The second Kofi Annan Peace and Security (KAPS) Forum scheduled for Wednesday, December 8 and Thursday, December 9, 2021, at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Tuesday.
The Graphic reports that the second Kofi Annan Peace and Security (KAPS) Forum scheduled for Wednesday, December 8 and Thursday, December 9, 2021, at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.
The forum is Africa’s biggest forum that addresses contemporary peace and security issues on the continent.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is the Special Guest of Honour at the annual event which provides the podium and fodder for political leaders, diplomats, scholars and experts to dialogue and take steps to address nagging security issues threatening peace in Africa.
Six African former presidents and two former prime ministers will participate in the two-day forum.
They are Ghana’s two former presidents, Mr J.A Kufuor and John Mahama; former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia; former President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone’, former President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria; and Niger’s former President Mahamadou Issoufou.
Two former prime ministers from Guinea, Mr Kabine Komara and Lansana Kouyate, will also be attending the high-profile forum.
Also on the list of personalities are Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, ECOWAS Special Envoy to Guinea and Chairman of the KAPS Forum; Mr Elhadj As Sy, the Chair of the Board of the Kofi Annan Foundation; Maj Gen Ofori, Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre; Ms Hannah S. Tetteh, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the AU and Head of the UN Office to AU, among other dignitaries attending the forum.
The two-day programme, which is being jointly organised by KAIPTC and the Kofi Annan Foundation in Geneva, is on the theme: ‘Democracy and Governance in the Context of Complex Crises in Africa’.
The newspaper says that the government has made concessions in the 2022 Budget Statement as part of consensus-building around the policy document.
The concessions include the exclusion of mineral royalties collateralisation in the Agyapa Royalties deal, the earmarking of about GH¢10 million to complete feasibility studies and engineering for coastal communities adversely affected by tidal waves, as well as the introduction of measures to avert any hardships that will result from the planned reversal of the discount policy on benchmark values.
The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, who disclosed this at a press conference yesterday, added that he had written to the Speaker of Parliament, formally communicating the details of the modifications in response to emerging concerns by all stakeholders, including the Minority in Parliament.
He said the government would also revise the budget’s position on the Aker Energy transaction to reflect a July 6, 2021 resolution of Parliament.
“Relating to the Aker Energy transaction, we shall amend Paragraph 829 of the 2022 Budget on the acquisition of a stake from Aker Energy and AGM Petroleum by GNPC to reflect the resolution of Parliament, dated 6th July, 2021, that ‘the terms and conditions of the loan for the acquisition of the shares shall be brought to Parliament for consideration, pursuant to Article 181 of the Constitution’,” he said.
The minister expressed optimism that the various concessions reached, which had been communicated to Parliament, would pave the way for the relevant committees of Parliament to reflect on the modifications in the 2022 Budget, as well as begin considering the various estimates of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
The Graphic also reports that the speakers at the 7th Ghana Gas Forum have made a strong case for the need to put in place the infrastructure required to drive the Gas sector in Ghana and the West African sub region.
The speakers were of the view that the problem of demand in the sector was due to the lack of infrastructure to take the produced gas to the downstream.
Speaking at the forum, the Board Chairman of The Gas Consortium, Dr Nii Darko Asante, said there was the need for the right infrastructure to unlock the opportunities in the sector.
He said while the market for gas was available, it will be impossible for the country and sub region to take advantage without investing significantly in infrastructure.
He noted that in the Tema enclave which had lots of industrial companies present, there was no gas distribution network in the enclave.
He said there were also no compressed gas facilities, as well as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities.
“To unlock the opportunities, the infrastructure has to be good and this is capital intensive,” he stated.
The Ghanaian Times says that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been named the African of the Year by the Forbes Magazine for championing regional integration and development of the region.
The President has been featured on the cover of the December/January edition of the magazine for the impact he has made on the continent and the world stage.
The Managing Editor of Forbes Africa, Renuka Methil, said President Akufo-Addo had been honoured because he had been consistent with the way he had worked to raise the standards of the continent.
The criteria for the award, he said, was an African statesman who had been celebrated globally as a visionary, and had a reputation of working to advance the cause of the continent.
She said Ghana had always dominated the news as the poster child of democracy on the continent and added that the country under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo had become one of the fastest growing countries in the world.
The Forbes Africa Managing Editor touched on President Akufo-Addo’s vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid and commended the President for that bold decision.
“The President of Ghana wants to build a country capable of using its own resources and people to build a self-reliant and self-sufficient state,” he said.
He said Ghana had attracted global multinationals like Twitter and commended President Akufo-Addo for championing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, and for putting Ghana forward to host the secretariat of the agreement.
GIK/APA