And a word from the newspapers
Time for a bit of what’s happening in the Ghana News:
1. Standards Board
Ghana Food standards board decided that in order to import any food product into Ghana, you need to be “registered” with them and – ahh we knew it was coming – pay a registration fee of $10.000 per product. ($7.500 per product if you have more than four products).
Now happily assume that possibly 5000 food items are imported into Ghana by enterprising businessmen. Maths says $7500 x 5000 (assume all get the “discount”) and you have a standards board collecting $37.5 MILLION.
What are they going to use this money for one asks. Well it is simple. The fee “is to enable the board members to conduct manufacturing site verification at the ORIGIN of the products to ensure that the manufacturer conforms to the fundamental codes of good manufacturing practice”
To me? This sounds like a really simple way to get the public (yup – cos the fee will be recovered in the selling price) to pay for a few of the boards lads to have paid for overseas trips.
Novel if nothing else.
2. Accra not the capital?
There is a debate raging that because Accra is “overblown, congested, filthy, short of facilities etc” that Ghana should move the capital somewhere else.
What the hell – why bother sorting out the issues. Let’s just pack up and move somewhere else and start over.
God I hope they do not choose Tarkwa – the one road will not be able to handle the increased traffic.
A debate that will die a natural death I believe.
3. Toyota Ghana
Obviously feeling the pressure of “dubai’s” (grey imports for those not in the know), Ghana Toyota took out a full page advert – In color – extolling the virtues of buying a Toyota “designed for Ghana”
Did you know:
• Their radiators are bigger
• They use a petrol engine designed for bad petrol and diesel engine designed for bad diesel. (I am not sure then why all three of our new Toyota LDV’s lost their fuel pumps before 20,000km)
• The Toyota’s here have been send with a “rough road usage package” That must be why they so bloody hard on the road.
• The send service kits for the power steering pump and the steering rack instead of replacing then when they break.
• The have additional lubrication points on the vehicles
• They have recirculating ball steering system instead of rack and pinion type. The rack and pinion makes driving more comfortable but is not suitable for Ghana roads (so you can be uncomfortable cause their cars canna take the bumps)
I chuckle!
4. Dogs
A while back front page news was a guard dog attacking a person “walking through the company premises” (oh yes – with a panga which he used to threaten the security guards with) and there was hell to pay as the company was vilified for using ‘attack dogs” to protect themselves.
Well as a follow up – the local chief led a posse of angry youths who quite happily “killed a guard dog and severed the waist of another” (I assume the other dog died as well). Of course nothing will happen from this as dogs have no rights here and are just another basic food group.
*growl*
5. Balls to the wall
A woman who “ripped off her ex husbands testicle” has been granted bail of GHC 100 million (ZAR 70.000).
Ow!
6. A bridge over troubled waters
A 252 meter bridge in the greater Accra region will be completed in August 2005. 11!! YEARS after it was started. Apparently a contractor was awarded the contract in 1994 and the bridge was due to be completed by 1996. In May 2003 – after parting with GHC14 billion (ZAR 10 million), the contract was cancelled for non performance – no shit Sherlock – and a new contractor was appointed last year for a further ZAR14 million.
It takes some lad from the roads dept 9 years to realise that every year R1 million was paid to a contractor for a bridge that just was not been built.
Good money if you can take it
7. Justice at last
If you recall earlier I was quite verbose when a man was convicted of raping an underage girl and was banished from the area to his sister’s area. If he returned to the area, his sister would go to jail.
Well the judges must read my blog – yeah, but I can dream – and a father who raped his step daughter (11) was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Kumasi. In Accra an 18 year old male who raped an 8 year old girl was sentenced to 7 years hard labour in Kumasi as well.
Give them to the woman in #5 above I say!!
8. We wuz robbed!!!
The Ghana U17 soccer team made the U17 finals on Sunday and were beaten by The Gambia 1-0. The goal was scored while a Gambian fan had run on the pitch and was dancing around in the Ghanaian Goal. The ref refused to stop the game despite the fan and the goal was scored.
To say the Ghanaians are livid is an understatement. Goodness I would have chirped as well!!
9. And Justice for all?
A while back the Kenyan 1st Lady stormed into the (wrong) newspaper offices and threw her vibrators out the toy bag at all who would listen about an article written by (another) newspaper. She ended up slapping a cameraman who was filming the outburst.
Charges were laid and – surprise surprise – the Attorney General “declined to prosecute”
Another reason why I love Africa!
10. British America Tobacco reacts to market conditions
BAT reported their ¼’ly results today. (They made a 16% profit after tax). One line that did catch my eye and made me smiles was the following:
“Debtor balances increased substantially as BAT has increased the credit period available to our distributors in an effort to make their total margin model more competitive with contraband product”
They did appeal to Government to assist in dealing with contraband ciggies. VAT and Excise consist 56% of the selling price of their goods and they still manage to sell a pack of 20 for R10.00. Evidently sin taxes in SA are a WHOLE lot higher!
11. Do your maintenance
There is an amazing picture in the paper of a truck (12 tonner) carrying a container that has snapped in half just behind the drivers cab. The result? The driver crushed by the load. At least the driver was the owner of the vehicle and some poor driver was not killed due to poor maintenance. Not that his family would see it my way, but honestly some of the heavy vehicles on the roads here should have been put out to pasture years ago.
They still ply their trade and I get pulled over because my number plate is partially obscured.
That completes my newspaper review
Have a fun day now you hear
OH YES!!! - It is my sister’s birthday tomorrow
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBS!!!!!
1. Standards Board
Ghana Food standards board decided that in order to import any food product into Ghana, you need to be “registered” with them and – ahh we knew it was coming – pay a registration fee of $10.000 per product. ($7.500 per product if you have more than four products).
Now happily assume that possibly 5000 food items are imported into Ghana by enterprising businessmen. Maths says $7500 x 5000 (assume all get the “discount”) and you have a standards board collecting $37.5 MILLION.
What are they going to use this money for one asks. Well it is simple. The fee “is to enable the board members to conduct manufacturing site verification at the ORIGIN of the products to ensure that the manufacturer conforms to the fundamental codes of good manufacturing practice”
To me? This sounds like a really simple way to get the public (yup – cos the fee will be recovered in the selling price) to pay for a few of the boards lads to have paid for overseas trips.
Novel if nothing else.
2. Accra not the capital?
There is a debate raging that because Accra is “overblown, congested, filthy, short of facilities etc” that Ghana should move the capital somewhere else.
What the hell – why bother sorting out the issues. Let’s just pack up and move somewhere else and start over.
God I hope they do not choose Tarkwa – the one road will not be able to handle the increased traffic.
A debate that will die a natural death I believe.
3. Toyota Ghana
Obviously feeling the pressure of “dubai’s” (grey imports for those not in the know), Ghana Toyota took out a full page advert – In color – extolling the virtues of buying a Toyota “designed for Ghana”
Did you know:
• Their radiators are bigger
• They use a petrol engine designed for bad petrol and diesel engine designed for bad diesel. (I am not sure then why all three of our new Toyota LDV’s lost their fuel pumps before 20,000km)
• The Toyota’s here have been send with a “rough road usage package” That must be why they so bloody hard on the road.
• The send service kits for the power steering pump and the steering rack instead of replacing then when they break.
• The have additional lubrication points on the vehicles
• They have recirculating ball steering system instead of rack and pinion type. The rack and pinion makes driving more comfortable but is not suitable for Ghana roads (so you can be uncomfortable cause their cars canna take the bumps)
I chuckle!
4. Dogs
A while back front page news was a guard dog attacking a person “walking through the company premises” (oh yes – with a panga which he used to threaten the security guards with) and there was hell to pay as the company was vilified for using ‘attack dogs” to protect themselves.
Well as a follow up – the local chief led a posse of angry youths who quite happily “killed a guard dog and severed the waist of another” (I assume the other dog died as well). Of course nothing will happen from this as dogs have no rights here and are just another basic food group.
*growl*
5. Balls to the wall
A woman who “ripped off her ex husbands testicle” has been granted bail of GHC 100 million (ZAR 70.000).
Ow!
6. A bridge over troubled waters
A 252 meter bridge in the greater Accra region will be completed in August 2005. 11!! YEARS after it was started. Apparently a contractor was awarded the contract in 1994 and the bridge was due to be completed by 1996. In May 2003 – after parting with GHC14 billion (ZAR 10 million), the contract was cancelled for non performance – no shit Sherlock – and a new contractor was appointed last year for a further ZAR14 million.
It takes some lad from the roads dept 9 years to realise that every year R1 million was paid to a contractor for a bridge that just was not been built.
Good money if you can take it
7. Justice at last
If you recall earlier I was quite verbose when a man was convicted of raping an underage girl and was banished from the area to his sister’s area. If he returned to the area, his sister would go to jail.
Well the judges must read my blog – yeah, but I can dream – and a father who raped his step daughter (11) was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Kumasi. In Accra an 18 year old male who raped an 8 year old girl was sentenced to 7 years hard labour in Kumasi as well.
Give them to the woman in #5 above I say!!
8. We wuz robbed!!!
The Ghana U17 soccer team made the U17 finals on Sunday and were beaten by The Gambia 1-0. The goal was scored while a Gambian fan had run on the pitch and was dancing around in the Ghanaian Goal. The ref refused to stop the game despite the fan and the goal was scored.
To say the Ghanaians are livid is an understatement. Goodness I would have chirped as well!!
9. And Justice for all?
A while back the Kenyan 1st Lady stormed into the (wrong) newspaper offices and threw her vibrators out the toy bag at all who would listen about an article written by (another) newspaper. She ended up slapping a cameraman who was filming the outburst.
Charges were laid and – surprise surprise – the Attorney General “declined to prosecute”
Another reason why I love Africa!
10. British America Tobacco reacts to market conditions
BAT reported their ¼’ly results today. (They made a 16% profit after tax). One line that did catch my eye and made me smiles was the following:
“Debtor balances increased substantially as BAT has increased the credit period available to our distributors in an effort to make their total margin model more competitive with contraband product”
They did appeal to Government to assist in dealing with contraband ciggies. VAT and Excise consist 56% of the selling price of their goods and they still manage to sell a pack of 20 for R10.00. Evidently sin taxes in SA are a WHOLE lot higher!
11. Do your maintenance
There is an amazing picture in the paper of a truck (12 tonner) carrying a container that has snapped in half just behind the drivers cab. The result? The driver crushed by the load. At least the driver was the owner of the vehicle and some poor driver was not killed due to poor maintenance. Not that his family would see it my way, but honestly some of the heavy vehicles on the roads here should have been put out to pasture years ago.
They still ply their trade and I get pulled over because my number plate is partially obscured.
That completes my newspaper review
Have a fun day now you hear
OH YES!!! - It is my sister’s birthday tomorrow
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBS!!!!!
1 Comments:
Thanks, I did have a good one... now where is the new blog dammit. I wait each week to read about life in Ghana with bated breath.!!!!!
love u lots lil bro!!
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