By Juliet AGUIAR, Bibiani Chirano Gold Mines Limited (CGML) has presented two motorised tricycles to the Sefwi Wiawso Municipal office and the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai District Offices of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to help in celebration of the 2012 Farmer’s Day. Presenting the motorised tricycles, General Manager Mr. Ken Norris said the donation was to demonstrate the company’s corporate social responsibility to communities within its catchment area, and also to demonstrate the company’s policy of putting people first. He said the motorised tricycles will also relieve children of the recipient farmers from the burden of carrying heavy loads from the farm to their homes and marketing centres. Mr. Norris he added that CGML will continue to collaborate and support government in its efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child-labour in farming communities.  Mr. Norris congratulated all Ghanaian farmers and stressed that CGML will continue to promote formal education in its operational area to build the future manpower capacity of the people in its operational area.

Investment Broker, Sam Ankrah; business mogul, Sam Jonah; and Chief Executive of rlg Roland Agambire are to be given special honours at the Annual Ghana UK-based Achievement (GUBA) Awards. According to organisers, they are awarding these gentlemen for their outstanding contribution to the Ghanaian economy.   According to Dentaa Amoateng, one of the organisers, the awards are being given to them because they have achieved much and done so much for the Ghanaian economy. They have all achieved greatness. Sam Ankrah is an investment broker and has brought a lot of investors into Ghana. “Everybody knows Sam Jonah and what he has done over the period. Roland Agambire has done well for himself, and contributed successfully to the Ghanaian economy. The rlg brand is known all over Ghana. We need to acknowledge, encourage and appreciate them.” The Awards will be held in London on November 10 to honour other individuals and businesses. Online news portal myjoyonline.com has been nominated for best online media at this year’s GUBA awardsMeanwhile, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie have lent their support to the Awards which recognise the ‘hugely significant’ contribution that British-Ghanaians make to society. Blair, who is the Special Envoy to the United Nations, has thrown his weight behind an initiative that aims to build a ‘bigger, stronger and more robust’ relationship with Britain’s West African community. A planned speech to be given on Cherie’s behalf at the ceremony reads: “This evening’s GUBA Awards are a great occasion to celebrate the range of skills and talents emanating from Ghana, to the huge benefit of the United Kingdom. “From doctors to financiers to authors, the men and women here tonight have made such a contribution to our society, and for that you should be proud.” “My congratulations to all of tonight’s winners and may you continue with your incredible achievements for years to come, continuing to strengthen the relationship between our two wonderful countries.” MP Diane Abbott has also expressed her support for the awards, stating: “I am proud to be supporting GUBA 2012. I have close family connections with Ghana, and my son studied in one of the wonderful Ghanaian International Schools. “Persons of Ghanaian origin continue to contribute so much to British society, but these achievements are not always given the full recognition that they deserve. “The GUBA Awards bring together both a proud acknowledgement of Ghanaian heritage and the very best that Ghanaians in Britain accomplish.” Guests will include England and QPR footballer Anton Ferdinand, Holby City actor Jimmy Akingbola, GUBA Patron Hugh Quarshie, and the Olympic 400m silver-medallist Christine Ohuruogu. The Awards take place on Saturday, November 10 at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in central London.

By Kizito CUDJOE, Kumasi The Tariff Advisory Board (TAB) has raised concern over the unavailability of relevant data on the operations of industries in the country. The country’s industrial community which is mainly dominated by those in the private sector lacks data on their operations, a major challenge that TAB says impedes efforts in assessing the country’s industrial performance as well as collating and analysing information and data to guide decisions on tariff-related issues. It also emerged that there is no clear institutional framework to assess the impact of tariff policy on competitiveness of industries; no clear guidelines, procedure and appropriate legislation for the determination and implementation of trade contingency measures (anti-dumping and countervailing duties) to respond to private sector petitions; and weak capacity in both public and private sectors to generate the depth of analysis required for substantiating claims, consistent with international trade rules, which also grant rights of response to unfair trade practices based on appropriate legislation. The challenges highlighted by the Tariff Advisory Board are understood to render the country incapable of taking advantage of and fully exercising the rights granted under international trade rules to ensure a level playing field for domestic industries. This subject matter dominated discussions at a training programme organised for Private Sector Operators and representatives of MDAs in Kumasi by the Tariff Advisory Board under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The Chairman of the Tariff Advisory Board, Mr. Tawiah Akyea, strongly underscored the need for domestic manufacturing industries to build a detailed and accurate database, based on which TAB would be able to effectively execute some of its functions -- of investigating petitions brought before the Board in relation to unfair trade practices or tariff-related issues.     The Tariff Advisory Board was set up as part of the key policy action recommended by the Ghana Trade Policy to strengthen institutional arrangements for tariff review and determination of trade contingency measures. TAB is expected to be migrated into operation as a full-fledged Ghana International Trade Commission (GITC) with research, monitoring, advisory and adjudicatory functions based on merit and advice of the appointing authority, the Minister of Trade and Industry, after being in operation for about three years. Indications are that preparations are far advanced for the legislative proposal that will lead to establishment of GITC to reach Cabinet for approval and subsequently go through the laid-down procedure for lawmaking. Mr. Robert A. K. Nketiah, AGI Regional Chairman for Ashanti and Brong Ahafo and an entrepreneur, was very optimistic that participants will strongly consider the concerns being raised by TAB and pledged to use his position to educate and counsel members of AGI on the position of TAB regarding their activities. He however at some point of the programme made a strong case against the exclusion of presentations from industrial organisations on the Tariff Advisory Board -- which prompted members of the Board to take turns clarifying the issue. Participants from the Ghana Chamber of Commerce, Customs Exercise and Preventive Service of the Ghana Revenue Service and other organisations used the forum to seek clarification on some key issues which came up as part of the presentations by the TAB, and also made some significant recommendations to it. The Board made brief comments on the number of petitions dealt with and some major setbacks encountered as part of its operations.

AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) is committed to making communities where it operates better-off for its being there. Agricultural development is a key part of the company’s broader sustainability programme, and working hand in hand with the mining communities around the Obuasi and Iduapriem mines to support socio-economic development. The theme of this year’s Farmers Day celebrations, which was “Grow more food: strengthening farmer based organisations for market place bargaining power”, is in alignment with AGA’s sustainability strategy. Across Ghana, AGA has contributed over US$30,000 to agricultural projects in the Obuasi and Iduapriem areas so far this year. “At Iduapriem we have been involved with multiple projects: including creating 16 collectives involving 364 farmers; training 27 community-based agricultural agents; and supporting over 200 farmers to cultivate more than 212 acres of maize and 158 acres of palm oil. Today, we are honouring the best female farmers for the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly and Prestea Huni-Valley District Assembly, with AGA-donated awards,” outlined Sicelo Ntuli, Managing Director, Iduapriem Mine, AGA. “At Obuasi, in addition to significant investments in local agricultural projects, AGA is delighted to sponsor the Farmers Day event by donating prizes which include: 80 pairs of Wellington boots, a corn mill, 120 cutlasses, eight spraying machines, and eight bicycles,” announced Kwesi Enyan, Managing Director,  Obuasi Mine, AGA. The company’s support for agricultural projects and its participation at these events demonstrates the its strategy of investing for the benefit of all the people in the communities around AGA mines, especially farmers.

  EMRC and the Bamanga Tukur African Centre for International Trade and Development have signed a joint agreement to launch the EMRC/Rabobank Project Incubator Award 2012 which promotes and provides a platform for innovative business projects in Africa with a cash-prize of US$15,000 for the winner. Four finalists will be selected and invited to present their projects to an audience of 400 people, composed of interested partners and investors from Africa, Europe, USA, India, and beyond. The US$15,000 prize will be awarded at the Gala Evening of the AgriBusiness Forum 2012 to the entry that promises the highest level of economic and social impact for its immediate African community. Organised under the patronage of Senegal and the Prime Minister and hosted by its Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Equipment, this year’s AgriBusiness Forum will highlight the importance of Africa’s agricultural potential under the theme “Boosting African Agriculture through Partnership, Investment and Technology”, taking place from 25-28 November 2012 in Dakar, Senegal, and bringing together delegates linked to the global Agri-Food industry from across the world. Last year’s Project Incubator Award winner, Everlyne Cherobon, head of Emeden Kenya, was determined the award would change the course of her business: “Winning the prize was a defining moment for me and my business. It is difficult to put in words exactly how I felt when my project emerged the winner. Winning this prize means for me a vote of confidence on what I hope to do with smallholder farmers in the dry-lands of Kenya. It means there is business-sense in working with smallholder farmers in Africa. It means a lot of attention needs to be focused on them.” The Project Incubator Award is a platform to highlight what is happening across Africa and spotlights the importance of local and regional partnership. During this year’s WEF, a key topic was “Deepening Regional Integration Will Increase Africa’s Competitiveness” with political and trade representatives emphasising the need for faster integration to ensure Africa is able to better-leverage the interest in its markets by global investors who are attracted by economies of scale . This is where the Project Incubator Award is critical, as it sheds light on potentially lucrative business ideas and projects and, most importantly, partnership opportunities across Africa. The Award’s sponsor, Rabobank Foundation, has been involved since the project’s inception. A global Dutch bank with branches across Africa, its emphasis is to provide access to funds and incentives for those who have innovative and sound business projects. Importance is given to projects that truly make an impact on economic development and food security at the local, national or regional levels, whereby value-chain partners can be integrated. As past winners such as Everlyne Cherobon and Uganda’s Bee Natural Maria Odido, who was awarded the Project Incubator Award in 2010, say: “This prize will stimulate the future competitiveness of women entrepreneurs and male entrepreneurs, because the presentations set a tone and generate enthusiasm from a large number of participants to invest better in their businesses and projects.” The 2009 AgriBusiness Forum winner, COOGES, the Coopérative Générale de Sepingo -- a small cashew-nut cooperative from Côte D’Ivoire -- decided to enter the Project Incubator Award for a simple reason: “It was in line with one of our business needs, to gain industry exposure, and we knew that even if we didn’t win the increased awareness of our business would make it worthwhile and reduce our need to advertise ourselves through other channels.  Anyone from Africa that wishes to launch or improve a project, anyone who wants to have confirmation that their business idea is viable and who wants feedback from the business community, should be involved in the AgriBusiness Forum.” Interested candidates are invited and encouraged to register for the AgriBusiness Forum and to submit their sustainable business ideas that embody the inherent entrepreneurship and innovation of the African continent.  

  The C&J Medicare Hospital Group has opened an ultra-modern hospital and diagnostic centre to offer cost-effective and quality healthcare at Lashibi in Accra. The new facility is part of management’s long-term facilities development and growth strategy to establish a national network of healthcare facilities in the country. The Centre has modern equipment -- including 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging equipment, the first privately-owned MRI of that magnetic strength -- for accurately observing disease processes in the body. It also has a 16-slice CT scan that allows for scans with improved resolution at enhanced speed, upgraded ultrasound machines, as well as digital mamograph and X-ray plus a laboratory equipped with ultra-modern automated machines to ensure reduced waiting times for results, particularly when working with large numbers. “This is our first step into telemedicine. Our focus is to provide the healthy individual with opportunity to visit his doctor for healthy lifestyle advice and also be screened for other life-threatening illnesses at an early stage,” Dr. Joyce Djabatey, Chief Executive Officer, C&J Medicare Hospital Group, said. Dr. Djabatey said in response to the changing trends and needs necessitated by the expansion, the Centre has brought on board specialists and highly-skilled personnel to strengthen management and its clinical team as well as support services. She said the Centre is instituting cutting-edge information technology solutions which, when completed, will allow for sending confidential reports as well as images by secure email internationally for second opinions as and when necessary.  â€œWe call on corporate bodies and individuals to take advantage of our ultra-modern facilities in furtherance of preventive healthcare as we contribute toward a healthier and wealthier country,” she advised. C&J Medicare Hospital Group, which started as a small private clinic focusing on out-patient care, now operates a total of eight healthcare facilities made up of five in-plant clinics, two hospitals and a Walk-In Clinic at Takoradi in the Western Region. Madam Joyce Aryee unveling a plaque to officially open the facility By Patrick PAINTSIL  

The first-ever National Rice Festival is scheduled to open today at the Efua Sutherland Park, Accra.The two-day event of training workshops and local rice exhibitions forms part of the 8th General Assembly of the Ghana Rice Inter-professional Body (GRIB) -- A national umbrella organisation of rice stakeholders. “GRIB is stepping up efforts to introduce new standards for the production of local rice by the end of the year. This entails instituting quality-control mechanisms to ensure local rice is produced to meet international standards. It will see GRIB become the certifying body for locally-produced rice,” GRIB President Mr. Imoro Amoro, said. He added that packaging is a major factor to be considered in ensuring local rice competes favorably with imported ones on the market. “Packaging is one of our biggest problems because the local packaging cannot be compared to that of the imported rice. So if we want to address this, we at least guarantee that the quality of the rice can equally be appealing as the imported ones.” He stressed that in the past rice was eaten mainly by wealthy people in the cities, but today it is eaten by everybody. The event will attract various local and international stakeholders in the rice industry to deliberate on challenges and opportunities in the sector, and introduce new initiatives targetted at improving the capacity of stakeholders to produce more rice for local and international consumption. The two-day event, on the theme ““Growing a vibrant rice industry through public-private partnership for food security”, will also afford stakeholders an opportunity to stress the significance of improving the private sector’s capacity to grow the local rice sector.

Over 200 participants from Ghana and other African countries are expected in Accra for the maiden Africa Construction Development Conference. The conference, slated for tomorrow and Thursday, is to create a platform for constructors, built environment professionals, and stakeholders in the construction industry on the continent to deliberate on how to develop the industry. The two-day conference is a prelude to the second edition of the National Contractors Excellence Awards slated for Saturday. Over 20 speakers and discussants from Egypt, South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Ghana will address participants on a myriad of issues bordering on growth and development of the Construction Industry with the objective of creating construction giants on the continent of Africa. The conference and the Excellence Award are organised by the Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana (ABCECG) in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). Speaking ahead of the events, the President of ABCECG Martins Nnuro noted that the indigenous African construction firms are lagging behind its counterparts on other continents -- a situation, he added, that must change.  He said the conference will therefore afford contractors the opportunity to listen to experts espouse their views on how to the change the industry’s fortunes. Mr. Nnuro was hopeful that rich ideas will be shared during the conference, so that indigenous contractors can learn best practices in order to grow and be able to compete effectively. The Chairman of the Technical Committee of ABCECG, who also doubles as Chairman of CIOB Ghana Centre, said it is time African construction firms shared ideas and considered possible areas of partnership and other forms of collaboration. He explained that the conference is therefore apt for firms on the continent to build synergies and begin working toward joint projects as well as cross-border projects. Mr. Dogbegah said Ghanaian contractors will benefit immensely from the conference and therefore urged them to register and participate. “For lack of knowledge my people perish: we don’t want to perish, so we are assembling the best minds to inform us about the best way to also build our capacity and become construction giants for absolutely no charge,” he indicated. Mr. Dogbegah said ABCECG is determined to lead change in the construction industry, adding that the conference is one of the methods being employed. He emphasised that the conference is on construction development and therefore open to all contractors as well as built environment professionals such as engineers, surveyors and architects. ABCECG has earmarked a number of events to celebrate this year’s Excellence Awards. It began with a football gala played among five different contractors associations last week Friday.  The awards event itself is slated for Saturday -- however there will be a tree-planting exercise and tour to the Akosombo Dam before the occasion.