Business24 Newspaper 20th January, 2021 by Business24 Online

THEBUSINESS24ONLINE.NET

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

NO. B24 / 148 | NEWS FOR BUSINESS LEADERS

Freighters in for a boom despite Covid, says GIFF boss

US$50m released towards operationalising dev’t bank By Joshua Worlasi Amlanu macjosh1922@gmail.com

he President’s representative at the Finance Ministry, Ken Ofori-Atta, has disclosed that US$50m has been released towards the operationalisation of the national development bank. Cont’d on page 3

Haruna alleges gov’t in breach of Transition Act By Eugene Davis ugendavis@gmail.com

Eddy Akrong, President of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders

By Patrick Paintsil p_paintsil@hotmail.com

he launch of the single continental market, the uptick in trade in the last part of a pandemicladen year, and the conducive

ports tariff regime signal a positive year for the freight forwarding business, Eddy Akrong, President of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), has said. Coronavirus-induced lockdowns slowed down

ECONOMIC INDICATORS EXCHANGE RATE (INT. RATE)

freight forwarding for the most part of last year, but the pickup in trade towards the end of the year was able to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Cont’d on page 2 INTERNATIONAL MARKET

USD$1 =GHC 5.7027

BRENT CRUDE $/BARREL

POLICY RATE

14.5%

NATURAL GAS $/MILLION BTUS

GHANA REFERENCE RATE

15.12%

GOLD $/TROY OUNCE

OVERALL FISCAL DEFICIT

11.4% OF GDP

PROJECTED GDP GROWTH RATE AVERAGE PETROL & DIESEL PRICE:

0.9% GHC 5.13

he leader of the NDC in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has accused the government of breaching the Presidential (Transition) Act 2012 (Act 845) over the inability of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to submit handing-over notes to the legislature.

CORN $/BUSHEL COCOA $/METRIC TON COFFEE $/POUND:

Cont’d on page 3 Follow us online:

$41.26 2.622 1,922.57 329.50 $2,339.27 $109.65

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Editorial / News

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

Editorial

Protecting the gains

ast year, the coronavirus pandemic brought Ghana’s economy to its knees just as it did to most economies around the world. The downturn manifested heavily at the ports where bustling economic activities took a nosedive. But towards the end of the year, the situation stabilised and a resurgence appeared on the horizon. With the launch of the muchawaited continental market, the uptick in trade in the last part of a pandemic-laden year, and the conducive ports tariff regime, freight forwarders could be in for a good business year. Coronavirus-induced lockdowns slowed down freight forwarding for the most part

of last year, but the pick-up in trade towards the end of the year was able to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Already, the take-off of the continental market, which will see goods coming to Ghana from other African nations tariff-free and quota-free, and an expected surge in exports are additional fillips to the fortunes of freight forwarders this year. The President of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders Eddy Akrong in an exclusive interview with Business24 expressed his optimism for a good business year. “We [freighters and clearing agents] will be in there in terms of documentation for both

imports and exports, clearing and distribution; this is basically what we do as architects of transport, and for us, this is exciting,” said Mr. Akrong. Adding to these positive indicators is the discovery and movement of COVID-19 vaccines across countries, which further brightens the prospects for freight forwarders, who will be in the thick of things when it comes to distribution. Seeing the prospects available, this paper would like to commend GIFF for making it a point to build the capacity of its members to enable them take advantage of the opportunities that have been offered by the AfCFTA.

Freighters in for a boom despite Covid, says GIFF boss Continued from cover “Now the outlook is better and we are hoping that [cargo] throughput goes higher. There should be a boom because we see things going up,” Mr. Akrong told Business24 in an exclusive interview. The take-off of the continental market, which will see goods coming to Ghana from other African nations tariff-free and quota-free, and an expected surge in exports are additional fillips to the fortunes of freight forwarders this year. “We [freighters and clearing agents] will be in there in terms of documentation for both imports and exports, clearing and distribution; this is basically what we do as architects of transport, and for us, this is exciting,” said Mr. Akrong. “Looking at the reduction in tariffs for the goods that are going to be traded under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), we foresee a jump in exports, which will be very good

for the economy—one that has been largely import-biased.” Adding to these positive indicators is the discovery and movement of COVID-19 vaccines across countries, which further brightens the prospects for freight forwarders, who will be in the thick of things when it comes to distribution, according to the GIFF boss. GIFF is currently building the capacity of its members to

enable them take advantage of the opportunities that have been offered by the AfCFTA. The Ministry of Trade is also preparing to train freighters and clearing agents on the modalities for trade, this paper gathered. “We have applied for proper training for members for them to know how to go about business under the AfCFTA, because registration requirements and documentation will be mostly handled by freight forwarders and clearing agents on behalf of clients,” Mr. Akrong noted.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

US$50m released towards operationalising dev’t bank Continued from cover The bank is expected to be capitalised with US$1bn, of which the government has committed US$250m. In a speech read on his behalf by Prof. George Gyan-Baffour, the immediate past Minister of Planning, at the 72nd Annual New Year School and Conference in Accra, Mr. Ofori-Atta assured that the establishment of Development Bank Ghana (DBG) is progressing steadily. The bank will source funding from the domestic market, as well as regional and international markets, through the periodic issuance of domestic bonds, diasporan instruments and direct borrowings from international financial institutions and capital markets. Mr. Ofori-Atta said the bank has generated a high level of interest from international bodies such as the World Bank, European Investment Bank, KfW and DFID. “It is expected that the combined resources of these international institutions will amount to US$558m to support the bank by

December 2021,” he said. The bank will focus on supporting the transformation of industrialisation, agriculture, agro-processing, and housing over the medium to long term. It will also serve as a promotional bank for the country, with a focus on mobilising medium- to long-term funds and channelling them into the economy through

the financial system. Products and instruments such as credit guarantee funds, refinancing of Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) loans, term loans, business development services, and factoring will also be deployed by the bank. Mr. Ofori-Atta noted that DBG was being positioned as a post

COVID-19 recovery institution, learning from the experience of KfW and Development Bank of Singapore, among others, which were critical institutions for the transformation of their respective countries. DBG will be regulated by the Bank of Ghana, with a competitively selected independent board and management.

Haruna alleges gov’t in breach of Transition Act Continued from cover Section 6 of Act 845 stipulates that the Office of the President shall prepare a set of comprehensive handing-over

Haruna Iddrisu leads the NDC in Parliament

notes covering the term of office of the President. These notes shall include the handing-over notes received by the President and the Ministers on assuming office.

Speaking to the press at Parliament House in Accra, Mr. Iddrisu said the President has a responsibility to respect the laws of Ghana. “Section 6 of the Act requires

that the President present handing-over notes 30 days to the presidential election. Whether all MDAs and all other public institutions have prepared handing-over notes, I am in doubt,” he said. He added: “As we speak today, Parliament has no formal record of any handing-over notes in its possession from any MDA as required in the act. We are demanding respect and that all handing-over notes be submitted.” With the president yet to announce nominees for ministerial positions, the leader of the NDC said the submission of the handing-over notes will help the Appointments Committee of Parliament to thoroughly vet nominees that appear before it.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

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News

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

Salt company to compensate communities for loss of livelihood

even Seas Salt Mining Company (formerly Kensington Industries Ltd) operating at Adina in the Ketu South Municipality said on Tuesday it would pay the community and other satellite communities affected by its operations. Mr Elliot Edem Agbenorwu, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ketu South, who disclosed this said the compensation would go to communities which make up the Company’s Adina Concession (currently developed) including; Adina, Amutinu, Salakakope, Agbevekope and Kpedzakope. He said it would also cover the Company’s yet-to-be developed Agavedzi-Blekusu Concession comprising Agavedzi, Blekusu, Dogbekope, Sonuto, Taskcorner and Tsavanya; and a new concession, White D’Or (formerly granted to White D’Or Company) comprising Hedzranawo, Adafienu, Tetekope and Agorko. In a meeting with key stakeholders such as chiefs and political party executives, Mr Agbenorwu said the Assembly in a bid to finding a lasting solution to the impasse between the indigenes and the salt mining Company, engaged relevant players including; the

Minerals Commission leading to among others, the decision for the Company to pay the compensation and hoped “this will end the agitations.” Indigenes of the salt mining concessions particularly, Adina, had embarked on demonstrations in 2015, 2016 and 2017, which led to one death, several injured and destruction of property over activities of the Company, which residents of the fishingdependent community said were robbing them of their livelihood and polluting fresh water sources. They accused Seven Seas of drawing underground water contrary to the agreements, for its operations causing the section of the Keta Lagoon, from which they fish and mine salt to dry up, making coconut trees along the

lagoon to wither, thus affecting their livelihoods. Mr Agbenorwu said complaints of the residents were carefully looked into noting, a consultant was engaged to carry out the valuation of the lands for the right compensation to bring finality to disturbances in the affected areas. “The compensation will be paid to each community based on the acres of land. We agreed on community compensation because it is difficult identifying individuals and households who fish and mine salt at these places as this resource is open to everyone in the affected communities. One representative each from chiefs, assembly members and women groups will be signatories to the account in every community.

Usage of the compensation is key to me and the Assembly. It is money for loss of livelihood and so it’s important it is put to good use to benefit the community. As a control measure, it was decided that the Assembly continues to write to the banks to authorise activities on the accounts. “Provision of potable water to affected community has long been resolved. On the agreements, the Company has developed local concessions of 300 metres at the edges to provide an alternative livelihood for the residents, while work is currently ongoing (about 60 per cent complete) at Agorko to enable Seven Seas to draw water from the sea for their production,” the MCE assured. GNA

Prefos to partner government to expand rural electrification programme

refos Ghana limited, an electrical and civil engineering company in Ghana, has said it will continue to work closely with the government to extend electricity to all communities under the Rural Electrification Programme. Frank Asamoah Agyemang, General Manager in charge of Northern Sector, told journalists in Kumasi, that management of the company would soon have a meeting with the government to discuss how Prefos could bring its expertise on board in the rural electrification expansion programme. The Rural electrification Project was introduced by the National Electrification Scheme, an initiative of the Ministry of Energy aimed at providing electricity to all parts of the country. The country is however, yet to

achieve that target since about 15 percent of the country still remained in darkness. The President, Nana

Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has however, pledged his commitment to ensure that all communities were hooked onto

the national grid before the end of his second term in office. Mr Agyemang said electricity had become a necessity, which every community needed to have access to promote socioeconomic development and improve on the living conditions of members in the community. He explained that almost all activities in this modern era were “empowered by power” and the company will continue to partner the government to ensure that all communities, especially those in rural areas were connected to the national electricity grid. Mr Agyeman called on the government to help reduce the import duties on assembling products of the Company to enable it import more raw materials for production. GNA

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

Companies

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

Heirs Holdings significantly expands oil and gas portfolio

eirs Holdings, the leading African strategic investor, in partnership with affiliated company Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp), Nigeria’s largest publicly listed conglomerate, announced today the unconditional acquisition of a 45% participating interest in Nigerian oil licence OML 17 and related assets, through TNOG Oil and Gas Limited (a related company of Heirs Holdings and Transcorp), from the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, Total E&P Nigeria Limited and ENI. In addition, TNOG Oil and Gas Limited will have sole operatorship of the asset. The transaction is one of the largest oil and gas financings in Africa in more than a decade, with a financing component of US$1.1 billion, provided by a consortium of global and regional banks and investors. OML 17 has a current production capacity of 27,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and, according to our estimates, 2P reserves of 1.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, with an additional 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent resources of further exploration potential. The investment demonstrates a further important advance in the execution of Heirs Holdings’

integrated energy strategy and the Group’s commitment to Africa’s development, through long term investments that create economic prosperity and social wealth. Heirs Holdings’ heritage and approach to business fundamentally underscores its commitment to inclusive development and shared prosperity with its host communities. Heirs Holdings is fully invested in the development of the Niger Delta region. Heirs Holdings’ strategy of creating the leading integrated energy business in Africa is executed through a series of strategic portfolio holdings. Transcorp is one of the largest power producers in Nigeria, with 2,000 MW of installed capacity, through ownership of Transcorp Power Plant and the recent acquisition of Afam Power Plc and Afam Three Fast Power Limited. Transcorp closed the US$300 million Afam acquisitions in November 2020. Transcorp supplies electricity to the Republic of Benin, as part of an emphasis on promoting regional integration and delivering robust power supply to catalyse development in Africa. Transcorp also operates OPL281, under a production sharing contract with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Similarly, Heirs Holdings’ subsidiary, Tenoil is the operator

of OPL 2008, under a production sharing contract with NNPC. Tenoil also owns the Ata Marginal Field, which will commence production in Q2, 2021, with 3,500 barrels of oil per day. Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu stated: “We have a very clear vision: creating Africa’s first integrated energy multinational, a global quality business, uniquely focused on Africa and Africa’s energy needs. The acquisition of such a highquality asset, with significant potential for further growth, is a strong statement of our confidence in Nigeria, the Nigerian oil and gas sector and a tribute to the extremely highquality management team that we have assembled. As a Nigerian, and more particularly an indigene of the Niger Delta region, I understand well our responsibilities that come with stewardship of the asset, our engagement with communities and the strategic importance of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria. We see significant benefits from integrating our production, with our ability to power Nigeria, through Transcorp, and deliver value across the energy value chain.” Speaking further, he said: “I would like to thank Shell, Total and ENI, for the professionalism of the process, the Federal

Government of Nigeria, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and the NNPC for the confidence they have placed in us.” Speaking on the investment, the President/GCEO of Transcorp, Owen Omogiafo, said “This deal further demonstrates Transcorp’s integrated energy strategy and our determination to power Africa.” Heirs Holdings was advised by Standard Chartered Plc, as Global Coordinator, and United Capital Plc, with a syndicate of lending institutions including Afreximbank, ABSA, Africa Finance Corporation, Union Bank of Nigeria, Hybrid Capital, and global asset management firm Amundi. The deal also involves Schlumberger as a technical partner, as well as the trading arm of Shell as an offtaker. Heirs Holdings has created one of Africa’s largest, indigenous owned, oil and gas businesses, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria and led by a board and management team with significant regional and global experience in production, exploration, and value creation in the resources sector. The HH Group is committed to the highest standards of safety, health, and community relations, together with best practice in governance and accountability.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

Maritime

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

FDA goes tough on unregistered imports

he Food and Drugs Authority of Ghana says from the 1st of February 2021, it will begin the strict enforcement of registration activities on imports before clearance at the country’s ports. According to the Head of the Imports and Exports Control Division of the FDA, Emmanuel Yaw Kwarteng, who was speaking on Eye on Port, this has been identified by the Authority as the most effective way of ridding Ghana’s market of unregistered, and potentially unwholesome products. “Market surveillance team go round checking for these products for seizure and destruction, but it is easier if we can control everything at the port,” he explained. He said the Food and Drugs Authority advises importers who intend to bring in FDA regulated products like food, household chemicals, medicines, medical devices and cosmetics to commence registration processes prior to the importation of these items. Emmanuel Kwarteng said it is important to do this in timely fashion because the FDA’s

Head of the Imports and Exports Control Division of the FDA, Emmanuel Yaw Kwarteng, speaking on Eye on Port

processes are very elaborate. “You cannot bring them in, unless you register. The registration process as elaborate as is it, takes you through many processes that will finally assure the final consumer of the safety, efficacy and quality of product,” he stated. He also advised importers to make use to the electronic means of application through the Integrated Customs Management System so as to reduce human interactions. Emmanuel Kwarteng said

the Foods and Drugs Authority of Ghana has made significant efforts to reduce the cost of registration by 80% to encourage compliance, and thus, traders’ excuse of cost would not be condoned. He said a risk-based approach is currently being used in the assessment of products now which has halved the initial duration used in processing registration. “We have now been able to free our hands off the low-risk products. If somebody brings rice

per bag, the amount of work that goes into it is negligible because it a dry cereal which is going to be cooked. If it took you 6 months to register a food product in 2018/2019, now it should take you have the time,” he revealed. The Head of Imports and Exports Control Division at the Food and Drugs Authority warned that importers who fail to register FDA-regulated products before clearance, will face the consequence of repatriation of their goods at their own cost as well as pay an administrative fine.

GRA Customs moves to tackle illegal sampling at ports

he Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority has demonstrated its commitment to end illegal sample taking in a recent public notice to the trading public. The notice, signed by its Commissioner-General, Col. (Rtd) Kwadwo Damoah, forbids “customs examination officers from taking samples except with sample labels from either the

Customs Chemist, Chief Revenue Officer Outdoor, or Terminal heads”, during clearance procedures at the country’s ports. Participating in a discourse on the Eye on Port program, a Senior Revenue Officer at the Customs Laboratory in Tema, Roger Nana Otoo Gardiner, in justifying the directive, indicated that the move was to enforce compliance.

Senior Revenue Officer at the Customs Laboratory in Tema, Roger Nana Otoo Gardiner

He said one of the key agendas is to ensure that some miscreants in the Customs setup who engage in illegal sample-taking are identified and sanctioned appropriately. “The issue of sampling has really become a menace. There are new declarants who do not know the procedure in sample taking out of their custody into customs custody, such that, it is

becoming rampant. We receive compliants from declarants as well as GPHA security,” he disclosed. According to him consignees are not obliged to comply if this document is not provided for sample taking as indicated in the notice from the Authority. “When a customs officer approaches you, you should demand the sample label, as stated in the order notice from the Commissioner General,” he urged. “If you do not allow taking of samples without the label, you can complain to the terminal head or the CCOD who could escalate it to the Sector Commander if need be,” he added. He assured importers of fairness in the sample-taking activity at the ports, emphasizing on the Authority’s commitment to abide by the laws governing sample-taking. “The schedule for sample taking gives examples to guide the quantity taken. For example, for containers of mosquito coil, six retail packs should be taken from different boxes in a container,” he cited.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

News

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

Young Investors Network commends Asamoah Gyan for promoting financial literacy By Julius K. Satsi

he Young Investors Network (YIN) has commended Asamoah Gyan, a former Captain of the Ghana Black Stars for promoting financial literacy by urging viewers to have a box for keeping coins and notes. Gyan was spotted in a video on his Facebook page encouraging individuals to cultivate the habit of saving using an old-fashioned means of saving money by using the money box. He urged individuals to develop the attitude of dropping coins and notes like one cedi note and other higher denominations they could and before they know, it would accumulate and become higher in value. The former skipper and captain of the Black Stars said little drops of water makes a mighty oceans, so no matter how little the money they could set aside would, it would still be relevant to put it aside for one’s own good. In the said video, Asamoah Gyan in the company of other individuals broke open the two money boxes, which he had started saving in during the lockdown and for the past six months. The opened money box

contained notes of different denominations ranging from 200 cedi notes to one cedi notes and some coins. Mr Joshua Mensah, the Founder and President of YIN commended the action of the footballer noting that it will go a long way to instill the habit of savings in the hearts of those who looked up to him. He said: “The short video shared by Asamoah Gyan may be taken lightly, but it is a powerful tool to take the financial literacy education a notch higher and we are proud about that. As a financial literacy organisation committed to nurturing young people to grow and become responsible adults with a saving and investment culture, we do not take what

Asamoah Gyan had done lightly but commend him to continuously join us on this path,” he added. He added that all people of influence with a high following should emulate what Asamoah Gyan so that we can build a nation made up of people who can save and invest. YIN is a financial education organization with a commitment to educating the youth in financial literacy and dedicated to preparing the next generation of investors. It operates with the mission of inspiring the youth to be outstanding investors through training and organizing series of programmes for students to provide the opportunities for them to learn and ask the relevant

questions about savings. The Network has established clubs in some second cycle schools in the country, seeking to enable its members to save and invest for the future and encourages them by awarding the member who consistently saves over a period of time, accumulating more. It has in time past organised several financial programmes for young people to cause a change and motive them towards investing for their future including the Global Money Week observation and celebration. The network in partnership with the Ghana Stock Exchange has been organising an annual competition on the capital market among Senior High School with the aim arousing the interests of young people in the capital market. YIN is also championing the “Save a Cedi Challenge” intended to introduce simple finance to encourage savings among young people where young people are awarded on monthly basis with various prizes. It recently launched the “Young Investors Digest,” a Newsletter aimed at providing news articles and publications on investing and savings to whip up the interest of readers.

Fidelity Bank Ghana relocates two branches; merges two branches

idelity Bank, a private Ghanaian Bank has relocated its main Madina and Tema Community 25 Branches in a bid to enhance customer experience and convenience for its cherished customers. The bank has also merged its Accra High Street and Accra Central branches into a single branch located inside the City Car Park mall, about 20 metres from the old High Street branch, a statement from the Bank said. The new Madina branch is located within the Hollywood banking enclave on the Legon Adenta Highway, while the new Tema Community 25 branch is located at the Community 25 Junction Arcade on the Tema Aflao Highway. Nana Esi Idun-Arkhurst, Divisional Director, Retail Banking of Fidelity Bank Ghana said: “The relocations and mergers of certain branches are part of the Bank’s digital transformation agenda to reach more customers and to provide them with easier access to our products and services. “Furthermore, we want to

assure customers that our newly relocated and merged branches will feature the same superior service delivery that is the hallmark of the Fidelity branch network.” Notwithstanding the beauty and ambience of the new branches and for those who preferred to do their banking outside of the banking hall, she said, Fidelity had enhanced its portfolio of innovative digital products to provide a seamless customer experience across digital and physical touchpoints and to serve customers with speed and flexibility. She explained: “The Fidelity Mobile App enables customers to perform instant payments, open accounts as well as do instant transfers from any location. The recently introduced Kukua, Fidelity’s 24-hour WhatsApp Banking Assistant, empowers customers to conduct personalised online transactions from any location in real time.” Mr Peter Fordjor, Director, Channels and Sales of Fidelity Bank Ghana, said: “Our relocated

and merged branches are designed to facilitate private client engagements with our relationship managers so that customers can feel comfortable and secure in sharing their personal and business financial objectives.” Fidelity’s Madina, Tema Community 25 and Accra High Street branches are open for business from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9:00 and 16:00.

These newly relocated and merged branches are a testament to Fidelity Bank Ghana’s resolve to offer convenient banking services to its valued customers, the statement said. In a little over a decade, Fidelity Bank Ghana has grown from a discount house to a Tier One Bank and is now the largest privately-owned Ghanaian Bank. The Bank currently serves its customers in 75 branches across Ghana.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

World

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

Emirates becomes one of the first airlines to trial IATA Travel Pass

mirates has partnered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to become one of the first airlines in the world to trial IATA Travel Pass – a mobile app to help passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccine information. IATA Travel Pass enables Emirates passengers to create a ‘digital passport’ to verify their pre-travel test or vaccination meets the requirements of the destination. They will also be able to share the test and vaccination certificates with authorities and airlines to facilitate travel. The new app will also enable travellers to manage all travel documentation digitally and seamlessly throughout the travel experience. Prior to a full roll out, Emirates will implement phase 1 in Dubai for the validation of COVID-19 PCR tests before departure. In this initial phase, expected to begin in April, Emirates customers travelling from Dubai will be able to share their COVID-19 test status directly with the airline even before reaching the airport through the app, which will then auto-populate the details on the

check-in system. Adel Al Redha Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer said: “While international travel remains as safe as ever, there are new protocols and travel requirements with the current global pandemic. We have worked with IATA on this innovative solution to simplify and digitally transmit the information that is required by countries and governments into our airline systems, in a secure and efficient manner. We are proud to be one of the first airlines in the world to pilot this initiative, which will provide an enhanced customer experience and conveniently facilitate our customers’ travel needs.” Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President for Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security said: “We’re

proud to work with Emirates to make IATA Travel Pass available in the Middle East region. With its global customer base and network traffic, Emirates as a partner will also bring invaluable input and feedback to improve the Travel Pass programme. This is the first step in making international travel during the pandemic as convenient as possible giving people the confidence that they are meeting all COVID-19 entry requirements by governments. As borders re-open, IATA Travel Pass will be further enhanced with more capabilities to meet all governments testing or vaccination verification requirements and Emirates customers will be among the first to have these services.”

Within the IATA Travel Pass app, the integrated registry of travel requirements will also enable passengers to find accurate information on travel and entry requirements for all destinations regardless of where they are travelling from. It will also include a registry of testing and eventually vaccination centres – making it more convenient for passengers to find testing centres and labs at their departure location which meet the standards for testing and vaccination requirements of their destination. The platform will also enable authorized labs and test centres to securely send test results or vaccination certificates to passengers. The global registry, managed by IATA, will manage and allow the secure flow of necessary information amongst all stakeholders and to provide a seamless passenger experience. Emirates is committed to providing a seamless customer experience at all touchpoints. In the last few months, it has introduced a smart contactless journey with an integrated biometric path and other services including self-check-in and bag drop kiosks at Dubai International airport for a smoother airport experience.

Brexit: Government considers scrapping some EU labour laws

usiness Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has confirmed the government is looking at scrapping some EU labour laws now it is no longer bound by the bloc’s rules. But he promised there would be no dilution of workers’ rights. Measures under consideration include relaxing the working time directive which enshrines a 48hour week. Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband warned the government wanted to take a “wrecking ball” to hard-won rights. Earlier this week Mr Kwarteng said he wanted to “protect and enhance” labour law after the Financial Times reported that some rules could be weakened. The minister later told business leaders the UK had an opportunity to reform regulation derived from EU law, but would not deliberately antagonise the EU - its biggest trading partner immediately after the Brexit deal. Confirming the review on

Tuesday, Mr Kwarteng told MPs there would be no “bonfire of rights”. “I think the view was that we wanted to look at the whole range of issues relating to our EU membership and examine what we wanted to keep, if you like,” he said. But he said “the idea that we are trying to whittle down standards, that’s not at all plausible or true”. ‘High wage, high employment’ Appearing before MPs, the business secretary said: “I’m very struck as I look at EU economies how many EU countries - I think it’s about 17 or 18 - have essentially opted out of the working time directive. “So even by just following that we are way above the average European standard and I want to maintain that. I think we can be a high-wage, high-employment economy, a very successful economy, and that’s what we should be aiming for.” Mr Miliband said that after

denying the FT’s report, Mr Kwarteng had now “let the cat out of the bag” in admitting the government was conducting a review of. He warned that opting out of the 48-hour week would harm workers in key sectors like the NHS, road haulage and airlines from working excessive hours. “A government committed to maintaining existing protections would not be reviewing whether they should be unpicked. This exposes that the government’s priorities for Britain are totally wrong.” Drew Hendry, the SNP’s business spokesman, echoed the criticism, accusing the government of planning an “assault” on workers’ rights. Under the post Brexit trade deal with the EU, the UK has agreed to conditions that maintain fair competition, or a level playing field, between the two sides. However, the EU’s ambassador to the UK, Joao Vale de Almeida,

said Brussels could retaliate if Boris Johnson’s government went too far in with deregulation. “It will be for us to judge the extent to which it violates this principle of ‘level playing field’ and if that is the case there are mechanisms in the treaty, in the agreement, that allow us to discuss and eventually to come to an understanding,” he said on Tuesday. “If no understanding there are retaliation measures that can be applied on both sides.”

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

Feature

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20, 2021

A COVID genocide in the Americas?

By Federico Finchelstein, Jason Stanley

any commentators seeking to understand Donald Trump and Trumpism have found clarity in historically resonant concepts such as fascism. And yet, the most damning element of that historical parallel, the phenomenon of genocide, has yet to feature prominently in the US public discussion. In this respect, the United States has lagged behind Brazil, where Gilmar Mendes, a judge on Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, warned last July that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s craven response to COVID-19 might make his government culpable in genocide against Indigenous people. With the US COVID-19 death toll now having exceeded 400,000, it may be time for the American mainstream to acknowledge Trumpism’s own genocidal potential. As in Brazil, Indigenous communities in the US have suffered disproportionately from the pandemic, leading the scholar Nick Estes to compare the Trump administration’s response to the original genocide against Native Americans. We share Estes’s concerns. The administration’s consistent prioritization of political considerations over public health increased the risk to black and Indigenous communities in culpably foreseeable ways. After all, we have known since last April that the virus was having a greater impact on African-American, Latinx, and Indigenous communities. Yet since then, Trump and his fellow Republicans have openly encouraged anti-lockdown protests and questioned the need for protective measures as basic as face-mask mandates. Owing to a reckless disregard for public health at the highest levels, the US and Brazil are the world

leaders in cumulative COVID-19 deaths. This is no accident, considering that Bolsonaro has explicitly replicated Trump’s political strategy. Like fascist leaders of the past, both men deny any and all responsibility for the deaths their actions have caused. Both regularly distort reality and present themselves as redeemers of “the people.” Not surprisingly, Bolsonaro is among the few national leaders who have affirmed Trump’s lies about the US election being “stolen.” Bolsonaro has also blithely dismissed the COVID-19 death toll, asking, “Who did I kill?” To be sure, genocide is notoriously difficult to define. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, focused narrowly on the targeting of racial and ethnic groups; to avoid a veto from the Soviet Union, political groups were excluded. But this expedient exception should not constrain one’s moral evaluation of a regime’s actions. When narrowly political decisions are the basis for policies that eventuate in mass death, a reckoning is in order. Trumpism and Bolsonarismo sustain themselves through propaganda and political interference in independent institutions (including the US Centers for Disease Control). The result is an endless stream of lies and conspiracy theories that have undermined mechanisms for holding those in power accountable. This approach has already had catastrophic implications for minority populations. The question is whether these governments’ policies of disinformation and willful neglect can also be described as criminal. For a historical parallel, consider the well-documented role that Stalinism played in the “Holodomor,” the wave of famines that swept Ukraine in 1932 and 1933, causing millions of deaths.

In rendering a moral assessment of Stalin’s legacy, the question of whether this particular episode technically qualifies as genocide is largely beside the point. As the historian Timothy Snyder shows in Bloodlands, each of the policies that led to the mass deaths in Ukraine “may seem like an anodyne administrative policy, and each of them was certainly presented as such at the time.” Stalin, too, could have asked, “Who did I kill?” Notwithstanding an initial period of confusion early in 2020, scientists and public-health experts have long known that face masks, restrictions on inperson gatherings, widespread testing and tracing, and increased public awareness can substantially mitigate the spread and effects of COVID-19. Rejecting these policies, both Trump and Bolsonaro instead touted miracle cures while promising that the virus would simply “disappear.” Moreover, the Trump administration’s COVID-19 taskforce, led by the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, abandoned the national response plan it had in the works during the first months of the pandemic. “Because the virus had hit blue states hardest,” an inside source told Vanity Fair, referring to jurisdictions controlled by Democrats, “a national plan was unnecessary, and would not make sense politically.” Thus, by April, Trump had already begun to call for a nationwide reopening. As The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer contended at the time, the administration “did not consider the lives of the people dying worth the effort or money required to save them.” Policymakers knew the death toll was disproportionately higher among poor and minority communities, who were vulnerable not for any innate reason, but as a result of deep social and structural inequities. They did not act to minimize the

loss of life. The implication is not that the Trump administration consciously decided on a policy of neglect to target minority populations for elimination. If it had done that, the UN definition of genocide would indeed apply. But remember the Holodomor. If narrow political decisions were the driving force behind policies that jeopardized the health of the Ukrainian people, it is not unreasonable, morally, to compare those famines to a genocide. The issue, then and now, concerns the extent to which political decisions are indeed central to the ultimate outcome. In the case of COVID-19, investigative reporting has already shown that the Trump administration’s initial inaction was guided by narcissistic political considerations and indifference toward the plight of political opponents. Even if the administration’s policy was born merely of a desire to manage public perception in the run-up to an election, that hardly excuses the resulting cost in human lives. It is time to put the COVID-19 crisis in its proper historical context. Brazilians are already having this debate, and Americans will have to do the same when coming to terms with the Trump era and its lasting legacy. Until we have a full understanding of the Trump and Bolsonaro administrations’ actions during the pandemic, talk of complicity in genocide cannot be dismissed as inapplicable. About the authors Federico Finchelstein, Professor of History at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College, is the author of A Brief History of Fascist Lies. Jason Stanley, Professor of Philosophy at Yale University, is the author of How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them.

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Can Biden succeed in economic rescue mission?

s was the case 12 years ago, Joe Biden enters the White House on an economic rescue mission after an historic US and global recession. Then he was vice president and the world was reeling from the shock of the financial crisis. And while Mr Biden has defended the economic record of his then-boss President Barack Obama, there are plenty on his team who wish the US had done more. This time, Mr Biden’s initial economic agenda is Covid. As he enters office, the pandemic is still raging, thousands are dying every day, and jobless numbers are going up. Health is wealth, in terms of fully reopening the economy. ‘America Rescue Plan’ Mr Biden outlined last week what he called his “America Rescue Plan” - a $1.9tn (£1.4tn) effort to fund universal vaccination and more coronavirus testing, and provide funds for households, business and lower levels of government. More than half of the figure is earmarked for direct financial relief for families, including $1,400 stimulus cheques for most households, as well as significantly increasing and extending unemployment benefits for millions of jobless Americans.

The plan also includes raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and childcare funding. But this is just a plan - and turning it into reality will mark the first test of the very thin control Mr Biden’s party allies hold over Congress. Mr Biden is going to try to win support from Republicans, but they are wary of the price tag. The left of his party, meanwhile, want the stimulus to be even bigger. If Mr Biden succeeds, the prize for the economy is a possible growth rate in 2021 not seen since the Reagan era - at 5% or 6%. The constraint on his plans is the massive government debt he has inherited, due in part to the economic collapse and the $4tn in stimulus the US has already approved. But is it a constraint? ‘Act big’ Mr Biden’s choice as Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, has said that borrowing rates are likely to stay low for a long time, and as the former head of America’s central bank, Ms Yellen has some authority on the issue. The US is unlikely to follow the eurozone down the road of negative interest rates, which means finding alternative ways to support the economy. The whole administration seems to be behind the mantra

that borrowing cheaply to spend is not just possible but opportune, necessary and essential. As Ms Yellen put it herself during her confirmation hearing: “Neither the President-elect, nor I, propose this relief package without an appreciation for the country’s debt burden. But right now, with interest rates at historic lows, the smartest thing we can do is act big.” To Mr Biden, that means substantial spending on green energy and jobs, as indeed is being argued in almost every country in the world. The US government will now be helping to fund the long-term economic transformation spurred by climate change, as embodied by Mr Biden’s plan to re-join the Paris accords on climate change as one of his very first acts. So, is Mr Biden decisively turning his back on the steady and targeted erosion of the multilateral system under President Trump? Mostly, yes, but not entirely. US antipathy towards China and attempts to contain its rise will continue in the Biden era. But the Biden administration will not extend such Trumpian mercantilism to democratic allies. For example, the Trump trade agenda systematically dismantled the functioning of the World Trade Organization and viewed the European Union as practicing

similarly unfair trade protections. President Biden and team are likely to see the EU as strategic allies, even though eyebrows have been raised about the fasttrack investment deal done by the EU with China, just before Biden’s inauguration. The UK government sees opportunities here, with the G7 meeting in Cornwall, chaired by Boris Johnson, expanded into a D10 of democracies with India, Australia and South Korea. Some though not all of the attendees are concerned about China’s strategic influence over technology, manufacturing, the internet, and global investment and development via its “Belt and Road” initiative. The other interesting global challenge could be the tech companies themselves. President Trump defended the US giants from efforts to tax them on sales. But Mr Biden might try to address some of the concerns about these global mega-monopolies, particularly as regards to their role in inadvertently cultivating political division and extremism. The big picture here though is a president in fiscal rescue mode, and a team haunted by the fear that it fell short in 2009. They are determined not to repeat that mistake. BBC

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