This follows a latest accountability and transparency index (P-TRAC) report which focuses on the management of Ghana’s petroleum resources.

The survey assessed the level of transparency by the government in four key areas.

These comprised transparency levels bordering on revenue, expenditure, contract and the management of the Ghana Petroleum Funds (GPF).

Presenting the outcome of the research, Senior Research Fellow at the IEA, Professor John Asafu-Adjaye indicated that largely, managers of Ghana’s oil resources have performed creditably in providing the necessary information to the citizenry.

Citing the recently signed Exxon Mobil agreement, Professor Asafu-Adjaye however noted that managers of the resource have not performed too well in being transparent on contracts and licensing.

“A lot of contracts remain shrouded in secrecy but the E and P calls for the publication of contracts although it is not all contracts which have to be revealed because there could be confidentiality clauses. Even with contracts which should be available are still not available and that is what we are calling for,” he explained.

The IEA also disclosed that the rate of transparency in revenue has been remarkable even though it has slowed over the last three years.

This, Professor Asafu-Adjaye attributes to lapses such as the delay in passing the Right to Information Bill as well as the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Bill.

“The EITI requires oil companies to report their revenues and expenditures and the government is also required to do same. Currently it is on a voluntary basis and that is being done in the extractive industry so Ghana can comply or not. But what we want the government to do is to have it legislated since this will mean that oil companies will have no option than to report their revenue and expenditure to the government,” he emphasized.

In addition, the economic think tank wants government to improve on its information on expenditure of petroleum revenues.

The IEA believes current practice where revenue and expenditure patterns disclosed largely during the annual budgets, is inadequate.

Meanwhile, the economic managers have been given a pat on the back in their management of Petroleum Funds.

Activities like auditing and publishing financial reports, publication of the information on fund activities whether they were used or not, informed the commendation under this category.

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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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The award was presented at the maiden UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards Ceremony in Accra on Saturday, 2^nd December 2017.

H.E Iain Walker, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, who presented the award to the IEA’s Executive Director, Jean Mensa, said the award was to recognize the IEA for its contribution to improving the enterprise and entrepreneurship landscape in the region.

Other awardees on the night were Unilever Ghana, Vodafone Ghana, and Barclays Bank.

The IEA, founded in 1989, is recognized for its significant contribution to shaping and influencing public policy in Ghana and the sub-region, using evidence-based research and advocacy.

Its main objective is to broaden the debate on public policy, engender private sector-led economic growth and strengthen the pillars of democracy with its ultimate mission being to promote good governance, democracy and a free market economy in Ghana, and Africa as a whole.

The Institute believes that the creation of an environment in which economic, social and political and legal institutions function openly and freely, is the key to attainment of sustainable economic growth and human development.

IEA is known for organizing many of Ghana’s presidential debates that have taken place ahead of major presidential and parliamentary elections.

Its work in over the past years has resulted in reforms including;

• The Serious Fraud Office Act, 1993 (Act 466)
• Repeal of the Criminal Libel and Sedition Laws, 2001
• The Whistleblower Act, 2006 ( Act 720)
• The Presidential (Transition) Act, 2012 (Act 845)

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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President Nana Addo on Monday indicated at a durbar of chiefs and the people of the Bibiani-Anwhiaso-Bekwai District, on the first day of his three-day tour of the Western Region, that the proposal to carve a new region out of the Western Region is currently at the consideration stage.

The revelation has left the nation divided over the intended move.

[contextly_sidebar id=”3qC6Z1S6Kun1Cb2k52mhfiVn5bVOAxYT”]While some have argued the said creation is laudable, others are kicking against the move, saying it is only going to add a new layer to the bureaucracy.

Despite concerns for government to channel resources that would be used to undertake this project into other ventures, research has shown that majority of Ghanaians, especially residents in the four areas  where the said regional re-organisation is expected to take place support the idea, except the Volta Region where there has been a bit of resistance.

A Lecturer at the University of Ghana,  Ransford Gyampo who made this revelation on the Citi Breakfast Show indicated that though regional re-organisation is feasible, it would require rigorous processes.

“The President would have to set up a commission and the commission would do a lot of consultation to find out from the people whether the idea is feasible. If it is clear at the Commission’s level then there should be a referendum which will require conducting a plebiscite among the people who will be affected by the regional reorganisation there and 40 or 50 percent would have to turn out to vote and also get 80 percent votes for it. The opposition is also allowed to go and campaign against it…,” he explained..

Cost

Prof. Gyampo also wondered whether government had taken into consideration the cost implications of carving new regions.

“Have we considered the cost implication? This is a government that inherited an ailing economy. There is a lot of cost implication. You need to procure vehicles.”

He further questioned the motive for creating new regions, saying “what is the rational for re -organisation. Is it for development? If it is for development, I am not sure because the various institutions and local assemblies that are supposed to be putting in place government strategies will not immediately get up and work once a new region is created from another region so let us find out why they are not able to work to bring about development.”

Prof. Gyampo therefore asked government to thoroughly reconsider the creation of new regions especially as it claims the country does not have a strong economic footing.

Meanwhile a Lecturer at the Institute of Local Studies, Dr. Oduro Osae has lauded moves to create new regions arguing that it would lead to “some level of development.”

“Once the region is created, you need an administrative capital and you have most of the businesses relocating to the region. Once it is created , you will have us realigning the various district assemblies so that Common Fund can also be allocated to those districts,” he argued.

He however  indicated that one major challenge that besets this move is administrative bureaucracies.

“The other challenge is administrative bureaucracy in the creation because once we create, it means we will have more than ten regions. Administering  a country with more than ten regions, having more than ten regional Ministers is one of the administrative bureaucracies that will be created.”

The carving of new regions was one of President Nana Addo’s several campaign promises in the run up to the election.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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It said any increase in VAT will put undue pressure on Ghanaians.

Many have given their suggestions as to how government can raise funds to pay for its flagship educational policy, Free SHS which government has budgeted some GH¢400 million for.

A Senior Adjunct Research Fellow of the IEA, Dr. Eric Osei-Assibey, at a post mid-year budget press conference, said “just as we did for the NHIS, increasing the VAT rate by say 1% and ring-fencing it for exclusive funding of the Free SHS will be very ideal. Domestic tax revenue provides a more stable and predictable source of financing expenditure for important public programmes such as free education.”

But the president of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe in an interview with Citi News said, he believed the government had alternative sources of raising money to fund the program other than increasing VAT.

He expressed shock at why the Dr. Osei-Assibey would make the suggestions despite indications that the government was committed to reducing taxes which it believes have been a burden on the citizenry.

“I suspect they already have funds to make sure the plan succeeds. I’m not sure taxation is one of them. For a government that is interested in reducing taxes, I would think that it may not be fair on them to be asked again to impose an additional 1% tax for something they already had a master plan for and ways to find sustainable resources to execute,” Franklin Cudjoe said.

Debate over source of funding

A debate over the source of funding for the Free SHS program became rife when the Senior Minister, Yaw Osarfo Maafo said in a Citi News interview that the government would use money from the Heritage Fund to foot the bill.

His position was challenged by many people who said the Heritage fund was meant to be reserved for the use by future generations.

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta subsequently announced that contrary to Mr. Osafo Maafo’s claims, the program will be funded with the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA).

He said it will cost government GH¢400 million to implement the free SHS programme for just the 2017/2018 academic year.

Free SHS launch

The Minister of Education, Mathew Opoku Prempeh at a press conference in July said the Free SHS program will cover only students in SHS and it will ensure that government absorbs the full cost of education.

The Minister announced that the money allocated by the government for the program will cater for the 3-year stay of the Senior High School students and students who are repeated in school will not have their extra year being paid for by the government.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to the institute, the move will provide a sustainable source of funding for the project internally.

The implementation of free SHS is expected to cost Ghana about 400 million Ghana cedis for the first year.

[contextly_sidebar id=”EFLgnOwfDYQy56oRG9yZuioUY4SyexVC”]Speaking at post mid-year budget press conference, a Senior Adjunct Research Fellow of the IEA, Dr. Eric Osei-Assibey warned that the project will suffer a major setback if it is not anchored on a reliable funding scheme.

“Just as we did for the NHIS, increasing the VAT rate by say 1% and ring-fencing it for exclusive funding of the Free SHS will be very ideal. Domestic tax revenue provides a more stable and predictable source of financing expenditure for important public programmes such as free education,” he said.

Dr. Osei-Assibey proposed the need for a national forum or stakeholder workshop to design a sustainable financing for the Free SHS programme as a matter of urgency.

“We believe that a more sustainable funding should be pursued domestically,” he said, explaining that the traditional source of revenue generation in the budget may not be sufficient for the project.

Dr. Osei-Assibey argued that the decision to rely on funds from oil and gas may also not be sustainable due to uncertainties surrounding the world prices of the commodity.

“This is due to dynamics in the oil and gas industry; specifically relating to fluctuating oil prices which pose risk to sustainable funding for this initiative. Given the important nature of this initiative for our country’s sustainable development, we are therefore calling on government to revisit its funding arrangement for this important initiative,” he stressed.

Breaking down the budget for the project, Dr. Osei-Assibey stated that the 47 percent support of GHC188.28 million from government , as well as the GHC 211.72 million (53percent) from the Annual Budget Funding Amount(ABFA) are not sustainable.

“While this funding arrangement could introduce another level of rigidity in the budgeting system, the ABFA source of funding which contributes the major part of the total amount as we know is not stable but highly volatile,” he warned.

“We believe that free and all inclusive educational system is a major driver and indeed a catalyst for sustainable growth and development. Successful implementation of this initiative will not only ensure equity in the educational system but also have positive multiplier effect in all sectors of the economy through a skilled and competent work-force,” he appealed.
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By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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According to the President, these institutions are graded by the ability of their students to easily penetrate the job market.

[contextly_sidebar id=”SH1HQ6cmTQijcs8d0Gtij0Y4HwPDSWkA”]Speaking at the International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Business and Technology organized by the Methodist University College, the President also called for entrepreneurship studies to be included in the syllabus to prepare students for the job market.

“When the public service becomes attractive as the source of money making, then we must acknowledge ourselves that we have things in the wrong order. It is in all our interest that those who set up ventures and take business risks are able to generate wealth. This is the sector that we must grow for, it is the sector that will provide the theory for our unemployment crisis. I believe the recent budget has shown that my government is serious about its part of the bargain and it is committed to strengthening businesses and the private sector.”

“The educational institutions would have to take a closer look at their curriculum content, and the way they teach and align it with present day realities. More and more these days across the globe, the value of a university is measured by how easily its graduates find jobs. Our educational institutions need to know at firsthand what is happening in industry, and train their students accordingly. This is a fundamental imperative if we are to achieve best practice and create jobs.”

The issue of graduate unemployment has been lingering for sometime now.

Unemployment Ghana’s biggest problem – IEA 

A recent survey conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs, (IEA) identified unemployment as the foremost problem confronting the majority of Ghanaians today.

According to the survey, urban dwellers, females, and the majority of people living in the Western, Eastern and Central regions, identified unemployment as their biggest problem in Ghana.

The survey, conducted between November and December, 2015, sampled 1,500 respondents from across the ten regions of Ghana, who were 18 years of age, and above.

Ghana sitting on a timebomb

In 2015, the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER)  also indicated that Ghana is sitting on a time bomb due to the growing unemployment rate in the country.

The ISSER indicated that about 200,000 unemployed graduates were in the country.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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At a review of the 2017 Presidential Transition on Tuesday, a Senior Research Fellow at the IEA, Dr. Michael Ofori Mensah, blamed the challenges that marred the transition process on institutional lapses.

[contextly_sidebar id=”8tJfqYlJGVlafCa4217fVQSOY3cKvx4v”]“…While the law spells out clearly that the presidential estate unit should carry out an inventory, this was not the case. We did have an issue where we saw more or less a duplication of roles. When the transition law was passed, it assumed that the presidential estate unit will take over the duties that were being performed by a unit called the prestige unit of the PWD, which looks after the presidential homes.”

“The Ministry of Works and Housing actually administers or looks after the Minister’s accommodation, but that assumption was perhaps false. There was a bit of turf guarding and so the Administrator General’ s office was effectively left out and did not have the means to carry out its statutory duty of taking inventory…”

He particularly identified the sale of government vehicles to outgoing functionaries, the brouhaha surrounding the post-office residence of President Mahama, the question of a vice presidential residence, and what he described as midnight decisions of the out gone administration, as consequences of institutional lapses in the transition process.

“While I must say former President Mahama did bring out a very brilliant directive, whereby he sought to stop the sale of houses and cars to the outgoing officials , this u-turn that was performed was quite most unfortunate at the time with the transition, which saw again the sale of cars to outgoing officials, and I believe that brought us back  to 2009 to 2011, and more or less together with the Administrator General being under-resourced did come together to cause a few problems in the transition.”

“ If the Administrator General had been resourced to do his job, and had been in control of the presidential estate, I think it will not be the prerogative of an outgoing administration or an incoming administration to decide who gets what. That will be the decision of the Administrator General and that is what contributed to the saga.”

Presenting the IEA’s position paper,  Dr.  Ofori Mensah called for a second look at the policy on the sale of government vehicles to outgoing functionaries.

Meanwhile, a former Minister of State and MP for Wa central, Rashid Pelpuo, said President Mahama was moved by the sympathies for his outgoing functionaries, to allow them buy off their official vehicles.

He said President Mahama had taken an earlier decision against the practice but was moved by the concerns of his appointees in the dying days of his administration to allow them purchase the vehicles.

Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Marfo, however called for a strengthening of the legal framework to ensure that transitions happen according to law.

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By: Sixtus Dong Ullo & Marian Ansah /citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to the President, Nana Addo rather chose to espouse his plans to the electorates on a private radio station, Peace FM instead of debating him and other presidential candidates.

[contextly_sidebar id=”dQWEE3UM6gS1M2jEsi9Il1uaDK3bSNP3″]Nana Addo on Friday explained that he refused to show up at the debate because he felt both the NCCE and the state media, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), which aired the programme are biased.

“The state agencies that conducted these debates are not agents that have been particularly fair to some of us in opposition. GBC acts like a propaganda wing of the ruling party, so much also the NCCE. I do not see why in those circumstances I will say I am being given the fair crack of the whip and therefore come before such an audience,” Nana Addo told Citi News’ Umaru Sanda.

But speaking at a night rally organized by the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region, the President, in a rebuttal, rubbished Nana Addo’s claim, describing his decision as disrespectful to Ghanaians.

“…You can have your convictions, you can have your statistics but the opportunity to prove them is when you sit with your peers. There are seven of us who have registered with the Electoral Commission to stand for President. They say come and sit down and tell Ghanaians what you want to do for them. That one too you won’t come, it is an utmost disrespect to the Ghanaian electorate and then all you say is GBC is a propaganda whatever.”

He wondered why Nana Addo equally failed to attend a debate organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) if he was indeed convinced that the GBC and the NCCE would not organise a fair debate.

“If GBC is a propaganda whatever , okay IEA too did a debate, why didn’t you go to the IEA one. If GBC is a propaganda at least you should have gone for the IEA one, that one too you run away.”

The President alleged that the NPP in a bid to “justify” Nana Addo’s decision also “asked all their MPs too not to appear for the parliamentary one that NCCE was doing.”

“What is this?… NCCE is saying here is a platform, come and tell the people what to do too he won’t go and the next day you come and you are debating Kwame Sefa Kayi. Kwame Sefa Kayi is not standing for President. You go and sit down alone and speak slangs…Come and speak the slangs at the debate, that’s where Ghanaians are expecting it,” he added.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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This according to the flagbearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Dr. Edward Mahama, could enable government have enough money to finance its capital intensive projects.

[contextly_sidebar id=”F4SftyjwpNemdmCWPg0vIpC6DskatFfW”]“If we reduce corruption by 30 to 40 percent, government will not have to go to the IMF [International Monetary Fund],” he said at a presidential town hall debate organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on Tuesday.

“The simple things that we need to do to make the system work and functional and easy we are not doing it. If corruption is cut by 30 to 40 percent, government will have the money to undertake infrastructural projects. So basically the infrastructure we want to build we have the money to do it if we plug the loopholes through which individuals are siphoning government funds and that is what I will do as president.”

Dr. Edward Mahama, who is seeking to be President of Ghana on December 7, 2016, said “I will fire any minister that is corrupt.”

He observed that, successive governments only re-assign corrupt ministers saying such situation do not auger well for the country.

“Sometimes they just reassign them. If you are a minister of sports and you chop state money; they take you to the presidency that must stop, we must crack the whip and crack it properly. This is what I have been promising that I will be a leader who will abhor corruption,” he added.

Ghana loses $3 billion annually in corruption

Policy think, IMANI Ghana, noted recently that Ghana loses over $3 billion of taxpayer’s money in corrupt activities every year.

…My estimation about grand corruption in this country looking at the numbers from the Auditor General’s report on an annual basis and doing an extrapolation looks to me about $3 billion a year. I think it may be conservative but I think it is significant,” President of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe had said.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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Speaking at the Institute of Economic Affairs’ 2016 Town hall Presidential Debate in Accra on Tuesday, Dr. Nduom who is also a businessman and entrepreneur argued that “40 ministers of state is all that we need.”

According to him this will enable his government reduce the cost of maintaining a government and also ensure fiscal discipline.

[contextly_sidebar id=”XLQa6ACxj1lHjGrv0abmmpNYoMHjfZ4l”]“I have been a minister for public sector reform before and I do know that if we implement performance, evaluation, if we ensure that the right things are done by the public servants and give them security of tenure we can get a lot done through the public service and stop the interference of the politicians. I’m against professional politicians and I want to make sure that we take them out of the system and bring competence, experience to run the administration that will be there from year to year,” he added.

He said mastering fiscal discipline is “not a matter of legislation it is a matter leadership, It is a matter of knowing what is it that you should do.”

Dr. Nduom further explained that if voted into power he would ensure that Ghanaians do not import what could be produced in the country.

The PPP flagbearer debated two others at the IEA programme. The two others were Dr. Edward Mahama of the People’s National Convention and an independent candidate, Jocab Osei Yeboah.

Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom is vying to be the President of Ghana and is hoping to be given such mandate by Ghanaians on December 7.

He is in the race with 6 others including incumbent President John Dramani Mahama and Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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