By Dominick Andoh An Extra-ordinary General Meeting (EGM) of Starwin Products Limited, a local pharmaceutical manufacturer, convened to consider pertinent issues raised by a shareholder, Enviro Solutions Limited, ended after 30 minutes due to the failure of the supplicant to make an appearance. Enviro Solutions Limited had put forward 11 resolutions to be deliberated upon by shareholders at the meeting. However, the Board Chairman, Dr. Mensa Otabil, said the Board had received a court order pertaining to the first two resolutions, which sought among other things to surcharge all Directors on the cost of printing and circulating two written statements, titled “Response to Concerns Raised by a Shareholder to Move an Ordinary Resolution to Remove Directors of SPL from Office”, and “SPL to Surcharge all Directors on Additional Cost of Postponing the 2012 SPL AGM from 31/7/12 to 7/11/12”. Shareholders at the meeting unanimously voted to dismiss the nine other resolutions which were available for deliberation after allowing enough time for a representative of Enviro Solutions Limited to move the resolution for consideration by shareholders. Starwin Products Limited is the first of two companies in the industry to be listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange, having evolved from Sterlin Products International Limited. The company changed its name to Starwin Products Limited in 1993 when it was taken over by Ghanaian investors. The company’s products repertoire includes Rapinol, Asmadrin, Milk of Magnesia, Starwin Liver Salt, and Expectolyn Cough Syrup.

The Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has called on the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) to ensure that it does everything within its power to adhere to the scheduled date for resumption of the gas pipeline’s operations. According to him, the ever-growing significance of gas supply to the region and the importance Government attaches to the project makes it imperative for WAPCo to do all it can to meet the target. The Minister made the call at a meeting with officials of the company at the Ministry on Tuesday. Recalling the two instances where the scheduled dates were missed, Mr. Buah said the company is already inching toward serious credibility problems, adding that ‘this is an opportunity to restore your reputation’. The Minister also hinted at plans to meet with officials of N-gas of Nigeria, suppliers of gas to Ghana, to discuss the availability of gas supplies to the country as soon as work on the pipeline is completed. This, he said, is aimed at avoiding a situation where the pipeline would be in place but without the required volume of gas needed to power the country’s plants. The officials of WAPGCo were at the Ministry at the instance of the Minister to brief him on the progress of re-commissioning works on the West African Gas Pipeline. The Managing Director of WAPCo, Charles A. Adeniji, in his response told the Minister the company has successfully completed integrity testing of the pipeline connectors, adding that the contractors engaged to undertake the re-commissioning works necessary to bring the pipeline back into operation have mobilised to site and are currently removing water from the pipeline. He assured the Minister that the April 30 deadline will be met. Accompanying the WAPCo boss were the General Manager (Operations), Charles Dele Adongbede and General Manager (Corporate Affairs), Harriet Wereko-Brobby. Also at the meeting were the Chief Director of the Ministry, Professor Thomas Akabzaa, and some officials.

By Dominick Andoh The Board of the Ghana Trade Fair Company (GTFC) has submitted proposals to the Ministry of Trade and Industry for redevelopment of the Trade Fair site in Accra under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement. The first phase of the redevelopment exercise is expected to cost an estimated US$1.1billion. “[We plan on] redeveloping the whole Trade Fair site. We asked an Irish company to [undertake the feasibility] study for us and recommend what can be done. They completed the study as far back as 2010, but unfortunately no decision was taken,” Captain (Rtd) Kwadwo Butah, Board Chairman of GTFC, told the B&FT in an interview. He said under the proposed new development, the GTFC will “do some high-rise housing around the lake, do offices, meeting halls, [reconstruct] our exhibition centres, do a shopping mall, and generally to put up structures that are economically profitable and will support the trade exhibition facility.” He disclosed that the Board is currently negotiating with owners of the Trade Fair site to see how best to pay for the site, which currently has an estimated land value of US$23million.The GTFC is expected to play a central role in the hosting of the ECOWAS Trade Fair in October 2013. The Trade Fair Company, in meeting one of its statutory obligations of organising yearly international trade exhibitions to facilitate local and international trade, is currently hosting the 17th edition of the Ghana International Trade Fair. The Fair, which started on February 28 and ends on March 11, has over 420 local and international exhibitors participating. GTFC, formerly the Ghana Trade Fair Authority (FTFA), is an autonomous self-financing state-owned enterprise established by PNDC Law 215 in 1989. GTFC is administratively accountable to the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Fairs and exhibitions organised by GTFC are noted for their high standards. The company has previously hosted the Pan-African Trade Fair and Investment Conference in response to a recommendation of the Africa Commission for the region to raise a targeted US$3billion to support African SMEs.

Nine South African officers appeared in court Friday over accusations they were involved in dragging a man down a road while he was handcuffed to the back of a police van.

A new report by Fitch has indicated that growth in sovereign ratings in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the past decade has helped increase foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to the region. Published February 28, 2013, the report noted that research …

Bilateral trade between Ghana and Britain in goods only is worth £735 million during the year 2012, according to data released March 7, 2013 by the UK High Commission in Accra. The 2012 trade value slipped from £767 million recorded …

Africa’s farmers and agribusinesses could create a trillion-dollar food market by 2030, says a  new World Bank report launched Monday, March 4, 2013 in Washington. This can however only become possible if Africa’s farmers are able to expand their access …