A deadly crash near Opoku Transport Company on the Tech-Oforikrom stretch of the Kumasi-Accra Highway has claimed two lives.
According to ghanaiantimes.com.gh, the accident happened around 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, involving a Ford Transit ‘trotro’ and an OA-branded commercial bus.
The two vehicles collided at a junction, resulting in the immediate deaths of the ‘trotro’ driver and his conductor, while multiple passengers aboard the OA bus sustained injuries.
Eyewitnesses reported that the ‘trotro’ was traveling at high speed, making it difficult for the driver to control the vehicle at a curve, leading to the crash.
Further reports suggest that faulty traffic lights at the intersection significantly contributed to the incident.
The accident caused a temporary roadblock, but emergency responders quickly arrived to attend to the injured and restore traffic flow.
Vitol, a major global oil trader, has completed the sale of a batch of aviation fuel sourced from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to a Bulk Import, Distribution, and Export Company (BIDEC) in Ghana.
This marks a significant development, reflecting the increasing importance of the $20 billion Dangote Refinery as a key supplier of refined petroleum products within West Africa.
The transaction not only strengthens trade within the region but also addresses the growing demand for aviation fuel, supporting the expansion of Ghana’s aviation sector amid a surge in air travel.
It represents a vital step in enhancing regional energy cooperation, further solidifying Africa’s largest refinery as a transformative force in the continent’s energy supply.
Per reports, the fuel consignment has already arrived in Ghana. While this could be the first official delivery to a Ghanaian BIDEC, there are indications that other Dangote products may have entered the Ghanaian market, though this remains uncertain due to limited data availability.
With a daily processing capacity of 650,000 barrels of crude oil, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is seen as a strategic asset that could reduce Africa’s reliance on imported petroleum products.
The driver of the Tamale Mayor, Sule Salifu, has been arrested for allegedly looting bags of rice from the National Food Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO) warehouse in the Northern Region.
He is currently assisting the police with investigations into the incident.
Tamale has been a hotspot for unrest following the concession of defeat by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Candidate, to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer, John Dramani Mahama, in the 2024 presidential election.
There are growing concerns about individuals exploiting the political climate and the NDC’s name to carry out illegal activities.
Earlier this week, police arrested 12 suspects linked to looting and vandalism incidents in Tamale and property destruction in Damango.
In Tamale, a group of youth reportedly stormed the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, damaging property and looting food items from a warehouse.
Eyewitnesses noted that some of the individuals wore NDC-branded T-shirts, carting away supplies allegedly intended for community distribution.
However, speaking to Metro TV, Alhaji Baba Zee, the Regional Organizer of the NDC, denied the party’s involvement in the looting.
He emphasized that the interception of the mayor’s vehicle implicated individuals within the NPP, specifically pointing at the mayor, who is also the NPP parliamentary candidate for the Tamale Central Constituency.
Alhaji Baba Zee has called on the police to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incidents and hold all culprits accountable for looting state properties across the region.
“We made a followup because we don’t want anyone tomorrow to come and say that the NDC youth in Tamale ransacked this place and away with the items kept here. When we came we saw this car parked here and we followed and this car belongs to our Mayor. It’s loaded with rice, so it means that whatever is happening in Tamale to be precise is not NDC people neither is it NDC youth. The mayor of Tamale is currently behind it. As you can see this is the mayor’s car. So please we are saying that nobody should blame any NDC youth in town. We have seen the real culprit, it’s the mayor of Tamale that is responsible,” he said.
The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has announced that it will begin the scheduled cleaning and inspection of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) on Monday, November 25, 2024.
This critical maintenance activity is part of regulatory requirements aimed at ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the pipeline.
The exercise, which adheres to global industry standards, will cover the entire pipeline network from Itoki in Ogun State, Nigeria, to Takoradi in Ghana’s Western Region.
It underscores WAPCo’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the WAGP and ensuring reliable service across West Africa.
The project will be carried out in two phases. The first phase, starting November 25, will focus on the pipeline’s onshore section in Nigeria and is expected to last 10 days. WAPCo has already engaged stakeholders in preparation for this phase and anticipates minimal disruptions to gas transportation services.
The second phase, set for January 2025, will address the offshore segment of the pipeline, stretching from Badagry in Lagos State, Nigeria, to Takoradi, Ghana.
A statement issued by WAPCo outlined that during this offshore phase, reverse flow gas transportation from Ghana’s Western Region to Tema will be temporarily suspended. Operations at key facilities in Tema, Ghana; Lomé, Togo; and Cotonou, Benin, will also be halted.
This phase will include replacing subsea valves at strategic points to enhance safety.
The statement added that these inspections, conducted every five years, were last completed in January 2020.
To ensure the project’s success, WAPCo has been in communication with stakeholders and will continue to engage them to address any potential concerns.
The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) has successfully restored its software application system, which had been temporarily offline since September 25, 2023.
This development follows the ORC’s previous announcement regarding the temporary shutdown of the system, which is primarily used for facilitating, upgrading, and registering businesses due to technical difficulties.
In a statement released by the ORC and shared with GhanaWeb Business on September 29, it was confirmed that “the system has now been fully restored, and the Office has resumed all of its services as of today, September 29, 2023.”
The ORC expressed gratitude to its clients and stakeholders for their patience and reaffirmed its commitment to being a reliable business partner in Ghana.
The ORC, a statutory entity derived from the Registrar-General’s Department, is entrusted with the vital responsibilities of company and business registration, as well as providing advisory services.
As an autonomous body, the ORC handles the registration of various types of businesses, including private and public companies limited by shares, private and public companies limited by guarantee (including churches, schools, NGOs, CSOs, associations, unions), external companies, and professional bodies.
The Management of Dangote Refinery has refuted a report circulating on various online media platforms claiming that the company favored hiring 11,000 skilled workers from India over youths from Nigeria and other African countries.
Anthony Chiejina, the Group’s Chief Branding & Communications Officer, dismissed the report as malicious and inaccurate, emphasizing that it failed to represent the actual number of skilled Nigerian workers employed by the company.
Chiejina clarified that due to the massive scale of the project, a specialized skilled workforce was required from around the world. He stated that, during the peak of construction at the Refinery complex, over 30,000 Nigerians were engaged among the skilled workforce. Additionally, 6,400 Indians and 3,250 Chinese workers were also part of the skilled workforce.
The Chief Branding & Communications Officer further highlighted that the Nigerian workers on the project demonstrated a high level of technical competence, and many hidden skills were discovered among them.
He urged the public to disregard such misleading and unfounded reports and instead focus on the potential positive impact of the project on the Nigerian economy and the well-being of its citizens.
Chiejina emphasized that Dangote Group continues to be at the forefront of employment generation in the country.
The minister of lands and natural resources,Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, has led a government delegation to Obuasi to meet with different stakeholders and discuss solutions to the problem of unauthorized mining in the area.
The minister’s visit to the mining town comes a week after some illegal miners invaded Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine’s concession and got trapped in the mine shaft.
Seventy-nine illegal miners who used the exit were subsequently arrested. Sixteen others who later attempted to invade Anglogold’s concession were also arrested.
The incident has created tension between community members and Anglogold Ashanti.
As part of efforts to better understand the issues, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources held a closed-door meeting with the Obuasi Municipal Assembly and the Obuasi East District Assembly.
He also held separate meetings with traditional leaders under the Adansi Traditional Council and the management of Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine.
During his preliminary remarks at the meeting with the management of Anglogold, Mr. Jinapor assured the company of the government’s commitment to ensuring that the mine achieves its goals.
The minister also visited the mining sites of the mining company.
He will later meet with small-scale miners in the area to hear their concerns.
Some staff of the company have recently come under attack while executing the company’s ongoing revenue mobilisation programme to recover some GH¢5.7 billion owed by the consuming public.
ECG cited the detention of its personnel by the Ghana Post Company over a GH¢89,000 debt to buttress its caution.
Some personnel of the Company were detained on March 28 by Ghana Post Company when they attempted to disconnect power over the GH¢89,000 debt.
In a statement the ECG therefore, cautioned the general public against illegal connections and attacks on its personnel in the line of their duty which it said is a crime under Ll 2413.
It said it will not countenance any attacks and hesitate to disconnect any customer that owes the Company or threatens its staff.
“The Company hereby gives public notice that any customer/consumer, be they an Individual or company who refuses to allow the Company’s personnel to perform their functions as permitted by Ll 2413, will be disconnected. Further, where an assault on our staff is committed, the consumer will continue to be disconnected until such period of time that the customer has confirmed intention in writing to ensure the safety of ECG’s personnel who have rightfully entered the premises to discharge their duties and pledge not to interfere with the company’s personnel in this regard.
“The Company further reserves its right to initiate either civil or criminal action or both against the consumer and or its officers.”
The youth of Akyempim in the Wassa East District of the Western Region blocked the road this morning to prevent staff of Golden Star Wassa Mine from going to work.
Unhappy about transparency in employment in the company, the youth on Monday, Dec 5, 2022, blocked the road leading to the company, burnt tyres, and fell trees to block the road.
According to the youth, they are unhappy about the “unlawful” employment of outside into the company.
Speaking to GhanaWeb in an interview with the Youth Chairman of the committee, Samuel Akomea noted that the company has been employing people “illegally” from elsewhere the knowledge of company which is unlawful.
He noted that “recently, they have employed some geologists without the community knowing when we have some geologists in the community who need employment”.
“We are not happy with the way Golden Star has been treating us. They go outside the community to employ people when we have some of the people they are looking for in the community”, he explained.
He said, “when the company wants to employ, they place the advert internally and post the vacancy in the community a week later, so when community members apply, they do not get, that is why we blocked the road to express our grievances and the unfair treatment the company has been giving us”.
Mr. Akomea stated that the Vice President & Managing Director at Golden Star Resources Ltd Mr. Shadrach Adjetey Sowah upon hearing their demonstration approached them and assured them of a meeting on Wednesday, Dec 7, 2022, to address their issues.
Meanwhile, the road has been cleared for the free flow of traffic.
Nine persons have been arrested in a joint police and military operation by the Northern Electricity Company (NECo) in the Tamale Metropolis.
The operation aimed at preventing power theft by NECo customers resulted in the arrest of nine people suspected of making illegal connections.
According to a report by Dailyguidenetwork.com, NEDCo loses as much as GHC8.5 million, representing 45% of its revenue in the Northern region every month due to illegal connections.
There have also been attacks on NEDCo employees by some residents seen to have been engaged in illegal acts in recent times.
The joint operation targeted communities including Sabonjida, Bilpela, Nyohini, and Bamvim.
The Northern Area Loss Control Officer of VRA-NEDCO, Samuel Marvellous Kumi, informed journalists that the nine arrested persons will be arraigned before the court.
He also stated that several other people had been served with court summons to be prosecuted.
The Area Loss Control Officer emphasized that NEDCo will not relent in its fight against illegal connections, adding that persons found engaging in illegal connections will be dealt with severely to serve as a deterrent for others.
For an extremely bright student who lost focus in his final year at the university just because he developed a new interest in entrepreneurship but still came up with a First Class, he says he would not advise the same for everyone.
Christian Nana Boakye, Founder and CEO of CEQA Foods and Beverages Ghana Limited – the mother company of Chickenman & Pizzaman, said this is the case because out of ten, perhaps only one person could get so lucky in such a venture.
Sharing his story with TV3’s Berla Bundi on The Day Show, the young Chief Executive Officer explained that it was not enough to be an academically bright student.
He added that he was also challenged to dare himself to do more anytime he saw successful people, and that was how the idea to start a pizza business came to him.
“That was December 27, 2017. We went to a party, and I realized the cars there were big cars, and I felt odd. We went with a car, but I mean, there is a car, and there is a car. So, that evening, I had to think it through, like how did these people make it. The party was around East Legon.
“Mostly, when I come across successful people, that night, I don’t sleep… it’s not pressure, no! That was when I actually got the Pizzaman thing. So, for those in KNUST about five years ago, I used to be the actuarial science president, and before I got in, one of the motivating factors for students attending programs was Item 13.
“My administration changed the face of Item 13. There was a point I could organize a program as a department, and I could fill the auditorium, and the main college will do a program, and the place will not be filled… I felt if I could use food to lure them to come and listen to something sensible, then it’s fine,” he said.
Christian Nana Boakye further explained in the TV3 interview that with time, his interests in academics started realigning towards doing something for himself.
“I remember my final project; I was in a group with three guys: two of them are in the States doing their PhD now, and then one lady and myself. I was the talkative among them, so they did the work, and on the final day, I had to just read through. I was academically good as well, but then in my final year, I wasn’t so much into my academics. So, they do the work, and I do the presentation,” he said.
But like most businesses, the 25-year-old entrepreneur said the business did not all start easy for him.
He explained that he had to be forced to use monies meant for his hostel fees to pre-finance the business, so much so that his friends began to get worried about him.
“Raising capital was one, and then getting the right people to work with. Sometimes, things don’t go as planned, and you feel like quitting; you get tired of combining the work with academics. I was still in school, in my final year, when I started.
“… not just hostel fees; any other money available that I could chance on. I risked it… I wouldn’t advise it because it wasn’t pleasant… in January 2018, when I started, I had some money on me because I had gone to school fresh. It got to a point things got locked up, so during National Service time, I had to take money for the hostel and use that money to secure a place around campus and then some small small pocket monies I had on me, including my roommate, Ebenezer, we just combined whatever we had and then got some oven. I mean, it was so rough,
“I feel whatever it is you want to do, if you want to do it, you won’t find excuses. Just manage your time well. There were times that I had to skip class and cook and my mates – my classmates, bought into the idea. They were like, Chris, you are too good academically. Why don’t you just do your masters and then probably get a job outside, like how our seniors have been doing? Why are you risking so much?” he added.
The Pizzaman CEO also recalled how the situation was so glaring that one of his lecturers decided to pray for him under the pretext that he must have been under some form of demonic attack.
“At a point, one of my lecturers had to pray for me. He was our patron when I was a department president. He knew how academically good I was, and he was quite surprised. I remember there was one mid-semester exam; third year semester, I didn’t write mid sem, so all my papers were marked over 70, but I still had First Class anyway.
“He was like, what is wrong with Chris? Is it a spiritual attack? He was wondering because I’m the front seater in class, but then after class, I’m done – that’s it… to him, he felt I was under attack or I was losing focus. Well, yeah, I was losing focus in my academics, but I was making money, and it’s addictive,” he said.
But Chris says he has always persisted because “I just want to make sure I have enough to help others.”
Chickenman and Pizzaman is a fully-owned Ghanaian company that has a total of 10 branches in less than 2 years of its existence.
Philip Assafua, the chief executive officer of Appeb Cylinder Manufacturing Company has suggested to the government to ban the importation of gas cylinders into Ghana.
His comment comes amidst the recent depreciation of the Ghana cedi, which has made locally manufactured gas cylinders quite expensive as compared to imported ones.
Speaking to Asaase News on Monday (7 November), Assafua said the government must swiftly intervene to save the local cylinder industry.
“It is my expectation that by now, there should be some directive, a least, like we are talking about import substitution, there shouldn’t be the reason why anybody should import cylinders into the country,” he said. “Because we have the capacity here and we can meet any demand in the country.”
“These are some of the things I am talking about in terms of protection. The government must come out with policies to protect the industry in terms of cost.
“If a factory in Ghana, is managing within the current circumstances, and that factory is still keeping people employed… that factory needs the support of the government. A lot of companies are sacrificing their profit margins just to survive,” Assafua added.
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere — and boy, could the executives at Warner Bros. Discovery and Lionsgate use a drink. But first, they’ve got to get through these earnings conference calls. Perhaps we should refer to this round as “losses conference calls.”
On Thursday afternoon, within a span of 15 minutes, Warner Bros. Discovery revealed it lost $2.3 billion in the July-September quarter of 2022 and Lionsgate reported an operating loss of $1.8 billion from the same time period. Better make it a double.
The good news for Warner Bros. Discovery is that a loss of $2.3 billion is better than a loss of $3.4 billion, which is the unfortunate figure it posted last quarter. It’s pricey to merge two major media companies, and so far, not so good.
WBD ended the third quarter with 94.9 million combined direct-to-consumer subscribers. That all-in number includes linear HBO and streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+, and represented an additional 2.8 million subs from the end of the prior quarter. The timeline to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ has been moved up from Summer 2023 to Spring 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery’s president and CEO David Zaslav said on his company’s Q3 conference call.
Before the call, in a prepared statement accompanying the disappointing financials, Zaslav again touted his company’s content. He also found another $500 million in synergies between WarnerMedia and his former Discovery, Inc.
“At Warner Bros. Discovery, we have one of the strongest portfolio of assets and IP across sports, news, and entertainment, and the best leadership team in media executing against the right strategy and financial framework to drive profitability, generate meaningful shareholder value, and ultimately position us for long-term success,” Zaslav said. “We are reimagining and transforming the organization for the future while driving synergy enterprise-wide, increasing our target to at least $3.5 billion, and making significant progress on our combined DTC product. While we have lots more work to do, and there are some difficult decisions still to be made, we have total conviction in the opportunity ahead.”
There was no way to spin company revenue. Warner Bros. Discovery suffered an 11 percent decline in Q3 ad sales and saw an 8 percent drop in overall revenue, posting $9.82 billion vs. a market forecast of $10.36 billion. After sharing an already rough Thursday with the rest of the stock market, shares in WBD declined a few percentage points more in after-hours trading.
“Clerks III”
Lionsgate/courtesy Everett Collection
Here we should admit that it’s a bit unfair to lump Lionsgate’s second (fiscal) quarter in with Warner Bros. Discovery. Lionsgate’s wasn’t so bad — it beat on both revenue estimates and adjusted earnings per share — and its stock is moving in the right direction following the market close. (Before the market closed, shares in both companies sank 6 percent.) But still.
Lionsgate will exit seven Lionsgate+ (the former StarzPlay International) territories — France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Benelux, the Nordics, and Japan — to “streamline the business,” in their words. That streamlining cost Lionsgate $218.9 million in content write-offs. Tack that on to the $1.48 billion (non-cash) write-off from the Starz acquisition, reflecting changes to future free cash-flow projections, and boy would they have liked to sell that thing.
The Lionsgate earnings call has yet to begin — it’s set for 6 p.m. ET. In the interest in fairness, we’ll give CEO Jon Feltheimer his say.
“We reported another strong library performance and continued growth in Lionsgate Television series deliveries as our studio businesses continued to perform in line with expectations in the quarter,” Feltheimer said in a prepared statement included in the financials. “Economic and industry headwinds are having the greatest impact at Starz, where we are exiting seven international territories. This will allow us to streamline Starz’s international business and return it to profitability more quickly while continuing to build on the opportunities created by a strong Starz original series slate and focused content strategy domestically.”
Workers at the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) have rejected a 22% increment in salary, management of the company has said.
In a statement, VALCO indicated that the staff described the increment as insufficient and staged a demonstration in the early hours of Monday, October 31, 2022, to register their displeasure.
This follows negotiations between management and the workers.
The over 300 workers through their union executives, proposed an initial 62 percent salary increment to the Management of VALCO, and subsequently reduced it to 55 percent.
Management however responded to this with a 22% increment offer with an assurance of further increment in the future as steps are being taken to retrofit the Alluminium Smelter plant which had been recording losses for years until 2021.
“Management of VALCO further indicated to the workers union executives that they will have to invite an independent arbiter in labour/industrial disputes settlement i.e the National Labour Commission (NLC), to take-up the matter after negotiations between Management and the workers ended up in a stalemate,” parts of the statement said.
The workers are therefore calling for better conditions of service and the immediate dismissal of some management members whom they describe as retirees.
They also want their salaries to be pegged to the dollar following the dollar appreciation in recent times.
The CEO of the GFZA, Amb. Mike Oquaye Jr has kicked off a week-long engagement with licensed free zone companies in the Ashanti and Western Regions of Ghana.
With two enclaves in the western region and one in the Ashanti region, Ghana’s lead agency for regulating the free zones scheme and Ghana’s Special Economic Zones remains ready to do more.
Amb. Mike Oquaye Jnr. and his team kicked off the customer-facing engagement in the Ashanti Region.
His first stop was at Angel FM, where he answered questions from listeners and the presenter centered on the mandate of the institution and the plans Ghana has to accelerate the development of the Great Kumasi Industrial City Project.
The CEO stressed the need for Ashanti-based industrialists with export orientation to take advantage of available incentives.
“It is our mandate as an institution to support you to achieve more exports as Ghana takes the needed steps to address its structural economic setup. Accelerating our export drive is imperative to becoming the Ghana we want,” Amb. Mike Oquaye Jr.
As part of the regional tour, the team visited Juaben Oil Mills Limited, an agro-processing company at the heart of adding value to oil palm, among others.
After touring the factory and engaging with its leadership, the GFZA team then paid a courtesy call to the Omanhene of the Juaben traditional area, Nana Otuo Siriboe II.
Amb. Mike Oquaye thanked Nana for his continuous support for industrialization and for guiding and shaping the growth of Juaben Oil Mills from inception to date.
Nana Otuo Siriboe II commended Amb. Mike Oquaye for his stellar performance at the GFZA and urged him to do more to achieve the mandate given to him by the President on behalf of the Good People of Ghana.
The GFZA then visited OLAM Ghana Limited, one of Ghana’s largest licensed agro-food processing firms. OLAM Ghana is an adept buyer and exporter of processed cocoa, cashew, and rice in Ghana.
Amb. Oquaye encouraged OLAM to do more for the sector as he committed to working closely with the company to clear bottlenecks that might impede their growth
The next company visited by the team was Logs & Lumber Ghana Limited, one of the leading timber logging and processing companies in Ghana and the West African sub-region. Amb. Mike Oquaye noted the company’s concerns and committed to working with other state actors to address them.
In the Western Region, Ambassador Oquaye and the team paid a working visit to the Regional Minister, Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah, to discuss pertinent land-related issues before heading to the Lands Commission with the team.
Before meeting the Regional Minister, Amb. Mike Oquaye was interviewed extensively on Skyy FM during which he updated listeners on a wide range of issues about Free Zones and its activities in the Western Region.
The GFZA team then met with the CEO and management team of Wayoe Engineering & Construction Limited, one of the largest privately-owned Ghanaian engineering and construction companies in West Africa.
The group toured the new factory of the company to get a sense of the investment the company had made and its growth potential. Amb. Mike Oquaye committed to working closely with the company to find lasting solutions to some identified problems.
The team then visited Amalitech Limited, a social enterprise that harnesses the potential of remote work to build the future of work in sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking at the end of the one-week working visit, Amb Mike Oquaye expressed satisfaction with the achievements of many of the institutions in the two regions.
He also charged the regional heads of the GFZA to continue delivering value to all GFZA-licensed businesses.
Mr. Ziblim Alhassan, Director of Administration and Human Resources; Mr. Jesse Agyepong, Director of Corporate Affairs; and Mr. Lawrence Osei-Boateng, Director of Business Development and Research, accompanied Ambassador Mike Oquaye on the working visit. He was also accompanied by Mr. Ricky Osei Owusu, Regional Head of the Ashanti Region; Hajia Hanatu Abubakar, Regional Director for the Western Region; Mr. Fred Agyei-Gyane, Manager in Charge of Compliance; and Mr. Harry Ansah, Personal Assistant to the CEO.
Prepaid metre users of the state power distribution company between late September 2022 and early October 2022 experienced challenges in topping up credit.
The situation affected customers seeking to purchase credit from third-party vending points and the ECG mobile app, leading to several power users being left without supply for days.
In a statement dated October 4, 2022, the PURC ordered ECG to compensate its affected customers for breaching its obligations.
“In view of the extent of inconvenience occasioned by the failure with the ECG prepayment meter system, the Commission has determined that ECG shall pay compensation to all affected customers.
“ECG IS HERBY ORDERED to compensate each affected customer for loss suffered as a show of responsive customer service,” the statement said.
According to the directive, the compensation is to be affected “in the form of one-time electricity credit commencing 1 October 2022 and ending October 7, 2022.”
See below the details of the full order by PURC to ECG
Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown below:
The Lowdown: Role of the diaspora in the development of Africa
CEO of the Aaron Manvel Foundation Millie Lorene Tucker and Gary Hope, the CEO of FLCC – Bring Back Hope Foundation underscore the need for the African diaspora to help develop the continent in this episode of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV. According to the women trying to make and create a change in Ghana, our forefathers were sold away and made to develop strange lands. Thus, coming back home and developing their home country is the best thing to do especially when resources are available.
The Managing Director of the power distributing company, noted that the ECG acknowledges its fault of failing to distribute power to customers.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has apologised to customers for the inconvenience caused by the challenges it experienced with its prepaid vending system.
The company has also disclosed that its vending stations are currently working so customers can purchase their prepaid credit.
Speaking at a press conference held on Monday, 3 October 2022, in Accra, the Managing Director of the power distributing company, Samuel Mahama noted that the ECG acknowledges its fault of failing to distribute power to customers and apologised for the interruption in service delivery.
Mr Mahama said: “That was our fault that we were not on top of our game to deliver a service. Let us not forget that in such a business the customer is the one that always gets hurt when you don’t deliver on your promise. So when I said I admit my fault, I admit my fault in not being able to deliver the service that we promised to deliver.
“I will like to apologise to all customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana who attempted to purchase power and they were not able to purchase power, the company admits its fault, the company admits that it was not able to deliver on the service.”
He however, hinted that, the company is still experiencing some challenges in the Ashanti Region.
“But the company will like all its customers to also know that most vending stations are up and running.
“I used most because we still have some few challenges in the Ashanti region that we are working on. Hopefully, by close of day today, it will be resolved.”
Meanwhile, the MD, is optimistic, that challenges with the power distributing company’s prepaid vending system will be fully resolved by Tuesday, 4 October 2022.
According to the ECG MD, customers will be able to purchase prepaid credits without challenges.
Power consumers across certain parts of the country have, for the past six days, been unable to purchase power on their prepaid meters because of a technical challenge that affected ECG’s prepaid metering systems.
Sadiq Abdulai Abu popularly known as Baba Sadiq says his resignation as the CEO of 3 Media Networks, organisers of 3 Music Awards should not give room to speculation that he is not the founder of the company.
In a phone conversation with Graphic Showbiz today, September 30, Baba Sadiq pointed out that stepping down from his management role as the CEO of a company he founded was a normal practice in corporate governance.
“In the last five years since 3 Music Network was established, I have been at the helm of affairs as the founder and CEO. Stepping down as the CEO doesn’t mean I’m not the founder. I resigned because I need to move on to other things.
“I have this principle that I need to make an impact wherever I find myself and I believe that I have made a great impact at 3 Music Network. I’m still with the company but not in managerial role and there’s nothing wrong with that.
“The fact that you are a founder doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be part of management or have managerial roles,” Baba Sadiq said.
Sadiq Abdulai Abu resigns from 3 Media Networks
In the early hours of today, Baba Sadiq posted: “Today is officially my last working day as the CEO/MD of 3Media Networks (3Music TV) an organisation I founded in 2017 and had the rare privilege to lead for 5 years. The time has come to extend my quest for excellence and remarkable experience to other sectors of society,” he stated.
In a statement accompanying the announcement of his resignation, he mentioned that he has always lived by the principle to make impact wherever he finds himself and was glad to have made significant strides in the entertainment industry in Ghana and Africa.
“In all of my nearly 17 years of professional life in the Ghanaian and African media and entertainment industry, I have always lived by the creed that my work and life should ultimately benefit my industry, community and country and if later on in my life I am called upon by my people and country to serve in whatever capacity, I will not turn my back on them. I believe the time has come for me to extend my quest for excellence and remarkable experience in the media industry to other sectors of society”, the statement noted.
Baba Sadiq has been linked to vacant Accra Hearts of Oak CEO job and a move into politics to contest the Okaikoi Central seat on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
When asked about his political ambitions, he told Graphic Showbiz that it was still early days to confirm his next move. However, politics should not be ruled out of his future endeavours.
“I will be announcing my next engagement but I can’t rule out politics. When the calls for my people to represent them gets intense, I will heed to it,” he said.
A Ghanaian machine operator, Isaac Boateng, has reportedly suffered deep knife wounds after his throat was slashed by his Chinese employer at Kweikuma in the Sekondi-Takoradi Municipality.
According to a report by 3news.com sighted by GhanaWeb, the Chinese national is a senior in a company contracted to erect structures close to the apartments of the Ghana Navy flats.
An eyewitness account disclosed the incident occurred while workers of the company were demanding the payment of their salaries.
“We have worked for the whole month and our salaries had not been paid so we had a meeting and asked our Chinese employer why we have not been paid. One of our colleagues went to the Chinese boss to find out what was wrong with the salaries because we have families and we are also owing some people.
“In the heat of the argument, the Chinese boss pulled a flick knife and slashed the throat of our colleague. He has incurred deep wounds, blood traces could be seen everywhere. He has been rushed to the Effiankwanta Hospital and we pray he will survive,” Boat who is also a Ghanaian employee of the company alleged.
He disclosed that the local workers numbering about 80 were protesting in demand of their GH¢18 accumulated daily wage.
“Some military [officers] intervened and calm was restored later but the foreigner who committed the crime is still walking around. We are in pain and demand justice for our brother. We are about eighty workers here and they pay each of us GH¢18 a day for the tedious construction work are doing here,” he added.
Meanwhile, the working of the company is said to have been taken over by the presence of strong state security while the company has since commenced the payment of the outstanding salaries.
A case about the incident has also been filed with the Adiembro Police station for further action.
“The Police have taken my statement and I’m still under treatment,” the victim, Isaac Boateng is reported to have said.
The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) claims that certain information in its contract with Frontiers Health Services is confidential.
According to Managing Director Pamela Djamson-Tettey, the aforementioned information is exempted under Section 10 of the Right to Information Act, 2019, Act 989.
Section 10 of Act 989 provides as follows;
“Information is exempt from disclosure prior to official publication where
(a) the information contains trade secrets or financial, commercial, scientific or technical information that belongs to the State or public institution and the information has monetary or a potential monetary value;
(b) the disclosure of the information can reasonably be expected to affect the integrity or stability of the financial system or, damage the financial interests of the State or public institution or the ability of the State to manage the national economy;
(c) the disclosure of the information can reasonably be expected to cause a disruption of business or trade in the country;
(d) the disclosure of the information can unduly benefit or be injurious to a person because it provides prior information about future economic or financial measures to be introduced by the Government or public institution;
(e) the information contains criterion, procedure, position or instruction that relates to negotiations being carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the State or public institution, the disclosure of which shall be injurious to national security and economic development; or
(f) the information contains questions or methodology to be used in an examination, recruitment, or selection process and the release is likely to jeopardise the integrity of that examination, recruitment, or selection process”
Additionally, Mrs. Djamson-Tettey added that the company does not have access to information about the “ chronology of the processes that led to the selection of an award to Frontiers Health Services…”
This is her response to an RTI request sent to the company by the Head of Research at Joynews Raymond Acquah.
In addition to the above information, Mr Acquah also wanted information on the following;
“The reason(s) for the selection and award of the contract specified above to Frontiers Health Services.
The total amount of money generated from the Covid-19 testing at the airport from the inception of this agreement with frontiers to date.
The total amount of money that has been made by frontiers health services from the covid-19 testing at the airport from the inception of the contract with frontiers to date.
The total amount of money that has been made by the government of Ghana from the covid-19 testing at the airport from the inception of the contract with frontiers till date.”
The company replied that passengers arriving in the country paid directly to Frontiers.
“GACL is unable to confirm the amount of money derived from the covid-19 testing because passengers paid directly to Frontiers Healthcare, providers of the service.”
Frontiers were tasked to undertake covid-19 test at the Kotoka International Airport.
The deal came under intense scrutiny following allegations of corruption levelled by some civil society organisations and opposition MPs.
Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, however, explained to Parliament that the Ghana Airports Company complied fully with the procurement laws.
The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) says it is unaware of the amount of money made by Frontiers Healthcare Service from Covid-19 testing at the airports.
The company was tasked by government to undertake an assessment of travellers as part of measures to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
This GACL was responding to a request made by JoyNews’ Research Desk through the Right to Information (RTI) Law.
The JoyNews team among other things asked for the total amount made from the operation.
But GACL Managing Director Pamela Djamson-Tettey says her outfit is not abreast of that information.
“GACL is unable to confirm the amount of money derived from the covid-19 testing because passengers paid directly to Frontiers Healthcare, providers of the service,” she said on September 19.
The application also contained a request for a copy of the agreement between government and the healthcare service provider.
In that regard, the MD said she cannot disclose that in accordance with Section 10 of the Right to Information Act, 2019, Act 989.
The desk also sought the modalities that led to Frontiers’ selection action for the activity.
But the GACL says it “is not in possession of the chronology of the processes that led to the selection and award to Frontiers Health Services to provide the COVID-19 testing at the Airport.”
The deal came under intense scrutiny following allegations of corruption levelled by some civil society organisations and opposition MPs.
Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, however, explained to Parliament that the Ghana Airports Company complied fully with the procurement laws.
The Chief Executive Officer of Procal Links Ghana Limited, the official match ball partner of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Alhaji Alhassan Mutala has hinted that his outfit is capable and ready to supply match balls to other African football leagues.
Alhassan Mutalatold Power and TV XYZ Sports that his companywhich has been the sole supplier of balls to both Ghana Premier League and Division One for the past three seasons, took delivery of a forty-fetter container of tempo balls just to fulfill a contractual obligation with the Ghana Football Association as the new football season is about to start.
Procol Links first introduced Macron match balls in their business relationship with Ghana Football Association before coming up with the famous and match talked about TEMPO which later gained strikes and became coaches’ favorite in the Ghanaian Premier League.
Mr Mutala also disclosed the mechanism, the behavior, and the tempo of Macron and Tempo balls are specially designed for the African weather condition and the facilities available for our game, so he is calling on all African Football Federations to honor their football leagues with match balls design for Africa performance for football fans to enjoy.
According to the lawyer, the response issued by the company was not from the lawyers of the Company and thereby questioning the basis for which Labianca Group Limited paid the ¢1.074 million after the report emerged.
“This is a lame attempt at damage control because reading the statement which they issued, the statement, let me say was not issued by their lawyers but was issued by the Company with the intention of asking their lawyers to take the matter up,†Saviour Kudze said in an interview on Joy FM, Wednesday, August 24.
He, however, argued that the reason for payment is that “they had agreed that there was some wrongdoing that is why they had to pay the money.
“They themselves alluded to the fact that they appeared before the Special Prosecutor during the investigation and during the investigations of course if you had evidence in support of your case you would have made it available before the Special prosecutor.”
The lawyer noted that the only legitimate claim Labianca’s statement is the “fact that they were not furnished with the Special Prosecutors report at a point in time.â€
Labianca in a statement issued on Wednesday, August 24, threatened to take legal action against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for issuing an influence-peddling report against it.
The Company said, “we take the findings of the Office of the Special Prosecutor seriously and have consequently instructed our lawyers to take the necessary action on this matter.â€
Background
The OSP in a recent report noted that it had recovered GH¢1.074 million from Labianca, owned by Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh, an elected member of the Council of State representing the Western Region.
The amount represented a shortfall in import duties the frozen foods company paid to the state.
In an investigative report by the OSP, Ms Asomah-Hinneh was accused of influence-peddling by allegedly using her position as a member of the Council of State and member of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to get a favourable decision from the Customs Division for her company.
The investigative report, dated August 3, 2022, is titled: “Report of Investigation into Alleged Commission of Corruption and Corruption-Related Offences involving Labianca Group of Companies and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.â€
