Posts in category: Other News

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has warned Mobile Money (MoMo) loan defaulters who have deliberately refused to register their SIM cards under the ongoing national SIM Card registration exercise in a bid to avoid repayment.

According to the central bank, defaulters who have no intention of repaying their acquired loans stand the risk of being denied access to future credit facilities.

In a press release issued today [Sept 28, 2022], the BOG said defaulters who fail to “repay such loans will attract negative repercussions on borrowers’ credit reports/history and could subsequently adversely affect any chance of obtaining loan facilities from other financial institutions and credit providers in future.”

The release disclosed that the BoG has data on all mobile money loan customers domiciled in the databases of credit bureaus. It also advised borrowers who had discarded their SIM Cards in a bid to avoid repayment to contact their lenders to discuss repayment plans.

“Borrowers who have discarded their SIM Cards are being advised to contact their telecommunication service providers or respective lenders, to discuss repayment arrangements to avoid adverse information on their credit reports, that could deny them access to future credit facilities,” the release said.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

Persons who have not registered their SIM cards will be barred from receiving certain services, including all outgoing voice calls and data services, from today, September 5, 2022.

This was the decision by the National Communications Authority (NCA) after it held extensive engagements with telecommunications companies operating in the country.

The Authority in a statement explained the move forms part of punitive actions ahead of the SIM registration deadline which takes effect on September 30, 2022.

The NCA however reiterated that persons who fail to register their SIM cards before the September 30 deadline will have their numbers blocked permanently.

Meanwhile, Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful on Sunday, July 31, 2022, announced an extension to the deadline for the SIM re-registration exercise to September 30, 2022.

Addressing journalists at a press conference, the minister said the extension had become necessary owing to the teething challenges for registrants who are yet to be issued or acquired their national identifications cards.

Source: Ghanaweb.com

The Director of the Nuclear Power Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Professor Seth Kofi Debrah says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s approval for the inclusion of nuclear power into the country’s power generation mix indicates the country’s readiness to go nuclear. 

The President, in a statement on Wednesday, approved the inclusion of nuclear technology into the country’s power generation mix.

The statement said the decision was in line with global collective commitment to ensure sustainable power to enhance rapid industrialisation, and to propel economic growth.

Prof Debrah told the Ghana News Agency that the formal announcement of approval meant the country was the first in the subregion to commit to a nuclear power programme and provided enough signal to the international community and investors that it was a venture worth funding. 

He said the announcement, technically known as the National Position, was one of the key 19 infrastructure issues under phase one of the programme, a guideline set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

It is in consonance with the global collective commitment to the sustainable availability of power, and the peaceful exploitation of nuclear energy for the benefit of citizens, to enhance rapid industrialization, and to propel economic growth.

He said: “This development informs the international community that the country has done the needful under phase one, which includes making a knowledgeable commitment and making a formal declaration.”

“It gives the country the leverage over other countries within the subregion, especially as, there is a vision to make Ghana a power generation hub and provide stable electricity to propel development on the continent.”

Prof. Debrah commended the government for moving the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organisation (GNPPO), the body mandated to oversee the implementation and coordination of the nuclear power programme, to the Presidency.

He said the GNPPO would be dealing with trade, human resource development, energy generation and regulations that would need a higher body to ensure effective and efficient coordination and implementation. 

Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG), the established Owner/Operator of Ghana’s proposed Nuclear Power Plant(s), has successfully completed Phase one activities as required by the IAEA.  

In Phase 2 of the Programme, it has made great strides in the required processes and currently making efforts to facilitate the public announcement of the preferred site, the technology Ghana has opted for, and the selected Vendor/Strategic Partner for the Project by the end of 2022.

To develop sustainably, have clean, reliable, safe power and ensure secured and smooth energy transition, Ghana decided to include nuclear power in its energy mix – solar, hydropower, and thermal. 

The deployment of nuclear power in Ghana is also in line with the country’s Green Energy Solutions commitments and the government’s medium to long-term strategy of actualising industrialisation and socio-economic development within the West African sub-region, the government has said.

Energy experts estimate that beyond 2025, Akosombo and Kpong Hydropower Plants, the nation’s baseload supply points, which currently serve 32 per cent of electricity demand, would have their capacities reduced to about 25 per cent.

Source: BBC

The Director of the Nuclear Power Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Prof. Seth Kofi Debrah, has advised x-ray technicians to be mindful of the weight of clients before exposing them to the required radiation.

He said it was necessary that anyone seeking x-ray services checked his or her weight first because the radiation they would be exposed to during an x-ray shot must correspond with the weight of the client.

He said exposing a person to multiple radiations could affect the cells of a person.

He said x-rays were controlled by MA and KV settings that were weight-dependent.

Prof. Debrah said that during an interaction with journalists who toured the GAEC as part of a three-day training programme.

Training

The training was organised by the institute to sensitise journalists to issues concerning nuclear power.

Prof. Debrah said there were scales within facilities where x-rays were taken for people to check their weight.

“If you get it perfect, you would get a perfect x-ray. But if you don’t and you keep shooting, one, two and three times, you are actually affecting the cells of the person. That is why it is important that you check the weight of the person before you give the x-ray,” he said.

“We are already in the radiation zone whether we like it or not. The sun is radioactive in nature, so once you walk under the sun, you are in the radiation zone, so you have some form of radiation around you.

“Radiation itself is not dangerous, but there is a tolerance level for radiation that you should not get to, and that is what we are advising people on. In our services and our works, we try not to get even close to the tolerance levels of ourselves,” he said.

Microwave use

Prof. Debrah also advised persons using microwave facilities not to get closer to them when they were in use.

The microwave, he said, worked in certain ways that included being magnetic that was associated with some radiation.

“That is why we say when a microwave is operating don’t stand in front of the microwave,” he said, adding “keep your distance from sources. Don’t spend too much time around sources, and if you have any form of shielding, use it”.

At the closing session of the training, the Director-General of the GAEC, Prof. Samuel Dampare, said journalists were a major stakeholder in the nuclear agenda of the country.

He expressed the hope that journalists and the media would help to propagate the activities of the commission.

The Executive Director of Nuclear Power Ghana, Dr Stephen Yamoah, said the workshop should demystify some of the perceptions about the issue of nuclear power.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

By Prince Kojo Asare (prince.asare@thecophq.org)

Whether it is the golden sparkle of the Sahara Desert sand, the lush beauty of the Congo Rainforest or the stunning desert islands of Mozambique, AFRICA is a treasure trove of exotic locations just begging to be explored. 

From the northernmost city of Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia to the southernmost town of Cape Agulhas in South Africa, the continent of AFRICA is known for her breathtaking landscapes and is touted as the home of natural panorama.

The second-largest continent also boasts one of the world’s largest rainforests, limitless natural resources, the most diverse ecosystem, and megafauna (such as giraffes, zebras, hippos, gorillas, and wildebeest) found nowhere else in the world.

Ironically, despite her great fortunes, AFRICA is widely regarded as the poorest; most undeveloped; and the most plagued by famine, diseases and civil wars compared to the six other continents of the world – Asia, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia/Oceania.

Over the years, the constant portrayal of AFRICA as a “dark continent,” especially by western media, has fueled the belief that the continent may be under a “spiritual curse.”

So prevalent was this notion in the 20th century that in 1997, Dr. Tokunboh Adeyemo, a renowned Evangelical leader, wrote a book titled: “Is Africa Cursed? A Vision for the Radical Transformation of An Ailing Continent,” to rebut this claim and insist that AFRICA is blessed.

For a continent possessing colossal quantities of gold, silver, copper, diamonds, oil, natural gas, rubber, coal, bauxite, tin, graphite, uranium 235, and even fertile soil, it begs the question whether AFRICA is indeed “cursed” or just being misrepresented.

How could a continent blessed with around 25% of the entire bird species of the world, 1,100 different species of mammals, and four of the five fastest land animals (the cheetah, the wildebeest, the lion, and the Thomson’s gazelle), be considered cursed? 

Would she have been called the “poorest and most undeveloped continent” had her inhabitants taken advantage of her large land area (30.3 million km²) and the vast mineral resources she possesses to alleviate abject poverty on the continent?

Would AFRICA be branded a “dark continent” had her inhabitants fully explored the 10,000 plant species in her tropical rainforests through scientific (medicinal) research to fight diseases on the continent?

Would she be tagged as a “cursed continent” had her inhabitants capitalised on her 874 million hectares of arable land and favourable weather conditions for massive agricultural production to eradicate food insecurity on the continent?

Again, what perception would the western world have had of AFRICA had her inhabitants sought her interest and not exploited her in every way possible to satisfy their greed and pursue a life of opulence?

How different would the story of AFRICA have been had her inhabitants not just looked on for many years but made conscious efforts to correct the narrative of AFRICA being “the worst place on earth?”

After careful and sober reflection on these questions, I concluded that the continent of AFRICA has never been the problem; we are! –  the 1.3 billion Africans inhabiting this continent. We failed our continent by not protecting, preserving and promoting a good image of her – the African brand.

Instead of projecting the African brand, we stood aloof and looked on as the name of the continent was constantly dragged through the mud. Unfortunately, with time, some Africans have come to accept the distorted image of AFRICA as the reality and even join non-Africans to pronounce doom over the continent.

Dr. Adeyemo expressed similar sentiments in his book when he said, “the image that non-Africans seem to have about AFRICA and Africans is negative, and sometimes the image we [Africans] also have about ourselves—including Christians—is equally negative.”

Based on the above premise, I can deductively argue that the six other continents have a better image than AFRICA, not because they have more minerals or a larger land area. It is, rather, because their inhabitants have succeeded in protecting, preserving and promoting a good image of their respective continents.

The continent of Europe, for instance, has earned the reputation of being the most developed and prosperous continent because her inhabitants explored and maximised her resources. Also, by harnessing the power of the media, Europeans have succeeded in controlling the narrative of how Europe is perceived by the outside world. This, they have achieved, by constantly painting a positive image of life on the continent. In so doing, they have not only made their continent more prosperous but also attractive for inhabitants of other continents to desire to live in it.

Hence, to restore the tainted image of AFRICA, we must begin to consciously tell the African story and not let others do that for us. For so long, the western media has portrayed AFRICA as the “factory of diseases, poverty and famine.” But such problems are not exclusive to AFRICA; other continents face similar challenges. 

We have a duty to speak up and refute the “offensive labels” placed on the continent, bearing in mind that untruths left uncorrected or unchallenged become truth. 

We must, therefore, resolve to represent AFRICA better. We must always uphold her values of love, hard work, ingenuity, hospitality, integrity, sincerity, humility and respect for others.

We must never lose sight of the fact that, as Africans, we are ambassadors of the world’s most blessed continent, and our actions and inactions in every facet of life directly affect how she is perceived.

Let us all commit to rebuilding the distorted image of AFRICA because it is only in her prosperity that we shall also prosper.

Long live the beautiful continent of AFRICA!

Long live GHANA!

President Akufo-Addo has dismissed calls for the government to hold on with the construction of the National Cathedral due to the prevailing economic conditions.

The President said there is no appropriate time for the building of such monuments.

Speaking for the first time after the controversy surrounding the funding for the project, he said the construction of the structure will fill a missing link in the nation’s spiritual architecture.

The President added that the cathedral will not only benefit Ghana but Africa in general upon completion.

He, however, said the cost should be borne by the Christian community with the state’s support.

President Akufo-Addo spoke at the symposium of episcopal conferences of Africa and Madagascar on Tuesday, July 26.

“My personal view has always been that even though the Cathedral will be very much a national institution, the cost should be largely borne by the Christian community, with the state providing the land and initial funding to get the project off the ground.”

“Looking through the history of all the great cathedrals of the world, there has never been what can be called an appropriate time to build a cathedral. Invariably, it has taken many years, sometimes centuries, to complete,” the President said.

The government has been heavily criticised for deciding to build a national cathedral at a time economic conditions are not good. Inflation for May stood at 29.8%, equivalent to 78% of GDP while the country’s debt has been put at GH₵391bn with the main opposition party, NDC is leading the pack of critics.

North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused the government of using state funds to build the Cathedral; adding that the Finance Ministry has released an unapproved amount of GH₵200 million of the taxpayers’ money to be used for the building of the project.

The National Secretariat of the cathedral has however dismissed these claims by the MP.

Meanwhile, the construction of the cathedral has stalled due to the unavailability of funds.

Source: MyJoyOnline.com 

The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, has assured that the government remained focused on driving the economy out of the current economic challenges.

He said the government has a track record of navigating its way around the challenges and thus called on the citizens to have faith for a quicker return to stability.

The minister said the government was prioritising fiscal discipline, which involved sticking to agreed targets, cutting expenditures when revenues are underperforming and ensuring prudent spending to get value for money.

Presenting his sixth in the row mid-year budget review to Parliament Monday (July 15, 2022), Mr Ofori-Atta sought to rally the nation behind the government in a march against the grueling high cost of living that is manifesting in soaring price jumps, a weak currency and low economic activities.

“With discipline, dedication and hard work, we will overcome the current challenges that confront our nation,” he said.

“We are convinced we can do this again. We worked closely with Ghanaians to turn around the economic situation in 2017,” he said.

In line with the commitment to fiscal discipline, the minister said revenue and expenditure targets for the year had been revised downwards to reflect the pressure that the remnants of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia/Ukraine crisis was impacting on the economy.

“Mr Speaker, in the immediate term, we will strengthen our focus on efficiency in our fiscal operations and transformation efforts.

To this end, we are aggressively improving revenue mobilisation by adopting more innovative and comprehensive approaches including technology, rationalising expenditures, adopting policies to address inflation, promoting production and improving productivity, including implementing the Ghana CARES and YouStart programmes and exploring innovative financing as illustrated by the recently approved US$750 million African Export-Import (Afrexim) Facility,” he added.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

The Ghana Health Service has asked all health workers, especially Regional and Teaching Hospitals to be on the lookout for the outbreak of the Marburg virus disease following two fatal cases in the Ashanti Region.

Health workers are to “exercise a high index of suspicion for persons who may present with bleeding tendencies”, a statement issued by the GHS, signed by its Director-General, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye counseled.

The cases were said to have been recorded in the Adansi North District of Ashanti, and while preliminary investigations have yet to establish a link between the two cases, 34 contacts have been identified and are under quarantine being monitored for the maximum incubation period of 21 days.

The statement said no new cases have been reported since the two samples were taken two weeks ago.

The World Health Organization categorises the Marburg virus disease as a highly virulent disease that causes haemorrhagic fever, with a fatality ratio of up to 88%, and is in the same family as the virus that causes the Ebola virus disease.

“Human infection with Marburg virus disease initially results from prolonged exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies. Once an individual is infected with the virus, Marburg can spread through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids,” according to the WHO.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has authorized Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to commence formal engagements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), inviting the Fund to support an economic programme put together by the government of Ghana.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Information said this follows a telephone conversation between the President and the IMF Managing Director, Miss Kristalina Georgieva, conveying Ghana’s decision to engage with the Fund.

“At a meeting on June 30th, 2022, cabinet indicated its support for the decision,” the statement said.

“The engagement with the IMF will seek to provide balance of payment support as part of a broader effort to quicken Ghana’s build back in the face of challenges induced by the Covid-19 pandemic and, recently, the Russia-Ukraine crises”.

Ghana heads back to the IMF just over three years after exiting the programme in December 2018.

Ghanaians in recent months have been feeling the pinch of record inflation and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war amid cuts in government spending to avoid a full-blown debt crisis.

State of economy

Ghana’s economy grew by 3.3% in quarter one of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 and inflation surged to a record of 27.6% in May.

This was despite the implementation of a raft of measures targeted at ensuring the achievement of the fiscal deficit target of 7.4% of GDP in 2022.

The country is also grappling with high debt and a depreciating currency, the cedi. A controversial tax on Electronic transactions (E-Levy) approved in April and presented as a solution for the economic challenges has also not generated expected revenues.

Protests

There was a two-day protest in Accra this week over fuel price hikes, inflation and an economic downturn.

The Arise Ghana protestors presented a petition to the Ministry of Finance and Parliament demanding that the government takes “pragmatic steps to alleviate the suffering of the people of Ghana”.

The Arise Ghana group said it wanted the government to cancel the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-levy) immediately and also take steps to reduce inflation and arrest the depreciation of the cedi to help bring relief to the Ghanaian people.

The group also urged the government to take urgent steps to remove levies and taxes which it says have led to skyrocketing fuel prices and high cost of food.

Ghana at IMF

In April 2015, the country turned to the IMF for a $918-million loan to support its ailing currency and help stabilise the economy.

IMF advisors, working with the government, developed a three-part programme to restore debt sustainability, strengthen monetary policy and clean up the banking system.

Ghana exited the IMF programme in December 2018, and during the 2019 budget presentation to Parliament, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, had assured the country that the government would back the IMF reforms with legal and institutional measures to ensure the irreversibility of the gains made so far.

“We are grateful to the IMF and are determined to maintain a combination of economic discipline and vibrancy that will ensure that we will not have to be rescued in that manner in the future,” he had said.

SOURCE: GRAPHIC.COM.GH

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed five cases of the Monkey Pox Disease.

No death has been recorded among the cases, neither is anyone in a critical condition.

The Director General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye, who made this known Wednesday, said the cases were recorded in three regions; namely, Eastern, Western and Greater Accra.

He said a total of 12 suspected cases have been investigated since May 24, 2022.

He added that one of the cases was recorded with a Ghanaian who travelled to the United States of America.

Vaccination

According to Dr Kuma Aboagye, there is currently no treatment for Monkey Pox.

He added that although there is a vaccine available for the Monkey Pox disease, it was currently not available in Ghana.

“But I don’t think we have reached a stage where we will call for vaccination in Ghana,” he said.

He further noted that the cases being recorded were mild to moderate.

What is Monkey Pox?

Monkey Pox is a zoonotic disease caused by the Monkey Pox virus.

It is endemic in Nigeria and Cameroon and is transmitted from an infected animal (squirrels, rats, dormice, monkeys, etc) or from infected humans.

Human-to-human transmission can occur through the following: skin-to-skin contact,  face-to-face contact, and mouth-to-skin contact.

It can also be spread through touching bedding, towels, clothing or objects used by an infected person.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches and muscle and back aches.

It also includes general bodily weakness, rash with blisters on face, hands, feet, body, eyes, mouth or genitals.

SOURCE: GRAPHIC.COM.GH