By Konrad Kodjo Djaisi The USAID West Africa Trade Hub is partnering with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the Benin National Shippers’ Council to inaugurate West Africa’s third Border Information Center in Seme, Nigeria, and Krake, Benin respectively.   The new center, which will be inaugurated tomorrow, provides practical information to traders where they need it most- at the border. The Seme and Krake Border Information center is the third in the region. The first was established at Aflao, Ghana, in August 2011 and the second is at the Burkina Faso –Ghana border with offices in Paga and Dakola, respectively. The Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the Benin National Shippers’ Council are hosting the new center, located at their offices in Nigeria and Benin. The center is sponsored by the USAID Business Environments for Agile Markets (BEAM) project. The Border Information Centres provide information and assistance to traders to reduce the costs and delays associated with doing trade across borders such as import, export and transit information. Benin’s Minister of Trade will join Nigeria’s of Trade and Industry with the U. S, Consul-General and high-level stakeholders to perform the inauguration of the center. The USAID West Africa Trade Hub uses a market-driven approach to increase exports from the region – making West Africa competitive in world markets. The Trade Hub provides direct assistance to hundreds of companies in six value chains. That work is complemented by teams tackling problems in transportation, telecommunications, access to finance and business environment that make it difficult for West African companies to compete.   In a related development, private sector stakeholders from across West Africa will participate in the second annual conference of the Borderless Alliance, a private sector-led coalition to increase trade across West Africa, will take place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on February 14 and 15, next year.   The stakeholders include the region’s leading trading companies, transport and logistics companies, and banks and other financial institutions. ECOWAS and UEMOA, the regional bodies that obtain the consensus on trade policy from West African states, will also participate along with representatives of ministries from West African states. The Managing Director of the Borderless Alliance, Justin Bayili said his Alliance serves as a platform to identify and address the problems that affect regional trade.  â€œWe are coordinating the implementation of a comprehensive strategy with private sector stakeholders across West Africa. The conference will allow stakeholders to collaborate on the strategy and built the momentum to driving further change.”

 PARTICIPANT SARAH NSIAH SHARES HER STORY Accra:  5 December 2012: Participants of the Vodafone Ghana Foundation initiative ‘World of Difference’ have started their life changing projects in various parts of the country. Sarah Nsiah, one of the participants, shares with us her journey to inspire and change lives. She first came across the advert for WoD initiative in an old newspaper her little son was playing on. It was a happy moment; she quickly called the number to get more details and find out if she was eligible to participate.  After a series of interviews, an essay on her chosen subject – educating people on eradicating Malaria, she was chosen as one of the 50 participants to work with Strength of Women Foundation (SOW) to assist with malaria education and in reducing malaria cases. Sarah is a 39yr old single mother, who relocated to Ghana from the UK. She has been involved in many social enterprises to improve the wellbeing of people she interacts with, and helps to secure a better future for them through knowledge sharing initiatives and platforms. One of her initiatives was an association called Young CEO’s which engaged young people to fulfill their potential. She hosted group workshops, training platforms for these young entrepreneurs to engage with like-minded people. Sarah’s true passion for educating people about malaria, led her to start a facebook page – www.facebook.com/kissmalariagoodbye, prior to her signing up for Vodafone Foundation’s World of Difference (WoD) project. Her project choice is Strength of Women Foundation (SOW), an NGO that focuses on women’s health issues, poverty reduction, malaria education and reduction. Her choice was stemmed from the fact that as a young mother with sickle cell anemia, she understands the implications and issues of people living with sickle cell in a malaria affected area. But also most importantly as a loving and doting mother, she knows how malaria can disrupt a child’s life, without proper care. All mothers have that worry and that was enough reason to work with SOW to help educate and reduce malaria cases to near zero. The project started on the 22 of October 2012 and will end on the 22 of December 2012.  She began her journey in the district of Ho and Adaklu-Anyigbe with 20 communities under her wing.  She conducted research in each of the 20 communities to get a better understanding of what they were facing and in most cases, it was a lack of understanding and knowledge. The various communities embraced Sarah and were eager to learn more about simple steps they could take to reduce malaria amongst their children and themselves. Advocacy work begun on a fortnightly basis to share experiences, facts about malaria, simple steps each individual could take to prevent malaria – it was made clear that children would sometimes stay out late playing, with no protective clothing, therefore exposing them to mosquito bites. Sarah worked hard to get the support from the USAID Malaria Ambassador - Nana Boroo who also happens to be a hiplife artist to support the NGO by sponsoring the project with LLITN – Long-lasting Insecticides treated Nets which will be fitted in homes. Sarah understands that her hard work would not be done after the project ends in December; rather it is the beginning of a bright future amongst these women and their families in the Ho and Adaklu-Anyigbe district. They will be furnished with information and a task force will be engaged to carry on Sarah’s work within these communities. Sarah’s journey has been one of self discovery and growth and the sheer elation she gets from seeing her good deeds embraced by the communities.  She continues by saying ‘Vodafone foundation’s World of Difference project is a great platform to give back to people who need it the most; doing this on my own was no mean feat but having a respected brand such as Vodafone behind it to steer it in the right direction has given the subject matter of Malaria the weight it needed to impact the various communities. It has a been a life affirming journey, one that I hope to continue with and expand the need for better knowledge and understanding of eradicating Malaria cases to near zero’. Carmen Bruce-Annan, Head of Corporate Communications of Vodafone Ghana reiterates the sheer magnitude of these projects and states that ‘making a world of difference in someone’s life is humbling and rewarding, It takes determination and the power to want to succeed and change and that is why Vodafone Ghana believes in empowering people to be the change they want to see in the world and take the time to support their community at their point of need., The World of Difference programme is currently in its third year and has positively transformed communities with impactful and sustainable projects. Vodafone Foundation is building a sustainable future for the ones that need it the most.

By Ekow Essabra-Mensah The Ghana National Cargo Transporters Association (GNCTA) says it will continue to pursue its agenda to harmonise axel load policy among Ecowas countries. Axle load is the acceptable weight of goods a vehicle is allowed to carry. An axle load policy is intended, among other things, to prolong the lifespan of roads. Currently, the axel load policy among ECOWAS countries is not harmonised, according to a study of perspectives of transport sector stakeholders that was initiated by GNCTA with support from the BUSAC Fund. The study commenced in June 2012 and was aimed at engaging the government to simplify the process for weighing trucks and make it fair, transparent and efficient to support the implementation of the common axle load policy. Among steps intended to harmonise the policy between Ghana and ECOWAS include amending the current axle load limit of 10 tonnes to agree with the ECOWAS protocol limit of 11.5 tonnes. Additional limits will also be derived for axle types other than the single axle to which the 11.5 tonne limit applies. The harmonised policy is to reduce the number of vehicles with axle load of more than 13 tonnes by 80%, and ensure that no truck axle load is more than 16 tonnes. “There will be the need to play a greater role, especially in the education of members on new axle load regulations; negotiate some relief for transporters to famine and war-torn areas; and provide warehousing, transportation infrastructure and collateral management. “There is also the need for greater involvement of private-sector operators in the drafting of the axle load policy to regulate the cargo transport industry,” the study stated. It observed that cargo transporters face a number of constraints in the transportation of goods within the country and across borders within the West African sub-region. Significant challenges identified during field interviews include the use of more cargo trucks to convey limited cargo as a result of axle load limitations, lack of good road networks, and harassment by law enforcement agencies such as the Police, Immigration and Custom Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) – which tends to increase transportation costs. French speaking countries in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) surround Ghana, making the language barrier and the WAEMU applicable regulations a concern for truck drivers from Ghana. Yet Ghana is a regional leader in many road transport aspects, including complying with axle load regulations, governance, and infrastructure. Ghana currently is one of the best performers in road governance across the region, with the lowest bribes and limited delays. However, the number of controls from the Police is still among the highest in the region – one control per 100 km. The number of controls from CEPS is also among the highest. The report observed that there are many active checkpoints in Ghana: 44 checkpoints along the 880 km distance between the Port of Tema and the Burkina Faso border of Paga. While most of these checkpoints do not operate on a systematic control basis, this can be considered a form of harassment, especially for foreign drivers, who are more likely to stop at every checkpoint, the report said. The report advised that in order to optimise the impact of actions to reduce road harassment, stakeholders should focus on the checkpoints where higher harassment is experienced. The report aims at being a useful tool for trade and transport stakeholders, whose ultimate goal is to boost economic growth and reduce poverty in order to facilitate trade. It also provides findings and recommendations in order to initiate targeted actions for improvement

By Patrick PAINTSIL Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited has acquired a new state-of-the-art data centre in its quest to provide flawless and real-time banking services to its customers. The facility has been acquired through the Bank’s partnership with global technology giants IBM to overhaul its data centre as it prepares for its accelerated expansion. The data centre, situated in the Bank’s headquarters has been designed from ground-up with the latest advances in energy efficiency, business continuity and resiliency as well as security and disaster recovery. The new data facility will provide accurate data, safeguard customers’ monies and records as well as offering first class and technology-based banking experience in the country. It is also a higher volume compared the one currently being used by the Bank with higher storage capacity and will ensure speedy banking transactions as well as improved smart services delivery to the banked. Mr. Suresh Lakshminarayanan, Chief Information Officer of Fidelity Bank said the new data centre has been acquired because the Bank has undergone tremendous expansion over the years—doubling its servers over a one year period—hence the need for a high-volume and secured data facility that can meet the Bank’s current demands. He said the decision was influenced by Fidelity’s goal and vision to serve the Ghanaian consumer efficiently and conveniently with smart services and products. “To meet our target as a first class bank would need the best of technology and data facilities to ensure seamless satisfaction in all the Bank’s operations. “The Ghanaian consumer has through research conducted by the Bank, proven to take pride in whatever they do and is always looking for the extraordinary. “This is why the Bank has chosen to lead the pack in the provision of smart services beyond the normal savings and withdrawal approach, especially as it nears the call for a cashless society,” he said. Mr. Lakshminarayanan lauded IBM for the relationship that has lead to the setting up of the data centre calling it a partnership for growth for the two companies. Mr. Edward Effah, Managing Director, Fidelity said the Bank is at a critical position in its history for which reason the Bank must have in place the right kind of technology as it expands and prides itself as a first class Bank in the country. “With advanced technologies and enhanced business intelligent tools, IBM is helping us to optimize our ability to provide a wider range of services to our rapidly growing client base,” he said.