Day: October 22, 2023

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) at the weekend held clean-up exercises at its three sub-metros in Accra ahead of the funeral for Naa Dedei Omaedru III, the late Ga Manye. The exercise also forms part of the commemoration of the Assembly’s 125 Years Anniversary. Mrs Elizabeth Sackey, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, led the staff and community members at the Ashiedu Keteke, Okaikoi South and Ablekuma South sub-metros in the five-hour clean-up exercise. She told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that: ‘Desilting of drains, clearing the weeds and sweeping the filth in these areas will ensure a clean environment and save the people from diseases.’ The exercise dovetails into the AMA’s awareness creation on sanitation and the need to maintain clean surroundings to ward of preventable diseases. Mrs Sackey expressed worry over the low communal spirit among the residents, which did not augur well for community development. She urged the sub-metros to intensify efforts at enforcing the bye-laws and monitoring sanitary conditions within the communities to ensure the right things were done. Mr George Lawson, the Ablekuma Sub-Metro Environmental Health Officer, said he had served notices to those households who failed to participate in the exercise to clean their frontage immediately to avoid prosecution. He urged the residents to change their attitudes towards sanitation issues to ensure better environments and good health.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Rt Reverend Prosper Samuel Dzormeku, Moderator of the Global Evangelical Church (GEC), has emphasised the need for Ghana to develop Godly families as these are the bedrock of rapid national development. Speaking at the 62nd annual international conference of the Lord’s Pentecostal Church International, at Ashaiman near Tema, on the theme: ‘Building a Godly Family’, he noted that what Ghana needed was Godly families, be it nuclear, extended, social or spiritual, to fast-track growth. He urged family heads to pray and intercede for their children and supply them with devotional materials, as they entrusted them into the care of teachers. Rt Rev Dzomeku advised pastors and church leaders to become models of spiritually healthy families for their congregation. With biblical cross references, the Moderator urged people in dating relationships and marriages to keep in mind that raising godly families and abiding by Gods commandment was the only way to attract His blessings. He questioned the basis of endorsing a proposed legislation on homosexuality and lesbianism and asked if there would be humans on earth if the practice that did not support childbirth was accepted. Apostle Eric Essandoh Otoo, the General Overseer of the Church, described the family as ‘the most important unit of the church, and even of a nation. ‘That is why anytime the enemy wants to attack the church, he attacks the family first. When the enemy succeeds in attacking and destroying the family the church will be no more.’ The nation lately had had to deal with issues concerning Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex, (LGBTQI), which he called ‘the enemy’s diabolic plan to destroy the family unit, and thereby having access to the church.’ ‘This is why we need to work with the call to ‘Build a Godly Family’, so that the dictates of Christianity will make our families stand firm against the schemes and craftiness of the devil.’ The General Overseer noted that every family would have to go back to practicing the elementary precepts of Christianity; that is family devotion, prayer and fasting, bible reading routines, intercession and giving. ‘By these the Christian families of the past stayed together, did warfare together and made territorial gains against the projections of the devil.’ He gave account of the church’s activities in the last year in the areas of wealth creation, health, and compassion projects, among others, both locally and internationally. Apostle Otoo urged Ghanaians to pray as the nation prepared for the general election next year. The church has a total membership of 20,052, with 13 apostles, one prophet, five prophetesses, 97 pastors, 17 elders, 221 Deacons, 268 Deaconesses, 55 church leaders and four music ministers. It has 226 branches with 18 newly created ones and 22 areas. The conference seeks to rekindle family bonds, fruitfulness, spirituality, and positive networking.

Source: Ghana News Agency

More than 6,000 people in Adidome and surrounding communities took part in the Lawrence Tetteh Ministries Crusade, dubbed: ‘Adidome for Christ,’ which propagated the message of Christ, healed the sick and spread the love. Reverend Dr Lawrence Tetteh, Founder of the Lawrence Tetteh Ministries, highlighted the love of God for His people and how the people could reciprocate the gesture by showing love to others. ‘The name of Jesus Christ is a strong tower to all who believe in Him. When you have Jesus, you will be safe and have eternal life since everything is under His authority.’ ‘All you need is to believe Him,’ he said. The Evangelist, known for his dedication to spreading the teachings of Christ and bringing hope and healing to those in need, did not spare the moment as he charged the people to fervent prayer, worship and inspiring sermons. Participants also took part in charity activities, reaching out to those in need and spreading love within the region. The sick were prayed for, at the end of which many reported miraculous healings. The crusade was held with support from Togbe Kwasinyi Kakaklolo Agyemang V, Dufia of Adidome.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has called on African leaders to pay more attention to girls’ education and empowerment as ‘only the empowered can empower.’ Speaking at the just-ended Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative meeting in Mumbai, India, she reiterated the importance of empowering girls in Africa, to achieve more and succeed. ‘This is because they will be the mothers who will raise empowered children in the next generation,’ she said. Mrs Akufo-Addo highlighted her initiative, dubbed: ‘Because I want to Be’, which seeks to ensure that adolescent girls stayed in school until at least after senior high school, as well as providing employable skills training for those out of school. Senator Dr Rasha Kelej, the Chief Executive Officer, Merck Foundation Africa, pledged the Foundation’s support towards achieving the goals of the various social interventions of the African first ladies, especially in health and education. Working with the first ladies had greatly enabled the Merck Foundation to deploy across the continent, learning and implementing social change initiatives that was impactful and full of promise, she said. She announced the introduction of animated cartoon series to deploy art and art forms as a behavioral change tool. ‘The Foundation intends to continue using comic books, music, fashion, cartoons and other art forms to get young people to make better decisions about their health,’ she indicated. The meeting welcomed the new first ladies from Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe; Dr Debora Katisa Carvalho, and Mrs Maria De Fatima Vila Nova, respectively. The two are now Merck More than a Mother Ambassadors in their countries. In attendance also were first ladies from Botswana, Burundi, Central African Republic, The Gambia, Liberia, Malawi and Zimbabwe. They have been working on girls’ education, improving access to specialist health care delivery services for marginalised and underserved communities, advocating women’s empowerment and championing the wellbeing of the most vulnerable within their countries.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Patricia Ananga, an Administrator at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has called on girls to remain focused on their education and strive for excellence to make positive impact on their communities. She advised them to shy away from things that would disrupt their focus on education and staying glued to their books. ‘Be obedient to rules and regulations and encourage yourselves at all times that you can make it’ she stated. Dr Ananga gave the advice at a forum in Winneba to commemorate the 2023 International Day of the Girl-Child. It was on the theme: ‘Our Time Is Now-Our Rights, Our Future; The Role of Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shaping and Empowering Girls to realise their rights to secure a brighter future.’ The Day was not just an annual event but a global commitment to the cause of gender equality and empowerment of girls, which must be embraced on a day-to-day basis, she said. ‘While we celebrate the young future achievers and leaders who have great potential for success and the hope of the world’s transformation agenda, we have to ask why the whole world annually celebrate the girl child.’ Dr Ananga said the premium the world placed on girls, their worth, importance, value, place in society, potentials and the promises for the future were the reason for the celebration. The theme for the celebration resonated profoundly with the collective mission to empower and uplift girls around the world, she noted. ‘We cannot exhaust the theme without emphasising on technology, particularly, Artificial Intelligence, as we currently live in an ever-evolving digital world that is moving at an over whelming speed.’ If empowered, girls could transform the world, hence the need to increase investment in their education and opportunities to ensure the development of strong, resilient and powered communities. She said it was about time the barriers that held girls back culturally, socially and economically were removed, to ensure that every girl had the chance to dream, learn and lead. ‘The future belongs to the girls today and we must empower them with the tools, skills and opportunities they need to shape their future, let us work together, tirelessly and with unwavering determination to achieve our goals’ The world would be a better place when girls were aided to realise their full potentials using information and communication technology tools and AI, Dr Ananga noted. The Day served as a reminder that the world was a mosaic of diversity, and it was time the shackles of gender biases, discrimination and inequality were broken.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Hotels Association (GHA) has bemoaned the recent hikes in utility tariffs, taxes, and levies, saying ‘they are incredibly crippling the hospitality industry.’ The hospitality industry already suffered tremendous losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, and instead of helping to rebound faster, the Government had rather slapped it with hefty taxes, particularly property rates, which had deepened its woes, the Association said. Mr Isaac Nkoom, the immediate past Central Regional Chairman of the GHA, said the property rate regime currently being implemented by the Ghana Revenue Authority had become a ‘killer to the sector’s rebound.’ ‘How could a facility that pays a property rate of GHS700 suddenly rise to GHS20,000 or from GHS1,800 to GHS50,000? We are not against the increase and the collection by GRA, but we are against the astronomical increases killing our businesses,’ he said. ‘We do not know how they arrived at those sharp increases and, as far as we remain stakeholders, we expected some consultations on operational modalities before implementation.’ ‘This must certainly change for our mutual gain. The entire arrangement appears we are being punished for owing businesses because the rates do not reflect the reality of our business.’ Mr Nkoom was speaking at the Fourth National Executive Council Meeting of the GHA at the Elmina Beach Hotel on Friday, on the theme: ‘Sustaining the Hotel Industry in Ghana – Post-COVID-19 Pandemic.’ It brought together national and regional executives of the GHA and key stakeholders including metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies, Ghana Tourism Authority, Ghana National Fire Service, and the Food and Drugs Authority to deliberate on issues affecting the industry and how best to address them. Mr Nkoom said the challenges had also been exacerbated by 20 multiple and duplicate taxes and levies, which were ‘suffocating the growth of the sector.’ ‘These include the NHIL, VAT, GETfund, COVID-19 levy, GTA levy, EPA Levy, FDA levy, MMDAs levy, Fire Service levy, and one percent tourism levy.’ ‘Others are SSNIT for staff, data protection levy, property rates, suitability report levy, and GHAMRO levy, which were all contributing to the pricing mechanisms.’ He expressed regret over the burden those taxes put on industry operators and said the GHA had no option but to honour all tax obligations, in addition to the cost of maintenance, utilities, and the payment of salaries. He urged the Government to consider the reduction in VAT charges as the hotel business was gradually grinding to a halt due to very low patronage, because of the economic hardship. For the payment of regulatory fees by the hotels, he requested the Government to reduce them to prevent the ramifications on job losses and business sustainability. He called on hotel owners yet to register with the Association to do so to ensure teamwork as it charted a common course of regulating their activities to improve operations. Mr Kwame Gyasi, the Central Regional Director, Ghana Tourism Authority, advised hotel operators to invest more into customer service to grow the country’s tourism industry. Although the country had over the years been touted as a very hospitable destination, often, many hotels had issues with customer service, he noted. ‘So I want to urge management to take service delivery as critical and add value to the services rendered by organising a lot of training, do right recruitment and coordination with other agencies and institutions in the value-chain.’ ‘We share your pain, we understand your challenges and we are with you in these difficult moments as we work for the best solutions.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Management of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has entreated importers and the public to comply with the Tax Laws and procedures to ensure smooth trade facilitation and maximize revenue for national development.? It said the GRA was also committed to supporting Government’s agenda of enhancing education at all levels and would do all it could within its mandate to support education. A statement issued in Accra by the Authority said its attention had been drawn to an online publication headlined ‘GRA halts two helicopter ‘gifts’ to KNUST over taxes.’ It said Section 75 of the Customs Act 2015, (Act 891) referred to temporary admission, as a Customs procedure that allowed goods to be temporarily brought into the country for a specific purpose without the payment of import duties or taxes.? It said this procedure was designed to facilitate international trade, reduce cost, and promote temporary cross-border activities. The statement said goods that were temporarily admitted into the country under this regime were expected to be re-exported within a certain timeframe, usually 90 days or a specific period for activities such as trade shows, exhibitions, repairs, or other temporary uses. ‘Appropriate documentation, including a Customs declaration, is required to initiate the temporary admission process,’ it added.? These documents specify the intended use and the expected re-exportation date. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the payment of the ‘suspended’ import duties and taxes. It said the Customs Division required a guarantee/security such as an insurance bond or deposit, to ensure revenue was not lost if the goods or items in question were not re-exported. The statement said all countries including Ghana, impose restrictions on the types of goods that can be temporarily admitted and the purposes for which they could be used.? It said as such, Customs procedures for temporary admission come with conditions which vary from country to country.? ‘Non-compliance with the terms of temporary admission can further result in sanctions, such as fines or forfeiture of the goods to the State,’ it said. It said for the incident in question, the mining firm brought in the two helicopters in 2020 under the Temporary Admission Regime, which required that they are re-exported after the agreed period. ‘If the firm wishes to transfer the ownership of the helicopters to a third party (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology), they are required to pay the appropriate taxes and duties before handing them over to KNUST,’ it said.? The statement said this would prevent the possible abuse of the Temporary Admissions Regime by importers who apply for the waiver of duties but resort to donating the equipment as scrap as a way of evading payment of taxes. It said KNUST had not imported any equipment into the country and therefore is not liable for import duty or taxes.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Mawuse Adanya, a 48-year-old woman with disability at Mepe in the Central Tongu District, who had braced the storm to become a fashion designer, is calling on well-wishers to go to her aid. Madam Adanya is among the female disabled victims who lost everything to the recent floods that engulfed Mepe and adjoining communities in the Volta Region. She expressed her predicaments in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a visit to the evacuation centers in the area. She said her condition, coupled with the current devastating flood situation, had made it difficult for her to survive as she had nothing to live on. ‘The machines I use to work are all destroyed, so I cannot continue my trade as a fashion designer. I’m, therefore, appealing to the government and other charitable organisations and individuals to come to my aid,’ Madam Adanya said. ‘We cannot go home because our house is underwater. We need to move to a new location, so I’m appealing for help to enable us to survive.’ Thousands of residents across the Lower Volta area have been displaced after the spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong dams beginning September 15, 2023. Donor agencies, including state officials, have since been providing some relief items to the victims.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli, has presented GHC 100,000 to the three Tongu districts in the Volta Region as a form of relief from the devastating effects of the Akosombo Dam spillage. He donated the money on behalf of the Asogli State on Saturday, after visiting affected communities in the region, and commended residents for their resilience amidst the crisis. He called for unity among stakeholders of the affected districts, saying as people with a common ancestry, the Asogli State considers the support very crucial. ‘We are all one people from Notsie and this is a problem for us all. Our lives are inextricably linked, and we want to encourage you that you have brothers in Asogli’. About 10 districts in the Volta downstream were affected by the controlled spillage, with an estimated 26,000 people being displaced. The three Tongu districts; Central, North and South Tongu are among the hardest hit. Togbe Afede said the flood devastation was avoidable, as it could have been a gradual spillage to prevent the unfathomable damage to livelihoods and properties. ‘VRA cannot escape from wrongdoing. People lost their livelihoods, jobs etc, and whoever deserves blame should be blamed,’ he stated. All stakeholders, including the VRA and the Government, should take lessons from the disaster so lives could be saved, he said. He lauded corporate society and individuals who had provided relief items to bring some comfort to the affected, and said more support was needed from other entities to address the situation holistically. MPs for Central, South and North Tongu, who received the donation, commended Togbe Afede for the support, which would go a long way to cushion the affected residents. The region continued to lose its lands due to tidal waves and coupled with the extent of devastation as a result of the spillage, they said. ‘Volta Region is shrinking in size. The sea is taking the land and many hotels, resorts and other hospitality facilities along the coast are gone,’ Wisdom Kobena Woyome, the MP for South Tongu, said. Togbui Kwasinyi Kakaklolo Agyeman IV, Chief of Adidome, said: ‘We on the lower Volta sacrificed for the electrification of Ghana so the Government should establish a proper disaster management fund.’ ‘Our livelihoods are all gone, and we have become refugees on our own land. A well-structured fund will aid relief efforts more’. He said donations must be properly structured to benefit all the people affected and urged the chiefs to unite through the crisis. Togbe Afede, accompanied by some chiefs and queens of the Asogli State, visited some holding centers for the displaced and commiserated with them.

Source: Ghana News Agency

One person has been reported dead in the Makango floods in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region, while two persons, who got drowned in an attempt to cross to Yeji, have been rescued. Mr Ibrahim Issah, a former Assembly Member of the Makango Electoral Area, told the media that Makango and its environs, including Abelekura, Soldierkope, and Titikura got flooded due to the overflow of the Volta Lake. Many individuals have been displaced as the flood continues to take over the Makango communities, cutting them off from other adjoining communities. Mr Richard Broni, the East Gonja Municipal Chief Executive, said data from the National Disaster Management Organisation indicated that about 3,300 people were displaced, and 792 houses had been submerged, so far. There had been discussions with regional and national stakeholders to leverage support from government and private organisations to assist the affected people, he said, and advised residents to move upstream. The residents expressed fear over more displacement and danger if the rains continued.

Source: Ghana News Agency