April 17, 2023 – Page 2 – Djibouti News Gazette

April 17, 2023

Public comment sought on exclusion of expansion of solar PV from environmental authorisation

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Barbara Creecy, has begun the public consultation process on the intention to exclude the development and expansion of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage facilities from the requirement to obtain environmental authorisation.

The intention of the proposed exclusions is aimed at improving the efficiency of the environmental assessment process.

“In addition, these exclusions intend to simplify the deployment of solar PV and battery storage facilities, to expedite the generation of electricity from renewable energy resources, facilitate the distribution of this generation capacity and contribute to addressing the existing electricity shortages currently being experienced by the country,” said the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

In a statement on Monday, the department said the exclusions apply when the facilities are developed in areas confirmed to be of “low” or “medium” environmental sensitivity and will be subject to a site sensitivity verification, compliance to a site-specific environmental management programme and a registration process.

This is in line with the sector’s ongoing efforts to simplify the environmental legislative impact assessment framework for energy projects whilst ensuring that environmental protection is not compromised.

Members of the public are invited to submit written comments or input within 30 days of publication of both Government Notices to any of the following addresses:

By post to: Director-General, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

Source: South African Government News Agency

April 17, 2023

GHANASCO ‘toilet-turned-to-accommodation’ for students not true – Authorities

Authorities of the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Tamale have said it is not true that a toilet facility at the school has been converted to serve as an accommodation for its students.

They said the school currently had enough space to adequately accommodate all its students and that currently, there were two dormitories that were not even being used.

They also clarified that the cubicles seen in some videos on social media suggesting that they were rooms for students were rather storerooms for boxes and mattresses of some of the students during vacation.

The authorities, who did not want to be named, spoke to a team from the Ghana News Agency, who visited GHANASCO on Monday to ascertain the issues surrounding the ‘toilet-turned-to-accommodation’ for students’ saga.

Last Friday, some videos appeared on social media showing some cubicles, qualified as toilet facilities, which are no longer in use, as serving as accommodation for students of GHANASCO.

This generated a lot of controversy where many members of the pubic condemned the act while the Headmaster of GHANASCO said it was not true, and that that place was not allocated as accommodation for any student.

The situation compelled the Ghana Education Service to suspend the Headmaster on April 16, as well as order investigations into the issue, which were to be concluded within two weeks.

Meanwhile, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, on Monday toured accommodation facilities of GHANASCO to ascertain the situation.

Alhaji Saibu, after the tour, described the videos as misinformation saying there were new accommodation facilities for the students at the school, which could have been focused on if the one, who took the videos, wanted to do so.

Source: Ghana News Agency

April 17, 2023

Court remands driver accused of snatching taxicab

A 32-year-old taxi driver,?who conspired with his wife to rob a driver of his?Mazda Damio taxicab?valued at GHS30,000.00?has been remanded into prison custody by the Tarkwa circuit court.?

Timothy Amponsah, the accused person, who was charged with conspiracy and robbery, pleaded guilty with explanation.

He said ‘My judge l am jobless, and my four children were out of school, this made me commit the crime. I am pleading to?the court to temper justice with mercy’.

The court presided over by Mrs Hathie Ama Manu, after listening to Amponsah’s explanation entered a plea of guilty for him and deferred his sentence to Wednesday May 3, 2023.

Police Chief Inspector Joseph Lartey, the prosecutor, told the court that?Sampson Arhin, 28, a taxi driver,?lives at Ankobra in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality was the complainant.

He said the accused person and the wife Sheilla Omano, who was currently on the run, are residents of Asebu- Ankromah in the Central Region.?

On March 5, 2023, around 1800 hours, the couple agreed to travel to Prestea and to rob a taxi from any driver they chanced upon.

According to the prosecutor, the same day at about 2130 hours the accused and the wife who arrived at Prestea to carry out the operation, spotted the complainant in his taxicab with registration number AS 9230-22 and signaled him to stop.?

The two then hired the services of the complainant from Prestea to Dumasi to visit a friend, but on arrival around 2230 hours, Omano made a phone call and later told Arhin that the person they came to visit had left to Bogoso so they should proceed to the said place.

Chief Inspector Lartey said in the course of the journey, Omano sat on the front passenger’s seat, while the accused who sat directly behind the driver attacked him around a rubber plantation and smeared powered pepper on his face.

He said the complainant lost control of the vehicle and the engine went off and the accused pushed him out of the vehicle and drove to an unknown destination.?

On March 6, 2023, the complainant reported the incident to the police in Bogoso and was given a medical form to attend hospital, where he was treated and discharged.

He said on March 11, this year, police upon further investigation, arrested Amponsah at Asebu?

Ankromah with the vehicle which had a different registration number AS 2716-19.?

The prosecutor said during a search in the accused person’s room, the complainant’s original number plate was found.

Source: Ghana News Agency

April 17, 2023

Three suspected robbers lynched at Moseaso

Three suspected armed robbers were on Sunday burnt to death at Moseaso, a community in the Wassa Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region.

The deceased were only identified as?Ike, 24, Abass, 25?and Abeiku, 26.

Information gathered by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) revealed that on the16th of April 2023, five armed men allegedly attacked a gold buying shop, and in the process?shot and killed one?Frank Arthur, the attendant at the shop.

The incident angered?residents of the town, who conducted investigations leading to the identification and arrested three of the?suspects, while the other two managed to escape.

They then lynched them and subsequently set them ablaze.

The charred bodies of the suspects and that of Mr Arthur the victim, have since been deposited at the?Father Thomas Allan Rooney Memorial hospital morgue?at Asankrangwa for preservation and autopsy.

The Police in Asankrangwa have commenced investigations into the matter.

Source: Ghana News Agency

April 17, 2023

Africa’s Private Sector Converge in Cape Town to Accelerate AfCFTA

The 2023 African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Business Forum is currently taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, South Africa under the theme, ‘Acceleration of Implementation of the AfCFTA’.

Convened by the AfCFTA Secretariat under the patronage of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the conference is scheduled to take place from 16 – 18 April 2023.

A statement released by the AfCFTA secretariat notes the key objectives of the event are to create awareness of the current trade and investment opportunities in the area among Africa’s business community and connect businesses to funding opportunities for AfCFTA value chains.

The forums also aims at establishing a private sector engagement platform for continued consultations on private sector needs in the implementation of the AfCFTA; and to promote a private sector-friendly environment, especially for Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) led by Women and Youth, to unlock more accessible and affordable trade finance opportunities.

Attracting broad participation of Africa’s private sector, strategic investors, financial institutions, investment promotion agencies, business councils, chambers of commerce, multinational corporations, African women and youth business organisations, as well as Heads of States and Government, and AfCFTA Partners are also the objectives of the forum.

The AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene has called on Africa’s business community to partner with the Secretariat in order to ensure a successful implementation of the Agreement.

He said “creating an integrated One African Market hinges upon effective private sector participation in the implementation of the AfCFTA. It is therefore critical that Africa’s private sector, as one of the key drivers, takes a keen and active interest, supports and fully participates in AfCFTA’s programmes”.

“The idea is that we come together to find solutions aimed at boosting intra-Africa trade, creating opportunities, innovation and of course taking advantage of this expanded market under the AfCFTA.”

It is only with the business community’s full involvement that Africa will achieve its goal of enhancing intra-African trade, raise Africa’s trading position on the global market, and accelerate economicgrowth, industrialization, production, and job creation, added Mene.

The AfCFTA Business Forum is aimed at giving momentum and accelerating the implementation of the AfCFTA.

While the conference will cover various pertinent trade issues, it will put a spotlight on agro-processing; automotive; pharmaceuticals; transportation and logistics; and digital trade and payments.

The forum takes place after the guided trade initiative, where countries have already started trading under the AfCFTA which makes this the ideal time to take advantage of the opportunity to promote business and investment in Africa.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency