U.S. delegation attended looking to play bigger role in Africa Minority demands downsizing of gov’t to reflect austere times

The minority in Parliament have asked President Nana Akufo-Addo to downsize its ministerial portfolios to re ect the austere and economic crisis the country is facing.

According to the minority, given the state of a airs with hyperin ation, cedi depreciation and biting cost of living warrant that the president re-aligns and merges some of the ministries to make it more e ective and ensure cuts in expenditure.

Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps at Parliament House on Monday, the minority leader, Dr. Ato Forson said Ghanaians had hoped that the seriousness of the economic situation would nally prompt a reduction in the size of government.

To this end, the minority is calling for the immediate reduction in the number of Ministers from 86 to 65, the merger of ministries [Information

Unlocking AfCFTA potential to boost agric industrialisation

By Kenneth Ashiagbor

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) o ers tremendous opportunity for unlocking business potential across the continent and the world

Historically, Africa’s foreign direct investment (FDI), as well as its regional and global value-chain par-

Trade Min. designate promises to boost SMEs to compete globally

By Eugene Davies

Minister-designate for Trade and Industry, Kwabena Tahiru Hammond, has resolved to revitalise small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to make them sustainable and competitive in the global value-chain.

He disclosed that a white paper already existed at the Ministry that deals with how to properly de ne and deal with the technical and economic aspects of these enterprises, and he plans to carry them out.

By Eugene Davies

and Communication, Transport and Railways, Chieftaincy and Tourism, Sanitation and Local government].

They also called for the immediate reduction in the number of political appointees at the O ce of the President as well as the immediate scrapping of all amorphous creations and waste-pipe, job-for-the-boys’ appointments since the assumption of o ce of President Akufo Addo in 2017.

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Government announced six new ministerial nominees to replace the old ones who resigned and others reassigned respectively.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) directed its Minority members in Parliament to reject the new ministers appointed by President Akufo-Addo.

“We must make sure that our businesses are properly placed to be able to engage in competitions, and government is prepared to grant other nancial incentives to our nationals, enterprises [SMEs] to be properly placed.

He added that the country “should look at a particular type of product we are best in producing to gain competitive advantage,” he said this when he appeared at the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Monday for his vetting.

On the need to ban second hand electricals, he maintained that he will wait

In a press release dated February 2 ticipation, has been consistently low, hampered by barriers to trade and competitiveness. The AfCFTA removes many of these barriers and unlocks opportunities for Africa to join regional and global value chains and integrate with international businesses.

Josephine Anan-Ankomah appointed as new MD for Ecobank Kenya

Ecobank Transnational Incorpo rated (ETI) has appointed Jose phine Anan-Ankomah, a Ghana ian Banker as the Managing Di rector of Ecobank Kenya.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the international community to send a clear message to coup plotters that coups have never been, and will never be durable solutions to Africa’s political, economic and security challenges.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “Statements condemning coups alone without corresponding action will, however, achieve little or nothing, as witnessed in recent times. This problem requires collective agreement, e ective deterrence, bold action and, equally important, adequate preventive measures.”

Delivering the keynote address at a side-event organised by the United Nations Development Programme

(UNDP), on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany, on Friday, 17th February 2024, the President stated that “there are those who still hanker after authoritarian, personal rule, because they claim Africa is underdeveloped and democracy is cumbersome, and we need to get things done in a hurry.”

Quoting from the 2019 Annual Risk of Coup Report, he indicated that Africa has experienced more coup d’états than any other continent, which, he said, is “an unsavoury statistic”.

Citing the case of Ghana, President Akufo-Addo noted that political instability described much of the early decades of the nation’s life as an independent nation, and