ActionAid supports agriculture in two Districts in Upper East

 By Godfred A. Polkuu

Zebilla (U/E), May 25, GNA-ActionAid Ghana (AAG), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), has presented 60 bicycles to female Agriculture Extension Volunteers in two Districts in the Upper East Region to boost agricultural activities.

The two districts, Bawku West and Nabdam Districts, each received 30 bicycles for the women, as part of the Northern Ghana Integrated Development Project (NGIDP) implemented by AAG together with Urbanet and Tree Aid with funding support from the European Commission.

The NGIDP directly empowered 13,500 women smallholder farmers, some young people and persons with disabilities, strengthened 300 women farmer groups, 15 farmer networks and trained 1,050 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and group leaders.

The project also reached a total of 825,000.00 people, directly and indirectly in 15 selected districts in Northern Ghana including all districts in the Upper East Region.

It ensured improved delivery of extension services, increased awareness on rights to land, social protection and decent work.

At two separate ceremonies at Zebilla and Nabdam to present the bicycles, Mr Alhassan Sulemana, the Regional Manager of AAG, said 240 Female Extension Volunteers were trained by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to support their communities and catchment areas with basic extension services.

He said the Female Extension Volunteers would help improve the ratio of agriculture extension service personnel and as they were indigenes within the communities who would directly work with farmers in their respective communities, it would be most beneficial to the farmers.

He said the bicycles were to facilitate movements of the volunteers to augment the services of the few overburdened Agriculture Extension Officers within their catchment areas.

“So, the essence of these bicycles is for them to be able to move from farm to farm to offer extension services as to what to do, and how they are supposed to do it to get some better yields,” Mr Sulemana said.

He said the four-year project, expected to end in June 2023, had the overall objective “To contribute to rural poverty reduction in Ghana through economic development, adoption of environmentally sustainable agriculture policies and practice, and greater access to social protection.”

Mr Rasheed Imoro, the Nabdam District Director of MoFA, said even though the NGIDP had ended, MoFA would continue to train more women groups to serve as community extension services volunteers.

He said the Ministry’s Extension Officers could not reach all the communities, therefore, the services of the volunteers were relevant, as they would offer first-hand advice to farmers in the communities based on what they were taught.

He said even though MoFA could not supply bicycles to volunteers, it would continue to build the capacities of more volunteers, “Going forward, we need to train more of them, so that they can give first-hand help to the farmers before technical advice by Extension Officers.”

Some volunteers after receiving their bicycles, expressed gratitude to AAG for the training and the bicycles presented to them.

According to them, farmlands within their catchment areas were far apart, so the bicycles would facilitate their movement within the communities to assist farmers improve on their yields, especially as the rains had set in.

GNA

Akatsi Police retrieves suspected bones and skull of missing motor rider

 By Agbaxode Emmanuel, GNA

 

Akatsi (V/R), May 25, GNA- The Akatsi South Police Command has retrieved some human parts believed to be the remains of a 28-year-old  motor rider, Louis Agbogli, who went missing on April 21, this year.

 

Louis Agbogli, a native of Atidzive  who resides at Akatsi, all within the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region reportedly went missing after he was seen picking a female pillion rider on Friday, April 21 from Akatsi to the Kpetoe area.

 

Chief Superintendent Isaac Baah, the Akatsi South Municipal Police Commander, briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on developments relating to the incident, said on Thursday, April 27, Mr Lumor Agbogli, father of the deceased, made a complaint to the Police about the disappearance of his son.

 

Mr Baah said  the Police in their preliminary investigations, said the suspect, Regina Dagba, an 18-year-old girl from Asafotsi-Dagbakope, a village within Akatsi South on Thursday, April 20, sought the service of a motor rider ostensibly to pick her to Adetsewui, where she was to meet her boyfriend. 

 

He said the charge for transportation of the suspect could not meet her financial status at that time, “so the deceased willingly added Ghc 3.00 to help aid her departure to the village.”

 

Mr Baah said the suspect, after taking the deceased’s contact, called him the next day to offer gratitude for his assistance and asked him to pick her to Kpetoe, which he obliged, “even though his colleagues riders discouraged him from offering that service.”

 

“Upon reaching Kpetoe, the suspect appealed to the deceased to take her to a village called Nyatsive, where the deceased had since not returned, causing fear and panic among his relations and friends,” he said.

 

Mr Baah further disclosed that the suspect, together with Etse Datsomor, her 20-year-old boyfriend from Adetsewui, was lured from his hideout at Nyatsive in the Republic of Togo, and arrested around the Wute stretch of the Akatsi- Ziope road on Monday, May 15, where they both admitted to having murdered the victim after interrogation.

 

He said his outfit in connection with their Togolese counterpart after a court order was obtained, Etse led a team of both Police officers from Ghana and Togo to a gravel pit site located between Kpetoe and Nyatsive, near Togo, where bones and a skull was retrieved.

 

“Suspect pointed the scene to the police and after a careful inspection, it was found that the body had decomposed, leaving behind only the bones and skull.”

 

Police sources revealed that the suspect also led the Police team to a nearby bush to retrieve the deceased’s motorbike, which was close to where he was allegedly murdered.

 

Mr Baah said efforts were underway to forward the bones to Accra for Forensic Laboratory examination, whilst the suspects would reappear in court on Friday, June 2.

GNA

GRA invite more shop owners over VAT compliance

 

Officials of the Enforcement Units of the Ghana Revenue Authority has invited some shop owners for questioning as part of its efforts to ensure voluntary Value Added Tax (VAT) compliance.

 

The GRA expects that all suppliers of taxable items, goods, or services, issue VAT invoices as required by law, and in the same vein, the customer is required by law to obtain an invoice if such transactions attract VAT.

 

Mr Joseph Annan, Area Enforcement Manager of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in charge of Accra Central, said it was an infringement on the tax laws if businesses failed to issue the VAT when they were registered with the Authority.

 

Mr Annan was speaking during the ongoing tax 

 

invigilation exercise being conducted at the Authority in Accra.

 

He said the shop owners had clearly violated the regulations of VAT.

 

On Tuesday, the team visited u-Fresh Company Limited, Computer Land Ghana Limited, Vegetable and Fruits Supermarket, Sulas Enterprise, and Mahalia Kollections, among others.

 

Two of the shops were closed by the officials and some documents taken from the rest of the shops for assessment of their records.

 

He said the exercise or operations were part of an ongoing nationwide VAT Invigilation exercise by the authority to retrieve some taxes due the State.

 

The Enforcement Officer said all these shops visited failed to issue the VAT invoice when the team tested them hence the arrest and handing over to the Police for investigation and possible prosecution.

 

He told the Ghana News Agency some of these 

 

shops were selective in the issuance of the VAT invoice to their customers.

 

He said these individuals would be assessed and made to pay immediately and after that “we will commence a full audit on the companies.”

 

He said the exercise would continue until sanity prevailed or was restored in the system.

 

Mr Annan said the GRA as part of the nationwide invigilation would continue to embark on mystery shopping exercises across the country to apprehend culprits evading tax.

 

Traders in Kumawu cashing in on by-election

 Traders at Kumawu in the Ashanti Region are cashing in on the ongoing by-election as they make good sales from the huge number of visitors in the town. 

 
Most of the traders, especially food and beverage vendors, could be seen making brisk business in the area.  
 
Madam Sarah Adwapa, a bottled and sachet water seller, told the Ghana News Agency that sales had increased in the last 24 hours as she had sold close to 80 packs and boxes of water by midday Tuesday. 

“In fact, this is my best sales in a very long time, I don’t even sell two packs or a box of water in a day!" she exclaimed. 

 
"Though the death of our dear MP is a great loss to the whole Constituency, my water business has been excellent."  
 
Bismark Opoku, an ice cream seller, was  also excited about the volume of sales he made even before noon.  
 
He was optimistic of making good sales by the close of the day without trekking to other nearby communities to sell, which is his daily routine.  
 

 Abena Serwaa, fried yam seller, said she started selling earlier than usual due to high patronage, an indication that she could make more profit.  

 

“Mostly people will come and buy from me after noon, but today before I could finish frying my fish, people were waiting for me to fry the yams. 

I am hoping the demand for fried yam sustains till the day ends," she said.  

 

Other vendors of soft drinks, toffees and biscuits admitted making good sales and expressed optimism that patronage would continue to increase to make some profit. 

GNA 

AerCap signs lease agreements with ASKY for two Boeing 737 Max Aircraft

 AerCap Holdings N.V. has signed lease agreements for two Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft with ASKY, The Pan-African Airline, headquartered in Togo.  

A statement issued in Accra by the Airline said the aircraft were scheduled to be delivered in June through August 2023.   

It said in attendance at the signing ceremony were Mr Esayas W. Hailu, CEO of ASKY, Mr Aengus Kelly, the CEO of AerCap, Mr Girma Wake, the Board Chairman of Ethiopian Airlines Group and Aviation Advisor to Togo, Board members of ASKY, and other distinguished guests.    

“We are delighted to welcome ASKY as a new customer to AerCap and particularly pleased to place the first MAX in Togo,” Mr Kelly said.  

He said “AerCap is the largest lessor in Africa with 14 airline customers on the continent, and we are pleased to continue to support the growth and development of African aviation. We wish the ASKY team every success and look forward to working with them as these aircraft deliver.”  

 “I consider it an honour to introduce state-of-the-art B737-8 MAX aircraft into the ASKY fleet, which will support our wide regional network in our continuous endeavour to serve our esteemed customers,” Mr Hailu said.  

He said he was confident that the introduction of B737-8 MAX would further enhance ASKY’s brand image before the eyes of the traveling public and the airline felt great to be the region’s leading customer to AerCap, the world’s largest owners of commercial aircraft.  

GNA  

 

Organized Labour is interested in how IMF money will be applied – GFL

Mr. Abraham Koomson, Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), has said Organized Labour, and all Ghanaians, are interested in how the Government will utilise the $3billion loan facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

 

Ghana received approval from the IMF for a three billion US dollar bailout last Wednesday, May 17th, and on Friday, May 19th, the first disbursement of 600 million dollars hit the accounts of the country, which was expected to be released in tranches. 

 

Mr. Koomson, reacting to the IMF Board approval, told the Ghana News Agency that workers were not much enthused about the approval but rather were interested in its application as that would influence them. 

 

He said they doubted whether the bailout would be beneficial to the public, as the conditionality attached to such bailouts often brought hardship rather than comfort to the people. 

 

"It won’t impact positively on the fortunes of workers; the hardships are going to worsen, and it will erode the gains that the unions have fought for over the years," he added. 

 

He stated, for instance, that the introduction of the three new excise duties, even though there were over 17 taxes companies were paying, was an indication of what lay ahead for companies and workers with approval. 

 

Mr. Koomson urged the economic management team of the Government to be forthright with the people on the conditionality and its implications instead of being evasive on the matter. 

 

Meanwhile, IMF Press Release No. 23/151, titled "IMF Executive Board Approves US$3 Billion Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement for Ghana," obtained by the Ghana News Agency in Tema, stated that the authorities’ economic programme, supported by the ECF-arrangement, builds on the government’s Post COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG). 

 

The PC-PEG aims to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability and includes wide-ranging reforms to build resilience and lay the foundation for stronger and more inclusive growth. 

 

According to the IMF, large external shocks in recent years have exacerbated Ghana’s pre-existing fiscal and debt vulnerabilities, resulting in a loss of international market access, increasingly constrained domestic financing, and a reliance on monetary financing by the government. 

 

"Decreasing international reserves, Cedi depreciation, rising inflation, and plummeting domestic investor confidence eventually triggered an acute crisis.  

 

"The authorities have taken bold steps to tackle these deep challenges, including by accelerating fiscal adjustment.  

 

"The government has also launched a comprehensive debt restructuring to address severe financing constraints and the unsustainable public debt.  

 

"Securing timely debt restructuring agreements with external creditors will be essential for the successful implementation of the new ECF arrangement," the statement stated. 

 

Key policies under the authorities’ programme include large and frontloaded fiscal consolidation to bring public finances back on a sustainable path, complemented by efforts to protect the vulnerable. 

 

The adjustment effort will be supported by ambitious structural reforms in the areas of tax policy, revenue administration, and public financial management, as well as steps to address weaknesses in the energy and cocoa sectors. 

 

Appropriately tight monetary and exchange rate policies will help bring inflation back to single digits and rebuild international reserves. The programme also has a strong focus on preserving financial stability and encouraging private investment and growth. 

 

The programme would help Ghana overcome immediate policy and financing challenges, including through its catalytic effect in mobilizing external financing from development partners and providing a framework for the successful completion of the ongoing debt restructuring. 

 

Assin South NDC Parliamentary candidate to champion skills training and business dev’t

Mr Stephen Kofi Baidoo, the elected National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for the Assin South Constituency, has pledged to champion skills training and business development for the youth.

He said he would champion the free enrolment of the youth into apprenticeship for skills and vocation training as the centre of his leadership to ensure the creation of wealth to reduce poverty in the area. 

“I believe that regardless of the background, all youth should be provided the opportunity to reach their full potential through a well-developed and coordinated education and skills training to address their needs and aspirations.

“This is because youth employment issues are a major concern, since they affect the welfare of young people and potentially the long-term performance and stability of every economy,” Mr. Baidoo said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.

The youth, he said, would also be assisted with training tools and business support mechanisms to grow and expand to employ more.

Whilst commending the party and delegates for reposing confidence in him, he called on the rank and file of the party to bury their differences before, during and after the parliamentary primary.

He vowed to go all out to resolve any upheavals in the party as soon as possible to present a united front in the 2024 polls.

The political exigencies in the constituency, according to him, required a collective effort underpinned by party peace and cohesion to snatch the seat from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

To him: “The nearly two decades of political dominance by the NPP in the area has nurtured poverty and deprived the people of basic infrastructure to improve their standard of living.

“Therefore, I have come with a plethora of well-thought-out workable solutions to emancipate the people from the myriad of challenges born out of NPP’s incompetent leadership.” 

For the party, he reminded the teaming supporters to remain focus as it galvanizes massive grassroots support for a landslide electoral victory in the 2024 polls. 

He stated that considering the tremendous work the NDC was doing towards attracting more floating voters as well as members of other political parties to their fold, he was confident the party would form the next government of the day.

GNA