Year: 2022

Lagos, Nigeria | Accra, Ghana | Nairobi, Kenya | Info Digital Africa (ID Africa), a Nigerian public relations, marketing communications, and strategic advisory company, has announced the launch of its operations in Ghana and Kenya. The announcement coincides with the company’s seventh-anniversary celebrations.

The company was founded in 2015 by Ayeni Adekunle as part of BHM, an Africa-focused International PR and communications network with offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

ID Africa will serve as BHM’s Pan-African advisory and execution firm; helping consumers, brands, organizations, and governments make sense of the world’s most promising continent. Through local and regional adviser-led outfits, ID Africa will use a combination of owned media consumer insights, market knowledge, a vast content studio, editorial distribution, and super-advisers, to design and execute award-winning and impactful work across the continent.

Femi Falodun, the CEO, of ID Africa, commented: “After seven years of building and perfecting our unique approach to marketing and communications in Nigeria, we are now taking this distinctive proposition to other parts of Africa. With a combination of owned media consumer insights, proprietary technology, editorial expertise, and advisers, we are positioned to deliver truly impactful work across the continent.

“ID Africa has come a long way from humble beginnings as a three-person digital media unit of BHM that was spun off and incubated, to becoming one of Africa’s fastest-growing communications companies. Today, we employ almost 40 full-time professionals, work for 10 clients across 6 industries, in 4 countries; and own media assets with a combined user base of over a million.”

ID Africa’s EBITDA increased by 56% in 2021 from revenue growth of 76%. Current clients include MultiChoice DStv, ALAT By Wema, Honeywell Group, Betway, and Showmax.

Ayeni Adekunle, the BHM CEO, commented: “ID Africa’s continental growth, along with BHM’s allied and strategic operations in Europe and America, is part of our long term vision to build Africa’s first global integrated communications network.

“Our mission is to help individuals, brands, businesses, and governments make sense of the world’s most promising continent while connecting them with the people they care about.”

According to the World Bank, Africa’s diverse offering of human and natural resources has the potential to become the world’s largest free trade area with a 1.2 billion-person market. Half of the continent’s population is estimated to be under 25 years old by 2050.

Beyond providing corporate and brand communications services to some of the biggest brands in media, technology, financial services, nonprofit, and FMCG, ID Africa is also home to Netng, Newsroom, and 234Star, which are some of Nigeria’s most prominent digital media platforms focused on youth and popular culture.

The company also organizes the annual NECLive, Africa’s largest gathering of entertainment and creative industry professionals, which is also the longest-running conference of its kind in the region.

ID Africa’s Lead PR and Communications Adviser, Njideka Akabogu has been pencilled to lead East Africa operations via Nairobi, while Iretomiwa Akintunde-Johnson, also a Lead Adviser, will be responsible for West Africa operations via Lagos and Accra.

Source: Ghana Web

Accra, April 27, GNA- The Narcotic Control Commission with support from the ECOWAS Commission has designed a new National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) to address drug abuse and trafficking in Ghana.

The blueprint document renews and advances Ghana’s efforts to counter the substance abuse threat that continues to blight the nation, crushing lives and resources.

Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior, speaking at a validation workshop on the Master Plan, commended the ECOWAS Commission for their support.

The National Drug Control Master Plan will serve as a strategic document, providing a coherent framework for more comprehensive national drug prevention and control measures.

The Plan will provide the necessary evidence-based guidance to address drug abuse, illicit drug trafficking and related crimes in Ghana.

He said the validation could not have come at a better time to complement efforts of the Government in putting in place measures to deal with drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking. 

The Minister said he was aware that as part of ECOWAS Commission Strategic Plan, between 2018 and 2021, the Commission in collaboration with its development partners supported 12 Member States to complete their National Drug Control Master Plan. 

“Ghana, Liberia and Burkina Faso are the three remaining countries yet to complete their National Master Plan,” he said. 

He said the draft Master Plan had been carefully put together with the recognition of other national policies developed. 

Mr Dery said the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019) provided for offences related to narcotic drugs and plants cultivated for narcotic purposes and for related matters. 

He said the validation workshop would support Ghana to review and validate its draft drug control plans to address drug abuse, illicit trafficking and related crimes.

The Minister said experts from Health, drug demand reduction, drug law enforcement agencies, departments in charge of corruption, money laundering and terrorism financing would have the opportunity to contribute to the Plan.

The Plan will be published after validation and disseminated to relevant agencies, Civil Society Organisations and development partners.

He said the Master Plan would improve public health and security for everyone living in Ghana by ensuring that both Drug Demand Reduction and Supply Reduction strategies went hand in hand with sustainable development strategies.

Mr Dery said drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking was a transnational organized crime which required resolute efforts from all stakeholders both local and international to deal with.

Madam Aba Jacqueline Opoku, Chief Staff Officer, Economic and Organised Crime,, said illicit drug trade continued to hold back economic and social development, while extremely impacting on the most vulnerable and marginalised people in society. 

She said the canker constituted a fundamental threat to security and stability to all nations. 

“Drug abuse is one of the major problems facing the whole world and it is destroying lives, families and communities and our country Ghana has never been spared in this drug menace,” she added.

Madam Opoku, who represented the Board Chairman of the Commission, said as illicit drug trafficking and use continued to threaten health and security of the communities, the situation called for a more pragmatic,  efficient and effective actions to stem the tide.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Wa, April 27, GNA – The Upper West Regional President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Mr Ubeidu Siddique, has advised persons desiring to pursue career opportunities in law not to allow material things to be their motivation.

He said lawyers must exhibit high personal integrity and discipline to serve saying, “If money is your motivation, you will be exiting just as you are entering.”

Mr Siddique gave the advice at the Law Express Per-Season Forum at the SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) in Wa on Tuesday.

The event was organized by the Law Express in collaboration with the SDD-UBIDS to encourage people to consider taking up career prospects in the field of law as well as to create a platform for stakeholders to discuss the introduction of a law programme at the University,

It was on the theme: “Educational and Career Prospects in the Law,” and brought together legal persons in the region to share their experiences in the law profession with the participants.

Mr Siddique, who is also the Upper West Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice said “As a lawyer you have to be diligent, skillful, ethical, honest and hardworking. If you want to become a lawyer and you are lazy, forget it.”

Talking on the prospects in law, the Regional GBA President observed that there were many opportunities in the study of law saying, “One thing good about law is that you can work in any setting. Every setting needs a lawyer.”

He, therefore pledged the support of the association to the SDD-UBIDS in its quest to commence a law programme at the university to propel the growth of the faculty.

Professor Philip Duku Osei, the Vice Chancellor of the SDD-UBIDS, said plans were far advanced for the commencement of the law programme and urged for support of the stakeholders to let it come to fruition.

He commended the organisers of the forum for creating the platform for discussion on the introduction of the programme and said it was part of fulfilling their mandate as a university.

On her part, Madam Nuhela Seidu, the convener of the forum and host of the Law Express, said the initiative was among other objectives, aimed to educate the public on their rights and responsibilities to enable them seek justice when the need arose.

Madam Seidu, a legal practitioner, said the forum would transcend from supporting the introduction of the law programme at the SDD-UBIDS to ensuring that the department thrives to become one of the best in the country.

Some of the participants expressed the hope that a law faculty would be established in the northern part of the country in the near future to bring the study of the profession to the doorsteps of the people.

Mr Clement Eledi, the Supervising High Court Judge in Wa, and a former President of the Upper West Regional GBA, among other dignitaries attended the event.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, April 27, GNA – Mr Alex Quaynor, the Chairman of the Lands Commission, Mr Alex Quaynor, has led a delegation from the Commission to pay a courtesy call on the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, at his residence at Fadama, Accra.

The call was to ask for his blessings as the Commission embarks on a sensitisation campaign on the provisions of the Lands Act 2020 (Act 1036), which governs land administration in the country.

The Commission has identified traditional authorities and the clergy as major stakeholders in educating the public on the new legislation.

The Chairman expressed joy for the opportunity and said the Commission had presence in all the 16 regions of Ghana and responsible for registering land titles in the Greater Accra Region and parts of the Ashanti Region.

Mr James Dadson, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, explained the structure of the Commission, which has four divisions, comprising the Survey and Mapping, Public and Vested Land Management, Land Valuation, and the Land Registration divisions.

Section 12 of the Land Act had criminalised the activities of “land guards”, he said, and that both the sponsor and the land guard committed an offence and could be persecuted and jailed for a term of not less than five years and not more than 15 years.

Therefore, it was imperative for land owners to be abreast of the provisions in the Act and be guided in their land dealings, adding that the Act was one sure way of bringing sanity into the land market.

Mr Dadson said the public engagement was to ensure free flow of information to every segment of society and called for cooperation to make the exercise successful.

The delegation presented 10 copies of the Lands Act to the Chief Imam.

The personalities in the team include the Chairperson of the Greater Accra Lands Commission, Mrs Yvonne Sowah, the Deputy Executive Secretary in charge of Operations, Mr Benjamin Arthur, the Acting Greater Accra Regional Lands Officer, Mr Timothy Anyidoho, and Acting Director of Survey and Mapping, Naa Abdullah Abubakari.

The others are the Head of Human Resource, Mr Evans Mamphey, Mr Richard Owusu Afoakwah, the Acting Director, PVLMD, Head of Procurement, Mr Randy Glymin, and Mr Michael Appiah, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation.

The National Chief Imam expressed excitement over the gesture and assured the delegation that he would do his best to ensure that the Lands Act was explained to the Muslim Community at the different mosques.

Mr Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaib, the Spokesperson to the Chief Imam, expressed gratitude to the delegation and pledged support towards the sensitisation of the Muslim Community.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, April 27, GNA-Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, former Director General, Ghana Health Service, says the country can be developed through national cohesion and leadership and not only on politics.

“There is no opportunity in the country to build national leadership for the youth because everything revolves around politics, but the county cannot only be developed by the politicians but also through national cohesion and leadership.”

Prof Akosa, speaking at the inauguration of the Board of Mobilizing Old Students for Educational Support (MOSES) Foundation in Accra, said building a national cohesion based on old students’ solidarity for sustainable educational support would ensure global excellence in Ghanaian leadership.

The Foundation, he stressed, was also to inspire global leadership excellence in schools in the country.

Professor Akosa, who is also the Board member of MOSES Foundation, said harnessing the energy and potential of old students’ associations would help advance the country’s educational sector.

The initiatives of the old students’ association, the Professor said, helped in building national cohesion because they contributed towards the development of their Alma Mater.

He said the establishment of math and science quiz had ignited healthy competition among the second cycle institutions, stressing that, “we need to use that energy for national cohesion and support the education sector.”

The Professor announced that the Foundation in pursuit of its objectives, had instituted the national and regional competitive Best Old Students-School (BOSS) awards in November 2022, the MOSES Generational Leadership legends awards and old students Funding for educational support.

He stated that the objective of the award was to recognise and reward not only old student contribution to schools, but schools and old student associations that demonstrated sterling leadership in attracting and mobilizing their respective old students for educational support.

All awardees, he said, would be ambassadors of national cohesion, mobilizing for educational development and promoting global excellence in the Ghanaian leadership space.

That, he explained, would enable Ghanaians across the globe to be united to support educational development and to shape the next generation of Ghanaian leadership.

He urged the public to support the initiative and contribute to nation development.

Mr Nyaaba-Aweeba Azongo, the President, MOSES Foundation, said the old student’s institution, the signpost of national identity and solidarity, had been a major development partner and pillar of support for schools over the years.

He said the absence of a common podium to mobilize, recognize and reward old students’ individual and collective support in a competitive manner had been a missing link in bridging infrastructure deficits and other needs.

Mr Azongo, also a board member of the Foundation, stated that the Foundation had been established to provide the critical missing link to champion old students’ support for schools, and offer a national platform to recognise their selfless interest.

The rest of the board members are Dr Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, Director General of National Development Planning Commission, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Mr Ismael Agyekumhene, Executive Director of Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Agona Swedru, April 27, GNA – The Agona West Municipal Assembly mobilised a total of GHc1,839,939.39 in 2021 as against GHc1,568,751.

93 in 2020, representing a growth of 17.28 per cent.

Mr Evans Addison Onomah Coleman, the Agona West Municipal Chief Executive, made this known when he addressed the third meeting of the Assembly at Swedru and said revenue mobilisation had never been easy, more so when people’s attitude towards their tax obligation had not been encouraging.

The MCE said the Assembly had seen significant performance in its internally generated funds over the last two years and had put in place measures, including a revenue mobilisation team, to improve it further.

The strategies the team adopted had started yielding positive results, he said, and plans were in place to replace the revenue structures in the municipality as the existing ones were weak.

The Assembly, in partnership with GIZ, was training personnel on the use of tablets for a new app to improve revenue mobilisation.

He said the total inflow of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for the first quarter of 2022 amounted to GHc414,131.11, representing 50 per cent of the second and third quarters of 2021.

The Assembly had put the funds into various infrastructure projects that had reached various stages of completion to enhance the living standards of the people including the construction of 10 inner roads in the Swedru Township and surrounding communities, he said.

Mr Coleman said a total number of 154 persons living with disability benefited from the disbursement of Disability Fund and about 70 new NHIS registration cards were issued to LEAP beneficiaries.

Twenty cases involving child maintenance and family reconciliation were successfully resolved during the year under review.

Mr Frank Yeboah, the Presiding Member, praised the members for their instrumentality in raising funds to procure food and other items for distribution to the various orphanage homes to support the upkeep of the children.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) must field Trade Minister Alan Kyerematen and Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia as its ticket for the 2024 presidential election, the party’s former Director of Communications, Nana Akomea, has proposed.

“The party should be able to have a consensus and have the two leading candidates run together”, he suggested, explaining: “For a very simple reason: for the first time, the two leading candidates satisfy the North-South divide”.

“If Alan won, he is most likely to choose a candidate from the North; if Bawumia won, he is most likely to choose a candidate from the South”, he noted.

In his view, going with his suggestion “is going to resolve an acrimonious situation that the party may not be able to recover from.”

“I would want a certain consensus to be built within the party to have the two of them run together”, he stressed.

“As to who becomes running mate, we should leave it to them once the party feels that is the way should go”, the Managing Director of the State Transport Company (STC) said.

“I am hoping that those in charge have taken notice of the difficulties in the polling station elections and ensure that the difficulties at the regional and national levels are minimised”, he told Accra-based Citi TV.

However, a former Chief of Staff in the Kufuor administration, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, has said Mr Akomea’s proposal is not as simple as it sounds.

“It is easier said than done”, he told Citi FM, explaining: “I do not think you will just pick anybody as your running mate if you are not compatible, you cannot work with the person; if you can work with anybody in the party to be your running mate, then maybe what he is saying can be done”.

“But even with that, the problem as I see here is, who is going to be the Presidential candidate and who will be the running mate?” he noted.

Source: Modern Ghana

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said his squad are unhappy about defender Antonio Rudiger’s impending departure at the end of the season but added they must accept the decision and get the best out of him in the season run-in.

Tuchel confirmed at the weekend that Rudiger will leave after his contract expires as sanctions imposed by the British government on Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich mean they are unable to sign new players or renew existing contracts.

“I don’t think anybody likes this decision but we have to accept it. Like it or not there will be life at Chelsea after Toni,” Tuchel told reporters on Wednesday. “It is also the most important thing for us that it ends like it started – on the highest level.

“No matter how the situation is solved and how active we can be in the transfer market, at the end we will dig in and we will try to squeeze out everything from the squad that we have… and push it to the limit.

“From pre-season next season… I will be fully involved with all my heart and all my knowledge.

Tuchel said Rudiger and Reece James could be in contention for Thursday’s Premier League trip to Manchester United after training on Tuesday, adding that he will make a late decision on the fitness of Andreas Christensen.

Mateo Kovacic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell all remain sidelined by injuries.

Tuchel said he was looking forward to a reunion with interim United manager Ralf Rangnick, who was his coach when he played for Stuttgart Kickers in the German second division.

“When he managed Stuttgart, he opened the door for me to the academy,” Tuchel said. “He told us some stuff that we never heard about… and brought big success to the little club where we played.

“Of course, he had his fantastic record in Germany to bring clubs to the very highest level and to build a club from scratch… It is nice to see him.”

Chelsea are winless in their last eight Premier League games against United and are looking for their first victory in the competition at Old Trafford since 2013.

“It’s about time,” said Tuchel, when Chelsea’s away record was put to him. “I’m happy to have this match and it will always be a big match for me no matter what form they are in.

Chelsea are third in the Premier League with 65 points, 14 behind Liverpool and a further point behind leaders Manchester City. United are in sixth place with 54 points.

Source: Modern Ghana