Kofi Ahovi

  The ARB Apex Bank Limited, which serves as a “mini” central bank for Rural & Community Banks (RCBs) says it is working with the relevant authorities to ensure that the National Identification Card is accepted at Rural Banks across the country as a valid form of identification. For some time now universal banks in the country have been engaging the National Identification Authority and the Bank of Ghana, for the National ID card to be used as a primary source of identification for conducting banking transactions In an interview with Citi Business News, the Acting Managing Director of ARB Apex Bank, Alex Kwasi Awuah, noted that rural banks across the country are ready to support the use of the Ghana Card as a primary source of identification for financial transactions. I can say that work is being done. We are in discussions with the relevant institutions that are introducing the card. I believe that in the nick of time, we will all come to a conclusion on the way forward.” But...

  Zipline, the global leader in instant logistics, today celebrates five years in flight since its launch in Rwanda in 2016. The company, which on average makes a delivery every four minutes, recently surpassed 200,000 commercial deliveries, the most of any unnamed aircraft system (UAS) company to date. This marks a significant acceleration over the last year after Zipline spent its first four years building to 100,000 deliveries. We set out five years ago with a goal to come as close to teleportation as possible—a goal many people found crazy at the time,” said Keller Rinaudo, co-founder and CEO of Zipline. “Since then, we’ve shown not just that automated, on-demand delivery can work, but also that it can transform systems like healthcare to make them more resilient—and we’re just getting started.” Zipline first launched blood deliveries in Rwanda in October 2016 and has since built the first and only automated, on-demand delivery service to operate at a multinational scale. Its s...

  The Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, has today donated assorted medical equipment at an estimated cost of GH₵ 6.5 million to the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health to support delivery of health services in the five northern regions of Ghana. The initiative is intended to support the country’s effort towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage by improving access to quality health services and strengthening the network of care within the Primary Health Care System in the Upper West, Upper East, Northern, North-East, and Savanna regions. Different types of medical equipment, numbering 18, were prioritized by the five regions using CHPS Database developed by the project. The equipment will enhance the provision of essential health services through the Life Course Approach.  Some of the equipment provided include Pulse oximeters, Glucometres, Haemoglobin meters, and their respective strips, BP apparatus, Stethoscope, Weighing and Height scales, ...

  A former Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, has advised the government to use money accrued from the price stabilisation and recovery levy (PSRL) to build strategic stocks of crude oil and use same to cushion consumers in the event of soaring world market prices of the commodity. While bemoaning the impact of the rising fuel prices on the economy and citizens, Terkper, who introduced the PSRL in 2015, said the situation could have been better if the government had carried through with the building of strategic stocks for rainy days. He told the Graphic Business in an interview yesterday that the levy was introduced as an avenue to procure and store crude oil whenever prices were low and release same into the market whenever the prices rose. He described it as a strategic policy decision by the previous administration to build buffers in the wake of Ghana becoming a lower middle-income country (MIC). Zero-rating Terkper, who was Finance Minister from January 2013 to January 2017, was...

  The National Media Commission (NMC) has appealed to Parliament to review and amend Act 445 of 1993, so as to empower the commission to enforce its mandate. The Commission is of the view that the current law that established it only allows it to order irresponsible media houses to apologize and retract their publications. It is therefore asking for more powers to be able to introduce stiffer punishment for media houses that publish false and inappropriate content. Speaking at a meeting between the commission and the expanded leadership of Parliament today (Oct 28), the Chairman of the NMC, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, said the current law was not fit for purpose. The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. The constitution says that additional responsibilities and additional powers can be given to the NMC by parliament. Sometimes when we bemoan the lack of power of the NMC, it means we have not been given the resources and enablement needed,” he stated. Provision o...

  The Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Josephine Nkrumah, has said the commission is streamlining its programmes to fuse in Ghanaian values to ensure that the youth have a sense of belonging. She said the NCCE’s programmes, which included constitutional week, citizenship week, democracy lecture, social auditing programmes, civic education clubs and dialogue series, would be anchored on the values inculcated into the younger ones. She stated this at an NCCE/National Security forum on national cohesion and inclusive participation governance for members of the Ashaiman Municipal Inter Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC). The day’s workshop was on the theme: “Empowering Ghanaians to stand for national cohesion and inclusive participation.” Indiscipline Answering a question on the increasing indiscipline among students, some of whom vandalised school properties and threatened people in leadership, she said “what is happening among the youth is frighten...

 The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has charged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to arm themselves with facts and data on projects to defend the records of the government. He said it was important for MMDCEs to ensure all planning officers at the assemblies took part in the process of updating the delivery tracker which accommodated all the projects undertaken by the government by close of the year in order to have the information on implemented projects on their fingertips. Dr Bawumia made the call when he addressed the closing ceremony of a two-day orientation programme for MMDCEs in Accra last Wednesday. Opposition propaganda Dr Bawumia said the Akufo-Addo administration had performed so well, and that record needed to be defended at every given opportunity. Doing that, he explained, would douse the “ propaganda” of the opposition National Democratic Congress ( NDC). Approach your work with confidence because our record will always be superior...

  The government has started the disbursement of GH¢2.3 million to the victims of the July 5, 2021 fire outbreak at Makola in Accra to mitigate the effects of the incident on their businesses. The emergency financial support fund is being disbursed by the Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG) through the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) to the 98 victims whose shops were affected by the inferno. The Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, yesterday met with the traders at the start of the disbursement exercise. Bank for traders Kyerematen hinted that the government would soon establish a bank for traders. The bank, he said, would have tailor-made loans with low interest rates to make traders competitive in the market to improve the overall economy. He said the government was already in consultation with the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) and other stakeholders regarding the establishment of the bank. The minister explained that trade and commerce played a critical role in...

  As part of its corporate social responsibility, ASA Savings and Loans has offered financial support to ten brilliant but needy students at Babiani in the Western-North Region. At a short ceremony, the financial institution presented a cheque for GH¢5000 to the ten Senior and Junior High students as its widow mite to cushion their education. All the beneficiaries are wards of ASA’s customers. The Bibiani Branch Manager of ASA Savings and Loans, Godwin Nelson, said the beneficiaries are children of low-income earners and loyal customers of the company, hence the support to ease their financial burden. Read also: Produce books to change Ghana’s development course – GAW to writers He noted that this year’s gesture will not be the first and last. “We’ll replicated it in the ensuing years. This is in line with the vision of ASA Saving and Loans to assist low-income earners in society to climb high on the economic ladder to transform their living.” On behalf of the beneficiary parents, ...

 MTN Ghana has presented the first five (5) brand new Eighth Generation Hyundai Sonata Vehicles to the first set of winners of the MTN @ 25 Mega Promo. The winners drawn from data collated from the first month of the promotion consist of 3 national winners and 2 regional winners selected from the Ashanti and Ahafo regions. The first five winners are Kofi Anane, Boakye-Yiadom Osei Owusu, Grace Amoah, Eric Osei Agyeman and Angela Dodzi Bakah. About 200 customers also received cash prizes up to GHC5,000 while 8,000 customers received airtime which were transferred to them digitally.   MTN Ghana expressed its commitment to continue to brighten the lives of Customers beyond the provision of distinct Customer Experience and telecommunication services. Noel Ganson, the Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Ghana said, “the Silver Jubilee celebration could not be complete without recognizing the significant contribution of our numerous Customers to the success of the company. With you, our C...

 A Ghanaian poultry company, Farming Academy is partnering with Agrofeed, a Hungarian company to establish a modern feed mill at Kwabeng in the Atiwa West District in the Eastern Region. The mill would produce feed on a large scale which would be used to cater for the Kwabeng- based Farming Academy and other poultry farms in the region to enable them to produce high-quality birds and eggs for the Ghanaian and international markets. The project would offer employment opportunities to a large number of unemployed youth in the area and surrounding communities, who would be engaged to work in the company. Announcing the partnership at a short ceremony at Kwabeng on Tuesday October 26, 2021, the Chief Executive Officer) of Farming Academy, Kwadwo Bempong Adom observed that the establishment of the mill will help provide quality feed to poultry farmers within the catchment area and beyond as well as provide job opportunity for the youth. The feed mill will help address the alarming rate ...

Facebook has renamed itself “Meta”. Company representatives say the move was done to emphasize its ‘metaverse’ vision. This comes after a myriad of scandals, including a whistle blower account of glossing over abuse of minors, secret harvesting of users’ sensitive data, and loads of privacy breaches. It also comes amidst a lawsuit by two former staffers against Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, his wife and their family office for alleged harassment, discrimination and non-payment of salaries. The change does not apply to its individual platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, only the parent company that owns them. The move follows a series of negative stories about Facebook, based on documents leaked by an ex-employee. Frances Haugen has accused the company of putting "profits over safety". In 2015, Google restructured its company calling its parent firm Alphabet, however, the name has not caught on. 'Our company is now Meta' Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg a...

  Airbus overcame new snags in its global supply chain to maintain a widely watched forecast for 600 jet deliveries this year, pushing its shares higher despite signs of labour shortages as the economy exits COVID-19 "hibernation". The world's largest planemaker lifted full-year profit and cash targets after profits held up better than expected in the third quarter, and refused to bow to industry critics who have questioned its bullish forecasts for jet production. Airbus shares opened up around 3%, ignoring a retreat in global stocks after a series of supply chain warnings, before easing back to stand 1% higher.  Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said the recovery towards pre-crisis output levels was under way after 15 months in which the European group kept its foot on the brake to avoid adding to a glut of aircraft during the airline industry's worst crisis. We observe labour shortages around the world impacting all sectors," Faury told reporters. "We are n...

  Newmont Corp, the world's top gold producer, cut its annual production target by 500,000 ounces on Thursday, citing a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic and other operational issues, after its quarterly adjusted profit missed market estimates. Miners have been hard hit by the pandemic-led rise in expenses as they implement COVID-19 prevention measures to ensure the safety of workers and surrounding communities, and from supply chain issues due to global restrictions on movement. The company said its Tanami mine in Australia was placed under care and maintenance due to COVID-19 restrictions, while Canadian sites witnessed pandemic-related absenteeism and a tightening of the labor market, pushing production lower in both the countries. Newmont also said its Boddington mine in Australia was hit by severe weather and operational delays, while production at its Nevada gold mines was expected to be at the lower end of its annual forecast ranges. The company raised its forecast for all-in s...

 African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina has said low levels of industrial manufacturing are hampering economic growth and development in Nigeria and many other African countries. He said Nigeria must accelerate its manufacturing sector through integration and a rapid progression up global and regional value chains where it has a comparative advantage. Adesina was speaking at a lecture titled Overcoming Binding Constraints to Competitive Manufacturing for Intra-Regional Trade, which he delivered at the inaugural edition of the Adeola Odutola Lecture Series on Tuesday in Abuja. The series is organized by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. The African Development Bank head said: “The continent has abundant natural resources, oil, gas, minerals, metals, agricultural and forest products, and the blue economy. But tragically and ironically, Africa’s massive natural resources have not translated into wealth.” He added: “The low level of industrial man...

Oracle and Orange  today announced that they have signed a collaboration agreement as part of a joint plan to accelerate cloud-led digital transformation in West Africa. Under the agreement, the two companies will assess plans to build Oracle Cloud regions using Orange’s infrastructure in Senegal and Ivory Coast. This aligns with a common objective of ensuring that all customer data is hosted locally, providing customers with cloud services that meet their data latency and performance requirements. The companies also announced plans to jointly offer cloud services for enterprises and public sector organizations in the West Africa, starting with offerings in Senegal and Ivory Coast. For this initiative, Orange plans to use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to complement its portfolio of enterprise-grade managed cloud services. Orange has an extensive footprint in West Africa, reaching more than 130 million customers in the region, and its B2B services are supported by its exten...

  Vivo Energy, the pan-African retailer and marketer of Shell and Engen-branded fuels and lubricants, has held its annual Safety Day across the whole company, reinforcing the importance of Health, Safety, Security, Environment & Quality (HSSEQ) at Vivo Energy. Safety Day is an opportunity for all employees and contractors at Vivo Energy to refocus on the importance of HSSEQ. This year’s event ─ “Competent + Prepared = Safer” ─ invited colleagues to record examples of visible safety leadership they had experienced across the business. Over 1,200 entries were submitted, across a range of categories including the environment, health, product quality, reputation, safety and security. The leading examples of safety improvement in each of these categories have been showcased and shared across to Group, to encourage replication of this best practice. Commenting on Safety Day, Grant Bairstow, Head of HSSEQ for the Vivo Energy Group said: “Safety is integral to our business and Vivo Ene...

  The Central Bank of Nigeria joined a growing list of emerging markets betting on government-backed digital money to cut transaction costs and boost participation in the formal financial system. The digital currency and its underlining technology called blockchain is expected to increase Nigeria’s GDP and remittances, President Muhammadu Buhari said in televised speech at the launch in Abuja, the capital. The issuance of the digital currency, called the eNaira, comes after the central bank earlier in February outlawed banks and financial institutions from transacting in or operating in cryptocurrencies as they posed a threat to the financial system.   Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), are national currency — unlike their crypto counterparts, such as bitcoin and ethereum, which are prized, in part, because they are not tied to fiat currency. The eNaira will complement the physical naira, which has weakened 5.6% this year despite the central bank’s efforts to stabilise t...

The Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai, has won the Woman of the Year Honour at the 6th edition of the EMY Africa Awards held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra. Patricia was among 30 outstanding personalities from diverse fields of endeavour who were celebrated at the awards ceremony for their remarkable commitment to societal progress. The Woman of the Year honorary award, which is the only female category in the all-male awards, celebrates a distinguished woman who is an inspiration to many people, has broken new ground or old barriers, and has contributed to the community and nation through her professional or volunteer leadership. Her citation reads, “You have contributed immensely to the telecommunications industry and continue to serve as a shining example to budding professionals. As the first Ghanaian CEO of Vodafone Ghana, you have championed various innovations in the industry, more so during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our board of patrons, faculty and secr...

 Chief Executive Officer of Solar Taxi, a Ghanaian electric vehicles (EV) company, Jorge Appiah has hinted that beginning from next year the company will start assembling electric cars in Ghana. Speaking on  21 Minutes with KKB , he said currently the company assembles electric motorbikes and tricycles in Ghana, which are patronized heavily by delivery service companies. According to him, the Ghanaian engineers at Solar Taxi, 90 per cent of whom are women, design the motorbike and tricycle models, import the components and assemble them at the company’s plants in Accra and Kumasi. This comes at a time when Ghana government, through the energy ministry, is leading the charge to ensure that is ready to welcome electric vehicles into the transportation system. The energy ministry and its stakeholders recently held the maiden EV conference in Ghana to set the tone for an EV industry in Ghana. The Solar Taxi boss noted that electric vehicles are fast becoming the new norm...