Emirates, Air Canada form strategic partnership
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FR I DAY, JU LY 1 5, 202 2
Fidelity Money Market Trust outdoored Aims to meet investors recurrent needs | STORY ON PAGE 3
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Over 16m Ghanaians registered for Ghana Card -NIA | BY EUGENE DAVIS | STORY ON PAGE 3
Stabilizing the cedi: BoG to have first right of refusal for all gold mined | STORY ON PAGE 2
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Horticulture fast becoming the new job-making machine “When the last tree dies, the last man dies” they say and truly so because flora and fauna preserve the environment and hence human life, and at a time that economies are grossly feeling the harsh outcomes of climate change, the need to preserve our environment and green resources have become even more critical. Aside the enviro-friendly outcomes, there is proven economic potential in the green economy, specifically the horticultural value chain. Recent statistics put proportions of the youth (15 to 35) that are unemployed and seeking work at 34.2percent. Unemployment is therefore considered by many to be the most critical issue affecting the country. It is trite to say that with the right national and individual orientation, policies, and drive, Ghana’s rich flora and fauna resources could provide millions of jobs to the country’s teeming youth. Stratcomm Africa is leading the charge to green
Ghana for the varied purposes of beautification, wealth and job creation as well as a sustainable fight against climate change. Now in is tenth year, the annual Garden and Flower Show challenges and motivates the youth and businesses in the sector to aspire to grow and reach their full potential, in order to improve their livelihoods and impact society. This year’s theme “Growth Unleashed” preps the mind of young Ghanaians to burst forth and to grow beyond the norms to achieve a blooming environment. The global horticulture market is estimated to be valued at USD 20.77 Billion as of 2021 and is projected to reach US$40.24bn by 2026 at a compound annual growth of 10.2percent whilst global flower and ornamental plants market was valued at US$475.6m in 2020 and is expected to reach US$725.4m by the end of 2027, growing annually at 6.3percent during 2021-2027.
Stabilizing the cedi: BoG to have first right of refusal for all gold mined
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The Bank of Ghana (BoG) is to have the first right of refusal for the purchase of all gold mined in Ghana as part of measures to help stabilize Ghana’s currency and ensure macroeconomic stability, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has disclosed. Government is also working to help acquire the necessary certification for refineries in the country as well as help set up more, Dr Bawumia stated on Thursday, July 14, 2022. Speaking at the launch of a collaboration between the Accra Business School and South East Technological University, Ireland, Vice President Bawumia said the government has been and will continue to implement forward-looking measures to ensure the country is not buffeted unnecessarily by external economic shocks as is occurring right now across the world, leading to the country engaging the International Monetary Fund for balance of payments assistance. One of the key measures, the Vice President emphasized is the right of first refusal for the purchase, at world market prices, of all gold mined in the country to build up the country’s gold reserves to ensure stability of the currency. “Notwithstanding being one of the big gold producers in the world, Ghana’s reserves of gold at the central bank at the end of 2021 was only 8.7 kilograms. It was against this background that
the Bank of Ghana started a Gold purchase program from gold producers to build up its foreign exchange reserves. “To enhance this programme, Government will implement a new policy (which is already backed by law) under which the central bank (Bank of Ghana) will have first right of refusal for all gold mined in Ghana. The central bank will purchase the gold at world market prices and the mining companies will export the portion that is not purchased by the Bank of Ghana. “Ultimately, once we accumulate enough gold, future borrowing and our currency can be backed by gold. This will stabilize the cedi long term,” Dr Bawumia explained. Ghana must also increase the benefits she accrues from the mining of her minerals through value-addition, the Vice President
insisted, hence the recent commissioning of a National Assay Lab by the Precious Minerals Marketing Company and the ongoing efforts to acquire international certification for existing refineries. “We must also deepen our industrialization through value addition to gold. Even though Ghana has two gold refineries, none has London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) certification. This limits our full participation in the gold value chain. We will urgently work towards LBMA certification for our refineries in the next few years. “Value addition to minerals such as lithium and bauxite will similarly be pursued in addition to the One District One Factory (1D1F) programme and the continued implementation of the automotive sector policy.”
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Over 16m Ghanaians registered for Ghana Card -NIA By Eugene Davis
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has so far registered 16.9m Ghanaians for Ghana’s national identity card, the Ghana Card, the Head of Operations, Peter Kwame Ghansah, has told Parliament. Appearing before parliament’s Committee of the Whole on Thursday, Mr.Ghansah said “As of
July 12, the number of Ghanaians enrolled, we have 16m, this is the total number registered during pilot and mass registration and continuous registration period.” The figure represents 85 per cent of Ghana’s adult population. Mr. Ghansah also revealed that the number of cards printed was 16,743,832, while the number of
uncollected cards was 895,140 as well as 159,439 cards have been replaced. The number of personal records updated also stood at 34,623, with 12,379 foreigners registered as of January 2022 to June 2022. He also added that the total foreigners registered from 2013 till date stood at 156,339. For non-citizen Ghana card renewed from January 2022 to June 2022 represents 15,522. “From the figures, it indicates that on average 17,371 foreigners are registered annually.” Conversations about the Ghana Card have come to the fore following the commencement of the re-registration of SIM cards this month. The National Communications Authority, NCA, has maintained that only the Ghana Card will be used as proof of identity for registration. This has generated some
widespread displeasure with many Ghanaians questioning why the recently registered Voters’ ID cards and Ghanaian passport can’t be used. According to the provisional results of the 2020 Population and housing census, Ghana’s population currently stands at 30.8 million. The NIA says its 275 district offices are now operational, in addition to an office each in the 16 regions of the country, increasing the offices to 291 across the country. In spite of the opening of district offices to make it easier for the collection of already issued cards or go through the process for a new one, many people continue to show up at the various registration centres, desperate to get their Ghana Cards, now a mandatory ID for the SIM Card re-registration, social security and most bank transactions.
Fidelity Money Market Trust outdoored Aims to meet investors recurrent needs
Fidelity Security Limited (FSL), the asset management subsidiary of Fidelity Bank Ghana, has introduced the Fidelity Money Market Trust Fund to meet the short-term recurrent needs of investors. These include school fees, rent and other pressing financial issues. The Money Market Fund is ideal for individuals, institutions, pension fund managers, groups, registered associations, profit and non-forprofit organisations, as it provides the perfect avenue to grow wealth on the money market. Speaking during the launch of the FSL’s latest offering, Edward OpareDonkor, a Non-Executive Director of FSL, stated: “Fidelity Securities has over the years demonstrated its experience, professionalism and competence in managing the funds of investors to grow their
wealth The launch of this innovative Fidelity Money Market Trust is also another great avenue to assist individuals and companies to meet their financial needs from the money market.” The Head of Fidelity Securities Limited, Akwasi Adu-Boahene, outlined the various features and benefits of the Fidelity Money Market Fund. He recommended the fund to anyone who wanted a sustainable income because it was less risky and customers were assured of dedicated fund management expertise to ensure the security of their investments. “A key feature of the fund is that customers can invest and redeem their investments at any time with no entry or exit fees. We have also made available convenient channels for customers to top up their investments through mobile money, Fidelity Mobile App and Fidelity Agent Points nationwide,” he added. Launching the Fidelity Money Market Trust, the Director General
of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Rev. Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, urged Fidelity Securities Limited, all market operators and investors to see investment success as a shared responsibility. “Fund Managers must ensure compliance with all governing rules while investors must make informed decisions by asking the right questions and seeking to understand product features before signing up,” he said. He said the SEC remained committed to protecting investors and the integrity of the securities industry. Fidelity Securities Limited is licensed and regulated by the SEC and the National Pensions Regulatory Authority and is in good standing with both regulators and other stakeholders. The FSL’s core objective is to empower its clients with financial freedom by undertaking wellresearched investments on their behalf. Having successfully operated for 15 years and counting, FSL thoroughly understands the Ghanaian investment landscape and has a proven track record for building sustainable investment portfolios, which create financial stability over time.
The FSL manages institutional funds (pensions, provident funds and endowments, among others), collective investments schemes and individual wealth portfolios. The company is committed to integrity, expertise and innovation to help its clients and communities grow to achieve their financial objectives. This commitment is underpinned by exceptional corporate governance standards, risk management practices, knowledge of the market, professionalism, proactivity and above all a customer-centric culture. Fidelity Securities was adjudged the Investment Fund Manager of the Year for the second consecutive time and the Pension Fund Manager of the Year at the 2019 Ghana Accountancy and Finance Awards. Fidelity Money Market Trust Fund is an open-ended Unit Trust that will invest primarily in money market securities within Ghana. The Money Market Trust has an objective of preserving unit holders’ value while enhancing unit holder’s liquidity to meet shortterm recurrent needs. The Fidelity Fixed Money Trust Fund requires an initial investment of GH¢100.00 with a minimum top up GH¢10.00 to invest.
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Emirates, Air Canada form strategic partnership Emirates and Air Canada has announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement that will create more options for customers when travelling on the carriers’ networks while also enhancing the customer experience throughout the journey. Emirates and Air Canada intend to establish a codeshare relationship later in 2022 that will offer enhanced consumer travel choices for Air Canada customers to travel to the United Arab Emirates and to destinations beyond Dubai. Emirates customers will also enjoy an enhanced travel experience when travelling to Toronto or to key destinations across the Air Canada network. Customers will have the ability to book connecting travel between both airlines’ networks with the ease of a single ticket, seamless connectivity at the carriers’ respective global hubs and baggage transfers to their final destinations. Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “This is a significant partnership that will enable our customers access to even more destinations in Canada and the Americas, via our Toronto and US gateways. It also opens up many new route combinations for travelers across Emirates’ and Air Canada’s extensive networks in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. We are pleased to partner with Air Canada, one of North America’s most established airlines and Canada’s flag carrier and we look forward to jointly progressing on various areas to provide even better customer flight choices and experiences.”
“As we continue pursuing our strategy of expanding our global reach in response to growing opportunities in VFR markets (Visit Friends and Relatives) that serve Canada’s large multicultural communities, we are very pleased to form a strategic partnership with Emirates, a highly respected flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates with a hub in the vibrant city of Dubai. This strategic agreement will create network synergies, and Air Canada customers will have additional, convenient options when travelling between Canada and the United Arab Emirates as well as destinations beyond Dubai” said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada. “We look forward to introducing Air Canada codeshare service on key Emirates flights, as well as adding the EK code on select Air Canada flights, and welcoming Emirates customers on our services later this year.” To further enhance the customer experience, the carriers will also establish reciprocal frequent flyer benefits and reciprocal lounge access for qualifying customers. Further details of the partnership and specific codeshare routes will be announced when finalized and will be subject to regulatory approvals and final documentation. Air Canada Cautionary Statement Regarding ForwardLooking Statements Air Canada’s public communications may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements may involve, but are not limited to,
comments relating to guidance, strategies, expectations, planned operations or future actions. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions, are subject to important risks and uncertainties and cannot be relied upon due to, amongst other things, changing external events and general uncertainties of the business. Actual results may differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including the factors identified in this news release and in Air Canada’s public disclosure file available at www. sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent Air Canada’s expectations as of the date of this news release and are subject to change after such date. However, Air Canada disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations. About Air Canada Air Canada is Canada’s largest airline, the country’s flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 51 airports in Canada, 51 in the United States and 86 internationally. It is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax, which in 2021 gave
Air Canada awards for the Best Airline Staff in North America, Best Airline Staff in Canada, Best Business Class Lounge in North America, and an excellence award for managing COVID-19. Through its leading travel loyalty Aeroplan program, Air Canada offers the ability to earn or redeem points on the world’s largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental rewards. Its freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada’s passenger flights and cargo-only flights with its fleet of Boeing 767300 freighters. Air Canada has committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050. About Emirates Emirates is the award-winning global airline that serves over 130 cities on six continents through its efficient hub in Dubai. It operates the world’s largest fleet of modern wide-body Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft that are fitted out with the latest comforts in the sky. Emirates has won numerous accolades for excellence across its operations, including being named World Class Airline at The APEX Official Airline Ratings™ awards, which stands at the pinnacle of all APEX Passenger Choice awards, and being rated Five Star Airline by APEX. For more information visit: www. emirates.com
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Huawei acknowledged for contribution towards Inclusive Education Leading ICT Company, Huawei has been commended by Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, for the pivotal role it plays in harnessing the potential of ICT to promote equitable and inclusive education for all, through its Technologyenabled Open School System (TeOSS) project. The Technology-enabled Open School Systems (TeOSS) is an initiative in partnership with UNESCO, the Ministry of Education through the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDULOS) as well as other key players in Ghana, Egypt and Ethiopia. The project which is aimed at building robust crisis-resilient school systems seek to connect school and home-based learning, to ensure the continuity and quality of learning under normal or crisis situations.
It also seeks to empower beneficiaries through enhanced connectivity, digital skills, and professional development over a period of three years. Speaking at the just ended UNESCO-Huawei Cross Country Seminar held in Accra, the Deputy Minister of Education, elaborated the Government of Ghana and the Ministry of Education’s commitment to collaborate further with Huawei, UNESCO and other development partners to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning. Hon. John Ntim Fordjour elaborated that, to meet the key targets of SDG Goal 4, more digital platforms are needed as an enabler and the leverage to achieve them. Government, he said, has as a result of this put in a lot of effort through industry partnerships to reach every place
where learners are found. “We are excited about this discussion going on with Huawei Ghana and the team of experts that are sharing ideas and supporting this very brilliant interventions that the Ministry is undertaking,” he said, as he thanked the UNESCO Ghana Country Director, Mr. Diallo Abdulmahamahne and the Ghana team for their consistent support geared towards transforming Ghana’s education sector. The Technology-enabled Open School project which was official launched on 25, November 2021 is expected to benefit primary school students, Junior High School students, out-of-school children and vulnerable groups in Ghana. Since its inception, the project has been piloted at 10 schools across 10 regions in the country. Under the pilot, educators and learners had access to online and offline resources to ensure that
schools based in communities without internet access and electricity could benefit from the project. As a company focused on accelerating the digital skills and the development of ICT talents in Ghana, Huawei through strategic partnerships has trained over 50,000 Ghanaians in advanced ICT courses like Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Routing and Switching, Coding, Financial Technology and Cloud Computing under its Women in Tech initiative. This year, under its LEAP (Leadership Entrepreneurship Advancement Possibility) program, Huawei organized its maiden ICT Job Fair in collaboration with key government ministries and successfully provided employment opportunities for over 200 tertiary students.
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Parliament urges Fin. Min to fast-track process for opening of holding accounts for agencies By Eugene Davis Parliament has asked the Minister for Finance to speed up the process for opening of holding accounts for all agencies to deter the practice of direct payment and disbursement of revenues from the collection accounts for operational purposes. This was contained in the report of the finance committee on fees and charges (miscellaneous provisions) bill, 2022 which was approved by the legislature on Thursday. Presenting the report on the floor for approval, chairman of the Finance Committee, Kwaku Kwarteng stated the bill is part of the revenue measures outlined in the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government for the 2022 financial year. The proposed adjustments of some of the Fees and Charges will contribute significantly to meeting the revenue targets outlined in the budget for the 2022 fiscal year. The object of the bill is to regularize fees been charged by some public service institutions, review existing fees, impose new
fees and provide for an annual adjustment of fees and charges levied by Ministries, Department and Agencies in line with prevailing economic conditions. According to the report of the finance committee, a number of government agencies and institution responsible for the collection of non-tax revenue on behalf of government failed to lodge revenues collected in gross in contravention of section 46 of the Public Financial Management Act,2016 (Act 921). The report also indicates that many of the subvented agencies either retain part or pay the entire revenues collected directly into their operational accounts and disbursed directly in contravention of the PFMA. The committee noted with concern that the practice does not give the minister for finance a complete or comprehensive view of the total revenue (non tax) generated by all state agencies in each fiscal year. Additionally, the committee observed that the practice could expose public funds to abuse
and embezzlement by collecting officers. The committee therefore recommends that the ministry of finance should take immediate steps to ensure that all institutions captured in the second schedule of the bill collect their revenues through a designated commercial bank or through the Ghana.gov platform from which the funds collected are transferred in gross into the respective holding accounts at the Bank of Ghana. The bill which is divided into clauses; for clause two, it provides for the rate of fees and charges to be charged by a Ministry, a department or an agency, whiles clause three and four of the bill deal with the revision of fees and charges. Under Clause three, requires the Minister to automatically adjust the fees and charges in accordance with the prevailing economic challenges. Clause four empowers the Minister to conduct a periodic review of the fees and charges levied by a Ministry, Department and Agency having regard to an improvement in the quality
of service and relevance of the service provided by the Ministry,Department or Agency and whether a service provided by the Ministry, Department or Agency should be privatized. The clause also empowers the minister to cause an audit of the expenditure and revenue of the Ministry,Department and Agency for the purpose of reviewing a fee or charge. Under clause five, it directs a Ministry, Department or Agency that has been authorized to determine fees and charges to submit a proposal of fees and charges to the Minister for consideration. In addition, a newly created Ministry,Department or Agency that is empowered under an enactment to collect fees and charges is also required to submit proposals to the minister on the fees and charges that the MDA seek to collect. The clause further mandates the Minister to determine the fees and charges on the basis of overall government policy.
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Eni presented with Energy Innovation Award by Energy Intelligence Eni has been awarded Energy Intelligence’s Energy Innovation Award, in recognition of its preparedness for the energy transition and its acceleration in low-carbon investments. The award will be presented to Eni CEO, Claudio Descalzi during the 2022 Energy Intelligence Forum in London, October 4-6. Eni was ranked strongly in terms of emissions reduction targets, portfolio resilience and transformation of its business model; consistently scoring in the top three on the Transition Strategy Index. Moreover, in terms of low-carbon investments, Eni has significantly scaled up activity over 2020-21. Eni further accelerated its energy transition path committing to zero emissions from its industrial processes, products and consumption by customers by 2050. A transformation process started in 2014 with huge investments in research and technological development, based on the
adoption of multiple technologies and industrial solutions already available or implementable in the short-medium term and capable of affecting all areas of decarbonization. These were chosen in order to implement a concrete and immediately practicable strategy, marked by intermediate objectives and continuous improvement. Since its inception in 2012,
the Energy Innovation Award recognises the greatest improvement made by an energy company in adapting to the energy transition in the last year. It is rooted in quantitative data as measured by Energy Intelligence benchmarking. The winner is selected from a shortlist determined by an independent panel of leading experts in finance, government, academia
and consulting. Eni CEO, Claudio Descalzi, commented: “I am very pleased to receive this award, which reflects our essential strategic commitment to the energy transition associated with our ongoing effort to ensure access to energy for the communities of the countries in which we operate. Today, more than ever, at a time when the international events we are experiencing put us in front of the reality of economic and industrial systems that are still mainly based on traditional energy models, we must remain firmly anchored to our decarbonisation objectives, which will be fundamental to further increase our energy independence “. Energy Intelligence is a leading energy information company that has delivered objective reporting and analysis on the sector for over 70 years, with an unparalleled view into the trends shaping the energy sector.
WAPCo commits to cleaner and reliable energy The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo), operator of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP), is committed to providing cleaner and reliable energy for customers, the Managing Director of the company, Gregory Germani, has given an assurance. “WAGP guarantees a costeffective, secure, cleaner and reliable energy for power generation for regional economic growth and development that will benefit families, communities, businesses and industries across the region,” he said. At an event to climax activities marking the 10th anniversary of WAPCo’s commercial operations in the country, Mr Germani said the company had an enviable safety practice and record which reflected its commitment to safe operations to protect lives and property. “For us at WAPCo, safety is a foremost priority with over eight years and nine million workforce hours without a recordable injury,” he concluded. He further added: “WAPCo will build on the strong foundations of the past 10 years to make greater impact in the sub-region as we fulfil
our mission as an international company transporting natural gas in a safe, responsible, and reliable manner. We shall seek to further expand our customer base to industrial customers and new supply sources in the near future.” Mr Germani summed up the company’s journey over the past decade as “so far, so good”. “WAPCo collaborated with the Ministry of Energy, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), and the Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas with technical support from Eni Ghana, to complete the extension of the WAGP in 2020 as part of the larger Takoradi to Tema Interconnection Project (TTIP),” he added. Mr Germani said the completion of the TTIP had transitioned WAGP into a multi-shipper environment, allowing access to multiple supply sources of natural gas to multiple customers. “In March this year, the WAGP set the highest monthly average record of 215 MMscfd delivery to customers and saw the highest one-day peak of 258 MMscfd,” he stated. Speaking on behalf of shareholders, the Director, Commercial, Strategy and
Business Performance at Chevron Nigeria Limited congratulated all stakeholders on making the WAGP project a reality. “Moving the West African Gas Pipeline from vision to reality was an incredible journey and accomplishment worth celebrating and made possible through shareholder partnership, government collaboration, a unified workforce, and the perseverance of all involved.”
A beneficiary of WAPCo’s scholarship scheme, Miss Juliet Annang Nuerkie, commended the company for supporting the vulnerable in the communities where it operated. The event was on the theme: “Driving Regional Energy”, and was attended by management and staff of WAPCo, shareholders, board members, policy makers, CSOs, customers, and other stakeholders.
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AfDB: New flagship publication looks at 10 yrs of investments in regional operations
The African Development Bank Group has released a new report providing a snapshot of results of regional operations financed by its concessional lending window, the African Development Fund (ADF), over the last decade. The report, “Crossing Borders, Connecting Communities, Changing Lives,” reviews and documents the impacts of the regional operations envelope since ADF-13 (the 13th replenishment of the ADF). Contributing more than 80 active regional projects and programs, the ADF’s regional operations
envelope provides vital support to Africa’s 37 low-income countries, 16 of which are landlocked. By supplementing these countries’ resources, the envelope makes it possible for the countries to build regional infrastructure that stimulate their development. The report also highlights how between 2020 and 2022, the ADF expects to finance 51 projects and programs worth $2.7 billion and mobilize another $1.5 billion in co-financing from development partners such as the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund, the OPEC Fund, and the European
Investment Bank. “At the Bank, we know that regional connectivity will catalyze Africa’s path to recovery,” said Yacine Fal, the Bank’s acting vice president for regional development, integration, and business delivery. “This is especially true in light of climate shocks, debt vulnerabilities, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the RussiaUkraine conflict. Strong regional operations in ADF countries merit our support. They will lay the foundations of social and economic resilience for decades to come.” The gap in regional infrastructure spanning African countries runs into billions of dollars. Financing the shortfalls is especially challenging for Africa’s low-income countries. Yet roads, transmission lines, financial
systems, and other infrastructure that crosses borders are essential for countries to trade, innovate, and prosper. “The resources required for Africa’s low-income countries to recover, rebuild, and integrate are staggering,” said Jean-Guy Afrika, acting director of the Bank’s Regional Integration Coordination Office. “This report shows how investing in regional operations generates social and economic benefits for millions of women, men, and young people, from small-scale traders, consumers, and households to investors, business teams, and entrepreneurs. We are particularly grateful for the generous support of ADF donors and hope that the evidence in this report will spur even more financing for Africa’s development.” The report underscores how regional roads, bridges, railways, ports, airports, border posts, power stations, and communication networks financed by the regional envelope, are connecting communities, and changing lives.
Ghana Gas receives ISO 45001:2018 certification The Ghana National Gas Company Limited, has been awarded with the IS0 45001:2018 Certification. This is the highest international accreditation for occupational health and safety management system. ISO 45001:2018 is an international standard for Occupational Health to Safety (OH&S) Management Systems published by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) in March 2018. The standard stipulates the framework and requirements for organizations seeking to benchmark their OH&S Management System to international Standards aimed at promoting a safe and healthy workplace. The certification which was awarded by DNV, a globally acclaimed independent expert in Assurance and Risk Management, is also intended to enable continual improvement of the Ghana Gas’ business operations and processes. Addressing the media during
an unveiling ceremony in Accra, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Gas, Dr. Ben Asante noted that the development and implementation of the company’s Occupational Health & Safety management system to meet international standards is one of the achievements of his outfit’s strategic direction. “The management of Ghana Gas sought to attain excellence in all areas of Ghana Gas management practices. The development and implementation of the company’s Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) management system to meet international standards is one of the achievements of this strategic direction. The ISO 45001 certification project is in demonstration of the strong leadership and commitment of the Board and Management with respect to the health and safety of employees and all stakeholders,” he said. He also noted that the main aim of the ISO 45001 certification is to enable management to implement and maintain an upto-date comprehensive health
and safety system which provides a framework for the prevention of work-related injury and ill health to workers, and to provide safe and healthy workplaces. Why the ISO 45001 project Ghana Gas is the nation’s premiere mid-stream gas business that owns and operates g infrastructure required for gathering, processing, transporting and marketing of natural gas resources in Ghana and internationally. Although Ghana Gas was incorporated in July 2011, it started commercial operations in March 2015. For over a decade, Ghana Gas continues to prospect and
produce lean gas, condensate, LPG and isopentane, thus, playing a key role in accelerating the nation’s industrial sector. Ghana Gas’ business model involves obtaining, revenue through the processing transportation and sale of natural gas liquids. Ghana Gas currently supplies gas for bot power generation and nonpower customers. By this health and safety management system certification, Ghana Gas has distinguished itself as the first wholly state-owned enterprise in the energy sector in Ghana to have attained this prestigious accreditation.
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New report highlights the leading role of cities in Africa’s regional economic integration A new report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) highlights the leading role of cities in unlocking economic gains made available through regional economic integration, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. Launched yesterday, the report is the first piece of comprehensive research to assess the linkages between Africa’s rapid urban transition and regional trade integration. It seeks to answer several critical questions, including how African cities can benefit from AfCFTA, what strategic investments are needed for cities to drive accelerated regional trade integration and how AfCFTA may transform cities and spatial development across the continent. In response to these questions, the report provides concrete steps for an increased policy focus on investment in Africa’s cities to realise the full economic potential from AfCFTA, thereby boosting economic growth, reducing poverty and fostering inclusion. Key findings According to the report, regional trade integration has the potential to raise living standards by connecting cities to new markets, thereby enhancing access to a wider and cheaper variety of goods and services. The spatial effects of regional trade
can transform Africa’s urban corridors, also contributing to the rise of small and intermediary cities and regional hubs, and better urban-rural connectivity. The report also reveals that urban consumption can transform Africa if the demand is met through intra-regional production and trade. It notes that cities need increased policy attention and investment to unlock their full potential hubs for regionally traded goods and services, whilst stressing that better connectivity among cities is necessary to develop regional value chains under AfCFTA. In her remarks at the launch event, which was attended by representatives from national and local governments, UN agencies, academic institutions, trade organizations, advocacy groups and intergovernmental bodies, Ms. Edlam Yemeru, acting Director of ECA’s Gender Poverty and Social Policy Division, said Africa’s regional trade integration is happening in a context of rapid urban transition. She added: “The way in which cities are planned and managed will impact regional trade integration. Similarly, regional trade integration will lead to the growth of existing and new cities, while impacting the well-being of urban dwellers. It is thus critical to integrate an urban lens into national and regional strategies
for AfCFTA to leverage emerging opportunities.” Opening the event, Ms. Mama Keita, Director of ECA’s Subregional Office for East Africa, stressed that urbanization and regional economic integration, are drivers of Africa’s economic growth and transformation on their own. However, combining them together in policies and investments, she added, can lead to a greater impact than the sum of the separate parts. In his opening remarks, Mr. Ishaku Maitumbi, Senior Technical Adviser at UN-Habitat, noted that the report makes a “vital contribution” to the important phenomenon of urbanization and regional trade integration in Africa. He said the report makes it evident that Africa’s economic transformation can be achieved when we focus on urban consumption, regional trade and spatial planning. Key recommendations To take full advantage of Africa’s rapid urban transition and regional economic integration, the report puts forward four key proposals that countries could adopt to unlock the untapped opportunities presented by AfCFTA. First, governments should implement trade policies with cities in mind, especially when designing and implementing
their national AfCFTA strategies. Second, investments should be made in cities according to their role in regional trade, making sure small, mid-sized and large cities reach their full economic potential. Third, the governments should ensure cities are prepared to take full advantage of emerging trade opportunities. Finally, the report urges solid decision-making on trade policy using spatially and gender-disaggregated data. The event also featured a panel discussion where Professor Ivan Turok (Research Fellow, Inclusive Economic Development Research Programme, Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa) posited that AfCFTA will likely create winners and losers, hence complementary investments will be needed in urban areas. In addition, Ms. Astrid Haas (Urban Economist) focused on the enormous financing gaps that exist, predominantly with regards to infrastructure in Africa’s secondary and intermediary cities that should be addressed for the benefits of enhanced trade to be realized. Contributing to the discussion, AfCFTA Secretariat’s Chief Technical Advisor, Mr. PrudenceSebahizi highlighted the economic power of cities, particularly in terms of their production and consumption capacity, as well as their investment and business opportunities. Along the same lines, from a member State’s perspective, Dr. Konyango Charles Otieno (National Director Urban Development, State Department for Housing and Urban Development, Kenya), emphasized the role of planning in anticipating increased levels of trade and stressed the need to “re-engineer” the African urban paradigm, moving away from cities that are dysfunctional and underinvested and towards cities that are better connected and better managed through strong institutions. Panellists further discussed a range of opportunities that could be tapped to support productive urbanization and inclusive regional trade integration in Africa, including ways to strengthen the productive capacities of urban areas, digital connectivity, financing readiness of cities, the role of remittance, cross-border payments and the evidence on the different impact trade will have on cities.
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| NEWS
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
Trust Hospital unveils 3-in-1 Premium Center to enhance healthcare delivery The Trust Hospital has unveiled its latest addition to the group, Trust Premium Centre, located at Ringway-Osu in Accra, which is a 3-in-1 healthcare centre that seeks to ease the burden on the three main hospitals in Osu and the other five in different parts of Accra. The Trust Hospital’s Premium Centre consist of the main hospital building, a 30-bed pediatric extension ward and a well-stocked boutique pharmacy aimed at providing quality health care services to clients and the general public. The hospital’s Premium Center will offer services including dialysis, chemotherapy, general practitioner and specialist consultations in oncology, nephrology and urology. The pediatric extension will run child health services including pediatric consultations, admissions and child welfare clinic. Rooms in the premium facility includes general wards, private rooms and semiprivate wards with two patients sharing a room. Speaking at the official launch –a well-attended event by policymakers, healthcare experts and other stakeholders– Chief Executive Officer for the Trust Hospital, Dr. Juliana Oye Ameh said the 30-bed pediatric extension wards facility is borne out of necessity to serve clients to the end of their care journey and
for quality after care. In narrating why she strongly believes that the new location is here to truly offer the best care, she told a story from a few weeks ago about an incident that almost led to a child being denied quality care due to the unavailability of a bed. “We received a call from our Sakumono clinic requesting to refer a critically ill child to our Mother and Child Hospital. Unfortunately, the wards were full. Were we going to send this child to another facility or keep her at our clinic with minimal access to all the essential help the child needed? Or just the throw our hands in the air in despair? NO. We had just finished the structural works in this facility, we quickly mobilized all resources and moved patient round in order to bring a cold case here when we have barely put pillows on the beds. This incident brought the awakening realization of what problem persisted in our hospital and largely Accra. This is the reason why we have this 30- bed pediatric extension wards today. It was borne out of necessity to serve our client to the end of their care journey and for quality after care,” she said. Quality cancer care She added that new premium facility falls in line with her mission to help improve the
lives of people living with cancer. “One of my goals as the CEO is to ensure that all our patients that are diagnosed at the pink October breast cancer awareness drive, have access to treatment. This goal of mine fueled my passion to delve into full-fledged oncology service. Cancer prevalence and mortality are increasing in Ghana and we must help every diagnosed case as early as we can,” she said. Prior to the establishment of the chemotherapy unit of the premium center, when patients were diagnosed with cancer, they were referred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and others. “Now the Trust Hospital, with the help of Roche, a Swiss multinational healthcare company, is going to provide patients diagnosed with cancer full treatment and not left to their fate at other facilities,” she noted. Commendations Deputy Minister for Health, Tina Mensah, in a speech read on her behalf, commended management of the hospital for complimenting government’s efforts to provide quality health care service to the Ghanian populace. “Since its establishment as a not-for-profit health facility to serve the healthcare needs of staff (and dependents) of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and to enhance their productivity at the workplace, through its transformation
into a fully-fledge hospital and opening its doors to the general public – the Trust Hospital has served as the gold-standard the provision of quality cost-effective care, guided by the core values of professionalism, respect, excellence, accountability and teamwork.” Director-General of SSNIT, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang commended management of the hospital for always executing professionalism and quality service delivery while urging the newly birthed facility to keep up with the good pace. “Let me emphasize that in this global competitive environment, you may have the best of human capital and equipment but what will distinguish you is excellent customer service. Trust Hospital has over the years carved a niche for itself in the area of quality services delivery and the Premium Centre must leverage this niche to attract the best professionals within the health industry to offer superior service to the public,” he said. “SSNIT, through its investment in the hospital, is helping to meet the health needs of workers and pensioners, create employment and generate the needed revenue to pay workers when they retire. We are optimistic that the facility will be maintained well to deliver superior service at all times.”
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THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022
THE FRANCE - GHANA ECONOMIC RELATIONS
French Ambassador to Ghana
H.E Ann Sophie AVÉ
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France in Ghana
“highlighting others, making oneself loved and inspiring” By Anne-Sophie Avé - French Ambassador to Ghana Without a common or painful past, Ghana and France have maintained diplomatic and cordial relations since the first days of Ghana’s independence, and Ghana benefits from the instruments of our cooperation with Africa to which it is entitled. But making France shine without any particular “comparative advantage”, in the midst of sixty other embassies, many of which deploy considerable resources here, was not easy. However, in 2022, France enjoys a positive, realistic and modern image in Ghana: laudatory articles, interviews every week, more than a hundred thousand “subscribers” to my social networks and “fan sites” of tens of thousands “followers”, the number of visa applications has exploded and the desire to learn French has never been stronger. How did we get there? A modest but effective “team France” in Ghana An AFD agency, 5 Alliances Françaises (Accra, Kumasi, Tema, Cape Coast, Takoradi), two IRD researchers at Noguchi, an excellent French high school (Lycée Français International d’Accra) and Embassy employees, expatriates or locally recruited, highly dedicated: such as the France network in Ghana, fully mobilized in “cooperate differently, forge lasting ties and be exemplary ”. The difficult period of the pandemic and the unfailing mobilization of these teams throughout the crisis, at the service of our nationals but also in support of our hosts, were a remarkable illustration of this commitment. Exemplary French companies and nationals France in Ghana is not just the embassy and the “network”. We have exemplary companies, gathered in the French Ghanaian Chamber of Commerce CCIFG, and nationals also invested in associations. Making each of us, whether an individual or a company, an ambassador of our country, carrying our values of respect, conviviality, responsibility and generosity contributes, on the ground, to this image of France. We say in marketing that one talks about a good experience to 7 people, but tells a bad one to 23. All the experiences of our Ghanaian hosts with our French nationals and our French companies must be a positive one, and considering the image of our country in Ghana, they are. A presidential will for a renewed partnership with Africa In 2017, the newly elected president, Emmanuel MACRON made the first visit of a French president to Ghana since 1957. In a pivotal speech in Ouagadougou, he laid the foundation for a new partnership with the African continent and asked to adapt our diplomacy. The key messages that I took away guided my action is Ghana: working on areas of common passion such as sport or culture, working with civil society, and addressing the public opinion. We had to invest in these areas: talk about France, tell about our support for associations, value our contribution to the teaching of French, present our cooperation in the fields of security and defense, promote our financial instruments for public and private companies. Each action taken isolated was modest, but put together, they made sense. Small means, big ideas Thus was born the idea of a television « Touch of France ». Thanks to our companies and their contributions, we were able to shoot a first
season from February to June 2020 (broadcasted from September 2020) then a second (shot in summer 2021 and aired from September 2021) : 26 episodes, 24 invited Ghanaian celebrities (including an animated film character), 26 themes covered, 2 national channels, unexpected audience figures, a special episode with President Nana Akufo-Addo aired on July 14, 2021 (France’s national Day) on 5 national channels and two awards for Best television show in 2021. France was beginning to win the hearts of Ghanaians. The limited duration of my mandate prevented me from producing a third season, which would have been aired after my departure. e had to find something else: he who slows down moves backwards. The credit gained through the show would not last. Luck presented itself in May 2021. French rapper Passi wanted to promote his new artist Orti, shoot the music videos of his songs in Ghana and meet Ghanaian artists to record duets. During the summer 2021, French and Ghanaian artists worked together, in the studio, in Paris and Accra. And the result was impressive. The idea came to present these exceptional duos on stage: these were the Paris In Accra concert, on November 25, 2021 at the Alliance Française; then Accra in Paris on April 23, 2022 at the Elysée Montmartre. Posted on the social networks of these artists, the news and footage of these France-Ghana musical collaborations touched the tens of millions of their fans and the extraordinary media coverage of these concerts have made the headlines in Ghana for many days. Use media wisely The success of the show made us understand that the entertainment vector had much more audience take into account and impact than that of more formal media. Indeed, beyond the formal content of the messages, it was necessary to the public opinion: the words and the arguments to which they may be sensitive. This observation is confirmed by my many attempts to warn visa applicants against “agents” who charge for intermediation services and provide often falsified supporting documents. A low blow for the embassy, which is criticized for the numerous visa refusals, but a message that did not get through, for they were not conveyed by the right media: the potential victims of these crooks do not read the diplomatic press. The opportunity arose to write and appear in an episode of a popular web series, “searching for a wife”. The scenario shows the hero victim of one of these agents. The impact was infinitely more effective than the dozens of formal interviews during which I had alerted (a sign of the episode’s large audience, my appearance in the series earned me a nomination for the Ghana Movie Awards) but constant reminders are still necessary. A short warning video was also broadcast during each episode of the second season of “Touch of France”, but the message must still and always be hammered out. Also echoing an episode of “TOF” on literature, I accepted a small supporting role in a Ghanaian film, “Fire and Ice”, where I played a French publisher passionate about Ghanaian literature. Anecdotally but funny, this small role also earned me a nomination for the Ghana Movie Awards. The secret of success: cooperate with Ghanaians None of this would have been possible without Bola Ray. This media mogul at the head of a large
media group is also a bold person who knows his audience and “what works”. Together, we designed the concept of the show: the rhythm, the tone, the guests, the sequences, in a word, the “media” ingredients of success. He is also the one who produced the concerts in Accra and Paris: founder of the Ghana meets Naija festival, former DJ and presenter of a many music programs, he knows the world of Entertainment better than anyone. We had the content, we knew the messages we wanted to share, he knew how to do it effectively, how to reach out to as many people as possible and how to touch the hearts of his compatriots. And I listened to him. These media successes increased our visibility and attracted the attention of bloggers with millions of subscribers, like Kobby Kyei, Zionfelix, Ameyaw Debrah or Kalyjay, who began to regularly relay the actions of the Embassy and offered me a massive platform. My Instagram account has grown in two years from zero to a close to a hundred thousand, with more than 65% of the audience in Ghana and a significant part of other origins actually coming from the diaspora in the United States, England and France. It was essential to avoid communication errors. Here again, a Ghanaian sensibility was essential. And a sensitivity of the generation of my audience (mostly aged 18 to 35)! I quite naturally turned towards a young Ghanaian, keen on social networks, who was already advising me here and there. I didn’t know there were more favourable days and times for “posting”, types of photo processing were to be preferred, a rhythm to follow in order not to “saturate” the information, tips for encouraging interactions, a “hierarchy” in the different modes of publications. And I listened to him. Finally, I worked with young photographers, the famous pan-African Twinsdntbeg, who were able to capture meaningful moments. Together, we filmed educational spots on our France network to give it visibility. Their photos and videos published on accounts with millions of subscribers have made our actions, our network and the missions of our embassy known. Impressed with the exceptional quality of their work, I hosted the largest artist exhibition ever in Ghana at the French residence, which was joined by the greatest musicians, actors and media in Ghana. Their talent admirably depicts the many facets of the continent, the eye of their camera knows how to seize the moment. They advised me so that the image speaks for itself. And I listened to them. Innovate, innovate Had there been a season 3 of “Touch of France”, it would have been different from the second which was already different from the first. If my mandate had allowed me to organize a second edition of Paris-Accra-Paris, it would have been different from the first. And if I had had the time to continue France’s rise in Ghana, I would have invented something else: a France Ghana football tournament, perhaps. What is certain is that one of the key factors to seduce was to innovate. And to innovate in what France knows how to do best – “highlighting others, making oneself loved and inspiring” – the possibilities are endless. This is called soft power diplomacy.
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Silver Star Auto team with the Financial Controller of TotalEnergies Ghana.
Mr. Asad Nazir (CEO, Silver Star Auto) & Mr. Yofi Grant (CEO, GIPC)
H.E. Anne Sophie Avé (French Ambassador) with Silver Star Auto team.
Hakim Ouzzani (MD, SG Bank) with Silver Star Auto Team
CCIFG Business Awards
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR (Locally-Assembled Peugeot 3008 SUV & Landtrek Pickup) Silver Star Auto is honoured to share this achievement with our cherished customers, staff and stakeholders. We dedicate this award to you all.
Thank You.
Silver Star Auto team with a client.
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A brief history of France
France is an independent nation in Western Europe and the center of a large overseas administration. It is the third-largest European nation (after Russia and Ukraine. In ancient times France was part of the Celtic territory known as Gaul or Gallia. Its present name is derived from the Latin Francia, meaning “country of the Franks,” a Germanic people who conquered the area during the 5th century, at the time of the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It became a separate country in the 9th century. Since the 17th century, France has played a major role in European and world events. In the 20th century, it has experienced numerous crises, including the devastation of two world wars, political and social upheavals, and the loss of a large empire in Indochina, Algeria, and West and Equatorial Africa. It has, however, survived and emerged from the ruins of World War II to become an important world supplier of agricultural and industrial products and a major partner in the EUROPEAN COMMUNITY EC, or Common Market. Today, the term metropolitan France refers
to the mainland departments and CORSICA, a large island located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy that has been a part of France since 1768. France has six overseas departments: FRENCH GUIANA in South America; GUADELOUPE and MARTINIQUE in the West Indies; MAYOTTE, an island formerly part of the Comoros, located in the Indian Ocean; REUNION, an island in the Indian Ocean; and SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON, islands off the east coast of Canada. In addition, France has numerous small possessions called overseas territories. These include a group of widely scattered islands in the South Pacific, which are administered from Tahiti and are known collectively as FRENCH POLYNESIA; FRENCH SOUTHERN AND ANTARCTIC TERRITORIES; NEW CALEDONIA and WALLIS AND FUTUNA ISLANDS; and many small islands in the southern oceans, including the Kerguelen and Crozet archipelagos and the islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam (Indian Ocean). The overseas departments and territories are represented in the French National Assembly.
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Interesting Facts about France France is the largest country in the EU and sometimes called the hexagon France is the largest country in the European Union, covering a total area of 551,695 square kilometers. However, it is only the third-largest country in Europe, behind Ukraine and the European portion of Russia. Around a third (31%) of France is forest and it is the fourth most forested country in the EU, after Sweden, Finland, and Spain. The country is also sometimes referred to as ‘l’hexagone’ due to its six-sided shape. France is the world’s most popular tourist destination It might be time to brush up on your French language skills, because France is the place to be, according to the latest tourism figures. A whopping 89.3 million people visited the country in 2018, making it the most visited destination in the world. The country’s capital, Paris, is also the third most visited city in the world, behind Bangkok and London. Time to get packing!
French was the official language of England for about 300 years It’s hard to imagine that French was the official language of England between 1066 and 1362. But after William the Conqueror led the Norman conquest and subsequent occupation of England in 1066, he introduced Anglo-Norman French to the nation. This was spoken by royalty, aristocrats, and high-powered officials, some of whom couldn’t speak any English! In 1362, however, parliament passed the Pleading in English Act, making English the official language of government. This was because Norman French was used for pleadings, but was largely unknown to the common people of England, who had no knowledge of what was being said in court. ‘Liberté, égalitié, fraternité‘ or ‘liberty, equality, fraternity’ is the national motto The famous motto first appeared around the time of the Revolution (1789–1799) and was written into the constitutions of 1946 and 1958. Nowadays, you’ll still see it on coins, postage stamps, and government logos; often alongside ‘Marianne’ who symbolizes the triumph of the Republic. The legal system in France is still largely based on the principles set down in Napoleon Bonaparte’s Code Civil after the revolution, in the 1800s. The French Army was the first to use camouflage in 1915 (World War I) Now here’s an interesting fact about France. The word ‘camouflage’ actually comes from the French verb meaning ‘to make up for the stage’. This is because the French Army was the first to create a dedicated camouflage unit in 1915. Guns and vehicles were painted by artists called camofleurs. The following year, the British Army followed suit and established its own camouflage section under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Wyatt. It was known as the Special Works Park RE (Royal Engineers).
The French invented tin cans, the hairdryer, and the hot air balloon It turns out we have the French to thank for many of the useful inventions we know and love today. For instance, French inventor Nicolas Appert came up with the idea to use sealed glass jars placed in boiling water to preserve food in 1809. Pierre Durand later invented the tin can. Braille was also developed by Louis Braille who was blinded as a child. Meanwhile, physician René Laennec invented the stethoscope at a hospital in Paris in 1816 and Alexandre-Ferdinand Godefroy patented the world’s first hair dryer in 1888. The majestical hot air balloon was also pioneered by the Montgolfier brothers Joseph and Etienne who unveiled the world’s first public display of an untethered balloon in 1783.
The first public screening of a movie was by the French Lumière in 1895 The Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean, were famous for their Cinématographe motion picture system and the short films they produced between 1895 and 1905. The famed duo held the world’s first pub¬lic movie screening on December 28, 1895, at the Grand Café in Paris. Their directorial debut was La sortie des ouvriers de l’usine Lumière (Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory). The five-second-long black-and-white film simply showed workers leaving the Lumière factory and left the audience completely flabbergasted. In 1895, Louis Lumière supposedly said that cinema is “an invention without a future.” Oh, how little did he know…
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France has more Nobel Prize winners in Literature than any other country With 15 French individuals winning the prestigious award since 1901, it’s fair to say that France has produced some of the world’s most influential writers and thinkers. French poet and essayist Sully Prudhomme became the first-ever winner of the award that year. Among France’s most celebrated poets, novelists, and writers are René Descartes, Voltaire, Charles Baudelaire, Blaise Pascal, Gustave Flaubert, and Victor Hugo.
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Paris Gare du Nord is Europe’s busiest railway station While on the subject of trains… Gare du Nord in Paris is the busiest railway station in Europe and in the world (outside of Japan). More than 214 million passengers pass through it each year. The original station was built in 1846 but became too small for operations and was therefore demolished and rebuilt in 1889. Further extensions were carried out between the 1930s and 1960s. The station is also due to undergo more expansion work in order to prepare for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. This is to increase its capacity for an additional 200,000 daily passengers. Better avoid rush hour!
Europe’s highest mountain is Mont Blanc in the French Alps Standing at a height of 4,807m, Mont Blanc is officially the secondhighest mountain in Europe. It takes an arduous 10 to 12 hours to climb to the summit. But if you’re not up for that, you can take a leisurely 20-minute trip up on Europe’s highest cable car on the nearby Aiguille du Midi to get a brilliant view from the top. Discover other amazing places to visit in France.
The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world With a whopping 9.6 million visitors in 2019, the famous Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. Located in the heart of Paris, the magnificent museum is home to around 38,000 works of art and artifacts dating back to prehistoric times. These include the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and IM Pei’s famous glass Louvre Pyramid which sits in the courtyard. Unsurprising, the Louvre is one of the busiest places to visit in Paris.
The world’s greatest cycle race, the Tour de France, is more than 100 years old On 1 July 1903, 60 cyclists embarked on the first-ever Tour de France from the Parisian suburb of Montgeron. More than 100 years later, the event has grown to become the world’s greatest cycle race, with around 198 cyclists racing some 3,200kms; primarily around France in a series of stages over 23 days. The 2013 Tour de France was the 100th edition of the Tour de France and around 15 million spectators lined up to watch the 21-stage course for the centennial celebration.
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Meridian Port Services Ltd institutes employee LEAN Training Program To further boost the capacity of employees and improve overall service performance, Meridian Port Services Ltd (MPS) has instituted a Lean Employee Training Program. To kickstart the training program, the Management Team of MPS was taken through a 2-day Lean leadership training. The Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mohamed Samara who opened the training program, underscored the need for individual and collective self-development for organisational performance.
TRAINING In the 2-day session, Management members went through the basics of Lean Management System, basics of Kaizen, leadership in performance management amongst other Lean related topics and activities. Over 500 employees of MPS are following up with their training to imbibe the Lean mindset allowing for quick thinking and better approach to problem solving together to eliminate waste, boost productivity and promote innovation.
MPS Management Team during the training
“To further strengthen the gains we have made through the years that have brought significant benefits to MPS and the entire port community, we decided to undertake this Lean training program. Primarily, this program will aim at transforming the way we think and our approach to work. At the end of this, each employee from the highest level of the hierarchy should be able to troubleshoot on their own when faced with problems in the course of their work to arrive at a workable solution” Again, change starts with leadership, we must recognise that that we exist to deliver top- level service to our customers so we must always seek to add value to our service for the benefit of the customer and ultimately to our advantage as individuals and an organisation. For us as a forward looking terminal, it will help us identify and reduce operational bottlenecks to have a free-flowing process. Mr. Samara added. Transformational changes of this magnitude are not new to MPS, since the start of operations, MPS has pioneered within the port community long-standing best practices and procedures, QHSSE standards as well as innovation in handling machinery, technology and operational processes that have given a global facelift to the Tema Port.
Some Management Team members and staff of MPS during brainstorming sessions
The training was conducted by APMT Lean Trainers Mr. Daniel Berry, Way of Working Regional Lead (AME/ASI Region) and Mr. Sami Palonen, Global Academy Lead.
The MPS Management Team at the completion of the 2-day training
ABOUT LEAN Founded in the 1950s, Lean thinking is a transformational framework that provides a new way to organising human activities to deliver more benefits to society and value to individuals while eliminating waste.
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Culture & Traditions of France Since the 17th century, France has been regarded as a “center of high culture.” As such, French culture has played a vital role in shaping world arts, cultures, and sciences. In particular, France is internationally recognized for its fashion, cuisine, art, and cinema. French culture was historically shaped by Celtic, Roman, and Germanic cultures. As these influences evolved, France became a patchwork of local communities and customs. What’s true for one community may not be true for another. Despite the growing global culture today, France has made an effort to preserve the cultures of its smaller communities. Language As the official language of France, French is the first language of 88% of the population. Even then, most others speak French as a second language. However, minority languages flourish in specific regions. For example, eastern provinces speak German while Flemish is spoken in the northeast and Italian is spoken in the southeast. Other communities within France speak several other languages. Family The family has served as the founding unit of French society for generations. Traditionally, the family structure could include either extended families or nuclear families. In recent years, that structure has shifted to primarily reflect nuclear families as well as variations such as single-parent households or civil unions known as PACS.
cooking is recognized around the world, there are many varieties in cooking styles, ingredients, and dishes from region to region. For example, Normandy cuisine is known for seafood and cheeses while Burgundy is known for beef. That being said, traditional French cuisine is characterized by its cheeses, wines, breads, and sauces. Recently, French cuisine has shifted to reflect lighter fare rather than the more traditional heavy sauces and complicated preparations. Breakfast in French culture is typically light: a French pastry or bread served with a hot beverage. Lunch and dinner, on the other hand, are considered to be the main meals of the day. Formal meals will have four courses: a starter, a salad, a main course, and a cheese or dessert course.
French Fashion Paris is often regarded as the fashion capital of the world. It is home to several worldwide brands such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel. France became a major influencer in fashion beginning with the reign of Louis XIV in the 1600s. During that time, France became known for its luxury goods throughout Europe. Today, French style can be described as sophisticated and fashionable. A typical outfit may include dresses or suits with long coats and scarves.
Religion in France Most French citizens consider themselves to be Christian (primarily Catholic). Historically, Catholicism played a significant role in shaping French culture and was the state religion until 1789. In French tradition, kings were even crowned within the Notre-Dame de Reims cathedral until 1825. Most of the remaining population today identifies as agnostic or atheist. However, there are also significant groups of Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist residents in modern France.
French Art and Media The arts are deeply appreciated in French traditions. Hobbies and professions are historically shown deep respect for the craftsmanship that goes into them. French literature, painting, and cinema are all historically significant around the world. Works such as Les Misérables or artists such as Monet are some of the most recognizable in the world. Today, art is still highly regarded in France. The Louvre, housed in Paris, is the largest art museum in the world. If you visit France, you’ll also likely see artists in the streets painting. French Values The French motto “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity” reflects the values of French society. Equality and unity are important to the French. The French also value style and sophistication, and they take pride in the beauty and artistry of their country. Family is also highly valued in French culture. Mealtimes are often shared with family, and extended-family gatherings and meals are common over the weekend. French Cuisine Meals in France are meant to be enjoyed. Food is made with great care, and mealtimes are a prime time for socializing. While French
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Public-Private Partnership to Develop Flood Insurance and Build Financial Resilience in Ghana Accra, Ghana/ London, UK, 13 June 2022: The Ghana Ministry of Finance, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the German Government, and the Insurance Development Forum (IDF), announced today the launch of a Tripartite project to develop a sovereign risk transfer scheme for urban floods in Ghana, alongside longterm investments in the country’s capacity to leverage and integrate insurance and risk financing into their development strategies. The announcement was made during the IDF Summit in Zurich, Switzerland. The risk transfer project is led by IDF members Allianz and Swiss Re, and closely supported by UNDP. Further partners in the project are flood risk consultants HKV, microsatellite operator ICEYE, and media monitor Flood Tags. It aims to enhance the response of the Ghanaian National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and local authorities after severe flooding, especially for poor and vulnerable people. Alhassan Iddrisu, Director, Economic Strategy and Research Division at Ghana’s Ministry of Finance, noted: “We welcome the cross-sector collaboration in the Tripartite Insurance Programme as one of the financing mechanisms for climate adaptation. Through the industry-led insurance project to develop an innovative risk transfer scheme for urban floods, with its knowledge-sharing element, we aim to improve and develop greater local ownership of risk analysis and provide a faster response and recovery, especially to our most vulnerable citizens. The work with UNDP will contribute to mainstreaming climate and disaster risk finance into our Ministry’s work, and together, these efforts will help to strengthen our country’s macroeconomic stability and sustainable development agenda.” By carefully selecting a pre-defined trigger for pay-out as opposed to assessing actual losses, the parametric insurance solution will enable quick pay-outs in case of a flood. This will improve resilience and support the
rapid re-establishment of economic activity of low-income communities in urban areas, starting with the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA). While developing an insurance scheme for major floods, the project also aims to enhance the disaster response capacity of Ghanaian institutions through increased access to data, detailed risk insights, and activation of contingency protocols. Ababacar Diaw, Acting CEO, Allianz Ghana, said: “The collaborative development of this parametric insurance solution through a public-private partnership plays into the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is an important contribution to increasing the climate resilience of urban poor and vulnerable people in Accra. Parametric insurance solutions are especially useful in regions where insurance infrastructure, such as good data, is less available.” The UNDP-led work with the Government of Ghana aims to enhance the country’s long-term financial resilience, through strengthening capacity to financially manage risk, the integration of insurance and risk financing into national development strategy and delivery, and the development of insurance markets and inclusive insurance solutions for at-risk populations. UNDP Country Representative Angela Lusigi pointed out, “At UNDP Ghana, we are committed to supporting integrated development solutions that build resilience across society to protect Ghana’s development progress. This project to develop an innovative insurance solution for managing flood risks and to provide rapid pay-outs as a safety net for poor and vulnerable urban communities is welcome. It will serve as a boost to government and private sector efforts to provide wider access to insurance and risk finance. By blending the financial-solution expertise developed by the government, with the long-term development and governance support offered by UNDP in partnership with the private sector, we will be able to advance
Ghana’s ambitious development agenda.” Ghana is one of the countries most prone to floods in West Africa, and the impact of climate change is exacerbating the risk of flooding in urban areas. While the entire population of Greater Accra may indirectly benefit from the risk transfer product, the core beneficiaries are the poor and vulnerable residents in the GAMA region. The InsuResilience Solutions Fund (ISF), funded by the KfW Development Bank on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and managed by Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, will co-fund the risk transfer project alongside the IDF insurance industry members. Claudia Thyme, Industry Deputy Chair, IDF Sovereign and Humanitarian Solutions Working Group, said, “One reason why the protection gap persists is that it is often costly to design insurance solutions tailored to the specific needs and requirements of developing countries. Co-funding from the German Government enables the IDF to uniquely address this problem by working on the product development stage in crosscompany teams, as an industry. Once a programme has been designed, it is easier for governments to find insurance companies to insure the risk.” This risk transfer project launch follows projects launched in 2020, 2021 and 2022 with Peru; Medellín, Colombia and Mexico, respectively, but is the first launched in Africa under the Tripartite Agreement announced in 2019 between the UNDP, the German Government, and the IDF. The Tripartite Programme aims to provide technical assistance and sovereign and sub-sovereign risk financing solutions to countries vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, for their public assets, as well as for sectors, such as agriculture, education, health and transport, among others, to protect their most vulnerable populations. - ENDS -
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4th Annual CCIFG Gala & Awards Night at a glance
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CFAO Ghana Ltd The GROUP: Established in 36 African countries, and 7 French Overseas Territories, CFAO is the trusted partner of world-renowned brands and a leading player in four major business sectors: automotive imports and distribution, pharmaceutical imports and distribution and associated logistics services, production and distribution of consumer goods, and the integration of IT and telecommunications solutions. The Group has used its in-depth knowledge of local markets to achieve rigorous business expansion for more than 100 years, guided by a pioneering, entrepreneurial and multi-cultural spirit. With a strongly diversified business portfolio and strategic footholds in highgrowth markets like Africa, the French overseas territories, Mauritius and Vietnam, CFAO is extremely well placed to consolidate its leadership and seize new growth opportunities. The Group’s efficient supply chain, combined with a high-quality offering compatible with the highest international standards and a proven commitment to continuous improvement, provide a solid foundation for robust performance and profitability.
The Company: CFAO Ghana PLC was founded in 1909. It was converted into a public company by a special resolution on 6th January 1975. The company presently has branches in Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi with its Head Office at the Airport City area. CFAO GHANA PLC comprises of two business entities including: The MOTORS DIVISION, responsible for the sales and service of MERCEDES BENZ vehicles, MITSUBISHI vehicles, SUZUKI vehicles and SUZUKI OUTBOARD ENGINES. Another business arm for the motors division is CFAO PRE-OWNED CARS which caters to the used car market by offering a vehicle trade in service which allows customers to trade in their used vehicles and purchase brand new vehicles from CFAO with a top up. Also they can purchase other used vehicles under this service. The EQUIPMENT DIVISION, for the sales and service of MERCEDES BENZ TRUCKS, FUSO TRUCKS, JCB MACHINES, TOYOTA FORKLIFTS and a TYRES business which distributes famous tyre brands like BRIDGESTONE, PIRELLI, RIKEN, TECHKING and CAMSO.
A range of innovative customer centered offerings including the CFAO CARE policy which has 5 KEY COMMITMENTS, AUTOFINANCE which provides financing for would-be car owners and AYEKOO – a maintenance package aimed at making the vehicle aftersales experience convenient. CFAO Ghana PLC has workshops within the southern and middle sectors of Ghana specifically in ACCRA, TEMA, TAKORADI, KUMASI and also Certified Workshops in northern sectors of Ghana in partnership with TotalEnergies Ghana which have world-class professionals trained as per manufacturers standards. Over the years, CFAO Ghana Ltd has successfully done and is still doing businesses with many Ghanaian and International companies such as GOIL, Total, MTN, Go-Energy, Queiroz Galvao, Puma Energy, Eaton towers, Cargill Cocoa, Church of Latter Day Saints and SSNIT. CFAO’s strategy is to capitalise on its unrivalled experience in managing the markets to meet customers’ needs, demands and expectation whilst providing excellent customer service.
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110 years and more, delivering quality world-class car brands in Ghana. With presence in 36 African countries and beyond, we boast of unparralleled expertise in the delivery of various vehicle brands. Our excellent aftersales service is aimed at keeping your business thriving and our customers happy. We look forward to doing business with you.
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TOP TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN FRANCE From the boulevards of Paris to the fashionable seaside resorts of the Côte d’Azur, France offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Fairy-tale castles, glorious cathedrals, and pictureperfect villages delight romantics. At the same time, the country’s contemporary monuments and rapid train transit jolt visitors from the storybook surroundings into the ambience of the 21st century.
Château de Versailles
Eiffel Tower
The symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower is a feat of ingenuity as much as it is a famous landmark. This structure of 8,000 metallic parts was designed by Gustave Eiffel as a temporary exhibit for the World Fair of 1889. Originally loathed by critics, the 320-meter-high tower is now a beloved and irreplaceable fixture of the Paris skyline. The Eiffel Tower’s gracefulness has earned it the nickname of “Iron Lady.” Visitors are impressed by the tower’s delicate airiness despite its monumental size and the breathtaking panoramas at each of the three levels. Tourists can dine with a view at the first level or indulge at the Michelin-starred Le Jules Verne restaurant on the second level. At the exhilarating height of 276 meters, the top level offers a sweeping outlook over the city of Paris and beyond. Vistas extend as far as 70 kilometers on a clear day.
The Château de Versailles emblematizes the grandeur of the French monarchy prior to the fall of the Ancien Régime. This UNESCO-listed monument represents a glorious moment of France’s history, under the reign of Louis XIV (known as the “Sun King”), when the palace set the standard for princely courts in Europe. Beginning in 1661, Louis XIV transformed his father’s hunting lodge (a small château) into an opulent royal palace. To realize the vision of Louis XIV, esteemed architect Louis Le Vau renovated the château of Louis XIII in an elegant neoclassical manner. Later in the 17th century, Jules Hardouin-Mansart created the lavish Baroque interiors, including the Hall of Mirrors. The most spectacular space in the palace is the Hall of Mirrors, where courtiers waited for an audience with His Majesty. This dazzling gallery sparkles with sunlight that enters through the windows and is reflected off hundreds of ornamental mirrors, while dozens of glittering chandeliers and gilded details make the overall impression even more marvelous.
Musée du Louvre
Gardens at the Palace of Versailles
In a stately palace that was once a royal residence, the Louvre Museum ranks among the top European collections of fine arts. Many of Western Civilization’s most famous works are found here, including the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, the Wedding Feast at Cana by Veronese, and the 1st-century-BC Venus de Milo sculpture. The collection owes its wealth to the contributions of various kings who lived in the Louvre. Other pieces were added as a result of France’s treaties with the Vatican and the Republic of Venice, and from the spoils of Napoléon I. The Louvre displays around 35,000 artworks, including countless masterpieces. It’s impossible to see it all in a day or even in a week.
Versailles is equally renowned for Les Jardins, formal French gardens featuring decorative pools, perfectly trimmed shrubbery, numerous statues, and magnificent fountains. The gardens were created in the 17th century by renowned landscape designer André Le Nôtre and are surrounded by 800 hectares of lush parkland. Beyond the formal gardens is the Domaine de Trianon, which includes Le Grand Trianon palace; Le Petit Trianon château; and Le Hameau de la Reine (The Queen’s Hamlet), Marie-Antoinette’s fabricated pastoral village featuring quaint cottages set around a lake. Inspired by rural architecture, the buildings have a weathered finish that was intentionally rendered to lend a rustic look (although the interiors were exquisitely furnished). Marie-Antoinette’s hamlet originally had a working dairy and farm, which served educational purposes for her children. This idyllic spot was designed as a place for Marie-Antoinette to escape from the formality of court life, to take walks and visit with friends. The hamlet provides a rare glimpse of Marie-Antoinette’s private world.
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painted facade. This free public event begins at dusk (around 9pm) and concludes at 1am every evening during the festival. Alsace Villages
The most fashionable stretch of coastline in France, the Côte d’Azur extends from Saint-Tropez to Menton near the border with Italy. Côte d’Azur translates to “Coast of Blue,” a fitting name to describe the Mediterranean’s mesmerizing cerulean waters. To English speakers, this glamorous seaside destination is known as the French Riviera, words that have a ring of sun-drenched decadence. During summer, the seaside resorts are packed with beach lovers and sun-worshippers. The rich and famous are also found here in their lavish villas and luxury yachts. The town of Nice has panoramic sea views and stellar art museums. Cannes is famous for its celebrity film festival and legendary hotels. The best sandy beaches are found in Antibes, which also has an atmospheric Old Town and superb museums. Saint-Tropez offers fabulous public and private beaches along with the charm of a Provençal fishing village, while Monaco seduces with its exclusive ambience and stunning scenery. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres
Some of the prettiest villages in France are tucked away in the green, rolling hills of Alsace, where the Vosges Mountains border the Rhine River of Germany. These picturesque Alsatian villages feature pastel-painted, half-timbered houses clustered around small parish churches. Cheerful flowering balconies and pedestrian cobblestone streets add to the appeal. Many of the villages have won France’s “Villages Fleuris” award for their lovely floral decorations, such as Obernai, with its characteristic burghers’ houses; the charming little village of Ribeauvillé, where many homes are adorned with potted flowers; the “town of art and history” Guebwiller; and the captivating medieval village of Bergheim. Some of the flower-bedecked Alsatian villages are so pretty that they have been designated as both “Villages Fleuris” and “Plus Beaux Villages de France” (Most Beautiful Villages of France), including the storybook hamlet of Riquewihr and the enchanting village of Eguisheim, nestled in a valley. Another “Most Beautiful Village” is Mittelbergheim, known for its gastronomy and gorgeous pastoral landscape, at the foot of the verdant Mont Saint-Odile. Rocamadour
For more than eight centuries, the magnificence of Chartres Cathedral has inspired the faithful, and some say this sublime sanctuary has restored belief in the doubtful. The UNESCO-listed cathedral exemplifies the glory of medieval Gothic architecture. The Chartres Cathedral is renowned for its marvelous stainedglass windows, most dating to the 12th and 13th centuries. Covering 2,500 square meters, the brilliant stained-glass windows allow colorful light to filter into the vast nave, creating an ethereal effect. The intricately detailed windows reveal the incredible craftsmanship in depicting biblical stories. The rose windows are especially noteworthy for their incredible size and details. Other highlights are the Passion window, one of the most original in its style and expression, and the Blue Virgin window that dates from the 12th century. Every evening from April through December, the city of Chartres presents Chartres en Lumières, light shows that illuminate the cathedral and over 20 other monuments in the city. Creative presentations include Art Nouveau-inspired light shows and illuminations replicating the cathedral’s colorful medieval-era
Suspended between heaven and earth on a sheer limestone cliff, Rocamadour is an unforgettable sacred site. In the 11th century, this pilgrimage destination was the third most important in Christendom after Jerusalem and Rome. Rocamadour was also a stop on the medieval Way of Saint James pilgrimage trail to Santiago de la Compostela in Spain. The village has seven ancient sanctuaries, but pilgrims flock to the Chapelle Notre-Dame (Chapelle Miraculeuse), which possesses the venerated Black Virgin (Notre-Dame de Rocamadour). This precious Virgin Mary figure was carved from walnut wood that naturally darkened over the centuries and is associated with miracles. Another must-see sight is the UNESCO-listed Basilique SaintSauveur, the largest church of Rocamadour built in Romanesque and Gothic style between the 11th and 13th centuries. For a challenging spiritual experience, pilgrims can ascend the steep flight of steps, with 12 Stations of the Cross, leading up to the château at the highest point in the village. About 145 kilometers from Limoges in the Limousin, Rocamadour is surrounded by the Parc Naturel Régional des Causses du Quercy, a natural park of the Dordogne region.
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5 TRADITIONAL FRENCH DISHES WORTH TRYING While French dishes have traveled to many countries across the world, these authentic French foods are without a doubt the best way to experience this unique cuisine in its simplest and most sumptuous form. Wonderful food can be found throughout France, and many of the country’s regions have become synonymous with the classic dishes that were first made there. For the purists, our list not only looks at some of the country’s most beloved foods but also where best to try them. Tapenade (Provençal Olive Spread) Tapenade is a traditional recipe from Provence, created in 1880 in the city of Marseilles. Its name comes from tapenas, the Provençal word for ‘capers’. Tapenade is a scrumptious spread made from black (or green) olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. The solid ingredients are crushed using a mortar and pestle, then extra virgin oil is added gradually until a paste-like texture is obtained. Tapenade is a summer classic in Provence-Côte d’Azur. Enjoy this dish while having a French aperitif in our beautiful Provence, spread on a slice of fresh bread, or as a dip with raw vegetable sticks such as celery, carrot, or cucumber, while listening to the lovely song of cicadas!
Ratatouille (Provençal Vegetable Stew) You have probably heard of ratatouille in the famous Pixar animated movie of the same name, but don’t be mistaken: the dish portrayed in the cartoon is in fact tian, not ratatouille! Ratatouille is packed with healthy fresh produce, including tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, courgettes, eggplants, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme, all cooked together on the stove. After several hours of gentle simmering, the roasted vegetables melt into each other, creating a dish that looks beautiful and tastes divine. You can pair ratatouille with flank steak, pork chops, lamb, chicken, and even eggs. Rice and ratatouille are also perfect together. Personally, I like ratatouille with a slice of good sourdough bread, freshly toasted. Whichever way you will have your ratatouille, this tasty summer recipe from Provence will add a splash of sunshine to your plate.
Quiche Lorraine (Savory Tart Named after the Lorraine Region) An emblematic specialty of Lorraine adopted by the whole of France, quiche lorraine is a savory tart, golden on the surface, consisting of a shortcrust pastry stuffed with a lardon-studded creamy filling. The shortcrust pastry used for quiche Lorraine is usually the delicate and deliciously buttery pâte brisée, made of wheat flour, butter, water, and salt. Puff pastry (pâte feuilletée) can also be used and, with its flaky texture, is a perfect fit too. With its filling of eggs, lardons, nutmeg, milk, and/or cream, quiche lorraine can be served as a starter or main course, and it can be eaten
hot or cold, best with a mixed green salad.
Bouillabaisse (Fish Stew) Originally, bouillabaisse was a stew prepared by Marseilles fishermen with the bony rockfish, as the fish was so undesirable it was practically unsellable. Nowadays, however, it is the signature dish of the port city of Marseilles. Bouillabaisse is traditionally prepared with at least three types of local rockfish, typically red rascasse, sea robin, and European conger. After marinating for several hours in white wine, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and a mixture of spices, the fish are filleted and thrown into a simmering broth made using tiny rockfish, tomatoes, fennel, a mix of spices, olive oil, and water. As a starter, the broth is served with slices of crisply toasted baguette, raw garlic cloves, and a typical mayonnaise called rouille, made of olive oil, garlic, saffron, and cayenne pepper. Once that has been devoured, you can enjoy the second course: a simple dish of cooked fish fillets with plenty of delicious broth ladled over the top. If you are a seafood lover and lucky enough to visit the oldest city in France, you simply have to try bouillabaisse. This is a traditional French dish rich in both flavor, and heritage.
Gâteau des Rois (Provençal King Cake) If you visit Provence in January, you will probably be invited to share a king cake. In Provence, to celebrate the visit of the Three Kings to the newborn Jesus (Epiphany), gâteau des rois is eaten annually on January 6th, or the first Sunday of January if the 6th is a weekday. The French love to get together with family, friends, or coworkers throughout the month of January to share this traditional cake. Gâteau des rois traditionally is a ring-shaped brioche, flavored with orange blossom water, and covered with sugar. It is beautifully decorated with colorful candied fruits representing the gems offered by the Three Kings. According to tradition, a dried broad bean is hidden in the brioche. The lucky one who finds it becomes the King gets to wear the crown and buys the next gâteau des rois!
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| EDUCATION
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
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Giving children feedback By Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe Children thrive on feedback to learn. It is a powerful way to teach children. Giving children accurate and specific feedback helps them to learn new things. They need to know if what they have done was what was expected or not. In terms of speech and language and communication, they need to know if they have said a word correctly or not or followed the instruction accurately. What kind of feedback are you giving children? Is the feedback being given helpful for them to learn and for you to teach them something new? Is the feedback accurate and specific? Do you honestly mean what you say or are you just finding something to say? In what tone are you giving the feedback – yelling or saying it in a calm way? Remember that your voice does the talking too so the tone you use in giving the feedback is equally important as children are able to read your emotions from your voice to tell whether you are furious, angry, disappointed etc. with their response. Unhelpful feedback • No • Stop • Wrong • You need to back up • Shut up
• I’ll beat you • I’ll slap you • ‘Tiwii’, ‘Osha’ ‘Wa bon’ (Idiot) Helpful feedback • You did it! You spelt ‘elephant’ correctly • That was a good jump! • Well done! You chose the right colour! • Nearly done! One more to go! • Good try! Now, remember to add the remaining number! • Good attempt! Shall we try it again but this time remember the ‘d’ sound at the end. • That was a tricky one! • Good talking, sitting! • Beautiful writing! • That word was very clear! As adults, you need to control your emotions as well as manage your expectations when it comes to children. Children learn everyday therefore what opportunities are you giving them to learn: When a child is unable to do a certain task given to them, how can you help them get it done without yelling or without just saying ‘no’? You do so by giving them clues to help them do it! You do not want to leave them sad thinking they are incapable of doing it but rather help them to get it done. So, rather than telling them the answer right away, give them
clues to help them get the answer. For example, when teaching your child colours and you have just asked them to choose ‘white’, you can give them clues such as “white like your school socks”, “white like baby’s cot”, “white like starch” etc. to help them find the ‘white ball’ if they are initially having difficulties to find the right colour. So instead of yelling and saying ‘no’ because you think you have taught them the colour white severally and don’t understand why they are not getting it, using clues such as these may help them learn the colour better by associating the colour with an item they already know. It is also helpful if our feedback is related to what the child is doing or their behaviour at that moment (specific feedback) rather than it being personal such as “Good girl” or “Good boy”. Doing so can imply that they are ‘bad’ if they get it wrong. Most of us are guilty of this but making a conscious effort to make our feedback quite specific and related to what they are doing and not the child themselves
from today will be helpful to the child. In our bid to give feedback to children, you need to be careful not to be seen as correcting them all the time as that can be a bit intimidating and may affect their confidence. So perhaps, you need to time when you give feedback to your child such as during homework, play time etc. Feedback is quite a helpful way to learn and a good opportunity to teach children. The writer is a Speech & Language Therapist/Clinical Tutor, University of Ghana. E-mail: jobamp@hotmail.com
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| NEWS
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
Afri-Plastics Challenge awards £750,000 to innovations tackling behaviour change to plastic usage • Fifteen (15) finalists of the third Afri-Plastic Challenge strand – ‘Promoting Change’ – have been named. • Finalists were drawn from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda. • Three winning projects will be awarded £250 000 each in March 2023. • Gamification, storytelling, and incentives-based solutions are among the key innovations. 0900, 14 July 2022 ( Johannesburg, South Africa) – Fifteen (15) teams of innovators from across Sub-Saharan Africa have been named finalists in the Afri-Plastics Challenge with solutions that will change both the behaviour of individuals and communities around plastic waste in Sub-Saharan Africa. Finalists from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda will receive a £50,000 grant towards their solutions. Projects that made it to the finals include “Change at the till”, a solution developed by Botswana’s Meeticks Africa. “Change at the Till” runs a 30-day challenge that aims to get users to gain knowledge on how their use of single-use plastics, especially when shopping, negatively affects the environment and contributes heavily to marine plastic waste, and to practice what they learn. The solution is a multi-day gamified experience conducted over an intelligent WhatsApp chatbot and backend app. Another project is a TrainingEmpowerment-Promotion (TEP) model developed by Catharina Natang, a Cameroonian organisation. The TEP model aims to provide training on sustainable fashion and resource mobilisation to fashion designers and equip local designers to understand the subtle but massive presence of plastic-based fabrics in the fashion industry, and how this contributes to the global plastic waste problem. Students will learn about innovative non-plastic alternatives that are in existence and how to access them, and also how to recycle, properly dispose of and select non-plastic alternatives. The project will also organise annual sustainable
fashion events to widen public awareness on sustainable fashion to reduce plastic wastes that end up in oceans. Also in the running is Kenya’s Homeless of Kisumu’s M-taka solution which aims to train and empower women economically to become recycling agents who build communities of recyclers by leveraging technology and inducing behavioural change through social connections and incentives. Through an app, the masses will be targeted to increase recycling culture and link them with agents in their areas to collect the plastic and transport it to recyclers. Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of International Development, Government of Canada said: “Plastic pollution is threatening our ecosystems and food systems. I strongly believe that we must empower communities across the world to make sustainable choices. Choices that result in a better, more environmentally friendly future for all. I look forward to seeing the hard work and innovation of these amazing finalists, and can’t wait to contribute our expertise and efforts in supporting Africa in becoming a plastic waste-free continent.” Tackling plastic pollution through three prize strands, the finalists in the third strand – Promoting Change – announced today are being supported to develop innovative engagement strategies such as gamification, incentives and storytelling to promote behaviour change and educate communities, as well as provide insights into the roles that women and girls play across the value chain. The marine plastic pollution issue is growing and we need to ensure that awareness translates into action and longterm behaviour change, at both individual and collective levels. To help the finalists achieve this, they will be further supported through a capacity-building portfolio of subject matter experts over the next several months to further develop their solution. Constance Agyeman, Director of International Development, Challenge Works said: “The issue of marine plastic pollution has grown rapidly in recent years. It is crucial that awareness translates into action and long-term behaviour change, at individual
and collective levels alike. The 15 finalists will be supported over the course of the next seven months to develop their communications campaigns and projects. The £50,000 grants will support teams to generate evidence of change around reducing littering, segregation of plastic waste, choosing reusable options, or refusing single-use plastic all together.” Having made their way through the semi-final round, each finalist has already received grants of £5 000 to develop their ideas. Three winning projects will be awarded £250 000 each in March 2023. While women and low-income populations are more likely to be negatively affected by plastic pollution, they are also a driving force of positive change, leadership and innovation in their communities. The AfriPlastics Challenge aims to support innovative efforts to reduce plastic pollution in a way that empowers all, by promoting greater gender inclusiveness and social justice in national policies on plastic waste. To find out more about the Afri-Plastics Challenge and the 15 finalists in the Promoting Change strand, please visit afri-plastics. challenges.org -ENDSFor media enquiries please contact Brian Leputu, Africa Communications Group on brian@ africacommunicationsgroup. com, +2772 525 3472 About the Afri-Plastics Challenge The Afri-Plastics Challenge, run by London-based innovation experts Challenge Works, is tackling the scourge of plastic pollution in Sub-Saharan Africa thanks to funding from the Government of Canada. The challenge comprises three strands to take on the problem on multiple fronts. • Strand 1 – Accelerating Growth – finalists announced in February 2022 – is rewarding innovative solutions to managing plastic waste after it has been used and discarded (i.e. downstream solutions) – £1m first prize • Strand 2 – Creating Solutions – finalists announced today – is rewarding innovative solutions to reducing the volume of plastic in packaging and other products before it is
used (i.e. upstream solutions) – first prize £750 000 • Strand 3 – Promoting Change – finalists to be announced next month – is seeking creative campaigns and projects to influence behaviour change among individuals and communities to promote sustainable consumption around plastic – three prizes of £250 000 The 15 finalists in the AfriPlastics Challenge - Promoting Change Strand • Meeticks Africa, Bostwana Change at the Till runs a 30day challenge that aims to get users to gain knowledge on how their use of singleuse plastics, especially when shopping, negatively affects the environment and contributes heavily to marineplastic waste, and to practice what they learn. The solution is a multi-day gamified experience conducted over an intelligent WhatsApp chatbot and backend app. • Ensemble artistique et culturel WAKAT, Burkina Faso The aim of the Environmental Ambassadors is to train 20 women, traders, waste sorters, civil society leaders and politicians on the harmful effects of plastic waste. These women will be trained through workshops in communication, awareness raising and advocacy methods, based on drama and storytelling to ensure behavioural change and finally trained in marketing alternatives to plastic bags. • Catharina Natang, Cameroon Catharina Natang’s TEP model aims to provide training to fashion designers on sustainable fashion and resource mobilisation and equip local designers to understand the subtle but massive presence of plasticbased fabrics in the fashion industry, and how this contributes to the global plastic waste problem. Students will learn about innovative non-plastic alternatives that are in existence and how to access them , and also how to recycle, properly dispose and select
| NEWS
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
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non-plastic alternatives. The project will also organise annual sustainable fashion events to widen public awareness on sustainable fashion to reduce plastic wastes that end up in oceans. Lem Ketema, Ethiopia The Ye Zembil Melse campaign uses creative storytelling, digital campaigning with Ethiopian artists and public figures, and public engagements, and are developing a plasticfree guide to Addis Abeba, to communicate the detrimental impact of plastic waste in Ethiopia, revive traditional alternatives to plastic, and advocate for policy to ban single-use plastic bags. Let’s Do It Ghana, Ghana The Community for Plastic Reduction and Recycling Project is a two-part project comprising community awareness through the use of activity-based education and recycling of plastic wastes. It is designed to spur community actions that bring changes in individual attitudes and purchasing habits leading to an increased awareness of plastic waste. Baus Taka Enterprise, Kenya The #StopPlasticPollution Campaign leverages a mobile App to promote segregation of plastic waste from source while raising awareness of responsible waste management practices. Competitions on plastic segregation with cash incentives and points that can be redeemed for medical services in partnership health clinics will be hosted on the app. Homeless of Kisumu, Kenya M-taka aims to train and empower women economically to become recycling agents who build communities of recyclers by leveraging technology and inducing behavioural change through social connections and incentives. Through an app, the masses will be targeted, to increase recycling culture and link them with agents in their areas to collect
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the plastic and transport it to recyclers. Ukwenza VR, Kenya Ukwenza VR uses a VR storytelling format to showcase the journey a piece of plastic takes after disposal. Through this, Ukwenza VR hopes that by showing the different ways plastic waste can end up damaging the environment, they encourage people to take better care when disposing of plastic waste. Recycle Port Harcourt Limited, Nigeria The Let’s recycle! campaign will feature both online and offline awareness through creative skits, challenges, clean games events, tree planting activities, etc. in a bid to educate the people about the dangers of plastic pollution while encouraging them to stop littering and start properly sorting/segregating their plastic waste. U-recycle Initiative Africa, Nigeria The PLASTIC WIZE Campaign by U-recycle Initiative Africa plans to coach 50 women across 10 universities in Nigeria to implement creative strategies to influence behaviour change towards reducing plastic waste on their campuses. Association TERANGAGÉE, Senegal SOLUTIONS ECOLOCULTUR’ELLES has created a programme that starts with sensitisation and environmental education of children and inhabitants of a village through the involvement of local stakeholders (mainly women, “tatas” and young peer educators including girls). They use innovative, cultural tools such as educational song, choreography, short stories in animated videos, games, and artistic workshops. Moonshot Dynamics, South Africa Paycycle uses a Point-ofSale (POS) based digital reward system targeted at eliminating single-use plastic bags and promoting nonplastic reusable shopping
bags (RUSBs) that are also recyclable and eco-friendly. Using a fleet of mobile applications customised to shoppers of various economic classes, Paycycle tracks consumer’s shopping bag usage over partnering shops and rewards consumers with loyalty points for purchasing and reusing RUSBs. • Soapbox South Africa, South Africa Captain Fanplastic’s use of storytelling as the core of the education about plastic enables us to contribute to the challenge directly. The programme is designed for scalability in that we are able to offer an opportunity to use girls and women as leaders, facilitators and trainers in much needed education in the communities. • Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa Turning your Trash to Treasure is based in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve and aims to work with schools, tribal communities and women waste pickers to create awareness among selected schools by encouraging waste recycling at schools. All the collected waste material will be taken to a local company called Dziphathutshedzo Green Surface that is using plastics to make paving bricks, plastic tiles and other plastic products such as rulers and pencil cases. • Eco Brixs, Uganda The Plastic Manufactures and Recycling Union aims to create The Ugandan Recycling Association with membership from across the plastic recycling value chain. They want to create an interactive map where rich media and data will showcase everyone in the country engaged in recycling. About Challenge Works Challenge Works is the new name of Nesta Challenges. We are a social enterprise founded by the UK’s innovation agency Nesta. For a decade, we have established ourselves as a global leader in the design and delivery
13 of high-impact challenge prizes that incentivise cutting-edge innovation for social good. In the last 10 years, we have run more than 80 prizes, distributed £84 million in funding and engaged with 12,000 innovators. The world finds itself at a critical juncture. Together, we face multiple compounding problems, but there is enormous opportunity to discover solutions and expand innovation frontiers. The impact of climate change is felt more harshly by the year, but innovation can mitigate this impact; the growth of chronic health conditions and the widening global inequity in access to healthcare can be reversed; an ever more complex, connected and digitally driven world poses a multiplicity of societal challenges but also makes rapid, positive, life-changing technological change possible - if harnessed and directed properly. We believe no challenge is unsolvable. Challenge Works partners with organisations, charities and governments around the globe to unearth the entrepreneurs and their innovations that can solve the greatest challenges of our time. Challenge prizes champion open innovation through competition. We specify a problem that needs solving, but not what the solution should be. We offer large cash incentives to encourage diverse innovators to apply their ingenuity to solving the problem. The most promising solutions are rewarded with seed funding and expert capacity building support, so that they can prove their impact and effectiveness. The first or best innovation to solve the problem wins. This approach levels the playing field for unknown and previously untested innovators so that the best ideas, no matter their origin, are brought to bear on the most difficult of global challenges. Visit us at challengeworks. org. About the Government of Canada As part of the commitment to reduce marine plastics globally, the Government of Canada has launched a project aimed at improved plastic management in sub-Saharan Africa. The AfriPlastics Challenge aims to reduce marine plastics in Sub-Saharan African countries by developing and scaling innovative solutions to plastic mismanagement. The Afri-Plastics Challenge places particular emphasis on promoting gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. While not limited by gender, the challenge encourages women and girls to participate by submitting their solutions.
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| ASHANTI REGION IN FOCUS
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
Monitoring & Evaluation Secretariat Ashanti Region tour in focus The call for developmental projects, especially infrastructure, has in recent times become the center stage of our public discourse. Communities in every region, metropolis, municipal, and district assemblies are clamoring for their fair share of these projects being initiated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led government. Several of these infrastructure projects are dotted across the country. While some have been completed, others are at various stages of completion. The majority of those that have been completed have been commissioned and are operational. Still, hundreds although completed, are yet to be commissioned. Some residents who have waited so long for these completed projects but not commissioned and operational, have vented their spleen on the government, accusing it of neglect. On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the Bantama Youth hit the streets of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region to protest against the government for neglecting the region. A spokesperson for the group, Kwame Awuah Nimfour, interacting with journalists said the Ashanti Region which has supported most politicians in the country to become who they are cannot boast of any infrastructure projects over the years, especially, in the era of President Akufo-Addo. Five days later, another youth group under the umbrella name Asokore Mampong Youth also in the Ashanti Region, accused the President Akufo-Addo-led government of starving the Ashanti Region of developmental projects. In the view of the group, all the promises President Akufo-Addo made to the region have become deceptive, wondering when the government will honour its pledge to the people of the region. However, it appears these youth groups, perhaps, have little information or no information at all with regards to ongoing infrastructural projects that are underway in the Ashanti Region that when completed, will bring massive transformation in the lives of the people. On Wednesday, June 29, 2022, a team from the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Secretariat, Office of the President, led by its National Coordinator, Hon. Gifty Ohene Konadu, arrived in Kumasi to perform two tasks – to evaluate and validate all government projects and to inspect ongoing infrastructure projects across the region. The tasks at hand took off simultaneously the following day. Hon. Gifty Ohene Konadu and her team of technical experts were divided into two. While one took care of the evaluation and validation of the projects, the other one on the other hand, took to the field to inspect the infrastructural projects. This article looks at the numerous infrastructure projects that are currently at various levels of completion in the Ashanti Region. KUMASI CENTRAL MARKET The first project site to inspect was the Kumasi Central Market. The Kumasi Central Market is an open-air market in the city of Kumasi, the capital of the
Ashanti Region. It is a major trading center that attracts up to 80,000 people daily from within Ghana and surrounding countries like Benin, Togo and Burkina Faso. The project commenced in 2019. The ground-breaking ceremony was presided over by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. This mega project is estimated at US$278million. It is being constructed by Messrs Contracta Construction Company of the United Kingdom (UK) with the Bank of Germany being the financiers. BHC is fabricating the structural steelwork for the project. The Kumasi Central Market project is designed to promote economic growth, boost tourism and to encourage socio-economic development by improving connections to the north of Ghana. The market when completed, will feature 15,000 stalls, a police station, fire station, post office and a hospital. Hon. Gifty Ohene Konadu having been briefed about the 53% percent completion rate of the project proposed to the contractors of the facility to consider factoring into the project construction of a separate space where the market women could go and cook their own food considering the fact that they had to leave their various homes at dawn to the market and close very late. KOMFO ANOKYE TEACHING HOSPITAL MATERNITY BLOCK & CHILDREN’S BLOCK
The next facility to inspect in the Kumasi Metropolis is the construction of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Maternity Block & Children’s Block. This facility had begun in 1976, as part of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Expansion Project. However, it came to a standstill in 1979. It was reactivated in 1999 but again stalled shortly afterward. In 2004, then President, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, also reactivated the project but was soon abandoned after his departure from office in January 2009. It was until President Akufo-Addo took office as President of the Republic of Ghana in 2017 that the project was again reactivated. This time around, after thorough assessment of the project, the engineers advised that the 44year-old project be demolished for a new one to be
built. Three years into President Akufo-Addo’s administration exactly on Friday, May 15, 2020, the sod was cut for the commencement of the facility. The project being executed by Contracta is funded by the German Bank, Deutsche Bank at a cost of €155million. It is expected to be completed in 2023. Once completed, the Maternity and Children’s Block will be a state-of-the-art, modern health edifice, with paediatrics, gynaecology and obstetrics units. It will serve as a referral centre for twelve (12) of the sixteen (16) regions of Ghana. It will be a seven hundred and fifty (750)-bed building, with outpatient areas for adults and children, and it will have ten (10) operating theatres and diagnostic rooms, fully equipped with X-Ray, ultrasound, and mammography facilities,” he said. The facility will also house an intensive care unit, a high dependency unit, isolation rooms and student lecture halls, with the capacity to provide catering services for staff, patients and AFARI MILITARY HOSPITAL The M & E team also inspected the Afari Military Hospital in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region to ascertain the level of progress of that facility. They were met on arrival by the Resident Engineer, Abou Shamaa, who conducted them around the facility. The Afari Military Hospital is a 500-bed Military Hospital being executed by Euroget De-Invest, an Egyptian Investment company.
It is one of the nine hospitals that was awarded to the Egyptian construction firm in the country. The team was made to understand that all the physical infrastructure, including staff accommodation facilities and medical blocks, have been completed, while installation of equipment was in advance stage. Mr. Shamaa told the team that the project is nearing full completion, assuring that it will be ready by December 2022. What Mr. Shamaa was enthused about is the provision of an electricity sub-station to provide a constant power supply to the facility. Hitherto, the absence of an electricity substation was a major hindrance to the progress of work of the facility. The project when commissioned will become Ghana’s second military hospital after the 37 Military Hospital in Accra to complement the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital as the chief referral medical facility in the Ashanti Region and the rest of the middle sector. The facility boast of 50 medial and nonmedical buildings, landscaping and covered walkaway, 500 beds, 15 operating theaters, Endoscopy Operating Rooms, Central Kitchen and Laundry, Mortuary (153 body capacity),
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
600 cars parking plus 18 bus parking spots, 64 staff housing units, laboratory services and Medical Gas Plant for production of the medical gas. It also has a Sterilization Department, Training, Library and Conference Rooms, Power station including transformers AVR & Generators, Maintenance Department and Storage Buildings, Sewerage treatment biogas plant, water treatment plant, medical waste treatment department, Hospital Information System (HIS) and Internal & External CCTV system. The facility also has a six-kilometer internal road network and 40-acre landscaping on the 260,000-metre square project area. The Afari Military Hospital is one of the projects which was started by the erstwhile President Mahama-led government and being continued by President Akufo-Addo. KUMASI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
The Kumasi International Airport is about 98 percent complete. The M & E team also took time to inspect the Kumasi International Airport which is almost complete. The team was overwhelmed with the level of progress of the airport project which commenced in 2018. It is an initiative of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo with the aim of opening up the Ashanti Region to the rest of the world. The €124.9million airport expansion project is being executed by Contracta Construction UK Limited. The scope of work includes the extension of the existing runaway pavement from 1,981 meters to 2,320 meters, the construction of a new taxi link and apron, two new apron parking stands and an aeronautical ground lighting system. Inside the Kumasi International Airport So far, the construction of the terminal, installation of escalators, the baggage carousel, check-in points and passenger boarding bridges have been completed. The total work done in both phases two and three of the project is 98percent. That of the terminal is also 98% complete. A new control tower has been fixed and the facility has a utility block that would house a standby generator, fire tenders and other emergency facilities. The facility has a building terminal that has the capacity to handle 800,000 to 1,000,000 passengers per annum, and an 11MW substation. The project is expected to be operational in October 2022, according to Mr. Yaw Appiah Dankwa, Director, Planning and Project, Ghana Airport Company Limited, who conducted the team round the facility. SEWUA REGIONAL HOSPITAL
| NEWS The next destination for the M & E team was the Sewua Regional Hospital located in the Bosomtwi District in the Ashanti Region. The Project Officer for Euroget De-Invest, Stephen Owusu Okyere, welcomed and conducted the team around the facility. Started in May 2015, under the erstwhile President John Mahama administration and later abandoned for over one and half years, it took the intervention of President Akufo-Addo to reactivate it to enhance healthcare delivery for the people of Ashanti Region. The 250bed capacity project is also expected to ease the pressure on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital when completed. It will serve as a referral center as well. It is part of the nine projects being executed by Euroget De-Invest. The facility according to the Project Officer, is 99% complete and boasts of an Administration Block, medical gas plant, water treatment plant, inpatient ward, mortuary, 20-unit staff accommodation, delivery suites, gynaecology ward, sterilization department, a sewage treatment biogas plant, a power station, a 60kilometer internal road network, 10 theaters, dental, orthopaedic, urology and andrology specialist clinics, and a maintenance department. It also has a 150-car park, an ambulance station, and a housing unit for lactating mothers. The facility is sited on a 12,500 square-meter area. Mr. Okyere told the team that the facility is faced with lack of a permanent electricity and water supply to power the facility. The project is also faced with a bad road network. However, when the team visited the site, it was observed that a contractor had begun some construction works on the 1.2km access road. These challenges, according to Mr. Okyere, may delay the testing and commissioning of the equipment and machinery installed at the hospital. He told the team that Euroget DeInvest has requested for a power substation to power the facility. The facility currently runs on a backup power plants and water treatment system. The Technical Advisor at the M & E Secretariat, Hon. William Kwasi Sabi, assured the Project Officer that their concerns will be delivered to the authorities that be for immediate redress. Comprehensive Treatment and Containment Center for Infectious Disease Located beside the facility is the Comprehensive Treatment and Containment Center for Infectious Disease. It is one of the emergency response treatment facilities that was directed by President Akufo-Addo to be put up to get the country prepared to cater for any infectious disease that may come up in addition to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Cletus Akansor and Emmanuel Osei Bonsu, all Engineers at the project site who welcomed the team said they are almost done with the civil works of the 48-bed capacity treatment facility. The facility has all the units of a standard hospital. It also has a Green, Yellow and Red Zones for the treatment of patients who have been screened. The project commenced in August 2020 and was expected to be completed in six months. However, both Akansor and Osei Bonsu said due to some challenges, especially, refilling of the land, the project delayed for some time. According to them, the facility is about 98% complete with equipment and or machinery installations also about 70% complete.
OTUMFUO OSEI TUTU II HOUSING ESTATE The Osei Tutu II Housing Estate located
15 at Asokore Mampong in the Ashanti Region was the next stop for the M & E team.
Inaugurated by President Akufo-Addo on November 5, 2020, this project is a breathtaking radical housing scheme that boasts of a gated community. It is made up of 1,027 units (91 blocks), comprising 691 two-bedroom, 336 one-bedroom, and 26 shops set in a well-landscaped environment. All the blocks have been named using Adinkra symbols to reflect the culture and traditions of the Asante Kingdom. The Osei Tutu II Housing Estate, which was part of the affordable housing projects was initiated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former President, John Agyekum Kufuour, in 2006. The facility was abandoned for some time but was later handed over by the government through the Ministry of Works and Housing to SSNIT in 2015 for completion. This did not materialize until President Akufo-Addo also produced by the NPP, took over the reins of the country and completed it in 2020. The Sales and Marketing Manager of the Osei Tutu II Housing Estate, Gladys Osei Boateng, who welcomed the team to the facilities said SSNIT is keen on widening sales to welcome new prospective buyers at its Asokore Mampong. BEKWAI MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL The M & E team also visited the Bekwai Municipal Hospital which is already in operation. The 120-bed health facility was inaugurated by President Akufo-Addo, in November 2020. This facility initially commenced in the early 1970s. However, due to lack of funds, progress on the project stalled for decades until 2010 when the Ministry of Health reactivated it.
The project again came to a standstill in 2013 as a result of lack of funds. Structured funding from Ellipse Projects to the tune of €23million, thanks to President AkufoAddo, ensured the Ministry of Health restarted work on completion of the Bekwai Municipal Hospital. At the end of 2018, the corresponding contract was signed, paving the way for the rehabilitation of the existing construction, the completion of the works
16 and the supply of medical equipment. Key facilities of the 120-bed hospital include an Accident and Emergency Unit, mortuary, kitchen, laundry, Central Sterile Services Department, and X-ray and Ultrasound Unit. Other facilities included staff accommodation, Out-Patient Department; Eye, Dental, Ear, Nose and Throat clinics; a laboratory, four operation theatres, and administrative offices. The facility also has a guest lodge where relations who need to be close to patients on admission at the facility would lodge while waiting for their relatives to recuperate and discharged. The 22.3 million euro hospital has been furnished with modern equipment in its various facilities including an Accident and Emergency Unit, mortuary, kitchen, laundry, Central Sterile Services Department, and X-ray and Ultrasound Unit. Other facilities included staff accommodation, Out-Patient Department; Eye, Dental, Ear, Nose and Throat clinics; a laboratory, four operation theatres, and administrative offices. At the inauguration, President Akufo-Addo said “the completion of the facility was further evidence of government’s commitment to continue with major infrastructural projects that were inherited from the previous government so that expected socio-economic benefit can be enjoyed by all”. BOSOMTWI GIRLS STEM HIGH SCHOOL
The next destination for the M & E team was the Bosomtwi Girls STEM High School located
| ADVERT Deduako Junction in the Bosomtwi District of the Ashanti Region. It is an all-female school and one of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) schools that are being constructed across the country by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The school has two big building blocks comprising a classroom block, an administration block, a fully furnished state-of-the-art library facility, and all science laboratories for practical purposes. It also has a 240-capacity dormitory to accommodate the students. The Headmistress of the school, Mrs. Mary Donkor, who conducted the team round the facility, said expansion works are still ongoing and lauded President Akufo-Addo for allocating one for STEMS High School which she described as “first of its kind” in the Bosomtwi District. Speaking to journalists after conducting the team around the facilities, Mrs. Donkor urged President Akufo-Addo, to remain resolute in the face of opposition and criticisms and continue to pursue what is good for the country. “Your good handiworks are there for all to see. You will forever be remembered”, she noted.
ASANTE AKIM MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL The Asante Akim Central Municipal Hospital is 100 percent complete with all the equipment and machinery to make it operational and fully installed. The project was executed by Euroget De-Invest, an Egyptian investment company, with special expertise in structuring, specifically, hospitals. It is sited on a 145,000
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square-meter plot. The hospital has facilities such as dental, cardiology, ophthalmology, paediatric, gynaecology, and Orthopaedic clinics. It also has four operating theaters, housing for lactating mothers, three wells serving as backup to the main water supply system that fills a 250-cubic meter tank serving as a reservoir. In addition to that, the hospital has a complementary 10-unit staff accommodation facility and a 60-km internal road network as well as a 36-capacity mortuary, a park for 150 cars, and an ambulance station. What is delaying the 60-bed capacity municipal hospital from being handed over and commissioned is the 1.4km untarred access road that links the central business district to the hospital facility. The road network is currently under construction by Agyakot Company Limited. Some residents who interacted with the M & E team appealed to President Akufo-Addo to site a market facility near the hospital to save time and cost commuting all the way to the central business district to buy some items. They also urged President Akufo-Addo to secure funding to complete the 1.4km access road, even if he has to secure funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). KUMAWU DISTRICT HOSPITAL The M & E also inspected the Kumawu District Hospital located in the Sekyere Afram Plains District of the Ashanti Region. Works on the project were progressing steadily. The facility is one of the hospital projects inherited by President Akufo-Addo from the erstwhile President administration. Site clearance for the project started on October 13, 2014 while the major works commenced in 2015. It was expected to be completed in 2017. However, after change of government, the project had to be thoroughly assessed and redesigned to address the current needs of the people.
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| FEATURE
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
The varieties of climate-driven medical risk By Aditi Hazra
When natural disasters force people to pack a bag and flee to safety, important items are often forgotten. Following California’s 2007 wildfire season, it was estimated that “at least one family member per household left prescription medication behind during evacuation.” Likewise, when Hurricane Harvey threatened to flood my own mother’s Texas home in August 2017, she forgot to grab her medication in her rush to escape the storm’s path – even though she was normally meticulous when packing for a trip. With climate change contributing to the increased severity and frequency of such disasters, preventing interruptions in health care and meeting displaced people’s unmet health needs will become an increasingly urgent task. We already know that extreme weather drives migration and statelessness, displacing 21.5 million people per year – 41 people per minute. Hurricanes, cyclones, floods, and wildfires regularly disrupt access to preventative services (such as routine cancer screening), mental-health services, and treatments for chronic diseases. Owing both to a severe drought and civil war, many Syrian refugees lost access to health care and were later found to be suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer, hypertension, and diabetes. Climate-driven disasters pose both direct and indirect threats to the continuity of health care.
According to a 2019 study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the ten-year survival rate of breast cancer patients whose treatment was directly interrupted by Hurricane Katrina was markedly worse than that of a control group. Likewise, indirect exposures to chemicals, water- and airborne pathogens, and particulate air pollution from natural disasters are known to increase the risk of cancer. During Hurricane Harvey, for example, chemical plants and oil refineries were flooded, releasing cancer-causing substances into the surrounding environment. And researchers warn that currently inert chemicals like the insecticide lindane may become carcinogenic as the planet warms. Wildfires pose similar threats, not only by destroying homes and health-care facilities but also by churning out harmful ambient particulate matter that increases the risk of death from lung, breast, and liver cancers. Heart attacks, strokes, and respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease often follow in the wake of the flames. New research, conducted over the course of 20 years, shows that people living within 50 kilometers (31 miles) of wildfires in Canada had a 10% higher risk of incident brain tumors and a 4.9% increased risk of incident lung cancer compared to people living farther away. While relief efforts necessarily focus on the immediate aftermath
of disasters, these direct and indirect health effects tend to persist. Without greater efforts to maintain continuity of care, the annual wildfire season may come to be known as cancer season. We urgently need more equitable approaches to address the heightened risks of cancer and chronic disease following climate emergencies. Mobile alerts and checklists for chronic-disease care can help save lives during emergencies and evacuations. In addition to ensuring safe shelter, disaster-preparedness protocols should also include measures to provide common prescription medicines, telehealth, virtual mental-health services, virtual crisis training for health-care providers, and resource-stratified treatment guidelines. Among the many tragedies of the climate crisis is that those who contributed the least to the problem stand to bear the brunt of the costs. To address this inequity, the Union for International Cancer Control (and its partners) has launched the Access to Oncology Medicines Coalition to improve access to cancer medicines in low- and lower-middle-income countries. A related issue is the health sector’s carbon footprint. Here, surgical care is notable for its contributions to greenhouse-gas emissions. Administering the anesthetic sevoflurane for one hour is tantamount to driving an internal combustion vehicle 20 miles, and an hour’s worth
of desflurane is approximate to driving 400 miles. As a result, the Michigan Medicine Department of Anesthesiology has introduced a Green Anesthesia Initiative to explore ways to reduce the field’s emissions, such as by promoting greater use of sevoflurane instead of desflurane. Recently, healthcare leaders have pledged to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. Finally, though we know that people displaced by climate change are subject to a range of health risks, more research and education is needed to improve our understanding of this broad, complex issue. For example, there is more to learn about how scorching heat waves, water scarcity, food insecurity, comorbidities, and the dehydrating effects of cancer treatment might amplify disparities associated with poor cancer outcomes for people displaced by climate emergencies. Addressing the burgeoning climate-driven health crisis is a moral imperative for the World Health Organization, governments, health-care professionals, and health advocacy groups. Our ability to lead healthy lives depends on having a healthy planet. As the climate changes, so must our health policies and protocols. The opinions expressed in this commentary do not reflect the views and opinions of Harvard Medical School or Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
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| MARKET REVIEW
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
WEEKLY MARKET REVIEW FOR WEEK ENDING - JULY 1, 2022 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS Q3, 2021 GDP Growth
3.3%
Average GDP Growth for 2021
3.3%
2022 Projected GDP Growth
5.5%
BoG Policy Rate
19.0%
Weekly Interbank Interest Rate
20.66%
Inflation for February, 2022
27.6%
End Period Inflation Target – 2022
8.0%
Budget Deficit (% GDP) – Dec, 2021
2.6%
2022 Budget Deficit Target (%GDP)
7.4%
Public Debt (billion GH¢) – Dec, 2021
391.9%
Debt to GDP Ratio – Dec, 2021
78.0%
STOCK MARKET REVIEW The Ghana Stock Exchange strengthened for the second consecutive week on the back of gains by 2 counters. The GSE Composite Index (GSE CI) gained 38.17 points (+1.52%) to close at 2,545.48 points, reflecting year-to-date (YTD) loss of 8.74%. The GSE Financial Stocks Index (GSE FI) also gained 6.64 points (+0.31%) to close at 2,176.97 points, reflecting year-to-date (YTD) gain of 1.17%. Market capitalization inched up by 5.19% to close the week at GH¢64,841.21 million, from GH¢61,643.87 million at the close of the previous week. This reflects YTD increase of 0.54%. Trading activity recorded a total of 5,819,658 shares valued at GH¢6,556,541 changing hands, compared with 8,475,595 shares, valued at GH¢9,046,592 in the preceding week. MTN dominated both volume and value of trades for the week, accounting, for 98.89% and 78.99% of volume and value of shares traded respectively. The market ended the week with 2 advancers and 2 laggards as indicated on the table below.
THE CURRENCY MARKET The Cedi weakened against the USD for the week. It traded at GH¢7.2345/$, compared with GH¢7.2150/$ at week open, reflecting w/w and YTD depreciations of 0.27% and 16.98% respectively. This compares with YTD appreciation of 0.07% a year ago. The Cedi strengthened against the GBP for the week. It traded at GH¢8.7136/£, compared with GH¢8.8683/£ at week open, reflecting w/w appreciation and YTD depreciation of 1.78% and 6.73% respectively. This compares with YTD depreciation of 0.95% a year ago. The Cedi also strengthened against the Euro for the week. It traded at GH¢7.5218/€, compared with GH¢7.6162/€ at week open, reflecting w/w appreciation and YTD depreciation of 1.26% and 9.22% respectively. This compares with YTD appreciation of 3.43% a year ago. The Cedi meanwhile weakened against the Canadian Dollar for the week. It opened at GH¢5.5918/C$ but closed at GH¢5.6016/C$, reflecting w/w and YTD depreciations of 0.17% and 15.35% respectively. This compares with YTD depreciation of 2.97% a year ago.
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
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| MARKET REVIEW
BUSINESS TERM OF THE WEEK Payback Period: The term payback period refers to the amount of time it takes to recover the cost of an investment. Simply put, it is the length of time an investment reaches a breakeven point. Source: https: //www.investopedia.com/terms/p/ paybackperiod.asp
ABOUT CIDAN
COMMODITY MARKET Crude Oil declined as concerns over slowing economic growth have outweighed a further tightening of supply. Brent futures traded at US$111.63 a barrel on Friday, compared to US$113.12 at week open. This reflects a w/w loss and YTD gain of 1.32% and 43.52% respectively. Gold prices fell following a tax hike on gold imports by Indian authorities to support the rupee. Gold settled at US$1,801.50, from US$1,828.90 last week, reflecting w/w and YTD losses of 1.50 % and 1.48% respectively. Prices of Cocoa declined for the week. The commodity traded at US$2,265.00 per tonne on Friday, from US$2,441.50 last week, reflecting w/w and YTD losses of 7.23% and 10.12% respectively.
INTERNTIONAL COMMODITIES PRICES
GOVERNMENT SECURITIES MARKET Government raised a sum of GH¢827.53 million for the week across the 91-Day and 182-Day Treasury Bills. This compared with GH¢1,441.07 million raised in the previous week. The 91-Day Bill settled at 25.88% p.a from 25.64% p.a. last week whilst the 182-Day Bill settled at 26.57% p.a from 26.40% p.a. last week. The table and graph below highlight primary market yields at close of the week.
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NO. B24/317 | NEWS FOR BUSINESS LEADERS
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
CIMG launches Ghana Customer Satisfaction Index 2021 Report The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG), last Friday, officially unveiled the Ghana Customer Satisfaction Index (CIMGCSI Report, 2021), dubbed “The Coffee-Table Publication”. The event, which was held at the Coconut Grove Hotel in Accra, took a hybrid form, with over a 100 virtual audience from across Ghana and the continent of Africa. The Coffee-Table Publication of the CIMG-CSI Report, 2021, is the culmination of a well-researched customer satisfaction survey which was conducted last year, involving 23 universal banks in Ghana, under the auspices of the Bank of Ghana and Ghana Association of Banks. In his opening address the National President of the CIMG, Dr Daniel Kasser Tee said, “As we launch this report, I urge the banks to study it seriously and tighten up on all the areas where their performances fell short of the expectations of their customers. We are available, as an institute, to provide the needed hands holding to enable all of you bring up the quality of services you render to customers. I will particularly love to see the average bank in Ghana being in the 5-star category.” Dr Kasser Tee further added that, “At the end of the day, we would love to see every industry make conscious efforts at improving service quality and bringing same to acceptable standards, to enable them function
as world-class businesses in terms of service quality.” On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the McDan Group of Companies and Chairman for the occasion, Dr Daniel McKorley, expressed his interest in the research projects, indicating that “it is customer-centric and a viable source of information to help shape businesses”. He applauded the CIMG for setting the pace and highlighting the importance of the customer and service quality through marketing research and advocacy. He indicated that “It is gratifying to know that Ghana can also boast of having a professional institute like the CIMG, which continues to provide support to businesses and promote marketing research and advocacy, aimed at growing businesses and empowering consumers.” Dr McKorley announced a GHS250,000 support from the McDan Group of Companies towards
the CIMG’s research projects for 2022.” Launching the CIMG-CSI report, 2021 was Ms Sandra Thompson, Secretary of the Bank of Ghana, who represented the central bank Governor. She indicated that the management of the central bank was very pleased with the maiden research work initiated by the CIMG last year. She was very hopeful that banks will see the report as a useful tool to help them improve service quality in all their operations. She said this was necessary, since service quality, as indicated in the report, serves as an antecedent to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, both of which are very important to banks The event also witnessed the commissioning of two research projects for 2022 i.e., the Ghana Customer Satisfaction Index (CIMGCSI, 2022), which has been expanded to cover four other sectors, Insurance,
Private Healthcare, Hotels, and Business Schools. The other being the Ghana Regional Brand Index (CIMGRBI, 2022), another first in Ghana and West Africa, aimed at unearthing and highlighting the business and tourism potentials of each of the 16 regions of Ghana. Commissioning the 2022 research projects was Professor Stephen Adei, a Fellow and Patron and one time President of CIMG. He expressed excitement about the feat attained by the Institute on the research front. Prof Adei was very hopeful that CIMG will soon establish itself as the go to place for marketing research data on the African continent. Unlike the CIMG-CSI report, the CIMG-RBI report is expected to be of immense benefit to the Local Government Ministry, Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Creative Arts, and the Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration Ministry, as the Institute works with stakeholders to market the individual regions to promote internal trade and travels within Ghana. The project also seeks to package these regions as well as Ghana and promote them internationally as a means to attracting foreign business and tourism. Present at the ceremony was Mrs Hannah Nyarko, Coordinating Director, Political & Economic, representing the Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration.
Inflation hits 29.8percent in June Ghana’s inflation rate surged to 29.8 percent in June from 27.6 percent in May, the Ghana Statistical Service said Wednesday, July 13, 2022. The inflation rate in June was the highest in almost 19 years (since December 2003) according to Bloomberg data. The development means inflation has now exceeded the Bank of Ghana’s target band of 6% to 10% for 10 consecutive months. However, there has been a slowdown in the rate of inflation which saw a decrease for the first time in four months. The Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim told reporters via Zoom that it was too soon to conclude that
inflation that going to drop in the coming months. He said a downward trend was dependent on the interventions that policymakers would put in place to check the rate of inflation. “It all depends on how we are going to sustain whatever interventions we are putting in place and counter-inflation, so let’s monitor this closely in the coming months,” Prof. Annim said. Factors The inflation rate was largely pushed by transport, which saw a 41.6 percent rise in inflation compared to 39.0 percent in May. Household Equipment and Maintenance also hit 39.6 percent, up from 33.8 percent and Housing,
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Water, Electricity and Gas hit 38.4 percent, up from 32.3 percent. Food inflation also increased marginally to 30.7 percent, up from 30.1 percent last month and non-food inflation was 29.1 percent an increase on the 25.7 percent recorded in May.
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The inflation for imported goods was 31.3 percent, which is higher than the 28.2 percent recorded for May 2022 – while the inflation for locally produced items was 29.2 percent, up from the 27.3 percent recorded in May 2022.