Month: May 2021

The Member of Parliament for the Akyem Oda constituency, Mr. Alexander Akwasi Acquah has hinted that plans are far advanced to organize an employment fair and workshop for prospective job seekers in his constituency.

He said these job hunters who are mostly the youth have a lot of confidence in him to facilitate their employment but may not be too prepared for the jobs in terms of qualifications.

He said this in an interview on Net 2 TV’s the “dialogue programme.”

The MP said as much as he feels obliged to lobby for job openings for the teaming youth in his constituency, it is his responsibility to prepare his people to make them qualified and ready for any of such opportunities.

Mr. Akwasi Acquah has therefore contacted Labour experts and other private sector operators as facilitators to the fair and workshop. He said he was happy with the number of applications that his committee on employment and social welfare has received so far.

This to him shows the eagerness of the youth to occupy themselves with some productive ventures instead of being miscreants to the society.

Mr. Acquah said he will be happy if most of these youth will also prefer skills training so they can be employers themselves instead of depending on the few or non-existent public sector job openings.

He said it is his belief that most of these youth will emulate him and other private sector players who have contributed to the socio economic status of the country by way of employment.

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Minister of Trade and Industry Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has assured Ghanaians that by the end of the second term of President Akufo-Addo, the country would witness a real industrial transformation.

Speaking at the commissioning of Nano Foods Ltd on May 20, 2021 at Nsawam Adoagyiri, Mr. Kyerematen stated that Nano Foods Ltd under the ownership of Astek Group of Companies, has introduced technological innovations in its factory and this is what transforms an economy and is a sign of good things to happen, and commended the Free Zones Authority and others for their role.

“Those districts which have not had the opportunity to benefit under the One District One Factory (1D1F) yours is on its way coming”, he said.

Again, under the EU economic management agreement the whole of the European Union (EU) market would be open to Ghana next month and goods from Ghana would be duty free, whatever Ghana can export it would be more competitive”. And noted that same apply to the United States of America market as well, “you will find Nano Foods in the US market”.

“So, how do you we explain that, in this country there would still be poverty as we make inroads into these developed economies?”, he queried.

Mr. Kyerematen further noted that, the 1D1F strategic objective is to decentralize industrial development in Ghana bringing industry to the door steps of the average Ghanaian and added that for several decades, “if you want to see a factory you have to go to Accra, 1D1F is making sure we bring factories to every district”.

And added that, 1D1F is designed to add value to Ghana’s natural resources at the base and commissioning of Nano Foods is an opportunity to provide decent job for the youth including women.

“This would provide an opportunity to reduce import of goods into this country, especially fruit juice”. He wondered how we would explain to others that a country blessed with fertile lands lacks industries to process raw materials produce from the land, and that that, 1D1F is supporting the agro-industry in the country to grow.

The Minister praised Dr. Owusu, the founder of Astek Group of Companies for drawing a succession plan, by bring his children into the company and they being at the fore front of revival of Astek, and urged entrepreneurs in Ghana to learn from Dr. Owusu by drawing succession plan and should not wait until they exit.

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Vice-President Dr. Mahamadou Bawumia has opened Nano Foods Limited, a pineapple juice processing factory at Nsawam under the One District-One Factory initiative.

The factory, formerly known as Astek, renowned for its pineapple drinks, becomes the 77th factory in operation under the One District-One Factory initiative introduced by the government of President Akufo-Addo to industrialise the economy.

Speaking during the opening ceremony on Thursday, 20 May 2021, Dr Bawumia revealed that Nano Foods, which has already provided about 100 direct jobs to the youth in the area, can process and package up to 6,000mt of pineapple fruits into pineapple juice per annum.

This translates into 8 million cans of finished products per year, of which part of it would be exported to the American and European markets.

Dr Bawumia highlighted the success story of the One District-One Factory so far, pointing out its successful links with the government’s other transformational projects such as the Planting for Food and Jobs.

“The One District-One Factory (1D1F) initiative is a major component of the 10-point Industrial Transformational Agenda of the Government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, which is being implemented since 2017,” Dr Bawumia said.

“To date, a total of 232 projects are at various stages of implementation under the 1D1F initiative. Out of this, 76 factories are in operation with the Nano Foods pineapple processing factory being the 77th factory commissioned under 1D1F.

“Planting for Food and Jobs is our first step. 1D1F is the second step to linking agriculture and industry. This is the way to enhance agricultural productivity, scale production, add value to what we produce, create jobs, increase incomes, and improve livelihoods.”

Dr Bawumia also expressed optimism that the One District-One Factory initiative, could be the game-changer in Ghana’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery and transformation if well harnessed.

With economies around the world ravaged by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and countries planning to overcome the effects, Dr Bawumia believes Ghana’s strategic revitalisation of industries, which commenced before covid-19 struck, could play a key role in Ghana’s economic recovery.

“Without doubt, if Ghanaians can capitalise on the innumerable benefits of the 1D1F, it could be a game-changer for the post-COVID-19 economic recovery and transformation of Ghana,” Dr Bawumia said.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, as the world continues to navigate the challenging times presented by the Covid-19, it is important that we explore all the opportunities in the traditional sectors of the economy to accelerate the economic transformation agenda led by the President.”

“I can assure you of the unwavering effort and responsibility of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Government in stimulating economic growth, creating jobs, and promoting shared prosperity.”

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As Nsawam Adoagyiri has become a dumping site for most refuse generated in Greater Accra, and posing health hazards to human life, Member of Parliament for that constituency, Frank Annoh Dompreh has announced that the situation would be turned around.

According to him as the world is moving towards clean energy power, factories within the constituency would no longer be hit with lack of sufficient energy as moves had already been made for investors to set up a plant that would turn refuse into energy.

He noted that he was part of a delegation that was in Germany to ensure that a plant would be set up to turn refuse into clean energy, “our Municipality has one of the biggest landfill sites with water dripping from the site to our water table posing health difficulties”, he stated.

In another development he announced at the opening of Nano Foods Ltd on Thursday, May 20, 2021 that Nsawam would have its own brewer, and appealed to the Trade and Industry Minister who graced the occasion to assist with the agreement which is at the Finance Ministry, and hopes it would be brought to Parliament.

“They should be given tax exemptions, so that we have Nsawam brewery so that we can take up our rightful position as a Municipality in industrialization”.

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The National Coordinator of the United Peace Federation-Ghana, Dr. Helen Osei has appealed to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin to support efforts towards the setting up of the Ghana chapter of the International Association of MPs for Peace (IAPP) initiatives.

Dr. Osei noted that the setting up of the IAPP will help to promote the development of humankind along the path of coexistence and mutual prosperity for future generations.

She all efforts made in the 7th parliament to set up the association all proved futile and this, she said, has affected the country’s image and its commitment at promoting global peace and development.

She made this appeal, when she led a delegation of the United Peace Federation-Ghana to call on Speaker Bagbin in parliament.

The International Association of MPs for Peace is an international network of parliamentarians created to take on crucial issues of territorial disputes, religious conflicts, climate change, violent extremism and poverty, through the common solidarity and cooperation of the parliamentarians of the world.

The Rt. Hon. Speaker commended the federation for its dedication at building a world of peace, centered on universal, spiritual and moral values.

He expressed regrets at the Federation’s inability to see through the setting up of the Association of MPs for Peace in the 7th Parliament and tasked the protocol department to ensure that all necessary structures are put in place to advertise the association for members when the 2nd meeting of the first session of the 8th parliament commences next week.

Speaker Bagbin who expressed similar challenges he had in the past, said Ghana and Africa for that matter must be able to clearly re-define what its priorities are in order to reconscientize the citizenry.

Peace, he said, can only exist where justice is made to prevail and therefore charged the Federation and its leadership to do more to promote global dialogue and mutual coexistence.

The United Peace Federation is an NGO in General Consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and supporting the work of the UN achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri Frank Annoh Dompreh on Thursday, May 20, 2021 lashed out at doubting Thomas, who said for Astek Group of Companies, now Nano Foods Ltd could not be revived, despite importation of equipment for the company to start production.

According to him those who doubted the revival of the company attacked him and were loud mouthing the ability to bring back the company to operations. He thus used the opportunity to attack the constituency executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who were invited to the re-opening of the factory but did not show up.

Mr. Dompreh noted that the company was started in the 1980s, which gave jobs to the teaming youth of Nsawam and was a source of revenue to government. “We were determined to bring this factory back and we bought into the dream of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s One District One Factory, it has happened” (1D1F).

And further pointed out that those who doubted revival of Nano Foods Ltd its revival is just a tip of the iceberg, “we would go higher to lift the district and the country”.

He noted that they have done something different, recounting what had happen to the Komenda Sugar Factory as it was built, steps were not taken to look at where the raw materials would be coming from to feed the factory.

“Through the leadership of the Trade Minister, Ghana Export Promotion we secure one million suckers of free pineapple which were given out to grower farmers to cultivate, that is a clear departure from Komenda Sugar Factory. And announced that seventy percent of the products would be exported”.

And further took a swipe at those who are moving around saying that the revival of Nano Foods Ltd is a move to collapse Blue Sky, a pineapple producing company in Nsawam, “let me set the record straight, the intention to bring back this company is not to collapse but to complement what exist and support the good work being done by Blue Sky”.

During the time of Dr. Nkrumah, he noted that there were state farms and it was a model around the world, where government would go and establish factory and appoint a manager and pump money into the factory, but the new drive now under 1D1F, government would give tax incentives for individual factories to stand on their own.

The MP did not miss words as he cautioned workers to depart from practices that led to the collapse of the company in the past, and prayed that stealing by workers which brought Astek down would not happen again.

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Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon.  Alban S.K. Bagbin has charged government to develop and promote indigenous language and values to help preserve the country’s cultural heritage.

He stressed that, no country had developed relying on another country’s cultural identity.

The Speaker noted that, African countries had over the years followed the ideas and value systems borrowed from other cultures that do not conform to our way of life.

The Speaker made the call when a section of the leadership of the Tijaniya Muslim Council of Ghana led by Sheik Muhammed Mutawakil Iddris paid a courtesy call on him in Parliament.

Tijaniya is one of the contemporary forms of the Sufi movement which came from the teachings of Sidi Ahmad al Tijani in North Africa but now increasingly prevalent in West Africa, predominantly in Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Niger, Chad, Sudan and Northern Nigeria. Its devotees are called Tijānī.

The delegation was in Parliament to among other things discuss issues of mutual cooperation and also congratulate Speaker Bagbin on his elevation to the high office of the Speaker of Parliament.

Speake Bagbin, noted further that Ghanaians and Africans talk a lot about using the measures or benchmark of the western world to champion their development which was not realistic.

That, he said, had led to the continent’s underdevelopment because, “the poverty in Africa is not the poverty of wealth or property but rather it is the poverty of the mind”.

He urged a radical approach to change the mindsets of Africans, particularly the youth.

The youth according to Speaker Bagbin are always tagged as being less patient, emotional and more prone to violence, but this he said must be blamed on the kind of systems the youth are pushed into which must see a paradigm shift.

The Leader of the delegation Sheik Muhammed Mutawakil Iddris expressed gratitude to the Speaker for the support he has over the years given the Tijaniya Muslim Council and also appealed to him to continue to support the many initiatives and programmes of the council in the areas of Agriculture, Education and youth empowerment.

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Ahead of the May 27, 2021 opening of the first Ordinary Session of the fifth Parliament, of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a former lawmaker from Ghana, Clement Kofi Humado, has said it is an opportunity for Speaker Dr. Sidie Mohammed Tunis to put across to the Chairman of Authority of Heads of States, President Nana Akufo-Addo, the issue of election of ECOWAS MPs.

According to him he recall during the inauguration of the fifth Legislature in Niger, former President of Niger, then Chairman of Authority of Heads of States and Government, President Mahamadou Issoufou was the one the Parliament appealed to on the issue of election of MPs.

“If he were President by now some action would have been started on this matter of electing lawmakers for the Community Parliament”, he said in an interview.

Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government, President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to give an opening address on Thursday, May 27, 2021 in Abuja – Nigeria.

 Mr. Clement Kofi Humado further noted that when the Rt. Hon Speaker Sidie Mohammad Tunis is giving his sessional address, the election of MPs is something he should include in his address so that the chairman can respond to, when he is also giving his address.

Again, you need to inform the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, ahead of time, this is an issue he the Speaker would be about so that it does not come as a surprise, if the chairman is informed ahead of time, “he can prepare a response in his write up, otherwise if it comes as a surprise the chairman would not be sure what to say”

“I think, it would be a good opportunity for the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government, to say something about the election of the Community MPs”, he said.

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Sanitation and Water Resources Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah has started a three days working visit to the Ashanti and Eastern Regions, in the wake of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s directive for illegal miners (galamsey) to be removed from water bodies.

This is in view of government’s commitment to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 and the Minister would use the occasion to access the conditions of water treatment plants in some selected places and also obtain first-hand information on the devasting impact of activities of illegal mining on water bodies.

The sector Minister on Monday, May 17, 2021 together with the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong and other high ranking officials from the Sanitation and Water Resources, the Ghana Water Company Limited, the Water Resources Commission and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, paid a courtesy call on the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panyin at his place in Kibi.

She re-emphasized government’s resolve to address the water challenges and indicated it would not back down on the fight to safeguard our water resources.

The Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panyin in his address to the delegation said, “in life’s support system, water is key for survival and therefore protecting our water bodies must of necessity lead our quest for better societies.”

He added, “we are better off as Ghanaians than being individuals” to buttress the point that, the fight for our water bodies is collective business, in that, good policies alone do not change societies, but a change in attitude towards laws, nature and our practices would ultimately lead to better societies.

At the Kibi Water Treatment System, it was observed that water losses had improved from an initial 40% loss to 5% loss when treated, largely due to the clean nature (turbidity is at 11) of the Birim River at the intake point. As a result, the facility which has capacity to provide 2000m³ of water per day, is supplying in excess of the demand for water in Kibi.

However, at the Bunso treatment plant, turbidity was fluctuating between 1900 (in the morning) and around 330 (in the afternoon). The cause is an observed night-time galamsey activities on the Birim river at Bunso. This has made water treatment a daunting task and urgent responses are needed to salvage both our water resources and our Treatment Systems.

At the Osino intake point, the situation was worse, galamsey have successfully diverted the Birim river to create artificial ponds for their activities – some 20m away from intake point. This has resulted in many times, the closure of the treatment plants due to wear and tear of machines.

Water losses here range from between 60% and 80%, the facts on ground, as reviewed by the minister strengthens the call for immediate seizure of all unregulated mining activities on our water bodies because the fight for water is a fight to preserve the core of our very existence.

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