The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor has highly commended Gold Fields Ghana for their proactiveness, timeliness and consistency in paying dividends to government. The Minister gave the commendation when Gold Fields Ghana Limited presented a cheque of USD$13.5 million dollars, an equivalent of GHC 86.7 million Ghana cedis as interim dividend for 2022, to the government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources on Wednesday 30th March, 2022. He reiterated government's willingness as regulators of the Mining industry to create a conducive environment for the company to operate smoothly. "Let me reiterate that Government being the regulators and the custodian of public interest have a responsibility and a duty to create that conducive environment for the Gold Fields Ghana to thrive and do well for you to be able to declare dividends and pay government share of dividends as you are here to do". Hon. Jinapor while applauding Gold Fields, called on other Mining companies to organise themselves and follow the steps of Gold Fields to do the needful. "You were one of the companies, which stepped forward to pay dividends even before I was sworn in as Minister and I recall that vividly. So I use this opportunity to call on other corporate entity to do same" He said the establishment of the Minerals Income and Investment Fund (MIIF) is one intervention of goverment which he believes will eventually help government gain much higher stake in the mining industry of Ghana. The Minister in his remark also congratulated the Black Stars for their victory of qualifying to the World Cup in Qatar, crediting the Gold Fields for their unflinching support to the senior national team, over the years and beckoned Gold Fields to throw their weight behind the Nation team in their quest to participate in the 2022 Qatar World Cup in November. "I know your company, traditionally has been very supportive of the Black Star, with a heritage and partnership with them and on this occasions, let me call on you to step forward to support the Black starts as they prepare to participate in Qatar 2022 for the Black Stars to make Ghana proud" In his initial remarks, the Acting Executive Vice President and Head of Gold Fields West Africa, Mr. Joshua Mortoti thanked Minister for his visit to the Goldfields Tarkwa Mine. He asserted that the presentation of the 2022 interim dividend to the government reaffirms their commitment and support to government as a key stakeholder in business. Mr. Joshua Mortoi said the proactive approach by Gold Fields Ghana in expressly presenting their interim dividend for the year under review reaffirms the company's "enviable reputation for meeting its financial obligations". He further stated that Gold Fields Ghana is committed to sustaining operations to create value for all stakeholders such as government, shareholders, host communities and employees. Mr. Mortoi also highlighted the impact of the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation which has so far invested $84.4m in development programs such as the 33km Tarkwa Damang Road at a cost of $27 million dollars, the refurbishment of T&A park at Tarkwa into 10,400 seater stadium at a cost of $16.2 Million dollars, among others, all as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility to the country. Below are some pictures: Story by: Fafa Nyame

The Deputy Minister of Energy, Hon. William Owuraku Aidoo has called on Ghanaians to explore innovative ways through which the country can transition from the use of fossil fuel without stifling economic growth. According to him, the country was blessed with huge miniral potential including lithium, manganese, iron and silica which could serve as raw materials for the manufacture of various components of renewable energy technologies and Ghanaians must turn their attention there. "I entreat us to explore the various ways we can transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy in Ghana while ensuring economic growth and the general well-being of the citizens," he emphasised. Hon. Owuraku made the call whilst speaking on behalf of the Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh at a regional stakeholder forum event on the National Energy Transition plan held in Goaso in the Ahafo Region on Tuesday, 22nd March 2022 . He said in line with the Paris Agreement, a national energy transition plan to guide the country as it transitions to cleaner energy. The Deputy Minister said as part of the processes of developing the plan, it was expedient for the views of stakeholders to be incorporated into it to ensure a holistic approach and successful implementation of the plan. He explained that as part of the plan, the Ministry had resolved that fossil fuel, particularly natural gas would continue to be part of the country's energy mix while strategies are put in place to increase the share of renewable energy in the mix in the medium to long term. "Currently, about 70per cent of Ghana's installed power generation capacity of 5,231Mega Watts is from thermal plants that use natural gas as their primary fuel. This proportion is projected to increase to meet the growing energy demand commensurate to the national economic growth," he said. Hon. Owuraku said transitioning to cleaner energy over the next few years would require substantial resources, stressing that "The paucity of such resources in our part of the world could notably affect implementation of the transition plan." As a result he said it was important that the country leveraged on revenues from its indigenous oil and gas resources to develop the renewable or cleaner energy the world was advocating. "We acknowledge that gas to a large extent is clean and has huge potential to drive industrialisation and still meet the energy transition goals," he outlined. Dignitaries present at the Goaso event included the Ahafo Regional Minister, Hon. George Boakye, Nana Appiah Kubi Sompahene of the Goaso Traditional Council and entourage, MMDCEs and Staff of various Assemblies, the Academia from various institutions, CSOs, NGOs, Media personnels as well as Ghanaians from all walks of life. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Executive Director of the Crime Check Foundation (CCF), Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng says no democratic country in the world will desire to have its prisons get choked by prisoners. According to him, this becomes possible when such the said democratic country has no clear policy or law. In an exclusive interview with Thinknewsonline.com, he said "No democratic country desires that its prisons are choked but if the policy fails. If there is no clear policy; if there is no law regulating how prisons are managed. If there are no laws that prevent petty offenders from going to prison, of course, our prisons will be choked" He added that in order for Ghana not to face such challenges hence the call for the passage of the non-custodial sentencing law. Mr. Oppong further explained that if there is such a law, petty offenders will not to thrown into jail. "The decriminalization of vagrancy laws and advocacy project entails vagrants whose rights are being abused continuously in this country. I mean the poor, voiceless, homeless who because of poverty find themselves usually on the wrong side of the law. They have no places of abode so they have to make do on the streets" "Because of poverty, the police find it easy apprehending them especially when there appears to be some crime in an area" The Executive Director of CCF described such methods by some Police Officers in arresting vagrants as wrong. "Most of these vagrants sell on the streets. We are not condoning the act of selling on the streets because it does not make our streets and cities beautiful. We want our streets to be comparable to Europe and the Americas" "Anytime, we swoop in on them, we should also contextualize our situation. Why are they on the streets? Have successive governments been able to introduce interventions in rural communities to prevent them from moving to Accra? The answer is no!" He stressed that governments over the years have done their bits, however, he believes, there ought to be more proactiveness. "We have to ensure that these people are well catered for but that is not the story. People always come to the cities and that is aggravating the problem. So most of these people are in prison. When they sell, their goods are destroyed, ceased and at times these Assembly Task Force Members brutalize some of these people" Mr. Oppong Kwarteng reminded all that if Ghana should pide itself as a 'Champion of Human Rights, it should not be condoning such acts by people who are supposed to ensure sanity in the system. The Executive Director called on the various Assemblies across the country to increase advocacy for vagrants adding that such awareness creation will not only teach but help prevent petty offenses which lead to arrests. On his part, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Prisons Service, CSP Courage Atsem, said "We have an authorized capacity of 9,945 but as we speak today, we have a total population of 13,828; almost close to 14,000 so it tells you that these numbers are not supposed to be in our custody" He revealed that a number of interventions are being made to reduce the number of prisoners. "We are aware of the intervention by the Church of Pentecost, which has come on board to provide 5 camp prisons which in all will take about 1,500 inmates and with other measures being taken by the Police Administration, in conjunction with other relevant stakeholders just so we reduce the decongestion in our prisons" He added that despite all these interventions, the Ghana Prisons Services still has a challenge with overcrowding in its prisons. "We are enjoinder by law to meet all inmates who come into the custody with valid warrants. The only time, we have to return an inmate or a person convicted by the police is when the warrant is not valid" He told Thinknewsonline.com that the Prisons Service have put out a number of measures to fight against the spread of covid-19 in their prisons. "As we speak today, we have not recorded any in-prison covid case. All the cases recorded in prison were imported" He also disclosed that the Prison Service has designated a 5K prison facility purposely for new admissions. He advised the youth to stay out of trouble to avoid being placed behind bars. Assistant Superintendent of Police, (ASP) Victor Dosoo of the Police Headquarters Public Affairs Department debunked claims that his colleague officers act violently toward persons who are either arrested through swoops or an operation He appealed to the public to quickly report any officer who uses such means adding that the men and women in uniform are well-trained personnel. Responding to persons who were arrested during a Homowo (A festival celebrated by the Ga State), he said "The Police Service has come this far does things by law. We are very minded by the fact that moments some suspects are arrested, they are treated as such and we ensure that we uphold all the legal rights that suspect has. We also ensure that we do not detain the suspect arbitrarily" The decriminalization of vagrancy laws and advocacy project is an agenda spearheaded by the Crime Check Foundation (CCF) in partnership with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA). Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu has said that the 2022 State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Parliament on Wednesday, March 30, did not reflect the hardship of Ghanaians. Seconding the motion for the adjournment of the sitting after the President had delivered his address, Mr. Iddirsu said “we expected him to deliver the true state of the nation that reflects the hardship of the people. Regrettably, he himself does not have the confidence to talk about the economy.” President Akufo-Addo in his address said among other things that through the One District One Factory Initiative (1D1F) initiative, the made-in-Ghana label is being stamped on a wide range of products proudly manufactured in Ghana. He said out of a total of two hundred and seventy-eight (278) 1D1F projects at various stages of implementation in all the sixteen (16) regions, one hundred and six (106) factories are currently operational, one hundred and forty-eight (148) are under construction, while twenty-four (24) projects are at mobilization stage. He said “Mr. Speaker, in order to bring the youth on board the 1D1F Programme, fifty-eight (58) out of the two hundred and seventy-eight (278) 1D1F Projects have been developed as enterprises fully owned by youth groups, with direct Government support. Each of these 1D1F Youth companies is owned by between forty (40) and fifty (50) youth as shareholders" “In addition, five (5) medium-scale state-of-the-art agro-processing Common-User Facilities (CUFs) have been established with direct support from Government and are owned by various groups of farmers, whose farming operations had previously been undermined through lack of processing facilities. These farmer-owned companies have been established in five (5) Districts, namely Dormaa West, Savelugu, Sefwi Akontonbra, Sekyere Central, and Tarkwa Nsuaem. They cover oil palm processing, rice milling, and the processing of maize into maize grits. “Mr. Speaker, quite a number of global vehicle manufacturing companies have set up assembly plants here in our country and started producing vehicles for our market and for the West African market. The well-defined Ghana Automotive Development Policy we outdoored in August 2019 has facilitated this welcome development. “Since June 2021, Toyota and Suzuki brands of vehicles are being produced here, commencing with the production of Hilux Pickup and Swift models. VW and Sinotruck, which commenced commercial operations in 2020, have continued to assemble their brands of vehicles and are enjoying significant local patronage. “In addition, a new state-of-the-art assembly plant with the capacity to assemble 5,000 new vehicles per annum has been established by Nissan in Tema, which is currently producing Nissan and Peugeot brands of vehicles for the Ghanaian and West African markets. I will have the pleasure to commission this new plant in Tema tomorrow. Three other vehicle manufacturers, namely KIA, Hyundai, and Renault are also expected to commence commercial production this year. “Our national iconic automobile brand, the Kantanka brand produced by Kantanka Automobile Company Ltd., also stepped-up production of its made-in-Ghana vehicles which include Nkunimdie SUV, Omama Pickup, Onantefo 4×4 Pickup, Otumfuo SUV and K71 Small SUV models.” Story by: Laud Nartey

Pressure group, Economic Fighters League, has raised concerns against the approval of the E-levy by Parliament. They believe that the approval indicates Parliament is not working for the people. Parliament passed the E-levy on Tuesday, March 29 after the Minority had walked out. But the Fighters in a statement said “Ghanaians have been explicit in our rejection of the E-levy since it was first introduced in the 2022 budget reading. Since then we have watched the people who are supposed to represent our dance around the issue, trivializing the state of Ghanaian livelihood as they made E-levy cakes, and jumped in and out of chambers while discussing reducing a levy that the People have consistently said NO to. “It should not have to be stated that Ghanaians are already facing extreme hardship, with the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, in large part due to the recent changes to tax structures such as VAT, and the astronomical rising price of fuel. To pass the E-levy in this climate is simply wickedness, the wickedness that the Ghanaian People will not forget.” Below is their full statement… NEWCONSTITUTIONNOW: PASSING OF THE E-LEVY PROOF THAT PARLIAMENT IS NOT FOR THE PEOPLE After months of a shameful political charade, the Parliament of Ghana has proved to Ghanaians that its members do not stand with the People of Ghana. The Economic Fighters League commiserates with all Ghanaians and assures our brothers and sisters that their voices are heard. Ghanaians have been explicit in our rejection of the E-levy since it was first introduced in the 2022 budget reading. Since then we have watched the people who are supposed to represent our dance around the issue, trivializing the state of Ghanaian livelihood as they made E-levy cakes, and jumped in and out of chambers while discussing reducing a levy that the People have consistently said NO to. It should not have to be stated that Ghanaians are already facing extreme hardship, with the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, in large part due to the recent changes to tax structures such as VAT, and the astronomical rising price of fuel. To pass the E-levy in this climate is simply wickedness, the wickedness that the Ghanaian People will not forget. There were many viable alternatives. This Parliament could have abolished ex gratia; it could have cut its frivolous expenditure; it could have reduced Article 71 office-holder’s pay; it could have cut tax concessions for foreign companies; it could have insisted on reclaiming Ghanaian ownership of Ghanaian resources. This Parliament could have committed itself to end corruption. But this Parliament instead chose to burden the already suffering Ghanaian People. In ignoring the voices of the People, Parliament has confirmed what we all know – that this rotten system which is held in place by the corrupt NPP-NDC duopoly must be crushed in order to save the People of Mother Ghana. The People MUST govern, something that can only happen under a new, people-centered Constitution. A People’s Constitution must guarantee a long-term National Development Plan binding on all governments; must assure Proportional Representation in governance; must underpin a People’s Parliament that is able to hold the Executive accountable; must put the People first! #NewConstitutionNOW The Economic Fighters League has for years declared no confidence in the partisan crop of legislators who occupy Parliament under the false fourth republic. The display of deliberate incompetence by the NDC in the passage of E-Levy only serves to further justify Fighters’ call for a competent alternative beyond the partisan NPP-NDC corporations and their 30-year track record of refusal to represent the People in whom Ghana’s sovereignty resides. The organization is Power, in the streets and in Parliament; as such Fighters is organizing to plant competent persons in Parliament, whose duty will be to protect the People’s interest. ARISE, all Ghanaians – we must unite to reclaim power and break the rotten duopoly. Our very lives and livelihoods depend on it. Towards the reclamation. NewConstitutionNOW #TheAlternativeIsComing Revolutionary Regards, Fighter John Koomson National Spokesperson Economic Fighters League +233 55 404 4663 Fighter Nii Ayi Opare National Spokesperson Economic Fighters League +233 24 305 7600 Source: 3news.com

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in fulfillment of the requirement of Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution, went before parliament on Wednesday to deliver this year’s State of the Nation Address. The president addressed parliament on Ghana’s current social, economic, and financial status. As important as the event was, so was the level of personalities present in the chamber of parliament for the president’s address that lasted for nearly two hours. From other members of the executive to the judiciary and the hosting legislature, the chamber of parliament was filled with high-ranking members of Ghana’s governance structure who witnessed the unfolding of the constitutional event. Despite the president’s rather persuasive address on his government’s efforts in managing the country’s affairs, some of the officials present were seen to be sleeping through his delivery. The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, who scored a victory in parliament the previous day with the house giving his proposed 1.5% E-Levy approval, was dozing off during the president’s address as his head slumped towards his chin at a point. Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah was also captured prodding himself a moment after he looked to have tranced into a moment of snooze. The Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, seated right in front of the Vice President, was seen spotting a hazy look battling to keep his eyes open. Source: Ghanaweb.com

President Nana Akufo-Addo says his government is aware of the many economic challenges facing Ghanaians, and is working to address them. He said the government has already began taking some measures that will soon bring great relief to citizens. Delivering the 2022 State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Wednesday, the president said, “I know that there is a general sense of anxiety in our nation at the moment. The Ghanaian people are anxious about the economy, cost of living, income levels, jobs for young people and issues that we all thought that we had achieved national consensus on.” He noted that most of the challenges being experienced were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia that have significantly disturbed supply chains. Prior to these, he said, the government was on the path of significant progress and development. According to him, the many actions taken by the government when it assumed office in 2017, began yielding results and put Ghana on the path of prosperity between 2017 and 2020. “Then COVID rose. This is not something that anyone could have planned for and the consequences are there for us all to see around the world. The economic devastation of COVID has since the beginning of the year being further aggravated by the Russia invasion of Ukraine which has worsened the economic outlook of the entire world and we in Ghana have not escaped this development,” he noted. President Akufo-Addo again indicated that “the measures that have been announced by the Minister for Finance are meant to demonstrate that we are aware that we are in difficult times, and we are addressing the situation. The belt-tightening measures being set for members of the Executive have been elaborated within this context.” He further gave assurances that the government is not in oblivion of its obligations to the citizenry, and it will continue in its efforts to grow the economy and bring prosperity to citizens. “The road to recovery will be hard and long, Mr. Speaker, but we have started on a good footing by accepting that we are in a difficult place, and are taking the difficult decisions that will get us out,” he said. Story by: Jonas Nyabor

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has welcomed the passage of the controversial 1.5% Electronic Transfer Levy (E-levy) in Parliament. Delivering the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, the President said the passage of the e-levy presents an opportunity for Ghana to revive its economy “Mr. Speaker, despite the protracted and sometimes acrimonious nature of proceedings, I am happy that the House has, finally, found it possible to pass the e-levy. I believe the levy is going to make a significant contribution to revenue mobilisation and the management of the economy, and I want to thank Members of the House for making this possible.” President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the difficulties Ghana is expected to encounter in salvaging the struggling economy from collapse. He was however confident that the government’s recent measures will yield positive results. “The road to recovery will be hard and long, Mr. Speaker, but we have started on a good footing by accepting that we are in a difficult place, and are taking the difficult decisions that will get us out,” the President told the House. Parliament approved the e-levy bill after amending portions of the document on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, despite a walkout by the Minority Caucus. The Minority and some stakeholders in the telecommunications space have consistently resisted the passage of the E-levy, but the government has insisted that it will fix Ghana’s economic challenges. During the second reading in Parliament on Tuesday, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, noted that his side will have nothing to do with E-levy in any form or shape. The Minority subsequently carried out their threat and staged a walkout, but that gave the Majority the upper hand to duly undertake the second and third reading of the bill which resulted in its passage. The levy, which was amended from 1.75 percent to 1.5 percent will be a tax on electronic transactions, which includes mobile-money payments. The charge will apply to electronic transactions that are more than GH¢100 on a daily basis Story by: News Desk Report

President Akufo-Addo has called on all and sundry to throw weight behind the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in the fight against illegalities in the natural resources sector, particularly the fight against illegal Mining and also support the Green Ghana Project. Addressing Ghanaians and the World, during his 2022 State Of the Nations Address (SONA) on 30th March, 2022, the President stressed " if ever, the support of all citizens was required to make something work, it is in the battle to end illegal mining and restore our lands and waterbodies back to health" He said in the light of this fight, government has through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, declared river bodies and forest reserves as Red Zones for mining. He stated that that government has also suspended the issuance of all prospecting exploration licences for Minerals in forest reserves and launched Operation Halt II to help rid water bodies and forest reserves of illegal miners. Still on illegal mining, he mentioned that the government has revamped the Community Mining Scheme (CMS) as a more sustainable source of livelihood to replace illegal mining. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo indicated that all these initiatives are important contributors to the fight against illegal Mining but noted that what the country needs above all is the buy-in of all citizens in the fight. "What we need above all is the buy-in of all citizens to recognise that the degradation caused to the Lands and water bodies by the illegal mining practices affect each one of us and we all should take an interest to stop those involved" The President on behalf of the nation extended his condolences to the bereaved families and victims of the Appiatse explosion while commending the public for their massive response to the disaster. He said goverment responded swiftly in the immediate aftermath of the incident by dispatching a high power delegation to Appiatse, led by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and supported by the Sector Minister, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor. He mentioned that the Appiatse Support Fund is also an immediate action by government to spearhead the building of a decent, green and sustainable community to enable victims of the incident get back on thier feet and rebuild thier lives. On the Forestry sector, the President applauded the Ministry and Ghanaians for having made last year's Green Ghana Project a success and beckoned all to support this year's target of planting 20 million trees. Touching on the Lands sector, the President applauded the Ministry’s efforts in securing some lands at Kwabenya to build a Huge Barracks complex which he said will soon be completed to boost the moral of the police and security service. Story by: Fafa Nyame

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin has congratulated the Senior National Team, Black Stars for book a slot their slot in the upcoming Qatar 2022 World Cup. According to the Speaker, the Black Stars' qualification, which was as a result of the 1 - 1 draw away to their Nigerian counterparts, the Super Eagles, on Tuesday evening at the Moshood Abiola Sports Stadium in Abuja, was indeed a source of excitement to many Ghanaians. In a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs, Kate Addo, the Speaker said "As an ardent lover and a keen follower of football, I appreciate the enormous role football plays in uniwing citizens, particularly Ghanaians. The joy that the team brought us on Tuesday evening is very refreshing and I commend them for a good job done" He also added that he is confident the Black Stars will be successful in their subsequent matches to bring glory to the country. "The entire institution of Parliament looks forward to giving the Black Stars a rousing welcome on their return from Abuja, Nigeria." "Long live the Ghana Black Stars, and may God bless our homeland Ghana and continue to make our nation great and strong." Below is a copy of the release: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

As part of an initiative to give back to the community, EcoZoil Services (formerly Zoil Eco Brigade), a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), has taken its coastal clean-up exercise to the Central Region. The Central Region exercise came off on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, at the Elmina and Moree beaches. At both Elmina and Moree beaches, workers of EcoZoil cleaned landing sites and beaches. The workers also picked plastics littered at the beaches and landing into trash bins. Among the sanitation equipment used during the operation were wheel barrows, rakes, shovels, broomsticks, compactors and trash bins. And it is to support communities along the coastal stretch of the country to have clean beaches and landing sites. Speaking to the media, the Business Development Manager of EcoZoil, Mr. Daniel Lamptey, said the nationwide clean-up exercise was being organised along the coastal stretch of the country, adding that Western Region is next after Central. He bemoaned the deplorable state of coastal communities across the country, and thus encouraged residents in these areas to be actively involved in the exercise. “We are calling on Ghanaians to be involved in the cleaning of our beaches and landing sites,” he appealed. However, Mr. Lamptey expressed disappointment about the desecrated state of the Moree beach which was littered with so much filth. "Join us as we strive to keep our beaches and its surroundings clean," he charged. He, therefore, called on state agencies and owners of private beaches to come on board to ensure that “our beaches and coastal communities are rid of filth.” He also indicated that his outfit will do more sensitisation programmes on the need to always ensure that the beaches and landing sites were healthy. For her part, the National Coordinator for Coastal Sanitation Programme EcoZoil, Mrs. Dianah Ackwonu-Mensah, said it was sad that “our beaches are in a state of a mess.” “This explains the reason why we are partnering with community members who are ready to collaborate to make our beaches clean and healthy,” she noted. EcoZoil, she contended, is here to stay and also help keep “our environment clean.” To this end, she appealed to the government to give them the mandate to work effectively to improve sanitation in the coastal areas. “…we just hope and hope again that we will be given the mandate to work effectively so that we can really keep these beaches clean. Sometime ago we were doing it and we did it and everybody at the beach could really attest to it that when we left a lot of things have been happening at our beaches. And all our beaches are really in a state of a mess,” she bemoaned. She indicated that EcoZoil was undertaking this exercise to help restore sanity at the country’s beaches, adding that they were ready to work with everyone including chiefs, fisher-folks, assembly members, mothers to enable them achieve their target. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Constituency Sam Nartey George says the supposed passage of the Electronic Transfer Levy Bill will see a drop in mobile transactions. He said he has already withdrawn all his monies and has only GHp22 left in his account. He made this known on Wednesday, March 30 when he joined discussions on TV3‘s New Day. The e-levy, as the Bill is popularly known, was passed on Tuesday, March 29 but in the absence of the Minority. Led by Leader Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority walked out prior to the third and final reading of the Bill. Notwithstanding, Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin chaired proceedings until the Majority, who went through the remainder of the sitting alone, passed the Bill. There have been fears that the Bill will lead to a drop in mobile transactions, which are topping GH¢3 trillion per year, according to experts. The government is seeking to rake in about GH¢5 billion per year as revenue from the levy. But Sam George insists that the e-levy, as far as the Minority is concerned, has not been passed and members will seek a Supreme Court interpretation on the votes cast on Tuesday. He, however, noted that Ghanaians will be discouraged from transacting business online with the coming in of e-levy. By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh