John Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has pledged to revisit the Customs Amendment Act 2020 to facilitate the importation of salvaged vehicles.

Despite the temporary suspension of the Act, Mahama expresses concern about its potential adverse effects on artisans and the transport sector.

This commitment was conveyed during a session at the Techiman Market, where Mahama engaged with various economic groups as part of the “Building Ghana Tour.”

This initiative involves town hall meetings aimed at documenting the challenges faced by different communities.

Artisans at the Techiman Market voiced their discontent with the Customs Amendment Act, which, among other provisions, offers incentives to registered automobile manufacturers and assembling firms under the Ghana Automotive Manufacturers Programme.

Notably, the Act prohibits the importation of salvaged motor vehicles and cars older than 10 years into Ghana.

However, Mahama suggests that the restriction on salvaged cars could be confined to government agencies.

He proposes that, given the government’s substantial purchasing power, it should primarily buy from assembling plants to support its profits.

This, he believes, would allow individuals with limited resources to import salvaged vehicles.

Mahama assures that if the NDC returns to power, changes will be made to the Act to reflect this approach.

In addressing the need to modernize the vehicle mechanic trade, the former President acknowledges the necessity of providing artisans with training in modern technology.

He outlines the NDC government’s plans to achieve this goal, referencing a past partnership during his tenure as Vice President that involved collaborating with SMIDO at Suame Magazine to establish a training center equipped with modern machinery for apprentices.

Meanwhile, Mahama remains steadfast in advocating for the legalization of the tricycle business.

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Japan Motors Trading Company Ltd (JMTC), the sole distributor of the Foton range of vehicles, has started the assembling of two Foton vehicles in the country. 

The Foton two-tonne truck and the Foton 16-seater bus suitable for the manufacturing, logistics, transport, construction, oil and gas, and mining industries will be assembled locally to boost the local automobile industry.

The General Manager of Sales and Marketing of JMTC, Amine Kabbara, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement in Takoradi.

He said Foton engineers had already been flown into the country to provide support to the local engineers at the Japan Motors Vehicle Assembly Plant.

Mr Kabbara expressed the optimism that the development would spur employment opportunities and make available more quality and affordable products backed by quality aftersales service.

The fourth Foton stakeholder engagement event by Japan Motors brought together key leaders in various sectors of the economy.

It focused on heavy-duty trucks and offered an opportunity to exhibit the light-duty Foton truck, M4 series.

Officials of JMTC and Foton, including the Foton-Brand Sales Manager in charge of Light-Duty and passenger vehicles, Abdul Rahaman Osman; the Foton Brand Sales Manager in Charge of Heavy-Duty trucks, Freeman Medegli; the Marketing Manager of JMTC, Mabel OffeI, and a representative of Foton International, Calvin Lan, took turns to address the stakeholders on many issues.

Mr Kabbara stated that the series of Foton stakeholder engagements being held across the country aimed at providing the ideal logistics solutions that suit various industries with the trusted Foton brand from Japan Motors.

Japan Motors and Foton, he reiterated, with their rich experience and partnership had a comprehensive product lineup from two-tonne payload trucks to heavy-duty trucks; as such, the logistics, transport, mining, construction and oil and gas industries could rely on them for products worth a good value on investments. 

Enhancements

For his part, Mr Lan noted that the latest Foton products had undergone a series of enhancements to cater to the ever-changing demands of the market.

He confirmed that a team of experts/engineers from Foton were in the country to support the local assembling of the Foton two-tonne trucks and the Foton 16-seater buses, for which the market should expect nothing but quality products to boost their businesses.

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Dancehall musician, Samini has dropped a hint about the much-anticipated return of Grace Kaki Awo Ocansey, better known as Kaakie, to the music scene.

Kaakie, known for hits like “Too Much,” took a prolonged hiatus to focus on her personal life and pursue higher education abroad.

However, according to Samini, the wait for her comeback might soon be over.

In an exclusive interview on the Adom TV‘s show “Showtym with Andy Dosty“, Samini revealed that, Kaakie currently lives in Ohio, USA.

The reggae and dancehall icon also revealed that, he was the ghostwriter who played a pivotal role in Kaakie’s career.

Samini was elated his mentorship and guidance for several artists who have passed through his hands has propelled them to stardom.

Additionally, he emphasized that the journey to success in the music industry requires talent, hard work, and, above all, blessings.

Samini expressed his excitement about Kaakie’s imminent return.

“I see Kaakie most times. She is in Ohio. She is talking about a comebackband I am thinking about it because I have to do a lot of writing” he added.

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The year 2022 was a tough one for people and businesses around the world.

Ghana struggled with a weakened Cedi and astronomical price increases.

Traders adjusted their prices multiple times and banks raised lending rates significantly.

The Ghana insurance industry showed goodwill with the market and held back from increasing the cost of insurance protection.

Effective January 1, 2023, the regulator of insurance, the National Insurance Commission (NIC), has implemented new Motor Insurance prices (tariff) which all insurers are mandated to apply.

Here’s all the gist and how to check what you will be paying at your next renewal.

Among other things, the pricing change is aimed at safeguarding the financial health of car insurance companies so they can continue delivering value to customers.

Before we go into how the new pricing works out, let’s try and understand how car insurance companies managed under the 2022 recessive economic conditions.

Price and premium will be used interchangeably in the write-up to refer to how much you pay to insure your car, and “car” to refer to all vehicles.

How the 2022 economic turbulence impacted car insurance

Insurance claims involve replacement parts, materials, and labour. The cost of parts and materials, all imported, rose sharply during the year. Repair labour costs also surged due to the rising cost of living in the country.

In addition to increasing costs, insurers were confronted with significant losses in the value of investments.

Typically, the returns on insurance company investments augment collected premiums for the settlement of claims.

Losses on investments leave insurers in a difficult position with regard to their vital role of helping customers recover quickly from financial loss in case of accidents.

The new car insurance pricing is different in one notable way

The new pricing categorizes vehicles into 2 groups based on the year of registration:

● Group A: vehicles registered before 2020
● Group B: vehicles registered from 2020 onwards

How much you will pay depends on which group your car falls in. For example, if you have a Toyota Corolla saloon car that you use for social and private commuting purposes only, you will pay Ghs423 for third-party insurance if the registration year is before 2020. If you registered in 2020, you will pay Ghs468. Until the new pricing came into effect on January 1, all private cars used for social and private commuting purposes paid Ghs327.

You can CLICK HERE to check how much you will be paying for your car within 1 minute.

What the new prices mean for your pocket

You will be paying up to 43% more for third-party car insurance than you did in 2022.

Given that the third-party price is a factor in determining comprehensive insurance premiums, you will observe an increase in your comprehensive insurance cost as well.

Pay small-small: a way to make it easier on your pocket

Good news! You can sign on to an installment payment plan with Brolly and pay small-small instead of making an annual payment in advance.

You can get full comprehensive insurance for the whole year and pay in installments of up to 12 months. You could also pay for third party insurance in installments up to 3 months.

Here’s all the gist and how to check what you will be paying at your next renewal.

An array of products, including an irrigation farming truck meant to boost crop production has been exhibited at this year’s Kantanka Ghana Tech Expo of the Kristo Asafo Mission of Ghana (KAMOG) in Accra.

The main technology, the Kantanka Nyansaboakwa, a multipurpose truck with a 14,000-litre capacity for irrigation, applies organic fertilizer and liquid pesticide.

The new technology covers 40-acre land at a speed of five kilometres per hour, while it covers 120-acre land at a speed of 11 kilometres per hour.

The expo also offered Kantanka Nhyira two and three series, two different bulletproof limousine luxury vehicles designed purposely for targeted members of society.

They were among a number of Kantanka vehicles, electrical and electronic items, agriculture machinery, artificial intelligence, herbal pharmaceuticals and organic foods manufactured by the Kristo Asafo Mission of Ghana and other 22 exhibitors from tertiary and secondary schools on display at the annual event.

The event

The second edition was on the theme, “Uniting Africa to restore African ingenuity towards development through science, technology and religion.”

It seeks to harness Africa’s technology ingenuity and creative innovation by providing the platform for other young innovators in Ghana and Africa to exhibit their technology products.

The two-day event which opened on December 22, 2022, would close on December 23, this year.

Boost for agriculture

The Founder of the KAMOG, Apostle Kwadwo Safo, in his address, said the group seeks to use the new irrigation technology to boost agriculture all year round.

He said the irrigation truck was designed such that the irrigation system was adjustable so that the water could be applied to the small seedlings, especially at the nursery level.

“And when the crops are picking up, you can also use this same technology to apply water. It can be applied even to the harvest period where it grows to its fullest.

“It does a stretch of 120 feet for both sides. It is very good for mechanised farming where there are larger acres of land for farming,” he said.

He called for strong support from the media and Ghanaians, in general, to help transform the country through the use of native dialect and expertise.

He said the notion that only those with first class education were the most talented and often rewarded should be changed.

Rather, he added that the country needed to support people using native knowledge and expertise to advance development in the country.

Stop considering loans alone

The Leader of the KAMOG, Nana Kwadwo Safo Akofena, said there were 60 more reasons why the country needed to stop considering external loans alone as Africa’s salvation and rather look inward, not in speech, but in action at mobilising for change, especially in areas of science and technology.

He said the church believes that salvation does not come through Christ alone in spirituality but in the actions of good and genius that he teaches.

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“Men like Apostle Safo come once in a generation and the time to act on his goodwill is long overdue. We will present to you this year astounding feats of Ghana and black Africa’s contribution to an ever-changing world.

“If innovation is problem-solving, we can no longer afford to put it at the bottom of our priorities on this continent,” he said.

He said there was a need to tap into the old African ways of highly advanced irrigation technologies and climate to develop the continent for the better.

STEM education

An Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Ghana (UG), Prof Elsie Effah Kaufmann, who was the special speaker, observed that most of the problems thwarting the development of Ghana and Africa, in general, was a mindset problem.

She said that Science, Technology, and Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education hold the path to the solution of the majority of the country’s problems.

“We need to join hands together to help change the country for the better,” she added.

The Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has said an Electric Vehicle Policy is being developed to guide the deployment and upscale of electric vehicles in the country.

To that effect, he said the ministry was preparing to commence stakeholder consultations “which are a critical requirement for the policy approval process”.

“The policy, alongside other similar initiatives, is part of the government’s broader strategy towards achieving a net-zero emission future in the transport sector,” Mr Asiamah said in an address read on his behalf at the 2022 Annual General Meeting of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) in Accra.

It was on the theme: “Green Transport and Supply Chains: Key to Sustain the future of Industry and Environment”.

Mr Asiamah noted that as transport practitioners and managers, they should begin to develop corporate policies and initiatives that led to carbon reductions specifically, as well as reduce resource demand.

Green transportation

On green transportation, Mr Asiamah said it was made up of modes of transportation that did not depend on diminishing natural resources such as fossil fuels and that those transportation modes relied solely on renewable energy sources.

He indicated that they also had a very low impact on the environment as such modes produced minimal to no greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Asiamah said the government recognised that the energy and transportation sectors were key areas in reducing emissions and that strategies were, therefore, being deployed to transition those sectors towards net-zero emissions in the future.

“To lay the foundation for decarbonisation, a National Energy Transition Framework (2022-2070) has been developed. This framework will ensure that Ghana’s transition will be achieved in a just and equitable manner.

“For the transport sector, the main means for road transport in the transition would be electric vehicles, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles and hydrogen vehicles. We expect that by 2040, a considerable number of petrol and diesel filling stations will be repurposed to serve vehicles that use CNG, electricity and hydrogen fuels,” he said.

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That ambition, he said, called for an estimated investment of $577 million in infrastructure such as electric vehicle charging points and CNG dispensing stations, among others.

Attention

The President of the CILT, Mr Mark Amoamah, said there was increasing global attention on the carbon footprint of “our economic activities of the food we eat and the choices of the products we use. It requires investments in new facilities and capabilities or even a complete rethink of business and operating models.

But standing still and continuing business as usual is not an option”.

He, therefore, urged businesses to develop corporate strategies that would see a gradual shift into green operations to enhance their performance in terms of less waste manufacturing, reuse and recycling of products, reduction in manufacturing costs, greater efficiency of assets, positive image building and greater customer satisfaction.

“Logistics and transport companies that can incorporate sustainability into their long-term strategies will be able to seize growth opportunities and fortify business resilience. Green solutions can be integrated into different segments of the logistics value chain – from storage to transportation – to improve productivity and minimise our carbon footprint.

“The burden of our supply chain continues to fall on our transporters and their drivers, acknowledge that road cargo is operations impact on the environment. Commercial vehicles are heavy polluters and the more vehicles that join our supply chain, the greater the impact on the environment,” he said.

The CILT International President-elect, Chief Teete Owusu-Nortey, said the organisation had chalked up a lot of successes.

For instance, he said CILT Ghana was among the top three income earners when it came to education globally.

Leading automobile premium and luxury dealer in Ghana, Silver Star Auto Limited, has announced it has lost its deal as the authorised distributor of Mercedes Benz in Ghana.

According to Silver Star, Mercedes Germany has decided to use direct and indirect engagement to select a new dealer for Ghana after 25 years.

“We have tried our level best to make a case with Mercedes-Benz in Germany without luck, all appeals failed to have produced any response from them leaving us no choice but to seek redress from the courts,” the company said in a statement.

Despite the separation, the company has assured its customers that it will still remain an independent trusted partner for Mercedes-Benz advice, support, and after-sales service.

Below is the full statement:

The Ministry of Transport has said it is working assiduously to introduce the first-ever electric and gas-powered buses for public transport in the country.

Mr. Frederick Adorn Obeng, the Deputy Minister for Transport, who disclosed this, said the Ministry was currently developing a mobility policy to guide the deployment and scale-up of electric vehicles in the country.

According to him, the road transport services’ focus was mainly on the technological shift away from petrol and diesel fuels to a finer alternative to reduce carbon emissions.

Mr. Obeng was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the side-lines of a stakeholders’ engagement on the National Energy Transition Plan at the National House of Chiefs at Manhyia, in Kumasi.

The forum under the theme “Moving Ghana towards a Net-Zero Future,” was aimed at encouraging Chiefs in the country to be advocates for creating awareness of the effects of human activities believed by some to be causing global warming.

The National Energy Transition Forum sought to, among other things, solicit stakeholders’ input towards the implementation of a harmonious national energy policy that is in sync with the Paris Accord, which aims at achieving a net-zero carbon emission.

According to the Deputy Minister, the transport sector was vital to a robust economy and key to ensuring social cohesion.

He said everyday mobility and distribution of goods and services were made possible through transportation.

“The transport sector is vital to the functioning of the Ghanaian economy and is key to ensuring social cohesion. This is because the distribution of goods and services across the country are made possible through transport,” he said.

The Deputy Minister said depending on the technology adopted, there could be a direct and indirect impact on the natural environment, adding that, “our development is underpinned largely by the use of fossil fuels from power generations to our communities.”

The majority of Ghanaians depend on the use of small to medium size vehicles either petrol or diesel engines, he said.

According to him, data available at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority showed that of 2.8 million registered vehicles in 2021, 72 per cent were powered by petrol engines, 27 per cent by diesel and less than one per cent by LPG and other sources of energy.

This, he said, means the government ought to have more campaigns on the need to move from the use of fossil fuels to the use of more efficient energy sources.

Mr. Obeng revealed that most advanced countries had allegedly set a target to end the production of fossil fuel-based vehicles by 2030 in tandem with the goal of ensuring a net-zero carbon emission.

He said the objectives of the plan were to increase natural gas-based electricity generation, increase the share of modern renewable energy (wind, solar, small hydro, waste to energy etc.), and promote clean energy usage.

A raging fire has swept through a warehouse at Brigade near Weija in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.

The fire, which destroyed property running into hundreds of thousands of cedis, reportedly occurred on Friday night.

About five vehicles, 10 engines and other accessories at Central Automotive Company were lost to the fire incident.

The timely intervention of the Weija Fire Station officers prevented the fire from spreading to nearby residential property.

The leader of the team, ADO 2 Eric Duffuor, stated the cause of the fire is not yet known but investigations have commenced.

However, eyewitnesses suspect the fire was caused by power fluctuations the area has experienced for sometime now.

They say the fire started shortly after the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) restored power after an outage.

Some of the witnesses revealed that many of the cars have been burnt to ashes while some workers managed to drive others outside.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the company, Daniel Kwesi Boadu, told Adom News‘ Kofi Adjei he is still in shock and yet to come to terms with the incident.

ADO2 Duffour has urged automobile companies and other shops to always switch off their metres before closing to save lives and property.

Play the video above:

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has called on local assembly plants including the Kantanka brand produced by Kantanka Automobile Company Ltd to take advantage of the embargo on the importation of 4×4 vehicles for official use.

According to him, it is the government’s way of prioritising local automobile producers.

“Now that the Minister for Finance has announced an embargo on the importation of 4×4 vehicles for official use, I hope the local assembly plants will take full advantage of the opportunity, especially since government is continuing with its policy of giving first priority to locally assembled vehicles in respect of all publicly financed procurement of vehicles.

“Our national iconic automobile brand, the Kantanka brand produced by Kantanka Automobile Company Ltd., also stepped-up production of its made-in-Ghana vehicles which include Nkunimdie SUV, Omama Pickup, Onantefo 4×4 Pickup, Otumfuo SUV and K71 Small SUV models,” he said while delivering the 2022 State of the Nation Address in Parliament.

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The President further stated a new state-of-the-art assembly plant with the capacity to assemble 5,000 new vehicles per annum has been established by Nissan in Tema, which is currently producing Nissan and Peugeot brands of vehicles for the Ghanaian and West African markets.

He noted he will have the pleasure to commission this new plant in Tema on Thursday as three other vehicle manufacturers, namely KIA, Hyundai and Renault are also expected to commence commercial production this year.

 “VW and Sinotruck, which commenced commercial operations in 2020, have continued to assemble their brands of vehicles and are enjoying significant local patronage,” he said.

President Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday commissioned the Toyota Tsusho Vehicle Assembly Plant, which is assembling some models of Toyota and Suzuki vehicles in the country.

Describing the occasion as a very happy one for him, the Ghanaian people, and for Government’s Industrial Transformation Agenda, President Akufo-Addo stated that Toyota Tsusho’s presence in Ghana has been facilitated by government’s bold move to develop the Ghana Automotive Development Policy under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry with generous fiscal incentives.

By assembling, and, ultimately, producing cars in Ghana, the President stressed that new and highly skilled jobs are being created, the use of foreign exchange to import secondhand vehicles will be reduced, and, at the same time, the exports of Made in Ghana cars to other African markets will earn Ghana the much needed foreign exchange.

“The vision is to make Ghana a fully integrated and competitive industrial hub for the automotive industry in West Africa, and we are very much on course,” he said.

The President continued: “This facility has already offered some 334 employment opportunities to young Ghanaian graduates from our tertiary institutions across the country, notably from the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the George Grant University of Mines and Technology, and some technical and vocational institutions.”

The decision taken by Toyota Tsusho to undertake the investment, according to the President, has come at a very opportune time in Ghana’s development, as it serves as a major boost to ongoing efforts by government to hasten the nation’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The confidence in the Ghanaian economy, expressed by a global organisation like Toyota, he said, will provide additional impetus to the realisation of the Government’s post-Covid economic recovery programme, titled the one hundred billion cedis Ghana Cares Obaatampa Programme, which has been designed to revitalise and transform the Ghanaian economy in the new Covid-19-free era.

“One of the components of this Programme is for Government, in collaboration with Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs), to develop an Asset-Based Vehicle Financing Scheme for public sector workers to purchase locally assembled vehicles.

“This Scheme will make the acquisition of new vehicles more affordable,” the President said.

He assured that the government will continue to create the enabling environment to boost the profitability of the emerging automotive sector in Ghana, adding that the Ministry of Trade and Industry is working with other state institutions.

He said they include Ghana Integrated Aluminum Development Corporation (GIADEC) and Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC), to develop locally the required raw material value chains to feed the manufacturing sector of the automobile industry.

In addition to this, the President revealed that government has also acquired a building complex at the South Industrial Area in Accra, to be developed as the Ghana Automotive Development Centre.

It will, among others, serve as a one-stop support destination for the implementation of the Auto Policy, and be a hub for the development of advanced skills for the industry.

The complex will also house the Ghana Automotive Development Council, a consultative stakeholder body, to oversee the auto policy implementation, and promote Ghanaian participation in the development of the sector.

In addition to the attractive fiscal and non-fiscal incentives offered to investors in the auto sector, government, in promoting the patronage of locally assembled vehicles, has directed all State institutions to purchase locally assembled vehicles to demonstrate government’s commitment to support ‘Made in Ghana’ vehicles.

“It is gratifying to note that a number of senior government officials in my administration are now driving locally assembled vehicles, and I, myself, will take delivery of one for my personal use this week. This is an expression of our confidence in what we produce here in Ghana,” President Akufo-Addo said.

He, thus, urged the company to expand, in due course, the range of models, since the Toyota brand has a strong presence in Ghana, West Africa and the rest of Africa.

“I also urge senior management of Toyota Corporation to leverage the incentives granted under the Ghana Automotive Development Programme to make their products affordable and competitive for the Ghanaian consumer.

“I assure investors and stakeholders within the automotive industry in Ghana of the government’s continuous, unflinching support for the sustainability of their businesses in Ghana,” he added.

Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL), the world’s largest three-wheel motorcycle manufacturer, has launched the all-new RE4S in Ghana.

The launch was done in partnership with Somoco Ghana Limited, the sole authorised distributor of Bajaj in the country.

The Bajaj RE4S, an upgraded Bajaj RE three-wheel rickshaw, stands out with advanced features and solutions.

The RE4S boasts of superb safety features such as an improved front fork, high-powered clear headlamps, improved traction with 8” tyres, bigger rearview mirror, redesigned dashboard, remote-controlled MP3 player, driver footrest, new rear grill and many other excellent features.

Bajaj Auto has also improved the style quotient of the vehicle with a stylish body and a transparent passenger hood. 

Mr. Shankar Sharma, the General Manager of Somoco Ghana Limited said “Over the years, the 3-wheeler has become a part of the social life in many countries.

Apart from being an effective first and last-mile transportation solution, it also provides a host of opportunities to millions of people.

With the RE4S, we are now raising the bar and ushering in a new solution of transportation that is safer and more comfortable.”

Mr. Nii Ayi Hyde, the Executive Director of Somoco Ghana Limited said “Bajaj Auto has applied their three-wheeler expertise of lightweight and convenient vehicle engineering with super-efficient powertrain technology based on Digital Twin Spark Ignition (DTS-i) to create the RE4S. 

The small yet high-performance 4-stroke engine uses digital ignition with TPS and Exhaustec, coupled with the 4-speed gearbox, it gives outstanding fuel efficiency and emission performance.”

The launch took place at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Kumasi on the 18th of March, 2021 in the presence of fleet owners, dealers, and the Media.

The Bajaj RE4S has been made available in all Somoco Shops or dealer outlets nationwide and will be showcased in major towns in Ghana from March 22nd March 2021.

Somoco Ghana Limited, a member of the prestigious Mohinani Group, partnered with Bajaj Auto Limited in 2013 to launch the Boxer brand of motorbikes in Ghana.

Today, Somoco Ghana Limited boasts of the largest spread of service centres across Ghana, providing swift, efficient, and excellent customer service to Ghanaians nationwide.

Stonebwoy’s aide Ayisha Modi has sent out a word of caution to dancehall musician Samini, asking him to resist any attempt to attack her favorite artiste.

Samini and Stonebwoy had a banter on social media, shortly after Burna Boy and Wizkid’s Grammy win inundated social media.

According to Samini, Stonebwoy’s congratulatory tweet to the Nigerians prove he is fake, advising him to refrain from disrespecting colleague musicians like himself.

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But, Ayisha didn’t take the tweet kindly.

She explained that since respect was reciprocal, Samini should be weary of his ways in recent times.

During the 40th Kristo Asafo Tech Exhibition which took place on Sunday, December 27, 2020, the Ghanaian automobile giant exhibited cars that were ready for the market.

A section of Ghanaians expressed delight at the cars and other electronic gadgets the Kantanka group exhibited.

At the exhibition, the Kantanka Amoaniwah EV Price was announced by the Kantanka company to cost between GH¢40,000.00-GH¢50,000.00.

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The group also announced that they have manufactured a brand new vehicle for the President.

Watch the video below:

Ghana-based automobile assembler and manufacturer, Kantanka, has unleashed a new model of Junior High School (JHS) graduate, Kelvin Odartei‘s scrap car.

The Chief Executive Officer of Kantanka Automobile, Kwadwo Safo Jnr, has identified the new car model as Kantanka Akofena.

Taking to Twitter, he shared a photo of the car which is still under construction at the factory.

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The 2020 Basic Education Certificate Examination graduate of Cosmos International School, shocked many by building a car with scrap metal, which surfaced on the final day of the exam in September.

Following the viral report, Kantanka Automobile, offered to mentor the young man to achieve his dreams in life as they achieve more together.

President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo has unveiled the first VW vehicles assembled by the newly-established VW Assembly Plant in Ghana.

The plant, which assembles VW models such as Tiguan, Teramont, Amarok, Caddy, Polo and Passat, had their range of cars unveiled on Monday, 3rd August 2020.

It is envisaged that the VW assembly plant will create a lot of highly skilled jobs, reduce the high amounts of foreign exchange used in the importation of second-hand vehicles into Ghana.

The activities of the plant is also expected to help strengthen the Ghanaian currency as well as earn the nation, foreign exchange through the exportation of made-in-Ghana vehicles.

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With the Chinese company, Sinotruk, already engaged in the assembling of trucks in Ghana, the President is hopeful that other global automobile companies, which have indicated their preparedness to set-up shop in Ghana, will soon follow the remarkable, pioneering example of Volkswagen.

Check out the photos below:

Ghana-based automobile assembler and manufacturer, Kantanka, has unleashed new designs for its latest car.

The model, a mini spacious car designed for commercial and compact city movement, is the newest strategy for the automobile company.

The car is designed for middle income earners who cannot afford the luxury brands of salon, 4×4, pick-up, among others the company produces.

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Kantanka’s mini car is expected to have security features like the unique tail light and a star logo.

Some Ghanaians have reacted with mixed feelings.

Check out photo and some comments from Ghanaians:

The government has assured importers of ‘secondhand’ vehicles of job security following the passage of the Customs Amendment Bill.

The Bill, passed on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, will stop the importation of used vehicles that are older than 10 years and salvaged cars also known as accident cars.

This component in the bill, the Automobile Dealers Union Ghana has described as a threat to their jobs.

The concerns include lack of a clear definition of salvage vehicles, increase in import duties and the requirement of certification among others.

They argue that not all Ghanaians could afford the cost of the vehicles being assembled or that would be manufactured in the country.

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Addressing these concerns on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Thursday, the Minister of Trade said though the Bill has been passed by Parliament, he will decide when it will be implemented.

“Parliament has given me the power to decide when implementation will start. There is no cause for panic,” he added.

Alan Kyerematen stressed that the concerns raised by the Automobile Dealers Union Ghana are very legitimate and the government is taking steps to address them.

“I can assure the secondhand car dealers that their jobs are secured; we won’t do anything to collapse their business,” he maintained.

A porridge seller has died after she was struck by a vehicle at Adiebeba, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti region.

Suweiba Jibrim, 28, was selling at her usual joint when the incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, April 1, 2020.

She was confirmed dead by officers who were called to the horrifying scene.

Her body was dismembered and the remains were deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, when Dailymailgh.com visited.

Francis Baah, who survived with minor injuries, is on medication after he was discharged from a hospital.

Mr Baah said the vehicle which was coming from the Ahodwo-roundabout while on top speed, veered towards their direction when the driver lost control.

“As usual I went to buy porridge this morning by the roadside. While I was standing there, a vehicle which was on top speed came from the direction of town. It came towards our direction and hit us. I could not get up when I fell, then I saw a Taxi cab driver and called him.

“He came to my aid and took me to the hospital. From the hospital, we proceeded to the police post at Ahodwo and we were asked to go to the Asokwa Police station. I had a cut on my lips, my head was also affected and I also sustained injuries on the arm,” he narrated to Dailymailgh.com.

Residents of Ahinsan, where the deceased lived, were in shock.

Sympathisers, family members and onlookers gathered to mourn the porridge seller, who, many described as a calm and respectful person.

Mother of the deceased, Memuna Jibrim who could not hold back her tears described her daughter as a hard worker, adding that she has lost a caretaker.

“I have nothing to say, I have left everything to God,” she tearfully shouted.

Meanwhile, the suspect driver of the Hyundai vehicle with registration number GR 682-16 has been detained at the Asokwa District Police Command as part of investigations.

The vehicle has since been towed and parked at the police station.

Suweiba, who left behind two children will be buried in accordance with Islamic rites, one of her relatives told Dailymailgh.com.

Kantanka Group of companies, the Ghanaian automobile-manufacturing company will begin the production of electronic tricycles, commonly known in Ghana as ‘Aboboyaa’, by the middle of this year, a company official has revealed.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the group, Kwadwo Safo Kantanka Jnr, made the company’s intentions of manufacturing the three-tyred vehicles known in a media interview.

He said the decision to go electronic was to beat other competitor automobile-manufacturing brands in Ghana and also gauge how consumers would be open to accepting new brands and designs.

“By mid 2020, we are even going to do ‘Aboboyaa’, a three-tyre vehicle which will be electric,” he disclosed.

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To ensure effective usage, Mr Safo Jr explained the company was set to install sub stations across Ghana where drivers can recharge the tricycles after about every 100 kilometres drive.

He also revealed that the company would introduce a system that will enable batteries to charge automatically as they run.

Commenting on the prices of their cars, he assured of a drastic reduction in prices if the duty component of vehicles in Ghana were removed.

The Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) has established district offices to reduce the congestion which characterises registration of new vehicles, especially at the turn of a New Year.

As a result, additional new prefixes have been introduced for the registration numbers that are to be used to register vehicles. 

The DVLA offices in Bewkai and Mampong in the Ashanti region, Obuasi, Techiman, Wenchi, Nkwakwa, Somanya, Denu and Tarkwa have been mandated to register all vehicles that come to their premises.

Francis Asamoah Tuffuor, the Public Relations Officer of the Authority told Joy News, the measure is to curb a situation where long queues characterise the registration of new vehicles at the turn of every new year. 

He said this year, they have opened a lot more offices across the country to take care of registering new vehicles. 

“In the Volta region, customers do not have to go to the Ho office to go and queue as our Denu office is one of the new places people in the catchment area can go to get their vehicles registered.

“In Accra, those around Pokuase and its environs can also go to Amasaman instead of driving to our 37 office and queue,” he said.  

The Authority encourages customers to visit these offices closer to them to have their vehicles registered with their prefered prefixes. 

The introduction of the new prefixes is in pursuant to Regulation 10 of the Road and Traffic Regulation 2012, LI, 2180.

“The new license plate prefixes are:

AK for Bekwai-Ashanti

AP for Mampong-Ashanti 

AC for Obuasi 

BT for Techiman

BW for Wenchi 

EN for Nkwakwa

ES for Somanya

VD for Denu 

WT for Tarkwa. 

Below is the statement from DVLA:

A Dornier-228 aircraft carrying on board about 19 people has crashed into homes, shortly after taking off in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Initial reports say the plane is a locally-operated one owned by Busy Bee company.

The plane was on its way to the city of Beni, DRC.

According to the BBC, the plane came down within a minute after take-off. It is believed that deaths have been recorded but the exact number is not known yet.

Heritier Said Mamadou, Busy Bee airline staff member, told AFP the plane was carrying 17 passengers and two crew members.

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“It took off around 9-9.10am (07:00 GMT),” Mamadou said.

DRC is one of the countries in the world which experience frequent air accidents due to the poor safety standards and poor maintenance of planes.

All of the country’s commercial carriers, including Busy Bee, are prohibited from operating in the European Union.

In October, a cargo plane also departing from the same airport crashed an hour after take-off, killing all eight passengers and crew.

The minister and his bodyguard have since made a report to the police about the matter.

Kwaku Manu, the popular Kumahood actor, has pleaded with the government to arrest people who shoot videos or take photo shots while driving.

Kwaku Manu whose proposal is meant to ensure the safety of Ghana’s roads asked the government to emulate best-practices by charging those who go against such safety policies on road safety.

According to him, witchcraft is not the cause of accidents but the indiscipline of drivers towards road safety.

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“People only remember to take shots when they are driving; before you know it, the car has veered off and the driver loses control of the steer,” he explained.

In addition, he appealed to the President to use him as a deterrent if he flouts any of the road safety laws.

 “I should be a scapegoat if I flout the laws and be dealt with appropriately. All jokes aside, let us cherish our lives because we only live once,” he said

The delegation has met the Minister for Railway Development, Joe Ghartey and the outcome of the negotiations would soon be made known.

This was disclosed by the Russian Ambassador to Ghana, Dmitry Suslov.

It is not clear what the nature of the negotiations are, but Ghana could be seeking to tap into the expertise of Russia as that country has the third best railway network in the world.

According to the Russian diplomat to Ghana, the team “is working very seriously. They have met the minister and very soon, you’ll know the results of the negotiations.”

He was speaking at a joint conference organized by leading Russian automotive manufacturers; UAZ, GAZ, and KamAZ, and Universal Motors Ltd to the Russia Automotive Day.

President Akuffo Addo created the new Railway Development Ministry to carry out his administration’s promise of improving the railway network which he believes is the key to transforming the country’s economy. The restructuring project would start with the reconstruction of the railways along the Eastern and Western lines.

The entire project is estimated to cost USD 21m. Parliament has approved a GHC 500 million budget for the ministry, more than the GHC 10 million which was allocated to the sector last year. The sector minister, has said that the restructuring when completed could rake in more revenue than what is being brought in by the production of oil and gas.

US car giant Ford has recalled more than 4,500 of its Kuga model in South Africa for safety checks after dozens of them caught fire since 2015.

Investigations show the fires were caused by overheating in some parts of the engine which led to oil leaks, said Ford SA chief executive Jeff Nemeth.

The recall affects the 1.6 litre model, built in Spain between 2012 and 2014.

The firm has been under pressure to act since motorist Reshall Jimmy, 33, burnt to death in his Kuga in 2015.

A total of 48 of the vehicles have so far caught fire in South Africa‚ 11 of them this month, the local TimesLive newspaper reported. 

South Africa’s motor industry ombudsman Johan van Vreden demanded that “Ford must act – now.”

“One or two vehicles in the same model range catching fire is not unusual‚ but almost 50… it’s crazy‚ especially in a small market like ours,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.

‘Senseless death’

Mr Nemeth said he could confirm 39 vehicles burning, but there may be other cases which had not been reported to the firm.

He understood the concerns of owners and the firm would “work with dealers to ensure each case is treated fairly”.

Recalled vehicles would be subjected to a software update and a check on the cylinder head‚ Mr Nemeth added.

He said that an investigation which led to Mr Jimmy’s vehicle burning while he was on holiday had not been concluded, but it appeared to be unrelated to the engine catching fire.

“We are not aware of any injuries that have resulted from our engine compartment fires,” Mr Nemeth added, while offering condolences to Mr Jimmy’s family.

Mr Nemeth spoke at a joint news conference with representatives of the family and the National Consumer Commission, which had been putting pressure on the firm to act.

“This issue has dragged on for too long‚” said commissioner Ibrahim Mohammad.

Mr Jimmy’s brother, Kaveen, said his family was planning legal action against the car giant for a “very senseless death”.

The commission, a regulatory body, has given Ford until 28 February to complete its investigation and report back.

In 2014, Ford recalled about 850,000 cars in North America over a “potential issue” with airbags.

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