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Editorial: Passport fees, gradual adjustments would have been better

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Editorial

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has adjusted the fees for passport applications, raising them from GH¢100 to ¢500 for the 32-page booklet and to ¢644 for the 48-page booklet under the standard service. For those who want expedited service, they will pay ¢700 for a 32-page booklet and ¢800 for a 48-page booklet.

In December last year, the sector Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, proposed to Parliament’s Committee on Subsidiary Legislation the need to review the fees to enable the ministry to curb losses in the printing of passport booklets. The Minister of Foreign Affairs said it is time for Ghanaians to pay realistic prices for passports they acquire to travel. According to her, due to the financial constraints prevailing in the economy, it had come to a point where it was no longer “sustainable” for the state to continue to subsidize passports.

The Minister stated that Ghanaians pay just about GH¢100 for a passport, yet to produce one passport booklet it costs GH¢400, which means that for every passport that an applicant acquires, the government has to put in GH¢300 and this is not sustainable.

This decision by the Foreign Affairs Ministry to increase passport application fees has ignited debate across Ghana. The leap from GH¢100 to ¢500 for the 32-page booklet and to ¢644 for the 48-page booklet under standard service, with expedited services costing even more, has left many citizens concerned about the financial accessibility of essential travel documents, especially during these challenging economic times.

Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey’s argument for the fee hike revolves around the need for Ghanaians to pay realistic prices for passports, citing the financial strain on government resources due to subsidies. The Minister’s assertion government is subsidising passport applications at GH¢300 per passport, highlights the unsustainable nature of the fee structure.

To support the argument for the increment in passport fees, the Committee on Foreign Affairs in parliament also reported in the 2024 budget estimates of the ministry that Ghana’s passport fees stand at $7.7, marking it the lowest rate in the West African sub-region. A comparison reveals that Cameroon charges $180, Guinea $57, Guinea-Bissau $65, Burkina Faso $80, and Nigeria $54.29 for passport services.

However, while acknowledging the need for adjustments, the magnitude of the increase is problematic, particularly given the economic crisis facing the country. Many Ghanaians are already grappling with rising costs of living, inflation and economic uncertainties, making such a significant jump in passport fees burdensome and potentially exclusionary, particularly for low-income earners. Stakeholders and citizens should have had the opportunity to provide input and feedback on a policy change of this magnitude, especially considering its potential impact on individuals and families.

Furthermore, the comparison with passport application charges in other West African countries reveals that Ghana’s fees, even after the increase, remain relatively low. However, it is essential to consider the economic context and the impact on citizens’ ability to access essential travel documents, especially for education, work, healthcare and family visits.

A more prudent approach would have been to implement gradual adjustments in passport fees, taking into account the economic realities faced by citizens. Incremental increases over time, accompanied by transparent communication and engagement with stakeholders, would have been fairer and more manageable for individuals and families, ensuring that passport services remain accessible to all.

While recognising the need for realistic pricing and fiscal sustainability, there is a strong call for prudent policy-making, especially in the current economic crisis. Future adjustments to passport fees or any government service should prioritise gradual increases and consultative processes to ensure fairness, accessibility and affordability for all Ghanaians.

Tepa Nursing College 5-year D-plan on course

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The three-storey Classroom block under construction

The construction of a three storey classroom complex, under a five-day Year Development Plan of the Tepa Nursing and Midwifery Training College, is steadily on course. The project is being funded by donations by stakeholders.

The five year Strategic plan, which spans 2023 to 2027 aims at addressing serious infrastructure challenges facing the college since it was established 15 years ago to ensure massive infrastructural development at the College.

Some projects  to be tackled under the Strategic plan are a 500 capacity students hostel, a three-story classroom block 1,000 capacity Assembly Hall, 15 staff accommodation, a new administration block and  sports entertainment facilities.

Mr. Albert Opoku, the Principal of the College, who disclosed this at the 2023/ 2024 Matriculation Ceremony has expressed his gratitude to stakeholders for supporting projects earmarked under the Development plan.

He thanked Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, Registrar of Ghana Scholarship Secretariat (GSS), Tepa Traditional Council and individuals who had contributed immensely to the development of the school.

Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, commended the Principal for the initiatives to ensure growth since he assumed office some few years ago.

According to him, his outfit had brokered a new partnership with the Tepa Nursing and Midwifery Training College, under which deserving students and staff of the college would be considered for financial support.

Dr. Agyemang stressed the importance for student nurses to explore opportunities created by the government to finance academic work.

Meanwhile, Nana Adusei Atwenewaah Ampem II, the Omanhene of Tepa Traditional area in the Ashanti Region has appealed to old students and parents to contribute towards funding of projects under the Development Plan to ensure early completion of the projects.

Amikaketo, Please Shall We Tell The President?

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Opinion

Dear Kwabena Amikaketo,

Long time, no hear. Hope all is well in the land of Tuesday Borns, the only day God blessed twice, thus making it the most special day.

Kwabena, something is happening in this our Homeland Ghana, which if people will not talk, as for me, I will talk.

Kwabena, our head of all clans, President Nana Addo, has done a lot of developments in this country which need to be commended. Roads, flyovers, schools, hospitals, factories, advancement of food production and many more that I cannot count all, here.

But, with all these, he is being regarded as the worse leader this land has ever had, since independence, when we decided to manage and mismanage our own affairs.

I do not have anything really against him, but just these two issues.

When he visited Jerusalem prior to the 2016 General Elections, Nana Addo quietly told YHWH, the I AM, that if He agrees to make him president, he, Nana Addo, will build the Third Temple, in His honour, here in Ghana our Motherland. He won the elections and became president and took that decision to build that Temple of the Most High, which was christened, the National Cathedral.

A big plot was acquired and a committee of chief priests, Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes, were made to supervise the building of this Temple. It is almost the end of the term of his presidency, but yet, the structure has not gotten to floor level.

Kwabena, is it because Nana Addo made this pledge in the Jerusalem Temple, which took forty-six years to build that is why our Temple too, looks like it will take forty-six years to build? Now, as he is leaving in less ten months, he will leave behind a hole in the ground, large enough to be used as a lake for fish farming.

Or, Kwabena, is there something spiritual about the location? I hope you remember that many years ago, there was a deep hole in the ground some few meters from the Ridge Hospital, just behind the southern wall of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat. This hole was filled to level, with hundreds of millions of metric tonnes of debris. Is it that now, in this day and age, the gods of that area have made man to create another hole, some 1.3 km away? Are the gods to blame?

Kwabena, you know how I am all for a national icon of Christ to be built or set up in Ghana, a country where 23.7 million of the population of 33.48 million, profess their faith as Christians. I believe that such a project should be left to the churches. Assuming that 20% or 4.7 million of Christians in Ghana are regularly worshippers, if each one is levied at least GH¢10.00 every month, there would have been a monthly funding of GH¢47 million for the project. And surely banks will pre-finance the construction of the cathedral.

Kwabena, I also do not accept the location. We have in within one kilometer radius, four national icons there: the State House, the International Conference Center, the Accra Sports Stadium and the Independence Arch and Square. Why put up another magnificent icon there? And by the way, one of those seasoned chief priests, in-charge of the construction of this Temple, proved to Ghanaians that anyone who is born-again has two dates of birth.

Kwabena, shall we tell the president, he did not try that well, or did not try at all, at all, with this National Cathedral project?

Kwabena, sadly included in the reasons I am writing you this letter, is a case that happened in far-away Ejisu on Thursday March 28, 2024. That day was set aside for the grand one-week celebration of the death of an illustrious son of Ejisu, Dr. John Kumah, who triples as the MP for the constituency and a deputy minister of Finance.

A one-week celebration of death is an event as solemn as the funeral proper and so, it is against tradition and culture for any joyous celebrations during that event. To show the seriousness of mourning the dead, if your next-door neighbour is bereaved, you don’t pound fufu.

Kwabena, our dear old, President Nana Addo was at the one-week celebration, of his trusted appointee. In the midst of wailing and weeping, the unpardonable happened.

The President delegated some sycophants, to make donations on his behalf. After that was done, the spokesperson announced to all and sundry, that the following day would be the president’s eightieth birthday and the unacceptable jubilation followed with singing of “Happy Birthday to You,” followed by a resounding “Hip, Hip, Hip, Hurray!”

It was shocking and very disgusting. I thought our dear old president would do the modest thing and order the sycophants to stop that nonsense. But shockingly, while all those sitting near him wore stern faces of disapproval, our president was seen laughing joyously, enjoying every moment of it. Now, some against people are saying that Asantes do not know culture.

Kwabena, shall we tell the president that as for this, he did not try at all? With speculations, surrendering the death of John Kumah, that despicable act could make people wrongly, point fingers at and blame the President of knowing something about John Kumah’s death.

Kwabena, we demand explanations. Thank you.

Yours truly.

Hon. Daniel Dugan

Editor’s note: Views expressed in this article do not represent that of The Chronicle

Fire outbreak renders 30 residents homeless at Obuasi Tutuka

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Part of the burnt house

An eleven-room house with about 30 residents at Tutuka Central, a suburb of Obuasi, was completely consumed by fire in the early hours of Monday. The cause of the fire, which started around 1am, is not known at the time of filing this report.

Three fire stations at Fomena, Obuasi and AngloGold Ashanti, were there to assist in putting out the fire.

Personal belongings of all the occupants of the rooms, including children, were completely destroyed.

Abdulai Seidu one of the fire victims telling his story to the media

They told The Chronicle that except for four persons who got injured in the process, the rest of them were safe and healthy.

Mr. Abdulai Seidu, who together with the wife and two children were those injured, said he had to use his fist to hit hard the window and later used it to escape together with the family. He said the entire compound was then in flames so the window was the only escape route.

Kamed Yakubu, a trader, said he was lucky to get some boys to help him take some items out of his room to safety, but they ended up taking the items to their houses. He said an amount of GHC2,400 was stolen by those who feigned to rescue them.

The assemblyman for Tutuka Central, Emmanuel Turkson, told this reporter that since all the residents are entirely homeless, he would plead with the Obuasi East DCE and NADMO to get temporary accommodation for the residents.

From Frederick Danso Abeam, Obuasi

Ghana Ports to Rollout Maritime Single Window Initiative

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Stakeholders engaged in a meeting on the Maritime Single Window program

Plans are far advanced for the rollout of the maritime single window program intended to facilitate vessel clearance at Ghana’s ports.

The digital platform will incorporate the activities of shipping lines and regulatory agencies and enable them share information so far as the clearance of vessels at the port is concerned.

This is in line with the International Maritime Organisation’s Annex to the Facilitation (FAL) Convention which makes the single window for data exchange mandatory in ports around the world.

Ahead of the proposed phased implementation of the maritime single window in April, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority has led a series of engagements for the parties involved to help them understand how the platform works and prepare for its rollout.

This includes the various Shipping Agents, Customs, Port Health, Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Immigration Service, Narcotics Control Commission among others.

The Corporate IT Manager at GPHA, Francis Donkor highlighted the service offerings of this platform, distinct from the Integrated Customs Management System used for cargo clearance.

“Maritime single window really is about the vessel clearance, it’s not focusing on cargo which the other single window actually focuses on, this is about vessel. Before the vessel comes to our waters, it ought to be cleared. Before the vessel even docks at our ports, it ought to be cleared.

Before we even start working on the vessel, that vessel have to be cleared by certain authorities. So we are building a platform that will enable all the stakeholders be it the shipping agents, the regulatory authorities, to share information and share files. That really is going to facilitate the maritime trade in Ghana.”

Representatives of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and Ghana Maritime Authority indicated their preparedness ahead of the implementation of the vessel clearance system.

“The turnaround time of vessels is crucial to trade facilitation and therefore if IMO is pushing any of such initiatives to enhance early clearance of vessels or smooth clearance of vessels, Customs is more than ready, in fact we are happy because it makes our work easier” an Assistant Revenue Officer at the Boarding Unit of the Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority, Seth Toku-Dum stated.

“With the coming of the single window system, Ghana Maritime is very excited because the International Maritime Organization has approved this and it is working already from January 2024. As Ghana Maritime Authority is the government agency that represents the country at such meetings, we will be very much excited to tell the story of Ghana that we are also ready and applying the maritime single window in our vessel clearance” the Principal Planning Officer at GMA, Lydia Odai-Tettey added.

 

Global maritime trade to grow between 2% –2.4% 

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Maritime Law Consultant and Legal Practitioner, Dr Mbiah speaking on Eye on Port

The global maritime trade is expected to see a steady growth of 2%–2.4% on the 2023 figures by the end of 2024. In the medium term, however, a 4% increase is expected to be seen by the end of 2028.

Citing these predictions from UNCTAD, Drewry, Clarksons, Clyde and Co, Maritime Law Consultant and Legal Practitioner Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Mbiah has attributed the expected growth largely to demand and supply dynamics around the world favouring increased trade, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, like the aforementioned research institutions, Dr. Mbiah is cautiously optimistic, as he advises that an open eye be kept on the ever-dynamic global maritime industry.

Dr. Mbiah, a former chairman of the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) between 2011 to 2016 was speaking to Kennedy Mornah on award-winning Eye on Port program on Accra-Based Metro TV during Ghana Month.

He intimated that beyond events of its own making, the far-reaching maritime industry remains vulnerable to external factors.

One practical example is the ongoing geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, whose resolution still hangs in the air.

These wars, he revealed, have already had an impact on the maritime trade, including attacks on a few ships, and have consequently disrupted the entire course of shipping along key maritime routes.

Not only have insurance premiums taken a hike, but the duration of voyages has elongated, leading to delays in supplies and increased freight rates.

“You have to look at the geopolitical dimensions. For example, what is happening between Russia and Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war extending into the Red Sea where Houthi Rebels have attacked ships.

“What is happening now affects global trade so even though the United States of America and Europe have put in place a mechanism to ensure that vessels are shepherded along key routes, big companies like CMA- CGM, Maersk line have taken a decision that they will go around the Cape of Good Hope. 

“It is very clear the distance that you have to cover if you do not have to use the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. If you don’t use that route, then you are going to add about 3,500 nautical miles which will be a steaming time of around 10 to 12 additional days so you’ll be making about 36 to 38 days for a journey that you would have used about 24 to 26 days. Fuel alone cost about 1.6 million pounds.

“It is quite clear that going around the Cape of Good indeed has a bearing on the outlook of shipping going forward, remember that when that happens immediately it has consequences for insurance. Also important to bear in mind freight rates are likely to go up,” Dr Mbiah explained.

He said, while a direct effect of these events on the cost of shipping in Ghana is difficult to establish, the indirect effect is noticeable and carry-over cost would ultimately be borne by the ordinary consumer.

The former Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority said it is prudent for local actors in Ghana’s maritime industry to take cognizance of these developments as they plan for the year.

He revealed that in 2022, the world maritime trade saw its biggest year thus far, so far as productivity is concerned, as a remarkable 11.2 billion metric tons of cargo were traded across the globe. This shoot was a clear indicator of a rise in demand following the disruptive pandemic, whose impact on the supply chain was felt most between 2020 and 2021.

Barring any such events, and the hopeful de-escalation of geopolitical tensions, the veteran maritime expert, expects shipping to grow steadily in the next few years.

He revealed that the pandemic also affected delivery targets on new ship orders, which were intended to expand the capacity of the global fleet in order to reduce costs.

Dr. Mbiah stressed the significance of considering the supply and demand dynamics within the shipping industry when forming an outlook. He emphasized that the prevailing capacity would influence charter rates. These factors, he highlighted, should be taken into consideration to ensure a forecast that aligns with reality.

The Seasoned Maritime Law Consultant, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, did not hold back when demanding for a “just transition” when it comes to Africa’s role in the decarbonisation of shipping. He called for Africa’s interests to be well-represented in the laudable cause to transform shipping into a more environmentally sustainable venture.

“I like to put the just transition just because you know we from the developing economies are at the receiving end of these measures and consequently there is a cost to it; that cost is likely to come back to us,” he said.

Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Mbiah called for regional value chains in Africa to be strengthened to promote the continent’s resilience and resistance to external global shocks.

Dispute over land ownership: Court restraints Akroponghene, agents

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Nana Appiah Sarfo Kantanka, Chief of Akropong

Nana Appiah Sarfo Kantanka, the Chief of Akropong in the Ashanti region, has been restrained from undertaking any form of activities or any development on a disputed land until the final determination of the case pending before it.

The Mankranso District Magistrate Court, in granting an application by the plaintiffs, also restrained the defendants, their agents, assigns and privies from cultivating any new farms or alienating any part of the land in dispute.

Yaw Sarfo, Akosua Dufie and Albert Osei-Banahene, Head of the Aduana Family (the plaintiffs) have sued the defendants for declaration of title to and ownership of all parcels of land in dispute situated between Akropong and Kunsu.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages for trespass, recovery of possession and perpetual injunction to restrain the defendants, their assigns and agents from interfering with the title, ownership and possession of Aduana Royal family of Yabi that acquired the said land from the then chief of Akropong, Nana Kwabena Sarfo in 1925.

The said land is bounded on the North by Kunsu, on the South by Akropong, on the East by the main road leading from Akropong to Kunsu and on the West by Akropong land.

The Akroponghene (second defendant) claims to have sold the land to Nana Kwadwo Asuman Kubi, the first defendant.

The court, presided over by Her Worship Juliana Millicent Ocran (Esq), heard that recently, when the third plaintiff went to the land in dispute, he realised that the first defendant was undertaking illegal mining on the land while the substantive case was pending before the court. As a result, the plaintiffs filed a motion on notice for interlocutory injunction to restraint the defendants and their agents from undertaking any illegal mining activities on the land in dispute.

Degraded farmlands in the Dwenewoho enclave of the land in dispute

They claimed the illegal mining activities on the land by the second defendant and the use of heavy earth moving machines including excavators had caused waste to the disputed land and impacted negatively on the vegetation.

The plaintiffs argued that the vegetation of the land had been destroyed by the intrusion and galamsey activities of the defendants and that unless the Court restraint the defendants, the entire land would be destroyed by the time the case is determined.

According to the plaintiffs, they had suffered loss and damages from the wrongful act of the defendants and that the intervention of the Court is needed to preserve their property from further destruction by the defendants through illegal mining.

They  argued  that if the defendants  are  allowed to undertake illegal  mining on said land and the case is  determined  in their  favour, they would have no land  to take hence the need  to restrain  the defendants  till the final determination of the case.

The plaintiffs  also argued  that  if the defendants  are allowed  to undertake illegal mining  and they (plaintiffs) win  the case, the  damage  cannot be compensated  in monetary terms.

The defendants, however, contended that the plaintiffs do not have the requisite capacity to initiate the action against them.

They also claimed that the Akropong Stool had been granted the land since 1958.

But the court, guided by Order 13(1) of the District Court Rules, 2009, upheld the application of the plaintiffs on the grounds that they (plaintiffs) had legal or equitable rights in the disputed land which, if not protected by the court, will cause irreparable damage to them.

It said the fact that WuzzahWuna Ghana Limited  had entered  the land, which had been a subject of God concession, with earth moving machines  to mine the land  is enough evidence  that the activities  of the defendants  and their agents  will change  the state  of the  land  and  cause  the plaintiffs/applications  to suffer  irreparable damage that monetary compensation may not  be adequate  remedy.

The court therefore deemed the grant of an injunction as just and convenient and accordingly granted the application for injunction to restrain the defendants until the final determination of the court by the court.

Hearing of the substantive case continues on April 29, 2024.

NHIS satisfied with limited rollout of Biometric Membership Authentication System

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Louisa Atta-Agyemang interacting with staff during the tour

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Deputy Chief Executive, in charge of Operations, Louisa Atta-Agyemang (Mrs) on March 28, 2024 rounded up a three-day working visit to the Greater Accra, Volta and Oti Regions.

She ended the tour in the Kpando Municipality of the Volta Region where she expressed satisfaction with the limited rollout of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Biometric Membership Authentication System (BMAS).

The working visit was a follow-up monitoring of the BMAS project piloted in some selected 40 credentialed healthcare provider sites nationwide.

She visited the Dangme West Community Complex Medical, Ayikuma CHPS compound, Tapa Amanya CHPS compound, Jasico College Clinic, Kitikpa Community Clinic, Hohoe and Hohoe Adabraka Health Centre, where the limited rollout of the Biometric Membership Authentication System is ongoing.

The ultimate goal of the BMAS limited rollout is to test how the system will function in urban and rural settings as far as network connectivity and the systems performance are concerned.

A complete rollout of the BMAS by mid-May, 2024 will ensure the development of accurate reimbursable Claims submitted for healthcare services rendered to NHIS members.

The BMAS is spearheaded by the NHIA MIS Directorate in collaboration with Margins Ghana Limited and the Project Director is the Ag. Director, MIS, Daniel Blankson, with the Ag. Deputy Director, Business Systems, MIS, Joe Annor-Darkwah as the Project Coordinator.

Staff engagements

The visit also afforded Mrs. Atta-Agyemang the opportunity to interact with and hear directly from NHIS district management teams and their expectations from Executive Management.

She acknowledged the hard work of the NHIS district management teams and the frontline staff saying, “Let’s lift the NHIS to an enviable position.”

She emphasised that staff loyalty wouldn’t go unnoticed and reassured them of Executive Management’s determination to address some of their operational challenges.

At the various NHIS district offices, the Management Information Systems (MIS) Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson, Ag. Director of Operations in the Coastal Belt, Mr. Bernard Brown and the Ag. Deputy Director, Business Systems, MIS, Joe Annor-Darkwah responded to some legitimate concerns raised by staff.

According to the DCE Operations, the NHIA is on course to achieve the objective of providing financial risk protection against the cost of quality healthcare services for NHIS members.

Tapa Amanya CHPS compound

Staff of the Tapa Amanya CHPS compound in the Oti Region were inspired by the Deputy Chief Executive Operations, Louisa Atta-Agyemang’s visit to their office.

Recognising her as the youngest NHIA Deputy Chief Executive for Operations, the elated staff said her visit had rekindled their spirit of accepting to work in the deprived community.

Louisa Atta-Agyemang (Mrs) praised the Nurses for their selflessness to the community’s development, especially combining taking care of their babies and attending to people.

In a related development at the Tapa Amanya CHPS compound, it was an amazing moment meeting Madam Rose Ansah, a former bonded NHIS premium collector at the Tapa Amanya community, from 2005 to 2012.

The NHIA DCE Operations was informed that Madam Rose Ansah was a dedicated and faithful premium debt collector who still helps in community mobilisation during NHIS mass membership registration in the Tapa Amanya and other satellite communities. 

MyNHIS App campaigns

Throughout the working visit, Louisa Atta-Agyemang (Mrs) reinforced the importance of using the self enrolment platform known as MyNHIS App for multiple registrations and expired membership renewals.

Anywhere she went, the DCE Operations reminded the NHIS District management teams to intensify campaigns on the MyNHIS App and the Mobile Renewal Service platform as means to decongest the district offices.

Interacting with some pregnant women at the Jasikan NHIS District Office in the Oti Region, the DCE Operations educated them on the significance of the MyNHIS App and the Mobile Renewal Service platform and urged them to take advantage of the systems in renewing their expired NHIS membership and doing fresh registrations.

Jasikan MCE courtesy call

As part of the tour, the DCE Operations conferred with the Jasikan Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Elizabeth Kessewa Anim Adjornor.

The Jasikan MCE called for proactive measures to retool the Jasikan NHIS District Office to enable the staff to improve their performance in increasing the Scheme’s active membership.

Louisa Atta-Agyemang (Mrs.) said the NHIA Executive Management is poised to ensure that the Scheme remains Ghana’s leading vehicle to attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by the year 2030.

Accompanying the DCE Operations were the NHIA Management Information Systems (MIS) Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson,  Ag. Director, Coastal Belt, Mr. Bernard Brown, Ag. Deputy Director, Business Systems, MIS, Joe Annor-Darkwah, Ag. Senior Manager Corporate Affairs (CAF), Abdul Karim Naatogmah, Senior Manager, DCE Operations Secretariat, Edmund Obeng Amaning and a staff of the MIS Directorate, Nusrat Gyasi.

By Abdul Karim Naatogmah

Distribution of 450k student tablets starts this week –Adutwum

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Dr Osei Yaw Adutwum, Minister for Education

The Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has announced that the first batch of 450,000 free student tablets fully funded through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) will be distributed this week.

According to him, the distribution of the tablets has been categorised into three phases, with 450,000 to be distributed to 32 schools to ensure the effective distribution of a total of 1.3 million tablets.

President Akufo-Addo announced on March 25, 2024 the distribution of 1.3 million tablets to Public Senior High School and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students.

According to him, this initiative, under the Smart School Project is part of the government’s measures to ensure that all sectors of the country are digitised.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, March 30, 2024 the Education Minister said “The 450,000 is a little less than 30 per cent the deployment is such that it is in three phases. The first phase, which is hitting the regions and schools in the next coming week, is going to 32 schools in the 16 regions.

He said a system has been created to monitor the effective distribution of the tablets.

“Once it gets to the school, there is a dashboard that informs us the tablets are here. The whole idea is to ensure that you will do a phased approach to deployment and don’t get the system overwhelmed.

“Once we get them to the 32 schools, then within a week or two, thereafter, the rest which is phase two also starts moving to the schools, so it’s a phased deployment,” he noted.

He said the one student one tablet comes with a keyboard as a complement that can make it function as a laptop or solely as a tablet.

“There’s also a power bank in it, and in case the power goes out, there’s a solar panel that allows you to charge it using solar in the case of this device. So, that is in response to the issue of erratic power supply at certain times.

The Minister explained that this is part of attempts in the future to gradually phase out textbooks by infusing them into the tablet.

According to him, ICT Coordinators in the schools have offered training to teachers and will continue to train the schools receiving the tablets on their effective usage.

Dr Adutwum clarified that the unit price for each tablet is $250 and not GH¢250.

The first 450,000 tablets are to cost 112 million cedis, whereas the entire 1.3 million will amount to 337 million Ghana cedis.

Misplaced priority or not?

On the matter of whether it was prudent for the government to spend huge amounts on free tablet distribution when the Free SHS policy was facing other pressing challenges, the Bosomtwe MP explained that the logistical challenges of the Free SHS programme are separate from budgetary constraints, clarifying that funds allocated for this tablet project under the government’s digitalization agenda cannot be diverted to address feeding challenges faced by students under the policy.

“The interesting thing about Free SHS is that you can have logistical challenges and that’s not a budget issue, so we have 1.4 million children miles away that we are feeding a day, you can have challenges where food may not have reached a certain location on time.

“The idea is very simple; there are some people who will say use that in providing food for them, but no, there is a budget. There is a difference between a budget allocation and a cash flow allocation, so even if I want to, the law does not allow me to tell GETFUND that I need your money to buy food instead of the tablets you have allocated funds for in your funding formula, so there is a difference between a cash flow logistical issue and a budget issue.

How to deal with faulty tablets in schools

When the host of News File, Sampson Lardi Ayenini asked about the possible malfunctioning, breakdown or mishandling of the tablets by the students, the sector minister revealed that schools with a population exceeding one thousand will have dedicated repair centres on-site to address any issues promptly.

He emphasized that while gadget abuse is common when students understand that their academic success depends on the tablet, they are more diligent in using it, leading to increased carefulness.

“I will give you an example of what I did in one of my schools in the US. One interesting thing that happened when I deployed laptops at the time, we were dreading that the students would lose their laptops. We had insurance on it.

“It turned out in the end that after three years when we evaluated the deployment of laptops in my school in the US, 100 per cent of the students’ laptops was intact. It was rather the teachers who lost their laptops.

“So you see, sometimes we underestimate the care that students give to the things that matter to them. When they know how much this matters to them they are not going to just destroy it. When they know that their homework is not going to be done if I do not take good care of this and you train them well and somebody is there to fix it for them, then there is insurance on it.

“Things work in some very unique ways to amaze you” he added.

By Felix Baidoo

Burna Boy, Rema win at 2024 iHeart Radio Music Awards

By
NANA KWESI COOMSON
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0
Burna Boy and Rema

Nigerian singer Burna Boy has finally ended his poor outing at award ceremonies as he clinched the Best African Music Artist at the 2024 iHeart Radio Music Awards in the United States.

The 2024 iHeart Radio Music Awards held live on FOX on Monday night and was hosted by rapper Ludacris.

Another Nigerian singer, Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ featuring Selena Gomez won the Best Collaboration of the Year.

American pop star, Beyoncé recieved the iHeart Innovator Award while Cher received the iHeart Icon Award.

Taylor Swift led the winners’ chart with six awards including Artist of the Year, Pop Artist of the Year, Tour of the Year, Best Lyrics, TikTok Bop of the Year, and Favorite Tour Style.

Burna Boy and Rema now join Wizkid and Tems as the only Nigerian artists to have won iHeart Radio Music awards.

Before last night, Burna Boy had been on a winless streak at award shows, missing out on seven nominations at the 2023 BET Hip-hop Awards, four nominations at the 2024 Grammys, and six nominations at the 2024 NAACP Image Awards. On the other side of the Atlantic, he lost the Best International Artist of the Year at the 2024 Brit Awards.

Credit: dailypost.ng

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