Sand winning destroying cocoa farms in Ashanti Region

The country risks losing billions of dollars in mining investment and ceding ground to regional rivals unless it eases its fiscal burden and restores investor confidence in the security of mining leases, the Ghana Chamber of Mines has warned.

COCOBOD, the cocoa sector regulator, has released GH¢2.6billion to Licenced Buying Companies (LBCs) to expedite farmers’ payments, thereby clearing a significant portion of arrears owed.

Forty-five years after its creation, the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme has registered 50,000 products for duty-free access, yet intra-regional trade barely clears 12 per cent. A hard look at the levies, legal obligations and political will standing between aspiration and market reality.

Air pollution is imposing a significant and growing economic burden on the country, with the Ghana Sustainable Cities Strategy estimating the cost at about US$2.5 billion annually.