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Thursday, May 7, 2015

Single free trade zone for africa in 2016

Twenty six African states including Ghana are working towards the removal of trade barriers for a single trade zone for the continent by 2016. A final meeting to approve the Africa Free Trade Zone (AFTZ) treaty is scheduled for June, after which citizens of member states would travel and trade without visa. Mr Ahmed Haggag, a former Assistant Secretary General, Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) told journalists at the 45th training course for Young African Journalists in Cairo, Egypt. The training course is under the auspices of the Union of African Journalists (UAJ) aimed at offering opportunity to young journalists to share ideas and help find solutions to challenges facing Africa. Mr Haggag said the treaty would also allow citizens of the 26 African states to work freely in any of the member states. He noted that the physical borders erected by colonial masters were major causes of the continent’s dwindling economic fortunes and was happy Africa’s dream of a single free trade zone would materialise next year “hopefully”. “If we consider ourselves as Africans, we should be able to trade among ourselves irrespective of the physical borders and I’m happy next year, Ghanaians can bring their cocoa and other local products to Egypt without any restrictions,” Mr Haggag stated. He expressed optimism that free trade among African states could address high unemployment rate on the continent and reposition Africa as an economic giant. Mr Haggag also believed the treaty would bring to end, issues of ill-treatment meted out to Africans working in member states. He said the future looked bright for the continent and urged the “AU Border Committee” to work towards the removal of artificial borders to further facilitate trade and social cohesion en route for Africa Unity. Mr Haggag expressed concern about the mad-rush for agricultural lands on the continent by Europeans and called on Africa heads of states to address the “abnormality”. A single free trade zone spanning the length of the continent had been a long time dream with some African heads of states unsure its benefits. The recent signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union also threatened Africa’s economic integration but trading blocks on the continent are optimistic AFTZ, consisting of 26 countries with a GDP of an estimated $ 624bn (£382.9bn) would ease access to markets.

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West Africa Stock Exchange integration likely this year - GSE MD Ekow Afedzie3 Mr Ekow Afedzie, Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange Listen to the Article The final phase of the integration of key stock exchanges across the West African region to facilitate cross-border listing and region-wide securities trading is likely to take off this year, Mr Ekow Afedzie, Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, has said. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the maiden World Bank Group J-CAP conference on Capital Markets in Abidjan, Mr Afedzie said the integration of the stock markets in West Africa was on course. "So, we are in the second phase where we have the West African Regulators Association approving the documents and the rules. Now we are seeking ECOWAS recognition for what is being done so that it can bind all of us together. That is the stage we are now. Then we can move to the implementation stage this year," he said. The initiative, which is being developed by the West African Capital Markets Integration Council (WACMIC), will integrate the capital markets with member exchanges including the Nigeria Stock Exchange, the Ghana Stock Exchange, and the Bourse Regionale de Valeurs Mobilieres (BRVM), which serves eight francophone West African countries, and Cape Verde. He said the first phase of the three-prong integration agenda, which is the sponsored access for stockbroking, had been completed. "The second phase which is the qualifying broker qualification is what is key to us. At that level we harmonize all our rules both for listing, Initial Public Offerings, and claims settlement in order to be able to allow brokers, who qualify by meeting certain requirements to be able to trade across the region," Mr Afedzie said. The third phase, which is the implementation stage, involves linking members' exchanges to a virtual West African securities market. Qualified West African brokers will then be able to access the listed securities and market information in the region to allow them to execute transactions, while issuers will be able to raise capital across the region too. "So, if you are a broker in Nigeria and you meet the requirements and you are given the recognition you can trade across," Mr Afedzie added. Touching on the J-CAP conference, Mr Afedzie said it offered useful insight into how countries could leverage capital markets to spur growth and economic development. He said the conference provided enough ingredients that would make capital markets successful, especially in dealing with the cultural factors, which prevent many entrepreneurs from going public with their business to allow others to join in. There was also a lesson on encouraging small and medium enterprises to issue bonds to spur growth, especially for entrepreneurs unwilling to share their businesses with others. "So, overall it is a useful programme, where they look at all facets of the capital market and everything that we can do for the markets to grow," Mr Afedzie added. On his part, Dr Adu Anane Antwi, a former Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said a great lesson from the conference was the call on the Stock Exchanges to encourage domestic investments as they cannot always relied on foreign investors. The two-day capital markets conference held on the theme: 'Capital Markets: Investing for Growth' is focused on the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), which is made up of eight countries. Government and industry leaders from across five different continents participated in the conference to discuss the most important trends, challenges, and opportunities for WAEMU's capital markets. The World Bank and IFC launched the Joint Capital Markets program ("J-CAP") initiative in mid-2017 to affirm their commitment to the development of local capital markets. The programme mobilizes experts across the World Bank Group to unlock synergies and create systemic impact in funding strategic sectors of the economy. J-CAP is initially focused on six target countries—Bangladesh, Kenya, Morocco, Peru, Vietnam, Indonesia —as well as the region of the West African Economic & Monetary Union. Source: yourpraise and inspirations

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ADVERTISEMENT:- HTTPS://GAMAMEDICALMUSSION.BLOGSPOT.COM 12 Business NewsThu, 30 Jan 2020 AngloGold Ashanti to contribute US$2 for every ounce produced to develop communities Akufo Addo At First Gold Pour Of Anglogold President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Listen to the Article President Akufo-Addo says the AngloGold Ashanti Limited has agreed it will contribute US$2 for every ounce of gold produced into a Community Trust Fund, over the lifespan of its Obuasi Mine to facilitate development projects in the local communities of the area. According to him, a one-off contribution of US$250,000 has been paid into the Trust Fund to develop these local communities ahead of the company’s commencement of gold production at the mine. “Government will also work with AngloGold Ashanti Limited to ensure that all social and environmental concerns, with respect to the reclamation and restoration of the mine sites, are satisfactorily addressed, and these areas put back to good use for the benefit of the communities within the catchment areas,” he said. The President speaking at the commemoration of the first gold pour of the Anglogold Ashanti Obusai Mine on January 29 said government will prioritize the enhancement of local content in the mining industry in Ghana "Government is engaging closely with the Anglogold Ashanti to ensure that the Obuasi Redevelopment Project places a premium on local content, with a greater percentage of capital being spent in-country," he stated. "Preference should be given to Ghanaian companies in the procurement of goods and services in the supply value-chain, from the large-value underground mining contracts, through petroleum supply, to catering and security contracts. Ghanaian professionals must also be prioritized for employment opportunities, and localisation policies fully implemented to the letter. I am aware that the current promoters of this mine are committed to this goal," he added. The Obuasi Mine, managed by the AngloGold Ashanti on Wednesday, January 29 returned to productivity after its first gold pour since 2014. Additionally, a mechanized underground mine has been established to enable AngloGold Ashanti to mine a 30-million-ounce ore body over the next two decades. The mine will primarily produce at the rate of 2,000 tons per day, and scaling-up to 4,000 tons per day by year-end. It also is expected to produce an average of 350,000 ounces of gold per annum for the first ten years, and 400,000 ounces per annum over the remaining lifespan of the mine. YOUR PRAISE AND INSPIRAZION

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Ghana signsoU with Israel to strengthen cybersecurity Ursula Israel2 Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful led Ghana’s delegation Listen to the Article The Minister of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has led Ghana’s delegation to take part in the three-day CyberTech Global 2020 conference which took place last week in Tel Aviv, Israel from 28-30 January 2020. The delegation was made up of representatives of the National Cyber Security Centre, National Communications Authority, National Information Technology Agency and members of the Ghanaian business community. This year’s conference on cybersecurity, under the banner CyberTech 2020, attracted high-level government officials, technocrats, experts and business leaders from across the world to deliberate on common challenges facing their countries/organisations and devise strategic policies to combat cybercrime worldwide. During the conference, the Minister of Communications, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the Government of the State of Israel, represented by Israel’s Minister of Communications, Mr David Amsalem, and Mr Yigal Unna, Head of the Israel National Cybersecurity Directorate. The agreements focus on co-operation to strengthen cybersecurity and co-operation between the two countries in the fields of telecommunications, post and information technologies. To boost co-operation to strengthen cybersecurity between the two countries, the MoU recognises that the proper functioning and security of the digital environment (including the internet) are essential to the performance of economies and societies, and stimulate growth, innovation, well-being and inclusiveness. The MoU also highlights the role of public and private organisations in managing cybersecurity risks, as well as the pivotal role of governments in developing and deploying policy measures, tools, regulatory and operational responses to mitigate cybersecurity risk. It provides opportunities for capacity-building which will complement the work that the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Communications, has already started. Ghana will also be able to explore areas of cooperation and seek further ways of sharing and exchanging information, especially on cybersecurity incidents, as an “early warning system” which threatens the digital ecosystem. Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful noted that technology and processes alone are not enough to protect the citizens of Ghana and Israel and stressed the need to develop the necessary human resource base to support the processes. Ghana therefore would seek support from Israeli universities and institutions, the Minister said, to train Ghanaian officials by means of academic exchanges and professional development courses. She added: “This MoU is a perfect mechanism to achieve this important goal for the Government of Ghana.” The Minister also said the MoU is expected to further support Ghana’s development in cybersecurity, as the proposed Cybersecurity Bill is expected to be passed into law this year, as well as fully operationalize the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy. It is envisaged that the MoU will complement national efforts, especially in the area of cybersecurity research and development, towards achieving self-reliance and building exports of cybersecurity products and services in the sub-region, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said. Under cooperation in the fields of telecommunications, post and information technologies, both countries agreed on the basis of equity, reciprocity and mutual benefit to develop telecommunications and postal services between the two countries, in accordance with the provisions in the MoU. The MoU is also expected to facilitate further discussions between Ghana and the State of Israel on the development of telecommunications and information technologies. The Ministry of Communications has taken certain steps in the past three years to scale up cybersecurity across all sectors of the Ghanaian economy. The Government has established both a computer emergency response team (CERT) and a security operations centre (SOC) for both the telecommunications and financial sectors: two critical areas of the digital ecosystem. Other critical factors such as the Police Service, the military and national security services, which depend on information-sharing to defend Ghana against cybersecurity threats and cybercrime, will soon be added to the CERT and SOC projects. To create and enhance awareness, Ghana has launched a National Cyber Security Awareness Programme – “A Safer Digital Ghana” – and the initiative has led to citizens’ increased awareness of the four focus areas of the campaign: children, public, businesses and government. In 2019 alone, more than 39,000 students from second-cycle institutions across all 16 regions of Ghana were sensitised under this initiative. To facilitate incident reporting by the public, Ghana launched a National Cybercrime/Cybersecurity Incident Reporting Point of Contact (PoC) on 1 October 2019. Furthering the goal of international cooperation, ADVERTISEMENT HTTPS://GAMAMEDICALMISSION.BLOGSPOT.COM Ghana has ratified the Convention on Cybercrime, also known as the Budapest Convention, becoming the 62nd state party and the fifth African country to sign the agreement. Ghana has also ratified the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, becoming only the third country in Africa to ratify the convention after Mauritius and Senegal. The MoU with the State of Israel will further scale up Ghana’s readiness in relation to cybersecurity, especially regarding the protection of critical national information infrastructure.

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The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) to strengthen their common interest in collaborating to support the development of the capital market in Ghana. ADVERTISEMENT-: HTTPS://GAMAMEDICALMISSION.BLOGSPOT.COM As part of this MOU, LSEG will assist the GSE to take steps to move from a frontier market to an emerging market, support cross-listing between the LSE and GSE and raise awareness of capital raising opportunities. The two institutions will establish a centralised corporate news dissemination platform in Ghana to promote efficient disclosure practices and price formation and also to support future public market fund raising for the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF). A statement from the Ghana Stock Exchange said both institutions had the desire to assist Ghanaian businesses to raise capital and support business growth both domestically and internationally. As part of the MOU, the GSE and the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) would sign a commercial contract with the LSEG Academy to provide series of capacity building programmes to supports product development and market diversity in Ghana. These capacity building programmes are designed to support aspects of Ghana’s Capital Market Plan, which focused on building key competences to develop a green, social and sustainable bond market. Commenting on the deal, Mr. Ekow Afedzie, Managing Director of GSE, said, “This is a very historic moment as the GSE today will sign an MOU with the largest stock market in the world. It is also significant because after 30 years of operating as a stock market in Ghana, the GSE will be working to join the league of emerging markets thereby promoting market confidence and attracting global investors.” He said the GSE was committed to promoting the government of Ghana’s transformational agenda of making Ghana a regional financial hub and positioning it as an International Financial Service Centre. Rev Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, Director General of the SEC, also noted “‘I wish to put on record that the Securities and Exchange Commission - Ghana is particularly delighted on the occasion of the signing of this MOU between the London Stock Exchange and the Ghana Stock Exchange. The timing is opportune as we have recently completed our 10-year Capital Market Master Plan and are about to commence the implementation. A key outcome of this partnership between LSE and GSE is for Ghana to progress into the ranks of emerging markets and we are happy to note that a lot of the initiatives that have been identified under the partnership will complement the four pillars under our Capital Market Master Plan.’ President Nana Akufo-Addo, was present to witness the signing. Other high ranking government officials present included; the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana High Commissioner to UK, Papa Owusu Ankomah, UK Minister for Africa, Mr. Andrew Stephenson MP, Dr. Ernest Addison, Governor of BOG, Mr. Anselm Ray Sowah, MD, GCB Bank Ltd and Council Member of the Ghana Stock Exchange, Rev. Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, Director General of SEC, other Ministers of State and officials from GSE, SEC and GIIF. This is absolutely for your praise, inspirations , promotions and speedy permanent financing only

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The British High Commissioner His Excellency Iain Walker and the Deputy Minister of Defence, Derrick Oduro, in the presence of a number of Senior Ghanaian Military, will open the newly refurbished, with UK funding, ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone F Operations and Training Rooms at the MMCC Zone F Headquarters, Christianborg Castle, Osu-Accra on 10 February 2020. ADVERTISEMENT-:HTTPS://GAMAMEDICALMUSSION.BLOGSPOT.COM The opening marked the beginning of a two-week human development course on the subject of Maritime Domain Awareness, being delivered in conjunction with the United Kingdom. The training forms part of the UK Government’s partnership, bringing effective collaboration, coordination and cooperation between Zone F states and the shipping industry. This ECOWAS MMCC Zone F course is being delivered by instructors from the Royal Navy, UK Police and Border Force Officers. It is designed for staff and operators from the MMCC and National Maritime Operation Centres (MOCs), with 32 students from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo attending. It will provide Maritime Law enforcement officials, cross-border staff and commercial maritime actors with the skills to monitor, gather information and profile of vessels of interest. These include merchant vessels, fishing vessels, oil and gas platforms and support vessels. As well as developing individual skills, the overall outcome of the course will be a network of stakeholders able to develop and share a maritime operating picture. This trusted network of personnel with enhanced skills in maritime threat comprehension and communication will be able to help the regional fight against maritime criminality and support the work of maritime law enforcement and regulatory agencies in the Gulf of Guinea. The UK and Ghana are close, long-standing defence partners. Our modern defence partnership is helping to preserve border and maritime security in the region, underpinning Ghana’s ambitions as a regional economic hub, and bringing security to Africa through international peacekeeping efforts. The UK has a long and proud history with the Ghana Navy and recognises the crucial role it has to play as a regional leader in Maritime Security, and as host to the ECOWAS MMCC Zone F. Its work, and the close cooperation between Ghana and its ECOWAS coastal neighbours, has been strengthened further since the signing of the ECOWAS Maritime Zone F Memorandum of Understanding, in July 2019.

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Ghana And Germany Delegations The project will contribute to Ghana’s climate change mitigation strategy Ghana and Germany have launched a 400 KW hybrid waste-to-energy (w2e) power plant to treat urban solid waste in the country. The kick-off and groundbreaking ceremony, held on Tuesday in Accra, thus, paved the way to the beginning of the construction of the Plant to be situated in Atwima Nwabiagya in the Ashanti Region. The pilot project is being embarked upon against the background of Ghana’s quest to find long term solution to the menace of solid waste by treating and generating power from the treated waste. Additionally, the project is expected to help close the carbon cycle by developing the value chain of the process with the production and utilization of compost, which would be sold to farmers to boost agriculture and cut down on mineral fertilizer whilst improving the soil structure. Speaking at the ceremony in Accra, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, said the Plant was expected to be built and operated within four years as a pilot, after which 10 or more are expected to be built within the next 10 to 20 years in different regions. Under the project, the Minister explained, the “sun and other biodegradable materials would be used to create and generate energy and biogas while plastics and other things would go through paralysis to also produce energy. “We are involving all the universities that are engaged in energy production and the research institutions as well, who are expected to help lay the foundation that would help Ghana build its own energy systems in a few years’ time”, he said. “It is an environmental and sanitation project, which would help us clean our environment and generate energy that would compromise solar and would involve various sector Ministries, including the Local Government, Agriculture, Education, Energy and Sanitation”. The Minister described the project as a reflection of Ghana-German cooperation, which was also tightening relationship between the two countries. He said the universities had a critical role to play to ensure that Ghana was able to turn its raw materials that were becoming a menace into a better source of alternative. ADVERTISEMENT :- HTTPS://GAMAMEDICALMISSION.BLOGSPOT.COM Mr Christoph Retzlaff, the German Ambassador said the project was being funded by the German government with an amount of six million Euros and would help create 50 new jobs in the Ashanti Region. “We intend to partner our Ghanaian counterparts to set up 10 more hybrid waste to energy plants in Ghana and these would create about 1,000 new jobs in and be a sustainable solution for the waste disposable problems in the country” he said.. “It would save a lot of emissions and about 800,000 tonnes of harmful emissions could be save each year”. The project would also enhance human resource capacity building, high level of research and development. The German Government through the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) being represented by the Project Management Agency Julich, was collaborating with other universities, in both Ghana and Germany, to undertake the project that has the West African Science Centre on Climate Change and Advanced Land Use (WASCAL), based in Ghana, as the main implementer. The project is also expected to create opportunity for German Small Medium Enterprises to take advantage and extend their products and services in the area of waste to energy in Ghana. It would contribute to Ghana’s climate change mitigation strategy as well as to the inclusion of renewable energy.

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Israel to support tourism and agriculture development in Volta Region Israeli Ambassador To Ghana, Shani Cooper Shani Cooper, Israeli Ambassador to Ghana Ms Shani Cooper, Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra-Leone has pledged the support of the Israeli Government to the development of agriculture and tourism in the Volta Region. She said the potentials for the growth of both sectors in the Region were enormous and would require strategic and dedicated investment to enhance economic development. ADVERTISEMENT HTTPS://GAMAMEDICALMISSION.BLOGSPOT.COM Ms Cooper said this when she paid a courtesy call on the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archbald Yao Letsa on Friday. She mentioned agriculture, technological innovation and diaspora affairs as areas the Israeli Government sought collaboration with the Government of Ghana. Ms Cooper said in promoting agriculture and tourism, the Region had to promote research and development with the establishment of a dedicated university, and called for the investment of four per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) into research and development. The Ambassador added that the Israeli Government would liaise with the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) for scholarships for students in agro-studies. Dr. Letsa expressed gratitude to the Israeli Government for the supports and said a significant number of students from the region were already benefiting from some programmes. He said more tourist sites and attractions were being discovered in the Region, and welcomed the Israeli Government’s commitment to developing them

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The Ho Airport will soon be handed over for use following the completion of major construction works on the facility.

The $25million project was funded by the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) to boost economic activities and tourism in the Volta Region.

The Minister of Aviation, Madam Cecilia Dapaah who paid a working visit to inspect the facility ahead of its commissioning on Thursday, expressed satisfaction at the work done by the contractors, Amandi Holding Limited; and urged the Volta Regional Coordinating Council to develop a business plan to market the airport.

The project, which was scheduled for completion in September 2016, has 1,900 metres runway, traffic control tower, 1,150 capacity passenger waiting area, an ultramodern airbus terminal and an automatic fire detection system.

The airport, with the slogan, “Ho Airport, the New Destination” is expected to host domestic and commercial flights and open up the region for growth.

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The http://charlesonsjournal.blogspot.com is looking for work-study volunteers to manage our orphanage in Africa ,Asia ,Europe ,Latin America , west indian&medio orient and be friends and teachers to our children. By bringing together disadvantaged children and volunteers from across the world, there is a learning opportunity for both. As both sides discover more about each other, their lives and their cultures and go on to teach their own friends what they learned in this exchange, we hope to create a world of greater understanding and compassion.

Our Center works especially with the hill tribes, the indigenous people who live in the tumultuous borderlands . The hill tribes face many challenges, and it is part of our mission to arm our children with the skills, attitudes and knowledge that they will need to have equal opportunities in their future . Work

CharlesonsJournalInternational needs people with all skills. No matter your experience, whether a student or retired professional, needs you. At the centre, work-study volunteers divide their time between playing with and teaching the children and working on international projects . The centre host English, computer and math classes, and the children often seek tutoring for their homework, all tasks which work-study volunteers take part in. The CharlesonsJournal International {CJI} work study program is an intensive learning experience. It provides you with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working with an international non-profit and in myriad scenes of poverty. All volunteers participate on one or more of our international task teams such as university relations, photography and child watch. To qualify to serve at a centre, volunteers must complete 12 hours of work on one of the teams, and they continue to participate on the team once at the centre. In the rare case where you lack the ability to complete these hours but possess certain trade skills in agriculture, construction or others needed at one of our centres, you may be exempt from these pre-trip hours. If this is the case, be sure to immediately get in contact with the centre director to discuss your situation and possible alternative tasks. It is important to note that these are intensive experiences. Even before your arrival at the center, you must work 12 hours on international tasks to demonstrate your work ethic. Once at the center, CJI requires its work-study volunteers to work eight hours a day on at-center and international tasks, six day a week. There is time to sightsee and tour the nation, but work is always the first priority.CJI depends on its volunteers to function and to love the children. If you are not prepared to devote this time to work, you should look elsewhere for your service experience. Upon the completion of your term of service at the center, you will receive an CJI Certificate of Graduation from our CEOi. The certificate will detail your work and experiences while at the center and grade your performance.

Cost: CJI is committed to offering a flexible, affordable service experience. Upon acceptance as a work-study volunteer, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of USD $75 which will be credited toward your weekly fee upon arrival. Once at the center, work-study volunteers pay only USD $75 per week for the first four weeks, USD $55 per week for the fifth through twelfth weeks, and nothing from the thirteenth week on. These costs are to cover and room and board, both very simple.

Volunteer Type: Building schools, community development, childcare/children, culture, curriculum planning, disability issues, economic development education, English teaching, health, health care, health education, homelessness, hospital, housing, human rights, literacy, marketing, medicine, nutrition, orphans, popular education, primary education, street kids, teaching, women, water, writing, youth, youth development, academic reinforcement, AIDS/HIV, appropriate technology

Typical Volunteer: Our volunteers have a passion for immersion in foreign cultures, an openness to new experiences and flexible approach to work. At our centres they will work with local staff and directly with the local population in conditions very different from the Western world. Special projects constantly arise, from moving food during famine feeds to monitoring children during breaks. Our volunteers have a lot of say in what they do and designing projects as long as it is approved by the director and promotes the mission of CJI Available To Participants: World wide Typical Living Arrangement: Group living Participants Travel: Independently Typically Participants Work: Independently or in groups, depending on site Application Requires: Resume, online application Qualifications: Before beginning to serve at a center, all work-study volunteers are required to complete 12 hours of online work with our international task teams such as Community Outreach, Fundraising and Photography. Volunteers with CJI must speak English fluently and have a great attitude. They must also be mature, responsible, team players, fast learners, flexible and interested in global change through education and service.

Most importantly, our volunteers must have an open heart and a willingness to help others and a passion to make a difference!

Mission Statement: CJI focuses on educating and feeding children who come from the most marginalized and disadvantaged backgrounds. CJI has set up orphanages . We seek to provide a way for children to get an education that they desperately desire and are not able to receive. By educating and teaching these children that they are significant and competent, we also teach them that everyone has a voice that matters. CJI promotes self-sufficiency in the communities we work in, primarily focusing on the education, nutrition, and care of children.CJI encourages understanding and caring between people of all nations and religions in order to better prepare the leaders of future generations. We believe that by promoting communication and understanding between students from the poorest of the poor and students in America, we will all be better educated by this exchange. We desire for every student in the United States to have communication with students abroad who are different both culturally and socioeconomically, in order for all students to be educated about the world they live in

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6 Reasons Humor is Great at Work and In Life in General

Laughter is a great medicine and can be the great way deal with many of our problems in personal as well as professional life. A good sense of humor is probably the best quality that a human being can possess because it not only make you feel happy and positive about life but also gives you a great strength to deal with difficult life situations. It will not only fill your heart with joy but also bring a smile on someone else’s face. People who have a good sense of humor are more likely to become successful in their professional life because they always enjoy what they do and are more capable of taking up tough challenges and accomplish their goals. Humor gives you the power to work through stress, resentment, anger and conflict which can often hamper your efficiency at work. When you perform to your optimum capacity you achieve success and also popular among your colleagues as well as managers. Humor can be your best friend to deal with the most difficult situations in life. Fire can never be extinguished with fire and you need water to do that. Humor is like water which can douse the fire which is difficult circumstances of life. Here are 6 reasons why humor can be a great asset at work as well as life in general: 1) Humor Can Make You Easier to Work With People who have a great sense of humor are usually are easier with work with. You would be popular among your co workers as well as managers as you would hardly ever lose temper and also keep people around you happy. When you are always happy and trying to also make others around you smile the other person will feel at ease to work alongside you. Humor can be great icebreaker in stressful situations and diffuse conflicts even before they start. It can also help to build trust at workplace and improve teamwork which in turn boosts productivity. You should be careful not to cross the line and hurt someone’s feeling while having some fun. Humor which is non discriminatory and not targeted at anyone works best and makes you popular at your workplace. People who say that they hate their job hardly have any sense of humor and never have any fun at work. This means that they work under stressful conditions on a daily basis which makes them hate their job, work environment and even colleagues. You should start using humor and see what a great difference it can make. 2) Humor Can Help Build Successful Relationships Humor can be a great quality to have when you are in a relationship and working on taking it to the next level and making it a successful one. We all love people who can make us laugh and if you are in a love with someone who has a great sense of humor you would certainly consider building a committed and long term relationship with them. Humor can lighten up a dull day and make you feel positive even in the most challenging phases of life. People with a good sense of humor are preferred as soul mates and life partners as they can make you smile even under most stressful circumstances. Many people even choose their partners for dating or marriage based on how humorous they are as it ensures that they can always smile and be happy in their relationship.

Ambassador To U.S. Presents Credentials To President Obama

Ghana has expressed her satisfaction and appreciation for the support the United States of America (USA) has given to her budding democracy which has been touted one of the most successful on the African continent. His Excellency Lt. Gen. Joseph Henry Smith, Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States of America, expressed the sentiment when he presented his letters of Credence to President Barack Obama of the United States of America at a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, November 18, 2014. Ghana’s relationship with the United States, remain warm and cordial, he said, adding that in recent years, it has blossomed into a dynamic one spreading into several areas of mutual interest, deepening political, economic and cultural ties between the US and Ghana. Ambassador Smith said Ghana and the US continue to work together on wide range of issues such as economic growth and development, democracy and good governance and peace and security and improving the state of bilateral relations between the two countries. His Excellency, Lt Gen. Smith emphasised Ghana’s commitment to the values of democracy, such as the respect for human rights, good governance, rule of Law, freedom of the press, an independent judiciary, accountability and strong institutions of State. He commended the US for the various initiatives it has taken to improve the lives of people on the African continent such as Feed the Future, the young African Leaders initiative and power Africa, which are all geared to help educate and prepare the youth of Africa as the next generation of leaders. Ambassador Smith also commended President Obama for hosting the US-African Leaders’ Summit, saying it was indicative of the growing importance of Africa on the global stage and the realization by the US administration of the gains to be derived from such relationship. On the successful completion of the first Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC), the Ambassador expressed Ghana’s appreciation to the government and people of the US and thanked the US President for the second MCC signed on Tuesday, August 5, 2014 at the cost of 498 million dollars to revamp Ghana’s energy sector. He said the second compact falls in line with Government of Ghana’s vision of becoming the energy hub of the sub-region and will also enable the government meet its commitment of increasing power generation to meet domestic consumption as well as demands by neighbouring countries. Ambassador Smith was full of praise for President Obama and conveyed the appreciation of His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama for the US’s handling of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), which is devastating the three countries at the centre of the disease. The Government of Ghana, he said, is convinced that with the assistance and collaboration of the US government and the International Community, the sub-region will be in a position to stop the spread of the deadly virus. Ambassador Smith assured President Obama of his commitment to ensuring the strengthening of the already cordial relations that exists between Ghana and the US during his tenure. Receiving the credentials of His Excellency Lt. Gen. J. H. Smith as Ghana’s Ambassador to the US, President Barack Obama described Ghana as a beacon of democracy and a model for openness and transparency. Ghana’s election as Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), presents an excellent platform for Ghana to play an even greater regional leadership role, he said. President Obama said Ghana’s commitment to regional security by deploying peacekeepers to numerous conflict zones, including Mali, makes her a key US partner on security initiatives in the region and that the US can count on Ghana’s support on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, combatting human trafficking and strengthening regional maritime security. He said the US is proud to have Ghana as a partner in the new initiatives announced during the historic US-African Leaders’ Summit which include security governance initiative, the African peacekeeping rapid response partnership and the early warning and response partnership. President Obama said the signing of the second Compact worth 498 million dollars with Ghana during the August Summit advances his partnership for growth and power Africa initiatives in Ghana and cements the US’s development partnership with President John Mahama, the Government and people of Ghana. The US government, private sector, academic institutions and civil society organisations remain vital partners in strengthening Ghana’s proud international standing, the US President said, adding “I look forward to working with you to advance our common agenda and deepen the strong and abiding friendship of our countries”. Source: Information section Ghana Embassy Washington DC

ECOWAS urges consolidation of peace in sub-region

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Hanna Tetteh on expressed the need for the West African sub-region to consolidate the peace to forestall the rising threats to the democratic processes and peace.She said with five West African states- Nigeria, Togo, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso- going to polls in 2015, it is important that all obstacles to peace and political stability are dealt with decisively and timeously.Addressing the 33rd Meeting of the Mediation and Security Council of ECOWAS in Abuja, Ms Tetteh who is the Chairperson of the Council said efforts should not be spared to anticipate and quell any situation that would threaten the economic and social progress of the sub-region.She noted that challenges to peace and security in parts of the region are gradually reducing as a result of several regional integration processes and interventions geared at achieving peace, security and economic development.“We have positive indications that the work on peace and security in our sun-region will see great progress and will further enhanced by the work we are about to do here”, she said.The meeting, a prelude to the ECOWAS Heads of State Summit scheduled for Monday, December 15, is aimed at reflecting on practical steps on consolidating development, democracy, peace and stability in West Africa.President John Dramani Mahama, ECOWAS Chairman would address the Summit, where it is expected that the Heads of State would append their signature to the Economic Partnership Agreement with Europe.Ms Tetteh gave the assurance that ECOWAS would continue to play a lead role in the process of ensuring that the security situation in Burkina Faso and the Sahel-Sahara region is resolved.She expressed appreciation to member countries and the Authority of head of States, as well as the UN and AU representatives for their efforts at ensuring the region “becomes a haven of peace”.The recommendations of the Council would be forwarded to the Head of States who would take a decision on the security issues confronting the sub-region.

Ghana and Kenya to boost ties

Ghana and Kenya are scheduled to sign a number of bilateral agreements in the areas of Tourism, Aviation, Commerce, Agriculture, Trade, Education and Communications during a three-day state visit of President John Dramani Mahama to Kenya, at the invitation of President Uhuru Kenyatta.President Mahama, accompanied by a delegation of ministers, left Accra Thursday morning for Nairobi, where he will be a Special Guest of Honour at Kenya’s 51st Independence anniversary celebrations (or Jamhuri) Day at the Nyayo Stadium on Friday, December 12.The state visit is expected to rekindle historic Ghana-Kenya relations forged between Ghana’s first President Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s founding President and father of current President Uhuru Kenyatta, in the period leading up to the independence of both countries.President Mahama, as Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and President Kenyatta, who is Chair of the East African Community (EAC) will explore how to boost intra-African trade and advance the agenda for full African integration and unity.On Friday evening, the President will meet and interact with the Ghanaian community in Kenya. He will be hosted to a State Luncheon on Saturday and visit the Mzee Jomo Kenyatta Mausoleum before interacting with staff of the United Nations Offices in Nairobi.The President concludes his state visit to Kenya on Sunday and flies directly to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, where he will chair the Forty-Sixth Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on Monday, December 15.The Summit will discuss the security situation in the West-African sub-region, the situation in Burkina Faso and the Election of the Chairman of the Authority for 2015, among other matters.President Mahama and his delegation are due back in Ghana in the evening of Monday, December 15.

Brad Pitt in ''' BIGMEN '''

Brad Pitt-Produced ‘Big Men’ Explores Greed in Nigerian and Ghana Oil Exploration Big Men the movie A movie executive-Produced by Brad Pitt -‘Big Men’ Explores Greed in West African Oil Exploration specifically Ghana and Nigeria. This Documentary premieres at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. Producer and Director Rachel Boynton first went to Africa in 2006 to research her documentary Big Men. Six years later, she had a film that takes an expansive, yet focused, look at how oil makes its way from deep in an ocean off the coast of Ghana to the U.S. stock exchange, and the ensuing complications. The film explores the connections between the Ghanaian company who finds the oil field, the small Texas oil company who drills, the Wall Street private equity partners who invest, and the Ghanaian government officials who manage the contracts. The glitch, depending on your seat, comes when Ghanaian leadership changes, the justice department is called in to investigate allegations of corruption on the part of the U.S. firm and credit contracts due to the financial crisis. The film’s backdrop is the increasing violence in Nigeria, where militants are stealing from and blowing up foreign gas pipelines in an effort to siphon off profits from the corrupt Nigerian government who isn’t sharing the riches. The doc simultaneously looks at the process and implications of western companies investing in foreign oil ventures, profiles an African country trying to profit after centuries of exploitation and watches as everyone navigates how to slice the billion-dollar pie. Boynton also looks at the psychological motivations for the individual players, all striving to be masters of the universe, or in West African parlance, “big men.” Rolling Stone spoke with Boynton about her cautious optimism for Ghana, the legacy of Milton Friedman and working with Brad Pitt and Sebastian Junger. Click to read her full interview with RollingStone.com See snippets below: RS: You explore the fallout from oil exploration in Nigeria. Do you think that the same thing could happen in Ghana? Rachel: Well sure. The same thing can happen anywhere where oil is discovered. But I’m cautiously optimistic about Ghana. They are asking for advice from all sorts of people and there is really a vibrant press there, and people who are asking questions of the government, watchdogs basically. The problem is there is just so much money involved. And there’s just a lot of practical things that need to be addressed, like you have to teach your ministry of finance how to do the accounting properly. I’m optimistic about Ghana but there is a danger that it could become Nigeria, just as there is a danger that anywhere where a massively valuable resource is found can become a hotbed for corruption. RS: It seems like everyone is trying to be the “big men,” the Texas landmen, the Nigerian militants, the Ghanaian people, the politicians. . . . Rachel: The tag line on the poster is ‘Everyone wants to be big.’ And it’s funny because the term ‘big man’ or ‘big men’ is a very common term in Nigeria and in Ghana. There it’s an every day phrase. But it’s not just everyone in Nigeria or everyone in Ghana. It’s Milton Friedman. Everyone wants to be big, everyone wants more for his own people. And so then the question becomes how do we define who our own is? RS: Speaking of big men, Brad Pitt executive-produced the film. What was his involvement? Rachel: I was traveling with Sebastian Junger in the Niger Delta, he was writing an article for Vanity Fair, and he had had some correspondence with this guy called Jomo Bomo, who was basically the publicist for the militants. He had written Jomo Bomo saying, hey, can I get access and Jomo Bomo had written back saying, I don’t know who you are, you are out of luck. And then apparently Jomo looked him up on the internet and read about The Perfect Storm. Once he figured out who Sebastian Junger is he said, ‘Oh, no problem, I’ll give you access, just give me a signed copy of your book.’ So I thought, I need to bring on an executive producer that means something, and I went home and I asked Brad Pitt to executive produce the movie, and he read the pitch and he got really excited.

GREAT MINDS ,,,

Dr. Sam Jonah says former CEO of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata deserves mention for his “pioneering role” and “immense contribution” to Ghana’s discovery of oil in commercial quantity. In a write up about Ghana’s oil industry, the former Chief Executive Officer of AngloGold Ashanti said: “One man who defied the prevailing scepticism of the time and, with a persistence bordering on stubbornness, led the efforts to get us where we are today, is Tsatsu Tsikata”. Dr. Jonah said: “Tsatsu led in the rethinking of petroleum sector policy. He led in crafting the petroleum (Exploration and Production) law that was the “investment code” for the oil sector. He led in drafting model exploration agreements including fiscal regime and Accounting Guide that is still state-of-the-art 20 years later”. The Jonah Capital Chairman noted that Mr. Tsikata “led in the development of a specific Petroleum Income Tax Law”. He added that: “Beyond this intellectual and professional contribution, Tsatsu emerged as a corporate leader — building GNPC itself from the ground up. His vision was sufficiently infectious to attract even hard-nosed oil men to work on Ghana’s potential, often with very little reward. However, it is in his identification, recruitment and promotion of local talent that Tsatsu truly excelled”. According to the business magnate, “he was truly passionate about building the capacity of Ghanaian professionals in the sector. Companies and governments that had dealings with GNPC were pressured into funding scholarships and providing or funding attachments for GNPC staff and even staff from related MDAs”. tsatsuDr. Jonah observed that Mr. Tsikata “foresaw that this investment would, in its own way, be as valuable to Ghana as any oil find. And history has proved him right”, adding that: “Today, even before the first oil has flowed, Ghana has a solid cadre of industry professionals ready, given the opportunity, to lead us into the next phase of oil industry development. We have seasoned exploration geologists and geophysicists, drilling engineers, field development engineers”. Dr. Jonah praised Mr. Tsikata as a “relentless” individual who was “even obsessive, about the meticulous exploration of Ghana’s oil potential. He recognised that geological and geophysical data were essential preconditions for any serious effort to attract private capital into exploration efforts”. He said Mr. Tsikata “focused GNPC’s meagre resources on an ambitious data project. GNPC scoured corporate and public archives around the world collecting geological and seismic materials, data and analysts from earlier exploration efforts”. The renowned business man said Mr. Tsikata “worked with state oil companies from Canada (Petro-Canada International), Norway (Statoil) and Brazil (Petrobras) and Nigeria (NNPC’s seismic subsidiary) to acquire new data. Through these bilateral arrangements GNPC staff became familiar with modern technology such as “3-D” seismic surveys”. He, eventually, according to Dr. Jonah “persuaded these collaborators to support GNPC’s acquisition of the expensive computer technology to enable her Ghanaian explorationists to undertake much of this analysis in Ghana”. Dr. Jonah asserted that: “It was the ceaseless interpretation and re- interpretation of the GNPC’s growing geological and geophysical database inspired by and supervised by Tsatsu that identified many new prospects”. “Tsatsu literally set the course of Ghana’s exploration drilling for an entire generation. Those who worked with him in the sector are in a better position than I to give further details”, he argued. As far as he is concerned, Mr. Tsikata’s “investment in institution building and in exploration have contributed immensely to the recent discoveries at Cape Three Points”. “For the health of our nation, for the sake of posterity and the development of a culture that recognises selfless and dedicated service, we must all acknowledge the immense contribution that Tsatsu made to the development of the petroleum sector. It is not too late to do so”, advised

THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATE (E WE)

Dancing andDrumming and singing by Ewe people for an 'Agbadza' or 'Atsiagbekor' dance via harmattan Numbering over six million strong, the Ewe people inhabiting southern Togo, southern Benin, southwest Nigeria, and south-eastern parts of the Volta Region of Ghana are an ethnic group with a patrilineal society governed by a hierarchal, centralized authority Anlogbe’ is a dialect of the Ewe language, itself part of the Gbe language cluster. The Ewe language ‘Ewegbe’ belongs to a member of the Kwa family of Sudanic languages which constitute a sub-family of the Niger-Congo family of the Congo-Kordofanian language family of Africa. It is said the forebears of the Ewe, the Yoruba and the ancestors of the Aja, Fon, and Ga-Dangme lived in harmony till the expansion of the Yoruba people pushed the Ewe and related peoples westward;" />T Ketu also called ‘Amedzofe’, a Yoruba town inrn Benin. The Yoruba founded Ketu by the fourteenth century. While some lived at Tado in present-day Togo from where they later dispersed in various directions, some returned east to settle at Allada from where they founded the Aja kingdom of Allada, Whydah, Popo and Jakin, and later the Fon kingdom of Dahomey in the early eighteenth century. On leaving Ketu, the people split into two big divisions. One of these went south and in turn, divided into two. One of these sub-divisions went to found a settlement on the eastern side of River Mono and called it Tado, according to accounts. Historians are divided on the movement pattern as some put the line of migration as being Ketu-Tado-Notsie or Oyo-Ketu-Notsie, or Oyo-Ketu-Tado-Notsie. In Notsie, ca. 1500, their host king Adela Atogble re ceived them well but his successor, Ago Akoli, proved himself a tyrant. Having ordered the murder of Ewe elders, he ordered the building of a defensive wall around the city of Notsie. The entire community known as ‘Dogboawo’ lived together, each unit in its individual ward under its own head under the king. The Ewe, meanwhe, hid an elder, Tegli, in a sacred grove to solicit ideas from him. It was Tegli who advised the Ewe women to form the habit of throwing wastewatencluded menstrual blood at portions of the wall to weaken it overtime for the grand escape they desired.&nb style="box-sizing: border-box;" /> The vile Notsie king had also for his entertainment tasked the Ewe men and women to drum, sing and dance through the night for hours. During one of such performances, Tegli, himself a mystic, was carried to the grounds where he drew the “Sword of Liberation,” summoned the gods, and pierced the wall proclaiming, “O Mawuga Kitkata, wuwo na mi ne miadogo, azo adzo” (Oh great God Kitikana, open the door for us so that we walk through). During the flight from Notsie under the leadership of Torgbui Tsali, the people fled to freedom divided into three major groups. One group settled in the northern part of the new home. It founded the towns of Hohoe, Matse, Peki, Kpando, Awudome, Alavanyo, Kpalime, Agu, Ve, Kpedze and Wodze. The second group founded the settlements of Ho, Akovie, Takla, Kpenoe, Klevi, Sokode, Abutia and Adaklu.>The third group settled in the coastal region of the new homeland. It founded Tsevie, Be – which later gave birth to Agoenyive, Bagida and Lome, Abobo, Wheta, Anlo, Klikor, Ave, Fenyi, Afife, Tsiame, Game, Tavia, Tanyigbe, and so on. No single ‘Ewe Duko’ (Ewe State) was able to permanently impose its authority on the others and thereby create a unified state although the Anlo and Ge tried to expand to attain boundaries that would ensure prosperity and political power, according to accounts. Defeating the Ada People in a surprise attack and later gaining control of the Volta Lake, the Danish company set its eye on Anlo. Prior, Europeans transacted trade on board passing vessels but from about 1720, the Dutch and later the English and Danes began to establish lodges at Anexo, Aflao, Keta and Woe. In March 1784, the Danish Governor of Christiansborg secured a force among the Ga, Ada, Krobo, Akwapim and Ge all of whom had become traditional enemies of Anlo and with an army of 4,000 troops, defeated the Anlo. However, the military defeat of Anlo rather united the neighboring Ewe states to Anlo. The result was that other ‘Dukowo’ like Dzodze, Klikor, Fenyi and Wheta began to identify themselves with Anlo and regarded them as their champion against foreign imperialism. The state of Anlo is one of the largest of the Ewe coastal tribes in Ghana. The Anlo state is made up of about thirty-six major (City) states including Fiaxor, Dzita, Tegbi, Vodza, Anlo Afiadenyigba, Fenyi, Bleamezado, Hatorgodo, Atito, Sasinyeme, Anyanui, Tregui, Evui, Ave-Afiadenyigba and Aborlorve. Abor, Anyako, Keta, Weta, Afife, Flawu, Dzelukorfe, Avenor, Dzodze, Atorkor, Asadame, Woe, Vodza, Srorgboe, Kedzi, Tsiame, Atiavi and Alakple make up the list.le= ;">Owing to the destruction of the Atlantic sea waves, Keta lost its place of pride to Anloga which is now the chief city and soul of the Anlo State. The fifteen clans of Anlo include Lafe, Amlade, Adzovia, Bate, Like, Bamee, Klevi, Tovi, Tsiame, Agave, Ame, Dzevi, Vifeme, Xestofe, and Blu. The original clans from ‘HOGBE’ (Nortsie) were the Kleviawo, Ameao, Lofeawo, Amladeawo, Bateawo, Vifemeawo, Bluawo and Adzoviawo. All clans have their totems, taboos, and clan cults. Clans have their ancestral shrines at Anloga except for the Xetsofe who have their shrine at Tsiame across the Keta Lagoon. Among the Anlo corrupted as ‘Awuna’ by the early European merchants and slave traders, the chieftain is the ‘Awomefia’, whose three senior chiefs, in ti, commanded the three military divisions of the state. The kinship is vested in two royal clans, the Adzovia and Bate whose local units at Anloga “provide the Awomefia, adhering strictly to a rotary system.” Anlo proper includes thecoastal belt lying between Anyanui at the estuary of the Volta Lake, and Blekusu located about five kilometers east of Keta. It also extends north of the Keta Lagoon as far as Abor more than 40 miles. The coastal strip, which is “sandwiched” between the sea and the Keta Lagoon, makes Anloga an important fishing location, according to sources. The people engage in subsistence agriculture and grow crops like cassava, maize, pepper, and vegetables. An onion (shallot) growing industry abounds. There’s also a thriving ‘kete’ weaving industry and poultry production. In Anlo-Ewe society, funerals are taken seriously. Newborn Anlo Ewe boys are circumcised on the seventh day after their birth and also named on this day. Newborn Anlo Ewe girls also have their ears pierced on the seventh day and named. Cultural traits of the Yoruba are visible with the Anlo-Ewe spanning ancestral worship, the worship of deities and divination (Afa Kaka) perfected by the former while in Nigeria. Traditionally, the Anlo-Ewe have one supreme God, Mawuga Kitikata or simply Mawu

Advisory Council Appointed
Ghanaian writer and art historian, Nana Ofosuaa Oforiatta Ayim

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Oxford University in the UK has appointed distinguished Ghanaian writer and art historian, Nana Ofosuaa Oforiatta Ayim, to its Advisory Council.

It is rare to have a young African woman determining the paths of future leaders as well as the cultural policies of Oxford Universities, where more world leaders have passed through any other institution.

In a letter signed by the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Louise Richardson, her appointment took effect in January 2020.

She is expected to help advise, guide and inform, and bring external perspectives from across the spectrum of culture to the Advisory Council.

She is also expected among others to serve as an Ambassador for the Cultural Programme of Oxford University.

Nana Oforiatta Ayim is a writer, filmmaker, and art historian. She studied Russian and Politics, and worked for the Eastern European section of the Department of Political Affairs of the United Nations in New York.

She also holds a Master’s Degree in African Art History and worked at many international cultural institutions, including The British Museum. She is a global speaker on cultural narratives and institution building in countries like Ghana, Senegal, the UK, US, Germany, Holland, Denmark, France, and Brazil, and this year will speak at both Harvard and Yale; as well as writing for publications like Frieze, ArtNews, African Metropolitan Architecture.
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Nana Oforiatta Ayim has made several films, a cross of fiction, travel essay, and documentary, that have been shown at museums like The New Museum, Tate Modern, and LACMA. As an international curator, she facilitated and led Ghana to its first pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

The Venice Biennale is the Olympics of the art world, and all strong nations are represented, although it's not always easy for African nations to have a presence in Venice, for reasons ranging from the economic and the geographic to the complexities of the Biennale system itself. In 2017 Nigeria came, but as a private initiative; it did not return last year, and Algeria dropped out at the last minute.

Oforiatta Ayim has received multiple awards for her work. She is the recipient of the 2015 Art & Technology Award from LACMA in the United States; of the 2016 AIR Award, which “seeks to honour and celebrate extraordinary African artists who are committed to producing provocative, innovative and socially-engaging work”; of the inaugural 2018 Soros Arts Fellowship.

She has been named one of the Apollo ’40 under 40’; one of 50 African Trailblazers by The Africa Report; one of 12 African women making history by Okayafrica; and a Quartz Africa Innovator; and was a 2018 Global South Visiting Fellow at Oxford University. Her first novel, The God Child, was published by Bloomsbury Publishing in November 2019, and has been reviewed widely in the international Financial Times, The Guardian UK, Vogue US and many other publications. She has also been appointed to the steering committee of the Open Society Foundation’s $15 million African Cultural Restitution Initiative

Nana Ofosuaa Oforiatta Ayim, who is the founder and director of ANO, an Accra based “Institute of Arts & Knowledge” which since 2002 has presented cultural and educational programmes across many parts of Ghana, Africa, and the world as a whole, to connect African cultures with development.

In her bid to expose the African arts and culture to the world, Oforiatta Ayim has introduced many initiatives, including the Mobile Museum Project and The Cultural Encyclopaedia, a Pan-African archive initiative devoted to past, present and future culture from around the African continent.

With her organization, the ANO Institute of Arts and Knowledge in Osu, as well as with her work as a writer, filmmaker, historian, artist, and organizer, she has grand ambitions for writing and rewriting narratives of the African continent and Diaspora.

This is absolutely for your praise and inspirations only

Hello Angels Anglos Angelus I discharge you from haven to accomplish this goal in our galaxy

CABINET RESHUFFLE FROM TIME TO TIME BUT THIS IS THE BEST YOU WILL EVER GET! GOD'S CABINET FOR 2017 1. Minister of Finances (Haggai 2 vs 8) "Silver and gold are mine" 2. Minister of Education (Hosea 4 vs 6) "My people perish because of lack of knowledge" 3. Minister of Roads (John 14 vs 6) "I am the way, the truth and the life. Noone comes to my Father except through Me" 4. Minister of Tourism (Mark 16 vs15) "Go into all corners of the world and preach the good news to every creature" 5. Minister of Labour (Matthew 9 vs 37) "The harvest is abundant but workers are few" 6. Minister of Sport (Matthew 19 vs 30) "Many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first" (Corinthians 9 vs 24,27) "Be like athletes, run so that you will be the first" 7. Minister of Transport (Matthew 11 vs 28) "Come to me all you who are tired from carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest" 8. Minister of Health (Isaiah 53 vs 5) "I took all your infirmities and by My stripes you were healed" 9. Minister of Internal Security (Isaiah 54 vs 17) "No weapon formed against me shall prosper" 10. Minister of Agriculture (John 15 vs 1) "I am the true vine and my Father is the Gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruits" 11. Minister of Faith Hebrews 11 vs 1. Hebrews 6 vs 17 Ephesians 2 vs 8,9. May the good Lord bless u with your hearts' desires. Stay blessed...

1 Factory per District!

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu says Nana Akufo-Addo’s proposal of one factory per district will facilitate industrialization in the country.

He argues that it is only people who cannot conceive a great vision for the country’s development who will rubbish such a plan. Speaking to Citi News, the MP for Suame clarified that most of the factories in question will be agro-processing industries that will add value to local raw materials.

“Four years ago when he muted the idea of free Senior High School, even the current president said it wasn’t feasible. I think it’s beyond people who are not able to think beyond their noses, who are thinking that it is not possible.”

The Suame MP also noted that most of the factories will be agro-based. “There are so many things in so many of the districts that we have. In any event, how many districts in the country have factories now?There are some of them who have factories that have collapsed.

Maybe we need to retool some of them to bring them back on board and to be in the position to provide for the basics. Many of these factories are going to be agro-based.” “Many of these industries are not going to go into high earned technical products. We are talking about agro-processing and the country is in the country is in the position to do this. We grow tomatoes, watermelon, and pineapple at so many places.

What to do is to perhaps have the scheme to regulate them” Kyei Mensah-Bonsu added.

1 factory per district

The Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo had promised to establish a factory in all the 216 districts in the country should he be elected president. However, the governing National Democratic Congress has said the policy is not attainable, describing it as a desperate vote-buying promise

Swiss African Oil & Pet Volta awarded exploration license for Volta Basin

Swiss African Oil Company (a subsidiary of Swiss African Petroleum AG) and PET Volta Investments have been awarded a new exploration and production license for the Keta Delta block, located in the Volta Region of Ghana. The acquisition makes Swiss African Oil and PET Volta the first to explore for oil onshore Ghana. The Keta Delta block license was awarded following ratification by the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana of a joint venture between the Government of Ghana, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Swiss African Oil Company Limited and PET Volta Investments Limited. The new block covers an area of 3,000 square kilometers and it is envisaged that the commencement of operations will provide employment and stimulate local development of the region.

World Bank projects growth for Ghana

Growth is expected to go up in Ghana, the World Bank Group has projected in its 2016 growth forecast. A statement from the Bank said several countries are expected to see moderate growth. Among frontier markets, growth is expected to edge up in Ghana, driven by improving investor sentiment, the launch of new oilfields, and the easing of the electricity crisis, the Bank said. In Kenya, growth is expected to remain robust, supported by private consumption and public infrastructure investment. The projected pickup in activity in 2017-2018 reflects a gradual improvement in the region’s largest economies – Angola, Nigeria, and South Africa – as commodity prices stabilize and growth-enhancing reforms are implemented, the Bank said. In a statement titled: ‘Africa: Low Commodity Prices Continue to Impede Growth’, the World Bank said economic activity in Sub-Saharan Africa slowed in 2015, with GDP growth averaging 3.0 percent, down from 4.5 percent in 2014. This means that the pace of expansion decelerated to the lows last seen in 2009. These figures are outlined in Africa’s Pulse, the World Bank’s twice-yearly analysis of economic trends and latest data for the region. The 2016 growth forecast remains subdued at 3.3 percent, way below the robust 6.8 percent growth in GDP that the region sustained in the 2003-2008 period. Overall, growth is projected to pick up in 2017-2018 to 4.5 percent. The plunge in commodity prices – particularly oil, which fell 67 percent from June 2014 to December 2015 – and weak global growth, especially in emerging market economies, are behind the region’s lackluster performance. In several instances, the adverse impact of lower commodity prices was compounded by domestic conditions such as electricity shortages, policy uncertainty, drought, and security threats, which stymied growth. There were some bright spots where growth continued to be robust such as in Côte d’Ivoire, which saw a favorable policy environment and rising investment, as well as oil importers such as Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The external environment confronting the region is expected to remain difficult. In a number of countries, policy buffers are weaker, constraining these countries’ policy response. Delays in implementing adjustments to the drop in revenues from commodity exports and worsening drought conditions present risks to Africa’s growth prospects. ”As countries adjust to a more challenging global environment, stronger efforts to increase domestic resource mobilization will be needed. With the trend of falling commodity prices, particularly oil and gas, it is time to accelerate all reforms that will unleash the growth potential of Africa and provide affordable electricity for the African people,” said Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa.

Ghana wins Global Innovation Competition

Ghana’s Climate Smart Integrated Flood Management project has won the Global Innovation Competition (GIC) award aimed at creating a platform for innovations and inspirational ideas that address governance, inclusion and accountability. The project, which will combine simple forecasting and early warning systems for citizens with longer-term data gathering around flood prone areas to support city planners, won a cash award of 138,800 pounds out of the 600,000 cash award for the nine winners. It was jointly put up by Dr Delali Dovie, Lecturer, Regional Institute of Population Studies, University of Ghana, Legon and Dr Raymond A. Kasei, Department of Climate Change and Food Security, University for Development Studies, Tamale Campus. In all, nine competitors including Kenya, the Philippines, Indonesia, Uganda, and Mozambique were awarded. It was organised by the GIC in collaboration with Making Voices Count (MAVC), a Grand Challenge for Development and the United States Agency for International Development. Announcing the nine finalists at a GIC 2016 Gala Night in Accra, Dr Fletcher Tembo, Programme Director, MAVC, said this year’s competition received about 400 entering and after a careful screening, 15 finalists were chosen. He said the selection process started last year September online and each country put up a website for people to put their ideas and innovations for public voting to select which proposal they deemed fit. Dr Tembo said the remaining six candidates still had a chance to be chosen for future competitions and urged them to continue dreaming their ideas and innovations. Mr Declan Ottaro, Innovation Coordinator for MAVC, said they were currently dealing with 12 countries and expressed the hope to scale up the number in future. He said the competition was to give opportunity to innovators who had passion for their ideas but did not have a bigger platform to implement them. He said 170,000 pounds was the cash prize for those who won the competition and that was increased to 300, 000 pounds in the second year, and now 600,000 pounds and congratulated the winners for their vision and creativity. Dr Edward Omane Boamah, the Minister of Communication, stressed the role information and communication technology played in national development and urged both awardees and those who did not receive any award to work hard to implement their various projects. He, therefore, congratulated the organisers for their vision and focus. Dr Delali Dovie and Dr Raymond A. Kasei, on their part, thanked the organisers for giving them the platform to be part of the competition. The project consists of putting monitoring and innovative feedback systems, and analyzing information from various communities and disseminating them to the people using both traditional and early warning system technologies. It will provide an information and create co-ordinated flood response plans for Accra, especially around Avenor and Odawna areas to reduce impact of what the country witnessed last year; the June 3 disaster. The project indicated that there were lots of research work gathering dust in the various universities and “this is the time for research institutions to partner with governments and the private sector to put their findings into fruition for the betterment of the citizenry”.

President John Mahama is expected to cut sod for the construction of the new Terminal at the Kotoka International Airport which will be known as Terminal 3. The sod cutting Citi Business News understands, will be at the end of February 2016. This comes after the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) last year secured a loan of 250 million dollars for the construction of Terminal 3, at the Kotoka International Airport by a consortium of banks led by Ecobank Capital. The completion of Terminal 3 is to expand facilities at the Kotoka International Airport to accommodate the increasing passenger throughput and increasing number of airlines servicing the KIA. In an interview with Citi Business News, Chief Director of the Ministry of Transport,Twumasi Ankrah Selby said, the contractor for the project was already on site mobilizing. “There is some refurbishment going on at the terminal 2, now the arrival hall has been done and we are looking at other works as well. But with the new terminal 3, the clearing work is currently ongoing as the area was initially being used by some other agencies and operators.But they have been relocated to allow for the project to commence,” “The contract has been awarded and the site has been handed over to him as he is mobilizing. Sod cutting would soon be done by the President which will be done at the end of the month.” Twumasi Ankrah Selby said. He added, “The contractor, a Turkish construction giant, Mapa and Gunal Construction, has up to approximately the first quarter of 2018 to complete the project.” The new terminal will be situated at the round air side stretching to the Old Fire Service area, to the Hanger area of KIA and is expected to have a capacity of five million passengers

Ok Top report, March 20th, 2000
Produced by World INvestment NEws ltd.
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If you have decided to go to West Africa, then you have to visit Ghana!

Because of its rich cultural heritage that ranges from the 16th and 17th century castles built all along the Coast, because of the Ashanti, the Ghan or the Ewe’s folklore, because Ghana is also one of the very few countries in Africa where one can fly directly to NY with its own carrier Ghana Airways, because it is one of the very few country that has an African multinational called Ashanti Goldfields listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and because it is one of the few countries where democracy is well rooted among the civil society. No wonder Bill Clinton decided to stop there first during his trip to Africa.

For these reasons and many others that you will discover we can only recommend you to visit and invest in Ghana . Always bear in mind, however, that if you really want to do business you have to know its people and for this you need to be open minded, to accept the differences and sometimes put yourself in your counterpart’s position.

Pascal Belda
Publisher

© World INvestment NEws, 1999.
This is the electronic edition of the special country report on Ghana published in Forbes Global Magazine.

UN appoints Mahama co-chair of eminent persons for SDGs

Ghana’s president John Mahama and the Prime Minister of Norway, Ms. Erna Solberg, have been appointed co-chairs of a group of 16 eminent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Advocates to support the Secretary-General in his efforts to generate momentum and commitment to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The SDGs adopted by world leaders at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015 represents a commitment by all nations to work together to end poverty, achieve shared prosperity, build peace, and secure a life of dignity and a healthy planet for present and future generations. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who announced the appointment in New York today said the “16 Advocates will leverage their unique standing and leadership to promote the SDGs as part of an ambitious and transformative global agenda.” Working as champions of advocacy, the SDG Advocates will promote the universal character of the SDGs, including their commitment to leave no one behind; promote the engagement of new stakeholders in the implementation and financing of the SDGs; encourage partnerships with governments, civil society and private sector to share knowledge and resources; and raise awareness for the integrated nature of the SDGs. Below is the full list of advocates: Co-Chairs His Excellency Mr. John Dramani Mahama President of the Republic of Ghana Her Excellency Ms. Erna Solberg Prime Minister of Norway Members: Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden Mr. Richard Curtis Screenwriter, Producer and Film Director Ambassador Dho Young-Shim Chairperson, United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty Foundation Ms. Leymah Gbowee Director Gbowee Peace Foundation Mr. Jack Ma Founder and Executive Chairman Alibaba Group Mrs. Graça Machel President Foundation of Community Development and the UNESCO National Commission in Mozambique Ms. Alaa Murabit Founder The Voice of Libyan Women Mr. Paul Polman Chief Executive Officer Unilever Professor Jeffrey Sachs Director Earth Institute at Colombia University Ms. Shakira Mebarak Artist/Singer Songwriter/Advocate Mr. Forest Whitaker Founder and Chief Executive Officer Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative Professor Muhammad Yunus Founder Grameen Bank

Zion college university of africa 1982 alumni formed

Accra December 4 2015: In an effort to mobilize their resources and assist each other and also help in the development of their Alma Matter, Zion College Anloga, members of the 1982-year group met and adopted a constitution in furtherance of those aims and objectives.

The expectations of members towards the first ever meeting to discuss a draft constitution and probable approval for the young Alumni was pregnant with apprehension and the unknown. In the end the meeting came off successfully as members of the group came in their numbers and were able to adopt a constitution for the group. They also elected officials to run the affairs of the Alumni for a two-year term. The elected officials are:

*Chairman – Jonathan Azasoo

*Vice chairman -Dr . Mark Tetteh

*2nd Vice in charge of Diaspora members -Reuben Hadzide

*Secretary -John Amaglo

*Asst Secretary -Veronica Doklo – Salakpi

*Financial secretary -Kofi Fiadzo

*Treasurer – Eunice Aryee

*Organiser – Coperfield Banini

*Asst Organizer -Hope Tasiame

Members present approved a donation of GHC 200 each to two of its members who has been debilitated by illness.
The attendees are as follows:

John Amaglo ;Pastor Lewis Fiadjoe ; ;Togbui Gawu V ; lsaac Amedor ;Gertrude Ahiable ; Gabriel Sebuabe ;Bright Ziwu ; Bartholomew Tengey ; Hope Tasiame ; Edwin Agbanu ;Patrick Kagbetor
;Robert K. Fiadzo ;Patrick Ziwu ;Mrs Peace Fiavor Donkor ;Gator Tamakloe ;Veronica Doklo ;Jonathan Azasoo ; Copperfield Banini ;Mrs. Eunice Aryee Tamakloe ;Pius Dzifa Tay; Rosemary Diaba ; Dr. Mawutor Tettey ; Mrs. Happy Fiadjoe -Dake ; Rev Lawrence Agornuga ;Sebastian Nunekpe ;Peterson Nutakor ;Rosina Avege and Justino Dosu.

You may contact the following for more information about the group:
Jonathan Azasoo, chairman, @ jkazasoo@yahoo.com; Banini Copperfield, Organizer @ copperbanini@yahoo.com; Eunice Aryee, Treasurer @ eunicetamaklo2222@gmail.com

E-Learning Comes to Hopoly University (hopoly.edu.gh)

An ultra-modern information Communication Technology (ICT) Centre for e-learning was inaugurated last Wednesday at the Ho Polytechnic campus.The project forms part of the Polytechnic’s Memorandum-of-Understanding (MOU) signed with the ICT University of America to promote learning and research between the two institutions of higher learning.The Rector of the Polytechnic Prof. Emmanuel Kojo Sakyi said he was grateful for the gesture since that marked the beginning of the agreement reached by the two parties on a giant note which will promote learning and research for students, lecturers and institutional capacity building of others.He stated that the facility has come at the right time which will propel the polytechnic in its transition period and beyond of being converted into technical university.He disclosed that the university has also awarded three year scholarship to one of the polytechnic staff to the tune of $1, 500 each year to peruse PhD in ICT in America.The project consultant from Cameron who represented ICT University Prof. Victor Mbarika said they would go beyond the MOU signed and will soon provide one million e-learning books to the institution beginning with 300 before the end of the year and the rest would be supplied next year to stock their library to save them from spending huge amount of money on books.He said, Africans can take up the challenge by ignoring the fear of breaking through with technology to develop the continent since their counterpart in the advance world are doing no magic better than their ability.He therefore challenged the students and lecturers of the Polytechnic to use this platform to educate themselves to the highest level they wish instead of paying huge amount of money to foreign universities.This is the second time in less than six month the Ho Polytechnic is commissioning two giant projects in similar direction. Not long ago, Chinese inter-cultural and language learning centre the first in polytechnic education in Ghana was inaugurated where the Rector of the Polytechnic Professor Emmanuel Kojo Sakyi was very happy about the establishment of the centre stating, it is in line with the polytechnic’s plans to make it a multi-purpose international centre for higher learning. He was very optimistic about the future that it will enhance teaching and learning since the institutes is doing its best in international relations programmes and affiliations which will open opportunities for their students specially, businesses and others from the region.The Inter-cultural exchange centre which operates services in the areas of cultural exchange, volunteer exchange, education exchange and business exchange programmes, will also regularly organise conferences, research opportunities for the academia and businesses.

Energy crisis will end soon: Cretz

The US Ambassador to Ghana, Gene Cretz has expressed optimism that the ongoing energy crisis in the country will end soon. According to Mr Cretz, the US was currently involved in several projects with the government that would produce more megawatts to address the energy crisis in future. US envoy made this known at a roundtable with journalists in Accra to announce his departure from Ghana after three years of service. “I think that the pieces are in place now and there are several projects that the US has been involved in. In addition, once the Millennium Challenge Compact really kicks in, you will see a revamp of ECG and its ability to generate electrical power, transmit it and get revenue to the point where it makes that particular enterprise efficient. I think it is all there in a mix; it is just taking a little bit of time. “One has to be positive but I don’t know if we can put definite end dates to when the power situation is going to end, but I think Ghana is on the way towards really revamping its power sector for future needs,” Mr Cretz said. The US government is expected to release over $500 million through the Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) Fund to help improve power distribution in the country under the second compact of the MCC programme. Under the MCC, which will last for five years, Ghana has agreed to offer the management of ECG to a private company to boost efficiency. Mr Cretz said Ghana government has made a decision with regards to the kind of concession under which ECG would be managed for a few years. “The board had been constituted on the Ghanaian side and papers had been drawn up to specify the requirement of the concession here that would guide the activities of the project for the next several years,” he said. The US Ambassador disclosed that Ghana was not out of the woods yet but was hopeful the economic situation would improve in the next couple of months. “I see a confluence of events in developments that would be taking place over the next couple of weeks and months that I think would lead the government and the country out of its current economic troubles. I’m very optimistic that over the next several months you would see a turnaround,” he added.

Rawlings: Gov’ts must inspire people to participate in dev’t

Ghana’s former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has called on governments and political leadership to inspire and embolden the people to participate in development-oriented roles that benefit the state. Development, the former President stated, should be a shared responsibility and not handed down to the people. In a statement delivered at the launch of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) ‘State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2015’ in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday, President Rawlings said: “Self-actualization means the people must feel they have played a role in the process right from its conception – that free will to sacrifice for a common goal and for a common agenda, leading to a shared sense of accomplishment.” The former President who served as an Eminent Person for Volunteerism in 2001 said: “Leadership by its actions and body language should empower and embolden the people into action. Leaders should not take away the liberating effect of action. “Whether at the level of a small village or a nation, it is leadership that inspires others to make the choice to get involved. But it must be leadership by example. Those of us in power should never feel intimidated by the power of the people. Political, traditional and other social leaders should rather feel legitimately empowered by a strong, bold people. Development will thrive if we work together and are strong together. Let’s not derive our strength and power from their weakness. “Governments must create the conditions for people to see volunteerism as an investment in their local and global communities, and as an investment towards a sustainable world for themselves and descendants. “My message to governments is that you can’t govern effectively and develop a country without harnessing the expertise and energy that you find in the wider populace, and volunteers are the people to help you do this,” President Rawlings said. Flt Lt Rawlings expressed concern about the “disturbing loss of the spirit of volunteerism or sense of self-help” in Ghana. He attributed it to “the air of cynicism, born of difficult economic times and constant allegations of corruption and inefficiency in governance, including government agencies and departments. “It was disheartening to note that days after the disaster and massive floods, debris was still strewn across several parts of the city, as the citizenry expected government to take charge of the huge recovery process with little sense of individual moral responsibility or urgency. Former President Rawlings recalled the massive spirit of volunteerism that existed during the early days of the revolution. He said: “During my tenure as Head of State under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), we had an avalanche of crises pouring in at once. The economy was on the verge of collapse, with government revenue dwindling from 20 percent of GDP in 1970 to 5 per cent by 1982, inflation was running at 200 percent, while Ghana’s chief export, cocoa production, had fallen drastically, along with diamonds, gold, and timber. The struggle for basic necessities had also fractured citizens’ involvement in decision-making processes regarding their governance. “This, coupled with massive corruption, called “kalabule” in local parlance, had eaten at the soul of Ghanaian society, creating a charged air and an inevitable atmosphere for an explosion. “Out of that explosion was also reborn a massive spirit of volunteerism and a spirit of self-help. It was no surprise when students and workers translated their anger into productive action to resolve pressing challenges. Unprompted, thousands of students in early 1982 voluntarily left their classrooms to carry cocoa to the ports for export, from the farms in the hinterland where the crop was in danger of being left to rot. A record haulage was transported to the ports by the renewed sense of volunteerism and sense of purpose exhibited by the students and members of the communities, who regularly supported the students with food and a place to sleep. “The students deeply understood the value of their citizenship, and acted with an infectious passion that galvanised the entire nation toward community service. I joined them often, including salvaging sacks of cocoa from a derailed train in Eastern Ghana. Six months later, the students returned to their campuses with a commitment to serve causes larger than themselves. “I saw that we would never improve social and economic conditions in Ghana without the systematic involvement at the grass roots of local community groups, and volunteer organisations.” PLEASE FIND BELOW THE FULL TEXT OF HIS ADDRESS: GUEST OF HONOUR H.E. JERRY JOHN RAWLINGS FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA ON THE OCCASION OF The Launch of United Nations Volunteers (UNV) State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2015 “Transforming Governance” Nairobi, Kenya 19 June 2015 REMARKS BY H.E. JERRY JOHN RAWLINGS Vice-President William Ruto, UNV Executive Director Richard Dictus, Report Lead Author Madam Amanda Mukwashi, Tapiwa Kamaruko, UNV Regional Manager, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Members of the Media, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen I am very honoured to be invited to participate in this august Launch of the United Nations Volunteers’ “State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2015,” with special focus on “Transforming Governance.” I come here at a time when the citizens of Ghana are in mourning after floods and fire claimed the lives of more than one hundred and fifty (150) fellow countrymen and women barely two weeks ago. Sadly, the disaster exposed a disturbing loss of the spirit of volunteerism or sense of self-help as we referred to it during the days of the Ghanaian revolution. It was disheartening to note that days after the disaster and massive floods, debris was still strewn across several parts of the city, as the citizenry expected government to take charge of the huge recovery process with little sense of individual moral responsibility or urgency. What became very evident was the air of cynicism, born of difficult economic times and constant allegations of corruption and inefficiency in governance, including government agencies and departments. Ladies and gentlemen, I come to this event as a passionate advocate for Volunteerism. In 2001, I had the special privilege of serving as Eminent Person in support of the United Nations International Year of Volunteers. This gave me an opportunity to work with the organization to deepen the critical relevance of volunteerism to development. From post-conflict countries ravaged by war, or diseases and pandemics, to those in upheaval from natural disasters, United Nations Volunteers are some of the first civilians to show up within the emergency phase, to perform the unglamorous yet necessary tasks of setting up basic structures, supply lines, institutions and systems to rebuild a functioning community. Working with ordinary people, UN Volunteers have always made a difference in bridging the gap between poverty and development. As some may recall, I have been involved in the campaign to contain the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, which involves vast numbers of volunteers, taking me all over the continent and beyond. I worked with people living with HIV/AIDS, and understand at once that with the social networks and support provided by volunteers, people living with HIV/AIDS have become an active part of society. But this is a report and an event to spark a global conversation on the role of volunteers in improving governance that is so critical to future development success. During my tenure as Head of State under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), we had an avalanche of crises pouring in at once. The economy was on the verge of collapse, with government revenue dwindling from 20 per cent of GDP in 1970 to 5 per cent by 1982, inflation was running at 200 per cent, while Ghana’s chief export, cocoa production, had fallen drastically, along with diamonds, gold, and timber. The struggle for basic necessities had also fractured citizens’ involvement in decision-making processes regarding their governance. This, coupled with massive corruption, called “kalabule” in local parlance, had eaten at the soul of Ghanaian society, creating a charged air and an inevitable atmosphere for an explosion. The country had lost too many opportunities to punish crime and the human psyche was not going to allow crime and corruption to perpetuate itself. The force of conviction had to take its rightful place. Out of that explosion was also reborn a massive spirit of volunteerism and a spirit of self-help. It was no surprise when students and workers translated their anger into productive action to resolve pressing challenges. Unprompted, thousands of students in early 1982 voluntarily left their classrooms to carry cocoa to the ports for export, from the farms in the hinterland where the crop was in danger of being left to rot. A record haulage was transported to the ports by the renewed sense of volunteerism and sense of purpose exhibited by the students and members of the communities, who regularly supported the students with food and a place to sleep. The students deeply understood the value of their citizenship, and acted with an infectious passion that galvanised the entire nation toward community service. I joined them often, including salvaging sacks of cocoa from a derailed train in Eastern Ghana. Six months later, the students returned to their campuses with a commitment to serve causes larger than themselves. I saw that we would never improve social and economic conditions in Ghana without the systematic involvement at the grass roots of local community groups, and volunteer organisations. These were the people who knew intimately what the problems were, and who were testing solutions in their daily lives. So we set up volunteer committees, called Committees for the Defence of the Revolution (CDRs), that gave a voice to the needs and priorities of local communities. When Ghana experienced drought and food shortages in 1983, these committees and other grassroots organisations spearheaded fish, crop, and livestock farming. They later became the bedrock of the National Mobilization Task Force that coordinated the participation of cadres or volunteers at the regional and national levels in supervising and monitoring development programmes. Again in 1983 when Nigeria deported over one million Ghanaians living in that country, millions of Ghanaians welcomed them in various communities, offering them food and accommodation, with the local traditional leadership providing land free for the returnees to start farming in a bid to resettle them. And they did a great job of it! The spirit of volunteering was rife and bubbling with inexhaustible energy. People were inspired by the desire to protect the community interest coupled with the fact that Ghanaians from diverse backgrounds were directly participating in decision-making right from the grassroots. During those dire economic times, the volunteers were essential to the success of our work, and we respected them as expert partners. Volunteers are the eyes and ears of the community, contributing valuable insights about how to improve things, as well as channel the people’s energy toward problem-solving. Another important achievement of volunteers’ work in Ghana involved the crucial issue of Women’s Rights: After years of advocacy work from countless women and human rights activists led by the 31st December Women’s Movement, PNDC Law 111, also known as The Intestate Succession Law was passed in 1985. It was the first law that addressed the inheritance rights of women and spouses in general who were often left destitute when their marriage partners died intestate. The 31st December Women’s Movement was one of the sustained rallying points for training women in public advocacy, the fight for economic empowerment, the protection of girls’ rights, women’s access to good healthcare, and community activism. Many of the women who were first elected to Parliament in Ghana’s Fourth Republic in 1992, cut their teeth volunteering for the 31st December Women’s Movement. The era that followed 1992 saw the transformation of several community volunteer groups into structured civil society groups as well as political organizations. Beyond Ghana I have also witnessed determined volunteerism in action countless times in the West African Region, the continent, and beyond. More recently, we all saw the compassion that propelled health workers and volunteers to risk their lives during the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic in the region. No salary or incentives can compensate them for the enormous risk they took with their own lives. Those selfless volunteers deserve our deepest gratitude. What is Volunteerism? Volunteerism trains a person to be disciplined, ALWAYS, no matter the circumstances, to develop the capacity to handle difficulties with skill. It nurtures grit, builds character, and enables one to tread into the unknown. To volunteer is to seek to change the world from what it is now, to what it ought to be, by generating passion for righting societal wrongs. In short, volunteerism makes a person an active CITIZEN, one who not only holds leadership accountable but also cultivates the responsive spirit of accountability inside themselves. To volunteer is to be able to walk in another person's shoes. Volunteerism forges a tighter bond of human interdependence around the globe, and sows seeds of healthy civil society and civic engagement, whose core value cannot be quantified, nor remunerated. As a powerful means of engaging people to participate in tackling development challenges, volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development, benefitting both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens. The spirit of volunteerism is second to nature. It gives birth to and sustains the sense of justice that humanity craves for. The reward for the volunteer is not in a fee or an allowance, but in the inward satisfaction of doing good, of aligning oneself closer to nature, to perfection, to a state of being at peace with our conscience. But how do you sustain the spirit of volunteerism? Altruism alone does not last. Governments must create the conditions for people to see volunteerism as an investment in their local and global communities, and as an investment towards a sustainable world for themselves and their descendants. As we say in Ghana, “Walantu walansa,” or “harambee” here in Kenya, or “Ubuntu” in Southern Africa, the principles are the same in valuing interdependence. Relationship between Volunteerism and Good Governance In our young democracies, especially on the African continent, leaders need to hear constructive contributions from their people. Apathy kills the promise of good governance. Africa is a continent of vibrant volunteerism based on long held values of Ubuntu and the spirit of mutual support. Unfortunately, the global economic philosophy appears to be destroying the fabric of volunteerism. Excessive capitalism has drawn us into unethical circumstances so much so that in difficult situations we fail to sacrifice for each other. Many of our kith and kin are fleeing to Europe in droves because there is no longer an ingrained sense of volunteerism to cater for each other. The individual quest for economic sustenance does not have the requisite local and global political backing and many prefer to flee the horrid conditions of internal conflict to cross into Europe to seek greener pastures at the peril of their lives. During the revolution days in Ghana, I witnessed communities digging through hard rock with local implements in their quest to build wells for water. God knows when they were going to hit water. But they had a belief, a sense of commitment to their community and a desire to sacrifice for the good of all. My message to governments is that you can’t govern effectively and develop a country without harnessing the expertise and energy that you find in the wider populace, and volunteers are the people to help you do this. Development should be a shared responsibility. It should not be handed down to the people. Self-actualization means the people must feel they have played a role in the process right from its conception - That free will to sacrifice for a common goal and for a common agenda, leading to a shared sense of accomplishment. Volunteers and volunteerism are catalysts for focusing on the things that matter and holding us leaders accountable. To enable this feedback loop to be potent, as the UNV Report says: “the motivation and commitment of individual volunteers needs to be matched by responsive and supportive governments and development actors.” In practice, that means legislating to protect the status of volunteers and setting up structures to channel their contributions into decisions that improve people’s lives. It is commendable that increasingly countries across the continent are enacting laws to guide volunteerism and nurture it as part of the socio-cultural and socio-economic development process. It is commendable that a country such as Togo in West Africa has enacted an effective volunteerism law. What is more commendable is the government’s commitment to harnessing the volunteerism potential through significant annual budgetary allocations. It is one thing to talk about listening to the people, quite another to set up the structures and channels so that their voices can actually be heard, whether we like what we hear or not. This year, governments are reviewing how well they met or failed to meet the Millennium Development Goals. But, what happens after MDG 2015? Who helps to catalyse action? We face Increasing populations, dwindling resources, food insecurity, the accelerating threat of climate change, diseases and health challenges, income inequality, and human security. Communities don’t stop needing to develop just because a milestone has been reached. The danger of complacency is that we forget that active citizens are needed even more now to keep governments’, International Organizations’, and Development Partners’ feet to the fire to find innovative ways to enable people to live in dignity. Conclusion To become a volunteer is, by definition, a free choice made by an individual. It is a choice to do something to help others and to contribute towards the wellbeing of a locality, a nation, or even the world and to do this without thought of material gain. What makes an individual make such a choice? What nurtures a social conscience? It is inspiration. Ladies and Gentlemen, Where does inspiration come from? It may have its roots in the individual’s upbringing or in something they have read. But most often it comes from leadership. Leadership by its actions and body language should empower and embolden the people into action. Leaders should not take away the liberating effect of action. Whether at the level of a small village or a nation, it is leadership that inspires others to make the choice to get involved. But it must be leadership by example. Those of us in power should never feel intimidated by the power of the people. Political, traditional and other social leaders should rather feel legitimately empowered by a strong,bold people. Development will thrive if we work together and are strong together. Let’s not derive our strength and power from their weakness. The 2015 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report deserves commendation for its comprehensive nature and desire to revitalise a cultural framework that is ingrained in most societies across the world. We all have a responsibility to raise this discussion to a bigger audience. I call on the media and all participants here to become ambassadors of the development model called volunteerism. This is the weapon we requiretowards the next phase of global development. Thank you. ******THE END******

Create partnerships with foreign investors

The Chairman of Oxford and Beaumont Solicitors, a corporate and commercial law firm based in Accra and London, Mr Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia, has stressed the need for local entrepreneurs to build partnerships with foreign investors.These partnerships, he said must be based on values, not just the money.Mr Kuenyehia made the call at the 15th MTN Business Executives Breakfast Meeting in Accra on June 18. The forum was held in partnership with BusinessWorld Magazine and the Graphic Business, the leading financial newspaper in the country.“The local entrepreneurs must look not only to gain money from the partnership, but also to learn from the experience and exposure of foreign investors. This is a factor many entrepreneurs ignore, but it is a factor which has helped to make many businesses successful today”, he added.He said with his experience with local entrepreneurs, he noticed that many local entrepreneurs did not adhere to the regulatory requirements – keeping proper records of their businesses – and most local business were shrouded in secrecy which made it difficult for people other than shareholders and people in management positions to access information regarding the company.Subsequently, he advised local entrepreneurs “to keep proper records of their transaction experiences and account books and be more transparent with information as these are some of the things foreign investors consider to decide whether or not to invest in local companies that require that assistance”.Mr Kuenyehia added that “Local entrepreneurs also have to avoid cutting corners and this is what many businesses in the country are beginning to appreciate and they are building world class businesses in the country and encouraged them to continue in that trail to reap the full benefit.”The renowned international solicitor also touched on the country’s current local content regulations across the various sectors.He stressed that “generally, local content as a legislative tool is good and it can help build the bigger locals to higher levels. However, multinationals are not a charity. They invest in the country for profit so it is up to our people to position themselves strategically to partner or compete with foreign investors.”“We must, therefore, invest in our own businesses to get the locals to build up financially to be able to partner with and/or compete adequately with the multinationals”, he said.“Yes, we need capital for our local businesses. But local companies need to begin sourcing smart capital to get the small and medium entrprises (SMEs) to grow”, he said, adding that, “To this extent, we could explore DDIs - Domestic Direct Investments”.Alternatively, he said local business (for instance banks and insurance companies) could consolidate their balance sheets in order to be able to take up big-ticket projects.According to Mr Kuenyehia, until that was done, the country would leave the big-ticket projects and contracts to the bigger multinationals.

Ghana to participate in Commonwealth Confab

Ghana is to participate in the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (19CCEM), slated for June 22 to June 26, at the Bahamas. The Conference is on the theme: “Quality Education for Equitable Development: Performance, Paths and Productivity,” would provide the opportunity for Ministers of Education to deliberate on priority and emerging issues identified by the 19CCEM Ministerial Working Group and reflect in the evolving global framework for development. Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Minister of Education is leading Ghana’s delegation to the conference, a statement issued by the Public Affairs Unit of the Ministry of Education and copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday stated. The Education Minister would chair a Ministerial roundtable, which would discuss: “Quality in education: Enhancing the performance of Teachers.” The 19CCEM would elaborate on policy, practice and strategic actions required in direct response to the new Sustainable development Goals and targets while exploring trends and innovative practices in Commonwealth Education. Discussions would cover a range of educational issues focusing on quality, skills and paths that meet both the dynamic needs of learners, especially the youth; global qualification standards; and ICT integration in education. It would also concentrate on training opportunities for economic growth and investment; education for sustainable development; and the overall quality of education across the Commonwealth. The Conference would provide an opportunity for the Education Minister and other Education Ministers from the Commonwealth countries to engage and consider issues affecting member countries from a regional perspectives

Ghana to buy 5 Combat Aircrafts in Brazil

The Government of Ghana (GoG) through the Ministry of Defense has entered into a contract for the supply of five combat aircrafts with Brazilian Aircraft manufacturer, Embraer Defense and Security. The aircrafts in question are A-29 Super Tucano light attack and advanced training turbo props. This information was contained in a press statement released in Paris by the company. According to the statement, "the contract includes logistic support for the operation of these aircraft as well as the set-up of a training system for pilots and mechanics in Ghana that will provide the autonomy of the Ghana Air Force in preparing qualified personnel." The statement further noted that the supply contract will come into effect once certain conditions are concluded by the end of the year. The decision to purchase the aircrafts was disclosed by the President, John Dramani Mahama last year, during the opening of the Ghana Air Force's maintenance, hangar and logistics warehouse at Burma Camp in Accra. The Super Tucano and other aircrafts to be purchased from Russia, China and Spain were part of an integrated fleet to secure Ghana and also to support United nations (UN) peacekeeping operations in other countries. In the words of President Mahama; “We must sustain the atmosphere of peace and security needed for the development of all sectors of the country. To do that, we must continue to invest in the latest equipment not only for the Air Force, but for all the security agencies.” The Ghana Armed Forces' personnel are currently engaged in UN peacekeeping operations in West African countries, Mali, Ivory Coast and South Sudan in North Africa. They also have presence in Far Eastern country of Lebanon. Jackson Schneider, president of Embraer Defense and Security, expressed his delight at the agreement; “We are pleased to welcome Ghana Air Force as a new operator of the Super Tucano, an aircraft that is already consolidated in the global market, expanding our presence in Africa. We are confident that, with this acquisition, the Air Force of Ghana will be equipped with the most appropriate and proven solution to attend its operational needs,” he stated. The Super Tucano is a robust and powerful turboprop aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, including close air support and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. With more than 130 weapons configurations certified, it is equipped with advanced electronic, electro-optic, infrared and laser system technologies, as well as secure radio systems with data links and unrivaled munitions capacity. It is the only combat proven and fully operational light attack/advanced training aircraft in the global market. It is proven to be highly reliable and allows for an excellent cost-benefit ratio for a wide range of military missions, even operating from unpaved runways and in hostile environments. It is also used by ten Air Forces across three continents. Its estimated cost hovers between USD 9 - 14 million with an hourly operational cost of 450 – 500USD.

US to assist Ghana's aviation center

Mr Anthony Foxx, the US Secretary of Transportation, has pledged the readiness of the United States Department of Transportation to provide technical assistance and capacity building support to the Ghana Aviation Training Academy (GATA). He said the US Department of Transport would also collaborate with Ghana in the development of training courses, workshops, and other technical assistance. Speaking during the signing of intent or Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Ghana, Mr Foxx said the collaboration would also involve the conduct of initial Training Needs Assessment to be performed by both Ghana and the US. Mr Foxx and Mrs Dzifa Attivor, Minister of Transport, signed the MOU. “There would also be the exploration of bilateral framework for future cooperation to support the further development of GATA, based on the results of the Training Needs Assessment and GATA’s achievement of ICAO Trainair Plus Accreditation,” he said. Mr Foxx said the assistance would help Ghana’s effort in the attainment of accreditation from the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the world body, which regulates the aviation sector. Mrs Dzifa Attivor expressed her appreciation for the collaboration, as it would help expand GATA and make Ghana one of the top countries in Africa’s aviation sector. The two Ministers also used the opportunity to tour the new GATA building, which is under construction and slated for completion in August, this year. Mr Abdulai Alhassan, the Acting Director General, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, said the building was constructed at the cost of $13million. He said the new centre would help GATA to expand its aviation training activities to people in the West African sub-region. Mr Foxx and his 14-member delegation is on a four-nation African tour to Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Mozambique, to introduce US firms in the transportation, energy equipment and services and the agricultural equipment sectors to the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

World Bank approves $700m for gas exploration in Ghana

The World Bank has approved a $700 million facility for the exploration of oil and gas offshore Cape Three Points in the Western region, Ghana. A report by the Daily Graphic said Italy's largest oil company, ENI Spa, and its partners are expected to utilise the amount for drilling and other works. In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said “the government is excited because the development of Ghana’s oil and gas fields would go a long way to further boost the economy”. Ghana took another major step towards the realisation of energy and power security with the signing of an agreement for the development of the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) integrated oil and gas project in January 2015 at the Peduase Lodge. The $7 billion project, being undertaken by ENI Spa in collaboration with Vitol Energy, would see the development of the Sankofa and Gye Nyame fields to provide substantial gas to operate the thermal power plants for 20 years. Correspondence from the World Bank to the beneficiaries of the facility indicated that the approval was given following a senior management discussion on the OCTP project late last month. ENI Spa, Vitol, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and the government of Ghana are expected to study the terms and conditions of the proposed World Bank guarantees to pave way for final discussions on the guarantee package.

Veep in South Africa for World Economic Forum

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The Vice-President, Mr. Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur left Accra Tuesday June 2, for Cape Town, South Africa to attend the 2015 World Economic Forum on Africa.

The forum which starts from June 3 to June 5, 2015, will attracts high profile personalities including Heads of State and Government especially on the continent, civil society organizations, the academia , the private sector and the media.

The event which is themed on "Where Next for Africa's capital markets " would address the following dimensions including , integrating and harmonizing cross border regulations , increasing long term and corporate bonds and advancing initial public offering activity.

It would also host a conference on dialogue, launch a report on Africa's competitiveness and organize a news conference on Poverty on the continent.

Personalities billed to speak at the forum include, Messrs Hendrik duToit, Chief Executive Officer, Investec Asset management, United Kingdom; John Rwangombwa, Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda, Raymond McGuire, Head, Global Banking, Citi, U.S.A. and Ms Maria Ramos, Chief Executive Officer, Barclays Africa Group, South Africa.

The Vice-President is expected to hold discussions with investors on the wings of the forum in a bid to attract more investment especially into the agricultural, mining and oil and gas sectors of the economy.

Source: -- Accra to become first ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Africa

with Microsoft CityNext applications 26 May – Accra, Ghana. On Friday 22 May, Microsoft Ghana, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Global Alliance of Mayors and Leaders from Africa and African Descent signed an agreement to make the city of Accra in Ghana Africa’s first ‘Centre of Excellence’, through the use of Microsoft’s CityNext applications. This will see the city become healthier, safer and more modern. Presided over by the Hon. Alfred Vanderpuije, Lord Mayor of Accra, the agreement comes days before the Fourth World Summit of Mayors and Leaders from Africa and African Descent and serves to motivate the 300 mayors attending to follow in Accra’s footsteps. Private sector partnerships will be a significant dimension of the Summit, exemplified by the agreement with Microsoft, one of the world’s leading technology companies. The Summit will also encourage Mayors to sign the UNAIDS Paris Declaration to put their cities on the fast-track to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 through focused action for prevention, treatment, and support. “Our collaboration is an excellent example of how private partnerships can help shape Africa’s development and we believe that Accra’s example will motivate cities all over Africa and the world to emulate our example” says Hon. Alfred Vanderpuije. Microsoft CityNext applications utilise the power of Microsoft’s Cloud, Big Data, mobile and social technologies to put a city’s people first - harnessing their ideas, energy, and expertise to create a healthier, safer and more sustainable place to live. Cloud computing provides cross-departmental collaboration and resource sharing and its scalability and cost-effectiveness means that cities can reduce costs without cutting essential services. With Big Data and analytics, city leaders can gain real-time insights from multiple data sources—such as traffic cameras, social media and other public channels—to make more accurate decisions. Microsoft’s CityNext applications streamline judicial and municipal processes, while enabling civic leaders to provide citizen-centric services that enable people to directly engage and interact with their city governments. “Cities and their people are the hearts and souls of our nations. Ghana’s urbanisation rate matches that of the world’s with over 50 percent of the population living in urban areas. This presents opportunities for modernising aging infrastructure and meeting the demands for natural resources, from leveraging massive amounts of data from devices to improving the health and safety of citizens,” says Derek Appiah, Microsoft Ghana Country Manager. Under the partnership, Microsoft will be providing an enabling cloud computing platform for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and a number of groundbreaking applications for the City of Accra. These include a full evaluation of TeleHealth for the City of Accra to seek ways in which technology can play the most impactful role in the remote provision of clinical services. Additionally, a comprehensive e-Skills and Digital Literacy Program will be delivered to facilitate digital readiness skills. Technical guidance will also be provided to help Accra accelerate its cloud computing solutions as part of its e-citizen initiative, and in support of its e-health programme. “The goal of the partnership is to drive both the adoption and success of this Centre of Excellence in the city of Accra, and then to use it as a case study to foster the development of other Centre’s in the region and across the Global Alliance of Mayors,” says Djibril Diallo, Chairman and CEO, African Renaissance & Diaspora Network; and Senior Adviser to the Executive Director Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS representing the Global Alliance. The Fourth World Summit of Mayors and Leaders from Africa and of African Descent is scheduled to be held on 1 to 3 June 2015 in Accra, under the patronage of H.E. John Mahama the President of Ghana. The summit will be led by Hon. Mr. Alfred Vanderpuije, Lord Mayor of Accra, Ghana, and President of the Global Alliance of Mayors and Leaders from Africa and of African Descent. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Media Contact: Patricia McClelland: pmcclelland@waggeneredstrom.com

Accra has been chosen to host the fourth edition of the World Summit of Mayors scheduled to take place from June 1 to 3, 2015. The summit, which would be made up of mayors from all over the world including Africa and African descent in the diaspora, is expected to attract about 10,000 participants. Global Alliance of Mayors It will have the theme, “Economic Empowerment between Africa and the Diaspora.” A delegation from the Global Alliance of Mayors made this known when they paid a courtesy call on the Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, at the Flagstaff House Friday. The leader of the delegation, Dr Djibril Diallo, who is the Senior Adviser to the Executive Director of UNAIDS, said the choice of Accra for the summit primarily was the result of President John Mahama’s good leadership qualities during his tenure as Chairman of ECOWAS. He added that the United Nations had also followed with keen interest the dynamic leadership of the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, and described Accra as an appropriate historic capital for the summit. Mr Vanderpuije was elected the President of the Global Alliance of Mayors and Leaders from Africa and of African descent last September making him the first president of such an organisation. The gavel of the presidency was handed to him during the second meeting of the Global Alliance held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Participants in summit Dr Diallo indicated that the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Newspaper Publishers Association were the two major associations expected at the summit together with participants from Africa, America, the Caribbean and people of African descent in Europe. Mr Vanderpuije, who accompanied the delegation to the seat of government, said “the summit would create a development equilibrium between the capital cities and other deprived cities”. On the Accra Marathon which is scheduled to be held in September this year, the AMA boss said the regional launch of the event was to begin in the northern regional capital, Tamale. Vice-President Receiving the delegation, Mr Amissah-Arthur expressed delight in the choice of Accra for the summit, remarking that it would provide a good platform for the city authorities to draw lessons from their counterparts coming from other cities to help improve the management of the city. To stem the tide of the phenomenon of rural-urban migration, the Vice-President stated that the practice the world over was to provide infrastructure and improve the lives of those in rural communities to discourage people from migrating to the big cities. He said it was against that backdrop that the government was opening up opportunities for the youth across the country.

Govt seeks microsoft's support in training women and the disabled

Vice-President, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, has asked Microsoft Corporation to partner the government to offer special training skills in Information, Communication Technology (ICT) to the physically-challenged and vulnerable women.
That, he said, would enable them to participate fully in the economy.
He stressed that empowering such groups with the requisite skills in ICT, would significantly enhance the country’s human resource base.
Vice-President Amissah-Arthur was conferring with a delegation from the Microsoft Corporation on the issue of employability within the framework of ICT, at the Flagstaff House, Kanda, in Accra yesterday.
Led by Brads Smith, Executive Vice-president of Microsoft, the delegation particularly discussed with Mr. Amissah-Arthur, an employability portal launched by the corporation to provide mentorship to graduating students and support them to plan their careers.
The project, being rolled out in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation and the International Institute for Communication and Development, also provides a platform for people to post jobs on the portal.
Vice-President Amissah-Arthur noted that the advent of technology had made some workers in the public sector virtually redundant, and called for re-training of such workforce to make them more useful.
Additionally, he said ICT had brought, in its wake many positives, especially in the field of education, but expressed concern about its increasing misuse for ‘Sakawa’ (cyber-crime) and other nefarious activities.
“It is the young people who are attracted to technology…but they tend to use it for the wrong reasons, they need some guidance,” the Vice-President emphasized.
Haruna Iddrissu, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, urged Microsoft to partner government to operationalise the National Data Centre in Accra at an affordable level.
He advocated the working out of a new support scheme, in partnership with Microsoft and the Ministry of Education, so that every year, through the newly created Youth Employment Agency, government would make funds available for the training of final year tertiary students in computer technology.
On his part, Mr. Smith noted that it was an exciting time for technology in Ghana and Africa as a whole, in terms of closing the technology gap.
He lauded the government for providing opportunities in that regard, noting the recent launch of the fibre optic backbone project.
Mr. Smith said the company’s portal also provided students access to content on financial management skills, and hoped that within the next 12 months, between 50,000 and 100,000 students would be able to make good use of the portal.
Mr. Derek Appiah, Country Manager of Microsoft, indicated the company’s readiness to collaborate with the government on the issue of employability, especially through its newly launched portal

Ghana targets 242m barrels of oil in 2018

Ghana is hoping to produce about 242.3 million barrels of oil in 2018 from 39.1 million barrels this year, Finance Minister Seth Terkper has said. Speaking at a public forum on Ghana’s debt stock, Terkper said the government is focusing on improving the energy sector in a bid to save the economy. According to him, Ghana is aiming at producing 37 billion cubic feet of gas this year in a move to turn gas into power domestically. He was optimistic that the ailing economy will resuscitate in the coming months due to policies and measures adopted by the John Mahama-led administration. "It is either we discipline ourselves or dissipate the opportunities that will arise when the economy shows any gain," Terpker said.

Mahama commissions €38m fibre optic infrastructure in Ho

President John Mahama has commissioned the eastern corridor fibre optic backbone infrastructure, Monday.The cable laid from Ho to Bawku in the Upper East Region covers 800 kilometers and will connect 120 communities to the internet.The €38 million project is geared towards bridging the digital divide between the urban and rural communities in the country."This fibre optic is going to allow us to do a lot of things," the president said."It is going through 20 districts. Now in every district, every public facility is going to be connected to the fibre optic."And so for every district, schools hospitals, district assembly offices, police stations,...every public facility in the district is going to be connected to the fibre optic," he indicated.The president said the project will also support the e-government project which will link all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to the seat of government - the Presidency.All government Agencies will also be connected to the internet via the fibre optic broadband."This is one of the achievements of Ghana," the president touted.

Best Western Premier to champion Int’l service standards

Best Western Premier Accra Airport Hotel has expressed its resolve to offer international standard service as it marks its 5th anniversary.

This was made known at the launch of their 5th Anniversary, on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at the hotel premises, at the Airport Residential Area.

According to the hotel management, Best Western Premier Accra Airport Hotel , which is a member of one of the largest hotel chains in the world, is poised to maintain its leadership in the hotel industry by offering guests’ exceptional customer satisfaction and individualized care.

At the launch of the 5th anniversary was John Dumelo, the hotel’s Brand Ambassador and other managers to unveil activities that will mark the celebrations.

In an interview, the Sales and Marketing Manager, Emmanuel Ato Silva Quaye, said the hotel is excited by this feat.

He noted that, “we feel happy about what we have achieved over the last five years and we look forward to more years of service excellence and sustainable growth.”

The Deputy General Manager, Mr. Iddrisu Yamusah also hinted that the hotel will continue to focus on delivering world class service to their guests.

Some of the activities for the anniversary include exciting discounts on the hotel’s products and services, health walk, staff and partners appreciation, thanksgiving night, donation to a Senior High School and many others.

The hotel was adjudged the Best Four Star Hotel of the Year in 2014 by the Ghana Tourism Authority as a signal of superior service performance, good governance and competitive strength.

It has also been recently adjudged as the “Top Hotel Brand in Customer Service and Comfort” by Premier Brands, a local brands specialist organization.

Best Western Premier Accra Airport started operations in May, 2010. The hotel is privately owned by locals with Franchise sought from BW international, headquartered in the USA.

European Business Organisation lunched

The European Union (EU) has launched the European Business Organisation in Ghana (EBO- Ghana) to deepen the trade and business ties between Europe and Ghana.

It would also provide a common platform for discussion and development of European businesses and trade relations with Ghana.

Launching the logo of the organisation, President John Dramani Mahama, expressed gratitude to the EU for the contribution towards the development of the country.

The President said the initiative shows that the EU is interested in developing the private sector, adding this would build an economy which is convenient for all.

“We look forward for more collaboration since businesses are a vital part to the development of every economy,” President Mahama said.

Mr Nico Van Staalduinen, Executive Director of EBO-Ghana, said EBO-Ghana is the sole network representing EU-wide business interests in non-EU countries to enable them have one voice of European Businesses outside the Union.

Mr Staalduinen said EBO-Ghana wants to be part of the business solutions in Ghana by offering their contributions in these challenging economic times.

He said Ghanaian products have a comparative advantage over many products produced elsewhere and thus the Organisation could be used to facilitate export from Ghana to the EU.

Mr William Hanna, the European Union Ambassador, said the initiative would bring the two markets of EU and ECOWAS together, encourage more investment in Ghana, assist in the diversification of exports and add value to the supply chain and thereby create job opportunities.

He said the EU is committed to continue its strong support to Ghana in pursuing its development agenda and preparing new programmes in the areas of social protection, employment and skills development.

Re-elected Cameron'to visit Ghana'

British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to visit Ghana after his re-election on Thursday, Ghana’s envoy to the United Kingdom has disclosed. Mr Cameron will be in Ghana together with “his team,” the envoy said. The visit will be a reciprocation of a visit by President John Dramani Mahama to the UK in 2013. Speaking to TV3’s Nana Aba Anamoah in the UK on Friday, May 8, Ghana’s High Commissioner Victor Smith noted that he had discussed a possible visit of the UK PM to Ghana during a garden party at Number 10 Downing Street. “I asked him and he said he had to postpone it,” Mr Smith told our reporter in his office, “but he would visit Ghana and that Ghana will be the first country he will visit when he is reelected.” The former Eastern Region Minister was sure PM Cameron’s visit will help “with our development and try and help us get our system going.”

ECOWAS :-

A ministerial meeting to discuss the construction of a joint border post (JBP) at Elubo in Ghana and Noe in Cote d’Ivoire to enhance the free movement of people, vehicles and goods between the two countries has been held in the two border towns. Under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Transport and Transit Programme, key border posts have been identified to be transformed into JBPs for joint and simultaneous controls. The project is intended to improve sub-regional trade and integration in West Africa. The border posts at Elubo in Ghana and Noe in Cote d’Ivoire have been selected to be transformed into a JBP. A JBP is a post where both exit and entry controls are undertaken jointly or concurrently or in succession from a one-stop location within one control zone on land belonging to the ECOWAS Community, such that all traffic utilising the post stops only once (if necessary) in each direction of travel. The ECOWAS Commission has decided to adopt a home-grown solution to funding the JBP at Elubo/Noe through annual allocations from its budget in tranches as a special infrastructure fund until the full cost of the project, which is estimated at US$20 million, is covered. The construction of the JBP is one of the initiatives being pursued by the ECOWAS Commission, following the directives of the 41st Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in Yamoussoukro in June 2012 which tasked the commission to intensify its efforts towards the development of regional infrastructure as a catalyst for regional economic integration. Already, construction work has been completed on two of the JBPs at Noepe between Ghana and Togo and Mallanville, out of seven initiated design studies, with the support of the European Union (EU). The Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, led Ghana's team, while the Ivorian side was headed by Mr Abdoulaye Toure, who represented Cote d'Ivoire's Minister of Transport, to the two border town meetings. The separate discussions were preceded by the opening of a conference on the subject matter for participants from the two countries, believed to be the most vibrant member countries within ECOWAS in terms of trade and economic development, at the Raybow Hotel in Takoradi in the Western Region. Addressing the four-day conference, Alhaji Fuseini explained that the meeting formed part of the ECOWAS Commission's agenda to put in place a programme that would facilitate and support intra-community trade and cross-border movements. He said the key objective was a reduction in transport costs and the promotion of trade among member states, adding that JBPs were being introduced in many parts of Africa to address one of the main delaying factors on major transport corridors. The minister said a recent survey by the Abidjan-Lagos corridor organisation revealed that the border crossing time at Elubo still remained high, at least 32 hours as of 2014, compared to 38 hours in 2013. "Delay of more than one day at border posts should trigger a need for intervention,” he said. "Accordingly, we in Ghana have taken a number of steps which will forge the bonds of collaboration with Cote d'Ivoire to facilitate and augment the efforts of the commission to ensure the successful implementation of the JBP," he said. The Commissioner for Infrastructure of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Ebrima Njie, said over the years, ECOWAS, in collaboration with member states, had been implementing many programmes and projects towards enhancing intra-community trade and the free movement of people. He explained that the construction of the JBPs was one of the key components of the regional transport and transit facilitation programme, adding that the project would be a split type, with officials from both states occupying both facilities to undertake controls simultaneously.

ECOWAS meeting on joint border post opens

Mr Ebrima Njie, Commissioner of Infrastructure at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said the construction of the Elubo-Noe Joint Border Post (JBP) was key to enhancing effective trade in West Africa.He said ECOWAS continued to implement programmes and projects aimed at enhancing intra-community trade and free movement of people and that the construction of the JBP was a key component of the Regional Transport and Transit Facilitation Programme.He said Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire remained the most vibrant members in terms of trade and economic development and by the construction of the JBP; “we seek to enhance greater integration and freer movement on the entire Abidjan-Lagos Corridor”.Mr Njie was speaking at a high level introductory meeting for the construction and operationalisation of the Elubo-Noe JBP in Takoradi on Wednesday.The meeting brought together commissioners from ECOWAS, and delegates from Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to discuss issues pertaining to selection of site, transfer, ownership, compensation and resettlement, and project management among other things.Mr Njie said the Commission, in consultation with key member states, embarked on a project in 2008 to restructure land borders in line with continental best practices of providing a one-stop shop for cross-border traders and transporters.He said funds had already been made available for the project.Mr Inusah Fuseini, the Minister for Roads and Highways, entreated the heads of coordinating ministries to provide the needed leadership to ensure that the objectives for the improvement of trade and reduction in transport costs were achieved.He said another area that needed attention and investment was trade and transit facilitation, corridor management and the harmonisation of customs procedures to reap the full benefits of integration and improved trade as indicated in the ECOWAS Treaty.He said Ghana was privileged to be part of the project and called for the political will in improving the economic advantage for the citizens of the ECOWAS community.The Joint Border Post, when completed, would reduce border crossing time by three hours, halve the freight, buses and passenger processing times and enable the possibility of pre-clearance through information and equipment sharing.

Ghana invites UK , US for Carnival

Ghana has invited 25 countries, including the US and the UK, to participate in its 2015 carnival to be staged in Accra, in a yet-to-be-announced date. Among the countries on Ghana’s invitation list are Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Mauritius, Côte d’Ivoire, China, India, Zambia, among others. Ghana’s Minister for Tourism and Creative Arts, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, issued the invitation during the launching of Carnival International de Victoria in Seychelles Island, Friday. She disclosed that this year’s carnival would be Ghana’s third edition and it would be properly organised to meet international standards, hinting that this year’s carnival would be the best so far in Ghana’s history. Mrs Ofosu-Adjare was part of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II‘s delegation to Seychelles Island for 2015 Carnival International de Victoria. The ministry sent a powerful delegation from the creative arts industry to represent Ghana at the carnival where they showcased Ghana’s culture to the world. Later in an interview with BEATWAVES, Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said her ministry would learn from Seychelles Island to help make Ghana’s 2015 carnival grand. According to the minister, the 2015 carnival would attract different cultures from across the globe that would assemble in Ghana and display their customs. Mrs Ofosu-Adjare stated that the hospitality industry, notably the hoteliers, would make brisk businesses during the carnival. The minister stated that areas such as transportation and all other sectors would receive a massive boost if the rest of the world storm Ghana for the carnival. She stated that her mandate as a minister is to work assiduously to attract foreigners to Ghana to help boost the tourism industry and create wealth. Mrs Ofosu-Adjare described tourism as a powerful tool to expand Ghana’s economy, noting that her ministry is giving tourism the needed attention.

Let's train more professional in insurance-Bawa

The Commissioner of Insurance, Ms Lydia Lariba Bawa, has underscored the need for the training of more professionals in the insurance industry in order to enable them support the country economically. That, she said, was necessary because insurance had increasingly become the backbone of many economies in the world and the government had ,therefore, taking steps to help the industry grow in order to enable it contribute substantially to the country’s Gross Domestic Growth (GDP). Ms Bawa was speaking at the 8th graduation ceremony of the Ghana Insurance College on April 24 in Accra. A total of 197 students graduated from the Ghana Insurance College (GIC) at the ceremony. In all, about 71 students were awarded with Advanced Diploma certificates, 66 students received Diploma certificates, while the remaining 60 students received certificates for the various courses they undertook. Ms Bawa said insurance penetration in the country needed to be improved to an appreciable level so that it would help secure the safety of businesses, properties, individual among others. “Training and creating insurance awareness are ,therefore, two key areas that stakeholders cannot overlook. The Ghana Insurance College stands in a unique position to help achieve this objective” she said. The college, she said, had introduced new professional programmes and was also seeking to collaborate with other tertiary institutions to provide the much needed insurance education. Ms Bawa charged the graduates to take advantage of the opportunities in the industry and strive to attain the ultimate professional qualification. A former Rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Stephen Adei, admonished the graduates to adhere to the high professional standards of the insurance profession. “As you embark on your new professional career, I urge you to act in the public interest by promoting good corporate governance and consistently apply global standards,” he said. The Ghana Insurance College was established to develop the requisite human resource that was needed to sustain and build the capacity of the insurance profession.

Maersk announce in excess $1billion port expansion

Port operator APM Terminals, a unit of shipping and oil conglomerate A.P. Moller-Maersk, said on Thursday it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Ghana to expand its Tema Port.APM Terminals said the agreement included a "private investment" in excess of $1 billion by Meridian Port Services of which APM Terminals controls 35 percent."Both in the short- and long-term view we see Ghana as a country with great potential," Peder Søndergaard head of Africa and Middle East activities in APM Terminals told Reuters.Meridian Port Services (MPS) is a joint venture between APM Terminals, Bolloré Africa Logistics and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.MPS handles approximately 80 percent of all containers in Tema Port which has a container volume of 670,000 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) unit in 2013.The expansion plans include the development of four deep water berths and an access channel able to accommodate larger vessels now entering the West African. A six-lane highway will also be constructed between the port at Tema and Accra.70 percent of Ghana's national trade and traffic currently goes through Tema Port.The expansion will increase the port’s annual container throughput capacity to 3.5 million TEU.APM Terminal is the largest port and terminal operator in Africa. Globally The Hague-based company is operating 64 container terminals.

A Great Boost For Hospitality

To enhance Ghana’s hospitality industry and attract more investment, a multi-purpose guest house, Villa Royale will be officially opened on August 28, 2012. The facility, which has been built to meet international standards, is expected to enthuse its guests. Joseph Nana Prempeh, a representative of the facility’s management said, “Villa Royale is Accra’s latest ultra-modern self catering guesthouse which combines affordability with an elegant simplicity that gives its patrons a rare feeling of a home away from home.” He said the facility is suitable for both business and pleasure and has been strategically located in the serene upper-class environment along the Accra-Sakumono road. “We have created the business environment to give our guests the best services where they can both relax and attend to their daily business schedules without being interrupted,” he added. Mr. Prempeh noted that “the rooms are tastefully designed with en-suite bedrooms, a modern fitted kitchen complete with brand new gadgets, fridge, 24 hour Wi-Fi internet service and spacious living room with giant televisions and surround-system home theatre for relaxation.” PRESIDENT JOHN Dramani Mahama has outlined his vision for a better Ghana, with accelerated economic growth and transparent governance, promising to provide laptops for all Members of Parliament. Delivering a message on the state of the nation yesterday, in accordance with article 67 of the constitution, President Mahama also promised to enforce compulsory basic school attendance and deepen pro-poor interventions like the distribution of free school uniforms, free exercise books and free computers. President Mahama’s address, which was boycotted by New Patriotic Party (NPP) members in Parliament, lasted one hour, 20 minutes, during which he, among other things, praised the Electoral Commission (EC) for conducting what he termed free, fair and transparent presidential elections in 2012. ***Mahama Praises EC* President Mahama indicated that the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections had been adjudged by both domestic and international observers as by far the most credible, transparent, free and fair since 1992. “This shows that each step of our democratic journey has been marked by improvements. As Ghanaians, we must be proud of this achievement.” He commended the Electoral Commission for this feat. “Since our return to constitutional rule in 1992, the EC has organized six successful elections. They have conferred victory where victory was due without fear or favour in the critical periods of 2000, 2008 and 2012. “Our Electoral Commission has earned, in the process, an enviable reputation as arguably one of the best electoral institutions on the African continent,” he said. ***Petroleum and Energy* President Mahama spoke about the erratic and frustrating electricity supply in the country, saying he was deeply concerned about the situation, “to which I have devoted considerable energy to solving”. Equally worrying, he added, was the issue of unreliable water supply to some communities across the country. President Mahama said the current developments did not reflect the investments and progress governments had been making in the area of electricity generation. “What should be our successes and rather augment available generation capacity has unfortunately been undermined by a number of unforeseen developments. “We had made good progress in fixing the damage done to the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCO) only to experience a drawback, when nearly 600 kilometres of the pipeline was inundated with seawater,” he said. According to him, the problems about electricity and water supplies were causing him sleepless nights. “We have had to work round the clock to bring many plants into operation earlier than scheduled, while we await the restoration of the plants affected by the absence of gas from the WAPCO. “We are expecting the addition of over 500 MW of installed generation capacity this year,” he promised. *President’s Vision* President Mahama said his vision for Ghana was to create a conducive national environment in which all children in the country would grow happily into responsible adults- a country “where workers are proud to work and defend our national values; where improved maternal health reduces the hazards of childbearing; where teachers use their influence to positively mould the next generation; a Ghana in which we all create and share in the benefits”. According to him, Ghana had witnessed impressive development in the last two decades, with improvements in roads and social infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country. “Health facilities have been expanded and access improved, and so have educational institutions, with the private sector playing a pivotal role. In many respects, Ghana has witnessed many positive changes for which we must all be proud”. President Mahama acknowledged that even though much had been done, as a developing middle income country, real challenges still remained, with a lot more to be done to further reduce poverty, expand infrastructure and provide more social services for the people. His administration, he indicated, would pursue rapid economic development with a sense of urgency in order to create new jobs, particularly for the youth. “In partnership with the private sector, we will expand our infrastructure in a manner that will accelerate economic growth. “We will embark on an ambitious but realistic programme of building new roads and bridges; expand electricity generation to energize our economy; increase access to good drinking water and quality healthcare for our growing population; and improve sanitation and human security for all,” President Mahama pledged. He said a well-designed and efficient public sector working in partnership with the private sector would be instrumental in his objective to deliver a prosperous nation. “Over the next four years, we will build an economy that rewards hard work and nurtures Ghanaian entrepreneurs and businesses whose prospects will not be tied to political cycles and patronage. As President, I am firmly focused on these goals, because these are the right things to do”. He indicated he would deliver his promises on what he described as vital pillars underpinning national development programme including putting the people first, a strong and resilient economy, expanding infrastructure and transparent and accountable governance. *Job Creation* President Mahama said Ghanaians needed decent and sustainable jobs to lead meaningful lives. “Job creation and gainful employment therefore will be at the core of my priorities. I am determined to expand opportunities for all,” he said. President Mahama announced that a GH¢10 million Youth Jobs and Enterprise Development Fund will be launched to encourage and support young people to become successful entrepreneurs and create sustainable job opportunities. He indicated that the Job and Enterprise Centres (JEC) will be established in all regions to help unemployed youth and those about to enter or prepare for the world of work. “Our policies and initiatives will be geared towards facilitating sustainable employment generation, which will then facilitate economic growth and enhanced incomes”. President Mahama also announced that he had directed the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to work with the Ghana Statistical Service to produce quarterly labour surveys to inform policy and planning. These s

His Excellency President John Evans Atta Mills has commissioned an ultramodern school complex at the Mamprobi Salvation Cluster of Schools, which is to provide permanent accommodation for pupils who were formally part of the “school shift system” in the Accra Metropolis. Delivering on the NDC’s manifesto pledge of “Investing In People”, the school complex, is only one out 40 similar on-going projects under the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s (AMA) Millennium City Project, to provide modern school structures at the basic school level. The three-story school complex has, 18 classrooms, a science laboratory, a computer laboratory, a library, an infirmary, toilet facilities, as well as a very spacious staff common room. Commissioning the Complex, President Atta Mills commended the AMA Chief Executive and his Team, for dreaming up the concept and seeing it to its conclusion. According to President Atta Mills, the imposing edifice is a solid testimony to the fact that the Better Ghana agenda is firmly on course. “Those who say they have not seen anything, should come and see this building and they will know that we are indeed building a Better Ghana” President Mills said. According to President Atta Mills, he will not allow any “noise” to take his attention away from what the people of Ghana have given him the mandate to do. “Let those who want to make noise do so; we will remain focused and ensure that we give the people of Ghana what we promised” President Atta Mills said. Speaking directly to the pupils, President Atta Mills asked them to make the best out of the facility and endavour to take their lessons serious. State of the art facilities

On his part, the Education Minister, Mr. Lee Ocran, announced that Government is in the process of making history by supplying every teacher in Ghana with a laptop computer. According to the Minister, a contract has already been signed for the supply of 50,000 laptops for starters. The Education Minister, also reiterated the point that it is the good works of the Government which would give President Atta Mills a second-term, and urged the teachers and pupils to help the AMA maintain the facilities that the Government is providing to make teaching and learning less tedious. The AMA Chief Executive, Mr. Oko Vanderpuje, thanked President Atta Mills for supporting the vision of the Assembly, and assured the President of the Assembly’s commitment of turning Accra into a modern city. According to the Mayor, the Atta Mills Administration pledged to eliminate the “shift system” in Accra and it is major feather in the cap of the Government that the promise has been fulfilled. From Mamprobi, President Atta Mills visited Mamponse, in the Ablekuma South Constituency, where he inspected on-going Upgrading Works in the community and also commissioned the completed Chemu Drain project.

John Kufuor stood down as president in 2009 after serving two terms In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Elizabeth Ohene - who was a minister in Ghana's former NPP government -broaches a subject normally kept under wraps: The illness of a public figure. We are making progress in Ghana and you had better believe it. The office of former President John Kufuor has issued a statement giving details about a medical procedure he had undergone. A team of Ghanaian doctors conducted a surgical operation on Mr Kufuor's spine; the surgery was successful and he is recuperating. This might not be a big deal in some parts of the world and in others it might be the type of news item that is put in a little corner of the newspaper. But for us this is earth-shattering news. It provides evidence that attitudes are changing in Ghana. A statement has been issued to say a public official, a former president no less, has a medical problem - and the skies have not fallen through on us. Over here in Ghana this simply does not happen. Myths broken Chiefs, presidents, important people just do not get ill and when they do - God forbid - you never admit it or talk about it in public - never mind give details of the medical procedure carried out. When he was serving as Ghana's president, a statement that Mr Kufuor was taking one day off to rest was greeted with such opprobrium that his staff did a lot of soul-searching. There have been persistent rumours that the current President John Atta Mills is unwell; some claim he has cancer. When the matter came up again at a press conference at the beginning of the year, his irritation was palpable. The president told us the almighty God was his doctor and threatened to "out" some other people he said were ill - if people persisted in talking about him having medical issues. By announcing details about his medical treatment, Mr Kufuor has broken many myths - and we shall forever be grateful to him. Now important people in our society can be sick and admit as much without thinking that they are jeopardising their official positions. But this announcement goes far beyond making it possible for important people to acknowledge their mortality. Treatment abroad Former President Kufuor was operated on by a team of Ghanaian doctors in a Ghanaian hospital. For some people that is possibly the most significant part of the episode. Ghanaian officials go outside the country to have their ailments seen to. This seems to be enshrined in their conditions of service - and we are not just talking here about politicians. It is also judges, bankers, senior civil servants and university lecturers. Political parties in opposition promise to stop the practice. But once in power it only takes one of their number to be stricken down with a stroke - and all the best intentions are thrown overboard. I think it is fair to say that most people here do have confidence in Ghanaian doctors but very few have confidence in the equipment, laboratories and setups in the public hospitals. Those who have money - and those who can get the state to pay for them - make their way out of the country for the most routine medical procedures. London is losing its attraction while South Africa and India are becoming the preferred destinations for Ghanaians who require medical treatment. Thanks to Mr Kufuor many Ghanaians should now have the courage to look at home for a solution to their ailments. Obviously it is not likely that the likes of me will be able to assemble the distinguished array of doctors that came together to perform the delicate surgery on the former president. But it is certainly reassuring to know that not only do we have the talent and expertise right here at home - but also that they have been so publicly acknowledged. If you would like to comment on Elizabeth Ohene's column, please do so below.

John Atta Mills is the first Ghanaian head of state to die in office Ghana's President John Atta Mills, who has died at the age of 68, was known to his supporters as "The Prof" - a reference to his long academic career. Born on 21 July 1944 at Tarkwa in western Ghana, Mr Atta Mills graduated in law at the University of Ghana in 1967 before studying further at the London School of Economics and receiving a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies. Mr Atta Mills later branched out into politics, becoming president after beating Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2008 elections. It was third time lucky for Mr Atta Mills - the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party - in his campaign to become president. Keen hockey player He lost twice before - in the 2000 and 2009 election, and had been ridiculed by the opposition as a lackey of former Ghanaian military ruler Jerry Rawlings. Mr Atta Mills served as vice-president to Mr Rawlings between 1997 and January 2001 and had previously created a stir by saying that if elected, he would consult with the former president. But in 2008 he distanced himself from Mr Rawlings, even drawing criticism from his former boss for being too gentle with their party's bitter rivals in the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Mr Atta Mills described himself as a social democrat who leaned broadly on independence leader Kwame Nkrumah's idea of social welfare. But he pitched a more inclusive and less polarising political platform than both Mr Nkrumah and Mr Rawlings. Once in power he started an austerity programme and presided over the country's first commercial oil production, promising that - unlike some African countries - his government would spend the newfound oil revenue responsibly. His presidency was marked by persistent rumours that he was severely ill and had died, prompting him to once remark that reports of his death were "exaggerated". Mr Atta Mills went to the US in June to receive medical treatment. He returned to Ghana - and continued attending official functions. However, he rarely spoke in public, fuelling speculation that he suffered from throat cancer. He had planned to run for a second presidential term in elections due in December, saying: "We will come back; we will have the second term." The former law lecturer, who specialised in taxation, was reserved but known for his good sense of humour. Mr Atta Mills was a keen hockey player, at one time a member of the national team, and also enjoyed swimming. He leaves his wife Ernestina Naadu Mills, a trained marriage counsellor, and their son Sam Kofi Atta Mills.

(Reuters) - Ghana's President John Atta Mills has died unexpectedly, a presidential statement said, and an aide said his death occurred on Tuesday after he took ill on Monday night. The death of the president of the world's No. 2 cocoa grower comes months before Mills was due to stand for re-election at the helm of the West African country that posted double-digit growth in 2011 and has been praised for its strong democracy in a turbulent region. "It is with a heavy heart...that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana," a statement sent to Reuters by the president's office said. It said that Mills, 68, died a few hours after being taken ill but no further details were given. A presidential aide, who asked not to be named, said the president had complained of pains on Monday evening and died early on Tuesday afternoon when his condition worsened. Mills, who oversaw the start of oil production in Ghana, returned from medical checks in the United States several weeks ago. source: reuters

An 11-year-old African-American philanthropist has written his name in the history books of Aferie, a village near Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region, where he has been enstooled the youngest chief ever in the area. Young Devin N. Grandison was enstooled the Nkosuohene of Aferie at a mammoth traditional ceremony attended by chiefs and people of the area and a group of 15 Americans that travelled from the US to participate in the event last Wednesday. The African-American boy, who answers to the stool name Nana Obongu Agyeman II, was given the honour of the Nkosuohene (development chief) of the area by the Aferiehene, Nana Kwaku Asante and his elders. The chiefs and people of Aferie, led by Nana Kwaku Asante, decided to bestow the honour on Nana Obongu Agyeman II following his vital contributions to the development of the area. The 11-year-old boy, who has the development of Aferie at heart, has donated items such as school supplies and library books to students that reside in the twin villages of Aferie and Bosomoiso. The Aferie Nkosuohene has also donated assorted clothing, shoes and other items which were distributed to the poor natives of the town and their children. The newly-enstooled chief was paraded through the principal streets of Aferie, majestically dressed in ‘kente’ cloth and dancing to traditional tunes in a palanquin, amid cheers from the townsfolk. Later in his address, Nana Obongu Agyeman II disclosed that he had set up a scholarship scheme under the name ‘Devin N. Grandison’ to help brilliant but needy students in the areas to climb to the top of the academic ladder, stressing he had passion for the development of education in the town. Nana Obongu Agyeman II, a poet, drummer, swimmer, honor student and pianist, first visited the village in April 2010 with a group of US students at the invitation of Dr. Beryl Dorsett, also known as Nana Ama Serwah-Nyarko, the Nkosuohemaa of Apatrapa in the Ashanti Region, on humanitarian service in some villages in Ghana. Young Devin, during the visit, showed some students in the Aferie village how musical notes were translated into music on a piano. This marveled the Aferie chief and his elders who therefore decided to honour him as Nkosuohene. Since that time, the young Africa-American had been donating generously to the community to help better the lives of the people. He was presented an International Youth Award at the United Nations by the National Association of Negro and Professional Women’s Club, INC. Nana Obungu Agyeman II lives with his grandparents, Louis and Maxine Grandison, and his aunt Rebecca in Mount Vernon, New York, USA.

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