SARPONG'S BLOG

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong (Daily Express) Ghana's Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah has stated that the advent of social media is negatively affecting the writing and speaking of English language among students in the country, especially those in the Senior High School (SHS) level. According to Mr. Ablakwah, even though social media has been very helpful when it comes to communication among friends and families, students are transferring their ways of writing on social media platforms into the examination rooms and the way they speak as well. The North Tongu  legislator said this when he officially launched a  National Essay Competition instituted by the  UBA Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in Accra .   He noted that English and Mathematics subjects  are the major challenges in examination among  students,” reiterating th...

Two financial institutions and an oil company have donated various sums of money towards the first edition of IFEJ-Flamingo Award for Business and Financial Journalism which is slated for Friday December 12, 2014. The two financial institutions are adb, which donated GHc10,000 while HFC Bank donated GHc5,000. Sahara Oil donated US$2,000 towards the award ceremony. The award ceremony being organized by the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists (IFEJ) is being held in partnership with the World Bank, Enterprise Life Insurance and GIZ/SECO  who have all come up with good packages for some of the categories. The award ceremony which was launched on Thursday August 14 by the Institute is aimed at deepening the level of reportage in the area of economic and financial issues. A statement signed by the President , Mr. Lloyd Evans stated that the awards are in 10 various categories – ICT, Finance (Finance, banking, capital and money markets, insurance etc), Ex...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong Ecobank Transnational Inc. has announced that it has extended MasterCard acceptance to 28 African countries across all Ecobank’s network. According to the pan-African bank consumers can now use their MasterCard prepaid, debit and credit cards at Ecobank’s ATMs and Point of Sale terminals in 28 African countries. The 28 countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This is as a result of boosting card acceptance on the continent and also making sure that the continent emblazes cashless society. The two party signed the multi-country licensing agreement in January 2014 to gives MasterCard cardholders access to more than 2,500 ATMs and allows them to pay for goods and ser...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong (Daily Express) Interim financial results released in September, this year by the management of Sanlam Group shows that the group achieved operating earnings growth of 44% (43% on a per share basis) during the six months ended 30 June 2014. The group recorded increasing overall customer base (organic growth) of 40% augmented by an earnings contribution of R130 million from its recent acquisitions, up from R33 million in 2013. "Commitment to executing on our strategy over the years, coupled with a focus on specific priorities identified for 2014, supported our sustained growth during the first six months of the year," said Dr. Johan van Zyl, Sanlam Group Chief Executive. The company recorded 7% to R89 million growths in new business volumes and 18% annualized return on group equity value per share. Among the key findings, the group normalized headline earnings per share up 27%, net value of new covered business up 7% to R626 millio...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong (Daily Express) Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited, a subsidiary of Diageo and through one of its iconic brands Smirnoff, has launched its new campaign dubbed ‘Smirnoff Double Side’, with a 3D movie experience at Silverbird Cinemas in Accra Mall. The campaign is aimed at giving young adults the opportunity to break free from their typical lifestyles. It is an integration of fun activities on social media and on-ground activations that will provide the platform to socialize and relieve stress in responsible and exciting ways. Solange Kuimo is Marketing Manager, Spirits and Head of innovations and she said “We are committed to creating interesting and exciting night life experiences for our consumers. We have therefore created this campaign to enable young adults enjoy the other side of life out of their normal routine”. “Through this campaign, we will create the platform for the young adult to show the other side of their character not privy to ...