Ghanaian press spotlights meeting of WAMZ over single currency for ECOWAS, others

APA – Accra (Ghana)
The report that representatives of member countries of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) are meeting in Accra, to review macro-economic developments in the region is one of the trending stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the representatives of member countries of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) are meeting in Accra, to review macro-economic developments in the region.
It is in a bid to establish a single currency for member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The meeting being convened by the government of Ghana, under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana, in collaboration with the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA), the West Africa Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), and the West Africa Monetary Institute (WAMI), which began on September 5, ends on September 15, 2023.
The participants are expected to come out with strategies to build a strong, ro¬bust and resilient economies for member countries of ECOWAS.
Dubbed the 2023 Mid-Year Statutory meetings of the WAMZ, the meeting is being attended by representatives from The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Finance on the conference on Monday and copied the Ghanaian Times, said the meeting would assess macroeconomic developments and convergence reports for member states.
The newspaper says that the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has called for a strategic overhaul of Ghana’s structures to ensure the nation is equipped for a forward-looking future.
Addressing the International Advertising Association (IAA)’s 6th Africa Rising Conference in Accra yesterday, Mr Oppong Nkrumah emphasised the critical need for Ghana to adopt innovative and adaptable structures, drawing parallels between the nation’s evolution and the strategies employed by corporate brands navigating a changing landscape.
Speaking on the theme “Building Future-Ready Brands”, the Minister stressed, “just as corporate brands must define their purpose, we as a nation must also articulate our overarching purpose.”
He said this process requires confronting difficult questions and making bold decisions, one that must inure to the benefit of the country.
“Just as we are asking corporate brands to introspect and answer these critical questions to shape their purpose and be future ready, we as a nation must do the same. Whether a corporate or a nation brand to be future ready, these are some of the difficult considerations we must make.
“And when we are done, we must be bold to shed off some things we have done for a while. We must take the tough decisions to take new paths without regard to whose ox is gored so that we stand a better chance of being ready for the future rather than champions of the past,” he said.
The Minister of Information underscored the need for the nation to prioritise forward-thinking over being champions of the past, emphasising that the path to a future-ready “Brand Ghana” demands courage and a willingness to challenge the status quo, urging that this transformation must occur without regard to whose interest may be affected.
“We work for Brand Ghana, not political parties, religious groups, or ethnic divisions,” Mr Oppong Nkrumah declared.
The Ghanaian Times also reports that piracy and robbery attacks in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) have reduced over the last three years, says Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong.
From 68 cases in 2020, it came down to 18 in 2021, again went down to 15 cases last year and further down by five cases in the first quarter of this year.
Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong who disclosed these at the opening of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) stakeholder meeting on maritime safety and security in Accra yesterday, attributed the feat to collaboration and coordination between GoG states and their national maritime authorities.
The three-day meeting aims to strengthen coordination and collaboration between stakeholders for full operationalisation of the ECOWAS maritime security architecture designed to combat illicit maritime activities in the region.
It is being attended by participants made up of mid-and high-level government officials, military personnel and civilians from Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin and Sierra Leone.
Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong said so far, ECOWAS member states had done well in implementing the pillars of the second maritime strategy which advocated a safe and secure maritime domain.
“Since the adoption of the ECOWAS Maritime Strategy (SMIC) in 2014, significant progress had been made in strengthening maritime surveillance, ensuring the safety and security of maritime areas and promoting better management of the maritime environment,” he said.
However, Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong said ECOWAS Member States should not rest on their oars, but they should work towards overcoming obstacles, hindering the full potential of the maritime security architecture.
These challenges, he said, included inadequate staffing, insufficient equipment, unpredictable financing, the non-binding nature of the young architecture on member states, and the limited interface of the system which did not display and track vessels of interests beyond the GoG region.
The ECOWAS Commissioner of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said his outfit was committed to maritime safety, and it would provide the needed support to achieve the goal.
He called for stronger collaboration, coordination and the pooling of resources for collective security, and safety to enhance their work and consolidate the gains made in the GoG.
The Graphic says that Vodafone Ghana has launched its fourth generation plus (4G+) technology, as a transformative step in ensuring that Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) in the country have access to the fastest, most reliable connectivity available.
To make this technology more accessible, Vodafone has also introduced a device financing scheme under which customers can acquire 4G+ capable phones from Vodafone retail outlets and pay for them in manageable instalments.
Those who take advantage of the offer will also receive 2.5GB of free data every month for a year.
The Director of the Enterprise Business Unit & Wholesale at Vodafone Ghana, Tawa Bolarin, announced this to mark the official launch of the company’s annual SME month in Accra.
“SMEs are the cornerstone of Ghana’s economy, contributing over 70 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product and constituting about 85 per cent of businesses within the private sector,” she said and added that “Our purpose as an organisation is to connect people and businesses for a better future.
We are strategically positioned to be the catalyst for the growth of SMEs.
This year, Vodafone Business is going beyond traditional support mechanisms to offer a comprehensive suite of initiatives aimed at SMEs.
“We are not just a service provider; we are a growth partner,” Ms Tawa added.
GIK/APA