Experienced football administrator, Kofi Manu aka Blue boy has condemned disparaging remarks made by Aduana Stars’ assistant coach W.O Tandoh about fellow coach Maxwell Konadu after their league clash on Wednesday.
The Aduana trainer in a radio interview branded his colleague Kotoko coach as a village coach who plays village tactics referring to how Asante Kotoko started the game with only ten players a move which he claims forced them to also play with a man less.
W.O Tandoh has since apologized profusely for his loose and unwarranted talk citing over excitement as leading to such unguarded comments but Kofi Manu thinks otherwise in an interview with Kumasi based Light Fm.
“Tandoh’s speech was dirty and filthy, not good at all. I simply don’t understand why he granted that interview in the first place. If I were the CEO to have heard him talking like this, I would’ve sacked him.”
“I can see that he doesn’t understand football per what he said, if he knew the laws in the first place, he wouldn’t have attacked a college coach like that.”
“I condemn the interview he did and expect him to render an apology to the victims involved particularly Maxwell Konadu.”
He, however, advised coaches to know when to talk and also the club’s communication departments should guide coach’s during media interviews.
“Going forward, the coaches need to be guided as to where to talk with laid down rules to avoid such situations like this, that’s why clubs have communication department,” he added.
The Ghana Football Association appointed Mr. Henry Asante Twum as Head of Communications following the resignation of Mr.Tamimu Issah from the position few days ago.
With over 15 years of experience in the media landscape, Henry formerly worked for Tema Youth FC and Premier League club, Dreams FC as Director of Communications.
Asante was also Group Head of Sports at EIB Media Network and has also worked with several Ghanaian media houses notably Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Radio XYZ and Power FM.
He is popular on the local scene for his excellent delivery of commentary in the Ghana Premier League for the last decade and was recently appointed by FOX/ESPN as commentator for the 2019 WAFU tournament in Senegal.
Mr Asante will handle all official issues relating to media and communications at the GFA.
Ashantigold striker Shafiu Mumuni is closing to joining Romanian giants CFR Cluj, GHANASoccernet.com can exclusively reveal.
The striker has been in negotiations with the club and according to close sources, the Black Stars B captain could seal a deal in the coming days.
Mumuni watched CFR Cluj’s Europa League game on Thursday at the Stadium Dr. Constatin Radulescu.
The 24-year old has not played for the Miners this season as he forces his way out of the club.
According to information gathered by GHANASoccernet.com, talks have been positive and Mumuni could undergo medicals next week before signing a deal with the Romanians.
HIGHLIFE legend Amakye Dede has advised young musicians to do authentic Ghanaian music to keep our Highlife brand alive.
In a recent interview with Graphic Showbiz, Amakye Dede said Ghanaians had allowed Nigerians to take our authentic Highlife sound from us.
“The only authentic music we have is Highlife but unfortunately it is only a few young musicians who are doing pure Highlife. We have allowed the Nigerians to take that from us and it is not so good for the future of our industry”
“The likes of Kuami Eugene are doing great when it comes to Highlife music but I wish more young artistes were taking up the genre,†he stated.
According to Amakye Dede, there is no way Nigerians should take Highlife music from us when it originated from Ghana.
“We can tell our own stories through Highlifeand that is what I mostly do on my songs. I try as much as people to make sure Ghanaians can relate to my songs,†he said.
Amkye Dede said his doors were open to any serious artiste who wants to do Highlife but it will only depend on how respectful the person was.
Amakye Dede began his career in 1973 when he joined the Kumapim Royals as a composer and vocalist. This band, led by the late Akwasi Ampofo Agyei (AAA), had hits such as Abebi Bewua Eso, Wanware Me A, Odo Mani Agyina, Ohohoo Batani.
He formed his band, the Apollo High Kings, in 1980. He dominated the Highlife scene in the 1980s and 1990s and has continued to have hit songs in the 21st century. He has headlined so many concerts locally and internationall
Highly respected Ghanaian film production firm, Tablet Eye production has partnered with Hollywood stars and some local companies to produce a narrative-changing movie.
In a quest to change the narrative of the Ghanaian film industry, while carving an identity for himself, creative film director, Godfidence Losu, has announced his collaboration with Media lights production, Kaw B. Multimedia and Coached By Johnson, to produce a star-studded Hollywood-standard Movie.
Scheduled to be shot in Ghana from mid-year 2020, the film will feature top stars from Ghana and Hollywood. Carissa Orr, one breathtaking actor from Hollywood lands the main role and Santiago Arango amongst others.
The film is expected to be a redefining moment for the Ghanaian film industry and the African movie industry as a whole, as it seeks to restore hope in the film industry and to up the love for local films.
Coached By Johnson is an Internationally Recognized Acting/Lifestyle and Life Coaching company (Certified Coach Practitioner by IFC & CCA), owned by actress and casting director, Jonna Johnson who has been instrumental in the success of many films across America.
Be on the lookout for more details about the movie soon.
Veteran musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley has accused the immediate past president of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) of using the office for visa racketeering.
According to the veteran musician, Bice Osei Kuffour (Obour) used the Union office to facilitate visas illegally for people.
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, who was speaking in an interview on Showbiz 927 on 3FM with MzGee, noted that apart from squandering GHc2 million that was given to MUSIGA, Obour did illegal deals during his tenure.
The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) in Wuhan, China say they were not convinced with President Akufo-Addo’s comment on their evacuation from China during the State of the Nation Address.
According to them, they did not get any positive assurance from President Akufo-Addo.
They have called on the government to evacuate them ever since the deadly coronavirus broke out in China.
Vice President of NUGS- Wuhan, Michael Adney told Citi News that no concrete assurances were given to restore their hopes.
“On Thursday, we keenly watched the State of the Nation Address as delivered by His Excellency. Despite the assurance that they are still monitoring the situation and putting in place mechanisms to see if it becomes possible to evacuate us, we feel like the evacuation is not going to happen especially after the financial support and food they are providing.â€
“Because as of now, the situation is at its peak and we believe that the longer we stay here, the more vulnerable we are to possibly get infected with the virus. And the more we stay here, the more difficult it becomes for us to be evacuated. We are basically coming into terms with it. But if the government assesses the situation and they feel they will come for us, we will accept it but we want it to be done in a fast manner,†he pleaded.
During the SONA, President Akufo-Addo said that the government will evacuate Ghanaians students from China if the need arises.
According to him, the government will evacuate students from China if other options aimed at confining the disease to the area of origin fails.
“The government is in constant touch with experts on the subject who have advised that the basic principle of public health is to confine the disease to the area of origin but we have not ruled out the option of evacuating the students from Wuhan if that becomes necessary.â€
“We have put in place measures to ensure that if the evacuation happens, it will not lead to the dissemination of fear and panic amongst the general population,†the President said.
For her controversial statement made on Asempa FM, last Thursday, Mrs Ursula Owusu has come under attacks from various quarters, the latest being from a foundation for the promotion of women interest in governance, Gratia Women of Substance Network.
The women group has also launched a blistering attack on the Minister, describing her radio comments as reckless, backward, undemocratic and injurious to the progress of the nation Ghana.
Under the signature of the Executive Director, Madam Theresa Gbekie, the women group demanded an immediate apology from the Communications Minister, so as to enable the country heal from her foul language.
Below is the full text of the statement
For Immediate Release
February 21, 2020
GRATIA WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE NETWORK CONDEMNS URSULA OWUSU EKUFUL ON HER RECKLESS PUBLIC UTTERANCES
The Gratia Women of Substance Network is a political women group that has occupied a political space in Ghana’s political jurisprudence over the years. It is in keeping with the organization’s mission for existence of empowering women, promoting gender equality and safeguarding Ghana’s fledgling democracy, it is issuing this statement.
The attention of the group has been drawn to a rather reckless, backward, undemocratic and injurious statement from Ghana’s Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu Ekuful on Asempa FM yesterday. The Minister in her interview said:
“We aren’t going to allow the NDC to ever come to power. Over our dead bodies. The real owners of Ghana are now in charge. Whatever opportunity they [NDC] had to govern in the past belongs to history but we are sounding a note of warning to them that they will never see power again. Ghana deserves quality leadership and not this bunch of incompetent people”.
The Gratia Women of Substance Network is of the strongest view that these statements are not only backward, tribalistic, undemocratic and insulting but unGhanaian and unpatriotic as well. It is again in view of this that we condemn this statement from Ursula Owusu in the strongest and unambiguous terms.
Ghana has come a long way in her journey into this democratic dispensation. The constitution of Ghana guarantees freedom of speech and free expression but the same law places on us some responsibility that we should guard and guide us in making statements that may be injurious and has tendencies of eroding our democratic gains. Such statements create the impression that apart from NPP no other party can rule Ghana and also confirms the suspicion that, this Government will do anything fair or foul to stay in power. The situation becomes even more worrisome when the party ( through their Government) has operated a training center that trains militias even at government installation, the Christianborg (Osu) castle, which is a security zone. We saw it in Manesseh’s documentary ” militia in the heart of nation”. There is rumours that they are still training more of their men at Bundasi ahead of the 2020 general elections. This we can’t accept and countenance going forward.
We demand that the minister as a matter of urgency publicly apologises and retracts the said statement as it may form a basis for others to respond in like manner thereby heightening tension in Ghana.
A truck-load of police officers who claim to have come from the Accra regional police command and some heavily-built land guards on February 18, 2020 allegedly broke into the houses of tenants at Community 18 and Lashibi, killing a 50-year-old woman in the process.
Davis Aikey one of the affected tenant who told the media that Francis Afotey Okley and Jonas Alfred Carbo accompanied by the police and the landguards said the land at the center of the litigation belong to their late father and have secured permit from the court to eject all tenants from the land.
He said when he perused the court documents it did not bear their name but rather that of Devtraco Estate and lands Commission.
As a result , Aikey said he told the police and the landguards that they do not have the right to paste the court document on their property but they rebuffed their request and broke into their house , ransacked their rooms and locked it up.
They then went to an adjoining house where the deceased Mrs Ahenakwa resides with her husband.
In their bid to forcefully enter their rooms, misunderstanding and ensued leading to the pushing of madam Selvia Ahenakwa. Shit her head on the cement floor and suffered severe injury to the head.
Her son ,Cliford Ahenakwa pleaded with the police to take his mother in their vehicle to the hospital but they refused.
Cliford Ahenakwa then hired a taxi to convey her mother to the nearby clinic at community 18 Lashibi.
He said her mother died at the hospital. The son of the deceased said some Community 18 police officers later came for the body and deposited at the police hospital in Accra.
Cliford Ahenakwa appealed to the Inspector General of Police to intervene in the matter to help them get justice by arresting all the culprits in the death of his mothers.
Kenneth Tetteh ,Secretary to the Kwedonu family who said their the owners of the land and backed it with land documents said 2017 court ruling affirm their title to the land.
He has therefore appealed to persons who are living at HFC and Devtraco estate, Cambodia, Collins Duada, Kotobabi, 1&2 and Light Industry area to the family and regularized their stay with the family by end of March 2020.
Mr. Tetteh sympathized tenants who were affected by the barbaric acts perpetrated by the police and the land guard saying they have informed their lawyers to take up the matter in order for affected individuals gets justice.
He appealed to the IGP to use his good office help provide security to the affected tenants because of the incessant harassment by the land guards.
Tyson Fury produced the most destructive performance of his boxing life to end Deontay Wilder’s five-year reign as WBC heavyweight world champion in seven thrilling rounds of their Las Vegas rematch.
The Briton, 31, pummelled his rival in a way few could have imagined following their 2018 draw, flooring him in the third and fifth rounds while constantly backing up the most-feared puncher in the division in a way no-one has done before.
A jab and right hand – the combination with which Wilder has wiped men out repeatedly – sent the American down in the third, stunning the MGM Grand Arena.
Wilder, making his 11th defence, fell again before the round was out – this time a slip – and looked ragged under the pressure, before a right and left hand to the body sent the 34-year-old down in the fifth.
Fury delivered everything he had promised, transitioning from his hit-and-move style to overpower, outwork and bully his previously undefeated rival until the towel came in during the seventh round.
This was more than a world title win, it was a statement – and as Fury was held aloft by his corner after victory was sealed, the days of depression, weight gain and despair that cost him the belts he claimed in 2015 seemed a lifetime away.
Britons treated to a masterclass
Tyson Fury was carried to the ring on a throne
Thousands of British fans who had descended on Vegas saw their hero take an age to arrive at the ring on a throne, sporting a golden crown. It was the only time Fury moved slowly all night.
He hit pads in the ring as Wilder made his ring walk – just as he did 15 months earlier in Los Angeles – and his start was rapid, a flurry of hooks prompting chants of “there’s only one Tyson Fury” from the crowd.
Actors Michael J Fox and Jason Statham, as well as Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes, watched as Fury raised his hand at the end of the opening three-minute round and things began to feel markedly different to their first meeting.
He simply did not take a backward step, forcing Wilder to the ropes and ensuring the champion had no say in the pace of proceedings. And in the third round, those who had paid the kind of ticket prices that made this the highest gate ever in Nevada, rose to their feet at the sight of Wilder floored for only the second time in his career.
A right hand behind Wilder’s ear – the same shot with which the American had floored Fury nine rounds into their first fight – did the damage. Wilder then fell again as Fury simply bulldozed him. At the bell, the pair glared at one another and Wilder knew he was in a place no fighter wants to be. The Britons sitting ringside did not want to be anywhere else.
Was the weight Fury had gained making the difference? Was it the new training set-up? Whatever it was worked to perfection. He was putting on a boxing clinic and a right-left combination to the body dropped the stunned Wilder once more in the fifth.
Fury was docked a point for punching on the break but he did not seem to care or blink at the punishment, instead continuing to feint and twitch to set shots up before unloading on a man who had started a slight favourite. He led 59-52 59-52 and 58-53 on the cards when the towel came in.
Fight week had seen repeated debate over where this meeting ranked in the pecking order of the greatest nights of heavyweight action, but little consensus. What we can say with certainty is that this was a masterclass.
Wilder flounders as Fury reaches the summit (again)
Wilder, under-appreciated through half a decade as a champion, knew this was the night he could fully silence doubters. Some 43 fights into an undefeated career his ability was still questioned by many, and scorned by some.
Wilder’s fabled right hand never showed up. It was telegraphed time and again and the Alabama fighter – who was cut close to his left ear – quickly left the arena to go to hospital for stitches on the damage.
Coming in at the highest weight of his career may be offered up as an explanation for his shortcomings, but the gulf between the fighters was huge.
In the years since Wilder first won the title, Fury has claimed three world belts, lost them without fighting amid problems with drugs, alcohol and depression, and gained the kind of weight that meant many assumed his boxing career was over.
Now he is back at the top, with a back-story that has helped shape cult-hero status in the UK and now a burgeoning profile in the US.
He may flippantly say this title means little to him. He may continue to threaten to walk away from boxing. We can be certain he will lead us all a merry dance until the day it is all over. But when it is, this win will be remembered.
There will be talk of a third Wilder fight and talk of a historic all-British meeting with Anthony Joshua.
But the next moves can wait for now as here, on a Vegas Strip where dreams are so often dashed, Fury completed his journey from personal despair to sporting glory.
What a ride it has been. Hopefully he is now better placed than the first time around to live with one of sport’s sweetest of introductions – heavyweight champion of the world.
‘Not bad for someone with pillow fists’ – what they said
Tyson Fury speaking to BT Sport Box Office: “I told everybody with a pair of ears that the Gypsy King would return to the throne. My last fight everybody wrote me off. I was underweight and over-trained. I’m a destroyer. Not bad for someone with pillow fists.
“I’m a man of my word. I told Wilder, his team, the world. We trained for a knockout; we wasn’t tapping around in that gym.
“I talk like this because I can back it up. People write me off, they look at my fat belly and bald head and think I can’t fight. He fought the best Tyson Fury, we’re both in our primes.
“I expect him to ask for the third fight. I know he’s a warrior and I’ll be waiting.”
Deontay Wilder: “The best man won on the night. My coach threw in the towel but I’m ready to go out on my shield.
“I had a lot of things going on coming into this fight but it is what it is.
“I just wish my corner would have let me go out on my shield, I’m a warrior. But [Fury] did what he did and there’s no excuses.”
Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis: “Congratulations to Tyson Fury on a huge win and bossing his way to the WBC and Ring heavyweight straps. Once again you showed up big.
“The best fighters solve puzzles. Tonight Fury solved the puzzle that was Wilder by making him fight going backwards where he’s not as explosive. Big-manned him.”
Charles Nii Armah Mensah, popularly known as Shatta Wale, has called out fellow artists to come together to solve the problems in the music industry.
Shatta Wale, made a post on his Instagram page, where he addressed the issue of how some artists are keeping to their selves because of one or two reasons.
He stated, artists should put away their selfish gains and come together to solve the problems in the music industry.
His post might have gone wild getting to the end, as he went hard on any artist who claimed the industry is okay for him because of awards won.
Female singer, O.V who was once under BhimNation Music Group, owned by Stonebwoy has reached out to her formal boss Stonebwoy.
The singer reached out to Stonebwoy on Instagram, by passing a comment under a post made by Stonebwoy.
The Bhim President, Stonebwoy posted a video of his live session performance, of his latest song, “Soboloâ€
The video which has received massive applauds on social media, got the attention of the young singer as well.
O.V upon seeing the video, passed a lovely comment which was very nice to see because of the message it carried across.
She simply put 3 love emojis under the post which made some fans of Stonebwoy react, showing her same love, with one saying Bhimnation is there for her any day.
The first birthday of Baby Maxin, the adorable daughter of star actress Nana Ama Mcbrown and her husband, Maxwell Mawu Mensah was certainly memorable.
The decision by her parents to build a fully furnished canteen for the Ashan Orphanage located at Denase, Kumasi and celebrate the big day with them as well, is one that has been well received by many.
After all the great birthday wishes from her fans and the fun they had yesterday, February 21, 2020, Nana Ama Mcbrown has taken to her Instagram page to thank all her die-hard fans.
Sharing a fresh unseen photo of Baby MMM, the screen goddess wrote in the post sighted by zionfelix.net, “Who is Me without the Lord. A big Thank you to all my die hard love fans I know you Love me to the BRIMM. ðŸ™ðŸ½ God bless you All â¤ï¸ @iambabymaxin Love you #outfit @quophiakotuahghana #crown @marymondz_creationz #mua @aligiinamakeover #📸 #Brimmâ€
Promising Ghanaian midfielder Kelvin Ofori is set to make his Bundesliga debut after being named in Fortuna Düsseldorf’s squad for their trip to Freiburg.
The 18-year-old has played two competitive matches for Fortuna but all in the DFB Cup.
Under former coach Friedhelm Funkel, the former Right to Dream player was named in the match day squad on six occasions.
New coach Uwe Rösler see Ofori as a great talent and hopes he can solve one-on-one situations and also play clever passes behind the opponent’s defence
It is good news for Hearts of Oak fans If prominent football prophet Seer Gyan’s words are to be taken seriously as he predicts it will be party time for the rainbow club at the end of the season but on one condition.
Seer Gyan has gained prominence for making predictions in football with varied degree of success but he is still revered by those who think God watches and plays a role in how football matches go.
According to the football prophet in an interview with Kumasi based ASHH FM has predicted some good news for Hearts of Oak If and only they should beat or get a draw against Ashgold in Obuasi.
“Hearts of Oak still the winners of the ongoing GPL depending on the outcome of their second leg against Ashgold,if Hearts of Oak picks even a point they are the winners.”
“Kotoko should forget of this season’s GPL tittle because the Asanteman Spirit behind the club is now weak after moving from the Ashanti region to the Greater Accra Region.”
“Kumasi King Faisal can not survive relegation, spiritually they are already relegated”
“Both present and past chairmen of Asante Kotoko don’t value the club because Kotoko is like a religion and should have regarded as such but those people don’t know the norms of the club.”he said
Maritzburg United No.1 goalkeeper Richard Ofori wants to guide the Team of Choice to the CAF Confederation Cup by winning the 2019/20 Nedbank Cup.
But the PSL club must advance past Bloemfontein Celtic in the last 16 match at the Dr Molemela Stadium.
“It is a very good thing for the nation because to win the Nedbank Cup and be in Africa will be great for the club,” Ofori said.
”It is a nice opportunity for small clubs because they don’t get opportunities to finish in the top three in the league (in order to qualify for these continental competitions).
“This is a good opportunity for a smaller clubs as well. We have to be focused and try to be there.
”We need to enjoy and try our best to win the cup and experience Africa.”
Prominent football prophet Seer Gyan has released fresh set of football prophecies with most of them predicting doom for Kumasi Asante Kotoko as they adopt Accra Sports Stadium as their new home grounds for the remainder of the 2019/2020 season.
Earlier in the season the popular prophet predicted that Asante Kotoko will witness some poor results in the league season but If they are able to endure and stick with their current coach Maxwell Konadu, the club will sweep every domestic title next season.
And with Asante Kotoko having a somewhat topsy turvy season, It appears his prediction is working.
Kotoko have now been locked out of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium by the managers of the Stadium, National Sports Authority(NSA) for renovation works.
This the prophet believes choosing the Accra Sports Stadium will make them spiritually vulnerable and poor result will definitely follow.
“I prophesied Kotoko will draw a lot of their games before the start of the season and let me confirm to you that the decision of the club to play it’s home game at Accra is going to fulfill that.”
“Spiritually, Asante Kotoko is now weak after choosing Accra Sports stadium as their new venue.” he told Ashh Fm.
Several thousand people converged in downtown Algiers on Friday to mark one year of unprecedented protests that led to the downfall of Algeria’s longtime leader.
By the end of the morning, a large noisy crowd, including women and children, with some waving the national flag, gathered at the Grande Poste building, a hot spot of the mobilisation over the past year.
Marching through the main streets of the capital, protesters chanted, “We are not here to celebrate, we want you to leave”, referring to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s decision to make February 22 a special holiday in honour of the peaceful movement.
The move was seen as an effort to hijack the leaderless youth-dominated movement.
“He wants to dispossess us of our revolution,” Youcef, a 34-year-old unemployed activist, told Al Jazeera.
Police were deployed in force, blocking protesters on streets in Algiers.
The metro was closed and all trains to the capital were cancelled, apparently a move to keep the number of demonstrators down. Even though the protests were smaller than in the spring of 2019, the demonstrations have not waned.
Over the past week, Algerian social media was flooded with calls to fill the streets of the capital on Friday to demand a complete overhaul of the ruling elite, an end to corruption, and the army’s withdrawal from politics.
When a group of peaceful protesters converged in Algiers on February 22 last year in order to stand against then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth consecutive term, they had no idea their action would be part of a year-long movement that would topple the veteran leader.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw people coming out everywhere then. I had not experienced that before,” Sakina, a 29-year-old bookseller, told Al Jazeera.
‘Not enough’
Under the pressure of both the protest movement and the military authority, Bouteflika stepped down in April after a two-decade-long rule.
His resignation has remained the biggest success of the movement, known as the Hirak.
“It is a milestone. It gave us hope and opened doors to a real transition,” Drifa, a 36-year-old YouTuber, told Al Jazeera.
But Bouteflika’s retirement failed to satisfy the tireless protesters, who have continued to take the streets every Friday and Tuesday calling for sweeping reforms and the departure of the old guard.
“Bouteflika’s resignation and the imprisonment of corrupt businessmen and political leaders, including former Prime Ministers Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, are tangible results. But this is not enough,” Kamel, a 65-year-old shopkeeper, told Al Jazeera.
“The regime is far from having changed and our main demands are far from having been achieved. We want to establish a real democracy and end this dictatorship.”
He said Tebboune – an ally of Bouteflika and a former housing minister who was elected president in a vote largely rejected by the protesters last December – was a “powerless civil figure for a military authority which effectively rule the country behind the curtain”.
Many said the Hirak had a positive impact on society, reconnecting the Algerian people with politics without fear of plunging the country into another civil war.
‘No longer afraid’
For years the trauma of the lingering conflict between the Algerian army and Islamist groups – known as the Black Decade, when some 150,000 people were killed – was exploited under Bouteflika to discourage dissent.
“Large protests were unimaginable before the beginning of the Hirak, especially in Algiers. But we are no longer afraid. A new generation who did not experience this tragedy is raising its voice,” Sakina said.
The first anniversary of the grassroots movement triggered many questions about the future of the Hirak: Should the activists negotiate with the newly elected president, who declared he is ready to “extend a hand” to cooperate with them? Should they build a solid structure and designate representatives?
The movement is divided over these decisions.
Many said the government is not willing to make any further concessions. “We can’t negotiate with the ruling elite because it only gives orders. The sole solution is their departure,” Kamel said.
Some are ready to cooperate with the administration provided all imprisoned activists are released.
“There will be no negotiation as long as innocent people are in jail because they took part in the march,” Farida, a 56-year-old physiotherapist and member of a committee for the liberation of political leader Karim Tabbou, imprisoned since September, told Al Jazeera.
According to the Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights, nearly 2,500 protesters have been arrested over the past year. Hundreds are still in custody pending trial.
The Ghana Football Association has appointed Mr Henry Asante Twum as Head of Communications.
With over 15 years of experience in the media landscape, Henry formerly worked for Tema Youth FC and Premier League club, Dreams FC as Director of Communications.
Asante Twum was also Group Head of Sports at EIB Media Network and has also worked with several Ghanaian media houses notably Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Radio XYZ and Power FM.
He is popular on the local scene for his excellent delivery of commentary in the Ghana Premier League for the last decade and was recently appointed by FOX/ESPN as commentator for the 2019 WAFU tournament in Senegal.
The seasoned sports journalist has been to three FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Mr Asante will handle all official issues relating to media and communications at the GFA.
The multi award-winning rapper is set to take the stage at the TicketPro Dome in Johannesburg on 12 June 2020 as she will headline the 2020 edition of the hip-hop culture festival Castle Lite Unlocks.
“We couldn’t be more excited to reveal the multi-award winning hit-maker, Cardi B as this year’s headliner,” said Castle Lite Brand Director, Silke Bucker.
A-list stars such as Drake, J Cole, Chance the Rapper, Kanye West, Travis Scott, Post Malone and Meek Mill have performed at the festival over the past decade.
Aduana Stars have condemned coach WO Tandoh, who held no punches in ripping into Asante Kotoko trainer Maxwell Konadu following an encounter in the Ghana Premier League on Wednesday.
Following a 1-0 triumph by hosts Aduana, Tandoh descended heavily on former Ghana assistant coach Konadu, labelling him a “village” coach and a “disgrace to football”.
Samuel Bioh scored the only goal of the matchweek 11 fixture in the fourth minute of injury time.
“Aduana Stars would like to distance ourselves from the comments of coach W. O. Paul Tandoh, it doesn’t represent our views, it’s his own personal view,” Aduana communication director Evans Oppong told Fox FM.
“We apologize to Asante Kotoko, to coach Maxwell Konadu, to the Coaches Association and all affected parties.
“We as a club will take a decision on him and it could be any decision; we could suspend him or make a new appointment of a new coach to replace him.”
Reports say Aduana are considering parting ways Tandoh, with former Asante Kotoko coach Paa Kwasi Fabin said to be a likely replacement.
The Fire Boys, two-time league champions, currently sit third on the table.
Pro-Turkish Syrians are fighting in Libya alongside military trainers dispatched by Ankara, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted for the first time on Friday.
Turkey supports the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli and sent dozens of military training personnel after the two countries signed a series of deals last year.
“Turkey is there with a training force. There are also people from the Syrian National Army,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, referring to the group of rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
The GNA has been under sustained attack for months from eastern-based renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, whose principal backers include the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt.
Last month, the warring sides agreed to a truce and although there have been violations, they have held two rounds of talks in Geneva.
Haftar, meanwhile, said he would agree to a permanent ceasefire if Syrian “mercenaries” left Libya, and Turkey ended its support for the GNA, according to RIA news agency.
“A ceasefire [would] be the result of a number of conditions being fulfilled … the withdrawal of Syrian and Turkish mercenaries, an end to Turkish arms supplies to Tripoli, and the liquidation of terrorist groups,” Haftar was quoted as saying on Friday.
But Haftar warned he would not hesitate to use force if his conditions were not met.
New talks expected
The GNA in Tripoli agreed to resume negotiations on Thursday after suspending talks with Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) after rocket attacks on the capital’s strategic port on Tuesday.
Several rounds of talks focused on economic issues, including fairer distribution of Libya’s oil wealth, have also taken place in Egypt and Tunisia, while talks aimed at a political solution are scheduled to start in Geneva on February 26.
Ceasefire talks between Libya’s warring sides are going in the “right direction” while hitting hurdles over violations of an arms embargo and the truce declared last month, the UN envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame told Reuters News Agency on Friday.
Salame, in an interview during a break in military talks in Geneva, said he expected political-level talks to convene in the Swiss city on February 26 but was already working on confidence-building measures.
“In parallel, we are trying to make air travel a bit safer in Libya especially from Mitiga as well as Misrata. We are also trying to reopen the port to be a safe harbour,” Salame said. “And we are also trying … to help in an exchange of prisoners between the parties.”
Random bombing
Libya has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, with rival armed factions still vying for power.
In the latest outbreak of fighting, Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli last April. But after rapid advances, his forces stalled on the edges of the capital.
The fighting has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced some 140,000, according to the United Nations.
In the neighbourhood of al-Jaraba, in central Tripoli, residents told Al Jazeera they are still facing attacks despite the truce.
“The bombing is random, we live on our nerves,” said Abdullah Hussein, an engineer.
“Any moment a bomb or rocket can hit. It’s especially bad at night, we are too afraid to sleep. We have to be ready to run immediately. People now even know the types of bombs by their sounds, and this is supposed to be a ceasefire.”
French born Ghanaian defender Enock Kwateng has revealed that he has no regrets leaving former club FC Nantes, despite spending seven years at the Yellow Canaries.
Kwateng left Nantes for Bordeaux in the summer transfer window, and has had a decent spell with the Navy Blue and Whites this season.
“No, it’s the opposite,” he told Sud Ouest when asked if he had any regrets leaving FC Nantes. “I had the label of youth of the training center, I wanted to see something else,” he added.
“I want to play every game, I have ambition.I had several requests but Bordeaux was the best option for me. It is a large French club. I feel like I’ve been here for two or three years […] Bordeaux is a very beautiful city.
“I spent seven years in Nantes, I was fine there but I prefer Bordeaux.For example, Sunday lives here. There are many places, monuments to visit, activities to do, good restaurants.
“I slept at the hotel for two months at first, so I had a different restaurant each night.There are many very good ones. I have a list but I keep it for myself (laughs) â€
Veteran football administrator, Kofi Manu has waved into the administration of Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku while indicating that he is committing too many blunders.
Assessing the first 3 months Kurt Okraku has been in office, Kofi Manu has questioned why referees and match commissioners have not been paid but the country’s football governing body is still making appointments.
The experienced football administrator quizzed, “A little football that we are playing in the 11th week, we haven’t paid referees, match commissioners, and within your 3 months space, you are employing over 5 people to the secretariat, where is the money to make payment for them?
Kofi Manu who believes too many blunders are being committed by the Ghana FA boss says he might be surrounded by the wrong people who are advising him wrongly.
“I think that Kurt is committing too many blunders within his 3 months in office. I always say and will repeat that in this world, we don’t have bad leaders but have bad advisers surrounding leaders, very bad ones”, Kofi Manu told Light FM.
Constitutional changes were approved last year allowing him to seek re-election – an issue which sparked huge protests in 2017-18.
His family has ruled the country for over half a century.
Former journalist and human right campaigner Jean-Pierre Fabre of the National Alliance for Change, is running for a third time, after coming second in 2010 and 2015.
Today, thanks to the internet, love can easily be found in any part of the world with no geographical restrictions.
Romance has been made easy in this 21st Century.
As a reminder, in the 16th century where there was the exchange of letters; people didn’t know so much about each other; one used to find out somebody “liked†him/her through a friend or a passed note. Now, these are scarce.
With the introduction of social media, people can scroll and choose who they want to get close to. Social media has made finding love very easy. It has also changed the way we experience love, intimacy, and connection.
Where did you meet your partner? Has social media in any way affected your love life? How often do you text instead of talk, Skype instead of meeting face-to-face, or use emoticons instead of actually articulating our feelings?
The answers to these questions, of course, are subjective. Get to know more in our latest interview with marriage and relationship counselor Ogochukwu Nweke.
In an interview with GhanaWeb’s Bernice Owusuwaa, they discuss ‘Love in Today’s Digital Age.’
A top surgeon who harmed patients in Scotland for years and can no longer work in the UK is operating again.
The BBC has discovered that Sam Eljamel, who was suspended following internal and external reviews in 2013 in the UK, is working as a surgeon in Libya.
The former government adviser and head of neurosurgery at NHS Tayside removed himself from the General Medical Council (GMC) register after restrictions were placed on him.
The GMCÂ said its remit did not extend beyond the UK.
He was allowed to continue operating even after an external investigation found he was injuring patients.
In one case he removed the wrong part of a patient’s body.
That patient was Jules Rose. In 2013 Mr Eljamel removed her tear duct instead of her brain tumour.
‘How can my surgeon still be operating?’
Responding to the news he was working as a surgeon again, Ms Rose said she was “absolutely devastated”.
“He has obviously gone somewhere he feels he can get away with it,” she told the BBC.
“These poor people have no idea. They are completely oblivious to what damage and what harm this man has caused. He is just going to do it all again.”
Mr Eljamel was placed under investigation and suspended by NHS Tayside in 2013.
He was placed under interim conditions by the GMC in 2014 and then removed himself from the register which means he can no longer practice in the UK.
Video footage shows him operating on children and adults in the Libyan city of Misrata where he now works at a number of hospitals.
Finding Eljamel
Sam Eljamel was the head of the neurosurgery department in Ninewells Hospital in Dundee
Ordinarily it’s not too hard to find people. Normally it takes days or weeks. Many of us live our lives quite publicly on social media and online. But there are exceptions.
Neurosurgeon Sam Eljamel was one. To find him has taken almost two years.
Not only had he erased himself from the internet and social media but scattered around the globe we found addresses where he no longer lived.
We found he’d recently paid his dues for a medical association but had given an address in Tayside where he no longer lived or worked.
We found links in Australia, Africa and the Philippines.
Former colleagues were convinced he was in Connecticut where he still owned a flat and had relatives.
We went there to track him down but found only an empty flat and friends and relatives he had stopped contacting.
And then 18 months later I got an email from Libya.
Our Disclosure investigation had been translated into Arabic and several people got in touch to say they’d seen him.
Not only had we found him but we’d found that he is operating again.
‘I just simply want him stopped’
Patrick Kelly said he wants the UK authorities to alert those in Libya
Pat Kelly is in constant pain and faces the risk of paralysis after spinal surgery by Mr Eljamel. He wants the authorities in the UK to alert those in Libya.
“I think because there were no sanctions taken against him by either NHS Tayside nor the GMC,” he said. “I think across in Libya they probably think, ‘well, if there were no actions taken there then what are we griping about’.”
Mr Kelly said: “I just simply want him stopped. I want the UK government or Scottish government to get in touch with the Libyan authorities to get this man stopped.”
A spokeswoman for the GMC said: “As our remit does not extend to outside of the UK, there is nothing stopping a doctor practising abroad if they are granted registration with the relevant regulator in that country.”
She said information was shared with a variety of EU and other regulators and confirmed that Dr Eljamel’s interim conditions and his voluntary removal from the register were recorded.
She said: “The circular includes regulators in the United States, but not Libya.”
A number of patients have successfully sued NHS Tayside as a result of operations carried out by Mr Eljamel.
There is also an ongoing police investigation looking at whether his actions warrant a criminal prosecution.
Police Scotland confirmed that inquiries are ongoing and that it has recently consulted with the National Crime Agency as part of its investigation into Mr Eljamel.
Musician, Tome has released a classic Afro Fusion single titled The Money.
The song was produced by Karma Jones.
Tome is boldly committed to giving an empowering voice to women through her songs, exuding the spirit of confidence and pride in her artistry.
Throughout 2019, Tome had the pleasure of joining award-winning mega Afro-beats artist, Wizkid, on his 2019 Canadian Tour and legendary Mr. Eazi in for his 2019 Europe Tour performed at the Wembley SSE, London at the Burnaboy Concert as well as exciting performances at Afrofest 2019, Uppsala Reggae Festival 2019 in Sweden and SXSW 2019 in Texas. 2019 also saw TÖME tour parts of North America, Europe and Arica to a very positive reception.
Voters in Togo are set to cast their ballots on Saturday in a presidential election that is expected to further extend the Gnassingbe family’s decades-long rule.
Polls show incumbent President Faure Gnassingbe is likely to win a fourth-straight term in office as the opposition has not been able to form a united front.
The 53-year-old leader took office in 2005 after the death of his father, Eyadema Gnassingbe, who led the country for 38 years after seizing power in a coup in 1967.
Among the candidates is a former journalist and human rights campaigner, Jean-Pierre Fabre, who challenged Gnassingbe in the 2010 and 2015 elections, coming in second on both occasions.
Five other candidates are also competing, including former Prime Minister Gabriel Messan Agbeyome Kodjo, who represents a coalition of opposition and civil society groups.
The election comes on the back of a series of major protests that swept through the country of some eight million people in 2017 and 2018 with demonstrators demanding that Gnassingbe step aside. However, demonstrations were choked off by a fierce government crackdown and a split among the opposition, and Gnassingbe’s grip now appears as solid as ever.
The president pushed through constitutional changes in May last year allowing him to stand again this year, and potentially stay in office until 2030.
The constitutional change caps the presidential mandate to two five-year terms, but does not take into account the three terms Gnassingbe has already served.
Between hope and disillusionment
The bulk of the 3.5-million eligible voters will be comprised of mostly young people such as 24-year-old Fynn Egbede.
Egbede, who has known just two presidents in Togo in his lifetime, got his first voter card in 2018.
“I am looking forward to this experience. I have carefully kept my voter card and will go out to vote for my candidate,” Egbede told Al Jazeera.
While opposition candidate Fabre is promising to restore democracy and boost economic development, the ruling party has been campaigning on a pledge to create 500,000 jobs across the country by 2022 to ease the frustration of a large number of unemployed young people.
Togolese have witnessed six presidential elections since the democratic movement of the 1990s – all won by the Gnassingbe family.
“We are tired of hearing the same thing every time,” said Gloria Krobo, a 42-year-old trader based in the capital, Lome. “We are not making progress. We need to change the way we do things but I don’t think retaining the ruling party will change anything.”
Despite economic growth in recent years of about 5 percent, driven by investment in energy and transport, about half the population is affected by food insecurity, while almost 70 percent of rural households live below the poverty line, according to the World Food Programme.
Risk of electoral fraud
Concerns over the fairness of the electoral process are high among opposition members who say little has changed since the 2018 parliamentary elections, which were boycotted by 14 parties that cited irregularities.
Despite the United Nations and regional body ECOWAS’s deployment of election observers, the national election commission stripped the National Consultation of Civil Society of Togo, a main independent observer group, of its accreditation, accusing it of “preparing to carry out interference” in the vote.
The move earlier this week came after authorities previously blocked Catholic Church monitors from observing the election.
Fabre said some of his campaign rallies were blocked by authorities and raised concerns about the transparency of the vote.
But Egbede is still determined to participate.
“I hope the elections will be free and fair so that we can elect a president of our choice. I couldn’t vote during the last parliamentary elections because of violence in my area. I hope this one will be peaceful,” he said.
Polling stations will open at 07:00 GMT and close at 16:00 GMT, with provisional results expected six days later.
A two-day workshop has been held for planners within the Western Region to equip them with relevant information on the Local Economic Development (LED).
The workshop organised by the Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC) would enable Planning Unit Committee members and officers from the various Districts, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies in the Region target at restructuring towns and zonal councils within the Assemblies to meet emerging international standards.
Addressing the participants, the Regional Chief Coordinating Director, Mr Atta Adjei said the development of Assemblies had evolved into a contemporary system where the District planners spearheaded initiative rather than relying on the central government to determine economic development within the local areas.
Dr. Kwabena Koforobour Agyemang, a resource person, educated the participants on the concept of LED as an emerging wheel for economic growth.
He said countries like China, Dubai and USA have already advanced on the concept and stressed that LED was a participatory process, which employed indigenous resources and ideas, modified with technology to enhance local commercial activities that would generate a strong and sustainable economy.
He further stated that LED had become necessary in recent times to build the economic abilities of localities within the Assemblies for improved standard of living, reduction in poverty and economic sustainability.
“LED has become strategic in increasing productivity and competitiveness of local businesses as well as positioning towns for investment”.
Dr. Agyemang pointed out that cities or towns were in competition with each other, therefore the execution of key projects like roads, hospitals, electricity, good communication network, together with good human capacity could attract investors and give one city an advantage over the others.
In this regard, Dr Agyemang indicated that there was the need for branding of cities and zonal councils within the Region.
He said, “every district should prioritize adding value to raw materials or tourist sites they have. Quality should not be downplayed because cities are competing with each otherâ€.
The Participants raised concerns about the difficulty in land acquisition for developmental projects, which posed a threat to creating branded cities.
The activities of illegal miners is not only affecting surface water quality but underground water as well, Mr. Wolanyo Kwadjo Siabi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency has indicated.
“Underground water which over the years have been described as the safest, had had its quality compromised with traces and continual rise of minerals such as arsenic, manganese and fluoride particularly in mining Communities”.
The CEO who made this known to Journalists during a working visit of CWSA Board members, said water coverage now stood at 62.06 percent as against 65 percent in 2016, which called for massive intervention on the part of all stakeholders to salvage the situation.
Mr Siabi said: “the rapid destruction of water bodies by illegal mining activities has indeed affected underground water, costing the CWSA huge sums to build treatment facilities for most of our pumps and pipes”.
He indicated that “the excess minerals notwithstanding, climatic conditions are also affecting water quantity and if strategies are not adopted, indeed the next war in the case of Ghana will be water war.
“Indeed, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, we all have to ensure that water quality is standard”.
He explained that previously water quality of most systems were not monitored due to the wrong assumption that ground water, the most used water source had constant quality, “but, now it is not so due to high levels of iron, manganese, fluoride, arsenic, hardness and salinity which has course the Agency to also revise its intervention measures”.
He said for instance, water sources which were contaminated with arsenic materials could affect fertility of humans and the intelligent quotient of children.
Mr. Siabi, a Member of the Order of Volta, said the country and for that matter the two Regions of the West were not in water crises yet, though the cost of treatment kept soaring.
According to him, the Western North has water coverage of 65.7 percent while the Western Region covers 55.54 percent.
He said the Agency had also built water treatment plant in most of their operational areas to improve upon quality.
He said the government had acquired some facilities for the treatment and expansion works of most facilities that belong to the Agency.
Mr Siabi said the government, in 2009, acquired a World Bank facility of $90 million, while in 2017 another $45.7million from same bank was secured to rehabilitate systems, which were not functioning.
Again, the British government, he said, also provided 30 million Euros for some districts in Ashanti, while another $3.8million covered the Volta Region, with the government also providing $35million to improve water systems as part of the reformation processes in the sector.
The CWSA under its current reforms hope to become a utility provider, while paying attention to the needs of the pro poor in communities that they operated.
The CEO said the reforms were also to help solve the challenges of accumulated electricity bills, which have led to the non-operation of many of their systems.
The Reforms since 2017, have helped to improve upon the management of pipe water systems by professional staff nationwide.
Mr. Siabi said the reforms would ultimately save the huge public investment in water infrastructure from deteriorating and create a common pool of resources for the operations and maintenance of existing water supply systems as well as providing new ones to needful Communities.
Mr Michael Mensah-Baah, Chief Operating Officer, Absa Bank, Ghana has advised financial institutions to invest in risk management practices to forestall any uncertainties.
He said even though it was difficult to predict the future, measures must be put in place to mitigate any unforeseen problems.
Mr Mensah-Baah said this at a lecture on the theme: “Leveraging Risk Management in Financial Institutions” in Accra and reminded Board of Directors that it had an oversight responsibility to manage a company’s risk management framework to function well.
He said it was imperative for management to respect all stakeholders in financial institutions because shareholders were owners of the organization and appointed board members to represent them.
He urged Board of Directors to sanction any management member who failed to execute his or her duty; to serve as deterrent to others as well as preserve the image of the company.
“Everyone in the Organisation is responsible for risk management, it is a chain and starts from board members to management and staff,” he said.
He stated that risk management was an event and urged financial institutions to institute a good corporate governance mechanism for survival.
Mr Osei Gyasi, Head of Banking Supervision Unit, Bank of Ghana, launched a book titled: “Corporate Governance for Banks and Specialized Deposit-Taking Institutions making directorship a Competence based Profession”.
The book, he said would become a great material to be used for the training of directors of financial institutions in the country.
It incorporates all the financial acts into one umbrella, which would guide financial institutions in managing its operations in an efficient and effective manner.
It also provides insight into the Ghanaian banking crisis and several case studies on financial service.
Mr Gyasi said the book would serve as a reference document for financial institutions, academia, students, banking practitioners and those who wants to acquire knowledge in the area of corporate governance.
Mr Justice Awuku-Sao, the Author said the book entailed sections of the banking Acts 2016, sections of the 2018 guidelines from the Bank of Ghana and aspects of 2019 company Acts that affected all financial directors and international best practice and corporate governance.
He entreated Bank of Ghana to make the book ready for all directors of financial institutions during their training programmes.
Nyame na aye and Adom wo wiem rice farmer associations in the Sefwi- Waiwso Municipality and Bodi Districts of the Western North Region have lauded the government for taking up the “eat Ghana rice” campaign.
According to the groups, Ghana would have been exporting rice to other countries if the campaign was given the needed support and commitment.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview, Mr Oduro Sarfo, president of Adom wo wiem Cooperate Rice Farmers Association, said the campaign had helped increase the number of bags they sold annually, which had subsequently boasted the local economy.
He disclosed that customers from other parts of the country now buy from them which hitherto was not the case.
He commended the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) at both Sefwi- Waiwso and Bodi Districts for supplying them with free seedlings and subsidized fertilizer.
For his part, Mr Kwame Ahi, President of Nyame na aye Rice Farmers Association, mentioned lack of power tiller machines and the lack of storage facilities among others as some of the challenges facing rice farmers and appealed to the government for assistance.
He also called on other corporate institutions to help them brand and package the rice in order to export them to earn foreign exchange for the country and also help reduce employment rates in the country.
Mr Ahi also advised the youth to take advantage of the government flagship programme of planting for food and jobs, so as to create their own jobs and not depend on the government for the non-existent jobs.
The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) on Friday said it expects more listings in equities and bonds to boost liquidity and enhance the performance of the bourse this year.
It will also rely on technology for efficient trading on the exchange and ensure that Exchange play a significant role in providing access to funding for Small and Medium Enterprises for accelerated economic growth.
Mr Ekow Afedzie, GSE Managing Director, who laid out the plans for 2020 at a press briefing in Accra, said the market was on course to achieve positive results in line with the strategic plan.
One key issue is the plan to formalise the Over-the-Counter (OTC) trade, which though had been in existence was yet to be formalised, to help in the growth of the equity market.
Mr Afedzie said trading and pricing rules had been reviewed, and approved for the future, adding that listing would be promoted aggressively to corporate bonds issuers.
He said the exchange would introduce an electronic and pricing system by the third quarter of the year, adding that, the electronic platform would be for bonds, shares and securities of every kind.
On the GSE Memorandum of Understanding recently signed with the London Stock Exchange, Mr Afedzie said the move was to support the GSE transistion from a frontier market to an emerging one.
This, he said, would help boost investor confidence in the GSE and enhance trading activities in equities and also strengthen the bond market.
“Three key things will happen: They are going to assist us to move or migrate from what we call the frontier market to an emerging market.
“Once you become an emerging market, you will be more attractive to potential investors, especially the big institutional investors outside; secondly, we are going to work on how to develop the bond market, especially the local currency market; and thirdly, they will assist the SEC to implement the capital market development plan that has been developedâ€.
The Ghanaian Gospel music industry has really gone from strength to strength and there is a growing scene of incredible upcoming gospel acts.
The list features the new face of Gospel Music who are making an impressive statement about their music and mission using the new media and sharing the gospel through their songs to take believers by storm.
One such personality is Rita Nkansah popularly known as Ritaqueen who has taken her talent into new territory with creative arrangement, song choice and production.
She is raising the flag of Ghana outside the territories of the country and has been praised for her exceptional ministration at events and churches.
She has used her incredible talent to serve at the House of Prayer Ministries International, preparing to release her maiden thrilling gospel song titled ‘He Reigns’ which projects God’s goodness.
”I want the world to know that it doesn’t matter what the enemy brings on our way, he that is in us is greater, stronger, bigger, wiser, than he that is in the world, so no matter what we go through in life we should never give up because God will see us through and we shall overcome.” she speaks ahead of the release in March.
Ritaqueen is changing lives with the raw emotion and passion delivered with every note she sings. She delivers a powerful worship song that congregations around the world can easily sing along.
Record Ghana Premier League winners Kumasi Asante Kotoko has chosen Accra Sports Stadium as their home for the remainder of the 2020 Ghana Premier League season.
This follows the action taken by the National Sports Authority to close the Kumasi Baba Yara Stadium for preparation towards the 6th March Independence Day Celebration.
After the Independence Day Celebration, the Stadium will be shut down for renovation.
This action has affected Asante Kotoko and King Faisal who used the stadium for their home games in the Ghana Premier League.
Asante Kotoko has therefore opted to play the remainder of the 2019/20 Ghana Premier League season at the Accra Sports Stadium.
📣 ANNOUNCEMENT📣
Management has chosen the Accra Sports Stadium as our home ground for the remainder of the 2019/2020 season.
Meanwhile, our FA Cup duel with Deportivo will be played at Len Clay Stadium in Obuasi at 3 pm on Sunday.#AKSCpic.twitter.com/vyQvY184Ct
Constitutional changes were approved last year allowing him to seek re-election – an issue which sparked huge protests in 2017-18.
His family has ruled the country for over half a century.
Former journalist and human right campaigner Jean-Pierre Fabre of the National Alliance for Change, is running for a third time, after coming second in 2010 and 2015.
A group of five couples, each including a blind partner, got married in a shared ceremony in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Thursday.
The four blind grooms and one blind bride had all struggled to raise money for their weddings.
Traditionally in Somalia families raise money for weddings but in this case private companies stepped in to pay for the ceremony.
One of the brides, Samiira, told the BBC that it was challenging enough to find a husband and she also faced difficulty raising money for the ceremony.
But Samiira advised people with disability “not to give up in finding love”.
Her husband Maslah Ali told the BBC what attracted him to his wife.
“I fell in love with my blind wife while teaching her. I believe that she was a hard working student and one day she will be an amazing mother who will raise our children very well,” he said.
Death is cruel and the pain of losing your loved ones can be overwhelming at times.
A Kenyan family is in deep mourning after losing three siblings within a span of 11 days.
According to a Facebook post shared by one Paul Muriungi on Tuesday, February 18, Larry Nzioka, Feaven Mutete and Rex Nzioka all died between Thursday, February 6 and Monday, February 17.
“Death can humble you: Larry Nzioka died on Thursday, February 6, we just buried him on Saturday, February 15, only for death to return to the same homestead and take away his sister (Feaven Mutete Musau Nzioka) and brother (Rex Nzioka) the only two children left on Monday, February 17,†the post read.
Muriungi wondered how death could take away the lives of three young people from one family in such a short time.
“How one family can lose all three of their children in a space of 11 days is beyond me. RIP Friends. My heart bleeds. Till we meet again,†he said.
Netizens sent their messages of condolences to the family.
The foreign ministers of Rwanda and Uganda have just signed an extradition treaty at the conclusion of the summit at the common border presided over by the two countries presidents.
The summit welcomed the release of dozens of each other citizens detained in both countries in the past few weeks.
The current wave of tensions between the two countries has lasted for well over a year, and it led to the Rwanda side of the Gatuna border being closed to people and business.
One of the most serious causes of tension has been the trading of accusations regarding security.
Rwanda accuses Uganda of harboring anti-Rwanda rebel forces, while Uganda accuses its southern neighbour of infiltrating its security agencies.
Uganda has now agreed to investigate and verify claims by Rwanda that anti-Rwandan rebel forces have been recruiting and training within Uganda.
It also committed to stop and prevent such activities from happening again.
The meeting agreed that when this has been settled, another summit will be convened within 15 days, to re-open the common border.
Tensions between the two leaders seem to be thawing as well. Presidents Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni were seen shaking hands and smiling as they arrived for the meeting.
This was the fourth time the two were meeting for negotiations brokered by the presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.
Uganda and Rwanda are closely interlinked, with a significant number of citizens residing in either country.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for the “immediate institution of a police inquiry into the use of brute force†on protesters who were demonstrating against the compilation of a new register of voters.
The party also wants the “issuance of punitive sanctions where necessary.â€
The protesters were met by the police on Thursday, 20 February 2020 around the precincts of Parliament when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo arrived to deliver the State of the Nation Address.
In a statement released and signed by General Secretary John Asiedu Nketiah on Friday, 21 February 2020, the NDC condemned “the barbaric and brutal treatment of the innocent protesters†who thronged to the streets near Parliament House “to picket†as a “manifestation of their protest against the compilation of a new voter register ahead of the 2020 polls.â€
According to the NDC, “The cruel and barbaric manner in which the police used unjustifiable force in an attempt to suppress the constitutional rights of Ghanaians to protest peacefully, was totally disproportionate and unwarrantedâ€.
“This callous application of force resulted in physical injuries to some of the protesters including our Deputy General Secretary in charge of Operations, Mr Peter Boamah Otokunor. As have been seen in the video circulating on media, it was the Director of Operations at the Police Regional Command, Supt. Kwasi Ofori, who ordered the use of water cannons containing hot chemical solution on the protestors.â€
The statement continued: “This unprovoked cruelty were triggered by a concern raised by the protesters, when a bus-load of NPP supporters were allowed to enter the Parliament House without hindrance when the protesters had been restricted for several hours from getting close to the entrance of the Parliament Houseâ€, and, thus, described it as clearly “an open display of political bias in favour of the NPP, a growing canker that must be resisted with mightâ€.
“To top this aberrant behaviour of the goons under the authority of Supt Kwasi Ofori, our MPs decried the harassment and intimidation by armed military men and heavily jacked-up SWAT/National Security operatives who uncharacteristically stationed in the Chambers of the House.â€
The NDC also condemned the “utterly unacceptable and despicable security arrangements†emphasising that despite the clear recommendation by the Emile Short Commission for the disbandment of these “unlawful armed units operating under the cloak of national security, President Akufo-Addo found it necessary to deploy them in the august house of Parliament in an unprecedented display of force, to instill fear into those who disagree with him.â€
The NDC also emphasised that it has “an equal stake in this country, just as any other Ghanaian and will never be cowed into submission by such crude tactics†and called for an “immediate institution of a police inquiry into the use of the brute force on the protesters and issue punitive sanction where necessary.â€
The Member of Parliament for Takoradi Constituency, Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah, has advised members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to vote massively for aspirants who supported and were in the thick of affairs when the party was in opposition some eight years ago
The NPP opened its nominations for Presidential and Parliamentary primaries from January 20 to February 20, 2020 in constituencies where it has sitting Members of Parliament
In the Western Region, one of the constituencies which is being keenly contested is the Takoradi Constituency.
All the four candidates who picked their forms have filed to contest the primaries.
Speaking to a cross-section of journalists in Takoradi after filling his nomination to seek a fourth term to represent the constituency in parliament Mr. Darko Mensah said suddenly people who neglected the NPP during their opposition days have now found their voice and want to reap what they have not sow
“This contest is not about lies, is not about people who have benefited from me and walking around and behaving the know everything, why did they run away when the party was in opposition, they were making money at that time and refused to invest the money into the part or did help us to build our constituency, they only invest into the party when it only benefits them, he queried
Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah accompanied by hundreds of party supporters, clad in all-white apparel (Jalaba) hinted the delegates to check the background of some of the aspirants because some of them have criminal records he though he failed to name the said aspirants when asked by our reporter.
A SIM Box syndicate operating at Community 11 in Tema in the Greater Accra Region have been busted in a combined operation by officials of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), KelniGVG and the Ghana Police Service.
A total of 11 SIM Box equipment with the capability of using 352 SIM cards simultaneously were retrieved from the premises along with other illicit equipment used for the criminal activity.
It is estimated that an amount of $1,938,816 in both revenue and taxes have been lost per month assuming each device operated at an average of 18 hours per day.
NCA, GRA, KelniGVG and the Ghana Police Service are continuing with their investigations and will provide further details in due course.
The February 19, 2020 raid is the third since December 2019. One other SIM Box operator arrested in January 2020 has been granted police enquiry bail whiles the operators of another SIM Box syndicate whose premises were raided and shut down in December 2019 are on the run.
The Fraud Management component of the Common Platform detected numbers used to illegally terminate international inbound calls as local calls.
Further investigations in collaboration with the mobile network operators (MNOs) led to the detection of the location of the SIM Box devices.
The Electronic Communications (Amendment) Act, 2009, Act 786 established the minimum rate for international incoming voice calls at US$0.19 through the licensed international gateways.
The use of SIM Boxes to bypass the legal routes for terminating calls in Ghana leads to loss of revenue and taxes to both the state and MNOs.
It is therefore a criminal offence to operate a SIM Box for the purposes of terminating international calls in Ghana. Offenders are liable to penalties that range from fines to terms of imprisonment.
The NCA and GRA working with KelniGVG and the Ghana Police Service are committed to detecting and apprehending SIM Box fraudsters in the country.
Kenyan parliament vote To Remove Pockets From Police Uniform. Kenyan government. bans police, other para-military agencies from use of camouflage uniforms.
Police in Kenya have been noted for lossinf concentration on their job and what they are paid to do on roadside, instead the place all their concentration on collecting money from drivers and bikeriders and putting it into their large pockets. It is clear that they do no more checks to even track down criminals as long as their money is avaible to put into the pocket. The anti-corruption committee had long complain about this and taled of a possible solution. As a result, the Kenyan parliament has voted to remove pockets from police uniform so as to help them concentrate on their job, improve security and reduce corruption.
The use of camouflage uniforms by various security agencies other than the Armed Forces namely the Army, Navy and theAirForce has been banned.
The Kenyan Police will however use the uniform when in Joint Operation with the military or on special operation such as specific anti-riot missions.
A Major General, said the te new rule followed the directive of the National Anti-corrupttion Council approving the recommendations of a committee on measures to streamline the rate of corruption by policing, throught the act of police collecting money from drivers and bike riders and even forgeting the actual job they are sent to do.
After close to a decade without a traditional leader, the Worabeba Traditional Area has finally installed Chief Kwaw Abowie II as the chief of the area.
Known in private life as Mr Kwabena Amoah, a businessman and consultant in construction, would be presiding over the Worabeba stool, which stretches across the entire Winneba township.
The induction
The installation was preceded by pouring of libation by an elder of the council, Kwesi Ephraim.
The event was mainly in three stages: the swearing of oath by the Chief, swearing of oath by the developmental queen mother and the Oman Secretary as well. The occasion was climaxed with the playing of the traditional obonu (talking drum) amid merrymaking.
Speaking after the ceremony, Chief Kwaw Abowie II, urged the people of the town to forge ahead in unity in order to develop the area.
He appealed to parents to attach great importance to the education of their children and promised to boost the Educational Fund in the area to enable many brilliant and needy students to get access to quality education.
Commendation
The developmental queen mother, Doctor Nash congratulated the new chief and his elders on their installation.
She implored them to focus on developing the area and cautioned them to be careful when dealing with land issues.
She entreated the chief and his entourage to defend the land at the cost of their lives.
The new Chief pledged to defend the stool and appealed to the kingmakers to guide him in uplifting the Worabeba township in the interest of the land and Ghana at large.
He promised to provide leadership for the people and outdoor a five-year development plan to address the infrastructural challenges of the area.
