The Government says it is encouraged with the progress so far made in its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan support for its homegrown economic programme.
The loan facility is to help Ghana navigate through the current economic hardship and improve its fiscal balances sustainably.
Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, said the Government remained committed to working tirelessly to create a stable and resilient macroeconomic environment.
The Government would also ensure that Ghana’s debt was sustainable, and maintain social cohesion.
In a press statement issued after a two-week long engagement with the IMF team, which ended on Friday, Mr Ofori-Atta said: “The Government of Ghana remains steadfast in its resolve to fast track negotiations with the IMF, towards achieving a historic agreement that will help strengthen post-covid economic growth”.
He thanked the IMF team for its effort in ensuring that the economy of Ghana was restored post COVID-19 pandemic.
During the visit, the delegation from the IMF called on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and held high level meetings with the Vice President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, Ken Ofori-Atta and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Ernest Addison.
Similarly, the delegation met with Parliament’s Finance Committee, Trade Union Congress, private sector, civil society and development partners.
Key areas of focus according to statement by the IMF included public finance sustainability, protection of the vulnerable, bolstering the credibility of the monetary and exchange rate policies to reduce inflation and rebuild external buffers.
Others included preservation of a financial sector stability and encouragement towards private investment and growth.
Discussions with the IMF, would continue during the Annual Meeting of the World Bank and the IMF, starting October 10, 2022.
Northern Region representative Teiya Ayisha Dahamani has won the crown, cash and car of 2022 Ghana’s Most Beautiful competition. She was followed closely by Aiko from Oti Region, who took second place, with Central Region’s Asiedua coming in third place.
Teiya took home Ghc10,000 cash, one year’s supply of GTP fabric, Ghc20,000 medical insurance and spa treatment, a new techno phone, all-expense paid international trip and hampers from sponsors.
Aiko Adade coming in at second place for the Oti region received a Ghc8,000 cash prize, six months’ supply of GTP fabric, Ghc15,000 worth of medical insurance and spa treatment, all-expense paid trip and souvenirs from Airtel-Tigo.
Eastern Region’s Amoani took fourth place with a Ghc5,000 cash prize, one month’s supply of fabrics from GTP, and one month’s supply of data on Airtel-Tigo mifi and hampers from sponsors.
Xornam from the Volta Region came in fifth place taking home 3,000 cash price and hampers from sponsors.
Former Ghana Football Association [GFA] President, Kwesi Nyantakyi has revealed that he had to kneel and beg for Sulley Muntari’s inclusion in Black Stars squad for the 2010 World Cup.
Rajevac was not on good terms with Muntari during his first spell due to alleged indiscipline.
The Serbian coach left out the midfielder from Ghana’s squad for the 2010 AFCON, with the team going on to reach the final.
The Serbian gaffer eventually added Muntari to his squad for the World Cup, but the former Inter Milan star lost his place in the first team to Andre Ayew.
In an interview with Joy Sports, Nyantakyi said he twice begged for Muntari to be taken to the World Cup.
According to him, he twice pleaded with then-coach Milovan Rajevac not to exclude the midfielder from his squad for the tournament in South Africa.
“Yes, in 2010 I did it. I did it twice, not even once,” the former GFA President said in the interview.
“I had to kneel for Sulley Muntari to be named in Black Stars for the World Cup,” he added.
Muntari has been out of the Black Stars after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The former AC Milan and Inter Milan midfielder has made 84 appearances and has scored 20 goals.
Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu South has disagreed with the ‘women are their own enemies’ claim.
She said in most cases, the men counterparts were the architects of the rivalry and the unhealthy competitions among women, and asked the men to stop causing hindrance to the progress of women.
Madam Gomashie said this in her closing remarks at a Gender Advocacy to Parliament (GAP) town hall meeting at Aflao, Ketu South.
The event was organised by Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica), a civil society parliamentary monitoring organisation working across the continent with funding support from the French Embassy.
The meeting, the first under the GAP project for women and women group organisations was to discuss the gender angles to the parliamentary meeting and to ensure that women MPs received feedback from these groups to inform their work on the floor of Parliament.
Participants identified challenges to women’s involvement in politics and other fields, and suggested ways to addressing them.
“Women are not their own enemies. It is the culture that determines how to think. The patriarchal system, the socialisation process – assigning gender roles to boys and girls pulled women back early in life.” Madam Gomashie said.
The first-ever female MP in the entire southern Volta: Akatsi North and South, North, Central and South Tongu, Ketu North and South, and Keta and Anlo Constituencies since the Fourth Republic encouraged women to conquer the fears, discrimination, perceptions and all other obstacles to attain their aspirations.
She used herself as an example saying, she defied all odds, closed her ears to discouraging comments and soldiered on, and noted she would not have made history as the first female MP from the area if she had given up.
Mr Gilbert Borketey Boyefio, Programmes Manager, PNAFRICA said Ghana must be seen to be making efforts to attain the Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality, and empowerment of women and girls, and the best way to do that was to retain the current number of female MPs and vote more women to the next Parliament to advocate for women issues.
Participants at the meeting identified cultural limitation, lack of resources, stigmatisation and right education among others as setbacks to women’s involvement in politics and progress in other fields.
They proposed creation of a fund by women caucus in Parliament to empower other women to join politics, female-child empowerment and finding ways to deal with teenage pregnancy to remove some of the barriers to girls/women’s progress.
A professor of Computer Science, Nii Darku Quaynor, entreated Ghanaians to patronise what he described as “traditional technologies.”
He noted that Ghana has enormous traditional technologies and tools, which when developed into modern educational and computational tools will be critical for national development.
Prof Quaynor, who made a case for the Oware board as a useful tool in mathematics and computer programming and engineering, urged the Government to resource schools to explore the potential of the traditional game in educational development.
Oware is a board game (played with pebbles on a block of carved wood with holes) said to have been developed originally as an accounting system that helps in the development of numeric skills.
At a lecture on: “The science of oware board”, Prof Quaynor noted that Ghana, just like many African countries, had enormous “heritage scientific tools,” noting that: “Unfortunately, Africa seems to be users and not providers [of technology].”
The lecture was organised by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in Accra on Thursday.
“We’re lagging because we’re not confident and everything seems to be imported. We must know our roots and have confidence in ourselves and what we have. If we’re able to go and get an abacus from far away, we can develop ours,” he said.
Prof Quaynor explained that the traditional tools and technologies, when taught in schools and developed, would engender people’s ability to build modern technologies to spur development in various fields of the economy.
“Abandoning our scientific cultural heritage weakens our ability to domesticate modern computational sciences, and without the confidence from legacy, we’ll naturally turn to wait for global consensus to act and that will keep us in the digital divide forever,” Prof Quaynor said.
The computer science professor bemoaned the lack of support for persons and various Science Departments across the country and urged the Government to make conscious efforts to partner with institutions and people for scientific innovations.
“If we don’t invest urgently in Science Departments at the Universities, we could soon outsource all technical operations in Ghana’s industry overseas,” Prof Quaynor cautioned.
“We’re not teaching the pupils at the primary school these helpful methods at the primary schools, yet we want to teach them coding, which is a difficult thing to do. This is fundamental,” he said.
On the discovery of the oware board as a mathematical tool, the professor explained that through research, it was discovered that the mechanical manipulation of the game had seen its usefulness in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
He also said its primitives allowed a convention for cascading functions to create a sequence of operations in computer programming, including pascal, and C programmes (general-purpose computer programming language).
“I hope that knowing we have the forgotten computational heritage will motivate us to take real ownership. Please teach oware calculus to somebody else,” Prof Quaynor said.
In Ghana, the oware calculus is taught at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) with five Latin American Universities also teaching the traditional technology.
Ghanaians voted, and the judges for the 2022 edition of Ghana’s Most Beautifulcrowned Tung-Teiya Dahamani as the winner of this pageant on Sunday, October 9, 2022.
The top five ladies, namely, Teiya, Asiedua, Amoani, Xornam, and Aikoadade, gave spectacular performances about their individual projects, which will benefit their region and Ghana at large.
However, Teiya won the hearts of the judges and audience with her responses to the one-on-one question. Co-host Cookie Tee asked her whether rapists should be castrated.
In her response, the intelligent queen said there are two types of rapists, male and female, so castration can’t be applied. However, rapists should be given lifetime punishment in prison for hard labor to work on farms and increase agricultural production.
Teiya won with a margin of eight per cent, making her the third representative from the Northern Region to take home the car, crown, and cash of twenty thousand Ghana cedis.
YEN.com.gh shares things you need to know about the new queen, Teiya, who wants to teach young girls in the Northern Region vocational skills to dissuade them from migrating to urban cities to become head potters.
1. She is the daughter of Hon. Alhassan Dahamani
According to reports, Tung-Teiya Dahamani is allegedly the daughter of Mr. Alhassan Dahamani. He is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, representing the Tamale North Constituency in the Northern Region. He is a Muslim married with three children.
2. Teiya won the maiden edition of the Queen Of The North Reality Show
Miss Tung-Teiya was crowned winner of the Queen of the North pageant in 2019. She represented the northern region in the competition against Seidu Sadia of the Savannah Region, Apasiini from the Upper East, Muty from the Upper West, and Wunzoya from the North East Region. Teiya took home a brand-new car and other consolation prizes.
3. She is an alumnus of the University of Development Studies and Mfantsiman Girls Secondary School
The 28-year-old beauty queen graduated from one of the prestigious universities in Ghana, the University of Development with honors after excelling at Mfantsiman Girls Secondary School.
4. Teiya represented Ghana at Miss Intercontinental 2019 in Egypt
The eloquent beauty queen represented her motherland, Ghana at the International level of Miss Intercontinental in 2019. Teiya showcased the right Ghanaian culture and tradition through her choice of fashion wardrobe and mannerisms
5. Teiya competed in Miss Ghana 2020
The ambitious lady, Teiya competed in Miss Ghana 2020 but failed to make it top five spots for the finale. However, she won Miss Ghana Social Media Challenge that year. Monique Mawulawe won the prestigious title for the year.
He has insisted that the GRAhas no right to hunt him for taxes adding that he (Shatta) struggled alone to attain this level of success in his career.
“GRAcan only come for my money when they have helped me to build this. If you don’t solve the issues for me, don’t come to me when I am making money,” he told Paul Adom Otchere on the Good Evening Ghana show.
He continued: “I can be in Ghana and they will go like GRA wants to tax me. Do they know when I started with my laptop and a single PC? You should have been there to help at that time. No government protects our craft. They don’t know how I’m making the money.”
Buttressing his points further, the Dancehall artiste described as unfair how some Black Stars footballers are massively benefiting from the government whiles musicians are being left to figure themselves out.
To this end, Shatta believes that when Ghanaian artistes like him struggle against the odds to make it, government agencies like GRA should keep off their wealth.
“They don’t buy me boots, give me bonus or even buy me first-class tickets like they do for Dede Ayew, Asamoah Gyan and other Black Stars players. I haven’t gotten any bonus from my music. My last bonus was my GHC30,000 GHAMRO royalties,” Shatta said.
He continued: “Recently GRA came on me hard that I couldn’t even behave well. I understand I am a citizen and I have to pay tax. But what di the government do for me as a citizen to pay tax? This is what I complain about every day of my life.”
The SM boss also addressed popular assertions that he often fails to relay his concerns in a subjective manner.
“Anybody who has a problem with how I communicate, they should carry their house matter and keep it like that.”
As a keynote speaker, Jack Dorsey, chairman of Block and co-founder of Twitter, will appear at the inaugural Africa Bitcoin Conference in Accra, Ghana, from December 5–7, 2022.
Co-founder of Twitter Jack Dorsey currently leads Block, a group of fintech businesses that includes Square, Cash App, Spiral, TIDAL, and TBD.
Block is a platform targeted at assisting small and medium-sized businesses accept online payments, therefore creating tools to make the economy more accessible to consumers and businesses.
Cash App has grown to be one of the most well-known and accessible Bitcoin exchange platforms in the United States. Bitcoin is also a significant component of Block’s business.
Block bought $50 million worth of Bitcoin in the fourth quarter of 2020 and another $170 million in the first quarter of 2021.
The former CEO of Twitter and now Chairman of Block, Jack Dorsey, hasn’t been shy about voicing his support for Bitcoin, and he hopes to see Bitcoin become the internet’s native currency. Dorsey has stated that he believes Bitcoin can alter the world, and he considers Bitcoin to be the most important project of his lifetime. In 2021, Jack Dorsey partnered with rapper Jay-Z to launch a new endowment called “B-trust” worth 500 BTC to fund Bitcoin software development in Africa and India.
Jack Dorsey will join about seventy other speakers in the largest Bitcoin conference ever to take place in Africa. Farida Nabourema, a Togolese human rights activist and the convener of the Africa Bitcoin Conference, believes Bitcoin could become the currency of decolonization, allowing hundreds of millions of unbanked Africans to participate in a global and independent monetary system and providing a powerful resource to activists fighting against authoritarian regimes.
The Africa Bitcoin Conference will bring together developers, investors, startups, and human rights activists from across the continent and beyond, to build a movement that will accelerate Bitcoin adoption in Africa. Other notable speakers include Obi Nwosu, co-founder and CEO of Fedi, Alex Gladstein, CSO of the Human Rights Foundation, Ray Yussuf CEO of Paxful among others.
Media personality Deloris Frimpong Manso, popularly known as Delay, has issued a word of caution to Dr. UN following his recent association with German-based Ghanaian socialite, Joyce Dzidzor Mensah.
The two, after informing Ghanaians about their marriage, have since been involved in all kinds of social stunts, including the public display of their sexual encounters.
In a series of videos that have popped up, Dr. UN and his supposed wife, who appear to have been living together, have been filming their sexual escapades like kissing, touching, and so on.
They have been doing everything possible to gain public attention. In one of such instance, Dr. UN went the extra mile to surprise Joyce with a car gift, which many have said was rented.
Although they have ended their supposed ‘two-weeks contractual marriage’, scores of social media users lambasted them for going to the extreme just to pull off a stunt.
Delay has also joined the long list of critics to speak on the issue.
According to the Delay show host, Dr. UN should expect the outcome of whatever he has “planted” with the former HIV/AIDS ambassador.
“I have seen that DR. UN and Joyce Dzidzor have been involved with certain acts. They told us about their wedding, and at first, I even thought they were kidding. In one of their usual videos, I saw Dr. UN stuck right behind Joyce Dzidzor, and you can tell that he was seeing stars, he was in his feelings. Dr. UN, you will definitely reap the seed you are planting. If you plant a mango in Joyce’s house, you won’t harvest a banana or even guava,” Delay said.
Presidential Advisor on Media, Florence Oboshie Sai Coffie has called on business brands in Africa to leverage the potential of the vast youth population on the continent.
Speaking at the 5th International Advertising Association (IAA) Africa Rising Conference, she noted that harnessing the power of the youth in Africa “will help to consolidate the present gains and allow the youth to carry on the mantra ‘Africa Rising’ appropriately.”
She noted that “our young population is huge, dynamic, diverse and growing so fast by day. As experts, we need to be able to harness the power of the youth and make sure that we target them effectively in all our projects,” she stressed.
Youth empowerment is a key driver of economic growth and national development. Empowered youth have transformed economies in various parts of the world by contributing to national income, the expansion of other industries, etc.
However, in Africa, much is yet to be seen in this regard as the youth continue to battle with a myriad of issues including unemployment. Oboshie Sai Coffie, therefore, called on brands to engage the youth and help them unleash their potential.
IAA Africa Rising 5
Held on the theme: “Brands for purpose; brands for people,” the 5th Africa Rising Leadership conference brought the African continent together on a stage that highlighted brands which have not only chalked success in the areas of growth but in their ability to make a difference in their communities.
The conference was held on October 4 and 5 at the Labadi Beach hotel in Accra.
Prominent personalities that graced the occasion included Chief Brand Officer for Moderna, Kate Cronin, Global Creative Strategy Director, Islam Eldessoukay, the CEO of African Brand Warrior, Fatima Alimohamed, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Marketing – Ghana (CIMG), Kwabena Akuamoah Agyekum, CEO of Mobile Money Limited, Eli Hini, CEO of MullenLowe, Mrs Norkor Duah, World President of the IAA, Joel Nettey, and a host of other great personalities.
In line with the theme for the event, World President of the International Advertising Association (IAA), Joel Nettey, advised brands to maintain a relatively significant presence, even in tough times. He noted that this was the only way to keep them in the minds of consumers at all times.
“Traditionally, it’s been said that brands that are consistent in the market space even through the hard times are the brands that consumers remember when they come out of the hard times.
“It’s human nature- if you need something you go to the brands that you hear – so today you may not be able to afford but whenever your income allows you to afford, you are going to go to the brands that you remember so the advice to brands is that even though times are hard, maintain a reasonable presence because ultimately things are going to change. The hard times are not going to last forever and the consumer will always remember the brands that were present in their lives at the difficult times,” he maintained.
Also, CEO of the McDan Group of companies charged brands to leverage the opportunities that come with the African Free Continental Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Ghanaian former disc jockey, now turned musician DJ Azonto has revealed that, there was a time in his life he had no option than to date his cousin to enable him survive on daily basis.
He explained that the experience was not something he wanted, but the circumstances and refusal of his father to take good care of him pushed him into such actions.
Speaking on Okay FM’s ‘Best Entertainment Show’, he said his father used to give enough money to his cousin which moved him to date her, so he could get part of the money to feed himself.
He added that he was a poor guy, sleeping in kiosk and church premises; meanwhile, his father was the richest man in the neighborhood he stayed.
“My father was a rich man but I never enjoyed his riches. He was the richest man in the whole area but he wasn’t taking good care of me. I used to sleep in the kiosk and church premises because of lack of accommodation. Due to that, I couldn’t take care of him as well when he was sick, due to pains that were all over me. My cousins used to go for big monies from him. I dated my cousin because I needed money to survive.
“She was a beautiful young lady who was getting good money from my father. I dated her so I can get part of the money for myself. I had to pretend loving her for my share of the money – it wasn’t easy those days. She was my girlfriend” he detailed.
Black Meteors coach Ibrahim Tanko has set sights on qualifying the team to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris after many years of absence.
The 45-year-old was in charge of the team which finished fourth at the 2019 tournament won by hosts Egypt, which ensured Ghana missed out on the 2020 Olympic Games.
Ghana will face Mozambique in a double header later this month with the winner moving on to play the winner of the tie between Algeria and DR Congo.
“We didn’t get the chance to play at the Olympics in Tokyo but we have another chance and so we are doing everything possible so that we qualify for the Africa Under-23 Championship and then the Olympic Games,” coach Tanko told ghanafa.org.
“We have almost three weeks and we have been in camp for the past two weeks and with the league on hold, we have all the players for training and are doing everything possible to qualify.”
The 4th edition of one of the most prestigious award schemes in Ghana, the Time Ghana Arts and Entertainment Awards took place at the National Theatre on Saturday, October 8, 2022.
The Time Ghana Arts and Entertainment Awards (TGAEA) is aimed at rewarding individuals who have excelled in the creative arts circles.
One of the gratifying moments that characterised the much-publicised event happens to be how the hosts on the night Nana Adwoa-Annan of Atinka TV and Ghanaian movie star Gloria Sarfo eloquently emceed it.
Their coordination with the audience, their self-confidence and their fashion senses exceedingly showed how prepared they were for the night
As a way of portraying our rich Ghanaian culture to the world, Nana Adwoa and Gloria Sarfo hopped onto the stage with Adowa dance – celestially dressed in Kente adorned with expensive beads.
Kente is more than a clothing item, it is a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, religious beliefs and political thought.
Factually, they were aesthetically pleasing to watch. Most patrons who spoke to Hotfmghana.com after the event showered praises on the duo for emceeing the event without any blemish.
This year’s edition of the event had over 47 award categories, some of which include; Best News Anchor, Best Movie, Best Executive Producer of the Year, Face of TV Commercial, Discovery of the Year, Blogger of the Year, Man and Woman of the Year among others.
Popular radio presenter and the host of Accra FM’s mid-morning show ‘Ayekoo Ayekoo’, Nana Romeo was adjudged ‘Best Man of The Year’. Legendary Ghanaian Hiplife artiste, Ex Doe, apart from being honoured on the night put up an amazing performance to the delight of patrons.
Celebrated female broadcaster Gifty Anti, Popular Nigerian Actress and Comedienne, Emmanuella Adaobi Njubigbo and Rev Dr Abbeam Danso were some of the personalities that graced the well-organized event.
Sunday, 9 October 2022, the memorial and thanksgiving service for the late musician Nana Kwame Ampadu took place at the Obo Community Centre, in his home town Obo Kwahu.
In the same town, on Saturday, his funeral service was held following a state burial on Friday, 7 October 2022, at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.
In attendance at the state burial were hundreds who came to pay their last respects to the music icon who came to prominence in 1967 when he released his song ‘Ebi Te Yie’ which was believed to be a protest song against the then-governing National Liberation Council (NLC) which toppled Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Aside from members of the Clergy, members of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), members of the Obra Drama Group among family, friends and the general public, creative arts stars like Kojo Antwi, Akosua Agyepong, Obour, Grace Omaboe (Maame Dokono), Adwoa Smart and David Dontor were in attendance.
Also present were dignitaries like the Speaker of Parliament Rt Hon Alban Bagbin, the Minister for Interior Hon Ambrose Dery, the Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei Opare, former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, the Clergy and H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who noted the outpouring of grief following Nana Ampadu is testament to how dear and impactful he was to the music industry in Ghana.
“Talk of the commencement and growth of Highlife music and one of the people whose name would be on the lips of every Ghanaian would be Nana Kwame Ampadu,” the President eulogised.
“Indeed, the outpouring of grief by many Ghanaians, following the news of his death, is an appreciation of the impact his music had on successive generations of Ghanaians. He was one of Ghana’s music icons and undoubtedly, a legendary Highlife artiste whose music transcended our national borders,” Mr Akufo-Addo noted.
“Nana Ampadu believed in my vision for the transformation of Ghana and assisted me tremendously on the campaign trail in the run-up to the victory of my party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and myself in the elections of 2016 of which we remain eternally grateful,” he revealed.
“His was a life well-lived, and he will be sorely missed by all who had the opportunity and privilege of knowing and meeting him,” the President concluded.
The MUSIGA, which Nana Ampadu once served as President, also extolled him for his immense contribution to the growth of the union over the years and in particular the role he played in the establishment of the Ageing Musicians Trust Fund.
Known since 1973 as the ‘Ndwontofoohene (King of Singers)’, the man who is acclaimed for composing more than 800 songs is survived by a wife, Madam Joyce AB Frimpong, 24 children and 30 grandchildren.
Despite the challenging macroeconomic problems the nation was facing, the banking sector’s performance remained solid.
In a statement released by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) following the 108th regular meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee of the BoG, Governor Dr. Ernest Addison said that total assets increased by 22.9% on an annual basis to GH204.6 billion in August 2022 due to sustained growth in deposits, up from a 16.7% annual growth the year before.
According to him, total deposits climbed by 22.5% to GH136.7 billion, compared to a growth rate of 21.8% in August 2021.
“The key Financial Soundness Indicators (FSIs) of the banking industry have remained positive in the year, with Capital Adequacy Ratio at 18.1 per cent, well above the regulatory minimum of 13.0 per cent. The sector was also liquid, reflected by an increase in the core liquid assets to short-term liabilities to 31.1 per cent in August 2022 from 24.7 per cent in the previous year,” he said.
He said the asset quality also improved as the non-performing loans ratio declined to 14.3 per cent at end of August 2022, from 17.3 per cent in August 2021, reflecting partly, the higher level of outstanding loans.
The governor said profit before tax for banks stood at GH¢6.1 billion in August 2022, representing an annual growth of 25.2 per cent, compared to 27.4 per cent in the previous year.
He said the net interest income of baking sector grew by 17.3 per cent, compared to 17.9 per cent, adding that Net fees and commissions also increased by 26.9 per cent to GH¢2.3 billion, compared with 21.8 per cent growth in the previous year, reflecting the rebound in credit growth as well as an increase in trade finance-related business.
“Other income of banks grew by 85.6 per cent to GH¢2.0 billion, compared with a contraction of 5.4 percent a year ago. These developments resulted in a 25.5 percent growth in operating income to GH¢14.2 billion, relative to a growth of 15.7 percent in the previous year,” Dr Addison, said.
He indicated that operating expenses increased sharply by 24.3 per cent in August 2022, compared to 9.0 per cent growth in August 2021, partly reflecting the impact of inflation on banks’ operations.
In a related development, Dr Addison said the results from the bank’s August 2022 confidence surveys showed further softening of Business and Consumer sentiments.
“The latest Bank of Ghana high frequency indicators signaled some moderation in economic activity. The Composite Index of Economic Activity (CIEA) recorded an annual growth of 0.5 per cent in July 2022, compared to 1.6 per cent in June 2022, and 5.0 per cent in December 2021. The sources of the slowdown were from construction and port activities,” Dr Addison, said.
He indicated that consumer confidence also dipped on account of rising inflation, business sentiments softened on the back of concerns about price pressures, currency depreciation, and weakening consumer demand.
Popular radio and television presenter, Esther Asamoah, popularly known in the showbiz scene as Ohemaa Woye Supa, has won the Outstanding Woman of the Year at this year’s Time Ghana Arts and Entertainment Awards [TGAEA] held at the National Theatre in Accra.
The award was in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the growth of the television industry in Ghana.
She beat off competition from Ohemaa Woyeje [Angel FM], Sokoo Hemaa [Rainbow Radio], Cynthia Tima Yeboah [Hitz Fm] and Roselyn Feli.
Receiving the Award She accepted the award and expressed her heartfelt gratitude to God and all of her fans for their unwavering support since she first entered the television industry.
“I am deeply grateful to God Almighty, the organizers, and everyone who helped make this happen,” she said.
She also thanked Angel TV’s executive producers and management for providing her with the necessary platform for her career growth.
Ohemaa Woye Supa hosts the cooking show ‘Supa’s Kitchen’ on Angel TV.
‘Supa’s Kitchen’ is a cooking show on television that interviews celebrities while cooking their favourite dishes.
Some of the categories include, Best News Anchor, Best Movie, Best Executive Producer of the Year, Face of TV Commercial, Discovery of the Year, Blogger of the Year, Man and Woman of the Year among others.
US-based Ghanaian fashion critic, Charlie Dior, has lambasted Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie over what he described as a poor choice of fashion style at the just-ended Global Citizen Festival.
Sarkodie was captured in a pair of black tracksuit, and a black tee with a pair of Nike sneakers to match.
He paired the outfit with a multi-coloured scarf tied around his neck and some black hand gloves.
Although not much has been said about his outfit, Charlie Dior appears to have conducted a thorough analysis of it.
According to him, the Sarkcess Music boss dresses as though he purchased his clothes from a cheap store.
Speaking in a viral video, Charlie maintained that although Sarkodie is perceived as an artist with a high fashion appeal, his recent style of dressing to the Global Citizen Concert sucks.
Charlie established that he felt disappointed the moment he chanced on Sarkodie at the event.
“Sarkodie dresses and it looks like he buys from Kantamanto. He does not look sophisticated with blowing cigars. He needs to sit with his team and address that, he added.
Charlie Dior believes that the rapper must go back to the basics and ensure that he looks the part.
“He much not slack when it comes to choosing and picking what to wear”.
Efia Odo, a US-trained assistant nurse, socialite and actress, born Andrea Owusu has lashed out at some persons who accused her of betraying rapper and singer, Kwesi Arthur to follow Black Sherif.
Efia Odo and Kwesi Arthurhave over the years expressed their love for one another publicly.
The actress does not miss a chance to shout out Kwesi Arthur when the rapper achieves a new feat and makes it a point to constantly run advertisements for Kwesi Arthur anytime he releases a new song.
However, for some days now, Efia Odo has been observed promoting the works of fast-rising Ghanaian singer, Black Sherif.
This move by Efia Odo did not sit well with some netizens as they refer to her as a traitor for switching sides.
Reacting to the allegations levelled against her, Efia Odo described the person’s badmouthing her as having a faulty mentality.
Efia Odo believes that there is nothing wrong with supporting two solid artistes who are doing great for themselves.
“That’s the problem with y’all. There is something wrong with our mentality. Arguing and comparing as if 2 Kings can’t rule in their own kingdom. Black Sherif and Kwesi Arthur are both talented as Fuck, they just need our equal support. Use your energy for positive things or stfu,” Efia Odo said in a tweet on her official Twitter page.
Check out Efia Odo’s post
That’s the problem with y’all. There is something wrong with our mentality. Arguing and comparing as if 2 Kings can’t rule in their own kingdom. Black Sherif and Kwesi Arthur are both talented as Fuck, they just need our equal support. Use your energy for positive things or stfu
In a post shared on his Instagram Story, Meek Mill has given his thoughts on the artist formerly known as Kanye West amid his “White Lives Matter” t-shirt controversy.
“I used to listen to ye every night and jail for motivation on god!” Meek wrote. “And came home and watched him shit on my name and brand like nothing …. I ain’t say nothing … but I been knew you was on that nerd tryna shit on street n***as you just said it to boosie. It hurts my heart to even know some of y’all this crazy and lame … ion need no verses from no n***as because I been hot since 13 @justinlaboy don’t invite me to none of them weird ass parties wit bro.”
In the post, which was accompanied by a clip of Ye criticizing the lyrical content of popular hip-hop songs, Meek suggested that the 45-year-old multi-hyphenate has internalized racism.
“What you be doing for fame driving you crazy… look how hard you came at me n***as know I’m vocal it’s like you hate your own people,” he continued. “You ain’t even post @vory album after all that work he did for you and he look up to you … you made sure you said Jack Harlow was the hottest in Kentucky overlooked est and vory.”
Ye, who has only doubled down on his “White Lives Matter” stance in a bizarre interview with Tucker Carlson, hasn’t responded to Meek’s comments yet. However, almost every celebrity who has been critical of him has received an intense post on Instagram calling them out. Gigi Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Diddy, and Supreme creative director Tremaine Emory have all faced Ye’s wrath over the past week.
Aduana Stars‘ Kwame Adom Frimpong has won the NASCO Player of the Month award for September, 2022.
The midfielder claimed the award after his influential performances for the Ogya boys throughout the last month.Out of three league matches played, Adom Frimpong scored two goals and emerged as NASCO MVP in two matches.
He beat off competition teammate Bright Adjei as well as Medeama duo Kwasi Donsu and Kofi ASmah to win the monthly award.For his award, Kwame Adom Frimpong will receive a 43-inch NASCO Television set from Electroland Ghana Limited.Meanwhile, the Ghana Football Association has decided to put the betPawa Premier League on hold following a Motion on Notice for Injunction filed last Wednesday at the Human Rights High Court by AshantiGold SC and served on the GFA’s lawyers.
The Premier League was scheduled to enter match week four last weekend.
PayInc Group, the company that runs PAYANGEL Money Transfer, has partnered with UNCDF to scale-up their premier Direct to Merchant Remittances (D2MR) product.
Through direct remittances to businesses in the financial services, education, and health sectors, the partnership, which is supported by the European Union’s “Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana” project, aims to increase diaspora investments in the Ashanti and Western Regions.
This will make it simpler for retailers, especially businesses run by relocating migrants, of all sizes and sectors to accept payments and transfers and allocate them effectively.
Under this project, PayAngel will focus on SDG 3- Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 4- Quality Education, and SDG 5- Gender Equality; SDG 8- Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 10- Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 17- Partnership for Goals.
PayAngel will use the project as a scalable preparatory platform to educate returning migrant businesses and merchants with diaspora relations. The solution further opens new markets for merchants to sell their products and services.
CEO of PayInc Group, Jones Amegbor said, “We are building a global platform that enables immigrants to participate in shaping the digital economic expansion of their home regions whilst positioning local businesses to capitalize on the cross-border commerce growth.
Our simple, fast, and direct payment solutions, at scale, will allow Africans everywhere on the globe to make transfers and pay for everything at zero fees without the risk of fund diversion. The simplicity and innovation offered by PayAngel within the digital payments processing space will allow merchants to easily process payments from the diaspora with value-added service.”
He added that PayAngel is excited to be partnering with the UNCDF to expand on this first-in-the-market product in a bid to achieve it goal of connecting Africans to their home countries using technology that delivers transfers and payments speedily and without hassle to recipients in Africa.
The Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana – (GrEEn) is a four-year action from the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, UNCDF and SNV.
The project aims at creating greater economic and employment opportunities for youth, women and returning migrants by promoting and supporting sustainable, green businesses in selected regions (Ashanti and Western). GrEEn is implemented under the European Union Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa.
It was rather a ‘grief-stricken’ moment when tears consistently rolled down the cheeks of the late Highlife musician, Nana Kwame Ampadu’s wife, who was captured at the funeral grounds of her late husband.
All efforts by some women to console her proved futile as she cried profusely, as her tribute to her late husband was being read.
The manner in which the late musician’s wife wept got so infectious that even one of her ‘consolers’ ended up wailing as well.
Not forgetting the fact that the words in her written tribute sunk the audience into a more sorrowful state.
In attendance at the ceremony were President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin; the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei Opare; ministers of state; Members of Parliament; a former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings; the clergy, some veteran actors, musicians, chiefs and several other dignitaries.
The late Nana Ampadu was finally laid to rest on Saturday October 9, 2022, in his hometown, Obo Kwahu, in the Eastern Region.
Dr. Yaa Difie Osei, chair of the National Biosafety Authority’s (NBA) Technical Advisory Committee, has called for increased cooperation and collaboration between the NBA and the various regulatory institutions in the biosafety field by stepping up knowledge-sharing exchanges on contemporary biotechnology.
In order to ensure that the results of current biosafety and biotechnology are safe for consumption by humans and the environment, she emphasized that the field of modern biotechnology needs a coordinated effort of all professions.
“With an increase in human population and the improvement in technology, we need to ensure that food security is attained. This requires we innovate and improve using modern biotechnology.
Dr. Yaa Difie Osei on behalf of the board chair, Prof. Charles Antwi Boasiako, officially handed over the deregulation permit issued last June to Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) at their office in Nyankpala near Tamale in the Northern Region.
It was received by the Chairman of CSIR-SARI’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBM), Dr. Emmanuel Chamba, who in turn handed it over to the Director of CSIR-SARI, Dr. Francis Kusi for onward submission to the Director-General of CSIR, Prof. Paul P. Bosu.
This permit means that the cry1Ab gene used in the cowpea is safe for food, feed, and the environment.
The permit also means CSIR-SARI can go ahead with the next stages of commercialization which implies commencing multi-locational trials toward varietal registration and release.
As part of the handing over was also a visit to farmer-managed trial fields by regulators and partners; National Biosafety Authority (NBA), AATF (African Agricultural Technology Foundation), MoFA (Ministry of Food and Agriculture), Alliance for Science Ghana (AFS), Lead Farmers, some selected journalist and CSIR-SARI scientists to assess the progress of work on the Pod Borer Resistant Bt cowpea.
The team visited farmer-managed trial fields in Kpasenkpe near Walewale in the North-East Region, Chinchang and Sillbelle near Tumu in the Upper West Region.
“Five years ago, after spending a lot of money on chemicals to spray my cowpea farm, I still lost everything to the Maruca Pod borer, this made me shift from farming cowpea.
“After planting this new variety and seeing how well it fights against Maruca; am encouraged to go back into cowpea farming,” Inusah a cowpea farmer in Silbelle noted.
The cowpea when released as a variety becomes the first genetically modified crop to be cultivated in Ghana and Ghana becomes the second country in West Africa to grow it.
Dr. Gloria Adazebra, Plant Breeder at Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said GM technology is one of the tools in the toolbox of a plant breeder.
“It allows the breeder to access a host of beneficial traits to help overcome the barrier imposed by sexuality. So we’re able to access genome in other organisms that are not available to us naturally,” he explained.
Prof. Charles Antwi Boasiako, Geneticist at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology said GMOs promise to resolve the issues of poverty, malnutrition, hunger, income issues of farmers.
“I will want to urge the various regulatory institutions in the biosafety space to make sure demand does not outweigh supply; as we are seeing in Nigeria,” he stated.
Dr. Francis Onyekachi, AATF Stewardship Manager, said this is a critical time to strengthen stewardship of the release product and monitor its effects at the farmers’ level.
“Good stewardship and monitoring, and successful release of PBR cowpea will aid development and release of subsequent GM crops.
“The purpose of this Small Research Activity (SRA) is to record and analyse early data on the effectiveness and impact of the PBR cowpea for the Ghanaian farmers who will be growing this new variety,” he said.
Dr. Jean Baptiste Tignegre, PBR Cowpea Project Manager said that farmers and extension agents have crucial roles to play in Africa’s quest to attain food and nutritional security.
“To our farmers and extension agents, of all the things that will be said here today, please remember that you are the link to the attainment of food and nutrition security which all African countries are working hard to achieve.
If our extension agents get it right, by taking the necessary technologies and information to our farmers, then farmers will be properly guided to produce the necessary food that will ensure we meet our daily needs, he added.
According to TMZ, Antonio Brown, the NFL free agent, is being sued for allegedly selling a fake Richard Mille watch for six figures.
The plaintiff, identified as Florida resident Ryan Kane, filed the complaint in Broward County earlier this week, more than two months after the transaction went down. Kane alleges the defendant presented the watch—an RM 011 model—as authentic, and claimed it was worth more than $400,000. Kane ultimately took Brown’s word and copped the timepiece for $160,000; however, it was long before he learned the watch was a fake.
Several weeks after purchasing the watch, Kane allegedly took it to an appraiser for insurance purposes. It was at that time, according to Kane, he was informed that the watch was only worth about $200.Kane proceeded to do some digging, and allegedly learned that Brown had purchased the knockoff, and a few others like it, for less than $500 apiece in Dubai. It’s unclear how the defendant came across the information, but it’s worth pointing out Brown was recently accused of stealing $122,000 worth of jewelry in Dubai.
Kane is seeking to get his $160,000 back, plus interest. Brown has yet to publicly comment on the lawsuit.
The news comes just days after Brown was accused of exposing himself to guests at the Armani Hotel Dubai. The embattled athlete defended himself in a series of tweets, claiming the NFL was using the allegations—and supporting surveillance video footage—to distract from the league’s concussion controversies.
“Every chance they get to sway the heat off themselves they use me. In the video you can clearly see she runs off with my swim trunks. If roles were reversed the headlines would read ‘AB having a wild night with nude female.’ Yet when it’s me it automatically becomes a hate crime.” He continued, “It’s crazy to me that even after I retire there is disinformation coming out about me. Ironically, during a time when the NFL is getting heat for allowing players to play when they’re clearly concussed. They’ve been using black men as guinea pigs.”
Berekum Chelsea head coach Christopher Ennin has been named as the NASCO Coach of the Month for the month of September, 2022.The trainer beat fellow topflight coaches Yaw Preko(Great Olympics) and Paa Kwesi Fabin (Aduana FC) to the win the award.
Coach Ennin guided the Blues to two wins and a draw out of three league matches played in September.
He becomes the first head coach to win the award in the 2022/23 betPawa Premier League season.
The coach will receive a 43-inch NASCO Television from Electroland Ghana Limited.Meanwhile, the Ghana Football Association has decided to put the betPawa Premier League on hold following a Motion on Notice for Injunction filed last Wednesday at the Human Rights High Court by AshantiGold SC and served on the GFA’s lawyers.
The Premier League was scheduled to enter match week four last weekend.
Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo has lamented over Ghana spending US$1.35 billion last year on rice importation alone.
According to him, foreign exchange that could be used on machinery to modernize the economy was spent on rice although rice could be grown in every part of the country.
Osafo-Maafo made this known yesterday in Accra speaking at the Ghana Beyond Aid (GBA) committee’s stakeholder consultation with the leadership of faith-based organizations (FBOs).
In a presentation on the GBA charter document, he said there was some part of the Northern Region which could grow more than enough rice to feed West Africa with little irrigation.
Osafo-Maafo indicated that private sector development was important because rice production could not be developed by the government but by the private sector.
“It will depend on private farmers to develop rice as we depend on cocoa farmers to develop cocoa,” he noted.
In addition, the minister stated, there was a need for human development hence, focusing on technical and vocational education would enhance the economic growth of the country.
“The countries that have made it such as South Korea, Japan, and Germany, that is where the emphasis is on their education system,” he said.
In order to achieve a country beyond aid, Osafo-Maafo added that there was the need to harness effectively available resources and deploy them creatively and efficiently for rapid economic and social transformation.
The Brooklyn-born artist, formerly known as Mos Def, has issued an apparent response to Kanye West’s “white lives matter” tee, which he unveiled in Paris earlier this week. Bey shared a series of Instagram photos in which he donned a shirt that featured the controversial slogan; however, in his design, the “v” in “lives” was blacked out, turning the phrase into “white lies matter.”
Kanye’s original tee featured the “wlm” slogan on the back, and the face of Pope John Paul II on the front. Bey’s design bore the image of German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, who is widely criticized for his views on race and Eurocentric account of history.
Bey’s post credited Anuar Khalifi, a Spanish-Moroccan artist who owns The Third Line Art Gallery in Dubai. You can check out the Bey and Khalifi tee in the Instagram carousel above.
Kanye has faced mounting backlash over his use of “white lives matter,” a phrase that many consider dismissive of the Black Lives Matter movement. Music figures and fashion insiders, like Diddy, Gigi Hadid, Tremaine Emory, and Meek Mill have publicly criticized Kanye for the T-shirt and his subsequent defense of the design. Ye addressed the controversy during a Thursday appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
“I do certain things from a feeling, I just channel the energy. It just feels right. It’s using a gut instinct, a connection with God, and just brilliance,” West said about his creative choices. “… People say, ‘Well, as an artist you don’t have to give an explanation,’ but as a leader, you do.’ So the answer to why I wrote White Lives Matter on a shirt is because they do. It’s the obvious thing.”
However, here are 5 tasks one can adopt to make the experience simpler and easier.
Be resolved
Do your homework
Networking
Start small
Build a future
Starting out in real estate may sound like a daunting task and it is easy to get caught up in many books, blogs, and YouTube videos on how to “make” it! Here are 5 tasks to make the experience simpler and easier for you.
Be resolved
The first task in investing in real estate is to be resolved whatever decision you decide to take. Investing in real estate is not a decision to make off the top of your head but a lifelong pursuit that controls your financial future. It is best on that note, to make sure that all decisions are thought out thoroughly and that any outcome from those decisions is taken as lessons and experiences on which to improve.
Do your homework
The second task is to make sure to do your homework. Study the niche you want to invest in. Make time to study properties, learn about other investors and even know the building’s history. Many investors have heard of a property and after jumping in head first, have landed flat on their faces.
To avoid failing in your first property investment, learn everything you can about the area in which you want to invest in. For example, if you were interested in investing in Devtraco Plus properties, you would have to learn more about Labone, Dzorwulu, Roman Ridge and Cantonments. This would help you understand the value of the property you are investing in.
Networking
One of the most widely trusted aspects of building a business is networking. Networking puts you in touch with other investors, property owners, and even novices like yourself. Reach out to your local investors, hang out with them and even allow them to show off some of their properties. This will put you in good standing with the investors and will even have some of them teaching you tricks and tips from when they were also beginners in the game.
Start small
A lot of new investors believe that in order to build up their portfolio, they need a sizeable property to show that they mean business. But contrary to popular opinion, it’s okay to start small. Instead of looking for that high-rise building to invest in, why not start with the office space in your neighborhood or even with your own home? Starting small also ensures that any mistakes you make as a rookie will be on a small scale and will prepare you for when you eventually do buy the high-rise building.
Build a future
Lastly, don’t quit your day job! After successfully investing in a property, do not brand yourself as a pro and go into it full-time. Unless your ideal job is buying cash-flowing properties, why not keep reinvesting that cashflow into bigger and better real estate and creating investments for your future? Use the real estate investment to secure financial freedom for you and your family while maintaining your career as well.
There are great investment opportunities when you invest with Devtraco Plus. Devtraco Plus properties are award-winning developments, located in prime areas of Accra, being taken care of by a distinguished in-house property management team called Talis Property Services. This means that you are assured of an appreciation in the value of an average 5% annually, alongside 10% rent returns if you invest in our properties. At Devtraco Plus, we guide you through your property purchase process to make sure that you are making the right decision. An investment in a Devtraco Plus property is never a loss, only a win!
Former Ghana goalkeeper, Joe Carr has called on Black Stars head coach, Otto Addo to be bold in his player selection ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Ghana after securing qualification at the expense of Nigeria have been housed in Group H alongside Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay.
Ahead of the Mundial, Andre Ayew speaking to Al Jazeera hinted senior players might be favored ahead of new players who have joined the team.
The 32-year-old’s comments did not go down well with many Ghanaian football fans.
However, Carr believes Addo must be firm in his player selection and should not hesitate to bench senior players who do not perform.
“The coach (Otto Addo) should not hesitate to bench senior players if they do not live up to his expectation,” he told Graphic Sports.
“This is the only way to get players to give their best during the competition,” he added.
Ghana will open their campaign against Portugal on November 24 at Stadium 974 in Doha.
Four days later, the Black Stars return to action with a clash with South Korea at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.
Ghana will wrap up their group stage adventure with their much-anticipated encounter with Uruguay at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah.
The Black Stars having missed out in the last edition hosted in Russia in 2018 will be hoping to improve their performance in Qatar after exiting the group phase during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area in the Western Region, Nana Kobina Nketsia IV, highlighted that the schemes deceive people into making risky investments.
He also commended the SEC for choosing the Western Region to launch their regional outreach initiative.
Nana Kobina Nketsia IV, Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area in the Western Region, has charged the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) to take steps to curb the proliferation of Ponzi schemes in the market.
According to him, such schemes have lured many people into bad investments and caused them untold hardships and in many instances death.
Speaking at a regional education campaign organised by SEC in Takoradi dubbed, ‘Time with the SEC’, he stated that it was however refreshing to see the SEC undertaking various investor engagement programmes to increase public trust, confidence, and a better understanding of the capital market.
He also applauded the SEC for their decision to begin their regional outreach programme in the Western Region.
Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah, Western Regional Minister, in a speech, the public education programmes were vital to the development of the entrepreneurial mindset and enterprise in the region. He highlighted the need for the SEC to also help make the region an attractive financial hub in the country.
Director-General (DG) of the SEC, Rev. Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, in a comment, explained the rationale for the introduction of ‘Time with the SEC’ to protect investors. He pointed out other important steps that had been taken to strengthen the securities industry including issuing important guidelines for market operators, the introduction of more stringent licensing requirements and the launch of a 10-year Capital Market Master Plan to serve as a blueprint for the growth and development of the Ghanaian capital market.
He assured the audience that there would be a series of capital market educational programmes under the ‘Time with the SEC’ investor education programme rolled out across the country.
The SEC Director-General also provided the latest updates on the implementation of the Government Bailout programme and the next steps. He said there was also an engaging open forum that allowed investors and other members of the public an opportunity to ask questions and make their issues known directly to the SEC.
The programme covered topics including ‘Understanding the role of the SEC in the Capital Market’, ‘ The Regulatory Framework of the SEC’, ‘Understanding how the Capital Market works’, and ‘Capital Raising and Investment’.
A Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady reconciliation? It seems unlikely.
A source tells People magazine that the 42-year-old super model is “done” with the relationship and is ready to move on from her 13-year marriage. The news comes about a month after Bündchen and Brady reportedly separated due to disagreements about the latter’s un-retirement.
“She is done with their marriage. She was upset about it for a long time and it’s still difficult, but she feels like she needs to move on,” the insider told the outlet. “She doesn’t believe that her marriage can be repaired … She is just trying to figure out her life.”
The source said Bündchen doesn’t have much contact with Brady, but “is doing OK.” The two tied the knot in 2009 and share two children: a 12-year-old son named Benjamin Rein, and a 9-year-old daughter named Vivian Lake. Brady also has a 15-year-old son, John Edward, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan. The insider said Bündchen “feels bad” for the children, but doesn’t expect to face any custody issues during the divorce proceedings.
In February, Brady confirmed he was retiring from the NFL after 22 seasons; however, he announced his return to the league just 40 days later—a decision that Bündchen seemingly opposed.
“Obviously, I have my concerns—this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present,” Gisele told Elle. “I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too.”
Sources say the two have since retained divorce lawyers. The news came less than a year after Brady and Bündchen purchased a $17 million property on Miami Beach’s Indian Creek Island. An insider said Bündchen would prefer to stay in the area even after the divorce.
“Gisele loves Miami. She has friends there. She can see herself living there permanently,” the source said. “Again, she is still trying to figure things out. She is doing yoga, meditating and taking care of herself. She doesn’t put any pressure on herself to make drastic decisions.”
In the Oti Region, Ghana has identified some iron ore resources.
The discovery of the natural resource, according to the regional minister Joshua Makuba, aims to improve the home economy and boost Ghana’s export potential.
The regional minister said, “I want to advise people in Accra to start looking for land in the Oti Region because what is going to take Ghana from our current state to a very industrialized nation has been found in the Oti Region, and that is the iron ore,” when speaking with journalists at the Minister’s press conference in Accra on October 9, 2022.
He further said the discovery of iron ore in the region has been boosted by other quantities by the Ghana Integrated Iron Ore Development Corporation in collaboration with the Geological Service Department.
Proving further details on the development, Joshua Makuba said iron ore deposits have also been found in the Guan, Biakoye, Jasikan, Kajebi and Krachi districts of the Oti Region.
He however indicated that mining of the resources has not yet begun due to the quantum of the resource being estimated.
“Currently we are at a stage the technical people will call it mineral resource estimation to get the actual tonnage available on the land,” he stated.
The Oti Regional Minister said while the process is still ongoing, some private investors and stakeholders have begun committing funds toward the development of the natural resource.
Afia Schwarzenegger, typical of her, has thrown her weight behind Nana Agradaa for scamming her church members of various sums of money under the guise of doubling it for them.
As deduced from previous videos shared online, Nana Agradaa’s disgruntled followers said they believed her words and had given her various quantities of money in the hope of receiving multiple folds as she had promised.
But alas, that wasn’t meant to be after she scammed them of their money and quickly went into hiding but was later arrested by the police.
Afia Schwarzenegger, who also shared her two cents on the development insisted that the buffoonery of her church members and others who flocked to the church to partake in the scamming process are solely blamable for what happened.
“Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, did not take money from people in the church. Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray did not double money for people in the church.
So, if you willingly and greedily gave out your money to someone to spend, thank God. At least we have been able to fish out the stupid people in our midst. I don’t believe Agradaa did that but even if she did, God bless her abundantly,” Afia was heard saying in a Tik Tok live video.
“I just hope that Ghana Police is not going to waste our taxes, my taxes on stupid things like this,” Afia added.
The African Continent Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) countries have been urged to cooperate in order to forge a competitive front in nuclear power, which has emerged as the new energy trend for industrialization, by energy experts at the Africa Energy Conference 2022.
Speaking on the topic of “Sustainability and the Role of Nuclear Power in Enabling Africa’s Energy Ambitions,” Sophia Abena Tijani, Director of the Volta River Authority (VRA) Training School, advocated for African nations to cooperate and pool resources through the AfCFTA and economic blocs like ECOWAS in order to advance the continent rather than relying solely on the West.
“If we always go begging from the foreign donors, then obviously they will dictate to us because those funding agencies are also into business and do not give free money,” Sophia Abena Tijani stated.
She added that once Africa is committed to having a united front and commanding stance on what the continent wants and how its resources should be used, the funding agencies cannot dictate to the continent.
Energy expert Ing. Charles K. Boakye also cautioned that Africa needs to be careful in always soliciting for funds from the Western world, following the recent global energy crisis.
He admitted that Ghana cannot entirely scrap international loans and grants support to develop the energy sector; however, it can be reduced by first assessing the resources which can be locally generated to support the project.
“Ghana needs to strategise and implement a comprehensive plan to boost the manufacturing capacity of industries in order to internally supply material for the nuclear energy project, rather than looking to foreign donors to fund everything – for which we may not even get the revenue to repay,” he said.
The energy experts and industry players mentioned that African countries need to take leadership of their own affairs, and make progress within the AfCFTA environment to achieve sustainable development in the energy sector.
With so much pressure on electricity and the world’s aim to gear toward sustainable energy, there have been global discussions on considering nuclear power as an alternative.
The concern for sustainability and climate change has also sprung up in many environmental and developmental discussions, and nuclear power has become a resilient, secure and sustainable option for Africa’s energy ambitions.
Ghana has relied on hydro-power for many years as the major source of electricity for both domestic and industrial purposes.
However, in the past decade reports have shown that the country’s electricity demand has been estimated to be growing at a higher rate of 7 percent annually as a result of increasing population, industrialisation and expansion of electricity supply to rural communities.
Even though there are other sources of electricity like wind and solar, they cannot be produced on a larger scale to supply sustainable energy to the growing population and industries in the country.
Nuclear energy can contribute immensely to development of the country as it provides eco-friendly and clean energy, improved agriculture, advanced medical treatment and clean water.
The Ghana Revenue Authority will begin auctioning off vehicles on an online platform from Friday, October 21, 2022.
The intention is to help eradicate corruption related to the auctioning of goods at ports.
Selected vehicles will be auctioned off as part of a pilot programme for the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) platform known as the E-Auction module.
Anyone with an interest can visit http://auction.icums.gov.gh.
At a ceremony last week to introduce the GRA Service Charter, Commissioner-General of the GRA Rev. Amisshadai Owusu Amoah said potential car buyers would place bids online without physically attending the event.
Considering that there is no requirement for physical appearance, it will also give potential car buyers the chance to submit bids whenever it is convenient for them.
Customers can make payments immediately after their bids are electronically approved.
JoyNews in 2020 reported that Ghana loses thousands of cedis as a result of confiscated cars being auctioned cheaply to people who are politically connected.
At least in one case, the duty on a vehicle was found to have been paid for by the Office of the President.
In another instance, only GH¢25,000 was paid on a vehicle when the estimated duty ought to have been GH¢80,000.
It will also be recalled that in September 2022, the Office of the Special OSP paved the way for the Customs Division of the GRA to commence the auction of vehicles and other goods.
This was after an initial directive issued on August 19, 2022, for the authorities to halt such activities following suspected corruption are politically connected.
At least in one case, the duty on a vehicle was found to have been paid for by the Office of the President.
In another instance, only GH¢25,000 was paid on a vehicle when the estimated duty ought to have been GH¢80,000.
It will also be recalled that in September 2022, the Office of the Special OSP paved the way for the Customs Division of the GRA to commence the auction of vehicles and other goods.
This was after an initial directive issued on August 19, 2022, for the authorities to halt such activities following suspected corruption in our various offices. Another initiative is that by the end of October, we want to begin an E-Auction at the ports so that if you want to buy a car, just be home and click to search for the kind of car you want without coming to the port,” he added.
Shatta Wale has revealed the cover art for his impending Gift of God (GOG) album in a new post on Instagram.
The self-proclaimed Dancehall King is gearing up for the release of his latest studio album trailing previous ones namely; After The Storm (2016), Cloud 9 (2017), Reign (2018), and Wonder Boy (2019).
Announcing this new development to his legions of fans who are highly anticipating the mouthwatering album, Wale wrote;
“Praise be to his name
GIFT OF GOD ALBUM COVER
Thank you all 🙏❤️
The Most Important Thing Is The Story Not The Script, And That’s The Gift Of God.
Great Men Never Require Experiences. A Great Man is Hard On Himself, A small man is hard on others.
This is a story you need to know, A story That Has Never Been Told. A life of a man that is pure as Gold.
A man who fought for the masses, A man a who sacrificed himself for the masses. A man who chose God’s way over man’s dictations
It is said in his kingdom, which is the shatta movement empire and I quote “ Rule Number 1, Shatta Wale is Always Right.
Rule number 2, if you don’t understand, refer to rule number 1.
He came, he saw, He conquered, ladies and gentlemen, without further i do,i introduce THE GIFT OF GOD ALBUM.”
The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund)has disclosed the number of E-blocks (Community Day high school projects) completed as of December 2016.
This comes in response to what the Fund describes as “political media debate” on the projects, which is being particularly stoked by Sammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
It made reference to a post by the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi on Monday, October 2, 2022, which alleged that the NDC administration contracted had completed about 50 E-blocks between 2014 and 2016.
“For the records, the NDC/Mahama government in its bid to enhance access to Secondary Education, awarded a total of 124 Community Day Senior High School (E-Block) projects and completed about 50 of them by December 2016, out of which 46 were personally commissioned by President Mahama.”
However, the GETFund, in response, explained that the government awarded 101 contracts on E-Blocks between 2014 and 2016 on the accounts of GETFund.
This is aside from 23 other projects from the World Bank, of which seven were completed in the same period.
“The Fund therefore wishes to respond as follows: from 2014 – 2016, the Government of Ghana awarded hundred and one (101) contracts on B-Blocks on the accounts of GETFund.
Within the same period, the World Bank, via its Secondary Education Improvement Projects (SEIP) financing agreement with the Ministry of Education, also awarded twenty-three (23) E-Block projects,” portions of the GETFund’s statement read.
By the end of 2020, 30 more E-blocks had been completed, 14 of which were sponsored by the GETFund and the remaining 16 by the World Bank.
GETFund also mentioned the termination of 27 E-blocks in 2018 and noted that an “outstanding 38 E-blocks are at various stages of completion.”
The Ghana Education Trust Fund(GETFund) supports the delivery of quality education to the citizens of Ghana from the basic to tertiary level through dynamic funding policies aimed at ensuring equitable provision of essential resources for all levels of education to all segments of the Ghanaian population.
24-year-old Bailey Ennis has birthed a bouncing baby boy in September 2021 with the help of a sperm donor.
But what’s shocking about it is that she did it by purchasing an artificial insemination kit costing only £25.
The young woman from England seems to have been “desperate to be a mum” and “didn’t have a desire to be in a relationship”. Following the artificial insemination, she became pregnant in October 2021 and welcomed her son, named Lorenzo, on 2nd July 2022.
Bailey is currently a single parent and says that she “couldn’t be happier”.
“I’ve wanted to be a mum since I was a teenager and as a lesbian, I always knew it would need to be via artificial insemination. I didn’t have a desire to be in a relationship. I just wanted to have a baby.
Lorenzo is amazing and looks just like me,” she expresses.
The 24-year-old shares that she wasn’t looking for any particular features, while searching for a donor. ” I just wanted someone trustworthy and as healthy as possible,” she said.
“I found someone who had a healthy medical record and had been a donor for two others before for two LGBTQ couples.
“I found my donor and we WhatsApped and met up for a coffee before both agreeing he would be my donor. He has agreed to be my donor for as many children as I would like.
“I wanted to have blood-related siblings,” she adds.
The cost of a single artificial insemination cycle or (IUI) intrauterine insemination with a partner’s sperm is high. While legal, it can burn a hole in a person’s pocket. Although private transactions are discouraged due to safety measures, Bailey seems to have taken the risk and is now a single mum.
Legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has declared his intention to report the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, to the Police Service over his alleged involvement in illegal mining, also known as galamsey.
Mr Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has become the talk of town after his company, Akonta Mining Limited, was reportedly found mining at the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve without a mining licence, implying an illegality.
Reacting to the matter, Chairman Wontumidenied reports by JoyNews suggesting his involvement in the menace that has destroyed water bodies and forest reserves in the country.
“I have a large scale company which Akonta Mining is under… All the required documents I have, I will make all available,” Chairman Wontumi said.
Despite his rebuttal, Martin Kpebu insists that the NPP Ashanti Regional Chair is complicit in illegal mining.
“I will call Eratus that we should go, I will accompany him. If he is not willing to be complainant, I am willing because if the Police are not willing to take in Chairman Wontumi I will go and lodge an official complaint and be complainant in the case so that they will start a formal investigation,” he said while speaking on October 8’s edition of Newsfile hosted by Samson Lardy Anyenini.
A recent statement from the Lands Ministry goes to show that Akonta Mining Limited has been engaged in mining activities in the Tano Nimiri Forest.
The Lands Ministry, in a statement dated September 30, 2022, directed Akonta Mining Limited to halt its operations in the forest reserve.
“Our records show that Akonta Mining Ltd, on August 25, 2022, applied for a Mining Lease to undertake mining operations in the said Forest Reserve. By a Ministerial Directive, all reconnaissance, prospecting and/or exploratory activities in Forest Reserves in the country are suspended, except in exceptional
circumstances.
“Although this directive does not affect mining in forest reserves, Akonta Mining Limited’s application has not been determined. Accordingly, any alleged activity being undertaken by the company in the Forest Reserve is illegal,” parts of the statement read.
According to him, the Police Service’s inaction over the matter reads foul play as Inspector- General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, and his officers have been swift to arrest other illegal miners.
“.. Now IGP, save our day, save Ghana, rein in Wontumi…Where is IGP, can’t he go and arrest Wontumi?” he asked.
In a press statement dated August 18, 2022, Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Martin Ayisi, revealed that Akonta Mining Ltd has applied for a prospecting licence which is yet to be processed by the Commission. The Company also applied for a Forest Entry Permit to enter the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
Due to this revelation, Mr Kpebu is of the assertion that President Akufo-Addo, who has declared his intention to fight galamsey with all his might and has put his presidency on the line, is shielding persons involved in illegal mining.
“President Akufo-Addo has shown that for him, he will cover up all erring appointees. That is his mantra.”
Meanwhile, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has demanded that President Akufo- Addo begin to ensure all who are engaged in illegal mining within his government are sanctioned as stated by the law.
The party’s National Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, during a press conference last Thursday said “Ghanaians are
tired of your flowery speeches and useless rhetoric. The so-called fight against ‘galamsey’ has been a spectacularfailure,e and the only way to salvage it is for you to man up and finally begin to crack the whip on your errant appointees and NPP functionaries who are neck-deep in the ‘galamsey’ business.”
“We demand the immediate prosecution of all NPP functionaries and NPP officials who have engaged in illegal mining, such as Charles Bissue, Chairman Wontumi, the evidence is clear, Andy Owusu, Ekow Ewusi, Prof. Frimpong Boateng among others,” he added.
Technical Director of the Ghana Football Association [GFA], Bernard Lippert believes the Black Stars have a good chance of progressing from the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.
Ghana after securing a spot in the Mundial have been housed in Group H alongside Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay.
With the quality of the playing body being questioned after the September friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua, Lippert is of the view the Black Stars can make it to the next round of the competition.
“I think we have a good chance to overcome the group stage. And then everything is possible,” he told the media.
“We really can go until the quarter-final. It’s realistic for me.,” he added.
Ghana will open their campaign against Portugal on November 24 at Stadium 974 in Doha.
Four days later, the Black Stars return to action with a clash with South Korea at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.
Ghana will wrap up their group stage adventure with their much-anticipated encounter with Uruguay at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah.
The Black Stars having missed out in the last edition hosted in Russia in 2018 will be hoping to improve their performance in Qatar after exiting the group phase during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has reportedly confiscated and destroyed inferior and unapproved medications worth GH¢10 million on the market.
2,600 bottles of bynillin nicotine, 100 cartons of Postinor-2, a female oral contraceptive, cosmetics, medical equipment, Chinese herbal remedies, and certain aphrodisiacs were listed among the seized items.
According to FDA’s Head of Intelligence, Mr Vigil Edward Prah-Eshun, the drugs brought from China were seized because they had not been registered and approved by the Authority.
“The seized postinor 2 came in separate consignments, the packaging material was separated from the packaging itself, an indication that the person was determined to manufacture the products here in Ghana,” he said.
Mr. Prah-Eshun, further assured that the Authority will ensure that medicines on the market are safe for consumption.
“By this seizure, we want to make it known to the public that we are interested in protecting public health and still working and not sleeping on the job. We thank the public who continues to alert us on some of these issues,” he assured.
He, however, implored the public to verify the validity and expiration dates of products before making the decision to purchase them.
Following the confiscation of medications, the FDA officer revealed that the prosecution of some 10 people had begun after some drugs were impounded at Okaishie in Accra.
The FDA exists to ensure the safety, quality, and efficacy of human and veterinary drugs, food, biological products, cosmetics, medical devices, household chemical substances and clinical trials, and the control of tobacco products through the enforcement of relevant standards to protect public health.
With this achievement, the FDA is now the only drug regulatory agency within the ECOWAS sub-region to be recognized internationally as a competent institution that can test medicines and medical products under the auspices of the WHO, making Ghana’s FDA a centre of excellence in West Africa.
The contests will take place concurrently at three venues from 9 am at the Saarah-Mensah, KNUST SHS and Kumapley auditoriums.
NSMQ giants and past winners like Mfantsipim School, Achimota School and St. Thomas Aquinas are beginning their journey from the preliminary stage with fans wondering whether they will be able to make it to the grand finale.
This is the second time the competition is being held in Kumasi on the KNUST campus, with 117 schools set to participate in the preliminary stage.
In an earlier interview with JoyNews, the Programme Coordinator of Primetime Limited, Stephen Yankey, said all is set for another enthralling competition in Kumasi.
“…our venues for the competition are also set up; we are ready to start the contests on Monday [October 10]. This year, we are holding the prelims at three venues; that is from Monday to Thursday.
“The team from Primetime has been working hard to ensure that everything would take place seamlessly,” he assured.
The national championship is expected to generate the usual thrilling sensation that always grabs the attention and interest of the country.
Already, many NSMQ enthusiasts want the defending champions, Prempeh College, to win the trophy for the sixth time to equalise the number of times Presec-Legon has won it.
Below are the today’s fixtures:
The 2022 National Science and Maths Quiz is produced by Primetime Limited and sponsored by the Ghana Education Service in partnership with Absa Ghana.
The broadcast on JoyNews is supported by Virtual Infosec Africa, Virtual, Security Africa, Vita Milk, Cowbell, Alumni by Enterprise and Fay International Limited.
Others are; Ace Medical Insurance, Azar Group, Kings Group Limited, Family Health Medical School, DBS, KORBA and Pharmatrust Limited.
He observes that once their spouses give them the wedding ring, ladies often neglect to care for themselves properly.
However, the Man of God thinks that wives should put forth more effort into their appearance and domestic duties if they want their husbands to be devoted to them.
The assembly was informed of this during his sermon.
According to the Man of God, in today’s society, guys encounter very attractive women who don’t care whether he’s married and will do whatever it takes to have him all to themselves.
Therefore, wives should make an effort to improve their appearance for the sake of their husbands.
“Lately the women think once they marry and put on the ring, they think that’s all. So they don’t care for themselves anymore. Charlie, you husband the kind of hot girls they see, you don’t want to set a trap for him because all these girls in the office and these days some of the girls are wild. When they go for lunch they buy some for him even though you’ve given him lunch,” he said.
As energy transition takes center stage in efforts to address rapidly occurring global climatic changes, energy experts are pressing for nuclear to be taken into consideration in the energy mix of nations across the African continent.
For instance, Ghana has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by the year 2070 while also taking additional measures to speed up the development and use of oil and gas reserves for its energy mix.
Discussion panelists at the inaugural “Africa Energy Conference” in Accra argued that while nuclear energy offers dense and stable energy, it is also one of the most affordable and secure energy sources. They focused on sustainability and the role of nuclear power in enabling Africa’s energy ambitions.
But fears surrounding the exploitation and use of nuclear energy by the public, according to Manager-Executive Director’s Office of Nuclear Power Ghana, Daniel Wordson, is based on uninformed positions and past events.
He observed the first public awareness of nuclear reaction followed the Hiroshima and Nagasaki incidents, but maintained that it is completely different from nuclear technology used for power generation. The system for power generations is built with high levels of safety, he added.
Also, he opined that it takes a lot of planning to use nuclear given that it requires a specific infrastructure, but said compared to other sources of energy it offers cheaper power for use.
Director of Volta River Authority (VRA) Training Academy, Mrs. Sophia Abena Tijani, submitted that some current studies suggest that the country’s gas reserves, around 2028 or thereabouts, will start to dwindle.
Against this background, she therefore said there is a need to identify other energy sources.
“We have to consider nuclear as part of the generation mix in addition to other sources that are available to us,” she said.
Commenting on the safety of nuclear use, legal practitioner and energy consultant Franklin Nana Addai disclosed that, since 1951, there have been over 667 nuclear plants in operations worldwide with only three incidents causing fatalities.
But he also maintained that it is not a bad venture, in that when done right it offers several advantages.
On his part, energy expert Ing. Charles K. Boakye said as the world moves from fossil fuel-based systems to high electricity usage, nuclear power offers high energy intensity – making it reliable compared to solar and hydro.
Also contributing to the discussion, a South African-based nuclear power expert, Dr. Kelvin Kemm, asserted that Africa needs to develop homegrown solutions to its energy challenges by keenly exploring the potential nuclear energy offers.
He said it is green energy and does not produce any CO2, and among others urged for an African collaboration to further develop the technology for use on the continent.
Africa Energy Conference
The Africa Energy Conference was organised by the Business and Financial Times (B&FT), and sought to highlight the infrastructure gap, financing options and energy transition opportunities in the Africa energy sector.
The maiden edition was held under the theme ‘Africa’s Energy Future – achieving all-round competitiveness and sustainability to support the continent’s development ambitions’.
It brought together experts and industry players from across Africa to proffer solutions on how governments and the private sector can access financing to bridge the sector’s infrastructure gap and achieve lower emissions and energy transition targets, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In October 2020, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) issued a warning to the general public about the dangers of “Money Doubling,” “Card Loading,” and “Credit Card Loading Systems.”
The bank said that a licensed deposit-taking institution must carry out any conduct involving the deposit of money.
The general population must take precautions to avoid falling for these schemes.
“The invitation to members of the general public to deposit monies with the “Money Doubling”, “Card Loading” and “Credit Card Loading Systems” amounts to deposit taking, under the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930). Under Section 4 of Act 930 only a body corporate, licensed by the Bank of Ghana may carry out deposit-taking business,” a statement from the BoG read.
According to the central bank, these practices involve inviting members of the general public through traditional and social media outlets to deposit money with “Money Doubling”, “Card Loading” and “Credit Card Loading Systems” through various payment service providers’ platforms or other channels, in return for attractive returns or opportunities, are illegal because they have not been licensed.
“The invitation to members of the general public to deposit monies with the “Money Doubling”, “Card Loading” and “Credit Card Loading Systems” amounts to deposit taking, under the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930). Under Section 4 of Act 930 only a body corporate, licensed by the Bank of Ghana may carry out deposit-taking business.
“By this notice, the Bank of Ghana informs the general public that the Bank has not licensed any entities or individuals engaged in “Money Doubling”, Card Loading” and “Credit Card Loading Systems”. The said individuals and entities in question, commit an offence and will be required to return all funds received. In addition, such individuals and entities will be liable upon summary conviction, to the following punishment:
(a) Body corporate; a fine of between 2500 to 5000 penalty units.
(b) Director of a Body Corporate or other body of persons; a fine of between 1500 to 3000 penalty units or a term of imprisonment between two (2) to four (4) years.
(c) An Individual; a fine of between 1500 to 3000 penalty units or a term of imprisonment between two (2) to four (4) years per section 22 of Act 930.
“The Bank of Ghana therefore informs the general public as follows: It is illegal for any person or institution without the mandate and authority of the Bank of Ghana to advertise and engage in “Money Doubling”, “Card Loading” and “Credit Card Loading Systems” activities on traditional and social media platforms, Such persons and entities offering “Money Doubling” and “Card Loading” or “Credit Card Loading Systems” services are cautioned to desist from doing so immediately.
“The general public is encouraged to verify with the Bank of Ghana or other relevant authorities, the licensing status of persons for entities before depositing funds with them. Members of the public are reminded to place deposits only with institutions licensed by the Bank of Ghana, in order that they may be accorded the protection available under the banking laws.
“The Bank of Ghana wishes to notify all media outlets including radio, television and online channels NOT to permit the advertisement of “Money Doubling” and “Card Loading” or “Credit Card Loading Systems” on their platforms. The media is encouraged to verify the licensing status of such entities with Bank of Ghana, before advertising their products and services.”
A 20-second video by the Ghanaian rap artist Opanka was uploaded on his Facebook page, in which he made the case that poverty is the root of all evil and crime.
This was at the 100.5 FM studio in Accra where he made the remark.
“It is poverty that brings thoughts of crime and evil into the minds of people,” he stated.
“If you have money, will you think of ritual killings for money?” the Tema-based musician asked rhetorically.
“If you have money, will you think of robbery? No!” he stressed his point.
“The cause of hatred and all other [undesirable thoughts and actions] is poverty,” Dadie Opanka concluded.
He gave the impression getting rich is the antidote to these evil thoughts and actions, according to him, poverty inspires.
The rapper’s latest song is titled ‘Enye Betee (It’s Not Easy)’ and in which he notes times of economic hardships and desperation, all the while giving hope to listeners.
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Ghana has once again increased the policy rate by 250 basis points to cool the economy down in the face of persistently rising inflation, a significant depreciation of the currency, and rising debt stock.
The move essentially raises the policy rate to 24.5 percent, marking the rate’s fourth hike this year and a total increase of 1,000 basis points.
At a press conference to announce the rate, Dr. Ernest Addison, governor of the Bank of Ghana, cited the risk of inflation brought on by ongoing fuel price increases and the fiscal difficulties resulting from subpar revenue performance as among the factors the Committee considered before making its decision.
“On the fiscal situation, while expenditures have been broadly on target, revenue performance has been below expectation – thus complicating fiscal policy implementation. Financing for the budget so far has predominantly been from the banking sector, with the central bank absorbing a larger share. Persistent uncovered auctions and portfolio reversals by non-resident investors continue to pose risks to financing the budget, resulting in monetisation of the budget deficit by the central bank.
“The Monetary Policy Committee recognises the fact that the current condition is sub-optimal and will be interim until agreements are reached on an IMF-supported programme. The Committee assesses that engagement with the IMF has been positive, and early conclusion of the programme discussions will help re-anchor stability.
“Inflation remains elevated and the balance of risks is on the upside. Although the forecasts are for monthly inflation to continue slowing down, the risks are on the upside – emanating largely from pass-through effects of the currency depreciation, the recent upward adjustment in utility tariffs, and rising inflation expectations. The Committee remains committed to re-anchoring inflation expectations and returning to a disinflation path,” he said.
Asked whether the persistent rise in policy rate by the MPC is yielding any benefits – given overall inflation has not been tamed, Dr. Addison said the decision is paying off, as it is reflecting in monthly inflation.
“With the issue of whether we are seeing the impact, in our view this policy [increasing the policy rate] is working. One of things we focus on is the monthly changes in inflation; and if you look at it, there is some softening of the pace at which prices are rising. That obviously suggests there is, at least, some impact on the overall prices,” he said.
We were not slow in response
Again, the governor used the opportunity to debunk comments made by the World Bank after releasing its Africa’s Pulse report – that the central bank was initially slow in addressing inflationary pressures, hence giving inflation free-rein.
In the opinion of Dr. Addison, the MPC was rather quick in tightening policy, especially when it envisioned inflation might get out of hand this year.
“If you recollect, we started this policy-tightening as far back as November 2021. It wasn’t only in January when we got locked-down out of the market that the MPC started tightening it. We had already foreseen issues of prices rising, and therefore in November 2021 we did our first tightening of the monetary policy rate.
“We were even ahead of the Fed and some of the more advanced countries in tightening our policy rate. And I believe in sub-Saharan Africa, the Bank of Ghana was one of the first central banks that moved away from easing the monetary policy stance because of the impact of covid to tightening the stance – because we could see it was about time we had a shift in policy stance, as we were moving away from impacts of the pandemic into this new regime of higher inflation rate,” he said.
Infamous Evangelist Patricia Aseidua known as Nana Agradaa has disclosed that she did not scam her church members as purported.
Recall that a video came out during the weekend from the church premises of Nana Agradaa where her church members were wailing for allegedly being scammed by Nana Agradaa.
According to some of the victims who have been scammed by Nana Agradaa, she asked them to bring an amount of money so that she doubles it money for them but apparently, the members who gave out their monies did not get the money doubled, or the refund.
After her arrest, Nana Agradaa has spoken about the money scam in her church explaining what happened.
According to her, the video making rounds on social media were just people who wanted to see her for counseling. Speaking about the money scam, she disclosed that she organized an all-night service where she promised her church members financial assistance to those who needed help.
She narrated that during the all-night service, she asked her church members to give an offertory and when they were done with the offertory, some first-time members were hoping to get double the amount they paid as offertory as promised.
She explained that these first-time comers were made to register before they can be called bonafide church members and those people were not to benefit from the money doubling she promised.
Nana Agradaa described the incident as unfortunate and a way to tarnish her image. “As long as I am alive, I will continue to serve the living God”, she added.
David Korboe, the chairman of the African Coconut Group, has requested the government to restore the galamsey grounds for coconut farming.
He claims that because Ghanaian coconut is highly sought after on a global scale, it is essential to recover sufficient land to satisfy rising demand.
At the second annual international coconut festival in Accra, which was organized by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) in conjunction with the African Coconut Group, Mr. Korboe made the announcement (ACG).
The 2022 edition of the International Coconut Festival themed ‘Repositioning Ghana’s Coconut Sector for Accelerated Industrialization’, was aimed at exploring ways of expediting growth of the sector by adding value to the raw materials produced from coconut.
The 3-day event, which brought together farmers, exporters, exhibitors, students, public officials and traditional authorities among others, is aimed at encouraging more Ghanaians to venture into the coconut sector to boost production and export.
Consequently to its global high demand, GEPA has embarked on a number of initiatives that are expected to improve upon the country’s position as the world’s 9th leading producer.
GEPA has since 2017 provided a total of 600,000 disease-tolerant seedlings to coconut farmers to help boost the industry.
Speaking at the sidelines of the closing ceremony, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at GEPA, Samuel Dentu said Ghana intends to increase its market share in terms of coconut production globally.
“We have some seedlings that have been cultivated some two years ago which are nearing yielding. So by next year you will see a lot of productivity coming online. We want to inch closer to being no 1,” he disclosed.
