Month: July 2024

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, says the Government will launch the ‘Tap n Go’ system for commercial taxi drivers in the country on August 12, this year.

This is to enable commercial taxi drivers to digitise their business, similar to the ride-hailing services operated by Uber, Yango, Bolts and other online transport services.

The system will be rolled out collaboratively with the banks to ensure efficiency in payment of drivers’ commissions.

Vice President Bawumia announced this at the 11th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Ghana Private Roads Transport Union (GPRTU) held at the Pentecost Convention Centre in Gomoa-Fetteh on Thursday.

In February this year, Dr Bawumia unveiled the ‘Tap n Go’ system for Metro Mass Transit Limited buses to ensure operational efficiency, transparency and ease of accessing public transport services.

The three-day conference was on the theme, ‘Transitioning from Fossil Fuels to Electric Vehicles for a Cleaner Environment:
The Role of the Transport Unions for a Digital Economy’ which brought together over 3,000 delegates across the country.

The Vice-President was hopeful that the ‘Tap n Go’ system for taxis would revitalise the local taxi business adversely affected by the online transport services.

Meanwhile, the Vice President disclosed that 50 electric buses would arrive in the country by the end of August whilst another 50 would come by December this year.

The move formed part of the Government’s policy directive to gradually transition from the use of fossil fuels for transport to electric vehicles to reduce the costs of public transport and contribute towards global carbon emission efforts.

To that end, the Vice President said government was working feverishly to establish charging points in every fuel filling station to ease the charging of electric vehicles.

The hybrid charging points, he said, would involve the use of electricity and solar for charging electric vehicle batteries to reduce the cost of transportatio
n.

Dr Bawumia, therefore, implored members of the GPRTU to support his presidential bid to roll out far-reaching reforms in the transport sector for their benefit and the entire citizenry.

Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, the General-Secretary of Trades Union Congress, in his address, emphasised the importance of transportation to the national economy and urged the leadership of GPRTU to resolve its internal wranglings to foster peace and harmony within the Union.

He announced the TUC’s ambition to establish a Labour Bank in Ghana to provide affordable loans for its members including commercial drivers to purchase brand new vehicles and build their own houses.

Nana Nimako Bresiamah, the National Chairman of GPRTU, in his welcome remarks, provided a historical background of GPRTU and how it had metamorphosed into a vibrant union with 3,400 branches nationwide.

He recounted some of the challenges the Union had faced over the years including internal litigations which prevented it from hosting the 11th quadrennial dele
gates conference last year.

He therefore appealed to all feuding factions to give peace a chance in order to foster understanding and harmony within the Union.

He expressed the Union’s preparedness to work with any government for the betterment of their members and the citizenry.

The GPRTU Chairman appealed to government to consider establishing a transport bank to enable commercial drivers access affordable loans to purchase brand new vehicles for their transport business.

Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobia II, the Paramount Chief of Gomoa Assin, who chaired the event, lauded the leadership of GPRTU for steering the affairs of the Union well over the years, despite the many challenges it had faced in recent years.

He advised commercial drivers to refrain from drunk-driving to safeguard their own lives and that of their passengers.

On the upcoming elections, the Chief urged the citizenry to resist from any acts that could plunge the country into conflict and, thus, underscored the need for free, fair and trans
parent electoral process on December 7, 2024.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association (GITA) has expressed concern over the limited local captains to man the many industrial vessels plying the shores of Ghana.

The Association is also worried that seafarers are becoming a ‘scarce commodity.’

Mr Stephen Adjo Katcher, the President of GITA, told the Ghana News Agency that it was about time the Regional Maritime University upped its game in training more seafarers to sustain the local industries.

We believe that the Government must begin to push the Regional Maritime University to do more in terms of training…we are ready to pay for these talents in the country,’ he added.

The President touched on the high cost of employing foreign captains, stressing that it was a drain on their resources, coupled with the high cost of fuel, machines, and maintenance of the vessels in the day-to-day operations.

He, therefore, urged stakeholders in the blue economy to turn their attention to the needs of the GITA to enable them to become more sustainable.

Source: Gh
ana News Agency

Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader of Parliament, said the ‘Ghana Standards Authority Pricing of Cement Regulation 2024′ will not be withdrawn.

On Tuesday, Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond, the Minister of Trade and Industry, laid a Legislative Instrument (LI) on the Floor of Parliament to address the country’s escalating cement prices.

However, Mr Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, is said to have advised Mr Hammond, the Minister of Trade and Industry, to withdraw the LI to address some concerns that could lead to the legislation’s defeat in court because the parent Act was against price control.

In response, Mr Afenyo-Markin told the Parliamentary Press Corps that the Minority’s and sector players’ concerns about price regulation had been addressed prior to the laying.

He said: ‘After their deliberation, they came out with a report signed by the Chairman of the Committee. The content was to the effect that if the Trades Minister will take into consideration all the amendments, then they are no
t opposed to it.’

‘Now true to his word, Hon. K.T Hammond incorporated every single amendment proposed by the Subsidiary Legislation into the new LI before same was laid.’

‘The LI, which was previously brought to Parliament was changed. Every amendment which was proposed by the Minority was factored into the new LI: so, the question is: why must the Minority come the next day to attack government?’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has secured a US$100 million financing facility from the World Bank to rehabilitate old farms across six cocoa growing districts in the country.

The beneficiary cocoa growing districts of the project include Assin Fosu, New Edubiase, Nkawkaw, and Juaso.

The four-year project would support the cutting down of cocoa trees, which have lived 20 years and above, land preparations, and the provision of planting materials, including seedlings and suckers.

Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), COCOBOD, made this disclosure in an interview with journalists as part of a field trip to some farms in Assin Fosu in the Central Region on Thursday, July 4, 2024.

The visit was to assess the work of extension officers, and government interventions to farmers, while educating and sensitising them on best practices to increase cocoa yields.

He explained that though the trees that would be cut down were not diseased, they had outlived their lifespan, with some being more than
30 years, making them become ‘Moribund’ trees.

‘Once cocoa hits 20 years and above, it has spent its life span, and from that stage, you realise that it bears no fruits, no pods, and the flowers don’t come, yet the farmer would be maintaining such a farm, and this is not productive,’ he said.

That, Boahen Aidoo said required rehabilitation, which once done, would help rejuvenate the farms, leading to increased iproduction.

He stated that COCOBOD would support the beneficiary farmers with plantain suckers, labour for planting, and provide them with extension officers to educate and assist them with the management of their farms for optimum yields.

He noted that should the farmers be provided with seedlings without any other assistance, it would be difficult for them to do the work on their respective farms and achieve the expected outcome.

‘We went to one farm, and they were doing 30 hectares. If you cut the trees from this 30-hectare land, and you want the farmer to provide plantain suckers within one ye
ar, they cannot. That’s why we’re supporting them,’ he said.

He noted that Ghana had implemented a similar project with support from the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme, which focused on ending Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD).

During the field visit and durbar, farmers called on the government to expedite efforts in constructing roads in cocoa growing areas to support carting of produce after harvesting and reduce post-harvest losses.

They also called for more extension officers, noting that the training and assistance provided by the officers had been helpful in their farming activities.

Nana Kweku Appotoi IV, Aboabohene, Assin Nyankomase, bemoaned the deplorable roads in almost all cocoa growing communities in Assin Fosu, urging COCOBOD to spearhead actions to put the roads in shape.

While committing to ensuring that cocoa farms were not taken over by illegal miners, he urged the farmers to adhere to best practices, and extend the knowledge received to
farmers who could not attend the event.

Addressing the concerns of farmers, Boahen Aidoo said the government, following the hikes in cocoa prices, would see to the allocation of funds to fix deplorable roads in cocoa growing communities.

He advised farmers not to grow cocoa in sandy and clay soils, stop burning weeds, and selling branches of cocoa trees to be used as firewood, instead, leave them on their farms to serve as mulch.

He also cautioned them against the use of harmful weedicides, like ’round up,’ and glyphosate (commonly known as ‘condemn’), and use materials like poultry manure on their farms.

The weedicides, he said, contained acid and other chemicals, which were harmful to the cocoa and other plants, killed microorganisms and made soils to lose their essential nutrients, thereby, reducing crop yields.

On their part, the COCOBOD CEO said, since 2020 they had procured about 100,000 motorized slashers and pruners, to help clear cocoa farms, and increase production, urging farmers to access the
m from various district offices.

Regarding extension officers, he said COCOBOD had increased the officers-to-farmers ration from the previously one-to-three thousand to one-to-600, almost meeting the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) international standard of one extension officer-to-500 farmers.

Source: Ghana News Agency