sports news, ghana sports news, ghana news

sports news, ghana sports news, ghana news

By Konrad Kodjo Djaisi   Over 60 top leaders and experts in the grains and food standards sector -- including state government officials, the private sector, academia, researchers and international agencies -- have convened in Nairobi to discuss the recently gazetted East African Community (EAC) standards and their effects on the grains sector. The meeting was officially opened by the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Kenya, Felix Koskei, and participants explored the best implementation and adoption strategies. The EAC Harmonised Grades and Standards have recently been enacted after high consultative discussions with stakeholders in the region. The standards were gazetted on December 6, 2013 and the enacted standards affect the various grains and pulses, namely maize, wheat, milled rice, pearl millet, chick peas and pigeon peas. Others include cow peas, dry whole peas, lentils, sorghum, finger millet, dry split peas, dry soy beans, faba beans and brown rice among others. The regulations are geared toward promoting regional trade, which is one of the key protocols and agenda for the community. Trade between the EAC countries has doubled to US$4billion in 2013, compared to US$2billion in 2010. The bloc has also registered growth in foreign direct investment from US$2.6billion in 2010 to US$3.8billion in 2013. In addition, the EAC was rated the fastest-growing region in the recent Africa Development Bank statistics, hence the dire need for harmonisation of standards in the region. At the meeting, experts agreed that standards are crucial for increasing efficiency -- while efficiency is crucial for success in today’s challenging and competitive economic environment. The issue of grain standards has drawn a lot attention as global and regional economies are challenged with sustainability and financial uncertainty. The adoption and implementation of these standards is expected to deliver a number of benefits, including increasing transparency, formalisation of the language of trade, and generating natural performance incentives whereby grain processors who pay a premium for higher quality products can eliminate costly additional processing steps and access higher prices and long-term contracts. Additionally, the standards are expected to promote fair trade and enhance transparency for increased trade in staple foods, promote trade in quality grains and enhance adoption of structured trading systems, while improving food safety and hygiene. The Chairman of the Eastern Africa Grain Council, Judah Arap Bett, said 80 percent of the people in Africa and across the world rely on grain for food security and income generation. However, the grain sector in eastern Africa is faced with the challenge of losses and poor quality of grains, thus increasing the risks to most of the population in Kenya and Africa in general. “The growth in regional trade, blossoming of the grain sector and improved food security will not be possible without grades and standards. For a long time, the lack of grades and standards has been documented as one of the barriers to trade within the region,” he noted. The Eastern Africa Grain Council is a regional organisation with membership drawn from across eastern and southern Africa. Members of the council cut across the grain value-chain and include all the key players in production, trade and processing in nine countries across Africa including Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.

Evans Raybon Anyadi, the Mutual Health Insurance Scheme manager at Adaklu Anyigbe in the Volta Region has been arraigned before THE Fast Track High Court in Accra for allegedly embezzling GH¢106,706.23. He is alleged to have forged some documents and raised vouchers for non-existing service providers as an officer fully responsible for the payment of claims submitted by recognised service [...]The post MHIS Manager In Court For Forgery appeared first on The Ghanaian Times.

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLibertyStudy Links Vodka Drinking To Risk Of Early Russian DeathsRadioFreeEurope/RadioLibertyPrint · Share: The study found that there was a much higher risk of early death among men who drank three or more bottles of vodka a week. (file photo). Tweet · Follow @RFERL. Related Articles. New Alcohol Restrictions Are Small Beer For Many Russians ...and more »

Mr. George Aguddey, the 2004 presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has since November last year, when an Accra Fast Track High Court started hearing his appeal challenging the judgment of the District Court, has not appeared in court. The lead counsel of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT),  Baffour Akoto, yesterday complained to the court [...]The post Aguddey Absent From Court, Since Nov. appeared first on The Ghanaian Times.

The Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament (MP) for Suhum, Fred Opare-Ansah, has raised the red flag over the modalities his party adopted for its national executive elections slated for March 1. In a tersely worded statement addressed to the incumbent national chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the Suhum MP accused the chairman of seeking [...]The post Confusion Rocks NPP Over Election Modalities appeared first on The Ghanaian Times.

The Child Labour Department of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations will develop a code of conduct for informal sector workers to fight the child labour menace. Mr Charles Asante-Bempong, Research and Projects Manager, Ghana Employer’s Association said as …

A former flag-bearer aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Arthur Kobina  Kennedy, has described as “not credible”, his party chairman’s response to allegations of theft and corruption against him and other national executives. TheAssin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, who called Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and his cohorts “thieves”, claimed the executives hoarded dozens of motorbikes and other materials he [...]The post Investigate Kennedy Agyapong’s Stealing Allegation — Arthur K. appeared first on The Ghanaian Times.

  Airtel Ghana has donated 1,500 mobile handsets and Airtel SIM cards to the Ministry of Health in support of the ministry’s community-based health planning and services programme (CHPS). These mobile lines will be put in a Close User Group service, so that calls made on the network within the service group are free. The community health programme is an initiative by the Ghana Health Service and Ministry of Health aimed at providing on the ground health-care to inhabitants of the community. The phones, which will be distributed to the CHPS compounds spread across various communities all over the country, are to facilitate the communication on the network between these health centres and health workers in the execution of their duties. In effect, beneficiaries of these handsets can call other health workers or centres in case of emergency, or solicit for assistance on a daily basis free of charge. Presenting the phones and SIM cards to the Ministry, Managing Director Philip Sowah said health care systems in developing countries like Ghana can be more effective with proper communication support. He explained that Airtel Ghana is determined to help the Government attain its Millennium Development Goals by making available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications. “Communities -- rural and urban -- are at the centre of our operations. We therefore support any initiative that will improve the standard of these communities, healthcare and education being the topmost.” Accepting the items, the Minister of Health, Sherry Ayitey, acknowledged the fact that this is one clear step that will help acceleration toward the 2015 Millennium Development Goals. The Minister said: “We are proud to partner Airtel in this direction, and by this singular gesture Airtel has set a new standard in the roll-out of our close-to-client policy”. Airtel Ghana has over the years distinguished itself as the leader in corporate social responsibility by initiating projects like Touching Lives which have greatly impacted communities and individuals in Ghana.

Samia Nkrumah, daughter of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, has for the first time hinted she would run for the President of the country on the ticket of the Convention Peoples’ Party (CPP). She is currently the chairman of the CPP, a party his late father founded, that gained independence for Ghana in 1957. The former Member of Paliament [...]The post I Will Stand For President — Samia Nkrumah appeared first on The Ghanaian Times.

The second edition of the Stanbic Bank Ghana investors’ conference, which seeks to link listed companies on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), with foreign investors, will be held in Accra on Monday. The one day conference dubbed: “Standard Bank Investors Conference,’’ scheduled to take place at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel, is expected to be attended by 16 foreign investment companies from [...]The post 16 Foreign Companies To Attend Stanbic Bank’s Investors Confab In Accra appeared first on The Ghanaian Times.