ghana eye

2007-11-01T10:49:00.001Z

Ghana Eye will be suspended until Monday 7th of January 2008 for redesigning.

The team apologizes for any inconvenience.

Offshore Drilling Units

2007-10-31T12:03:00.003Z

Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDC), a UK based oil company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PSC Tema Shipyard Limited to provide various services on mobile offshore drilling units.

The partnership would help promote the energy business in the country as a result of the increased oil and gas activity along the Gulf of Guinea.

Among the activities to be undertaken under the agreement are the refurbishment and reactivation of mobile offshore drilling units currently operating in and transiting through the Gulf of Guinea. Mr. George Karstein Irvine, Vice President of OGDC who made the announcement to newsmen in Tema, said the shipyard would provide the entire range of ship-repair and engineering services while the local manpower suppliers such as Genesis and Aquatec, a diving and marine company provides the additional local skilled labour with the OGDC coming in with its expertise in management to support.

He said under the agreement, the OGDC, which has operated in Nigeria for the past 15 years has been operating in Ghana for the past six months.

It has complied with the country's labour laws by offering jobs to about 300 Ghanaians, making up about 80 percent of the work force.

He said with the assistance of local contractors the Company plans to organise training programmes to impart the expertise to local employees to be "certificated to an international recognised standard" to stimulate the growth of local capacity.

Mr. Irvine stated that his company has also signed a contract with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) for the services of its facilities like cranes and generators among others. The Tema Port, he said, is the most conducive one along the West Africa sub-region.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Offshore Drilling Units (Page 1 of 1)

China's Africa Dream Is Looking Less Nightmarish

2007-10-31T12:03:00.001Z

Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- It's rare that a business deal intrigues investors and political scientists alike. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd.'s move to buy 20 percent of Africa's largest bank is such a transaction.

It's the biggest overseas investment by a Chinese company, in this case the world's No. 1 bank by market value. ICBC's $5.6 billion purchase of the Standard Bank Group Ltd. stake is the largest in South Africa since apartheid ended in 1994.

Yet there's something even bigger at play here. This is arguably the first Chinese investment in Africa that doesn't carry a whiff of political strategy. Nor is it directly related to China's desire for resources, which can often help despots more than African households.

ICBC's Standard Bank deal may be the watershed that begins propelling China's designs on Africa from talk to just plain business, and smart business at that.

``From the regulators' point of view, this kind of diversification is a great idea,'' says Michael Pettis, a finance professor at Peking University. ``Chinese banks are too highly concentrated in China and it's not in their best interest that banks depend exclusively on Chinese growth. That kind of dependence is highly pro-cyclical and can feed booms and busts.''

Standard Bank has offices in 18 African countries, including Nigeria and Kenya, and 21 other nations such as Argentina and Taiwan. The Johannesburg-based bank has 713 branches in South Africa and 240 throughout the continent. The deal is a sign that even if the Chinese Communist Party has strategic reasons for investing in Africa, companies are heading there for the economic potential.

See No Evil

Until now, China's Africa push has raised warning flags around the globe, and rightfully so. To get resources to feed its 11.5 percent growth, China has hopped into bed with some of Africa's most unsavory regimes, such as Sudan's and Zimbabwe's. That see-no-evil-hear-no-evil approach is raising eyebrows.

Warren Buffett can deny it all he wants, but it's hard to believe that his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. would have dumped its entire holding of PetroChina Co., Asia's biggest oil company, without the public criticism over China's support of Sudan.

PetroChina's state-controlled parent is the biggest foreign investor in Sudan. PetroChina's stock gained more than 11-fold since Buffett first bought it in 2003. And yet he recently abandoned what he says is ``absolutely a first-class company.''

Buffett was under increasing pressure from human-rights groups over accusations that the Sudanese government supports genocide. There was even a role for actress Mia Farrow, who helped publicize the worldwide campaign to dub next year's games the ``Genocide Olympics.''

No Baggage

ICBC's stake in Standard Bank comes without that kind of baggage. It's a state-controlled China bank, making it hard to figure out where politics end and business begins. Yet the deal shows China is now making bets on Africa's economy.

Standard Bank is gaining access to the fastest-growing major economy and fattening its capital base. China is getting a foothold into Africa's nascent investment-banking and insurance industries. It's also a way for China to use its growing cash piles overseas rather than making fresh domestic loans that may go bad or fuel inflation.

All this is stellar news for Africa, which usually suffers from the ``paradox of plenty.'' All too often, inhabitants of resource-rich nations fail to prosper while corrupt politicians and their cronies get wealthy and ignore the development needs of the struggling masses.

That has been Africa's experience for far too long. And the failure of Western efforts to reverse the dynamic left the region's leaders open to Chinese investment.

Investment, Not Aid

One interesting element of ICBC's deal is how different it is from the usual overture from Western banks. It didn't come laden with demands about how much control ICBC will have over Standard Bank. It didn't require pledges for financial change. It's merely one bank buying a piece of another with transparent terms and conditions. It's a sign Chinese managers are willing to treat Africans as peers.

The West hasn't learned that lesson with its aid programs and lecturing. By trying a new tack, China may be testing what development economists have argued for years: Africa doesn't need more aid, it needs more genuine investment and trade.

Bono and Columbia University's Jeffrey Sachs will keep plugging away, and thank the gods for that. But Chinese companies appear to see something in Africa many in New York, London and Tokyo don't. Africa represents huge and lucrative business opportunities if it gets its act together.

That's a big ``if.'' With the exception of Botswana and Ghana, Africa's biggest consistency seems to be to pull the rug out from under wide-eyed investors. China's interests are offering Africa a rare opportunity to boost its economies.

China's Money

Another interesting angle here concerns investors. Looking at ICBC along with other Chinese deals of late -- like Citic Securities Co. buying a stake in Bear Stearns Cos. -- it's clear something transformational is afoot.

In recent years, China sought foreign investments in financial firms to shore up capital and gain expertise. Now, cash-rich from trade, stock offerings and surging share prices, China no longer needs Wall Street's money. Increasingly, it's foreigners who want a cut of China's money.

``Getting access to China's market may no longer require putting money in China,'' says Brad Setser, director of research at Roubini Global Economics LLC in New York. ``It may instead require accepting investment from China.''

China may have just found a way to tame its own pressures and tap Africa without the baggage of the past.

Bloomberg.com: Opinion

Africa waiting for net revolution

2007-10-30T08:07:00.003Z

More than a third of Africa's citizens should have access to broadband internet by 2012, a conference of technology leaders is set to hear.

Fewer than four out of 100 Africans currently use the internet, and broadband penetration is below 1%.

The barriers to broadband access are key talking points at the Connect Africa meeting in Kigali, in Rwanda.

Dr Hamadoun Toure, head of the International Telecommunication Union has called for "immediate action".

The conference features representations from organisations such as the World Bank, World Health Organization and United Nations, as well as high-profile technology leaders such as Intel's chairman Craig Barrett.

The attendees were all invited to make financial commitments to improving technology and telecoms in the continent. More than $3bn has been pledged so far.

Dr Toure said that despite the bleak picture of access issues in Africa there was plenty of opportunity.

He told the BBC News website: "If you have just 1% of broadband access today you have 99% of opportunity.

Mobile phone use is growing dramatically in Africa

"The good news is that Africa has had the highest growth in mobile use globally - twice the global average over the past three years.

"For the first time economic indicators are positive from Africa."

In Rwanda, access to the net is limited and high-speed connections are rare, the BBC's Digital Planet programme was told by officials and users in the country.

"Not many students are able to connect to the internet at the same time," said Marie-Josee Ufitamahoro, a student at Kigali institute of technology.

"For example, a class of 40 students requires each pupil to be connected, so what we need is bigger bandwidth so we can share ideas with other students in other parts of the world."

Albert Butare, Rwanda's state minister for telecommunications and energy, said the issue of bandwidth was critical.

"It's what governs the speed of the internet, the quality of the connection, whether or not you can do video conferencing," he said.

"If you are talking about telemedicine or distance learning, you need images and clear audio."

Dr Toure said the conference needed to take action on regulatory issues in some African countries, which often tie down the roll-out of net access. "The heads of state present will give assurances to the private sector on the availability of competition and the creation of a proper regulatory environment for them in which to evolve," he said. "The private sector from outside Africa and inside will make fruitful partnerships."

One of the biggest problems facing internet development in Africa is a lack of interconnectivity. More than 70% of internet traffic within Africa is routed outside the continent, driving up costs for business and consumers.

"This is a serious problem and will be discussed," said Dr Toure.

But he said Africa should not be looking for special treatment from the technology private sector.

"Africa has to create the opportunities; Africa doesn't need charity," he said.

"We need to make sure we have a good environment that will attract private sector investment. There's nothing wrong with making profits in Africa."

The International Telecommunications Union says more than $8bn was invested in telecommunications infrastructure across Africa in 2005.

Dr Toure said the challenge for the ITU, technology leaders and companies was to help Africa meet its Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

In the technology sphere, that means easy access to information and communication technology for more than half of the continent's population within eight years.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Africa waiting for net revolution

Africa staffs the West

2007-10-30T08:07:00.001Z

Africa is losing its brightest to the First World. Less than 10% of doctors trained in Zambia since its independence in 1964 are still in the country: the other 90% have migrated, mainly to Europe and the United States. No less staggeringly, there are more Sierra Leonean-trained doctors in Chicago alone than in the country itself and cash-strapped Benin provides more medical professionals to France than there are in the whole of its own health system.
These medical examples are merely one facet of the massive loss of skills Africa as a whole continues to suffer. In effect, one-third of the continent’s university resources are serving the manpower needs of Western nations and not those of Africa itself. United Nations estimates suggest that Africa is spending a staggering $4-billion a year training professionals for developed countries.
Why this is happening, and what African universities need to do to counter the problem, came under the spotlight in the Libyan capital of Tripoli this week, which hosted the Association of African Universities’ (AAU) two-yearly conference of rectors, vice-chancellors and university presidents. It drew more than 150 delegates from across the continent.
This is far from being the first time senior African academic leaders have raised these issues and in the conference corridors the question most raised was whether the Tripoli gathering would break any new ground.
The theme was The African Brain Drain: Managing the Drain – Working with the Diaspora. AAU president Njabulo Ndebele, vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town, was one of many who stressed that statistics on the brain drain are imperfect. The conference was to assess what the real picture is and to convince governments of the need for better data.
Despite this cautionary note, the indaba was awash with hair-raising figures (see sidebar one), with the AAU itself estimating that 30% of Africa’s university graduates live outside the continent.
Nuhu Yaqub, vice-chancellor of Nigeria’s University of Abuja, set the dominant tone. Noting that the brain drain was invariably one-way -- from the Third World to the First World -- he observed that “developing countries have unwittingly been subsidising the developed countries”, educating a professionals cadre that the developed world received “on a platter of gold at no cost”.
Gilbert Mdende of the University of Burundi introduced another aspect of the problem as seen from a national, rather than a continental, perspective: his university had lost 63% of its lecturers in the past 10 years to Rwanda because of socio-political crises as well as the lure of better remuneration.
Similarly complicating the picture, Johnson Ishengoma of the University of Dar es Salaam insisted that “internal brain drain” had to be factored in as part of the problem. Low academic salaries and poor working conditions (such as huge class sizes) in Tanzania had forced many academics into other fields -- including into the country’s Cabinet. This left major gaps in professorial ranks that could not easily be filled, he said.
Conferences tend to have counter-conferences -- that is, what’s exchanged outside the formal sessions. In Tripoli, many of the counter-conference sessions occurred on the steps of the conference centre with delegates staring at the Mediterranean. (To the surprise of the small contingent of South African delegates, none of whom had been to Libya before, this turned out to be remarkably similar to gazing at Durban’s surf on a calm day -- an illusion broken only when you turned to walk back inside and noted the large mural of Moammar Gaddafi on the front of the Dat El-Emad conference centre.)
During the first tea break, the Mail & Guardian spoke with Andrew Othieno, project officer in The Association of Commonwealth Universities’ Africa unit. His job is to promote partnerships between universities in the United Kingdom and in Africa. “But what I’m hearing so far is what United Kingdom academics complain about: African academics putting the problem on the table, as they’ve been doing since the Sixties, but offering no solution. It’s like continuing to complain about colonialism. The British are tired of hearing this.”
Striking a similar note was a very senior South African academic, who preferred not to be named. “It’s the first morning and all we’ve heard is a repetition from vice-chancellors of the same problem. Yet it’s their job to create enabling conditions in which academics can work and so be retained; they can’t just state the problem. They all complain about not being taken seriously by politicians, yet this is why they’re not.”
Othieno commented that when UK universities approached African universities about partnerships in fields such as information and communications technology, agriculture and health, they often received no response. “We’re offering financing for whatever capacity they want to build, academic materials, computers and so on. There’s clearly a lack of adequate communication between the UK and Africa.”
With all these comments in mind, the M&G asked Ndebele what specifics the AAU hoped the conference would produce. “The conference is part of the AAU initiative begun two years ago in Cape Town, when the current board was elected, to enhance the visibility of the AAU and the participation of the member states,” he said. “We want from the conference a better conceptual understanding of the brain drain, an advocacy programme with key organisations such as the African Union and the African Capacity-Building Foundation, and continued research in the field.”
Commenting on the criticism that the conference involved academics talking to one another rather than involving governments, he replied: “There has been a new development in Africa and that is governments saying higher education is an important part of economic competitiveness, because of the centrality to that of new knowledge and innovation.” (He was referring here to the post-independence African state’s characteristic prioritising of primary education to the detriment of tertiary -- another theme the conference repeatedly stressed.)
Given this new development, Ndebele said: “Politicians and academics need to speak to one another with mutual respect -- that’s a relationship that’s not been good for some time now. There must be new dialogue between the two.”
Politics soon erupted into the conference in a way that underlined the need for higher education to engage governments as Ndebele had suggested. The flashpoint was Nepad. Sibusiso Vil-Nkomo, of the University of Pretoria, argued that Nepad’s recognition of “the importance of technological know-how and skills is an indispensable stimulus for development”, because it could be used as a tool to develop strategies to use such skills possessed by Africans in the diaspora.
While South Africa was widely acknowledged at the conference as being further down the road to luring its professionals back to the country -- at least in having developed policies in this regard for engineers, teachers and nurses -- Vil-Nkomo’s broader claims for Nepad as the golden solution encountered immediate challenges.
Joseph Okpaku, of the Telecom Africa International Corporation in the United States, pointed to frictions among African countries themselves: “The problem with Nepad is that you can’t partner with those you compete with, otherwise there’s just blackmail -- which is what has happened.” And a contribution from the floor suggested deep schisms between governments and higher education: African political leaders had blundered in “taking Nepad first for approval to the Group of Eight and not to us. As a result, Africa doesn’t own Nepad.”
But concrete measures to counter the brain drain looked a distant prospect. It remained unclear whether the conference would achieve the measurable aims Ndebele had outlined or whether, in the testy words of one speaker from the floor, “we’ll still be discussing this 60 years from now”.
The Association of African Universities is an NGO to that aims to promote cooperation among African universities as well as increased contact between AAU members and the international academic world. Its membership numbers 208 universities from 50 of the continent’s 53 countries, and includes the three main linguistic zones of traditional tertiary teaching on the continent -- Anglophone, Francophone and Arabic
Measuring the brain drain

Nearly 235 000 professionals left South Africa between 1987 and 1997. Since 1997, the brain drain has cost the country $7,8-billion, according to the Paris-based Institute for Research and Development.
Arabic African countries annually lose 50% of their doctors, 23% of engineers and 15% of scientists. Of all Arab students abroad, only 4,5% return home.
About 80% of Ghana’s doctors leave the country within five years of graduation; and about 25% of all doctors trained in Africa work abroad.
About 20 000 professionals leave Africa every year, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
A recent study of 10 African countries showed an average loss of 40% of their university graduates, with massive brain drains from Cape Verde (67%), The Gambia (63%), Seychelles (59%), Sierra Leone (53%) and Mozambique (45%).
A survey last year of 415 students from developing countries studying at Texas University in the United States showed that more than half wanted to start their careers in the US, 20% preferred their home countries, and nearly 30% were unsure.

Push and pull factors

Causes of the brain drain were commonly referred to in shorthand as “push and pull factors”.
Among the push factors:
Low and eroding salaries.
Social unrest and political conflict, including wars.
Unsatisfactory living conditions, such as lack of housing and transport.
Lack of research facilities and funding.
Discrimination in academic appointments and promotions.
The pull factors, mostly perceived as being offered in the West, are the reverse: higher wages, political stability, intellectual freedom and better career opportunities, among others.

Africa staffs the West : Mail & Guardian Online

All must support tobacco control

2007-10-29T09:14:00.001Z

The fight against tobacco control is limitless making it impossible for a sole entity to battle it single-handedly, Professor John Gyapong, Director, Health Research Unit, Ghana Health Service, noted on Thursday.
Speaking at the West African Tobacco Control workshop in Accra, he said the fight needed the support of all sectors in eliminating the false images that had been associated with its use.
Prof. Gyapong said Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) could assume an active role in the fight but it needed a political and legal backing to make it binding and effective.
The workshop organised by the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) and hosted by Ghana Coalition of NGOs Against Tobacco brought together 35 participants from Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Gambia and Sierra Leone to build capacity of NGOs to advocate the ratification and implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
The Ghana Health Service (GHS), Prof. Gyapong said, had taken the lead in ensuring that NGOs served on the Policy and Strategy Advisory Board Committees while others worked in communities on awareness creation.
Prof. Gyapong said this was because tobacco was the leading cause of death in the world, killing more than five million people annually, adding that if current trends continued it was projected to kill 10 million per year by 2020 with 70 per cent of those deaths occurring in developing countries.
The figures suggest that about 500 million people living today may eventually be killed by tobacco if they maintained usage.
Ghana is one of the 40 countries that have ratified FCTC, which became an international law on February 25, 2005.
The Project Director of FCA, Alison Cox said the Framework Convention (FC) was aimed at protecting the present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.
She said Global commitment to achieve change had been clearly demonstrated with the framework being one
of the most rapidly adopted treaties signed in June 2004. As of October 1, 2007 the WHO FCTC had 150 parties representing 80 per cent of the world's population.
The great challenge now, Ms Cox noted, was to bring the last remaining eligible countries to ratify the treaty and also see it through paper to life through enabling legislature and eventual enforcement.
Mr Emmanuel Agyarko, Chief Executive of Food and Drugs Board (FDB), who chaired the function, said the voice of the consumer needed to be heard and his attention continually drawn to the negative effects of smoking.
He expressed the hope that the bill to back tobacco control in the country would be passed as soon as possible.

KESSBENFM 93.3 : : Excellence in radio

Celtel Mobile Company Storms Country

2007-10-29T08:50:00.001Z

The Celtel mobile network in Sierra Leone has extended its mobile market to the West African state of Ghana as the subsidiary of Zain (formerly MTC, now having controlling shares in Western Telesystems (Westel), the second national operator in that country.

According to the chief executive officer of Zain, Dr. Saad Al Barrak, Celtel was excited to enter the Ghanaian market which he said is one of Africa's most important markets. "We are very excited to enter Ghana, one of the most important markets in Africa. We look forward to offering Ghanaians the quality telecommunications services which we provide in all the countries in which we operate. Based on our Pan-African experience, we are confident that the increased competition in telecommunications will benefit the people of Ghana and support the already robust economy of the country." Dr Saad Al Barrak made this remark during the signing ceremony of an agreement for Celtel international, a subsidiary of Zain to acquire 75% of Western Telesystems Limited (Westel) from the government of Ghana for US$120 million.

According to the agreement, the government of Ghana remain minor shareholders in Westel with a 2.5% shareholding through the Ghana National Petroleum Commission. Ghana's Communications Minister Dr. Benjamin Aggrey Ntim said,"The government of Ghana is delighted to welcome a world class telecommunications operator such as Celtel to Ghana and we look forward to working together as partners." The Minister also announced that the parties have agreed to list a portion of the company's shares in the future in Ghana's public stock exchange for the benefit of Ghanaians. The release further states that Celtel is preparing to invest millions of dollars in a state of the art telecommunications network and associated services to offer its unparallel experience as a Pan-African operator, bringing telecommunications services to more than 24 million subscribers in 15 countries in Africa.

"The company hopes to include Ghana soon in its One Network which makes it possible for subscribers to use their phones across boarders withouth having to pay roaming charges", the release concludes.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Celtel Mobile Company Storms Country (Page 1 of 1)

Humans for sale – security officials involved

2007-10-28T13:48:00.001Z

Six teenage girls sit on a bench in front of a house built with wooden scraps and corrugated roofing sheets at Abossey Okai, a suburb of Accra. From time to time, one of them runs her fingers through her hair and bites her finger nails. Another yawns, followed by a deep sigh from the other. But their boredom would soon be eased.
They have already been sold to pimps in Europe. Next week Wednesday they would be gone, ‘smuggled’ through Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to their pimps.
The Crusading Guide’s eight month-long investigations have uncovered a complex web of thriving human trafficking business in Ghana where the ‘dons’ lure Nigerian, Togolese, Beninois and Burkinabe young girls and sell them into prostitution in Europe after hiding them at secret locations in the Greater Accra and Central Regions of Ghana.
The places where they are hidden include McCarthy Hill, Abossey Okai Zongo, Bethlehem City, Adom City, Budumburam Refugee Camp, Big Apple among others. The girls, mostly minors, are exploited in different ways and employed to perpetrate criminal activities in Europe. They are also often used in pornographic movie acting.
The trafficking of these girls in Ghana has always been shrouded in secrecy for the past years. It however, recently took a dramatic twist as profits soared. The business has been institutionalized as the ‘dons’ now rent apartments and camps to hide the many girls, taking advantage of the lack of enforcement of anti-human trafficking laws.
“In the last few months we have trafficked over one thousand girls mainly from Nigeria and Benin through our Ghana route; the market is very good, the officers understand the business”, said Baba, one of the traffickers who was talking to this reporter disguised as a rich businessman wanting to send some girls to Italy.
Most of these girls end up dying while serving their ‘mamas’ (Queen Pimps). Before they set off for the trip, they are made to swear an oath of secrecy in a shrine, where they promise never to reveal their mission to anyone.
Luisa, (not her real name) one of the many girls who was trafficked to Italy through Ghana, told this reporter in Benin City, Nigeria, that most of her friends died in Italy as they engaged in this sex trade.
“I used to sleep with over 25 men a day. When I became fed up and decided not to work, my madam in Turin (one of her three bases in Italy) beat me up with a belt. She would also starve me and threaten me with deportation.
A lot of my friends died at the Rome and Milan bases where we used to rotate. We went through a lot of mental torture and physical abuse right from Ghana. The traffickers were sleeping with us at their whim. I was raped several times and have undergone several crude abortions”, she continued. At this stage, Luisa then ran her hand through her hair, bowed and showed a big scar in her scalp.
“It was stitched in Milan after Cardozo, one of the foolish men who used to violently rape me, hit my head with a broken bottle’, she narrated at her house in Benin City. Luisa also disclosed how Ghanaian security officials helped her group of 16 girls to cross to Spain, France and Italy.
Luisa’s indictment of Ghanaian security officials is supported by evidence available to the Crusading Guide. Investigations indicated that some security officials at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) had been doing brisk business by illegally charging fees to allow the trafficked girls to use the country’s airport as transit to their destinations in Europe to carry out their sex trade.
Orakwe Arinze, spokesman for the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP), told this reporter in his Abuja office, Nigeria, that his country was fighting to uproot human trafficking, adding that shelters had been built in the major States in Nigeria where victims are given support and also equipped with skills to move on in life.
Babandede, Director of Investigations for NAPTIP, maintained that his country’s security agencies were on a high alert to weed out traffickers, hence the prosecution of many of them in recent times. ‘We are breaking through their syndicate’, he added.
How some Ghanaian security officers help in the sale
At the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), some Ghanaian Immigration officers charge between 1500 and 1000 dollars per girl before they allow traffickers to carry their victims through.
Many of these officers are said to have enriched themselves through this business, which has been nicknamed ‘abacha’. This reporter has obtained video, audio, and still pictures of many immigration officials not only bargaining with him (reporter) on how much money to take, but also explaining how they share the money with some National Security personnel and Aviation Security Officials stationed at the airport.
This is a short transcript of what transpired between this reporter and two of the officers.
Immigration officer, Kotoka International Airport, Ghana, discussing a trip with six girls to France and the cost (with reporter disguised as trafficker).
Motion picture begins with reporter walking through the bush looking for an immigration official. A tree shows for a while then a hand interrupts the scene as the reporter walks along, billboards of Kotoka International Airport as well as Ghana’s National Flag is shown.
Sounds of vehicles and human voices are heard as the reporter keeps moving until he meets the immigration official. At exactly 6mins 23 sec of motion pictures, the conversation begins as follows:
Reporter: I called the boy; he said they are six so how can you reduce the price for us?
Official: But the six, all of them cannot go at the same time, today two, the next three.
Reporter: That’s why we are saying you have to beat the price down.
Official: If all of them go it will backfire.
Reporter: That’s why we are saying that you have to beat the price down. So, if they are six how much will you take?
Official: We are doing the thing individually, that’s why I’m saying all of them cannot go one day. If all of them go one day the thing will backfire, are you getting me? All of them would not go one day. So today two will go, the next day three will go.
Reporter: So what do you recommend, is it the Emirate Airline which is the best or?
Official: So far Emirates is the best so if they are ready the first batch can go next week Sunday because Sunday I will be for post-departure. But as for Saturday I would have said it should start on Saturday but Saturday, no Emirates. Emirates don’t fly on Saturdays.
Reporter: They will go on Sunday.
Official: Sunday, Monday that is next week, some people can go next week Sunday. Then the next two weeks, Monday.
Reporter: So beat the price down so that I can come and see you maybe on Monday. $1,500 is expensive.
Official: (Raises his voice). Do you know, do you know how much they take? We are even considering you and you say $1,500 is too much, so if it’s too much how much will you give me?
Reporter: Is $1,000, okay so that the six would be six thousand. I would just collect the money one time (two, two, two).
Officer: (looks into the skies) $6,000 (and then calculates). Okay, $1000 for each.
Another official surfaces
Reporter: Chairman, officer, Sir, well done
Official: Den na ekoso (Twi) meaning what is happening?
Reporter: No, I don’t hear. Am a Nigerian man. I wan see you, I use to fly Virgin Nigeria. My sisters want to fly. They want to go to Germany. (Sound is lost interminently). I want to ask can they go from here?
Official: Are you doubting me?
Reporter: As an officer I cannot doubt you.
Official: Me, if you can pay my money am asking I can carry the whole airport to your house. I can carry. Do you want the critical alarm in your house? Chale come on I can do that.
Reporter: I’ll bring it don’t worry.
Official: I shouldn’t worry. Why should I worry, you are coming.
Reporter: Give me your number.
Official: 0242901439.
Reporter: The name is?
Official: Sam.
Reporter: Sammy.
Official: You can call it anything, am Sam.
Reporter: You see we have someone who has been transporting them but the money is too much, we want to change.
Official: How much are they taking, $1000? And you think I will take less than that? I am taking $1500.
Reporter: (sound breaks) My problem is if the visa is genuine. Can you do it?
Official: What’s your problem? Do you have a problem, so come and show it me. Let’s start business.
Reporter: Thank you, okay.
Official: (As he walks away he asks for my name). What’s your name?
Reporter: Uche, I’ll call you.
Official: Don’t fear.
Meanwhile, the child protection, Specialist of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Ghana, Eric Appiah Okrah, in a telephone conversation congratulated The Crusading Guide newspaper on the story. He added that UNICEF would stand by the security agencies and government to prosecute offenders.
On his part, the Counter Trafficking Field Manager of the International Organisation for Migration, Eric Boakye Piasah, said that human trafficking needs to be combated in Ghana. “We have to nail the perpetrators and their collaborators and push them out of Ghana.
My outfit together with others are doing our part. The general public must join to combat this third lucrative crime in the world”.
Dossier on the queen pimps in Italy, Spain and France
While hanging out with the girls from one restaurant to the other and from one Club to the other as part of the investigations, our reporter came across a dossier of phone numbers belonging to both the traffickers and their accomplices. The dossier has been passed on to the various Missions in Ghana to help track the syndicate in the various countries.

First ECOWAS business forum opens in Accra Monday

2007-10-28T13:42:00.001Z

The first ECOWAS business forum, which will bring together private sector operators and other stakeholders of the West African business community, is scheduled to open in Accra, Ghana, Monday, an ECOWAS statement said.

The statement, made available to PANA here Saturday, said the three-day meeting would evolve strategies for improving regional business operations and ensuring greater involvement of the sector in the implementation of programmes for regional integration.

''The...forum will not only contribute to the ongoing efforts to mobilize the private sector towards greater regional development and competitiveness in the global business environment, it will also agree on a strategy to revive the moribund intra-regional business associations or create new and practical ones,'' it said.

Regional business associations such as the Federation of West Africa Chamber of Commerce (FEWACC), the Federation of West Africa Manufacturers (FEWAMA) and the West African Enterprises Network (WAEN), which were once the toast of the continent, later became moribund.

The Accra meeting will adopt concrete and measurable strategies for engaging the private sector in integration, particularly in the areas of developing a common market, improving the investment climate and the issues of common currency and cross border payments.

It will also enable the operators to be apprised of the status of the regional integration project and the negotiation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that seeks to create a free trade area between West Africa and Europe.

Participants will be drawn mostly from key private sector operators, relevant government agencies and representatives of national and regional chambers of commerce and will also adopt modalities for business networking in West Africa.

The forum is a joint project of ECOWAS, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), USAID, ECOBANK,UBA and PZ.

First ECOWAS business forum opens in Accra Monday | Afrique Informations - Actualité et infos sur l'Afrique

Food Shortages Follow Drought, Floods

2007-10-26T15:39:00.001+01:00

After an initial push to provide food for people affected by drought and heavy flooding in northern Ghana, donor attention on the country is waning even though food shortages persist meaning the situation could get much worse, the Ghanaian government and aid agencies warn.

"Because of the preceding drought and the end of the planting season, there is an inevitable situation of food insecurity, which is likely to last until the next harvest," the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) wrote in a 9 October appeal.

"It's something that is going to be an ongoing problem... The food supply has to be constant until the region is able to regenerate itself," said Benonita Bismarck, head of operations of the Ghana Red Cross Society.

The three northern regions of Ghana - Upper East, Upper West and Northern Region - are the poorest parts of the West African country and were hard hit by drought earlier this year. When the rains finally came in August and September, they were so strong that homes, crops and livestock were washed away.

The government estimates floods affected 332,600 people.

According to the IFRC, up to 50 percent of staple crops in flood-affected areas have been destroyed or are rotting in the fields. While communities would normally have some ability to cope, the earlier drought means they do not have enough food reserves.

Appeals for funding

According to the UN, preliminary assessments by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture suggest that drought and floods affected 70,500 hectares of farmland, resulting in an estimated loss of 144,000 tonnes of crops, including maize, sorghum, millet, peanuts, yam, cassava and rice.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a three-month emergency operation to provide food to the 75,000 people it considers most vulnerable, but its funding to date is US$3.3 million short - more than half of the funds requested.

The WFP says it plans to assist people - including pregnant women and children under five - until the next harvest, but "most humanitarian agencies have distributed all the food in stock and will need new pledges to continue distribution," it said in a statement.

A UN flash appeal for US$12,410,000 for relief operations in Ghana had been funding to just 22 percent as of 25 October.

The IFRC also appealed for 2.5 million Swiss francs (US$2.1 million) to help 60,000 people in Ghana over the next six months. That appeal - which targets non-food items, shelter, health education, hygiene promotion and emergency management - has been completely funded.

Ability to cope

In the Upper West Region, flooding has been followed by yet another cycle of drought, according to the regional coordinator of the government's National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).

...Most people are on one meal a day and have been for quite some time because of the drought...

"For the past three weeks, we have not had any rainfall," Timothy Dombo told IRIN. He said food has been distributed, but "that will not be enough for the people to live on until the next planting season [in mid-May or early June]. We will need some support."

Most residents of the northern regions of Ghana are subsistence farmers unable to diversify their income because of poverty. Prices of staples have doubled and not all commodities are available in markets, according to the UN.

"Most [people] are on one meal a day and have been for quite some time because of the drought," said Matthew Minns, project officer with the non-governmental organisation Concern Universal.

"Some of them are coping by selling off livestock or sending their offspring to the major towns in the south of Ghana to work to make money to send home," he said. "Others are doing small scale collection: twigs for firewood and berries."

Nana Akrasi-Sarpong, public relations manager at the Ministry of the Interior, repeated an earlier claim that there is an "imminent famine" in the area.

Malnutrition levels - already the highest in the country - are expected to rise. According to WFP, chronic malnutrition among children ranges from 34 to 48 percent in the Northern Region and acute malnutrition from 8 to 12 percent in the Upper West and Upper East Regions. Twenty percent of pregnant women in the affected regions are malnourished.

"They need dry-season farming. They need to be able to diversify their income sources. They need some way of raising money so they can buy food that they're not going to be able to farm," Minns said.

Distribution problems

The problem of food shortages has been exacerbated by complications in the delivery of food aid, many sources said.

Minns told IRIN district assemblies charged with food distribution "don't have enough money" to distribute to communities quickly and effectively.

Starting 17 October, a delegation from the Ministry of the Interior spent a week in the affected regions to assess reports that food was not getting to the people.

"In some parts of the Northern Region, the [relief items sent by the government] were in the warehouses," Akrasi-Sarpong said.

He said problems with distributing food from the regional to the community level - due to bad roads, accidents and vehicle breakdowns - are being resolved.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Food Shortages Follow Drought, Floods (Page 2 of 2)

Hotel Operators Gear Up for CAN 2008

2007-10-26T15:36:00.001+01:00

AS Ghana prepares to host the rest of Africa in the 26th edition of the African Cup of Nations next year, operators in the hospitality and the tourism industries are embarking on various measures to enhance quality service and management of hospitality facilities in the Kumasi Metropolis.

The Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) has therefore organised a three-day training programme for some selected tourism practitioners in Kumasi to equip them with the necessary skills and techniques in the industry. Participants were taken through various topics, including Team Building, Challenges in the Hospitality Sector, Overview of Human Resource Management, Modern Services and Marketing Skills and Developing Positive Attitudes towards Work.

Other topics included Facility Management, Customer Satisfaction and Alternative Finance of Hotels.

Addressing participants at the closing ceremony of the workshop, the Deputy Executive Director of Finance at the Ghana Tourist Board, Mr. Charles Osei Bonsu, noted that the workshop was part of the board's tourism capacity development initiative to train hotel owners and managers to appreciate the rationale and value behind the need to be customer-conscious.

He stated that the crash programme was the outcome of a research conducted by the George State University in the United State on Ghana's hospitality industry, which had recommended the need to bring owners and managers of the hospitality sector under one roof in order to build trust to improve services.

Mr. Osei Bonsu said the programme was heavily subsidised by the International Finance Corporation through the World Bank. The corporation also played a leading role in the selection of the consultancy firm, Top Consultancy, which undertook the training.

According to him, even though Ghana was a preferred tourism destination in Sub-Saharan Africa and had made a steady progress in the past years, quality services had become a major issue of concern because operators in the industry had not been able to turn the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality into professional services due to lack of well-trained customer-conscious staff.

He further disclosed that a six-day seminar on Ethics and Consumer Driven Programmes, Personal Hygiene, Environmental Sanitation and Food and Beverage Services, Housekeeping and Finance and Accounting Techniques would be held for all levels of staff in the industry, including the front desk officers, waitresses and shopkeepers to ensure a holistic approach to customer satisfaction.

r. Osei Bonsu stressed that Ghana, together with South Africa, being executive members of the United Nation World Tourism Organisation, were in a partnership with the world governing body, FIFA, to capitalise on the two tournaments (African Cup and the World) to showcase and promote tourism destinations in Africa.

He was of the view that both pre-match and post-match activities throughout the tournament would be customer-oriented and therefore appealed to hotel operators to deliver the best of services to foreign nationals who would visit the Ghana.

Some of the participants who spoke to The Chronicle after the programme expressed their satisfaction with the workshop and promised to put whatever skills and knowledge they had acquired to good use.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Hotel Operators Gear Up for CAN 2008 (Page 1 of 1)

Thirst for Education Overwhelms African Universities

2007-10-25T10:40:00.003+01:00

Demand for higher education in sub-Saharan Africa is exploding, and countries like Ghana are struggling to cope.

African universities, like the Legon campus of the University of Ghana, struggle with overcrowding and brain drain. (Photo: Allison Green)

Though sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s lowest university enrollment rates, Ghana has been forced to tackle Africa’s newest development problem — many more applicants than slots to fill.

"No nation develops without education," said Stephen K. Balado Manu, chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Education. "We need to take higher education seriously."

Aid groups once concentrated on expanding primary education, so universities received less attention and funding. But, as more Africans become better-educated, demand for university education has risen, pressuring already-strained institutions.

Higher enrollments are stressing many of Africa’s colleges and universities. A May 2007 New York Times article that pointed to deteriorating conditions at Africa’s finest universities drew criticism from the Association of African Universities (A.A.U.).

"There are a tremendous number of students, and the universities are not prepared to handle them," said an A.A.U. spokesman, who asked that his name be withheld. "But it is difficult to refuse people."

Student enrollment at African universities, most built in the 1960's and 1970's as colonialism was collapsing, has almost tripled. The A.A.U. notes that campuses built to hold 15,000 to 20,000 students are now admitting two to three times that many. In the past seven years, enrollment at Ghana’s top public college, the University of Ghana at Legon, has more than doubled, to 28,482.

"They are overcrowded, it is true," said Manu. "Those rooms [dormitories] meant for two are now taking four, sometimes six. People want to have education, but the resources are limited."

Classrooms are crowded, agreed Adelaide Sankofi, 24, a student in business administration at Legon.

"If you don’t go [to class] early, at least five or ten minutes, then you have to sit at the back. If you have very short eyesight, and if you sit at the back, you would not be able to see."

Universities have other problems. Though the National Council on Tertiary Education claims that 15 percent of Ghana’s budget is devoted to higher education, many institutions are short of research equipment and supplies.

"You can have the best-trained teachers in the world, but where will they be without the proper equipment?" the A.A.U. spokesman wondered.

In an effort to boost funding, the Ghana Education Trust Fund was established in 2001. It draws money from a value added tax.

Private colleges have jumped into the game, raising concerns that the quality of higher ed could slip.

"What I caution against is the quality," said Manu. "If we are not careful, we will expand and produce graduates who are unemployable."

In one of the most recent available estimates, a 1999 report, the Ghana Statistical Service found that unemployment among recent graduates was negligible. True unemployment is probably higher than that, since only those actively seeking jobs were counted, a National Council for Tertiary Education report noted.

Ghana offers some of the best higher education in Africa, with its universities ranked among the top 50 on the continent.

"Brain drain" is another problem. Many educated Africans leave for better pay and better living conditions in Europe and the United States.

Policymakers are thinking about keeping back graduation certificates until the graduate has worked for a certain number of years at home. The exodus of graduates is particularly devastating, as most have taken degrees in high-in-demand fields such as medicine and engineering. Some 6 percent of doctors trained in Ghana leave the country, University of Ghana vice chancellor Edward Ofori-Sarpang was quoted as saying in local press reports in 2003.

Though university tuition is about $100 per year, that can be tough for families to afford, and recently fees rose 10 percent, a spokesman for the National Council on Tertiary Education said. In 1999, students demonstrated against tuition fees.

But Emmanuel Yehboah, 23, a graphic design student at the University of Ghana, Legon called the fees moderate.

"They are affordable," he said. "Most of the parents can’t afford to pay, so the child has to work hard to be able to go to school."

Female enrollment is low; they have less access to education on all levels, which feeds into their lower university attendance. The gender gap "was not well understood in the past because of traditional values," the A.A.U. spokesman said. "Now we know the necessity of gender balance, but in reality the gap is huge."

Thirst for Education Overwhelms African Universities - Worldpress.org

Gambian 'spy' journalist missing

2007-10-25T10:40:00.001+01:00

Gambian journalist Yaya Dampha, briefly detained earlier this month with two Amnesty International researchers on suspicion of spying, is missing.

He is believed to have gone into hiding but Amnesty says it is concerned about the safety of his family.

Sources told the International Federation of Journalists that the authorities had searched the reporter's home and interrogated his wife.

The Gambia has come in for criticism for its harassment of journalists.

Mr Dampha was detained with two Amnesty delegates on 6 October after they went to meet detained opposition leader Ousman Jatta.

The three were arrested on suspicion of spying but were freed without charge.

President Jammeh is accused of a media crackdown

Media under pressure

Mr Dampha is a journalist with the bi-weekly newspaper Foroyaa, described by the Media Foundation for West Africa as a "Banjul-based pro-opposition newspaper".

"Amnesty has been in touch with Mr Dampha and according to our information he is safe," Erwin van der Borght, director of Amnesty International's Africa programme, told the BBC News website.

"But we are concerned about the reported visits to his home and his wife and fear his family may be at risk," he said.

The International Federation of Journalists said it deplored "these acts of intimidation meted out to journalists in The Gambia by the state security agents".

"Over the past few years there have been numerous arbitrary arrests and forced detentions of Gambian journalists, who continued to work under enormous pressure from the state," IFJ's Gabriel Baglo said in a statement.

Mr Dampha had accompanied Amnesty delegates Tania Bernath and Ayodele Ameen to meet Mr Jatta, who had been held for 387 days without trial before being sent home in September this year.

The two Amnesty staffers were in Gambia with the knowledge of the government to research allegations of human rights violations and to hold workshops for rights workers and journalists.

After the three were released from detention, Amnesty had urged the Gambian government to ensure Mr Dampha would not be targeted because of his association with the human rights organisation.

President Yahya Jammeh came to power through a coup 13 years ago but amid claims of plots to oust him, dozens of people have been arrested and unlawfully detained.

Eleven journalists were jailed for extended periods in 2006.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Gambian 'spy' journalist missing

Celtel Finally Acquires WESTEL

2007-10-24T15:23:00.001+01:00

FOLLOWING TWO weeks of intensive negotiations, government has finally confirmed the sale of Western Telesytems (WESTEL) to Celtel International, a subsidiary of Kuwaiti Company, Zain (formerly named MTC).According to a statement from the Ministry of Communication, the Netherlands-based company had been awarded 75 per cent stake in WESTEL after agreeing to the price of $120 million. Initially, the Netherlands headquartered company was prepared to buy a 66.34 per cent of the company for an amount of $105 million, but sources said after intensive negotiations, both parties agreed on the final sale details.CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE gathered that Celtel’s proposal was hugely welcomed by the Inter-Ministerial Committee that represented government.The Committee comprised officials from the Office of the President, Ministries of Communication and Finance, the Ghana Investment and Promotion Council (GIPC) as well as the Management of WESTEL. According to the agreement, a price offer of $120 million, which constitutes 75 per cent of the shareholding, would be reduced to 70 per cent within three years. At this time, Celtel would have released 5 per cent of its shares in addition to those to be released by government, to be floated on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) for the benefit of the Ghanaian public. It is anticipated that government would offload 15 per cent of its shares out of its total 25 per cent in the Accra Bourse because of its private sector participation agenda.It would be recalled that CITY& BUSINESS GUIDE reported about two weeks ago that officials of Celtel, one of the largest telecommunications company in Eastern and Southern Africa which placed second to Kinz Telecom in the earlier bid, was in town with the possible intention of concluding negotiations to secure a strategic stake in WESTEL.The conclusion of the agreement means that Celtel would be investing millions of dollars in a state-of-the art telecommunications network and associated services. The company currently provides a telecommunications service to more than 24 million customers in 14 countries across the African continent. Celtel has also revealed that it looks forward to promoting Ghana as a gateway to West Africa through its One Network, the world’s first borderless network. This network offers Celtel’s customers the opportunity to move freely across geographical borders using the same services they would access in their home country. Customers will also be able to make calls without roaming surcharges and will not have to pay to receive incoming calls and messages. Celtel’s One Network service is currently operational for 160 million people across six nations in East and Central Africa.

IFC Expands, Innovates to Create Opportunity in Africa

2007-10-24T15:22:00.001+01:00

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today committed to do more in Sub-Saharan Africa, building upon a record $1.4 billion in new investments last year and over 50 advisory services programs active in 28 countries in the region. IFC is committed to creating new products and services and tailoring solutions to Africa’s business and development challenges so that it can reach an even wider range of countries to have a larger impact on poverty alleviation.
IFC is already demonstrating that it can do more in Africa. It doubled its investment during its last fiscal year, making new financial commitments in 17 countries, 16 of which are IFC frontier and IDA countries. These are Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia. Relatively strong macroeconomic conditions and investment climate reforms support IFC’s expansion. Yet Africa remains the most difficult region in the world to do business. IFC is encouraging countries to step up the pace of regulatory and legal reform to make it easier to do business and expand opportunities, especially for the poor.
“Strengthening institutions and removing barriers to private economic activity is crucial to sustaining economic growth across Africa,” said Hon. Manuel Chang, Mozambique’s Minister of Finance. “Improving the business climate is a central part of Mozambique’s development plans.” IFC is a sponsor of the Sub-Saharan African Doing Business Reformers’ Club Awards that will recognize Mozambique as one of regions top five recent reformers. It will be held in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso on November 8 (www.ifc.org/africareformersclub).
Much of IFC’s work in Africa supports development of the financial sector so that domestic banks and other institutions can grow and provide access to finance for more businesses and consumers. For example, IFC is helping Ecobank Transnational International expand more rapidly in Western Africa.
“Ecobank has benefited from transparent financial regulations and an improving business environment in many of the countries where we operate,” said Ecobank Chief Executive Officer Arnold Ekpe. Ecobank is an African based and owned banking group with operations across west and central Africa. “A vibrant private sector allows Ecobank to extend banking facilities to people who previously may not have had access to such services.”
IFC is working more effectively across the World Bank Group. IFC manages the investment climate team for Africa in cooperation with MIGA and the Foreign Investment Advisory Service. The joint IDA/IFC Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Program for Africa responds directly to the need to accelerate and promote pro-poor private sector growth and market development. It is a multi-country initiative that focuses on microenterprises and SMEs.
IFC’s financial strength, dynamism, and growth strategy allow it to contribute even more to World Bank Group development goals, especially in the poorest countries. “IFC puts a strategic priority on supporting an improved business climate to help encourage private investments,” said IFC Director for Sub-Saharan Africa Thierry Tanoh. “Reform in countries like Mozambique where doing business is tough should be an example to other countries in Africa,” Other top reforming economies in Africa are Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, and Mauritius. “An improving investment climate in Africa helps innovative private players like Ecobank do more to create opportunities.”
IFC has created new products and services to help Africa’s private sector develop. Examples include:
* IFC was the first nonresident international financial institution to issue a CFA franc-denominated bond in West Africa. The XOF 22 billion ($44.6 million equivalent) five-year bond was placed with institutional investors in the eight West African Economic and Monetary Union member countries and supported local currency financing of companies in Western Africa.
* IFC in January provided its first local currency financing transaction in Nigeria through a loan of 390 million Nigerian naira ($3 million) to Hygeia Nigeria to support the upgrade of three hospitals, expand the country’s health coverage, and help deliver high-quality care at affordable cost
* IFC’s Trade Finance Program has provided $714 million in support to banks across Africa to help banks encourage increased trade.
* Through advisory services and financing to financial institutions, IFC has helped develop mortgage and leasing markets in Ghana and is expanding these activities elsewhere in the region.
* The Africa Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Finance Program combines advisory services and financing to help banks in markets like Burkina Faso and Malawi serve new clients.
* IFC encourages the development of infrastructure to help bring basic services to Africans. IFC’s project with AES Sonel helps expand electricity service in Cameroon, while the Kenya-Uganda Railway improves transport and regional development.
* IFC invested $32.5 million in the East African Submarine Cable System, a landmark fiber-optic cable project that will connect 21 African countries to each other and the rest of the world with high-quality Internet and international communications services. The investment capped years of collaboration between the World Bank Group and other global and regional development institutions, governments, and the region’s private sector to establish an innovative public-private partnership to expand access to communications.

Mozambique ex-leader wins prize

2007-10-22T23:44:00.001+01:00

Former Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano has won the first Mo Ibrahim prize rewarding a retired African head of state for excellence in leadership.

Mr Chissano, who is credited with bringing peace to Mozambique, had been seen as a frontrunner for the prize.

Joaquim Chissano led Mozambique for 19 years

The prize, announced by former UN head Kofi Annan, is worth $5m (£2.5m) over 10 years, and then $200,000 a year.

Mobile phone millionaire Mo Ibrahim is funding the project in the hope it will help improve governments' performance.

The Sudanese businessman also hopes it will increase Africa's self-sufficiency and bring a day when the continent's people no longer need to live on aid.

His decision not to seek a third presidential term reinforced Mozambique's democratic maturity

Kofi Annan on Joaquim Chissano

Mr Annan chaired the panel that awarded the prize, billed as the largest of its kind.

Mr Annan praised Mr Chissano for "his most outstanding contribution" to peace and democracy.

"This remarkable reconciliation between opponents provides a shining example to the rest of the world and is testament to both his strength of character and his leadership," Mr Annan said.

Wider role

After winning independence from Portugal in 1975 Mozambique suffered a civil war that lasted until 1992.

Mr Chissano was president from 1986 to 2005. He also served as chairman of the African Union in 2003 and 2004, and has worked as a UN envoy.

Mr Annan praised Mr Chissano's role at home and more widely in Africa.

"His decision not to seek a third presidential term reinforced Mozambique's democratic maturity and demonstrated that institutions and the democratic process were more important than personalities," he said.

"He was a powerful voice for Africa on the international stage and played an important role in pushing debt relief up the agenda."

Mr Chissano is something as a rarity in Africa as a leader who has left office with his reputation intact, says BBC southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles.

His son, however, faced allegations - strongly denied by him - that he was linked to the murder of a Mozambican journalist, Carlos Cardoso. The BBC's Martin Plaut asked Mr Annan if this had given the judges pause for thought.

"We discussed all that. There was a judicial process and Chissano said himself that justice must be done. And there was no evidence that he had tried to block it," Mr Annan said.

"You cannot blame him for something his son is alleged to have done - his mature son."

The panel of judges also included former Irish President, Mary Robinson, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and the head of the Organisation of African Unity, Salim Ahmed Sali.

They assessed the relative merits of 13 African former heads of state, all of whom left power in the past three years.

Among these at least six took power by staging coups.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Mozambique ex-leader wins prize

Ghana Hosts African Business Leaders Forum

2007-10-22T12:05:00.001+01:00

The issue of poverty eradication and leadership style on the continent took centre stage when the fifth edition of the annual African Business Leaders Forum opened in Accra yesterday.
The three-day forum, deliberating on the theme: 'Leadership through Partnership,' brings together hundreds of representatives of the business community and the public sector from Africa to discuss such issues as service delivery and infrastructure development, women's empowerment, economic growth, good governance and poverty alleviation.
The forum provides an interface for stakeholders in the public and private sectors to concentrate minds on finding solutions to challenging issues of leadership at various levels in Africa and to make viable contributions to address them. It is the first time the forum is being held outside its traditional home of South Africa.
The five panellists who spoke on leadership and poverty reduction were unanimous that aid and grants from donors would not help solve the continent's growing level of poverty, stressing that visionary leadership was critical in the fight against poverty.
Otumba Gbenga Daniel, Governor of Ogun State in Nigeria, said it was necessary for African leaders to look beyond donor handouts and concentrate on trade both within and without the continent.
'African leaders must build market niches to become competitive. We must not use the next 50 years to cry over the effects of colonisation. We must move forward,' he said.
According to him the citizenry were looking and desirous of a credible leadership that would provide the direction and solutions to poverty and not leaders whose interest was only on how to loot the resources.
Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Executive Chairman of Data Bank, said the continent at this time in her development needed competent and compassionate leaders that were above corruption.
He said while there was consensus that poverty could be eradicated through good governance, infrastructure and education, there was still uncertainty as to which one comes first.
Mr Ofori-Atta called for strengthening of the role of civil society and the creation of a competitive corporate sector.
Mr Everest Ekong, Publisher of the Business in Africa Magazine, said the aim of the forum was to create and spread information and knowledge.
In a related development, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, former Public Sector Reform Minister, has opened a forum for young African leaders from Southern Africa, West Africa and East Africa, specially invited to participate in the leadership forum.
The objectives of the Young African Leaders Programme include exposing the youth to critical issues facing the continent and to interact with and influence experts in the business and public sectors who are working to address them and to create a pool of talented young Africans who can work collaboratively to promote the growth and development of their countries and the continent.
Dr Nduom urged the youth to pursue unity and break down the visible barriers that divided the continent by putting aside individual interest and instead work for the collective goal.
Foluso Phillips, West African Publisher of Business in Africa Magazine, said the future of the continent lay in the hands of the youth and urged the participants to take advantage to learn and acquire new skills in their work.

Ghana General News of Thursday, 18 October 2007 - Ghana Hosts African Business Leaders Forum

September inflation drops to 10.2 percent

2007-10-21T16:50:00.001+01:00

The annual rate of inflation dropped marginally by 0.2 percentage points from 10.4 percent in August to close at 10.2 percentage points in September. This was in contrast to the drop of 0.6 percentage points from 10.7 percentage in June to 10.1 percent in July 2007 and a drop of 0.3 percentage points from 11.0 percent in May to 10.7 percent in June 2007.

The annual year-on-year rate of inflation rose 0.5 percentage points in April from 10.5 percent to 11.0 percent in May 2007. From March to April 2007, the annual rate of inflation rose 0.3 percentage points from 10.2 percent in March to 10.5 percent in April 2007, having dropped marginally at the end of March by 0.2 percentage points from 10.4 percent at the end of February 2007.

Earlier, the rate had fallen from 10.9 to 10.4 percent between January and February 2007, while it remained at 10.9 percent in January 2007 when compared with the December 2006 figure of 10.9 percent.

A report from the Ghana Statistical Service indicate that the consumer price index was computed from a basket of 242 goods and services collected monthly from 40 markets throughout the country.

The index is disaggregated into 12 major commodity groups and 34 sub groups of the classification of individual consumption by purpose. The 12 major groups comprise the food and beverages group which makes up 44.91 percent, and non-food group which makes up 55.09 percent.

Within the food and beverage group, vegetables contributed the highest of -1.80 points to the change in the national index with yam, plantain and cassava contributing -0.67 points -0.48 points and -0.24 points respectively.

The fish group also contributed negatively to the national index by -0.38 points, with dried fish and smoked herrings contributing to 0.37 and -0.20 points respectively.

Within the non food group, hotels, cafes and restaurants group contributed the highest with 0.58 points followed by transport group with 0.38 points. The education and communication groups did not contribute anything to the change in the national index.

Five regions, Western, Volta, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Northern recorded single digit inflation, with Western region having the lowest of 7.8% between the months of September 2006 and September 2007. This means that prices of goods and services in these regions were relatively stable.

The Eastern region recorded the highest changes in the prices of goods and services, 13.5 percent, between the months of September 2006 and September 2007, followed by the two Upper regions with 13.1 percent.

The Statesman : Business : September inflation drops to 10.2 percent

Ghana study reveals low life expectancy

2007-10-20T17:12:00.001+01:00

A new research conducted by a Ghana-based NGO, Longevity Project Group, reveals an "incredible low life expectancy" among Ghanaians.

Several factors such as natal related deaths, malnutrition, inadequate poor public sanitation, a combination of deadly infectious, and increasing diseases brought about by the lifestyle of Ghanaians have been responsible for the low life expectancy.
It has become a major challenge for most Ghanaians to attain 58 years and a number of those who passed this age are faced with serious chronic diseases.
The research also shows a similar low life expectancy and lifestyles in most sub-Saharan countries.
The health of Ghanaians and their fitness standards are not anything to write home about. “Most Ghanaians are uninformed about the hazards posed by substandard living conditions, poor sanitations, diet and inadequate exercises.
“This is happening because of inadequate access to health information in the system,” concurs the Editor of a recently launched health and fitness magazine, Anna Bannerman-Richter.
She described the escalating levels of environmental pollution and mental health problems as the worsening threats to an already dismal situation in the country battling with hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases and other life-threatening diseases.
The poor state of the workers' health has enormously affected Ghana's productivity, resulting to "inefficiency and ineffectiveness" on the part of employees in the business sector.
“These losses cut across all industries and the cost of treatment represents a substantial drain on the national pocket,” Bannerman-Richter said.

afrol News - Ghana study reveals low life expectancy

Business leaders tackle poverty in Accra

2007-10-19T10:26:00.001+01:00

The issue of poverty eradication and leadership style on the continent took centre stage when the fifth edition of the annual African Business Leaders Forum opened in Accra on Wednesday.

The three-day forum, deliberating on the theme: "Leadership through Partnership," brings together hundreds of representatives of the business community and the public sector from Africa to discuss such issues as service delivery and infrastructure development, women's empowerment, economic growth, good governance and poverty alleviation.

The forum provides an interface for stakeholders in the public and private sectors to concentrate minds on finding solutions to challenging issues of leadership at various levels in Africa and to make viable contributions to address them.

It is the first time the forum is being held outside its traditional home of South Africa.

The five panellists who spoke on leadership and poverty reduction were unanimous that aid and grants from donors would not help solve the continent's growing level of poverty, stressing that visionary leadership was critical in the fight against poverty.

Otumba Gbenga Daniel, Governor of Ogun State in Nigeria, said it was necessary for African leaders to look beyond donor handouts and concentrate on trade both within and without the continent.

"African leaders must build market niches to become competitive. We must not use the next 50 years to cry over the effects of colonization. We must move forward," he said.

According to him the citizenry were looking and desirous of a credible leadership that would provide the direction and solutions to poverty and not leaders whose interest was only on how to loot the resources.

Ken Ofori-Atta, Executive Chairman of Data Bank, said the continent at this time in her development needed competent and compassionate leaders that were above corruption.

He said while there was consensus that poverty could be eradicated through good governance, infrastructure and education, there was still uncertainty as to which one comes first.

Mr Ofori-Atta called for strengthening of the role of civil society and the creation of a competitive corporate sector.

Mr Everest Ekong, Publisher of the Business in Africa Magazine, said the aim of the forum was to create and spread information and knowledge.

In a related development, Paa Kwesi Nduom, former Public Sector Reform Minister, has opened a forum for young African leaders from Southern Africa, West Africa, and East Africa, specially invited to participate in the leadership forum.

The objectives of the Young African Leaders Programme include exposing the youth to critical issues facing the continent and to interact with and influence experts in the business and public sectors who are working to address them and to create a pool of talented young Africans who can work collaboratively to promote the growth and development of their countries and the continent.

Dr Nduom urged the youth to pursue unity and break down the visible barriers that divided the continent by putting aside individual interest and instead work for the collective goal.

Foluso Phillips, West African Publisher of Business in Africa Magazine, said the future of the continent lay in the hands of the youth and urged the participants to take advantage to learn and acquire new skills in their work

Yesterday prominent African business leaders met for the first of a three day conference in Ghana. The 5th African Business Leaders Forum held at Accra's Conference Centre from the 17th - 19th October saw delegates from all over Africa meeting for the opening session to debate the positive effect business can have on African Development.

The symposium covering issues including the provision of sanitation, the use of Africa's natural resources and educational reforms attracted attendees from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and the Republic of South Africa to name but a few. Francophonic African Nations were well represented with delegates traveling from many countries including Sierra Leone and Cote D’Ivoire.

Business leaders moderating the debate and opening the afternoon’s sessions were selected from the elite of Africa’s public and private sectors. Kofi Amoah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Local Office Committee for CAN 2008 described how leadership could transform Africa.

He commented on how strong individuals could strengthen their community ties and create business opportunities for areas in need of social development. He appealed for those who believed themselves capable of the task to fight poverty and maintain sustainable growth to step up to the plate.

Other speakers included Akinsola Akinfemiwa, CEO of Nigeria’s Skye Bank; Gbenga Daniel Governor of Ogun State, Nigeria and Ken Ofori Atta, Chairman of Databank. The morning’s debate addressed the issue of uniting African business to combat poverty and conflict. The focus of the discussion was on the progress Africa could make if the business community worked together.

Paa Kwasi Nduom, former Minister of Public Sector Reforms and current CPP presidential aspirant, contributed to the proceedings by articulating the importance of African business unity and the responsibility business must have for African society.

During the day’s four sessions, Conquering Poverty for Good, Leadership and NEPAD, Leadership in Business and Preparing for Tomorrow: Growing Future Leaders, focus was concentrated on the least developed nations in Africa and on countries currently experiencing conflict.

Ideas for progress included amelioration of sanitation provision, the improvement of access to education or training and the development of employment opportunities in the most deprived areas.

Yesterday’s debate concluded that sustainable African growth was only possible if started from within by African businesses and leaders. The symposium decided that business can act as a catalyst for economic and social development only if business leaders take responsibility and analyze the social, economic and environmental impact of their decision making.

The forum continues for the next two days and will see more prominent business leaders and entrepreneurs discuss a range of topics. Sessions will include debates about the re-organization of infrastructure to better improve efficiency, the management of Africa’s natural resources and the benefits to society generated by business sponsorship.

The Statesman : Business : Business leaders tackle poverty in Accra

SOS Kindergarten

2007-10-18T10:47:00.001+01:00

Education is seen as a privilege for many people but is considered a basic right in many parts of the world including Ghana. The constitution of Ghana guarantees every child the right to education.

The SOS Children's Villages helps children acquire quality education in Ghana and in other countries with the establishments of its educational facilities. In countries outside Europe, SOS Children's Villages often builds schools which are open to both the children and young people from the children's village and the neighboring communities.

By building SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools, SOS Children's Villages not only provides for the educational needs of the children and young people from the children's villages, but also improves educational opportunities locally, particularly for children from the surrounding districts.

The variety of SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools include kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, vocational training schools and international colleges, of which there are two worldwide. However, the objective of SOS Children's Villages' commitment in the educational sector is not to create academic and elitist institutions. The focus of educational activity is to ensure that adequate schooling is provided to each child who grows up in an SOS Children's Village, and to as many local children as possible.

All SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools - often regarded as model schools in the country of their location - are state recognized and teach according to the applicable national curricula. Cultural features are taken into account. A maximum of between 30 and 40 pupils per classroom are taught by well-qualified teachers, almost exclusively using local personnel.

Normally children from SOS Children's Villages attend the local kindergartens. However, in countries and regions where pre-school facilities do not already exist or are inadequate, SOS Children's Villages build their own. These kindergartens offer children from both the SOS Children's Village and the local neighborhood access to early learning and supervised play facilities that would not otherwise be available.

The teaching methods employed, and the games and toys used at SOS Kindergartens are based on the educational theories of Friedrich Fröbel and Maria Montessori, taking due account of the cultural requirements of the country concerned. The emphasis is on the children's natural creativity and allowing them to develop at their own pace.

The daily kindergarten programme contains two important parts: free play and activity. During free play, the child can choose what, with whom, how long and where he or she wants to play. This enables them to learn how to decide for themselves, according to their own choice and imagination. Through play, they also learn the necessary rules of community life.

The goal of the daily activity time is to familiarize the children with their new environment. Through carefully prepared activities, they learn how to correctly handle materials under the guidance of their educators. Intellectual, emotional and social development is encouraged and behavior and senses trained.

Preparing the way to school

In addition to regular kindergarten activities, pre-school programmes are provided which are designed to stimulate young children in line with their talents and prepare them for admission to primary school. The focus here is on development through play with regard to social, intellectual and motor skills. Coaching programmes are also available for children with special needs.

Qualified staff

Great emphasis is given to staff selection and qualifications to ensure that the children are given the best possible care. Continuous training is also provided for kindergarten staff where required.

The availability of suitable classrooms, games and toys ensures that the children are given the optimum conditions for developing their social, intellectual and creative skills. Used for kindergarten classes in the morning, the kindergarten building often serves other groups from the SOS Children's Village in the afternoons, and plays host to a variety of activities.

The main aim of SOS Children's Villages is to provide children who were abandoned, orphaned and destitute a place they can call home and provide them with an opportunity to grow up to become independent. This goal can only be achieved if these children receive quality education and the skills which are vital to help them secure their independence.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: SOS Kindergarten (Page 1 of 1)

Nets boost Africa's malaria fight

2007-10-17T15:55:00.001+01:00

Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are making significant progress in fighting malaria, new statistics from Unicef and the World Health Organisation show.

Distribution of mosquito nets, widely regarded as the most effective prevention against malaria, has grown substantially across the region.

But the new Unicef report also reveals that fewer children are getting access to treatments for the disease.

Every year, 800,000 African children under the age of five die from malaria.

Experts agree the simplest, most cost-effective way to prevent those deaths is the distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets.

Studies show that in countries where they are in use, malaria deaths have dropped by half.

Drug shortage

The new report from the UN children's fund reveals that since 2004 the annual production of bed nets has more than doubled, and since the year 2000, of the 20 sub-Saharan countries being monitored, 16 have tripled their distribution of nets.

In Gambia, half of all children now have bed nets.

Ethiopia has distributed 18m in the last two years alone.

But while Unicef and the WHO are pleased with the progress in preventative measures, the death toll among African children remains unchanged.

Meanwhile, fewer children are receiving life-saving drugs if they do get malaria.

This is because most African countries have followed WHO advice and phased out older treatments which had become ineffective - but have not yet brought in the newer, more expensive malaria treatment drugs.

But, the WHO says, increased production of the new treatments is now bringing prices down.

BBC NEWS | Health | Nets boost Africa's malaria fight

Ghana-German Economic Association on the move… Promotes Ghana as business destination

2007-10-11T23:46:00.000+01:00

The Ghanaian-German Economic Association (GGEA) has promoted Ghana as a business destination for German, Ghanaian and multinational companies.This came to light at the launch of its second trade fair forum in Accra to offer its members and other private organisations the opportunity to display their products and services on a public platform that reaches the highest level of awareness on a national level and provide the best opportunities for marketing their member companies.The trade fair brought into the country a number of investors, trade partners and private organisations to pull resources together and suggest ideas on how to recruit and match small and medium scale companies to other countries.The association, which is an alliance among Ghanaian, German and multinational companies, also acts as a bilateral chamber of commerce and industry for its members and provides a number of services for members and non-members.Addressing participants at the fair, the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, PSD and PSI, Dr. Agyemang Manu, noted that the fair would offer a unique opportunity to deepen the relationship and partnership between the private enterprises and donor organisations, which he considered central to their operations.According to him, his ministry had initiated various programmes aimed at providing technological support, quality assurance and research and development to improve enterprise production capacity to enhance their competitiveness, adding that they were committed to supporting the private sector to deepen trade and investment relations with Germany and the rest of the world.The minister emphasised that the German experts had been assisting the Ghana Investments Promotion Centre (GIPC), the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF) and the National Board of Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) in preparing business plans, assisting clients in accessing finance, building an MSEs database, providing business development services and assisting to improve the investment environment.“This assistance to private sector organisations like Private Enterprise Foundation, Association of Ghana Industries and private firms had made it possible for them to engage government in active dialogue and consultations to inform policies,” he said.The Managing Director of Hansas Complex Ltd, H. Ntorinkansah, added that the private enterprise was an important partner in our economic development, as it created jobs, wealth, social security, paid taxes and provided market for both finished and unfinished goods.He noted that Ghana had become a nation with tremendous opportunities despite challenges in health delivery, education, water, sanitation, energy, transport and the issue of corruption.He announced that the nation had failed to notice the important role that the private sector played in national development, hence its present situation.He encouraged Ghanaian private enterprises to make it a point to acquire appropriate managerial skills, obtain the needed technical support to increase their productive capacity, and have access to appropriate credits. He added that they should also endeavour to get modern efficient plants and equipment and enhanced market access.The Managing Director prayed for a formidable foundation for development partnership among government, private enterprises and donor organisations to maintain and strengthen the economy of Ghana.

Integration of W/African stock exchanges coming

2007-10-09T12:04:00.001+01:00

Stock exchanges in West Africa are to be integrated to provide a platform for cross-border trading in the sub-region.

The plan which is short of outright merger will enable investors and dealers to trade in the exchanges of the countries involved in the project. The integration involves the exchanges of Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and the seven other francophone countries.

It is being spearheaded by Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, director general of the Nigeria Stock Exchange with her Ghanaian counterpart, Frank Adu. Okereke-Onyiuke who revealed the plan exclusively to Business Day said the integration will have multiplier effect on the sub-region.

"We want to integrate our stock exchanges so that we can compete for funds from foreign and local investors. When we are big, strong and robust, investors will be attracted to us,’ she said.

According to her, when actualised, investors would be exposed to stocks that are traded on the Nigeria Stock Exchange, the Ghana Stock Exchange, and the eight erancophone countries that make up the BRVM in Cote d’Ivoire. Explaining how investors can use the integrated platform, she said that if, for example, an investor is trading in Cote d’Ivoire, he is trading in 10 countries put together in addition to the three major stock exchanges in the whole of West Africa put together. "So we will be able to attract and sustain the confidence of investors if we integrate," she added.

"We are not merging, as there is a difference between merger and integration. We are only integrating now with the quotation of the Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI). As it is, if you want to buy ETI you don’t have to fly to Ghana, Nigeria, or the Ivory Coast. You can access and execute that stock wherever you are on any of the three markets and if you want to buy others that are available on the Ghana Stock Exchange, on the same transaction, you can look at the availability on the Nigerian exchange or in one of the BRVM in Cote d’Ivoire," she added.

Explaining the additional benefits of the integration, the NSE boss said it will boost the voice of the sub-region on the continent. "If you go to the bigger bodies, the African Stock Exchange Conference, we the West African integrated exchange will be speaking with one voice. So if we have an integrated, strong, regional exchange in West Africa, we will also make a big force in West Africa. We will also make a big force in the African continent, and the World Federation of Exchanges", she said.

Her optimism and enthusiasm on the project is shared by Adu, director general of the Ghana Stock Exchange who spoke with Business Day. "An integrated West African stock market will present Ghanaian investors with a much bigger market because cross border listings will be seen as the market for the West African sub region", he said.

The bigger platform would present investors with a wider perspective of investment opportunity, adding, "I think Ghanaians stand to benefit more from an integrated West African market."

To Adu, the power crisis in Nigeria, Ghana, and Benin Republic should be seen as a good opportunity to build the stock markets in these countries.

No time frame was given for the actualization of the integration plan, but Oereke-Onyiuke said it is being pursued vigorously and should come so stream soon.

The occasion which was sponsored by the London Stock Exchange and hosted by the Nigerian Stock Exchange brought representatives from the Ghana stock Exchange and a host of Nigerian Financial institutions as the aim was to remove misconceptions and offer advise to companies who seek the prestige of being at the center of being at the capital markets and to underline the many practical benefits of doing so in London. The conference had the theme: "Raising capital in London"

BusinessDay... the voice of business - Integration of W/African stock exchanges coming

Ghanaian-German Economic Association targets 1 billion euro trade share

2007-10-09T12:03:00.001+01:00

The Ghana-German Economic Association has planned to penetrate the European market with more than 1billion Euros market share within the next few years, a move to flood the European market with Ghanaian products.

But this poses major challenge to the business community as the local business operators face funds and innovative skills to usher them into their new venture.

However, President of GGEA, Stephen Antwi says the association is poised to face the challenge as they are working in partnership with various stakeholders like the Trade Ministry, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Ghana Export Promotion Council, Association of Ghana Industries and the Association of German Chambers of Commerce.

According to Mr. Antwi, GGEA has succeeded in introducing the quality of goods from the Ghanaian market to Germany through Ghana Information Day, which is held annually in Germany to introduce Ghanaian products to the German and other European market.

Mr. Antwi was speaking at a press briefing after a three-day Ghana-German Economic Association-Show Case and Business Forum in Accra.

GGEA has 18 members from the banking sector, trade and industry, is an alliance of Ghanaian, German and international companies, entrepreneurs and institutions with business and commercial interests in the two countries which also acts as a bilateral chamber of commerce.

It also represents the entire spectrum of enterprises and institutions engaged in Ghanaian-German relations, ranging from small and medium sized companies to large German and multinational corporations.

The bilateral trade figures between Ghana and Germany in 2006 increased to 283.5 Mio. EUR, therein 158.3 Mio EUR for German exports to Ghana and 125.2 Mio EUR for Ghanaian exports to Germany.

Germany imports from Ghana are mostly Cocoa (55.6%), timber (13.4%), aluminium (16.5%) and tropical fruits (5.8%) whereas Ghana imports from Germany primarily vehicles (31.1%), machinery (21.1%) and chemical products (14.6%). 118 investments of German companies have been registered so far in Ghana

The Statesman : Business : Ghanaian-German Economic Association targets 1 billion euro trade share

Singapore Airlines launches Passenger Sales Agency in Accra

2007-10-08T09:27:00.001+01:00

Minister of Aviation Gloria Akuffo says its policy of air transport liberalization that gives operators a favourable business environment in line with market demands is yielding positive results.
Speaking at the launch of Singapore Airlines Passenger Sales Agency in Ghana, Miss Akuffo said besides the favourable environment, improved infrastructure and facilities needed by businesses in the aviation industry it had also contributed to the increasing number of reputable airlines seeking to operate to and from Ghana.
For example, she said the number of Airlines operating in Ghana has increased from 19 in 2005 to 25 presently with more applications pending.
Under the Passenger Sales Agency deal with Travelex Limited, a Ghanaian Tour and Travel Agency, passengers travelling to the Far East would be able to connect Singapore Airlines in Cairo after flying Egypt Air from Accra.
The move is the first step to establishing full flight services between the two countries.
Miss Akuffo, whose speech was read for her, said the separation of aviation safety, regulation and the provision of air traffic services managed by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), from the development, maintenance and management of the nation's airports and airstrips, which were now run by the Ghana Airports Company Limited was another move to boost the industry.
She urged Singapore Airlines to pursue the process for the regularization of bilateral air services agreement between Singapore and Ghana to facilitate full flight operations to and from Ghana.
Mr Willie Orhin, Deputy Director-General, Finance and Administration of the GCAA, said the launch was an indication of Singapore Airlines' interest in possibly commencing operations in the country if feasibility studies being conducted by the Airline proved favourable.
He pledged the support of GCAA in facilitating the passenger sales activities of Singapore Airlines and also assured them of availability of facilities and services to ensure safety and security of their operations in Ghana.
Mr Ang Beng Siong, General Manager, Singapore Airlines, Egypt and North Africa, expressed the hope that the partnership between the Airline and Travelex would work well to make their presence in Ghana meaningful.
He assured Ghanaians that the Airline would explore ways in which the collaboration would be mutually beneficial to the parties.
Mr P.O. Addai, Chief Executive of Travelex, said the launch of the sales agency marks the beginning of the provision of high quality service for which Singapore Airlines was well known.
Singapore Airlines has grown from a regional airline some 60 years ago into a global company with a reputation as a first class airline.

Myjoyonline.com Ghana News :: Singapore Airlines launches Passenger Sales Agency in Accra ::: Breaking News | News in Ghana | business

Africa's First Ladies

2007-10-07T09:44:00.003+01:00

Femi Oke sits down with Ghana's Theresa Kufuor and Zambia's Maureen Mwanawasa.

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

New York opens slave burial site

2007-10-07T09:44:00.001+01:00

A burial ground for African slaves, which had been forgotten for almost two centuries, has been opened to the public in New York.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and poet Maya Angelou attended a dedication ceremony for a monument at the site.

A museum is also planned for the site

The late 17th Century burial site was gradually built over as New York expanded, but was rediscovered during an excavation in 1991.

Some 400 remains, many of children, were found during excavations.

Half of the remains found at the burial site were of children under the age of 12.

The entire project has cost more than $50 million (£24 million) to complete.

The burial site in Manhattan was rediscovered during excavations for a federal building.

Forgotten sacrifice

Now a 25ft (7.6 metre) granite monument marks the site.

It was designed by Rodney Leon (photo) and is made out of stone from South Africa and from North America to symbolise the two worlds coming together.

The entry to the monument is called The Door of Return - a nod to the name given to the departure points from which slaves were shipped from Africa to North America.

"The tragedy was that for so many years, for centuries, people passing by this site did not know about the sacrifices they [the slaves] had made," Mr Leon said.

"Now we have an opportunity to right some of the wrongs of the past."

Enslaved Africans helped create the city of New York.

They worked in the docks and as labourers building the fortification known as Wall Street, which protected the city against attack from Native Americans.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the excavations had revealed "one of the most uncomfortable and tragic truths in our city's history. For two centuries, slavery was widespread in New York."

BBC NEWS | Americas | New York opens slave burial site

HIV Aids - Is the Use of Condom the Answer?

2007-10-06T12:44:00.001+01:00

Although many people may repudiate the truth that the promotion of the use of condoms is not the answer to the prevention of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the truth remains unchanged.

Those who have supported the use of condoms opine that since some people cannot abstain or be faithful, they must use the condom to protect themselves from the virus.

This assertion to a large extent is unacceptable because some years ago, people could remain faithful to their partners or abstain from sex if they were not married.

Traditionally, people reckoned that the society frowned upon such acts of infidelity and pre-marital sex and those who became victims were severely punished. Religiously, such acts were regarded as immoral which were against the laws of the Supreme Being and the entire community.

They were challenged to lead puritanical lifestyle and their conscience also convicted them of wrongdoing anytime such ethical precepts were violated. But, if today some people cannot remain faithful to their partners or abstain from sex if unmarried, the presupposition is that they lack the appropriate moral decorum to fit into the society.

Despite the fact that we cannot assign the spread of the virus to only the heterosexual means, we must not lose sight of the fact that 80% of all new infections of HIV/AIDS are through heterosexual contact (Ghana Health Service, 2004). Even though the promotion of the use of condoms is very high, research has shown that many men do not want their spouses or female partners to use the female condom during sexual intercourse and only few of them use the male condom as well.

This may explain the attitude of complacency by the youth of which Prof. Awuku Sekyi Amoah the Director General of Ghana AIDS Commission, reckoned has led to the increase of HIV/AIIDS cases in Ghana. (Daily Graphic, 24th September, 2007). Therefore, our efforts to assuage the promotion of condoms which have often incited many people to indulge in indiscriminate sex are the right step to outfox HIV/AIDS. Besides, the messages of faithfulness and abstinence should not only be preached because of HIV/AIDS prevention, rather we should unearth and stress on their religious, cultural and psychological significance in order for people to appreciate the need to be faithful to their spouses or abstain from sex if they are not married.

Furthermore, the promotion of the use of condoms could be a catalyst to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Only a handful of people who patronize condoms understand the nuances involving their use; the rest of them are amateurish and may have contracted the virus unknowingly despite their use of the condom ostensibly to "protect" them. Besides, some of the condoms on the market are of low quality - there have been reports of low quality condoms on the market before. Some have expired and others can tear in the course of using them. Moreover, it is asserted by some experts that condoms may have some tiny pores.

Therefore, it is possible for the HIV/AIDS virus to penetrate these pores thereby infecting those who use them. Perhaps, this possibility could account for the high rate of teenage pregnancy if indeed the youth patronize condoms. All these disadvantages amongst others can put a person who patronizes condom at some risk of still contracting or spreading the virus.

On the contrary, those who have chosen to be faithful or abstain stand better chances of not becoming infected with the virus if they protect themselves against other modes of transmission such as contaminated blood transfusion and sharing skin piecing objects or sharp instruments with others.

Also, the promotion of the use of condoms as preventive mechanism has rather incited the youth into promiscuity. The message on condoms that is often preached to those in the first and second cycle institutions contradicts the message of abstinence.

It is therefore neither surprising to find a condom in the pocket of a class six pupil nor hear of the shortage of condoms in some parts of the country during special occasions such as Valentine's Day, Easter, Christmas or traditional festivals.

No wonder, the 2006 HIV sentinel report indicates that 88% of all HIV positive cases are those below the age 35. Indiscriminate use of condoms by the youth is a contributing factor to this alarming situation.

We must inspire people especially the youth to good works. Our messages should be on faithfulness and abstinence as the means of effective prevention of HIV/AIDS.

It is through this and other means not mentioned in this piece, that the degeneration of ethical values in the society will be ameliorated in order to raise the hopes of the elders who lament on the future of the country visa -a-vis the kind of lifestyles the youth of today put up.

Unless the necessary behavioural and attitudinal changes are engendered, together with other preventive strategies, the fight against HIV/AIDS in Ghana or elsewhere in Africa will not be successful, if the use of condoms is made to carry the day.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: HIV Aids - Is the Use of Condom the Answer? (Page 1 of 1)

German Investors Are Interested in Ghana

2007-10-06T12:43:00.001+01:00

It is an honour and a pleasure to welcome you on the occasion of the GGEA trade fair at the Novotel Accra.

For the second time the Ghanaian-German Economic Association has organised a display of profile and business activities of 18 GGEA members from the banking sector, trade and industry. They give a representative overview of Ghanaian-German business relations in general as well as of their economic impact on Ghana.

The GGEA also prepared a graduate fair as part of the programme to link entrepreneurs with interested graduates from Ghana's universities and colleges. As a special highlight at this year's trade fair the new Mercedes C-class will be launched on Friday, 5th October in the afternoon.

First of all let me thank the Ghanaian-German Economic Association for the renewed initiative undertaken to organise a trade fair for the interested Ghanaian and international public. Founded in 1999, the GGEA already belongs to the well-established and renowned institutions here in Ghana.

It offers services comparable to a chamber of commerce in doing market research, mediating first contacts for companies from both countries, providing information on rules, laws and procedures and recommending legal assistance. The association has launched three business guides so far on doing business in Ghana, in Germany and in the EU, providing valuable information and guidance for bilateral trade and investment.

GGEA's pursues a dual approach strategy

1. to strengthen Ghanaian-German Business relations by supporting commercial ties and attract the interest of a greater number of companies both from Ghana and from Germany to engage in Ghanaian-German Commerce and investment, and

2. to support the development of the private sector and industry in Ghana with a variety of activities.

This matches with the economic policy objectives of the Government of Ghana to promote private sector development and to boost economic growth. GGEA's activities also fit perfectly into the Ghanaian government's GPRS II.

A glance at Ghana's macroeconomic figures reveals a promising development: the GDP-growth was 6.2% in 2006 and has kept its impressive level. The inflation rate remained at 11.2 %, despite the energy crisis.

The international rating companies rate Ghana with B+ and World Bank and IMF see good opportunities for further growth and economic development. In addition to that stable macroeconomic environment Ghana offers political stability, functioning democratic structures and a good level of security and safety. All this is being based on a successfully ongoing process of democratisation and the peaceful coexistence of the religions.

The bilateral trade figures between Ghana and Germany in 2006 increased to 283.5 Mio. EUR, therein 158.3 Mio EUR for German exports to Ghana and 125.2 Mio EUR for Ghanaian exports to Germany. Germany imports from Ghana are mostly Cocoa (55.6%), timber (13.4%), aluminium (16.5%) and tropical fruits (5.8%) whereas Ghana imports from Germany primarily vehicles (31.1%), machinery (21.1%) and chemical products (14.6%).

118 investments of German companies have been registered so far (source: GIPC). It goes without saying that there is much more potential for German investment in Ghana and the bilateral trade could be more diversified.

Let me emphasize that German investors are interested in Ghana. This can be seen from enquiries reaching the GGEA or the German Embassy. Another indicator for the growing entrepreneurial interest in Ghana is the broad attendance of the so-called Ghana-Days, organised by the Hamburg based German Afrika-Verein.

Unfortunately the threshold between an initial interest and the setting-up of a business remains high. The interest of potential investors has to be encouraged and has also to be met by conducive investment conditions in the given host country. More could be done to encourage investment decisions by establishing clear and transparent rules for investors.

I mention the transparency of import and customs procedures, the registration process, access to land or access to justice and the strict pursuance of the "zero tolerance vis-à-vis corruption policy" that has been introduced by the Ghanaian Government.

In addition, measures to improve the infrastructure, especially for energy and transport as well as a successful public sector reform could considerably improve the investment climate.

An intensification of the trade and business relations between Germany's and Ghana's business communities can play a significant role in further developing the private sector in Ghana, creating more job opportunities in Ghana as well as in Germany. Germans have developed a keen interest in Ghana and a variety of events have been responsible for that. Just to mention a few:

Ghana's 50th independence anniversary celebration and at the same time the celebration of 50 years fruitful Ghanaian-German political and economic relations, Ghana's excellent performance at the World cup in Germany last year, the visit by President Köhler to Ghana in January 2007 and - at this opportunity - the organisation of the second Afrika-Forum hosted by both the Ghanaian and the German President, the participation of President Kufuor in the G8-Summit in Heiligendamm in June, 2007

President Kufuor's participation in the third Afrika-Forum due to take place in Germany in November this year and the signing of a partnership agreement between the German State of North-Rhine-Westphalia and Ghana directly after the third Afrika-Forum will further enhance this interest.

All this constitutes a political drive which could be and should also be beneficial to economic relations. But we have to make use of that momentum and to come forward with more activities for the sake of our bilateral economic and trade relations .The GGEA's trade fair we are opening today is a very welcome initiative in this direction.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: 'German Investors Are Interested in Ghana' (Page 1 of 1)

New Land Policy Introduced By Isser

2007-10-05T09:19:00.001+01:00

The Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has developed a Land Tenure Reform Policy that aims at guiding the land markets and the individuals on the usage of land and the need to invest in it.

The policy disclosed how investment in land could help develop the various communities and the nation by way of improving upon its productivity and ensuring its proper and efficient usage.

The Policy explained further the imposition of the English Common Law on customary practices that had been problematic, without the appropriate accommodation of the underlying social and economic systems.

However, it suggested that the 1999 National Land Policy could be given the objective of efficient and equitable land tenure arrangements, using operational partnerships with local authorities, the business community and civil society, which will enhance transparency and accountability of the indigenous management institutions and make their land delivery system more effective.

At a two-day International Conference in Accra, the Director of ISSER, Professor Ernest Aryetey, noted that the Land Reform Policy was important to all since it would help to harmonise individuals and communal interests for mutual gains.

He explained that faster economic growth, which could lead to faster poverty reduction, required investment and productivity improvement.

According to him, enhancing technologies for agriculture have been hampered by insecurity of tenure for both small and large-scale land users, with more than a half of non-allodial titleholders worried about security.

Although many of the traditional methods for gaining access to land as noted by the director are changing as a result of the growing interactions with markets, it still does not offer any more security as the change is uncoordinated, leading to conflicts.

He said that there was general indiscipline in the allocation and development of land, environmental degradation and poor institutional capacity in both traditional and state sectors.

The director noted that Ghanaian land markets faced the difficulty in matching demand and supply, and insecurity of tenure and pricing.

He stated that the reform would bring willing buyers and sellers together with reduced transaction cost by carefully recognising the socio-cultural underlay.

Many households, he said, in both the rural and urban parts of the country have a fair access to land but very little security, making larger businesses unable to acquire the needed plot sizes.

Professor Aryetey called for the establishment of Land Banks that would provide a uniform platform for trading current interests across different persons and groups without affecting future access rights for entitled persons and groups.

He said that land banks could lead to higher incomes for land owners with no capital, enhance access to land by large investors and mediate between different interests without threatening earlier rights.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: New Land Policy Introduced By Isser (Page 1 of 1)

Eradicating yellow fever. Sub-regional initiatives under discussion

2007-10-05T09:00:00.001+01:00

A five-day workshop on yellow fever control has opened to sensitise and strengthen the capacity of monitoring teams in eight Anglophone African countries to conduct routine Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs) against the disease in high-risk districts.

The countries including Ghana, Liberia, Sierra-Leone and Nigeria are deliberating on issues including the strategies for the control of yellow fever and effectiveness of preventive vaccination, the planning and implementation of high quality campaigns and a sub-regional programme of priority for implementation over the next three years.

Dr George Amofa, Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, who read the remarks of Major (Rtd) Courage Quarshigah, Minister of Health, stressed the importance of disease prevention and control in the provision of health services.

He said yellow fever, though preventable by vaccination, had a devastating toll on some countries in the West Africa sub-region, including Ghana over the years and required urgent action towards its total eradication.

Dr Amofa said reports indicated that six out of the seven countries in the World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa Region, which reported yellow fever outbreaks in 2006, were in the West Africa sub-region.

"Ghana has had its share of the epidemics, with a total of nine confirmed cases between 2005 and 2006, from the northern, middle and southern belts of the country. Three cases were reported in 2005 and six in 2006," he said.

Dr Amofa said there was no treatment for the disease, which had been fatal in 20 to 50 percent of cases, and immunization of the population had been established to remain the main strategy to prevent and control the disease.

He said whereas the whole country was at risk of the yellow fever epidemic, lack of vaccines and operational funds to conduct mass vaccination of the whole population posed a big challenge.

Dr Joachim Saweka, WHO Country Representative, said a similar workshop had been organised for eight Francophone African country teams in the sub-region and that the recommendations from that meeting had been taken into account in the development of the agenda of the current meeting.

He said a standardised approach for the assessment of levels of risk of yellow fever epidemics had already been developed and would be presented to the group for possible adaptation.

Dr Saweka emphasised the importance of building local capacity in the review and adaptation of the methodology for a more sensitive analysis, not only in the countries at high risk, but also in those that were known to have lower probability of experiencing epidemics.

Dr Fenella Avokey, Immunization Advisor, Yellow Fever IVD Unit of the Inter-Country Support Team of WHO/AFRO, explained that countries at risk of yellow fever in the Africa Region had been facing a resurgence of the disease since the 1980's, as shown by the frequent outbreaks, especially in the West Africa sub-region.

Dr Avokey explained that the main objective of the investment was the vaccination of at least 48 million persons in 12 high-risk countries through response or preventive campaigns.

Beneficiary countries including Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra-Leone, Nigeria and Togo, are expected to contribute to the cost of campaign operations.

Accra Daily Mail - Online

Poverty reduction top of agenda at Africa forum

2007-10-04T07:15:00.003+01:00

Business and public sector leaders arriving in Ghana for the 5th African Business Leaders Forum have underlined the urgent need to define new solutions to the challenges created by widespread poverty on the continent.
The three-day high profile event which takes place at the Accra International Conference Centre from October 17 to 19,2007 will open with a presidential debate aimed at finding ways that the private and public sectors can work together to 'Conquer Poverty for Good'.
According to a recent UN report, "The most fundamental development challenge in Africa today is poverty reduction”.
Africa is the poorest continent with 25 of the world's 30 poorest countries.
The number of Sub-Saharan Africans that currently are living below the poverty line is today more than 180 million people and will in 2020 have exceeded 300 million people."
Some of the confirmed high profile speakers include Dr. Aniebo Roberts, Special Adviser to the president of NEPAD, Mr. Chris Kirubi, chairman of Haco Industries, Kenya, Mr. Goodie Ibru, Chairman of NEPAD Business Group, Nigeria and Dr. Baffour Agyemang Duah, UN Consultant to Tanzania.
Other international experts include Mrs. Irene Chingbue, Director General for Bureau for Public Enterprise, Nigeria, Bernad Esaue, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Namibia, Mr. Victor Asibodu, Executive Chairman of VIGO, and Mr. Tunde Lemo, Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria.
The line up of more than 40 international and Ghanaian experts include, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, Executive Chairman and Co-founder of Databank Financial Services, Mrs. Margaret Mwanakatwe, Ms Joyce Aryee and Dr. Mensah Otabil.
Others include, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Akwasi Osei-Adjei, Foreign Affairs Minister, Capt. (Rtd) Prince Kofi Amoabeng, CEO of Unique Trust Financial Services and Mr. Robert Ahomkah-Lindsay, CEO of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.
An investment forum on Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa and three plenary sessions on the topics, 'Preparing for Tomorrow', 'Women in Leadership' and '2010 World Cup in Africa' will run alongside the main forum.
A Gala Dinner, with an international fashion show as attraction, will be organised in honour of the participating African Head of States and business leaders to close day one of this landmark leadership event. A presidential golf and tour of Ghana’s historic castles and kingdoms will climax this year’s ABLF on October 19, 2007, the third and final day.
This year’s ABLF themed ‘Leadership Through Partnership’ is the 5th since the event started in Johannesburg in 2003, and will serve as 'a platform for interaction with African and global leaders on techniques, values and challenges of leadership.
The three day forum forms part of Ghana's 50th independence anniversary and is expected to build on the gains of four previous successful, gatherings held in South Africa. This year's event will focus mainly on assessing the post independence gains of Africa and define a future of prosperity for the continent.
The ABLF, founded and organized by Business in Africa Magazine (founded in 1993), was first convened in 2003 to provide an additional interface for stakeholders in the public and private sectors to make viable contributions in addressing Africa's leadership challenges.
In the past five years the ABLF has focused its programmes on transformational and new thinking dedicated to enhancing capacity and quality in Africa's leadership.

Myjoyonline.com Ghana News :: Poverty reduction top of agenda at Africa forum ::: Breaking News | News in Ghana | business

GOIL Shares Oversubscribed

2007-10-04T07:15:00.001+01:00

Institutional investors seem to have acquired almost all the shares of Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL), as information reaching CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE indicates that GOIL shares have been oversubscribed.
CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE gathers that ECOBANK Ghana last week bought shares worth ¢100 billion in the oil company and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), the largest institutional investor in almost all the listed equities on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) was preparing to buy about half of the shares.
An official of Gold Coast Securities Limited, one of the selling brokerage firms told CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE that more than half of the 25 insurance companies have bought or are planning to acquire the shares.
The oversubscription of GOIL’s IPO means government will issue an additional 14 per cent of its shares, the official stated.
Further checks by CITY&BUSINESS GUIDE at the other brokerage firms including Strategic African Securities Limited and DATABANK and some branches of Merchant Bank have also revealed that GOIL’s Initial Public Offer (IPO) has been hugely bought. Trading of the shares elapsed on Friday October 5, 2007.
Originally, only 30 per cent of the company’s shares were to be floated on the GSE as government was to retain about 35 per cent. However, the recent development means it will definitely issue additional shares.
GOIL is considered by most analysts and market watchers as a potential asset, with the company playing a leading role in the oil marketing industry.
They have predicted a virtual scramble for the offer on the basis of the company’s steady performance, its ongoing rigorous operational transformations and the general anticipation of a buoyant future for Ghana’s oil industry.
Importantly, GOIL’s balance sheet for the last financial year also makes it an attractive commodity. Its financial result for 2006 showed that the company registered an impressive net turnover growth of 39.2 per cent, making ¢1.92 trillion as against ¢1.38trillion recorded for 2005.
It enjoys a current average market share of about 18 per cent, dominating the lubricant and LPG trade and is a major player in the general retail business.
About 89,115,187 ordinary shares are being offered to the general public at ¢2,000 (GH¢ 0.2) per share. A minimum number of 300 ordinary shares amounting to ¢600,000 could be purchased.
After the successful completion of the IPO, the listing of the shares will follow suit, making the company the second oil marketing company after Total Petroleum Company, which was born out of a merger between Total Ghana Limited and the former Mobil Oil Ghana Limited.

Ghana Business & Finance of Thursday, 4 October 2007 - GOIL Shares Oversubscribed

Adamus Resources Invests $100m In Mining

2007-10-03T16:04:00.001+01:00

Adamus Resources Limited, a mineral exploration company listed in Australia, Canada and Germany stock exchanges has announced plans to invest up to $100 million in its mining operations in the Western Region of Ghana over the next two years.
A senior management team of the company, led by its chairman, John Hopkins, is expected to pay a three-day working visit to Ghana to meet with key government officials and stakeholders.
Accompanying the chairman will be the Managing Director/CEO, Mark Bojanjac and the Chief Operating Officer, Mark Connelly.
"Adamus is an emerging producer that plans to be a major player in the mining business and this is coming at an ideal time when Ghana is making a big push for more strategic investments globally," says Mark Addo, Business Development and Commercial Manager.
The company, which currently employs 120 people in its local exploration sites at Salman and Anwia, plans to employ about 450 people during the construction phase.
"We plan on making a significant investment in the business, the local infrastructure, the people and the communities of our operations.
An integral part of Adamus' strategy is to maximize the utilization of local talent and resources through development and knowledge transfer,” he added.
Adamus Resources says it is looking forward to getting permits and approval from the Ghana government, to commence operations.
Adamus Resources Limited has been exploring in Ghana over the past five years and is committed to realizing the potential of the Southern Ashanti Project, where drilling has identified a resource of 1.6 million ounces of gold.
The Southern Ashanti Gold Project is situated on the southern extension of the Ashanti Gold Belt. The project consists of a contiguous block of granted tenure covering approximately 500 square kilometers.
Adamus owns 90 per cent of the project with the Ghana government holding the remaining 10 per cent.

Resources Invests $100m In Mining

Ghana hopes for EU timber deal

2007-10-03T16:02:00.001+01:00

Giant trucks thunder out of Ghana's tropical forests, loaded high with huge logs.

Raw logs cannot be exported under Ghanaian law

Chopped, sawn and milled, these logs bring in valuable foreign exchange revenue for the West African country. Timber is one of its biggest foreign exchange earners.

But Ghana is losing its forests, as a result of gangs of unlicensed chainsaw operators that devastate the country's forests, depriving the government of revenue in the process.

Ghana is currently negotiating a timber trade agreement with the European Union, its biggest export market for timber.

The hope is that the deal will reduce illegal logging, reverse the devastation of its forests and halt the slide in timber sales to Europe.

Let's talk timber

The EU is in talks to establish bilateral timber trade agreements with a handful of countries, three of them in West Africa: Ghana, Liberia and Cameroon.

Agreement with Ghana is likely to be reached by early 2008.

Once implemented, timber products covered by the agreement can only be sold in Europe with a license certifying their legality, says the Ghanaian Forestry Commission's Chris Beeko.

But sceptics warn that high domestic demand for timber and a growth in non-European markets may limit the impact of the deal, which is called a voluntary partnership agreement or VPA.

Cautious buyers

Some European government buyers have already tightened timber procurement policies. They only want to buy timber that is clearly certified.

"Any country that considers the EU to be a major trading partner has to take (VPA) seriously," Mr Beeko says.

Ghanaian timber makes up just 6% of European imports, though roughly half of all Ghanaian timber exports are destined for Europe.

In 2004, some 60% of Ghana's timber exports went to Europe. These days, European buyers take just 42% due to both the growing wariness amongst European buyers and the growth in markets elsewhere in the world.

There is a danger that timber exporters will buy illegally-harvested timber and sell it to less closely-regulated markets, but Ghanaian law prohibits the export of raw logs, favoured by China, whose demand for commodities can shadow environmental and other concerns.

Reliance on timber

Ghana also wants to ensure only legally-harvested timber is sold locally.

Peter Adjei says the people of Ghana rely on the timber

In a country with chronic power cuts, trees provide far more than just shelter from a hot sun.

With a chainsaw balanced on his head, Peter Adjei steps out of a forest reserve in Ghana's Ashanti region. He has just cut dead trees for firewood.

"We use it for charcoal, for light, for roofing our houses," he says.

While many communities see little or no benefit from the business of illegal operators - run by organised syndicates - the flood of timber, much of it illegal, on the domestic market means they benefit from cheap prices.

Reducing illegal timber harvesting is likely to force mills to close and lead to a shortage of timber for domestic demand.

But illegal chainsaw operators need to take the crackdown seriously.

"In 10 years' time, they will lose their jobs because the trees aren't there," says Mr Beeko.

Weak enforcement of current laws have made some activists sceptical that change can be made, but they stress change is needed.

"We have to stem the tide," says Friends of the Earth Ghana's Nana Darko Cobbina.

"The forest should be managed sustainably."

BBC NEWS | Business | Ghana hopes for EU timber deal

Swiss Re is offering microinsurance to African farmers

2007-10-02T07:44:00.001+01:00

Insurance giant Swiss Re has launched an initiative to offer African farmers cover against droughts ruining their crop harvests.

The microinsurance industry is expanding, with other firms offering cover for people on low incomes. Zurich Financial Services (ZFS) for example formed a partnership with a Swiss government agency earlier this year.

The microcredit industry started in the late 1970s but has snowballed in recent years as companies have recognised both the benefits of ethical business practices and the opportunity to tap into a new market.

Image caption: Sugar cane farmers in South Africa: low-income farmers will be able to take out insurance against drought (imagepoint)

Swiss Re said on Thursday it aimed to provide protection against adverse weather conditions for up to 400,000 people in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda.

This follows the launch of a $2 million (SFr2.34 million) scheme earlier this month to protect 150,000 farmers in Ethiopia, Kenya and Mali against the economic effects of severe droughts.

"After witnessing the terrible natural catastrophe of the [2004 Indian Ocean] tsunami that brought misery to people who were not insured, we thought about what we could do for people without a lot of capital," Swiss Re spokesman Henner Alms told swissinfo.

"But there is a clear business aspect too. If these solutions for African villagers prove successful, they could be extended elsewhere too."

Sustainability warning

Microinsurance is not a new venture for Swiss Re as the firm had already pioneered weather protection policies in India three years ago.

ZFS has been present in Bolivia since 1999 selling, among other things, life insurance policies that encourage saving by paying out an amount to relatives based on how much the holder had in their bank account.

ZFS entered into a partnership with the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) in February to extend microinsurance for life, property and possessions to Africa, Asia (primarily China) and throughout Latin America.

"We entered into the partnership in order to crystallise this into a real growth and corporate responsibility strategy," ZFS head of microinsurance Brandon Mathews told swissinfo.

Alliance Sud, a group of six leading Swiss development organisations, gave a broad welcome to microfinance in general, but warned that the innovation had to be properly applied to avoid potential pitfalls.

Partnerships crucial

"If you do not offer sustainability along with the cash, then the attitude of the people will change and they will just take the easy money without thinking of the long-term," spokesman Bruno Stöckli told swissinfo.

"Swiss companies need to make sure that local partners are stable enough to handle all this new money coming in," he added.

With this warning in mind, Swiss Re has chosen to work in partnership with NGO Millennium Promise. ZFS will draw on the experience of the SDC while tapping into new markets.

"The SDC works with many of the populations where we should be able to provide these products. They have substantial knowledge built over many years engaging these populations and these markets," Mathews told swissinfo.

swissinfo - Swiss Re is offering microinsurance to African farmers

Africa’s Second Wind Of Change

2007-10-02T07:39:00.001+01:00

There are hopeful signs all over Africa that after about four decades of authoritarian misrule, fueled by neo-colonialism and characterized by sordid corruption, the great majority of the people are poised to seize the moment for affirmative march to a new era.
Whether the new age dawns sooner rather than later depends on a number of factors, among which is whether the elites will identify with the people or rather betray a historic mission and continue to serve as conduits to the despoliation of the continent.
The period we are in is reminiscent of the late 1950s and early 1960s, when elites in a Pan-African demonstration of solidarity mobilized the people to throw off the yoke of European colonial imperialism.
It was the political fact of nationalist mobilization of the people in accordance with the clarion call at the 1945 Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England, that the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, on 10 January 1960, in Accra, Ghana, acknowledged in a speech about a wind of national consciousness blowing through Africa.
Although the speech in Accra received scant attention, less than a month later, on 3 February, 1960, Macmillan used the same phrase in an address to the South African Parliament; this time, it garnered media attention and became a popular currency in the lexicon of decolonization.
Today, despite the ravages of civil-wars in the Chad, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda, for example, there are positive omens from different regions of Africa that people are getting organized to reclaim their democratic rights and create conditions for sustainable developments.
Recent inspiring and trend-setting changes from Rwanda and Sierra Leone, whose tragic civil war experiences had more or less reduced them literally to ashes, illustrate an important point: that from the dreadful experiences of the past, Africa can indeed rise as the phoenix.
In October, 2007, the Ibrahim Index, named after and sponsored by the Sudanese mobile phone magnate Mo Ibrahim, to encourage good governance in Africa, identified Rwanda as the most improved country in sub-Saharan in terms of performance over the past five years.
The designation was arrived at after analyzing various data from sources including the United Nations, the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, the think-tank Freedom House, which highlight, among other things, human development, safety and security. This is in addition to the fact that Rwanda has, in its efforts to bridge the digital divide, made great progress in its ambitious and vital project to empower its people and make the country the hub of information technology in the region.
Rwanda’s achievements are extraordinary, when seen in the context and against the backdrop of its recent tragic history. It must be remembered that barely a decade and half ago, in 1994, a most grotesque genocide took place in the country. Within the space of 100 days close to a million people were slaughtered. The killing in Rwanda was the most concentrated act of genocide in human history.
In Sierra Leone, which had experienced a decade-long civil war, the people rose like a tidal wave to exercise their democratic rights in a historic presidential election. The election was remarkably refreshing for two major reasons.
In the first place, the candidate of the party then in power, the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), lost to the candidate of the party then in opposition, the All People's Congress (APC).
Whereas the SLPP candidate and at the time Vice President, Solomon Berewa, received 44% of the votes, the candidate of the APC, Ernest Bai Koroma, won with 53% of the total votes. This was a political earth-quake in a continent where governing parties routinely stack rules in their favor and rig elections to maintain power.
The second significance of the presidential election in Sierra Leone is that by all accounts, it was not only the best-run election, but also one which in recent history is regarded to have been the most free and fair, reflecting the will of the people.
The credit for running a well-organized poll must be accorded to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) in general, and the head of the Commission, Christiana Thorpe, in particular. Although herself apparently a member of the then-ruling party, she refused to tolerate any malpractice. Her courage and integrity was perhaps best captured by what she said on the occasion of declaring the results of the election.
She pronounced: "There is no longer a place for fraud and malpractice in the Sierra Leone electoral system. The people of Sierra Leone deserve to exercise their rights in an atmosphere of freedom, fairness and transparency." Her stand and utterance, coming on the heels of the heroic success of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, speak volumes about the quality of leadership African women are capable of providing the continent.
The change of power in Sierra Leone meets two important criteria for viable democratic governance anywhere in the world. The first is that the foundation of democratic government is the active free participation of citizens in political processes. And the second is that democracy can be sustained without resort to violence only when opposition parties have a real possibility of assuming the reigns of government through free and fair elections.
It is inspiring that from the depth of despair, the two countries have risen like the African phoenix to radiate hope and give practical meaning to the clarion call for African renaissance. They have certainly demonstrated that with commitment to ethical conduct and to the empowerment of people, even experiences of debilitating suffering can be seized for transformative purposes that offer people prospects for great possibilities and the realization of aspirations.
Together, by what they have done, the leaders in Rwanda and Sierra Leone now join a cast of role models, in South Africa, Botswana, Cape Verde, Senegal, Ghana, Liberia, Tanzania and Mauritius, as torch bearers for the continent.
The challenge for elites in the continent is to learn from these experiences and begin in earnest to articulate inclusive vision and organize affirmative movement that will turn the oases of success into rivers of hope that will quench the thirst of people for democratic self realization.

Where China is a delight and a dilemma

2007-10-01T14:53:00.001+01:00

In Ghana another name for globalization is China. From the biscuits sold on High Street, to the textile in Mokola market, to the toys for kids sold in Melcom and Game in the newly built Accra Shopping Mall, the Chinese dominance or ‘takeover’ as some call it, is obvious.

A drive through the city of Accra would reveal to even a first time visitor how deeply the China phenomenon has percolated. 90 per cent (by the way that’s a conservative estimate) of the goods that smart young hawkers flag before you at traffic junctions and bus stops are Chinese; most of them bearing Chinese inscriptions alongside English.

The Ghanaian manufacturing sector has simply resigned to fate. Those who try to survive are faced with infrastructural challenges like epileptic power supply. It must be acknowledged that what Ghana has for the past 12 months lamented as ‘energy crisis’ is what Lagosians will praise as a major breakthrough.

To give electricity for two and sometimes three days uninterrupted and then take it for 12 hours and restore it again for the same length of time, will obviously pass for a significant success in Lagos.

Anybody who shuttles the two countries will readily tell you that power is more constant in Ghana than in Lagos , Abuja or any town or city in Nigeria.

Despite this comparative advantage which should serve as a great incentive for Ghana , manufacturing is still no where near what could be deemed acceptable.

Some say Ghanaians are consumerists by nature, others argue that the forces of globalization are too strong for a country of 22 million like Ghana to fight.

The latter school of thought stress that even the United States and Europe cannot wad off the onslaught of China. They say globalization has carved a new world order; one which China is the factory of the world.

Time magazine recently quoted a Swiss professor of international political economy as saying that "there is no risk if America, Europe and Japan stop producing T shirt or television sets." China, he means, has capacity to meet the world demand.

What should Ghana and indeed Africa do to check the possible elimination of its manufacturing sector?

During its 50th anniversary celebrations last March, Ghana had to depend on China to produce its national flags and other survenirs that were used for the occasion. Over 60 percent of the flags, t-shirts, faze caps, ribbons and other street decors used during the celebration were made in China.

It is easy to find kente fabrics in Accra today that are made in China and imported back into Ghana , its traditional home. Customers are unlikely to care – or know – whether the cloth they wear is made in China.

For them, it doesn’t make much difference.

Some local manufacturers who fear they are likely to be severely hurt by the emerging trend are calling for protectionism. Others simply say that is what free market is all about. A free market economy must truly be free enough to allow consumers enough options to choose which to buy and which not to, they say.

"Ghanaians love these Chinese products," says Akua Mensah, a shop keeper in East Legon, Accra . "They are cheap and nice. Put a biscuit produced in Ghana alongside one produced in China , and many buyers will go for the one from China ." Mensah’s shop stocks different kinds of Chinese products, mostly consumables.

Accra does not yet have a particular location called China town like you will get in New York and many cities in the United States. "It is raging. With the trend of events, it is not unlikely that one might crop up in future," says Yaw Kwabena, a businessman.

"It is better for us that we have such here and they are producing here and employing our people than we are here creating jobs for youths in Shangai and Beijing while our youths are roaming the streets jobless. If they produce here they will pay taxes to government and the right multiplier effect will hold," Yaw argues.

Odartey Owusu, another businessman does not agree with Yaw. "The Chinese export strategy is different from what is conventional. They export products and people. They always prefer to bring their people to work in their factories than employ locals."

In Ghana ’s banking sector, such domestication is already in place. The number of Nigerians that work in the four Nigerian banks currently operating in Ghana is less than 25 altogether. Yet the four banks on the whole have over a thousand workers in their employ.

It is tempting to turn to protectionism. For many years under Jerry Rawlings’ socialist and autocratic regime, Ghana tried operating a closed up system but it boomeranged. Many of its best brains fled thecountry for better life elsewhere.

With encouraging political and socio-economic climate,many of these elites now are coming home. Back home they look to an appreciably comfortable life even if not exactly what they would get in Europe and America. This desire explains the boom in Ghana ’s retailsector. Any attempt to close up the economy again might trigger similar reactions as those of the 1980s.

This is dilemma before the government. Keen toensure that local manufacturing firms survive enoughto keep the jobs for the nation’s teeming graduates, the government is careful and calculating.

BusinessDay... the voice of business - Ghana: Where China is a delight and a dilemma

Hygiene and Tourism

2007-10-01T14:52:00.001+01:00

Tourism is becoming the main income-generating factor in most countries. Turkey, Malaysia, Britain, Thailand and others are all in this industry.
There are certain qualities necessary to enter this particular industry for example customer care, customer services, principle of marketing etc.
The Minister of Trade and Tourism feels Ghana is ready to enter such a competition with other players in this market.
Ghana coastal areas are laced with white sand; beautiful air, greenery and these elements are the money generating grounds yet sanitation around our coastal areas questionable?
Sanitation around Ghana ‘s money generating grounds are diabolical : True or false
Are there toilets facilities at every beach resort or open beaches with washing facilities?
Our nearest neighbour, Togo with its limited coastal areas used to be the Paris of Ghana with shops, café’ boutiques all along the coast.
Does Ghana have the above mentioned facilities buzzing with an ambience of tourism?
Where do the vulnerable poor locals all along our coastal areas use as toilets?
Has the Minister of Trade and Tourism been around such places during the late evening, night or early morning to see that sort of activities he wishes to show the tourist booking a flight to come to Ghana?
Hygiene is just too poor.
A comprehensive clean up of the state of sanitation around this industry is needed to match the facilities Ghana offers the tourists, if we want to stand a chance.
I’m aware that the Minister has visited many countries and liasing with his counterparts everywhere: True: false.
However to what extent does this sort of visit do to improve our dire hygiene status of the coastal areas. Improvements will benefit locals as well as tourists.
Is there a community development fund set up with backing from the rural banks to ensure that every community takes ownership of providing toilet facilities along each town, village or city?
What is the role of the community leader or chief or police in this tourist industry?
One would assume that, the Minister is actively working in partnership with the person that matters to the tourists, the local’s leaders.
Do Ghana has a community development worker who links up with the community and reports back finding through a qualitative research or survey for the minister?
Does Ghana coastal areas have trained lifeguards?
Do we have signs posts indicating directions to our beaches?
Are there any lazy chairs (deckchair) or parasols (umbrellas) for hire along the beaches, or bike hire and etc?
There shops or mini desect stall selling peanut cakes, cooked peanuts, coconuts with straw, coconut cake, tea and coffee etc and other snacks.
Are there any shops selling mini buckets , plastic spade, plastic shovel to be used by children for sandcastles, catching small fishes and others, swimming costume, plaster or first aid box, sweets, post cards and stamps all along every beach? Also sunlotions, shea butter cream in min mercy cream tub could be sold for 3 - 6 ,000 each.
Hey!! What is the business deal Ghana is showing off to tourist? Are you ready to cash in on that?
Why do we want the tourist to go all the way to Accra to buy a postcard or stamp to send off to friends. These items is expected to be sold around beaches.
We don’t appear to think outside the box : True : false
Why do we have to plead poverty when ever we see the tourists instead of doing opening and closing a business deal..
The tourists should be seen us , friends, business partners and potenial investors .
We need to use all marketing strategies and also our warmness to ensure that tourist get a good deal while on our soil..
If any one fails to make a good profit then they may need to go back to the drawing board or back to the marketing principles to evaluate where they went wrong..
Using the right friendly marketing skill, the right tones and right soft words ensures a satisfactory outcome in business terms.
Are there restaurants along the beaches with tight lid bins all along our beaches?
Have we considered setting up areas for hawkers to perch their wares instead of tormenting the tourists?
Though , tourists love to shop locally and love the bargaining deal with hawkers the Minister of Trade may need to set the boundaries for them to operate along the beaches.
Tourists love to soak up the sun as it is very limited where they come from.
In Ghana, most of us feel rather uncomfortable when tourists strip down to soak the sun. We could zone some beach areas for sunbathers – no one should be offended then – and it would help concentrate tourist services next to the customers. However we should not bar access to local people – we need their support, we just need a few rules and zones to make them feel inclusive in the deal..
Wind breakers would be ideal item for them to hire for Sun bathers privacy ( stripping down to soak the sun)
This wind breaker would be a good money generating income for others tailors or the cloth repairers..
The material for making the wind breakers is the red & white bags or blue &white bags many use for travelling. It needs to be sewn with strong peg or sticks in between then. Perhaps 18 ins apart.
These wind breaker is easy to make and any one working around katamato could use it and hire it for the toruist for at least 10 ,000 cedis a session use.
Water is essential and a light refreshment around the beaches or mini resturant would be ideal. I’m sure the Minister of trade and Tourism during his visit to other market leaders in this trade realise how far Ghana needs to catch up.
The whole country needs to be educated daily on once a week on TV,radio, markets about the trick of this industry. Getting it right from the start is crucial to the success of Ghana’s economy.
If the Minister does not start educating the public now disaster would follow soon
Do we have many co-operative shops for the tourist to pop in other than kiosk and markets?
It might be worth considering an open debate for the public to air their views about our newly found industry. The Minister may find that the public may also see things from a three dimenison point of view and though painful to hear it adds an impetus in the bid to a positive image this new industry.
Ghanaians should not unload their poverty status to the tourist but rather start planning now what startegies they would need in order to make a decent money in the tourism business.
There is money for everyone to make in the tourist trade.
Hygiene and food handling is also a hot stuff. Foods sold openly for example even fresh bread should be perhaps sold inside instead of being expose to dirt, wind and rain.
It appears these areas may need to fully address to enable the tourists to recommend their experiences to others.
Although the Minister of Trade and his team are actively working this new industry, I would recommend they try and visit our coastal lines at night to witness the unwelcoming activities at dawn, and night . It would then be worth addresssing those concerns observed before embarking on a full scale promotion of tourism in Ghana on CNN
It would be helpful if The Ministry of Trade and Tourism do monitor , review and evelaute our service through a system of evaluating every contact made with each tourist in order to in corporate any negative feedback into improvement with the services provided.
Food handlers may need to be issued with a certificate to display which indicate that they have passed a routine food and hygiene mini course.
Hygiene and tourism does go hand in hand and as such the responsibility of every community leader e.g. the church, mosques, chiefs and community to join forces and play a key role in making our dreams in the tourist industry a true reality.

Ghana Feature Article of Sunday, 30 September 2007 - Hygiene and Tourism

Ghana ranked 69 in 2007 Corruption index

2007-09-30T11:39:00.001+01:00

Ghana is ranked 69th among 180 countries on the 2007 Corruption Perception Index with a total score of 3.7 points, showing a slight improvement over last year's 70th position with a score of 3.3 points.

This was contained in the CPI annual report compiled by Transparency International and launched across the world on Wednesday.

Ghana Integrity Initiative, the local affiliate of TI, which compiles the CPI on an annual basis, did the Accra launch.

Mr Vitus Azeem, Executive Secretary of GII, told journalists that Ghana's current position showed a meagre improvement in the fight against corruption, and there was no cause for celebration.

"The fact is that Ghana is still stagnating between the score of 3 and 4 and has yet to attain the half way score of 5,” he said. Globally only 46 (25.5 per cent) out of 180 countries scored five and above, and these were mostly developed countries.

The criteria for awarding scores include grand political corruption, likelihood of encountering corrupt officials, misuse of public office for private or political party gain, level of achievement of anti-corruption efforts and country policy and industrial assessments.

At the 69th position, Ghana fell behind only six 49 African countries named in the report. The six are Botswana (38), South Africa (43), Cape Verde (49), Mauritius (53), Namibia (57) and Tunisia (61). They scored between 4.2 and 5.4 points.

Ghana scored the highest among all the West African countries, with Togo placing as low as 143 with a score of 2.3 points and Nigeria placing 147 with 2.2 points.

Somalia, which is described as a failed state without a properly installed government, placed last on the rankings with 1.4 points. Iraq ranked 178 with 1.5 points.

Mr Azeem advised government to introduce anti-money laundering measures to stop Ghana being a safe haven for stolen assets, stressing that multi-national companies must be made to implement effective anti-bribery codes to ensure that they were adhered to by subsidiaries and foreign officers.

He also urged politicians involved in campaigning ahead of the 2008 elections to exercise their rights in a manner that would ensure the practicality of a free and fair election, which is necessary to prevent political corruption.

The ninth position occupied by Norway with 8.7 points raised concerns at the launch, given the recent scandal involving the Norwegian-based Scancem, the mother company of GHACEM in Ghana. Mr Bede Zieden, Acting General Secretary of the Democratic Freedom Party, noted that it was worrying that though it had been made sufficiently clear that a Norwegian company schemed a plan to corrupt the governments of developing countries, Norway scored high to place ninth on the CPI.

“I think they should have scored lower on grounds of exporting corruption to developing countries,” he said.

Dr Audrey Gadzekpo, a Director at GII, noted that no country could be accused of exporting corruption when developing countries themselves had weaker integrity systems and institutions.

She said developing countries needed to strengthen their integrity systems and laws to make corruption less attractive and expensive for foreign multi-nationals.

Dr Gadzekpo noted that though corruption was used based on perception, it did not mean corruption was non-existent and government actors should be seen to pursue the perception to establish the reality instead of demanding proof before taking action.

“The meeting point between the perception and the reality is in the commitment of government to work with civil society following leads to stem corruption,” she said.

The Statesman : Business : Ghana ranked 69 in 2007 Corruption index

Witches Storm Ghana "For Conference

2007-09-30T11:36:00.001+01:00

The numerous road accidents, boat disasters, floods in the north, gas explosions in Kumasi and collapse of buildings that the country has witnessed in recent months may not be for nothing.
A global meeting of witches, currently underway in Ghana, is targeting thousands of lives through fatal road and other accidents.
The assembly is also looking to infect millions of lives with incurable diseases, according to documents available to DAILY GUIDE.
In keeping with the witches’ agenda, 1,000,154 people would be killed worldwide through road accidents, rape, murder and armed robbery.
For Ghana, the organizers of the annual global congress insist they want to make the meeting a memorable one and are therefore requesting heavy loss of lives on the nation’s roads.
According to the document, Ashanti Region has to ‘donate’ 722 lives, Eastern Region, 119; Brong Ahafo, 103; Central, 134; and Greater Accra, 76; through an operation code-named ‘XXC-XVI-Starlight 666’.
Delegates from countries in all five continents including USA, India, Iran, South Africa, Spain and Nigeria are attending the historic meeting.
The two-month long meeting, slated for Juaso Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region, will be chaired by the Regional Commander, one Seth Kofi Manu, and has been described as a follow-up to a maiden one held (venue not stated) on 9th October, 2006 to strategize for the programme in Ghana.
“In the first quarter of our calendar year we are to infect 110,000 people (both married and unmarried) with HIV/AIDS through sex, 4,000 with tuberculosis, 6,000 with high blood pressure, and 2,600 with blindness, while 11,000 pastors and preachers will be destroyed, 220 marriages broken, and 100,000 wombs destroyed.”
Apart from the blood of accident victims and the spread of diseases, the association is demanding that 400,000 Ghanaians be initiated into witchcraft and other Satanist organisations before next year’s meeting in Ibadan, Nigeria.
Out of the 400,000, the agenda stresses that a minimum of 280,000 of the new entrants must be students and pupils of various schools and universities.
Detailed requirements in this regard are as follows:
Universities - 35,000 people Other tertiary schools- 45,000 people JSS & SSS-130,000 people Children below 8 years – 80,000 Some of the special guests expected in the country for the meeting include Comrades Gopanatta (India), Kris Mc Anderson (USA), Uki Steward (Nigeria), Daniel Mokoena (South Africa), Mirza Ali Mohammed (Iran), Professor Kingsley Boison (Ghana), and Hooo Mamfred (Spain).
“Every means must be applied through dressing, planting of hair-making items, exchange of clothes and shoes, sex, abortion, music and their so-called Christian songs. Remember we have agents among them,” the document stressed.
The next meeting, which is code-named, ‘Sanbra- 333- 000-4, according to the document, would take place on April 1, 2008 in the Nigerian city of Ibadan.
Featuring prominently on the Nigerian agenda is the plot “to create instability and confusion, and as much as we can, bring civil war in Ghana, Nigeria as we did in Liberia and Sierra Leone, Congo and Sudan”.
That event would be climaxed with the conferment of an award on Comrade Mirza Ali Mohammed, for the ‘good work’ he is doing in Iraq.
It was agreed that all efforts must be made to make the meeting in Ghana one of the most memorable ones in the history of the association.
The Juaso-Nkwanta meeting is part of a three-year grand project (2007-2010) for Satanists all over the world. The project is named, ‘ASTRO-PETAPHYSICAL OPERATION 999’.
A number of those who saw the document have opined that the inexplicable accidents, murders, shootings, and other disasters that are reported daily could be linked to the demands of the association.

Ghana General News of Saturday, 29 September 2007 - Witches Storm Ghana "For Conference

Ghana, U.S. Renew to Deepen Economic Cooperation

2007-09-29T14:17:00.003+01:00

Ghana and the United States (US) have renewed their commitment towards deepening trade and investment relations for their mutual benefit.

Ghana enjoys strong economic partnership with the US, whose Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to Africa stands at over six (6) billion dollars.

The country is the biggest recipient of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), a development grant to reward countries that rule justly, fight poverty and promote private sector growth.

Ms Jendayi Frazer, the US Under-Secretary for Africa, told the press after bilateral talks between President John Agyekum Kufuor, and Secretary of State, Dr Condoleezza Rice, that they would continue to support Ghana with grants.

"The partnership is benefiting both of our countries and Africa."

Dr Rice is Chairman of the MCA, and assured President Kufuor of their determination to speed up the release of funds for implementation of Ghana's MCA compact to modernize and transform the country's agriculture.

She also acknowledged the tremendous economic strides Ghana was making, something, that was being reflected by its high rating by international institutions.

The US Secretary of State congratulated President Kufuor for his strong leadership, domestically, and role in solving problems in Africa.

President Kufuor had earlier granted audience to the President of the World Bank, Mr Robert B. Zeollick, who lauded Ghana as a great success.

He said the Bank, through the International Finance Corporation (IFC) would develop special equity and infrastructure funds to support the country's private sector for sustained growth of the economy. His meeting with President Kufuor was to help the Bank to get a sense of the country's priorities to enable them to work better with it.

President Kufuor said the Government was determined to stay the course of prudent economic management and financial discipline.

"We would maintain the standard. We want to hasten our self discovery."

President Kufuor was in New York for the 62nd Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Ghana, U.S. Renew to Deepen Economic Cooperation (Page 1 of 1)

350 HIV Affected Children to Get Anti-Retroviral Drugs

2007-09-29T14:17:00.001+01:00

A CHARITABLE organisation, Woyome Foundation for Africa (WOFA) has embarked on a campaign dubbed "One for One Campaign" geared towards generating funds to provide and support vulnerable children living with endemic HIV/AIDS with the needed health care services in order to improve the living standards of children in the country.

The campaign is targeted to sustain the provision of a year's supply of Anti-retroviral, boosters and nutritional support among others for at least 350 infected children by the end of the campaign period as well as help with a better integration of All other Vulnerables (OVCs) in society.

The Project Consultant for WOFA, Mrs. Stella Afriyie Ankrah emphasised this at the launch of the OVC Campaign in Accra to put in place various systems to provide domestic support, educational scholarships and other recreational facilities for orphans of AIDS and to offer young people with job opportunities.

She further emphasized that, "One for One OVC Campaign is intended to raise funds primarily from the working class Ghanaian and other nationals residing in Ghana to procure anti-retroviral drugs and boosters for children infected with HIV/AIDS in the country".

She expressed confidence in WOFA's team and their commitment to support the intensification of public education aimed at attitudinal change towards the menace and the stig matization of People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and OVCs among others.

According to her, more than twenty five million adults and children have died from the disease worldwide in the past two decades and suggested that if the anti-retroviral drugs had been available to these people most of them would have been alive today.

"Anti-retroviral drugs work by blocking the HIV from replicating and functioning in the body and while the medicines are not a cure for AIDS they have brought extraordinary hope to people, especially children infected with HIV and have transformed AIDS into a chronic but manageable disease", she said.

On his part, the Deputy Minster of Women and Children Affairs (MOWAC), Mr Daniel C Dugan added that it was thoughtful of WOFA to have taken this decision to help address the myriad of problems facing children and said an initiative like this would supplement the efforts of government to provide a sustainable source of funds for the treatment and care of children.

Recounting their challenges, the Deputy Minister said "we lack resources to provide treatment to prolong the lives of HIV/AIDS parents and children orphaned by the disease. They face a very gloomy future when they should be the base of our human resources for development".

In this direction, he expressed the hope that the organization would grow to be a sustainable source of supplementary funds to government's commitment to fight the endemic HIV/AIDS.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: 350 HIV Affected Children to Get Anti-Retroviral Drugs (Page 1 of 1)

Corruption Still Pervasive - 2007 CPI Report

2007-09-28T11:29:00.001+01:00

The government and people of Ghana appear to have lots of work to do in the fight against corruption as its incidence is still highly pervasive in the country.

Latest report from Transparency International (TI), the world acclaimed anti-corruption Non-governmental Organization, ranks Ghana 69 alongside Romania on the list of 180 countries included in the 2007 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) with a score of 3.7 out of the maximum possible score of 10.

This represents a slight improvement over Ghana's 2006 ranking of 70 with a score of with a score of 3.3.

This year's score is the second highest since Ghana was included in the CPI.

At the continental level, only four countries ranked ahead of Ghana.

They included Botswana (5.4), South Africa (5.1), Mauritius (4.7) and Namibia (4.5).

On the African front, Botswana (5.4) and South Africa (5.1), though not among the first 30 high performers, top the African countries that scored above 5.

Launching the report in Accra, Vitus Azeem, the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local chapter of TI, underscored that "but for the lack of a consistent trend,

Ghana's performance on the 2007 CPI could suggest that some of the good governance and anti-corruption measures Ghana has put in place in recent years may be bearing fruits."

That notwithstanding, he said: "there is no cause to celebrate this apparent improvement," since according to him, "the fact remains that Ghana is still stagnating between the score of 3 and 4 and has yet to attain the halfway score of 5."

For him, the fact that Ghana was unable to get a pass score of 5 or a score near that in spite of government promises to crack down on corruption, coupled with institutional reforms such as the passage of the Public Procurement Act and Whistleblowers Act indicated the need for improvement.

Instead, he emphasised that, "the 2007 score should rather remind us that we are far from winning the fight against corruption, which also frustrates our fight against poverty reduction, disease and ignorance."

He thus warned that if not addressed, corruption could remain an enormous drain on Ghana's limited resources, which could better be used for education, health and infrastructure development.

Ghana was one of the about 42 countries across the world which benefited from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and was also one of eighteen countries selected to benefit from the United States government's Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and the Multi-Lateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI).

These debt reliefs and financial assistance also impose a responsibility on Ghana to ensure transparency, accountability and efficiencyin order to reduce corruption and waste in the use of the increased resources.

Mr. Azeem was thus observed, "If the current level of perceived corruption reflects actual corruption, then Ghana and her colleague HIPC countries face the grave risk that any debt relief savings could be mismanaged, wasted or find their way into pockets of greedy and selfish individuals."

Globally, only 46 countries, constituting 25.5% of the 180 countries covered by the report for the 2007 index, scored 5 and/or above.

These are mostly the developed and rich countries.

Denmark has pushed up to the top, with Finland and New Zealand maintaining their rank (albeit with lower scores), indicating very low levels of perceived corruption.

They are followed by Singapore (9.3), Sweden (9.3), Iceland (9.2) and Switzerland (9.0).

Other good performers include Canada (8.7), Norway (8.7), Australia (8.6), Luxembourg (8.4) and United Kingdom (8.4).

The United States remained on its 2006 rank of 20 although with a lower score of 7.2 in 2007.

Roughly, 75% of the countries covered in the 2007 CPI scored below 5 out of the clean score of 10.

This is worrying as it indicates a high level of perceived corruption globally.

Worse still, a substantial number of countries (76) scored less than 3 on the CPI, indicating a perception of severe corruption in these largely poor and developing countries. The countries which performed really badly with than less than 2 were the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Laos, Afghanistan, Chad, Sudan, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Haiti, Iraq, Myanmar and Somalia.

Among the several recommendations given by the TI include the need for developing countries to use financial aids to strengthen their governance institutions, guided by national assessments and development strategies and to incorporate strengthened integrity and corruption prevention as an integral part of poverty reduction programmes.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Corruption Still Pervasive - 2007 CPI Report (Page 1 of 1)

West Africa: Trade With EU Declines

2007-09-28T11:27:00.001+01:00

West Africa's share of trade with the European Union (EU) has declined significantly from 5% in 1980 to 1% today, the First Councellor of the Delegation of the European Commission to Ghana, Dr. Dick Naezer, has said.

He said this deterioration was due to the use of the General Trade Preference system for the past 30 years that had not helped in the development of Africa.

In place of this, Dr. Naezer explained that the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) would do the trick as the EU will seek to support the economic reforms of governments throughout Africa by changing the market relationship between Africa and European markets.

Dr. Naezer made these remarks when he gave the opening address at the Forum on Financial Guarantee for Investments in Accra yesterday.

"We are currently negotiating EPAs with African sub-regional groupings which aim at creating a business-friendly environment," he revealed.

He said the EPAs would create vigorous inter-regional exchanges, promote exports, provide a predictable regulatory framework for investors, remove non-tariff barriers and strengthen institutional capacities.

"It will also support trade facilitation, better communication and lessen bureaucracy," he assured, adding that he hoped the agreement would be concluded before next year.

Touching on the forum, Dr. Naezer said the lack of access to predictable, affordable and long-term private financing services was an important constraint on the private sector's potential in Ghana.

Referring to AGI's latest Business Climate Survey 2007, he said the private sector, especially SMEs see the cost of credit and lack of access to it as a major bottleneck for their performance and growth.

"This problem is especially acute, regarding medium and long-term sources of financing," he indicated.

He said although inflation and interest rates had come down, the banking system was still faced with difficulties in meeting the demand for private financing.

He stressed it was these difficulties that the Guarantee Fund for Private Investments (GARI) in West Africa with the support of EXIM Guarantee and PROªINVEST aimed at solving.

Dr. Naezer stated that the GARI Funds was an important initiative that sought to address these challenges because it offered financial guarantees to facilitate access of ECOWAS private companies to medium and long-term financing by sharing risks with credit institutions. He said financial guarantees had many advantages for credit institutions including protecting against unpredictable elements, improvement of the solvency ratio, immediate cash transfers by guarantee funds in case of default payments and, in the end, lower risks associated with lending.

"For the private sector, the obvious benefit is improved access to credit and lower costs."

He said EU actively supports GARI Funds through capital provided by AFD, the European Investment Bank and the Deutshe Entwicklungesselschaft.

The MD of GARI said they were supporting private companies in West Africa to mobilise funds for their activities.

The forum was also addressed by the coordinator of PROªINVEST, Mr. Bruno van Eeckhout, and the Board Chairman of EXIM Guarantee Company Limited, Felix Ntrakwah. Mr. Ntrakwah was happy with his outfit's collaboration with GARI.

According to the Managing Director of GARI, Mr. Piere Yaovi Sedjro, GARI approved cumulative guarantees of $152 million by December 2006 since its inception 11 years ago. It has also mobilised financing to the tune of $468 million up to this year.

allAfrica.com: West Africa: Trade With EU Declines (Page 1 of 1)

RP among most corrupt nations, says watchdog

2007-09-27T11:28:00.001+01:00

The Philippines is perceived to be among the most corrupt countries in the world, according to a watchdog.

Based on the annual Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International released Wednesday, the Philippines ranks 131st out of the 180 nations studied, with a 2.5 rating, along with Burundi, Honduras, Iran, Libya, Nepal, and Yemen.

The index score relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts and ranges between zero, which is highly corrupt, and 10, which is very clean.

In the top 10 of the least corrupt countries are: Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand, with a 9.4 rating, at no. 1; Singapore and Sweden, 9.3, no. 4; Iceland, 9.2, no. 6; Netherlands and Switzerland, 9.0, no. 7; Canada and Norway, 8.7, no. 9.

Others ranked accordingly are:

11. Australia 8.6; 12. Luxembourg and Britain, 8.4; 14. Hong Kong, 8.3; 15. Austria 8.1; 16. Germany 7.8; 17. Ireland and Japan, 7.5; 19. France 7.3; 20. USA, 7.2; 21. Belgium 7.1; 22. Chile 7.0; 23. Barbados 6.9; 24. Saint Lucia, 6.8; 25. Spain and Uruguay, 6.7; 27. Slovenia 6.6; 28. Estonia and Portugal, 6.5; 30. Israel 6.1; 30. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6.1; 32. Qatar, 6.0; 33. Malta, 5.8; 34. Macao, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates, 5.7; 37. Dominica 5.6; 38. Botswana 5.4; 39. Cyprus and Hungary 5.3; 41. Czech Republic and Italy, 5.2; 43. Malaysia, South Africa, South Korea, 5.1; 46. Bahrain 5.0, Bhutan, Costa Rica 5.0; 49. Cape Verde, Slovakia 4.9; 51. Latvia, Lithuania, 4.8; 53. Jordan, Mauritius, Oman 4.7; 56. Greece 4.6; 57. Namibia, Samoa, Seychelles 4.5; 60. Kuwait, 4.3; 61. Cuba, Poland 4.2, Tunisia 4.2; 64. Bulgaria, Croatia, Turkey 4.1; 67. El Salvador 4.0; 68. Colombia 3.8; 69. Ghana and Romania 3.7; 71. Senegal 3.6;

72. Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Morocco, Peru 3.5, Suriname; 79. Georgia, Grenada, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Trinidad and Tobago 3.4; 84. Bosnia and Hercegovina, Gabon, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lesotho, Macedonia, Maldives, Montenegro, Swaziland, 3.3; 84. Thailand 3.3; 94. Madagascar, Panama, Sri Lanka, Tanzania; 98. Vanuatu 3.1; 99. Algeria, Armenia, Belize, Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Mongolia 3.0; 105. Albania, Argentina, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt 2.9; 111. Eritrea, Guatemala, Moldova, Mozambique, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Uganda, 2.8; 118. Benin, Malawi, Mali, Sao Tome and Principe, Ukraine 2.7; 123. Comoros, Guyana, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Niger, East Timor, Vietnam, Zambia 2.6;

131. Burundi, Honduras, Iran, Libya, Nepal, Philippines, Yemen 2.5; 138. Cameroon, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Syria 2.4; 143. Gambia, Indonesia, Russia, Togo 2.3; 147. Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria 2.2; 150. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Zimbabwe 2.1; 162. Bangladesh, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Papua New Guinea, Turkmenistan, Venezuela 2.0; 168. Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Laos 1.9; 172. Afghanistan, Chad, Sudan 1.8; 175. Tonga, Uzbekistan 1.7; 177. Haiti 1.6; 178. Iraq, 1.5; 179. Myanmar, Somalia 1.4

RP among most corrupt nations, says watchdog - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Doing Business 2008: Ghana and Kenya Set Pace of Reform on Continent, Mauritius Is Region's Easiest Place to Do Business

2007-09-27T11:19:00.001+01:00

Doing business has become easier in some parts of Africa, finds Doing Business 2008—the fifth in an annual series issued by the World Bank and IFC. In 2006/07, 24 African countries implemented 49 reforms. In the regional rankings on the pace of reform, however Africa fell from third place to fifth, overtaken by South Asia and by the Middle East and North Africa.

Ghana and Kenya both rank among the top 10 reformers worldwide this year, and made the most significant advance in the aggregate ease of doing business rankings amongst countries in Africa. Mauritius, with six reforms, tops the rankings in Africa on the ease of doing business and places 27th in the global rankings. Burkina Faso and Mozambique continue to become more business-friendly.

The top 10 reformers globally—including the two in Africa—are, in order, Egypt, Croatia, Ghana, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, China, and Bulgaria. Another 11 countries, including three in Africa, had three or more reforms: Armenia, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, the Czech Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mauritius, Mozambique, Portugal, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan. Reformers made it simpler to start a business, strengthened property rights, enhanced investor protections, increased access to credit, eased tax burdens, and expedited trade while reducing costs. Worldwide, 200 reforms—in 98 economies—were introduced between April 2006 and June 2007.

The report finds that higher rankings on the ease of doing business are associated with higher percentages of women among entrepreneurs and employees. "The benefits of regulatory reform are especially large for women," said Sylvia Solf, an author of the report. "Women often face regulations that may be designed to protect them but that instead force them into the informal sector. There women have little job security and few social benefits," she added.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where women need their husbands' consent to start a business, they run only 18 percent of small businesses. In neighboring Rwanda, which has no such regulations, women run more than 41 percent of small businesses.

Top reformers in Africa in 2007

Ghana, a top 10 reformer for the second year running, continues to increase the efficiency of its public services. It cut bottlenecks in property registration, reducing delays from six months to one. Greater efficiency at the company registry and the environment agency cut the time for business start-up to 42 days. Changes in the port authority's operations sped up imports. New civil procedure rules and mandatory arbitration and mediation reduced the time it takes to enforce contracts.

Kenya, the region's other top 10 reformer, launched an ambitious licensing reform program. So far the program has eliminated 110 business licenses and simplified eight others. The changes have streamlined business start-up and cut both the time and cost of getting building permits. The program will eventually eliminate or simplify at least 900 more of the country's 1,300 licenses. Property registration is also faster now, thanks to the introduction of competition among land valuers. And the country's private credit bureau now collects a wider range of data.

Mauritius, already the region's most business-friendly country, made it even easier to do business, in part by simplifying taxes. A three-year program is harmonizing the tax system and ultimately will create a single corporate tax rate with few tax credits or tax holidays. Other reforms reduced the property registration fee to 5 percent of the property value and simplified construction permitting. A central database now links the company registry with tax, social security, and local authorities—shortening business start-up to just one week. A new risk management system accelerated customs clearance for low-risk importers. And a new law will help creditors recover their debt faster in bankruptcy cases.

Burkina Faso introduced specialized commercial chambers in the general courts and lowered the cost of enforcing a judgment by cutting the related registration tax from 4 to 2 percent of the judgment amount. The cost of property registration was reduced to 12.2 percent of the property value. And a one-stop shop for company registration cut the time for business start-up to 18 days.

Mozambique replaced legislation dating from 1888 with a new commercial code that introduces stricter corporate governance rules and strengthens the rights of minority shareholders. The new commercial code also modernizes the business registration process, cutting provisional registration and making notaries optional. Start-up time for new firms fell by almost three months. Specialized judges for commercial cases should improve court efficiency.

Burundi abolished its property registration tax. Benin and Guinea-Bissau reduced their rates for such taxes.

The Democratic Republic of Congo launched specialized commercial courts. New court rules set strict deadlines, for example, eight days to appeal judgments.

Côte d'Ivoire, Lesotho, Seychelles, and Sierra Leone reduced the tax burden on companies by simplifying tax structures and lowering rates.

allAfrica.com: Africa: Doing Business 2008: Ghana and Kenya Set Pace of Reform on Continent, Mauritius Is Region's Easiest Place to Do Business (Page 1 of 2)

AUSTRIAN TRADE AND INVESTMENT MISSION TO VISIT GHANA

2007-09-26T13:38:00.001+01:00

The Austrian Federal Chamber of Commerce and industry has decided to send a trade and investment Mission to Ghana from 7th to 10th October, 2007.
This follows a briefing on trade and investment opportunities given to the Federal Chamber of Commerce in Vienna on 10th September, 2007, by His Excellency Mr. Kwabena Baah-Duodu, Ghana’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Austria and Permanent Representative to the UN Offices in Geneva and Vienna.
In his address, Ambassador Baah-Duodu took participants through some of the major political and economic policies the current administration had adopted since 2001, to usher Ghana into a “Golden Age of Business”. He explained that by virtue of Government’s prudent economic policies, which hinged on good governance and the rule of law, all the country’s major macro-economic indicators had been impressively positive, pointing to an optimistic outlook for attaining the targeted middle income status by 2015.
He enumerated several pro-business reform initiatives and programme interventions by the Government of His Excellency President Agyekum Kufuor which, according to him, had positively contributed to improve all the key indicators of pro-business activities such as simplifying and reducing the time and cost of business registration, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, registering properties and protecting investors. He mentioned some of the legislations by Government, which he said were aimed at providing conducive environment for private sector participation in the various sectors of the economy. Some of the legislations cited included the Ghana Investment Promotion Act 1994 (Act 478); the Petroleum Exploration and Production Law; the Minerals and Mining Act 1994 (Act 475); the Investment and Stock Exchange Act (Act 384) and the Free Zones Act 1995 (Act 504). He urged participants to seize the current favourable investment opportunities in the country to invest in the Ghanaian economy. He also expressed hope that the impending trade mission would further take the economic and technical cooperation between Ghana and Austria to new heights.
Some of the concerns raised by the participants and addressed during the discussion included Ghana’s macro-economic stability, regional commerce vis-à-vis the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Protocols, opportunities and challenges within the country’s healthcare and educational sectors, agro-processing and product packaging, property rights and ownership, among others.
Ambassador Baah-Duodu assured the participants that Government would not do anything which would negate Ghana’s macro-economic stability just for electioneering purposes.
Participants in the Forum included Austrian Entrepreneurs and heads of businesses, some of whom had registered to join the mission to Ghana. Also present were the Regional Director, Africa and Middle East of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Mr. Bruno G. Freytag; the Ghana Honorary Consul-General in Vienna, Mr. Hans Einhaus and other officials from the Austrian Federal Chamber of Commerce as well as the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs.
In his brief opening remarks earlier on, Mr. Freytag underscored the current economic achievements chalked by Ghana and urged participants to consider the country as one of the most favourable investment destinations in Africa. He encouraged participants who had not as yet registered to do so to make the mission successful.
Ambassador Kwabena Baah-Duodu was accompanied by Mr. Kofi Amenya, the Minister-Counsellor at the Trade Section of the Geneva Mission and Mr. Daniel Okaiteye-Blessyn, Counsellor at the Embassy in Berne.

Ghana Press Releases of Tuesday, 25 September 2007 - AUSTRIAN TRADE AND INVESTMENT MISSION TO VISIT GHANA

Rwanda 'most improved' in Africa

2007-09-26T13:25:00.001+01:00

Rwanda is recovering from a devastating genocide in 1994Rwanda is the most improved sub-Saharan nation according to a survey looking at performances over the past five years. The Ibrahim Index, financed by Sudanese mobile phone magnate Mo Ibrahim, names Mauritius as the best-governed and Somalia as the worst-governed state. Harvard University academics analysed the criteria used to rank countries. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is next month due to award over $5m to a former African head of state who is judged to have demonstrated exemplary leadership. The presidential prize is also aimed at encouraging best practice. They assembled data from various sources including the United Nations, the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, and thinktanks such as Freedom House. Countries are measured under categories like "Safety and Security" and "Human Development". When these categories are put together an overall ranking is reached. Launching the index, Mr Ibrahim said the aim was to provide an objective assessment of what life was like for ordinary men and women. "The aim is not to shame or to name anybody. It is really just a snapshot, a photographic shot of what the situation is on the ground, and that in itself is valuable, I think," he said. Ranking order Correspondents say some may be surprised by Rwanda's ranking - it came 18th on the list of 48 and had improved by 18 places over five years. Human rights organisations often portray Rwanda as a state in which the opposition is repressed and journalists harassed and intimidated. Two island nations top the list of the best governed, Mauritius (Number 1) and Seychelles (2). Both are stable, relatively wealthy tourist destinations which have little in common with mainland Africa except for the fact that they are members of the African Union. The BBC's Word Affairs correspondent Mark Doyle says the next batch of countries on the best-governed list are more typical of the bulk of African states. Botswana, at Number 3, is a stable democracy that earns its money from diamonds and agriculture. Cape Verde (4) is a former Portuguese colony which survives economically from remittances by expatriate Cape Verdeans - there are said to be more Cape Verdeans in Boston, Massachusetts, than there are on the islands themselves. South Africa (5), Ghana (8) and Senegal (9) are all vibrant democracies that are proud to have politically well-informed populations. Worst-governed, according to the list is Somalia, a country which has not had a functioning government since the overthrow of the dictator Siad Barre in 1991. Other countries scoring badly include Democratic Republic of Congo (47), Chad (46) and Mo Ibrahim's home state of Sudan (45). Remarkably, Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea are better ranked than Nigeria. Merits of prize A spokesman for the Mo Ibrahim foundation said there was no automatic link between the "best governed country" index and the "best former president". Mo Ibrahim has launched the index to combat corruption in Africa The $5m prize to be awarded on 22 October will be given to an ex-president as a personal retirement gift to be paid in annual tranches and a further sum of $200,000 per annum "may be granted" by the foundation for "good causes espoused by the winner". Our correspondent says one keen observer of the African scene said granting such a large sum of money to an individual was "scandalous" and that all of it should go to causes like ending poverty on the continent. Others said the prize had to be substantial to have any realistic prospect of actually encouraging good governance while in office - and that the $5m would spark a valuable debate in civil society about what it means to run a country well. Nelson Mandela, a towering political figure who would almost certainly have won the prize had he retired within the stipulated 2004-2006 time-frame, said: "This is an African initiative celebrating the successes of new African leadership. It sets an example that the rest of the world can emulate. We call for leaders across the world - in government, civil society and business - to endorse its aims and back its vision."

Ghana Customs Strengthen Ties

2007-09-25T11:18:00.000+01:00

THE recent workshop preceding the launching of the Abidjan-Lagos Transport and Transit Facilitation Programme in Accra, Ghana offered opportunity for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and its Ghanaian counterpart to strengthen long standing relationship and cooperation as regards implementation of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) policies and programmes as well as other international conventions on trade facilitation.
The cordial relationship between the two customs service has witnessed a boost under the current regimes of Jacob Gyang Buba, Comptroller of Nigeria Customs Service and Commissioner Emmanuel Doku of Ghana.
GA_googleFillSlot("AllAfrica_Story_Inset");
Doku, who too over from former Ghanaian Commissioner for Customs, Maj. Gen. Richardson Baiden has maintained and even improved on the relationship between the two customs.
At a dinner to mark the end of the workshop, the Ghanaian customs boss commended the relationship between Ghana and Nigeria's Customs, noting that it is worthy of emulation by other relevant government agencies.
Responding, NCS Comptroller-General, Gyang Buba, who corroborated Doku's position urged Ghanaian customs to ensure strict compliance to the provisions of the just signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on facilitation of transport and trade along the Abdjan-Lagos corridor, assuring Nigeria's full compliance.
According to the customs boss, this was necessary as Nigeria and Ghana are supposed to lead other countries as regards implementation of the agreement.

Ghana 07/8 cocoa crop seen around 620,000T

2007-09-25T11:17:00.000+01:00

Ghana's 2007/08 cocoa crop will likely total around 620,000 tonnes, the deputy head of the Cocobod regulator said on Monday in what he said was a cautious estimate, trimmed by problems with black pod disease.
"We are looking at around 600,000 tonnes for the (2007/08) main crop and then mid crop 20,000 tonnes. This year, the mid crop has been bad, so we are making a conservative forecast," deputy chief executive Charles Ntim told Reuters.

Africa's deadly floods

2007-09-24T12:06:00.001+01:00

Some 1.5m people across Africa have been affected and at least 250 killed by floods - the worst for several decades.

Tullow's African adventure pays off

2007-09-24T09:52:00.003+01:00

"Who is this bunch of Paddies?" laughs Tom Hickey, the chief financial officer of Tullow Oil, imagining the questions raised by the company's arrival this month in the FTSE 100.

The most successful independent oil and gas company on the London market is the answer, due to Tullow's achievements in finding oil in Africa. In the past two decades, Tullow has come a long way from its beginnings with a dry well outside a village in the middle of Ireland.

However, its debut in the index comes at a critical time. The next six months or so will determine how far that success is going to be extended. The example of Cairn Energy, the previous representative of the independent exploration and production sector in the FTSE 100, is a lesson on the risks inherent in the sector.

Tullow starts with something of an advantage, however, because its rise has been based on not one big discovery, such as its rival Cairn Energy, but on two, in Uganda and Ghana.

Due to the good judgment and good luck of Aidan Heavey, who founded Tullow Oil in 1985 and remains its chief executive, the company has built a powerful presence in Africa, which has been this decade's most exciting region for oil exploration.

After that first dry well in Ireland in 1986, Mr Heavey went next to Senegal, and began building a business. In 2004, that business took a big step forward with the $570m acquisition of South African-listed Energy Africa – a deal that brought some of the exploration rights that have yielded Tullow's most important discoveries.

Tullow is the only UK-listed exploration and production company to be a big name in Africa, Mr Hickey says. Its African business, run from Cape Town in South Africa, is active in 13 countries.

"We were there a long time before other companies decided it was the place to get into," Mr Hickey says.

Tullow had built relationships, too. "If an African partner or government is looking at doing a deal with an oil company, they will probably go with the person they know better."

One of the rewards has been in Uganda, where Tullow has been exploring the region around Lake Albert in the north-west of the country. It has drilled seven wells in succession – an unheard-of strike rate – and found an estimated 150m-200m barrels, with a potential for 1bn, or according to some, even more.

Because Uganda is land-locked, getting the oil out to export markets will not be easy as it will need a 1,300km pipeline through Kenya to the east coast, at a cost of $2bn. However, Tullow plans to bring in a bigger partner towards the end of the decade, to reduce its risk and "take some money off the table".

The other big discovery that has powered Tullow's shares higher, is offshore in Ghana, in about 1,400m of water. Tullow has a roughly 35 per cent share in an area that is believed to hold 480m barrels, but could have 1.3bn or more.

In Uganda, the Ngassa well, which is looking for an estimated 500m-plus barrels, will begin drilling next month, and is expected to take about 90 days.

In Ghana, three more appraisal wells are to be drilled by the end of this year or early next year, to give a sense of whether those higher estimates of the oil reserves are justified.

So by next March, Tullow's position could look very different, depending on the fortunes of those wells.

However, last week brought a reminder of what can go wrong. Tullow revealed that the Kudu-8 well in Namibia, seen as another exciting prospect earlier, had found gas but not in sufficient quantities to be commercially viable. Tullow is pressing ahead with a gas-to-power project, but for now further exploration is on hold. "We will go back and scratch our heads and consider what this means," Mr Hickey says.

That bad news had only a minimal impact on the share price. Failures in Uganda and Ghana would be more serious.

Like several of its rivals, it has used its cash flows from mature oil and gas fields in the North Sea to fund its exploration around the world, and its most recent results, were hammered by the slump in the UK gas price. Pre-tax profits fell 56 per cent to £66.6m.

Mr Hickey insists, however, that the squeeze on revenues will have no effect on its exploration programme, as it shifts its emphasis away from the UK.

This year the company will invest about £400m, up from £330m last year, and the proportion going into the UK is falling from 45 per cent last year to 30 per cent this year. Next year it will be even lower. "We are not turning the North Sea off, but we are turning it down," Mr Hickey says.

That shifting emphasis shows where Tullow's fortunes will be decided. For investors, today's revenues and profits, heavily reliant on the North Sea, are irrelevant. It is the oil in the ground in Africa that matters, and for that the results of the forthcoming wells are all-important.

Tullow may have achieved the respectability of the FTSE 100 but that does not mean it will not be an exciting ride.

Euro2day :: Tullow's African adventure pays off

Gas explosion in Ghana injures 130

2007-09-24T09:52:00.001+01:00

KUMASI, Ghana (AFP) — A gas explosion in Ghana's second-largest city Kumasi has wounded about 130 people, a hospital official said late Saturday.

"Initially 123 people were brought in and late in the night about seven more came," Stephen Opuni, head of the accident and emergency centre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, told AFP.

No deaths were reported from Friday's accident. Opuni feared the injury toll may be higher than 130.

"People were rushing anywhere where they could get medical attention," he said.

He said many of those who went to Komfo Anokye had been treated and discharged, while at least 10 remained in intensive care.

The incident occurred as a gas tanker was discharging liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at a filling station at the city's Asokwa suburb.

Witnesses said the blast shook buildings within an estimated 3-kilometre (1.9-mile) radius.

Kwame Ofori, a witness, told AFP that a tube connecting the fuel tanker to the receptacle at the gas station came off and the escaped LPG came into contact with a nearby electricity generator.

"Suddenly the generator caught fire and the entire place was in flames," he said.

Haruna Amadu, who works in an office nearby, was injured by the flames.

"I heard a sound like a balloon," he said. "I did not see what actually hit me."

A panel has been set up to investigate the explosion, but at least one official said it was clear what had gone wrong.

"It's a human error. The one doing the job did not adhere to safety standards," Frank Arthur of the National Petroleum Authority told AFP.

"They couldn't fix the hose properly and as they were discharging the gas it came off. The whole place was filled with gas ... and within 30 minutes the whole place was caught up in fire," he said.

AFP: Gas explosion in Ghana injures 130

Ghana To Host ASEA Confab

2007-09-23T09:21:00.001+01:00

The Ghana Stock Exchange will next month host the 11th African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) Conference aimed at charting a way forward for Africa�s capital market.

ASEA was formed in Kenya in 1993 to assist in the promotion and development of standards and professionalism among members. ASEA currently has 18 members.

It will also focus on issues affecting African capital markets, tap from the specific experiences of different emerging markets to assist in accelerating economic growth through greater and quality investments on the continent.

The conference slated for October 28 and 31 in Accra is under the theme; "African Capital Markets: The Next Investment Frontier.

Global fund managers, issuers, market operators and regulators will use the conference to explore ways of attracting the necessary investment to aid the rapid development of African markets.

President John Agyekum Kufuor is expected to address the opening session of the conference.

Briefing the media on the conference in Accra on Thursday, Mr Kofi Yamoah, Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, said the conference would provide a forum to further give impetus to the move to integrate the stock exchanges across the region.

In this connection a whole session is being devoted to discussions on how to implement integration of the exchanges on the continent and assess the status of efforts to integrate the markets from North Africa, South Africa, East Africa and West Africa.

Mr. Yamoah said managers of the stock exchanges will also use the opportunity to strategise in order to play a more useful role in the economic development of the various countries.

He said apart from operators in the market, special invitations will be extended to members of Parliament and key decision makers to enable them to appreciate the issues better in making decisions that advance the cause of the development of the countries.

Ms Abena Amoah, Council Member of the Ghana Stock Exchange, who launched the conference, described it as a landmark in the history of the country.

"Ghana of late has been in the news and this conference will further project her as the financial hub in the West African Sub-region,"

She said it was time Africa opened up its markets to attract investors, especially at a time there was renewed interest in the continent.

Ms Amoah said Africa�s capital markets were small and shallow and therefore lack the capacity to generate sufficient capital to finance long-term development.

KESSBENFM 93.3 : : Business News

The Great African Scandal

2007-09-23T09:19:00.001+01:00

Channel 4, Sunday 23rd September, 7pm

Robert Beckford discovers how the activities of international companies
and western-run institutions like the International Monetary Fund and
World Bank undermine Africa's development and keep it poor.
His journey takes him the length of Ghana in this its 50th year of
independence. Ghana was the first African nation to free itself from its
colonial masters. But in reality, just how independent is it?

Prosecution cross-examines British teens in Ghana drug trial

2007-09-22T17:56:00.003+01:00

Prosecutors have begun cross-examining two British teenage girls charged with trying to smuggle cocaine out of Ghana in laptop bags, British officials in the West African country said Wednesday.

"One girl was cross examined yesterday and today the other girl also took her turn," said Gary Nicholls, a spokesman for the British High Commission in Ghana's capital, Accra. He said the court, which typically sits once a week, adjourned until Sept. 26.

He declined to give details of the prosecution's line of questioning. The courtroom is closed to the public.

The 16-year-old students from London are accused of trying to smuggle nearly 6 kilograms (about 13 pounds) of cocaine home to Europe in computer cases. They were arrested in July at the Accra airport and charged with drug possession and trafficking.

West Africa is increasingly becoming a transit point for drugs headed to Europe. Cocaine, mostly from Colombia, is brought on small planes and dropped on islands off the little-policed Atlantic Ocean coast, then distributed to couriers who carry it into Europe.

British and Ghanaian officials began collaborating last year after the number of drug-related arrests at London airports linked to West African flights surged.

Prosecution cross-examines British teens in Ghana drug trial - International Herald Tribune

Mobile Phones, Source of Most Road Accidents

2007-09-22T17:56:00.001+01:00

The Minister of State for Transportation, Hon. Godfrey Bayon Tangu (MP) has encouraged all drivers to obtain further education to enhance their driving skills and reduce road accidents and fatalities.

Hon. Bayon Tangu was speaking at the official launch of the Course Certificate for Drivers at the International Press Centre in Accra recently.

The Minister said, "The introduction of the new Certificate of Competence by the National Association of Driving Schools will definitely set up high standards of driver education". "Road Safety is everybody's responsibility, but drivers if trained properly can contribute more positively to the reduction of road traffic accidents and other related consequences", he stated.

The Government is hopeful that the introduction of the Certificate would help reduce the road traffic fatality rate of 22 deaths per 1000 vehicles in 2006 to a single digit by 2015.

Ghana's road fatalities exceeded 1,800 people in 2006. "The loss of lives on our roads cost the nation about 1.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This translates into a sum of over a whole year's revenue for the Ghana Road Fund which is about US $110 million", he said.

The Minister has reported speeding, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, poor vehicle maintenance, overloading and more recently driving while using a mobile phone as major causes of this large fatality rate.

Improved roads also encouraged dangerous levels of speeding.

Despite these poor statistics, the Minister was encouraged by the determined efforts of Ghanaians to reduce this high rate of accidents.

A new Bill that has been placed before Parliament (Act 683) would also add a legal dimension and enable drivers and pedestrians to be disciplined for road offences.

The Course Certificate has gained support from the International Road Safety Partnership. Mr Michael Winnet, a Senior Advisor with the group, who also spoke at the launch, encouraged all Ghanaians to take Road Safety seriously. "The more training we can give to people the better," he said.

Mr. David Osafo Adonteng, Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the National Road Safety Commission also said Road Safety was increasingly becoming a concern to Governments all over the world. Over a million people die every year and about ten times that number get seriously injured through road traffic accidents.

"Based on World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, the cost of road traffic accidents to countries range between 1% and 3% of their respective Gross Domestic Products (GDPs), and this poses a big challenge to the economies, particularly those in the developing counties including Ghana", he stated.

He said the improvement of the roads had undoubtedly contributed to the progressive growth in the nation's economy, however, it had also resulted in many road and vehicle related accidents.

He emphasized that the behavioral attitude of drivers should change.

Mr Adonteng then urged the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to use its expertise and resources to build a safe driving culture in Ghana, from nurturing a safe attitude from the learner level, pre-test preparation, post-test support and upgrading training/advice/guidance for all vehicle owners and drivers.

Mr Cecil Garbah addressed the gathering as President of Exposition of Certificate by GhanaDrive. He noted that the introduction of the new certificate would establish high standards of driver education and raise awareness of Road Safety.

Mr. Garbah also appealed for the closure of unregistered driving schools. The President of GhanaDrive concluded by calling for words to be put into action. "The ability to produce something to benefit society is what matters and not talking too much", he said.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Mobile Phones, Source of Most Road Accidents (Page 1 of 1)

African floods prompt aid appeal

2007-09-21T15:12:00.001+01:00

Aid agencies have started appealing for funds to assist people hit by the floods in several African countries.

United Nations agencies are seeking extra funds for Uganda, where the government has declared an emergency.

The British Red Cross has launched an emergency appeal for flood-affected areas across Africa.

The UN says 1.5 million people are affected by the floods which have hit a swathe of countries from the east to the west of the continent.

The British Red Cross will work alongside the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to "provide urgently needed relief, including shelter and water purification tablets, to those affected by the crisis," a statement from the organisation said.

YOUR EXPERIENCES

Our children cannot go to school as their classrooms have been turned into homes and camps for the displaced

John Tanko Bawa, Ghana

The World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a $60m appeal for food aid to Uganda alone.

The floods are said to be the worst in many countries for decades, with 250 killed and more than 600,000 displaced.

One area particularly badly affected is northern Ghana, where the White Volta River burst its banks following days of torrential rain and large areas of farmland were flooded.

The Ghanaian Navy is helping to get emergency supplies to villages cut off by the floods, but access is slowly improving as flood waters recede, BBC West Africa correspondent Will Ross reports.

There will however be a long-term need for food aid in many parts of northern Ghana, as the annual maize crop has been destroyed just before farmers were about to harvest, our correspondent says.

Floodgates dispute

The Ghanaian government and humanitarian agencies have just ended a visit to the worst-hit areas.

In some parts of Uganda, access to villages is very difficult

But some villages remain cut off, only accessible by canoe - and all this just weeks after the same subsistence farmers were suffering from drought.

Officials in neighbouring Burkina Faso have denied accusations that they aggravated the flooding in Ghana by opening floodgates on a dam that lies upstream from the countries' common border.

Burkina Faso itself is also badly affected. Displaced people are sheltering in schools while waiting for the government to build makeshift shelters, the BBC's Pierre Kazoni reports.

In Uganda, the first priority is getting food to people whose crops have been destroyed by the flooding, the BBC's Sarah Grainger in Kampala says.

Already, the UN has diverted one helicopter from neighbouring Sudan's Darfur region and the WFP is requesting that two more be made available for the relief effort.

People who have lost their homes to the floods also need tarpaulins and tents and aid agencies are stressing that medical supplies will be important as the threat of water-borne diseases like cholera increases, she says.

BBC NEWS | Africa | African floods prompt aid appeal

Ghana Leads In Oil Production

2007-09-21T09:55:00.003+01:00

GHANA is destined to lead the world in oil production, an Evangelist has revealed. Evangelist Francis Owusu walked into the offices of DAILY GUIDE in Accra, beaming with smiles to break “the divine message from God”.
“Ghana is destined to flourish in the oil business but Ghanaians would have to pray and break away from iniquity,” he noted.
Evangelist Owusu said following an appeal by Hon Paa Kwesi Nduom- a former Energy Minister- to the congregation of Jesus Connection Prayer Ministry four years ago, for God’s intervention to solve the country’s energy problems, God revealed to him that oil would be discovered in very large quantities, which he made public.
“I am not taking credit for the discovery since no man can share God’s glory with Him,” he said and prophesied: “Ghana’s oil is going to be the best oil ever found anywhere in the world.”
Evangelist Owusu further revealed that the coastal belt of the country had an oil river flowing day and night and that Ghanaians should not be surprised when more discoveries were announced soon.
Touching on Ghana’s railway project, Evangelist Owusu revealed that it had been arrested in the spiritual realm and said unless Ghanaians prayed for God’s intervention any money pumped into it would go waste.
He announced that the woes of the country emanated from “Father Christmas Pastors” who incurred the wrath of God through their false and satanic messages.
Asked to comment on next year’s general elections, the evangelist disclosed, “It is going to be peaceful, but full of unpleasant surprises.”
Explaining further, he said, “The Davids are going to surprise the Goliaths.”
Concluding, Evangelist Owusu cautioned politicians to guard against inflammatory utterances since that was the only way to ensure national peace and cohesion.

Ghana Business & Finance of Thursday, 20 September 2007 - Ghana Leads In Oil Production

Poultry Sector to Be Hardest Hit By EPAs, Stakeholders Kick Against It

2007-09-21T09:55:00.001+01:00

Kwaku Segbefia runs up and down a busy road in the center of the Ghanaian capital Accra. The 32-year-old is trying to sell fowls and eggs to commuters in the scotchy sun. Drivers zoom past him but few stop to buy fowls or eggs.

"For the whole day I have not managed to sell enough to pay my rent" Kwaku complained stopping the middle of the conversation to attend to a buyer. He still has three cages full of birds standing by the roadside.

The reason for this situation is not hard to find. He said supermarkets in Ghana most restaurants are swelling with imported frozen chicken from Europe.

"People don't want to buy local chicken because the imported ones are much cheaper," he lamented.

Poultry farmers cannot recover their investments due to non-patronage of their products.

Kwaku Segbefia is not the only one suffering from this situation but all poultry farmers in the country.

For the last few years, the Ghanaian market has been flooded with cheap imported chicken from the European Union and the United States. These are usually fatty chicken parts that come in packages without labels. Nonetheless, demand for local poultry has collapsed, threatening the livelihoods of over 1,000 poultry farmers in both small and large-scale poultry farming in Ghana. In 2002 alone, more than 26,000 tonnes (one tonne is roughly the same measurement as a US ton) of chicken was imported into the country, mostly from the European Union where farmers receive generous subsidies for their products. In 2004, that figure was estimated to be as high as 40,000 tonnes.

Ghana imports almost one third of the EU frozen chicken that goes to Africa. Cameroon, Togo, Senegal and South Africa are among the other nations receiving imported frozen chickens and chicken parts.

Ghana's position was further made hopeless when the poultry industry lost the battle with government not to reduce tariff on imported poultry. The tax on imported poultry was reduced from 40% to 20% whilst that on rice also came down from 25% to 20%.

This was seen by most farmers (poultry and rice) as a reversal of the government's plan and pledge in 2003 to increase tariffs on imported poultry products and rice to boost their production in the country. The European Union, the source of most of the imported chicken provides 43 billion euros to its farmers annually.

The President of Ghana National Poultry Farmers' Association (GNPF), Mr. Kenneth Quartey said the decision to pass the law is a symptom of weak leadership in the President and parliament as well as bowing to external pressures.

The current situation of the poultry industry would be compounded when the EPAs takes effect in 2008 in its current state with the removal of tariffs across board.

As the deadline for the signing of the EPAs gets closer in December 31, 2007 various schools of thought have come up with adverse effects the economy of Ghana will face if the agreements are signed in its current state. The total opening of borders, which it is all about on both sides, under this agreement, can only lead to a paralysis of productive sectors in the countries of the South such as Ghana, with the invasion of European goods and services. Especially in the agricultural field where Ghanaian producers would face up to largely subsidised products.

On the other hand, it is not obvious that the removal of tariff barriers in Europe means free access of ACP exports to this market. Several limitations can exist which are related to quality standards or to phytosanitary measures.

The poultry sub-sector might be in danger of collapse.

Already, big and small poultry farms in Ghana including Drako Farms, Afariwa Farms among others have cut down output and staff considerably because they can not compete with the cheap imports from EU and USA.

Similarly, by removing tariff barriers, African countries would be reduced to putting a cross on their main source of internal financial revenues.

Mr. Bernard Mornah, National Youth Organizer of People's National Convention (PNC), a political party said EU poultry product will flood Ghana's market as the EU subsidizes her farmers whilst Ghana does not.

"What this means is that poultry produced in Ghana is likely to be three times more expensive than imported frozen chicken".

He said the poultry industry in Ghana has some serious challenges, because the price of imported frozen chicken is far cheaper than locally produced chicken and the Ghanaian farmer is at a disadvantage.

According Mr. Ofei Nkansah of Ghana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) who is a a member of the Third World Network (TWN) said it is generally admitted that if the EU liberalises its trade by 100%, ACP countries and especially Ghana would liberalise by 80%, which would restrict to 20% the protection margin for local products in the face of the competition of European goods and services.

He said the removal of import customs barriers for European products would in fact put in direct competition the products often highly subsidised of one of the economically most advanced regions with those of the producers of some of the poorest countries in the world. He said this could accelerate the collapse of the poultry industry in Ghana and in West Africa as well.

Mr. John Dziwornu, the president of the Ghana National Framers and Fishermen Association told this reporter that the poultry industry would be heading for collapse if the 100% - 80% liberalisation takes place. "Farmers in the country can not compete with products from EU and the USA especially with the huge subsidies for their farmers," he stressed.

He advised the government to approach the EPAs with caution. He said currently the cost of getting farming inputs, drugs and even day old chicks are expensive and imported. He called for government's support for the poultry industry and agriculture in general.

The Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana headed by Mr. Ken Quartey has also complained that competition would be unfair with the EPAs especially with the free markets.

Tetteh Hormeku of Third World Network-Africa (TWN-Af) proposed that African countries adopt the General System of Preference plus (GSP+) which will enable them to have access to EU market at levels similar to what they enjoy today, and this can even be improved. "The EU claim that only the EPAs can guarantee this continued access is totally false", said Tetteh Hormeku.

He said local poultry farmers are suffering because of the influx of poultry products from developed countries and this would be compounded with the coming of the EPAs. Meanwhile, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on Tuesday September 11, 2007 urged ACP governments to join a final burst of negotiations to successfully complete Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations by the end of 2007.

He warned that there would be no legal basis for the extension of existing preferential trade terms between the EU and the 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries if the two sides do not initial new Economic Partnership Agreements before the end of 2007. In the absence of such agreements, Mandelson said, the EU and the ACP would have no legal alternative but to switch to the EU Generalised System of Preferences which would mean less-generous tariff preferences for many ACP countries.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Poultry Sector to Be Hardest Hit By EPAs, Stakeholders Kick Against It (Page 1 of 2)

Mining has not benefitted Africa

2007-09-20T09:09:00.003+01:00

Africa Initiative on Mining, Environment and Society (AIMES) have observed that although foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa's extractive sector has significantly increased over the last few decades especially with the new entrants such as China, India, as well as the US involvement in the oil extraction in Gulf of Guinea, this have not led to improvement in poverty reduction, environment protection, and respect for human rights in Africa.

AIMES in a meeting in Freetown said they have rather increased deprivation of the people and governments of Africa to the benefits of mining. Key among these negative consequences are increased incidence of poverty, scarcity of environmental and livelihood resources, conflicts, gender disempowerment, violence and insecurity.

The meeting which was held in July acknowledged that bad governance, inadequate policy framework, corporate lobby, pressure from IMF/WB and corruption are some of the reasons for the increased cost and reduced benefits from the mining sector.

The communiqué which was signed by members said mineral policies and laws have legalized mineral resource capture and capital flight by making provisions for high off-shore retention of profits, low royalty tax; inadequate compensation; minimum state equity participation, numerous holidays for corporate and income tax; and duty free importation of mining equipments.

“Bad governance also expresses itself in the lack of predictable and participatory decision making processes in the mining sector at all levels”. It also expresses itself in inadequate level of transparency and accountability in the mining sector and access to information to make informed decisions”. In addition, the communiqué stated that governance institutions are weak and poorly-equipped to regulate the mining sector, which has resulted in inadequate regulation of the sector.

The meeting also observed that community marginalization in mining issues has exacerbated the abuse of communities and deprived them of the benefits of mining. Increased mining activity has led to a corresponding decline in the quality of life for people living in mining areas.

Most mining communities lack the capacity to deal with the mining issues that affect their livelihoods and hence are paralyzed to take any actions to advocate and demand for their rights. These problems are reinforced by the attitude, behavior and practices of transnational mining corporations that are implementing new tactics to increase their profits through corporate lobbying in order to influence national policy choices for the extractive sector.

The policy prescriptions for the extractive sector are pitching mineral endowed African countries in a competition for a race-to-the-bottom. Indeed, neo-liberal regional and international frameworks, like Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) will consolidate the neo-liberal framework which mining companies are operating under, and fragment African economies by demanding services liberalization.

These agreements open the extractive sector for the benefit of transnational corporations at the expense of national economies, workers, local industries and local communities.

Again, participants observed with concern that pressure and policy prescriptions by the International Financial Institutions(IFIs) more especially International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG), European Investment Bank(EIB), African Development Bank(AfDB) and others, are inconsistent with the development needs and priorities of African countries and peoples.

The communiqué was endorsed by members of the Africa Initiative on Mining, Environment and Society (AIMES) from Burkina Faso, Congo DR, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe in collaboration with our partners from USA. Lindlyn Tamufor and Abdulai Darmani endorsed it for Ghana.

Ghanaian Chronicle - Online : The current time is 8:06:24 AM on 9/20/2007

More African flooding feared

2007-09-20T09:09:00.001+01:00

NAIROBI, Kenya - Downpours that have killed dozens in Africa, uprooted hundreds of thousands and devastated crops could continue past the end of the rainy season and hit areas that have so far escaped floods.

"Our estimates show the floods are likely to worsen or remain at the same level up to October or early November," said U.N. World Food Program official Tasema Negash.

Experts say the rising waters may hit as yet unaffected areas in the coming days, such as Uganda's central regions.

"We are calling on the international community to come to their rescue before it is too late," said Musa Ecweru, minister for disaster preparedness in Uganda, where 300,000 people have already been affected and at least nine killed.

Scores have died in more than a dozen countries often ravaged by droughts, but now inundated by torrential downpours destroying settlements and sweeping away crops and livestock — cornerstones of Africa's developing economies.

At least 90 dead so far
Across the continent, uprooted communities shelter in abandoned schools, churches and under plastic sheeting.

Schoolboys carrying books above their heads wade through flooded fields, while villagers stand on the muddy wreckage of homes searching for missing family.

Across east Africa, more than 90 people have now died from floods and the waterborne diseases that have followed — at least 63 in Ethiopia alone.

In west Africa, the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA says floods have affected half a million people. The International Federation of the Red Cross says 87 people have been killed in the past two months, mostly in Nigeria.

But those figures are rough estimates as hailstorms, mudslides and collapsed bridges wreak havoc with relief efforts.

In Kenya, 20,000 people driven from their homes in the largely agricultural southwest left behind a wilderness of wasted crops and drowned livestock.

"These people affected depend their lives on agriculture ... the floods will have a huge economical impact in Kenya," said Elena Velilla, Medecins Sans Frontieres' head of mission.

Nations already facing difficulties
The U.N. World Food Program says it needs $29 million in Uganda to fight the crisis in a country already burdened by thousands of refugees from neighboring Congo and more than a million people living in war displacement camps in the north.

With camps for the displaced fast swelling in countries across the center of the world's poorest continent, experts say the threat of disease is mounting quickly.

"We need medicines because we expect outbreaks of diarrhea and cholera," Ben Brown, regional co-coordinator of Ghana's National Disaster Management Organization, told Reuters.

Northern Ghana has been particularly badly hit, and the authorities there have appealed for international help to feed, clothe and house tens of thousands uprooted by rising waters that have killed at least 18.

More African flooding feared - Weather - MSNBC.com

Country Loses ¢34 Billion, Jobs to Music Piracy

2007-09-19T10:47:00.001+01:00

Piracy of recorded music costs Ghana, sound and video recording industries billions of cedis in lost revenue and profits. These losses, however, represent only a fraction of the impact of recorded music piracy on the Ghanaian economy as a whole. Combining the latest data on nationwide piracy of recorded music and study done by Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) have reveal that piracy costs Ghanaian workers significant losses in jobs and earnings, and government, substantial lost tax revenue.

Piracy in the Ghanaian music industry was costing the nation above ¢20.2 billion (GH¢2.02million) in early 2006. Come 2007, the rate at which piracy is costing the nation has risen by a whooping 68% to ¢34 billion (GH¢3.4 million).

Ghana's recording industry is currently worth over ¢62 billion (GH¢6.2 million).

Alhaji Sidiku Buari, President of MUSIGA told the Business Chronicle that most of these pirated recorded music in the form of CDs and DVDs of Ghanaian music are alleged to have been manufactured in China, Hong Kong, Togo and Ghana as well as other places and smuggled into the country.

"If piracy is not checked, we would continue to lose billions of cedis through tax evasion, royalties to the MUSIGA and unemployment," he stated.

He said one of the reasons why this is happening is the lack of a Legislative Instrument to support the Copy Right Law passed in 2005.

"Ghana currently has a copyright law passed by parliament in 2005 and the President assented to it But it is not being implemented because there is no Legislative Instrument (LI) to show the modalities through which the law can be implemented," he lamented.

He said it was only through the LI that we would know what to do, but we have not heard anything," he added.

The term 'piracy' is generally used to describe the deliberate infringement of copyright on a commercial scale.

In relation to the music industry, it refers to unauthorized copying and, in this context, falls into 3 categories:

Simple piracy - The unauthorized duplication of an original recording for commercial gain without the consent of the rights owner. The packaging of pirate copies is different from the original. Pirate copies are often compilations, such as the "greatest hits" of a specific artist, or a collection of a specific genre, such as dance tracks.

Counterfeits - Products copied and packaged to resemble the original as closely as possible. The original producer's trademarks and logos are reproduced in order to mislead the consumer into believing that they are buying an original product.

Bootlegs - These are the unauthorized recordings of live or broadcast performances. They are duplicated and sold - often at a premium price - without the permission of the artist, composer or record company.

Piracy is the greatest threat facing the music industry today. The international recording industry is responding proactively and aggressively to this US$4.3 billion worldwide problem. The economic losses due to piracy are enormous and are felt throughout the music value chain.

Ghana's domestic music piracy level is between 10 to 25%, whiles Nigeria's and Kenya's is over 50%.

In the USA, a report released by Institute of Policy Innovation (IPI) on August 21, 2007 indicates that rampant global piracy of recorded music has cost the U.S. $12.5 billion in economic output and 71,060 jobs annually.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Country Loses ¢34 Billion, Jobs to Music Piracy (Page 1 of 1)

Ghana Hardest Hit in West Africa Floods, 350,000 People Affected

2007-09-19T10:46:00.001+01:00

In West Africa, some 17 countries have been affected by flooding and right now it appears Ghana has been hardest hit. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says at least 30 people have died in northeastern Ghana. Most of the deaths are attributed to drowning, watery diarrhea or the collapse of mud houses.

Niels Scott is the operations coordinator for Africa for the federation. From Geneva, he spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about the flood situation.

“Ghana is one of the worst hit of the countries, if not the most vulnerable to this recent continuation of flooding that we’ve had all year. About 350,000 people are affected, which is not much less than the severe floods we had in Sudan two months ago. 110,000 hectares of farmland have been washed away. The crops on top of the farmland have been washed away. People’s grain stocks have been destroyed. There’s a very strong risk of communicable disease breaking out. There are a number of aspects of this flooding which make us think that we need to work very hard to make sure there’s not a larger humanitarian catastrophe ahead,” he says.

Scott describes the health problems triggered by the floods. “At the moment, we’re looking at increasing cases of cholera and watery diarrhea. In Ghana, we’ve got an additional problem. There’s a large influx of black flies, which cause river blindness. In any kind of flooding situation where you’ve got open wells you’ll have contamination of the water, which will cause any number of gastric problems. So those are some of the things. But ahead of that, when the lean season starts and people run out of food because the crops have been destroyed, we’ll have a whole new vulnerability being created by lack of access to food,” he says.

The federation says, “Hundreds of Ghana Red Cross volunteers and staff have been mobilized over the past weeks in all affected communities. They are providing first aid, helping evacuate people to high ground, and assisting them in salvaging whatever belongings they can. They are also distributing relief items.”

Scott says, “We’re hoping to get out some chlorine tabs and other forms of rendering safe drinking water to the people. Some mosquito nets when they’re out in the open to protect them against the malaria bearing mosquitoes, which are starting to breed in the stagnant water. We’re helping them with a bit of shelter, equipment.”

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched a preliminary appeal of $1.2 million to support relief operations in Ghana.

VOA News - Ghana Hardest Hit in West Africa Floods, 350,000 People Affected

The poor is getting poorer in Ghana

2007-09-18T10:48:00.001+01:00

An ISSER report on the state of the Ghanaian economy for 2006 has revealed that whilst poverty levels reduced generally, the gap between the rich and the poor has rather deepened.

The report also showed that whilst budgetary allocation to local governments was not enough, the disbursed fund out of the allocation was less than one percent.

Presenting the report in Accra, the Director of ISSER (Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research) Professor Ernest Aryeetey said the economy in 2006 grew by 6.2% as against 5.7 in the previous year. The growth according him was recorded from only the manufacturing and industrial sectors of the economy.

The report which focused on a broad aggregate of the economy’s performance stated that Ghana remains a small economy whose policy direction is determined by external factors.

Whilst acknowledging the importance of China’s emergence in the economy in the area of market for commodities, Professor Aryeetey says it also presents risks and called for a clear-cut policy on relations with external economies.

The report painted a gloomy picture of the period under review as the largest ever deficit was recorded in 2006. The record 40% deficit was attributed to a rapid rise in public expenditure as a result of labour agitation for higher pay.

Professor Aryeetey observed that the stable 10.5% inflation and about 24% interest rate levels have made the country an investment destination, adding that the private sector does not worry as the economy remains unpredictable.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nii Boi Tagoe who chaired the function said there is no doubt that the energy crisis has had some effects on the business community.

Professor Tagoe said the report as presented by ISSER brings to light the need for policy changes.

African Path

GPHA`s important niche in Ghana`s economy

2007-09-17T08:27:00.001+01:00

The Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Mr Ben Owusu-Mensah has said without effective and efficient ports, Ghana’s economy cannot be developed.

This he said had prompted the GPHA to put together a number of measures at the Tema Harbour to facilitate activities there for the good of the economy.

Addressing the media at a soiree at Tema last weekend, Mr. Owusu-Mensah said the port had honoured a greater part of its duties in the Gateway Project, which aims at making Ghana the gateway to West Africa. He said due to the current structures in place, the cost of doing business has been reduced and there is also easy facilitation of trade.

He said the port at Tema has had is share of difficulties in handling goods because it was initially opened in 1962 for general cargo and not for the containers it is handling now.

He said the Authority has done a lot of work to market Tema Harbour which he said has attracted neighbouring countries like Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso for their import and export services.

Mr. Owusu-Menah said the computerization of the ports by the GCNET system and the installation of CCTVs has beefed up security at Ghana’s ports and “security wise, Tema port is the best for doing business in the sub-region”.

He said GPHA in 2006 was able to achieve its objective for 2010, which has prompted the extension of the container terminal to contain more and bigger vessels to reduce queuing at the port.

On the Boankra Inland Port to facilitate trade in the northern part of the country and other landlocked countries, Mr. Owusu-Menah said it had not yet commenced business due to the lack of a railway system. “We can only achieve our aim when the railway line is in placed, otherwise goods could be diverted somewhere else without anybody knowing”.

Other ongoing projects at the Tema Harbour, he said, included a fruit terminal, export container scanning, export shed, additional reefer points and construction of access roads in the environs of the port.

He announced that a new marine block with automatic ship identification system would soon be commissioned to check piracy and other high seas crimes that go on in the territorial waters of Ghana.

Accra Daily Mail - Online

UN SENDS DISASTER ASSESSMENT TEAM TO GHANA TO RESPOND TO FLOODING

2007-09-17T07:23:00.001+01:00

The United Nations has deployed a six-member disaster assessment and coordination (UNDAC) team to north-eastern Ghana, which has been hit hardest by the floods that have followed a week of torrential rains across West Africa late last month.
Thousands of homes in Ghana's Upper East Region were destroyed after the rains struck, several major bridges have collapsed and large areas of cropland have been destroyed, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported today.
More than 260,000 Ghanaians have been affected, according to Government figures, and the UNDAC team is expected to meet the country's own disaster officials today to coordinate the response.
Already the Government and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have begun distributing aid, including food, within the Upper East Region, and helping people displaced by the floods. A particular concern is the potential for an outbreak of waterborne diseases.
Torrential rains struck at least 11 countries in West Africa in the last week of August, OCHA reported, and in total over 500,000 people have been affected. The other countries involved are Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

UN SENDS DISASTER ASSESSMENT TEAM TO GHANA TO RESPOND TO FLOODING :: Harold Doan and Associates Ltd. :: News when you need it.

Cairn’s Indian oil is flowing like treacle

2007-09-16T10:31:00.001+01:00

OIL exploration and production is an unpredictable business fraught with risks. Getting the black stuff out of the ground is one challenge; piping it to market is another.

Four years ago, Cairn Energy struck it rich, discovering a huge gusher in India’s Rajasthan. The shares rocketed 50% in a day and the Edinburgh group was later propelled into the FTSE 100. Further finds and a near-doubling of production forecasts kept up the momentum until the middle of 2005.

Since then, the going has been tough. The company has been plagued by production delays and the complicated, though politically wise, move of listing Cairn India, which it still controls with a 69.5% stake.

Last week, Cairn India appeared finally to gain Indian government approval to build a pipeline from the oilfields to the coast. It looked like a breakthrough moment. The shares jumped 4% on the day and edged up 2.99% over the week to close at £18.62. The most bullish analysts were even joyously predicting the shares could leap more than 50% to about £29, partly because of the Indian “milestone” and hopes that Cairn will deliver on some other high-impact exploration interests.

Cairn’s management, led by Sir Bill Gammell, sound confident and insist their target of starting production in India in 2009 is on track despite recent slips in the timetable.

Sadly, this all looks a bit too rosy. The states of Rajasthan and Gujarat have to grind through the process of giving Cairn rights to use the land for the pipeline. Who knows how bureaucratic this will be, though the optimists argue that, with new licences up for grabs soon, the Indian authorities will not want to be seen as being tough on foreign oil companies.

Then there is the $780m (£387m) cost of the pipeline. True, Cairn India has $600m cash from its float and an $850m revolving credit facility, but it still needs to strike a deal with the Indian government over how it can recover costs before the capital spending kicks off. As each week passes, so the nervousness increases.

Cairn does have other interests. Its Capricorn business moved into the Mediterranean, buying Plectrum Petroleum and MedOil this month. It is also bidding for exploration blocks in Greenland and has assets in Bangladesh and Nepal. But these are dwarfed by the Indian business.

Look at the bigger picture and it is notable that the shares have gone nowhere over the past two years and are down 4.9% in the past 12 months. The shares may look cheap on a 15% discount to the sector, but with the uncertainty it is hard to see much upside soon.

If you want exploration excitement, Tullow, which has just hit the jackpot in Ghana, has a more balanced portfolio.

Royal & Sun Alliance

CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, dynamic financial modelling and “probability of ruin” calculations would provoke a big yawn from most people. But the devil is in the detail. Last week the insurer Royal & Sun Alliance (RSA) walked analysts through an exhaustive 68-page presentation of its capital position.

It is easy to see why. Since RSA raised £300m in May to buy out minority shareholders at its Scandinavian subsidiary, Codan, fears about pressure on the group’s finances have held back the shares.

In fact, RSA is looking pretty robust. Two ratings agencies have recently upgraded it and Standard & Poor’s is likely to follow suit. Strip away the jargon and this could allow the insurer to step up organic growth and expand further in insuring commercial property.

Like its rivals, RSA was hit by claims from the recent floods – slicing some £120m from profits – but other factors are going in its favour. Motor and household premiums are rising across the industry and the group has recently beaten forecasts for new business. Costs are being cut, with 700 jobs going as part of plans to save £70m. Chief executive Andy Haste has added real drive to the business over the past four years. Yet the shares, 139p, trading at well below those of European rivals, look cheap.

Disease alert in flood-hit Africa

2007-09-16T10:29:00.001+01:00

Severe flooding across Africa has wrecked hundreds of thousands of homes and left many people vulnerable to water-borne diseases, officials say.

Scores of people have died and much of the continent's most fertile farmland has been washed away in what is being described as a humanitarian disaster.

The UN said more rain was expected and warned that the need for food, shelter and medicine was urgent.

Some 17 countries have been affected in West, Central and East Africa.

UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said: "The rains are set to continue and we are really concerned because a lot of people are homeless and infectious diseases could emerge.

"Some of the poorest countries, like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger - the poorest nation in the world - are badly affected."

The UN said the floods could lead to locust infestations and outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

Villages submerged

Countries in East Africa regularly flood at this time of year, but West African nations are much less able to deal with the deluge, the World Food Programme says.

"In Kenya or Ethiopia, these countries are facing floods every year and year after year, they have set up some contingency plans," the WFP's Pierre Lucas told the BBC.

"In West Africa, the level of awareness is not the same, and the response capacity [is] really different."

Ghana has been hit badly by the flooding, with three northern regions being declared an official disaster zone after whole towns and villages were submerged.

Information Minister Oboshie-Sai Cofie said: "It is a humanitarian disaster. People have nowhere to go. Some of them are just hanging out there waiting for help to come."

She said the Ghanaian government had received considerable aid and hoped the situation would improve.

French military helicopters were helping relief efforts in nearby Ivory Coast, while officials in Togo were dealing with more than 60,000 displace people and a wrecked infrastructure.

Houses collapse

In East Africa, the brunt of the torrential rain was felt in Uganda, Ethiopia and Sudan.

The UN relief co-ordinator in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, John Clarke, told the BBC more than 250,000 had been left homeless there.

In Uganda, where similar numbers have been affected, some villages have been completely cut off by the floods.

Joseph Amongin, a local chief in Magoro town which has been surrounded by flood water, said houses were collapsing and roads were impassable.

The BBC's Sarah Grainger, in Magoro, says people were using dug-out canoes to move around and many of the 7,000 inhabitants have lost their crops.

Musa Ecweru, the country's disaster preparedness minister, said the situation was "getting worse by the hour".

"Access to some communities is almost impossible. We will need boats and helicopters to deliver emergency interventions," he said.

The airlifting of food and medical supplies to affected areas is expected to start on Monday or Tuesday. The UN has diverted a helicopter from Darfur in Sudan to help with the effort.

In Ethiopia, deaths have been reported and a massive food aid programme has been set up after flooding hit almost 200,000 people.

And Rwandan officials reported 15 deaths and 500 homes washed away since Wednesday.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Disease alert in flood-hit Africa

UN Sends Disaster Assessment Team to Country to Respond to Flooding

2007-09-15T10:17:00.001+01:00

Thousands of homes in Ghana's Upper East Region were destroyed after the rains struck, several major bridges have collapsed and large areas of cropland have been destroyed, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today.

More than 260,000 Ghanaians have been affected, according to Government figures, and the UNDAC team is expected to meet the country's own disaster officials today to coordinate the response.

Already the Government and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have begun distributing aid, including food, within the Upper East Region, and helping people displaced by the floods. A particular concern is the potential for an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

Torrential rains struck at least 11 countries in West Africa in the last week of August, OCHA reported, and in total over 500,000 people have been affected. The other countries involved are Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: UN Sends Disaster Assessment Team to Country to Respond to Flooding (Page 1 of 1)

Economic Achievements Are Real

2007-09-15T10:16:00.001+01:00

By January 2001, this country has gone through years of economic decay, and the economy was in complete mess.

Today, Ghana can boast of a far better economy, and as Ghanaians, we all have to credit for this achievement. We still do not have the strongest economy in the world, but we are definitely better than we were in January 2001 when the NDC government was rightly kicked out of office.

Ironically, at a press conference by the NDC last week, they indicated that the economic achievement have not delivered any achievement in the lives of Ghanaians. What they did not mention at the press conference was the state in which they left the economy in January 2001.

The New Patriotic Party believes in the individual (rather than the state) as the agent for national development. We seek to improve the welfare of individuals and enhance them to develop their God-given potential and capabilities.

When individuals develop, the nation develops and becomes more able to pursue our collective good. This is the most effective way to pursue human-centered development.

Whatever the NDC refers to as socialist approach to development, they and their predecessor PNDC managed this country for 19 years up to the close of the year 2000.By close of that year, the external dept of Ghana has reached $5.8 billion.

The domestic debt stood at $1.7 billion. Accordingly, in the 2000, a third of all government expenditure went into debt servicing. What this meant was that resources that should have gone into the provision of social services (such as health care and education) went into the servicing of debts resulting from economic mismanagement and corruption.

In the same year 2000, our foreign reserves dropped to a low $0.2 billion representing three weeks of import cover. The cedi then depreciated ¢3500 to ¢7000 against the dollar.Inflation, by close of 2000, had hit a suffocating 42%.Bank lending rates were in order of 50% making it difficult for business to borrow, expand and create more jobs.

These are not macro economic indicators. These figures determined the ability or otherwise of the country. That was why the prices of the rose by the day. Yet, the minimum wage by the close of 2000 had dropped to a miserable 0.6 of a dollar. And this wage was taxable.

Today the minimum wage has risen to 2.1 dollars. With effect from January 2006, taxation on the minimum wage was abolished by the NPP administration.if this is not an improved, then we don't know what it is. But the improvements have not been in just minimum wage.

There has been a general improvement in the public sector wages .The monthly salary of a new certified teacher for instance teacher for instance has risen from $38 ( ¢264,458)at the close of 2000 to (¢1746,776) at the present time.

Now, here is a finding in research on the basic public sector wage in Ghana conducted by Trades Union Congress. It was published in 2006.

"Between 2000 and 2005, the nominal value of the of the basic public sector wage on Ghana Universal Salary Structure increase (in US dollar terms) by 141 percent. The public sector did not increase in nominal terms but also in real terms (when it is adjusted for inflation using annual average CPI)."

The report further found out, "This has been achieved in spite of the huge pressure on government particularly from IMF to cap public sector bill at a certain percentage of the GDP and government revenue. It is therefore fair to say that the recent public sector wage increases could not be attributed solely to union pressure, but also, it is partly the result of government's commitment to increase public sector wages as a means of attracting and retaining more qualified professionals into the sector."

In spite of the enlarged waged bill, we have been able to keep the economy stable. The 42% year-on-year inflation we inherited from the NDC has reduced to 10.5% as of April 2007.The bank lending rates that hovered around 50%have come down to about 24%.Today in spite of the substantial increase in crude oil imports, our foreign reserves has hit 2 billion, compared with 0.2 billion in 2000.

This is the highest reserves since the liberalization of the foreign exchange market in 1988.And the cedi is now more stable against our major trading currencies than at any other time in the last 40 years.

Our economy is so stable that we are able to re-denominate our currency to make its use more efficient. This re-denominate is so different from the so-called demonetization exercise carried out by the PNDC in 1982.In that 1982 exercise, Ghanaians were forced to surrender their hard earned money which wasn't in 50 cedi notes. Many lost their entire life-savings in that exercise. It is an event in our history that many people remember with much pain and grief.

But our achievements have not just been in the macro-economic fundamentals. There have been real investment in the lives of people; investment requiring fresh resources.

The National youth Employment Programme (NYEP), the National Identification Scheme (NIS) the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the Microfinance Programme,the Abolition of tuition fees in public and basic schools, the Metro Mass Transit (MMT),the impressive infrastructural development and others are all commitments requiring fresh resources.

But we are encouraged by the improvements these programmes are bringing into lives of people. Between 2005 and 2006 enrolment in basic schools increased by 16% as a result of the capitation Grant and related policies. And the money many rural parents would have used in paying tuition fees for their wards is now money in their pockets.

The NYEP Programme has employed about 120000 youth by the close of the first quarter of 2007.The allowances these trainees receive put some money in their pockets while they receive career training for the future.

As a result of the NHIS, there are many households who are able to access health care the cost which exceeds the yearly premiums they pay. I take this opportunity to appeal to the public to register under the scheme and access its tremendous benefits.

No doubt that, being fresh initiatives, there is bound to be teething challenges. But we are definitely on track. It is by addressing these challenges that we would eventually achieve our objectives in full. After all, an imperfect National Health Insurance Scheme for instance is still better than the cash-and-carry health policy inflicted on this country by the NDC administration.

In all this, agriculture has been given its due attention.Cocoa producer price has increased from ¢151755 per bag in the year 2000 to the current ¢571875 representing 73% of net FOB price, the highest percentage in, atleast the last four decades. Additionally, from 2001 to date, a total of ¢608 billion has been paid to cocoa farmers as bonus. These and several other interventions in the cocoa industry made it possible to achieve a record high production of 740 458 metric tones last year.

And to increase fish production in the country, a total of 338 outboard motors have been given to fish farmers under special credit scheme.3000 fish processors and distributors have been supported through micro-credit. And currently, there is a Programme to help individuals construct fish ponds throughout the country

It must be pointed out though that we have come this far not without some initial challenges. The investment we are currently making into energy delivery, we must, for example, were not possible in our initial years in government because our economy was too weak to mobilize the needed funding.

With a reduction in our external debt to $2.1 billion at the close of the last budget year, and an improvement in our credit rating internationally, we are in a much better position as a country to secure funds and continue investing in development projects just as we have done for Bui hydro Project.

We welcome debate and discussions on these achievements; just as we welcome criticism of government's decision and actions. That is the only way we can fine-tune our policies and maximize our returns. What is disturbing is the attempt to create disaffection for government though the use of lies and deceit. That is unhelpful politics.

Thank you very much.

Peter Mac Manu

National Chairman

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Economic Achievements Are Real (Page 1 of 2)

Fish Farmers in Wassa West District Receive MOF Assistance

2007-09-14T08:16:00.003+01:00

Mrs. Gladys Asmah, Minister of Fisheries has presented a back-hoe excavator and compactor worth more than GH¢160,000 (1.6 billion cedis) to members of Wassa West District Fish Farmers Association at Tarkwa.

The equipment is to enable members expand their ponds, build new ponds to specification and enable more people take interest in fish farming.

She handed over the equipment to Mr. Emmanuel Kwasi Ayensu, Wassa West District Chief Executive who presented them to Mr. Peter Eshun, Chairman of the association.

Mrs. Asmah said aquaculture was a lucrative business and advised more people to take active interest in the venture.

She said the ministry was prepared to assist more fish farmers with inputs including the supply of fingerlings, provision of capital and ready market to boost the fishing industry that had the potential to become a leading foreign exchange earner for the country.

Mrs. Asmah said the ministry had taken a cue from farmers in China who through the export of tilapia earns that country more than 500 million dollars annually.

Mr. Ayensu expressed appreciation to the ministry for the assistance to fish farmers with the needed equipment to promote interest in aquaculture in the district.

Mr. Alfred Tetebo, Director of Fisheries at the ministry, advised farmers to adopt fish farming in addition to food crops production to improve their income and reduce poverty. He said the ministry had made similar presentation to fish farmers in Ashanti Region that had improved their living standards.

Mr. Tetebo commended members of the association for being the best-organized fish farmers association in the country.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Fish Farmers in Wassa West District Receive MOF Assistance (Page 1 of 1)

Ghana-Germany hold negotiations

2007-09-14T08:16:00.001+01:00

The biennial bilateral negotiations on cooperation between Ghana and Germany opened in Accra on Thursday with a promise by the Ghana government to continue to pursue policies that would stabilize the economy and maintain the pace of GDP growth.
Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu (photo), Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, said government would also continue to remain steadfast in its commitment to systematically reduce poverty through the implementation of the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) with the ultimate goal of achieving broad-based sustainable and equitable growth.
"Over the last three years economic growth has exceeded six per cent," he said, adding that Ghana had been rated the most peaceful nation in Africa, while it had a sovereign credit rating of "B Plus".
"It is the fastest reforming nation on the continent and the ninth in the world in terms of the creation of a conducive environment for doing business."
The Minister said Government would remain committed to those policies that had brought the nation this far.
Mr. Baah-Wiredu, praising the Federal Republic of Germany for its support, said it was one of Ghana's key bilateral development partners in terms of volume, quality and diversity of development assistance.
"The German government, besides funds made available directly under our bilateral cooperation, has also been contributing significantly towards our development through the European Union and other multilateral agencies."
He said Germany had been one of the advocates for Ghana in several international fora whenever Ghana came up for discussion.
Mr. Baah-Wiredu said: "Germany has contributed over one billion Euros for projects in key sectors of the Ghanaian economy in the context of our financial and technical cooperation."
He mentioned some of the notable projects as the rehabilitation of Tema-Akosombo road, the rehabilitation of Tema-Sogakope road, district capital/town project, rural water supply project, water supply in Eastern and Volta Regions and Village Infrastructure Project.
"Currently, the focal areas of cooperation between the Government of Ghana and Government of Federal Republic of Germany are agriculture and food security; employment oriented private sector; and democracy, good governance and decentralization."
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the outstanding issues to be discussed included the rural feeder roads and bridges, whose project documents were yet to be submitted to government for processing through parliament, and micro finance, whose draft agreements had already been discussed and forwarded to the German agency involved for incorporation into the final document.
Mr Baah-Wiredu expressed the hope that this year's biennial bilateral negotiations would provide the needed support to the key project areas and further broaden and deepen the cordial relations between Ghana and Germany.
Professor George Gyan-Baffour, Deputy Minister, Finance, is leading the Ghanaian delegation, whilst Mr Niels Breyer, Head of Central and West African Division of the German Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is leading the German delegation.
Mr Bryer said Ghana would continue to be one of the most important partners for German development cooperation in the sub-region.
"We will also continue to directly support your budget within the framework of multi-donor budget support," he said.
Mr. Breyer said Germany at the last G8 summit announced an increase in the scale of its development cooperation with Africa by 750 million Euros per year from 2008 to 2011.
"This is nearly a doubling of the current volume. This shows clearly that Africa and Ghana's development really matter to us.... in our view the cooperation between our two countries is particularly lively and excellent."
Dr Marius Haas, German Ambassador in Ghana, said the German Government and its people were following closely the heavy flooding in the northern parts of Ghana.
He said under the country's instant emergency reaction funds a commitment of 50,000 Euros was made on Wednesday to government to provide food to displaced persons in Upper East Region.

Myjoyonline.com Ghana News :: Ghana-Germany hold negotiations ::: Breaking News | News in Ghana | business

Land reform project on course

2007-09-13T01:04:00.001+01:00

The Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines is rigorously undertaking a comprehensive project dubbed "Land Use and Management Project" to reform the land administration system in the country to meet the current trends of economic revolution.

The project is a component of the Land Administration Project which seeks to enhance the capacity of the Town and Country Planning Department at both the regional and district levels to enable it carry out its responsibility relating to effective and efficient land use and planning system in the country.

Giving the general overview of the land situation in Ghana at a media briefing in Accra yesterday, Ben Doe, Deputy Project Manager noted the widely held perception that land planning agencies have failed the country hence the need to embark on the land use and management project to rectify the situation.

According to Mr Doe, the project seeks to address key areas including absence of a comprehensive human settlements policy for land use planning and management for the country; develop and draft a coherent and modernised legal framework for town and country planning including model guidelines and regulations; prepare and implement institutional reform and strengthening which includes capacity building and develop information/public awareness campaign strategies and materials to support the implementation of the reformed planning systems, among others.

The project emphasises a participatory planning approach that involves all stakeholders affected by planning including land owners, business leaders, District Assemblies, Land developers, NGOs, community members, opinion leaders and recognised community based organisations and associations.

"The basic assumption is that if we plan with the stakeholders in the community and they are fully aware of the plan, they and the land owners and traditional chiefs accept it, then they will be most likely to ensure that 'illegal' developments do not get off the ground and working with the building inspectors, can nip any such construction in the bud, before more draconian action needs to be taken," Ben Doe emphasised.

Officials say they have begun a pilot work of the project to develop and test models and processes of the land use planning and development controls in partnership and active participation of the communities and customary land owners in three areas namely, Asankragua in the Western, Ejisu in Ashanti and Kasoa in the Central Regions.

According to them, based on the success story of the pilot phase, ten new communities across the ten regions of the country have been selected and will undergo institutional planning and reformation processes.

The land use planning and management project which is being funded by a grant from the Nordic Development Fund is expected to be completed in 2010. It is aimed at assisting the Town and Country Planning Department which is at the centre of land use planning and development in the country, to enhance its capacity and improve service delivery in the country.

The Statesman : Business : Land reform project on course

Ghana’s internet growth slowed by high cost

2007-09-12T15:19:00.001+01:00

Most Ghanaians do not have access to the internet, in spite of the proliferation of Information Technology Communication (ICT) in the country, due to cost.
Many more Ghanaians have access to mobile telephony than they have access to the internet.
Ghana’s ICT policy
A cursory glance at Ghana’s ICT policy document shows an optimistic and encouraging picture of the future of the industry, but cost still remains a hindering factor.
While the government of Ghana through this document has factored ICT into national development and is doing what it can to accelerate growth in that sector, not many Ghanaians have access to ICT, particularly the internet.
And for ICT industry players, it is a motivating document that is obviously meant to oil the wheels of the industry and propel it into its rightful place in the overall scheme of development processes in the country.
It is a known fact that the entire world today is ICT driven. ICT is the tool that drives the major economies of the world. ICT is also transforming societies and economies of developing countries including Ghana, even though at a slower pace.
The reality and importance of ICT in development, both personal and national is widely accepted in Ghana and this importance to Ghana’s development is seen in the Government’s determination to make ICT the driving force behind the society and economy.
To drive home this point the government has set up a Ghana ICT Policy Plan Committee and given it the task of developing an ICT-led socio-economic Development Policy and Plan for the country.
This policy is intended to move the economy and the society towards a knowledge based information society and economy. And this is to be achieved within the shortest possible time.
According to the document, the government of Ghana believes that ICT has the potential to accelerate socio-economic development and the government is vigorously pursuing a multi-faceted policy in the direction of engendering growth in the sector. The government is therefore, implementing the ICT for Accelerated Development policy (ICT4AD).
The main aim of the policy is to develop an integrated ICT-led socio-economic development framework for Ghana. The policy is to induce the massive laying of infrastructure for ICT, initiate and pursue consensus building with all stakeholders as well as create the enabling environment for the accelerated growth of a knowledge based information society.
Growth trends in ICT
This policy, with government’s commitment has significantly led to a tangible growth in the ICT sector, particularly the mobile telephony sector. There is however, more room for improvement.
While the mobile telephony sector has seen a massive growth and expansion within a relatively short period, the internet sector has rather witnessed a slow growth.
Available data show that there are 3, 798,096 mobile phone customers representing 17.2% of the population, the 348,397 fixed phone customers make up 1.6% of Ghanaians and there are 11,595 payphones. Only a very small number of Ghanaians are internet broadband customers.
According to the NCA, as at March 31st 2006, there were 3,620 internet broadband customers representing a mere 0.016% of the population of Ghana.
Obviously, this low figure is due to the inability of most Ghanaians to access internet services and products because they are expensive.
Cost of internet
The high cost of internet services and products is leaving majority of Ghanaians out of the enormous opportunities and benefits that the technology offers in education, governance, commerce and research. The production, packaging and manner of distribution of internet services make the technology expensive.
And internet services are expensive because Ghana has no nation-wide telecommunication backbone for data network which makes accessing and broadcasting bandwidth for the industry a big challenge.
National ICT backbone
Thankfully, government has launched a $70m communications backbone project to be completed in August 2008. The project is funded by the Japanese government.
It is hoped that this project would improve mobile telephony and the quality of internet services. But it is not clear yet if it would lead to price cuts.
Start-up cost of ISP
The financial capital required to set up an Internet Service Provider (ISP) business is huge. The cost of the lowest range of Access Unit (AU) equipment required to set up a small ISP is around US$10,000 to US$15,000. The cost of renting office premises can cost the range of US$2000 monthly and so on.
Licensing fees are also high for dedicated spectrums or frequencies and even for the universal unlicensed 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum a service provider is required to pay a fee to the National Communications Authority (NCA) in the ranges of US500 or US$300.
The cost of purchasing bandwidth is another prohibiting factor. It would cost a small ISP about US7000 to acquire 2MB of bandwidth for rebroadcast and redistribution to its customers and often in some cases, fiber is unavailable for termination on the location of the ISP.
Some ISPs have to depend on satellite services which cost higher than fiber.
Customer access equipment also cost a fortune for many Ghanaians. Equipment for connecting to the internet at home or even the office costs between US$120 and US$500, excluding installation charges. And monthly charges are quite high for most Ghanaians.
The cost of hiring IT professionals and other staff to run an ISP is equally expensive. All these factors contribute to make the production cost of internet services expensive and beyond the reach of a large number of the population.
Indeed, no business can thrive and grow if its production cost is higher than how much it sells the finished product.
The picture can be better
The picture we have just seen is the very reason why majority of Ghanaians cannot access the internet as much as they ought to for the purposes of personal development and subsequently national development.
The situation as it stands today is slowing the pace of national growth through the use of ICT, particularly the internet.
It is no surprise that, while a great volume of business and governance issues are carried out on the internet in developed countries including some developing countries like Rwanda, the case is not the same in Ghana, because prices in these countries are even cheaper than what pertains in Ghana. In some developed countries one can easily get internet access at home for less than US$40.
National payment platform
I am aware of a number of e-commerce websites that have collapsed because Ghanaians simply do not use the platform.
Fact is, while the e-commerce platform is supposed to make business cheaper and convenient, it rather makes it expensive and irrelevant to use in Ghana.
Some of the contributing factors though include a lack of a national electronic payment platform which would facilitate e-commerce. There is also lack of faith in the electronic payment system as a result of fraud.
In the meantime, though, some financial institutions, and software developers are working hard to resolve the issue of an electronic payment system for the country. When realized, this will change the face of transaction on the internet in Ghana.
Some benefits of the internet
All these challenges notwithstanding, there have been some examples of the economic and social benefits of ICT that I have been aware of in this country.
I know of a young man who after he had completed Senior Secondary School (SSS), spent time at home conducting research on the internet. His research led him to find a university in the US that was offering scholarships to African students. This scholarship included a roundtrip air ticket, tuition and boarding and lodging.
This opportunity came at a time when his father was scratching his head over how to raise the money for him to attend one of our universities here in Ghana. He is currently in the US studying for a degree. That is the benefit of the internet. But that became possible because, his father could afford the service at home.
Even the internet cafes don’t come cheap. One has to travel from home to the cafes, and in the cafes, one is confronted with lots of inconveniences and lack of privacy. Some cafes are not fitted with cooling systems and where some are, they are often not functioning properly, making the use of these cafes uncomfortable.
If we should consider the cost of traveling to and from the cafes and the accompanying inconveniences, then that makes internet services expensive to most people.
I am also aware that most graduate students of our universities do not have to go through the hassles they used to go through in the past to work on their theses because of the availability of the internet. The internet has expanded the worldview of quite a number of people. The news comes faster and easier to access and communication links have been strengthened via the internet.
Students and pupils can do their homework on the internet, because such services and facilities exist on the internet. The internet can also facilitate high quality teaching in the classroom as well as enrich the teaching skills of teachers.
People’s lives have been enriched through internet communities. Some others have gained global presence through the internet.
Government must join forces
Government must work at a comprehensive programme within the framework of the ICT4D to facilitate a reduction in the cost of running ISPs to make the internet cheaper and affordable for most Ghanaians.
Government should join forces with some of the private sector players in the industry who are willing to provide their expertise and in some cases platforms for the establishment of the backbone, to accelerate its completion
To achieve the lofty goals of making Ghana an information and knowledge driven society and economy is a possibility, only and only when the government exhibits the political will to do what it ought to, to make the goals a reality, or else the very basis of national development in today’s world, which is ICT, would elude us.
Because, as the fact still remains in Ghana - the internet is a good thing, but most people cannot afford it.

Deregulation in Electricity Tariffs Comes of Age

2007-09-12T15:18:00.001+01:00

Fellows at the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) have called for the deregulation of Ghana's energy sector to allow the private sector to engage in electricity production and distribution as well as pricing.

This, according to them should be in the form of the deregulation in the petroleum downstream sector where Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) set their own prices below a maximum indicative price.

Deregulation in the pricing of electricity is the reduction or elimination of government power in pricing of electricity to create more competition within the industry.

Dr. Robert Osei, Research Fellow and Dr. Felix Asante, Head of Economics Division and Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, Director of ISSER concurred with the suggestion at the launch of ISSER's review of the state of the Ghanaian economy report, 2006 and the mid-year review of the economy this year in Accra yesterday.

"We need to adjust tariffs but we don't need to adjust tariffs just for the sake of adjusting tariffs. If we are adjusting tariffs, we should make sure that those providing the services are efficient so we don't pay for an inefficient service," Dr. Robert Osei told The Business Chronicle after his presentation on the mid-year performance of the economy.

He said deregulation especially in the tariffs of electricity would break the monopoly of the Electricity Company of Ghana which has created inefficiencies because there is no competition. He reminded this reporter that electricity is the life stream of any economy and where monopoly exists, they can do what ever they like.

Dr. Felix Asante on his part said with deregulation in the pricing of electricity, more Independent Power Producers (IPPs) would be encouraged to invest heavily into the energy sector.

He said customers should not pay for an inefficient service. "We should make sure ECG is efficient".

He asked whether gas from Nigeria through the West African Gas Pipeline which was originally meant for Volta River Authority's Aboadze Thermal Plant would be enough to feed the numerous IPPs that are would be in Ghana to generate power.

In his presentation of the overview of the economy in 2006, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, Director of ISSER said Ghana appears ready to move onto a higher growth path, with economic output in 2006 rising by 6.2% after the 5.8% rate recorded in 2004 and 2005, as well as improvements in Ghana's international ratings, significant external support and positive external sector developments.

He said inflation has been contained despite the negative impact of high oil prices and the partial deregulation of petroleum product prices and per capita GDP growth has also risen from 2.1% in 2005 to 2.8% in 2006, assuming population growth of 2.2%.

However he said the second half of 2006 was characterized by unstable electricity supply, culminating in an officially acknowledged energy crisis by the end of the year. He said with the deepening political stability and the expectation of continuing sound economic management, growth is on an upward trend while inflation could drop into single digits by end-2007 on condition that macroeconomic conditions remain stable.

Prof. Aryeetey said the business environment was getting better, and although corruption was a lingering problem, it was slightly less severe than in many other African countries. "Taxes are not overly burdensome but time-consuming bureaucratic hurdles and red tape persists," the ISSER Report stated.

Prof. Aryeetey noted that the World Bank's 2006 Doing Business Report found that it took 81 days to start a business in Ghana, still comparatively high, but an improvement on the 2003 figure of 129 days.

Fiscal policy objectives for 2007 include better revenue mobilization, containing the fiscal deficit and inflation, and reducing the overall budget deficit from 7.6% to 3.2% of GDP. If well managed, the redenomination of the cedi will improve the safety and reduce the cost of doing business. However, there must be sufficient public education in order to reap the full benefits in 2007 and beyond.

Ghana's real GDP growth of 6.2% in 2006 which was the sixth consecutive year of positive growth was largely driven by the industry and services sectors.

Agriculture remained the largest contributor to GDP, with a 39.3% share in 2006 (after 39.5% in 2005). The share of services was 32.9% and industry 27.8%.

The 5.7% growth rate of agriculture was better than the 2005 rate of 4.1 % but short of the 2006 target of 6.2%.

The shortfall was due to the slowdown in growth rates of cocoa production and marketing (from 12.2% to 8.7%), and forestry and logging (from 5.6% to 2.6%). Cocoa nevertheless remained the main contributor to agricultural growth in 2006.

Compared to the agriculture and services sectors, industry had the highest growth rate of 7.3% (or 0.9 percentage points higher than the targeted 6.4%).

The significance of electricity and water in this development has to be given special attention. The surge of growth in the sector was due to the considerable and very fast rise in spending on electricity and water through individual or smaller power generation systems as well as other facilities due to the energy crisis. But ISSER said such growth was unlikely to have much of a transforming influence on the economy in the short term.

Services sector growth was 6.5%, better than the 5.5% target and the 2005 level of 5.4%. This was driven largely by the transport, storage and communication the wholesale and retail trade and financial and insurance sub-sectors.

The report was launched by Prof. CNB Tagoe, Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Deregulation in Electricity Tariffs Comes of Age - ISSER (Page 1 of 1)

Ghana cocoa crop seen up despite spreading black pod

2007-09-11T00:42:00.003+01:00

ACCRA, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Heavy rains in Ghana have spurred the spread of the fungal disease black pod, especially in western regions bordering Ivory Coast, but the world's second largest cocoa producer still expects higher output this year.

A small 2006/2007 harvest finished abysmally with the mid crop, due to a lack of rain earlier this year.

Although heavy downpours in recent months have raised hopes of a strong 2007/08 main crop, due to open in early October, they also nurtured the fungal blight.

"There is already damage, if there is visible damage by now, then it is bad. I am very worried. We haven't seen this much rain in September in a long time," one buyer said.

Torrential rains across West Africa have affected more than 100,000 people, according to the United Nations. The rains destroyed homes, damaged crops and polluted water sources.

Unless the rain eases and the sun starts to shine, more cocoa pods will bear the tell-tale black splodges of the fungal disease, growers say.

The fungus has already ruined thousands of cocoa pods in war-divided Ivory Coast, the world's no.1 cocoa grower.

Black pod is most severe in Ghana's Western Region which borders Ivory Coast, one of the country's most productive cocoa-growing areas, one buyer said. But the disease did not alter his forecast for a total 2007/08 crop of 740,000 tonnes.

Others named Akaatiso and Sefwi Kaase in western Ghana as areas hit hard by the disease.

"There is black pod. It is worse than what we usually have but not as bad as in Ivory Coast," said another industry expert.

BIGGER CROP

Industry regulator Cocobod chief executive Isaac Osei said last week that heavy rainfall should mean the coming harvest is bigger than the 2006/07 crop, which is unlikely to exceed 620,000 tonnes and far below the previous year's record output of about 740,000 tonnes.

In Nyinahin, in Ashanti region, one depot manager answered his phone from a farm where he had taken government sprayers.

"We have asked the mass sprayers to intensify so it will not spread. The situation is not alarming," he said, adding that the coming year's output should still exceed the current year's.

But government-sponsored mass spraying effort is haphazard and on some farms, they may be too late.

"Black pod is a problem, especially in the low lying areas," one buyer said. "When they do the spraying, they do some farms and leave others they classify as low risk areas."

Cocobod deputy chief executive Charles Ntim declined to comment on the prevalence of black pod, telling Reuters they will receive a detailed field report this week.

News | Africa - Reuters.com

Polling - The Politics of Hype

2007-09-11T00:42:00.001+01:00

These are in exciting times indeed with politics in the air and scam-mongering and raised temperatures occasioned by bogus opinion polls which readily attract caustic responses.

From the days when we decided to return to democratic rule in 1992, after decades of militarization in our body politic, we have never had it so sweet and liberated as now, thanks to the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress.

Since 1957 when we gained our independence and were ushered into a period of Nkrumahism, we suffered Nkrumah's benevolent dictatorship when Young Pioneers were brainwashed into snooping on families, through to the establishment of Libyan style people's defence committees and revolutionary organs.

It has been one step at a time in our forward match to a purposeful existence.

In the early 90's, a phenomenon called Polling popped into the lexicon of our political language. Newspapers in 1992-1994 were fascinated with it and found it an intriguing tool to deploy, and boy did they deploy it to the irritation of many a politician, and the hilarity of readers?

For those politicians who mostly underwrote those polls- Professor F.Y. Botchway (bless him) of the famous Green Book project and Libya Green Book fame with Mr. Kojo Yankah, was one of those presidential aspirants who featured prominently in the tabloids of those days. Mini-tabloids like Young and Old and The Focus, dominated the newsstands, and rankled readers and titillated the consuming public with their fare.

COUP MAKER

Times have since moved on. It takes a coup maker to tame a coup maker and end coups (apologies Eboe Hutchful). It was Jerry Rawlings who forced us to sleep at 6 o'clock and pulled the shutters on all newspapers, thankfully grew up, and with a little nudge from home and abroad, once more released the shutters, and liberated the air waves. Banned newspapers were unbanned and the requirement of newspapers obtaining license outlawed (Newspaper licensing decree). Professor Kwame Karikari, who singularly suffered under his watch, now has found a new lease of life with the Media Foundation for West Africa.

NEW ERA

All around us today are very useful institutions that were not in existence in the 1990s, but have now come into being to add substance to our democratic growth. From the Institute of Economic Affairs, Gyimah Boadi came up with his CDD (Centre for Democracy and Development), Dr.Mawusseh's Centre for Media Analysis, Institute for Democratic Governance, literally scores of NGO-like centres have sprung up to enrich our process.

POLLING

Then the older established ones like the late E.N. Omaboe's (Nana Wereko Ampem) Research International then headed by Kwaku Attafuah now of National Petroleum Authority, and recent ones like Steadman Group in Asylum Down, conducting surveys for big companies such as Television stations wanting to get a sense of their audience's profile and reach.

Polling generally is such an expensive business and it is now lurching into some of critical stage, which should not be allowed to be bastardised.

It takes a company like Unilever to commission a poll on consumer behaviour and you would expect a multinational to go to a company noted for best practices, appropriate skills and scholarship.

For a political poll which is national in scope, the cost of polling can be prohibitive. On a politician's desire to know his or her ratings, short of a realistic introspection and assessment of the subject himself, commissioning a poll is very, very expensive, and in Ghana, almost worthless.

CRUCIAL INGREDIENTS and THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE.

There are certain distinguishing features that must be present in all polls. Some are provided, others are not, but must be readily displayed when challenged and the public has a right to demand answers to these when they are made to consume those findings.

In Nigeria last week, The Guardian newspaper conducted and published a poll of the public perception of Nigerians about Alhaji Musa Yar'Adua. The results showed a very positive outcome for the Nigerian President.

A total of 1,900 respondents were randomly selected and interviewed, using the Equal Probability and selection Method (EPSEM) and a multistage, clustered sampling method.A total of 100 questionnaires were administered in each state, including Abuja with 96.7 percent return rate, with plus or minus two margin of error.The demographic composition of those sampled in the poll, 76% were male as against 24% female. 49 percent were single, 45 percent were married. Two percent were divorced, widowed and separated.

Qualifications of respondents range from HND to first degrees accounted for 42 percent, GCE/WASC/SSCE ,20%, Professional diplomas and others, 18%, Masters degrees 9%, first school leaving certificate,6 %, and doctorate degrees 1%, other qualification such as City and Guilds accounted for 4%. Income distribution of the respondents showed 29 %,earning less than N50,000, 20 % earned up to N149,000, up to 299,000 were 16 % of respondents, N300,00 to N499,000, 12 % , while 11 percent earned N500,000 and above.

The team of 8 researchers were named, coordinators headed by Dr. Jide Oluwajuyiytan, were named (five in all) and two consultants Dr. Adidi Uyo and Professor Adigun Agbaje were also named.

The result made interesting reading and we believe that a similar result would have been obtained in Ghana if we Ghanaians were polled. Without asking most Ghanaians, we have a very good impression of YarAdua, don't we?

He scored 79% favourably across six geo-political zones, with 69 percent in the Federal capital, Abuja.53 percent of those who gave him pass marks said that he is a listening and responsive President, especially in the way and manner he reversed the Value Added Tax and fuel price increases in the wake of the mass protests.22 percent reasoned that his Government had displayed a level of transparency while 11 percent agreed that his respect for the rule of law so far is second to none in the history of leadership in Nigeria!

Of the 21 percent who gave him thumbs down, 58 percent said there was nothing to show for the first 100 days in terms of infrastructure, schools and hospitals. Others queried his legitimacy and nepotism in political appointments.

Lessons for Our leaders

We believe our leaders have learned some important lessons from Nigeria with the polls from The Guardian - professionally done with verifiable data.

Unfortunately the agency which constantly, regularly regales us almost on a daily basis with 'opinion polls', Ghana Alert, fails to tell give us the statistics that the Guardian had done. We hope they will learn from The Guardian for their own credibility.

Ghana Alert gives us precious nothing about who is funding their polls and methodologies used, and as at last week when subjected to a little scrutiny by Joy FM, still failed to educate us on the sources of funding.

Everybody can take a guess as to who the front runners are and those who are bottom of the heap.

A little show of scholarship is all we demand of GhanaAlert because polling is serious business and we have come some way towards media development in Ghana, not to be subjected to the flippancy and entertainment of yore.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Polling - The Politics of Hype (Page 1 of 2)

World Bank project to help light up sub-Saharan Africa

2007-09-10T11:16:00.003+01:00

Power to the people. This is the objective of a new initiative to provide modern lighting to the 250 million people in sub-Saharan Africa who have no access to electricity.

Jointly managed by the bank and its private sector lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Lighting Africa aims to develop market conditions for the supply and distribution of new, non-fossil fuel lighting products such as fluorescent light bulbs and light emitting diodes in rural and urban areas that are not connected to the electricity grid.

The “energy poor” in Africa spend about $17 billion a year on fuel-based lighting sources such as kerosene lamps that are costly, inefficient, and provide poor quality light while causing pollution and posing fire hazards.

For these consumers, lighting accounts for 10 to 15 per cent of total household income. They offer a potentially huge market for modern lighting products that are safe and reliable, that provide higher-quality light, and that are cost-competitive with fuel-based lamps and powered by renewable energy or mechanical sources.

Lighting Africa, which is supported by a number of donors, including seed money from the Global Environment Facility, seeks to attract the international lighting industry, as well as local suppliers and service providers, to this market.

IFC executive vice president Lars Thunell said, “In partnership with the private sector, IFC will help develop sustainable business models to supply good quality lighting to the poorest of the poor in Africa. Our goal is to give families and small business owners clean, modern and affordable alternatives to fossil fuel lamps.”

S. Vijay Iyer, World Bank energy sector manager for Africa, said, “Modern lighting will mean improved air quality and safety for millions of people in Africa. It will mean longer reading hours for students and longer business hours for small shops. Lighting Africa will directly contribute to the Millennium Development Goals. It is a cornerstone of the World Bank’s Clean Energy and Development Investment Framework and the Africa Energy Access Scale-Up Plan.”

More than 350 companies have already expressed interest in the initiative.

Gerard Kleisterlee, president and CEO of Philips, said in a recent speech, “The rural lighting market, like many markets for low-income people in developing countries, is not well known or explored. It is essential that governments and international organisations such as the World Bank, NGOs and various companies get together in a network to work out the appropriate business models.”

The chairman of the Kenya Renewable Energy Association, Vincent Loh, said, “The Development Marketplace competition provides a unique opportunity for local African companies to participate in the development of lighting products and services tailored to local market needs and conditions.”

The World Bank’s Development Marketplace is a competitive grant programme that funds innovative, small-scale development projects. These projects not only deliver results, but also have the potential to be expanded or replicated elsewhere. Since its inception in 1998, the programme has awarded over $50 million to roughly 1,000 projects through global, regional and country-level Marketplaces.

The first phase of Lighting Africa, which started last week, will launch a competition for the design and delivery of innovative, low-cost, high-quality, non-fossil lighting products that target low-income consumers in sub-Saharan Africa. Ten to 20 winners will receive grants up to $200,000. The project will then initiate market research in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia to better understand consumer demand, behaviour and preferences. The research will also look at local supply, marketing, and distribution channels. Initial results of this research are expected early next year and will be used to inaugurate a business-to-business Web portal where manufacturers, distributors, and marketers from all over the world can create partnerships, conduct business online and access the latest market information.

To kickstart the project, a competition for the design and delivery of innovative lighting products was also launched, dubbed “Innovations in Off-Grid Lighting Products and Services for Africa.” The competition will reward project ideas that address the various off-grid lighting needs of sub-Saharan Africa, including alternative distribution models, new clean lighting technology, stronger production chains, and improvement of the policy environment. Ten to 20 winners will receive grant funding up to $200,000.

The competition is open to a broad range of innovators around the world, including private businesses, non-governmental organisations, universities, government entities and individuals.

Lead sponsors include the Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme, the Global Environment Facility, and the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility. Other supporters include Good Energies Inc, the governments of Norway and Luxembourg, the European Commission and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership. The deadline for submitting proposals is October 31, 2007.

The East African - News

A fresh start

2007-09-10T11:16:00.001+01:00

WASHINGTON — The dart hit Montana. So that’s where she was going.

After years of corporate monotony as a database specialist in northern Virginia, Marisa VanDyke was ravenous for excitement. Every day was the same: wake up, go to work, eat dinner, go to the gym, go to bed. To prompt destiny, she threw a dart at a map and suddenly had something to look forward to. She told her bosses she was quitting. They didn’t understand why she’d give up good pay. It was tough to tell her parents, who were happy with her stability. But VanDyke simply stepped off the first rungs of the corporate ladder.

She chucked the idea of Montana and instead drove well beyond there — to Cooper Landing, Alaska, to be a waitress. No health insurance, no safety net, nothing. Then a friend tipped her off to a job in Antarctica.

Why not?

She applied. She got it. The woman who had spent her post-college years in a cubicle was now slinging from one planetary pole to the next.

“The first day I got there, the plane lands on an ice runway,” says VanDyke, 27. “You get off and look around, and there’s nothing for miles. It was negative-80 degrees with the windchill, and my first thought was, ‘Oh, (bleep).’ ”

People start over. It feels right. It feels exhilarating and stupid and like the beginning of something great, moving from one place to another, geographically and psychologically. From enervation to ecstasy. From Virginia to Antarctica, by way of Alaska.

Recently, VanDyke returned to Antarctica’s McMurdo Station for her third six-month stint as a scheduler in the station’s housing department. The Herndon native gets half of the year off, time she has used to travel across the United States and New Zealand. Her vocabulary is rid of the phrase “PeopleSoft help desk, how can I help you?” She’s happy she gave up life as she knew it to find something better, even if the initial step was a plunge into the dark void of doubt.

“I think that not knowing is the best way to do everything,” VanDyke says. “There’s no point in researching it ahead of time and trying to figure out everything. It’s more fun to go and experience it. And now I’m not afraid. I’ll go anywhere and do anything. And I will make it work, because what else can you do?”

It wasn’t a dart that hurtled Gloria Dombo from Ghana, West Africa. It was a lottery.

She never expected to immigrate, never expected to have her name come up in the Green Card Lottery. After all, the United States only picks 55,000 people worldwide each year in the immigration lottery.

But a computer randomly selected Dombo’s name. It was a roll of fate that she couldn’t turn down.

She came alone to Knoxville, leaving a husband and two small children. The only person she knew here was a cousin who had immigrated years earlier.

Dombo, 48, had polio as a child and still wears braces to support her legs. Despite her limited mobility, she took a job as a hotel maid. She worked for six months to save enough money to bring her husband to Knoxville.

Together, they worked another four years to bring their children here. With the help of her church, Dombo returned to Ghana for six months in 1999 to be with her children, who lived first with a grandmother and then with an uncle.

The boys were 5 and 9 when their mother took the opportunity to come to America to build them “a better life.” Dombo says they were too young then to understand the sacrifice. They only knew their parents were gone. Today, Stephen, 17, and Emmanuel, 13, are U.S. citizens, like their mother. Stephen plays on the football and soccer teams at West High School.

Jobs that required Dombo to stand took a toll. She had a hip replacement surgery in 2004.

Dombo’s husband left her in 2005, the same year she became a citizen. The couple’s divorce was final this year.

As a single mother Dombo decided she could no longer rely solely on public transportation. So she learned to operate a vehicle equipped with hand controls. She bought her first car and began driving in June. She already had a Tennessee driver’s license, but had to retest last week on the hand controls. Unfortunately, she failed on her first try and will have to test again to get her driver’s license back.

Dombo earned a degree in accounting from the Tennessee Institute of Technology. She says she couldn’t find a job in that field, but the computer skills she had learned landed her a job in data entry at the University of Tennessee admissions office. She has been at that job for five years.

One of Dombo’s co-workers at UT submitted her story to the News Sentinel. “Gloria has remained through it all a beach of faith, hope and charity,” said the co-worker, who wished to remain anonymous.

“Her attitude is an inspiration to us all. I have only seen Gloria upset once and tired a couple of times. Her attendance and performance at work is exemplary.”

But Dombo won’t take credit for her fresh start.

First off there is the woman she calls “My Angel.” Dombo met her first American friend, Nona Platillero, at a picnic for international students sponsored by Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church. It was Dombo’s 40th birthday and she had been in the United States for two months. She said Platillero’s support put her on the path to changing her life.

But Dombo said it is a higher power that really gave a fresh start.

“Whatever comes my way,” she said, “comes from a faith in God’s plan. All glory belongs to Him.”

Five years ago, Sue Skeith called her husband of 29 years from Heathrow Airport to say she was leaving him, her two grown daughters, her best friends and an outwardly perfect life she’d built for herself in the county of Dorset, England. She felt invisible, her marriage had imploded, and the resentment, fear and anger she’d sublimated manifested in a one-way ticket to Washington.

On the plane ride, she was wracked by disbelief and trepidation.

“I was tortured because I felt guilt-ridden that I’d caused so much pain,” says Skeith, 57, and now living in Gaithersburg, Md. “I am so close to my daughters. I had been this earth mother, and all the kids used to come over to the house. It was a shock to everybody that I could behave in such an out-of-character fashion.”

Skeith stayed with an old friend, Michael, whom she eventually married, but the shock of starting over in a new country was formidable. She found herself dogged by sadness, ignorant of such elemental things as driving, pumping gas, dealing with money and using the phone. Her husband and neighbors helped her ease into the new lifestyle, and her family back in England began to understand that she was happier because of her choice, however inexplicable it first seemed.

“Looking back, I know that the only way I coped was by taking one day at a time, one step at a time,” Skeith says. “I didn’t look at the big picture. If I had, I might never have taken that first step.”

The first step — and continuing to take those steps — is what’s important, says Robert Quinn, author of “Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within” and a business professor at the University of Michigan. “When you go through deep change, it doesn’t matter if you’re wrong,” Quinn says. “It matters that you’re moving.”

There are times in one’s life where we either make a frightening change or continue to die a slow death.

“People will go to great lengths to deny that the external world is changing and needs something else from us,” Quinn says. “We will just stay in the pattern we’ve traditionally succeeded at. If we do that when the world is calling for something else, there’s usually a breaking point where we can’t function anymore, and then we’re forced into some form of that deep change. ...

“There’s great exhilaration in the new identity that starts to form, a greater alignment with the environment you’re in. You expand your consciousness, your awareness and your capacity. That’s always very exhilarating.

Change was forced on Francis Heck when he was fired from his job at age 64.

He’d already made a major career change. After more than 25 years as a salesman for a Knoxville company that sells industrial stone-cutting equipment, Heck was in his early 60s when he was offered the editorship of direct-marketing publication that serves the stone-working industry.

Heck said he increased advertising for the publication and “it took off.” But eventually, he had a conflict with the owner about one of the publication’s policies and he was fired.

So Heck went home and told his wife that he was selling the furniture in one of their spare bedrooms and turning it into an office. The sale of the bedroom suit paid for a desk and two computers.

Heck, 68, started his own independent trade publication for the stone and tile industry. Stone Industry News (www.stoneindustrynews. com) is mailed monthly to nearly 13,000 companies around the country. Some of the recipients bought their first equipment from Heck when he was a salesman. “I know a lot of the major players” in the industry, he said.”

Stone Industry News is in its fifth year of publication. Stone does most of the writing himself. He has no employees. He contracts out the work he can’t do himself. He pays a graphic designer to compose the publication and the printing is done on the News Sentinel presses.

Heck says the business is grossing $250,000 annually “with room to grow.” He pays himself a little more than what he made working for someone else, he says. He doesn’t count his work hours, but he says it’s a lot less than 40 hours a week.

Heck said he made a success out of second career in publishing, an industry he admits to know nothing about when he got started, because he created a product that no one else was offering.

“This has been absolutely the most rewarding, exciting thing,” Heck said. “I can’t complain about anything.”

He said he’d keep running Stone Industry News until someone comes along with an attractive offer to buy him out.

He figures someone soon will “think here’s this old man and he needs to sell that.” And that person best remember that they’ll be dealing with an experienced salesman.

There are no official statistics on Starting Over. There is no Federal Bureau of Sayonara.

But the seeds of existential antsiness are apparent when you look at U.S. job satisfaction numbers, which have corroded over the past 20 years. Consider: More than half of Americans across all income brackets are dissatisfied with their jobs today, according to the Conference Board, a business research group. This is up from 39 percent in 1987.

People change careers every three years on average, says Sarah Edwards, a licensed clinical social worker in California who, with her husband, Paul, co-authored “Changing Directions Without Losing Your Way” and “Finding Your Perfect Work.”

There’s an explanation for this rampant feeling of something’s-not-right. In early life, people fall into two paths, Edwards says. We either follow the career route prescribed by our academic experience or we follow the example or guidance of our parents.

“At the time, we’re so pleased to have opportunities, so we step into things,” she says. “When you’re in your 20s, you’re very excited about life and you want to get hooked up somewhere. And once you’re there, you start saying, ‘Wait . ...’ As we move on into our 30s or 40s, we start to question. ‘How did I get here? Is this where I decided to go?’ People start thinking, ‘What am I doing?’”

In work, several elements foster contentment, says Jessica Schairer, a clinical psychologist based in Los Angeles: feeling proud of what you’re doing, having your co-workers and employers like and respect you, and using talents that come naturally to you.

Satisfaction is compromised if any of these are missing, but it may not be cause for a total life change. It’s important to question yourself before you make the leap.

“Do I need a total change of scene, or do I just need a vacation?” offers Schairer. “Do I need to change my whole entire career, or do I just need to change the company I’m working with? Many times, people think the whole industry they’re working in is terrible, but it’s not. Sometimes you don’t have to change your career; you just have to change your company.”

A fresh start : Features : Knoxville News Sentinel

Minister of Mines Initiate Moves to Forestall Troubles in Mining Areas

2007-09-09T10:45:00.003+01:00

The Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines, Ms. Esther Obeng Dapaah has promised to initiate moves that would ensure the peaceful co-existence of mining companies and galamsey operators in the Brim North District of the Eastern Region.

The illegal miners have moved their activities to a land that has been legally acquired by Newmont Mining Company where they continue to do their illegal business. Though the latter has constantly demanded that the illegal miners move away from the land, they have refused to do so. This has resulted in a high tension in the area.

Last week, two gallamsey operators met their untimely death when the pit they were mining in collapsed on them, killing them instantly. It became evident when this Reporter toured the area. The Minister rushed to there to find a possible solution to the emerging problem with the District Assembly, chiefs and the Newmont Mining Company.

The Minister, her deputy, Mrs. Rita Tani Idi, the Directors of the various departments and the District Chief Executive, Nana Aquah- Frimpong, held a meeting with leaders of the gallamsay operators, Newmont Mining Company Management and the residents where many issues as to the management of affairs cropped up.

The Minister said to ensure that total peace and tranquility prevailed in all mining areas the government had advised that they formed associations and registered before they undertook any of their mining activities.

Some of the chiefs did not understand why their concerns were not addressed before the policies were formulated for mining companies.

Mr Kofi Yeboah, a buyer from Birim North United Gold Buyers Registered Association, pleaded with the Minister to use her office to convince the Newmont Mining Company to accommodate them at Noyem,Akuase and Nyafoman sites where minerals have already been discovered for them to operate.

He added that the new sites, Akuase North, Gyamerase, Gyamera and Appensoso areas where they did not know, may not have any mineral deposits.

Ms. Esther Obeng Dapaah, assured the illegal miners that she would use her office to ensure that they followed the laid down policies of the government so that they could also undertake their activities with out any problems, "but before that, form associations, register, so that you can undertake your activities without any disaster". She advised the illegal miners.

The Minister used the occasion to introduce the residents to investing in tree plantation, which she said also created a lot of wealth for farmers. Also, unlike that of galamsey operations, it is a disaster-free investment.

The chiefs, the management of Newmont and the Birim North District Assembly, BNDA, also used the occasion to honour her for her appointment as the first woman Cabinet Minister from the area.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Minister of Mines Initiate Moves to Forestall Troubles in Mining Areas (Page 1 of 1)

AMA to Embark On Massive Decongestion Exercise

2007-09-09T10:45:00.001+01:00

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is to embark on a massive decongestion exercise in the central business district of Accra after the refusal of hawkers to use the Pedestrian Shopping Mall. The Ga Traditional Council has performed the necessary traditional rites to officially open the Shopping Mall.

Briefing the Media on AMA's decision over the issue, Mr. Ali Baba Abature, Head of Public Affairs Department of the AMA said they had turned a blind eye to the activities of the hawkers because of the AMA's inability to allow the Ga Traditional Council to perform the traditional rites in the Pedestrian Shopping Mall.

He pointed out that now that the traditional rites had been performed, the AMA expected those who had stalls at the place to start using them or risk loosing them.

"We are expecting the traders to fill the shelves now that the traditional rites have been performed or loose it to a different person when the AMA confiscates it", he said.

He noted that the AMA will in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs, Ministry of Interior and all the stakeholders in the Metropolitan Assembly embark on a "serious decongestion exercise in the Central business district of Accra and would this time not spare anyone when caught".

Mr. Abature explained that the Ga Traditional Council had done her part in performing the rites and after various consultations with them, had decided not to involve them while the AMA and its stakeholders embarked on the decongestion exercise.

Addressing the media on the Ga Traditional Council's stand in performing the traditional rites, Numo Blafo Akotia Omeitu III, Ga Blafo Wulomo, said it was the prerogative of the Ga Traditional Council to perform the rites in the shopping mall to protect all the traders from the spiritual attacks of the evil one and to enable them carry on their activities smoothly.

He said the AMA had received various complaints from the traders that since the rites had not performed, they were not going to sell in the Shopping Mall.

He continued that, now that the traditional rites had been performed, the Ga Traditional Council expected the traders to go back to the mall and leave the streets.

He noted there was a delay in performing the traditional rites because of the Homowo Festival.

Numo Oneitu explained that the traditional rites were not the first of its kind as it has been performed in all the markets within the Greater Accra Region.

He spoke on behalf of the Nai Wulomo and other Traditional Priests in the Ga Traditional Council.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: AMA to Embark On Massive Decongestion Exercise (Page 1 of 1)

Leadership An Undeterred Vision for Transformation

2007-09-08T11:14:00.003+01:00

When Jerry Vilakazi took over as the CEO of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) in early 2006, he had a clear vision. To champion transformation. Transformation that would in turn bring about social equality as well as implement broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). This determined man who has two Masters Degrees from Thames Valley University and the University of London respectively also holds another Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) from California Coast University. And this comes as no surprise.

Prior to the BUSA appointment, he was the managing director of the Black Management Forum, a membership organisation representing black managers in South Africa, a responsibility that he was very passionate about, and one that no doubt gave him the grounding for his current role. While the motifs of both organizations are rather opposed - the BMF aims to represent the interests of black managers while BUSA – aims to unify the entire business community by removing any racial divides – it is clear that both roles call for representation of interests.

The mandate of BUSA, a confederation of employer and business organizations active in macroeconomic, social policy and the formulation of business positions, was also very clear. To unite the business community in South Africa.

But equally so, to act as the principal representative of business in South Africa in its not only national, but also continental and international spheres of activity so as to ensure a unified voice with consistent representation of the views of the South African business community.

Further, BUSA aims to ensure that organised business plays a constructive role, within the context of the country’s economic growth and development goals, in achieving an environment in which businesses of all sizes can thrive, expand and be competitive both nationally and internationally. As a confederation of chambers of commerce and industry, professional associations, corporate associations and unisectoral employer’s organisations, BUSA represents over 80% of business in South Africa and their mission is to one day represent all 100% of it.

“Our mandate is to lobby government on behalf of the South African business community to ensure that the regulatory environment makes it easy to do business. For example we represent businesses’ interests in the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) where all the social partners meet to negotiate on policies,” adds Vilakazi.

On an international level, BUSA is also a member of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), the Pan-African Employers’ Confederation (PEC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Employer’s Group. BUSA is also the official representative of business at the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

“We also promote South Africa as the investment destination of choice and at the same time search for opportunities and new markets for South African products and services outside the country,” says Vilakazi.

Post 1994, business in South Africa still reflected the racial division of the past, with whites owning and controlling most businesses. Organized business was also divided between white – representing established business and black business which mostly represented emerging black entrepreneurs and small businesses that used to operate in the black townships. In a democratic SA this dual representation posed a challenge for most businesses as far as credibility was concerned. The birth of BUSA took place in the search for a unified and credible voice of SA business.

“Because business in South Africa has been racially divided, part of the deracialisation mandate has required that the business community look to organs that represent business and especially focus on unity while transforming, and hence the relevance of an organization such as BUSA,” he says.

According to Vilakazi, the coming together of black and white business was not the climax of BUSA’s job rather a means to an end. The post apartheid economy and organized business had to mirror the South African society in order to respond to the social challenges that were facing the country - high rates of unemployment, poverty, the big gap between the rich and the poor, etc. SA needed a transforming business community that is is responsive to the social challenges created by many years of social and economic exclusion of the majority whose plight today is characterized by high levels of poverty and unemployment.

Vilakazi points out that Africa as a continent has very weak private sector institutions, so it is imperative that Africa puts emphasis on building them because they are key to promoting business interests and advancing understanding with governments. A strong private sector is also necessary for the creation of free market economies as well as strengthening capacity to lobby for legislation which is conducive to attracting foreign direct investment.

“Where there is a strong private sector group able to engage and lobby with government, you will find a strong presence of investors. This also culminates into forging of trusts in the business arena,” adds Vilakazi.

One of the leadership challenges that Africa as a continent continues to face is social and economic inequality. And while the continent continues to experience high levels of economic growth, there are still many challenges of social inequality that need to be addressed in order to see the full realization of the economic potential of the continent. Business leaders have also got to find ways of responding to this challenge and not leave it to governments only.

Hence the significance of continental business forums which bring together key players from the business and political arenas in Africa. One of these is the African Business Leaders Forum (ABLF), which this year will be held in Accra, Ghana from October 17th to 19th.

“I am very optimistic about the ABLF as it brings together the top leaders from the business community and give them a chance to discuss challenges that confront our continent and raise innovative solutions through sharing of experiences,” affirms Vilakazi.

The ABLF forum is targeted at chief executives, managing directors, chairmen, director generals, government advisors, legislators, political and civil society leaders, entrepreneurs, legal advisors, senior and middle-level decision-makers in public/private organizations in Africa. The purpose of the ABLF is to concentrate minds on finding solutions to challenging issues of leadership at various levels in Africa.

This forum provides an interface for stakeholders in the public and private sectors to make viable contributions to addressing these challenges. More than 500 participants from 25 African countries attended the African Business Leaders Forum 2006 held in Johannesburg gathering high-level decision-makers from both public and private sectors. And the publicity and attention the event garnered was phenomenal with four live TV broadcast debates taking place during the forum, covering issues of service delivery and infrastructure development, skills development and mentorship, women empowerment, economic growth and sustainability, good governance and poverty alleviation.

“The ABLF is in my view one of the most significant business platforms in the continent, able to bring together people who are actually at the realm of decision making in both government as well as the private sector,” he adds.

Vilakazi in his capacity as one of the 36 world renowned speakers will be discussing how the business community should respond to the challenges of social inequality while identifying the key issues that drive this vice in economies.

Because business cannot sufficiently respond to the problems of Africa on its own and neither can government, the ABLF platform allows for a much needed interaction between business and government leaders in finding a solution to the problems that the continent is faced with in growing and developing its economy.

Granted, Africa has resources that should allow it to stand tall among many other countries in the world. A forum like the ABLF is very critical as it brings together all social partners who are integral partners in the journey towards the destination of this magnificent continent.

“It is very important not to forget that civilization started in this continent and therefore ultimately nothing should stop us from leading the continent back to its former statue and glory,” points out Vilakazi.

“Political leadership is also very significant to the growth of business. We need policies that are conducive to doing business. The suspicion and mistrust that often exist between government and business must come to an end. We should work together especially in addressing issues of trade barriers which hinder the effectiveness of doing business in Africa,” he adds.

And this then begs the question. Why is it that countries in Africa find themselves doing more business with countries outside of the continent than with those within?

Jerry quickly notes that it is imperative that governments deal with legislation issues as far as doing business within the continent is concerned. “Why don’t we make it attractive to do business within and amongst ourselves, within our continent?” he asks.

You find a country X that neighbours country Y in Africa. Country X has a resource or product that Country Y needs but Country Y finds it much easier to import the resource from outside the continent as opposed to buying from their immediate neighbour. Had the process been easier and the transaction happened between X and Y, so much time, money and energy would have been saved and put into another endeavour. It is simply ludicrous.

“There are a number of infrastructural challenges in Africa, that limit doing business in Africa as well. This is why we have welcomed the Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund Facilitation initiative (PAIDF) – by Africans and for Africans - which urges countries to respond to the infrastructural challenges in their own countries,” he adds.

The establishment of PAIDF is an initiative by the New Partnership for Africa (NEPAD) and is supported by the South African government and the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), South Africa´s largest investor of pension funds. PAIDF´s purpose is to create an investment platform for much needed basic infrastructure in Africa, to accelerate growth for sustainable development in Africa. The responsibility of infrastructure in each country is the problem of the country itself, but the NEPAD initiative should also identify the key problems that should be addressed. This is definitely an initiative that requires support from both the private sector and the government.

“I must stress the issue of regional development which in turn grows and links into the continent as a whole. The continent needs to address its challenges regionally (region by region) in order to eventually address the whole of it successfully. For example, one of the prime challenges that faces Africa in the future is energy security. This challenge can be dealt with by looking for solutions regionally. Take the DRC for example that houses the Congo River, whose capacity to generate electricity is not only enough to cater for East and central Africa but possibly the continent as a whole,” explains Vilakazi.

The same example can be applied to various other sectors including the telecommunications sector as well as the countries that are landlocked or do not have ports. The solution is to find regional solutions that also work for the good of the continent as a whole.

“It is also essential that we encourage and enable cross-border communication through efficient infrastructure,” he says. Proper communication lines, proper infrastructure allows for efficient business practice which translates into profitable returns. There generally also needs to be a change in thinking throughout the continent - in recognizing the worth of Africa’s resources as well as her potential.

Regarding the recent reports in the media that indicated that BUSA was concerned about the implementation of broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) by private companies in South Africa, Vilakazi is not looking to appease the situation.

“It is important to note that if democratic SA does not translate into economic opportunities for all citizens, they will one day stand up and demand why. When the citizens of this country went to vote, they did so for a better life and new opportunities,” notes Vilakazi.

In his opinion, deracialization of society is key in creating an equitable society. Blacks, women, people with disabilities were previously excluded both in terms of positions in companies as well as ownership. Therefore transformation of the economy in South Africa is not to boost the ego of BUSA. It is a democratic and constitutional requirement. A failure to implement transformation is inexcusable.

“While there are some businesses that have done well, the majority of them are dragging their feet. Into the 2nd decade of democracy – we have, along with other partners negotiated to implement transformation,” explains Vilakazi.

Vilakazi notes that the recent employment equity commission report, painted a bad picture as far as implementation of the BEE legislation was concerned. “We have sent out a message to the ‘bad apples’ to conform to transformation. Some companies however, understand the principles of good corporate citizenship which is encouraging,” added Vilakazi.

“Black professionals also feel that they are being neglected as far as transformation is concerned. Moreover, we are listening to the anger that is coming through from a number of communities in the townships where people have been marching in the streets against poor service delivery and economic opportunities. We have been saying to our constituencies that this anger may not only be directed at government – the people are saying:

Thirteen years down the line of democratic SA, where is the economic change that they voted for?” he says

According to Vilakazi the private sector has a huge responsibility to create opportunities for the formally excluded groups of society and BEE seeks to enable this process. Persons with disabilities were previously sentenced to the welfare system. “When we enable these people, we make them positive contributors to the economy and take them off government’s grants,” he says. That is a win-win situation. It is also important to focus on women development by creating opportunities for women because in many parts of rural SA, many women still face utmost poverty.

Political change and transformation is undoubtedly not simple. Many lives were sacrificed to get to the point where South Africans could sit around a table to find a political settlement.

“We need to ask ourselves how we managed to get to this point successfully,” notes Vilakazi. There must have been a willingness and a commitment from all the leaders representing all our people including the government of the day. The miracle was simply a commitment and a willingness to agree, for the betterment of the lives of every citizen.

“We are now faced with the challenge of economic transformation and we need to deal with it. Legislations (like BEE) can help us to address this because it creates a framework but we need willingness and commitment of business leaders to change,” he explains.

Now and then the issue of a timeline for affirmative action has been raised, causing a lot of whispered discussions among people. But Vilakazi has no concern for it.

“The issue of a timeline on BEE is totally unreasonable at this point as progress to implement it in any case has been very slow. The key issue rather is how to increase the pace of transformation,” says Vilakazi.

“What we need to do is galvanise awareness for the implementation at this stage. Only once we feel that the economy mirrors the South African society can we begin to remotely consider it,” adds Vilakazi.

South Africa has definitely come a long way to get to its current position in many different perspectives. The policies that the South African Government implements as far as business is concerned are huge and other African economies can take a leaf from it.

The government has focused on creating macro-economic environment which could make the country an attractive investor destination. This directly builds confidence in the private sector to invest in the country.

“You need the private sector to invest when faced with the challenge of poverty. Government can only distribute wealth not create it and the government was aware of this. So the private sector creates wealth, followed by jobs and more jobs, better and more collection of tax enabling the government to address the social inequalities,” says Vilakazi.

The answer may lie in creating a free market economy with limited state interference. It is when business confidence is at its highest and there is economic policy certainty that the private sector invests more because without this the governments cannot provide better healthcare, education or infrastructural development. Also without taxes the government will be forced to borrow money from offshore funds. The SA government had also decided against borrowing funds and instead implemented very tight fiscal discipline and focused on improving the macro economic policy environment to attract more private sector investment. Hopefully, this will encourage the continent.

“It is scary to imagine that less than five countries contribute to 50% of the GDP of Africa. This says that we need to encourage economic growth in the rest of the continent. BUSA will continue to encourage South African companies to invest and do more business within the continent,” says Vilakazi.

BUSA’s role is also to ensure that SA companies doing business in the continent are also sensitive and responsive to the social problems and that when they go to other African countries they must include a meaningful participation of the locals in those countries as well.

“We want to make sure that the companies play a meaningful role to those societies and economies. We as South African business must however be cautious in the way that we deal with the rest of the continent. It would be unfortunate if the private sector in Africa, felt that South Africa was taking on a big brother role. And it will be a sad day the day that South Africa actually feels like that,” he notes.

“Rather, see it as a partnership and not shy off from leading - by offering the continent whatever they can in order to assist in developing their economies so as to maximize the capacity that we have as a continent,” he concludes.

It is apparent that Jerry Vilakazi is more an action man than he is a talking man and one can only expect the most out of any thing that he takes on.

www.businessinafrica.net | leadership An Undeterred Vision for Transformation

Floods Force Some 10,000 From Their Homes

2007-09-08T11:14:00.001+01:00

Flooding in northeast Ghana has killed at least six people and displaced some 10,000, according to local news reports.

Local media reports said floods destroyed some 4,500 homes in the Upper East Region after torrential rains from 24 to 29 August.

Sources in Ghana could not be reached due to problems with international calls to the country, but local news reports compiled by IRIN recount widespread destruction in the region.

The floods reportedly resulted in part from a dam break in neighbouring Burkina Faso. An Agriculture Ministry official in Burkina Faso told IRIN that floods had destroyed many dams in the country over the past month.

From 24 to 25 August 112mm of rain reportedly fell in the town of Sandema, where three people were reported dead.

The flooding is also said to have caused the collapse of major bridges in the Upper East Region.

"So severe were the floods that some victims were forced to take up refuge in trees, and others had to be rescued by boats," according to The Statesman newspaper. Many of the victims are reportedly farmers whose crops have been destroyed, the paper said.

Government officials have visited the region to assess the damage and announced they would deliver initial relief supplies to those affected.

Regional authorities had appealed to the government, charitable organisations, religious bodies and non-governmental organisations for help, local radio said.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Floods Force Some 10,000 From Their Homes (Page 1 of 1)

Upper-East disaster: 40,000 victims, 10,000 homeless, 100s of houses destroyed

2007-09-07T10:07:00.003+01:00

The floods that have hit the Upper East Region and sections of the Northern Region have incidentally exposed deficiencies in the law passed four years ago to check corruption in an area that Government spends over $1,000 annually in procurement.

The heavy rains last week in the Upper East Region and sections of the Northern Region made farmers not only lose their crops but now have the extra headache of how to repay bank loans taken for the farming season.

According to the National Disaster Management Organisation, flood victims in the Upper East Region are to receive relief items worth ¢1.1 billion as the first line of official support.

According to George Isaac Amoo, National Co-ordinator of NADMO, efforts to send relief materials to the thousands of homeless and hungry flood victims have been severely hampered by the procurement process as the purchase of relief items has faced delays. It is a clear indication that the Pubic Procurement Act may have to be looked at again to make it more speedily responsive to disaster situations.

Commuters on the Tamale-Bolgatanga road cannot miss the extent of the devastation to homes and farms. So severe were the floods that some victims were forced to take up refuge on trees, and others had to be rescued by boats.

The cost of damage caused to property runs into hundreds of thousands of Ghana cedis. In the Upper East Region, 4,578 houses have been destroyed by the floods. An estimated 10,000 people, including children, have been rendered homeless.

In general, victims of the floods are estimated to be more than 40,000 in the Upper East Region alone. When the Ministerial delegation went there last week, earlier reports put the number of fatalities at 25. But subsequent reports have mentioned six dead.

A GNA reporter who witnessed the damage said at the Talensi-Nabdam district, the bridge linking Bolgatanga and its environs was filled to the brim while electricity pylons at Nasia in the Northern Region had been submerged in water.

The heavy rains last week swept the disaster further down to the vital Tono Irrigation Project, which suffered severe damage. The floods also hit Tolon-Kumbungu and Buipe in the Northern Region, caused by the River Volta bursting its banks and flooding most of the settlements along it.

The environmental damage may however take years to fix. Trees planted along the banks of the Volta River have been destroyed.

Farmers have not only lost their crops but now have the extra headache of how to repay bank loans taken for the farming season.

NADMO officials believe by Saturday, ¢10 billion of relief package will get to the victims.

The disaster zones includes the Bawku Municipality, Bawku West, Garu-Tempane, Talensi-Nabdam and Builsa districts.

The damaged Kulungugu bridge linking Ghana to Burkina Faso will cost ¢250million to restore, experts estimate.

Peter Dagadu, Director of Ghana Highways Authority, told reporters a further provisional amount of ¢415m was required to fix the damaged Tamne Bridge linking Garu to the rest of Upper East as well as Northern Region.

Moses Appiah Abaare, Bawku West District Chief Executive said his local assembly has committed ¢200m in relief assistance to the victims, mostly farmers whose crops including sorghum and water melon had been destroyed.

Vice President Aliu Mahama, who led a team of experts and Ministers to the affected areas for a whole working day tour, announced that a high-powered team comprising Ministers and the security agencies had been constituted to tackle the Upper East flood situation.

"Government means business and that is why we have to see things for ourselves. I have also brought you hope," he said.

The Sub- Cabinet Committee tasked by the President John Agyekum Kufuor comprising the Ministers of Defence, Interior, National Security, Finance and Economic Planning, and officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation to ascertain the level of damage caused by torrential rains which led to flooding in the Upper East Region are yet to make their report available to the President a week after the incident.

Kwamena Bartels, Interior Minister, who led the government's delegation for the assessment, declined to comment on the situation to The Statesman when contacted on phone.

The appropriate thing, according to him, "is to submit the team's recommendations to the President, who gave us the task and not the press."

Agnes Chigabatia, Deputy Minister for Upper East, told this paper that as at yesterday, it was still raining in the Region but the downpour was not as severe as last week’s rains.

She said as a native and a Member of Parliament from the area, she is moved by the unfortunate event and has therefore made available ¢70 m out of her MP’s Common Fund to purchase millet, rice, sugar, gari and other essential items for the victims.

Touching on the extent of damage, she said, 756 houses collapsed in 12 communities in the Talensi Nabdam District, while in Builsa District, 700 houses collapsed, rendering 2,000 people homeless.

In the Bongo District, 122 houses collapsed rendering 170 people homeless, whereas 1,500 houses collapsed in the Bawku District with 5,200 people displaced.

Navrongo which suffered similar losses a few days ago also recorded a total number of 1,500 collapsed houses, rendering 3,000 people homeless. Some bridges were washed away and farm produce destroyed.

According to her, NADMO dispatched three truck loads of relief items comprising of foodstuffs, clothing, blankets, bed sheets, cooking utensils to those whose household goods had been washed away.

Rainbow Aid, a charity organisation, assisted flood victims by delivering a truck load of relief items to the affected areas. Citizens joined in, donating used clothes to a Catholic Church in Accra, St Kizito, which will be sent to the victims up north.

The Statesman : News : Upper-East disaster: 40,000 victims, 10,000 homeless, 100s of houses destroyed

Goil goes public: IPO to raise more than GH¢17m for operation

2007-09-07T10:07:00.001+01:00

Ghana Oil Company Limited is going public to raise more than GH¢17 million to fund its operations.

The company's first-ever Initial Public Offer would put on the market an unrestricted open cash share offer which will put up a total offer of 89,115,187 ordinary shares.

A share which is expected to value at 20 Ghana pesewas or ¢2,000 would last till October 5, 2007. Prospective institutional and individual investors are required to subscribe a minimum number of 300 ordinary shares, amounting to GH¢60 (¢600,000).

The decision to list GOIL on the Ghana Stock Exchange is in line with government's policy of reducing its involvement in the running of commercial entities and releasing sate-owned enterprises from its control.

The company is also expected to use ¢50 billion (GH¢50 million) out of the proceed from the IPO for the construction of new filling stations, rehabilitation of old stations, expansion of storage Depots and diversify into other related businesses.

"This capital re-enforcement is expected to be translated into higher profits and dividends," Acting Board Chairman of GOIL, Freddie Blay, has said. The oil company said it ahs set a minimum of GH¢9.26 million, (¢92.59 billion) to be realised from the offer, adding that, "If the amount is not obtained, all monies paid for the shares under the offer would be returned within eight days after the offer closes on October 12, 2007."

The government which is the wholly owned shareholder for the company for now will maintain 51 percent stake of the company, offering the remaining 49 percent to the public.

Management of GOIL also pledged to offer five percent of the company’s shares to its employees who have worked for the company for a minimum of one year.

GOIL’s turnover growth has been solid over the past five years, growing from ¢571 billion in 2002 to ¢1.9 trillion in 2006. Despite a 112 percent growth in operating costs, the management was able to deliver a whopping bottom line growth of 1,396 percent over the corresponding period.

GOIL enjoys an average market share of 18.1 percent and is considered as the market leader in the retail business among the over 40 registered oil marketing companies in the country.

The company currently has a large retail network, comprising of 85 filling stations, 61 service stations and 138 consumer outlets spread across the country.

Out of the filling and service station, 81 are owned by GOIL, while 65 are joint venture stations. Launching the IPO in Accra yesterday, the Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, assured that in the process of oversubscription, Government would sell additional shares tot eh public.

The Statesman : Business : Goil goes public: IPO to raise more than GH¢17m for operation

Ghana gets offshore bank

2007-09-06T10:06:00.001+01:00

Ghana's focus to become a major player in the global financial markets will take off on Friday, September 7, with the opening of the first offshore banking operation.
Offshore banking is the provision of tailor-made banking services for non-resident, expatriates and institutions to save their money abroad rather than those in their home countries.
It offers a tax efficient environment for a wide range of savings and investment products.
The management of Barclays Bank Ghana Limited was granted a General Banking License by the Bank of Ghana to operate the first banking business under the International Banking Component of the International Financial Services Centre.
The International Financial Services Centre will have a full range of non-bank financial services and it is part of a comprehensive financial sector development programme.
Ms Catherine Addo, Head, Offshore Banking of Barclays Bank, told Ghana News Agency that Barclays decided to open the facility because of the safe and stable political environment, good corporate governance and sound economic policies.
She said offshore banking operations, apart from impacting positively on the country's image as an investment destination of choice, would make available a pool of capital inflows that institutions and companies could tap into to spur the country's economic development.
It is estimated that about 50 per cent of the world capital inflows come from offshore banks.
Other benefits include additional revenue for government, employment creation and transfer of expertise.
Ms Addo said although offshore banking could be a potential avenue for money laundering, Barclays Bank had put in place a rigorous system and procedures to ensure that such monies did not find their way into the system.
The Bank, she said, was drawing on the expertise of its staff in London and Mauritius to ensure the smooth take-off of the operations.
Mr Dela Selormey, Head of Banking Supervision of Bank of Ghana, said the Bank had in place a sound regulatory environment to ensure a smooth take-off.
Mr Andrew Awuni, Presidential Press Secretary, described the prospects of offshore banking as "exciting".
He said it would enhance the country's status in the global financial market and as a leader in the West African Sub-Region as well as increase the capacity of the Bank to lend.

Myjoyonline.com Ghana News :: Ghana gets offshore bank ::: Breaking News | News in Ghana | business