Kofi Ahovi

 Ghana's rich mineral resources, particularly gold, have been a significant contributor to the country's economy, driving growth and development. The mining sector contributes substantially to GDP, averaging 12.2% annually over the past decade. It also accounts for 13.18% of total revenues collected by the Ghana Revenue Authority over the past ten years. The sector has also attracted over $6 billion in direct investment since 1986, making Ghana a leading gold producer in Africa and sixth-largest globally. The mining sector's resilience and importance to Ghana's economy underscore its role in funding public services, infrastructure projects, and promoting economic growth. Corporate Social Responsibility: Investing in Communities Beyond its economic contributions, the mining sector is deeply committed to the well-being of the communities in which it operates. Many large mining companies have established dedicated foundations or trust funds aimed at community development. ...

This article is not about NPP or NDC government. It is about the Government of Ghana as a continuum and how the actions and inactions of policymakers and their implementing agencies have created the current status quo we have in the telecoms industry. The Government of Ghana used to own 100% of Ghana Telecom before 70% was sold to Vodafone for US$900 million in 2006. Since then, government has always held 30% golden shares in what became Vodafone Ghana, and now Telecel Ghana. Similarly, through the Ghana National Petroleum Authority (GNPC), government established Westel in partnership with US-based Western Wireless. Westel then became Zain, and later Airtel. Over the transition period, government, through GNPC held some 35% golden shares in the company. Then when Airtel merged with Tigo to form AirtelTigo, government’s shares was reportedly recalibrated to 10%. But now government owns 100% of AirtelTigo (now AT Ghana), which it purchased for US$1 , after both Airtel (Bharti) and Tigo (...

  OpenAI and its main backer Microsoft are being sued by a news non-profit in the United States for alleged copyright infringement, the latest in a series of legal cases taken by news organisations against the tech giants. The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), which publishes Mother Jones and Reveal, said on Thursday that it had filed the lawsuit accusing the tech firms of using its content without permission in a “rebuke to artificial intelligence and its exploitative practices”. “OpenAI and Microsoft started vacuuming up our stories to make their product more powerful, but they never asked for permission or offered compensation, unlike other organisations that license our material,” Monika Bauerlein, CEO of the Center for Investigative Reporting, said in a statement. This free rider behaviour is not only unfair, but also a violation of copyright. The work of journalists, at CIR and everywhere, is valuable, and OpenAI and Microsoft know it.” OpenAI and Microsoft did not im...

The Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has announced the increase of cash grants for beneficiary households under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme. As a result of this increase, the government has released One Hundred and Three Million, Two Hundred and Fifty-One Thousand, Seventy-Two Ghana Cedis (GHC103,251,072.01) to pay the three hundred and twenty-four thousand and seventy-three (324,073) beneficiary households. The ministry in a statement dated Thursday, June 27, said the 89th cycle (January and February 2024) LEAP cash grant payment is scheduled to start on Monday, July 1, 2024, across the country. The ministry explained that this upward adjustment in the LEAP grant to beneficiary households follows a prior 100% increase in June 2023. According to the ministry, this significant increase in financial support underscores the government’s commitment to poverty alleviation and improving the quality of ...

Ghana emerged as the second-largest recipient of remittances in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, receiving an estimated $4.6 billion, according to the latest World Bank 2024 Migration and Development Report. Nigeria topped the list of the largest recipients of remittances in the region with an estimated $19.5 billion, followed by Ghana with $4.6 billion. Despite a slight overall decrease in remittance flows to the region, Ghana’s position underscores the significant role of remittances in the country’s economy. Other countries in the top ten categories for remittance recipients in Sub-Saharan Africa included Kenya in third place with an estimated $4.2 billion, Zimbabwe in fourth with $3.1 billion, and Senegal with $2.9 billion in remittances for 2023. The rest comprised the Democratic Republic of Congo with $1.4 billion, Uganda with $1.3 billion, Mali with $1.2 billion, and both Sudan and South Africa with $1.0 billion each. The World Bank noted that remittance flows to Sub-Saharan Africa w...

  The Azumah Nelson Sports Complex, located in North Kaneshie, Accra, is currently in a sorry state following years of neglect by authorities and governments. The facility was part of 10 Youth Resource Centers earmarked for construction in 2018 with a nine-month completion deadline, but several years down the line, the complex is currently in a state of disrepair. The facility was intended to serve as a multipurpose sports centre, accommodating over 40 different sporting disciplines upon completion. Previously known as the Kaneshie Sports Complex, the facility was built in the 1970s during the era of the Supreme Military Council under General Acheampong. The complex served as a training base for the Black Stars and other teams during the 1978 AFCON, which Ghana hosted and won. It was also frequently used for football matches, particularly by Accra Hearts of Oak and Great Olympics in the Ghana Premier League, while the Accra Sports Stadium (then called the Ohene Djan Stadium) was be...

  The Minister for Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has disclosed that the government’s newly launched Flood Early Warning System will be ready ahead of the next rainy season. Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony as part of the reconstruction of the Nima-Paloma drain as part of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, the minister explained that the flood early warning system will provide advanced notifications of flood-prone areas after each downpour, serving as a significant relief to residents in the capital. “The structural interventions alone cannot completely eradicate the flooding challenges in Accra, the Ministry of Works and Housing in collaboration with the Ghana Hydro Authority, Water Resources Commission, Ghana Meteorological Agency and NADMO through the GARID Project is establishing a flood early warning system for the Greater Accra Region.” “The early warning system will provide advanced notification of impending floods to residen...