According to the Authority, it would make sure that OMCs that lift goods supplied under the “gold for oil” scheme pass the price on to customers appropriately.
However, it was observed that the NPA’s control over petroleum product prices was only temporary.
The price at which the BIDECs will sell the products to oil marketing companies (OMCs), according to a statement from the NPA seen by GhanaWeb Business, “will also be approved by the NPA.”
“The applicable exchange rate for pricing the products supplied under G4O will be based on the average rate at which the gold was purchased from licensed gold exporters by the BoG…The BoG ordinarily purchases the gold aggregated by the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC).
The National Petroleum Authority, in the statement disclosed that Ghana paid US$40 million for about 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel in the first consignment of its gold-for-oil programme.
The gold-for-oil programme is to allow government pay for imported oil products with gold in a direct barter with gold purchased by the central bank.
The move, announced by Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia will serve as an intervention to help stabilise prices of fuel products, as well as, reduce pressure on Ghana’s foreign exchange.
The first oil consignment arrievd in January 2023.
Below is the full statement by the NPA:
FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GOLD FOR OIL PROGRAMME
1. The implementation of the government’s Gold for Oil (G4O) programme commenced with the arrival of the first consignment of about 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel on January 15, 2023, valued at about US$40 million.
2. The prime objective of the programme is to use additional foreign exchange resources from the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase(DGP) programme to provide foreign currency for the importation of petroleum products for the country which currently stands at about US$350 million per month.
3. Payment for oil supply is to be done in two channels: by way of barter trade where gold is exchanged for oil or via broker channel where the gold is converted into cash and paid to the supplier.
4. The first consignment of 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel constitutes about 10 percent of the country’s combined monthly demand for petrol and diesel.
5. The plan is to gradually increase imports under G4O to constitute about 50 percent of the country’s total demand for petrol and diesel by March 2023.
6. The implementation of the G4O will ease pressure on the dollar (the currency used for the importation of petroleum products) and avoid the occasional increases in petroleum prices resulting from the depreciation of the cedi against the dollar.
7. The programme will ensure that the cost of importing the products from international oil traders is comparatively cheaper.
8. The consequent reduction in foreign exchange pressures and premiums charged by international oil traders as well as efficiency gains from the value chain will lead to lower ex-pump prices in the country.
9. To ensure that the price of petroleum products imported under the G4O programme reflects at the pumps to benefit the consumer, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) will regulate the prices of the products in the interim until the volumes increase significantly.
10. NPA will work with Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) to negotiate prices with international oil traders to ensure that the landed cost of products procured under the programme are always competitive.
11. The price at which BOST will sell the products to Bulk Import, Distribution, and Export Companies (BIDECs) will be approved by the NPA. The price at which the BIDECs will sell the products to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) will also be approved by the NPA.
12. The applicable exchange rate for pricing the products supplied under G4O will be based on the average rate at which the gold was purchased from the licensed gold exporters by BoG. The BoG ordinarily purchases the gold aggregated by the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC)
13. The NPA will put measures in place to ensure that OMCs that lift products supplied under the G4O programme pass the price on to consumers accordingly. In this respect, BIDECs and OMCs who lift and supply G4O products will sell at the ex-refinery and ex-pump prices that will be determined by the NPA. If there must be a comingling of products supplied under G4O and other sources, the ex-refinery and ex-pump prices will be computed using a weighted average.
14. All BIDECs and OMCs who wish to purchase products under the G4O programme will be required to sign off an undertaking confirming their willingness to comply with the terms and conditions for partaking in the purchase and sale of G4O products.
Parliament will resume its operations on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 after the House went on recess in December.
A statement signed by Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, on January 24, said: “The Third Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic shall commence at 10 o’clock in the forenoon of Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
It adds that, the Speaker of Parliament, by Clause (1) of Article 112 of the 1992 Constitution, appointed Parliament House, Accra, to be the place of meeting.
Upon assumption, the minority will see new leaders in charge of its caucus following a major shake-up by the NDC leadership.
The new leaders are Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah and Kwame Governs Agbodza, who have replaced Haruna Iddrisu, James Klutse Avedzi, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, as Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader and Minority Chief Whip, respectively.
Some of the issues the house is expected to consider include the LGBTQ+ bill, the COVID-19 expenditure probe, and the call for the Finance Minister to leave office, National Cathedral expenditure among others.
Ghanaian forward Kwame Kizito has expressed delight after completing a move to Swiss third-tier club after Ariana FC.
The 26-year-old joins the club as a free agent after leaving Falkenbergs FF.
“First of all, I am happy and delighted to be ready for Ariana FC. The choice was not at all difficult as I have been reading about the club for a while now. Malmö is a beautiful city and Ariana has fantastic supporters”
“I now want to work hard and make a strong impression during the club’s journey forward. Ariana is right now the best place for me to continue developing as a professional soccer player”
“The cohesion in the team is incredible and I look forward to scoring as many goals as possible to take the team to new heights,”
“I also want to express great gratitude to our coach Agim Sopi and sports director Omid Hushmand for their desire to have me here. I look forward to a successful season without injuries or mishaps and ask for the support of all the wonderful supporters throughout the year.” He said.
The former Hearts of Oak striker has spent most of his playing career in Sweden after departing Ghana for greener pastures.
He has had stints with BK Hacken, Falkenbergs FF and is now in the books of the newly promoted third division club, Ariana FC.
Two more suspects who were involved in the NDC’s National Youth and Women’s Congress held on December 10, 2022, at Cape Coast in the Central Region.
The suspects, Abdul-Fataw Adams and Hajj Dawda Hassan were on the wanted list of the police until they were arrested at Wenchi in the Bono Region and Tishegu, Tamale in the Northern Region respectively.
Suspect Hajj Abdul-Fataw, is currently on bail while suspect Dawda Hassan is in Police custody and will be put before the court to face justice.
This brings to six (6) the number of people arrested so far in connection with the disturbances. The six are Abdul Halid Shaibu alias Oluu, Ibrahim Razak, Iddrisu Abass alias Jango, Dawda Mohammed Nazir, Dawda Hassan, and Hajj Abdul-Fataw Adams.
“Faces of the suspects have been shown because they had been declared wanted with their images already displayed in our quest to seek public assistance in getting them arrested.
“The intelligence operations are still ongoing to get the remaining 10 suspects arrested,” a statement by the Police said.
The lone oil refinery in the nation, TOR, is struggling with a lack of crude oil as well as other issues like piled-up debt and defective equipment.
The management of TOR requested permission from the Energy Ministry in April 2022 to work with participants in the commercial sector to modernize the oil refinery.
Because of this, Nana Amoasi VII, the executive director of the Institute for Energy Security (IES), has urged the government to urgently relocate the oil refinery out of the way of all political cycles.
He stressed that the activities of politicians at the Tema Oil Refinery need to end abruptly.
“You go to TOR and you can have seven people sitting on a desk doing nothing. That is why we need to move TOR away from the political cycle and the politicians. Let us introduce some private hands that have the capacity to introduce some funding for the revamp of TOR and its operations,” the Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security said.
It would be recalled that the Institute for Energy Policies and Research (INSTEPR) late last year noted that about $500 million was needed to revamp the Tema Oil Refinery.
INSTEPR wondered why government, the majority shareholder of the oil refinery, has stayed mute on how to get the refinery working to produce oil to cushion Ghanaians amidst the hike in petroleum products – petrol – diesel – LPG at various pumps.
In a release sighted by GhanaWeb, the policy think tank asserted that the Finance Ministry, per report was cash-strapped hence, its inability to pump money into the almost dead refinery.
But the Deputy Energy Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, said he was optimistic the oil refinery will soon commence operations.
Medeama SC secured another win in the Ghana Premier League on Sunday afternoon. The Yellow and Mauve beat Timber Giants 2-0 at the Akoon Park in Tarkwa.
The encounter was also the last game for club captain Joseph Tetteh Zutah who is retiring from football. He will continue to serve the club as an administrator. Musician Akwaboah was also at the Akoon Park to watch the game.
Medeama SC started the game very well and tried to get an early goal but the first half ended goalless.
After halftime, Jonathan Sowah handed the home side the first goal in the 50th minute to send the supporters into wild celebrations in the stands.
Defender Vincent Atinga got his name on the score sheet when he converted a penalty in the 70th minute after Moro was brought down in the box.
Captain Tetteh Zutah came on in the 78th minute for his final action for the club.
Medeama SC is 8th on the league table with 23 points and Samartex is 14th with 20 points. Medeama will take on Tamale City away while Samartex will play Legon Cities at home.
Actress Gladys Mensah Boaku populary known as Nayas has talked openly about her marriage to a Ghanaian living in Germany.
According to her, she got married to the man eight days after seeing him although they had spoken on phone for one month.
She made this known when she spoke to Delay in a yet-to-be-aired interview.
Nayas indicated that her friend who introduced her had already arranged with her former husband so they clicked immediately they go into contact and planned their marriage after eight days of seeing themselves.
“We started speaking in August and he came to Ghana in September. We got married eight days after we met,” she said.
Actress Nayas has been in the news for sometime now over her struggles in her marriage and how she wasn’t treated well during her stay in Germany.
He declared that the Akufo-Addo-led administration is dedicated to the battle against corruption when speaking at the Institute of Internal Auditors (Ghanaannual )’s conference in 2022.
Read the entire article, which was first published on May 6, 2022 by Dailymailgh.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has indicated that the Akufo-Addo administration’s use of digitalization in the delivery of public services as part of its fight against corruption is starting to show significant effects. Additional interventions are planned to make this fight even more effective.
“Building strong institutions means putting in place the right systems and practices that ensure transparency and brings about efficiency. With this, although corruption may remain a chronic disease, transparency will be its vaccine to reduce the rate of spread. As the saying goes, our biggest disease is corruption and the vaccine is transparency. Corrupt people hate transparency,” he indicated.
Dr Bawumia explained that in its quest to deal ruthlessly with the menace of bribery and corruption, Government has since 2017 ensured the deployment of technology and digitalization with the twin aim of ensuring easier, affordable access, and as an anti-corruption strategy.
“I would like to draw your attention to where we are as a country in our digitalisation process. We have made tremendous progress in building the digital infrastructure that serves as the bedrock for our digitalised economy as part of the paradigm shift in our economic transformation.
“We approached the building of this digital infrastructure on the key pillars of standardising individual identification using the Ghana Card; solving the address and property systems using GhanaPostGPS; solving under-banking and bringing financial inclusion to most people through a robust mobile money and bank interoperability and digital payment platform; and integration of Government Databases and digitising public service delivery using the Ghana.gov platform.”
Citing the massive improvements in the revenues and performance of Government institutions which have embraced digitization, Dr Bawumia said “even more transparency” is going to be infused in order to “shine a light into the dark recesses of corruption.”
“Already, we are seeing the impacts of these initiatives including efficient public service delivery by all Ministries, Departments and Agencies on the Ghana.gov portal, combatting corruption by removing the middle-man and “ghost names” in many transactions, bringing more Ghanaians into the formal sector, and driving domestic revenue mobilization, among others.
“If you take the Passport Office for instance, in 2017 there were about 16,000 applications for passports generating about Ghs1m. But with the advent of digitization, there were over 498,000 online applications in 2021, generating over Ghs56m. Similar things are happening at the DVLA, the ports, and other institutions.
“Recently, due to the introduction of e-tickets, we recorded the highest gate proceeds from a football match in Ghana. We will continue to shine the light of transparency in all aspects of national life.”
The Vice President charged Internal Auditors to play their part in the fight against corruption, given their key role in the governance structure in institutions both public and private.
“As internal auditors in a digitalised economy, your ability to provide independent assurance that public sector institutions’ risk management, governance and internal control processes are operating effectively depends first and foremost on your embracing and adoption of digital technology. It is critical for those responsible for governance to embrace digitalisation for survival and growth.
“In tune with the mission of the Institute of Internal Auditors, the internal audit function must be well-positioned to help organisations accomplish their objectives by providing insight and foresight. This, must be achieved by adopting the systematic disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance.”
The President of the Institute of Internal Auditors, Mrs Harriet Karikari, urged institutions to invest in the continued training of their internal audit staff to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in anticipating, identifying and providing remedies for any challenges.
On Saturday, February 4, 2022.Black Stars players, Jordan Ayew and Jeffrey Schlupp, were at the centre of a scuffle that led to a red card during Crystal Palace’s narrow defeat against Manchester United.
The brawl started after Schlupp made a tackle on Antony dos Santos on the byline and pushed the Brazilian to the ground.
Carlos Henrique Casimiro got involved, confronting Schlupp while Antony got up to push the Ghanaian as retaliation for the tackle. This got Ayew to step in to protect Schlupp who was being outnumbered.
As the scuffle got heated up with many players getting involved, Marcus Rashford pulled Schlupp away while Casemiro grabbed Crystal Palace‘s Will Hughes by the neck.
The former Real Madrid midfielder got his marching orders after a VAR review of the tussle. Schlupp and Antony also got into the books of the referee while Jordan Ayew and the rest of the players who were involved walked away with no booking.
The incident occurred in the 65th minute when Manchester United were cruising to a 2-0 victory with goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
Schlupp scored a beautiful backheel to reduce the deficit in the 76th minute but Palace could not grab the needed equaliser late in the game.
He backed up his assertion by stating that internal auditors serve as watchdogs for organizations, therefore they must carry out their tasks impartially.
Since most accountants lie, he added, “you need to call a spade a spade.” He also advised internal auditors to be courageous and alert management to any misconduct they discover while performing their job.
Read the full story originally published on May 6, 2018 by Ghanaian Times.
The Auditor-General, Yaw Daniel Domelevo, has urged internal auditors to take bold decisions and expose infractions to save the country from financial malpractices.
He explained that internal auditors are the watchdogs of any institution and are expected to discharge their professional duties effectively and efficiently, any breach or compromise would completely jeopardise the fortunes of that organisation.
Mr Domelevo said at the 50th-anniversary lecture of the Internal Audit Directorate of the University of Ghana on the theme: “Celebrating excellence, shaping the future through internal audit”.
He was speaking on the topic, “Public Financial Management: Improving Internal Audit Agency”.
According to the Auditor-General, it is not every chief executive that understands their job; it, therefore, behoves the internal auditor to prevent wastage in the system by discharging their duty without fear or favour.
“You need to call a spade a spade because most accountants do not tell the truth, that was why as internal auditors you need to be bold and tell management about any malfeasance in the course of the discharge of your professional duties”, he added.
Mr Domelevo indicated that the anti-corruption crusade embarked upon by the President cannot be won if agencies and departments mandated to prevent corrupt practices do not function effectively adding that “the President does not have the magic wand to do it alone.”
He urged the internal auditors not to be afraid when they come face to face with infractions, “expose them so that we can have a better Ghana so that internal auditors who go on retirement will live in peace instead of frequently being hauled before the courts to answer questions on mistakes made in the past.
“The profession is a noble one that can bring the needed change to transform the country that is why I am appealing to managers to work closely with their internal auditors to enable them get first-hand information on rots occurring in their organisations”, he added.
Mr Domelevo stated that it was not the duty of his outfit to settle matters on malfeasance at the workplaces because when the 30 days grace period to respond to the observations expire, his duty is to take you to court to demand the financial cost of your action in addition to the principal to ensure that the principal is not lost.”
The Director-General, Internal Audit Agency, Mr Ransford Agyei speaking on the topic, “Governance, Management and Resourcing Internal Audit urged organisations to provide adequate logistics to the internal auditor to enable them function effectively and independently.
He urged the auditors to provide unbiased reports to enable management achieve its objectives while ensuring that they exhibit the highest level of discipline to enable the organisation achieve its objectives.
Good corporate governance, he explained involves the application of the appropriate code of ethics in order to draw the attention of management to infractions towards ensuring fiscal discipline in the running of the organisation.
Ghanaian singer and songwriter, Gladstorm Kwabena Akwaboah Jnr., has revealed how his journey in music started.
Speaking in an interview with Valerie Danso on the GTV Breakfast Show, the talented artiste recalled the struggles and sacrifices he made to launch his career.
Before he decided to start a career as an artiste, Akwaboah revealed he was an instrumentalist.
The meagre payment from this job informed his decision to write his own songs.
While in that phase of life, the prolific songwriter recounted the difficulty and hunger he endured.
“Being an instrumentalist, playing for people and they will give you small money so I said this job I no go do again. I literary came home with nothing and it was not as if I had some money somewhere to spend. I stayed behind to write my songs. When people call me for shows as an instrumentalist I say no, I want to become an artiste and stayed hungry for like a year,” he revealed.
Akwaboah divulged that it took about seven years to build his brand to this level.
He further advised up-and-coming musicians against rushing and chasing trends.
A Security Analyst, Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has asserted that politics is feeding the ongoing conflict in Bawku.
Speaking in an interview on The Probe on Sunday, he said the current disturbances in the area are due to the way some politicians have taken an interest in the matter.
According to him, his interaction with some security officials brought him into the knowledge of how some politicians are adding to the tensions in the area.
He therefore called for such political interferences to cease in order to help restore calm in the area.
“The conflict in Bawku if being fed by politics. So the politicians are also fueling it. They’re putting fuel into the whole thing. We don’t need them”, Dr Antwi-Danso stressed.
He said efforts must rather be geared towards finding a lasting solution to the problem instead of the political interference.
Last week, seven indigenes of the town were killed by some military personnel in the area.
The death of these civilians sparked renewed conversations about the long-held conflicts in the area.
But according to the military, the deceased were wielding guns and their actions sought to disrupt the peace in the area, hence they were ‘neutralised.’
But Member of Parliament for the area, Mahama Ayariga, says he will seek justice for his constituents who were killed by the military.
Despite the defence by the military, he stated in an interview on Newsfile on Saturday, that he will get to the root of the matter.
He has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) accordingly.
Meanwhile, Dr Antwi-Danso has asserted that even though the reported killing of the civilians is unfortunate, it is not unexpected.
He thus called on all stakeholders to work around the clock to restore the needed peace in the area, amidst the prevailing tensions.
The NPA claims that this will result in cheaper ex-pump prices across the nation.
The NPA said in a statement released yesterday in Accra that it would collaborate with the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) to negotiate prices with the world’s oil traders in order to guarantee that the landed cost of goods purchased through the program always complies with competitive standards.
The statement said all Bulk Import, Distribution, and Export Companies (BIDECs) and Oil Marketing Companies who wish to purchase products under the G4O programme would be required to sign off an undertaking confirming their willingness to comply with the terms and conditions for partaking in the purchase and sale of G4O products.
The implementation of the government’s G4O programme which commenced with the arrival of the first consignment of about 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel on January 15, 2023, valued at about US$40 million.
The first consignment of 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel, the statement explained constituted about 10 per cent of the country’s combined monthly demand for petrol and diesel and is expected to gradually increase imports under G4O to constitute about 50 per cent of the country’s total demand of petrol and diesel by March 2023.
The statement stated that the implementation of the G4O would ease pressure on the dollar (the currency used for the importation of petroleum products) and avoid the occasional increases in petroleum prices resulting from the depreciation of the cedi against the dollar.
It said the programme would ensure that the cost of importing the products from international oil traders would be comparatively cheaper, adding “payment for oil supply is to be done in two channels by way of barter trade where gold is exchanged for oil or via broker channel where the gold is converted into cash and paid to the supplier.”
The statement said the consequent reduction in foreign exchange pressures and premiums charged by international oil traders as well as efficiency gains from the value chain would lead to lower ex-pump prices in the country.
The NPA explained that “all these would ensure that the price of petroleum products imported under the G4O programme reflects at the pumps to benefit the consumer, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) will regulate the prices of the products in the interim until the volumes increase significantly.”
“The price at which BOST will sell the products to bulk import, distribution, and export companies (BIDECs) will be approved by the NPA and the price at which the BIDECs will sell the products to oil marketing companies (OMCs) will also be approved by the NPA,” it added.
Painstil started and lasted 84 minutes in his sides 3-2 away win over Gent on Sunday night.
The home team shot into the lead through Hyun-Seok Hong after just nine minutes but Joseph Paintsil scored to level pegging in the 23rd minute to make it 1-1.
It was his third goal in three consecutive games for Genk. He scored against Seraing last weekend and Eupen in midweek.
After the break, the visitors doubled their lead through Collins Sor, who scored in the 62nd minute.
Nigerian striker Toluwalase Arokodare added Genk’s third goal of the game in the 86th minute but Laurent Depoitre pulled one back for Gent two minutes later to make 3-2 at the end of the game.
The 25-year-old is enjoying an amazing campaign, scoring 10 goals and providing 12 assists in all competitions.
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has been appointed as an executive member of the Actors’ Branch of the Academy, also known as Oscars.
She announced the big feat via a post shared on her Instagram page.
The actress, who moved to America a few years ago, shared a screenshot of a message she received from the Academy reminding her of an impending meeting to discuss improvements and goals for the current 95th award season.
Jalade-Ekeinde also shared another post in which she told her fans about her acceptance to the Oscars.
As caption, she wrote: “So this Man Upstairs, always making sure to give me my birthday presents first before anyone else… Won’t you just serve Him and chill!
“An honour to now be inducted as an Executive Member of the Actors Branch for the Oscars and Academy,” she added.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Goerge Akuffo Dampare has been petitioned over the death of a man who was allegedly killed by some Police officers at the West Hills Mall.
The family of the late Shadrack Arloo has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare for investigation.
According to the family, the manner in which the late Arloo died is a clear case of murder, hence must be investigated.
The petition noted that “this unfortunate incident happened as a result of the reckless disregard for human life exhibited by your officers on the scene.”
“Your officers at the scene together with the private security stationed at the West Hills Mall and other persons on the 30th of January 2023 acted together to violate the deceased’s rights to human dignity and to life as guaranteed under Articles 15 and 13 of the 1992 Constitution.
“The standard operating procedures of the Ghana Police Service on arrests and use of force were also recklessly disregarded by your officers in this incident and they cannot be absolved of criminal liability as their negligent acts and omissions led to the death of this young man who had his whole life ahead of him.”
Again, the family said the demise of the deceased has caused the family grief as well as denied the deceased opportunities in life and his child has lost his father for life.
They, therefore, urged the IGP to cause a full-scale investigation into the murder of the deceased by the Police officers and their abettors at the West Hills Mall in respect of the events of Monday, 30th January 2023.
The family also appealed to the IGP to initiate, or cause to be initiated, disciplinary and criminal proceedings against any officer and persons found culpable in the murder of the deceased.
Additionally, the family petitioned the IGP “to initiate or cause to be initiated, negotiations with our Clients to cover the cost and the financial burden brought on the family due to the recklessness of your officers and negotiate reasonable and appropriate monetary compensation to the family for the loss of life and for support for the son who has many years to live without the deceased.”
It would be recalled that on Monday, January 30, a gospel musician, Perpetual Didier accused some Police officers of allegedly brutalising her 32-year-old brother at the West Hills Mall in Weija.
According to Perpetual, her brother was billed to leave for Germany after spending the holidays in Ghana.
In a Facebook live stream, the teary singer chronicled events leading up to the 32-year-old’s demise which started from his trip to the shopping mall to purchase some items.
Per Perpetual Didier’s narration, the young man called Shadrach Arloo had withdrawn an undisclosed amount of money for the items when he was stopped for a search by the Police.
The security officials reportedly demanded that he discloses the content of his bag which he had told them contained cash.
Shadrach, according to the gospel musician’s account, refused to allow the officer to search him for fear that an illegal substance may be planted inside by the officers.
Perpetual Didier said he recommended that they rather proceed to a Police station for him to disclose the content.
But she said this did not go down well with the officers during which he was shoved to the ground and hit his head to unconsciousness.
She added that Schadrach was further shocked with a taser after which he died.
He said this will also help reduce the Continent’s dependency on foreign aid.
He noted that Africa receives only 4% of global foreign direct investments and its share of manufacturing value-added is no better adding that the continent needs to do better to hasten the pace of economic development.
Mr Ofori-Atta said, “The private sector has to be an important financing partner if we are to meet our infrastructure requirements.”
He asserted that Africa is, “rich in natural resources and in agriculture potential with over half of the world’s uncultivated agriculture land. We are also rich in the most important resource of all; a vibrant and growing young population”.
The minister who was addressing other Finance Ministers from some African countries at the first Compact with Africa Ministerial meeting in Accra on Wednesday said the compact offers Africa the support to “redouble our efforts in pursuing our own agenda and importantly a framework that offers us the opportunity to work together”.
Deputy Defence Minister, Kofi Amankwa-Manu, has urged calm among the citizenry, especially residents of Bawku following recent clashes in the area. He says security agencies in Bawku are working towards restoring peace.
According to him, the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), made up of personnel of the National Investigation Bureau (NIB), Ghana Armed Forces and Ghana Police Service are collaborating to bring the situation under control.
“Trust me, all the security agencies are working together. There is collaboration amongst all the security agencies. So we have the NIB doing their part, the military doing their part and the Police also doing their part. So we must continue to deepen that,” he assured.
Mr. Amankwa-Manu gave the assurance during a discussion on JoyNews’ The Probe on Sunday.
The topic for discussion was, “Lingering Bawku crisis and alleged military killings.”
The Deputy Defence Minister however noted that to be able to put an end to the recurrent conflict in Bawku, the residents must be willing to collaborate with the security forces, “Intelligence is key and trust is also key. And then if we are able to do that and the people are able to sit together to discuss issues, I believe we can go somewhere with this.”
It would be recalled that ten residents of Bawku were allegedly killed by men believed to be military officers in Bawku on February 2.
However, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) rejected the claims. According to GAF, the reportage is untrue and should be ignored.
A release issued and signed by GAF’s Director of Public Relations, chronicled several incidents of violent attacks in the area. It explained that the soldiers engaged a group of armed men and neutralised six of them.
The Regional Minister and Chairman of the Security Council, Stephen Yakubu described the incident as unfortunate.
“It is very sad that people have lost their lives, it is something that the Council wants to know what happened. But I also want to say that these troubles in Bawku are taking too long,” he said.
But Member of Parliament for the area, Mahama Ayariga, says he will seek justice for his constituents who were killed by the military. Despite the defence by the military, he stated in an interview on Newsfile on Saturday, that he will get to the root of the matter. He has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice accordingly.
Celebrated Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Nelson has revealed how she started a new phase of her movie career.
Recounting how she established her own production house, she told host, Kafui Dey, in an interview on GTV that she began after she was handed a one year ban from acting.
Narrating the incident, Yvonne said back then, she was a student at the Central University College, combining her passion for acting with her academic demands.
This she explained was quite a tussle and therefore she expressed her frustrations during a production where she was not made to film her role, despite leaving school to go on set.
“Something happened on Abdul Salam’s set and I complained about it. So I went to the set two days continuously and they did nothing with me.
“They didn’t shoot my scenes. And at that time I was at Central University. I remember I had quizzes, I had essays to write, I had stuff to do and Salam knew I was in school.
“But I felt like they just ignored me. No one cared whether you’re in school or whatever, there are so many girls in the line waiting to play what you’re doing on the set. So why are you even complaining? …
“So the third day I told them that listen, if I come the next day and you guys don’t film, that will be it”, she narrated.
Even though Yvonne said she did not threaten anyone, she recounted that she was given a one year ban after the said incident.
“Salam got angry and I left, but I remember Majeed Michel was on the set and he remembers everything that happened on the day.
So I went back, I went to school and all I heard was that we’re banning Yvonne Nelson. We’re not going to allow her to act for a year. So that happened”, she recalled.
Following this development however the actress said she sensed the happiness of other people who rejoiced over her sanction.
She added that no one was also available to put in a word to mitigate her punishment.
But in the midst of her grief, Yvonne said, “I did a lot of reflection. I registered a company; YN productions. And I’m here today”, she noted with excitement.
“And I’m like one of the few producers producing; making movies now”, she added.
Yvonne further disclosed that her ban from acting, subsequently gave her the opportunity to start acting in Nigeria.
“So it was good. It was a bad year but it became good”, she ended.
He contends that for Ghanaians to breathe a sigh of relief amid the economic crisis, the government must stop the inflation from skyrocketing.
According to a tweet seen by GhanaWeb, “Everyday medications, salt, gari, and cooking oil are only a few of the things whose costs are always rising. If you wait a few hours to purchase a product, you’ll probably discover that the price has dramatically increased.”
Read the full story originally published on November 6, 2022 by www.ghanaweb.com.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has expressed worry over the high inflation rate that has witnessed the price of basic food items increase each passing day.
Mr Mahama has once again called on the Akufo-Addo government to work around the clock and find a lasting solution to the economic crisis. In his public lecture ‘Building The Ghana We Want’ delivered on October 27, the 2020 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress outlined some measures that can help save the situation.
In a tweet dated November 5, Mr Mahama lamented the current price of salt and gari which has now become expensive to the ordinary Ghanaian under the NPP administration.
“Prices of items including everyday medication, salt, gari and cooking oil, are constantly on the rise. If you do not buy an item at a particular point in time, you are likely to find that the price has significantly increased a few hours later,” read Mahama’s tweet sighted by GhanaWeb.
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has asked to have faith in his government to turn around the woes of the state.
On Sunday, October 30, the president referenced how the New Patriotic Party managed to properly handle the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana at a time when developed nations were struggling to contain it and assured that they will restore the economy.
“When I said, at the height of the COVID pandemic, that we knew what to do to bring the economy back to life, but not how to bring people back to life, it was not said in jest.”
“We had done it before, and we were on course to doing it again. Ghana’s economy grew by a remarkable 5.4% in 2021, signifying a strong recovery from the 0.5% growth recorded the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Akufo-Addo.
In their match-day 16 contest at the El Wak Stadium, Legon Cities defeated King Faisal 3-1 to go back on the winning track following their recent slide in performance.
The royals had gone six matches without a win but King Faisal was put to the sword on Sunday afternoon.
Jonah Attuquaye back from a disappointing CHAN tournament was handed a start and he gave his side the lead in just the 5th minute of the game.
The home side was in control of the game for much of the first half as King Faisal intermittently took over but they were unable to equalize.
Legon Cities added the second goal with eight minutes to end proceedings as Felix Hammond hammered home but the visitors pulled one back to make it 2-1 for a nervy finish.
Moro Nasiru added the clincher for Legon Cities to kill off any faint hopes of getting the leveler by King Faisal to make it 3-1.
Legon Cities are now 10th with 21 points, whereas King Faisal languishes 16th with 17 points after 16 games.
By the end of 2022, the Bank’s loans to the government had nearly reached GH 42 billion. This raised concerns about the public debt stock’s expansion and potential inflationary pressures. The Bank has come under fire for these loans.
As a result, it is anticipated that the IMF would stipulate that one of the requirements for its US$3 billion facility agreement is that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) be signed and implemented between the central bank and fiscal authorities, promising zero financing from the latter.
“If the policies are implemented as designed, there will be no need for the central bank to step in,” he said, while expressing optimism that total agreement with the Fund and first disbursement can be attained by end of quarter-one.
As of June 2022, the economy was in a difficult position with no access to international capital markets, low revenue and obligations to be met, leading to the central bank’s direct financing of government.
“The central bank stepped in to ensure that the economy continued to function; to service our debts for holders of government instruments to get their payments. This was the scenario in June 2022.
“Revenues were not there, but the payments needed to be made. The central bank had to support the system. There was really no choice and there was no plan B but the system needed to be kept stable. But once the decision was made to go to the IMF – plan B, it all changed. Plan A was not sustainable, as the Bank of Ghana alone could not hold the system together for much longer,” Dr. Addison explained.
The deficit financing, analysts say, was one of the major contributors to dwindling the nation’s stock of reserves as it became inflationary through the exchange rate channel [where more cedis flooded the financial system].
Data from the first Summary of Economic and Financial Data for the year published by the BoG showed that at the close of 2022, Gross International Reserves totalled US$6.2billion – equivalent to 2.7 months of import cover – down from US$9.7billion, equivalent to 4.4 months of import cover at the comparable period in 2021.
Similarly, the Net International Reserve dropped from US$6.1billion to US$2.4billion during the period under consideration.
Already, provisional data on budget execution for the period January to November 2022 indicate an overrun on the broad fiscal deficit, on a cash basis, from the intended target of 6.7 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 9.8 percent of GDP.
The 2023 budget has a deficit target of 7.7 percent of GDP, equivalent to GH¢61.47billion and above the legally-mandated ceiling of 5 percent.
In the last few days, there were numerous reports alleging that Ghanaian actress Bibi Bright was facing serious problems in her marriage because she had supposedly given birth to a half-caste son.
According to rumors that were allegedly started by one of the faceless pages on Instagram, there were several family meetings to solve this problem in the house of Bibi Bright because her husband supposedly felt cheated.
The rumors also alleged that Bibi Bright was forced to move to the house of her father because her husband did no longer want to see her in their matrimonial home.
Well, after being silent on this matter all this while, the City People Entertainment Awards winner took to her social media platforms on Sunday, February 5, 2023, to react and set the records straight.
In a simple message, she denied giving birth to the set half-caste son and disclosed that she has given birth to three biological daughters.
Bibi added that the four sons she currently has were all adopted plus three other adopted daughters.
She further prayed that any woman who is praying for the seed of the woman gets this child some unknown people have falsely reported she has given birth to.
Bibi added that the four sons she currently has were all adopted plus three other adopted daughters.
She further prayed that any woman who is praying for the seed of the woman gets this child some unknown people have falsely reported she has given birth to.
Five persons have been injured following a clash between residents of Bibiani and military guards of Asante Gold Corporation.
The clash, according to the Assemblyman of the area, occurred when some residents of Bibiani went to the Asante Gold Corporation premises to pick up some materials termed as “black” but they were ordered by the military to return them.
According to Adom News’ Augustine Boah, the five injured persons are currently responding to treatment at the Bibiani Government Hospital.
The residents however refused to oblige, resulting in the clash. According to him, this is not the first time an incident of this nature has occurred.
Some suspects have been apprehended and are assisting with investigations.
Meanwhile, the Police have restored calm in the area.
Out of the five injured persons, two sustained gunshot wounds and the remaining three had minor injuries.
Water prices have increased by 48 percent over the same period, by 39.7 percent last September and 8.3 percent this month, compared to power prices that notably increased twice in the last six months (26.6 percent in September 2022 and 29.9 percent this February, totaling 56.5 percent). The Ghana Hotels Association bemoaned that this, together with a 2.5 percent increase in VAT and rising gasoline prices, is having an impact on the bottom lines of hotels.
“Hotels are not even fighting for significant profit margins in this current economic environment where we find ourselves. I do not think a lot of the hotels are even making a profit any more. It has become a game of survival. Any changes to the rate will be based on the utility changes that we see.
Worryingly, he said hoteliers currently find themselves in a very difficult situation over an inevitable increase in rates – due to rising cost of operations against declining spending power of Ghanaians.
“The hotels have tried as much as possible to cushion some of the adjustment in cost of their operations, but to what extent and for how long can they sustain it? We will have to survive, and survival means that the input must balance the output,” Dr. Ackah-Nyamike Jnr. said.
Should the industry decide on a rate reflective of the increases in other variables, it means that hotel prices could see a significant jump – which could potentially damage occupancy rates because of heightened economic conditions. This will also impact the hospitality sector’s contribution to national revenue.
Last month, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) announced a 29.96 percent and 8.3 percent upward adjustment in electricity and water tariffs respectively, effective February 1, 2023.
The new adjustments were announced as part of the Quarterly Tariff Review Mechanism and Guidelines and were occasioned by unfavourable macroeconomic factors such as inflation and currency depreciation – and their effect on raw material imports, utilities regulator the PURC indicated.
The Hotels Association is not the only business group that is lamenting impacts from the latest hikes in utilities and VAT. The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) warned earlier that the hikes in electricity and water tariffs could dampen hopes of business-recovery and employment prospects.
AGI’s Chief Executive Officer, Seth Twum-Akwaboah, said in a statement to the B&FT that: “The level of utility tariff increments for water and electricity as captured in the PURC’s release is too high for industry to bear, particularly at this time”.
He added that though utility companies need to recover the cost to sustain their operations, when end-user tariffs get to unbearable levels the effect could be dire for both industry and the utility companies.
Ghana Premier League side Medeama have announced that their long-time captain Joseph Tetteh Zutah has retired from football.
“Medeama SC would like to announce that club legend Joseph Tetteh Zutah will bring his 15-year association with the club as a player to an end on Sunday, February 5, 2023″ the club announced on their official website.
The outstanding club captain bid farewell to the fans during Medeama’s 2-0 Premier League match against Samartex at the Akoon Community Park on Sunday.
He walked out, alongside his family to a guard of honour and addressed the fans who have supported him right from the time he made his bow as a teenager.
Zutah built a reputation as an excellent player and is now an enviable chief administrator of the club, completely dedicated to Medeama SC.
He handed the captain’s armband to Kwasi Donsu and bid farewell to the fans.
The midfielder goes down in history as the most loyal and dedicated Medeama footballer to have graced the pitch in Tarkwa.
He embodies everything the club stands for.
Zutah joined the Mauve and Yellow as a teenager in 2008, clocking 430 appearances, scoring over 100 goals and assists.
He won the Ghana FA Cup twice with Medeama in 2013 and 2015.
The club legend will continue his role as an administrator at the club.
He is currently the vice-president of the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana (PFAG).
Public sector employees’ contributions are typically paid by the government on a quarterly basis through the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, but occasionally the arrears build up for three quarters, which SSNIT Director-General John Ofori-Tenkorang says is having a negative effect on the program.
The Director-General, responding to questions before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament concerning why the Trust recorded losses in 2018 and 2019, cited delays in payment of public sector workers’ contributions. He reiterated that the deficits recorded in revenue for the years in question were as a result of increase in benefits payments as well as shortfalls in expected contributions from the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
Although he did not state how long the contributions have been outstanding, the arrears stood at eight months in July 2022. Ideally, SSNIT invests these contributions in diversified portfolios that guarantee maximum returns for contributors. Any delays, therefore have the potential of disrupting investment decisions and the expected returns.
Even though the situation may not immediately affect individual pension beneficiaries, Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang noted that long-term effects on the Trust could be dire.
“The short-term answer is ‘no’, because if you retire today we would not say that your contributions have not been remitted. As long as it has been filed and acknowledged by your employer that you were working, we will go ahead and pay you everything that is due you; but there is going to be a time when we will not have the cash to pay,” he explained.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang further pointed out that the Trust in 2020 recorded a surplus of about GH¢1.1billion, followed by a deficit of about GH¢302million in 2021. He is however projecting a surplus for 2022.
Meanwhile, the Committee’s Chairman, James Klutse Avedzi, emphasised that the fluctuations do not look good and need to be addressed holistically.
Regarding sustainability of the Trust, the SSNIT boss indicated that management is planning to initiate stakeholder engagement and collaboration to achieve a sustainable contribution rate.
This year, the government allotted GH1.8 billion to the MSWR; however, it will only pay for 8% of that total, with DPs and donors expected to cover the other 90%. This is despite predictions that the global economic crisis will reduce donor financing support for the nation.
Government of Ghana’s (GoG) contribution has therefore reduced from 8.48 percent in 2022 to 8 percent in 2023. The percentage of DP support to the country’s sanitation sector has been increasing in recent years, with 70.26 percent support in 2019, 82.39 percent in 2020, 75.43 percent in 2021 and 73.12 percent in 2022.
However, should donor commitment fail to materialise there fears that the country could face a huge sanitation funding deficit; especially as plastic and other forms of waste have become a major challenge in most urban settings.
“The allocations are made every year, but delays in the release of funds and reliance on donors have become a problem” Harriet Nuamah, Senior Programmes Officer of SEND Ghana, told the B&FT.
“Government must demonstrate its commitment to the MSWR by releasing all funds allocated to the sector to improve the budget execution rate,” she advised.
Indeed, a performance-report for the last three years, 2019 – 2021, shows that only 6.32 percent of the MSWR approved budget was released in 2019 and 18.9 percent in 2020, before increasing sharply to 86.00 percent in 2021; which according to SEND Ghana was still less than the approved budget.
To avoid serious sanitation challenges as the raining season approaches, SEND Ghana advised government to channel proceeds of the Pollution and Sanitation Levy (PSL) to finance sanitation and water resources initiatives.
The channeling of proceeds from the SPL to finance WASH infrastructure, according to stakeholders, will significantly reduce over-reliance on donors to finance WASH.
Though government projects generating some GH¢522million from PSL this year, the total anticipated GoG contribution to the sector, which is GH¢33million, constitutes just 6.4 percent of the levy.
Multiple award-winning artiste, Kuami Eugene has revealed that he is unwilling to give up or trade his fame for anything else.
According to him, it will be a nightmare not to be recognised as the rock star he has become, right from the very first day he held onto the microphone.
The 2020 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) Artiste of the Year made these revelations on The Doreen Avio Show, which airs on Joy Prime.
“My greatest fear is to wake up one morning and realise I’m not this rockstar. Imagine I wake up and go to the mall, and nobody says ‘Rockstar.’ I will ask myself if I didn’t sleep well. I mean, I get people asking me, don’t you get tired when people are on your leg everywhere? You don’t get to come stand in a queue like us anymore? I tell them it’s my job. “Do you think I’d rather get by without being recognised like you?” he asks.
The Lynx Entertainment cum EMPIRE Distribution signee believes money can acquire fame.
He described it as a travesty to be the world’s most famous musician without money.
“The money can give me the fame, so will you prefer to choose being famous over being without anything in your pocket? I think that will be the worst experience of my life. You’ll be super popular; everybody knows you everywhere, but you have to pick Uber. “The driver will be thinking, ‘Is this Kuami Eugene, or has the Rockstar’s car developed a fault?” he said.
Born Eugene Kwame Marfo, he is a highlife and Afrobeat singer-songwriter best known for songs such as “Wish Me Well” and “Ohemaa,” to name a few.
He won the 2019 VGMA New Artiste Awards.
The 27-year-old musician also received the Most Promising Artiste in Africa award from AFRIMA, and in 2020, he received seven (7) VGMA nominations, of which he won four (4), including the covetous – The Artiste of the Year award.
Also on the show, Kuami Eugene revealed his love for cars.
According to him, he developed the interest for super cars while growing up when he used to walk several kilometres.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which measures and compares the fortunes of the 500 richest people in the world, Oppenheimer’s net worth has increased by $800 million since the beginning of the year, from $8.03 billion to $8.83 billion.
The $800-million increase in his net worth, which surpassed the $75-million wealth gains he recorded in 2022, placed him among the African billionaires whose wealth has increased by more than $500 million since the year began, despite concerns about a global slowdown in corporate earnings.
For decades, the leading South African businessman has been a private equity investor, with many of his investments taking place after he sold his family’s 40-percent stake in De Beers, the world’s largest diamond producer, to mining conglomerate Anglo-American in a $5.2-billion deal in 2012.
His private equity investments span Africa, Asia, the United States, and Europe, and have proven to be a sound strategy for the billionaire, allowing him to profit from market fluctuations and generate significant wealth gains.
Aside from private equity investments, Oppenheimer, a supporter of wilderness conservation, co-owns Tswalu Kalahari, South Africa’s largest private game reserve, with his son Jonathan.
He is also the owner of the 65,000-hectare Shangani Ranch, which employs 400 people and has kept at least 8,000 cattle for beef export to the United Kingdom since 1937. It is known as a wildlife sanctuary because it serves as a migration route for animals.
As compared to Friday’s trading of a buying price of 10.7941 and a selling price of 10.8049. At a forex bureau in Accra, the dollar is being bought at a rate of 12.00 and sold at a rate of 12.70.
Against the Pound Sterling, the Cedi is trading at a buying price of 13.0430 and a selling price of 13.0571 as compared to Friday’s trading of a buying price of 13.2832 and a selling price of 13.2976.
The Euro is trading at a buying price of 11.6873 and a selling price of 11.6989 as compared to Friday’s trading of a buying price of 11.7811 and a selling price of 11.7928.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Euro is being bought at a rate of 12.70 and sold at a rate of 13.50.
The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.6179 and a selling price of 0.6185 as compared to Friday’s trading of a buying price of 0.6290 and a selling price of 0.6294.
At a forex bureau in Accra, South African Rand is being bought at a rate of 0.50 and sold at a rate of 1.10.
The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 42.6243 and a selling price of 42.7280 as compared to Friday’s trading at a buying price of 42.7242 and a selling price of 42.7798.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 14.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 19.00.
The primary goal of the policy, according to a statement made on February 5 by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), is to use additional foreign exchange resources from the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase (DGP) program to provide foreign currency for the country’s importation of petroleum products, which is currently estimated to cost about US$350 million per month.
The statement also outlined the two main channels of supply as: “by way of barter trade where gold is exchanged for oil or via broker channel where the gold is converted into cash and paid to the supplier.”
2. The prime objective of the programme is to use additional foreign exchange resources from the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase(DGP) programme to provide foreign currency for the importation of petroleum products for the country which currently stands at about US$350 million per month.
3. Payment for oil supply is to be done in two channels: by way of barter trade where gold is exchanged for oil or via broker channel where the gold is converted into cash and paid to the supplier.
4. The first consignment of 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel constitutes about 10 percent of the country’s combined monthly demand for petrol and diesel.
5. The plan is to gradually increase imports under G4O to constitute about 50 percent of the country’s total demand for petrol and diesel by March 2023.
6. The implementation of the G4O will ease pressure on the dollar (the currency used for the importation of petroleum products) and avoid the occasional increases in petroleum prices resulting from the depreciation of the cedi against the dollar.
7. The programme will ensure that the cost of importing the products from international oil traders is comparatively cheaper.
8. The consequent reduction in foreign exchange pressures and premiums charged by international oil traders as well as efficiency gains from the value chain will lead to lower ex-pump prices in the country.
9. To ensure that the price of petroleum products imported under the G4O programme reflects at the pumps to benefit the consumer, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) will regulate the prices of the products in the interim until the volumes increase significantly.
10. NPA will work with Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) to negotiate prices with international oil traders to ensure that the landed cost of products procured under the programme are always competitive.
11. The price at which BOST will sell the products to Bulk Import, Distribution, and Export Companies (BIDECs) will be approved by the NPA. The price at which the BIDECs will sell the products to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) will also be approved by the NPA.
12. The applicable exchange rate for pricing the products supplied under G4O will be based on the average rate at which the gold was purchased from the licensed gold exporters by BoG. The BoG ordinarily purchases the gold aggregated by the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC)
13. The NPA will put measures in place to ensure that OMCs that lift products supplied under the G4O programme pass the price on to consumers accordingly. In this respect, BIDECs and OMCs who lift and supply G4O products will sell at the ex-refinery and ex-pump prices that will be determined by the NPA. If there must be a comingling of products supplied under G4O and other sources, the ex-refinery and ex-pump prices will be computed using a weighted average.
14. All BIDECs and OMCs who wish to purchase products under the G4O programme will be required to sign off an undertaking confirming their willingness to comply with the terms and conditions for partaking in the purchase and sale of G4O products.
Last week, a trending video showing a fleet of G-Wagons during the birthday party for billionaire Osei Kwame Despite got many talking on social media.
Social media users were awed by the sheer display of wealth and class by members of the East Legon Executive club members and close friends of Osei Kwame Despite.
Among the luxurious fleet of vehicles is one owned by accomplished business mogul, Kennedy Agyapong alias Kenpong.
The CEO of Kenpong Group of Companies arrived at the prestigious function in a white and sleek G-wagon with his moniker ‘Kenpong’ on the number plate.
A video by blogger, GH Hyper captures Kenpong standing by the lush vehicle in a blue suit on a white long-sleeve. Safe to say that Kenpong was looking dapper and classy in that outfit.
Kenpong is believed to have a close relationship with Despite, spanning over two decades. The two highly-revered men once served as board members of Asante Kotoko.
Kenpong is also a member of the prestigious East Legon Executive club and his presence at the celebration was to highlight his admiration for his good friend, Despite and his devotion to the club.
Kenpong is also renowned for his philanthropic works which have seen him make donations to a number of orphanages and offered support to elderly members of the country.
Kenpong also owns the Kenpong Football Academy and is also a former board and management member of Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
For a project that has courted controversy and sharply divided public opinion, work has stopped mostly due to a lack of funding.
The use of government funding in spite of an earlier government pledge that it would be financed by contributions from the Christian brotherhood has been one of the project’s key problems.
The last time government spoke to the cost so far was in December 2022 when Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta told a censure committee of Parliament that a total of GHC399 million of tax payer funds has gone into the project.
He defended the source of funding explaining how withdrawals from the Contingency Fund for seed money payments were above board.
“The most expensive ‘hole’ ever dug anywhere in the world. It cost Ghana a whopping GHC 399 million to dig this hole only- for a cathedral that no one knows how much it will finally cost us,” he tweeted on Saturday, February 4.
His tweet was accompanied by a drone shot of the construction site.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has over the last few months published instances of corporate governance and alleged financial infractions on the part of government and trustees in the building of the Cathedral.
The Member of Parliament has since January 2023 disclosed statutory documentation purporting to prove that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, is operating under the pseudonym Kwabena Adu Gyamfi for criminal purposes.
The MP has so far released a number of passports, drivers’ license, Tax Identification Number data and details of company registration that Kusi Boateng (Adu Gyamfi) has used in the past and some he continues to use.
In the latest installment of his posts, Ablakwa said a statement by the NIA on the Ghana Card status of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi confirmed that in their records, Victor Kusi Boateng did not exist, a claim he made last week.
He has justified his publications of Kusi Boateng’s documents with the view that the clergyman was using two names because he was engaging in criminal activities with one of the identities (i.e. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.)
Ablakwa has stood by an accusation that the pastor’s company (JNS Talent Center) was paid an unmerited sum from the National Cathedral kitty, even though the secretariat has explained that the GHC2.6 million paid to Rev Kusi Boateng was a loan repayment.
According to Ablakwa, the Board of Trustees never discussed acquiring a loan facility, and at the time the loan was acquired, the Cathedral had about $6 million in its bank accounts.
Ghanaian singer, Efya, has stirred massive reactions online after crowning herself as the ‘Landlady’ of Ghana music.
According toEfya, her talent, and impact on the music industry is unmatched, hence, the title, ‘Landlady’.
Although some netizens have disagreed with her comments, Efya still maintains she’s the best among her peers.
The comments under that particular tweet are filled with insults and derogatory words but Efya has refused to pull it down.
It appears she has triggered the nerves of the fans of other female musicians.
Some critics said, Efya doesn’t deserve a spot in the best 10 female musicians in the country currently, adding that it is amusing to crown herself in that light.
Others are of the view that she has remained consistent and relevant for more than a decade, thus, she holds the bragging rights as the #Landlady of Ghana music.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of parliament for North Tongu, is adamant that his campaign for accountability and openness in the National Cathedral’s construction is not directed against the church.
In a Citi TV interview from December 2022, the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament stressed the significance of religion (Christianity) in his background and today.
Ablakwa has over the last few months published instances of corporate governance and alleged financial infractions on the part of government and trustees in the building of the Cathedral.
The dogged nature of his advocacy has led people in some quarters to question his real motives, but he insists: “This is not an agenda against the church, I am not seeking to bring down a religion that I will be nobody without.
“I have said time without number that where would I be without Christianity? Belief in the saving power, the salvation grace of Jesus, the Christ,” he stressed.
He recounted how former Speaker of Parliament, Prof Oquaye, had mentored him through his Sunday school days as well as his role in religious groupings during his Senior High School days.
“I am not a pagan, I am not anti-Christ or whatever they say,” he added.
Ablakwa goes after secretary to Board of Trustees of National Cathedral
The Member of Parliament has since January 2023 disclosed statutory documentation purporting to prove that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, is operating under the pseudonym Kwabena Adu Gyamfi for criminal purposes.
The MP has so far released a number of passports, drivers’ license, Tax Identification Number data and details of company registration that Kusi Boateng (Adu Gyamfi) has used in the past and some he continues to use.
In the latest installment of his posts, Ablakwa said a statement by the NIA on the Ghana Card status of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi confirmed that in their records, Victor Kusi Boateng did not exist, a claim he made last week.
He has justified his publications of Kusi Boateng’s documents with the view that the clergyman was using two names because he was engaging in criminal activities with one of the identities (i.e. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.)
Ablakwa has stood by an accusation that the pastor’s company (JNS Talent Center) was paid an unmerited sum from the National Cathedral kitty, even though the secretariat has explained that the GHC2.6 million paid to Rev Kusi Boateng was a loan repayment.
According to Ablakwa, the Board of Trustees never discussed acquiring a loan facility, and at the time the loan was acquired, the Cathedral had about $6 million in its bank accounts.
In addition to other digital services, the index measures, ranks, and provides access to which West African states are putting effective policies into practice.
The expansion of its digital development sectors is also mapped for socioeconomic changes.
Using about 10 variables from mobile money & online transactions to digital infrastructure and policy implementation in this maiden observatory study, Ghana led the Anglophone West Africa while Cote D’Iovire the digital competitive Francophone West Africa with Cabo Verde leading Lusophone West Africa as the most digital competitive country.
Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania were the worst digitally competitive West African states.
After the release of the index, activities will be held to engage governments and other stakeholders per country to help in the direction and future of the digital sector.
The West Africa edition is part of a bigger Pan-African digital index, the foundation intends to work from 2023.
The Ada District Court case was dismissed when the state filed a nolle prosequi against Oliver’s client, according to what he said last Thursday (February 2).
In giving a brief of the case via a Facebook post, he said police had opted to charge the unnamed client after she stabbed an agressor who had attempted to rape her on multiple occasions.
He had been contcted by an acquaintance who was following the case and he opted to take it on a pro bono basis: “A child had been attacked by a guy who had tried on a couple of occasions to defile the kid.
“He had been caught on a couple of occasions undressing the girl deep in the middle of the night in her own home.
“In the struggle, she ended up stabbing him with a scissors. It was not intentional, but she was fighting for herself as one does. The guy ended up losing his life and the police charged the kid with murder,” he stated.
He said as a lawyer, the nolle prosequi came as a relief to himself and to the family of the accused even though his believed that there were many more of such cases where people are being held over lack of representation.
“I just left the Ada District Court on a pro bono brief. The murder charges against my 13 year old client have been discontinued by the State after a nolle prosequi.
“Huge relief. And I am just grateful to see such burden lifted off a family, and this child,” his post read in part.
Find the full post below:
I just left the Ada District Court on a pro bono brief. The murder charges against my 13 year old client have been discontinued by the State after a nolle prosequi.
Huge relief. And I am just grateful to see such burden lifted off a family, and this child.
A couple of months ago Golda Naa Adaku Addo reached out about a peculiar case. I was in Tamale at the time. A child had been attacked by a guy who had tried on a couple of occasions to defile the kid. He had been caught on a couple of occasions undressing the girl deep in the middle of the night in her own home.
In the struggle, she ended up stabbing him with a scissors. It was not intentional, but she was fighting for herself as one does. The guy ended up losing his life and the police charged the kid with murder.
I must say that but for the fighting spirit of Golda this matter would not have reached me. I am grateful that after the discharge of the girl, Golda has committed to find therapeutic support for the girl.
The girls family expressed a lot of appreciation for Golda and just finding them in their hour of need.
A lot of times, folks are asked to donate to support causes. Many of those times, you never realize the end impact of your donations. This is because a lot of these stories you don’t find on social media.
Golda is doing great work in the Ningo prampram communities. Some people are cursed by the stars to fight for others. Even if it means setting themselves on fire to keep others warm. We need them. But they too need you. Reach out to her to know how to support! Shalom.
Ghana receives the same score of 43 out of 100 in the 2022 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) that Transparency International announced, maintaining its position of 72 out of 180 nations.
Ghana has not made progress in the fight against graft, according to the CPI score, which measures the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0-100, where 0 indicates severely corrupt and 100 means very clean.
The report highlighted the need to address the canker since corruption is a major contributor to the current economic woes of the nation.
He said contrary to the CPI report anti-graft institutions in the country have been better funded to work effectively.
“This is perception and it means that it’s the perception that people have. Now the government has sought to tackle corruption at the very base than any government in this country since Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
“It took President Nana Addo Danquah to set up the office of the Special Prosecutor. Which is one of the major steps into tackling corruption,” the spokesperson stated.
Mr. Boakye-Danquah further explained that the government’s budget since 2017 focuses very largely on anti-corruption agencies such as the Special Prosecutor, EOCO, CHRAJ in tackling corruption.
He however added that there are some challenges with the office of the Special Prosecutor that the government is fixing.
British actor from Ghanaian descent, Idrissa Akuna Elba, popularly known as Idris Elba has paid a visit to the Manhyia Palace in the Asante Kingdom.
Elba paid respect to the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom III on Sunday, February 5, while attending the first Akwasidae of the year 2023.
With his production team on hand, the actor taped parts of his time at the Akwasidae festival. It is reported the footage will appear in an upcoming film of his.
The Akwasidae (Sacred Sunday) is celebrated every six weeks at the Manhyia Palace, Kumasi, Ashanti Region. Centred on ancestral veneration, remembrance and acknowledgement of past kings and various noble feats, it begins from the Asantehene’s throne room and is attended by large crowds in traditional clothing like the royal kente.
Friday, February 3, Idris and his team paid a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Golden Jubilee House, Accra. He explained the visit was occasioned because of “our programme to build film studios across Africa,” starting with Ghana and its West African neighbours.
The Hollywood superstar disclosed that while deliberating with his team, they noticed that “policy is where the actual groundwork” needs to be done to realise the dream for Africa.
Idris, 50, argued that without the right policy underpinning filmmaking in Ghana, the plan to draw investors to the West African nation will be fruitless.
“I’m led to believe that there are some plans for some other studios to be brought to Ghana which is fantastic and one should not cannibalise the other but without the policy component, I think, it’s safe to say that we can have as many studios as we want but we will not have the filmmakers attracted here,” he said.
He also highlighted a personal project he aims to bring to Ghana.
“What I want to do personally [is], I have a film that I am directing and I am hoping to bring that film or at least some of that film to shoot in Ghana. [For] that film, I would say we’d be here in December. We start pre-production in August. Some of the film, say two or three weeks, will be in Ghana, say by December,” he indicated.
He announced his intention to use his film as a pilot to make a case for the grander project of bringing state-of-the-art studios to Africa to attract the international shakers in the movie industry and hoped for “a fair wind,” and consensus regarding what “we could do in terms of the policy.”
“Needless to say, it’ll take a lot of collaboration to move quickly. However, it would be very beneficial for us to show and to make an announcement to the world that Ghana is open for business [so] here [are] the steps, the policies are in place, and we are actually bringing a film [by] one of [those of] the soil,” he touched his chest proudly, “to our country and we’re going to put our money where our mouth is.”
In 2015, Idris Elba starred in a film based on a 2005 novel titled ‘Beast of No Nation’ (by Uzodinma Iweala), a title inspired by a Fela Kuti album of the same name. Shot in Ghana, the award-winning film birthed a new movie star, Abraham Attah.
Dr. Clement Apaak claims that since being appointed Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has never testified before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The congressman who represents Builsa South constituents claimed that he has repeatedly brought up the minister’s disregard for parliament with leadership.
He claimed that the Minister would constantly come up with a reason not to appear before the Committee and that, for some reason, the Committee had entertained him for his lawlessness.
The MP indicated that the Minister has been inconsistent with the actual amount spent on the free senior high school policy and quoted different figures.
Dr. Apaak said the Minister has over the years quoted 3.2 million, 7.2 million, and 5.3 million as costs for the policy.
These figures he noted have been captured by parliament and yet the minister has refused to come before the committee to respond to questions.
“In a functioning democracy, this could be the basis for his removal. Ken Ofori-Atta feels so powerful. He feels powerful because he has no regard for parliament.
“For the period that I have been a member of the public accounts committee, he has never appeared before us to answer questions. I have been a member of the committee since 2017, and the Minister has not appeared in person before the Committee to answer questions,” he said.
“I have raised this with leadership. Who does he think he is? Is he above the law? He has to be compelled to appear before the committee to answer questions. He always sends his deputies and for some strange reasons, the committee has entertained it.
“I don’t see why we cannot compel him to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to answer questions,” the MP added.
Popular billionaire heiress, Ifeoluwa Otedola aka DJ Cuppy, continues to enjoy her stay in Dubai as she has uploaded a new set of lovely pictures on her timeline of fans.
Cuppy recently met with Dubai billionaire, Saif Ahmad Belhasa, and it was a big deal for her, as she visited him this time around, with her man Ryan Taylor.
Belhasa made headlines in 2019 after he named a baby lion after Cuppy.
Sharing the pictures from their first-ever meeting via her Instagram page, Cuppy wrote:
“Mashallah! Congratulations on EVERYTHING my dear friend Dr @SB_Belhasa Always a pleasure to spend time with you.”
Andrea Riseborough may not be a name that rings many bells for the average moviegoer.
But, chances are, your favorite actor in that one movie you love knows exactly who she is. And they want her to win an Oscar.
It’s, frankly, a strange tale – one that began in October with the limited release of a small-time independent film called “To Leslie,” about what happens when a single mother wins the lottery and runs out of money. Riseborough plays the titular Leslie, in a performance widely praised by critics as some of the best work of her career.
And just last week, Riseborough was nominated for a best actress Academy Award, her first Oscar nomination.
But there are questions surrounding her nomination, which came after a very public push by multiple big-time Hollywood stars – think Gwyneth Paltrow and Amy Adams. Now, without specifically mentioning Riseborough or “To Leslie,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says it is investigating this year’s campaign procedures to ensure no rules were broken. (Contacting Academy members to promote a film or push for an award is forbidden.)
So dim the lights and cue the suspenseful music. Here’s everything you need to know:
Until recently, most Americans hadn’t heard of “To Leslie.” Premiering at South by Southwest in March, the film made just $27,000 at the box office during its limited release.
This month, that changed when some of the biggest names in film threw their weight behind the movie. Paltrow praised the film on Instagram, saying Riseborough should win every award, including “all the ones that haven’t been invented yet.”
Adams hosted a conversation with Riseborough and director Michael Morris, calling the movie an “amazing, amazing feat of filmmaking.”
Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston, Edward Norton and Charlize Theron have all also publicly supported the film in various ways, through screenings or moderated discussions.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, other actors have posted almost identical statements supporting the film, calling it a “small film with a giant heart.” Some have likened it to a copy-and-paste job.
Though a celebrity-backed campaign isn’t strictly a grassroots effort, the push for Riseborough and “To Leslie” is akin to one. Rarely do celebrities come out with this type of support for a film they don’t star in, making Riseborough’s rapid ascent unique.
But this isn’t the first time an actor has publicly attempted an Oscars push on their own. A decade ago, actress Melissa Leo staged her own photoshoot and took out her own “For Your Consideration” advertisements. Leo at the time was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in 2010’s “The Fighter.”
“This entire awards process, to some degree, is about pimping yourself out,” she told the New York Times in 2011. Leo went on to win the award.
Industry-watchers have noted that soliciting votes is often done to level a playing field – in this case, bring attention to a small-budget, little-known film. The difference now is social media, making this push public rather than one done behind closed doors.
And yet, not every actor has the kind of connections Riseborough does. Critics of the nominations have pointed out that Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) and Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”), two Black actresses who were considered frontrunners, were not nominated for the award. (Both films also drew larger audiences to the box office.)
The Academy’s diversity problem has long been discussed and dissected. And while Riseborough is not at fault for the snubs, some have pointed out that the campaign behind her displays just how much of an advantage it is to have famous White friends.
On Friday, the Academy announced a “review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees,” according to a statement obtained by CNN.
The Academy didn’t specifically mention Riseborough, or the very public celebrity push for her nomination. But many people are connecting those dots.
Christina Ricci, star of the Emmy-nominated show “Yellowjackets,” called the Academy’s decision to review the procedures “very backward,” in a now-deleted Instagram post.
“Seems hilarious that the ‘surprise nomination’ (meaning tons of money wasn’t spent to position this actress) of a legitimately brilliant performance is being met with an investigation,” she wrote, according to Deadline. “So it’s only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive.”
Whether Riseborough’s nomination will actually be overturned is hard to say. There is precedent – in 2014, composer Bruce Broughton received an Oscar nomination for the title song from “Alone Yet Not Alone” and was later disqualified over his campaign.
Regardless of celebrity backing, Riseborough faces fierce competition in the category, from the likes of Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and Cate Blanchett (Tár).
As the melee plays out, one thing is for sure: you’re gonna need more popcorn.
James Gunn has delivered on his promise to update DC comics enthusiasts, film nerds and the world at large with his plans for the next phase of the DC Universe.
In a video testimonial posted to Twitter along with a media release shared online on Tuesday, Gunn – who became co-CEO of DC Studios with Peter Safran last year – presented several new titles, including a new Superman movie due in 2025 titled “Superman: Legacy,” and “The Brave and the Bold,” which will introduce “Batman and Robin in this unusual father-son story inspired by Grant Morrison’s comic series.” (CNN and DC Studios are both part of Warner Bros. Discovery.)
“Superman: Legacy,” which is moving ahead without previous “Man of Steel” actor Henry Cavill, will “focus on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing,” according to the DC announcement.
Other film content includes a sci-fi epic titled “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” and a more horror-themed origin movie for DC character Swamp Thing.
TV series coming from the new team of creators led by Gunn will feature “Waller,” starring Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, who has appeared in the “Suicide Squad” movies as well as last year’s “Peacemaker” series on HBO Max.
In his video, Gunn explained that the studio’s plans are part of an effort to make the DCU more cohesive, with the same actors playing celebrated legacy characters across film and television. He cited the studio’s next films, starting with March’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “The Flash” in June, as the way the entire superhero universe will be “reset,” thereby allowing for new content and new versions of celebrated characters.
Gunn also specified that other DC content in the works – like new series and sequels based on Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” from last year, starring Robert Pattinson, and Todd Phillips’ “Joker” sequel with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga – are distinct from the DCU, and are in fact part of something called DC Elseworlds.
If you’re still with us, you may in fact be a superhero – “Up, up, and away!” as Gunn tweeted.
Beyoncé, Harry Styles and Adele are all likely winners at this year’s ceremony
Will Adele continue her winning streak? Will Abba win their first Grammy? Will Beyoncé be snubbed again?
All these questions be answered when the 65th Grammy Awards take place in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Beyoncé leads the nominations, with nine in total, followed by Kendrick Lamar with eight, and Adele and Brandi Carlile, who have seven each.
Comedian Trevor Noah hosts the ceremony for the third year running, starting at 20:00 in LA (01:00 GMT).
This year, there are a staggering 91 categories, from best new age, ambient or chant album – shout out to Cheryl B. Engelhardt – to the night’s biggest prize, album of the year.
There’ll also be performances from some of music’s biggest names, and bittersweet tributes to the stars we’ve lost.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the event.
1) How to watch the Grammys
Image caption, Trevor Noah returns as host for the third time
First of all, stock up on snacks.
The first awards are handed out in what’s called the “premiere ceremony” at 20:30 GMT on Sunday (12:30 in Los Angeles). Proceedings then continue for eight mind-numbing hours, until the album of the year trophy is finally presented around 04:30 GMT.
The main show, which starts at 01:00 GMT, will be broadcast live in America on CBS, with streams on Paramount Plus and the website live.grammy.com.
Paramount Plus is available over here, but has yet to confirm whether the Grammys will be streamed as part of its package.
However, live.grammy.com should be available to UK viewers; and red carpet coverage will be streamed on EW’s YouTube channel. from 23:30GMT.
2) Beyoncé could become the winningest winner of all time
Image caption, The singer recently announced her first solo world tour in seven years
Beyoncé is already the most-awarded woman in the history of the Grammys, with 28 victories. This year, she received another nine nominations, tying her with her husband Jay-Z for the most nods collected by any artist, with 88.
On the night, she needs just four wins to beat the record for the most overall wins, a position currently held by the conductor Georg Solti, who died in 1997.
Her meticulously-researched homage to black and queer dance music, Renaissance, is a front-runner for album of the year, but fans know not to get their hopes up.
Despite her impressive haul of trophies, all but one of Beyoncé’s previous awards have come in genre categories like R&B and soul – feeding a perception that the Grammys fails to recognise Black artists with its top awards.
That could change this year, after almost 2,000 new members joined the voting organisation, 44% of whom come “from traditionally underrepresented communities,” according to the Recording Academy.
3) DJ Khaled, who doesn’t rap, is nominated for best rap album
Image caption, The producer and music mogul previously won a Grammy in 2020 for best rap/sung performance, for Higher (feat. John Legend & Nipsey Hussle)
DJ Khaled is one of the most fascinating figures in hip-hop.
A former radio DJ, he’s become a sort of musical Nick Fury, assembling an all-star cast of super-powered beatmakers and rappers to collaborate on songs that are, ultimately, released under his name.
The extent of his input is unclear – but he does pop up on most of his hits, shouting “we the best” or “another one” through a megaphone, while acts like Drake, Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion do the heavy lifting.
He explained his creative philosophy in an interview in The Fader in 2013: “If you can’t find it, you gotta go make it. If you can’t make it, you gotta go find it.”
That hustle has earned him four number one albums in the US, the latest of which, God Did, is up for best rap album.
4) Lizzo and Harry Styles are set to perform
Image caption, Lizzo joined Harry Styles on stage when he headlined Coachella in 2022
The Grammys always keep a few surprises up their sleeves, but these are the artists currently scheduled to perform on Sunday.
Bad Bunny
Brandi Carlile
Harry Styles
Lizzo
Luke Combs
Mary J Blige
Sam Smith & Kim Petras
Steve Lacy
5) Taylor Swift’s Midnights isn’t nominated
Image caption, Taylor Swift is one of the only people to win Album Of The Year three times
Taylor Swift is one of only three artists to win album of the year three times; but her latest record, Midnights, came out too late to be eligible for this year’s ceremony.
However, Swift still managed to pick up four nominations, including song of the year for the expanded, re-recorded version of All Too Well.
She’s never won that prize before, despite six nominations. Could this be her year?
6) The in memoriam section will be especially moving
Image caption, Takeoff (left) will be honoured by his bandmate and uncle, Quavo
From Coolio to Olivia Newton-John, we’ve said goodbye to an upsetting number of musicians in the last 12 months, and the Grammys will mark the loss with an emotionally-charged in memoriam section.
British songwriter Christine McVie will be honoured by Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and her bandmate Mick Fleetwood, with a rendition of her classic ballad, Songbird.
And Migos rapper Quavo will join the Maverick City Music choir to “remember the life and legacy” of his nephew, Takeoff, who was shot and killed in October at the age of 28.
7) It could be a big night for Latin music
Image caption, Bad Bunny has been the most-streamed artist in the world for three consecutive years
After spending 13 weeks at the top of the US Billboard charts last summer, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti has become the first Spanish-language record to be nominated for album of the year at the Grammys.
It’s an achievement that caps his almost mythological rise from a grocery bagger in the small Puerto Rican town of Vega Baja to a global superstar, and a torchbearer for Latin pop and música urbana.
Clocking in at 23 tracks, Un Verano Sin Ti is a record of two halves, split evenly between sun-kissed party anthems and more experimental, political tracks that explore gender violence and the gentrification of Puerto Rico.
He’s not the only Latin artist to bask in the Grammy spotlight, with Brazilian singer Anitta considered a front-runner for best newcomer.
Confusingly, her nomination comes almost a decade into her career, but recognises the crossover success of her latest album, Versions of Me, which became the first Brazilian pop album to hit one billion streams on Spotify.
Her competition comes from breakout rap star Latto, British indie duo Wet Leg and Italian Eurovision winners Måneskin. It is a truly odd category this year.
8) Grammy voters have discovered TikTok
Image caption, Rosalía, Lizzo and Gayle all harnessed TikTok as an engine for their hits
While some US politicians are calling for TikTok to be banned, the app’s outsize influence on the music industry has been recognised by the Grammys.
Spanish star Rosalía gets a nomination for best music film for a one-off concert that aired on TikTok; and four of the artists up for song of the year scored hits from viral TikTok videos.
One of the more surprising ones is Gayle’s ABCDEFU, if only for its origin story.
The star was challenged on TikTok to compose a break-up song using the alphabet, and replied with an early version of ABCDEFU. After it started trending on the app, a finished version was recorded and became a global smash.
But it was later discovered that the “fan” was in fact an employee of her record label, leading to accusations of hype and marketing.
But when hasn’t the music industry been about hype and marketing? ABCDEFU is still a fun, if slight, pop anthem. Whether it deserves a Grammy nomination is another question.
9) Hip-hop’s golden anniversary will be celebrated
Image caption, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella will be among the rap royalty taking to the stage
The Grammys stage is going to groan under the weight of three dozen rap legends (and their gold chains) when the ceremony celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
Introduced by LL Cool J, with music by The Roots, the performance will include appearances by Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Ice-T, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Outkast’s Big Boi… amongst others.
The anniversary itself falls in August – recognising the date in 1973 that 18-year-old Clive Campbell, aka DJ Kool Herc threw a back to school party at his apartment in New York.
There, he pioneered the technique of playing two copies of the same song at once, alternating between turntables to extend the instrumental portions of funk and soul records, that became the foundation stone of hip-hop.
10) Ozzy Osbourne could win his first Grammy since 1994
Image caption, The rocker recently announced his retirement from touring
The last (and only) time Ozzy Osbourne won a Grammy, it was for a track from Live & Loud, his supposed farewell album, in 1994.
28 short years later, he’s got four nominations, all in recognition of his latest album, Patient No. 9, which features contributions from Eric Clapton, Metallica and the late Jeff Beck.
The star says he’ll be “floored” if he wins… and that he hasn’t prepared a speech.
“I always end up saying it twice or blowing it or whatever,” he told Billboard. “I’m sure my wife will have it worked out. Behind me is my wife. My wife pulls my strings.”
11) Who’ll scoop the big four prizes?
Image caption, Adele has had an incredible track record at the Grammys – but can she extend it?
The “big four” are the Grammys’ most prestigious and hotly-contested awards. Here’s a look at the line-up.
Abba – Voyage
Adele – 30
Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti
Beyoncé – Renaissance
Mary J Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous
Brandi Carlile – In These Silent Days
Lizzo – Special
Coldplay – Music of the Spheres
Kendrick Lamar – Mr Morale & The Big Steppers
Harry Styles – Harry’s House
The headline here is the repeat of 2017’s best album race, in which Adele’s 25 controversially beat Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Beyoncé is considered the front-runner this time, but Adele has an unbeatable track record, winning all of the 13 Grammys she’s been nominated for since 2012.
The dark horse is Brandi Carlile, a musician’s musician who helped bring Joni Mitchell back to the stage last year. The rootsy Americana of her seventh studio album, In These Silent Days, is guaranteed to appeal to the Academy’s musically conservative voter base.
Gayle – ABCDEFU
Lizzo – About Damn Time
Taylor Swift – All Too Well (10-minute version)
Harry Styles – As It Was
Steve Lacy – Bad Habit
Beyoncé – Break My Soul
Adele – Easy On Me
DJ Khaled – God Did
Kendrick Lamar – The Heart Part 5
Bonnie Raitt – Just Like That
Harry Styles’ As It Was should be the front-runner here. It spent 15 weeks at number one in the US, and cemented the British singer as one of his generation’s standout talents, but its ubiquity could play against it.
Adele’s Easy On Me is a relatively safe choice, sharing about 80% of its DNA with her previous song of the year winner, Hello. But it would be glorious to see Taylor Swift, the most consequential writer of her generation, finally win this songwriting prize, after five previous attempts.
Abba – Don’t Shut Me Down
Adele – Easy On Me
Beyoncé – Break My Soul
Mary J Blige – Good Morning
Brandi Carlile ft Lucius – You And Me On The Rock
Doja Cat – Woman
Steve Lacy – Bad Habit
Kendrick Lamar – The Heart Part 5
Lizzo – About Damn Time
Harry Styles – As It Was
While the song of the year award recognises the composition of a song, record of the year looks at the finished product – ie the actual sound recording.
No-one has won the category more times than Bruno Mars, suggesting voters feel more comfortable with recognisable, throwback sounds than innovative experimentation. That gives Lizzo’s About Damn Time and Harry Styles’ As It Was a slight edge over Beyoncé’s Break My Soul. But this one is too close to call.
Anitta
Omar Apollo
Domi and JD Beck
Muni Long
Samara Joy
Latto
Maneskin
Tobe Nwigwe
Molly Tuttle
Wet Leg
Without a big, breakout star to dominate, this category is an open field. Voters typically opt for mainstream acts like Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish, which would rule out some of the more esoteric nominees, like jazz duo Domi and JD Beck, or folk singer Molly Tuttle.
Italian Eurovision winners Maneskin have been pretty inescapable on US radio over the last year, giving them a decent edge; but Latto, whose charismatic rap anthem Big Energy, was a Top 3 hit, is the one to beat.
Ghanaian actress Nayas has opened up about her troubled marriage to German based Ghanaian Sarfo.
Having finally left her husband in Germany to her single life in Ghana, Nayas has finally recovered from her trauma and she’s speaking about her marriage.
In an interview with Delay, she said she barely knew Sarfo before agreeing to marry him.
A lot will be said on @thedelayshow this Sunday at 5:30pm on @tv3_ghana and Delay Tv YouTube ⭐️🤩🌟✨🥳🥰🌹🌹🌹😍😍😍
Having hailed from a family that has served Ghana with legendary musicians from his grandfather, Kwabena Akwaboah to his father, Akwaboah Snr., one would have expected Gladstorm Kwabena Akwaboah Jnr. known on stage as Akwaboah to have it all rosy as he treads the path of the “Akwaboahs” to pursue his music career.
Contrary to the assertion, Akwaboah did not have it all rosy, especially when he decided to transition from being an instrumentalist to an artiste.
In an exclusive interview with Valerie Danso on the GTV Breakfast Show, he disclosed that he had to pay the price of “staying hungry for the year to become an artist” to wit not having enough money to fend for himself.
“Being an instrumentalist, playing for people and they will give you small money so I said this job I no go do again. I literary came home with nothing and it was not as if I had some money somewhere to spend. I stayed behind to write my songs. When people call me for shows as an instrumentalist I say no, I want to become an artiste and stayed hungry for like a year,” he said.
The “Posti Me” hitmaker added that it took him 7 years to build his brand to its current status and advised budding artistes not to be trends driven but take their time to “cook” their unique crafts.
As a songwriter, Akwaboah has Becca’s hit song “Daa ke Daa”, and DSP Kofi Sarpong’s” Ayeyi Ndwom” among others to his credit.
He also played both locally and internationally as a keyboardist.
Artiste Manager, Lawrence Asiamah Hanson, better known as Bulldog has attributed Blakk Rasta’s rant on Bob Marley’s ‘Stir it up’ featuring Ghana’s rapper, Sarkodie on poor mental health state.
On his show, Reggae Musician cum Radio Presenter, Blakk Rasta mentioned that Bob Marley will be rolling in his grave over Sarkodie’s feature on his classic ‘Stir it up’ because Sarkodie’s verse on the song is a desecration of the legacy of the legendary musician.
“What Sarkodie did is just a desecration of the legacy of Bob Marley. It’s so shameful. What Sarkodie did is nothing but the desecration of the music king. It’s like a king has been buried and you go and dig him up and steal the gold and diamonds he was buried with,” Blakk Rasta explained.
Responding to this comment on the United Showbiz Show on Saturday, February 4, 2023, Bulldog dismissed the comments of Blakk Rasta and blamed his behaviour on what he described as the outcome of stress and poor mental health.
Explaining his stance, the artiste manager indicated that, like Blakk Rasta evaluated the demeanor of songstress Efya and concluded that she is on drugs, he also believes that judging from the comments, thought pattern and appearance of Blakk Rasta at the time of his rants epitomize a person under mental stress.
“Mental health is something we as Ghanaians don’t take seriously. Blakk Rasta is stressed and that is a case we don’t take seriously in Ghana, ” Bulldog said.
He added, “There’s a lot of stress, so people come from that angle when they speak. Like he made conclusions on Efya based on her appearance, look at him, clear he is stressed.”
