Ab TV GH

Category: News

  • What next after NPP Super Delegates Conference?

    Abtvgh / The New Parotitic Party Delegates Conference

    Intra-party democracy is part of the crucial foundation stones for building the country’s envious democratic process.

    If they are not solid and properly erected, the super structure cannot survive the test of time.

    It is on this basis that the Daily Graphic has over the years shown keen interest in internal issues aimed at enhancing and consolidating the development of democracy in all political parties in the country.

    Last Saturday, 961 delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) were called upon to select five flag bearer hopefuls out of the 10 who had offered themselves up to lead the party.

    The specially selected delegates went to the polls organised in 17 centres nationwide as the first step in electing the party’s presidential candidate for the 2024 general election.

    The second and the final choice will be done by more than 200,000 delegates on November 4, this year. 

    The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, emerged tops with 68.15 per cent of the votes cast, while the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, and former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, placed second and third respectively.

    Former Minister of Agriculture, Dr Afriyie Akoto, emerged fourth, while a former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko, and Francis Addai-Nimo tied for the fifth position, with each garnering nine votes.

    The delegates will select one of the two to join the four, come September 2, 2023.

    Undoubtedly, there are some lessons to be learnt from the just-ended super delegates conference based on the way the results panned out.

    It was a bit surprising that Kennedy Agyapong emerged second ahead of Alan Kyerematen, especially when Mr Kyerematen had contested the flagbearer position in 2007 and 2011 and had come second in both and had gained experience and learnt the ropes.

    His performance underscores the popular refrain that “elections are full of surprises”.

    We are also amazed that the fortunes of Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku have dwindled so badly that he could not garner even a single vote for all his contribution to the party over the years.

    The lesson here is that timing is everything in politics and it is important when one knows when to jump into the ring.

    It also emerged that the influence of Kennedy Agyapong in the party is no fluke, considering his performance.

    Political observers will be watching keenly how he performs on November 4.

    Others have argued that the results of this super delegates election could not be described as the harbinger of the November polls.

    Although the dust is yet to settle, it is welcome news that so far, none of the candidates, including those who could not be part of the five, has raised issues about the process. 

    Another observation is the decision by the party to leave the election process to the constitutionally mandated governance institution, the Electoral Commission, and the body clothed with the authority to protect life and property, the Ghana Police Service.

    These two bodies executed their mandate without fear or favour and according to laid down procedures

    This is a feather in their cap but more importantly, a way of helping our institutions to build their capacity to deliver. 

    The Daily Graphic has the strong conviction that if all Ghanaians continue to help build the capacity of these institutions and afford them the support and respect, very soon the country’s elections would be devoid of the usual suspicion, rancour and the few incidents of violence.

    While the Presidential Election Committee is worthy of commendation for successfully organising the election, there were some few grievances and shortcomings that came up that should be looked into ahead of the main November election.

    To properly address these, the party in its review of the processes must listen to all stakeholders, especially the candidates just as they did preceding the polls.

    This will ensure that the party remains united and battle-ready for the 2024 general election.

    We urge all those with complaints to also use the laid down internal party processes to seek redress.

    The Daily Graphic once again applauds the NPP and those who qualified for the next round of elections.

    It is important also that those contestants who could not find favour with the delegates should not just abandon ship but continue to remain with their family and work assiduously with commitment to the collective good of the party.

    It can be daunting and depressing to lose an election, especially after traversing the length and breadth of the country, losing sleep, comfort and expending resources to convince delegates only to suffer such a disastrous defeat.

    The national executives must reach out to those who lost because they are assets to the party, and their experience and resource will be needed, especially going into the 2024 general election which holds the promise of being the most competitive in recent history.

  • Proper land administration ownership non-negotiable

    Abtvgh / Land Ownership in Ghana

    Land, undoubtedly, is one of the most important factors of production.

    Almost all human activities depend on land.

    Likewise, every sector of the economy requires land to function – be it education, agriculture, health or the service industry.

    In effect, just as farmers need land to produce food crops, so does the government and individuals need land for infrastructural projects.

    In the wake of rapid economic growth, sprawling urbanization and increased activities of real estate developers, the demand has risen astronomically.

    Hence, it costs a fortune to own a piece of land in an urban area, particularly Accra, Tema, Kumasi and their immediate environs.

    In spite of this, the current situation is such that every individual wants to own a piece of land for oneself or for one’s children. 

    Land ownership is also used for investment in what has become known as land banking.

    This is where an individual purchases a parcel of land, registers and keeps it for a future rise in its value before selling portions off.

    This intense race to own a piece of land has brought along major challenges in the value chain.

    Indeed, land acquisition and the processing of land documents continue to be a major challenge in the country.

    The multiple sale of land, many a time, due to chieftaincy and family disputes over ownership of the resource, remains one of the biggest challenges to effective land administration in the country. 

    Even within the same families, different people sell the same piece of land to different people without the involvement of licensed surveyors.

    This often puts unsuspecting members of the public who patronise the lands at risk and has resulted in many protracted land litigation. 

    There are also instances where officials of the Lands Commission turn themselves into agents to process land documents for people without due process.

    It gets worse with middlemen, popularly known as ‘goro boys’, who charge exorbitant fees to process land documents for clients.

    It is, therefore, not surprising that a survey on corruption in Ghana based on people’s experiences last year rated the Lands Commission as the fourth most corrupt institution in the country.

    The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), conducted the survey with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

    The Daily Graphic sees the development as an anathema to national development as it will scare away investors who need dispute-free lands for investment.

    In this era of technology, the Daily Graphic believes that the Lands Commission must put in place systems to remove the direct human interface in order to sanitize the system and purge itself of the corruption tag.

    Doing that will also ensure effective land administration. 

    The Daily Graphic thinks that it is imperative for the commission to also provide timelines for the delivery of services to instill confidence in its processes.

    The resolution of the challenges associated with land acquisition and registration can also be facilitated with the licensing of agents with whom members of the public can directly deal.

    We believe that it will be easy for the public to know that they are dealing with genuine agents and that they are not throwing their money away or putting up houses only for them to be demolished.

    It is our conviction that the use of technology, skilled staff and professionals, as well as licensed agents, will help avert many of the issues relating to land acquisition and registration that many people encounter in their bid to legalize their land ownership.

    The Daily Graphic believes that the Lands Commission and its allied agencies must also intensify public education to enable clients to use due processes in acquiring land and registering it.

    The Lands Commission must also be seen to be exposing and punishing its errant staff to deter others from doing so.

    The Daily Graphic also calls for more punitive actions against people, be they chiefs or family members, who indulge in multiple sale of land.

    It is high time we went the direction of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who does not hesitate to destool chiefs who sell land indiscriminately.

    The Abtvgh strongly believes that it is now incumbent on the commission to simplify its processes to make it easy for every Ghanaian to transact business with it without let or hindrance.

  • Niger coup makers must seize diplomatic window

    The Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agreed last Friday to institute a standby force for a possible military intervention to restore democracy in Niger if diplomatic efforts fail.

    Military officers deposed former President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, and have defied calls from the United Nations, ECOWAS and others to reinstate him.

    The soldiers who overthrew democratically elected Bazoum in July have quickly entrenched themselves in power, rebuffed most dialogue efforts and kept Bazoum, his wife and his son under house arrest in the capital.

    The defence chiefs met to fine-tune details of the potential military operation to restore constitutional order if ongoing negotiations with the coup leaders are unsuccessful.

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    Eleven West African nations have agreed to commit troops to a military deployment towards the cause but the leaders say they still favour dialogue.

    The Daily Graphic is, therefore, urging the coup leaders in Niger to take advantage of the window of opportunity in the latest diplomatic effort by the ECOWAS to prevent bloodshed.

    The paper wishes to remind the coup makers that ECOWAS has two defence protocols which expressly state that any threat against a member state is deemed a threat against the greater community. 

    That was why it sent troops to intervene in some member states in the past

    So, when instability rocked Niger, the fourth country in the region to suffer a coup in recent times, ECOWAS saw intervention as part of its broader mission to support and protect democracy in West Africa.

    So far, Niger’s coup leader has promised to return the country to civilian rule within three years.

    The leader of the junta, Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, made the announcement after meeting mediators from the regional bloc in the capital, Niamey.

    A previous ECOWAS delegation, led by General Abudulsalami Abubakar, a former Nigerian Head of state, earlier this month, tried but failed to meet Bazoum and the coup leader.

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    In a televised broadcast on Saturday, he said the junta had no ambition to confiscate power, adding that the transition of power would not go beyond three years.

    He reiterated the junta’s readiness to dialogue, stating that neither the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland nor the people of Niger want war.

    This is a positive signal that the coup makers themselves are prepared and willing to dialogue in order to prevent a full- scale military intervention.

    We must emphasise that ECOWAS has the right to enforce constitutional order, an order not marked by war, but by peace; not by division, but by unity; not by intimidation, but by mutual respect, and if diplomacy and persuasion fail, force can then be applied.

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    We have said before that the crisis in Niger is not just a test of the diplomatic skills of the leadership, but a test of the bloc’s commitment to shared African values.

    We also wish to commend the Chiefs of the defence staff of the sub-region for giving diplomacy a chance before the use of force.

    Our worry is that the Sahel region is struggling with growing terrorists insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State and frustration over the violence has, in part, prompted the military takeovers.

    We must not allow this coup to stand and, indeed, any other military takeover must not be tolerated in the sub-region.

    The coup makers must either take advantage of the diplomatic window of opportunity or be crushed.

    With a firm resolve and unyielding commitment, we must deepen the constitutional order and usher in a new era of zero tolerance for military takeovers.

    The world is watching, and the stakes are high, so is our resolve that our leaders are not just negotiating for the present, but for our future and the future of Africa even if it means military intervention. 

    Let us resolve to support our leaders to halt the constitutional insanity.

  • Free SHS: GNAT national dialogue needs consideration

    Abtvgh / GNAT Dialogue

    The successes chalked up by the Free Senior High School cannot be overemphasized.

    Many experts and citizens assert, and rightly so, that it is the most audacious policy in the country’s history as far as the numbers generally, and secondary school enrolment, are concerned.

    A Deputy Minister of Education, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, announced in April last year that by the end of the 2022 school selection and placement exercise, a total of 2.2 million students would have gained admission to high school through the free senior high school (SHS) system.

    Data shows that in 2013, out of 352,202 students placed, 90,604 could not enrol and in 2014, out of 386,412 students placed, 113,260 could not enroll.

    Again in 2015, out of 415,012 students placed, 115,363 could not enrol and in 2016, out of 420,135 students, 111,336 could not enrol, all these were due mainly to financial challenges. 

    Indeed, the rollout of the Free SHS policy has come as a relief to most parents and students who were eager to further their education at that level. 

    Apart from tuition that is free, there are no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer lab fees and no examination nor utility fees.

    Textbooks, uniforms and boarding are equally free while day students are fed one meal at school for free every day.

    As a matter of fact, the huge positive impact of the Free SHS is unquantifiable as it has helped the country deal with the number of idle teenagers who could have been easily lured into social vices.

    It has also helped hasten the educational process of junior high school graduates who had to spend some years at home before having the opportunity to go to school, if at all. 

    The government did well for not allowing the deficit in infrastructure to discourage it in the rollout of the Free SHS policy.

    Since the beginning of the programme in 2018, many infrastructural facilities have been added to the existing ones

    Of special mention is the innovative double intake or track system that kept a section of the student population home while others were in school as a measure to accommodate the swelling numbers, which has been phased out after the addition of more infrastructure.

    But underlying these huge successes are some equally serious problems that have affected the smooth running of the programme.

    These challenges keep growing yearly as the student numbers rise. 

    Despite the increase in infrastructure, many of our SHSs still have huge class numbers that affect the teaching-learning process.

    But we know from educational philosophy and theories that a smaller class size contributes to better class control and learning outcomes.

    Most of the schools also have issues with maintenance, as government subvention for such purposes are sometimes irregular.

    In the circumstance, school authorities have resorted to soliciting for help from parents’ associations and old students.

    They have consciously or unconsciously shifted the cost of printing of examination questions, maintenance and many of the responsibilities to parents and old students, with parents bearing the bigger brunt. 

    This has placed a financial burden on parents, some of whom but for the Free SHS would have found it difficult to send their children to school.

    Those who are not able to make such payments have on many occasions felt embarrassed.

    Many parents are suffering silently with the incessant demands from parents’ associations to pay various sums of money to supplement stationery and food.

    Many appeals have been made for the government to review the programme to address these bottlenecks, with the latest of these appeals coming from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT).

    GNAT has called for a national stakeholder dialogue to relook at the Free SHS programme in relation to the country’s current economic situation to smoothen the rough edges of the programme.

    The Daily Graphic notes that GNAT, arguably, has some of the best brains and is a critical stakeholder of education in the country.

    It is thus important for the government to listen to the teachers’ association and convene such a dialogue for the good of the programme and subsequently the country.

    The paper believes that such a dialogue would dispassionately brainstorm challenging issues such as logistics and infrastructure, sources of funding, involvement of parents, parents’ associations and alumni, among others.

    This, the Abtvgh believes, would set the stage to strengthen our schools to discharge their responsibilities better and to ensure a seamless continuous implementation of such a laudable programme. 

  • Exorcising ‘ghost’ pensioners

    Abtvgh / Ghost Pensioners CAGD

    In Ghana one of the challenges to public financial management is the phenomenon of ‘ghost workers’ which basically means suspicious and non-existent workers drawing salaries on government payroll.

    The problem of payments to ‘ghosts workers’ on the government’s payroll appears to have come to stay despite initiatives to address the canker, including the verification and authentication of workers at post. The situation is even more pathetic when it comes to the payment of pensions to deceased pensioners.

    It is, therefore, not surprising that the 2022 Auditor-General’s report identified that relatives of deceased pensioners benefited from unearned pensions totalling GH¢393,315.06 between 2013 and 2019 (See Daily Graphic, August 9, 2013).

    The Auditor General blamed the Controller and Accountant General of continued payment of pension to some 59 deceased pensioners in the audit of public accounts of ministries, departments and agencies.

    In its explanation, the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) said the demise of the affected pensioners was not communicated to it for deletion to be effected. It also indicated that the department was taking steps to recover the money from the widows.

    The Daily Graphic wonders why this problem had persisted all this while. Sadly, after it had been brought to light we get the reaction or response of the authorities indicating steps are being taken to address the problem.

    We are looking forward to a day when payment to ghost names will be a thing of the past or reappear in the Auditor’s General Report. 

    It is the conviction of the Daily Graphic that the perpetrators of these acts must not only be surcharged but also arrested and prosecuted for their complicity either through their negligence or collaboration with some other staff from other agencies.

    In this era of digitisation and the use of the Ghana Card, we believe that all institutions should have an integrated system where it will be easy to monitor and identify some of these anomalies without waiting for the promptings of the families.

    In March last year, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced plans by the government to link the Ghana Card with the database at the CAGD as part of the measures to address the problem of ‘ghost’ workers, on the government payroll. Although the linkage was expected to have been completed in December last year, we do not know its status.

    We expect the CAGD to keep to its word of completing the re-verification exercise by the close of this month for the interfacing and integration to begin. That, it said, would give identity and credibility to the pensioners paid by the CAGD.

    Indeed, we have had situations in the past where workers have had to update their information with the view to ending this canker of paying ‘ghosts’ on the government payroll.

    The Daily Graphic believes that Ghanaians must begin to see positive signs from these initiatives so that in the 2023 Auditor-General’s Report, there would not be any issue with payment to ‘ghosts’ workers’.

    There is a need for a collective effort on the part of all stakeholders to put a stop to this form of financial haemorrhaging, which is costing the state millions of Ghana cedis.

    We cannot afford to allow this canker to persist when it takes very little effort to stamp it out. Fortunately, the Births and Deaths Registry, the National Identification Authority and other related agencies are working towards merging the database of Ghanaians.

    This is one initiative that will help stamp out this criminal activity that has enriched many unscrupulous persons at the expense of the state.

  • Let’s uphold democracy in ECOWAS

    Abtvgh / Ecowas/.

    The military coup in Niger presents a diplomatic dilemma for the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) who are keen on entrenching a new democratic order.

    On July 26, members of Niger’s presidential guards detained President Mohamed Bazoum and announced a change of government – the fourth West African country to do so after Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.

    These military interventions are unfortunately coming at a time the region has made some strides in the last decade to shed its reputation as a “coup belt”, only for persistent insecurity and corruption to open the door to military leaders.

    The coup is seen as a major blow to many countries that viewed Niger as a partner in the Sahel region that could be used to beat back a growing uprising by groups linked to terrorists.

    An ECOWAS summit in Abuja ended with the imposition of a number of sanctions, including a no-fly zone over Niger.

    The bloc also issued a one-week ultimatum to the Abdourahmane Tchiani-led interim military government in Niger to restore constitutional order or risk the possible use of force.

    The ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff are meeting in Accra today and tomorrow to discuss a possible military intervention in Niger, regional military sources said last Tuesday, a source at ECOWAS confirmed.

    Ahead of the meeting, various groups, including academicians, politicians and security analysts have condemned ECOWAS’ move for a military intervention and rather called for a diplomatic effort to resolve the situation.

    The latest group to add its voice to the call is the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, which has indicated that it would be wrong for the government to take a unilateral decision on the matter without broad consultation.

    Created in 1975, the 15-nation bloc was designed to “promote economic integration across the region.

    ”Its principles centre around establishing a single trading unit, similar to policies under the European Union, that promote democratic governance and sub-regional cooperation.

    In this way, it is first and foremost an economic entity, not a military or political one.

    But ECOWAS has fangs.

    It has two defence protocols that say any threat against a member state is deemed a threat against the greater community. 

    And it has mustered troops to intervene in the past.

    So, when instability rocked Niger, the fourth country in the region to suffer a coup in recent times, ECOWAS saw intervention as part of its broader mission to support and protect West Africa.

    It is for this reason that the Daily Graphic calls for calm and not stampeding ECOWAS into taking decisions that will embolden the military to oust a constitutional order at the least opportunity.

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    Much as we agree to a call for a broader consultation on the crisis in Niger, we should also be mindful of the fact that constitutionally, ECOWAS has a duty to ensure that the rise in military coups in the sub region is halted and constitutionalism made to prevail at all times.

    After all, the West African leaders are not immediately intervening militarily; they are first pursuing the path of diplomacy and dialogue, which is why ECOWAS has continued its efforts of engaging diplomatically with Niger’s military junta.  

    For the Daily Graphic, the crisis in Niger is not just a test of the diplomatic skills of the leadership, but a test of the bloc’s commitment to shared African values. 

    The world is watching, and the stakes are high, so is our resolve that our leaders are not just negotiating for the present, but they are negotiating for our future and for the future of Africa even if it means military

    Let us resolve to support our leaders to halt the constitutional insanity.

    With a firm resolve and unyielding commitment, we must deepen the constitutional order and usher in a new era of zero tolerance for military takeovers.

    ECOWAS must send the right signal to the military that it has the right to enforce a constitutional order, an order not marked by war, but by peace; not by division, but by unity; not by intimidation, but by mutual respect, and if diplomacy and persuasion fail, force must then be applied.

    It is a daunting task, no doubt, but it is one we must embrace with both hands, by having faith in our leaders to come up with a lasting solution at the Accra summit today.

  • Don’t undermine Parliament oversight role

    Abtvgh / Parliament Role

    Since the country returned to democratic governance under the Fourth Republic, Parliament has often witnessed the governing political party winning majority seats in the House.

    This makes it easy for the governing party to have its way in the passage of bills and agreements, among others

    However, the 2020 parliamentary election results produced a hung Parliament – the governing party with 137 seats and the opposition also with 137 seats; and one Independent Member of Parliament (MP) who chose to do business with the governing side, giving the governing party a slight majority in the House.  

    With the hung Parliament, many people, including civil society organizations and development partners, believed that it was time for Parliament to flex its muscles by scrutinizing bills and contracts, exercising its oversight responsibility more forcefully and seeking to build consensus.

    It is worthy to note that the hung Parliament has witnessed instances where aspects of the budget had been rejected, with some members from the governing party side voting against their party position, particularly in the vetting of ministerial nominees and some oversight responsibilities.

    During a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V on August 7, 2023 by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin (see Wednesday, August 9, 2023 edition of the Daily Graphic), the outspoken chief deplored the “unserious” attitude and gestures of parliamentarians.

    He minced no words when he said: “We don’t joke in Parliament; we voted people to Parliament on our behalf for serious parliamentary business, not for people to go and laugh when serious issues are being tabled.”

    Nana Nketia’s point has been reinforced by the Director of Programmes and Policy Engagement of the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana), Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante, who urged MPs to conduct the business of the House in ways that will benefit the citizens. 

    The Daily Graphic believes that the hung Parliament is an opportunity for parliamentarians from both sides of the House to work together and build consensus for the good of the country.

    We, therefore, agree with both leaders that our elected representatives must attach seriousness to the work they do in Parliament because the House is the embodiment of the sovereignty of the people of Ghana.

    Being the first of its kind under the Fourth Republic, there are bound to be challenges under the hung Parliament but with fortitude and determination, the Daily Graphic is convinced that Parliament can overcome any challenge that hinders the country’s democratic process.

    Ghanaians must begin to benefit from the work of Parliament in a manner that will make them rise up to defend the Constitution.

    We must also begin to see the various committees of Parliament, especially the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurance, hold ministers and other government appointees to account to deliver on their promises.

    The Public Accounts Committee must also be given some more teeth to bite where necessary.

    We must move away from the era of working along party lines and allow the national interest to supersede party positions.

    After all, our MPs are elected to serve the interests of their constituents.

  • Cylinder Recirculation Model must work

    Abtvgh / Recycle Model Work

    Last week, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) announced the commencement of the implementation of the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM).

    Under the model, residents of Accra and Kumasi will exchange empty cylinders for already filled ones at cylinder exchange points in the two regions after they have registered with their national identification cards or any other form of identification.

    The policy is to increase uptake of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) by at least 50 per cent to consumers by 2030 and improve safety in the distribution value chain.

    Already, the CRM has been piloted in some areas in the Eastern, Ashanti and Northern regions, and the NPA has given an assurance that the lessons learnt during the pilot have shaped the phased implementation, which begins next month.

    In October 2017, a large-scale gas explosion occurred at Atomic Junction at Madina, Accra, when an offloading LPG tanker Bulk Road Vehicle (BRV) caught fire.

    The incident further strengthened the arguments for a new model that is safer and more efficient.

    The CRM idea started in 2013 under the LPG for Development Programme under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy.

    The 2017 explosion ignited a further discussion on policy options and implementation at the time.

    Operators of gas filling stations kicked vehemently against the policy.

    The Cabinet has since approved it and directed the NPA through the Ministry of Energy to implement it.

    Although the Daily Graphic welcomes the introduction of the CRM, there have been genuine concerns expressed by citizens since the announcement.

    These, we believe, will be addressed through consultation and dialogue during implementation.

    According to the NPA, a lot of consultation has happened and is still ongoing.

    It has been several years of policy making, preparation and now time for implementation.

    Four bottling plants are ready and rollout is certain. 

    One of the main concerns raised over the new policy is that it will lead to job losses.

    However, the NPA has assured the public that there would be no job losses; in fact the increased volumes of LPG consumption will create more jobs for dealers and resellers in every nook and cranny of the country in the quest to bring LPG to the doorstep of the consumer. 

    The announcement outlines that the distribution systems will operate side by side with phase-out happening over a period.

    Another concern is whether the existing system will be shut down outrightly.

    Under the new policy, LPG outlets will operate as either Exchange Points or Auto Gas Outlets.

    Existing outlets will continue to operate over time and transition to one of the aforementioned based on their delivery volumes for either domestic or vehicular demand.

    They will also be accessed based on risk factors and health and safety standards based on their location. 

    The Daily Graphic is of the view that there must be opportunities to retrain those who work in the existing value chain of these filling stations for their absorption into the CRM processes such as the bottling plants or distribution chains, especially in new opportunities under the CRM, such as health and safety training and monitoring of the value chain.

    The Daily Graphic is happy to note that the concerns of users of LPG as to whether they could buy any quantity of the product they could afford, and exchange of their cylinders have been addressed.

    Those who own cylinders will exchange them for new ones from bottling plants and these will come in a variety from 3kg, 6kg, 14.5kg, 15kg and so on.

    Cylinders will be maintained and monitored at every opportunity when they go back to the bottling plants to be refilled.

    They will either pass the test, be rejected for refurbishment or scrapped.

    This gives the consumer protection from leaky and damaged cylinders.

    The various sizes of cylinders provide the consumer a variety to choose from depending on affordability. 

    The Daily Graphic notes that the price of gas will not be affected under the policy, with the likelihood of standard prices across the board under the CRM.

    That is good news.

    The NPA has also promised continued consultation and public education to engage better on the policy and come out with full information as the rollout begins, particularly on the report of the pilot, lessons learnt and how they could be incorporated into the phased-out implementation to start next month.

    The Daily Graphic expects collaboration and further engagement between the NPA and its key stakeholders to ensure a successful rollout. 

    It is also important for the NPA to clarify other concerns raised since the announcement.

    Although gas explosions have necessitated a more stringent regulation, the problem still occurs in homes.

    And we think the introduction of new cylinders and maintenance of same will go a long way to sanitise the sector and safeguard households.

    But we urge the NPA to expand its sensitisation, especially in communities with information on safety in the use of gas.

    We all need assurances from the NPA to make the CRM a success.

  • Scholarship for more local students right decision

    Abtvgh / GETFund

    On August 1, 2023, the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) paid GH¢25.3 million of the annual fees on behalf of 4,279 students of various universities and colleges in the country.

    The awardees enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate programmes in those institutions.

    This time, more scholarships were awarded to applicants studying in local universities and colleges, a major shift from previous years when GETFund scholarships went in favour of Ghanaian students studying abroad. 

    The number of successful applicants this year, according the GETFund, is 63 per cent higher than the 2,704 recipients for last year. 

    The Daily Graphic learnt that some 300 qualified applicants are yet to take advantage of the scholarship and wish to urge them not to waste the opportunity availed to them as more than 17,000 applicants may be awaiting their turn.

    The beneficiaries must justify the investments made in them by studying hard and obtaining the needed grades to remain on the scholarship scheme.

    They need to know that their continuous sponsorship by GETFund is directly linked to their academic performance and the fund will not hesitate to withdraw the scholarship of those who fail to attain the required grades.

    Moreover, GETFund reserves the right to withdraw their scholarship in the event that they are beneficiaries of other scholarship scheme(s) or based on misconduct and also deferment of programme without prior written approval from the Administrator of the GETFund.

    The Daily Graphic commends the management of GETFund for veering away from awarding scholarships to Ghanaian students to pursue university courses abroad at an exorbitant cost, when those students could have taken the same courses locally.

    The cost of sponsoring one student to pursue a programme in a foreign university is equivalent to training over 22 medical doctors locally.

    For the 2022/2023 academic year for instance, the average cost of training a first-year medical student locally, even as a fee paying student is about GH¢12,000 annually, while same students, pursuing Medicine in any UK university will pay not less than £19,000 annually.

    In addition to this £19,000, the government pays warm clothing allowance, books allowance, a monthly stipend, among others, and so, annually, a student pursuing a programme in a foreign university requires not less than £23,000.  

    It is a fact that formerly, while a local student was denied GH¢20,000 to pursue a programme in a local university, his counterpart seeking scholarship to pursue an almost similar programme in a university in the UK was granted a £13,000 tuition fee as well as some reasonable amount of pounds sterling to cover warm clothing and books allowances, a monthly stipend and others annually for two years.

    Unfortunately, most of those students end up refusing to return home after they had been trained with the taxpayer’s money, thereby denying the country their expertise, the reason for which they were sent out there.

    It is not uncommon to hear now and then students on government scholarship outside the country complaining of not receiving funds from the government as they should.

    Last year, when the Russia-Ukraine war erupted, Ghana had to evacuate its students studying there and most of them are continuing their programmes in Ghana.

    That means that whatever they are being taught in those foreign universities is similar to or the same as what is done locally.

    The Daily Graphic cannot understand how management of the fund did not see the waste that went on when such amounts could have been used to train so many professionals instead of one individual.

    Ghanaians cannot fathom why such decisions were taken and nobody, including our representatives in Parliament, ever raised any red flags.

    So, if the management and board of GETFund find it prudent to rather invest in our universities by sponsoring students to pursue programmes locally, we cannot but applaud this decision.

    Indeed, that is the way to go and there should be no turning back.

    This decision by GETFund is not only saving the national purse, it is also a way to sustain the local universities so that they are not starved of funds.

    For us to attain the much-touted Ghana Beyond Aid objective, strengthening our educational institutions to produce the needed human capital is non-negotiable and the step GETFund has taken is in the right direction.

  • Lithium policy must meet Ghanaians aspirations

    Abtvgh / MLNR

    There has been a big conversation about Africa’s approach to natural resources management over the years, which has led to the continent becoming the poorest in the world, despite its wealth in natural resources.

    African countries have generally been blamed also for not doing well in negotiations with companies in the extractive sector, partly due to corruption, incompetence, political instability and short-sightedness, which results in countries settling for less.

    These issues are usually worsened by illicit financial flows from the extractive industry. 

    These are conversations that resonate with many Ghanaians and civil society organisations in the country, particularly because Ghana is a resource-rich country.

    Fact is the country is endowed with abundance of natural resources, including arable land, forests, water bodies and precious minerals.

    However, these resources are in the main finite and require proactive measures to nurture and protect for the collective good now, and importantly, for the next generation.

    Ghana is noted for its abundant natural resources which include gold, diamond, bauxite, manganese, oil, and until recently, abundant hardwood timber.

    The mining sector has played an important part in the country’s economic development, providing jobs for our people and revenue to the government to support other initiatives.

    The country has discovered lithium and other green minerals in commercial quantities with the unpalatable experience of the country deriving less benefit from over a century of mining gold.

    Fortunately, Cabinet has approved a new policy for the exploitation, management and regulation of lithium and other green minerals in the country.

    Often referred to as “minerals of the future”, green minerals are metals and other mineral resources that are needed to support the transition to clean energy technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

    A wide range of minerals that fall under the umbrella of green minerals include bauxite, cobalt, copper, lithium, granite, manganese and nickel.

    The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, told the Abtvgh last Thursday that Cabinet approved the policy on July 27 this year after a rigorous interrogation.

    The new Green Minerals Policy, thus amends the Mining and Minerals Policy of 2014 to include robust and progressive regimes that would enable the country to reap optimum benefits from lithium and other green minerals. 

    It became clear that the exploitation of the natural resources was non-negotiable.

    However, it must be done sustainably and responsibly.

    It is imperative, therefore, for the government to do whatever it takes to ensure that the exploitation and utilisation of these green minerals are done, not only in an environmentally sound manner but also in a way that ensures optimal benefit to the people of Ghana.

    This government must never compromise on its resolve. 

    The Abtvgh holds the position that much as a lot has been said, done and achieved, it is time to take the multi-stakeholder route to commit to a national action plan to ensure that only the right things are done in the natural resource sector, and any bad lots expeditiously punished.

    We believe that to secure a more sustainable future, all citizens must approach natural resource management more holistically.

    This will entail balancing economic progress, environmental conservation and social welfare with national revenue and growth or developmental aspirations. 

    The Abtvgh is urging that the overarching goal of the new policy must anchor on the principle that the exploitation of green minerals must benefit Ghanaians who are the true owners of the resource.

    The building blocks for the green minerals exploitation must be different from what exists with gold in particular.

    The country must strive to create a healthier environment by carefully leveraging the natural resource endowments for our long-term collective good. 

    The paper calls on all to commit to take action, learning from what has been done over time, to make a difference for the environment and communities for the future. 

    This can be achieved by caring and working together to create a sustainable future for all Ghanaians; living and unborn.