Ghana Roundup: IMF tariff adjustment, genetically modified crops, new covid cases

4th in Stressful Work Environments

Ghana has been ranked as the 4th most stressful country for workers in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the 2023 Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report. The survey revealed that Ghanaian workers experience stress daily, placing the country high on the list of stress-inducing work environments in the region, MyJoy Online reports. Chad topped the list, followed by Uganda, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone. Despite ongoing recovery efforts from the pandemic, employee stress levels remain high. "While the debate over remote, hybrid, or on-site work continues, employee engagement remains paramount in reducing stress levels. The flexibility of remote work offers autonomy and well-being, valued highly by today’s workers," the report stated.

IMF requests tariff adjustment

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Ghana to implement strict reforms to empower utility service providers to ensure reliable and sustainable power for households and industries. Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, IMF representatives emphasized the need for an enabling environment for private sector players to increase renewable energy use. “Sometimes, the setup of the energy sector does not provide the utilities the ability to have cost recovery from the charges that they make to operate profitably and efficiently and supply energy as needed,” said Catherine Pattillo, an IMF Deputy Director. The call for tariff adjustments comes amidst recent power outages in Ghana, attributed to financial challenges in procuring fuel for power plants.

Injunction against genetically modified crops dismissed

The Human Rights Court 1 has dismissed an interlocutory injunction application filed by Food Sovereignty Ghana and others against the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) over the approval of 14 genetically modified organism (GMO) crops for food, feed, and processing in Ghana, according to local media Graphic Online. The court acknowledged the NBA's diligence in ensuring the safety and regulatory compliance of GMO crops in Ghana.

Press freedom ranking improves

Ghana has moved up 12 places in the World Press Freedom Index, ranking 50th globally. While this indicates progress, challenges remain, particularly regarding political interference in journalism. Recent incidents, including attacks on journalists and interruptions during media coverage, highlight ongoing concerns about press freedom in Ghana, the Accra Times reports. “This is what happened in Nigeria (ranked 112th in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index), where nearly 20 reporters were attacked in early 2023. In Madagascar (100th), ten were attacked by political activities during pre-election protests. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (123rd), where politicians often try to intimidate media personnel, the journalist Stanis Bujakera’s detention pending trial on a trumped-up charge prevented him from covering the run-up to the elections,” the report notes.

31 new COVID-19 cases

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has reported 31 new cases of COVID-19 in the country in the past week. While the cases are not severe, health officials stress the importance of vaccination and containment measures. A national vaccination exercise is set to commence on May 5th, underscoring efforts to minimize the spread of the virus and protect public health, local media Citi News reports. “In the past week or so, we were recording some significant numbers up to about 30 or 31 or so. But this is not unexpected. As we have already been saying, COVID has come to stay with us. It is part of us. And so from time to time and that is why we also haven’t given up on vaccination and so if you are aware, from 5th to 9th May, we are going to do another exercise of COVID vaccination. So we are doing the national COVID-19 vaccination exercise as part of our strategies to reduce COVID to the barest minimum,” Programmes Manager at the Expanded Programme on Immunization at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Kwame Amponsah-Achiano said.