THE THOUGHTS ROOM

As Ghana struggles to increase the production of local poultry, the only fish meal company which produces poultry feed to farmers is on the verge of collapse. The Ghana Protein Limited (GPL) was established by government in 2000 to serve as a processor of animal feed to augment the efforts of poultry farmers in the country. The GPL relies on fish waste and unwholesome fish meal from canneries in the country in order to process and convert these fish waste into wholesome animal feed. However, the 360 tonnes capacity processing plant based in Tema is currently utilizing only 10 per cent of its capacity due to its inability to get fish waste from the canneries such as the Pioneer Food Cannery. Statistics indicate that Ghana accounts for as much as 30 percent of all poultry products imported into the West African sub region from the European Union. Thus, demand for imported chicken as compared to local poultry is gradually collapsing the poultry industry in Ghana...

The Electoral Commission (EC) says it has in consultation with the prison authorities deferred the registration of prisoners in the ongoing biometric voter registration until further notice. A statement issued by Acting Director of Public Affairs, Christian Owusu-Parry in Accra said the deferment has become necessary to give the prison authorities ample time to resolve issues regarding the true identities of some of the inmates. The statement said the Commission will make the necessary arrangements to register the prisoners as soon as the matter is resolved. Meanwhile, the EC has categorically stated that it will not extend the biometric voter registration exercise despite calls from various political parties and civil society groups for an extension of the date. According to the acting Public Relations Officer of the Electoral Commission, Christian Owusu Parry, the large numbers of Ghanaians registered, indicate that an extension of the registration will be unneces...

President of the Ghana Union of Trade Associations (GUTA), Mr George Ofori says the ongoing scuffle between its members and foreign traders in the country is an intention on the part of its members to prevent foreigners from trading in the country. According to him, the foreigners who are prohibited by the GIPC Act 478 of 1994 from engaging in petty trading, hawking or selling from a kiosk and other small scale businesses which are solely reserved for Ghanaians, are flouting the law with the aid of some Ghanaians who he termed “fronters”. Speaking on e.tv Ghana’s morning show, Awake, Mr Ofori blamed the GIPC for not enforcing the laws. Section 19 (3) of the GIPC Act 478 states that in the case of trading enterprise involving only the purchasing and selling of goods which is either wholly or partly owned by a non-Ghanaian, there shall be an investment of foreign capital or its equivalence in goods worth at least 300,000.00 dollars by way of equity capital and the ente...

Government has accrued over one hundred percent increment in wage bill on emolument for public sector workers following the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure two years ago. According to the Director in charge of Grievances, Negotiation and Collective Bargaining at the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Mr Cornelius Yawson, a total of GHC5.6 billion was accumulated by government in the last two years against a previous amount of GHC2.9 billion before the implementation of the SSSS. At the moment, he said, about 99.2 per cent of workers have been migrated unto the pay policy. The remaining one per cent, he said were workers in the education, research and regulatory institutions. Mr Yawson who made this known on e.tv Ghana’s morning show, Awake , noted that the migration has been smooth except for some people who have agitated against their salary grading. He explained that, these grievances are as a result of the misunderstandings ...

The Ghana Police Service has cautioned the public not to misconstrue its calmness as a sign of weakness in the face of rising allegations that the Service is not discharging its duties to protect citizens. “Nobody should misconstrue our calmness as a sign of weakness for those comments will not in any way daunt our resolve to stay committed in ensuring that we enforce the laws of the land fairly and passionately without regard to position, power, and religion, social or political status.” “We want to assure those people that we are professionals and will therefore continue to remain calm and discharge our constitutional responsibilities in the face of these unwarranted provocations.” The Inspector General of Police, Paul Quaye who made these remarks when the Interior Minister, Mr W. K. Aboah paid a visit to the Service at its head quarters, said “The Police Service is poised to undertake its duties professionally and will deal decisively with any person or group of p...

Film Producer and Chief Executive Officer of Movie Africa, Socrates Safo has damned and described his movie critics as “ignorant”. He said, “People who complain about my movies are ignorant because they fail to read the synopses which come with my movies.” According to him, his movies are all religious ones and not based on sex and nudity as perceived by some sections of the public. The controversial producer who is known for his famous movies with sensational titles such as  Hot Fork , Sexy Angel , Love and Sex and Sons of Satan has been heavily criticized by some sections of the public who claim his movies do not portray and uphold the values of the Ghanaian culture. Socrates who was speaking on e.tv Ghana’s morning show, Awake, said “All my movies, I will say are gospel movies, from Hot Fork to Love and Sex to Sexy Angel . You see, people don’t think deep. If you watch Hot Fork, it is deeper. The Bible talk about patience and tolerance and that is ...