Business24 Newspaper 22 April 2022

3.5m Ghanaians to get connected to internet by 03 end-2023 NEWS FOR BUSINESS LEADERS

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Patricia Obo-Nai named amongst Top 100 Women CEOs in Africa 03

Rising Ponzi schemes could dim investor interest in financial sector A Senior Lecturer at the Department of Finance of the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Dr. Benjamin Amoah, says the rising spate of fraudulent activities on the domestic financial market is a serious threat that could drive investors away from the sector.

Speaking to journalists after a public lecture held at the university in Accra, he said: “It is very worrying because for the financial market to thrive, we need confidence and trust, and this fraudulent investment, what they do is that they succeed in bringing mistrust onto the

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News/Editorial

Practical steps to shore up exports plausible The Ghana Export Promotion Authority launched the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS) which is an initiative of the Ministry of Trade and Industry in the last quarter of 2020.

The strategy is being mainly implemented

by GEPA to develop the potential of the nontraditional export (NTE) sector through industrialization and intense collaboration between the private sector and government.

The strategy has selected 17 priority products for Ghana to invest resources towards the achievement of the desired outcome. The 10year structural transformation embedded in the NEDS is targeted to earn the country $25.3 billion in 2029 from Non-Traditional Exports if NEDS is fully funded and implemented.

To ensure the successful implementation of the NEDS, the sector groups and committees will be tasked with developing the selected priority products for maximum gains under the single market.

The target sector groups and committee of

the NEDS are based on the priority product groupings and will include; the following; NonAgro Products, Trade and Investment Facilitation, Agro-Products, Technology and Innovation, Services Export, Transport and Logistics, Creative and Industrial Arts, Local Government, Infrastructure and Utilities and Finance.

This is a practical strategy that will greatly impact the growth of the nation’s export business amid the implementation of the continental trade agreement.

The NEDS is a key policy enabler for ensuring that Ghanaian traders and enterprises are equipped to compete on the gobal market and meet its 25.3 billion dollar target. The NEDS can only be implemented effectively if it has a well-defined framework that includes policy, technical, and input from both the government and the business sector. The inclusion of the NEDS Secretariat will enable Ghana to take a consistent approach to achieve the 10-year goal of increasing the Non-Traditional Exports from the current 2.8 billion dollars to 25.3 billion dollars.

Rising Ponzi schemes could dim investor interest in financial sector starts from page 1

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To address the situation, Dr. Amoah called for increased public awareness and education on the dangers of fraudulent investment schemes and advised the investing public to carry out the necessary due diligence about the firm or business that they want to invest in.

“Check and convince yourself before you commit your funds. If the rate promised is too good to be true and too high, we advise you to think twice before you commit the funds,” he said.

The seminar which was on the theme “Warding off fraudulent investment schemes in Ghana” pooled top financial experts and stakeholders to discuss and proffer solution to the alarming rate of fraud in the financial sector.

“We are creating awareness about the effect of fraudulent investment schemes on financial markets by extension on individual investors. This is one of the activities we plan for the month to create awareness and also to educate the public about what fraudulent investment schemes are, and

the dangers that they pose to our financial market,” he said.

Mr. Emmanuel Ashong, Head, Policy Research and IT, Securities and Exchange Commission Ghana, shared that most financial scams are happening on social media and across the cyberspace by faceless people making it difficult to track them.

“That is why we try to issue

a little warning to the public to be wary of such things. We don’t take greed to invest. If you don’t know the person in person, why do you risk your money with such people are faceless people,” he advised.

He added: “Make sure, that person you are committing your money to is a licensed operator by any of the regulators. If not please don’t risk your money.”

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3.5m Ghanaians to get connected to internet by end-2023 starts from page 1 The about 3.5 million Ghanaians who are yet to be connected to data and voice networks will heave a sigh of relieve by the end of next year.

This follows the quest by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation to construct and connect some community ICT centres and cell sites across the country.

According to Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, the establishment of more than two thousand centres and sites is ongoing and on course to make this a reality.

“We are focus to begin and also complete all ICT centres and rural telephony sites across the country to aid the teaching and learning of ICT courses for our girls and the youth.

This will be an opportunity for girls and young women in the country to gain knowledge and be exposed to ICT. As we have been told, the theme for this year is; access and safety; this theme is very apt because not all our communities have access to platforms that will help in the knowledge acquisition of our young girls.

To address the access issue in Ghana, the Ministry through GIFEC is implementing our rural telephony and digital inclusion project which will see the construction of more than two thousand sites for voice and data

connectivity nationwide, over seven hundred sites are already being built since 2020 and many communities been connected and benefiting as we speak.

By the end of next year, all the sites would be completed and connected for some 3. 5 million Ghanaians who are currently not connected to experience the wonders of digital technology” she assured.

Ursula Owusu was giving a keynote address to climax the National Girls in ICT programme on the Techiman Campus of the Valley View University in the Bono East Region.

Since the beginning of the celebration in 2012, this is the first time about five regions are celebrating the programme separately in a year. A development the minister describes as exceptional.

One hundred girls from all the eleven districts received laptop rewards whilst some also received cash awards and some incentives for their schools including coding clubs, fully furnished ICT laboratories and among others.

She urged the Regional Coordinating Council to take ownership of the facilities and ensure that proper maintenance is done for them to serve their purpose.

Some best performing teachers and regional officers also received laptop rewards for their efforts.

A deputy Minister for Youth

and Sports, Eric Mensah Bonsu re-emphasized the importance of technology in the economy and urged the beneficiary girls to use the training to empower themselves.

Afua Brown-Eyeson took the children through some sections of the Cyber security Act, Act 2020 which is related to children and advised them to stay away from unfriendly people on the internet in order not to fall prey to their demands.

Deputy Minister for Education in charge of TVET, Gifty Twum Ampofo encouraged the participants to study hard and take advantage of some government initiatives like the free senior high school.

She also emphasized on the need to study beyond classroom exercise in order to open their minds to many happenings on the globe.

According to her, the world is becoming a global village and one

needs to make use of technology to advance in their studies.

“Make use of internet connectivity and technology in the country as a female student. You should take research seriously in whatever you want to study and not only what you are being thought in the classroom.

Make good use of this particular training so that you can be ahead of your peers in class and benefit from the president’s Free Senior High School programme” she advised.

Certificates were presented to all one thousand beneficiary girls from the region. Ursula OwusuEkuful together with the Bono East Regional Minister Kwasi Adu Gyan handed over to the Bono Regional Representatives as the next host of the girls in ICT programme which is expected to commence in few days.

Patricia Obo-Nai named amongst Top 100 Women CEOs in Africa

Patricia Obo-Nai, Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, has been enlisted amongst the top 100 Women CEOs In Africa for her accomplishments as a female administrative officer in charge of the organization.

The TOP 100 Women CEOs in Africa is compiled by Reset Global People in partnership with the SDGS office at the Office of the President of Ghana and Avance Media.

With the inaugural list announced in 2019, this publication throws the spotlight on African women leading various organizations across the

continent.

The list features leading African female CEOs from 21 African countries, heading various organizations that continue to excel under their leadership on the continent and beyond.

The list is also released ahead of the 2022/23 African Women CEOs Summit to be hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Speaking about the list, Kwame A.A. Opoku, CEO of Reset Global People, noted that, “Women are a powerful force for change.

From ending extreme poverty to countering violent extremism, we cannot succeed without women and girls, and this is why we are excited and privileged to announce the 2021 list. These are extraordinary women who are leading the charge to transform our continent and deserve the spotlight more than anyone. “ Patricia’s contribution to the telecommunications industry is unquestionable. In addition to championing various innovations

in the industry, she is celebrated for her outstanding leadership during the heights of the pandemic. Under her leadership, Vodafone Ghana introduced remarkable initiatives as part of a comprehensive relief package for Ghanaians.

She is a fierce advocate for technology and continues to emphasize the need for Africa to leverage technological advancement to drive sustainable development and secure its participation in the digital economy.

Patricia reinforced this in her OpEd titled ‘Connecting Africa is the Seminal Challenge of our Time’, she said: ‘’To expedite Africa’s economic recovery postpandemic, the continent must accelerate digitalisation and expand regional cooperation.”

Patricia is also known for her strong passion for gender issues and interventions that offer economic opportunities to women. While speaking during

the United Nations General Assembly last year, she made a call for an urgent solution to end maternal mortality across subSaharan Africa, describing it as unacceptable at this age.

She also joined other female giants last year at the G7 Partnership on Women’s Digital Financial Inclusion in Africa event to deliberate on Catalyzing Digital Financial Services for Women Across Africa.

The Mobile Magazine describes her as the ‘First Lady of Mobile’.

She has also won several awards, including the CEO of the Year at the Ghana Information Technology and Telecommunications Awards (GITTA) as well as the Women Leadership Excellence Awards at the CEO’s Summit and Awards.

The 2021 top 100 Women CEOs In Africa features some prominent names, including Clare Akamanzi, Dr. Rasha Kelej, Owen Omogiafo, Dentaa Amoateng, Tiguidanke Camara, and Meta Africa’s Head Nunu Ntshingila-Njeke.

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Peewood, Tema Bonded Terminal donate 1,700 bags of cement to Appiatse Support Fund Peewood and Tema Bonded Terminal Limited as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility have contributed towards the reconstruction of the Eco-friendly Appiatse Community.

The presentation of the 1,700 bags of cement in a cheque equivalent of 100,000 Ghana Cedis was made by Ms.Yasmine Adu Arthur at a brief event on Wednesday, 20th April, 2022 in Accra.

Ms. Adu Arthur speaking on behalf of the CEO, Mr. Adu Arthur explained that “as a company that transport, handle and store dangerous goods, we recognise the importance and expertise required in safely transporting things one point to other and so hearing the explosion that took place saddened us and moved us to make this donation”.

She further disclosed their company’s partnership with

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in providing real time data of all classes of dangerous goods delivered so that consignments can be tracked and monitored by EPA once they depart.

She also said to provide saftey on the roads, the company provides short saftey training sessions to external drivers that enter the terminal to transport

specialised goods through the corridors of the country.

She hoped that their humble contribution to the Appiatse Support Fund will help Government achieve its goal of rebuilding Appiatse into a Green City for the benefit of its indigenes who have suffered gravely.

The Chairman of the Appiatse Support Fund Committee, Rev.

Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee on her part, expressed her appreciation, noting that their contribution will help the community immensely.

She stressed that though the Support Fund Committee is not part of the Reconstruction and implementation team, they work very closely with them and monitor all progress made.

“They are busily rehabilitating some uncompleted buildings for temporary shelter because the rains will not allow the victims to be kept in tents”, she added.

Dr. Joyce Aryee further stated that the roads for the whole reconstruction project will commence by the end of April to prevent the heavy down pour from delaying progress.

She applauded them saying “the cement donated is very timely and will be very useful in the ongoing reconstruction”.

First National Bank clients across Africa complete Agency Plus transactions worth US$70m Access to basic banking services is an essential cornerstone of sustainable economic growth for any developing country.

Unfortunately, a lack of access to such banking services is still a reality for many people and families in communities across Africa.

First National Bank is successfully changing this reality for growing numbers of people in most of the African countries in which it operates in – and the highly positive response to the innovative First National remote banking offering, called Agency Plus in Ghana and CashPlus in other First National Bank subsidiary countries, shows just what an impact accessible banking can have on the people who need it.

According to Akweley Laryea, Head of Retail Banking at First National Bank Ghana, the First National Bank Agency Plus service has seen stellar growth since it was first launched, culminating in transactions on the platform across Africa reaching almost USD70million in value for the month of December 2021.

“We consider this to be a very significant achievement, given that First National Bank Agency Plus only started officially in Zambia as Cash Plus in mid-2018,” Akweley says, “not to mention that the growth over the past two years has been against the very

challenging backdrop of Covid-19 in all the countries where First National Bank operates.”

First National Bank Agency

Plus is a safe and convenient way for individuals to deposit and withdraw cash at a local shop or merchant registered as an Accredited Agency Plus Partner in Ghana. The transaction is usually completed either via the First National Bank App or using the USSD. She explains that “the accessibility and immediacy of First National Bank Agency Plus appears to have put the solution in an advantageous position during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Customers were drawn to the convenience and cost-efficiency of the banking services it offers”.

The successful roll out of the Agency Plus service in the First National Bank subsidiaries is the evidence that it has become a highly trusted community banking channel in these countries, not just the 193% yearon-year growth in transaction value across the

platform, but also the 122% yearon-year increase in the number of customers transacting and the 85% growth in merchants who are now active agents.

In the less than four years that Agency Plus has existed, First National Bank leveraged the solution to increase its electronic points of presence (in addition to merchant-based service points) by over 1565% to meet growing demand.

“We are deeply invested in enhancing the lives of all our customers and delivering on our promise to help them get the most out of their money.

It’s clear that our Agency Plus offering is a valuable enabler of this commitment in our countries of operation across Africa, so we feel we have a responsibility to make its many benefits available to more people and small businesses. We currently have Agency Plus in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central and Western Regions and will rapidly increase the number of our Agency Plus partners in Ghana by the end of 2022, to enable us realise the goal of true financial inclusion and create more access to financial services”, concludes Akweley.

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Lands Commission reacts to statement from chief of Mpehuasem The attention of the Lands Commission has been drawn to a statement issued by Nii Torgor Obodai Ampao VI, Mantse of Mpehuasem on 16th April, 2022, in respect of some lands in Mpehuasem in the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly.

According a press statement signed by the Executive Secretary of Lands Commission and copied to Business24, it highlighted the facts of the matter as follows: In 1974, Government, through the State Lands (Accra-Mpehuasem – Site for Accra Training College) Instrument, 1974 (E.I. 72), acquired a parcel of land, originally measuring approximately two hundred and twenty-five point one eight acres (225.18 acres) as state land.

Despite this acquisition, the pre-acquisition owners of the land continued to grant portions of the land to prospective developers, resulting in massive encroachment on the land.

Following negotiations, Government entered into an agreement with the preacquisition owners of the land, dated 16th December, 2008, by

which Government agreed to release one hundred and fourteen point zero five five acres (114.055 acres) of the land to the preacquisition owners, and retain one hundred and eleven point one two five acres (111.125 acres), including about fifty acres which houses the Accra College of Education.

By the said Agreement, the pre-acquisition owners, in consideration of the land released to them, renounced any future claims to the part of the land retained by Government.

Pursuant to the said Agreement, E.I. 72 of 1974 was revoked and replaced with State Land – (AccraMpehuasem – Site for Accra Training College) Instrument, 2009 (E.I. 16), which reduced the size of the land acquired by Government from 225.18 acres to the 111.125 acres retained by Government and released the remaining 114.055 acres to the pre-acquisition owners.

In accordance with Article 258(1) of the 1992 Constitution and section 5 of the Lands Commission Act, 2008 (Act 767), the said land has been under the management

Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor

of the Lands Commission since it was acquired in 1974. No person, other than the Commission has the right to make valid grants of the lands retained by Government under E.I. 16 of the 2009.

Indeed, the Commission has, previously, issued public notices alerting prospective developers that the said land is a state land, managed by the Lands Commission, and cannot be alienated by any stool, clan, family or individual. Any such grant is unlawful, void and confers no title on the grantee of the land.

To ensure orderly development of the area, including the need to ensure a conducive atmosphere for academic work for both the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) and the Accra College of Education, the Spatial Planning Committee of the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly, on 22nd June, 2021, approved a local plan for the development of the place.

To pave way for the redevelopment of the land in accordance with the approved local plan, the Commission under the auspices of the Ministry for

Lands and Natural Resources has engaged the services of Aynok Holdings Limited with the assistance of the Ghana Police Service to recover the encroached portions of the land and protect the site from further encroachment.

In accordance with the highest standards of transparency, the Commission, on 16th April, 2022, issued a public notice, notifying occupants of the said area of the appointment of Aynok Holdings Limited and its intention to clear the area for the redevelopment of the land. It is the expectation of the Commission that any person who claims to have an interest in any part of the land will approach the Commission for verification.

The Commission wants to assure the general public that as the manager of public lands, it will continue to act in the interest of the state to protect all public lands. Any person who claims to have an interest in any part of the Mpehuasem public land should approach the Commission with his/her documents.

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Nesta Challenges announces semi-finalists of strand three of the Afri-Plastics Challenge Nesta Challenges has announced the semi-finalists of Promoting Change, the final strand of the AfriPlastics Challenge. The Challenge aims to reduce marine plastics in Sub-Saharan African countries by developing and scaling innovative solutions to plastic mismanagement.

The third and final strand of the Afri-Plastics Challenge, called Promoting Change and delivered

by London-based Nesta Challenges, began accepting applications from 8 December 2021. This marks the last leg of the Challenge after Strand 1: Accelerating Growth and Strand 2: Creating Solutions were launched in July and October 2021, respectively.

The semi-finalists are developing campaigns, schemes, tools and other creative interventions that will change both the behaviour of individuals and communities around plastic waste in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as contribute to the empowerment of women and girls.

Among the semi-finalists is Senegal’s Haskè Conseil, whose project will organise awareness workshops in working-class districts, schools, secondary schools, colleges, and universities. This will include the parents of the pupils and the mentors of the ‘badienou gokh’ district.

Entertaining and creative activities (storytelling, games, stories and theatre-forum) will be facilitated by cultural, social, and environmental associations (including the neighbourhood mentors).

Also making it to the semi-finalists’ list is an organisation from South Africa known as Soapbox South Africa, whose project Captain Fanplastic, uses storytelling as the core of the education about plastic.

The programme is designed for scalability in that the organisation is able to offer an opportunity to use girls and women as leaders, facilitators and trainers of the much needed education in the communities.

The programme curriculum also aligns and contributes to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Such as SDGs 4- Quality Education or 12- Responsible Production & Consumption through self-published books, modules and songs.

Thirty semi-finalists for Strand 3 of the Afri-Plastics Challenge will receive capacity-building support to further develop their engagement strategies, alongside a grant of £5,000 each. Fifteen finalists will then be selected in June 2022 to implement their ideas with support from additional capacity-building support and a grant of £50 000. Finally, three winners in March 2023 will receive £250,000 each.

Adwoa Coleman, Afri-Plastics Challenge judge and Ghana Country Manager for Dow said: “Africa’s entrepreneurs and innovators are at the forefront of creating the

solutions needed to scale plastics recycling and reduce the volumes of plastics entering the value chain – but their efforts will be for nothing without a groundswell of support from communities to make the circular economy for plastics a wellfunctioning reality. The semi-finalists announced today are using diverse approaches to engage communities – and particularly women and girls who are so integral to the plastic ecosystem in Africa – to drive the change needed to overcome the unfolding tragedy of unbridled plastic pollution on the continent.”

The challenge could not have come at a better time. At the recently concluded United Nations Environment Programme 5.2, the world’s ministers for the environment agreed to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee with the mandate to forge an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution. This legally binding global agreement on plastic pollution was the most significant environmental multilateral deal since the Paris Accord. The resolution calls for a treaty which promotes sustainable alternatives to plastics and fosters international collaboration on access to technology, capacity building and scientific and technical cooperation.

Efforts made by a number of governments across Sub-Saharan Africa have given these countries a headstart in combating plastic waste.

The projects presented by the semi-finalists have provided an opportunity to promote behavior change and save oceans from pollution, as researchers of a study published in the Journal Science in 2020 estimated that plastics entering the ocean could triple to nearly 29 million metric tonnes by 2040 if current production and consumption remains unchecked.

To find out more about the 30 Promoting Change semi-finalists and to follow their progress, visit afriplastics.challenges.org.

Ends.

Notes to the editors About Nesta Challenges Nesta is an innovation foundation.

For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society. We have spent over 20 years working out the best ways to make change happen through research and experimenting, and we have applied that to our work in innovation policy, health, education, government innovation and the creative economy and arts.

Within Nesta, Nesta Challenges, based in London in the United Kingdom, exists to design and run challenge prizes that help

solve pressing problems that lack solutions. We shine a spotlight where it matters and incentivise people to solve these issues. We are independent supporters of change to help communities thrive and inspire the best placed, most diverse groups of people around the world to take action.

We support the boldest and bravest ideas to become real, and seed longterm change to advance society and build a better future for everyone. We are part of the innovation foundation, Nesta. We are challengers. We are innovators. We are game changers.

About the Government of Canada As part of the commitment to reduce marine plastics globally, the Government of Canada has launched a project aimed at improved plastic management in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Afri-Plastics Challenge aims to reduce marine plastics in Sub-Saharan African countries by developing and scaling innovative solutions to plastic mismanagement.

The Afri-Plastics Challenge places particular emphasis on promoting gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. While not limited by gender, the challenge encourages women and girls to participate by submitting their solutions.

About Strand 3 semi-finalists The semi-finalists are from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. For a full list of semifinalists, please visit https://afriplastics.challenges.org/strand-3semi-finalists/.

Change at the till Meeticks Africa (Botswana) Change at the Till runs a 30-day challenge that aims to get users to gain knowledge on how their use of single-use plastics, especially when shopping, negatively affects the environment and contributes heavily to marine-plastic waste, and to practice what they learn.

The solution is a multi-day gamified experience conducted over an intelligent WhatsApp chatbot and backend app.

Ensemble artistique et culturel WAKAT Les ambassadrices de l’environnement (Burkina Faso) The project aims to train women about the damage and harmful effects of plastic waste through storytelling and theatre. The women will also be trained in methods for communication, awareness-raising and advocacy as well as marketing alternatives to plastic bags such as traditional baskets, fabric and string bags and paper bags. The project offers commission on the sale of these alternative products, made locally by partner associations.

Addressing Plastics in Fashion Design: A Training-EmpowermentPromotion(TEP) Model Catharina Natang (Cameroon) Catharina Natang’s TrainingEmpowerment-Promotion (TEP) model aims to provide training to fashion designers on sustainable fashion and resource mobilisation and equip local designers to understand the subtle but massive presence of plastic-based fabrics in the fashion industry, and how this contributes to the global plastic waste problem. Students will learn about innovative non-plastic alternatives that are in existence and how to access them , and also how to recycle, properly dispose and select non-plastic alternatives. The project will also organise annual sustainable fashion events to widen public awareness on sustainable fashion to reduce plastic wastes that end up in oceans.

Programme Peniang (Reconnaitre et récompenser les bonnes attitudes de gestion de déchets a l’aide de l’intelligence artificielle) Kenfack Anafack Alex Bruno (Cameroon) Programme Peniang is an artificial intelligence-based reward system, which uses a smartphone camera to detect good waste management habits, such as sorting, and rewards users with points they can then exchange on the platform for purchases, grants, internet connection and other things. The user can earn points, either on the mobile app, by meeting daily challenges (missions), or by using our smart waste bins which automatically give points each time someone uses them, or else by taking part in challenges in schools, organisations, campuses or towns.

TED GOES GREEN TED’S TV ENTERTAINMENT (Cameroon) TED GOES GREEN is an awareness and edutainment project providing information on issues related to climate change and environmental protection while encouraging a more ecological way of life without toxic waste, through various television programmes, documentaries, online content with 3D avatars, children’s programmes and books, film, music, studies and workshops that highlight innovations in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ye Zembil Melse Lem Ketema (organisation) / Seble Samuel (applicant) (Ethiopia) The Ye Zembil Melse campaign uses creative storytelling, digital campaigning with Ethiopian artists and public figures, and public engagements, and are developing a plastic-free guide to Addis Abeba, to communicate the detrimental impact of plastic waste in Ethiopia, revive traditional alternatives to plastic, and

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advocate for policy to ban single-use plastic bags.

Community for Plastic Reduction and Recycling Let’s Do It (Ghana) The Community for Plastic Reduction and Recycling Project is a two-part project comprising community awareness through the use of activity-based education and recycling of plastic wastes. It is designed to spur community actions that bring changes in individual attitudes and purchasing habits leading to an increased awareness of plastic waste.

Sustainable Waste Management through Partnerships The Rockstar Waste Services Limited (Ghana) The present idea is an extension of a pilot project by The Rockstar Waste Services in Takoradi, Ghana, that focuses on educating schools on solid waste segregation and the provision of 5 coloured waste bins to make the habit of waste segregation more engaging. Using this as the basis, the company seeks to combat marine pollution and change the behaviour of individuals, communities and companies in coastal areas by organising awareness campaigns and introducing deposit schemes along the Atlantic Ocean.

The WAZILI Campaign (This acronym is from Walezi wa Asili in Kiswahili, meaning “Nature’s Guardians”) Watamu Marine Association (Kenya) The WAZILI Campaign aims to engage and educate its audiences on the long-lasting widespread negative impact of plastic waste while emphasising the socio-economic value and environmental benefits of proper plastic waste management.

Ukwenza VR Ukwenza VR (Kenya) Ukwenza VR uses a VR storytelling format to showcase the journey a piece of plastic takes after disposal.

Through this, Ukwenza VR hopes that by showing the different ways plastic waste can end up damaging the environment, they encourage people to take better care when disposing of plastic waste. #StopPlasticPollution Campaign Baus Taka Enterprise (Kenya) The #StopPlasticPollution Campaign leverages a mobile App to promote segregation of plastic waste from source while raising awareness of responsible waste management practices. Competitions on plastic segregation with cash incentives and points that can be redeemed for medical services in partnership health clinics will be hosted on the app.

M-taka Homeless of Kisumu (Kenya) M-taka aims to train and empower women economically to become recycling agents who build communities of recyclers by leveraging technology and inducing behavioural change through social connections and incentives. Through an app, the masses will be targeted, to increase recycling culture and link them with agents in their areas to collect the plastic and transport it to recyclers.

Waste4Tech Grassroots Peoples Empowerment

Foundation (Nigeria) Waste4Tech Clubs aim to empower members with training and capacity building on the need for a cleaner environment. Members are given waste collection bags to sort and collect plastics wastes into nylons, PET bottles, rubbers etc. and then sell these to recycling companies.

Members are awarded tech points that they can exchange for techskills acquisition and laptops through Waste4Tech’s partnerships with tech hubs.

The PLASTIC WIZE Campaign by U-recycle Initiative Africa U-recycle Initiative Africa (Nigeria) The PLASTIC WIZE Campaign

by U-recycle Initiative Africa plans to coach 50 women across 10 universities in Nigeria to implement creative strategies to influence behaviour change towards reducing plastic waste on their campuses.

The Green Club (TGC) Georell Environmental Services (Nigeria) The Green Club is a school-based platform that seeks to stimulate change towards reduction of plastic pollution, and encouraging transition from single-use plastics. TGC promotes principles and practices of circular economy through collaboration with relevant MDAs and school management. Students will be educated, sensitised and stimulated to develop innovative solutions to plastic waste that can be used within their schools and homes, thereby reducing the amount of plastic that enters the ecosystem.

Religious Community Recycling Advocacy Mechris-Planet Environmental (Nigeria) Religious Community Recycling Advocacy uses religious houses within their community to create awareness of plastic recycling and install community recycling receptacles on the premises to increase participation of worshipers and other residents.

Polymer Warriors Ennovate Lab (Nigeria) Polymer Warriors seek to harness the latent power of young, educated Nigerians to drive behavioural change about plastic waste across the larger populace by leveraging Quick Response (QR) technology by strategically building creative campaigns that use QR codes printed on posters, stickers, banners and T-shirts widely distributed around campuses in Nigeria.

Let’s recycle!

Recycle Port Harcourt Limited (Nigeria) The Let’s recycle! campaign will feature both online and offline awareness through creative skits, challenges, clean games events, tree planting activities, etc. in a bid to educate the people about the dangers of plastic pollution while encouraging them to stop littering and start properly sorting/segregating their plastic waste.

Garura (Take-Back) Wastezon (Rwanda) Wastezon has built a blockchainbacked app that traces reusable plastics in circulation, increasing the customer-centric decision making towards buying the reused plastic

or packaging product and providing real-time data for reverse logistics. By incorporating a take-back rewarding scheme, they incentivise consumers while also developing environmental consciousness.

Mbalit Plastik, Nafi Yem! les Déchets Plastiques, ça suffit! (en langue wolof ) Haskè Conseil (Senegal) Mbalit Plastik, Nafi Yem! les Déchets Plastiques, ça suffit! aims to organise awareness workshops for community members. They want to launch an Art competition showcasing sorting bins produced from plastic waste in partnership with schools and universities together with an awareness campaign on social media. The winning bin will be selected to be reproduced by women entrepreneurs in the plastic value chain.

SOLUTIONS ECOLOCULTUR’ELLES Association TERANGAGÉE (Senegal) SOLUTIONS ECOLOCULTUR’ELLES has created a programme that starts with sensitisation and environmental education of children and inhabitants of a village through the involvement of local stakeholders (mainly women, “tatas” and young peer educators including girls). They use innovative, cultural tools such as educational song, choreography, short stories in animated videos, games, and artistic workshops.

Remali 2.0 Regenize (South Africa) Remali 2.0 is a virtual currency and behaviour-changing mobile app focused on simplifying, encouraging and teaching citizens how to live a zero-waste lifestyle (ZWL). Remali is earned by performing ZWL activities, attending events or learning about them. Each week residents need to perform these actions to meet their target to earn Remali.

Captain Fanplastic Soapbox South Africa (South Africa) Captain Fanplastic’s use of storytelling as the core of the education about plastic enables us to contribute to the challenge directly. The programme is designed for scalability in that we are able to offer an opportunity to use girls and women as leaders, facilitators and trainers in much needed education in the communities.

PayCycle Moonshot Dynamics (South Africa) Paycycle uses a Point-of-Sale (POS) based digital reward system targeted at eliminating single-use plastic bags and promoting non-plastic reusable shopping bags (RUSBs) that are also recyclable and eco-friendly.

Using a fleet of mobile applications customised to shoppers of various economic classes, Paycycle tracks consumer’s shopping bag usage over partnering shops and rewards consumers with loyalty points for purchasing and reusing RUSBs. Turning your trash to treasure Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (South Africa) Turning your Trash to Treasure is based in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve and aims to work with schools, tribal communities and women waste pickers to create

9 awareness among selected schools by encouraging waste recycling at schools. All the collected waste material will be taken to a local company called Dziphathutshedzo Green Surface that is using plastics to make paving bricks, plastic tiles and other plastic products such as rulers and pencil cases.

Marine Litter Innovation hub (MLiH): toward reducing marine litter and empowering coastal women and girls Cretus Joseph Mtonga (Tanzania) Marine Litter Innovation hub (MLiH) aims to become the centre for designing and implementing behavioural change ideas (gaming, nudges) that transform the community towards a circular way of life. The hub will train girls and women on making powerful messages, paintings, art and nudges and apply these to plastic separation infrastructure in an effort to reduce littering, empower women and close the existing gender gap. It will also create a platform for women to discuss their needs and the best ways toward zero littering.

The Uganda Recycling Association Eco Brixs (Uganda) The Plastic Manufactures and Recycling Union aims to create The Ugandan Recycling Association with membership from across the plastic recycling value chain. They want to create an interactive map where rich media and data will showcase everyone in the country engaged in recycling.

Waste Games ABBI LABOUR LINK (Uganda) Waste Games is a project that is designed to raise people’s awareness of environmental pollution using a digitally-led gamification process for recycling to do enhanced waste sorting specifically aimed at encouraging behavioural change towards plastics reuse.

Organizing Plastics Engaging Neighborhoods Initiative (OPEN) Ceswa Mpandamabula (Zambia) The OPEN Initiative is a womenled initiative that leverages public participation and collaboration in the sorting, collection and recycling of plastic waste in the Kabwata Constituency of Lusaka.

The initiative works with young, unemployed community members to serve as plastic awareness foot soldiers, collectors and recyclers in the initiative’s entire value chain. As part of the initiative’s Say No to Plastic campaign, they want to engage informal businesses and households in the community and convince them to adopt available alternatives.

Community Action on Plastic Pollution Bambelela Arts Ensemble (Zimbabwe) Community Action on Plastic Pollution is a behavioural change project that primarily seeks to work with women and girls on the effects of plastic pollution on our environment. It will encourage them to take a leading role in keeping our environment clean while making an extra income from selling picked up plastic waste to recycling projects.

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| NEWS

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

mPharma partners with TytoCare to introduce telehealth to pharmacies TytoCare, the global health care industry’s first all-in-one modular device and examination solution for AI-powered, on-demand, remote medical exams, is announcing today its partnership with mPharma, a technologydriven healthcare company building Africa’s largest health management organization with a focus on making medications affordable and accessible to every African. The integration of the TytoCare solution into mPharma’s telehealth offerings enables pharmacies to provide patients with enhanced remote care through in-depth, physical examinations. Since the rollout of the partnership in June 2021, over 8,000 people have been examined and treated by mPharma using TytoCare’s platform, spanning 35 pharmacies across Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Nigeria.

In Africa, community pharmacies play a central role in a patients’ primary care journey.

Through the partnership with TytoCare, mPharma is reimagining the community pharmacy as

more than just a place where patients fill prescriptions, but instead a virtual doctor’s office where they can conduct remote appointments with doctors and specialists they normally wouldn’t be able to access.

TytoCare brings this vision one step further by enabling remote physical exams of the heart, skin, ears, throat, abdomen, and lungs, and measurement of heart rate and body temperature, allowing the doctors and specialists to gain the vital clinical data they require to monitor, diagnose, and treat patients remotely. mPharma is using TytoCare’s TytoPro system, a turnkey telehealth solution that enables providers to transform remote locations such as pharmacies, schools, nursing homes, home care facilities, clinics, employee work sites, and urgent care facilities into connected care sites.

“As a continent with a deficit of 2.4 million nurses and doctors, digital health solutions remain key in solving Africa’s primary healthcare challenges,” said

Gregory Rockson, CEO and CoFounder of mPharma. “Our partnership with TytoCare helps us bridge the gap in the primary healthcare space in Africa. We have seamlessly implemented our virtual doctor consultation program, mutti doctor, recording over 8,000 consultations across our partner mutti pharmacies since we launched last year. mPharma’s vision is to make affordable healthcare accessible to every African, with our primary care strategy focused on ensuring that community pharmacies become primary healthcare providers.

Our TytoCare partnership allows us to leverage modern technology to offer lifesaving care to hard-to-reach areas and people who need it most.”

By using TytoCare, mPharma’s mutti pharmacy network has been able to reduce costs, improve community members’ access to doctors and specialists, and save patients the long wait times that are common in hospitals and clinics. On average patients can wait two to three hours to see a

doctor at public hospitals and one hour in private hospitals. A recent mPharma survey revealed that over 90% of patients who visit the company’s mutti doctor locations have a virtual consultation with a doctor within 10 minutes. In the coming months mPharma plans to expand its mutti doctor locations, powered by TytoCare, across Africa.

“We’ve already seen great success in our partnership with mPharma, offering patients a robust, accessible, and affordable primary care experience through local pharmacies,” said Dedi Gilad, CEO and Co-Founder of TytoCare. “mPharma is reshaping healthcare in Africa and we’re proud to be their partner on this journey, enabling them to up the level of remote care they’re providing with comprehensive physical examinations during virtual visits. We look forward to our continued joint success and seeing more TytoPro systems in pharmacies across Africa.”

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| NEWS

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

YIN honoured for promoting savings culture The Young Investors Network (YIN), a financial education development organisation in Ghana has received an America Saves Savings Champion award for playing crucial role towards encouraging savings.

The America Saves Savings Champion award an honor explicitly reserved for organizations, nonprofits, and government agencies that

helped to encourage nearly 415,000 individuals to deposit $1,134,122,355.00 into new and existing savings accounts and establish automatic savings.

Mr Joshua Mensah, the Founder of Young Investors Network said the Young Investors Network has worked over the years to both educate young people on financial literacy and give them the opportunity.

achieved remarkable impact during the annual America Saves Week campaign.

A statement jointly issued by the YIN and America Saves said YIN is one of only 35 recipients honored with this distinction out of nearly 3100 participating organisations of America Saves Week, which took place February 21 - 25, 2022.

The statement said recipients’ work contributed to an impressive collective impact of America Saves Week.

During the one-week timeframe, these organisations

“We started the Save A Cedi A Day Challenge to encourage Ghanaians, especially pupils and students to save while they are receiving money from their parents. We will continue to push this agenda because it has shown so many results over the years and promises to cushion young people financially in the future,” Mr Mensah added.

Mr Mensah noted that the Young Investors Network has so far impacted more than 100,000 young people across the country and we would like to commend

all our partners and sponsors who contributed to achieving this international recognition.

“We commend UMB Investment Holdings, the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), and the Securities and Exchange Commission for the partnership opportunities given us over the years,” he added.

The Director of America Saves, Kia McCallister-Young said currently, Americans are burdened with many economic challenges like inflation and rising home costs, all while still attempting to rebound from the effects of the ongoing pandemic.

She said there is a fundamental need for companies, agencies, employers, and organisations to step up and take action to support the people they serve in extraordinary and unique ways, helping everyday Americans build financial resilience.

McCallister-Young said the organisations awarded have answered that call noting, “Our Savings Champions went above and beyond to amplify a positive, shame-free approach to saving that truly meets people where they are on their individual savings journey.”

“The strategies, resources,

and messages shared during America Saves Week — like saving automatically, for emergencies, and short-term and long-term financial goals — contribute to the overall financial confidence of Americans and gives them a trusted starting place to jumpstart or restart their saving goals,” continued McCallister-Young.

The Executive Director of the YIN, Mr Kofi Busia Kyei said this honour by the American Saves has given us more hope that at least someone is watching and appreciating what we do and this recognition motivates us to do more for Ghana and the world at large.

“All we need at the moment is to get more sponsors to enable us carry out more financial literacy campaigns in schools across the country and gradually help many young people to understand finances and take action towards securing their future financially,” Mr Kyei said.

We have some programmes that are generating a lot interest among pupils and students like the Capital Market Quiz competition (to help young people to understand the capital market) for the Junior and Senior High Schools and Stock Pitch Competition for the Tertiary (to help the youth understand how to trade on the Ghana Stock Exchange), he said.

Here’s how to attend the Ghana Blockchain Summit spotlighting BNB chain’s “Revelation” Hackathon BNB Chain, a Layer 1 blockchain founded by the world’s leading blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider, Binance will hold a blockchain summit in Accra, Ghana on Saturday, April 23, 2022.

The summit will highlight the global BNB Chain “Revelation” hackathon, featuring workshops that will focus on rapidly building blockchain solutions on the BNB Chain.

Location: UPSA Auditorium, Ghana Date: Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 11AM - 3PM Discussions at the summit will spotlight 4 main areas of Web3: • NFT project exhibitions • Trading crypto assets • Blockchain-based protocols • Businesses interested in Web3 architecture Attendees will be joined by high-

profile speakers for a very interactive session featuring insights, tools and case studies within the DeFi and BNB ecosystems.

There will be lots of networking between crypto enthusiasts, s t a r t u p s , businesses, investors and NFT artists from different parts of the continent.

BNB Chain, one of the world’s largest community-driven, open-sourced and decentralized blockchain ecosystems, continues to outpace all other blockchains in regard to transactions, wallets, and other metrics - and the chain is only looking to build even further.

“Through the name ‘Revelations,’ we want to promote the idea of new discoveries and developments within the BNB Chain ecosystem,” said Samy Karim, Ecosystem Coordinator of BNB Chain. “Some of you may have seen that in the 2022 technology roadmap, BNB Chain expects to evolve from single chain to multichain.”

Attendees at the summit will also stand a chance to win super valuable BNB Chain POAP NFTs which will be safely huddled inside a Binance Mystery Box. The NFTs which will be available to be won are a special collection of rare/ super rare NFTs that will grant its holders different levels of access to events in the near future, along with other gifts!

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| FEATURE

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

Vestergaard, Goodbye Malaria partner with Mozambique’s MoH to celebrate World Malaria Day

Vestergaard, manufacturers of PermaNet ® mosquito nets, and Goodbye Malaria, an African run initiative to eliminate malaria in Southern Africa, have partnered with the Mozambican Ministry of Health to mark World Malaria Day 2022 on 25 April 2022.

The partners will be hosting a plenary session at Polana Serena, Maputo. The event provides a platform to renew the power of partnerships in the fight against malaria as well as the opportunity to engage with the Mozambican Private Sector to commit to keeping malaria at the top of the National agenda.

Attendees are representatives from the Ministry of Health of Mozambique, development partners and captains of the private sector who will be pledging their support to eliminate malaria.

Vestergaard and Goodbye Malaria collaborate to support the Mozambican government’s efforts, and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria ambition, to Advance Equity. Build Resilience.

End Malaria. Together they aim

to provide a platform for private sector engagement and support of the national malaria strategy, and find solutions for the urgent need for renewed action to eliminate malaria in Mozambique.

Patrick Sieyes, Head of Global Growth at Vestergaard said: “World Malaria Day is a great time to recognise the progress made in the daily fight against malaria as well as a time to identify gaps and set new goals. As a major private sector partner in the malaria community, we are professionally dedicated to the fight to end malaria with new innovations and effective, long lasting solutions.

We support the Global Fund’s replenishment goals to raise $18 billion to save 20 million lives.

We believe that the private sector can contribute to more equitable access to malaria commodities and to a more resilient supply chain through long-term strategic supply collaborations with key institutions and country malaria programs. We call for a partnership approach to planning, procurement and distribution of malaria commodities, one which

leverages the private sector’s full set of capabilities.”

Sherwin Charles, Co-Founder and CEO, Goodbye Malaria said; “We have made considerable progress towards malaria elimination through innovative partnership and cross-border collaboration between governments of Mozambique, South Africa and Eswatini, The Global Fund and the private sector. These publicprivate partnerships allow for the acceleration of interventions and innovations including targeted delivery of new malaria interventions, improved supply chains, and stronger surveillance and lab capacity, as well as targeted scale-up of existing and new tools, such as the new malaria vaccine (RTS,S). We are confident that we can end the scourge of malaria and free valuable resources to be deployed to other public health issues. As malaria knows no borders, the only way to combat this disease is together.”

Malaria is endemic in Mozambique. According to the World Malaria Report 2021, Mozambique is among the six countries that accounted for more than half of all malaria cases and deaths worldwide (4 percent

of global cases and deaths). The country also has the second highest prevalence of malaria in Eastern and Southern Africa (17.2 per cent).

“Mozambique should be applauded for the significant progress made in preventing malaria in the past decade,” says Patrick Sieyes. “This deployment of life-saving interventions such as bed nets and preventive treatment for pregnant women has contributed to a 28% reduction in reported malaria hospital admissions in the past five years.”

“In addition, with the country being supportive of private sectorled partnerships and forums, we will continue to spearhead collaborative efforts bringing together Mozambican leaders at all levels to establish an inclusive decision-making process to ensure national ownership of bed nets.” continues Patrick Sieyes.

The World Malaria Day 2022 has provided an opportunity for Mozambique to reflect and renew its efforts in the fight against malaria as well as the opportunity to engage with the Mozambican private sector to commit to the ongoing investment to eradicate malaria in accordance with the national malaria control programme strategic plan.

African Development Bank hosts consultations with governments to promote its blueprint to equip Africa’s workforce with in-demand skills The African Development Bank hosted virtual consultations with African government ministers, representatives of the African Union, government officials, and academics to gather views on the implementation of the Bank’s Skills for Employability and Productivity in Africa Action Plan for 2022-2025.

The first session on 12 April focused on countries in East and Southern Africa. The second, on April 13, targeted countries in Central, North, and West Africa.

The Bank is seeking regional member countries’ endorsement of the Action Plan and inputs on how the plan can support investment in higher education, in science and technology, as well as in technical and vocational education and training – also known as TVET. “It’s another milestone in the

Bank’s partnership with our regional member countries to forge partnership in equipping Africa’s labor force with indemand skills … African youth have the potential to become the world’s largest resource for productive and innovative labor, if they are equipped with quality and relevant skills,” said Beth Dunford, Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development.

The Action Plan comes at a critical juncture, when Africa is ramping up efforts to enhance scientific and technological capabilities for a more productive and innovative society. Malawi’s Minister of Education, Agnes Nyalonje, said the Action Plan was in line with her country’s aspirations in education and skills development. “We will benefit every inch of the way in

the investments and focus that the Bank wants to bring to higher education and TVET,” she said.

The Skills for Employability and Productivity in Africa Action Plan is anchored in the Bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy (2016–2025), which seeks to create 25 million jobs and equip 50 million youth with relevant skills. Public financing of TVET and higher education across the continent has not kept pace with demand. Infrastructure gaps, like shortages of classrooms, libraries, and laboratories, are negatively impacting access, quality, and equity in the sector.

Pascal Gatabazi, the chief technical advisor in Rwanda’s ministry of education, said: “The government of Rwanda has put human capital development on the top of its [development] agenda, with technical and

vocational education as a top priority. The government has been putting significant investment in TVET, and that’s why…we have a dedicated ministry in charge of IT and TVET,” he said.

Martha Phiri, the Bank’s Director for Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development, said the Bank will leverage partnerships to boost investment in education infrastructure. This will result in substantial increases in the number of African graduates studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or pursuing technical and vocational education and training. “Our Action Plan places special emphasis on digital skills, online learning and entrepreneurship,” said Phiri.

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| FEATURE

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

Will the Ukraine war upend the sustainability agenda?

Beyond the immense tragedy which Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war has brought upon Ukraine and its people, we are starting to grasp its potentially devastating consequences for the global sustainability agenda.

Already, the COVID-19 pandemic redirected global attention and resources away from the targets enshrined in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, as countries focused on their immediate public-health needs.

Now, Putin’s war is intensifying the economic, social, and geopolitical pressures countries face, while deepening divisions among them.

This does not bode well for efforts to address the shared challenge of climate change.

To improve our chances of salvaging the sustainability agenda, we must recognize the concerns and imperatives raised by the current crisis and adjust our approach accordingly. That means making our approach to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues both more holistic and more granular.

For starters, any discussion of energy policy must now account for both the non-negotiable target of reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and the need to deliver energy security and ensure social cohesion. If energy policies focus only on security concerns, they are likely to undermine the sustainability agenda.

European efforts to replace Russian gas with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States or Qatar are a case in point. One

might argue that this is merely a “quick fix,” aimed at addressing an urgent problem. But such systems can easily become entrenched – for example, if operators demand long-term commitments from governments – which would undermine efforts to decarbonize power generation.

To be sure, the Ukraine war demands urgent action, which might include quick-fix solutions.

But such measures must be carefully integrated into a wider strategy, including both a faster shift toward renewable energy – which, in the European Union, may demand the enlargement of the funding capacity of the Next Generation EU pandemicrecovery package – and a reconsideration of nuclear power.

The EU has yet to finalize its position on nuclear power in its sustainable finance taxonomy, which seeks to guide companies, investors, and policymakers toward climate-friendly activities and investments. But it is worth noting that the net-zero pathway proposed by the International Energy Agency in its World Energy Outlook 2021 calls for an increase in nuclear power’s share of the energy mix.

This is not a matter only for policymakers to consider; all investors must take a more holistic approach to energy, one that balances the imperative of shifting away from fossil fuels with countries’ geopolitical constraints. Similarly, investors must improve their capacity to assess environmental and social considerations in tandem.

The idea of a “just climate transition” is not new. But it takes on new salience amid Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has driven up global prices not only of energy, but also of food. In fact, by disrupting food supplies from Russia and Ukraine, the war threatens global food security.

Agriculture and the food industry – energy-intensive sectors that have far-reaching effects on biodiversity – were always going to play a key role in the net-zero transition. But the Ukraine war has shown that any strategy for mitigating these sectors’ environmental impact must also recognize the need to ensure food security, such as through the diversification of supplies.

The need to combine environmental and social considerations applies to firms, but also – and perhaps more importantly – to governments, for which the financial industry has yet to adopt a sufficiently detailed common methodology.

The approach that emerges must account for the effectiveness with which governments manage the distributive effects of policies related to the net-zero transition.

Without fair burden-sharing, popular support for climate action will deteriorate.

Another area where ESG strategies will need to become more granular in the wake of the Ukraine war is cryptocurrencies.

So far, the focus has been on the environmental impact of crypto “mining,” which is hugely energy-intensive. But the war

has highlighted the social and geopolitical dimensions of cryptocurrencies, which Ukraine has used to crowdfund its military, and Russia could use to evade international sanctions.

Finally, investors must take a more nuanced view of the defense industry. It has been customary for ESG investors to exclude such businesses from their portfolios.

While there is no reason to start investing in the development and production of controversial weapons, ESG investors might want to reconsider their approach to firms that enhance countries’ capacity to defend themselves against aggression. A more robust set of principles on integrating human rights into investment policies is urgently needed.

In these – and, most likely, many more – ways, the Ukraine war has complicated ESG investing.

This could prove disastrous for the sustainability agenda, especially if it is used as an excuse to relegate environmental and social considerations to the back burner. The world’s silence on the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows just how acute this risk has become.

To avoid such an outcome, business and civil society must join forces to chart a way forward.

Investors, consumers, workers, and businesses have a shared responsibility to design a new system that fulfills the vision of the Paris climate agreement and includes a more comprehensive approach to ESG assessments.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

AngloGold Ashanti provides scholarship for 50 tertiary students AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine has awarded scholarships to 50 students from its host communities towards their tertiary education as part of efforts to provide a sustainable future for the youth through education.

The beneficiaries will have their school fees, accommodation fees and all other related costs paid in full by the mine until they complete their studies.

Beneficiaries of this year will join 152 previous beneficiaries from the company’s host communities.

The scheme was instituted in 2011.

Presenting the awards during the company’s 19th Annual Thanksgiving Service at Iduapriem in the Western Region, the Managing Director of the Iduapriem Mine, Samuel Boakye Pobee, reaffirmed the mine’s commitment to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of life-long learning opportunities in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 of the United Nations.

“In line with our commitment to diversity and inclusion, the management of Iduapriem Mine this year reserved 50 per cent of our scholarship award for females pursuing programmes related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at the tertiary level as part of efforts to bridge the gap between males and

females in the mining industry,” Mr Pobee indicated.

He, therefore, urged the beneficiaries, especially the females, to take advantage of the opportunities presented and focus on their studies to reach their full potential.

Better communities The Senior Manager — Sustainability, Stephen Adjei, noted that the scholarship scheme formed part of several innovative interventions being implemented by the mine in pursuit of an objective to leave their communities better off.

“Through our Basic Education Improvement Programme, we undertook several interventions last year to improve educational

standards across our host communities, including the provision of teaching and learning materials, commissioning of two new six-unit classroom blocks for the New Tokunaso and Awodua Methodist Basic schools, as well as an eight-bedroom semi-detached apartment for Abompuniso Basic School teachers,” Mr Adjei said.

He indicated that the mine had spent over GH¢2 million since the inception of the Community Scholarship Scheme to support over 200 students at the tertiary level, with some of the beneficiaries becoming accountants, engineers, medical doctors, bankers, nurses, teachers, among others.

Speaking on behalf of the

beneficiaries, Lawrencia Quansah, who is pursuing Electricals and Electronics Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), said she was on the path to becoming one of the best electrical engineers in the country.

“With this scholarship, I will have a sound mind to study and pursue my four-year Electricals and Electronics Engineering programme to achieve my dream of becoming one of Ghana’s best engineers. I feel privileged because I come from a home that wouldn’t have been able to grant me this opportunity,” Ms Quansah stated.

Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye appointed NHIA boss Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, a former Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku in Accra and a medical doctor, has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

His appointment takes effect from May 3, 2022.

His appointment is in pursuant to Section 14 (1) of the National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852).

A letter from the Office of President, dated April 21, 2022, and signed by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare congratulated Dr Okoe Boye for his appointment and asked him to indicate his acceptance or

otherwise of the appointment within 14 days.

If accepted, Dr Okoe-Boye will be taking over from Dr Lydia Dsane-Selby as CEO of the NHIA, responsible for running the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Profile of Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye served as a Deputy Minister of Health in President Akufo-Addo’s first term in office.

He is a licensed medical practitioner who holds BSC in Human Biology, Medicine and Surgery from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

He also holds a Masters Degree in Public Health (MPH) from

Hamburg School of Applied Science and an A1 certificate in German from the Geothe Institute, Accra.

Dr Oko-Boye had his house job at the Ghana Health Service from

2009 to 2012. He then continued as a Medical Officer in the same Institution for four years.

Currently, he is a Physician at Lekma Hospital, a government health facility located at Teshie.

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

| ADVERT

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FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

| FEATURE

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

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Road accidents, addressing risk factors

By Emmanuel Felix Mantey Road accidents are a global pandemic affecting thousands of lives, and impact economic growth negatively in the region of three per cent of GDP, and thus is a national security and public safety threat.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that approximately 1.3 million people die each year through road accidents worldwide.

About 93 per cent of world fatalities on roads occur in low and middle income countries. UN Resolution A/RES/74/299 targets to reduce global deaths and injuries from road accidents to 50 per cent by the year 2030.

Addressing the risk factors is key in solving the problem.

Speeding Increase in average speed is directly related, both to the likelihood of a crash occurring and severity of the consequences.

For instance, a percentage increase in mean speed produces a four per cent and three per cent increase in fatal crash risk and serious crash risk respectively.

Again, death risk for pedestrians, hit by car fronts increases rapidly, 4.5 times from 50 km/h to 65 km/h. In car-to-car side impacts of the fatality, risk for passengers is 85 per cent at 65 km/h.

Introducing speed limitation devices and speed control measures in vehicles and on roads is critical for controlling speeding.

Alcohol/psychoac tive substances In the case of drink-driving,

risk of accident occurring starts from low level of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and increases significantly when a driver’s BAC is ≥ 0.04 g/dl.

In the case of drug-driving, the risk of accident increases to differing degrees depending on the psychoactive drug used.

Public education, awareness creation and campaigns are needed for attitudinal change in drivers to address this risk.

Distraction through mobile phones is a growing concern for road safety. Drivers using mobile phones are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not using mobile phone.

Using a phone while driving slows reaction times (braking reaction time, reaction to traffic signals), difficulty to keep in the correct lane, and keep the correct following distances.

Law enforcement and public education can help to address such risk.

Unsafe road infrastructure The design of roads has a considerable impact on their safety. Ideally, roads are designed with the safety of all road users in mind by ensuring that adequate facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are available.

Measures such as footpaths, cycling lanes, safe crossing points and other traffic calming measures are critical to reduce the risk of injury among road users.

Standardised roads designed with the safety of users in mind

are inevitable.

Unsafe vehicles Safe vehicles play a critical role in averting crashes and reducing the likelihood of serious injury.

UN regulations on vehicle safety help to save lives when applied.

Regulations such as electronic stability control to prevent oversteering, airbags and seat-belts fitted in all vehicles are necessary.

The absence of these basic standards increases the risk of traffic injuries to passengers and pedestrians.

The Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) estimates that 90 per cent of vehicles in Ghana are indeed not road worthy.

Vehicle inspection is critical to eliminate this.

Post-crash care Delays in detecting and providing care for accident victims increase the severity of injuries. Care of injuries after crash has occurred is extremely time-sensitive.

We need improvement in post-crash care to ensure access to timely pre-hospital care, and improving the quality of both hospital and hospital care, through specialist training programmes, emergency medical care, fire response, etc.

Traffic laws Road traffic laws are very important to address the problem of road crashes.

Traffic laws on drink-driving, seat-belt wearing, speed limits, helmets, and child restraints are critical to bring about the

expected reduction in road traffic fatalities and injuries related to specific behaviours.

Effective enforcement includes establishing, regularly updating, and enforcing laws at the national, municipal, and local levels.

Helmets, seat-belts, child restraints Using the correct helmet can lead to a 42 per cent reduction in the risk of fatal injuries and a 69 per cent reduction in the risk of head injuries.

Wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of death among drivers and front seat occupants by 45 - 50 per cebt, risk of death and serious injuries among rear seat occupants by 25 per cent. The use of child restraints can lead to a 60 per cent reduction in deaths.

To conclude, adopting the Safe System approach to road safety will help address the problem.

This focuses on safe roads and roadsides, safe speeds, safe vehicles, and safe road users.

Responsibility lies with the Ministry of Roads and Transport, Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, DVLA, National Road Safety Authority, National Ambulance Services and driver unions to implement this approach.

The writer is with Security & Conflict Management Bureau.

E-mail: emmanuelfelixmantey@ gmail.com

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| MARKET REVIEW

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

WEEKLY MARKET REVIEW FOR WEEK ENDING - APRIL 14, 2022 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS Q3, 2021 GDP Growth

6.6%

Average GDP Growth for 2021

5.3%

2022 Projected GDP Growth

5.5%

BoG Policy Rate

17.0%

Weekly Interbank Interest Rate

16.61%

Inflation for February, 2022

19.4%

End Period Inflation Target – 2022

8.0%

Budget Deficit (% GDP) – Dec, 2021

9.7%

2022 Budget Deficit Target (%GDP)

7.4%

Public Debt (billion GH¢) – Dec, 2021

351.8

Debt to GDP Ratio – Dec, 2021

80.1%

STOCK MARKET REVIEW The Ghana Stock Exchange strengthened for the week on the back of price gains recorded by 2 counters.

The GSE Composite Index (GSE CI) added 3.70 points (+0.14%) to close at 2,697.35 points, reflecting yearto-date (YTD) loss of 3.30%. The GSE Financial Stocks Index (GSE FI) also gained 6.72 points (+0.30%) to close at 2,220.89 points, reflecting year-to-date (YTD) gain of 3.21%.

Market capitalization advanced marginally by 0.06% to close the week at GH¢64,047.56 million, from GH¢64,011.45 million at the close of the previous week.

This reflects YTD decline of 0.75%.

Trading activity recorded a total of 2,065,583 shares valued at GH¢1,737,529 changing hands, compared with 3,626,127 shares, valued at GH¢3,602,157 in the preceding week.

IIL dominated volume of trades, accounting for 31.81% whiles GOIL dominated value of trades for the week, accounting for 53.01% of total value traded .

The market ended the week with 2 advancers and 1 decliner as indicated on the table below.

THE CURRENCY MARKET The Cedi lost marginally against the USD for the week.

It traded at GH¢7.1124/$, compared with GH¢7.1120/$ at week open, reflecting w/w and YTD depreciations of 0.01% and 15.55% respectively. This compares with YTD appreciation of 0.49% a year ago.

The Cedi also lost against the GBP for the week. It traded at GH¢9.2877/£, compared with GH¢9.2663/£ at week open, reflecting w/w and YTD depreciations of 0.23% and 12.50% respectively. This compares with YTD depreciation of 0.60% a year ago.

The Cedi however strengthened against the Euro for the week. It traded at GH¢7.6790/€, compared with GH¢7.7338/€ at week open, reflecting w/w appreciation and YTD depreciation of 0.71% and 11.08% respectively.

This compares with YTD appreciation of 2.88% a year ago.

The Cedi again appreciated against the Canadian Dollar for the week. It opened at GH¢5.6526/C$ but closed at GH¢5.6380/C$, reflecting w/w appreciation and YTD depreciation of 0.26% and 15.90% respectively. This compares with YTD depreciation of 1.23% a year ago.

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

GOVERNMENT SECURITIES MARKET Government raised a sum of GH¢777.59 million for the week across the 91-Day, 182-Day, and 364-Day Treasury Bills. This compared with GH¢1,155.11 million raised in the previous week.

The 91-Day Bill settled at 16.33% p.a., from 15.74% p.a. last week whilst the 182-Day Bill settled at 16.32% p.a., from 15.93% p.a. last week. The 364-Day Treasury Bill on the other hand settled at 18.85% p.a., from 18.28% p.a. recorded previously.

The table and graph below highlight primary market yields at close of the week.

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| MARKET REVIEW

COMMODITY MARKET

BUSINESS TERM OF THE WEEK

Crude prices jumped nearly 9% on the week as the market was hijacked once again by a supply scare on news that the European Union might phase-in a ban on Russian oil imports. Brent futures traded at US$111.70 a barrel on Friday, compared to US$102.78 at week open.

This reflects w/w and YTD gains of 8.68% and 43.61% respectively.

Gold prices also edged higher as concerns of an escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict increased safehaven bids for the precious metal, although a firmer U.S. dollar capped bullion’s gains. Gold settled at US$1,974.90 from US$1,945.60 last week, reflecting w/w and YTD appreciations of 1.51% and 8.00% respectively.

Prices of Cocoa declined for the week. The commodity traded at US$2,583.00 per tonne on Friday, from US2,620.00 last week, reflecting w/w loss and YTD appreciation of 1.41% and 2.50% respectively.

Limit-on-Open (LOO) Order: A limit-on-open (LOO) order is a type of limit order to buy or sell shares at the market open if the market price meets the limit’s condition. This type of order is good only for the market opening and does not last for the whole trading day.

INTERNTIONAL COMMODITIES PRICES

Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/ limitonopenorder.asp

ABOUT CIDAN CIDAN Investments Limited is an investment and fund management company licensed by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA).

RESEARCH TEAM Name: Ernest Tannor Email:etannor@cidaninvestments.com Tel:+233 (0) 20 881 8957 Name: Audrey Asiedua Wiafe Email:aaudrey@cidaninvestments.com Tel:+233 (0) 57 840 2700 Name: Moses Nana Osei-Yeboah Email:moyeboah@cidaninvestments.com Tel:+233 (0) 24 499 0069

CORPORATE INFORMATION CIDAN Investments Limited CIDAN House Plot No. 169 Block 6 Haatso, North Legon – Accra Tel: +233 (0) 26171 7001/ 26 300 3917 Fax: +233 (0)30 254 4351 Email: info@cidaninvestmens.com Website: www.cidaninvestments.com Disclaimer The contents of this report have been prepared to provide you with general information only. Information provided on and available from this report does not constitute any investment recommendation.

The information contained herein has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but its accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed.

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NO. B24/317 | NEWS FOR BUSINESS LEADERS

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

Akrofuom District Assembly exceeds revenue target The Akrofuom District Assembly in 2021 was able to collect an amount of Seven Hundred and Twenty-SixThousand, Two Hundred and Forty- Five Ghana Cedis EightyEight Ghana presents ( GH 726,245.88) out of the budgeted Six Hundred and Eight Thousand Cedis (GH680,000) representing 106.8% .

The District Chief Executive Hon. Maurice Jonas Woode announced this when he addressed Assembly members at a General Assembly meeting held at Akrofuom.

This performance he said represented a remarkable improvement in revenue mobilised by the Assembly since 2018 when the Assembly was created.

“We have improved and exceeded our revenue targets as a result of prudent measures we have put in place to collect

revenue. Pragmatic measures such as resourcing revenue collectors, addressing grievances of collectors timeously, distributing demand notices on time, setting of targets for collectors and judicious use of revenue, have been put in place by the Assembly to maximise revenue”.

Hon Woode further stated that as a result of the strides they have made in revenue mobilization, the Assembly does not owe its contractors. Again, he said the ability of the Assembly to raise the needed revenue has put to bed the phenomenon of over-reliance on Common Fund from Central Government.

AGENDA 111 The Dce lifted the lid on the current state of the Government’s flagship program in the health sector Agenda 111. He said “ as a beneficiary of the project, funds have so far been released to the three contractors to pave way for

the execution of this monumental project within the allocated 18-month period”.

Still on the health sector, Hon. Maurice Jonas Woode said the Assembly was liaising with the Japan Embassy to construct CHPS compound and Nurses quarters at Yaadome which will also serve the people of Betenase,Bredi, Oforikrom, Abusa and Dampanyaw, all in the district.

On electricity extension,

the DCE said the Assembly is currently extending electricity to communities in Akrofuom, Okyerekrom,Ampunyase, Wamase and other places in the District where illegal electricity connection is on rampant. He assured “ by the end of the year 85% of such communities will be covered”.

AfDB-supported digital platform will support women farmers to gain access to markets Women farmers in Cote d’Ivoire will more easily find markets for their crops, thanks to a digital platform recently launched by UN Women.

Blaatto, part of the UN agency’s Buy From Women initiative, is targeting women smallholder farmers and members of womenled agricultural cooperatives in the country’s central region where access to markets is relatively poor. The word ‘blaatto’ means ‘come and buy’ in the region’s Baule language.

Buy From Women is an opensource, cloud-based enterprise and e-commerce platform that can be customized to specific market products. It also offers women information and finance.

In Cote d’Ivoire, UN Women is rolling out the initiative with African Development Bank support and with funding from the Bank-managed Korea Africa Economic Cooperation Trust Fund.

PUBLISHED BY BUSINESS24 LTD. TEL: 030 296 5297, 030 296 5315.

The platform is part of a UN Women project in Cote d’Ivoire to strengthen women’s agricultural resilience to climate change and

quality of life by incorporating ICT into agricultural production.

Blaatto launched during a ceremony held on 25 March 2022 in Abidjan, attended by Mr. Felix Anoblé, Minister for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises, Handcrafts and Informal Sector Transformation of Cote d’Ivoire.

Mrs. Antonia Ngabala Sodonon, UN Women’s country representative for Cote d’Ivoire and Ms Esther Dassanou, Coordinator of the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa initiative also participated.

Before an audience of government representatives, development partners and women farmers, Anoblé and Sodonon signed an agreement for the management of Buy From Women.

Minister Anoblé said, “The Buy From Women platform will ensure long term results for beneficiaries.” He urged its adoption, saying, “Please take the opportunity to use it and uplift

EDITOR: BENSON AFFUL editor@business24.com.gh | +233 545 516 133.

locally produced crops.”

Sodonon said, “The Buy From Women platform will connect women producers to all categories of buyers of agricultural products: wholesalers, retailers and consumers across Cote d’Ivoire.

It is an opportunity for women farmers to sell their products to a large market of buyers.”

Esther Dassanou said: “We appreciate the support from the Government of Cote d’Ivoire in various interventions, especially in women’s economic empowerment. For the African Development Bank, UN Women is a strategic partner to implement the gender equality and women’s empowerment agenda.”

She added, “this platform will serve as a one-stop shop for producers, buyers, sellers and investors. Not only will it help women farmers gain access to markets but will also elevate their expertise and improve the quality of their farming products.”