Mid-year budget: Ghana’s economic recovery is around the corner – Ofori-Atta
Government says there is evidence to back its claim that the Ghanaian economy has started recovering from the shocks it suffered as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic. Per the Mid- year budget read by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, there was growth averaged 7% in the 1st three years of the Akufo-Addo administration until Covid hit and slowed it down to about 1% in 2020. Prior to COVID, he said about 3 million jobs were created while the private sector also expanded and created more jobs. While the predicted economic slowdown has caused discomfort for some Ghanaians, government says early evidence in the 2021 macro data shows the recovery borne out of its interventions have started bearing fruits. He said this during his presentation of the mid-year fiscal policy review to Parliament on Thursday, July 29, 2021. He said government’s transformation agenda is “very much on course.” Data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) indicate that the Ghanaian economy expanded by 3.1% in the first quarter of this year, the lowest since the same period in 2019. The Bank of Ghana Composite Index of Economic Activity (CIEA) attests to the strong growth recovery, with the index growing at 33.1 percent at the end of May 2021 compared to a contraction of 10.23 percent at the end of May 2020. According to the Minister, it is in view of this that the GhanaCares Obaatanpa programme was launched in November last year with an audacious GH¢100 billion revitalization of enterprise support scheme. The first phase of the programme which was rolled out last year builds on actions already taken by government, including stabilization of the economy, ensuring food security, support businesses and workers, strengthening the health system and passage of legislations to facilitate quick economic recovery. The second phase, which aims at revitalizing and transforming the economy from 2021-2023 will focus on supporting commercial farming and attracting educated youth into agriculture, building Ghana’s light manufacturing sector and several other sectors. This the Minister said: “since the turn of this year, we have been purposefully pursuing the second phase of the Ghana CARES programme to revitalize the economy and set it on track for transformation. As already articulated, our approach under this programme is to revitalize the private sector in targeted sectors to fast-track competitive import substitution, export expansion and the creation of decent jobs for our youth in a commercial environment that is increasingly regionally integrated.” He said to fully operationalize the programme, government has put in place a well-thought-out implementation and coordination framework with a functional and staffed GhanaCARES Coordinating Office within the Ministry of Finance. Additionally, he said a GhanaCARES Delivery Units (including sector specialists from the Private Sector) have been activated in all participating Metropolitan and District Assemblies (MDAs). Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
EXAM: Which Ghanaian president said teachers can’t be millionaires? exam question boosted on social media
Some schools have challenged their students to give the correct answer regarding pronouncements made by a respected top government official in Ghana. The top government official made the statement while addressing the leadership of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) at the Jubilee House, Accra. He said “…we understand that, but nevertheless, I don’t think that there’s anywhere in the world that people go into teaching expecting to become millionaires and make money. If you want to do that, you do other things. “You only do teaching because you want to make a contribution to the welfare of the society and you’ve done that very well”. Apexnewsgh.com is not afraid of mentioning the name of the top official, but we think mentioning the name at the moment will amount to some exam malpractices to these students. The question goes like this: Which Ghanaian president said teachers can’t be millionaires? Atta Mills John Mahama Nana Addo Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
You May Not Have Read Law, But It Doesn’t Make You Stupid Not To Read The Signs On The Wall!!!
By: GODWIN AKO GUNN On the 7th of January this year, I saw the fastest bailiff ever from the Cape Coast high court to Accra and then to parliament house to prevent a duly elected member of Parliament from being sworn in, and subsequently voting in the speakership election. A wise man asked, who was the bailiff who could get the judgment and move to Accra with this speed of light? Hamza’s name was mentioned; only to find out that, the said Hamza was a registrar and not a bailiff. The court was and still is a high court in Ghana. I agree that parliament is a master of its own rules, but letting sleeping dogs lie sometimes is a disaster, and encourages impunity. The supreme court instructed the NDC to file processes at the Cape Coast high court. The legal team gets to the court at 8:00 am and the registry of the court was not open for business and registrar nowhere to be found as well as the cash office to pay for filing, and the judge was already reading his verdict before anyone enters with his or her own troubles to disturb anything !!! The same Hamza has been fingered in this. What a judicial Maradona, comfortably practicing legal gymnastics!!! Someone asked, is this Ghana? I replied with a low tone; Yes, this is Ghana, under the leadership of Justice Anim Yeboah as chief justice and a former Attorney General and so-called human rights advocate as president. Don’t get me wrong, this can be a mere coincidence. The judge may have had a problem with his car so had to be dropped by his wife who may be a market woman and must be at the kotokoraba market by 8:00 am, so dropped him off at the office at 7:30 am, the registrar son may have had a stomach upset and had to be rushed to the hospital before returning to the office, and the cashier’s daughter was also not well and had to be nursed for a little while. Believe it or not, coincidences happen all the time and may have happened that, officers of the same Court on the same day were involved in almost similar situations. However, let no one tell you lies, the judiciary is as rotten as f**k, and the telepathic relationship between some judges and some registrars are more than Fabregas and Diego Costa. In as much as coincidences are possible, never rule out a well-rehearsed strategy too. Everything is possible, at least with these 7:0, 9:0 score lines. Writing against the judiciary has been a difficult one and it takes boldness and conviction to do that. He who knows it feels it. Even the head of the judiciary, the embattled chief justice, Justice Anim Yeboah, I feel should step aside, looking at the alleged case of corruption leveled against him. The image of the judiciary must be protected. But WHO AM I to advise such a huge man who knows the law inside out!!! Perceptions are very important in life and everyone should always test the waters and find out the sentiments of citizens and how they feel about things. It helps to save ourselves, the institutions we work for and what we stand for. Even if the law is on our side. The judiciary may be bad, but there are equally wonderful personalities you will give a standing ovation to any day. The book of Hosea is still speaking to us. Be careful what you sow, if you sow the wind, you can’t reap the better days ahead. Kun fa Yakun Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
5,000 Ghanaians in affluent communities evade taxes – GRA
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has identified 5,000 Ghanaians who despite operating different level of businesses in the country avoid paying taxes to government. Disclosing this at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Assistant Commissioner of GRA, Dr. Charles Addae, said culprits of the anomaly were mostly people between 35 and 65 years old and residing mostly in the top 10 affluent communities of the country. He said “when we look at the records, we have seen 5,000 people that are high potential individuals who have businesses and living within Ghana. I am not talking about Greater Accra alone. They have houses in places like East Legon and other affluent areas. “However, we have been able to identify their telephone numbers and they do not have tax identification numbers (TIN) so we are chasing them,” he added. Dr. Addae also disclosed that the authority has identified a further 20,000 Ghanaians of high earning professions who have not registered for their TIN and will in due time, the authority will take appropriate action against them. He urged Ghanaians who have not filed their tax returns to take advantage of government’s penalty and interest waiver regime to file their taxes so as to not attract any punishment. —Daily Mail GH Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093