Investment Times Newspaper 2023 Edition | Issue 59

Government T-bills auction oversubscribed

Government treasury bill (T-Bills) auction for this week has been oversubscribed by GH¢3.90 billion as investors cash in

World

soaring interest rates on government dated securities.

This accounts for a 15 per cent increase in over subscrip-

by

tion, indicating investment appetite for higher yields even though, many experts have cautioned against high interest of govern-

ment dated securities.

Government targeted to raise GH¢2.08 billion from the sale of both its 91-and

GSE records slow performance in May 2023; Unilever, Fanmilk among big gainers

The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) Fixed Income Market (GFIM) recorded 5.0 billion volumes traded in May 2023, about 12.4% decrease from the previous month.

Compared to last year, it was down by

By Eugene Davis

The CEO of Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr. Sulemanu Koney, has reiterated the need to ensure a secured, stable environment aimed at protecting the safety and well-being of mine workforce and host communities as safeguarding its assets and investment.

There are still issues with security personnel, impact on community and worker safety as well as illegal miners invading legally acquired mining concessions which often times, results in serious clashes with union members, thus, putting them in harm’s way.

Security, Stability crucial to thriving mining industry -Chamber of Mines boss KCARP, Dredge Masters and others receive excellence awards

15 per cent

Bank maintains 1.6% growth rate for Ghana in2023

Government T-bills auction oversubscribed by 15 per cent

domestic market conditions, though the programme implementation and outreach might help mitigate nancing risks.

The DDEP saw the government swap a total of GH¢82 billion of old bonds to 12 new ones at a reduced coupon rate and longer tenors. The exchange of Cocoa Bills and dollar-denominated bonds is also currently at an advanced stage.

through the DDEP saw government bonds being traded in single digits. The debt swap saw the 12 bonds being traded at 9 per cent. This, many experts hoped, signalled the market readjusting as government bonds were too expensive.

182-day bills but ended up receiving GH¢2.4 billion for this week’s auction.

The week-on-week yields on the government dated securities witnessed an overall approximated increase of 0.73bps and 0.98bps from 20.4 per to 21.1 per cent and 22.9 to 23.9 across the 91 and

182-day bills respectively over the past week.

Interest rates on government securities have begun to tick upwards even after the government has secured 600 million out of the three billion International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The International

Monetary Fund (IMF) in its report on Ghana’s three-year Extended Credit Facility (ECF) programme noted that the country’s debt restructuring plans still leave a substantial need for T-bill issuance in the near term.

The fund said that exposed the country to uncertainty in

The Creditor Committee co-chaired by China and France has also been formed to begin the restructuring of the country’s US$5.4 billion debt to bilateral partners. The government has also, since December 2022, been engaging with its commercial creditors to restructure debts totalling US$14 billion.

Government restructuring of its debts

In March, government rejected all the bids for the sale of treasury bills from investors insisting that the interest rate of about 35 per cent was too high.

Government at the time sought to raise ¢2.78 billion from the T-bills to re nance maturing bills worth ¢2.55 billion. A large part of the government debt restructuring exercise, according to nancial analyst was on account of high interest payments on government bonds, especially domestic bonds which accounted for about 52 per cent of all government pubic debt.

World Bank maintains 1.6% growth rate for Ghana in 2023

The World Bank has maintained its 1.6% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for Ghana in 2023, far lower than the expected 3.2% for Sub-Saharan Africa. This places it in the 42nd position in Sub-Saharan Africa. The International Monetary Fund also projected a 1.6% growth rate for Ghana in 2023.

According to its June 2023 Global Economic Prospects Report, Gha-

na’s economy is however projected to expand by 2.9% in 2024.

The report stated that the slowdown in the economy is due to the challenges facing the economy, as the Ghana government is undertaking an International Monetary Fund support programme.

“In Ghana, more timely data highlight the weakness of economic activity amid the deleterious global shocks and

heightened macroeconomic instability”. Five African countries, Malawi (1.4%), Sudan (0.4%), South Africa (0.3%), South Sudan (-0.4%) and Equatorial Guinea (-3.7%) are expected to grow lower than Ghana in 2023.

Risks to outlook

The World Bank said its baseline

projections remain subject to multiple downside risks amid uncertainty about developments in global commodity markets, the degree of additional global and domestic policy tightening needed to subdue persistent in ation, and the resilience of the world economy and global nancial system to a prolonged period of tight monetary poli-

cies. It pointed out that commodity prices may remain unusually volatile and vulnerable to further shocks if disruptions to the supply of major commodities worsen—for instance, due to intensifying geopolitical tensions or con icts. Furthermore, global activity may decelerate faster than envisioned if the reopening of China’s economy fails to gener-

ate a durable recovery.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s growth to slow down to 3.3% Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is expected to slow from 3.7% in 2022 to 3.2% this year—a 0.4 percentage point downgrade from January forecasts—with a moderate improvement to 3.9% next year. Over half of the 2023

downgrade, it said, is attributable to an abrupt slowdown in South Africa. However, downgrades are widespread across energy and metal producers, and non-resource-rich countries. Excluding South Africa, the Bretton Wood institution, however, said growth in SSA is expected to slow from 4.2% in 2022 to 3.9% this year.

GSE records slow performance in May 2023; Unilever, Fanmilk among big gainers

71.06%.

According to the GSE May 2023 Report, the value traded were ¢109.885 million, down 81.91% compared to the same period last year.

From January 2023 to May 2023, the cumulative volume traded amounted to 35.47 billion, a decline of 64.22% compared to the 99.15 billion traded during the corresponding

period last year. Trades in short-term government securities accounted for 76% of activity on the market.

On the Equities market, the GSE Composite Index recorded a decline of 230.17 points during the month of May 2023, resulting in a fall in the year-to-date return to 2.76% from the previous month’s return of

12.18%. Similarly, the GSE Financial Stock Index lost 80.90 points, increasing the year-to-date losses to 18.28%.

Unilever (26.67%), Fanmilk (22.64%), Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (10.00%) and Total (0.47%) were the top gainers in May 2023.

On the other hand, Standard Chartered Bank (-18.83%), MTN

Ghana (-13.49%), Enterprise Ghana (10.00%),

SIC (-4.00%) and Societe Generale -3.23%) led the loss sheet.

Security, Stability crucial to thriving mining industry -Chamber of Mines boss

By Eugene Davis

Speaking at the opening of the three-day 5th Edition of the Ghana Mining and Energy Summit in Accra, Dr. Koney said “Security stands as a critical pillar in the success of any mining operation. The safety and well-being of our workforce and host communities,

the protection of our assets and investment, as well as the preservation of the environment, are paramount.

We, therefore, recognize the indispensable role that e ective security measures play in fostering a conducive environment for

Request for Expressi ons of Interest – Minerals Process Plant Electrical, Instrumentation and Communications Construction

(For Firms Strictly Incorporated in Ghana with Exclusive Ghanaian Directors and Shareholders )

Newmont Africa , a subsidiary of Newmont Corporation (the world's largest gold mining company ) and operator of the Ahafo South and Akyem mines, is requesting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from eligible, capable, and suitably quali ed companies for the provision of electrical, instrumentation and communications (EI & C ) c onstruction s ervices for a m inerals p rocess p lant for its Ahafo North Project The Project is located in the Ahafo Region of Ghana, near Afrisipakrom, approximately 20km S outh -east of Sunyani.

General

(For Firms Strictly Incorporated in Ghana with Exclusive Ghanaian Directors and Shareholders)

(For Firms Strictly Incorporated in Ghana with Exclusive Ghanaian Directors and Shareholders)

T he scope of the s ervices includes electrical, instrumentation and communications (EI & C) c onstruction and installation services for the minerals process plant and associated infrastructure The process plant includes primary crushing, live stockpile, semi autogenous grinding (SAG), ball milling , pebble crushing), pre -leach thickening, carbon - in -leach (CIL) circuit, elution circuit, gold smelting facility, tailings disposal pumping system , and all associated reagent, water and air services

The non -process infrastructure scope includes EI & C installation for o ces, workshops, warehouses, bulk fuel storage and distribution facility, mine workshop , and other mine maintenance facilities

The Project is to be executed over a 1 5 -month period and will cover the following:

High Voltage (HV), Low Voltage (LV), instrument ation and communications cabling installation (150 km of cable)

Cable terminations including cable glanding and lugging.

Cable supports / ladder installation (4 km of cable ladder)

Instrumentation installation

Electrical equipment installatio n – includes installation of free -issued outdoor motor control cabinets ( MCCs ) for remote pumping stations, eld control panels, remote IO panels, eld instrument junction boxes, brackets, xings, and cable supports 8 o free -issued prefabr icated switch room buildings – work includes t ie -in, testing and pre -commissioning

5 o d istribution transformers – installation, termination and testing of HV and LV power, and earth cabling

Mechanical equipment – EI & C installation, testing and pre -commissioning of all mechanical equipment installed by others

Electrical eld devices installation.

Lighting and small power installation , testing and pre -commissioning of distribution boards, general area lighting , general p ower o utlets (GPO) an d three phase outlets.

Earthing installation including ladder, structural and equipment bonding.

I nstallation of underground buried EI & C services

Testing and pre -commissioning

Minimum Criteria

Interested o rganizations must demonstrate that they can meet the following minimum criteria:

Company is registered with the relevant regulatory and professional bodies. This includes but is not limited to the Ghana Minerals Commission We require all appropriate company documentation to meet this requirement

Capability statement and proven records of successfully providing similar previous minerals process plant EI & C construction services within the mining industry We require an experience statement with veri able references for the last three projects to support this capabilit y

References provided must include customer organization name, customer name/contract number, date contract was awarded, contract reference with brief description, country/location, value of contract , and date contract was completed

Details t hat demonstrate the company has current capacity and capability to perform the EI & C construction services in addition to oth er current projects and any projects tendered but yet to be awarded I nformation to include labour, equipment , and temporary facilities resources available within the company

Financial strength and ability to provide uninterrupted EI & C construction s ervices for a minimum of two years We require supporting document ation to demonstrate this capability including the company’s turnover in the last two years, pre -tax pro t (or los s) for the past two years, net worth / shareholders’ funds (or net liabilities) at the date of the latest accounts , present cash/credit position , and the company’s normal means of funding major contract works

Full compliance with all applicable health , safety, environmental, and any other relevant and/or applicable standards We require health and safety management plan, and environmental management plan to suppor t this capability. Provide safety and environmental performance records for the past ve years, indicating workplace injury, disease, and envir onmental incident statistics Details must include year, period of record, hours worked, fatalities, rst aid i njuries, medically treated injuries, restricted work injuries, days lost , and lost time injury rate per 200,000 man -hours worked.

Robust quality management system (Quality Assurance/Quality Control – QA/QC) to e ectively execute the EI & C construction services. Well de ned company structure and veri able evidence of competency of employees.

Please express your interest by submitting an e -mail to AhafoNorthTenderBox@Newmont com indicating the name of your company, contact person , and telephone details You shou ld also include all the requisite documents demonstrating your ability to comply with the above minimum criteria.

All e xpression s of interest should be accompanied by a formal letter on the interested service provider’s letterhead (submitted to the above e -mail address), with subject “A HN _RFI -1 7 00 -2023 – Electrical, Instrumentation and Communications Constru ction Services ” by close of business (5:00 p m GMT) on Wednesday , 13 th June , 2023

broad-based socio-economic development and investment through responsible mining investment. Through collaborative e orts, deployment of appropriate technology, and adopting a holistic and integrated approach to development, we can create a secure and stable environment that allows our industries in various sectors to co-exist and leverage the presence of each other to create the synergies that undoubtedly create value for our country.”

He also called for the empowering of local communities and creation of opportunities for employment, skills development, and entrepreneurship, which he reckons can unlock the true potential of natural resources for broad-based socio-economic development. For him, the Ghana Chamber of Mines remains committed to driving initiatives that enhance local capacity, promote social inclusion, and nurture a sense of shared ownership of the value generated

from our natural resources.

Green minerals policy

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor on his part said Cabinet will soon give its nod on a new policy on Green Minerals that is before expected to guide exploitation of the emerging green minerals sector,

It is anticipated that the policy will end the exportation of critical minerals including lithium, bauxite and iron among others in their raw state, which denies the country opportunity to add real value to the economy.

He maintained that the goal is to ensure that, as much as possible, the country retains the value chain of these and other minerals in the country’s future.

The minister said “Indeed, as at today, we have before Cabinet for its consideration a policy on the green minerals of our country, which, hope-

fully, will jettison the age-old exportation of raw minerals in favour of value addition.”

The convergence of these two sectors, mining, and energy, presents us with a unique opportunity to shape our destiny and build a sustainable and prosperous nation using clean energy and responsible mining practices. We must unlock the full potential of our mining and energy sectors for local industrialisation. And do so in a manner that ensures energy eciency, environmental protection, and responsible ecosystem management for climate action.

Further, he indicated that the country must prioritise sustainable practices and adopt an approach that balances economic growth, social equity, and environmental stewardship. It is through this approach “that we can ensure the preservation of our natural resources for future generations while reaping the maximum bene ts for our pres-

ent population.”

He also called for the diversi cation of the country’s energy mix and reducing reliance on fossil fuels,in order to mitigate the impact of climate change, and create a resilient energy infrastructure, and provide a ordable and reliable power to all citizens, regardless of their location.

Newmont Ahafo North Mine progressing

The Director, Communications and External Relations at Newmont Ghana Gold, David Ebo Johnson said the summit was signi cant given the conversations around energy transition, green technology, which he says provides a platform for companies to demonstrate the steps they are taking towards energy transition.

He also touched on the Ahafo North Mine which he said “we making a lot of progress, as a I speak to you now, we have about 96 percent of the required land for construction,

we have a few outstanding land take issues which we are sorting through but construction has begun, and the exciting thing about it is that this work is going to be done by locals.”

The Mine is expected to be completed in the next ve years and when operational is expected to generate an average of 300Koz in the rst 5 years of its initial 13 year-mine life. After over 100 years of mining, Ghana’s mining industry continues to be dominated and controlled by foreign interest, with over 99 percent of mining companies being foreign, owning 90 percent of the shares, with government left with a paltry 10 percent carrying interest.

The Ghana Mining and Energy Summit and Exhibition is a biennial conference organised by Ghana Chamber of Mines and is under the theme “Harnessing Mining and Energy Potential for Sustainable National Development”.

KCARP, Dredge Masters and others receive excellence awards

The Jospong Group of Companies has once again excelled in its operations as executives and subsidiaries within the Group receive recognitions for their unique contributions in their areas of endeavor.

CEO, 2022– Private Sector Business at the 7th Ghana CEO Summit and awards held at the Kempinski Hotel. The award was in recognition of his immense contributions to private sector development through his Group of companies under the Jospong Group.

The event was hosted by the Chief Executive Ocers (CEO)’s Forum and

Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Executive Chairman of the conglomerate received an award as the Group

was attended by CEOs across Ghana. The award was received by representatives of the Group in his stead. In all, over 50 CEOs received Leadership Excellence Awards while 14 public o cials received Outstanding Public Leadership Awards for the year, 2022.

In a related development, two other subsidiaries of the Jospong Group, Dredge Masters and Kumasi Composting and Recycling Plant (KCARP) also received two prestigious awards at the National Brands Innovation Awards.

Dredge Masters Limited received the prestigious Community Impact Award of the

year for its exceptional contribution to the dredging sector and the signi cant impact it has made in sanitizing the national water bodies, while KCARP was honoured with the prestigious Waste Management & Recycling Facility Excellence Award.

According to RAD Communications, the awarding institution, the two subsidiaries have showed exceptional innovation in their respective elds.

“This award acknowledges Dredge Masters as a leading brand in the dredging sector and recognizes the profound in uence of their work in preserving and reviving the

country’s water resources,” an accompanying statement said.

“The Jospong Group takes great pride and joy in receiving these esteemed awards and recognitions. The entire organization is lled with a sense of accomplishment and grati cation, knowing that our hard work and dedication have been acknowledged and celebrated,” says Ms. Sophia Kudjordji, Chief Corporate Communications O cer in an interview after the awards ceremony.

“This recognition is a testament to their remarkable achievements as a brand in Health Safety Security and Environment and

outstanding commitment to health improvement within their sector of operations,” she added.

The award for Dredge Masters was received by the Captain Khan Ansar, Managing Director and his Deputy Mr. Samuel Borquaye and other sta while the Award for KCARP was received by the Managing Director Ing. Samuel Ntumy and his team and assisted by Ms. Sophia Kudjordji, Chief Corporate Communication O cer.

The Awards ceremony took place at the plush Labadi Beach Hotel.

Dredge Masters Limit-

Absa Bank engages clients on economy

touted Absa’s unwavering support and sustainable solutions to empower businesses in the country.

Drawn from diverse sectors of the economy, the clients engaged in a candid discussion on crucial business prospects for the upcoming months. Other topics discussed, included in ation and exchange rates to market con dence for both local and foreign investors.

ed (DML Ghana) is an ISO 9001:2015, 14001:2015, and 45001:2018 certi ed Ghanaian company and a leading provider of cutting-edge, modern technological dredging services.

DML provides cost-effective dredging services to the government of Ghana and private institutions.

Kumasi Compost and Recycling Plant (KCARP) on the other hand is a mega-scale municipal solid waste treatment plant which was set up to receive and treat municipal solid waste from the Kumasi Metropolis and adjoining district assemblies. Over the years it has established itself as a rst-class solid waste treatment and recycling plant.

In a rea rmation of its commitment to clients, Absa Bank recently hosted a dynamic breakfast meeting with its cor-

porate and institutional clients, o ering invaluable insights into navigating the current economic landscape in Ghana.

The session, which focused on the implications of the government's latest IMF deal,

Ellen Ohene-Afoakwa, Managing Principal, in charge of Corporate and Investment Banking at

Absa, said "We are dedicated to empowering our clients to achieve limitless possibilities. We go beyond nancial services, keeping them informed and equipped with strategies for long-term sustainability."

Executive Director of Finance, Munatsi Mkushi, and Markets Director, Jake Brobbey, encouraged clients to embrace creativity, innovation, and adaptability to overcome prevailing challenges. They also gave assurances that the bank is resilient, liquid and well capitalised to support clients in weathering the storms.

ACEP boss calls for review to boost investor optimism in oil and gas sector

The Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Ben Boakye has asked government to sanitize its policies and decisions in the oil and gas sector in order give con dence to the existing investors in the country as well as court prospective ones.

ACEP, a think tank which was set up to contribute to development of alternative and innovative policy interventions through high quality research, analysis and advocacy in the energy and extractives sector in Africa, believes more has to be done if the country is to optimize its potential from the oil and gas sector.

`

Speaking with Busi-

ness24/Investment Times on the margins of a training workshop for members of the Parliamentary Press Corps on ‘Breaking the Cycle of IMF Support: Addressing Governance Ine ciencies and Drivers of Public Debt in Ghana’, he said “We have oil blocks that are not being explored, nobody is sanctioning anybody and companies are sitting on the blocks and not working. Companies that are serious and wants to exploit our resources, they are being frustrated by government policy and decisions.

spective investors but, “how can you frustrate those who are here and hope that someone else will come and that is what the policy failure has crystalised into, we are not getting investment to be able to increase oil production and take advantage of the windfall that is coming, if we are not lucky and the oil prices drop signicantly then our revenue sources will crush, so it is critical for us; can you imagine losing US$500m from our oil receipts.” Mr. Boakye lamented.

In 2014, available statistics show that, the

oil prices had declined sharply, “so the market is so uncertain that when the opportunity comes and you are not available to take it, it could punish you, so we really have to change our ways and begin to exploit and encourage investors those who are here to send signals for those who are not here for them to come.”

Ghana has signed eighteen petroleum agreements with various international and local oil companies since the early 2000s. Moreover, no new Petroleum Agreement (PA) was signed or rati ed by parliament as of the end of December 2022.

Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), total production from Ghana’s three elds peaked in 2019 at an annual output of 71,439 barrels before commencing a decline to 66.9million barrels in 2020. Crude oil production further dropped to 55 million barrels in 2021 and then to 51.7 million barrels in 2022, representing 17.75 percent and 5.98 percent respectively.

However, the Committee in its report on the assessment of 10 years of petroleum revenue management in Ghana maintained that production will continuously decline if nothing is done through new in- ll developments on these existing elds or new elds coming

Digitalization as a catalyst for sustainable growth in Ghana

Mobile communications have had a signi cant impact across society in Ghana, leading to digital inclusion and, as a pioneering country in mobile nancial services, also driving nancial inclusion. This blog explores the path towards digitalization and how digitalization is a catalyst for sustainable growth.

Accelerated digital transformation driving societal development

In recent years, digitalization has happened at unprecedented speed, globally as well as in Ghana. The COVID-19 pandemic made remote collaboration and communication the norm. Remote or hybrid work and virtual events have

expanded the possibilities of operation, and to some extent changed the way we live our lives, for instance by reversing the rural-urban migration trend in many countries.

Studies have shown that mobile technology has played a crucial role as a catalyst for innovation and socio-economic development. There is a clear link between mobile broadband penetration and GDP growth, with lower-income countries having the potential to leapfrog in economic development by investing in mobile broadband infrastructure.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), often referred to as the engine of growth, is also helping drive economic and sus-

tainable development. By embracing digital technologies, SMEs have become more agile and pro table, creating jobs in a country where SMEs make up over 90percent of all businesses and contribute over 70percent of the GDP. Furthermore, technology also has the potential to play a crucial role in preventing further climate change by enabling other industrial sectors to move towards a low-carbon economy. According to Ericsson research, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions can enable a reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 15 percent by 2030, while being responsible for only 1.4 percent of the global carbon footprint.

In Ghana, mobile connectivity and access to mobile broadband are experiencing strong growth, but there is still a large part of the population using 2G and 3G technologies. Growing 4G and smartphone adoption is crucial for driving digitalization, and giving access to advanced digital services and applications. With 5G on the horizon, the eventual establishment of these next-generation networks o ers opportunities to deliver higher throughput at a lower cost and energy consumption.

One of the most important enablers to accelerate 4G adoption is smartphone a ordability. By having the right strategies to make 4G devices more a ordable, combined with the right digital services, mobile broadband uptake will accel-

By Fadi PHARAON

erate.

Mobile Financial Services: Empowering Financial Inclusion

Ghana is a pioneer in mobile nancial services. Initially targeted at providing banking services, from money transfer to micro-lending for the unbanked, mobile telecom operators have become the largest channel for nancial services and the services o ered are growing in sophistication. Mobile money generates nancial resilience and facilitates higher savings for households.

As Mobile money electronically records all transactions, improving the security of payments, it facilitates transparency and fosters the formalization of the economy. With over 18 million active mobile money accounts, Ghana has seen a remarkable

continues from page 8

reduction in the proportion of unbanked population from 60 percent in 2014 to 32 percent in 2021, as reported by the World Bank Findex.

According to the Bank of Ghana (BoG), the total value of mobile money transactions in the rst three months of 2023 hit GH¢411.5 billion, which is an increase of almost 69.1percent year-on-year. This demonstrates the strength that mobile money has in the country and the region. Contrary to expectations, the transactions continue to increase after implementation of the e-levy. Ericsson Wallet Platform is enabling the leading mobile money service in Ghana, driving nancial inclusion and well-being.

Ghana's Tech Hub Potential

With a young and vibrant population and a supportive government, Ghana has the potential to become a technology leader in the

coming years. Ghana's universities have great technology-oriented programs, equipping students with the skills needed for careers in technology. At Ericsson we are supporting this development through the graduate program that we launched in 2021, providing world-class learning and career development opportunities for tech talents of Ghana.

To fully realize the potential of future generations of the Ghanaian workforce it is crucial to bridge the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) related elds of career and education and at Ericsson we are working closely with local schools and universities to sensitize girls and women to the numerous STEAM-related careers that they can pursue. We also continue to work with universities to advance female careers in engineering

through mentorship and by giving female engineering students internship and national service opportunities.

Enabling Digitalization

To enable digitalization, three foundational pillars are crucial: robust and reliable network infrastructure, a conducive government and regulatory regime, and the evolution and growth of ecosystems. Scalable and dynamic infrastructure investments ensure the resilience and security of digital systems. Governments can create favourable regulatory environments to encourage private sector investment and provide ample, cost-effective spectrum for innovation. Collaboration among policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders is vital in outlining the digitalization roadmap. Ericsson is actively working with the mobile ecosystem in Ghana to facilitate an environ-

ment where digitalization can ourish. A recent example is a workshop that brought together mobile network operators, regulators, the Ministry of Communications and Digitalization, and other industry players, with the aim of promoting best practices in spectrum management to bridge Ghana's digital divide. With the planned release of 5G spectrum and a strong commitment to secure spectrum neutrality, Ghana is on its way toward future digital growth. Investing in modern and energy-e cient mobile broadband infrastructure is a catalyst for digital transformation and sustainable growth. As Ghana embraces connectivity and technological advancements, stakeholders from various sectors must collaborate to realize Ghana's digital potential and the unprecedented opportunities it holds. By em-

powering individuals, fostering innovation, and creating an enabling environment, Ghana can shape its future as a leading player in the digital era.

>>>the writer is President of Ericsson Middle East and Africa agenda, FAO is now supporting countries in the ongoing deliberations of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. FAO is also taking the global lead to develop a new Voluntary Code of Conduct on the sustainable use of plastics in agriculture.

Meanwhile, the rest of us can play our part too. There are plenty of innovative and creative solutions for tackling plastic pollution and its impacts on human and environmental health. Together, let’s beat plastic pollution!