Category: General

The supervisor at the vehicle valuation unit of Customs headquarters in Accra, Mr Justice N. Magah has sounded caution to people who import vehicles into the country and refuse to use the legal means to register such vehicle to desist from such activities or else get 300 percent fine of the actual duty on the vehicle by Customs when caught up.

He explained that, anybody can bring vehicles from any county to Ghana but must take the vehicle through proper and legal means to register them at any of the customs offices within the country so as to have a peaceful mind in using vehicle.

Mr Magah refuted accusations by some vehicle importers that Custom officers usually over tax them when paying for vehicle duties. He said, most often people provide inaccurate information on their vehicles to customs especially when providing the actual date of manufacturing, people usually provide the date of first registration of the vehicle in the country of origin instead.

The supervisor, vehicle valuation unit of Customs, Mr Magah made these comments when the Ghana Revenue Authority ( GRA ) organized a workshop for the Parliamentary Press corps on the various activities of GRA and Customs and its importance to the state.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Members of the Ghanaian Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) have been taken through a day’s workshop on Ghana’s tax system.

Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority Julie Essiam noted that the media plays a critical role in shaping public opinion and setting the agenda for public discourse, stating that organizations and individuals alike use the media as a tool in the dissemination of information.

According to her it’s on this premise that GRA is organizing this workshop for members of the parliamentary press corps to educate them on their mandate, processes and procedures to add to their body of knowledge and to help reporting devoid of distortions and misconceptions.

The challenging but engaging call to duty of reporting on the work of Parliament requires in-depth knowledge and understanding of Government and stakeholder business. Therefore, stakeholders such as the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) are happy to leverage on your expertise to work effectively, he added.

Taxation, he noted, is a creature of statute, hence taxation is not based on common law or judicial decisions, rather on explicit legislative enactments. The mandate of GRA is therefore to administer various tax laws for effective revenue mobilization in order to support Government’s socio-economic development agenda.

“I want to use this opportunity to also encourage you to gain additional knowledge on how the Tax Laws operate so that you can report on tax cases from a standpoint of knowledge, clarity and confidence. Informed media reportage will put the GRA on its toes and live to its responsibilities, while the taxpayers and potential taxpayers are informed of their obligations and thereby comply with the Tax Laws”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Importers & Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has described calls from some players in the commercial shipping industry for President Nana Akufo-Addo to halt his assent of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Law 2024 as unfounded.

According to the Association’s President, Sampson Asaki Awingobit, the law in its current form ensures that every stakeholder in the commercial shipping value chain acts responsibly and is held accountable in their operations.

For the IEAG, the law creates a more structured and regulated environment for trade, ensuring that the interests of both importers and exporters are safeguarded.

The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) and the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) have expressed reservations about certain sections of the law and have asked the President to delay assenting to it until further dialogue has taken place.

However, the IEAG asserts that the new GSA law is a significant step towards enhancing transparency and efficiency within the shipping and logistics industry, and while further dialogue is needed, the assent should not be halted.
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The Association also emphasized the need for continuous engagement between the GSA and key stakeholders to ensure that the implementation of the law addresses the practical challenges faced by importers and exporters.

Furthermore, the IEAG has called for clear guidelines and support from the GSA to help businesses adapt to the new regulations, ensuring that the law does not become a barrier to trade but rather a facilitator of smoother and more efficient operations within Ghana’s trade sector.

Ghanamps.com

The Minority members on the Educational Committee in Ghana’s Parliament have urgently urged government to release funds to the West African Examination Council (WAEC) for the marking of the 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination to commence.

According to the Ranking member of the Committee Peter Kwasi Nortsu-Kotoe the Minority spoke about the payment of registration to enable the West Africa Examination Council to conduct the examination for this year at the time government had to release fifty-five point nine million Ghana cedis as part of over two hundred million that they owe WAEC.

“So, we do not understand why they would say at the launch of their Manifesto that they have paid; if they said they had absorbed that would have been better but they said they have paid”.

Speaking at a press conference, he said “as we speak WAEC has to postpone the marking of the script from this month to September because they do not have the funds to do the coordination and marking which is called post examination activities, they still own WAEC for the BECE”.

“We are demanding that government pays these monies, so that the marking can be organized in time, as a result the school calendar is going to be disrupted. Again those who are supposed to go to Senior High School (SHS) this September 2024 will not be able to go and might go somewhere in December of 2024”.

The Ranking member emphasized that these things should be avoided and drew the attention of the effect double track is having on the school calendar. “We ask that government release money to WAEC as a matter of urgency for the candidates to enter SHS in good time”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin will this morning inspect and ascertain for himself progress of ongoing work at the parliamentary chamber block.
Retrofitting works are underway on the chamber for the next meeting and the ninth Parliament which would commence in January of 2025.

A visit to the chamber by Ghanamps.com on Thursday, August 22, 2024, before the close of working day, witnessed wiring of the chamber block.

On the corridors of the back entrance to the main chamber, total changes of the lighting system is also been done to give the corridors a brighter look.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority in Ghana’s parliament has noted that for the first time in thirty-two (32) years international banks have rejected Ghana Cocoa Board’s request for a prepayment loan to finance the purchase of cocoa.

The Ghana Cocoa Board in June this year issued a request for a proposal of $1.5 billion loan to purchase up to six hundred and fifty thousand 650,000 metric tonnes of cocoa for this year and next year crop year, but did not attract interest from the international banks due to the poor health of COCOBOARD and the collapse of the cocoa sector under its present management.

In a statement issued by the Minority leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson a production level of 969,000 metric tonnes inherited from the NDC in the 2016/2017 crop year, cocoa production has declined to just a little over 400,000 metric tonnes for the 2023/2024 cocoa season. The significant decline in cocoa production in the last eight years and the mismanagement of the cocoa sector has impacted Cocobod’s ability to meet its contractual obligations.

Again, Cocoa Board is unable to supply about 250,000 metric tonnes of cocoa and has resorted to the rollover of this contractual obligation due to the poor management of the cocoa sector which has resulted in significant decline in cocoa production under the NPP government. And was chased away from the market due to the fact that COCOBOD is no longer credit worthy, lacks credibility and are unable to produce enough cocoa to meet their contractual obligations.

The Minority Leader further added that, the banks came to the conclusion that out of the projected production of 650,000 metric tonnes of cocoa for the 2024/2025 crop year, which is doubtful, 250,000 metric tonnes will be used to service existing rolled-over contracts, leaving only 400,000 metric tonnes to honour COCOBOD’s obligations for the 2024/2025 crop year. This raised the ability to pay question for the banks, hence their refusal to participate. For seven consecutive years, COCOBOD has recorded huge losses amounting to over GHS11 billion under the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.

Year                                Loss recorded (GHS)

2017                                395 million

2018                                78.2 million

2019                                320.6 million

2020                               426 million

2021                                2.4 billion

2022                               3.2 billion

2023                                  4.2 billion

Minority Leader in addition pointed out that, announcement by the Ghana Cocoa Board that it has taken a bold decision not to borrow from foreign banks to finance cocoa purchases after 32 years is false, unmeritorious, contrived and face-saving.

“This is to hide the fact that COCOBOD is no longer credit worthy and that a 32-year-old tradition, which has consistently cushioned and provided Ghana’s economy with the most reliable foreign exchange to support the Ghana Cedi, has been destroyed by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government. Ghana’s cocoa sector is in crisis, needs urgent attention, competent management and a new direction”.

The NPP government has completely mismanaged and destroyed the cocoa sector. After seven years of decline in production and consecutive losses, the government has shown clearly that it does not have the competence to manage the cocoa sector which has since independence been the mainstay of the Ghanaian economy.

Ghanamps.com

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament Dr. James Klutse Avedzi has directed the prosecution of a teacher in Sunyani, Comfort Appiah, over a payroll irregularity involving unearned salary.

This follows a revelation from the Kintampo South District Education Directorate that a headteacher, Bismark Agyekum, who also served as a payroll validator, fled to California with a validation code, enabling him to fraudulently secure GH₵26,000 in unearned salary.

According to the District Director of Education, Daniel Yaw Appiah, Agyekum transferred the funds to the colleague teacher’s account in Sunyani after the money was deposited into his account.

The Public Accounts Committee noted possible collusion between the headmistress and the teacher and instructed that the case be referred to the Attorney-General for prosecution.

Meanwhile, during the same PAC session, Ray Ankrah, the Deputy CEO of COCOBOD in charge of Finance and Administration, revealed that GH₵200,000 out of a total of GH₵1.8 million in unpaid funds had been recovered, with efforts underway to retrieve the remaining balance.

Ankrah also disclosed that GH₵1.6 million of COCOBOD’s investments are locked with Zenith Bank due to the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).

Additionally, representatives from the Ghana Police Service, Fire Service, Prisons Service, and Immigration Service appeared before the Committee to address queries raised by the Auditor-General.

The PAC’s public hearings in Accra have concluded, and the Committee will move its proceedings to the regions next week.

Ghanamps.com

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) regarding its failure to recover substantial state funds locked up with various companies and state institutions across the country.

During a session in Parliament to examine the 2023 Auditor-General’s report on the public accounts of Ghana: Public Boards, Corporations and other Statutory Institutions, the Committee stressed serious concerns. The report revealed that a total of GH¢61 billion Ghana cedis of state funds remain uncollected, with only GH¢46 million retrieved so far.

The Auditor-General recommended that the CAGD implement a more robust tracking system to ensure that all transfers are properly recorded and easily traceable.

Appearing before the Committee, Mr. Kwasi Adjei, the Acting Controller and Accountant General, acknowledged the Department’s shortcomings but emphasized that they operate under the Ministry of Finance, providing public financial management services to the government and the general public.

He also mentioned that a joint committee team has been established between the CAGD and the Ministry of Finance to oversee the recovery of the outstanding debts.

In related proceedings, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Mustapha Yussif led officers from the National Youth Authority and the National Sports Authority to respond to queries raised by the Auditor-General.

Additionally, the Ghana Water Company Limited was represented by the Deputy Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Aminu Issahaku Chinnia, who also answered questions from the Committee.

Ghanamps.com

In its public hearing of the Auditor-General’s report on Ministries, Departments, and Agencies as of December 31, 2023, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) earn the praise of members of the Public Account Committee.

When SSNIT  appeared  before the Committee on Thursday, August 15, 2024, it turns out that SSNIT in a remarkable way turned a deficit of over GHC 300 million into a surplus exceeding GHC 230million that is 176 percent improvement.

“Last year, you moved from a deficit of over GH¢300 million to a surplus of more than GH¢230 million. That is incredible. What did the trick?” A member of the committee, Isaac Opoku queried the Director-General, Kofi Bosompem Osafo-Maafo
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In response, Mr Osafo-Maafo attributed the turnaround to several factors, including a 29% increase in net contributions and a 49% growth in net investment income.

“The performance was driven by several factors. The first factor – there was a 29% increase in net contributions received. Our net investment income also grew by 49% to about 706 million approximately and there was also a significant increase in other income. We also managed to control costs fairly well. The other income arises from penalties on delays of contributions and also incomes from the sale of our properties,” the SSNIT boss responded.

In a follow-up, Mr Opoku also commended SSNIT for its improved financial ratios, noting that the organization’s current ratio had increased from 1.1 in 2021 to 1.6 in 2023.

“Your current ratio is better than the previous year. In 2021, it was 1.1, and this year, it’s improved to 1.6. So, it’s not too bad, and we can only encourage you to improve upon it,” he remarked.

The Public Accounts Committee applauded SSNIT’s management for the positive financial strides and encouraged the Trust to maintain and further enhance its financial health.

In 2022, SSNIT’s total income surged by 35.1%, reaching GH¢5,272,183,000, up from GH¢3,903,635,000 in 2021. This increase was primarily driven by a rise in net contributions received. Meanwhile, total expenditure grew by 16.9% to GH¢4,930,637,000 in 2022, compared to GH¢4,217,700,000 in the previous year.

The increase in expenditure was largely due to a rise in benefits paid out during the year.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Chairman of the Ad – hoc Committee of Parliament set up by the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament to investigate the Akosombo Dam Spillage Disaster, Sulemana Adamu Sanid has expressed appreciation to some actors for their role in providing relief to the affected persons in the affected communities.

The Chairman made the statement when he led the Ad- hoc Committee to visit the affected communities as part of its fact-finding mission.

In furtherance, the Chairman after a round up fact finding visit to the affected communities such as Mepe / Juapong (North Tongu), Mafi (Central Tongu ) Sogakope ( South Tongu ) in a press briefing at Adidome, indicated that North Tongu is an epicenter adding that what has been put together to the victims is appreciable.

He stated, ‘we commend Hon. Samuel Okudzeto, MP for North Tongu, the DCE, and the NADMO staff for their efforts to ameliorate the catastrophe”.

However, Hon. Okudzeto explained that, his outfit adopted a by- Partisan approach to deal with the humanitarian crisis during the disaster. He said, “I have a very strong reservations about how VRA conducted their affairs and what led to the spillage’’. He placed on record that, he was never invited during the stakeholder engagement and argued that VRA did not help in that regard.

Hon. Okudzeto urged VRA to drop what they describe as safe haven and come out with a different approach. According to him “You cannot describe basic schools as safe haven” and opined that those places must be convenient for human habitation. He revealed that this year VRA has begun media publicity warning communities of a possible spillage.

Ghanamps.com