The goal of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) is to improve the lot of people, the Executive Chairman of JGC, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, has underscored. According to him, though money is important in the running of businesses, "JGC is not here for money but to improve the lives of people." He attributed the success story of his group to God, adding that God has been his guide and pillar throughout the JGC's journey so far. The JGC, he contended, is founded on the principles of God and people, stressing that the group's "primary goal is to improve the lives of people." Dr. Siaw Agyepong was speaking at the opening of the 2023 Jospong Leadership Conference (JLC) on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC) at Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region. The five-day conference, which is being participated by over 1,000 directors, managers, senior officers among other staff members of JGC, is on the theme: People, Process & Performance --The Pathway to Success in a Turbulent Market." This year's conference marks the 10th anniversary of the JLC series. The event was interspersed with songs of praise to God for how far He has brought JGC, which the participants dancing in appreciation to God. There were also some colourful cultural displays by some of the subsidiaries of JGC, which attracted loud applause from the participants. Dr. Siaw Agyepong indicated that throughout his business life, he has consistently seen that the God factor triumphs over all challenges adding "I am always grateful to God." "When I face any challenges, I go down on my knees with my wife and pray and God has been so good to us." We feel so blessed by God Almighty," he gratefully expressed. The mission of the JGC, he said, is to be the leading environmental sanitation management company in Africa, with its vision aimed at "improving the lives of people and their environment." In this regard, he encouraged his staff members to be prayerful in all endeavours, and to work hard to improve the lot of people. Recounting how far the JLC has come since its inception in 2013, the Executive Chairman of JGC said the leadership conference started as retreats. "It is amazing how time flies. Ten years ago, specifically in 2013, we started this journey in the form of retreats at the Presbyterian Women’s Centre, Abokobi, Accra. The first retreat was held in January with the theme: “Seeking God’s guidance on the perfect will of God”, and the second in July under the theme; “Let’s Build Together.” ...The objective was to discuss our plans and activities for the year. It was attended by many employees and stakeholders from all over the country. And the keynote speaker was the then Managing Director for Stanbic Bank, Chief Alhassan Andani," he recalled. The outcome of the retreats, Dr. Siaw Agyepong noted, led to the creation of the Group Office and many other remarkable achievements. "The 2013 January and July retreats thus became a defining moment for the Group," he stressed. He thus seized the opportunity to commend, especially President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for his leadership guidance and support for his group. He was equally full of praise for the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, and others within his group's operational activities, and all the staff members of JGC for their hard work and sacrifices. "We have come this far because of the critical role played by every staff of JGC," he asserted. The Guest Speaker, Reverend Sam Adeyemi, a Nigerian clergy and motivational speaker, in a presentation christened: "Celebrating the Champions in People", said transformational leaders empower employees with praise and appreciation. He said there was nothing like a "perfect employee" in this world, insisting that leaders must rather leverage on the skills and talents of people. "Leadership is not about titles and egos but one that must make champions in the people," he said. According to the man of God, a leader must help people to overcome fear, low-self esteem, complacency, self-doubt, bad attitude and procrastination. "When you are a leader avoid speaking negative things about your people," he advised. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Former Attorney - General and Minister of Justice and NPP Presidential candidate aspirant, Hon. Joe Ghartey, has stated that he will appoint 60 Ministers when elected as President of Ghana. He made this known in an interview with Umara Sanda on Citi FM's Eyewitness News. According to him, his government will have a maximum of sixty Ministers. This was in response to a question which described President Akufo-Addo’s first term Government of 111 Ministers as bloated. Hon. Ghartey disagreeing with the suggestion that the Akufo - Addo government was bloated, said that in the first term, President Akufo - Addo’s philosophy of the size of government led to 9% growth by the end of his first term. He explained further that when he was Attorney - General in President Kufuor’s era he asked President Kufuor why he was creating a Ministry of Aviation, when he was asked to draft the legal document that would create the new Ministry. He said that President Kufuor answered that one of the ways a government focused on a particular sector was to isolate the sector, create a Minstry with a Minister in charge. Hon. Ghartey stated that clearly this was what President Akufo - Addo had in mind when for example he created the Ministry of Railways Development and had it remained as part of the Ministry of Transport it may not have recieved the attention it is receiving under President Akufo - Addo. The former 2nd Deputy Speaker of Parliament said that since independence no era had seen so much construction in the railways sector with over 200kms currently under construction. However, the Presidential Aspirant said he had a different philosophy and would have a much smaller government because of current circumstances. He said emphatically that the total number of Ministers in his government would not exceed 60, which would include 19 Cabinet Ministers and 16 Regional Ministers. Story by: Melvin Taure

The lifeless bodies of a woman and her son have been found hanging close to each other in an uncompleted building at Ajoa, a community in the Ahanta West Municipality of the Western Region. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, but some residents suspect that she might have hanged her son before proceeding to hang herself by way of suicide. Some eyewitnesses in the area told Connect FM that they chanced on the bodies of the young mother and her son hanging in the early morning of Wednesday, January 2023. 3news.com quotes one of the witnesses, Nana Yaw, as saying: “We came to work in the building as labourers and saw the lifeless body of the lady and her son when we got there" “She could be in her early twenties whilst her son would be around four years. We don’t know where they come from and we don’t know any of their family members. They are still there on the ropes.” The news website reports the assemblyman for Ajoa, Robert James Yankey as saying that the woman was not known to be a resident of the area. “Information I have gathered is that residents around the community saw the young lady begging for money with her son yesterday around 4:00 pm. Nobody saw them again until this morning when we saw them dead in the uncompleted building. We do not know her in this community so we believe she came from somewhere else,” he said. Some photos show the young unidentified mother’s body hanged whilst her son’s hand is tied with a rope. Credit: Pulse GH

The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker says government is determined to build a mining sector which is resilient and fortified enough to withstand the next global crisis. Delivering the keynote address at the opening day of the West African Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum (WAIMM) Annual Industry Conference on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, Mireku Duker lamented that the mining industry was not spared from the dire impact of the twin crisis of COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine war. He disclosed that the industry was badly hit by the crises but the government as part of its economic reform is introducing new policies that will lead to the creation of an economy that will be able to repel the shocks of the next global crisis. According to the Deputy Minister, the mining industry has taken the lead in the reformation drive through the promotion of responsible and sustainable mining practises. Hon. Mireku Duker said the theme for the two-day conference which is “Building A Resilient and Sustainable Natural Resources Industry Beyond Global Pandemic” ties in perfectly with the new direction being pursued by government in the extractive sector. He advanced that the conference provides the platform for the exchange of ideas on addressing the problems that hit the sector due to the crises. “The conference also seeks to provide the platform for discussing appropriate and innovative ways of addressing global and national challenges confronting national development through mining”, he said. “I’m also glad to learn that event is dedicated to not only knowledge sharing and the dissemination of innovations but also to develop existing business interest in the country and promoting new opportunities in the value chain of the oil and gas and mining sectors”, he added. Hon. Mireku Duker said that the mining sector has for centuries served as the bedrock for Ghana’s socio-economic development and that every policy initiative rolled out is geared towards the purgation of the sector to enhance revenue generation capacity. He noted for example that in 2021, gold contributed about 16.48% of government revenue and 35.6% in terms of total merchandize exports. He added that the country generated export revenue of $5.083billion from the exportation of 2.820million ounces of gold. Hon. Mireku Duker explained that government is pursuing a drive to diversify the mining sector by creating a refinery hub for bauxite and iron in the country. The 5th annual WAIMM Industry Conference WAIC2022 seeks to provide an excellent opportunity for networking, high-end industry solutions, latest development in industry practices and operations, technological and technical recommendations to solve industry challenges and knowledge sharing with experts and both local and international consultants. The conference features industry leaders and experts in a packed program of key note presentations and panels discussing policies, operations, investment strategies, diversity & inclusion, global exploration and commodity trends and industry sustainability. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu constituency, John Jinapor believes the country is heading towards a debt crisis following the commencement of the gold-for-oil policy. Ghana on January 15, 2023, took delivery of 40,000 metric tons of the first consignment under the policy from the United Arab Emirates. The move by the government is meant to tackle dwindling foreign currency reserves coupled with the demand for dollars by oil importers, which is weakening the local cedi and increasing living costs. But speaking on Eyewitness News, with Host Umaru Sanda, Mr. Jinapor predicted that, “I’m not a prophet of doom, but from all the documents I have read, we are heading for a debt crisis out of this so-called gold for oil deal”. The legislator described the deal by the government “as a lazy man’s approach, because gold, first of all, needs to be expressed in its monetary value. "You can’t just say take an ounce of gold and give me a barrel of oil, as it used to be in the real barter that you are talking about. You must first of all, value that gold in dollar terms, and that is the function of currency or money”.He opined that the full details about the barter trade need to be communicated fully to Ghanaians.“ "Where are the details? What’s the cost of the gold, and at what quantities of gold did they [government] buy? At what price did they sell the gold? How much is the oil producer selling crude to us?” he asked. The former Deputy Power Minister accused government of deceiving the citizens of getting cheaper oil. "Where is that cheaper oil? Let’s assume you don’t want your currency to depreciate, that is not the same as buying cheaper oil. Cheaper oil means that oil is GH¢100, and I’m getting it at GH¢90 or GH¢80, that is what we say is cheaper oil. If you are doing this to manage your currency, if you are saying Ghana we are so broke that our reserves are depleted, and so we don’t have enough dollars to buy crude, so we are using gold as a backup so that we can buy crude, it is a different matter. Be honest and sincere, don’t tell us that you are going to get cheaper crude or cheaper finishing products, that is not the situation,” the legislator fumed. Background The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in 2022 announced that Ghana has concluded talks for the operationalisation of the Gold for Oil policy. The Vice President in a Facebook post said the first oil products under the policy will be delivered in January 2023.“I am happy to announce that the Government of Ghana has concluded the arrangements for the operationalisation of the Gold for Oil policy. "Consequently, the first oil products under the policy will be delivered in January 2023. My thanks to the Minister for Energy, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, the Chamber of Mines, PMMC and BOST for their leadership in the operationalisation of the Government’s Gold for Oil Policy.” Credit: Citinewsroom

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has justified the ‘Gold-for Crude’ programme that has been introduced. He said it is an innovative way of easing the pressure on the local currency against the major trading ones, especially the Dollar. Speaking at the 74th annual new year school of the University of Ghana on Tuesday, January 17, he said while justifying the programme that ” How are we going to change this whole way of doing business as far as our natural resources were concerned? Take the case of gold in Ghana, we have mined gold for over 200 years, and when I looked at the data I realized that our total reserves of gold in Ghana was just  8.7 tonnes at the end of 2021.“ "One of the largest gold mining countries, we are in the top 10 in the world but we have not accumulated gold to build our reserves.“ "We looked at the other side of the balance sheet, we export gold and we import oil. The cost of oil import is about 3 billion dollars a year. So we ask the simple question, why don’t we, since we have always got pressure in finding US Dollars to buy oil,  rather reach an agreement to change our gold for oil and then, sell the oil in Cedis and then, use the Cedis to buy more gold, use that gold to pay for oil, sell the oil in Cedis and then you don’t need to look for the scarce foreign exchange to buy oil, which always leads to depreciation on the currency" "With this idea, we said, let us do something that the textbooks don’t teach you, let us do something that is out of the box and this is why we said gold-for-oil. We quickly looked at this and we negotiated with the suppliers of oil who were very excited and happy to receive gold in payment. Thankfully, yesterday, Monday, Ghana took its first delivery of oil under the gold-for-oil programme." "This is the cargo to test the framework to see if everything that has been put in place will work and by the grace of God, it is clear that the framework will work and if that should happen we are going to save a lot of foreign exchange and reduce the pressure on our currency.” The 40,000 metric tons of oil arrived at the Tema port on Sunday, January 15, 2023.This was annnounced by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. The Energy Ministry, the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation and Oil Marketing Companies are to formulate plans for its distribution and sale. Earlier, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who announced the policy explained at the 2022 Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) Awards in Accra, that the programme would give Ghana the space to accumulate more international reserves as the country will save the $3 billion it spends on oil imports. He further stated that the use of gold was specifically for oil imports in the face of declining foreign exchange reserves. Unfortunately, some people have misinterpreted this as Ghana being against the use of the US dollar in international transactions,” he stated. “Far from it. We want to accumulate more US dollar reserves in the future.” Vice President Bawumia noted that a major source of Cedi depreciation has been the demand for forex to finance imports of oil products and to address this challenge, the government is negotiating a new policy regime where sustainably mined gold will be used to buy oil products. "We implement the gold-for-oil policy as it is envisioned, it will fundamentally change our balance of payments and significantly reduce the persistent depreciation of our currency with its associated increases in fuel, electricity, water, transport and food prices.” This, he noted, is because the exchange rate will no longer directly enter the formula for the determination of fuel or utility prices since all the domestic sellers of fuel will no longer need foreign exchange to import oil products. Credit: 3news.com

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has touted Ghana’s credentials on Monday, 16th January 2023, when he led Ghana’s delegation to the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) is a global initiative championed by the UAE and its clean energy powerhouse Masdar to accelerate sustainable development and advance economic, social and environmental progress. Addressing the UAE-Ghana Business Forum on Tuesday, 17th January 2023, President Akufo-Addo maintained that, in spite of the present challenges, it is an exciting time to be in Ghana, and do business in the country. He urged the private sector in the UAE to take advantage of the business-friendly climate in the country to invest in Ghana. “Ghana is, rightly, considered a beacon of democracy and stability in Africa, with a modern democratic system of governance, with an independent Judiciary and a strong attachment to the rule of law.“ "In the same vein, we are determined to make Ghana an example of rapid economic growth within the context of a well-developed market economy,” he said. Credit: 3news.com

Kumasi-based songwriter and musician, Emmanuel Kweku Owusu Darlington, has revealed the reason why he does not like dating younger women. For the musician, also known as Kweku Darlington, some younger women are less knowledgeable about some happenings in life. Speaking on Prime Morning, on Tuesday, the musician explained that his dislike for dating younger women stems from his line of work. According to him, dating younger women as a musician is stressful, as most of them are jealous and may not be comfortable seeing other women around him. “Taking someone that I’m older than is a bit stressful because these people, I won’t say all, but some of them don’t know a lot of things about life that you need to be schooling them all the time and they won’t understand the kind of job that you do,” “You need to go out there, entertain people. There’ll be a lot of women around you trying to have fun with you, but then when they see these things…” he explained to KMJ. The “Sika Aba Fie” hitmaker believes that on the contrary, older women are more experienced in life and understanding, hence the reason he prefers to date them. Considering the kind of work he does, Kweku Darlington stated that, “these older people understand the job; they know what’s up, because they’ve been there before and they know how it is" ”But as to whether that is the best decision, the musician said it is in his interest, adding that “everyone has their own choices.” Credit: Myjoyonline.com

The Government of Ghana, through the Lands Commission says it will be demolishing all unauthorised structures built on State Encroached Lands at Amrahia, Mpehuasem, Nungua Borteyman). The move is aimed at recovering and protecting such sites and other state-acquired areas. In a release signed by the Executive Secretary, Lands Commission, James E. K. Dadson, it said "Following a reconnaissance inspection of sites in Borteyman, Amanhria and Mphehuasem, the joint team of Lands Administrators and Police Officers agreed on the urgency of a more extensive exercise to recover and protect all the encroached portions including demolishing of unauthorised structures" "The Commission with the assistance of the Ghana Police Service officially starts the exercise on 17th January, 2023 to recover and protect such sites and other state-acquired areas; per section 236 of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), It is expected the public would offer maximum support to the Commisssion as it undertakes this mandate" The release further noted that the Lands Commission has received a number of reports with great contestation, of encroachments on state lands within Amrahia, Mpehuasem and Nungua (Borteyman) in Accra by unknown armed men. It added that the illegality started during the festive season in December, 2022 and continues to occur. Mr. Dadson stressed that these parcels under threat are parts of Government acquisitions with compensations paid. "State Lands (Kweiman-Amrahia – Site for Modern Diary Farm) Instrument, 1970 (E.I.47) with approximate area of 1,381.995 acres" "State Lands – (Accra-Mpehuasem – Site for Accra Training College) Instrument, 2009 (E. I. 16) with approximate area of 111.25 acres" "State Lands – (Accra-Nungua – Site for Site for Livestock Farm) Instrument, 1940 (Certificate of Title 214/40) with approximate area of 2,570.05 acres" The release also noted that in all the acquisitions above, on the goodwill of Government, some portions of the sites have been released to the pre-acquisition owners. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has handed over his previous office to the new Caretaker Minister, Samuel A. Jinapor. The handing over ceremony was held in Accra on Monday. In a tweet sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, the Former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen tweeted "I had a successful handing over to the caretaker Minister, Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor, @SamuelAJinapor" He added that the Caretaker Minister was tasked by President Akufo-Addo to assume responsibility for the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The caretaker job is expected to last pending the appointment of a substantive replacement. Below are some pictures and tweet: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The newly elected General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Reverend Dr Stephen Yenusom Wengam, reserved his comments on the controversial National Cathedral when asked about it on television. Despite recently commending the Akufo-Addo-led government for building the edifice, Rev Wengam told Berla Mundi on TV3‘s New Day on Monday, January 16 that he would rather keep comments on the project to himself. It is unclear the motive behind this new position adopted by the Founder and Leader of Cedar Mountain Chapel of the Assemblies of God. But his comments on the National Cathedral during a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House are said to have deepened the controversy surrounding the project. "For us Pentecostals, we know very well the value of a temple. Solomon has gone into history as a wise and great leader because he built a temple for God and it is a symbol that signifies the unity of our faith,” he had told President Akufo-Addo. In the interview on TV3‘s New Day, Rev Dr Wengam, who takes over from Rev Prof Yaw Frimpong-Manso as head of the Assemblies of God, revealed how his father had prophesied his current position. He said prior to his father’s death in 2007, he told him he will one day be elected the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God. His father, he admitted, was a devout deacon of the church.Rev Dr Wengam also opened up on how he lost his younger siblings, most of whom did not grow to celebrate their first anniversaries. Credit: 3news.com

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) says it will be undertaking a planned maintenance work to improve its service delivery. According to ECG, the exercise will be held on Tuesday 17th January, 2023. The exercise will begin from 9am to 4pm. Areas to be affected include; Agbogba town, Top herbal, Akatsi Abor, Borshie, Ashongman mangoase, Oyarifa Town, Owusu Ansah, Gravel pit, Asiedu Nketia and Oyarifa Ghana Flag. The release also added; Special Ice, Ayi Mensah, Teiman town, Teiman Borga town, Kuottam Estate Pantang, Pokuase, Grace Bulemi Hill Top and surrounding areas. The ECG says it regrets the inconvenience that will arise out of the exercise. Below is a copy of the release: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith