Ghana’s signing of the concessionary $2 billion support agreement with South Korea, a major financial boost for its development aspirations for the country is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Friday.
The Graphic reports that Ghana has signed a concessionary $2 billion support agreement with South Korea, a major financial boost for its development aspirations for the country.
The funds are made up of 66 per cent grant, with the rest being highly concessionary with a long-term repayment period and a longer grace period before repayments begin.
The Minister of Finance, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, signed the framework arrangement with South Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), a five-year assistance programme, to help finance the country’s infrastructure and other real sectors of the economy.
The Foreign Minister for Korea, Cho Tae-Yeol, signed for the Republic of Korea. Present at the signing ceremony were the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, and other dignitaries from both countries.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led Ghana’s delegation to Seoul, South Korea, for the Africa-Korea Summit. Aside from the Ministers of Finance and Foreign Affairs, the delegation also included the Minister of Trade and Industry, K. T. Hammond; the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, and the Minister of Health, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye.
The 2024-2028 Framework Arrangement, signed yesterday at the two-day 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, will bolster the implementation of Ghana’s key priority programmes spanning infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, energy, roads and transport, as well as information and communications technology (ICT) between this year and 2028.
The signing also marked a significant milestone in the two nations’ long-standing economic development partnership. “The signing of the 2024-2028 Framework Arrangement represents a renewed commitment to our shared vision of sustainable development and prosperity,” Dr Amin Adam stated, underscoring the strategic importance of the deal.
The newspaper says that today marks Green Ghana Day, an annual event dedicated to planting tree seedlings across the nation.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, is calling on Ghanaians and residents of the country to participate actively in this year’s event targeted at planting 10 million tree seedlings.
Since the inception of the Green Ghana initiative in 2021, the programme has seen the successful planting of over 41 million trees. Addressing the press last Tuesday, Mr Jinapor highlighted the remarkable progress made, stating that approximately 30 million of the trees were thriving at different stages of growth.
He emphasised the significant success of the project, particularly the 2022 edition, which saw a record 24 million trees planted. “In the maiden edition, we targeted five million trees and planted over seven million. By 2022, we aimed for 20 million and exceeded it by planting 24 million trees. Last year, we planted over 10.7 million trees,” the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources said.
“This brings our total to over 41 million trees,” the minister stated and also highlighted the impressive survival rates: “67 per cent in 2021, 72 per cent in 2022, and a staggering 81 per cent in 2023,” he added.
For the 2024 edition, scheduled for today, Mr Jinapor gave an assurance that all necessary preparations had been made to meet the target of planting over 10 million trees. He confirmed the acquisition of enough seedlings and acknowledged the essential role of the private sector in supporting the initiative, saying the government had allocated GH¢1.5 million for the project this year.
As part of the day’s events, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will lead a commemorative tree planting exercise at Nicholson Stadium, Burma Camp, in Accra. The theme for this year: “Growing for a Greener Tomorrow,” serves as a call to action for all Ghanaians to join in the global effort to combat climate change by planting and nurturing trees.
Mr Jinapor urged the public to engage with the project actively, plant trees and take responsibility for their growth. He emphasised the government’s commitment to sustainable forestry practices, ensuring that the country’s timber resources are managed responsibly.
The Ghanaian Times reports that The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, has reaffirmed the government’s dedication to improving water supply infrastructure plants in the country. She said with continued efforts and necessary funding, the goal is to enhance water distribution and ensure that water, a vital resource, was accessible to all citizens.
She made these remarks during a working visit to the Kpong and Weija treatment plants in the Eastern and Greater Accra regions on Tuesday, where she familiarised herself with the operations and challenges confronting the facilities.
The Minister said “even though the two treatment plants produce over two million gallons of water daily, transmitting this water to our homes sometimes becomes a challenge, as not all the produced water reaches its intended destinations due to leakages in the pipelines,”
She highlighted the importance of replacing all damaged and leaking main pipelines that serve the entire Greater Accra Region.
The newspaper says that Citizens Eye Ghana (CITEG), a civil society organisation, has declared its support for the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
According to the organ¬isation, it had reviewed Dr Bawumia’s 70-point policies for implementation if elected president and found them capa¬ble of furthering the country’s development.
At a press conference in Ac¬cra on Wednesday, the General Manager of the group, Kwame Osei Bempah, expressed confidence in the candidate’s extensive knowledge, experi¬ence, humility, and unwaver¬ing commitment to Ghana’s prosperity.
He said, “It is only Dr Bawumia who can easily lead the NPP to break the eight and retain political power in the forthcoming elections.”
Mr Bempah said the organi¬sation was aligned with the gov¬erning NPP because the party had outperformed all govern¬ments in the Fourth Republic in terms of development.
GIK/APA
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