The statement by the Narcotic Control Commission (NACOC) that it has not issued any person or institution with a licence to cultivate cannabis in Ghana and the passage of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation Bill, 2020 by the Parliament are some of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Tuesday.
The Graphic reports that the Narcotic Control Commission (NACOC) has said that it has not issued any person or institution with a licence to cultivate cannabis in Ghana.
The Commission has thus reiterated that the illicit use and cultivation of cannabis remains an offence under Narcotic Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019) which was passed in March this year.
According to a public notice issued by the Commission, “any person who engages in the cultivation as well as promotes any business relating to cannabis without lawful authority, proof of which lies on that person, commits an offence”.
However, the Commission noted that cannabis with not more than 0.3 percent THC is a different specie from the known cannabis sativa widely grown and abused in Ghana.
“It is worth mentioning that the cannabis with not more than 0.3% THC content on a dry weight basis for industrial purpose for obtaining fibre or seed or medicinal purposes, as stated in section 43 of the Act, is a cannabis specie different from the known cannabis sativa widely grown and abused in Ghana,” the notice said.
The newspaper says that the Parliament has passed the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation Bill, 2020.
The Bills seeks to establish the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation to promote and develop a petroleum and petrochemicals hub in the country.
The project is part of the strategic development initiatives of the government to promote socio-economic growth and is targeted at strategically positioning Ghana as a hub for the petroleum downstream industry in the West African sub-region and the world at large.
It will be designated as a free zone area to be situated within the Bonyere Traditional Area in the Jomoro District in the Western Region.
A memorandum accompanying the Bills said the petroleum and petrochemicals hub would be engaged in the supply of petroleum and petrochemical products to satisfy the demands of the domestic market and the West African sub-regional market.
The Graphic also reports that the National Cybersecurity Advisor Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako says the lack of successful investigations and consequent prosecutions has led to increased cybercrimes because cybercriminals have not been deterred enough.
According to him, the challenges are further compounded by the difficulty in investigating and prosecuting cybercrimes due to its technical and cross border nature.
Speaking at a workshop on cybercrime and electronic evidence for criminal justice officials as part of this year’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) in Accra on Monday, October 26, 2020, Dr. Antwi-Boasiako, said “Even where successful investigations and prosecutions have been carried out, the sentences for some of these offences are not deterrent enough to prevent reoffending.”
The workshop, organised with support from the Council of Europe and UNICEF Ghana brought together judges, prosecutors, officials from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and other security officials.
The month-long NCSAM is meant to educate children, the public, businesses and government stakeholders on cyber hygiene best practices, consistent with the Safer Digital Ghana campaign.
The Times says that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has signed a four-year agreement with sports retail outfit Decathlon Ghana as its official sports retail partner.
The partnership, which will span four football seasons beginning 2020/21 to 2023/24, will have the French company mount sales points for the sale of all GFA merchandise, including the recently launched national teams’ jerseys.
Under the deal, Decathlon Ghana will provide 1000 Kipsta balls valued at Ghc150,000 for a year’s duration.
The GFA will also receive other complementary sports products valued at GH¢100,000.00 per year, totaling GH¢400,000 for the period.
Chief Executive Officer of Decathlon Ghana, Mr.. Kwesi Tabury, noted that the deal was to fulfil the company’s mission to impact positively on the women’s game which will be the main beneficiaries of the deal.
The newspaper reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commissioned a rehabilitated Kpong Generation Station Retrofit Project (KGSRP) which aims to, among other things, cut the carbon emissions of the plant by 400,000 tons.
The newly commissioned plant at Akuse in the Eastern Region is expected to operate in an efficient and reliable manner to produce clean energy
The electromechanical components of the four generating units of the Kpong Generating Station have been upgraded to bring the station to a new condition to ensure that it operates efficiently for the next 30 years.
The project forms part of the President’s commitment to take practical and proactive steps to mitigate the impact of climate change on the planet.
President Akufo-Addo also launched the distribution of the 500,000 improved cookstoves project to provide clean cooking solutions by scaling up the use of LPG in households.
GIK/APA