COP George Alex Mensah, presenting the gesture to the students of Nerebehi MA Basic school in the Bekwai municipality of the Ashanti region.
Commissioner of Police (COP) George Alex Mensah has donated items to the Nerebehi M/A Basic School in the Bekwai Municipality to aid academic activities.
COP George Alex Mensah, presenting an undisclosed amount of money to the Bekwai NHIA to be used to register about 2000 children onto the scheme.
The GH¢20,000 worth of items included mathematical sets for final years students who are due to sit for their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), a lawn mower, and an undisclosed amount of money, which is to help the pupils sit their mock examinations.
He also donated an undisclosed amount of money to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) of Bekwai to register about 2,000 kids in the Municipality, including his hometown, Wioso-Nerebehi.
According to COP Mensah, he celebrated his birthday, and as part of the celebration, he decided to share it with the kids and the students in his hometown. He has also promised to give the school a very ultramodern teachers’ bungalow in order to keep the teachers in the community instead of commuting from afar.
He noted that education was one of the major issues in the development of Ghana, and in the smaller communities the quality was not as high as those in the cities, adding that some parents struggled to pay small amount of money for the children in school, hence, he decided to come to their aid since education was the best legacy one could offer his or her children.
The Headmaster of the school, Stephen Ofori Debrah, who could not hide his joy, expressed appreciation to COP Alex Mensah, adding that he had not seen such a gesture ever since he came to the school.
Ofori Debrah appealed to parents to take the education of their wards seriously, since the government could not shoulder the responsibility alone.
To actualise the dreams of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and keep it afloat, the Ghana International Trade and Finance (GITFiC) has taken a step further to launch a handbook to enable the business community of Africa understand the practicalities.
The book; ‘Actualising the African Economic Vision; A practical handbook on the AfCFTA’, which was launched at the Pacific Alliance Embassy in Accra received high patronage and would serve as the guideline for African leaders, the Academia, Trade and Finance community and all other patrons of the AfCFTA worldwide.
In his welcome address, Mr. Selasi Koffi Ackom, Chief Executive Officer of GITFiC said it took a great deal of work with several consultations, in-depth analysis, and references to come out with the final product.
“This journey began for us when we took the 3rd conference to the Headquarters of the African Union Addis Ababa in 2019 and succeeded in getting a number of stakeholders from the four corners of the continent to the 3rd conference, including; Finance Ministers, UNECA, Trade & Development Bank in Kenya. ECOWAS Bank in Lomé, Afrexim Bank in Egypt, Trade Ministers, Finance and Trade Experts, Agric, Aviation et al.”
He said in 2020, they brought Chief Trade Negotiators, Deans of Premier Universities and Senior Media men and women from Africa back to Accra to advance the conversation on the AfCFTA, when Accra was officially declared the Commercial Capital.
“Rightly so because Accra hosts the AfCFTA secretariat and has a rich history of both colonial and present, cross border trade emergence and also as the first country in Africa, south of the Sahara to gain independence.
He said in 2021 they brought monetary and financial magnets from Central Banks in Africa to major stakeholders to discuss the Pan African Payment and Settlement System and its regulatory antecedents, where President Akufo-Addo gave the Keynote address through Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
He said It was revealed in sections of the survey report that literature on the AfCFTA were missing and despite the gross interest in the subject matter by the public, almost nothing concrete was there to read more so, in a simplified form.
Mr. Ackom said the book was inspired by all Heads of State on the African Continent and the advent of the AfCFTA had received substantial interest and set forth a renewed sense of optimism and conviction that seeks to propel Africa into the league of global trade powerhouse.
He said the book was expected to reach every educational complex on the continent through the help of State Agencies, Continental Institutions with requisite funding and Corporate Africa at large.
“This book has been devoid of large leaflets and content. The main aim here is to encourage reading and attract same. The book comprises 10 chapters however; these 10 chapters give a complete understanding of the AfCFTA and its functional implementation structures and practically expose the reader to the opportunities within the AfCFTA with an insight of Ghana’s strategy into the AfCFTA.
“The book has diagrams, info-graphics and photos to spice reading and give a pictorial meaning to the context and content and is currently in two languages; English and French and the African Union has recommended for our immediate attention to have the book translated in all recognised languages by the Union in a message sent to us on September 7th, 2022. These languages include; Arabic, Kiswahili, Portuguese and Spanish.”
He said plans were afoot to translate it into Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese in the coming weeks. He commended Ambassador Albert Muchanga, Mr. Nyame-Baafi, Mr. Bernard Afreh, Mr. Tsornam Akpeloo and several other Chief Trade Negotiators who contributed to the practical book in diverse ways.
Madam Claudia Turbay Quintero, Colombian Ambassador on behalf of the Pacific Alliance Embassy made up of Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Chile, said the launch of the book was an opportunity for the alliance to work hand-in hand with GITFiC and AfCFTA.
She said they were forming an internal integration and that would be extended to Ghana and AfCFTA in general adding “we want to go closer to Africa.”
Mr. Bernard Afreh, Lead Consultant for the GITFiC, said the launch of the AfCFTA and the book would enhance trade and economies of Africa in succeeding and improve the lives of over 1.5 billion people. He appealed to financial institutions and Commercial and Trade communities to make good use of the literature contained in the book.
Other speakers at the programme included Mr. Tsonam Akpeloo, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Association of Ghana Industries, Mr. Anthony Nyame-Baafi, immediate past Chief Negotiator for Ghana, Honorable Joe Ghartey, Member of Parliament for Essikao-Ketan in the Western Region, and Ambassador Albert Muchanga.
Over 6,000 copies of the book, which has a street cover price of GH¢100, were sold at the launch. To own a copy of this book, buyers are advised to visit www.gitfic.com/afcfta-book/ to order or grab a copy at Shell, Total and GOIL shops around.
Some selected supermarkets, book shops, shopping malls have been accredited to retail and distribute. Travelers can also grab copies at the airports and some selected airlines.
Officials of Melcom cake cutting to mark the event
The Melcom Group of Companies has rebranded its logo to provide variety of products and services to expand and extend its services for the convenience of every Ghanaian.
The colors of the new logo is made up of blue, red and white to replace the old red oval wrapping of the calligraphically written Melcom to the universal location sign .
The Blue colour represents the company as being trustworthy, reliable and calm, the Red is bold strong and energetic, whilst the White stands for sophisticated, pure and pristine.
Its ambitions are not just to bring the world to Ghana, but to be a global player one day as the location pin suggests, which a universal symbol of location.
The company’s new identity, now focused on expanding product range across its categories, will blend the traditional with the modern to offer consumers world-class services at their doorstep.
Speaking at the launch of the new brand identity in Accra on Thursday, the Groups Director, Mr Sadwhani, said Customers’ expectations have evolved in recent years.
He emphasised that in order to satisfy the shifting expectations of its clients, the business must adapt and concentrate on increasing the bar in the delivery of its services.
“The company would invest in technology and leverage on its economy of scale to improve its original cedi saver, while offering loyal customers the best value for money.” he added.
He explained that the company had also engaged the service of Best in Class Global experts to deliver customer friendly shops and enhance better customer experience.
“Retailing is detailing and it involves identifying the right item, acquiring it at the right price, distributing it to the right places in the right quantities at the right time, marketing it and successfully scanning it,” he added.
According to the Director of communications of Melcom, Godwin Avenorgbo, the product is redefined and rejuvenated across all categories from Food to Non-food to “Immaculately blending the traditional with the modern and to offer you the best in class products better than before.
“Bringing to you not just innovative packaged foods but introducing ready to eat, more QSR outlets and newer brands to suit the tastes of our customers,” he said.
To him, Melcom is in the business of not just retailing but to delight the customer across all segments of the society.
Also, its purpose as a Corporate Citizen is to give back to the society which till now has patronised us over the last 3 decades and more.
Mr. Avenorgbo explained that “Our purpose is to bring the WORLD to Ghana through our varied products and services and elevate the lives of our customers from what it is.”
Academic City University College has hosted the second edition of the Sci-Tech Fair, one of two events of the STEM Festival, another initiative of Primetime Limited, the producers of the National Science &Maths Quiz (NSMQ).
Students who attended the programme
Ten Senior High Schools have converged on the campus of Academic City and are being challenged to build projects from the scratch on the topic of “Recycling – Transforming waste into Reusable Products.”
This event will take place from Thursday, September 22 to Saturday, September 24.
Given the growing significance of STEM education, Academic City has embarked on a partnership with Primetime to advance the field among young people. The goals of this program are to increase opportunities for young people in Ghana to explore and showcase their innovative ideas and to encourage the study of STEM subjects in schools.
The fair would have two parts: an exhibition and a competition between senior high schools called the Sci-Tech Innovation Challenge. This gives students and tech start-ups a place to put theory into practice by using the science concepts they have learned in class to come up with solutions or inventions that could help solve problems in Ghana.
The competing schools include; Prempeh College, Mfantsiman Girls SHS, St. Augustine’s College, Obuasi SHS, Tamale SHS and St. Thomas Aquinas SHS.
Others are; Archbishop Porter Girls, Our Lady of Grace SHS, Okuapeman School and Ghana National College.
The University believes that the STEM Festival provides a suitable venue for encouraging and influencing young Ghanaians with relevant knowledge and experience on how to leverage the STEM opportunities for Ghana’s economic development.
Dr. Lucy Agyepong, Associate Dean of Engineering at Academic City, stated at the event that: “I believe this initiative is crucial to Ghana’s socioeconomic development in leveraging the relevance of STEM.
“Academic City, as a forward-thinking educational institution, is eager to collaborate with relevant stakeholders on projects that expose children, adolescents, and the general public to STEM education’s opportunities.”
Beyond the competition, Dr. Lucy emphasised the importance of interpersonal skills gained through teamwork. “They develop teamwork skills and even cultivate camaraderie with their peers”, she added.
The Managing Director of Primetime Ltd., Nana Akua Ankomah-Asare stated that the theme for this year’s event has become timely as waste management and sanitation remain among Ghana’s most pressing issues.
According to her, “Primetime hopes that the student projects will amplify the campaign on proper waste management and provide a platform for innovative products addressing this issue to be showcased and hopefully, put to good use.”
Gospel Artiste, Nana Yaw Boakye, famed MOG Music has narrated a harrowing life experience where he lost his seven-month-old baby.
According to the ‘Be lifted’ hitmaker, he was forced to put the remains of his seven-month-old baby in his car trunk for burial after he was pronounced dead.
As a guest on ‘Just Being Us’, on Akwaaba Magic, DSTV channel 151, hosted by MzGee, the inconsolable MOG Music recounted his wife’s labour ordeal.
As their first child, MOG said that they were put in even bigger distress when the hospital informed them that they had no morgue in the facility, hence the need to decipher how and where to bury the child.
“One of the doctors came and this is what he said, ‘Mr Boakye unfortunately, we apologise for what has happened, it wasn’t our fault’. The hospital didn’t have a mortuary, and they don’t have a place to get rid of the dead body so we would have to take the baby in a box to a cemetery and get rid of the body ourselves,” he narrated.
This is the first episode of ‘Just Being Us’ with celebrated Creative Arts Journalist, MzGee.
Akon has revealed that he and Michael Jackson were discussing plans to open a number of music-focused schools across Africa.
According to Akon, the plans were far advanced but was tragically derailed with the death of the King of Pop.
Akon mentioned that he and MJ came up with the idea back in the day. It would have been a series of music universities in Akon’s home continent, Africa.
Akon says he and Michael wanted to supply students with instruments, infrastructure and industry advice to hone their skills because as he and Michael Jackson discussed, there wasand still is a lot of undiscovered talents in Africa.
Sadly, Michael Jackson died in 2009 before he and Akon could break ground on any schools but Akon says it’s something he still wants to make happen in the future.
Putting this out, Akon mentioned that, Michael Jackson has had great impact in music so people should not question his legacy.
During his performance at the recently held Global Citizen Festival, British rapper Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo, popularly known as Stormzy eulogized Ghanaian high-life legend Daddy Lumbaby wearing a t-shirt with his picture in it.
This act by Stormzy has caught the attention of Daddy Lumba who has taken to his social media pages to return the favor and show his appreciation.
Daddy Lumba, born Charles Kwadwo Fosu took to his Facebook page to appreciate Stormzy for paying homage to him at the Global Citizens event held at the black star square in Accra.
Daddy Lumba said he was grateful to be celebrated by a new school rap act on a global stage, adding that words cannot express his love for Stormzy’s actions.
“I was immensely touched by Stormzy’s homage to me last night at the Global Citizen Festival. I would like to take this opportunity to share my gratitude and appreciation for the public display of love.
To say that the gesture was heartwarming and humbling is an understatement. Thank you very much!” a post on his official social media page read.
Ghana’s first-ever Global Citizen Festival marking the 65th anniversary of the country’s independence brought together Artistes and President Akufo-Addo to achieve an ambitious policy agenda focused on empowering girls and women, defending the planet, and creating change.
African-American singer Usher was the official headline Artiste for the 2022 Global Citizen Festival, which saw other acts mounting the stage to thrill fans.
Other performers include Sarkodie, Gyakie, Stonebwoy, Yaw Tog, amongst others.
So Fraiche Media and Bambou Events collaborated to organise series of art exhibitions showcasing the work of exciting Ghanaian contemporary artists.
The first in the series of exhibitions, dubbed “Art In The City”, was held at Level Up Lounge in Labone, Accra, on Tuesday.
The collaboration, spearheaded by the Managing Director of So Fraîche Media, Cyril Ofori Nelson, aims to synchronise ideas and resources to help contemporary artists become more entrepreneurial and learn how to build stainable businesses and brands.
The art exhibition seeks to help bridge the gap between art enthusiasts and collectors, art investors and academia, whilst providing opportunities for artists to lay the groundwork for branding, self-awareness and networking.
Speaking at the event, Mr Ofori Nelson said “the arts industry was a close-knit group with a few people understanding its essence and value”.
He attributed it to the high patronage by diasporans and expatriates.He further intimated that “Art In The City has been created to make contemporary art more inclusive and fun. There is also an educational element to the art industry we want to expose to guests who often see the art industry as something they can’t relate to”.
The founder of Indelibl Art and Accra Art Week, Edwin Otto, who was present at the event, also stated that he is “highly encouraged by this partnership as it leverages the expertise of Indelibl Arts, Bambou Events and So Fraîche Media encourage more engagement within the Ghanaian and African art scene”.
He believed that the combination of Indelible Arts, Bambou Events, and So Fraîche Media will stimulate increased engagement in the Ghanaian and African art scenes because of their strong competence on the ground.
Founder for Bambou Events, Tyrone Adu-Mfum, added that the idea initially stemmed from the desire to provide a platform for live band musicians to showcase their craft in a bid to support African creatives.
“The zeal to support African Art birthed the ‘Art In The City’ exhibition to create a networking platform for unknown, yet talented artists, as a pivot for their tremendous work, starting off with Ghanaian artists.
What we hope to do is to give them awareness, the eyeballs, give people a chance to meet potential agents”, Mr Adu-Mfum explained.
The event witnessed massive attendance by art enthusiasts and prominent figures like The Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Javier Gutiérrez, together with his wife Mrs Rebekah Kosinski.
It also brought together West African artist Edward Ofosu and Ghanaian fine artist Mustapha Asomani.
Samuel Boadu points to Canaan, but can he take Hearts there
Hearts team that faced Kotoko
Coach Samuel Boadu became an instant hero three seasons ago when he famously guided Glorious Accra Hearts of Oak to break the over a decade old jinx of Ghana Premier League (GPL) trophy drought.
What made the winning of the trophy more interesting and sweeter was the fact that Hearts competed fiercely against their arch rivals Asante Kotoko on equal strength and aggression. The Porcupine Warriors gave the Phobians a good run for their money, with the league title going down to the wire.
At a point, the title chase was reduced to a two horse race between Hearts and Kotoko, as both sides accrued almost the same points and kept pushing each other at the summit.
Kotoko’s morale and zeal for the title eventually diminished when a fine strike by charismatic Daniel Afriyie Bannie consigned them to a 1-0 defeat in Accra on match day 31.
It is important to note that Hearts’ campaign that season was not started by coach Samuel Boadu, but he was brought to join the team, following a not too good performance after match day 16.
The former Medeama gaffer succeeded in turning the fortunes of the capital based club around, winning the treble of League, FA Cup and Super Cup. This great achievement qualified Hearts to participate in the CAF Champions League after many years of absence, following their inability to win the league for almost a decade.
Hearts deputy coach, Obeng Hamza, looking for his magic wand
Samuel Boadu all of a sudden became a household name in Ghana and within the high echelons of the football people. At a certain period when the Ghana FA had sacked coach Milo and the search for a new gaffer was on, coach Samuel Boadu’s name managed to appear among the shortlisted top coaches to take over the top job at the Black Stars.
However, the Phobians participation in the elite continental club competition was characterised by total annihilation, as they were kicked out by an experienced WAC of Morocco.
A second chance afforded the former continental champions to participate in the Confederation Cup, following their tumble from the Champions League.
Another North African side, JS Saoura, Algeria, sent Hearts packing, following a humiliating 4-0 second leg win to cancel Hearts’ win in the first leg.
Hearts fans yearn for happy times like this
Asante Kotoko winning the league last year and Hearts losing their last matches by incredible margins, marked the beginning of the end for the once held in high esteem and heralded Samuel Boadu. His technical expertise came into serious question, due to his highly unpardonable mistakes in team selection and formation.
That notwithstanding, Hearts recorded a resounding 2-1 victory over Kotoko to win the President’s Cup and crashed BechemUnited to defend the FA Cup, under the tutelage of coach Samuel Boadu.
Has Boadu really lost his magic wand? Could he turn the fortunes of the oldest existing club as the new season is gaining moment?
Kotoko and Hearts faced off last Sunday on match day 3 of the Betpawa Premier League in a game that the Phobians appeared to be the huge favourites.
However, a shambolic display nearly handed a cheap victory to Kotoko, as Hearts looked too ordinary and lacked direction from the technical bench.
Notwithstanding their painful exit from the Champions League under bizarre circumstances a week earlier, Kotoko looked more purposeful in all departments of the game and deserved a resounding victory.
Coach Boadu’s post match interview
After his side’s unimpressive performance in the supper clash, coach Boadu said his game plan was adversely affected when star player Gladson Awako picked a knock.
“I wanted to outplay them because I know Hearts of Oak is better than Kotoko. It’s quite unfortunate, Awako picked a knock and that destroyed our plan”, he said.
“As for Kotoko I know their weakness so I told my boys to keep their composure because we will bounce back”. He added.
Boadu again intimated that the absence of talisman, Daniel Afriyie Bannie, Mohammed Alhassan and newly signed showstopper, Ofori Antwi to have affected his side.
“We missed all of them, their absence brought the spirit of the team down, but with them in subsequent games, people will see different Hearts of Oak”, he stressed.
Clearly, connoisseurs of the game could forgive trainer Boadu if he said the absence of Mohammed Alhassan and Daniel Afriyie Bannie affected Hearts in the Super Clash.
However, it would be absolutely unforgiving if coach Boadu associates his inability to contain Kotoko or beat them in the Super Clash to the absence of “Allawa”, the goalkeeper.
This is because Hearts has two fantastic goalkeepers, in the persons of Richard Atta and Richmond Ayi. Ayi, for instance, proved his mettle on Sunday when he stood between Kotoko and a win.
The Phobians are yet to win a game after match day three and this is a major concern for many supporters of the club, because it seems to follow a similar trend the club suffered last season.
Interestingly, Mr Boadu himself is equally worried about this development and expressed his frustration after Sunday’s game in Kumasi
He said “I’m worried about the club’s winless run this season, this is not what I want things to be but we should also know that all three games we have played are difficult. We will know how to move match after match”.
It is good that the gaffer made this honest admission but it is surprising that he did not accept responsibility, especially as his players failed to create decent chances, either from the middle or the flanks, to open up the opponent.
Obviously, all is not well, if what happened to the Phobians last season is juxtaposed against what is currently happening, in terms of their poor start.
A similar shambolic start saw the dethroned champions place 6th at the end of last season’s league. As to whether Samuel Boadu could be the best Shepherd to the Phobians flock to the promise land, only time will tell.
Director General of the Bola Tinubu Campaign Organization, Abdulmumin Jibrin
The Director General of the Bola Tinubu Campaign Organization, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has announced his decision to dump the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
In a tweet on Saturday evening, Jibrin, who is expected to be actively involved in the coming APC presidential primary election, said he was moving on from the party.
With this latest development, some Nigerians on social media are wondering what will become of his position in Tinubu’s camp while others wonder if the national leader of the APC may also dump the party.
Jibrin said he would return with full details of his reasons to dump the ruling party, but there is the feeling that the former lawmaker has envisaged a ‘not-too-good’ future for Tinubu.
“I have done my best for APC. It’s time to move on. I will announce my new political party within the next 24 hours Insha Allah.
“I will make a formal statement in due course. Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin,” Jibrin tweeted, promising to provide more details later.
However, a shambolic display nearly handed a cheap victory to Kotoko, as Hearts looked too ordinary and lacked direction from the technical bench.
“As for Kotoko I know their weakness so I told my boys to keep their composure because we will bounce back”. He added.
He said “I’m worried about the club’s winless run this season, this is not what I want things to be but we should also know that all three games we have played are difficult. We will know how to move match after match”.
