Category: General

Dr. Alvaro Bermejo, Director General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), is set to visit Ghana on a high-level mission from February 10 to 13, 2024. A statement issued by the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) said Dr. Bermejo would be accompanied by Ms. Marie-Evelyne Pétrus-Barry, Regional Director for Africa. IPPF is the leading global provider of sexual and reproductive health services worldwide and PPAG is an affiliate of the Federation. The IPPF supports African national associations in their field actions for vulnerable people and implements regional initiatives that promote sexual and reproductive rights and health across the continent. According to the statement, during his visit, Mr Bermejo will meet with PPAG teams in Accra to discuss the Association's priorities and issues in sexual and reproductive health and rights. He would also undertake a field visit to Cape Coast for first-hand experience with PPAG's frontline work. 'In addition, there will be media en gagements, high-level courtesy calls and meetings with top Ghanaian authorities, including relevant Cabinet Ministers and private organisations working in the Reproductive Health sector in Ghana,' it said. The PPAG envisions a Ghana in which young people and disadvantaged groups have unrestricted access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. The statement said Mr Bermejo's visit 'will provide an opportunity to review progress made and challenges that are left to be surmounted.' It said the visit demonstrated the IPPF's and PPAG's continued commitment to defending the rights and health of women, men, young people, and vulnerable groups. The statement said the PPAG and IPPF were determined to strengthen their collaboration to improve universal access to quality sexual and reproductive health services. 'For PPAG, it has been almost 60 fulfilling years of influencing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights policies, service delivery and shifting norms and looking forward to more years of impactful e xistence,' it said. Source: Ghana News Agency

WINDHOEK: President Nangolo Mbumba has called on Namibians to emulate the late President Hage Geingob's principles of inclusivity and togetherness. He said this during the opening of the ninth Session of the seventh Parliament on Tuesday, where he paid tribute to his predecessor, who passed away in Windhoek on Sunday. 'As Namibians, we should pick up from where he left off and re-dedicate ourselves to the noble ideas of unity and inclusivity for all our citizens in the Namibian house,' he said. The president addressed the joint assemblies of the Namibian Parliament that kicked off the legislative year. Mbumba noted that the assumption of the ninth session of the seventh Parliament is taking place at a time of the loss of the former head of state. The late Geingob was one of the founders of the Namibian Constitution, having chaired the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Namibian Constitution. 'Our country has therefore lost a national icon, a hero, a committed and dedicated leader who not only contrib uted to the building of the modern Namibian nation, but has made durable footprints in Namibia, the African continent, and globally in all spheres of human endeavour,' Mbumba said. Parliamentarians, he added, have an important role to play in ensuring that the legislature positively impacts livelihoods, especially for underserved Namibians in the remote areas of the country. 'In this context, just as Members of the Executive Arm of Government, Members of Parliament are required to self-introspect whether they have executed their mandate of enacting legislation that has positively transformed Namibian lives. I therefore appeal to all Parliamentarians from both houses to complete all outstanding business, including passing critical bills before year-end,' Mbumba said. He also commended Members of Parliament (MPs) for their increased engagement with the citizenry through standing committees. 'MPs play a vital role in ensuring that the laws passed in Parliament respond to the diverse needs and aspirations of our citizens. For that reason, honourable members, you should continue to engage with all stakeholders,' he said. Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: The late President Hage Geingob's lawyer, Sisa Namandje, has said Geingob drove a historically aggressive legislative agenda that brought about massive socio-economic changes. Paying tribute during an evening devotion in honour of the late Geingob here Tuesday, Namandje said it is often forgotten that Geingob, without wavering, ensured that the institution and policies of apartheid were dismantled from the date of Namibia's independence. He particularly emphasised the period between 1990 and 2002 when Geingob as prime minister and leader of government business in the national assembly ensured that hundreds of pieces of legislation were put forth for the benefit of Namibians. 'This area of achievement by Dr Geingob is usually ignored and underrated. To me it is one of the biggest achievements by him in our quest as a nation to dismantle the shameful legacy of apartheid and colonialism,' he said. He noted that Geingob's legacy will continue past the mourning period, through the constitution of whi ch Namibians should have a desire and determination to promote the dignity, unity, and integrity of the nation internally and its relations and association with the outside world. 'As our chief constitutional architect he ensured that there is a specific obligatory duty on us to achieve, maintain national reconciliation and all points to foster peace, unity and common loyalty to a single state,' he noted. Namandje further noted that the late president was tribal neutral and disliked tribalism, noting that he hated those who engaged and traded in tribal arrogance and dominance or for cheap political theatrics. 'He wanted a nation in which his sons and daughters could relate without tribal impediments or consideration for the unity of purpose and harmonious existence… he said this until a few days before departure,' he recalled. Namandje said going forward, Geingob's legacy will guide the present leaders to steer the Namibian ship safely. Geingob, 82, died on Sunday in Windhoek. Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) says the government has yet to officially communicate any withdrawal or include it in discussions about introducing a 15% Value Added Tax (VAT) on electricity use. To that end, the Union's scheduled strike on February 14, 2024, remains in effect, according to Mr Joshua Ansah, Deputy Secretary General of the TUC, who spoke with the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday. 'As at the time I'm talking to you [Wednesday afternoon], we've not received any official communication from the government with respect to the withdrawal of the 15 per cent VAT on electricity consumption. 'This implies that, if we don't receive any official communication of the withdrawal, our intended action will come on as planned,' he said. Mr Ansah urged the government to look into other revenue mobilisation mechanisms, rather than taxation, which he said often impacted individuals and businesses in the country. 'For us, we believe that government has a lot of options, instead of taxing businesses and workers. Tax is the easiest and fastest way to get revenue, but it burdens your citizens,' he explained. Mr Ansah suggested that the government implement effective policies to plug loopholes in public spending, create smarter and friendlier revenue-collecting structures, and review tax exemption regimes. 'Many people are doing businesses in this country and are not paying taxes. If we bring all of them into the tax net, we will generate enough revenue, and that should be the focus of the government. 'If we're able to do these effectively, and government looks at its expenditure critically, there will not be any need for us to even go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF),' the TUC Deputy Secretary General said. The Ministry of Finance had instructed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO)) to begin implementing a 15 per cent VAT on power consumption from January 1, 2024. The tax was to be levied on residential customers who used more electricity than the max imum level allowed for block charges for lifeline units. According to the Ministry, the directive was in line with Sections 35 and 37, and the First Schedule (9) of the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act, 2013 (Act 870). The TUC pointed out that the policy was part of the government's Medium-Term Revenue Strategy and the IMF-Supported Post-Covid-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG). It however condemned the decision, stating, 'Our message to the government is very simple - we cannot pay VAT on electricity,' and demanded that the tax be dropped immediately. Following considerable agitation, the Ministry of Finance announced on January 30 that the government would have 'extensive dialogue' with Organised Labour and other key stakeholders in the following weeks to ensure buy-in for the introduction of a 15 per cent electricity VAT. Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Benjamin Jojo Adu-Hanson, the Bono Regional Lands Officer, has expressed concern about the interference of chiefs in vested lands, which has become a hindrance to the government's operations because of frequent break out of land disputes. According to him, the allocation of vested lands must be carried out by the Lands Commission in the best interest of the Government. Mr Adu-Hanson who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, mentioned issues like double/multiple land sales, land disputes and litigation that have been plaguing Sunyani and its surrounding areas as well as other jurisdictions nationwide in recent years, saying they should be addressed with urgency to promote government business. He explained that Sunyani lands were considered vested lands, and according to the law, it was the President of the Republic who was responsible for managing all vested lands, as stated in Article 257 of the 1992 Constitution, but the 'allodial owners being the chiefs, become the beneficial owners.' Mr Adu-Hanson emphasized that anyone seeking land allocation in Sunyani must go through the Lands Commission, which had been the established practice for years and had successfully minimised litigation. He however, expressed worry that in the past four to five years, the chiefs and the 'usufruct families' had taken on the responsibilities of the Lands Commission, resulting in a surge in land disputes in Sunyani and its surrounding communities. Mr Adu-Hanson stated that the entire Sunyani land was considered stool land, under the ownership of the traditional authority, saying the stool had subjects known as 'usufruct families' who had been farming on the land for many years, protecting it on behalf of the stool. However, he added that a worrying trend had emerged where chiefs had started selling those lands and consequently the usufruct families had also begun to sell the lands, resulting in double/multiple ownership claims and subsequent confusion and disputes.? Mr Adu-Hanson cited a situation where chiefs, usufruct families and the Lands Commission were all attempting to claim ownership of a piece of land, saying such situations arose because the land was not registered and documented by the Commission and was assumed to be vacant. He, therefore, called for collaboration among the chiefs, the usufruct families and the Lands Commission to find mutually beneficial solutions to land allocation and management in the region. Source: Ghana News Agency