The Parliament of Ghana recently passed into law a bill that places an import tax on telephones and mobile phones. Prior to this, there was zero tax on mobile phones importation. The law, Customs and Excise Amendment Bill 2013 seeks to impose a 20 per cent levy on mobile, cellular …
Read More »Ghana government is clueless, visionless and exploitative – Communications Tax Bill amendment shows
The Ghana government’s attempt to amend the Communications Service Tax Act clearly shows that it is clueless, visionless and intent on exploiting Ghanaians at home and abroad. That is notwithstanding the fact that Ghanaians living abroad have become major contributors to the country’s economy. The government after setting a 6.7% …
Read More »ECG will make or break Ghana’s power sector
The Electricity Company of Ghana has been cited in a recent report by the World Bank as failing financially and operationally. The World Bank report titled “Energising Economic Growth in Ghana-Making the Power and Petroleum sectors rise to the challenge” asked the government of Ghana to “think big” and “provide …
Read More »Obama makes $7b pledge for energy in Africa, where is the $63b health initiative?
President, Barack Obama is in Africa for the second time since becoming President of the United States of America and he is pledging funds to help the continent. This time, he is pledging $7 billion to deal with the energy crisis in sub-Sahara Africa. “More than two-thirds of the population …
Read More »How the Internet and new media bolstered my journalism career
When I began writing, I knew I wanted to take it as far as possible. But I also knew that apart from my commitment to the essential requirements of the writing profession, like being ethical, responsible, objective, fair and fearless, there was something else that I wasn’t quite sure of. …
Read More »David Cameron, G8 must go beyond pledges and act on tax havens
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs writing in the foreword of a report by ActionAid released May 23, 2013, described tax havens as “the biggest and most dangerous scams in the world economy,” calling on world leaders to end the practice. As usual, at the ongoing G8 Summit in London, British Prime Minister, …
Read More »Indiscipline – a major factor in Ghana’s under-development
Without discipline nothing much can be achieved or sustained by anybody or any group of people. It is a very important virtue to sustainable development and success. It is like a seed which must be planted and nurtured. Discipline is the counsellor and friend of champions. It has been said …
Read More »Ushering in the golden age of journalism in Ghana
Thirty-one prominent Ghanaians have recently been appointed as Board members for the four state-owned media establishments; the New Times Corporation, the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the Graphic Communications Group Limited and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). This is a statutory requirement according to Article 168 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution which …
Read More »From fear to hope – Getting it right in Somalia
It has been two decades of mayhem, chaos and bloodletting in Somalia. A child born at the onset of the Somali crisis is now twenty one. Somalia has still a long way to go: the Al Shabaab are defeated, but they are not yet fully eliminated, and they still have …
Read More »Recognizing Africa’s informal sector
In recent years, many African countries have experienced a growth revival, but this has not necessarily generated decent jobs. Unemployment remained high among youth and the adult African population. Little attention has been paid to the role of informal sector in fostering growth and creating jobs. In fact, the informal …
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