Business24 Newspaper 19th November, 2021

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

BUSINESS24.COM.GH

Friday November 19, 2021

NO. B24 / 276 | News for Business Leaders

Was COP26 cheap talk?

NDPC boss calls for a robust rural economy for AfCFTA

See page 11

See page 23

Remittance flows projected to register robust 7.3% growth in 2021 R

emittances to low- and middle-income countries are projected to grow by a strong 7.3 percent to reach US$589 billion in 2021.

This return to growth is more robust than earlier estimates and follows the resilience of flows in 2020, when remittances declined by only 1.7 percent despite a severe global recession due to COVID-19, according to estimates from the World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief.

For a second consecutive year, remittance flows to lowand middle-income countries (excluding China) are expected to surpass the sum of foreign direct investment (FDI) and overseas

For a second consecutive year, remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries are expected to surpass the sum of foreign direct investment and overseas development assistance

Use ‘Taste of Ghana’ event to explore trade, investment opportunities— Information Minister

By Eugene Davis ugendavis@gmail.com

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inister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has urged the organisers of the “Taste of Ghana” programme to leverage trade and investment opportunities in the country to boost economic growth.

The “Taste of Ghana” programme, organised by the Ghana Investment Cont’d on page 3

Cont’d on page 2

Speaker directs Roads Minister to reverse suspension of tolls

By Eugene Davis

OFAB outlines new strategies to champion agric bio-tech across Africa

ugendavis@gmail.com

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By Patrick Paintsil p_paintsil@hotmail.com

he Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has directed the Roads Minister, Kwasi AmoakoAttah, to reverse his decision to suspend the collection of road tolls in Ghana.

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he Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) says it will support member nations in the Cont’d on page 5

Cont’d on page 3

Cont’d on page 2 Cont’d on page 2

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Editorial / News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Editorial

Let’s prepare the rural economy for AfCFTA

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here is an urgent need to build robust businesses from the grassroot or local level to enable that can participate fully in the single continental market.

As the most ambitious and portentous trade project on the continent, it’s impact must be felt in all aspects of the national economy, including the largely informal rural sector if we want to see the real impact or benefits.

To be able to achieve this, there must be a conscious effort to build a sustainable rural economy that is underpinned by the productivity of small and medium enterprises and the growth of the rural private sector.

MMDAs will have to support

local business areas with huge growth potential as it will pay dividends in the form of taxes and enhance revenue mobilization at the rural level.

It is therefore very timely and welcoming the plan of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to engage relevant state bodies such as the Local Government, Ministry of Trade and other stakeholders to facilitate targeted trainings for some districts where its support initiatives and interventions will result in real concrete action.

The NDPC has already launched some guidelines to foster the implementation of the AfCFTA at the districts level is only one step.

“The guidelines indicate a

definite process agreed by all the institutions and stakeholders and that’s necessary and also provides a harmonized platform for the NDPC to approach the districts.

We want to get the districts to be familiar with the AfCFTA; what we want to do is to make sure that the vision is not just an NDPC vision, but one that has the district buy-in,” said the NDPC boss at the launch of the document.

Truly, if we can truly grow our districts sustainably to create jobs and wealth, the AfCFTA is yet another good opportunity that must be extensively leveraged to serve that purpose.

Remittance flows projected to register robust 7.3% growth in 2021 Continued from cover

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development assistance (ODA).

This underscores the importance of remittances in providing a critical lifeline by supporting household spending on essential items such as food, health, and education during periods of economic hardship in migrants’ countries of origin.

“Remittance flows from migrants have greatly complemented government cash transfer programmes to support families suffering economic hardships during the COVID-19 crisis. Facilitating the flow of remittances to provide relief to strained household budgets should be a key component of government policies to support a global recovery from the pandemic,” said Michal Rutkowski, World Bank Global Director for Social Protection and Jobs.

Factors contributing to the strong growth in remittance are migrants’ determination to support their families in times of need, aided by economic recovery in Europe and the United States, which in turn was supported by the fiscal stimulus and employment support programmes. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Russia, the

recovery of outward remittances was also facilitated by stronger oil prices and the resulting pickup in economic activity.

Remittances registered strong growth in most regions. Flows increased by 21.6 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, 9.7 percent in Middle East and North Africa, 8 percent in South Asia, 6.2 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa, and 5.3 percent in Europe and Central Asia. In East Asia and the Pacific, remittances fell by 4 percent—though excluding China, remittances registered a gain of 1.4 percent in the region. In Latin America and the Caribbean, growth was exceptionally strong due to economic recovery in the United States and additional factors, including migrants’ responses to natural disasters in their countries of origin and remittances sent from home countries to migrants in transit.

The cost of sending $200 across international borders continued to be too high, averaging 6.4 percent of the amount transferred in the first quarter of 2021, according to the World Bank’s Remittance Prices Worldwide Database. This is more than double the Sustainable Development Goal target of 3 percent by 2030. It is most expensive to send money to SubSaharan Africa (8 percent) and

lowest in South Asia (4.6 percent).

Data reveal that costs tend to be higher when remittances are sent through banks than through digital channels or through money transmitters offering cashto-cash services.

“The immediate impact of the crisis on remittance flows was very deep. The surprising pace of recovery is welcome news.

To keep remittances flowing, especially through digital channels, providing access to bank accounts for migrants and remittance service providers remains a key requirement. Policy responses also must continue to be inclusive of migrants, especially in the areas of access to vaccines and protection from underpayment,” said Dilip Ratha, lead author of the brief and head of KNOMAD. Remittances are projected to continue to grow by 2.6 percent in 2022, in line with global macroeconomic forecasts. A resurgence of COVID-19 cases and reimposition of mobility restrictions pose the biggest downside risk to the outlook for global growth, employment and remittance flows to developing countries. The rollback of fiscal stimulus and employmentsupport programmes, as economies recover, may also dampen remittance flows.

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Speaker directs Roads Minister to reverse suspension of tolls Continued from cover According to the Speaker, the Minister should have sought parliamentary approval or waited for the 2022 Budget to be approved before his announcement.

“I direct that the Minister of Roads has no such authority to issue a directive stopping the collection of the road tolls. What is before us is a policy proposal and until we approve it, it cannot be implemented,” said Mr. Bagbin in Parliament on Thursday.

The Speaker’s directive followed a statement by the Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Tamale North Constituency, Haruna Iddrisu, who questioned the legality of the Minister of Roads and Highways’ action.

According to him, the Minister is not clothed with any such powers to determine fees and charges, and therefore cannot arbitrarily announce the suspension of road tolls on the back of the budget presentation.

In the presentation of the

government’s budget statement and economic policy for the year 2022 on Wednesday, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta announced that as a policy, all road tolls will be abolished to ease traffic on the roads.

Subsequent to the policy proposal by the government, which is expected to take effect from January 2022, a press release

circulated under the signature of the Roads Minister directed that all road tolls collection should cease with effect from November 18, 2021.

According to the Minority Leader, Ghanaians should ignore the directive of the Roads and Highways Minister because it has no standing in law.

Contributing to the discussion,

the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, pleaded with the House to give the Minister the benefit of the doubt because it could be an administrative error.

The MP for Adaklu, Governs Kwame Agbodza, on his part said the Minister should be made to rescind his decision with immediate effect.

Use ‘Taste of Ghana’ event to explore trade, investment opportunities—Information Minister Continued from cover Promotion Centre (GIPC), aims to project the beauty of Ghanaian culture and heritage.

This year’s edition is the second and is scheduled to take place on December 27 at the forecourt of the State House.

Bringing together Ghanaians and the African Diaspora, the event will primarily foster an informal networking session for all attendees, and seeks to also encourage the support and patronage of Made-in-Ghana products.

Speaking at the launch of the second edition, Mr. Nkrumah said: “We want to urge you that whilst doing all of this, you continue to keep an eye on trade, investments and tourism, and use this celebration only as a platform to further trade, investment and tourism. What you have put together is the unique collage of Ghana’s culture, fashion, food and music from all the 16 regions.”

Nana Dufie Addo, Chief Operating Officer at GIPC, said

the centre will improve upon last year’s event and make the upcoming one a memorable programme.

Mr. Akwasi Awuah Ababio, Director of Diasporan Affairs at

the Office of the President, urged the GIPC to take advantage of technology to ensure those who miss out on the event are able to participate or witness it.

Deputy Minister of Tourism,

Arts and Culture, Mark Okraku Mantey, lauded the initiative and backed the organisers to tap into Ghana’s rich tourism potential to attract more visitors to the event.

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MoMo transactions far outstrips cheque transactions in first four months of 2021

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obile money transactions far outstripped cheque transactions by approximately GHS232 billion in the first four months of 2021, Right Reverend Patricia Sappor, President Chartered Institute of Bankers(CIB), has disclosed.

She said according to the data from the Bank of Ghana, the value of mobile money transactions for the first four months of 2021 totaled GHS301.1 billion, while cheque transactions over the same period amounted to GHS68.3 billion.

Rt Rev. Sappor, speaking at the 25th National Banking Conference, said if the trend continued, the total value of mobile money transactions would surpass cheque transactions by more than the GHS389 billion recorded to end 2020.

The conference provided the forum for an in-depth interrogation of topical issues in relation to the economy in general and the banking industry.

The event was on the theme: “The Digital Economy of Ghana: The Strategic Role of the Banking Industry.”

She said, “I must quickly add that the above developments have also enhanced the country’s quest

to continue to improve financial inclusion among citizens."

The CIB President said in view of the above “we saw many banks in Ghana rise to the occasion at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that digital platforms were readily available and working seamlessly to prevent any interruption in banking services to customers.”

She said it was important to note that the banking industry was among the few in the country which was future-ready for COVID-19 by actively driving the adoption of digital products across its customer base.

Rt Rev. Sappor said" this buttresses the strategic role of banks in Ghana’s Digital Agenda which the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is impressively leading."

“The Governing Council congratulates you on your drive to see a fully digitized economy for Ghana,” she added.

She said many banks were working with the National Identification Authority to create Application Programming Interfaces to connect to the national database which would assist in on-boarding clients as well as the implementation of Know-

Your-Customer requirements and reviews.

Rt Rev. Sappor said with the national database in place, issues of banking fraud, as well as the risks associated with lending to clients should be mitigated considerably thereby reducing the costs of borrowing by banks.

The President said deepening the digitalization in the banking industry would enhance the ability of many more individuals and businesses to access credit irrespective of their locations once they meet the necessary credit criteria required by banks.

Mr John Awuah, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Association of Bankers, said, “we live in a world, when digital knowledge has become imaginably vast.”

He predicted that sooner than later, banks would turn to other means to transform and perform the services undertaken at branches.

The CEO said community banking, particularly from large institutions, would become more cost efficient and less personal.

GNA

OFAB outlines new strategies to champion agric bio-tech across Africa Continued from cover form of incentives and enhanced knowledge to advance the formulation and implementation of policies that support agrobased biotechnology.

The move, it indicated, forms part of an aggressive push to counter the myths and misconceptions that are holding back the adoption and usage of biotech food crops across the sub-region.

According to the advocacy group, there is huge potential in biotechnology which must be harnessed to advance growth in all economic sectors.

“We exist to address those situations and perhaps also support government in that respect to be able to move in the right direction of coming up with policies and directions on biotechnology,” OFAB’s Project Manager, Vitumbiko Chinoko,

told Business24 at a training in Accra for its representatives in 10 African countries.

“We want to address those misconceptions; we want to address those lies and propaganda that surround technology.

We know most of them are championed by those that are against technology, and none of them have any sound scientific grounding,” he added.

Mr. Chinoko indicated that agriculture bio technology plays an important role in promoting food security across Africa, especially with the threats of climate change on food systems.

He said: “Absolutely, when you look at the challenges of food security in Africa, we are looking at climate change, but we see how technology has addressed drought. We have an escalation of pest and diseases in different countries, and with biotechnology, we’ve come up

with a solution that will enable crops to withstand the challenges of climate change.”

The training programme was to build the capacity of participants on agricultural biotechnology advocacy and to create an enabling environment for the adoption of biotechnology.

“We recognise that agricultural technology is important to improve agricultural productivity, but at the same time it has not been exploited as much. So, really, we want to build each

other’s skills so that when we go back to our different countries, we will be in a position to analyse the policy environment and we will be able to influence that policy environment in favour of agricultural technology,” Mr. Chinoko said.

A former Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture and the Former Member of Parliament for Mion Constituency, Dr. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, called on government to operationalise the legal framework within which biotechnology and biotechnological products can be commercialised in the country.

“I think that there is some bit of courage that is needed by the government to simply look at what is the law. The scientists have done their work based on the law; government must help people to go commercial with these products, because when you go to the field, we have farmers yearning for the products,” he said.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

FirstBank holds group board retreat in Ghana

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he FirstBank of Nigeria will hold their banking group board retreat in Ghana this month.

The group board retreat which will be held in Accra for the first time in the bank’s 127-year history, is under the theme “Wining the Digital Economy: Building Future Proof Capabilities”.

The three-day retreat which will be held between the 18th and 20th November will have in attendance Tunde Hassan Odukale, Board Chairman of FirstBank of Nigeria, U. K. Eke, outgoing FBN Holdings Managing Director, Nnamdi Okonkwo, incoming FBN Holdings Managing Director, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, Chief Executive Officer of First Bank and Subsidiaries, Kofo Majekodunmi, Board Chairman of FBNBank Ghana and several senior executives of the Group.

The retreat will offer the opportunity for the discussion of the bank’s strategy for the next year and beyond.

The discussions during the meetings are expected to cover three thematic areas; economic trajectory, accelerating shareholder return and enhancing customer experience and service delivery.

Observers see this move by the FirstBank Group as a further endorsement of their support for and commitment to their subsidiary in Ghana, FBNBank and the Ghanaian economy.

This comes on the back of the recently held FBNbank @25 Gala Dinner in commemoration of FBNBank’s silver anniversary in Ghana where the FirstBank Group Chief Executive Dr. Adesola Adeduntan declared that the First Group is committed to supporting FBNBank Ghana to become a significant player in the Ghana market.

Commenting on the retreat, FBNBank Ghana Managing Director, Victor Yaw Asante, said “The choice of Ghana as the venue for the FirstBank Group Retreat is a confirmation of the confidence the Group has in Ghana and also the commitment to continue to support FBNBank in Ghana.

This is ample testament to our position that FBNBank is well placed to be a significant player in the country’s banking industry for which reason we continue to place our stakeholders at the heart of what we do. As FBNBank delivers the ultimate gold standard of value and excellence in Ghana, we expect to be more systemic and critical to the financial sector and also to the success of businesses in this country”.

FirstBank was established in 1894 as the premier bank in West Africa. It is the number one bank brand and the leading financial services solutions provider in Nigeria.

The bank since its inception has established itself as a brand of strength and dynamism with a vison to be a leading international banking group. FirstBank is a well-diversified financial services

group and the largest private sector financial services provider in the Sub- Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa).

FBNBank Ghana is a member of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited Group which is renowned for its great customer service and general stakeholder engagement garnered over its 127 years of operation.

FBNBank has in its 25 years of operating in Ghana remained focused on putting its customers and communities first. This, it has sought to do through the rich value and excellence of what the Bank contributes to the relationship with its stakeholders as a whole, particularly the customers. FBNBank Ghana has 20 branches and two agencies across the country with over 400 staff. FBNBank offers universal banking services to individuals and businesses in Ghana.

30 receive Ashanti Business Awards

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hirty individuals and corporate organisations have been recognised for their contribution to the development and expansion of the economy of the Ashanti Region at the 18th Ashanti Business and Financial Services Excellence Awards held at the Golden Tulip in Kumasi.

The awards were organised under the auspices of the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.

They included the SIC Life Insurance Company, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), the Access bank, an IT company NIIT and the Atwina Nwabiagya Rural Bank Others are the Western Mall in Bantama, Kumasi, and a recreational centre, Rattray Park, among other winners.

Both the mall and the rattray are owned by a local businessman, Mr Isaac Owusu, who was also given a special mention for opening a new business each year.

Mr Owusu, who owns five

businesses, including a real estate, received credit for transforming the hitherto dormant recreation park.

The mall won Gold in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the economic development of the Ashanti Region in the category of Supermarket Services, while Rattray Park received the Silver Award in the tourism category.

The Park was named after

Robert Sutherland Rattray, known as Captain R. S. Rattray.

Rattray was born in India of Scottish parents in 1881.

He was a barrister and held a diploma in Anthropology from Oxford.

He was an early Africanist and student of the Ashanti.

He was one of the early writers on Oware, and on Ashanti gold weights.

In 1906 he joined the Gold Coast Customs Service and in 1911 he became the assistant District Commissioner at Ejura.

Learning local languages, he was appointed head of the Anthropological Department of Asante in 1921 and retired in 1930.

He was killed while flying a glider in 1938 at the very place turned into a recreational centre In a speech read on his behalf, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, assured local businesses of Manhyia Palace of plans to facilitate the growth of businesses, especially those in the metropolis.

He said the region was well endowed with natural resources and urged budding entrepreneurs to venture into adding value to them.

The message sent through his representative at the ceremony, Nana Agyekum Kusi Ababio, who is also the Oyokohene, said the palace was ready to support businesses to remain afloat and competitive.

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Investment opportunities in Africa in full display at IATF’s Investor Forum

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he Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2021, which is currently taking place at the Durban International Conference Centre, will be hosting today, 18 November, its Investment Day. Organised under the theme “Unlocking Investment and Accelerating Deal Flow in Africa”, the Investor Forum is a full day dedicated to showcasing Africa’s investment potential and showcasing investment-ready projects. The Investment Forum will also feature sector specific parallel sessions on: Agriculture, Logistics, Technology and Tourism.

IATF is Africa’s biggest inperson B2B and B2G event of the year and seven heads of government attended the opening ceremony.

The message was loud and clear that there is the political will and engagement to make the African Continental Free Trade Agreement a success and that at the heart of this is developing intra-African trade and investment.

IATF has featured three days of debates and discussions to help overcome the obstacles holding back trade such as the cost of moving goods and cross-border

payments.

Afreximbank has developed some specific products to help deal with these structural issues: the Afreximbank African Collaborative Transit Guarantee Scheme (AACTGS) and the PanAfrican Payments and Settlements System (PAPSS). A full day of deliberations focusing specifically on the Automotive Sector and the Pharmaceuticals Industry to help grow domestic manufacturing is also taking place.

The Investor Day will focus on investment opportunities on the continent and unlocking crossborder investment by African

national champions, focusing on some key sectors and learning from investors and companies who are committed and invested in the African continent.

Confirmed speakers include: Hon. Ms. Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, Global Economist, Kenewendo Advisory and Former Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Botswana; Mr. Amr Kamel, Executive Vice President, Business Development & Corporate Banking, Afreximbank; Dr. Acha Leke, Senior Partner and Chairman, McKinsey & Company, Africa; Mr. Akol Ayii, Founder

and Chairman, Trinity Energy; Mr. Paulo Gomes, Chairman, Orango Investment Corporation; Ms. Ndiarka Mbodji, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Kowry Energy; Mr. Abdou Souleye Diop, Managing Partner, Mazars.

“I have always been a believer in the development of national champions and for these national champions to be the locomotive of private sector investment across the continent. We’re seeing it but the examples are still too seldom.

The pandemic has highlighted the necessity to become selfreliant and this will require crossborder collaboration,” said Omar Ben Yedder, Project Lead on the Investment Forum and Publisher of African Business magazine.

“This Investment Forum is built on this same spirit of cooperation, bringing together projects from across the continent to present the investment potential in Africa,” he added.

To coincide with the dates of the event, the IATF 2021 Investment Forum team, in coordination with African Investment Promotion Agencies, is making available an IATF 2021 Project Book, a compilation of investment ready projects across multiple sectors.

Ahead of Christmas and Covid: ‘Our airports are safe’

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he Senior Vector Control Officer at Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL), Mr Enoch Mintah, has reassured Ghanaians of his outfit's preparedness to contain any ensuing danger of infection during the yuletide.

Characteristic of the yuletide, according to him, sees the return of many Ghanaians from the diaspora and with the coronavirus

pandemic still around, the possibility of importing the virus into the country remains very high.

But speaking to journalists during this month’s disinfection exercise at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on the dawn of Wednesday, November 17, 2021, Mr Mintah stated that Zoomlion was well poised to

safeguard the country's entry points from the Covid-19 disease.

He stressed that the disinfection of the airports has become even more crucial, especially as Christmas was drawing closer.

He therefore, urged the government to continue with the enforcement of all the other Covid protocols including disinfection of public places.

“Disinfection of public spaces helps to protect the public largely against the virus, and therefore very important,” he said.

On the exercise, the Zoomlion disinfection crew carefully disinfected all facilities of the various terminals at the KIA. These included janitorial rooms, arrival and departure halls. Tables and chairs in the various officers of the airport were wiped clean with disinfectants in addition to other touchable surfaces.

What is more, open spaces of the airport also benefitted from the operation with the use of an atomiser.

The monthly airports’ disinfection is a collaboration between the government and waste management company, Zoomlion.

It is aimed at ensuring that the nation’s airports are safe from any Covid-19 tendencies, and also to protect staff members and passengers who use the airports.

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Partnership with EOCO still valid- PIAC

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he Public Interest and Accountability Committee has denied reports that it has pulled out of its five-year

partnership with the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

In a release issued by the

committee, it said the five years partnership agreement which was signed in 2019 remained valid and has therefore urged the

public to disregard any contrary information.

“PIAC, the statutory body with oversight responsibility of the management and use of the country’s petroleum revenues, has noted with concern media reports suggesting its withdrawal from a five-year partnership with the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO),” it added.

The committee reiterates that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2019 remains valid, and any publication to the contrary should thus be disregarded.

PIAC will continue to collaborate with other state institutions towards ensuring the transparent and accountable management and use of petroleum revenue in Ghana for the benefit of citizens and also carry out its 3-fold mandate as enshrined in the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011 (Act 815), it said.

Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District to benefit from REFFECT Africa €7m project

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asco Feeding Minds is set to lead the implantation of a €7milliom REFFECT Africa project in the Sawla-TunaKalba District.

The project, which is the first of its kind in Africa, would be implemented in 3 African countries Casablanca in Morocco, Johannesburg in South Africa and the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in Ghana.

The project would see the valorization of agri-food waste in the production of biochar, fertilizer, heat/cooling and electricity generation.

At the Kick-off meeting at the University of Jaen in Spain, all the 29 participants in the project converged on the 17th and 18th November to start the project.

Ousman Umar and Banasco Seidu Nuhu, co-founders of NASCO Feeding Minds, attended the first meeting of this consortium together with the Regional Minister of the Savannah Region of Ghana, Saeed Muhazu Jibril and the Rector of the University of Jaén, Mr Juan Gómez Ortega.

REFFECT AFRICA is a €7 million project financed by the European Commission through the five-

year Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, which seeks to improve the quality of life of African countries by enhancing their independence from fossil fuels.

In a context of real concern in the face of climate change, one of the project’s objectives is to bring renewable energy technologies, based on the gasification of agricultural waste, typical of each area and photovoltaic solar energy.

During the project, 29 partners from 16 countries, including NASCO Feeding Minds, will study the biomass potential of three very different regions in Morocco,

Ghana and South Africa, design three biomass waste gasifiers for both electricity and heat generation.

For this purpose, NASCO Feeding Minds has involved the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Sunyani in what will be the implementation of the largest investment in the history of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District, the main area of activity of NASCO Feeding Minds.

The university agreed with the NGO to offer 5 annual scholarships for higher education programs to students in this district throughout the 5-year duration of the project.

The pilot plant will be located in Sawla and will be the first of its kind in West Africa. This will develop a hybrid photovoltaic energy system and a steam sterilization stage. Other uses such as the generation of biochar, used as a fertilizer, will also be studied.

The participation of NASCO Feeding Minds in REFFECT Africa will have an impact in terms of generating rural jobs and promoting the circular economy by generating its own energy with waste from agriculture in the area as well as the purification of groundwater for human consumption.

Banasco Seidu Nuhu the Executive Director of Nasco Feeding Minds expressed satisfaction that after several months of a rigorous application process, their proposal was selected.

‘It only confirms our relentless efforts in creating opportunities for our people the best way we can’. The University of Energy and Natural Resources in Sunyani are technical partners in the project implementation as well as the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District Assembly as host.

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Hollard Insurance, two-time CIMG Insurance Company of the Year

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ollard Insurance, a subsidiary of the Insurance Group, was for the second time adjudged, the Insurance Company (General) of the Year at the prestigious Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) awards last weekend at the plush Labadi Beach Hotel.

The annual national marketing performance awards was held on the theme: ‘Repositioning Ghana to leverage AfCFTA for economic development’ and it sought to honour individuals and organisations (both private and public) who had performed outstandingly within the year of review.

Once again, Hollard Insurance was recognised for its excellence in strategic marketing, from market insights through the effective formulation of marketing mix programmes to create value for the market and thereby delivering excellent results that set Hollard apart as a corporate achiever for the year 2020.

Managing Director for Hollard Insurance, Mr Daniel Boi Addo, expressed the company’s gratitude to the council of CIMG for the recognition.

“We are elated by the honour done us on the august occasion of the institute’s 40th anniversary.

We are proud that our efforts to enable more people to create and secure a better future are being recognised. Marketing remains a major component in achieving a financially inclusive society.

As a vibrant brand, we shall continue to drive innovative insurance solutions that truly serve the needs of Ghanaians.

We dedicate the award to Hollardites, our customers, partners and stakeholders for journeying with us to become the country’s favourite insurer", he said.

For her part, Group Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Hollard Ghana, Ms Cynthia Ofori-Dwumfuo, added: “To be acknowledged by this prestigious institute two conservative times means we are doing something

right.

We have been intentional about our purpose and how we market our innovative products, taking into consideration the marketing mix during product development.

We pledge our efforts to deepen insurance penetration in the country through unconventional partnerships while leveraging on technology to provide a hasslefree way to access insurance”.

FBNBank offers stakeholders and potential clients a viable option

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BNBank has announced the roll-out of its 25th anniversary advertising campaign which highlights its brand’s differentiators and shows appreciation to stakeholders for embracing the bank’s brand while it encourages potential customers to enjoy its offerings by making it their preferred financial institution.

Established in 1996 in Ghana, FBNBank has drawn from the 127 years of a long-established tradition of its parent bank, First Bank of Nigeria, which is renowned for its exemplary stakeholder engagement nurtured over several generations of operations across an international network with footprints in Sub Saharan Africa, Europe and Asia.

Through this campaign, FBNBank intends to deepen its engagement with potential customers and clients by offering them the opportunity to benefit from its numerous propositions aimed at delivering the gold standard of value and excellence.

Commenting on the campaign,

FBNBank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Victor Yaw Asante, said, “our commitment to our customers is our main driving force and it is communicated through our brand promise which enjoins us to put our customers first in all that we do.

Over the years we have delivered on this in several ways ensuring that we keep the momentum without let up.

This and the benefits which we offer our customers by way of our gold standard of value and excellence are two of the main differentiators of our brand.

These are what we continue to offer to our stakeholders especially our customers. It is also what we are inviting potential customers and clients to enjoy for which reason we are encouraging them to switch to FBNBank.

We are committed to nurturing relationships built on the service pillars of convenience, passion and partnership with our people as the dedicated drivers to ensure that the relationships attain the

desired levels of acceptance, security and confidence for our customers and clients. Our doors remain open and we are ready to woo and serve anyone who comes across the threshold.”

Over its 25 years of operations in Ghana, FBNBank has built a solid reputation from supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) ensuring that they remain viable contributors to Ghana’s economy. The Bank’s commitment to SMEs has been unwavering with particular reference to the support FBNBank gave SMEs during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

This and several efforts have not gone unacknowledged. Quite recently the Bank was recognised by the Ghana Business Standard Awards as the “Outstanding SME Bank of the Year” for their contribution to the sector.

In very recent times, FBNBank has invested in strengthening its offering to customers by securing both the ISO 27001:2013 and PCI DSS certifications. Through the PCI DSS certification the Bank

has improved its information security management thereby assuring customers of safer and secure transaction processes with its payment cards.

The ISO certification, on the other hand, confirms that FBNBank Ghana has attained the required level of security, which attests to the Bank’s capability and capacity, to stay on top of data security risks. With these developments and several others like the establishment of a Contact Centre, FBNBank is offering greater convenience to its customers with the added benefit of security across several channels especially the technological platforms.

FBNBank Ghana is a member of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited Group which is renowned for its great customer service and general stakeholder engagement garnered over its 127 years of operation. FBNBank Ghana has 20 branches and two agencies across the country with over 400 staff. FBNBank offers universal banking services to individuals and businesses in Ghana.

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Feature

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Was COP26 cheap talk?

By Xavier Vives

“

Blah, blah, blah.” That was how the young climate activist Greta Thunberg characterized this year’s climate summit in Glasgow (COP26) – even before it began. She was right, in a way. Talk is cheap whenever international agreements lack effective mechanisms to verify and enforce commitments.

Gatherings like COP26 tend to lack credibility, even when they are presented as a “last chance” to prevent the end of the world as we know it. Nonetheless, such meetings help to raise awareness about the problem and potential solutions, and that is better than the denialism of past years.

True, the final agreement produced at COP26 appears weak, considering that the goal of keeping global warming below 1.5º Celsius is now barely alive.

Instead of “unabated coal power” being phased out, now it will be “phased down,” a crucial change inserted at India’s insistence (and with China’s acquiescence).

While “inefficient fossil-fuels subsidies” will still be “phased out,” the implication is that “efficient” fossil-fuel subsidies remain an option.

But, remember, talk is cheap.

Given India’s high dependence on coal, it is perhaps better that it has set its net-zero emissions target for 2070 rather than proclaiming a “mid-century” commitment that is has no intention of upholding.

More broadly, there are two main obstacles to attaining the world’s stated climate goals. The first is geopolitical, exemplified

by Russia’s use of natural gas as a strategic tool to divide Europe between those using nuclear power as an energy-transition

technology (France) and those using gas (Germany). Even more important are major rivalries like the one between the United States and China. Here, there is some good news: COP26 seems to have induced the world’s two leading polluters to declare that they will work together to combat climate change. (We will know if this is more “blah, blah, blah” if and when bilateral military tensions increase.)

The second big obstacle is disagreement over how to compensate less-developed countries for forgoing or abandoning carbon-intensive technologies. The question is not only who foots the bill but also how financing should be delivered.

The history of development aid is not particularly encouraging.

And although it is well established that a global price for carbon is necessary to deal with the negative externality that greenhouse-gas emissions represent, implementing such a regime is difficult. Carbon markets remain mostly underdeveloped.

The deal adopted by almost 200 countries at COP26 will allow countries to meet their climate targets by buying offset credits representing emissions cuts made by others. This system will bring more clarity, but it is open to manipulation. Worse, it permits countries to carry forward carbon credits registered since 2013 and created under the Kyoto Protocol, potentially setting the stage for a flooding of the emissions market and an artificially low carbon price.

The COP26 agreement also encourages the public and private sectors to mobilize more climate finance, and to foster innovation in green technologies.

To that end, one promising

model is Operation Warp Speed, the US public-private partnership that made possible the extremely rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines.

The financial sector’s role in transferring resources from brown to green technologies will be crucial. Asset managers and financial intermediaries may act out of pure self-interest in divesting from dirty assets that they have come to see as too risky (owing either to the effects of climate change or to the transition that will render them obsolete). Alternatively, they may divest at the behest of others who have a green preference or a longer horizon over which to internalize climate problems.

Universal owners such as large pension funds, for example, are increasingly aware of the systemic risks posed by climate change.

In any case, the financial sector is now coordinating to align itself more closely with the global climate agenda, as demonstrated by new initiatives such as the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, chaired by former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney.

It has become increasingly clear that the voluntary sustainablefinance mandates backed by financial intermediaries need to be significantly more stringent than they are today.

Green shareholder activism may force more disclosure of exposure to climate risk or even outright divestment; but mandatory disclosure under a clear framework will probably be needed to police greenwashing.

The new International Sustainability Standards Board is a welcome development in this direction.

Finally, financial regulation and

central bank policies also have key roles to play in promoting a green economy. Central banks, particularly after the 2007-09 financial crisis, have a mandate to ensure financial stability, and with climate change posing a systemic risk, they will have to incorporate it in their prudential frameworks.

They also will need to foster a more transparent disclosure environment, so that climate risk is properly priced (although this is easier said than done).

Many central banks already are engaging in climate stress tests and designing forward-looking transition scenarios.

More controversial are the questions of whether, and to what extent, central banks should favor green assets (or penalize brown ones) in their asset-purchase programs, and to what extent capital requirements should be attuned to sustainability criteria.

Should brown loans have a capital surcharge over and above risk considerations (or should green loans carry a discount)? Such provisions would make no sense in a world where carbon is priced properly, but we are a long way from that scenario.

The international community’s climate goals remain highly ambitious, especially for a world characterized by great-power rivalries. It is rare for parties with disparate interests to work together as a team. Compromise is necessary, and “cheap talk” is the first step toward agreeing on a common course of action.

Xavier Vives, Professor of Economics and Finance at IESE Business School, is the co-author (with Patrick Bolton, Harrison Hong, and Marcin Kacperczyk) of the report Resilience of the Financial System to Natural Disasters.

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News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Agroecom extends GH¢1.6 million contract to support Otumfuo mobile learning project

A

groecom, a licensed Cocoa Buying Company which operates a sustainability programme in the country, has extended its support to the “Otumfuo-Agroecom Mobile Learning Project” for another four years.

The General Manager of the company, Mr. Richard Suwli, who announced this explained that the new sponsorship, which is between the periods October 2021 to August 2025, had a sponsorship package of GH¢1.6 million.

He stated that the management’s decision to extend the project for another four-year time was due to the influence the project had on the targets and the benefits to Ghanaians in general.

Mr. Suwli announced this when the leadership of the company presented a cheque for GH¢1.6 million to the Otumfuo Osei Tutu Foundation through the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace on Sunday.

In October 2017, Agroecom Ghana Ltd in collaboration with the Otumfuo Charity Foundation launched a project dubbed, “Otumfuo-Agroecom Mobile Learning Project” at the Manhyia

Palace in Kumasi.

Over the four-year period, the project gave access to reading and practical ICT lessons to 62, 646 schoolchildren in 107 communities across 28 districts.

In addition, 2,140 farmers received training on best farming practices.

As an organisation focused on alleviating poverty among rural farmers, Agroecom sponsored the first phase of the project to the tune of GH¢1.4 million by

providing resources including a mobile van, a pick-up (4x4 vehicle), large quantities of reading and customised exercise books.

Others included 70 pieces of laptop and desktop computers, power generator set, LCD projectors, a video camera, a projector screen, a set of audiovisual materials, and an additional quarterly overheads recurrent expenditure of GH¢71,448 towards a successful

running of the project.

The general manager said over the last five years, Agroecom had worked with over 140,000 farmers resulting in premium payments and community infrastructure developments of over $40 million.

He said, “as this four-year duration starts, we plan to enter into new areas aimed at giving the less fortunate children in deprived communities a similar learning condition to children in bigger communities and providing education to promote rural prosperity”.

The Board Chairman of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation, Nana Prof. Oheneba Boakye-Adjei Woahene II, on behalf of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, lauded the management of Agroecom for the support for the past years as well as the renewal of the project for another four years.

He assured the leadership of Agroecom of Manhyia Palace’s readiness to support their operations as well as manage the resources for the project prudently to merit the purpose of its establishment.

Assemblies should own the environment, deal with sanitation law offenders - Tongraan

T

he Paramount Chief of the Tongo Traditional Area, Tongraan Kugbilsong Nanlebetang, has challenged Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to own the environment and guard against it jealously by dealing brutally with sanitation bye law offenders.

He was speaking as Chairman of the Zoomlion and Graphic Communications Group’s Sanitation Awareness Campaign Dialogue forum at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

Graphic and Zoomlion Ghana

Limited in a partnership is embarking on a nationwide Environmental Sanitation Awareness Creation Campaign dubbed “Make Ghana Clean" to support the president H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to achieve his vision of a clean Ghana in Africa.

The Paramount Chief equally advised political leaders to stay clear off the MMDAs in matters relating to environmental sanitation because waste management and environmental sanitation for that matter have become a national problem

that should be given a national attention which indeed the President is busily working on and should be supported by the citizenry.

The Tongraan who doubles as a Member of the Council of State complained about the incidence where the assemblies take custody of stray animals and the politicians turn around to plead for clemency and mercy for them.

He asserted that the phenomenon is counterproductive and must end.

The Tongraan raised the issue of the plastic menace in the Upper East Region which is destroying their farms and called for Zoomlion Ghana to consider a mechanism to deal with the menace in the farms to improve yields for the farmers and cautioned residents in the region to stop disposing plastics indiscriminately.

A Senior Communications Specialist of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr. Mohammed

Mahama Adams, in a presentation reiterated the waste management and environmental challenges of the country as mainly the lack of law enforcement and the negative attitude of the people.

He added that even though Zoomlion is constructing the IRECOP projects in every region, there is still need for landfills because waste management plants can recycle only 90 percent but the residue of 10 to 5 percent must go to the final disposal sites.

Participants were unanimous that the strict law enforcement by the assemblies through the security agencies and consistent behaviour change community coupled with the deliberate change of attitude by the citizens will end the sanitation canker in Ghana once and for all.

The Ghana National Fire Service, staff of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Graphic Communications Group and the assemblies ended the programme with a massive cleanup campaign in the Bolgatanga Municipality.

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News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

First National Bank named Best SME Bank in Africa

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irst National Bank has been named as the Best SME Bank in Africa at Global Finance’s inaugural SME Bank Awards.

The criteria for Best SME Bank is based on knowledge of SME markets and needs, breadth of products and services, market standing and innovation.

First National Bank was recognised as the bank that best meets the specialised needs of SMEs in South Africa and Africa at large.

Jacques Celliers, First National Bank Africa CEO, says: “To be awarded as the Best SME Bank in South Africa and Africa is truly humbling and affirms our commitment to empowering SMEs to continue playing a meaningful role in economies across our continent.”

“Over the course of the pandemic, we have accelerated investment in our digital platform to ensure that our commercial and retail clients can overcome operational and financial constraints caused by the global

pandemic. As the global economy gradually re-opens, we remain on hand to help our clients to regain economic activity in all areas where we operate.”

The latest recognition comes shortly after First National Bank was acknowledged as the Best Bank for Women Entrepreneurs as well as the SME Bank of the Year at last year’s Global SME Finance Forum.

Dominic Adu, CEO of First National Bank Ghana remarked: “These accolades attest to our ongoing endeavours to better understand and provide solutions for our clients’ needs.

Our commercial strategy is underpinned by a myriad of initiatives to support businesses throughout their life stages and unique context. As a result, we are also expanding our offerings that are relevant to many SMEs’ operation to help address the challenges faced by entrepreneurs across a multitude of industries.”

The Head of Commercial and SME at First National Bank

Dominic Adu, CEO of First National Bank Ghana

Ghana, Mark Achiampong also highlighted the bank’s innovative leadership support for small to medium enterprises in Ghana “We have just added to our growing list of innovative products a fee-free banking offer for all new business accounts. With this offer, the monthly charges

on account maintenance and cheque instruments on all new business cheque accounts will be waived for three months. This is another industry-first, delivered by us in a very uncertain time for businesses. And this is just one of the reasons why we are the best SME bank in Africa.”

Roads Ministry working to halve fatalities by 2030

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he Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Ms Mavis Nkansah-Boadu, has said the ministry is working with relevant stakeholders in the transport sector to achieve the Decade of Action for Road Safety, which seeks to reduce road traffic accidents by at least 50 per cent by 2030.

During a panel discussion at the 18th International Road Federation (IRF) World Meeting and Exhibition in Dubai, she gave an account of what the government of Ghana had been able to achieve during the past

Decade of Action from 2010 to 2020.

Ms Nkansah-Boadu, who was on the panel with renowned practitioners from Puerto Rico, South Korea, UAE and USA, indicated that although the average annual road fatalities over the past 10 years was 1,500 persons, the figure could have been worse if the government had not taken certain tough measures.

Some of the measures, which she alluded to, were the intensive road user education, the improved funding towards road construction, improved

enforcement by the Police Service and a significant funding towards emergency response system when the government procured ambulances for all districts in the country.

In the next decade of action which is from 2021 to 2030, she stated that the government would focus on a safe system approach towards road safety, stressing that the government would continue to prioritise safety when it came to road design and construction.

“The Ministry of Roads and Highways will also ensure that roads constructed are inclusive,

while placing emphasis on dualisation of major highways.”

“The government is putting modalities in place to regulate motorcycles and tricycles with the aim of ensuring their safe use,” Ms Nkansah-Boadu stated, adding that the sensitisation and education of all road users would also be intensified while road safety interventions would be data driven.

She called on all the actors within the road safety space, National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Roads and Highways, the law enforcement bodies, the Building and Road Research Institutions (BRRI), academic institutions, research institutions, the public and private road transport unions, among others, to come on board toward the realisation of the vision.

“The next 10 years require strong leadership commitment to deal with road fatalities; it requires better engineering, increased financing, improved education and sensitisation, and above all ensuring enforcement through collaboration among institutions and regional bodies,” she added.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

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Opinion/Analysis

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Rich countries' double standards on taxation

By José Antonio Ocampo

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he last two years have thrown into sharp relief the structural injustices that underpin the global economy. As the COVID-19 pandemic drove an estimated 88-115 million people into extreme poverty, the world’s billionaires saw their wealth increase by more than 25%. And while countries in the Global North are now administering vaccine boosters, those in the Global South continue to struggle to secure even first doses for their populations.

This appalling level of inequality is inextricably linked to rampant cross-border tax abuse, which is being perpetrated by both multinational corporations and wealthy individuals. By refusing to pay their fair share of taxes, the world’s wealthiest actors rob poorer countries of the revenue they desperately need to confront the pandemic, such as by securing vaccine doses and supporting vulnerable citizens.

G20 leaders claim – with much self-satisfaction – that they are addressing the problem: they recently agreed to establish a global minimum corporate tax rate, thereby ending the “race to the bottom” fueled by global competition for foreign investment. But the agreed rate is just 15%, and targets only a sliver of the profits of 100 multinationals. This will do about as much to help poor countries as a glass of water would do to put out a wildfire.

The new State of Tax Justice report – published jointly by the Tax Justice Network, Public

Services International, and the Global Alliance for Tax Justice – illustrates the scale of the conflagration: $483 billion in public revenue is lost to crossborder tax abuse each year. That is enough to vaccinate every man, woman, and child on the planet three times over.

Of the total losses, corporatetax abuse by multinational companies accounts for $312 billion, with offshore tax evasion by wealthy individuals accounting for the rest. While wealthier countries technically bear a larger share of those losses, it is poorer countries that suffer the most.

In fact, while high- and uppermiddle-income countries lose some $443 billion to abusive international tax practices annually, that amounts to just 10% of their public-health budgets.

Low- and lower-middle-income countries lose about $40 billion – the equivalent of a staggering 48% of their public-health budgets.

Moreover, it is wealthy countries that are to blame for this state of affairs. Not only have they refused to tackle the problem in a meaningful way; they provide the financial services that enable international tax abuse.

The United Kingdom, together with its network of overseas territories and Crown Dependencies, is responsible for 39% of the overall losses. The Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland account for another 16%. Taken together, the OECD countries are responsible for 78% of revenue losses to international tax abuse each year.

The double standards are

astounding. After all, it was under the OECD’s inclusive framework on tax base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) that the much-touted G20 tax deal was designed. Some of the same countries that are enabling all this tax abuse – most notably, the UK and Switzerland – are also blocking a waiver on intellectualproperty rights that would enable a massive vaccine rollout in the Global South.

This raises serious questions about whether the OECD is the right institution to coordinate global tax negotiations. True, the OECD opened the way for over 100 non-OECD members to have a voice in the negotiations.

But several developing-country proposals were left out of the final agreement.

Not surprisingly, poor countries were far from satisfied.

As the G20 was meeting in Rome late last month to endorse the deal, the G77, representing 134 developing economies, reiterated its longstanding call to establish a global tax body at the United Nations, which would take responsibility for reforming global tax regulations and cracking down on offshore tax havens.

The proposal – under which the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters would be transformed into an intergovernmental forum – was first advanced in 2004 by then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and me, as UnderSecretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. The G77 echoed our call in 2015, at the UN Conference on Financing for

Development in Addis Ababa.

A global UN tax body is also a key recommendation of the UN High Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency, and Integrity for Achieving the 2030 Agenda, and of the Independent Commission for Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT). (I proudly served on both.) And it aligns with the demands of global civil society.

If the G20 had finalized a deal that was fair to developing economies, the G77 would not have reiterated its call for a UN tax body. That is why the ICRICT has demanded that negotiations to deliver a new global tax deal continue during the G20 presidencies of Indonesia in 2022 and India in 2023.

But real progress will require changing the format of negotiations, to ensure that developing countries’ voices are heard. If the G20 is serious about rectifying the injustice of cross-border tax abuse, it should support the call for a genuinely inclusive process at the UN. José Antonio Ocampo, a former finance minister of Colombia and United Nations undersecretary-general, is a professor at Columbia University, Chair of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation, and an ambassador of the Food and Land Use Coalition. He is the author of Resetting the International Monetary (Non)System and coauthor (with Luis Bértola) of The Economic Development of Latin America since Independence.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

17

Feature

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

The Future of Work Capsules: Addressing the disconnect between the world of education and the world of work. What Ghana can learn from Finland’s educational system

By Baptista S. H. Gebu (Mrs.)

B

aptista is a human resource professional with a broad generalist background. Building a team of efficient & effective workforce is her business. Affecting lives is her calling! She is a Hybrid Professional, HR Generalist, strategic planner, innovative, professional connector and a motivator. Visit our website: www.forealhrservices.com E-mail us hello@forealhrservices.com for your management consulting needs. Follow this conversation on our social media pages Facebook / LinkedIn/ Twitter / Instagram: FoReal HR Services.

Call or WhatsApp: +233(0)262213313.

Follow the hashtag # t h e F u t u r e o f Wo r k C a p s u l e s #FoWC Should real winners collaborate or compete?

It’s interesting how many Ghanaian children may miss experiencing a coherent educational system equipped with highly trained people in Ghana. This is because it appears there isn’t a clear national level of coherence on standards and what quality preschool should look like due to the fact that our educational system is disjointed and not free across board though taxes are supposed to support its implementation. Investing in early childhood education in Ghana will lead to better results in our educational system. There is a lot we can learn from Finland’s educational system. I applaud the Ghanaian free senior high school (SHS) policy though not across

board and not all inclusive, as its implementation and also, it’s not devoid of challenges.

As we imagine work for the future, it’s great we start taking steps to address the disconnect between the world of education and the world of work. How did we know this? According to the International Labour Organization (ILO, 2021) only half of employees globally hold jobs matching to their level of education. Aside the obvious thought and considering we placing square pegs in round holes, we need to consider the level of disconnect if any, that exist in the world of education and that of work.

You will agree with me that, education should be about learning and development and not necessarily about scores.

Interestingly enough, it appears we place more emphasis on grades, score, and class to the detriment of the core.

According to the World Economic Forum, Finland has the world’s best educational system.

The Finish educational system is considered one of the best if not the best in the world because the country’s educational system places more focus on two things – focus on teachers and focus on students as put forward by the World Economic forum.

What does Ghana and the rest of the African countries place more focus on? According to the Ghana education services website, the main reason for their existence is to ensure that all Ghanaian children of schoolgoing age are provided with inclusive and equitable quality formal education and training

through effective and efficient management of resources to make education delivery relevant to the manpower needs of the nation.

There was no clear statement on what the actual focus is. Can you help me dear reader… what do you know to be the main focus of Ghana’s educational system?

To Finland, one of the best tools and ways to eliminate extreme poverty they envision was to get the educational system well put together to achieve maximum efficiency. The country is leading the way because of the commonsense practices and a holistic teaching environment put in place that strives for equity over excellence as put forward by the World Economic Forum.

Their system is dominating the America and the world stage, this is because they have no standardized testing, cooperation’s are fostered and not competition. They make the basics a priority; they start school at an older age, adding up the money, teaching time and good results, the system is highly effective. There are only 9 years of compulsory school that Finnish children are required to attend.

Everything past the ninth grade or at the age of 16 is optional.

Finland Late Schooling System.

Finnish children don’t start school earlier. Besides, they don’t start going to school until they are 7 years old. Finland, a country the size of Minnesota, beats the U.S. in math, reading and science, even though Finnish children don't start school until age 7 reported by the nprnews. A lot of the blame goes to the teachers

and rightfully so sometimes in other countries. But in Finland, the bar is set so high for teachers, that there is often no reason to have a rigorous “grading” system for teachers.

Pasi Sahlberg, director of the Finnish Ministry of Education said the following about teachers’ accountability.

All teachers are required to have a master’s degree before entering the profession. Teaching programs are the most rigorous and selective professional schools in the entire country. If a teacher isn’t performing well, it’s the individual principal's responsibility to do something about it. “No words for accountability in Finnish exist, as accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted”.

Despite the late start, the vast majority arrive with solid reading and math skills. By age 15, Finnish students outperform all but a few countries on international assessments. According to npr news: “every child in Finland under age 7 has the right to child care and preschool by law, regardless of family income. Over 97 percent of 3- to 6-year-olds attend a program of one type or another. And the key to Finland's universal preschool system is quality. The then Finland's minister of education and science - Krista Kiuru, who met with education officials in Washington announced, "first of all, it's about having high-quality teachers. Day care teachers are having Bachelor degrees. So we trust our teachers, and that's very, very important.

And the third factor: we have strong values in the political level."

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

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Feature

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 Author Amanda Ripley says she didn't really believe it, so she went to Finland and several other topperforming countries to see for herself. Compared to Singapore, South Korea or Japan, she says, Finland's approach is pretty laid back, even though its standards — like what preschoolers should know and be able to do — are set

by Finland's National Curriculum Guidelines for early childcare.

"Kids are almost all in some kind of day care, all of whom are working in the same curriculum that's aligned with what they're going to learn in school," she says. "That's a level of coherence that most U.S. kids will never experience because we don't have a coherent system with highly trained people in almost every classroom” In Finland the money issue is taken care of, as preschool and day care are basically free, because people pay a lot more taxes to fund these programs.

Though poverty and education can be linked, children from poor families have access to highquality preschool in Finland "It's very clear from the research in the U.S. that Americans problems with inequality and school failure are set when children walk in the school door," says Steve Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. 60% of the poorest 4-year-olds in the U.S. get no preschool. Most, says Barnett, start school 18 months behind.

"Those kids are going to be in a spiral of failure, and we set that up by not adequately investing before they get to kindergarten," Barnett says. "We certainly can learn from countries like Finland."

In Ghana there is supposed to be a law on the management of maturity leave duration taking it from the basis. Stakeholders have made several appeals to government to consider increase leave duration from the present three months duration. I have a whole research write up on how the proposed increase if approved by the government can be managed based on what other successful countries are doing in the world. Finland as a country offers dads same parental leave as mums, BBCnews also reports.

“Finland's new government has announced plans to give all parents the same parental leave, in a push to get fathers to spend more time with their children.

Paid allowance will increase to a combined 14 months, which works out as 164 days per parent”.

For Ghana, the conversation

on maternity leave and its full rectification as proposed by the World Health Organization is pending, other countries have moved a step further to "promote wellbeing and gender equality" by extending the focus to dads as well in their paternity leave offering. In Ghana, as earlier as 4 months after birth, we see new borns ready for pre-school because most mothers end their maternity leave and must be ready to return to work. Once the new borne health is well taken care of, the new mother doesn’t have to be requesting permission from work often to attend to the new born babies health needs.

Her frequent absence from work has a direct effect on a company’s profitability. At that tender age, research has it that – the new born fragile baby needs more attention and concentration from the mother to enable this baby grow in good health. They are easily susceptible to infection.

Most mothers at work lack the needed concentration even from observation. Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Estonia and Portugal were praised in a UNICEF report last year for offering the best family-friendly policies.

The report ranked the UK, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus and Switzerland the lowest of 31 "rich countries" the bbc postulated.

I found out that maternity leave durations offer a direct bearing on the family health of any family unit, the organization and subsequently the nation.

Captivatingly though, the country’s statutory laws propose three months’ maternity leave.

In contrast, the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2003) calls for a six months exclusive breastfeeding for the newborn to enhance good health and prevent future health-related diseases and sicknesses. Conversely, how do we juxtapose Ghana’s legislative provision of three months leave duration to the proposed and globally accepted six months of exclusive breastfeeding? Over the last few decades, several pieces of research have been conducted on maternity leave duration, concentrating on family health development.

Longer maternity leave duration was found to be beneficial and necessary for children’s cognitive development and cause a change in behavioral troubles; ( Blau & Grossberg 1992; Brooks-Gunn, Han, and Waldfogel, 2002); (Waldfogel, Han, & Brooks-Gunn 2002); (Baum, 2003). To date, however, there is still a lot more countries' waiting to satisfy the ILO convention of offering the minimum 18 weeks of maternity

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

leave duration and Ghana is no exception (Geneva, ILO, 2014).

Winegarden and Bracy (1995) and Ruhm (2000) found that reduced infant mortality and the lower rates of young child mortality were associated with longer maternity duration. They further suggested that child health and development will be benefited by longer maternity leave durations.

Maternity leave durations offer a direct bearing on the family health of any family unit, the organization and subsequently the nation. The protection for maternity at work currently faces some difficulties still, which need to be addressed. Whereas over the last 20 years obvious signs of progress are apparent in the provision of longer rest periods to permit nursing and childcare as several recommendations have been put forward globally to curb this challenge, Ghana seems to be at the same position on the progress ladder.

Finns get up late for school Waking up early, catching a bus or ride, participating in morning and after school extra-curriculars is huge time demand for our students. Added to the fact that some classes start anywhere from 7:00 am GMT to 8am and you’ve got sleepy, uninspired adolescents on your hands.

Students in Finland usually start school anywhere from 9:00 – 9:45 AM. Research has shown that early start times are detrimental to students’ well-being, health, and maturation. Finnish schools start the day later and usually end by 2:00 – 2:45 AM. They have longer class periods and much longer breaks in between.

The overall system isn’t there to push and force information to their students, but to create an environment of holistic learning.

I found out that Finland schools offer less homework. Finnish schools give less homework which generally takes 10-15 minutes to complete.

Basic priorities and no standard testing Since the 1980s, Finnish educators have focused on making

these basics a priority: education should be an instrument to balance out social inequality, all students receive free school meals, ease of access to health care and offer psychological counseling.

In Finland, there is the Upper Secondary School which is a three-year program that prepares students for the Matriculation Test that determines their acceptance into a university. This is usually based off of specialties they’ve acquired during their time in “high-school” next, there is vocational education, which is a three-year program that trains students for various careers.

They have the option to take the Matriculation test if they want to then apply to university.

Finland has no standardized tests.

Their only exception is something called the National Matriculation Exam, which is a voluntary test for students at the end of an uppersecondary school (equivalent to an American high school.)

All children throughout Finland are graded on an individualized basis and grading system set by their teacher. Tracking overall progress is done by the Ministry of Education, which samples groups across different ranges of schools.

Finland is the answer – a country rich in intellectual and educational reform as postulated by big think, has initiated over the years a number of novel and simple changes that have completely revolutionized their educational system. They outrank the United States and are gaining on Eastern Asian countries.

No standard testing, accountability for teachers are not required, cooperation is foster instead of competition, they make the basics a priority, start school at an older age, give less homework and provides professional options like technical vocational education and training (TVET) past a traditional college degree. Finnish students are getting everything they need to get done in school without the added pressures that come with excelling at a subject. Without having to worry about grades and busy-work they are able to focus on the true task at hand – learning and growing as a human being.

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Markets

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

WEEKLY MARKET REVIEW FOR WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 12, 2021

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

WEEKLY MARKET REVIEW FOR WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 12, 2021

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AfCFTA News Brief

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

NDPC develops guidelines to help MMDAs implement AfCFTA

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he National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has developed guidelines that would enable Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to fully harness the benefits of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA).

At the launch of the guidelines, Dr Kodjo MensahAbrampa, Director-General, National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), tasked Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to create an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive at the local level.

He said the guidelines are expected to help local authorities put in place the right structures that will enable local businesses to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the free trade agreement to enhance local economic development.

“A lot of the well-initiated national programmes are not sitting with the local assemblies; you don’t find it in their plans and no clear response in interpreting them to suit their local situations.

We are seeking to leverage AfCFTA and the opportunities that it provides for us, responding to the variable situations of the MMDAs and also localizing some of these nationally initiated programmes,” he said.

According to the NDPC boss, creating a conducive environment will enable local assemblies increase their production capacities and take advantage of the opportunities provided by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The guidelines which seek to deepen the integration of local economies into the regional market and boost their trade performance and enhance planning capacities at the local

level for effective participation in the AfCFTA, was developed by the NDPC through consultative processes with stakeholders including the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the AfCFTA Secretariat and with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Udo Etukudo, Economic Advisor at UNDP, said the UNDP would support Ghana to integrate and fully operationalize the AfCFTA at all policy levels.

He said: “The AfCFTA guidelines are the first step and the institutions that we have at hand will have to be capacitated to play their role, in terms of mentoring young entrepreneurs, particularly the SME sector which makes up 70percent of Ghana’s private sector.

Michael Okyere Baafi, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, reiterated government ‘s commitment to take advantage

of the AfCFTA to ensure socioeconomic transformation of the country.

According to him, the AfCFTA initiative has come at the right time because government is already championing entrepreneurship including the 1D1F as achieving these policies will largely depend on the availability of markets.

“As part of measures to take advantage of the single market, Ghana has initiated processes including national level conversations and strategy formulation to harness the opportunities that AfCFTA brings,” he added Nana Appiagyei Dankawoso I, immediate past President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who chaired the launching ceremony commended the NDPC and its partners for the initiative.

He said the Ministry of Trade and Industry has been leading government efforts in putting in place the broad framework for Ghanaian businesses’ participation in the single African market.

“These guidelines will help MMDAs to organise themselves and provide the needed support to local businesses that have the potential to export,” he said.

Stakeholders believe that the guidelines will not only help the assemblies mainstream their programmes but will also make their expected outputs a priority for them.

APRM partners AfCFTA Secretariat as it repositions to track intra-Africa trade

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hief Executive Officer of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) says the institution is ready to deploy its expertise in the area of trade as it seeks to supervise and monitor the compliance of state parties to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The APRM boss said this is the first time APRM will be considering the area of trade on the continent having been operating along the themes of social economic development, political, corporate and economic governance.

“APRM is a known governance mechanism for Africa but essentially the tools that we use are mostly monitoring and evaluation. Our specialty is in looking at the state of compliance of member states to their regional instruments and commitments.

The AfCFTA is a treaty with all

its binding requirements on its state parties and so our role will be to go to these states and find out how they comply with the provisions in the treaty,” he told Single African Market.

Although the APRM has been operating largely on the four thematic areas of political and economic governance, socioeconomic development and corporate governance, Prof.

Maloka said it has a new targeted review tool methodology that will be deployed for trade related issues.

“This is our core business, we only have to customize and where we have gaps, we will be able to bring experts. We already have experts who deal in trade so we’ll be able to enrich our tools since the architecture is already in place,” he added.

The APRM has already signed an MoU with the AfCFTA Secretariat

to collaborate on the implementation of mandates of the two African Union Institutions, including harmonizing efforts in line with policies and practices that conform with the agreed political, economic and corporate governance values, codes and standards, and to achieve mutually agreed objectives.

Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, speaking at the signing event, said: “With this MoU, the Secretariat and the APRM Continental Secretariat agree to collaborate in the various areas that are set out in pursuit of our common objectives and undertakings and we shall be guided by the core values that are deeply held by our two

institutions.

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a specialized agency of the African Union (AU), initiated in 2002 and established in 2003 by the African Union to serve as a tool for sharing experiences, reinforcing best practices, identifying deficiencies, and assessing capacity-building needs to foster policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration.

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AfCFTA News Brief

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

NDPC boss calls for a robust rural economy for AfCFTA

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irector-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Kodjo MensahAbrampa, has called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to build sustainable businesses at the local level to enable them participate fully in the single continental market.

“If you establish a process and it doesn’t resonate with the districts definitely it can never be implemented. AfCFTA is important because it brings together a number of national programmes, and we’ll need to develop a process where we can situate all of these national initiatives at the district levels to enhance implementation and leverage that to take advantage of the single market,” he said in an interview with Single African Market.

To be able to achieve this, he said there must be a conscious effort to build a sustainable rural economy that is underpinned by the productivity of small and

medium enterprises and the growth of the rural private sector.

He added: “The small and medium enterprises and soleowned businesses at the districts level, how can we support them?

It begins with piloting a small number of districts, where this action of harnessing and bringing together the local economy and the opportunities of the AfCFTA could be realized.

If the districts are able to generate some internal revenue, any additional support from outside only adds up to build a

robust local economy.”

According to the NDPC boss, MMDAs will have to support local business areas with huge growth potential as it will pay dividends in the form of taxes and enhance revenue mobilization at the rural level.

Dr. Abrampa said his outfit is working with the Local Government, Ministry of Trade and other stakeholders to facilitate targeted trainings for some districts where these interventions will result in real concrete action.

To him, the launching of the guidelines to foster the implementation of the AfCFTA at the districts level is only one step.

“The guidelines indicate a definite process agreed by all the institutions and stakeholders and that’s necessary and also provides a harmonized platform for the NDPC to approach the districts.

We want to get the districts to be familiar with the AfCFTA; what we want to do is to make sure that the vision is not just an NDPC vision, but one that has the district buy-in,” he indicated.

AU border programme on “Barriers to Bridges” on improving cross-border trade held in Accra

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he German Development Cooperation (GIZ) is facilitating an ongoing awareness engagement with the African Union to ensure greater

security for citizens and visitors, while guaranteeing the respect for the rule of law and human rights standards at the various borders of Ghana and West Africa.

The technical awareness workshop which brought together members from Immigration and Police Service, Customs and Health agencies of

the four countries and ECOWAS Directorate of Free Movement & Tourism seeks to contribute to the development of the longterm capability of Ghana and West Africa’s border control authorities, to update border management information and communication systems and to ensure greater securities at the borders.

The workshop also aims at fostering closer collaboration between Ghana and its neighboring countries to enhance exchange of data and information between border control authorities, discuss issues related to border management and security in the cross-border areas of Ghana with Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and Togo and identify policy solutions for international cooperation in border management, and their means of implementation.

The stakeholders are of the views that such objectives will lay the foundation for growing crossborder and intra-Africa Trade within the West African subregion.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

25

Sanitation

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Covid has worsened conditions of sanitation workers –WaterAid

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uring the pandemic sanitation workers have been praised as ‘COVID warriors’ in some nations but WaterAid has found many of these workers in developing countries have been forgotten, underpaid, unprotected and left to fend for themselves.

Research carried out by WaterAid at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on the safety and wellbeing of those who clear and dispose of faecal waste, reveals hazardous working conditions, a dangerous lack of PPE, poor training and legal protection, as well as loss of income for millions.

Ahead of World Toilet Day on the 19th November, findings from South Asia, Burkina Faso and Nigeria show that: 40% of sanitation workers interviewed in India and 39% interviewed in Bangladesh lacked any handwashing facilities at work, 1/3 of sanitation workers interviewed in Nepal did not receive any PPE from their employers.

The findings also indicate that 80% of interviewed sanitation workers in Burkina Faso thought the PPE they were given was unsuitable and even made accidents more likely.

More than 1/3 of workers in Bangladesh feared losing their jobs if they stopped working during the lockdown.

Further, around half of the respondents (66% in Bangladesh; 44% in India; 50% in Pakistan; 61% in Nepal) reported challenges in meeting their daily expenses, 48% of sanitation workers interviewed in Bangladesh saw their incomes reduced during the pandemic.

Sanitation workers include people who clean toilets and sewers, empty latrine pits and septic tanks and operate pumping stations and treatment plants as well as those who clear faecal waste manually, sweep rubbish and transport faecal sludge.

WaterAid’s findings also include solid waste workers and cleaners.

Despite providing a vital service ensuring human waste is cleared, stored and disposed of safely, WaterAid found sanitation workers are often marginalised, stigmatised and shunned as a result of their job. Many have worked on the frontline of the pandemic, throughout national lockdowns, in hospitals and quarantine centres and in the heart of communities with poor access to safe water, decent sanitation and good hygiene facilities.

Kona Nagmoni Lata, 34, a street sweeper from Bangladesh, said:

Photo credit : Nelson Owiocho

“Sometimes, I come into contact with human faeces in my work, but I can only wipe it off with a cloth. There are no handwashing stations where I work so I have to wait to go back to the office to wash my hands.”

Many sanitation workers told WaterAid they felt forced to go to work during lockdown even if they felt ill, for fear of losing their jobs. In India, 23% of sanitation workers interviewed had to work for longer hours during the pandemic, taking on an additional two to six hours per day while some hospital sanitation workers were even asked to work up to 30 hours continuously without additional payment.

Even without the threat of the virus, sanitation work is hazardous. The workforce risk being exposed to a wide variety of health hazards and disease and can often come into direct contact with human waste. Sharp objects in pit latrines and poor construction can cause injury and infection while toxic gases can make workers lose consciousness or even kill them.

Iliyasu Abbas, 50, a pit latrine and septic tank emptier in Nigeria, said: “The major risks we face during our work are harassment, injury, loss of a limb or our lives. About two years ago, while emptying a pit at night, a concrete block from the toilet structure broke off and fell on my head.”

In some countries sanitation workers face widespread and systemic discrimination.

WaterAid spoke to one young man in India from a family involved in manual scavenging (which involves dealing with human excreta directly, either

from dry latrines, open drains, sewers or railway tracks) who has been unable to find alternative employment due to stigma surrounding his caste, despite having a degree in Social Sciences from Delhi University.

Vishal Jeenwal, 26, a street sweeper, belonging to Valmiki community, one of the most marginalised Dalit caste groups in India, tried to find office work but told WaterAid that as soon as his employers discovered his caste, his job became untenable. He said: “They said that someone like me could never succeed in any other job. I tried several other jobs, but finally, out of desperation, I went back to doing what I’d seen my family do all their lives – cleaning.”

Kamlesh Taank, 55, has been cleaning dry latrines in a town near the Indian capital, Delhi, for the past 35 years. She used to cover her nose and mouth because she found the smell so repulsive but didn't use any extra protective clothing or worry about social distancing during the pandemic. She said: “Higher castes don’t want to come near people like me. You could say I’ve always been socially distanced from my employers.”

WaterAid’s film team have shed light on the practise of manual scavenging in ‘The Burden of Inheritance’ - a short film telling the story of a marginalised community in India trapped in a cycle of poverty. The film will premiere on the streaming platform WaterBear on World Toilet Day, giving visibility and a voice to an excluded and silenced section of society.

Tim Wainwright, WaterAid Chief

Executive, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vital role sanitation workers play in our communities – but it has also revealed the vulnerability of this essential workforce that is often undervalued and overlooked. It’s unacceptable that so many sanitation workers operate without the support and safeguards they need.

“WASH services are critical to maintaining public health and will be fundamental to surviving and recovering from the pandemic, and future pandemics - but without sanitation workers, these services will not function. It’s important we invest and support the workforce, not just for the sake of public health but also for the economy - to ensure universal access to decent sanitation and a better future for all.”

Dr Andrés Hueso González, Senior Policy Analyst at WaterAid, said: “It’s vital governments, local authorities, employers and the general public take action to support sanitation workers so they can do their job safely, with the dignity and recognition they deserve. These key workers should be protected through legislation, policies and guidelines that ensure workers have appropriate PPE, regular training, a decent wage and access to health insurance and social security.

Sanitation workers also need to be recognised, respected and supported by institutions and by individual citizens. We all have a role to play in tackling and removing the deep-rooted discrimination they have endured for far too long.”

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NO. B24 / 276 | NEWS FOR BUSINESS LEADERS

MONDAY MAY 3, 2021

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2021

A revamped forest and land monitoring tool to reverse forest loss and combat climate change

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roducing sound data on forests and land-use has become easier with the launch of a new phase of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) state-ofthe-art forest and land monitoring platform SEPAL. The second phase of SEPAL - System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring – can directly support FAO member countries in their efforts to generate transparent, accurate and consistent geospatial data, which is critical for reducing deforestation and degradation, and accelerating restoration.

It will also help to ward off the worst impacts of climate change, protect against biodiversity loss, and safeguard the many benefits of forests to people and nature.

“At COP26, over 140 countries, accounting for more than 90 percent of the world’s forests, committed to work together to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 under the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use,” said

Mette Wilkie, Director, FAO Forestry Division. “Transparent and accurate information on the status and trends of countries' forests and land use, will be fundamental to achieving this ambitious Declaration. Therefore, the launch of a new phase of the FAO’s state-of-the-art forest and land monitoring platform SEPAL could not come at a better moment.”

The $15 million second phase of the SEPAL project is a multi-

donor project with an initial contribution from Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) of $10 million.

"I am glad to announce the grant of 90 million Norwegian kroner to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This project will support tropical forest countries in making the most of the constantly improving access to satellite data. This in turn can help them implement ambitious

sustainable land use policies to protect forests," said Norway's Minister of Climate and the Environment, Espen Barth Eide.

The launch took place at a sideevent at the Geo for Good Summit on Wednesday - an annual conference organized by Google and geared toward non-profits, scientists, government agencies and other change-makers who want to leverage geospatial technology for positive impact in the world.

Otumfuo urges Immigration Service to tighten security at borders

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he Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has urged the Ghana Immigration Service to tighten security at the borders to prevent extremists from entering into the country.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu made the call when the ControllerGeneral of Immigration (CGI), Mr Kwame Asuah Takyi and the GIS management committee paid a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia Palace last Saturday.

“Your presence at the borders is very critical to the security of the nation and I urge you to ensure that your men deployed at our borders are diligent in their duty,” the Asantehene stressed.

The visit to Manhyia also afforded the Asantehene and the GIS management committee the opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest.

The Chairman of the Immigration Service Council, Dr Edward Prempeh, led the delegation which included the Deputy Comptroller-

General of Immigration responsible for Finance and Administration, Mr Isaac Owusu Mensah, and the Greater Accra Regional Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Immigration Mrs Maud Anima Quainoo.

Also on the delegation were the Chief Staff Officer (CSO), Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Mr Lawrence Agyapong; Deputy Staff Officer and Aide-deCamp to the Comptroller-General, Superintendent Amoateng Ennin, and Head of Public Affairs,

Superintendent Michael AmoakoAtta.

The Asantehene said efforts by the government to retool the service had made the GIS a formidable force at the borders and deepened its critical role in supporting internal security.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu commended the CGI for his leadership style characterised by his travel around the country to engage with various stakeholders.

“I have been observing your trips round the country and how

you engage with stakeholders to deepen the collaboration between you and the stakeholders,” the Asantehene said, adding that “it is for this reason, among others, that you were awarded with the Millennium Excellence Award for National Cohesion and Security.”

Dr Prempeh thanked the Asantehene for his support and wise counsel to the service, and prayed for the continuous support of the Asantehene for the GIS. He expressed appreciation to the Asantehene for the Millennium Excellence Award, describing it as “a great honour and privilege”.

Dr Prempeh acknowledged the role of the GIS in keeping the country safe and pledged to work even harder to keep the borders secured and the country safe The CGI said he would continue to motivate officers of the GIS to enhance security at the borders and ensure Ghana remains an oasis of peace in the sub region.