Features
Why we need more revenue through e-levy
Even without the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not easy for countries to enhance the generation of their income to finance their developmental needs as well as improve upon the welfare of their people.
Many countries found it difficult to generate enough revenue to satisfy their needs and to portray themselves as self sufficient and independent of other countries. While many developed countries have been able to generate more revenue to finance their own projects, many developing countries on the other hand have not been able to do same for which reason such developing countries tend to depend on the rich developed countries for assistance.
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND INCOME GENERATION
If developing countries are, therefore, to make it in the world by way of adequate income generation and satisfy their own needs without depending on others, then they need to find new ways of finding their own revenue to meet their own needs. It is in the light of this that developing countries must work hard in the direction of income generation to be able to finance their ever increasing demands.
President Akufo-Addo has told Ghanaians about Ghana-without-aid. This is a concept that seeks to challenge all Ghanaians to think of depending on their own selves rather than depending on other countries for assistance. The programme will take time to achieve but we need to start from somewhere, that is, be able to increasingly generate more revenue for our developmental needs so that with time we will become less and less independent on foreign donors.
If this is done, Ghana will be able to depend on its own efforts in the long run. This is the goal of Ghana-without-aid and we all need to support it in its pursuance to bring it to the required logical conclusion and tell the world that Ghana has become of age as far as economic independence is concerned.
SUPPORT FROM ALL GHANAIANS
The Akufo-Addo administration intending to achieve this objective wants support from all Ghanaians, not just a section, to bring this into fruition. This will be possible when we all pledge in sincerity and become highly committed to implement such a programme.
The main objective of the introduction of the E-levy in Ghana, therefore, is to generate more revenue and be able to undertake as much development as possible and also generate enough employment in the country.
STRIKES
Many lecturers in our tertiary institutions, including professors and senior lecturers are often seen embarking upon strikes to demand for research allowances and better conditions of service. Other workers in the public sector are also often seen embarking on the same demands.
Again, we need to care for our health needs to satisfy all Ghanaians in various parts of the country. Apart from health needs, the educational sector also needs rapid development so that our future leaders will not be let down in the process.
From time to time we also hear of disasters in various parts of the country. They include fire outbreaks, explosions, motor accidents, etc. All these require immediate attention from the government through National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO). For NADMO to be effective, the government must be able to support it with enough financial resources to address all disasters including damage by storms to buildings.
ROAD CONSTRUCTION
One other thing we cannot forget about is the construction of roads which is needed in both rural and urban areas. As of now, people are demanding good roads in all parts of the country but these cannot be built without money. European countries are beautiful because of the taxes they are able to impose on their people for development.
In the same way, the E-levy ought to be accepted by the people in this country to enable us finance all our needs without relying on foreign donors for support. If we are unable to do this, then we will have no choice but consider ourselves second-rate citizens who will always have to depend on others for support.
Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) was given the exclusive rights for both radio and television broadcasts regarding the 2021 AFCON. This became possible because the government contributed substantially to the sponsorship to top up the little amount that GBC was able to raise. The sponsorship was good, even though Ghana did not perform well, because it helped to project the national broadcaster as a capable broadcasting network that could live up to expectation.
NEED TO EMBRACE THE E-LEVY
Thus, it is clear that without the generation of adequate revenue to undertake relevant projects, the country will not be able to go far and if this is the case, then Ghanaians need to embrace the E-levy and help government to depend on our own financial resources to address the ever-challenging needs of the country.
This is where we need to put aside partisan politics and think about the country first before anything else. If we all move along this path of progress, all developmental challenges, indeed, most of them would be overcome and Ghanaians as a whole will be the winners.
As a country, we need to think about ourselves as to whether we want to stay where we are today or move ahead to a higher level where the economy can cater for the needs of everyone without discrimination. If God created all men equal, then what others have been able to do by way of socioeconomic development in Europe, Japan, Canada, United States, etc, can also be done by Ghanaians.
The trick is simple, that is, coming together to mobilise resources from within our country and using them to transform the socioeconomic needs of our people.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander so let us come together as one people to strive hard to transform the needs of society and make it better for all.
Contact email/WhatsApp of author:
Pradmat2013@gmail.com (0553318911)
Walk into any supermarket in Accra, Kumasi, or Tamale today, and you will see the modern Ghanaian diet packaged as ‘progress.’ You will see breakfast cereals with cartoon mascots, fruit drinks that are mostly sugar and colour, and snacks promising energy and happiness in bright fonts.
Even products loaded with salt and unhealthy fats often wear a health halo labeled as fortified or natural, while the real nutritional risk is hidden in tiny print on the back. This is not just a consumer inconvenience; it is a public health blind spot. Ghana is living through a silent surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
These conditions quietly drain household income and steal productive years. According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, NCDs are now responsible for nearly 45 per cent of all deaths in Ghana.
We cannot build a healthy nation on a food environment designed to confuse people at the point of purchase. Ghana must mandate simple front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) on high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat packaged foods because consumers deserve truth at a glance, and industry must be pushed to reformulate.
Why Back-of-Pack Labels Are Not Enough
In theory, consumers can read nutrition panels. In reality, most Ghanaians shop under pressure, limited time, rising prices, and children tugging at their sleeves. The back label is a relic that requires a high cognitive load to interpret—essentially, the seller knows what is inside, but the buyer cannot easily tell.
This ‘information asymmetry’ is not fair. It is not consumer choice when the information needed to choose well is deliberately difficult to find.
Simple warning labels like the black octagons used in the Chilean Model act as a ‘stop-and-think’ nudge. They do not ban products but they simply tell the truth so people can decide.
Reshaping Our Food Environment
A generation ago, Ghana’s meals were mostly home-prepared, like kenkey and banku with soups and stews. Today, ultra-processed foods have become the norm, especially in urban areas. Children are growing up with sugary drinks and salty snacks as everyday items, not occasional treats.
If Ghana is serious about prevention, we must act where decisions are made—thus, the shelf. Warning labels protect parents from sugar traps and pressure the market to improve. When warning labels are mandatory, manufacturers start to compete to make healthier recipes to avoid the stigma of the label.
Addressing the Pushback
Industry will argue that labels create fear or that education alone is enough. However, health education is slow; labels work immediately. While the informal street food sector is a challenge, regulating pre-packaged goods is the practical starting point because the supply chain is traceable. We cannot wait until the whole system is perfect; we must start where action is feasible.
A 2026 Implementation Roadmap for Ghana
To move from talk to action, Ghana needs this 5-step plan:
- Issue mandatory regulation: The Ministry of Health, Food and Drug Authority (FDA), and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) must define the label format and nutrient thresholds for all pre-packaged foods.
- Simple, bold symbols: Use plain language and clear symbols, such as “HIGH IN SUGAR,” designed for busy families, not experts.
- Transparent thresholds: Adopt technically defensible standards adapted to the Ghanaian diet.
- Transition and enforce: Provide a 12–18 month period for manufacturers to reformulate, followed by firm enforcement at ports and retail centers.
- National literacy campaign: The Ghana Health Service must pair labels with public messages explaining why high salt or sugar increases disease risk.
Conclusion: Truth Is Not a Luxury
Prevention is cheaper than treatment. A warning label costs little compared to the price of dialysis, stroke rehabilitation, or lifelong diabetes complications. A black octagon on a box of biscuits is more than a label; it is a shield for the health of all Ghanaians. It is time to put the truth where we can see it, right on the front.
By Abigail Amoah Sarfo
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Natives of the Kenkey Kingdom were mad with joy. They were still recovering from the hangover of the kingdom’s loss of the African Cup when their spirits were rekindled. Their great warrior, Zoom Zoom, stormed Melbourne and made sure that every Australian refused food. And that was after he had drawn contour lines on the face of their idol, Jeff Fenech.
Not only did the terrible warrior transform Old Boy Jeff’s face into a contour map useful for geography lessons, but he also accomplished the feat of retaining the much-envied super-kenkeyweight title against all odds. The warrior had not been eating hot kenkey for nothing.
The Fight Against Fenech
When Jeff Fenech bit the dust in the eighth round, I was tempted to consider if Adanko Deka could not have faced him in any twelve-rounder, title or non-title bout. Adanko has improved tremendously, and soon he would be facing Pernell Whitaker.
Sincerely, I was pessimistic about Azumah’s man, who the last time took him through twelve grueling rounds of rough boxing. I expressed my fears to my colleague Christian Abbew, alias Gbonyo, who surprisingly had total confidence that the Australian brawler would fall, predictably in Round Five.
Gbonyo gave reasons for his contention, all of which I counteracted using the age factor. Fact is, I didn’t know that contrary to the laws of nature, Azumah was all the time growing younger.
When Fenech fell briefly in round one, I asked my brother whether it was the same Fenech that fought Azumah in Las Vegas. Sure, it was the same Fenech, all out to beat Azumah before his countrymen.
But the African Professor had no intention of making the Australian a hero. As he spun round the desperate Aussie, dancing and stinging out his jabs, it was not too long before I realized that the end was near.
The Eighth Round Showdown
Two minutes into the eighth round, the African ring-master proved to the whole world that he was a true son of Bukom. He himself was cornered, but like the tough nut he is, he managed to break free before overwhelming the panting Australian with several blows that made him crash headlong.
Moments after, the referee, expressing fatherly sympathy, stopped the fight to prevent an obituary. After the ordeal, Fenech’s fairly handsome face was full of newly constructed hills, valleys, ox-bow lakes—whatever. I noticed that his nose was very tired and had a miniature volcano sitting restlessly on it. Obviously, Jeff’s wife will have to nurse that nose back to its normal shape—but I’d advise her not to use iodine, otherwise her dear husband will wail like a banshee.
Reflections on Boxing
Because Mohammed Ali was the kind of boxer kids liked, many school-going kids often entertained the wish of becoming like him. I remember one day when I told my father I wanted to become a boxer, and he advised me to first complete my education to the highest level. Then, if I decided to become a boxer and was knocked out a couple of times, I’d fall back on my degrees and make a living.
Boxing used to be interesting when bouts were fought more with the mouth and tongue than with gloves. You had to brag well, psychologically belittling your opponent before beating him up physically. Mohammed Ali became a very successful pugilist because he also managed to become a poet. He often blew his horn across America, calling himself the “pretty boxer” and opponents like Joe Frazier “the gorilla.”
Ali made a living fighting hard fists like Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, George Foreman, Leon Spinks, and Trevor Berbick. Twice he came back from retirement to fight just for money. It was Larry Holmes who finally pensioned him, and since then the great Ali has never been himself.
The Path Ahead for Azumah
When Azumah nailed Jeff Fenech on the cross and barked almost immediately that he was after the head of Pernell Whitaker, I was happy but concerned. I would have been happier if he had announced his resignation there and then—he would have been more of a hero. Beating Fenech in Australia is more newsworthy than facing Whitaker in the States.
With Whitaker, it might be a little difficult. The “Sweet Pea” is agile, has a crooked body like a snake with diarrhea, and stands awkwardly as a southpaw. He is known for having the fastest pair of fists and the rare ability to dodge punches no matter how close they may be.
Much as I do not doubt that Azumah can take his title, I also don’t want him to retire beaten. I want him to retire as a hero and live a fuller, healthy life.
As Azumah himself said after dishing Fenech, he is now a professor and has something to show for it. Like a true professor, I think it is time he resigned and took up training young talents who could draw inspiration from him and become like him in the future.
Closing Thoughts
I must say that although ageing boxers like Larry Holmes and George Foreman are making a name for themselves, boxing is not like the Civil Service, where you can even change your age and retire at 74. Zoom Zoom has delighted the hearts of the natives, and Sikaman will forever hold him in high esteem—but only when he retires as a hero.
This article was first published on Saturday, March 7, 1992.
