APA – Accra (Ghana)
The report that active portfolio of the World Bank in Ghana is worth $3.6 billion across 21 active projects is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that the active portfolio of the World Bank in Ghana is worth $3.6 billion across 21 active projects.
The portfolio is spread across several sectors, with urban resilience and land attracting the largest investments of 17 per cent.
The health, nutrition and population sector follows with 16 per cent of the portfolio; finance and competitiveness constitutes 14 per cent; social protection and jobs take 12 per cent, with digital development constituting 11 per cent.
The External Affairs Officer for West and Central Africa, Ken Fosu, made this known to the Daily Graphic last Monday ahead of the arrival in the country of the World Bank Managing Director for Operations, Anna Bjerde.
Ms Bierde is expected in the country today for a four-day official visit.
A statement issued by the World Bank Ghana Office said Ms Bjerde would be accompanied by the World Bank Vice-President for Western and Central Africa, Ousmane Diagana.
This is one of Ms Bjerde’s first travels since her appointment as Managing Director on April 3 this year.
The Ghanaian Times reports that a US$1.98 billion oil refinery facility at Tema is scheduled to commence operation by end of August this year.
The refinery, which is the latest investment of the Sentuo Group, is expected to produce five million metric tonnes of petroleum products including Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), jet fuel, gasoline, diesel and fuel oil.
When operational, the company, which is registered under the government’s One District One Factory (1D1F) programme, would provide employment to more than 900 Ghanaians.
During a tour of the facility by the Minister of Trade and Industry, K.T. Hammond, on Monday, the Executive Chairman of Sentuo Group, Xu Ning Quan, said the company was in discussions with the Ministry of Energy to acquire 500,000 barrels of crude oil from Ghana’s oil fields for its first production.
By 2025, he said, the refin¬ery would refine 4.26 million tonnes of refined petroleum products such as, gasoline, ker¬osene, and diesel of high quali¬ty above the euro iv standard.
Additionally, the refinery would produce 350,000 tonnes of a series of pitch products, 200,000 tonnes of lubricating base oil and solvent naphtha and 400,000 tonnes of by-prod¬ucts such as polypropylene, ammonium sulphate, sulfuric acid and sulphur, he added.
Mr Quan noted that the refinery’s output would meet Ghana’s annual demand for petroleum products adding that it would help deal with chal-lenges confronting importation of petroleum products.
“In 2022, Ghana consumed 4.22 million metric tonnes of refined petroleum products.
With an output of 4.26 mil¬lion metric tonnes of refined petroleum products, the Sentuo Oil Refinery will produce up to 100 per cent of Ghana’s demand for refined petroleum products,” he stated.
The newspaper says that the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has installed 150 body cameras on the uni¬forms of some of its personnel, as part of measures to ensure police professionalism.
These body cameras are being used by personnel of the Visibility Unit of service in Accra to enhance investigations.
The Director of Police Public Affairs, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Grace Ansah Akrofi, said this on the sidelines during a tour of some police stations in Accra by the command led by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare.
He was accompanied by the Director-General (DG) of Police Welfare, Commissioner of Police (COP) Habiba Twumasi-Sarpong; D-G Criminal Investigation De¬partment, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Faustina Andoh Kwofie; DG Operations, COP Suraji Fuseni, and COP Dr Sayibu Gariba, Accra Regional Police Commander.
Some of the stations visited were Tesano Divisional, Achimota Dis¬trict and Mile ‘7’ police stations.
A body camera is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system used by the police to record events in which law en¬forcement officers were involved.
The team also visited the Achimota Basic School to interact with the teachers and the school children.
ACP Akrofi mentioned that the devices were used during the by-elections at Assin North in the Central Region and Kumawu in Ashanti Region which assisted them during their operations.
She said the Election, Missing Persons and Cold Case units had also been created by the Police Administration.
“For the cold case unit, it helps personnel to review cases and look into new evidence and at the elec¬tion unit the police service engages with political parties on elections and the missing case unit helps trace missing people especially children,’’ she added.
ACP Ansah said some of the Police Administration’s intervention to improve welfare, include intro¬duction of regional welfare, police emergency medical fund, and police virtual medical center.
To bring policing to the door¬steps of the people, ACP Ansah said seven new regions had been created to enhance visibility.
The Ghanaian Times also reports that ABSA Ghana is gearing up to host its highly antici¬pated annual Inspire Me Conference 2023, bringing together women business entrepreneurs from across the African continent.
The conference, a key com¬ponent of Absa’s women banking proposition, aims to support and empower women-owned business¬es with value-added financial solu¬tions to drive sustainable growth.
At the forefront of this year’s Inspire Me Conference is the accomplished Nigerian business entrepreneur, Ibukun Awosika, Chair of The Chair Centre Group. Awosika’s inspiring journey and success in the business world make her a fitting keynote speaker for the event.
AbenaOsei-Poku, Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana, commenting on the event, empha¬sised the significance of recognis¬ing the potential of women-led businesses.
“Women entrepreneurs are driving economic growth, fostering innovation, creating employment opportunities, and championing social change. They are the engines of progress, and their impact is felt far and wide,” she said.
Absa Ghana has long been committed to supporting wom¬en-led businesses, offering affordable financial solutions, and equipping them with the necessary skills and resources for success.
Recently, in collaboration with Mastercard Foundation, the bank introduced an SME Loan up to GH₵1 million at a favourable interest rate of 10 per cent for en¬terprises, including women-owned businesses, without the need for collateral.
The Inspire Me Conference will welcome a prestigious line-up of successful entrepreneurs, government representatives, regulators, Absa’s senior execu¬tives and managing directors from Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and other key stakeholders, including Absa Ghana Board Chair Frances Adu-Mante.
The event will feature five separate panel discussions cov¬ering various topics aligned with the main theme of “Empowering Women’s Economic Growth Together.”
Notable personalities participating in the conference include AlhassanAndani, former CEO of Stanbic Bank; DokuaA¬siamah-Adjei, Deputy Trade Minister, Yofi Grant, CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC); David Ofosu¬Dorte, Managing Partner at AB & David Law, DrAfuaAsabeaAs¬are, CEO of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, and Jemima Oware, Registrar of Companies.
Mastercard Foundation, An¬gloGold Ashanti, Vodafone Busi¬ness, International Trade Centre and SheTrades are the official partners for the conference.
GIK/APA