He said on NEAT FM’s morning show, ‘Ghana Montie’ that a businessman has approached them on their stance but insisted that the about ninety lawmakers have vowed not to be ‘bribed’ with money.
“I can confidently say none of us has and will take money from any businessman despite many attempts,” he noted.
Andy Appiah-Kubi was discussing his earlier claims that on Tuesday, November 1, a wealthy businessman after the president’s intervention also decided to meet the ‘anti-Ofori-Atta’ MPs and try to convince them to back down on their demand.
The account, @davidifeanyiadeleke was created during his 3rd birthday celebration in September and was publicly active.
However, a recent check by MyNigeria shows that the page has been disabled.
A search for the page on Instagram came back with the result that read: “The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed. Go back to Instagram.”
Ifeanyi’s Instagram page, managed jointly by Davido and Chioma before it was disabled, had more than 50k followers.
While Davido or any member of his family are yet to make an official announcement of Ifeanyi’s death, the recent development seems to confirm the report.
The Automobile Dealers Union (ADUG) has described as fake a letter indicating that they plan on embarking on a demonstration.
A statement purported to be from the Union and signed by the General Secretary of the Union, Benjamin Owusu Yankey, threatened to go on demonstration if President Akufo-Addo don’t dismiss Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta.
“The impact of exchange rates are really having a devastating effect on businesses, and all our investments are going down the drain…we are giving the President two weeks ultimatum if he fails to release Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta from his position as the Finance Minister of the Republic of Ghana, we will stage a huge demonstration against him (H. E. Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo) on November 19, 2022, at 8:00 am, at Obra Spot, Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra,” portions of the statement read.
However, Eddie Kusi Ankomah, CEO of Erata Motors in an interview on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’ said the Union has not planned to embark on any demonstration.
“We’ve never held any meeting on this…the one claiming to be the General Secretary; no one knows him. We’ve never planned to go on demonstration…we sell cars and we are not into politics and so we can’t command the President to sack Ken Ofori Atta. The letter is fake…no one intends to embark on any demonstration” he indicated.
Former Ghana international Sam Johnson has reacted to Ussif Mustapha’s led Sports Ministry decision not to make the budget for the 2022 World Cup public.
The Sports Minister recently confirmed budget for Ghana’s participation in the World Cup 2022 has been approved but will not be made public until after the tournament.
Ussif disclosed government has budget for the entire tournament and that the amount will be made public when Black Stars’ campaign ends.
“We have budgeted for the entire tournament, and where we are going to reach will determine how much we are going to spend,” he said on Saturday during Legends Walk.
“So until we finish the tournament we can’t tell you how much we are going to spend, but we have a budget estimated for the entire tournament.”
Reacting to the decision, the former Ghana defender said, “Everyone knows the situation at hand in the country, there is economic crisis, so if they make the budget public I think it is going to disorganize everything”
“We are in difficult times as a nation, for me, to play safe, I think they will prefer not to mention but if they go there and perform and the budget is disclosed there wouldn’t be any complain” he said.
FIFA are said to have paid $2 million to Ghana as preparation fee and will receive $10 million if they exit in the first round. This means Ghana are guaranteed $12 million.
Ghana are preparing to face Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay in the group stage.
The World Cup will start on November 20 but Black Stars will play their first match on November 24 against Portugal.
After Portugal, Black Stars will play Korea on November 28 and then Uruguay on December 2.
Black Stars aim to reach the semi-finals for the first time.
Beginning on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, GOIL and Total Energies will charge GHS 17.99 per liter for gasoline and GHS 23.49 for diesel.
The price of diesel fuel in Ghana at the GOIL fuel pumps as of October 26th was 15.99 Ghanaian cedis (GHS) per litre, which is more expensive than this.
Since around two weeks ago, the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has increased to GHS 8.40.
The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) on Monday predicted a 10 percent increase in prices of LPG with petrol and diesel likely to see an increase between GHS 3 and GHS 8 effective Tuesday, November 1, 2022.
According to COPEC, this has been as a result of the international price movements of petroleum products.
But some drivers, speaking to ATL FM NEWS are appealing to the government to do something about the fuel prices as the increment is affecting their business.
Speaking to one of the workers with the KI Energy gas station in Cape Coast, the news team gathered that many inhabitants of Cape Coast have begun hoarding gas ahead of the Christmas festivities.
According to him, many who fear the price of the LPG may increase again are currently buying more of the product to save for the festive season.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of State at the Finance Ministry Charles Adu Boahen, and Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia have all been named by anti-corruption activist Appiah Kubi as needing to resign over Ghana’s dysfunctional economy. Vice President Bawumia also chairs the economic management team.
The anti-graft activist claims that the vice president’s poor handling of the economy cannot be excused.
It is under the watch of the vice president that all rating agencies downgraded Ghana’s economy to Caa2, he noted.
Mr Appiah Kubi added Dr Bawumia to the list while reacting to rumours from the vice president’s camp that he was not allowed to do his work.
He spoke on Accra100.5FM’s mid-day news on Wednesday, 2 November 2022.
He said for the past six years, the vice president and the two finance ministers have supervised the dwindling fortunes of the economy.
These people have been at the helm of affairs and the country is suffering and Ghanaians have nothing to show due to economic challenges, he noted.
He said, now everybody is suffering from the skyrocketing price of food, high inflation rate, cedi depreciation and soaring petroleum prices.
Mr Appiah Kubi also added that in all these, the vice president remains the head of the EMT.
He noted that the buck stops with the vice president when it comes to the management of the economy.
“The vice president has no excuse for mismanaging the economy and he cannot jump ship when people are baying for the blood of the ministers,” Mr Appiah-Kubi charged.
EDITOR’S NOTE & APOLOGY: ClassFMonline.com had earlier mistaken anti-graft campaigner Appiah Kubi for the NPP MP for Asante-Akim North, Mr Andy Appiah-Kubi, and attributed some comments made by the former to the latter.
We sincerely apologise to the MP for the error and any inconvenience caused him as a result of our earlier mistake.
Trevor Noah is the latest to express frustration over Elon Musk’s plans to attach a fee to Twitter verification.
As previously reported by the Verge, Musk wanted to launch a new version of Twitter Blue under which currently verified users would be given 90 days to sign up for a paid subscription or risk losing their blue checkmark. The proposed monthly fee was then reported to be $20, although Musk later suggested $8 instead in response to criticism from author Stephen King. Of course, lowering the amount of any such fee misses the entire point of the argument against the fee itself.
At any rate, the $8 figure has continued to be floated, prompting continued discussion. Addressing the plans during a recent episode of The Daily Show from Atlanta, Noah ultimately delivered a proposal of his own.
“For months now, Musk has said that he wanted to own Twitter, right?” Noah said. “And the reason he wanted to own Twitter is because he wanted to make sure that it became a haven for free speech. He wanted to change it to that. Because let’s be honest, up until now, you know, people have really held back on Twitter. I always find myself scrolling and thinking, ‘But what do you really think? Why are you so reserved, sir?’”
Evidence suggests that bad actors are trying to test the limits on @Twitter. Several posts on 4chan encourage users to amplify derogatory slurs.For example, over the last 12 hours, the use of the n-word has increased nearly 500% from the previous average. pic.twitter.com/mEqziaWuMF
— Network Contagion Research Institute (@ncri_io) October 28, 2022
Musk’s takeover, Noah noted, gave users a sampling of what jokingly referred to as “extra free speech” in recent days.
“In the first 12 hours under Elon’s ownership, the use of the n-word on Twitter shot up 500 percent,” he said.
This figure was also highlighted in a statement from the NAACP on Wednesday. In the statement, the organization confirmed it had recently met with Musk to express its concerns over “the dangerous, life-threatening hate, and conspiracies that have proliferated on Twitter under his watch.”
According to NAACP President Derrick Johnson, who was joined in the meeting by members of the Stop Hate for Profit coalition, not taking “necessary actions” in response will lead to lives being placed at risk.
During his Daily Show monologue, Noah pointed out how many arguments are made under the guise of free speech but are in reality about simply wanting “to hate on people.” He also took issue with Musk’s tweeted rationale for the fee, joking that he should instead charge white people to be racist.
“I think this eight-dollars-a-month thing is ridiculous,” Noah said a little over six minutes into the video below. “If you ask me, if Elon Musk wants to make money from Twitter, what he should do, don’t charge people for blue checkmarks. No. Charge white people to say the n-word. Twitter will be the most profitable company in history. Racists are gonna be taking out loans.”
In a tweet shared Tuesday, Musk himself addressed having met with multiple organizations to discuss what he described as ways to “continue to combat hate [and] harassment” on the platform. In a follow-up message, he also addressed where things stand with regards to previously suspended users potentially being allowed back on the platform. For the time being, Musk said, there is no “clear process” for handling these cases, although such a thing is indeed in the works.
Some taxi drivers and small-time merchants in Accra have requested that the government implement a price control measure to manage the costs of goods and services.
They said that in order to safeguard the weak and the destitute, the government needed to restrict pricing due to the country’s economic difficulties.
In response to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’stelevised speech on the economy on Sunday, the drivers and traders told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that some wholesalers were unfairly taking advantage of the economic situation and that they feared things might get worse if the government did nothing to control prices.
They said the Government must engage producers, manufacturers and importers in determining prices of goods and services and task the police and military to ensure compliance with agreed prices.
“Some of our members who are wholesalers increase prices although their stocks are old, but as petty traders we are compelled to buy at those prices and it’s affecting our businesses, so the President and his government must send the military men into the shops to stop that…”
He said the Government was working to restore and sustain macroeconomic stability within the next three to six years with focus on ensuring debt sustainability to promote durable and inclusive growth while protecting the poor.
The Ghanaian economy has for the past months faced difficult times due to high interest rate, depreciation of the Cedi against the United States Dollar (USD) and the continuous increase in fuel prices leading to increases in prices of goods on the market.
Patrick Nyarko, a Petty Trader, said the daily increase in prices of goods was affecting their businesses badly but hopeful that the President would take a “strong” decision on pricing in the country “to give hope to the citizenry”.
“For us retailers, our situation is worse. Some of our businesses have collapsed but I have some hope in the President’s speech and we pray that he does something to control the price for us.”
Daniel Ofoe Zutovi, a Commercial Driver, said it was time the Government controlled prices and that the citizenry was looking up to him to fulfill his promise of restoring confidence in the economy.
Mr Zutovi said: ” We are worried about the future of the younger generation, at least we are old people but if the economic hardship is not addressed, our younger generation will suffer in the near future, so the prices must be controlled.”
“Everything is now expensive, even the price of Apketeshie (local gin) has gone up, we cannot make ourselves happy anymore, so the President must control the prices,” another Commercial Driver, Samuel Ofosu, said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Clement Boateng, Vice President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), said price control would not be possible.
He said price variation was the order in a liberalised market, so prices could not be controlled.
The GUTA Vice President said it was true that some members
of the Association were taking undue advantage of the situation and said the executive was engaging them.
Daniel Radcliffe has opened up about why he decided to speakout against Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s transphobic comments.
In an interview with IndieWire, the actor at the center of the films based around Rowling’s books reflected on his 2020 open letter published at the peak of the backlash against the author. “
The reason I was felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing Potter, I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that,” said Racliffe, who stars in the completely fictional Weird Al biopic Weird. “And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important.”
In his letter, which was shared via LGBTQ suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization the Trevor Project, Radcliffe said he felt “compelled to say something” after Rowling continued to share hateful rhetoric directed at the trans community. “It was really important as I’ve worked with the Trevor Project for more than 10 years, and so I don’t think I would’ve been able to look myself in the mirror had I not said anything,” he added. “But it’s not mine to guess what’s going on in someone else’s head.”
Ever since Radcliffe shared his response to Rowling’s comments, she’s only further committed to spreading her disdain for the trans community. Earlier this year, for instance, Rowling offered praise Matt Walsh’s controversial anti-trans film What Is a Woman?, per Pink News.
Walsh is a far-right political commentator and self-described “theocratic fascist” who has committed extensive effort to anti-trans rhetoric.
He noted that the measures needed time to take effect and had been properly included in the 2023 budget.
He stated that “the policy announced by the president in his address did not take effect immediately” in an interview with Angel FM on the Anopa Bofo Morning Show.
The details of what was said, including the suggestions made, would be made explicit in the 2023 budget.
The 2023 budget would include the specifics of the reforms.
The President in his address mentioned 12 policy measures targeted at tackling the cedi depreciation and putting the economy back on the track to recovery.
As part of the measures outlined, President Akufo-Addo pledged to restore debt sustainability by reducing debt to GDP to 55%, restoring macroeconomic stability through an IMF programme and tackle the high cost of living by stabilizing prices of petroleum products.
He also promised that there will be no hair cuts to treasury bill holders as well as a plan to reduce the importation of commodities like rice, poultry and vegetable oil.
The above-mentioned measures according to the NPP communicator will be catered for in the 2023 budget.
Asante Krobea commended the president for taking that bold step including the decision to slash budgeted discretionary expenditure by 30% and cutting down government appointees salaries by 30%.
He re-emphasized the president’s call for traders to be measured in their profit margins.
“As a patriotic citizen you don’t take advantage of a crisis to profiteer”, he pleaded.
Joopiter’s Son of a Pharaoh auction was a massive success.
The inaugural event was anchored by nearly 20 Jacob & Co. jewelry pieces worn and owned by Joopiter founder, Pharrell Williams. About 94 percent of the 47 lots were sold for a total of $5.25 million—surpassing the $3.2 million estimate.
And although nearly 66 percent of the featured items were sold above their high estimates, there was one piece that blew all the others out of the water: the Jacob & Co custom N.E.R.D. character pendant chain.
According to Joopiter, the 14 karat three-tone gold piece is adorned with colorful gemstones, like natural fancy yellow, light pink, and color enhanced blue diamonds. The 2005 medallion features a caricature of N.E.R.D. frontman Pharrell along with the rest of his crew. The piece ultimately sold for $2.184 million, nine times more than its high estimate.
Jupiter described the pendant chain as “one of the most historic pieces of contemporary jewelry that represents an incomparable artist, at an incomparable time, with incomparable creativity.”
The auction—which attracted celebrities like Slick Rick, Jaden Smith, Lorraine Schwartz, and Tyler, the Creator—also featured the Jacob & Co. N.E.R.D Brain Chain in white gold, which sold for $725,000—eight times more than its high estimate. A yellow gold version of the chain doubled its high estimate, selling for $150,000. Other standout auction items included the Jacob & Co 32 Gemstone necklace, which sold for $250,000; Jacob & Co. Skateboard Pendant Chain ($103,750); Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Dynamograph ($218,750); Louis Vuitton Multicolor Monogram Trunk ($121,250); and BAPE STA “Spongebob” sneakers ($26,250).
Joopiter was founded earlier this year as a global digital-first auction house and content platform. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will go toward Pharrell’s Black Ambition Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to assist Black and Latinx people excel in business.
According to the analysis, by 2050, income for low-income households could decrease by up to 40%.
The report urged the adoption of a development path that encourages a shift to low-carbon growth through a combination of regulations, public spending, and private investment.
“Ghana’s economic and human development is vulnerable to climate change. On average, flooding affects around 45,000 Ghanaians every year, and half of Ghana’s coastline is vulnerable to erosion and flooding as a result of sea-level rise,” Pierre Laporte, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone stated in a Joy FM report.
The World Bank report said, Ghana as a country further need to take prompt action else the higher temperatures and heat stress will affect crop and labour productivity, whilst more erratic rainfall patterns will damage buildings and infrastructure.
On land degradation, water insecurity and local air pollution, the report pointed out its overall impact on human capital and productivity.
Ghana, according to the World Bank, despite achieving major development gains over the past three decades, progress has slowed down.
The West African country, the report categorically stated has not fully managed to convert its natural wealth into sufficient infrastructure, human, and institutional capital for sustained growth.
“The report demonstrates that Ghana can simultaneously pursue its long-term development and climate goals,” Pierre Laporte added. “Ghana’s contribution to global greenhouse gases emissions is small, with emissions on a per capita basis at 24% of the global average. The country can take a more resilient development pathway, avoiding costly lock-ins, leapfrogging to cutting-edge technologies, and starting to mobilize climate finance.”
The World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Reports identified six priority areas for a Climate Resilient and Low Carbon Development pathway that will foster a greener, resilient, and inclusive growth in the country.
Others include the new core diagnostic reports that explore the interlink between climate change and development. They help countries prioritize the most impactful actions that can foster a low-carbon transition and boost resilience while delivering on broader development goals.
CCDRs build on data and rigorous research and identify main pathways to reduce GHG emissions, their externalities and climate vulnerabilities, including the costs and challenges as well as benefits and opportunities from doing so.
As compared to yesterday’s trading of a buying price of 13.0019 and a selling price of 13.0149. At a forex bureau in Accra, the dollar is being bought at a rate of 13.40 and sold at a rate of 13.85.
Against the Pound Sterling, the Cedi is trading at a buying price of 14.9026 and a selling price of 14.9188 as compared to yesterday’s trading at a buying price of 14.9041 and a selling price of 14.9203.
The Euro is trading at a buying price of 12.8545 and a selling price of 12.8674 as compared to yesterday’s trading at a buying price of 12.8545 and a selling price of 12.8674.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Euro is being bought at a rate of 12.65 and sold at a rate of 13.50.
The South African Rand is trading at a buying price of 0.7140 and a selling price of 0.7148 compared to yesterday’s trading at a buying price of 0.7121 and a selling price of 0.7128.
The Nigerian Naira is trading at a buying price of 33.9923 and a selling price of 34.0523 as compared to yesterday’s trading at a buying price of 33.9765 and a selling price of 34.0565.
At a forex bureau in Accra, Nigerian Naira is being bought at a rate of 16.00 Naira for every 1 Cedi and sold at a rate of 20.00.
It appears Kanye West can’t sell his “White Lives Matter” tees—at least not legally.
According to ABC News, the trademark for the controversial phrase is owned by Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, two Black activists who host the nationally syndicated radio show Civic Cipher. The Arizona residents said they were gifted the trademark from an anonymous benefactor who secured ownership of the phrase sometime in September, shortly before Kanye unveiled his “White Lives Matter” shirts during Paris Fashion Week.
“Basically, a listener of the show—a big supporter—had the foresight to acquire this trademark and felt that we were in a much better position than they were to determine how it could be used for the benefit of Black and brown communities, rather than as a tool to create more additional harm on those communities,” Ja said. “… We accepted this responsibility and the trademark was assigned to Civic Cypher LLC.”
Ja went on to explain that no one in America can legally sell any “White Lives Matter” products without receiving their authorization. He said anyone who was trying to generate a profit from the phrase would have to enter negotiations with their legal team, and potentially face a lawsuit; however, Ja insisted that isn’t something they necessarily want to do.
“I recognize that one of two things could happen. Someone could come to our lawyer or us and say, ‘Hey, you have the exclusive right to make and sell those clothes in the United States of America. I would like to buy the trademark for millions of dollars,’” Ja told Capital B News. “If we were to sell that trademark, for whatever amount of money, we could donate that money to causes that we feel would benefit Black people, like the NAACP or Black Lives Matter organizations. Because, realistically, we cannot stop the shirts from being made right now. We can write cease and desist to people selling these shirts right now, but that is a big monster that requires teams of lawyers and thousands of dollars that we do not have.”
The two also said they’ve not had any conversations with Kanye’s camp, and are unaware if he or his team made any effort to reach out.
Kanye sparked outrage last month when he debuted the “White Lives Matter” designs during the YZY Season 9 fashion show. The phrase has been widely criticized as a flippant response to Black Lives Matter, a global social movement that aims to combat police brutality and racially motivated violence.
Ja told Capital B News said he was hurt to see Kanye pushing the phrase, but not necessarily surprised.
“I do my best to try to remember the Kanye that I knew in ’04 and ’05,” he told the publication.
“The Kanye that said George Bush doesn’t care about Black people. I have to focus on the fight at hand. … We’ve got people running for office right now, and we have people trying to suppress our vote and disenfranchise us. There are new voting laws being written in Alabama and Mississippi that have ripple effects across the country. I can’t spend all my time worrying about what Kanye is saying.”
North Carolinaman Warren Tyler Oser is facing criminal charges after his two-year-old son fatally shot himself with his father’s handgun.
Per ABC11, Oser has been charged with failure to properly and safely store his firearms to protect minors after two-year-old Warren Bennett Oser reportedly climbed into a pick-up truck, picked up a loaded handgun, and shot himself. When investigators arrived at the scene, they discovered the child with a gunshot wound and took him to a nearby hospital. He was later pronounced dead from his wounds.
It is believed that the two-year-old climbed through an open door, and began to play with the loaded handgun after he found it in the cab. The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office described the fatal incident as an “unfortunate accident.” Both of Warren’s parents were present when police arrived at the scene.
A GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the child’s funeral has reached its $20,000 target.
“No words can describe the pain or ease it all. I’ve started this with their permission in hopes to ease their financial burden,” reads the campaign, which was launched by family friend Joy Kennedy Johnson.
“Please help in their time if need if you can. Bennett was always the life of the party! Our hearts and prayers go out to them!”
In an online obituary, the child was described as a “free spirit with a wild soul.”
“Every single day, he would go down his list of favorite people to try and visit,” the obituary added.
“Though his life was brief, his spirit and memory lives on in his family and friends. We are grateful and blessed that God chose us to be his parents and let us watch over him for even the short amount of time that he had on Earth.”
Kanye West’s anti-Semitic remarks have put a sizable dent in his wallet.
According to documents reviewed by NBC News, the polarizing artist paid a settlement to a former employee who accused of him using bigoted speech in the workplace. The accuser spoke on the condition of anonymity, as they had signed a non-disclosure agreement; but the network reportedly reviewed the settlement documents as well as proof of the payout the ex-employee had received.
News of the settlement comes about a week after CNN published a piece about Kanye’s alleged fascination with Adolf Hitler and Nazi Party. The outlet reported Kanye had reached a settlement deal with an ex-executive who ultimately left his position because of the rapper’s “obsession” with the German dictator, whose years-long reign led to the deaths of millions of Jewish people in the 1930s and ’40s. NBC News has yet to confirm that settlement, as it “appears to be separate from the case of the former employee who shared settlement documents” with the network.
The documents also include accounts from six different people who allegedly witnessed Kanye praise Hitler or push anti-Jewish conspiracy theories in a professional setting. Half of those people described themselves as Kanye’s former employees or collaborators, while the others said they recalled hearing Kanye spewing anti-Semitic language during his infamous 2018 TMZ interview.
The documents support previous claims by ex-TMZ staffer Van Lathan Jr. and conceptual artist Ryder Ripps. The latter claimed he had worked with Kanye for several years, and heard him speak positively about Hitler and the Nazis in 2018; however, the Jewish artist admitted he didn’t think the comments were “that dangerous” at the time.
Kanye received backlash last month after he made several anti-Jewish remarks in televised interviews and online. His most controversial comment was a since-deleted tweet in which he vowed to go “death con 3” on Jewish people. Lathan claimed he wasn’t surprised by Kanye’s hateful rhetoric, as he heard him make similar statements during the aforementioned TMZ appearance.
“I mean, I was taken aback because that type of anti-Semitic talk is disgusting. It’s like, I’m taken aback any time anyone does that, right? But as far as [West], I knew that that was in him because when he came to TMZ, he said that stuff and they took it out of the interview.” Lathan said the Higher Learning podcast. “… He said something like, ‘I love Hitler, I love Nazis.’ Something to that effect when he was there. And they took it out of the interview for whatever reason. It wasn’t my decision.”
Kanye’s camp has yet to respond to NBC News’ report.
Fatima Alimohamed, vice chair of the AGI-Agriculture Sector, told B&FT that the situation is critical and that Ghana must act fast to stop the escalating importation of meat and poultry items onto the local market that are possibly carcinogen-contaminated.
The Association’s trade statistics also reveals a dramatic increase in monthly imports of frozen chicken and other products, from 2.8 million kilograms in the fourth quarter of 2021 to 3.4 million kilograms (kg).
“This imported meat and chicken were slaughtered years back. They were not killed last month and shipped here the following month. Most have been injected for preservation purposes, and the likelihood of dire health implications are high – including cancer, which is on the rise in Ghana,” Ms. Alimohamed said.
Statistics from the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers (GNAPF) have revealed that more than 600,000 tonnes of frozen chicken were imported into the country in 2021.
The data, which is sourced from the European Union (EU), indicated that approximately US$600million worth of chicken was imported into the country last year from the EU.
This development, according to the GNAPF, has left the local poultry industry with two percent of the market share of chicken – which is controlled by imports with 98 percent.
Dumping is a problem
Speaking at a consultative meeting in August this year between the Ghana International Trade Commission (GITC) and stakeholders in the poultry value chain in Accra, president of GNAPF, Victor Oppong Adjei, said the challenge is a worrying one.
The consultative meeting was held after B&FT published a story with the headline ‘Suspected dumping hits poultry sector’, with data from the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana.
Data from the GNAPF established that the US and Brazil are the two leading exporters of chicken to Ghana, while the EU is the third.
Last year, the EU – which is the third-highest exporter – sent over 227,000 tonnes to the country; while the US and Brazil exported figures more than double those of the EU.
As a result of the high cost of fuel and the ongoing depreciation of the cedi against the dollar, it was revealed that the subsidy on RFO was suspended in order to assure a steady supply of the product to industry.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, the Head of Economic Regulation-NPA, Mr. Abass Ibrahim Tasunti, said revenue the country was generating from the Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy had not been enough to pay for the subsidies-cost emanating from RFO and premix fuel.
He stressed that as the price of fuel and the exchange rate rise, subsidy levels also rise because full cost of the products is not being passed on to the consumer.
“The suppliers of this product (RFO) are refusing to supply because the subsidies are not being paid on time. Also, because the subsidies are not being paid on time, the companies have refused to supply the product. They sell and they are not recovering the full cost; and they are also not getting the subsidies paid to them,” he said.
Government paid GH¢136million as subsidy on RFO in 2021, and again paid GH¢52million out of the total subsidy of GH¢154million for the period January to September, 2022, leaving a balance of GH¢102million.
Mr. Tasunti said the manufacturing industry had suffered to access RFO for powering their machines, leading to the closedown of some factories.
He said the NPA had engaged players in the manufacturing sector on challenges in the supply of RFO, and the resolution was that in the meantime subsidies on RFO should be removed so they can pay the full cost to ensure regular supply of the product and get their factories running.
“The industry players prefer to pay the full cost of RFO, so they can continue running their factories rather than not having their products at all,” Mr. Tasunti said.
He said the alternative product the manufacturing industry can use is diesel, but cost of the product is very high now.
When the Price Regulation Policy was introduced in July 2015, government decided to keep subsidies on RFO and premix fuel.
And to ensure that these subsidies are funded, the Energy Sector Levies Act introduced a levy called the Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy to pay for subsidies on RFO and premix.
Mr. Tasunti said the revenue generated from the Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy will be focused on only premix fuel for now, while the subsidy on RFO will be taken off until things change.
However, government through the NPA has suspended the subsidy on Residual Fuel Oil (RFO) – the fuel used by the manufacturing sector – effective November 1, 2022.
The Authority has however maintained the subsidy on premix fuel to continue cushioning the fisher-folk.
Ghanaian rapper, Medikal, has been cautioned against his relationship with Shatta Wale. The AMG rapper has been asked to pick a cue from the manner in which Shatta has, without hesitation, spewed secrets and leveled wild allegations against his former manager, Bullgod.
Following Shatta’s fallout with Bullgod, the former has leveled all sorts of allegations against the latter, some of which have resulted in police cases.
In what started as a social media banter between them, things took a drastic turn when Shatta Wale began spilling some information Bullgod perhaps shared with him in confidentiality.
It can be recalled that in a similar instance, Shatta stormed social media with a barrage of wild allegations against his former best friend, Burna Boy.
Ghanaian artiste, Pope Skinny, an SM militant, Deportee, and Michy, the mother of Shatta’s son, went through similar ordeals with the dancehall musician.
However, upon analyzing this particular trend by Shatta anytime after he falls out with his friends, Medikal who appears to have established a new stronger bond with the dancehall artiste, has been urged to advise himself.
Shatta and Medikal’s friendship intensified during the time of their arrest.
They both returned from prison with the “Deeper than Blood” (DTB) thug-line, which compelled them to draw tattoos of each other on various parts their bodies to prove the intensity of their bond.
Recounting all these developments, netizens have issued messages of caution to Medikal on Twitter.
Some of them wrote:
“I wish I can Advice Medikal to be very critical with Shatta Wale. I am scared tbh.”
“Anytime I see Shatta Wale releasing secret, I think about Medikal. Smh.”
“Shatta wale no be that good friend wey fi keep secret. When you get beef plus him then he will revel the secret you trusted him to keep. I fear give medikal”
It has come to light that four significant statutory payments have been made, days after a number of New Patriotic Party MPs publicly called for the resignation of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and Minister of State at the Ministry Charles Adu Boahen.
Charles Adomako-Mensah, NDC-MP for the Ashanti Region’s Afigya Kwabre North Constituency, verified the payments.
He was answering a question by the host of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV, Randy Abbey on developments after their October 25 demand via a press conference at the precincts of Parliament.
The four payments made so far are in respect of Common Fund (Quarters 1 and Two), MPs Moni Monitoring and Evaluation (Second quarter), Q1 and Q2 of District Common Fund as well as the Disability Relief Fund to districts.
After confirming the payments individually, the MP added: “That is true, it is true. The payments were supposed to come and there were delays, and it has been paid. It is true.”
Reacting to a shocked co-panellist in the person of Kwesi Pratt, the MP added: “Uncle Kwasi, these are statutory payments, there were delays fortunately they have been paid, thank God, they have been paid…they’ve been paid because they have to be paid.
“I am not too sure if it was because of the demands …the fact that it was after but I am not too sure if it was because of the demands,” he stressed.
“Oh Randy, delays in Common Fund payments are not something new,” Adomako-Mensah added.
Their demand was premised on the tanking Ghanaian economy headed by the embattled minister but a deal was reached to allow Ofori-Atta to stay in office to conclude initial talks with the International Monetary Fund and also present the 2023 budget and oversee the passage of its appropriation.
The bizarre turn of events came with no explanation from Gucci Mane. According to XXL, Baby Racks responded to Gucci’s tweet on his now private account. “Congratulations to babyracks appreciate the video appreciate flying me and my team out I appreciate that check Atlantic records sent thank you Gucci,” he wrote, along with a deuces emoji.
Racks also shouted out Yo Gotti, Jeezy, Pierre “P” Thomas, and Rick Ross in the same tweet in an attempt to secure a new deal since he’s a free agent now.
XXL reports Baby Racks posted a series of tweets, which still include “1017” on the handle, where he made some inappropriate remarks about the city of Houston in wake of the death of Takeoff prior to his dismissal from the label. “I’m definitely not fw houston after DONT BOOK ME CAUSE BABY RACKS AINT COMING,” he wrote.
“Y’all mad cause I said I ain’t coming to Houston lmao fuck Houston,” Racks continued.
Baby Racks also tweeted a distasteful reference to the Migos’ song “Versace,” writing, “VERSACE VERSACE WE BROUGHT THAT SHIT BACK AND YOU NIGGAS IS LAME.”
Baby Racks dropped a video for the Gucci Mane-featured song “Look Ma I Did It” last month. Check it out up top.
The Volta Aluminum Company (VALCO) has been temporarily halted down as management talks to irate employees about their demands for pay raises.
The company’s management claims that after some employees unexpectedly took control of the Smelter on Monday, a decision was made to shut down VALCO’s operational pot lines in conjunction with the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo).
This was done to preserve it and enable a seamless restart as management tried to break the deadlock.
VALCO said the development will not cost it US$100,000 per pot in shutting down and US$10million for restarting the plant, as is being peddled in some sections of the media.
“Rather, it is to prevent such occurrences that management opted for the controlled halt to its operations,” a statement from the company stated.
VALCO’s Board of Directors, conscious of the smelter’s strategic significance to the ongoing Integrated Aluminium Industry (IAI) project, charged management to ensure that Ghana does not lose the smelter in the event of any agitation that occasions an unplanned shutdown.
However, the management of VALCO indicated that the workers, after a series of negotiations led by their union executives, made an initial demand for a 62 percent salary increment and subsequently reduced it to 55 percent.
“In response, the management of VALCO offered to grant a 22 percent increment in salaries for the workers – with the assurance of further increments in the future as VALCO continues its efforts at finding a strategic investor to retrofit the plant,” the statement captured.
“VALCO appealed to workers to consider the current state of the aluminium smelter, which for years had been recording losses until the year 2021 – when through prudent management and better supervision, it chalked up some modest gains by recording Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) profits. According to management, they are hoping to build on this and retrofit and modernise the plant to improve efficiency and increase its capacity,” it added.
Management of VALCO further indicated to the workers’ union executives that it will on November 1, 2022 finalise a communique for submission to the National Labour Commission (NLC) for independent third-party adjudication, after negotiations between management and workers ended in a stalemate.
The unsuccessful engagement with workers led to a full-blown takeover of the smelter. Among other demands, management said workers insist on having their salaries pegged to the dollar as of the last salary adjustment on September 1, 2022; but the parties were unable to reach an agreement.
The decision to allow some staff who have attained retirement age to stay, management said, was deliberate and tactful – given that they are very experienced and knowledgeable in running a highly technical field and a strategic plant such as the VALCO smelter.
However, management said it has initiated a succession plan that is already being implemented. It is expected that some of the experienced staff under contract will start exiting by close of the year 2022.
Management has assured that it will continue to dialogue with labour to find a resolution to the impasse and ensure there is no threat to life and property.
Meanwhile, VALCO has commenced processes to partner with a strategic investor who will retrofit and modernise the plant to increase its production – from the current 50,000 tonnes out of its 200,000 tonnes installed capacity, to 300,000 tonnes of refined aluminium per year.
50 Cent reminds Quavo that some of the best music derives from pain.
The hip-hop mogul sent the message via Instagram on Wednesday, just a day after the death of Quavo’s nephew and music partner Takeoff. Fif posted a clip from the latest episode of Rich Kleiman’s Out of Office, where music executive Steven Victor discussed 50’s involvement in Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut album. The project—titled Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon—was released in early July 2020, less than five months after Pop Smoke was killed during a home robbery.
Victor, founder & CEO of Victor Victor Worldwide and SVP of A&R at Universal Music, said the album might’ve never seen the light of day if it wasn’t for 50. He recalled the time he and Pop Smoke had visited Fif just three weeks before the tragedy, and how they laid out their plans for Pop Smoke’s album release.
“I gotta say that I don’t think … if I never had this conversation 50, I don’t know if this album would’ve came out,” Victor said around the 35:10 mark.
“So when [Pop Smoke] passed, 50 kept trying to get in touch with me. So I finally went to go see him. I couldn’t listen to [Pop Smoke’s] music, and 50 was like, ‘Yo. You’re being selfish. You can’t let your emotions or you being in this depressed state stop you from executing the plans you guys had. Three weeks ago, you guys were in my office talkin’ about taking over the world. He passed away, but who’s going to keep his legacy goin’? Who’s gonna make sure his music comes out so he can take care of his family?’ He’s like, ‘That’s on you. I get you’re sad and all that shit, but this ain’t the time for that.’”
50’s encouragement clearly worked, as Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon was released as planned. The G-Unit rapper used Victor’s comments in his message to Quavo, who recently released Only Built for Infinity Links alongside Takeoff. Fif told the Migos rapper to revisit the album and make a few changes in wake of Takeoff’s death.
“This is really how it goes @quavohuncho,” 50 wrote in the caption. “You have to position this album correctly for Takeoff’s legacy, go make a couple changes and address everything all artist make the best music out of painful moments. R.I.P to pop smoke 🕊R.I.P to TakeOff.”
Takeoff was killed shot and killed around 2:30 a.m. Monday following a private party at a Houston bowling alley.
“After [the event] ended, there was a large group of people who gathered at the front door area just outside of the building and it led to an argument where the shooting took place from the disagreement,” Sgt. Michael Arrington of the Houston Police Department told reporters Tuesday.
Takeoff—legal name Kirshnik Khari Ball—reportedly suffered gunshot wounds to the head and torso. The 28-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have yet to make any arrests in connection to the shooting.
“I just want to say something to our city. It’s Houston and every brother and sister in the neighborhoods, I’m calling you to action, to step up. There were 40 people at least at this event and people left possibly out of fear,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told the media. “I ask you one thing and I want this to resonate with everybody. What if it was your brother? What if it is your son? You want somebody to step up? So please step up, get the information to us so we can bring some closure to this family.”
She revealed that all three art projects were funded by the Creative Arts Agency, the business she directs, in a statement issued on November 2, 2022.
According to the statement, “For the avoidance of any doubt, it is crucial to stress that these programs were completely developed, managed, and funded by The Creative Arts Agency, through its own fundraising activities.”
Out of the three locations where the painting and decorations were undertaken, she revealed that she has personally funded the project under a bridge at the Tetteh Quarshie interchange on the stretch from Shangri-La towards Legon.
The statement said the first site, decorations at the Ako Adjei Interchange was funded by the private sector, whiles the third was completed through the generosity of the creatively minded Ben Asante, CEO of Ghana Gas, who understands its social community importance.
The statement added that the project was not a profit-making venture, as has been reported on social media.
“It is a complete fabrication being propagated by some shameless persons, and which, unfortunately, has been published by sections of the media. This project was not embarked upon to make a profit, and there have been no lucrative contracts awarded for it,” it added.
Per details on the website of the Creative Arts Council’s website, cac.gov.gh, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo is the Director of the council.
Below is the full statement by Gyankoma Akufo-Addo:
CREATIVE ARTS AGENCY
In August 2018, Art for All was conceived. Its purpose was to beautify our capital city of Accra, to give a platform to our Ghanaian artists, to build art appreciation for its audience, and to serve as beautiful backdrops for videos, or photoshoots and be a tourist attraction.
Each site had a six-week workshop process to identify themes, locations, and artists. Each site was paid for with funds largely from the private sector, sourced solely by the Creative Arts Agency. No contract to paint a succession of bridges or underpasses has either been conceived, has ever been offered, or has ever been accepted. Indeed, any tender or contract awarded for such a project would have been made public.
For the avoidance of any doubt, it is important to state that these projects were solely conceived, managed, and financially undertaken by The Creative Arts Agency, through its own fundraising activities.
Site 1, Ako Adjei, was funded by the private sector.
Site 2, Tetteh Quarshie, was paid for by myself, Gyankroma Akufo-Addo.
Site 3, was completed through the generosity of the creatively minded Ben Asante, CEO of Ghana Gas, who understands its social community importance.
The paint used for each site, again, was provided by Coral Paints and its CEO, who understand the importance of pushing the visibility of Ghanaian artists. The absurdity of $25 million, or any amount for that matter, being awarded to myself to undertake this project is a disgusting narrative.
It is a complete fabrication being propagated by some shameless persons, and which, unfortunately, has been published by sections of the media. This project was not embarked upon to make a profit, and there have been no lucrative contracts awarded for it.
All efforts to undermine my credibility through the publication of these falsehoods and baseless lies will not wash. I have instructed my lawyer to seek redress in the law courts against persons and media houses that published these falsehoods with the sole intention of destroying my reputation.
The government has stated that it is willing to increase its support for the domestic cement manufacturing sector as stakeholders look for alternatives to some imported chemicals used in production due to concerns over their potential negative effects on the environment and the nation’s escalating foreign exchange problems.
The current economic and environmental downturns, according to Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry (MoTI), Michael Okyere Baafi, have sparked debates about using local alternatives like limestone and clay to make cement.
“The economic benefits of these substitutes must not be underestimated. Clinker is not found in Ghana and every cement manufacturer imports, putting more demand on foreign currencies to pay for imports.
“A much more sustainable input or replacement is the introduction of clay and limestone, which are mined in vast quantities in Ghana. Clay and limestone also reduce the carbon emissions from cement,” he added.
The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Mr. Clifford Frimpong, said government has signed an Institutional Partnership Agreement for Germany and Ghana to collaborate on testing and standards development for construction materials and chemicals.
The partnership seeks a common objective of fostering economic and trade cooperation by implementing an institutional partnership between both countries’ government institutions. The institutions are the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) for Ghana, and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK) and the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM).
This formed the basis for a stakeholder engagement that was held under the theme: ‘Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions: The Role of Local Substitutes in Cement Manufacturing’.
Mr. Frimpong noted that the theme is in line with government’s efforts at creating an industrialised country while combatting the impact of climate change with the use of green and environmentally-friendly materials in the buzzing construction industry.
Furthermore, he encouraged those in the construction industry to endeavour to comply with the standards provided by GSA for regulatory and policy activities. He observed that they contain elements which will improve the country’s construction industry and propel it into an important global economic player while protecting the climate.
To this end, the Ministry of Trade & Industry is ready to assist businesses and local manufacturers of cement with a conducive environment and testing facilities to produce and stay profitable.
The global cement industry is noted to be accountable for about 10 percent of global human-made CO2 emissions, of which 60 percent is from the chemical process and 40 percent from burning fuel. A 2018 study also estimates that the 4 billion tonnes of cement produced annually account for 8 percent of worldwide CO2 emissions.
As these demonstrate how detrimentally the production of cement and concrete affects the environment with CO2 emissions, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry said: “The emissions can be reduced by lowering the clinker content, which in the case of Ghana has to be imported (with foreign currency)”.
Seth Twum Akwaboah, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), has urged companies to take all necessary measures to avoid going out of business during these difficult times.
He contends that more tactics and methods should be used by firms to maintain their viability.
He is confident that when the economy is doing well, businesses will recoup their lost investments.
Mr. Akwaboah said this in an interview with the B&FT on Thursday during the Tema Regional Annual General Meeting, on the theme ‘Leveraging public private collaboration to accelerate sustainable industrial development’.
“I think that the last thing we should do as a country is give up hope. So when you have a challenge of this nature, there are options open to you. One option is to close down and fold our arms, saying ‘this is the end of it’. The other option is to say ‘I will try to weather through the storm, I will downsize, I will do all kind of things to stay in business’ – but I think the latter is not the best, because you would have lost your business.
“In this particular moment, it is about survival: how do we keep the industry surviving, how do you keep the industry growing so we can keep the staff? Bear in mind that industry is a major employer of people, and therefore their continuous operation ensures the sustenance of jobs within industry,” he said.
He said this is a crucial time for all to work together as a country and make sure that all promote unity and stability, so together they can get relief from what is going on.
“In our engagement with the president, ministers and others, they spoke extensively of efforts being made. So I think as Ghanaians we should accept those efforts and work with government, so that we bring tension down, calm tempers and make sure we bring confidence so we can have stability.”
He therefore urged Ghanaians to consume products produced locally to enable local manufacturers produce more. By doing this, he said: “We are supporting government’s efforts of industrialisation. And I believe government is supposed to support us as industries so that we can grow, expand and produce the kind of goods we need in this country”.
Mr. Akwoboa called on the media to assist in this matter for consistent promotion of made in Ghana goods, as this effort will significantly reduce imports and minimise the pressure on the cedi.
Dr. Edward Akwetey, Chairman of the AGI-Tema Region, outlined members’ major concerns – which include rising fuel cost, exchange rate, property rate, poor state of industrial roads, and influx of imported goods on the market.
He strongly indicated the need for public and private sector collaboration for the acceleration of sustainable industrial development.
He said this while reacting to the death of Davido’s three-year-old son Ifeanyi, who reportedly drowned in a swimming pool in their Banana Island mansion in Lagos.
In a Facebook post, the king lamented bitterly that nobody was available to do the same for Veronica’s grandson.
He wrote: “So sad it was David’s mummy, late Dr Mrs Veronica Adeleke that rescued my own son inside the swimming pool, some twenty five years ago. I am sad, what Veronica did for my son years back, nobody, I mean nobody to play the same role for Veronica’s grandson Ifeanyi!!! Who are we to query God, may his soul rest in peace and may veronica’s soul continue to rest in peace. Fantastic woman.”
The 33rd Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) awards, which just concluded, recognized the marketing-focused Postal and Courier Service Company of 2021 as ShaQ Express, a tech startup that is 100% owned by Ghanaians.
ShaQ Express, which has transformed the postal and courier industries, defeated the competition from its rivals to win the prestigious honors.
At the awards ceremony conducted over the weekend and organized by the CIMG, the company received a certificate and a commendation.
This year’s event brought together big players in diverse industries to celebrate their marketing efforts toward the economic growth of the country.
The citation said the prestigious award given to ShaQ Express was in recognition of the company’s excellence in strategic marketing, from marketing insights through effective formulation of marketing mix programmes that helped to create value for the market, thereby delivering excellent results.
The Managing Director of ShaQ Express, Anthony Owusu-Ansah, said it was an honor to be recognised by a giant institution like the CIMG in the young life of the company.
“This is a huge win for the business, and we would like to thank our customers. We are here because of them. They challenged us to go above and beyond, and we owe this to them,” he said.
By providing a seamless platform, ShaQ Express allows vendors and shops to sell and also gives the convenience to customers to shop from a variety of stores, order food and cakes and move packages from one point to another.
The businesss, which started in 2020 as a delivery business, offering swift, secure and reliable services to customers in Accra, has now grown into a technology startup built around marketplace and logistics.
It currently has an active user base of over 13,000 customers, operating in four regions, namely Greater Accra, Central, Northern and Ashanti regions with plans of expansion to the other regions in Ghana and certain African countries in the pipeline.
Electric bikes
The company deployed electric bikes in Accra earlier this year as part of efforts to operate in a sustainable manner and also to cut down on its recurrent expenditure, particularly fuel.
Although a burgeoning business with dozens of delivery companies in operation, not many courier operators use electric motorbikes, making ShaQ Express one of the first companies to do so in the country.
A woman had been helping with answering calls at an emergency dispatch center in New Orleans last month when she suddenly heard her 16-year-old daughter on the other line, WDSU reports.
“Mama, please hurry up she’s got a gun,” Tenia Hill told her mother Teri Clark. Hill was working at a McDonald’s when an armed robber came inside, and forced her and her co-workers in the freezer. “We are going to hurry, give me a description,” Clark responded.
“I was in a state of shock,” Clark, an assistant operations manager at the Orleans Parish Communications District, told WDSU. She decided to stay late and take calls when Tenia called. “What broke me down was when my child said, ‘We’re in the freezer.’ And I said, ‘The freezer?’ … While I was taking the call, tears coming down my face, but I am still trying to do my job,” she recalled.
Clark managed to remain calm throughout their interaction, and relay the necessary information to the New Orleans Police Department. Hill and her fellow employees were found safe and sound in the freezer when officers arrived at the scene.
“I was really scared because I would never imagined at my first job I would be getting robbed let alone having a gun pointed at me,” Hill said of the incident.
“I was very worried because I didn’t want my mom to have to bury her youngest child. I could have lost my life, but she saved my life. I was very happy.”
Shatta Wale has announced that he is pleased with the Ghana Police Service’s quick response to his call to assist and provide highly confidential information that can help get to the bottom of Fennec Okyere’s murder which occurred in 2014.
“The attention of the Ghana Police Service has been drawn to a tweet by Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jnr., popularly known as Shatta Wale regarding the death of artiste Manager Fennec Okyere. The Police have made contact with Shatta Wale who is cooperating with us on the matter,” parts of the police statement dated November 2 and signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Grace Ansah-Akrofi read.
Reacting to the development, Shatta who seemed prepared to collaborate with authorities replied with a “Thank you Ghana police” note.
On Wednesday, Shatta took to his Facebook page to allege that his former manager, Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, known chiefly as Bullgod actually had a hand in the murder of one Fenick, making people assume he meant Fennec Okyere considering that Bullgod was once accused of murdering the artiste manager.
“Bull Dog since u r bringing out secrets. You will tell Ghanaians. What happen to Fenicks Murder !! And I am not joking about this time!! I am ready to tell the court about what you told me about you and your men and how planned that foolish act get ready. This Akuffo Addo won’t give you a murder chance to be on our streets !!! Watch how this ends !!! You can’t fight time !!!” read the post sighted by GhanaWeb.
His claim came after Bullgod leaked some possible songs and international features Shatta Wale has on his yet-to-be-released Gift Of God album.
According to Shatta’s former manager, the famous Dancehall musician has a song with American singer, and songwriter, John Legend, Dancehall greats, Vybz Kartel and Popcaan as well as Stefflon Don on his album.
Dr. Kwabena Donkor reportedly stated that the state corporation’s finances don’t look good and warns of impending insolvency, according to the Ranking Member of the Committee.
On November 2, 2022, Dr. Donkor remarked in a speech on the floor of Parliament that the government must stop exploiting the GNPC as a source of money, especially for subsidizing activities that are unrelated to the corporation’s mission.
“Without the injection of new funds, GNPC is on the brink of bankruptcy. The financials don’t speak well of GNPC. The future is bleak for GNPC and, therefore, we must insist that GNPC stays on the straight and narrow path in its operations.”
The assertion is however corroborated by the Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, John Jinapor who believes GNPC is on the verge of collapse.
“The gross profit margin had reduced from “50 percent in 2018, to 26 percent in 2019 to 0.3 percent in 2020,” the lawmaker said in parliament.
Meanwhile, the annual financial performance report on GNPC issued by the Committee on Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises revealed that the gross profit margin of the corporation reduced from 50 percent in 2018 to less than one percent in 2020.
The report further said GNPC has occasionally depended on gas sales in order to fund its operation in the wake of a decline in crude oil sales.
How someone you work for will prefer to harm you or make you appear foolish in public, rather than caring about your welfare.
What they release is not the problem.
We entered into negotiations and came to an understanding that they would reinstate us, which is VALCO policy.
It relates to the dollar-to-cedi exchange rate.
“For instance, if my salary was GH¢1,989 which would be $337 dollars. It means that now that the dollar has shot up to GH¢12 our salary should automatically increase. So this has been the norm since 2010 between management and us since the restoration policy was instituted. Then management scrapped it without letting us know,” Mr. Nunekpeku explained.
He continued: “So when we raised the alarm or concerns to the Chief Executive Officer, he promised us that he was going to work on it. That he has instructed the Human Resource Director to work on it. Later we met the Board and they were also of the opinion that that was the best way to go and that it will be addressed in September.”
Mr. Nunekpeku added that mathematically the increase in their salary cannot be 22 percent as management has put out in the public domain.
According to him, what management is demanding per the rate of dollar is GH¢4 to the dollar instead of GH¢12 adding that the workers have even reduced it to GH¢10 to the dollar but the management is adamant.
Selena Gomez doesn’t see what all the fuss is about.
The 30-year-old singer/actress caused a bit of a stir last month when she snapped a few photos with Hailey Bieber. The reunion went down during the second annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles, just weeks after Hailey denied claims she had “stole” her now-husband, Justin Bieber, from Selena.
The Rare artist briefly addressed the photos—taken by Tyrell Hampton—during a recent interview with Vulture, insisting the moment didn’t warrant a strong reaction.
“Yeah, it’s not a big deal,” she said. “It’s not even a thing.”
Some have speculated there was bad blood between the young stars, as they’ve both been romantically involved with Justin. Selena reportedly started seeing the pop star in 2010, and had an on-again, off-again relationship until 2018. Shortly after Selena and Justin called it quits, he and Hailey announced their engagement, sparking rumors that the Justice artist had cheated on Selena with his new fiancée.
“It’s not my character to mess with someone’s relationship,” Hailey said during an interview on Call Her Daddy. “I would just never do that. I was raised better than that,” the 25-year-old model said. “Like, I can say, period, point-blank, I was never with him when he was in a relationship with anybody. That’s the end of it, and I had been involved with him since I was 18.”
Hailey went on to say that she and Selena were on good terms and had talked since her and Justin’s 2018 wedding.
“So, that’s why I’m like, it’s all respect, it’s all love,” Hailey said.
“That’s also why I feel like if everybody on our side knows what happened and we’re good and we could walk away from it with clarity and respect, then that’s fine. Which had brought me a lot of peace and I’m like, ‘Hey, we know what happened.’”
The Managing Director of the ABSA Bank, Abena Osei-Poku, and the Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG), Daniel Wilson Addo, have each been awarded the Marketing Man and Woman of the Year 2021 by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG).
The honors were presented at the Labadi Beach Hotel during the 33rd CIMG Annual National Marketing Performance Awards.
The Marketing Man of the Year 2021, Daniel Wilson Addo was recognised for leading CBG’s transformational drive from ground zero after the defunct banks were collapsed and consolidated into one bank. The Consolidated Bank Ghana has since grown steadily from 6.70% in 2019 to 7.70% in 2021, with a 151,333-usage rate culminating into a transaction value of GHS1.10bn.
Customer-centricity has been the most notable characteristic of the new CBG, introducing innovative customer care programmes such as SME Seminars, provision of advisory services, Adesua training series and wealth creation sensitisation schemes. These initiatives aims to help build networks for SMEs, enhancing financial and business knowledge skills through business and financial management programmes.
The Marketing Woman of the Year 2021, Managing Director of ABSA Bank, Abena Osei-Poku, was recognised for, among other things, successfully leading the development of some excellent schemes that trained over 3,140 SMEs, financially supporting 1,277 SMEs with an amount of GHS138 million and the creation of 9,144 jobs.
Mrs. Osei-Poku led the execution of Young Africa Works entrepreneurship development program, which is geared towards offering training to MSMEs, supporting them with loans ranging between GHS500,000.00 and GHS1,000,000.00. This helped Absa Bank gain a 6.9% share of the market that has culminated into a total income of GHS1,641,211,00 in the year under review.
Also on the personality awards list were the Marketing Practitioner and Marketing Students of the year 2021, which went to Ms Cynthia Ofori-Dwumfuor, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Affairs and Mr. Mark Mensa-Abban, who emerged overall best student in the professional Marketing examinations. Other awards categories are Hall of Fame, Media/Marketing Communications, Business Organisations, Products, and Not-for-Profit Organisations.
With the global economic challenges, the CIMG deemed it appropriate to emphasise the alternative options for business sustainability, hence the theme: “Creative Marketing and Innovation in a Volatile Global Economy”.
Addressing participants, the National President of CIMG, Dr Daniel Kasser Tee, intimated that Ghana’s economy had been pointing in the right direction until the last three years when the economy was first struck by the coronavirus pandemic and more recently, the Russia-Ukraine War. Dr Tee also highlighted the need to rationalise business operations to be able to protect the interest of investors, employees, and customers.
Dr Kasser Tee further added that “Employee associations and labour unions should also explore ways by which they can promote the interest of employers in such challenging times. It is not all the time that employees should be agitating for higher wages. It is our wish that we could make it possible for every public sector organisation to keep and publish their individual books of accounts. This will, in no doubt, bring transparency to bear, making it possible for every public sector worker to see the profitability of their institutions.”
He believes the absence of such transparency in the public sector is mainly responsible for the most agitations on the labour union front. “The private sector workers are usually quiet, not necessary because they are well paid, but because they know what their organisations are capable of paying, at least from the published accounts.”
The National President of CIMG also recounted two recent worrying occurrences in Ghana with varying consequences, the suspension of oral examinations for PhD candidates at the University of Ghana and the closure of shops by the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA).
“It is very legitimate for workers to embark on a sit-down strike and the law grants them that. What, I think, is not acceptable is for us to do it in a manner that hurts the future of our institutions. Most of our older universities have positioned themselves as centres of excellence in research. If this means anything to us, then we should not be doing anything that negates this positioning.
“Fee-paying master’s degree programmes and all Doctoral programmes should never be disrupted. There must be certainty about their start and end dates, with a near zero tolerance for disruptions. That is the only way by which we will continue to attract students from the international markets around us,” he highlighted.
Dr Kasser Tee further said that the move by members of the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA), to close shops to protest rising inflation created artificial shortage of goods in the market.
“Take the case of GUTA, your members are already heavily disadvantaged due to your mode of operation. Each member has physical shops, made of brick and mortar. Rent payment for some of these shops are very prohibitive and dollar denominated. Goods sold by GUTA members are expensive not necessarily due to the cost of the goods from the supply source or general freight and carriage charges or even import duties alone but the cost of running their businesses through physical shops, mainly rent,” he explained.
Speaking on behalf of the Honourable Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum was Mr Nana Agyei Yeboah, the CEO of Student Loan Trust Fund. He intimated that “the importance and need for marketing education in the country and the need for its acceptability as a profession with all disciplines imbibing, marketing, sales and customer service can be our saving grace.”
Mr Yeboah further mentioned that “As a nation, Ghana should invest some efforts into marketing because through marketing, we can ignite a massive transformation of the economy that would go a long way to reduce the economic challenges we face, hence the poverty levels. Marketing should not be an afterthought but rather something that should commence the entire value chain of every process in life. It is my wish to see marketing being accepted in the public spaces in Ghana.”
The Guest of Honour for the 33RD awards ceremony, Mr. Idorenyen Enang, who is also the President of the National Institute of Marketing, Nigeria (NIMN), revealed that it is no longer gainsaying that the world is indeed going through a significant period of change and transformation, all occasioned by the force and pull of technology.
Advising marketing professionals and practitioners, he emphasised that the current global dispensation is founded on data and technology, which is the background and environment within which brands and businesses must strategise to compete and win sustainably.
“Customers no longer need your brands as much as they once did. Now they are spoilt for choices more than they ever did. As we have seen, hundreds of new Marketing messages and fresh competitors are vying for the customers attention daily. Brands, new companies and businesses are not backward about coming forward. Competitors are doing all they can to engage with the target audience as quickly, meaningful and efficiently as possible. The brand with the biggest marketing budget will not necessarily win, but the brand with the best customer experience will. And for you to be that brand or business, you must build the customer into every element of your business,” he advised.
Mr Enang further mentioned that customers expect a lot more from their engagement with brands, companies and businesses than that which results from an exclusive focus on Product, Price, Place and Promotion.
“According to Nick Johnson, in his book ‘the future of marketing’. Brand is not about communications strategy. It is no longer appropriate to simply ‘have a message’. You have to live up to that message in a far more extensive and deep-seated manner than ever before. An authentic brand story isn’t like a confection manufactured by the PR team, it is a representation of everything about how a company works, its position in the world, its goals, and its relationships with customers,” he quoted.
In his concluding remarks, Mr Enang tasked marketers and business people to embrace the change that beckons at break neck speed rather than wish it away, since marketing is about figuring out “who you are and what you want to say”.
The CIMG Annual National Marketing Performance Awards is the Institute’s annual recognition platform to create awareness about the relevance of marketing for the success of businesses, promote higher professional standards and excellence among practitioners, and stimulate healthy competition among organisations, while ensuring improved quality of products and services offered by organisations.
The government’s choice to buy crude oil from less expensive sources has been questioned by the Institute of Energy Security (IES).
On November 1, consumers of petroleum products started to notice a noticeable increase in pricing at various pumps, with gasoline and diesel selling for about GH17.99 and GH23.49, respectively.
Executive Director at the Institute, Nana Amoasi VII reacting to this believes that no international crude oil market would be willing to hand out petroleum products at a much cheaper rate.
“I don’t know who is advising the Energy Minister, because the venture they are undertaking is far from possibility. This is not how the energy sector works, so they should be careful,” Nana Amoasi VII is quoted by Joy Business.
He was also concerned that government’s decision to secure a deal for cheaper petroleum products was not an attempt to “waste the country’s meagre resources or an attempt to enrich a few people to the detriment of over 30 million Ghanaians or a deliberate attempt to grow the energy sector debt.”
“They must tell Ghanaians what they also gave in return for that favour. And also, we must be very careful, our fear as IES is that they could be giving out something for free in order to get that discount,” he stressed.
“If there is a market that can give you a cheap discount to beat all the markets all over the world, I am sure the BDCs would have gone for it. So let us be careful of the venture that we are undertaking,” the IES executive director warned.
A video purportedly showing the drowning of the three-year-old son of Afrobeats star Davido is actually CCTV footage of the drowning of a two-year-old boy in China, the BBC Disinformation Unit has confirmed.
The incident depicted in the video occurred on 23 August 2019 in China.
Police have also dismissed the video – which has gone viral on social media – as fake.
“We are yet to start looking at the CCTV obtained from Davido’s home. Any video you see online is not the real thing. It is fake,” police spokesman in Lagos, Benjamin Hundeyin, told the BBC.
Davido’s son, Ifeanyi Adeleke, drowned on Monday night in a swimming pool at the music star’s home in Lagos, the main city in Nigeria.
In 2021, DJ Vyrusky won the DJ of the Year award. He has won the coveted prize 4 consecutive times. The big question is ‘will he get the topmost on the 5th count?’
DJ Vyrusky leads this year’s nominations with an impressive seven nominations.
They include ‘Afrobeats/Hiplife DJ Of The Year,’ ‘Best DJ – Southern Zone,’ and two nominations in the ‘Artist DJ of the Year,’ and ‘Mixtape Of The Year’ categories.
DJ Mic Smith, another 2021 ‘Best DJ of the Year’ nominee, takes second place with an impressive six nominations.
DJ Sly King, who performed at the 2021 show, got four nominations.
Other notable nominees include; DJ Coleda, who received a nomination in the ‘Best Scratch DJ of the Year’ category.
The awards ceremony produced by Merqury Republic, is slated for Saturday, November 5, at the Silver Star Tower in Accra. It will bring together the best of Ghana and international disc jockeys to celebrate the event with music fans.
The awards scheme being organized by Merqury Republic since its inception has won the hearts of stakeholders in the showbiz industry and music fans alike in Ghana and beyond.
According to the organisers, this year, the Ghana DJ Awards has been designed to bring more excitement to music fans nationwide.
This year’s event will witness live stage performances from some selected celebrated DJs such as DJ Andy Dosty, DJ Aroma, DJ Azonto and a host of others would perform at the event.
The DJs will perform alongside music icons such as Stonebwoy, Kuami Eugene, Obaapa Christy, Keche, AK Songstress among others.
Incredible Zigi and the Afrozig Dance Company, the Militants Dance Group, DJ Xpliph, Deri, Lumi DMR and Vanilla have also been billed to thrill fans at the event which is running under the theme ‘The Greatest’.
The 10th Ghana DJ Awards is sponsored by Orijin, Ebony Condoms, Virtual Sound Lab, Zutron Pharmaceuticals. Ghana DJ Awards is supported by EgoTickets, Dennis Pizza, The Gold Coast Restaurant, Rhythms Africa, Virtual Hub, The Radio Advertising People and Virtual Sound Lab.
Media partners are Hyperlink Africa, Daniel Agyekum Photography, Beenie Words, Music In Africa, Dofopa FM and The 1957 News.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the vice president, has praised the Group of Earth Observations (GEO) for its services in providing vital data that continues to guide policy development, program design, and execution in Ghana.
On November 2, 2022, Dr. Bawumia said such data had grown more crucial for decision-making and that the government’s targeted programs, such as campaigns to reduce poverty and combat illegal mining, were based in part on such data. He was speaking in Accra at the 18th Plenary of the Group of Earth Observations (GEO) Week.
“In Ghana, we are applying the products of the Digital Earth Africa programme to monitor landscape changes because of illegal mining activities. Developing an interoperable data ecosystem that combines Earth observations data with other data, including socioeconomic data, citizen data, and statistical data, among others, would be more meaningful and impactful”, he said.
“Our development priorities are focused on economic transformation through value-addition to create jobs, reduce poverty, and enhance social inclusion while sustaining the integrity of our environment. Our medium and long-term development plans are underpinned by the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ vision to change the mindsets of our citizens towards an increased reliance on internal resources plus private sector investment to lead economic transformation.
“The application of digital technologies is fundamental to the achievement of the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda, with emphasis on the maximisation of resources, investments in agriculture, improved health, and industrialisation, enhancing critical skills and education and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.”
Dr Bawumia disclosed that government is finalising a new Digital Economy Policy and a Digital Transformation Blueprint to position Ghana as the leader in ICT innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“The ongoing Ghana Digital Acceleration Project is expected to increase access to mobile internet and broadband services by encouraging private sector investment in last-mile connectivity in underserved and rural areas, with particular attention to women, persons with disabilities and the youth.
He continued, “We are working through bilateral and multilateral partnerships to put in place concrete actions to boost resource efficiency, establish a circular economy, mitigate and adapt to climate change, mitigate disaster risks and halt biodiversity loss. We are also actively pursuing improved ways to harness the power of earth observations to support planning and decision-making in weather forecasting, measuring land-use change (such as deforestation), monitoring coastlines, and monitoring and responding to disasters, including fires, floods, and earthquakes.”
Data and systems to address challenges
While Ghana has made major progress in her poverty reduction efforts through increased access to education, jobs, higher agricultural production and rapid urbanisation, significant challenges remain, and the government will continue to employ data, tools and systems to address them, Dr Bawumia pledged.
“Unplanned spatial expansion of big cities threatens economic efficiency, increasing social and environmental costs for urban commuting. Natural resource depletion, heightened by unsustainable mining and inadequate waste management and sanitation, make Ghana extremely vulnerable to climate change and environmental degradation and threaten resilience and economic growth.
“Existing efforts to tackle these challenges will require accurate, global, and timely data and information to support sustainable development in the country. Earth observation systems could easily be used to track, and in some instances minimise the negative impact of these environmental problems,” he maintained.
The Vice President called for greater collaboration in the quest to protect the environment and the entire planet.
“The fight against poverty, hunger, natural resource depletion and efforts toward a clean environment, and to achieve economic prosperity is at serious risk without a safe and secure planet. We believe that this gathering offers Ghana and the rest of Africa the opportunity to catalyse increased use of Earth observations data, tools, and services to inform decisions for accelerated climate and sustainable development action.
“This meeting represents the pinnacle of global collaboration for accelerating the use of Earth observations as evidence for local impact, both in Africa and around the world,” he added.
This comes following reports that a government delegation was in Abu Dhabi to lead negotiations in an effort to secure a deal to provide less expensive petrol to the Ghanaian market in response to sharp price increases.
However, the former CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors expresses caution on the government’s choice.
He explained that on the fuel price market, the purchase of petroleum products is dependent on the stability of the currency as well as other macroeconomic indicators but particularly not dependent on the location the commodity is purchased.
“So, I will encourage government to be a bit more modest in the promises he gives to the public otherwise he will raise expectations that sometimes he just may not be able to sustain,” he noted.
“So just manage your communication and expectations,” Senyo Hosi said in an interview with Accra-based Joy News.
The petroleum expert also believes that one of the ways to address rising fuel prices in the country would be dependent on the appreciation of the local currency which has declined by about 50 percent in about 10 months.
As long as Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta continues to negotiate for financial support with the International Monetary Fund, the introduction of the 2023 budget is likely to be postponed.
He claims that the presentation, which was initially scheduled for November 15, will now happen at a later time to give the Finance Minister time to wrap up the negotiations.
“As you do know, the Public Financial Act provides that the budget should be presented to the House latest by (the) 15th of this month (November). The discussions that are going on now involving the IMF, I think it is going to take a little bit of a while.
“My understanding is that it (the discussion) will go into the first few days of next week, around the 10th or so. If that is the case, we then have to strand out the conclusions and factor them into the budget.
“After we have succeeded in doing that because it is a budget for government it will have to go before cabinet for some discussions, integration and maybe additions and subtractions before it comes ultimately to parliament.
“I believe it is going to be quite difficult to submit to the 15th (November) deadline,” he said will address the press at Parliament on Thursday, November 3, 2022.
The Majority leader however stated that failure to present the budget to Parliament after the November 15 deadline will not be a breach of the 1992 Constitution.
Although he did provide a new date for the presentation to take place, Osei Kyei Mensah said government will need “some space to be able to do a tidy work”.
It cannot be said enough that times have changed, and the world keeps evolving.
In music, rapper Trigmaticsays artistes should be thankful for the current easy access to information through creative arts forums such as Joy Entertainment’s Showbiz Roundtable.
Trigmatic joined the panel on Showbiz Roundtable, held last Saturday at the Labadi Beach Hotel. During the thought-leadership forum which discussed matters on artiste PR, contracts and royalties, the rapper opined, “artistes now are lucky to hear some of these discussions, or learn from certain mistakes”.
His comments come in reaction to information on the importance of music contracts and royalties shared by the keynote speakers at the event.
As the conversation unfolded, Trigmatic, known in real life as Enoch Oduro-Agyei, admitted that his colleagues lose out on royalties, while others sign up to life-wrenching contracts mostly due to ignorance and misinformation. These can likely be blamed on lack of grooming and living the fantasy of music culture. Artistes usually do everything but consider the revenue aspect of the craft, he believes.
“You had seen your predecessor on big stages, you wanted to mimic and be like them…but you never got to see the business side, signing contracts, or understanding what it meant to sign to GHAMRO”, Trigmatic related to host George Quaye. His assertion confirms the opening remarks of Keynote Speaker Rex Omar during the Showbiz Roundtable forum.
According to Rex, musicians must treat music as business, weigh the pros and cons, before venturing into music, adding that talent isn’t enough.
Trigmatic’s thoughts paint a perfect picture of the norm in the Ghanaian music industry in yesteryears. However, the emergence of the internet, technology, the fast-paced easy access to standard practices in music around the world, including initiatives such as Joy Entertainment’s ‘Music Business and Tourism’ forum makes it easier for artistes to right the wrongs.
Over the years, some artistes have been unable to eat the fruits of their labour, after ignoring laid down practices and procedures that possess the keys to essential remuneration and deserved royalties. Many eventually live in misery due to lack of better planning.
However, information on royalties, contracts and the likes are easily accessible in today’s world. Platforms such as the Showbiz Roundtable also offer artistes the chance to both tell and learn from the stories and mistakes of predecessors and successors alike.
Trigmatic added that, “in most cases, most songs are not blown out of intentional planning”, thus artistes should leave nothing to chance, by tackling all important aspects of music business.
This occurred at the recently concluded 33rd CIMG Annual National Marketing Performance Awards, which took place on October 29, 2022 at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra. The event’s goals were to honor outstanding businesses for their achievements and to promote creative marketing and innovation in a turbulent global economy.
For that category, the award considered a number of factors.
“Lakeside Estate is known in the real estate industry for the past two decades prioritised its customers other than just making a profit.”
Meanwhile, the award was dedicated to its customers by making it possible to be at this level.
“We do cherish your loyalty and trust in the brand, doing business with us and letting our goals become a reality in the industry. In the next coming years, we will continue to serve you well and offer the most distinctive customer satisfaction to all our customers” a rep from Lakeside said.
Speaking at the event, president of the National Institute of Marketing Nigeria, Dr. Idorenyen Enang emphasised that businesses cannot undermine their customers’ opinions.
“In fact, they are the foundation of a business and many businesses have strived and achieved success because of their customers”.
She however urged companies in the country to continue to adopt strategies aimed at ensuring their customers reach the required satisfaction in service delivery.
Dr. Idorenyen Enang made this known at the just-ended 33rd CIMG Annual National Marketing Performance Awards which was held on October 29, 2022 at the Labadi Beach Hotel Accra.
The event was aimed at promoting Creative Marketing and Innovation in a volatile global economy and honouring outstanding companies for their performance.
Lynx Entertainmentis delighted to announce that it has inked a deal with global label, distributor, and publisher, EMPIRE to work on the project of Ghanaian musician, Kuami Eugene.
This new strategic partnership will see the 2020 Ghana Music Awards ‘Artiste of the Year’ expand his horizons as he takes on the world with his music.
Since 2021, Lynx Entertainment has been working closely with EMPIRE in maximizing opportunities and value for its artistes.
This pathbreaking alliance will aim at projecting the career of the talented and hardworking singer & songwriter on the international market.
The coming weeks will see the BMI award-winner, Kuami Eugene, add up to his genre-bending repertoire beginning with the release of his highly anticipated song titled ‘Single‘.
Houston officials vowed to deliver justice in the killing of rapper Takeoff, with the chief of police calling the 28-year-old Atlantan a “peaceful” man and urging any witnesses to the shooting to come forward.
The rapper, part of the multiplatinum hip-hop trio Migos, was at a bowling alley and billiards hall where a private party was held early Tuesday. A 911 call received at 2:34 a.m. reported a shooting in progress, and officers discovered Takeoff dead on the third level, just outside the front door, police said.
The Harris County medical examiner ruled Takeoff died from “penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm.”
There were roughly 40 people at the event, many of whom left “possibly out of fear,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said.
A man, 23, and woman, 24, also were injured and took private vehicles to the hospital, Sgt. Michael Arrington of the homicide division told reporters Tuesday. He did not elaborate on their injuries but said, “They’re both going to be OK.”
Employees told police gunfire erupted after the party, when a large group of people gathered outside the front door “and it led to an argument where the shooting took place from the disagreement,” Arrington said.
“A lot of people that were there fled the scene and did not stick around to give a statement,” the sergeant said. “All we can hope is you all will reach out and give us evidence to solve the death of Takeoff.”
According to early reports, the three-year-old allegedly drowned in his father’s swimming pool in Banana Island, Lagos and was underwater for an unspecified period before he was spotted.
Following the tragic incident, on Tuesday, the police detained eight domestic staff of the singer for questioning, including the late Ifeanyi’s nanny and cook.
The police sources said they were not officially arrested but were questioned on the charge of criminal negligence.
A high-ranking police officer following the case closely on Wednesday gave Premium Times an update on the ongoing investigation.
According to the officer, six of the eight individuals arrested in connection to the case have been released, and two are still with the police.
The two, he said, are assisting the police to shed light on the investigation. The two persons are his nanny and cook.
Ongoing Investigation
The officer said that “this is an ongoing investigation, so I can’t say much about the case.
However, I can tell you that we have released six suspects and are still holding on to two; the nanny and one other person.”
He noted they were the ones that had seen him last. He also stated that an autopsy is the next step in the investigation.
“Next, we will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. This would further aid our investigation,” he added.
So far, Davido and Chef Chi have been off social media as they deal with the sad occurrence.
Findings also show that the late Ifeanyi’s Instagram account with the handle @davidifeanyiadeleke has been deactivated.
The Instagram was created by his parents when he turned three on October 20. The account boasted almost 80,000 followers.
Background
According to reports, the late Ifeanyi was underwater for an unspecified period before he was spotted.
He was said to have been rushed to a hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
The sad news of the singer’s son’s death broke on social media late Monday after actress Eniola Badmus posted it on her Instagram. She, subsequently, deleted the post.
In a telephone call with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday morning, The police spokesperson in Lagos, Benjamin Hundeyi, said some of the singer’s aides and staff had been arrested.
He said, “Eight of them (workers) have been brought in for questioning.”
He did not disclose the location because he feared people might besiege the station.
The late Ifeanyi was the first son of singer, Davido and his lover, Chioma. He is also Davido’s third child, as the singer has three other children, Imade, Hailey and Davidson, from three different women.
He was born on 20 October 2019, in London, United Kingdom. His third birthday was celebrated two weeks amidst fanfare, before his demise.
It has emerged that mandatory payments such as the MPs Common Fund (Q1 and Q2), MPs Monitoring and Evaluation (Q2), Q1 and Q2 of District Common Fund and the Disability Relief Fund to Districts have all been settled.
The delays, since January 2022, have always been attributed to Ghana’s cash-strapped situation.
This was revealed by host of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV, Randy Abbey on Wednesday, November 2, 2022.
An MP, opposition NDC-MP for Afigya Kwabre North Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Charles Adomako-Mensah, who was a panellist on the morning show, confirmed the payments.
“That is true, it is true. The payments were supposed to come and there were delays, and it has been paid. It is true,” he said amid laughter.
Another panellist on the morning programme, the renowned journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr, could not hide his surprise.
But the MP tried to calm him:
“Uncle Kwasi, these are statutory payments, there were delays fortunately they have been paid, thank God, they have been paid…they’ve been paid because they have to be paid.
“I am not too sure if it was because of the [‘Ken Must Go’] demands…the fact that it was after but I am not too sure if it was because of the demands,” the NDC MP said.
“Oh Randy, delays in Common Fund payments are not something new,” Adomako-Mensah added.
MPs are progressing towards taking a vote of censure against the minister for poorly managing the economy and plunging it into hardship. If two-thirds of all MPs approve the vote of censure, his appointment will be revoked.
Amidst all the current economic crises that have bedevilled Ghana, the head of the Economic Management Team (EMT), Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia as well as other members cannot be held responsible directly, Dr. Smart Sarpong has said.
According to the Senior Fellow of Research at the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) Dr. Smart Sarpong, it is disingenuous on the part of so-called economists to lay blame on the vice president.
Speaking on Kumasi-based Fox Morning Drive, the government expert strongly disagrees with the views that Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia has mismanaged the country’s resources.
“People are saying all sorts of things against Dr. Bawumia but let me put it on record that the team [Economic Management Team] headed by the Vice President, had the members selected and constituted by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and given to him [Dr. Bawumia] to work with.
“The Finance Minister was appointed by Nana Akufo-Addo, and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana is also appointed by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. All the Ministers constituting EMT were somebody’s selection and given to Dr. Bawumia to work with them,” Dr. Smart Sarpong pointed out to host, Sir John during a telephone interview I monitored.
According to Sarpong, the Vice President could have done better to replace some members of the EMT should he have had the power to do so.
“He didn’t make the selection. The selection was made by someone and that person who is the President is not ready to change the people so we can’t blame Dr. Bawumia,” Dr. Smart Sarpong added.
A video of the current construction site for the Ghana National Cathedralhas surfaced online. This has agitated many Ghanaians as some wonder whether their taxes are being used appropriately.
In the video sighted on the Instagram page of famous Ghanaian blogger Ronnie Is Everywhere, several machines were spotted on site.
Generators, cranes, and many other machines on the site show that work has commenced and is in full force.
However, many Ghanaians are in doubt since the machines on the ground have rusted.
Ghana have gone through three coaches in the space of 12 months and are making a concerted effort to add new talent to the team in an effort to reprise old glory and prove competitive at the World Cup.
Otto Addo, with no previous senior coaching experience and combing his role as talent manager at German club Borussia Dortmund, will be leading the Black Stars’ campaign in Qatar where they take on Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay.
He is the third coach in the last year to take charge of the team after Charles Akonnor was fired despite advancing Ghana through the group phase of the African World Cup qualifiers and into the playoffs in March, and Milovan Rajevac, shown the door after a disastrous Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon at start of the year.
Rajevac had been brought back after his exploits with the team in 2010, when Ghana came within the width of the crossbar of becoming the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals.
But there proved few similarities in strength between the class of 2010 and the current generation and to strengthen the side there has been a concerted effort to strengthen the squad by persuading players with Ghanaian heritage to join, like former Spain international Inaki Williams and Tariq Lamptey, the England under-21 fullback from Brighton.
COACH
Otto ADDO
Born in Hamburg, Germany to Ghanaian parents, he was part of Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga winning team in 2002. His career was blighted by serious injury but he did play for Ghana at the 2006 World Cup. He finished his playing days at Hamburg SV and then coached their juniors, while also scouting players in Europe for Ghana. Then at Dortmund he first coached juniors and is now talent manager, combining the role with the that of the Ghana job that he was surprisingly offered in February.
PROFILES
GK
Richard OFORI
He was Ghana’s first choice before he suffered a knee injury in last year’s World Cup qualifier in South Africa, at the stadium where he plays his club football for Orlando Pirates. It kept him out for six months and meant he lost the number one jersey which he has not had a chance to get back.
Abdul Manaf NURUDEEN
A graduate of the Aspire Academy in Senegal and through the Qatar connections moved to Eupen in Belgium in 2017, while competing for Ghana at under-20 level. Last season he broke through into Eupen’s first team and was a back up goalkeeper at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in January.
Joe WOLLACOTT
Born in Bristol, Wollacott started at local club Bristol City but made his breakthrough in his early 20s only at Swindon Town in League Two, where he had first gone on an emergency seven-day loan but ended up earning himself a one-year permanent deal. His father is from Ghana and he was called up after Ofori got injured.
DF
Tariq LAMPTEY
Ghana persuaded the England under-21 international, who started at Chelsea and is now at Brighton & Hove Albion, to switch allegiance in a major boost to their World Cup hopes. The debut for the London-born fullback came in September in the friendly against Brazil, the team of his long time idol Dani Alves.
Denis ODOI
Ghana was always a sensitive issue for Belgium-born Odoi because of a non-existent relationship with his Ghanaian father. He played one game for Belgium in 2012 in a friendly against Montenegro but, in March, at the age of 32 he suddenly agreed to play for the Black Stars and helped them to qualify for the World Cup.
Mohammed SALISU
Highly rated Southampton centre back refused previous call-ups from Ghana saying he wanted to concentrate on his emerging club career in the Premier League, only relenting in September. A prodigious talent, he made his LaLiga debut at 20 at Real Valladolid and moved to Southampton for 11-milion pounds two years ago.
Gideon MENSAH
Left back who was relegated with Girondins Bordeaux last season but has stayed up in Ligue 1 with promoted AJ Auxerre. He was brought to Europe by Red Bull and helped Salzburg win the Uefa Youth League in 2017. He played in both legs of the World Cup playoff victory over Nigeria in March.
Joseph AIDOO
Left out of the squad for this year’s Cup of Nations finals but was brought back for the two last warm-up friendlies in September, where he sat on the bench. He competed the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand and at club level has played in Sweden and Belgium and now with Celta Vigo in LaLiga.
Abdul-Rahman BABA
Flying full back who likes to get up and down the flanks and who might have had a much more successful club career at Chelsea had he not suffered numerous injuries. Chelsea paid 14-milion pounds to buy him but he has never been able to break through and been repeatedly sent out on loan.
Daniel AMARTEY
Perfect player to have in the squad because he has play at centre back, which is his most frequent position, but also at right back or as a defensive midfielder. He is now in his eighth season with Leicester City and completing a seventh year in the Black Stars line-up.
Alexander DJIKU
One of the players competing for a centre back role at the World Cup, he is a consistent performer in Ligue 1 although his club Racing Strasbourg have been struggling this season. Born in Montpellier, he was close to a move to the Bundesliga this past summer but it fell through at the last moment.
Alidu SEIDU
Travelled a circuitous route to Europe to realise his dream of becoming a professional footballer, via the Ivory Coast to join Clermont Foot, who he helped win promotion to Ligue 1 two seasons ago. He has come into the Ghana squad since the arrival of Otto Addo as coach.
Stephan AMBROSIUS
Played one game for Germany at under-21 level but coach Addo has persuaded him to try and make the Ghana squad for the World Cup. Played at Hamburger SV first but this season moved to Karlsruhe in the German second division where he is a towering presence at centre back.
MD
Thomas PARTEY
Explosive midfield presence who is the muscle of the team but has struggled with consistency as a myriad of niggles and knocks have taken their toll. One of the most expensive African footballers, who moved to Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in a 45-million pound move, he will be the heart of the Ghana side in Qatar.
Elisha OWUSU
His defensive work-rate and prolific ball-winning ability has caught the eye this season in the Europa League with Belgian club KAA Gent. He was born in Paris but grew up at Olympique Lyonnaise where he was captain when they won the under-17 French championship in 2016 but later suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury.
Daniel-Kofi KYEREH
Highly rated attacking midfielder was born in Accra but brought up in Germany, where he played for VfL Wolfsburg as a junior, at St Pauli in the second division and now Freiburg in the top flgith, who he joined in the off-season. Kyereh likes nothing more than racing forward with the ball glued to his feet, using close control and skill to carve open gaps.
Andre AYEW
First player to get to over 100 caps for Ghana, Ayew has a charming left foot and tumbling running style that reminds strongly of his father Abedi Pele, who was a three-time African Footballer of the Year. Andre plays well in the ‘false 9’ role or in the left attacking channel.
Mohammed KUDUS
Strong midfield player who this season has also been used as a centre forward by his Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam, notably in their Uefa Champions League campaign. He is a product of the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, who also own the Danish club FC Nordsjaelland, which they use as a vehicle to take players across to Europe.
Iddrisu BABA
Midfield enforcer who plays in front of the back four, he has been on the books of LaLiga club Mallorca for the past six years. He was born in Accra but grew up in Spain, where he was a youth team player at Leganes first.
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Issahaku Abdul FATAWU
Right winger with pace and a cannonball shot who, at the age of 18, is tipped as one of African football’s next top talents. Chosen as the best player at last year’s African Youth Championship and called up to the senior side almost straight away and has also recently made a debut for Sporting Lisbon.
Jordan AYEW
The English-based striker is famous for frustrating fans with his constant dribbling, often too selfish with the ball. Second son of the ex-Ghana captain Abedi Pele, he was born in France and began his career at Olympique Marseille before his move to England at Aston Villa, Swansea City and now Crystal Palace.
Osman BUKARI
Explosive winger, capable of playing on either flak of the attack, who has made a good start to his career at new club Red Star Belgrade. The former European Cup winners are his fourth side in four different European countries after Trencin (Slovakia), KAA Gent (Belgium) and last season with Nantes, who he helped win the French Cup.
Felix AFENA-GYAN
Has strength and speed and is also capable of playing on the right, but his best position is at centre forward, where he plays for Serie A newcomers Cremonese after moving from Roma in August. Roma spotted him playing at Presbyterian Senior High School in Berekum, where he was also a track star.
Inaki WILLIAMS
Basque born striker who played for Spain but has since switched allegiance and debuted for Ghana in September. His younger brother Nico will be at the World Cup with Spain. Inaki plays as a classic centre forward and has been on fire for Athletic Bilbao this season.
Kamaldeen SULEMANA
Another player for whom a bright future at the highest level is predicted. Plays wide on the left and likes to terrorised defenders in one v one situations. French club Stade Rennes paid 20-million for his services but the likes of Ajax Amsterdam, Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester United and Liverpool have all been watching him.
Antoine SEMENYO
Described as ‘a nightmare to play against’, the striker is English-born and plays at boyhood club Bristol City, and was linked with a move to Premier League clubs before the start of the season. He has electric pace, agility and tricky feet, and is a difficult player to mark due to his clever movement off the ball.
Daniel AFRIYIE
He will be hoping to become the only home-based player in the Ghana squad, who was Footballer of the Year in Ghana in 2021 as he helped Hearts of oak to take the championship. Typical hard running striker with a fearsome shot he faces a lot of competition for a place in the World Cup squad.
Benjamin TETTEH
Right-footed forward best suited to playing as a centre forward. Moved from Ghana to Standard Liege in 2015. Since he has played in the Czech Republic and Turkey and won a call-up to the national team last October during the World Cup qualifiers.
Ransford-Yeboah KONIGSDORFFER
Recently bought by German second division side Hamburg, he has switched from Germany’s under-21 side to the Black Stars and debuted in September in the friendly win over Nicaragua. He is a right sided wide player described as a top talent for the future.
Joseph PAINTSIL
Adept both in midfield and attack, he has just signed a new three year deal for Racing Genk. His Belgian club have used him more in a striking role this season and he has averaged a goal every second game. He was a teenager when he made his debut with Tema Youth in Ghana’s Premier League.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Commodity Monitor Ltd, Stephen Yeboah, has made a strong case that the country’s galamsey ordeal will best be tackled if appropriate technologies are employed in the small-scale mining sector to ensure responsible and sustainable mining.
He argued that given the contribution of the mining sector to the country’s economic development, instead of banning the activities, appropriate technologies must be used and the traditional approach changed to eliminate the negative impact on the environment.
The artisanal and small-scale mining subsector contributes about 40 percent of the total gold production and generates both direct and indirect employment, with more than one million people directly engaged in the subsector and an additional four million people indirectly dependent on it for their livelihoods.
Mr. Yeboah holds that artisanal and small-scale mining is not wrong, however, the irresponsible manner in which some miners carry out their activities including the use of mercury, directing tailings into river bodies and mounting machinery, such as Changfas, into river bodies needed to be checked, to build a responsible and sustainable sector.
“The small mining sector is a huge one with about one million people involved. If you go to some communities, more than 90 percent of the young people are into mining, so imagine stopping it. It was banned initially but it still persists so the sustainable way of dealing with it is to change the way they work and not to put a blanket ban on the activities,” he said.
“More worrying is the unregulated, high use and exposure of mercury in gold recovery by artisanal and small scale miners. Mercury use in this sector globally is estimated to be over 2000 tonnes each year with virtually all of the chemicals released finding their way into the atmosphere, water bodies, and land.
This puts miners and communities at risk of impacts from permanent brain damage to seizures, vision and hearing loss, and delayed childhood development,” he added.
Solution
To mitigate this and to bring an end, his outfit, Commodity Monitor Limited, a Ghanaian-owned trading, logistics and research company, has rolled out sustainable mineral processing technologies for small and large scale miners.
The cleaner gold mining and extraction technology will eliminate mercury and develop capacity and regulatory mechanisms that will enable the sector to minimize its negative environmental impact while boosting operations.
The mining plants are supplied as fully comprehensive modular solutions from ore through gold dore, or bagged mineral concentrates as appropriate without using toxic mercury. The machines improve the operations of miners in terms of high productivity and ensure superior gold recovery.
“The goal of the rollout of the mercury-free mineral processing technology is to assist artisanal and small scale miners with efficient mining plants and equipment that achieve three basic goals, that is, high tonnes per hour processing, no mercury use and high gold recovery”, he said.
The technology ensures high recovery. The current processing method allows miners to recover just about 35 percent of their gold. This new mercury-free technology recovers more than 90 percent gravity-recoverable gold.
For the many decades of operations of small scale miners, there has been unfettered dependence on mercury as the main source of gold recovery in Ghana. The consequence is that abandoned mercury mine wastes usually contain high mercury concentrations due to inefficiency.
“Our mercury-free technology utilises ‘soil washing’ as a remediation technique – which means mercury contents are extracted from the mine wastes and tailings to prevent further washdown into rivers and water sources”.
“Our technology contributes to the fight against galamsey. The good news is that the Government of Ghana through the Minerals Commission has made our technology the main mineral processing technology for all Community Mining Areas. The 100 plants purchased were commissioned by the President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in June 2022. This is a significant and critical step taken by the Government,” he stated.
Mr. Yeboah is confident the fight against galamsey can be won by making this technology available to all artisanal and small-scale miners, saying a mercury-free way of mining is the right path to take. It will accelerate the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which Ghana is a signatory. In 2017, Ghana ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury to reduce and eliminate mercury use in the minerals sector.
“It is the surest way of leveraging transformation in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector,” he said.
Currently, he said, over 20 of the mercury-free mining machines had been deployed in mining communities such as Wa, Bongo, and Tarkwa, among other mining areas across the country.
