Category Archives: Resource Based Economy

Transcript

PAUL FLANAGAN: Arguably for too long PNG has placed too much emphasis on getting the resource part of its economy going well. So focussing on large LNG projects, or copper and gold projects. But that really hasn't delivered improvements in well being for the vast majority of people in PNG. An alternative approach is to take a more people focussed development line which would try and build on its extraordinary cultural diversity, the strength of its ecosystems, and use that as a path to tap into the incredible potential of its people to have a different development to what PNG has faced previously.

DON WISEMAN: Why is it that there has been so little return from oil, gas and minerals?

PL: A long term feature of countries that go down a path of resource dependence is the somewhat well known Resource Curse. And the Resource Curse comes through in a few different ways. In some ways it is the focus in development towards those big projects rather than those that are more inclusive. It comes through because there is more opportunity for corruption and graft that can come through those big projects. But a more hidden and sinister one is that it tends to lead to overvalued exchange rates. It pushes up the exchange rate which means it's good for people importing in urban areas but it means a large part of the economy that could be otherwise exporting things that might be tapping into more local, cultural traditions. You know local PNG fashions and things like that - they're priced out of the international market just because that country is exporting some much LNG and gold and other produce. So dealing with the exchange rate is going to be a very credible and one of the simplest tools one can take to try and improve development outcomes.

DW: You've talked about how the effect of this focus on developing mineral resources and oil and gas, has been the creation of dual economies in a sense.

PL: Very much dual economies and it tends to be there is not much linkage between the traditional economy and the resource-based economy. Now PNG could have a really strong agricultural sector, one would think, in terms of exporting things such as coffee and cocoa to much greater levels. But they face price competition and the incentives for people who front up to sell coffee at the local factory, they don't actually get that much kina for each US dollar, once again because of this overvalued exchange rate that can sort of really hinder development. What can really build up the linkages between those parts of the economy is if the tax regime is taking enough tax out of the resource sector and distributing that back into the local economy through improved infrastructure or through improved health and education outcomes. We know PNG is actually taxing its resource sector quite lightly, relative to that faced by most other countries. So once again that is an area that can be looked at. But that will take probably 5-10 years to put into effect because of binding agreements already with existing projects.

DW: So in the current circumstances, the economy is a grim state, how do you get the exchange rate down?

PL: In some ways that can be a straight decision from the Bank of Papua New Guinea, just in the same way as when it appreciated the currency by nearly 20 percent back in June 2014, it could decide overnight to depreciate the currency once again by 20 percent. One has to be careful with that because there would be potentially imported inflationary impacts and one needs to ensure that staples such as rice and that don't jump through the roof immediately. And there can be some action taken to try and bring those price increases through time. Any of these sort of adjustments are difficult in terms of their impacts but in terms of putting them into place, fixing up the exchange rate is much, much easier than trying to do something such as Budget repair, which would involve other difficult things. Such as looking at tax increases on consumers or wage earners. Bringing more targets as to where you cut expenditure, more options there, but once again some pretty difficult choices because of some capacity and other limits that PNG faces. So it is always a world of hard choices given how far PNG has gone down this slippery economic slopes, but there are mechanisms to pick things up again and one of the best and easiest of those is improving the exchange rate, making it more competitive, allowing PNG to really enter into the Asia-Pacific century.

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PNG encouraged to end dependence on gas, oil and gold - Radio New Zealand

Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister of Communications, said Government was keen on establishing a digital economy which would improve efficiency of government business.

She said the Ministry of Communications was currently implementing a number of projects under the e-Transform initiative namely e-Immigration, e-Parliament, e-Procurement, Tertiary Institutions Connectivity Programme and e-Justice to achieve that goal.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful who said at the inauguration of the Board of Directors of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) in Accra, urged the Board to be proactive and efficient in its operations to ensure success in their endeavour.

The Board, which is chaired by Dr Mohammed-Sani Abdulai, include, Mr Jeffrey Konadu Addo, NITA Acting Director-General, Mr Gerard Nana Kwakwa Osei-Tutu, Dr Gezer Osei Yeboah-Boateng and Mr Emmanuel Mensah-Bonsu.

Other members are Mr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, Ms Ama Daaku, Mr Kwasi Agyei Tabi, and Mr. Ernest Andam Brown. Section 9(1)(a) of the NITA Act, Act 771, 2008, enjoins members of the Board to submit to the Agency a written declaration that includes details of their shareholdings, debentures or other interests in a company whether directly or indirectly owned, public or charitable appointments as well as directorships held by the member.

The Act also enjoins members to inform the Agency of any change in respect of that members shareholdings, debentures or other interests in the company whether directly or indirectly owned by the member, and not knowingly make a false declaration.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the successful implementation of the e-Transform initiative depended on the efficient management of NITAs infrastructure and call on Board and management to work to ensure high service level attainments.

She said the Ministry of Communication have set a target to enforce the usage of Government Domain name across all Government Agencies and Department for the transaction of official business and NITA is expected to facilitate the achievement of the target.

The Communications Minister said to be able achieve all these targets, NITA needed to operationalise its regulatory mandate which has not been done since the law was passed in 2008. She said Governments intended to scale up the use of technology at all levels to facilitate the implementation of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) -led socio-economic agenda for which reason, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has constituted the Board to deliver on this mandate guided by the principles in the NITA Act of 2008 (Act 771 and Act 778).

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the President, in constituting this Board, considered the diverse expertise and experience of members and have no doubt that members would implement innovative strategies to resolve the challenges of the Agency and transform it into an effective organization capable of leading the implementation of the Digital Ghana Agenda.

She said Government has made significant investment in building an extensive ICT infrastructure that has been placed in the care of NITA and expected that this will be managed efficiently and profitably.

The Public Services Commission has approved the administrative structure and scheme of Service to enable NITA engage qualified professionals into the Agency. I entreat the Board to support the management in its effort to build the requisite capacity for the agency.

In view of the urgency of attracting and retaining requisite skilled manpower to manage government IT assets, I urge the Board to reengage the Public Service Commission to improve upon the conditions of service of your staff, she said.

The Minister said, her outfit have informed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to seek NITAs input before acquiring any IT solution, application, platform or device to ensure the interoperability of the government IT architecture to end the culture of working in silos.

She urged the board to expedite work to ensure effective discharge of its mandate by Setting the standards for all IT applications, systems, devices procured by MMDAS, Enhance your regulatory functions as soon as possible by passing and implementing the requisite LIs and Establish Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to ensure secure online transactions, enhance delivery of online services and enhance e-government implementation, mindful of the ongoing work in this regard.

They are also to Establish an effective customer complaints unit to address complaints from the public and MDAs on the quality of its service, develop an effective marketing strategy for use of the National Data Centre as a secure and safe infrastructure for data storage, Manage Governments broadband infrastructure effectively to provide efficient services to its client and Recover subscription fees and charges for the supply of Bandwidth to MDAs.

Dr Abdulai assured the Minister of the Boards commitment to re-position NITA by building its human resource based to promote the government digital economy agenda. He said the Board recognised the importance of ICT in a growing economy and that the responsibility of building a quality service delivery would be achieved through revisiting NITAs business strategy and leverage the Community Information Centres to become learning centres of its various locations.

NITA was set up under the National Information Technology Act (Act 771) of 2008 and mandated to regulate the deployment of ICT, Promote standards in technology applications and ensure high quality of technology service among government agencies at the national, regional and local levels in a harmonized manner.

It is also to Promote private sector partnership in ICT deployment, ensure security of networks at all times, advise the Ministry on policy review in the ICT sector and Investigate, resolve disputes between license holders under the Electronic Transactions Act referred to the Agency by license holders and to certify all agencies established under the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772).

Continued here:

Government is keen on establishing a digital economy - Minister - BusinessGhana

By Amadu Kamil Sanah, GNA

Accra, Aug. 16, GNA - Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister of Communications, said Government was keen on establishing a digital economy which would improve efficiency of government business.

She said the Ministry of Communications was currently implementing a number of projects under the e-Transform initiative namely e-Immigration, e-Parliament, e-Procurement, Tertiary Institutions Connectivity Programme and e-Justice to achieve that goal.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful who said at the inauguration of the Board of Directors of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) in Accra, urged the Board to be proactive and efficient in its operations to ensure success in their endeavour.

The Board, which is chaired by Dr Mohammed-Sani Abdulai, include, Mr Jeffrey Konadu Addo, NITA Acting Director-General, Mr Gerard Nana Kwakwa Osei-Tutu, Dr Gezer Osei Yeboah-Boateng and Mr Emmanuel Mensah-Bonsu.

Other members are Mr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, Ms Ama Daaku, Mr Kwasi Agyei Tabi, and Mr. Ernest Andam Brown.

Section 9(1)(a) of the NITA Act, Act 771, 2008, enjoins members of the Board to submit to the Agency a written declaration that includes details of their shareholdings, debentures or other interests in a company whether directly or indirectly owned, public or charitable appointments as well as directorships held by the member.

The Act also enjoins members to inform the Agency of any change in respect of that members shareholdings, debentures or other interests in the company whether directly or indirectly owned by the member, and not knowingly make a false declaration.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the successful implementation of the e-Transform initiative depended on the efficient management of NITAs infrastructure and call on Board and management to work to ensure high service level attainments.

She said the Ministry of Communication have set a target to enforce the usage of Government Domain name across all Government Agencies and Department for the transaction of official business and NITA is expected to facilitate the achievement of the target.

The Communications Minister said to be able achieve all these targets, NITA needed to operationalise its regulatory mandate which has not been done since the law was passed in 2008.

She said Governments intended to scale up the use of technology at all levels to facilitate the implementation of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-led socio-economic agenda for which reason, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has constituted the Board to deliver on this mandate guided by the principles in the NITA Act of 2008 (Act 771 and Act 778).

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the President, in constituting this Board, considered the diverse expertise and experience of members and have no doubt that members would implement innovative strategies to resolve the challenges of the Agency and transform it into an effective organization capable of leading the implementation of the Digital Ghana Agenda.

She said Government has made significant investment in building an extensive ICT infrastructure that has been placed in the care of NITA and expected that this will be managed efficiently and profitably.

The Public Services Commission has approved the administrative structure and scheme of Service to enable NITA engage qualified professionals into the Agency. I entreat the Board to support the management in its effort to build the requisite capacity for the agency.

In view of the urgency of attracting and retaining requisite skilled manpower to manage government IT assets, I urge the Board to reengage the Public Service Commission to improve upon the conditions of service of your staff, she said.

The Minister said, her outfit have informed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to seek NITAs input before acquiring any IT solution, application, platform or device to ensure the interoperability of the government IT architecture to end the culture of working in silos.

She urged the board to expedite work to ensure effective discharge of its mandate by Setting the standards for all IT applications, systems, devices procured by MMDAS, Enhance your regulatory functions as soon as possible by passing and implementing the requisite LIs and Establish Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to ensure secure online transactions, enhance delivery of online services and enhance e-government implementation, mindful of the ongoing work in this regard.

They are also to Establish an effective customer complaints unit to address complaints from the public and MDAs on the quality of its service, develop an effective marketing strategy for use of the National Data Centre as a secure and safe infrastructure for data storage, Manage Governments broadband infrastructure effectively to provide efficient services to its client and Recover subscription fees and charges for the supply of Bandwidth to MDAs.

Dr Abdulai assured the Minister of the Boards commitment to re-position NITA by building its human resource based to promote the government digital economy agenda.

He said the Board recognised the importance of ICT in a growing economy and that the responsibility of building a quality service delivery would be achieved through revisiting NITAs business strategy and leverage the Community Information Centres to become learning centres of its various locations.

NITA was set up under the National Information Technology Act (Act 771) of 2008 and mandated to regulate the deployment of ICT, Promote standards in technology applications and ensure high quality of technology service among government agencies at the national, regional and local levels in a harmonized manner.

It is also to Promote private sector partnership in ICT deployment, ensure security of networks at all times, advise the Ministry on policy review in the ICT sector and Investigate, resolve disputes between license holders under the Electronic Transactions Act referred to the Agency by license holders and to certify all agencies established under the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772).

GNA

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Government is keen on establishing a digital economy - Minister - Ghana News Agency

Acad. Ivan Bednjicki

Moon Stone International Investment has its own business model for the efficient management of material resources based on circular economy policy as a new economic model for resource management.

Luxembourg (PRWEB) August 14, 2017

In recent years, efficient use of resources and a low-carbon society have become the focus of global discussions on the transition to a circular economy. Transition to a circular economy is one of the fundamental development challenges of our society, which will have an ever more important role in the future due to its environmental and climate impacts, and because of the economic potential deriving from it. Therefore, the transition to a circular economy cannot only be a vision, but is a necessity. Circular economy connects several concepts, such as green growth, the green economy, industrial symbiosis, resource efficiency and sustainable development. With wider or narrower focus, the common goals are generally three: to improve the efficiency of resource use, to ensure resilience of ecosystems and to strengthen social equity. Global demand for natural resources is rising steeply. In the 20th century, the world's population increased by 4 times, economic output by 40 times, consumption of fossil fuels 16 times, and water consumption by 9 times. The same trend will continue in the future. By 2050, the global population will increase to 9.6 billion people, and it is clear that the linear economic model will soon come to its limit as it is based on the exploitation of natural resources and the increasing production of goods with a short lifespan.

The Seventh Environmental Action Program of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union for the period up to 2020 sets out the priority objectives to be achieved during this period. With this environmental action program, the EU has committed itself to further strengthening its efforts to protect our natural capital, promote low carbon growth by effectively using resources and innovation, and protecting the health and well-being of people while respecting the natural limitations of the planet. The program contains nine priority objectives and tasks that the EU must undertake to achieve by 2020, among which a special focus is on improving resource management.

According to Eurostat data, most EU countries are still ineffective in terms of material productivity because they use too many natural resources for the unit of GDP generated, which puts them in an extremely precarious situation in the long run from a competitive point of view. The reason for this is the overwhelming inheritance of the surviving linear model of thinking in the economy and service activities (acquired, used, discarded). We need to start thinking about how to set up a circular economic system in which raw materials, water, energy and other resources will circulate, as they circulate in nature. By introducing the circular economic system, the company will be a step closer to not considering environmental policy as a factor of limiting growth, but as a key development opportunity for a new development paradigm.

The notion of "circular economy", in which nothing is discarded, is crucial in seeking to increase the efficiency of resource use. Prevention and preparation for the reuse and recycling of waste enable the company to acquire substances or materials from existing, already produced sources. This reduces the need for natural resources, and consequently reduces the use of energy and the negative impacts on the environment. Therefore, when introducing circular economy, there is no question if, but only when the economies of the countries will do so.

Moon Stone International Investment S.A. from Luxemburg is a company, which has come to realize that proper waste management is a new industry for the future for those who will recognize this opportunity. Expert studies and operational experience of the company show that the limited processing of only certain waste by a certain technology reduces the possibility of their processing into new usable materials, the scope of the possibilities of implementing certain services is limited, while lower added value and lower operating profit are achieved. On the contrary, the combined processing of waste from different areas of their production by combining different processing methods gives the greatest possible degree of their conversion into new useful materials, the maximum extent of service delivery, unsurpassed development opportunities and the achievement of higher added value and higher operating profit. And all of this is the strategic business goal of Moon Stone International Investment S.A. from Luxembourg, which has its own business model for the efficient management of material resources based on circular economy policy as a new economic model for resource management.

Moon Stone International Investment S.A. Is mainly focused on handling large masses of waste from construction, mining, industry, energy, utilities and debris of inland water bodies. Among municipal waste, priority is given to the treatment of sludges from wastewater treatment plants, the remains of so-called unusable heavy fractions after mechanical biological treatment of municipal solid waste, and ashes resulting from the thermal treatment of alternative fuels from treated waste. The use of recovered waste as new materials, composites and soils is primarily intended for the implementation of earthworks, focusing on the implementation of remediation of degraded areas in the past, improving the quality of soil for agricultural production and for new provincial construction, with an emphasis on the implementation of measures for the construction of flood protection for threats to the operation of high flood water.

In the strategy of its operation, the company does not use the words "disposal or incineration of waste" since it is at all times looking for recycled waste with comprehensive project support at the highest level for its predominantly strategic clients under its own patent procedure and its own business model for useful permitted re-use for the purpose of implementing the circular economy strategy efficient resource management.

Original Article

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Circular economy Effective resource management - Virtual-Strategy Magazine

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Walls intuitive decision to step down one year and four months into a new mandate had some Saskatchewanians scratching their heads last week.

Others, like me, who understand the demanding electorate, observe that Wall had no other choice. It was either go now, or face leadership opposition within the Saskatchewan Party or, even worse, humiliation at the polls in 2020.

This time last year, Wall first elected in November 2007 was riding high in the polls after the April 2016 election in which he received a majority mandate to govern for the next four years.

So what happened?

One unpopular budget and the Saskatchewan Party premier, a member of the Mennonite faiths conservative wing, is folding up his evangelists tent and moving on like Steve Martin in Leap of Faith.

After the miserly April 2017 budget, Wall, who was once the most popular premier in Canada, watched on helplessly as his SaskParty approval ratings dipped to a record low of 40 per cent.

It was a small cut to the coffers and the elimination of the government-owned, money-draining Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) that left Wall stranded.

Outside the provinces major centres, if you want to get on the bus, Gus, or make a new plan, Stan, youll have to hitch a ride, Clyde, cause Uber doesnt service rural Saskatchewan.

Walls rural stronghold of conservative seniors has evaporated, since those without drivers licences and with city medical appointments can no longer ride the STC, which has been the lifeline for rural people since 1946. That senior demographic can no longer rally for Wall in Regina.

Sure, there was a literate outcry over the de-funding of libraries in that same ill-fated budget. But the library funding was soon restored for just one more year. The funding structures will be re-evaluated in 2018 after a consultation with librarians.

When Wall and his government sharpened their pencils with this most recent budget, they made a massive miscalculation: the SaskParty didnt spend money during a downturn.

Instead, the government punished the electorate with a philosophical budget that off-loaded the treasurys shortfall onto voters. Walls ill-advised April budget was an act of fiscal conservatism, which was an attempt to bolster his credibility with his conservative base a rookie move for a premier of almost 10 years.

Like other western Canadian resource-based provinces, Saskatchewans economy has been listing like an old navy destroyer. Perhaps Wall, who has always had a good grasp on the mood of the electorate, knows his party is facing imminent failure at the polls in 2020.

Still, its a kick in the teeth to the loyal voters who elected his SaskParty based on the reassurance that a moderate would be at the helm for four more years.

The majority of voters in this polarized province chose between two extremes: the socialist NDP and the free-enterprise SaskParty. There hasnt been a Liberal premier since W. Ross Thatcher (1964-1971).

The so-called polarized major political parties are more alike then theyll admit: both are dominated by prudish social conservatives who thrive on the status quo; nothing changes in Saskatchewan not even the time zone.

Wall the populist knew this, so he assumed the position of the appearance of change, without any bold policies that would set off the stuffy electorate. His moderate stance endeared him to the voting majority while alienating the far-right factions of his party.

So its farewell to Brad Wall. His 2016 winning election platform of "Keeping Saskatchewan Strong" has been an epic fail. All it did was fortify the NDP, who are now poised to steal the province from the SaskParty, thanks to the erosion of Walls rural base.

So what are Brad Walls future career options? Open a surf shop in Tofino or sit on the board of PotashCorp? Will Brad and Tami Wall buy a Class A motorhome, become roadies and tour with their 22-year-old musician son, Colter, a rising blues-folk-Americana star in North America and Europe?

Perhaps Wall knew the voters were ready to run him, and his party, out on a rail. Its the only other way out of town now that the STC has been cut. To drown their transportation sorrows, rural voters thanks to a quasi-privatization scheme for liquor stores can now buy a cheap bottle of Golden Wedding rye at the same hotel bar where the STC once stopped.

Patricia Dawn Robertson is an independent journalist in Wakaw, Sask.

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Wall cuts his way right out of office - Winnipeg Free Press

Ranking member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee recognized for demonstrated commitment to the U.S. rail network

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Association of American Railroads (AAR), in partnership with grassroots advocacy organization GoRail, today honored Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) with the Railroad Achievement Award, an initiative launched in May 2017. Recognized for his longstanding, bipartisan leadership on issues affecting both freight and passenger railroads, Congressman DeFazio accepted the award at the manufacturing facility of Willamette Valley Company (WVCO). The Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA), which represents WVCO, as well as eight other Oregon rail manufacturers, coordinated the event.

Freight railroads serve almost every industrial, wholesale, retail and resource-based sector of the economy and provide firm footing for the vast majority of passenger and commuter rail in this nation, said AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger. As the Ranking Member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, and with an accomplished career in Congress, few leaders understand this fundamental truth more than Congressman DeFazio. His leadership was especially evident in passing the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act in 2015, the first long-term surface transportation bill in a decade, which included several key railroad provisions, such as Amtrak reauthorization.

The Railroad Achievement Award is given periodically to members of Congress who have shown leadership on policies that help ensure the vitality of railroads in the United States. Award winners like todays have particularly shown an understanding of the distinct role railroads play in the American economy and the need for safe and efficient operations made possible through sustained investment, the organizers said.

Communities and companies all across America benefit from an innovative freight rail industry that invests more than 40 cents of every revenue dollar back into the nations rail network, said GoRail President Russell McGurk. Making this possible are sound public policies and elected leaders like Congressman DeFazio with the foresight to enact and protect those policies.

In prepared remarks introducing Rep. DeFazio, GoRails Nate Kaplan discussed the critical safety enhancements made possible through the FAST Act. Kaplan also pointed to the reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in 2015 and applauded the broad representation of the rail sector at the event, including western rail carriers BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, short line Genesee & Wyoming, Oregon-based rail suppliers and the host, WVCO, a major local employer and international transportation supply and technology company.

Congressman Peter DeFazio has long been a strong advocate of the rail industry, the State of Oregon and especially, Lane County, added John Murray, Vice President of WVCO. Willamette Valley Company is honored to host this award presentation.

It was our pleasure to join our industry counterparts in honoring and thanking Congressman DeFazio for his continued leadership on vital transportation and infrastructure issues, said David Tennent, Executive Director & CEO, REMSA. Today would not have been possible without the leadership of Willamette Valley Company and I wanted to thank them for their efforts on behalf of the rail supply industry. We look forward to continuing to unite railroads and suppliers to advocate for sound, fact-based policies that will continue to create jobs and growth across the United States.

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Congressman Peter Defazio honored with Railroad Achievement Award - American Journal of Transportation

Moon Stone International Investment S.A. from Luxemburg is a company, which has come to realize that proper waste management is a new industry for the future for those who will recognize this opportunity.

Luxembourg (PRWEB) August 14, 2017

In recent years, efficient use of resources and a low-carbon society have become the focus of global discussions on the transition to a circular economy. Transition to a circular economy is one of the fundamental development challenges of our society, which will have an ever more important role in the future due to its environmental and climate impacts, and because of the economic potential deriving from it. Therefore, the transition to a circular economy cannot only be a vision, but is a necessity. Circular economy connects several concepts, such as green growth, the green economy, industrial symbiosis, resource efficiency and sustainable development. With wider or narrower focus, the common goals are generally three: to improve the efficiency of resource use, to ensure resilience of ecosystems and to strengthen social equity. Global demand for natural resources is rising steeply. In the 20th century, the world's population increased by 4 times, economic output by 40 times, consumption of fossil fuels 16 times, and water consumption by 9 times. The same trend will continue in the future. By 2050, the global population will increase to 9.6 billion people, and it is clear that the linear economic model will soon come to its limit as it is based on the exploitation of natural resources and the increasing production of goods with a short lifespan.

The Seventh Environmental Action Program of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union for the period up to 2020 sets out the priority objectives to be achieved during this period. With this environmental action program, the EU has committed itself to further strengthening its efforts to protect our natural capital, promote low carbon growth by effectively using resources and innovation, and protecting the health and well-being of people - while respecting the natural limitations of the planet. The program contains nine priority objectives and tasks that the EU must undertake to achieve by 2020, among which a special focus is on improving resource management.

According to Eurostat data, most EU countries are still ineffective in terms of material productivity because they use too many natural resources for the unit of GDP generated, which puts them in an extremely precarious situation in the long run from a competitive point of view. The reason for this is the overwhelming inheritance of the surviving linear model of thinking in the economy and service activities (acquired, used, discarded). We need to start thinking about how to set up a circular economic system in which raw materials, water, energy and other resources will circulate, as they circulate in nature. By introducing the circular economic system, the company will be a step closer to not considering environmental policy as a factor of limiting growth, but as a key development opportunity for a new development paradigm.

The notion of "circular economy", in which nothing is discarded, is crucial in seeking to increase the efficiency of resource use. Prevention and preparation for the reuse and recycling of waste enable the company to acquire substances or materials from existing, already produced sources. This reduces the need for natural resources, and consequently reduces the use of energy and the negative impacts on the environment. Therefore, when introducing circular economy, there is no question if, but only when the economies of the countries will do so.

Moon Stone International Investment S.A. from Luxemburg is a company, which has come to realize that proper waste management is a new industry for the future for those who will recognize this opportunity. Expert studies and operational experience of the company show that the limited processing of only certain waste by a certain technology reduces the possibility of their processing into new usable materials, the scope of the possibilities of implementing certain services is limited, while lower added value and lower operating profit are achieved. On the contrary, the combined processing of waste from different areas of their production by combining different processing methods gives the greatest possible degree of their conversion into new useful materials, the maximum extent of service delivery, unsurpassed development opportunities and the achievement of higher added value and higher operating profit. And all of this is the strategic business goal of Moon Stone International Investment S.A. from Luxembourg, which has its own business model for the efficient management of material resources based on circular economy policy as a new economic model for resource management.

Moon Stone International Investment S.A. Is mainly focused on handling large masses of waste from construction, mining, industry, energy, utilities and debris of inland water bodies. Among municipal waste, priority is given to the treatment of sludges from wastewater treatment plants, the remains of so-called unusable heavy fractions after mechanical biological treatment of municipal solid waste, and ashes resulting from the thermal treatment of alternative fuels from treated waste. The use of recovered waste as new materials, composites and soils is primarily intended for the implementation of earthworks, focusing on the implementation of remediation of degraded areas in the past, improving the quality of soil for agricultural production and for new provincial construction, with an emphasis on the implementation of measures for the construction of flood protection for threats to the operation of high flood water.

In the strategy of its operation, the company does not use the words "disposal or incineration of waste" since it is at all times looking for recycled waste with comprehensive project support at the highest level for its predominantly strategic clients under its own patent procedure and its own business model for useful permitted re-use for the purpose of implementing the circular economy strategy - efficient resource management.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/08/prweb14586830.htm

Continued here:

Circular economy - Effective resource management - Benzinga

WOODSFIELD Monroe County business leaders and government officials are counting on an upswing in the local economy, mostly due to activity in the oil and natural gas industry.

Barbara Carslund of the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce said she is optimistic that jobs and industry are on their way to the county, and her organization is helping to pave the way for progress. According to Carslund, the county is poised to reap the benefits of the oil and gas explosion, and the county must be prepared to take advantage of the economic expansion by helping existing small businesses expand and by helping those who would like to open new businesses.

We are working right now with the oil and gas industry and trying to get our local businesses trained in cooperation with the Small Business Development Center in Marietta, Carslund said. They offer many services as the regional office there in Marietta, but we are working to get more training sessions here in Monroe County.

The Small Business Development Center is a free public resource providing technical assistance for small businesses. There are 28 SBDCs throughout Ohio that provide no-cost, confidential, in-depth, one-on-one counseling for businesses that will or currently employ under 500 employees. Additional services include training, e-counseling, quality-based assessments, technical assistance, loan packaging guidance, and information on federal, state, and local regulations and programs, according to Ohio.gov.

The SBDC network is provided through a partnership between the Ohio Development Services Agency, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Ohio chambers of commerce, colleges and universities, and economic development agencies. Together, they contribute more than $10 million toward support of small business development in Ohio, including in Monroe County.

The Monroe County Chamber of Commerce heard from John Voorhies of the Marietta SBDC on Tuesday, when he outlined his agencys services for small businesses. He said his organization helps with business plans, programs, marketing, accounting, bookkeeping, taxes, regulatory compliance, public relations and access to capital.

I cover four counties Monroe, Washington, Noble and Morgan counties. My job is to help you with business plans, Voorhies said. Ive got great research available to you, great programs that we use. I can really whittle down a lot of information for you. We can help you with your financials, which is really important. It usually boils down to marketing and financing.

Voorhies said his organization can also help existing businesses to increase profits and expand production.

We will do actual evaluations to determine areas where you can improve, and determine areas where you are doing great, Voorhies added. Right now, between our three regional offices we are pushing close to $4 million in impact. Since October I have started 40 businesses. Most of those businesses are one or two or three employees. If I can keep them going for two or three years, and the next thing is they are hiring someone else, then I am doing my job. That is what Im supposed to do.

Voorhies encouraged the use of his organization for everything from filling out LLC paperwork to general advice, and especially marketing on social media.

I am a resource, and Im free. How can you beat free? Free is good, Voorhies said.

The SBDC will be holding a free training session at the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 14 titled Accounting 101. Call the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce at 740-472-5499 to register for the class.

Carslund said the Monroe County chamber will be hosting more training sessions within the county, and she encourages those who are interested in learning more about opening up a new business to attend the training sessions, as well as other chamber events.

Encourage people to come to these sessions so we can keep this training here in Monroe County so they dont have to go to Cambridge or Marietta, Carslund said. If you have suggestions on topics, please be sure to let us know.

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Monroe chamber prepares for economic growth - Martins Ferry Times Leader

At 41 years of age, Dr Alfred Madigele is Botswanas youngest Cabinet Minister.

After completing his studies in Ireland, Dr Madigele was employed for a year at one of the biggest hospitals in Ireland called Limerick Regional Hospital, as a Medical Officer and he decided to quit and come back home.

Dr Madigele was employed by Princess Marina Hospital for a year before opening his own private clinic as a general practitioner before contesting for Mathethe/Molapowabojang Constituency in the 2014 general elections.

Voice reporter Portia Ngwako-Mlilo had a chat with the youthful minister about his political journey, challenges and growth opportunities at his ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology.

Q. What inspired you to join politics?

A. When I was at junior school I read a lot about former South Africa leaders of the struggle like Robert Sobukwe and Oliver Tambo and got inspiration from their stories and what they did for their people.

I think I developed interest at that age and I thought perhaps when I grow up I would be interested in joining politics.

One of the things I really wanted to do was being a medical doctor which I managed to achieve and after 10 years of practice I joined politics.

Q. One would say you were not known much in the BDP until you stood for elections, when did you join politics?

A. I joined politics a long time ago behind the scenes because I had established a business of private clinic and I didnt want my professional life to mix with politics.

I came into the picture two years before the election.

Q. What was the response from people in your constituency?

A. People were very appreciative and according to them it was a breath of fresh air.

They appreciated that I was a professional and young compared to previous leaders.

The message that I put across was also appealing to the electorate.

Q. It is said you come from a family of BNF activists, why did you choose to join BDP?

A. Growing up I read a lot of literature from Russia- the former USSR, because my uncle was a communist and a councilor in Lobatse.

It didnt mean I was pro socialism, and as I grew up I evolved into a situation of a free market of capitalist tendencies because I also felt that I was an aspiring entrepreneur, so I couldnt go with socialists.

BDP is a natural home for me.

Q. What have been your achievements so far in your constituency?

A. There is a lot that has been done so far and I believe there is still a lot that needs to be done.

There is a primary hospital and a bridge on the cards for Molapowabojang village as well as a police station and housing currently under construction.

In Mathethe we have developed an Agricultural Centre which is under construction.

Other areas include Lorolwane village where electrification is underway and there is also a maternity clinic coming up at Gasita village, just to mention a few.

Q. You were employed at Limerick Regional Hospital in Ireland for a year. Why did you decide to quit and come back home?

A. I really wanted to achieve that agenda of business and I had to come back so that I could develop a conducive environment for myself and eventually join politics.

Q. Dont you miss your days at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, considering that it was in line with your qualifications?

A. Yes I do, but for me it was a blessing to shift from the Ministry of Health because it is good to try other new things in life and it was good for growth.

I was happy that the leadership appreciated my leadership skills and I believe so far I have done a good job in starting a ministry from scratch.

Q. There were rumours that you were suppose to defect to the opposition, what happened?

A. I heard about that too but it was just that, rumours! Defection has never crossed my mind.

I think people mistake my character. I like to engage in discourse even with opposition politicians and some of them are my friends.

I would spend some time with them and people tend to believe I am considering joining them.

Q. Are you standing for the next elections?

A. Right now I am the Member of Parliament and the decision to stand or not has not arrived yet.

Q. Whats next after politics?

A. To continue being a reputable entrepreneur.

Like I said I am not a career politician and I am still a professional at heart.

Q. Should BDP be worried by the merging of opposition parties?

A. I dont think so. BDP should get strengthened because for us to govern we need a strong opposition.

In a democracy like ours there has to be strong institutions that will make sure that the government is able to deliver.

We shouldnt take change just for the sake of change.

BDP has so far done a lot of good things in terms of provision of basic things.

As we speak there is no other country that gives free health care or education.

Q. What challenges do you face at your ministry?

A. There is a lot of challenges like provision of quality relevant training.

We talk about programmes that are fully accredited and our graduates can be compatible with graduates from the region and the world at large with regards to relevance.

One of the problems we find is skills mismatch. Creation of HRDC will make sure that we train looking at the economy demand.

Our mandate is to migrate from a resource based to a knowledge based economy.

Q. We outsource skilled labour especially from neighbouring countries.

What are you doing to ensure that your ministry benchmarks in those countries?

A. This is a result of skills mismatch and we trained more people for white collar jobs and there was stigma attached to vocational schools.

We are very much working on that and we believe that a strong Technical and Vocational Education Training is very very key towards attaining a good level of employment.

We studied new models like that of Israel and Singapore and those countries do not have natural resources and depend only on their skills.

Q. What criteria is used to upgrade colleges to universities?

A. We have what we call National Credit and Qualification Framework which grade the level of qualification.

The purpose of a university is not only teaching but also for research and strategies.

Q. Why are other institutions intakes higher than others?

A. As government we have an obligation towards our institutions and we should be able to support them.

For the economy to grow it needs a strong private sector and that is why for the past 15 years- through a parliament Act, we allowed the emergence of private institutions.

Allocation of students is upon institutions to ensure that their programmes are fully accredited.

HRDC gives us an idea of which courses we can sponsor.

This year we have concentrated on construction, auto motive industry and others.

Q. Kindly share with our readers, progress on the Target 20 000.

A. It was introduced to up-skill and to re-tool our young people. More than 9 000 students benefited.

It is a great idea but I believe and agree with some critics that maybe the implementation was not great.

This year we suspended enrollment of new students for the programme and next year we will have a new and revamped Target 20 000, more appropriate and responsive to what we need from our students.

Q. How is the BQA transition process going?

A. I am working closely with the Board of Directors and BQA management to make sure that all the challenges we are facing are addressed.

BQA was formed in 2013 from two organizations BOTA and TEC.

BOTA was responsible for vocational training while TEC was for tertiary.

There was a bit of confusion because with BOTA there are true criteria either the course is accredited or not while TEC there were different levels of accreditation, approved provisionally, fully accredited or rejected.

Q. Do you think the time given to institutions is enough? What happens if they fail to meet deadline?

A. We realized the amount of work that needs to be done is so immense given to a transition within 12 months.

I am still waiting for a report from the board which would advice me on what to do.

Our stakeholders need to be reminded that the transition deadline is nearing so that we can all meet our obligation.

Q. Government funding is drying out.

What are you doing to ensure that scholarship grant beneficiaries pay back the money?

A. BGCSE produce about 35 students every year and our budget only sponsor around 10 000.

The issue is about budgetary constraints.

We are currently exploring a policy shift in tertiary education financing so that we can increase access.

There is need to reform the grant loan scheme which is behind times and really talks to government employment but things have changed.

We are talking with government to open up to the employees to allow them access to education loans for their children.

Q. Who is your inspiration?

A. There are many but I was mainly inspired by political figures like Robert Sobukwe at the level of politics.

On an individual level I was inspired by my late father, Fish.

I always admired his perseverance and hard work.

Q. What legacy do you want to leave at your ministry?

A. Issues of relevance need to be addressed.

there is also the training for the economy which would obviously reduce unemployment.

I would also want to leave a legacy of strong and innovative society.

Q. Thank God is Friday. What are your plans for the weekend?

A. I will be at the farm.

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Young and vibrant - The Voice Online (blog)

The Post and Couriers John McDermott reported on more than 12,000 acres of forestland being acquired by a solid conservationist (Land deal by South Carolina video chain pioneer provides happy ending, Aug. 6). That surely was a happy ending, but the article coincidentally reported on a trend that does not have such a happy ending.

That forestland was part of former MeadWestvacos large East Edisto tract where more than 30,000 acres in Charleston County have changed hands in about 15 sales over the past three years. That trend is large tracts of forestland being subdivided into smaller and smaller tracts, some remaining forestland, some being developed, and, in fortunate cases, some being acquired for conservation purposes. There are consequences to smaller tracts.

Those consequences have technical names: forest parcelization and forest fragmentation. Parcelization occurs first, when a change in ownership results in a large forest property being subdivided into smaller properties. If the new owners take no further action, then the forest remains intact. However, say one or more of the smaller properties are developed. Forest fragmentation then occurs, with the forest being physically separated by areas of nonforest. This produces all kinds of negative ecological changes, especially impacting wildlife populations and water quality.

This is an important trend, impacting all of the nations private forests. In the early 1990s Westvaco owned over a half million acres in South Carolina, much of it near Charleston. Most of it is now sold off to timberland investors and recreational buyers. That land was prime timberland, producing tremendous amounts of wood that helped fuel the local economy. Nearly all of it was bought up by timberland investors and is still being managed to produce a timber crop. Gradually more and more of it will be developed or become recreation property, and cease to be timberland.

Those timberlands support one of the states top manufacturing sectors. Forest products contribute $21 billion to the states economy and provide employment to 84,000 South Carolinians. Just over two-thirds of South Carolina is forested (about 13 million acres) and 88 percent of that is privately owned. The public portion provides little timber for the economy. Timber production is on the huge private portion of the forest that is being slowly eroded by parcelization.

Of the 11.5 million acres of private forestland, 7.3 million acres are owned by families and individuals. These are mostly small ownerships that average about 66 acres. There are 212,000 family forest ownerships in South Carolina, but only 90,000 of them contain 10 or more acres. Less than 10 acres is essentially a backyard and not a forest in a real sense. Time is carving out more and more backyard forests.

As the old forest industry lands and family forests become smaller and smaller, management for timber production, wildlife or water quality becomes more and more difficult; its a matter of economies of scale. Smaller forests are more costly to manage on a per acre basis. They tend to be less likely to be managed under sustainable forest management and far less likely to be producing timber. Parcelization and fragmentation on the East Edisto tract is highly visible; changes to family forests are more insidious, with long-term consequences to the states environment and economy.

Forest policy can help reduce the impact. How timber is taxed as income affects the attractiveness of managing a forest. Current use valuation of forestland, where it is valued as a productive forest and not for its development potential, is a powerful incentive to keep land growing trees. Conservation easements protect some forests. Educating forest owners in proper estate planning can see that forests are held for generations. There is no shortage of policy tools.

Even if you dont care about the states economy, wildlife, natural resource based recreation or soil conservation, you probably do care about water. Much alarm has been raised lately concerning South Carolinas surface and ground water. Forests are watersheds and these changes will impact water quality. Connect the dots and the East Edisto story directly relates to the Aug. 6 editorial on the surface water free-for-all. Connect the dots and changes to the states forests affects a lot more than the trees.

Thomas J. Straka is a professor of forestry and environmental conservation at Clemson University.

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Sell-off of East Edisto tract causing 'forest fragmentation' - Charleston Post Courier