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Virtual platform to help market agriculture and non-agriculture products launched
The Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) in Wa has in collaboration with the GIZ/Agriculture Finance Consultants (AFC) Market-Oriented Agriculture Programme (MOAP) has launched a virtual platform to help market agriculture and non-agriculture products that are produced in the northern part of the country.
Christened the Made in Northern Ghana (MING) Marketplace digital platform, the application which was officially launched at Wa in the Upper West Region on Tuesday seeks to enhance access to products and services in the northern part of the country and to open them to the global market.
The Regional Manager of the GNCCI in the region, Mr. Jeremiah Tengan stated that the Chamber commissioned a research into the performance of products from the northern part of the country on the global market and identified that the goods from the north received less attention on the global market.
“Products such as smock and shea butter from the north are good but they receive very limited showcase globally and unfortunately have very poor marketing network”, he said.
He mentioned that in collaboration with GIZ, the platform was created to facilitate the buying and selling of products and also make it easier to trade with people across the globe without geographic restrictions.
He mentioned that before the official launch of the platform, the team organized a sensitization tour across the five northern regions; Upper West, Upper East, Northern, North East and Savannah Regions to create awareness of the platform.
He maintained that the platform was an opportunity to have a reliable market for their products and to open them up to the global market.
“The Development Bank of Ghana (DBG) is poised to lend loans to people in business with a maximum of five to fifteen years to redeem the debt, and this will go a long way to improve their business”, he said.
The platform, he noted sought to drive positive change and innovation in the business landscape in Ghana and help improve on the revenue of businesses in the northern part of the country.
For his part, Mr. Reuben Binpori, the Inclusive Business Development Expert with MOAP indicated that they have supported farmer groups, inputs dealers and processors to expand their vocation.
He said marketing in recent times had gone beyond interpersonal to digital where a wider audience is reached and adequate revenue is generated.
“In view of this, the digitized platform which was well thought through was introduced to help small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) to enable them sell their products by connecting them to buyers all over the world”, he added.
FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, WA
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
