Ghana: Press spotlights strengthening of business ties between Ghana, Qatar, others

The report of an Investment/Business forum held as part of Ghana celebrations at the International Horticulture Expo 2023 in Doha, Qatar, which has been going on since October 2, last year is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Monday.
The Graphic reports that an Investment/Business forum has been held as part of Ghana celebrations at the International Horticulture Expo 2023 in Doha, Qatar, which has been going on since October 2, last year.
It was on the theme: Cultivating sustainability: investing in Ghana’s Agriculture and organised by the Ghana Promotion Authority (GEPA) and the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA).
It was attended by some businessmen and women in Qatar who were exploring investments in Ghana and some Ghanaian businessmen and women seeking markets to expand their businesses.
The forum also allowed participants to introduce their businesses.
There was also a panel discussion on “Sustainable Practices and Innovation in Agriculture” during which a Ghanaian female entrepreneur, Chief Executive Officer of Plot Enterprise Ghana Ltd, Mrs Patricia Poku Diaby, and the Director of Innovation on the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, Mr David Ofori shared their experiences on the subject.
On the Qatari side, the Head of Operations, Lulu supermarkets, a company with 23 hypermarket branches, Mr Simon Alexander and head of Business Development, at Baladna, Mr Francis Higgins shared their success stories.
Mrs Diaby, whose company is a cocoa processing facility, said contrary to the old order, customers were now demanding accountability and therefore called on businesses to keep up sustainable practices to expand.
Mr Ofori called for investments in Ghana to scale up capacity in its food supply chain.
He mentioned packaging, storage and reduction in post-harvest losses as areas which would benefit from partnerships and investments from Qatar.
Mr Higgins said from a number of 4,000 cows imported into Qatar in 2017 which provided 30 per cent of the state’s milk, the number of cows had increased to 27,000 satisfying a 100 per cent of its milk need.
The newspaper says that a World Health Organisation (WHO) assessment of physical activity in the country has shown that 22 per cent of adults aged 18 and above are not physically active.
It also indicated that 81 per cent of adolescents are also physically inactive.
Based on the fact that physical inactivity was one of the main risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, the WHO has called on the country to modify its road infrastructure to include walking and cycling infrastructure.
The impact of the recommendation — physical activity among the general population — is to help reduce the alarming rate of NCDs prevalence, morbidity and mortality in the country.
The recommendation was premised on a case study of physical activity in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) and its related health, social and economic impact using a WHO tool for estimating a country’s level of physical activity, and which was disseminated in Accra last Thursday.
It is known as the Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) for walking and cycling.
The two-day dissemination workshop was organised by the Ministry of Health and the WHO.
The Ghanaian Times reports that Ghana and Malta have renewed their resolve to strengthen cooperation for the benefit of their respective peoples.
To that end, a joint commission has been established to facilitate progress in all areas of mutual interest, and to see to it that the numerous agreements signed between the two are negotiated in stages.
The areas of negotiations include areas like higher education, aviation services, migration, and the hospitality industry, among others.
In addition to this, the two countries committed to increasing trade volumes as well as creating more opportunities for private investment.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo disclosed this at a joint press conference with his counterpart, President of Malta, Dr George William Vella, held at the forecourt of the Jubilee House last Friday.
This followed bilateral talks between the two countries held behind closed doors.
Dr Vella, was in the country for a three-day state visit and had in his delegation both public and private sector representatives.
He is the second leader from his country to visit Ghana in recent years.
Early on Friday, Ghana and Malta’s ministerial delegations met to strengthen the already friendly relations while also exploring new areas of mutual cooperation.
Discussions mainly focused on improving the volume of trade between Ghana and Malta, mutual support for candidates from the two countries vying for positions in international organisations, migration issues, the reform of global governance institutions, and the deepening of political consultation on matters of mutual interest.
At the conference the two leaders promised to collaborate to ensure reforms in the Security Council and also help resolve migratory challenges.
The newspaper says that registration of voters for the presidential and parliamentary elections will commence on May 7, this year, the Electoral Commission (EC) disclosed in Accra on Friday.
The 21-day exercise would end on Monday, May 27, 2024, the Commission said in a communique it issued after an Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting it had with the political parties in Accra on Thursday.
“The exercise will be conducted at the district offices of the Electoral Commis¬sion and in difficult-to-access Electoral Areas.
“Permanent centres will be set up at the district offices while mobile teams would be used to register eligible applicants in the difficult-to-access electoral areas,” the communique, signed by Michael Boadu, Acting Head of Public Affairs at the Commission, said.
Between Tuesday, May 14, 2024 and Tuesday, June 4, 2024, the communique indicated that the District Registration Review Committees would be sitting to consider registration challenges.
It said from Thursday, May 30, 2024 to Friday, June 14, 2024, application and compilation of transfer of votes and proxy votes would be executed.
The Commission is aiming to furnish the political parties with the provisional voters register between Tuesday, July 8, 2024 and Thursday, July 18, 2024 and exhibit same between Monday, July 15, 2024 and Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
The final register is expected to be presented to the political parties between Friday, August 30, 2024 and Thursday, September 5, 2024.
According to the election management body, no new Constitutional Instruments (CIs) would be introduced ahead of the registration exercise and the general election.
“The existing CIs will remain in force,” the Communique emphasised.
This means that “the date for the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections
GIK/APA