By Toma Imirhe Ecobank Ghana, having been voted Bank of the Year, Best Bank in Financial Performance, Best Bank in Competitive Pricing and first runner-up in Corporate Banking at the recently held 2012 edition of the Ghana Banking Awards, has also been voted Best Bank in Ghana by the London based emeafinance magazine. Emeafinance is the leading specialist magazine covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa’s financial industries and markets. Ecobank Ghana’s Best Bank in Ghana award was in recognition of the bank’s unmatched quantum leap in financial performance, based on its sharp growth in balance sheet size, revenues and profits in 2012, a year in which it successfully merged with erstwhile The Trust Bank to become Ghana’s biggest bank in terms of total assets, shareholders funds, deposits loan portfolio, total income and profits. Indeed the award citation described the merger as a “transformational deal that made Ecobank the biggest bank in the country, taking its branch network to 78 and its ATM network to more than 160. Instructively Ecobank has been adjudged Bank of the Year at six times out of the 12 times the Ghana Banking Awards have been held.

…outside budgetary approvals By Isaac Aidoo Government has overspent its approved budgetary allocations in the last four years to the tune of over GH¢7.2 billion, The Finder’s analysis of a statement issued by the opposition 

  30 lashes for rape From Gibril Abdul Wahab, Kumbungu Two men, who took turns raping a 16 year old girl have been given 30 lashes by the youth chief

  By Isaac Aidoo Government has directed that with effect from September 2 this year all textile imports  into the country should be done through only three approved routes: the Kotoka  International Airport (KIA), and the Takoradi and Tema ports.  All importers of African prints were also directed to declare and make known to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) ports of entry of any consignments prior to importation. These directives were issued by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Haruna Iddrisu,  when he inaugurated a task force on seizure and disposal of pirated Ghanaian textile  designs and a vetting committee on the importation of African textile prints in Accra  yesterday. The task force is a re-constituted one with new representation from the Ghana Union of  Traders (GUTA), the National Security Council and the Ghana National Chamber of  Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) The objective of the task force is to curb the menace of illegal importation of printed  Ghanaian textile prints and to ensure that importers who engage in the nefarious activities are brought to book. “The mandate of the vetting committee as inaugurated today is to ensure that there is  zero tolerance for illegal importation of printed pirated Ghanaian textiles,” the minister  said. The minister further directed all importers of African prints to register with the RegistrarGeneral’s Department, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) and submit monthly  returns on their imports of African prints. “All importers of African prints shall register with the Ghana Standards Authority and shall present samples of the African prints to be imported to the authority for pattern  approval,” the minister directed. “Imported African prints shall with immediate effect be regarded as high-risk goods and  shall be subjected to 100% physical examination to be jointly conducted by officers from  the Customs Excise and Preventive service (CEPS) and the Ghana Standards Authority  (GSA),” Mr Iddrisu stated. Mr Iddrisu reminded members of the committee of provisions under the World Trade  Organisation Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS), where  governments had the obligation to take special border measures to prevent the piracy of  goods. “The TRIPS agreement mandates governments not to allow infringed goods to enter the  channel of commerce and also not to allow the re-exportation of such goods,” he added. The sector minister disclosed that the training programmes had been organised in  Takoradi, Ho, Accra and Tamale to equip staff of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA),  customs division, to differentiate between pirated and genuine textiles.“In addition the task force has embarked on sensitisation of traders and the general public on the effects of the nefarious activities of traders who smuggle African textile prints into  Ghana,” he added.

By Gloria Kyeremeh The respondents in the ongoing election petition have filed their affidavits in 

  From David Owusu-Antwi, Kumasi Frequent invasion of the Metropolitan Assembly (MA) Basic School premises in  Kaase by madmen and cattle is making academic life in the school very difficult.

By George Koomson The ghost of the wild overshooting of the 2012 budget by the National Democratic  Congress (NDC) government has wasted no time in coming back to haunt President John Dramani Mahama’s government, yet to complete its first six months in office. Monday’s violent demonstration at Ashaiman over repeated promises to fix the  municipality’s roads was the latest and the most dramatic of paybacks for the NDC  government for proverbially eating the goose that laid the golden egg. Or to paraphrase the President, for consuming the meat till only the bone is left.  Right from the moment it took office, the government has been confronted with  demands by teachers, doctors and contractors, which have been carried over from  the previous year or years. But fresh demands have also come from party foot soldiers who say promises of  jobs and small contracts have not been forthcoming. This picture of scarcity contrasts sharply with the electioneering era of plenty,  characterised by free laptops, supply of mini saloon cars, huge billboards, and  multiple advertisements. The connection between the few months of plenty and the current difficulty of  government in meeting pressing social and economic demands has been hinted at  by some; but what has been accepted officially is that there was huge overexpenditure by some government ministries and agencies in the few months to the  elections. Accounts of pro-government groups taking cash from state agencies under the  guise of fund raising come close to offering some explanation, but the full story is  yet to be told. What is not in doubt is the fact that the level of deficit carried over from last year  has substantially reduced the government’s financial space as it managed to  overspend the 2012 budget, whose threshold had already been raised by a  supplementary budget approved only in July 2012, by a record GH₵8.7 billion. As a demonstration of the government’s difficulties in meeting its expenditure, the  case of the Ashaiman roads presents an interesting case study. This is a road that has witnessed a lot of rhetoric but little action.  The people of Ashaiman have regularly been promised that the road would be done. The then Minister of Roads and Highways, Joseph Kingsford Gidisu and the MP for  Ashaiman, Alfred Kwame Agbesia had jointly mounted the platform more than once  to assure the people that the road would be fixed before last December. Indeed, last July, Mr Gidisu terminated the contract of Lomex Construction, the  contractor who was working on the road.Mr Gidisu based his termination of the Lomex contract on what he described as  “ineffectiveness and non-performance” on the part of Lomex. A new company, Legna Construction Limited, was then contracted to construct the  5.7-kilometre Ashaiman Timber Market Roundabout-Adjei-Kojo underpass dual  carriage road. However, by October last year Legna Engineering was already demanding arrears  for work it had earlier done in Tema.

By The Finder Reporter Tullow Oil plc (Tullow) has announced that Tullow Uganda Limited, its Ugandan subsidiary,  has received judgement in its favour in the proceedings against Heritage Oil and Gas Ltd and

By Isaac Aidoo Members of the shea industry in Ghana have met to discuss plans to advocate for greater  involvement in the regulation of shea prices through the establishment of an intraprofessional body which will influence floor pricing mechanisms.

From Inusa Musah, Tema Most residents of Tema, including commuters and traders, have indicated that the  Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of the area has done enough work to be 

By Nana Akyaa Asare Vodafone Ghana has presented a three-bedroom house in the exclusive Lakeside Marina Estate in Accra to Mr Ofori Tanoh, the ultimate winner of the Vodafone ‘Cool Chop’

President John Dramani Mahama has commended members of the National  Democratic Congress (NDC) for their support that gave the party a resounding 

General Secretary of Ghana’s biggest opposition party has laughed off rumours on  social media site Facebook that the party’s 2012 presidential candidate, Nana Addo 

By Abigail Ankomah  Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Trade and Industry, has reiterated government’s  desire to give a further boost to the agricultural sector by helping small-scale 

By Isaac Aidoo  Latex Foam Limited has presented a cheque of ¢10,000 to the University of Ghana (UG) Students Financial Aid office at the school’s campus at Legon, Accra, in aid of the university’s needy students. 

NPP at crossroads By George Koomson Fears are growing over the future of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) even as the party fights to reverse the declared results of the 2012 elections in the country’s Supreme Court.

By Isaac Aidoo A seminar on common development for developing countries has ended in Beijing, China, with a call on the developing world, especially Africa, to recognise the key role it plays in today’s world economic order.

By Isaac Aidoo Employees in both public and private sectors can now ask their employers to channel their salaries to new Stanbic bank current accounts and they will enjoy a real difference, a new campaign from the bank has said.

Ms Helen Adjoa Ntoso, Eastern Regional Minister, has advised chiefs in the Kade Traditional Area to shun

By Gloria Kyeremeh Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), yesterday told the Supreme Court that same serial numbers on pink sheets do not have any bearing on the compilation and declaration of the electoral results.