Wednesday, July 29, 2015

MOBA gets new National Executive Committee

 A 9-member executive body has been inducted as the new National Executive Committee of the Mfantsipim Old Boys Association (MOBA), replacing the old body that has served the Association for 18 years.

The new committee, which will serve a two-year term plans to revive the financial position of the association to strongly support the development of Mfantsipim School. 

 MOBA is set to establish an endowment fund for members to contribute towards the development of the school.

The newly appointed President of MOBA, Captain Paul Forjoe, says the fund will help raise a minimum of one million cedis annually to support infrastructure developments in Mfantsipim School.

‘We are embarking on a health and sanitation project, a library project as well as a spatial plan to expand dormitories and hall’’ he said.

The Health and Sanitation Project involves the change of the main water supply lines to the Mfantsipim Senior High school from 2’’ to 4’’ pipes, establishment of 4 new boreholes and the refurbishment of 32 toilets and the installation of 20 new toilets.

The various year groups of Mfantsipim Senior High School (SHS) have been asked to pay GHC15,000 each as contributions towards the health and sanitation project.

The members of the National Executive Committee who were inducted into office are:

• Captain Joe Forjoe (MOBA ’73) – Ebusuapanyin (President)

• Emmanuel Kotey Hammond (MOBA ’67 – Vice-President

•  Kofi Bentum Coleman (MOBA ’76) – Secretary

•  James Kodwo Morgan (MOBA ’77) – Vice-Secretary

•  Charles Darko Cobbina (MOBA ’83) – Organiser

•  Kwesi Wilson (MOBA ’94) – Vice-Organiser

•  William Parry Aboagye (MOBA ’73) – Treasurer

•  Kofi Ammaniampong (MOBA ’98) – Vice-Treasurer

•  A. K. Gyasi (MOBA ’65) – Executive Member
MOBA gets new National Executive Committee
A 9-member executive body has been inducted as the new National Executive Committee of the Mfantsipim old boys association (MOBA), replacing the old body that has served the Association for 18 years.
The new committee, which will serve a two-year term plans to revive the financial position of the association to strongly support the development of Mfantsipim School.
MOBA is set to establish an endowment fund for members to contribute towards the development of the school.
The newly appointed President of MOBA, Captain Paul Forjoe, says the fund will help raise a minimum of one million cedis annually to support infrastructure developments in Mfantsipim School.
‘We are embarking on a health and sanitation project, a library project as well as a spatial plan to expand dormitories and hall’’ he said.
The Health and Sanitation Project involves the change of the main water supply lines to the Mfantsipim Senior High school from 2’’ to 4’’ pipes, establishment of 4 new boreholes and the refurbishment of 32 toilets and the installation of 20 new toilets.
The various year groups of Mfantsipim Senior High School (SHS) have been asked to pay GHC15,000 each as contributions towards the health and sanitation project.
The members of the National Executive Committee who were inducted into office are:
• Captain Joe Forjoe (MOBA ’73) – Ebusuapanyin (President)
• Emmanuel Kotey Hammond (MOBA ’67 – Vice-President
•  Kofi Bentum Coleman (MOBA ’76) – Secretary
•  James Kodwo Morgan (MOBA ’77) – Vice-Secretary
•  Charles Darko Cobbina (MOBA ’83) – Organiser
•  Kwesi Wilson (MOBA ’94) – Vice-Organiser
•  William Parry Aboagye (MOBA ’73) – Treasurer
•  Kofi Ammaniampong (MOBA ’98) – Vice-Treasurer
•  A. K. Gyasi (MOBA ’65) – Executive Member
- See more at: http://www.myjoyonline.com/business/2015/July-27th/moba-gets-new-national-executive-committee.php#sthash.vit12f89.dpuf

Miners’urged to initiate 25-year power agenda



Mining industry players have been asked to proactively initiate a 25-year power agenda with regulators and power providers to lock-in and secure the power requirement necessary for smooth performance of the industry.

Mr. Peter Amponsah-Mensah -- Director, PAMICOR Limited, a mining industry service provider -- speaking at the quarterly meeting of the Accra Mining Network in Accra and making a proposal for a 25-year power agenda argued:“It is in our vital interest to take this path; we must after all secure our productive future or risk going under. 

“In that case, I would like to see the Chamber of Mines and Accra Mining Network (AMN) doing effective lobbying and advocacy work to ensure that what is in our common interest receives persuasive hearing and demonstration in the policy-making chambers of this country.

“Not only that: we must also be ready to put our money where our mouth is in order to guarantee that what will work in our interest gets concretely realised.”

The mining industry consumed about 10-30% of power generated in-country at the turn of the millennium, and guaranteed the power providers adequate revenue for maintenance and upgrade. Government early this year asked mining companies to further cut their power consumption -- by shedding a little over 30 percent from the initial 25 percent agreed last December.

Mr. Amponsah-Mensah cited that the high tariffs, power supply is inadequate and the power supply landscape is characterised by rationing of power -- adding that the absence of reliable power from the national grid and lack of a cheaper sources thereof continue to unbalance miners’ resolve to keep afloat with the increase in operating costs; independent power generation is the norm rather than the exception.

He mentioned that the power supply is inadequate because government has not made provision for either the public or private sector to make new investments, adding that government is formulating many ad-hoc solutions including the Karpower, the APR among others.

This, Amponsah-Mensah said, has been the norm during periods of crisis. What is missing has been a coherent, well-formulated approach that addresses the fundamental risks of electric power provision in the country: foreign exchange risk; fuel supply risk; the credit-worthiness of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

He indicated that while the mining sector typically pays more than a cost-reflective tariff, other sectors of the economy do not and the result of the pricing discrimination is that, overall tariffs set by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) are not cost-reflective.

Amponsah-Mensah cited that government inability to pay its electricity bills has contributed immensely to insolvency of the electricity sector.

“Until government pays its bills, and tariffs are properly set, the government will struggle to provide an environment for sustainable provision of electricity.

“For the private sector to meaningfully participate, it needs clear signals from the government and regulators about the rules of the game. 

“The current approach is that whoever wants to do a project is encouraged. Hence, Foreign Direct Investment and Independent Power Producers have monopolised the power space, leaving little participation for the Ghanaian economic player. 

“In other countries, they put out tenders and they do auctions. Based on this approach a country is able to systematically say, for instance: ‘Our target of 1,000 MW is being met as follows by the following projects, and so bid in at lowest cost etc.; and so and so has this much gas and fuel need, and needs this much credit support etc’. The rules can also mandate that local content is a requirement for any foreign participation.”

He observed that the mining sector can play its own role to catalyse new investment by serving as anchor loads for new power projects. This role may potentially free-up power-related investment capital in the mining budgets toward other productive and efficient investments needed to boost the industry. 

Outlining some of the major challenges facing the industry, he mentioned unfavourable market forces, incongruent and misaligned policies, and personal/partial interests that override general industry interest. 

He said all these factors are acting in unison, and at times independently have undermined the responsiveness to opportunities that are present in the industry.

The industry sits in a very enviable position in the national economy. In 2013 gold alone contributed US$5billion to the state, accounting for 10% of gross domestic product. 

In the same year, 23 large-scale mining companies contributed up to 37% of total export by producing gold, diamonds, bauxite and manganese. In addition to all these, there are over 300 registered small scale mining groups and 90 mine-support service companies. 

On gold price, he said, the bullion slump by 28% in 2013 destabilised the industry worldwide and at home. The decline was mainly a consequence of investors’ waned faith in gold as a store of value amid a rally in equities and muted inflation in the US economy. 

The effect on the country’s industry was a loss of 1.2million ounces of production in 2013. A further potential loss of 300,000 ounces is expected as Obuasi Mine (AGA) restructures. 

The accompanying labour rationalisation and cost restructuring exercises of other members of the Chamber of Mines and suppliers have taken an enormous toll of the industry. 

The industry, in spite of the challenges, has contributed toward improved social development through providing jobs, paying taxes, building an industrial base, enhancing efficiency, earning foreign exchange and transferring technology. But the sector has also been perceived by a critical public as deepening disparities in wealth; operating under poor labour conditions; polluting the environment; and being responsible for health and safety failings, forced displacement and other human and civil rights abuses. 

This has led to an increasing pressure from NGOs, Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) all over the world for multinational corporations to become more accountable.

Local oil palm growers cry for protection



With 50% low yield and high cost of infrastructure, maintenance and electricity, it will be very difficult for local farmers to compete with Crude Palm Oil (CPO) imported from the Far East without the duty protection, smallholder oil palm growers have said. 
Average yield of CPO per hectare of plantations in the Far East is 5.5 metric tonnes in comparison to 2.5 to 3.00 metric tonnes in nucleus estates of the country, even after practicing best plantation procedures.

This yield disparity is due to the rainfall pattern and soil structure. In Malaysia, rain is evenly distributed throughout the year whereas in Ghana for four months plants will not see a drop of rain, Mr. Charles Lawrence Twumasi-Ankrah, a farmer and an executive member of Oil Palm Smallholder/Outgrowers Association told a media conference in Accra.

Government is expected to impose a 10 percent Import Adjustment Tax (IAT) in addition to the 10 percent ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) on imports of crude palm oil. 

This is in line with a global movement toward Customs unions, wherein ECOWAS is introducing a CET to allow the same Customs duty to apply for all goods entering ECOWAS members, regardless of which country within the area they are entering.  ECOWAS is due to implement the CET this year.

Meanwhile, members of the Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG), a non-governmental association, have asked government to suspend implementation of the IAT on imported crude palm oil until the gap between local production and demand is closed. 

They argued that the implementation of IAT will effect a rise in production costs on CPO -- which could result in the increase of the fast-moving consumer goods prices.

But Mr. Twumasi-Ankrah disagreed that with implementation of IAT, the price of CPO in the country will increase -- and this will have a direct and proportionate increase in the price of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB), which accrues to the benefit of farmers who are the largest stakeholder group in the oil palm industry.

He stated that many oil palm entrepreneurs are calling on authorities to introduce fiscal measures to protect the industry so as to attract genuine investors and rural dwellers into the sector.

“If authorities do not implement the fiscal measures, actors in the industry will pay lip-service to the industry to the detriment of the economy. The much talked about more import and less export cannot be over-emphasised. Factors such as strong import or US$ demand to meet import bills and large fiscal and current accounts deficits all continue to undermine the economy.

“Imports create employment for the exporting country and take away the employment of the importing country. Import of a metric tonne of Crude Palm Oil into Ghana displaces one farmer of their income. There must be strong fiscal discipline to protect the palm oil sector.

“It is very obvious that every country tries to protect the local agricultural industries by imposing additional duty which can drive positive economic and social impact for people and communities.”

He explained that Ghana has a deficit of CPO, hence policy needs to be framed to increase the production of CPO and not other way around by suspending the duty protection; and that oil palm plantations raise the living standards of the rural people by providing employment to thousands of inhabitants and alleviating poverty.

Palm plantations, schemed smallholders, independent farms, out-growers and individual farmers create employment in the palm segment for more than 290,000 people.

Companies operating in Nigeria are liable to pay IAT -25%, while Ghana palm sector actors are demanding for 10% IAT is very valid.

“Many oil palm entrepreneurs are totally convinced that IAT on CPO will have a positive impact on the palm sector, farmers, out-growers, smallholders, and additional revenue to government.

“Any decision to not protect the palm sector will eventually affect the local farmers and indigenous companies. Protection of duty is needed to bring up the production and close the gap between production and demand.

“There are some companies with open commitment to source 300,000 tonnes of palm products from Africa; this will be possible only by framing polices to favor growth of the palm sector and not favor the importers,” he remarked.