EU Enforces Illegal Logging Ban

From left: Kojo Owusu Agyemang, Claude Maerten and some participants interacting after the conference

By Esther Awuah
The European Union (EU) will from March 2013 halt the importation of illegal timber into European countries.

This follows the introduction of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which seeks to reduce trade in illegal logging and prohibit the importation of illegal timber into the EU market.

Head of EU Delegation to Ghana, Claude Maerten disclosed this when he addressed representatives from West and Central African countries who attended a regional conference on illegal logging in Accra.

He noted that “much is being done within the EU, both by the relevant authorities and the private sector to ensure that each has made the necessary preparations to meet this deadline.”

In 2003, the EU adopted its Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) with the aim to halt illegal logging and promote better governance.

The main tool to implement the Action Plan is the negotiation and conclusion of Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA) between the EU and a Partner Country.

To date, in West and Central Africa, the EU has signed VPAs with five countries (Cameroun, Central African Republic, Ghana, Liberia and Republic of Congo) and is negotiating with two countries (Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon),
It has also introduced the VPA in Cote d’Ivoire.

The three-day conference, which started from 23rd October to 25th 2012, brought together about 130 stakeholders involved in the implementation of the VPA process who will share their experiences and discuss the successes and unique challenges of negotiating and implementing VPA in the region.

In his address, the Deputy Minister of Lands & Natural Resources, Kojo Owusu Agyemang noted that poor forest governance is the root cause of the degradation of the forest estates in the world and Africa.

“Ghana’s objective for entering into the VPA remains unchanged. We seek to take advantage of this market lever, the support from our traditional partners and the limelight that is given to forest governance issues, which particularly ensures that only legal timber enters our domestic market and the EU market.”

He reiterated government’s commitment to enforce VPA and noted that “currently, a Timber Resource Regulations has been passed to provide legal backing for the implementation of the VPA.”

SMEs List March 2013

Ekow Afedzie Deputy Managing Director, Ghana Stock Exchange

By Esther Awuah

Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) are expected to list on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) by the end of the first quarter of 2013.

“With the approval of rules, procedures and structures by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), we are just getting ready to launch the new market by the end of the first quarter of 2013,” Ekow Afedzie Deputy, Managing Director of GSE disclosed.

He stated that the new market, to be known as the Ghana Alternate Market, is going to be different from other security markets.

“All the requirements and obligations have been relaxed for this particular market in order to groom and entice SMEs to get a little more transparent.”

Mr. Afedzie, who was speaking at the media launch of SEC’s 2012 Capital Market Week in Accra, said SMEs needed a minimum capital of GH¢250,000, stated capital post flotation, a minimum of 20 shareholders and listing fee of GH¢2,000.

Explaining why the GSE failed to launch the market this year as announced earlier, the Deputy Managing Director explained that “because we want this market to succeed and help expand the fortunes of smaller companies, we had to take our time in outlining the rules and requirements, hence the delay.”

He noted that through the Ghana Alternate Market SMEs would be given the platform to grow and create employment opportunities while growing the economy.

Adu Anane Antwi, Director General of SEC, who officially launched the week, educated the public on the capital market and the benefits the economy could derive from the market to create wealth.

The capital market deals in stocks, bonds, and other long-term investments.

Touching on the theme for the celebration, “Capital Market: An Investment Avenue for Securing Your Future Financial Well-being,” he said it was to emphasize the importance of the capital market as a provider of investment opportunities.

The week celebrations will commence on 29thOctober, 2012 and end on 4th November, 2012.

Staff of SEC and some market operators will embark on outreach programmes in selected tertiary institutions in six regional capitals - Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani, Koforidua, Cape Coast and Takoradi when the celebrations kick off.

CSO Demands Sipa-Yankey's Head

By Esther Awuah

The Civil Society Platform on Oil & Gas has asked George Sipa-Yankey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC), to step aside for investigations to be conducted into his stewardship.

According to the group, Sinopec International Petroleum Services Corporation (SIPSC), a subsidiary of the Sinopec Group, which is constructing the gas processing plant at Atuabo in the Western region, has overpriced the project while GNGC remains indifferent.

“The SIPSC is delivering a processing plant that is costing $40 million more than another plant which is considered superior by virtue of having five additional features including specifications that are favourable to the Volta River Authority (VRA),” Dr. Steve Manteaw, chairman of the group, stated at a press conference in Accra.

He said “SIPSC has overpriced the materials for both the power plant and pipes by building hidden costs purportedly occasioned by an arrangement with SIPSC’s special purpose subsidiary offshore firm called SAF Petroleum Investments (FZE), registered in Dubai.

“Under the arrangement, SAF will make the initial procurement and resell the items to SIPSC. Meanwhile, the same person – Ms Yang Hua serves as Project Director for both SIPSC and SAF.”

The gas project would cover the processing of gas from the Jubilee Oilfield into clean fuels and feedstock for the domestic and export markets while promoting the development of the country’s petrochemical industries to eliminate the flaring of gas.

A visit by CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE to Atuabo recently showed that pipes were being laid from the processing plant to the Takoradi Thermal Plant at Aboadze to meet the December deadline for the commencement of the first phase of the project.

Dr. Manteaw stated that attempts by the Petroleum Commission and the Ministry of Energy to obtain details of the transactions entered into by GNGC and Sinopec were thwarted by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Sipa-Yankey.

He said his outfit called for investigations “because of the huge costs being recorded relative to the gas project and their ramifications for gas pricing when the project is completed.

“We believe that by the singular act of investigating these allegations of fraud and impropriety at Ghana Gas, the President will be sending a strong signal to the skeptics that his government is serious about fighting corruption,” Dr. Manteaw emphasised.

The group is also calling on Parliament to take immediate steps to call for the GNGC-SINOPEC deal to be laid before it for debate and possible ratification in order to streamline GNGC’s activities.

It appealed to authorities to restructure GNGC as a subsidiary of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) under the Ministry of Energy’s oversight.

“This is important not only for tapping into GNPC’s technical expertise and years of experience but also for enhancing the corporate profile and industry leverage of GNPC. Again, even though the GNGC has been incorporated, its mandate is not clear as the GNPC by law and by the Jubilee contractual arrangements owns the gas reserves with the international partners, and is expected to develop and transport gas to onshore facilities.”

Reacting to the statement, Kwesi Botchwey, Board Chairman of GNGC, said every act of procurement by the GNGC had been done in strict accordance with the country’s procurement laws and in compliance with the company’s own internal regulations regarding the thresholds for board approval, as it pertains in all companies in both the public and private sector.

“The allegations of impropriety in procurement practices, and the talk of so-called “transfer pricing” by the project contractor Sinopec are allegations that the board of Ghana Gas has thoroughly discussed and found to be without merit or substance.”

Dr Botchwey continued: “I am aware that there are some who would have preferred to have one company exercise dominion over the entire oil and gas industry from upstream, midstream and downstream and preferably be responsible also for regulating the entire industry.”

According to him, “Dr. Manteaw of the Civil Society Platform sounds very much like the hireling and advocate of these vested interests. But if per chance I am wrong and Dr. Manteaw’s group is truly interested in constructive debate, Ghana Gas will be more than happy to debate them publicly.”

He indicated that Ghana Gas was studying the group’s statement and would issue a more detailed response if need be.

Ghana’s Oil Production Increases

By Esther Awuah
Ghana’s oil production is expected to inch up from the current 80,000 barrels a day to 90,000 by the end of the third quarter of 2012, representing a 6 per cent increase year on year.

According to Renaissance Capital’s latest research report made available to CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE, it still sees an upside for oil production over the next four quarters given that it is projected to peak at 120,000 barrels per day in 2013 by Tullow Oil.

Earlier last week, the Operations Manager of the Jubilee Partners, Robert Gettka, told journalists in Takoradi that oil production would increase from 66,000 barrels a day to 86,000 barrels a day.

He stated that the increase was partly due to the successful oxidation exercise which was carried out to boost production.

Oxidation is the process of involving the injection of acid into wells to facilitate the oil flow to the surface or onto an oil platform.

Renaissance Capital’s report further projected that stronger growth from the extractive industry in the second half of 2012 barring any hitches in the gold mining sector.
“This is positive for the industrial sector, which we expect to remain supported by robust growth in construction activity.”

However, according to the report this growth is expected to be undermined by a poor showing from the manufacturing sector in the third quarter of 2012 due to another shutdown at Tema Oil Refinery related to the breakdown of critical equipment.

On the services front, business services’ growth is also expected to remain robust.

It is also anticipated that election-related spending would support the services growth in fourth quarter of 2012.

The report stated that “we maintain our Growth and Domestic Product (GDP) growth projection for Ghana of 8.5 percent in 2012 however we think downside risk to this has increased.”

Geospatial Incompetence Robs Ghana

Aida Opoku-Mensah

By Esther Awuah
Ghana risks losing its natural resources if policy makers and indigenes do not make conscious efforts to utilize geospatial technology to monitor its resources.

According to Aida Opoku-Mensah, Director of the United Nations Economic Commission Africa (UNECA), the technology, which was being underutilized by African countries, could impact the use of natural resources.

She indicated that “one of the reasons why we have not been able to harness geospatial technology is because our policy makers do not typically understand the strategic role it plays in the development context.”

She noted that “the fact that we know there is oil in the Jubilee Fields, and that we have mineral resources means geospatial technology was being used. But the critical question is whether we are in control of how this technology is used to monitor and survey where our natural resources are.”

She said some African countries do not know how much oil is being produced per day from their shores because there is no due diligence and application of geospatial technology by the indigenes of that country.

Geospatial technology or geomatics is the technology for visualizing, gathering, storing, processing and delivering geographic or spatial information.

Ms Opoku-Mensah emphasized that “it is high time we got politicians, legislators and planners to have a holistic approach to the use of technology to countries’ advantage.”

She stated this during a day’s workshop on Geospatial Science and Technology in Accra for about 30 journalists in Accra.

The event, which was organized by the Africa Media Forum for Geo-information Systems (AMFGIS) in collaboration with UNECA and the International Institute of ICT Journalism (Penplusbytes), was under the theme, “Harnessing Geospatial Science and Technology for Socio-economic Development – The Role of Ghanaian Media.”

The workshop was aimed at educating journalists on the use of Geospatial Information in the newsroom by focusing on topics such as Introduction to Concepts of Geospatial Technologies, Case Studies of Geospatial Information Systems (GIS), Applications in Ghana with special emphasis on how to generate compelling stories.

Kwami Ahiabenu, II Co-Chair of AMFGIS stated that “Geospatial science and technology have a lot of opportunities to stimulate Ghana’s socio-economic development and journalists have an important role to ensure increased awareness of these opportunities and the workshop is coming at a right time in this direction.”

AFAG Cautions MTN

• As Network Apologises

Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, A Member of AFAG

By Esther Awuah
The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) has expressed its disappointment at MTN Ghana over its failure to provide uninterrupted service to its subscribers.
The group noticed with grave concern the calling lapse, unreliability and connectivity problem of the leading telecommunication group in Ghana, MTN.

“It is more than a great disservice to Ghanaians to go through such an ordeal against the fact that the service sector and MTN in particular are making a giant and bountiful leap in their business endeavour.”

AFAG therefore warned “MTN to immediately make themselves available to Ghanaians and respect the good people of Ghana.”

In a statement signed by Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, Davis Opoku Ansah, Bright Acheampong, AFAG indicated that “MTN with all their touting performance in quality and customer service delivery is not acting to the expectation of their consumers and customers, and has not explained the source of the difficulties and when the challenge will be over.”

It noted that “the attitude of MTN in disregarding the problems of the consumer and leaving their fate to the near distant future is not only an insult to the intelligence of their consumers and customers but also a wanton disregard for the rules that mandate them to give uninterrupted quality and reliable service to their consumers and customers.”

The group emphasized its commitment in ensuring that Ghanaians are given value for money in terms of customer satisfaction.
“Again where basic customer service and its ethics are thrown to the wind, AFAG in times like these will not hesitate to stand by Ghanaians in our pursuit and right to quality service.”

Meanwhile, MTN has apologized to its prepaid subscribers for the inconvenience caused them as a result of disruptions in the network in the past few days.

A public announcement issued by the telecommunications giant indicated that “MTN wishes to apologize to its cherished prepaid subscribers across the country some of whom are experiencing difficulties in making and receiving calls.”

MTN noted that its “technical team is currently working to ensure that full services are restored as soon as possible.”

Judges Trained On Maritime Laws

Dr. Kofi Mbiah, CEO of Ghana Shippers Authority

By Esther Awuah

The 8th Maritime Law Seminar for Judges of the Superior Courts has opened in Accra with a call on judges to broaden their horizon and position themselves to meet challenges in the maritime industry.

“It will be imperative for judges to broaden the judicial horizon and increasingly advise on settlement of disputes through alternative dispute resolution methods including conciliation, mediation and arbitration not to mention out-of-court settlements,” Dr. Kofi Mbiah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) stated when he set the tone for the two-day seminar which started from October 11-12 2012 in Accra.

The seminar, which is organized by the GSA in collaboration with Ministry of Transport and the Judicial Training Institute, is intended to update the knowledge of judges on maritime laws and how they could effectively adjudicate cases in that regard.

Dr. Mbiah noted that the challenges of maritime boundary delimitation, piracy and maritime security will open up new fields of legal and judicial enterprise with its attendant legal challenges that judges would have to respond to.

He also stated that the continuing legal education seminars have become important and relevant in view of the rapid changes taking place in the world today.

“Providing continuous legal education has thus become essential, as it affords practicing judges to keep abreast with developments in the law. This is what the maritime law seminar is purposed to achieve.”

He indicated that the maritime law seminar would in 2014 chalk a decade, adding that “on that occasion the GSA will consolidate all the existing material into one legal reference book titled “The Consolidated Admiral- 2005 to 2014” for the benefit not only of judges, members of the bar and students but also researchers who are interested in the development of the law.”

Dr. Mbiah reiterated GSA’s commitment in providing the requisite support to shippers, protecting and promoting their interests and working with all stakeholders to ensure the speedy clearance of goods to reduce the cost of doing business at the ports and to make the Ghanaian shipper competitive in the global shipping arena.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Transport, Collins Dauda stated that the threat of piracy, oil theft, damage to oil and gas pipelines, maritime accidents and other unlawful acts that have come close to the corridor’s of Ghana are worrisome.

“It is now more than ever that the protection of our maritime zones be heightened. It therefore calls for us to understand our responsibilities, obligations as a sovereign nation to appreciate the nature of our maritime zones,” he said.

He noted that government would stay committed in ensuring that pragmatic measures were put in place to remove all barriers to trade to ensure a speedy cargo clearance process, avoidance of congestion and maintain high security standards at the ports.

“The rapid growth of our trade has brought in its wake a strong realization that the current infrastructure cannot sustain the growth, hence the expansion of infrastructure at the two ports of Tema and Takoradi.”

The seminar was opened by the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, who called on GSA to extend the training to lawyers as well.

Fridge Importers Apprehensive

• As Ban Takes Effect

By Esther Awuah

Dealers of refrigerators have expressed their frustration at the Energy Commission for not extending the deadline for the enforcement of the ban on the import of used refrigerators.

Government would from January 1, 2013 ban the importation of old refrigerators which are said to contain dangerous gases that pose health risks and also consume much electricity, which is not only a cost to the individual but the nation.

In an interview with CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE in Accra, Alex Opong Antwi National Secretary of Ghana Association of Importers and Sellers of Used Refrigerators (GAISUR), noted that even though the association made several requests to the Energy Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to extend the deadline for the ban, their request was not granted.

He said “when the Energy Commission informed us that they want to ban the importation of used refrigerators, we proposed five years moratorium beginning from 2010, but they only gave us two years which is certainly not enough for us to prepare ahead of the ban.”

He however noted that GAISUR was in discussions with government to provide certain interventions to assist its members to access credits to venture into the business of selling new fridges.

“Our ultimate aim is to team up with government to provide credit facilities for members, so we can be in the position to sell new refrigerators and also link us with some manufacturing companies who can set up manufacturing plants in Ghana to make it easier and less expensive for us to buy them.”

“Within a month, we would have gotten a manufacturing company who would be prepared to partner us.”

In response to GAISUR’s request, Alfred Ofosu Ahenkorah, Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, told this paper that talks were underway with a leading refrigerator manufacturer, which would soon set up a factory in Ghana.

He said “in fact we have introduced the association to a manufacturer who is prepared to do business with them to the extent of establishing a plant in Ghana to manufacture their appliances.”

He however called on the association to cooperate with the Energy Commission and its stakeholders to enforce the ban while it works to create an alternative means for them.

“It is not our objective to destroy anyone’s business but at the same time the country risks being fined by the international community if we continue to import these harmful appliances.”

However, CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE learnt that German manufacturer Bosch had submitted proposals to the Energy Commission to set up a plant in Ghana.

Urban Project Completes 2015

Sylvanus Adzornu

By Esther Awuah
The expected completion of the Ghana Urban Management Pilot Programme in 2017 has been rescheduled for 2015.

In an interview with BUSINESS GUIDE, Sylvanus Adzornu, Principal Planner at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development said “the project was supposed to end in five years’ time but we hope to finish everything in the next three years and replicate it in other cities.”

The €40.5 million pilot project, which is being financed by the Government of Ghana and the Agence Francaise de Development (Afd), will seek to promote and upgrade metropolitan cities like Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Tamale and a municipality in Ho to a befitting status.

Mr. Adzornu noted that the project intends to help the selected cities to plan properly and provide the needed infrastructure for them to have financial autonomy so they could use the revenues to re-invest into the cities.

“The project’s investments are pre-identified by the cities and relate to community upgrading, markets, lorry parks, abattoirs, municipal landfills, drains, etc.”
He noted that aside these, the most important aspect of the project was the master plan for each city which would aid in future planning purposes.

Mr. Adzornu revealed that that feasibility studies for a similar intervention at Accra had commenced, adding that it was also being sponsored by Afd.

Telcos To Benefit From Digital TV Migration

By Esther Awuah

The eventual migration from analogue to digital broadcasting services by the end of 2014 ahead of an international deadline of June 17, 2015 is expected to give a boost to the telecommunications industry in the country.

William Tevie, the Director General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), who stated this, said “there is a beautiful linkage between the migration and improved telecoms service.

“Because more channels can be transmitted over a single frequency under the digital system, a lot of spectrum from TV stations would become free, and that would then be transferred to the telecoms industry to boost services in the area of LTE (long term evolution) and 4G, which is where the industry is moving now.”

With digital TV migration, less power would be needed to transmit television signals more efficiently and that would also allow more signals to be carried over a given infrastructure.

This would in turn provide viewers with improved sound and image reception without interference.

Mr. Tevie noted that during the digital migration period, television viewers will be required to get a digital set-top-box (STB) solution which converts signals into content, which can then be displayed on a television screen.

“The National Communication Authority (NCA) is working with stakeholders to provide affordable set-top-boxes and flexible payment plans to enable people, who cannot afford digital TV sets to also be part of the migration,” he emphasised.

Mr. Tevie disclosed this at the inauguration of the Network of Communication Reporters (NCR), a group made up of journalists with specialization and interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and telecoms issues.

He indicated that NCA had outlined plans to embark on an intensive public campaign to educate the general public on the new digital system and called on the media, particularly members of NCR to help in that direction.

“Unfortunately, reporting on the industry is still largely a fallow area because very few journalists pay attention to the key industry issues. NCR has therefore come at a good time because it presents hope for a better coverage of the industry.

“We at the ministry have looked forward to the day when media houses would dedicate special pages and airtime slots for purely communication industry issues. It is my hope that NCR would drive that as part of their commitment to give the industry the coverage it deserves.”

NCR, which is an affiliate of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), is aimed at bringing together communicators with interests in ICT reporting, equipping journalists/communicators with skills in ICT reporting, educating and informing the general public on ICT issues and also advocating for ICT as a paramount tool for development and access to international communities.

NCR will also serve as a business and social networking platform for members and key sector actors.

Charles Benoni Okine, Dean of the NCR, pledged the group’s commitment in ensuring that ICT becomes a major driver of economic growth in the country, given the sector’s enormous and largely under-tapped potential.

He noted that “the Network will constantly keep an eye on government policy implementation in the area of ICT as a contribution to ensuring that the country gets the best out of every ICT project.”

The event, which was supported by Vodafone, Nokia, Airtel, MTN, Tigo and Alltel, was also used to inaugurate the 12-member executives of the group.

The executives include: Charles Benoni Okine of Daily Graphic, Dean, Larry Quartey; Ghana News Agency, the Vice Dean; Samuel Doe Ablordeppey of the Graphic Business, Financial Secretary; Esther Awuah Zormelo, Daily Guide & Business Guide, Assistant Financial Secretary, Benjamin Konadu Arthur of the Finder, as General Secretary, and Ekow Essabra-Mensah, Business & Financial Times, Assistant General Secretary.

The rest are Fred Sarpong, Business Week, Organising Secretary, Nana Appiah Acquaye, Vibe FM, Assistant Organising Secretary, Felix Dela Klutse, Economic Tribune, Executive Secretary, Frank Agyei-Twum, Adom FM, Assistant Organising Secretary, Samuel Dowuona, Adom FM and Evans Boah-Mensah, Business & Financial Times, Media Liason and assistant respectively.

Energy Commission Outlines Gas Plan

By Esther Awuah

Energy Commission, regulator of Ghana’s natural gas industry, has dismissed claims by John-Peter Amewu, a Senior Research Fellow at the Africa Centre for Energy Policy, that the country has no framework to regulate its gas production and commercialization.

According to the Commission, Sections 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 of the Energy Commission Law (Act 541, 1997) clearly outlined government’s policy on natural gas and the regulatory framework that governed the industry.

In its September 12, 2012 edition, CITY & DAILY GUIDE published a statement issued by Mr. Amewu which stated that Ghana lacked ‘a regulatory gas master plan’.

The research fellow noted that “as a country, we do not have any comprehensive gas master plan or policy and without that, there is no way we can sell our gas.”

But Victor Kofi Sunu-Attah, Project Development Manager of the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) was the first person to react to Mr. Amewu’s assertion.

According to him, the company that was executing the gas processing plant, a subsidiary of Sinopec noted that government took steps to establish the plant because it did not want to flare gas while working around the clock to put together a comprehensive plan to manage the emerging industry.

He said “although there is no formal gas master plan in place, Ghana knows what to do with its gas – for industrialization and that is the best master plan we could ever have and it is because we are going to use gas to replace expensive light crude oil which we are using to generate electricity.”

He added that a gas master plan study, which is ongoing, would be completed and submitted to Cabinet for consideration.

However, Victor Owusu, Public Relations Officer of Energy Commission, stated that there were plans in place for the gas industry.

These, he said, included a “natural gas utilization options for Ghana, prepared in 2010; licence application manual for service providers in the natural gas supply industry; natural gas transmission access code and a natural gas transmission and distribution infrastructure plan, prepared in 2007.

It added that recommendations based on studies conducted addressed the following: Policy Regulation, Market Development, Ownership and Operatorship, Network Expansion, Supply Risk Management.

According to the Commission, “All these pieces of legislations, strategies and plans have been proactively put together long before production of natural gas at the Jubilee field even started.

“This was envisaged to ensure that the necessary policies, regulatory and technical frameworks are in place to create the needed conducive atmosphere for the industry to thrive.”

It noted that the Commission would continue to play its role as mandated by the Act.

NCR Pledges Support For ICT Development

Executives of NCR with Dorothy Gordon

The Network of Communication Reporters (NCR), a group made up of journalists with specialization and interest in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and telecoms issues, have pledged their commitment in ensuring economic growth through the development of the ICT industry in the country.

Charles Benoni Okine, Dean of the NCR said, “We pledge our commitment in ensuring that ICT becomes a major driver of economic growth in the country, given the sector’s enormous and largely under-tapped potential.”

He noted that “the Network will constantly keep an eye on government policy implementation in the area of ICT as a contribution to ensuring that the country gets the best out of every ICT project.”

Mr. Okine, who was speaking at the official inauguration of the Network in Accra, said the group had closely monitored the various transformations in policy direction in the telecommunications sector, which include the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card registration; Mobile Number Portability (MNP) and presently the drive towards migrating into the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), which is expected to be fully rolled out by the end of 2014.

This, he said, “is ambitious and the NCR would want to pledge its commitment to help in the education of the public on the digital migration for it to become another major success.”

He entreated the ministry and other players in the industry to also help broaden the knowledge of members through workshops and seminars to enable them better understand the issues so they could be in a better position to pass on the information to the public.

Mr. Okine stated emphatically that “the Network is not formed to do the bidding of any player in the sector, the regulator or the ministry. Members will be as objective as possible ensuring utmost fairness in its reportage and advocacy work in the interest of the consumer.”

NCR, which is an affiliate of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), is aimed at bringing together communicators with interests in ICT reporting; equipping journalists/communicators with skills in ICT reporting; educating and informing the general public on ICT issues and advocating for ICT as a paramount tool for development and access to international communities.

NCR will also serve as a business and social networking platform for members and key sector actors.

William Tevie, the Director General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), who represented the Deputy Minister of Communications, stated that NCR could not have come at a better time when Ghana’s communication sector in general, and the telecom industry in particular has gone into the annals of the world as one of the most dynamic in the emerging markets.

He said “there is a growing number of start ups in the ICT industry comprising of young software developers, SMS aggregators and several other industry service providers that are adding to the dynamism of the industry by the day.”
He expressed the hope that NCR would work hard and give the industry the coverage it deserves.

Dorothy Gordon, Director General of the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT and a patron of the NCR, said there has not been enough reportage on ICT related issues considering the rapid growth in the industry.

She therefore called on members of the group “to use social media platforms to discuss issues about Ghana and its growth and policy direction on ICT.”
The event, which was supported by Vodafone, Nokia, Airtel, MTN, Tigo and Alltel, was also used to inaugurate the 12 executives of the group.

Pensions Board Tenure Ends

• Without Licensing A Scheme

Sam Pee Yalley, CEO NPRA

By Esther Awuah

The three-year tenure of the National Pensions Board has ended without the licensing of a pension scheme to begin operations.

Despite this situation, employers have been remitting five percent of their employees’ salaries to the Temporary Pension Fund (TPF) since January 2010.

The National Pensions Act, 2008 (Act 766) seeks to create a unified pension system under a three-tiered pension structure, with Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) as the operator of the First Tier, and Approved Trustees (Corporate Trustees) as operators of the mandatory Tier 2 and Voluntary Tier 3 schemes.

The board of National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) was established in September 2009 to oversee the implementation of the new pension’s reforms in the country.

To begin the implementation, the NPRA set up a TPF in January 2010 to provisionally administer Tier 2 pending the licensing of Trustees.

In October 2011, the NPRA issued the needed administrative guidelines to make way for the full implementation of the Act.
Subsequently, corporate trustees, fund managers and pension fund custodians purposely established to fully administer the Tiers 2 and 3 schemes were licensed on March 16, 2012.
However, a licensed Corporate Trustee, who pleaded anonymity, told CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE that presently the needed arrangements had been put in place for the pension schemes to be licensed by the NPRA.

“NPRA has still not licensed any scheme after three years of its creation, and we wish to bring to working public’s attention some of the grave concerns that threaten the pensions industry, and together with all stakeholders, demand government’s immediate action to forestall the collapse of the pension system.

“The snail-pace approach adopted by the NPRA gives reason for worry,” the source hinted.

According to the source, more recently the NPRA set three deadlines for scheme licensing and failed to adhere to them.

The first deadline of 30th of April, 2012 was later moved to 30th June, 2012 and then subsequently to 31st August, 2012.

The last deadline has ended without the licensing a single pension/provident fund scheme.

When contacted, Sam Pee Yalley, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NPRA, told this paper that the Authority has not delayed the implementation of the scheme.

“Government has given us the mandate to ensure that people’s life’s savings are kept properly, so we are not going to rush anything in the interest of any party or parties.”

He added that “this is an important project and the schemes require a lot of input, which we going to take our time to put it in place.”

“Pressure will not push me to send people’s money to just any company,” he emphasized.

He however appealed to the general public and workers to exercise restraint.