Saturday, October 15, 2011

Ghana: The World's Fastest Growing Economy in 2011


In an economic research by the Economy Watch led by Juan Abdel Nasser, Ghana is ranked the fastest economic growing country in the world. Looking at the data on the Economic Statistics database from the Economy Watch.com., with the data points from the IMF's tracker of GDP Growth in constant prices in the national currency (not converted to US dollars).

Even though many people assume that China is the fastest economic growing country in the world, but that is not the case, it is the fastest growing largest economy, but that is a different thing.

What matters here is the key trends that are driving the growth figures. Looking at the Economic Indicator list for the year 2011, it is surprising to see who is now leading the pack in terms of economic growth.

It is not one of the countries that is normally thought of in those terms but rather Ghana which is currently the World's fastest growing economy in the year 2011.

The statistics for 2011:
Economic Indicator Listing in Year 2011

Ghana 20.146 %
Qatar 14.337 %
Turkmenistan 12.178 %
China 9.908 %
Liberia 9.003 %
India 8.43 %
Angola 8.251 %
Iraq 7.873 %
Ethiopia 7.663 %
Mozambique 7.548 %
Timor Leste (East Timor) 7.4 %
Laos 7.395 %

Growth rates are much higher this year. The chart tops out at over 20%. Last year there was a projected high of 16.4% from growth leader Qatar.

We can see once again that developed countries do not feature in the Top 12. Almost half of the top 12 come from Africa. Ghana has swept from 4.5% last year, to an astonishing 20.146% for 2011.

One third of the Top 12 are from the Far East, two from the Middle East and one from Central Asia. In 2010 there was only one G20 nation in the Top 12. This time India also makes the grade. This is the beginning of a larger trend. According to a political economic expert, with China's ageing population and India's young demographic, India's growth rate will overtake China's within 10 years, as it will start to enjoy a ?demographic dividend.? However India will not be without its own challenges as the chief political economist David Caploe points.

* The African decade continues to hold sway. 2010 to 2020 is bringing massive development to the continent. As China continues to boom we will see the Chinese offer more large-scale infrastructure development to African governments in return for natural resources and farmland to support it's vast population. In turn African countries are continuing to challenge old perceptions of corruption and violence through practising better governance. Chart leader Ghana is one of Africa's strongest democracies. African countries will continue to veer in favour of increased prosperity. The picture continues to be replacement of Western aid for Africa by Eastern trade with Africa.

* Energy is still remains a major key and will continues to play a key role. We expect this trend to continue with the advent of ?peak oil? and the continuing upward trend in oil and natural gas prices. Countries like Qatar and Azerbaijan with their huge natural gas and oil reserves will continue to boom.

* Rapid population growth is a key factor in economic growth. The countries with some of the highest rates of population growth in the world dominate the growth chart. As their economies mature, expect to see this trend slow down somewhat for these countries.

* A low growth base offers more opportunity for expansion. This explains the lack of highly developed economies in the Top 12. As these markets contend with the credit crisis or as "Dr Dave likes to call it, the Loan Freeze", the ongoing costs of supporting an ageing population and the law of diminishing returns will ensure that we will see much higher growth performance from economies that have more room to grow.

* Democracy and transparency in governance is the only way to (peace and) promote economic development, countries like Ghana who are experiencing a new era of good governance will enjoy massive growth increases. Where there is peace and good governance, prosperity will follow as we see in other countries making profitable use of their resources for development, rather than wage war. Underdeveloped economies surging ahead for 2011 will assist in closing the gab between rich and poor in the World.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

RETURN2GREEN VISITS AFRICAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONS (AUCC) TO DISCUSS EDUCATION PROGRAMS BASED ON NEW TECHNOLOGIES

September 29, 2011 – Accra, Ghana
Press Release

RETURN2GREEN VISITS AFRICAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONS (AUCC) TO DISCUSS EDUCATION PROGRAMS BASED ON NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Ms. Lily He of Return2Green International and Professor Zhou visit AUCC President, Mr. Kojo Yankah, Chief Scientist, Dr. Moses Mensah, and Senior Staff for discussions on new courses to be offered by the University.


Mr. Yankah and Dr. Mensah intend to create “Green” primary and advanced degree courses for the new generations in the following disciplines: sustainable agricultural, agricultural waste recycling, renewable Green technologies, Green products development, Green biotechnology, environmental crises aversion, and other related areas of study.

Many of the courses will be based on the technologies developed by Prof. Mouzhi Zhou.

Return2Green International and Prof. Zhou are very excited at the prospects of contributing to the enhancement of Ghana’s students who wish to take those courses, eventually becoming tomorrow’s leaders in Green technology.

RETURN2GREEN CALLS ON MINISTER OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

September 29, 2011 – Accra, Ghana
Press Release

RETURN2GREEN CALLS ON MINISTER OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

Ms. Lily He of Return2Green International and Professor Zhou made a call on Hon. Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister of Food and Agriculture, and Cecilia Erzuah, Director of Finance and
Administration for the Ministry. Ms. He and Professor Zhou were invited to the Minister’s office to discuss the wide ranging benefits of using agriculture waste and plant fiber with Prof. Zhou’s MZ-3 manufacturing technology.

Full discussions were conducted on ways to capitalize on the technology and the immense benefits Ghana will realize by turning agriculture and plant fiber waste to create a wide range of environmentally friendly biodegradable products for a broad spectrum of industries.


Minister Ahwoi and Cecilia Erzuah, expressed their full support and appreciation to Return2Green International and Prof. Zhou for bringing the technology to Ghana. They are confident it will bring added status to the country’s agriculture and food production sectors as well as improving Ghana’s farmer economic status.

Mr. Kojo Yankah, President of Africa2Green, was also present at the meeting.

Monday, September 26, 2011

RETURN2GREEN VISITS LARGEST RICE MILL IN NORTHERN GHANA

September 26, 2011 – Tamalee, Ghana
Press Release

RETURN2GREEN VISITS LARGEST RICE MILL IN NORTHERN GHANA

Ms. Lily He of Return2Green International and Professor Zhou call on Minister of Food and Agriculture Regional Director and Council Members to introduce new technologies for manufacturing with agro-waste and distributed energy using agro-waste as fuel.

The group also visited Nasia Rice Co. Ltd, the largest rice mill in Northern Ghana, which was assisted by Africa Development Bank. Nasia Rice Co. Ltd produces 830,000 kg rice of chaff per month.


The factory is literally choking itself with rice chaff waste, a common problem with all rice producers.


Rice husks have to be shipped to distant locations to be burned, which costs money and creates harmful emissions.


Next, Ms. He and Prof. Zhou met with Chief Andani Abdulai II, director of Ghana Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to discuss the potentials of starting up Return2Green projects in different regions of Ghana.

Over the last 4 days, high level meetings have indicated a very strong interest in Return2Green project proposals. They are much needed and a great fit for Ghana’s rural areas and industries.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

RETURN2GREEN VISITS EJURA MAIZE FARMS IN EFFORT TO ENHANCE FARMER INCOMES AND REDUCE TONS OF CO2

September 24, 2011 – Ejura, Ghana
Press Release

RETURN2GREEN VISITS EJURA MAIZE FARMS IN EFFORT TO ENHANCE FARMER INCOMES AND REDUCE TONS OF CO2 BEING CREATED BY BURNING OF AGRICULTURAL WASTE

Ms. Lily He, President of Return2Green International, visited expansive maize farms in Ejura, the largest maize producing district in Ashanti, with officials from The Ministry of Food and Agricultural. The purpose of the visit was to gain cooperation with the Farmer’s Association for a public and private investment program in which agricultural waste from
the farms is collected for use as Distributed Energy Fuel and raw materials for MZ-3 flower pots.


By collecting the agro-waste for alternative uses; as opposed to burning it, thousands of tons of CO2 per year that harm the environment will be eliminated. Additionally, thousands of hours of paid working time for farmers at the manufacturing plants will be created, thus adding to their economic and social status.


The program which is still in the development stages is intended to be spread around the entire country creating substantial positive effects for thousands of Ghanaians.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

RETURN2GREEN INTERNATIONAL ADDRESSES 5TH ANNUAL GHANA SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

September 23, 2011 – Kumasi, Ghana
Press Release

RETURN2GREEN INTERNATIONAL ADDRESSES 5TH ANNUAL GHANA SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING
Ms. Lily He, President of Return2Green International, addressed the 5th Annual Ghana Society of Agricultural Engineering (GSAE).  One of the topics of the conference was achieving agricultural growth through introductions of new technologies to Ghana’s farmers, who have been depending on outmoded farming practices for years.


Ms. He mission in going to Ghana was to introduce new technologies in sustainable agriculture. The introductions included: manufacturing of biodegradable products made from agro-waste using a patented process developed by Professor Mouzhi Zhou. Ms. He also introduced a revolutionary new sustainable Sunlight Greenhouse technology along with a Distributed Energy technology that will provide power to the operations using waste as fuel.

 
Ms. He and Prof. Zhou were invited to address the conference by the Minister of Food and Agriculture.


Friday, September 23, 2011

Lighting Science Group and Dixon Technologies Announce World’s First Sub-$15 Ultra-Efficient 60 Watt Equivalent LED Bulb

Company's Full Range of High-Performance LED Lighting Products will Transform the Indian and Emerging Countries’ Lighting Markets

At a press conference in India, Lighting Science Group (OTCBB: LSCG), the world’s premier maker of LED lighting solutions, and Dixon Technologies India Pvt. Ltd, a world-class electronics products manufacturer in India, unveiled one of their first joint products: a high-performance, sub-$15 omnidirectional 60-watt equivalent A19 LED bulb that will be available in India by the end of the year and will be sold worldwide by Lighting Science Group early next year. Utilizing Lighting Science Group’s revolutionary technical design, the bulb is the first in a series of products being jointly manufactured and distributed by the two companies. The full line of products will include street lights, outdoor and industrial light fixtures and replacement bulbs that will set a new standard for lighting product performance, producing more light for less energy than any similar products currently available in India.The Indian market for LED lighting is expected to grow to $400 million by 2015 (53% per annum), making it one of the fastest-growing sectors of one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. According to India’s Ministry of Power, the country plans to build 80 new coal-fired power plants to keep up with rising electricity demand over the next 5 years, and the potential savings from simply changing light bulbs to the new LED technology can significantly reduce they county’s electricity demand by as much as 40%.

“With India’s peak load electricity deficit expected to increase upwards of 15% in the near-term, the adoption of energy efficient technologies will prove critical in meeting India’s infrastructure needs and demands of continued economic growth. Our partnership with Lighting Science Group will make LED technology available for large scale implementation in the Indian market and we expect to be the market’s leading seller of LED lighting within two years,” said Sunil Vachani, chairman and managing director of Dixon Technologies.

Consistent availability of good quality electricity can be a constraining factor on economic growth, and moving to LED lighting is the low lying fruit of efficiency initiatives without polluting the environment: easy to implement with rapid repayment of the investment from power savings. The newly announced Lighting Science Definity® bulb fits perfectly into existing screw-in light sockets and creates a clean, bright light level equivalent to a conventional 60-watt incandescent bulb using 85% less electricity and is designed to handle the variable quality of power in India and other emerging economies. Even compared with relatively efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), the new bulb uses 35% less electricity and, unlike all fluorescent lights, contains no toxic mercury. At a retail price that is below $15, the payback from electricity savings versus traditional incandescent light bulbs is 8 months and the LED bulb has an expected life of approximately 8 years.

“With 800,000,000 incandescent light bulbs and 300,000,000 CFLs sold in India each year, the market is ripe for these highly efficient, long lasting and nontoxic products,” said Atul Lall, deputy managing director of Dixon Technologies. “The economic and environmental implications of this partnership are significant: old-style light bulbs use 60 billion units of electricity each year, 7% of India’s total, and our Lighting Science Group Definity® lamps could save over 70% of that, equivalent to 32 coal fired plants with 500MW capacity.”

With its high efficiency, long life and high quality light, LED technology is transforming the $100 billion global lighting industry. That is why the Indian government is targeting LED lighting as a sector of excellence and as a driver of the future Indian economy.

“As India undergoes an infrastructure transformation in the next few years, the country has an unprecedented opportunity to leapfrog the rest of the world by becoming an early, large-scale adopter of LED technology,” said Jim Haworth, chairman and chief executive officer of Lighting Science Group. “Augmenting our production capabilities by utilizing Dixon Technologies’ manufacturing facilities in Noida, we’ll be able meet the expected strong demand from individuals, businesses and government in India and I expect that our LED lighting products-particularly the new 60-watt equivalent bulb-will quickly become some of the best selling lighting products in the world.”

About Dixon Technologies
Headquartered in Noida, India, Dixon is a leading Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider focused on delivering high quality, cost effective solutions for consumer electronics, lighting, set top boxes and home appliances for the domestic (India) and international markets. With fiscal year 2009-2010 revenues of USD $200 million (Rs.1000 Crores), Dixon provides its customers with world-class electronics products through a network of manufacturing facilities spread across India. Dixon is ISO 9000 & 14001 certified.

All of Dixon’s facilities are audited and approved by Multinational Customers, as per their global standards. This ensures that customers are able to optimize their operations by lowering their costs, providing reliable and safe products to their customers and reducing their time to market.

About Lighting Science Group
Lighting Science Group Corporation (OTCBB: LSCG) designs, develops, manufactures and markets LED lighting solutions that are environmentally friendlier and more energy efficient than traditional lighting products. Lighting Science Group offers retrofit LED lamps in form factors that match those of traditional lamps or bulbs and LED luminaires for a range of applications including public and private infrastructure for both indoor and outdoor applications. Lighting Science Group’s Advanced Projects Group business unit designs, develops and manufactures custom LED lighting solutions for architectural and artistic projects. Lighting Science Group is headquartered in Satellite Beach, Florida; the Company’s European operations are based in Middelburg, The Netherlands; the Company has a sales office in Sydney, Australia; and it has a manufacturing facility in Monterrey, Mexico. Lighting Science Group employs approximately 600 workers building lighting products from domestic and imported parts. Lighting Science Group is a Pegasus Capital Advisors portfolio company. More information about Lighting Science Group is available here.

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