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Thursday, November 19, 2020IS THE (RESIGNED)SPECIAL PROSECUTORBEING TRUTHFUL?THE Office of the President has replied to the leer ofresignaon presented at the beginning of this week bythe (erstwhile) Independent Special Prosecutor, MarnAmidu. As far as Mr Amidu’s many crics areconcerned, the President’s reply is most revealing inthat it confirms what they felt about him all along.Despite the deep divisions between policalchieains in the two major polical pares in Ghana,many are now in agreement that Mr Amidu is drivenlargely by his ego and his desire to smear the top levelpeople he works with, which takes precedence over areal desire to combat corrupon.Up ll now, his scuffles with one President aeranother – ex presidents John Aa Mills and JohnMahama as well as incumbent President Nana AkufoAddo – have been seen by many as a result of theirresistance to his passionate efforts to idenfy and curbcorrupon in the corridors of power.However, the latest facts disclosed by the Office ofthe President suggest that he may have simply beenplaying the vicm in order to win public sympathy atthe expense of those who appointed him, while inactual fact doing lile towards his much trumpeted aimof fighng corrupon.The President’s reply shows, for instance, that MrAmidu was less than completely correct when heclaimed that he has not been resourced by theincumbent administraon; rather he has failed to ulizethe huge resources given him towards fulfilling hismandate.He has refused to use the office accommodaonsecured for him at great expense upon his own requestand he has failed to employ permanent staff despitebeing authorized and resourced to do so; only to saythat the State’s refusal to provide his office with theseresources are the reason why his office has done nextto nothing since it was created.The validity or otherwise of his accusaons ofexecuve interference by the President with respect tohis Agyapa risk assessment are less clear cut. TheBusiness Analyst belongs to the school of thought thatthose impugned by his report have a right to defendthemselves, in line with legal principles in all civilizedjurisdicons and the President’s insistence that they beallowed to do so does not constute execuveinterference in itself.Indeed, Mr Amidu’s atude suggests that he wantsunbridled authority and unbridled respect – bothpoinng to the need for his ego to be massaged as akey objecve. The nature of his quarrels with previousPresidents he has worked with fit into this suspicionalthough that does not incontroverbly confirm thatthis is indeed the case.It may be that some of these asserons areuncharitable, in their degree if not in their underpinningfoundaons.However, the President’s reply to his latestallegaons, in disproving his claims of not beingadequately resourced as the reason for his abysmallylow work rate has seriously damaged his professionalcredibility, requisite for the role of Special Prosecutoror indeed any major polical appointment.Simply put, few people, if any at all, sll see him asbelievable. Added to the fact that over the past monthhe has made concerted efforts to discredit both of theleading presidenal candidates, with allegaons thathave sll not been proved in any way, and Mr Amidu’spublic sector career is obviously over for good.Considering that he loves authority and thelimelight, his most selfsasfied days seem to be overtoo.Assuming the COVID-19 vaccinewas ready today, how will it getto you wherever you are?WHEN youactuallyget a doseof thevaccinehas much less to do with whenit is approved and much moreto do with how fast it ismanufactured and distributed.First and foremost, it’s askill problem.Shipping andadministering one vaccine toone person is not difficult butshipping and administering 5billion vaccines to 5 billionpeople is. That is just because,as it stands now, there isn’tenough room in our world’slogistics network to do that.Making it even tougher is thehigh chance that, based on the currentleading vaccines, the first majorvaccine to be approved will requiretwo (2) doses administered 21 or 28days apartDistributing 10 billion or moredoses of vaccines would be difficultenough in normal times. I don’t thinkyou need reminding that these are farfrom normal times. Keep in mind thatinternational travel even justrecommenced in Ghana. All over theworld, the aviation industry wassitting at more than 90% down.Ideally, this shouldn’t really be anissue because traditionally, about 50per cent of pharmaceutical goods areshipped in the bellyhold of passengeraircrafts rather than dedicatedfreighters, as this can help them getcloser to their final destination faster.Also, the world alreadyexperienced a massive logisticschallenge this year with thedistribution of personal protectiveequipment’s and shippingactivities were able to scale up forthat reasonably successfully.There is just one simple reasonwhy it will not be simple this timearound: the cold chain.Vaccines aretemperature sensitive.Most of them have to be storedin a highly precise climatecontrolled environment in order tostay safe and effective. The coldchain is the supply chain suited toshipping goods that need to bekept cold or frozen, such as meat,chemicals and pharmaceuticals.Off course the difficulty with thecold chain is that everything used hasto be specialized. The originwarehouse, the truck, the plane, thewarehouse at the final destination.Each of these need to have the properequipment to keep the vaccines undera specified temperature or thevaccines have to be shipped inpackaging that keeps them at thespecified temperature.This is what makes it a truelogistical challenge.One of the leading vaccinecandidates is the Pfizer BNT162b2. Thisvaccine must be stored andtransported at -94°F or -70°C. That isfar colder than the requirements ofmost vaccines which can ship ateither refrigerator temperature or at awider range of freezing temperature.Beyond the issue of actuallygetting such a vaccine to adistribution site, most hospitals don’teven have the infrastructure to keep avaccine at such temperature, let aloneclinics and pharmacies.That means finding places thatcan receive this vaccine is achallenge.Part of the reason why thisobstacle has come up is because,traditionally, vaccines are fairly testedto determine the sort of storage andshipping conditions they can endurewhile still staying safe and effective.With the break-neck pace demandedfor the development of this COVID-19vaccine, they are more likely to nothave enough time to conduct this testbefore distribution.Pfizer, for example, knowing thatthe unique distribution of theirvaccines could limit its commercialsuccess, has developed a partialsolution. The partial solution isessentially highly specializedstandalone packs that can be usedwith dry ice to keep the vaccine at therequired temperature for up to 10days.But this specialised box fromPfizer can only carry vaccines inmultiples of a thousand, and keep inmind it can only keep it cold for only10 days. So how, for example, do you goabout getting the vaccine to a clinicthat can only vaccinate 50 people in aday, like a real clinic in a small village.Even if shipping wasinstantaneous, this aforementionedvillage can only vaccinate 500 peoplein 10 days and then after that, half ofthe vaccines in the specialised boxwill go bad.Complexity after complexity willslow the process down.Distributing and administering acomplex vaccine like Pfizer’s willalready be tough enough in wealthycountries like the United States butjust imagine how difficult it would beto get the vaccine from a distributor toKubongo in the Upper East Region ofGhana or some remote village in theDR Congo, all in 10 days and keeping itat -94°F or -70°C.When we get to the issue of widescale distribution, it will be the bigcorporations, not governments nornon-profits, that will be tasked withdoing the job. For them, this presents amassive business opportunity inaddition to the positive publicrelations potential.Now is the time to figure out howand where the vaccine will bedistributed. That’s why forwardthinking is prudent.Maxwell Ampong is the CEO ofMaxwell Investments Group, a Tradingand Business Solutions provider. He isalso the Business Advisor for theGeneral Agricultural Workers’ Union ofTUC (Gh).
Thursday, November 12, 2020Ben & Jerry’s icecream boostspayments to cocoafarmers in Ghana,Ivory CoastGLOBAL ice creambrand Ben &Jerry’s haspledged itssupport towardsfarmers in cocoa growingmarkets of Ivory Coast andGhana through a newpartnership with Fairtrade.Around 5,000 Fairtradecocoa farmers in the firm’ssupply chain are now receivingapproximately an additional$600,000 over the next year.This amount is on top ofthe annual Fairtrade Premiumof around $970,000 and theIvorian government’sminimum price for cocoa thatall companies are required topay. The extra money thatfarmers will now receive is animportant part of Ben & Jerry’swider efforts to supportfarmers towards closing theliving income gap.As the company noted,cocoa farming is anunpredictable business, andfarmers bear the risk of lossescaused by climate change andextreme weather patterns.Smallholdercocoa farmersalso havevirtually nocontrol overglobal marketprices and are atthe mercy ofprice volatility.Inequality in thecocoa chainmeans farmersare trapped inextreme povertyand can’t afford toinvest in moreprogressivefarming methods to improvetheir income or adapt to achanging climate.In turn, rural communitiesare held back and the naturalenvironment suffers. A livingincome is enough to providedecent housing and healthcare, clean water and education,plus a little extra forunexpected events, helping tobreak the cycle.The higher prices Ben &Jerry’s will be paying are thelatest step in a package of livingincome interventions that theyhave implemented togetherwith Fairtrade since 2015. Theseactivities include productivity,diversification and co-operativestrengthening which togethersupport a living incomestrategy for the future.The higher prices will beclosely monitored throughpartners on the ground tounderstand exactly how theycontribute towards asustainable livelihood forfarmers.Ben & Jerry’s Global Values-Led Sourcing Manager CherylPinto said: “We’re committedto working for economic justicethrough our ice cream, andnow we’re ramping up ourcommitment with the cocoawe buy. Starting with the cocoain our chocolate ice cream mix,we’re working towards theFairtrade Living IncomeReference Price2 for cocoafarmers, and this is thebeginning. We are exploringliving incomes in our otherglobal supply chains, too.”Ben & Jerry’s purchasesacross all commodities aresignificant and have generated$3.6m in Fairtrade Premiumsin 2019 for farmingcommunities to spend as theychoose. Many have fundedschools, and invested in climateresilience and localinfrastructure.Louisa Cox, Fairtrade’sDirector of Impact said: “It’scomplex work to advancetowards a living income, butboth organisations arecommitted to this vision. Ben &Jerry’s recognises the role ofbusiness in addressing thechallenges in thecocoa sector andthis commitmentsets a greatexample for othercompanies tofollow. So nexttime when you’rescooping up a tubof delicious Ben &Jerry’s chocolateice cream,remember you’rehelpingsupportingfarmers to buildbetter futures.”• From le: Mr Lawrence Desouza, Markeng Director; Samuel Searyor,Operaons Manager; Ing. Edem Fiakumah, Construcon Manager; DrPrince Joseph Ayiku, MD; Salah Kalmoni, Director and Mr MohammedMustapha, all of Lakeside EstateLakeside Estate, 39 otherswin CIMG 2019 awardsLAKESIDE Estate has been adjudged theCIMG Real Estate Company of the Year2019 at the 2020 edition of the CharteredInstitute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG)annual National Marketing PerformanceAwards.Currently, Lakeside Estate commandsa 40 per cent share of the real estatemarket in the country.This year’s CIMG awards, held inAccra last Saturday on the theme:“Marketing in a Disruptive Era”, is the31st since its inception.The event conferred honours onbusinesses that had adapted theirapproach and maintained theirstandards of excellence regardless of theCovid-19 pandemic.Parts of the citation accompanyingLakeside Estate’s award read: “Your visionwas to become one of the best customerfocused real estate company in Ghanathat will expand through the building ofunique variety of quality housing unitsthat are environmentally friendly. By theestimation of our panel of evaluators, youhave left no doubts in their minds as youdelivered exactly on that promise.“You are lauded for using in-depthenvironmental analysis to establishneeds of clients and working at them,thus becoming a listening firm.”Premier awardThe National President of CIMG,Dr Daniel Kasser Tee, expressed concernabout the illegitimate award schemes byunauthorised bodies in recognition ofmarketing practitioners in the country.“The CIMG has noted with greatdisappointment and concern themanner in which unauthorised bodieshave in the past organised their own setof awards to recognise marketingpractitioners in this country,” he said.Dr Kasser Tee said regulating thestandards and practices of Ghanaianmarketers was the sole preserve of CIMG.“We wish to bring to the attention ofsuch bodies that with the passage of theChartered Institute of Marketing GhanaLaw, they require the express approval ofthe CIMG as the sole professional bodymandated by law to set standards andregulate marketing practice beforeconducting such awards,” he said.The awardsThe Chief Executive Officer (CEO) ofGhana Tourism Authority,Mr Akwasi Agyeman, was adjudged theMarketing Man of the Year 2019 formaking Ghana the tourism destinationof choice in Africa with the successfulYear of Return campaign, while theMarketing Woman of the Year awardwent to Patience Akyianu, Group CEO,Hollard, Ghana.In all, more than 40 corporate entitiesand individuals that excelled at theirrespective businesses and marketingroles in the face of the COVID-19pandemic and other challenges wererecognised and handed their shields atthe CIMG Awards 2019.The CIMG Awards has been inexistence since 1989 and celebrates thecaptains of industries and experts acrossvarious sectors of the Ghanaianeconomy.The event honours businesses andinstitutions whose performances impactpositively on society and the world atlarge.Ghana prepares for launch of new development bank• Continued from Page 3fact that the availability of long-termfunding for financial institutions in Ghanais also strained.But the document says that there areother factors influencing banks’ decision tolimit loan maturities in Ghana, namelyeconomic uncertainties such as inflationand interest rate volatility.Countries across Africa have felt theeffects of COVID 19 and Ghana has been noexception, suffering from a plunge inexternal demand, as well as lower inflowsfrom tourism and foreign directinvestment.According to the World Bank, Ghana’sGDP growth is expected to slow from 6.5per cent in 2019 to 1.2 per cent in 2020.Last week, the IDA moved to bolsterfunding for the country’s health caresystem, injecting US$130mn into Ghana’sEmergency Preparedness and ResponseProject.According to Laporte, the funding willincrease the availability of intensive careunit beds in the country, and help Ghanaadopt new Covid-19 medications.
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