SARPONG'S BLOG

Ten Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs) in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area gathered to celebrate the results of 100-day action plans to improve sanitation in their respective assemblies. Results include: 9 drains built; 6 beaches cleaned; behavior change in targeted communities; hygiene promotion in markets including awards for cleanest market stalls; micro-finance mechanism set up for families to build household toilets. These results deemed "impossible to achieve" just three months ago were made possible through a rapid-result approach supported by the World Bank GAMA Sanitation and Water Project for Ghana. The Rapid Results Approach (RRA) is an increasingly popular method for improving performance within large organizations and multi-sectoral partnerships. It uses specially structured, 100-day goals to accelerate change and capacity development. Each 100-day Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) has been designed by a diverse team of "frontline w...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express Come next week, entrepreneurs and experts in the technology and mobile industries including representatives from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Vodacom and MTN will convene at the Africa Technology Summit and Angel Fair Africa event at the Labadi Beach Hotel. The event is been organized by the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) from Ghana and the Stuff magazine, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to the MEST, Africa Technology Summit will identify and explore the disruption, key players and revolutions sweeping across the continent and impacting a wide range of sectors. A statement from MEST stated that the technology and innovation space in Africa is flourishing, as several media reports show, and for that matter it’s a more profound shift than just the blossoming of clever mobile solutions like M-PESA or Ushahidi. The organizers said Africa has uniquely leapfrogged redundant technologies – and as ...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong-Daily Express Abdul Salaam   Mumini, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Venus Films Production and a film maker has applauded Africa Magic/M-Net for introducing Ghana’s Block on DStv to promote Ghanaian movies. “This is a plus to filmmakers in Ghana because its allow us work hard and produce more good content,” said Abdul Salaam. He said this when Africa Magic/M-Net officials met the Ghanaian industry players last weekend in Accra. The meeting was to inform the industry players about to the Block which aim is to promote local movies and music. The Ghana Block channel on the Africa Magic/M-Net is to offer Ghanaian movie and music industry players the opportunity to showcase their quality products to the rest of the world. The Block is finally to take off this November, 2015.  “Every Ghanaian filmmaker must provide more content and make money from this initiative from Africa Magic/M-Net,” he reiterated. Abdul Sallam, who has been dealin...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong                  The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) will organize this year’s Annual Strategic Marketing Conference at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra. According CIMG, the conference which takes place tomorrow Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October, 2015 is in pursuance of its mission to improve on the performance of marketers, professionals and administrators within Corporate Ghana. The conference theme is based on this year’s Annual theme: “The Future of Marketing: Evolve or Die.”  Mr. Kwabena Akuamoah Agyekum, an Executive Director at Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana told the Daily Express that the conference seeks to explore changing trends in marketing as a profession and our attempt to “crystal ball gaze” the marketing profession 10 years from now. The Daily Express gathered that the conference is opened to all workers within the pri...

By: Mathias Amoah Entries for the fourth edition of the prestigious Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, (AMVCAs), which offers filmmakers the opportunity to send in their work done for awards will end on the 30th of October, 2015, according to the Africa Magic. Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, Regional Director for M-Net (West), said: “Submissions for the fourth edition of the AMVCAs are still ongoing and we urge all filmmakers across the continent who meets the criteria to send in their works. All film and television works that are produced and broadcast or publicly exhibited between October 1st 2014 and September 30th  2015 qualify to enter for the 2016 AMVCAs.” The AMVCAs were created to celebrate the contribution of African filmmakers, actors and technicians in the success of the continent's film and television industry and with the success of the previous three editions, preparations for the 2016 edition are underway. For...

Ghana's producer price inflation (PPI) fell to 3.7 percent in September from a revised 3.9 percent in August, continuing a downward trend, the statistics office said on Wednesday. The reduction, after a sharp drop last month, is good news for the government which started an International Monetary Fund programme in April to stabilize an economy plagued by fiscal troubles and inflation persistently above target. "The utilities sub-sector recorded the highest year-on-year producer price inflation of 7.2 percent, followed by the manufacturing sub-sector of 4.3 percent," government statistician Philomena Nyarko told a news conference. Mining stood at -2.1 percent. Ghana's PPI has dropped from 47 percent since Sept 2014 driven by a fall in the prices of gold and petroleum products, Nyarko said. Until 2013, Ghana had some of the strongest growth rates in Africa due to its exports of gold, oil and cocoa. A combination of lower global commodity prices and macro-econ...

Atwima-Kwanwoma Rural Bank continues to show strong performance, posting a profit after tax of GH¢4.43 million, last year. Mr. Patrick Owusu, the Board Chairman, said the figure represented 25.51per cent growth over year 2013 total of GH¢ 3.52 million. Addressing shareholders of the bank at their 32 nd annual general meeting held at Pakyi Number-Two in the Amansie West District, he said its deposit hit GH¢58,268,027.88 from GH¢51,308,886.58 during the period. At the same time, the bank’s investment rose from GH¢38,241,946.52 to GH¢46,237,272.28 while total assets stood at GH¢74,396,816.58 as against GH¢62,521,170.98. Mr. Owusu also spoke of substantial increase in its support to individuals and businesses to expand their economic activities. It gave out GH¢15,504,378.50 in loans and advances compared with the previous year’s amount of GH¢13,765,362.21. The bank’s stated capital came to GH¢1,149,957.61, which was a 4.83 per cent rise over last year’s GH¢1,097,012.61. H...

Sub-Saharan Africa economies continue to implement reforms to improve the business climate for domestic entrepreneurs, with members of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) particularly active during the past year, says the World Bank Group’s annual ease of doing business measurement. Measuring Regulatory Quality and Efficiency, released today, records a total of 69 reforms in 35 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of these, 14 of OHADA’s 17 member countries implemented 29 reforms. The reforms implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for about 30 percent of the 231 reforms implemented worldwide during the past year. The region also boasted half of the world’s top 10 improvers, i.e. countries that implemented at least three reforms and moved up on the global rankings scale, with Uganda, Kenya, Mauritania, Benin and Senegal. The region stood out in implementing reforms under the Getting Credit indicator. Of the 32 reforms made globally, 14 wer...

By: Mathias Amoah with files from GNA Report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown that about 2,900 cases of breast cancer are being diagnosed annually in Ghana. The disease has been identified as the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Ghana. It also noted that at least one of eight women with the disease died. The report revealed that a total of 2,000 Ghanaian women were diagnosed of breast cancer in the year 2012. The report indicated that, 1,000 of the figure, representing 50 per cent of the cases died and so there was an increasing danger of complications for women in Ghana and the whole of Africa. Dr. Akwasi Anyanful, a senior lecturer at the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Science (UCCSMS) made this known at the third annual Oguaa breast cancer awareness campaign week on Saturday in Cape Coast, to commemorate this year’s breast cancer awareness month. The programme was organized by Breast Screening Services, a Cape Coast ba...

The second edition of the African Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) summit is scheduled to take place in Accra on Thursday November 5, to Saturday November 7. Dubbed: “African SME Summit” it would be on theme: “Dreaming Africa.” The three-day summit which would be organised by Vodafone Business Solution (VBS) in collaboration with Creative Trends Limited, seeks to offer a platforms for SMEs to learn from major industry players and also understand business growth essentials. A statement signed by Ms Angela Mensah-Poku, Head of VBS, and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday said, the summit would also provide networking and mentoring opportunities for SME owners, and avenues for them to showcase their products. “With our passion to empower SMEs in Ghana, the enterprise arm of Vodafone Ghana, VBS, is headlining this developmental agenda,” it said. The statement quoted Ms Mensah-Poku as saying SMEs are the main engines for economic growth and development gl...

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ghana and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) have agreed to promote and advocate timely and strategic investment in Ghana’s children by the private sector. A statement jointly issued by Monica Arach of UNICEF Ghana, and Charles Opoku Mensah of the GIPC, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, on Monday, said the partnership was first announced on August 20, by the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Mrs Mawuena Trebarh during the press launch of the Ghana Club 100 Awards. “Ensuring that a child goes to school, has access to quality healthcare, is fed with nutritious food and is protected from abuse and exploitation is fundamental to creating a healthier, more literate and ultimately more productive economy,” said Susan Ngongi, the UNICEF Representative in Ghana. “The private sector has a role to play in making that a reality for the children. UNICEF is actively working through the Coalition for...

World Vision, Ghana, is to sharpen skills of local government institutions in the presentation of their gender based pro-poor projects, to stimulate support within and outside Ghana. This move is against the backdrop of receding international funding for such projects, as Ghana lists as a low level middle income country. Gifty Appiah Policy Strategist, World Vision, Ghana, was speaking at the National Stakeholders’ Meeting of World Vision Ghana held in Ho on Saturday. He said such policies or programmes must be impactful, clear, implementable and strategic. World Vision Ghana is one in the chain of NGOs linking World Vision International, which supports around1, 500 gender support programmes in many areas across the world. Mrs Appiah said World Vision Ghana was in Child Protection, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Health, Nutrition, HIV and AIDS, Education Food Security and Resilience. She observed that while Ghana was normally quick to sign international child inte...

Driven by its passion to empower Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana, the enterprise arm of Vodafone Ghana, Vodafone Business Solutions (VBS), is headlining the 2nd edition of African SME summit scheduled for 5th   to 7th   November, under the theme ‘Dreaming Africa’. The 3-day summit organized by Creative Trends Limited, will offer the platforms for SMEs to learn from major industry players and also understand business growth essentials. The summit will also provide networking and mentoring opportunities for SME owners, and avenues for them to showcase their products. Commenting on the summit packages,   Angela Mensah-Poku, Head of Vodafone Business Solutions, said: ‘Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the main engines for economic growth and development globally, and they account for the highest number of registered companies in every economy. Fundamentally, they are important players for national development but face a number challenges ...

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong-Daily Express Hawking activities has started gaining grounds around the newly constructed footbridge near the Tetteh- Quarshie Interchange close to the Accra Shopping Mall. A visit to the recently commissioned footbridge showed traders selling foodstuff, clothes, chains, mobile phones and accessories and among others  under the facility with impunity. The footbridge is one of four footbridges being constructed on hazardous roads in the country, at a cost of 7.8 million euros secured through a grant from the Austrian Government. The traders who spoke to the Daily Express said they were aware of the illegalities they were engaged in, but quick to claim that they had no place to sell.  “We have been told not to sell here by the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA), but we don’t have anywhere to do this,” one of the traders told the Daily Express. These traders have gathered at the section of the road leading to...

The GFA Appeals Committee has upheld the appeal filed by Asante Kotoko which sought to overturn the decision of the Disciplinary Committee dated 1st September, 2015. Asante Kotoko appealed against the decision of the Disciplinary Committee which ruled that the Elite Clubs Competition matches were not official matches and therefore the player could not have served his suspension by sitting out in the Kotoko vs. Dunkwa United match.  The player was therefore adjudged to be unqualified when he featured for Hearts on the 2nd August, 2015, after he had featured for Kotoko in three previous matches upon his 3rd caution. As a result , Kotoko suffered a forfeiture of the said match by deduction of six points from their total points and Hearts were awarded 3 goals and 3 points in accordance with article 34(2) of the General Regulations of the FA. A fine of GH¢5,000.00 was also imposed on Kotoko. Below is the full decision of the Appeals Committee : PANELISTS 1. ALHAJI FAROUCK SEIDU - VICE C...