Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa is stepping down from his job with the Chicago White Sox due to a series of health issues, ending a disappointing two-year stint on the South Side.
La Russa announced his resignation on Monday, a day before his 78th birthday.
The three-time World Series champion has been away from the team since August 30 as he has deals with complications from a pacemaker that was implanted in February.
La Russa has also been dealing with a second, undisclosed health issue that led to his resignation.
“It’s become obvious that the length of the treatment and recovery process for the second issue makes it impossible to be the manager in 2023,” La Russa said. “The timing of this announcement now enables the front office to include filling the manager position with their other off-season priorities.”
La Russa added that his “overall prognosis is good, and I want to thank everyone who has reached out to me with well wishes related to my health.”
After winning the AL Central with a 93-69 record last season, the White Sox entered this year among the American League favourites but have failed to live up to expectations.
Chicago entered play Monday at 79-80, already eliminated from playoff contention.
The White Sox did stage a run in early September under interim manager Miguel Cairo, going 12-5 through September 18, when they were just three-and-a-half games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the division.
The club proceeded to go on an eight-game losing streak with Cleveland securing the division title.
La Russa took accountability for Chicago’s up-and-down season as the White Sox remain without a postseason series win since the 2005 World Series.
“I understand the ultimate responsibility for each minus this season belongs to the manager,” he said. “That’s accurate, because there’s always something else you could do.
“I was hired to provide positive, difference-making leadership and support. Our record this year is proof I did not do my job.”
La Russa did not say if he would consider managing another team in 2024 or beyond. He has a career record of 2,900-2,514 (.536 win percentage) with the White Sox (1979-86, 2021-22), Oakland Athletics (1986-95) and St. Louis Cardinals (1996-2011).
General manager Rick Hahn said the White Sox will begin an exhaustive search for a new manager and will be looking for “different perspectives” from that hire.
Tony La Russa admits he’s “a little embarrassed” that White Sox fans were chanting “Fire Tony.” pic.twitter.com/qJ3dTZJfKJ
“One thing that perhaps breaks from the mould of at least the last few hires: having a history with the White Sox, having some sort of connection to White Sox DNA is by no means a requirement.”
Despite under-achieving in 2022, Chicago’s roster includes several bright spots, including outfielder Luis Robert and breakout starter Dylan Cease.
“It was a disappointing year,” Hahn said. “We all need to get better at multiple facets. There needs to be … obviously manager/staff changes and personnel changes.
“My only point is, and it’s easy at the end of a disappointing season to say you have to burn it to the ground. I think that’s not where we’re at as an organisation.”
The Akufo-Addo administration should at the very least pay cocoa farmers remunerative cocoa prices, according to the minority in parliament given the country’s tremendous inflation and misery.
Because, in their opinion, cocoa growers are suffering from extreme hardship, the opposition members accused the administration of being callous.
In a press statement issued by Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, reacting to the 1.13bn Syndicated loan agreement signed y the Ghana Cocoa Board and the Ministry of Finance, the Minority said the international price of cocoa has appreciated slightly, above the previous year levels, so this Government should not, in this dire economic situation remain insensitive to the plight of cocoa farmers, stakeholders and Ghanaians in general.
“We wish to assure our hard-working cocoa farmers, that a future NDC government will not short-change them, and only wait to increase cocoa prices in an election year as we saw in 2020 and which they appear to be planning to repeat,” the statements aid.
Below is the full statement…
Farmers and stakeholders are running out of patience for COCOBOD. Every year cocoa prices are announced at the opening of the season. 1st October is internationally recognised as the start of the cocoa season worldwide as affirmed by the UN body for cocoa, the International Cocoa Organisation — ICCO.
2. This year COCOBOD opened the cocoa season without a producer price for cocoa. After wasting scarce resources to organise a cocoa day that,was poorly attended, farmers and stakeholders in the cocoa industry are left in suspense about the price.
3. We wish to send a loud and clear message to this government; cocoa farmers are fed up and demand their cocoa price now.
4. After all this uncertainty, government should not announce any price below GHS 1000 per bag, or GHS16,000 per tonne. Ghanaians are all witnesses to the historic depreciation of the Cedi. In 2021, COCOBOD used an exchange rate of GHS 6 to the $1. We wish to
remind them that the dollar is now more than 10. Even at the dollar equivalent price, famers and all stakeholders including LBCs and Haulers should receive higher prices and margins this year.
5. On Friday 30th September 2022, Ivory Coast announced a price of 900 CFA which is equivalent o GHS852 per bag or GHS13,632 per tonne. If this government fails to raise cocoa prices, it could trigger massive smuggling, particularly at a time when we need every single dollar
6. With significant volumes of cocoa purchased in October, the Ivorian price now leading Ghana by a whopping GHS192, Ghana could be losing cocoa to smuggling as a result of the needless delay in announcing the producer price.
7. Considering extreme inflation and hardship in the country, the least this insensitive government can do is to pay cocoa farmers remunerative cocoa prices.
8. In addition, the international price of cocoa has appreciated slightly, above the previous year levels, so this Government should not, in this dire economic situation remain insensitive to the plight of cocoa farmers, stakeholders and Ghanaians in general.
9. We wish to assure our hard-working cocoa farmers, that a future NDC government will not short-change them, and only wait to increase cocoa prices in an election year as we saw in 2020 and which they appear to be planning to repeat.
Very late and very little: 2022 syndicated loan
10. The Syndicated loan was signed on 3rd October 2022, for the first time in 30-years. The Syndicated Loan is typically signed
before October so that the draw down is timed to the start of the season. However, this government has added late signing of syndicated loans to its plethora of failures.
11. Parliament approved up to $1.3 billion syndicated loan. However, COCOBOD could only get $1.13bn. This is purely due to the lack of confidence in the Ghanaian economy resulting from the generally agreed incompetence and gross mismanagement of the
Ghanaian economy.
12. With huge and unprecedented debt overhang at COCOBOD, will the syndicated loan go into purchase of cocoa and related operations? Or will LBCs suffer the same faith of borrowing very expensive loans to buy cocoa from farmers, only for COCOBOD
not to pay them, as we have seen since 2017?
13. During the just ended season, COCOBOD took a loan of $1.3billion to buy 850 tonnes of cocoa. Actual production is about 700,000, the lowest production in more than 10 years. Another unprecedented failure. Yet LBCs complain that COCOBOD is still owing them for cocoa delivered. Where is the money?
14. This Government is collapsing the cocoa sector as it has done to every other sector. They must be reminded that Cocoa is the backbone of the Ghanaian economy. Ghanaians are saying enough of the mismanagement.
15. The NDC Caucus in Parliament demands an urgent intervention from the President on the policy alternatives we have provided in this statement so our suffocating cocoa sector would be salvaged.
Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua’s proposed fight with Tyson Fury will not go ahead as things stand, insisting he will not “play a game” with the WBC heavyweight champion.
Fury initially offered Joshua the chance of a December bout last month, with Hearn subsequently revealing positive talks had been held with the Gypsy King’s team.
However, Fury then set Joshua’s representatives a deadline of September 26 to get the fight signed off, and declared discussions were “officially over” when that was not met.
Last week, Hearn told Sky Sports he was “baffled” by Fury’s antics, adding: “we’ll see what happens from here”.
Hearn now appears convinced the fight will not take place, and has hit out at Fury for repeatedly insulting Joshua on social media.
“As far as we’re concerned, the fight’s off. We’re happy to continue the discussions,” Hearn said in an interview with Matchroom Boxing.
“In our mind, he’s not fighting Anthony Joshua. We’re more than happy to continue those conversations, but what we’ve been told is the deadline has passed, and so have the entire country.
“We have sent the final version of the contract back, they’ve come back with points and we were told that the fight is off by the man himself.
“They gave us terms, ultimately, and a date they thought we wouldn’t accept. We did accept that. We were ready to go.
“If they were to sign the contract on Monday [September 26], they had a fight. We were asked to agree the deal by Monday, then we were asked to agree it by Wednesday.
“We got the comments back on Wednesday. We were never going to sign the fight [then], and we were told the fight’s off.
“It’s still there. It’s still open for discussion. But we’re not going to play a game with a bloke that’s just coming out telling AJ it’s off, and then that he’s a ‘dosser’, that he’s got to sign it, etc.
“Have your fight if you fight someone else, and we’ll do our thing and we’ll see what happens.”
The breakdown of an all-British heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury is down to the former’s promoter Eddie Hearn, claims Bob Arum.
A bout between the two – both world champions at varying points in their career – looked to be on the rocks last week after Fury repeatedly issued deadlines to sign a contract for a December 3 date.
Earlier this week, Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn admitted the fight looked dead in the water for now after negotiations collapsed.
And Fury’s promoter Arum claims it was his opposite number who is to blame for the turn of events, claiming he “sabotaged” any potential deal.
“He wanted to kill it because even as late as [Monday], if he’d have said let’s all get together and sit in a room and get everything finalised, it could have been done in a couple of hours,” Arum told Sky Sports.
“He didn’t want the fight to happen from the get-go, so he slow-played it.
Someone sent me a video of your man Eddie, talking about the Wilder fight with you a while back and he says in there if you want a fight made, you, your team and your lawyers move quickly to make it happen.
“I’ve been in this business almost 60 years, so I can tell when somebody doesn’t want something to happen and then slow-plays a negotiation.
“I knew that Eddie would find a way to sabotage the fight. He has nothing left really in his stable and he is clinging to AJ as his only potential attraction.”
Fury’s consistent public demands for an agreement have seen him criticised for apparently attempting to backtrack out of any fight, but Arum refutes any suggestion he is to blame.
“Tyson Fury is Tyson Fury,” Arum added.
“He hasn’t been trained in law school so he wants a fight, if he’s imposing deadlines which aren’t really deadlines because he’s sending a message, get off your asses and get this thing done.
“It was clear that was the case. So, nobody should be blamed for this fight not happening, not Tyson, not AJ, not anybody else other than Eddie Hearn.”
The delayed women’s Rugby World Cup looks set to be a landmark tournament with the competition expected to be followed by its biggest-ever audience.
As the much-anticipated event prepares for kick-off in New Zealand on Saturday, here’s a look at the potential challengers for the biggest prize of them all in women’s rugby union.
England the team to beat
Before a pass or tackle is made, England are the firm favourites to win the title for the third time in their history.
The Red Roses have lifted the trophy in both 1994 and, most recently, in 2014 when they managed to beat Canada 21-9 in the final.
England have also had their fair share of World Cup heartbreak in the past too, having lost in the final on five previous occasions.
The English are currently ranked as the top side in the world and have held that position since back in November 2020.
It is understandable to see why England are the heavy favourites, with a 73-7 win over Wales in September seeing the Red Roses make it a record-breaking 25th Test win on the bounce.
With their last defeat coming back in July 2019, skipper Sarah Hunter and her side could take some stopping in New Zealand.
New Zealand continuing turnaround
After a tough run that saw coach Glenn Moore resign from his position in April, the experienced tactician Wayne Smith has overseen a turnaround in charge of New Zealand.
With the nickname of ‘The Professor’, Smith will be hoping to come up with a masterplan to help the Black Ferns retain the World Cup title on home soil.
The former All Blacks and Northampton Saints boss has seen his side go on a six-game winning streak ahead of their World Cup opener against old rivals Australia in Auckland on Saturday.
A positive start in that game could well see the tournament hosts build up some winning momentum as they should have little trouble getting past Wales and Scotland in their group.
France the potential dark horses
France are also expected to be in the mix as Annick Hayraud’s side prepare to take on England, South Africa and Fiji in Group C.
Annick Hayraud is the vastly-experienced France head coach
In this recent period of English domination, France have provided the Red Roses with some of their biggest challenges.
The French will have a good acid test to see how they stack up against the tournament favourites, when they face England in Whangarei on October 15.
Prediction
England, who are 1/2 to win the tournament, and New Zealand are the two favourites and they should be the sides challenging at the business end of the competition.
With home advantage and the arrival of Smith to hand them a boost, the Black Ferns look to be good value at 15/8 to lift the trophy for a sixth time in their history.
According to a statement made by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, ranking member of the finance committee, this is due to what they view to be the widely acknowledged incompetence and egregious mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy.
“The Syndicated loan was signed on 3rd October 2022, for the first time in 30-years. The Syndicated Loan is typically signed before October so that the draw down is timed to the start of the season. However, this government has added late signing of syndicated loans to its plethora of failures.
“Parliament approved up to $1.3 billion syndicated loan. However, COCOBOD could only get $1.13bn. This is purely due to the lack of confidence in the Ghanaian economy resulting from the generally agreed incompetence and gross mismanagement of the
Ghanaian economy.
“With huge and unprecedented debt overhang at COCOBOD, will the syndicated loan go into purchase of cocoa and related operations? Or will LBCs suffer the same faith of borrowing very expensive loans to buy cocoa from farmers, only for COCOBOD
not to pay them, as we have seen since 2017?” the statement said.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has signed a USD1.13 billion Receivables-Backed Trade Finance Facility (Syndicated Loan) on Monday October 3.
COCOBOD received $1.13 billion instead of the $1.3 billion as approved by Parliament.
The Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, said during the signing ceremony that despite the challenges facing the cocoa sector, brought on by the global financial difficulties, the sector has once again shown leadership.
He assured the lenders of the effective and efficient use of the funds.
The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, also said the signing puts the nation’s finances in the right landing zone and gives impetus for optimism in the Ghanaian economy.
Ghanaian midfielder Kwame Poku has expressed readiness to help Peterborough United excel in the ongoing campaign.
Peterborough are currently in the English League One after suffering relegation from the Championship last season.
Kwame Poku, who his scored in Peterborough’s victory on the road against MK Dons, playing on the flanks stated his desire to help the club excel this season.
“It doesn’t matter where I play on the field, I am ready to give my best for the team to excel,” Poku stated
Peterborough took the lead through Jonson Clarke-Harris in the third minute of the game.
Kwame Poku increased the lead for Peterborough in the 36th minute with his first goal of the season.
Peterborough goal into the half-time break with a two-goal lead.
Ghana international Majeed Ashimeru is perplexed by Anderlecht’s narrow defeat to Sporting Charleroi in the Belgian Jupiler Pro league on Saturday.
The midfielder started and lasted the entire as his outfit suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sporting Charleroi on home turf.
After the game, the former Red Bull Salzburg star expressed his disappointment in the side defeat.
“Today I’m just sad because I hate to disappoint people and especially these Anderlecht supporters. I feel bad,” he said.
“We lacked efficiency, despite our chances. It’s like banging our heads against the walls because me and my team-mates give everything in training and maybe we deserved a goal. But it’s very bad right now.”
The 24-year-old has featured 9 times this season scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assist in the process.
According to Ambassador Albert Muchanga, the African Union’s commissioner for economic development, trade, tourism, industry, and minerals, the continent’s abundant mineral resources continue to be a key factor in the structural change of the continent.
He said that 50% of Africa’s income and 70% of its exports are derived from the sale of oil, gas, and minerals.
Ambassador Muchanga stated this during the Launch of the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) Phase II and the Second Forum on Mining, taking place at the African Union Headquarters, in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.
“However, despite the enormous potential of the continent’s mineral industry, most African countries have historically been unable to fully benefit from their natural wealth as we have remained producers and exporters of mineral raw materials, a low rank in the global value chain.
“And there are major threats that may hinder Member States’ abilities to fully reap the benefits of the mineral wealth endowment.”
He said for a start, Africa had a disproportionate dependence on extractives exports, which waas major vulnerability as it exposed the continent to the boom and bust cycles associated with commodity prices as well as illicit financial flows. The illicit financial flows from Africa now hover around US$90 billion annually.
Africa hosts 6 per cent of global reserves of copper, 53 per cent of cobalt, 25 per cent of bauxite, 21 per cent of graphite, 46 per cent of manganese, 35 per cent of chromite, 79 per cent of phosphate rock, 91per cent of platinum group metals.
“We can add to the foregoing: hydrogen, water, wind and solar power.
“When one looks at production, Africa accounts for a greater share of current production of many of these minerals, including 70 per cent of cobalt. Lithium is mined in Zimbabwe and Mali, while Namibia, Ghana and the DRC also have them. Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are mined in Angola and Burundi as well.”
Mr Muchanga said Africa was part of the global value-chains for green minerals; however, that role was concentrated at the first phase of the value chain, exploration and extraction.
“The task ahead is to move towards value addition and the Africa Commodity Strategy will assist in this regard.
“In line with our commitment towards the green transition, the Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM) will organize a side event on the margins of COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt next month under the theme: “Decarbonizing African Industry”.
“I also invite you all to the AU Summit on Industrialization and Economic Diversification to be held in Niamey, Niger from 20-25 November, 2022.”
On mining, he said there was urgency to ensure that the roadmap envisioned in the Africa Mining Vision with a central theme of “Transparent, equitable and optimal exploitation of mineral resources to underpin broad-based sustainable growth and socio-economic development” was implemented effectively and fully.
“This is because AMV is a continental vision for managing the continent’s mineral resources for the benefit of Africans.
“In this vision, minerals are considered a key driver of industrialization and transformation of our economic structures. These are critical to the continent’s long-term inclusive growth and sustainable development.”
He said the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) was established as the specialized agency of the African Union to implement the African Mining Vision (AMV) as well as the minerals segment of the Africa Commodity Strategy.
The first phase of the AMDC was launched in 2013 as a five-year flagship project housed in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). As a project, it provided strategic support and coordination for the implementation of the AMV and its Action Plan adopted in 2009.
In 2018, the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government decided that the Republic of Guinea would host the African Minerals Development Centre as a specialized agency of the African Union.
In February 2019, the AMDC was officially handed over to the African Union by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa to start the process of transferring it to Conakry, Guinea as a specialized agency of the Union.
The Host Agreement between the African Union and the Government of the Republic of Guinea was signed in 2021.
Since May 2022, the AMDC is being supported through the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme (Phase II), initiated by the Secretariat of the Organization for African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and we are most grateful for this support.
Financing came from the European Commission with UNDP as the implementing agency.
As highlighted in the AMDC Business Plan, the AMV’s value proposition of exploiting minerals for sustainable development throughout the value chain calls for a major shift in the conceptual methods and institutional arrangements adopted to-date regarding the minerals sector.
In the envisaged changes, greater importance is given to improving internal governance, building capacities, capturing the more lucrative links in the value chain such as manufacturing and the related support services such as research and development which is critical to boosting innovation in the mineral value chain.
He called on all of you to accelerate the signing and ratifications of the AMV Statutes to enable the AMDC to become a full-fledged Specialized Agency of the AU.
He also called for regional and continental value chains, to develop reliable and resilient supply chains within the African Continental Free Trade Area, using the lever of intra-African trade in finished and intermediate goods.
“Second, Africa will have to reposition herself as a reliable supply base to the rest of the world, not in the historical mode of supplier of basic raw materials but supplier of either finished or intermediate goods that place Africa higher in the global value chains.
“Minerals, and in particular, the AMDC, will play critical roles in both cases.
“As we do so, let us also recall that some regions of the world have come up with the concept of Critical Raw Materials. These are raw materials they will always require to make their industries run. Let us engage these countries to agree on how we can mutually benefit from international trade in minerals.”
He said the overall goal of the African Forum on Mining was to defined as a strategic way forward for minerals development that would contribute to the energy transition, and hoped that the Forum will come up with actions required to transition the mineral industries across Africa towards net zero emissions of carbon dioxide and digitalization.
“Achieving that will strategically position the African continent in the global energy transition. In this connection, I applaud the initiative of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to jointly develop electric car batteries. We encourage other African countries to also promote the development of regional and continental value chains to position the African Continental Free Trade Area increase intra-African trade flows.
“It is also my expectation that the Forum will galvanize efforts towards enhanced domestication of the Africa Mining Vision with its core thematic areas. In this connection, I invite you all to come up with practical measures on how the continent can optimize benefits from the minerals sector through realignment of policies, legal and regulatory frameworks, taking into consideration new imperatives such as de-carbonization.”
They say ‘bad news sells faster’, and Zahara seems not to be able to wrap her head around why the saying is seemingly true.
The South African songstress lists a number of achievements which should be on headlines and captions of blogs and media outlets, during an interview with Joy FM’s Lexis Bill.
She laments the culture of peddling rumours, while ignoring the facts.
“People like to dig what they do not know. Why don’t you talk about what you know”, she quizzed on Personality Profile on Joy FM last Thursday.
Zahara wonders why critics fail to shine the light bright on one of her biggest achievements of breaking the record of the iconic Brenda Fassie. “It’s not been talked about”, she lamented.
She further listed a few more milestones reached, which have been deliberately ignored by critics, including music sales, legendary performances among others. “Nobody has ever sung for Tata (Nelson Mandela) in the bedroom [apart from me], and seen Tata clap his hands”, she outlined.
As part of her achievements, Zahara was named in BBC’s 2020 100 Women list of phenomenal women who had a great influence from across the globe. “Media outlets refuse to fly with such inspiring feats,” she alleges.
“Now my album Loliwe, [the old one], is number 3 in the world… who talks about that? Nobody!”, she exclaimed.
Zahara is a South African singer and songwriter who is known for her unique powerful voice and prowess on the guitar. She holds about two dozens of awards throughout her music career and aims at setting many more records.
In a surprise shift to this year’s awards season, Will Smith’s next film “Emancipation” will release in 2022 after all. Apple announced the news Monday, releasing the first trailer for the Antoine Fuqua-directed historical drama.
“Emancipation” premieres in theatres on December 2 and will stream on Apple TV+ starting December 9.
Though “Emancipation” had originally been set for a 2022 release date, Apple elected to delay the film to 2023 after Smith became embroiled in controversy for slapping Chris Rock onstage at the Academy Awards.
The embattled actor has since publicly apologized for his actions, sharing an emotional video released online in June, but has largely steered clear of the public eye since the Oscar ceremony.
For all intents and purposes, that initial delay has now been reversed. A few months ago, Apple was seen as a potentially formidable Oscar contender. After becoming the first streaming service to win the best picture with “CODA,” the company was preparing to campaign for a lineup of buzzy titles throughout the fall.
However, summer releases like Sundance favourite “Cha Cha Real Smooth” and Skydance Animation’s “Luck” have not maintained momentum, Peter Farrelly’s “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” was a critical nonstarter at the Toronto International Film Festival and Martin Scorsese’s mega-budgeted western “Killers of the Flower Moon” won’t be ready until 2023.
With its slate of prestige titles now relatively slim, “Emancipation” is seen as Apple’s best shot at making an impact in the coming Oscar race.
Written by Bill Collage and produced by Todd Black, Joey McFarland and Jon Mone, the film stars Smith as a runaway who becomes known as “Whipper Peter” after photographs of keloid scarring on his back are distributed to show the brutality of slavery.
The film follows Smith’s character as he navigates the swamps of Louisiana to escape the plantation owners that nearly killed him.
Prior to Smith’s altercation at the Oscars, the buzz around “Emancipation” was very positive, suggesting that the film, and its star, would be formidable awards contenders in the next season.
Smith resigned from the Academy after the incident, while the institution’s Board of Governors issued a 10-year ban barring the actor from attending the Oscar ceremony. However, the injunction does not prevent Smith from being nominated during this period.
The effort will represent the beginning of significant commercial commerce between Ghana, Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Tunisia on a trial basis.
These nations were chosen to stand in for the five areas of the African Union, namely Western, Central, Eastern, Southern, and Northern Africa.
The AfCFTA Secretariat formally began conducting business under the AfCFTA agreement on January 1.
Since then, the Secretariat and State Parties have been working to put in place structures, procedures, processes, protocols, and documentations needed to enable the commencement of commercially viable trade amongst State Parties.
On the 7th of October, the Secretariat in collaboration with the National AfCFTA Coordination Office under the Ministry of Trade and Industry will launch the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative.
The Guided Trade Initiative aims to:
Test the readiness of participating state parties under the AfCFTA;
b) Demonstrate that the AfCFTA trading documentations are operational and viable;
c) Confirm that the Customs and Revenue Authorities of the participating countries under the AfCFTA agreement are ready to process imports and exports.
Under the Guided Trade Initiative, Keda Ceramics of Ghana will export ceramic tiles to Cameroon.
Benso Oil Palm Plantation is also slated to export palm kernel oil to Kenya and
Ghana will also receive approved goods from participating State Parties.
The Guided Trade Initiative is a very significant step towards realising the African dream of boosting trade with each other and developing closer economic ties among State Parties.
The launch will take place at a ceremony to be held at the Jubilee Lounge of the Kotoka
International Airport and it will coincide with the 10th Council of Ministers (CoM) meeting to be held in Accra.
The Government of Ghana has put in place robust support mechanisms to ensure that Ghanaian companies are empowered to harness the benefits of the AfCFTA.
Under the direction and guidance of Mr Alan Kyerematen, Minister for Trade and Industry, the National AfCFTA Coordination Office is also working with over 200 identified companies to help build their capacities to enhance the competitiveness in the African markets.
Following the official launch of the commercially meaningful trade, the National AfCFTA Coordination Office in collaboration with other Ghanaian agencies will be undertaking market expeditions to lead Ghanaian businesses to explore selected African markets to trade under AfCFTA.
Angelina Joliehas filed court papers accusing ex-husband Brad Pitt of drunkenly attacking her and their children during a private plane flight, prompting her to file for divorce.
In a lawsuit over a French winery that the stars bought, Ms Jolie says Mr Pitt grabbed her by the head and attacked two of their children on the 2016 trip.
Mr Pitt also verbally abused and poured alcohol on his family during the flight from France to Los Angeles, she says.
He denies the allegations.
Ms Jolie’s claim of abusive behaviour by Mr Pitt on the 14 September 2016 flight has emerged in previous court papers, including the Oscar-winning former couple’s divorce settlement.
The incident was investigated by the FBI in 2016. Authorities decided not to press charges.
But new details were alleged in Tuesday’s filing in Los Angeles by Ms Jolie’s legal team. It is part of an ongoing lawsuit over Chateau Miraval SA, a home and vineyard in the south of France that the former Hollywood couple acquired together.
Mr Pitt argues that he and his former wife had agreed not to sell their stakes in the venue without the permission of the other.
Ms Jolie disputes this, and blames Mr Pitt for ending negotiations over purchasing her shares of the property.
Her cross-complaint on Tuesday says the actor was physically and emotionally abusive towards her and their six children – aged 8 to 15 at the time – during the private plane flight.
Her lawyers allege the Fight Club star began shouting, accusing her of being “too deferential to the children”.
Shortly into the flight, Mr Pitt “pulled her into the bathroom” in the back of the plane, says the lawsuit.
“Pitt grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall,” the filing adds.
Miraval is known for its rosé wine (Getty Images)
“Pitt then punched the ceiling of the plane numerous times, prompting Jolie to leave the bathroom.”
After one child verbally intervened, Mr Pitt “lunged at his own child”, says the filing.
Ms Jolie then “grabbed him from behind to stop him”, according to the court papers.
“To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane’s seats injuring Jolie’s back and elbow,” the legal filing continues.
“The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face.”
Ms Jolie’s lawyers say she and her children “sat still and silent under blankets” for the remainder of the flight.
The French estate, seen in 2008 (Getty Images)
“Pitt periodically emerged from the back of the plane to yell and swear at them. At one point, he poured beer on Jolie; at another, he poured beer and red wine on the children,” says the filing.
A source close to the actor told the BBC that Ms Jolie’s claims were false.
“She continues to rehash, revise and reimagine her description of an event that happened six years ago by adding completely untrue information each time she fails to get what she wants,” said the source. “Her story is constantly evolving.”
Last year, a judge awarded joint custody of the children to both parents.
The Miraval estate is located in the village of Correns in south-eastern France, and was bought by the couple for around €25m (£21.3m; $25m) in 2008.
The stars got married there six years later.
Mr Pitt has sued Ms Jolie, claiming that her decision to sell her stake in the estate to a Russian oligarch amounted to an attempt to “undermine” his investment and cause “gratuitous harm” to Mr Pitt, who had “poured money and sweat equity into the wine business”.
Ms Jolie’s lawyers say in their filing that the actress “has gone to great lengths to try to shield their children from reliving the pain Pitt inflicted on the family that day”.
They add that her decision to sell her stake in the venture was in part due to her “growing increasingly uncomfortable with continuing to participate in an alcohol-related business, given the impact of Pitt’s acknowledged problem of alcohol abuse on their family”. Mr Pitt told the New York Times in 2019 that he had joined Alcoholics Anonymous following his split from Ms Jolie.
Ms Jolie’s court filing lays bare the tension between the couple over their plans for the winery.
Mr Pitt, who has previously spoken of his love for architecture and design, decided the chateau needed a fifth pool at a cost of €1m and wanted a staircase to be rebuilt four times, according to Ms Jolie.
The Ugandan president’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has been dropped from his position as the commander of the country’s land forces.
He was however promoted to the rank of a full general, the highest rank in the army. He remains as presidential advisor on special operations.
It is not clear if this decision has anything to do with his controversial tweets over the last two days.
Gen Kainerugaba had previously been commander of the special forces which are in charge of guarding President Yoweri Museveni.
Gen Kayanja Muhanga, who has led Ugandan army missions in Somalia and is currently leading the contingent fighting the Allied Democratic Front (ADF) rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, will take over as the commander of land forces.
On Monday, Gen Kainerugaba tweeted that it would take him and his army just two weeks to take over Kenya’s capital Nairobi.
But on Tuesday morning, he said that he had spoken to his father, President Museveni, and acknowledged that his tweets had caused a stir in Kenya. He added that the president would “announce changes”, although he did not make this clear if he was referring to a reshuffle in the army.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, deviated from tradition last year by lowering interest rates in an effort to stimulate the economy.
To combat inflation, the majority of central banks hike interest rates.
The largest annual price increases were in the transportation industry (117.66%), followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages (93%).
Last year’s cut in interest rates from 19% to 14% has led to a fall in the value of the Turkish lira, which means it costs more for the country to import goods from abroad.
The lira, meanwhile, hit a new record low of 18.56 against the US dollar.
US Banking giants JP Morgan said Turkey’s inflation would remain in the “abnormally high range until policies get orthodox”.
“We will build the century of Turkey together, hopefully by overcoming the inflation issue,” said Mr Erdogan in a televised address on Monday.
High inflation and the economic crisis is the main problem facing Mr Erdogan’s ruling party, as he looks to secure another term in next year’s election.
Prices are rising quickly around the world, due to factors including Covid-related supply shortages and the Ukraine war, which has driven energy and food prices higher.
The Greater Accra Regional Security Council has ordered the Immigration Service to as a matter of urgency pick up some illegal migrants converging along the streets of Achimota-Abofu in Accra.
Information gathered from the Okaikoi North Municipal Assembly reveals that the Nigeriens numbering over 30 were offloaded from an Ivory Coast-bound bus at the area on Monday evening by unknown drivers who are currently on the run.
Chairman of the Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC), Henry Quartey briefed the media on the development.
“The MCE called me that, he had a hint. These are not Ghanaians but they were dropped at about 11pm on Monday evening but in the meantime, we are arranging with the Immigration Service to take it up from here”, he said
On Monday, Gen Kainerugaba tweeted that it would take him and his army just two weeks to take over Kenya’s capital Nairobi.
But on Tuesday morning, he said that he had spoken to his father, President Museveni, and acknowledged that his tweets had caused a stir in Kenya. He added that the president would “announce changes”, although he did not make this clear if he was referring to a reshuffle in the army.
Musician Akosua Adjepong has revealed how the area she lived in during her school days influenced her career.
The energetic musician says she used to go to a nightclub in Dansoman when they come to spend the long vacation with her mom.
Her aim was not to drink or smoke but learn the new trending dance moves.
Speaking on EVIBES on JoyNews with Becky, the ‘Frema’ hitmaker said that her frequent visits to these spots sparked her interest in the creative industry.
“When we got to secondary school, we had to move to our mum’s place because a woman had to make sure you know everything about womanhood because you are in the secondary school, things will be changing so we had to be with our mum.”
“Anytime we come home during the long vacation, we make sure we go to Catalac to go and watch the latest movies. There was a nightclub called Mystic. My mum’s children, we don’t smoke and we don’t drink but we go to Mystic to see the ladies’ dance moves,” she explained.
According to Akosua Adjepong, they used to learn these new dance moves so they could display their dancing skills when they go back to school.
“So we go there to learn new dance moves and by the time we go to school, you will realize someone already knows it, then you engage the person, So, that’s why we used to go to Mystic. So we go there to see the latest dance moves.”
E Vibes is on JoyNews this and every Saturday at 8:30 am. Viewers will get the chance to catch playbacks on, Sundays at 10:30 am and Fridays at 6:30 pm.
The Greater Accra Regional Security Council has ordered the Immigration Service to as a matter of urgency pick up some illegal migrants converging along the streets of Achimota-Abofu in Accra.
Information gathered from the Okaikoi North Municipal Assembly reveals that the Nigeriens numbering over 30 were offloaded from an Ivory Coast-bound bus at the area on Monday evening by unknown drivers who are currently on the run.
Chairman of the Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC), Henry Quartey briefed the media on the development.
“The MCE called me that, he had a hint. These are not Ghanaians but they were dropped at about 11pm on Monday evening but in the meantime, we are arranging with the Immigration Service to take it up from here”, he said
Municipal Chief Executive for Okaikoi North, Boye Laryea also said:
“After they were dropped, the bus could no longer be found. I arranged with my taskforce and city guards to ascertain the issue so we are still waiting for the Immigration service to come in for the way forward.”
This follows a nationwide system failure of the power distributors vending system and app last week.
The system and power app of the Company experienced a technical challenge last week.
This got most clients frustrated as they were unable to purchase credit for their meters and hence did not have electricity to power their gadgets.
The vending system was, however, restored in the Volta Region on Thursday, where only the vending point at the regional office was functioning.
There was a mad rush at the office compelling officials to increase vending points from 2 to 9.
Some customers shared how troubled they were when there were not able to procure power for use at home and their business centres.
“My power went off on Wednesday, I couldn’t purchase prepaid because we were told the system was down. I was very worried. But later on Thursday, we had news that we can buy at the regional office, which we heard was very crowded.
I came here and within a maximum of 10 minutes, I was served and I went back home”, said John Kofi Mawunyo, an ECG Customer in Ho.
Felicia Yaa Asantewa, another customer, lamented the occurrence and appealed to ECG to continue to work on its system to prevent such failure in the future.
The Volta Regional ECG Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Antwi, detailed that the vending system has been 99% restored in his jurisdiction.
He explained that clients issued the two categories of prepayment meters – Alpha and E-cash meters – in the region can purchase credits from their offices and all vending stations.
He apologised for the mishap and urged customers who may seek compensation to petition through the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, (PURC) and have their cases vetted.
“If the cases are investigated and we identify that ECG is at fault, they will be compensated, but if it is the fault of the customers, there would be no compensation”, he explained.
He assured me that the power distribution company would work to prevent such an unfortunate incident from happening in the future.
The Black Meteors will face Dreams FC in a friendly at the Accra Sports stadium at 3pm on Wednesday.
The team has been camping at the Ghanaman Centre of Excellence at Prampram and will use the test match to assess their readiness for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Mozambique.
Ghana drew a bye in the first of a three-round qualifying series for the tournament to be staged in Morocco next year.
Mozambique defeated Mauritius 5-1 on aggregate in the first round to set up the Ghana tie.
Coach Ibrahim Tanko and his charges are expected to travel to the East African nation for the first leg before hosting their opponents in the 2nd leg at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium.
The first and second legs are scheduled for October 21-23 and October 28-30 respectively.
Health expert and CEO of Chartma Herbal Health Centre has urged men to suck a breast within October as part of breast cancer awareness month.
Charity Twumasi Ankrah in an interview with KMJ on Prime Morning Tuesday explained that breast-sucking is a major way to help curb breast cancer in women.
According to her, it is very important for a woman’s breasts to be sucked as it keeps the breast healthier.
“Breastfeeding your baby is very important as a woman. That’s why if a woman has not given birth, it is a worry because, at the end of the day, the breast must be sucked.”
She added, “If you’re a man, please try as much as possible, even if you haven’t done it before, for this month of breast cancer awareness, try to suck a breast.”
Also, the health expert indicated that the sucking needs to be done once in a while, not every day.
However, she has cautioned all men to avoid squeezing the breasts as it may cause pain to ladies, saying “it is not a balloon.”
Charity Ankrah also entreated women who are victims of breast cancer to freely cut off the affected breast to protect the whole body. She believes it is not a death warrant.
“Having breast cancer in one breast is not a death warrant. I should be able to take the one that is affected off so I can have my life. It wouldn’t be comfortable to take all two off, but I have to be ok to take one off,” she said.
She further encouraged, “For the women out there, gather courage if you have to do it. Don’t feel shy, don’t feel bad. Just know that you’re saving yourself if one breast has to go off.”
Health expert has called out to the public to stop stigmatising victims of breast cancer, believing it is a part of the reason most women are reluctant to go for checkups or cut off their breasts.
Meanwhile, women are advised to visit the nearest hospital or breast screening centre within the month of October to screen their breasts as October is breast cancer awareness month.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA), has organized a one-day workshop for Match Commissioners of the Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League ahead of the 2022/2023 League season.Prior to the beginning of every league season, the Match Commissioners go through training to understand key areas of importance of the game.
Speaking during the training, Chairman of the Match Commissioners Association, Paul Ayamba believes the officials are ready to ensure a good league season.
“We have been given the officials the necessary training for a successful league and encouraged them to report every happening that may attempt to prevent a match’’ he said.
‘’As far as our match Commissioners are concerned, they are prepared to report and do their jobs to the maximum”
“We go through the same method of training every year but the character of every league season varies.‘’We teach them how to report issues against officials that will taint the matches and report adequately. But for the women game, we barely have such issues”.
“We have made about five new additions to the women match Commissioners. They have gone through the training and will be given their identity cards and we hope for a successful league”
The 2022/2023 Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League will kick start on the weekend of October 7-11 2022 across the Northern and Southern sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Water Company Limited, Dr. Clifford Braimah, wants the flooding in Weija to serve as a warning to persons encroaching on buffer zones and those building in waterways.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Dr. Braimah explained that the devastation being caused was despite the controlled spillage of the Weija dam.
The dam has five gates that are as high as 21 feet, but four have been opened no more than six feet high.
Dr. Braimah stressed that residents needed to respect the buffer zones.
“I am sure this will be a serious caution to people selling around the place, whoever is selling round the place and whoever is buying around the place and whoever is building there.”
“The communities that get flooded should take it more seriously because the water will find itself entering into communities that are not supposed to be affected,” he said.
Hundreds of residents have been forced out of their homes by floodwaters which have taken over homes and streets in Weija.
The National Disaster Management Organisation has been on the ground and said it has so far rescued in over 300 stranded people.
In response, the local government has created about three estuaries at the Bojo beach to facilitate the quicker flow of flood water into the sea.
The Ghana Stock Exchange was on September 28, 2022, admitted to full membership of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) at its 61st Annual General Assembly held in Malta.
GSE becomes the 11th African Stock Exchange to become a full member of the WFE.
The WFE is a non-profit organisation, which has the objective to contribute to the development, support, and promotion of organised and regulated securities and derivatives markets, to meet the needs of the world’s capital markets in the best interests of their users.
As a full member of the Federation, the GSE will benefit from the WFE’s work done by its various Working Committees as well as from the interaction with other members to further develop the stock market in Ghana to increase its relevance and contribution to the Ghanaian financial sector eco-system and the economy at large.
Membership in the association will also boost investor confidence in the Ghanaian market as we support the Government to make Ghana a gateway to Africa and a global Financial Hub.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, Ekow Afedzie said: “This is another milestone chalked by the Exchange and becoming a full member of the WFE is a testament to our commitment to adhering to the highest international standards and best practices to move this Exchange from a frontier to an emerging market status.”
GSE looks forward to taking advantage of every opportunity available to members to develop the market.
The former CAF 1st vice president has been out of football activities following the airing of the ‘Number 12’ documentary by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Nyantakyi was banned for life from football in October 2018 and fined CHF 500,000 for breaches of Fifa’s ethics code.
He was found guilty of breaking Fifa rules relating to conflicts of interest, bribery and corruption, and commission after an investigation by the Ethics Committee of world football’s governing body.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Nyantakyi admitted that he has taken a back seat adding that he is now practicing law.
“I have taken a back seat,” he told Kings GHTV Sports.
“I don’t know much about Ghana football now. I don’t follow as I used to when I was there.
“I don’t know [when I’ll come back to football]. I’m a lawyer and I have too many things doing now.”
However, after an appeal at CAS, Nyantakyi has had his lifetime ban reduced to 15 years.
Nyantakyi was named president of the GFA in 2005 and became head of the West African Football Union in 2011 after incumbent Amos Adamu was suspended following allegations of corruption.
Also a member of the Fifa Council, Nyantakyi resigned from his three senior positions after he was given a provisional 90-day ban by Fifa in June 2018.
They shall now have instant access to the full benefits package from all accredited health service providers.
This is in line with the Government’s objective to accelerate the attainment of Universal Health Coverage.
The new policy began on Monday.
The National Insurance Scheme used to have a mandatory one-month waiting period for all categories of members, except pregnant women and children under 5 years.
“This measure is to curb the abuse of the scheme by potential free-riders. The policy affected persons who are aged 70 years and above from accessing instant healthcare on enrolling onto the scheme,” the authority noted in a statement.
Former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan, is not confident an African country will win the World Cup, till the continent makes intentional efforts to break the jinx.
Gyan, who has featured in all three of Ghana’s World Cup campaigns so far, is unsure when an African country will win football’s biggest trophy. The farthest an African country has reached at the Mundial is the quarter-final round; Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana with Gyan in 2010.
Gyan suggests the quarter-final has been Africa’s long-standing boundary simply because there’s no calculated attempt from the continent.
“We have to make sure we plan ahead, I think that is our problem. There are some countries that plan years ahead – let’s say ‘in 10 years we have to win the World Cup’. So it’s a plan people take, and that’s why I’m saying it’s a process.
“I’m sure an African country will win it one-day, but I don’t know when,” Gyan said in an interview.
The African build-up to this year’s showdown in Qatar has been one of many headlines, with Morocco sacking head coach, Vahid Halilhodzic, in August. Meanwhile, Samuel Eto’o on a tour of Ghana – as part of ambassadorial duties for Qatar’s Legacy ambition, expressed with confidence that an African country was one-day going to win the World Cup.
Ghana FA president, Kurt Okraku and sports minister, Hon. Mustapha Ussif, have been more specific. On the trophy’s stop in Ghana during its world tour, the FA president and minister for sports were both emphatic about Ghana’s 2022 World Cup chances, indicating the country will win the tournament.
Gyan, who is Africa’s top scorer at the World Cup, shares in their optimism, and has fond memories of the Ghana’s first-ever campaign.
“As an African, that is my prayer, I want an African country to also win it, that is what every African is hoping for [but] it depends how the teams approach the tournament. I remember in 2006, Czech Republic was number 3 in the World, United States, number 5 and then there was Germany and Italy. So we[Ghana] were underdogs, everyone thought we were going home.
“But we were able to get through to the next stage of the competition. When you are going to a tournament, how you approach it matters, not the kind of players you have. Definitely, statistically, there are favorites, but you have to go and see what happens.”
Meanwhile, Gyan, 36, has shared his desire of making a return with the Black Stars ahead of this year’s edition in Qatar, a wish many Ghanaian faithful are against, since he has been out of professional football for close to a year.
Four worker unions in the public universities of Ghana have decided to embark on an indefinite strike, from Thursday, October 13, 2022, if government fails to resolve issues regarding their conditions of service.
The unions are the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Tertiary Education Workers Union (TEWU), Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), and the Ghana Association of University Administration (GAUA).
The unions are displeased with what they refer to as a” blatant unilateral variation of service in the face of hostile economic conditions.”
They have given government and all stakeholders “one crucial week to reverse the directive that seeks to negatively compromise the Conditions of Service of university workers.”
The leadership of the union urged all members to remain calm, as they will resist any attempt by government to vary the terms of their agreed condition of service without due process.
The founder of the defunct UT Bank has disclosed the reason behind the selling of his mansion.
Capt. (rtd) Prince Kofi Amoabeng said he did that to prevent himself from getting broke.
Speaking in an interview with TV3 on Tuesday, October 4, he said he currently has just one watch and a pair of shoes.
However, Mr Amoabeng said he is comfortable with his current state.
“I have one watch and one shoe. So I don’t need much money. I don’t have to have a lot of money to enjoy life. I’m very comfortable.
“I live in an apartment. I sold my mansion to reorganise myself and for me to get broke.
“I’m not too much worried about people like me but I’m worried about people who need validation and get so corrupt and do all sort of things that impacts the country and the younger generation negatively,” he said.
Meanwhile, Capt. (rtd) Prince Kofi Amoabeng has also said a philanthropist and businessman, Seidu Agongo, offered to extend his benevolence to him when he appeared in images wearing an unusually scruffy beard.
According to him, while other Ghanaians used those pictures to mock and laugh at him, Alhaji Agongo, contacted him in the quiet to ask if he could be of help in any financial difficulty that he might have found himself in.
He said this led to him forming a pleasant image of Mr Agongo’s personality, although he had not met him before.
“Actually, the reason why I could not say no to your invitation was because of Seidu Agongo’s personality,” he said.
“I have never set eyes on him but at some point in time, after the COVID-19 pandemichit, I started wearing this beard and I took a picture of myself and posted it on social media.
“That set tongues wagging that ‘I was on the verge of death’, ‘I’ am now a pauper,’ among other negative comments.
“But the boss of this place [CMG], Seidu Agongo, sent me a WhatsApp message that if I am in difficulty, I should send him my account number for him to give me some money.”
“Of course, I did not pursue it but I am ever so grateful that, at least, one Ghanaian thought that instead of laughing at him, let me help,” he added.
The five times world champions undoubtedly have been tipped by many to annex the trophy due to the squad depth.
In their September friendly games, Tite’s side stunned Ghana 3-0 before dismantling Tunisia 5-1.
With less than two months to the start of the Mundial in Qatar, Mr Nyantakyi, who is a former FIFA Executive Council member beleives the South American sountry are favourite to lift the trophy.
“Brazil has a very good team and I won’t be surprised if they win the 2022 World Cup,” he told Kings GHTV Sports. Brazil have been housed in Group G alongside Serbia, Cameroon and Switzerland.
The Seleção wil hope to clinch their 6th trophy at the tournament that kick off from Noevember 20 to December 18 in Qatar.
According to the Coalition for Cocoa Sector Reforms (CCSR-Gh), Ghanaian cocoa farmers are prepared to work with the government to put an end to the threat posed by illicit small-scale mining (Galamsey).
The association stated in a statement, “On galamsey, farmers are ready to assist government in fighting it if only their petition is taken into consideration.
If their request is granted, farmers won’t be duped by galamseyers’ cash offers, and if we all work together, we can prevent the final collapse of the cocoa sector.
“The Forestry Commission must also look at the remuneration for forest guards and technical officers. Their conditions of service is very poor. They work with minimum safety boots, protective clothing and ammunitions. Let’s give better remuneration and honour to these agricultural sector workers and safe the industry now or we forfeit it.
“We also call for the arrest and prosecution of galamseyers operating in the Tano-Numri forest and officials of the minerals commission who gave mining license to Akonta Mining with expiration in 2035 against the minerals and mining of natural resource act of Ghana. Long live Cocoa farmers, long live Ghana.”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be meeting Municipal and District Chief Executives and also National House of Chiefs at Manhyia in Kumasi today, Wednesday October 5, over issues surrounding galamsey.
This comes at a time concerns have been raised by stakeholders regarding the impact of galamsey on water bodies and the environment in general.
Ahead of the meeting, Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Mr Ernest Owusu-Bempah appealed to all Ghanaians to support the President to deal with this situation.
He said the President is committed to fighting the menace.
“We the NPP will support the president to deal with this menace,” portions of his statement said on Tuesday October.
Pressure group, OccupyGhana has also asked the government to declare a state of emergency over this issue.
A statement by the group said “Considering the gravity of the situation, we fully expect Parliament to agree with the government and provide that the state of emergency should remain for such period as Parliament may determine so that the government can get a grasp of the situation.”
Ghana’s Permanent representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Mrs. Anita Adjei Nmashie will represent Ghana on the ICAO Council for a three-year term, following Ghana’s election to the ICAO Council.
The election, which took place at the ongoing 41st ICAO Triennial Assembly in Montreal, Canada saw Ghana receive an overwhelming majority votes from Member States in a highly contested race.
Ghana, together with 8 African Member States will represent Africa on ICAO’s 36-Member Council.
The ICAO Council is a permanent body of the Organization responsible to the Assembly and composed of 36 Member States elected by the Assembly for a three-year term.
In the election, adequate representation is given to States of Chief importance in Air Transport, States not otherwise included but which make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for International Civil air navigation and States not otherwise included whose designation will ensure that all major geographic area of the world are represented on the Council.
Mrs. Adjei-Nmashie, who is representing Ghana on the ICAO Council has served in the aviation industry for well over three decades. Having started her career with the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority as the first female air traffic controller in a male dominated profession, where she was the only woman among about 50 men.
As ambitious as she is and having tested the joy of controlling aircraft in Ghana’s Accra Flight Information Region (FIR), she decided to explore other areas in the aviation profession. She moved to the Safety Regulation Department, which was another male dominated field and became the first female Aviation Safety Inspector of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority.
By dint of hard work and dedication to her profession, the then Management promoted her to become the first female Manager for Aerodrome Safety and Standards in the Safety Regulation Department. The position placed her in charge of Aerodrome Certification, Surveillance, Obstruction Evaluation and Airport Airspace Analysis (OEAAA) as well as other specialties in Ghana.
She successfully led a team of Aviation Safety experts to certify Ghana’s main international airport, which contributed to Ghana’s position as a pacesetter in aviation in the sub-region.
Ghana subsequently became a Champion State for Aerodrome Certification and Surveillance in Africa in collaboration with ICAO Regional Offices (WACAF and ESAF).
In 2018, Mrs. Adjei-Nmashie became the Deputy Director, Safety Regulation with a scope of oversight responsibilities covering Aerodrome Safety and Standards including certification of Helicopter Landing Sites and Ground Operations, Air Traffic Services, Personnel Licensing, Flight Operations, Aviation Security and Quality Control and Airworthiness.
Ghana had the highest Effective Implementation (EI) score of 89.89 in Africa under the Comprehensive and Continuous Monitoring Approach (CMA) USOAP Program in 2019.
Whilst addressing the Assembly on October 1st, 2022, Ghana’s Minister for Transport Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah relied on Ghana’s enormous achievement in the aviation sector in the sub-region to solicit support for Ghana’s candidature for election to Part 3 of the ICAO Council to represent the Western Region of Africa.
Ghana’s Transport Minister, together with H.E Anselm Ransford Sowah, Ghana’s Ambassador to Canada and the Director General of the GCAA, Ing. Charles Ebo Kraikue held several meetings with other Member States to ensure that Ghana’s election to the Council was solidified.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Weija Gbawe, Patrick Kumor is asking residents to brace themselves for the worse following the spillage of the Weija Dam.
Residents have been forced out of their homes by floodwaters which have taken over homes and streets.
In response, the assembly has created about three estuaries at the Bojo beach to facilitate the movement of the water into the sea.
“If we have three outlets, that should take large volumes of the water out of the community,” Mr. Kumor said to Citi News.
He indicated further that correspondence with Ghana Water Company Limited suggested more volumes are yet to be spilt.
“We are still having some heavy rain upstream, which is in the Eastern Region, so we need to brace ourselves for the worst.”
“So far, we have not recorded any casualty or loss of life. We thank God for that, and I believe we will keep on working so hard to save our people in the community,” Mr. Kumor added.
The National Disaster Management Organisation has been on the ground and says it has so far rescued in excess of 300 stranded victims, while at the same time working to expand the estuary to facilitate the flow of the water into the sea.
The organisation has been given support by the Marine Police and the 48th Engineers Regiment.
President Akufo Addo has vowed to fly supporters to Qatar to support the Black Stars at the 2022 World Cup.
He made these comments after Mr. Kennedy Agyepong, who is the Chief Executive Officer and President of the Kenpong Group of Companies visited him at the Jubilee House on Tuesday.
Kenpong Travel and Tours are the official airline to airlift football fans from Ghana to the Arab country for the Mundial.
Ghana will hope to put up a decent performance in the global showpiece having failed to progress from the group phase at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
President Akufo Addo during the World Cup trophy tour in Ghana however said the Black Stars could become the first African country to lift the ultimate.
“I am of the firm conviction that Ghana will not only participate in the competition but will make the whole nation and by extension the African continent proud, with a great performance,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ghana have been housed in Group H alongside Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay.
The 2022 Mundial kick off from November 20 to December 18.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Coastal Development Authority (CODA), Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has revealed government’s intention to start a sea transport system in the country.
Jerry Ahmed Shaib in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Face to Face on Citi TV said the Authority is “working on a sea transport system referred to us the CODA sea bus.”
He indicated that the bus will run to and from Axim to Denu.
“Fortunately, the President has asked the Ministry of Transport and GAPOHA to work on the landing beaches. The structure is that the ferry will be stopping at the landing beaches. We are in serious talks with a private institution and we are far advanced,” he added.
The CODA CEO believes that the initiative, when rolled out will go a long way to ease the traffic situation in the country.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari says sexual harassment in the country’s universities has reached alarming proportions, and law and order agencies are rightly treating it as a form of corruption.
Speaking at a summit on tackling corruption in the public sector, President Buhari said he was aware students use different terms to describe different forms of corruption they experience on campus.
“There is sorting or cash for marks/grades, sex for marks, sex for grade alterations, examination malpractice, and so on.”
Mr Buhari, who did not provide any statistics, noted that the independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission is investigating and prosecuting sexual harassment as an abuse of power in the educational institutions.
“I approve and encourage them to continue to do so.”
When he launched the 2022 customer week celebration in Ho, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, Director General of the Trust, announced the launch of the new feature. The new system would also allow for mobile transfers from bank accounts.
The Government’s efforts at digital transformation, he said, had made it possible to improve services, and a waiver of the electronic transaction levy had been secured as part of commitments to ensure that it was used by everyone. He also announced the introduction of an improved and interactive self-service portal.
The Director General said the digital transfers would ensure more convenient services, and the Trust would place the services under constant improvement to serve clients better.
“I am happy to announce that in about a week from today, members can pay their contributions using Momo and pensioners can also opt to receive their pensions through Momo (E-LEVY exempt), and by the close of the year, the SSNIT app will be fully functional.
“We are committed to making sure we have a transparent organization,” Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said, adding that effective systems were in place to monitor finances.
He said the current digital revolution in the nation’s identification helped cleanse the system of unverified payments, and that the Scheme had saved about GHS 325 million from stopping unverified payments.
The Director General said the Scheme continued to excel as the best in the country and was making efforts to attract the informal sector, which had a population of over 10 million, and was the backbone of the Nation’s economy.
He said Scheme pays out GHS 230 million in pensions annually and totalled 3.2 billion in 2021.
Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said the scheme never departed from its commitments and had been raising pensions annually.
Invalidity payments were also being honoured and had paid the over 1500 eligible persons nationwide, GHS 18.5 million in 2021.
“SSNIT gives superior value to any long-term investment that one can engage in,” he assured.
The Director General told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the Scheme had a secure system to allow smooth wireless financial transactions across the various digital platforms.
“98 per cent of the time, our systems are very effective,” he assured.
Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, said all must sign up for the SSNIT Pension Scheme, irrespective of job class and said all in the Volta Region had a high informal sector, that must take advantage of the enhanced registration services to join the scheme.
Togbe Kotoku XI, Chief of Kpenoe Traditional Area, said there was the need to remind each other of retirement, and of the fact that SSNIT had “shown leadership in pensions by providing increased security for workers in Ghana.”
He said all must take advantage to avoid the adverse that come with not joining.
This year’s customer week celebration is on the theme “You deserve a Pension- Call SSNIT Today.”
The launch coincided with the world customer service day celebrations, and a registration team was at the fore of the Ho Teaching Hospital to register new customers and service existing ones.
There were testimonies from beneficiaries of the Scheme, and a drama skit was staged calling for people to join the programme.
Former Ghana Football Association [GFA] boss, Kwesi Nyantakyi, has urged the technical team of the Black Stars to ensure the team prepares adequately ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Ghana have returned to the Mundial after securing a spot against Nigeria in a two-legged tie.
Black Stars’ form in recent times has been questioned by several Ghanaian football fans after the Brazil and Nicaragua games that ended 3-0 defeat and a 1-0 win respectively.
The technical team led by Otto Addo has come under pressure after the games.
With less than two months to the start of the global showpiece in Qatar, the former CAF 1st vice president has appealed to the technical team to keep the team in shape.
He also appealed to the government to back the Ghana Football Association.
“We [Ghana Black Stars] have to prepare well so we can do well and government should also support the Ghana Football Association [GFA],” Mr. Nyantakyi told Kings GHTV Sports.
Under the auspices of Mr. Nyantakyi, Ghana played in the 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cups in Germany, South Africa, and Brazil respectively.
However, the Black Stars have been housed in Group H alongside Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is questioning claims that the Ghana Bar Association has become an elitist organisation.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has in recent times accused the GBA of being elitist and failing in its core mandate to speak for the vulnerable.
At a meeting with the leadership of the Ghana Bar Association at the Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo asked that such comments should be ignored.
“I hear other people are talking about it being an elite organisation and etcetera. I don’t know what they understand by elite, but I know that an organisation that is concerned about the welfare of the people… cannot be an elite organisation.”
He said the GBA had leaders who “were prepared to make the sacrifices that were necessary to make sure that we have a modern and respectable form of governance in our country.”
“It is an organisation that speaks to the interest of the people of Ghana for accountable governance, and that is an organisation that deserves the support of all right-thinking lawyers in the country.”
He said that this sum was equal to the annual income from cocoa.
Dr. Afriyie Akoto listed the following tree crops as the ones chosen to produce income for the nation: oil palm, shea, rubber, coconut, mango, and cashew.
“By 2027, our goal is for each of the six chosen tree crops to produce at least 12 billion US dollars in revenue, which is equal to the sum of cocoa’s yearly revenue. According to the strategy’s requirements, this is feasible, the Minister of Food and Agriculture said.
Speaking at a press conference in Kumasi, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto said the move forms part of strategies put in place by the Agric Ministry to offer a lifeline to the tree crop sector in Ghana.
Dr Afriyie Akoto mentioned that the tree crop sector is being cultivated by over 1.5 million households.
He stated that this sector could create more jobs to help curb the growing unemployment rate in the country.
This is to enable drivers to get proper training on the usage of road signs and driving techniques to help curb road accidents.
Speaking to KMJ on Prime MorningShowon Thursday, the Chairman of the Greater Accra Region, Ali Wahab, revealed that policies are being put in place to publish a list of well-equipped driving schools to ensure that drivers are well educated.
“In the near future, we have things in place. We’re also going to publish the names of good driving schools in the dailies. If you want to send your ward, your child, or anybody to driving school, make sure you go through this list,” he said.
“Before somebody joins the association, you need to be certified by DVLA. DVLA has to inspect the classroom, the cars, and certified instructors to be able to teach,” he added.
He indicated that formal training is key in driving, believing that “Experience is a factor, but knowledge is a major factor.”
The Chairman is of the view that driver education will enable drivers to be knowledgeable about road signs and help the road safety initiative.
He also revealed that the association is working on introducing local languages in the various schools, saying language can never be a barrier in training drivers.
“Even our regulators have deemed it necessary that education should not be a barrier for someone learning how to drive. So now the computer things, they’re putting some in five local languages, which is about to roll up,” he explained.
Additionally, he said, “We’ll make sure that any language that you deem necessary to understand, to the best of your knowledge, we’re going to take you through it. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we’re going to roll those things out.”
Hearts of Oak new Goalkeeper’s trainer Richard Oppong is happy to join the club from Second division side Mountaineers FC.
The 35-year-old holds CAF License B and C certificates. He has attended series of coaching seminars including an attachment at Manchester City in English Premiership.
His professional coaching career includes stint at Red Bull Soccer Academy, Tema Youth, Vision FC, Right to Dream Soccer Academy and Inter Allies amongst many others.
“I have been following the team and it’s projects and I feel it has something to do with development and the future. I believe in the things they are doing. I am very happy,” Oppong told the club’s website.
“The reception was perfect and very cool. And I must say the players received me very well. Even the foreign players embraced me. It was a very good reception.”
He added, “The fans will see the works we will put in and the Goalkeepers will also see improvement in their careers.”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been urged by the pressure group OccupyGhana to swiftly proclaim a State of Emergency in all mining regions of the nation.
According to a statement released by the Group on Monday, this was the only way the President and his administration could organize the nation’s mining operations and triumph over illegal mining, also known locally as “galamsey,”
Additionally, it requested President Akufo-Addo to consult the Council of State before issuing a Gazette on the matter.
“We…, request that you take immediate steps towards declaring a State of Emergency in every mining area in Ghana.
“By article 31(1) of the Constitution, these steps will be, first, seeking and obtaining the advice of the Council of State and, second, publishing a proclamation of the declaration in the Gazette,” the statement said.
“Considering the gravity of the situation, we fully expect Parliament to agree with the government and provide that the state of emergency should remain for such period as Parliament may determine so that the government can get a grasp of the situation,” it said.
This was revealed by the Director General, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang during his keynote address at this year’s Mobile Service Week at Ho in the Volta Region.
Delivering his speech, Dr Ofori-Tenkorang mentioned that the amount paid to pensioners may surpass that of last year’s payment schedule.
He explained that, in 2021, SSNIT paid a total amount of GH¢3.2 billion to its beneficiaries.
Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang said, “we pay every 3rd Thursday of the month. Last year, we paid GH¢3.2 billion as benefits to our members (pensioners).”
“This year, up until August ending [August 31, 2022], we’ve paid 2.4 billion already. By the time the year comes to an end, we would have surpassed the 3.2 billion we paid last year,” he touted.
The statutory public Trust, SSNIT, stablished in 1972, is mandated to provide income security for retired workers who signed up for their services.
The Pension Scheme, as administered by SSNIT, has an active membership of over 1.6 million as at January 2021, with over 226,000 pensioners who regularly receive their monthly pensions from SSNIT.
According to Dr Ofori-Tenkorang, the trust spends, GH¢280 million every month to settle pensioners.
“Every month, we pay GH¢280 million to our members, and this has been consistent till this day. We’ve never defaulted.”
As the government continues its engagement with the IMF for a bailout, the Chief Executive of the McDan Group, Daniel Mckorley, has admonished the government to indigenise the economy.
He contends that this is the surest way to sustain and ensure a robust economy in the wake of any (unforeseen) crisis.
This comment was in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ravaging impact the Russia-Ukraine war has had on economies.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 5th edition of the African Rising Leadership Conference (hybrid edition) on Tuesday, September 4, 2022, the business mogul acknowledged that Ghana, like other economies across the globe, is faced with various economic challenges following these factors.
However, if systems were in place to favour and push local industries, the economy would be in a better shape than it is currently.
“For me the whole world is in crisis. It’s not only about Ghana. Just that, because we are here (in Ghana) we are (heavily) feeling the impact. But I can tell you that over 100 companies have signed up to the IMF. And the world after the pandemic, after the Russia-Ukraine war, you don’t expect anything better.
“Ghana is still in good shape despite the economic hardships. Ghana is still thriving but my advice to the authorities is that we have to indigenise most of the things,” he noted.
Addressing the media on the sideline of the event, Mr MacDan bemoaned the fact that more imported products are consumed in the country while exports remain low.
Concerned about this development, McDan asked the government to “see some of these things happening and take steps to address them” if indeed it is committed to bring the economy back to life.
“We are mainly a consuming country and we have to change the dynamics. We cannot be a consuming country and expect to grow. I mean we cannot compete with the world but we can position ourselves on a better pedestal,” he
said.
He further called on the government to invest in the youth and also create more avenues for youth empowerment.
“We have a youthful population of about 70% to 80% and we need to focus on youth empowerment and also building indigenous businesses in order to sustain some of these worldly shocks,” he said.
Stressing on the need for Ghana to focus on indigenising the economy he noted that “some of these shocks (i.e COVID-19, etc.) are bound to come and we cannot control it much. We can control the internal environment but we cannot control the external environment. Just that we have to prepare ourselves for the external environment,” he added.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stands ready to assist Ghana in restoring macroeconomic stability; anchoring debt sustainability; promoting inclusive and sustainable growth; and addressing the impact of the war in Ukraine and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.
The government of Ghana has already initiated official negotiations with the IMF. If an agreement on a program is reached, Ghana will receive $3 billion dollars over three years from the International Monetary Fund, according Bloomberg, an international news agency.
The Minerals Commission confirmed on Tuesday that the Akonta Mining Limited, a company owned by Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, better known by his stage name Chairman Wontumi, does not possess a mining lease or a mineral right that would allow it to conduct any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
The company’s August 25, 2022, application for a lease to mine within the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, according to a statement released by the Corporate Affairs Department of the Minerals Commission and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, was still waiting.
It said that the decision to approve or reject the mining lease lay with the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
The Commission, therefore, assured the public that it was taking the necessary steps to enforce the Minister’s directive, issued on Friday, September 30, 2022, prohibiting the Akonta Mining Limited from mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western Region.
“Following the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources Press Release on 30th September, 2022, on the alleged operations of Akonta Mining Limited in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, the attention of the Minerals Commission has been drawn to a Mining Lease in circulation, purporting to be a lease granted to the company to undertake mining operations in the said Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve,” it said.
“While Akonta Mining Ltd has a mining lease to undertake mining operations in some parts of Samreboi, outside the Forest Reserve, the company has no mineral right to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.”
The Commission said the company had two mining leases in the Samreboi area, granted following a Reconnaissance Licence given on 15th June, 2011 and a Prospecting Licence granted on 31st December, 2012.
Those mining leases covered an area in Samreboi, dated July 23, 2021, and an area in Abokoase, dated July 23, 2021.
None of the aforementioned mining leases fell within the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, or any forest reserve for that matter, it said.
The Authority mandates that the general population make sure all taxes are paid.
The Authority stated that importers of automobiles into the nation are required to pay import duties and any other imposts in accordance with section 55(1) of the Customs Act, 2016 (Act 891).
The Commissioner-General of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Kofi Nti has cautioned members of the public to verify the legitimacy of any vehicle they intend to purchase with the Customs Division of the GRA before procuring them.
He said GRA as an organisation intends to vigorously pursue revenue without holding back.
“GRA is serving notice to the general public to ensure that all vehicles that they own have had their duties duly paid” he added
Speaking to journalists at the GRA Headquarters in Accra, the Commissioner-General said the Special Surveillance and Monitoring Unit working in collaboration with GRA has arrested about one hundred (100) uncustomed vehicles whose owners are going through the process of paying the required duties.
“In accordance with section 55(1) of the Customs Act, 2016 (Act 891) a person who imports vehicles into the country shall pay import duties and any other imposts” he explained.
He however called on the owners of vehicles to regularise the status of their vehicles with the Customs Division of GRA to be sure of the tax and duty status of their vehicles.
Former Ghana international Yaw Preko says there is no need to make changes to the Black Stars technical team ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Addo, 44, has come under criticism lately despite qualifying Ghana for the 2022 World Cup after beating Nigeria in the playoffs.
The Borussia Dortmund trainer has been criticized over his tactics and team selection after Ghana’s two international friendlies against Brazil and Nicaragua.
Several Ghanaian football fans have called for the replacement of Addo ahead of the Mundial in Qatar.
Yaw Preko, reacting to the calls for the Black Stars technical team to be augmented or changed said there is no need to make changes to the with just a few days to the World Cup.
He stated the technical team is capable of fixing the problem.
“If you do changes at this time then you will mess up”, the Great Olympics coach said in an interview on Accra-based radio station Asempa FM.
“It’s just 46 days to the World Cup and making any change now will be a problem. Otto Addo can get people to beef up the technical team if he requests it. The technical team is capable of fixing the problem”.
Coach Yaw Preko added that Ghanaians will get a fair idea about Otto Addo’s squad in the last friendly game against Switzerland.
Building a resilient digital ecosystem is essential for national development and inclusive growth, the vice president said on Monday at the official launch of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) in Accra. This is especially true in the age of the fourth industrial revolution, when new and emerging digital technologies and trends, such as social media and fifth generation (5G) networks, are fundamentally altering the business landscape and the nature of work.
“These are just a few examples to emphasise the point that in our current digitalised and interconnected environment, a single cybersecurity incident can affect an entire organisation, a whole nation or the world at large. Therefore, it is critical to build a strong shield against cyber threats and incidents that could undermine our capacity to act and develop,” Dr. Bawumia said in a keynote address delivered on his behalf by the Minister of Public Enterprises, Joseph Cudjoe, during the launch.
According to the World Economic Forum, cybercrime cost the world at least US$6trillion in 2021 and could lead to over US$10trillion in annual damages by 2025. Research by IBM also indicates that it takes 280 days to find and contain the average cyberattack, while the average attack costs US$3.86million.
Touching on the theme for this year’s NCSAM, ‘Regulating Cybersecurity: A Public-Private Sector Collaborative Approach’, Dr. Bawumia said cybersecurity development everywhere is a shared responsibility; and enhancing understanding of the provisions of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) and building synergies among all relevant stakeholders to ensure compliance with them is absolutely critical.
“Creating greater awareness of the law and relevance of cybersecurity regulations among children, the public, businesses and government while highlighting the need for public-private sector cooperation must be paramount. This Awareness Month is therefore important to ensure that everyone is involved in cybersecurity activities to ensure a safer digital Ghana,” he stated.
Deputy Communications and Digitalisation Minister, Ama Pomaa Boateng, who spoke on behalf of sector minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said activities earmarked for the month-long celebration are designed to enhance public-private sector understanding of the cybersecurity law and provide a platform for industry players and stakeholders to make inputs into activities currently being implemented by the CSA.
NCSAM, she further noted, is part of global efforts to raise awareness on cybercrime trends, cybersecurity issues and cyber hygiene practices; as well as to dialogue and highlight the growing cybersecurity issues under specific thematic areas.
“The Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation is committed to this programme, and I urge public and private sector institutions and Civil Society Organisations to participate fully in the NCSAM 2022 activities this October by organising awareness programmes for their stakeholders and constituents,” she stated.
The Acting Director General of the Cyber Security Authority, Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, said cybercrimes and cybersecurity-related matters are borderless and thus both local and international collaborations are paramount in tackling them; and collaborations with various stakeholders play a significant role in ensuring the CSA executes its mandate successfully.
He said the CSA looks forward to working closely with the Industry Forum, which is to be established under section 81 of Act 1038.
“The Industry Forum’s establishment and operationalisation will undoubtedly bring the private sector and industry players together to work closely with the Authority on cybersecurity matters. International cooperation has also been key to Ghana’s cybersecurity development, as we have benefitted enormously through exchange of experiences, joint exercises, capacity-building programmes as well as intelligence-sharing on cyber threats, among others,” he stated.
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