Another Fuel Price Increase?

The prices of petroleum products have been increased. The prices have gone up between 7 and 8 per cent.

The new prices which were set by the Oil Marketing Companies and approved by the National Petroleum Authority, were announced Friday morning, November 23, 2007.

Just as the new prices were announced, Filling stations in the country have started selling the products at the new prices.

The maximum indicative price for Petrol is now 1.04 Ghana cedis up from 98 Ghana pesewas per litre.

A litre of Diesel is 1.03 Ghana cedis up from 95 pesewas. Kerosene has also gone up from 86 pesewas to 94 pesewas a litre.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is now 1 Ghana cedi from 97 Ghana pesewas.

This is the second time petroleum products prices have been adjusted in less than a month and the third since October 2007.

The Public Relations Officer of the NPA Steven Larbie tells Joy Business report that the reviews will no more be done monthly but according to price movements of crude oil on the world market.

What it means is that a gallon of petrol now sells at 4 Ghana cedis 68 pesewas or 46,800 cedis; while a gallon of diesel is 4 Ghana cedis 63 pesewas or 46,350 cedis.

Nominations for NPP Aspirants Closed Today

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Thursday officially closed proceedings for picking and filling nomination documents for the party's December 22, Special National Delegates Congress to elect a flag bearer for Election 2008.

Nominations were opened from September 22nd to December 22nd in accordance with NPP Constitution.


In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Nana Ohene Ntow, NPP General Secretary said 19 flag bearer aspirants picked nomination forms, however one candidate Mr. John Kwame Kodua, a Kumasi based lawyer failed to file his nomination.He said Mr. Kodua did not assign any reason for withdrawing from the contest but he pledged his commitment to the party and that he would support the eventual winner after Congress.
Vetting of the aspirants would also be completed on Tuesday, November 27 with the vetting of Captain Nkrabeah Effa-Dartey, former Deputy Minister of the Interior.



Nana Ohene Ntow said the party had constituted an Election Committee to coordinate the electoral process, which included casting of lot for position on the ballot paper, printing of ballot papers and other electoral process.
He said the party would hold a rally on December 1 to introduce all the eligible aspirants to the public at Kasoa in the Central Region.
On preparation towards Congress, Nana Ohene Ntow said the party had already secured the forecourt of the University of Ghana, Legon, booked hostels for the all delegates and started processing accreditation for all, including media practitioners who would be covering the congress.The NPP General Secretary assured the aspirants, supporters, media and all who would attend the congress to abide by tight security that would be mounted.



The contestants were: Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, former Chief Executive of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital; Vice President Aliu Mahama; Mr Daniel Kwaku Botwe, former General Secretary of the party and Minister of Information; Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, former Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, former Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations.
Others were; Mr Hackman Kwame Owusu-Agyemang, former Minister of Works, Water Resources and Housing; Mr Alan Kyeremanten former Minister of Trade and Presidential Special Initiatives; Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo, former Minister of Education Youth and Sports; Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, a former Minister and Mr Felix Kwasi Owusu-Adjapong, former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.



The rest are: Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor, former Minister of Defence; Paapa Owusu Ankomah, former Minister of Education, Science and Sports; Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy, a Medical Practitioner; Mr Boakye Kyeremanteng Agyarko a Banker; Mr Kwabena Agyepong, former Presidential Press Secretary; Dr Agyei Bawuah, Ambassador to India; Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (rtd) and Professor Mike Oquaye, former Minister of Communications.
GNA

Baah-Wiredu explains excise duty on airtime calls

Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, has explained that the proposal in the 2008 Budget Statement, which slapped excise duty on airtime on mobile phone calls, would rather reduce the cost of making calls.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the Minister, who is also NPP MP for Asante Akim North, said the increasing number of mobile phones that were smuggled into the country by mobile phone dealers as well as individuals informed the decision.

He said statistics obtained from the mobile phone companies and the National Communications Authority (NCA) showed that there are about seven million mobile phones in the country.

"However, records of taxes paid at the port of entry from the Immigration Service and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) show that just about one million mobile phones have been brought into the country."

He described the practice where people continuously brought mobile phones into the country without paying the appropriate tax as unacceptable, since the nation lost billions of cedis in the process.

Government decided to abolish import duty and import VAT on all mobile phone handsets and introduced excise duty on airtime.

Mr Baah-Wiredu explained that if the current taxes on mobile phones were removed as proposed in the 2008 budget, the cost of the product as well as the charges on airtime by the various networks would drop significantly.

"Currently, the networks charge about 14 Ghana pesewas per minute on each call, as per the tax charges, making 98 million Ghana Cedis per minute which is the result of the number of mobile phones multiplied by the cost per minute.

"If we cancel the tax on mobile phone imports and the total number of handsets grows to eight million we would reduce the cost per minute to 12.5 Gp. If the total number of handsets goes up to about nine million, the cost per minute to end-users would drop further to 10 Gp. The same would be when the total number of handsets rises to 10 million and the cost of air-time per minute would also drop to 9.8 Gp."

Reacting to network providers' concern that they were not contacted or involved in arriving at the proposal, Mr Baah-Wiredu said adverts and invitations were sent out for stakeholders to make their input, but not all of them made the effort to contribute to the discussions and contributions.

"It is important that when adverts are put out for stakeholders to make their contributions, they are taken seriously since it would help government in shaping development approaches," he added.


Source: GNA

Koduah fails to file for NPP flag bearer

Kumasi based lawyer and New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant, John Kwame Koduah has failed to file his nomination at the close of Thursday November 22, 2007.



Joy News checks at the NPP Headquarters show that Mr. Kodua did not file his nomination on Thursday.For the fact that Mr. Koduah failed to file his nomination, he is deemed to have automatically withdrawn from the race. With Mr. Koduah's withdrawal, the NPP now has 18 candidates vying to lead the party in the 2008 general elections. Mr. Koduah has in the past two weeks been in prayer hoping to hear from God before he decided.


Speaking earlier to Joy News, he said whatever God tells him to do is what he will do. And he said, he will announce that decision to the media, but at the close of nomination day, nothing has been heard from the Kumasi based lawyer.

President Kufuor leaves for Kampala

President John Agyekum Kufuor left Accra on Thursday morning for Kampala, Uganda to participate in this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) schedule for November 23-25.


Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, would open the meeting tomorrow, Friday November 23.



It is under the theme: "Transforming Commonwealth Society to achieve Political, Economic and Human development". A statement issued in Accra and signed by Mr Andrew Awuni, Presidential Spokesperson said, high on the agenda would be a discussion on common political values like Democracy, Human Rights, Good Governance and Global Economic issues.



It said the meeting would also appoint a new Secretary General to take over from Mr Don McKinnon.The First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor and some senior government officials accompanied President Kufuor. At the airport to see President Kufuor off were, Vice President Aliu Mahama, Ministers of State, Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. General J.B. Danquah and Inspector General of Police, Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong.

Source:

NA

NDC targets 80% of seats in Greater Accra

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday said its Greater Accra Regional campaign team has marshalled an electoral strategy to win not less than 80 per cent of parliamentary seats.


"We have identified our operational shortfalls in previous elections, we have adopted modern electoral mechanisms to ensure effective campaign, focus on issues and guard the electoral process with well-empowered officials at polling stations," Mr Danny A. Anang, NDC Greater Accra Regional Chairman told Ghana News Agency in an interview. He said the party had assessed the electoral topography since Election 2000, identified its shortfalls, learnt lessons, major decisions taken, revamped its electoral strategy to empower and motivate its foot soldiers to be deployed.


Mr Anang said "Election 2008 would be fought and won by the NDC on entirely different game plan, the enthusiasm, comradeship, loyalty and commitment to put our hands on the wheel which eluded us in the two previous elections is back."


He said the party had in addition, identified seats it lost marginally due to the wind of change during the elections and fortunately people in the region were widely awake now and had identified the deceit, exploitation, impositions and impunity in the country.

Mr Anang said Ghanaians were now discerning and analytical, and would vote according to their conscience to elect a party that had their welfare at heart.


"Ghanaians deserve better and cannot stay under the governance of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) any longer and would use Election 2008 to deliver the nation and save future generation."

Mr Anang said the high level of interest in the selection of parliamentary candidates for its orphan constituencies had given encouragement to redeem seats the party lost to NPP. "Those NPP Parliamentarians are occupying borrowed seats, their days are numbered as the rightful owners are ready to take over...we have eminent individuals from these constituencies coming forward to contest. It is a done deal anyone who is elected at our congress to represent NDC in the region is already an MP," he said.


He commended women who had boldly come forward to contest for parliamentary seats in the region. Mr Anang said vetting of aspiring parliamentary candidates from the 16 orphan constituencies had been completed and congress would be organised soon to elect their candidates.

Mr Anang noted that NDC had a bright chance to win Election 2008 because the NPP Government had failed to continue the legacy bequeathed to them by NDC in 2000.

He said during the tenure of the NDC it established the needed infrastructure including schools, roads, hospitals, water and rehabilitated the ports, what was left was the creation of jobs to bring economic freedom to the people.

Mr Anang urged Ghanaians to vote massively for Professor John Evans Atta Mills to rule the country as "the former Vice President is endowed with potentials capable to give Ghanaians accelerated growth and development".

He said NDC Government under Prof. Mills would reverse the "mess in the country's educational system" and continue its policy of making education accessible and affordable to all Ghanaians.

Mr Anang noted that Ghanaians had patiently looked up to the NPP Government for the past seven years to make life worth living but "sadly, their hardships and sufferings increased everyday". He said the NPP Government had failed Ghanaians because it had no antidote to problems facing the nation and urged Ghanaians to vote massively for NDC parliamentary candidates nation-wide and Prof. Mills to redeem the nation.

Source:

GNA

Stars Win 4 Nation Tournament

the Squirrels of Benin on Wednesday almost succeeded in nibbling away the hopes of the Black Stars of Ghana, however, four spectacular second half goals by the latter made sure that the Squirrels’ two never counted much.


The Squirrels, parading what their officials say are only an assembly of locally-based talents, surprised the star-studded Black Stars after converting from the spot in the 24th minute when they were awarded a penalty and went ahead to add the second just under a minute of the second half.


And while they were at it, handlers of the Black Stars may have picked two or three assignments for the team to chew on; Complacency, Indiscipline and perhaps lack of concentration.


So frustrated were the Stars during periods in the game; especially when the Squirrels were calling the shots and again when they failed to win the sympathy of the central referee from dangerous play, their verbal responses, body language and gesticulations; gave the Stars away as a spoiled lot.

Useful tournament

Indeed but for the smiles they managed to restore on the faces of soccer-mad Ghanaians who thronged the Ohene Gyan Stadium for the finals of the Zenith 4-Nation tournament; courtesy strikes by Junior Agogo, Laryea Kingston(2), and Stephen Appiah, the Black Stars’ readiness to annex the forthcoming 26th edition of the Cup of Nations was being seriously questioned.

And the game also proved somewhat hazardous for the Stars as striker Baffour Gyan, who is warming his way back into regular call ups after two years absence, left the field on a stretcher from a thigh injury, while Stephen Appiah, even though managed to score, had lived the life of a passenger all afternoon until he was taken off with a wrist pain.

Thanks to the Squirrels, especially their goalkeeper and skipper, Rachad Chitou, the Stars at least are reminded that they cannot let down their guards, especially after nursing Ghanaians hopes and expectations for a successful nations tournament.

Indeed one positive thing can be said of the Stars: when they maintained their focus and saw the near defeat as a common shame, their zeal was just marvelous; it would have overcome any opposition.

But many will continue to ask if the Stars are indeed ready to go for glory when they host the rest of the continent in January. My take is, at our current work rate, we should do more.

In the match for third-place, the Sheyi Adebayor-led Togo side walloped the United Arab Emirates by 5:0 with Adebayor himself scoring one and earning for himself a standing ovation.

Stars Line-up: Sammy Adjei; Kofi Amponsah; John Mensah/Anthony Annan; Michael Essien; Laryea Kingston; Stephen Appiah/Matthew Amoah; Junior Agogo, Sulley Muntari, Haminu Dramani; Baffour Gyan/Andre Dede Ayew; Moses Narh/Hans Adu Sarpei.

Unused Subs: Richard Kingson; Francis Dickoh; Michael Helegbe
(Story and photographs by Isaac Yeboah)
Source Joy FM