Kofi Ahovi

  Autochek, the automotive technology company facilitating auto financing across Africa, has secured $13.1m in seed funding to scale its technology as well as accelerate expansion on the company’s growth rate. As part of Autochek’s growth strategy, the capital will be deployed to bolster its core auto loan processing platform and deepen its footprint in West Africa, starting with its recent entry into Cote d’Ivoire. Additionally, the company is rapidly expanding its footprint across East Africa, following its recent acquisition of Cheki Kenya and Cheki Uganda, East Africa’s leading online auto marketplace. Launched in October 2020 and operational across five East and West Africa countries -- Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Cote d’Ivoire; Autochek combines technology, underpinned by data analytics to deepen auto finance penetration across the continent. Since its pre-seed raise in November 2020, the platform has achieved rapid traction across its business, most notably in the area...

  The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta will present the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government for the 2022 Financial Year to Parliament on November 17, 2021. The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu made this known in Parliament on Tuesday (October 26). The Ministry of Finance had earlier announced November 15 as the presentation date. But announcing the new date, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu advised Members of Parliament to scrutinise the budget before approving it. He said they were expected to approve the budget by December 17, which means they have very little time to scrutinise it. ...ideally a Parliament should spend about eight weeks in interrogating budgets [but] we don't have the luxury of time. Read also: ‘Ghana is on verge of bumper maize harvest’- Agric Minister We are not going to be able to spend eight weeks interrogating the budget. We only have about four weeks and that is why I will entreat the committees to act in conjunction with the...

 Mining companies have denied making windfall profit from the high gold prices to warrant paying a special levy to help plug the revenue gap and revive the economy. Making a case on their behalf, the Ghana Chamber of Mines said beyond the rise in the cost of production of the companies, the fiscal regime already catered for windfall profits by making it possible for the state to exact more revenue from businesses that made higher profits. Consequently, the chamber said, it was unfair for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to call for a special levy on mining firms to shore up revenue generation and support the economic revitalisation process. It said the current fiscal regime governing the operation of the mining companies also made such a proposal counter-productive, unrealistic and unsustainable to the sector's prospects. While companies in other sectors of the economy pay 25 per cent of their profit as corporate tax, mining firms pay 35 per cent in corporate tax. Also, three of the...

  erceptions shall always be there in the political market place, be it for the NPP, NDC or the minority parties. It is a fact that the UP-NPP has been tagged as anti-Voltarian (due to the Akan-vrs-Ewe Schism) dating back to colonial days, and that was even re-fueled in the early 70's in the 2nd Republic, in a Parliamentary debate between Dr. Obed Asamoah (Biakoye Constituency), and the late J.H. Mensah (Sunyani East Constituency) then a Finance Minister in Busia's government (1969-1972), asserted Obed was being inward looking in the debate. Where Dr. Obed Asamoah is said to have fueled it overboard by claiming, does JH Mensah mean Ewe's are inward looking? It is also a fact that the P(NDC) has also been tagged as anti-Akan party, due to this same Akan-vrs-Ewe Schism. In his book, "The Ghana Revolution", the late Prof. Kofi Awoonor, a former PNDC member in the Jerry Rawlings Military rule (1983-1993), who preached for Ewe's hegemony, claimed, the 1983 Rawlings...

  The innovative TV Show, “ Touch of France” , hosted by He Anne Sophie Ave, Ambassador of France to Ghana, was awarded “TV show of the year” at Ghana Media and Entrepreneurship awards ceremony. “Touch of France” is a weekly infotainment showing French culture and language and also showcases the cultural exchange between both countries. Each episode addresses a different theme and explores the contribution of France to the said them. The programme also unveils the collaborations of France with Ghana in relation to the theme of the week. Season One, which aired from November 2020 to February 2021, highlighted diverse themes ranging from football, health, fashion to gastronomy, business, music or holidays. Currently in its second season, another set of areas like literature, cars, SDGs, heritage, diplomacy, languages or dance are the focus of discussion and currently airs on GHOne, Metro TV and OMY TV. What makes the show popular is the choice of addressing the subjects with invite...

  The Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has said until world leaders strive to curb poverty among indigenous communities, the effort to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and also combat climate change will remain a daunting challenge. He said reducing poverty required empowering the people to earn decent livelihoods to encourage them to support both local and global interventions. The Okyenhene, who was addressing participants at a royal dialogue on climate change and the SDGs at the Ofori Panin Fie in Kyebi in the Eastern Region yesterday, added that “sustainable development can only work when the people who live in indigenous areas own the process and the results”. The reason the implementation of the SDGs and the fight against climate change have not worked over the years, even though they have made impressive strides in curbing extreme poverty, is that they are somewhere. They have to be local and the people who are going to benefit have to participate,” ...

 The Ranking member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, John Abdulai Jinapor, has called on the government to suspend the Special Petroleum Tax on petroleum products in the 2022 budget. That, he explained, would provide some respite for Ghanaians from the high cost of fuel at the pump. We make this demand because crude prices which were pegged at a benchmark price of $54.75 dollar per barrel in the 2021 budget statement has risen to over $85 representing an increment of over 55 per cent,” he stated on behalf of the Minority in Parliament. Addressing a press conference in Parliament House yesterday, Jinapor said as a net exporter of crude oil, Ghana’s revenue receipts from petroleum exports were expected to increase from the initially projected figure of $800 million to more than $1.2 billion. What this means is that the nation is making huge unanticipated revenues from crude exports hence the need to abolish the Special Petroleum Tax to ameliorate the suffering of the ...