Ex-Ghana international, Shilla Illiasu has bemoaned the standard of quality in the local Ghanaian leagues.
According to him, football is currently down in the country when compared to the old times.
Speaking to Radio Gold Talk Sport, he said it is difficult to point at players in the local league with the quality to play for the Black Stars of Ghana.
“That will be difficult now because our football now is down small…But it depends on the player when you talk of confidence.
“But now Ghana football is down compared to our time but I know if the local players are serious they can get something out of them, if they have confidence they can do it.” Shilla Illiasu shared.
In the last Ghana assignment, only Daniel Afriyie Barnieh was included in the squad.
He missed out on the Brazil friendly but featured in the game against Nicaragua as an injury-time substitute.
South Korea defender Kim Min-jae is set to face Ghana forward Mohammed Kudus in the UEFA Champions League game between Napoli and Ajax.
It will be the duo first meeting between the two players whose countries have been paired in the same group at the 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar.
Ajax will play host to Napoli at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Tuesday night in matchday 3 of the Champions League.
The South Korean is expected to take notes on the in-form attacker before the teams break camp in November for the World Cup in Qatar.
The Black Stars midfielder is set to start against Napoli tonight after making substitute appearance on Saturday in Ajax 1-1 draw against Go Ahead Eagles.
Kudus has been in a rich vein of form for Ajax this season scoring 7 goals and providing 1 assist in 11 matches.
He has excelled in the first two Champions League games for Ajax, scoring against Rangers and Liverpool respectively.
Ghana international Majeed Ashimeru has called on his Anderlecht teammates to stay positive in order to turn things around as soon as possible after 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.
“We have to stay positive and turn things in our favor as soon as possible. We have to fight, find the solution. I heard the public and I can’t blame them given what we offered today. today,”Sporting Charleroi
“I’m disappointed in myself and for the fans. We’re going to have to give it our all.”
The 24-year-old has featured 9 times this season scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assists in the process.
Ghana international Majeed Ashimeru has reacted to 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 assists in the process.
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka hit his lowest point for the Gunners nearly three years ago when he was stripped of his captaincy and left out of his side’s Europa League squad for their clash against Portugal’s Vitoria.
The decision by then manager Unai Emery came in response to controversy stemming from Xhaka’s angry reaction to being booed by fans after being substituted in a home draw against Crystal Palace.
During the indecent, a frustrated Xhaka taunted home fans and removed his shirt when storming off the pitch after he was substituted. The Swiss international has since admitted he wanted to leave the club in that following winter’s transfer window.
Three years on though, such turmoil seems unrecognisable. His fortunes have been massively transformed at the club, and he’s now considered one of Mikel Arteta’s most important squad members.
His role and importance to this season’s squad was clear to see in Saturday’s impressive 3-1 North London derby win over Tottenham when the midfielder was quick to summon his fellow players over for a pep talk following Thomas Partey’s opening goal.
Xhaka himself got on the scoresheet in that game, netting the third and final strike to cap off what had been another impressive all-round performance from the 30-year-old.
Although we’re just eight games into the new season, Xhaka has already registered five Premier League goal contributions. He needs just one more goal or assist to match his tally for each of his last two full league campaigns combined.
His increased influence from an attacking point of view is thanks to the form of midfield teammate Partey whose dominating presence in the heart of the Arsenal midfield is allowing Arteta to hand Xhaka a role which sees him playing more like a number eight, rather than a number six.
Partey’s dominance in that area was on display on Saturday when he finished the game having made more tackles and interceptions than any other Arsenal player.
Xhaka when playing in that deeper defensive position in recent years was too often guilty of switching off which would lead to turning the ball over in dangerous areas or committing cheap fouls. Coming into this season, he’d picked up 51 yellow cards in just 186 Premier League matches.
Higher up the pitch though, these frailties in his game are far less exposed, while his strong technical skills are given a better platform to shine. Right now, he’s consistently showing an ability to take up useful positions in the attacking third, he is making well-timed runs and crucially, creating chances for his teammates.
All of this is evident in the underlying numbers. His overall touches have dropped from 68.2 per 90 last season to 61.8 in this, however touches in the penalty area are up from 1.74 per 90 to 3.63. His average in terms of shot-creating actions has also increased. In each of the last four seasons, he was posting a combined per 90 average of 2.12, however, it’s been an impressive 3.77 so far this season.
Arsenal’s new signings have attracted the bulk of the praise for the team becoming the Premier League’s early pacesetters, yet the above is capturing how Xhaka has been just as important to their early success and his turnaround across these last three years shouldn’t be overlooked.
Her first movie ‘The Maid’ which brought her into the spotlight gave her many acting opportunities as she featured in different kinds of movies, including comedy and romantic movies
According to the 38-year-old mother of four, she has stopped taking romantic roles because of her marriage to Prince Odianosen Okojie.
She added that her husband was not happy seeing her act in such scenes, and she had to stop them when they got married.
Mercy met her husband for the first time in 2008 on a flight to France, and they tied the knot on August 27, 2011.
Not only has Ghanaian media personality, Akua Blakfoe accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of threatening her life but also blames them for her dismissal from Mnet and her former company’s decision to hold on to her works despite several attempts to recover old footage.
In a lengthy post on Facebook, Blakofe, who is known to have hosted several shows on Ghanaian television including Talking Drum, Amazing Ghana, Miss Malaika, Morning Ride and Soccer Academy said there is no footage to prove to the world or grandchildren of her sacrifice and work as a show host.
In her post sighted by GhanaWeb, the TV personality who was a former Deputy CEO of the Ghana Tourism Development Company explained that she lost her job for criticizing President John Agyekum Kufuor’s government under the NPP.
“Do you know when Mnet sacked me for saying Ghana@50 was a waste of money they refused to give me copies of my work? I’m trying to archive my TV career in the asylum and I have nothing! No Goldblast. No Talking Drum. No Amazing Ghana. No Miss Malaika. No Morning Ride. No Soccer Academy. No Taxi Driver (guest appearance on 1 ep). Only 1 Studio 53. I filmed so much…20 years on TV and I have little to prove it. My YouTube channel was also pulled down, don’t know whom by or why so all the footage there is gone. And my previous tenant threw ALL our things out of our home before subletting. Those things included plenty VHS copies of my TV career,” parts of the post read.
Blakofe commenting on the harm the political party has done to her life despite her support wrote that he regrets ever campaigning for them, especially under President Akufo-Addo’s rule.
She noted that a woman under Kufuor’s administration instigated her dismissal from Mnet.
“These days, I don’t stress or vex so I’m not angry. Just disappointed that I’ve nothing to archive. Nothing for my granddaughter to see. As for the shows I emceed, forgerrit. No footage kraaaaaaa. What a sin t’ing. PS – I lost my Mnet job under Kuffour (apparently powers that be phoned Mnet to sack me for saying don’t buy champagne for Gh@50; build maternity wards instead. I know the woman who instigated my sacking though. Then under Akufo-Addo, I lost my life in the asylum. The lesson? I should never support NPP!” she stated.
“One way or another there needs to be government intervention,” Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said at the Energy Intelligence Forum, a major conference for oil and gas producers in London on Tuesday. “Protecting the poorest, that probably may then mean that governments need to tax people in this room to pay for it.”
Europe Union ministers reached an agreement last week on an initial energy package, setting a goal to reduce power consumption and agreeing to tap windfall profits of companies and redirect them to customers and businesses. The bloc has also discussed capping the price of natural gas and power in a bid to protect consumers.
Van Beurden criticized the latter approach, saying that companies like Shell would struggle to bring extra supplies of natural gas to Europe if a price incentive wasn’t there.
“We will do our best to bring gas to Europe where it’s needed, but if the market signal is not there it’s going to be really challenging,” van Beurden said.
Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba, has disclosed that he usually invests months, and sometimes years, just to prepare a single tune.
According to the Ghanaian highlife veteran, he always strives to put together lyrics that can resonate in the minds of his fans and cause them to put on their thinking caps.
“My songs take as long as six months or even two years to finish up. I do this because I usually want to put together lyrics that makes sense. I want people to think thoroughly when they listen to my song,” he stated in an interview spotted on his official YouTube channel.
It has been often said that Daddy Lumba’s songsare not easy to understand and one may need a translator to decode its lyrics because of how they are saddled with all sorts of parables, poems, and so on.
And even though he mostly sings in the Akan language, it remains a fact that some Akans do not easily understand the lyrics of his songs.
Rapper Blacko, on Thursday, October 6, will release his maiden album ‘The Villian I Never Was’ after serving music lovers with monster hit singles.
The rapper’s upcoming project has been tipped to break the record as the most-screamed Ghanaian album across all digital platforms due to the positive feedback it has received so far.
Not only is Black Sherif expected to win big in Ghana, but also, fans are hopeful of him topping international charts and winning big on the African continent.
On Monday, Blacko published the official trailer of his album, which was well promoted across all social media platforms by his teeming fans, including colleagues.
In a tweet, rapper Sarkodie commended the young champ for his incredible work.
He wrote that “BLACKO’s attention to detailing” was on point.
On Tuesday morning, Shatta sent a notice to the general public concerning the major project that has taken him years to produce and share with fans.
“October is for GOG. Don’t make that mistake,” the dancehall singer on October 3 wrote on his Facebook page.
Already, there have been several campaigns from the Shatta Movement camp, all in support of the GOG album.
The release date is special to the Ghanaian musician as it will mark his 38th birthday.
During a performance at the SummerStage Festival in Crotona Park, New York City on August 13, Shatta dropped the major announcement after postponing the GOG album for years.
“I have this album that I have been creating for three years and everybody has been talking about it and asking ‘when are you gonna drop the album?’
“Today you guys are the special people with my press release date. On the 17th of October, I am gonna release the Gift of God Album and you guys are so special, you guys are the first. I have not told anybody and I know the press is gonna take it. I love you guys, you guys are looking like angels. Clap for yourselves,” said Shatta who couldn’t hide his excitement.
Meanwhile, Shatta has named Nigeria’s Naira Marley as one of the musicians on his album, with fans anticipating major surprises on the project.
Famous Nigerian Dj, Florence Otedola, who is popular as DjCuppy, has opened up about why she has remained single, saying that most men who come into her life are not looking for true love but after her father’s wealth.
Cuppy who is the daughter of billionaire business mogul, Femi Otedola, has not been lucky in her relationship in the past years but she said she was not worried about it as she has rather focused on her career and educational pursuit in order to become the woman she truly admires.
Cuppy, who also hinted about her plan to go back to school to study Agriculture said it was not her fault that men have their eyes fixated on her dad’s influence, adding that anytime she engages a potential lover, the next question he asks is: “When am I going to meet your dad?”.
“Then I ask them why they are always talking about my dad and not focus on me and what we are getting into. I wonder why they all focus on meeting my dad when we engage in any conversation. I am just curious as to why my dad’s name always comes into the conversation,” she asked.
The Ashanti Regional Chairmanof the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has advised Erastus Asare Donkor to avoid documenting and publicizing false stories concerning Akonta Mining Limited’s mining operations.
Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, better known as Chairman Wontumi, has threatened to sue the Multimedia reporter in court if he continues to lie to the public about his involvement in illegal mining, also known as galamsey.
Chairman Wontumi in an interview with Wontumionline.com, stated that he will not handle the reporter with kids gloves if he continues to describe him or his mining firm as galamsey operators.
The NPP Chairman explained that he doesn’t engage in galamsey as stated in the previous documentary which was produced by Erastus Asare Donkor and aired on Joy TV to tarnish his reputation.
“I am sounding this caution to Erastus Asare Donkor and other journalists who don’t have any fact but make bold claims that I am into galamsey. This time round, I will sue Erastus in court if I see any documentary from him slating me as someone engaged in galamsey. I am into large scale mining and that one is different from the illegal activities of galamsey operators”, Chairman Wontumi said.
Mr Amoabeng, whose bank was also collapsed in the first term of the Akufo-Addo government, told Nana Otu Darko on CTV’s morning show, Dwabre Mu, on Tuesday, 4 October 2022: “I was pained by the collapse of Heritage Bank because it was young”.
“The Bank of Ghana had issued a licence to Heritage Bank and Heritage Bank had not operated for long and, so, unlike UT Bank, it had no bad loans or anything and it was a wholly-owned Ghanaian company that we had to nurture to grow”, he explained.
“Secondly, the owners of Heritage Bank found it fit to appoint a solid board”, he noted, adding: “I mean, the chairman was [Prof] Kwesi Botchwey. When it comes to finance in this country, he is the safest hands you can get; he’s seen it all”.
“As chairman, the board members run the bank, not the owner, so, I don’t know Seidu Agongo – as I told you, I haven’t met him before – but I know Kwesi Botchwey and I know his track record. So, if you have a bank that hasn’t got any baggage, it’s fresh and it’s got a board headed by Kwesi Botchwey, then it means its closure was a worse decision than UT Bank”, he further noted.
“As for UT Bank, we owed and they could have bailed [us out] but decided not to bail; that’s an option. That is why I mention that Heritage Bank, for example, was collapsed out of sheer wickedness”, he added.
Mr Amoabeng observed that the “unfortunately thing is the Bank of Ghana is supposed to be independent but I don’t think they were independent with their decision on Heritage Bank because, if they were independent, why do you issue a licence and withdraw it”
“When you were issuing the licence, didn’t you know the owners and the board?” he asked.
“It means they were told to withdraw the licence”, he deducted.
“And it’s not a fair way but it’s another dangerous path that Ghana has taken”, he regretted, noting: “Every institution has been politicised including even the army”.
“And that is why I am saying that for Heritage Bank, the institution that is supposed to be independent of the government, even though in principle, issues a licence and then withdraws that licence when the company hasn’t even done anything wrong”, Mr Amoabeng added.
Mr Amoabeng made similar comments a couple of years ago saying he found it “extremely odd” for the Bank of Ghana to have collapsed Heritage Bank Limited, which had no bad loans on its books and was being run by the “right people” within the industry.
In his view, the revocation of the licence of the Ghanaian-owned bank, whose founder, Mr Seidu Agongo, has always argued was above board, as far as its books were concerned, was not only politically motivated but also “extremely unfair and unfortunate”.
Asked directly by TV3’s Paa Kwesi Asare in an interview on Business Focus: ‘Do you think, as many think, that some of the decision to close down certain banks was politically motivated?’ Mr Amoabeng answered: “A few of them; specifically Heritage Bank”.
“I don’t understand the issue because the Chairman of the Board is Dr Kwesi Botchwey. I have a lot of respect for him when it comes to finance in this country and managing Boards and he will not, in my estimation, ever accept to be Chairman of a bank that is not right and dealing in all sorts of things. I can say that for him”, Mr Amoabeng, whose bank was also among the nine Ghanaian banks that were collapsed in the central bank’s financial clean-up exercise during President Nana Akufo-Addo’s first term of office, noted.
“So”, Mr Amoabeng noted:“I find it extremely odd that a bank – and it had not started doing business for it to have bad loans and all those things – and for you to say that the owner didn’t have what it takes [doesn’t meet the fit-and-proper criterion] or however they put it, I mean the owner doesn’t run the bank, he’s a Ghanaian, he’s got the money, he’s appointed the right people to run the bank for him, so, what is the excuse?”
“I find that extremely, extremely unfair”, Mr Amoabeng asserted, adding: “Maybe I don’t have all the facts, but from where I stand, I find it really unfortunate”.
The Bank of Ghana revoked Heritage Bank’s licence on Friday, 4 January 2019 on the basis that Mr Agongo, the majority shareholder, among other things, used proceeds realised from alleged fraudulent contracts he executed for the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), for which he has been facing prosecution together with former COCOBOD CEO Stephen Opuni, for the past four years.
Announcing the withdrawal of the licence, the Governor of the central bank, Dr Ernest Addison, told journalists – when asked if he did not deem the action as premature, since the COCOBOD case was still in court – that: “The issue of Heritage Bank, I wanted to get into the law with you, I don’t know if I should, but we don’t need the court’s decision to take the decisions that we have taken. We have to be sure of the sources of capital to license a bank; if we have any doubt, if we feel that it’s suspicious, just on the basis of that, we find that that is not acceptable as capital. We don’t need the court to decide for us whether anybody is ‘fit and proper’, just being involved in a case that involves a criminal procedure makes you not fit and proper”.
However, Mr Agongo responded with a press statement in which he said that the “not fit and proper” tag stamped on him by the central bank was “capricious, arrogant, malicious and in bad faith”.
According to Mr Agongo, “In purportedly making the determination, the central bank obviously had little regard for the time-honoured principle that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction”, adding that: “The fact that I have a case pending before the High Court is a matter of public knowledge but my guilt or innocence is yet to be determined by the Honourable Court”.
“The determination that I am not a fit and proper person to be a significant shareholder of HBL because the central bank suspects the funds are derived from illicit or suspicious contracts with Cocobod is not only calculated to pre-judge the outcome of the criminal proceedings but also violative of the principle of presumption of innocence to which every individual is entitled. Since when has suspicion become a substitute for credible evidence?” Mr Agongo asked.
Also, the erstwhile Prof Botchwey Board issued a statement on the matter in which it said: “Heritage Bank was by the Bank of Ghana’s own admission, a solvent bank. It never received liquidity support from the Bank of Ghana. Its corporate governance record had never been impugned by the Bank of Ghana. We believe we have been done a grave injustice and a terrible precedent set that does not bode well for the future”
Prince Kofi Amoabeng, founder of the now-defunct UT Bank,has revealed how he has been living since his bank went down during the Bank of Ghana’s (BoG) banking sector clean-up in 2017.
Asked how he has been doing in an interview on Business Focus on TV3 with Paa Kwesi Asare on Monday, October 3, he answered: “I have seen it virtually all the way to the top and I have seen it all the way to down. So, if I say I want to impact people and give them some leadership skills it is a complete thing, it is not like I have read from book and I am telling you what to do.
“I have experienced it from Kantamanto all the way to the most respected CEO and I have seen it go down. So it is a complete 360. So when I have to give or talk to people it is coming from my heart. I am quite passionate about it, I want them to avoid the potholes.”
“You must be liquid then, selling all these businesses?” he was asked by the host, Paa Kwesi.
In answer, he said: “No we didn’t sell the[businesses] they are running. They didn’t have much value, we sold to pay debt and even the debts are not fully paid .
Asked whether he is a man of straw, Mr Amoabeng answered: “I can be a man of straw, I am 70, I have kids that I have educated. I am not saying I live off them but I am quite frugal with with my life. I have one watch, I have one shoe so I don’t need much money. I don’t have to have a lot of money to enjoy life.”
“But you are comfortable?” host Paa Kwesi further probed.
He replied: “I am very comfortable and I have been blessed big time.”
“I don’t drive Range Rover anymore, I drive a Lexus.
“It is an upgrade. I live in an apartment and I am quite comfortable.”
“You sold your mansion for an apartment?” Paa Kwesi asked.
“I had to sell it to organize myself not to get broke,” he said.
UT Bank founderPrince Kofi Amoabeng has expressed gratitude to businessman and philanthropist Seidu Agongo for being the only Ghanaian who offered to help him after a selfie of him with a raggedy beard and a sad face went viral on social media, leading Ghanaians to believe he was now a pauper on the verge of death as a result of the bank’s collapse.
Speaking to Nana Otu Darko on CTV’s breakfast show, Dwabre Mu, on Tuesday, 4 October 2022, Mr Amoabeng said the only reason he accepted an invitation to appear on the show was because the station belonged to Mr Agongo’s Class Media Group.
“Actually, the reason why I couldn’t say no to your invitation was because of his [Seidu Agongo’s] personality”, Mr Amoabeng told Nana Otu Darko, adding: “I’ve never set eyes on him but at some point in time, after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I started wearing this beard and I took a picture of myself and I posted it on [social media] and that set tongues wagging that ‘I was on the verge of death’, ‘I’m now a pauper’, but the boss of this place [CMG], Seidu Agongo, sent me a WhatsApp message that if I’m in difficulty, I should send him my account number for him to give me some money”.
“Of course, I didn’t pursue it but I’m ever so grateful that, at least, one Ghanaian thought that instead of laughing at him, let me help”, he noted.
The decision was announced by Tamale’s Paramount Chief, Gulkpe-Naa Alhaji Alhassan Abdulai, who claimed that it would also assist reduce systemic risks and promote orderly growth.
He made the announcement at a stakeholders’ gathering that SEC organized in Tamale under the banner of “Time with SEC Ghana.”
It gathered participants from the securities and banking industries as well as investors and had as its theme “The Role of the SEC in the Capital Market.”
The Director-General of SEC, Reverend Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, stated that the event was a part of efforts to educate stakeholders and offer policy recommendations and rules regarding the capital market.
He said access to the capital market was not the preserve of some few selected people and advised local investors to take advantage of various emerging opportunities in the sector.
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, said the capital market revenue mobilisation drive required more stakeholder collaboration to build a peaceful and prosperous nation.
He urged SEC to put in place regulatory mechanisms to address fraud as well as ensure fairness, transparency and efficiency in the capital market.
Mr Robert Dowuona Owoo, Chief Operations Officer of the Ghana Commodity Exchange, expressed a need for more partnerships to provide opportunities and access to wider market.
Irchad Razaarly, the ambassador of the European Union to Ghana, has refuted accusations that Ghana may soon be unable to export cocoa and coffee to some foreign markets because of new European legislation.
She claims that the EU has not prohibited Ghana’s cocoa from reaching the European market.
Irchad Razaarly said, “The EU’s legislation on afforestation and forest degradation must not be considered as a danger to Ghana’s cocoa business,” during the second Orange Cocoa Day 2022 in Accra.
She said the EU was in support of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire among all of the producers who meet the export requirements.
“The call for more sustainable cocoa production is growing globally. And our citizens in Europe are increasingly demanding measures for ensuring that cocoa and other commodities are produced in a socially environmental sustainable way. This explains EU’s legislation on afforestation and forest degradation and must not be seen as a threat to Ghana’s cocoa,” Irchad Razaarly stated.
“There is no ban on Ghana’s cocoa. On the contrary, we want more of Ghana’s cocoa, and we are in support of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire amongst all of the producers who meet these requirements,” the European Union Ambassador to Ghana stated.
Her comment comes on the back of a report by Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah warning that Ghana might soon be unable to export cocoa and coffee to some international markets.
In a post shared on Facebook, the minister indicated that the government was warned of this move by the Ghana Embassy in Belgium, which has started working to ensure that the ban does not come into force.
A biotechnology company named Roche Products Ghana Limited is donating $400,000 to support ongoing initiatives to enhance cervical and breast cancer outcomes for women in the nation.
In order to prevent or lower the morbidity and mortality of women with breast or cervical cancer, it is designed to enhance access to high-quality screening, early detection, diagnoses, and treatment.
The Country Manager of Roche Ghana, Dr Philip Anderson, who revealed this in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said Ghana was the first to benefit from the global partnership, which prioritised low and middle income countries in Africa and Asia, where the burden of breast and cervical cancers was highest.
He said cancer was one of the most significant public health challenges in Ghana, and of all cancers, breast cancer was the most pervasive, accounting for more than 32 per cent of all new cancer cases among Ghanaian women in 2020.
“Women in Ghana face multiple challenges in accessing quality breast and cervical health care during their patient journey including health, mental, social and financial hurdles. Once symptomatic women encounter the health system, the disease is often already in an advanced stage.
“We estimate that one in every eight persons would be diagnosed with breast cancer in a year, so within a year, we are estimating in excess of 10,000 new cases of breast cancer.
“Breast cancer is the leading cancer in women, however, cervical cancer turns out to be the one with the leading mortality equally close to the same incidence in a year,” he said.
That, he said, would boost screening rates, especially in deprived areas, and help improve the outcome of the two diseases affecting women.
“Government or institutions should make this practice go beyond the October conversation by making vaccination a part of our immunisation programme for women.
“We must institutionalise and incentivise breast and cervical cancer screening and have them embedded in antenatal care for women to be screened and be tracked whenever they miss their appointments,” he said.
Sustainability
The year-long project, he said will design a sustainable model for early detection and treatment of breast and cervical cancer which would be adopted and owned by the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
He said his outfit launched a pilot in the Bekwai District of the Ashanti Region, adding that “we want it to be sustainable because such programmes are best implemented when the community accepts it.
“Many a time, we see such projects mentioned at the national level, but then they end up being alien to the communities, where the projects are supposed to happen.
“We will bring our expertise in diagnostics and build the regional and district health administration’s capacity to support the health system in the region,” Dr Anderson said.
He said following the implementation and outcome, the project would be extended to other parts of the country.
Deebo Samuel described his tackle-breaking abilities as “second nature” after his outstanding 57-yard catch-and-run touchdown helped the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams.
Samuel provided the standout moment of an accomplished 49ers performance on Monday, as they prevented the Rams from scoring a single touchdown in a dominant 24-9 home win.
Jimmy Garoppolo looked destined to throw an interception late in the second quarter, only for Samuel to turn a fine catch into a touchdown as he skipped past several Rams challenges.
The wide receiver caught six passes for 115 yards as the 49ers moved to 2-2 for the season.
“My mentality, it’s just me and the ball out there. What happened after that is something that I work on all the time and I got in the box,” Samuel said.
“Every time I get the chance to get the ball in my hands, it’s just my mentality of trying to make it a big play, but it’s just second nature to me right now.
“When I go out there it’s just me and the ball. Breaking tackles is just something I do all the time.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Samuel’s run: “It was impressive.
“At first it looked like a pick. It was close, that corner was teeing off on it.
“We had to wait a little bit because the guy inside, they ran into each other. We had to hesitate just a hair for Deebo to come down with that throw, then he did the rest.
“When you get the ball in his hands, I think he’s shown he does some pretty cool things.”
“By 2027, our target is for each of the six selected tree crops to generate a revenue of at least 12 billion US Dollars, equivalent to that of the annual revenue of cocoa. This is achievable per stipulations of the strategy,” the Food and Agric Minister stated.
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.
Christian Wilkins is content with the level of care shown by the Miami Dolphins’ staff after the team was heavily criticised following Tua Tagovailoa’s head injury.
Tagovailoa has been ruled out of the Dolphins’ game against the New York Jets in Week 5 after sustaining a concussion in last Thursday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Dolphins have come under scrutiny for allowing the quarterback to feature in that game after he suffered a head injury in week three against the Buffalo Bills.
In that game, Tagovailoa missed just three snaps after his helmet slammed into the turf following a tackle from Matt Milano, despite appearing groggy and losing his balance in the aftermath of the incident.
While Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has insisted concussion protocols were followed correctly, the NFL and National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) conducted a joint review of how the decision was made to allow Tagovailoa to return against the Bengals.
Asked whether he felt the Dolphins demonstrated a duty of care towards their players, defensive tackle Wilkins said: “Oh, absolutely, yeah. We’ve got a great training staff.
“We’ve got great coaches, people who care about the players on this team, and our health and safety, our personal lives, all that stuff.
“This is our home away from home, so we’ve got a lot of people who care and it’s bigger than just football around here and winning games.
“There’s a process to how things need to be handled and need to be done, and there’s protocols in place for a reason – to protect the players.”
With Teddy Bridgewater set to replace Tagovailoa against the Jets, Wilkins said the Dolphins’ “next man up mentality” will help them cope without their starting QB.
“That’s obviously tough to see and tough to deal with, but we all had each other’s backs. We all had Tua’s back and just wishing him well,” he added.
“A lot of guys were praying for him and things like that, obviously. He’s better now, so we’re all happy for that and that he’s feeling better and that he’s himself and he’s around here.
“He’s being himself and Tua and bringing great energy. So that’s obviously the most important thing.
“Tua is a heck of a player. He’s a big part of our team and obviously a great leader and a great team-mate. But fortunately for us, we have a lot of great players, a lot of good team-mates.
“Other guys have just got to step up, other guys got to do their job, and we’ll be just fine from that standpoint.
“We’re definitely going to have to come together as a team and just do our jobs, do what we do. It’s the next man up mentality and we’ll just handle our business.”
Sean McVay accepted he made “some bad play calls” and declared the Los Angeles Rams brought defeat upon themselves as they fell to the San Francisco 49ers.
Monday night’s 24-9 loss saw the Rams fail to capitalise on several touchdown opportunities, with McVay pointing to “self-inflicted wounds”.
San Francisco’s Deebo Manuel caught six passes for 115 yards and a highlight-reel touchdown, and when the Rams were still in the game, at 17-9 in arrears, quarterback Matthew Stafford was intercepted by Talanoa Hufanga. That pick-six summed up the Rams’ night.
“I liked the way our guys battled, they competed and got it to a one-possession game,” said McVay.
“But the story of the night from an offensive perspective was self-inflicted wounds, above-the-neck errors where we’re not doing things we’re capable of, and I expect us to be better than that.
“Defensively, I know we continue to battle, we gave ourselves a chance. We can tackle better, you credit them for making the plays, and I thought special teams hung tough, but overall we didn’t do enough to win the football game.
“I’m not going to make any excuses. We’ve got to play better. A lot of it was just things where guys we were counting on didn’t do what they were supposed to do.”
McVay took his share of the blame, saying: “I put us in some bad spots.
“However you want to cut it, we have to be better collectively, coaches and players. There’s no other way around it and no way I know how to fix it other than go back to work.”
The Rams will face the Dallas Cowboys, who are on a three-game winning streak, in Week 5.
“Everybody needs to be able to look inward,” said McVay. “In the red area, to have three good drives and only come away with nine points in a game that was a back-and-forth battle like that, that ended up being the difference.
“And when you do make it a one-possession game and you’ve got some momentum, a couple of game first downs and we throw an interception for a touchdown on a screen, those are the things that don’t help you win games.”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta, according to Prince Kofi Amoabeng, the founder of the now-defunct UT Bank, have failed to manage the economy effectively.
He claimed that because he was the one who appointed the Finance Minister, Mr. Akufo-Addo must accept responsibility for his failure.
“So yes [the Finance Minister] has failed, there is no too waste about,”
When his attention was drawn to the fact that the President has expressed confidence in his appointees including Mr Ofori-Atta, Mr Amoabeng whose bank went under during the banking sector cleanup exercise undertaken by the Bank of Ghana, said “the president has failed first, so if you ask me, it is the president who has failed, everything starts with leadership, he appoints everyone and so if you appoint wrong people you must take responsibility for it. You can delegate authority not responsibility.”
President Akufo-Addo recently gave an indication that he was satisfied with the work of his appointees.
Mr Akufo-Addo said these when asked for his views on calls to reshuffle his ministers while speaking on North Star Radio in Tamale as part of his two-day tour of the Northern Region on Monday August 8.
“Many of them for me have done outstanding work,” he said.
“Their output has been considerable, and that is what I look at,” he added.
The president further indicated that “If the output measures expectations, then I don’t have any strong reasons to heed the call.”
Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips has described the controversy surrounding Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion as “complicated” following fierce criticism of the team.
Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa sustained a concussion in Thursday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, ruling him out of week five’s meeting with the New York Jets.
Tagovailoa also suffered a head injury when he took a heavy fall following a challenge from Matt Milano in week three, but only missed three snaps against the Buffalo Bills despite appearing unsteady on his feet after the incident.
The Dolphins have faced scrutiny for allowing Tagovailoa to return in that game, although defensive tackle Christian Wilkins has since defended the team’s practices.
Phillips joined Wilkins in preaching caution when discussing the NFL’s concussion protocols, but said injury concerns were not always “black and white”.
“It’s always better to be overcautious when it comes to head injuries,” he said.
“I also think that you’ve got to take the players’ and training staff and doctors’ words for it. So it’s obviously a complicated situation.
“I think that the league and the PA [National Football League Players Association] doing everything they can to keep us safe is in the best interest, for sure.”
Asked about the risks of concussion in football, Phillips added: “It’s an assumed risk. It’s obviously something that is prevalent in the game, not just with head injuries, but just injuries all around. I think that’s kind of what we sign up for.
“Ultimately, it happens. At that point, you just pray for a speedy recovery. But I feel like that’s what we signed up for playing this game.
“It’s a violent game. We all know that. We wouldn’t play it if we didn’t know that. We’re compensated well for it.
“Health is the most important thing, and longevity. So I think that especially with head injuries, you’ve got to be cautious with that. But at the same time, people do recover from those types of things.
“We’re competitors and we love this game and we want to be out there for our team-mates, for our families, for the fans, for everybody. So it’s a sliding scale.
“It’s not black and white when it comes to injuries at all. Sometimes you might try to play through something. If you’re able to perform, you always want to perform. I mean, that’s just the nature of the game that we play.
“Ultimately, it just depends on the severity of the injury and depends on the person, the situation and all of that.”
Phillips has suffered several concussions during his own career, and sympathises with Tagovailoa’s condition, adding: “To be honest, that seems like a lifetime ago for me when I had those issues.
“But I definitely sympathise with Tua and just hope for the best for him. You never want to see your team-mate, your brother, hurting like that.”
The Chief Executive Officer of the now-defunct UT Bank, Mr. Prince Kofi Amoabeng, has claimed that the government is not doing enough to lessen the effects of the problems brought on by external forces.
He said that even while the government cannot control outside forces, it must take action to address domestic problems not brought on by external forces.
He remarked, “You must do all you can locally, for the external reasons you cant do much, what are you doing locally to limit the effect? ” on the Business Focus with Paa Kwesi Asare on TV3 on Monday, October 3.
Nothing is being done.
The administration hasn’t publicly stated that it will be cracking down on specific issues.
He further said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta have failed in managing the economy well.
He said Mr Akufo-Addo must take responsibility for the failure of the Finance Minister because he is the appointor.
Speaking on the Business Focus with Paa Kwesi Asare on TV3 Monday October 3, he said “of course if you fail with the planning and management of the Finances of the country you have failed.
“So yes [the Finance Minister] has failed, there is no too waste about,”
When his attention was drawn to the fact that the President has expressed confidence in his appointees including Mr Ofori-Atta, Mr Amoabeng whose bank went under during the banking sector cleanup exercise undertaken by the Bank of Ghana, said “the president has failed first, so if you ask me, it is the president who has failed, everything starts with leadership, he appoints everyone and so if you appoint wrong people you must take responsibility for it. You can delegate authority not responsibility.”
Samuel Mahama, the managing director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has expressed his regret to the company’s whole customer base for the error that prevented the purchase of electricity.
He acknowledged that the company’s incapacity to perform at its peak was to blame for the problem.
On Monday, October 3, he claimed during a news conference in Accra, “I sell energy with the company called Electricity Company of Ghana.
I confess it, and my business acknowledges its error in failing to provide clients with service. We sincerely apologize for this.
“That was our fault that we were not on top of our game to deliver a service. Let us not forget that in such a business the customer is the one that always gets hurt when you don’t deliver on your promise. So when I said I admit my fault I admit my fault in not being able to deliver the service that we promised to deliver.”
He stressed ” I will like to apologize to all customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana who attempted to purchase power and they were not able to purchase power, the company admits its fault , the company admits that it was not able to deliver on the service. But the company will like all its customers to also know that most vending stations are up and running. I used most because we still have have some few challenges in the Ashanti region that we are working on. Hopefully, by close of day today, it will be resolved.”
Technical fault disrupted the purchase of power in most parts of the country, leaving consumers frustrated.
The ECG on Saturday October 1 told customers that the problem had been resolved therefore they can now purchase the power.
“Customers can now purchase electricity credits from nearest vending points and all ECG District offices including tomorrow Sunday 2nd October 2022 from 9AM to 4PM,” the statement said.
He has charged him to listen to the cry of citizens as they believe that their president hasn’t made any major impact on their lives ever since he came into office.
Shatta, on Monday afternoon, took to his social media page to detail the true state of the nation under Akufo-Addo, adding that the president’s officials have failed to tell him the real state of Ghana’s economy.
“It is just that some of us in this country are cowards,” Shatta said.
According to the famous singer, the president needs to be made aware of his shortcomings, which people on the streets say are worse than the former president, John Mahama.
“Let me tell you the truth about what is happening on the streets. The street is hot. Mr President, the street is hot, I am telling you something…Mr President, I am telling you, the country is not going well.
“People just want to come follow you and make money and just go, and your legacy won’t be the legacy you’ve dreamt of. I beg you, ebi Ghana, we all dey oo,” said Shatta Wale in the video sighted by GhanaWeb.
The Ghanaian entertainer added that not much has been achieved in the entertainment sector under the leadership of the president, adding that Ghanaians are pissed at his leadership.
“We were in Ghana when they said Mahama wasn’t doing anything, but as for you, the people say you are not even trying. Mr President, forget everything. That is what I am telling you. They say you no dey try. Common entertainment sef they say you no dey try. People are pissed on the street, I am telling you something,” he said.
The country is not going well – Shatta Wale calls Nana Addo to action
Ghana international, Inaki Williams has disclosed that he is elated with his performance in the Spanish La Liga this season.
According to the player, he is satisfied that he is playing at the top level with his current form which is helping Athletic Bilbao.
He is of the view that he needs to keep working hard to help his club qualify to play in Europe at the end of the season.
“I am very happy to contribute and help the team and experience nights like these, because it is what is going to bring us closer to Europe,” Inaki Williams told Gol Television after the 4-0 win against Almeria last Friday.
Mr. Harry Oppong, Head of Institutional Banking, Prudential Bank Limited, moderated the conversation, which had the title Stimulating Trade in Africa through Efficient Payment Solutions- The Role of PAPPS.
The panelists for the day were Mr. Ositadimma Ugwu, Head of Technology & Operations at PAPSS, Ms. Cynthia Eryue, Head of Africa Trade at Oakwood Green Africa, Mr. Leopold Armah, Head of Digital Transformation at Prudential Bank, Ms. Vivian Boakye Ameyaw, Head of Trade Services at Prudential Bank, and Mr. Seth Twum Akwaboah from Association of Ghana Industries.
The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) is an initiative of Afreximbank, Africa’s pre-eminent trade finance institution, whose mission includes stimulating the expansion, diversification, and development of African trade. PAPPS was created to unlock Africa’s massive potential for internal trade, which enables the efficient flow of cross-border trade and transactions in Africa.
PAPSS features a cutting-edge technology that connects African banks, payment service providers, and other financial market intermediaries enabling instant and secure payments between African countries.
The MD of Prudential Bank Limited, Mr. John K. Addo welcomed the participants of the day and set the tone for the discussion. Speaking during the event, Mrs. Vivian Boakye Ameyaw, Head, Trade Services at Prudential Bank indicated that PAPPS is a timely innovation that will go a long way to facilitating inter-trade among African countries, cutting out the cumbersome process individuals and businesses have to go through to send money across borders.
She said, “one of the biggest financial challenges we face is sending money from one African country to another. For example, if a Prudential Bank customer in Ghana wants to send money to a relative in Nigeria, the money would have to go to an overseas bank in Europe or America. This process is not only long but also costly because as the money goes around, surcharges increase. Fortunately, with the arrival of PAPSS, this issue will be solved.”
Mr. Leopold Armah, Head, Digital Transformation, Prudential Bank expressed his outfit excitement at the introduction of PAPSS to provide better digital solutions to clients.
He said, “PAPSS is addressing the realities of today’s customer which is the ability to do cross border payments just as they will do locally. In a similar way, PAPSS gives more meaning to the AFCTA framework, enabling seamless payments across the African continent”.
Mr. Ositadimma Ugwu Head, of Technology & Operations at PAPSS, said PAPSS was created to ensure that Africans have a seamless way of making payments.
He also spoke about the uniqueness of PAPPS from other cross-border payment systems in that, it is going to eliminate all the correspondent banking structures that we have today and allow one to make the payment instantly and reduce the cost involved in making payments.
In strengthening its place as the local bank of choice, Prudential bank is partnering FinTechs with operations in other African countries to support SME businesses to leverage opportunities under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which presents a pipeline of interesting opportunities in the near future.
Ekow Blankson, the Commercial Manager of Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Ghana Ltd. (ADPU), died early morning on Monday, October 3, 2022, at a hospital in Tema surrounded by his wife and close relatives.
Prior to the sudden and untimely demise of the veteran actor, he had sent a video of himself in the hospital interacting with some of the personnel at the hospital to his Deputy Commercial Manager, Eric Kwaku Vlidzo.
In the video, Blankson, who wore a white African print attire and with his usual smiling face, is heard telling one of the personnel at the hospital that he needs to take a video to show that he is in the hospital.
“Oh, you are in the hospital,” the personnel responded.
It is with great sadness that the AfricaWeb Group, GhanaWeb and Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Ghana Ltd. (ADPU) announce the death of our friend, colleague and commercial manager Ekow Blankson. He was 50 years old.
Ekow Blankson was a management member of the AfricaWeb group and a key driving force behind the company’s commercial activities in Ghana. Recently, he led the company to present our products and services at the 2022 Ghana Bloggers Summit where he had been his usual ebullient and energetic self.
He had time for everyone and was always engaged and interested in the people he met. In addition, he had a great intellect and was forever learning new things and developing new ideas. He brought those personal qualities (not to mention his vast experience in business) to the company and we owe him a great debt.
He leaves behind his wife Justina Naadu Blankson and children; our thoughts and condolences go out to them. They too have been part of the AfricaWeb family and we will continue to support them through this difficult time.
In the immediate term, urgent communications should be directed to Matilda Nartey at matilda.nartey@adpugh.com.
Ekow Blankson was the Commercial Manager of Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Ghana Ltd. (ADPU) where he brought his 22 years of experience gained across various business fields. Ekow Blankson managed the expansive growth of the digital business as well as identified areas within the organization that can be commercially expanded and developed in the digital world. He managed the sales and marketing teams of GhanaWeb as well as all AfricaWeb subsidiaries.
Ekow Blankson has worked with four multinational companies including Ghana Breweries Limited, a subsidiary of Heineken; Coca-Cola; Vodafone, and WaterHealth International in various leadership roles. He has also worked with media companies including TV Africa, Media General Ghana Limited and Multimedia Broadcasting Company as Managing Director, Director of Brands and Corporate Communications and General Manager (Luv FM and Nhyira FM) respectively. He was also the Director of Strategy and Corporate Communications at the conglomerate Groupe Ideal.
Ekow Blankson had a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Ghana, Legon; a marketing certificate from Heineken University, Amsterdam; and a Diploma in Theatre Arts (Drama) from the University of Ghana, Legon. He also received years of training in various fields of marketing, sales, management and advertising. He is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG).
With a long career in acting, he was awarded Best Male Actor International nomination at the 2022 NELAS AWARDS UK; Best Adult Male Role GH Student’s Awards 2022; and nominated for Best Actor at the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) and Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2010 Ghana Movie Awards. He has directed and featured in several Ghanaian movies including Checkmate; Borga; In April; Black Earth Rising; Death After Birth and The Intruder among many others.
Struck by the death of the late veteran actor Ekow Blankson, popular Ghanaian actress Nana Ama McBrownhas taken to social media to offer a touching tribute to his colleague.
The actress is one of the many showbiz personalities and sympathizers worldwide that have been left in a state of shock following the passing of the late Mr. Blankson.
The veteran actor, whose sudden demise was announced on the morning of Monday, October 3, 2022, has since sparked various reactions from several Ghanaian celebrities, including the likes of Kobi Rana, Gloria Osei, Prince David Osei, John Dumelo, Roselyn Ngissah, Beverly Afaglo, Martha Ankomah, Captain Planet, and many others who have shared fond memories of him.
In the case of Nana Ama McBrown, she was soaked with a mixture of sadness, fright, and disappointment as she questioned why the actor would depart at this point in his life.
She prayed to God to preserve the lives of people, especially parents, for the sake of their young children.
“Ohhhhhh this Life We are living. Why is it like this? Ohh, Ekow B. So sorry my brother, God favour us. Let us live long because our children are young. Please, please, God. I’m so sad and broken,” she wrote on Instagram.
The late Ekow Blankson is reported to have died while he was on admission at a hospital in Tema, following a short illness.
He is survived by a wife, Justina Naadu Blankson, and children.
Oral Roberts University student-athlete Eugene Quaynor, who was confirmed dead after being involved in a gory car accident on Wednesday was remembered on Friday on the ORU campus and the indoor soccer complex where he played.
Quaynor was the captain of Oral Roberts University’s men’s soccer team.
According to Oklahoma Police, the 23-year-old was at a stop light when a drunk driver in an SUV rammed into his car from behind.
Quaynor’s car subsequently veered through the intersection and hit a wall before catching fire in the process.
Police say the driver who caused the crash is in the hospital. They have not released his name or whether charges have been filed against him.
ORU men’s soccer coach Ryan Bush described how Quaynor asked for an assignment to grow in his faith. Bush said he told Quaynor to keep a prayer journal.
“When he left with that prayer journal,” Bush said, “I was like, ‘He’s going to pray for himself and his family and prosperity.’ I was thinking of the things Eugene needed. ”
“I looked at a man who was working to send home money to his family — who never complained, always showed up with an infectious smile, was always our hardest working player,” Bush said, “We never really knew everything that was going on back home. We knew there was stuff going on back home but every single one of those listed prayers that he was going through daily had to do with somebody inside of the team, or somebody else.”
Bush says Quaynor’s life influenced people in other ways, like when a teacher shared his story.
“He shared Eugene’s life and testimony and 27 kids gave their life to Christ,” Bush said.
Bush said 27 was the number on Quaynor’s soccer jersey.
ORU president Dr. William Wilson asked everyone to stand for a moment of silence and a prayer.
“We never went through exactly this, Lord, and we need You,” Wilson said, “We really need You. Most of all, today, I pray for Eugene’s family in Ghana. I can’t imagine all of their emotions and all of the feelings they’ve gone to, Father, but You understand. You lost a Son.”
Wilson also spoke to the cameras to Quaynor’s family, who he said, was watching from Ghana.
“We love you. We’re praying for you. We know this is almost unbearable,” Wilson said, “But, we pray that God would hold you close and tight during these moments, that He would make the memories of Eugene’s life sweet in your heart and that He would sustain all of your through this very unusual time.”
Quaynor graduated from ORU last Spring with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations, with a 3.77 G.P.A.
He was on the books of the Phoenix Academy in Ghana, before moving to America, where he joined the Flint City Bucks in Flint, Michigan.
According to reports from 2021, the shipment of cocoa from Ghana to the international market was in grave jeopardy due to complaints from enterprises involved in the project about treatment they had received from the Cocoa Marketing Company (Gh.) Ltd. (CMC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of COCOBOD.
However, according to a statement from COCOBOD, “CMC performs this duty wonderfully with highly qualified and competent people and has over Sixty (60) years of experience in the shipment of cocoa.
The allocation and determination of shipments are just two of its well-structured and defined processes.
The publication stated that the shipment of Ghana’s cocoa to the global market was under serious threat, as companies involved in the exercise were crying foul over maltreatment meted out to them by the Cocoa Marketing Company (Gh.) Ltd (CMC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of COCOBOD.
But the Management of COCOBOD says the report is ill-considered, false, and malicious.
In a statement, COCOBOD indicated that “CMC has over Sixty (60) years of experience in the shipment of cocoa and performs this role exceptionally with highly skilled and competent staff. All of its operations, including the determination and allocation of shipments, are well defined and structured.”
Adding that “these structures do not allow any individual or group of individuals to have undue leverage in determining which shipping lines get freight allocations.”
Expressing shock at the publication, COCOBOD’s Management said “as of the date of the publication, neither COCOBOD nor CMC’s attention had been drawn to any such threat(s) and/or intimidation from its staff or have by themselves issued any such threat to any shipping line in the determination and allocations of shipments as alleged by the newspaper”.
The attention of the Management of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has been drawn to a front-page story in the Wednesday, 29th September 2021 edition of your newspaper, with the above-stated headline.
The publication stated that the shipment of Ghana’s cocoa to the global market was under serious threat, as companies involved in the exercise were crying foul over maltreatment meted out to them by the Cocoa Marketing Company (Gh.) Ltd (CMC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of COCOBOD.
Management of COCOBOD finds the allegation ill-considered, false and malicious, and would wish to state the following;
CMC has over Sixty (60) years of experience in the shipment of cocoa and performs this role exceptionally with highly skilled and competent staff.
All of its operations, including the determination and allocation of shipments, are well defined and structured.
These structures do not allow any individual or group of individuals to have undue leverage in determining which shipping lines get freight allocations.
As at the date of the publication, neither COCOBOD nor CMC’s attention had been drawn to any such threat(s) and/or intimidation from its staff or have by themselves issued any such threat to any shipping line in the determination and allocations of shipments as alleged by the newspaper.
COCOBOD thus requires the paper to make available to it the petition it claims to have in its possession on the alleged threat(s) and intimidation from its staff.
It is clear from the publication that the writer does not understand the business of COCOBOD and its subsidiary, the Cocoa Marketing Company (Gh.) Ltd.
We would, therefore, advise that the paper retracts the publication and offer an unqualified apology to the regulator of Ghana’s cocoa industry – COCOBOD and its subsidiary since such unfounded publications tarnish the hard-earned reputation of Ghana’s cocoa industry in the international business arena.
Should The Inquisitor newspaper fail to do so, COCOBOD and CMC reserve the right to seek appropriate redress.
Ghanaian musicianAndy Odarkyhas recounted how he escaped death from three unknown gunmen after performing at an Akwesidae Festival in Kumasi.
Andy was one of the brightest sparks of the Mentor1 reality show that was organized by TV3. Immediately after Mentor, the talented musician enjoyed some success as he released his debut album in 2006. After the release of the album, he went off the music scene for almost a decade.
However, explaining why he went off the music scene in an interview on Atinka TV’s ‘JukeBox’ – hosted by Nana Adwoa Annan, Odarky revealed that he was nearly assassinated by three unknown gunmen after performing at an Akwesidae festival in Kumasi.
“After performing at the Akwesidae in Kumasi at the Jubilee house, I realised that I was being followed by three motor riders…So I prompted my dancers that per the way the motor riders were following us raises an eyebrow…When we speed then they speed too…they then started firing gunshots at my car till I got to my hotel” Andy told Nana Adwoa Annan.
“Initially, I thought they wanted to snatch my car but when I called a Police friend, after examining the car, he told me the gunmen wanted to kill me…So I got frightened and relocated to Accra where I decided to go on break for five years”.
Andy is currently out with his debut single track after escaping from being assassinated. The song which is dubbed ‘Twe’ features popular Afro-pop star Krymi music.
Ghanaian forward Enoch Andoh was on target for St Ives Town in their 3-1 win over Chasetown in the FA Cup.
The 29-year-old put up an impressive display as he helped his side qualify for the next round of the competition.
With just 19 seconds on the clock, St Ives went straight on the offensive and a cross into the box caught the visitors napping as Jonny Edwards tapped home.
The Scholars recovered quickly though and Luke Yates had a shot deflected behind for the first of a quick succession of half a dozen corners, the last of which was curled in by Kris Taylor and bulleted home by the head of Joey Butlin.
The Cambridgeshire side regained the lead when Enoch Andoh came in from the left hand side to net beyond Chasetown keeper Curtis Pond.
Within two minutes, Greg Kaziboni almost steered in at the far post as Ives looked to extend their advantage.
St Ives reached the fourth qualifying round for the first time in their history with a third goal before the end when Johnny Herd drilled across the keeper to make it 3-1.
This comes after President Akufo-Addo paid a working visit to the Ashanti region to inspect and acquaint himself with the latest developments of the ongoing project.
The president was informed that the airport project which is currently 77 percent complete has 88 percent of its terminal building complete, the road network 93 percent complete, the Apron 89 percent complete, with the air traffic control and rescue and firefighting services 53 percent complete.
“The scope of work includes the extension of existing runway pavement from 1,981 metres to 2,320 metres, the construction of a new taxi link and apron, two new apron parking stands, aeronautical ground lighting systems.”
“The design and building of a terminal with the capacity to handle 800,000 passengers per annum, an 11 MW substation, as well the provision of new bulk utility (electricity, water, sewage treatment system, internet, etc.) services, independent of the existing utility services for the existing airport facilities,” the president was informed.
Earlier in 2018, when the president cut the sod for the commencement of works for Phase Two of the project, Akufo-Addo said “the expansion of this airport is a critical part of the government’s vision to expand the frontiers of the aviation industry in the country and to realise the dream of making Ghana an aviation hub in West Africa.”
Meanwhile, the third phase of the airport project will entail the construction of the air traffic control building, and a fire building station, as well as the expansion of the existing runway pavement.
The Kumasi International Airport project cost €124.9 million with financing from Santander, Deutche Bank, and UKEF. The project is being constructed by Messrs Contracta Construction UK Limited.
The Dutch giants will play host to the Italian outfit tonight in their third Group A game before traveling to Naples for the reserve fixture of the European top-flight competition.
Ahead of the game, Kudus who has been in a rich vein of form has set sights on helping his side get a good result in both legs to better their chances of qualifying from the group.
“Every game in the group stage is really important because it’s a very tight group. Home and away, both games is really important, so we need a result in both games. So I think every game matters because you can see is very tight in our group” he said.
Kudus has already been named in the Dutch Eredivisie team of the month following his outstanding performances in the last month.
The Ghana superstar bagged six goals in five appearances in all competitions together with two man of the match awards in September.
He has scored 7 goals and provided 1 assist in 11 appearances for the Dutch giants.
In order to prevent future issues, he suggested that firms allocate at least 15% to 25% of their budget for cybersecurity.
Dr. Antwi-Boasiako remarked, “While we are promoting collaborative engagements to address cybersecurity concerns, I admonish the various stakeholders of our responsibility to invest in cybersecurity,” during the beginning of the Cybersecurity Awareness Month event on Monday, October 3, 2022 in Accra.
He added, “It is my expectation that, organisations should dedicate a minimum of between 15% to 25% of their ICT budget to cybersecurity if we should make any meaningful and sustainable progress in addressing our cybersecurity challenges.”
The Director-General of Cyber Security Authority noted that his outfit is a revenue-protecting agency as its mandate is to protect critical systems and networks both in the public and private sectors.
The protection of the systems he said will help build a resilient digital economy in the country.
“We are very confident that the discussions that we are having with the Fund will put us in the right landing zone. Officials from the ministry will go to Washington DC at the end of the week to continue with the discussions,” Ken Ofori-Atta said.
Providing an update on Ghana’s debt sustainability analysis, the Finance Minister said, “government is getting to a point of understanding the debt sustainability numbers with the IMF. I believe this programme will become a historic resolution as demonstration to other countries on the continent”.
Former Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang Badu has expressed his disappointment not being able to win a major trophy for Ghana.
Badu, a member of the Ghana U-20 squad that won the FIFA World Cup in 2009 in an interview lamented on his inability to win title with the national team proper.
The former Udinese and Hellas Verona star participated in five African Cup of Nations tournament but was unable to help the Black Stars lift the covetous trophy despite coming close in 2010 and 2015.
Ghana lost the 2010 and 2015 AFCON title to Egypt and Ivory Coast respectively.
“The only disappointment I have in football at the moment is not being able to win a trophy with Black Stars. Ghana gave me the opportunity to play in five AFCON tournament but failing to win a trophy is a disappointment” he said.
Agyemang Badu currently plies his trade for Ghana Premier League side Great Olympics.
Only 12 of the 1,305 complaints the office received this year have not yet been handled.
The complaints included 939 concerns with the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), 308 issues with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and 58 other complaints involving other users.
During a presentation at a customer service clinic the PURC organized for utility providers and consumers to interact with customers, Joyceline Hudson, a senior complaints officer of the Central Region PURC, made this statement.
The clinic provided a platform for utility providers to listen to customers and vice versa for resolution of complaints to improve transparency and cordiality between them.
About 200 participants, representing a cross section of the public from all over the region, attended the clinic.
Ms Hudson said the Central Region office of the PURC was also able to get about GH¢201,898 adjustments in payments for customers and utility providers and retrieved GH¢100,000 owed utility providers by customers.
She said the PURC would continue to work to ensure customer satisfaction while ensuring utility providers also had a good relationship with customers.
In an address read on his behalf, the Executive Secretary of the PURC, Dr Ishmael Ackah, said 70 per cent of issues raised by customers were on the quality of service provided by the utility providers after the commission’s nationwide engagement, adding that it was what necessitated the institution of the customer service clinics.
The Director of Public Affairs of the GWCL, Stanley Martey, said the activities of illegal miners continued to increase operational cost.
Be patriotic
The Central Region General Manager of the ECG, Emmanuel Ankomah, said the company was ready to build cordial relations with customers and urged customers to be truthful and patriotic in their dealings with the company.
The acting General Manager for Regulatory Management of the ECG, Michael Brefo, said the ECG was improving its infrastructure to enhance efficiency in its services.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Cape Coast Technical University, Rev. Prof. Joshua Owusu-Sekyere, said the clinic would remove misconceptions and misinformation and improve relationships.
He urged the utility providers to step up efficiency to survive anticipated competition in the coming years, saying that in the near future, monopoly was likely to be broken and competition would be keener.
Participants
The participants further urged the two major utility service providers to provide services commensurate with tariff increments.
The assembly member for Ankaful, Benedict Ackon, said communities in his area including Abeam, Simiw Prisons Mental, Tikwekrom and Leprosarium Camp, did not have frequent water supply.
The assembly member for Anomabo Taido, James Anim Kwofie, for his part, urged the ECG to respond promptly to complaints from the rural communities.
The United States (US) Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia E. Palmer,has expressed the embassy’s commitment to work with the Manhyia Palace to promote development for the benefit of the people.
Peace-building, economic development and protection of the environment are some of the major areas the embassy would be focusing on, the US envoy said.
“We look forward to being able to discuss the development in the region, and how the US might cooperate with that,” Ms Palmer noted.
“I’m also very much interested, and I know because this is important to the economy of the region, the role of ‘galamsey’, and I know the Asantehene is interested in and working to address it,” she said.
Courtesy call
Ms Palmer gave the assurance when she led a delegation of the embassy to pay a courtesy call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi last Friday.
The visit was also to inform the Asantehene about her assumption of duty as the successor to Stephanie S. Sullivan, who ended her duty tour in May this year.
The Ambassador was accompanied by a delegation from the US State Department, and Political and Public Affairs sections of the embassy.
Depth of knowledge
Ms Palmer said the Asantehene was not only important to the nation, but the entire world, and that the embassy would, therefore, always seek the needed collaboration with him to enhance the cause of humanity.
She said her office would continue to count “on the Asantehene’s insight into the chieftaincy disputes nationwide, and how they might be a source of conflict, and if there are, solutions to that”.
She commended the Asantehene for his leadership qualities, especially in the area of strengthening the chieftaincy institution.
Otumfuo’s pre-occupation
Otumfuo Osei Tutu welcomed the ambassador, and said the Manhyia Palace was looking forward to building on the existing relationship between the two institutions.
He explained the role and place of the chieftaincy institution within the context of Ghana’s constitutional structure, saying the chiefs served as catalysts for development.
Otumfuo said as a traditional ruler, his preoccupation was to promote peace and harmony and the welfare of the people.
He expressed concern about the political turmoil in neighbouring countries, including Burkina Faso, and their ramifications on the Ghanaian society, particularly the influx of refugees.
The Asantehene urged the US government to support Ghana to build its security system by giving the requisite technical and material aid as Ghana sought to build a peaceful and stable society.
With the instances of terrorist attacks in some West African countries, the Asantehene said it was appropriate that the nation became very vigilant and tightened its borders.
Of the 1,305 complaints received by the office this year, only 12 had remain unresolved.
The complaints included 939 issues with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), 308 issues relating to Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and 58 others relating to other consumers.
A Senior Complaints Officer at the Central Region PURC, Joyceline Hudson, said that in a presentation at a customer service clinic organised by the PURC for consumers and utility providers to interact with customers.
The clinic provided a platform for utility providers to listen to customers and vice versa for resolution of complaints to improve transparency and cordiality between them.
About 200 participants, representing a cross section of the public from all over the region, attended the clinic.
Ms Hudson said the Central Region office of the PURC was also able to get about GH¢201,898 adjustments in payments for customers and utility providers and retrieved GH¢100,000 owed utility providers by customers.
She said the PURC would continue to work to ensure customer satisfaction while ensuring utility providers also had a good relationship with customers.
Commendation
The participants commended the PURC for the prompt response to complaints, saying their coming to the region was critical to solving challenges.
In an address read on his behalf, the Executive Secretary of the PURC, Dr Ishmael Ackah, said 70 per cent of issues raised by customers were on the quality of service provided by the utility providers after the commission’s nationwide engagement, adding that it was what necessitated the institution of the customer service clinics.
The Director of Public Affairs of the GWCL, Stanley Martey, said the activities of illegal miners continued to increase operational cost.
Be patriotic
The Central Region General Manager of the ECG, Emmanuel Ankomah, said the company was ready to build cordial relations with customers and urged customers to be truthful and patriotic in their dealings with the company.
The acting General Manager for Regulatory Management of the ECG, Michael Brefo, said the ECG was improving its infrastructure to enhance efficiency in its services.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Cape Coast Technical University, Rev. Prof. Joshua Owusu-Sekyere, said the clinic would remove misconceptions and misinformation and improve relationships.
He urged the utility providers to step up efficiency to survive anticipated competition in the coming years, saying that in the near future, monopoly was likely to be broken and competition would be keener.
Participants
The participants further urged the two major utility service providers to provide services commensurate with tariff increments.
The assembly member for Ankaful, Benedict Ackon, said communities in his area including Abeam, Simiw Prisons Mental, Tikwekrom and Leprosarium Camp, did not have frequent water supply.
The assembly member for Anomabo Taido, James Anim Kwofie, for his part, urged the ECG to respond promptly to complaints from the rural communities.
The study found that despite the fact that disaster risks were growing, there was a significant protection gap that needed to be found.
Dr. Angela Lusigi, the Resident Representative of UNDP in Ghana, stressed the importance of expanding access to cheap insurance and risk finance in her remarks at a stakeholder workshop to examine the diagnostic report’s findings in order to meet the SDGs and improve upon COVID-19.
“As an organization, we are committed to working with partners in Ghana and beyond to mobilize additional financing and resources to support the implementation of Ghana’s own coordinated disaster prevention, mitigation and response plans to achieve SDGs,” noted Dr. Lusigi.
In Ghana, most communities often have to find ways of coping with losses arising from major hazards such as fire, flood, drought, road accidents, pest infestation, and diseases.
These phenomena are being worsened by changes in climate conditions that are increasing the frequency, intensity, and unpredictability of severe weather events. COVID-19 has further exposed the extent of vulnerability.
Despite the increase in disaster risks, protection gaps persist. To identify challenges, opportunities, and solutions to increase inclusive insurance and risk financing towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) commissioned a diagnostic study.
This was supported by the UNDP’s Insurance and Risk Financing Facility, which is a flagship initiative of UNDP’s SDGs Finance Sector Hub and a product of a Tripartite agreement between UNDP, Insurance Development Forum, and the German Government.
The findings from the study on Ghana’s insurance industry reveal that despite the country’s favourable environment for insurance and risk financing, about 70% of Ghanaians do not have access to any form of insurance. The study also shows that the insurance industry has provided insurance products that do not respond to the needs of the population.
The diagnostic study identifies inclusive insurance and risk finance is critical to closing the protection gap and calls for a change of focus from post-disaster management to pre-intervention activities in Ghana.
Speaking at a stakeholder workshop to discuss the findings from the diagnostic report, Dr. Angela Lusigi, the Resident Representative of UNDP in Ghana emphasized the need to increase access to affordable insurance and risk financing to deliver the SDGs to build back better from COVID-19.
“As an organization, we are committed to working with partners in Ghana and beyond to mobilize additional financing and resources to support the implementation of Ghana’s own coordinated disaster prevention, mitigation and response plans to achieve SDGs”, noted Dr. Lusigi.
The report also reveals that the average growth of the insurance industry in Ghana is about 25% and the industry has grown ten-fold over the last 10 years. According to the National Insurance Commission (NIC), the strategy is to grow the industry from 2% to 10% of GDP by 2023.
“Our strongest desire is to see Ghanaians derive full benefits from risk protection that insurance offers. The agriculture sector employs about 40% of the informal sector yet there are no immediately available affordable protection mechanisms for these group of people and we are happy that the new insurance act has made provision to set up an Agricultural Insurance Fund so that the cost of agricultural insurance can be subsidized”, stated Albert Oko Dagadu, Head of Actuarial Unit of the National Insurance Commission.
The key recommendations from the diagnostic study include the need to establish a stakeholder hub to coordinate activities, improve the enabling environment, and increase capacity, advocacy, and knowledge management. These, according to the report, will increase access to affordable and suitable insurance and risk financing products to reduce the impacts of disaster risks in Ghana.
It is expected that the findings will lead to the development of a programme intervention, that will be supported by the UNDP’s Insurance and Risk Finance Facility through the Tripartite agreement, by leveraging the expertise and capacity of the insurance industry to reduce risks, and by focusing on integrating this expertise into development frameworks and financing.
The aim is to contribute to the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals and the InsuResilience Global Partnership Vision 2025 that is seeking to strengthen the resilience of developing countries and protect the lives and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people against the impacts of disasters and other climate risks.
The UNDP Senior Advisor and Corporate Lead on Insurance and Risk Financing, Jan Kellett, commended Ghana for being one of the advanced countries in the rollout of the Insurance Risk Finance Facility and for being one of the first four countries that will receive the financing.
‘Gyal Dem Sugar’ crooner, KiDi has expressed remorse for offensive tweets that went viral hours before his 4Play album listening party
In a recent interview, he stated that the tweets affected him negatively because, during that moment, he was in a dark space in his life
Some people have reacted to a video where KiDi addressed the tweets which went viral once again
Ghanaian singer KiDi has broken his silence on the several old tweets that surfaced online hours ahead of his 4Play album listening party on Wednesday, September 28 2022.
According to KiDi, he felt very embarrassed, down, sad and defeated after offensive tweets which he posted some 10 years ago surfaced for the second time.
He added that prior to that moment when the tweets went viral, he had not been in a good space mentally and that dearly affected him since people were not kind with their words.
Sharing events that trespassed during the time when he was topping trends on Twitter, he stated that when his 4Play album listening was ongoing, he had to leave in the middle of it after he broke down.
He added that he was deeply affected by people’s words online, so he had to leave the venue for the house.
Speaking in an interview on HitzFM’s Daybreak Hitz, he told Andy Dosty that he doesn’t even remember tweeting those words hence, hasn’t felt the need to delete them.
The ‘Touch It’ hitmaker hinted that social media has evolved and that in the past, people could say anything and get away with it; however, that has changed and that doesn’t make up for excuses for his behaviour 10 years ago.
Four days of torrential rains have caused havoc in Akyem Oda in the Eastern Region.
The rains led to flooding in many parts of the town, destroying over 100 houses and rendering more than 400 people homeless.
Some of the victims are currently putting up in classrooms, while others are staying with relatives, friends and sympathisers.
The affected areas are Oda Zongo, Towobotom, New Sakumono, South Town, Annow, Community Two and Community Six.
Visit
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah; the Birim Central Municipal Coordinating Director, Haruna Amadu; the Oda Constituency executive of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and staff of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) visited the disaster victims and inspected the extent of damage to properties in the area yesterday.
The MP donated relief items, such as student mattresses, plastic buckets and bowls, as well as mosquito nets and mosquito coils, to the victims.
He also provided some of them with breakfast.
The Oda Zongo Chief, Alhaji Sulemana Adamu, and the Assembly Member for the Kyeremim Number Two Electoral Area, Nuhu Ayara, conducted Mr Acquah and his entourage round the damaged buildings.
Addressing victims of the disaster at Oda Zongo, who were the worst hit, Mr Acquah assured them of the government’s preparedness to assist them repair their damaged buildings.
He attributed the flooding of the area to the Birim River which overflowed its banks as a result of the many days of continuous rainfall.
The MP advised the people to desist from dumping refuse into gutters, saying that was a contributory factor to flooding.
He claims that the rate of growth of his business, Kantanka Automobile Company Limited, will enable him to realize this prediction.
“Kantanka will produce electric vehicles by the end of this year that can travel between Accra and Kumasi before recharging.
On Starr Chat, he said to Bola Ray, “We’re going to do that before the year is through.
Indigenous car maker Kantanka says it is poised to manufacture electric cars before the end of this year.
Speaking to Bola Ray on Starr Chat Wednesday, Mr. Safo said the company is expanding to other parts of the world with a new office in Dubai.
“By the end of this year, Kantanka will build electric cars that could travel between Accra to Kumasi before recharge. We intend to do that before this year ends.
“Our company is fast growing and currently we have another headquarters at Dubai and the challenge there is healthy for us because they understand luxury and that is good for us,” he said.
The company was later incorporated as a limited liability company in 2001 with the main objective to research the manufacturing of automotive components and their combination with other parts outsourced from component suppliers to form a complete built unit.
Kantanka vehicles are assembled in Ghana from CKD (Complete Knock Down) kits supplied by a Chinese firm, possibly Foday through Chongqing Big Science & Technology.
This year’s National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) will see 144 senior high schools (SHSs) battling for honours and bragging rights over the sciences.
The number represents an increase over last year’s 135 SHSs that took part in the competition.
The increase follows the inclusion of nine schools, which although did not win their respective regional contests but finished the contest with 40 points or better.
The nine schools are the Achimota School, Mankranso SHS, Ofori Panin SHS, Osei Kyeretwie SHS, T.I. AMASS, Kumasi, SDA SHS, Bekwai, St Monica’s SHS, Tema SHS and the Winneba SHS.
They will, thus, join the 108 regional qualifiers for the preliminary stage for the national championship after which they will be joined by 27 seeded schools at the one-eighth stage for the contest which will be held for the second successive time in Kumasi from October 10 to 26, 2022.
This year’s regional championship of the NSMQ, which was held from April 25 to May 28, involved 499 schools across the country.
Balloting was also held for the contest, which had the Northern School of Business, the Sunyani SHS and the Nalerigu SHS slugging it out in the first contest.
Launch
At the launch of the event in Accra yesterday, the Technical Adviser at the Ministry of Education, Sheila Naa Boamah, expressed the belief that if girls were given the same level of preparation and support that boys got for such contests, there would be a lot more balanced contestants.
“The increase in female participation will not only be good for the competition, but will also engender the healthy competition among schools that already take place anytime these competitions are ongoing,” she said.
Ms Boamah wished the contesting schools the best of luck and expressed the hope that girls and lesser known schools would make an impact.
Potential
The Director of Schools at the Ghana Education Service, Patty Assan, said the global potential for the advancement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) was high as it had contributed immensely to the growth of industries such as the energy, health and information technology, which had made life easy, safe and comfortable for preparing today’s learner to become the innovators of tomorrow.
She said it began with a curriculum that promoted STEM education.
Format
The Managing Director of Primetime Ghana Limited, organiser of the event, Nana Akua Ankomah-Asare, said the contest would return to its former format where all 108 schools that made it to the national championship through the regional qualifiers would compete at the preliminary stage.
However, she said the established COVID-19 protocols, including the wearing of nose masks and disinfection of contestants working spaces would be observed.
“I would like to commend the heads of schools and the teachers for the enormous effort they have put into preparing the students for the competition, year in year out.
“We appreciate all the personal sacrifices you have put in just to see these students thrive and to ensure their success in this competition,” Nana Ankomah-Asare said.
Prizes
The winning school will take home GH¢30,000, the second-placed school will receive GH¢20,000 with the third-placed school, receiving GH¢15,000.
The six semi-finalists that do not progress to the final would receive a package of GH¢8,000.
There are also cash prizes from Absa Bank, Prudential Life, Airtel Tigo, Academic City University College, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Ghana Oil (GOIL) and the Accra College of Medicine, among others.
The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has requested the government to implement a peg of the US dollar to the cedi for at least a quarterly period for duty payments at the ports.
In a statement, the Union characterized the request as urgent in order to lessen the economic hardship facing Ghana’s business community.
The cost of duty at the ports has increased by roughly 30% as a result of a substantial increase in the Bank of Ghana’s weekly exchange rate, which was quoted by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The Association further indicated the injection of $750 million Afreximbank loan into the economy has culminated in the US dollar heading toward the GH¢11 mark and therefore requires quick intervention to salvage businesses from an imminent collapse.
“Within a few days of injecting about $ 750m into the system, the dollar is heading to 11. This has brought a great deal of confusion, frustration and exasperation in the business sector, especially, in the importing community, as well as the consuming public”.
“To make matters worse, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) weekly exchange rate for Ghana Revenue Authority-Customs Division has also risen from 8.2 to 9.5, which happened overnight. The change has shot up duty charges to about 30 percent”, it stressed.
“This situation is unbearable and needs swift action from the government to save businesses. As a result, GUTA is calling on the Government to, as a matter of urgency, peg the dollar for the purpose of duty payments, at least quarterly, to mitigate the plight of the business community,” the statement added.
Read the full statement below:
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE ALARMING RATE OF THE DOLLAR TO THE CEDI
WHAT CAN WE DO AT THIS POINT?
TRADERS ASK, AS THE CEDI IS ABOUT ELEVEN (11) GHANA CEDIS TO THE DOLLAR
Within a few days of injecting about US $ 750m into the system, the dollar is heading to eleven Ghana cedis (Gh11). This has brought a great deal of confusion, frustration and exasperation in the business sector, especially, in the importing community, as well as the consuming public.
To make matters worse, the Bank of Ghana (BOG) weekly exchange rate for Ghana Revenue Authority-Customs Division has also risen from 8.2 Ghana Cedis to 9.5 Ghana Cedis, which happened overnight. The change has shot up duty charges to about 30%.
This situation is unbearable and needs swift action from the Government to save businesses. As a result, Guta is calling on the Government to, as a matter of urgency, peg the dollar for the purpose of duty payments, at least quarterly, to mitigate the plight of the business community.
At this stage, it is becoming extremely difficult to service our bills, as well as pay our duty.
The question here is, what can we do at this point in time to continue to be in business?
In view of this hard situation, we find ourselves in, we would like to humbly appeal to the relative institutions particularly Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of finance, that came before the Joint Committee set up by the Office of the Council of State to expedite the necessary action for prompt response.
We are also by this release reminding government that depleting funds without being replenished is the number one cause of business failure.
Former Ghana coach Avram Grant is expected in Zimbabwe in October for the inaugural Zimbabwe Football Forum in Harare.
The Zimbabwe Football Forum which is expected to run on 14th October will bring in a number of think tanks in football with the aim of unlocking value in local football.
Terrence Malunga of Tinmanh Sports who are the brains behind the football forum said Zimbabwe is lagging behind in global football trends hence the need to bring in experts that will help local football to grow in line with international standards.
“We haven’t really commercialized the game, we haven’t really professionalised the game. We are still behind, infact we haven’t really started. So this is a platform where we are going to explore ways we can create an industry out of football,” Mulenga said.
“What intend to do is to promote investment, innovation and creativity in our football industry. To help us achieve this, we have external experts coming in to share their experience and knowledge. From the region we have South African legend Doctor Khumalo coming in to support and give us his experience.”
Grant was appointed as head coach of the Black Stars in 2014. He led Ghana to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, where they were beaten on a penalty shoot-out by Ivory Coast, ending the tournament as runners-up.
Two years later, Grant resigned as the coach of Ghana after finishing fourth in the 2017 AFCON, losing against Cameroon in the semi-final and Burkina Faso in the third place play-off.
