Veep lures Italian investors to Ghana

By Edmund Mingle

The Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has invited more Italian firms to direct their investments into the country, saying Ghana’s economic prospects are high.

He said the investment environment continue to be enhanced for the benefit of investors, assuring that there are good incentives for businesses.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur made the call when the new Italian Ambassador to Ghana, Laura Carpini called on him at the Flagstaff House in Accra on Friday.

He said the Italian firms currently operating in the country could testify to the congenial business atmosphere, saying that should be a good attractive for other Italian companies.

He acknowledged Italy’s high expertise in the various sectors such as mining, manufacturing, energy and agriculture technology, and hoped that Ghana would continue to benefit the knowledge transfer through its cooperation with that country.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur also thanked the Italian government for the continued support toward the implementation of Ghana’s development agenda, saying “we are appreciative of your development assistance.”

He congratulated the new Ambassador for on posting to Ghana, and assured her of government’s support and cooperation.

Ms. Carpini, for her part, lauded the strong bond of friendship between Ghana and Italy, and promised to work to further strengthen it for the benefit of the people of both countries.

The Ambassador, who presented a gift made up of a pictures of historic landmarks in Italy, commended Ghana for the economic and democratic progress, and promised that her country was prepared to support Ghana in her pursuit for economic growth.

She was optimistic that her duty tour ton Ghana would yield an improvement in trade and bilateral relations, and promised to collaborate with all stakeholders in that regard.
END  

Veep meets Labour leaders

By Edmund Mingle

The Vice President, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur on Friday met the leadership of organized labour in an effort to address emerging concerns, saying the government is determined to protect and promote the interests of workers.

The meeting, which was part of efforts to actively engage the leadership of labour in addressing the concerns of workers across the country, was aimed at building a more effective partnership between the government and the trade unions.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur, who called the meeting, said the government recognized organized labour as critical social partners in the nation’s development drive, hence the need for regular engagement to address challenges.

“We do not have to wait for a crisis situation before we hurriedly meet,” he said.

He assured the leadership of organized labour of government’s commitment to improving the working and welfare conditions for Ghanaian workers while protecting their rights.

In addition, he said measures would continue to be taken to ensure fairness and equity in public sector salaries, adding the needed support would be provided to workers towards increased productivity.

The Vice President was hopeful that an effective framework for regular engagement between the two sides would be developed by the end of the meeting.

Kofi Asamoah, Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), who led the labour side to the meeting, lauded the initiative indicating that regular engagements would enable both sides to appreciate the challenges confronting each other.

“We believe in effective consultation,” he said, and believed that such engagements would be fruitful.

The working people of Ghana, he stressed, play a vital role in the socio-economic development of the country, and therefore they concerns needed to be addressed to ensure harmony and peace in the labour front.

In addition, he believed that such interactions would help to better inform government in taking decisions that affect workers.

“We shall actively play our role as social partners, and pledge to contribute to the successful implementation of the national development agenda,” he said.

The members of the government’s team which was led by the Vice President, included the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Chief Executive of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Public Utilities Regulatory Commission and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Employment and Social Welfare.

Those on the side of Organised labour included almost all the heads of the workers’ unions including the TUC, Industrial and Commercial Workers Union, National Association of Graduate Teachers, Ghana Registered Nurses Association, Teachers and Educational Workers Union and the Textiles, Garments and Leather Workers Union of Ghana, among others.

The meeting comes after a similar engagement by the Vice President with employers last week.

Govt Denies Sponsoring Pastors' Trip To Jerusalem

Government has denied reports that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) is planning to sponsor some “200 Pastors affiliated to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Israel at the cost of $2 million.”

A statement signed by the Coordinator of the Jerusalem pilgrimage, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah clarified at the total cost of the sponsorship package for the pilgrims which includes airfare, hotels and feeding is approximately $600,000 and not $2 million as sensationally claimed by the false reports."

The statement added that "it is absolutely untrue that each pilgrim will be given $10,000 as per diem.”


Below is the full statement 

My attention has been drawn to media reports regarding a planned pilgrimage of some 200 Ghanaian Pastors to Jerusalem, Israel, under the auspices of the Ghana government.

The report contains a lot of inaccuracies and misleading assertions intended to cause mischief, ridicule and public disaffection for the government.

Ordinarily, I would have ignored these frivolous reports and treated them with the contempt they deserve. However, I deem it necessary to state the facts in order to disabuse the minds of right thinking and discerning Ghanaians of the negative impression the reports seeks to create.

The media crusade led by the Daily Guide Newspaper in their Tuesday, March 12, 2013 edition and another on Thursday, March 14, 2013 edition with issue number “NO. 061/13” stated that the government is sponsoring some 200 Pastors affiliated to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Israel at the cost of 2million dollars. 

In addition, the reports claimed that the intention of the sponsorship was to show appreciation to the Pastors for supporting the NDC, and also enable them to pray in Jerusalem for President John Dramani Mahama to avert a doomsday prophecy about his life.

The Daily Guide newspaper report claimed that each Pastor would be given $10,000 thus amounting to $2million.

This ridiculous claim is supposed to be for only their per-diem.

Further, the reports also stated that the General Overseer of the Royal House Chapel International was part of the trip, “particularly due to his close relations with the organizer of the trip, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, the Campaign Co-ordinator of the John Dramani Mahama 2012 Presidential Campaign and currently the Minister of Youth and Sports.”

The agenda to create a sensational news story for gossip and discussion can be seen by the claim that some of the Pastors and groups have rejected the offer because they deem it wrong to spend a huge sum of money on a pilgrimage when the government needs resources to tackle socio -economic problems.
Clearly, the above stated issues and points raised by the said paper are total fabrications and a pack of lies geared at tarnishing the image of the President and government.

Simple Facts of the Christian Pilgrimage to Jerusalem are as follows:
Over the years, various Christian and Church organizations have called on government to sponsor and address the various challenges they have encountered during their holy trips to Israel. 

It is in response to these several calls that Government then decided to facilitate and coordinate the Pilot Pilgrimage to Israel, to help address some of the challenges Christian groups have encountered on past trips which is nothing new just as government has been doing for the Holy Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj to Mecca.

In the process, and with the increase in the number of pilgrims, some Ghanaian philanthropists offered to provide sponsorship for this year's trip.

Government then held several discussions and consultation meetings with key stakeholders and subsequently, the decision was duly communicated to the leadership of the various Christian bodies through official letters and phone calls.

Contrary to claims that this is a thank you gesture to Pastors affiliated to the NDC party, government had no role in the selection process. It is important to note that, Government left it to the various groups to use their own criteria to select prospective pilgrims based on the number allotted to them.

As a matter of fact, as at the time of writing this Release, we are yet to receive a list from the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, where , Rev Sam Korankye Ankrah is the Vice Chairman. This exposes the total fabrications the Daily Guild Newspaper has carved out to say that the General Overseer of the Royal House Chapel International was part of the trip, “particularly due to his close relations with the organizer of the trip, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah.

Again, my role for the trip was to coordinate the Pilot Pilgrimage for the government and has nothing to do with my former position as the John Mahama 2012 Campaign Coordinator.

A number of the Christian bodies welcomed the initiative, however although the Christian Council of Ghana, were happy with the initiative they responded in a letter that they could not provide representatives for the trip because of time constraints and NOT because they did not want to participate as stated by the said paper. In fact they intimated in their letter to be part of any subsequent pilgrimages when given sufficient notice.

The total cost of the sponsorship package for the 200 pilgrims which includes Airfare, hotels and feeding is approximately 600,000 dollars, and not 2million US dollars as sensationally claimed by the false reports. It is absolutely untrue that each pilgrim will be given $10,000 as per diem.

It is also untrue that during the tenure of late Prof. JEA Mills, he organized a similar trip and gave each person $10,000 as per diem.

Again for the records, the government is NOT sponsoring the trip from the state coffers but only facilitating and coordinating the process and has no involvement in the selection of the prospective pilgrims from the various bodies that would suggest an “NDC Pastors Pilgrimage.”

Finally, it is deeply heart-warming that even at the time of releasing this statement, several Christian organizations, churches and pastors have requested, appealed and submitted names to be added to the list. For them, the opportunity to trace the footsteps of Jesus Christ and walk where he walked, pray for their families, their churches and their country Ghana, is an opportunity they do not want to miss and a potential life transforming event.


Signed by
Hon. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Coordinator, Jerusalem pilgrimage 

EuroStar fetes Inmates of Teshie Orphanage

By Edmund Mingle

 Inmates of the Teshie Orphanage in Accra had a memorable experience of their lives at the weekend when they were feted like royals by Eurostar Global Limousine Limited, a leading luxury car rental services provider.

In an elaborate programme, to demonstrate the company’s social responsibility, the children were given a royal treat by  the company including lunch at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra.

As part of the event, the children were chauffeured in the company’s fleet of luxury limousines, including Rolls Royce, Bentley, Maybach and X-class, cars from the orphanage premises, through some principal streets of the capital to the Golden Tulip hotel, amidst excitement among the kids.

Apart from the treat, the company offered to sponsor three of the inmates through university, and donated a mini-bus to the orphanage, as well as books and educational materials to the inmates.

Eurostar Group Chairman, Oscar Yao Doe, during his speech at the lunch said the company decided to treat them as royals because” we want to motivate them to see themselves as royals and not  mere orphans as society want them to believe.

Sharing his life experience which challenged him to rise above difficulties to be a successful business person, Mr. Doe noted that there was a need for underprivileged people to be inspired and supported to overcome their limitations.

“At Eurostar, we believe that the success of society is judged not by how it treats its privileged members, but how it responds to the needs of the underprivileged,” he said.

He encouraged the children to shed the mentality of being orphans, and urged them excel in education and explore their God-given talents, saying “do not underestimate yourselves.”

Madam Janet Parker, Founder of the Orphanage, who shed tears of joy at the special treatment of the kids, thanked God for his benevolence for the children, and expressed appreciation to the company for the support.

Describing the gesture as “very inspiring,” she said the children have never had such an experience, and believed that it would inspire them to greater achievements.

Currently, she said, the home has 25 inmates with 17 in primary, Junior and Senior High Schools, while four are in the vocational institutions and the other four waiting to enter the university.

Funding for taking care of the inmates, she explained, continue to be a challenge for the management, and hoped that the involvement of the company and other donors would help to alleviate the plight of the orphanage.

Govt. will curb cost of business--Veep

By Edmund Mingle

The Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has assured the business community of the government’s commitment to curb the high cost of business operation in the country so as to support businesses to grow for the benefit of the economy.

The reduction in the cost of doing business, he said has become critical in ensuring that the country’s increasing economic growth rate and low inflation translated into business growth and job creation for Ghanaians.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur made these known at a breakfast meeting with executives of business associations at the Flagstaff House in Accra yesterday.

Among other things, the meeting was to provide the platform for discussions of the concerns of the private sector as well as the measures being taken by the government to address those concerns for the private sector businesses to flourish.

In addition to the efforts at reducing cost of doing business, the Vice President noted that the government acknowledged the negative effects of bureaucracy on business operations, saying more was being done to remove the bottlenecks.

He also touched on the effects of the unreliable power supply, as well as the hikes in prices of petroleum products on businesses, assuring that the power supply situation would improve, while measures were being worked out to manage fuel prices for industries.

Regarding the high rate of government borrowing which risks crowding out the private sector, Vice President Amissah-Arthur noted although the financing of infrastructure projects was a major challenge, effective measures such as Private-Private Partnership arrangements were being promoted to rope in the private sector to invest in such projects.

“We are also taking measures to avoid the cycle of high fiscal deficit,” he said, adding that the high public sector wage bill, which has been a bane of the economy, would be moderated.

 He expressed appreciation to the business groups for their cooperation and support for the government, and noted that that gesture would be reciprocated by effectively addressing their concerns.

Asare Akuffo, President of the Private Enterprises Foundation (PEF) and Nana Owusu Afari, President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) who led the business group, both called for more collaboration and interaction between the government and the private sector.

According to Mr. Akuffo, the private sector was desirous of seeing the country’s growth rate translate into significant growth of businesses so that they can complement efforts towards job creation and infrastructure development.

“We want to have permanent solutions to ensure that businesses grow to support job creation and economic stability,” he said.

He assured the government of their cooperation towards addressing the challenges hindering economic growth.

For his part, Nana Afari called for the controlling of the importation of cheap goods which places locally manufactured products at a disadvantage.

He was happy the government was shifting focus from the public sector to a private sector led economy, and urged the government to provide the necessary facilities and incentives to help the private sector to function effectively.

Others at the meeting including the leaders of the Chambers of Mines, Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Ghana Employers Association, while those on the government side included the Ministers of Energy& Petroleum, Employment & Labour Relations, Trade & Industry, Bank of Ghana acting Governor, as well as Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Trade.

END

President appeals against misuse of water, electricity

By Edmund Mingle & Samuel Nuamah

President John Mahama has made a passionate appeal to Ghanaians to halt the wanton abuse and misuse of water, electricity and other public services, as the government resolves the utility challenges. 

He noted that the current water and energy crisis had burdened the economy and reiterated government’s commitment to collaborate with the utility companies to ensure that the challenges were over in the shortest time. 

President Mahama made the appeal yesterday when he addressed a colourful parade of the security services and school children to mark Ghana’s 56th Independence day at the Black Star Square in Accra. 

He spoke on the theme, “Partnership and innovation for building a new and Better Ghana.” 

President Mahama, who presided over the ceremony for the first time since becoming President last January, stressed that those who abused the country’s utility supplies, either through unauthorised connection or through misuse, created problems for everyone else. 

“We appeal to your patriotism and we urge everyone to demonstrate a commitment to collective responsibility,” he said, assuring that “we are working hard to bring this crisis to an end, and every bit of assistance will take us one step closer to that goal.” 

Singing from the second stanza of the national anthem, President Mahama stressed the need for all Ghanaians to rise to the service of the motherland, pointing out that efforts towards national progress was a collective responsibility, which, therefore, required collective action in achieving. 

In addition, he asked the citizenry to embrace the “wind of change,” for progress across the country, indicating that “change does not come easily, and change does not come overnight”. 

“Each and every one of us has a responsibility to make a meaningful and constructive contribution towards the growth and betterment of this nation. We owe that much to ourselves and to our children who will inherit this land and we owe that much to all those who fought for us to have a place to claim as our own,” he said. 

President Mahama cautioned that people should not continue to undertake negative practices that hinder national development, and expect the nation to progress. 

“We cannot throw plastic waste in our drainage system and expect not to be confronted with floods when it rains. We cannot continue to drive recklessly on our roads and hope that our society will be free of vehicular accidents. 

“People cannot pay and collect bribes and hope that somehow public services will automatically improve. We cannot create markets for the purchase of stolen items and expect that crime in our society will cease by itself,” he stressed. 

Calling for support and cooperation with the government, he noted that governance was a shared responsibility, and stated that although his administration would do its best to provide the needed social and economic infrastructure and incentives, everyone needed to contribute to solving the challenges that face the nation. 

“Unless we demonstrate a strong desire and unflinching commitment to be part of the solution, most of government’s effort will amount to nothing,” he warned, stressing that “the change we seek is one that is intended to make our nation a better place for all.” 

The President also appealed to Ghanaians to “work together as a team,” asking the citizenry to be mindful of their actions and remain optimistic at all times, saying “if we speak of success, we envision success and we work towards realising that vision, we will achieve it”. 

“If we speak and focus on failure, any inspiration to believe to see and to create has already been killed. We must also remember that our actions do matter; they matter in the short term and they matter in the long term. Our actions come with repercussions,” he stressed. 

President Mahama paid glowing tribute to the nation’s forebears, including Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who led the independence struggle, and all those who sacrificed in achieving nationhood and a strong foundation for the present generation. 

He urged the citizenry to use the occasion to reflect on how they could contribute in building the foundation so that a good legacy could be left for generations yet to come.“Today is also a time to ask ourselves, where do we want to go from here? And how do we get there?” he said. 

Sounding optimistic of great prospects for the nation, President Mahama urged the people not to despair but to hold on to the positives, and work towards the aspirations of the nation. 

According to him, Ghana had progressed too far in her social, democratic and economic life to retrogress, adding that “there was no turning back”.

“Ghana has never cut off its own nose to spite its face; Ghanaians have always been able to see that tomorrow is not the only day the future holds for us. 

“This is why we cannot go back to yesterday and tread grounds that has already been covered. We cannot go back and fight battles that have already been won. We cannot waste away any more time and energy in petty political squabbles and insults and expect that our country will still somehow magically prosper,” he said. 

President Mahama urged all to heed the call to duty, saying the call to national duty was aptly captured in the second stanza of the National Anthem, which he sung to the admiration of the audience. 

The President reiterated his pledge to make full use of the advantages the nation has “to increase our prosperity” and invited all Ghanaians to join him in that venture of working to build a better Ghana.

President launches ¢10bn Rlg Hope City Project in style

A click of a button by President John Mahama officially marked the beginning of Rlg’s Hope City project, a world class ICT project aimed at bringing all ICT players under one roof and to engender paperless business practices in the country.

A prototype of HOPE City

The project, which will cost over 10 billion cedis has a six high rise towers designed with the architecture of Ghana’s mud houses in mind will house over 25,000 people and create over 50,000 jobs when completed in the next five years.

It will have a computer hardware assembly plant, ICT training centre, banks, shops, pleasure, sports, medical and educational facilities all occupying a 150,000 square miles of space at Kasoa a suburb of Accra.

President Mahama, who did not have to dig the ground with a pick axe, as is the practice for many sod cutting ceremonies-but had to click a button- said the Rlg dream is a great example of partnership between the government and private investors.

He said Ghana will now rely on the private sector to move the country from the current lower middle income status to a fully fledged middle 

income status.

He also stated that the path to development in the 21st century is by investing in services and knowledge economy, adding, wealth and economic growth is no longer dependent on the oil, cocoa, timber and other natural resources.

“Government is particularly excited that this business initiative is being led by a local company, RLG and the project has many potential for the sustainable creation of jobs for our young people.

“I want to assure that government will offer the necessary support to rlg and any such business entity to guarantee the successful execution of this and similar project.

He said the project will compliment the national technology park that is currently under construction by government in Tema.

“The completion of both projects will contribute greatly to making Ghana an ICT hub for the sub-region he added.

“The projects will be complimentary to each other and not in competition with each other,” he emphasised The Chairman of the Agams Group and CEO of Rlg Roland Agambire said the Hope City project will 

President John Mahama(3rd from R) and
RLg boss Roland Agambire next to the
 president on the left and other dignitaries

be one of the “hopes that this country will ever witness in the

 history of its life time.”

Whilst bemoaning the lack of local expertise in the telecommunication sector in the country he believes that rlg is ready to take its rightful place in the sector.

He said the crucial partnership signed with the world’s largest software and programmes developer, Microsoft Corporation is to ensure the exportation of made in Ghana and made in Africa technology across the world.

“It is my dream to see hope city export technology across the globe. Today Ghana sits in the middle of the world and it is much easier to export anything from this country to any part of the world.

“This is the place where hope begins. Rlg will continue to lift high the flag of Ghana on the international stage and what we are witnessing today is an ample testimony of our resolve to operate at that level of excellence.

“What we are also seeking to do with Hope City is collaborate with Microsoft in a new initiative to create economic opportunities for over 300 million youth across the whole of Africa between the ages of 15-24, he stated”

Agambire noted it is time to modernize the public sector and to create a paperless work place, a phenomenon he said will be made possible by Hope City.

He applauded the Akwabon and Oson State Governors of Nigeria who believed in the Rlg dream and through their support, rlg has now set up an assembly plant in Oson state to serve the whole of Nigeria as well as the implementation of the paperless systems in his schools in Nigeria.

He said the challenge of Hope City is bring optimism about a new day and provide them with the willingness to face the challenges.

He charged the youth to take their destinies into their own hands saying, “The youth are today’s leaders but not the future leaders. I dare say that I am a symbol of that hope.”

“It is time to dream, it is time to create history and it is time to contribute one’s quota to the development of this continent,” he said.

The Senior Vice President of Microsoft in charge of Corporate Business Mr Ali Farmawey reiterated the role of information technology in the growth and development of any country.

He said ICT is the “enabler of a better tomorrow” and remains crucial in every facet of development.

He also charged the youth to develop and harness their skills in order to fit in the new world of technology.

He disclosed that Microsoft will begin a training programme that will ensure training across the African continent.
The ceremony was also attended by Ministers of State, Governors of the Oson and Akwabon States of Nigeria, business men and traditional leaders.