Ghana among countries improving business regulations for local firms - World Bank

A new report has observed that most African economies are making consistent progress in improving business regulations.

The World Bank-IFC report released October 23, 2012 finds that of the 50 economies making the most improvement in business regulation for domestic firms since 2005, 17 are in sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana was included in the list despite slipping to 64th position in the global doing business rankings.>>>more

Ghana Gold Rush: Jungle Gold and Illegalities.

It is very sad watching this discovery on the Discovery channel.The Ghanaian citizens are living in abject poverty.Politicians sit in Accra talking gibberish while illegal miners take over gold lands.Government leases gold lands to foreigners to mine gold while citizens do not have a place to live,water to drink,jobs to do,etc.People are flying in from America to mine gold.Sorry state of our collective mindset and a real shame!>>>more

World Food Day 2012: Agricultural cooperatives – Key to feeding the world

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) celebrates World Food Day each year on 16 October, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.

The objectives of World Food Day are to:

• encourage attention to agricultural food production and to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end;
• encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries;
• encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions;
• heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world;
• promote the transfer of technologies to the developing world; and
• strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty and draw attention to achievements in food and agricultural development. >>> more

UN meet in Rome to debate easing global food prices

ROME (AFP) - The international community is gathering in Italy for World Food Day on Tuesday with a round of UN-hosted talks on how to keep global food prices in check and help prevent future commodity market crises.

"Food prices are too volatile and are dangerously high," Olivier De Schutter, the UN's rapporteur on the right to food, said ahead of the meeting.

De Schutter called for "immediate" action to help stabilise prices.

The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations is holding a week-long meeting of the Committee on World Food Security, which is made up of UN officials, farming experts and civil society representatives.

The latest UN data from earlier this month shows some 870 million people -- around one in eight people in the world -- are starving or under-nourished. >>>more

Farmers want swift implementation of policies to reduce cost

Farmers in Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana are demanding swift implementation of policies to reduce the cost of doing business in their regions. 

Their plea comes on a day when Ghana joins the globe to observe World Food Day. Some farmers say they are still dependent on weather to grow their crops and are suffering serious post-harvest losses. 

This year’s Food Day celebration focuses on how agricultural cooperatives and producer organizations can help provide food security, generate employment, and reduce poverty.

In the Builsa District, one of the rice baskets of the Upper East region, farmers are preparing to harvest their produce. >>>more

Curbing food security : Agricultural Industrialization

The most authentic means of aid to Ghana or Africa must be in such a form devoid of the usual politics or a minimal political influence.Honestly,money given is always lopsided to those in higher positions. What must be done? Creating long-lasting solutions should be the bottle-neck even if its hard and difficult.Teaching local farmers the need for tractors and assisting them in the process to  secure some basic equipments is most relevant.

In the 21st century,most farmers in Ghana and Africa still use cutlasses and hoes for work.How many acres and how many days will they have to toil to produce two acres of corn/maize?

In the videos below,Mr. Balle and his friends from Denmark did the most important thing by building a farm in Ghana with the assistance from local workers.You can imagine what a few tractors and harvesters can do in few days. This is the path Ghana and Africa must take,to gradually produce enough to ensure food security.

The current record of 52% work force in agriculture producing about 25% of what the country really needs is wrong.

Ghana begins Genetically Modified testing

Confined Field Trial (CFT) of three genetically modified crops may start next year, according to Senior Research Scientist, Dr. Ibrahim Kwasi Atokple.

Scientists at various Institutes of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research are expecting permits from the National Biosafety Committee to enable them proceed with the evaluations.
Seeds for genetically modified rice, cowpea and sweet potatoes are to be tested for essential traits that will enhance crop production in the country.

With on-going global debates over the health implications of genetically modified organisms, parliament recently passed The Biosafety Act of 2011 (Act 831) to legalise importation and research into GMOs. Ghana now joins countries like South Africa, Burkina Faso, Egypt and Kenya which are already producing and importing GMOs on the continent .>>> continue