Missouri lawmakers began the 2023 session on a controversial note: debating what women could and couldn’t wear on the House floor.
The GOP-controlled House faced backlash this week after adopting a stricter dress code for female legislators. The changes, which are part of a new rules package, were widely criticized as sexist, with many pointing out that the dress code for men was not updated.
According to CNN, the original dress code required male lawmakers to always wear a jacket, shirt, and tie while in the House chambers; women were previously required to wear “dresses or skirts or slacks worn with a blazer or sweater” along with “appropriate dress shoes or boots.” However, Republican state Rep. Ann Kelley sought to tighten the dress code specifically for women, and proposed an amendment that would require them to wear jackets on the floor.
“Men are required to wear a jacket, a shirt and a tie, correct?” she said during Wednesday’s debate. “And if they walked in here without a tie, they would get gaveled down in a heartbeat. If they walked in without a jacket, they would get gaveled down in a heartbeat. So, we are so interested in being equal.”
Several lawmakers pushed back on the jacket proposal, saying it could cause problems for lawmakers who become pregnant and must spend money on either buying new garments or alterations. Republicans ultimately agreed that women lawmakers must cover their shoulders with either a jacket, knit blazer, or a cardigan.
The amendment passed in a 105-51 vote.
“We are fighting—again—on a woman’s right to choose something and this time is how she covers herself,” Rep. Raychel Proudie (D) said, as reported by the Heartland Signal. “Do you know what it feels like to have a bunch of men in this room looking at your top trying to decide whether it’s appropriate or not?”
Democratic state Rep. Peter Merideth, who refused to vote on the amendment, made similar comments, and suggested the vote further highlighted the GOP’s hypocrisy.
“I don’t think I’m qualified to say what’s appropriate or not appropriate for women and I think that is a really dangerous road for us all to go down,” he said during the debate. “Y’all had a conniption fit the last two years when we talked about maybe, maybe wearing masks in a pandemic to keep each other safer. How dare the government tell you what you have to wear over your face? Well, I know some governments require women to wear things over their face, but here, oh, it’s OK because we’re just talking about how many layers they have to have over their shoulders.”
According to local outlets, women make up one-third of the Missouri’s legislature. The House currently has 116 men and 43 women.
The Attorney General and Interpol have been urged by Dr. Joseph Obeng, President of the Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA), to develop an international tribunal and legal framework to assist victims in addressing the car theft scourge.
He claimed that because the buyers were mainly third parties, the action would also benefit the car dealers in recovering the funds.
The Ghana Police Service, the Economic and Organized Crime Office, the GRA’s Customs Division, the Ghana Standards Authority, and the Ghana Shippers Authority are some of the stakeholders.
Others are the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority, Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority, GUTA, and various Auto Dealerships.
He said there was also the need to find an effective mechanism that would help dealers to identify what stolen cars were and a system that would make stolen cars difficult to be shipped.
He urged all State actors to recognize the Chamber as a partner in national development and make the Chamber a first point of call on matters of their business, especially when incidence of stolen cars come into play.
“This will help the state institutions to understand the issues very well and be able to deal with it decisively,” he added.
He said crime wave was high globally, and criminal activities were sophisticated, hence the need for State and Non-State actors to collaborate effectively to be able to identify the various modus operandi of criminal operations.
“Information on these criteria should be widely disseminated for people to know, detect and report any suspected case to security agencies,” he said.
Mr Dumenu George, Secretary of CADEG, said on December 9, 2022, the Economic and Organized Crime Office in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided a number of used auto dealerships (garages).
He said they retrieved several imported luxury vehicles suspected to have been stolen from the United States of America and Canada.
The Secretary said EOCO in a statement on December 13, 2022, said the various specifications of luxury vehicles were retrieved from some garages in Accra in an intelligence-led operation in tandem with the above-mentioned security agencies.
This stakeholder engagement has become imperative due to the recent raid mentioned earlier, subsequent arrest and harassment of some owners of these dealerships.
“We would like to seek clarity as to at what point an imported vehicle is ascribed to be ‘stolen,’” he added.
He said the Chamber was of the view that these inspectorate agencies were required to verify all these vehicles, their requisite documents, and approve the same before we are allowed to pay huge import taxes to the state.
He said it was a surprise that these vehicles after going through all these checks are now tagged as “stolen vehicles.”
“In our opinion, the majority of these cars are actually not stolen cars as it is being alleged,” he said.
Mr Dumenu said was it possible that an ordinary Ghanaian importer could outwit the inspectorate agencies of developed countries like the USA and Canada, indicating that the checks and balances in these countries were so strict that an ordinary trader from Ghana did not have the sophistication needed to perpetrate such a crime easily.
He said the Chamber wanted to get clarity on the foregoing to enable it to educate its members and their customers and the public to enable them to avert such an unfortunate incident which occurred on Friday December 9, 2022, from reoccurring.
He said the raid had serious consequences for their business in the used auto dealership in Ghana by creating a huge mistrust between purchasers of used vehicles in their dealerships.
AC Eric Kwaku Bonney, Sector Commander at Headquarters of the Customs Division of the GRA,
said the Division was equipped to carry out vehicle examination effectively.
He said currently criminals had formed major cartels and were stealing vehicles to sell to the auto dealerships overseas.
He urged the Chamber to educate their members to always do due diligence before they ship their cars into the country.
The Philadelphia rapper raised eyebrows on Friday when he tweeted, “Y’all let that gal f#%k anybody.” Many quickly assumed Meek was throwing shade at Lori Harvey and her rumored relationship with Damson Idris. Why? Well, it all came down to timing.
Meek’s tweet came shortly after Idris seemingly confirmed he and Harvey were an item. The Snowfall actor took to Instagram to share a couple of photos of Harvey; one showed her holding up stacks of cash to her ears, while another showed Idris kissing the 26-year-old model/entrepreneur on the cheek.
Twitter users accused Meek of taking a petty shot at Harvey, who has been romantically linked to Future, Diddy, Trey Songz, Lewis Hamilton, and Michael B. Jordan. Some fans also pointed out that Meek expressed interest in Harvey in his 2018 track “Going Bad.”
“I got Lori Harvey on my wish list/That’s the only thing I want for Christmas,” he rapped in the original version.
Meek changed the lyrics during his performance at Summer Jam 2021: “I took Lori Harvey off my wishlist/That’s the only thing I wanted for Christmas.”
Meek has since addressed the speculation in a series of tweets, insisting his initial post had nothing to do with the rumored couple, and was a simply a line from PARTYNEXTDOOR’s newly released song, “Her Old Friends.”
They really got that pr shit on smash lol they confusing meeee … it’s sad they got our people confused on high levels or these gotta be bots it’s no way people got that dumbed down https://t.co/NUltJZbp52 — MeekMill (@MeekMill) January 13, 2023
Meek went on to call Idris his “real friend,” and proceeded accuse certain outlets of fueling unnecessary drama, rather than focusing on positive news.
Damson my real friend … the shade room posted and made it as I’m coming at him and his lady tf ….. these sites ruined many friendships and families …seeing all that negativity you become that! I stay away from people that live in those comments they be secretly miserable! — MeekMill (@MeekMill) January 13, 2023
I don’t pay them blogs and they gotta post me daily with great news ….them sites based off black hatred they even caught me by replying … but bro my real friend and shawty not in my world they pushing black hatred lol them blogs are for “narcissism use only” — MeekMill (@MeekMill) January 13, 2023
He claimed that the action will worsen the already weak economy.
Bright Simons said, “Persons all heated up about how the economic crisis will now compel upper middle class folks to join the political fight for more accountability,” in a tweet that GhanaWeb Business was able to catch. I’m sorry to bust your bubble, but it will only encourage them to seek out additional foreign investment opportunities, which will worsen Ghana’s economic [issues].
His comment comes after Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, urged government to engage in further dialogue on the implementation of its domestic debt exchange programme.
According to the majority leader, the programme requires more engagement as it has the potential of wiping away the country’s middle class.
Government of Ghana is seeking to revive the economy through a $3 billion International Monetary Fund loan.
As part of its efforts to meet the conditions required for the loan, government has announced a domestic debt exchange programme aimed at varying the terms of existing government bonds.
Meanwhile, goverment has extended the deadline for the expiration of the debt exchange programme to January 31, 2023.
But the Minority in Parliament has asked government to as a matter of urgency suspend the debt exchange programme.
Before a choice is made to join the program, the Association contends that requests from its members must first be satisfied.
GAB noted that the prolonged uncertainty caused by the debt restructuring operation will probably have an effect on the banking sector in a letter it sent to managing directors and chief executive officers of commercial banks.
“From the uncertainty surrounding the programme, GAB recommends that all banks must stay away from any further movement on the exchange until our demands have been met. However, in the event that a bank may have to move forward to exchange, the MD/CEO must inform the CEO of GAB directly of the decision”.
As part of efforts to secure an IMF bailout and address the country’s unsustainable debt situation, government launched the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme inviting bondholders to voluntarily exchange approximately GH¢137 billion domestic notes and bonds of the Republic including ESLA and Daakye for a package of new bonds.
In the wake of this, various groups of bondholders in the financial sector have called on their members to reject government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme due to a lack of broader consultations and negotiations.
Andrew Garfield couldn’t help but flex his charm at the 2023 Golden Globes.
The actor had a way with words during his red carpet interview with Amelia Dimoldenberg in Beverly Hills. The clip of the conversation has gone viral on social media, with nearly 30 million views on Twitter.
“Be normal!” the 28-year-old host/comedian/fellow Brit jokingly warned the Amazing Spider-Man star after he compared her reaction to seeing him to a “capybara in the wild.”
“I only ever want to see you,” Garfield told Dimoldenberg, before providing further explanation. “I only ever want to see you in these kind of sort of situations.” The Hot Air star appeared to be referencing the fact that the host first interviewed him at the British GQ Men of the Year ceremony last November.
She claims that the domestic debt swap program, which the government plans to implement by the end of January this year, is how the government is collecting money from bondholders and investors.
According to Joyce Bawah Mogtari, countless Ghanaians lost their employment and money as a result of the banking sector cleansing.
She stated, “Fellow Ghanaians lost money and jobs in the Banking Sector Clean Up Exercise, and now they are snatching people’s livelihoods from them, disguised as a Domestic Debt Exchange Scheme,” in a tweet that was seen by GhanaWeb Biz.
“So annoying. So now it’s the fault of Ghanaians for expecting that leadership does what it was elected to do? You mess up the economy and scuttle people’s hard-earned investments and turn round to suggest the victims of your recklessness are not being patriotic enough?” Joyce Bawah Mogtari added.
As part of its efforts to meet the conditions required for the loan, government has announced a domestic debt exchange programme aimed at varying the terms of existing government bonds.
Meanwhile, goverment has extended the deadline for the expiration of the debt exchange programme to January 31, 2023.
While making submissions on Joy News’ Newsfile programme last Saturday, he submitted that the Mahama government had two homegrown solutions to the economic crunch at the time.
He is concerned that the current government announced the July 1 IMF plan without a homegrown programme stressing that the IMF does not draw a programme for any applicant except to support them through an in-house plan.
“In 2014, when the government made the announcement on April 6, there was a document on hand. Drawing from the Senchi Consensus. There was also the Ghana Growth and Shared Development Agenda II of 2014 to 2017.
“So, before the president (John Mahama) then made the announcement, there was a homegrown programme, so it made it a bit easier engaging the fund because we had a programme because the Fund doesn’t develop a programme for any country, that is why it is called a Ghana government programme supported by the IMF,” he stressed.
He also averred that the IMF programme alone is not enough to solve the current crisis because the country is in an unsustainable debt situation.
President Akufo-Addo ordered Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta via a July 1 statement to present an economic rescue programme to the IMF.
A team from the Fund led by Carlo Sdralevich has since visited Ghana between July 6 – 13, meeting with relevant stakeholders.
Keith Davis Jr., the man accused of killing a Maryland security guard in 2015, is no longer behind bars.
The Baltimore resident was officially released on Friday following a years-long legal battle that included four trials. According to NBC News, Davis was arrested less than eight years ago, after he allegedly shot and killed Kevin Jones at the Pimlico Race Course track.
The shooting reportedly took place just hours after an unlicensed cab driver reported an attempted armed robbery. Police say they immediately identified Davis as a suspect, and managed to corner him in a West Baltimore mechanic’s garage. During the confrontation, officers reportedly shot Davis multiple times before taking him into custody. Police also said they recovered Davis’ handgun inside the garage, and determined the weapon matched the casings found at the Jones crime scene.
Authorities failed to provide any DNA evidence that linked Davis to Jones’ fatal shooting. Davis has maintained his innocence ever since.
The suspect’s first murder trial took place in 2017 and resulted in a hung jury. He faced a second trial several months later, and was ultimately found guilty of second-degree murder; that verdict was ultimately overturned, after the judge learned that prosecutors had introduced their key witness—a “professional jailhouse informant”—without disclosing his background in court.
On Friday, the newly elected Baltimore State Attorney Ivan Bates announced all charges against Davis had been dropped. Bates, who took office on Jan. 3, said the decision was made after Deputy State’s Attorney Thomas Donnelly conducted a thorough review of Davis’ prosecution.
“Deputy Donnelly has reviewed all the pertinent information, analyzed the law, and concluded that we should not continue this prosecution,” Bates wrote in a statement. “Today’s dismissal is about the prosecutorial missteps of my predecessor in her pursuit of a conviction at all costs.
“I fully recognize the pain and anguish that repeated unsuccessful prosecutions have caused the victim’s family, and I truly sympathize with them. Still, as State’s Attorney, I have a duty to ensure justice for all, not just the victim but also the accused.”
David Blaine refused to let a stab wound hinder his live show.
The 49-year-old magician mistakenly injured himself while performing his famous ice pick trick in Las Vegas. The stunt is relatively straight-forward: Blaine calls on two audience members to analyze a row of three styrofoam cups and guess which one of them has an ice pick hidden underneath. Once the selection is made, Blaine places his hands over the two other cups and smashes them; however, this time around, the audience members picked the wrong cup, causing Blaine to stab his own hand.
Blaine told People magazine he had performed the trick “one thousand times” without sustaining any injuries. But he ignored his gut instincts during this specific show, as he didn’t want to cause any delays.
“I felt like this was the one,” he told the outlet. “I wanted to keep it exciting, so I just figured I’ll go for it even though I didn’t feel it was right.”
He continued: “The show must go on, so I just cleaned up the blood and started again a minute later.”
Blaine has performed variations of the ice pick trick throughout his career, but admitted it was never his favorite.
“I wasn’t a big fan of the trick until now,” he said, suggesting the recent mishap made the stunt more exciting.
Blaine is expected to perform the trick this weekend, when his show returns to Resorts World Theater in Vegas. His residency kicked off back in September and will conclude on March 11. The show is packed with jaw-dropping illusions and death-defying feats, including a nine-story jump from the top of the venue.
“It’s intimate,” Blaine said about the show. “It’ll be interactive and I’ll be able to do things with the audience and bring them up … And then there’s the stunt element of it where I can bring all the crazy things I’ve spent most of my adult life and magic thinking about and put them all in this room.”
You can learn more about Blaine’s residency at the Resorts World Theatre website.
During a recent appearance on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion, French Montana praised 50 Cent for utilizing beefs to his own benefit.
“50 was picking on n***as to pick on n***as,” French explained. “At one point, he was the biggest genius in the music industry. He would just pick on you and drop a mixtape. Pick on you and drop an album.”
French went on to credit 50 with creating an entire “marketing scheme for other artists to use.”
“I mean people did it before him, but he became the mastermind he became the warlord of that,” Montana shared. “That’s definitely a blueprint for a lo of n***s to learn.”
French’s comments arrive a year after he buried the hatchet with Fif, saying he has no problem with the hip-hop mogul ever since he made Starz’s hit series BMF.
“Man, let me tell you something. Me, I have no problem with 50 no more after he dropped this BMF joint. That’s my favorite shit,” French told Drink Champs in December 2021. “Whatever me and 50 ever had – shout out to 50. Yeah, me and him, everything is over after BMF. That’s the best work ever.”
It didn’t take long for 50 to accept French’s peace offering. 50 took to Instagram on Saturday to address his former adversary’s comments, writing, “That was the right answer French, well handled. What beef, I don’t remember.”
Joe Biden is facing a classified documents scandal.
The White House confirmed Saturday that five additional pages with classification markings were found at POTUS’ home in Wilmington, Delaware. Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, said the discovery was made earlier this week as Biden’s personal lawyers were searching the property. Sauber claimed the attorneys came across one classified document on Wednesday, but had to stop the search because they didn’t have security clearance.
Sauber, who has security clearance, reportedly arrived at the residence on Thursday to facilitate the transfer of said document to the Justice Department; however, during his stop, Sauber reportedly discovered five more classified documents in Biden’s home.
“While I was transferring it to the DOJ officials who accompanied me, five additional pages with classification markings were discovered among the material with it, for a total of six pages,” Sauber said in a statement. “The DOJ officials with me immediately took possession of them.”
The announcement came just days after the White House confirmed a number of classified documents were found in Biden’s private garage as well as his old offices at the Penn Biden Center in Washington. The documents, which were from Biden’s time as Barack Obama’s vice president, were reportedly discovered in early November, just days before the midterm elections. A source claimed that a total of 20 classified files were recovered between the two locations.
“Has ABC ever used the morals or conduct clause to fire or discipline 2 consenting adults at equal levels when both were white?” the lawyers will reportedly ask.
“The President’s lawyers have acted immediately and voluntarily to provide the Penn Biden documents to the Archives and the Wilmington documents to DOJ,” Sauber said. “We have now publicly released specific details about the documents identified, how they were identified, and where they were found.”
Though Biden has denied knowing that he had the files, the Department of Justice is looking into the matter and will determine whether the president mishandled sensitive material. On Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the probe will be led by Robert Hur, a Trump appointee who served as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the District of Maryland between 2018-2021.
Sauber said the Biden team is fully cooperating with the DOJ.
“We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced, and the President and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake,” Sauber said in a statement.
The findings may complicate a similar DOJ probe involving former president, Donald Trump. In summer 2022, FBI agents raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and discovered dozens of empty document folders marked “CLASSIFIED.” Biden addressed the matter during a September interview on 60 Minutes.
“How that could possibly happen, how one anyone could be that irresponsible,” Biden said. “And I thought what data was in there that may compromise sources and methods. By that, I mean, names of people helped or et cetera. And it’s just totally irresponsible.”
T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach have reportedly lawyered up.
According to TMZ, the Good Morning America anchors are preparing to file a lawsuit against ABC if/when they are fired. The two were removed from the show back in late 2022, after their alleged affair became public. Sources initially claimed the network had no intentions of taking disciplinary action against the two, as the scandal was expected to lead to higher ratings; however, Holmes and Robach were taken off their air in early December without no explanation.
The pair’s future at GMA has remained uncertain ever since. Though ABC hasn’t officially terminated Holmes and Robach, the fan-favorite anchors have already taken steps in what could become a nasty legal battle. Sources tell TMZ that Holmes and Robach have hired powerhouse attorneys, Eric George and Andrew Brettler, respectively.
Insiders say the civil lawyers plan to press ABC about a so-called “morality clause,” and attempt to get a clear answer on why their clients were removed from GMA. A source also say that race could also be a factor in Holmes’ lawsuit.
“Has ABC ever used the morals or conduct clause to fire or discipline 2 consenting adults at equal levels when both were white?” the lawyers will reportedly ask.
The sources say Holmes and Robach don’t believe they did anything wrong, except failing to inform the network about their relationship as soon as it began.
“Are you supposed to inform your boss when you catch feelings?” an insider quipped.
ABC and GMA have yet to publicly comment on the report.
News of the potential lawsuits come just days Holmes’ estranged wife, Marilee Fiebig, filed for divorce.
Dancehall musician Stonebwoy has asked the public to assist in retrieving a mobile phone that was stolen from his road manager during their recent visit to Berekum.
According to Stonebwoy, his road manager last saw his phone at Berekum. However, in an attempt to locate the device, it proved that it is now at Bantama, Kumasi.
“My road manager’s phone was picked in brekum.. latest information be say it’s in Bantama according to find my phone. My Bantama people feel free to bring it back.. just call 0501550000 / 0501770000,” Stonebwoy appealed in a Snapchat post.
The people of Berekum in the Bono Region gave Stonebwoy a resounding welcome ahead of his show dubbed “A Night In Berekum”.
Videos emerging from his performance captured a wild crowd jamming to his tunes.
It would be recalled that American rapper, Meek Mill in December 2022 suffered the same experienced when a pickpocket allegedly grabbed his mobile phone just before his performance at Afronation.
It took the effort of the Ghana Police Service to locate the man who stole the device. It was returned to him and a suspect was arrested.
Away from all the headache associated with politics, former president John Dramani Mahama has been spotted spending some peaceful time with his family, specifically babysitting his newly born granddaughter.
It can be recalled that Shafik Mahama, the first son of formerPresident John Dramani Mahama, welcomed his first child with his Algerian wife, Asma, sometime in December 2022, after two years of marriage.
However, it appears that the couple is currently in Ghana, as John Mahama and his wife, Lordina, were captured in their residence, taking turns to babysit.
Sharing the priceless moment on social media, netizens were stunned to see a video of President Mahama rocking a baby in an experienced manner.
Mr. Mahama was seen playing, trying to feed and putting his crying granddaughter to sleep.
In another instance, he handed over the baby to his wife, Lordina Mahama, who also continued with the babysitting duties.
However, John Mahama has congratulated his son and daughter-in-law on the birth of their new baby, named Alyazia Frema Mahama.
“Congratulations, Shafik and Asma. Welcome granddaughter Alyazia Frema Mahama,” he wrote as the caption to the ‘babysitting’ video shared on Facebook.
A human skeleton was discovered this week in an abandoned building on the University of Berkely campus.
UC Berkeley police were alerted to the remains on Tuesday, according to a statement shared with CNN. The skeleton was found in a building on the Clark Kerr Campus, which is a residential hall complex located a mile from the school’s main campus.
According to police, the human remains were discovered in a graffiti-covered building that hasn’t been used in many years. “It is not clear how many years they have been there,” police said. “There are no outstanding cases of missing individuals from the campus community.”
Authorities added that there’s no reason to believe the skeleton is that of any “missing individuals from the campus community.”
“We do not anticipate this investigation will disrupt resident activities at the Clark Kerr Campus,” police said. “We understand that there are many questions and we anticipate that the coroner’s report will provide additional information.”
Anyone with information on the remains is encouraged to contact UCPD.
An unidentified man spoke with Fox 2 about the discovery, explaining that he assumed it was nothing more than the usual police activity that one would encounter with an abandoned building.
“We saw a lot of police activity. There was a construction site,” he said. “They were like demo-ing everything out of this building and all of a sudden just stopped. The next day we saw the coroner come. A lot of police activity. It surprised me that much. There’s a lot of homeless activity here, so it was an abandoned building, so figured probably something like that happened.”
Darius Miles, who plays for Alabama’s men’s basketball team, has been charged with capital murder after a weekend shooting near the university’s campus that left a 23-year-old woman dead, ESPN reports.
Miles, a junior reserve forward and Washington D.C. native, was arrested alongside another man, Michael Lynn Davis, and has since been kicked off the team. According to Tuscaloosa Police Capt. Jack Kennedy, the shooting occurred after an argument that unfolded in the Strip off University Blvd.
“At this time, it appears that the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on The Strip,’’ Kennedy said at a Sunday press conference.
Per police, the victim, Jamea Harris, was the passenger in a vehicle that was allegedly shot at by the suspects. The driver of the vehicle shot back at the assailants, injuring one of the men who was later treated at a nearby hospital.
“The University of Alabama’s utmost priority is the safety and well-being of the campus community,’’ the university said in a statement. “We are grieved by the incident that occurred near campus last night and extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.’’
Video of Miles being escorted into a police SUV shows him saying the words “I swear … I love you more than you imagine.”
Miles appeared to be in tears while being taken into the vehicle.
This follows a year of giving individuals, groups, and institutions sound business-oriented solutions.
The BAC Group is a consulting company created to help people, businesses, and nations create, integrate, and reorganize important strategic assets with the purpose of achieving optimal operations and performance across business spheres.
The company has successfully offered these services in line with its mission through developing, deploying, monitoring, and regularly evaluating world-class, competitive advisory, management, organizational, and media services through dynamic concepts that are relevant to its clientele in the business ecosystem.
Dr. Ernest Koranteng, touching on the theme for the first anniversary of the consulting firm, had this to share:
“For us, it is one year of thankfulness to God, individuals, groups and organizations we have had the privilege of dealing with.
Particularly, to those who have trusted us and given us opportunities to work for them.”
Dr. Koranteng further mentioned that “some institutions, individuals, groups and businesses have been good to us and even for those who didn’t treat us favourably, we consider that critical to our growth too. We can only get better as we mark a successful first year.”
He revealed that The BAC Group has been consulting for clients across a wide range of industries including sports, media, telecom, politics and hospitality.
Some of The BAC Group’s clients include the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, Ghana Institute of Procurement and Supply, Sportive Avranches Football Academy, Berry Ladies Football Club, among several other groups and institutions.
“This strategic management consulting firm was established in January 2022 with the view of channeling the expertise, experiences and network of its founder and staff to creating value through solutions in the African business ecosystem.
All our activities are guided by relevant data science and it is the vision of the BAC Group to become a relevant player in the global consultancy business,” he stated.
He went on to add that “The BAC Group is headquartered in Ghana with operations across West, East and Central Africa as well as parts of Europe and North America.
The consulting firm has interest across Business Advisory, Sports business, Events and promotions architecture, Media Production and Business facilitation.”
One of its landmark events was The All-Star Game held in June 2022.
The event featured a star-studded football cast of Ghanaian international players led by Captain Andre Ayew and Ivory Coast and Barcelona midfielder, Frank Kessie, played at the Accra Sports stadium.
The game was organized as part of activities for the Black Stars to appreciate Ghanaian fans for their support throughout a difficult qualifying campaign towards the World Cup, Qatar 2022.
A fierce clash between two rival factions in a protracted chieftaincy dispute in Ngleshie Alata James Town on Sunday morning led to the destruction of several property with many people sustaining various degrees of injury.
A 2018 Toyota Corolla and two motorbikes were burnt in the process, but the police intervened to restore calm, and some people were arrested to assist in investigations.
The Ngleshie Alata James Town stool has been in dispute since the demise of the late Paramount Chief, Nii Kojo Ababio, as two factions, Oblempong Wetse Kojo II and Nii Ahoma Kojo, have both claimed ownership of the stool.
A Spokesperson for Oblempong Wetse Kojo II, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that a surprise attack was launched on them by some weapon yielding group when they visited the palace to perform some purification.
“We went to the palace this morning without any cutlass, stone, sticks, or whatever. We were there performing some rituals when we saw some thugs coming with machetes, bottles, and stones to attack us. We did not attack anybody in the palace. Let’s ask the one claiming to be Nii Ahoma Kojo III what document is making him a chief?” he narrated in an interview on Metro TV.
According to another report by an eyewitness, the Nii Ahoma Kojo III camp was not involved in the clash.
“We were sitting down when some guys came to the palace area. They were in one of the chief’s attire, Prince Bruce Kwei but they have written under the attire Wietse Kojo. They went into the palace, broke some doors, and entered. All of a sudden, some people who were always in the company of Wietse Kojo showed up and one person said ” blood must spill here today” and another person asked for all doors to be locked and nobody should be allowed to go out. We got scared and started running for our lives,” she stated.
The Spokesperson for Oblempong Wetse Kojo II, however, revealed that they are the rightful claimants to the stool.
“We have a judgment from the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, that is the kingmaker who only does the selection, election, nomination, election, and enstoolment of the chief of James Town. 15th June 2021, the judgment is there. Apart from that, there is a High Court mandamus that the chief should be gazetted within 14 days, that’s Oblempong Wetse Kojo II. Let’s ask the other claimant that what does he have before claiming the title as paramount chief?” he questioned.
Acting Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), Mr David Osafo Adonteng, has hinted of moves to reconsider the use of Sprinter and some other minibuses for carrying passengers if the scourge of road crashes they are involved in persists.
He said the spate of avoidable road crashes involving such vehicles due to the blatant disregard for road traffic regulations by some of the drivers, particularly along the Takoradi-Cape Coast-Mankessim-Accra highway, were terrifying.
The drivers often competed for passengers along that stretch racing at top speed in the process, risking the lives of passengers and other road users.
Mr Adonteng, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the weekend, commiserated with victims of road crashes and their families and expressed the Authority’s determination to curtail the menace.
Mr David Osafo Adonteng.
He expressed sadness over the death of seven passengers in a gory accident on Thursday night at Gomoa-Antseadze near Apam in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region, after visiting those on admission at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital.
He was accompanied by Madam Pearl Adosu, the Head of Public Relations at the Authority, Ms Linda Affotey Annang, Central Regional Head of the NRSA, and Assistant Superintendent of Police, Beatrice Smith-Koree, the Director of Mankessim Motor Traffic and Transport Division.
Fourteen people were involved in the accident of which seven died on the spot whilst the other seven, including an infant, sustained injuries.
The accident involved two Sprinter minibuses heading to Accra from Takoradi and Mankessim. On reaching Gomoa-Antseadze, the one from Takoradi, on top speed, tried to overtake the other bus, veered off the road and catapulted into the bush leaving many trapped.
“We know how they behave on the road, we have alerted them, given them notices and warned them, but if they continue to misbehave and take people’s lives for granted, then we would be left with no option than to invoke our mandate by the law” Mr Adonteng said.
“We are backed by the Road Safety Act, (Act 933) and Legislative Instrument (LI) to take firm action. We have the modalities, and I’m sure when we go back to Accra, we would be taking policy decisions for the Ministry of Transport to consider in the coming days.”
He urged drivers and road users to adhere to basic road safety signs to reduce road accidents.
Drivers must check the condition of their vehicles before putting them on the road, and endeavor not to drink and drive, he added.
Mr Adonteng interacted with some relatives of the deceased at the Mankessim Police Station and Mercy Women’s Hospital, as well as the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital.
He interacted with the family of Ato Kwamena, a 34-year-old DJ, who boarded the vehicle from Ayensudo, near Elmina to Gomoa-Antseadze, but died in the accident right at his destination.
He also commiserated with relatives of Mr Solomon Agyare, 25, a driver’s mate in the Sprinter bus, who was married with a child.
Agyare, a commercial driver, join the Sprinter bus as mate to earn some income when his vehicle developed a fault. He hailed from Asante Akyem Amantia but lived at Kasoa.
Former Chairman of the National Peace Council, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, has been appointed Chairperson by the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, to lead the Seventh Advisory Group of the Peace Building Fund.
Members of the Seventh Advisory Group are imminent personalities from UN Member States with rich and diverse qualities of experience in matters relating to peace and conflict resolution in various endeavours across the globe.
The Advisory Group provides advice and oversight on the allocations, programming and policies of the Peacebuilding Fund. The Group provides important inputs and ideas on how financing can support and strengthen the efforts of the UN towards peacebuilding and sustaining peace.
The Most Rev. Professor Asante is a Ghanaian academic, theologian and minister of religion. He is the current Chairman of the National Africa Peer Review Mechanism, Ghana Council (NARPM-GC). He served as the 3rd Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, The Christian Council of Ghana, and completed two terms as the Chairman of the National Peace Council of Ghana.
The members are:
Professor Emmanuel Asante, former Chairperson of the National Peace Council, Ghana.
H.E. Jingye Cheng, Ambassador (ret.), China.
Ms. Kjersti Dale, Director, International Development CARE, Norway.
H.E. Mohamed Edrees, Ambassador (ret.), Egypt.
H.E. Lise Filiatrault, Ambassador (ret.), Canada.
H.E. Macharia Kamau, Principal Secretary, Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya.
Ms. Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI (formerly the Overseas Development Institute), United Kingdom.
H.E. Stéphane Rey, Ambassador of Switzerland to Zimbabwe, Zambia & Malawi, Switzerland.
Ms. Marriët Schuurman, Director, Stabilization and Humanitarian Aid, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands.
Ms. Almut Wieland-Karimi, former Executive Director, Center for International Peace Operations, Germany.
Alhassan Shaibu (not his real name) is an 11-year-old boy who resides in the Tamale Metropolis. He suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, a medical condition, which affects children’s abilities to concentrate effectively.
While his other three siblings are in school, Shaibu stays at home because of his medical condition. This development is not different from Nakoja Yajah, a 15-year-old victim of autism spectrum disorder, resident in the Saboba District of the Northern Region.
He is also not in school because of a lack of special units for children with mental health disorders in the area.
The 1992 Constitution of Ghana makes provision for all persons to have equal educational opportunities and facilities. Most children with mental health disorders, especially in the Northern Region, have been starved of this important constitutional provision.
One could either see such children loitering around in their neighbourhood or in some instances denied space in the open.
When the Ghana News Agency visited Dakpema M/A Primary School, Special Unit Block “B” in Tamale, authorities said sometimes they had to pressure parents to bring their children with mental illness to school.
Mrs Yeiseh Christiana, the Headmistress of the Unit, said most parents and guardians did not see the need to enrol their children with special needs and the few, who brought the children to school, often abandoned them without providing their needs.
“At times, the teachers have to contribute money to buy food for them because there is no feeding plan for them. The parents simply don’t care,” she said.
Madam Abibata Mahamang, a 65-year-old grandmother of a mentally ill child in the Yendi Municipality, said the lack of facilities for children with mental health disorders was her primary concern.
Mental Health Disorders in Children
These refer to some form of delays or disruptions that affect the development of age-appropriate thinking, behaviours, social skills or regulations of emotions.
These include eating, anxiety, attention deficit/hyperactivity, and autism spectrum disorders.
Dr Frank Hill Koomson, the Head of the Psychiatry Unit, Tamale Teaching Hospital, said children with mental health disorders might demonstrate some extreme difficulty of concentration coupled with severe mood swings.
Such children could learn to live independently if provided with the necessary support, he said.
He cautioned against insensitive descriptions of these children such as mad, crazy, and moron adding that these are medical conditions that are treatable and manageable.
Statistics of Mental Health Cases among Children
Whilst the northern sector still awaits its share of a psychiatric hospital under the Government’s Agenda 111 Project, other psychiatric hospitals located in the south are recording surging cases of children with mental illness.
Data available at the Pantang Psychiatric Hospital indicates that between 2017 to 2019, an estimated 1,419 children reported various mental health conditions. Similarly, between 2015 – 2020, the Accra Psychiatric Hospital recorded 13,731 cases of children with mental health disorders.
Constitutional Provisions and Legislations
The 1992 Constitution says every child has the right to life, dignity, respect, leisure, liberty, health, education and shelter.
Meanwhile, in 2012, Ghana passed a Mental Health Act (Act 846), which makes provision for the health care of persons with mental illness mandatory.
The Act stipulates that a person with mental health disorder is entitled to the same fundamental rights as a fellow citizen. Unfortunately, successive governments have not shown enough commitment towards the implementation of the various policies that guarantee the well-being of persons with mental illnesses.
Advocacy and Sensitisation
Mr Stephen Kwame Asante, the Executive Director of Mental Health Advocacy Foundation, said the alarming rate of mental disorders among children called for more awareness creation, advocacy and sensitisation to address some misconceptions surrounding mental illnesses.
He said most people, especially in the rural areas, were not well informed about mental health, hence the cases of abuse and neglect.
The Way Forward
There is the need for the Government to increase budgetary allocation to the mental health sector to ensure the provision of facilities and services as the 1.4 per cent allocation for 2022 was woefully inadequate.
Enforcement of the 2012 Mental Health Act, (Act 846) must be stepped up to enhance access to quality education by children with mental health conditions, without any form of discrimination and stigmatisation.
Government must also strive to launch an advocacy and sensitisation campaign, especially in the rural communities, to address misconceptions associated with mental health disorders among children, while providing educational facilities to ensure their rights to education are not compromised.
Mr. Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, popularly known as Abeiku Santana, has been named among the Top 10 Hospitality and Tourism Influencers in Africa for the year 2022.
The astute broadcaster was recognised for his more than two decades of dedicated service to the growth of tourism on the African continent, particularly in Ghana.
Abeiku Santana, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Kaya Tours Ghana Ltd, one of the biggest tour operators in Ghana, received a certificate for his service at the Hospitality Awards Africa 2022.
Nicknamed “Mr. Tourism on Air,” Abeiku Santana, a one-time winner of the Tourism Oriented Media Personality of the Year at the National Tourism Awards, was elated with his latest milestone and was grateful for the recognition.
“The growth of domestic tourism is something I always have at heart, and this landmark achievement would further motivate me to give my best to the growth of African tourism.
“The African tourism industry has massive potential, and I will urge governments across the Continent to invest heavily in this sector because it brings wealth and provides jobs for the masses,” he said.
Abeiku Santana, who has a Master’s Degree in Tourism Management from the University of Cape Coast, was named among the Top 100 West African Personalities in Tourism in past years.
Back in 2020, Abeiku Santana gained special recognition as the Exclusive Man of the Year for his exploits in Tourism Marketing and Promotion using his platform to promote Ghana’s tourism.
Abeiku Santana, who works for the Despite Media Group, won the 2021 Radio and Television Personality of the Year.
Controversial dancehall musician, Shatta Wale, has averred that Ghanaian actress and TV show host, Nana Ama McBrown lacks presentation skills.
According to the “On God” artiste in an Instagram live, the actress was unqualified to serve as a presenter on UTV.
“Nana Ama McBrown is an actress, Nana Ama McBrown doesn’t know anything about presenting. Sometimes she can present and someone can counter her,” he said.
“Let us be real in this life, it’s stupid. You, people, are villagers. Stupid people. You are worrying Ghanaians, you are worrying Ghanaians. It’s nonsense. That’s why you all can’t stop me. That’s what you all deserve. Stupid!” he ranted.
He also pleaded with Fada Dickson to reconsider their objectives since he finds many of their shows to be absurd.
“Fada Dickson I beg, I respect you and Despite so much because the innovations, the idea, the vision that you people have for this country is helping a lot of people.”
“Please check your radio stations and TV stations. The programmes you are doing are nonsense. It’s nonsense, it’s stupid. We have boys from Legon who have some ideas. Let them bring it on board,” he added.
Nana Ama McBrown hosts United Showbiz programme every saturday on United Television.
Samuel Koku Anyidoho, the former deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has shared his views on the story of the eight students of Chiana Senior High School who insulted President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a viral video.
Koku Anyidoho in a social media post lambasted the girls, stating that they were lucky to find themselves in a jurisdiction where laws on such issues are not in the extreme.
Koku Anyidoho also noted that the girls should thank their stars for having a president who is kind enough to intervene in the decision by the Ghana Education Service to dismiss them.
He expressed gratitude to President Akufo-Addo over his decision to ask the GES to reverse its earlier decision on the girls.
“Honestly, these girls are damn lucky. In other jurisdictions, they would have been flogged publicly. What nonsense!! You joke with insulting the President & making it public? Ah! Ah! Ah! I guess we must thank President Akufo-Addo for having a kind heart to forgive them. Thanks Prez,” Anyidoho tweeted.
President Akufo-Addo intervened in the matter after his ‘attention was drawn’ to the move by the Ghana Education Service to sack the students.
The move by the president has been welcomed by the Education Ministry which has instructed the GES to review its decision.
The GES has consequently announced that it will work with the authorities of the school to find an alternative punishment for the implicated students.
Private legal practitioner, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has advanced reasons for which individual bondholders are supposed to welcome the debt restructuring offer from the government.
According to him, the Ghanaian economy could crash if the bondholders do not quickly accept the offer as outlined by the Ministry of Finance.
Gabby, in a series of posts on social media, warned against the agitations surrounding the deal and encouraged the bondholders to play their role in the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
“Ghana is in a very difficult place. What we are seeing with the mobilisation of agitation on individual bondholders poses a real and serious risk worse than what we witnessed when opposition to E-levy succeeded in derailing an already shaky macroeconomic situation from 2021,” portions of his tweets read.
“The debt exchange programme is voluntary for individual bondholders but a very necessary evil for our economy.
“Its success is critical to restoring macroeconomic stability, securing an IMF programme. It hits those of us holding bonds very hard. A straight no to it is no solution!”, Mr Otchere-Darko stressed.
“If the no-compromise opposition to it wins, what then has been achieved? It may lead to national debt default.
“So what then happens to the value of your bonds after! Potentially worthless. If participation is low, we jeopardize resolving the economic crisis and hardships”, he wrote.
Gabby Otchere-Darko concluded his tweet storm by reminding Ghanaians that the country’s economy is not in a good shape and that certain uncomfortable measures ought to be taken to restore it.
“I’m sorry but we have to face the hard/painful truths. We ain’t sitting pretty. Our focus must be on how the burden to individual bondholders may be possibly eased; but not to take the hardline position of simply saying no to participation. It will come back to hit us harder!”.
Meanwhile, the invitation to the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) expires today, Monday, January 16, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.
This comes after two extensions of the expiration date by the Finance Ministry.
The decision to include individual bondholders was necessitated after government was forced by labour unions to abandon plans to include pensions in the debt exchange programme which was first announced in December 2022.
The analysis which was conducted by the group’s members serving on the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism focused on key information on the 1D1F in the Annual Budget Statements (2017 – 2023), the Macro-Ecomomic Impact of two Different Industrial Development Pathways in Ghana (Report) – 2020, Ghana Revenue Authority (Customs Division), Ministry of Finance (Financial statement 2023, World Bank Country (Ghana) Report 2017, and the Ministry of Trade & Industry website had one key objective.
It was meant to determine whether each of the five key objectives of the 1D1F policy initiative has been met, or it’s in the process of being met or has not been met at all.
Background
The One-District-One-Factory policy initiative is a key component of the Industrial Transformation Agenda of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government.
The concept was first introduced by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Presidential Special Initiatives by the NPP Administration, as part of an integrated programme for Accelerated Growth and Industrial Development. It was originally designated as the Rural Enterprises Development Programme was later rebranded as the District Industrialization Programme (DIP).
It was designed as a comprehensive programme for rural industrialization, involving the setting up of at least one medium to large-scale factory in each of the administrative districts of Ghana.
The 1D1F Programme was launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on August 25, 2017, at Ekumfi in the Central Region.
Among the five key objectives of the programme are:
1. To create massive employment, particularly for the youth in rural and peri-urban communities, thereby improving income levels and standard of living, as well as reducing rural-urban migration;
2. To add value to the natural resources of each district and exploit the economic potential of each district based on its comparative advantage;
3. To ensure an even and spatial spread of industries and thereby stimulate economic activity and growth in different parts of the country;
4. To enhance the production of local substitutes for imported goods, thereby, conserving scarce foreign exchange; and
5. To promote exports and increase foreign exchange earnings to support the government’s development agenda.
The Findings
The analysis on the five key objectives of the 1D1F which commenced in September 2022 and ended in December 2022, concluded that “In the light of the limited time remaining of the party in government, and considering that only a limited number of factories, whether green or brownfields are running, it can be concluded that the policy is not working and has not made any progress in the quest to moving the country from an agro-based economy to an even semi-industrialized economy”.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Friday, January 13, 2023, over the outcome of the analysis, the NDC MP for Ellembelle and Ranking Member of the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said the state of the 1D1F is very bad considering the millions of Ghana Cedis that have been invested into the policy initiative.
Accompanied by the NDC MP for Bole and deputy Ranking Member of the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism, Hon. Yusif Sulemana, the duo took turns explaining the findings on each of the five key objectives of the 1D1F Programme.
Employment
Speaking on the 1D1F objective of creating massive employment for the youth, Hon. Buah contended that the findings of the analysis revealed that it was very difficult to see how this objective was being achieved considering the outcome of the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) which noted that only 13.8% in rural areas are employed, with the majority outside of the labour force.
“Another critical finding worthy to note is that, according to the 2023 Budget Statement, there are sixteen (16) Government flagship programmes for 2023. A budget of GH¢9.2 billion has been allocated for these projects. Surprisingly, only about GH¢203million representing 2.2% has been allocated to fund 1D1F projects, a clear indication that the Nana Addo/Bawumia-led NPP Government is not serious about its industrial transformation agenda they have been making so much noise about. More funding for these projects in the rural areas will create the needed jobs, thereby, helping to alleviate poverty. On the face of the records based on the analysis done, the Nana Addo/Bawumia-led NPP Government is not committed to its own flagship 1D1F policy initiative”, he noted.
Value Addition
With regards to the 1D1F objective of value addition to the natural resources of each district, Hon. Buah noted that it was only agro-processing and chemicals and pharmaceuticals that benefitted immensely from government stimulus package initiative, with a paltry resources going into livestock, plastics and packaging, electricals and electronics and garments & textiles.
“This clearly contradicts the objective of adding value to our natural resources based on comparative advantage and on the objective of even and spatial distribution of factories. This means that there is no significant impact of value addition to our natural resources”, he noted.
Even and spatial distribution
Touching on the third objective of even and spatial distribution of factories, the Ellembelle lawmaker indicated that about 70% of the industries under the 1D1F programme are located in the regional capitals of Greater Accra, Ashanti and Eastern regions.
For instance, he noted that the data revealed that 76 of the projects are located in the Greater Accra Region, followed by the Ashanti Region which has 54 factories while the Eastern Region has 37 projects. However, the Savannah Region has 4 projects while North East and Oti Regions have three projects apiece, thereby, defeating the objective of the policy initiative. Besides, majority of the factories under the 1D1F programme were existing factories that were only given some financial support for expansion and captured under the programme as a beneficiary of the initiative, he stressed.
Enhancing local production
Further commenting on the 1D1F programme, Hon. Buah noted that the objective of enhancing the production of local substitutes for imported goods, thereby, conserving scarce foreign exchange has also not been met considering the fact that imports of local substitutes such as rice and sugar have continued to skyrocket since 2017, with the forecast showing the same trend beyond 2023.
“This is why President Mahama constructed the Komenda Sugar Factory to save us some foreign exchange and also contribute to making the Cedi stronger. Seven years in power, what has happened to President Mahama’s Komenda Sugar Factory? The current troubles with the Cedi alone show that this is an abysmal failure. There is no production of local substitutes and there is no conservation of scarce foreign exchange. Importing 4.21 million metric tons of sugar and 10 million metric tonNE of rice in 2022 alone indicates that nothing has changed, and this objective has not been met. Another finding which should be of concern to all is that there is a huge gap between agriculture, industry and services, three of the main sectors of the economy. The data revealed that the 1D1F is not bridging the gap between agriculture and industry. While agriculture is projected to experience growth in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 and beyond, industry is projected to drop steeply”, he underscored.
Promoting Exports
He also noted that the objective of promoting exports and increase foreign exchange earnings to support the government’s development agenda is also in tatters as Ghana continues to export raw materials and intermediate goods, and import more consumer and capital goods.
Considering how the policy initiative has turned out to be, the Ellembelle lawmaker said it was important for the NPP government to account to the taxpayers for a failed policy initiative.
Congratulations go out to John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, who just confirmed their family addition.
People magazine reports the celebrity couple have welcomed their third child together. Legend reportedly announced the happy news during a private concert on Friday, telling the crowd their “little baby” had finally arrived just hours before. The Grammy winner said he “didn’t get a lot of sleep” by felt energized after spending “a lot of time” at the hospital.
Since tying the knot in 2013, Teigen and Legend have welcomed two other children: a 6-year-old daughter named Luna and a 4-year-old son named Miles. In 2020, the pair announced they were expecting a third child; however, she lost the pregnancy several months later due to health complications. Teigen opened up about the heartbreaking experience in a 2022 interview, admitting she had an abortion.
“… When I was pregnant with Jack, John and my third child, I had to make a lot of difficult and heartbreaking decisions,” she told The Hollywood Reporter last summer. “It became very clear around halfway through that he would not survive, and that I wouldn’t either without any medical intervention.”
A month prior to the THR interview, Teigen and Legend revealed they were expecting another baby.
“The last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least, but joy has filled our home and hearts again,” she wrote on Instagram. “1 billion shots later (in the leg lately, as u can see!) we have another on the way.”
The couple has yet to publicly announce the arrival.
For many, being born into a wealthy home is almost an insurance against the difficulties and discomforts of life. It is sometimes even seen as a launch pad to riches. For business moguls and philanthropists, this is far from the truth.
Born to a wealthy man in a village in one of Ghana’s poorest regions, Upper East, young Seidu, who targeted the impossible, neither had life on a silver platter nor inherited any lunch-pad riches. Unlike many children of the wealthy few, Seidu did not stay with his biological parents to enjoy the conveniences that his dad’s wealth could buy.
Despite that early-life hard luck, young Seidu trudged through life’s trenches with bare audacity until his intense, stern gaze into poverty’s face eventually bought him freedom from the wants of this world.
Realising early in his life that he had absolutely no one but himself to blame and hold responsible for everything that either happened or did not happen to him – whether right or wrong – young Seidu would fuel his mission to escape from poverty with sheer hunger and anger.
As he told CTV’s Nana Otu Darko in a recent interview, hunger and anger drove him to think his way out of the trenches of poverty.
Gifted with wisdom to know from very early in his life that “my dad’s wealth wasn’t mine”, tough Seidu would start from very humble beginnings to conquer the behemoth heights of poverty.
“I wasn’t born into riches. I didn’t inherit riches although my father was a rich man. People who inherit riches normally don’t succeed because they would have had a pampered upbringing and mess up later”, he waxed philosophical to Nana Otu Darko.
“I’m a very tough and fearless person but humble. I grew up at Burma Camp among soldiers, so, you can imagine how tough I am. I have been a cobbler (shoeshine boy) before. I was also a bus conductor (trotro driver’s mate) at a point in my life”, he recounted.
“It is hard work and the grace of God that has brought me this far”, Mr Agongo, who now owns media giant Class Media Group and a plethora of other businesses, acknowledged the handiwork of the Divine God in his life.
To him, “it is foolish” for anyone to rely on their parent’s wealth to build their life because whereas hunger and anger may have been the motivators that fueled their ancestors’ hustles, a voracious appetite to “show-off” on social media in “designer” stuff might, more than likely, be the motivator for the progeny.
“Hunger makes you think. Secondly, anger can drive you to success. It has nothing to do with your parents’ wealth. I know the children of the rich will suffer in the future because they would not manage that wealth properly because their parents were driven by hunger and poverty but they are being driven by social media, so, they buy designer belts, shoes, and cars. You’ll never succeed that way”, the owner of the now-defunct Heritage Bank Limited continued.
“I’m grateful to God for how he wired me because I realised from an early age that I can’t blame anyone for my circumstances. I blame myself for everything”.
And, so, he became his own boss from the very outset. As CEO of his own shoeshine, busy young Agongo put his very heart into his job. Excellence was his target and excellence he hit.
With the same fervour, dedication and commitment, young Seidu took his trotro mate job to dizzying heights.
He was on to a good start – thanks to his toughness and rugged audacity to succeed.
He then took things a notch higher. “I was the very first person to set up a communication centre at Burma Camp”, he said with well-deserved pride, recalling: “People queued to speak to their soldier relatives abroad at my booths. It was very successful”.
“By the grace of God, no enterprise I establish ever fails; it’s just that I don’t get the right people to run them. It’s the same for all business owners in the whole of Ghana. Businessmen are struggling and suffering to get honest, decent managers and workers but don’t get them.
It’s difficult because all that those people think about is what my family and I have and how they will mess it up, without thinking that the better you run my business, the more experience you gain to run yours in the future”, the media mogul bemoaned.
But it would take him quite some doing before his bank and media forays.
“Real businessmen have humility and are able to do even the dirtiest and lowliest of jobs but in our part of the world, businessmen are all about showing off with big cars, among others, so, they make the concept of business look different”.
Far from being a show-off and keeping his eyes on the ball, Seidu Agongo turned his attention to even much bigger things.
“While at the Burma Camp, I loaned the proceeds from my communication centre business to the soldiers at a 30-per-cent interest rate because I didn’t know what to do with the huge profit. I did very well with that business, too”.
“From there, I went into rice, sugar and tin tomatoes trading at Nima. I created the bustling business environment you see at Nima today by virtue of my business. I attracted people to Nima to trade. Everyone knows me at Nima as ‘Seidu the Rice Seller’.
I could sell GHS4 million worth of rice in a day. You can ask Olam, Stallion and others. Banks were unable to count my money and, so, they did what they could and returned the following day to continue counting the money”.
“I drove trailer trucks myself to go and cart rice to sell. I could bring 20 to 30 containers of oil to Nima. The whole of the Nima Roundabout gets clogged with human and vehicular traffic just because of my trading activities there. I’ve done a lot of work in my life but my philosophy is the work must impact the lives of people positively”.
“The rice brands I sold were mostly imported brands from Thailand and USA. I only sold foreign rice. So, it meant we were creating jobs for those countries anytime we consumed their rice. It wasn’t meaningful to me because I believe money must be made in a satisfactory way to help other people but not through any means at all, irrespective of the consequences”.
“So, I began searching for institutionalised businesses protected by government regulations to establish more businesses. That’s what got me to set up Heritage Bank. Such businesses can outlive me and last for decades because they would have had protection from government regulatory institutions”.
Heritage Bank Limited, which he said “was doing well” even when it was collapsed by the Bank of Ghana, was one of those institutionalised businesses.
Ironically, it didn’t get to enjoy the regulatory protection that had attracted Mr Agongo to venture into such waters. The giver of the protection killed the seeker of that protection.
“The success of every bank depends on the kind of board members you have: are they people you want to control, or do you want them to use their knowledge and expertise to run the institution independently of you? I didn’t want remote-controlled board members. I wanted people who could look me in the face and tell me the truth, so, I had very good board members.
For instance, the late Prof Kwesi Botchwey was the Board Chair. Also, Mr Benson Nutsukpui, a former President of the Ghana Bar Association, a very respectable person who won’t allow anyone to dent his reputation, was a member of the board”.
Despite the bank’s death, Mr Agongo’s toughness isn’t shaken one bit. “I came into this world to experience life, not to avoid it, so, I am always prepared for whatever happens. If I can help the situation, I would do everything possible to salvage what I can and leave the rest to God, but if it is beyond me, I just leave it all to God to deal with”.
“I don’t want to go too much into the Heritage Bank matter”, he pleaded, explaining: “Because up till now, I haven’t been given any letter about why the bank was collapsed but, maybe, the regulators know why that happened. Apart from the announcement of the bank’s collapse in the media, I never had any official correspondence to that effect. I don’t fault anybody because every misfortunate has a purpose. So, I don’t question God about anything that happens. He knows best”.
Rather than worrying about the millions of dollars he lost following the collapse of the bank, Alhaji Seidu Agongo – very typical of his philanthropic nature – is more concerned about the fate of his workers who suddenly lost their jobs.
“I was worried about the bank’s collapse because my workers who had families and dependents lost their jobs and livelihoods suddenly just because of the decision of the central bank to collapse the bank. So, the human aspect of it really breaks my heart but I leave it all to God, He knows best”.
“It’s unfortunate that the major reason that motivates certain actions of the typical Ghanaian is short-sightedness. Even animals protect each other, so, to collapse banks suddenly without thinking of the repercussions on the workers and their families and dependents were heartbreaking for me.
I strongly believe that any action that would have a rippling effect on a lot of people and their lives and livelihood must be well-thought-through otherwise, the life of the person taking the action will even go in the reverse direction. Institutions must not act willy-nilly but I believe God is king”.
Mr Agongo, a young tough shoeshine boy and trotro mate, who now employs and pays an “uncountable number of workers”, said: “Even if Heritage Bank doesn’t bounce back, something bigger than it will come up because I have vowed to sacrifice myself to the service of the nation by doing something special for this country – something that will make you proud to be a Ghanaian; not material things like cars, etc.”
As for his media empire, which consists of nine radio stations across the country, a TV station and a news portal, Mr Agongo said he sought to use them to correct the waywardness of the country.
“I saw Ghana as going wayward. Not that I disrespect anybody. So, I wondered how I could get a medium through which well-meaning Ghanaians and I could speak to the masses. I feel my media houses have achieved only 3 percent of the vision for which I set them up. They are region-based and the objective for setting them up was for them to own the regions and impact the lives of the people in those parts of the country but I don’t see much of that”.
“I don’t dictate to my radio stations what to say and not to say. Even if I’m in the news for a bad reason, I won’t stop them from reporting on it”.
What Drives His Business Success?
“Every successful businessman must be humble enough for even his security man to be able to approach him with new ideas because as a businessman, whatever people tell you is important since all knowledge is not in one person’s head”, Mr Agongo, who rises for work every 3 am, said.
“One thing about Ghanaian businesspeople is that they like to show off. They buy the latest cars and chase everything in skirts but money is spiritual, it doesn’t like to be messed about with. And God has already planned everything in the Universe, so, all you have to do is find your place in it and fit in because we’re insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
So, there are so many factors that lead to the failure of businesses in Ghana. Even government policies are a factor as well as hatred, jealousy, the proverbial ‘pull him down’ syndrome and stereotypes – Who is he? Where’s he from? How can a northerner, whose kin and kith are known to be fufu pounders, security guards and farm hands, own a radio station? Are you God? You are not God. It’s all hatred”.
“[Barack] Obama, from Kenya, rose to become the US President. As we speak, a Briton of Indian ancestry is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It means you can’t, in the slightest way, alter God’s plan, so, shut up and be in your corner and do what you can and leave the rest for God. But, sometimes, we try to interfere with God’s plan. So, for success, there must be a change in mindset. You must go through the process rather than chasing overnight success”.
“Once you go through the mill and you establish yourself, it is difficult to bring you down”.
Attitude of The Ghanaian Worker
“If care is not taken, it may get to a time that no businessperson would establish any jobs because the attitude of the average Ghanaian worker is bad and appalling. Every business is like an infant. It needs nurturing. But Ghanaian workers don’t think about the job but rather what they would get from it. We need to prioritise things.
First of all, you can’t make money without putting in efforts that would result in money as the outcome. You have to use the strength, wisdom and knowledge God had gifted you with to make the things you want manifest because God didn’t give anybody money to come onto this earth. If He wanted it so, He would have designed it so.
But He gave you wisdom, knowledge and strength to work and, so, if somebody has employed you to do a certain job, care about the job: what can I do to make it better? What are some of the weaknesses? What level do I want to take this job in the next two years?
Once you think that way, money has no choice but to come. Every business evolves but a typical Ghanaian worker is all about the money. Even when you express gratitude, they wish it could be money. So, you should be able to gauge the stage of the business and tie it in with your demands and expectations because there is no free lunch. It’s a two-way affair: you can’t get what you don’t create.
What Gives Him Satisfaction
I’m satisfied when I am able to help a lot of people and families to realise their dreams. At the end of the day, that is what matters. It’s not about the car you drive or the plane you fly in. all that is vanity. But if I am able to help one million people and their families and dependents, at least that would reduce poverty and suffering. There are some brilliant students from poor homes who would have gone to waste had I not adopted them or intervened one way or the other.
Is Ghana on the right path
I feel Ghana has never been on the right path even from Nkrumah’s regime. I won’t talk about only this leadership. I feel Nkrumah, Kufuor, Jerry Rawlings, Atta Mills, this leadership [Akufo-Addo], we’ve not been under any right leadership because Ghana has no structures. If you are a president, it is only the structure that protects you. The structure makes you the commander of the Ghana Armed Forces.
If your structures are not right, what do you think we can achieve? There are no structures. Institutions are not right. You can’t achieve anything. Forget it. So, businesses will keep collapsing. The institutions are not strong. The judiciary is protected by the institutions; if it’s weak, nobody would want to be a judge. The presidency is protected by an institution if it’s weak … If a businessman is coming from Singapore or America, he looks at the institutions, not the presidency.
That is it. And, since Nkrumah’s time to date, institutions are not working. Let me be very frank with you, I’m coming from America to invest $100,000 in Ghana. I will be looking at the institutions, not the presidency because the president will be gone in eight years, maximum but how is our police system working, how is our military working, how is our judicial system working, how is our labour system working? It’s the institutions that protect your investment.
So, that is why people who amass wealth in government become paupers after leaving office in about five years because the structures are not there to protect him but if you look at somebody like Donald Trump, his father was into real estate and he still benefits from that inheritance.
So, if the institution doesn’t work, discretionary actions take over. Institutions protect growth, protect businessmen, protect investments, protect even succession plans, so, trust me, you can’t get one 100-year-old business in Ghana because we don’t have the institutions to protect them to grow to that extent.
Even wills can be manipulated. So, since Nkrumah’s time to date, if those things are not sorted out, we are just wasting our time. I’m a realist. The sad story is that once the institutions and the structures are not working well, we are all behaving like mosquitoes.
Favourite Quote
‘Time will eventually expose you’. And, so, time did expose Mr Agongo to the world as a strong-willed businessman who weathers whatever storms fight his progress and shrugs off hurdles.
But, perhaps, time, has more to expose than the Agongo we see now, for ‘vindication lies within its womb’.
Actor, Ebenezer Akwasi Antwi, known in showbiz as Ras Nene, has recounted a life changing moment with one of Ghana’s biggest YouTuber, Wode Maya.
According to him, a piece of advice from Wode Maya to Ras Nene was initially ignored by the latter as he thought it was irrelevant but later embraced it.
Ras Nene, an actor famed for his comic skit and ‘wicked’ roles played in a number of movies said the famous YouTuber urged him to create a YouTube account and assiduously feed the channel with compelling content.
That piece of advice, he said, and the decision to heed changed his life at the time he (Ras Nene) moved from hero to zero. According to the actor who admitted to selling hard drugs before venturing into the movie industry, he had invested the money he made from acting in galamsey and lost all, making life unbearable. However, a friend he once helped, came to his rescue and that was the turning point.
“When I was wealthy, I bought a plane ticket for a friend called Louis to go to China,” Ras Nene said in the Twi language on The Delay Show aired on January 15, 2023. “He had a visa but didn’t have money for the ticket so I came in to help. He planned to take me to China. By the time he returned, I was broke”.
“He took me to China and I met Wode Maya and a couple of people there. Everyone had a laptop. Wode Maya came to me and advised me to take YouTube seriously because it will be financially rewarding,” Ras Nene added.
According to him, he ignored Wode Maya’s advice but the popular YouTuber created an account for him.
“I didn’t know anything about it and thought the process would be long,” Ras Nene explained why he ignored Wode Maya’s counsel. “When I returned to Ghana, Polino also made a comment about YouTube.”
From that moment, Ras Nene said heeded the advice from Wode Maya and created content.
In the last couple of years, Ras Nene, otherwise known as Dr. Likee, has become a sensation on various social media platforms with his content which some find witty and interesting. He has transitioned from an actor who played the role of an armed robber, drug dealer, and executioner to one who entertains his viewers with comedy.
When the movie industry took a nosedive seven years ago, Ras Nene, also known as Dr. Likee decided to channel his energy and resources into illegal mining, known in the local parlance as ‘galamsey’, the actor has said.
In his interview on The Delay Show aired on January 15, 2023, the Kumawood star recalled how he invested an initial amount of GH¢70,000 and later requested a loan from a friend.
According to him, after investing GH¢70,000 in the business, he made GH¢40,000 on his first attempt, a development that encouraged him to invest more.
“I had sites and equipment. One of my sites was around Bole Bamboi, a town called Sapa. I had another on a Gonjaland. This was seven years ago,” said the actor who was able to build a house for his mother through acting.
“I invested GH¢70,000 (seven hundred million old Ghana cedi). I raked GH¢40,000 on my first attempt and so I was convinced it was worth it. After making that GH¢40,000 amount, things went down. I was eager to break even. A man I worked with advised me to seek spiritual assistance but I ignored him. He went spiritual and was able to succeed while I wallowed in distress,” Ras Nene said in the Twi language.
He recalled how he rescinded his decision to leave the site after discovering another site that had potential. Instead of calling it quits, he rather asked a friend for a loan to invest but his dream was not realized.
He said: “I called a friend of mine and asked for a GH¢50,000 loan. Unfortunately, everything went down the drain. I didn’t even have money for transportation.”
Disclosing that his family and friends neglected him at this stage, Ras Nene said he received assistance from a pastor called Penamang. But for her assistance, there was no hope.
“She gave me GH¢70 for transportation,” he said.
In what appeared to be that last straw that broke the camel’s back, Ras Nene said his “own people” called the man that gave him the loan to inform him of his return.
“As soon as I got home, the man came in with the police to arrest me,” the actor narrated as he disclosed, he spent three days in remand. “I was later told the man said he had forgiven me. I was subsequently released.”
Mr. Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, popularly known as Abeiku Santana has been named among the Top 10 Hospitality and Tourism Influencers in Africa for the year 2022.
The astute broadcaster was recognised for his more than two decades of dedicated service to the growth of tourism on the African continent, particularly in Ghana.
Abeiku Santana, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Kaya Tours Ghana Ltd, one of the biggest tour operators in Ghana, received a certificate for his service at the Hospitality Awards Africa 2022.
Nicknamed “Mr. Tourism on Air,” Abeiku Santana, a one-time winner of the Tourism Oriented Media Personality of the Year at the National Tourism Awards, was elated with his latest milestone and was grateful for the recognition.
“The growth of domestic tourism is something I always have at heart, and this landmark achievement would further motivate me to give my best to the growth of African tourism.
“The African tourism industry has massive potential, and I will urge governments across the continent to invest heavily in this sector because it brings wealth and provides jobs for the masses,” he said.
Abeiku Santana, who has a Master’s Degree in Tourism Management from the University of Cape Coast, was named among the Top 100 West African Personalities in Tourism in past years.
Back in 2020, Abeiku Santana gained special recognition as the Exclusive Man of the Year for his exploits in Tourism Marketing and Promotion using his platform to promote Ghana’s tourism.
Abeiku Santana who works for the Despite Media Group won the 2021 Radio and Television Personality of the Year.
Fantana has gotten her first major gift for 2023, and it came from no other person but her mother, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, who is the Member of Parliament for the Jomoro Constituency.
The musician took to her social media platforms to make the special announcement to the world as she revealed how much she loves her mother so much.
Sharing beautiful photos of the car, Fantana added the caption: ‘thank you MOM! @dorcasaffotoffey , I love you so much❤️you literally go above and beyond to give me everything I want. my bestfriend , my honorable , thank you for everything.’
Fantana’s mother was born on May 4, 1972, at Tikobo Number 1, and according to reports, she is the 18th child of her father’s twenty-three children.
She relocated to the USA, where she studied courses in dental hygiene, real estate management, branding, and customer service.
She holds a diploma in branding and customer service management, a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in marketing.
She is married to Joseph Lawrence Ashun and has two daughters, Fantana and her sister, Lynelle Koffi.
In August 2019, Hon. Affo-Toffey was elected as the National Democratic Congress parliamentary candidate for the Jomoro Constituency.
Popular Ghanaian comedian, OB Amponsah, has reacted to an announcement by the embattled CEO of Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah, on his social media pages.
In a tweet shared on Sunday, January 15, 2023, Nana Appiah Mensah suggested that one of his companies that has folded up following his issues with the government, Zylofon Media, was going to be relaunched soon.
NAM1 called on all his followers to anticipate the new Zylofone Media.
In a response to this, OB Amponsah took to his Facebook wall to lash out at NAM1 and describe him as a fraud.
He also requested that NAM1 does the needful and pay people like him their lock-up funds with Menzgold and stop making this noise of relaunching Zylofone Media.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) directed gold trading firm Menzgold Ghana Limited to shut down their investment operations in 2018 for contravening the Securities Industry Act, 2016 (Act 929).
The shutdown of the company caused a lot of people to lose their monies and till date, they are in court requesting that Nana Appiah Mensah pays back their money.
The 8th edition of the All-Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) took place on January 15 at Dakar Arena, Senegal, with thrilling performances from the continent’s best musicians including Black Sherif.
The young Ghanaian rapper moved the crowd and got the audience on their feet during his entire performance.
Black Sherif, adorned in an all-black leather jacket and pants which was complimented with white sneakers, gave one of his best performances on the big stage.
The rapper was the only Ghanaian who mounted the stage.
Nigerian music duo, P Square also performed on the night.
Grammy award-winning Nigerian singer, Burna Boy, grabbed the Best Act in Africa award and the Best Album of Year.
Wizkid, Davido, Adekunle Gold and Manamba Kanye were also among the winners of this year’s awards.
A young man has revealed how he is making money out of donating his spermatozoa.
In a yet-to-be-aired report by TV3, Curtis Jackson (not his real name), said the idea of donating his sperm was first sold to him by some friends in the university.
“I had a couple of friends in the university and I wanted to know how they got their money because they always look good and okay. So they introduced me,” he stated in snippets of the report.
To that end, Jackson disclosed that he earns as much as GH¢2,500 every week by donating sperm.
“Well, I donate every week so let’s say GHC2,500 every week…As long as we have surrogate mothers, I think sperm donation is real as hell,” he stated.
Beyond the monetary benefits of donatingsperm, Jackson opined that the donation of his sperm will benefit society aside God’s instruction to mankind to populate the earth.
“Well, I am doing God’s work because he said we should fill the earth,” he said.
To give essence to the saying that not all heroes wear capes, Jackson shared his belief that donating sperm to help others conceive is a heroic act.
“That is what heroes do, they always put others’ needs before theirs…” he said.
In recent times, fertility clinics have become a thriving branch of health services in Ghana.
This has brought with it the accompanying benefits of individuals making money by donating sperm or eggs to help couples or individuals with challenges to conceive.
The report about Jackson’s exploits as a sperm donor has attracted various reactions on social media.
To some, the idea of donating sperm raises religious and moral questions while others believe the practice is a good way of making money as well as helping society.
“Kwadwo Sheldon, you need to apologise to the president. If you are a citizen, that doesn’t give you the chance to be stupid. Can you insult your father like that? Your head like we are the world, Can you talk to your father like that?
“Your head like roll, roll, roll your boat. Can you talk to your father like that? Your head like a chamber pot. Can you talk to your father like that?…” he said.
He also stated that he would never change for anybody and that he will always be free to voice his feelings, claiming that the negativity in the nation is absurd.
“I will never change for anybody. When you are being stupid I will tell you you are being stupid. The negativity in this country is so stupid,” he added.
The National Lottery Authority has threatened to revoke the licences of Private Lotto Operators who have not yet regularised their operations for the 2023 licencing year.
The authority in a statement issued a deadline of January 23, 2023, for such operators to fulfil their obligations or face severe sanctions.
“NLA will revoke the licences of operators who have failed, refused, or neglected to regularise their registration and pay the required licencing fees by 23rd January 2023. Furthermore, in collaboration with the security agencies, NLA will undertake exercises to clamp down on all unlicensed and/or illegal lotto and/or lottery operators. All illegal operators arrested during these exercises will be made to face the full rigours of the law.”
The Authority further outlined a number of Private Lotto Operators in good standing, which include KLG Technologies, Afri Lotto Systems Limited, Blue Star Hi-Tech Company Limited, etc.
The authority also mentioned that upon the expiration of the December 29, 2022, deadline for registration, operators such as Accurate Giant Limited, Alpha Lotto Limited, From-Home Company Limited, Glovita Lottery Limited, etc., had duly registered and partly satisfied the requirements to be licenced as Private Lotto Operators.
NLA has also published the list of entities the Authority has entered into third-party collaborations with and has advised the Public to deal with only the entities listed, as the Authority will not be liable for any losses or damages incurred from transactions with other parties.
NLA, in the statement, also informed Private Lotto Operators that its Lotto Commission, approved by its Governing Board and payable to agents, is still 20% until otherwise communicated.
NLA has also notified the relevant regulatory bodies to take action.
Below is the full list of operators who have fully met the requirements of the authority:
THIRD PARTY COLLABORATIONS:
1. KGL TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
2. AFRI LOTTO SYSTEMS LIMITED
3. BLUE STAR HI-TECH COMPANY LIMITED
4. FORTUNE SYNERGY LIMITED
5. WULUCKY GHANA LIMITED
6. ZETA TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
7. GLOBALFUN GHANA LIMITED
PRIVATE LOTTO OPERATORS:
1. ACCURATE GIANT LIMITED
2. ALPHA LOTTO LIMITED
3. FROM-HOME COMPANY LIMITED
4. GLOVITA LOTTERY LIMITED
5. LOTTO AND LOTTERIES LIMITED
6. MIWOR KAKRA YEBEDI NTI LIMITED
7. RAND LOTTERY LIMITED
8. SADACO-HOPE LOTTERY GHANA
9. WULUCKY GHANA LIMITED
10. ZACDOW COMPANY LIMITED
11. ZINBAX CONSTRUCTION LIMITED
For further enquiries, call the Customer Service helplines on 0266-087-966 or 0266087946.
In a recent interview with Joynews, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe questioned Kennedy Agyapong’s suitability and commitment to serve as the NPP’s flagbearer.
He asserts that while individuals like Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia have a reputation for standing up for the party, the Assin Central MP does “I said what! What is Nyaho Tamakloe trying to say? In 2016 alone Kennedy Agypong and Kutin bought almost a hundred pickups. He paid a debt of $3 million for the NPP and that was even in the 90s,” Obiri Boahen said. “Tell me which of the 275 constituencies in Ghana have not felt the impact of Kennedy Agyapong? I am with Bawumia,
I am campaigning for Bawumia but it doesn’t mean I should sit aloof if someone says something about Bawumia’s competitor and I have details about it,” he added. Mr Obiri Boahen noted that contrary to his claims, it is rather Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe who has no track record of commitment to the party. “Recently did Kennedy Agyapong not donate nine thousand bags of rice? Has Nyaho Tamakloe donated even a cup of rice before?” he questioned. Describing Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe as disgraced, the former deputy communications director said Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe has no basis to issue such criticism since he is no longer a member of the NPP. “On what basis? Nyaho Tamakloe just like Wereko Brobbey has been dismissed. If Kennedy Agyapong is contesting he needs the vote of NPP persons so where do you come in? “Some journalists keep referring to him as a founding member. At what point in time? If he is, we have dismissed him from NPP so please they should stop that,” he stated. The NPP later this year is expected to elect a flagbearer. Already,
Kennedy Agyapong, former NPP General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong and former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko have all announced their intent to contest as the party’s flagbearer. Last week two ministers in the current government resigned ahead of the NPP’s flagbearer elections. Former Trade and Industry Minister, John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen announced his intent to contest after resigning while former Minister for Agriculture, Dr Afriyie Akoto is yet to make an official announcement after resigning. However, Vice President Bawumia who is yet to officially announce his bid is deemed one of the lead contenders in the race to elect a flagbearer of the NPP.
The platform brings together Heads of State, Ministers and energy decision-makers among its membership and states-in-accession, as well as, multilateral organizations, global stakeholders and private sector players.
Ghana will use this opportunity to seek strategic private-sector partnership pursuant to efforts at scaling up the penetration of renewable energy in its generation mix by 2030.
Ghana’s energy security in the overarching context of fully optimizing energy resources at its disposal remains the top most priority of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and therefore using every opportunity, locally and internationally to deepen the frontiers of these efforts.
The three-day programme is on the theme: “Positioning the African Market for Sustainable Economic Development through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”
Mr Wamkele Mene, Secretary General AfCFTA, would deliver the keynote address for this year’s Programme, which is under the auspices of the School of Continuing and Distance Education (SCDE), College of Education, University of Ghana. Dr Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto, Director, 74th ANYSC/ Senior Lecturer, Department of Distance Education, SCDE, University of Ghana, who disclosed in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra, said the Programme would consist of the Main School and Conference, and a Youth School.
“We are expecting about 400 participants for the main School and Conference from civil society, government agencies, private sector, informal sector, academia and people from all walks of life,” Dr Aheto said.
“For the Youth School, we will be expecting a minimum of 350 participants from around the country.”
Touching on expected outcomes of the Programme, Dr Aheto said one of the major outcomes of the Annual New Year School and Conference was the release of a communiqué at the end of the event.
He said the previous communiqués had shaped policies and provoked discussions of the themes within the public space. He reiterated that adequate opportunities would be created to ensure non-partisan discourse on the theme and widely disseminate policy briefs both locally and internationally.
He noted that this year’s Programme would contribute to the continent’s quest in advancing trade and industry to build a robust African economy that could sustainably contribute to growth in member countries He said the Annual New Year School and Conference had existed over the last 74 years; adding that “in the course of the year, we shall be cutting sod for the Annual New Year School and Conference Multipurpose Digital Youth Village Complex on campus, a hub for youth training and development in Ghana and on the continent.”
“Again, this year’s ANYSC coincides with the 75th Anniversary celebration of the premier University of Ghana, the institution that is affectionately called, Legon.”
Dr Aheto told the GNA that the 74th ANYSC was creating a platform for every Ghanaian, and every African to have a better understanding and involvement of the whole concept of the AfCFTA, an intra-continental trade space to promote. Since its inception in 1948, the Annual New Year School and Conference has been the flagship programme of the University and attracts people from all walks of life to deliberate on topical issues of national and international interests. It opens at the beginning of every new year.
At the end of every school and conference, a communiqué is issued, which captures the recommendations of participants and discussants. The recommendations usually inform policy decisions and directions in the country.
The MP in a tweet sighted by GhanaWeb opined that the ministry’s decision is not only unfair but one that is hard to defend.
“The Finance Minister (Ministry) must as a matter of urgency review ASAP its decision and resolution on individual bondholders. I don’t agree with them and I think it’s unfair and untenable!” he tweeted.
The comment by the MP comes on the back of a recent petition presented to parliament by a group of individual government bondholders.
The group has called on the legislature to intervene in their call on government to exclude individual bondholders from the debt exchange programme.
The bondholders are faced with limited time to sign up for the restructuring deal scheduled to expire on Monday, January 16, 2023.
According to the government, the aim of the programme is to make Ghana’s debt sustainable as a key component of securing a $3 billion loan deal with the International Monetary Fund.
He noted that the policy if not thought through could lead to the wiping of the middle class in the country.
“What we talking about is that many of these bondholders also belong to the middle class and that’s where the major worry is…If we are wiping away the middle class that could be dangerous, so we need to have some further dialogue on this. I’m not sure government takes interest and joy in suppressing anyone no government will have any joy in doing that,” he said.
“So government thinks that this is the best way forward, however even if it is, we need to engage, reflect and then move on and that will encourage some people who have some doubt to better appreciate where we are,” he stated.
According to the majority leader, the government, moving on with the programme with caution could spell doom for the country.
“Nothing can substitute for discussions, round table discussions and engagements wherever we find ourselves in. I think it’s important that we go back to the drawing table to have engagements with the major stakeholders.”
“As he said, all of us are in it. And if we don’t manage well, we’ve gone through this before, way back some 25, 30 years ago and repositioning was a major, major difficulty.”
“Today many people are coming on board and if this thing should happen, how do we build confidence and trust and reconstruct a new savings culture?” he said.
The majority leader was joined by the ranking member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Cassiel Ato Forson when the petition was presented to the house.
The group of bondholders convened by Senyo Hosi was led by private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu when they called on the house.
Ghana midfielder David Abagna says the team is well prepared ahead of their opening game against Madagascar in the ongoing Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament in Algeria.
The locally based national team of Ghana has been housed in a tough Group C to face title holders Morocco, Madagascar and Sudan.
Ghana will open their campaign against Madagascar on Sunday at the Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium in Constantine.
Having played some good preparatory games, the Real Tamale United star says they will make Ghanaians proud.
“We started with our preparations gradually in Ghana and increased the intensity when we got here. We played a few low-profile matches and progressed to playing tougher sides from Ghana which also included a few international friendlies,” Abagna told Cafonline in an interview.
“So, I think our preparations have been good but there is still quite a bit of work to do.
“We were in Algiers for a few days and also played a couple of friendly matches which gave us a taste of the weather but now that we are here in Constantine, we have to re-adjust a bit because it is much colder.
“First is to always stick to the general goal, which is to make our country proud. Everyone back at home is paying attention to what we are doing here, and we are all here to make our country proud.
“I think if the team does well, it will automatically rub off onto the players because you cannot do well by yourself while the team suffers”, he concluded
The Black Galaxies will play their second match on Thursday, 19 January against Sudan before wrapping up their Group C assignment against title holders Morocco on Monday, 23 January.
Baba Rahman made his first English Championship start of 2023 in Reading FC’s pulsating draw with Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
Reading’s first league game of the new year saw him come off the bench, but he started against QPR after impressing as a starter against Watford in the FA Cup last week.
The left-back played admirably, and he will be disappointed that Reading did not win despite a two-goal lead. After a strong comeback by the away team, the game ended two-all.
Reading led when Jeff Hendrick drilled a low skidding shot from 25 yards in off the left-hand post.
And when QPR goalkeeper Seny Dieng could only palm Andy Yiadom’s fierce strike into the air, Republic of Ireland midfielder Hendrick tapped in his second moments before the break.
However, Roberts smashed in from an acute angle and then headed in a late equaliser from close range to complete the comeback.
Rahman struggled in the opening minutes but improved as the game progressed, and QPR responded by preferring to attack Reading’s right flank.
After QPR equalised, the 28-year-old assisted Tom Ince in driving Reading out of their own half. He did exceptionally well late in the race to hold his ground, ride a few shoulder barges, and earn Reading two corners in quick succession.
Ghanaian forward Antoine Semenyo actively led the charge for Bristol City FC in their English Championship match on Saturday afternoon against Birmingham City. Not only did he score, but he also contributed an assist in the thrilling 4-2 victory at the Ashton Gate stadium.
Semenyo quickly set the tone for the game by scoring the opening goal of the match in the 17th minute with a timely strike. This put the hosts on the board and gave them a 1-0 lead.
Nahki Wells quickly followed suit, adding a second goal for the home team just four minutes later. However, Troy Deeney scored from the spot for the away team in the 34th minute, bringing the score to 2-1.
Mark Sykes increased the lead for Bristol City just two minutes after the break, scoring the third goal for the home team. The match was far from over, as Semenyo assisted Mark Sykes with a 66th-minute goal, making the score 4-1.
Despite the sizable lead, Birmingham City continued to fight until the end. Reda Khedra scored a goal for the away team in the dying minutes of the game, bringing the final score to 4-2.
Semenyo’s performance in this match adds to his impressive statistics, with five goals and three assists to his name.
The victory at Ashton Gate stadium was a well-deserved one for Bristol City FC and Semenyo’s contribution was a major factor in their triumph over Birmingham City.
The Ghana international started and lasted the entire duration as his outfit inflicted a 2-1 away win over the Toffees on Saturday.
The home team shot into the lead in the 39th minute mark through Amadou Onana but James Ward-Prowse brace in the second half was enough for the Saint to pick all points at stake.
In a post sighted by Footballghana.com, the towering guardsman urged his teammates to keep pushing after their away win over Everton.
“Outstanding performance from the team!! Big win let’s keep going lads” he tweeted.
TOKYO, Jan 11 (Reuters) – The United States plans to shake up its marine force on Japan’s Okinawa islands as Tokyo undertakes its biggest military build up since World War Two that will double defence spending over five years to deter China from attacking Taiwan or nearby Japanese islands.
Tokyo fears the loss of Taiwan to mainland China would threaten shipping lanes that supply its oil and would undermine U.S. influence in the region.
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The U.S. military presence on Okinawa, which began during World War Two, includes most of the 18,000 U.S. marines stationed in Japan. American bases cover around 8% of the main Okinawa island, stirring resentment among locals who want other parts of Japan to host the troops.
MARINE LITTORAL REGIMENTS
The U.S. Marine Corps is creating ‘Marine Littoral Regiments’ of around 2,000 troops as part of restructuring plan proposed by the Marine Commandant General David Berger in 2020.
Armed with missiles and drones, these units are meant to operate as reconnaissance and strike forces in contested maritime theatres.
Under Berger’s plan, a leaner Marine Corps will dump much of its heavy artillery and armour, including all its battle tanks.
Dispersing marine units across Okinawa, even if only temporarily, could see U.S. troops return to islands along the chain for the first time since Washington returned Okinawa to Japanese control in 1972.
Yonaguni at the western end of the chain is only around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Taiwan.
JAPAN’S OKINAWA PIVOT
To reinforce Okinawa, Japan is building new anti-ship and air defence missile bases, and radar stations, including one on Yonaguni, it hopes will deter Chinese forces from attacking.
Japan is also developing new, longer-range missiles and plans to buy U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles that could potentially hit targets in China.
Those weapons, along with anti-ship missiles fielded in Okinawa by the new littoral regiments, could help close a growing missile gap with China, say experts.
Deploying U.S. marines to the new Japanese bases temporarily could also spur closer defence coordination between Tokyo and Washington as a militarily stronger Japan seeks a bigger role in its decades-old alliance with Washington.
“Defense needs to be a combined affair, with Japanese and American capabilities and resources seamlessly linked together,” said Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies who served as a liaison officer to the SDF.
“This improves training opportunities and also lets you move about and operate in the area you most likely will have to fight in,” he added.
Explainer: Why the U.S. is overhauling its marines on Japan’s Okinawa
3 minute readJanuary 11, 20232:01 AM PSTLast Updated 4 days ago
4–5 minutes
The 8th Air Wing of Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s F-2 fighters hold a joint military drill with the U.S. 28th Bomb Wing’s B-1B bombers and 35th Fighter Wing’s F-16 fighters off Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu, Japan, in this handout picture taken by Japan Air Self-Defence Force and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan November 5, 2022. Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan/HANDOUT via REUTERS
TOKYO, Jan 11 (Reuters) – The United States plans to shake up its marine force on Japan’s Okinawa islands as Tokyo undertakes its biggest military build up since World War Two that will double defence spending over five years to deter China from attacking Taiwan or nearby Japanese islands.
Japan and the United States want to reinforce the islands separating the East China Sea from the Western Pacific because they are close to Taiwan and form part of what military planners refer to as the ‘First Island Chain’ extending down to Indonesia, that hems in China’s forces.
Tokyo fears the loss of Taiwan to mainland China would threaten shipping lanes that supply its oil and would undermine U.S. influence in the region.
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The U.S. military presence on Okinawa, which began during World War Two, includes most of the 18,000 U.S. marines stationed in Japan. American bases cover around 8% of the main Okinawa island, stirring resentment among locals who want other parts of Japan to host the troops.
MARINE LITTORAL REGIMENTS
The U.S. Marine Corps is creating ‘Marine Littoral Regiments’ of around 2,000 troops as part of restructuring plan proposed by the Marine Commandant General David Berger in 2020.
Armed with missiles and drones, these units are meant to operate as reconnaissance and strike forces in contested maritime theatres.
Under Berger’s plan, a leaner Marine Corps will dump much of its heavy artillery and armour, including all its battle tanks.
Dispersing marine units across Okinawa, even if only temporarily, could see U.S. troops return to islands along the chain for the first time since Washington returned Okinawa to Japanese control in 1972.
Yonaguni at the western end of the chain is only around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Taiwan.
JAPAN’S OKINAWA PIVOT
To reinforce Okinawa, Japan is building new anti-ship and air defence missile bases, and radar stations, including one on Yonaguni, it hopes will deter Chinese forces from attacking.
Japan is also developing new, longer-range missiles and plans to buy U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles that could potentially hit targets in China.
Those weapons, along with anti-ship missiles fielded in Okinawa by the new littoral regiments, could help close a growing missile gap with China, say experts.
Deploying U.S. marines to the new Japanese bases temporarily could also spur closer defence coordination between Tokyo and Washington as a militarily stronger Japan seeks a bigger role in its decades-old alliance with Washington.
“Defense needs to be a combined affair, with Japanese and American capabilities and resources seamlessly linked together,” said Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies who served as a liaison officer to the SDF.
“This improves training opportunities and also lets you move about and operate in the area you most likely will have to fight in,” he added.
Russia launched fresh waves of missile attacks across Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least 14 people in a strike on an apartment block in the eastern city of Dnipro.
A number of other cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, were also hit.
Much of Ukraine is now under an emergency blackout after missiles hit power infrastructure in several cities.
Earlier, the UK said it would send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to help the country’s defence.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Challengers, the British army’s main battle tank, would help Kyiv’s forces “push Russian troops back”.
Russia responded by saying that providing more weapons to Ukraine would lead to intensified Russian operations and more civilian casualties.
Later on Saturday – a day when Ukrainians celebrate the Old (or Orthodox) New Year – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian attacks on civilian targets could be stopped only if Ukraine’s Western partners supplied necessary weapons.
“What is needed for this? Those weapons which are in the depots of our partners and which our soldiers are waiting for so much,” he said in his nightly video address, adding that his forces shot down more than 20 out of 30 Russian missiles fired at Ukraine.
The devastating strike in Dnipro hit the entrance of a nine-storey building, turning several floors into smouldering rubble, and leaving 73 injured, including 14 children, Ukrainian officials said, in what is likely to be the worst attack in months.
A sizeable crowd gathered to watch the rescue effort at the site of the strike, while others joined rescue workers in a desperate search for survivors. There were urgent calls, human chains of volunteers clearing rubble and torch beams piercing thick clouds of dust and smoke.
In his address, Mr Zelensky said debris clearance in Dnipro would continue all night: “We are fighting for every person, every life.” So far, 38 people have been rescued from the building, including six children, officials say.
There is no information yet on why the apartment block was the object of such devastation, as it is some distance from the nearest power facility.
On a day when Russia seemed intent, once again, on targeting Ukraine’s energy grid, this could have been one of the less accurate missiles in Russia’s arsenal, or something brought down by Ukraine’s air defences – although on the face of it, this seems a less likely explanation.
It has been two weeks since the last wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid. Mr Zelensky said of the energy infrastructure facilities hit on Saturday that the most difficult situation was in the Kharkiv and Kyiv regions.
Ukrainian state energy company Ukrenergo earlier said round-the-clock consumption limits had been set for all regions until midnight local time.
Officials, in the West and in Ukraine, had begun to wonder if Russia’s “energy war” might be coming to an end, due to a possible shortage of suitable missiles and the evident fact the strategy has yet to break Ukraine’s spirit.
Saturday’s attacks suggest Moscow still thinks it is a tactic worth pursuing.
For those who thought being on Efia Odo’s case would make her stop showing too much flesh, well, they may have some good waiting to do because she is not ready to listen yet.
The pretty outspoken actress believes it was about time Ghanaians stopped wasting their time lecturing her on how to dress and rather allow her to live her life.
“This is the way I have been dressing for years and nothing can stop me from doing otherwise. I have received all the bashing but hey, this is me,” she told Graphic Showbiz in an interview.
Making her point, the former US-based nurse said: “I think Ghanaians are just hypocrites, they will say bad things about you yet will still follow your social media pages and like anything you post. I wouldn’t be who I am today if I paid attention to all that was said about me.”
She goes on to mention that in addition to the criticisms, people should also talk about her positive sides too. “I do a lot of charity work which I expect people to talk about but they don’t. I sometimes dress in my African wear and cover up well but no one says anything about that. All they know is to bash me for flashing flesh which I don’t really care though,” she added.
Asked if she had a man in her life, could he convince her to change the way she dressed, Efia Odo, real name Andrea Owusu, responded that she would not live her life just to please a man and whoever fell in love with her would have to accept her the way she was.
“Any man who says he loves me will have to accept me the way I am because I will not change to please him. I want to live my life as a happy girl and be able to take decisions on my own. I don’t want stress from anyone,” she stated.
Efia Odo who has on countless times said she was not coming back to Ghana after moving to the USA however said “Ghana is my home”, and she could not allow anyone to intimidate her.
“Yes, I have sometimes said I was not coming back to Ghana again after relocating to the USA but GH is my home and I won’t allow anyone to stress me out. I will come here anytime I want to and do what makes me happy,” she said.
As an actress, Efia Odo has featured in Ghanaian movies such as Heels and Sneakers. She was also a TV presenter at Kwese TV.
