Rory McIlroy bogeyed the final hole to miss the cut by one stroke at the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis.
The world number three from Northern Ireland shot a one-under-par 69 to take him to one under after two rounds.
It was McIlroy’s first tournament since his final-day disappointment at last month’s Open Championship.
JJ Spaun carded a 67 to lead on 11 under, with fellow American Troy Merritt and Austrian Sepp Straka one shot back.
World number one Scottish Scheffler also missed the cut on one under, as did Scotland’s Russell Knox on level par and Justin Rose, who went round in 75 to slip to six over.
The St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind is the first of three tournaments to decide the Tour champion, with the winner picking up $18m (£14.8m).
McIlroy, who last missed the cut at the Valero Texas Open in March, shot four birdies – including two in the first two holes – but bogeys on the sixth, ninth and 18th cost him.
Although Spaun bogeyed the seventh and 12th, five birdies took him clear of the field as overnight leader Kim Si-woo from South Korea faded to five under courtesy of a 73.
Merritt mixed six birdies and an eagle with three bogeys in his 65, while three birdies and an eagle in the first six holes set American Denny McCarthy on the way to a fine 65 and nine under overall, two shots behind Spaun.
Australian Cameron Smith, the Open champion and world number two, also went round in 65 to move to within three shots of the lead.
Tyler Duncan’s flawless seven-under 63 took him from 68th overnight to a share of ninth on seven under.
Matt Fitzpatrick moved to six under, with fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton on five under and Ireland’s Shane Lowry a further one stroke back.
Lionel Messi has been excluded from the Ballon d’Or shortlist as his name was not mentioned among the France Football’s 30-man list on Friday.
The Paris Saint-Germain star has never been left out a Ballon d’Or shortlist since 2005 as a seven times award winner during the period.
His team-mate Neymar was also among those to not make the list, while the Argentine’s former La Liga rival Cristiano Ronaldo did make the list.
Messi’s performance
Playing in his first-ever season away from Barcelona, Messi did not meet his own lofty standards when it comes to goals during his debut season at PSG.
He did, however, provide plenty assists, as he set up 14 goals in addition to the 11 he scored in his first season in France, one which ended with a Ligue 1 title.
Internationally, he helped Argentina win the Finalissima while scoring seven times in 15 matches.
Messi’s Ballon d’Or history
The Argentine earned his first Ballon d’Or nomination in 2005, his first season as a regular starter at Barcelona.
Messi finished in the top three every year from 2007-2018, winning the award five times during that span.
After missing out in 2018, he won the award in both 2019 and 2021, with the Ballon d’Or not being handed out in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The ongoing drought in the UK and Europe is putting electricity generation under pressure, say experts.
Electricity from hydropower – which uses water to generate power – has dropped by 20% overall.
And nuclear facilities, which are cooled using river water, have been restricted.
There are fears that the shortfalls are a taste of what will happen in the coming winter.
In the UK, high temperatures are hitting energy output from fossil, nuclear and solar sources.
That is because the technology in power plants and solar panels work much less well in high temperatures.
The prolonged dry spell is putting further pressure on energy supplies as Europe scrambles for alternative sources after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Hydropower is an important source of energy for Europe, but the lack of water in rivers and reservoirs is now significantly reducing the ability of facilities to produce electricity.
Italy gets around 1/5 of its power from hydro, but that’s fallen by around 40% in the past 12 months.
It’s a similar story in Spain, where the amount of electricity generated is down 44%, according to data from energy researchers Rystad Energy.
“Hydropower can be quite volatile, but 40% is absolutely extreme,” says Fabian Rønningen, a power analyst with Rystad.
The figures are not just down in one part of Europe, he explains, but all the big hydropower-producing countries are making less now.
“It’s really a big impact,,” he adds.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Italy has been hit hard by drought limiting energy from hydroelectricity by 40%
Norway is also experiencing challenges with hydro-electricity. It warned that it may not be able to continue to export energy to countries like the UK unless its reservoirs were refilled.
Some in the hydro industry say that lack of investment in modernisation and in transmission lines are also causing problems.
“We are going to face a problem this winter. And that should be a wake-up call to have more investment in the infrastructure for the next few years,” says Eddie Rich from the International Hydropower Association.
The exceptionally hot weather is also hitting nuclear power production, especially in France. Around half of the 56 reactors in the fleet are offline, with several affected by a systemic issue with corrosion.
Those reactors that are working are often cooled with water from rivers that are now running low, while temperatures are running high.
“Once the water in the rivers is very low and very hot, basically you have to stop cooling down nuclear power plants. That’s because the water that’s released is dangerous for fish and other species in the rivers,” said Prof Sonia Seneviratne, from ETH Zurich.
The French government is now allowing some facilities to release very warm water back into the rivers, as a temporary measure.
It underlines the stresses the heat is putting on energy production. France is now making up the shortfall in electricity by importing from the UK among others.
Analysts say this is putting additional pressure on the UK system – at a time when the very warm weather is hitting production from gas and nuclear facilities.
It’s more difficult to cool the plants in the warmer weather, explains Kathryn Porter, an energy consultant with Watt-Logic.
“Solar panels also experience quite a significant drop off above 25C. Everything just works less well when it’s hot,” she adds.
The stresses in the UK system were evident this week when the National Grid triggered a capacity market notice, a technical step indicating that the safe margins for operating the grid were reduced.
Countries, including the UK and France, rely on each other’s electricity markets.
“If both French and UK systems are in stress at the same time, then nobody really knows what will happen,” Ms Porter says.
She said it is a foretaste of what may happen in winter and warns that there may well be restrictions on energy use for large consumers.
France Football have announced the nominees for the 2022 men’s Ballon d’Or, with Europe’s best player set to be crowned at an official presentation ceremony in October.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has found his name on this year’s list for Europe’s best player but his arch rival, Lionel Messi, considered to be one of the Greatest Of All Times (G.O.A.T) has missed the opportunity to contest for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Messi has secured seven Golden Ball while Ronaldo has won six Golden Ball.
Others featured on the list are Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane, Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne, among others.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the 22nd running of the FIFA World Cup competition, the quadrennial international men’s football championship contested by the senior national teams of the member associations of FIFA.
It is scheduled to take place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022. This will be the first World Cup ever to be held in the Arab world, and the second World Cup held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.
The Black Starsof Ghana is in Group H with South Korea, Uruguay, and Portugal.
Here is a list of all the coaches who will be in charge of their teams at Qatar 2022:
Asantehene Prempeh I was in exile in Seychelles for 24 years following his surrender of the Kingdom and his arrest in 1896.
Born Prince Kwaku Dua III in 1870, Prempeh I was the 13th ruler to ascend unto the Golden Stool at the age of 18 and after his ascension onto the throne, he began an active campaign aimed at defending the Ashanti sovereignty.
At the time, the British led by Queen Victoria had offered to take the Kingdom of Ashanti under their protection, but Prempeh I refused to grant their request.
He told the British as quoted in a Ghanaian museum reportage, “my Kingdom of Asante will never commit itself to any such policy of protection; Ashanti people and the Kingdom of Ashanti must remain an independent sovereign state as of old, and at the same time be friends with all white men.â€
Offended by the response of Prempeh, the British Governor is reported to have demanded reparations (fines of 50,000 ounces of gold levied on the Asantehene, the Ashanti emperor, by the Treaty of Fomena) which was agreed by Otumfuo Nana Kofi Karikari in the third Anglo-Ashanti War which occurred from 1873 to 1874 which the Asantes lost to the British for the first time.
Prempeh I, then sent a delegation to London to negotiate the demands with Queen Victoria. The delegates from the Kingdom included its military commander.
The negotiations from the delegation did not yield any result, therefore, the British decided to capture and annex the entire Empire. The war started on the pretext of failure to pay the reparations. Colonel Sir Francis Scott left Cape Coast along with the British and Indian Troops in December 1895 and arrived in Kumasi in January 1896. Major Robert Baden-Powell led an army of African allies who had opposed Ashanti rule.
Prempeh I, who wanted peace, agreed to be captured and exiled to prevent an unprepared war and to protect the Golden Stool.
Prempeh I, the Queen Mother, and other important members of the Asante elite were taken prisoner and marched to the coast. On arrival, they were kept for a year at Elmina Castle but were eventually exiled firstly to Sierra Leone and then later to the Seychelles Islands.
Prempeh I was kept at a suite of apartments in the castle. On his door, however, he had an inscription boldly written “Prempeh Room”.
In a tweet on August 11, The Asante Nation wrote: “the British and their African allies were doing everything possible to break the Asante Kingdom into pieces by exiling our King. Little did the Queen of Britain, Victoria, know that she was fighting a 26-year-old King. Out of embarrassment, they wrote that he was 40 years.â€
Prempeh I arrived in Seychelles Islands on Tuesday, September 11, 1900; accompanied by 52 other prisoners, among them were his mother, his father, his brother and his three wives.
He stayed in exile in Seychelles for 24 years before the British allowed him to return to Kumasi as a private citizen.
On September 13, 1924, Prempeh and 49 others were reported to have left Seychelles, SS Karoa for Bombay. The oldest among them was the ex-chief, James Asafu Boachie. He was 96-years-old. The youngest was a three months old baby girl, Rose Amah Apia, daughter of Kojo Apia (1831-1911) ex-chief of Kumasi.
There were also some 13 original deportees, who were with Prempeh. On September 22, 1924, they left Bombay and travelled to Liverpool. The party left Liverpool on October 29, 1924. On Tuesday, November 11, 1924, Prempeh and his delegation arrived in Ghana [Gold Coast] without James Prempeh, his son and his Seychellois wife, Marie-Francoise Auguste. The couple remained in Seychelles.
Prempeh I died on May 12, 1931, and was succeeded by his heir apparent Prempeh II.
Robert Sylvester Popularly known as R-Kelly has been cited on social media singing in prison to entertain himself.
The video has however attracted emotional responses.
In the video, the shameful child molester was in the prison with another man nearby and decided to serenade either himself or those close to him.
Kelly sang in his beautiful and angelic voice, showing his talent is still as strong as ever.
The emotional video saw the singer passionately displaying the vocal range that made him one of the most famous and successful RnB singers of all time.
Unfortunately, talent is never enough and it appears Kelly is a really garbage human being, hence being in prison.
The video was shared on Tiktok with the caption: “R Kelly singing for a honey bun,â€
Ghanaian blogger itellmymind reposted with the caption: “Talent is talent, no matter where you find yourself nobody can take it away from you. R.Kelly sings from jail. Guy looks happy 😃â€
A fan replied: “What a voice. Woooow nti bibini koraaa b3y3 de3n wo wiase ne agumbia voice yi,â€
A report has disclosed that a reshuffle is will soon hit the top hierarchy of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
According to the Asaaseradio.com report, Colonel Kwadwo Damoah (Rtd), who has been cited in the Labianca case according to a Special Prosecutor report, is likely to be affected by this shake-up.
Also, Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, the current Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, is also likely not to have his contract renewed.
These two have attained statutory retirement age.
The reason given by Asaase for the shake is that the “presidency has been markedly reluctant in this second term to renew contracts of appointees who have attained their retirement age.”
Colonel Kwadwo Damoah (Rtd.), the Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), took a swipe at the Special Prosecutor after investigations implicated his office in corruption-related acts involving Labianca Company Limited.
Describing the report as ‘hollow’ and one that does not contain any substance while speaking at a Customs Division Management Retreat in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, the Commissioner of the Customs explained that the basis for the OSP’s investigative report was because he did not allow one Mr. Akrugu to be seconded to the SP’s office.
He stated that any attempts by the Special Prosecutor to bring him down would not work because the Almighty God is on his side.
“Three days ago, a report purported to be coming from the Office of the Special Prosecutor trying to indict the Deputy Commissioner of Operations and myself [but] anybody who has read that report very well will know the basis of that,” he said while addressing some Senior Customs officers at the retreat.
“And luckily for Me, God is always on my side; before that report came, that person had made a comment to some people who had come to tell me [that] he [Special Prosecutor] was going to publish (a report) that will discredit me…
“I even sent people to go and tell him that he is a small boy and I am older than him, I have lived a meaningful life, and if he attempts to destroy me, it won’t be easy for him. People have tried, and I have survived, and this one too, I will survive it,” he said.
Residents of the Yilo Krobo and Lower Manya Korbo in the Eastern Region have been assured by the Municipal Chief Executives (MCE) that power would soon be restored in the area.
This comes om the back of a successful dialogue went on between the management of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the traditional leaders of both areas, the Regional Minister and the National Security Ministry.
In an interview with Citi News, the MCE for Lower Manya Krobo, Simon Tetteh urged residents to be calm
“We are just urging our people to remain calm because the matter is being resolved and very soon we will see an end to the blackouts we are experiencing.â€
However the Yilo Krobo MCE, Eric Tetteh, forwarned residents to stay away from lawless acts.
As leaders, we must tell our people in the face that enough is enough; their reasons for rejecting the prepaid metres are untenable when there is an assurance.â€
There have been tensions between the resident and the ECG in recent times over the installation of prepaid metres.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the gunshots were targeted at workers of ECG who were in the community to disconnect power from the main transformer which was serving a number of illegally connected homes in the area.
The development, which is fast becoming a matter of safety and security, has attracted the attention of all stakeholders who seek a speedy resolution to the issue.
But ECG says it will only restore power in the Kroboland when its men feel safe enough to enter the community.
Public Relations Officer of ECG for the Tema Region, Sakyiwa Mensah says because of the interferences in connection done by some residents, the company was concerned about the safety of the power that would get to the end-user.
“It was mainly for safety reasons. By safety, we mean our workers felt threatened. Also, the life and property of consumers within the enclave were at risk. We were working on restoring the power. While at it, we realised that some consumers had on their own started connecting to transformers in other communities which had light. This was done with careless abandon. They did not know the extent of possible damage their actions could cause.â€
A Public Health Expert at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Dr Banda Khalifa, has said that it is good news that Ghana no longer has Marburg cases,
He however urged authorities never to let their guard down but increase surveillance.
The Ghana Heath Service (GHS) has announced in a statement that one out of the three infected persons has since recovered from the disease aftertwo negative tests carried out 48 hours apart on the 3rd and 6th of August 2022 respectively, by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR).
The only survivor of the three persons infected with the Marburg virus has since recovered from the disease following two negative tests carried out 48 hours apart on the 3rd and 6th of August 2022 respectively, by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR),
The patient has since been discharged and reunited with her family, the GHS said.
“Ghana, therefore, has no case of MVD.  The Ghana Health Service, as part of our continuous efforts at keeping the Ghanaian population updated on all public health emergencies, presents this update on the current situation of the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak in the country,†the GHS statement said.
Reacting to this, Dr Banda said “It is good news but we should let our guard downs. we are supposed increase surveillance for at least forty two days after the last persons tested negative twice.â€
Before investing, venture capitalists should consider a trio of business characteristics that seem to correlate with commercial success, based on meetings with over 2,000 cybersecurity startups.
Few aspects of the cybersecurity industry evoke more polarizing reactions than the use of venture capital to fund startups.
On the one hand, startup founders seek the attention of investors with the ferocity of authors searching for publishers. Without investment capital, new companies cannot grow properly, especially if their technology requires a period of long stealth development in advance of any customer revenue.
On the other hand, security practitioners tend to exhibit lukewarm, even hostile, emotions toward investors. This should not be surprising when one considers that venture capitalists might be viewed as growing rich by betting on technologies required to protect citizens and business from attacks.
One fact that everyone agrees on, however, is the staggering growth of the aggregate investment being made in this segment. According to Statista, the size of the venture capital market for cybersecurity grew to over $21 billion USD, up from roughly $9 billion just one year before.
Another fact everyone agrees on is the common interest held by investors, founders, and practitioners: Investments eventually lead to good solutions. Technologies being funded range from methods to rid the world of passwords to machine learning that predicts where the next threats will occur. Everyone benefits if these investments succeed because the risks of attack are increasing on a daily basis.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine, for example, introduces nation-state offensive cyber campaigns directed at business and civilian groups around the world — perhaps to target enemies, perhaps to just create chaos. New commercial security products and services will be necessary to mitigate this potentially hazardous and growing risk.
My team has met with over 2,000 cybersecurity startups during the past few years, many of which are supported by venture capital. In the course of our work, we’ve come to recognize three primary factors that seem to correlate with commercial success in the cybersecurity marketplace.
When I share my observations with venture capital teams, however, they often do not match up well with the typical investment evaluation formula. Most venture capital teams tend to obsess on factors such as aggregate market size for a given company, the problem being solved, the types of competitors that exist, and so on. While these are important issues, I do not think they are the primary drivers of success.
Accordingly, below is a summary of the three factors that my team and IÂ use in our work to advise security practitioners on which startups are worth considering for long-term partnership.
Factor 1: Belief System When we ask a founding team what they believe and why they started their business, their answer is often wrapped in some muddled description of what they do. This vacuous and circular reasoning of starting a company “to stop threat X because the world needs to stop threat X” is insufficient to connect with customers at a visceral level.
In contrast, consider the belief system of retired Army general Keith Alexander, co-founder of IronNet Cybersecurity, which recently completed a successful SPAC. If you ask founders such as Gen. Alexander why they started the company, they will point to their lifelong commitment to protecting their country, whether in uniform, on the physical battlefield, or across virtual networks.
Such personal belief systems connect with buyers. In fact, a useful exercise for founders is to explain why they started their company without ever mentioning their product. It is a delightfully painful experience because it exposes the real purpose behind their company. Good luck to the startup that can only cite making money as its reason for being.
Factor 2: Attention to Design When we ask a startup to describe their company, we usually see one of two approaches. On the one hand, a team will lead us into PowerPoint hell with chart after chart of buzzwords, disjointed clip art, and meaningless quotes. The platform diagrams in these presentations are usually haphazardly cut-and-pasted from the engineers, as if the technology is some afterthought.
On the other hand, we sometimes find a startup that understands the value of design. In such cases, we see a carefully crafted story, developed from top to bottom with the combined inputs of the platform developers, marketing team, and leadership group. When done right, the only word that comes to mind is elegance. And it is not just the elegance of the technology but also of the overall story.
Take SentinelOne, for example. When we first met this now-public company, we were struck by their attention to detail in explaining their behavioral analytics. This technique involves establishing which behaviors are considered normal and then sounding an alarm when something looks unusual. It was obvious to us that considerable time and effort had gone into developing their crisp messaging.
And just like quality, design elegance in any solution (think Apple) is hard to define — but you certainly know it when you see it.
Factor 3: Domain Knowledge Finally, we always ask founders to share their experience in the domain their new company addresses. The worst responses come from serial entrepreneurs hopping aboard the security bandwagon from some unrelated area. Cybersecurity is a complex arena, and poor domain knowledge will eventually catch up with inexperienced founding teams.
The best responses come from startup leaders who have committed their lives to their chosen discipline. A favorite question we like to ask is whether a founder would continue doing what they are doing for free. Only a select group of founders can honestly answer yes to this question — and these are the ones to bet on.
Consider Sanjay Beri, founder of Netskope; Nir Zuk, founder of Palo Alto Networks; and Ken Xie, founder of Fortinet. Each of these successful entrepreneurs would certainly continue doing exactly what they do now, even if they never earned another penny. Buyers connect with this type of domain passion, and investors should take this essential factor into full account.
In Iran, virginity before marriage is important for many girls and their families. Sometimes men demand a virginity certificate – a practice that the World Health Organization (WHO) deems to be against human rights. But in the past year, more and more people have been campaigning against it.
“You tricked me into marrying you because you’re not a virgin. Nobody would marry you if they knew the truth.”
This is what Maryam’s husband said to her after they had sex for the first time.
She tried to reassure him that, even though she didn’t bleed, she had never had intercourse before. But he didn’t believe her, and asked her to get a virginity certificate.
This is not uncommon in Iran. After getting engaged, many women go to a doctor and get a test that proves they’ve never had sex.
However, according to the WHO, virginity testing has no scientific merit.
Maryam’s certificate stated that her hymen type was “elastic”. This means she might not bleed after penetrative sex.
“It hurt my pride. I didn’t do anything wrong, but my husband kept insulting me,” she said. “I couldn’t take it anymore, so I took some pills and tried to kill myself.”
Just in time, she was taken to a hospital and survived.
“I will never forget those dark days. I lost 20kg [3 stone] during that time.”
Growing calls to end the practice
Maryam’s story is the reality of many women in Iran. Being a virgin before marriage is still crucial for many girls and their families. It’s a value that is deeply rooted in cultural conservatism.
But recently, things have started to change. Women and men around the country have been campaigning to put an end to virginity testing.
Last November, an online petition received almost 25,000 signatures within a single month. This was the first time virginity testing was being openly challenged by so many people in Iran.
“It’s a violation of privacy, and it’s humiliating,” says Neda.
When she was a 17-year-old student in Tehran, she lost her virginity to her boyfriend.
“I panicked. I was terrified about what would happen if my family found out.”
So, Neda decided to repair her hymen.
Technically, this procedure is not illegal – but it has dangerous social implications, so no hospital will agree to perform it.
So Neda found a private clinic that would do it in secret – at a heavy price.
“I spent all my savings. I sold my laptop, my mobile phone and my gold jewellery,” she says.
She had to sign a document to take full responsibility in case something went wrong.
A midwife then proceeded with the procedure. It took about 40 minutes.
But Neda would need many weeks to recover.
“I was in a lot of pain. I couldn’t move my legs,” she recalls.
She hid the whole thing from her parents.
“I felt very lonely. But I think that the fear of them finding out helped me tolerate the pain.”
In the end, the ordeal Neda endured was all for nothing.
A year later, she met someone who wanted to marry her. But when they had sex, she didn’t bleed. The procedure had failed.
“My boyfriend accused me of trying to trick him into marriage. He said that I was a liar and he left me.”
Pressure from the family
Despite the WHO denouncing virginity testing as unethical and lacking scientific merit, the practice is still carried out in several countries, including Indonesia, Iraq and Turkey.
The Iranian Medical Organisation maintain that they only carry out virginity testing in specific circumstances – such as court cases and rape accusations.
However, most requests for a virginity certification still come from couples who are planning to get married. So they turn to private clinics – often accompanied by their mothers.
A gynaecologist or a midwife will carry out a test and issue a certificate. This will include the woman’s full name, her father’s name, her national ID and sometimes her photo. It will describe the status of her hymen, and include the statement: “This girl appears to be a virgin.”
In more conservative families, the document will be signed by two witnesses – normally the mothers.
Dr Fariba has been issuing certificates for years. She admits it’s a humiliating practice, but believes she’s actually helping many women.
“They’re under such pressure from their families. Sometimes I’ll verbally lie for the couple. If they’ve slept together and want to get married, I’ll say in front of their families that the woman is a virgin.”
But for many men, marrying a virgin is still fundamental.
“If a girl loses her virginity before marriage, she cannot be trustworthy. She might leave her husband for another man,” says Ali, a 34-year-old electrician from Shiraz.
He says he’s had sex with 10 women. “I couldn’t resist,” he says.Ali accepts there’s a double standard in Iranian society, but says he sees no reason to break away from tradition.
“Social norms accept that men have more freedom than women.”
Ali’s view is shared by many people, especially in more rural, conservative areas of Iran.
Despite mounting demonstrations against virginity testing, given this notion is so deeply rooted within Iranian culture, many believe a total ban on the practice by the government and lawmakers is unlikely anytime soon.
Hope in the future
Four years after attempting to take her own life and living with an abusive husband, Maryam was finally able to get a divorce through the courts.
She became single just a few weeks ago.
“It’s going to be very hard to trust a man again,” she says. “I can’t see myself getting married in the near future.”
Along with tens of thousands of other women, she, too, signed one of the growing number of online petitions to put an end to issuing virginity certificates.
Although she expects nothing to change soon, perhaps not even within her lifetime, she does believe one day women will gain more equality within her country.
“I’m sure it will happen one day. I hope in the future no girls will have to go through what I did.”
In our series of letters from African journalists, Ghanaian Elizabeth Ohenewrites about the disputes that break out over the final resting sites of African leaders.
I am not sure I can offer a categorical theory yet, but it does look to me that being a president in Africa means there will be some controversy about your resting place when you die.
Current President João Lourenço and Mr Dos Santos’s fourth wife want to bring his body home for a state funeral and burial in a mausoleum – what we would call here in Ghana a befitting burial.
She says she has the support of some of her siblings who face accusations of corruption in Angola and could be arrested if they return.
One of the Dos Santos children says the state has no constitutional obligation to assume responsibility for his father’s burial and the decision must rest with the family.
That argument about the state’s rights to a dead president’s body seems to be a recurring one.
Back in 2019 there was an eerily similar situation in Zimbabwe when Robert Mugabe died almost two years after his 37 years in power was ended by the current President Emmerson Mnangagwa, with the backing of the military.
Everybody thought Mr Mugabe would be laid to rest at the national Heroes’ Acre in the capital, Harare.
After all, Heroes’ Acre had been built by him and he had supervised the burial there of many of his former comrades in the liberation struggle, including Sally, his first wife.
Mr Mnangagwa started building an impressive mausoleum for the independence leader, but Mr Mugabe’s family would have none of it, not after he had been chased out of power and betrayed by his lieutenants.
The body, they argued, belonged to the family and after weeks of argument, the family won and Mr Mugabe, the undisputed hero of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle, was buried in his home village, without any representatives of officialdom present.
Even Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first post-independence president and the ultimate peacenik, could not find a resting place last year without a dispute breaking out.
According to the family, he wanted to be laid to rest next to his wife and not at the official site thegovernment had designated.
For the moment, the family has not insisted on their rights and “KK” – as the late Mr Kaunda is affectionately known – is lying at the Embassy Memorial Park in the capital, Lusaka.
From exile to honours
These disputes about restless dead bodies are not new. Over here in Ghana we are well practised in such matters.
Our first leader – Kwame Nkrumah – died while receiving medical treatment in Bucharest in Romania.
He was first buried in Conakry in Guinea, where he had been living in exile. His body was later brought to Ghana. There was a state funeral in the capital, Accra, and he was laid to rest in his home village of Nkroful.
Years later, a befitting mausoleum was built in Accra and the body was brought and interred there.
Every once in a while, there are murmurs from his family in Nkroful asking for his body to be returned to them.
In 2012, our President John Evans Atta-Mills died in office and finding a resting place for him was not a straightforward issue.
Some members of his family wanted the body to be sent to his home village for burial, that argument did not find much traction at the time.
The first place where the government dug a grave for his interment was abandoned as unsuitable. He was eventually laid to rest in a park.
The understanding then was that the park would serve as the resting place for all presidents of Ghana.
Since then, another former president – Jerry Rawlings – has died.
Not only was he not taken to where President Atta-Mills lies, but his family in his home village accused the government of having appropriated the body.
He was buried at a military cemetery in Accra, with full military honours.
A few weeks ago, we marked the 10th anniversary of the passing of Atta-Mills.
There are still arguments about his tomb: who should look after it, and what should be inscribed on it.
There are also members in his family who still want the body exhumed from the state-sponsored park in Accra and taken to his home village to be laid to rest.
So I have to conclude that one of the hazards of being a president in Africa is that there will be no resting place for your body when you die.
Presidentof the Chamber of Freight and Trade (CFT), Dennis Amfo Sefah, has raised concerns about Kissi Agyebeng the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) investigative report involving the owner of Labianca Group of Companies for corruption.
According to them, something is not right about the report and it seems the Special Prosecutor is trying all he can to find faults with Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh for an alleged act of influence peddling.
Adding that the corruption report from the OSP is a clear case of giving a dog a bad name and hanging it.
In a statement dated August 10 and signed by its President states, “We have come across a purported report on investigations carried out by the Office of the Special Prosecutor into alleged corruption and corruption-related offences involving Labianca and the Customs Division of The Ghana Revenue Authority in the media space, we are baffled by the contents of the report and are clear in our minds that the OSP got it wrong,” a part of the CFT’s statement read.
The Chamber, stressed that the GRA and the Labianca Group of Companies did no wrong in the said transaction.
“The chamber strongly believes that both Labianca and the Customs division of GRA acted in accordance to the Laws of Ghana, specifically the Customs Act 2015 (Act 891). It is never out of place or illegal for any importer for this matter Labianca Company Limited to engage Customs after the first three years of operations for ‘customs advance ruling’ under Section 12 of the Customs Act (Act 891).
“The company or their Agents may not have known that there is a provision in the Customs Act that allow for an engagement with Customs for value acceptance within their first three years of operations.
“This provision in the Customs Act does not in any way discriminate against any person on condition of their position, religion, status, tribe, Colour or creed, it is open to every importer and exporter, Ghanaians and foreigners. Hence the link of the application of the law to the position of the director and owner of the company is neither here nor there. By Law, the Customs Division of the GRA is the only agency mandated for the classification and valuation of Cargo that is imported or exported out of Ghana, Sections 66 and 67 of Act 891 in reference. Importer like Labianca has no hand in the method of valuation and values customs may apply to their cargo at all times.
“Over the years Labianca has been applying to Customs to engage them in Customs advance ruling under Section 12 of the Customs Act (Act 891). Customs have the authority to either accept or reject the applications and write to the company indicating reasons for rejection or acceptance. At no point during the investigation did the customs division of the GRA state that they approved the application under duress or based on the influence of the director of the company hence it is surprising and factually inaccurate for the OSP to come to the conclusion of influence peddling,†the statement stressed.
Media reports on Monday indicated that the OSP has recovered an amount of ¢1.074 million from a company owned by a member of the Council of State, Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh.
The OSP in the report titled: “Report of Investigation into Alleged Commission of Corruption and Corruption Related Offences involving Labianca Group of Companiesand the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority†noted that the amount represents a shortfall in import duties paid to the state.
Black Stars striker, Felix Ohene Afena-Gyan could join Serie A side, Salernitana on loan, according to Italian transfer journalist Nicolò Schira.
Schira has reported that Salernitana have opened talks with Roma as they seek to acquire the service of Gyan for the new Italian Serie A season.
The negotiations are said to be in the early stages.
“#Salernitana have opened talks with #ASRoma to try to sign Felix #AfenaGyan on loan. #transfers,” Schira tweeted.
The Salerno-based club becomes the third club to propose a loan move for Afena-Gyan after Sassuolo and Crystal Palace.
It appears that Crystal Palace’s move has fallen through unlike Sassuolo who are hopeful of signing the Ghanaian to replace their outgone main-man Gianluca Scamacca.
Afena-Gyan could have limited playing time at Roma this season due to the signing of Argentine forward Paolo Dybala, who is hoping to form a dangerous attacking trio with Nicola Zaniolo and Tammy Abraham. Whereas, Eldor Shomurodov, Stephan El Shaarawy, Nicola Zalewski and Gyan serve as back-up.
Economist, Courage Boti has attributed the free fall of the Cedi to among other things, the excessive expenditure before and during the advent of COVID-19 as against the poor revenue mobilization targets through the e-levy and others.
The cedi has depreciated against the dollar, trading at 9 cedis per dollar.
The sharp fall from 6 cedis at the beginning of the year, to 9 cedis now, has had a major impact on importers in particular, with a far-reaching effect on the purchasing power of consumers.
Courage Boti tells Citi News that managers of the economy failed to take remedial measures to revert the poor performance of the cedi.
“I thought we missed an important opportunity in November when we were reading the budget to try to address the market. Clearly, during the Covid-19 era, we spent monies we did not have, coupled with the energy sector problems and financial sector clean-up. We exceeded our budget. It will take about 3 to 4 years of rationalization to bring things back to normal.â€
“After Covid-19, we could have streamlined expenditure to make up for the excess expenditures we had in the past.â€
Courage Boti shares, with Citi News, some ideas the government should adopt, to arrest the cedi.
“Having done all these, the natural thing going into consolidation would have been to have an IMF bus stop, where we had policy guidance and balance of payment support. If we were under such programs in 2021 and 2022, it would have guaranteed fiscal discipline which the market will trust and balance of payment support that can reassure investors that they are safe.â€
“The harm has been caused, the first solution is to accelerate the conversations with IMF. This will depend on our transparency and the amount of information we are willing to give.â€
Wednesday, August 10, 2022, marks the birthday of Maha Ayew, the wife of legendary Ghanaian and African footballer Abedi Ayew Pele.
Maha who has a Lebanese heritage was born on August 10, 1968, is celebrating her 54th birthday, a day after marking her 35th wedding anniversary with Abedi Ayew Pele.
Maha and Abedi Pele married in 1987 when the former Black Stars captain was playing in the French League for Olympique de Marseille.
Out of her 35-year-old marriage with Abedi Pele, three children have been produced, two of them are popular footballers.
Her two sons, Andre Dede Ayew and Jordan Ayew play for Qatari-based Al- Sadd and Crystal Palacein England respectively, and the only daughter in the family, Imani Ayew works as a model.
Maha’s two sons have scored 42 goals in 188 appearances combined for the Black Stars.
At Dekyemso in the Ashanti region of Ghana, two female prostitutes fought over a “client”, one who in their business terms described as “a good customer that spends liberally on the sex workers, and always paying higher prices above the charged fee to spend a night with the sisters of the night”.
In the area where the prostitutes, a.k.a, the harlots operate in Dekyemso, there’s one woman who has lasted unusually long in the nightly pleasure business, trade others argue it’s the first-ever amongst human race’. Encompassing Bible and any other known religious text, men bought sex from women who sold it.
Aside from the infamous story of Mary Magdalene, the harlot who was saved from lynching by Jesus Christ, there’s also in the Jewish scriptures a story of Judah, the son of Jacob who conceived a baby with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, through whoredom.
In the Dekyemso case, this particular prostitute under discussion, Ama Joy, wouldn’t give joy to another rival in the pleasure trade.
Akua Comfort seems to be the most beautiful Ashanti to engage in prostitution, and since announcing her presence in the brothel, the male clients never hissed or catcalled Ama Joy, and she virtually went out of business. She was peeved and insane to distraction about this turn of unfortunate events.
The Bono people of Goka say: ‘pemtoa bÉ” a É”di awu’. To wit: broken bottles are deadly.
A broken heart woman in truth is more dangerous than that proverbial broken bottle.
Now, not joyful, Ama Joy mobilised her gang of lawless, bodily built, and macho men. They accosted and held down Akua Comfort. They laid her supine and opened her legs as in the position of a woman lying down for the “religious sex style”.
A reader may think ahead that; ‘then the men had a free day with bouts of sexual rounds with their victim’. But no, a wrongly hastily prediction of the suspense. Ama Joy appeared in the scene, and she brought out a razor from her pocket, she aimed at Akua Comfort’s comfortable genitalia, across all lengths and breadths, she inflicted humiliating mortal wounds in this beautiful girl’s vagina, the asset upon which men shower their last income, and left her to her fate, groping in the darkness til help came in the likeness of the Biblical Good Samaritan.
Thank God Ama Joy and her accomplices are now in the grips of the punitive arms of the law, as Akua Comfort recuperates in the hospital.
Moral Lesson
1. Beauty and talent cause envy, so don’t lose your guard in any trade you find yourself in.
2. Crime does not pay. Insanity costs greatly, so control your anger and live a meaningful life.
Kendra Kubala logs off her last telehealth session after a long day of appointments. She spends many of her working hours as a clinical psychologist offering online mental health check-ins, something she had to adapt to quickly when the pandemic began.
Kubala provides guidance on how to practice resilience, the ability to bounce back from adversity, which allowed her to treat frontline workers, such as grocery store employees, at the start of the pandemic, she said.
Being resilient is more challenging when there seems to be no end in sight to difficulties, such as living with Covid-19, said Kubala, who practices in New York and Pennsylvania.
Humans inherently want things to be logical, and we love a beginning, middle and end, she said.
“When we don’t have that readily identifiable ending,” Kubala said, “it can create some excessive worry that might lead to anxiety.”
Resilience is a skill, not a personality trait, she said, so you can strengthen it with various strategies.
Practice mindfulness
Many people mistakenly believe mindfulness only includes meditation, but it’s also about being present in the moment, Kubala said.
One way to do so is to pay attention to your five senses, she said. Focus on what you can hear, see, taste, smell and touch when you may be feeling overwhelmed, Kubala said.
“Recognizing what’s happening in that moment can sometimes calm us down in a way that allows us to move forward in a more predictable, steady way,” she said.
Have a consistent routine
Some people like to keep a daily routine, which can help them feel more in control of their lives, said Jason Moser, professor of clinical science, cognition and cognitive neuroscience at Michigan State Universityin East Lansing.
Routines can include anything that has positively affected your mental health in the past, such as having a sleep schedule or eating healthy foods, he said.
Exercising outdoors is another healthy activity to include in your toolbox of skills, and it can be done with a partner, Moser said.
Nature can also allow you to broaden your perspective, said Ethan Kross, professor of psychology and management and organizations at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
When he goes on walks, he makes a concerted effort to look at the trees, some of which may have been growing for hundreds of years, he said.
“I’ve only been here for a few decades,” Kross said, “and this tree has stood through all sorts of stuff like tornadoes, and it’s still standing.”
Build a strong community
One of the strongest strategies for coping with adversity is to build a strong support network of people whom you care about, Moser said.
It allows you to talk through what you are going through in a safe space and get advice from others with different perspectives, he said.
When you are suffering, you may feel like you are alone, but it can be comforting to talk about problems with others and realize you’re not alone, Moser said.
Other people can also increase your level of accountability to achieve healthy habits or accomplish goals, he said.
If you have another person whom you’re accountable to for a morning walk or a twice-a-week run, that social aspect can help make some of those healthy habitsstick, Moser said.
Talk to yourself like a friend
People are much better at giving advice to others about emotional issues than to themselves and following it, Kross said.
One coping strategy is to shift your perspective and start talking to yourself as though you are speaking to another person, he said.
For example, at a difficult time, ask yourself, “How are you going to manage the situation?” Then give yourself advice, Kross said.
“This helps them shift their perspective to get them to start talking to themselves like they would to another person,” he said, “which often leads to wiser ways of managing situations.”
Nigerian economist and entrepreneur Anthony Onyemaechi Elumelu is one of Africa’s leading investors and businessmen. Tony Elumelu, as he is popularly known across the world, believes strongly that the private sector has all it takes to fuel innovation and foster social wealth creation and sustainable economic growth in Africa.
He is currently the Chairnman of Transcorp PLC, the United Bank for Africa (UBA)) and Heirs Holdings.
Tony Elumelu is actively committed to the African economic transformation by creating an enabling an environment for young entrepreneurs to thrive. During his recent interview with the NewAfrican Magazine, he highlighted some valuable business lessons that could help aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners.
1. Don’t be shortsighted
Tony Elumelu advised young African entrepreneurs to seek opportunities and platforms to implement their vision. When asked, “Would you say there are more opportunities now than when you started?”, Tony Elumelu replied that opportunities are always there, but now it seems to me that we have more opportunities in the world around us than ever before. The digital world is a whole new economy that never existed when we started. Use your brain, discipline, and expertise, and then the world comes to you. Think long term, 10 years ahead, not just for tomorrow.
2. Avoid emotional decisions
I advise young entrepreneurs to take a step back, understand their business, and look at the forces. These factors shape their business, and dispassionately reassess and see what you need to do differently. Tony Elumelu replied to the question saying:
“For young entrepreneurs who had their business collapse during this pandemic, what they must do to get back on track? Tony further stated that we live in a world of knowledge and information accessible with a click on your device. Quitting is not something I advise people to do, but please don’t make a sentimental or emotional decision. Think it through very well; if you have mentors, sit with them. Don’t be dispassionate in your business decisions, as businesses fail because people are not making passionate decisions.”
3. Make sacrifices
Tony Elumelu was very clear with his assertions about making business sacrifices and advised young entrepreneurs to learn. He had sacrificial views when asked about his opinion about what young entrepreneurs should aim for. He said that the Tony Elumelu you see today has not always had everything.
“In the past, for example, I have decided not to buy a car and planned instead to use the money to make investments. I waited for the proceeds of that investment to buy the car. When I say sacrifices, I mean you must learn to defer consumption. It would be best if you thought long term. When you visualize success, you can make sacrifices. Then you can apply the rigor and energy that will lead you to success.”
4. Be Hardworking
Tony Elumelu emphasized hard work, staying focused, and sacrificing for a better tomorrow. In his own words, “my advice to budding young entrepreneurs when I interact with them is to be hardworking, don’t be scared to dream but know that dreaming is less than 1%; the 99% is about translating your dream into action, translating your dream to reality. That is what makes the difference.”
5. There’s no easy way out
The successful Nigerian business mogul encouraged young African entrepreneurs to ignore shortcuts and be very determined and prepared for success. When the interviewer asked him about the essential things one must have before embarking on an entrepreneurial journey, he began by stressing that “the road to success is not linear. It is up and down. You must be very determined and prepared to do whatever is required for your success. And you have to know what success looks like in your chosen field. It is the same if you want to succeed in business. That kind of discipline and training helps a great deal. To become an entrepreneur, you must acknowledge that it is not a bed of roses.”
6. Think Longevity’
The businessman wants young entrepreneurs to think long-term. When asked about the people he admired the most, Tony mentioned Steve Jobs, amongst others. Elumelu picked Steve Jobs because the business he founded became the first to cross a trillion-dollar market cap even after his death. He said:
“I think the key aspirations for every business in the world should be building a business that lasts and not be one you live and die with. I believe that when you are gone, the business should still be there and grow better. That is what Steve Jobs did. Steve Jobs has changed the world through his wonderful devices. Long after his death, the company he founded was the first to cross a trillion. I like that guy because, in addition to all the other aspects, he showed discipline and everything he has achieved in the short period he was on earth.”
The objectives for the introduction of the school feeding program included increasing school enrollment, attendance, and retention at the primary school.
To a significant degree, these objectives are being achieved as students who would have either stopped primary schooling or been truants due to hunger, especially in deprived communities are being significantly regular with their school attendance.
Yet, the success of this social protection program should not stop there; it can also be used as an opportunity to make practical some of the knowledge students acquire in the classroom i.e., Develop skills like teamwork, self-organization, self-control, and self-discipline among others.
It can be recognized as an extra-curricular activity and an integral part of school life for students. With this suggestion, it will be necessary to place the school feeding program under the Ministry of Education; supervised by the Ghana Education Service.
The district School Health Education Program (SHEP) coordinators working closely with professional nutritionists/dieticians from the Ministry of Health should be trained and equipped to design programs for the schools to follow in implementing the school feeding program.
Caterers/cooks will surely be employed but the menu should be planned by the assigned district nutritionist/dietician. The work of the caterers/cooks should be strictly to cook and deliver the food at the doorsteps of the various classes. Serving school lunch should be handled by the students and class teachers.
In Japan, even first-grade students are given the opportunity to organize their classrooms and serve school lunch among themselves. They do this with the supervision of the teacher. The class is in lunch groups. The group in charge on a particular day, will go for the food and serve it. They can serve the food almost equally among themselves.
Before having lunch, the students arrange the classroom for a lunch setting and do some washing of hands and cleaning. As the lunch group on duty dishes out the meals, their classmates pass by in a queue with their trays to receive their food. With this, the caterers` work before lunch ends with making the food ready. Sometimes they deliver the food to the doorsteps of the class and sometimes, the students go for the food from the kitchen to their various classrooms.
Students are not passive during school lunch. They do not just line up in front of the caterer with their bowls and plates in their hands to collect their food and sit anywhere in the school to eat. Their involvement helps them to learn and develop their non-cognitive skills and appreciate and embrace both individual and collective responsibilities.
As they are actively involved in the activity, they learn time management skills since the entire process is well timed from pre-lunch, lunchtime, and post-lunch cleaning. They also learn personal hygiene, working collaboratively, respect for each other, generosity, fairness, self-organization, etiquette, and social skills among others in a real-life situation. It affords the teachers the opportunity to assess students` behavior.
It is sad that even in the senior high schools in Ghana, some seniors would want to take advantage of their seniority to cheat their `table members` at dining. But probably if students are made to assume the collective responsibility for sharing `limited` available resources like school lunch from primary school, some desirable attitudes, and values like fairness and generosity can be cultivated which students can carry along in life.
The practice of teachers and students taking full responsibility for serving school lunch gives teachers and parents the opportunity to consciously monitor the eating and other habits of the students.
It should not be about students waiting for caterers to come and serve them but making students responsible and developing their self-reliance and interdependence. At that early stage of the academic ladder, the students can learn a lot of life and social skills with the school feeding program.
Concerns may be raised with regard to the quality of food and the class environment and conditions in some Ghanaian schools to allow for such practice. Of course, the Japanese model may not necessarily be copied wholesale, but the salient features and practices can be adopted and adapted.
The Ghana Education Service can design a school lunch schedule and program to best suit the Ghanaian condition. Already, the school feeding program has its own challenges especially when it comes to financing it.
But these challenges should not impede the positive impact the school feeding program can make in developing the non-cognitive skills of students. A lot can be done with the school feeding program to help students with their learning and socialization.
With proper deliberation, consideration, and planning, there may be other potential learning opportunities to be discovered with regard to the school feeding program.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
Madam Jane Mensah, the head of the Electoral Commission, is fully aware that the NPP, Ghana’s most dishonest and inept political party, will be replaced by a new government that will not only remove her from her position but also potentially subjects her to legal proceedings that could land her in jail. As a result, she may exert all of her efforts to prevent that from happening.
How is she going to stop that is the question? Election rigging, such as what she did in 2020, is the only way to do this. The most crucial question that many Ghanaians haven’t thought to ask, and that the NPP government hasn’t also given an answer is, “If the government didn’t actually win the 2020 elections, how likely is it that they will break the eighth cycle in 2024?
One of the reasons I have lived a good life with my family and never been accused of a crime or faced the law is because I am a man who has no interest in using violence. However, I must caution anyone who intends to use the law to take away any Ghanaian’s means of subsistence at this time. They may be treading dangerous territory because just because Ghanaians are silent doesn’t mean they are stupid.
Political avarice and tribalism prevent tribal bigots from seeing clearly and accepting that the majority of people are no longer interested in the NPP, as a result of our bad performance, so if we are beaten, we must peacefully transfer power. That is not at all how the con NPP government sees things; instead, they have already begun nefarious plans to win the 2024 elections.
Given how this specific government’s incompetence has destroyed every piece of infrastructure in Ghana and led to the greatest rates of unemployment and crime nationwide, that is actually highly dangerous. After President Nana Akufo Addo refused to remove his relative from office, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, even tell Ghanaians that the president is concealing something.
I am fully aware that some NPP politicians are unhappy with how Akufo Addo has decimated the party, while others don’t care what the president will do to keep the NPP in power.
They have information they don’t want the average Ghanaian to know, particularly about the extensive corruption these families of political crooks have fostered. Why, in face of widespread opposition from Ghanaians, is Akufo Addo employing all nefarious means to ensure that the NPP administration receives support from Jane Mensah, the corrupt head of the electoral commission, in order for it to win the 2024 elections?
The easy solution is that if Jane Mensah manipulates elections once more, she will be able to keep her job and avoid being held accountable for her earlier election offenses. More crucially, her aid would prevent Nana Akufo Addo, the president, and other corrupt NPP leaders from being adequately probed and prosecuted since the future leader following Akufo Addo will fire all the Supreme Court judges the president has lined up.
It is up to all of Ghana’s opposition parties to prevent this from happening and intensify the anguish that has already struck Ghanaians so hard without a cure. I believe that tribalism has taken over the brain of many Ghanaians and those in the Diaspora, and therefore; as long as the president is from their tribe, they don’t care if the regular Ghanaians stand in line to buy chicken heads as food.
Isn’t that foolish considering that it might take Ghana five to ten years before this disastrous economic situation gets out of hand? When Akufo Addo named his relative Ken Ofori-Atta as the finance minister, all of Ghana’s intellectuals, educators, and academicians did was stand by and observe. What do Ghanaians anticipate as a result?
I’ve already shown that Akufo Addo chose Ken Ofori-Atta in order to facilitate his involvement in corruption, which is one of the reasons the NPP government was unable to succeed and the nation was left with unmanageable debt. All of the NPP’s efforts to rig the upcoming elections are being made solely to conceal crimes they have done in order to escape going to jail.
Since she refused to enter the witness box to explain the fictitious results of the elections, she gave Ghanaians, Madam Jane Mensah has been terrified to death. As a result, she will do everything it takes to avoid being charged or having to go to court.
As a result, if the needle says it can sew, it should close the hole in its head. To put it another way, if Ghanaians consider themselves to be intelligent people, with professors and scholars, none of them should sit down and observe the NPP government, which has been rejected for its incompetence, as they implement their nefarious fraudulent schemes to maintain power. This is because you people can’t see far enough to realize that Ghanaians may soon have to chew corncobs to survive.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
Show me a man who truncates a promising and worthwhile agenda, and I’ll show you the practical definition of disgrace. The worst is when he makes so much noise but has little to show. Guess what? His opposition wing wins extra points and strangles any attempt to break the eight. No matter the defence tactics employed, such a mess is unjustifiable.
In this light, Jesus admonished his followers to finish their course of faith. He said, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish”.(Luke 14:28-30)
Apart from the aforementioned scenario, Jesus also cited the shameful retreat and surrender of a king who goes to battle unprepared (Luke 14:31, 32). Christ introduced these examples in his preaching to encourage his audience to throw away any obstaclethat may hinder their life-long devotion to Him (Luke 14:33). By extension, our Saviour expects the same commitment from every Christian today.
We have no choice but to finish what we have started. If after we have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus and are again entangled in it and are overcome, we would be worse off at the end than we were at the beginning. It would have been better for us not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then turn our backs on it. (2 Pet. 2:20, 21)
Due to this warning from Peter, I have resolved to do all it takes to finish my Christian course. I Must Finish (IMF) has been my rescue slogan; I ran to it whenever I’m broke. It helps me submit myself to high spiritual disciplines; if perhaps, I could break the wEight of sin. I recommend the same for you.
Enjoy the Grace of God!
Amen!
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
After a US Supreme Court draft decision on Roe v. Wade was leaked in May, Dr. Joshua Trebach noticed a disturbing turn in the online conversation around abortion.
“I started seeing things on social media, things like TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, people saying ‘oh, if Roe v. Wade does get overturned, here are some secret, sneaky ways that you can drink some tea and have an abortion,’ ” Trebach said.
Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned and some states are putting strict limits on abortions, there’s widespread confusion about whether the procedures are available and to whom. Physicians and poison control officials say they’re worried that people seeking abortions will turn to ineffective and dangerous methods shared online, potentially delaying or preventing safe, proven abortion care.
Social media companies told CNN they’re taking a range of actions, including reviewing some abortion-related posts, elevating content from verified sources, and labeling or removing certain posts.
This type of abortion misinformation is “scary,” said Trebach, an emergency medicine physician and a medical toxicologist in New York City. Some herbs people described may not do anything at all. Others could have a range of medical effects or even be deadly.
Myths about abortion and women’s mental health are widespread, experts say
Trebach said the online posts he saw came from unverified sources and described substances he learned about only in toxicology training. In the US, many herbs and supplements are regulated as food, not drugs, meaning there isn’t safety or efficacy data to back their use. Negative effects from an herb can’t always be treated easily, he said.
“At the end of the day, nothing — no plant, no herb, no tea, no tincture — is going to be safer or more effective than the current medical standard of abortion, the current medical therapies that we have,” he said. “Nothing is a fair substitute for that.”
Julie Weber, board chair of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, said centers have not seen an increase in exposure calls about people attempting abortions, but they’re preparing for it. People can call the association at 1-800-222-1222 or reach experts at poisonhelp.org if they have questions about a substance and its potential effects.
“When I hear or start seeing questions on social media, I hear of people talking about alternative medications or herbal products or supplements, I do get concerned,” Weber said. “And I am concerned with this, and we do want to get that message out there that this is not necessarily a safe alternative or one that’s even going to be effective.”
Tech companies respond
Andrea Miller, president of the advocacy group National Institute for Reproductive Health, has seen abortion misinformation online and said some of it might be coming from “well-intentioned people who are outraged and fearful and want to help right now, but they may inadvertently be sharing information that isn’t accurate or directing people to nefarious resources without realizing it.”
Miller also worries that some posts may be designed to misinform and confuse.
“There has been a calculated, pernicious misinformation campaign that has been many decades in the making from those who are opposed to reproductive freedom, and we anticipate that that is going to be ratcheted up significantly now,” she said.
What is medication abortion, and who has access to it?
One TikTok video — with hashtags such as #womenshealth and #womensrights — listed a range of fruits, herbs and other “DIY” methods that it claimed could induce abortions.
It got more than 244,000 likes before CNN flagged it and it was removed by the platform last week.
TikTok says it’s removing videos about abortion that violate its policy against medical misinformation, although it allows other content on the topics, such as videos discussing access to the procedure, according to a spokesperson. The short-form video platform is also redirecting searches for certain hashtags such as #herbalabortion and #naturalabortion to its Community Guidelines rather than showing results.
Similar posts with misleading, potentially dangerous claims about inducing an abortion have also been shared on Twitter and Facebook, although most appeared to have less reach and engagement than on TikTok.
A Facebook spokesperson said that posts about abortion may be reviewed by its third-party fact-checking partners, and content that is rated “false,” “altered” or “partly false” by fact checkers will have its distribution reduced. Facebook pages, groups or accounts that repeatedly share content debunked by fact checkers may also have their reach reduced or lose the ability to advertise or monetize, according to the company.
Two posts listing potentially harmful claims about self-induced abortion that CNN flagged to Facebook had not been labeled by fact checkers, which choose which content to review, as of Wednesday.
Twitter says it is working to “pre-bunk” misinformation by elevating reliable sources, including on its Trends and Twitter Moments features, according to a spokesperson. Twitter’s rules generally do not prohibit discussion of abortion, contraception or related topics; under the platform’s misinformation policy, it takes action against misleading information related to Covid-19, civic integrity, synthetic and manipulated media, and crisis situations, but the policy does not mention abortion.
As of Wednesday, the platform had not labeled or removed several posts flagged by CNN that contained advice on using herbs or large doses of medication that toxicologists said could be ineffective or harmful.
Miller advises people seeking abortions or information about the procedure to approach the issue in the same way they would any other health concern:
“That is to make sure that they are seeking it out from reputable sources, or if they think ‘hey, that’s an intriguing post, that’s an intriguing thing, I might want to check that out,’ make sure to do some additional research if you’re not confident of the source, even if it’s one of your closest friends and you’re not sure where they got it and they’re not sure where it came from.”
Distraction from truthful information
Doctors CNN spoke with said they’re worried that videos containing abortion misinformation imply there are no paths to legal abortion — which could distract from safe, available options and create more confusion.
“I feel like nowadays, we are lucky that we do have very safe medication abortion options for people, and I’m worried that if people are circulating misinformation, then people will not know that there are ways that they can access safe methods,” said Dr. Jody Steinauer, director of the UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health.
Demand for abortion providers is expected to surge in some states. Doctors and nurses turned to TikTok to offer help
Although there are medications that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to allow abortion to take place at home, some people may assume they can’t access them, Dr. Nisha Verma, a fellow with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and an ob/gyn with a specialty in complex family planning.
“Some people may also turn to unsafe abortion methods when they feel they have no other option or based on information they are gathering on social media,” Verma said.
Posts and content on topics that inspire emotion are much more likely to go viral on social media. And that can be dangerous when they contain false or misleading claims.
“Misinformation can be harmful because it may lead people to try to end their pregnancies in an unsafe way, potentially exposing them to serious bodily harm. While people can self-manage their abortions in a safe way, spreading misinformation about unsafe methods of abortion is incredibly dangerous,” Verma said.
Internet searches for medication abortion reached record highs after Supreme Court leak
However, without a federal constitutional right to an abortion, access to abortion differs from state to state. The Biden administration is working across multiple federal agencies to respond to the Roe v. Wade reversal.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced a task force aimed at identifying ways to protect reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that struck down the federal right to abortion. And last week, President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at protecting access to reproductive health services.
The order attempts to safeguard access to medication abortion and emergency contraception, protect patient privacy and launch public education efforts. It also aims to bolster the security of and the legal options available to those seeking and providing abortion services.
Losing valuable time
Even before the Supreme Court decision, there was evidence that some people tried to self-manage abortions with things like herbs, physical trauma and uterine trauma, said Jenny Higgins, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
“We, of course, know those techniques are ineffective and, in some cases, also harmful,” Higgins said.
When it comes to methods circulating on social media, she said, her bigger concern is that they will use up valuable time.
Abortion laws impact people trying to become pregnant, too
“Someone might look into alternatives such as herbs, spend time trying to gather information, procure that substance, take the herb, take it again, take it again, and by then, they are later in gestation and maybe even less likely to be able to access effective methods,” Higgins said.
“There’s a real-time constraint here,” she said. “The later people are in gestation, the more effort that needs to be involved in the abortion.”
Being on the border of 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy can make a big difference in whether someone can safely use FDA-approved abortion drugs, she said.
The available methods for self-managed abortion today are very different from in the pre-Roe era.
“I want people to understand that now we have the very same pills, the very same FDA-approved pills that are used in standard abortion care can be ordered online,” she said. “There are self-managed techniques that are extremely safe and effective.”
Socrates is credited with the philosophy that “the only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing.”
I have found this to be true. Indeed, knowledge is power but there is also the concept of “Half-life of knowledge”, whereby information or knowledge available at a period could become invalid or irrelevant.
I believe life is designed to teach us to learn and unlearn because the world itself is continually evolving with things changing. It may not be prudent to always take entrenched positions about issues.
A name I heard on the radio this morning brought memories of a friend who I have severed ties with for reasons he may never have known before expiring (R.I.P.)
A bad dream was all it took and I am full of regrets for this isolated experience.
I was on a holiday once more in my village at an age where adventure was a strong urge. We sneaked out having fun with other teenagers (pub crawling).
We returned at about 2 am and I slumped into my little bed. My friend couldn’t go home so he helped himself with the sofa.
I had a very bizarre dream. It was trance-like. I saw someone climb my bed and bent over me and I could not move any part of my body.
I was apneic and neared suffocation. As a Christian, I tried to mention “Jesus” for an intervention. But, I couldn’t speak”. I struggled to push the person off but I felt pinned down by so much weight.
Finally, I felt light, the weight and person disappeared. It was a horrifying experience.
I shook in the bed and muttered some scriptures as a declaration over my life. I spent the next few minutes praying and couldn’t sleep any longer. In the morning,I told my friend about the dream and he seemed unconcerned.
Days after when I narrated this dream to a Church leader, he convinced me it was a spiritual attack. After being prayed for I was told, that the “spirit” says my life was at risk. I was warned to stay away from my friend if I valued my life. Answers from further probing out of my inquisitiveness meant that my friend was a wizard.
I may have been gullible, but the circumstances made it so believable. Ever since I treated my friend with contempt and labelled him a child of the devil and a frenemy. Even though he became terminally ill after some years and passed on, I was still judgmental. My conclusion had been, that he was ripping the seeds of his evilness.
Today, with regret, I admit what I experienced as a dream was an episode of “Sleep Paralysis”.
What is Sleep Paralysis?
Your brain assists the muscles in your arms and legs to relax when falling asleep or waking up by sending signals.
You may be conscious or regain awareness but experience muscle atonia (be unable to move). You remain still during rapid eye movement sleep which is also called REM. You are very much aware of your surroundings but cannot move or speak.
The brain makes the muscle in your limbs still, to keep you from acting out your dreams and hurting yourself. There are 2 stages which are the hypnagogic state relating to the state immediately before falling asleep and the hypnopompic relating to the state immediately preceding waking up.
It is frightening and can be accompanied by hallucinations. It may be for a few seconds or minutes but long enough to induce a sense of suffocation, hallucinations, fear, panic, helplessness, and tightening around the throat. You hang in between sleeping and wakefulness.
This is a natural one-time experience for some people but others have it repeatedly. This is not a sign of an underlying medical condition and it is not permanent either. People of all ages are prone to this experience and it is facilitated by sleep deprivation and altering sleep patterns.
As religious and superstitious people can we take a moment to contemplate on how segregated we have become over experiences like this?
Haven’t our work environments, religious settings, and society become daily Salem Witch Trials? How long will our superstitions and paranoia make us torture others physically and psychologically in the name of witchcraft/wizardry?
Do you picture the many innocent children, women, and men, especially the elderly that have been wrongly fingered as witches, and taken to Witch Camps all because of the Sleep Paralysis experienced by someone else?
What about the many families that have been divided over this.May God have mercy on all of us.Long live Mother Ghana.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana.
Verónica Cruz says she’s been getting frantic calls from women in the United States.
Abortion clinics have canceled their appointments, and they’re scared, she says.
“As soon as the Supreme Court decision came out, they were left without service. There are many people who call us crying, very desperate,” Cruz told CNN in a recent interview. “And the majority don’t even speak Spanish.”
Cruz is the founder of Las Libres — Spanish for “The Free Ones” — and she’s spent years fighting for abortion rights in the Mexican state of Guanajuato and throughout the country.
Now her organization is helping lead the charge in a new battle, fielding calls from a growing number of women in the United States who are turning to Mexico for help.
For decades abortion rights advocates in Mexico looked to the United States as an example of what was possible. The recent US Supreme Court decision left many of them stunned — and determined to show solidarity and take action.
The last year has brought about a dramatic role reversal. In September 2021, Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion. And in June 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that guaranteed legal access to abortion across the country.
“It surprised me that Mexico is going forward, and the United States is going backward,” Cruz says. “I never imagined that.”
Cruz says she and other advocates in Mexico have been watching closely as an increasing number of US states passed abortion restrictions. And by the time the US Supreme Court decision came down, she says, they were ready to help.
“A beautiful web is being woven so that women can have different options,” says Sandra Cardona, who helps run “Red Necesito Abortar” — Spanish for “I Need to Abort Network” — from her home in Monterrey, Mexico.
The Mexican groups’ efforts for years have largely focused on helping Mexican women obtain pills for medication abortions and walking them through that process. And now they say they’re seeing a notable increase in requests for that help from the United States.
The rise in calls from people who are reaching out in English, Cruz says, is a sign of how great the need is.
“The numbers are going to keep growing,” says Crystal P. Lira, founder of Bloodys Red Tijuana, another group that facilitates medication abortion. “It’s a snowball effect.”
She traveled to the US for an abortion 10 years ago. Now she’s helping Americans get the same medicine.
Lira remembers how alone she felt when she crossed the US-Mexico border to visit a Planned Parenthood clinic a decade ago.
Back then, when she traveled from her home in Tijuana to San Diego to get medication for an abortion, the pills were harder to come by in Mexico, and the stigma around abortion was overwhelming.
“I went feeling very solitary, feeling like I couldn’t tell anyone else, not knowing who was going to support me,” she says. “I went with many, many questions in my head. It was a very confusing and solitary moment.”
Lira never imagined someday she’d be helping women in the US get that same medication while doing everything she can to promote abortion access on both sides of the border and fight the very stigma she faced herself.
Now the two pills needed for medication abortion — mifepristone and misoprostol — are cheaper and easier to obtain in Mexico. And networks of activists in Mexico have intensified their efforts to send the pills to the United States since the US Supreme Court ruling.
The groups are also providing virtual support — known as accompaniment — to help walk women through the process from afar.
It’s important to remember, Lira says, that many women in the US aren’t able to travel to Mexico due to limited financial resources or a lack of immigration documents.
“We are working to make sure the medication gets to them,” she says.
Groups that spoke with CNN declined to provide specifics about how they’re getting medicine to the United States, saying they didn’t want to jeopardize the security of those they’re working with in the US.
The National Right to Life Committee, the largest anti-abortion group in the US, has suggested states should extend criminal penalties to people who help a woman receive an illegal abortion, including “trafficking” abortion-inducing drugs and even giving instructions about self-managed abortions.
In Texas, a 2021 law already bars mailing abortion medication and threatens jail time for anyone providing the pills who’s not a physician.
And legal experts say it’s possible lawmakers in some states will try to pass legislation to prevent women from traveling out of state to get abortions, like proposed legislation that was introduced in Missouri earlier this year.
The day Roe v. Wade was overturned, they heard from 70 women in the US
For people in the US who can cross the border and would prefer to travel to Mexico, Sandra Cardona says she and others will help them get the medication and, if needed, provide a safe place for them to take it.
Cardona and her partner have converted the second floor of their Monterrey home into a space they dub the “AborterÃa” — Spanish for “the abortion shop.”
Inside there are cozy rooms with couches and signs trumpeting the importance of “free and dignified abortion.”
Women often arrive frightened, she says, but soon appear to be surprised by how simple the medication abortion process is.
“It generally takes a half day. They take the first pill, mifepristone, 24 hours before they come to us, and then they take the misoprostol. The process is very fast, between 3-4 hours, and that’s it, they leave for their homes,” Cardona says.
“When they come and see how fast it was and everything, they say, ‘I should have done it in my house.’ Of course, there is pain, but we give them something for the pain. We are with them and we talk them through it.”
Recently, a woman who was working from home showed up with her laptop and kept working as the medication worked its way through her system.
Cardona says “Red Necesito Abortar” started getting more messages asking for help in September, after Texas enacted a sweeping law barring abortions at six weeks and allowing private citizens to bring civil suits against anyone who helps a pregnant person seeking an abortion in violation of the ban.
“Many women are afraid of doing it there, because they’re afraid they’ll be reported,” she says.
That’s one of many reasons Cardona says she and her partner have opened their home.
“Before September we would receive 5-7 American women per month. After September, we received 7-10 per week. On the day of the Supreme Court decision, we received 70 messages. And things have continued like that, without slowing down,” she says.
Since the US Supreme Court decision, Cardona’s efforts have gotten more publicity, and she says her group has gotten an increasing number of threatening messages — from the US, too.
But she says that won’t deter her.
“Let them do whatever they want. We are going to keep accompanying [these women]. … I’m not going to be afraid of something that isn’t here,” she says.
Abortion clinics are also preparing for more patients
Mexican advocacy groups that facilitate access to medication abortions aren’t the only ones seeing a shift.
Even before Roe vs. Wade was overturned, Profem, which operates abortion clinics in several Mexico’s cities, was seeing some American patients.
In May, about 25% of patients seeking abortions at Profem’s Tijuana clinic were from the US, Director Luisa Garcia says.
“It’s only been a little bit of time, but yes, we’re seeing an increase,” Garcia says, and she says she’s expecting the numbers to grow.
“It’s something that I never would have believed, that from the United States they’d come to Mexico,” she said. “Before, it was the other way around. (The US was) a country with so many freedoms. It’s something I still am struggling to process.”
It’s already common for some Americans to travel to Mexico for other medical procedures. Traveling south of the border to visit abortion clinics could also become a more common occurrence, Garcia says.
MSI Reproductive Choices, an NGO that provides contraception and abortion services, opened a clinic in the Mexican border city of Tijuana just a week after the US Supreme Court decision.
“That was a coincidence,” says Araceli Lopez Nava Vázquez, the Latin America regional director and Mexico country director for the organization, noting that it takes months of planning to open a new clinic.
Nava Vázquez says MSI Mexico’s clinics are expecting an increase in demand from patients in the United States, but so far haven’t seen an uptick.
She says the organization recently has been in talks with several groups in Arizona who are working to secure abortion access and funding for travel. She’s also spoken with organizations in Texas.
“What I sense is a lot of hopelessness, and it is really sad,” she says. “It’s like we’re in the Middle Ages again.”
Groups in Texas have seemed hesitant to make plans, she says, with so much uncertainty about what will happen next in their state. But she says MSI Mexico is trying to do whatever it can to help.
Officials in Mexico’s capital have also said they’re prepared to accommodate any visitors from the US who need abortion help.
“We are a government of inclusion and we attend to all people,” Mexico City Health Secretary Dr. Oliva López Arellano told reporters in May.
“They have the right to make decisions about their bodies. We have the obligation to protect their health.”
Mexican groups are sharing lessons they’ve learned with American counterparts
At a recent protest in Tucson, Arizona, advocates from the Mexican group Marea Verde Nogales wrote a message in chalk on the ground: “If you need to abort, write to @mareaverdenogales.” Next to it, they drew a heart that said “USA Mexico Women United” inside.
And recently, the number of calls to the group from Arizona have increased, member Bianca Valverde says. In addition to helping provide accompaniment for medication abortions, the group hopes to help train advocates in the United States to provide accompaniment for medication abortions using the same methods.
Despite Mexico’s Supreme Court ruling last year, the legal landscape for abortion in the country remains complex.
Mexico City and eight of the country’s 31 states have decriminalized abortion; other states still have laws criminalizing abortion on the books.
About 80% of Mexicans identify as Catholic, and the Roman Catholic Church has organized anti-abortion protests there.
Even in states where abortion is legal, providers have encountered obstacles, Garcia says. Her organization struggled to find a location for a new clinic in Tijuana earlier this year.
“We rented in a very famous medical office building that’s dedicated to medical tourism,” she said. “The moment that they learned it was for abortion, they wouldn’t rent to us.”
But Mexican abortion rights advocates say there’s an important lesson they’ve learned in years of fighting obstacles — a lesson they’re working now to share with their counterparts north of the border.
Even in the toughest times, they say, women can succeed by turning to each other for help.
According to a World Bank document, the economic returns for tertiary education graduates are the highest in the entire educational system an estimated 17% increase in earnings as compared with 7% for primary and 10% for secondary education.
These high returns are even greater in Sub-Saharan Africa, at an estimated 21% increase in earnings for tertiary education graduates. For this reason, President Mahama saw it necessary to invest heavily in the tertiary level of education in Ghana.
At the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in the Bono Region, the following were done: a modern library, ICT complex, laboratory complex and new classroom blocks with offices.
A total of 129 major projects were at various stages of completion in other tertiary institutions before he left office on January 7, 2017. These comprise libraries, administration blocks, laboratories, bungalows, hostels, lecture theaters and general landscaping.
President Mahama also started the construction work of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development.
Under a US$24 million project, three African Education Centres of Excellence were established in Ghana.
They are the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) at the University of Ghana, the West African Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) an African Centre of Excellence for training plant breeders, seed scientists and seed technologists at the University of Ghana; and the Regional Centres of Excellence for Water and Environmental Sanitation at KNUST.
Reforms aimed at achieving equity and completing the tertiarisation of all 38 public Colleges of Education continued under the watchful eyes of H.E. John Dramani Mahama.
The reforms ensured that the Colleges of Education operated at full capacity, thereby guaranteeing an enhanced supply of trained teachers.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
A new digital healthcare platform, EMGuidance which delivers essential medical guidance to support clinical decision-making at the point of care, is this month launching in Ghana.
The independent platform connects healthcare practitioners to the local healthcare ecosystem and medical industry, bringing comprehensive, up-to-date and locally relevant clinical information to healthcare workers.
The platform, a public-private partnership with the Ghanaian Ministry of Health, leading medicines company, Novartis, and the Sickle Cell Foundation of Ghana, will be an instrumental step forward in supporting the initiative to improve outcomes for patients suffering from Sickle Cell Disease.
Globally it is estimated that 15 million babies will be born with sickle-cell disease over the next 30 years, with up to 90% of them in low-income countries likely to die before reaching five years of age. Early detection and treatment of the disease, however, can substantially reduce mortality[1].
“Empowering frontline healthcare professionals with locally relevant medicines and clinical guidance is critical to achieving the best patient outcomes. Many times, however, quick access to the right information to drive important clinical decisions is not at hand,†explains Yaseen Khan, CEO of EMGuidance.
“Taking complex clinical information, from across a medical ecosystem, and creating simple but powerful digital support at the point of care, is at the heart of what EMGuidance does, and is particularly relevant in the treatment of Sickle Cell Disease. With the support and leadership of local Ghanaian medical partners, we believe this effort will enhance clinical guideline adherence by practitioners, supporting improved rates of screening and diagnosis, greater dosage and treatment and accuracy, and ultimately reducing crisis events and supporting improved quality of life for patients with this disease,†he continues.
EMGuidance will serve as an independent medical platform that will be instrumental in carrying content and clinical information that supports the Sickle Cell Disease project to these healthcare professionals. However, the platform will not be restricted to this project alone, but will bring its full service offering to the market.
EMGuidance has launched in South Africa six years ago, and has grown rapidly, with 55% of health care practitioners in the country now signed up as subscribers.
With over 10 000 daily users and over 1 million searches per month, it is a powerful day-to-day clinical decision-making support tool trusted by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and multinational pharmaceutical companies alike. It is free to use for registered health professionals.
Don’t drink or at least drink in moderation, doctors say.
OK, if you know yourself too well and can’t help but over-enjoy, then you may want to read this carefully. Preferably in a dark room without a lot of noise if you just desperately did an Internet search for “hangover cure.”
If you do overindulge this festive season, you certainly are not alone. So many people binge during holidays that there is a medical nickname associated with one of the conditions it causes.
“Holiday heart syndrome” is when your heart beats irregularly or too fast after having too much to drink. Thankfully, hangovers aren’t all that serious.
But all lightheartedness aside, drinking too much alcohol can be a serious problem for people and can take a real toll on your health. Alcohol causes a fatal car crash every 51 minutes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But let’s say you had a designated driver, and the merrymaking you did got out of hand just this once, then you may still want to know what to do. Here is what doctors suggest. This is not the advice your Uncle Bill will tell you about that helped him through his military days.
A hangover, in case you are in that small percentage of people who don’t experience them, is that unpleasant feeling your body will have after a night of heavy drinking.
Symptomsinclude being tired, thirsty, having a headache or muscle aches, sleeping poorly, suffering from an increased sensitivity to light and sound, dizziness, red eyes, shakiness, depression and an inability to concentrate.
Scientifically speaking, what cures a hangover is hard to know. That’s because what we know about hangovers is still a little murky.
“The problem is, we still don’t know exactly what about drinking causes a hangover, so it’s difficult to know exactly what will prevent one, other than drinking little or not at all,” said Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist.
Bergquist is a doctor at Emory Healthcare and an assistant professor of medicine.
What scientists do know about hangovers, she says, is that alcohol, when consumed in excess, can do a real number on your system.
It makes you want to run to the bathroom more and that can lead to dehydration. That process is what causes the thirst, dizziness and the light-headedness you feel.
It can also trigger an inflammatory response from your immune system. That can hurt your ability to concentrate. It can hurt your memory. It can make you feel lethargic.
Drinking alcohol in excess can cause your blood sugar to fall. If it dips too low it can cause a shakiness and weakness, even seizures.
Alcohol can cause your blood vessels to expand, which can cause headaches.
It can irritate the lining of your stomach, making you nauseous.
Bergquist says everyone metabolizes alcohol a little differently.
Some people will get a hangover after having just a couple of drinks. Others will be able to drink much more.
You can’t stop a hangover, but, she says, there are a few ways you can improve your symptoms.
Drinking water as you consume alcohol can help with the dehydration issue.
“That does not improve your concentration or loss of spatial relation skills that come with a hangover, though,” she says.
Eating a little something can help your stomach. But eating greasy food to soak up the alcohol better, as some people will tell you, is a myth. In fact, that greasy stuff may irritate your stomach more. Instead, Bergquist suggests eating some healthy protein and carbohydrates.
But other than avoiding alcohol altogether, the only other way to ease your symptoms is simple.
“Rest is the one way you can really help yourself,” Bergquist said.
So try to sleep it off. You will feel better, eventually.
Go ahead lie about your age. It may be the very thing that helps you live a longer life.
If those fibbers truly believe that they are younger than what it says on their birth certificate, a new study shows they are among a group of people who have a lower death rate.
That’s compared with those who felt their age or who even feel older than their years.
That’s compared with those who felt their age or who even feel older than their years.
The new research letter is published in JAMA Internal Medicine online.
The study looked at data from from 6,489 people with an average age of 65.8 years who reported that they felt a little less than 10 years younger.
What’s interesting is most people in the study didn’t feel like their actual age. Most said they felt about three years younger. Only a tiny percent, some 4.8%, felt at least a year older than their actual age.
When University College London researchers followed up on these people over the next eight years, the scientists found only a little over 14% of those who felt younger than their years had died.
That was compared with the more than 24% of the people who reported feeling older or feeling their age who had died. Some 18% of the people who felt like their chronological age died in that same time period.
Why happiness is healthy
The researchers say they want to better understand what made the difference with this group.
“Possibilities include a broader set of health behaviors than we measured (such as maintaining a healthy weight and adherence to medical advice), and greater resilience, sense of mastery and will to live among those who feel younger than their age,” the study concludes.
“Self-perceived age has the potential to change, so interventions may be possible. Individuals who feel older than their actual age could be targeted with health messages promoting positive health behaviors and attitudes toward aging.”
Dr. Sharon Bergquist, a physician and assistant professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine who specializes in healthy aging, isn’t surprised by the results.
“Research is showing us that personality can so be tied to your destiny,” Bergquist said.
Your happiness type matters
New research into the link between personality and aging finds that there are two main traits that seem to help people live a longer life: conscientiousness and optimism.
People who have both traits may have more of a will to do the right thing to live a healthy lifestyle that can keep them healthy long into old age.
“Aging well can certainly become a self-fulfilling prophecy,” she said.
You might call it a sense of well-being, of optimism or of meaningfulness in life, although those could also be treated as separate entities. But whatever happiness is, we know that we want it, and that is just somehow good.
We also know that we don’t always have control over our happiness. Research suggests that genetics may play a big role in our normal level of subjective well-being, so some of us may start out at a disadvantage. On top of that, between unexpected tragedies and daily habitual stress, environmental factors can bring down mood and dry up our thirst for living.
Being able to manage the emotional ups and downs is important for both body and mind, said Laura Kubzansky, professor of social and behavioral sciences at Harvard School of Public Health.
“For physical health, it’s not so much happiness per se, but this ability to regulate and have a sense of purpose and meaning,” Kubzansky said.
Why be happy?
Many scientific studies, including some by Kubzansky, have found a connection between psychological and physical well-being.
A 2012 review of more than 200 studies found a connection between positive psychological attributes, such as happiness, optimism and life satisfaction, and a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease. Kubzansky and other Harvard School of Public Health researchers published these findings in the journal Psychological Bulletin.
It’s not as simple as “you must be happy to prevent heart attacks,” of course. If you have a good sense of well-being, it’s easier to maintain good habits: Exercising, eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep, researchers said.
People who have an optimistic mindset may be more likely to engage in healthy behaviors because they perceive them as helpful in achieving their goals, Kubzansky said.
Lower blood pressure, normal body weight and healthier blood fat profiles were also associated with a better sense of well-being in this study.
Why trying to make your kids happy can backfire
For now these studies can only show associations; they do not provide hard evidence of cause and effect. But some researchers speculate that positive mental states do have a direct effect on the body, perhaps by reducing damaging physical processes. For instance, another of Kubzansky’s studies found that optimism is associated with lower levels of inflammation.
If what you mean by happiness is specifically “enjoyment of life,” there’s newer evidence to support that, too. A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that people ages 60 and older who said they enjoyed life less were more likely to develop disability over an eight-year period. Mobility was also related to enjoyment of life.
This study does not prove that physical problems are caused by less enjoyment of life, but suggests a relationship.
Where happiness comes from: genes + environment
There is substantial evidence that genetics play a big role in happiness, according to Nancy Segal, psychologist at California State University, Fullerton, and author of “Born Together – Reared Apart.
Research has shown that identical twins tend to have a similar level of happiness, more so than fraternal twins. And in identical twins, one twin’s happiness is a better predictor of the other twin’s current or future happiness than educational achievement or income, Segal said.
10 ways to get happy
“If you have happy parents and happy children, I think that people usually assume it’s because the children are modeling the parents,” she said. “But that’s not really so. You need to make the point that parents pass on both genes and environments.”
What’s more, there seems to be a certain level of happiness that individuals have generally, to which they usually gravitate, Segal said. That level depends on the person, and the situations he or she is in.
Even if genetics has a big influence, though, that doesn’t mean anyone is biologically stuck being unhappy, she said. It might take more work if your baseline mood is low, but certain therapies have proven useful for elevating psychological well-being.
The environment is still quite important for psychological well-being, too, Kubzansky said.
“To say to someone, ‘Don’t worry, be happy,’ is kind of not looking at the whole picture of, what are the environmental constraints on things they can do?” Kubzansky said.
A 2010 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that emotional well-being rises with income up to a point, which seems to be a household income of $75,000. Day-to-day happiness did not increase with higher incomes.
But when participants were asked about overall satisfaction with their lives, that did continue to rise in conjunction with income, even after $75,000, Princeton University researchers Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton found.
Their results show a sharp distinction between how people see themselves in terms of happiness “today” vs. life satisfaction.
“More money does not necessarily buy more happiness, but less money is associated with emotional pain,” Kahneman and Deaton wrote.
“Perhaps $75,000 is a threshold beyond which further increases in income no longer improve individuals’ ability to do what matters most to their emotional well-being, such as spending time with people they like, avoiding pain and disease, and enjoying leisure.”
More on money (not) buying happiness
Would you be happier if you bought the car you always wanted? Several studies suggest experiences make us happier than possessions. That’s partly because once you have purchased something, such as a new car, you get used to seeing it every day and the initial joy fades, experts say.
But you can continue to derive happiness from memories of experiences over time.
Experiences form “powerful and important memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world,” Thomas Gilovich, professor of psychology at Cornell University, told CNN in 2009.
But if you’re in the market for a birthday present for your sweetheart, a material object can still be meaningful, becoming a keepsake with sentimental value that increases over time, Gilovich said.
Study: Experiences make us happier than possessions
Or maybe you’ll be happier once you’ve lived longer. Research has also found that some sense of happiness may come with age.
Older adults may be able to better regulate their emotions than younger people, expose themselves to less stress and experience less negative emotion, Susan Turk Charles, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, told CNN in 2009.
More science needs to be done on whether the diminished negative response is also associated with a feeling of happiness.
More happiness may come with age, studies say
Happiness: Living in the moment
But what about right now — what can we do to make ourselves feel more positive?
If you’re seeking to increase your own sense of happiness, try mindfulness techniques. Mindfulness means being present and in the moment, and observing in a nonjudgmental way, Susan Albers, psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic, told CNN in 2010.
Can mindfulness help manage pain and mental illness?
Mindfulness comes from Buddhism and is key to meditation in that tradition. Therapies for a wide variety of conditions, including eating disorders, depression and PTSD, incorporate mindfulness.
Focusing on the here and now is a counterbalance to findings that mind-wandering is associated with unhappiness.
Activities such as keeping a gratitude diary and helping other people are also associated with feelings of well-being, Kubzansky said.
A variety of smartphone apps are also available that claim to help you monitor and enhance your moods. But don’t feel you have to face emotional challenges alone; a professional therapist can help you get to where you want to be.
If a sense of well-being makes a healthier person, then policy-makers should also promote large-scale initiatives to encourage that, Kubzansky said.
Creating parks to encourage exercise and insituting flexible work-family initiatives are just some of the ways that communities can become healthier as a whole.
So remember: A glass half full might be healthier than a glass half empty.
Stories of buried treasure and ancient shipwrecks have captivated for centuries, from pirate tales to Hollywood blockbusters.
For one team of explorers, however, legend became reality when they uncovered a trove of artifacts from a 350-year-old sunken Spanish galleon including coins, gemstones and priceless jewels once belonging to seafaring knights.
The Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas (or Our Lady of Wonders) sank in 1656 after it collided with another boat from its fleet and crashed into a coral reef off the Bahamas.
The vessel was carrying a haul of treasure, some of which was reserved as royal tax for King Philip IV, from Cuba to Seville, Spain.
The 891-ton ship contained more cargo than usual, as it had also been tasked with transporting treasure retrieved from another ship that had sunk two years earlier.
There have already been several successful attempts to retrieve the ship’s cargo, with almost 3.5 million items recovered between 1650s and 1990s, according to shipwreck specialist Allen Exploration, which carried out a two-year expedition from 2020.
But the latest discoveries, which are going on display this month at the new Bahamas Maritime Museum, offer fresh insight into life aboard the vessel.
Working with local divers, archaeologists and other experts, the researchers are also in the process of “reconstructing the mystery of how the ship was wrecked and fell apart,” project marine archaeologist James Sinclair said in a press release.
Using remote-sensing technology, such as sonar and magnetometers, Allen Exploration tracked “a long and winding debris trail of finds” scattered over a 13-kilometer stretch of ocean floor, founder Carl Allen added in a statement.
Among the discoveries was a 1.76-meter-long gold filigree chain and several bejeweled pendants that once belonged to knights of the Order of Santiago, a centuries-old religious and military order.
One of the gold pendants features a large oval Colombian emerald and a dozen smaller emeralds, which experts believe may represent the 12 apostles, alongside the Cross of St. James.
Three other knightly pendants were also discovered, including one shaped to look like a golden scallop shell.
“When we brought up the oval emerald and gold pendant, my breath caught in my throat,” Allen said, adding: “How these tiny pendants survived in these harsh waters, and how we managed to find them, is the miracle of the Maravillas.”
Other recovered artifacts shine a light on daily life on the Maravillas, which sailed during the “Spainish Golden Age,” including Chinese porcelain and olive jars, as well as a silver sword handle. Some of the galleon’s valuable contents may also have been contraband for the purpose of “illegally greasing the palms of Spanish merchants and officials,” Allen said.
The items discovered by Allen’s team will be permanently housed at the Bahamas Maritime Museum, which opens August 8 in the Caribbean nation’s second-largest city, Freeport.
And Sinclair believes that there may yet be more discoveries to be made.
“The ship may have been obliterated by past salvage and hurricanes … But we’re convinced there are more stories out there,” he said.
Choose paint color, wall coverings and furniture sizes wisely.
Each week, Mansion Global tackles a topic with an elite group of designers from around the world who work on luxury properties. This week we look at how to make your bedroom feel cozier, no matter how large it may be.
A master bedroom often provides a super-sized space to “call it a night.†But with so much room to lay your head, all that extra square footage can feel wasted or cold.
Yet, with some strategic attention to color, the right furniture placement and materials used throughout, you can easily warm up the space so it feels more snug. Follow these tips from design pros to make the space a comfy sanctuary.
I am a proponent of blackness and an ardent supporter of our culture. However, I think we, as blacks, need a retrospection of our behaviour, beliefs, and thoughts with regard to the approach of our daily activities.
Being privileged to travel to some parts of the world, I have come to admire the simplicity of our family of non-blacks (Caucasians). This piece is not to compare in bad faith, but to draw some positives that may help refine our approach to matters that have been complicated by cultural and religious extremism.
Two people falling in love or getting married should not be complicated and difficult. The demands and pressure from both families, churches, and society make marriage look like a high mountain to climb. Just expressing your interest in a lady alone comes with a bill.
Propose to some African women today, and you will have debt chasing you like the defunct UT Savings and Loans. Failure to pay your imposed debt, to your intended, is an indication that you are not truly in love and committed.
Whereas other races propose or express their love with flowers to their partners, our standard here is the iPhone, rent payment, and perhaps walking your lover around a car garage to select their favourite car.
Then, we have the issues of funeral ceremonies. Yes, we should pay respect to our deceased relatives or friends, but it can be done in modesty. Flamboyant funerals that leave the family indebted, and the prolonged nature of keeping the dead in the morgue are unnecessary evil that should be avoided. We must take care of and celebrate people while they are alive and not when they have exited to the land of their ancestors.
Last but not least is carrying the cross for the whole family. Being in a black society sometimes brings unnecessary stress and pressure. Imagine being a young man or woman just starting life or even starting a new job. Suddenly, everyone in the family turns their eyes on you. You are not even established yet to take care of yourself, let alone help your family. Yet, our families won’t allow you to ripen but will harvest you prematurely until you die out. I agree that we shouldn’t neglect our families when we can help, but placing the whole family cross on one person to carry just because they are working is un-called for.
We must give our young generation the chance to grow and build their future before we start bombarding them with family responsibilities. This is a breeding ground for corruption in society. We must respect our culture, but we should do away with certain beliefs and practices that are making life hell for black people.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana.
An influencer is someone operating in a niche or industry with sway over a target audience. They have specialized knowledge, authority, or insight into a specific subject.
Because of their pre-existing presence in a niche, influencers are a good launching pad for brands in search of credibility. 85% of marketers engaged in influencer marketing in 2017 and 92% said their campaigns were effective.
As a result, an influencer is someone who has the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his or her audience.
The size of the following depends on the size of his/her topic of the niche.
With regards to social media, influencers are people who have built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a specific topic.
They make regular posts about that topic on their preferred social mediachannels and generate large followings of enthusiastic, engaged people who pay close attention to their views.
Their endorsements carry considerable weight because they are regarded as an expert within their particular field and people trust their opinions.
To become an influencer, you have to choose a niche that you are passionate about, and promote products or services from brands in that niche. For example, if you are someone who is passionate about travel you may promote things such as tourism packages/ resorts on your page.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana.
The main mistake Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen’s camp is making is comparing the 2023 presidential primaries to the 2007 one and thinking that just as Alan Kyerematen and Aliu Mahama didn’t get the nod and it went to Akufo-Addo, so, this time, Kyeremantenwould get it easily.
They are very wrong, because, unlike Vice President Aliu Mahama, Dr Muhammadu Bawumia is a very active player who has contributed strategically and openly from 2008 to Nana Akufo-Addo and NPP’s 2016 victory.
That is why many NPP members and supporters genuinely sympathize with him. From that perspective, he deserves the nod because he has worked hard for it. We saw his role in the 2012 elections and 2013 election petition hearing. He and Lawyer Addison were the star players of NPP. Nobody can forget that.
We saw the impact of his lectures and how he pulled the middle class to campaign for Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP. Many NPP supporters cannot forget that and they may support him as a reciprocating gesture. This explains a lot of the support he has in the NPP.
Another factor one cannot lose sight of is Nana Akufo-Addo’s role and determination to reward Dr Bawumia for helping him realise his childhood ambition.
It is also no secret that the President and his family are committed to consolidating their legacies, securing themselves and extending their reign through Bawumia. Unlike John Kufuor, Nana Akufo-Addo is capable of employing every power and resource at his disposal to achieve that. We saw how Alan Kyeremanten’s supporters were maltreated during and after the 2007 primaries.
So, Alan Kyerematen’s camp should not think that they can be doing inconsistent communication and sleepwalking until their candidate resigns to start his campaigns.
The candidature of NPP is nobody’s birthright. It has not been willed to Alan nor is it his birthright. They must get that clear before they come back crying for sympathy after the deal is completely done.
What they should know is that regardless of how long NPP has existed, Bawumia has contributed enough to deserve to represent the party just as Alan and any other candidate since the party is not a monarchy that has especially predetermined people to lead.
If Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen is serious to run, it must reflect in his strategy and the communications of his camp.
For now, his posture may give people the impression that he is either not serious or he is thinking that he automatically has the right to lead the party which, could go against him if his opponents do their propaganda work well.
As things stand, none of the candidates should be complacent the way Alan’s camp seems.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana.
Not everyone will have Ghana Card by Sept. ending; It’s ‘Unrealistic’ And ‘Impossible’! – NIA Boss to Ursula
Executive Director of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Ken Agyeman Attafuah seems to have burst Hon. Ursula Owusu’s bubble about getting all Ghanaians to register their SIM cards with Ghana Card by the end of September.
The Communications and Digitalisation Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, issued a directive to Ghanaians who haven’t yet engaged in the ongoing SIM re-registration exercise to do so or have their SIM cards deactivated.
She has extended the deadline for the registration exercise to the end of September this year hoping that all Ghanaians would have their SIM cards registered. This is the third time of extending the deadline for the exercise.
Deadline Extension
Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, 31st July and later in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on “Kokrokoo“, Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said; “Upon consultation with the industry and in view of the challenges enumerated above, I have very reluctantly decided to grant a conditional extension. The programme will be extended to 30th September to end on the anniversary of its commencement.â€
“That will give us one full year of SIM registration. It will be reviewed at the end of this month and any SIM that has not been fully registered by the end of August will be barred from receiving certain services including voice and data services,†she added.
It Is Not Possible
But days after her speech, the NIA – the body mandated to establish and manage a national data centre, by setting up a system to collect, process, store, retrieve and disseminate personal data on Ghanaian citizens and legally and permanently resident foreign nationals, and to issue national identity cards – says it will not be possible for all Ghanaians to receive their Ghana Cards to enable them register their SIM cards before or by the deadline.
Prof Attafuah who heads the NIA, stated on PeaceFM that there are some bottlenecks that need to be taken into serious consideration.
He was emphatic that not all the applicants will have their cards before the deadline because the NIA’s capacity is limited; pointing out that this is because the Authority has inadequate number of personnel to register all Ghanaians and distribute their cards to them by the end of September.
“We have opened 276 operational district offices. Every constituency has an office…On the 3rd of November, 2021, we opened 16 Regional offices and 276 district offices operational simultaneously which is a different case but they are all working. Initially, we had some resistance from some political quarters but the truth of the matter is that, at the end of the day, all these offices are functional and serving the good people of this country.
“Every Regional office has only 5 people. Every district office has only 4 people. During the mass registration, 16 people were in every registration center and in every district, there will be about 200 registration centers. Today, there is only one office in every district or municipality and it has either a maximum of five or a maximum of four”, he said.
Unrealistic Expectation
Prof. Ken Attafuah also added that the law that establishes the NIA didn’t take into effect the SIM re-registration exercise, explaining the law required the NIA to “exist in perpetuity and for Ghanaian to go there and register at their leisure and pleasure“.
The NIA, he expounded, “is like a hospital or a maternity ward; you go there when you need to after the mass registration but today, it’s become impromptu for everyone and the strength does not exist“.
Prof. Attafuah stressed; “It is an unrealistic expectation that we will be able to give all of them their cards…It is not possible to do that. What is possible, however, is to put in greater efforts and make sure as many as can get it can but to guarantee that every single one is not possible”.
“The number of SIM cards linked to the Ghana Cards are less than 15 million and yet we have issued more than 15.5 million, so that’s also another factor to consider. Also, by the NCA’s own statistics, it has not been possible since October 1st when they began to link all the available Ghana Cards to the SIM cards“, he further said.
He made these submissions during an interview on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” programme Friday morning.
Source: peacefmonline
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana.
Nigerian musicianDavido has landed in Ghana, and the ace music artiste is having a good time in the motherland. He received great hospitality upon his arrival in the country.
The O.B.O. crew touched down in Ghana days ago and made their presence known as they toured Accra in a fleet of luxury cars.
To make his stay more enjoyable, Davido threw a private party and had a good time with his boys and a few guests. Men’s Cook made the grand feast memorable as they graced the occasion with some appetising food.
YEN.com.gh sighted videos from the event, and fans have shown excitement at seeing the superstar hang in Ghana.
Reactions To Davido Chilling In Ghana
joetexjewelleryshop was impressed with the luxury home:
North Tongu legislator, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has given GHc3,000 to the eight-year-old winner of the Volta Regional Reading Competition.
Samelia Mekporsigbe, a class 3 pupil of Battor DA Primary School from North Tongu Constituency, defeated 17 other district champions to win the day.
The lawmaker presented the cash amount to support her preparations for the national reading competition in Accra.
Samelia, 8, also received a Samsung Tablet with free internet connectivity and a wide array of e-reading collections from the MP.
She has also been placed on the MP’s scholarship programme for additional academic assistance until she graduates from the university.
Sharing the images with the child prodigy on his official Facebook page, the MP wrote:
”It was a delight to receive a victorious delegation led by North Tongu Director of Education, Mrs. Isabella Regina Ayimey as they presented to me the phenomenal Samelia Mekporsigbe, a class 3 pupil of Battor DA Primary School in my beloved constituency, and winner of the Volta Regional Reading Competition sponsored by the USAID Learning initiative.”
Members of the cyber community moved in droves to congratulate the child and appreciate the MP.
ClassPee Della Russel said:
”Impressive. Best wishes to her.”
Kojo Kiel commented:
”One day when I am old and she becomes a judge, I’ll just say I know her from some place and remember it was here.”
Nana Kweku Arhin said:
”Congratulations to Samelia and great work done Honourable. You’re a Leader worth emulating!”
Hadzide Midzim commented:
”Wow! What a splendid performance! Hearty congratulations to her. Honourable MP, kudos to you! May God Almighty continue to bless you.”
Mawuna Kwabena said:
”Congratulations to this girl. May God help her to fulfill God’s purpose for her life. God bless you honorable this nation will one day honor you with the highest seat of the land.”
Christian M. Kwesi commented:
”Hon Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. Whenever I see or read your posts, I’m always FIRED UP! Thank you for setting the pace and raising the bar so high! God bless you, Sir.”
Prince Agbewu commented:
”That is great! And thank you very much Honorable God bless you to do more!”
Abdul Mumin Mohammed Awal said:
”The leadership of service indeed. You always make leadership easy to emulate and all departments within your constituency easily access you for such great interactions. Congratulations to the lady and may Allah grant her the dreams she aspires.”
China said Friday it was ending cooperation with the United States on a litany of key issues including climate change, anti-drug efforts and military talks, as relations between the two superpowers nosedive over the island of Taiwan.
Beijing has reacted furiously to a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island, which it claims as its territory and has vowed to retake, by force if necessary.
It has since Thursday encircled the self-ruled, democratic island with a series of huge military drills that have been roundly condemned by the United Statesand other Western allies.
And Friday saw its foreign ministry hit back further against the United States, suspending talks and cooperation on multiple agreements between the two — including on fighting climate change.
The world’s two largest polluters last year pledged to work together to accelerate climate action this decade, and vowed to meet regularly to “address the climate crisis”.
But that deal looks shaky as relations sink to some of their lowest levels in years, as do agreements on everything from talks on military matters to anti-drug cooperation.
Graphic charting recent Chinese military plane flights over Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, according to the island’s ministry of defense announcements via Twitter.. Photo: John SAEKI / AFP
Source: AFP
Pelosi — who was also hit with sanctions by Beijing for the visit — has defended her trip to Taiwan, saying Friday that Washington would “not allow” China to isolate the island.
Taiwan has also condemned Beijing’s furious response to the visit, with premier Su Tseng-chang calling for allies to push for de-escalation.
“(We) didn’t expect that the evil neighbour next door would show off its power at our door and arbitrarily jeopardise the busiest waterways in the world with its military exercises,” he told reporters.
‘Our motherland is powerful’
Beijing has said its military exercises will continue until midday Sunday, and Taipei reported that Chinese fighter jets and ships crossed the “median line” that runs down the Taiwan Strait on Friday morning.
“As of 11 am, multiple batches of Chinese warplanes and warships conducted exercises around the Taiwan Strait and crossed the median line of the strait,” Taipei’s defence ministry said in a statement.
AFP journalists on the Chinese island of Pingtan saw a fighter jet flying overhead, prompting tourists to snap photos as it flew along the coast.
China’s drills involved a “conventional missile firepower assault” in waters to the east of Taiwan, the Chinese military said.. Photo: Hector RETAMAL / AFP
Source: AFP
A Chinese military vessel was also visible sailing through the Taiwan Strait, they added.
China’s drills involved a “conventional missile firepower assault” in waters to the east of Taiwan, the Chinese military said.
And state broadcaster CCTV reported that Chinese missiles had flown directly over Taiwan — a major escalation if officially confirmed.
On the Chinese island of Pingtan, local tourists proudly extolled their country’s military might against its much smaller neighbour.
“Our motherland is powerful. We are not afraid of having war with Taiwan, the US or any country in the world,” Liu, a 40-year-old tourist from Zhejiang province, told AFP.
“We hope to unify Taiwan soon. We are not scared of anyone,” he added.
“Our country is powerful. We don’t want to start a war, but we are not afraid of others.”
‘Significant escalation’
China’s ruling Communist Party views Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to one day take it, by force if necessary.
But the scale and intensity of the drills have triggered outrage in the United States and other democracies.
“These provocative actions are a significant escalation,” Blinken said after talks with Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Phnom Penh.
“The fact is, the speaker’s visit was peaceful. There is no justification for this extreme, disproportionate and escalatory military response,” he added.
Japan lodged a formal diplomatic complaint against Beijing, with five of China’s missiles believed to have landed in its exclusive economic zone.
And Australia — which has a troubled relationship with China, its largest trading partner — condemned the drills as “disproportionate and destabilising”.
The manoeuvres are taking place along some of the world’s busiest shipping routes, used to disseminate the global supply of vital semiconductors and electronic equipment produced in East Asia.
A bride and her groom have proven that love always wins as they tied the knot in their old age.
Elderly couple never gave up on love
Nothing beats finding your soul mate, the one your heart beats for and the person to spend the rest of your life with.
An elderly couple walked down the aisle in each other’s arms, and they revealed they had found love when they least expected it.
They were both widowed when they decided to explore a dating site and urged elderly people not to lose hope in love.
Love at first sight?
Robert was on a dating platform searching for love before he came across his wife’s picture, and something about the picture he reveals struck him like she was the one for him.
According to popular website, PEOPLE, Anne revealed that the first time she met Robert for a date, he was well poised, and with how he carried himself, she instantly knew she was in love.
The two adorable lovers were clearly smitten with each other as they shared pictures of each other and looked sweet in their love.
Chevening is one of the major scholarship opportunities open to Africans who want to study in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1982, Chevening is funded by the UK government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other partner organisations.
The scholarship offer is open to bright students from over 160 countries, but they must be those who show uncommon leadership potential. As of 2021, the award amount is £22,000 (about GH₵ 221,210.03).
Since the highly competitive program began, it has awarded scholarships to more than 50,000 students. It accepts applications from students from all fields.
According to the Chevening website, “Chevening Scholars study subjects in almost any field, and go on to implement their ideas for positive change in a range of sectors.”
Are Nigerian students eligible for the Chevening scholarship?
Of course, Nigerians seeking to study for their master’s degree in the UK can apply for Chevening as the country is listed as one of its targets.
Out of the 1500 students that benefited from Chevening in the 2021/2022 phase, 50 were Nigerians.
Popular Nigerian website, Legit.ng spoke to the academician, Dr Olumuyiwa Igbaljobi, and he confirmed that the fellowship is very competitive. He said that based on his assessment, applicants from Nigeria have roughly a 3% chance of getting selected.
When can Nigerian students start applying for Chevening scholarship?
The portal for application for Chevening opens on August 2, 2022. Nigerian students wishing to apply can start their application on that day and submit it before the closing date in November 2022.
How Nigerians can apply for Chevening and get selected
Nigerians seeking to be selected for Chevening can follow this guide.
1. Apply for admission to Chevening partner schools early
The first step towards getting selected by Chevening is to get admitted into UK universities that are partners of Chevening.
There are specific universities that partner with the UK government in awarding the scholarship. You must apply for three different courses, and your chosen programs must be full-time, not part-time.
You must have an unconditional offer of admission from at least one of these schools to qualify for the award.
2. Gather your documents and start the application
Once you have applied and received an admission offer from a qualifying UK university, you can now gather your documents and commence your application on the Chevening website.
Some of the important documents required for the application include two reference letters, university certificates, academic transcripts, and a current international passport.
3. Write your essays very well
One major aspect of the application that gives many applicants headaches is the essay parts. You have to make sure the essay questions are well answered. Each of the four essays must have depth and be written in clear expressions.
Dr Olumuyiwa Igbalajobi says not being able to answer the essay questions well is a major pitfall in the application.
He said:
“The most important part is the 4 major essays that address networking, leadership, studying in the UK, and long-term career goals. There are tons of resources online, YouTube channels, webinars, and even Twitter spaces that could be of help.
“Not being thorough enough with essays, especially inability to articulate effectively their long-term career plans.”
4. Your work experience counts a lot
To qualify for Chevening as a Nigerian student, you must have at least 2,800 hours of work experience. This is an important aspect of the qualifying criteria.
On this, Dr Igbalajobi says:
“Work experience is also very important, at least two years (equivalent to 2,800 hours) of work experience.
“Funmilola Awosanya won Chevening in 2021 with HND. Her work experience contributed to her being competitive.”
How Nigerian students can fill the Chevening Scholarship application form
Once you have all your documents handy, proceed to https://www.chevening.org, create an account, click on “apply”, and start filling out the application form. Make sure you have a functional email since all communications are done by mail. If you are selected, you will be contacted by mail for the next phase.
Tips on how to relocate to the UK
Meanwhile, popular Nigerian website, Legit.ng has listed four tips Nigerians can follow if they want to relocate to the UK.
According to the list, the first step is to get a job in the UK before applying for a visa.
It is after seeking and finding a job in the UK that one can easily get a work visa from the UK embassy in Nigeria.
A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for stealing parts of an Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) transformer valued at about GH¢2700 at Kodjonya, a suburb of Odumase Krobo in the Eastern Region.
The suspect, Isaac Azu was seen loitering around the transformer on July 31.
A resident who spotted him raised the alarm, forcing neighbours to show up at the scene.
The items in possession of the suspect were six fuses, earth cables, and a switch.
He was subsequently handed over to the Odumase policeand processed for court.
The Odumase Krobo circuit court presided over by His Honour, Frank Gbeddy, sentenced the offender to one-year imprisonment for the offence of stealing.
The future of sports in Africa is looking very promising. With the recent success of African teams at the World Cup and the increasing popularity of football across the continent, it seems that Africa is finally starting to make its mark on the world stage.
However, there are still many challenges that need to be overcome if Africa is to truly compete with other continents when it comes to sports. One of the biggest problems facing African sports is the lack of funding.
Many African countries simply do not have the resources to invest in their sporting infrastructure and facilities. This means talented athletes often have to leave their home countries to pursue their dreams.
Another challenge facing African sports is a lack of organisation and structure.
There are many different governing bodies for different sports across Africa, which can make it difficult for athletes to progress through the ranks and compete at a high level. This needs to be addressed if Africa wants its athletes to reach their full potential.
Despite these challenges, there is no doubt that African sport has immense potential. If more investment can be made into developing sporting infrastructure and programmes, then there is no reason why Africa cannot become a major force in global sports.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana.
The University of Cape Coast (UCC) hosted a Memorial Lecture at its New Examination Centre to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of the late Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, the third President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
The lecture was organised by the J. E. A. Mills Memorial Heritage for the Central and Western Regions of Ghana on the theme: “The Man Atta Mills Ten Years On” and addressed by Prof. Kwesi Aning of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping & Training Centre (KAIPTC), Accra to celebrate his life during his sojourn here on earth.
The event and story brought some nostalgia and remembrance of some shared events, a sense of awe whilst he lived, respect, a big brother aura, and observations, which I have harboured since his death and burial: moments which to me, should define ‘THE MAN JOHN EVENS ATTA MILLS’ to the ordinary Ghanaian, painting the obvious characterisations, which many a time are taken for granted or go unappreciated.
I got to know the ‘Man’ severally, then Dr. J. E. A. Mills in the eighties, when I had been transferred to Accra to work at the Accra Sports Stadium. He was then with the Internal Revenue Department as a Commissioner of Tax, the University of Ghana as a Lecturer and also at the then National Sports Council as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. He was also the Chairman of the Ghana Universities Sports Association (GUSA) and an ardent hockey player with the Veterans Hockey Club.
I also knew him quite closer as an ardent supporter of the ‘PHOBIA BOYS’ Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club and later as one of the Directors appointed at a Congress organised at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), which I had the honour of organising for and on behalf of the Club’s Chief Patron, Oyeeman Nana Wereko Ampem II, Gyaasehene of Amanokrom and known in private life as Emmanuel Noi Omaboe.
I was a member of a 3-member National Steering Committee (IMC) of Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club from 1989 – 1990, with the late Paul Kunke, a General Manager of the S. D. Karam & Company, a textile marketing company responsible for Operations and Goody Van Lare, my senior at Mfantsipim (MOBA 1971), who was in charge of the Finances, whilst I was charged with Special Duties, including the organisation and hosting of a National Congress at GIMPA in 1989, as well as oversight of the registration of Chapters through the mobilisation of supporters nationwide.
The Congress was also to appoint five (5) non-elective Directors and the following were nominated, including Messrs. Amoako Mensah, formerly of the Bank of Ghana; Commodore Mensah, former PNDC Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, credited with the first Pork Show at the Efua Sutherland Park to promote its increased consumption; Ato Ahwoi and Dr. J. E. A. Mills, with the last remaining position without a nomination, I called Oyeeman Nana Wereko Ampem, who was then playing golf some distance away at the Achimota Golf Course, informing him of my predicament and to which he just said, “I nominate you, Rex as the fifth Director, especially as you have been in charge and organising the whole exercise”.
Startled, I confessed to him that I might be everything he said but “Nana, I don’t qualify to serve on the same Board or any Committee with Dr. John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills, even if I could be comfortable with the rest”. In my youthful age, I dreaded that and just couldn’t imagine or fathom the ‘impudence’ of it.
The rest of the Directors, including one more nominated plus elected, were Paul Kunke, Asiedu, Affram. Bediako, Nettey, Attoh, Adjei, Lamptey of then Standard Chartered Bank, and Madam Rosemary Ekwam.
That was how highly I held him in awe at the age, a father figure that I couldn’t see myself serving on the same Board, no matter the depth and or diversity of my skills, knowledge, or talents.
Indeed, Prof. J. E. A. Mills was everything I wanted to be at that age; his gentle demeanour, humility, deep thought, steadfastness with the truth in all forms, standing up to what is or was right irrespective, and God-fearing nature, ready to defend even his enemies, known to him or not because he recognised that we are a much better people as a nation, no matter our differences; and all these attributes or characteristics I learnt or observed, both from a distance and personal interactions.
If you have ever watched how obstinate I can be with regards to the truth in our body-politic and national life, particularly sports, then I observed and became it from one whose sense of right is more read in books than lived.
I remember our days together at the National Sports Council, where he was the Board Chairman and I was the National Stadia Manager; he had given me an assignment to execute, compiling a National Assets Register of everything at all the ten (10) Reginal Sports Councils, including selected district offices and for lack of adequate logistics as well as funds to undertake the exercise, I had not completed the exercise ahead of Senior Staff Evaluations by the Board.
When it got to my turn, he just asked if I had finished the assignment; he did not even look at my Appraisal Sheet; and when I shook my head, he just pronounced the ruling as this: “Rex, you of all people should understand that because of the relationship between us, I would be harsher with you.
My ruling is, you will have your promotion when you complete the exercise and submit to the Chief Administrative Officer, who in turn is directed to issue the letter forthwith without recourse to him or his office”. I was not hurt because I recognised that I shouldn’t take his affection for me for granted but to strive for higher standards always so that I am not seen as taking advantage of the relationship whilst living up to not his standards but the high calling of my potentialities.
As a typical Accra Hearts of Oak SC supporter from my youthful days, from as far back as my days at Mfantsipim School to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in the seventies, I recall the late Ohene Djan, the first Director of Sports at the then Central Organization of Sports (COS) in later years become an advisor to my friend, Simms K. Mensah, the then flamboyant Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Sporting Club.
I had also developed a close relationship with the Late Tommy Thompson, a contemporary Chairman of Accra Hearts of Oak SC and from this, I saw the late Ohene Djan, without proper appreciation and contextualisation of his exploits and contributions to the growth and development of Ghana Sports, as perceived ‘Against’.
After reading extensively on Ohene Djan’s contributions after his death on March 26 1987, I realised he deserved more than he had been accorded by Ghanaians and therefore sought the permission of his Nsawam family to institute the Annual Ohene Djan Memorial Lectures with the inaugural scheduled for the year 1989.
After contextualising the concept, I was left with the choice of the appropriate person to deliver the first Lectures, with the proper credentials, both in academia and sports, to ensure a befitting tribute to the late Ohene Djan. I approached Prof. George Benneh of the University of Ghana and a family friend, with the intention of getting him to accept and deliver the debut lecture on “The Man Ohene Djan”.
Prof. Benneh politely rejected the invitation to be the Speaker and rather offered to chair the event rather, pointing in the direction of the late Prof. John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills, who incidentally was not only the NSC Board Chairman but a champion athlete in his days at Achimota School and a hockey star in his own right. This was during the tenure of Hon. Kwame Saarah Mensah, former PNDC Secretary for Youth and Sports and my senior at the Department of Land Economy and Estate Management, KNUST, Kumasi.
What a right choice it turned out to be, indeed.
Living up to his credentials as one of the youngest Professors of Law at the University of Ghana, the late J. E. A. Mills took the lecture as a ‘World Cup’ with the depth of research, including the sporting genre of Ghana’s President of the First Republic of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, a talented athlete, a champion runner during his school days at Achimota School and proper plans executed by Ohene Djan with absolute support of his President.
I will never forget how proud I felt at the Inaugural Ohene Djan Lectures in 1989 at the British Council, where Prof. George Benneh, himself also delivered another edition of the same lectures from a different perspective Schools and Colleges Sports as a Tool for Building a Nation.
The late Prof. J. E. A. Mills lived and technically ‘ate’ Hockey, as we would say in ‘Sekondi Fanti’.
Whilst I was an employee of the National Sports Council, I started a sport weekly ‘SPORTS COIN’ as the editor, whilst I was also the HOST of the weekly TV sports magazine programme, ‘SPORTS DIGEST’ on GBC-TV. I had also started a PR & Sports Marketing agency, REX-IMAGE Associates, counting amongst my clientele Bamson Company Limited and Ghamot Company, accredited agents and distributors of Toyota vehicles in the country.
The triangle relationship between Prof. Mills, Ato Ampiah, then Managing Director of Ghamot Company, and my agency bore the fruit of the inauguration as well as the sponsorship of the ANNUAL TOYOTA HOCKEY LEAGUE, managed by my agency and sponsored by Ghamot Company. This witnessed the refurbishments as well as branding of the Theodosia Okoh and 37 Hockey Pitches for the league.
This feat brought the relationship of Prof. J. E. A. Mills and myself closer still and saw him accept an invitation as the SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOUR at the opening of a new Toyota Showroom on Graphic Road, where the ‘TOYOTA’S MOST EXCITING FOOTBALLER AWARD’ was presented to the maestro Abedi Ayew Pele, in another event organised and managed by my agency.
The relationship blossomed over the years and in 2009, Ghana was awarded the rights to host and organise the AfHF Hockey Africa Cup of Nations Championship (Ghana 2009) under the theme: LET’S BEGIN TO DREAM AGAIN’ and which included the refurbishment of the National Hockey Stadium.
Prof. J. E. A, Mills had been elected the third President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana and commissioned the refurbished National Hockey Stadium on July 6, 2009.
Whilst we were preparing to host all the nations who had qualified to participate in the 2009 Hockey Championship, we got wind of the fact that the 44th President of the United States of America, Barrack Hussein Obama II, the first African American President, and his wife, Michelle would be visiting Ghana around the same time of the continental event.
As if possessed, I rushed off to senior Oko Nikoi Dzane, the Vice Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the African Hockey Championship 2009, and asked, “Why don’t we ask the ‘Old Man’ (the late President J. E. A. Mills) the possibility of getting President Obama to perform the kick-off for the championship, especially as it would give the event the greatest push globally?”
The Opening Ceremony of the Hockey Championship was coinciding with their planned drive to Cape Coast. However, we were informed that the visit had been planned quiet for a while now for months and that possibly if we had made the request earlier during the planning stages it could have been considered, though a long shot.
You see, such was the person, late Prof. J. E. A. Mills, very open to all sorts of ideas for the betterment of his nation.
There are quite intimate moments, which we shared, some through his campaign offices at Kuku Hill, Accra during the 2008 elections, which made his Campaign Assistants call me later to ask, “how did you know this?” and we laughed over the issues for the answers I advanced.
On one of those Sundays that he used to visit various churches, he came to Royalhouse Chapel (Ahenfie) to worship and I found myself seated right behind him, when salutations with introductions were made and shared, he realised that I was seated right behind him so he got up as I did and shook my hand, asked me how I was and sat down: ‘WHAT A HUMBLE PRESIDENT!”, was all I could say to myself with this great lesson in ‘Humility 101’ learnt.
I remember, one of those days before the Opening Ceremony for the 2009 African Hockey Championship, when it became clear that he couldn’t accept to be present because of President Obama’s presence in Ghana, the LOC delegation had to go to the Osu Castle to see him and brief him on preparations thus far.
When he came in and scanned the room as to who constituted the delegation, he intimated that he was happy the occasion had forced someone who had dodged him since his elections to be present, as the person was obviously determined to keep away from him and his office. When he walked over to welcome and shake our hands, he asked when he got to me, “Why have you stayed away from me after the support you had extended to my election?” I smiled as always, and he walked on to the next finally, when it was time to go, he asked me to find time and visit sometimes.
Unfortunately, that was not to be, as we lost him to death.
Yes, I miss him for who he was, a gentle heart, a compassionate soul, a nationalist to a fault, an unrepentant patriot, a humane Ghanaian, a true humanist, and a through and through ‘PHOBIAN’.
His enemies had always preyed on his humility even in the highest office of the land; his care for humanity looked upon by his enemies as his weakest trait will always paint him as a different person, as these showcase the strength of his character and love for the ordinary Ghanaian.
Guess he never bargained for the High Office of the land but lived it as if he was born to be a President of this nation and sincerely, his humanness is definitely what this nation, Ghana needs after the 2024 National Elections.
We are currently too divided and fractious as a nation, as if the next General Elections in 2024 will be our very last, seeing what the last six years have been, the depth of acrimony, depth of divisiveness, the quest to balance scores, the deaths associated with the last 2020 elections without the desire for inquests to punish the crimes, the seeming violence looming ahead of us towards coming elections; the deafening silences of our supposed ‘men of conscience’; the renewed ‘tribalisation’ of our people after 65 years of political independence into nationhood “WHAT WOULD PROF. J. E. A. MILLS HAVE SAID AND DONE?” if he was still alive to be the next President of the Republic after the exit of current President?
I recall one serious infraction that characterised the 2004 General Election Results, when a 3-man New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwarts, made up of late Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Hon. Kwamena Bartels (my senior MOBA) and Peter Mac Manu declared their party the winners and there were agitations by some elements of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), believing their Party had rather won the elections; especially more when the then Electoral Commissioner had delayed unduly to announce the winners.
What was just needed to plug this nation into flames and chaos was the objecting voice of late Prof. J. E. A. Mills; and here he showed his true nature when he rejected the cry by insisting, “I don’t need the loss of the blood of even one Ghanaian to make me a President” that was not the voice of a usurper or a pretender but true ‘Patriot’ in the mold of the Founder of our Nation, the Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory and his avowed mentor.
‘WHAT WOULD PROF. J. E. A. MILLS HAVE SAID AND DONE?’ if the people close to him or his relatives or blood brothers were perceived as the looters of state resources meant for the development of all, especially the vulnerable, the deprived, the orphans, the less endowed academically, the seeming dismantling of the well-intended and much-touted FREE SHS policy through not-well thought-out delivery of the feeding aspect, especially if he was to succeed the current President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; knowing how much he desired equal opportunities for all, even for his political opponents, ever-forgiving the worst, most abusive insults from his worst enemies, including those who sat at his feet to be tutored into the law profession?
He lived his Christian faith without shame and in the true spirit always opting to rather forgive as Jesus did when He said “Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing”.
Prof. Mills was not a ‘pretender’ as he lived his full life for his Maker in the full knowledge that there is more to life and living than all the lootings of state resources meant for all, including generations yet unborn by few ‘family and friends’.
I remember when he made his 2010 call that one week is set aside in a year to pray for the nation, and this call was accepted by the religious leadership of the nation. The leadership of the various Church Councils then designated the 6th to March 13, 2011, as a NATIONAL WEEK OF PRAYER, FASTING & THANKSGIVING with Isaiah 60:1-22 as the Theme Scripture.
The ‘Theme Scripture’ was intended to launch the nation into a new dispensation with a call for the whole nation to ‘ARISE’ (from spiritual depression to a new life), shine (be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the Lord); for your light has come, and the glory and brilliance of the LORD has arisen upon you; believing when we reach that state nations will come to Ghana’s light, and Kings and other Presidents will also come to the brightness of Ghana’s rising.
For me, Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was like King David in the Holy Bible, an unrepentant Christian, not to shy away from his open, unashamed nor undivided commitment to things of his Maker, prepared even to the point of abuse, insults, ridicule, humiliation, and laughter lie prostrate to glorify the Lord because he owed HIM his everything and all, even the Presidency. Remember his appearance and worship at the late Temitope Balogun Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) and all the name-callings?
Again, for me and to some of his aides at the Kuku Hill Offices, who know how intimately we were on the blind side of many, especially my two Hearts of Oak FC supporters, you would be surprised to know, that I still feel his admonishing hands on me always, that: “Rex, just let everything go because they are not worth the blunt of any anger!”
I guess at this juncture, I can share this personal story.
During the hugely successful CAN 2008 Extravaganza as the architect, someone I regard still as a friend and a brother of the NDC political persuasion expressed an interest to supply the buses we required for the sixteen (16) teams participating in the fiesta as well as for the Secretariat.
Perceiving the possibility of a witch-hunt I could see ahead of me and especially where there was another interest from the ruling government then, I swerved both interests by renting buses from Ghana @ 50 Secretariat and with the assistance of Hon. Anthony Akoto Osei, then Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, paid them through a transfer from an official CAN 2008 Account with the Ministry into their account also with the MOFEP.
In the weeks thereafter, the drivers of Ghana @ 50 vehicles raided our offices that they had not been paid because they are informed the CAN 2008 Secretariat had not paid them for the hiring of their buses, and worse they got the story published in the Daily Guide publication of the day toasting me. This was the least of my burden because the revelation of the payment by a copy of the Transfer Notification silenced them.
However, in the early days of Prof. Mills’ administration after his swearing-in, I got a call from my friend, Elvis Aryeh, former Editor of Daily Graphic and later of the Press Bureau at the Osu Castle, saying the CAN 2008 Secretariat had purchased some buses during the Tournament and they could not trace the payment. I told him that we never purchased any buses but rather rented them from Ghana @ 50 Secretariat and also paid fully for their uses.
He asked whether I was sure and I replied that I had every record. I asked him where he was and he said Osu Castle and then I added, that I could bring him copies of the transfer and every documentation within fifteen minutes. Remember, the CAN 2008 Secretariat was situated at Ringway Estates, Osu.
I was there at a lesser time and gave him the documents; he opened his mouth in awe and asked, “How could I think that way to protect myself?” I just told him that they were out of lessons I learnt dealing with the then-new President, Prof. J. E. A. Mills on public life and how at each stage of our relationship, he never ceased to be the lecturer, he was born to be with the Presidency only a just reward for the thousands of people/students, whose lives he had impacted positively throughout his life.
Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to see to the coronation of the next ‘Asomdwehene’ in 2025 before his death, ten years after or is it thirteen (13) years after but then who on earth could have foreseen such great loss for this nation, Ghana?
Truth be told, it is his kind and style of leadership and Presidency FATHER OF ALL & FOR ALL, IRRESPECTIVE, that our nation, Ghana needs from 2025 onwards: this is not a prophesy but a caution from one, who will always stand afar, watching the lives of the great and mighty, the simple and unassuming of our leaders unfold, as they live their lives leading us into the future.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana.
If the Electoral Commissionof Ghana is listening and learning from the challenges associated with the accessibility to the Ghana Card, they should by now be revising their decision to demand that the Ghana Card be the only valid ID for young people who just turned 18.
Public officers are to serve the interest of the Tax Payers but not to take intransigent positions because they feel they have our mandate.
Many young people have turned 18 and are willing and ready to get a voter ID for themselves but do not have access to the Ghana Card. Yet, the Electoral Commission Ghana, says it is the only card they will accept. What a country!
My nephew registered for his Card in Kumasi and had it the same day.
I did mine in Cape Coast and I’m counting months now.
When I called they told me they are resource constrained. But these same people who are supposed to make sure citizens have access to the Ghana Card are using threats of deadlines to frustrate them.
Someone traveled from the Upper East region to Accra to get his Ghana Card. Thankfully he had it but he can’t use it. His name is wrongly spelled. Consider the cost of all this. Some had theirs but they are faulty.
Since 2018 Ghanaians have been queuing up to date.
1. In 2018, they started queuing for the Ghana Card.
2. In 2019 some queued for the limited registration and voting to elect Local Representatives.
3. In 2020, they queued for a new Voter ID and subsequently queued in December for the elections amidst COVID-19.
As if that wasn’t enough punishment for the ordinary Ghanaian who spend his precious time queuing for all these. Markets women have had to close their shops to join long queues. They go there and corrupt officials take bribes from other corrupt citizens to jump the queues.
4. In 2021 Ghanaians were threatened to re-register their SIM cards or have them blocked. Still, in 2022 we haven’t been spared these punishments amidst the economic hardships.
How many more queuing before 2024?
Power must be used for and on behalf of the people.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana.
Article 1(1) of the 1992 constitution requires those in power to do things in the interest, benefit, and welfare of the citizens.
The sole card required by the Ursula Owusu-Ekuful-led Communication Ministry as the single document for the purpose of Sim registration is the Ghana Card. This is happening at a time when the institution responsible for the registration and issuance of the said Ghana card has said repeatedly that it cannot guarantee the issuance of new cards, correction of errors, and replacement of old card to all eligible citizens would be done by 30th September.
Shouldn’t those in office respect the constitution and its citizens, and do things truly in the interest of the people? Why should Ghanaians bear the brunt of the supposed power-play between the Ministry of Communications and the National Identification Authority (NIA)?
Does the Minister have any motive rather than seeing to the welfare of the citizens and if there is none, why the rush and the show of bravado against all the realities?
In the practice of good governance, the government and the Ministry of Communications should channel their energy and resources to the activities of the NIA to make sure every citizen acquires his/her Identity card before it becomes the single document for the registration of the sim cards.
Ursula Owusu must by now know that the new timeline given, is equally not feasible as the previous ones and is dead on arrival.
Also, the Minister for Communications must avert her mind to Chapter 26 (Miscellaneous), Article 296 of the 1992 constitution before her subsequent actions become inconsistent with the constitution.
Source: Ghanaweb
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene has by far proven to be an outstanding King. A biblical precept goes “to whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). Indeed, this is a King to admire.
The Asante Kingdom predates colonial Africa and Ghana with culture and history so invaluable. The kingdom may have been documented to have been in existence from the 17th Century, however, other historians have extended and connected it to Mesopotamia which was located in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, and parts of Turkey.
Mesopotamia, (Sumerian civilization) is the oldest civilization known to humans. Oral tradition may have also suggested that the Asantes came from a hole. This only goes to make the history intriguing and enhance how great and powerful this kingdom has always been.
The “eve” of Ghana’s independence, saw agitations and suggestions for federalism instead of having the kingdom become part of the New Republic of Ghana. That was only a phase. We have to traverse most differences and today, we have been knitted into one beautiful nation, the pride of Africa. The peace and love we share have reached heights that are worthy of emulation by the world and surpass that which may exist anywhere.
The Asantes have long been expansionists. This uniqueness perhaps may be accountable for their emergence, growth, and stableness as one the most visible on top of the social structure. Interventions like the Otumfuo Education Fund have been instrumental in shaping the new generation. More Asante youths are attaining higher academic laurels and this is so applaudable.
In 2014, Forbes rated Otumfuo Osei Tutu ll highly as one of the richest Kings with an estimated net worth of $10 million. His royal majesty has equally shown good leadership by empowering Ghanaians all over because his investment in education and more isn’t reserved for only Asantes.
This is a refined man who has proven to be a good statesman over the years. His objectivity on state issues, his proactivity, and his non-partisanship have made him an authority and one of the last resorts when the country is saddled with sensitive issues.
King Leopold’s II, letter to the missionaries in Congo, 1883, suggests one prominent thing, and this is relevant to the entire continent. It states clearly that our culture and traditions were to be purposely demonized. We were to be Europeanized in every way and form so we may give prominence to everything Western and demean our culture and heritage. A calculated attempt to rob us of our self-esteem, confidence, and dignity.
Indeed our selfless ancestors put up a resistance but their defences were broken and onboard slave ships like Desire, Amistad, Aurore, Duc du Maine were the best human capital, geniuses of all kinds, gold, silver, diamond, and more. The recent call for Slavery Reparations, as re-echoed by our President may not be out of place. Colonialism created a great void that we keep struggling to fill. Coupled with bad leadership and mismanagement, we have become slaves of our past. There is still hope and as Africans, we will find our way.
Ghana is relevant politically, economically, socially, and culturally to the African continent. Our culture and traditions are the pride for many and the “Asanteness” in there, is one of the many features that can’t be unnoticed. The Asantehene is also respected, globally and has a lot of influence. He is an important custodian of our culture, heritage and the world watches with delight and amazement as he flaunts his rich culture with pride and honour wherever he represents Ghana. He is a positive model for all.
You may have also heard the saying “life is like chess”, and you may have heard as much as I have. I have also gathered that, in the game of chess, in terms of raw power, the “Queen” happens to be the most powerful. In real life, even in our traditional African setting, the King may have the best of elders and advisors in his court to help, and guide him to be at his best, but, the wife of the King, behind the scene, plays an indispensable role in how great a king may be.
Ghana, just like several African states has a patriarchal society, and the role of women and the girl child is often downplayed. It is in good taste that not so long ago, the Asantehene reiterated that his wife is his source of inspiration and very pivotal.
May I take this moment to applaud this woman for being an extraordinary wife to an extraordinary King. However, I am making an appeal that she is called by a more befitting title (Otumfuo-Yere) or another matching Asante accolade instead of “lady”. She is not a lady at all. She is more than a lady. She is a Queen.
A lady is a wife of a Lord among the English. This great woman is married to a King, not a Lord. Kings are higher than Lords and any correction in this regard is welcomed if I am wrong.
In my opinion, the title ‘lady” only belittles her before Europeans and more. Her royalty and that of her husband are not the second tiers to the royalty of the Queen of England or any King or Queen anywhere on the map. The British Kingdom, in reality, survived on the riches of Ghanaians, West Africans, and more.
Even if the Queen bestowed the title “lady” on her, she is worth more than that. She is Otumfuo-Yere Julia Osei Tutu. She is not an European. She is a custodian of our culture. She represents so much and is a representation of our ancestry as great African people.
Please let us reconsider refraining from calling her by the title lady. Long live, Ghana. Long live Asantehene, Long live Otumfuo-Yere Julia Osei Tutu.
