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Let’s focus on business sustainability – Jospong to business owners

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Mr Joseph Siaw Agyapong, the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, has admonished business owners to prioritise the sustainability of their businesses by investing in future-proof innovations.

Speaking at a five-day Jospong Leadership Conference on the theme: “Driving Business Excellence through Innovation, Sustainability and Empowerment,” he said putting the sustainability of the business first was a major driving force for growth and success.

Mr Agyapong stated that business owners ought to be innovative to foster a culture of creativity that encouraged employees to propose new ideas and solutions.

“We need to appreciate that being innovative must involve various sectors of the company, including drivers and cleaners in decision making, because their views and ideas are also paramount to the success of the business.

“If you look down on people, you will never be a very good innovative and sustainable person,” he said.

Mr Agyapong maintained that sustainability was not just a corporate responsibility but a strategic advantage, stressing that companies must strategically associate themselves with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or risk being lost and cut off.

He said the Jospong Group operated across various sectors but with specialisation in sanitation and waste management, and played a significant role in contributing towards the achievement of 13 of the 17 SDGs

He urged companies to ensure the continuous empowerment of their employees to become highly effective and innovative, for the sustainable improvement of their businesses.

Granting employees authority, autonomy and resources improved decision making which contributed to the company’s success, he noted.

He emphasised the importance of practicing sustainability because it “often leads to reduced resource consumption, lower energy cost and minimised waste which can translate into significant cost savings over time.”

Mr Eric Seddy Kutortse, the Executive Chairman of the First Sky Group of Companies, said it was important for businesses in Ghana to be sustained because the private sector contributed about 70 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employed around 87 per cent of the population.

“The government sector employs only about 800,000 of the population but it is chocked and so by all means we must guide and guard our private sector,” he stated.

He encouraged business owners to design succession plans to ensure the sustainability of their businesses, observing that only about five per cent of businesses in Ghana survived before the end of the first generation.

He also urged business owners to focus on how their businesses would last and not how much profit they made.

Mr Baba Mahama, the President of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International, said employees must be the first focus for companies and not customers.

He said companies must prioritise the wages of employees rather than fraudulently enriching themselves.

President Akuffo-Addo launches National Malaria Elimination Strategic Plan

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President Nana Akufo-Addo has launched the National Malaria Elimination Strategic Plan to reduce malaria mortality by 90 per cent and malaria case incidence by 50 per cent by 2028.

The plan is also to eliminate malaria in 21 districts nationwide with very low malaria burden by 2028.

The President who launched the Plan, in a speech read on his behalf by the Presidential Health Advisor, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, in Accra on Tuesday, said the fight against malaria had started in earnest, looking into the future and required a national urgency and everyone’s collective action.

“As we strive further to reduce cases, and eventually record zero morbidity and mortality across the country, it is time for all state institutions to identify and own their respective roles in achieving a malaria-free Ghana,” he said.

Speaking on the theme: “Zero Malaria Starts Now – Launching Ghana’s Path to Elimination, President Akufo-Addo said it was a clarion call on what the country had already begun to champion, galvanizing all the needed support and resources for a malaria-free nation despite the nation’s numerous challenges.

The Plan, which was built on inclusiveness, sustainability, empowerment, and resilience, clearly defined the strategies necessary to accelerate progress from malaria control to elimination, he said.

Private sector involvement, the President said, was imperative to governmental support in launching the path to elimination.

President Akufo-Addo noted that private industry investment was critical to realising the malaria elimination goal and to help build stronger health systems.

He called for innovative mechanisms to mobilise resources domestically and internationally to augment existing resource streams, including donor contributions, to close the national funding gap.

“Without adequate resources, it will be difficult, if not impossible to deliver on the goal and objectives of this strategic plan…I, therefore, appeal to all, particularly domestic partners, to invest in these vector control interventions in the high burden districts. I will lead the advocacy towards the resources for the remaining districts,” he said.

Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye, the Director-General, Ghana Health Service, said malaria testing rate had improved considerably from 38 per cent in 2012 to 97.8 per cent in 2022, malaria prevalence from 27.5 per cent in 2011 to 8.6 per cent in 2022, adding that deaths due to malaria had also reduced markedly from 2,799 in 2012 to 151 in 2022.

“This consistent reduction in morbidity and mortality assures us all about the effectiveness of our interventions and the hope of elimination with improved and sustained efforts,” he said.

Elimination of malaria, he said, required high political will and commitment, maintaining malaria high on the political agenda, country ownership as well as sustained efforts of national and inter-departments/agencies at all levels in planning, implementation and reporting.

To drive the agenda, Dr Aboagye disclosed that the Government planned to constitute two committees – the Independent National Malaria Elimination Oversight Committee (NMEOC) and the National Malaria Elimination Technical Coordination Committee (NMETCC).

The NMEOC would oversee and provide strategic direction for the elimination of malaria in Ghana through a coordinated and comprehensive national approach, and the NMETCC would provide advisory and technical support to the NMEOC and aid in adapting the WHO guidelines and policies for the country towards the elimination agenda.

 Dr Sharmila Lareef, Multi-Country Assignment Officer for Ghana, Liberia, Gambia and Sierra Leone, WHO, said malaria had been a major cause of morbidity and mortality, contributing to 85 per cent of deaths in Africa.

Essentials for elimination of malaria, she said included optimisation of case detection and management, developing a strengthened system, and attaining a quality assurance and surveillance system.

It was also prudent to establish anti-malaria supply systems including vaccines, test kits and insecticide treated bed nets, she added.

Dr Lareef proposed that Ghana developed a high level of political commitment to eliminate malaria and ensure that there was a substantial investment in the health system to achieve the goal.

Dr Kezia L. Malm, the Programme Manager, National Malaria Elimination Programme, said Ghana was a malaria endemic country and one of the eleven countries highly hit by malaria, adding that the entire 30.8 million population was at risk of malaria.

She said the nation had a parasite prevalence of 8.6 per cent and 0.4 per cent of in-patient deaths.

Economically, she said malaria served the highest disease expenditure on the National Health Insurance Scheme and reduced Gross Domestic Product by 0.2 to six per cent.

Another ship is attacked in the Red Sea, causing a disruption that is seen to drive up costs.

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FILE PHOTO: Container ships sail across the Gulf of Suez towards the Red Sea before entering the Suez Canal, in El Ain El Sokhna in Suez, east of Cairo, Egypt, March 17, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo

As a missile targeted another vessel in the area on Tuesday, an executive from port and goods operator DP World stated that consumer goods prices will rise as a result of the disruptions to Red Sea commerce caused by Houthi strikes.

In reaction to American and British strikes on its locations in Yemen, the Houthi movement, which is aligned with Iran, has vowed to broaden its attacks to include American ships.

As a result of the Houthis’ attacks on ships in the area since November, which have affected businesses and scared global nations, Israel’s conflict with Palestinian Hamas terrorists in Gaza, which has lasted for more than three months, has intensified. According to the Houthis, their actions are a show of support for Palestinians.

Yuvraj Narayan, CFO of DP World, stated that he anticipated that interruptions would mostly affect consumers in Europe.

“The cost of goods into Europe from Asia will be significantly higher,” Narayan told Reuters at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

“European consumers will feel the pain … It will hit developed economies more than it will hit developing economies,” the Dubai-based logisGreek tics company’s finance chief added.

War risk insurance premiums for shipments through the Red Sea are rising, insurance sources said on Tuesday.

A Malta-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier was targeted and hit by a missile while northbound in the Red Sea 76 nautical miles northwest of the Yemeni port of Saleef, a security firm and two Greek shipping ministry sources said on Tuesday.

The vessel, the Zografia, was sailing from Vietnam to Israel with 24 crew on board and was empty of cargo when attacked, one of the Greek sources said. “There were no injuries, only material damage,” the source added. It was still sailing but would probably reroute for safety checks.

Underlining concerns, Japanese shipping operator Nippon Yusen (9101.T), also known as NYK Line, instructed its vessels navigating near the Red Sea to wait in safe waters and is considering route changes, a company spokesperson said.

Ocean Network Express, a joint venture between Japan’s Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (9107.T), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (9104.T) and Nippon Yusen, said last month it would reroute vessels or temporarily pause journeys and move to safe areas.

However, shipping giant Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) sent two container ships through the Red Sea carrying goods for the U.S. military and government.

Container vessels have been pausing or diverting from the Red Sea that leads to the Suez Canal, the fastest freight route from Asia to Europe. Many ships have been forced to circumnavigate South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope instead.

Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics
Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics

GAZA CEASEFIRE CALL

The U.S.-led coalition meant to safeguard commercial traffic in the Red Sea is weak because regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have not taken part, Yemen’s vice president said on Tuesday.

“This Bab al-Mandab corridor is of interest to the whole world and to the region, so regional intervention is key,” Aidarous al-Zubaidi told Reuters in an interview, referring to the narrow strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

Zubaidi’s separatist Southern Transitional Council is part of an alliance that opposes the Houthis in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Houthi attacks on commercial ships were connected to the war in Gaza. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the kingdom’s priority is finding a path to de-escalation through a ceasefire in Gaza.

Also speaking in Davos, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said it was important to keep global supply chains “stable and smooth”.

About 12% of world shipping traffic transits the Suez Canal via the Red Sea.

Vessels supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar are among the many ships being forced to sail around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope. That diversion can add about nine days to the normally 18-day trip from Qatar to northwest Europe.

Pep Guardiola encourages underperforming players to “step forward” following Real Madrid Super Cup humiliation and offers “unconditional support” to struggling Barcelona manager Xavi.

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Pep Guardiola even called on the underachievers to “step forward” and offered “unconditional support” to the struggling Barcelona manager, Xavi.

Vinicius Jr.’s hat-trick helped Real Madrid, the Blaugrana’s enduring adversaries, defeat them 4-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final, placing Xavi under suspicion. Guardiola, who won FIFA’s The Best honours for 2023 as The Best Men’s Coach, nonetheless, urged against making snap judgements and reaffirmed his undying support for his former student. In addition, he stressed the necessity for everyone to shoulder responsibility and recommended that the board allow Xavi to play through to the conclusion of the season.

WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

Speaking to reporters, Guardiola said: “My advice is to keep calm. [Barça] lost a final, but next week there is another game and another competition. Support [the coach and the players] and make the decisions that have to be made at the end of the season.

“I want to send my unconditional support to Xavi and the players. The players have to take a step forward. They have shown the quality they have in the past and there is a long way to go this season.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Guardiola, who led the Catalan club to three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies between 2008 and 2012, insisted that Barcelona should move on quickly from the loss and look ahead to the league and cup fixtures that are lined up.

“There is a tendency in football to throw everything up in the air,” added Guardiola.

“This industry is so difficult. [Barça] have lost a final, OK, congratulations to the opponent and now learn from it. Madrid scored quickly, defended well and were the better team, that’s it.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Xavi, who secured La Liga glory for Barcelona last season, anticipated that there would be criticism after losing silverware to Real Madrid. However, he has been assured that the board will not be taking any decision in haste with sporting director Deco claiming that it makes “no sense” to question the manager’s future and the tactician has full backing of the club.

WHAT NEXT?

Xavi will look to regroup his troops before taking on Unionista de Salamanca, a third-tier side, in the Copa del Rey on Thursday. He will likely field his best players in the cup fixture as the tournament could be the Catalan side’s only shot at a domestic trophy this season since they find themselves eight points behind leaders Girona in La Liga. Meanwhile, in the Champions League, they have been pitted against Serie A champions Napoli in the round of 16.

The NDC is still in favour of cancelling the teacher licensure tests, according to Apaak

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Dr. Clement Apaak, the Member of Parliament for Builsa South, says the National Democratic Congress has not modified its mind on cancelling the teacher licencing test in the event that the party wins the 2024 elections.

He claims that the NDC believes that the exam is not the best way to qualify instructors for hiring, which is why the position

Mr. Apaak’s remarks come in response to the National Teaching Council’s announcement that trainees who failed the 2023 Teacher Licensure Exams would have the opportunity to retake the exam.

The NTC has scheduled a repeat of the tests for March 2024 for the more than 8,000 instructors who did not meet the minimum level.

During a Citi News interview, Dr. Apaak who is also the Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, affirmed that the exams will be abolished if the NDC comes into power.

“Our position has not changed as far as cancelling the licensure exams is concerned. We don’t believe it is the best option in terms of licensing teachers. It is not by writing an exam, and so the deficiencies ought to be looked at within the proven processes, and the licensing process must also take place within the training period that the young teachers are still in school and not after.”

Out of over 20,000 teachers who participated in the exams in 2023, 8,000 did not meet the required threshold.

Dr. Christian Addea Poku, the Registrar of the National Teaching Council, stated in an interview with Citi News on Monday that the Council is committed to ensuring failed trainees retake the exam in March 2024.

The Convention event was canceled, making New Force “powerful”—Cheddar

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Nana Kwame Bediako, also known as Cheddar or Freedom Jacob Caesar, is a Ghanaian entrepreneur and the founder of the New Force organisation. He has stated that the postponement of the highly anticipated The Convention event projected his organisation.

A few hours before it was due to start, the celebration that was originally planned to take place on Sunday, January 7, 2024 in Black Star Square in honour of Ghana’s Constitution Day was suddenly cancelled.

The government’s last-minute decision was claimed by the organisers as the cause of the cancellation.

According to the New Africa Foundation, the organizers of the event, all the speakers — Professor P. L. O. Lumumba, Julius Malema, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, and Peter Obi– and thousands of patrons had filled the Independence Square for the event when the directive for the cancellation reached them.

During an interview on The Point of View, on Citi TV, Cheddar intimated that though he was not enthused about the turn of events, the New Force Movement has become powerful in Ghana.

Agreeing to a question by host Bernard Avle that the cancellation has given them much publicity, the Founder of the New Force Movement averred, “I think you are right. I was praying, and I fasted at the beginning of every year for one month. And I asked God to make the event successful. And when they cancelled it, I said God, I thought you said you would make it successful.”

“The question God asked me was whether he thought I wanted a successful event. So I think the successful event has been based on the cancellation. It went to all parts of Africa, it woke people up, what was the reason, why did Ghanaians have to do that? They wanted to know if it was the UN or ECOWAS that had stepped in. Lots of people had different reasons. We still don’t know why the thing is trending around Africa.”

Cheddar denied claims of unveiling his New Force at the Convention event, stressing that the event was ‘going to impact people’.

“We genuinely wanted to bring these people to open the mindset of the youth of Africa. I knew that I would still come in as the man in the mask but wanted people to know when they found out later about the contributions of the New Africa Foundation we bring into the system. This event was going to impact based on what they will say. It wasn’t the plan to unveil a New Force. It was because the entity, or whoever decided to cancel the event, needed an excuse. But even if it was so, would it have been wrong for me to unveil my movement? No, it’s not a crime,” Nana Kwame Bediako asked.

He indicated that the press conference was a great opportunity to explain themselves to the public.

“I don’t think it’s just the cancellation that has helped me to achieve my aim. But the fact that they all agreed for us to do a press conference to explain ourselves actually sent the right message to the people.”

When I become president, I will provide possibilities for young people – Cheddar

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If Nana Kwame Bediako, the leader of the New Force, wins the presidency in the 2024 elections, he has pledged to allow young people to participate in the selection of the nation’s leaders.

He claims that throughout the last forty years, young people have not been offered such opportunity.

Rather, he stated that politicians only utilised them when they promised them cash in return for their support.

He told Bernard Avle in an interview on The Point of View on Citi TV on Monday that, “I think that the New Force is standing for the youth in this country. We believe that in the past four decades, the youth should have the right to be a part of the decision – how and who is going to lead us and how they are supposed to lead us… In the past four decades, between NDC and NPP, there hasn’t been any young person who has stood up with the courage to say that I am coming in, and I am going to become the unifier.”

“That is what I am. I am the unifier between the youth and the government. I am going to be a president who will give the opportunity to young people, first of all, to be a part of the decision of how this country is choosing leaders.”

Mr. Bediako said the movement through that initiative would eradicate the menace of the youth being persuaded with money for their votes.

“So we want to eradicate and get rid of people going to the same youth and give them money instead, and after that, there is no development, there is no job creation,” he said.

In 2024 polls: Gyampo demands a reduction in opulent lifestyles and fiscal measures.

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Labour unions will cast their ballots in the general elections of 2024 with a hunger and rage, according to Prof. Ransford Gyampo, a lecturer at the University of Ghana and president of the University Teachers Association of Ghana, University of Ghana chapter.

This is in response to a request made by former president John Mahama, who is rerunning for office, asking voters, especially labour and trade associations, to provide him a “honeymoon” time so that appropriate preparations may be made in the event that he wins the 2024 elections.

Prof. Gyampo berated the current leaders for leading luxurious lives, saying that the “honeymoon” appeal would not materialise if this pattern persisted.

He emphasized that labour conditions must be met regardless of who wins the election.

According to him, if the next president reduces luxurious lifestyles, it could lead to labour unions being more supportive.

“Labour will vote based on hunger and anger. Whoever emerges victorious must do something, I’m telling you. If the kind of opulence the politicians of today enjoy or live in is sacrificed or reduced a little, you can meet labour halfway through. And so whoever emerges victorious or winner, if that leader or that person decides that they are not going to go with the route of the present-day leaders, then there will be enough to be saved to meet labour halfway through,” he said in an interview with Joy News.

He suggested the implementation of harsh economic policies intended to reduce the government’s budget deficit affects everyone in the country, including the less privileged.

“Let the austerity measures be implemented such that they affect everybody from the presidency level to the daily-rated employee of the land. Let everyone feel it. If we all are made to go through the austerity measures, then if the leader says tighten your belt and we see the leader has tightened his belt, then we will all follow suit.”

The government justifies 15% VAT imposed on electricity

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The government’s 15 percent VAT on power use is supported by evidence.

The government has directed the application of a value-added tax (VAT) on energy as one of the steps taken in an effort to increase income as part of its COVID-19 recovery programme.

The Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) were directed by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to impose the Value Added Tax (VAT) on residential customers who above the maximum usage threshold for lifeline units, in a letter dated January 1.

Although it was a tough choice for the government, deputy energy minister Andrew Agyapa Mercer claims it was required to pay off debts owing to independent power producers.

“Obviously, if you look at the scope of the tax and what it is intended to do—raise revenue to meet some obligations of the government in the energy sector—it will interest you to know that, as we speak, as of July 2023, the amount of money that we owe to the IPPs alone is in the region of GH¢1.7 billion.”

People, including the Director of Business Operations at Dalex Finance, Joe Jackson, criticised the government’s decision to impose the VAT on consumers, describing it as harsh.

Kofi Kapito, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Consumer Protection Agency, also described it as ridiculous.

AcEPA to NPP delegates: elect worthy candidates to succeed departing MPs.

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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates who will be electing parliamentary candidates within seats with incumbent members of parliament are urged by the Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) to select qualified candidates.

Parliament need seasoned lawmakers, according to Dr. Rasheed Draman, executive secretary of ACEPA.

On January 27, the NPP will hold primaries in areas where there are currently serving Members of Parliament.

In a Citi News interview, Dr. Draman urged that delegates should choose wisely on the day.

“In order to avoid the impact of the void that is going to be created by the wealth of experience that we will be missing in the 9th Parliament, they [the delegates] should look for candidates who have the experience and are well-positioned to perform the functions of a legislator, not necessarily those who have money, not necessarily those who are popular, but those who will truly represent the interests of the party and the interests of the constituents.”

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