Ghana: Press zooms in on commitment of Delta Airlines to Ghanaian market, others

APA – Accra (Ghana)
The report that Delta Airlines has moved to dispel rumours circulating mainly on social media platforms suggesting that the aircraft serving African routes, particularly Ghana, are obsolete or unsuitable for travel is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Monday.
The Graphic reports that Delta Airlines has moved to dispel rumours circulating mainly on social media platforms suggesting that the aircraft serving African routes, particularly Ghana, are obsolete or unsuitable for travel.
The Managing Director of International Communications for Delta Airlines, Rahsaan Johnson, refuted these assertions, underlining the airline’s unwavering dedication to passenger safety and satisfaction, including those travelling to and from Ghana.
Mr Johnson underscored Delta’s numerous accolades, highlighting its consistent recognition as the most distinguished airline in the United States for customer service, satisfaction, reliability, and punctuality.
“Delta is the most awarded airline in the United States of America. For several years, at least 10 years, Delta has had the highest ranking in customer service, customer satisfaction, reliability, and most on-time performance,” he told the media in Accra.
He stressed that customers travelling from Accra have consistently rated Delta among their top choices for satisfaction across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
“Our focus in Ghana is to uphold the already high levels of customer satisfaction. Passengers flying with Delta from Accra consistently provide us with some of our highest satisfaction ratings across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East,” he remarked.
Addressing concerns about aircraft selection, Mr Johnson clarified that Delta operated a diverse fleet capable of serving global destinations, highlighting that the planes deployed on Ghana routes are also used for flights within the United States, Europe, South America, and beyond.
He specifically mentioned the Boeing 767-300 aircraft used for flights to and from Ghana, which caters to some of Delta’s most valued customers on routes like New York to Los Angeles.
The newspaper says that the push to exceed revenue targets directive without fostering innovation can indeed lead to counterproductive outcomes in the realm of tax collection.
When tax authorities are overly focused on surpassing these targets, it can create a pressure-cooker environment that might incentivise tax collectors to engage in negotiations with taxpayers that are more about personal gain than about the fair and equitable assessment of taxes.
This not only undermines the integrity of the tax system but also risks eroding public trust in tax administration.
In the face of challenging economic conditions, the traditional approach of enforcing tax collection to meet or exceed revenue targets is increasingly proving to be counterproductive. There is a need for a paradigm shift towards promoting and encouraging voluntary tax compliance as a sustainable and equitable strategy for the new Finance Minister, Amin Adams.
By fostering a cooperative relationship between the tax authorities and taxpayers, we can ensure a stable revenue flow, enhance public trust in governmental institutions, and contribute to a more resilient and inclusive economy.
Our country’s economic landscape is characterised by its dynamic yet volatile nature, with harsh economic conditions posing significant challenges to both citizens and the government. The role of taxation in this context is pivotal, serving as a primary source of revenue for the government to fund public services and developmental projects. However, the prevailing strategy of aggressive tax collection has not only strained the relationship between taxpayers and the government but has also been inefficient in the long run. The appointment of a new Finance
Minister presents an opportune moment to reevaluate and adopt a more sustainable approach.
The Ghanaian Times reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will tomorrow, February 27, present a message on the state of the nation to Parliament in Accra.
President Akufo-Addo’s address to the nation via parliament will be the last but one before his tenure expires on January 6, 2025.
The address is in pursuance to Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution which mandates the President to deliver an address on the state of the nation at the beginning of every session of Parliament.
Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution states that, “The President shall, at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before a dissolution of Parliament, deliver to Parliament a message on the state of the nation”.
The Business Statement, the programme line-up of Parliament for the week ending March 1, 2024, presented by the outgone Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, urged Members of Parliament to be punctual to the occasion.
“Pursuant to the convention of this House, Honourable Members are urged to be punctual and accordingly, be in the chamber by 9am as it is inappropriate for Members to enter or exit the chamber after the President entered the House to deliver his address,” the statement said.
Popularly referred to as SONA, the address offers the President the plat¬form to, through parliament, account to the citizenry on the health of the various sectors of the country.
The newspaper says that the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration shall establish a fintech growth fund with an initial seed capital of US$50 million to support indigenous companies in fostering the growth of the digital economy, former President John Dramani Mahama, has announced.
He said Ghanaians interested in coding will have the opportunity to participate in the ‘Coding for Employment Programme’ targeted to train one million coders with demand digital skills for the growing Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) ecosystems.
Former President Mahama was speaking at the closing of a two-day NDC LAB Policy Dialogue themed “Towards the 2024 Manifesto: Consolidating Our Thematic Group Policy Proposals”, from Thursday to Friday here at Peduase.
Mr Mahama, who is the flagbearer of the NDC for the December 7 general election, said the NDC, even in opposition, was working to hit the ground running on January 7, 2025, if elected.
“The novelty here is that we are doing this now as a government in waiting. We want to avoid being sworn into office on January 7, 2025 before commencing the preliminary phase of the work. Even out of government, we are spending resources to make this inventory hit the ground running.”
“We are ready. A lot is happening. I have the utmost confidence that very soon we (Ghanaians) shall see and have a feel of a manifesto that responds to the day-to-day needs of Ghanaians and leverages our shared aspirations and common identity when it is launched. A manifesto anchored on the people’s will. We are ready, and I am prepared to lead us in building the Ghana we want together,” he stated.
According to him, the enormity of the challenges “we face today and those we will uncover would mean that we must come into government with a clear plan and a strategy. We have the plan and strategy and know exactly what to do when sworn into office on January 7, 2025”.
GIK/APA