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Qatar World Cup 2022 qualification: Who’s in, Who’s out & Who’s in play-offs

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With one year to go until the 2022 World Cup gets under way in Qatar, several nations have now booked their place – while others must face a nervous wait.

A dramatic final round of fixtures in European qualifying drew to a close on Tuesday, with reigning world champions France and Gareth Southgate’s England among those to secure their spots.

However, there will be some big names in Europe’s play-off deciders in March – plus there’s plenty still yet to be decided around the rest of the world, with 13 of the 32 spots now taken.

The 13 spots have been taken by; Belgium, France, Spain, Croatia, Denmark, England, Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Switzerland, Brazil, Argentina and hosts Qatar.

Who has qualified from Europe?

European Championship runners-up England qualified for the 2022 World Cup as one of 10 group winners, sealing top spot in style by thrashing San Marino 10-0 in their final Group I game on Friday.

Also heading to the World Cup are 2018 winners France, while Belgium, Denmark and Germany all safely navigated their groups as well.

Ronaldo’s Portugal will need to earn a place via the play-offs

It was not all straightforward for Europe’s heavyweights, however.

There were some crucial top-of-the-table deciders in the final round of fixtures, with Serbia scoring a 90th-minute winner to pip Portugal to first place, and both Spain and Croatia netting late on to edge their respective closest challengers Sweden and Russia.

In a thrilling conclusion to qualifying, Switzerland also took full advantage of Italy’s draw against Northern Ireland to take Group C on Monday, while on Tuesday the Netherlands emerged victorious from a closely contested Group G.

Who is in play-offs, when are they and how do they work?

Joining those 10 group winners in Qatar will be three other European nations, who will come from the 10 runners-up and two Nations League teams in the play-offs.

Wales and Scotland must go via this route but they will be joined by some surprising names.

Scotland’s superb closing victory over Denmark ensured they will be one of the six seeded sides granted a home draw for the play-offs, which take place next March, while Wales earned a precious draw against the world’s number one ranked side Belgium to secure a home draw of their own.

European champions Italy and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, as well as Sweden and Russia, join Scotland and Wales as the seeded play-off nations.

They could face Poland, who finished six points behind Euro 2020 finalists England, North Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine – who all sealed runners-up spots – plus the Czech Republic and Austria courtesy of their Nations League performances.

The play-offs will begin with six single-leg semi-final matches played between 24 and 25 March 2022.

The six semi-finals are split into three paths, leading to three play-off finals – also decided by a single match – which will take place between 28 and 29 March.

Who has qualified from the rest of the world?

That’s just Europe. What about the rest of the world? Brazil became the first South American nation to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, doing so with six qualifiers to play following a 1-0 win over Colombia on Friday.

World Cup trophy

Copa America champions Argentina joined their rivals in qualifying after a goalless draw against Brazil at home and results elsewhere secured their spot on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Ecuador are six points clear of Colombia and Peru in the race to guarantee qualification with a top-four finish.

Canada, the United States and Mexico occupy the top three automatic qualification places in the race to decide which North American, Central American and the Caribbean nations will be present in Qatar.

Canada went top after beating Mexico 2-1 on Tuesday, while USA drew 1-1 with Jamaica and Panama’s 2-1 win over El-Salvador saw them draw level with Mexico on 14 points, behind only on goal difference in the inter-confederation play-off spot.

In Asia, where qualifying will resume in January, 16 points from a possible 18 ensure Saudi Arabia top a difficult Group B – which also includes Japan, in second, and third-placed Australia.

Messi’s Argentina is in

Over in Group A the top two have a significant margin with Iran, who have also dropped just two points, leading South Korea. Meanwhile, Qatar automatically qualify as hosts.

Finally, in Africa, five qualification places will be decided by five two-legged play-off matches due to take place in March.

Mohamed Salah’s Egypt will be one of the sides involved, as will Algeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia.

Credit: bbc.com

We pay GH¢200 a year to assembly to use chanfang for galamsey

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Despite the war being waged against the pollution of our water bodies through illegal mining activities, the Assembly Member for Konkoum, near Tontontokrom in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region, is alleging that the District Assembly collects GH¢200 from each illegal miner using a chanfang for alluvial mining in the area.

Though the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Amansie South, Mr. Clement Opoku Gyamfi, would neither confirm nor deny that the assembly was collecting a levy from the illegal miners because he was not the Finance Officer of the Assembly, the Assembly Member, Yaw Amponsah, insisted during a phone interview with The Chronicle that the Assembly collected GH¢200 per year for each chanfang and GH¢2,500 per year for each excavator they were using for the illegal mining.

Information reaching The Chronicle indicates that illegal miners had allegedly seized 170 acres of mining concession owned by a multi-national mining firm, Asanko Gold, without any restraint and were briskly doing illegal mining on it.

Intelligence filtering in indicates that there were some ‘big people’ behind this development, who were reportedly using a section of the local people as surrogates to carry out their illegal activities. Information available to this paper suggests that within the last three months, stakeholders such as chiefs and the Assembly Member are deeply involved in this illegality.

The Constituency Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Amansie South, Akwasi Abu Bonsra, was also allegedly benefitting from the illegal operations.

Mr. Akwasi Abu Bonsra has, however, denied benefitting from the Konkuom galamsey (illegal mining) activities. In a phone interview with this reporter, he noted that as party Chairman, who is supposed to set an example for others to follow, he does not meddle in galamsey activities, and that the accusation against him was baseless.

The Chronicle understands that these illegal miners have polluted River Konkoum, rendering it unwholesome for the local people to drink. Checks conducted at Asanko Gold have established that the company was due to start operations on the seized land, but the activities of Yaw Amponsah, the Assembly Member, and his team have stymied the work of the mining company. Meanwhile, the original owners of the land are also threatening to take back the land from the mining company if it fails to mine the ore.

In an interaction with one of the land owners, who spoke on condition of anonymity, he expressed concern that their land had been taken away from them, yet they were not benefiting from it. He accused the Amansie South District Assembly of failing to stop the illegal mining operations.

The Assembly Member for Konkuom, Yaw Amponsah, who is being accused of leading the invasion into the Asanko Mines concession, exonerated the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Constituency Chairman, Akwasi Abu Bonsra, of any wrongdoing, insisting that it was the entire Konkuom community that was doing the illegal mining on the said concession.

“As we speak, the galamsey has enabled me to buy four trips of sand and 100 bags of cement to build quarters for the local police station.  We have [a] police station, but we do not have quarters to serve as the place of abode for the police officers,” he said.

The Assembly Member further told The Chronicle that they were embarking on this development because when they informed the Assembly about their challenges, they were always told their request had not been captured in its budget.

Asked if Kwasi Abu Bonsra, the NPP Chairman for Manso, was benefitting from the proceeds of their operation, the Konkuom Assembly Member asserted: “The money does not go to [the] party Chairman, but I cannot tell you entirely what is happening. There are some authorities that we cannot ‘eat and ignore them’, but I cannot disclose their names. For all you know, there are some people who are not in support of what is happening and will, therefore, complain about what we are doing,” he told this reporter in Twi, which has been translated into English.

Contradicting himself, the Konkoum Assembly Member further  told The Chronicle in Twi that  “We have not given money to any chief or someone. The money that accrues from the galamsey operation is used for a particular purpose, and if it is not used, I keep the funds. We agree and use the funds that are not with me for road construction.”

The Assembly Member also revealed to this paper that there was a chieftaincy challenge at Tontokrom, which led to a misunderstanding at the initial stages of their galamsey operation. According to him, he (Yaw Amponsah) took a decision that since the traditional leaders had been split into three groups, each division should bring three representatives to join the committee, and they would get their shares of whatever they would get from their galamsey operation.

When The Chronicle further asked Yaw Amponsah if the Amansie South Assembly was aware of their galamsey activities, he responded yes, and explained that the Assembly had directed them to pay levies to it, including a levy on each excavator they were using.

Asked about the amount of money the Assembly charges per excavator, he responded that the Assembly takes GH¢2,500 for each excavator, and those with chanfang machines paid GH¢200.00 for one year. According to him, the Assembly issues official receipts in the form of a sticker  to them, which they paste on their working machines.

Yaw Amponsah said: “In our last meeting with the Assembly, it came to [the] fore that we have to form another taskforce, with the police joining us. The reality is that before the taskforce gets to the site, the police had already taken the lead, and the miners will tell you the police have come for the money. It has been reported to the DCE for appropriate action.”

Mounting a spirited defence for leading an illegality, which Jubilee House has waged war on, Amponsah used the poor road networks in Manso as an excuse to engage in the galamsey, arguing; “Our roads have been awarded on contract, and yet nothing has been done about it.” The Assembly Member admitted that the local creek has been polluted, but blamed their predecessors for it.

Reached on phone, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Amansie South, Mr. Clement Opoku Gyamfi, told The Chronicle that he cannot confirm whether the Assembly was taking levies from the Kokuom illegal mining operators. To him, that was the work of the District Finance Officer, adding that his primary responsibility was to authorise documents in the Assembly. “I cannot even crosscheck, until auditors bring documents and I read,” he added.

When The Chronicle drew his attention to the illegal mining operations going on at Konkuom, he said the issue came to his attention about three months ago, and he immediately sent military men to the village to stop them because he cannot superintend over the destruction of the environment.  But as at the time of talking to this reporter, nobody had reported to him that the illegal miners had gone back to work. He argued that he cannot be everywhere, because he had about ninety communities under him. However, if an issue was brought to his attention, he would take action on it.

When he was asked whether Abu Bonsra was, indeed, benefitting from the Konkuom illegality, he noted that he had asked the party Chairman on several occasions about his involvement in the Konkuom issue, and Chairman Abu had denied it. Mr. Clement Opoku Gyamfi, however, denied that the land the illegal mining activity was going on belongs to Asanko Gold. Responding to a question about what the Assembly intends doing to halt galamsey at Konkuom, he answered that he would deploy security men to the site.

Yes, I displayed wrong picture –Afenyo-Markin

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The Majority Leader and Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu Constituency, Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has apologised for remarks he made on issues related to the recent tidal waves which struck parts of the Volta Region.

The MP, yesterday, specifically rendered an apology over an image he presented purporting to be people winning sand at the Keta beach, which he later found out to be untrue.

Mr Afenyo-Markin indicated that the website that published the image had pulled it down, so it was only fair that he withdrew his comments and apologised.

He said mistakes were bound to happen and that he had no intention of misleading the public.

He indicated that his intentions were to provide documents in relation to the issue and allow to stakeholders interrogate it, and proffer solutions.

“Upon further due diligence, the very website, Cover Ghana, that published the article and accompanied the picture with it and dated it has since pulled it down. It is only fair and proper to sincerely withdraw that picture and apologise for adding that as part of our findings.

“I mean we all make mistakes sometimes. I couldn’t have reasonably taken that step to mislead. If it were so, I would not have handed over the entire research findings to the press.”

It would be recalled that on Friday, November 12, 2021, during a news conference on the recent sea erosion in Ketu South, Keta, Anlo and South Tongu constituencies in the coastal area of the Volta Region, the Majority Leader said residents of Keta were the cause of the erosion due to sand winning.

He then displayed a picture of several tipper trucks lined up on a coastline loading sand and used that to demonstrate that the people of Keta were engaged in serious sand winning business at the beach.

Dissatisfied with the allegations that sand winning was the cause of the tidal wave that had displaced over 4,000 people in the region, the Members of Parliament for Elembele, Mr Emmanuel Kofi-Amarh Bual, and the Member for South Dayi, Mr Rockson-Nelson Etsey Dafeamekpor, challenged Mr Afenyo-Markin to provide the source of the picture.

At yesterday’s press briefing, the Efutu Legislator apologised, but indicated he still stood by the position he made on Friday, regarding the issue.

He said that the country needed to find a permanent solution to the issue, by way of bringing all stakeholders together to jaw jaw.

He reiterated another point he made on Friday that distributing blankets, food items and others were good, but they were temporary.

“If you give somebody blanket and he has no place, no home, where is he going to sleep? If you give somebody food item and the person has nowhere to cook, where is he going to cook?” he asked.

He indicated that temporary reliefs were okay, but the issue needed to be addressed once and for all.

He was of the view that all stakeholders in the region should take steps and work with the law enforcement wing of the assemblies in the region to enforce laws on sand winning, because experts had indicated that sand winning exposes the landmarks and caused harm to the inhabitants.

He indicated that in order to show how passionate he was on finding a permanent solution to the issue, he had filed an urgent question where he was asking the Minister for Works and Housing when the construction of the Blekusu sea defense project phase two in the Volta Region would commence, having regards to the rampaging effects of the recent tidal wave.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said he believed that the question would cause a national debate and get the authorities to act.

“I believe that once this is brought to the mainstream, and the Minister comes to answer questions, we would then be able to hold the Minister’s feet to the file, regarding the answers he will give, and then further push the Finance Ministry to make available funds to finance the project.”

He said the Speaker had admitted the question, and it would be considered after the budget.

NPP Chair to Mahama: Your track records do not support your proclamations

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The Cape Coast North Constituency Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Stephen Kojo Arhin, says Mr John Dramani Mahama has a poor track record as far as creating employment for the youths was concerned.

According to him, Mr Mahama’s administration created a backlog of thousands of unemployed graduates, made up of those from both the public and private universities, when the government ran to the IMF for assistance.

As part of the IMF conditions, the Government of Ghana was compelled to freeze employment in the public sector, except for those in education and health, a situation that created massive graduate unemployment.

In view of this, he said, Mr Mahama’s recent assertions that the current government had failed to create employment for the many unemployed youth were unfounded and worrying.

Mr Arhin stated this when he met a section of the media to respond to claims by the former president that Ghanaians were suffering under the current government.

It would be recalled that when ex-president John Dramani Mahama recently took his “thank you tour” to the Central Region, he accused the NPP of being insensitive to the plight of the youth in the region. He explained that the NPP had deliberately failed to prioritise the operationalisation of the Komenda Sugar Factory, which was currently rotting away.

According to him, the factory could have provided both direct and indirect employment opportunities for several thousands of the youths in the region.

He said: “Mr Mahama must know that Nana Addo has employed those graduates he left on the streets when they mismanaged the economy and sought relief from the IMF with dire conditions that did not allow him to employ.”

“But it is a fact that today, more fresh graduates, as well as those he neglected, have been employed by this government, so what are the basis for his claims,” he quizzed.

In terms of who had better track records in the management of the Ghanaian economy and creating employment opportunities, Mr Arhin maintained that the NPP’s records were unmatched

“We saw how the NDC engaged in a ‘Green Book’ propaganda in 2016, which did not create employment, and I can tell you that this is why they were punished by Ghanaians in both 2016 and 2020, so they must better learn,” he added.

“Under the 1D1F initiative, planting for jobs and export among other programmes, several employment avenues have been created which have been very beneficial to a lot of Ghanaians, and we look forward to adding more.”

According to him, the NDC was only exhibiting signs of desperation, but not serving as the best alternative available for Ghanaians, because the NPP had provided answers to Ghanaians’ problems, and continued to be the best option.

Nsein Omanhene, Traditional Council pledges support for MCE

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The members of the House at the meeting.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Nzema East Municipal Assembly, Dorcas Elizabeth Amoah, has paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Nsein Traditional Council (NTC), Awulae Agyefi Kwame III.

The courtesy call coincided with the end of the year traditional meeting of the Traditional Council, which saw chiefs and other elected assembly members of the area present.

Welcoming the MCE, Awulae Agyefi Kwame gave an assurance that the Traditional Council was ready to extend a hand of support and friendship to her to succeed as MCE.

As a council, the Omanhene said they were ready to provide all the necessary support to the MCE and the Assembly, provided she was ready to partner the traditional leaders in the development of the Municipality.

He said, unlike a former MCE and the Member of Parliament (MP), who did not give honor to traditional leaders in their administration, his stool and the chiefs under him were ready to partner the MCE in her duty, provided she was ready to partner them.

“If you come in good faith, we will help you, but if you decide to be selective, you will decide not to set a foot here,” Agyefi Kwame admonished the MCE.

The Nsein Omanhene, therefore, advised the MCE to tread cautiously and set a good example in the discharge of her duties. That aside, she should also avoid being selective in dealing with the traditional rulers.

“Do not decide to be selective. Do unto others as you will want others to do unto you,” Awulae Agyefi Kwame, who is noted for his forthrightness, admonished MCE Dorcas Elizabeth Amoah.

The Nsein Omanhene, MCE, and House members of the house in a group photograph

The Nsein Omanhene also used the opportunity to inform the MCE of a new palace the Traditional Council was putting up.

He also informed the MCE of a fund raising ceremony scheduled for the 18th of December 2021 towards the building of a new clinic for Nsein.

He said his decision to inform the MCE of the new palace was not an invitation to her to support the stool, but that he knew the Assembly was financially strapped; however, he would not reject a helping hand.

The Nsein Omanhene also informed the MCE about other pressing issues, such as a health center and lavatories that were needed for the Nsein community.

Responding, Dorcas Elizabeth Amoah reminded the House that as MCE, she was here to serve the people and not the other way round. She said, considering that she had lived most of her life  as an indigene, she was better placed to offer better services to the Municipality in her capacity as MCE.

The MCE also assured the House that she would be present to support the fund raising ceremony.

Thomas Mensah speaks on AfCFTA; ‘Africa must wake up’

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With a population of 1.2 billion people and an economy of just US$3 trillion, Africa urgently needs to wake up, Ghanaian-born fibre optics inventor, Dr. Thomas Mensah tells The Chronicle in this interview, in Accra.

He also warns that the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, though one of the best things that ever happened to Africa, may still fail, if it does not embrace technology, particularly the concept of the high-speed train, otherwise called the bullet train.

Below are excerpts of the interview between Martin-Luther C. King and Dr. Thomas Mensah.

Q: How can governments in Africa, especially Ghana, leverage technology to address youth unemployment and to improve the general economy?
A: That’s an excellent question, Martin. Technology drives everything; and a government has to accept that without technology it cannot impact anything. Technology has to be used to create jobs, to create opportunities for the youth in Ghana. You have over a million youths who don’t have jobs. So, they should use technology, just like we are doing at the Silicon Valley of Ghana, to help train these kids. Most of them don’t have even the skills for the jobs that are coming.

South Africa’s President (Cyril Ramaphosa) was on television recently saying he is now the chairman of the fourth Industrial Revolution in South Africa. That’s a politician. I am on the board of the fourth Industrial Revolution in South Africa. Ghana has to step up and leverage technology. Because these youth, they learn very, very quick; just like we are doing at the Silicon Valley of Ghana.

Train the youth, give them skills. Remember, the youth of Africa used to cross the (Sahara) desert all the way to Libya; and from there, try to cross the English Channel risking their lives, just because of lack of jobs and lack of opportunities. Now, Silicon Valley is going to train them to let them stay here in Africa, in Ghana; and give them the skills and the opportunities they are going to look for abroad.
Q: Kindly tell us more about the Silicon Valley of Ghana?
A: The Silicon Valley of Ghana was established by me three years ago.
Q: Where is it located, precisely?
A: It is located at the Kofi Annan ICT Centre, Accra. When you google ‘Silicon Valley of Ghana’, you can see it. At the Silicon Valley of Ghana, we have thirty courses, thirty subjects that we teach. We teach everything practical things, like drones, in five application areas. One, we are using drones for what is called precision agriculture, which the Israeli prime minister talked about. Which means, if you have farms of mangoes, or anything, the drone will fly five metres, manage the farm for you. If it needs water, the drone will tell you that you need water here; and it will activate the sprinklers in the farm to pour water, even if there is no rain.

We have the ability, working with Google, to be able to identify any plant or tree that is sick, and rain insecticides on it to cure it, like the swollen shoot of a cocoa. A drone is a robotic machine. Another area of activity for the drone is in the area of security. We have drones that can fly at the back of a van, and inside the van, and can take the van to any place where there is trouble, Koforidua, Takoradi, Kasoa; and, will fly and bring pictures, whether they are armed robbers, etc, so that they cannot run away. You can even use it to tackle this problem of ‘galamsey’, to take videos of the galamsey operators; so that we can stop the practice, and catch those involved. That’s for security. We use the drone also….the new one we have has a spectrometer on board the drone that can look down and check if there are minerals underneath the earth: whether it is coltan that is used in cellphones, gold, etc. You can check for all minerals, using the drone. And, I am teaching all these at the Silicon Valley of Ghana. I have 30 professors who are teaching people in all these areas. So, we have drones, for precision agriculture, for security, for finding minerals beneath the earth. That’s serious. And, I’m teaching all those.
Q: What has been the response of the Ghanaian government to this Silicon Valley project?
A: Other than giving me the Kofi Annan ICT Center to do it, I have been financing the Silicon Valley project by myself, personally. I am financing all these trainings here. Can you believe that? The Rwandan President, on the other hand, put US$72 million in the Rwanda Silicon Valley. And, I’m going to help him. Yes! Since I did the Silicon Valley of Ghana, Martin, it has brought Twitter here; it has brought GoogleAI; it has brought Amazon to have their head quarter here (in Ghana). Dr. Mensah brought Twitter, Amazon and GoogleAI to Ghana. Before I came three years ago, Ghana was not so known anywhere for technology. Facebook is in Nigeria, not in Ghana. Others went to East Africa. Even my friend, the chairman of Alibaba, whose picture is in the Silicon Valley brochure with me, they all went to Kenya, and East Africa. But, the Silicon Valley of Ghana brought all these people to Ghana. Because on the board are Silicon Valley-USA executives,  on the board of advisers of the Silicon Valley of Ghana. I have five astraunots, including Miss Fund that went on the Blue RA Origin, and landed safely. I have five astraunots. I even have an executive from Elon Musk’s group, Space X, there on the board. And, we are also putting Blue Original people on the board. So, that’s the kind of board membership that I have. I have a Microsoft executive on the board; I have an Apple Computer executive on the board. I have a Boeing executive on the board, a lady that manages the assembly of 787 aircrafts; she’s on the board. Nobody in the world can assemble such a team. And, I have a few Ghanaians, like the Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, (Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful) on the board.
Q: What do you think of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA? And, how can technology help fast-track the implementation of the AfCFTA?
A: The Africa Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA is one of the best things that was ever developed and signed by the over 50 countries in Africa. However, without technology, particularly the high-speed train, or the bullet train, the intra continental free trade vision will just be on paper; it cannot move. Because, when somebody in one country orders something from another country, you cannot send their order through the bad roads that we have in Africa. Only (Rwanda’s President) Paul Kagame and his country have the best roads. In Africa, the roads are so bad. You get to some places, you have flood water, making the roads impassable. Somebody orders something, it will take three months to get there. Somebody orders something in the European Union, on the other hand, and it takes one day, or less. Because, even if you ship it, I don’t care whether it’s from Senegal and you ship it all the way to South Africa, you still have the problem of land transportation. So, the bullet train is the only way to solve the problem; and, that’s why I have been pushing it so hard. I am the one that designed the bullet train for Congo (DRC) recently. So, Congo is going to have the Patrice Lumumba bullet train. I did that so that they can have their own bullet train. It goes from Kinshasa, all the way to the border. I’ve been pushing for Ghana to also have one. Minister for Railways Development, John-Peter Amewu, is working with me on that. Soon, we are going to have that.
Q: In terms of its speed and sustainability, kindly give us more details about the bullet train project you are proposing for both Ghana and the DRC?
A: The bullet train is doing wonders in Dubai; it’s doing wonders in Germany. For the one being planned for DRC, I have raised US$3 billion from outside for Congo; they’ll start construction between January and March 2022. I have fibre optics along the rails for the trains, for safety; and, for communication, so that you can sit in your cabin and be on the internet on your laptop.
Q: Have you discussed within the AfCFTA the possibility of getting all members countries to sign on to the bullet train concept?
A: Some countries are working very hard. I hear that in southern Africa, in the SADEC region, that a few countries are pushing for bullet trains. At least, there should be eight bullet trains in Africa; because, that’s the only way you can move goods. Martin, you buy something from Nigeria, and you want it the next day, if not the same day, possibly; not a month, or three months later, given the bad roads we have.
Q: Developmental breakthroughs in most advanced societies have been led by research and development done by universities. How can universities in Ghana, and Africa, be capacitated to also do so?
A: At the Silicon Valley of Ghana, one of my strategies is bringing universities and industry together; private sector and industry. In America, for example, you have the universities and the famous research labs, such as the famous IBM, Bell, which is where I was; Sullivan Park at CUNY; the university collaborating with industry. That’s one of the best thing about the Silicon Valley of the United States, they bring industry and universities together. So, the basic research does its job. For example, in one area, I wrote a book on nanotechnology; the first black person to write an international text book that is used to train and teach PhD students all over the world; PhD students in China are using my book, MIT is using my book, New Zealand, etc. And, that nanotechnology is what we use to create advanced batteries for your cellphones, batteries that are of the size of the thumb of your finger. When you charge it, it will stay for one week; that’s the kind of innovation I am speaking about, the research for which is done at the university level;  that we can team them up with the universities. I went and spoke at Cape Coast University, in Ghana; and, I told them, ‘Hey, we’ll have to link your up with the industry so that they can use what you are doing’.
Q: Many inventors, and their inventions, litter the African landscape, unable to mass-produce and commercialise their inventions; these are mostly ordinary people, not PhDs.  How can such local talents be properly harnessed to improve quality of life on the continent?
A: They should come to the Silicon Valley (of Ghana). Because when they come to Silicon Valley, one of the first things I teach is to, first, protect your invention in your name. So, I tell them, and in all the conferences that I attend, I tell them to google ‘legalzoom.com‘. When you go there, you pug in your password, so nobody can see what have there except you; and, you put your invention there right away. Describe it; if there are technical drawings involved, put them all there. You don’t have to finish all this at one sitting; you can come back and continue. Once you finish, you pay US$300, and you get what is called ‘patent pending’. Most products around the world are ‘patent pending’. You have one year, from the time you get that, within which you can sell your ideas to investors, to industry, etc. But, make sure you do that first. At Silicon Valley, that’s what we do to help innovators.
Q: Some of such inventors are ordinary people who may not be able to come to the Silicon Valley of Ghana. What can they do then?
A: No, they can just google that address from wherever they are, and enroll.  Because, if they go to the universities, they won’t even talk to them. This is why government needs to support the Silicon Valley; because, when they (such people) come, we enroll them and show them what to do; sometimes, help them as start-up entrepreneurs once they get the copyright, the patent through legalzoom, sometimes even help them with business plans, bring money and investors, finance them.Yes!
Q: Dr. Mensah, your ideas are something the whole of Africa can benefit from.  What efforts have you madr to get other other African governments interested in your Silicon Valley idea?
A: I am looking at that. As I said earlier (Rwandan President) Paul Kagame saw what I did and committed US$72 million to the Silicon Valley of Rwanda. And, when I finish the Patrice Lumumba bullet train in the Congo, the first in Africa,  I will also start the Silicon Valley of the Congo. At some point, I might even do it in Nigeria.
Q: Are you still a Ghanaian?
A: Yes! But in America,  they want to grab everything. So, sometimes they refer to me as ‘this Ghanaian-American’. But I hold a Ghanaian passport; I want the kids to know that they can do it. My fifth book, my autobiography, ‘The Right Stuff Comes in Black, too’, which is available on Amazon, (with title also promoted on black t-sheets) I use to encourage the kids. I tell them, ‘Hey, you have the right stuff; if I can do it, you can, too’.
Q: Do you have any final words?
A: My final words, Martin, is, ‘Africa must wake up’. All the speeches I gave in the last two weeks are all geared to awakening the sleeping giant in Africa. Because, 1.2 billion people, with just a US$3 trillion economy? Just wake up, Africa! We should wake up! Some of the work that I’m doing is to awaken the sleeping giant in Africa. They should come together, work hard, put bullet trains all across the continent. We should just wake up!
Q: On that note of a clarion call on Africa to ‘just wake up’, we say ‘Thank you’, Dr. Mensah!
A: Thank you, Martin!

By Martin-Luther C. King

Ntim Fordjour leads delegation to commiserate with families of drowned pupils

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The Ministry of Education has directed the Ghana Education Service to put in place the right measures to ensure that teachers engaging pupils on their farms and other forms of child labour becomes a thing of the past.

The Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, who gave the directive, was not happy that some teachers who have been tasked to teach pupils rather engage them in other activities, contrary to their mandate, which usually lead to dire consequences

Rev. Ntim Fordjour gave the directive on Monday, when he led a team of the government delegation to commiserate with the families of the nine students who got drowned last Friday, while crossing the Oti River after they had been sent to work on the farm of their Headmaster.

Other members of the delegation were the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku Amankwa, the Northern Regional Police Commander, COP Timothy Yoosa Bonga, Regional Director of Education, Dr Peter Attafuah and a team of Clinical Physiologists and Counsellors among others.

The Deputy Minister said the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the entire Ghanaian populace were saddened by the news of the death of the nine.

He assured the families and the people of Saboba of Government’s readiness to ensure that the practice of engaging pupils on farms, which is very high in the area, would be stopped.

STOP PLEADING

Rev. Ntim Fordjour charged people in leadership positions to desist from pleading for teachers caught indulging in such nefarious acts, by allowing the laws of the land to deal with them.

The Deputy Minister said although the incident led to the death of the nine, the government was ready to support the families of the dead students, hence the introduction of the Clinical Physiologist and Counsellors, who will stay in the community for a couple of weeks to help the pupils, teachers and families of the dead pupils.

He was upbeat that the right measures would be put in place to curb all forms of abuses against pupils and students at all levels of education in the country.

INTERDICTION

The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku Amankwa, said the GES has since interdicted the Headmaster of the school, following breach in the Code of Conduct of the service, whiles waiting for the police to continue with its investigation into the case.

To this end, he warned all teachers who have the habit of engaging school children in any form of child labour to stop, before being caught by the long hands of the laws of the country.

Background

Last Friday, around 3 pm, 32 school children who were returning from the farm of the Headmaster of St. Charles JHS, at Saboba, got drowned when two of the boats carrying the children capsized.

Out of the 31 children, 22 of them were able to swim to safety, while the remaining nine got drowned.

This led to the arrest of the Headmaster, Mr Charles Chinji, who has since been remanded into police custody, pending further investigation and prosecution.

The Tamale Circuit court has charged the Headmaster for murder and subsequently remanded him into police custody until 29th November 2021.

Over 53,000 candidates writing BECE

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A total of 53, 263 candidates, made up of 27,138 males and 26,127 females, from both public and private Junior High Schools (JHS), have commenced writing this year’s five days Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has indicated that a total of 571,894 candidates are sitting for the examination across the country. Per nationwide statistics, the majority of candidates are male.

About 287,605 males and 284,289 females will sit to write the exams. There are 18,028 schools participating in the examination, which commenced on Monday November 15, 2021 and will end on November 19, 2021.

The candidates will be examined on a maximum of nine subjects, which will enable them gain admission into the Senior High Schools.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Education Service (GES) for the Bono Region, Mr. Luke Mensah, told The Chronicle that there had been an increment of 3,540 candidates in this year’s BECE, because in 2020, the three Bono regions recorded a total of 49,725, comprising 25,800 males and 23,925 females.

Mr. Mensah said 2,130 invigilators had been deployed for the examinations, which were being conducted at 205 centers, with 205 supervisors and 173 assistants across the three regions.

According to the PRO, this year’s examination had an invigilator ratio of 1:25 candidates, compared to 1:30 in 2020. “That arrangement is the unique feature about this year’s BECE,” he said.

Mr. Mensah said the Bono Region presented 22,572 candidates for the examinations. The figure was made up of 11,209 males and 11,363 females. The PRO added that Banda District had the least number of candidates of 521, while the Sunyani Municipal had the highest of 4,253.

At the time of filing this report, it was not known whether there were any pregnant candidates in this year’s BECE in the three regions.

Meanwhile, the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has urged this year’s BECE candidates to stay brave and determined as they work to gain admission into the Secondary and Vocation institutions in the country.

According to the sector Minister, fear must not be entertained by any student as they write their exams.

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum was optimistic that at the end of the period slated for the exams, the over 571,000 candidates would emerge victors.

“Your determination and talent will help you achieve success in your examination. Do not fear, and keep up your effort. I have strong faith that you will rise and shine in your exams,” he stated.

REACH BACK TO THE PROMISE.

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For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his Glory. (2Corinthians 1:20).Can I take you back to the promises of God? His word and promises for your life never change, we read countless scriptures in the bible that reassures us of our existence and worth in Christ yet still many Christians are not edified and fulfilled enough to carry on with their lives together with their daily activities due to one situation or another that allows doubting Gods power to dominate in their lives. Meditate on His word in your heart each day reminding yourself of His promises concerning your life. He formed you before He knew you, He made provision for us all and this assures us that we have everything. Declare over your life that you’ll flourish and prosper thus you’ll rest solely on Gods promises over your life, it’s the best for you.

Child of God, reach back to the promise of God. You may have doubted the promise the day you got discouraged or the day that tragedy hit you but go back to it.God is waiting on you, He says come. What are His promises? That He will uphold you with His righteous right hand, He will strengthen and help you overcome that addiction, lust and any other thing you’re negatively involved in, that He’ll cleanse us from all unrighteousness and forgive us. What a good and loving father, a great cheerleader and the source of our joy has made all these promises and provisions for us even before He formed us. Wherever you are right now, whatever has or is going on in your life you’re still a partaker of Gods promises. Every soul that exists on earth forms part of His blessings and promises for we are one before the father. Embark on that journey of reaching back to the promises of God and enjoy that warmth and peaceful atmosphere it gives.

Acceleration is possible, we are however required to  reach back to the promise of God reminding ourselves daily of what God has in store specially for us. Don’t allow your speech betray you, speak positivity over your talents, job, soul, relationships with people together with your family and friends. The power in your mouth to declare Gods promises determines your level of understanding towards what God actually means by “His promises “for us as His children. Reach back to the promise and stay assertive that your Amen will pave way for your breakthrough. Write that lyric and song even while you’re yet to be discovered, move that part of your body that couldn’t move for by His stripes we are healed, persist even while there’s no hope, quit that addiction even while you recall how it feels so good. Why? Because God has better and has assured us this in His numerous promises for our lives written in His word (The Bible). Psalm 84:11 for the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Beloved, walk uprightly with the Lord and embrace His promises for your life.

A shield in brokenness, a manual to guard our hearts and lives, scriptures with sweet words that capture the soul. Meditating on its truth keeps the mind in focus and in tune with ones passion and purpose. This is the “Perfect word of God” We are individually blessed without measure that most of us are oblivious of that truth and find it hard to come to terms with it.We are so blessed that there’s power in our positive words which can change and turn things around in our own lives. Once we are rooted in the word, stand firm in the word and meditate on it in our hearts daily, it speaks to our souls and reminds us daily of our source and whom we are actually living for. We need to be buried and soaked in the word and most importantly “live and walk in the truth of the word”. Don’t just talk about God and the Word, know God for yourself to sooth your soul.

We are an embodiment of Christ, our lives must be filled with relevant content comprising of the word of God. Truthfully when the word lives in you, you are filled up with its content, don’t just come as a package, be filled with content too. A package without content is empty. Don’t be an empty Christian but rather be filled with the Holy Spirit and the word of God. Double check with God and His word before planning your life and making critical decisions. Once we are rooted in the Word and walk in it we are able to proclaim of God’s goodness with our lives wherever we go. Our lifestyle and how we carry ourselves must preach to people. Allow the sweet aroma of God and His word surround you. The key thing is to avail yourself, If you feel you have drifted away from the word it’s not late get connected back to it and be filled with its content.

Continue to slay with the word of God in your heart, pursue that career and allow your lifestyle there to emulate Christ, being rooted in the word is not restricted to knowing God only in our silent places, once we discover God and are rooted in His word in our secret place of intimacy with Hamlet us make sure to carry God wherever we go. Preach God and His word with your life, positive words of impact and good deeds for the rest of your life, it’s a continuous process, We are not doing God a favor by being rooted in His word, we rather do ourselves Great favor since we not only discover Him more for ourselves but we help others discover God as well. Beloved be rooted in the word, remain happy with the word, Get your swag on with the word on your lips. Be filled with the content of the word, it is time to fill our package with some spirit filled content. Let’s get rooted in the Word together it’s a beautiful thing to do. It helps you stay connected to God and it helps God recognize the highest standard you have placed him in your life and this pushes him to step into your situation and dine with you as well. Do this on a daily basis. It’s helpful. God bless you.

Jaclyn Essien

Jackieessien6@gmail.com

Nigeria demands probe into ‘mysterious’ death of citizen jailed in Cote d’Ivoire

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The Nigerian Government has demanded a full autopsy on the ‘sudden and mysterious’ death of Itunnu Babalola, a Nigerian lady sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for alleged human trafficking in Cote d’Ivoire.

Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), AbikeDabiri-Erewa, made the demand while condemning the death of the lady said to have been wrongfully jailed.

In a statement by the commission’s spokesman, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, NIDCOM revealed that Itunnu’s case caught its attention about five months ago.

For Dabiri-Erewa, the death of the lady was a tragic blow that came at a time the Nigerian mission in Cote d’Ivoire had engaged the services of a lawyer to handle her appeal case.

“Unfortunately, Itunnu died abruptly while all hands were on deck to seek both legal and diplomatic intervention for her by Nigeria,” she was quoted as saying in the statement shared on social media on Tuesday.

“Itunnu was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for an offence she did not apparently commit,” the statement read. “Itunnu had accused an Ivorian of a robbery at her residence and insisted on filing a case against him.

“The accused who happens to be related to an Ivorian policeman asked her to drop the case, but she insisted on getting justice. Itunnu went ahead to file charges against him and allegedly used a different name to file the case and somehow, a case of robbery which she filed mysteriously turned to a case of human trafficking against her.

“She was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment while the Nigerian mission in Côte d’Ivoire, supported by the Nigerian community, got her a lawyer, paid part payment of legal fees for the lawyer to appeal the judgment, while at the same time seeking diplomatic intervention.”

Credit: channelstv.com

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