Ghana: Press zooms in on delivery of new train assembled in Poland, others

APA – Accra (Ghana)
The report that the new train assembled in Poland for railway transportation in Ghana has been handed over to the Ghanaian government at a ceremony in Poland is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press.
The Graphic reports that the new train assembled in Poland for railway transportation in Ghana has been handed over to the Ghanaian government at a ceremony in Poland
This is the first batch of 12 state-of-the-art trains from Poland, marking a pivotal moment for Ghana’s transportation sector.
It will be used on the new Tema-Mpakadan standard-gauge railway line.
It will transport passengers from Mpakadan through Kpong, Juapong, Doryumu all the way to Tema port and then the passengers can switch from the standard-guage line to a narrow-gauge line to take them all the way to the heart of Accra.
The Tema-Mpakadan railway line is a 97 km standard-gauge railroad constructed from Tema to Mpakadan to facilitate the movement of goods and people along the Eastern corridor of Ghana.
It complements and forms part of the multi transport system from the Tema port to the southern part of Ghana and to the inland port in the northern part of Ghana.
The development of that railway line is about 98 percent complete and it will be completed in 2024.
The line is part of a planned 1000 km Ghana-Burkina Faso interconnectivity project, which will connect Ouagadougou to the Port in Tema.
The newspaper says that the former President John Dramani Mahama has said that the country needs an honest and competent government to turn its economic fortunes around to better the lives of citizens.
He said the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) had lost ideas in managing the economy due to greed and corruption and added that it was only the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that could help restore hope to the people when voted back to power in the 2024 general election.
The flag bearer of the NDC, therefore, asked citizens not to lose hope, but vote massively for the NDC to rescue them from the “shackles” of the government.
Mr Mahama was speaking during a courtesy call on the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abukari II, at the Gbewah Palace in Yendi yesterday as part of his three-day “Building the Nation Tour” of the Northern Region.
The former president is expected to tour seven out of the 18 constituencies in the region.
They are Mion, Gushegu, Yendi, Tamale North, Tamale South, Sagnarigu and Tamale Central, where he would explain his vision to the electorate and also solicit their support.
“The country is in crisis and needs to be rescued from the prevailing high levels of incompetence, greed and corruption exhibited by government officials,” he said.
Mr Mahama expressed disappointment at the government for its inability to undertake the Yendi water supply project since assumption of office, saying: “I am very disappointed that the government has not been able to work on the project for about eight years now even after the NDC-led government did almost all the ground work for the take-off the project before we left office”.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has stressed the importance of incorporating cyber-security measures by the Controller and Accountant General Department (CAGD) to protect financial data in the country.
According to the Vice President, it was a key area that needed special attention, especially with the increasing prevalence of cyber threats to safeguard sensitive financial information to maintain the trust of clients and stakeholders.
Accountants, he said, “Must adapt to evolving technologies and regulations through continuous professional development to stay abreast of industry changes to ensure that they remain valuable contributors to economic growth”.
He said these in a speech read on his behalf by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, at the opening ceremony of the 2024 annual conference of the CAGD.
On the theme, ‘Enhancing Economic Growth Through Innovation and Adaptation,’ the two-day conference welcome about 700 delegates comprising heads of account from various ministries, departments, agencies, regional coordinating councils and other pertinent officers.
The conference hovered around the pivotal role of public sector accountants in revenue generation and the effective control of reduction of expenditures.
While the opening ceremony coincided with the inauguration of six brand new 4×4 vehicles by the Regional Minister for some of the regional offices, the closing ceremony witnessed the unveiling of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) manuals, by the Paramount Chief of Toase, Nana Yim Awere Ababio, who represented the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Dr Bawumia mentioned that by embracing innovation, accountants could go beyond traditional roles by becoming partners for businesses.
“Your ability to leverage technology, analyse data and navigate reg¬ulatory landscapes, positions you to enhance economic growth by contributing to the financial health and success of the organisations you serve,” he underlined.
The newspaper says that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has been given a month ultimatum to disburse compensation totaling GH¢1.4 million to farmers, who had their poultry birds destroyed due to the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza disease, between 2015 and 2018.
Out of the 41 farmers, only 16 have been paid compensation so far, although the money had been released to the MoFA for onward payment to beneficiaries, since 2022.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament issued the ultimatum in Accra yesterday, when officials of the MoFA appeared before the committee, to provide responses to audit infractions captured in the 2022 Auditor General’s report.
The report found that following the release of GH¢1,999,768.10 by the Ministry of Finance for the payment of compensation to farmers affected by the outbreak of disease from 2015 to 2018, only GH¢191,730.00 was paid to 10 farmers, leaving GH¢1,808,038.10 unaccounted for.
In response, Abdul Rashid Tahiru, Financial Controller, MoFA, noted that following the audit, an additional GH¢345,000 had been paid to some affected farmers, who presented the birds’ destruction certificate.
He explained that the farmers, who were yet to receive compensation, failed to submit the relevant documentation, including the destruction certificate and personal bank details for onward processing for payment.
GIK/APA