AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Gold Mine received two prestigious awards at the recently held Ghana Procurement and Supply Chain Awards in Accra.

The award seeks to reward exceptional talent teams and organisations that have demonstrated excellence and exceptionally performed in best practices and innovation within the procurement and supply chain sector.

The awards committee recognised the determination by the Finance Team of Iduapriem Gold Mine to achieve the objectives of the local content policy, resulting in the mine wining two awards: Sustainable Procurement of the Year and Local Content & Supplier Development Award.

The Acting Managing Director of the Iduapriem Gold Mine, Ing. Isaac Boakye Aduenin, in his words of appreciation praised the organisers of the maiden awards ceremony and thanked them for recognising the hard work done by the management and staff.

According to him, AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Gold Mine acknowledges that the mining sector is at the leading edge of corporate collaboration and therefore adopts strategies to meet stakeholder expectations. For him, exhibiting socially responsible corporate behaviour is not an option nor can it be an afterthought and so the Mine has over the years continued to drive business plans towards developing local talent, supporting growth of local businesses and delivering lasting socio-economic benefits to the areas where it operates.

Senior Manager- Finance of the Iduapriem Gold Mine, Mrs. Rose Amoah, was in recognition of the fact that the Mine has successfully awarded six major service contracts to fully-owned Ghanaian companies registered in Ghana as a strategy to support local businesses to create more jobs locally, strengthen local economies and retain capital in-country and also leading to employing over thousand five hundred (1500) indigenous locals within the catchment area of its operations with sufficient evidence as success stories. She said that the Mine will continue to build strong Procurement & Supply Chain relationship with locally-based companies in the area of supply and service agreements as a strategy to bring clients closer to AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Gold Mine operational zone.

Instinct Wave Ghana, organizers of the awards ceremony in collaboration with the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), the Ghana Institute of Procurement (GIP), Chattered Institute of Supply Chain Management (CISCM) indicated that the objective of the award was to ensure that quality is not compromised and companies operate in accordance with best practices, international standards and professionalism.

According to them, the procurement and supply chain manager undertake the planning processes of the entire businesses especially in the area of inventory control, logistics and distribution while ensuring effective function to avoid constant delays and cost opportunity and for this reason needs to be applauded and recognised.

 The awards are targeted at organizations in the telecommunication sector, the retail and consumer goods sector, banking, health care and pharmaceuticals, automobile, oil and gas, mining, food and agriculture, logistics and manufacturing.

Story: Business DESK

A joint team made up of FIFA and CAF officials responsible for the setting up of the Normalisation Committee for the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has commenced processes to begin work with immediate work.

The team, led by First Vice President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Amaju Pinnick, together with Mr. Veron Mosengo Omba, FIFA’s Director, Member Associations and Mr. Nicola Luca, FIFA, Manager, Member Associations arrived in Accra on Tuesday are expected to setup a normalisation committee before Friday.

The team, among other responsibilities, is expected to setup a normalisation to run the GFA’s daily affairs and cooperate with the special task force once it has been set up by FIFA, CAF and the Government of Ghana.

The normalisation committee is also expected to review the GFA statutes to ensure compliance with the requirements of FIFA and CAF, particularly ACT. 15 of the FIFA Statutes, and to organise and conduct elections of a GFA executive committee on the basis of the revised GFA statutes.

The specified period of time during which the normalisation committee shall perform its functions shall expire when all of the above-mentioned tasks have been properly fulfilled, but by no later than 31 March, 2019.

Liberia President, George Weah, played in an international friendly for his country on Tuesday at the age of 51.

Weah, the first African footballer to win FIFA’s World Player of the Year award, featured for 79 minutes of a 2-1 home defeat by Nigeria in Monrovia.

Liberia arranged the friendly to retire their number 14 shirt, worn by Weah at his playing peak.

The former AC Milan striker, sworn in as president in January, received a standing ovation as he was substituted.

Nigeria fielded a reasonably strong team, including Leicester’s Wilfred Ndidi and fellow midfielder, Peter Etebo, of Stoke City. Ndidi’s club-mate Kelechi Iheanacho featured as a second-half substitute.

Etebo took the corner from which Simeon Nwankwo headed Nigeria into a 2-0 lead after Henry Onyekuru – on loan at Galatasaray from Everton – had scored the opener. The home side pulled one back with a late Kpah Sherman penalty.

Tottenham’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, has admitted being more than twice the drink-drive limit when police in central London stopped him in the early hours.

The 31-year-old Frenchman, who captains the north London side, admitted a charge of drink driving at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday. He was fined £50,000 and banned from driving for 20 months.

Lloris was driving his 2018-plate Porsche Panamera along Gloucester Place, Marylebone, on August 24 when police pulled him over during a routine stop.

The court heard Lloris provided a sample containing 80 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit in England and Wales is 35 microgrammes.

Prosecutor, Henry Fitch, said police in an unmarked car spotted Lloris’ vehicle driving at 15mph in a 30mph zone. He also veered his car “towards parked vehicles” before correcting himself.

When police stopped the vehicle, they discovered vomit and said Lloris had to be helped from the car.

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres has paid glowing tribute to a man who once occupied the seat, Kofi Atta Annan.

Describing the former UN boss who died aged 80 as one of a kind, the UN Boss said those in despair always found in Kofi Annan a comforting shoulder to lean on.

“The art of diplomacy is to say nothing, especially when speaking, but Kofi Annan will say everything, sometimes by simply saying nothing,” he said.

Mr Guterres said even though Mr Annan’s voice was spectacularly gentle, his words were tough and wise.

He said the gravest the situation Mr Annan faced, “the lowest the voice.”

The UN Secretary-General, who worked with the late Kofi Annan for many years, praised the late iconic diplomat as a courageous man who spoke truth to power.

Not only that, he was a force for good in a world of ills.

He listed the late Ghanaian’s “remarkable achievements” to include the opening of the doors of the UN, defending human rights and combating HIV/AIDs.

In sum, “Kofi Annan was the UN and the UN was Kofi Annan,” he declared to a rapturous applause from the sea of mourners crammed in the Accra International Conference Centre in the capital.

Touching on their personal relationship, Mr Guterres said Mr Annan “was a good friend, we marched together, he from the UN and I from Portugal.”

The former Portuguese Prime Minister who now walks in Kofi Annan’s shoes said, he was inspired by the integrity and dynamism of the Ghanaian.

He said the late South African President, Nelson Mandela, often referred to Kofi Annan as “My Leader.”

“If we listen, we will still hear the wise words of Kofi Annan,” admonishing us to “take care of each other and our planet,” he said.

World leaders yesterday paid their last respects to one of Africa’s most famous diplomats, Busumuru Kofi Atta Annan, as they bade him farewell at his funeral at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).

It was the climax of three days of national mourning which saw thousands of Ghanaians and the diplomatic corps file past his coffin as it lay in state.

Mr Annan died on 18 August, 2018 in Switzerland at the age of 80.

Mourners in traditional black and red attire filed the main hall of the AICC, which sits about 4,000 people. More also watched proceedings on a giant screen in an auditorium just outside the hall.

Several heads of states from various countries who graced the occasion included: President of Namibia, Dr. Hage G. Geingob, Vice President of Angola, Bornito Sousa Baltazar Diogo, and Thani Hamad Hkalifa Hama Al-Thani, brother of the Emirof Qatar.

The rest were President of Liberia, George Oppong Weah, President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, Prime Minister of Nigel, Bright Rafani, and Prime Minister of Niger, Brigidi Rafini.

Others were Mr Alassane Ouattarra, President of Cote d’Ivoire, President of Zimbabwe, Emerson Mnangawa, Prime Minister of Lesotho, Pakalitha Mosisilo and several representatives from various organisations.

The former Queen of the Netherlands, Princess Beatrix, and her daughter-in-law Princess Mabel, who were close friends of Annan, were among the mourners.

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, who was also present paid glowing tribute to a man who once occupied the seat.

Describing the former UN boss as one of a kind, the current UN boss said those in despair always found in Kofi Annan a comforting shoulder to lean on.

“The art of diplomacy is to say nothing, especially when speaking, but Kofi Annan will say everything, sometimes by simply saying nothing,” he said.

Mr Guterres said even though Mr Annan’s voice was spectacularly gentle, his words were tough and wise.

He said the gravest the situation Mr Annan faced, “the lowest the voice.”

The UN secretary-general, who worked with the late Kofi Annan for many years, praised the late iconic diplomat as a courageous man who spoke truth to power.

Not only that, he was a force for good in a world of ills.

Touching on their personal relationship, Mr Guterres said Mr Annan “was a good friend, we marched together, he from the UN and I from Portugal.”

The former Portuguese Prime Minister who now walks in Kofi Annan’s shoes said, he was inspired by the integrity and dynamism of the Ghanaian.

“If we listen, we will still hear the wise words of Kofi Annan,” admonishing us to “take care of each other and our planet,” he said.

For his part, President Akufo-Addo said the late former United Nations secretary-general gave him sensitive advice when he took over as President of Ghana.

Mr Akufo-Addo said he appreciated the advice from the late diplomat.

“He gave me sensitive, deeply appreciated advice when I became President of the Republic,” Mr Akufo-Addo said when he read his tribute at the burial service.

The wife the late Kofi Annan, Nane Lagergren, Kofi Annan said: “I remember how excited he always was to return home to Ghana. He would always be so happy,” said Nane.

“He tried his best to make the world a better place in our homes, or villages, our towns and our communities….my Love, may you rest in peace and continue to inspire us and guide us.”

The funeral rites also saw Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; Archbishop and Bishop of Kumasi, Daniel Yinka Sarfo; Director of Religious Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces, Paul Adjei-Djan; Annan’s wife Nane Lagergren and Annan’s children, Kojo Annan and Ama Annan.

Tributes also poured in from family, friends and loved ones for the late Ghanaian diplomat.

The ceremony began with a welcome address and prayer from the Archbishop and Bishop of Kumasi, Daniel Yinka Sarfo, and the former Archbishop and Bishop of Accra, Justice Ofei Akro.

Opera singer, Barbara Hendricks, opened the ceremony with a solo-entitled: “Oh Freedom.”

The Winneba Youth Choir performed the anthem “Edikanfo Mmo,”

Reverend J.O. Akrofi delivered the sermon.

Story: Kofi OWUSU TAWIAH

Writer’s email: kofi.tawiah@todaygh.com

The people of Nvellenu in the Jomoro District of the Western Region heaved a huge sigh of relief, following the commissioning of an ultra-modern hospital with ancillary facilities.

The state-of-the-art health facility will enable the people in the area to access quality healthcare.

Other surrounding communities in the Jomoro Municipal, Ellembele and the Nzema Districts will also benefit from the hospital, which was built under a partnership agreement between the Ghana Baptist Convention (GBC) and the Cuyahoga Valley Church from Cleveland, Ohio USA.

The construction of the hospital, which was influenced by the plight of the people of Nvellenu community and their inability to access healthcare, came at a cost of $760,000. This constitutes a major in-patient ward facility, which includes a radiology department, a 42-room two- storey staff quarters and a first-class theatre.

The hospital also houses a dispensary, pharmacy, emergency, maternity and recovery wards. Other facilities include an injection room, an ultra-sound scan and record offices, consulting rooms and a laboratory.

In a short remark after the commissioning, Vice President-in-charge of Administration at GBC, Reverend Washington Komla Darke, said the GBC exists to evangelise to the lost, disciple believers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, plant churches, train leaders and minister to meet the spiritual and socio-economic needs of people through strong and vibrant structures and institutions, and in cooperation with relevant bodies.

He said the convention and its International Mission Board partners for the past sixty years have complemented government effort in the provision of quality healthcare for the people of north eastern part of Ghana through the Baptist Medical Centre (BMC), Nalerigu.

Rev Komla Darke said the BMC serves as a district health facility with a bed capacity of about 180. And it is expected to increase to 300 by the end of the year.

He said the establishment of hospitals was in line with the vision and mission of the church, adding that, for the past 16 years, the Nzema Home Missionary has worked tirelessly to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people considered as unreached with the establishment of about 56 churches.

According to the man of God, for the past 4 years, the GBC Health Service has worked for the accreditation of seven health facilities by the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) including this hospital, and was mindful of the importance of addressing basic social needs from the grassroots level in order to ensure improved factors that will determine good and quality healthcare service deliveries.

“The GBC commits itself to continue to complement government effort of reducing maternal and child mortality rates, control the spread of preventable diseases such as HIV and AIDS, malaria and many more through its health facilities and programmes and hope that the convention’s collaboration with government will be enhanced for the benefit of the citizenry.”

The vice president said the CVC group recognised that healthcare facility was a critical need for the people of Nzema.

Team Leader of the CVC, Dr Ron P. Cleveland, said many hands had played a role in the planning, financing, and construction of the hospital.

He said there were also many people that deserved commendation for playing vital roles in the building project, especially Pastor Rick Duncan, the former Senior Pastor and Missions Director at Cuyahoga Valley Church, ‘whose vision and passion for global missions encouraged us all to come to Ghana.’

Dr Cleveland said God loves and cares for the people of Nzema and has chosen to express His loving-kindness for them with the building of the hospital.

He expressed the hope and prayer that for all who come to the hospital for care pass by on the road and those who hear about the hospital will cry out as a testimony of God’s love.

Story: Dennis ATO KEELSON

Writer’s email: denniskeelson@yahoo.co.uk

The Ghana Youth Environmental Movement (GYEM) is urging the Government of Ghana to review and enforce Renewable Energy Act 832 (2011) to develop and promote the renewable energy (RE) sector in Ghana.

This is part of the Movement’s advocacy efforts to review and enforce the RE Act, supported by the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund and its development partners DANIDA, EU and USAID.

The Renewable Energy Act was passed to facilitate the achievement of the goal set for renewable energy in the National Energy Policy to account for 10% of total energy generation in the country by 2020. Passed by Parliament of Ghana and assented to by the President in 2011, the Act provides the legal basis for fiscal incentives and regulatory framework to attract investment towards the development, utilization and efficient management of renewable energy resources in the country. However, key provisions in the document such as establishing a Renewable Energy Authority to oversee the implementation of renewable energy projects and activities in the country, and operationalizing a Renewable Energy Fund for the development, promotion and utilization of renewable energy resources in Ghana have not been implemented.

The President of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his 2017 State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered on February 21, 2017 admitted that the Renewable Energy Act needed a review to “provide further incentives to attract the private sector to invest”. He acknowledged that the challenges and difficulties Ghana faced in generating enough electricity to meet her increasing demands for economic growth and development in the past “resulted in frequent power outages and planned power rationing across the country in recent years, leading to reduced workforce productivity, high cost of doing business, and lack of power for essential activities in the home”.

In the light of this, GYEM is urging key stakeholders, state actors and implementing institutions such as the Energy Commission, Ministry of Energy and others to fully implement key provisions in the RE Act such as the establishment of the Renewable Energy Authority and the operationalising of the Renewable Energy Fund, among others. Most importantly, the Energy Commission and partners are called upon to fast track and expedite action on the RE Master Plan to provide concrete plans to achieve key targets in the industry. This will give overall policy goals, milestones and timelines that will guide the development of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs), as well as their deployment and integration into the energy mix.

The Ghana Youth Environmental Movement is a leading youth-led environmental and renewable energy advocacy group in Ghana. Formed in 2012, the group has spearheaded several campaigns to promote renewable energy and environmental sustainability.

Story: Business DESK

THE death of former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Kofi Atta Annan (1997-2005), on August 18, 2018 has indeed left Ghanaians bereft!

As painful as Mr Annan’s death may be, we as a people and a country (Ghana) as a whole take consolation in the fact that he left behind a very giant and an indelible legacy that will guide the conduct and the comportment of future leaders on the global stage.

FROM a humble beginning, Mr Annan rose through the ranks of the UN to become the seventh (7^th) UN Chief, it is no surprise to us that his death is being celebrated across the globe, with thousands extolling his impact in the world as a moral compass.

HIS achievements in the fight against poverty eradication, improvements in accessing healthcare and education and his incessant fight for global human rights for all, will forever go unnoticed and will serve as some of the enormous achievements chalked during his tenure as UN secretary-general.

AND even after serving two-terms at the UN, Mr Annan continued to champion the fight for humanitarian activities, something one could simply say was ‘divine’. Indeed, the world will remember Mr Annan as a dedicated public-spirited person who will be remembered by generations yet unborn.

THOUGH best known for his peace-keeping work, his leadership in addressing poverty and injustice were among Kofi’s biggest achievements. From the moment he became secretary-general in 1996 he made it a top priority for the UN to focus on the elimination of poverty in the emerging world.

THESE were but a few reasons Kofi Annan championed the idea of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Eight goals and a framework of accountability  for among other things halving extreme poverty, halting the spread of HIV and providing universal primary education.  They became a great rallying cry in the fight for a better world and achieved a great deal, not least in reducing hunger and alleviating poverty.

THERE are a lot of Ghanaians who can take on the mantle and do similar, like he did, but not like him because he is a unique individual who lifted Africa and showed that we are also able to do great things despite our background.

A great tree has indeed fallen but we are optimistic and confident that his works will guide Ghanaians and the world to make the world a better place for all.

Best 2018 fashion school, RIOHs Originate, last weekend rocked the runway at their just-ended graduation day hosting over 62 students that had just completed their 6-month fashion course at the institution.

The event—which took place at the Providence Events Centre, La, Trade Fair, Accra—saw the designers display their talents and creativities to a packed room of guests, industry players, media and the general public with some of Ghana’s most beautiful models featured in the students creative designs.

Men and women can have some VERY different habits between the sheets – something that’s often hotly debated.

According to new research into our secret bedroom habits, cleanliness is no exception to the rule.

Researchers discovered that men wash their sheets on average every two weeks, while women only do it once every month. That’s kind of gross to be honest.

Ergoflex asked questions to over 2,000 UK-based adults aged 18-35 to discover what else is going on in our bedrooms – and there were some interesting finds.

Only one in 10 Brits has ever washed their duvet. Ever.

A spokesperson for ErgoFlex said to the Daily Star : “We found it interesting that men seem to be far more hygienic when it comes to their bed than females do, especially when compared to old data.”

And even though changing your bed sheets can be a drag, the experts at ErgoFlex recommend changing up your bedding “at least once every couple of weeks, especially if it’s hot, but once a week is preferable.”

Research also revealed that over two thirds of us sleep in the buff, but women were much more likely to do so than men.

The company also asked how often we wash our PJs and again men turned out to be cleaner than women, putting them in the wash once every three wears versus once every five.

In other slightly bizarre bedroom news, a man went to hospital after getting a 24-inch sex toy stuck inside himself. He had been attempting to remove the toy for 24 hours before seeking medical assistance.

He told doctors he was suffering from mild abdominal pain, but had no other serious symptoms.

His x-rays revealed a “long and large-sized” foreign body in his colon – which baffled doctors.

Traditional removal tools were tried by the doctors, but all failed to retrieve the sex toy due to its “smoothness and size”. They had to get creative and thread a piece of wire through a catheter to create a sort of “noose” and pull it out that way.

Within seconds of splashing into the water as he fled police, Abraham Duarte knew he had made a mistake. Soon he was retching and pleading desperately for the help of the Cape Coral, Florida, officers he had been attempting to escape, figuring that even jail would be better than the slimy, toxic algae in which he was immersed. “Help me. Help me,” he cried. “I’m dying. I’m dying.”

Duarte had stopped his car on Beach Parkway East last week after he was pulled over for allegedly speeding by police in Cape Coral. According to police, Duarte, 22, made a run for it. Body camera footage showed the officers chasing Duarte on foot. Soon, Duarte found himself trapped in an area known for its crisscrossing canals.

Rather than be arrested, Duarte, who lives in northern Florida, plunged into a canal and attempted to swim away.

Duarte told The Washington Post that when he jumped in the polluted canal, he wasn’t thinking about how the state has been beset by a historic and disgusting algae bloom that was dirtying up the waterways. The blue-green algae isn’t only smelly – lifeguards and those who live close to water have taken to wearing masks to shield themselves from the stink – it’s also toxic. Scores of fish and other wildlife have been killed by the algae and people can be sickened if they breathe it in.

Unfortunately for Duarte, he went a step further and took in several gulps. Duarte said that he had heard about the algae, but he wasn’t thinking clearly when he dove into the water.

“There was too much adrenaline,” Duarte said. “I had a panic attack.”

Duarte ran from police, he said, as a result of some “not-so-nice encounters in the past.”

“I was scared,” he said.

Allan Kolak, a spokesman for the Cape Coral Police Department, told The Post that police heard Duarte, a native of northern Florida, yelling from the water. Once Duarte reached the canal bank, he gratefully allowed the original officer who pursued him to pull him out of the muck, police said.

“He lives in Ocala, so there’s a chance that he didn’t realize how bad the water was,” Kolak said. “Once he got in, he was saying, ‘This is no good.’”

Kolak said Duarte wasn’t in the canal for long, but it was long enough to leave him dripping in the gooey gunk once officers helped fish him out.

“It was in his eyes, in his ears, all across his face, all over his body. It was everywhere,” Kolak said. “It’s pretty nasty stuff.”

A nearby resident loaned officers a garden hose to help clean off Duarte. Police rinsed off Duarte, specifically his mouth, which he requested be cleaned out twice.

Duarte was taken to a hospital, where he was released shortly thereafter. Police said they found seven vials of THC oil in his car. Duarte was charged with possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest without violence and transferred to the Lee County Jail. He was released on bond Saturday and has not filed a plea.

The charges were announced by police Monday.

Duarte said the algae was gross, and he’s still having respiratory and stomach problems because of his swim.

“It smelled like human feces,” he said.

California Cryobank offers a very unusual service to women hoping to have a baby – and they can choose which famous men they want the baby’s donor to resemble.

Lots of people imagine what their first baby might look like – and some showbiz fans might even imagine what it would be like to have a child with their favourite celebrity.

A sperm bank in Los Angeles offers a rather odd celebrity look-a-like service where this dream is nearly a reality, as women can choose a donor based on the famous people he resembles.

California Cryobank is one of the only clinics around that offers such a bizarre service.

The company’s website reads: “Researched and selected from the limitless expanses of the internet, CCB Donor Look-a-Likes™ can be actors, athletes, musicians, or anyone else famous enough to be found on the web.”

Details of donors are listed with information such as height, eye and hair colour listed for women to take their pick from, as well as which celebs the sperm donors look like.

Women can filter their sperm donor down to those who resemble men such as Prince Harry, David Beckham or Leonardo DiCaprio. Company reps told the Sun that Ben Affleck is a popular choice.

“It’s really interesting what people are looking for and it’s one of the reasons we have so many donors – because there’s a wide range of preferences out there,” Scott Brown, vice president of communications for California Cryobank told the newspaper.

“Sometimes we’ll have celebrities listed that aren’t necessarily traditionally handsome – and that’s because the donor doesn’t look like a Hollywood leading man and we want to make sure you know what you’re getting.”

He added that sometimes clients don’t want someone who is “too perfect” and prefer “just regular guys”.

The website warns that no celebrity is an exact match for donors and women shouldn’t assumer their future kids will look like the celebs listed on donor profiles.

It also adds: “At times, two or more celebrities listed for a single donor may not necessarily resemble each other. In these cases, consider the fact that many people look like both their parents, without their parents actually looking like each other.”

Chairman of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Professor Douglas Boateng, has launched the second edition of the world’s first compendium on Supply Chain Management (SCM) in Accra. 

The second edition of the book titled: “Executive Insights Series: Compendium of Supply Chain Management Terms,” has thousands of detailed information and definitions to help the public and private sector officials understand and apply aspects of the supply chain management thinking to their respective values chains, support industrialisation and competitiveness, and improve service delivery quality.

Speaking at the launch of the over 900-page book, Prof Boateng said he made the compendium to educate and enlighten people because he realised there was a general lack of understanding in supply chain management.

According to him, having already witnessed the spectacular transformation of economies like South Korea, China, Singapore, South Africa and Rwanda, he believes Ghana as a country can improve if “we understand the interconnectivity between the various aspects of value chain.”

“In Africa what we’ve been doing is just buying, not procuring and not strategically sourcing hence our dear old continent has become a dumping ground for fake, counterfeit products. If we do not change our mindset through supply chain thinking how are we going to be able to create the much-needed jobs for the youth of today and tomorrow? It’s because of the lack of supply chain thinking. Now it’s not just a Ghana problem or African problem; there is a general lack of understanding of supply chain management,” he added.

Having used two years to come up with the second edition, Prof Boateng said “now I’ve travelled the world and realised that something has to be done about it and so I took it upon myself to obviously come up with a dictionary. We’re all aware that doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers all have their bible; supply chain management we don’t have one. So, I decided to develop one at my own cost. It took me 1,885 days or 5 years to develop the first compendium. The second one took me 912 days or 2 and half years to come up with the second edition at my own cost. But for me I did it for a reason, if the world understands supply chain management it will a better place for the African child”.

Meanwhile, Prof Boateng intends to give 275 copies of the book free to Members of Parliament (MPs) to understand supply chain management for the interest of the country.

Story: Today CORRESPONDENT

Former UBS banker, Kweku Adoboli, jailed for the UK’s biggest ever fraud, was on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 transported to a immigration removal centre near Heathrow airport as the government pushes ahead with his deportation despite appeals from 114 MPs and MSPs.


Adoboli, 38, who was found guilty in 2012 of fraud that lost his Swiss bank $2.3bn (£1.8bn), is being deported to Ghana because he is not a British citizen despite living in the UK since the age of 12.

He was released from prison on probation in 2015 after serving half of a seven-year sentence.

Last week he was detained at Dungavel immigration removal centre in Scotland.

On Wednesday he was transported to Colnbrook immigration removal centre, close to Heathrow.

Campaigners fighting against Adoboli’s deportation said they understood the Home Office had booked a charter flight for deportation to Ghana on 18 September, and said Adoboli is “earmarked to be on this plane”.

A spokesperson for the Home Office declined to speak about Adoboli’s case, but said: “All foreign nationals who are given a custodial sentence will be considered for removal. Foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them and we have removed more than 43,000 foreign offenders since 2010.”

Adoboli’s MP, Hannah Bardell, and 113 other MPs and MSPs had written to the prime minister and home secretary to demand they intervene to stop Adoboli’s deportation.

“If Mr Adoboli were deported, he would be removed from the country he has called home since the age of 12, taken away from the close relationships he has formed here and returned to a country he has not lived in from the age of four and lacks familiarity with,” Bardell said in the letter.

Story: Gottlieb BAAKO

Writer’s email: gottlieb.baako@todaygh.com

Management of A-Z Preparatory and Junior High School located at Teshie-Okpi-Gonno in the Greater Accra Region, have appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Minister of Education Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh to assist in ensuring the future of some twenty (20) pupils who graduated from the school will not be in jeopardy.

According to the management, in 2017, the school presented 40 students candidates to write the Basic Education Certificates Examination (BECE).

However, when the West African Examination Council (WAEC) released the results twenty (20) out of the forty candidates results of the English Language Paper were withheld and later cancelled.

In a petition signed and issued by proprietor of the school, Bishop Godwin Aaron Monyo, the school said in February 2018, 17 out of the twenty whose English Paper results were withheld and cancelled re-sat the paper.

When the re-sit result was also released in May/June 2018, all the students passed with grades such as 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The petition continued that since the release of the results, WAEC has refused to release that of the 17 candidates to enable them be placed in various Senior High Schools (SHS) under the computerized School Selection Placement System (CSSPS).

Hitherto, parents and guardians of the twenty (20) candidates took the matter to the Human Right High Court in Accra.

On July 4, 2018, the court ruled in favour of the 20 candidates, thereby ordering WAEC to release the results.

“Instead of releasing the results, WAEC in August 2018, went for stay of execution from another Human Right High Court in Accra. On August 14, the court in Accra in its ruling declined the stay of the execution and ordered WAEC to release the results. It has been over a month after the ruling but WAEC has been adamant in releasing the results which is not only putting pressure on parents and guardians of these children, but also jeopardizing the future of these children,” the petition stated.

Story: Kofi OWUSU TAWIAH

Writer’s email: kofi.tawiah@todaygh.com

The Founder of Angel-Zoe Foundation, Mrs. Abena Asomaning-Antwi, has made a donation of food and assorted drinks to three institutions in Accra; the Junior Girls’ Correctional Center, Remand Home for Boys and Girls, and Shelter for Abused Children.

The donation was part of activities to mark her birthday, which fell on September 11, 2018. The donation also included some cash to help the institution cater for other pending activities.

According to Mrs. Asomaning-Antwi, “my focus on causing a change in society has remained to inspire and encourage inmates to take advantage of the second chance given them through the system. In my estimation, the vulnerable in society can be supported in various ways including financial, mentorship, counselling and training”.

Commenting on the motivation for the donation, Mrs. Asomaning-Antwi said ‘there is nothing more fulfilling in life than causing someone to smile when they least expect it. It is important we give back to society to foster the change we all want”.

She further called the public to support social development facilities in the country to improve service delivery in the social sector.

Receiving the items on behalf of the institutions, the Manageress of the three (3) institutions, Madam Lovegrace Ahlijah expressed great appreciation for the kind gesture. “We thank Mrs. Asomaning-Antwi for this gesture and we are highly impressed with the donation”.

She advised parents to be more responsible in parenting to help society generate responsible future leaders. She mentioned lack of security, lack of funds and stigmatization as major challenges of the institutions.

The institution which was established in 1950 as a correctional center for girl offenders now serves four (4) purposes; Junior Girls’ Correctional Center, Remand for Boys and Girls, Shelter for Abused Children and a Vocational School. It currently serves as a home for thirty-five (35) inmates and abused children between the ages of three (3) to eighteen (18) years. The vocational school also admits external students.

Story: News DESK

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the late former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Busumuru Annan, gave him sensitive advice when he took over as President of Ghana.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said he appreciated the advice from the late diplomat.

“He gave me sensitive, deeply appreciated advice when I became President of the Republic,” Akufo-Addo said when he read his tribute at Kofi Annan’s burial service held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on yesterday.

He said the last time he saw Mr. Annan was in March 2018, when the former international diplomat came to “inform me, much to my discomfiture, that he could no longer continue to serve as Chancellor of Ghana’s premier university, the University of Ghana, Legon, since he had served the two terms permitted by the statutes of the university.”

“I bemoaned my ill-luck, even though, as life would have it, the university has found in Mary Chinery-Hesse, his old and trusted friend, a worthy successor,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo added that Mr. Annan was enthused about his Ghana Beyond Aid agenda.

“Kofi Annan was an ardent believer in the capacity of the Ghanaian and African to chart his or her own course on to the path of progress and prosperity. He found the vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid, indeed of an African Beyond Aid, very appealing. Undoubtedly, he excelled in the various undertakings of his life, leaving in his trail most pleasant memories. His was a life well-lived,” President Akufo-Addo added.

Kofi Annan died on August 18, 2018 in Switzerland at the age of 80 after a short illness.

Several dignitaries including world leaders and the current UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, were at the funeral service.

Story: News Desk

Management of Menzgold yesterday announced that it had temporarily halted its collectables and any new business related to its gold vault market with immediate effect.

According to the company, the halt of what is also called extra value payments took effect from Thursday, September 13, 2018 and will be in place for six days, “by which time we believe all pending issues related to the Gold Vault Market Product would have been ironed out.”

The company was hopeful the halt would not go beyond September 19, 2018.

“This decision, though very unfavourable to us has been informed by our commitment to the rule of law, absolute respect to state agents, agencies and total submission to the state,” the press release stated.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 ordered gold trading firm, Menzgold Ghana Limited to suspend their operations with the public with immediate effect.

In a letter dated September 7, SEC said it had thoroughly investigated the activities of Menzgold and had found that, the Nana Appiah Mensah-owned firm did not have the license to trade in gold collectibles from the public.

The statement explained that interactions with representatives of Menzgold confirmed to SEC the view that the aspect of Menzgold’s business, which involved purchase and deposit of gold collectibles and guaranteed returns was a capital market activity under Act 929 without a valid license issued by SEC which contravenes the law.

The statement added that subsequent requests had been made by SEC to Menzgold’s lawyers to furnish SEC with specific detailed information on the

operations of the firm.

Story: Today CORRESPONDENT

Tain constituency executives of National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Brong Ahafo Region have advised a splinter group in the party, Young Democratic Forces (YDF) to stop blaming the General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, for the defeat of the party in the 2016 polls.

The call was in response to allegations by YDF that Mr. Asiedu Nketia should be solely blamed for the defeat of the party.

YDF alleged in a statement that Mr Asiedu Nketia misled former President John Dramani Mahama into forming splinter groups prior to the election for which caused the fortunes of the party.

The group further alleged that Mr Nketia had lost his popularity by virtue of the fact that NDC lost the Brong Ahafo Region, the home region of Mr. Asiedu Nketia and the Tain constituency, which is the hometown of the General Secretary.

“In as much as we agree that democracy allows for divergent opinion, we are compelled to set the records straight since the submissions by the YDF is full of falsehoods and conjectures which can only be described as the figment of their imaginations,” a statement stressed.

In a counter -statement issued, by the Tain constituency executives they said the party immediately after the 2016 elections set up the Kwesi Botchway committee, which investigated the cause of the NDC’s defeat and recommended remedial measures for future elections.

According to them, the committee did its work to the admiration of all, and its recommendations have since been with the party.

“There was nowhere in the entire Kwesi Botchway’s report where Mr. Asiedu Nketia’s name was mentioned as having been responsible for the formation of splinter groups within the party,” the statement said.

The statement pointed out that, Mr Nketia was on record as having condemned the formation of splinter groups within the NDC and warned the party against it.

The statement, therefore, advised YDF to desist from accusing the party’s General Secretary of being cause of the party’s woes.

 Story: Freeman KORYEKPOR AWLESU

 Writer’s email: Freeman.koryekpor@todaygh.com