Day: June 15, 2024

Mr Kwadwo Obeng, the Deputy Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) says the company cannot provide a planned load shedding schedule to customers because of uncertainties in power supply.

He said it would be difficult to adhere strictly to the timetable especially when not all outages were a result of fuel supply challenges.

Mr Obeng explained that outages could be a result of planned maintenance, network fault, as well as theft and vandalism.

‘We said that because information of about how much to be shared was erratic, we couldn’t really provide a timetable, because in the morning we could say that we need to shed just 40 (megawatts) at 8 o’ clock. And imagine we prepared a table to shed 40 and by 12 pm that situation changes.

‘We realise that even if we prepare a timetable, there would be lot of inconsistencies. And the worst we want to have as a nation would be for the utility provider to say you would go off and then you don’t go off, or your outage exceeds the stipulated period,’
he said.

He was speaking at a public forum organised by Civil Society Organisations (CSO’S) on how to address the current power challenges facing the country.

Mr Albert Ayirebi-Acquah, a representative of the Independent Power Producers (IPP) who generate about 2339 megawatts said the IPPs have in the past three years generated about 40 per cent of the country’s power needs.

‘Although we don’t have the 2024 power plan, we expect to contribute over 50 per cent of power generated in the country,’ he said

He cited the unavailability of fuel, and failure of government to meet its financial obligations to the IPPs as factors to the ongoing power crisis.

Mr Ayirebi-Acquah said the Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM), a system established to collect and pay revenue to power generators, was not a panacea to the constraints in the power sector.

He noted that the IPPs accept that the CWM in its current form as an interim measure that provides some level of certainty and predictability of payment from ECG.

Mr Ayirebi-
Acquah said that it was important for current commitment under CWM be honoured in a timely manner to enable IPPs meet financial obligations.

He also called for a representation of IPPs on the CWM implementation committee to improve transparency, efficiency and ensure due consideration are given to their concerns.

Other stakeholders present at the forum were the Public Utility Regulatory Commission, Volta River Authority and the Ghana Grid Company Limited.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, Secretary General, Trade Unions Congress (TUC) has commended Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General, for bringing back Social Justice and Decent Work into limelight through the creation of the Global Coalition for Social Justice.

The overarching aim of the Global Coalition for Social Justice is to unite diverse partners in addressing areas of critical importance to achieve social justice, at the intersection of their respective mandates.

‘Ghana Trades Union Congress is a proud member of the Coalition. We urge all unions that have not yet joined the coalition to join without further delay,’ Dr Baah stated in his address during the 112th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

‘This noble vision of the Director-General does not only enhance ILO’s image in the multilateral system, but it is also a clarion call on all of us (that is governments, unions, employers, civil society organizations, NGOs, multilateral institutions, especially the internationa
l financial institutions) to review and re-examine our goals, policies, laws, practices, activities, traditions, cultures and norms within the framework of social justice.’

The Ministry of Employment, labour Relations and Pensions, made a copy of the TUC Secretary-General’s speech available to the Ghana News Agency.

The Conference, which officially commenced from Monday, 3rd June, to Friday, 14th June, was held on two premises: the Palais de Nation and the ILO Headquarters.

The ILC is the highest decision-making body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and is held annually in June to advance the core mandate of the ILO.

The Conference brought together all tripartite delegations from the ILO’s 187 Member States and observers from other international actors to discuss topics related to the world of work.

Dr Baah said the creation of the Global Coalition for Social Justice was very timely, given the fast-changing world of work and the acrimonious geopolitics the world was witnessing today. 

Dr B
aah reiterated that Social Justice was a universal principle that must be embraced by all, regardless of their nationality, race, sex, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and location. 

‘If we, the social partners in the ILO, are promoting social justice then we should demonstrate that we are ahead of those we are inviting to join the Global Coalition for Social Justice.’

The Secretary-General urged Governments to be fair to their people, especially the most vulnerable citizens; adding that ’employers must be fair to their employees and their unions’.

He urged labour unions to be fair in their dealings with employers and governments.

He noted that together, as social partners operating in the labour market, they must be fair to women, young people, informal economy workers, migrant workers, workers from minority groups, and that they must also be fair to people with disabilities. 

One of the things we can do together, as social partners, is to continue to adopt appropriate recommendations and conventions h
ere at the International Labour Conference to protect the most vulnerable in the world of work.

Dr Baah said governments, businesses, policy makers and international institutions should not focus exclusively on economic growth, power, and money.

‘We should pay attention to social justice in all what we do. Because that is the foundation for universal peace and harmony,’ Dr Baah stated.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Twellium Industrial Company Limited, a Ghanaian-based manufacturing company, has attributed the expansion of its investments in Ghana to the country’s conducive business environment and loyalty of Ghanaian workers.

The Company, which has been operating in Ghana for the past 10 years, touted Ghana’s political stability and incentives for the private sector as among the conditions that made Ghana an attractive investment destination in the region.

Speaking to journalists at Adjen Kotoku, in the Greater Accra Region, Mr Ali Ajami, Chief Marketing Officer, Twellium, expressed profound gratitude to the Government of Ghana for creating enabling environment for businesses and providing incentives to support business growth.

He said the Company had since its inception expanded its production line to more than eleven and provided employment to more than 5,000 Ghanaians among other interventions.

‘The Government gives incentives and encourages investors to come here. The Government helps to export made-in-Ghana
products outside the country and this helps us.

‘There is no country peaceful than Ghana. That is why investors should come here. We have become Ghanaians because of the love and because we feel at home…Ghanaians are very educated and very interactive,’ he said.

Mr Ajami encouraged businesses to take advantage of the conducive environment in Ghana to export their products to neighbouring countries to help boost Ghana’s economy and create more employment opportunities.

As part of efforts to protect the environment against industrial waste water, Twellium, has set up a GHS3 million Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) at its factory in Adjen Kotoku to treat waste water from the factory.

The plant processes organic and inorganic pollutants, as well as all other impurities generated from the factory before it is safely discharged.

Mr Ajami said treated water from the plant could be used by neighbouring farmers to water their crops and for other domestic uses.

He said the Company was committed to environmental sus
tainability and would continuously explore innovations that would ensure that its operations did not harm the environment.

Ghanaian Afro-dancehall sensation Stonebwoy on Friday toured the factory site of Twellium prior to the announcement of his wife, Dr Louisa Ansong-Satekla as Brand Ambassador for Verna Mineral Water.

Stonebwoy, who was crowned Artist of the Year at the just-ended Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA), said industrialisation was the surest way to create employment opportunities and commended Twellium for investing in Ghana.

‘Employment is going on here and the number of staff is increasing. I am happy to find some of the people that I lived in the same community with secure employment here,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, the National Prayer Director for Aglow International Ghana, says God has been good to Ghana despite the myriad of challenges.

She said this at a mid-year thanksgiving service at the State House on Saturday.

The veteran journalist and lawyer said though the country was experiencing economic, power, water and weather challenges, God had preserved and kept it peaceful and stable with His mercies.

‘We are faced with economic challenges, we are faced with dumsor, and we appreciate the fact that we have water shortages, but because of God’s mercies daily, we are not consumed. Though cost of living has skyrocketed, by God’s grace, we are still witnessing traditional marriages, wedding ceremonies, outdooring, and birthday parties.

‘Let us check what is happening to other nations around us in terms of natural disasters and you will agree with me that God has been more than magnanimous to Ghana,’ she said.

The thanksgiving service by Aglow International Ghana is characterised by series o
f annual prayer events attracting mostly women nationwide.

They prayed for the leadership, government machinery and for positive spiritual intervention in the affairs of the country.

This year’s event had the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, who prayed for the country’s political and judicial administration and for agriculture productivity.

Source: Ghana News Agency