector schemes currently operating in Ghana.

It was a second tier scheme structured to conform to requirements of the National Pensions Act, 2008 (Act 766).

Source: Ghana News Agency

Amanest Company Limited, an indigenous bamboo processing company, is set to commission a $1million bamboo processing factory at Assin-Hasowodze, a predominant bamboo growing area in the Assin South District, in March this year.

The factory will produce toothpick, cotton swap, plywood, khebab sticks, cocktail sticks, dowel sticks, tongue press, coffee stir stick, skewers, and ply-rolls.

Sitting on a two-acre land, the biggest bamboo processing factory in the Central Region will produce 2,000 kilogrammes of processed bamboo daily and 730 kilogrammes annually.

The factory will create 300 direct jobs and 3,500 direct and indirect jobs by 2026.

It has state-of-the-arts machines to deliver high-quality specifications for its established local and international market clients.

Besides the company’s acres of bamboo farms, it has empowered more than 50 out-growers as part of its corporate social responsibility to expand and sustain raw materials for all year-round production.

Mr Eric Amanquanor, the Chief Execu
tive Officer of Amanex Company Limited, said construction started in December with a strong commitment to complete by late February for furnishing and test run.

The company, he noted was versioned to explore the abundant Bamboo resources in the area that had been long used in construction works, furniture making and charcoal burning, for development.

The bamboo industry is a key component of the non-traditional exports sector of the country’s economy.

‘The country’s heavily dependence on imports has partly been blamed for its economic woes. Ghanaians import everything from onions from neighbouring countries to toothpicks from China.

This situation has had serious repercussions on the foreign exchange market and denied many Ghanaians the opportunity of employment.

Following renewed calls to Ghanaians to embrace manufacturing as one of the ways to cut down the dependence on scarce foreign exchange, Mr Amanquanor said his factory would produce enough to reduce the country’s heavy dependence on imports.

He
urged Ghanaians to embrace the products from Ghana to allow the company to expand and employ more people throughout the country.

‘We will keep to high standards at cheaper prices to meet the pockets of all, and we hope companies and individuals will patronise what we have,’ he said.

He admonished the community to demonstrate unity, love, and peace towards the project to bring prosperity and development.

‘Remember, the company has come to relief the burden of hardship and unemployment problem in the community and its environments. Support us to progress together,’ he urged the residents.

In a separate interview, Nana Kweku Armah VI, the Chief of Assin-Hasowodze and some residents were grateful to the company for choosing the community saying it would significantly ease the unemployment challenges among the youth.

‘I have been lobbying for many projects for my community since I became the Chief in 2018. And now, a Bamboo Processing factory during my regime is under construction. We are happy about it.

‘Pa
rticularly, I’m happy for the promising youth who appear helpless and jobless. This is a big relief for mutual gain,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency