AFD retrofits Kpong Hydroelectric dam with €50million

AgenceFrancaise de Development (AFD), a public financial institution that implements development policies of the French government, has given a loan for €50million to retrofit the Kpong Hydroelectric Dam in a bid to help ease the current energy crisis in the country.

The rehabilitation work is one of the organisation’s flagship projects in the country. AFD took journalists to the site to inspect the progress of work so far. Currently, one of the four turbines has been shut down and dismantled for rehabilitation.

Additionally, work is being done to change the control system from manual to automatic, and work is being done for the installation of new equipment in the control room.

The project when completed will produce 160 MW of electricity to the national grid, which is expected to provide secured energy to households for the next 30 years and also mitigate climate change.

Speaking to the media, Amelie July - Resident Manager of AFD, said one of the project’s benefits is to help improve the financial situation of VRA, which is necessary for the sustainability of electricity supply and competitiveness in both the national and regional markets.

Other projects that the organisation is undertaking in the country include Ghana Urban Management Pilot Project (GUMPP). The organisation has committed €40.5million to finance certain selected projects such as markets, abattoirs, drains, rehabilitation of neighbourhoods, and training for local authorities on how to manage public and territorial infrastructure in four secondary cities, namely: Kumasi, Tamale, Sekondi-Takoradi and Ho.

In the area of food security and job-creation, AFD in the past 15 years has been supporting rural communities in Northern Ghana to strengthen the rice-growing sector via lowland development. The ongoing €13.8million project aims to develop 6,000 hectares and increase the production and technical skills of 1,000 producers in order to better-serve a rapidly growing domestic market and reduce the cost of rice imports.

In the Central and Western Regions, AFD since 1986 has partnered with industrial operators and producer groups to develop over 26,000 hectares of village plantations for over 6,000 farmers.

AFD will be celebrating its 30-years anniversary this month since it began its operations in Ghana in 1985. Over the past 30 years, AFD’s contribution to the development of Ghana in terms of funding amounts to €1.3billion through more than a hundred projects.

On a cumulative basis, total commitments of the Group from 2004 to 2014 amount to €901million, of which €805million are loans, €84million are grants, and €12million is guarantees.

Affinity , Reality and Communication

More US companies to invest in Ghana

More US companies will be investing in Ghana in the coming months because of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme the US Ambassador to Ghana, Gene Cretz has said. The new investments will also be as a result of the signs of economic recovery, he indicated. The companies are expected to invest in infrastructure, oil and gas, technology, and transportation. Some investors and private companies were said to have held on to their funds because of Ghana’s economic challenges. However, speaking to Joy Business, Mr. Cretz, says the environment is now good for US companies to double their investments in Ghana. “We have a network of companies we are talking to, the state department is encouraging companies to come and our commercial department is very active in getting out the information that the situation in Ghana is beginning to turn and now is really the appropriate time to come here." He says he has no doubt that there is going to be a real upsurge in the coming months in American corporate interest in Ghana. He added that for IMF to agree on a bailout programme with Ghana means it is confident in the government and “we are hoping that that confidence in the programme will translate into confidence among international investors because whenever you get the IMF seal of approval, you’ve got pretty much the best you can get.” Gene Cretz said he looks forward to government implementing the steps outlined in the bailout programme. Meanwhile Technology giant, Microsoft has indicated it is looking to increase its investment in Ghana. This will likely be in the areas of technology that will help improve the business environment and the livelihood of Ghanaians. Vice President of Microsoft, Brad Smith told Joy Business, the technology can be used to transform the business environment and skills of young ones. Microsoft has launched a new technology platform TizzaWorks for youth. The platform is expected to act as a one-stop shop for the youth to develop skills for employment. The platform will also look at look at mentorship, entrepreneurship, community building opportunities and jobs. According to Microsoft, this platform should help the Ghanaian youth realize their potential and get skilled, land jobs and be successful in their entrepreneurship endeavours

Food across the borders forum

10:00 am, Thursday, May 14, 2015 Alisa Hotel, Botsio Auditorium, Accra Honorable ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Dr. Lapodini Marc Atouga; Honorable ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade, Customs, Free Movement of Persons, and Tourism, Ahmed Hamid; Honorable ECOWAS Commissioner for Industry and Private Sector Promotion, Kalilou Traoré; Honorable Executive Secretary of the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel, Dr. Djime Adoum; Honorable Ghana Minister of Food and Agriculture, Fifi Kwetey; Representatives of West African governments; Representatives of the media, private sector and civil society; Distinguished ladies and gentlemen; We are here this morning to build on the effort we began together at the Food Across Borders Forum in January of 2013 to draw attention to the crucial role that regional trade plays in West Africa’s food security, and the increasingly important role regional trade will need to play to ensure the long-term resilience of the 365 million residents of West Africa. I had the honor of attending that 2013 forum and I am very pleased that the forum’s recommendations have evolved into the ECOWAS Food Across Borders Program, or ProFAB. I understand that ProFAB is truly a cooperative effort. Supported by USAID, it is an ECOWAS and West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) program, which the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) will implement, and which will be coordinated and facilitated by a special unit based at Hub Rural. Other civil society and producer organizations, including the Borderless Alliance and the Environmental Development Action in the Third World - African Center for Trade, Integration and Development (ENDA-CACID), will have key roles. USAID’s West Africa Trade Hub and Partners network will work hand-in-hand with ProFAB. I am truly pleased that the continuing cooperation among all these partners has brought us to today’s launch of ProFAB. The U.S. Government is proud to support West Africans as you move forward on your regional integration agenda and take actions to increase the food security and well-being of the people in this region. To that end, we support regional and country-level efforts to advance economic growth and resilience. We know the main barriers to cross-border trade include constraints like road harassment, export restrictions, certificates of origin, veterinary certificates and value added taxes on foodstuffs, as well as the often cumbersome procedures at the border posts themselves. We are happy to support ProFAB in its effort to accelerate the harmonization and implementation of ECOWAS economic policies that remove trade barriers. For example, the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme and the recent launch of the Common External Tariff by ECOWAS member states are both major steps towards economic integration in the sub-region. When regional policies are adopted by ECOWAS, they already have the blessing of each country at the ministerial or Head of State levels. Now it is up to each country to implement and harmonize these policies, which will set a solid foundation for increasing trade and advancing economic growth. By advancing the implementation of ECOWAS trade policies, ProFAB’s work will make it easier for farmers and business people to complete the transactions necessary to move food across borders.  It will increase the volume, value and speed of food movements, make it easier for the private sector to invest, and increase the efficiency of the marketplace. ProFAB is framed by, and will contribute to, wider regional efforts. ECOWAS is moving forward in updating its ECOWAP—the ECOWAS Regional Agricultural Policy—to reflect new targets, such as those agreed on by African Heads of State at Malabo, including the goal of tripling agricultural trade on the continent and creating a continent-wide free trade area. ECOWAS is paving the way to build mutual accountability and advance the 2025 vision of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program. In fact, ECOWAS will carry out the first region-wide Joint Sector Review later this year, which will bring key stakeholders to the table to make commitments that they will review on an annual basis to hold each other accountable for progress. These processes will feed into the biennial reviews called for by the Malabo Declaration to inform the annual African Heads of State summits. In closing, let me thank the Government of Ghana for hosting this launch. I understand that Ghana is closely examining barriers along its own trade corridors, with a view to eliminating unnecessary checkpoints and police stops. I applaud this effort and I urge the Government of Ghana to continue to take steps that reduce the time and cost of transiting Ghana’s highways to facilitate a smoother flows of goods from the inland countries to the coast and vice versa. I would also like to thank ECOWAS for its leadership and close collaboration with the U.S. Government over the years, including the organization of this conference. The West African Economic and Monetary Union and the Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel are equal partners in this endeavor and I thank them for their participation and leadership as well. Appreciation also goes to Hub Rural which is coordinating ProFAB on behalf of all stakeholders. Finally let me thank the representatives of the many countries who are here, as well as the private sector and civil society representatives, for your interest and involvement. I wish you success in realizing the goals of the Food Across Borders Program!

Ghana , Togo and Burkina fasso signed pact

Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso have signed an agreement to foster trans-border relations between them. A communiqué signed by the heads of delegations from the participating countries, after a three day workshop where they held the fifth trans-border tripartite meeting, encouraged member countries to give priority to issues discussed to realize the goals. Mr Daniel Syme, the Deputy Upper East Regional Minister of Ghana, Colonel Ousmane Traore of Burkina Faso and Mr Yendoukoa Douti Thimbiandja of Togo, jointly signed the communiqué aimed at promoting peace and trade and enhancing cordial relationship among the three countries. The communiqué incorporated a framework to reinforce cross-border cooperation, peaceful coexistence and the optimization of development actions and decentralization of the trans-border zones of Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo. It said the security, environment, freedom of movement of people and goods and services, would be paramount in governing the three countries. It stated that social services, including health, education, and agricultural activities would be encouraged, while forced marriages and other social vices would be discouraged among the countries involved. The communiqué further stressed the need to tackle smuggling of petroleum products and pirating within the sister countries since they were threats to the development of economic activities in these areas. Mr Syme urged the other member countries to develop strategies to fight cross-border crimes, including armed robbery, ethnic and chieftaincy conflicts, among others, since they were issues that militated against effective development. He reminded other members of the ECOWAS protocols and appealed to them to comply with it because the protocols were the surest way to keep the member countries in harmony. Mr Syme said as the sister countries work together, they should remember to ensure safety and protect the free movement of people within their countries, to promote peace and trade. He called on the youth of Africa to embrace their own cultural values and stop the blind copying of western cultures. Colonel Ousmane Traore, the Governor of the Central East Region of Burkina Faso, called for a stronger bond between the three countries to encourage other countries to join them. He urged the three countries to strengthen the bond to build a common state for the West African sub-region.

Re-elected Carmeron 'to visit Ghana'

    British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to visit Ghana after his re-election on Thursday, Ghana’s envoy to the United Kingdom has disclosed. Mr Cameron will be in Ghana together with “his team,” the envoy said. The visit will be a reciprocation of a visit by President John Dramani Mahama to the UK in 2013. Speaking to TV3’s Nana Aba Anamoah in the UK on Friday, May 8, Ghana’s High Commissioner Victor Smith noted that he had discussed a possible visit of the UK PM to Ghana during a garden party at Number 10 Downing Street. “I asked him and he said he had to postpone it,” Mr Smith told our reporter in his office, “but he would visit Ghana and that Ghana will be the first country he will visit when he is reelected.” The former Eastern Region Minister was sure PM Cameron’s visit will help “with our development and try and help us get our system going.”

Single free trade zone for africa in 2016

Twenty six African states including Ghana are working towards the removal of trade barriers for a single trade zone for the continent by 2016. A final meeting to approve the Africa Free Trade Zone (AFTZ) treaty is scheduled for June, after which citizens of member states would travel and trade without visa. Mr Ahmed Haggag, a former Assistant Secretary General, Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) told journalists at the 45th training course for Young African Journalists in Cairo, Egypt. The training course is under the auspices of the Union of African Journalists (UAJ) aimed at offering opportunity to young journalists to share ideas and help find solutions to challenges facing Africa. Mr Haggag said the treaty would also allow citizens of the 26 African states to work freely in any of the member states. He noted that the physical borders erected by colonial masters were major causes of the continent’s dwindling economic fortunes and was happy Africa’s dream of a single free trade zone would materialise next year “hopefully”. “If we consider ourselves as Africans, we should be able to trade among ourselves irrespective of the physical borders and I’m happy next year, Ghanaians can bring their cocoa and other local products to Egypt without any restrictions,” Mr Haggag stated. He expressed optimism that free trade among African states could address high unemployment rate on the continent and reposition Africa as an economic giant. Mr Haggag also believed the treaty would bring to end, issues of ill-treatment meted out to Africans working in member states. He said the future looked bright for the continent and urged the “AU Border Committee” to work towards the removal of artificial borders to further facilitate trade and social cohesion en route for Africa Unity. Mr Haggag expressed concern about the mad-rush for agricultural lands on the continent by Europeans and called on Africa heads of states to address the “abnormality”. A single free trade zone spanning the length of the continent had been a long time dream with some African heads of states unsure its benefits. The recent signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union also threatened Africa’s economic integration but trading blocks on the continent are optimistic AFTZ, consisting of 26 countries with a GDP of an estimated $ 624bn (£382.9bn) would ease access to markets.

Great Hogbe Za Carnival

ECOWAS congratulates Togo President

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has congratulated Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé on his swearing-in as President of the Republic of Togo following the election of April 25, 2015.A statement signed by the chairman of ECOWAS, President John Mahama said the swearing-in ceremony by Togo’s Constitutional Court is another milestone in the consolidation of democracy in the West African sub-region.He described the just ended Togo election as a “victory for all the people of the Republic of Togo.”ECOWAS saluted every individual who participated in the democratic process including members of the opposition and all domestic and international observers.President Gnassingbé has been the President of Togo since 2005 following the death of his father, President Gnassingbé Eyadéma.In April this year, he was re-elected to serve a third term by winning the election by 58.75% while his main rival, Jean-Pierre Fabre had 34.95%.