The Ghana Export Import Bank (GEXIM) on Wednesday, 13th April, 2022 contributed their widow's mite towards the rebuilding and rehabilitation of Appiatse with a sum of 50,000 Ghana Cedis. The donation was made by a delegation from GEXIM Bank, led by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer responsible for Finance and Administration, Ms. Nana Akyaa Obeng-Adiyah. In a brief remark before the presentation, Madam Akyaa Obeng-Adiyiah said their contribution towards the fund was a direct response to a call by the chairperson of the Appiatse Support Fund, Rev. Joyce Rosalind Aryee for benevolent Ghanaians and organizations to support the exercise at Appiatse. "In response to a direct request from the Chairperson of the fund, Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, we are here today on behalf of the board, and Executive Management of EXIM Ghana to donate GHC 50, 000 as our contribution to the fund and we know that this contribution will go a long way to make the lives of the people in Appiatse much much better" she remarked. Ms. Obeng-Adiyah further stated that the donation from the financial institution will touch the lives of the people in the community and also be part of the process of restoring livelihood in Appiatse. The General Manager of Supergeona Enterprise, Madam Gloria Ayimah also made a cheque donation of  50,000 Ghana Cedis on behalf of their company. "As part of our Corporate social responsibility, we would like to make a donation to help in the rebuilding of Appiatse", she said. The Chairperson of the Fund who received the donations expressed gratitude to all donors on behalf of the Committee members. She further appealed to other institutions and individuals to support and donate to the fund as the monies accrued so far is not adequate for the rebuilding and restoration of livelihood of the Appiatse community. "We were called to mobilize sufficient funds, as stated by the Honorable Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, and I can say that, at this time, the money is not yet sufficient" she hinted. Meanwhile, Minister for Energy, Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh donated a  cheque of 20,000 Ghana Cedis as his way of supporting Appiatse. Global Media Alliance, Liebherr Ghana Limited and the Administrator and Secretary of the Appiatse Support Fund also contributed a significant amount of 10,000 Ghana Cedis, 45,000 Ghana Cedis and 1000 Ghana Cedis respectively. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The first solar eclipse of 2022 is less than a month away, occurring on April 30 across parts of Antarctica, the southern tip of South America and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. On April 30, a partial solar eclipse will sweep across parts of Antarctica, the southern tip of South America and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The solar eclipse will begin at 2:45 p.m. EDT (1845 GMT), when it will be first be visible to skywatchers in the visibility area. The time of maximum eclipse will be at 4:41 p.m. EDT (2041 GMT), with the eclipse ending at 6:37 p.m. EDT (2237 GMT), according to TimeandDate.com. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, and, in this case, thereby partly obscures the sun for viewers on Earth. Dyring this month’s partial solar eclipse, a maximum of 54% of the sun will be obscured by the moon. Credit: Samantha Mathewson

The Supreme Court has restrained James Gyakye Quayson from holding himself as the Member of Parliament for the Assin North constituency in the Central Region. Mr. Quayson was restrained in a ruling delivered by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. This decision was taken in a petition brought before the Supreme Court by Michael Ankomah-Nimfa, a resident of Assin Bereku in the Central Region. Mr. Ankomah-Nimfa had earlier secured a judgement at the Cape Coast High Court overturning the election of Mr. Quayson as null and void, but the embattled legislator ran to the Court of Appeal to have the decision set aside. Mr. Ankomah-Ninfa is challenging the eligibility of Mr. Quayson as the MP for Assin North following allegations that he held dual citizenship prior to contesting the MP position. Although the Court of Appeal dismissed his case, Mr. Quayson subsequently went to the Supreme Court to have his issue resolved. Michael Ankomah-Nimfah also took the issue to the Supreme Court to seek interpretation of Article 94 (2)(a) of the 1992 Constitution. In the same case, Mr. Ankomah-Nimfah asked the apex court to place an injunction on Mr. Quayson from holding himself as the MP for Assin North until the final determination of the case. In his statement of case, Mr. Quayson insisted that he had renounced his Canadian citizenship before contesting the Assin North parliamentary seat. Mr. Quayson had asked the Supreme Court to declare the petition as frivolous, vexatious and an abuse of the court processes. “This court should, with respect, not allow any litigant to act in such bad faith and engage in blatant forum shopping in instituting a new action for the determination of a matter already before another panel of this Court and also pending before other lower courts. The Plaintiff, while urging the panel of the Supreme Court before whom 1st Defendant’s application to quash the decision of the Court of Appeal, Cape Coast, and for the Supreme Court to refer to itself the interpretation of Article 94(2)(a) of the Constitution was pending, rot to make the reference, issues a new writ to be put before another panel of the court.” “This is unacceptable forum shopping, and it would set a dangerous precedent if such conduct should be countenanced by this court. The writ filed invoking the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is simply an abuse of the process of court. Plaintiff is not engaged in a genuine quest for an authoritative interpretation from this court of a constitutional provision. Rather, under the guise of an invocation of the original jurisdiction of this court, he is seeking reliefs that are the subject of the pending suits in the lower courts, as well as this court. What Plaintiff is seeking in the election petition that he instituted against the 1st Defendant is clearly the process that this court ought to have him continue pursuing as against this new suit,” Mr. Quayson added in the statement of case dated April 12, 2022. Story by: Edna Agnes Boakye

The Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh has admitted that some parts of the country is experiencing intermittent power supply. According to him, this is due to an Aboadze switch yard plant which got burnt. Addressing Journalists in Accra on Wednesday, he said "It is true that some parts of the country is experiencing intermittent power supply. We are hoping that Ghanaians will bear with us as we are working it" He also appealed to persons causing harm to ECG workers to stop saying his outfit will no longer tolerate such acts. "The harming and butchering our staffs is unacceptable and we will no longer tolerate this" He called on the Ghanaian populace to pay whatever he or she owes. The Sector Minister also told Journalists that the loses ECG has accroduded is nearly GHc3.2Billion. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel reveals he has 'no regrets' despite his side's Champions League exit against Real Madrid. Even though the Blues were 3-2 victors on the night at the Santiago Bernabeu, their Spanish opponents won 5-4 on aggregate across the two legs in the quarter-finals. The result means Chelsea's European title defence has now come to an end, with Madrid advancing to the final four of the competition. He revealed that he has 'no regrets' despite their exit from the illustrious tournament as the defending Champions. "We have to reduce our amount of mistakes and we could not reduce them to a minimum over the two legs. We had two crucial ball losses. "There are no regrets. These are the kind of defeat you can take with pride as a sportsman." Despite the Blues being 3-1 down from the first leg at Stamford Bridge last week, they produced a spirited performance in the Spanish capital. They took the lead through Mason Mount, with the 23-year-old firing past Thibaut Courtois from inside the box. Antonio Rudiger doubled their lead at the start of the second half as he headed in from Mount's corner, his first ever Champions League goal. Marcos Alonso saw a goal disallowed for handball before Timo Werner made it 3-0 on the night with a composed goal. However Rodrygo was on hand to level the aggregate score just eight minutes from time, with Karim Benzema netting in extra time to send Madrid through to the semi-finals. Story by: Rob Calcutt

The Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah has revealed that the GAMA project provided over 35,541 households told to low-income beneficiaries and completed 406 disability-friendly under phase I of the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Water and Sanitation Project. According to her, 406 disability-friendly have also been provided. Addressing Journalists in Accra on Monday, she said "UnderPhase I, the GAMA Project has provided over 35,541 household toilets to low-income beneficiaries, menstrual hygiene management (MHM)-considerate school toilets with separate blocks for girls and boys with locks to ensure privacy" The Minister also mentioned that the project has also provided water and soap for handwashing and a sanitary disposal system to benefit over 251,872 school pupils" Madam Dapaah added that the project has also supported the provision of a total of 56km of conventional offsite simplified sewerage systems to serve two low-income urban communities in Accra. She noted the two low-income urban communities in Accra are Ashaiman New Town Community and TDC quarters and Bankuman. She told Journalists that the projects are ready for commissioning. Touching on the launch of the Biodigester Toilet Construction and Installation Manual, she stressed that under the GAMA Project, her Ministry through the GAMA-Sanitation and Water Project (SWP), has developed a document to highlight the entire process of constructing and installing the biodigester in plain and an easy to understand language with illustrations. "This manual is expected to be useful to Engineers, Technicians, Artisans, Entrepreneurs, and Institutions in the WASH sector" she said. The Minister further bemoaned the increasing rate at which illegal miners are destroying major water bodies in the country. She mentioned that her Ministry contends that if this continues, the country will soon have severe challenges with water supply. 'Illegal mining in the water bodies have created huge problems for water systems in the country" "There are Ghanaians who are mining within the water bodies and such thing must stop" She also urged farmers to desist from encroaching on the buffer zone. The Minister also cautioned Ghanaians who have illegally connected water into their house to stop and soon her outfit will start house to house water auditing to stop those who have illegally connected water into their houses. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

BHM Research & Intelligence has announced that starting this year, its annual report on the public relations and communications sector in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, will be expanded to cover the whole continent, adding 53 more countries with a combined economy of over $2 trillion and over 1 billion population. This will be the first-ever report that will cater exclusively to the PR and communications industry within the African continent. The Africa PR and Communications report is being compiled in partnership with the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR UK), CIPR International, Africa Communications Week (ACW), Wadds Incorporated, ID Africa, Plaqad Incorporated, and Magna Carta Reputation Management Consultants. Other partners are to be announced. BHM Founder Ayeni Adekunle commented: “Since we launched the Nigeria PR Report on January 29, 2016, we have witnessed the growth of the industry at home and abroad. Five years after, we are pleased to confirm we are now expanding our research to cover a continent that holds plenty of promise for the global communications sector. We hope the Africa PR and Communications report will quickly become the authoritative voice in the industry, providing insights, data, and useful information for those working here, as well as everyone outside looking in.’’ With 54 countries and an expected GDP of $5.6 trillion in four years, the continent is home to six of the top ten fastest-growing economies in the world. Africa accounts for around 17% of the world’s population, but only about 3% of global GDP. If Africa sustains and accelerates structural reforms, some believe the continent can emulate China’s rapid rise over the last 50 years. It will, after all, have 24 million more people, on average, living in its cities each year between 2015 and 2045, according to the World Economic Forum. The COVID-19 pandemic has, of course, taken a heavy toll, but the recovery is afoot. The implementation of the ​​African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is further proof of the continent’s plans for the future, as it has the potential to create a continental free-trade zone with a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD 3.4 trillion, according to the African Union (AU). These advances are also being reflected in the continent’s burgeoning PR & Communication landscape – the industry best equipped to help fix the continent’s reputational issues. The 2022 Africa Report will contain verified facts and statistics on the Public Relations industry, analysis that can guide governments and multinationals, resources and recommendations that assist practitioners in building better careers and business models, designed to enhance and deliver value to all stakeholders. Ayeni added “The past 28 months have been volatile for the world. It invariably highlighted our strengths and weaknesses as a continent. And the PR & communications industry was one of the first points of call in advising government and business leaders on wading through the times and supporting initiatives across the continent" “Yet, this only showed a glimpse of the potential of the PR & communications industry. Because beyond health and financial crisis, as an industry, there is a dire need for professionals to be embedded in every area of policymaking, advisory, and management. It is important that the industry understands the almost impossibly heavy sense of duty it has to the continent and the people. However, we cannot do any of these without data-driven insights that will enable us to give the proper advisory required. By modelling well-founded world reports such as the Holmes Report, World Development Report, Relevance Report, Edelman Trust Barometer, and others, we are hoping to create a standard global report that can easily be used for referencing details, instances and facts about the industry.” Moliehi Molekoa, a member of the APCR board and the Managing Director of Magna Carta, a pan-African reputation management consultancy, says “PR professionals, now more than ever, have an increased duty to advise clients based on sound data and experience. APCR will be one of the key sources of that data. We are filling a void within the industry, and this report will better equip us as professionals as well as the businesses about the African PR landscape. It will provide valuable insights and how to build, manage and protect reputations with the overall aim of elevating the role the industry plays in brand building.” According to the Economist, It is expected that Africa's total population would reach nearly 2.5 billion by 2050. The continent will also be home to the world’s largest under 25 workforce, which will open the door to immense opportunities for growth and development. BHM Group, through this seminal industry-wide report, therefore, seeks to foster an in-depth understanding of the world’s business, tech, commercial and communications landscapes, among others. It will tell Africa’s story by Africans, for Africa and for anyone else hoping to gain a deeper understanding and foothold on the continent and the immense opportunities it offers. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Ghanaian artiste, Black Sheriff reacts to denying Davido a feature on ‘Kwaku the Traveller’ remix. A fake Instagram story of Black Sheriff warning Davido and his team to stop disturbing him for a remix of his hit song on Saturday appeared online. This has since stirred reactions on social media as the said post went viral. The post read: “ I don’t know why this guy and his team keep disturbing me for KTT remix, I’m not interested!! I’ve told you and it is the same thing I’Il tell your team! “I don’t need someone to use their voice to spoil my song for me. Keep Streaming KTT! Out on all platforms.” However, Black Sheriff in a tweet via his verified Twitter account said the post is fake, admitting he never denied Davido or his team. His tweet read: “This is so FAKE Brother, Why will you do this? Black Sheriff’s hit song ‘Kwaku the Traveller’ has been trending on Tiktok and all other social media channels. Story by: Fikayo Olowolagba

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has listed at 29 institutions for disconnection over huge debts. Among the listed institutions is the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) which is said to be owing the Electricity Company some GH¢15, 420,246. Out of the total debt, African Entertainment has gathered that the GBC transmission alone owes a total bill of GH¢4, 281,342, while the GBC itself owes GH¢11, 138,904. It would be recalled that in October 2021, ECG disconnected GBC for failing to settle its indebtedness. Since then, the State broadcaster, according to sources has shown little commitment in settling its debts. It has therefore taken the 14th and 15th position on a list of 29 highly indebted clients of ECG targeted for disconnection. The 29 listed companies are from both the public and private sectors. The heavily indebted institutions on the list include: Ghana Airport Company, Parliament, UNDP, EOCO, UPSA, Ministry of Communication, Kofi Annan Center, Entrance Pharmacy. It is emerging that the ECG has already served most the institutions “demand or disconnection notices". Story by: Melvin Tarlue

Business Magnate, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, has advocated continuity in governance irrespective of which party was elected into power. He explained that such an approach will help put the country on a sustainable development path which benefits and gains will inure to the citizenry. Delivering a lecture to commemorate the 6th University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) Leadership Lecture Series in memory of late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills at Ho in the Volta Region on Friday, April 8, 2022, Dr. Siaw Agyepong, who is the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), stated that this system will also help a great deal to sustain and further improve upon the gains made in the sanitation environmental space. He said the practice where “our governments truncate and in some cases abolish completely national development projects” was not helping the development course of this nation. “This practice is rather retarding the progress of our country which obviously is not in our best interest,” he bemoaned. He spoke on the topic “Sustaining Environmental Sanitation Gains Through Specialised Education.” The public lecture was chaired by the Vice Chancellor of UHAS, Professor John Owusu Gyapong, Key personalities such as the UHAS Council Chair, His Lordship Justice Jones M. Doste, Justice of the Supreme Court; the Volta Regional Minister, Hon. Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa; and some leading NDC members and MPs in the region were present at the lecture. The UHAS leadership lecture was instituted by the university in 2016 in memory of the late President Prof. Mills due to his instrumentality in the establishment of the UHAS and his general leadership qualities. Among its goals are to inculcate leadership skills into the university community, build mentorship, develop the capacities of health professionals, stir intellectual debate and innovation. To achieve sustainable results in the sanitation sector, Dr. Siaw Agyepong called for an integrated waste management system. This, he explained, must include the collection, treatment, recovery, recycling, disposal systems, financing models, operational models, technologies, and citizen engagement programmes. He admitted that societal and organisational perception of waste has always informed policies and investments in the waste management space. However, he said in recent times that appears to be changing, adding that “society is progressively moving away from simply considering waste as an end-product for disposal toward considering it as a resource.” In this wise, Dr. Siaw Agyepong said the entry of the JGC has injected high-quality leadership in waste management in the country, hence the introduction of modern technology to revolutionise waste management in the country. This, he noted, has shifted the paradigm of carting waste for burning to the use of simple modern collection processes to dumping at landfill sites. He mentioned research and development; capacity building and training; conferences and seminars, and; continuous provision of environmental sanitation services during the Covid-19 pandemic as some of his group’s accomplishments in the drive to sustain and improve upon the gains made in environmental sanitation. On the role of specialised universities in national development, he underscored that UHAS occupied an enviable position of a specialised university, dedicated to tackling health development in Ghana by training health professionals. “The establishment of UHAS is, therefore, timely and critical in improving healthcare delivery in Ghana. Health is understandably the core of all aspects of human development. And it is my hope that UHAS sticks to this focus, especially since the health delivery system is being comprehensively expanded, thanks to AGENDA 111,” he said. Dr. Siaw Agyepong was full of praise for what he described as “significant strides” made by UHAS in the last decade. “I must say that I have been very pleased with the impressive works done so far. In the short years of its establishment, I am very impressed that UHAS is making significant strides at the national, continental, and global levels,” he said. While commending UHAS for organising the lecture, the executive chairman of JGC eulogised Prof. Mills, describing him as a President “whose leadership philosophy cohered strongly around humility and service to the people.” The Vice Chancellor of the UHAS, Professor John Owusu Gyapong, said it was most unfortunate that people with good ideas turn to sit on them. He stressed the need for people with ideas to be up and doing, calling on them to make use of what they have and can do. He said success was tied to initiative, stating that “we are all potential leaders.” Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, (MP) has extended the time for the Sole Inquirer into the Bulgarian Embassy land matter to present his report. The extension follows a request by the Sole Inquirer, Justice Kwasi Anto Ofori Atta, a retired Justice of the High Court, who was appointed on 18th March, 2022. Justice Ofori-Atta was given seven (7) days to present his report on the Bulgarian Embassy land matter, and one (1) month to present his report on matters relating to lands occupied by diplomatic missions in Ghana. However, following the commencement of his investigations, the Sole Inquirer says he found the issues considerably complex and needed more time to deal exhaustively with all the issues. The Minister has, therefore, extended the time to 26th April, 2022 for the Sole Inquirer to present his report. The Minister hopes to be provided with the full facts to enable him act decisively and comprehensively on the issue. Below is a copy of the release: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has conferred an honorary Doctor of Science degree on the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong. He was honoured in recognition of his outstanding contributions to environmental sanitation and higher education in Ghana and beyond. The Chairman of the Council of the UHAS, Justice Victor J.M. Dotse of the Supreme Court, and the Vice Chancellor of UHAS, Professor John Owusu Gyapong, together decorated Dr. Siaw Agyepong with the honours last Saturday at the second session of the 6th UHAS Congregation at Ho, Volta Region. Some 692 students were awarded with degrees in various academic disciplines at the event. After receiving the honours, Dr. Siaw Agyepong thanked God for his life, stressing that he was very humbled by the honour done him by the university. “I also want to thank the UHAS Council Members, my wife, Mrs. Adelaide Agyepong, my children, management and staff of the Jospong Group of Companies and everyone who has invested in my life,” he expressed. He disclosed that his group will present a cheque of US Dollars 100,000 to the UHAS to set up an award scheme for research. A citation accompanying the honour said: “The University of Health and Allied Sciences is, therefore, proud to be associated with you and delighted to honour you this 9th day of April 2022, with the Honorary Doctor of Science degree (honoris) causa) for your excellent leadership; for you innovative business solutions that continue to add value to the everyday lives of Ghanaians; for your service and care to countless communities all over Africa, and for the integrity in which you walk as you represent us globally.” It continued “your contributions to environmental sanitation and higher education in Ghana and beyond are unmatched in scope, and have been accurately described as ““phenomenal.”” The citation said over the years “your visionary leadership has brought us the Jospong Group of Companies, which has earned you global recognition for job creation that has improved thousands of household incomes.” Further, it also described Dr. Siaw Agyepong as “the embodiment of the UHAS core values of Excellence, Innovation, Integrity, Service and Care.” Earlier, in a brief motivational speech, Dr. Siaw Agyepong admonished the graduates to put God first in all their endeavours and chosen careers. However, he cautioned that the “pull him syndrome” and other demonic forces were still operational in the country. “Practically, God has been my strength,” he asserted. Again, he encouraged the students to look as far as they can see, using how God blessed Abraham enormously to buttress his point. He told the graduates to always leverage and treasure opportunities they have and those that will come their way. “Be ready to learn, explore and also teach others, stressing that “from today watch things twice.” he charged the students. A former student of Royal Technical Institute at Nungua in Accra, Dr. Siaw Agyepong studied for the City and Guilds of London Certificate, which he completed in 1990, graduating with an Electrical Engineering Technician (Part II) Certificate. He became a Chief Executive Officer at the age of 25, and helped to transform his mother’s exercise-book business into Jospong Printing Press in 1995. He has proven to be a visionary leader with a remarkable knack for recognising business opportunities and building strategic partnerships to implement his vision. In 2006, Dr. Siaw Agyepong revolutionised waste management in Ghana with the introduction of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, now a leader in the waste management space of the country. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of JGC with 60 subsidiaries, with core staff members of over 6000, 55000 operatives, and creating over 250000 job opportunities for people of different ages, genders and cultures. Dr. Siaw Agyepong is an international conference speaker on private sector development, waste management, waste water management, and the impact of sanitation on public health. He has held and continues to hold various positions and serve on boards in a number of public, private and international institutions, including being a member of the Annual New Year School Corporate Advisory Team of the University of Ghana, and; Vice Chairman of the Enterprise Development the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He also serves as an advisory biard member of the Harvard Centre for African Studies, and is a member of the Veritas Society. He is currently the President of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA). For his enormous contributions in the environmental sanitation space, Dr. Siaw Agyepong has won several awards. In 2008, former President John Agyekum Kufuor conferred on Dr. Siaw Agyepong the Award of the Order of the Volta, which was followed by the Best Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 by the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana. The University of Ghana, Legon in 2013 also conferred the Platinum Vessel Award on him in recognition of his meritorious selfless services and contribution towards national development. Others awards won by Dr. Siaw Agyepong are Most Influential African Business Leader of the Decade (2021); CEO of the Decade (2021); Induction Into the Hall of Fame 2021, and; Entrepreneur of the Year 2021. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith