I’ll establish free port enclave in Tema — Kyerematen(Daily Graphic, Wednesday, February 28, 2024. Page 19)

 

An independent presidential aspirant, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, has pledged to establish a free port enclave within Tema to encourage landlocked countries to use the area as a transit point.

That, he explained, would increase economic activities and propel the needed development in the country.“Tema, under my presidency, will become a free port enclave.

And when I talk about a free port, we all know the benefits of a free port enclave.

You find that all the Sahelian countries and even some of our neighbouring countries that are not landlocked still would prefer to come through Tema with their cargo.”

Mr Kyerematen stated this when he spoke to journalists after touring the Ashaiman market last Monday as part of his retail political campaigning that saw him visit and market his Great Transformational Plan (GTP) to traders in the Tema Community One and Madina markets as part of his Greater Accra regional tour.

The former Trade and Industry Minister, upon entering the Kwasiadwaso Market in Community One last Monday, was mobbed by the traders, bringing trading activities to a temporary halt.

He was optimistic that the ripple effect of a free port system would include job creation which would be beneficial to the youth in Tema and neighbouring communities.

“And that is a major policy initiative that I would introduce,” he said, citing Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mauritius and even Togo as having the economies propelled through free port enclaves.

Mr Kyerematen, who is the leader of the Movement for Change, explained that a free port enclave would allow transit cargo to pass through the country and, thereby, attract traffic of vessels, shipping vessels and increase revenue for the country.

Retail neglect

Mr Kyerematen bemoaned the neglect of the retail trading sector stressing that under his presidency, he would focus on improving the infrastructure for retail trading to enhance job creation and revenue mobilisation.

He said given that between 70 and 80 per cent of the Ghanaian public were engaged in one form of trading or the other, it was unfortunate that the sector had been ignored.

He gave an assurance that under his presidency, the retail trading sector would receive attention.Mr Kyerematen said his government, when elected, would work with the private sector to invest in modern retail market infrastructure to enhance the distribution of goods and services. 

Loans

He said the Movement for Change would make available affordable loans to traders to help them expand since a greater part of the economy was anchored on the back of trading activities

 

VIA:  https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/politics/ghana-news-ill-establish-free-port-enclave-in-tema-kyerematen.html

GPHA rolls out initiative to tackle climate change (Daily Graphic, Monday, February 26, 2023. Page 45)

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has embarked on an initiative to create a sustainable environment and effective waste management. 

It has also invested in solar and other renewable sources of energy to support the authority’s efforts towards sustainability as well as help tackle climate change.

The General Manager in Charge of Estate & Environment at GPHA, James Benjamin Gaisie, disclosed this at this year’s GPHA Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Policies sensitisation held for staff and stakeholders of the port in Tema last Friday.

Mr Gaisie said at the Port headquarters level, roof top solar panels had been installed to generate power for lighting purposes adding that management intended to expand the initiative to other departments to generate about eight megawatts of power to support port operations.

Sensitisation

The three-day sensitisation programme started on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 in Takoradi.

Last Thursday, members of the GPHA Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Committee interacted with stakeholders at the Tema Fishing Harbour and the Golden Jubilee Terminal in Tema before ending at the Tema Port last Friday.

It brought together staff, management and stakeholders in different activities geared towards impressing upon the port community the need to support the authority in promoting safety at the port.

Various managers spoke on the issues of occupational health, port security, environmental pollution and prevention, industrial safety, International Organisation for Standardisation( ISO), certification, dress code (the role of PPEs) and substance abuse, among other topics.

Green ports

Mr Gaisie noted that internationally, most ports across the world were going green and GPHA intended to invest in green sources of energy to provide electrical power to ships that berthed at the ports while their main and auxiliary engines were shut down.

“Currently, we are depending on the national grid which is about 60 or so per cent powered by fossil fuel.”

The Port Authority, he said, was also exploring wind power generation to complement the energy mix to help solve the greenhouse gas emission in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry to net zero by close to 2050. 

The Chairman of GPHA’s Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Committee, Dr Vitus Victor Anaab-Bisi, said the issues of climate change were real and GPHA, being an ethical institution, was committed to doing its bit to provide the necessary facilities that would make low- or zero-carbon marine alternative fuel available to ships that call at the ports in Ghana to sustain the climate and reduce carbon emission.

Also, he said the authority was committed to plastic and paper recycling, a vital part of their mission to reduce environmental harm and create a more sustainable future. As a result, the Port Authority has invested in waste segregation systems, using the forum to appeal to staff and clients to cooperate with management in making port operations green.  

Substance abuse

The General Manager, Administration at GPHA, Kwabena Adu Safo, disclosed that the authority had a longstanding commitment to provide a safe, quality-oriented and productive working environment, adding that employees might not be permitted to work, if they were found to have any trace of alcohol or drugs in their system, when tested.

The Director of Tema Port, Sandra Opoku, underscored the need for all individuals within the port community to prioritise Occupational Health, Safety and Environment policy issues in and around the port as they performed their core functions.

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-news-gpha-rolls-out-initiative-to-tackle-climate-change.html                                                                        

Women urged to take frontline roles in maritime industry (Daily Graphic, Friday, February 23, 2024)

 Women have been encouraged to pursue a career in the maritime industry to help bridge the gender gap in the sector.

Historically, a male-dominated venture, the maritime industry has made progress towards a more equitable workforce, however, the gap is still wide with the International Transport Workers Federation estimating that only two per cent of the world’s maritime workforce is made up of women.

However, those statistics could be improved by having more women come on board to pursue careers in all aspects of the maritime industry.

The General Manager for Marketing and Corporate Affairs of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Esther Gyebi-Donkor, speaking at a coaching session advised women in the sector not to be confined to administrative roles but rather build capacity and pursue other experiences in the frontline of maritime industry operations.

The coaching session, organised by the Ghana Chapter of the Network of Professional Women in the Maritime and Port Sectors of West and Central Africa (NPWMPS-WCA), took place in Tema last Wednesday.

The objective of the coaching session was to propel women in the GPHA to take proactive steps to realise their maximum potential.

Experience, build capacity

Mrs Gyebi-Donkor admonished the leadership of the Network to arrange for short stints and attachment programmes with the operations department of the authority to give women the opportunity to understand the core functions of the port so they could apply to the various departments to be efficient and effective.

Relying on her over 30 years of experience in the sector, Mrs Gyebi-Donkor advised young ladies who were fortunate to be in the maritime industry not to relent in their quest to earn a place in the industry.

She encouraged participants to build resilience, work hard and make concerted efforts to build their capacity to take up roles, including leadership positions on their career path.

The President of the Network, Abena Serwah Opoku-Fosu, expressed the hope that the insights, knowledge and skills acquired from the programme would positively impact participants’ career development and potential within the organisations.

"We have come far as women in the maritime sector and today we even have a female director of port. We have a lot of women in top management positions," she said

Mrs Opoku-Fosu said in terms of percentages, the number of women in the organisation had gone up to between 18 to 20 per cent and was optimistic that within the next four to five years, and with the interest shown by women to build capacity, more women would rise to the top and produce a first female Director General for the authority. 

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-news-women-urged-to-take-frontline-roles-in-maritime-industry.html

Man stabbed to death by suspected robbers at Ashaiman( Online, Friday, February 16, 2024 )

 

A man whose identity is yet to be established was stabbed to death at dawn on Thursday, February 15, 2024 by suspected armed robbers at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region. 

 He was found lifeless with stab wounds and blood-soaked clothes. The incident occurred at about 4:30 am on Thursday near Goodness filling station at the Ashaiman main bus [trotro] stop.

The victim was said to be holding a bag containing money and a mobile phone when he was approached by the suspected criminal gang.

A trader at the Ashaiman main bus stop, Yaw Kwakye told Graphic Online's Benjamin Xornam Glover that he heard some criminal gangs had attacked the victim.

The victim reportedly refused to hand over his bag to them. And in the ensuing struggle, he (victim) was allegedly stabbed in the stomach.

The death of the man and the resultant allegation that the victim was a military personnel has sent panic waves among a section of residents of Ashaiman. 

The panic is borne out of a similar incident in the municipality, where some soldiers invaded Ashaiman on March 7, 2023 after their colleague, Private Imoro Sherrif, was killed in Ashaiman Zongo Laka on Saturday, March 4, 2023 

The Police in Ashaiman when contacted declined to comment.

 

via:  https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/man-stabbed-to-death-by-suspected-robbers-at-ashaiman.html

Creator Schools celebrates 40th anniversary with grand durbar( Junior Graphic, Wednesday, February 14, 2024. Pages 8/9)

 

End child labour in fishing communities- SOS Children's Villages (Junior Graphic, Wednesday, February 14, 2014 Front Page)

 

SMEs urged to adopt solar to cut energy cost (Daily Graphic, Wednesday, February 14, 2024 Page 17)

The Deputy Coordinator of the Ghana Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP) being implemented by the Ministry of Energy, Seth Mahu, has called on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana to adopt solar as a source of power to reduce their energy cost.

He mentioned that Ghanaian businesses could enjoy additional benefits if they used solar energy such as decreased production cost, increased competitiveness and improved carbon footprint to meet regulatory standards.

Mr Mahu was speaking to journalists last Monday during the opening of a one-week training programme for staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) at the Don Bosco Solar and Renewable Energy Centre near Tema.

Businesses

He urged Ghanaian businesses to harness solar energy, which is a clean power source, environmentally friendly, easy to maintain and the cheapest form of power in the world.

As part of the processes for the installation of the net-metered solar PV component under the SREP, ECG and NEDCo have been mandated to certify the solar Photovoltaic (PV) installation and issue a certificate of verification to the NMPV Implementation Unit.

The objective of the training programme was to provide basic know-how to at least 180 technical staff of ECG and NEDCo on the installation and commissioning of solar PV systems and equip the technical staff with the requisite installation and commissioning protocols of the NMPV Project.

Participants would be trained in the basics of solar PV and battery and all other components: grid-tied inverters and network integration, protections and safety protocols as well as the commissioning of solar PV systems.

Mr Mahu explained that the SREP Mini grid and Net metering with Solar PV project involves the development of 35mini grids in the Volta Lake region and the deployment of 12,000 units of roof-mounted net-metered solar PV systems for public institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and selected households within the ECG and NEDCo) networks.

The project will also involve the deployment of up to 12,000 stand-alone solar home systems within the lakeside and island communities of Ghana.

Component

He said the overall project cost was estimated at $85 million. It comprises the Mini grid component and the Net metering component financed through the African Development Fund Climate Investment Fund (CIF) with counterpart funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO.

He said the objectives of the SREP Ghana were in line with the nation’s efforts to achieve the target of universal electrification by 2024 and increase renewable energy (RE) penetration to 10 per cent in the generation mix by 2030.

The Director of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the Energy Commission, Kofi Agyarko, mentioned that over 100 international standards on solar PV and wind systems have been adopted by Ghana Standards Authority and about three regulations on minimum efficiency performance labelling and standards for solar panels, batteries and inverters had been put in place by the commission through the Ministry of Energy.The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency is the implementing agency of the NMPV Component under SREP.  

That, he explained, was to ensure that the right solar PV products which met minimum performance efficiency levels were being used under the NMPV Project to support its smooth implementation.

Solar

The Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland in Ghana, Dr Simone Haeberli, said the Ghana Solar Photovoltaic-based Net-Metering Project had real potential to positively support the economy and the people of Ghana, as Switzerland’s support under the SREP was meant to encourage SMEs and households to invest in solar installations on their premises.She said Ghana was the only country in Africa that was ready for solar PV net metering with net-metering and expressed the hope that other African countries would learn from Ghana’s renewable energy agenda.

via:  https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-news-smes-urged-to-adopt-solar-to-cut-energy-cost.html

Customs house agents bemoan high taxes at ports(Daily Graphic, Tuesday, February 13, 2024. Pages 3/16)

The Association of Customs House Agents Ghana (ACHAG) says the high cost of doing business at the country’s ports and borders has become a major source of worry to industry players. 

The association has questioned what it terms as “nuisance taxes” at the ports and called on the government to remove them.

For example, it sought to know why the government was holding on to the COVID-19 Health Recovery Levy and the Ministry of Health Disinfection Fee.

The outgoing President of ACHAG, Yaw Kyei, who raised the issues last Friday during the third annual general meeting of the association in Tema, also bemoaned the “illegitimate” and “indiscriminate charges” by some service providers at the port, the cumbersome clearance procedures and delays in the processing of cargo documents, among others, saying they contributed to the high cost of doing business at the ports.

The AGM, held on the theme: “Doing business at the port in the face of current economic challenges”, also saw the election of new executives to steer the affairs of the association.

Mr Kyei said in 2021 and 2022, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority realised a little over GH¢16 billion and a little over GH¢22 billion respectively to the national budget.

He said last year, the Tema Collection of Customs was short of attaining the GH¢25.6 billion revenue target by GH¢1.2 billion, with general imports characterised by lower volumes.

Figures

These figures, he said, pointed to pressure on the ports to deliver set targets, compelling them to increase charges to achieve targets in some cases as a convenient way out, adding that it incidentally contributed to high cost of doing business at the ports.

Mr Kyei noted that although the state derived its revenue at the ports from duties, taxes, fees and levies, the many other government and quasi-government bodies lined up at the ports in the name of providing services had added up to the cost of doing business.

He noted that the high cost of doing business at the ports had contributed to high inflation, smuggling, corruption, reduction in the purchasing power of importers and exporters, diversion of imports through neighbouring countries on a financially competitive basis, under-invoicing and misdescription, among other malpractices.

While commending efforts by the government to streamline clearance procedures through the introduction of the Integrated Customs Management Systems (ICUMS) since June 2020, he said the system had not attained the efficiency level anticipated by the industry players, and advocated improvements in the system.

He called on stakeholders to do more to curb the situation. 

Investment, technology

A Deputy Minister of Transport, Hassan Tampuli, acknowledged some of the challenges enumerated by ACHAG and said a committee had been constituted under the Economic Management Team tasked with the responsibility to recommend how to reduce the cost of doing business at the ports.

That, he explained, went to demonstrate the commitment of the government to creating the enabling environment for port business to thrive as well as solidifying the government’s reputation as a listening government, having listened to concerns of various stakeholders in the port’s value chain, including ACHAG, the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), and the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA).

Mr Tampuli said while the government and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority had been investing in infrastructure at the ports, evidence had shown that investments in port infrastructure should be complemented by measures on the operational side to achieve the desired objectives.

He said it was for that reason that the government was also investing in cutting-edge technology to improve efficiency and turnaround time at Ghana’s ports.

One of such initiatives, he said, was the establishment of the paperless port system, with the full implementation of the digitalised business and commerce platforms.

A Deputy Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager of the GPHA, Nana Esi Söderberg, on behalf of the Director-General of the GPHA, Michael Luguje, said the port authority was actively committed to working collaboratively with stakeholders to simplify and streamline port processes, including reducing bureaucratic hurdles, optimising work flow, creating transparent processes, providing competitive rates and actively showing the willingness to continually improve towards facilitating smoother business operations at the ports.

The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Shippers' Authority, Sylvia Asana Owu, who chaired the function, stressed the need for collaboration among stakeholders to find workable solutions to the challenges to ensure smooth business through the ports.

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-news-customs-house-agents-bemoan-high-taxes-at-ports.html