Ghana urged to set up market research
sections abroad
Ministry, DNL, lotto receivers settle MIMNET-DNL contract
West Africa mining exhibition lunched
Ghana urged to set up market research
sections abroad
Cape Coast (Central Region) 02 July 2001
Ghana, has been urged to set up market research sections within all its overseas missions to help provide more markets for her products, as a means of increasing productivity and reducing poverty in the country.
The private sector, should in addition be strengthened to enable it invest in agriculture, especially in irrigation and agro-processing, to help stem post- harvest losses.
MR Craig Murray, the deputy British High Commissioner, made the call when he and the United Kingdom's deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr Stewart Eldon, paid a courtesy call on the Central Regional Minister, Mr Isaac Edumadze on Tuesday.
A release issued at Cape Coast on Friday, said the deputy High Commissioner, also urged Ghana to diversify her tourists attractions by developing its beaches and crocodile ponds in order to attract more tourists.
Mr Eldon, for his part, stressed the need to strengthen sub-regional groups such as ECOWAS, economically and militarily, to ensure the maintenance of peace for accelerated development.
The regional minister, had earlier, appealed for assistance to help ensure investments in the region's tourism and agricultural sectors, to boost its socio-economic growth.
He said the region has a 160- kilometre -stretch of coastline from Komenda to Nyanyano, near Kasoa, which can be developed into beach resorts to attract more tourists, while the agricultural sector could be assisted with storage, food processing facilities and markets to curb post harvest losses.
Mr Edumadze, also expressed concern about the current standards of education in the country, particularly the region, and appealed for assistance in remedial measures.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 02 July 2001
The Ministry of Trade and Industry on Friday said it has noticed that there are sub-standard electrical appliances and accessories on the market which have not gone through the required mandatory inspection at the port or point of clearance.
These appliances which include electric cables, switches, sockets and plugs, electric pressing irons, incandescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes could be causes of potential dangers such as fire-outbreaks that may result from their usage, a statement in Accra said.
The Trade Ministry advised the public to be wary when buying these goods and, if in doubt, contact the Ghana Standards Board (GCB) for confirmation of their quality.
It reminded all importers that it is a requirement under the "Export and Import Act, (Amendment) 2000" that all imported electrical appliances such as electric cables, switches sockets, plugs, electric pressing irons and kettles, incandescent bulbs, fluorescent tubes have to be physically inspected " before they are put on the market.
It said the GSB would soon mount an operation to retrieve all such sub-standard appliances and accessories from the market.
It advised dealers to keep copies of relevant import documents for inspection on demand by the GSB.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 02 July 2001
The Ministry of Finance, SINNET, Department of National Lotteries (DNL) and National Lotto Receivers' Union have amicably resolved all concerns raised on the 5/39 on-line computerised lottery.
A statement issued in Accra on Friday said DNL would be entitled to 12.75 per cent of the total intake. The meeting was convened at the instance of Mrs Grace Coleman, Deputy Minister of Finance.
It said in consideration of the services provided by SIMNET (Ghana) Limited, it would be entitled to 17.75 per cent of the total lotto intake.
The statement said 42.5 per cent of the total intake would be earmarked for Prize Pool while 15 per cent and 12 per cent of the total intake would also be earmarked for agents' fees and services/marketing charges respectively.
"The parties accordingly undertake to throw their full support behind the SIMNET-DNL agreement for the realisation of maximum revenue generation for national development."
In recent months, there have been concerns raised on the SIMNET-Ministry of Finance/DNL agreement to give effect to the on-line computerised lottery to be operated by the Department of National Lotteries.
In June 1999, the Ministry, acting in conjunction with DNL entered into a management, technical and consultancy agreement with SIMNET to provide, among other things, soft and hardware necessary for the smooth computerization of the DNL.
The National Lotto Receivers' Union expressed its dissatisfaction with the provisions of the agreement and called for its review saying it is inimical to its interests and the nation.
They were particularly not happy about the clause, which appears to have reposed in SIMNET the power "to control the Prize Poll, Agents' fees, advertising and marketing services and SIMNET entitlements. This they said would leave a paltry 19 per cent of the total lotto receipts for the 5/39 on-line computerised lottery. :
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Accra (Greater Accra) 02 July 2001
Mr Moses Asamoah, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Senior Officers' Association of the Department of National Lotteries (DNL) on Friday called on the government to restore the monopoly of the department.
He also called on the government to prevent private operators from pirating DNL's draw numbers.
Mr Asamoah made the call after the inauguration of the executive committee of the DNL in Accra.
Other members are Mr Ernest Aglogah, Vice Chairman, Ms Dorothy Attipoe, Secretary, Gloria Opare-Donkor, Assistant Secretary, Ms. Elizabeth Larbi, Treasurer and Mr Ralph Djotepe, Executive member. The Committee has the task of complementing the work of management.
Mr Asamoah recounted the period between 1982 and 1984 when the DNL was the only revenue-generating organisation that sustained the economy of the country.
According to him, the DNL had become vulnerable because "millions of lottery money" that should have come into the Consolidated Fund was going into private pockets.
He said at present, 70 private lotto companies were operating in the country and most of them evade tax.
Mr Asamoah said apart from the DNL, all other revenue-generating agencies like Customs, Exercise and preventive Service, Value Added Tax Service, Internal Revenue Service are autonomous.
This, he said, is unfair to the workers of the DNL and called on government to rectify the situation to boost the morale of workers of the DNL.
In a speech read for him, the Director of the DNL, Mr Emmanuel Kerman said the agreement between government and SIMNET Ghana Limited to automate the lotto industry would not lead to the loss of employment as feared by the staff and lotto receivers of the DNL.
He said the pre-occupation of the DNL is to increase the revenue base of the department, which stands at 0.7 percent, to an appreciable level by adopting stringent measures.
Mr Kerman said other factors that reduce the revenue earning capacity of the DNL include the removal of the monopoly status of the department, piracy of its draw numbers by private operators and the imposition of VAT-inclusive coupons that take the chunk of DNL sales.
He expressed the hope that the relevant authority would tackle the issue for the Department to create a level playing field for its competitors.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 02 July 2001
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mrs Joyce Wereko-Brobbey on Friday said stakeholders in the industry are operating under strict guidelines to ensure that their operations are not sustained at the expense of the environment.
She said it is possible to develop the country without wanton destruction of the environment and all attempts should be geared towards ensuring strict compliance to regulations.
Mrs Wereko-Brobbey was speaking at the launch of the fifth West Africa Mining and third Electrics West Africa Exhibition and Conference in Accra.
The conference, which will be held in July next year, would focus on the latest trend in technology and information in the mining industry and also allow stakeholders to share experiences in the two sectors.
Mrs Wereko-Brobbey said to demonstrate their commitment to safe environmental practices all mining companies have departments, which initiate programmes to ensure that their activities conform to best practices to save the land.
She expressed the hope that the link of the power and mining conferences at the same time would lead to relevant policy formulation and implementation at the appropriate time.
Ms Oforiwa Okrah, Executive Co-ordinator of Exhibition Services Limited, organisers of the event, said the exhibition rate would be cut by 35 per cent to allow more people to participate.
She said although WAM 2000 was not particularly impressive because of the slump in the world gold prices and the economic situation in the country at the time it hoped that the 2002 exhibition would attract more exhibitors.
She commended the Volta River Authority, the Chamber of Mines and other governmental agencies for their active support for the exhibition.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 02 July 2001
The GSE All-Share Index, the key gauge of the Accra bourse, made a slim 0.68 points to finish at 932.47 points as against 931.80 points as it continued its strides in recent weeks.
Traded volumes jumped to 3.6 million shares compared to 374,200 shares on Wednesday, thanks to block sale in Guinness Ghana Limited (GGL), which sold 3.5 million shares. There were four price changes, three positive and one negative.
Fan Milk Limited went up 50 cedis at 800 cedis and Pioneer Aluminium Factory (PAF) was also up by 20 cedis at 350 cedis. Aluworks gained one cedi at 12,001 cedis.
The only loser was Unilever, which lost one cedi to close at 1,800 cedis. The change for the year to date now stands at 8.68 per cent.
The Market capitalisation was up 3,785.26 billion cedis compared to 3,783.92 billion cedis on Wednesday.
The following are the last prices of listed equities in cedis:
ABL 630
AGC 18,500
ALW 12,001 +1
BAT 550
CFAO 60
EIC 2,890
FML 800 +50
GBL 1,300
GCB 1,600
GGL 900
HFC 950
MGL 240
MLC 130
MOGL 19,400
PAF 350 +20
PBC 450
PZ 640
SCB 21,000
SPPC 306
SSB 2,300
UNIL 1,800 -1
CMLT 425
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