EPA is a done deal – Rashid Pelpuo

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• sluggard man 11 years ago

  Thank you Rashid,Thank You Sidney,Thank you ALL for seeing the wisdom in signing the EPA.Tell Yao Graham and all others to go back to school and stop doing their masters dirty job on Ghana.

  Thank you Rashid,Thank You Sidney,Thank you ALL for seeing the wisdom in signing the EPA.Tell Yao Graham and all others to go back to school and stop doing their masters dirty job on Ghana.

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• WISE-TALK, UK 11 years ago

  Nigeria's recalculated economy is worth $510 billion, by far the biggest in Africa, officials announced Sunday of a long overdue recount that gives the West African nation continental bragging rights but does little for the n ...
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  Nigeria's recalculated economy is worth $510 billion, by far the biggest in Africa, officials announced Sunday of a long overdue recount that gives the West African nation continental bragging rights but does little for the nearly 70 per cent of its citizens living in poverty.
  
  The new estimate of Nigeria's GDP adds previously uncounted industries like telecommunications, information technology, music, airlines, burgeoning online retail outlets and Nollywood film production that didn't exist when the last GDP count was made in 1990. Then, there were 300,000 landlines. Today, Nigeria has 100 million cellphone users.
  
  With one fell swoop, Nigeria knocked out of the ring South Africa, whose GDP of $353 billion was previously counted the biggest on the continent, winning it a place as the only African member of the G20.
  
  Figures announced by Nigeria's statistician general, Yemi Kale, nearly doubled previous estimates of the economy -- from 42.3 trillion naira in 2012 to 80.3 trillion naira for 2013. He said that equated to $509.97 billion , using an official exchange rate of 157.48 naira to $1. But the naira has been trading more realistically at about 168 naira to the dollar for months, giving a figure of $477.98 billion.
  
  Finance Minister Ngozi Ikonjo-Iweala told a news conference Sunday that the recalculation makes Nigeria the 26th largest economy in the world and raises its per capita income to $2,688, making it No. 121 in the world, up from No. 135.
  
  That is still feeble compared to South Africa's $7,336 for its population of 48 million. South Africa, bedeviled by mining strikes, violent protests over services and a lacklustre performance that has kept annual growth at around 3.5 per cent, still has infrastructure unrivaled on the continent, most notably a power sector that generates 10 times more electricity as Nigeria.
  
  Nigeria's revised figures will lower its much-vaunted growth rate of 7 per cent but also will decrease an already low debt to GDP ratio of 21 per cent, which should lower interest rates should the government want to borrow more, economists said.
  
  Financial analyst Bismarck Rewane called the revisions "a vanity. The Nigerian population is not better off tomorrow because of that announcement. It doesn't put more money in the bank, more food in their stomach. It changes nothing."
  
  Nigerians took to social networks to share their feelings. "So Nigeria has now supplanted South Africa as Africa's largest economy. But I've not had light (electricity) for seven days, so it means nothing to me," said one tweet.
  
  Another commented: "Nigeria is Africa's biggest economy - on paper. So technically, I'm rich in theory."

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• GHFUO, be serious & change ur MENtali 11 years ago

  SHORT TERM GLEE OVER LONGTERM WORRY. WHO IS PAYING U TO TALK LIKE THIS, HAYFORD?
  “We should have signed and moved on, the benefits of signing this agreement far exceed the disadvantages,’’ he said.
  WHO IS PAYING HAYFO ...
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  SHORT TERM GLEE OVER LONGTERM WORRY. WHO IS PAYING U TO TALK LIKE THIS, HAYFORD?
  “We should have signed and moved on, the benefits of signing this agreement far exceed the disadvantages,’’ he said.
  WHO IS PAYING HAYFORD?
  Mr. Casely-Hayford said assertions that the agreement would destroy the Ghanaian manufacturing and industry was false.
  
  “Instead of looking at the negatives, we should look at the positive aspects and grow our non-traditional exports as well as improving our export market.” OBVIOUSLY, THIS ISNT SMTHING THAT THE BLACKMAN CANT DO. NON TRADITIONAL EXPORTS DONT BRING IN ENUFF MONEY. HOWEVER, THE SECTOR MUST BE DEVELOPED FULLY.
  
  ‘’I think that there is too much sentiment surrounding all of this; if you look at it from a purely business point of view, somebody is offering (Ghana and ECOWAS) the opportunity to get into a far bigger market than you can ever expect.’’
  SOMEBODY? WHY CANT U BE THE SOMEBODY, HAYFORD? IN UR OPINION, WAT DOES GH/ECOWAS NEED TO DO GETTING INTO THE SO CALLED BIGGER MKT U ARE ALLUDING TO, WITHOUT THE EU? HAYFORD. WAT CAN U PROPOSE?
  
  EEII, SIGN N MOVE ON, RIGHT? IS HE AN NDC SUPPORTER(DROSS)?...LOL
  
  RASHIDA PELPUO:
  Rashid Pelpuo said the EPA was almost a done deal and said in the absence of a viable alternative, Ghana’s economy stood little chance in boycotting the agreement.
  
  “So if your budget is not balancing and every time you depend on somebody to balance your budget and you now say you won’t sign, they will pull out in that aid because it is tied to it. If they were giving technical assistance to your ministries, departments, agencies and you now say you won’t sign, they will pull out of it,” he explained.
  WAA LOOK? WHY DO U NEED TO DEPEND ON AN OUTSIDER TO BALANCE UR BUDGET? ARENT U ASHAMED? TO BALANCE UR BUDGET K3K3?...LOL WAT ABOUT TO WIPE UY NYASH? WHO DO U DEPEND ON TO DO DAT?
  
  He said Ghana would face economic consequences if the government fails to sign the agreement by the October 2014 deadline.
  WAT CONSEQUENCES?
  Local businesses that export to the EU would have to pay full export duties which could collapse their businesses.
  IF U CANT PAY. DONT EXPORT TO EU. RASHIDA, WAT SOLUTIONS DO U HVE?
  OH, OH..I HVE SOME
  @FIND USRS IN AFRICA. @FIND A MARKET IN ECOWAS. @FIND A MARKET OUTSIDE EU. FIND A FACTORY/FINISHED GOODS.
  “We have to get to a point where we have to agree and sign this agreement. We can’t continue to say we won’t sign and not give reasons why we won’t sign,” he said.
  
  SO U DONT EVEN KNOWWHY U SHOULDNT SIGH/ U JUST DO WATEVER IS DICTATED TO YOU BY THE EU? WHY DONT U GO N TELL THE EU TO SHOVE IT? THEY OBVIOUSLY NEED U MORE THAN U NEED THEM N DATS WHY THEY PRESSURING YOU WITH GIFTS, PAPERS, VISAS ETC FOR UR FAMILY MEMBERS..IS PELPUO NDC?...HMMM

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• ELINAM 11 years ago

  Everything else has failed to deliver the the better Ghana Agenda, therefore these non performers think EPA is a god sent to start making propaganda on.
  The stores may be be full with Europen bread but keep in mind that Maam ...
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  Everything else has failed to deliver the the better Ghana Agenda, therefore these non performers think EPA is a god sent to start making propaganda on.
  The stores may be be full with Europen bread but keep in mind that Maame Serwa the local bread maker may soon fold up to be in line to get a job at the EU maga food stores as a cleaner.

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• DAN 11 years ago

  HAS THE MASTER BEEN GOOD TO YOU? THERE ARE NO JOBS IN GHANA NOW! NOW THEY WILL BE NONE FOR 20 YEARS!

  HAS THE MASTER BEEN GOOD TO YOU? THERE ARE NO JOBS IN GHANA NOW! NOW THEY WILL BE NONE FOR 20 YEARS!

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• African Child. 11 years ago

  Are we safe?

  Are we safe?

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• Big Joe --- Moscow /Kharkov 11 years ago

  Every black man ,all black women, children and granpa and moms in Africa continent is aware that Africans are politically and socially independence BUT economically dependence Europeans and Americans ever since the fall ...
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  Every black man ,all black women, children and granpa and moms in Africa continent is aware that Africans are politically and socially independence BUT economically dependence Europeans and Americans ever since the fall of colonialism .Ever since the collapse of the first Republic and Nkrumah;s industrialization of Ghana in those days when Ghana's economy was competing very well ,at the time when our legal tender was GHANA POUND not GHANA CEDI ....what other Government ever continued the industrialization policy of late Dr. Kwame Nkruamah.... Today almost all those leading industries we pride ourselves with have collapsed . Ghanaians appetites for IMPORTED FOOD AND DRINKING CONSUMABLES have killed all the top class industries in Ghana.... The worst cancer is that Ghananians and Africans in general hates their home made manufactured goods and admires foreign made imported goods .. The EPA should go ahead after all the EUROPEANS ARE WELL AWARE THAT WEST AFRICANS ADMIRES GOODS MADE IN EUROPE AND BUY AT WHATEVER COST ........EUROPEANS CONSIDERS AFRICANS IGNORANT AND FOOLS as long as we are not prepard to sacrifice our taste to buy locally produced Goods.... and we are aware of this cancer .... and this is what is killing and depriving Ghanaians and Africans ..economies and industrialists. Mahama must sign EPA after all we have nothin to boost of
  Demand for Kente cloth made in Ghana is falling while Made in China Kente Imitation is patrionized very well in GHANA for as long as Africa;s political and policy leaders as ell as the citizens are unpreprepared to change their demand for low cost imported goods ... there is little chance for Ghanains to revive the economy . Ghana is China and Europe dependece so ECOWAS LEADERS must sign the EPA... we have nothing to export to Europe .... How many functioning industries can Ghana boost of today?

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• GHFUO, be serious & change ur MENtali 11 years ago

  ARE WE CAPABLE OF HANDLING OUR OWN AFFAIRS? WHY R THE EU INTERESTEDIN AFRICA? THEY SHOULD MIND THEIR OWN. FROM WAT IVE READ, THE EPA IS QUITE FAGUE IN ITS OBJECTIVES. IT ALSO MEANS THAT THE EU WILL PRETTY MUCH BE REMOTE CTRLL ...
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  ARE WE CAPABLE OF HANDLING OUR OWN AFFAIRS? WHY R THE EU INTERESTEDIN AFRICA? THEY SHOULD MIND THEIR OWN. FROM WAT IVE READ, THE EPA IS QUITE FAGUE IN ITS OBJECTIVES. IT ALSO MEANS THAT THE EU WILL PRETTY MUCH BE REMOTE CTRLLING AFRICA WITH THIS EPA BULLCRAP. THE VARIOUS REGIONAL CONGLOMERATES MUST FORM THEIR OWN EPA'S AMONGST THEMSELVES. ECOWAS SHOULD DO THEIR OWN N THEN SEEK PARTNERSHIPS AS A CONGLOMERATE WITH THE EU, NAFTA, SAFRICA ETC...THIS CURRENT EPA IS SIMPLY ANOTHER PARTITION OF AFRICA BY THE EU. CANT U SEE?...LOL
  THIS EXACTLY IS WAK NKRUMAH WAS REFERRING TO: NEOCOLONIALISM.
  AFRICA IS IN A PERFECT POSITION TO CALL THE SHOTS. U HVE THE ASIANS WHO HVE SHOWN THEIR INDEPNDCE.

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• jospeh 11 years ago

  I don't understand and will not pretend to understand that this is good.
  How can this be positive action? There is no country in the world that just signs such agreements to hand over the management of its economy to anothe ...
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  I don't understand and will not pretend to understand that this is good.
  How can this be positive action? There is no country in the world that just signs such agreements to hand over the management of its economy to another? even in UK, the British are fighting the EU against such actions. No matter how much any prime minister or president can talk about it, you can bet your last cedi that their political party will be wiped out with the sentiment and feelings of the indigenous people. With Russia's forceful take over of Ukraine/Crimea, you can see what's going on. It is just deplorable that Ghana with all that it has, is having to idly sit by for this man to simply say its a done deal without even a national debate. I took a look at the opening paragraph of the EPA document and basically it simply means that we open our markets more to the EU who will enforce trade barriers on the sale of local produce and our rich minerals so that they can flood ours with electronic goods and foodstuffs from their countries. I mean if this thing was so good, then why are governments being forced to import European tomatoes in preference over its own? Why isn't there an equal opportunity now to export as much as we import with meaningful options instead of being battered about with heavy trade barriers? it is already happening without any legal framework! Its not as though we are going to even gain a damn thing. We cannot export manufacturing and industry because we don't have it. The document even states that the main benefit is to regulate trade of goods and services.
  Right now the only regulations I see do not benefit any African country in any way. A whole lot of nonsense for someone to buy your banana and pineapple in exchange for Gold and minerals. Like 1 gold bar is equal to 10 plantain and 20 yam. African history is peppered with what the colonials left behind. a big fat nothing asfter haven plundered! Even as much as western countries have good relations with each other for trading goods and services but for some group to try to enforce rules and homosexuality plus a trade block on your ability to buy and sell goods and you just want to get up and sign whilst you don't have anything to bargain with? All I see is big fat controllers carving up a juicy akomfem for christmas.

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• DAN 11 years ago

  YOU NO LONGER HAVE JOB, ARAB SPRING IS STARTING IN GHANA NOW!

  YOU NO LONGER HAVE JOB, ARAB SPRING IS STARTING IN GHANA NOW!

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• OKOE 11 years ago

  THE ORDINARY PEOPLE OF ECOWAS DO NOT KNOW THE DETAILS OF EPA. THE PEOPLE OF THE REGION WILL WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEIR LEADERS ARE SIGNING AND THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVES. FOR EXAMPLE, NIGERIA RAISED SOM ...
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  THE ORDINARY PEOPLE OF ECOWAS DO NOT KNOW THE DETAILS OF EPA. THE PEOPLE OF THE REGION WILL WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEIR LEADERS ARE SIGNING AND THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVES. FOR EXAMPLE, NIGERIA RAISED SOME TECHNICAL ISSUES BUT MY PROBLEM IS THAT TECHNICAL ISSUES MAY COMPRISE A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS AND THE ORDINARY PEOPLE OF ECOWAS STILL DO NOT KNOW WHAT THOSE TECHNICAL ISSUES STAND FOR EXACTLY. CAN SOMEONE INCLUDING THE LOCAL DAILY PAPERS WHAT IS THE EPA AGREEMENT SO THAT THE YOUTH WILL KNOW WHAT THEIR FATHERS ARE DOING ON THEIR BAHALF. ALL WE ARE HEARING IS EPA WILL OR WILL NOT BE SIGNED BUT WHAT IS BETWEEN THE LINES REGARDING THIS EPA AGREEMENT, PEOPLE OF ECOWAS WANT TO KNOW!!!

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• ANOTHER AFRICAN PATRIOT 11 years ago

  The so-called leaders must explain to the led what they intend to sign on behalf of the citizens of Ecowas. I will not be surprised however if most of them don't understand what they intend to sign.

  The so-called leaders must explain to the led what they intend to sign on behalf of the citizens of Ecowas. I will not be surprised however if most of them don't understand what they intend to sign.

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