President Akufo-Addo to visit Upper West Region on Tuesday

Wa,- President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will embark on a two-day working visit to the Upper West Region beginning from, Tuesday, July 13, 2021.

On arrival on Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo is expected to commence business with a courtesy call on the Wa Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, the Overlord of the Wala Traditional Area before honouring a radio programme at Radio Upper West.

After the radio programme, the President will then depart for Tumu in the Sissala East Municipality, where he will pay a courtesy call on the Tumu Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI, Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area and Member of the Council of State.

President Akufo-Addo is then expected to commission a Business Resource Centre in Tumu before returning to Wa where he will pass the night.

On the second day, Wednesday, July 14, 2021, the President will depart for Lambussie District, where he will call on the Lambussie Kuoro Salifu Dy-Yaka, Paramount Chief of the Lambussie Traditional Area.

President Akufo-Addo will then leave for the Nandom Municipality where he will also call on the Acting President of the Nandom Traditional Council after which he will inspect some projects in the Municipality.

After concluding on the inspection of projects, the President will have a radio programme at Nandom before departing for Wa to fly back to Accra.

It is not clear who are going to be part of the president’s entourage into the region but Mr Dominic Nitiwul, the Defence Minister had confirmed to the GNA he will be in Wa with the president for the visit.

It is expected that the President will use the opportunity to comment on the military brutalities on some citizens of the Wa municipality almost a fortnight ago when he visits the Wa Naa.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Allianz Insurance launches ‘Allianz Heroes’ to reward sales agents

Allianz Insurance, a subsidiary of Allianz Group has launched a new initiative ‘Allianz Heroes’ that will reward sales agents for their contribution to the company.

Based on their achieved targets, the sales agents across the country will receive airtime and home appliances on a monthly and quarterly basis.
In addition, the three top agents for the year will also get an all-expense-paid trip to Germany as the ultimate prize.

Expressing his excitement about the initiative, the Head of Agency and Retail at Allianz Insurance, Paul Therson, said: “We can’t stress enough how thankful we are for the commitment, hard work, and loyalty our sales agents continue to show at all times and help us to increase our customer satisfaction and this is one way we want to celebrate them.”

He explained that the initiative is essential to encourage and empower the sales agents to advance the products and services of the company to secure the future of its customers.

He added that the company will continue to equip sales agents with customer engagement skill sets that will see them become more efficient, knowledgeable and improve on their individual performance.

“We have demonstrated commitment to helping and empowering young Ghanaians and will continue to find innovative ways through which we can empower many more young people in the insurance industry.”

Source: Ghana Web

GPL Week 33: Hearts are Champions, Bechem beat Kotoko to stay safe

Accra,- Accra Hearts of Oak has won the 2020/21 Ghana Premier League title breaking their 12-year trophy-less jinx.

Daniel Afriyie Barnieh who has been a revelation for the Phobians this season was on target once again but his strike was cancelled out by Liberty Professionals defender Paul Kwame who delivered a ferocious header in the late stages of the game to secure a point for the away side.

Steven Owusu’s brace for Bechem United proved crucial as they edged Kumasi Asante Kotoko 2-1 at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park. Sarfo Taylor scored the consolation goal for the Porcupine Warriors.

Kotoko was not able to keep the chase on the arch-rivals Hearts are four points clear of the top of the table with a game left in the season.

Bechem United who have amassed 42 points so far have retained their Premier League status after the win.

With Inter Allies already relegated, the two other teams who would join be decided on the last day with King Faisal, Liberty Professionals, Ebusua Dwarfs, and Legon Cities still in danger of getting relegated.

Elmina Sharks couldn’t get out of the relegation zone despite their 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Legon Cities while King Faisal comfortably eased past Ebusua Dwarfs 2-0 in Techiman.

There were crucial wins for Berekum Chelsea and Eleven Wonders who are all safe after beating Great Olympics and Medeama respectively to sustain their Premier League status.

Below are the full results for match-week 33:

Sogakope: Inter Allies 2-4 Aduana Stars

Berekum: Berekum Chelsea 2-1 Olympics

Obuasi: AshantiGold SC 0-0 Dreams FC

Elmina: Elmina Sharks 2-0 Legon Cities

Anyinasi: Karela Utd 0-2 WAFA SC

Techiman: Eleven Wonders 3-1 Medeama SC

Accra: Hearts of Oak 1-1 Liberty

Bechem: Bechem United 2-1 Asante Kotoko

Techiman: King Faisal 2-0 Ebusua Dwarfs

Source: Ghana News Agency

Italy beats England on penalties to win Euro 2020

Accra,- Italy beat England in a penalty shootout to win the 2020 European Football Championship on Sunday in London.

The win keeps England on the chase for a major trophy since 1966 when they won the world cup on home soil.

It was a dramatic shootout that saw Italy win 3-2 after 120 minutes of action which saw both sides share honours in a one-all game.

Luke Shaw scored for England in the 3rd minute and the English decided to defend the lead and went under intense pressure from the Italians.

Leonardo Bonucci scrambled in the equalizer in the second half for Italy to push the game into extra time and the penalty shootouts.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy’s hulking goalkeeper, pushed aside the final attempt by the England teenager Buyako Saka to clinch the victory, setting off a wild celebration that saw players from each team dissolve into tears.

Harry Kane, Harry Maguire scored for England, whilst Domenico Berardi, Leonardo Bonucci, and Frederico Bernardesch converted for Italy.

Source: Ghana News Agency

I had to postpone my wedding because of Hearts of Oak – Coach Samuel Boadu reveals

Hearts of Oak head coach, Samuel Boadu has revealed that he was forced to postpone his planned wedding because of the appointment to work for the Phobians.

Having excelled at Medeama SC in the first round of the season, the young Ghanaian tactician was poached by the capital-based outfit prior to the second round of the 2020/2021 season.

Following the completion of talks, the gaffer was finally unveiled in March as the new head coach for Hearts of Oak.

Having led Hearts of Oak to win the Ghana Premier League title with one game to spare, Coach Samuel Boadu has opened up on how he had to put his wedding on hold to concentrate on the new job.

“I postponed my wedding date because of Hearts appointment because I saw that there is much work to do. So I told my to-be wife that we must postpone the wedding so that I can concentrate much on the team,” the coach told Light FM in an interview on Monday.

With the league title officially clinched, Samuel Boadu is now set to wed Madam Felicia Apimpanta on August 14, 2021.

Source: Modern Ghana

Depressing times in Ghana; talk to someone if you have to – Abena Ampofo

Young on-air personality Abena Ampofo has urged Ghanaians to take care of their mental health and do what is necessary to stay afloat and healthy upstairs, stating that the nation is in depressing times.

This is coming amidst the recent killings, insecurity, and ultimately, and not long ago unrest in Ejura, and truth be told, there is so much bad news and energy around that if care is not taken, the average Ghanaian will go off the mind.

Taking to her Instagram page, Abena Ampofo said people should talk to people or take a break if they need to, stating that at these times, everyone needs one another at optimum to get through the things going on in the country.

“Talk to someone if you have to, take a break. We are in depressing time and we need each other to get through this,” she wrote.

Source: Modern Ghana

Ecobank Ghana, Enterprise Trustees sign a partnership agreement to deliver pension backed mortgage to Ghanaian workers

Ecobank Ghana and Enterprise Trustees have signed a partnership agreement, introducing the first pension-backed mortgage loan and short-term loan facility in Ghana.

Under this association, Enterprise Trustees will make accessible to laborers, whose benefits reserves dwell at Enterprise, a bundle that empowers them to draw in an annuity-supported home loan and momentary credit offices from Ecobank.

This comes as an immense help to laborers, who are currently guaranteed of getting respectable exceptionally fabricated homes, which will be completely paid for, in front of their retirement, guaranteeing them harmony and solace at an advanced age.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Joseph Ampofo, Managing Director of Enterprise Trustees, said; “This is a joint effort between two industry goliaths, Ecobank Ghana, and Enterprise Trustees, with a typical common worth of Excellence.

We will positively be directed by this, as we cooperate for the advancement of Ghanaian specialists, who would now be able to claim homes through this remarkable home loan arrangement offered under this association understanding.

Among different highlights, we ensure recipients under this plan a 100% financing course of action, when they have at least 20% of the home loan total in their Tier 3 annuity reserves. As we assume our guardian part as Trustees, customers of Enterprise Trustees benefits plans should have confidence we have their full interest on the most fundamental level, and this is another expansion to the thrilling worth we make for you in arriving at your ideal benefit” he said.

Mr. Ampofo closed by calling on the media to assist with spreading the advantages to be opened from long-haul reserve funds and ventures, as proven under Tier 2 and 3 Pension Schemes. He likewise supported both formal and casual specialists to completely buy into fortunate and individual benefits plans to empower them to understand more certain retirement results.

On his part, the Managing Director of Ecobank Ghana, Mr. Daniel Sackey said; “There is a developing interest all around the world for phenomenal client cordial monetary administrations across different client fragments, making it basic for corporate organizations to tweak their items and administrations to suit the different portions. It is hence that Ecobank keeps on looking for approaches to use innovation and key organizations to serve its business sectors.

We, accordingly, see this Ecobank-Enterprise Trustees organization arrangement marking service as coming at an ideal chance to empower our joint foundations to cause a significant commitment towards assisting Ghana with diminishing its always developing lodging deficiency” he said.

Mr. Sackey proceeded with that; “It is therefore that we consider the present to function as denoting a vital day throughout the entire existence of Ghana. Under this organization arrangement, Enterprise Trustees will make accessible to all specialists, whose annuity reserves dwell at Enterprise, a bundle that empowers them to draw in contract from Ecobank with zero initial installments.

The bank will dispense the home loan advance to the recipients, who will pay regularly scheduled payments over a fifteen-year time span.

According to Mr. Sackey, this Ecobank-Enterprise Trustees Partnership Agreement signing ceremony has come at an opportune time to enable our joint institutions to make a meaningful contribution towards helping Ghana to reduce the ever-growing housing deficit, which according to the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye, in a Daily Graphic report of April 19, 2021, now is in excess of two million housing units.

In his report, he indicated that estimates show that 60 percent of the country’s population would need some form of government assistance to help them to get access to housing, while 35 percent would not be able to access housing even with government support in terms of subsidy.

Moreover, the recipients can draw in transient credits from Ecobank, which will likewise be repaid for more than 3 years. I, along these lines, urge Ghanaian specialists to accept the open door being offered today to obtain nice homes or access any subsidizing they need for other significant necessities. Each Ghanaian merits a reasonably respectable home and admittance to subsidizing, as and when vital” he added.

Mr. Sackey further mentioned this partnership agreement is a novelty for the Ghanaian financial services market, which should be embraced by workers. A regular mortgage will require the borrower to make available at least a 20% down payment, but this innovative partnership offers a product that requires the borrower to make no deposit whatsoever.

All the borrower needs to do is to identify the house and Ecobank will provide the funding. With this offer, there is really no excuse for Enterprise Trustees Tier 3 contributors not to own their own homes. There is also no excuse for not accessing the requisite funding for their various projects.

Authorities of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority, led by Mr. Emmanuel Abrokwah, the Manager for Standards and Compliance, gave their gifts to the organization, depicting it as novel and opportune, as it tries to help the drawn-out wants of the normal Ghanaian laborer.

He, hence, entreated workers to take immediate advantage of the package on offer.

Source: Ghana Web

From bits to watts: Huawei underlines African power credentials

There is no doubt that Africa faces a massive energy challenge. At the same time, the continent is richly endowed with renewable energy sources. According to the international energy agency, around 580 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lacked access to electricity in 2019, three-quarters of the global total, while renewable energy is expected to contribute 22% of Africa’s total energy consumption by 2030.

There is a strong and urgent need to accelerate the growth of renewable energy across the region to ensure sufficient, affordable, reliable energy supply for individuals, businesses, and communities. Huawei is at the forefront of addressing those issues, as it demonstrated at a virtual digital power event today.

“There is still a massive gap to be bridged. However, the traditional energy infrastructure operation mode cannot meet the new challenges brought by the latest development in the digital world. Digital and intelligent technologies can be of great help to ensure we provide sufficient electricity to every African household and business,” said Huang Su, Director of Huawei Southern Africa Digital Power Business.

The cost of PV power generation has fallen sharply over the past decade. In most countries, traditional energy grids cost a lot more than PV electricity. This offers Africa an opportunity to harness its abundant potential of increasingly cost-competitive renewable energy to meet the growing demand for electricity and pursue a climate-friendly, needs-oriented power strategy.

As Huang points out, renewable energy is much cheaper than fossil-fuel-based options, with a kilowatt-hour of solar power costing less than a Rand in South Africa. It’s clear then, that solar power should — and likely will — play a large role in the world’s future power mix.

In order to achieve this, Huawei is committed to introducing digital power solutions driven by digital technologies.

“The essence of digital power is integrating cloud, AI, and other digital technologies with power generation, storage, and consumption. We are ready and willing to provide our full support for building a green Africa and bridging the energy gap,” Huang says.

Huawei’s smart PV solution has been deployed in more than 60 countries and regions and has generated more than 300 billion kWh of green electricity, powering millions of residents and hundreds of industries globally. Huang said Huawei will continue to innovate and enable renewable energy to empower each individual, home, and organization.

“Huawei is already a household name in the ICT world,” Huang says. “All ICT requires a power supply and Huawei has always provided that to one degree or another. Our efforts in the solar PV space are simply an extension of that. As we are good at Bits, we basically try to add Bitstreams on the top of Watt streams, and use bits to manage the Watt,” Huang says.

“Over time, Huawei will deploy more and more scalable power stations. These power stations can be managed and maintained online, further reducing their carbon footprint,” he adds. “We are uniquely positioned to bring electricity, power supply, and data management together. The journey from bits to watts is accelerating and we plan on leading it.”

Source: Ghana Web