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Opinion

2021 census to cost GHS521m

Ghana’s 2021 population and housing census will cost GHS521 million, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has said. Mr Ofori-Atta told a forum in Accra on Friday, 28 May 2021 that “of the budget of GHS 521.3 million, the government has already disbursed GHS 467.2 million” for the conduct of the census. “We will continue to ensure that the needed funds are provided to ensure a successful implementation”, he noted Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has pleaded with Ghanaians not to spread misinformation or share untruths or controversial material about the upcoming census. He noted that the data collected will “enable us to measure the social and economic status of our nation, and to receive the invaluable inputs necessary for charting the roadmaps for achieving the targets and indicators envisioned in our national development agenda”. Nana Akufo-Addo noted that his government remains committed to evidence-based planning and decision-making across all spheres of development and will use this census data to gauge the extent to which “we have made progress on our national development agenda.” The president said these at the launch of the 30-day countdown to the census night in Accra on Friday. He stressed that the census will ensure that the country has the information needed to breathe life into its key constitutional provisions on equity and the promotion of interests of the marginalised and disadvantaged in society, in keeping with the governance structure. The census night is set for 27th June and persons on transit and in short-stay institutions such as hotels, guest houses and hospital, will also be counted on this night. However, the enumeration of persons in households and long-stay institutions will be enumerated from 28th June to 11th July. Read President Akufo-Addo’s full speech below: GHANA 2021 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY H.E. NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE 30-DAYS COUNTDOWN TO THE CENSUS NIGHT. Fellow Ghanaians, Distinguished guests, Members of the press, Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to join you today as we begin the final preparations for Ghana’s 2021 Population and Housing Census. We were unable to conduct the Census in March last year, exactly 10 years since the previous one in 2010 as recommended by the United Nations, due to COVID-19 related challenges. We are now all set to continue the national tradition of conducting censuses successfully. Census officials have been competitively recruited and are undergoing comprehensive and skillful training and preparations to be ready for the exercise. Field data collection will start with the listing of structures from 13th June. The Census Night is set for 27th June; persons on transit and in short-stay institutions such as hotels, guest houses and hospital in-patients will also be counted on this night. However, the enumeration of persons in households and long-stay institutions will be enumerated from 28th June to 11th July. It is important for everyone to remember the Census Night because they will be counted according to where they spend the Census Night in Ghana. I also want to emphasise that you do not have to move or change your location, Census officials will visit all structures and places of residence and count ALL persons who spend the Census Night in Ghana regardless of their residence status. Ladies and Gentlemen, my government remains committed to evidence-based planning and decision making across all spheres of our development. We shall use this Census data as we have the previous ones to gauge the extent to which we have made progress on our national development agenda. Indeed, the data collected will enable us to measure the social and economic status of our nation, and to receive the invaluable inputs necessary for charting the roadmaps for achieving the targets and indicators envisioned in our national development agenda (The Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies 2017-2024: An Agenda for Jobs – Creating Prosperity and Equal Opportunity for All), Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ladies and Gentlemen, this year’s census is unique in several important ways; (1) It will be the first fully digital Census to be conducted in Ghana. Use of tablets and internet to capture and transfer the information respectively will guarantee delivery of high quality and faster results to support the decision-making process; (2) Use of rich geospatial information, including capturing the Geographic Positioning System (GPS) coordinates of all structures will improve resource targeting to areas that need them the most; (3) Use of online dashboards and comprehensive data quality assurance procedures, including the use of real-time enumeration and data quality monitoring to ensure every structure and person is counted, which will guarantee complete and accurate data to ensure that we Leave No One Behind in sharing national resources; (4) Information will be collected in several new and important areas such as housing and living conditions, water and sanitation, and difficulty in performing activities of daily living, information that will further support the tracking of key national and global development goals; (5) Halve the period between end of data collection and release of results; and (6) It will be the first time we shall receive census information tabulated by our Constituencies to improve progress tracking within this important governance structure. Ladies and Gentlemen, further, in the spirit of leaving no one behind, the census shall feature several new areas and focus on the disadvantaged members of our society, such as persons living with disabilities (PLWDs), orphanhood and vulnerable children, the elderly and even street of 5 families. Our constitution is emphatic that the fruits of nationhood and progress must be accessible to all without discrimination, and for equitable provision of social and other services. The Census data will provide us with information related to distances to hospitals, schools, market centres, and even major service roads as well as adequacy of housing stock. The Census will ensure that we have information needed to breathe life into our key Constitutional provisions on equity

Business

Converting NIB, adb to DBG would’ve been ‘very costly’ – Ofori-Atta

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has explained that the government decided to set up the Development Bank Ghana (DBG) from the scratch rather than converting one of the state-owned commercials banks such as National Investment Bank (NIB) and the Agricultural Development Bank (adb) for that purpose because it would have been too costly going for the latter option. DBG is an integral feature of the GH¢100-billion Ghana Cares ‘Obaatampa’ Project, which is seeing to the revitalisation of the Ghanaian economy following the onset of COVID-19. The Ministry of Finance and the European Investment Bank (EIB) recently signed an agreement for the provision of a €170-million facility for the establishment of DBG. This signing event took place on Wednesday, 19 May 2021, when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo held a meeting with the President of EIB, Dr Werner Hoyer, as part of his official visit to Belgium. The €170-million facility, according Dr Hoyer, is the largest facility provided by EIB for the establishment of a development bank in Africa or for any other project, for that matter, on the continent. Speaking at the signing ceremony, President Akufo-Addo noted that “the Development Bank Ghana is going to play a very important part in the rapid economic transformation of Ghana, following the onset of COVID-19.” According to him, “we want to restructure the economy, and move it from being a mere producer and exporter of raw materials, to one that places much greater emphasis on value addition activities. We see this Bank (DBG) as one that will play a pivotal role in this”. Dr Hoyer, for his part, was confident that the establishment of DBG will help unlock opportunities for growth in Ghana, as well assist in the rapid recovery of the Ghanaian economy from the ravages of COVID-19. He noted that the establishment of the Bank is in line with the objectives of the European Union, and will help develop Ghana’s private sector, agri-business, manufacturing and ICT initiatives. While describing the decision to establish DBG as “a wise one”, the EIB President added that the bank sees the partnership with Ghana as a fruitful one, indicating that the EIB will follow keenly the development and workings of DBG in Ghana. Some critics, however, raised issues about the move to set up a new bank after the government, through the Bank of Ghana, collapsed some nine local banks in the financial sector clean-up exercise during President Akufo-Addo’s first term of office. One of those critics is A Plus, who questioned why the Akufo-Addo administration spent more than GHS21 billion “to collapse banks that needed about GHS9 billion to survive” but now “borrowing 170 million euros to establish a new national bank when you already have NIB which is struggling; adb which is struggling”, as well as GCB Bank and CBG. “Ghana beyond aid but you are borrowing money to start a national bank”, A Plus observed. Addressing such criticisms at a press conference on Thursday, 20 May 2021, Mr Ofori-Atta said: “Work on the DBG started in 2018 with a task force of industry experts established by the government to recommend the best approach to establish a modern and dynamic development bank”. Based on the recommendation of the task force, he said the government decided to set up DBG “as a new non-deposit-taking-wholesale-bank under the Companies Act”. DBG, as a wholesale and non-deposit taking bank, Mr Ofori-Atta added, “requires no branch network and minimal staff”. “It will, therefore, be very costly – financially and in terms of closure of branches and employment loss – to try to convert adb or NIB into a viable modern development bank”, he noted. “The advantage we foresee of a greenfield approach is that one gets to start from a clean slate, with no legacy financial, governance and other issues. This allows us to focus on the future and move straight into setting up DBG equipped with modern and sound design principles”, Mr Ofori-Atta explained. According to him, the greenfield approach also has the potential to attract more private and international institutional capital “as we have witnessed with EIB’s €170 million facility”. “It also the government’s plan to attract other shareholders, both domestic and international, so as to increase DBG’s capital base and also reduce the government’s share over time”, he added. Read the Finance Minister’s full statement below: A New Engine for Ghana’s Economic Transformation Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, senior staff of the Ministry. It is a pleasure to hold a press conference today on the back of the President of the Republic, Nana Akufo-Addo signing of a €170m loan agreement with the European Investment Bank in Brussels yesterday. As it was captured, the European Investment Bank, among other international development institutions, are supporting our effort to establish a new development finance institution here in Accra, the Development Bank Ghana (DBG). DBG is a key pillar in our efforts to quickly recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly resume our economic transformation path as articulated in the Ghana CARES/Obantanpa Programme. It is intended to be a model institution that supports the financial system to play its role in supporting the private sector to expand and create jobs. DBG will help address two important constraints in our financial system, namely the lack of long-term funding, and the lack of adequate funding to the productive sectors of the economy. Currently, less than 15% of loans given out by banks are for 5 years or longer, making investment in long gestation project very difficult for our private sector. The agriculture and manufacturing sectors receive around 4% and 8%, respectively, of banks loans compared to their shares in GDP and employment and potential for driving economic transformation. Primary Focus Areas of DBG will be: Agribusiness, with a focus on off-farm value-chain activities Manufacturing ICT, software, and allied services, including Business-Process Outsourcing, and Tourism Boosting homeownership through affordable and longer tenure Mortgage Finance DBG is not similar to the existing commercial banks that we have

Politics

“We were elected not to complain or compare, but to get things done-Ken Ofori-Atta

Ghana Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has said, he and his party were not elected to complain or compare, but to get things done. Mr. Ofori-Atta made the pronouncement on Sunday during his press briefing following a question from the media. The Minister recounted some of the social intervention services provided Ghanaians, especially the vulnerable during the COVID-19 lockdown including the provision of free electricity to one million lifeline consumers, supply of free water to households, free distribution of food packs to the vulnerable and evacuation of stranded Ghanaians abroad. He further noted that despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Ghanaian economy, the rate of growth of the public debt had been lower under the Akufo-Addo-led Government than under previous administrations. “The rate of debt growth was lower despite massive investments in our flagship programmes such as the Free Senior High School Policy, Planting for Food and Jobs, NABCo, One District, One Factory, One Village, One Dam, restoration of teacher and nursing trainee allowances, while maintaining macroeconomic indicators and exchange rate stability,” He stressed. “We were elected not to complain or compare, but to get things done. To fix what is broken and Government and I are determined and committed to do just that,” he pointed. However, Mr. Ofori-Atta estimated that it will cost the government $10 billion to fix all the bad roads in Ghana. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Health, Opinion

Let us rise up and build together and let us #FIXTOGETHER- Ken Ofori-Atta to Ghanaians

Ken Ofori-Atta the Ghana Finance Minister, has advised Ghanaians to assist the governing New Patriotic Party government in fixing various challenges affecting the country. Recently, a group of Ghanaians who are satisfied with the current economic challenges in the country has taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction. Within this short period, the hashtag #FixTheCountry on social media has become a common language to every aggrieved and unhappy Ghanaians across the country by way of expressing their displeasure over successive governments’ failure to improve the living standards of Ghanaians. However, responding to the calls by the movement for government to fix the country, the finance minister Mr. Ofori Atta believes, Ghanaians should support the government in fixing the country together. “In the coming days, we will move swiftly to address the issues that #FixTheCountry have raised. First, I am working with the Minister for Water and Sanitation to immediately ensure potable water to areas of critical need. Secondly, I am working with the Ministers of Roads and Highways, Transport and Interior to address congestion along the major highways. Thirdly, we are fast-tracking the implementation of the $200 million jobs and skills programme and economic transformation programme to enhance job creation significantly.” “Fourth, starting this month, we are rolling out over eight additional interventions under the GhanaCARES Obatanpa programme and these will be in the health, agriculture, trade, tourism, digitisation, science and technology, housing and financial service sectors. Fifth, by the end of July, we will have a new development bank capitalized with over $500 million that will provide long term whole financing and not retail, as happened in the past, to the private sector through commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions such as venture capital companies for SMEs, to ensure financing to the youth. So let us rise up and build together and let us #FIXTOGETHER.” He said Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Opinion

Ken Ofori-Atta revelation after a return from U.S hospital

Ken Ofori Ghana Finance Minister-Atta has said he appreciated the need for investment in the country’s health infrastructure during his five weeks in the US hospital. The finance minister made confession when addressing the Festschrift in honour of Rev. Prof. J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, President of the Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra. “In my five weeks at the Mayo Clinic where they have three shields; faith, hope and science, I came to really understand the nexus between finance and health, and the need for us as a country to be bold about our health infrastructure and our ministry finding every way to be able to fund that, so we protect our citizens.” He confessed On Valentine’s Day this year, the Ministry of Finance issued a statement to inform the general public and stakeholders that Mr Ofori-Atta, who was, at the time, the representative of the President at the Ministry of Finance and Minister-designate for Finance, was to travel to the United States of America today for “a special medical review”. The statement said after recovering from COVID-19 last December, Mr Ofori-Atta had medical complications which doctors advised, required further interventions not currently available in Ghana. The complications delayed Mr Ofori-Atta’s vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee which became the talk of Ghana as NDC faithful thought it was a calculated attempt by Ken to skip vetting. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Politics

Gov’t working to seal judgment debt ‘leakages’ – Ofori-Atta

Finance Minister-designate Ken Ofori-Atta has said that the government is working on sealing judgment debt “leakages” and the impact it has on the economy. Taking his turn before Parliament’s Appointments Committee to be vetted on Thursday, 25 March 2021, Mr Ofori-Atta noted, in relation to the recently announced judgment debts awarded against Ghana, that: “I think we have tried very hard to renegotiate after the court judgment”. “It is a leakage that we are aware of that we will like to blunt.” The International Court of Arbitration recently awarded a cost of $134 million against the government of Ghana over the cancellation of an Emergency Power Agreement with GCGP Limited. The contract, which was cancelled under Mr Boakye Agyarko’s tenure as Energy Minister, as part of several other energy contracts cancelled by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), also accrued interest of $3 million since 2018. The contracts were cancelled because the NPP claimed that those power agreements were not needed. The International Court of Arbitration, in its ruling, ordered the government to Ghana to pay to “GPGC the full value of the Early Termination Payment, together with Mobilisation, Demobilisation and preservation and maintenance costs in the amount of US$ 134,348,661, together also with interest thereon from 12 November 2018 until the date of payment, accruing daily and compounded monthly, at the rate of LIBOR for six-month US dollar deposits plus six per cent (6%).” The Government of Ghana will also pay an amount of “US$ 309,877.74 in respect of the Costs of the Arbitration, together with US$ 3,000,000 in respect of GPGC’s legal representation and the fees and expenses of its expert witness, together with interest on the aggregate amount of US$ 3,309,877.74 at the rate of LIBOR for three-month US dollar deposits, compounded quarterly” to GPGC. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093

Opinion

Ken Ofori Atta thanks God for miraculous COVID-19 healing

Minister-designate for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, is highly grateful to God and Ghanaians for the immense support and prayers that helped him to recover from COVID-19 some weeks ago. It would be recalled that Ken sought treatment in the USA recently after falling ill. “God’s hand is indeed, visible in my recovery. I thank all Ghanaians for offering intercessory prayers and fasting in my recovery,” he said. He also thanked his wife for being a solid rock behind him during his ill-health. Mr Ofori-Atta expressed gratitude when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament for vetting on Thursday. He also thanked President Akufo-Addo for re-nominating him once again for the same portfolio in his second term in office. He also thanked the leadership of Parliament for re-adjusting his vetting to enable him to seek medical treatment in the USA. Mr. Ofori-Atta also thanked Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonus, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs for taking the responsibility to read the 2021 Budget and Economic Policy Statement in his absence. He said since his return to Ghana, he had launched the 5.5 billion euros Europe Bond roadshow. GNA Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093

Politics

Ofori-Atta faces Appointments C’ttee tomorrow

Finance Minister-designate Ken Ofori-Atta will be vetted on Thursday, 25 March 2021 by the Appointments Committee of Parliament. This follows Mr Ofori-Atta’s return to Ghana on Monday, 22 March 2021. The Finance Minister-designate was flown to the United States of America on Sunday, 14 February 2021, to seek medical treatment for post-COVID-19 complications. “After recovering from COVID-19 last December, Mr Ofori-Atta has had medical complications, which doctors advise require further interventions not currently available in Ghana,” a statement from the Ministry of Finance said on Valentine’s Day. “The Ministry of Finance wishes to inform the general public and stakeholders that Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Representative of the President at the Ministry of Finance and Minister-designate of Finance, will travel to the United States of America today, for a special medical review. “Mr Ofori-Atta was scheduled to appear before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Tuesday, 16 February 2021. “The leadership of Parliament has been duly notified for a new date to be fixed upon his return,” the statement noted. The Finance Minister-designate would be expected to answer questions on the state of the Cedi, the Agyapa deal and the country’s increasing debt stock among other issues when he appears before the vetting committee. Classfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093

Business

New taxes needless – Lecturer to Govt

A senior Lecturer at the University of Education, Winneda, Dr Bernard Tutu-Boahene has questioned the government’s decision to introduce new taxes in the budget statement without increasing the wages and salaries of workers. He stated that the government had no business introducing new taxes when the salaries of the people have been stagnated. Government does not intend to increase wages of workers following the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic on the financial health of the country. To that end, the government said in its budget statement for the 2021 fiscal year that “Government in 2020 outlined a number of initiatives to cushion the effect of the pandemic on the populace.” The authority has introduced new taxes to enable it deal with the impact of the virus. The government proposed in the 2021 budget statement which has since been approved by the legislature the introduction of a Covid-19 Health Levy of a one percentage point increase in the National Health Insurance Levy and a one percentage point increase in the VAT Flat Rate to support expenditures related to Covid-19. “To provide the requisite resources to address these challenges and fund these activities, government is proposing the introduction of a Covid-19 Health Levy of a one percentage point increase in the National Health Insurance Levy and a one percentage point increase in the VAT Flat Rate to support expenditures related to Covid-19,” the budget said among other things. But contributing to a discussion on this issues on the New Day show with TV3’s Johnnie Hughes, Dr Tutu-Boahene said if the government was not going to increase wages of workers then there was no need for these new taxes. He stressed the government had “no business” introducing new taxes. Meanwhile, former Member of Parliament for Bantama, Mr Daniel Okyem Aboagye has justified the introduction of new taxes in the budget statement for the 2021 fiscal year. He believed that the introduction of the taxes is better than going for loans which future generations will have to pay. His comments come after Bawku Central lawmaker Mahama Ayariga said it is unfair for the Akufo-Addo government to be taxing the people of Ghana over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Ayariga said while speaking on the Key Points Programme on TV3 Saturday March 20 that the freebies provided to Ghanaians during the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic were presented to the people as gifts, hence no one expected to pay for those giveaways again. Mr Ayariga told host of the Key Points Abena Tabi that “The taxes are unfair to Ghanaians. Because the relief packages were presented to us as gifts only to be told today that we are going to pay for them.” He further stated that the solution to solving negative impact of the COVID on the economy is not increasing taxes, rather improving on the collection of the already exiting taxes.” Mr Okyem Abogaye noted that the government could not have borrowed to deal with the ravages of the covid on the economy because that would have worsened the debt situation. “To me it is matter of what we will to do as a nation. Do we want to borrow and put all the burden on future generation or do we have to try and support the government to be able to undertake its development agenda?” He asked. 3news Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093

Politics

Ofori-Atta back home after COVID treatment

Finance Minister-designate Ken Ofori Atta has returned home from the United States where he was being treated for COVID-19 complications at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. The former Finance Minister returned to Ghana on Saturday, March 20, 2021. Reports say he went to meet the president at the Jubilee House upon his return Saturday. Government through a statement from the Finance Ministry informed Ghanaians on February 14 that Mr Ofori-Atta had been flown out for treatment. Ofori Atta speaks Last week while partaking in a video conference on the 2021 budget, Mr Ofori-Atta expressed gratitude to God for his protection throughout the treatment. “It is in the Bible that says Peter, therefore, was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing for the church and for him and I have felt how God miraculously delivered Peter from prison because the saints prayed for him”. “The doctors here have been fantastic and very dedicated, but even they acknowledge that there must be someone upstairs who is watching over me because the numbers were so critical. So thank you indeed for your earnest prayers which have saved me.” On the 2021 budget, Mr Ofori-Atta said: “Globally, countries are looking at preserving lives and livelihoods and stimulating the economy for growth amidst this pandemic and I think we [Ghana] are not doing any less. Starrfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093

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2021 census to cost GHS521m

Converting NIB, adb to DBG would’ve been ‘very costly’ – Ofori-Atta

“We were elected not to complain or compare, but to get things done-Ken Ofori-Atta

Let us rise up and build together and let us #FIXTOGETHER- Ken Ofori-Atta to Ghanaians

Ken Ofori-Atta revelation after a return from U.S hospital

Gov’t working to seal judgment debt ‘leakages’ – Ofori-Atta

Ken Ofori Atta thanks God for miraculous COVID-19 healing

Ofori-Atta faces Appointments C’ttee tomorrow

New taxes needless – Lecturer to Govt

Ofori-Atta back home after COVID treatment

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