Consumers Pay More For Fake Phones

By Esther Awuah

Users of fake mobile phones are said to be spending more on their handsets.

This is because most of the fake mobile devices are made from substandard materials, hence their inability to last long.

Fred Opoku-Asare

Fred Opoku-Asare, a telecoms project management professional who stated this, indicated that “fake phones last only a few months because the batteries sometimes explode and you would have to visit the repairer several times a year. The inscriptions on the keypad rub off easily and you have to replace the casing. In the end, even though they retail cheaper they cost you more.”

Speaking at the quarterly Knowledge Forum organized by the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications in Accra, Mr. Opoku-Asare stated that manufacturers of fake phones do not subject the phones to quality tests so the phones come with substandard materials such as antennas and speakers, which interfere with the quality of calls the subscribers make.

In an interview with CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE, Mr. Opoku-Asare added that “users of fake phones are four times more likely to experience dropped calls, and find it as many times more difficult to initiate a call, according to research conducted in Brazil.”

He therefore cautioned Ghanaians to desist from using fake phones, as they have negative impact on their health and network operators.

They deny governments of revenues as most fake phones are smuggled into the country.

Major Emmanuel Owusu-Adansi (Rtd), Director of Special Projects at the National Communications Authority (NCA), said the authority was concerned about the influx of fake phones and would soon embark on educational campaigns.

“There are relevant laws and appropriate regulations to deal with this phenomenon, but we believe that we should start with public education,” he added.

NCA Denies Sabotaging NET 2 TV

By Esther Awuah

  

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has denied allegations that it has tampered with radio signals of Accra-based private television station, NET2 TV.

According to the authority, “This allegation is unfounded.”

It explained that to interfere with radio signals would require the use of a transmitter, which the NCA does not have and therefore cannot cause interference to any radio signal. 

Paarock VanPercy, NCA Boss

A statement issued by Paarock VanPercy, Director General of NCA, said the Authority has a spectrum monitoring equipment comprising receivers and analyzers.

It explained that “the NCA received a complaint from NET2 TV on Monday, 26^th November, 2012, about interference to their transmission in Accra.  Our monitoring team was therefore tasked to investigate the complaint. 

“A monitoring exercise carried out on November 28, 2012 from the Authority’s Fixed Monitoring Station revealed that there was no interfering signal on NET2 TV’s Channel (Channel 44).”

It further stated that subsequently the Chief Technician of NET2 TV on Thursday, November 29, 2012 was contacted to provide details of the nature and location of the said interference so a joint monitoring exercise could be conducted. 

“He indicated that a fault had been observed on NET2 TV’s main exciter which could possibly be the cause of the interference. The NCA Monitoring Team was therefore requested by the said technician to hold off until the installation of a new exciter after which the NCA may conduct a test if the problem still persists.”

The NCA indicated that it does not have the capacity nor interest to interfere with radio signals, adding, “We would like to assure the general public that the Authority would continue to carry out its mandate of regulating the communications space in the best interest of the country.”

AGRA Targets Smallholder Farmers

By Esther Awuah

Alliance for Green Revolution Africa (AGRA), in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (CSIR-STEPRI), has launched a research project on the negative effect of climate change on agricultural productivity in Ghana.

The project, which started on November 1^st, 2012 and ends on May, 31 2015, is aimed at improving food security and reducing income volatility for smallholder farmers by enhancing their adaptation to climate change and variability in the breadbasket regions of Ghana.

According to AGRA, the issue of climate change “is exacerbated by policy gaps and low awareness levels both within government officials, policymakers, farmers and other stakeholders.”

It however noted that a few interventions have been put in place to enable smallholder farmers adopt best agricultural practices that improve their adaptation strategies to climate change.

At the launch of the project, Dr. Nelson Obirih-Opareh, the National Policy Hub Coordinator, AGRA stated that “government’s strategies have, in the main, failed to set priorities, interventions and targets which respond to climate change. This is evidenced by the fact that sectoral policies such as agricultural policies have not to date prioritised smallholder farmer adaptation to climate change.”

This, he said, highlights the need to improve inter-sectoral integration in the interest of climate change adaptation.

In addition, the country’s climate change policy framework does not adequately enhance agricultural policy and other sector strategies comprehensively nor does it consider a broad range of impacts as well as the interrelationship between a range of factors such as social exclusion, environmental damage and structural scarcity.

“Given the fact that the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers has particular consequences for rural women, policy provisions that do not pay sufficient attention to the situation of women in the face of the debilitating impacts of climate change and weather variability are problematic,” Mr. Obirih-Opareh.

The project will take place in identified four breadbasket regions of Ghana, which are Afram Plains, Northern region, Accra Plains and the Volta region. 

Google Goes Digital With Elections

By Esther Awuah

In line with its mission to improve internet usage, Google Ghana has been engaged in election related activities aimed at informing and educating people.

Through this initiative, Google Ghana has been engaging the media and civil society to use the internet and Google products to access information and make it relevant and understandable for Ghanaians. 

Estelle Akofio-Sowah

In an interview with CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE, Google Ghana Country Manager, Estelle Akofio-Sowah said, “Google is committed to democracy and that means helping citizens get the right information and political parties to get their information across.”

She noted that going digital this year has seen most of the political party candidates using Google plus, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to actively engage and reach citizens with their message via the internet.

“There is room for improvement, but all in all this year has been different in terms of the party’s engagements on the internet,” said Ms Akofio-Sowah.

Last month Google hosted hundreds of people made up of developers, civil society and political parties to the "Elections Going Digital" event, which was aimed at promoting successful and transparent elections.

Ms Akofio-Sowah said the event created an atmosphere to share ideas related to elections, as well as ensure that Ghanaians find relevant election information.

She noted that going forward, Google Ghana would continue to work with its partners and the developer community to build more relevant internet applications.

As part of the programme, Google has launched the Ghana Election Hub (www.google.com.gh/election), which serves as a one stop place for all information on the elections.

Google also worked with the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and the Multimedia Group to stream the presidential and vice presidential debates live on YouTube. 

EPA Outdoors Oil, Gas Guidelines

By Esther Awuah

In recognizing the enormity of the country’s oil and gas activities, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed technical guidelines to regulate the offshore activities.

Kojo Agbenor-Efunam,

The document, which is known as ‘Guidelines for Environmental Assessment and Management of Offshore Oil and Gas Development in Ghana,’ has been prepared to ensure the sustainable development of offshore oil and gas resources.

The guidelines are intended to: provide systematic procedures on environmental impact statement preparations for the sector, provide guidance on common potential impacts and mitigation measures, and ensure the development and production activities in Ghana’s exclusive Economic Zone and the continental shelf beyond its territory.

Launching the guidelines in Accra, Sissi Wilson, Board Chairman of EPA, said the document is also meant to contribute towards sound environmental management in the oil and gas sector.

He explained that “the EPA developed a master plan in 2008 to clearly delineate the key challenges that the industry brought and developed strategies and actions that should be taken to deal with those challenges.”

He added that the development of oil and gas guidelines is one of the key actions that the EPA identified in the Master Plan.

He said “during the development of the guidelines, a number of stakeholders including our Norwegian counterparts also took part in the review process and brought best industry practices to make these guidelines comparable to any international best practice guidelines.”

In an interview with CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE, Kojo Agbenor-Efunam, Deputy Director, in charge of oil and gas at EPA, said the guidelines would also help EPA in monitoring and auditing the oil companies.

He said “these guidelines would serve as a tool in knowing the exact things to look out for when conducting auditing and monitoring on oil and gas companies.”   

To ensure the implementation of the guidelines, Mr. Agbenor-Efunam noted that the workshop and training programmes had been organized for EPA staff and other relevant stakeholders to look out for compliance mechanisms.

He indicated the guideline focuses mainly on the oil sector, with a component of gas “but in future if it is realized that the gas industry is not adequately covered, or we see several challenges, we might have to develop a specific one for the gas sector.”