Day: March 25, 2022

Y107.9 FM’s finest DJ, AD DJ headlined a series of events in London as he thrilled fans in the diaspora to classy tunes in his quest to celebrate Ghana’s historic anniversary, Independence Day.

Galloping through the streets of London with his Afrobeats themed ‘Ghana @ 65 Independence Party’ in an attempt to put Ghana on the map, AD DJ created an overwhelming atmosphere across the various venues with some electrifying whirls, transitions and energy displayed on the controller.

AD DJ’s tour which began on Friday, 4th March at one of the biggest Afrobeats club in London, the LA Lounge. The club inspired by the energy and glamour of the London Life, saw Londoners regaled by some renowned Afrobeats artistes with some astute DJs on rotation.

The crowd was also introduced to some subtle tunes of Hip-hop, RnB, and some Amapiano vibes.

The Lord of the House truly proved his grit with back-to-back fire-works with the Ghana Independence Party on Saturday, 5th March at the Infinity Lounge in London, a grand destination for ‘party freaks’.

The party presented an elite jam with performances from gentry DJs including, DJ Sandra Omari, DJ Skrillz, Kwamz Original, DJ Fiifi and DJ Montana.

Returning to the LA Lounge with the ‘Highlife Sunday’, AD DJ summoned the ‘gods’ of Highlife sounds to grace the atmosphere. The twists and thrills from the legendary Daddy Lumba, Amakye Dede, and a blend of the modern hits from the likes of Kwami Eugene and Kelvyn boy.

AD DJ climaxed his ‘Ghana @65 Independence Party’ at the famous Oval Space on Friday, 11th March with yet another electrifying tunes on display. Giving the crowd value for their money.

Programmes manager for Y107.5FM, Eddy Blay congratulated AD DJ for his successful tour and representing the Ghanaian culture in Europe.

“YFM is filled with a lot of A-list DJs and AD DJ did us proud out there, showing the quality we have here. What amazed me the most on his tour was the ‘Highlife Sunday’ where he gave us legendary sounds, the jam that day was just glorious. Pulling up other artistes and DJs shows what we always do here, support each other, and showcase each other to the world. AD DJ make us and the whole of Ghana stand tall, however, this won’t be the last but the first of huge ones,” he said.

Source: Ghana Web

The Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Summit is taking place at the plush, 5-star Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra on June 3, 2022.

This event is set to bring together key players and delegates from the consumer packaged goods and business industry in Ghana, Africa, and the world under the theme: Codes of winning in the new reality; sustaining winning brands with the new consumer.

The institution and signing of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area agreement on March 21, 2018, and May 30, 2019 respectively; the rise in the adoption of digitalization and e-commerce; the increasing sophistication of consumers, and the ripples from pandemics and geopolitical crises all have diverse implications on the FMCG industry in Ghana and Africa that have not been given necessary considerations.

According to Global Ovations Ltd, CEO; Mr.Gideon Raji-The Organizers of the National FMCG Summit, The summit will draw from relevant findings from carefully curated studies, ideas from thoughtful and eminent professionals, and predictions derived from analysed data to highlight critical growth enablers and possible threats to the development and expansion of this industry that serves nearly everyone in the world.

Discussions about the future of the industry and the collective functions of stakeholders in attempts to bring more satisfaction and delight among ever-learning retailers and consumers will be signature throughout the summit.

C-suite executives and leaders in the FMCG industry will be in attendant at this high-status gathering, in addition to the proposed Special Guest of Honour in the person of the Minister of Trade and Industry – Hon. Alan K. Kyeremanteng, Other Ministers of States, top multilateral trade and investment facilitators and regulators, the diplomatic corps, and the international and local media.

To climax this event, this summit will publicly recognize and celebrate outstanding FMCG brands, initiatives, individuals, and organizations at the National FMCG Awards.

Four transformative summit experiences

This all-relevant National FMCG Summit will deliver the following valuable experiences to delegates and participants:

• Keynote Presentations & Panel Discussions

• Perspective Sharing by Domain Experts, Industry & Thought Leaders

• Research & Case Study Presentations

• Maiden National FMCG Awards Gala

About the National FMCG Awards

The National FMCG Awards is a prestigious event that honours the best FMCG players in Ghana and of Ghanaian origin beyond our shores.

The FMCG sector requires competitive advantage in areas such as packaging, branding, marketing, and distribution.

With the acceleration of e-commerce and ever-changing consumer preferences, companies in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry are pushed to innovate and come up with strategies to attract and serve their customers.

The National FMCG Awards aims at recognizing those who are able to leverage the current trends and are able to see more opportunities and continue to thrive amidst the challenging environment.

This event is produced by Global Ovations LTD. It will be held in the cosmopolitan city which hosts the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Accra-Labadi, and host impactful topics , Key industrial personalities, Quality entertainment and recognize the most qualified FMCG heroes, Brands, Organizations and initiatives.

For more information about sponsorship, participation, and summit activities, contact the organizers: Gideon on +233248565066/ Hyacinthe +233543078639 or email us at info@fmcgsummit.com .

Source: Ghana Web

Accra, March 25, GNA- The Minority caucus in Parliament says the measures announced by Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister, to restore the vibrancy of the economy, implies that government is out of touch with the current economic realities.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority leader, at a press conference in Parliament asserted that the measures were inadequate.

He said: “Arguably, after listening to the Finance Minister, his responses and proposals, while he was talking about expenditure cut, he also says they are going to see on growth areas and social spendings. That can only be a contradiction. Our immediate response to the Minister of Finance is to state categorically and unequivocally that he has lost touch with reality. He is not in tune with the state of the Ghanaian economy.”

Mr Ofori-Atta at a press briefing on Thursday revealed among other things a 15-pesewa reduction on a litre of petrol and fuel, and a moratorium on importation vehicles. He also announced a cut in fuel coupons for government appointees by 50 per cent.

However, in his address, Mr Iddrisu chastised the Government over its management of the economy.

The Minister of Finance again announced measures taken by the Government to revive the economy which was suffering several challenges including inflation, depreciation of the Cedi, difficulties in payment of debts, among others.

He highlighted twelve points for cutting down public expenditure, including a moratorium on imported vehicles and foreign travel by public officials.

He also indicated plans to generate more revenue including impressing parliament to pass the E-levy.

Mr Ofori-Atta also indicated plans to inject $2 billion into the economy in the next two to six weeks.

For the Minority leader, however, these plans are not in any way meant to be in the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian.

“Our economy today reflects nothing less than a cost-of-living crisis and a cost of doing business crisis both for individuals and businesses who are unable to cope with the measures so announced by the Minister for Finance. We do not find his proposals adequate. We need certainty and clarity,” he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, March 25, GNA- The ECOWAS Court of Justice has directed the Federal Republic of Nigeria to amend Section 24 of its Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act in accordance with its obligations under Article 1 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR).

The Court held that “Section 24 of the Cyber Crime Act is not in conformity with Article 9 of ACHPR and Article 19 of International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).”

However, the Federal Republic of Nigeria has refute that assertion.

The Court directive came after the Registered Trustees of the Socio-economic and Accountability Project (SERAP) had filed a writ against the Federal Republic of Nigeria over its Cybercrime Act.

SERAP, a Non-governmental organisation, had gone to the court over the legality and compatibility of the provision of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act especially Section 24 of the Act which was against the guarantee of the rights to freedom of expression and information.

SERAP, the applicant, contended that there was violation of the rights to freedom of expression, information and other rights of human right activities, bloggers, journalists, broadcasters, and social media users, through the repressive use, interpretation, and implementation of the alleged vaguely and ambiguous provision of the Nigeria’s Cybercrime Act.

It was the contention of the Applicant that since the passage of the Cybercrime Act, (Prohibition, Prevention, etc), Act 2015, the Federal Republic of Nigeria (respondent) and its agents have used the provisions of the Act to allegedly harass, intimidate, arbitrarily, arrest and detained and unfair prosecution users of the social media, human right defenders, activists, journalists, broadcasters and bloggers who expressed views perceived to be critical of the government both at the Federal and State levels.

SERAP listed 12 high profile cases of victims of harassment and intimidation, arrest and unlawful detention, prosecution and imprisonment of journalists’ bloggers etc by the respondent, its agents, and several states of Nigeria between August 2015 and November 2018 for alleged cyberstalking.

The applicant further held that “it is only when the Cybercrime Act 2015 is rendered incompatible with treaties on freedom of expression, right to information, and press freedom and declared unlawful that these rights will be fully and effectively respected, protected, promoted and fulfilled in Nigeria.”

The Nigerian government in its response said the question of interpretation of Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act, must be submitted to the “domestic courts” and not the ECOWAS Court, as the case was not within the competence of the ECOWAS Court because the matter bordered on interpretation of “extant laws”.

The respondent contended that the Cybercrime Act was enacted in 2015 after it had been subjected to all the requisite constitutional and legal process which includes, public hearings of which the applicant was aware of, and they did not protest its passage.

The respondent said “the Act was not enacted to muzzle the freedom of expression in Nigeria but to curtail the activities of criminals carried out on the internet.

That in addition to the criminalization of cyberstalking, other criminalized acts are child pornography, xenophobia, racism, internet fraud, intimidation, threat of bodily harm via the internet among others.”

The respondents held that the Cybercrime Act was in line with the provisions of Section 45 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

It therefore prayed the court to dismiss the applicant’s writ as it was “misplaced, unproved and the same was ungrantable.”

The three-member panel, however, held that the court has jurisdiction to hear the matter.

The court however held that the applicant failed to submit “uncontroverted evidence of arrest although it submitted online newspapers (blogs) clippings of alleged arrest, adding that “it failed to corroborate the same with an independent source of persuasive value.”

“The assertion by the applicants that several people were prosecuted and convicted have not been supported with evidence,” the court said.

It therefore dismissed the applicant’s claim for compensation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, March 25, GNA – Mr Jonathan Kelsey, the Director of Strategy and Engagement, Bloomberg Philanthropies, says secrecies in the fishing industry breed illegality and if unregulated and unreported (IUU) could threaten biodiversity, food security, livelihoods, and stability.

He said global annual losses from IUU fishing were estimated to be between US$10 and US$23.5 billion.

He made the statement at the launch of a Fisheries Transparency Project titled: “Enhancing Transparency in the Fisheries Sectors of Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal”, by the Centre for Maritime, Law and Security (CEMLAWS) and funded by the Bloomberg Philanthropies under their “Vibrant Oceans Initiative,” in Accra.

Mr Kelsey said distant water industrial fleets often operated behind a veil of fishing information secrecy and non-disclosure, decimating fish stocks, perpetrating human rights abuses, and stealing wealth and food from communities and sovereign nations.

Across West Africa, where an estimated 6.7 million people depended directly on fisheries for food and livelihoods, an average of 790,000 tons of fish were lost each year to IUU fishing, causing $1.9 billion in annual economic losses.

Speaking about fishing transparency, the Director said it was important to make robust fishing information publicly available, with transparent fisheries policy and decision-making processes.

The best weapon to bring accountability in the fight against IUU fishing, human rights abuses, and other corruption in the sector, he said was transparency.

Fishing transparency was necessary for achieving just, equitable, and sustainable fisheries and led to rewards for rule followers and punishments for rule breakers, Mr Kelsey said.

Dr. Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, making a presentation on the “Challenges and Opportunities in Fishery Transparency and Information Gathering,” said fishing was an employer of last resort and a chain empowerment scheme.

He said fish was a source of protein, food, and income for millions of people and source of revenue for coastal states in West Africa, therefore, the depletion of fish stock also had a crippling effect on the income generated by fisher folk in the region.

Key issues that needed attention in the sub-region’s fisheries sector were lack of transparency, questions about how vessels were licensed, their histories, including beneficial ownership, how infractions were dealt with, over-exploitation, IUU, monitoring surveillance and control constraints and selective enforcement.

To improve its governance in the sub-region, Dr Okafor-Yarwood suggested that the region complied with existing international regulations such as Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) and regional regulations.

PSMA was important because it gave states access to the necessary support, including Global Information Exchange System (GIES) and the Global Record of Fishing Vessels, he explained.

He also called on the sub-region to cooperate at the regional, national and international levels, to improve fisheries governance.

Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, speaking as the Guest Speaker, said the role of fisher folks and users of the fisheries resource, at various levels of governance, had proven important to foster stewardship and sustainability of programmes crafted to meet the objectives of the efforts.

The broad-based approach involving the four project countries, she said would serve as important baseline information on recent challenges of coastal nations in addressing fisheries related concerns.

Mr Séraphin Dedi Nadje, General Secretary of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea, said although the West and Central regions of the Gulf of Guinea were less rich in fisheries resources than other regions of the Atlantic coast, the presence of species with high commercial value in its waters, such as tunas and crustaceans, offered an important source of employment and foreign exchange for States exporting the products.

Due to the renewable nature of fishery resources, the States of the sub-region and their populations should benefit in a sustainable manner from the advantages provided by the resources.

However, he said the deficits in terms of fisheries governance in the sub-region, opening door to the overexploitation of fish stocks and the proliferation of illegal and unsustainable fishing practices, raised fears of worrying repercussions for populations and national economies.

“It is estimated today that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities represent 37 per cent of catches in West Africa, equivalent to approximately 1.5 billion euros in losses per year for the States of the sub-Saharan Africa,” Mr Nadje added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has urged owners of boreholes and producers of sachet and bottled water to test for radiological water quality.

The Commission said this would ensure the safety of drinking water, thereby preventing the long-term incidence of cancers in people who ingest contaminated water.

This call was made by Research Scientists of GAEC, Dr. David Kpeglo, and Dr. Gibrilla Abass, during a studio discussion with an Accra-based TV station to commemorate World Water Day on the global theme: “Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible”.

Speaking on protecting groundwater, making it safe and sufficient with conventional and nuclear techniques, Dr. Abass explained that the groundwater is held in rocks beneath the earth’s surface, containing naturally occurring radioactive materials that can easily find their way into the water.

“That is why apart from the normal test for the physical and chemical parameters of the water, we encourage people to also test for radiological parameters,” he added.

He further indicated that although the groundwater is generally safe, human activities on the earth’s surface have the potential to interfere with its safety and increase the level of contaminants that are not safe for human consumption.

On his part, Dr. Kpeglo counselled that “it is advisable that after drilling a borehole, individuals must take the necessary steps to ensure that the water quality is tested before drinking it.”

He stated that the water quality analysis must include radiological, physical, chemical, and bacteriological tests. “These tests are mandatory for all sachet and bottled water producers,” Dr. Kpeglo emphasized.

“The specific requirements under the radiological water quality test are Gross Alpha and Gross Beta with the screening values of 0.1Bq/L and 1.0Bq/L, respectively. This is well enshrined in the regulations of Ghana Standards Authority and the World Health Organization (WHO),” he said.

In his concluding remarks, Dr. Abass admonished the public to always seek the services of an expert before drilling a borehole. “Because selecting the right site is very important and a prerequisite at the initial stage to determine water quality and quantity.

Source: Ghana Web

Aflao (V/R), March 25, GNA – Torgbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti V, the Paramount Chief of Aflao Traditional Area, has bemoaned the disconnect between revenues generated annually at the Aflao Border and the development at the area.

He said the Aflao Border, being the country’s busiest land border, had been the third revenue generating point nationally, hence the need for the Government to support development at the town.

Torgbui Fiti said this at the end of year get-together for staff and stakeholders of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Aflao Collection.

The event, which had in attendance Ghana’s Ambassador to Togo, Kwasi Owusu-Yeboah, and reps of the security agencies, saw the presentation of awards and citations to officers for their roles leading to the Aflao Collection point exceeding its target for 2021.

It mobilised GH¢159.84 million, which exceeded its target of Ghc156.92 million, representing 1.86 per cent, thus earning commendation from the Customs Division.

“Ideally, one would have expected that government would embark on development projects commensurate with the amount of revenue generated but that had not been the case,” he said.

Torgbui Fiti said most of the Customs officers lacked decent accommodation, which needed to be fixed.

He, however, congratulated officers of the Aflao Sector for achieving that feat, especially in such a turbulent year, as he touched on the unique position of Aflao to Ghana’s economy.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Techiman (BE/R) March 25, GNA – About 100 basic schools teachers in the Bono East Region on Friday ended a five-day training of trainers workshop towards the training of 1000 school girls in information-communication and technology (ICT) under the region’s Girls’-in-ICT project.

The Girls’-in-ICT project is one of the government’s flagship programmes to address the gap between males and females in technology and digitalization platforms initiated by the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD) and supported by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications(GIFEC).

At the opening of the workshop on the theme: “Access and Safety” on Monday in Techiman, Madam Gloria Adjasah, a representative from MoCD, said five regions – Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Savannah and Northern- were involved in the project and the first 100 best-performing girls would be given laptops each.

She urged the teachers to see ICT as a global tool for development and to make the effort to acquire the required knowledge of it to help propel the progress of their communities and the country.

In an address on his behalf, Mr Kwasi Adu Gyan, the Regional Minister described the project as “very significant”, saying it would help to erase the wrongful notion that knowledge of ICT and its application in the world of work was the preserve of males.

He encouraged the participants to be passionate and committed for the successful implementation of the project in the region.

Source: Ghana News Agency