Category: General

Officials of the Enforcement Units of the Ghana Revenue Authority has invited some shop owners for questioning as part of its efforts to ensure voluntary Value Added Tax (VAT) compliance.

The GRA expects that all suppliers of taxable items, goods, or services, issue VAT invoices as required by law, and in the same vein, the customer is required by law to obtain an invoice if such transactions attract VAT.

Mr Joseph Annan, Area Enforcement Manager of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in charge of Accra Central, said it was an infringement on the tax laws if businesses failed to issue the VAT when they were registered with the Authority.

Mr Annan was speaking during the ongoing tax invigilation exercise being conducted at the Authority in Accra. He said the shop owners had clearly violated the regulations of VAT.

On Tuesday, the team visited u-Fresh Company Limited, Computer Land Ghana Limited, Vegetable and Fruits Supermarket, Sulas Enterprise, and Mahalia Kollections, Emelijo Enterprise, Naa Amoah, Peva’s Mother Care and Divine organic hub – junction mall, among others.

Two of the shops were closed by the officials and some documents taken from the rest of the shops for assessment of their records.

He said the exercise or operations were part of an ongoing nationwide VAT Invigilation exercise by the authority to retrieve some taxes due the State.

The Enforcement Officer said all these shops visited failed to issue the VAT invoice when the team tested them hence the arrest and handing over to the Police for investigation and possible prosecution.

He told the Ghana News Agency some of these shops were selective in the issuance of the VAT invoice to their customers.

He said these individuals would be assessed and made to pay immediately and after that ‘we will commence a full audit on the companies.’

He said the exercise would continue until sanity prevailed or was restored in the system.

Mr Annan said the GRA as part of the nationwide invigilation would continue to embark on mystery shopping exercises across the country to apprehend culprits evading tax.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Floods have caused almost a quarter of a million people to flee their homes after the Shabelle River in central Somalia broke its banks and submerged the town of Beledweyne, even as the country faces its most severe drought in four decades, according to the government.

Aid agencies and scientists have warned climate change is among the key factors accelerating humanitarian emergencies, while those impacted are some of the least responsible for CO2 emissions.

Seasonal rains in Somalia and upstream in the Ethiopian highlands triggered flash floods that washed away homes, crops, and livestock, and temporarily closed schools and hospitals in Beledweyne, the capital of the Hiraan region, local residents said.

“At once the entire city was underwater. Beledweyne itself became like an ocean,” said shopkeeper Ahmed Nur, whose business was washed away.

“Only the roofs of the houses could be seen. We used small boats and tractors to rescue people,” he said.

Nur has been staying with relatives on the edge of the city which, just weeks earlier, had been celebrating the end of the crippling drought.

“Rain came, we were happy. People planted their crops,” he said.

The drought, coupled with violence and a spike in food prices caused by the war in Ukraine, killed as many as 43,000 people last year, according to United Nations figures.

Since mid-March, the floods have affected more than 460,000 nationwide and killed 22, according to the U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA).

The Somali Disaster Management Agency said the floods in Beledweyne alone have caused the displacement of more than 245,000 people.

“Recovery from six consecutive seasons of poor rainfall performance will take time,” OCHA said in a May 14 report.

The rains are recharging water sources and enabling vegetation to regenerate, however, it will take much more rainfall to effectively alleviate the impact of the recent drought, OCHA said in a report.

After back-to-back disasters, at least one resident of Beledweyne, Halima Abdullahi, said she had seen enough, making her one of the 216 million people the World Bank predicts could be compelled to move within their own country by 2050 because of climate stress.

“We shall move to villages far away,” said the mother of two children. “Beledweyne no longer exists.”

Source: Nam News Network (NNN)

The Israeli army conducted a large-scale operation in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank at dawn on Monday, killing three Palestinians and wounding six others.

A large number of Israeli troops, accompanied by bulldozers, raided the Balata refugee camp near the city of Nablus with heavy gunfire, leading to armed confrontations with Palestinians.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the three men killed as Mohammed Zaytoun, 32, Fathi Rizk, 30, and Abdullah Abu Hamdan, 24. One of the wounded is in a critical condition, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

Witnesses said gunfire and loud explosions rocked the camp, while Israeli forces deployed snipers on rooftops, and prevented ambulances and medical personnel from entering the camp to evacuate the wounded, according to Wafa news agency.

The Israelis also stormed dozens of houses in the camp, vandalising them as they searched their contents.

‘We heard the voices of the soldiers, so we closed the door of the house and sat in the rooms. Just two minutes later, they blew [open] the door and around 50 soldiers stormed our house,’ Um Ali Awais told Middle East Eye.

‘They didn’t allow us to move and were dealing with us as if we were sheep. They put us in one of the rooms and then took us to the kitchen. I felt my heart would stop from fear. They didn’t even let me drink water.’

Six Palestinians were arrested and taken in handcuffs to military vehicles following the home raids, which included assaults on owners and intimidation of women and children.

‘During the raid of the house, we heard heavy gunfire and young men’s screams calling for an ambulance. We didn’t know at the time what had happened because we were trapped in our house, but we later learned that three young men were shot dead by the soldiers,’ Umm Ali said.

At least 117 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank so far this year, with another 34 killed in Gaza. A total of 18 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians over the same period.

‘What happened tonight in the Balata refugee camp is a true massacre and a continuation of the total war Israel has declared on the Palestinians,’ Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said.

Local reports said Israeli forces demolished the home of the Abu Shallal family, without notifying neighbouring families, resulting in material damage to surrounding homes and the wounding of two people, including a young girl.

Israeli soldiers prevented ambulances from entering the camp, forcing medical crews to take a longer, alternative route to reach the wounded.

‘We received many reports of casualties, but all entrances to the camp were closed… We tried to coordinate through the Red Cross to reach them, but the Israeli occupation forces didn’t respond,’ Jibril added.

Due to the high number of calls the Red Crescent had received, ambulance crews could no longer wait and were forced to enter at their own peril, with one ambulance coming under Israeli fire.

‘We arrived at a house where four people where wounded. Two were in a very serious condition and were declared dead at the hospital, while the other two were stable,’ Jibril said.

A medical team attempted to save another young man en route to the hospital, but their passage was blocked once again, and the man succumbed to his wounds.

Source: Somali National News Agency

In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, AFRICOM conducted an airstrike against the Al-Shabaab militant network in Somalia on May 20, 2023.

The strike occurred in Jilib, Somalia.

The command’s initial assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed.

U.S. Africa Command takes great measures to prevent civilian casualties. Protecting innocent civilians remains a vital part of the command’s operations to promote a more secure and stable Africa.

Source: Somali National News Agency

Abdullahi Hayir Duale, the Director General of the Information Ministry of the Federal Government of Somalia has initiated a three-day National Communication Strategy workshop for Somalia’s media.

The Director General of the Ministry, Mr. Abdullah Hayer Duali, pointed out the importance of the meeting in finding a unified strategy for media in public awareness, with a focus on eliminating the Al-Shabaab militants, strengthening the people’s connection with the government, and increasing public understanding in building the state.

The Deputy Minister of Information, His Excellency Abdul Rahman Yousef Al-Adalah, urged the participants in the meeting to optimally identify societal needs related to positive messages that enhance linking the people with the government.

The focus is on developing a unified strategy to address media and public awareness. Among the attendees was Abdirahman Mohamed (Kanava) Editor-in-chief of Somali National News Agency (SONNA).

The strategy aims to combat Al-Shabaab, promote government initiatives, and raise public awareness and understanding.

Participants discussed the timeline for creating an information strategy tailored to the needs of the Somali community.

The Ministry of Information has established an office to streamline and unify government messages.

Further discussions with regional governments and other key institutions will follow in developing a national media and communication strategy.

The three-day meeting sheds light on ways to develop a strategy to direct information in the country, based on the needs of society.

Source: Somali National News Agency

Japan will continue its humanitarian assistance and development cooperation with Ethiopia, according to Ambassador Ito Takako.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ambassador Takako said her country will extend assistance to the first batch of rehabilitation in the north to support the efforts being made by the government of Ethiopia.

“We are also waiting for information regarding the UN Basket Fund. Then we will be able to collaborate and contribute to the humanitarian assistance including for Borena, which is affected by drought,” she added.

According to Takako, financial contribution through the UN Basket Fund is one of the things that the Government of Japan will do to support the efforts of rehabilitation and reconstruction in the northern part of the country.

The ambassador further pointed out that the Government of Japan will have to think what it can do in terms of development, helping the people at the grass root level. “Those are the things we are also considering.”

She elaborated that the social sectors, including education and health, are also important areas that Japan is emphasizing in development cooperation with Ethiopia.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

A two-day high-level national social protection conference underway under the theme “Social Protection for Nation Building in Ethiopia” with the objective to expand and improve social protection programs in the country.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnen, AU Deputy Commissioner, Monique Nsanzabaganwa and other high government officials, representatives of various partners and other pertinent stakeholders are attending the conference.

The conference aimed at enhancing awareness about the role of social protection in contributing to sustainable development, social cohesion and nation building.

It also aimed to generate ideas and have a common understanding among stakeholders about the expansion and improvement of social protection programs and systems though collaboration between the government, non-governmental actors, private sectors and development partners.

The conference will also help to cultivate and enhance stakeholders’ understanding and support towards the social protection agenda for better positioning amongst national development priorities.

Moreover, it will contribute to learn lessons from other countries, review status of the key social protection pillars in the Ethiopia context and devise a way forward for further improvements for better impact.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, Hamza Abdi Barre on Monday set off to attend the African Development Bank Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh city in Egypt from today 22nd to 26 May 2023, under the theme of ‘Mobilizing Private Sector Financing for Climate and Green Growth in Africa’.

‘The Prime Minister’s attendance at this crucial gathering of African leaders sends a strong signal of Somali Government’s resolve to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change while simultaneously fostering economic growth and development’, the Office of the Prime Minister said on Twitter Post.

The event will witness the participation of AfDB governors representing 81 regional and non-regional member countries, in addition to Governors of Central Banks, Ministers of Finance, senior officials from the private sector, academia, and development partners, with an expected attendance of around 4,000 participants.

The event is a good opportunity for the participating countries to exchange their case studies and their expertise as well as propose innovative financing solutions that catalyze the African development efforts, especially after COVID-19 crisis and the repercussions of the geopolitical tensions. This comes in light of the effective participation of regional and international multi-lateral development financing institutions.

It is the third time for Egypt to host the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group. The previous time was in 1999. Egypt is also the third-largest shareholder in the bank and one of the largest beneficiaries in terms of operations.

Source: Somali National News Agency