Category: General

The Ashanti regional secretariat of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is placing emphasis on cash crop production as part of efforts to reduce poverty and increase foreign exchange earnings for the country.

The regional MoFA is currently focusing on the planting of cash crops such as coconut, cashew, oil palm, mango and others, and has since 2018, distributed a total of 8,132,515 seedlings of varied cash crops to farmers and institutions to plant in the region.

Reverend Dr John Manu, Regional Director of Agriculture, who made this known said the region was taking advantage of the government’s Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) initiative to increase cash crop production to help improve incomes of farmers and reduce poverty in region.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview ahead of the 39th national farmers’ day celebrations, he said over three million seedlings of cashew alone had been distributed to farmers within the last five years.

All these activities, he explained
, were intended to project and support the government’s policies of boosting agricultural production to increase exports, reduce poverty among farmers and stabilize the economy.

Rev. Dr Manu said the Planting for Food and Jobs had benefited many farmers adding that between 2017 and 2022, almost one million farmers in Ashanti had benefitted from the initiative.

He said as part of efforts to develop a competitive and more efficient livestock industry that increased domestic production, reduced importation of livestock products and contributed to employment generation, over 1,100 piglets had been distributed to about two hundred farmers in the region.

Again, out-breeder sheep farmers have received 815 sheep whereas the Ejura Breeding Station has been given 613 sheep to breed for onward distribution to farmers.

A total of 40,000 broilers were supplied and distributed to 19 poultry farmers to expand production.

Rev. Dr. Manu reiterated the role agriculture played in ensuring food security and reducing poverty
among others, saying the role agriculture played during the COVID-19 pandemic was an ample testimony of the crucial role of the sector.

He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to continue to support the government’s efforts at making the sector attractive enough to help create jobs and ensuring socio-economic development.

On the Greenhouse Technology Development House Village Module, the MoFA Rev. Dr Manu said vegetables produced in the greenhouse at Akumadan were in higher demand on the domestic market.

The facility, he said, sold high-quality vegetables to shopping malls and restaurants across the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency

1. The Board and Management of Strategic Security Systems International Limited (formerly known informally as ‘3SIL’) has taken note of certain publications in sections of the media, notably the Herald newspaper and on its online platform (theheraldghana.com) alleging certain malfeasances against our company, which we deem worthy of adequate response.

2. The report, first published on 22nd November, 2023, alleges in substance a number of false narratives against our company, for which we are obligated to respond in order to set the records straight as it relates to public discussions.

3. In the first place, the publication makes reference to a so-called upheaval by the workers of COCOBOD over its Management’s consideration to award a contract for the supply of solar torch lights to our company. It is worthy to note that the publication neither makes any reference to actual sources from COCOBOD nor does it name any staff or member of the Board or Management of COCOBOD that has openly expressed opposition to
any of its Management’s considerations. All that the story does is to jumble up a cacophony of fictionalized narratives by nameless and faceless persons mixed with heated adjectives, just to excite public sentiments against our company.

4. We wish to place on record that this so-called ‘upheaval’ at COCOBOD is false and fabricated. COCOBOD is an entity of State and speaks through its Management or Board. To date, no member of COCOBOD’s Management or its Board or even any named member of its staff has openly voiced any opposition to any issue at all before COCOBOD as it relates to our company. Our company, over the years, has maintained a working relationship with COCOBOD and will in the future continue to maintain good working relationships with all our customers and work partners.

5. The publication also makes certain representations that we somehow ’employ every tactic in the books to have our way’ with COCOBOD. It is difficult to fathom the exact breadth of the expression used in the publication yet it i
s clear that the publishers of the story seek to insinuate accusations of unpleasant business practices against our company in the mind of the ordinary reader of the story. Such an accusation could not be further from the truth.

6. Strategic Security Systems is a law-abiding company and like all other companies seeks to offer its services to any customer on the market. The company follows all laid-down procurement laws and practices in obtaining contracts from Government. Over the years, the company has participated in several public sector Tenders, and in that respect, won a few and lost many of these Tenders. As an example, Tenders that have been awarded to our company includes the referenced solar street lights contract that our company is currently executing for COCOBOD after several years of delay and a lawsuit that was eventually settled in Court and entered as Judgment in our favour. As a matter of record, our company was awarded that contract after the initial awardee of the open competitive Tender p
rocess failed to execute the contract, leaving COCOBOD with no other option than to award it to our company, which came second in the scoring for that particular open Tender. It is therefore a flight of fancy for any journalist or hidden faces behind these false publications to insinuate that we were employing certain tactics to win contracts.

7. With respect to the solar street lights contract, COCOBOD itself has acknowledged its role in the delay of the execution of the contract and on 13th April, 2018, is on record as having apologized to our company for that mishap and others, after its former Management failed to clear for several years the items imported for installation and racked up huge costs on demurrage at the ports. Our lawsuit to compel COCOBOD to abide by the terms of that contract is what occasioned the current Management to seek out a settlement of the lawsuit which has eventually led to the ongoing execution of the contract for which our company is on schedule to deliver.

8. With respect to
the solar torch light contract referenced in the publication, any worthy journalist would find from the available records at the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) that our company was awarded a similar contract in the past based on pure merit, our company’s exclusive access to certain specifications required, and the urgency of the supply. Our execution of that previous contract met with the praise and satisfaction of not just COCOBOD but more importantly, the farmers, for whom COCOBOD exists to serve. For the uninitiated mind, mostly sitting in Accra and other urban areas enjoying the luxury of electric power supply, it is easy to assume that the name of the product (‘solar torch light’) is akin to an ordinary torch light with a panel. The publication by the Herald newspaper intentionally omitted to state the particular high-end specifications and attributes of this specialized product, when the facts are that this is a specialized item that gives the farmers in the rural communities, most of whom are not c
onnected to the national electricity grid, high visibility and functionality at night time. The multipurpose use of this specialized product provides the farmers with several benefits that transform their lives and that of their families at night time including assisting their wards to study at night, enabling them to charge their mobile devices and even allowing them to attend nature’s call at any hour after sunset without risking death from encounters with wild creatures such as poisonous snakes and scorpions.

9. COCOBOD itself is aware of the benefits to the ordinary farmer of these items and given its popularity in the past, and the demand by the farmers for the supply of more of these products to them, COCOBOD in its wisdom has sought to meet them at the point of their needs, as it should do. The general public would recall that on 10th May, 2019, the members of the Ghana Cocoa, Coffee and Sheanut Farmers Association met the President at the Jubilee House and made a specific request to the President for
these very solar lighting equipment, to which the President instructed the CEO of COCOBOD and the Minister of Agriculture to ensure that they assisted the farmers with their request. This information is already in the public domain and easily verifiable. Any running publication therefore that COCOBOD’s Management or Board is against the supply of this product is fiction.

10. Further, the allegations contained in the publications as to the cost price of the items are completely false and the available records at the PPA which approved the procurement of that contract would have debunked that assertion if the Herald newspaper and other media outlets that republished these false stories had bothered to undertake their duties well and professionally.

11. The attempts by the Herald newspaper and its associates to rope our company into murky politics by its assertions that our company has dealings with the two leading political parties in Ghana is also misplaced and misconceived, and is a mischief that we would e
ntreat the general public to disregard. There is no doubt that since the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and indeed since the establishment of our company, there have been only two political parties that have obtained the mandate of the people of Ghana to govern the country. Indeed, as a company, COCOBOD is one of many customers that we have and we have executed contracts for and on behalf of many other companies or agencies, both in the public and private sectors. We deem it as a mark of our unique professionalism, competence and expertise in the various fields in which we run our businesses that we have been successful and thrived in these fields no matter the political party in power.

12. These successes have not happened by accident or by dealings with political parties as falsely alleged by the publications, but have been attained by hard work, innovation, competitiveness and tenacity of purpose, which are values that have underpinned the administration and growth of
our company and its affiliates. We take every pride in these strides. Indeed, just as we have made achievements, so have we suffered setbacks in the course of our business life. There have been occasions where we have won Tenders that were subsequently taken from us for no justifiable reasons, other occasions where we have been awarded contracts for which we were subsequently forced to share those contracts with other companies by Government agencies, other occasions when we have completely executed contracts and were either never paid or were paid so late that all profits were swallowed by bank charges and interests leading to financial losses for our business, and even on other occasions where we have spent significant sums to participate in Government Tenders for which a winner has never been announced. If the allegations in the media were therefore worthy of any truth, our so-called dealings with the leading political parties ought to have completely insulated or protected our company and its affiliates f
rom the occurrence of these massive financial setbacks. That has simply not been the case. The substance contained in the publications by the Herald newspaper and other outlets are therefore false and should be disregarded by the general public.

13. By this Press Release, we wish to entreat all journalists to raise and maintain the high standards expected of them by the general public, as the fourth estate of the realm. We further wish to entreat all political actors, activists and other commentators to appraise themselves of facts before commenting on any illadvised and non-researched rumours parading as news stories in sections of the media, to avoid embarrassment to themselves and potential voter disgruntlements against them.

14. As a company, we jealously guard our reputation and business orientations, and in the future we shall not hesitate to seek legal redress against any outlet that publishes false, misleading and defamatory stories about our company or any of our affiliates.

15. We hope and trust
that this Press Release would set the records straight concerning the aforementioned publications and provide the much-needed circumspection in discussions concerning the matters aforementioned.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin, has directed the Minister of Trade and Industry to submit to Parliament’s Subsidiary Legislation Committee the revised copy of the draft Legislative Instrument (LI) seeking to restrict importation of certain commodities.

He gave the directive on Tuesday after a pre-laying debate was held on the LI.

He further directed the Committee to ensure that the amendments proposed by the House were incorporated into the revised LI and report on same to the House.

On Thursday, November 30, the Instrument, if cleaned up, should be laid before the House, which could then assess the situation, the Speaker said, adding that he did not want any further delays.

Speaker Bagbin said he raised the issue on the floor of the House because Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond, the Trade and Industry Minister, presented his case to him and after hearing him, he was convinced.

However, he had not heard from the House, so he had to put it across to enable the members to make inputs for the best deci
sion to be taken.

‘There’ve been a number of attempts to lay the instrument here and there’ve been objections, but I didn’t know what was happening, so he came to give me his side of the story, and I agreed with him. But before I could permit him to lay the Instrument, I wanted to hear from the House what the challenge is,’ he said.

At the end of pre-laying debate, the Speaker reiterated his concern to getting the business of the House going, after ironing out all differences.

‘Clearly what has been made available to me does not include cement, cement is not there. So, it means that this Instrument is not the initial one that come before the Committee, what I can say is that Minister, kindly make available copies of this new draft to the Committee.’

When the instrument was laid one needs two-third votes of the House to annul it ‘and the partisan nature of the House is such that you scarcely get such two-thirds majority to annul such instruments,’ the Speaker said.

‘And what many of you don’t know is that
some of these instruments have led to holders of public office being imprisoned….’

‘As a Leader, I had the opportunity of advising ministers and public servants on some of these instruments and they did not listen to me, they were laid and passed and at the end of the day, those instruments caught up on them.’

The Speaker said it was during the implementation of the instruments that some offences were committed and those in charge were prosecuted and convicted.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, said he thought the House was making progress with the LI and was taken aback by the sudden resurrection of the issue.

He urged the House to build consensus on it to ensure its passage before it adjourned for the Christmas break on December 22.

Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority Leader, recalled that on Friday, November 24, his side objected to an attempt by the Trades Minister to lay the LI before the House.

However, the Maj
ority Leader came in with some amendments, which assured that they would be incorporated into the draft LI and then presented to the House before it would be laid.

‘Mr Speaker, as we speak, we have not seen the changes that he (the Majority Leader) promised to effect in the draft Regulation. Mr Speaker, I am at a loss because he wants to lay the same Regulation today.’

Dr Forson raised concern over the non-accompaniment of a Fiscal Impact Analysis to the LI, as sated by the Public Financial Management Act, which demands an estimated effect on revenues and expenditures for the financial year in which the legislation?was expected to come into effect.

Dr Dominic Ayine, the Chair of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee, and NDC MP for Bolgatanga East, said the Committee, after considering the original draft LI, concluded that the Minister had not exceeded his powers under the Act and that they also evaluated it against the Constitution and came to a similar conclusion.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the NDC MP of Tamale
South and a former Minister of Trade and Industry, said the principle to protect infant industries was important and that the House must build consensus on it.

He cautioned the Minister that he might, by this legislation, be inviting retaliatory measures by other countries.

Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, the Deputy Minority Whip and NDC MP of Banda, said various trade unions such as the Ghana Union Traders Association, had petitioned the House to express their concern over the LI

Mr Hammond, on his part, said the LI made provisions for a 13- Member Committee, which would be making decisions with regard to restricted imports and that anyone having an issue with its decisions would have to go to court for redress.

The LI seeks to restrict the importation of 22 commodities such as rice, sugar, diapers, poultry and intestines (yemuadie).

However, it makes provisions for exceptions, such that those who want to import such commodities would have to go to the Ministry of Trade and Industry to see a committee for a permit.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Office of the President says it is not true that the Presidency is putting up a lukewarm attitude in taking a decision on the Criminal Offences (Amendment) (No.2) Bill.

Contrary to media reports, the Office asserted the commitment of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to giving due attention to the Bill pursuant to Article 106 (7) of the Constitution.

A statement issued by the Communications Directorate, Jubilee House, a copy made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Accra, said the Constitution ‘affords the President seven days to review and give his assent to any Bill presented to him.’

‘Indeed, the Bill was officially presented to the President for his assent together with the Wildlife Resources Management Bill, 2023, and National Petroleum Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023, under cover of a letter dated 27th November 2023, with reference PS/CS/112/826.’

‘It is important to note that the President is still well within the legally stipulated time frame to make a decision regarding the Bill.

‘
During this period, the President may examine the Bill thoroughly and, if necessary, convey any concerns or suggestions he might have regarding its contents to Parliament,’ the statement noted.

Mr. Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, is reported on Monday to have expressed concern over the delay in giving a presidential assent to the Bill – passed on Thursday, July 27, this year.

The Criminal Offences (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2023, is a legislative measure aimed at amending the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

It is specifically designed to outlaw the roles of witch doctors or witch-finders, in addition to prohibiting the act of declaring, accusing, naming, or labelling an individual as a witch, alongside other related matters.

‘The Office of the President assures the public and media that Bills, including this current Bill, the Criminal Offences (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2023, are being attended to with the utmost respect for constitutional mandates and legislative processes,’ the statement affi
rmed.

It stressed that it was wrong for the Speaker of Parliament as well as the Minority Caucus in Parliament to assume that the President had remained silent on the Bill, as reported by the media.

‘How could the Speaker of Parliament accuse the President of remaining silent on the Bill when it was officially presented to him on Monday, 27th November 2023, the same day the Speaker made the accusation?’ The statement questioned.

The Private Member’s Bill was sponsored by Mr. Francis-Xavier Sosu, the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina.

Other sponsors included Hajia Laadi Ayii Ayamba, MP for Pusiga, Dr. Godfred Seidu Jasaw, MP for Wa-East, Madam Helen Ntoso, MP for Krachi-West, and Madam Betty Krosbi Mensah, MP for Afram Plains.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Newmont Corporation in Africa with its Ghana operations (Ahafo South and Akyem mines) in the third quarter of 2023 paid GH? 810.70 million in taxes, royalties, levies, and carried interest to the Government.

These payments were made through the Ghana Revenue Authority, Forestry Commission, and Ministry of Finance.

A statement issued in Accra by Mr David Ebo Johnson, Director, Communications and External Relations Newmont Africa said the Ahafo South operation contributed GHS 441.90 million while the Akyem operation contributed GHS 368.80 million during the quarter (July to September).

It said these payments brought the company’s year-

to-date payments (January 1 to September 30 2023) to GH? 2.857 Billion.

The breakdown is as follows: GH? 1.829 billion as Corporate Tax, GH? 522.99 million as Mineral Royalties, GH? 291.59 million as Pay As You Earn, GH? 120.12 million as Withholding Tax, GH? 67.33 million as Carried Interest and GH? 25.78 million as Forestry Levy.

‘Newmont understands the value of its t
ax contributions in Ghana to support local and national development, and remains committed to accurate tax payments and disclosure, in accordance with its Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) commitments,’ Mr David Thorton, Managing Director of Newmont Africa.

Newmont has begun construction of its third mine in Ghana (the Ahafo North project), which is anticipated to add between 275,000 and 325,000 ounces per year for the first five full years of production, with commercial production expected during the second half of 2025.

When in commercial production, the Ahafo North mine would serve as an additional direct revenue stream for the government, in addition to employment creation, local

development, and other mutually agreed value-creation initiatives.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Stakeholders in environmental protection have expressed the need to leverage the potential of children to protect the environment, restore degraded lands and mitigate climate change impacts.

Environmental destruction, they said, continued to be a major challenge for many countries, leading to worsening climatic impacts on sectors such as agriculture and water, which threatened the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The environmental protection experts, teachers, and policy makers among others said children had significant role to play to reverse the trend when empowered with skills and knowledge on environmental protection and given the right tools to do so.

The experts made the call at Tongo in the Upper East Region during a review meeting of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) Eco Clubs project being implemented in the Talensi District of the region.

The two-year project was implemented by the Forum for Natural Regeneration (FONAR), an environmentally focused organization, in coll
aboration with the Ghana Education Service, with funding support from the Awaken Trees Foundation of Austria.

Fifteen basic schools in the district benefited from the project, which provided the children with basic tree management skills to undertake environmental restoration initiatives in the schools.

They did that through the FMNR approach, which involves regenerating shrubs and stumps naturally without planting new trees.

Mr Sumaila Saaka, the Executive Director of FONAR, noted that children, constituting approximately 23 per cent of Ghana’s population, also contributed to environmental degradation and were adversely affected by such activities.

He said children were agents of change and should not be left behind in strategies and measures to preserve the environment.

‘Once we build their capacities and make them understand the importance of preserving the environment, particularly trees in their communities, we will address the environmental challenges that we face because they are the future leader
s,’ he said.

Mr Saaka urged the communities, schools and the district assemblies to support the children by making lands available with the right tools to practice the FMNR concept to protect the environment.

The FMNR Eco Clubs and partners aim to empower young people to become environmental stewards and agents of positive change to address complex challenges such as the effects of climate change.

The review meeting was to evaluate the successes of the activities of the project being implemented within the two years which had benefited 300 students and 30 teachers directly.

The results from the assessment revealed that teachers and pupils had gained deeper understanding, knowledge and skills relating to natural regeneration of native trees and shrubs to mitigate deforestation and bushfires.

Mr Saaka noted that the project was undergoing redesigning for a second phase implementation.

Mr Titus Alzumah, the Human Resources Manager of the Talensi District Directorate, Ghana Education Service, commended FONA
R for instilling environmental protection values in the pupils and teachers to change behaviours.

Mr Robert Abeero Alpha, the Talensi District Director, National Disaster Management Organisation, said natural disasters were increasing and wild animals were becoming extinct due to destruction of the environment and called for collective stakeholder approach to address the menace.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The American Tower Corporation Ghana, (ATC Ghana) the largest independent owner and operator of shared wireless infrastructure in the country has donated relief items to flood victims in the North Tongu District.

The items were bags of sachet water, packs of sanitary towels, tins of Milo and Milk, detergents, cartons of tomato paste, cooking oil and toiletries among other essentials.

Mrs Letitia Attafuah, the Head of Human Resources for the company led the delegation to make the donations on behalf of Mr Ashutosh Singh, their Chief Executive Officer.

She stated that their donation was to sympathise and showcase their unwavering support for the displaced persons.

She indicated that the plight of the flood victims was a tough one and needed more support from individuals, organisations and government to resolve the situation.

Mrs Attafuah gave the assurance that her company would continue to offer more support to the flood victims to ensure a comprehensive solution to their plight whenever necessary.

Togb
ega Patamia Dzekley VII, the Paramount Chief of Battor, who received the items, expressed gratitude on behalf of the victims, and assured that the items would be distributed fairly among the displaced persons.

Togbega Dzekley however appealed to other individuals and organisations to emulate the gesture and also support the flood victims.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Sheila Minkah-Premo, Convener of the Affirmative Action Bill (AAB) Coalition, has charged gender rights advocates to intensify the advocacy for the swift passage of the Affirmative Action Bill.

The lawyer, at the Regional Consultative Forum in Accra, which served as a platform to garner commitments from key stakeholders for the smooth passage of the bill, pointed to the need for the intensification of advocacy efforts by stakeholders at all levels.

She said the bill, presented to Parliament on 31st October 2023, had gone through the first reading and was currently under a certificate of urgency hence, more commitment was needed from women’s rights organisations and other stakeholders to justify its passage.

‘This is the time advocates need to intensify advocacy, come together and write a strong-worded letter to parliament justifying the urgency to pass the bill into law,’ she said.

The consultative forum on the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill was sponsored by the Government of Canada and fiv
e other Gender rights groups namely, the Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) Ghana, Affirmative Action Bill Coalition, Plan International and Women’s Voice and Leadership in Ghana.

Madam Afua Brown Eyeson, the Chair of the National Executive Committee, WiLDAF Ghana, said her organisation, together with other organisations were working to strengthen the political will to pass the AA Bill into law.

The bill, she said, would help provide an accountability framework to measure gender equality, and empowerment of women among other things by the Executive, Judiciary, and the public and private sectors.

It will also give a boost to women’s quest for adequate representation on all levels of decision-making as stipulated in the Maputo Protocol of 2003, Beijing Platform for Action and other AU and ECOWAS Protocols on Gender Equality ratified by Ghana.

Madam Faustina Acheampong, the National Director, the Department of Gender at the Ministry of Gender, Chil
dren and Social Protection, said the Ministry would collaborate with all the stakeholders to facilitate the swift passage of the bill.

Gender Advocates say the Affirmative Action Bill, a proposed law, that if passed, will legally address a history of systematic discrimination, stereotypes, traditions, religious dogmas and practices that impede the socio-economic, socio-cultural rights and freedoms of women and girls.

Source: Ghana News Agency