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In 2011, the South African government announced a plan to create a 9.6-gigawatt nuclear energy programme. The project, they argued, would allow South Africa to diversify its energy sector, move away from coal-based energy production and boost economic growth.

But soon questions were raised about who this large-scale industrial project would ultimately benefit. Allegations have been made that public participation was being sidelined and that interested parties were colluding with the Russian government.

Accra, April 5, GNA - Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Wednesday said policy decisions of the Government were based on accurate data and, therefore, called for adequate investment in data gathering processes that would engender development.

He said without information it would be difficult for the Government to take accurate decisions concerning national priorities.

He said the data produced by various actors must be consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals, match user needs and easily comprehensible.

Ivory Coast’s semi-public water distribution company, SODECI, recently shut down its water treatment plant in the area because of the level of pollution in the Bia River.

Galamsey menace in Ghana

There has been intense pressure on government to end the illegal practice, and save water bodies and the environment from further destruction.

Currently, some water treatment plants in Ghana have been shut down due to the activities of illegal miners, which have rendered water bodies from which the plants harvest water for processing useless.

Accra, April 1, GNA - Ghana and Japan on Friday, signed two grant agreements totally $ 58.4 million, geared towards the improvement of international corridor roads and sector budget support to promote health service delivery.

The signing of the agreements were initialled for Ghana by Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, while that of Japan was by Mr Kaoru Yoshimura, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan and Mr Koji Makino, the Chief Representative, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Effective July 1, 2017, petrol and diesel imported into the country will have a maximum sulpur content level of 50 Parts Per Million (ppm), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Hassan Tampuli, has directed.

According to him, NPA had to revise the initial start date of April 1, 2017, mainly to engage Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to make sure that the State-owned refinery as a national asset is not put at a disadvantage position.

He announced this at the 4th Annual General Meeting of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD).

New figures from the Bank of Ghana have revealed that Ghana’s total balance of trade for February 2017 recorded a surplus of 573 million dollars.

This is equivalent to 1.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product for the period.

The surplus is an improvement compared to the over 500 million dollars deficit recorded in February 2016.

But the country’s revenue from cocoa for the period dropped by ten percent.

Ghana’s unemployment rate stood at 11.9 percent in 2015.

This is according to the latest Ghana Labour Force Survey Report by the Ghana Statistical Service.

This is about twice the figure recorded in 2012/2013 (5.8%) based on the Statistical services strict definition of unemployment – where “one was not working, actively looking for a job and available for work.”

However, the definition has changed for the 2015 studies, was based on a relaxed definition where “one was available for work and not working within the last seven days before an interview.”

Accra, March 21, GNA - President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has assured investors, both domestic and foreign, that neither his government nor his appointees are in office to compete for business opportunities with the private sector.

He said his administration was setting the ground rules on how government and the private sector should work, reiterating that “the private sector is not going to bring projects only for members of government and their cronies to take over them.

Ghana is among the countries with the highest United States visa application denial rates, according to the U.S. State Department.

Ghana was among the 13 countries with a denial rate of over 60 percent according to figures from the 2015 fiscal year.

The highest rates were found to be in African and Middle Eastern countries, including Syria and Somalia, whilst Cuba and Laos also had high denial rates.

The Visa acquisition process