Business24 Newspaper (May 22, 2020) by Business24 Online

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FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

THEBUSINESS24ONLINE.NET

Oil receipts up 93% in Q1 but outlook grim Move to decentralise education jettisoned …minister directs removal of ‘controversial’ clauses MORE ON PAGE 2

FPSO Kwame Nkrumah has been the backbone of oil production in the country BY NII ANNERQUAYE ABBEY

Government received US$170.3m in petroleum revenue for the first quarter of the year, an increase of 93 percent over earnings of US$88.3m in the first quarter of 2019. The receipts came from the sale of crude oil by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) as well as payments from the oil companies, the Finance Ministry revealed in the Petroleum Receipts and Distribution Report for the first quarter of 2020. During the period, GNPC sold 1.9m barrels of crude oil produced from the Sankofa and TEN oilfields, but there was no lifting of cargo by the corporation from the Jubilee field. The government received an average price of US$63.5 per barrel for the crude oil sold, a price which is now out of range as the impact of the coronacrisis on global oil demand has more

Ahi says contracts should be awarded to desilt drains MORE ON PAGE 3

than halved international crude oil prices in the last two months. Government in its 2020 budget projected a crude oil price of US$62.6 per barrel and petroleum revenues of US$1.6bn for the year. However, following the fall in oil prices, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta said preliminary analysis shows that at an average crude oil price of US$30 per barrel, the government would register a shortfall in crude oil receipts amounting to US$1bn. He further explained that the shortfall corresponds to a projected shortage in Annual Budget Funding Amount of GH¢3.5bn, while shortfalls in the Ghana Stabilisation Fund and the Ghana Heritage Fund are GH¢1bn and GH¢453m respectively. It also implies transfers to GNPC will experience a shortfall of GH¢642m.

More than 5,000 MSMEs register for CAP Business Support Scheme MORE ON PAGE 5

MORE ON PAGE 2

EJF welcomes reinstatement of ban on light fishing by tuna vessels MORE ON PAGE 3

ADB earmarks GH¢500m to support poultry production MORE ON PAGE 15

ECONOMIC INDICATORS *EXCHANGE RATE (INT. RATE)

USD$1 =GH¢5.6896*

EXCHANGE RATE (BANK RATE)

USD$1 =GH¢5.6127.*

*POLICY RATE

14.5%*

GHANA REFERENCE RATE

15.12%

OVERALL FISCAL DEFICIT

6.6 % OF GDP

PROJECTED GDP GROWTH RATE PRIMARY BALANCE.

1.5% -1.1% OF GDP

AVERAGE PETROL & DIESEL PRICE:

GHc 5.13*

INTERNATIONAL MARKET BRENT CRUDE $/BARREL

32.50

NATURAL GAS $/MILLION BTUS

1.65

GOLD $/TROY OUNCE

1,743.67

CORN $/BUSHEL

329.50

COCOA $/METRIC TON

2,435

COFFEE $/POUND:

+5.70 ($108.30)

COPPER USD/T OZ.

220.15

SILVER $/TROY OUNCE:

17.07

NEWS/EDITORIAL

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FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

EDITORIAL

Wash your hands 2

Cover your cough 3

More engagement needed in education reform Government’s quest to decentralise second cycle education has been met with stiff opposition by various teacher unions. Teacher unions are apprehensive and argue that the proposed amendments will make the Ghana Education Service a lame duck and a passive coordinator with no powers. This far-reaching policy requires more stakeholder consultation to ensure the best outcome for all concerned. The proposed plan involves going to place Senior High Schools under the management of regional education

Oil receipts up 93% in Q1 but outlook grim (…CONTINUED FROM COVER )

Wear a mask Brought to you by

LIMITED Copyright @ 2019 Business24 Limited. All Rights Reserved. Editorial Team Dominic Andoh: Editor Eugene Kwabena Davis (Head of Parliamentary Business & Commodities) Benson Afful (Head of Energy & Education) Patrick Paintsil (Head of Maritime & Banking) Nii Annerquaye Abbey (Online Editor) Marketing Alexander Lartey Agyemang (Business Development Manager) Ruth Fosua Tetteh (Dept. Business Development Manager) Gifty Mensah (Marketing Manager) Irene Mottey (Sales Manager) Edna Eyram Swatson (Special Projects Manager ) Events Evelyn Kanyoke (Snr. Events Consultant) Finance/Administration Joseph Ackon Bissue (Accountant)

Last year, Ghana made US$937.6m in petroleum revenues, a 4 percent decline from the 2018 figure of US$977.1m. This was due to a 10.2 percent decline in the achieved price of US$63.2 per barrel in 2019 compared to US$70.3 per barrel in 2018. The drop also occurred at a time the operator of the Jubilee field, Tullow Oil, underwent a restructuring process amid production challenges at both Jubilee and TEN. The challenges at Jubilee related to reinjection of gas into oil wells, which Tullow said had led to a 30 percent cut in production. At the TEN fields, a production well at Enyerra had to be suspended, leading to a cut in production. In the wake of the weaker oil prices, all the multinational oil companies and GNPC have reduced planned capital investment in 2020, which could negatively affect output this year.

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directorates, which in turn would be under the regional coordinating councils. Basic schools were going to be managed by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, while technical and vocational schools would be managed and run by their own director-general, independent of the GES. Furthermore, under section 32(3) of the bill, the Head of the Local Government Service would be appointing heads and staff of the District Education Unit as well as

be responsible for promotion, transfer, discipline, and dismissal of staff. Additionally, the preparation, administration, and control of budgetary allocations of basic schools were going to be determined by district assemblies. Business24 believes that aside the removal of some controversial clauses, there is the need for further engagement before the bill goes before Parliament again.

Move to decentralise education jettisoned BY BENSON AFFUL

Minister of Education Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh has directed the removal of the controversial decentralisation clauses from the Pre-Tertiary Education Bill currently before Parliament, which had set the government on a collision course with teacher unions. According to a letter from the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, to one of the education unions on May 20, the ministry has decided to delete sections 29-37 of the bill, which deal with decentralisation of the education service, to pave the way for its consideration and passage by parliament. The reforms envisaged by the bill were going to place Senior High Schools under the management of regional education directorates, which in turn would be under the regional coordinating councils. Basic schools were going to be managed by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, while technical and vocational schools would be managed and run by their own director-general, independent of the GES. Furthermore, under section 32(3) of the bill, the Head of the Local Government Service would be appointing heads and staff of the District Education Unit as well as be responsible for promotion,

transfer, discipline, and dismissal of staff. Additionally, the preparation, administration, and control of budgetary allocations of basic schools were going to be determined by district assemblies. Teacher unions and some education watchers argued that the GES would be shorn of its power and become a feeble coordinator if the changes in the bill were allowed to take place. According to the letter, the ministry’s change of mind followed extensive discussions it had with pretertiary teacher unions, which had expressed reservations about the bill. “From the interactions, it is obvious that the main issue of concern of the unions relates to the aspects of the bill which deal with decentralisation of the education system,” the letter said. It added that the decision to delete the controversial sections was taken upon careful reflection after a meeting with representatives of the education unions on May 20.

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

N E WS

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EJF welcomes reinstatement of ban on light fishing by tuna vessels BY BENSON AFFUL

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has commended the Fisheries Commission for reversing an earlier decision to allow tuna vessels to use light to fish but urged the commission to work within the fisheries law to ensure transparency. According to EJF, the decision to grant an exemption for tuna vessels was against Ghanaian law in the first place, and the fact that it was only rescinded after the canoe fishers voiced objections raises questions around transparency in fisheries decision-making. In April, the Fisheries Commission granted an exemption to allow tuna vessels to engage in light fishing, following pressure from the Ghana Tuna Association. The vessels were permitted to use the method to catch bait in the waters off Saltpond and Keta. Tuna vessels use live bait fish, such as anchovies and sardinella, in their

pole and line fishing operations. However, in the wake of the decision, tensions grew with canoe fishers, who are not allowed to use this fishing practice. Ghana’s Navy, which is responsible for enforcement at sea, emphasised in a letter to the commission that light fishing is prohibited and expressed concerns that the

exemption for tuna vessels could result in tensions between the navy and fishing communities. On 8 May, the Navy proceeded to arrest two tuna vessels for light fishing in the waters off Keta, in spite of the exemption. Executive Director of EJF Steve Trent said the commission made the right choice in reversing the decision

to allow light fishing by tuna vessels, but the case raises grave concerns. “Why was the decision made in the first place without consultation of the affected fishing communities and without basis in law? Transparency and inclusiveness in fisheries decision making is crucial to protect fish populations, livelihoods and food security in Ghana,” he said.

Ahi says contracts should be awarded to desilt drains BY EUGENE DAVIS The Member of Parliament for Bodi, Sampson Ahi, has appealed to the government to ensure that commencement certificates are issued in order to enable the Ministry of Works and Housing award contracts for the desilting of choked gutters and drains. “I can report that from the checks I have made from the Ministry of Works and Housing, even commencement certificates have not been released to the Ministry, let alone processing a contract to be awarded so that choked gutters can be desilted,” said Ahi, who is a former deputy minister of the sector. “If the rains set in now, we are in trouble, so I want to appeal to the President to intervene to ensure that the Finance Minister releases commencement certificates to the Ministry, so that they can start the process of awarding contracts for the choked gutters to be desilted,” he said in an interview in Parliament. The rainy season is fast

approaching and is expected to be characterised by the perennial floods with attendant threats to lives and property. Flooding during the rainy season is common in many cities and towns in Ghana as a result of poor spatial planning; poor drainage systems; improper disposal of refuse; silting and choking of drains; improper enforcement of laws on building construction and sanitation; and low and flat lands. An estimated US$700m has been suggested by the Works and Housing Minister, Samuel Atta Akyea, as the amount needed to end Accra’s perennial flooding. The minister also told the press on April 29 that the government has allocated GH₵200m for a drains desilting programme across the country. According to Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, flooding is a serious development challenge which causes widespread devastation, economic damage, and loss of lives. Flooding can have devastating

Sampson Ahi fears a delay in awarding contracts for desilting of choked drains could spell doom for the country when the rains set in

impacts which may cause major disruption to energy, water, communication, transport, interfere with public services, have significant

impact on the environment, cultural heritage, cause pollution, cause changes to habitats, and also cause migration.

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

NEWS

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More than 5,000 MSMEs register for CAP Business Support Scheme BY: KWASI ANKU

The National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), has said over 5, 000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), have registered for the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) Business Support Scheme awaiting the next step. Mrs. Kosi A. Yankey-Ayeh, Executive Director, NBSSI said the portals are working and “we have provided accessibility but if any MSMEs has any challenge in applying they should not hesitate to reach out to NBSSI to ensure we provide the best service and efficient system that will withstand the test of time, that can also be used in the near future.” Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh speaking at the Ministry of Information’s Meet The Press engagement to give an update on the CAP Business Support Scheme, outlined the categories of MSMEs which qualify to benefit from the CAP Business Support Scheme. The CAP Business Support Scheme was launched at the Jubilee House by the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as part of measures to effectively manage social and economic recovery in Ghana. She said MSMEs, which qualify for the CAP Business Support Scheme

are micro enterprises with one to five employees, small enterprises with six 29 employees and medium enterprises with 30 to 99 employees. “Anyone, who falls outside of the 99 employees is not qualified for this loan, the President has another initiative for larger businesses,” she said. The Executive Director said the two products designed under the Scheme are the Adom Loans and Anidasuo Loans, indicating that “because we believe this Scheme is to bring hope to MSMEs in times like this when the Coronavirus Pandemic has caused an economic downturn”. She said the target beneficiaries remain MSMEs, who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, also businesses that were producing goods and providing services that will support the fight against COVID-19. She said the GH¢600 million was what the President had initially committed to support MSMEs to grow and sustain their businesses but through stakeholder engagements and support from participating financial institutions, the commitment had increased to GH¢1billion; stating that GH¢400 million was added by PFIs as commitment to support the fight and to strengthen MSMEs. Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh said the interest rate which was five per cent was

reduced to three per cent after deliberation by the President, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Trade and Industry. She said that the moratorium still remains up to one year and during the application process, MSMEs have the option to select a moratorium that would work best for them; indicating that “repayment of loans remain two to three years; this was taken into consideration based on MSMEs needs assessment.” The Executive Director said some challenges that had come out since the launch had been USSD during registration, adding that this challenge notwithstanding “we have worked to ensure we have an

efficient USSD registration process.” “We also have set up a Grievance Center to work on the challenges Ghanaians meet on the portal,” she added. Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh said it was important to note that the USSD Code was a short process and applicants need to be efficient in completing registration. She said if any MSMEs had any challenge in applying they should not hesitate to reach out to NBSSI, to ensure they provide the best service and efficient system that would withstand the test of time, which could also be used in the near future.

Airport Operators lauds Airports Company for rent waiver Airport Operators Committee (AOC)—made up of station managers of airlines operating in the country and other operational persons-has lauded the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) for granting their request for a threemonth office rent waiver. The country’s airports management company, Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), in response to a request by the AOC made in a letter dated March 19, 2020 waived rent for all airline offices at the KIA and the regional airports for the second quarter of this year. The GACL has also waived various aeronautical charges—landing, parking, and lighting—for the same period. For concessionaires operating at the KIA and all regional airports, the GACL has also waived rent and royalty payments from April-June. For other tenants of the various airports, gift shops, restaurants, forex bureaus and others who have been severely impacted by the lack

of or reduced activities, the GACL has waived rent for quarter-two. Though the move will erode the company’s aeronautical and nonaeronautical revenue, which is an important revenue stream, the GACL, according to sources, believes that supporting airlines in these difficult times is in itself an investment in its future income.

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

F E AT U R E

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Emerging markets’ hidden debt risk BY MITALI DAS, ŞEBNEM KALEMLI-ÖZCAN, DAMIEN PUY, AND LILIANA VARELA Stark warnings about the COVID-19 shock’s potentially devastating effects on emerging markets (EMs) have become ubiquitous. With the pandemic engulfing ever more countries, EMs face a mass exit by foreign investors seeking safe assets. As a result, capital outflows and currency depreciations have become unprecedentedly synchronized. A first round of policy interventions to blunt the pandemic’s financial and economic impact on EMs is already underway. But although these actions – mainly aimed at alleviating stress in foreignexchange (FX) markets – are welcome, the ongoing currency depreciations present financialstability challenges that have longterm implications going far beyond immediate liquidity problems. When an EM currency depreciates, that country’s foreign-currencydenominated debt burden – both its absolute value and debt-service costs – can escalate rapidly. Such balance-sheet effects often presage corporate defaults, financial instability, and output declines, as we saw during previous EM crises. In devising an appropriate economic policy response to COVID-19, therefore, EM policymakers must answer a key question: how much financial trouble linked to balance-sheet effects is this wave of currency depreciations likely to cause? Estimating the potential damage is complicated by the fact that the magnitude of unhedged FX debt in EMs is hard to pin down. Over the last 40 years, the debt landscape in EMs has changed dramatically. On one hand, EM governments have significantly reduced the extent of their “original sin” of relying on FX borrowing, owing to improved macroeconomic fundamentals and better fiscal and monetary discipline. In the meantime, however, EM companies have gone in the opposite direction: as it became cheaper for these firms to borrow in global currencies, their FX borrowing grew. And recent research shows that when the cost of borrowing in foreign currency drops, more firms issue FX debt. This migration of FX exposure from EM sovereigns to corporate borrowers has brought new challenges. In particular, private firms’ finances are less regulated than those of governments and banks, so we know much less about their balance sheets. Nonetheless, our research – using a variety of private and public sources – gives a sense of the magnitudes involved. Figure 1 shows the FX debt of households and nonfinancial firms in major EMs, both as a share of their total debt and as a share of GDP. Encouragingly,

Figure 1 suggests that privatesector FX borrowing in many EMs might be relatively limited. With a few exceptions (notably Turkey, Mexico, and Argentina), most countries have manageable levels of private-sector FX exposure relative to total debt. More important, this “raw” measure should be viewed as an upper bound of the FX debt problem in EMs. That is because FX borrowing per se is not a problem when foreigncurrency liabilities are sufficiently hedged (that is, matched by foreigncurrency assets and revenues), which can be done either naturally or through financial instruments. A commodity exporter that generates foreign-currency revenues is a typical example of a natural hedger. Because many EMs with high FX exposure are large commodity exporters (such as Mexico and Chile), the numbers in Figure 1 might overstate the actual size of the problem. The bad news is not only that this type of natural hedging may provide no buffer in the current environment of low commodity prices, but also that EM firms in non-tradable sectors could have substantial unhedged FX borrowing on their balance sheets. Although there is no systematic data regarding these

companies’ use of FX derivatives to hedge foreign-currency debt, evidence from Hungary (albeit based on 2010 data), Chile, and Turkey indicates that non-financial firms borrowing in foreign currency use such instruments infrequently. And, as Figure 2 shows, the share of foreign-currency loans in nontradable sectors has risen to about 40% in Hungary and Peru (for construction), and around 50% in Turkey and Mexico (for services). The high levels of unhedged FX debt among private-sector EM firms are particularly worrisome in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. With significantly reduced income and sales, such firms will struggle to repay debt, and some might default. That would jeopardize financial stability, because most FX borrowing is intermediated through domestic financial systems. We know surprisingly little about the extent of this problem in EMs. A common practice is to take centralbank FX reserves as a measure of a country’s preparedness to fight a capital-flow reversal. But such an approach may offer false comfort, because it is impossible to know whether reserves adequately cover unhedged FX debt in the private sector. As the COVID-19 crisis continues, EM countries with large

amounts of unhedged private-sector FX debt should concentrate their efforts on securing stable access to external financing through, say, the US Federal Reserve or multilateral lenders. But it will be critical to understand the extent of unhedged corporate FX borrowing, along with firms’ ability to absorb the current income shock, potential spillovers to the rest of the economy, and the scope to contain the fallout from bankruptcies. Central banks and regulatory agencies, which have access to such data, should use it to anticipate the damage arising from currency depreciations and design policy responses accordingly.

Mitali Das is Assistant to the Chief Economist at the IMF. Ebnem Kalemli-Özcan, Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, College Park, is Senior Policy Adviser at the IMF, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a research fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research. Damien Puy is an economist at the IMF. Liliana Varela is Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2020. www.project-syndicate.org.

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

F E AT U R E

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Could wigs and synthetic hair extensions be safe havens for this cunning and elusive coronavirus? Judge for yourself

BY PROF. DOUGLAS BOATENG

On 17 March 2020 it was reported that a study from the National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University revealed that SAR-COV-2 (i.e. coronavirus) was stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces. Specifically, the study found that the virus was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. This study shows that people may be acquiring the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects or surfaces.

While the stability of the virus on general surfaces has been examined, little information is available of the virus’s ability to survive on wigs and synthetic hair extensions. There are currently hundreds of millions of wigs and hair extension pieces in use every day in Africa and around the globe. Dr Adam Friedman, the interim chair of dermatology at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences has revealed that these synthetic wigs and hair extensions, which are taken off daily after use, are different from natural

hairs and do not have the natural oils and sometimes antimicrobial protection that natural hairs get from permanent attachment to the scalp. Could this lethal coronavirus beast also settle and survive on artificial wigs and hair extensions surfaces waiting to pounce?

Dr Friedman postulates that depending on the circumstances of the hair, the coronavirus could survive on its surface. However, according to Dr. Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health, scientific research on whether the surface on wigs and hair extensions can harbour this elusive virus and for how long is yet to be done. While “theoretically” SAR-COV-2 could be passed from hair to hands to mucosa, Dr Saad says there is currently no research to back this notion. There is still a lot unknown about this very sneaky virus . Almost every day, new material is revealed about SAR-COV-2. Most of this information is to do with potential ways to understand as well as contain the spread of this highly contagious microorganism. The big question is whether through rational thinking, “extra” precautionary measures should at least for now be taken by wig wearers and hair extension users?

While users of these products wait for European, Asian, American and/or our relatively underfunded African scientists to conduct research to prove or reject the highly plausible notion that wigs and hair extensions could possibly be safe havens for the coronavirus, it may be worthwhile for both female and male users of wigs and synthetic hair to seriously consider practicing additional simple decontamination measures. These could include: (1) Lessening the patting of the wig and hair extension when worn. (2) Washing and sanitizing hands any time they touch their wig or hair extension; (3) regularly washing wigs and hair extensions with antibacterial shampoo to prevent any matter from settling on these porous surfaces and (4) Disinfecting hair mannequins and other storage areas for wigs and hair pieces. As at May 21: (1) recorded infections( 6269) as a percentage of Ghana’s total population remains below 0.02%. Of these documented infections, the 8 cases or roughly 0,00003% of the total population were deemed serious or critical cases; (2) the over thirty (31) COVID-19 unfortunate fatalities as a percentage of the over six thousand known infections was circa 0,49%. This is well below global and African mortality benchmarks of around 6.48% and 3.1% respectively. (3) The over one thousand eight hundred (1898) recovered cases as a percentage of documented

infections was 30.28% and rapidly inching towards the global and African benchmarks of 39.75% and 40.6.% respectively.(4) Serious critical cases as a percentage of the recorded infections is approximately 0,13%. Worldwide serious critical cases as a percentage of the recorded global and African infections were approximately 0,90% and 0,30% respectively and improving. The majority of the informed population has now unhappily acceded to the fact that SAR-COV-2 is here to stay for a while. However, through science and engineering, self-discipline, rationality and common sense, adherence to proven and adaptable guidelines, including WHO recommended guidelines to regularly wash and sanitise hands, improve personal hygiene, clean surfaces, wear face masks, and s

Professor Douglas Boateng is an international chartered director and Africa’s first ever appointed Professor Extraordinaire for Industrialisation and Supply Chain Governance. www.panavest.com

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FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

MARITIME

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Ensure smooth ICUMS take-off at Tema Port— Osafo-Maafo tasks Customs Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo has expressed satisfaction on the progress of work regarding the implementation of the new Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) and has therefore tasked the Ghana Revenue Authority GRA to ensure its smooth take-off at the Tema Port. “This exercise has been very successful with the system able to accept the manifest from shipping lines, and the ability of freight forwarders to use it. I must say with what we have seen today I have no doubt that we’ll be able to take–off come implementation date. The rest of the work rests on the Customs officials who will have to stand ready for the take-off,” he said after a simulation and stress test exercise for the new system at the port. The simulation exercise was conducted by the Ghana Revenue Authority in collaboration with Ghana Link Network Services Limited and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.

It was carried out to test the ability of the ICUMS to facilitate the free flow of both imports and exports in the presence of key stakeholders including Meridian Port Services (MPS) Limited, Ghana Shippers Authority GSA and the shipping lines and other port regulatory agencies. The exercise also tested response time in dealing with incidents such as grounding of a vessel due to an oil spill that could have environmental repercussions on the port’s marine wildlife. The success of the simulation was seen in the readiness of the ICUMS for public use at the Tema Port as well as the Kotoka International Airport. Acting Commissioner–General of the GRA Amisshadai Owusu-Amoah, assured the Senior Minister of the Authority’s determination to ensure the project’s smooth take-off. “Everything is going as planned and am impressed with the effort put in by the service provider and my officers. The simulation has

been successful and its gives us the confidence with regards to the rollout date” He added that when the ICUMS is fully deployed at the Tema Port which is the biggest in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the country will see an increase in revenue over time

with many of the current loopholes blocked. The ICUMS system is expected to be deployed at the end of the month of May at the Tema Port and the KIA.

The role of GPHA’s health facilities and personnel in the Covid-19 fight On shore, the health and medical team of Ghana’s Ports and Harbours Authority are still leaving no stone unturned in the fight against the COVID-19. The team has been playing a key role in the dispensation of health services amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Ghana Port and Harbours Authority has four main health facilities; the GPHA hospital in Takoradi, the main GPHA Clinic located in Tema Community 2 and Clinic B located within the port’s operational areas that handle first hand emergencies. Additionally, GPHA recently completed its fully state of the art International Maritime Hospital with modern and top-class medical equipment, wards and facilities and a helipad for emergency helicopter ambulance services. All the medical and health facilities operate a 24 hour, 7 days a week services providing top class health care delivery to the port community, people of Tema, Greater Accra Region and Ghana as a whole. The GPHA Clinic is not currently a designated treatment center for COVID-19, but continues to interface between generally sick patients, and their families, who could be potential carriers of the coronavirus. Eye on Port gained exclusive coverage of the dealings within the GPHA Clinic associated with COVID-19. The Clinic ensures that all clients, staff or visitors upon entrance of its

facilities, observe hygiene protocols including, washing of hands thoroughly under running water with soap and the usage of alcoholbased hand sanitizers through automatic dispensers. Special screening of all Patients on COVID-19 parameters is done to ascertain their status for effective isolation if the need be. Isolated patients who either show symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to COVID-19 infected patients, are taken to a holding area, which is restricted, where patients are detained and their samples taken. According to Dr. Roland Dakpala, a Senior Medical Doctor at GPHA, supportive treatment is given to patients who demonstrate symptoms that require attention in order to stabilize them until test results are confirmed. “If we support a case and we have moved the case to our holding area, we take a set of these medication and use it for management of the symptoms till the results come,” he said. Gideon Lamptey, a Medical Laboratory Scientist took the team through the procedure for sample taking. He hinted a high probability of expanding the holding area should the number of reported cases and other infectious diseases increase. “We are planning towards the future, while COVID-19 is there.

Diseases of public health concern always come in, so when you plan for that it is easier and it also helps us the health personnel,” he mentioned. Dr. Roland Dakpala said all these procedures by health officials are done with strict adherence to the proper use of the Personal Protective Equipment. He added that regular fumigation of the holding areas and other areas of contact in the clinic facility is done due to the contagious nature of COVID-19. He emphasized that COVID-19 is not a myth so the general public should comply with all safety protocols announced by health authorities.

“We will continue to advise strongly that every citizen, still continues to take their infection prevention measures,” he encouraged. The Matron Nurse of the GPHA Clinic, said even though they could not celebrate the Week-Long World Nursing Celebration, they will continue to play their key role in taking care of the general public against the COVID-19. She also expressed worry over stigmatization against nurses and frontline officers during the period of the coronavirus pandemic and urged those who do so to desist from that.

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

NEWS

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ADB earmarks GH¢500m to support poultry production

The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has set aside GH¢ 500 million to support the poultry industry in Ghana. In partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), the Bank of Ghana (BoG), the Ghana Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL) and the Out-grower and Value Chain Fund (OVCF),the programme is meant to end the country’s dependence on imported poultry products and create jobs for the youth. Under the initiative, the ADB will give soft loans to the tune of GH¢ 500million to businesses in the poultry value chain to help de-risk their operations, increase chicken production and cut out the imports. The first tranche of the facility, amounting to GH¢23 million, has been approved by ADB’s Board and is now ready to be disbursed to six businesses in the Bono Region. The Managing Director of ADB, Dr. John Kofi Mensah, explained that the initiative was the bank’s support to the government’s Broiler Revitalisation Programme, aimed at increasing domestic production of chicken. Dr. Mensah said the amount was to be invested between 2020 and 2022

in line with the bank’s strategic plan. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is also to provide technical support to the beneficiary businesses under the initiative. Dr. Mensah described the programme as “a big revival of the poultry industry” that would help spur growth in related sectors, including maize and millet production, provide low cost but quality chicken to hotels and other hospitality sector operators and create thousands of jobs. He said the initiative would target businesses that engaged in the production of poultry feed, the rearing of the birds, the processing of the meat and the marketing of the chicken to ensure that the entire value was properly funded to help remove the bottlenecks. With the approval of the first tranche of the facility, the beneficiary businesses would be given between GH¢1.5 million and GH¢9 million to either revamp their businesses or start new ones with the ultimate objective of increasing domestic production of poultry production. “What is happening is a hatchery will produce, we will get the day-old chicks that will be made available to the selected institutions that will rear them.

“There is another company that will produce the feed for the day-old chicks and the broilers and then it goes to the processor before it moves to the company that will market them,” he said. He said the funding would mainly target existing businesses with experience in the sector. National consumption of poultry currently exceeds domestic production by more than 340,000 tonnes, according to the MoFA. Dr Mensah stated that estimates showed that businesses which would benefit from the facility would be empowered to create additional 50 jobs in the initial stages, with the possibility of scaling it up in the coming months. In terms of impact on the broiler production per company, he said the poultry producers should be able to double their capacities after receiving the support. “If you were producing about 10,000 birds per month, you should be able to produce 100,000 birds per week after benefiting from this support,” he said. He said from the Bono Region, the programme would move to the Ashanti Region, the Greater Accra Region, and the Eastern and Central

regions. Dr Mensah said, unlike traditional loans that attracted interest rates above 20 per cent per annum, funds from the bank’s Broiler Revitalisation Programme would attract interest rates below 10 per cent per annum. He explained that the “exceptionally low-interest rate” on the funds was made possible by the partnership with the GIRSAL and the OVCF, which, he said were absorbing more than 75 per cent of the risks associated with lending to businesses in the poultry space. He was optimistic that the lowinterest rates would help reduce the cost of production of the companies to be supported and put them in a position to be able to sell the final product — the chicken — at competitive rates. He said estimates showed that the final price could be lower than the price of the imported products, thereby making it possible for consumers to switch from the imported poultry to the domestically produced birds. He said the assistance from the MoFA would ensure that the chicken to be produced meet all the required standards and was also of best quality to help outcompete the imported products.

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

AFRICA BUSINESS

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Investors rush to Nigeria Nigeria’s early move to tap cheap loans has improved its risk perception among foreign investors, leading to a fall in the country’s borrowing costs. Yields on Nigeria’s dollar bonds maturing in 2047 fell from an alltime high of 13.2% on March 19 to 9.1% on Wednesday. This is as the West African nation presented a revised $27 billion budget to cabinet that kept spending intact, with a proposed record deficit of 5.4 trillion naira ($13.9 billion), which will be financed mainly from new debt. Nigeria’s economy has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the slump in the price of oil, the nation’s top export. The plunge in crude has forced the central bank to devalue the naira, while inflation has been above its target band for almost five years. Africa’s largest economy has lined up ambitious borrowing plans in its domestic bond market and has secured $3.4 billion from the International Monetary Fund. It expects $3.5 billion from other lenders and has used the collapse in oil prices to scrap fuel subsidies that cost the country at least $2 billion a year. Support from the IMF and the other development institutions, along with a nascent recovery in oil prices has boosted investor confidence, according to Edwin Gutierrez, the

London-based head of emergingmarket sovereign debt at Aberdeen Standard Investments. “Nigeria has been an outperformer of other sub-Saharan African credits during that time,” Gutierrez said. Still, this doesn’t reduce Nigeria’s underlying weak fundamentals given the wide deficit and low foreign-exchange reserve buffers amidst low oil prices, said Mohamed Abou Basha, the director and head of macroeconomic analysis at EFGHermes. Africa’s largest crude producer, which relies on sales from the commodity for about half of government revenue, projects that its oil earnings will drop by at least 80% this year. The deficit could widen to 6.8% of gross domestic product from 4.8% in 2019, according to the IMF, and unless Nigeria gets a waiver from creditors, interest payments could eat up 96% of the federal government’s revenue, up from 58% in 2019. “If secured, multilateral loans would cover around 21% of the general government deficit in 2020,” Fitch Ratings said in a report published Monday. Yet investors seem unconcerned. The cost of protecting Nigeria’s debt against default has dropped by 520 basis points since March 18, an indication that creditors are feeling more secure holding the country’s

debt. Risks have also receded in the past few weeks after the IMF disbursed its loan to Nigeria. Despite the country’s public debt set to rise to 34.8% of GDP this year, from 29.1% in 2019, according to the IMF, it’s a

relatively low level when compared

with most emerging markets. In a report last month, the IMF said it believes Nigeria’s debt is sustainable and there is adequate capacity to repay the fund Bloomberg

All of the world will be affected negatively if Africa is forgotten amid covid-19, says WHO expert A new model predicts that almost a quarter of a billion people in Africa will be infected within 12 months without adequate measures to control the novel coronavirus’ spread. Between 4.6 to 5.5 million people could be hospitalised under this scenario, severely straining limited health resources. Nearly 250 million people could catch the novel coronavirus (COVID-19 aka SARS-CoV-2) across the African continent, with up to 190,000 of them dying if African countries don’t receive the support that they require. This is according to the latest peer-reviewed report by experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), due to be published soon in the British Medical Journal. Dr Humphrey Karamagi is the Team Leader for Data, Analytics and Knowledge Management in the WHO Regional Office for Africa and co-authored this latest report. Sputnik: How will non-African countries be affected if the African continent doesn’t get the support it requires to avoid the worst-case scenario that your model predicts? Dr Humphrey Karamagi: All

countries of the world will be affected negatively. At present, WHO has said it anticipates the virus would be around the globe for a few years. Africa may become a source of new infections for other regions of the world, just as other regions may be a source of new infections for Africa. The support to the African countries therefore needs to be part of the overall global response for all countries. Sputnik: Your report says that previous predictive models have failed to adequately reflect the socio-ecological factors which are unique to many African countries. What is different about your model that results in a more fair and accurate prediction of what we can expect to occur in Africa? Dr. Humphrey Karamagi: First, it takes into consideration new information about the epidemiology of SARS-Cov_2 infection, which the other models may not have had. Second, it incorporates the information on how the infection interacts in the body to cause severe disease, particularly in relation to

the elderly, and people with obesity, diabetes or are on hypertension management. Third, it captures a wider range of socio-ecological factors influencing transmission, all of which country specific data is used to build countryspecific models of transmission. Sputnik: What must be done to avoid the worst-case scenarios of healthcare systems being overstretched due to the COVID-19 outbreak? Dr Humphrey Karamagi: Effective public health measures focusing on the need to test, isolate, treat and quarantine suspected cases. The aim is to interrupt transmission enough to reduce the risk of infection to a level where a country can effectively respond to the cases its health system can manage. This will avoid unnecessary deaths and costs. Sputnik: The African continent appears to have suffered less from COVID-19 compared to Europe, the US and parts of Latin America thus far. Why is that? Could it be that a lack of sufficient testing is hiding

the true figures of those who have contracted the virus? Dr Humphrey Karamagi: There are a number of potential explanations: First, it could be that Africa is still at the early phase of the pandemic that Europe and America went through given its lower rate of transmission postulated from the model. Cases are now increasing in countries where public health containment measures are not effective and reducing in countries where they are (like Mauritius, Eritrea). Secondly, levels of testing are very low in some countries and many cases may not be detected. As seen in the rest of the world, it is important to have expansive testing in order to identify and respond to cases. Sputnik: Is your model open source and can its assumptions and data can be scrutinised and evaluated? Dr Humphrey Karamagi: Obviously it is, and has even been peer reviewed by independent experts. All countries have received and are using it through the WHO Country Offices. (Source: Sputnik)

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

Lifestyle

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

Talking Death with Kyekyeku BY GABRIEL MYERS HANSEN

ays ago, conversing with musician Kyekyeku, on Facebook, I ask: “why is the dirge absent from modern Ghanaian pop?” He had sent me a recent EP by Kpodo, an excellent five-song collection comprising entirely of funeral songs, and that set the tone for a long chat. As a highlife musician, he is no stranger to the subject of death and grieving. A notable aspect about palm-wine music — the epochal iteration the Nigeria-born, Ghana-raised guitar wizard is a contemporary custodian of — is the dirge. Steadily, over decades, the subject seems to have vaporised from today’s mainstream, making projects like Kpodo’s the exception rather than the norm. Kyekyeku’s thinking is this: for today’s musician, funeral-themed records are neither lucrative nor good for their image. “It will not sell their albums or up their downloads, it will not sell their swag or paint them as the best lyricist.” And so, even if “some of the most compelling poetry and music ever made in Ghana had themes of the dirge,” it’s not first choice material anymore. (Much in the manner that Gospel musicians turn to Bible passages for their compositions, Kyekyeku offers that Death poetry — since pre-colonial times — was already highly-developed in how it offered ready lyrics. For instance, the lyrics for Alhaji K. Frimpong’s “Bebi a Obi Awuo,” basically borrows verses from Akan death poetry.) It may not be lucrative today, but in decades past, aside from serving as the perfect situations within which to express respect and affection for the deceased, death and funerals, to Kyekyeku’s mind, also provided a unique avenue to make some money while also building an audience. Hence, “most albums would have a song or two on death or bidding a friend goodbye. This meant that at a funeral, the musicians or band could be invited to play fitting songs for the occasion.” Here’s another theory by the man on the waning popularity of dirges in today’s music: “maybe life has gotten more fun with happiness to look forward to. Talking about things that do not connect with happiness is therefore intentionally avoided. However, what the [older generation of musicians] managed to do was to

use death to describe love. ‘Odo ye owu’ is translated as ‘love is death,’ and it’s the most common phrase one can find in Ghanaian highlife. It appears, therefore, that each time they sang about love referencing ‘odo ye owu,’ they indirectly were singing about death.” For reference, Kyekyeku cites the great Ebo Taylor, whose international hit, “Love and Death” draws from this classic Ghanaian credo. “The way our mainstream played out meant that musicians had to make hits on themes connected with sensuality, the brag, and to a great extent, protection from God,” he observes. “A great part of the music has always reflected what American musicians and YouTube sensations are talking about.” These mostly exclude dirges. If I was thinking of Wyclef Jean’s “Diallo Diallo,” it would not suffice, he joked. Closely connected to the dirge, Kyekyeku notes, are feelings of longing — for another, or something one has lost — “which is not ‘love.’” There are still music styles that are heavily built on the sentiment of pining, he says, an example being the Morna of Cape Verde,

“ where ‘sodade’ — that longing for something — is very present. In Kyekyeku’s estimation, today’s highlife has shed about 90% of this emotional peculiarity. Searching his mind, he names Kofi Ani Johnson’s “Madamfo Pa Beko” as the last great example. To him, that the subject of death so dominated the highlife of decades ago, enjoying a remarkably fruitful relationship with the sound, stems from deep, inherent respect which the Ghanaian society has displayed for the dead. “Since long, the events that were marked as calendar occasions included — in a big way — funerals; the news of the death of a loved one is usually greeted with weeping amidst the singing of dirges. What goes into composing “funeral music,” I asked? From consuming a lot of music of that sort, Kyekyeku gathers that the essence of funeral songs is to “remind society of how short life can be.” To the question, specifically, this is his opinion: “In general, the sincerity of the pain or fear of death must be ably carried by the song through instrumentation, vocal delivery, etc.”

Also fundamental, he notes, is the ability of the musician to inhabit the thought space of themselves as one on the inevitable journey to the other side, or those bearing the heartache of the loss. “If these sentiments cannot be captured in a song,” he holds, “then the composition is most likely not complete.” On the musical scale, “most funeral songs may assume a minor or modal form as they tend to have a sadder effect on the listener.” While they typically arrive in slow to mid-tempo pulses, it is not uncommon to find some in quick tempos, particularly those led by the youth on the day of the deceased’s return home from the morgue. “These songs may include cries and wails to the main vocals lines,” he adds. Among Kyekyeku’s favourite composers of music catering to death and grieving are Nana Ampadu, Aseibu Amanfi, Dr. Paa Bobo. Amakye Dede, Kojo Antwi, Nana Acheampong and Lumba — all of whom he considers “masters of this field,” for which reason “they are always relevant as musicians.” One must not forget the Methodist hymn book too, he stresses.

L I F E STYL E

(…CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7) As a musician practising highlife, the trusted dirge medium, how does Kyekyeku process the concept of mortality? Does the idea bother him at all? Of course, he says. “As humans, I think there are times when we think of our mortality and when we finally say bye [and then] there are days that we may live as if there is nothing to care about; that there is nothing at stake. “And that is also the human factor; the concern is how we process these two situations to affect our decisions. So yes, it bothers me what we leave behind; what we do to make things easier for those who are not here yet in relation with society, environment etc. What I don’t like, though, is when people use mortality to subject others into religious beliefs, and then, by extension, making moneys off the laity.” On why death continually feels so mysterious, even if it is as constant as life itself, Kyekyeku sets out wisecracking, before summoning a proverb: “well, no one in living memory or dead has ever spent some holidays in death and come back to tell, so I guess that’s the mystery we don’t know. As we say in Akan, ‘kontonkrowi a oda amasan kon mu’: death is like the halo that surrounds the moon. It’s a mystery and everyone wears one.” “Where do we go when we die?” I prod. Because he has not died, he hasn’t a definite answer, nor does he think anybody alive does. “I only know that the physical form ceases to exist but our remnants by way of our works, progenies etc. tell of our existence. “It is the fear of the uncertainty after death that births a lot of our belief systems and religions which have become the biggest factor of the ways societies interact with itself,” he says, returning to his earlier point. “But I am a big believer in the nature of energy. I think we return to our source energy-wise.” Also subscribing to the idea that energy cannot be destroyed, only transforms, Kyekyeku operates with the conviction that “we never die.” “ Our energy gets transformed into another form to continue.” Back to dirges, and why they matter in pop: “Dirges serve as a way to touch a part of the soul that often cannot be touched.” Why? “These days — at least in the Ghanaian case — society gets everyone playing tough and emotionally barricaded.” Thus, it sounds almost “crazy,” to explore that theme in popular music, he observes. Kyekyeku finds it understandable that songs about death hardly have a place these days in the mainstream, but these songs, he suggests, “don’t have to be dirges in that sense. Just talking about the realities that one day we all won’t be here, and so then what we leave behind is equally as important as what we do now, should be enough for a great tune,” he points out. “Some have found a great way to make hits with that,” he admits,

naming Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” as one such example. “I feel it is a way to break the selfcentred ephemeral topics of current music and remind ourselves of the inevitable sometimes. As Koo Nimo says in one of his tunes, ‘Owuo ti se nnoboa’: death is like a communal aid; we all go to help in another’s farm. In these parts, the observation of funeral rites are largely unique to each community,. They are also steered by the religious persuasions of the deceased person, or their family. Traditionally, however, in most of southern Ghana, funerals occur over multiple days. Three, generally, though a person’s wealth could also influence how long their rites will run. Funerals usually happen over three or four stages: the first involves bringing the dead home to be with close family, the second stage sees friends and the community gather to share in the sorrow of the family, as well as offer their last respects. The day of burial, the saddest, is characterised by intense wailing that gradually dies down and transitions into a more cheerful phase; one that dwells on the celebration of the life of the deceased. Activities during this stage, right down to the music, aims at reliving happier moments with the deceased. This aspect is usually led by the youth present at the funeral who, buoyed by the peppy music on display, steer the “Gbonyo

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party” (more on that shortly). The final stage is the “thanksgiving stage,” which largely involves songs to encourage the living, and to thank God for life, while looking forward to the rest of life. The feature of dancing over the dead, or the “Gbonyo party” is as popular as it is controversial. In Kyekyeku’s view, it is “ still a developing phenomenon, even though aspects of it have gone on to grab international headlines. (Here, he’s referring specifically to Ghana’s Dancing Pallbearers, who have, in recent months, courted global notice for the spectacular pageantry that often attends their processions). The “Gbonyo party” tradition is not unique to Ghana. Centuries ago, it found its way into New Orleans via African slaves, and runs under a different name: “The Second Line.” Following in West African customs, mourners go to the cemetery with sad songs, and return in a joyful parade complete with a full brass section. Clearly, slave masters wouldn’t permit funerals to go on for three whole days as is the situation in West Africa, requiring that activities are crammed into a single day. This idea was deployed in a James Bond scene from 1973, albeit abridged. “Some agree that dancing with the dead in a coffin is quite disrespectful and insensitive, while others believe that it elevates the status of the dead and is thought of as a befitting way

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

to say goodbye. However, all put together, I think it is to follow the classic aspect of funerals having a bit of both sorrowful and fun moments. In the north of Ghana, the dead can be dressed and made to sit in state while people dance around, in a way of entertaining the dead one last time before they finally depart this world.” As Kpodo’s Dirge EP is how this whole conversation began, I return to it for Kyekyeku’s parting comments, specifically, what his impressions about that project are, and where it sits, in his opinion, in today’s music terrain? Someone he has known for some time (though they’ve not collaborated yet), Kpodo’s ability to re-craft palmwine and vintage-style highlife, is not unfamiliar to him. However, the palpable innovation displayed on the body of work, which still finds its author maintaining the Ghanaian artistry with dirges “awakened” Kyekyeku. “I have some many friends who release projects every week that it’s so difficult to single out any for listening.” But Kpodo’s project was singular. “I simply couldn’t resist sharing that. It may not be a big hit, it may not be among playlists of the top DJs, but it will surely count among the best to be performed at grounds where dirges are required, as well as with young and old listeners who want some content of great philosophy and thoughts about the journey of life.”

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

L I F E STYL E- I N T E RVI E W

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Akon is engineering a new Africa

BY GABRIEL MYERS HANSEN

ision is a curious thing: as much a curse as it is a gift. Few understand the frustration of being ahead of one’s time like Akon, the Senegalese-American pop icon and business mogul born Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam. Months ago, during a quick sitdown by a pool at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, the “Lonely” man, elegant in allwhite and holding in his eyes the singlemindedness of one on a mission, broke down the paradox to me. “The blessing is that you see the future before it happens,” he said. “You can be a part of it; you can prepare yourself for it, and you also create infrastructure to accept it when it comes.” The troubling part of the endeavour? Convincing people: “getting [them] to understand it before it happens to help you get to that point, making them understand that this could be the future, so let’s prepare for it.” Weeks before our conversation, the British-Ghanaian rapper Sway Dasafo, formerly signed to the former’s Konvict Music imprint, had expressed a similar opinion to me of

the man whom, at the time of signing him at least, was “the biggest black entertainer on the planet.” Akon has continually been ahead of the curve, Dasafo had stressed. And so, that sunny afternoon in Accra, when Akon painted me a vastly ambitious image of the Africa of ten to fifteen years to come, it was hard to doubt him. The artist foresees the continent as a superpower; a place where people across the world will come to—to further their endeavours; “their dreams, their careers, their future.” The above message is one he has trumpeted for years. Indeed, the new Africa is already happening, he argued: “I think we’re already there.” China, for one, substantiates the assertion. “They’re in here heavy [sic] because they see it as well.” Likewise, Britain and France are maintaining a strong relationship with the continent. “Everybody’s trying to keep a strong hold.” Not only does Akon foresee great things for the continent, but he is also actively involved in making it happen. Back in January, he told CNN of his desire to “make the biggest impact in Africa.” Thus, beyond his extensive imprint on its music, he is contributing infrastructure. In 2014, together with Samba Bathily and Thion Niang, he founded Akon Lighting Africa. A million households

on the continent now have access to electricity because of the solar project. Akon City, the crypto-based city he is building in Senegal, will run on Akoin, his own cryptocurrency, which he has predicted will be our new medium of exchange. Cryptocurrency, he believes, will see the continent “digitally monetize all of our resources; our goods, our trading. And we’re going to be in a position where we can create and control our own systems, where we can live in a way where Africans can benefit from it. Already heavily invested. Akon’s prognosis of Africa rests heavily on its youth, which currently makes up 77% of its population and, to his mind primed to drive this next chapter. “Our generation is going to be the one to take Africa back [to its ancient glory],” he said, adding “we’re a lot smarter,” and “understand the future and how it should be done, how our people should be governed.” Now is the best time to be a young African, stressed the rapper. “There’s no fear; the younger generation is a lot more fearless, and they’re willing to go out and educate themselves with the history.” Crucially, he noted, “we are the only ones with the courage to stand up to the powers that be; to make that difference.” The African diaspora, too, will

play a vital role in this collaboration toward the new Africa. “You’ve got to understand: a lot of AfricanAmericans have always wanted to come. They just needed a good reason to be here,” he submitted. “A lot of times, they resisted because if fear. Now, we’re in a position where most people in America are wanting to understand Africa—they’re wanting to learn more about Africa, and engage in Africa themselves.” He entreated that when they do come, heeding campaigns like the “Year of Return,” hosted by Ghana last year, the diaspora should be welcomed “with open arms; show them as much love as possible, and encourage them to want to stick around and invest.” Vision is a strange thing. Often, only its bearer fully knows it, and yet, it requires a community to put it into action. What do you do when people around you do not get it? After a while, you just stop bothering about what they might think. “You just go, because you know it’s just going to be the future. So you prepare for it and just pray that others believe and understand, and will ride with you when it comes to that. Those are the ones that normally benefit—the ones that believed in the beginning. But the hardest part is convincing people.”

L I F E STYL E- S P O RTS

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020

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Manchester United’s net debt increases by £127.4m to £429.1m in a year Manchester United’s net debt increased by £127.4m to £429.1m in the 12 months to 31 March 2020, their latest set of accounts reveal. United made a pre-tax loss of £28.55m in the third-quarter from 1 January to 31 March, compared with a £11.117m pre-tax profit in the same period last year, because of the initial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and adverse movements in the US$exchange rate. Net finance costs for the quarter were £25.3m because of the rate, an increase of £22.2m on the same period the previous year. The club has also withdrawn its previous revenue predictions for the year of £560m-580m owing to the impact of the pandemic. Broadcasting revenue fell by £27.8m to £26m – a decrease of 51.7% – because of a £15m Premier League rebate to broadcasters following the delay and changes to the broadcast schedule for the 2019-20 season, non-participation in the Champions League and the impact of playing two fewer Premier League away games. Matchday revenue for the quarter was also down, by £2.6m to £29.1m,

because of the postponement of the last-16 Europa League home game, one Premier League away game and the FA Cup quarter-final at Norwich. United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, said the club were well-positioned to “weather the challenges” confronting football. “Since the start of the pandemic, Manchester United and our foundation have provided assistance to hospitals, charities and schools in our communities, as well as support for frontline workers and vulnerable fans,” he said. “These actions reflect our core values as a club and the resilience through adversity that we have demonstrated many times throughout our long history and will do so again to weather these current challenges. “In that spirit, we look forward to the team safely returning to the pitch and building on the exciting momentum that Ole [Gunnar Solskjær] and the players had previously achieved, while taking all necessary steps to protect public health. Our thoughts remain with all those affected during this unprecedented time.”

Andrés Iniesta calls children N’Golo Kanté granted compassionate leave by Chelsea born because of his goal against Chelsea in 2009 – video over Covid-19 fears N’Golo Kanté was granted compassionate leave to miss Chelsea’s second day of phase one training because of the midfielder’s fears over the coronavirus. While Kanté took part in Chelsea’s return to small group training on Tuesday after registering a negative coronavirus test, the France World Cup winner has concerns regarding attempts to resume the Premier League season. The 29-year-old is not convinced that it is safe to train while the UK remains in the grip of the pandemic and was given full consent to miss Wednesday’s session by Frank Lampard and the club. Lampard fully supports Kanté’s stance and it is not known when the Frenchman, who trained at home yesterday, will return. Kanté’s elder brother Niamh died of a heart attack shortly before the 2018 World Cup and he lost his father when he was 11 years old. Kanté, a quiet character who is understood to have largely remained indoors with one of his brothers since the suspension of the season, also experienced a health scare when he collapsed in front of his teammates at Chelsea’s training ground two years ago. Tests did not reveal any heart concerns but the former Leicester player missed Chelsea’s next game. Callum Hudson-Odoi was

also absent from Wednesday’s session after falling ill. The winger’s condition is not related to coronavirus or his arrest last weekend. He has been prescribed a course of medication. Olivier Giroud and Willy Caballero have both signed contract extensions which will keep them at Stamford Bridge for another year. Giroud had been linked with Internazionale and Lazio but the striker regained his place in the team side before the lockdown and Chelsea have decided to trigger a one-year option in the Frenchman’s current deal. Lampard has been impressed with Giroud’s attitude and the manager is also a fan of Caballero, the 38-yearold goalkeeper. Tying Giroud and Caballero down to new deals represents good business for Chelsea, who could yet lose Pedro and Willian on free transfers this summer.

Lionel Messi rolled the ball into the path of Andrés Iniesta and, suddenly, there was life. Quite literally. It was 6 May and it wasn’t just the players running into each others’ arms. Nine months after Iniesta’s famous lastminute goal at Stamford Bridge in the 2009 Champions League semifinal, there was a spike in the birth rate in Catalonia; 11 years after it, the Spaniard has marked the occasion by calling some of those children to say hello. From lockdown in Japan, Iniesta made surprise video calls to two 10-year-olds born in Catalonia in late January 2010. Not so much happy birthday, perhaps, as happy conception day – although that did not come up in discussion. “Has your mum shown you the goal?” Iniesta asks Ignacio, born on 18 January. Of course she had, Ignacio says: “You were a star.” His mother, Andrea Barri, tells Iniesta that she found out that she was pregnant just before travelling to Rome for the final against Manchester United. She didn’t tell her father until they were on the flight, just in case he suggested she shouldn’t travel. “It worked out perfectly,” Iniesta says, with a smile. Josep Enric was born on 29 January, and comes to the call wearing a Barcelona shirt, with his brother. His father, Josep Salvat, says he remembers the shout, the moment – of the goal, that is – and jokingly revealed how his brother had done the calculations and said: “Josep

Enric is an Iniestazo!” If so, he was not the only one. “There will be a lot of love made tonight,” Gerard Piqué had said after Barcelona made it to the final and, it turned out, he was right. A spokeswoman for the maternity ward at the Quirón hospital in Catalonia said births were up from nine or 10 a day to 14 or 15 in her hospital alone. A subsequent study in the British Medical Journal recognised the potential bias of its Barcelona-supporting researchers but tentatively concluded that it was plausible to talk of a 16% rise. “The heightened euphoria following a victory can cultivate hedonic sensations that result in intimate celebrations, of which unplanned births may be a consequence,” the report said, adding: “Ideally, to bridge the gap between observational and trial data, it would help greatly if Iniesta were willing to replicate his intervention – although the cost of such a study could be prohibitive, not to mention harmful to the reference group [Chelsea].” Guardian.co.uk

FRIDAY MAY 22, 2020