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Ghana Approves 10% Pay Rise For Public Workers

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Ghana’s wages commission said on Friday it had approved a 10 per cent pay rise for public sector workers and that the potentially inflationary measure would be back-dated to January this year.

Falling inflation and a stable currency have since late 2009 given the Bank of Ghana scope to make a total 350 basis points of cuts to bring the prime rate down to 15 per cent, with further easing seen dependent on prices staying under control.

George Smith-Graham, chief executive of the Commission, told Reuters the pay rise would apply across the board to Ghana’s 470,000 or so public sector workers and complemented a planned reform of the wages structure later this year.

“They will receive the actual salary reflecting the 10 per cent (rise) in July but the arrears will be paid in the months of August and September,” he said by telephone.

“This is a way of cushioning those public sector workers who may not receive any enhancement under the ‘single spine’ scheme,” he said, referring to the planned new structure.

The so-called Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) is due from July to put all public sector workers on the same pay scale. It is seen as potentially inflationary because many will see their salary bracket revised upwards.

Smith-Graham declined to say how much the pay rise would cost public finances.

Ghana’s government, which is gearing up for the first revenues from its Jubilee oil field later this year, has been praised for bringing inflation to just under 12 per cent.

The Bank of Ghana has brought the prime rate down to 15 per cent in recent months and has said it could envisage cutting interest rates further as long as inflation kept easing.

“This latest news … will raise inflation risks somewhat,” said Standard Chartered regional head of research Razia Khan, noting it could also prompt the government to claw back revenue by cutting utility price subsidies, itself an inflationary move.

Ghana was also due to announce new utility tariffs later on Friday, with increases widely expected, but the announcement was postponed until next week.

Kobla Nyaletey, head of liquidity management at Barclays Ghana Treasury, said he believed the measure was compatible with spending already envisaged by the 2010 budget.

“There are some challenges ahead though, from probable upward (utility) tariff price adjustments and the implementation of the single spine salary structure,” he said.

The pace of inflation fell to 11.66 per cent in April and is seen dipping into single digits in the next few months before an expected rebound in prices later in 2010.

Analysts forecast a further rate cut in June and possibly one more after that.

Bank of Ghana Governor Kwesi Amissah-Arthur told Reuters in a May 14 interview the bank would cut rates further if compatible with the outlook for inflation and growth, which is set to more than double from around six per cent this year.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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