Promoting local rice production.

By Bernard Yaw ASHIADEY

Like most economies, rice is an important staple in Ghana, and has become even more so due to the increasing per capita consumption. Indeed, rice is not only a common feature in Ghanaian diets, it is the second-largest cereal consumed after maize. Per capita rice consumption is already set to increase from 38kg currently to 63.0 kg in 2015.

Based on population growth rate alone, the current demand of over 500,000 tons of milled rice per year will increase to over 600,000 tons. Therefore, taking both population growth and increase in per capita consumption together, rice demand will increase to 1,68million tons in 2015.

But it is an unfortunate fact that out of the total amount of rice consumed in the country, only about 30% is produced locally and the rest imported from Asia and USA.

Why imported rice is favoured, according to consumers, is the fact that it is better perfumed, more appealing, better packaged and tastes nicer than the locally produced type – and this is despite the fact it costs more than local rice. Moreover, the output of local rice can be given to uncertainty because about 78% of production depends on rainfall, with just about 16% of the farms irrigated. This means that when the rains fail, such as last year in some areas in the North, production decreases.

But according to the Ghana Rice Inter-Professional Body (GRIB), an organisation made up of private sector stakeholders in the rice sector, not all hope is lost as local rice production increased by about 39.5 per cent per annum in the last four years -- recording paddy production of about 185,000 metric tons in 2007, 302,000 in 2008, 397,000 in 2009 and 492, 000 metric tons in 2010.

The statistics also show that rice importation reduced by about 18 per cent between 2007 and 2010, meaning even as demand grow local rice become more popular and attractive. The rise in rice production is attributed to various interventions by government and donor organisations working to promote the local rice sector.

GRIB believes that a long-term strategy that will cause an increase in local production involves setting up a Rice Development Fund. The fund is what GRIB believes will be the first step to addressing the needs of the sector. GRIB proposes that the government impose a 10% levy on imported rice, the revenue from which would be placed in a statutory dedicated fund.

The main purpose of the levy and fund will be for the development of rice infrastructure, research, and capacity building of actors along the rice value-chain, which will lead to increased incomes for value-chain actors. GRIB believes this will lead to increased production and reduction in importation and dependence on foreign rice. This will also increase the competitiveness of the rice sector.

The fund would have a governance structure comprising of government representatives and key stakeholders in the rice sector.

All stakeholders including members of GRIB, with the support of the Business Advocacy Challenge Fund and coalition members, have been urging government to pursue this noble cause for the rice sector.

GRIB believes that a cost-benefit analysis of the Rice Development Fund would show an immense opportunity for the Ghanaian economy in terms of economic growth, job-creation and poverty- reduction.

Currently, Ghana spends as much as US$450million annually on rice importation to satisfy local demand but according to the President of GRIB, Imoro Amoro, this huge amount of money could be injected into the development of the local rice sector to boost local production.

“All this money can be used to promote local production by increasing rice yields, introducing standard rice mills, improving parboiling techniques, providing storage facilities, drying patios or floors,” he said.

He reckons both the private sector and government can contribute efforts to improve domestic rice production. “Recent developments have been started in the north and Afram Plains and we believe that when these projects take off, local production will increase on the market. Also, we believe that when irrigation is enhanced, yields will definitely increase.”

FAO Representative in Ghana, Musa Saihou Mbenga, has echoed the thoughts of the President of GRIB.

“By limiting the importation of rice, the country will save money and invest in market development to increase productivity and expand growth. This is how most countries develop.”

“Ghana has the potential to meet local demand. There is the need to adopt pragmatic policies designed to move local production up. Government should encourage consumption of locally-produced rice by promoting the consumption of locally-produced foods,” he said.

Local rice cultivation plays a very important role in providing employment to about 10% of farming households. With an estimated total rice cropping area of 162,000 hectares in 2009 and an estimated average household holding of 0.4 hectares, we have an estimated 405,000 households involved in rice cultivation.

Among the different actors identified in the rice value-chain, a majority of them are smallholder producers and processors. Promoting the local rice industry will therefore enhance the output and income of smallholder farmers, processors and traders, thus reducing poverty and promoting national economic growth.

To double rice production to about 1.4 million metric tons per annum as projected in the Rice Sector Strategy, the sector would need the following interventions:

a. Large-scale community farmlands and infrastructural-development support

b. Partitioning of developed sites into block farm for both large-scale mechanised farming (that could serve as nucleus) and small- scale out-grower farmers.

c. The organisation of out-grower farmers into community-based cooperatives

d. Undertaking bulk imports of inputs to reduce unit cost at farm gates

e. Providing both nucleus farmers and out-growers with effective and regular capacity-building training in farm maintenance and management, bonding technologies and other best agronomic practices in rice production

f. Assisting research institutions to provide high-yielding, ecologically-tested and in- demand seed varieties to farmers under recoverable terms.

g. Expanding the installed milling capacity to allow for product flexibility and possible branding of milled Ghana rice.

h. Developing rice standards and a gazette of grades of both paddy and milled rice produced in Ghana.

The Zone 1 representative of GRIB, Godwin Atokple, who covers Avalavi, Afife, Aveyime and Torve in the Volta Region, believes that if the government is able to help out the Aveyime Rice project to reach its fullest capacity, plus exploring other areas that are suitable for rice production, Ghana would not have to import rice any longer.

Zone 9 representative of GRIB, Fuseini Salifu, who oversees some parts of the Northern Region including Tamale, Tolon-Kumbungu, Savelugu-Nanton, Nasia and Bontanga, is also of the view that if the challenges being faced by local producers are addressed then “definitely all Ghanaians can enjoy rice grown in Ghana.”

Myles Monroe talks-up country's greatness

Myles Monroe talks-up country’s greatness

By Bernard Yaw ASHIADEY

Ghana is on its way to becoming an economic power and a leader in the rise of third-world countries in sub-Saharan Africa, says Dr. Myles Monroe, renowned business consultant and Founder and Chairman of the International Third World Leaders Association.

“Looking at the recent discovery of oil, increase in the major exports like cocoa and gold, the swell in foreign investment, good governance, sound leadership, stable democracy, steady economic progress and the boom in physical infrastructural development. Ghana is definitely becoming an industrial state.

“In the next few years, Ghana will be the next successful country on the continent. I believe Ghana is on its way to taking over from the first and second-world countries whose economies are failing.

“The country is already a leader in bringing social, cultural, political development, peace and stability to the sub-region. I am pleased to be back to celebrate the emergence of Ghana as an economic power.”

Dr. Monroe said this at a press briefing in the build-up to the 2012 Leadership and Mentoring Event under the theme “Preparing Ghana’s Next Business Minds”, of which he is the principal speaker.

He noted that when a nation begins to expand, it is important to have strong leadership in all sectors of the economy.

“I am in Ghana to provide leadership programmes for government officials, bankers, doctors, business -leaders, politicians, religious heads, investors and entrepreneurs to harness the potential of Ghana’s emerging new generation of leaders.

Dr. Monroe will be providing motivation, technical training, competence and leadership training to the leaders.

He said: “When you improve leadership, you improve an organisation’s followers and the success of the organisation.”

The best-selling author with over 40 books noted that business is not just about making profits, but making a difference in the lives of people around you and beyond.

“We need business people who have conscience and passion but at the same time have purpose and principles which serve as guidelines to their business. We have got to be careful not to be driven by ambitions that will be detrimental to our people.

“I am going to be dealing with basic business principles that are human-based for everyone. I am here to share with you what I have practically experienced and not something I have read in a book somewhere.”

He will be hosting the ‘Achievers Power Dinner’ today at the Accra International Conference Centre, to engage with business leaders, politicians, religious heads and entrepreneurs.

Tomorrow, Dr. Monroe will host an ‘Aspirers Power Breakfast’ at the same venue to challenge and inspire tomorrow’s leaders, corporate Ghana, the working-class and tertiary students.

Novartis introduces new drugs for diabetes

By Bernard Yaw ASHIADEY

Novartis, the pharmaceutical manufacturer, has launched new Type-2 diabetes and hypertension drugs -- Galvus/Galvusmet and Exforge HCT -- in Accra.

Manager of Novartis Ghana, Roland Hammond, explained that the reason for introducing the drugs is to help diabetic patients who are also hypertensive to continue living without any risk of cardiac arrest.

“Most diabetic patients are required to eat constantly, which can lead to weight-gain and further put them at high risk of stroke, heart-attack and hypertension.

“These drugs are therefore specifically manufactured to cater for all these issues. This means that a diabetic patient with hypertension should take a prescribed combination of the two drugs,” he said.

“The differences between these drugs and those already on the market are that they do not make you gain weight, they can be taken before you eat and they can be combined with melformin.”

He added that Exforge HTC is a combination of three drugs that used to be taken separately –Amlodipine, Valsartan and Hydorchlorothiazide.

“This means that patients who used to take the three prescribed medications will now be given one dose of the new drug.”

Medical practitioner at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Dr. Ben Eghan, stated that figures from a research in 2008 put Ghana’s diabetic rate at 9% and showed the number of people with Type-2 Diabetes (T2DM) is increasing.

He encouraged Ghanaians to live healthy lives in order to have long life-spans.

“Healthy eating, limitation of alcohol intake, physical activity -- at least 30-60 minutes of moderate exercise four to seven days a week -- and the cessation of smoking are some of the things that we can do to have a lower risk of acquiring diabetes, thereby extending our life-spans,” he said.

SMEs to benefit from HFC agreement

By Bernard Yaw ASHIADEY

HFC Bank says it will boost lending to its small and medium-enterprise (SME) and mortgage segments with the acquisition of a US$10 million credit facility from Proparco, the private wing of French agency Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

The bank is a key player in the mortgage market in Ghana with more than 20 years of lending experience. It also holds a strong position in the SME market, which represents 60 percent of its portfolio.

“This facility is to enable us finance SMEs and our mortgage business,” said Asare Akuffo, Managing Director of the bank, at the signing of the loan agreement in Accra.

“Since the SME sector has been identified as a strong sector of the economy, we will continue to invest heavily in the sector with the acquisition of this facility.”

Regional Director of Proparco in West Africa, Julien Lefilleur, said he was happy to sign the agreement because it represented a step forward in building stronger bonds with Ghanaian businesses.

“We are very happy to sign this deal with HFC Bank. We hope this partnership will be the beginning of better things ahead.

“Due to the sound management, quality of development impact and outstanding presence of HFC in the SME sector, we decided to do business with this bank,” he said.

SMEs form about 80 percent of enterprises in Ghana, but find it hardest to borrow cheaply since banks and other financial institutions take the view that the sector is a very risky area to put money into.

Banks also often point to the high cost of mobilising funds to finance their lending operations as reason for their expensive interest rates. The loan, according to HFC, is the first to a financial institution in Ghana by Proparco and will be repaid in a period of eight years.

French Ambassador, Frédéric Clavier, speaking at the signing, said Ghana is the country where Proparco and the AFD operate most even though both have a presence in other West African countries. He said he hoped Proparco would become an equity partner in HFC.

“For France, Ghana is a high priority in our diplomatic partnerships. We are defining new steps with the Ghanaian government to develop several key areas to grow the economy. France is ever ready to help in the development agenda of Ghana.”

In 2011, AFD granted €239million to the government, GRIDCo and three private institutions.

Olam to increase its stake

By Bernard Yaw ASHIADEY

Olam Ghana, commodities dealer says its investment in the country will increase by five fold in the next three years.

Currently the company has invested GHC150million in its operations and hopes to increase it to GHC750 million by 2015.

The company is doubling the value of small loans to farmers which currently stands at GHC300 million.

Chief Executive Officer of Olams International, Sunny George Verghese made these remarks at the official inaugurating of the company’s $55 million ultra modern wheat flour mill at Kpone near Tema. The mill has the capacity to produce 500 metric tonnes a day.

“This is the first organic wheat milling facility in Africa constructed by Olam Ghana even though we have acquired other wheat milling facilities elsewhere on the continent.

“The facility is capable of employing 100 workers and very eco friendly. It is geared to minimize electricity consumption,” he said.

The President, John Atta-Mills who commissioned the facility, commended Olam for investing in agriculture which is the backbone of the economy.

“Anyone who invests in agriculture is helping to strengthen the economy. This is because; agriculture is the backbone of the economy.

“Even though we now have oil and gas, agriculture is the foundation or superstructure of many economies,” he said.

The President further assured Olam of government’s support and its provision of better environment for continuous investment.

Olam was chosen by government to re-invigorate cotton sector in the Upper West Region in March 2011.

The company was able to reach out to over 8500 farmers in six months and provided key implements like tractors, ploughs, fertilizers and insecticides, seeds and finances.

They set up a new 60, 000 metric tonnes cotton ginning facility in Wa and has the ambition of reaching 100,000 metric tonnes in 2015.

Microsoft manger lauds IT progress

Microsoft manager lauds IT progress

By Bernard Yaw ASHIADEY

Ghana can look forward to immense Information Technology (IT) opportunities because mobile devices have taken the place of the expensive infrastructure previously required to develop and utilise IT, says Emmanuel Onyeje, Country Manager of Microsoft in Anglophone West Africa.

“Several businesses can now be conducted without necessarily having to sit in the office. With the advent of android, blackberry, windows, iphones, galaxy tabs and ipads, one can do business from the home, street, on holiday or anywhere through e-mail and other internet-enabled sites.”

He said this at the Microsoft Open Door Conference, which saw the gathering of IT partners, developers, students, Microsoft customers and consumers in Accra under the theme “Consumerisation of IT.” The conference was aimed at discussing IT and the role of IT in Africa’s development agenda.

Mr. Onyeje commended the government of Ghana for taking the lead in implementing IT in many sectors of the economy.

“Ghana has one of the best plans to improve the level of IT among its citizens and various sectors of the economy. The government through its e-government infrastructure is ready to connect most public and educational institutions and district assemblies.

“Also, through the Ghana Multimedia Incubator Centre, the government has trained some youth to create jobs for entry clerks and mobile phone repairers.

“I believe that if the government continues in this vein, Ghana could become the Silicon Valley of West Africa,” he stated.

Deputy Communications Minister, Attuquaye Armah, in a speech read on his behalf, appreciated Microsoft for recognising the role that government is playing in optimising technology as a key driver in the Ghanaian economy.

“Government is convinced that ICT possesses the potential to enable new and more efficient methods of production to improve the delivery of government services and above all, to increase access to basic social services such as education.

The Minister said his ministry has developed an Information Technology and Information Management (IT/IM) scheme of service to assist the public service in attracting and retaining highly skilled IT/IM personnel to support the transformation of the government sector through the deployment and exploitation of ICTs.

He urged Microsoft to initiate IT skills development projects, especially in the public sector, to boost human resource capacity.

Lions Clubs International holds seminar

Lions Clubs International holds seminar

By Bernard Yaw ASHIADEY

Lions Clubs International, an organisation focused on serving the interest of communities through humanitarian services, has held a one-day training workshop to equip new and old members with membership and leadership qualities in Accra.

Participants were taken through steps to becoming great leaders and pro-active members in their respective lions clubs, for which the communities they serve will be the ultimate beneficiaries.

First Vice International President, Lion Wayne Madden, who is in the country for a four-day visit, addressed the participants.

He said to become a great lion, you need to be selfless and be ready to face problems and solve them.

“We need to address today’s problems and face tomorrow’s challenges if we want to remain the biggest service club in the world. We need to become pro-active in rendering services to communities.”

Lion Madden added that everyone has the potential to become a great leader. But these potentials need to be nurtured properly.

“We developed the Global Leadership Team to help bring out and develop leaders in our communities. The Global Membership Team is also to bring out and retain more members for the organisation.

Region 34 Chairman, Lion George Odamtten, said everyone needs some training in the provision of services to their communities.

“The seminar is to equip lions in the delivery of services to the communities. This is because the club has laid down rules that need to be followed when we step out to help communities,” he said.

He called on every citizen to join these humanitarian clubs to help out people who are in need like the disabled, the blind, aged, and others.

“Join clubs like the Lions club so that your efforts, though small, will go a long way to help the needy.”

As part of his four-day visit, Lion Madden inducted 15 prospective lions at a joint ceremony at the Fiesta Royale Hotel in Accra and charged them to take the course of “lionism” seriously.

He also paid a courtesy call on the Vice President, John Mahama, where the latter commended the club’s effort in financing the building of an Eye Unit and Surgical Training Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to the tune of US$1.5 million.

The club also planted trees along the GIMPA stretch of the George Walker Bush motorway as part of its afforestation project to plant 10million trees worldwide.

The club in partnership with Gates Foundation is raising US$15million to eradicate measles on the continent through its ‘one shot, one life’ campaign to prevent 450 children from dying daily due to measles.

Lion Madden was accompanied by three other top loins. They included Past International Director, Lion Manoj Shah; Past District Governor, Lion Rajinder Sembi; and District Governor, 403 A2, Lion Andre Gbadoe.

Music Awards nominees unveiled

By Bernard Yaw ASHIADEY

Music lovers across the length and breadth of Ghana can now start voting for their favorite musicians as Charter House – organizers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) – has officially announced the final nominees for the 13^th annual event in Accra.

Come April 14^th, 57 Ghanaian and six other African artistes will battle it out at the Dome of the Accra International Conference Centre to claim top spot as to who is the best in his or her category.

The hottest category since the beginning of the event in 1999 – the most popular song of the year—will as usual be keenly contested for looking at the number of Azonto rhythms that rocked and is still rocking the nation and the fact that it is the only category that is going to be decided by the populace 100%.

Ghana’s fastest rapper, Sarkodie leads the pack with 12 nominations – the highest in the history of the GMAs--closely followed by fellow rapper, Okyeame Kwame with nine nominations having had a hit with the track “Faithful,” featuring Bertha.

The ‘Waist n Power’ guys, 4x4, are third with seven nominations while Stay Jay and Trigmatic follow them closely with six nominations each.

The powerful voices of Becca, Efya, Selina Boateng and controversial Raquel could only account for five nominations respectively as the leading ladies for this year’s event.

A member of the board of the VGMA and veteran highlife musician, Amadzeba, said they were very objective in their choices since they wanted to promote morality, creativity and quality so the board decided to exclude songs with too much adult content.

“We are here to enhance creativity so we analyse each song based on its creative content, quality and above all its moral importance to society.

“We advise that artiste classify their songs so that when they contains explicit scenes-for video- then it will not be shown or played on air,” he said.

The Executive Director of Charter House, Theresa Ayawode, said: “It was very tough to come out with the final list. The board members at times did not agree on some choices but at the end of the day, I believe they have done a great job looking at the selections that have been made.”

Another member of the board, Abraham Ohene Gyan, noted that at some points during meetings, they have to put their choices to a vote before they decided on some of the choices.

Music producer and a member of the technical team on the board, Fred Kyei Mensah, observed that most musicians in Ghana do not have publicist.

“The lack of publicist for musicians in the country makes it difficult to chronicle the activities of the musician in the year. Most musicians hold shows that had deep impact on people but because there are no publicists to notify the right authorities, these works go unnoticed.”

He therefore advised musicians to get qualified publicists who will put together all their activities so that when it is time for awards, those documents can be considered as well.