The InfoAnalytics poll result that Mahama is ahead of Dr Bawumia is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2024 presidential elections, John Dramani Mahama, is leading the flag bearer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in the race to lead the country in 2025, a national opinion poll by Global InfoAnalytics has revealed.
The poll revealed that Mr Mahama leads with 54.3 per cent followed by Dr Bawumia, 34.9 per cent; the leader and founder of Movement for Change (M4C), Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, has 7.5 per cent, while the leader of the New Force Movement (NFM), Nana Kwame Bediako, has 2.3 per cent and others, one per cent.
The poll, which was released on April 8, 2024, and made available to the Daily Graphic using weighted polling data, said among first-time voters, Mr Mahama led Dr Bawumia with 52 per cent as against 33 per cent and among non-first-time voters, Mr Mahama led Dr Bawumia with 55 per cent to 35 per cent.
“In a twist at the regional level, Mr Mahama now leads in the North East Region with 58 per cent; Dr Bawumia, 26 per cent and Mr Kyerematen, 11 per cent,” it said. The poll indicated that in the turnaround for Dr Bawumia in the Ashanti Region, he had now regained the lead with 54 per cent; Mr Mahama, 31 per cent; Mr Kyerematen, 12 per cent, and Nana Kwame Bediako, 2 per cent.
Dr Bawumia also made a significant recovery in the Central Region, a critical and must win region for the NPP in the 2024 election. However, he still trailed Mr Mahama 45 per cent to 51 per cent.
A sample size of 6,128 voters were interviewed of which 5,928 responded to questions on who they intended to vote for in the December 2024 elections with a confidence level of 99 per cent and a margin of error of 1.66 per cent.
The Electoral Commission’s 2023 voters register was used as a sample frame while 30 per cent of constituencies from each region was randomly selected and allocated the regional quota based on total voters in each of the selected constituencies.
The field interviews were conducted between March 22 to March 30, 2024.
The newspaper says that a recent study on African ports’ digitalisation efforts has revealed that while progress is being made, there are still challenges to overcome.
The study, conducted by the Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP), reviewed the digitalisation status and policy environment of 31 countries and 39 ports across Africa.
The study revealed that African ports have an average digital maturity score of 2.76, with a wide range of maturity levels observed among different ports.
While some ports like the Port of Tema scored high in digital maturity, others lagged behind due to various factors such as the lack of investment in digital tools. Interestingly, the study found that the correlation between digital maturity and port performance is not always straightforward.
Some ports with high digital maturity levels exhibited low productivity, indicating that factors beyond digitalisation, such as equipment condition and labour environment, also play a significant role in port performance.
Trade facilitation policies were identified as key drivers for supply chain and port digitalisation, highlighting the importance of government initiatives in promoting digital transformation within the ports.
However, the study also noted a lack of policy direction and regulations to further invest in digitalisation, signalling a barrier to improving digitalisation levels within African ports.
Despite these challenges, the study found that a significant percentage of ports in Africa already have or are actively implementing a maritime single window (MSW), showcasing progress in digitalisation efforts.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Development Bank Ghana (DBG) has hosted a delegation from Germany’s Bundestag (Federal Parliament).
A statement issued by the bank in Accra yesterday said discussions during the meeting spanned DBG’s forward looking initiatives, including the Green Finance & Investment Facility and the DBG Guarantee product, highlighting DBG’s commitment to fostering economic resilience and sustainability.
The Green Credit Line (financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented by KfW) is envisaged to start implementation in the second quarter of 2024 in Ghana and is expected to complement DBG’s efforts in green financing.
The German delegation was led by Mr Volkmar Klein, MP, representing the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Mr Lutz Lienenkämper, the State’s former Finance Minister.
They were joined by Mrs Ramona Simon, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Ghana, alongside KfW Development Bank’s officials, namely Ms Sarah Christin Petrenz, Senior Portfolio Manager, and Mr Isaac Hagan, Portfolio Coordinator – Financial Sector, representing the German state-owned develop-ment bank’s Accra office.
The statement said a focal point of the visit was the introduction of the upcoming 3i Africa Summit slated for May 13-15, 2024, in Accra.
It said, “This summit promises to be a ground-breaking event, focusing on technology opportunities within Africa’s financial sector.”
“It aims to explore market dynamics, the leapfrogging of legacy technologies, and the crucial dialogues needed at the intersection of policy, finance, and technology. With a core emphasis on inclusion and sustainability, the 3i Africa Summit aspires to drive meaningful discourse and action¬able insights for the continent’s financial ecosystem,” the statement said.
The newspaper says that a new district housing programme to help address the country’s 1.8 million housing deficit is scheduled to take off this year.
This follows conclusion of discussions between the Ministries of Works and Housing and Finance to expand the operations of the National Homeownership Fund for the commencement of the programme.
The initiative will develop housing for public servants in the peri-urban areas and districts using local construction materials and blended financing cost.
According to the Minister-designate of Works and Housing, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the programme, which was one of government’s interventions to address Ghana’s housing deficits, would also include mortgages to support buyers.
Speaking at a validation workshop on Ghana’s new housing profile in Accra, yesterday, he said the fund was utilised to pilot developments in Community 22 at Tema by the TDC Company Limited.
Additionally, he noted that the government was engaging housing industry groups, including the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA), to develop an incentive package to attract private sector master developers in the development of affordable housing projects.
“We in Ghana need to understand that we cannot resolve a 1.8 million housing deficit without the partnership of the private sector through incentives. Competitor countries such as Kenya, Ivory Coast and others have put up very attractive packages and have already started benefitting.
GIK/APA