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SUSEC appeals for more support to complete fence wall project

By
FRANCIS OWUSU-ANSAH
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Headmaster of Susec, Gordon Osei Marfo ( m) taking speaking to reporters

The Headmaster of the Sunyani Senior High School (SUSEC), Mr. Gordon Osei Marfo, has called for more support to complete a fence wall project the Parent Association had started to protect the remaining lands of the school from encroachers.

He said the Parents Association had done its part by initiating the project, and now others should come on board to complete it. “Our arms are open to people who wish to come on board to complete the construction of the wall which has been started by the Parents Association.”

A portion of the constructed wall

Mr. Marfo made the appeal in the company of some tutors when he inspected ongoing works in the school.

The school, which currently has a student population of 4,500, has lost most of its lands to encroachers, which situation could affect its future expansion.

The situation has also led to several theft cases in the school.

DEMONSTRATION

In 2015, for instance, the students of the school embarked on a demonstration to register their displeasure over the encroachment of its land, but nothing had changed after the demonstration.

However, to protect the remaining land, the Parent Association had started a project to construct a wall around the school to protect it.

The Headmaster appreciated the Parent Association for the steps it had taken to secure the remaining land by constructing a 3-kilometre wall around the school.

According to him, the wall, when completed, would go a long way to protect the lives and properties of the school. “It will also ensure that students do not sneak to the community behind the school,” he said.

Kofi Kinaata out with ‘Effiakuma Love’

By
NANA KWESI COOMSON
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Multiple award-winning Artiste, Martin King Arthur, professionally known as Kofi Kinaata has released a single titled, ‘Effiakuma Love.’

The song which is his first release in 2023 details his love for a lady who has captured his heart. Releasing the song on his birthday which fell on April 15, Kofi Kinaata mentioned that, “as we wait for the EP, this is my birthday present to you.”

“In my search for love, I have come to settle on this black lady who has captured all my heart. I’ve reached a point of no return. People still don’t understand what love is. I am ready to do whatever you need” Kofi Kinaata flatters the lady in the song.

Praising the culinary skills of the lady in the song, he mentions that he has fallen flat for the kind of food she prepares for him, which makes it difficult to have a second thought of her.

‘Effiakuma Love’ is a reggae song which was produced by Kofi Kinaata’s resident sound engineer, 2 Bars.

Industry players have praised the ‘Susuka’ crooner for challenging himself to venture into reggae.

Social media has is inundated with reviews of the song which is one of the songs on the yet to be released first album of the Team Move leader.

Celebrity lookalikes must be banned –Lawyer explains legal implications

By
NANA KWESI COOMSON
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Legal Practitioner, Godwin Selasi Owusu has explained the major legal and civil reasons why celebrity lookalikes should be banned.

Explaining the criminality of the act, Mr. Owusu said, “Because defrauding by false pretences under Act 29, which is the criminal act under Section 132, talks about the fact that you make your representation of false pretences to suggest that you’re someone for the person or someone to part with a property.”

“So once we go elsewhere, like a village, and you get someone to think you’re Kuami Eugene or Mr. Drew, and the person parts with property or money, then you could be held liable for defrauding by false pretence, and that’s a second-degree felony. And offences which include dishonesty can lead to about a sentence of 20 years, that is the criminal side,” he added.

With the civil implications, the lawyer said performing songs of the artistes on stage without their permission is an infringement on their performance rights.

“When you mount a stage and you mislead people or you make it as though you’re Kuami Eugene and you perform their songs, then you’re likely to infringe on their performance rights, and infringement can also be fined and lead to a jail term of about 5 years,” he stated.

He also said that the performances of these lookalikes may reduce the distinct nature of the goodwill these musicians have been able to establish over the years.Beyond the defence of fair use, some factors can be taken into consideration, which include the purpose of the usage of the copyrighted material.

However, suing for damages gives the real owners of the songs the right to put an injunction on these lookalikes, preventing them from some artistic activities.

“The court will restrain them from doing all these activities, like performing and all those things” Lawyer Selasi Owusu explained on Joy Prime.

My music is paying off financially –Black Sherif

By
NANA KWESI COOMSON
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Black Sherif

Ghanaian Artiste, Black Sherif has revealed that his music career is paying off financially.

Born Mohammed Ismail Sharrif, the ‘Kweku TheTraveller’ crooner who came to the scene two years ago has broken several records and made a name for himself both locally and internationally.

In an interview on TV3’s Road to the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, the ’45’ hitmaker discussed how his team’s hard work has enabled them to improve the quality of their music videos.

When asked if his music work was paying off, Black Sherif responded with an emphatic “yes.” Adding that the picture quality of his videos has improved dramatically since his first hit ‘First Sermon’ in 2021.

“Yes, that’s how we’re able to shoot. If you study my videos from back then, they don’t look like the videos and the pictures now,” he said.

The team consisting of young individuals including his Director of Photography started shooting with a camera phone during the initial stages of his career.

“Farouk has been taking shots and videos of me for the longest time,” Sherrif disclosed; “Now though, he has a bad camera. Yeah, it’s like that.”

Black Sherif credited his team’s progress to their willingness to take risks and learn from scratch.

He stated that they started with “zero” and had nothing to lose, so they tried everything and learned from their mistakes.

“We are made up of risk-takers because we had zero and we had nothing to lose so everything we did, we were trying something and we’ve built up from there,” he told the show hosts

Black Sherif has received nominations for Best Hip Hop Song, Best Afro Pop Song, Best Reggae/Dancehall Song, Best Music Video, Best Hiplife/Hip Hop Artiste, Song Writer of the Year, Album/EP of the Year and Most Popular Song of the Year.

Woman, 33, sells baby for N600,000 to offset bank loan

By
admin
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0
Woman who sold baby

A 33-year-old woman, Olaide Adekunle, has reportedly sold her 18-month-old baby for N600,000 to offset her bank loan.

The suspect, who lives in Sango in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, reportedly left her house for Lagos where she sold the baby to a yet-to-be-identified buyer.

The suspect was arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command following a complaint lodged at Sango divisional headquarters by the woman’s husband, Nureni Rasaq.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

The PPRO added that the husband reported that his wife left home for Lagos on March 15, 2023 with their baby girl, Moridiat Rasaq, but returned home without the baby.

According to Oyeyemi, the husband stated further that all efforts to know what happened to the baby proved abortive as the woman was unable to give any reasonable account of the whereabouts of the said baby.

“On interrogation, the suspect confessed that she had sold the baby to someone in Lagos at the rate of N600,000.

“When asked the reason for her action, she stated that she borrowed money from a microfinance bank, and when she was unable to pay back the money, the bank agents started dragging her and threatened to deal decisively with her.”

The PPRO, however, said the acting Commissioner of Police, DCP Babakura Muhammed, had directed that the suspect be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible recovery of the baby.

Credit: punchng.com

Illegal declaration of results can trigger military coup –Reno Omokri

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admin
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Reno Omokri, a former media aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan

Reno Omokri, a former media aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, has warned that the recent result coup in the Adamawa State governorship election could trigger a military takeover.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa, Prof Hudu Yunus Ari, had declared Aisha Dahiru, aka Binani, the winner of the state governorship election midway into the collation.

Reacting via a video message shared on his YouTube channel on Monday, Omokri said the broad daylight result coup poses a grave danger for Nigeria’s democracy.

He said, “I will like to counsel the Buhari’s administration to be careful, very careful over what is happening in Adamawa State.
History does not repeat itself, men repeat history. And we know that the best predictor of future events is past events.

“Why did the second republic fall? It fell because…The trigger was what happened in Ondo State. In Ondo State, the ruling party was so hell-bent on taking that State. And then, they sent in soldiers, they sent in troops. They sent in a rogue FEDECO Commissioner. FEDECO that is the de-facto of today’s INEC. And then, the same thing that just happened in Adamawa happened in Ondo State. They illegally declared Akin Omoboriowo the winner of the election.

“And then, the people were not having it. Michael Adekunle Ajasin who was the popular candidate, who was the incumbent, who was the well-loved candidate…I mean, he didn’t have to do anything. It was the people of Ondo State that rose up, they beat up FEDECO officials, they faced the army. A lot of people died. And then, it was going to a breakdown of law and order, then the military ceased power.

“We don’t want a military government in Nigeria again. But then we gotta be smart. We gotta learn from history.”

Credit: dailypost.ng

Aviation workers’ protest frustrates airport operations in Lagos

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admin
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Aviation workers’ protest

Nigerian aviation workers have commenced a two-day warning strike with a protest at the Lagos airport.

According to a viral video, aviation workers, under the umbrella of different unions, were seen protesting unpalatable working conditions and entitlements in the country’s aviation industry.

The protest left passengers stranded as it grounded airport operations at the Lagos Terminal on Monday morning.

Recall that aviation unions had, last Friday, announced that they would embark on a warning strike.

The unions include the National Union of Air Transport Employees, the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers.

The protest had left passengers stranded as grounded airport operations blocked Lagos Terminal on Monday morning.

Credit: dailypost.ng

Nigeria spent 96.3% of 2022 revenue to service debt –World Bank

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admin
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World Bank

According to the report Nigeria’s fiscal position deteriorated in 2022, leaving the cost of the petrol subsidy to increase from 0.7 percent to 2.3 percent of GDP. The World Bank has said Nigeria has spent 96.3% of its revenue in 2022 on servicing its debts. This was contained in the Macro Poverty Outlook for Nigeria: April 2023 brief released by the international financial institution.

According to the report Nigeria’s fiscal position deteriorated in 2022, leaving the cost of the petrol subsidy to increase from 0.7 percent to 2.3 percent of GDP.

“This has kept the public debt stock at over 38 percent of GDP and pushed the debt service to revenue ratio from 83.2 percent in 2021 to 96.3 percent in 2022,” it read.

“The fiscal deficit was estimated at 5.0 percent of GDP in 2022, breaching the stipulated limit for a federal fiscal deficit of 3 percent.”

Oil price booms have previously supported the Nigerian economy, but this
has changed since 2021.

The cause for this the IMF said was,” macroeconomic stability has weakened amidst declining oil production, costly fuel subsidies, exchange rate distortions, and monetization of the fiscal deficit.”

“In 2022, oil revenues, the fiscal deficit outturn, FX reserves, and economic
growth decoupled from the cycle of higher global oil prices. GDP growth decelerated from 3.6 percent in 2021 to 3.3 percent in 2022.”

“Growth was driven by manufacturing, construction, and most services. In contrast, the oil sector shrank by 19.2 percent. From the demand side, growth was driven by private consumption and investment.”

Credit: channelstv.com

Ghana to create 1.4m jobs in tourism sector

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admin
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Professor Samuel Annim, the Government Statistician, addressing the press at the launch

Ghana is expected to generate over US$1.5 billion from tourist arrivals by 2027, Professor Samuel Annim, the Government Statistician, has said. The figure, the Professor stressed, would create over 1.4 million jobs for the citizenry and reduce the country’s employment deficit.

Prof Annim announced this at the maiden launch of this year’s Domestic and Outbound Tourism Survey (DOTS) in Winneba, in the Central region. The Surveys are the Ghana International Travellers’ Survey, the Domestic and Outbound Tourism Survey, Accommodation Units Survey and the Tourism Supply Establishment Survey.

The aim is to compile the Tourism Satellite Account to serve as a basis for computing the sector’s information for national development for three years. The Survey funded by Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West Africa, would begin on April 19, 2023.

“The way to go is tourism because the sector will promote all the needed resource needs of the country for socio-economic development,” he said.

Tracking the country’s potential sector, he stated, would enable authorities to know the number of tourism-related information for comprehensive mapping and decision making.

He said the Statistical Service was profiling the policies of Ministries and Agencies in the country to ensure that there were clear targets on quality data.

Prof Annim advised the field officers to be passionate about the job and produce data that would be reliable for decision making.

“You have the opportunity to transform lives through your work. Be professional in the discharge of your duties,” he said. He said as the government sought to implement the existing 15-year Tourism Development Plan (2013-2027) and other policy documents, the need for a reliable and vibrant data base was important.

Prof Kwaku Boakye, Chair, Technical Team for the Survey, said the development of tourism had not been lost on governments as they continued to invest and explored ways to maximize the benefits from the sector.

The UN World Tourism Organisation says the sector generated US$1.7 trillion in revenues in 2019 and employed one out of every 10 workers globally. He said tourism potential had contributed immensely to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in poverty reduction, decent work, economic growth, and sustainability of the environment.

He pledged to produce quality data that would be useful for the country’s planning and decision-making.

Dr. Ebenezer Kojo Ocran, Coordinator for the Survey, said a total of 220 participants had been mobilized for the training of the survey.

He said the areas covered by the Survey instruments included concepts and definitions, the administration of questionnaires, and others. DOTS involves collecting, compiling, analysing, and disseminating tourism information about Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians who are resident in Ghana.

By Kodjo Adams 

Source: GNA

Development Bank Ghana secures $70m for banks to manage risk

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admin
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Development Bank Ghana (DBG) has secured $70 million to implement a Partial Credit Guarantee scheme to help banks and financial institutions to adequately assess and manage risk. The World Bank is offering $50 million while KfW will provide $20 million for the establishment of the Partial Credit Guarantee (PCG) subsidiary of the Bank.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DBG, Kwamina Duker, announced this at the DBG and Ghana Association of Banks programme on Ghana’s Medium-Term Outlook in Accra on the theme: “Ghana’s Medium-Term Outlook, Navigating through Economic Uncertainties and an IMF Programme.”

“We are excited to announce that the Partial Credit Guarantee subsidiary is scheduled to commence operations in the third quarter of the year. This timely launch will provide our Partner Financial Institutions with an additional layer of support, allowing them to better manage risks associated with loan defaults while continuing to serve the Small and Medium Enterprises sector effectively,” Mr. Duker said.

Speaking on the topic “The Role of DBG, Working Together to Resuscitate the Country’s Economy,” Mr. Duker said macroeconomic uncertainty was one of the major challenges facing the banking and financial industry.

He said the prevailing macroeconomic conditions such as high inflation, currency depreciation, and fiscal constraints, had created an uncertain business environment, compelling banks to take a more cautious approach to lending and affected the ability of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to access credit and plan for growth.

“We are determined to address these challenges and build on the strong momentum generated in the first quarter, with a particular focus on expanding our lending portfolio, strengthening relationships with our PFIs and promoting sustainable development,” he said. He said DBG had budgeted to disburse at least GH¢600 million in loans for on-lending to SMEs this year.

“We possess the capacity to provide additional loans to back sustainable projects as they are presented to us, demonstrating our unwavering dedication to growing with our partners. The bank will focus on sectors with high growth potential and significant social and environmental impact, such as agribusiness, manufacturing, and low-carbon and climate-resilient investments,” Mr. Duker, said.

He said so far DBG had partnered four PFI’s and completed the due diligence and  process to onboard  Absa and others  adding that DBG would  continue to identify and onboard new PFIs to enhance  the bank’s  reach and ability to support SMEs across the country as we seek to have at least 10 PFIs by the end of the year.

The CEO said DBG in the first quarter of the year increased its lending portfolio by disbursing GH¢57.2 million to three PFIs for lending to businesses in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors, bringing the bank’s loan book size to GH¢302 million.

The CEO of GAB, Mr. John Awuah, in his remarks, said the establishment of DBG was timely and would ensure an increase in loanable funds available to Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs).

He said the DBG and the PFIs had the opportunity to deepen sustainable financing within the larger and productive sectors of the economy, adding that the collaboration of DBG with GAB would ensure banks provided the requisite long-term funding at affordable prices to the business community.

On his part, Professor Eric Osei-Assibey urged banks to support the agricultural and manufacturing sectors to drive economic growth and create employment opportunities for the youth.

Source: GNA

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