Acute water shortage in the industrial hub of Ghana, Tema, has compelled industries within the harbour city and its environs to temporarily shut down their various plants for productions.
Some workers who have been laid off by some companies as a result have been asked to report to work when there is water for production.
Officials of some of the companies told Daily Guide that they were losing billions of cedis due to unavailability of water for their productions as they had to shut down their plants until there was frequent flow of water.
The Supply and Chain Manager, Unilever Ghana Limited, Naira Djako, mentioned that the company had temporarily laid-off some workers and shut down their plants due to the water shortage.
Christopher Sarkodie, Assistant Public Affairs Department of Coca-Cola Bottling Company Ghana Limited, one of the leading beverage producers in the country, explained that the continuous interruption in water supply had affected the company’s production, as it had to shut down some of their plants.
According to him, the shortage of water would increase their cost of production, saying although the company had its own water reservoirs, about 90 percent of its production depended largely on water supply from the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
Mr. Sarkodie appealed to the GWCL to help rectify the situation since it might also lead to some workers being laid off if the situation remained same.
Restaurants and various homes have also been affected by the acute water shortage, leaving residents dejected and miserable.
Some of the areas affected are Ashaiman, Lebanon, Tema, Sakumono, Michelle Camp, Gbetsile, Kpone and Zenu.
The Communication Manger of te GWCL, Stanley Martey, told Daily Guide that the water shortage in Accra and Tema was as a result of the shutdown of the Kpong water plant because of upgrading works being carried out by the Volta River Authority (VRA).
He explained that immediately VRA completed its works, GWCL’s main transmission pipe line also went off, adding that they were doing everything possible to restore regular supply of water soon.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
US to guard oil shipments around Ghana, other countries as pirate attacks on West African coastlines surge
As more oil discoveries are being made in the West African sub-region, activities of pirates are said to be springing up in the region from its usual area, the Red Sea of the coast of Somalia.
The coastlines of West Africa have for some time now been seeing attacks from pirates on ships and vessels carrying oil as well as goods.
In August this year, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) listed five African countries’ sea-shore as piracy prone areas in its latest Piracy Prone Areas and Warnings report. The countries are Nigeria, Benin, Guinea, Cameroon and Somalia.
The IMB said the areas are risky for the movement of vessels and ships including oil and chemical tankers due to attacks from pirates who are using weapons and rocket propelled grenade launchers.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in an article titled “West Africa: Another target for piracy?” published on its website and culled by ghanabusinessnews.com September 27, 2011 says with massive reserves of oil, cocoa and metals needed to supply hungry world markets, the Gulf of Guinea – a stretch of West Africa’s coast spanning more than a dozen countries – is witnessing early signs that pirates may be keen to pounce on new and lucrative opportunities.
“Piracy, drug smuggling and political uncertainty have made the Gulf of Guinea a challenging environment for investors seeking to benefit from natural resources.”
However, the US government has pledged its full support in helping to fight piracy along the coast lines in the region.
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, US Department of State, Ambassador Johnnie Carson told ghanabusinessnews.com that the Obama administration is working with ECOWAS to fight these pirates.
Mr. Carson, who was answering questions from some selected media in the world on September 28, 2011 via a live video streaming said the US government has noticed the situation and “we have regular navy ships and boats visit West and East of Africa.”
The media interaction was on the outcome of the 66th UN General Assembly and US Africa Policy. Ghanabusinessnews.com, the Daily Graphic and Net 2 TV took part at the US Embassy in Accra.
“We are also working with some West African countries to provide them with boats to strengthen their coastal guides,” said Mr. Carson when ghanabusinessnews.com asked him about the issue of piracy in West Africa particularly Ghana since it has started oil production and is exporting using similar coastal routes where pirate activities are said to be increasing.
Already a US Navy vessel, the HSV Swift, visited Ghana in August to train 30 Ghanaian Naval officers to strengthen the maritime capabilities of the Naval Forces towards enhancing maritime security. It is part of the US military cooperation programme called Africa Partnership Station.
The US has also become increasingly reliant on oil and gas exports from West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea itself.
According to an 80-page report, published by the Washington-based Atlantic Council and cited by the Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa publication in December 2010, 18% of US oil imports and 14% of its natural gas (LNG) imports currently originate in West Africa.
That percentage, the publication said is expected to rise to 25% by 2015.
Mr. Carson notes that these pirates are now around the Niger Delta, Togo and Benin and further to the Red Sea of the coast of Somalia.
Meanwhile, ECOWAS has called for action against piracy after governments along the length of the West African coastline have expressed concern about a surge in the number of attacks on cargo ships.
Regional governments will be meeting in Cotonou, Benin in October this year to discuss coordinating efforts to halt piracy.
President of ECOWAS, Ambassador James Victor Gbeho who spoke to IPS Africa ahead of the regional conference, said “The navies of all our coastal states should permanently combine their operations…The phenomenon is becoming worrying and could have serious economic consequences for our countries. That is why we will act firmly against it.”
Experts say if the issue is not solved or combated, maritime insurers will demand higher fees to cover ships which pass through the region.
By Ekow Quandzie
The coastlines of West Africa have for some time now been seeing attacks from pirates on ships and vessels carrying oil as well as goods.
In August this year, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) listed five African countries’ sea-shore as piracy prone areas in its latest Piracy Prone Areas and Warnings report. The countries are Nigeria, Benin, Guinea, Cameroon and Somalia.
The IMB said the areas are risky for the movement of vessels and ships including oil and chemical tankers due to attacks from pirates who are using weapons and rocket propelled grenade launchers.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in an article titled “West Africa: Another target for piracy?” published on its website and culled by ghanabusinessnews.com September 27, 2011 says with massive reserves of oil, cocoa and metals needed to supply hungry world markets, the Gulf of Guinea – a stretch of West Africa’s coast spanning more than a dozen countries – is witnessing early signs that pirates may be keen to pounce on new and lucrative opportunities.
“Piracy, drug smuggling and political uncertainty have made the Gulf of Guinea a challenging environment for investors seeking to benefit from natural resources.”
However, the US government has pledged its full support in helping to fight piracy along the coast lines in the region.
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, US Department of State, Ambassador Johnnie Carson told ghanabusinessnews.com that the Obama administration is working with ECOWAS to fight these pirates.
Mr. Carson, who was answering questions from some selected media in the world on September 28, 2011 via a live video streaming said the US government has noticed the situation and “we have regular navy ships and boats visit West and East of Africa.”
The media interaction was on the outcome of the 66th UN General Assembly and US Africa Policy. Ghanabusinessnews.com, the Daily Graphic and Net 2 TV took part at the US Embassy in Accra.
“We are also working with some West African countries to provide them with boats to strengthen their coastal guides,” said Mr. Carson when ghanabusinessnews.com asked him about the issue of piracy in West Africa particularly Ghana since it has started oil production and is exporting using similar coastal routes where pirate activities are said to be increasing.
Already a US Navy vessel, the HSV Swift, visited Ghana in August to train 30 Ghanaian Naval officers to strengthen the maritime capabilities of the Naval Forces towards enhancing maritime security. It is part of the US military cooperation programme called Africa Partnership Station.
The US has also become increasingly reliant on oil and gas exports from West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea itself.
According to an 80-page report, published by the Washington-based Atlantic Council and cited by the Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa publication in December 2010, 18% of US oil imports and 14% of its natural gas (LNG) imports currently originate in West Africa.
That percentage, the publication said is expected to rise to 25% by 2015.
Mr. Carson notes that these pirates are now around the Niger Delta, Togo and Benin and further to the Red Sea of the coast of Somalia.
Meanwhile, ECOWAS has called for action against piracy after governments along the length of the West African coastline have expressed concern about a surge in the number of attacks on cargo ships.
Regional governments will be meeting in Cotonou, Benin in October this year to discuss coordinating efforts to halt piracy.
President of ECOWAS, Ambassador James Victor Gbeho who spoke to IPS Africa ahead of the regional conference, said “The navies of all our coastal states should permanently combine their operations…The phenomenon is becoming worrying and could have serious economic consequences for our countries. That is why we will act firmly against it.”
Experts say if the issue is not solved or combated, maritime insurers will demand higher fees to cover ships which pass through the region.
By Ekow Quandzie
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Deal With Crook Chinese Traders
A Senior Chinese official has asked Chinese businessmen in Ghana to operate within the local laws, warning that anyone who flouts the law should be dealt with.
Xie Yajing, Commercial Counsellor for West Asia and African Department of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, told visiting Ghanaian journalists in Beijing that any businessman who decides to violate the local laws should not be spared.
Ms Yajing said appropriate sanctions should be applied to serve as deterrent to others.
According to the senior government official, much as China would want to encourage its nationals to seek other opportunities outside their home country, it should not be at the expense of the hosts.
“Chinese businesses should abide by the local laws and if they break them they should be dealt with,” she told eight journalists from DAILY GUIDE, Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times, Business and Financial Times, Ghana Television and Metro TV during a visit to her office.
She was reacting to allegations that some Chinese traders and businessmen, with support from their local collaborators, are flooding the Ghanaian market with substandard products at the detriment of the consumers.
She dismissed the perception that products that are brought to Africa are inferior, saying that “there is no difference in the quality of products we produce.
We have only one standard for the products we produce.”
And if anything goes wrong during the design of the product, it is rather the Ghanaian businessman dealing with Chinese company that should be blamed because he must have made certain demands in terms of his home market as to what the people can afford. It is the importer who might have influenced the type of products that are made, she indicated.
She advised any individual, who has a concern, to go to the Chinese Embassy to lodge complaint for appropriate sanction to be applied against the manufacturing company.
When the activities of Chinese retailers and pirates were brought to her notice, she condemned the action and sought for appropriate sanction.
According to Ms Yajing, there are more than 500 Chinese businesses operating in Ghana, especially in the areas of construction, trading, water supply, electricity generation, specifically mentioning the construction of Bui hydro Dam.
In recent times, Ghana has been looking at the direction of China for loans for infrastructural development, including the recent $3billion commercial loan approved by Parliament.
However, she said the money provided to support the Bui Dam for power generation was the largest single preferential loan to be provided by Chinese government to any African country.
The previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, led by President John Agyekum Kufuor secured over $500million loan for the execution of the Bui project on concessionary terms. The project is expected to be completed by 2013, according to the original scheduled.
But in recent times work on the dam had to be stopped because of heavy rains in the area, which caused flooding.
A number of projects, including the Achimota-Ofankor road, Nsawam-Apedwa junction, Job 600 for parliamentarians and the new high court complex, among others, are being undertaken by Chinese contractors.
She said China would continue to strengthen ties with Ghana, stressing that Ghana is one of the most trusted allies in Africa.
She said trade volumes between the countries have increased astronomically though in favour of China, as Ghana only exports raw materials to the Asian nation, the second largest economy in the world.
The journalists are touring China at the invitation of the Chinese government with support from the Embassy in Accra.
Source: Fortune Alimi, Beijing, China
Xie Yajing, Commercial Counsellor for West Asia and African Department of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, told visiting Ghanaian journalists in Beijing that any businessman who decides to violate the local laws should not be spared.
Ms Yajing said appropriate sanctions should be applied to serve as deterrent to others.
According to the senior government official, much as China would want to encourage its nationals to seek other opportunities outside their home country, it should not be at the expense of the hosts.
“Chinese businesses should abide by the local laws and if they break them they should be dealt with,” she told eight journalists from DAILY GUIDE, Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times, Business and Financial Times, Ghana Television and Metro TV during a visit to her office.
She was reacting to allegations that some Chinese traders and businessmen, with support from their local collaborators, are flooding the Ghanaian market with substandard products at the detriment of the consumers.
She dismissed the perception that products that are brought to Africa are inferior, saying that “there is no difference in the quality of products we produce.
We have only one standard for the products we produce.”
And if anything goes wrong during the design of the product, it is rather the Ghanaian businessman dealing with Chinese company that should be blamed because he must have made certain demands in terms of his home market as to what the people can afford. It is the importer who might have influenced the type of products that are made, she indicated.
She advised any individual, who has a concern, to go to the Chinese Embassy to lodge complaint for appropriate sanction to be applied against the manufacturing company.
When the activities of Chinese retailers and pirates were brought to her notice, she condemned the action and sought for appropriate sanction.
According to Ms Yajing, there are more than 500 Chinese businesses operating in Ghana, especially in the areas of construction, trading, water supply, electricity generation, specifically mentioning the construction of Bui hydro Dam.
In recent times, Ghana has been looking at the direction of China for loans for infrastructural development, including the recent $3billion commercial loan approved by Parliament.
However, she said the money provided to support the Bui Dam for power generation was the largest single preferential loan to be provided by Chinese government to any African country.
The previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, led by President John Agyekum Kufuor secured over $500million loan for the execution of the Bui project on concessionary terms. The project is expected to be completed by 2013, according to the original scheduled.
But in recent times work on the dam had to be stopped because of heavy rains in the area, which caused flooding.
A number of projects, including the Achimota-Ofankor road, Nsawam-Apedwa junction, Job 600 for parliamentarians and the new high court complex, among others, are being undertaken by Chinese contractors.
She said China would continue to strengthen ties with Ghana, stressing that Ghana is one of the most trusted allies in Africa.
She said trade volumes between the countries have increased astronomically though in favour of China, as Ghana only exports raw materials to the Asian nation, the second largest economy in the world.
The journalists are touring China at the invitation of the Chinese government with support from the Embassy in Accra.
Source: Fortune Alimi, Beijing, China
Hospital Turns Back Patients
Accra — A general hospital in a port city in Ghana has driven away patients including pregnant women due to shortage of doctors since last Sunday.
A notice posted on the walls of the general hospital in Tema, 30 kilometers east of here, asked clients seeking medical attention to visit other hospitals for their own safety as a result of the shortage of doctors in the hospital, especially at the maternity ward.
Ghana Health Services said that it had requested more medical doctors to the hospital to avert any death.
In a telephone interview with Xinhua, Accra Regional Director of Health Services Dr. Irene Agyepong said that moves had been taken to return conditions at the hospital to normal.
"We have put in a request for more medical doctors to fill vacant positions at the hospital" and to improve the situation as soon as possible, she added. (Xinhua)
A notice posted on the walls of the general hospital in Tema, 30 kilometers east of here, asked clients seeking medical attention to visit other hospitals for their own safety as a result of the shortage of doctors in the hospital, especially at the maternity ward.
Ghana Health Services said that it had requested more medical doctors to the hospital to avert any death.
In a telephone interview with Xinhua, Accra Regional Director of Health Services Dr. Irene Agyepong said that moves had been taken to return conditions at the hospital to normal.
"We have put in a request for more medical doctors to fill vacant positions at the hospital" and to improve the situation as soon as possible, she added. (Xinhua)
Monday, September 26, 2011
3-Member Nigerian Fake Visa Gang Busted
A Nigerian, Joshua Nnama Chukwu-Kadibia, 54, who has been on the radar of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for allegedly issuing fake visas to foreigners, has been arrested.
His accomplices, Ignatius Aguowo, 38, and Moses Onyanka, 29, also Nigerians, have also been arrested.
The three have been remanded in the custody of the Ghana Immigration Service to appear before court on September 28.
Assistant Comptroller of Immigration (ACI) Francis Palmdeti, Head of GIS Public Affairs, told the Ghanaian Times that for the past two years, the Service had detected that some foreigners entered the country with immigration visas embossed in their passports, and whenever questioned, they claimed the visas were issued to them by Kwame Acheampong, also known as Joshua Nnama Chukwu-kadibia.
Mr. Palmdeti said that information prompted the surveillance team of the Service to begin monitoring the activities of the said Acheampong.
He said last Monday (September 19), a Russian, Ikhvan Gerikhanov, arrived at the Kotoka International Airport with an entry visa and during interrogation, he (Gerikhanov) said he was invited into the country by Danso Philip Law and Co Limited to negotiate a multimillion dollar contract.
ACI Palmdeti said during further interrogations, it came out that the address of the said law firm was fake.
Consequently, an order was issued that anybody appearing at the airport to meet the Russian should be arrested.
Mr. Palmdeti said moments later, Chukwu-kadibia and Aguowo arrived at the airport to pick up Gerikhanov to a hotel.
He stated that the surveillance team tailed the suspects to a hotel where they were arrested, together with another Nigerian, Moses Onyanka, who was found to have been in the country illegally and without a passport.
“It was discovered during a search that Chukwu-kadibia has fraudulently acquired Ghanaian passport number H2537836 bearing the name Kwame Acheampong. A sample of GIS emergency entry visa was also found on him,” ACI Palmdeti said.
Chukwukadibia has been on GIS radar for over two years as a '419' fraudster who managed to defraud a lot of foreigners,” he said and stated that the suspect had been producing fake GIS emergency entry visas for his victims.
He said in July, last year, the Service received an e-mail from Ahmet Erdogan Horzum, a Turkish civil engineer, purported to be a response to an invitation to him by the acting Director-General of GIS.
Mr. Palmdeti said a critical examination of the mail showed that it was fake. Besides, the name of the Director-General was wrongly spelled.
Mr. Palmdeti said the GIS suspected that it was the same group which issued the fake visas to the Turkish and another Russian, Nickolav, a lawyer.
Story by The Ghanaian Times/Ghana
His accomplices, Ignatius Aguowo, 38, and Moses Onyanka, 29, also Nigerians, have also been arrested.
The three have been remanded in the custody of the Ghana Immigration Service to appear before court on September 28.
Assistant Comptroller of Immigration (ACI) Francis Palmdeti, Head of GIS Public Affairs, told the Ghanaian Times that for the past two years, the Service had detected that some foreigners entered the country with immigration visas embossed in their passports, and whenever questioned, they claimed the visas were issued to them by Kwame Acheampong, also known as Joshua Nnama Chukwu-kadibia.
Mr. Palmdeti said that information prompted the surveillance team of the Service to begin monitoring the activities of the said Acheampong.
He said last Monday (September 19), a Russian, Ikhvan Gerikhanov, arrived at the Kotoka International Airport with an entry visa and during interrogation, he (Gerikhanov) said he was invited into the country by Danso Philip Law and Co Limited to negotiate a multimillion dollar contract.
ACI Palmdeti said during further interrogations, it came out that the address of the said law firm was fake.
Consequently, an order was issued that anybody appearing at the airport to meet the Russian should be arrested.
Mr. Palmdeti said moments later, Chukwu-kadibia and Aguowo arrived at the airport to pick up Gerikhanov to a hotel.
He stated that the surveillance team tailed the suspects to a hotel where they were arrested, together with another Nigerian, Moses Onyanka, who was found to have been in the country illegally and without a passport.
“It was discovered during a search that Chukwu-kadibia has fraudulently acquired Ghanaian passport number H2537836 bearing the name Kwame Acheampong. A sample of GIS emergency entry visa was also found on him,” ACI Palmdeti said.
Chukwukadibia has been on GIS radar for over two years as a '419' fraudster who managed to defraud a lot of foreigners,” he said and stated that the suspect had been producing fake GIS emergency entry visas for his victims.
He said in July, last year, the Service received an e-mail from Ahmet Erdogan Horzum, a Turkish civil engineer, purported to be a response to an invitation to him by the acting Director-General of GIS.
Mr. Palmdeti said a critical examination of the mail showed that it was fake. Besides, the name of the Director-General was wrongly spelled.
Mr. Palmdeti said the GIS suspected that it was the same group which issued the fake visas to the Turkish and another Russian, Nickolav, a lawyer.
Story by The Ghanaian Times/Ghana
No Preference for MMT in BRT System
Frederick Asiamah
allAfrica.com
The Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Limited, which is partly owned by the State and became a 'messiah' for commuters trapped in long queues in many heavy traffic areas over the past few years, will not have any special role in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system which is to begin soon in eleven Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
Conversely, the MMT will not be discriminated against if its authorities decide to enroll in the new bus system by applying to operate on the new routes.
Under this regulatory system, MMT is like any other operator; MMT is like the GPRTU [Ghana Private Road Transport Union], PROTOA [Progressive Transport Owners Association] and so on. There will be no preference for any entity," Laud Allotey of the Communications Unit of the Centre for Urban Transportation (C.U.T) told Public Agenda last Tuesday.
The MMT has been facing depletion of fleet in more recent times, resulting from frequent breakdowns. The presence of the MMT on the roads in some urban centres, especially in Accra is diminishing.
Apparently, the MMT has now been focusing more on inter-city services. As a result school children are no longer enjoying the free bus ride introduced for basic school pupils as they should. Workers have also had to wait in queues for several hours in the morning and evening rush hours with the hope of catching a trotro (private commercial mini buses).
Many Ghanaians feared that the new BRT system was a rival, state run parallel system that will hasten the demise of the MMT given the politicalisation that has characterized its operations since being introduced by former President John Agyekum Kufour's administration.
But the C.U.T Communications Unit has allayed those fears, stating that the MMDAs involved in the BRT are supposed to undertake route registration and certify users of BRT routes for a period of one year. In doing so, the MMDAs are supposed to embrace all who apply and assess their applications in a manner devoid of bias and prejudice.
More importantly, the MMDAs are obliged to recognize existing transport operators.
Government will regulate the system and provide the infrastructure. Basically government will play the role of a referee, Mr Allotey indicated to Public Agenda. He emphasized: The private sector is supposed to operate; government is not going to buy the buses for them."
That notwithstanding, government will assist them by linking them with the banks to enable them secure loans (if they need to do so) for the purchase of the buses.
Public Agenda has been trying to find out from authorities at MMT how they are positioning themselves to benefit from the new system but our efforts yielded no responses.
The BRT is a component of the $90 million Ghana Urban Transport Project. The overarching goal of the Ghana Urban Transport Project is to improve public transport in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area by providing more and better public transit service to meet the needs of the region. Among the means chosen to achieve this goal are the development of a bus rapid transit system and the regularization of transit service throughout the region.
Eleven MMDAs have been selected to pilot the BRT and these include Accra and Tema metropolis, Ga East, Ga South and Ga West municipalities (all in the Greater Accra Region) and Kumasi, and Ejisu in the Ashanti Region.
The development of the system for takeoff in the Accra Metropolis has been divided into three schedules, according to Mr Allotey. The LOT 1 consists of the construction of a flyover on the railway line on the Graphic Road at a cost of $12 million. The work, being carried out by Edjis BcEom International, involves the construction of a bridge over the railway line and the widening of the bridge over the Odaw River.
The state newspaper, Daily Graphic, reported last Tuesday that work on the flyover project which started in January, this year, is now 50 per cent complete. It quoted the Resident Engineer of Edjis BcEom International, Mr Micheal Lear, as saying that the work would be completed in October, 2012.
According to him, there was an initial difficulty with the construction of the foundation because there was too much sand and water underground, but said "those challenges have been overcome and we hope to finish the project on time.
The second LOT involves the construction of segregated bus lanes from the Central Business District through Farisco (Adabraka), Graphic Road to Kaneshie First Light where the segregated lanes will terminate. From there the inner lanes of the existing three-lane road network to Mallam will be carved out for the BRT buses.
The third and final LOT involves the construction of bus stops, terminals and bus depots at Mallam. The bus depots are where the buses will sleep, Mr Allotey explains.
It is unclear when all these will be completed but some 120 buses are expected to be running on the route at scheduled times
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