BY Benson AFFUL An estimated US$5.1billion is needed annually between 2011 and 2020 to achieve universal access to malaria interventions in 99 countries with on-going malaria transmission, the World Malaria Report 2012 has said. The report said while many countries have increased domestic financing for malaria control, the total available global funding remained at US$2.3 billion in 2011 – less than half of what is needed. It indicated that international funding for malaria appears to have reached a plateau, well below the level required to reach the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed global malaria targets. The report quoted Dr. Robbert Newman, Director of the World Health Organisation’s Global Malaria Programme in Geneva, as saying that global targets for reducing the malaria burden will not be reached unless progress is accelerated in the highest-burden countries. He said these countries are in a precarious situation and most of them need urgent financial assistance to procure and distribute life-saving commodities. The malaria burden is contracted in 14 endemic countries, which account for an estimated 80% of malaria deaths. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria are the most affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa, while India is the most affected country in south-east Asia. “During the past decade, a concerted effort by endemic countries, donors and global malaria partners led to strengthened malaria control around the world. The scale-up of malaria prevention and control interventions had the greatest impact in countries with high malaria transmission; 58% of the 1.1 million lives saved during this period were in the ten highest-burden countries,” the report said. According to the report, 50 countries around the world are on track to reduce their malaria case incidence rates by 75% by 2015 – in line with World Health Assembly and Roll Back Malaria targets. However, these 50 countries only represent 3% of the malaria cases that were estimated to have occurred in 2000. In Ghana, where 90% of the health budget goes to pay wages and salaries of personnel, funding for malaria is provided mainly by Western donors but is not enough to make quick advances in the fight against the disease, which is still endemic in the country. 

BY Benson AFFUL An estimated US$5.1billion is needed annually between 2011 and 2020 to achieve universal access to malaria interventions in 99 countries with on-going malaria transmission, the World Malaria Report 2012 has said. The report said while many countries have increased domestic financing for malaria control, the total available global funding remained at US$2.3 billion in 2011 – less than half of what is needed. It indicated that international funding for malaria appears to have reached a plateau, well below the level required to reach the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed global malaria targets. The report quoted Dr. Robbert Newman, Director of the World Health Organisation’s Global Malaria Programme in Geneva, as saying that global targets for reducing the malaria burden will not be reached unless progress is accelerated in the highest-burden countries. He said these countries are in a precarious situation and most of them need urgent financial assistance to procure and distribute life-saving commodities. The malaria burden is contracted in 14 endemic countries, which account for an estimated 80% of malaria deaths. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria are the most affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa, while India is the most affected country in south-east Asia. “During the past decade, a concerted effort by endemic countries, donors and global malaria partners led to strengthened malaria control around the world. The scale-up of malaria prevention and control interventions had the greatest impact in countries with high malaria transmission; 58% of the 1.1 million lives saved during this period were in the ten highest-burden countries,” the report said. According to the report, 50 countries around the world are on track to reduce their malaria case incidence rates by 75% by 2015 – in line with World Health Assembly and Roll Back Malaria targets. However, these 50 countries only represent 3% of the malaria cases that were estimated to have occurred in 2000. In Ghana, where 90% of the health budget goes to pay wages and salaries of personnel, funding for malaria is provided mainly by Western donors but is not enough to make quick advances in the fight against the disease, which is still endemic in the country. 

By Dominick Andoh Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) want passage of the Local Government Finance Bill, otherwise known as the Municipal Finance Bill, to empower them to raise funds for various developmentprojects.   The approbation of the bill, they say, will enable them raise funds on the capital market and other sources for the construction of roads, the provision of pipe-borne water to thousands of people, and the construction of drainage and modern schools.  It will also enable them gradually wean themselves off central government assistance. “The AMA held discussions with the Local Government Minister about it and presented a paper to him last year. The passage of the bill will make us [MMDAs] stronger and make it possible to finance various projects without having to rely too much on central government,” Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, the Chief Executive Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), told B&FT in an interview. Currently, the absence of the bill has left the MMDAs playing catch-up as pressure on social amenities soar with the increase in population.  They have no option than to rely on internally-generated funds and central government support for tackling chronic problems like solid waste disposal and floods. This increasing demand on the central government's scarce resources is what has necessitated the need for MMDAs to consider alternate sources of funds for infrastructure projects. Conservative estimates by the government indicate that the country’s huge infrastructure deficit requires sustained spending of at least US$1.5billion per annum over the next 10 years to address the shortfall. The deficit covers all the main infrastructure areas: roads, energy, water, aviation, housing, and ICT. In the housing sector, for instance, the government estimates that the country needs to build about a million more units to bridge the demand-supply gap. The Municipal Finance Bill is currently under review by the National Bond Market Committee (NBMC) to address various challenges that have stalled its passage into law. The Committee is seeking to incorporate a strong regulatory framework that will prevent MMDAs from engaging in multiple borrowing and incurring unsustainable debts -- which will ultimately be passed on to the central government. The review also seeks to enhance the ability of MMDAs to identify and invest in revenue- generating projects using the bonds that they will sell. The Securities and Exchange     Commission has backed calls for the consideration of the bill by the in-coming Cabinet for on-ward submission to Parliament for passage. Director-General of the SEC, Adu Anane Antwi, has pointed to the passage of the bill as the way forward to quickly address the huge housing deficit, poor roads, and the provision of potable water -- using the MMDAs as vehicles to raise funds. He said MMDAs should be empowered to raise capital by issuing bonds to finance housing, road-construction and utility development projects, and to use the revenue that would accrue from such investments to pay the interest rate or yield.

By Dominick Andoh Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) want passage of the Local Government Finance Bill, otherwise known as the Municipal Finance Bill, to empower them to raise funds for various developmentprojects.   The approbation of the bill, they say, will enable them raise funds on the capital market and other sources for the construction of roads, the provision of pipe-borne water to thousands of people, and the construction of drainage and modern schools.  It will also enable them gradually wean themselves off central government assistance. “The AMA held discussions with the Local Government Minister about it and presented a paper to him last year. The passage of the bill will make us [MMDAs] stronger and make it possible to finance various projects without having to rely too much on central government,” Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, the Chief Executive Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), told B&FT in an interview. Currently, the absence of the bill has left the MMDAs playing catch-up as pressure on social amenities soar with the increase in population.  They have no option than to rely on internally-generated funds and central government support for tackling chronic problems like solid waste disposal and floods. This increasing demand on the central government's scarce resources is what has necessitated the need for MMDAs to consider alternate sources of funds for infrastructure projects. Conservative estimates by the government indicate that the country’s huge infrastructure deficit requires sustained spending of at least US$1.5billion per annum over the next 10 years to address the shortfall. The deficit covers all the main infrastructure areas: roads, energy, water, aviation, housing, and ICT. In the housing sector, for instance, the government estimates that the country needs to build about a million more units to bridge the demand-supply gap. The Municipal Finance Bill is currently under review by the National Bond Market Committee (NBMC) to address various challenges that have stalled its passage into law. The Committee is seeking to incorporate a strong regulatory framework that will prevent MMDAs from engaging in multiple borrowing and incurring unsustainable debts -- which will ultimately be passed on to the central government. The review also seeks to enhance the ability of MMDAs to identify and invest in revenue- generating projects using the bonds that they will sell. The Securities and Exchange     Commission has backed calls for the consideration of the bill by the in-coming Cabinet for on-ward submission to Parliament for passage. Director-General of the SEC, Adu Anane Antwi, has pointed to the passage of the bill as the way forward to quickly address the huge housing deficit, poor roads, and the provision of potable water -- using the MMDAs as vehicles to raise funds. He said MMDAs should be empowered to raise capital by issuing bonds to finance housing, road-construction and utility development projects, and to use the revenue that would accrue from such investments to pay the interest rate or yield.

There are more than 52 million domestic workers around the world, 83 percent of whom are women, and many suffer from poor working conditions and insufficient legal protection, according to an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report on the world's growing domestic workforce. Domestic workers make up 7.5 percent of women worldwide who are earning a wage, with the majority working in Asia and the Pacific region, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the report, which was released in Geneva January 9. Based on its research, the ILO has documented a 60 percent rise in the number of domestic workers, from 33.2 million in 1995 to 52.6 million in 2010. ILO Deputy Director-General Sandra Polaski said domestic workers are "an indispensable part of the social fabric" in many countries, where their responsibilities range from providing care for children, the elderly and the disabled to a wide variety of other household tasks. But Polaski said the majority of domestic workers are "often exploited beyond what would be tolerated for other workers," and they are excluded from protections that other workers enjoy. Many are paid a flat weekly or monthly fee despite the fact that as a live-in employee they are expected to be available whenever they are needed. "Domestic workers are frequently expected to work longer hours than other workers and in many countries do not have the same rights to weekly rest that are enjoyed by other workers. Combined with the lack of rights, the extreme dependency on an employer and the isolated and unprotected nature of domestic work can render them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse," Polaski said. The ILO said some migrant domestic workers have a precarious legal status in the countries where they work, and they are especially vulnerable to abuse when they do not know the local language and laws. Such abuse can include physical and sexual violence, psychological abuse, nonpayment of wages, debt bondage and being forced to work and live in abusive conditions. Among its findings, the ILO reported that 45 percent of domestic workers have no entitlement to weekly rest periods or paid annual leave; 29.9 percent are excluded from national labour legislation; and more than one-third of women domestic workers have no maternity protection. The ILO also said its research did not include approximately 7.4 million domestic workers who are under the age of 15 and that because domestic work is often unreported, the real number of workers could actually be closer to 100 million. The ILO report follows the adoption of a June 2011 treaty that seeks to ensure domestic workers around the world have decent pay and working conditions, including the same labour rights as other workers.Currently, only 10 percent of domestic workers enjoy the same legal protections, including minimum wage and the right to collective bargaining, and more than 25 percent are completely excluded from labour legislation in the countries where they work. The ILO said its report has set a benchmark against which future progress toward the standards set by the 2011 treaty can be measured, and as the world's domestic workforce continues to increase."The demand for domestic care workers will only grow in the future as societies age," Polaski said. The United States is a strong supporter of the ILO's efforts to secure universal human rights through improvements in global living and working conditions. Both the United States and the ILO have pledged to raise awareness of and instill respect for democratic principles worldwide. As the largest member state and donor of the ILO, the United States contributes approximately 22 percent of the ILO's regular budget each biennium, and it is also the single largest donor to ILO extra-budgetary technical cooperation projects.

There are more than 52 million domestic workers around the world, 83 percent of whom are women, and many suffer from poor working conditions and insufficient legal protection, according to an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report on the world's growing domestic workforce. Domestic workers make up 7.5 percent of women worldwide who are earning a wage, with the majority working in Asia and the Pacific region, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the report, which was released in Geneva January 9. Based on its research, the ILO has documented a 60 percent rise in the number of domestic workers, from 33.2 million in 1995 to 52.6 million in 2010. ILO Deputy Director-General Sandra Polaski said domestic workers are "an indispensable part of the social fabric" in many countries, where their responsibilities range from providing care for children, the elderly and the disabled to a wide variety of other household tasks. But Polaski said the majority of domestic workers are "often exploited beyond what would be tolerated for other workers," and they are excluded from protections that other workers enjoy. Many are paid a flat weekly or monthly fee despite the fact that as a live-in employee they are expected to be available whenever they are needed. "Domestic workers are frequently expected to work longer hours than other workers and in many countries do not have the same rights to weekly rest that are enjoyed by other workers. Combined with the lack of rights, the extreme dependency on an employer and the isolated and unprotected nature of domestic work can render them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse," Polaski said. The ILO said some migrant domestic workers have a precarious legal status in the countries where they work, and they are especially vulnerable to abuse when they do not know the local language and laws. Such abuse can include physical and sexual violence, psychological abuse, nonpayment of wages, debt bondage and being forced to work and live in abusive conditions. Among its findings, the ILO reported that 45 percent of domestic workers have no entitlement to weekly rest periods or paid annual leave; 29.9 percent are excluded from national labour legislation; and more than one-third of women domestic workers have no maternity protection. The ILO also said its research did not include approximately 7.4 million domestic workers who are under the age of 15 and that because domestic work is often unreported, the real number of workers could actually be closer to 100 million. The ILO report follows the adoption of a June 2011 treaty that seeks to ensure domestic workers around the world have decent pay and working conditions, including the same labour rights as other workers.Currently, only 10 percent of domestic workers enjoy the same legal protections, including minimum wage and the right to collective bargaining, and more than 25 percent are completely excluded from labour legislation in the countries where they work. The ILO said its report has set a benchmark against which future progress toward the standards set by the 2011 treaty can be measured, and as the world's domestic workforce continues to increase."The demand for domestic care workers will only grow in the future as societies age," Polaski said. The United States is a strong supporter of the ILO's efforts to secure universal human rights through improvements in global living and working conditions. Both the United States and the ILO have pledged to raise awareness of and instill respect for democratic principles worldwide. As the largest member state and donor of the ILO, the United States contributes approximately 22 percent of the ILO's regular budget each biennium, and it is also the single largest donor to ILO extra-budgetary technical cooperation projects.

  By Basiru ADAM The CEO of Bridge Capital, a fund management firm, Mr. Anthony Siaw, has said there is a big opportunity for equity financing – money lent in exchange for ownership in a company – in Ghana if fund managers make a compelling case for it and convince businesspeople about its benefits. He said the fact that the Venture Capital Trust Fund has “within a short period of time” invested in about 46 SMEs indicates that there is “a big room” for equity financing. “The problem I see has been that our investment fund managers have probably not been able to convince entrepreneurs that it brings additional value when they invest in equity.” All over the world, he said, entrepreneurs have a common trait: they do not want to share equity, and would only allow others to buy into their businesses when they are given a compelling reason for it. “Every entrepreneur from around the world does not want to share equity, but as soon as you provide a compelling case of how you can drive that business from point A to point B within the shortest possible time and add the most value to that business, that entrepreneur who thinks like a businessman will see the reason why they should share equity with you,” Mr. Siaw, a former Head of Fund Investments at the Venture Capital Trust Fund, told the B&FT. Owners of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana have often been accused of being selfish and not wanting to share with others in order to grow. The fact that a lot of SMEs in the country tend to struggle has been blamed partly on this attitude. Mr. Siaw, who left the Venture Capital Trust Fund to run Bridge Capital as Managing Partner and CEO, argues, however, that a better case has to be made for equity in Ghana, a task his new outfit has set itself. Government in 2004 established the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF, Trust Fund) under Act 680 to provide credit and equity financing to eligible Venture Capital Finance Companies (VCFCs) to support SMEs. An SME is defined under the VCTF Act as a business whose total asset base, excluding land and building, does not exceed the cedi equivalent of US$1 million. Data from the fund indicate that since its establishment, VCTF has leveraged its seed funding of GH¢22.4 million to create additional GH¢40.2 million from the private sector in a public-private partnership. VCTF’s funds have a total of GH¢62.6 million to be invested in the SME sector and the Trust has financed 3,500 farmers directly each year for three years running. It has created 2,500 direct jobs and 4,500 indirect jobs. But the entity has come to exhausting the first round of funds that government gave it and Mr. Siaw believes that the new Mahama administration needs to “re-augment” the fund for the gains that have been made to be scaled up.   “Once the Venture Capital Fund is given more money by the government, fund managers like myself will be able to raise money from them and then on the back of that funding go outside and raise more money for SMEs in Ghana. “When you go outside and you want to raise money, the first question they ask is how much local capital you have. So it becomes very difficult when you don’t have local capital as part of your funds,” he said.  

  By Basiru ADAM The CEO of Bridge Capital, a fund management firm, Mr. Anthony Siaw, has said there is a big opportunity for equity financing – money lent in exchange for ownership in a company – in Ghana if fund managers make a compelling case for it and convince businesspeople about its benefits. He said the fact that the Venture Capital Trust Fund has “within a short period of time” invested in about 46 SMEs indicates that there is “a big room” for equity financing. “The problem I see has been that our investment fund managers have probably not been able to convince entrepreneurs that it brings additional value when they invest in equity.” All over the world, he said, entrepreneurs have a common trait: they do not want to share equity, and would only allow others to buy into their businesses when they are given a compelling reason for it. “Every entrepreneur from around the world does not want to share equity, but as soon as you provide a compelling case of how you can drive that business from point A to point B within the shortest possible time and add the most value to that business, that entrepreneur who thinks like a businessman will see the reason why they should share equity with you,” Mr. Siaw, a former Head of Fund Investments at the Venture Capital Trust Fund, told the B&FT. Owners of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana have often been accused of being selfish and not wanting to share with others in order to grow. The fact that a lot of SMEs in the country tend to struggle has been blamed partly on this attitude. Mr. Siaw, who left the Venture Capital Trust Fund to run Bridge Capital as Managing Partner and CEO, argues, however, that a better case has to be made for equity in Ghana, a task his new outfit has set itself. Government in 2004 established the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF, Trust Fund) under Act 680 to provide credit and equity financing to eligible Venture Capital Finance Companies (VCFCs) to support SMEs. An SME is defined under the VCTF Act as a business whose total asset base, excluding land and building, does not exceed the cedi equivalent of US$1 million. Data from the fund indicate that since its establishment, VCTF has leveraged its seed funding of GH¢22.4 million to create additional GH¢40.2 million from the private sector in a public-private partnership. VCTF’s funds have a total of GH¢62.6 million to be invested in the SME sector and the Trust has financed 3,500 farmers directly each year for three years running. It has created 2,500 direct jobs and 4,500 indirect jobs. But the entity has come to exhausting the first round of funds that government gave it and Mr. Siaw believes that the new Mahama administration needs to “re-augment” the fund for the gains that have been made to be scaled up.   “Once the Venture Capital Fund is given more money by the government, fund managers like myself will be able to raise money from them and then on the back of that funding go outside and raise more money for SMEs in Ghana. “When you go outside and you want to raise money, the first question they ask is how much local capital you have. So it becomes very difficult when you don’t have local capital as part of your funds,” he said.  

Street Library has launched the country’s first nationwide book drive, an initiative to encourage donation of books to set up street libraries around the country. Viasat1 TV, EMS and Ghana Post are supporting Street Library Ghana in undertaking the nationwide book drive initiative, taking place from January to June 2013. EMS offers free shipping of donated books from its offices in the regional capitals to Street Library Ghana. The book drive is to encourage individuals, corporations, religious institutions and other bodies to donate children’s books, textbooks, novels or any other reading materials. Donations can be made individually or in bulk by a free-of-charge shipment from any post office addressed to Street Library Ghana, P.O. Box OF 75, Ofankor-Accra. Street Library Ghana hopes to raise a sufficient book stock to roll out its literacy- enhancing programmes across more regions of Ghana, enabling children and youth frequent access to reading materials. The book drive initiative will bring the street library programmes many steps closer to the team’s ambitious goal of raising one million books to establish 2,000 libraries benefitting more than 100,000 children across the country. Street Library Ghana is an initiative by a social entrepreneur, Hayford Siaw, with seed funding from Reach for Change, a Sweden-based non-governmental organization, and telecommunication company Tigo. It aims at addressing Ghana’s severe literacy problem -- with a literacy rate estimated at 67.3% -- emanating from a lack of educational infrastructure and general difficulties in accessing reading materials. Currently, the programme serves eight communities in the Akuapim South and Ga West Municipality by setting up a mobile library out of a book-stocked van. Street Library Ghana volunteers provide tutoring, mentoring and encouragement for the over 1,200 children enrolled in the programme. In a second phase, volunteers – predominantly local teachers – will install a street library in their individual community three times per week. Each street library will be equipped with a local stock of books and a marquee providing shade and rain shelter for children to gather and read. Street Library Ghana currently has three-year funding from Reach for Change and Millicom Ghana Ltd., operator of Tigo. Tigo and Viasat1 also provided the programme with marquees to support the community roll-out. Collaboration with current partners and additional funding support are to enable Street Library Ghana to be rolled out across the whole nation.

Street Library has launched the country’s first nationwide book drive, an initiative to encourage donation of books to set up street libraries around the country. Viasat1 TV, EMS and Ghana Post are supporting Street Library Ghana in undertaking the nationwide book drive initiative, taking place from January to June 2013. EMS offers free shipping of donated books from its offices in the regional capitals to Street Library Ghana. The book drive is to encourage individuals, corporations, religious institutions and other bodies to donate children’s books, textbooks, novels or any other reading materials. Donations can be made individually or in bulk by a free-of-charge shipment from any post office addressed to Street Library Ghana, P.O. Box OF 75, Ofankor-Accra. Street Library Ghana hopes to raise a sufficient book stock to roll out its literacy- enhancing programmes across more regions of Ghana, enabling children and youth frequent access to reading materials. The book drive initiative will bring the street library programmes many steps closer to the team’s ambitious goal of raising one million books to establish 2,000 libraries benefitting more than 100,000 children across the country. Street Library Ghana is an initiative by a social entrepreneur, Hayford Siaw, with seed funding from Reach for Change, a Sweden-based non-governmental organization, and telecommunication company Tigo. It aims at addressing Ghana’s severe literacy problem -- with a literacy rate estimated at 67.3% -- emanating from a lack of educational infrastructure and general difficulties in accessing reading materials. Currently, the programme serves eight communities in the Akuapim South and Ga West Municipality by setting up a mobile library out of a book-stocked van. Street Library Ghana volunteers provide tutoring, mentoring and encouragement for the over 1,200 children enrolled in the programme. In a second phase, volunteers – predominantly local teachers – will install a street library in their individual community three times per week. Each street library will be equipped with a local stock of books and a marquee providing shade and rain shelter for children to gather and read. Street Library Ghana currently has three-year funding from Reach for Change and Millicom Ghana Ltd., operator of Tigo. Tigo and Viasat1 also provided the programme with marquees to support the community roll-out. Collaboration with current partners and additional funding support are to enable Street Library Ghana to be rolled out across the whole nation.

By Juliet AGUIAR, Adum Banso The Catchment Areas Farmers Association in the Western Region is calling on the Minerals Commission, the Ministry of Lands and Forestry, and the Chamber of Mines to establish transparent and scientific rules and procedures for the determination and payment of compensation to farmers affected by the activities of mining companies. The Association has also called for alternative livelihood arrangements to support such farmers. According to the Association, a study by Cesult Consult Service in 30 mining communities in the Western Region has found that the policy for determining the value of crops and farms affected by mining is not transparent and scientific enough. Farmers spend fortunes to establish their farms but receive little compensation after their farms have been displaced by mining activities, leading to the loss of property and revenue, it said. The Minerals and Mining Act of Ghana has provisions to guide the payment of compensation to persons displaced by mining operations so as to ensure fairness and the adequacy of the compensation. However, the Act has been criticised for some weaknesses in the provisions. Mr. Raphael Kwasi Fordah, Chairman of the Association, in an interview with B&FT explained that there is no universal model on what could be accepted as adequate paid compensation. He said the study by Cesult found that gold mining activities have since the late 1980s been the major cause of displacement of people, who are politically weak compared with mining companies that have the support of governments and politicians. “The study revealed that majority of the respondents did not have a strong educational background which could have aided them in any meaningful negotiation with their richer claimants. Given their educational background – middle school certificate holders – it is apparent that outside interference may have crept into negotiations with their richer claimants.” He said institutions such as the Lands Valuation Board must be encouraged to institute valuation mechanisms that will guarantee the appropriate values of both tangible and intangibles assets of individuals and communities in matters of expropriation by richer claimants. He pointed out that whereas there are no strong expropriation laws in Ghana, the expropriation laws of India, for example, have explicit models to facilitate the payment of compensation where necessary. “These expropriation models could be borrowed into the ones operational in Ghana to ensure fair and adequate paid compensation,” he said. Besides being the only medium by which conflicts arising from involuntary displacement and resettlement could be resolved, adequate paid compensation could enhance the opportunities of individuals and communities to improve their standard of living – by increasing their degree of access to social infrastructure such as quality education, health care, water and sanitation.

By Juliet AGUIAR, Adum Banso The Catchment Areas Farmers Association in the Western Region is calling on the Minerals Commission, the Ministry of Lands and Forestry, and the Chamber of Mines to establish transparent and scientific rules and procedures for the determination and payment of compensation to farmers affected by the activities of mining companies. The Association has also called for alternative livelihood arrangements to support such farmers. According to the Association, a study by Cesult Consult Service in 30 mining communities in the Western Region has found that the policy for determining the value of crops and farms affected by mining is not transparent and scientific enough. Farmers spend fortunes to establish their farms but receive little compensation after their farms have been displaced by mining activities, leading to the loss of property and revenue, it said. The Minerals and Mining Act of Ghana has provisions to guide the payment of compensation to persons displaced by mining operations so as to ensure fairness and the adequacy of the compensation. However, the Act has been criticised for some weaknesses in the provisions. Mr. Raphael Kwasi Fordah, Chairman of the Association, in an interview with B&FT explained that there is no universal model on what could be accepted as adequate paid compensation. He said the study by Cesult found that gold mining activities have since the late 1980s been the major cause of displacement of people, who are politically weak compared with mining companies that have the support of governments and politicians. “The study revealed that majority of the respondents did not have a strong educational background which could have aided them in any meaningful negotiation with their richer claimants. Given their educational background – middle school certificate holders – it is apparent that outside interference may have crept into negotiations with their richer claimants.” He said institutions such as the Lands Valuation Board must be encouraged to institute valuation mechanisms that will guarantee the appropriate values of both tangible and intangibles assets of individuals and communities in matters of expropriation by richer claimants. He pointed out that whereas there are no strong expropriation laws in Ghana, the expropriation laws of India, for example, have explicit models to facilitate the payment of compensation where necessary. “These expropriation models could be borrowed into the ones operational in Ghana to ensure fair and adequate paid compensation,” he said. Besides being the only medium by which conflicts arising from involuntary displacement and resettlement could be resolved, adequate paid compensation could enhance the opportunities of individuals and communities to improve their standard of living – by increasing their degree of access to social infrastructure such as quality education, health care, water and sanitation.

By Ekow Essabra-Mensah The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) says it will start using a revised Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket to calculate inflation from March. The review of the basket is to reflect changes in household expenditure patterns over time. The resulting new CPI index will have 2012 as the base year, the GSS said. The current index uses 2002 as the base year. It added that the review is a regular exercise conducted every five years, and is not informed by disputations over inflation figures published by the Service. “We are trying to make the basket accommodate current happenings. This is because expenditure patterns have changed and there are some items in the basket which have become obsolete,” acting Government Statistician, Philomena Nyarko, told B&FT in an interview. “We are finalising our data and so by March we should be implementing the rebased figures,” she added. The new basket will comprise 272 commodities, up from the current basket’s composition of 242 items, after additions and subtractions were made. New weights will be assigned to the commodities to reflect their relative importance in current household consumption. Transport and communication are among items that will see higher weightings as they now make up a bigger share of household spending than previously.   This should see non-food items, like transportation, communication and health account, for almost 60 percent of goods in the basket. Mr. Asuo Afram, Head of Price Statistics at the GSS, explained that that the GSS arrived at the new basket and weights after studying the Ghana Living Standards Survey 5 (GLSS 5) and national accounts, and after broad consultations with the Bank of Ghana, the finance ministry and other stakeholder groups. He said the rebasing of the CPI basket is to meet the international standards.“Just like the rebasing of the country’s GDP estimates, the review of the way inflation is calculated is also to ensure that the rate better reflects what pertains on the ground.”

By Ekow Essabra-Mensah The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) says it will start using a revised Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket to calculate inflation from March. The review of the basket is to reflect changes in household expenditure patterns over time. The resulting new CPI index will have 2012 as the base year, the GSS said. The current index uses 2002 as the base year. It added that the review is a regular exercise conducted every five years, and is not informed by disputations over inflation figures published by the Service. “We are trying to make the basket accommodate current happenings. This is because expenditure patterns have changed and there are some items in the basket which have become obsolete,” acting Government Statistician, Philomena Nyarko, told B&FT in an interview. “We are finalising our data and so by March we should be implementing the rebased figures,” she added. The new basket will comprise 272 commodities, up from the current basket’s composition of 242 items, after additions and subtractions were made. New weights will be assigned to the commodities to reflect their relative importance in current household consumption. Transport and communication are among items that will see higher weightings as they now make up a bigger share of household spending than previously.   This should see non-food items, like transportation, communication and health account, for almost 60 percent of goods in the basket. Mr. Asuo Afram, Head of Price Statistics at the GSS, explained that that the GSS arrived at the new basket and weights after studying the Ghana Living Standards Survey 5 (GLSS 5) and national accounts, and after broad consultations with the Bank of Ghana, the finance ministry and other stakeholder groups. He said the rebasing of the CPI basket is to meet the international standards.“Just like the rebasing of the country’s GDP estimates, the review of the way inflation is calculated is also to ensure that the rate better reflects what pertains on the ground.”