Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has called for a better coordination among agencies responsible for managing Africa’s natural environment to ensure the sustainable utilisation of its natural resources.

He said when Africa’s natural resources were managed properly, it would help create a viable force to conserve and sustainably utilise the countries’ natural resource base for sustainable development.

Speaking at the opening of a four-day Global Environment Facility (GEF) Expanded Constituency workshop in Accra, Prof Frimpong-Boateng stated that Africa also needed to develop good scientific data and a strong institutional capacity and commitment through public private partnership towards a more sustainable environment.

He said Ghana, like all other Africa countries, needed biodiversity-friendly policies for socio-economic transformation, adding that: “The continuous exploitation of our rich natural resources over the years has contributed to the loss of ecological integrity and compromised the ability of the ecosystem to sustainably support the life of many local communities in particular and countries in general to support our economies for sustainable development”.

The GEF Expanded Constituency workshop is a component of GEF country support programme.

The GEF unites 183 countries in partnership with international institutions, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and the private sector to address global environmental issues, while supporting national sustainable development initiatives.

Established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, to help tackle the planet’s most pressing environmental problems, the GEF has since provided over $17 billion in grants and mobilised an additional $88 billion in financing for more than 4000 projects in 170 countries.

The GEF has a unique partnership of 18 agencies, including United Nations agencies, multilateral development banks, national entities and international NGOs.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng said the meeting of all stakeholders under the GEF Expanded Constituency, in Accra, at this period, was very critical since climate change issues had become a global phenomenon that was also challenging mankind’s survival and the earth’s sustainability.

He said Ghana was also facing serious environmental challenges as climate change was having its toll on the country, with most parts of the northern sector recording increasing intense dry seasons and the coastal areas recording higher sea levels, resulting in coastal flood, sea erosion and loss of human habitat.

“Apart from all these seemingly natural events, human activities such as illegal artisanal gold mining have caused considerable land degradation, deforestation, pollution of water bodies and vegetation, loss of aquatic life in 80 per cent of the river systems in Ghana,” he noted.

The Minister, therefore, commended the GEF for championing the course of environmental quality improvement and sustainable development globally over the past 25 years.

He said Ghana acknowledged the tremendous role the GEF had also played towards environmental sustenance and sustainable livelihood development to the poor and the vulnerable communities over the years, using public institutions and private sector and also through civil society organisations under the Small Grants Programme.

He described the GEF as the best vehicle for the attainment of the UN SDGs.

However, Prof Frimpong-Boateng noted that a review of various projects supported with over 450 million dollars under the GEF facility in Ghana since 1992, was not too impressive and so there was the need for the country to ensure that good programmes that were properly monitored were implemented to benefit all Ghanaians.

Ms Franciose Clottes, Director of Strategies and Operations at GEF, said the Facility was the largest public funder of projects that aimed at improving the global environment through the provision of grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants.

She explained that the purpose of the workshop was, therefore, to keep stakeholders abreast of GEF strategies, policies and procedures and to encourage coordinating, interacting with staff from GEF Secretariat and Agencies and to discuss priority issues.

It was also to help share lessons and experiences from the development and implementation of GEF projects and their integration within national policy frameworks.

Ms Clottes, therefore, urged all partner countries to strive to spend resources in a more efficient way in helping sustain the environment through proper policies as well as knowledge sharing among the countries.

Source: GNA

 Six out of the seven fuel and  gas filling stations that were closed down by a a taskforce led by the Municipal Chief Executive of the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly, Kenneth Kelly Essuman following the  recent gas explosion at the Atomic Junction in the Greater Accra Region  have been re-opened.

According to the MCE, the six fuel stations produced the necessary documents that proved that, “they have all the safety measures, equipment and license to operate”.

“I can confidently say that, the six restored fuel stations have the necessary documents and are also operating under safety measures,” he stated.

He said only one of the fuel stations, ‘Beap oil’ was not able to produce the necessary documents, and had been accordingly shut down.

It would be recalled that the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly last Monday closed down seven fuel and gas stations out of the 20 stations located in the Municipal for various offences.

Some of the stations had their fire service permits expired for up to two or three years while others still had their permits with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), while others too had stopped paying their property rates as well as their business operating permits.

The stations include Beap Energy, Shell, Venus oil, Top oil, Cash oil, Engine fuel station, and Petrol Bay all in Mankessim.

GOIL was the first to be re-opened after producing their documents.

Story: From Philemon Buabeng, ATV, Central Region

Ghanaian comedian, Derrick Kobina Bonney, known in showbiz as DKB has revealed that comment made by former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, almost killed his comedy career.

In April 2017, it was reported by Graphic Showbiz that the former first lady had described the comedian as ‘boring’ when she attended the Easter Comedy Show at the Accra International Conference Centre.

“…an avid patron of concerts and comedy shows, the former First Lady made her way to the exit as soon as the famous Ghanaian comedian mounted the stage, saying to the hearing of other patrons seated close by  her, “don’t mind him; his jokes are not funny”.

In an exclusive interview with Mikki Osei Berko, host of ‘After Hours’ on TV3, DKB stated that the former first lady’s comments nearly collapsed his comedy career.

According to him, Nana Konadu opened him up to his enemies: “I mean what she said was the most detrimental thing anyone could say to me. She opened me up to my enemies, to mockery and it was close to my career crashing. I mean it is not encouraging for a high profile person of that sort to pass such a comment. She said she didn’t say it.”

The ‘King of Comedy’ later apologised to Nana Konadu when they met.

“I met her and I apologised for the night. I didn’t really care whether she had  to apologise to me or not. My bit was that I am the young man so of course I had to come clean. I apologised to her that if that night she was truly offended by the kind of content I was doing, then I am sorry. It was the lowest of my career. I lost a lot of shows because of the comment,” he said.

Today Arts & Entertainment

…with Edward Blagogee

Nana Okofo Katakyi Eku X, Omanhen of Agona Nyarkrom Traditional Area has appealed to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to carve a new District out of the current Agona West Municipality and name it Agona Central

The move according to him, would enhance effective local governance and ensure transparency and accountability to help in the rapid pace of socio-economic development to the doorstep of the people in the area.

The Chief made the appeal when Mr Kwamina Duncan, the Central Regional Minister and his entourage paid a courtesy call on him as part of his tour of the Region to engage and assess the state of development projects.

He called on the government to upgrade the road networks in the area, especially Kwayako-Akoti, Swedru-Bodwiase-Ajumako and Nyarkrom town roads to aid the easy transportation of farm produce.

Nana Eku advised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) members to nurture peace and eschew all forms of internal wrangling that impeded development.

On the promises of the President, he was optimistic that he would not disappoint Ghanaians saying” Nana Addo is a man of integrity who delivers on his promises” and charged Ghanaians to be patient and offer him the necessary support to steer the affairs of the nation to bring prosperity for all.

The chiefs in the Area took the opportunity to express confidence in the President and resolved to support his administration to complement his determination and vision to effect social and economic transformational plans and policy initiatives to develop the area and the country at large.

To achieve that, they called on all  to do away with partisan politics and support the national drive to better their lot.

They particularly praised the President for his desire to develop the Nation’s manpower as well as create employment through the free education policy and the ‘One district, One factory’ and announced that they had vast lands to support in that regard.

Later, the Regional Minister charged them to let the welfare and the plight of their people to be their ultimate priority.

Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, MCE said the Assembly had brought massive infrastructural development to the people over the last few months and would give much priority to education, job creation and sanitation and called for continued support from all members and departments

Mr Duncan also called on the Omanhen of Agona Nsaba Traditional Area, Osabarima Afriyie Boa Appiah II at his palace and later addressed staff and members of the Agona East District Assembly,

Osabarima appealed to the government for a new health centre, police station and tarred roads and district court building that had been abandoned years ago.

Speaking at the gathering, the Minister asked Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to make productive use of their limited resources to develop their localities.

He said government resources were limited and assemblies must find ingenious ways of generating revenue by scanning their environment to make productive use of available resources and also spend judiciously.

Mr Denis Annan Frimpong, the District Chief Executive (DCE), mentioned some of their challenges as bad roads network, education infrastructural challenges, sanitation and lack of funds to complete projects.

He pledged to work assiduously with stakeholders to address issues of sanitation and work at providing the needed basic education infrastructure to ensure quality education for all children in the area.

Story: News Desk

Majority shareholder of Access Bank Ghana, Access Bank Plc, has announced its intention to inject additional capital into the Bank’s operations in Ghana before end of Q1 in 2018 after all regulatory requirements are fulfilled.

The Tier 1 capital forms part of the Bank’s recapitalization exercise, which began last year with the Bank selling its shares through an IPO and subsequently being listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange as the first Ghanaian Bank with Nigerian heritage.

While this move will enable Access Bank Ghana meet the new capital requirement of GHS 400 million set by the Bank of Ghana, the new capital is also expected to enhance the capacity of Access Bank Ghana to undertake large ticket transactions in key sectors of the economy.

Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer  of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, noted that Ghana was  an important market within the Access Bank Group and its impressive performance over the past eight (8) years.

He said: “Our new investment into Access Bank Ghana signals the confidence and trust we have in the Ghanaian economy as a safe, peaceful and thriving place to do business. In pursuing the Bank’s vision of building the World’s Most Respected African Bank, we are making strategic decisions in the various markets we operate to position our banking franchise favourably in the market to support the development agenda of the economies”.

Welcoming the news, Managing Director of Access Bank Ghana, Mr. Dolapo Ogundimu noted that the new capital would strengthen the capital base of the Bank and enable it to take advantage of new business opportunities in the operating environment.

“The Bank of Ghana had long stated its plan to increase the minimum capital requirement for banks in Ghana so we have always had this under our radar as it was also consistent with our strategy to build a sustainable bank”.

He further assured customers and other stakeholders of the Bank’s well cushioned liquidity and capital base to drive its business strategy in the coming years.

The news of additional investment by Access Bank Plc demonstrates the long standing partnership between Access Bank Ghana and its majority shareholder.

When launching its operations in 2009, Access Bank Ghana was quoted as one of the most capitalized banks in the country and intends to keep this reputation as it drives its strategy to become one of the top tier banks in Ghana.

Story: Business Desk

Head coach of Ghana’s U-17 national team, Samuel Paa Kwesi Fabin, says they have to win their final group clash against India to stand any chance of qualifying to the round of 16 in the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The Black Starlets have accumulated three points so far in the competition and will be targeting their second win of the competition when they take on host India today.

According to the highly experienced Ghanaian gaffer, they would have to beat India at all cost to secure qualification to the next round, so they would prepare adequately for the upcoming clash.

“We are going to prepare and come and see whether we can beat India and qualify. It has now become critical for us to win at all cost and get the qualification,” Paa Kwesi Fabin said in a post-match interview after their 2-1 defeat against the USA on Monday.

Colombia will also face USA in their final match of the season today.

Today Sports

…with Gottlieb Baako

Minister of State in charge of Public Procurement, Madam Sarah Adwoa Safo has disclosed that government will award 70 per-cent of public procurement contracts and projects to local contractors in Ghana.

Consequently, Madam Safo who doubles as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya Constituency in the Greeter Accra noted that out of this 70%, 30% of the contracts or projects would l be awarded to Persons with Disability (PWDs), women and those in youth employment programme.

This, according to her was in line with one of the key campaign promises of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to give the youth, PWDs  and women at least 30 percent of contracts and projects.

Addressing journalists at a press soiree in Accra on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, Madam Safo stated that “this is a policy the government under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo is committed to implementing”.

According to her, very soon her office would disclose how the programme was to going to be initiated.

She further revealed that there was an effort to harmonise the Public Procurement Acts (Act 663) and the Public Procurement (Amended) Act (Act 914) for easy reading and referencing.

“An e-platform of all contractors involved in government projects will also be set up to enable assessment of performance of these contractors”, she said.

Madam Safo added: “With this database, the citizenry could at any given time, assess the performance of all the contractors to know who is doing well and who is doing badly”.

She explained that, Public Procurement in collaboration Public Procurement Authority (PPA) and Attorney General Department was going to check on corruption associated with sole sourcing.

She reiterated her commitment to end wanton abuse of sole sourcing, adding that ‘the ultimate is to ensure value for money through audit’.

The Public Procurement Act, Act 663 of 2003 was introduced to sanitise government procurement procedures and make it less prone to corruption.

Story: Freeman Koryekpor Awkesu

The inquest into the 1971 death of anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Timol has found that he was murdered, shattering a five-decade-long claim by security police that he had committed suicide.

In a packed courtroom, Judge Billy Mothle ruled that he “was pushed” out of the window of the 10th floor building where he had been detained by the apartheid police.

Applause rang out in court at the end of his ruling – vindication for the Timol family at last.

But what is the significant of the ruling for South Africa and other families who have lost loved ones in a similar way?

Many of those who were with Mr Timol at the time have since died but the judge found that they were “complicit” in his death and recommended that prosecutions should follow because perjury had been committed by some former state security members who testified at this hearing.

And so for the first time in the history of its atrocities, it seemed as though the apartheid system of white minority rule was on trial in South Africa.

Reliving the past

The inquiry offered a rare glimpse into the gruesome workings of the racist regime – and demanded answers.

For those brief few weeks it was as though Mr Timol was speaking for himself – and on behalf of those who died like him.

Officially, police records say he leapt to his death from the infamous John Foster Square, now called Johannesburg Central police station.

Mr Timol’s family had for years campaigned for a new investigation, saying he was not “one to give up” – that he would have never taken his own life.

Many other families here have for decades struggled to make peace with the deaths of their loved ones – largely due to the secrecy around it.

Activists say that between 1963 and 1990, at least 73 anti-apartheid fighters people died in police detention, in some situation their deaths bore an uncanny resemblance to that of Mr Timol.

Still no-one was ever called to account – the murderers were faceless, protected by the state even after the advent of democracy in 1994.

For the Mabelane family, this case has inspired hope. Matthews, then aged 23, was said to have jumped to his death, like Mr Timol.

His older brother Lasch Mabelane tells me the family has for decades been haunted by not knowing what really happened to Matthews.

“The day before he died, the police came to my parents’ home and told them they need to make an appointment if they want to see him. They said: ‘Do you know you have a naughty child?’ and said they would discipline him,” he says.

“Many people like my brother supposedly jumped from the 10th floor, it’s the same story – the same floor,” he adds.

“We’ve never believed that he killed himself, he loved life and loved his family. The pain of losing him changed all of us, especially my parents.”

His father, Phillip Mabelane is 95 years old and a widower – he believes his wife died of a broken heart.

“Our child died in a painful way. We were left with so many questions and couldn’t even ask them. This trouble my wife until the end,” he says.

“The apartheid police were known to be violent, you didn’t ask questions, you just accepted what you were told. How can you ever find peace in a situation like that?” he asks.

Taking secrets to the grave

Peace and stability in this country were paid for in blood and an unspoken vow by those who worked for the state to take secrets to the grave.

This country’s vast landscape is dotted with the unmarked graves of apartheid activists. Dinner table conversations frequently drift into stories of exiles who disappeared without a trace – leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions.

The Timol inquest could forever change that legacy.

This was the first inquest in democratic South Africa to specifically look into apartheid deaths in police custody.

While an investigation into Mr Timol’s death was conducted at the time, many had believed it was a cover-up for the abuses that were happening at the height of white minority rule.

The long-awaited proceedings took weeks to conclude but had many glued to TV screens as high-ranking security police officers, men who until now had lived in the shadows, testified about the torture of activists at the height of the fight for freedom here.

Their actions included severe beatings, electrocution and at times crushing testicles.

In August fresh eyes began looking at the evidence led in court.

Some of the expert witnesses testified that some of Mr Timol’s injuries, his cracked skull, were not consistent with the conclusion the apartheid police had reached at the initial inquest back in 1971.

Files with evidence of his bludgeoned body told tales of assault, witnesses testified to seeing Mr Timol days before his death being escorted by the police in the corridors of the police station and that he could barely walk.

These records are some of what led to Judge Mothle’s historic findings.

Mr Timol isn’t the only activist to die under suspicious circumstances – Steve Biko also died while in police detention, supposedly because he had been on a hunger strike. No explanation was ever given for the bruises on his body.

In the minds of many, Mr Biko was murdered.

Nkosinathi Biko, through the Steve Biko Foundation, says their research puts the deaths of high-profile detainees, including his father, at 160.

“Many of them have as a cause of death, suicide or slipped on a bar of soap, that sort of thing. So uncovering the truth is important not only for those families but for the country. It should be a national record,” he told the BBC.

There have been attempts at unearthing the truth in democratic South Africa such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

However, in recent years the TRC’s failure to compel apartheid loyalists who testified at the commission to “tell all” has come in for increasing criticism, along with granting perpetrators amnesty for their testimony.

While the hearings were hailed as a necessary process to help move the country into a peaceful democracy, many said it denied justice to victims of apartheid.

In the minds of many, justice will only come if those behind the murders and torture are prosecuted and punished for their crimes.

“You cannot forgive what you do not know, what was never acknowledged. The people who killed our children must be made to tell the truth and face the consequences of their actions,” Mr Mabelane Snr says.

And for the first time it seems the scales of lady justice are tilting in the favour of those long forgotten, men and women whose names have not made it into the history books.

Source: BBC

Pressure is mounting on US President Donald Trump as he mulls a key announcement on whether Iran is complying with the nuclear deal.

If, as US media predicts, he does not certify the accord, Congress will then decide whether to re-impose sanctions. He has until 15 October to decide.

The historic international agreement eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activity.

Mr Trump is under pressure both at home and abroad not to scrap the deal.

Some of Mr Trump’s top advisers have signalled support for the deal, including Defence Secretary James Mattis, who told a senate hearing earlier this month it was not in the national interest to abandon it.

Ed Royce, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has said that though the deal is “flawed, I believe we must now enforce the hell out of it”.

Mr Trump has also been urged by foreign leaders, including British PM Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron, to keep the deal.

Lady Catherine Ashton, the former European Union foreign policy chief who helped negotiate the deal, told the BBC that “it’s an agreement that does what it says on the tin. It doesn’t try and do more…. that needs to be understood and recognised in Washington”.
The US president told Fox News he would make his decision “very shortly” and some speculate it could come as soon as Friday.
The president reaffirmed his long-held opposition to the accord, calling it “one of the most incompetently-drawn deals I’ve ever seen”.

“They got a path to nuclear weapons very quickly, and think of this one – $1.7 billion in cash,” he said, in reference to a decision by the Obama administration to settle a decades-long legal claim with Iran as part of the deal.

Refusing to certify the deal could pave the way for the US to fully withdraw, but analysts say the move could just be a way of putting pressure on Iran.
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was designed to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon.
It lifted some sanctions that stopped Iran from trading on international markets and selling oil.

The lifting of sanctions is dependent on Iran restricting its nuclear programme. It must restrict its uranium stockpile, build no more heavy-water reactors for 15 years, and allow inspectors in to the country.

The US president’s administration has to certify to Congress every 90 days that Iran is upholding its part of the deal. Mr Trump has already recertified it twice.

He has repeatedly said Iran has broken the “spirit” of the deal, although the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Congress agree Iran is complying with the terms of the agreement.

Source: BBC

Ghana will be paying over $400 million for cancelling some Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) signed by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the heat of the power crises during the John Mahama administration.

Following a review of some 28 of such contracts signed in recent years, cabinet has given approval for some to be cancelled and others deferred to 2025 and 2030. Others such as Cen Power and Early power projects have been given the go ahead to start production.

The Akufo-Addo administration sanctioned an audit of all agreements signed in the heat of the power crises which they described as costly and unnecessary.

Deputy Minister for Energy, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, who disclosed this to Starr Business, failed to give a breakdown of the projects which are to be deferred and those to be cancelled.

“We have been able to review the non-renewable energy agreements, close to 28 of them and cabinet has directed what we do with that. We allow some to come on, we defer others until 2025, others will be deferred further until 2030 and there are others that are going to be cancelled”, he said.

He explained that the decision to review these PPAs was to ensure that the country is not paying for power it does not need or use.

According to the minister, “these agreements are take or pay agreements which means that once they build the plants and begin to produce power, whether you use the power or not, you’ll pay for it”.

Dr. Adams, who spoke on the side lines of the 3rd Renewable Energy Fair, under the theme; “RENEWABLE ENERGY: AN ENGINE FOR DISTRIBUTED WEALTH CREATION”, said the cancellation of these contracts could come at a cost of $400 million.

In his defense, however, he said that would be a small cost to pay considering the amount Ghana could be losing if all those plants are allowed to produce power.

“Our peak demand is around 2000 MW but then you have up to 28 power purchasing agreements which give you more than 10,000 MW. And so if you decided to stop all the plants currently producing from producing, and you allow these power purchase agreements to come into force, we’ll have 8,000 MW in excess and that we will pay for whether we use it or not”, he elucidated.

In pushing forward his argument, the co-founder and former Executive Director of the Africa Center for Energy Policy wondered “why do we have to pay liabilities for cancelling these projects? A liability that will cost us about $400million. But which one is better, to cancel and pay liabilities of 400 million or allow them to produce and then you have billions of dollars you have to pay even though you don’t use the power”.

However, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, who was appointed to head a newly created ministry of Power at the peak of the energy crises in 2015, told Starr Business, the contracts which received cabinet, ministerial and parliamentary approval under his tenure were  less than 10.

He therefore concluded that the agreements being referred to by the Energy Ministry could be those initiated by ECG as a company.

“When the ministry was set up, I inherited assets and liabilities in terms of responsibilities and obligations and there were no agreements in parliament at the time that we did not continue or which were abandoned.  Therefore the 28 they are talking about could be draft agreements in my opinion that ECG was engaged in. It would have been work in progress”, he explained.

In April this year, the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia announced that government had saved the country some $300m through the cancellation of 20 PPAs.

He revealed at the time that four others had been reviewed. The president had indicated his preparedness to review a total of 43 PPAs entered into by the ECG in 2016.

Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has announced that inflation rate for September 2017 has dropped to 12.2%, from the 12.3% recorded in August.

The Deputy Government Statistician, Anthony Amusu, speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday said: “The year-on-year food inflation rate for September 2017 was 8.1%, compared with 7.4% recorded in August 2017.

“The year-on-year non-food inflation rate (14.1%) is more than one and half times that of the food inflation rate (8.1%). In September 2017, the year-on-year inflation rate for imported items (13.5%) was 1.9 percentage points higher than that of locally produced items (11.6%).

“The main ‘price drivers’ for the non-food inflation rate were transport (21.9%), recreation and culture (18.7%), furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance (17.6%), clothing and footwear (16.2%) and miscellaneous goods and services (15.4%).

“The ‘price drivers’ for the food inflation rate was fish and sea food (16.1%).

“Seven regions (Upper West, Greater Accra, Brong Ahafo, Western, Ashanti, Eastern and Central) recorded inflation rates higher than the national average of 12.2%.

“Upper West Region recorded the highest year-on-year inflation rate of 13.1%, followed by Greater Accra region (12.8%), while the Volta Region recorded the lowest year-on-year inflation (10.5%) in September 2017.”

Story: Business Desk

On Saturday, October 21 at the National Theatre in Accra, about thirty (30) artistes will gather to thrill music fans at celebration of Becca’s 10th anniversary in music.

These are a mix of top-notch artistes in Ghana and other African countries showing their love for Rebecca Acheampomaa Acheampong at the ‘Becca Unveiled 10 Years and Counting’ concert.

Some of the musicians billed to perform; are M.anifest, Trigmatic, Stonebwoy, Kwabena Kwabena, MzVee, Edem, Mr Eazi, Joyce Blessing, M.I, Patoranking, Ice Prince, Kumi Guitar, Kidi, Obibinii, among others.

The programme which has been merged with Davido’s ’30 Billion’ African Tour at the same premises on the same day will see the ebullient songstress Becca who is celebrating 10 years in the music industry dish out great tunes from a repertoire of her musical works.

Becca is ably managed by Zylofon Media.

Today Arts & Entertainment

…with Edward Blagogee

The Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE), managers of the Quality Bus system (QBS), popularly known as ‘Aayalolo’, will soon extend its operations to Adenta, a suburb of Accra.

The QBS, which started in October 2016, plying the Amasaman to Accra stretch, has been fraught with a lot of challenges, especially with the limited designated lanes.

Over 100 of the 245 Aayalolo buses imported into the country, were reported to be sitting idle since 2016, because other corridors which are supposed to be developed for the QBS are yet to be implemented.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, the GAPTE Communications Manager, Fred Tsidi said some government officials were expected to inspect the facility, located close to Madina on Friday.

“…So we are just ready for the Minister to come in tomorrow [Friday], to inspect the facility and after that, they will determine when we should roll out,” Mr. Tsidi stated.

45 buses are set to be deployed on the Adenta-Accra route, and it would be scaled up gradually, much like the Amasaman to Accra route, which started with 28 buses, but is now up to 58 buses.

The QBS also has plans to deploy from Kasoa to Accra, and is currently in talks with the Senya Municipal Assembly.

The Municipality has located a place around Kasoa where a construction company is used to keep its equipment.

“That is going to be the layover place for the Ayalolo buses. So with that, once we are able to secure that, then Kasoa should be able to roll out,” Mr. Tsidi disclosed.

Lanes’ needed to ensure quality

Mr. Tsidi also downplayed concerns that the Aayalolo buses were behaving like glorified trotros because they were not making use of dedicated lanes.

He insisted that the full benefit of the system will be realized if the encroachment on the designated lanes for the buses is halted, and the relevant government agencies, like the Ministry of Roads and Highways, will be key in solving this problem.

“They [government] would have to create those dedicated lanes for the buses to be deployed. Now if we have the buses sitting down there and if we want to assure people of the quality that we are promising, we need the dedicated lanes from the moving point to destination.”

The QBS was initially envisioned as part of a Bus Rapid Transport system, but the absence or lack of dedicated lanes meant it did not match up to that standard.

Source: Citifmonline

The breast is an essential part of a woman’s body. Its use and importance is not limited to only the bearer, the woman, but also to the society at large. A publication by National Centre for Biotechnological Information (NCBI) describes the breast as, “the most important external identification of femininity…” You could thus imagine the importance women attach to a part of their body that is of such great importance to them.

Apart from the breast’s physical function to humanity, it also symbolises completeness and patience. Its completeness is seen in the nutritious food it provides its young ones. No food is as nutritious and hygienic as the milk produced by the breast, and its uniqueness cannot be replicated in any form. In essence, the whole world is built on a foundation of complete nutrition, courtesy of the breast. Again the breast teaches patience and orderliness in its developmental stages. It takes time to develop in size and shape, and has its own time to produce milk. These are two important values that the world needs – complete health for the world and patience in achieving its growth needs.

It has become necessary to blow a bigger trumpet on the need to save the lives of women because of the startling statistics regarding the rate at which the menace of Breast Cancer is threatening the lives of women. Not only that but also the fact that it is having negative impact on the psychology of women. A news item on Newsghana.com.gh, published November 5, 2015, indicates that “1,110 Ghanaian women die each year as a result of breast cancer.”

Also, a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO), and published by Ghanabusinessnews.com, reveals that, “a total of 2,000 Ghanaian women were diagnosed of breast cancer in the year 2012”; and out of this number, “1,000 of the figure, representing 50 per cent of the cases died.” WHO reveals further that out of “1.7 million women who were diagnosed of the disease worldwide, “500,000, representing 28 per cent died.”

In respect of the psychological effect of the menace on women, a publication by NCBI avers that “the loss of a breast can have devastating psychological effects on a woman.” The publication continues, “A woman who has lost a breast through cancer may feel self-conscious, insecure, inferior to other women, or undesirable to men.” This is the depth of psychological trauma that women experience when they suffer breast cancer.

It is the dream of every girl to grow, having her breast properly positioned to the serve purpose for which it was created. Thus, anything that seems to put this dream in jeopardy puts our women in a devastating state. And in a situation where the human sex ratio is seen to be at par, it is only fair and important that the whole world pays attention to the menace of Breast Cancer on the lives of women.

Now, the question is: Can we live in a world where almost half of the population feels threatened by this menace, without the whole world being affected? Can we live in a world where almost half of the population feels psychologically defeated, and yet the whole population is not affected? Your guess is good as mine. It will never happen.

The role of a woman starts from the day a child is conceived and ends the day that same child dies. The woman is the point through which God sustains procreation. After taking seed, the woman carries the fetus for averagely 9 good months, gives birth, becomes a mother, plays the role of a friend and a wife, and last but not the least, the woman grows to become the grandmother who takes care of the grandchildren in the absence of the young couples.

In a world where women are not spared from working to contribute to the finances of the home, the situation is even worse. The woman doubles as a bread winner and also plays the traditional role of a woman. For these reasons, every society needs women who are physically and psychologically strong to contribute their quota to the growth of its economy. It is therefore safe to say that we need a society that is fairly free of the menace of the breast cancer disease to prosper as a nation.

The health of the woman is tied to every aspect of the growth and prosperity of the society. Take away the contribution of women working class to the economy, and the economy will be found struggling. Take away the motherly role of the woman in the house, and men and fathers have no time and peace of mind to do anything. Take away the motherly role of women and their responsibility to their children, and we will produce a nation of uncultured people. Not only will we produce uncultured generation but also we will produce a generation of people who are unhealthy because they did not get the right balance diet at a time that they needed most. As we all know, productivity of a nation is also dependent on the health of the workforce. And, as has been repeatedly said, a sound mind lives in a sound body.

Our nation and the world can only claim to be rich and healthy when its partner is said to be in good condition and well catered for. Every nation thrives when it is built on a solid foundation -a foundation made of women who are healthy and untroubled by the scare of the breast cancer disease. Let’s make the foundation strong and the structure will survive all difficult environments. When our women are protected against this menace, and are well supported in difficult times, we will create a conducive atmosphere for proper growth to take place.

Our friends, sisters, mothers and partners in the fight against poverty and disease are fighting a menace that poses a threat to their lives. What does a friend do for a friend in need? What does a brother do for a sister in trouble? What does a husband do for a wife in difficulties? What does a son do for the mother? And what does the world do for a partner in difficult times?

A battle becomes easier to win when all forces are put together in a selfless and sacrificial way. The world can only claim to be secure, healthy and rich only when it has succeeded in providing its women security of a healthy life and support in times of trouble. When we save a woman today, we save a generation tomorrow. A healthy breast makes a rich nation. Let’s support Breast Cancer Awareness campaign.

Article: Daniel Ofosu Asamoah

The National Election Commission (NEC) of Liberia, has stated that, contrary to claims on social media and some news portals suggesting a winner has been declared in Tuesday’s election, it has not started releasing provisional results of the elections as yet.

The West African country went to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new president following Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s 12-year reign as Africa’s first female President.

Voters are also picking new lawmakers in the West African Nation’s third post-civil war polls.

On Wednesday, several persons on Twitter and Facebook, without any official or provisional results, started congratulating football legend George Oppong Weah as the winner of the polls.

Twenty persons contested the presidency for which reason the election commission has indicated possibilities of a run-off.

They include former footballer Senator George Weah, Sirleaf’s Vice President Joseph Boakai, former rebel leader Prince Johnson, and the only woman in the race, former model Macdella Cooper.

There are 986 aspirants for the 73 seats in the House of representatives. 2,183,683 people registered to vote, and the elections body reports of a high turnout, although Liberia has a population of about five million.

However, the commission says its attention was drawn to the wave of public radio announcement of unofficial results of the 2017 elections, a situation it says it finds problematic.

The NEC has thus cautioned the general public, political parties and media persons alike, that per Section 2.9(g) of the New Election Law of 1986, only its outfit has the legal mandate to conduct elections and declare results thereof, adding that, when it begins to release provisional results (hopefully Thursday October 12), the process will be done at the NEC MEDIA CENTER, in the full glare of national and international media practitioners, as well as national and international partners and observers.

It said the NEC provisional results will also be posted on its official website:www.necliberia.org, and on its official facebook and twitter accounts.

Meanwhile, the NEC is requesting political parties and independent candidates to send representatives to the Montserrado Tally Center at the SKD Sports Complex in Paynesville, where results of the Tuesday elections are being tallied.

It said the tally begins from 9:00am to 6:00pm daily.

Parliamentarians, as well as members of the House of Representatives, are also expected to be elected.

Liberia Elections 2017

• 20 presidential candidates vying to be new president

• 986 parliamentary aspirants vying for 73 House of Representatives seats

• 2,183,683 registered voters out of 4.6 million population

• 5,390 voting centers, 2080 voting precincts

• Polls open October 10 at 0800 GMT and close at 1800 GMT

Source: Citifmonline

Ghana’s Under-17 team have qualified for the second stage of the ongoing Under-17 World Cup in India.

The Black Starlets beat host nation India by 4 goals to nil at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi to book a place in the Round of 16.

The goal resulted from a great team-work by the Ghanian players as they stretched the India defenders from left flank to right before Captain Eric Ayiah pounched on the chance to score for the Starlets in the 43rd minute.

Eric Ayiah completely unmarked in the box doubled the lead in the 52nd minute and got his second on the day by smashing the ball in from Arko-Mensah’s cutback and that probably ended India’s World Cup journey.

Both the Ghanaian substitutes added their names to the goal sheet.

Richard Danso ran clear of the Indian defence before slotting it calmly past Dheeraj with four minutes to end o proceedings.

A minute later, Emmanuel Toku hits the back of the net from a rebound after Ibrahim Sulley’s shot cannons back off the post.

Ghana thus qualifies by leading Group A with 6 points ahead of Colombia and USA who also have 6 points apiece.

Both teams had played two matches with Ghana winning one and losing one while India were yet to pick their first win in the competition.

Ghana needed a win to progress to the next stage of the competition while India were chasing their first win in a FIFA organised competition.

Ghana will play the 3rd placed team in Groups CDE in the Round of 16 on Wednesday, October 18.

Source: Peacefmonline

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has destroyed 4,500 cartons of unwholesome canned fish that were said to be on transit to Togo, but were diverted onto the Ghanaian market.

The unregistered consignment labeled ‘Asahi’ was imported into the country by Dotsico Ventures.

The exercise was supervised by the police and officials of the FDA at the Achimota Mile Seven Police Station on Wednesday.

The items were later transported to Kpone in Tema where it would be burnt.

Speaking to the Media, the Head of Communications from the FDA, Kames Lartey, said the products were cleared from the port on September 30, and were set to expire in February 2018, according to their labeling.

“We discovered that ‘So Nice mackerel’ and Asahi mackerel were shipped into the country by Dotsisco Ventures, but the documentation covering them indicated that they were on transit to Togo,” he said.

As the consignment was not destined for the Ghanaian market, the authorities at the Tema Port were not required to check the contents of the containers.

‘So Nice’ mackerel alert

The FDA also warned the public against the patronage and consumption of a brand of canned fish named ‘So Nice’ mackerel.

This particular brand slipped through the fingers of the FDA, as three of 20-foot containers of the imported products have been transported to Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale.

But post-market surveillance by the FDA has already led to the detention of 500 cartons of the ‘So Nice’ mackerel.

The Authority maintains that, it cannot vouch for the wholesomeness of the product because it did not pass through approved safety and health checks at the Tema Port before it was cleared on October 2, 2017.

According to Mr. Lartey, the owner of the product, Kofi Dotsi, claimed that it was also not meant for the Ghanaian market and that it was on transit to Togo.

However, he said, immediately the owner cleared the product, he allegedly diverted it for distribution on the local market.

Source: Citifmonline

Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger has seemingly been duped by false reports that former football star George Weah had won Liberia’s presidential election, even though the final results have not yet been announced.

Mr Wenger said: “I would like to congratulate one of my former players, who became president of Liberia.”

He coached Mr Weah at French club Monaco in the 1990s.

Mr Weah was among 20 presidential candidates in Tuesday’s election.

The former Fifa World Footballer of the Year failed in his two previous attempts but is one of the front-runners to replace President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

However, most analysts expect it to go to a second round, as a candidate needs more than 50% of the votes for outright victory.

False reports of Mr Weah’s victory about have been circulating on social media but it is not clear why Wenger thought he had won.

“It is not often that you have a former player who becomes a president of a country,” Wenger said.

“Well done George and I would say just for him to keep his enthusiasm and his desire to learn and to win,” he added.

Official results have still not been announced even though the head of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Jerome Kokoya, had told the BBC that he expected the first results to be announced by 23:00 GMT on election night.

One of Liberia’s leading political parties, the Liberty Party, has called for a halt in announcing results, citing alleged irregularities.

Source: BBC

When politics divides a nation, it is the media, civil society, religious organizations, academia and independent constitutional bodies such as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and academia; that must act to hold it together.

When these institutions take sides, but pretend to be neutral, objective or independent in the operation of their mandates, they promote unobtrusive but deeper divisions and exclusions that are more difficult to deal with than the obvious ones. In Rwandan, the conditions for genocide were “nurtured” for 40 years but it took only 90 days to claim close to a million lives.

While it is true that only two political parties have governed the country under the forth republican dispensation, it is unconstitutional for any group or individual to overtly or covertly, deliberately or inadvertently, be seen to be promoting in words and or deeds a two party state, when the constitution of the republic clearly prescribes a multi-party representative democracy.

Last Tuesday, October 10 2017, the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) called on the Electoral Commission’s Chairperson, Mrs. Charlotte Osei and her two deputies to resign to allow for investigations into criminal allegations and counter criminal allegations they had made against each other in the conduct of the 2016 general elections.

The PPP made the call at a press conference to mark what the party believes to be the darkest day in Ghana’s democracy. It is recalled that on October 10, 2016, the party’s Presidential candidate, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom was wrongfully disqualified by the EC in the run up to the elections.

The misguided conduct of the EC, which the PPP believes was premeditated and orchestrated to eliminate the party from the race to make it a two horse race between the NDC and NPP, forms part of a grand agenda to make Ghana a two party state.

It may be understandable for the two parties, NDC and NPP to desire a two party state, as they would be assured of governing the country at one point or the other. However, when the independent electoral body becomes part of the conspiracy to subvert the constitution to make the country a two party state, they must be confronted in no uncertain terms.

Although the courts were called upon to right the wrong, the three weeks that the PPP’s top ticket campaign was suspended disadvantaged it beyond measure. The damage was fatal, as those who created the disqualification condition managed to convince the electorate that the PPP was out of the race. Some traditional authorities, civil society organisations, policy think tanks, academics, clergy, media and so called political analysts unfortunately followed the EC blindly in in the misguided conduct. It was indeed the darkest day in Ghana’s democracy.

I am convinced beyond measure that the current leadership of the EC do not deserve to be where they are. They have lost the moral compass and cannot under any circumstances trusted to lead the independent electoral commission. They must do the needful. Resign to save our multi-party democracy!

The Last Uprising

…with William Doworkpor

The Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC), has appealed to the government to undertake a thorough examination of the Atomic Junction Gas explosion before it comes out with a national policy on fire outbreaks at the pumps.

The Atomic Junction gas explosion, which occurred on Saturday, claimed the lives of seven people, injuring over a hundred others.

Following the explosion, scores of students of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), on Monday staged a demonstration on campus against the siting of a fuel station close to the school.

Similar protests have taken place in other areas in Accra. The government has indicated that it will come out with some decisions at cabinet, to deal address the situation, and prevent such fires in thee future.

Speaking at a press conference today [Thursday], the CEO of the AOMC, Kwaku Agyemang-Duah, urged the government not to succumb to panic reactions from a section of the public, but come out with a holistic policy.

“The unparalleled marauding, demonstrations against some legitimate retail outlets and hitting the panic button “exemplified” by the wanton closure of retail outlets in a rambo style by some unrepentant MMDCEs in an industry regulatory by specific bodies, is unwarranted and must be condemned with all the attempt it deserves,” he said.

“This has innate results of culminating in chaos and anarchy in the society and inflaming passion among the citizenry thereby creating disaffection for OMCs/LPGMs,” he warned.

Mr. Agyemang-Duah stated that, OMCs/LPGMs are neither ‘monsters’ nor ‘criminals’, but are Ghanaians making a living by legally investing in the petroleum industry.

“Some marketers have their administrative offices within the confines of such outlets. Therefore, our intent to have a safe operation of our outlets cannot be in doubt,” he maintained.

Mr. Agyemanag-Duah suggested that, the situation rather calls for a sober deep-seated thought, through unbiased and unfettered investigations to unearth the root causes, and furnish the nation with sustained corrective and preventive actions, which will inform the public in a positive manner, whilst consolidating or improving the existing industry standards for public safety.

Source: Citifmonline