Abdul Karim Zito, Laryea Kingson and Jacob Nettey will steer the affairs of the national male U-17 team – otherwise known as BlackStarlets for the next year.
Karim Zito – a gold medallist at the 2021 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations will now be assisted by Laryea Kingson and Jacob Nettey. Abdul Karim Zito formerly played for GIHOC Stars, Juantex FC, Asante Kotoko and Kumapim Stars in a career that spanned two and half decades. He is also a former coach of Asante Kotoko, Accra Hearts of Oak, Feyenoord Academy (WAFA), King Faisal and Kwaebibirem FC.
Laryea Kingson: is a former Ghanaian International who won 42 caps for the Black Stars and played in two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 2006 and 2008.
Jacob Nettey – Is a former captain of Accra Hearts of Oak who led them to the famous CAF Champions League glory in 2000. Jacob featured for the Black Stars during the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 – co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria and is a member of the Ghanaian squad at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta – USA. He won six Premier League titles and three FA Cup trophies whiles playing for Accra Hearts of Oak.
The new technical team has been tasked to assemble a formidable squad for the next edition of the WAFU B U-17 Cup of Nations and the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 18-year-old has penned a four-year deal from Ghanaian lower-tier side Attram de Visser.
After putting pen to paper, the highly-rated youngster said, “I am looking forward to coming to IFK. It’s a big step forward in my career and I’ve worked hard in academia – which I want to thank – for this opportunity.
“I want to help the team in any way I can, and I can’t wait to get started. It is a dream come true and I will continue to maintain focus, concentration and determination.”
Sports director Tony Martinsson added, “Kojo is a physically strong, fast and aggressive defender who made a good impression.
” Just like Bolma, he needs time to adjust to life and football in Norrköping, but we see great potential in Kojo and look forward to getting him here.”
Palm wine is the sap of a palm tree (family Palmeae) obtained as the fermentation product of a 24-hour tapping. Palmwine contains potassium which has been proven by research to improve heart health and reduce hypertension.
Palm wine contains vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin. Riboflavin helps in the fight against free radicals
There is more to this drink. It’s loaded with nutrients and has a bevy of health benefits. It is often added to various herbal medicines or products and is said to be a nourishing drink that promotes lactation and improves eyesight due to its yeast content.
The yeast contained in palm wine has been reportedly used for industrial purposes such as baking and the production of alcoholic drinks or potable ethanol.
Palm wine has many health benefits, especially when consumed fresh. It is good for our health if it is taken in pure form. The point needs to be made that commercial palm wine is regularly adulterated with narcotic agents obtained from the regular herbal source. Preservatives and sweeteners distort the originality of the wine, therefore making it not good for our health. However, in its natural form, it has the following scientific backings:
Palm wine, Science
Lowers blood sugar levels
One recent study by Erukainure et al.(2019) examine the effects of palm wine as an antidiabetic agent and reported that drinking palm wine could support blood sugar levels.
Another study led by Prof. Shahidul Islam of UKZN’s School of Life Sciences, together with two postgraduate students of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria, have collaborated on research showing that the consumption of raffia palm wine may help fight Type 2 diabetes which affects male sexual organs. The study was conducted on animals and found that palm wine lowers blood glucose levels and has less evidence of oxidative stress on testicular tissue. They concluded that raffia palm wine has therapeutic potential to protect against erectile dysfunction or impotence in men with Type 2 diabetes, thus it can be used in traditional medicine. However, they advised on moderation as excessive could also harm our health.
Eyesight: Some schools of thought argued that our grandparents in the village have better eyesight than us because palm wine is their beverage.
Cardiovascular diseases
Studies have affirmed that drinking moderate amounts of palm wine have been associated with a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure. This study was conducted by Lindberg and Ezra (2008). Palm wine contains potassium which has been proven by research to improve heart health and reduce hypertension.
Additionally, another study conducted by Ogunro and Ologunagba(2012) evaluate the effect of the level of palm wine consumption on cholesterol levels among rural dwellers. In this study, fifty-eight male volunteers between the ages of 28-69 yrs were recruited. They were divided into two groups; 28 moderate drinkers with an intake of 20-70 grams/day and 30 heavy drinkers with an intake of >70 grams/day of palm wine at a sitting for 3 to 4 days per week with a minimum duration of 5 years. Thirty controls of the same age groups with the same socioeconomic status were recruited. Their lipid profiles were tested. They revealed that heavy consumption of palm wine may promote cholesterol factors, but the benefits of moderate consumption recorded need further investigation.
Fight cancer: Palm wine contains vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin. Riboflavin helps in the fight against free radicals.
Healthy hair, skin, and nails: The iron and vitamin B complex found in palm wine is needed for healthy skin, hair, and nail. Iron is essential for the development, growth, and functioning of some cells in our body. This property of palm wine makes it helpful in promoting wound healing by repairing our tissues and promoting the growth of healthy cells.
Lactation: When nursing mothers include coconut oil in their diet, it induces breast milk production. But it has also been said that palm wine is used by many natural healers in Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, and other parts of Africa to help lactating mothers when they have limited breast milk production.
Sperm production:
Hearsay evidence attests that palm wine is credited for increasing sperm count in men. Also, Palm wine is combined with other herbs to fight malaria attacks.
Stomach disorders
In folk medicines, palm wine is mixed with other herbs and used for treating stomach disorders. For instance, one old study by Ibu et al.(1986) examined the effect on 40 albino rats of both sexes. It was found that palm wine orally caused a 21.8% decrease in gastric acid secretion. But 4% ethanol caused a significant increase, while 12% sucrose caused a significant decrease in gastric acid secretion in rats. This inhibitory effect of palm wine may be of clinical significance in the management of peptic ulcer patients and ulcer-prone subjects in this region.
However, another study on humans did not find any positive effect on ulcers though it contained ethyl alcohol (5%). The study was conducted by Osim et al. (1991) and used only seven volunteers.
Take home
Palm wine is nutritionally important because it is an excellent source of probiotics, nicotinic acid, thiamin, vitamin C, protein, and riboflavin. It contains sugar, protein, carbohydrate, amino acid, Vitamin C, yeast, potassium zinc, magnesium, iron, and vitamins B3 and B6. Studies on stomach ulcer treatment appear mixed. Animal studies confirmed that palm wine is an antidiabetic agent, that lowers cholesterols and many more. We need more human studies on the effect of palm wine on our health.
NB: Prof. Nyarkotey has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations to justify his write-ups. My articles are for educational purposes and do not serve as Medical advice for Treatment. I aim to educate the public about evidence-based scientific Naturopathic Therapies.
The writer is a Professor of Naturopathic Healthcare, President, of Nyarkotey College of Holistic Medicine & Technology (NUCHMT)/African Naturopathic Foundation. E-mail: collegeofholisticmedicine@gmail.com.
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
The elder brother of a popular Nollywood actor Osita Iheme has been murdered.
According to reports, some gunmen on Friday killed PrinceIheme, when they attacked the Imo state capital, Owerri, Mbaitoli and other places.
The Commissioner for Solid Minerals in the state, Martin Eke, was also injured by the assailants.
The gunmen, who rode in Tundra operational vehicles, shot sporadically compelling people to scuttle for safety.
While commercial activities were abruptly closed, the roads were deserted and motorists abandoned their vehicles and bolted.
An Owerri nearby community, Orji was also invaded by gunmen dressed in black clothes and launched an assault on dwellers, passersby as well as security agents.
An eyewitness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that “this attack is politically motivated. We just finished at one campaign rally ground and were heading to Ubommiri. Our convoy was attacked at Amawuihe before Ubommiri.”
“Prince Iheme (Osita Iheme’s brother) was riding in the same vehicle with the Commissioner for Solid Minerals. Prince Iheme who is Pawpaw’s elder brother was killed on the spot.
“The Commissioner, who was sworn in two weeks ago, was cut badly. He has just been rushed to a hospital. They were driving in a Ford SUV. I pray he makes it.”
He added that “they just killed a policeman now. They opened fire on them and were shouting, ‘There is a sit-at-home. We have asked you to go home. Stay indoors.’”
This is vital, according to Dr. Simon Bawakyillenuo, Project Lead of the Modern Energy Cooking Services at the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER), to advise the nation and dispel myths that using electricity for cooking is an expensive option.
He claims that despite the fact that most people use certain electrical gadgets in their cooking, the majority still believes that using electricity to cook is expensive.
“In Ghana, we don’t have the policy that touches on cooking with electricity. We need measures that will help so that people can actually begin to understand that going through the pathway of using electricity to cook is not expensive, but because they do not have the empirical evidence, they always think it is expensive.”
“Because we are talking about Ghana transitioning to green energy usage or transitioning to the use of less polluting sources, we need to be thinking about the ways and means of how people can afford such appliances, for instance, the electric pressure cookers in order to actually begin to cook with,” he said.
Dr. Bawakyillenuo made these remarks on the sidelines of the dissemination workshop of the Household and Market Baseline survey on energy for cooking appliances on the market in Ghana.
“We focus more on electricity and if it is generated from a clean source, what we will be doing is that we’ll be meeting the SDG Goal 3 which is on health, and SDG Goal 7 which is on clean energy sources, and the one on climate change, because the country is also focused on, or is being encouraged to actually cut down on carbon dioxide emission.”
“Our biggest challenge is, if we continue to use more biomass in our cooking, it means that we are reducing the ability of the forest to actually capture the carbon, and so we are reducing our carbon sink. Once we are able to focus a bit more on the use of electricity, you realise that households will not actually place more burden on the forest stock, especially the cutting of trees for charcoal and what have you,” he added.
The workshop sought to announce the results of the survey they undertook in the phase one of the project, and to share plans and expectations in the second phase yet to be undertaken.
With regards to challenges, Dr. Bawakyillenuo mentioned that there is the issue of standards and affordability.
As a means of cutting down cost of appliances, he pushed for the local manufacture or assembly of some of these cooking appliances.
Another solution, he said, is for government to check electricity tariffs to ensure that citizens adopt the use of the appliances in the cooking.
He also called on the Ghana Standards Authority, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, and other authorities to ensure that only appliances that are energy efficient get into the country.
“It is important that we do it because if it is in the transition plan, then, critical strategies are needed and those strategies including having efficient electric cookers. When you are efficient, you do not consume much electricity. It is only when you have inefficient ones that you will have the challenge.”
“At the same time, it may also be very important for the various tariffs to be looked at; how people will actually consume electricity with their appliances for their cooking needs, but will not really feel the pinch. So it is about the determination to really help make sure that we provide the necessary conditions,” he noted.
Social media users have raised eyebrows over a viral video that captured DJ Cuppy’s fiancé, Ryan Taylor, together with a lady rumoured to be his sweetheart.
The now-deleted video published on TikTokby UK influencer Fiona Michelle got social media users talking, with others speculating that Ryan might have cheated on Cuppy, the daughter of Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola.
The young lovers are yet to officially comment on the video but reacting to the wild rumours, DJ Cuppy, who has been at the center of this conversation, clapped back at critics and individuals who are fanning the rumours.
In a tweet dated December 11, she hammered that there is no such thing as a perfect relationship.
“Who wants that “perfect” love story anyway? Cliché,” she tweeted.
According to social media users, the singer and disc jockey might have rubbished the allegations levelled against her sweetheart, Rayn, who recently proposed to her.
Ghanaian afrobeats singer, KuamiEugene has released his third single since he joined the EMPIRE records.
The song titled, ‘I Feel Nice,’ is from EMPIRE’s new compilation album captioned “Where We Come From (VOL. 1)”.
“You attract the energy that you give off. Spread good vibes. Think positively. Enjoy life like I enjoyed making this music.” Kuami says.
Kuami Eugene’s ‘I Feel Nice’ is a celebration of the explosion of African music into mainstream airwaves.
“What inspired the song is the vibe that we all have when we’re in the studio together. And I was thinking about how close it’s getting to Christmas and Holiday times, how excited they will be. I was also thinking about how nice I would want people to feel when they listen to this music. So I was in a nice mood myself, and I think that’s actually what helps with the vibe when creating I Feel Nice. The song is ultimately about how people need to forget their troubles in life and focus on the fun part for a while.” says Kuami.
EMPIRE is a top label in Nigeria and this compilation project is a body of work that’s set to highlight the rising talent from their ever-growing roster on the continent.
The first single from the project, ‘Cough,’ by Kizz Daniel dropped on October 14,2022 and is currently #2 on the Global Shazam chart.
Listen to the new song here: https://music.empi.re/WWCF
The album was created during the writing camp at EMPIRE’s headquarters in San Francisco directly following their first showcase “The New Africa” during the second night of SXSW. During the writing camp, the crowd saw performances by BNXN FKA Buju, Cheque, Fireboy DML, June Freedom, L.A.X. Wande Coal, and other trailblazers signed to the label.
Artists set to be spotlighted on the upcoming project include Fireboy DML, Olamide, BXNX fka BUJU, Black Sherif, Kizz Daniel, L.A.X, and more.
“The energy that each record brings is infectious, magical, and I can’t wait for the world to hear Where We Come From.” says Tina Davis, EMPIRE SVP A&R
EMPIRE globalized their existing success in America by further highlighting the accomplishments of Nigerian artists like Fireboy DML, Olamide and Asake.
Named as the top label in Nigeria after only one year of its creation, EMPIRE holds the title by market share and as the top music company with the most collective No. 1’s in Nigeria by TurnTable Charts, the Billboard equivalent in Africa. Furthermore, artists across EMPIRE’s roster dominate the Top 35 songs on Apple Music’s ‘Nigeria Top Songs’ chart and held the #1 Top Single for over 17 weeks on TurnTable Charts.
The artist division has seen much success with Fireboy DML becoming the first African artist to perform at the 2022 BET Awards, Kizz Daniel breaking records as most streamed artist on Boomplay, KiDi going platinum in India with touch it featuring multi-platinum recording artist Tyga, and Black Sheriff gaining 75+ million audio streams for “Kwaku the Traveller” in just one month.
“Africa is rich with some of the most talented creatives in the world. This compilation reflects EMPIRE’s continued commitment to Community and Culture. This body of work is the epitome of unity, community, and culture. I look forward to the world’s continued embrace of African culture.” says Sak Pase, EMPIRE VP A&R.
About Kuami Eugene
Kuami Eugene is a fast-rising Ghanaian highlife, afrobeats, and afro-pop singer. He started off as a contestant on the MTN Hitmaker, a talent show in Ghana that gives a platform to upcoming artists to showcase their musical talents. After a string of hit songs such as ‘Single,’ ‘Boom Bang Bang,’ and ‘Confusion,’ Kuami picked up the ‘Best new Artiste of The Year ‘and ‘Highlife Artist of The Year’ at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards in 2018.
In 2019 he picked up ‘Producer of The Year,’ ‘Highlife Artist of The Year,’ and ‘Album of The Year’ for his debut album RockStar. He has finally crowned ‘Artist of the Year’ in 202 at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. He released his second studio album Son Of Africa.
ABOUT EMPIRE:
Founded in 2010 by Bay Area native Ghazi Shami, EMPIRE is currently leading through its innovative approach to the digital music era across its label, distribution, and publishing arms. Ghazi has been recognized for his work in Billboard’s 2021 Indie Power Players list, Billboard’s 2021 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players, as well as Billboard’s 2022 Power List.
With its focus on early-stage artist development, the San Francisco-based company has been instrumental in launching the careers of multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning Anderson. Paak, BLEU, Key Glock, Young Dolph, XXXTENACION, KingVon, and more.
Through crafting bespoke deals that are always in favor of the artist, EMPIRE is able to form a true partnership with each artist and label on its roster.
Coupled with EMPIRE’s unique software for analytics, recoupment, and royalties, which is available to every partner, the company offers a level of transparency unprecedented in the music industry.
Four European clubs are keeping an eye on Ghanaian Antoine Semenyo as they want to add him to their rosters.
The 22-year-old who is enjoying an amazing season with Bristol City in the English Championship is being chased by Crystal Palace and Bournemouth in the Premier League, Rangers of Scotland and Turkish giants Fenerbache.
Semenyo has been impressive for Bristol City in the English Championship, scoring 4 goals and providing an assists in 19 appearances this season.
The forward current contract with Bristol City is expected to expire in the summer of 2023.
He scored his debut Ghana goal in a pre-World Cup friendly against Switzerland, where the Black Stars inflicted a 22-0 win over the European country on November 17.
The local economy will expand as a result of both domestic and foreign direct investment.
Alan Kyerematen stressed that Ghana needs to stop depending so heavily on access to the capital international financial market and instead concentrate on luring investors to pump money into the local economy by establishing businesses there. He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the third Annual Investment Week of the Ghana Free Zones Authority.
He said, “If we’re going to put investment at the centre of our development agenda then we need to appreciate the fact that we cannot continue relying only on access to the capital international financial market but we have to think seriously about how we aggressively promote private direct investments be it domestic or foreign.”
An increase in direct investments is often associated with a host country’s economic growth due to increased tax revenues and an influx of capital.
Nigerian singer, Wizkid, has reportedly abandoned a show in the Ivorian capital Abidjan after a similar incident in Accra on Saturday, December 10.
According to sources, he was scheduled to perform in Benin and Cote D’Ivoire on December 11, 2022, in two different countries. Wizkid however performed in Benin but failed to make it to Abidjan.
But multiple media reports in Ivory Coast confirmed the Abidjan incident in a tweet.
“Expected in Accra on Saturday for a concert, the Nigerian artiste @wizkidayo never showed up. Sunday in Abidjan, he was conspicuously absent from another show, but he was seen tonight in Cotonou, Benin, where he landed on a private jet shortly before midnight,” LSI Africa tweeted late Sunday.
🔴#People: attendu à Accra samedi pour un concert, l’artiste🇳🇬 @wizkidayo ne s’est jamais présenté. Dimanche à Abidjan, il a brillé par son absence à un autre spectacle, mais il a été aperçu ce soir à Cotonou au Bénin où il a atterri à bord d’un jet privé peu avant 00h00. #CIV225pic.twitter.com/5hBVP2jS5o
Wizkid has earned a bad reputation among many fans, particularly in the African continent, because of a similar incident that occurred in Ghana a few hours prior to this. It is said that this is the second time he has failed to appear for events in Abidjan for which he was fully paid.
Photos of Wizkid, King Promise, and others aboard a private jet has been shared widely on social media.
This comes barely 48 hours after the singer apologised for missing the Wizkid Live concert which took place at the Accra Sports Stadium on December 10.
Late on Sunday, he gave an explanation on social media for why he skipped the Accra event and promised to compensate his fans with a special show.
His absence in Accra pissed out fans and patrons who had paid huge sums of money to purchase tickets for the show who decided to use social media to call him out for breaking his word and disrespecting them and wasting their time.
A search for people after an explosion at a block of flats in Jersey that left three dead has found no signs of life.
Emergency service bosses said the search and rescue operation was now one of recovery.
“We have been searching and we will not stop searching for people’s loved ones,” Chief Fire Officer Paul Brown told a press conference.
It is understood there were nine known residents in the block before the blast in St Helier on Saturday morning.
Three bodies have been found at the Pier Road scene and specialist teams are continuing to look for six more.
It is estimated there could be up to a dozen, as details on visitors remain unknown.
Emergency crews are carrying out a “painstaking search of the debris”, Chief of Police Robin Smith said
The fire service had attended the flats just after 20:30 GMT on Friday after the smell of gas was reported, it has been confirmed.
The blast happened at about 04:00 GMT on Saturday.
Specialist teams and a search dog have been carrying out searches at the scene.
Chief of Jersey Police Robin Smith described how there had been a “meticulous and painstaking search of the debris following the explosion, to start carefully identifying bodies when and if we find them”.
He told the press conference: “That will take time. We are not going to be here for days we are likely to be here for weeks.”
Mr Smith said it was “difficult to be precise” on the total number of fatalities.
“The one area I can be precise on is we have three confirmed fatalities and it’s fair to say we expect to find more,” he said.
“Previously we have said in the region of a dozen but it’s difficult to make that assessment. That’s the number we hope we do not get to but that is the number we are working to.”
Mr Smith said “around 40” people had been displaced because of the blast and the damage it had caused to nearby buildings.
None of the emergency leaders could confirm the cause, but Mr Smith was asked to comment on whether it was down to a gas explosion.
“It looks likely that is the case,” he said.
“But as you often hear the police service say, we keep all our options open.”
He added: “We will seek experts who are independent, as we would do with any investigation where there is particular specialisms – be reassured this will be an independent investigation.”
Stating whether criminal activity was suspected, he added: “We rule nothing in and we rule nothing out.”
Paul Brown, Jersey chief fire officer, acknowledged something had gone “horribly wrong”.
‘Absolutely devastated’
He told reporters the fire service would be “co-operating fully” with “honesty” and “transparency”, but the main focus remained on the search operation.
“The most important thing is to understand the absolute truth and also be seen to establish the absolute truth,” he said.
Chief Minister Kristina Moore earlier told the BBC she was woken by the explosion.
“It’s unthinkable news, we’re all absolutely devastated and really concerned for the people who are involved, for those whose lives have been lost,” she said.
“Those families will get the answers they need.
“We’re so grateful to the emergency services and everybody who is absolutely committed to searching through the rubble to find everybody.”
Specialist teams from the UK’s Ministry of Defence and fire services have been supporting local crews.
They include the South West Hazardous Area Response Team, alongside an Urban Search and Rescue Team from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service.
Two people who were in hospital earlier have been released and one other person is receiving treatment.
The flats at Haut De Mont are shown as they appear following the explosion and as they were prior to the blast
Search teams continued their work through a bitterly cold night and into the morning
Jersey’s gas supplier, Island Energy, said it was working with the fire service to understand what had happened.
The three-storey building that collapsed is owned by Andium Homes, a state-owned but independent company that rents out properties.
It said it was focusing on supporting residents at the estate.
Ms Moore said residents displaced by the blast were being found somewhere to stay.
“This is going to take some days and we will keep everyone updated and fully informed, and we will do our very best to ensure everybody is properly looked after,” she added.
Specialist teams from the UK have arrived to support local crews in the search for survivors
The Town Church opened on Saturday evening for islanders to light candles and pay respects to those who had died.
On Monday, the flag of Jersey will fly at half mast on the island’s official buildings “as a sign of respect” for those affected by the explosion, the Government of Jersey said.
The flags will be lowered from 08:00 GMT until sunset on 23 December.
A one-minute silence will also be held at 11:00 GMT on Monday to give islanders a moment to “reflect on the incidents that have resulted in loss of life”, the government said.
President Joe Biden plans to announce at next week’s US-Africa summit that his administration supports adding the African Union as a permanent member of the Group of 20 nations, according to the White House.
The African Union represents the continent’s 54 countries.
The G-20 is composed of the world’s major industrial and emerging economies and represents more than 80% of the world’s gross domestic product. South Africa is currently the only African member of the G-20.
“It’s past time Africa has permanent seats at the table in international organizations and initiatives,” the senior director for African affairs on the National Security Council, Judd Devermont, said in a statement Friday.
“We need more African voices in international conversations that concern the global economy, democracy and governance, climate change, health, and security.”
Biden has invited 49 African leaders to take part in the three-day Washington summit that starts Tuesday.
The G-20 representation would allow African countries to more effectively press the group to implement its pledge to help the continent to cope with climate change.
The high-profile push for inclusion in the G-20 comes at a time when the AU has shown renewed unity and purpose on some high-profile issues, banding together to combat Covid-19 and establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area, which came into force in early 2021.
African Union officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the White House announcement.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, at last month’s G-20 gathering in Indonesia, underscored the importance of African Union membership in achieving climate goals.
“We call for continued G-20 support for the African Renewable Energy Initiative as a means of bringing clean power to the continent on African terms,” Ramaphosa told the gathering. “This can be best achieved with the African Union joining the G-20 as a permanent member.”
Devermont said the announcement builds on the administration’s strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa and its advocacy for adding permanent members from Africa to the U.N. Security Council.
Senegalese President Macky Sall, the current AU chairperson, has made the case that by adding the African Union the G-20 “would come to represent the views of 54 additional members, the bulk of low-income countries, and about 80% of the world’s population.”
“The G-20 compromises its effectiveness and influence by omitting such a large fraction of humanity and the world economy,” Sall wrote in Devex, a news organization covering global development, in July.
If you are a partner of a photographer, be prepared for these beautiful things during your relationship.
1. He pays attention to details.
Be prepared for your man to notice to smallest of changes and details, be it the new shoes you have on or the fact that you did something different to your hair.
His eyes do not miss a thing. (Sorry girls, the zit you thought you covered up- well he noticed it!). In most cases, this is a boon seeing how he recalls everything you say and like.
2. He is a very patient man.
Years of adjusting cameras, focusing lenses and repeatedly trying to capture an object perfectly have made him extremely patient. He knows that good things come to those who wait, so don’t be surprised if before a night out he patiently waits for you to get dressed for an hour without cribbing or asking you to hurry up. He values you.
3. Be prepared to pose.
Now that you two are together, he has someone he finds truly beautiful to take pictures of all the time. He will take many pictures of you, some when you are not looking, some while you’re pigging out, and some when you probably feel like you look half asleep. Nevertheless, he finds them beautiful and may heaven save you if try to delete one! These pictures are truly precious to him.
4. He finds beauty in the simplest things possible.
Don’t be surprised if he stops walking abruptly and pauses to take a snap of a rusty chair in an alley. This may seem crazy to you but he finds this aesthetic. Similarly, even on your worst hair days, don’t be surprised if he looks at you as if you are the most beautiful girl in the world! Because for him, you are
5. On a road trip, be prepared to hear a lot about the landscape.
He will stress the beauty of the snow-capped Alps against the Italian scenery plenty of times. Sometimes he will stop mid conversation and gaze at the landscape. On the same note, his camera probably has more pictures of palm trees and flowers than you and him. Nature truly fascinates him, and if not already, this is something you yourself will learn to eventually admire.
6. As much as you try to blend in, his camera(s) will shout out “TOURISTS!”
Don’t be surprised if at every outing during a trip abroad, the fact that you two are tourists is obvious. His camera(s) will draw attention to you two, but he doesn’t mind. It works better than the classic tourist shirt and straw-hat, I tell you!
7. You will visit beautiful and interesting places.
Churches, museums, scenic beaches- they are his world- he loves them and will not hesitate to take you along to show you what he enjoys. Sometimes you two may have to take a detour during your way to the city centre because he saw a beautiful alley he hasn’t taken pictures of yet.
8. Be prepared to learn a lot about photography.
He will teach you his passion, because you are the girl he loves, and he wishes for you to admire the beauty that he sees in trivial things. Vertical and horizontal symmetry, depth and perspective do not have the same meaning for you any more. Don’t be surprised if you have long talks about why the sunbed, the grass and the swimming pool are symmetrical, I assure you that you will learn a lot!
9. Lastly, he will love you for trying to learn and adjust to his lifestyle.
My boyfriend laughs and kisses me lovingly whenever I call his fixed focal length camera lens (yes, I just asked him for the name of this lens!) “too zoomed in”. He will admire the fact that you wish to learn more about his passion, and don’t be afraid to embrace his hobby. You might just end up enjoying it as much too!
Some gunmen on Friday killed Prince Iheme, the elder brother of a popular Nollywood actor, Osita Iheme, when they attacked the Imo state capital, Owerri, Mbaitoli and other places.
The Commissioner for Solid Minerals in the state, Martin Eke, was also injured by the assailants.
The gunmen, who rode in Tundra operational vehicles, shot sporadically compelling people to scuttle for safety.
While commercial activities were abruptly closed, the roads were deserted and motorists abandoned their vehicles and bolted.
An Owerri nearby community, Orji was also invaded by gunmen dressed in black clothes and launched an assault on dwellers, passersby as well as security agents.
An eyewitness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that “this attack is politically motivated. We just finished at one campaign rally ground and were heading to Ubommiri. Our convoy was attacked at Amawuihe before Ubommiri.”
“Prince Iheme (Osita Iheme’s brother) was riding in the same vehicle with the Commissioner for Solid Minerals. Prince Iheme who is Pawpaw’s elder brother was killed on the spot.
“The Commissioner, who was sworn in two weeks ago, was cut badly. He has just been rushed to a hospital. They were driving in a Ford SUV. I pray he makes it.”
He added that “they just killed a policeman now. They opened fire on them and were shouting, ‘There is a sit-at-home. We have asked you to go home. Stay indoors.’”
Mr Mahama claimed that the proceeds from the Energy Sector Levy Act (ESLA)have been collateralised by the government until 2035.
The Energy Sector Levy Act which was introduced in 2017 was to, among others, provide funding for power generation and the clearance of legacy debts accumulated within the sector and consolidate levies collected under the sector.
According to Mr Mahama, ESLA was created to bring in more money to pay off debts owed to former independent power producers (IPPs) and several bulk distribution companies (BDCs) that supplied petrol.
He said following the collateralisation of ESLA, the funds are no longer available to be used for their intended purposes until 2035.
“They have taken the money in advance and spent it and collateralised it to 2035,” he claimed.
Collateralisation of revenues and indiscriminate spending by the government, according to Mr Mahama, has stripped the government of monetary resources to govern the state.
This, he says, has greatly contributed to the current economic crisis facing the country.
The former president is, however, hoping that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will factor ESLA into its debt restructuring program.
If that is done, Mr Mahama asserted that “ it will free up the ESLA money to be used to pay off the shortfall in energy debts.”
Meanwhile, the government and the IMF are expected to reach a staff-level agreement on a loan deal by Tuesday.
Matthew Cudjoe put up a splendid performance as a second half substitute for Dundee United in a friendly against English second-tier side Swansea City.
The 20-year-old was exhilarating to watch in the 25 minutes he spent on the pitch after replacing Liam Smith despite Dundee’s 2-0 defeat.
Cudjoe forced Swans goalkeeper Benda into a low save with his dipping effort from the edge of the area.
The former Asante Kotoko and Legon Cities FC player’s biggest task is to win over head coach Liam Fox who placed him down the pecking order before the World Cup break.
I can’t wait for the opportunity to do more of this, thanks to my Mgt Team & my teammates who keeps encouraging me. I can’t wait for the opportunity to make our fans happy #UnitedInPursuit#arabspic.twitter.com/axtYAwGgiT
A meeting between President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and members of the Majority Caucus has been rejected by Central Member of Parliament Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi in response to demands for the resignation of Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
Despite claims to the contrary made by the majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the call that started with about 60 MPs and eventually grew to 89 MPs was not the position taken by the Majority Caucus.
Amid threats by the ‘Ken Must Go’ MPs to boycott government business led by the embattled minister, the presidency convened a meeting where concessions were made.
Among others that Ofori-Atta should present the 2023 budget and see through the Appropriation Bill and to also conclude ongoing round of talks with the IMF with government eyeing a staff-level agreement for a programme by end of the year.
After the ‘rebel’ MPs reignited their call for the minister’s dismissal, the NPP national leaders also held a meeting with the Caucus where it was agreed that they will stick to the agreement reached with the president.
Trevor Noah’s final night as host of Comedy Central’s satirical news report “The Daily Show” celebrated his 7-year anchoring tenure and featured a packed audience, full cast of correspondents and star-studded farewell messages.
“Don’t be sad,” Noah said in his closing monologue, adding, “It doesn’t feel like seven years. Well, not at the desk. Obviously I went home in between. But still, it’s been a wild ride.”
A lineup of correspondents’ segments paying tribute to Noah and a video montage of goodbyes from Oprah, Issa Rae, Kamala Harris, Tracy Ross, Bill Gates, Hillary Clinton and more helped usher the host through the night.
“I would never pretend to understand America, you know, in the relatively short time I think I’ve been here,” said Noah, whose perspective as a South African comedian brought an outsider’s perspective to the show. But he did offer a few lessons he has learned.
Noah noted the strong influence American political parties hold, encouraging his audience to consider issues outside the lens of democrat or republican ideals.
“As we live in a society where we increasingly introduce ourselves to things that separate us, we forget that real friendships come from the similarities, and then the disagreements are how we polish each other as human beings,” he said.
“Issues are real, but politics are just an inventive way to solve those issues,” Noah said. “It’s not a binary. There are not just two ways to solve any problem. There are not just two ways to be.”
In the last minutes of the show, Noah thanked Black women, particularly those who took the time “to inform me, to educate me, to argue with me.”
“I’ve often been credited with, you know, having these grand ideas … Who do you think teaches me? Who do you think has shaped me, nourished me, informed me. From my mom, my gran, my aunt – all these Black women in my life,” the host said.
“If you truly want to learn about America, talk to Black women,” he continued.
Noah took over the program in 2015 from long-time host Jon Stewart whose 16-year run of the show shaped it into a late-night staple.
The comedian had appeared as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” for only a few months before he was tapped to fill the anchor chair. Though little-known to American television audiences at the time, Noah had already garnered a significant following outside the US.
He quickly molded the program around him, puckishly guiding his audience through singular national experiences such as the Trump presidency and the Covid-19 pandemic.
When Noah announced his exit from the show in late September, he hinted that his decision was inspired by a desire to perform out from behind the desk.
“I spent two years in my apartment, not on the road, and when I got back out there, I realized there’s another part of my life out there that I want to carry on exploring. I miss learning other languages. I miss going to other countries and putting on shows,” Noah said.
The comedian is only taking a brief hiatus before hitting the stage again. He kicks off his “Trevor Noah: Off The Record” tour in Atlanta on January 20.
When the show returns on Tuesday, January 17, the network has announced a lineup of comedic greats who will fill in as host, including Chelsea Handler, D. L. Hughley, Leslie Jones, Hasan Minhaj, Kal Penn and Wanda Sykes.
But the long-term future of the show remains unclear as the network has yet to say whether guest hosts will revolve indefinitely or if a permanent host will be installed in the chair.
Two-time GRAMMY nominee, Rocky Dawuni has stated that the Ghanaianentertainment industry has had its fair share of challenges.
According to him, he invested a lot into his craft at the early stages of his career just to prove to the world that it is possible to rise above all odds.
The prolific songwriter indicated that he seized every opportunity to work his way to the top.
Speaking to KMJ on Prime Morning Friday, Rocky Dawuni explained that he knew that challenges were important, especially when it comes to success, which is why he trained his mind to be strong in the face of adversity.
“I had a mindset of never feeling let down whenever I went through challenges because I knew that challenges were an integral part of success so I had to. Every no for me was an opportunity to prove a yes”
The producer further explained that some of the major challenges he faced in the early stages of his career had to do with finding people to produce his music, saying producers were turning him down mostly because he was the only artiste in Ghana fusing reggae music with traditional music.
He was not too reggae for the reggae people and he was not too world for the world people and this made it difficult for him to get bookings because they did not know which category to place him.
The In Ghana hitmaker indicated that instead of allowing challenges he faced to break him down, he changed his attitude and mindset towards work and he dedicated himself to discovering new ways to better himself.
“I dedicated myself to the act of creating and trying to be the best I could as a musician, learning song writing. When I started, I knew that I had the talent but I knew that I had to also learn song writing. Therefore, I started studying big songwriters around the world. I would find their catalogues, stuff, and learn. So I was studying song writing while pushing my live performance going,” he said.
Rocky Dawuni addressed speculations that he used “back door” methods to get his GRAMMY nominations, saying it is his years of hard work and perseverance that is paying off.
According to him, after he and his partners formed ‘Afro Funke’ in Los Angeles, things picked up for him in the entertainment industry and earned him global recognition.
A US-based-Ghanaian gospel musician, Rosey, says she receives most support for her career from secular musiciansand not her fellow gospel artistes.
Speaking on Daybreak Hitz on Friday, she said that some gospel musicians in Ghana are reluctant to support her cause – preaching the word of God through music – because they considered the music space as a “challenge” between themselves all the time.
“The most love and support I have gotten was from secular artistes —and it is sad to see,” she told Doreen Avio on Hitz FM.
She added that US-based-Ghanaian gospel musicians support other artistes purely from their hearts – devoid of ulterior motives – unlike some Ghana-based gospel musicians.
“They smile at you but you can tell that they have ulterior motives to cut you off behind your back or stab you behind your back,” said the Power singer.
Notwithstanding, Rosey went on to thank the few Ghanaian-based gospel musicians who support her wholeheartedly.
She admonished her fellow gospel musicians not to view the music space as an arena for competition because “the room is big enough for everyone to thrive in the music business.”
Rosey is a Ghanaian Gospel/Inspirational artiste with a gift and a voice like none other.
She began to embody her talent at the age of 14 years when she started singing at her local ICGC Church (Takoradi Adumankoman District).
She is currently based in Virginia (USA), and serving in the Navy as a United States Enlisted Sailor.
She occasionally sings the national anthem at monumental ceremonies and events.
Entering the next phase of her career, she aims to touch more hearts and win souls with her craft.
The United States government has indicated that it will support Ghana’s application for an economic bailout with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), at the board level.
U.S Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, who disclosed this, also said the US will support Ghana’s government to strengthen the Ghanaian business environment.
“So we’ve urged the government of Ghana to negotiate with the IMF with urgency, and then, as a Board member, we’ll support those programmes. Further to that, we work with Ghanaian businesses and the Ghanaian government to strengthen the business environment so that Ghana lives up to its international reputation,” she said in an interview with JoyNews.
This conversation follows the government’s decision to seek an IMF bailoutfollowing the current economic crisis, which the U.S. Ambassador has touted as a good move.
Ghana’s economy is currently experiencing soaring levels of inflation and its associated spikes in the cost of living.
As part of measures to mitigate the dwindling economy and also drive the country back onto the path of economic stability, the Finance Ministry is currently rolling out a debt exchange programme.
The US Ambassador also believes the austerity plan is the most feasible way out for Ghana’s economic recession.
Meanwhile, the United States remains the country with the Highest Special Drawing Rights of about $118 billion.
Meanwhile, the Fund (IMF) and Ghana are expected to reach a staff-level agreement on the loan deal by Tuesday, according to JoyNews reports.
According to further reports, board-level approval remains the only hurdle for Ghana to access the much-needed $3 billion from the Bretton Woods institution.
Speaking on how the US government intends to cooperate with Ghana on moving its economy out of the prevailing crisis, American Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer told Joy News’ Blessed Sogah that “the current economic crisis requires IMF assistance. That’s why those international Financial Institutions were created.”
“So we’ve urged the government of Ghana to negotiate with the IMF with urgency, and then, as a Board member, we’ll support those programmes. Further to that, we work with Ghanaian businesses and the Ghanaian government to strengthen the business environment so that Ghana lives up to its international reputation.”
Over the years, there have been requests for the corporation to be sold to a strategic partner in order to improve its financial and operational condition.
However, according to John Mahama’s most recent idea, privatizing the electricity distribution firm will actually increase efficiency and strengthen its attempts to raise money.
“It is something that we need to look at again because ECG as state-owned enterprise is not able to collect its money efficiently, it needs some private sector injections,” John Mahama said.
“One of the things we need to do is to roll out prepaid meter as quickly as possible, because if you have a prepaid meter, nobody will come and read your meter and bring a bill and you won’t pay and all that…”
He continued, “…And so I do believe we must still seek the privatisation of the Electricity Company of Ghana, so that we can inject more investment into it, because some of that money was going to provide more money for prepaid meters and also improve efficiency of collection of bills.”
He believes the revenue performance of the power distribution company can be doubled as he is intent on buying the ECG to make it more profitable.
Speaking in an earlier interview on Pan African TV, Hassan Ayariga said he wants to purchase ECG in other to provide better services for all Ghanaians.
“They [Government] should sell ECG to me; I am ready to purchase the company. Even if they [Government] do not intend to sell the ECG, they should tell me how much revenue they intend to achieve every month.”
“…Government should sit with me on live television so we can bargain the cost of the ECG, how much they make and seek to achieve in revenue every month. I will give them two times the revenue amount and manage the ECG,” he earlier said.
He added that whatever revenue the government intends to rake in from the ECG, he [Hassan Ayariga] is willing to double the amount, should he be given the opportunity to purchase the company.
“If they want US$500 million a month, I will give them US$1 billion a month,” he added.
The directive is a part of the ORC’s effort to uphold correct and trustworthy information on the nation’s firms and to remove dormant and defaulting ones from the register in compliance with the Companies Act 2019 (Act 992).
More than 110,000 inactive and defaulting firms that hadn’t submitted any annual returns in the five years following their incorporation were included on the ORC’s Register, according to the organization.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra last week, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the ORC, Nicholas Ofori Obeng-Twum, indicated that the clean-up exercise which had entered the second phase would see 2,584 companies and businesses put in state of inactive and eventually struck off beginning from January 2023.
“These dormant and defaulting Companies designated as inactive cannot be electronically searched on in the registrar system and technically connotes that they don’t exist,” he said.
Sanctions, according to the PRO, the Companies Act 2019 (Act 992), Section 289 (5) implies that “a company can be struck off the register if it fails to file its annual returns on time or fails to notify the Registrar of Companies of a change in its registered office or principal place of business in a timely manner”.
Meanwhile, the ORC has directed all companies to file the appropriate ‘Suffix or Ending’ for their Companies and adopt a ‘Constitution’ to replace the ‘Regulation’ in accordance with Section 24,25,27 and 301 of the Companies Act 2019 (Act 992) by end December 2022.
The filing of change of name is necessary to help differentiate between Public and Private Companies to halt private companies taking in Public funds and forstall public deceptions and for easy identification of the type of Company and entity they are.
He advised the public to be vigilant against fraudsters parading themselves as officers of the ORC and directing people to send momo or risk being ‘cancelled’ from the companies register.
The Galaxies played the Ghana Premier League team in a friendly at the Ghanaman Soccer of Excellence in Prampram as part of the 2023 CHAN preparations.
Annor Walker’s side roar back to secure a 2-1 win over the Phobians.
Despite the defeat, the Serbian trainer has lauded his side despite the defeat reiterating that it was a good exercise.
“It was a good exercise for the team. We will continue to prepare for the task ahead,” he told the club media.
“That’s where our focus is now. I wish the Black Galaxies all the best in the CHAN tournament,” he added.
Ghana will be making a return to the CHAN tournament after missing the last three editions.
The Black Galaxies are in Group C where they face Morocco, Madagascar and Sudan.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Premier League will resume on December 18 with Hearts of Oak hoping to continue their impressive performance under the Serbian trainer.
The amount given is larger than what Ghana anticipates from the IMF if an agreement is reached.
Additionally, Fitch predicted that Ghana will pay $3 billion in interest and amortization as part of its debt service obligations in 2023.
Ghana continues to borrow money to fund its projects and flagship programs, which has resulted in a debt-ridden economy.
Bloomberg in its December 9, report said “Ghana, a regular client of the IMF — this is its 17th request to the fund — has often failed to meet targets set in previous programs, including the last one, which ended in 2019 with a waiver from the fund, essentially rubber-stamping its lack of progress. The government’s decision to aggressively tap Eurobond markets in 2020, so soon after that program ended, spooked investors and led the agencies to revisit their ratings.”
“A government plan to slash expenditure by 20% did little to assuage the market,” it added.
After continuous downgrades by rating agencies since the beginning of the year which saw Ghana get kicked out of the international capital market, the country has battled with harsh economic conditions coupled with high inflationary pressures, soaring interest rates, and cost of borrowing as well as a depreciation of the cedi.
However, bondholders and creditors have expressed their disagreement with the programme. According to them, proper consultation and consensus-building have not been achieved.
“There is no more stigma around defaulting or restructuring, and this is quite unusual in the context of emerging markets history. It is part of the natural economic cycle,” Yerlan Syzdykov, a global head of emerging markets at Amundi SA, Europe’s biggest money manager that is a member of the Ghana bondholders committee was quoted by Bloomberg.
As part of the IMF conditionalities as noted, the finance minister also announced a freeze in public sector employment in 2023 and an increase in the Value Added Tax by 2.5%.
The Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) William Boateng has suggested that prepaid meter users strive to purchase enough for their homes for the holiday season and beyond.
Speaking on Kumasi-based Abusua FM, Mr. Willliam Boateng stated that, “those of our customers who use prepaid meters should try and buy enough for their homes this Christmas and after”.
“Don’t buy with little money and say I will go and buy another during Christmas. That will cause discomfort because we will all go for Christmas break. Those who will be available for sales will be few,” he further cautioned.
“You know how much you consume so do well to buy enough otherwise these vendors may not open their shops for you to purchase power during the festive season. You may also have to join long queues at our various offices which will bring inconveniences,” William Boateng told Kojo Marfo on the show “Abusua Nkommo”.
Mr Boateng however, assured the public that, sales persons at the ECG offices will continue to work during the holidays so that customers who may troop in to their offices can have power to buy.
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has demanded an unqualified apology from Blessed Godsbrain Smart popularly known as Captain Smart for his ‘disreputable’ comments against female sports presenters.
“The Ghana Journalists Association demands an unqualified apology from Captain Smart for making unsavoury comments against female television sports presenters,” GJA said.
Captain Smart on his morning show on Accra-based Onua FM/TV and social media platforms allegedly accused female sports presenters of “chopping” players of the senior national men’s football team, the Black Stars.
“GFA must stop all-female TV presenters from following the Black Stars. In fact they “chop” the guys too much.” he tweeted after the Black Stars lost their last group stage game against Uruguay.
The GJA in its statement believes his comments are unprofessional and against the code of ethics of the Association.
“Indeed, we find the comments by Captain Smart sorely sexist, utterly unprofessional, grossly reprehensible, highly repugnant, and extremely offensive to ethical and professional standards.
“Article 6 of the GJA Code of Ethics 2017 provides that “A journalist recognizes the public’s right to fair, unbiased, accurate, accurate, balanced and comprehensive information.”
The statement added that the Association cherished the professional integrity and hard work of its female journalists which has yielded many works of positive impact.
GJA, therefore, called upon the Management of Media General to call Captain Smart to professional order in order not to put the positive image of the media institution into disrepute.
“No amount of derogatory comments, even from within the Media General stable, will lower our estimation and celebration of our fine female journalists,” GJA noted.
Nigerian rave of the moment Asake is currently trending online over a clip from his show in London.
The clip showed the embarrassing moment the singer who is signed to Olamide’s YBNL label and known for his energetic performance did a kick mid-air which saw his trouser get torn during the action.
On Sunday, December 11, 2022, Real Tamale United lost 2-1 against a lower-tier team, Kumbungu Binbiem FC, and therefore was disqualified from the Naa Gbewaa Charity Cup.
The Aliu Mahama Stadium served as the venue for the game.
Binbiem FC shook the Ghana Premier League side with the opener on 20 minutes
Four minutes later, RTU conjured the equalizer when Mohammed Hardi whipped in a free-kick.
Late on, Binbiem FC were awarded a penalty but goalkeeper Mohammed Sheriff pulled a superb save to keep the scoreline level.
In additional time, Binbiem FC snatched the match winner to shock the hosts.
RTU starting XI: Mohammed Sheriff (GK), Mohammed Hedir, Abayase (c), Mohammed Hardi, Iska Abdul Shakun, Maidawa, Mohammed Sadat, Rockson, Labando, Prince Atta, Mustapha Fuseini
Antoine Semenyo, has surfaced as a transfer target for Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the forthcoming January transfer window.
If they are unable to sign Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar, who plays for Saudi club Al Nassr, the Ghanaian international is a fallback option, claims Turkish daily Fanatik.
Semenyo’s current contract with Championship side Bristol City runs out in the summer of 2023.
But Fenerbahce are yet to open talks with Bristol City for Semenyo.
In England, Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are interested in his services.
Semenyo has also been linked with Scottish Premiership sides Celtic and Rangers.
Before the World Cup break, the 22-year-old scored two goals in 13 appearances for the Robins.
The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (GMWU) has kicked against government’s newly introduced debt exchange programme.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, on December 5, 2022, announced a debt exchange programme which is intended to drive the dwindling economy back on track.
Under the programme, domestic bondholders will be asked to exchange their instruments for new ones. Existing domestic bonds as of December 1, 2022, will be exchanged for a set of four new bonds maturing in 2027, 2029, 2032, and 2037.
This programme, after it was announced, has faced some opposition.
Various organisations and individuals have kicked against the policy. Latest to oppose it is the GMWU, which contends this programme can have an adverse impact on employees’ pensions and individual life savings.
Speaking at the National Executive Council meeting in Accra, General Secretary for the group, Abdul-Moomin Gbana, said the Union will do all in its power to ensure that their members are protected against this policy and that not even a pesewa of pension funds is lost as a result of the programme.
He further asked the government to halt the exportation of raw materials and add value to the country’s natural resources to boost foreign investment.
“Africa’s vast mineral wealth should be an important driver of its structural transformation. It is clear that Africa has not harnessed the full potential of its mineral endowments for sustainable, inclusive development,” he said.
According to him, inflation in emerging markets and developing economies is expected to rise from 5.9% in 2021 to 9.9% in 2022 before declining to 8.1% in 2023.
Ghana’s inflation increased to 37.2% in September, from 33.9% in August, and subsequently to 40.4% in October 2022, according to the latest data.
Voicing out his grievances against the debt exchange programme, Mr Gbana also commented on the new VAT rates.
The Finance Minister, during the 2023 budget reading, announced a 2.5% increase in the Value-Added Tax (VAT) rate from 12.5% to 15% and added a new income tax band, raising it from 30% to 35%, as announced in the 2023 budget statement.
In response to the tax increases, Mr Gbana urged the government to maintain the daily thresholds for the e-levy and review the VAT rate increases.
According to him, in spite of the tax reforms, the depreciation of the cedi continues to put heavy demands on mortgages, making it difficult for the working class to obtain mortgage loans or financing.
Mr Gbana added that the trade unions were prepared to join the fight against corruption, addressing the financial leakages in the system and ensuring equitable distribution of resources.
On Sunday, December 4, in a public address, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta officially launched Ghana’s Domestic Debt Exchange programme.
The objective of this programme is to alleviate the debt burden in a most transparent, efficient, and expedited manner possible.
It is also intended to minimize the impact of the domestic debt exchange on investors holding government bonds.
She asserts that while the government is mostly in charge of creating policies to guide the nation out of its current predicament, it is also our responsibility as citizens to support these efforts by making our fair share of contributions to reviving the economy.
“Today, due to our interconnectedness to the global marketplace, and as the impact of external forces on our everyday lives will continue, we are faced with unforeseen challenges of the future and these are not challenges we have asked for as a people. We actually do not relish the situation we find ourselves in, but we are here and together as one, we must strive to build our nation,” she said.
Dr Tsiboe-Darko made the remarks at an economic forum organized by the Danquah Institute (DI) in Accra on Friday, December 9, 2022.
The Forum, under the theme: “Restoring Macroeconomic Stability and Sustainable Economic Growth; Our Collective Responsibility” brought together hosts of resource persons, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), students, and members of the public to deliberate on how to support government navigate this hard times.
In her remarks, Dr. Tsiboe-Darko recounted how government had managed to keep the country afloat even in the face of the dreaded coronavirus pandemic. She said government had managed the resource envelop of the country so well prior to the influx of the virus recording year-on-year single digit inflation continuously for 4 years, stabilized the cedi against its major trading partners and kept the country on a high growth trajectory.
She said though Ghana is not the only country feeling the brunt of the twin crises of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, her situation is peculiar given that this is not the first time she finds herself in such a precarious economic condition hence, something must be done to prevent the reoccurrence of such situation in future.
Present at the deliberations was the Chairperson of the Forum, Professor. Eric Assibey, Dr. Owusu Adu Sarkodie, an Economist at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwadwo Opoku, also an Economist at the University of Ghana, Development Economist, Dr. Agyapomaa Gyeke-Darko, Dr. George Domfe, and Dr. Ama Boafo-Arthur, a lecturer at the Department of Distance Education, University of Ghana.
Proffering solutions on the current economic hardship, Dr. Adu-Sarkodie encouraged the government to improve its revenue mobilization effort. He said one way to do this is to use digital platforms to effectively monitor our tax collection and clamp down on persons who evade taxes. He said the government must also trim the list of companies that are exempt from paying taxes as these exemptions come at a cost to the state.
On his part, Dr. Opoku encouraged the government to improve its exchange rate management. He said in doing this, the government must establish an Exchange Rate Stabilization Fund on purchases on forex to help stabilize the cedi in periods of volatility. He added that this will help the government properly manage the country’s exchange rate regime.
Dr. Ayapomaa reiterated the need for us to be intentional about our development as a country. She said the government must move to make State Owned Enterprises (SOES) stand-alone enterprises that can carter for themselves stressing that this is one of the sustainable ways government can free itself from the liabilities of these companies that do not contribute significantly to its revenue.
England striker, Harry Kane has admitted that their loss in the game against Franceis a big blow to the England national team.
In a tweet he noted that the defeat “hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it.”
England’s dream of winning the World Cup was short lived after they were kicked out of the tournament by France. The 2:1 defeat sent the Three Lions home.
Absolutely gutted. We’ve given it everything and it’s come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for. There’s no hiding from it, it hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it but that’s part of sport. pic.twitter.com/lw5Esl4fnA
Harry Kane scored one penalty to equalise after Aurelien Tchouameni’s opener, but after Olivier Giroud put Les Bleus back in front, Kane spurned his second chance from the spot to send the Three Lions crashing out at the quarter-final stage.
The England captain was distraught after the game and accepted responsibility for the miss, but his manager Gareth Southgate backed his striker for big performances along the way.
“Absolutely gutted. We’ve given it everything and it’s come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for. There’s no hiding from it, it hurts and it’ll take some time to get over it but that’s part of sport,” Harry Kane tweeted.
The two did not participate in any of the games while they were in Qatar for the World Cup with the Black Stars.
Following the Black Stars exit from the tournament, the two players have arrived in Ghana and are expected to team up with their teammates at the Ghanaman Soccer Center of Excellence in Prampram.
They were not part of the Black Galaxies team that defeated Hearts of Oak 2-1 on Sunday.
However, Annor Walker, who is the head coach for the side has confirmed that the pair are expected to arrive in camp this week.
“Barnieh and Danlad are already part of the team before they were invited to the Black Stars to travel to Qatar for the World Cup and I am told they are town. But this morning, I heard Danlad is ill and has been admitted to the hospital. So seriously, I am expecting them to report to camp when Danlad is okay,” he told the Ghana FA website.
“For Barnieh I don’t know about his condition but I am expecting them to join us here so that we can all work together before we move outside Ghana,” the coach added.
Ghana will be making a return to the CHAN tournament after missing the last three editions.
The Black Galaxies are in Group C where they face Morocco, Madagascar and Sudan.
Franklin Cudjoe, the chief executive of the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, criticized the government for allocating GH240 million as “waste of money” and unnecessary for the collection of the electronic transfer levy.
“I believe that the GH 241 million budgeted for this e-levy is unnecessary.
It contradicts the purpose behind this tax.
I’m shocked by this judgment because there is a fictitious business set up to handle the collection, he stated.
Chief Executive of the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, has slammed the government’s allocation of over GH¢240 million for the collection of the proposed 1.75 percent electronic transactions.
Speaking on Citi TV’s ‘The Big Issue’ on Saturday December 11, 2021, Franklin Cudjoe said that Ghana Revenue Authority and KelniGvG can do the collection of the levy on behalf of the government instead of establishing a new entity for collection.
“We tend to spend too much in this country to collect some of these taxes. And I think the government is compounding the problems of the e-levy just when some of us were beginning to understand some of the reasons given,” he said.
“I think this GH¢241 million allocation for this e-levy is needless. It flies in the face of the motive for this tax. So, I’m appalled at this decision when in actual fact there is some supposed entity in place to do the collection,” Citi Newsroom quoted.
Ken Ofori-Atta announced a new 1.75% levy on all electronic transactions covering mobile money transactions, remittances and other electronic transactions in the 2022 budget.
The Minority caucus in parliament have however kicked against the introduction of the E-levy as they believe it will worsen the plight of Ghanaians.
Aside from being against the introduction of the E-levy, they have however discovered that the government is allocating over GH¢240 million for E-Transaction Levy Services.
The Minority have since demanded full disclosure of the proposed e-levy.
The Minority’s move to censure Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Attahas drawn criticism from the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) director of communications.
Richard Ahiagbah in an interview on Saturday, December 10, described the censure motion as a “needless political exercise.”
According to him, the majority could not keep their word in calling for the dismissal of the finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
His comments come after some 80 New Patriotic Party MPs called for the immediate dismissal of the Finance Minister and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu-Boahen.
Backing this move, the minority also filed a censure motion on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, to have the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, removed from office on grounds of mismanagement of the economy with charges of conflict of interest, unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund, illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, and many others.
However, after a discussion with the president and some party executives, the MPs made a U-turn on their decision and agreed to allow the finance ministry to conclude its IMF negotiations with Ghana.
On the part of Mr Ahiagbah, the NDC MPs should not have proceeded with the motion of censure knowing the outcome of the president’s meeting with the MPs.
“You can almost certainly be assured that if you pass any censure motion, he [President] is not going to revoke the minister’s appointment.”
Meanwhile, the censure motion against the Finance Minister failed to meet the required two-thirds majority vote to succeed.
Only minority members (136) out of the 275 legislators were present to vote on Thursday’s motion.
Before the vote could happen, the majority staged a walkout under the leadership of the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah, who said his side cannot be part of a process that is baseless and politically motivated.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, ruling on the vote, said the minority MPs did not meet the constitutional threshold of 183 MPs, thus two-thirds of members of the House.
“In accordance with article 82 (1), which reads; Parliament may, by a resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of all the MPs, pass a vote of censure on the Minister of State. “Following the terms of Article 82 (1), the vote is accordingly lost,” he said on the floor.
Technical University students woke up to good news since disruptions caused by the indefinite industrial action by the Technical University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (TUTAG) have ended following an announcement that marked the end of the TUTAG strike indefinitely.
The announcement was contained in a statement dated November 18, in response to the government’s inaction to honor the codified conditions of service of its members, which it notes has been outstanding since 2016.
However, there has been a turn of events following TUTAG’s statement dated December 10 declaring the end of the strike after several months of staying off their duties.
It has finally concluded its negotiations on its demands with the government, hence the suspension of the strike.
“Following the conclusion of negotiations on internally generated fund-related conditions of service, off-campus and vehicle maintenance allowances, and pursuant to the memorandum of agreement signed between the government team and the labour unions (TUTAG, UTAG, GAUA, and TEWU), we announce the suspension of the strike action declared on Monday, November 18, 2022. The suspension takes immediate effect,” TUTAG said in a statement.
Therefore, the association’s leadership has requested that all members resume work effective Monday, December 12.
“We, therefore, urge all members of the 10 public technical universities to resume work on Monday, December 12, 2022,” the statement read.
Additionally, it thanked the National Labour Commissionfor supporting its resolution and commended its members for their cooperation.
“We wish to express our gratitude to the National Labour Commission for helping the parties reach an agreement in relation to the above allowances. We thank the Honorable Minister of Education for his honesty, sincerity, and participation throughout the negotiation process.
“Finally, we express our profound gratitude to our gallant members for their support throughout the process.”
TUTAG on November 18 declared an indefinite strike action, demanding a review of vehicle maintenance allowance, implementation of the negotiated internally generated fund, and other conditions of service.
In a letter to announce its strike at the time, TUTAG said the Ghana Tertiary Education Council and other government agencies have not given their demand any serious attention.
Hence, “upon further deliberations by the National and Chapter Executives of TUTAG, we declare an indefinite strike action that takes immediate effect,” the letter announced.
The Ghana Revenue Authority has taken to social mediato respond to Michael Blackson’s earlier rants about the excessive import duties on goods shipped to Ghana.
The Ghanaian-American actor, earlier on his Twitter page on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, shared a post cautioning Ghanaians residing in other countries hoping to ship goods to Ghana to prepare for more import duties as the system has currently changed.
Citing his ordeal with the GRA, Blackson recalled an instance where he paid $10,000 worth of duty for items which cost the same $10,000, price.
“I have cousins in Ghana with no jobs and no income. Because the country lacked jobs, they wanted to open a store if I could help. I purchased about $10k of items and when it arrived thru DHL, customs said they will need to pay $10k to retrieve. IT MAKES NO SENSE,” he earlier wrote on Twitter.
But the development has triggered several public responses as scores of netizens also shared similar experiences with the Authority.
This somewhat caught the attention of the GRA who also took to Twitter to respond to the many accusations.
Responding to Michael’s claim about exorbitant duties, GRA explained that: “Ghana currently uses the Harmonized System (HS) Customs Code to classify goods. Tariffs are based on value (ad valorem) or weight or volume (specific) and are subject to change. Most goods, unless they are totally exempt from customs duties, are subject to an import duty. Value Added Tax (VAT), and certain other fees and charges. The import duty is assessed on the Cost Insurance Freight (CIF) value of the good. The VAT and other fees and charges are assessed on CIF + duty”.
They noted further that duties imposed on imported goods are backed by law, adding that they are simply doing their job.
“Duty on imported goods is calculated based on what the Customs Law directs. We are only doing our job. If you have any evidence of extortion, report it anywhere you are comfortable.”
Former chairman of the Ghana Football Association [GFA], Dr. Nyaho Nyaho- Tamakloe has urged the FA’s current administration to name Chris Hughton as the team’s next head coach.
Otto Addo left his position as head coach of the Black Stars after the team was eliminated from the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The Black Stars are now without a head coach.
Ghana finished at the bottom of Group H with three points after three games played.
With the Ghana FA yet to appoint a new trainer for the team, the Hearts of Oak board member wants the former Newcastle United and Brighton boss to be given the team as the new trainer.
Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe speaking to Daily Graphic in an interview opined that the former Tottenham Hotspurs gaffer has all it takes to take charge of the team.
He added that Hughton was the only one with the credentials to catapult the team to the desired level.
Meanwhile, Kurt Okraku, who is the President of the GFA has also said they are not in a hurry to appoint a new trainer for the Black Stars.
Mr Okraku hinted the next coach could be known by the first quarter of 2023 by which time the team will play in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Angola in Luanda.
Chris Hughton served as the technical advisor for the Black Stars under Otto Addo.
Sproxil works by providing consumers the means to do a quick authenticity test by SMS or app to check the unique number on the packaging of products on its platform.
Read the full story originally published on December 12, 2021, by face2faceafrica
Counterfeit drugs are among some of the leading causes of death in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, counterfeit drugs could be responsible for up to 270,000 additional deaths per year in sub-Saharan Africa.
In addition, the report notes that in some parts of Africa, more than 30% of medicines sold are substandard or falsified medical products. What is more, the continent is the most affected by the falsification of medicines, recording 42% of global seizures.
In order to help improve public health safety and ensure that consumers are buying the right drug and not a counterfeit, a Ghanaian entrepreneur, Ashifi Gogo, launched a tech startup called Sproxil which helps people to detect counterfeit products.
Sproxil works by providing consumers the means to do a quick authenticity test by SMS or app to check the unique number on the packaging of products on its platform. The platform/Sproxil was launched in 2009 and its first trial was done in Nigeria employing what was then called Mobile Product Authentication (MPA) on the well-known diabetes drug Glucophage, according to How We Made It In Africa.
Customers sent an SMS to the code on a pack of Glucophage at no charge and received a notification on whether the product was authentic or not. Since the trial, Sproxil now has over three billion unique digital codes for the products of brands using its platform.
Gogo’s decision to invest in detecting authentic drugs was influenced by a tragic event that occurred in Nigeria in 2008 where children died after ingesting teething syrup. It was later uncovered that the teething syrup contained a high concentration of a toxic chemical. It was alleged that the manufacturer got ingredients from an unlicensed chemical marker.
According to Gogo, his vision to sanitize the drug industry would not have been possible without the vision of the then director-general of the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Dora Akunyili. She wanted to adopt technology to solve the issue of counterfeiting and so invited Sproxil to make presentations to various stakeholders and trade groups.
Gogo funded the startup using his personal savings. Later, he got grants and prize money from competitions. Customer revenue also helped.
In its first year, the company achieved venture-style growth. “We tripled revenue each year for the first two years, then nearly doubled it again each year for the subsequent two years. It was in line with how venture capital investors expect companies they fund to grow,” he said.
The company in 2011 got a $1.8 million investment from Acumen Fund and a seven-figure loan facility from Deutsche Bank in 2015.
There are now other companies like Sproxil but Gogo believes his company can compete successfully. “We can accelerate sales but also plug holes in the supply chain where there might be security issues,” he said. “It’s two-for-one value.”
Born in Ghana, Gogo moved to the U.S. in 2001 to attend Whitman College. He studied mathematics and physics and completed his Ph.D. in engineering. The topic of his thesis was authentication technology designed for emerging markets.
Following a 2-0 loss against Uruguay, the Black Stars fell out of the tournament after the first round.
After defeating South Korea in their second group game, the Black Stars needed a draw or win against Uruguay to advance to the last 16 stage.
But the team failed to negotiate for points against their ‘enemies’ Uruguay.
Ghana made a strong start to the game, but fell apart after captain Andre Ayew missed a penalty in the 21st minute, a repeat of what happened in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Speaking to 3Sports, the former Inter and AC Milan star asserted the current Black Stars players should be the base for the future of the national team if the four-time African Champions are to make impact in subsequent tournament.
“I can’t wait to see these kids progress not now, in future. Like hold them together, I am one but of course I am going to talk to the management, coaches and probably the President, you don’t dismantle this team”
“Whatever happens here, you still hold these kids because they are very young. You don’t change most of them, just a little maybe one or two then you just polish them. Let say 8-9 players should be the base for the future of the national team. Eight players should be like the foundation of the Black Stars” he said.
The Black Stars will now shift attention to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers set to begin in earnest.
The four-time African champions sit top of Group D with four points from the first two games of the qualifiers.
‘The WomanKing’ headlines the African American Film Critics Association’s annual list of the top 10 films of the year.
The film, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, has ensemble cast led by Viola Davis which includes Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim and Thuso Mbedu as the Agojie, an all-female army of fierce warriors.
John Boyega also stars as King Ghezo.
“The best films of this year prove that diverse stories – the true and the fantastical – are not only important to the culture but are equally important to the movie-making business,” said AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson.
“Black films which make an impact on our minds and hearts are also making a sizable impact at the box office. Our top film, ‘The Woman King’, bridges the gap between telling important, heartfelt stories, and providing an entertaining experience for movie-going audiences.
“These true tales of black empowerment and accomplishment, such as ‘Emancipation,’ ‘Devotion’ and ‘Sidney,’ as well as fantastical tales such as ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ and ‘Wendell & Wild’ invite us to experience underappreciated pieces of history along with our own imaginings.”
The full list of AAFCA’S Top 10 Films of 2022:
The Woman King
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Till
Sidney
Emancipation
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Inspection
Causeway
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Wendell & Wild
Devotion
AAFCA will reveal winners of the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards honoring outstanding achievement in film in 15 competitive categories on Jan. 16. An in-person celebration in Los Angeles will follow on March 1.
The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Viola Davis will be honored with the Chairman’s Award for her work as an actor and producer for “The Woman King.”
“Whether as an actress or producer, Viola Davis brings powerful stories to the screen. In The Woman King, Davis continues to prove that she is a force of nature in this groundbreaking performance about the leader of the Agojie, a unit of all-female warriors,” festival chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement.
“It is our honor to present the Chairman’s Award to Viola Davis celebrating her work as both an actress and producer.”
Davis joins previously announced honorees Austin Butler (Breakthrough Performance Award, Actor), Cate Blanchett (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress), Colin Farrell (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor), Sarah Polley (Director of the Year Award), Michelle Yeoh (International Star Award) and “The Fabelmans” (Vanguard Award).
The Palm Springs International Film Awards will take place on Jan. 5 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
The future of DC Studios is unknown and up in the air, but according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, actor JasonMomoa’s future in the DCU might feature a lot of change.
In an extensive report from THR, the future of the DC Universe is said to remain in flux, with new co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran looking to make some huge changes.
Chief among them, according to the report, is to have no more Aquaman films and instead use Jason Momoa in another role — as the DC antihero Lobo.
The report notes that Momoa could potentially wrap up playing the underwater hero after he stars as Aquaman in the upcoming sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which releases on December 25, 2023.
After that, Momoa could transition to the character of Lobo, a foul-mouthed alien that works as an interstellar mercenary and bounty hunter.
While Lobo has not been utilized much in any live-action properties, his outsider character does fit with the type of characters Gunn has worked with in past comic book films, including the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Suicide Squad.
Speaking to the report, Gunn wouldn’t confirm what was or wasn’t true, but did say that some of what was on it was true, some wasn’t, and some it was “half-true,” while some just hasn’t been decided yet by the creative duo.
At the end of his tweet thread, Gunn said that he couldn’t share much more on the future of the DCU, as they still have much more to think about as they figure out how to move forward.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Gunn noted that he was well aware that he was entering into a “fractious environment” when he and Peter Safran took over DC Studios. Gunn also said that there would be an “unavoidable transitional period” as the duo came together to form the next ten years of stories for Warner Bros. Discovery.
The government has come under serious criticism since the finance minister’s announcement of the domestic debt exchange programme.
Among the many disgruntled is the Member of Parliament for the Cape Coast South, George Ricketts-Hagan.
He accused the government of playing with the intelligence of Ghanaians.
The president, in his October 30, 2022, address to the nation on the ailing economy, mentioned that there would be no haircuts in its fiscal and structural reforms for debt sustainability and restoration.
However, per the domestic debt exchange programme launched by the Finance Minister, it is quite unclear what coherence exists between the president and the minister’s statements.
In finance, a “haircut” is the difference between the current market value of an asset and the value ascribed to that asset for purposes of calculating regulatory capital or loan collateral.
This raised suspicion among domestic investors.
Reacting to this, Mr. Ricketts-Hagan noted in an interview that the government had been dishonest with Ghanaians in the circumstances preceding the launch of the scheme, which had increased suspicion among domestic investors.
In his remarks on the haircut, he asked: “Why come out to tell us there won’t be haircuts when you can never enter a restructuring agreement where basically you have said or agreed you have defaulted and could no longer pay bondholders and still not have people catch some heat?”
“What the president told us is that there wasn’t going to be a haircut, and then you have the spinners tell us whether it will be on the principal or interest, which is neither here nor there,” he stressed.
He fumed about those investments, and said it would be a daunting task for insurance companies to meet their obligations, with pension funds likely to suffer.
In his opinion, this would go a long way to “add to the hardship that people are already experiencing.”
A section of Ghanaian investors were gripped by fear of losing interest on their investments and the MP seems to have confirmed their worries about the questions on “haircuts”
He explained that “when all this is said and done, investors who are going to be affected are going to lose GH¢200 billion at the end of all this and if people say there are not going to be haircuts, then I don’t know what they are talking about,” he added.
The Accra Circuit Court has dismissed the charges against six police officers who were accused of planning the robbery of Bullion vans in Accra.
After the state prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sylvester Asare, said that the prosecution had decided to drop the case, the sitting judge, Patricia Amponsah, discharged all six police officers.
The State Prosecutor decided to dismiss the case after failure of the prosecution to file witness statements required to enable the hearing of the case.
DSP Sylvester Asare, further explained that the case was dropped due to opposition from the attorneys for the accused.
It will be recalled that on March 9, 2022 the then-accused persons, Constable Affisu Yaro Ibrahim, Constable Richard Boadu, Constable Rabiu Jambedu, Constable Albert Ofosu, Constable Nelson Tetteh and Razak Alhassan, were remanded upon their first appearance in court.
While Constables Ibrahim and Albert Ofosu were charged with attempting to commit robbery, the other four suspects were accused of aiding and abetting.
Meanwhile, all six Police officers pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against them.
In February of this year, there was an attempted bullion van robbery in North Kaneshie. The Police conducted investigations into the incident, which resulted in the arrest of Constable Reindolph Gyimah Ansah, alias Pablo (dead), who confessed to the crime when questioned.
According to DSP Asare, further investigations led to the arrest of Lance Corporal Stephen Nyame (also deceased) and the six accused persons.
The late Lance Corporal Nyame and Constable Ansah confessed to taking part in the crimes and named two Nigerians as their accomplices, the State Prosecutor testified in court.
The dead police officer admitted to the court that their Nigerian accomplices, who lived close to Ashaiman, had the guns used in the crimes.
According to DSP Asare, on March 6, 2022, Lance Corporal Nyame and Constable Ansah led the police to Ashaiman in order to apprehend the two Nigerian accomplices, however the two were shot during the operation and ultimately passed away.
The accused police officers have been appearing in court since they were placed on remand in custody in March. Bail was declined for them more than five times.
They claimed that because state prosecutors waited so long to provide their witness statement, their clients were being punished before the trial even started and that there was no evidence against them.
He claims that in order to lessen the burden on the government, reduce the national debt, and minimize public sector corruption, successive governments have not been able to provide the conditions for everyone to participate in the development process.
Togbe Afede claimed in a piece spotted by GhanaWeb Business that the few programs aimed at assisting the private sector have become politicized over time.
“Tax waivers, duty exemptions and other incentives have become a privilege reserved for loyal party supporters instead of being targeted at sectors of the economy that need support to become globally competitive,” he stressed.
He also noted that great ideas and initiatives by entrepreneurs and the private sector have not been supported merely due to selfish or political reasons.
“Crony capitalism has spelt doom for the genuine entrepreneurs, ensuring the happiness of a few, and discontent, misery and suffering of the majority,” he wrote.
“Poorly planned initiatives like NABCO have been the preferred short-term political reaction to the unemployment problem. But these, we all know, do not create real jobs, and thus cannot provide sustainable solutions to the youth unemployment problem,” he noted.
Popular Ghanaian journalist, Bridget Otto, has waded into the ongoing discussion about the failure of Wizkid to attend a concert that was put together for him by Live Hub Entertainment in Accra on Saturday, December 10, 2022, at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The award-winning Nigerian musician failed to make an appearance at the show despite the huge publicity for the show and his tweets indicating that he would be there.
His failure to be at the show got many of the fans disappointed and infuriated because they got the tickets that were selling at high prices just to see the ‘Essence’ hitmaker.
Amid the reactions on social media, the Metro TV news anchor took to her Twitter page to state that the musician did not treat the fans and the people who got the tickets just to see him perform right.
According to her, the current economic crisis the country is battling makes it more inhumane for an artist to stand up people who paid over Ghc300 just to see them perform with the belief of getting some happiness.
‘The country is in a crisis, things are tough so when people save their 300/500 cedis for a concert just to be happy for a few hours, the least you can do is honour that, make them forget their problems even if it’s just for a few hours, don’t stress them out!#WizkidLiveAccra,’ she tweeted.
Ghanaian-born UK-based singer/songwriter with years of experience in the music industry is optimistic of taking the Ghanaian music scene.
Nana Kay Agyekum, also known as GoldKay (formally known as Gold Kay), is known for his mixing of Afro-swing/Afro-rap/Afro-dancehall and blending pidgin, twi and local colloquial street terms.
Before emerging as a solo artist and bursting onto the UK Afrobeatscene with his infectious AfroSwing, R&B, and Dancehall fusion sound, GodlKay had done some work as a member of a music group or a member of a choir that featured on Britain’s Got Talent – amassing millions of views on YouTube, with performances at the BBC, Channel 4, Bestival, Sky One and IT.
He however gained prominence in the music scene after his breakout track ‘Bluffin’ featuring Kwame Eugene began to top the charts.
GoldKay as a creative thrives on sharing his creativity with others taking part in BBC 2’s ‘The Choir’ (2020) show hosted by Gareth Malone in which he helped coach inmates at Aylesbury Young Offenders Institute in forming the prison’s first choir and the show’s finale performance.
Currently, he has songs like Bluffin which features Ghanaian star Kwami Eugene. The song was an instant hit receiving support in GoldKay’s native homeland Ghana with radio airplay and over 200k streams and views across digital streaming platforms and YouTube. GoldKay was awarded UK Based AfroBeats Artiste of the Year (2018).
There is also another single-track titled, ‘Magnum’, which is a pounding Afro Swing anthem from the multifaceted artist. A high-level demonstration of genre versatility, playful production, and candid songwriting, heavily influenced by the infectious sounds and culture of his native. Magnum has amassed over 210k streams across digital streaming platforms receiving editorial and independent playlist support.
Party by GoldKay was another successful song. The single fuses elements of Afrobeats, R&B, and Dancehall music to deliver an infectious single. Having been championed by BBC1Xtra, The Beat1036FM, Pulse88 radio, and Westside radio London, among others Party, has amassed over 400k streams across digital streaming platforms and has received editorial and independent playlist support.
Concerning collaboration, in his career, GoldKay has earned major collaborations with the likes of GuiltyBeatz, Bisa Kdei, David Jay and has worked with the likes of Dappy (N-Dubz), Craig David, Dabeatfreakz, Crazy Cousinz and has shared stages with Burna Boy, Mr Eazi and Sarkodie.
GoldKay has also mounted stages at events like Detty Rave, Afrochella, AFREP, Ghana Party in the Park, Camden Roundhouse, Ghana Independence Day Celebration (Denmark), The Afrobeats Orchestra, Homebody, A Night with GoldKay (Ghana), and many others.
The talented musician who is vowing to take over the music space has also gotten a lot of nominations so far in the music industry. Back in 2018, GoldKay was nominated as the UK Based Uncovered Artiste of the Year and the UK Based AfroBeats Artiste of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards UK. Eventually, he won the latter.
Other nominations and awards are listed below…
2021
Uk-Based Afrobeats/Afro Pop Artiste Of The Year
Uk-Based Afrobeats/Afro Pop Song Of The Year
Uk Based Artiste Of The Year
2022
Uk-Based Afrobeats Artiste Of The Year
Uk-Based Afrobeat/Afropop Song Of The Year – Winner
The Ambassador of the United States of America (USA), Virginia Palmer, says efforts to protect the rights of same-sex individuals should not be misinterpreted as an attempt to advance their interests.
In its 2021 annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, the US Department of State expressed concern about significant human rights issues such as “crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or intersex persons; existence of laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults.”
Speaking on Foreign Affairs with Blessed Sogah on JoyNews channel, Friday, December 10, 2022 the foreign diplomat noted that discrimination of all kinds is bad, hence the need for social protection measures to protect the minority group.
“I also want to be really clear that we are not trying to be promoting homosexuality or anything like that. We don’t want your straight children to be gay, we want your gay children to be safe and I think it is very important that any sort of threat on one group demonstrates that rights of other people can be encroached upon and discrimination of any kind frankly, is bad,” she said.
Recounting experiences of close family relations on discrimination and repression, the ambassador noted that, “My family has experienced discrimination. I think Ghanaians and African and African- Americans have all experienced discrimination.”
“When my husband and I were courting, he’s South African, it was illegal in South Africa because the immorality act made inter-racial couples illegal. But now we’ve been married almost forty years, but people are like really? How could that ever have been illegal? And I hope that someday we will feel like that about women and children who are being discriminated against. Discrimination is harmful,” she added.
