In a letter to its branches in Accra, the Union said any member who would flout the directive would be severely sanctioned.

The statement, signed by George Ofori-Davis, the Deputy General Secretary/Administration of the GPRTU, reminded the branches that the peddling of drugs on commercial vehicles was a clear violation of section 118(1) of the Public Health Act 2012- Act 851.

One could be prosecuted for violating it, it cautioned.

“The Act states that: ‘A person shall not manufacture, prepare, import, export, distribute, sell, supply or exhibit for sale of drug, herbal medicinal product, cosmetic, medical device or household chemical substance unless the article has been registered by the Food and Drugs Authority.’”

“It has come to the attention of the Management of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) that some of the Union’s vehicles are being used as platforms by drug peddlers to practice their trade,” it stated.

The statement said the practice had created a very bad image for the Union in the eyes of the Government and the public, for aiding and abetting illegal activities.

The GPRTU therefore asked the branches to ensure that the directive was conveyed immediately to their members for strict compliance.

–

Source: GNA

The post GPRTU bans sale of drugs on its vehicles appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Dr Maxwell Opoku Afari, Deputy Governor of Bank of Ghana who disclosed this explained that, “If you are going to board a tro-tro all you need to do is just ask for the mobile money number of the driver, then you transfer the payment.

“This innovation will curtail the occasional scuffle between passengers and conductors over few Cedis change”.

[contextly_sidebar id=”ZBEZXLBq0rpSfTqyKg7e8A17PwBv8w6B”]Speaking on a topic: Innovative Financial Service for Business and SME’s Development, at a symposium held at the University of Ghana, Dr Afari noted that the regulation would allow most traditional payments to be done digitally and would change payment in Ghana and reduce queues at the banking halls.

”Last year, we organised a stakeholders forum to discuss and review the Electronic Management Guidelines and Payment System Act and consolidated it into one piece of legislation which is now called the Payment System and Services bill. We have met the economic management team to make a case for the passage of the bill,” he mentioned.

The Bill therefore seeks to promote the availability and acceptance of electronic money and other forms of payment services as retail payment medium.

It also seeks to create an enabling regulatory environment for convenient, efficient and safe retail payment and funds transfer mechanisms as well as provide the necessary safeguards and controls to mitigate the risks associated with electronic money business and other payment services.

The Deputy Governor said the Bank of Ghana had observed that the public had shown interest and appreciated recent innovative ways using technology to transact business.

He said after the introduction of formal banking in Ghana over 60 years ago, only 11.4 million out of the about 28 million Ghanaians had bank accounts.

He noted however that after the institution of electronic money issuance guidelines in 2015, over 23 million people now have mobile money accounts “if we consider that as an account”.

He said penetrating into low-income communities by banks had been hindered by the high cost of building and rentals as well as operational overhead cost.

Dr Afari noted that while brick-and-mortar branches were expensive for banks to maintain in rural and deprived communities, the cost of travelling to urban areas was also high for many rural customers.

”The institution of electronic money issuance guidelines, payment system in 2015 which sought to promote and supervise electronic and other payments, will help in funds transfer, clearing and settlement systems and has helped the Telecom’s to collaborate with banks to provide financial service to people especially SMEs.

The high prevalence of mobile phones and other electronic devices have made it convenient to expand access to financial services across the country,” he argued.

–

Source: Graphic Online

The post Ghanaians to pay ‘trotro’ fare electronically soon appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This comes after numerous reports of a 15% increase in transport fares in some parts of Accra.

But according to the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), it has not sanctioned any increment, and that any driver who increases his fare does so on his own accord.

The National Chairman of GPRTU, Kwame Kuma, told Citi News that, “if any driver has increased transport fares, then he has done so on his own accord. This country is governed by laws, and we have not made any announcement of an increase in transport fares. If we had, the media would have been the first to be informed. Transport fares will definitely be increased, but there is a formal process we have to go through before effecting any increases.”

He added that, the Union was in talks with government for a review of transport fares, but added that no concrete decision has been take yet.

“Just yesterday [Thursday], we were in negotiations with the Ministry of Transport and we are yet to take a decision.”

In a related development, the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC), has described as unfortunate, reports of an increase in transport fares in parts of Accra.

According to the Council, no union has been authorized to increase fares. The General Secretary for GRTCC, Andrews Kwakye, told Citi News that drivers who have reviewed their fares must rescind their action.

“It is unfortunate that some stations have decided to do their own thing, and I want to state that the transport review committee has not increased fares as we speak.”

He said the council is currently holding talks the relevant bodies to discuss a possible increase in fares, but no agreement had been reached yet. He said transport fares were to be reviewed in January

“If we are reviewing the fares for 2016/2017 first quarter, that does not give them the right to increase. I believe they think we have delayed in coming up with approved fares that is why they are going about this. That is not acceptable,” he said.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post GPRTU warns drivers against charging unapproved fares appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.