Nigeria begins evacuation of its citizens in Sudan

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April 27, 2023

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) says fighting corruption requires collaborative efforts and, thus, urged Ghanaians to prioritise that agenda to ensure state funds are spent wisely.

Mr. Richard A. Quayson, Deputy Commissioner, CHRAJ, therefore called on all stakeholders to assist in reporting corrupt persons for the law to take its cause.

“God did not give us other states; rather, He gave us this country called Ghana; therefore, we must build this nation for ourselves to its highest core; corruption is an act against the state and the interests of generations yet unborn,” he said.

Making his contributions on the Ghana News Agency’s Tema Industrial News Hub Dialogue Platform, Mr. Quayson said public sector integrity required public officials to use state resources effectively, honestly, and in the public interest.

He spoke on the topic: “Public Service Integrity in the Fight Against Corruption,” and noted that educating the public to appreciate the fact that corruption was a canker to society’s growth could lead to the required results.

“Public service integrity is critical for the development of strong institutions and convinces individuals that the Government is working in their best interests rather than the interests of a select few,” Mr. Quayson said.

“Integrity is not just a moral issue; it is also about making economies more productive, public sectors more efficient, and societies and economies more inclusive.”

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager, GNA, called for stronger collaboration between anti-corruption organisations and the media to uncover corrupt practices.

By Angela Ayimbire

Source: GNA

Exim Bank, artisans discuss streamlining activities to boost exports

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April 27, 2023

Mr Lawrence Agyinsam, CEO of Ghana Eximbank

The Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM) has held a day forum with industry players to streamline activities of handicraft producers to increase export and the sector’s contribution to national income.

The forum, held in Accra on Tuesday, brought together exporters and local producers of handicrafts, including woodworks (furniture, sculpture, and drums), ceramics, garments and textiles, to bring out the challenges in the sector.

It also afforded participants the opportunity to discuss ways of addressing the challenges such as funding, regulatory framework and increased access to emerging markets. The Bank also introduced to handicraft producers and exporters, financing options that could support the sustenance and growth of their businesses while contributing to national income and development.

Currently, the sector contributes 1.35 per cent to non-traditional export earnings in Ghana, valued at $45.2 million as of 2021, while globally, it is estimated that the potential of the handicraft sector is $752 billion.

Speaking at forum, Mr. Lawrence Agyinsam, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Exim Bank, said: “We’re poised to help the handicraft subsector to increase its contribution to non-traditional exports in Ghana from less than two per cent to 10 per cent in 2029.”

This would be done through support by the Bank’s Export Trade and Guarantee Departments by giving them the needed finance, capacity building, and international business exposure to streamline their operations.

“The Ghana Export-Import Bank will continue to provide financial support to SMEs in the handicraft subsector to purchase raw materials and modern equipment to produce products that will meet international standards,” he said.

The Bank, he said, had supported the sector with GH¢307 million since 2017 in addition to GH¢46 million in guarantees to businesses relating to wood products, bamboo processing, leather products, textile and garments and creative arts.

Mr. Michael Okyere Baafi, Deputy Minister, Trade and Industry, lauded the Bank for the initiative to help address the challenges of the handicraft sector and increase export.

He encouraged the Bank not to relent on efforts to support the sector and urged artisans to position themselves well to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The Minister urged them to streamline their operations by ensuring that they formalise their business and have good book keeping and the right administrative structures to be able to have access to money from financial institutions.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Madam Fulera Seidu, Acting President, National Association of Handicrafts Exporters, described the meeting as “fruitful and inspiring.”

“Funds have become difficult to access, so, for the Exim Bank to have such an engaging forum, it’s brought a lot of hope to the handicraft people, because there are a number of incentives for us. It’s not just about the money, it’s also about capacity building, which we lack, “she said.

“We’re looking forward to every intervention that Exim Bank will offer us and we’re ready to learn and improve our works to meet international standards and contribute to national income,” Madam Seidu said.

By Francis Ntow

Source: GNA

Sarkodie speaks on leadership of Ghana

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April 27, 2023

Ghana’s most decorated Rapper, Sarkodie has spoken about leadership in Ghana and have pointed out lack of discipline, commitment and resilience as the main cause of retrogression of the country.

In his assertion, Ghana is blessed with great minds of individuals who have been successful in their personal lives. These individuals are those Sarkodie has argued that they must be empowered to do more.

This comment came at the back of a video trending on social media which detailed why Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was ousted from power.

“Typical politicians are trained not to build anything but just to fulfill political ambitions (just win power) … About time we check the track records of the leaders we give power to. The discipline, commitment and resilience needed in a leader cannot be overlooked” Sarkodie tweeted.

Sarkodie is one celebrity in the country who is vociferous on national issues and has previously composed songs to address issues of national interest including power outages, inflation and high cost of exchange rates.

‘I was a dancer, poverty pushed me to sing’ …Asake shares his story

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April 27, 2023

Asake the famous Nigerian musician is one of the hottest singers on the continent at the moment. Sharing his story, he reveals that he was a dancer until poverty pushed him to become a singer.

According to Asake, he has been an entertainer behind the scenes prior to becoming a well-known singer. In a latest interview, he revealed that he was known to be a dancer before poverty forced him to change his career.

In an interview with ABC, he recounted his boyhood days and how his parents’ love for music had inspired his career as he detailed that he had been exposed at a young age to music by his classical-music-loving parents who always played records in their home.

“My parents used to play me a lot of classical songs. They love listening to songs. The kind of father I have is the one that will wake up in the morning and have one cigarette then loud music,” he said.

Speaking on his love for dancing, he said that he had once been a dancer in the past, but at a point, he began to fall in love with the idea of having money too. Sharing his story, Asake said he realized dancing wouldn’t be able to make him the money he wants so he started singing.

“At the end of the day, I feel like I can actually sing. Then I added music to it. Maybe because I know how to dance then I know how to bounce on music. I actually don’t want to be a musician in the first place. I just wanted to dance. It feels like water. I love everything that comes with dancing.

“But at the end of the day, after dancing I fell in love with having money too. Then I started thinking about it, is dance going to give me the kind of money I want?” Asake quizzed.

Credit: pulse.com.gh

I love working with Medikal -Sister Derby

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April 27, 2023

Sister Derby has disclosed that collaborating with her former partner, Medikal, once again was an easy decision for her because working with him feels “easy and natural.” Despite some people describing Medikal’s music style as corny, Sister Deborah says she admires his ability to write songs that resonate with his fans on the streets, resulting in hit after hit.

She made these comments during an appearance on the ‘If More Let’s Divide’ podcast with Mutombo and Fred in April 2023. The two artists recently released a single titled ‘Cold & Trophies‘ from Medikal’s upcoming album ‘Planning & Plotting’.

Sister Deborah explained that their successful collaborations were a result of their shared vibe and admiration for each other’s talents. Despite their past romantic relationship and subsequent breakup, Sister Deborah maintains that there is no animosity between them

“How come it happened? I mean, him reaching out to me for the feature was normal because we did ‘Too Risky’ together and it was a hit. We’ve done other songs together like ‘Sampanana’ and we have another song on his old album called ‘Make I See’.

“Recording and working with him (Medikal) has always been so natural and easy. We like the same kind of vibe and I admire his talent…some people will say it’s corny but it works. His style is actually dope, the way he plays with his words. He uses words that the streets are familiar with. Those are the things that make people happy.”

“Even though we had a relationship and we broke up, I haven’t had any bad sentiments or whatever about it. You just accept…I don’t keep bitterness and anger in me and also, I feel there is a reason for everything…during our issues, I had already had the song ‘Kakalika Love’ written down and recorded,” she explained.

The track dubbed ‘Cold & Trophies” of the former love birds has once again generated huge headlines due to their previous bad blood as a result of their messy breakup in 2018.

They broke up immediately after releasing their collaborated song titled ‘Too Risky’.

Medikal, known in real life as Samuel Adu Frimpong, got married to actress Fella Makafui in 2020.

Credit: pulse.com.gh

Shatta Wale responds to Sarkodie’s boxing bout challenge

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April 27, 2023

At an event at the Ghana Professional Boxing League at the Bukom Arena, Sarkodie challenged Shatta Wale to a boxing bout, adding that he could defeat him any given day.

The viral video that captured Sarkodie’s daring Shatta has got to the attention of the dancehall musicians who have accepted the challenge with the condition that the winner of the celebrity bout is awarded 2 million dollars.

Shatta who likes to talk business also expressed confidence in knocking off Sarkodie in the ring.

He made this known in a tweet when rapper Ypee questioned his preparedness for the challenge adding that he was going to bet on him, “1don you get match o! We go bet on you.”

Shatta Wale tweeted: “The way ago beat am erh !!! He gotink say me I born am Am down but make them put $2million as winning price… If they make ready with the money make them call me!”

Meanwhile, Sarkodie in his interview with Yaw Ampofo Ankrah announced his interest in the game. “I love boxing, and I came here to enjoy myself. Now that I have discovered this place I will be here more…If you like you can fix a fight for me against Shatta Wale.”

Iran Supreme Court upholds Iranian-German man’s death sentence

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April 27, 2023

Jamshid Sharmahd is accused by the Iranian government of being a leader of the US-based Tondar terrorist group

Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for Iranian-German dual national Jamshid Sharmahd on charges of “corruption on earth”.

The court upheld a previous conviction against Sharmahd, issued by a lower court in February, for heading a pro-monarchist group accused of planning attacks across Iran, according to the judiciary’s official news website.

“In the appeal, there is no reason or proof that would create the grounds for dismissing the initial verdict, and the sentence of the convicted has been issued in accordance with the law based on presented evidence,” the Supreme Court said on Wednesday.

The 67-year-old, who also has United States residency and was arrested in 2020, has been accused of being the leader of the US-based group Tondar (which means “thunder” in Farsi), which has said it seeks to restore the monarchy that was toppled in a 1979 revolution.

The main charge he faced was masterminding a 2008 bombing at a mosque in the southern city of Shiraz, which killed 14 people and wounded hundreds.

He has also been accused of planning a series of other attacks, including bombings and assassinations, in addition to passing information to US and Israeli intelligence.

Source: Aljazeera.com

Buying banknotes to survive Zimbabwe’s sky-high inflation

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April 27, 2023

Torn foreign notes like this one give Zimbabweans a chance to earn some money

Noel Ngwenya, 44, from Chivi District of Masvingo Province spends his working days in downtown Bulawayo, the country’s second largest city, with a loudhailer advertising a unique service.

He collects torn or soiled foreign currency notes that have been rejected by supermarkets and other traders – mostly US dollars or South African rand, which are both legal tender in Zimbabwe.

Mr Ngwenya pays his clients 50% of the value of whichever note they bring – so they get $1 for a torn $2 note or 100 rand for a torn 200 rand note.

“Things are worse after Covid-19, it’s like everyone is now on the road selling something since there is almost no formal employment in the industries,” he says.

Zimbabwe’s rate of inflation has been falling since August 2022 when it hit a staggering 285%. However, in March this year it was still running at 87.6%, forcing Zimbabweans to find creative ways to survive.

A recent International Labour Organization Harare report says 76% of employment in Zimbabwe is now in the informal sector, in other words, selling goods or services without registering with the authorities.

The informal economy, massive bank charges and distrust of the banking sector mean Zimbabweans prefer to deal in cash or mobile money.

Source: bbc.com

Kenji Nagai: Missing camera reveals journalist’s last moments in Myanmar

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April 27, 2023