Ensakai, says though today offers Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia a golden opportunity to state his stance on LGBTQ+, his loud silence after all these while and then coming out to state his stance only after Mahama publicly repudiated LGBTQ+ last week will only amount to trying to score cheap political points.
In a statement signed yesterday by its Convener, Adel Umar Ibrahim, Ensakai says no true Muslim will tolerate LGBTQ+ sexual orientation for even a second. It is therefore embarrassing to the Muslim community that Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has kept quiet on the issue since it began raging in Ghana over ten years ago.
The group is a Muslim youth organization interested in the promotion of good morals in Zongo communities in Ghana
“As a Muslim, we expected you, Mr. Vice-President, to without let or hindrance swiftly condemn LGBTQ+ when your boss, President Akufo-Addo, told Al Jazeera IN 2018 that with a little push by the LGBTQ+ Community, homosexuality will become legal in Ghana” the statement said.
According to the Muslim group, it was disturbing to note that the Vice-President further kept quiet when attempts were made to introduce Ghanaian school children to homosexuality through the curriculum of basic schools in the country.
By keeping a loud silence then, our Vice-President, a Muslim, was giving his support for children to be taught that it is okay for a man to marry a man and a woman to marry a woman.
“On the other hand, John Mahama has made Christians, and indeed Muslims proud by declaring once again just last week that he is against LGBTQ+ because his faith is against t and the culture of the people he is seeking to lead is against it. That Bawumia is coming on the heels of this to state his stance after this long period of silence can only be an attempt to score cheap political points seeing that Mahama is being applauded by Muslims, Christians, traditionalist and adherents of other religions for his bold stance against LGBTQ+. With that, should Bawumia take a stance against LGBTQ+ today, it can only an unwilling act, a dishonest one, forced out of him for the sake of political expediency. However, we are looking forward to hear his stance on this perverse sexual orientation, especially, on why he has kept silence all these while” Ensakai said.
The group applauded Former President Mahama for coming out boldly against LGBTQ+.
“This is the mark of a true leader. A true leader must be unwavering. He must be bold and principled. Above all,he must put the interest of the people he is seeking to lead above his personal gains”
Government has officially suspended the 15 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on domestic consumption of electricity.
Power distribution companies in the country; that is, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO), were directed by the Ministry of Finance to implement the policy which has been unpopular and strongly opposed by stakeholders in the country, notable among them are the trade unions and business associations.
The notice of suspension of the implementation of the VAT on electricity policy was contained in a press statement issued by the Ministry of Finance last week. The suspension, according to the Ministry was to allow for extensive dialogue and also to get the buy-in of industry players and labour unions following the grave concerns raised about its impact on consumers and businesses.
“On behalf of the government, the Ministry would like to inform ECG and NEDCO to suspend the implementation of the VAT directive pending further engagements with key stakeholders including organized labour”, the statement noted.
Beginning of the year, government directed the imposition of VAT on electricity customers above the maximum consumption level specified for block charges for lifeline units, to support the country’s Medium-Term Revenue Strategy and the IMF-Supported Post-COVID-19 Program for Economic Growth (PC-PEG) with the aim to mobilize revenue.
But this was opposed by the various interest groups that viewed it as not only punitive but a poorly-thought-through directive.
Earlier reports suggested that government was considering engagements with the IMF for a consensus on the anticipated revenue shortfall for a suspension of the VAT on electricity.
“The Ministry expects that these engagements will birth innovative, robust, and inclusive approaches to bridging the existing fiscal gap, while bolstering economic resilience”, the Ministry’s release concluded.
Organized Labour had planned a nationwide demonstration on February 13, 2024, urging the government to withdraw the directive to implement the 15% VAT on residential electricity consumption.
KEY POLICIES ANNOUNCED BY H.E JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA (THE NATION BUILDER) TOWARDS THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTIONS
NB: UPDATED AS AT 6TH FEBRUARY, 2024
1. Implement a 24-hour economy strategy with three (3) shifts of eight (8) hours each to; maximize productivity and efficiency; transform Ghana into an import substitution and export-led economy; enhance access to public services and create more well-paying jobs for unemployed Ghanaians.
2. Stop the economic decline and restore stability and inclusive growth to the economy.
3. Reform the Bank of Ghana and rejuvenate the almost collapsed banking and financial sector.
*We will also give opportunity for experienced banking hands who were laid off, to secure their careers once more and move from the menial jobs they were forced into.
* As far as practicable, banking licenses that were unjustly cancelled by this Government will be restored.
4. Prioritize local participation in the banking, financial, telecommunications, mining, oil and gas, agriculture, manufacturing, and construction sectors to generate more jobs for the youth.
5. Actively attract viable and serious private sector investors to partner government to invest in productive sectors for job creation.
* This will involve an emphasis on agriculture and agribusiness and will have a strong focus on making Ghanaians own their own micro enterprises.
6. Lead a process to set a standardized limit for borrowing and ensure that Ghana never suffers such a deadly debt management programme that threatens to send elderly people holding government bonds to their early graves and wipe out the investments of the Ghanaian middle class.
7. Complete abandoned and ongoing projects instead of rushing to start new ones.
* We will carry out an inventory of all hospitals, schools, electrification, water, and road projects which have stalled or been abandoned and make annual budgetary allocation for completing them.
8. Establish a Governance Advisory Council to help improve political governance, curb corruption, and ensure respect for human rights.
* The Council will include representatives of Civil Society Organizations, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and ordinary Ghanaians, among others. They will be empowered to release a State of Governance in Ghana report every year.
9. Run the leanest but most efficient government under the fourth republic by appointing not more than 60 ministers and deputy ministers in our bid to cut down on government expenditure.
* We shall combine certain Ministries and eliminate government agencies that are duplicating each other.
10. Abolish the payment of Ex-gratia and cut out waste and ostentation in Government.
11. Work with Parliament and all stakeholders to complete the constitution review process and strengthen separation of powers.
12. Government procurement is recognized as a major source of corruption and misappropriation of public funds. We will among other measures, set up an Independent Value for Money office to scrutinize all government procurements above a $5 million threshold or as shall be recommended by Parliament.
13. Give anti-corruption state institutions unfettered space to operate – The days of the Clearing Agent must come to an end on January 07, 2025.
• We shall wage a strong fight against corruption to reduce waste and save money for reinvestment in the economy.
* The sword of the fight against corruption will cut both ways – against past government officials, officials of the incumbent administration, civil and public servants, businesses, government suppliers, etc. if they fall foul of the law.
14. The Fourth Estate of the realm – the media – will also be given the conducive and collaborative atmosphere to operate as the fourth power that they ought to be, without threats, harassments and assassinations.
15. Set up a Commission of Enquiry to investigate the matter of looted State Lands and make recommendations for resolving the vexed issue of expropriated Ga-Dangbe lands.
16. Stop collateralizing statutory funds for the purpose of taking on more loans.
17. Reconsider the tax exemption regime and ensure that any exemptions are beneficial to the Ghanaian people.
18. Ensure that the extractive sector operates within a mutually beneficial tax environment for the stability of the exchange rate.
19. We will seek to make Ghana benefit more from its finite natural resources and encourage indigenous Ghanaian businesses that have the technology and capacity to operate their own productive mining concessions by themselves or in partnership.
* Also, we will resource the geological survey department and review the laws governing the extractive industry so that Ghana can increase its share and local participation in the exploitation of the nation’s natural resources.
20. From January 2025, the next NDC administration will transform the economy, diversify our exports, and ensure value addition to create more jobs.
* We will add value to our cocoa by increasing domestic processing, refining our gold before export, and pursuing the dream of an integrated bauxite and alumina industry.
* VALCO, TOR and other strategic industries that can serve as extra pillars for our economy will be brought on stream.
21. Building a modernized agricultural economy driven by technology and digitalization and the establishment of agribusiness shall be one of the key anchors of our economic transformation plan;
* We will launch a programme akin to the “Operation Feed Yourself and Industries” of the early 70’s to make Ghana self-sufficient in basic staples and curb unnecessary imports;
* We shall also establish and deploy farmers’ service centers nationwide in all districts to boost production and output;
* We shall revive the concept of school farms so that the produce from the farms will be used to feed the students.
* By introducing well established farmer cooperatives, advanced farming techniques, embracing digital tools and promoting agribusinesses, we shall create opportunities for farmers, improve food security and bolster economic growth.
22. We shall apply the Price Stabilization Levy for its intended purpose to cushion petroleum consumers.
23. As a matter of urgency, we shall revamp the Tema Oil Refinery and ensure that the refinery processes domestic crude oil (as was started under our administration).
24. We shall facilitate an affordable housing scheme for teachers by collaborating and supporting teacher unions.
25. We will introduce an additional holiday to the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr. We will, however, ensure that this does not affect productivity by modifying the Public Holidays Act so that Ghana continues to have the same number of public holidays per year.
26. We shall cancel the obnoxious licensure examination for Teacher Trainee graduates.
27. We shall establish a western industrial enclave to expand industries in the Western Enclave for job creation.
28. We shall pay assemblymen a monthly allowance.
29. We shall pay a 20% allowance to rural-based teachers
30. In April 2025, the new NDC government shall introduce a new budget to support small and medium scale businesses and adjust taxes as an incentive for job creation.
31. Complete the Tamne Irrigation project, support rice processing factories, provide fish storage facilities and prepare the Komenda Sugar Factory for take-off.
32. Improve the implementation of the Free SHS program and abolish the dreaded double-track system.
33. The next NDC government will build Cocoa Processing factories in Cocoa growing areas so that Ghana will not only export raw cocoa.
34. We shall abolish the obnoxious E-levy and review the levy imposed on bet winnings.
* With improved revenues from the savings made from a reduced size of government, anti-corruption fight, fast-tracked operationalization of new oil and gas wells, increased investment in the mining sector and a revamped cocoa sector, we can ease the heavy burden of tax that has been placed on Ghanaian households and businesses.”
35. We shall revive the construction of Cocoa roads in cocoa growing communities.
36. We shall build Tomato Processing Plants in the Bono Regions.
37. We shall build a Cashew Processing Plant in the Bono Region.
38. Farmer Co-operatives will be established in every region which will receive support to improve their businesses.
39. We shall continue the National Apprenticeship Program.
40. We shall scrap the quota system for admissions into Nursing and Teacher Training Colleges to expand students enrollment.
41. We shall ensure the prompt posting of trained health professionals.
42. Build Teachers accommodation in basic schools and start a policy of adding teacher accommodation to every basic school to be constructed.
43. We shall establish factories in every region based on their comparative advantage.
44. We shall open district mining offices and decentralize regulatory and licensing processes for artisanal miners.
45. We shall decentralize recruitment into the security agencies and ensure that recruitments are done on regional basis.
46. We shall complete the Eastern Corridor Road.
47. We shall build the Cargo service Center at the Tamale Airport to enhance exportation of agricultural produce through the airport.
48. We shall revive the cotton industry and give support to our farmers to grow cotton.
49. We shall revive the Pwualugu tomato factory.
50. We shall revive the Wulugu livestock station.
51. We shall revive the Zuarungu meat factory.
52. We shall complete the Pwualugu dam to absorb the spillage from the Bagre dam.
53. We shall start a tree growing policy where young people will plant trees and nurture the trees till they grow.
54. We shall establish a modern dialysis center in the Upper East region.
55. Phase 2 of the Tamne irrigation dam project will be completed to boost agriculture in the Upper East region. We shall continue the irrigation projects that we started in the Upper East region.
56. We shall build an airport in the Upper East Region.
57. We shall reverse the names of Public Universities re-named by the NPP to reflect the core mandate of those universities.
58. We shall build a referral hospital in Bawku.
59. We shall construct a potable water system for the people of Yendi and upgrade the Yendi Hospital to improve healthcare services and reduce long distance travel for medical care.
60. We shall remove taxes on essential medical supplies for dialysis. We shall also establish a Cancer and Kidney disease Trust Fund to support afflicted Ghanaians who need assistance to treat such conditions.
COMPILED BY: THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS BUREAU OF THE NDC
Fomer President John Dramani Mahama has issued a serious caution to members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that he will deal with all corrupt individuals ruthlessly regardlessly.
He warned that all officials who will serve in the next NDC administration will be held accountable by anti-corruption bodies for probe and prosecution if they involve themselves in any corrupt practices when given opportunity to serve.
Mr Mahama also reiterated his readiness to hold officials of the governing NPP who are on the list of engaging in corrupt practices to account for their deeds if NDC wins the next elections.
Mr Mahama made these comments while addressing party supporters and fanatics at the Volta Regional House of Chiefs on Wednesday, January 17.
“If we do not establish fairness in our system in fighting corruption, it will overwhelm this country, A lot of times, lip service is paid to it.
“The anti-corruption institutions are fettered and are not able to dispense their mandate independently and unhindered,” John Mahama said.
“We will hold people in this government who have misconducted themselves accountable, but same time as we hold them accountable, people who misconduct themselves in our administration will face the full rigours of the law, the anti-corruption institutions will come after them, and I am not going to interfere in the work of these institutions if they are investigating you.” he added
Chris Griffith, former Chief Executive Officer of Goldfields, has hinted that, the joint venture proposal between Goldfields Tarkwa and Anglogold Iduaprim he started before quitting has failed.
Gold Fields in 2022 announced joint ventures with AngloGold Ashanti in Ghana and another with Osisko Metals in Canada.
“All those things didn’t happen one or two months after I left. They were started well into my time,” he said in a recent interview published in the Financial Mail.
Implementation of the proposed joint venture (JV) between Gold Fields and AngloGold Ashanti, aimed to create Africa’s largest gold mine in Ghana, was to start by the end of 2023 or at least early 2024.
This is subject to agreement with the Government of Ghana, conclusion of all due diligence processes, and requisite regulatory approvals.
However, according to Economy Times investigation, Goldfields had stayed back from the deal because the government is demanding an upfront tax payment for five years period. Several phone calls to the Goldfields Ghana Head Office based in Accra to speak to get confirmation on the matter through the official telephone number was not successful.
The JV, was to combine Gold Fields’ Tarkwa Mine and AngloGold Ashanti’s Iduapriem Mine, to be incorporated within Gold Fields Ghana. This would be supported by a substantial mineral endowment and an initial life span of almost two decades.
The Tarkwa Mine is currently 90 percent owned by Gold Fields Ghana, with the Government of Ghana holding the remaining 10 percent. The Iduapriem Mine, meanwhile, is 100 percent owned by AngloGold Ashanti.
“It’s hard to offer an exact timeline, given that this will involve detailed discussions with the government and requires regulatory approvals, but we hope to be able to implement the transaction by the end of 2023 or early next year at the latest,” a statement issued by the two parties said in part.
The Executive Vice President and Head of Gold Fields West Africa, Joshua Mortoti, during a press briefing in Accra, said the proposed JV would improve life of mine, ensure business efficiency and operational synergy through combining respective ore bodies and infrastructure for the benefit of shareholders and stakeholders.
“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to create a mining entity with the potential to become the largest gold mine in Africa, delivering safe, sustainable and profitable production over the long term by combining two parts of the same world-class ore body,” Mr. Mortoti stated.
“We will do this by leveraging the operating efficiency advantage at Tarkwa, due to its scale, to unlock higher gold grades at lduapriem and maximising production across both processing plants,” he added.
Excluding the interest held by the Government of Ghana, Gold Fields would have a 66.7 percent interest in the joint venture. AngloGold Ashanti would have a 33.3 percent interest. However, it is proposed that once the requisite approvals are received, the Government of Ghana will have a stake of around 10 percent in the JV, Gold Fields will have 60 percent, and AngloGold will have 30 percent.
It is not expected that any material additional capital injection will be required by either company to establish the proposed JV as the new venture is anticipated to materially improve its capital intensity once operational.
The new entity is estimated to have a life of at least 18 years, with an estimated average annual production of almost 900koz over the first five years and average annual production in excess of 600koz over the estimated life of the operation.
The ore reserves for the proposed joint venture are expected to exceed the sum of the ore reserves for the stand-alone operations due to anticipated operational synergies and the declaration of additional mineral resources and ore reserves.
“Gold Fields and AngloGold Ashanti share a long history in Ghana and are committed to working collaboratively to operate a world-class gold mine. This creates a platform to develop the substantial mineral endowment at Tarkwa and lduapriem,” Mr. Mortoti highlighted.
Also, the Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti Ghana, Eric Asubonteng, believd through the creation of one of the world’s largest gold operations on the back of the proposed JV – in a pre-eminent mining jurisdiction – there will be a creation of a longer-term value not only for AngloGold Ashanti and Gold Fields, but for the combined stakeholders.
“This proposed joint venture manages to capture true synergies in a commercially sensible way, by removing the fence between two halves of the same deposit and managing their operations and infrastructure under a single structure,” Mr. Asubonteng said.
“We expect that reserves of the proposed joint venture will exceed the sum of the reserves for the stand-alone operations, given the extent of the anticipated operational synergies,” he added.
The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has accused the Minister of Trade and Industry, KT Hammond, for not doing enough to alleviate the challenges associated with the high cost of doing business in the country.
GUTA contends that instead of the minister taking proactive measures and implementing policies to reduce business costs at entry points like ports, he has rather resorted to making contentious remarks on the streets about traders.
GUTA indicated that the country is not in a price control regime, hence no instruction or direction is followed in the determination of prices of goods and services in the country. This comes on the back of recent complaints by Trades Minister, K.T Hammond about the prices of goods, particularly the price of cement in the country.
“We’re not in a price control regime; therefore, businesses do not take instructions or directions from any quarter in determining prices of goods and services,” the association noted in a statement issued, last week, signed by its President, Joseph Obeng.
GUTA emphatically stated that the business community does not take “delight in arbitrary increase in prices of goods and services, and that prices are actually determined by accumulation of cost of doing business in the country, which members of the business community have been complaining bitterly all these years”.
It noted that the “surest way to reduce and stabilise prices of goods and services is for the policy makers to prune cost of doing business in the country, in terms of the duty we pay, fees and charges, including shipping line charges, transportation cost, the increasing utility tariff regime” among others.
It added that this was the more reason, the minister should have met with “the cement producers to find out the cost of the increase in their prices”.
Also, Clement Boateng, the Vice President of GUTA, criticised the minister for a lack of vision in facilitating a decrease in the overall cost of doing business in the country.
He urged the minister to step out of his office and personally acquaint himself with the cost of duties paid by importers at entry points.
Mr Boateng emphasised that the exorbitant duty fees at Ghana’s ports necessitate traders passing on the costs to the end consumers.
Mr Boateng disputed the perception that Ghanaian traders are intentionally increasing prices, pointing out that duty costs in neighboring Togo are 1 per cent, and it is 2 per cent in Ivory Coast, whereas Ghana’s duty rate stands at 5 per cent.
He questioned whose actions were contributing to the elevated prices of commodities in the country.
Furthermore, Mr Boateng highlighted that GUTA had submitted suggestions to the government during the 2024 budget presentation, advocating for a reduction in the costs associated with doing business in Ghana.
However, he lamented that none of these proposals were incorporated into the final budget statement presented by the Finance Minister to Parliament.
Mr Boateng raised the question of accountability, asking who should be held responsible for the persistently high costs in the country.
Business operators and residential consumers are demanding from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to publish a load-shedding timetable as the erratic power supply situation continues to worsen in recent times.
This follows after many Ghanaians expressed dissatisfaction with the ECG and the Energy Ministry for such a situation, which is a disturbing development and affecting businesses
Key players in the industry, including the IES, have raised concerns over the situation, attributing it to financial challenges. But, the energy ministry has pleaded with Ghanaians to be a little patient as it works to resolve the challenge.
“What has happened over the past few days is that some obligation owed by GNPC to WAPCo was an issue”, Deputy Energy Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has noted. “WAPCo threatened GNPC and it has made some initial payments, but it wasn’t satisfactory. We requested the Ministry of Finance to top up. We had to go through some approval processes.”
“As of yesterday [last week Wednesday] evening, the Ministry of Finance had approved a sum of US$10 million to pay for a part of that debt. So that was the hiccup that we encountered that led to the power outages we experienced in the past few days. But that has been resolved.”
However, the Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has indicated that Ghana is currently grappling with “a severe case of load shedding, commonly known as ‘dumsor’”.
The situation, the former energy minister noted, “is evidently clear, with 500 MW of load being shed as of tonight, January 9, 2024”.
The Ellembelle MP observed that “Numerous areas have been plunged into darkness due to the unavailability of gas to fuel thermal plants within the Tema enclave, which can be attributed to financial constraints”.
Specifically, Mr Buah mentioned that the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) “is currently unable to fulfil its payment obligations to the West African Gas Pipeline, which is responsible for transporting gas from Takoradi to Tema for power generation”.
“You can also track the ultimate problem to the weakest link in the value chain –ECG’s inability to pay off-takers”, he explained.
“Compounding” the situation, Mr Buah added, “is the absence of a load-shedding timetable, which hampers households and businesses from planning accordingly”.
To him, the “lack of transparency and communication regarding the power outage schedule only adds to the frustration and inconvenience experienced by the affected population”.
“It is worth highlighting that even during the worst periods of dumsor in the past, the power outage never reached the 500-megawatts threshold currently being shed. Yet, the media associated with the NPP interestingly see this as no ‘dumsor’.”
“Their loud silence on the current situation is deafening”, the lawmaker criticised.
The Ghana Grid Company must, as a matter of urgency, come out with a load-shedding timetable to allow households and businesses to plan better”, he demanded.
Some Ghanaians have been complaining about the power situation on Facebook for the past three days.
Ghanaians have reacted negatively to the government’s directive requesting the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) to liaise with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) “to ensure that the implementation of VAT for residential customers of electricity”.
This applies to domestic consumers above the maximum consumption level specified for block charges for lifeline units which took effect on January 1, 2024.
The directive, the ministry said is in line with Sections 35 and 37 and the First Schedule (9) of Act 870 and aligns with the relevant sections of the Value Added Tax Act of 2013 and is part of the Government’s Medium-Term Revenue Strategy and the IMF-Supported Post-COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG).
This directive has been met with strong opposition from Ghanaians with the former Board Chair of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Prof Stephen Adei, noting that, “There’s no doubt at all people will be worse off” when the government starts taxing them for power consumption.
He believes the government has misdirected its tax policy while speaking in an interview on the development.
“You’ll first focus on things that increase production and then that, in turn, will feed into your taxes”, the economist noted.
In his view, the government “should be going after the billions of uncollected property taxes” as well as all the exemptions given to some sectors such as mining.
“The mines have millions of exemptions and these are the ones we should go after rather than going after the ordinary producer and consumer when it comes to electricity”, he noted.
Also, the Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security (IES), Nana Amoasi VII, has raised concerns that the increment will exacerbate the existing issue of power outages and will drive investors away from the sector.
“If any other sector player or investor is looking at this situation, they will advise themselves to the extent that they won’t invest in the sector because when you increase the tariff, you are increasing the burden of consumers. They may be compelled to either shy away from that power system or bypass that system by way of theft as well.”
He added, “When they bypass the system and probably resort to generated or probably renewable energy, then, of course, you are going to get excess capacity, which will come at the cost that I mentioned. You have to pay for the same. So what the government is doing is rather going to worsen the situation that we have today.”
Meanwhile, power supply is currently erratic across the country, a situation that has led Deputy Minority Leader Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah to say the country is grappling with “a severe case of load shedding, commonly known as ‘dumsor’”.
The situation, the former energy minister noted, “is evidently clear, with 500 MW of load being shed as of tonight, January 9, 2024”.
The Ellembelle MP observed in a statement, last week, that “Numerous areas have been plunged into darkness due to the unavailability of gas to fuel thermal plants within the Tema enclave, which can be attributed to financial constraints”.
Specifically, Mr Buah mentioned that the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) “is currently unable to fulfil its payment obligations to the West African Gas Pipeline, which is responsible for transporting gas from Takoradi to Tema for power generation”.
“You can also track the ultimate problem to the weakest link in the value chain – ECG’s inability to pay off-takers”, he explained.
“Compounding” the situation, Mr Buah added, “is the absence of a load-shedding timetable, which hampers households and businesses from planning accordingly”.
To him, the “lack of transparency and communication regarding the power outage schedule only adds to the frustration and inconvenience experienced by the affected population”.
“It is worth highlighting that even during the worst periods of dumsor in the past, the power outage never reached the 500-megawatts threshold currently being shed. Yet, the media associated with the NPP interestingly see this as no ‘dumsor’.”
“Their loud silence on the current situation is deafening”, the lawmaker criticised.
“The Ghana Grid Company must, as a matter of urgency, come out with a load-shedding timetable to allow households and businesses to plan better”, he demanded.
Some Ghanaians have been complaining about the power situation on Facebook for the past three days.
The Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) has said the downward trend in inflation is a positive sign to restore macro-economic stability.
Dr. Ernest Addison, expressing confidence that as the progress continues, noted that, interest rates will correct and move in a favorable direction. He stressed the readiness to discuss the evolving numbers, including the projected year-end outlook of 29%, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The Central Bank claimed that, the sustained reduction in inflation since August 2023 can be credited to the proactive efforts and measures it took to address hyper inflationary and restore macro-economic stability.
Ghana’s inflation rate has experienced a notable decline, surpassing the year-end target set by the Bank of Ghana (BoG).
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) reported that the country’s inflation rate dropped to 23.2% in December last year, marking the fifth consecutive decrease since August 2023. This achievement comes as a result of effective measures implemented by the BoG.
The BoG had initially set a year-end inflation target of 29% for 2023. However, the GSS data revealed a considerable drop, with food inflation decreasing to 28.7% in December 2023, compared to the 32.2% recorded in November. Non-food inflation also saw a decline, dropping to 18.7% in December from 21.7% in November.
Prof Samuel Kobina Annin, the government statistician, said the decrease in inflation was primarily attributed to declining rates in both food and non-food sectors. Specifically, food inflation decreased by 3.5 percentage points to 28.7%, and non-food inflation declined by 3.0 percentage points to 18.7% in December, compared to the previous month.
Local rice farmers are lamenting low patronage for their harvest as imported varieties have dominated the market.
A session of the rice farmer from Gbdembilisi community, located in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region, are calling for government’s intervention to boost their sales so they can recover their cost of cultivation.
Gbdembilisi, known for its fertile lands and dedicated rice cultivation, faces a crisis as the farmers report a shortage of buyers for their abundant rice harvest.
“This year, a lot of our buyers and companies are complaining that the government has imported a lot of rice into the country, and because of that, we are not getting buyers”, John Amobil shared the rice farmers concerns in an interview.
“Last year, for instance, Nigerians and other countries were in to buy our rice, but the government has stopped them from entering the country to buy rice. The government is also importing foreign rice, and all the buyers are complaining that when they buy our rice and mill, they don’t get buyers.”
The Chairman of the Builsa South Rice Farmers Association, Cezar Akinkang, in a separate interview also pointed out that, cheaper foreign options divert consumers from locally produced grains, resulting in a surplus that local markets struggle to absorb.
“What we heard is that the buyers are complaining that our rice is more expensive than the foreign rice, and the reason why our rice is more expensive than the foreign rice is that the inputs are costly. So, we are appealing that the government should reduce the prices of inputs, and if there is a subsidy, it will help us farmers. So that our price too will come down to meet the needs of buyers and consumers,” Mr. Akinkang appealed.
The farmers also advocated for measures such as a potential ban on imported rice to level the playing field and provide local producers with a fair chance to sell their harvest.
This call is in line with the opposed government’s plan to pass a Legislative Instrument to restrict import of some listed food items which faced strong opposition in parliament and from some major stakeholders. This forced the government to later shelve the plan. The opposers wanted the government to embark on wider consultation to restructure the bill.
As it stands now, no one knows when the Import Restriction Bill will be back to parliament.
Briefing media men in Parliament about the Bill, the Minister of Trade and Industry, K.T Hammond said, “Stomach of animals, bladder and the chunk of intestines (yemuadie), the country had had to put in an amount of about $164 million towards the importation of these items. We are taking steps to ensure that in terms of rice, there’s no poverty of rice in the country.”
He emphasized, “By these restrictions, we are not going to ensure that there’s no food in the country at all; that is not the point at all. There have to be some efforts by the government to ensure that we go back to Acheampong’s operation feed yourself. There are about 22 items on the list, one of them, I think, is diapers.”
Also, a major challenege complicating the farmers situation is the lack of enough warehouses leading to high cost of storing the harvest as well as exposing the harvest to insects and pests attacks.
The farmers mostly resort to storing their harvest at home and in drinking bars, underscoring the urgent need for additional storage facilities to handle the bountiful yield.
Amidst the challenges, farmers highlight the high cost of inputs, machinery services, and a deficient road network contributing to post-harvest losses.
Ali Gafaru, a farmer, says the downturn in rice sales does not only affect them economically but also prompts lenders to pursue repayment of loans taken for farming ventures.
“You go for a loan, and the agreement is that you will pay for a timeframe. Now, how are we going to pay for the loan if we are unable to sell our produce?” he asked.
Ghana currently consumes about 1.5 million metric tonnes of rice annually, with approximately 50% being imported due to unpredictable quality and quantity of yields. This is largely due to climate change affecting rainfall patterns in a region where most smallholder farmers practice rain-fed agriculture.
While total rice consumption stood at 1.4 million metric tonnes in 2022, imports valued at US$560 million accounted for 800,000 metric tonnes (mt) of the consumption figure, with domestic production catering for the remaining demand – according to data from IDH Sustainable Trade.
Also, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Ghana imported US$552 million worth of rice in 2021, becoming the 13th largest importer of Rice in the world. At the same year, rice was the 3rd most imported product in Ghana. Ghana imports rice primarily from: Vietnam ($394M), Thailand ($53.3M), India ($50.9M), China ($21.7M), and Pakistan ($21.2M).
