Ghana Archives - The African Mirror

Dec

02

2023

Ghana’s shea industry is not taking care of the women behind its growth

BUSINESS

GHANA'S shea industry has a rich history. Shea – nkuto, karite, galam in some West African languages – is deeply embedded in the culture and tradition of the country’s northern regions. It is often considered a woman’s crop – women pick the fruit and extract its “butter” – and has acquired the name “woman’s gold” because rural women earn income from its sale. ABIBA YAYAH, Postdoctoral Associate, University of Calgary The crop is not just locally important, though. Shea butter, derived from the nuts of the shea tree, has become a global commodity. It is used widely as an ingredient…

Nov

30

2023

By The African Mirror

Ghana wants to restrict imports of 22 products – an economist explains how, why and what else must be done

BUSINESS

GHANA’S Ministry of Trade and Industry has tabled in parliament a proposed ban or restrictions on imports of certain goods, including rice, sugar, poultry, fruit juices and animal intestines (tripe). The proposed legislation empowers the trade minister to issue licences to potential importers of goods. Critics of the policy say it will give too much power to the minister and create room for corruption. The Conversation Africa’s Godfred Akoto Boafo spoke to development economist Adu Owusu Sarkodie about the policy. ADU OWUSU SARKODIE, Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Ghana What are import restrictions? These refer to the various schemes,…

Nov

23

2023

By The African Mirror

Ghana: Akosombo Dam disaster reveals a history of negligence that continues to this day

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

RECENT heavy downpours in the Lower Volta area of Ghana led to the worst flooding in the region’s history. The flooding was caused by a spillage (a deliberate release of water) from the Akosombo Dam, the country’s biggest hydroelectric dam. Over 26,000 people were displaced. No deaths have been officially announced. The last recorded spillage was in 2010. STEPHAN MIESCHER, Professor of History, University of California, Santa Barbara The Volta River Authority, the state agency that manages the Akosombo Dam, opened the floodgates to release pressure on the dam after unusually high rainfall. By September, Volta Lake, the vast, 400km-long…

Nov

12

2023

By The African Mirror

African Development Bank approves $102.6 mln support programme for Ghana

BUSINESS

THE African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $102.6 million budget support programme for Ghana focused on fiscal consolidation and economic recovery, the bank and Ghana's finance ministry said on Thursday. Ghana, which produces gold, cocoa and oil, is in talks with bilateral and commercial creditors to restructure its debts amid its worst economic crisis in a generation. The West African nation has been locked out of international capital markets as it struggles with spiralling domestic debt costs. "The program will facilitate the government's economic recovery reforms through enhanced public finance, increased productivity, and job creation," AfDB's representative, Eyerusalem Fasika,…

Nov

06

2023

By MAXWELL AKALAARE ADOMBILA

Ghana ruling party picks VP Bawumia as presidential candidate

NEWS

GHANA'S ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) picked Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia as its candidate for the December 2024 presidential election, teeing up a contest with former president John Mahama. The 60-year-old economist and former central banker has served as second-in-command and the face of economic policy throughout the presidency of Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, who is due to step down in January 2025 after serving the constitutionally mandated eight years. He won 61% of votes cast in the second stage of the primary - a victory widely expected after coming first in the first stage in August. In his acceptance speech,…

Nov

06

2023

By The African Mirror

Africa shifts towards genetic modification to boost food security

NEWS

THE designation of Ghana as the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) collaborating centre for Africa, focusing on plant breeding and associated technologies for food and nutrition, is being seen as a pivotal moment in the application of genetic modification in Africa. In a recent press statement, the IAEA announced its collaboration with the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, in a four-year commitment “to promote research and development on mutation breeding in West and sub-Saharan Africa.” Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Applications termed mutation breeding…

Oct

29

2023

By The African Mirror

Energy-hungry Germany’s Scholz courts Africa as crises elsewhere bite

NEWS

GERMAN Chancellor Olaf Scholz this weekend makes his third visit to sub-Saharan Africa in two years, as conflicts elsewhere highlight the growing importance of an energy-rich region in which Berlin has traditionally had little involvement. He will visit major energy producer Nigeria, as well as Ghana, with migration flows and instability in West Africa also on his agenda. Much of the impetus for the trip has come from the realization that Germany - and Europe - need Africa more than it thought, said Greens legislator Anton Hofreiter. "People realized we needed allies against Russia's invasion of Ukraine," he said. "And…

Oct

28

2023

By ANNIKA SURMEIER, ALEX BIGNOTTI, BOB DOHERTY, DAVID LITTLEWOOD, DIANE HOLT, PHYLLIS AWOR, RALPH HAMANN and TEDDY OSSEI KWAKYE

Global university rankings now include social impact: African universities are off to a strong start

EDUCATION

WORLD university rankings are released towards the end of each year. Institutions globally scramble to see how they have fared. Have they risen or fallen? If so, by how much and in which rankings? Have they maintained their position in an increasingly competitive global higher education landscape? There have been some improvements in African universities’ performances. But the continent’s institutions still don’t feature prominently towards the top of the rankings. In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2024, for instance, South Africa’s University of Cape Town is top for the continent, at 167th place. It is followed by…

Oct

25

2023

By FLORENCE TAN and MUYU XU

Ghana looks to market more oil and gas blocks

BUSINESS

GHANA is looking to boost its oil and gas production by selling more exploration rights, aiming to avoid leaving valuable fossil fuels in the ground and generate revenue to fund its energy transition, a Ghanaian official said. The West African country is suffering its worst economic crisis in generations and has been seeking investors from countries such as the United States, China and India for its oil and gas sectors. "For any investor to look at a temporary hiccup as a basis for decisions in Ghana I think would be making a mistake," said Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, deputy minister…

Oct

10

2023

By The African Mirror

Theresa Kufuor: Ghana’s former first lady was a quiet and unobtrusive champion of change

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

FLAGS have been flying at half-mast in Ghana in tribute to Theresa Kufuor, the wife of John Agyekum Kufuor, president of Ghana from 2000 to 2008. Born Theresa Mensah, the former first lady passed away on 1 October at the age of 87. As a scholar of political science and international relations, I followed her public career with keen interest. LLOYD G. ADU AMOAH, Lecturer in Political Science, University of Ghana In my considered view, Theresa Kufuor in her own unique way transcended the ceremonial role of first lady and quietly exercised considerable political power in the Ghanaian political arena.…