The Minister’s call on the staff and management of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to address revenue leakages, particularly at key revenue generating points in the country to help safeguard Ghana’s economic security attracts attention of Ghanaian press on Friday.
The Graphic reports that the Minister for National Security, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah has urged staff and management of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to address revenue leakages, particularly at key revenue generating points in the country to help safeguard Ghana’s economic security.
Revenue leakages, he said, occur with the complicity of some staff of the GRA who he described as the “few bad nuts.”
The actions of these “fee bad nuts tend to obscure and negate the numerous positive works of the Authority. Now more than ever, the GRA and for that matter, Ghana, need men and women of integrity to block leakages in the system. To succeed in doing this, the Authority must do all it can to root out those bad nuts,” said Mr Kan-Dapaah.
National Security Strategy
The National Security Minster was speaking on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at a sensitisation workshop on the National Security Strategy for Commissioners of the GRA in Accra.
The government, he said, had implemented measures such as the Immediate Tax Force (ITF) and the Revenue, Assurance and Compliance (RACE) Initiative to complement the efforts of the GRA in blocking revenue leakages, yet the leakages have persisted due to limited cooperation and collaboration between the GRA and security agencies.
“The coming into force of the National Security Strategy, would avert this problem by promoting multi-agency cooperation toward safeguarding the economic security of the State,” he said.
The newspaper says that former Emir of Kano and Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, HRH Mohammed Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has commended Ghana’s Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for his efforts at spearheading Ghana’s acclaimed digitization drive.
The renowned cleric, banker and economist, who is in Ghana at the invitation of the leadership of the Muslim community to participate in a special end-of-year Quran recitation and prayers for sustainable peace in Ghana and the sub-region, called on the Vice President on Wednesday morning in Accra.
Speaking at the meeting, Sanusi Lamidor, who was Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria before ascending the throne as Emir (King) of Kano, praised Dr. Bawumia for his good works, including leading Ghana’s digital reforms and payment systems.
“Your Excellency, I have heard so many good things about your work in Ghana,” Sanusi Lamido told Dr. Bawumia.
“Your digital work I am aware of because I happen to be on the global board of MTN and we have an operating office in Ghana so we get reports in Johannesburg on what is happening in different countries so we do know what is happening in the digital space, Fintechs and so on within Ghana,” he added.
The revered banker also commended Ghana’s Central Bank for leading the way in digital payment systems, adding that Ghana’s success story has been partly due to the enormous experience of Dr. Bawumia in banking and digital payment regulations.
“I must say I am jealous because the Bank of Ghana has gotten ahead of the Central Bank of Nigeria on Fintech and others.
“We all started with banking modules, but I think you quickly realized it was limited and you broke off. But I am happy the central bank of Nigeria is on now, the roles are being reversed and we are now copying from Ghana.
“I’m sure that (Ghana’s digitization drive) was largely due to your input and experience from central banking and regulation of digital payments.”
The Graphic also reports that footballers who play for China’s national team have been banned from getting tattoos – and advised to remove ones they have – under a new directive.
The country’s sports administration body said recruiting new players with tattoos at national level and to youth squads was “strictly prohibited”.
The administration said the move would help set a “good example for society”.
Some national stars, including defender Zhang Linpeng, have previously been told to cover their tattoos.
China has been increasingly stepping up regulation since mid-2018 to stop tattoos being shown on screens. Some professional footballers have since been covering their arms with long sleeves to hide their body art.
In a statement, the country’s General Administration of Sport (GAS) said national players with tattoos were “advised to have them removed”.
“In special circumstances, the tattoos must be covered during training and competition, with the consent of the rest of the team,” it said.
In Chinese culture a stigma has been attached to tattoos – in the past they were used to brand criminals and the tattoo still has links to organised crime groups in east Asia. Tattoos among ethnic groups were often seen as a mark of the uncivilised.
They are disapproved of by China’s ruling Communist Party, but have become increasingly popular among young Chinese.
The Ghanaian Times says that as part of aiding financial stability among citizens, the Elvis Justice meet and learn Ghana is set to take off in Accra, at the Airport View Hotel which sought to imbibe the knowledge of financial well-being to participants.
Aimed at providing financial literacy to participants, the meet and learn would highlight on the need of forex trading, crypto currency, stocks, indices among others.
Some experts in the above mentioned field who would give insight to participants at the meet and learn seminar include @yawswinger, @kira_forex, @kemmatrades, @Enamusic, among other seasoned professionals.
Elvis Justice Bedi, a medical student, digital trader who is on a financial tour across at some countries, said the meet and learn seminar in Ghana would be a transformation of one’s financial status and for those who wants to build their trading psycho from beginner to pro level.
“Participants would acquire an exceptional financial knowledge in order to enable them shape their financial path and this would be a turnaround for an individual’s status,” he reiterated.
He assured all to take advantage of this seminar and be informed about their financial decisions to secure a better future, and said it would help participants to move in the right direction at all times.
“This is a free seminar, so Ghanaians must make it a point to attend and this would at the long run help in building a resilient economic foundation for then self and the nation”, he underscored.
GIK/APA