SARPONG'S BLOG

The much anticipated Reggae Dancehall concert to be held at Labadi Beach’s Princess One Love Bay has been moved to June 24, 2015. According to organizers, the concert dubbed Reggae Dancehall Mash-up was moved to June 24 to give patrons an unforgettable night of sizzling dancehall and reggae tunes. Organizers maintained that Dancehall sensation and the “No Noise” hit maker, Rashid Metal will still headline the concert. The show promises a night of excitement for listeners and enthusiasts of dancehall music, lovers’ rock and reggae. The organizers said the event has in store several mind blowing performances from other artistes who will be performing on the night. ‘We are therefore inviting dancehall lovers and the whole of Accra to storm La pleasure beach on June 24.’ – David Appiah, the lead person for the event. He added that ‘the show will subsequently be held at the end of every month with a line-up of top rated artistes and will be the best that could ever happen ...

Press Release, Wednesday 20 th May, 2015 Consumers of petroleum products have been taken aback by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) decision to increase petroleum prices by about 9% on average, which took effect from 17 th May, 2015. This increment has come at a time when Ghanaians least expected an upward surge in the price. With the automatic adjustment formula, fuel prices ought to be reviewed regularly when there are changes in the pricing components . What Ghanaians find to be strange is the way the government and the NPA have been handling price adjustment. From the latter part of last year to early part of this year, the prices of crude oil plummeted in the world market from a previously high price of USD 106 per barrel in 2014 to USD 46 per barrel . However, the NPA and the Finance Ministry told Ghanaians that the falling prices could not be passed on to consumers because of the debt owed to the Bulk Distribution Companies (BDC).  On 24 th February, 2015...

Finance Minister Seth Terkper is confident that Ghana's ailing economy will return to spectacular growth in view of progressive policies and measures adopted by government. He said there was every indication that this will happen sooner than later even though similar projections in the past haven't really materialised. Mr. Terkper just finished an introspective look at the economy and concludes that discipline is non-negotiable if government is to meet the aspirations of its people. "It is either we discipline ourselves or dissipate the opportunities that will arise when the economy shows any gain," the pilot of Ghana's economy said at a gathering in Accra Wednesday. His conclusions came at a presentation of the state of the economy where the minister shared some lessons learnt after Ghana’s promising economic flight was shot down in 2013. Huge budget deficits gutted important macroeconomic gains, Seth Terpker recognized. Once in a ditch, Ghana’s ec...

The prolonged energy situation leading to worsening power cuts in Ghana that has become known as dumsor, has been attributed to the inability of the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) to supply gas to the country as a result of an accident caused to its pipelines by pirates operating in West African waters. That is also said to have put pressure on the local currency, the cedi, because foreign exchange had to be used to import crude to power thermal plants. Addressing an IMF Programme Stakeholders meeting today May 20, 2015 in Accra, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Seth Terkper said, for two and a half years, the WAGP was unable to supply gas to power the country’s plants for electricity due to that accident. He also indicated that, for the same reason pressure was put on the cedi because foreign exchange had to be used to import crude, leading to the country’s foreign exchange issues and the depreciation of the cedi. The West African Gas Pipeline Company announced a s...