SARPONG'S BLOG

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express Mantrac Ghana Limited, the sole authorized dealer of Caterpillar (CAT) products in Ghana has organized a power solution seminar in Accra to update its customers and introduced them to new technologies to improve efficiency of its products and also address their concerns. The one-day seminar saw customers drawn from various sectors such as Mining, Banking, telecommunication, public service and among other areas. The Managing Director (MD) of Mantrac Ghana, Mr. Emad Adeeb, in a speech read on his behalf said the company has over the decades, supplied and supported major power plants and projects with its reliable CAT-branded diesel power generating sets with a customized after sales support to reduce down times in power supply. “This year is no exception as we have supplied various sets from 12.5kva up to bigger projects like the 5.8 MW generator installed recently for Persus Mining. Our supplies now cuts across from residential up to ...

By; Mathias Amoah- Daily Express Vivo Energy Ghana, the distributors and marketers of Shell branded products, has been awarded the Petroleum Company of the year 2014 by the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG). Vivo Energy Ghana was awarded for its outstanding performance including increasing its market share from 11% to 14% and taking over the market leadership position for the Oil Marketing Industry. The Petroleum Company of the Year Award was presented by the Industry Coordinator of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC), Mr. Kweku Agyemang-Duah and received by the Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Mr. Ebenezer Faulkner. In an interview, the Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana Limited, Mr. Ebenezer Faulkner expressed his appreciation for the award saying: “there are over 80 Oil Marketing Companies in Ghana and we feel very proud to be selected as Petroleum Company of the Year. We want to thank our cherished customers for their loyalt...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express Enterprise Life’s radio advert “tomorrow is not promised” has been adjudged the overall best Radio Commercial of the year 2014 at the just ended Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) awards held at the Banquet Hall in Accra. The award is conferred on the company in recognition of the innovative advert which was well produced, executed and clearly supported the brand. The accompanying citation read: “You have been able to use emotions to craft a message that is revealing and compelling to bring  out the realties that have always been neglected and you succeeded in carrying all of us along with the message which has touched base with your numerous clientele.“ It continued by stating that “your intention to creatively use words to bring reality and some revealing truths much closer to your target audience and let them know that life may not always go as they have planned, has earned and captured the attention of a captiv...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express About 300 Ghanaian companies are currently engage in several services in the Oil and Gas industry in Ghana, according to Mr. Kwaku Boateng, the Director of Service at the Petroleum Commission in an interview with the Daily Express. Mr. Boateng said before the commencement of oil exploration in Jubilee Field in 2010, the number of local companies were about 150, adding that currently there are about 300 Ghanaian firms providing services in Jubilee Field. The Daily Express gathered that these companies mainly provided services such as catering, protocol services, provision of manpower services, fabrication, plumbers, straight forwarding, logistics and among others. Mr. Boateng said the increase of Ghanaian participating companies in the industry indicate the well execution of Local Content Law in the sector. “The industry is very young in Ghana. We discovered oil in 2007 but actual production started in 2010 and when you look at ...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express President John Mahama has called on world leaders and the industrialize nations to give Africa the opportunity to be part of the world leading producers of commodities. According to President Mahama this will offer the teeming youth in Africa jobs to do and also stop them traveling to Europe and other part of the world to seek greener pastures. President Mahama said this when he delivered a speech at the UN Summit for the Adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the UN General Assembly in New York. He said “if the teeming youth of Africa must find jobs at home and stop attempting to cross the Mediterranean to enter the greener pastures of Europe, then we must review the role Africa plays in world production. A significant portion of processing and value addition must relocate to the continent.” He reiterated that the Africa Union's Agenda 2063 makes a strong case for integrating our economies on the continen...

Undercover investigator, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, has forwarded the names of the 12 state attorneys and police officers who took bribes to subvert justice. He has, subsequently, petitioned the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to sanction the said officers. He has since submitted videos of the suspects to the appropriate authorities for sanctions. Five policemen and seven state attorneys were caught on video soliciting various sums of money to free criminals standing trial for rape, robbery, dealing in narcotics, murder and defilement. Police officers stationed at the Takoradi, Cape Coast, Odumase Krobo, Aflao, Mpraeso and Akropong Circuit courts were also captured on video allegedly engaging in various acts of corruption. They allegedly took between GH¢100 and GH¢1,000. State Attorneys A Principal State Attorney, Rexford Anthony Wiredu, who has handled high-profile cases, including the Republic vs Kennedy O...

Africa United partners, including the African Union, Confederation of African Football (CAF), CDC Foundation and the World Bank Group proposed Africa United as a Commitment to Action at the 11th Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting. Africa United, a powerful neutrally-branded communications platform, leverages African political and football leadership along with national and local football stars to address leading health issues affecting African countries. Africa United supports the objectives of both the African Union and CAF in tackling the Global Development Goals, by using sport as a powerful tool to promote stronger health systems, education, peace and social integration on the continent. "As an athlete and a father, maintaining my family's health is of utmost importance. Africa United provides the perfect common platform for all of us to work together to improve the health of fellow Africans, and I pledge my support to this powerful platform,"...

The first of the African Media Initiative’s continental network of specialized reporters is set to begin operating following a successful five day training programme in Nairobi on the coverage of the ICT sector. Journalists drawn from the East Africa region who attended the training have been invited to become a part of the network pending approval and commitment by their editors that they will receive support in coverage of ICT related stories for their respective media houses. The Reporters Networks are a part of AMI’s Media Services programme and will consist of a content sharing platform and initiative to strengthen members’ professional capacity. AMI will be charged with monitoring each of the networks’ outputs in terms of quality, depth of coverage, and volume of stories produced. The aim of the sector trainings and networks is to improve the journalists’ understanding of how various industries work, increase their awareness of key issues and challenges facing the se...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express A study published by five authors in this month’s Malaria Journal has revealed that over one million people in sub-Saharan Africa will contract malaria this year because they live near a large dam. The study for the first time has correlated the location of large dams with the incidence of malaria and quantified impacts across the region. According to the study, some research identified increased malarial incidence near major sub-Saharan dams such as the Akosombo Dam in Ghana, the Koka Dam in Ethiopia and the Kamburu Dam in Kenya. “But until now, no attempt has been made to assess the cumulative effect of large dam building on malaria,” said the journal.     The study, however noted that construction of an expected 78 major new dams in sub-Saharan Africa over the next few years will lead to an additional 56,000 malaria cases annually. The researchers, Solomon Kibret , Jonathan Lautze , Matthew McCartney ,   ...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) in partnership with the Homestring Limited will host ‘Invest in Ghana Forum, 2015’ at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel from October 21-22, next month. According to the GIPC, the Invest in Ghana, 2015 will provides a unique opportunity for companies to improve their brand awareness, better understand bankable projects to date, network with end investors and secure more market share in some of the most exciting economies and markets in Ghana. It will gather international investors, experts, managers of financial institutions, Ghanaian decision makers, development partners and donors, as well as other key actors and business partners. The event is to connect companies, consultants and financiers with Ghanaian governments and private project owners. It will bring together market-movers, who have the capacity and experience to develop mega projects and public sector initiatives across the c...

 DStv Premium, Compact Plus and Compact subscribers will have an opportunity to select from the wide range of entertaining movies and the first three (3) highest renters for  each month will be rewarded 2 FREE vouchers to watch more movies on DStv Subscribers should expect to be swept off their feet with exciting blockbuster films. Get a DStv Explora decoder and immerse yourself and your loved one in a world of side-splitting comedies, thrilling suspense dramas, adrenalin-pumping action flicks and chilling horror movies. This week there are awesome movies like  Song One , P aul Blart: Mall Cop 2 , Out of the Dark ,  Survivor, Pitch Perfect and Unfinished Business  to rent. As if having access to all these hot blockbusters wasn’t exciting enough, BoxOffice is also running a special promo for   Mad Max: Fury Road  where subscribers will stand a chance to be rewarded with a hamper filled with The PS4 Console; Mad Max PS4 Game and Mad Max Merchand...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express Bank of Ghana (BoG), the regulator of the banking industry has started monitoring gold export from Ghana to other countries effective Tuesday September 15, 2015. The central bank says the purpose of monitoring the export of gold from Ghana is to have a record of gold produced in the country. In order to monitor the exporters effectively, the central bank has introduce measures that will governing the sector. Dr. Henry Kofi Wampah, the Governor of Bank of Ghana who announced this at a news conference says data from other gold importing countries show that the import figures from Ghana are more than data available to Ghana. “Because some analysis we have come across using partner countries data shows that what they show as import from Ghana is significantly higher than what we show as export of Gold from Ghana. So we think that we have to monitor gold export closely,” Dr. Wampah stated. He mentioned that the decision to mon...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express Regulator of the banking industry, Bank of Ghana (BoG) has directed two of the 10 illegal financial service providers who were operating without license in the country, to submit a list of their depositors before they can start paying back the monies to their customers. Bank of Ghana placed ban on all these companies and also freeze their accounts after they were identified operating as microfinance institutions without licenses.   The two companies are Buoyant Investment Limited operating in Techiman and Jirapa, and the Little Drops Helping Hand Association operating in Ho, Techiman, Sunyani and Berekum. According to the Governor of the central bank, Dr. Henry Kofi Wampah the central bank will lift the ban on the account of these two companies after they have submitted the list of their depositors. He said this at the 66 th regular monetary policy meetings (MPCs) with the media in Accra. Dr. Wampah said already the...

A shortage of long-term financing since the 2008 crisis is choking the investment-backed growth of companies in developing countries and hampering the ability of credit-worthy families to borrow for education and housing needs and escape poverty, a new World Bank report warned today. At the global level, this shortage of long-term financing also means that despite appeals by the Group of Twenty (G-20) and other key international groups, developing countries are struggling to mobilize the billions of dollars in financing they need to build badly-needed infrastructure in order to grow their national and regional economies. According to the new report: 'Global Financial Development Report 2015-2016: Long-term Financing,' extending the maturity structure of finance is considered to be at the core of sustainable financial development. Securing long-term financing, defined as investment funding that matures in a year or more, depends on the same fundamentals essential to tack...

By: Attah-Effah Badu-Daily Express Contrarily to article 16 of the Public Health act 2012 (act 851) which prohibits persons under eighteen years of age from buying, selling or been exposed to tobacco products,an investigation by the Daily Express Newspaper has uncovered an alarming development at the La Pleasure Beach resort in Accra where minors as young as 9 and 12 years are engaged in tobacco trade. These children, some of whom are in  primary school  overtly sell cigarettes and offer Shishasmoking (water pipe ) services to  holiday makers at the popular beach resort  , with some going the extra  mile of demonstrating how some of these products are used. Series of visits to the beach by a Daily Express reporter revealed that these minors sell the tobacco products on behalf of some adults for commissions, disregarding the immense health implications. In the case of the provision of Shisha services by these children,the investigation found th...