Day: June 1, 2024

Apostle Dr. Kadmiel E. H. Agbelanyo, Founder and Leader of Seventh Day World Theocracy Congregation has called on church leaders to organize bible lessons on frequent basis for their congregations to enable them to learn to be truthful.

Apostle Agbelanyo made the call during a one-day sabbath bible lesson organised for his congregation on the theme ‘Behaviour before’ at Shallom-Otiakrom near Aburi in the Eastern Region.

In his sermon, he noted that because of sins and lies about 14,700 people died by earthquake when Moses was sending the Israelis from Egypt to Canan.

He also stated that Ananias and his wife Safaria also died by the Holy Ghost because of not saying the truth after the sale of a land for the construction of a church building. (Acts 5: -1-11).

He said all churches belonging to God the Holy Spirit only needed truthful persons to worship in them and not those who tell lies, saying Numbers 26:10 stated that over 250 persons died by fire when challenging the Holy Spirit.

Apostle Agbelanyo calle
d on the youth of the church to take the lessons seriously, to grow to become good future leaders who would speak the truth and not lies, because lies were against the Holy Ghost.

Source: Ghana News Agency

In recent years, the development of China’s new energy industry has entered the ‘fast lane’.

The export of China’s ‘new trio’, namely: electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products has exceeded one trillion yuan in 2023.

As the world faces increasingly severe climate change, weak economic growth, and continued high inflation, China’s high-efficiency, high-quality, and cost-effective new energy products will bring new opportunities for global economic development.

China’s new energy industry will contribute to the global green transformation.

The development of China’s new energy industry has not only enabled the country to fulfill its own emission reduction commitments, but the export of its new energy products (all over the world) has played an important role in reducing global carbon emissions.

China’s wind power and photovoltaic products have been exported to more than 200 countries and regions around the world, and the export volume of new energy vehicles has reached 1.203 milli
on units in 2023.

China’s new energy products have greatly promoted the global popularization and efficiency of green energy, helping countries around the world to solve energy problems, achieve carbon reduction goals, and accelerate green transformation.

Its energy industry will support the stability of the global industrial chain. Currently, there is a serious shortage of high-quality production capacity in the world.

According to estimates by the International Energy Agency, global demand for new energy vehicles will reach 45 million units in 2030, 4.5 times that of 2022. Global demand for new installed photovoltaic capacity will reach 820 GW, approximately four times that of 2022.

The current production capacity for new energy products is far from meeting market demand, especially the huge potential demand in many developing countries.

As the world’s largest manufacturer of renewable energy equipment, China continues to provide the world with high-quality new energy products and has become an importa
nt force in stabilizing the supply chain and industry chain of the global clean energy.

China’s new energy industry will alleviate the pressure of global inflation.

China has started out early in the new energy-related industries.

Combined with her rich highly-skilled human resources and vast range of supporting industries such as raw material supply, parts manufacturing, complete machine assembly, and after-sales services, China is able to produce high quality new energy products with lower prices.

For example, a new energy vehicle manufacturer can find all supporting parts suppliers within a four-hour drive, significantly reducing the cost of that vehicles.

A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency shows that over the past decade, the average leveled cost of energy of global wind power and photovoltaic power generation projects has dropped by more than 60 per cent and 80 per cent, respectively.

A large part of this is attributed to Chinese innovation, manufacturing, and engineering.

How
ever, some countries have falsely accused China of ‘overcapacity’ in the new energy industry in an attempt to distort and discredit its economic relations with the world and maintain its monopoly in the global industrial and supply chains.

This fallacy that equates China’s large export of new energy products with ‘overcapacity’ is contrary to common sense and inconsistent with objective facts.

The behaviour that holds high the banner of green development while wielding the baton of protectionism is double standards.

To politicize economic and trade issue and arbitrarily link them to security will hinder global green transformation, shake confidence in climate change cooperation, and dampen the determination of enterprises to carry out foreign trade and investment cooperation.

China and Africa have complementary advantages and highly compatible demands in the green energy industry and have great potential and space for cooperation.

In recent years, China and Africa have continuously strengthened green ene
rgy cooperation, focusing on clean energy industry and the construction of power infrastructure, and have implemented hundreds of clean energy power generation and power grid projects, which has effectively promoted Africa’s green transformation and sustainable development.

China sincerely welcomes Ghana and all countries around the world to board the express train of her new energy industry development and work together towards a greener future for mankind.

Source: Ghana News Agency

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, has lost its absolute majority for the first time in three decades, the country’s electoral commission announced on Saturday following this week’s parliamentary polls.

With 97.51% of the votes counted, the ANC stood at 40.11% on Saturday morning, the IEC electoral commission said. The preliminary partial result shows a massive loss of power for the ruling party of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

For the first time in the country’s history, the party once led by anti-apartheid fighter Nelson Mandela will have to form a coalition.

Over the past 30 years, since the start of democracy in 1994, the ANC has always won an absolute majority, and governed the continent’s strongest economy alone.

The economically liberal Democratic Alliance (DA) came in at 21.71%, according to preliminary partial results, while the party founded only six months ago by former president Jacob Zuma, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), stood at 14.84%. The Marxist-influenced party Economic Fr
eedom Fighters (EFF) garnered 9.37% of the votes.

Political commentators largely attribute the ANC’s historic loss of power – nearly 17 percentage points since the 2019 parliamentary elections – to the new establishment of the MK, while also pointing to the party’s weak governing record.

The southern African country of 61 million people suffers from a struggling economy, mass unemployment, dilapidated state-owned enterprises, regular power outages, as well as high crime and corruption.

Members of 52 parties competed in the May 29 election for the parliament’s 400 seats. Once the results are announced, the newly elected parliament must form a government and elect a president within 14 days. Provincial governments were also newly elected.

Politically and economically, South Africa is regarded as the ‘gateway to Africa,’ a continent that is becoming increasingly important internationally due to its abundance of raw materials, needed for the global energy transition away from fossil fuels.

Although South Afr
ica maintains good relations with Western countries, the government is closely connected to Russia and China. The country has taken a strong pro-Palestinian stance in the Gaza war and has filed a genocide lawsuit against Israel before the International Court of Justice.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Nigerian military on Friday, vowed to respond fiercely to the recent killing of at least five soldiers by suspected members of an outlawed group in the country’s southeast region.

The five soldiers, murdered Wednesday, following an ambush by the outlawed Indigenous People Of Biafra at a military checkpoint in the Aba town of the southern state of Abia, were among troops deployed to enforce peace in the area and protect citizens, said Edward Buba, a military spokesman, in a statement on Friday.

In response to that ‘dastardly’ act, the military would be ‘fierce’ while bringing overwhelming pressure on the group ‘to ensure their total defeat,’ the statement said.

The suspected gunmen who carried out the attack, rode in three tinted sports utility vehicles, surrounded the military checkpoint, and sprang a surprise attack on the troops, killing at least five soldiers, the statement noted.

The military described the death of the soldiers as ‘a terrible loss,’ saying that it has commenced an investigation into t
he attack. ‘Accordingly, the military must retaliate against this dastardly act against troops,’ the statement added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Infrastructure Transparency Initiative, formerly called Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST), has organised a training on infrastructure monitoring tools for selected personnel within the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Effia Kwesimintim Municipality. 

The workshop highlighted Ghana’s legal framework supporting disclosure on projects, its compatibility with the CoST formal disclosure requirements at the subnational level, the CoST approach-core features, tools and standards.

The team, comprising planners, assembly members, media persons, persons with disability among other staff of the assemblies, were taken through the electronic infrastructure monitoring tools, step by step usage of the tools and social auditing skills.

Mr Isaac Aidoo, the CoST Manager, Sekondi-Takoradi, took the participants through the 67 proactive and reactive data points of CoST, which he encouraged them to use in disclosing project information to the citizens for effective citizen participation in in
frastructure delivery. 

Mr Aziz Mahmoud, CoST Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, said the integration of social accountability tools was to enhance impact and generate more success stories on the activities of CoST in the eight implementing entities under the project.

The team later undertook a field visit to test the tools. 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), said the nation’s ability to make the most of the fourth industrial revolution is now more important than ever before.

The Government’s investments within the digital landscape ripened the grounds for Ghana to take full advantage of the ongoing fourth industrial revolution to attain exceptional excellence.

Addressing a packed auditorium of the Ho Technical University during his ‘youth connect’ programme in the Volta Region, Dr Bawumia said Ghana’s advancing digital landscape should encourage and facilitate a national progression towards competitive industrialisation.

He outlined the numerous investments in digital infrastructure, which should be the base for the launch of Ghana’s industrialisation.

‘I looked at the fourth industrial revolution where the world was going, and it is said that this world is going to be a digital world. We are moving in the fourth industrial revolution into the digital era, and Ghana and Afric
a, we missed the first industrial revolution, we missed the second and third, and we don’t have to miss the fourth…,’ he said.

‘We have to be ready, and I even believe that we can do even better in the fourth industrial revolution than many of the advanced countries that we see. It is possible.’

Dr Bawumia said digital IDs remained the foundation for any digital society, therefore the Government dedicatedly invested in the successful rollout of the Ghana Card, resulting in close to 20 million of the about 30 million population securely captured in a consolidated national database.

He touched on how mobile money interoperability had also been pursued to finality with the nation attaining 100 per cent access to financial inclusion, adding that with a world class digital address system, Ghana was well positioned for industrialisation in the new world.

The Vice President said the bundle of digital investments set the grounds for the development of an individual credit scoring system, which would be introduced
by the Government in the coming months.

‘Very soon I will launch an individual credit scoring system. It will enable us to get access to lots of commodities,’ he said.

The Government has established the ghana.GOV, a single point digital access platform for various payment and transactional services for the public sector, which the Vice President said had more than 1,500 non-fungible data (NFTs).

Dr Bawumia spoke of how the nationwide drone service for medical deliveries was second to none and coupled with the networking of hospitals across the country, health delivery had been revolutionised.

The present digital landscape greatly propelled the fight against corruption and through the national ID and other systems, hundreds of millions were being saved the nation in the area of ghost names on government payrolls, he said.

Dr Bawumia, who seized the opportunity to share with the youth his vision as flagbearer of the NPP, said a government under his leadership would transform agriculture on the commercial s
cale using digital technology, invest heavily in solar power, and reform Ghana’s tax regime.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Three former officers of the Ankaful Main Prison have donated a array of items to assist in caring for the inmates.

Ex-Lance Corporal Joseph Adams, ex-Sergeant Stephen Jojo Ampah, and ex- Senior Chief Officer Samuel Asiedu Akoto donated fridges, medical sterilizer and supplies, as well as medication to help in the upkeep of inmates.

Others are kickstand karaoke speakers and second-hand clothing worth hundreds of Ghana Cedis.

Previously, the group renovated some offices at the Main Prison Camp and provided equipment to match the expected standards.

Ex-Lance Corporal Adams, who led the team, said the challenges faced by the Service compelled them to give back to the institution that had nurtured them over the years.

‘We once served here with dedication to both God and our nation, striving to perform to the best of our abilities,’ he said.

‘The Service has supported us, and it is our duty to reciprocate the kindness shown to us. We hold the Service in high regard and will continue to offer our genuine supp
ort whenever needed.’

Assistant Director of Prisons (ADP) Dr Arron Agbo, Overseer of the facility, commended the group for their generosity and asked for more assistance.

He emphasised that the obstacles in service delivery notwithstanding, they remained committed to their duty of ensuring the secure custody, well-being, transformation, and reintegration of inmates.

He said their role was crucial in the nation’s Criminal Justice System, significantly contributing to overall public safety.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Effective July 1, 2024, household and industrial consumers will be paying more utility tariffs for electricity and water, following a second quarter upward review under the Quarterly Tariff Review Mechanism.

The sector regulator, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), has announced a 3.45 per cent increase in electricity tariffs for lifeline consumers (0-30kWh).

An increase of 5.84 per cent are to be incurred by all other residential electricity consumers who are not part of the lifeline category bracket (31 kWh and above) as well as the non- residential category.

For those in the industrial category, the Commission has sanctioned a 4.92 per cent increase for electricity consumers, effective July 1, 2024.

On the other hand, water tariffs will experience an increase of 5.16 per cent for all customer classes for the period under review, PURC stated in the quarterly review.

The changes are to last between July 01, 2024, to September 30, 2024, PURC indicated in the second quarter tariff announcem
ent.

‘These reviews are undertaken to maintain the real value of the tariffs, thereby keeping the utility service providers financially viable to enable them deliver on their services to consumers,’ the Commission stated.

The Commission explained that the decision to increase electricity and water tariffs for the period under review tracked and incorporated movements in key uncontrollable factors.

The factors were the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the Ghana Cedi, domestic inflation rate, the electricity generation mix, and the cost of fuel, mainly natural gas.

The Commission said it also considered the competitiveness of industries and the general living conditions of the Ghanaian before arriving at the new increment in tariffs.

The sector regulator stated that during the period under review, there was no change in the generation mix between hydro and thermal.

The weighted average cost of gas (WACOG) increased by 5.23 per cent moving up from US$7.6426/MMBtu to US$8.0422 /MMBtu.

However, the C
edi depreciated against the Dollar by 20.80 per cent between the first and second quarters of the year, moving from GHS12.1349 in the first quarter to GHS14.6584 in the second quarter.

Inflation eased marginally from 28.27 per cent in the first quarter to 24.38 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, the Commission observed.

During the first quarter review, there was no change in electricity tariff for lifeline consumers, an average reduction of 6.56 per cent for consumers within the consumption bracket of 301kWh and above.

However, those who consumed more than 301kWh had an average reduction of 4.98 per cent.

Water tariff for the first quarter of 2024 remained 0.34 per cent, the same for the fourth quarter of 2023.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Prosper Kofi Afealete, the Ketu North Municipal Director, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has called on students, being the future leaders, to safeguard the environment and protect it from further degradation.

He said the negative acts that put lives of people and animals at risk must cease.

Mr Afealete made the call during the 2024 Citizenship Week celebration with the students of Penyi Anglican Junior High School in the Ketu North Municipality of the Volta Region.

He said activities such as deforestation, bush burning, indiscriminate disposal of waste without segregation, and open defecation negatively affected the environment and contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer.

The Municipal Director said the consequences of degradation, which increased poverty, famine, species loss, and extreme weather extreme must stop.

Madam Mary Awoye, the Chief Field Officer, NCCE, advised the students to develop positive attitudes and contribute their quota to the development of their communit
ies.

She bemoaned unhygienic practices, indiscriminate defecation and improper use of chemicals for farming.

Mr Christopher Eric Dzikunu, the Headmaster of the School, commended the NCCE for the engagement and pledged the school’s support for other activities of the Commission.

The Citizenship Week is an annual programme to empower the children to be responsible and adopt good Ghanaian values.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Southern Programme Impact and Influencing Area (SPIIA) of Plan International Ghana has organised its 2024 youth exhibition fair in Ho, the Volta Regional capital, for 32 youth-led organisations to improve their initiatives.

The organisations, from the Volta and Oti regions, showcased their initiatives in areas such as climate change, child rights, local governance, health, sanitation, women’s rights, education, and agriculture.

It was on the theme: ‘Youth Empowerment, A Necessary Tool for Development.’

Life Mac Africa, Write for World, Developers Net, Plan International Ghana Alumni Network, World Action Network, Ghana Students Project Dot Com, Eclectic Love, Youth for Human Rights International, Royal Africa Generational Thinkers, Community Vulnerable Children Organisation, and Aspire for Gold Foundation were among the exhibitors.

Mr Constant Tchona, the Country Director, Plan International Ghana, said each project on display marked development towards a more equal, sustainable, and inclusive society
, as well as a more empowered youth, particularly young women.

He said Plan International Ghana was implementing numerous youth-related activities for the safe development and well-being of young people with an overall cumulative investment about four million Ghana cedis in youth initiatives, with further investments ongoing.

The Canada office of Plan International provided GHS901,000 in flexible funding to 10 youth-led groups and the Alumni Network of Plan International Ghana. Eight of these youth-led partners are currently in SPIIA.

Mr Tchona said the female graduate volunteer initiative, which began in October 2022, and being implemented in SPIIA with GHS70,000 investment, had directly benefitted six graduate ladies, equipping them with expertise for their professional pathways.

Thirty-six young people also received GHS230,000 through the ‘Smart and Stay Protected’ project, which was financed by Plan International German Office, through the provision of start-up packs for their various businesses.

‘Un
der our Learn programme in SPIIA, five young females have been trained in male dominated skills or trades, including tiling, electricals, and arts with an investment of GHS 47,000,’ he said.

‘Three of these young females have successfully graduated, while the other two are still undergoing more learning.’

Mr Tchona urged the exhibitors to remain steadfast in their commitment to making a difference, knowing that every small action and innovative idea had the potential to create rippling effects that could transform communities and beyond.

Mr Yao Semorde, the Volta Regional Director, National Youth Authority, commended Plan International Ghana for the initiative and said the Authority was willing to work with any group to further develop the initiative.

The Authority was making every effort to establish an environment that would allow the youth to reach their full potential and have a positive impact on national growth.

Mr Sulemana Gbana, Manager of Plan’s SPIIA, said the organisation was committed to buil
ding a just world of equality, where every child had the chance to realise his or her potential.

He entreated stakeholders to provide the necessary support to the youth so that they could navigate life with ease, citing their energy and desire to contribute to societal development.

The Manager stated that the youngsters were innovative and enterprising, which was why the Plan International Ghana wanted to establish a forum for them to get together to discuss ideas and network for business progress.

A few exhibitors who spoke with the Ghana News Agency, conveyed their delight at being a part of the event, and lauded Plan International Ghana for the initiative to grow their businesses.

Source: Ghana News Agency