During the session, which was done in the evening, the Black Stars players and coaching staff clapped and sang gospel tunes joyously, all but Kudus.
The young man who has been Ghana’s star player at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar had many folks worried as they did not want to see him sad. The young man has won the admiration of most Ghanaians with his performances at the tournament.
Many peeps who saw the video were not pleased to see Kudus in an unhappy mood and tried to figure out why he was quiet and gloomy.
Some peeps opined that maybe he was just not in the mood, while others attributed his unhappy look to the fact that he was Muslim and did not want to participate in singing Christian songs.
Some peeps also gave other interesting probable reasons the Black Stars star looked sad.
Kudus Sad Look Sparks Reactions
Khadijatul Kubrah was worried:
Why is Kudus Not happy don’t worry You guys are surely going to make it Inshallah
ajoarhema felt the song had nothing to do with it:
lol in Ghana Muslims sing gospel. even hymns maybe he just wasn’t in the mood
user62282055157500 commented:
if u frown kraa l love u la ❤️ kudusss to the wiase
The wealthy heir wore an expensive oversized shirt paired with white trousers for the star-studded event. Saahene gave us fantastic hairstyling and facial grooming tips with his new look. He wore trendy black sunglasses and expensive pieces of jewelry to match his looks.
Saahene left the sleeves unbuttoned to show off his jewelry, attracting more attention. He styled his looks with one of Alexander McQueen’s sneakers that costs over ten thousand Ghana cedis as he walked confidently to the red carpet.
The young fashionista was spotted with a pretty lady who looked elegant in a one-hand pink jumpsuit styled with gold strappy heels. She wore a long straight hairstyle and subtle makeup for the exclusive launch.
Social media users have commented on Saahene Osei’s look to the star-studded event
frimpong.aikins
Saahene , this your shoes is typically worn by women in China to give them some height
gentle_yo
It b this boy wey de show the others how dem for chop dema poppy ei money
kcbbysong
This guy they spend his fathers money
barbiegal549
He’s soo humble
abrewa99
@frimpong.aikins I think u are the only one laughing here . Those are “Alexandra McQueen”(i stand to be corrected)so admire the Chinese women wear it for height ,whiles he wears what makes him comfortable.Allow✌️
highest_.god
@abrewa99 Yh u are right those are Alexandra McQueen
Kudus has drawn the attention of many ladies with his stellar performances and handsome looks.
A video of the young man parking his expensive Mercedes Benz AMG has got many ladies falling in love with him even more.
The young winger in the video gently parked the vehicle at a car park and got down, wearing a fashionable hoodie and sporting his afro fade.
Why Kudus Has Become The People’s Champion
Mohammed Kudus, in Ghana’s first game against Portugal, showed that he was the man to take Ghana forward as he put in a shift in both midfield and attack.
The young man impressed many with a beautiful assist he gave Dede Ayew. Even though Ghana lost, people were stunned by the team’s overall performance.
In the South Korea match, which was Ghana’s second game of the tournament, Kudus did even better as he bagged a brace in the game. He scored the 3rd goal, which secured a 3:2 win for Ghana.
Many have termed the team’s final Group H game as a ‘revenge’ match against Uruguay who shattered Ghana’s dream of progressing to the semi-final stage at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Fancy Gadam on Friday published a photo that captured him at the airport. The singer has predicted a win for his country and called for prayers ahead of the game.
His tweet dated December 1 read: “Ghana plays against Uruguay Tomorrow. Taking the next flight to Qatar to support my beloved country! Remember Ghana is winning by a lone Goal to Nil. This is a must win for us. Say a prayer.”
Meanwhile, Ghana’s coach, Otto Addo has stated that Senegal and Morocco’s qualification to the next stage of the FIFA World Cup has motivated the Black Stars.
Speaking at the pre-match presser on Thursday, Otto Addo said, “I’m happy to see our African brothers qualifying to the next stage of the tournament. We don’t have a lot of representation like the other continents like Europe which have about 15 representations; our number is five so our probability to qualify is low. We take motivation from that and I hope we can have about 3 countries into the next stage. It won’t be easy but we know the importance of the match against Uruguay.”
Check out the post below:
Ghana 🇬🇭 plays against Uruguay 🇺🇾 Tomorrow. Taking the next flight to Qatar 🇶🇦 to support my beloved country ! Remember Ghana is wining by a lone Goal 🥅 to Nil. This is a must win for us . Say a prayer 🤲 🏈 pic.twitter.com/lBoP0bg5KM
Grammy-award-winning Yemi Alade is serving attitude with the release of a new EP, AFRICAN BADDIE available now via Effyzzie Music.
The 10-track project features collaborations with Spice, Phyno, Bisa Kdei, Zlatan, Bramsito, Joe Dwẻt File, and Lemar.
Preceding the release of AFRICAN BADDIE, Yemi Alade released earworm “Bubble It” ft. Spice which amassed over 6 MILLION VIEWS on Youtube, bumping the Nigerian singer into over 20 MILLION VIEWS ON TIK TOK.
“I’m an African Baddie, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have emotions,” says Yemi. “Every woman can relate to all the moods on this EP. One minute we are begging a man not to hurt us again and the next we’re in front of the mirror reminding ourselves who is really in control.”
Not only does Yemi Alade guide fans through different moods on her new EP, but she’s also navigating between new genres with ease. Dancehall, Highlife, and Afrobeats are all represented in this body of work.
AFRICAN BADDIE follows Yemi’s Grammy Award Winning contributions to both Angelique Kidjo’s “Mother Nature” Album earlier this year as well as her contributions to Beyonce’s BLACK IS KING of 2021. For Yemi, this EP garners the same level of attention and recognition, capturing her versatility as an international artist.
AFRICAN BADDIE TRACKLIST
Pounds & Dollars ft. Phyno
Overload
Jo Jo ft. Bisa Kdei
Baddie
Ikebe ft. Ziatan
Dje Dje ft. Bramsito
Get Down ft. Lemar
My Man (French Version) ft. Joe Dwẻt File
Bubble It ft. Spice
Begging
With four albums, and soon-to-be three EPs under her belt, and with hits such as ‘Johnny’, ‘Ferrari’, ‘Na Gode’ and ‘Bum Bum’, and as one of the first females in the genre to hit over 100 million views on YouTube and over 1 million dedicated subscribers, Yemi Alade is the No 1 Afropop female artist on the African continent.
Beyond the studio, Yemi continues to make an impact in the entertainment world, donning titles such as composer, actress, and producer.
She is a BET Awards 2015 and 2016 nominee for Best International Act Africa, a two-time nominee MOBO Awards for Best International Act 2014 and 2015, Winner MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) for Best Female 2015 and 2016.
According to him, industry players must not look down on other people’s creative work and criticize harshly.
He noted in an interview with Doreen Avio that the habit of always dwelling on the negatives could potentially worsen the state of the music industry.
“The pointing fingers is too much. Everybody seems to blame somebody or the new guy for messing up but that’s not how it works. You rather encourage them to do better so that the next time they can fix whatever the problem is.”
“There’s too much of ‘this person did that so let’s blame him, that person did that’… if we could rather channel our negativity towards the positive and impact our music positively, that would go a long way to help us.”
Prince Bright observed that the Ghana music industry, as it stands, has a problem that needs to be fixed.
He underscored that even though he may not agree with certain stuff Shatta Wale puts out, the latter usually fights for the right things to be done.
“There’s this golden word that I hear all the time – gatekeepers. Who are the gatekeepers? To my understanding, people who have influence in the industry that can effect change.”
“It’s too much because everybody is on his own and God for us all – it’s not going to work,” he added.
Flint, 37, died in his sleep in Oklahoma, former manager Brenda Cline said in a social media post.
Tributes have begun pouring in for the singer, who was considered a rising star in “Red Dirt”, a subgenre of country music coming from Oklahoma.
Flint’s new wife, Brenda Wilson Flint, has posted a video of the two dancing underneath a tree on their wedding day.
“We should be going through wedding photos but instead I have to pick out clothes to bury my husband in,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
The couple got married at a ceremony in Tulsa the previous day.
“With a broken heart and in deep grief I must announce that Jake Flint has tragically passed away,” former manager Brenda Cline wrote. “I’ve tried several times today to make a post, but you can’t comment on what you can’t process.”
Long-time publicist Clif Doyal confirmed the death to the Oklahoman newspaper, saying that Flint died in his sleep.
“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a shocking set of circumstances with losing someone and how cruel this is for Brenda, his wife,” Cline told the Oklahoman. “To become a bride and a widow in just a few hours is unfathomable.”
Red Dirt, a subgenre of country music, is named after the distinctive colour of the soil in the state of Oklahoma, where Flint was born in the town of Holdenville before moving to Tulsa.
According to his website, Flint became interested in music after his father was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Unable to physically play with his son, the elder Flint ensured that Jake learned to play the guitar. Over time, he began attending regional music festivals and penning his own lyrics.
Flint released four albums between 2016 and 2021. He was also a regular at musical venues across his native Oklahoma and in neighbouring Texas.
Musicians from across the region have been paying tribute to the late singer-songwriter since his death was announced.
“Jacob Flint was a friend,” the Red Dirt Relief Fund, a non-profit for musicians in the genre, wrote on Facebook. “He answered the phone every time and said yes with a smile and a laugh. His heart was big and his impact on the music community was even bigger. They say life isn’t fair, but we’re grateful your last day was spent with love, joy, music and friends.”
Ghanaian socialite Nana Tornado has rejoiced after his nemesis, Afia Schwarzenegger, was given a ten-day sentence with a ¢60,000 fine for contempt over comments she and Mr Logic passed on a lawsuit that Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) filed against her.
In a video that Tornado shared on Instagram, he praised Chairman Wontumi for taking action and went ahead to shower him with accolades.
“Today is the happiest day of my life. If they say ‘Happiest Day’, I Tornado, if they ask me when is the happiest day of my life, I will say today is.
“Ghanaians do you remember in some time past, Afia Schwarzenegger sat on United Showbiz to defame Chairman Wontumi, Ashanti Regional Minister. Chairman Wontumi. Chairman, if you say can, you still will find a way to deliver. Chairman wherever you are, I salute you, Sir,” he said.
Tornado said he had spoken to Fada Dickson when Afia sat on the United Showbiz show and assert that she dated Chairman Wontumi.
“Do you remember she sat on the United Showbiz show, which Nana Ama McBrown hosts, and defamed Chairman Wontumi, and it turned into a severe issue in Ghana? On the show Kwame A Plus was there, Mr Logic was at the front and one or two people were.
“With the way, things were going, I published a video talking about how Leticia (Nana Ama McBrown) handled the situation on the United Showbiz and said she didn’t do it right and so I called Fada Dickson and told him they need to cut that discussion short,” he added.
He also explained how the court’s sentencing procedure worked.
He added that Nana Ama McBrown, Mr Logic, Kwame A Plus, and Fada Dickson have also been fined ¢60,000 each with Afia receiving a ten-day sentence as part of the fine she will pay.
“Later UTV came out to apologise but we were told the issue was in court and then later ugly Mr Logic videoed himself insulting me. The long and short of the issue is that Ghanaians, as of today Leticia (Nana Ama McBrown), Fada Dickson, Mr Logic, and Kwame A Plus when they got to court, this is how the ruling turned out.
“They fined Fada Dickson 60,000 cedis, our lady Leticia was also fined 60,000 cedis, Kwame A Plus was also fined 60,000 cedis and Mr Logic was also fined 60,000 cedis. Do you know what is fun about this case is that, after Afia was fined 60,000 cedis, she was also given 10 days in imprisonment? So, Ghanaians, Afia Schwarzenegger is going to prison for ten days with a fine of 60,000 cedis,” he mocked.
This court sentence comes after the socialite publicly proclaimed that she had an amorous relationship with the politician.
Afia restated her allegations on the United Showbiz show hosted by Nana Ama McBrown with two co-panelists. Mr Logic also made pronouncements on Afia’s allegations despite the matter being before the courts.
On July 14, 2022, Chairman Wontumi subsequently dragged Afia Schwarzenegger, Nana Ama McBrown, Kwame A Plus, Mr Logic and Fadda Dickson before the court for contempt.
Meanwhile, attempts to reach the lawyers of the five personalities have proved futile.
In the actress’s latest escapade, she targeted Nigerian blogger Mufasa Tunde Ednut after he praised the Ghana Black Stars for performing exceptionally well during their match with South Korea.
“Wow! These Ghanaian players worked really hard for this game and they must be commended for their great work.
“Check out how they built their way to scoring this magnificent goal that the world is not talking about. BIG SHOUT OUT TO GHANA ????????,” Tunde shared on December 1, 2022.
Reacting to his post was Juliet, who asked the blogger if he was still single because he had shown real support for her motherland by commending the Black Stars of Ghana.
In her comment, she asked “Tunde, are you still single? @mufasatundeednut Such a supportive guy sha.”
In 2018, Juliet Ibrahim made waves when she was captured asking Jimseuh if he was single.
Ghanaian contemporary Afrobeat singer and songwriter, Paul Andrew Nii Darko, also known as Darkovibesis out with yet another infectious single titled ‘Yao’. Following the artist’s recent disclosure of an upcoming EP, “BUTiFLY”, scheduled for release early next year, ‘Yao’ becomes the second prelude single from the project after the sultry and jazz-inflected ‘Happy Day’.
According to Darkovibes, ‘Yao’simply means “may it come to pass as we stand firm. It is an affirmative response to declarations and therefore speaks to the intent with which the song was written. I am inviting listeners to my world of fun and escapades as a songwriter and affirming the celebration of life”.
‘Yao’ is a mid-tempo deep cut rap-inspired song led by swirls of Afrobeat vocals. Darkovibes wittingly switches from streets-laden terms in pidgin and subtle patois to his native Ga language in an effortless display of lyricism, as he sings about remaining sanguine in the face of life’s vicissitudes.
Produced by music wiz and super producer, Killbeatz, the dance-able Afro-Pop inflections to the instrumentation at the latter section of the song brings ‘Yao’ home as a tune with an infectious vibe and replay value. Consequently, Darkovibes adds, “…this is pure African spiritual vibes”.
Darkovibes released his breakout hit single ‘Tomorrow’ in 2017, which set the then-budding Ghanaian artist on a trailblazing path from the Alte circuit that would eventually lead to collaborations with respected artists such as Davido, Mr Eazi, R2Bees, and many more.
One such collaboration with King Promise, ‘Inna Song’ spent 30 weeks atop Apple Music’s Top 100 Ghana charts among other charts and became the one of most played songs on the streaming service and radio for 2020 – a truly seismic feat. The ‘Stay Woke’ hitmaker would later drop genre-bending projects, “Kpanlogo” and “Cornerstone’’ EP to make a mark as an artist par excellence.
Last year, Darkovibes solidified his innate knack for making hits through ‘Je M’appelle’, a collaboration with the legendary Davido that is a party starter, racking up over a million YouTube views in just two weeks after release. A multifaceted artist with a penchant for 80’s fashion (he was featured by Vogue UK), Darkovibes aligns his sights for another showstopping end of the year by championing and melding some of the most exciting sounds from West Africa and across the diaspora as he looks set to take 2023 by storm with a trendsetting EP “BUTiFLY”.
Before then, ‘Yao’ is out to set the tone and is available on all digital streaming platforms globally – an end-of-year anthem to affirm the celebration of life. It’s Darkovibes with an infectious vibe and he does not miss!
She said women should not bug their husbands or push them away with unnecessary complaints and criticisms anytime they detect such acts.
Stressing her points during a discussion with Abeiku Santana on Okay FM, Mrs. Oduro said people should endeavor to be considerate to their fellow humans and not be quick to judge them.
“When your husband returns home from cheating, let him settle, give him good sex and food. It’s not right for anyone to cheat. Yes, it is wrong but we have all done wrong so we should be human. Let’s think thoroughly before we judge. It’s not right to do it but let’s give people a listening ear. After paying attention and listening, you can detect whether their actions were as a result of a mistake, or it was deliberate,” she detailed.
She, however, advised women against settling down with men who have shown signs of womanizing at the early stages of courtship.
“There are some instances where it wasn’t intentional. But if you knew he was a womanizer and you went ahead to marry him, then be ready to go through everything that comes with it.”
Actress Nayashas relocated to Ghana from Germany following the collapse of her marriage to Nana Sarfo Kantanka, whom she claims brought nothing but shame to her.
Nayas, in a self-recorded video shared by Kofi TV, clarified that she was never deported from Germany but instead returned to Ghana based on careful consideration.
She detailed the warm welcome from her family and her excitement about reuniting with her daughter.
“Nobody deported me, nobody deported me. I came by myself, and since then, I have been happy. They complain that Ghana is hard, but this is home. I am so happy, it brought me joy to see my daughter Nhyira,” she announced.
A heartbroken Nayas once again addressed the unfair treatment meted out to her by her husband, whom she stated would have been the death of her.
“I was roaming the streets of Hamburg like a homeless woman, one with no family. What wrong did I do? My marriage just brought me shame…how can women marry if their husbands turn against them, and disgrace them? As a husband, you forgot how I stood beside you on your sick bed. You were always taking new girls on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. You couldn’t appreciate me.
“I want to inform all my loved ones that I am back in Ghana by the grace of God. I arrived in peace, special thanks to all those who reached out to me and promised assistance, over 400 individuals. Thanks to all those who supported me with prayers. God bless you all…my pastor told me to come back home to avert death. He could have just wasted my life. Kofi Sarfo what wrong did I do to you?” the actress quizzed.
I was never deported from Germany to Ghana – Nayas
“Who did I tell this to, I told them to look for you for me. God bless you and you are doing well. Keep soaring higher and don’t let anyone intimidate you,” he said.
He also added that he was going to make more time to have a deeper conversation with him while noting that God brought him this far and he was going to help him along the way.
“When I meet you again. I will tell you some things. I think you guys are the future and where the level God has brought you to, I believe we all need to help you go up. So, keep soaring high,” he added.
All the while the legendary rapper spoke to the ‘Ewiase’ artiste, he responded with humility and respect.
King Promise is living the good life in Qatar, having been spotted hanging out with football legends.
In a post the musician shared on his various social media handles, he was captured sharing a meal with three of Chelsea’s top players from back in the day, John Terry, Didier Drogba, and Marcel Desailly.
“Breakfast In Qatar with Chelsea GREATS! @didierdrogba @JohnTerry26 @marceldesailly,” he shared on Twitter along with love and star emojis.
The ‘Ginger’ artiste could not hide his excitement while he stood amid greatness donning a black graphic sleeveless shirt and amber pants.
After taking a group picture, King Promise took turns with the former Chelsea players to get singles with each one of them.
From the smiles on the artiste’s face, one needn’t ask if it was one of the best days of his life while the Black Stars prepare to play Uruguay in their next game tomorrow, December 2, 2022.
Landlords are required to investigate their prospective tenants before accepting them into their houses, for safety and security reasons. This is according to the Rent Control Department.
A spokesperson for the Department, Emmanuel Xove Kporsu disclosed that a bill is being drafted to make it an offence for a landlord to fail to embark on these necessary checks.
“The bill that we are reviewing is going to make it an offence for any landlord who does not do any proper checks before renting their premises out.
“When it’s completely reviewed, culprits of this offence can be sanctioned to two years imprisonment or a GH₵10,000 fine.
Mr Kporsu made these disclosures on Joy Prime on Thursday.
On the same show, the General Secretary of the National Tenants Union of Ghana indicated that landlords must abide by the rules governing rent in order to help the Rent Control get their database which goes a long way in protecting the landlords and tenants.
Fredrick Opoku however, believed that the Rent Control Department is not properly executing its functions.
According to him, the Department focuses more on settling landlord-tenant issues rather than enforcing the fundamental laws governing rent.
He added that Rent Control must ensure that landlords have registered their tenancy with the Department before anything else.
Mr Opoku further suggested that Rent Control must sensitse the entire public on the requirements through education, and must also have a fixed budget to carry out their activities.
He also believes that effectiveness of the Rent Control Department will reduce the landlord-tenant misunderstandings and aid the National Tenants Union to work smoothly.
The chief executive officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr. Ken Ashigbey, has said the blocking of some 9 million unregistered SIM cards will have a telling toll on the revenue of Mobile Network Operators in the country.
Dr. Ashigbey explained that if each of the nine million subscribers spends, at least, GHS20 every month on all the various networks; that’s a huge revenue loss.
That notwithstanding, the blocking of SIMs has to be done even though it is worrying, he said.
Dr Ashigbey raised these concerns while speaking in an interview on Thursday, 1 December 2022.
The Chamber issued a statement to inform the public that starting from the close of 30 November 2022, its members, “AirtelTigo, MTN and Vodafone” will “begin deactivating some category of SIM cards in compliance with the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation’s directive issued on November 11, 2022.”
The statement, which was released on Wednesday, 30 November 2022, stressed that “only subscribers that have completed stage 1 (linkage to Ghana card) but are yet to complete stage 2 (biometric capture) of the SIM registration, will have their SIM cards blocked.”
“Our members are obliged by the directive to completely deactivate all subscriber SIMs which have not completed the biometric capture registration by close of business today, November 30, 2022,” the Chamber’s statement continued.
It said: “Subscribers with Ghana cards can avoid this inconvenience by completing the registration process,” and pledged that: “Our members remain committed to supporting the efforts of all stakeholders to ensure that every customer in every part of the country is able to register their SIM card(s) with the Ghana card.”
Since November 20, the telecommunications companies in Ghana have been blocking data services for subscribers who have only linked their Ghana Card and SIMs (Stage 1) but have not captured their biometric data (Stage 2) as part of the SIM registration process as directed by the Ursula Owusu-Ekuful-led Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation.
The leadership of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association has directed its members at the Manhyia District Hospital in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, to lay down their tools from Friday, 2nd December 2022 if the Ashanti Regional Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS) is not dismissed.
Mr. Alex Opoku-Mensah who has been suspended by the NSS was heard in a viral audio verbally abusing a nurse at the Hospital after she had a misunderstanding with his daughter, a doctor at the facility.
A committee has also been instituted to investigate the abuse and report in a month.
But the nurses and midwives say they will not relent in their demand for the dismissal of Mr Opoku Mensah.
In an interview with Citi News, the Ashanti regional chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, Jones Afriyie-Anto said after commencing the strike at the Manhyia District Hospital on Friday, they will direct all its members in the Ashanti Region to lay down their tools on Monday, December 5.
He added that the association will call for a nationwide strike next week if the management of NSS fails to heed their demand. He further added that the association has formally reported the issue of verbal abuse to the police.
Background
Mr. Opoku-Mensah was caught on tape insulting a nurse who is reported to have had a misunderstanding with his daughter, a doctor at the Manhyia hospital.
He subsequently apologised after his conduct was widely condemned by the majority of Ghanaians on social media.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Mr. Opoku-Mensah said, “I do apologise for any mishap and assure all, there shall not be a repetition of such.”
“I understand the disappointment and appreciate the inconvenience my action has caused the public as well as the Nursing Fraternity and Manhyia Hospital,” the statement also said.
The director-general made the disclosure at the opening ceremony of a conference by the Operations and Benefits Division of SSNIT in the Eastern Regional Capital, Koforidua, on Wednesday, November 30, 2022.
“It is our hope that within the next year or two we should be able to get a million self-employed people signed on to SSNIT, and by so doing, they will be assured that they will receive monthly benefits till death,” the director-general said.
SSNIT, according to Dr. Tenkorang, is already making significant progress in enrolling self-employed people in the scheme ahead of the campaign’s launch in 2023.
This, he noted, is largely being facilitated through stakeholder engagement and sensitisation, as well as some innovations being pursued by SSNIT, including the introduction of an electronic payment platform.
“When we started this year, sensitising people on the need for the self-employed to join SSNIT, we had only about 14,000 who were self-employed and had voluntarily come to join SSNIT. But through the stakeholder engagement, while we were sensitising people, we got a significant uptake.
“Within three months that we have been doing the sensitization, we have jumped from 14,000 to 18,000, which is about a 30% increment within just three months, and we haven’t even launched.
“Even though today, you can walk into any SSNIT office and register yourself as a self-employed person, we haven’t gone out there to officially open the channels, and this 30% uptake was achieved even before we rolled out the electronic payment channels,” he said.
The payments, he said, also include survivor’s benefits and one-time lump sum payments made to SNIT contributors.
Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang further noted that SSNIT is working tirelessly to enroll the over 8 million working Ghanaians who are yet to register with the scheme.
Samuel Razak Tachie, Sales and Marketing Manager of Passion Air, said it was a move to offer travelers a worthwhile experience.
He said, “In the medium to long term, we plan to connect every city in Ghana as long as there is an airport there and we are conducting our inaugural flight to Ho because we believe the city has the potential to boost tourism and investment opportunities.”
“We also want to offer travellers an additional option aside from the regular road travel because we know some people prefer driving regardless while others prefer to fly and, in this day, and age business and time is of the essence,” he added.
Read the full story originally published on December 1, 2021 by
The development comes after airliner, Passion Air on Wednesday, December 1, 2021, touched down in the Volta Regional capital ahead of its commencement of domestic flight operations from Saturday, December 4, 2021.
Samuel Razak Tachie, Sales and Marketing Manager of Passion Air in an interaction with GhanaWeb on-board the inaugural flight described the feat as a monumental one for commercial activities in that part of the country.
He said, “In the medium to long term, we plan to connect every city in Ghana as long as there is an airport there and we are conducting our inaugural flight to Ho because we believe the city has the potential to boost tourism and investment opportunities.”
“We also want to offer travellers an additional option aside from the regular road travel because we know some people prefer driving regardless while others prefer to fly and, in this day, and age business and time is of the essence,” he added.
Former Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited, Charles Asare, delivering an address at the inaugural ceremony at the Ho Airport described the establishment of the facility as a major boost for business and tourism.
“With the introduction of such commercial flight and domestic operation, I am confident Ghana is poised to becoming the best aviation hub in the ECOWAS sub-region,” he said.
Togbe Adzi Lakle Howusu XII, the Avafiaga of Ho on his part called on the government especially the aviation authorities to establish a flight school and aircraft maintenance centre at the Ho Airport.
“I want to call on the government to establish a flight school and an aircraft maintenance centre at the Ho Airport. This will greatly improve local content within the region’s aviation hub and beyond,” the Chief urged.
Also, the Municipal Chief Executive of Ho, Divine Bosson made a plea to the Ghana Airports Company Limited to offer job opportunities for the teeming youth of Ho in and around the airport.
“Ho is a very attractive and clean city and we believe the establishment of this airport can provide a great opportunity for the youth of Ho who are yearning to feed themselves. We will plead with the Ghana Airport Company Limited that some of the jobs offered to persons from Accra to Ho must be reconsidered and offered to the youth of Ho for them to also earn a living,” the MCE said.
The construction of the Ho airport project which is valued at US$25 million, was completed in 2018.
The facility has a traffic control tower, a runway, a waiting area for over 1,000 passengers, a bus terminal, among others.
Meanwhile, PassionAir is expected to begin commercial flight operations with an Accra-Ho flight with a scheduled departure as well as an Accra-Wa flight.
The Budget Statement and Economic Policy for 2023 has disclosed that the government will keep investing in the four previously chosen priority areas for allocations under the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) for the following three years, 2023-2025.
This is in accordance with the rules of the Petroleum Money Management Act (PRMA) 2011 (Act 815) as amended, which mandates that when submitting a program of activities for the use of petroleum revenue, the finance minister choose no more than four of the 12 designated priority areas.
After the initial prioritization, the priority areas are to be reviewed every three years with the consent of parliament.
He said in cognisance of factors such as the president’s Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (2017-2024), government priorities and recent developments in the world economy, the proposed areas of consideration for the 2023-2025 period are as follows: Agriculture including Fisheries; Physical Infrastructure and Service Delivery in Education and Health; Roads, Rail and Other Critical Infrastructure; and Industrialisation.
“This is in line with repeated recommendations by the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) for the ABFA to be invested in legacy projects, and avoid the practice of thinly-spreading petroleum revenue investments across several projects,” said the Technical Manager of PIAC, Mark Obeng-Adu Agyemang.
The allocation of 2023-2025 ABFA resources is therefore guided by the principle of implementing few but impactful projects, it was added.
To this end, projects such as the Accra-Tema Motorway Extension and Pwalugu multi-purpose dam will be supported with ABFA resources.
It also emerged that US$380million has been set aside for Equity and Viability Gap Funding under ABFA Funding, for disbursement to the Ghana Infrastructure and Investment Fund (GIIF)-Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). This is meant to de-risk the Accra-Tema Motorway Extension PPP Project and make it attractive to lenders and equity investors.
However, the ‘CSO Budget Forum’, among other recommendations for the oil and gas sector, wanted the 2023 budget to consider prioritising investment in clean and renewable energy as part of selecting new priority areas for ABFA spending.
It said, given the dynamics of transitioning to clean energy globally, government must begin to diversify into clean energy by investing in renewable energy development.
The renewable energy development, according to the Forum, is meant to ensure a robust post-oil energy supply to the economy.
Government says it is disturbed by the posture of labour unions as it races against time to avoid a total breakdown of negotiations for the base pay.
This comes after the government, represented by Deputy Employment Minister Bright Wireko-Brobby, offered an 18% salary increase during negotiations with Organised Labour on Wednesday.
But Organised Labour rejected the offer with an explanation that they cannot accept anything below 60%.
They actually reviewed the previous 60% increase demand in base pay to 65%. This they explained is due to the tax increases announced in the 2023 Budget, particularly an increase in the VAT rate.
The Deputy Employment Minister, Bright Wireko-Brobby, in and interview with JoyNews’ Michael Asharley after the meeting, stated that he is disturbed by the turn of events.
“We have met but labour insists on a figure, so we will go back and reconvene …We have tabled something and labour says that they are unwilling to take it. So it is a clear state of frustration, of course, you do not expect me to be happy when there is this state of affairs,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Professor Stephen Adei says government simply cannot meet the demands of the workers.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ Upfront on Wednesday, Prof. Adei explained that “the public sector wage bill and that of debt servicing takes about 90 plus per cent of all our revenues.”
The gradual increase in prices of goods across the country has left dealers in the cosmetics business within the Tema Metropolis worried about the resultant low level of patronage and sales of beauty essentials.
“We buy from wholesalers at high prices and therefore we also add little amounts as profit. A Nivea body spray at the wholesale end is pegged at GHc20.00 and sold at the retail end at GHc25.00 after factoring in other costs involved to get the product to the customer,” Madam Acquah stated.
She debunked a growing feeling within the public sphere that retailers were the cause of the frequent price increment, stressing that retailers depend on what wholesalers offer which also depend on taxes and foreign exchanges.
“There are some facial products that have expired because the demand for them is low, and people complain about the price. These products go waste, and no profit is made, we are in hot times,” she said.
Madam Hayford noted that even though some products expired in the long run and people do not buy body essentials like they used to, “we are losing our investment.”
Benedicta Lumour another dealer also said that Rexona roll-on which used to be sold at GHC25 just about two weeks ago now sells at GHc28 and Ever Sheen body cream which was sold at GHC20 is now sold at GHC25.
Other dealers in cosmetic products also noted that the profit margins on their product at the retail stage is small but unfortunately, they are at the receiving end losing their capital dwindles day by day.
However, Prof. Peprah advised the government to restructure debt in a way that gives room for people to be able to access their principal when they want due to rising inflation in the country.
He said: “For the bonds, loss of confidence in the Ghanaian economy, it is better to defer interest payments and then pay principals so that people will be able to get cash flow to survive.”
“The reason why we’re seeing a lot of people trying to dump or discount their bonds now is because they need cash to survive because of the high inflation. So, government will have to have a metric where a certain class of investors is allowed to receive some funds to survive.
“I give an example; if I’m a pensioner, normally when they’re doing the bonds, they collect some data…so all those things are in the database. So, they must come out with some classification of individuals or age group brackets that will be allowed to withdraw some funds immediately,” he is quoted by myjoyonline.com.
“For those who are within their youthful age, between 20 and 35 in terms of years, they have time, can we have a discussion to prolong the payment of their principal and a little portion of their interest to them for them to survive. To pay a zero coupon it’s going to have a major impact on the Ghanaian economy. So, on the bond market we have to use the age bracket in order to be able to consider some issues,” he said.
On December 1, 2022, the Court was prepared to issue its ruling in the case involving Mr. Essien and another person who have been accused of stealing depositors’ money. The Court was presided over by Justice Kyei Baffour, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, who was sitting as an additional High Court judge at the time.
Attorneys for the accused and the prosecution informed the court that they had come to a GH90 million payback agreement plan as compensation to the state before the judge could continue.
The agreement, according to the accused, was pursuant to Section 35 of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459), which allows an accused person to plead guilty and pay restitution to the state in cases in which there has been a financial loss to the state.
Notwithstanding that the accused person has already made a payment of GH¢30 million out of the total amount due to the state, the judge refused the agreement, according to a report by Starrfm.com.gh sighted by GhanaWeb.
According to the report, the court, in its own description, said the agreement, as it were, has the potential to make crime ”attractive” considering the value of the amount in question in 2015 and today.
“It should not be made to appear that he has outwitted the state in the commission of a crime,” Justice Kyei Baffour is also quoted in a report by Graphic.com.gh.
Justice Eric Kyei Baffour further observed that Section 35 cannot actually be activated within the context as the monies involved do not belong to the state but rather to depositors and shareholders of the defunct Capital Bank.
Justice Kyei Baffour thus adjourned the case to December 13, 2022, asking that the prosecution and the accused come back with a better deal and a superior argument for their agreement to be admitted under Section 35 of Act 459.
Background
Ato Essien is on trial with the Managing Director (MD) of the defunct bank, Fitzgerald Odonkor, and the MD of MC Management Services, a company said to be owned by Essien, Tettey Nettey.
The prosecution has accused the three persons of engaging in various illegal acts that led to the dissipation of a chunk of the GH¢620 million in liquidity support given to the Capital Bank by the BoG between June 2015 and November 2016.
The accused persons have pleaded not guilty to various counts of theft, abetment to stealing, conspiracy to steal, and money laundering.
They maintained their innocence all throughout the trial, with Ato Essien maintaining at all material moments that he had board approval for all the actions he took.
Information received just now indicates that Afia Schwarhas been sentenced to 10 days in prison by the High Court “B” Tema for defaming Chairman Wontumi.
The court also convicted the host of United Showbiz Nana Ama McBrown and her panellists Kwame A Plus and Mr Logic for contempt of court over a court application filed by Antwi Boasiako also known as Chairman Wontumi.
The contemnors have been charged to pay GHc5,000 to the applicant while Afia Schwar was fined 5,000 penalty units (GHc60,000). A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of Afia Schwar.
As Moesha Budoungcontinues to receive a backlash from a section of fans over her new trend of dancing to secular songs, the actress has taken time to clap back at naysayers in her Instagram comment section.
When Moesha announced that she has ditched her old ways and embarked on a journey with Christ, she was received with open hands with many tipping her to be an evangelist.
However, the repented actress, who rededicated her life to Christ Jesus back in 2021, seems to be swaying away, this is according to observers on social media.
In one of such comment, an Instagram user @quefio_the_pluff wrote: “The Christianity not dey pay err.”
An unperturbed Moesha in a smooth clap-back explained that there was nothing wrong with her dance moves or the choice of song that was playing in the background.
“God loves sexy women,” she wrote.
Moesha’s caption to a viral video read: “May we all begin to find and do what really makes us great at our talents and may God bless anyone making money from their talents amen.”
‘Rebranded’ Diana Asamoah Says She Was Too Spiritual Back Then
On Thursday, December 1, 2022, the Court, presided over by Justice Kyei Baffour, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, acting as an additional High Court judge, was prepared to issue its ruling in the matter involving Mr. Essien and another person who have been accused of stealing depositors’ money.
Attorneys for the accused and the prosecution informed the court that they had come to a GHC 90 million payback agreement plan as compensation to the state before the judge could continue.
The agreement, according to the accused, was pursuant to Section 35 of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459), which allows an accused person to plead guilty and pay restitution to the state in cases in which there has been a financial loss to the state.
Notwithstanding that the accused person has already made a payment of GHC30 out of the total amount due to the state, the judge refused the agreement, according to a report by Starrfm.com.gh sighted by GhanaWeb.
According to the report, the court, in its own description, said the agreement, as it were, has the potential to make crime ”attractive” considering the value of the amount in question in 2015 and today.
“It should not be made to appear that he has outwitted the state in the commission of a crime,” Justice Kyei Baffour is also quoted in a report by Graphic.com.gh.
Justice Kyei Baffour thus adjourned the case to December 13, 2022, asking that the prosecution and the accused come back with a better deal and a superior argument for their agreement to be admitted under Section 35 of Act 459.
Background
Ato Essien is on trial with the Managing Director (MD) of the defunct bank, Fitzgerald Odonkor, and the MD of MC Management Services, a company said to be owned by Essien, Tettey Nettey.
The prosecution has accused the three persons of engaging in various illegal acts that led to the dissipation of a chunk of the GH¢620 million in liquidity support given to the Capital Bank by the BoG between June 2015 and November 2016.
The accused persons have pleaded not guilty to various counts of theft, abetment to stealing, conspiracy to steal, and money laundering.
They maintained their innocence all throughout the trial, with Ato Essien maintaining at all material moments that he had board approval for all the actions he took.
This was brought up during the fourth round of pay negotiations with the government on November 30, 2022.
However, the discussion ended without a resolution since the parties were unable to come to an understanding.
According to Isaac Bampoe Addo, Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana, the increase in taxes suggested in the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy is the reason for the new amount.
“Our demand is reasonable looking at the new tax increments in the 2023 budget,” he said.
He said, “If you are a Ghanaian, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, with the help of their MPs, has given you the biggest middle finger ever. Despite your protestations, they have rammed down your throat, a 1.75% E-Levy, a 25-30% increase in the prices of imported items because of the reversal of the Benchmark Value discount and a 15% increase in over 20,000 different fees and charges paid for the service of 129 MDAs to be adjusted upwards every year.
“All of this start in January which traditionally is the most difficult month. You can also look forward to more fuel price increases. And all of this adds onto the dozens of taxes they have already imposed on you since 2017 and the over 50 different instances of fuel price increases,” part of his post read.
Following the approval of the 2022 budget by the majority members in parliament on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, a former Deputy Minister of Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has asked Ghanaians to be ready to pay more for petroleum products next year.
In a Facebook post sighted by GhanaWeb, Kwakye Ofosu stated that the hardships of Ghanaians will double in the coming year.
He said, “If you are a Ghanaian, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, with the help of their MPs, has given you the biggest middle finger ever. Despite your protestations, they have rammed down your throat, a 1.75% E-Levy, a 25-30% increase in the prices of imported items because of the reversal of the Benchmark Value discount and a 15% increase in over 20,000 different fees and charges paid for the service of 129 MDAs to be adjusted upwards every year.
“All of this start in January which traditionally is the most difficult month. You can also look forward to more fuel price increases. And all of this adds onto the dozens of taxes they have already imposed on you since 2017 and the over 50 different instances of fuel price increases,” part of his post read.
Meanwhile, Ghana has been listed as one of the African countries with the most expensive fuel prices.
Currently, there is an increase in petroleum products on the market as some major Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have adjusted their prices some pesewas.
The upward adjustment is as a result of the rising crude oil prices on the international market. Now, the price of crude oil sells at $82.
Cocoa is a key component of the Ghanaian economy.
The top two nations in the world for cocoa production are this West African country and Ivory Coast.
Ghana in particular has done little to add value to the product despite producing it for generations other than to ship it in its raw form for foreign cash.
Only 15% of the cocoa harvested in Ghana is processed domestically; the remainder is exported.
However, more and more Ghanaians have started to enter the industry in recent years.
One such person is Edmund Poku, who is a former banker at Wall Street. Poku was working as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs when one of his MBA professors urged him to follow up on his thesis and set up a private cocoa processing company in his country of birth.
He subsequently relocated to Ghana to start Niche Cocoa in 2011, which produces cocoa products and chocolate for export and the local market. Specifically, it produces its cocoa products and confectionery for supply to the worldwide chocolate, ice cream and bakery industries, according to Howwemadeitafrica.
Niche Cocoa has the capacity to process 60,000 metric tonnes of cocoa beans per year, making it the largest fully integrated cocoa processor in Ghana. The company makes semi-finished natural and deodorized cocoa butter, specialized cocoa liquor, and natural and alkalized cocoa powder. It also makes refined chocolate, chocolate drinks and spreads.
Niche Cocoa operates within the free zones enclave in Tema and has so far received certifications from Halal, Kosher, Fair Trade, Organic, FDA, Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and UTZ, which underscores the fact that the company’s products are of high standards.
In Ghana, cocoa consumption is low compared to Europe. Conservative estimates show an average Ghanaian consumes about 0.5kg of chocolate a year, while on the international market, it is about 10kg. Poku said his ambition is to increase chocolate consumption in Ghana and Africa following the recent expansion of his confectionery production. The company recently acquired ownership of one of the largest melting plants in Germany, which allowed the brand to access European end-user chocolate manufacturers, according to Howwemadeitinafrica.
Poku and his team have also established a subsidiary company called Niche Cocoa Services in the state of Wisconsin in the U.S. in 2021. The company will pulverize cocoa cake into cocoa powder for industrial customers in the U.S. market, per Howwemadeitinafrica.
The success of Niche Cocoa has not been without challenges, Poku said. It’s not easy competing with multinational firms when buying beans during the main crop season, he explained.
Prior to being put into effect, the electronic transaction tax caused a great deal of controversy.
The tax plan will undermine the nation’s achievements from digital inclusion, according to some analysts who expressed their displeasure of the fee.
Economists Prof Charles Godfred Ackah and Dr Kwadwo Opoku have opined that the government’s intention to use the electronic transaction levy (e-levy) to boost Ghana’s revenue in 2022 may not be achievable. Instead, they believe this will erode the digital inclusion agenda since people may instead resort to other substitutes.
“The opportunity to avoid using MoMo for transaction settlement will also affect the projected revenues for 2022. Though FTTs appear to offer an easy fiscal handle, their revenues have a tendency to erode over time as taxpayers learn to avoid them by using cash payments and other payment methods. A back-of-envelope calculation suggests that the E-Levy will likely generate far less revenue than the projected.”
According to them, MTN MoMo recorded a total volume of transactions of 2.6 billion, amounting to GH₵549 billion (the total value of Mobile money transactions for all service providers was GH₵564 billion) in 2020.
“The total revenue generated by the MTN end-to-end charges of 2 percent amounted to GH₵1.3 billion (equivalent to 0.23 percent of the total value of transactions or GH₵0.5 per transaction).”
“Supposing the value of MoMo transactions experience an annual growth of 100 percent to reach GH₵2.3 trillion in 2022, using the MTN average effective charge of 0.23 percent in 2020, the 1.75 percent E-Levy on MoMo transactions will generate revenues of GH₵4.5 billion (GH₵2.4 billion less than the projected GH₵6.9 billion in the 2022 Budget Statement).”
Associate Professor of Economics at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Professor Charles Godfred Ackah and Economist and Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Policy Studies (CSPS), Dr Kwadwo Opoku made these assertions in an opinion article.
Per this analysis, they have projected some behavioural changes among service users, adding that “the projected revenue in the budget is over-optimistic.”
They cite the case of Uganda, where the country experienced a marginal reduction in mobile money transactions after the imposition of a 1% tax.
“In Uganda, for example, the imposition of one percent mobile money transaction (cash-in, transfer and cash-out) tax led to a drastic reduction in mobile money transactions—the value of mobile money transactions fell by 24 percent. The IMF had warned that it was the rural poor who were likely to be hit disproportionally hard by the transaction taxes. In fact, transaction values of P2P transfers fell by more than 50 percent.”
On the occasion of John Dramani Mahama’s 64th birthday, his beloved wife, Lordina Mahama, went all out to make the day special with freshly cut roses.
According to Ghana’s former president, Lordinagave him flowers, a total of 64 red roses.
Mr Mahama, in his appreciation post on Facebook, posed with his huge box of roses with a message that read: “64 roses from Lordina.”
The former First Lady added a special message on a card that came along with her gift.
On November 29, Lordina took to Facebook to once again confess her love to her husband of 30 years.
She wrote: “On your 64th birthday, all I ask for is God’s continuous blessings upon your life, John Dramani Mahama. You have been a dependable husband and inspiring father. Our Good Lord has blessed you with robust health, a great sense of judgment and a pure heart. There is nothing more I could have asked for in a life partner. I love you now, more than ever before. Happy Birthday, John. Forever and a day, Lordina. #JohnMahama #mahamaat64 #JDMis64.”
NPA stated in a memo dated November 30 that the increase in BOST margin in their Price Build Up (PBU) was required to make sure that freight rates of transfers to different fuel outlets match the present economic realities.
In light of the development, the UPPF would rise by 7 pesewas to 47 pesewas on each litre of gasoline and diesel sold at the pumps while the BOST margin has increased by 2 pesewas, according to NPA.
Meanwhile, the UPPF is primarily used to cushion the transportation of petroleum products across the country.
It is also implemented to ensure there is an even distribution of petroleum products in all parts of the country irrespective of proximity or location.
He claimed that given the current economic unpredictability experienced by the entire world, Africa is essential due to its wealth of natural resources, which must be transformed into value-added goods in accordance with recognized standards.
This, he said, will help rake in the needed revenue to support the continent’s development.
“Africa’s time has arrived, and it is apt that the African Renaissance in trade and industrialisation is being rekindled in Addis Ababa with standardisation as the key tool for industrial transformation and accelerated trade.”
The meeting opened on November 27 and is expected to officially close on December 2 this year. It is the first meeting chaired by Prof. Dodoo since he was officially sworn into office as ARSO President in June this year at the ARSO General Assembly in Cameroon.
Trade enabler
Prof. Dodoo cautioned member countries of ARSO not to use standards as a punitive tool against industry, but rather as an enabler that drives trade and ensures sustainability.
Standards, he explained, are critically important tools for trade; and member countries should use standards to unite Africa, not to restrict trade across the continent.
“As I have said repeatedly, once tariff barriers are removed between countries, non-tariff barriers become prominent – and we at ARSO must work with our governments to eliminate these non-tariff barriers because standards should not be stumbling blocks for intra-Africa trade. Remember, where there are no standards there is no trade. Where there is no trade there is no economy. And where there is no economy there are NO jobs,” he said.
Going forward, Prof. Dodoo outlined some key milestones that must be achieved to ensure a quick realisation of the continent’s industrial development. “Africa must and will industrialise, starting now,” he said.
He said Africa’s industrialisation will be sustainable because Africa can learn from other geographies what worked and what did not.
“Africa’s industrialisation and rapid growth will be inclusive since it is our females – our mothers and sisters and daughters – who will lead this industrialisation; and since no one will be left behind – because in Africa the concept of the family is each for all and all for God and Allah – together we shall industrialise,” he said.
He added that: “We will pay attention to females, the youth, vulnerable and marginalised groups. We will listen to and work with them to drive industrialisation across Africa. Already, most SMEs in Africa are female-led – and they are transforming our economies. All we need to do is support their scale-up and expansion across the continent”.
Roadmap
To position the continent’s trading community on the path of rapid growth, Prof. Dodoo said there is a need to put in place some measures and score some significant policy goals.
Among other things, he said, there is a need for a harmonised regulatory framework and adoption of African Standards to address TBTs in Africa for increased Intra-African trade and capacity building and standardisation education and support to SMEs, standardisation experts, consumers and the youth.
He said it is also important to facilitate partnerships and collaborative efforts with the Africa Union, AfCFTA secretariat, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Afreximbank, AfDB, the private sector and donors; and facilitate formulation of the African Union Regulatory Directives, Summit decisions and legislations which promote Quality Infrastructure and Common Regulatory Frameworks.
Prof. Dodoo said it is also critical to ensure the promotion of Mutual Recognition Arrangements, which currently have been initiated by ARSO and are being championed by Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe, while also focusing on universal membership in ARSO by all African countries.
Speaking on PulseNigeria, the artiste stated that many people worldwide believe Afrobeats originated from Nigeria, which is incorrect.
“As an industry, Ghanaian music is still riding on the waves of Nigerian music; I am just singling it out.
“You know why? In the sense that globally, Afrobeat’s is known to be Nigerian, but it’s not. We know that” he disclosed.
However, the artiste didn’t reveal which country he believes pushed the Afrobeat genre, although netizens probed to know.
While there might be a debate over this, it does not change the fact that the artist has studied the music industry for a considerable period and has knowledge about the origins of some music genres.
Over the past 13 years, Stonebwoy has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry and traveled the world to deliver music in Patua, Ga, Twi, and other languages.
He recently released his newest single, “Gidigba,” which he claims stands for courage and inspires people to remain strong when life gets tough.
Afroman is accusing the Adams County Sheriff’s Office of stealing several hundred dollars from him during a policeraid earlier this year.
The “Because I Got High” artist discussed his situation with TMZ, claiming he went to the sheriff’s office to retrieve the money seized from his home, only to discover the count came up $400 short. According to WXIX, authorities conducted a raid of his Ohio home in August as part of a warrant on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping. The station reported the 48-year-old was in Chicago when the raid occurred.
Authorities confiscated $5,031 in cash on the suspicion that the money was tied to the drug trafficking allegation. Afroman suspects the $400 was either stolen while it was being held by the sheriff’s office, or swiped from his home.
“They might’ve took it from my house after they disconnected my cameras and tampered with evidence,” he told TMZ.
According to WXIX, Adams County Sheriff Kimmy Rogers announced on Wednesday that he has asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to investigate the matter.
When TMZ asked if he planned on filing a lawsuit over the alleged missing cash, Afroman was more upset about the allegations.
“I took a financial loss when they put kidnapping on the search warrant,” he explained. “I’m not a kidnapper. But when people hear those types of words, they overreact to the point where it affected me financially. I had to make phone calls and go on tour in another country because people started backing out at the last minute because the sheriff put kidnapping on the warrant.”
No charges were filed against Afroman. He posted footage of the raid on Instagram:
He claims that the country can take advantage of the turn of circumstances in order to prevent more losses.
He urged the financial managers of the economy to keep an eye out for vulture investors, or those who are drawn to high-risk bonds.
“Let me give you some positive signals of the ratings. We have been talking that it’s going to affect Ghana but there are some positive signals. There are some investors we call; vulture investors, who are interested in distressed bonds.
“So, if I were the finance minister by now, I will be coming to the US to look out for Vulture investors. They will be prepared to give money to the Ghana government and wait for a long period. When they do that, the returns are abnormal. They are not afraid of risk,” Prof. Peprah was quoted by myjoyonline.com.
“That is probably what I was expecting the finance minister to be traveling around and talking to people. He did that in the first year when he came into government. The Templeton fund that came in, Templeton is a vulture investor.
“The first 3 billion he gave, he profited 20% and we have paid for three years. So, he may have to go and look for vultures who can give us money for a longer period alongside what IMF is giving to us.”
Rating agency Moody’s downgraded Ghana’s long-term issuer ratings to Ca from Caa2 or further junk status. Moody’s said this was due to Ghana’s high debt unsustainability and the proposed debt restructuring programme announced by the finance minister in the 2023 budget.
“The Ca rating reflects Moody’s expectation that private creditors will likely incur substantial losses in the restructuring of both local and foreign currencies debts planned by the government as part of its 2023 budget proposed to Parliament on 24 November 2022.
“Given Ghana’s high government debt burden and the debt structure, it is likely there will be substantial losses on both categories of debt in order for the government to meaningfully improve debt sustainability,” a statement on its website said.
He claimed that Ghanaian enterprises and companies may accomplish this by seizing the agreement’s numerous chances, such as facilitating the acquisition of less expensive machinery from Europe.
The EPA, in fact, puts Ghana in a prime position to benefit from market prospects across the African continent.
It enables Ghanaian businesses to import quality machinery at a cheaper price from Europe to be used for processing made-in-Ghana products destined for the African market. The EPA can, therefore, be instrumental in furthering Ghana’s ambition to become a regional and continental trade hub,” he said.
The ambassador made these remarks at a seminar in Accra aimed at highlighting the opportunities and challenges for businesses under the EU-Ghana interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA).
The event, according to Mr. Razaaly, forms parts of efforts by the EU to raise awareness of the benefits in the agreement and to encourage more Ghanaian businesses to participate to deepen the trade relation between Ghana and the EU.
The EU-Ghana interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA) is a trade and development agreement aimed at increasing the trade and reducing trade barriers, in particular, the reduction of tariffs imposed on imports of products originating from the EU and Ghana.
Signed in 2016, the Agreement covers trade in goods and provides Ghana-made products with duty-free quota-free access (with the exemption of rice, sugar and arms and ammunitions) to the EU market in exchange for 80 percent gradual asymmetrical liberalisation of tariffs for EU exports to Ghana.
Ghana’s exports to the EU are predominantly energy and agricultural products, with raw and processed cocoa being the main agricultural exports, followed by tropical fruits. Data shows that cocoa products now account for about 40 percent of the overall value of Ghanaian cocoa exports to the EU. The key EU markets for Ghana’s exports are the Netherlands, France Italy, and Germany.
The EU exports to Ghana are mostly dominated by semi-finished industrial products that go into the manufacture of finished products including cars, machinery, and mechanical appliances, refined oils, electrical machinery and equipment.
Speaking at the seminar, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Herbert Krapa, said there was the need, as a county, to promote its non-traditional exports aggressively, and make the continuous effort to access the EU markets with a more diversified portfolio of products.
He further reiterated government’s commitment to improving trading relation with the EU, while calling on businesses to take advantage of the agreement to export more to the EU as a means of improving the country’s ailing economy.
He urged the government to pay close attention to palm oil production since it offers the potential for many employment to be created throughout the nation.
In order to prioritize and develop the oil palm industry, which will provide employment opportunities for Ghanaian young, he declared that “strong political will is needed.”
Paul Amaning indicated that Ghana has enough oil palm plantations, but the country still spends millions of dollars importing palm oil products.
“Ghana has the potential of being a leading net exporter of oil palm products. It is estimated that smallholder production accounts for an average of approximately 70 percent of palm oil output and in Ghana alone, there are over 20,000 independent smallholders supplying mills,” Paul Amaning told Accra-based Original TV.
The Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Ghana increased the monetary policy rate by 250 basis points, from 24.5% to 27%, as of this coming week.
The Committee provided a number of explanations for the rise, including heightened economic and policy uncertainties, inflationary pressures, and a drop in the value of the Ghana cedi in relation to the US dollar.
He highlighted that though the increase in monetary policy rate is a conventional practice across the world, Ghana’s case requires a different approach.
“The reason is that if you look at our inflation basket, the causes of inflation are more of a cost-push than a demand-pull. So if you increase the monetary policy rate, you expect the inflation rate to drop. But in the past 12 months, about 14% has increased to 27%, and why is inflation at 40.4%? Why is the producer price index also 65.2%? So it tells you that the problem is bigger than the demand pulls rather than the cost-push. So what do we do to arrest the various component of what is contributing to our inflation rate,” he shared.
The economist earlier explained that “Central banks across the world what they have been doing to catch up inflation is to increase their monetary policy rate. The idea is that there is excess liquidity in the economy and for the current inflation, it is a demand pool. There is a lot of money in the system chasing fewer goods, which has allowed a high rate of inflation. So to arrest and bring down inflation they are increasing monetary policy rate.”
He continued, “The current increase in our monetary rate will only allow our lending rate to shoot up because if you look at our lending rate we use what is called the Ghana Reference rate and that is what we use as competition for our lending rate. One key component is the monetary policy rate then we look at the treasury bill rate. So if our monetary policy rate goes up it will affect the Ghana Reference Rate which in the variable will also affect our lending rate on the market so I think the fiscal side should respond either than just using the monetary policy rate to solve this high inflation we’re facing.”
American actor, Danny Masterson’s rape trial mistrial.
This happened on Wednesday when a judge declared a mistrial in his case after the jury could not reach a verdict following nearly a week of deliberations, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“I find the jury is hopelessly deadlocked,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo said. “Therefore, I do declare a mistrial.”
Olmedo also read a letter from the jury, which stated, “After thorough and considerable discussion, it is clear that we as jurors are adamant about maintaining our individual positions on each of the three counts.”
The jury voted three times on Tuesday, and another four times the next day.
TMZ reports the jury started deliberating two weeks ago prior to the Thanksgiving break. When they resumed, two jurors needed to be replaced after testing positive for COVID.
“This was a jury that went through each bit of testimony and had some heartfelt and significant discussions about credibility,” Masterson’s attorney Philip K. Cohen said in response to the mistrial. “It speaks volumes.”
Cohen added, “Given the facts in this case, the testimony in this case and the evolution of the statements in this case, it’d be very difficult to find 12 people who truly considered this case to convict.” A status conference has been scheduled for Jan. 12 to determine what will happen next. A tentative new trial date has been set for March 27.
In 2020, Masterson was accused of forcibly raping three different women between 2001 and 2003 in his Hollywood Hills home. He was charged with three counts of sexual assault.
When Ghana face Uruguay on Friday in their decisive final World Cup group match, one name will be on the minds of many from the West African country: Luis Suarez.
The Uruguay striker broke Ghanaian hearts at the 2010 World Cup when his deliberate handball stopped a certain goal in the dying stages of their quarterfinal.
Suarez was sent off but Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty – cue wild celebrations from Suarez on the sidelines – and Uruguay then beat the Black Stars in the penalty shootout.
It is a dark day scorched deep in the memory of many Ghanaian football fans.
“We were waiting to celebrate, but we cried in the streets,” said Samuel Quist, 36, buying a Ghana team shirt in the capital Accra in preparation for Friday’s game.
“I hated that day.”
This time it is Uruguay who are up against it – a Ghana win would put them into the last 16 and send Uruguay home, but a draw for Ghana could also be enough.
Current Ghana skipper Andre Ayew, the only player left from the 2010 squad, attempted to play down talk of revenge.
“Everyone felt bad (in 2010) but for me, I just want to get to the next stage,” he told reporters in Qatar.
“Revenge or not, we would go with the same determination and desire to win because we want to get to the next stage.”
“I am not looking back, I don’t want to focus on the past,” added the softly-spoken 32-year-old forward.
But try telling that to people in Ghana who are not willing to forgive or forget Uruguay and especially Suarez, the feisty 35-year-old striker who has been banned from football in the past for biting opponents.
“Luis Suarez, Luis Suarez, we all remember, so it is revenge on Friday,” said Philip Sheshe, 32, outside a market store selling Ghana jerseys.
“On that day the ball was meant to enter the net but he used his hand.”
That sentiment was echoed by ruling-party lawmaker Collins Adomako-Mensah.
“They gave us a very powerful defeat. We have never forgiven Suarez,” he told AFP.
“He should expect fireworks from our boys.
“Just as we cried 12 years ago, he will cry on Friday.”
#FreeKwakuNow is trending at number one on Twitter as many tweeps have taken to the platform to demand for justice after allegations that a man identified as Seth Asante Asiedu, aka Kwaku Rafik, has reportedly been picked up at his residence at Amasaman by National Security,
This comes on the back of series of posts on Twitter that seemingly addressed government and some related issues.
The incident is reported to have happened on Thursday dawn at about 3.30am.
On November 6, Kwaku Rafik is said to have, in a post, suggested that Ghana was downgraded by major banks in Ghana because of risk levels, adding that commercial banks may be next to struggle.
“Investment firms are struggling, you know who is next? I believe commercial banks. It will be difficult for them to pay depositors. Moody’s has downgraded major banks in Ghana because of their risk levels,” he said.
In a more recent one posted on Wednesday, Kwaku Rafik suggested that some government officials had abandoned their official duties to go and witness the World Cup in Qatar.
“And so they left official duties to watch the World Cup. Really? A caring government indeed,” he posted 19 hours ago. Ban on foreign travels but they are in Qatar,” he posted on November 30, 2022.
He is reported to have been picked up by the National Security in the wee hours of Thursday but his whereabouts are currently not known.
Twitter users have since been reacting to the issue.
Below are some of the tweets:
“Dear National security, I guess you guys would have to build a bigger cell to arrest all of us b’cos there is more fire coming from some of us.
With this arrest of @kwakurafiki2, ‘the energy has come’ in Twene Jonas voice
#FreeKwaku
#FreeKwaku” Yaw Eduful Tweeted
“How harmful is this simple tweet to warrant an arrest? Then,arrest us all? Shameful and wasteful government!#FreeKwakuRafik #FreeKwaku” Rambo tweeted
“The youth have an equal stake in how the country is governed. We are not only tools used for political power. Our importance doesn’t stop at voting. …we have a voice to speak, and we must be given the right and freedom to speak about the happenings in the country. #FreeKwaku” Kojo Bawuaj shared
Black Stars, who made their second appearance at the Mundial were on the verge of becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup before losing on penalties to Uruguay in 2010.
Ghana were awarded a penalty in the final seconds of extra time after Suarez used his hand to keep out Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header but Asamoah Gyan missed from the spot.
Uruguay eventually won the game 4-2 on penalties to progress to the semi-final of the World Cup at the expense of Ghana.
It’s been 12 years since that game in South Africa, but Suarez continues to be vilified by Ghanaians and Africans for his actions.
The Uruguay striker, however, insists his red card was worth it, explaining in his autobiography ‘Crossing the Line’ that Gyan’s miss felt like a goal.
According to the veteran striker, he was devastated after being sent off but his reaction quickly transformed into ecstasy when Gyan missed, insisting it felt like Uruguay had scored.
“I walked off the pitch devastated. I was crying and the only thing going through my head at that point was, ‘We’re going out of the World Cup, we’re going out of the World Cup …’ I had been sent off and we were going home,” Suarez said in his autobiography.
Gyan was going to take the penalty and (…) I was convinced he wasn’t going to miss. We had no chance. And then I saw the ball go over the bar. He had missed. And one word came out of my mouth: ‘Gol!’ The feeling, the sense of release, was the same as if we had scored.
“Unbelievable. I’ll never forget it. That was when I realized what I’d done. That was when I realized the sending-off had been worth it. I had stopped a goal, they had missed the penalty and we were still alive.”
Ghana will be seeking revenge when they face Suarez and Uruguay again in their last group game of the Qatar 2022 World Cup on Friday at the Al Janoub Stadium with kick-off scheduled at 15;00GMT.
Customers will now be able to easily access and purchase available Out-of-Home advertising inventory with real-time information and monitoring, thanks to this shift.
With the new relationship, DDP Outdoor boards may now be purchased through the “Abonten” platform, which is an industry first for Out-of-Home advertising in Ghana and means “outside” in the native Twi language.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Accra on Monday, the Managing Director (MD) of mediaReachOMD Ghana, Stephen Onaivi, revealed that the platform was designed for industry stakeholders including marketers, media owners, and media planners with a particular focus on convenience, productivity, speed, and quality of service to monitor Out-of-Home campaigns for maximum return on investment in real-time.
He said ‘Abonten’ was built for the Ghana market to enhance excellence in media planning metrics and introduce a scientific approach to outdoor media buying.
He said his outfit leveraged on its years of technical expertise and that of partners to respond to the challenges they faced in managing Out-of-Home inventory.
“Being able to sign on DPP Outdoor, Ghana’s biggest outdoor agency is an honour and a remarkable milestone to delivering value for clients.
“We want to use this opportunity to invite and encourage other industry players to sign on to the platform and look forward to more of such greater collaborations,” Mr Onaivi.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DDP Outdoor, Norbert Rufu, said DDP Outdoor controlled about 40 to 50 per cent of the Out-of-Home advertising market in Ghana.
He expressed excitement to sign on to the platform which would help to improve the quality of service to customers.
“Technology is important to innovation, and we hope through the online platform, we will be able to create an inclusive service for all customers,” he said.
He urged mediaReachOMD Ghana to grow the platform into a full eCommerce marketplace where clients can book for billboards and transactions will be fully automated.
The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) has rubbished the contents of the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy presented to parliament by the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
While the government of the day is seeking to rescue Ghana’s challenged economy through some policies contained in the budget, the PPP, in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Remy Paa Kow Edmundson, said the policies in the budget are not practical.
According to a report by graphic.com.gh, the PPP sees the budget as having the potential to impose further hardship on the people of Ghana.
“Upon critical assessment of the Akufo-Addo government’s 2023 economic policy as presented by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, the PPP observes, the budget is bankrupt, lacks focus, is unrealistic, and will impose extreme hardship on the citizenry in 2023 and beyond,” it explained.
The PPP has thus suggested some solutions, including tax cuts, subsidies in critical sectors of the economy, and debt reduction, as ways of fixing Ghana’s economy.
According to the PPP, the government must seek to bring relief to citizens and “not squeeze blood out of the bones of the already impoverished society like what this Akufo-Addo government seeks to do currently.”
The party further called on the president to listen to calls for the sacking of the minister of finance and also reduce the size of his government.
“We urge all Ghanaians to brace themselves for the hardship looming in 2023 and beyond until the PPP is given the opportunity to restore hope,” it added.
Today, Justice Eric Kyei Baffour was prepared to issue his ruling, but he was forced to postpone after learning that Essien had agreed to pay the state GHC90 million in reparations from the prosecution and defense attorneys.
The move by Essien was pursuant to Section 35 of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459) which allows an accused person to plead guilty and pay restitution to the state in cases in which there had been financial loss to the state.
In a ruling, he said the agreement was not a good deal for the state, adding that Essien had shortchanged the state.
He said Essien took the money in 2015 when the cedis to dollar exchange rate was Ghc3.79 pesewas and therefore if Essien wanted to refund the money he should pay it at the current exchange rate of Ghc13 cedis and also pay interest.
According to the judge , if he accepted the agreement in its current form, it meant people who had committed crimes would be made to profit from it.
“It should not be made to appear that he has outwitted the state in the commission of a crime,” Justice Kyei Baffour ruled.
Again, the judge ruled that the case did not fall under Section 35 of Act 459 because the monies involved did not belong to the state but rather to depositors and shareholders of the defunct Capital Bank.
Also, Justice Kyei Baffour wondered why Essien wasted the time for the court to go through three years of trial and only agree to pay the money a day before the judgment .
The judge therefore adjourned the trial to December 13 for the prosecution and Essien to come back with a better deal and also convince the court whether the trial was one that fell under Section 35 of Act 459.
Not guilty
Essien is standing trial with Fitzgerald Odonkor, a former MD of Capital Bank and the MD of MC Management Services, a company said to be owned by Essien, Tettey Nettey.
The prosecution has accused the three persons of engaging in various illegal acts that led to the dissipation of a chunk of the GH¢620 million liquidity support given to the Capital Bank by the BoG between June 2015 and November 2016.
The accused persons have pleaded not guilty to various counts of stealing, abetment to stealing, conspiracy to steal and money laundering.
Background
Capital Bank was one of the first banks that collapsed after a massive clean-up of financial institutions by the BoG started in 2017.
On August 14, 2017, its licence and that of UT Bank were revoked by the BoG, after the BoG had declared them insolvent.
The BoG allowed the state-owned bank, the GCB Bank, to acquire the two banks in order to protect depositors’ funds and also enable them to stay afloat.
The hurricane that swept through the banking sector due to the collapse of the two banks further heightened in August 2018 when the central bank collapsed five other indigenous banks and merged them into one entity — Consolidated Bank, Ghana.
Mustapha Ussif pleaded with the fans in his speech not to resell the match tickets they had worked so hard to get.
“The police and the security agencies are always at the stadiums, monitoring things. We have toiled to get you tickets, we don’t want any of you to go out and sell them.
“So far the authorities have arrested some people and are taking them to court, they have sent the evidence to the Ambassador. We don’t want anybody to fall into this,” the Minister warned.
The Black Stars of Ghana currently occupy the second position in Group H after losing to Portugal in their opening game and beating South Korea in the second group on Monday.
The Black Stars play their final game on Friday, with Uruguay needing at least a draw to qualify for the next stage of the competition.
FIFA has appointed the referees and assisting referees for Ghana’s game against Uruguay.
A release from Ghana Football Association (GFA) said Daniel Siebert from Germany has been appointed to officiate the Group H clash between Ghana and Uruguay at Al Janoub stadium on Friday, December 2, 2022.
The 38-year-old Berlin born referee who is ranked as a UEFA elite category referee started referring in 2005 and received his FIFA badge in 2015. Siebert is currently rated as one of the best referees in the German Bundesliga.
The release further stated that Daniel Siebert will be assisted by compatriots Seidel Jan (Assistant I) and Foltyn Rafael (Assistant II) while Yamashita Yoshimi serves as the 4th Referee.
Other Officials include:
Marinescu Vasile Romania – Reserve Assistant Referee
Dankert Bastian – Germany – Video Assistant Referee
Van Boekel Pol – The Netherlands – Assistant VAR
Carbone Ciro -Italy – Offside VAR
Valeri Paolo – Italy – Support VAR
Giallantini Alessandro – Italy – Standby Assistant VAR
