Category: General

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has outlined his strategic plan to enable businesses from Europe to maximise their profits by investing in Ghana.

The plan, he said, would capitalise on digital technology to further simplify tax administration, enhance traceability, and improve data cross-checking to curb corruption.

He gave this assurance when he met with some Ambassadors from the European Union (EU) together with some private sector executives at the EU Ambassador’s Residence, in Accra.

Those measures, he said, would be implemented to catapult Ghana’s future development by driving economic growth and attracting investment when elected as the President of Ghana.

There would also be a comprehensive plan to enhance governance and tackle key challenges facing Ghana to ensure a predictable environment.

This includes making the energy sector more competitive by reducing monopoly and removing VAT on solar energy.

The Vice President discussed plans for investing in public tra
nsport and electric vehicles, including the imminent arrival of some 200 Honda electric buses for testing in the next few months.

He emphasised the importance of responsible small-scale mining to prevent environmental degradation and industrialisation to generate employment and attract more investment.

He also proposed some land title systems to that effect.

Also, the power of technology would be harnessed to address challenges in agriculture, he stated.

Dr Bawumia expressed readiness to revisit policies, including those related to local content and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act, to foster a more conducive investment environment.

While acknowledging the important role of education in nation building, he reiterated his support for implementation of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme.

He also spoke about the trajectory of education that the government had taken regarding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and other educational programmes to broaden th
e horizon of students.

On peace and development, he assured of Ghana’s continued commitment to maintaining an inclusive democracy amidst instability in the sub-region and advocated for cooperation with neighbouring countries and Europe.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Chamber for Local Governance (ChaLoG) has stated that the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development does not have the power to determine the end-of-service emoluments to be paid to assembly members.

This was in a statement signed by the ChaLoG President, executive secretary, and public relations officer and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

It said the chamber had become aware of a letter purportedly written and signed for and on behalf of the Local Government Minister by the Chief Director of the Ministry, directing the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to determine the payment of emoluments to the assembly members whose tenure ended in 2023 within the proposed amounts of GHs 3000, 2500, and 2,000, respectively, for metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies.

‘ChaLoG wishes to state without any fear of contradiction that the said directive from the Minister to the MMDAs is an outright illegality and should be withdrawn forthwith.’

It added that the minister
was not clothed with the power to direct any MMDA on the allowances and emoluments paid to the presiding member and assembly members when they are in active service or not.

The chamber stated that the MMDAs, to which the directive was directed, are all legally constituted and still clothed with the power to, on their own, determine the emoluments and allowances of sitting and past assembly members.

It indicated that Section 11(2) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 Act (936) states that ‘the emoluments of a Presiding Member of a District Assembly and other members of the District Assembly shall be determined by the District Assembly and paid out of the District Assembly’s own resources.’

ChaLoG therefore called on the minister to, with immediate effect, withdraw the said letter, which it stressed was illegal and a serious affront to the concept of local governance and decentralisation.

‘The Minister should know or ought to have known that this uninformed directive is tantamount to usurping the power and aut
hority of the MMDAs to determine their own allowances and emoluments, which no doubt flies in the face of Section 11(2) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 Act (936),’ it added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Shadrach Abrefa Mensa, the Bono Regional Director of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), has campaigned for the implementation of a national policy to integrate the youth into permanent jobs aligned with their fields of training.

?He said by aligning training with employment opportunities, a more efficient and sustainable system could be created where beneficiaries would apply their specialized skills and knowledge effectively, leading to greater success and productivity in the workforce to benefit both beneficiaries and the economy.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mr Abrefa Mensa highlighted the significant strides the YEA had made with its modules, showcasing the institution’s commitment to providing the state with a high-quality and skilled labour force necessary for driving economic growth.

He added that the beneficiaries received training from professionals, representing the institutions being studied in the modules, which indicated that their training was ali
gned with the policies and training practices of the institutions to enhance the beneficiaries’ skills and competencies.

Mr. Abrefa Mensa announced that, for the first time, the Ghana Police Service had allocated a quota of 1000 positions to the YEA for recruitment under its Community Police Assistance (CPA) programme nationwide.

Additionally, some beneficiaries of the Community Health Workers programme had been granted admission into various colleges?for a top-up programme.

He said other beneficiaries under the Community Prison Office Assistance module were recruited into the Ghana Prisons Service, saying the opportunity had arisen because of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and partnership established between the YEA and the institutions.

Mr. Abrefa Mensa said the traditional modules offered by the Agency served as more than just a temporary job opportunity for young individuals, saying these modules also provided a chance for participants who wished to get into permanent employment.

He noted that
in the past, there was a lack of a clear exit plan for individuals who were involved in the YEA modules which?resulted in a cycle of temporary placements.

He pointed out that the government’s contribution to the YEA was laying a solid foundation for subsequent governments to streamline their activities, saying that indicated a promising opportunity for future administrations to build upon and enhance the organization’s impact.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Recently, the Kashengeneck School, which was built by the Kambov Mining of CNMC, was officially handed over to the local government. The Kashengenek School is located in the village of Kashengenek, Kambowe Township, Likasi City, Upper Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project was launched in October 2023.

Together with the construction party and the supervision party, Kambov Mining has attached great importance to the construction safety and quality in the process of implementation. With unremitting efforts of nearly 5 months, schools and villagers’ public wells were very well established.

The school has 6 classrooms with teaching facilities such as chairs. The administrative building has offices and conference rooms. Meanwhile, they are equipped with bathrooms, special wells and walls. Furthermore, the well has a complete water filtration system, two 5m3 water tanks, a set of solar panels, a solid steel derrick, and 5 faucets which could fully satisfy the water needs of villagers.

T
he completion of the two projects has provided better teaching conditions for the teachers and students, and also solved the problem of villagers traveling long distances to get water. The villagers’ lives are more convenient now and the water sources are cleaner.

At the completion celebration, Wang Shougao, chairman of the Kambov Mining of CNMC, said that the completion and delivery of the public well project for schools and villagers is a milestone in the company’s public welfare activities and a powerful witness to the friendship between China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, condensing the deep friendship between the two peoples. He hoped that teachers, students and villagers would cherish the school and public wells, and wished villagers an improving life quality, and more children could go to school to receive education.

The Finance Minister of Upper Katanga John Muloba Kitonge has attended the handover ceremony of the school and highly praised the campus and public wells of high quality dona
ted by CNMC. He said that Kambov’s own development has provided more jobs for the community, and it has actively fulfilled its social responsibilities. The livelihood problems of many people in the community are solved and a win-win cooperation has been achieved. May Kambov be more harmonious with the community, and may the friendship between the two countries last forever.

Kambov Mining is a joint venture between CNMC and Gécamines SA. As a responsible enterprise, Kambov Mining has practiced the development concept of cooperation and win-win since its establishment in the construction of the ‘Belt and Road’ and actively fulfilled its social responsibilities. In 2023, the company’s five social responsibility projects have landed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Andrews Kofi Okonegye, the Berekum District Police Commander,?has assured banking and financial institutions of absolute security, as economic activities thrive in the Berekum Municipality of the Bono Region.

He said the police were on top watching the activities of businesses, saying ‘We have informants everywhere and we are ready to clamp down on criminals’.

ASP Okonegye gave the assurance when speaking at the opening of the Berekum branch of the Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG), a wholly owned Ghanaian bank in the Berekum Municipality.

‘Sometimes you might not see our presence, but we promise we are everywhere in the municipality to deal with crime’, the District Police Commander stated in confidence.

ASP Okonegye warned that criminals, miscreants, and troublemakers in the municipality would not find their way out and asked financial and banking institutions to remain sensitive and be security conscious too.

‘We are ever ready and prepared to protect every in
dividual and institution’ and cautioned the people against any form of crime, saying criminals would always be found wanting.

Mr Thairu Ndungu, the Deputy Managing Director, CBG, stressed dedication, trust and honesty remained the trademark of the bank, and assured customers and potential ones of absolute security of their deposits.

He stressed the bank’s commitment and readiness to provide excellent and innovative banking services to businesses, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the municipality, saying the economic prospects of Berekum were good.

Mr Charles Appiah, the Director of Finance and Strategy at CBG, advised the Berekum residents to capitalize on the bank’s remittance services and do business with the institution, saying with ‘our remittance services you can easily withdraw money from your handset.’

Osabarima Kusi Yeboah II, the Nifahene (Right Chief) of the Berekum Traditional Area advised banking and financial institutions to endeavour to check the bank ground of people before
providing them with employment.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Emmanuella Woelikplim Afetorgbor, the Assistant Director for the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in Anloga District of the Volta region, has urged all workers to exhibit discipline and dedication to work.

The aim, according to her, would help increase productivity as well as improve quality delivery.

Madam Afetorgbor, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after commemorating this year’s ‘Workers Day’ celebration, said the day acknowledged the contribution and achievements of all workers.

‘Workers Day reminds you of the importance of workers globally, and all workers should be recognised for their hard work and dedication. ‘

She further stated that all workers, including teachers, health workers, security agencies, farmers, fisherfolks as well as public and civil servants, should work with love for humanity and dignity at all levels.

‘Let us honour and celebrate the hard work and dedication of individual workers in all fields of work. May all workers enjoy safe and healthy worki
ng conditions with abundant growth and development,’ she added.

Madam Afetorgbor said the labour force remained a key indicator in every angle of life and should be recognised, empowered, and motivated.

Some workers, the GNA engaged, expressed worry and dissatisfaction about their working conditions and appealed to the authorities to help.

Source: Ghana News Agency