TIG Post

Author: Chris Kodo

  • Breast sucking and massaging by men don’t reduce risk of breast cancer

    The sucking and massaging of breasts by men do not prevent a woman from having a breast cancer, the President of BreastCare International (BCI), Dr (Mrs) Beatrice Wiafe-Addai has explained.

    She said the disease is a serious one and must not be trivialised with such a notion on social media.

    Rather, the massaging and examination will help to detect a lump early if it forms within the breast.

    “The fact that one’s breast is being sucked or massaged doesn’t mean that she cannot have breast cancer, and it will not also remove the cancer from the breast as some people say”.

    “It is like joking about it. This is a serious disease, sucking of the breast and massaging it will not prevent a woman from getting breast cancer,” she added.

    She was speaking at a breast cancer educational and clinical screening organised by Breast Care International at the Accra College of Education on the theme, “Breast cancer won’t rest, so why should we?”

    Source: Graphiconline

     

     

     

  • Beyoncé’s camp responds to designer’s claims of unpaid work

    Beyoncé’s team is attempting to set the record straight.

    Earlier this week, fashion designer/artist Nusi Quero took to Instagram with claims of unpaid fees. He specifically called out Bey’s stylist, Marni Senofonte, of failing to pay him for various projects, including work for the Renaissance cover art.

    “As a stylist for B, I really expected the best from you and your team,” Quero wrote in a since-deleted post. “But since you won’t responded to texts and emails. I supposed this is the final venue I can utilize before legal means to settle your outstanding balances, that you’ve owed me and my collaborator for about 3 months.”

    The designer went on to say Senofonte had “paid a 50 percent deposit to me for one of the three jobs,” not including the work he did for the album cover; he also claimed he and his team didn’t receive those payments for more than a month. He claimed the projects in question included the “album cover piece,” a second variation of the cover ensemble, styling services for an unnamed music video, and “a red custom 3D printed top I miraculously procured last miniature for a video shoot.”

    Bey’s team has denied the “troubling” allegations, insisting Quero had been compensated.

    “It is deeply troubling that designer Nusi Quero has posted damaging statements about Marni Senofonte regarding non-payments for work completed. In fact, he was paid for his work, and there is proof of all payments made,” Bey’s representative said in a statement to ET Online. “We have been in communication with his team and there were three payments made to him.

    “The first payment was made on May 9, 2022. The second payment, a fifty percent down payment on the agreed cost, was made via wire on July 8, 2022,” the statement continued. “The third and final payment was returned when he changed his account number. It was returned as an invalid account number based on an error on his part. After persistent and exhausting communication to get the correct information on his account and two unsuccessful wire transfer attempts, a physical check was mailed to him for final payment on September 29, 2022.”

    On Friday, Quero posted a photo of a check that he claimed was “partial payment of unpaid invoices” for services he provided in June and July. The dollar amount written on the check, which was seemingly issued on Friday, was $18,425.

    “Your harassment of me is disgusting, unwarranted, and doesn’t phase me,” he wrote in the caption. “You don’t even know what you’re mad at. My art is worth the money I ask for it. You’re acting like a press release from a billion dollar company with a PR firm and legal team on a gossip rag like Page Six is the truth. Get fucking real.”

    He continued: “They didn’t even reach out to me for comment like it says they did. You’re trying to tear my name down for what? There are real enemies you should be firing at. I literally am just trying to make beautiful things. I can’t do that without the money I’m owed for it.”

    Source: Complex.com

  • MASLOC assures youth of support for startups

    Young entrepreneurs have been reassured by Hajia Abibata Shanni Mahama Zakariah, Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), that her organization is committed to offering micro-credit and small loans to start-ups and small enterprises in the nation.

    During this year’s Ekosiisen National dialogue series, which took place at the Accra Digital Centre on Friday, Madam Mahama Zakariah reaffirmed this commitment to young entrepreneurs.

    Hajia Abibata Shanni Mahama in her opening remarks said MASLOC was committed to supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups to grow their businesses in the country despite limited resources due to the high demand for financial assistance.

    She pointed out key areas of focus for MASLOC including support for Youth in entrepreneurship, women empowerment, Agro-based industry assistance and support for the physically challenged.

    The CEO of MASLOC stated that “many young entrepreneurs still find it difficult to get quick, simple and flexible financing to start or expand their businesses, however, with good business practices and viable business plans, the marginalized who cannot seek financial assistance from the mainstream financial institutions due to high commercial rates and more complex documentation, should reach out to the institution as it has been resourced to specifically assist the productive poor”.

    She added that “small enterprises and startups can also benefit immensely from the capacity building and skill development packages which are conducted before loan disbursal by the institution, this will help provide them with the competencies to be properly positioned to use the funds advanced to them profitably”.

    Madam Mahama Zakariah told the young business owners that MASLOC offers cash loans from GH₵5,000 to GH₵200,000 per her approval limit and even GH₵200,000 to GH₵500,000 at the Board level to help them grow their companies.

    She disclosed that some of the various loans had a maximum tenure of 18 months with a one-month moratorium and an annual interest rate of 12%.

    Madam Mahama Zakariah added that MASLOC exists to empower Ghanaians between the ages of 18 and 65 by providing support for their existing enterprises and start-ups without discrimination or any biases, stressing that she was committed to erasing the misconceptions that the institution is only favourable to people who are politically exposed.

    She urged young business owners, particularly those in the agri-business industry working on animal house boundary, poultry, fish and crop farming projects with gestation periods of up to 18 months, to reach out to the company and solicit support for their initiatives through its cash loans, capacity building and training programs as well as the hire purchase scheme which enables the provision of items such as tricycles to enable them to transport their produce at fairly cheaper rates.

    She also mentioned that the interest rate of six per cent per annum for agro-based loans was unbeatable, urging the youth to take advantage of the offer.

    She mentioned that MASLOC had a Hire Purchase Scheme that provides items such as saloon cars, minibuses, tricycles, sewing machines and hair dryers at very affordable prices and payment schedules for entrepreneurs.

    Dignitaries present at the event included the Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. John Kumah; the CEO of the National Youth Authority, Pius Enam Hadzide; the CEO of the NEIP, Mr. Kofi Ofosu Nkansah; the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Michael Okyere Baafi; the CEO of the Accra Digital Centers Limited, Kwadwo Baah Agyemang; and the chairman for the occasion Mr. Daniel Mckorley, the Executive Chairman, McDan Group of Companies.

    The Ekosiisen Dialogue series is an initiative aimed at creating awareness of important national issues. This year’s dialogue series focused on entrepreneurship and its strategic importance to Ghana’s industrialization agenda.

  • Homegrown coaches lead Africa’s 2022 World Cup campaign

    The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be historic for the African continent as all five representatives for the quadrennial extravaganza will be handled by local coaches.

    Although it is a source of pride, it is also the first time that all African teams have called on local tacticians to lead their respective campaigns, with coaches Otto Addo, Aliou Cisse, Rigobert Song, Walid Regragui and Jalel Kadri having a fine opportunity to make a stronger case for homegrown solutions.

    • Walid Regragui, Morocco

    Morocco will be led by Walid Regragui who joins a stellar cast of other African coaches to lead their countries. This is a massive step for the growth of African coaches, who have now gathered the courage to take over at the highest level.

    The 47-year-old trainer, a former Morocco international who amassed 45 caps for the national team, took over from Vahid Halilhodžić who had helped the team to secure qualification for Qatar. He took over the Atlas Lions after a successful season in the Moroccan top flight where he led Wydad Athletic Club (WAC) to the CAF Champions League title and the local championship. He however faces a bigger challenge in Qatar as the Moroccans have been pooled in Group F with Croatia, Belgium and Canada.

    Born in Corbeil-Essonne in the Southern suburbs of France, Morocco coach Regragui started his career playing for several French clubs, including Toulouse, Ajaccio, Dijon and Grenoble. He earned his caps for the Moroccan national team as well.

    After retiring from football, 46-year-old Regragui began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Moroccan national team in 2012-2013 under Rachid Taoussi. He went on to become the head coach of FUS Rabat until 2020 when he moved to Qatar to coach top tier side Al Duhail.

    • Aliou Cissé, Senegal

    African champions, Senegal, have been led by a local coach since 2015 when Aliou Cissé was handed the mantle. The decision paid off eight years later when the former national team captain led the Teranga Lions to their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title and was also named the African Coach of the Year at the CAF Awards in July this year.

    Now, the veteran coach leads the Teranga Lions to the World Cup for the second straight time, having led the team to qualify for the 2018 showpiece in Russia. Senegal earned qualification after turning round a first leg loss to Egypt’s Pharaohs, winning 3-1 on post-match penalties following a 1-1 aggregate draw.

    • Rigobert Song, Cameroun

    Rigobert Song is not new to the FIFA World Cup. He played for Cameroun in the 1994 tournament in USA and at the next two tournaments in 1998 and 2002 and returned in 2010 as the most experienced player in the tournament and made just 27 minutes appearance against the Netherlands after which he called time on his international career.

    For many years as the mainstay of the Indomitable Lions as the captain, 46-year-old Song returns to football’s biggest stage in a leadership position but from the touchline, a position he had held since his appointment on February 28, 2022. Song goes down in history as the second Camerounian coach (after the late Léonard Nseke who took the team to USA ’94) to have helped the Indomitable Lions qualify for the global showpiece.

    Song’s team qualified for Qatar after overturning a 1-0 first leg defeat at the hands of Algeria to win 2-1 in the corresponding fixture in Algiers and qualified on the away goals rule. The valuable World Cup ticket proved to be the result the veteran needed to silence the doubters who had already queried the decision to hire him as national coach.

    • Jalel Kadri, Tunisia

    Local boy Jalel Kadri helped Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles to the FIFA World Cup for the sixth time in their history. Appointed national team coach following their elimination from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroun, Kadri embarked on a quick rebuilding mission and helped his country rise from that disappointment to qualify for the World Cup. The Tunisians waded off the young side of Mali to qualify with a slim 1-0 aggregate score.

    The 50-year-old coach becomes the third local tactician after Abdelmajid Chetali (1978) and Nabil Maâloul (1998) to help Tunisia qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

    • Otto Addo, Ghana

    Ghana’s Otto Addo displayed a brave coaching mettle to aid the Black Stars to the FIFA World Cup after victory over the highly fancied Nigeria in March, this year.

    The former national star, who played for Ghana at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, was named head coach of the Black Stars shortly after their elimination from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, taking over from Serbian Milovan Rajevac, whom he previously served as assistant coach.

    A 1-1 draw in Abuja following a 0-0 stalemate in Kumasi earned Ghana a ticket to the World Cup against all odds, with Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, appealing to the country’s FA to retain Addo to lead Ghana’s World Cup campaign.

    Otto Addo guided Ghana to qualify for the World Cup against all odds after edging out Nigeria on the away goal’s rule after a 1-1 aggregate score.

    The 46-year-old tactician, who is also an assistant coach at German Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund, managed to put up a perfect tactical plan to outshine a hugely talented Nigerian squad and now has everything to prove when he leads the Ghanaian side in Qatar.

    The presence of the five African coaches at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar represents a giant step towards the development of African football.

    This is enough proof that local expertise can also work well when and if given a chance. This will be an opportunity for the whole world to discover the ability of African tacticians and also a nod of approval to the training programme for African coaches at the Pro Licence of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

    The programme, launched for the first time in 2018, aims to obtain the highest certification of the CAF coach education system, the qualification of top level coaches in the world. –cafonline.com

    Source: Footballghana

  • Trevor Noah reveals his Post-‘Daily Show’ plans

    What will Trevor Noah do after he exits the The Daily Show? “Everything.”

    Nearly two weeks after confirming his departure, the South African-born comedian opened up about his decision on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The host called the announcement “shocking” and pressed Noah about why he chose to bow out after a seven-year run.

    “Why not?” Noah responded. “People ask you this question as if you’re telling them bad news. I can understand that, but I think everybody has gone through a period of looking at their lives.”

    Noah went on to reference the collective experience during the pandemic lockdowns, saying it completely changed his perspective.

    “We were in our apartments for two years, the world changed …” he explained. “I think, if you don’t look at your life and think about what you’d like to do differently, you haven’t experienced what we all experienced. And so I think [my exit] is a joyous thing.”

    Fallon then asked Noah about what the future has in store, and if he has plans on what to do next.

    “I’m so excited to do everything,” Noah replied. “I didn’t get to travel as much, doing stand up around the world. I’m excited to — I used to go to a country and I would be there for weeks on end. I would learn parts of the language or learn about the culture.

    I’m gonna get back to doing that. Producing, you know, like just working behind the camera again, working on different ideas. You know, going back home spending more time with family in South Africa. Everything is what I’m going to be doing.”


    You can check out the full interview above. Noah’s last episode on the Daily Show will air on Dec. 8. The late-night talk show will return in January; however Comedy Central has yet to announce Noah’s potential replacement.

    Source: Complex.com

  • ‘Spend some time with scientific literature’ – Prof. Hanke tells government statistician

    According to Johns Hopkins University professor of applied economics Steve Hanke, the Ghana Statistical Service is incorrect in saying that his calculation of Ghana’s inflation has a “serious weakness.”

    He claims that government statistician Professor Samuel Kobina Annim has to spend some time reading scholarly material.

    Samuel Kobina Annim, a statistician at the Ghana Statistical Service, asserts that my measure of inflation for Ghana has a “serious shortcoming.”
    Wrong. Prof. Annim ought to read some of the academic literature.

    “Ghana Statistical Service statistician Samuel Kobina Annim casts doubt on my measure of Ghana’s inflation rate. Today, using the tried-and-true purchasing power parity method, I measure inflation in Ghana at 98%/yr. Annim should take notes,” Prof. Steve Hanke tweeted on Saturday, October 15.

    Prof Samuel Kobina Annim cautioned Ghanaians against comparing the Statistical Services inflationary figures with that of popular US Professor Steve Hanke.

    He told the media at the October briefing on the nation’s inflation that the CPI method adopted by the Statistical Service is consistent with international practice and superior to Prof Hanke’s Purchasing Price Parity Module (PPPM), adding that Prof Hanke’s PPPM is only based on the exchange rate.

    “Steve Hanke’s approach is not based on the consumer price index, Steve Hanke’s approach is based on the purchasing power parity. Underlying the purchasing power parity is the assumption that price differences between [the] two countries are only the exchange rate.

    “The key difference here is that the CPI approach necessarily requires that you collect data on three variables: prices, quantities and the expenditure weight of these items, and this is at sharp variance with Steve Hanke’s purchasing power parity.

    “The premise of the computation both from a data point of view and a scope of data point of view are not the same, so we need not make an attempt to compare that,” Prof Annim explained.

    Ghana’s inflation rate according to the Ghana Statistical Service has moved from 33.9 per cent in August 2022 to 37.2 per cent in September 2022.

    This is a 2.0 per cent month-on-month increase from the 33.9 per cent rate recorded in August 2022.

    However, the rate is also 37.2% higher than that of September 2021.

    Year-on-Year inflation varied upwardly by 2.2 percentage points between August (31.7%) and September (33.9%) 2022.

    Food inflation was 37.8% while non-food inflation was 36.8%.

    Inflation for locally produced items was 35.8% while inflation for imported items was 40.7%.

    Western Region recorded the highest food inflation (47.0%) and Eastern Region, the highest non-food inflation (42.0%). Eastern Region recorded the overall highest inflation (41.0%) followed closely by Western Region (40.2%) and Greater Accra Region (39.3%).

    Transport (68.7%) recorded the highest rate of inflation in the Eastern Region, for food inflation in the Western Region, Fish and Other Seafood had the highest rate of inflation at 64.0%.

  • Here are the first-week sales projections for Lil Baby’s ‘It’s only me’

    It appears Lil Baby will lock down another No. 1 album.

    According to projections shared by Hits Daily Double, the 27-year-old rapper is expected to top the Billboard 200 with It’s Only Me. The project, which arrived Friday, is expected to move 185,000 to 210,000 units its first week, which would mark the seventh- or eighth-biggest debut of 2022, so far.

    It’s Only Me will also become his third project to top the chart, following 2020’s My Turn and last year’s The Voice of the Heroes with Lil Durk; the former earned 197,000 album-equivalent units in its first seven days, and the latter moved 185,000. For comparison, his debut album—2018’s Harder Than Ever—debuted at No. 3 with 71,000 units.

    It’s Only Me spanned 23 tracks, including the singles “Heyy” and “In a Minute.” It included production by Murda Beatz, Wheezy, and Tay Keith, and boasted guest appearances by Young Thug (“Never Hating”), Future (“From Now On”), Pooh Shiesty (“Sheist Talk”), and more. Lil Baby spoke about the effort with the Associated Press, explaining his decision to deliver a project with nearly two dozen cuts, rather than split the tracks up with different releases.

    “I could’ve put 15 songs out and just added seven more songs then put out another album,” he acknowledged. “I could put out two albums in no time. But I haven’t put nothing out in two years. It’s almost really going on three (years). … I’m not going to drop a deluxe.”

    Source: Complex.com

  • Macleod to Kwarteng: The two Conservative Chancellors who spent less than 40 days in office

    Following his nomination, Kwasi Kwarteng served as Chancellor of the Exchequer for just 38 days before being fired on Friday, October 14. This makes him one of the chancellors with the shortest tenures.

    The actions Kwarteng made during the presentation of the UK mini-budget, which caused some financial turmoil and outrage from Tory MPs, were a major factor in his removal.

    At a news conference, British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced a reversal of some important initiatives and the cancellation of the proposed increase in corporation tax from 19 to 25 percent.

    She then announced that Jeremy Hunt will become Kwasi Kwarteng’s successor.

    Kwasi Kwarteng, 47, took over as head of the British Treasury in September 2022, after Prime Minister, Liz Truss, took over. He had the responsibility of trying to pull the UK out of a serious cost-of-living crisis without plunging the public finances into the abyss.

    He took over from Nadhim Zahawi, an Iraqi-born Kurd, who himself succeeded Rishi Sunak, of Indian origin, and Sajid Javid, with Pakistani roots, embodying a more inclusive face of the Conservative party.

    His sack makes him the second shortest-serving UK chancellor on record. He lasted eight days longer than Iain Macleod, also a Conservative, who died just 30 days into the job.

    Who was Iain MacLeod?

    Iain Macleod was a British Conservative politician and government minister. He entered Parliament as an MP in 1950.

    MacLeod as health minister and minister for Labour, before overseeing the independence of African countries from British rule as secretary of state for the colonies under Harold Macmillan in the early 60s.

    He refused to serve in the government of Harold Macmillan’s successor, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, instead joining The Spectator as editor.

    Mr Macleod returned to government after being appointed chancellor by Edward Heath on 20 June 1970 following an unexpected Conservative election victory. He served for a total of 30 days as Chancellor.

    Despite being in pain, he made his sole major speech on the economy as chancellor five days later, lamenting high levels of inflation and unemployment.

    Mr Macleod was rushed to the hospital later the same day with a pelvic diverticulum, a condition affecting the digestive system.

    He was discharged 11 days later, on 20 July, only to suffer a heart attack inside 11 Downing Street, where he died at 11.35 pm.

  • Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira admits playing Jordan Ayew out of position this season

    Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has disclosed that he has been playing Jordan Ayew out of position this season.

    Ayew has been deployed in a central role for the Eagles so far this term, having made nine league appearances and provided one assist.

    Ahead of their visit to take on the Foxes at King Power Stadium on Saturday, Vieira explained his decision to play the 31-year-old in that role, insisting it offers the team an extra element of tactical flexibility.

    “Jordan is the type of player that is happy to be on the field regardless of his position,” the former Arsenal midfielder said as quoted by club website. “He is going to be giving 100 percent to the team.

    “He is one of those players that you call a team player. On the pre-season tour, we tried him for around 15-20 minutes in central midfield and he did really well.

    “We had a bit of a conversation on that and he liked to be around those positions as well, so that gave us a bit more tactical flexibility – but I like to have players in their best positions and his best position is on the right-hand side.”

    Source: Footballghana

  • Stephen Glover talks securing Soulja Boy’s ‘Atlanta’ Cameo for ‘Crank Dat Killer’ episode

    Since its premiere in 2016, FX’s Atlanta has garnered both critical and commercial success, having received an average rating of 96.5 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, earning multiple Emmy awards, and landing on multiple lists of best television shows of all time. But despite its achievements and accolades, series showrunners say they had a difficult time securing big-name guest stars.

    Co-writer/executive producer Stephen Glover addressed the issue with Variety this week, shortly after Soulja Boy’s guest appearance on Season 4, Episode 6 “Crank Dat Killer.”

    “He’s definitely an Atlanta staple. It wasn’t like we were trying to get him on the show, but I think the idea was so perfect for him,” Glover revealed. “We don’t have the best luck getting high-profile people to be on the show. I know that sounds kind of crazy [because Season 3 featured actors like Liam Neeson], but we don’t. But this was one of those things where there’s no backup plan. It’s a funny idea, but you need Soulja Boy.”

    This week’s episode involved a serial killer who targeted participants in the “Crank That” dance craze during the early aughts. Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles (played by Brian Tyree Henry) remembers he was featured in an old video dancing to Soulja’s massive hit. Al becomes increasingly paranoid after finishing a phone call with Soulja, who has decided to flee town.

    Glover told Variety he and his fellow writers had completed the script before Soulja agreed to participate.

    “[If he had said no], getting someone else to play Soulja Boy would have been hilarious — but maybe there’s another snap legend we could have gotten. Maybe Fabo,” he said

    Glover went on to say that his brother, Atlanta creator/star Donald Glover, had reached out to Soulja in an effort to lock down a cameo. Glover said the rapper didn’t seem too enthusiastic at first, but became excited once he realized it was Donald who had called.

    “I remember Donald telling me that he got on the phone with Soulja Boy to see if he was interested, he’s talking to him, and he seems pretty lackadaisical. He’s like, ‘Mmhmm.’ He doesn’t seem very interested,” he explained. “And then he’s like, “Wait a second, is this, like, Donald? Oh! Why didn’t you say so? I thought I was talking to somebody else. Yeah, man, I’ll definitely do it!” He was excited. I saw he did an interview on The Breakfast Club a couple of months back where he was saying, ‘I’m an actor now! I got my first role!’ We shot a version on set in Atlanta where he wasn’t there. He just called in on the phone. And then they shot a version at his house.”

    Glover said he and his team had become optimistic after landing notable guest stars for Season 3: Liam Neeson, George Wallace, Alexander Skarsgård, and Matteo Simoni were among those who made cameos; however, they didn’t have the same luck in Season 4.

    “In Season 3, we had some crazy cameos where it was like, ‘Maybe we can!’” he explained. “But we like to keep the idea that we can’t promise anything. That’s just funny to us to.”

    Glover also addressed the failed attempts to get a D’Angelo cameo, and how producers didn’t even try to get a Chris Evans appearance.

    “We just think he’s funny. The writers’ room has several running jokes about Chris Evans, but we’ve never tried to get him,” he said. “And it’s funny, one of the producers on Atlanta was like, ‘We might have been able to get D’Angelo.’

    Someone from his camp reached out, but we didn’t even think it was possible. He’s mysterious and hard to track down anyway, so it probably wouldn’t have worked out. There could have been a chance, but we just assumed.”

    You can read Glover’s full interview here. The Atlanta series finale will air Nov. 10.

    Source: Complex.com

  • Poultry farmers call for more soya, maize production

    The Poultry Farmers Association is calling on Government to begin producing more maize and soya under the Planting for Food and Jobs program to alleviate the challenges of poultry farmers.

    According to members of the Association, the price of ingredients for poultry feed has seen an astronomical increment, thereby impacting the price of chicken and egg sold on the market.

    Currently, a 200 kg bag of maize is sold for over GH¢200, while it used to sell for less than GH¢100 months ago.

    Speaking to Citi News, the Vice President for the Greater Accra chapter of the Poultry Farmers Association, Kwame Ntim said many farmers have shut down their businesses with many on the verge of collapse due to high cost of doing business.

    “People have had to close their poultry farms because the production costs are rising by the day, and the only way you can break even and make margins is to sell beyond the production cost.”

    Mr. Ntim noted further that “others are on the verge of collapse because the business to them is no longer sustainable.”

    The association has previously called for interventions amid fears that the imported frozen poultry may take over their business.

    The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reported that Ghana’s poultry imports reached 360,000 metric tonnes in 2021 from 295,165 metric tonnes in 2020.

    Source: Citinews

  • ‘I was shot by rebels’ – the dangers of reporting

    In our series of letters from African journalists, Umaru Fofana looks back at how reporting on Sierra Leone’s civil war 25 years ago got personal and what dangers correspondents still face today.

    WARNING: This report contains descriptions some readers will find disturbing.

    During the bloody rebel war that raged in Sierra Leone for more than a decade, fake news and rumours abounded – without the aid of social media.

    At a time when only the elite had landlines and there was no internet or mobile telephones, reporters often had to go in person to find out information.

    I would then have to go the telecommunications HQ in the capital, Freetown, to make a reverse-charge call to London to be able to file a report for the BBC.

    Six years in to the conflict, on 9 October 1997, I ventured out to confirm a report that the military’s HQ had been bombed by a Nigerian military jet.

    'I was shot by rebels' - the dangers of reporting
    The junta that took power in May 1997 teamed up with the RUF rebels

    In apparent reprisal, the soldiers were said to have set ablaze the private residence of the exiled president.

    It was at the stage in the war when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels – notorious for being intoxicated on drugs and hacking off people’s limbs – had teamed up with the military junta who had recently taken power.

    Nigerian troops – part of the West African intervention force known as Ecomog – were stationed in the outskirts of the capital, with no mandate to intervene at the time.

    I set off, walking past a roadblock manned by soldiers and their rebel allies. Somehow they knew I was headed to the burned-out residence.

    About half a dozen of them chased me. “Stop!” they shouted, cocking their guns. “Running away would be fatal,” I said to myself. So I stood still.

    When they got closer, one of them pulled a trigger. My right tibia bone was shattered.

    I hopped on my left leg as they goaded me to their checkpoint. They kept kicking and hitting me whenever I fell down, shouting at me to get up.

    Source: BBC

  • Ghana’s inflation now 98% – Prof. Hanke counters GSS inflation figures

    Ghana’s inflation rate is 98%, according to Professor Steve Hanke, an applied economics professor at Johns Hopkins University and co-founder and director of the Institute for Applied Economics.

    His percentage is different from the Ghana Statistical Service’s (GSS) reading of 37.2% for September inflation.

    On Saturday, October 15, Prof. Hanke wrote in a tweet that “Using the time-tested metric of purchasing power parity, I estimate Ghana’s inflation rate to be 98% annually.
    Annim must jot down notes.”

    He continued, “Samuel Kobina Annim, a statistician from the Ghana Statistical Service, questions my estimate of Ghana’s inflation rate.

    The US-based professor also refuse claims by Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, the government statistician, who had indicated that his measurement of Ghana’s inflation has a “major weakness”.

    Prof. Hanke, then, advised the government statistician to spend some time with scientific literature.

    “Ghana Statistical Service statistician Samuel Kobina Annim claims that my measure of inflation for Ghana has a “major weakness.” Wrong. Prof. Annim should spend some time with the scientific literature…,” Prof. Steve Hanke tweeted further.

    Prof Samuel Kobina Annim cautioned Ghanaians against comparing the Statistical Services inflationary figures with that of popular US Professor Steve Hanke.

    He told the media at the October briefing on the nation’s inflation that the CPI method adopted by the Statistical Service is consistent with international practice and superior to Prof Hanke’s Purchasing Price Parity Module (PPPM), adding that Prof Hanke’s PPPM is only based on the exchange rate.

    “Steve Hanke’s approach is not based on the consumer price index, Steve Hanke’s approach is based on the purchasing power parity. Underlying the purchasing power parity is the assumption that price differences between [the] two countries are only the exchange rate.

    “The key difference here is that the CPI approach necessarily requires that you collect data on three variables: prices, quantities and the expenditure weight of these items, and this is at sharp variance with Steve Hanke’s purchasing power parity.

    “The premise of the computation both from a data point of view and a scope of data point of view are not the same, so we need not make an attempt to compare that,” Prof Annim explained.

    Ghana’s inflation rate

    Ghana’s inflation rate according to the Ghana Statistical Service has moved from 33.9 per cent in August 2022 to 37.2 per cent in September 2022.

    This is a 2.0 per cent month-on-month increase from the 33.9 per cent rate recorded in August 2022.

    However, the rate is also 37.2% higher than that of September 2021.

    Year-on-Year inflation varied upwardly by 2.2 percentage points between August (31.7%) and September (33.9%) 2022.

    Food inflation was 37.8% while non-food inflation was 36.8%.

    Inflation for locally produced items was 35.8% while inflation for imported items was 40.7%.

    Western Region recorded the highest food inflation (47.0%) and Eastern Region, the highest non-food inflation (42.0%). Eastern Region recorded the overall highest inflation (41.0%) followed closely by Western Region (40.2%) and Greater Accra Region (39.3%).

    Transport (68.7%) recorded the highest rate of inflation in the Eastern Region, for food inflation in the Western Region, Fish and Other Seafood had the highest rate of inflation at 64.0%.

  • Man reportedly arrested for trespassing at Kim Kardashian’s home

    It appears Kim Kardashian’s home had an unwanted visitor.

    According to TMZ, a man was arrested Saturday morning after he was spotted walking around the Hidden Hills property in California. Sources tell the outlet the individual managed to get past the community gates and make his way to Kim’s front door; but before he could enter the home, a brief scuffle ensued between him and security. Insiders say the altercation ended with guards pinning the main to the ground, as they waited for police to arrive.

    The man was ultimately arrested at around 11 a.m., and hit with battery and trespassing charges. It’s unclear if Kim or anyone else was at home during the incident.

    Sources say the man “has an infatuation with Kim,” and is known to officers in the area, as he’s reportedly been spotted on surveillance footage.

    Kim has yet to publicly address the incident.

    Of course, this isn’t the first time Kim has dealt with obsessed fans. In 2021, a man was slapped with felony charges after he showed up at her Hidden Hills gated community, effectively violating a five-year restraining order. The stalker, identified as Nicholas Costanza, allegedly sent Kim the morning after pill, a diamond ring, and threatening messages.


    In the month before, Kim was granted a protective order against Charles Peter Zelenoff, a 32-year-old man who claimed to be in love with her. Sources say Zelenoff had shared videos of himself outside Kim’s property, and would frequently take to social media to proclaim his love for the reality TV star.

    Source: Complex.com

  • CAF General Secretary Mosengo-Omba praises Kurt Okraku for his leadership qualities

    Confederation of African Football General Secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba has lauded the leadership qualities of Ghana Football Association boss Kurt Okraku after he was retained as the President of the West African Football Union (WAFU) Zone B.

    Okraku was re-elected unopposed for his first full term of office following the event in Abidjan. No other nominations for the position had been received by the set deadline .

    The Ghanaian took charge of the regional body last year following the decision of Djibrilla Hima Hamidou of Niger to step down in May 2021.

    “The endorsements of President Okraku by members in the zone shows that he has worked hard and has won the confidence of his colleagues who have given him the greenlight to continue,” the CAF General secretary told the meeting

    “We have been providing the support for the regional bodies and we want to continue by helping them to do more in the regions to accelerate the development of the game.

    “WAFU B is a strong and important member of CAF and as the host of the next AFCON here in Cote d’Ivoire you will play a very important role to ensure a successful AFCON.”

    Source: Footballghana

  • Watch Megan Thee Stallion perform “anxiety” on ‘SNL’

    Megan Thee Stallion makes her return to Saturday Night Live tonight.

    In 2020, the Houston Hottie made her solo musical debut when Chris Rock was hosting for the season premiere. During that time, SNL was still doing COVID-19 safety precautions and their promo showed them wearing masks. Megan wore a hazmat outfit too.

    This time around, Megan’s back to pull double duty as host and musical guest. Her appearance on SNL comes after the release of her summer album Traumazine that featured Future (“Pressurelicious”), “Scary” (Rico Nasty), “Who Me” (Pooh Shiesty), “Consistency” (Jhené Aiko), “Sweetest Pie” (Dua Lipa), and more.

    For her first song, she performed “Anxiety.”

    Megan’s SNL episode may be the last time we see her for awhile. It has been reported that her Los Angeles home was robbed while she was in New York preparing to host SNL. Sources say the robbers stole cash, electronics, and jewelry worth between $300,000 to $400,000.

    “Material things can be replaced but I’m glad everyone is safe 💙🙏🏾,” she wrote on Twitter, later adding, “Hotties I’m really sorry but after SNL I really gotta take a break I’m so tired, physically and emotionally.”


    Source: Complex.com

  • Activities on Accra bourse slows down in September 2022 – GSE

    As the economy continues to be severely impacted by mounting debt and rising prices, the country’s stock market kept its pessimistic stance in September 2022.

    The year-to-date returns for the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) Composite Index, which tracks the performance of all businesses traded on the Accra stock exchange, and the Financial Stock Index, which gauges the performance of stocks of publicly traded financial sector businesses, were -11.80 percent and 3.80 percent, respectively.

    According to the GSE’s Summary of September 2022 Market Activities, which was recently sent to the Ghanaian Times in Accra, trading on the Accra Stock Exchange slowed down in September compared to August.

    It said the top gainers for September were Access Bank which stock rose by 10.47 per cents, SIC 6.45 percent, Cal 5.26 percent and BOPP 2.21 percent.

    The GSE said the volume of shares traded increased to 47,720, 862, representing an increase of 56.91 percent, while the value of shares rose to GH¢51,992,322.99, representing an increase of 22.65 of shares traded in the same period last year.

    “Cumulative volume of 1,280,374,211 valued at GH¢1, 289,252,215.60 represent an increase of 219.61 percent and 213.61 percent over the same period last year. Number of transactions increased by 48.42 percent when compared to the same period last year,” the GSE, said.

    The GSE said a total market capitalisation also fell by 0.29 percent in September 2022 to GH¢63, 985.81 from GH¢64,170.83 in August, 2022.

    On the Ghana Fixed Income Market (GFIM), the GSE said the market closed the month with a “volume traded of 14.95 billion which is a 6.35 percent was increase from the 14.06 billion traded same period last year.”

    “The total volume traded between January and September 2022 was 173.89 billion, which was 12.27 percent higher than the 154.87 billion traded during the same time period in the previous year,” the GSE, said.

  • Megan Thee Stallion addresses removal of Popeyes Hottie sauce in ‘SNL’ monologue

    Megan Thee Stallion has reached another career milestone.

    The Houston rapper was tapped as both host and musical guest for this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live, joining an exclusive list of stars who’ve pulled double duty on the long-running sketch series. Other celebrities who’ve reviewed such honor include Donald Glover, Chance the Rapper, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and most recently Lizzo.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Megan Thee Stallion (@theestallion)

    As part of her hosting gig, Megan warmed up the crowd with an opening monologue in which she introduces who she is and addresses the removal of her Popeyes Hottie Sauce.

    The Traumazine rapper took to Twitter on Friday to announce she was taking a “break” after her SNL appearance. She shared the news just hours after her Los Angeles home was targeted by thieves who made off with $300,000 to $400,000 worth of property.

    Megan, who is in NYC at the time of break-in, addresses the incident on social media, writing: “Material things can be replaced but I’m glad everyone is safe.”

    The Los Angeles Police Department have yet to make any arrests in connection to the burglary.

    Source: Complex.com 

  • GFA boss Kurt Okraku delighted to be re-elected as WAFU Zone B President

    Ghana Football Association boss Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku has expressed his excitement after being re-elected as President of the West African Football Union (WAFU Zone B) for a new 4-year mandate.

    This comes after no other candidate filed nominations to contest him for the leadership of the sub-regional body.He was sworn into office on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at the WAFU B General Assembly in Cote D’Ivoire.”The governing body of the West African Football Union Zone B was sworn in at the 15th General Assembly held in Abijan, Cote DÍvoire, on Saturday, October, 15, 2022,” Kurt Okraku posted on his twitter page.

    “Having been re-elected as President for a new term, I congratulate members of the body for a successful congress as we work together to strengthen our football across the region.”

     

    President Simeon-Okraku who took over from Djibrilla Hima Hamidou of Niger who stood down from the position in May 2021.

    President Simeon-Okraku has worked tirelessly to revive competitions and bring modernity to football administration in the Zone.

    The General Assembly is the supreme legislative organ of the football block where key decisions are made for implementation by the WAFU Zone B Secretariat.

    Federation Presidents, CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba and General Secretaries of the seven Associations within the sub-region and some invited guests attended the General Assembly on Saturday.

    President Simeon-Okraku in his acceptance called for stronger collaboration among Member Associations to ensure that the sub region’s record as the hub and cradle for African Football was preserved.

  • SA’s richest billionaires Rupert, Oppenheimer $3.58-billion poorer than year ago – Report

    Johann Rupert and Nicky Oppenheimer, two of South Africa’s richest billionaires, have lost $3.58 billion of their net worth since the year’s beginning as a result of a persistent decline in the market value of their assets, while publicly-traded companies struggle with the recent valuation challenge.

    Rupert’s net worth has plummeted by a startling 29.2 percent or $3.48 billion in monetary terms since the year began, falling from $11.9 billion on Jan. 1 to $8.46 billion at the time of writing this report, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which tracks the fortunes of the world’s 500 richest people.

    While Oppenheimer’s net worth has decreased by $100 million, or 1.3 percent, since the beginning of the year from $7.95 billion on Jan. 1 to $7.85 billion as of this writing.

    The combined net worth of the two South African billionaires has dropped from $19.85 billion at the beginning of the year to $16.31 billion, a decrease of $3.58 billion.

    Rupert and Oppenheimer remain the two wealthiest billionaires in South Africa despite a decline in their net worth this year. They both continue to outpace other billionaires like Koos Bekker, Christo Wiese, Patrice Motsepe, and Michiel Le Roux in terms of personal wealth.

    The decline in Rupert’s net worth can be linked to the year-to-date performance of his 9.14-percent stake in Richemont, a Swiss luxury goods holding company that owns a diverse portfolio of premium brands including Chloe, Dunhill, Alaa, Cartier, and Delvaux.

    So far this year, shares in the luxury goods holding company have fallen by more than 25 percent, as investors continued to sell their positions in the company after benefiting from a 74-percent increase in its shares the previous year.

    On the other hand, the $100-million drop in Oppenheimer’s net worth since the beginning of the year can be attributed to a decline in the valuation of his varied private equity investment portfolio through London-based Stockdale Street and Johannesburg-based Tana Africa Capital.

  • 2 brothers jailed 40 years for killing journalist

    Two brothers have been jailed for 40 years for killing a Maltese journalist, whose 2017 death sparked global anger.

    George and Alfred Degiorgio admitted to murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, just hours after pleading not guilty.

    She was killed by a car bomb in October 2017. Many suspect the killing was ordered by top establishment figures.

    Known as the “one-woman WikiLeaks”, she uncovered networks of corruption in Malta and abroad and was known as a harsh critic of the government.

    The year Caruana Galizia died, she effectively triggered an early election by publishing allegations linking Joseph Muscat, the then-prime minister, to the Panama Papers scandal, which exposed the use of tax havens by the rich.

    Last year, two men were charged with supplying the car bomb in the attack, while another man, Vincent Muscat, was jailed for 15 years when he admitted involvement in the murder.

    The man who is accused of ordering the killing, Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech, is yet to stand trial – he denies any involvement.

    One of Caruana Galizia’s three sons, Paul, who publicly campaigned for justice on her behalf, said the sentencing was “a break in the clouds”. The family were in court on Friday to hear the sentence handed down.

    It was also welcomed by Maltese Prime Minister, Robert Abela, who said the judgement was “another important step towards justice for the Caruana Galizia family”.

    A public inquiry into the assassination of the investigative journalist found the state responsible for her death. The report said the state had failed to recognise risks to the reporter’s life and take reasonable steps to avoid them.

    An investigation also led to the resignation of Mr Muscat in 2019 after his close associates were implicated. He has denied corruption allegations.

    Source: BBC

  • CAF Confederation Cup: NSA wishes Hearts of Oak well ahead against Real Bamako clash

    The National Sports Authority of Ghana has sent a goodwill message to Hearts of Oak ahead of their CAF Confederation Cup clash against Real Bamako on Sunday.

    Hearts will be looking to overturn their 3-0 first leg deficit against AS Real Bamako in the second leg of their CAF-inter club competition.

    The MTN FA Cup champions will welcome the Malian side to the Accra Sports stadium in the return leg on Sunday.

    Source: Footballghana

  • 19th edition of the Ghana Club 100 awards held in Accra

    The Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra hosted the 19th Ghana Ghana Club 100 awards ceremony, which made a call for further collaboration between the public and commercial sectors.

    The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre organized the Ghana Club 100 awards this year with the topic “Ghana’s Private Sector, a Catalyst for Post-Pandemic Economic Transformation.”

    In his keynote talk, Senior Presidential Advisor Yaw Osafo-Maafo emphasized the crucial contribution of the private sector to Ghana’s economic growth.

    He indicated that government is keen on some thematic areas which are aimed at enhancing the private sector to propel growth and development.

    The areas include; Macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability, Infrastructural development, Accelerated industrial development and Agricultural transformation.

    “I want to encourage all the companies present to assist government to achieve its goal of increasing the economic level of the nation as well as creating more jobs,” Osafo-Maafo said.

    Award winners for the 19th edition

    Zeepay Ghana Limited emerged as the overall best company of the year at the 19th edition of the Ghana Club 100 awards organised by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC).

    The financial technology company earned the top spot after beating some ninety-nine (99) companies enlisted in the awards scheme.

    Newmont Ghana Gold Limited however emerged in place second while Multipro Private Ltd, Gold Fields Ghana Limited, Scancom Plc, Maphlix Trust Ghana Limited, Amanex Co.Ltd, Express IDS Consult Agency Limited, Newmont Golden Ridge Limited, GCB Bank PLc took the third to the tenth positions respectively.

    The Ghana Club 100 awards scheme was aimed at recognizing the best one hundred businesses in the country leading in key strategic sectors of the economy.

    The award categories include; Best company in Agriculture and Agribusiness, Financial Services, Information and Communication Technology, Services, Infrastructure, Petroleum and Mining Services, Manufacturing, Tourism, Health, and Education.

    Other Ghanaian companies were also ranked and honoured for their resilience and various contributions to the country.

  • OXFAM analyst backs GRA’s recent tax compliance efforts

    A Fiscal Policy analyst at OXFAM Ghana, Dr. Alex Ampabeng, has backed the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) moves to clamp down on business in the name of boosting tax revenue.

    Dr. Ampabeng stressed that Ghana needed to be working to improve tax compliance.

    He also said the GRA needed to be commended for taking the initiative to raise the needed revenue for the government.

    “Coming to revenue collection, Ghana is only making about under 13 percent of GDP… there are leakages in the system. Tax compliance is really weak, especially within the very sectors they are looking at.”

    “I think GRA deserves our support… we are going to the IMF and one of the major reasons is we are not collecting enough taxes,” he said on The Big Issue.

    The GRA this week closed some shops for failing to integrate their value-added tax (VAT) invoices into the authority’s newly deployed eE-VAT Invoicing system as a measure to help it block revenue loopholes.

    The system will allow the authority to monitor sales real-time.

    Four branches of Palace Mall and some branches of China Mall were affected in the exercise.

    National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party Henry Nana Boakye popularly known as Nana B however called on the revenue authority to re-evaluate the decision.

    Fifty companies were selected to be linked to this E-VAT Invoicing system that will certify all invoices and give real-time reporting of sales.

    The deadline for this process was October 1.

    The GRA has said the locked-up businesses will be reopened once they connect to the authority’s E-VAT Invoicing system.

    Source: Myjoyonline

  • SSNIT projects to pay GH¢4.0 billion to pensioners in 2022 – Director General

    The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) anticipates paying the nation’s pensioners a total of GH4.0 billion in 2022.

    There are currently 230,831 pensioners in the Trust nationwide.

    At the 2022 Employers Breakfast Meeting in Accra on Tuesday, SSNIT Director-General Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang said the Trust has paid a total of GH 2.67 billion to pensioners as of September 2022.

    “The Trust paid GH280.07 million to around 230,831 pensioners in September 2022 alone,” he stated.

    Third in the series and attended by employers from Greater Accra Eastern Region, the programme was as on the theme “Sustainability of the SSNIT Scheme – The Role of Employers.”

    The Director-General indicated that in 2021 the Trust paid a total of GH¢3.61 billion to pension beneficiaries and in 2020 an amount of GH¢3.3 billion was also paid to pensioners.

    He said the highest pension earner received GH¢142,564.97 per month, while the lowest-earning pensioner gets GH¢300.00.

    He explained that the portfolio of funds being managed by the SSNIT was helping promote the socio-economic development of the country and helping pensioners to eke out a better living.

    Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang said SSNIT currently had active contributors of 1.7 million, with private sector constituting 1,130,069, representing 63 percent, public sector 649,072, representing 36 percent and the self-employed 17,006, representing one percent.

    He said the Trust was working to enroll more workers on the scheme, saying the country currently had a workforce of 11.5 million with 9.9 million employed.

    “SSNIT will roll out a comprehensive campaign to register self-employed persons and informal sectors onto the Scheme,” Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang, said.

    The Director-General disclosed that at the end of May 2022, the Trust had retrieved more than GH¢101.38 million through court action and the total number of cases within the same period also stood at 10,365.

    Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said so, far, 1,279,849 active members have merged their SSNIT and Ghana card numbers.

    He said SSNIT is a statutory public institution charged under the National Pensions Act, 2008 (Act 766 as amended by Act 883), with the administration of Ghana’s Basic National Social Security Scheme.

    Its mandate is to cater for the First-Tier of the Three-Tier Pension Scheme.

    He said currently, the Trust is the largest non-bank financial institution in Ghana.

  • Okyeame Kwame wishes ‘beautiful wife’ happy birthday against her wishes

    Attaching a suggestive photo, star rapper and businessman Okyeame Kwame has marked his wife of 13 years’ birthday with a social media post outlining what makes her special.

    “My beautiful wife and bestest friend,” he began in his Facebook post.

    “You have shown me nothing but compassion and friendship,” he thanked his wife Annica.

    “You have allowed me to be myself (silly) around you and I am almost always around you,” Okyeame Kwame said and added: “Thank you, my dear.”

    Noting that 15 October 2022 “marks an interesting milestone

    in his wife’s life, the award-winning artiste prayed for her and made a promise: “I wish you nothing but friendship and a promise to be a man for all of us.”

    Nicknamed OK, the rapper regretted not being in Ghana where his wife is and playfully remarked: “When I return my hands will surely grab that nyash [buttocks].”

    ‘Small Small’ hitmaker disclosed Annica is not fond of being wished happy birthday and defiance declared, “Happy earth day my beautiful wife.”

    “I gotch you all day, all life and even after this life. My only one, Mrs Okyeame,” Mr Kwame Nsiah-Apau, alias Okyeame Kwame, concluded with a picture of being in bed with his wife and attempting to smack her buttocks.

    Kwame and Annica Nsiah-Apau have two children and are co-authors of ‘Love Locked Down.’

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • Femi Otedola’s company sheds $62 million in 24 hours – Report

    The market capitalization of Nigeria‘s largest power producer, Geregu Power Plc, which is primarily owned by billionaire Femi Otedola, has fallen by more than $62 million in the past day to $632 million.

    Otedola successfully listed Geregu’s shares on the Nigerian Exchange on October 5 at a price of N100 ($0.231) per share, giving it a market capitalization of N250 billion ($579 million) on the local bourse. Geregu was a spin-off subsidiary of the now-defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria that Otedola acquired in 2013.

    At the start of trading on the Nigerian Exchange this morning, shares of the power firm were selling for N110 ($0.253) each, down 9% from their market opening price of N120.9 ($0.278) on October 13.

    As a result of the recent price downturn, Geregu’s market capitalization has dropped by N27.25 billion ($62.64 million) in the past 24 hours, from N302.25 billion ($694.83 million) at the opening of the Nigerian Exchange on Oct. 13 to N275 billion ($632.2 million) at the time of writing this report.

    The decline in the market capitalization of the newly-listed power-generating company comes as investors on the local bourse booked profits after its share price peaked at N120.9 ($0.278) compared to a price target of N131 ($0.303) per share which some investors are betting on.

    Geregu posted profits of N20.55 billion ($47.32 million) in 2021, up 45.5 percent from the N14.13 billion it reported in 2020, despite disruptions in Nigeria’s power sector.

    According to figures in the group’s 2021 financial results, electricity output has steadily improved year on year over the last five years, exhibiting increased efficiency and better usage of its power facilities.

    As a result of the rise in energy sales, revenue grew from N53.67 billion ($123.6 million) to N70.97 billion ($163.4 million) during the period under review.

  • HR Focus Africa launches The Ghana HR Report

    HR Focus has launched the first ever edition of the Ghana HR Report; a document containing guiding principles for key HR Functions such as: Performance management, organisational culture and recruitment and selection.

    The report was launched during the Vodafone HR forum at just the ended HR Focus Conference held on October 14, 2022.

    This annual conference for HR practitioners and business leaders was held at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra and saw over 300 guests participating.

    The report was launched by a group of professionals, namely: Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, HR Director at Vodafone; Dr. Mrs. Irene Stella Agyenim Boateng, Advisor to the CE of VRA; Florence Hutchful, a member of the HR Focus Awards Technical Committee; Dr. Mrs. Ellen Hagan, Founder and CE of L’AINE Group; and Nana Elegba, Chief HR Officer, The Multimedia Group.

    At the launch, they extended an invitation to other experienced HR Practitioners to join in the next phase of adding-on to the guiding principles to further enhance HR practice.

    HR Focus Africa organised the 2022 edition of the annual conference under the theme “HR’s role in the future of work during an economic crisis”.

    A section of participants at the HR Focus conference
    A section of participants at the HR Focus conference

    Speaking at the event, the president and chairperson of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, admonished HR practitioners to understand the emerging volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, saying the situation of constant, unpredictable change has now become the norm, and which demands that they reskill themselves.

    Dr. Mrs. Ellen Hagan for her part, counseled participants to nurture each other, saying “Leaders raise leaders; we all need to be intentional to raise leaders in our various organisations.”

    Other speakers at the event included Mr. Clement Wiredu, CEO of Becksworth Consulting; Mr. Michael Otchere Duah, Head of HR at Unilever Ghana, and Mr. Gideon Ataraire, CEO, Allianz life Insurance Ghana.

    Speaking during a panel discussions, Mr. Michael Otchere Duah, advised HR Practitioners to be humane in their dealings with employees. Additionally, Nana Elegba, the Chief HR Officer of The Multimedia Group, advised other HR Practitioners to maintain their focus, saying: “In hard times, we need to use resources and increase accountability to rein in cost.”

    The event served as a great opportunity for networking, and featured corporate exhibitions and breakaway sessions moderated by David L.O. Mills, Head of Human Resources – PETROSOL, Vera Nutakor – Head of HR, Devtraco LTD, and Hope Yibor, People Development Lead, OLAM Agri/OFI.

    Source: Myjoyonline

  • Yemi Alade in Ghana for video shoot with Bisa Kdei

    Multiple award-winning Nigerian singer Yemi Alade has been spotted in Ghana for a music video project with iconic highlife artist Bisa Kdei

    The two have been rumoured to have worked in London days ago, and sources claim Yemi Alade specifically flew to Ghana to work on a music video project with Bisa Kdei.

    The video shoot featured Ghanaian choreographer Incredible Ziggy together with his dance crew in the highly anticipated collaboration.

    The “Johnny” hitmaker had a successful collaboration with former Lynx signee MzVee titled “Come And See My Mother,” and collaboration with Bisa Kdei is something music fans can’t wait to hear.

    Bisa Kdei was recently celebrated in Ghanaian music circles after his “Asew” hit single was featured in the Hollywood Christmas movie “Jingle Jangle”.

    The award-winning musician who has remained consistent for close to a decade is set to release an album soon.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Reggie Rockstone reveals why he’s never signed any artiste

    Hiplife pioneer Reggie Rockstone has revealed why he has never signed an artiste.

    Guesting on Class Media Group’s CTV, he shared he would rather guide than sign an artiste.

    Mr Rockstone made these statements responding to an audience member of ‘Time with the Stars’ requesting for his mentorship.

    “I am all about sharing my wisdom,” he told host Larry Bozzle.

    “In fact, one of the reasons I don’t really sign artistes is because I believe in guiding them on the life skills,” he answered.

    Explaining himself, the Hiplife legend added: “Some people have talent but a bad character. Some people have serious talent but they are fond of fighting.”

    Again, he said, some talents are so distracted, “when you call for a meeting, they won’t come.”

    “Some people are even thieves. You work with them alright but if you are not vigilant, they will steal from you,” he warned.

    The musician and businessman stressed on the importance of a good character to compliment talent.

    “It’s not only talent that makes you,” he said.

    In the event that he decides to take someone under his wings, he shared: “I like to walk with people for a while to study them because it’s my money I’m going to invest in you.”

    Indiscriminate termination of contracts by signees is another thing the ‘Ahh’ hitmaker mentioned keeps him from signing artistes.

    “Some people are not loyal and so the moment they meet someone who has more money, they abandon you for them,” he bemoaned.

    In 2017, when Rockstone joined Ghanaian Hiplife group VIP, it became VVIP.

    Born Reginald Yaw Asante Osei, he is the founder of the record company called Kasa Rock Entertainment.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • NDC elections: Aspirants asked to engage in issue-based campaign

    The Deputy Communication Officer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Godwin Ako Gunn, has urged aspirants and members to engage in an issue-based campaign and avoid campaigns that will slur people.

    He said the call was necessary for a view of the fact that some supporters of aspirants are engaging in attacks on personality, which brings division after election and delays the healing process because the loser might have suffered character assassination.

    “Our ability to hold ourselves together, campaign devoid of insults and personal attack, will let losers accept that they lost on fairgrounds and they will also join the main campaign’

    “Most of the time, we spend too much time healing wounds and if that happens again, we may be hitting ourselves in the foot which may affect the fortune of the party at the 2024 polls,” Mr. Ako Gunn said.

    Mr. Ako Gunn stated this at the launch of a welfare scheme and awards ceremony organised by the NDC Okaiman East Ward under the Anyaa Sowutuom Constituency in Accra.

    The theme of the ceremony was “Empowering the Grassroot, a driving force for Success in the 2024 Election”.

    Mr. Ako Gunn said the 2024 election will be a choice between leadership that comes prepared and ready to lead from day one or a continuation of the current disastrous reality government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

    He charged the party faithful to remain united in rallying toward the success of the NDC at the 2024 general election.

    “I want to call on all our party members in the various branches to exhibit more loyalty, dedication and commitment so that our party can be victorious in the 2024 general election,’’ Mr. Ako Gunn urged.

    He further advised members not to deliberately demand access to the fund when they have no significant use of it. He encouraged other wards to emulate the leadership of Nii Okaiman East ward for introducing the welfare scheme that will cushion members.

    The Ward Coordinator for Nii Okaiman East, Mr. Jerry Zodano, stated that the welfare scheme is to address challenges at the branches and to reduce over-dependency on the constituency.

    He said the leadership at the ward has constituted a seven-member management board, formed from among members in order to ensure prudent management of the funds.

    These officers, Mr. Zodano explained, would attend to the welfare of members, based on sets of regulations and guidelines developed.

    Source: gbcghanaonline.com

  • Revert to trimester system – CHASS tells Government

    The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools, CHASS has called on government to revert to the traditional trimester system in the 2023 academic year, since the current semester system puts a lot of stress on school facilities and infrastructure as well as staff and students.

    In a Communique released by CHASS on the 14th of October 2022 at the closing ceremony of the 60th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Conference in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital, the Assistant Secretary of CHASS, Primus Baro noted that, “the government should consider the issue of cost-sharing theory”.

    This, Mr. Baro noted that it has become abundantly clear that the government alone cannot totally foot the cost of education and therefore must offset some of the costs to parents and guardians.

    Mr. Baro reiterated their request to the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service to always ensure the timeous and adequate release of funds the schools. They explained not only the money for perishables but also the money for recurrent expenditure to schools to enable them function effectively.

    CHASS also wants the government to come out with clear-cut directives on the activities of the PTAs to enable them to function more efficiently and effectively in all schools.

    CHASS they added will save school Heads the unfortunate queries and sanctions applied to them in their dealings with PTAs.

    They noted that many PTAs are currently dormant due to the unclear and unwritten moratorium placed on their activities since the inception of the Free SHS.

    Source: gbcghanaonline.com

  • Praying at galamsey site won’t save our environment – Apaak to clergy

    Dr Clement Apaak, MP, Builsa South, has stated that the clergy going to the galamsey sites to pray and sing patriotic songs won’t save the environment.

    According to him, the clergy must call out the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for refusing to use the power of the state to arrest and prosecute those funding the destruction of the environment.

    The Deputy Ranking Member of the Education Committee and a Member of the Public Accounts Committee is of the view that the President as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces can use all the power at his disposal to arrest and prosecute those funding and profiting from galamsey activities but because he knows such individuals, he is being adamant.

    “Patriotic songs and praying, good, but alone will not save our environment. Call out NADAA for refusing to use the power of the state, as Commander-In-Chief, to arrest and prosecute those funding and profiting from the destruction of our environment, government knows them,” Dr Clement Apaak tweeted.

    The NDC MP’s sentiment comes after some selected members of the clergy stepped up their support for the government’s fight against galamsey.

    Dozens of these Christian leaders took a tour of some galamsey sites in the Eastern region to assess the level of damage and to pray for divine intervention on the issue.

    The area was heavily forested and they were accompanied by some security officials. Some of the shots show what appears to be abandoned excavators and other mining machinery.

    In a video shared by Accra-based UTV, titled: “Christian Ecumenical Bodies in Ghana tour some ‘galamsey’ sites in Eastern Region,” the leaders are seen at the site singing patriotic songs, including the infamous ‘Yen Ara Asaase Ni’ and other patriotic songs.

    They are later seen offering prayers.

    “We pray that our people will humble themselves and change from our wicked ways… heal our land and save us, heal our nation,” the pastor leading the prayer is heard saying.

    A section of the visiting clergy offering prayers

    Source: Ghanaweb

     

  • Ghana’s inflation now 98% – Prof Hanke counters GSS inflation figures

    Professor Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics, Johns Hopkins University and founder and co-director of the Institute for Applied Economics, has measured Ghana’s inflation at 98%.

    His percentage contradicts that of the Ghana Statistical Service, GSS, which measured the inflation for September at 37.2%.

    In a tweet, on Saturday, October 15, Prof Hanke stated that “Today, using the tried-and-true purchasing power parity method, I measure inflation in Ghana at 98%/yr. Annim should take notes.”

    “Ghana Statistical Service statistician Samuel Kobina Annim casts doubt on my measure of Ghana’s inflation rate,” he added.

    The US-based professor also refuse claims by Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, the government statistician, who had indicated that his measurement of Ghana’s inflation has a “major weakness”.

    Prof. Hanke, then, advised the government statistician to spend some time with scientific literature.

    “Ghana Statistical Service statistician Samuel Kobina Annim claims that my measure of inflation for Ghana has a “major weakness.” Wrong. Prof. Annim should spend some time with the scientific literature…,” Prof. Steve Hanke tweeted further.

    Prof Samuel Kobina Annim cautioned Ghanaians against comparing the Statistical Services inflationary figures with that of popular US Professor Steve Hanke.

    He told the media at the October briefing on the nation’s inflation that the CPI method adopted by the Statistical Service is consistent with international practice and superior to Prof Hanke’s Purchasing Price Parity Module (PPPM), adding that Prof Hanke’s PPPM is only based on the exchange rate.

    “Steve Hanke’s approach is not based on the consumer price index, Steve Hanke’s approach is based on the purchasing power parity. Underlying the purchasing power parity is the assumption that price differences between [the] two countries are only the exchange rate.

    “The key difference here is that the CPI approach necessarily requires that you collect data on three variables: prices, quantities and the expenditure weight of these items, and this is at sharp variance with Steve Hanke’s purchasing power parity.

    “The premise of the computation both from a data point of view and a scope of data point of view are not the same, so we need not make an attempt to compare that,” Prof Annim explained.

    Ghana’s inflation rate

    Ghana’s inflation rate according to the Ghana Statistical Service has moved from 33.9 per cent in August 2022 to 37.2 per cent in September 2022.

    This is a 2.0 per cent month-on-month increase from the 33.9 per cent rate recorded in August 2022.

    However, the rate is also 37.2% higher than that of September 2021.

    Year-on-Year inflation varied upwardly by 2.2 percentage points between August (31.7%) and September (33.9%) 2022.

    Food inflation was 37.8% while non-food inflation was 36.8%.

    Inflation for locally produced items was 35.8% while inflation for imported items was 40.7%.

    Western Region recorded the highest food inflation (47.0%) and Eastern Region, the highest non-food inflation (42.0%). Eastern Region recorded the overall highest inflation (41.0%) followed closely by Western Region (40.2%) and Greater Accra Region (39.3%).

    Transport (68.7%) recorded the highest rate of inflation in the Eastern Region, for food inflation in the Western Region, Fish and Other Seafood had the highest rate of inflation at 64.0%.

    Source: Ghanaweb

  • Dredging of portions of Volta River begins – DCE

    Ms Sarah Dugbakie Pobee, Ada East District Chief Executive, says some portions of the Volta River will be dredged to reduce the trend of tidal waves and high rate of flooding in the district.

    She said the river had not been dredged in more than 20 years, resulting in flooding and destruction of lives and property.

    Ms Pobee said this during an ordinary meeting of the Ada East District Assembly, explaining that the dredging would start from the Ada Estuary through to Sogakope to Akosombo.

    She said a contract had been awarded to Lower Volta Dredging Contractors Limited, a solely owned Ghanaian company, which had already moved to a site at Angornya to start the process.

    She said the company was currently undertaking a survey on the river to ascertain routes for the vessels to enter the district.

    Ms Pobee said the district had done the first phase of community engagement with residents and would be engaging traditional leaders, assembly members, and all communities involved.


    “Our fishermen and other users of the river would also be engaged extensively on the activities, including the scope of work, area of coverage, what they are expected to do and not to do, among other issues,” she said.

    The Ada East District Chief Executive, therefore, called for cooperation to ensure that the project is completed on schedule.

    Source: GNA 

  • Be wary of fraudsters — Castle Gate Estate warns

    Castle Gate Estate Ghana Limited, a real estate and serviced plots marketing company, has cautioned its customers not to make cash payments for the purchase of any of its properties and be wary of fraudsters.

    “We only accept payment through Castle Gate Estate Ghana Limited’s official account,” the Company said in a statement to the Ghana News Agency.

    It said anyone who made cash payments in the office or outside the office to any individual or staff did so at his or her own risk and that the Company would not be held liable for such cases.

    The statement said the Company had noted that some “unscrupulous people”, including some former staff had printed fake receipt books, which they were issuing to unsuspecting clients.

    Such victims were made to make cash payments.

    The Company said following the complaints of some victims it caused the arrest of some former staff and purported clients who presented such fake receipts to claim properties from the Company.

    The suspects are being investigated by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service.

    “We want to reiterate that, we are Ghana’s leading serviced plots provider company and we shall continue to make home ownership easier as we have done over the years,” Castle Gate said.

    ” We have served more than 2,000 genuine clients who have made payments through our official bank accounts. These clients are currently living on their property.

    “This can easily be verified when you visit our various sites at Katamanso, Tema Community 25, Dodowa, Prampram, Apolonia, West Legon, East Legon, and North Legon, where we have our properties.”

    Source: GNA

  • Biden Administration launches Student Loan Forgiveness Applications

    The Biden administration on Friday launched a beta version of its student loan forgiveness application process, allowing borrowers to sign up online before the official website is unveiled later this month.

    The application, which is available here, is the first step in Biden’s program to cancel student debt for tens of millions of Americans.

    “This testing period will allow the Department to monitor site performance through real-world use, test the site ahead of the official application launch, refine processes, and uncover any possible bugs prior to official launch,” an Education Department spokesperson said.

    The Education Department urges borrowers to apply by Nov. 15, and said that those who sign up by October could have the majority of their debt wiped out as soon as November.

    Back in August, Biden announced plans to forgive $10,000 in student loan debt for millions of borrowers who make $125,000 a year or less. Borrowers who received a Pell grant will qualify to get an additional $10,000 forgiven.


    “In keeping with my campaign promise, my administration is announcing a plan to give working and middle class families breathing room as they prepare to resume federal student loan payments in January 2023,” Biden tweeted when announcing his administration’s plan.

    Source: Complex.com

  • Girls DigiRead X’perience held by Worldreader to mark International Day of Girl Child

    Worldreader Ghana, in commemoration of this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, organised a literary event for schools at the DUNK Library in Jamestown, Accra.

    The event, dubbed “The Girls DigiRead X’perience, “ was held on October 11, 2022, in partnership with Women in Public Relations (PR), Ghana.

    “The Girls DigiRead X’perience“ which is the second edition by Worldreader Ghana, sought to empower girls through literary advocacy to realize their dreams.

    Activities observed on the day were “Girls-Girls Chat” which saw a resource person have a conversation about Reproductive Health issues with students, a Read with Women in PR session, Conversation on the theme of the Book of Focus “Ayanda Says No to Child Abuse” and ‘Blast a Balloon and Read Along!’

    Three schools namely; Alko International School, Hamsptead Academy and Glorious Prince Academy, participated in the event.

    International Day of the Girl Child is an international observance day declared by the United Nations and was first celebrated on October 11, 2012. The observation of this day supports more opportunity for girls and increases awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide.

    This inequality included areas such as access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, and protection from discrimination, violence against women and forced child marriage.

    This year’s International Day of the Girl Child for 2022 was themed “Our time is now—our rights, our future.”

    The Content Acquisitions Manager, West Africa, Worldreader, Kezia Agbenyega prior to the reading session explained the concept of Booksmart app to the students: and how they can use it as a digital library. This was soon after an interesting ‘energizer activity’ by the event coordinator, Oswald Okaitei.

    In a conversation with Faith Senam Ocloo, founder, women in PR she indicated that it was imperative for them as women in a professional network to help build the young ones as they built themselves.

    “It is also important that as we are building ourselves and our profession, we also hold the hands of the younger ones, and what better way to do that than to make this day by partnering an organisation that is encouraging people to read,” she added.

    It was indeed a well planned and executed event as excitement was all over the participants (pupils) in the course and even after the closing session. The session was moderated by Miss Eunice Tornyi, host of African Women’s Voices of etc.

    About Worldreader

    Worldreader is an international non-profit organisation with the vision to nurture readers. Besides this event have in the past years been in the front promoting reading and advocating for the use of their digital library, BookSmart in that regard. Other events they spearhead include the MPs DigiRead Train, Accra DigiRead X’perience, BookSmart Activation Train Series among many others.

     

  • Galamsey kingpins so powerful and well connected – Kwasi Bonzoh

    The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzoh says there is a lot of compromise in the fight against illegal mining.

    He says this is because some illegal miners have the backing of persons in high authority who always try to protect them from being arrested and prosecuted.

    The actors in the illegal mining business, he admitted, are “very powerful” to deal with, adding that he has found himself in bizarre circumstances trying to undertake operations to get some of the ‘galamseyers’ apprehended.

    Even though “we know galamsey is destroying our environment and our water bodies, we prefer to turn a blind eye and allow it to go on because of some economic benefits that we get. So it becomes very difficult for you as a DCE,” he lamented.

    Speaking in an interview on Newsfile on Saturday, October 15, Mr Bonzoh revealed he has led the arrest of many illegal miners who are connected to powerful people that always intercede for them.

    Once they are arrested, influential people including politicians and religious leaders begin to call to plead for their discharge, the Ellembelle DCE added.

    “If you come to my district, probably next to the big mining company there, galamseyers are the ones who are ‘very liquid’ so if you arrest one galamseyer and is in police custody, and they know that you are the DCE that led the arrest, the number of calls that you will receive transcends political lines.

    “NPP people will call you, NDC people will call you, influential people in the society, chiefs will call you, clergy, imams and everybody calls you speaking on behalf of the arrested galamseyer.”

    He described the fight against the menace as one that is complex “which if we don’t come together as a country and find a concerted effort, it will swallow all of us.”

    According to him, just calling for the outright dismissal of MMDCEs is not enough because the real situation at hand goes beyond ordinary dismissal.

    “It’s quite simplistic for people to say ‘Mr President, sack your MMDCEs because galamsey is going on in their districts. What I have come to know is that the actors in this galamsey business are so powerful, they are so well connected because it’s a lot of money.”

    Source: Myjoyonline

  • Expert backs call for increase in Airport Passenger Service Charge

    The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has called for an increase in the present GH5 Airport Passenger Service Charge paid every passenger for domestic flights. This proposal has the support of an aviation expert.

    According to aviation expert Sean Mendis, the proposed increase is long overdue and is the best method for the GACL to manage and maintain the nation’s different airports.

    “For years, airlines have pushed for an increase in the domestic APSC for GACL.
    Due to a lack of financing, GACL is unable to maintain the air conditioning, runway lights, or any other necessary basic facility maintenance and staffing requirements [at different domestic airports].

    “Increase GH¢5 to GH¢10 and it is a tinny fraction of the ticket price, but it’s a doubling of their operations budget. As long as they use the funds to actually support the airport operations, it is a good thing.”

    As reported by AviationGhana, the GACL, a state-owned limited liability company responsible for managing all civilian state-funded airports in the country, is seeking an upward adjustment of the APSC, to enable them to maintain new airports constructed in various parts of the country.

    Their proposal is expected to be submitted to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport when Parliament resumes.

    This has become imperative because the APSC generated from mainly international travels via Terminal 3 of the Kotoka International Airport is tied to a US$250million loan secured from a consortium of banks led by Ecobank Capital by the GACL on the back of its balance sheet for the construction of the Terminal.

    “Now, revenue from APSC for Accra is also a subject of a loan facility, so payment more or less goes to amortise those loans. We need excess funds to be able to maintain these [Kumasi and Tamale] facilities. So, we need a sustained revenue stream, even itemized in the budget that this is the purpose it is going to be used for,” Hassan Tampuli, Deputy Minister for Transport told the media during a visit to the Kumasi and Tamale airports

    Mr. Tampuli, who was part of a delegation made up of members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport, and of Management of GACL, that inspected works ongoing at the Kumasi and Tamale airports, added that: “For us at the Ministry of Transport, we are excited that leadership and members of the Committee appreciate the fact that the GHC 5 we have in the price buildup of domestic air travel is woefully inadequate and it needs to be reviewed.

  • Kwasi Kwarteng out, Jeremy Hunt in: Meet the newly appointed UK finance minister

    Under Prime Minister Liz Truss, there was a change in a significant position of the British government on Friday, October 14, 2022.

    Following repercussions from a mini-budget delivered last month, Kwasi Kwarteng, Chancellor of the Exchequer and close supporter of the Prime Minister, was removed after six weeks in office.

    The budget has now prompted market volatility and a rebellion among UK Conservative parliamentary members.

    Kwarteng reportedly returned to No. 10 Downing Street where he received official notice of his dismissal after cutting short his trip to the United States of America where he had been attending the IMF/World Bank meetings.

    In a statement released after his firing, the British-born Ghanaian admitted that even before taking up the job, he knew he could not tow the lines of those before him, thereby needing to adopt more drastic approaches.

    Shortly after Kwasi Kwarteng was fired, a new candidate was appointed in the person on Jeremy Hunt to serve as UK Chancellor of the Exchequer.

    Hunt is a known figure in the UK Conservative Party and has previously served as health secretary and foreign secretary.

    He has on two occasions contested the Conservative party leadership slot where he lost both times.

    Ahead of Liz Truss’ selection to lead the party, Jeremy Hunt was a keen supporter of former chancellor Rishi Sunak over Liz Truss.

    The rather popular figure however almost came close in 2019 in the leadership race with Boris Johnson named as the winner and Jeremy finished second.

    Jeremy Hunt is coming to the position as UK Chancellor of Exchequer at a time when the country is facing high inflationary pressures, tumbling currency, rising cost of living and among others.

    About Jeremy Hunt

    According to the BBC, Jeremy Hunt is a 55-year-old Conservative Member of the UK parliament. Prior to his political life, he grew up in Surrey town of Godalming in the United Kingdom.

    He attended Charterhouse School, where he was the head boy who was widely known for his love of cross-country running.

    He later attended the prestigious Oxford University where some say his political career began. Hunt during his journey in the University served as president of the Conservative Association.

    Prior to being elected to parliament in 2005, Jeremy had a career as an English teacher in Japan and as an entrepreneur where he co-founded the Hotcourses education publisher.

    In 2017, the Hotcourses was sold to an investor which earned Hunt a reported net profit of £14 million, making him one of the richest politicians in the UK.

    From 2005 to 2007, Jeremy Hunt became the shadow minister for persons with disability. This was somewhat his reward for supporting former UK prime minister, David Cameron.

    In 2010, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government was formed where Jeremy Hunt served in cabinet as secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport.

    He also played a pivotal role in the 2012 London Olympics.

    However, in politics, there is never a trade-off without scandal as calls grew in 2012 for Jeremy Hunt to resign over his alleged involvement in the BSkyB takeover bid.

    It was alleged that Hunt had close contacts with the media empire of controversial mogul Rupert Murdoch but he survived the saga and was appointed health secretary in 2012.

    His tenure as the health secretary came at a time when the NHS was facing financial turmoil and challenges.

  • It’s sad Kwasi Kwarteng has been sacked while Ofori-Atta is still at post – Ablakwa

    Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, has expressed his disappointment that Kwasi Kwarteng, the UK’s finance minister, was removed just six weeks after Kwasi Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s finance minister, was appointed.

    Ablakwa criticized President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for neglecting to dismiss Ofori-Atta, whom he claims is to blame for the current economic difficulties in the nation, in a tweet posted on Friday, October 14, 2022.

    He implied that despite the finance minister’s poor handling of Ghana’s economy, the president never fires him and instead consistently defends and praises him.

    “Kwasi Kwarteng hasn’t done a fraction of the damage Ken Ofori-Atta has caused the Ghanaian economy but he gets to be sacked and Ken is showered with praises from his family member, President Akufo-Addo as Ghanaians languish in more pain,” parts of the MP’s tweet read.

    Ablakwa made these remarks while reacting to news reports that Britain’s Finance Minister, Kwasi Kwarteng had been sacked, following a meeting with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Downing Street on Friday, October 14, 2022.

    Meanwhile, Kwasi Kwarteng has written to the Prime Minister of the UK, Liz Truss, indicating that he has accepted her decision to sack him.

    “You have asked me to stand aside as your Chancellor. I have accepted.

    “When you asked me to serve as your Chancellor, I did so in full knowledge that the situation we faced was incredibly difficult, with rising global interest rates and energy prices. However, your vision of optimism, growth and change was right.

    “As I have said many times in the past weeks, following the status quo was simply not an option,” parts of Kwarteng’s letter read.

  • Government, BoG working hard to stabilise cedi – Kafui Amegah

    According to Kafui Amegah, a member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) communications team, the government and the central bank are making great efforts to stabilize the economy and support the local currency.

    According to him, those who are skeptical about the effectiveness of newly announced steps to stop further cedi devaluation should give the Central Bank the benefit of the doubt.

    On “Adwenekasa” on Accra-based Original FM, Kafui Amegah claimed in a conversation with Kwaku Owusu Adjei that “there are concrete and sustained efforts being taken to shore up the economy and subsequently strengthen the cedi.”

    Kafui Amegah announced that the government is doing a lot to implement recommendations to restructure Ghana’s economy.

    However, he said the government is working on fixing the situation, having agreed with mining and gas companies to sell their forex to the Bank of Ghana to stabilise the currency.

    “We believe that there are a lot of speculative activities that are creating some unnecessary depreciation in the currency.”

  • Consultative Committee on financial sector stakeholder engagement formed

    A five-member Consultative Committee made up of eminent financial services experts has been formed by the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana to oversee comprehensive stakeholder consultations across all of the major financial sector segments.

    Mr. Albert Essien serves as the committee’s chair, and Mr. Simon Dornoo serves as vice chair.
    Mr. Peter Enti, Ms. Mabel Nyarkoa Porbley, and Mr. Alex Asiedu are the other members of the Committee.

    The committee will serve as a forum for consultation and, among other things, facilitate meetings with representatives from the financial services sector and other interested parties to solicit input from the entire industry and convey industry concerns about the debt management plan to the MoF and BoG.

    The expectations and goals are to ensure orderliness and confidence in the government’s ongoing negotiations with the IMF.

    As announced during the ministry’s press briefing, a similar engagement will be undertaken with our external bondholders.

    “The stability of the domestic financial ecosystem is critical to a successful IMF-supported economic programme, and government will take all necessary steps to protect the sector as we have done in the past.”

    “We need the support and trust of all Ghanaians to ensure that a historic arrangement is reached with the IMF. We are confident that such engagement and collaboration will enable us to recover very quickly and strongly from our current macroeconomic challenges.”

  • GRA revenue for September 2022 up by 4.6%

    According to Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu Amoah, Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, tax revenue performance for September 2022 was GH7,457,097 as opposed to a target of GH7,128,061.

    He claims that this has a positive deviation of 4.6%, which corresponds to 29.8% of its year-to-date performance.

    Speaking to the media in Accra, he claimed that nominal growth in customs income for the same time period was likewise 29.8%.

    “Customs, particularly, for this September did very well and exceeded even the stretch target by GH¢246million,” he disclosed.

    The Commissioner-General said the authority is implementing a number of tax policy initiatives to boost revenue generation this year.

    “We have introduced the GRA Taxpayers portal, which is basically a portal that allows you to log in to see your own tax activity. Again, we have introduced the electronic VAT invoicing, and it connects to the invoicing system of the merchant. And as the merchants trade, we see every invoice and details of purchase. We have introduced a new excise stamp tax authenticator which is also an app that allows you to use your phone to test whether what it is on the bottle is genuine or not.”

    As part of measures to improve revenue for the state, he said the authority will be piloting an e-auction module on the Integrated Customs Management System.

    The GRA boss said: “Our target is that from 15th October, we are loading some of the items available for auction on this system as a pilot phase and every citizen is free to go there to look at the vehicles and decide if they are interested”.

    He said in order to achieve its revenue target for the year 2022, GRA is adopting strategies to ensure that all loopholes are sealed with the roll-out of rigorous enforcement and compliance measures.

  • Salvage the economy instead of current pseudo campaign – UG lecturer to Bawumia

    Dr. Kofi Mensah, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School, has urged the vice president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to save Ghana’s floundering economy rather than the country’s ongoing hoax campaign.

    In an effort to get the Vice President to respond to six delicate questions, the esteemed lecturer did so at a time when Ghana’s economy is facing significant difficulties.

    Dr. Kofi Mensah posed a series of thought-provoking questions, and the Senior Lecturer dared the Veep to describe the real situation of Ghana’s economy.
    He also urged the Vice President to respond to the recent downgrade from Moody’s and other international rating agencies.

    “Dear Vice President,

     

    I think it’s about time some of us began to question your commitment to the economic agenda you proudly paraded on your Bawumia Speaks platforms leading to the 2016 elections, which culminated into your now infamous nickname ‘the economic wizard’. This title, which was conferred on you by the President and perhaps, roundly applauded by the middle class of Ghana, contributed hugely to the campaign success of your party. Today, none of those economic frameworks and theories you propounded is working, and the majority of those who touted you as an ‘economic wizard’, including the President, I am sure, are surprised. I am particularly surprised about your loud silence. At least, Ghanaians deserve to hear from you on the way forward, but what we are getting is rather another round of campaigning, as if to say we are just a bunch of jokers in this country.

    Firstly, I understand you were up-north, touring and surreptitiously campaigning at these crucial and difficult times of economic malaise instead of signalling to the people of Ghana how you and your team are solving the problems. Just as you posed some questions to the then Vice President, Kwesi Amissah–Arthur, of blessed memory and may Allah keep him warmly, I have a few questions of my own which I believe you should be far more capable of answering. Kindly attempt to answer all of the following questions, hoping that you will do so in about 48 hours. Please, you are allowed to open and refer to any book of your choice, including your notes from when you were campaigning in opposition leading to the 2016 elections.

    1. What is the True state of the Ghanaian economy?

    2. What is your take on Moody’s downgrade of the Ghanaian economy to junk status?

    3. What is your Plan to get us out of our current economic misery?

    4. Why are you now claiming to be inspecting Hospital projects – Agenda 111, instead of concentrating on the economic issues? Just recently, you left the economic issues for digitalisation, itself a fantastic area that I particularly adore but wasn’t part of your platform for which reason the majority of Ghanaians followed you. Now, you are inspecting Agenda 111 when you are not the Health Minister.

    5. At a time when Ghanaians are suffering a high inflation rate, depreciation of our currency, threats of losing their bonds, and joblessness from the banking sector clean-up, are you not expected to observe a period of austerity? It is reported that in your agenda 111 tour, there are over 40 V8 vehicles with appointees. Is this the time to go about inspecting projects that are yet to commence with over forty Land Cruiser vehicles and ministers who are expected to sit and work?

    6. Are you not campaigning instead of focusing on navigating us through our economic challenges in your capacity as a supposed ‘economic wizard’?

    Mr. Vice President, just like many Ghanaians, I am very concerned for the livelihood of my family and so many others who depend on some of us. Please, I am looking forward to your response, hopefully in the next 48 hours upon receipt of this letter.

    God save Ghana!” The statement reads.

    The Vice President is currently touring the Northern belt of the country.

  • Highlight economic consequences of climate change – Ofori-Atta at G-7 meeting

    At the G-7 finance ministers and African finance ministers meeting in Washington, DC, Ghana’s finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is shown with the UK Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng.

    The discussion, which was held in conjunction with the IMF/World Bank 2022 annual meeting, focused on finding solutions to the world economy’s high food and energy costs, currency instability, and inflationary pressures.

    The IMF/World Bank 2022 annual conference will serve as a forum to address important areas where the international community and global financial organizations like the IMF and World Bank Group should increase their support for developing nations.

    This forum comes against the backdrop of a confluence of external shocks – in particular, the COVID-19 pandemic, the continuing consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war and deepening concern about the imminent impact of climate change.

    Mr. Ofori-Atta told the G-24 Ministers and Governors meeting that, ”there is the need to put a spotlight on the economic consequences of climate change, particularly as it relates to developing countries who are the least contributors to climate change.”

    Ghana’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta met with UK Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng at the G-7 finance ministers and African finance ministers meeting in Washington DC, US ahead of Mr. Kwarteng’s removal from Office as Cabinent Minister.

     

     

  • Sierra Leone’s Musa Kamara attempts suicide because his wife left him

    Musah Noah Kamara of Sierra Leone’s national team is said to have wounded himself in an effort to kill himself.

    According to the people who rescued him, he tried suicide because of his wife. He was taken to the Bo Government Hospital for treatment.

    Earlier this week, the Leone Stars striker released a video on social media pleading with Sierra Leoneans to assist him in appealing to his wife to allow them to be together happily.

    He said on the video that he had offended his wife and begged forgiveness, stating that he adored her.

     

    Musa Tombo Kamara recently left Libyan champions Al Ittihad Tripoli just a few days after signing with them.

    In Libya, he admitted to feeling uneasy. In 2019, he went viral after terminating his contract with a Swedish second-tier team because the weather was too cold.

    Musa Kamara was also sacked by Bo Rangers for allegedly failing to uphold set standards of good ethics and sportsmanship.

    TheSierra Leone Football Association temporarily suspended Musah Noah Kamara on September 1st to investigate the controversies surrounding him.

    Source: Footballghana

  • GMB’s Amoani to be engaged as Ghana’s STEM Ambassador – Education Minister

    Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has announced that Miss Sara Sally Odei-Amoani who represented the Eastern Region at this year’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful will be engaged to promote STEM education across the country.

    Amoani who was the third runner-up in this year’s competition gave a good account of herself when she took it upon herself to educate viewers on the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

    Her presentations over the weeks seem to have caught the eye of the Education Minister who believes that appointing her as an ambassador to tour the country and make the good news about stem known will go a long way to encourage especially girls on need to embrace STEM education

     

    .

    Announcing the decision to engage Amoani at a forum, the Education Minister said ” we’ve heard more about STEM these days, not only are we building STEM schools, but we also want to support existing schools to implement the STEM curriculum. STEM has become a household name now that I’m told in Ghana’s Most Beautiful show on TV3, there was a young woman called Amoani whose sole focus was on STEM and she has given STEM a good name by pushing STEM to the highest level possible.

    I’m very happy I’m going to meet with her to offer her the opportunity to become the STEM ambassador of Ghana. I will find sponsors for her so that she will get the necessary resources to travel around the country to talk to girls to provide opportunities for them to pursue STEM. Invariably our young women have been scared out of STEM and I think Amoani will do a better job for us,” he said while speaking at a CHASS event in Koforidua.

    Source: mynewsgh.com

  • Callum Hudson-Odoi out of Frankfurt game due to knee injury

    Bayer Leverkusen winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is out of their weekend game against Eintracht Frankfurt due to injury.

    The club will take on Frankfurt without the winger who has performed well in recent weeks.

    Callum Hudson-Odoi sustained the knee injury during the game against FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League.

    The 21-year-old was substituted in the 69th minute in the 3-0 defeat to Portuguese giants FC Porto.

    On 30 August 2022, Callum Hudson-Odoi joined Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen on a season-long loan deal from Premier League side Chelsea.

    Callum Hudson-Odoi has made five appearances and assisted one goal in the Bundesliga this season for Bayer Leverkusen.

    He has also played four games in the Uefa Champions League this season for Bayer Leverkusen.

    According to reports, he will leave Chelsea permanently at the end of the 2022/23 season. He is likely to stay in Germany the reports stated.

    Leverkusen will play Eintracht Franfurt on Saturday afternoon.

    Source: Footballghana