Takoradi (Western Region) 01 February 2002 - Ghana earned 13,756,304 dollars from the export of 38,219 cubic metres of wood products in December last year, as compared to 14,381,498 dollars realised from 41,992 cubic metres in December 2000.
Export earnings and production of wood products fell from 498,843 cubic metres and 175,243,978 US dollars in January to December 2000 as compared to 476,500 cubic metres and 169,003,711 US dollars 2001.
These were contained in an annual report of the Forest Products Inspection Division (FPID) released at Takoradi. The report indicated that 24 wood species contributed 11,574 cubic metres of kiln dried lumber for December last, with Wawa forming 73 per cent, Odum, eight per cent, Koto and Kyere, six per cent.
It stated that Germany imported 3,117 cubic metres, while export to UK and US stood at 1,504 and 433 cubic metres, respectively. A total volume of 111 cubic metres of furniture parts was exported to the United Kingdom, Italy and Holland in December last year, the report added.
Odum formed 41 per cent out of the 393 cubic metres of parquet flooring while Essa, Papao and Apa, Black Yedua and Teak, contributed 22 per cent, 19 per cent, six per cent and four per cent in that order. Italy imported 230 cubic metres, Taiwan 80 cubic meters and Australia 49 cubic meters of parquet flooring from Ghana.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 01 February 2002 - Ghana trade deficit with India has narrowed over the past four years since she took steps to increase exports to the Asian country, Mr Abu-Bakar Saddique Boniface, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, said on Thursday.
The trade deficit went from 43 million dollars in 1997 to 33 million dollars last year, Mr Boniface said in a speech read for him at the opening of a two-day business meeting between businessmen from the two countries in Accra.
Exports to India in 1997 were 4.3 million dollars while imports stood at 47.4 million dollars. However, Ghana exported 18 million dollars of goods in 2000 and imported 51.7 million dollars.
The meeting, dubbed "Multi-Product Buyer-Seller Meet" was organised by Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC) to provide opportunity to Indian and Ghanaian businessmen to sit face-to-face to discuss and do business.
The EEPC was set up by the Indian Government in 1955 to promote India's export of engineering goods, projects and services. Mr Boniface said the wide range of engineering goods lined up by the EEPC from metallurgical products through to agricultural machinery was the type of goods Ghana needed to expand its industrial base to cater for both local and export markets.
He stressed the need for Ghanaian businessmen to use the opportunity to boost the manufacturing capacity using Indian expertise and technology. "We, therefore, expect more and deeper partnerships to be forged between Indian businessmen and their counterparts in the productive sectors of the economy, especially in agro processing machine tool, auto parts, transport equipment, electronics, jewellery, textile, garment, IT service and packaging."
He said the government through its various programmes was creating an enabling environment to enhance the private sector to flourish and urged foreign investors to take advantage of the situation to invest in Ghana.
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Takoradi (Western Region) 01 February 2002 - The volume of air-dried lumber exported from the country in December last year was 8,891 cubic meters.
Teak formed 40 per cent of this figure, Ofram 27 per cent, Wawa five per cent, Danta, four per cent while Papao and Apa formed three per cent, the Forest Products Inspection Division (FPID) annual report said.
India continued to be the leading importer of the commodity importing 3,086 cubic meters that represented 34.71 per cent in December alone. Senegal imported 2,154 cubic meters while USA imported 373 cubic meters.
The report said 3,371 cubic meters of sliced veneer was exported with Asanfina forming 60 per cent of the total volume, Sapele eight per cent, Chenchen six per cent, Makore six per cent and Mahogany five per cent.
Italy imported 1,972 cubic meters while France imported 57 cubic meters. The report added that 4,368 cubic meters of rotary veneer was exported in December last year with Ceiba leading with 86 per cent, Otie, four per cent and Essa two per cent.
USA and Italy imported 1,928 and 485 cubic meters of rotary veneer, respectively, while Germany took 222 cubic meters of the commodity the report said.
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Tema (Northern Region) 01 February 2002 - The Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) is taking steps to change Ghana's image as an expensive tourism destination, Mr Martin Mireku, acting Chief Executive of the Board said on Thursday.
Reacting to complaints from operators in the tourism industry at a meeting at Hotel Marjorie "Y", in Tema that high airfares charged by airlines and an airport tax of 50 dollars scared tourist from travelling to Ghana, Mr Mireku said the GTB had realised that certain agencies by their actions made Ghana more expensive for tourists.
Over 70 operators of hotels, restaurants, night clubs and travel and tour companies attended the meeting which was aimed at introducing newly appointed officials of the Tourist Board to them and the need for them to undertake training programmes to prevent food poisoning.
The GTB has, therefore, targeted organisations like the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), which introduced the 50-dollar airport tax as a source of revenue to rehabilitate the Accra Airport and Ghana Airways to introduce more competitive fares.
The hoteliers also complained about the decision by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to increase its licensing fees for five star hotels from nine million cedis to 20 million cedis a year without any negotiation as it used to be in the past.
They were also concerned about the introduction of a new travel insurance fee of "10 dollars in and 10 dollars out" by airlines after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States and questioned its justification.
Another issue was why hoteliers, who collected VAT on behalf of the VAT Service without being paid any commission should be made to buy the VAT receipt books.
"Some of these agencies have genuine reasons for charging certain fees but we have to sit down with them to see how we can collaborate in the interest of all parties", he said.
Mr Edwin Owusu-Mensah, GTB's Acting Deputy Executive Director for Operations, said the Board was trying to review the tourism law L.I. 1205 of 1979 since it was outdated.
The Board was also reviewing all its publications like brochures to be sent to embassies abroad to market Ghana as a favourable tourism destination, adding, in countries where Ghana had no diplomatic missions; it was getting people to represent Ghana's interest in such places.
Mr Owusu-Mensah noted that food poisoning could dent Ghana's image as tourism destination so it was collaborating with the African Project Development Facility of the UNDP to train all operators.
The AFDP would bear half of the cost of the training programmes that would target waiters and proprietors to improve food and beverage service delivery.
Beneficiaries of the training, which would be organised by SGS Ghana Limited, would be presented with certificates issued by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, a renowned international organisation.
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Ho (Volta Region) 01 February 2002 - The Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) at Ho, on Thursday, burnt 1,675 cartons of assorted foreign cigarettes valued at 81 million cedis seized from smugglers on the Ghana-Togo border.
They included Bond, Aspen, Benson and Hedges, Royal, Marlboro and 555 brands.
Mr Sam Afari-Aikins, Ho Sector Commander of CEPS, told newsmen that the banned cigarettes did not bear the World Health Organisation's (WHO) health warning label.
He called on the public to assist CEPS in checking smuggling. Mr Anthony Chinebuah, Regional Sales Manager of British American Tobacco Company (BAT), said the company contributed 90 billion cedis in taxes and expressed the fear that cigarette smuggling could affect its business and contribution to national revenue.
He observed that most foreign cigarettes usually reached the consumer after the end of the period certified for consumption because of the long chain of haulage and storage.
Personnel of the security agencies, Audit Service, Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Health Unit of the Ministry of Health, witnessed the exercise.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 01 February 2002
Currency Buying Selling
US Dollar 7,202.64 7,398.09
Pound Sterling 10,182.37 10,460.90
Swiss Franc 4,213.16 4,325.90
canadian Dollar 4,544.08 4,664.42
Japanese Yen 54.20 55.65
S/African Rand 630.04 645.21
Euro 6,200.82 6,366.95
CFA Franc 9.45 9.71
Naira 64.31 66.05
Ecowas/WAUA 9,052.57 -----------
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