June 1

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31TH
MAY
2018
THURSDAY
CURRENCY PARIS CODE BUYING SELLING
US Dollar USDGHS 4.4204 4.4248
RATES Pound Sterling GBPGHS
5.8827
5.8903
Euro
GBPGHS
5.1611
5.1656
10
DAILY HERITAGE FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2018 WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH
Hasten NTS processes to
avoid ban on intl market
BY RAMSON ACQUAH-HAYFORD
THE GHANA Roots
Crops and Tubers
Exporters' Union
(GROCTEU) has
admonished the
government and all
stakeholders to hasten the
processes involved in the implementation
of the National Traceability
System(NTS) to avoid a ban
on yams from Ghana to the international
market.
According to Mr Sarkodie
Osei, president of GROCTEU,
the association is aware of the immense
work the government and
its donors were doing to implement
the NTS, but their concern
is the pace at which the work is
being executed.
Speaking at a stakeholders
workshop on Wednesday at the
Science and Technology Policy
Research Institute (STEPRI)
•Members of GROCTEU after the conference.
Accra, the president elaborated
that "We need to act with greater
alacrity before we are hit with a
ban on our produce on the international
market just because they
are not traceable."
He hinted that food safety
• GROCTEU tells govt
alerts from the United Kingdom's
Health and Safety Authorities and
the European Union indicated
high residual levels of agro-chemicals
in yam from Ghana, and that
all these were indicators that called
for expeditious action by all stakeholders
in Ghana.
"In view of the huge potential
that export of root and crops
could offer our economy, it is imperative
for the Ministry of Food
and Agriculture (MoFA) and the
Ministry of Trade and Industry,
and their relevant departments
and agencies to increase their synergies
and see to the establishment
of a national traceability system,"
Mr Sarkodie told the DAILY
HERITAGE in an interview.
Speaking on how far the programme
had come since it was initiated
in 2016, he said important
strides had been achieved yet it
was left with fine-tuning the manual
systems of the policy and
move on to acquiring a smooth
and efficient software for the
traceability system.
Background
The Ghana Root and Tubers
Exporters Union (GROCTEU)
have raised concerns about the
continuous absence of a national
traceability system for yams from
Ghana.
The system, the union explained,
would allow supply chain
actors and regulatory authorities
to identify the source of a food
safety or quality problem and initiate
procedures to remedy it.
In a statement copied to
the DAILY HERITAGE,
GROCTEU described the traceability
system as an information
system necessary to provide the
history of a product or a process
from origin to point of final consumption.
The seminar, which was organised
by the GROCTEU with support
from the BUSAC Fund, was
on the theme ‘Advocacy for the
expeditious completion and operationlisation
of a National Traceability
System for Roots crops and
tubers in Ghana: Required Legislative
Instrument to fully Operationalise
the Health Professions
Regulatory Act”.
Access Bank introduces ‘Access Africa’ money transfer service
ACCESS BANK has launched a
new money transfer service
known as ‘Access Africa’ to remove
boundaries across Africa
with the ease and convenience of
moving funds around.
The new service allows both
customers and non-customers of
the Bank to transfer money using
Ghana’s local currency, Cedis or
US Dollars to any of the countries
where Access Bank has presence
across the continent, including
Nigeria, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone,
The Gambia and Zambia.
Introducing this new service,
the Executive Director for Business
Development at Access Bank
Ghana, Mr Ifeanyi Njoku indicated
that the Bank was continuously
pursuing its retail banking
strategy by enhancing the efficiency
of its electronic banking
services.
He said, “Hitherto, you could
only send or receive money to and
from Nigeria with our cross-border
money transfer service. However,
this is now a thing of the
past, as we have now upgraded
our platform to serve millions in
Ghana and across the continent.”
Mr Njoku also mentioned that
the new ‘Access Africa’ service will
eliminate the risk of carrying cash,
as well as promote the cashless
policy, as users will be able to send
money to several destinations in
few minutes at any Access Bank’s
branch locations.
He conclusively said, “We are
rigorously working to create a
seamless system for business
•Ifeanyi Njoku, Executive
Director for Business
Development at Access Bank
transactions irrespective of your
location in Africa, to make banking
services affordable, secure and
convenient for everyone. Soon,
this service will be extended to
other locations within and outside
Africa.”
Last year, Access Bank unveiled
its new five-year strategy which is
expected to accelerate the Bank’s
growth and position it as a leading
bank across its various operating
markets by 2022. To achieve this,
the Bank hopes to leverage on a
Universal Payments gateway to
dominate international trade and
inter-African payments.
The Bank’s strategy will be underpinned
by robust risk management
together with high levels of
automations, to enhance the compliance
and risk functions and
drive customer insights. It will also
develop an integrated global franchise
by strategically positioning itself
in key African markets,
enhancing collaboration in global
financial gateways, including London
and New York, Asia and the
Middle East, and strengthening its
trade hubs in India, Dubai and
China.
Access Bank Group is made up
of eight African markets spanning
sub-Saharan Africa’s three monetary
zones, the Far East, Middle
East, Asia and the United Kingdom.
The Bank will continue to invest
in its operations and is poised
to become the world’s most respected
African bank.