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Ghana to begin production of Covid-19 vaccines as Nissan sets assembly plant for 5,000 vehicles yearly

Published

3 years ago

March 30, 2022

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana in his State of the Nation Address in parliament on Wednesday said the country will start producing its own COVID-19 vaccines by January 2024.

A National Vaccine Institute would be established to lay out a strategy for the West African country to begin the first phase of commercial production for the jabs, he said without providing further details.

“A bill will shortly be brought to you, in this House, for your support and approval for the establishment of the National Vaccine Institute,” he said.

The development comes after the President announced on Tuesday the opening of sea and land borders on Tuesday, 2 years after he announced the closure of borders to the West African country in the wake of the global pandemic – Covid-19.

The World Health Organization says Ghana has so far vaccinated over 14 million people with a single dose and over five million fully vaccinated – 16.3% of the population.

As a testimonial to its automotive development policy to encourage investment, president Akufo Addo announced that a new assembly plant with the capacity to assemble 5,000 new vehicles per annum has been established by Nissan in the eastern port city of Tema, which is currently producing Nissan and Peugeot brands of vehicles for the Ghanaian and West African markets.

The multinational, JAPAN Motors Trading Company (JMTC) had confirmed the president’s announcement in an earlier update on its official website. “…has been approved to begin producing the all-new ‘Built of More’ Nissan Navara at its brand-new, state-of-the-art assembly plant in Tema, outside the capital Accra”.

The new plant is different from the Navara production facility which is in Accra, the capital of Ghana, that is 100% Ghanaian operated by the Japan Motors Trading Company (JMTC), which invested the US $3 million into its construction, following Ghana’s drafting of its automotive development policy to encourage investment in the sector.

According to the World Bank, Ghana’s rapid growth was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the March 2020 lockdown, and a sharp decline in commodity exports. The economy had grown at an average of 7 percent in 2017-19, before experiencing a sharp contraction in the second and third quarters of 2020.

The economic slowdown had a considerable impact on households. The poverty rate is estimated to have slightly increased from 25 percent in 2019 to 25.5 percent in 2020.

With the recent wave of declarations Ghana’s economy is projected to recover gradually over the medium term, thanks to commodity price growth and strong domestic demand.

Related Topics:covid-19 vaccines Featured Ghana

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Fortuna Mining says Burkina Faso won’t scrap permits

Published

2 days ago

October 9, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The Burkina Faso government does not intend to revoke Fortuna Mining’s current mining permits within the nation, the Canadian company said on Monday.

Ibrahim Traoré, the leader of the Junta, stated on Saturday that Burkina Faso intended to remove some mining permissions from international businesses and work towards increasing local gold production. However, he did not specify which permits would be revoked.

The entire index fell on Monday as shares of gold miners with projects in the West African nation plummeted precipitously at the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Fortuna Mining’s stock was down 9% at 3:25 PM ET (19:25 GMT). The owner of the Bombero gold mine, Orezone Gold Corp., had a 9% decrease on the TSX.

In addition to addressing several subjects on Saturday to mark two years as president, gold producer Endeavour Mining said Traor hinted that some mining permits would be cancelled.

Endeavour asserted that it is unaware of any intentions to cancel any of the company’s mining permits and that the government continues to support the business.

Growing insecurity has made things more difficult in West African country despite its rich mineral resources. ACLED, a U.S.-based crisis-monitoring organisation, asserts that in 2023, over 8,000 individuals lost their lives in the nation, even though the junta promised to suppress groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Burkina Faso has witnessed a boom in the mining sector since the early 2000s, primarily in the gold but also in the zinc and manganese industries. At the moment, the country is Africa’s fifth-largest producer of gold.

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Nigerian govt begins 2025 retirees’ enrollment

Published

2 days ago

October 9, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Nigeria’s National Pension Commission has declared that it has formally begun the process of enrolling potential retirees in 2025, highlighting the significance of early planning.

The commission demanded that ministries, departments, and agencies refrain from any last-minute rush that can interfere with the enrolment process and make it more difficult for retirees to adjust to their new stage of life.

At a workshop held by the National Pension Commission on Monday in Abuja to launch the online enrolment process for pension desk officers of MDAs funded by the Federal government’s Treasury for 2024, Omolola Oloworaran, the acting director-general of the commission, revealed this information.

Currently, 7,348,028 people in Nigeria, or 10.58% of the country’s working population, are registered members of the National Pension Scheme. The commission reported that it paid N1.1tn to 129,435 life annuity applicants in the second quarter of 2024, reflecting advances in pension benefits.

During her speech, the acting director general (DG) said that the purpose of this exercise is to gather precise information so that the federal government may evaluate the Accrued Pension Rights of potential retirees and make the appropriate budgetary adjustments.

The commission, she continued, has advanced significantly by automating the enrolment procedure and launching an online enrolment application that makes retiree enrolment, verification, and registration easy.

Oloworaran said, “At the National Pension Commission, we hold firmly to our statutory responsibility of ensuring a seamless pre-retirement verification and enrolment process for employees of Federal Government Treasury-funded MDAs. Each year, we embark on this exercise to gather accurate data for determining the Accrued Pension Rights of prospective retirees, so that the Federal Government can make the necessary budgetary provisions.

“Today’s session is not just a routine gathering; it is part of PenCom’s commitment to building the capacity of stakeholders, specifically you, the Pension Desk Officers, whose roles are indispensable in this process. Since 2021, we have made significant strides by automating the enrolment process, and introducing an Online Enrolment Application that allows seamless registration, verification, and enrolment of retirees.

“This system, comprising the Retiree, MDA, PFA, and PenCom modules, represents the future of pension administration in Nigeria. As PDOs, you are the linchpin in this process, ensuring that retiree information is properly uploaded and verified. Hence, this workshop aims to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively use the application and address any challenges that arise during the enrolment process. We are also here to confront the issues of the past head-on.”