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1. GUTA fights AGI over govt’s decision to scrap benchmark values
The Ghana Union of Traders Association is up in arms against the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) over the decision by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to scrap the benchmark values on some 32 goods from today, Monday, November 15, 2021.
GUTA has held a press conference Monday, demanding an immediate reversal of the decision to scrap the 50 per cent and 30 per cent benchmark values granted businesses in the country.
The benchmark value policy was introduced in 2019 by the government to save businesses from total collapse and rejigged in 2020 to give respite to businesses badly hit by the covid-19 pandemic.
As such, the importation of certain goods and products including automobiles, beverages and others were given substantial discounts on imports.
2. Court fines two Chinese nationals Ghc2.8m over illegal gold deal
A Tarkwa Circuit Court presided over by Her Honour Hathia Ama Manu has convicted two Chinese nationals, Chen Hung, Labania and Chen Xhili Andy, and two Ghanaians, Stephen Arthur and Prince Dennis Aidoo for unlawfully dealing in gold and money laundering.
The Court found each of them liable to pay a fine or in default serve prison terms ranging between 10 to 15years.
The case was conducted by Adelaide Kobiri-Woode (Mrs.) and assisted by Maara Pelpuo, Ewura-Abena Tweneboa Attafuah and Emmanuella Sarah Asmah, all Assistant State Attorneys, at the Takoradi Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice.
The Circuit Court on November 5, 2021, convicted and found the two Chinese nationals liable to pay a fine of 120,000 penalty units (GHC1,440.000.00) each or in default serve 15 years each in prison.
3. New survey gives thumbs up to Dampare-led police service
The Bureau of Public Safety, a think tank that champions public safety, security and health issues, has released a survey that indicates that 56% of Ghanaians have confidence IGP Dr George Akuffo Dampare-led police administration.
According to the survey, after 100 days of Dr Dampare’s in office, 37% of Ghanaians remained neutral, and 7% said they do not have confidence in the new administration.
The survey also noted that 59% claimed that the Ghana Police Service has seen some improvements in the last 90 days, as against 36% who claimed that things appeared same, while 6% said there has been no improvement.
On Police response to emergencies, 53% of respondents said the Police responded too slowly, and 16% said they did not show up at all.
4. Info Ministry rolls out scheme to train 250 journalists for free every year
Ministry of Information has rolled a programme to pay for a capacity enhancement for some 250 selected journalists every year.
The Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP) was announced by the Information at its launch in Accra Sunday, November 14, 2021,
According to the Ministry, the programme will provide continuous in-service training for media personnel drawn from across the country to improve their skills for the industry.
As part of the scheme, the Ministry will provide bursaries to participants of the programme.
5. Why hasn't military been deployed to stop sand winning in Keta? - NDC's Edudzi Tamekloe quizzes
Private legal practitioner and a member of the communications team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Edudzi Tamekloe, has said he finds it strange that while sand winning has been blamed partly for the tidal wave flooding in parts of Keta and Ketu South, the government has not deployed the military to prevent it.
He stated that if it is true that the people in Keta are engaged in sand winning, then what has prevented state authorities to intervene with security agencies in the country.
Edudzi Tamekloe said that like galamsey, the activities of sand winning tends to pose the same environmental challenges so if the military has been deployed to help prevent the activities of galamsey, then the same thing should be done when considering sand winning.
"Even we can deploy the military in voter registration and so nothing stops us from getting the military involved if indeed that is the state of affairs," he said.
6. Food prices have not increased, it's misinformation - Agric Minister
Minister for Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has stated that the statistics compiled by his outfit do not show that the prices of food have increased in the country.
He stated that the drought that occurred in the previous year affected supplies in the country and its impact would have been worse if not for the good harvest that was recorded in the northern part of the country.
"Nobody complained about the reducing size of kenkey until this year because there was a drought last year in the southern part of the country. A very heavy drought both in the major and minor seasons in the forest and southern part," he said.
“This year, fortunately, apart from the one month delay in the major season rains in the south, the rains have been excellent,” he added.
7. Cocoa production will hit 1.5m metric tonnes soon- COCOBOD
CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo has announced that the ongoing rehabilitation of all areas which have been affected by the cocoa swollen shoot virus disease will increase cocoa production to 1.5 million tonnes in the medium term.
Speaking at the Netherland Embassy’s Orange Cocoa Day event to highlight and garner support for Ghana’s cocoa sector, he said, “The cocoa industry has been plagued with the devastating impact of the cocoa swollen shoot virus disease. Close to 20 percent of the productive cocoa area in the country has been affected by this disease. This has led to low productivity and low incomes for cocoa farmers.”
He continued by urging cocoa farmers and service providers to be ready for the increase in production base.
8. Why Ghana is on the list of heavily indebted poor countries
Ghana has joined the World Bank and IMF's Africa-dominated heavily indebted countries’ list due to challenges in managing its debt burden.
Ghana’s public debt stock shot up by GH¢27.8 billion in April 2021 and May 2021 to GH¢332.4 billion, the latest Summary of Economic and Financial Data by the Bank of Ghana has revealed.
This is equivalent to $57.9 billion about 76.66 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.
Ghana joins fellow West African nations like Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, the Gambia, Liberia Sierra Leone, Mali, Mauritania, Togo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe and Senegal.
9. Ohemaa Woyeje does it again as she collaborates with K Genius for new banger
Ghanaian radio presenter, Harey Adjoa Yeboah Asuama Kusi, known as Ohemaa Woyeje otherwise Adjoa Rasta has released a new song ‘Money Gone’.
In this new hit song, she collaborated with Jamaican musician K Genius.
The song was released a few days ago with an official video.
Ohemaa Woyeje took the Ghanaian flag to the international showbiz arena when she first worked with Jamaican artiste K Genius on the song ‘Jungle Hunt’. It was released a few months ago.
K Genius is an International Reggae artiste who is the first Jamaican to sing in the Twi dialect with regard to the track with Ohemaa Woyeje.
10. Militant attack kills at least 20 in Burkina Faso
At least 20 people have been killed in a militant attack in Burkina Faso's northern border region, the authorities have said.
Nineteen of the victims are said to have been officers in the military police and one was a civilian.
The militants targeted an outpost near a goldmine in Inata.
Two days earlier seven police officers were killed in another attack in the region, which borders Mali and Niger.
Islamist militants with links to al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State state group operate in the frontier area.