Category: General

The Republic of Madagascar has become the latest country to ratify the treaty on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

This brings to 33 the number of state parties to the agreement.

Lady Justice Imani Daud Aboud, President of the Court, has applauded Madagascar for doing that.

She said, “this is an excellent development and we exhort Madagascar to also make the Special Declaration under Article 34(6) to allow individuals and NGOs to access the Court directly”.

She reminded countries, which were yet to give formal consent to the treaty and to make the special declaration to do so.

Eight States have accepted the competence of the African Court and made the Declarations in accordance with Article 34(6) to allow individuals and NGOs to directly file cases to the African Court.

They are Ghana, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Malawi, Mali, Niger and Tunisia.

In the absence of the Declaration, applications must have to be submitted to the Banjul Commission first, which would after preliminary examination decide to refer cases to the African Court.

Lady Justice Aboud said the Continental Court was there to protect human and peoples’ rights in Africa.

The African Court applies the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other human rights instruments ratified by the States concerned and does not have criminal jurisdiction like the International Criminal Court.

She underlined the unwavering determination of the Court to continue uphold the core values of judicial independence – devoid of any partisanship, bias, or influence.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Broadcaster Abeiku Santana has slammed nominated artists who failed to show up at this year’s edition of the 3Music Awards which took place at the Accra International Conference Center’s Grand Arena on Saturday.

He described the absent nominees as uncivilized.

His reactions come after concerns were raised about artists who failed to show up to pick up their awards during the event.

Abeiku Santana stated on his show, Ekwanso Dwoodwoo that it was wrong for an artist who has been informed of every detail of his or her nomination to be absent.

“Any artist that was nominated and was duly informed and refused to honor the invitation, shame on you. You are so so uncultured, you are uncivilized. That’s what I want to tell you,” he said.

He added that soon, tickets acquisition for some artists to attend the awards show will be difficult, therefore the need for them to accord it the necessary respect by honoring invitations.

“If you are an artist and you were nominated and you were duly informed or notified of your notification, let’s give respect because a time will come when you will beg and chase for the 3Music Awards ticket whether you A artiste or whatever artiste.

“Check the Oscars yesterday, this morning, and compare it to the 3Music Awards, I can tell you that the 3Music awards was far better than the Oscars, yes, I am telling you. 3 Music Awards was far better than the Oscars in Hollywood,” he stated.

Source: Modern Ghana

Huawei released its 2021 Annual Report today, revealing that the company had maintained solid operations throughout the past year.

As per the report, Huawei achieved CNY636.8 billion (99,88bn USD) in revenue in 2021, and CNY113.7 billion (17,84bn USD) in net profits, an increase of 75.9% year-on-year.

The company’s R&D expenditure reached CNY142.7 billion in 2021, representing 22.4% of its total revenue, and bringing its total R&D expenditure over the past 10 years to over CNY845 billion. Moving forward, the company also plans to continuously increase investment in R&D.

Guo Ping, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, stated at the press conference, “Overall, our performance was in line with forecast. Our carrier business remained stable, our enterprise business experienced steady growth, and our consumer business quickly expanded into new domains. In addition, we embarked on a fast track of ecosystem development.”

Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s CFO, also spoke at the event, “Despite a revenue decline in 2021, our ability to make a profit and generate cash flows is increasing, and we are more capable of dealing with uncertainty.”

Thanks to the enhanced profitability of its major businesses, the company’s cash flow from operating activities dramatically increased in 2021, amounting to CNY59.7 billion. Its liability ratio also dropped to 57.8%, and its overall financial structure has become more resilient and flexible.

Source: Ghana Web

Five days after business mogul, Kojo Jones Mensah, hosted a colourful and rich traditional marriage ceremony in Kumasi tagged Jonesbond22, on March 27, 2022, the couple had a luxurious beach wedding at Labadi Beach.

Kojo Jones and his partner Rachel Osei tied the knot in a white wedding that saw the business magnate gilded in an expensive white tuxedo suit with his wife, Rachel, fitted in a beautiful white beaded dress.

While showing class and wealth, Kojo Jones, on his way to his beach wedding, drove in a classy black open-top car similar to a 1950 Cadillac Series with one of his best men seated beside him.

The wedding that had many A-listers in attendance is tagged as the most expensive wedding currently in Ghana.

Social media has since gone frenzy after the videos shared by some bloggers, like GHhyper, suddenly rallied social commentators to share their thoughts on the luxurious wedding ceremony that had dollars raining on the couple at their reception.

Just like in 2020 and 2021 respectively, Kency, Ciri2020, and the Adinkra couple had one of the biggest known weddings in Ghana.

A wedding where class, wealth, celebrities, and the best artistes performed, Kojo Jones’s wedding was no different from the creme de la creme of the society, showing up at his wedding ceremony to share in his happiness.

So who is Kojo Jones?

The man of the moment, Emmanuel Kojo Jones-Mensah, is an Anlo man, specifically from Keta, Dzelukope in the Volta region.

He is the son of the late Justice (rtd) Emmanuel Kofi Jones-Mensah and Rev. Dr. Gifty Lamptey of the Sidalco Group of companies. Kojo Jones’ father grew up in Cameroon where his father (Kojo’s grandfather) Livingstone Emmanuel Akakpo Jones-Mensah, worked as the chief financial controller of the Cameroonian Development Corporation (now Unilever).

Kojo’s father was an Attorney-General of Cameroon at the tender age of 28 years before he later relocated to Ghana and joined the bench as a justice of the superior courts of Ghana. In addition, he was a politician, an entrepreneur, and a hotelier. Keta Beach Hotel, located in his hometown. He was also once the PNC party’s vice-presidential candidate. Before he passed away in 2016, Justice Jones-Mensah had retired from the bench and established a successful law practice.

A source also said that Kojo Jones inherited some of his wealth from his legal colossus father’s estate. Apparently, good looks and law runs in their family. We’ve gathered that Kojo Jones is the younger brother of the elegant former Beauty Queen, Penelope M. Jones-Mensah, who is also a lawyer and a women and children’s rights activist.

Whilst he is currently running a successful real estate business, Empire Domus Ltd, we’re reliably informed that Kojo Jones himself has bagged both a first degree and a master’s degree in law. He also has a heart of gold and has undertaken several philanthropic ventures with his KJM Foundation. An impressive man with an impressive lineage! We wish Kojo Jones and his beautiful bride all the very best in their marriage and future endeavours.

Source: Modern Ghana

Accra, March 29, GNA – Inerela+Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation has held a three-day capacity building workshop for selected religious leaders in Accra.

Accra, March 29, GNA – Inerela Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation has held a three-day capacity building workshop for selected religious leaders in Accra.

It educated participants on best ways to address Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) for women and girls, HIV and AIDS counselling and, mental health issue in their line of work.

Mrs Mercy Acquah-Hayford, National Coordinator, Inerela Ghana said the workshop was necessitated by the need to equip religious with the requisite skills to reduce the high rate of divorces and social violence in their communities.

The participants are expected to form advocacy groups to hold community outreaches and lobby for policy change against harmful societal norms for the vulnerable and underserved population in their communities.

Mrs Acquah-Hayford said SGBV against women and girls was on the rise in most communities in the Greater Accra Region and appealed to churches to help provide shelters for GBV victims across the country.

Sexual and Gender Based Violence refers to any act; physical, emotional, economical or psychological, perpetuated against a person’s will, it is based on gender norms and unequal power relationships.

Mr Cephas Essiful-Ansah, a Legal Officer at the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, (CHRAG), in a presentation on specific laws on GBV in Ghana said globally, one in three women have been beaten, coerced inti sex or abused by their partners.

Similarly, about 641 million women worldwide have also experienced at least one incidence of physical and sexual violence from a romantic partner.

He encouraged women and girls to speak up and report person who abuse them to appropriate authorities.

For her part, Ms Paulina Louisa Essel, the Deputy Chief Registrar at CHRAJ stressed the need for religious leaders to encourage members of their community to seek mental health care when stressed with life challenges.

“One of the problems that people face when it comes to seeking help for mental health is that they do not know when they need to seek help. The lack of awareness is so prominent that most people do not even understand the difference between mental health and mental illness, “she said.

She said mental health conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety may develop due to underlying, life-changing physical health problems, such as cancer, diabetes and chronic pain.

She urged all to take their mental health seriously for reduced anxiety, improved moods and clear thinking.

Ms Juliet Ewurasi Koomson, a participant of the workshop thanked Inerela Ghana for organizing such an insightful workshop.

” I now have a clearer understanding of how to handle HIV stigma and discrimination issues, I have learnt to overcome and how to address the fears related to exposing people who abuse their partners,” she said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The infiltration and unrestrained broadcast of foreign cultural practices through movies on local television stations has been identified as a huge threat to the preservation of Ghanaian traditional values and cultural heritage.

Ms Prisca Na’ambome Yenzie, the Upper East Regional Director, Museums and monuments Office, says storytelling, one of the major ways of passing on Ghanaian cultural values from the older to the younger generations are being abandoned.

Parents and their children are increasingly becoming addicted to foreign movies including telenovelas and this she said was influencing the people to adopt foreign cultures and lifestyles.

She told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the situation had not only made the younger generation lose touch with their roots but had adversely affected the behaviour of especially children – their relationship with their parents and the elderly in society.

“It has affected us so much in the sense that children no longer relate with the parents the way it should be at home, that respect and heart to love their parents are no longer there.

Children are now so disrespectful, they go their own way and parents also go their own way and this is the effect of the deficiency of storytelling in the system because the foreign programmes have just taken over and children are now living their own way.”.

The Regional Director underlined the need to move quickly to jettison certain dehumanising cultural practices.

She added that more should be done to develop the various cultural centres, particularly the museums to preserve and device strategies to digitise values and heritage for future generations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Cape Coast, March 29, GNA – The Central Region chapter of the Ghana Hoteliers Association (GHA) has projected that the industry will bounce back to normalcy by next year.

According to them, the restrictions on conferences and related activities would not have immediate impact on the revenue of the hospitality industry.

They said as much as 2022 had a better prospect compared to 2020 and 2021, the industry would take some few more years to recoup what was lost to the pandemic.

The Vice Chairman of the Association and the General Manager of the Coconut Grove Hotel in Cape Coast, Mr Victor Minta, told the GNA in an interview on Tuesday.

He explained that a lot of institutions had developed taste for online conferencing, and it would require a concerted effort from all industry players to encourage people to return to physical meetings where networking and interactions were more impactful.

“A lot of organisations have gotten used to having meetings online because every organisation may be looking at cost. We need to go and sensitise people that Zoom might be okay but meeting face-to-face has added benefits. Having a meeting face-to-face is sometimes different from what we do on Zoom,” he said.

Mr Minta further noted that it was critical for industry players to put in extra work to help drive businesses in general for the hospitality sector as they strived to generate the necessary revenue and create job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youth.

“Most facilities had to lay off a lot of staff during the pandemic and if issues come to normal, the people can be re-employed to have a source of income,” the Vice Chair added.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his 28th televised address on the coronavirus situation in the country announced a range of revised measures to ease a number COVID-19 restrictions.

Key among them was the reopening of Ghana’s land and sea borders and the announcement that the wearing of nose mask was optional.

“All in-person activities, such as those that take place in churches, mosques, conferences, workshops, private parties and events, cinemas and theatres may resume at full capacity, as long as the audience and/or participants are fully vaccinated. Hand washing and hand sanitising points should be made available at these venues,” he declared.

Lauding the government for the revised measures, Mr Minta intimated that it behoved on hoteliers and hospitality professionals to, more than ever, insist on adherence of the remaining protocols which were still in force.

“I know that the nose mask is not mandatory anymore but of course, within enclosed environments, it can be encouraged,” he added.

He, however, called for a holistic discussion on the condition which suggests that all persons attending various meetings must be fully vaccinated because he shuddered that would reduce their numbers even further.

He observed, for instance, that the absence of technology to authenticate vaccination cards at various facilities made it difficult to comply effectively.

“Moreover, if you look at the number of people that have been vaccinated as against those that have not been vaccinated, it means we will be restricting a huge percentage of the population from attending conferences, meetings and events and that will affect our operations,” he said.

“That notwithstanding, we can do physical check-ups on arrival of participants”, the Coconut Grove Hotel boss added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Nominees for the maiden edition of the Africa Technovate Awards have been unveiled with Africa’s big names in technology ready to do friendly battles for the coveted honours on Saturday, April 2 at the auditorium of the University of Professional Studies, Accra.

In total, there are 51 nominations in 17 categories. The numbers include 48 corporates organizations, educational institutions, and three individuals who are nominated for the Lifetime Achievement Awards. Each category has three nominations each. The award process is being audited and validated by Deloitte & Touche.

The awards scheme is designed to appreciate African technology companies who have blazed the trail for several years and budding young innovative and creative tech companies charting a path for Africa in a fast digitally transforming world.

The categories include:

Sector Awards: Outstanding Edtech Institution of the Year, FinTech Company of the Year, e-Health Company of the Year, Digital Agric-Business of the Year, Tech Insurance Company of the Year.

Regional Awards: Digital Innovation and Creativity Award, Digital Business Transformation Award, Tech Startup Company of the Year, Young Tech Startup Company of the Year, Blossoming Tech Company of the Year, Mature Tech Company of the Year, Ambitious Tech Company of the Year.

Africa Awards: Outstanding Digital Entrepreneur of the Decade, Live Time Achievers Award, Quality Standards Award, Digital Excellence Award, and Long-Standing Service Engagement Award.

The final category winners will be announced during the exclusive live ceremony at the UPSA auditorium on Saturday 2nd April 2022.

With a focus on going the extra mile to deliver innovative ways of solving problems in the technological spaces, companies making the judges cuts include:

Outstanding EdTech Institution of the Year

Academic City University College
AITI
Ashesi University

Fintech Company of the year

Kippa
Hubtel
M-Kopa

e-Health Company of the Year

Africa ICT Right
AmaGhana Online
NHIS

Digital Agric-Business of the Year

Puno
Smart Farmer
Esoko

Tech Insurance Company of the Year

BIMA
Prudential Insurance
Phoenix Insurance

Digital Innovation and Creativity of the Award

Chatbots Africa
Treepz Ghana
Hanergy Global Ghana Limited

Digital Business Transformation Award

Enterprise Computing
Jijigh
Tonaton

Tech Startup Company of the Year

Msoft Ghana Limited
PayBox
Turntabl

Young Tech Startup of the Year Award

Puno
Kippa
Gambia Tech Project

Blossoming Tech Company of the Year

Omni Strategies
SOKO Aerial
mNotify Company

Mature Tech Company of the Year

Adapt IT
SoftTribe
Isolutions Associates

Ambitious Tech Company of the Year

American Tower Corporation
Adapt IT
DreamOval

Outstanding Digital Entrepreneur of the Decade

SoftTribe
M-Kopa
Hubtel

Live Time Achievers Award

Nii Narku Quaynor – Ghana Dot Com
Herman Chinery-Hess – SoftTribe
Kofi Dadzie – Rancard

Quality Standards Awards

AIT
Ghana Standard Authority (GSA)
Research ICT Africa

Digital Excellence Award

Hanergy Global Ghana Ltd.
TXT Ghana
Ghana Dot Com

Long Standing Service Engagement Award

Delbond Teknologies. Limited (Dtek)
Rancard Solutions
SoftTribe

Source: Ghana Web