The report that the government will, from today to Wednesday, conduct a series of engagements with key sector players in the economy to assess the impact of the economic mitigation measures announced in March this year dominates the headlines of Ghanaian press on Monday.
The Graphic reports that the government will, from today to Wednesday, conduct a series of engagements with key sector players in the economy to assess the impact of the economic mitigation measures announced in March this year.
The exercise is expected to enable the government to determine whether or not the measures have provided enough cushioning from the adverse effects of recent global crises.
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Accra yesterday, said the engagements would also enable ministers of state to examine what more should be done to support Ghanaians during the difficult times.
President Akufo-Addo met his Cabinet ministers at a retreat earlier this year to take stock of the effects of the global crises and subsequently outlined response measures.
The reliefs included the opening of the country’s land borders, the easing of general COVID-19 restrictions, measures to arrest currency depreciation and the rising fuel prices occasioned by the global economic turmoil and the reduction of government expenditure.
The newspaper says that the Presidency has rebutted claims by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that €480,000 was spent on President Nana Akufo-Addo’s recent trips to Belgium and Rwanda.
A statement signed by the Director of Communications, Office of the President, Eugene Arhin said the claims by the MP “are not accurate, and as a Member of Parliament, I was hoping he would have been factual and truthful in his claims, and resisted the urge to engage in propaganda”.
According to the Presidency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo did not travel to Belgium aboard a chartered Airbus ACJ319, as claimed by the North Tongu MP in a post on social media.
“The President travelled to Belgium onboard an Air France Commercial Flight (AF0584), which departed Accra on Sunday at 7:20 pm, made a stop-over in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and then continued to Paris,” the statement said.
The statement further disclosed that all of President Akufo-Addo’s 12-member delegation travelled on commercial flights.
Upon arrival in Paris, the statement said President Akufo-Addo and his delegation travelled via train to Brussels to attend the European Development Days event, where, on Tuesday, 21st June 2022, he was a keynote speaker.
However, because of a strike in the Belgian aviation sector, the statement said President Akufo-Addo had to travel via charter flight to Kigali because of flight cancellations.
“This was done to ensure that the President made it to Kigali on time to participate in the ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday, 23rd June, for the commencement of work on the Pan-African Vaccine Manufacturing Project, involving Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal and BioNTech SE, the German biotechnology company, as well as attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which also is being held in Kigali, Rwanda,” the statement said.
The Ghanaian Times reports that MTN-Ghana has indicated its readiness, this year, to invest GH¢20 million in social investments as part of measures to give back to society.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for MTN-Ghana, SelormAdadevoh, revealed that the company had invested in 157 social projects of which 87 per cent of them were in the education sector while 47 per cent were in the health sector, but there was the need to do more.
He was speaking during the MTN Media and Stakeholders’ Forum in the Ashanti Region.
Mr Adadevoh disclosed that MTN was on course to invest about GH¢ 1.7 billion in investment in Ghana’s telecommunication infrastructure this year, while the ultimate target is $1billion in infrastructure by the end of 2025.
He said the telecommunication company was supporting the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications to expand telephony to every rural area in the country with the objective to increasing telecommunication access.
The CEO touched on frequent fiber cuts and complained bitterly about the incessant cuts occurring to their cables by private developers and road contractors.
Over 900 of their fibers have been cut within this year, and he noted that in the Ashanti Region alone, about 423 fiber cuts were recorded last year, and the situation has been affecting the networks of the customers.
While calling on the media to support them by letting people understand the need not to cut fibers, Mr Adadevoh appealed to the public to desist from fiber cuts when building.
On the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card re-registration, he said as at close of work on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the completed merger process was about 16.8 million, representing 60 per cent of its customers.
He noted that about 10.8 million others representing 40 per cent of MTN subscribers have also completed only the first process involving self-service who must necessarily go to any of the set up bio registration centres in the country to complete their National Identification process in compliance with the government’s policy directive.
The newspaper says that Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on traditional rulers to help rekindle the spirit of volunteerism among Ghanaians to help deal with filth and pollution in the country.
He said communal labour and volunteerism in time past proved to be effective avenues used by chiefs and local authorities to deal with issues of filth in the neighbourhoods, but the noble initiative and activities seemed to have been lost on Ghanaians these days.
The Vice President was speaking at the Ohum festival and homecoming of the chiefs and people of Akyem Abuakwa held at the forecourt of the Okyenhene’s Palace in the East Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region on the theme “Good old tradition for sustainable development.”
He indicated that it was important for chiefs to use the occasion of festivals to reignite the commitment and passion of their people to keep the environment clean for better health.
He said on the occasion of festivals where people meet as people with one ancestral heritage, they should reflect on the core values and practices that bind them together as proud sons and daughters by keeping their environment clean.
Dr Bawumia mentioned that Okyeman in particular, through its cultural institutions had created conditions for the inculcation of exemplifying socio-cultural values and educational programmes, adding that like everywhere, festivals such as the Ohum are used to show appreciation to our forefathers for their contribution to the building of society we enjoy presently.
He said that the celebration of festivals was an iconic display of culture and unity of purpose which stood as a tribute to the role of the chieftaincy institutions in addressing national development challenges.
“But from the traditional intent of appreciating the good works of our past compatriots amidst drumming and dancing, festivals in the past and present years have become the medium to showcase our rich culture and initiate projects and strategies for the development of our community,” he said.
For his part, the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin, also underscored the need for Ghanaians to be united to help build a stronger nation.
He also advised public office holders to eschew the attitude of corruption and work with transparency to assist the government to develop the nation.
GIK/APA