SECTION A
1.
Read the following passage carefully and provide the
appropriate punctuation marks to make it meaningful.
THE PASSAGE
Yesterday I visited the Kumasi Mall on adventure and met my
friend Tricia she was surprised to
see me after 30 years She screamed Hei Nello what are you doing here I replied
I came there on an adventure window shopping When I asked her whether she was
alone she indicated that she was there with her sister friend Nancy we decided
to walk together to explore available products some items we saw were cutlery
stationery furniture toiletries electrical gadgets and confectionaries in fact
it was a time for a reunion of lost friendship nancy asked what a comb-binder
was and I responded combbinder an electric gadget used to grill bread since it
was getting late we left the Mall fulfilled
2.
Summarize the key issues in the following passage in a
paragraph of about 200 words.
THE PASSAGE
Ghana has reported over 1000 COVID-19 cases and taken
several measures to stop its spread, including closure of borders and lockdown
in 40 districts and municipalities. Similar measures are in place in at least
40 countries on the continent – including neighbouring Burkina Faso, Côte
d’Ivoire and Togo. Because of land border closures, we can expect the economies
of 46 border districts of Ghana to be negatively impacted. This is true for
border economies across the 40 African countries that have closed land borders
– leading to a significant disruption in supply chain and reduction in
consumption. In addition, the restrictions on movement will also impact
individuals and businesses in those localities. Hopefully this pain will not be
long, and sooner or later, we shall begin the process of recovery.
The COVID-19 impact pathway will be more than the
supply-chain disruptions – across the land borders, seaports and the airports,
although they will likely be a big part of it. The restricted movements, either
because of lockdowns or people choices, will result in a drop-in consumption
and business investments. This has informed an online
survey, a COVID-19 Business Tracker, initiated by the Ghana Statistical
Services (GSS) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), to assess the impacts of the pandemic on businesses and to provide data
to inform policy choices.
The negative impacts of supply-chain disruptions will
largely hurt people and businesses connected to external supply chains, and
economies of border districts. Person-to-person businesses like hairdressers,
bars, and micro-finance institutions will also be hurt by movement
restrictions, which could lead to jobs losses. It would be important to monitor
and address any signs of social distress in these difficult times. Hopefully
the idea of borderless Africa and the continental free trade area will not
suffer as a result.
The impact of COVID-19 is not only negative. Businesses with
direct external competition will get relief and may be strengthened post
COVID-19 as global companies take longer to recover. Some businesses will shift
to new opportunities to fill the void brought about by increased demand due to
COVID-19 (e.g. hand sanitizers, gloves or masks) or due to irregular importation
of specific commodities and services.
Ghana, like most countries in Africa and across the world,
has been bold in taking actions to mitigate the immediate impacts of measures
put in place to stop the spread of COVID19. The COVID-19 National Trust Fund,
which has so far received GH¢8.75 million and counting, will likely be part of
the SDG Financing architecture. The Coronavirus Alleviation Programme is meant
to mitigate the immediate impact of COVID-19 on business and household and
therefore address the disruption in economic activities. It is essential that
these measures form the building blocks for businesses and the economy to
recover and build back better.
The good news is that one day COVID-19 will end. People and
families, small and large businesses, and local and national economies will
have to recover and build back better. The most important question is when
should it start? The best time should have been yesterday or now. It is
essential that we recognize that recovery will not just be about money, there
will be quick wins through policy choices.
First, COVID-19 recovery pathway will probably begin with
gradual easing of the supply-chain disruptions across all borders. The
conditions for easing will depend on the evolution of COVID-19 within Ghana as
well as within our neighbours of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo. It is
probably the same principal with Ghana’s trading partners on the continent and
beyond.
As we contain COVID-19, it may be useful to build on
existing cross border collaboration efforts such as COVID-19 surveillance to
organize recovery structures and actions. It is important that such recovery
structures are coordinated with the national leadership of the four countries
and possibly within the continent.
The second recovery pathway relates to businesses that have
taken on the role to produce goods and services that would otherwise have been
imported. This is certainly a critical one because this is at the heart of
accelerating industrialization and manufacturing. The world economy is not
expected to fully recover until early 2022. It is an opportunity to quickly
remove any policy bottlenecks and support such businesses to take a foothold.
We should also expect a faster drive in domestic tourism and ensure
tourism-related businesses are able to recover.
The third recovery pathway relates to businesses that could
not operate either due to restricted movements or due to a call for social
distancing. These are mainly person-toperson businesses. Commercial banks and
lending institutions will be helpful with better terms. The cost of borrowing
for such businesses will need to be examined further to ensure it does not sink
these businesses further as they try to recover.
The fourth recovery pathway relates to harnessing new
opportunities. We should, for example, expect a growth in new online
businesses, and more firms taking their operations online – including
person-to-person businesses.
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