Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations in limbo – Daramy
Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations between West Africa and the European Union (EU) are in a limbo due to differences over market access, the regional grouping ECOWAS said on Tuesday.
ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Mohammed Daramy, said a meeting between ECOWAS and the EU last week in Brussels did not make any progress due to the unresolved issues of market access, adding that an agreement scheduled for signing at the end of next month, “might not happen”.
“They just want to give 80 per cent market opening, but based on our technical analysis, we don’t believe we are ready to go 80 per cent right now,” Mr. Daramy told reporters on the sidelines at a meeting of ECOWAS Trade and Industry experts in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan.
“Until these points are cleared, I don’t see any time-frame for signing an EPA agreement,” he said.
Representing Ghana at the Abidjan meeting is Mr. Johnson Adasi, Director of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME), Ministry of Trade and Industry, who co-chaired the working sessions.
The experts are expected to finalise a common industrial policy which seeks to address challenges facing the various member countries and promote growth of the regional economy.
ECOWAS is negotiating as a sub-group of the larger Africa, Caribbean and Pacific grouping to create a mutually beneficial liberalised trade zone between member countries and the European Union.
However, the negotiations have persistently dragged with several postponements, compelling Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, the world’s leading cocoa producers, to sign interim agreements with the EU to enable them continue shipment of their commodities abroad.
Mr. Daramy said ECOWAS could give “at most” 70 per cent of its market under the terms and in return would demand commitment of the EU to support EPA development programmes.
“We believe we need to increase local processing to add value to our goods — we don’t want our factories to be closed and create unemployment and social instability.”
“I must reiterate that confining West African countries to the production of primary commodities amount to condemning them to remain locked in the commodity trap,” he said.
Mr. Daramy said the persistent delays in reaching a deal would not push ECOWAS to take a decision that would only serve a short term interest of the Region, adding that the bloc was pursuing other options including trade deals with China, India and Brazil under south-south cooperation.
“West Africa is not negotiating for time — we are concerned with reducing poverty and development of our people — we’ll negotiate for the next 20 years if that is how long it will take to get our concerns addressed,” he said.
Mr. Daramy said that ECOWAS was in the “driver’s seat” and that it would only seek the good of its people anywhere it can get it,” he said.
He said an ECOWAS-China business forum would be held in Abidjan soon as part of an international trade fair to boost trade between the two sides.
Mr. Daramy reiterated that mutually beneficial trade and value addition were necessary for West Africa to become less independent on aid and achieve rapid growth.
The World Bank has projected a slower growth of 3.7 per cent in 2009 for the 15-nation ECOWAS Region, down from an average five per cent in the past eight years, as a result of spill-over effects of the global financial meltdown.
The Region, with a population of 275.7 million, is mainly primary producer of the world commodities including more than 40 per cent of world cocoa production.
Source: GNA
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Minister urges Chinese firm to engage local contractors
Mr Emmanuel Amah-Kofi Buah, Deputy Minister of Energy in-charge of Power, has appealed to the management of China International Water and Electric Corporation (CWE) to engage local professionals in the execution of a 170 million dollar project under the Self Help Electrification Programme (SHEP).
He said the appeal was in line with the NDC Government’s local content policy which sought to empower indigenous Ghanaians and businesses in every sector of the economy and create employment for Ghanaian engineers and contractors.
The appeal was made in a statement issued in Accra on Tuesday and signed by Mr Gabby Asumin, Assistant Public Relations Officer of the Ministry.
It said Mr Buah, who is also Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, made the appeal during the ‘kick-off’ meeting with CWE, VRA and ECG towards the project.
The statement said under the project, about 800 communities throughout the country would be connected to the electricity grid and by 2020 the entire country would have universal access to reliable electricity supply.
Mr Xie Dahu, Country Director of CWE, assured the Ministry that the Corporation would execute the project in accordance with the specification and construction standards of the ECG and VRA and completed within the four year period.
Source: GNA
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Ministry to spend GH¢200,000 on tree planting
The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology has earmarked GH¢ 200,000 out of its 2010 budgetary allocation to procure seedlings for a massive tree planting exercise nation-wide next year.
The measure is to produce enough oxygen to absorb the increasing carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere which threatens the sustainability of the natural environment.
Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology disclosed this on Tuesday during the launch of the Net Impact Campus Greening Initiative by Net Impact Ghana, an organization made up of Master of Business Administration Students of the University of Ghana Business School in Accra.
The initiative formed part of the United Nations/Net Impact Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) adopted in 2007 to make businesses responsible to ensure sustainability of the environment.
Under PRME, business schools at universities on the globe are to spearhead its implementation by dialoguing with companies and organizations to assess their corporate social responsibility programmes and how they contribute to the sustainability of the business as well as the environment.
Dr Boamah said the measure would, in addition, contribute to lessening the impact of climate change which had serious implications for the country’s socio-economic development.
He said human activities such as tree felling and release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and their impact on the natural environment had reached a level that if not checked, could render the environment unsustainable.
Dr Boamah said government was not oblivious of the importance of the natural environment and its impact on economic productivity and would endeavour to protect and make it sustainable.
He called on the industrialized nations to commit to reducing specific amounts of carbon dioxide that they emitted into the environment to make the crusade against climate change a reality.
Dr Boamah called on the Net Impact Ghana to engage government and other organizations to work out a strategy that would ensure the sustainability of the environment.
Dr Joseph Samuel Annan, a Deputy Minister in-charge of Tertiary Education, observed that the volatility of the business environment made it imperative for management institutions to produce leaders who would not only be interested in maximising investments but also be conscious of responsible corporate responsibility, which were values of the PRME, to sustain their catchments areas.
He said adherence to the PRME would ensure that business was conducted in a manner that would be beneficial to all economies and societies thereby ensuring sustainable development.
Dr Annan was hopeful that businesses would become more responsible in their social responsibility to the community because graduates who would become business leaders in future were championing the implementation of the initiative.
However, he called for behavioural change to make the greening environment campaign a reality.
Mr. Dela Gadzanku, President of Net Impact Ghana said the organization was collaborating with the Ministry of Youth and Sports to incorporate the greening initiative into the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to ensure safe environmental practices among the youth.
He urged other institutions especially business schools at the country’s universities to come on board to make the initiative a national one.
The dignitaries planted trees to kick start the campaign.
Source: GNA
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Data on rice production launched
An emergency rice data system project on the collection of data on rice production in the country was launched by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in Accra on Tuesday.
The project, which spans from July 2009 to March 2010 and sponsored by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under a 54,000-dollar budget with technical support from Africa Rice Centre, is being replicated in 20 other countries in sub-Sahara Africa.
Mr. Joseph Kwasi Boamah, Chief Director of MOFA, said the data would include varieties of rice being produced, areas of cultivation and yields as well as targets for production and organizations involved in the production.
He said the project was in line with the ministry’s programme to register farmers to collate basic information on farm households.
Mr. Boamah said with scarce information or data on agriculture which had led to relaying on “estimates” for national planning, it was necessary such a project was undertaken to ensure accurate production levels.
Mr. Alexander Nimo Wiredu, Economist, Centre for Scientific and Industry Research/Savanah Agriculture Research Institute, said the data system sought to generate information on varieties of rice production and ecologies of rice in the country to guide policy formulation for impact assessment.
“The objectives of Emergency Rice Initiative Project is highly relevant and part of an overall plan to arrest the burden of rice import which cost the state over 100 million dollars annually,” he said.
Mr. Wiredu appealed to government to provide combine harvesters to farmers in the Northern Region for rice production in anticipation of a bumper harvest due to free seeds supplied to farmers by the Government.
Source: GNA
Ministry of Trade organizes workshop on Ghana’s bilateral trade relations
The Ministry of Trade and Industry, on Tuesday, organized a workshop to educate stakeholders on the advantages of Ghana’s bilateral trading arrangements to Ghanaian exporters.
Addressing a stakeholders’ meeting in Accra, Mr. Appiah Donyina, Acting Director of Import and Export Division of Ministry of Trade and Industry, expressed worry that though the country currently enjoyed preferential access to most developed countries and regional markets under various trade liberalization schemes, most Ghanaian exporters were not aware of the benefits under the arrangements.
He said trade arrangements such as the Generalized System of Preferences, Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), the Cotonou Agreement and ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, made it possible for Ghanaian export products to attract lower or zero tariffs thereby giving Ghana a competitive edge over non-beneficiary exporting countries.
Mr. Donyina said the Ministry would publish a list of export commodities to aid Ghanaian exporters to take advantage of the provision made under the schemes.
He said there was the need to identify preferential market schemes available to Ghanaians and the main elements of the rules of origin for the export products in order that the local exporter could better understand what was required to qualify as a beneficiary of the schemes.
Mr. Donyina said preferential market access scheme was an arrangement made to assist exporters price their products more competitively thereby enabling them to export to markets that they might not be able to enter because of high cost of production.
He said it would enable exporters to compete more effectively against exports from other countries.
Mr. Donyina said: “This scheme may help to attract investors from the importing centres who may wish to partner exporters and it can lead to increased production levels and export volumes,” he said and urged Ghanaian exporters to take advantage of it.
Source: GNA
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Crave for money by some churches condemned
Osahene Ofei Kwasi Agyemang, Krontihene of Akuapem Traditional Area, has expressed worry about the desire for money by some churches and urged religious bodies to initiate steps to stop the practice.
He said the churches have lost focus and shifted to money making to the detriment of the poor and needy in society.
Osahene Agyemang, who was speaking at a durbar to mark this year’s “Kronti Odwira” festival and the 10th anniversary of his enstoolment, at Akropong, said the organisation of Church activities in Ghana has assumed economic dimension.
Osahene Agyemang said for the church to be a responsible stakeholder in the development of the society, it must not only focus on the provision of amenities and materials for the comfort of church leaders but they should also seek the socio-economic wellbeing of their members.
He called on traditional leaders to unite and work towards the development of their communities.
The Chief of Akyem-Kamena, Nana Okoforobuo Otwasuo Nyampong, called on his colleagues to avoid rivalry and champion the development of the area.
He advised the chiefs to abide by the succession plan of the Traditional Area to avoid chieftaincy disputes.
Nana Nyampong asked the chiefs to emulate Osahene Agyemang, who has helped in the provision of pipe-borne water to communities in Akuapem and scholarship bursary to over 850 needy but brilliant children.
Former ministers of state including Ms Gloria Akuffo and Mr William Ofori Boafo and chiefs from various parts including the Mamfehene, Nana Ansah Sasraku, participated in the celebration.
Source: GNA
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Ghana to set up fund to manage oil revenue
Government is to set up a Growth Fund to manage oil revenue to ensure that the oil find makes a positive impact on Ghanaians and bring about a better standard of living.
President John Atta Mills said this when he met World Bank President Robert Zoellick at the bank’s headquarters in Washington DC on Tuesday.
Briefing journalists after the meeting Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, said the World Bank President expressed admiration for the economic reforms that government had pursued to tighten up and stabilize the economy.
Their discussions centred on agriculture, infrastructure, gas and oil and the utilization of the oil funds.
The Bank pledged its support to the private sector through the International Finance Corporation.
President Mills said government was committed to creating jobs and deliver on its message to improve the living standards of Ghanaians and to ensure a better Ghana.
At a meeting with Mr Darius Mans, Acting Chief Executive of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), issues relating to the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) were discussed.
The meeting took stock of the challenges government had been facing with the implementation of the compact and the success chalked so far.
While expressing his admiration for the success so far chalked and the implementation of the compact out of which Ghana had achieved half of all the 19 programmes, Mr Mans assured Ghana of the corporation’s readiness to assist government to implement the programme successfully.
Mr. Mans said a second programme would be launched and Ghana would be one of the first to be considered due to its outstanding performance.
He said out of the 300,000 contracts awarded, 90 per cent had been awarded to Ghanaian contractors but the difficulty these local contractors faced was the size of their firms and their capacity to successfully implement the contract.
Mr. Mans suggested merging of such Ghanaian firms with other local firms or even enter into partnerships with international firms.
President Mills and Mr Mans discussed the options available for the contribution of extra $40 million to finance the gap for resettlement programmes and provision of utilities that had caused some delay in the full implementation of the first phase of the compact.
President Mills said despite the challenges, government was ready to fully cooperate with the corporation.
Dr. Duffuor raised concerns about the exclusion of Ghanaian contractors from the programme, especially for projects in the Afram Plains.
He said government would be grateful if Ghanaian contractors were considered and allowed to partner foreign firms to undertake some of the contracts.
Ms. Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Trade and Industry, said government appreciated the work done in the pineapple sector and that the programme had not only built capacity but also improved the living standards of the small scale farmers in that sector.
The President also met Mr Steven Hayes, President of the Corporate Council on Africa, ahead of the Seventh Biennial US Africa Business Summit in Washington DC.
The three-day Summit would provide comprehensive information on the latest trade and investment opportunities across Africa’s most promising sectors including agribusiness, natural resources development, financing, health, infrastructure and tourism.
Source: GNA
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Ghana Minister lauds China’s achievements
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr. Albert Abongo, has lauded China’s achievements over the past 60 years and attributed it to reform and its open policy.
These achievements, he said, posed a challenge to Ghana to sustain its development model to enable it to provide public goods and services and as well as ensure equitable distribution of state resources.
Mr. Abongo said this at China’s 60th National Day reception that forms part of activities marking the country’s 60th anniversary celebration, which falls on October 01.
He said China’s socio-economic development had given credence to the assumption that transparency, good governance and leadership were relevant to prosperity and urged those in leadership positions to uphold the principles of selflessness, probity and accountability.
The Chinese Ambassador in Ghana, Mr. Yu Wenzhe, said nine Chinese doctors would soon arrive in Ghana to work at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
He said the Chinese government would, by the end of the year, donate anti-malaria drugs to Ghana.
Mr. Yu catalogued China’s assistance to Ghana in education, capacity building health and infrastructure and praised Ghana for its democratic credentials.
Source: GNA
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West Africa Gas Pipeline to cost extra $400m
The government of Ghana has disclosed that the completion of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) would cost $1 billion instead of the $600 million earlier announced. The new cost was due to the apparent delay in the implementation of the project, which has resulted in the increase of the original cost by 70 percent.
A Deputy Minister of Energy, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, made this known at a seminar organised by the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCo), in collaboration with the United States Aid for International Development (USAID) dubbed, “Off Shore Pipeline Protection,” at the Novotel Hotel in Accra recently.
Buah noted that the continued postponement of the completion date of the project would create a negative situation for customers who had taken the risk of guaranteeing the project.
He urged both the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company and West Africa Gas Pipeline Authority (WAGPA) to assume their roles of technical and economic regulators of the pipeline, and also take steps to improve its management, while overseeing its speedy completion.
The Deputy Minister added, “It has become worrisome to hear of deliberate attempts by some groups, who, for some inexplicable reasons, use all sorts of means to sabotage gas transportation. These acts of vandalism pose a serious threat to the WAGPCo pipeline, which has not yet been gassed up.”
According to Mr. Kofi-Buah, land and underwater modes of transporting gas are the safest, with low rates of failure, accidents or losses, saying, “Except for on-going surveillance and maintenance requirements, no other safety issues requiring review or mitigation, have been noted for the onshore portion of the pipeline.”
The Chief Executive Officerof WAGPA, Mr. Ernest Abahkroh, on his part, explained the major challenges facing offshore gas pipeline blustering and anchoring.
Mr. Abahkroh said WAGPA would intensify public education, especially along the coast.
He urged the maritime sector to intensify the education of fisherman, and also shipping agencies, to minimise their activities along the off shore gas pipeline.
Source: The Chronicle
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US company Avasant comes to Ghana after Obama visit
A Los Angeles-based company Avasant is opening offices in Ghana as a result of President Obama’s visit to the country. The offices will be located in Accra.
Avasant, which is ranked as the world’s top Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) advisory firm has signed a multi-year agreement with Ghana’s Ministry of Communications to promote IT Enabled Services (ITES) sector in the country, the company has said in a press release.
The agreement according to the release is part of a World Bank funded initiative to support economic growth in Ghana. Under the terms of the deal Avasant would work closely with the MOC and the growing private-sector to enhance Ghana’s IT Enabled Services industry and ultimately Ghana’s entry into the “interconnected” world.
Commenting on the move Avasant’s CEO, Kevin S. Parikh, said “as a U.S. based company, we are more confident than ever in Africa’s prospects, and clearly, the Obama Administration has increased our confidence and desire to work in Ghana and the region.”
President Obama paid a visit to Ghana in July. His choice of Ghana as the first country to visit in Africa south of the Sahara was based on the country’s democratic credentials as peaceful and stable. Ghana has had peaceful elections and hand over of political power – something unprecedented on the continent.
The country also has a dynamic and growing ICT industry.
In June 2009 a study by A T Kearney on BPO put Ghana on top in Africa South of the Sahara. The report, titled “The 2009 AT Kearney Global Services Location Index,” ranked countries for their ability to handle business process outsourcing, using a weighted combination of scores on 43 measurements grouped under three main criteria: financial attractiveness; people skills and availability; and business environment.
While India led the rankings globally, Ghana had the top overall ranking in sub-Saharan Africa, though in terms of actual BPO revenue, South Africa is still the continent’s leader. Ghana’s rank was boosted by financial issues.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
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Public hearings on Ghana’s oil find reveal fear and misinformation
Fear and misinformation about the untapped oil dominated the last in a series of public hearings held at Esiama near Nkroful at the weekend.
Most of the individuals who attended the sixth hearing expressed concern about a possible oil spillage, disruption of the normal lives of fishermen and fishmongers, displacement of inhabitants along the coast and excessive demand for employment opportunities.
The hearings formed part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mandate before permits are granted for full operations to begin next year.
Similar public hearings have already been organised at Agona Nkwanta, Shama, Takoradi, Half Assini and Nkroful, by the Western Regional Office of the EPA.
Nana Kofi Angbo, Chief of Esiama who spoke on behalf of the chiefs and people said a school that runs oil related courses should be established in the Nzema area to boost the moral of the youth.
“Such a school will encourage our youths to stay at home and upgrade themselves and serve as role models for other younger generations to emulate,” he added.
Nana Angbo noted that the lack of fairness and transparency between the various players and the government within the catchment’s communities could lead to severe tensions, strife and other negative activities.
He charged them to be fair in their recruitment drive, to prevent any marginalisation.
“Nzemas are peaceful and will promote peace, if transparency is allowed in the oil industry,” he stressed.
He reminded the EPA, the media and other stakeholders to ensure that the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) was implemented fully.
Nana Angbo decried the attitude of some individuals especially government officials who connived and deprived Nzemaland of its fair share of development projects and financial assistance.
He appealed to the stakeholders to make substantial financial commitment to the Kwame Nkrumah Educational Trust Fund (KNETF), which was presently dormant due to the lack of resources.
Nana Angbo stressed that the fund when revived could support several youth to pursue skilled education in the oil and other allied fields, for national development.
“Our youths are not lazy and many of them have acquired the requisite skills that could be tapped for use in the oil industry,” he stressed.
Ms. Irene Heatcote, Western Regional Director of the EPA said the forum was to offer the citizenry an opportunity to make additional inputs, before the final permit was granted.
The District Chief Executive for Ellembelle, Mr Daniel Eshun, assured the inhabitants that the government will protect the economic interest of the country and will ensure that the company enjoyed its rights if it operated within the laws.
He appealed to the youth to study oil related courses to enable them secure employment when jobs become operational.
Mr. Eshun reminded the youth to use negotiations and alternative dispute resolution methods to settle any differences, since violence retards progress.
Mr. Kofi Essuon of Tullow assured the community that liaison officers will be recruited and will be in constant touch with communities.
He assured fishermen and fishmongers that their livelihoods will not be affected by the activities at sea, but rather alternative enterprises and businesses will be opened.
He reminded them that when the gas is trapped during the oil drilling, it would be used to power the Osagyefo energy barge at Effasu Mangyea and could also make electricity constantly available to the community.
Source: GNA
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