'Busy Network Series’ kicks off with session on SME

Praveen Sadalage

4G operator Busy, has in line with its strategy to focus on empowering the youth and entrepreneurs, has organized the maiden edition of its monthly discussion series intended to focus on topical issues that will directly contribute to the growth of the SME sector.

Dubbed ‘Busy Network Series’, the first edition focused on SME driven policies and initiatives being rolled out by government, fund management, funding opportunities and how SMEs can take advantage of them.

Addressing a gathering of a cross section of SMEs at its flagship shop in Accra, Chief Executive Officer of Busy, Praveen Sadalage said Busy has always championed the course of startups and small businesses.

“From the days when we had a mixed-use facility setup where entrepreneurs without offices or formal addresses could come work out of our offices and take advantage of our business support services; we are looking to scale up our support for the SME market by further creating platforms and providing solutions that will empower them to grow their businesses”, he said, adding that the Busy Network Series will create opportunities for first hand interactions between entrepreneurs, policy makers and other relevant industry players on topics that will ultimately drive the growth of SME’s within our economy.

Mr. Sadalege added that having identified the SME market as a major growth driver of the economy; in terms of creating employment, revenue generation for government and wealth creation, it is imperative that purpose-driven Ghanaian brands like Busy see it as a responsibility to create platforms and offer support services that will support the growth of this industry.

The Director of Investments at the Ghana Investment Promotion Center, Edward Ashong- Lartey re-emphasized the importance of SMEs to Ghana's transformation and growth of the economy. He said SMEs account for 25% of revenue of banks operating in Ghana.

He noted that due to government’s resolve to drive growth within the SME sector, it is rolling out several initiatives to support the sector. He mentioned that government is repositioning the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) which has been set up for SMEs and MASCLOC to support the rapid growth of the sector. He also outlined the numerous support services that the GIPC provides and advised that SMEs take advantage of these services.

Speaking on funding opportunities and fund management for SMEs, Dominic Donkoh, Head of Business and Retail Banking at OMNI Bank reminded the gathering of funding opportunities available on the market, adding that SMEs must commit to proper book keeping and take advantage of the numerous support services available to implement best financial practices within their businesses since this was key amongst other factors to accessing funding.

The Busy Network Series will come off every month and will focus on different sectors of business and topics that have direct impact on the growth of the SMEs in Ghana.

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How to look like a Corporate Executive

Do you ever wonder what it takes to acquire that perfect gentleman or lady look?

Looking successful and refined doesn’t take a day to master. It is a process, and definitely requires a lot of time, effort and investment.

But with these ten tips, you will surely earn a good start in the race. Not everyone has the same keen business sense like R. Yofi Grant has been blessed with, but we can all look like he does!

Tips

1. Buy a suit. It doesn’t have to break the bank, just a perfect fit and preferably a dark one. Remember to remove the tag on the sleeve. Pair it with a plain shirt, a patterned tie and cufflinks that aren’t flashy.

2. Every detail counts; select a good phone that will enable you to do a lot. Pay attention to the phone case and your ring tone.

3. Try to get a leather watch that looks good and matches your suit. If you are meeting someone and cannot be on time, just be early. Corporate executives are never late.

4. Buy a pair of good shoes that matches your suit, and care for it well.

5. Get rid of the backpack and buy yourself a briefcase or an elegant men’s bag, it conveys importance and a busy schedule.

6. Perfect grooming isn’t a leisure activity. Manicure, facial hair grooming, dental care, the whole nine yards adds to your personal brand. So start today.

7. Smile, but not as if you are hiding something. Walk in a determined manner, not fast but not slow. Walk as if you know where you are heading.

8. If you really want to look complete, get yourself a nice car that you can leverage on its brand, like a Mercedes or BMW. This isn’t necessary, though.

9. Speak with Confidence but don’t be overbearing. In a conversation, if you do not know an answer to a question, do not pretend to know. Just state confidently, “I do not know, but I will find out for you.” OpulenceConsult offers vocal branding sessions to create the vocal sound to compliment your personal brand.

10. Finally, when all is said and done, you want to be seen at the right places and with the right company. ‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most of the time with’ _ Jim Rohn.
The Style Strategist

Source : OpulenceConsult

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Vodafone CEO Engages Customers on Twitter

Yolanda Cuba

Chief Executive of Vodafone Ghana, Yolanda Cuba, on Wednesday, demonstrated great leadership and commitment when she took to the company’s Twitter handle to respond to queries and questions from its numerous followers.

It was a rare opportunity for customers to have an up-close-and-personal interaction with the CEO and the queries came trickling in thick and fast. In a 2-hour session that brought Twitter to a standstill, the engagement under the hashtag - #AskYolanda – became the number 1 trending topic in Ghana between 1pm – 3pm that day.

She had her hands full as subscribers and followers piled on a whole range of questions including product challenges, customer service and network quality, her career experiences, 4G spectrum acquisition and the like. The session was not without its humorous aspect as some subscribers wanted freebies for the number of retweets they made as well as requests for lunch dates.

Yolanda has been very active in responding to customer queries on Twitter for a while now; however, Wednesday’s engagement was very comprehensive and lasted for two hours.
The company believes that the engagement will help drive and enhance customer experience on the network.

Commenting afterwards, Yolanda Cuba said:

“For Vodafone, we understand deeply that the sole reason why we exist is to serve our customers. How we serve them and are responsive to their needs are paramount. Today was an extension of what we do every day – keeping customers confidently connected.”

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Appointment of ERERA Council Members Rekindles Hope of Electricity Market Launch

(L-R): Council Member (Engineer), Mr. Aly Mar Ndiaye, ECOWAS Commissioner for Energy and Mines, Dr. Morlaye Bangoura, ECOWAS Director of Hunan Resources (Operations), Mrs. Amelie Kone, ERERA Chairman, Professor Honoré Bogler and Council Member (Economist), Dr. Haliru Dikko at the reception on Friday, 5th May 2017 in Accra.

The Chairman of ERERA, Professor Honoré Bogler, has expressed renewed confidence that the launch of the first phase of the ECOWAS electricity market will go on as rescheduled, especially with the appointment of two Regulatory Council Members to join in the decision-making process of the institution.

The launch of the regional power market has been postponed twice partly because some documents critical to the operations of the market were yet to be approved by the ERERA Regulatory Council, following the vacancy created after the end of tenure of the last Regulatory Council in April 2016.

With the assumption of duty of the two Council Members on 4th May 2017, Professor Bogler was hopeful of “a good and united Regulatory Council, which is dedicated to achieving the objectives of ERERA, and thus working towards the realization of the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Market and the economic and social well-being of the people of West Africa”.

Professor Bogler was speaking on Thursday, 4th May 2017 at the welcome reception of the two ERERA Regulatory Council Members who assumed duty in Accra.

They are Dr. Haliru Dikko from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Mr. Aly Mar Ndiaye, from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Senegal and formerly of the Electricity Regulatory Commission (CRSE) of Senegal.  

The Chairman also enumerated the challenges encountered when he assumed office in April last year. This included absence of other Members of the Council, a permanent headquarters for ERERA, staff shortage and inadequate financing of the institution.

He lauded ERERA staff who he described as very dedicated, hardworking and exhibiting great team spirit in the discharge of their responsibilities, in spite of the challenges.

Professor Bogler expressed gratitude to the managing authorities of the ECOWAS Commission, especially the President of the Commission, Mr. Marcel Alain de Souza, for their continuous support to ERERA. He also expressed the hope of a rapid resolution of the challenges, especially with the arrival of the two Council Members whose delayed appointments, he said, greatly affected the outcome of ERERA’s work.  

Also at the reception were the ECOWAS Commissioner for Energy and Mines, Dr. Morlaye Bangoura, the Director of Human Resources (Operations), Mrs. Amelie Kone who represented the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Resources, Mr. Joao Silva Monteiro, as well as ERERA staff members.

Commissioner Bangoura highlighted the expectations of the President of the ECOWAS Commission in line with the importance of the power sector for the regional economy.

He then expressed optimism that the new Council Members would contribute meaningfully to ERERA’s achievements, considering that they had been involved in the institution’s activities as experts from their countries.

Describing the tasks before them as huge, the Commissioner urged the Council Members to build on the sacrifices of their predecessors and help attract investments to the regional power market through a successful launch of the market, among others.

Speaking on the strategic importance of ERERA to the ECOWAS Commission, the Director of Human Resources (Operations) of the ECOWAS Commission noted that ERERA is the only technical arm of ECOWAS with a Regulatory Council.

She expressed the hope that ERERA’s success would open the way for the establishment of other regulatory bodies in the different sectors of the economy of West Africa.
 
In their separate responses, Dr. Dikko who is an economist and his engineer counterpart, Mr. Ndiaye, stated that they were aware of the expectations of the West African citizenry, and thus pledged their dedication to ERERA and the ECOWAS Community.

More specifically, they pledged to help bring solutions to the many power challenges in the region, primarily ensuring a reliable, efficient and least available cost of electricity that is accessible to all citizens of the Community.

Looking forward to working with a balanced team of professionals, both Council Members promised to operate an “open door” policy as well as ensure excellent staff welfare and capacity development.

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YFM’s Vision DJ, DJ Mic Smith Win Big at Ghana DJ Awards

Vision DJ

Vision DJ and DJ Mic Smith of the YFM family over the weekend won two prestigious awards at the Rush Ghana DJ Awards.

Vision DJ was adjudged Best DJ / Artist Collaboration of the Year and DJ Song of the Year with his ‘Grind’ hit song, featuring A.I while DJ Mic Smith won the Best Night Club DJ.

 The ‘Grind‘ hit song off the #BlowChicken album was the third single of Vision DJ and it featured fast rising act AYISI ICAN (A.I) while Kuvie handled production.

DJ Mic Smith

DJ Mic Smith on the other hand currently holds 4 awards and 6 nominations; 2 awards with 4syte TV for DJ of the year, The Redbull club DJ of the year award and Best Mixtape DJ in previous Ghana DJ Awards.

Commenting on the awards, Ms Naa, General Manager of YFM, commended Vision DJ and DJ Mic Smith for winning the award and urged them to continue with the hard work.

“ We are very excited about this award and very proud of the fact that members of the YFM family have been recognized in such a big manner. We share in their happiness and wish them both all the best in their careers,” Ms Naa stated.

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Happy FM’s DJ Advicer Wins Best Music Promoter

DJ Advicer

Happy FM’s Radio Presenter, DJ Advicer, has been adjudged the best Music Promoter for the year 2017 at the just ended Rush Ghana DJ Awards

DJ Advicer, who is known in real life as Isaac De-Graft Danquah, beat the likes of Jerry Justice, Kwame B and DJ Phletch among others to emerge winner in the Best Music Promoter of the Year category.

The Rush Ghana DJ Awards, which took place over the weekend at the Silver Star Tower is an annual event which seeks to reward DJs who have remarkably entertained people and played a major role in music promotion in the year under review.

This is the second time the award winning DJ Advicer has won Best Music Promoter of the Year after winning the same award in the 3rd edition of the event.  He has previously won numerous awards including Highlife DJ and Music DJ of the Year at the Ghana DJ Awards.

According to Kwesi Sarpong, Programs Manager at Happy FM, DJ Advicer’s hard work throughout the years is yielding results with the various awards he has been winning.

“Happy FM is a brand that pushes its staff to be the best in whatever they do. This is just the beginning of great things to come.  We encourage DJ Advicer and other staff to continue with the hardwork,” Mr Sarpong stated.

DJ Advicer is the host of Happy FM’s ‘Ayekoo’ Drive, a show which runs every weekday from 2-4 pm. The show has undoubtedly endeared itself to listeners with ingenious tracks selection and making hits out of songs, which hitherto weren’t heavily patronized by music lovers.

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The Baby Fence-mender (Tooli Bibii)

On the eighth day after the birth while the moon was yet to evanesce, kinsmen thronged the now famed compound to witness the miracle baby. It was a replica of a shanty town; unplanned cluttered dwellings with very good asphalted roads flanked by open drains.

"Did you find it easy to get here. Here, taste this." I was greeted at the wooden gate by my fiancee, Dede, offering a calabash of fresh, hot, dark corn wine she had fetched from the cauldron sitting on flaming logs, yet to boil fully.

"Oh yes," I slurped a little. "I told the driver I was headed for Asere in Ga Mashi...Lante..."
"Lante Djan We" , we synchronized. "Yes, yes!"

By now kinsmen and friends, all clad in traditional white had carved a crescent seating formation, leaving the middle of the compound bare, where I noticed a ring of ash. I took a seat.

"That's my Uncle Kwei Mensah and his wife, Ny3kw3 Kai", Dede nodded. They were old and grey; I could say almost or a little past three-score.

"It's indeed a marvel", Dede explained. "She has been childless for decades, and my grandmother has given her no rest at all."

"Your grandmother has patience the size of my baby finger", one lady behind us interrupted our conversation, unwelcomed. I could detect an ample doze of tartness in her voice. She sounded salty.

"I know, Ny3kw3 Amateokor. Let's not ruin today", Dede, skinning her teeth, was not one to take offense at a first jab.

A towering old woman came hobbling across the compound clutching a baby wrapped in a piece of white calico safely to her bosom. The rite was set in motion.

The moon was still blessing us with good light. She commanded much respect, for everybody either rose to bow or wave at her as she lurched into the ring of ash and rid the baby of its cloth.

She held the baby up towards the moon and chanted, "We present this infant to the Supreme Being", then laid the baby down in the circle of ash, repeating the process twice.

"Oh it's beautiful...it's lovely. Our ears will rest henceforth". Ny3kw3 Amateokor was still casting vengeful subliminals, this time echoing it across the entire compound.

A bowl of water, signifying rain was thrown unto the aluminum roofing sheet and allowed to dribble on the baby. Next, the aged woman gently tapped the back of the baby and repeated, "Never lie, steal or cheat. Take after me."

I stared at Dede. "She is held widely as the eldest kinsman of good repute," she explained. I nodded.
"This is water, and this is wine. Know the difference." I saw the baby suckle on the old woman's finger as both corn wine and water were put in her mouth.

"Henceforth, you shall be called Lamile...Lamile Amoaben-ajaaku."
The uproar which erupted was thundering.

I followed as the kinsman handed the baby over to her mother, slapped the cork of a bottle of schnapp and offered libation on behalf of the infant.

"Agoo Ataamei ke Awomei.“Tswa Tswa Tswa omanye abla'o Tswa Tswa omanye abla'o. Tswa omanye aba, Osoro (Osu) Ahatiri, Obu Ahatiri, Oboro dutu wokpe, Wodsebu wodse nu, Wo ye wo nu wo kodsii adso wo, Gboni bale etse yi ana wala, Enye yi ana wala, Esee tuu, Ehee fann, Eyi aba gbodsen, Ese aba halaann, Wekumei wona faa ni wo fa le, Eba tsu eha wo ni woye, Eko atasi ni eko aba, Ganyo humile koyo tsua dani owieo, Tsua Tsua Tsua manye aba,”
"Hiao!", the guests said Amen to that!

After the neighbours had chucked down enough meat and emptied the cauldron of its corn wine, and everybody was dancing to the E.T Mensah's "Abele", I noticed Ny3kw3 Amateokor had locked Dede's grandmother in a seemingly fond embrace, both swaying to good hi-life music.

"Look at them," Dede sniggered. "This baby has made brothers of Nanumba and Konkomba."

By Michael Nii Moi Thompson

About Writer : Michael Nii Moi Thompson is a US-based Ghanaian poet/ writer of fiction. His debut book of short stories Tooli Bibii, is scheduled for release soon.

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Ronaldo´s Problem is that Messi Exists - Xavi

Ronald and Messi

Barcelona great Xavi praised the "spectacular" Cristiano Ronaldo, but said the Real Madrid star's problem was how good Lionel Messi is.

Ronaldo and Barca maestro Messi are regularly compared and always in the discussion over the greatest players of all-time.

Xavi, a former team-mate of Messi's at Camp Nou, said Ronaldo deserved credit, but feels the Portuguese attacker is behind the Argentinian.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a born scorer, a spectacular footballer," he told A Bola TV.

"The problem is that there is Messi, who for me is the best player in history.

"That is the only problem that Cristiano Ronaldo has, but he is a player who scores and continues to mark an era."

Ronaldo's Madrid are in Champions League action on Tuesday, hosting rivals Atletico in the first leg of their semi-final.

Source: Opera Sports

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HAPPY FM, UT BANK POISED TO STOCK NATIONAL BLOOD BANK

Happy FM and UT Bank are spearheading the donation of over 1,000 pints of blood to stock the National Blood Bank and save lives at the 37 Military and Korle Bu Teaching Hospitals.

Organized every year for the past 12 years, this year’s event will be held at the premises of UT Bank, located at Airport City on Thursday May 25.

According to Kwesi Sarpong, Programmes Manager of Happy FM, “we always look forward to this particular programme every year because we know we will contribute significantly towards saving lives in the country.

We do not take it for granted so we urge other institutions to come and support this noble cause. We want to encourage all listeners of Happy FM and compassionate members of the general public to come and help save a life with their bloods”, Mr. Sarpong added.

Happy FM has been partnering the UT brand on this CSR project over the past six years and the two outfits are again involved in the 2017 drive.

The exercise would begin from 6:00am and end at 5:00pm. There would also be free breast screening and health checks for participants by qualified medical professionals from KBTH and 37 Military Hospital.

For more information, tune in to 98.9 Happy FM in Accra or check out www.happyfmghana.com.

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U.N. Hails Muntari For Walk-off Over Racist Chants

The United Nations' top human rights official hailed Pescara's Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari as an "inspiration" on Monday for leaving the pitch in protest after the player said he was booked for complaining about racist chanting.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said FIFA needed to pay greater attention to the persistent problem of racism at games - and that his office had been in touch with soccer's governing body.

Muntari said he had complained that parts of the crowd, including a group of children, had hurled racist insults at him from the start of his Italian team's game at Cagliari in Serie A on Sunday.

The player said the referee then told him to stop talking to the crowd and ended up showing him the yellow card for dissent in the 90th minute.

Sulley Muntari

Zeid called Muntari "an inspiration to all of us here at the U.N. human rights office" for taking a stand.

The persistent problem of racism at games required "added attention or deepened attention by FIFA," he told reporters in Geneva.

His office had been in touch with the organisation, he said without saying when, and he planned to attend an international match in about six weeks' time to spread the message that "racism and expressions of bigotry should not be tolerated at major sporting events".

Zeid recalled another "deeply alarming" match, in Ukraine, where Dynamo Kiev fans wore Ku Klux Klan outfits and swastikas.

Italy and other countries have struggled to stamp out racist chants at games. In 2013, the AC Milan team left the pitch during a friendly in the town of Busto Arsizio after home fans insulted midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, another Ghanaian.

Under guidelines introduced following that incident, the referee is supposed to alert the fourth official who should in turn contact authorities policing games.

FIFA last week fined Argentina, Mexico and Brazil for their fans' homophobic chants - sign of a growing crackdown on the insults often hurled at opposing goalkeepers.

Source: Reuters

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M.anifest Visits Grandmother's Hometown to Talk Reciprocity

'Hand Dey Go, Hand Dey Come' off his latest effort, Nowhere Cool is a song that has Ghanaian
rapper M.anifest talking about reciprocity.


'Hand Dey Go, Hand Dey Come' is slang that suggests mutuality - ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’.


The song features rising star and now frequent collaborator Worlasi and in this flick, we see the two men working hand in hand to reel in the day's catch in the coastal town of Woe.


Woe is a town on the southeastern shores of Ghana which is perhaps best known for its Cape Saint Paul lighthouse. It also happens to be M.anifest's grandmother's hometown.


The song was produced by prolific producer Drvmroll and the video directed by Garth Von Glehn.

Hand Dey Go, Hand Dey Come video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96lJKdu7HLc

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Meet the Doughman on Busy’s JUMP Platform

Francis Kofigah

One of the most motivating stories to have been captured on www.jump.com.gh is that of “The Dough Man”. I personally met the Doughman when he addressed a Rotaract meeting a few months back.

I was not surprised when his story made it onto a platform dedicated to inspiring young people and young professionals. The Doughman is essentially a young man who has taken to making doughnuts as a business venture and is making a profession out of it.

Let’s take a gist of the story. For the complete story and others like this, take time off and visit https://jump.com.gh/entrepreneurship/meet-the-doughman:

Social media is turning around businesses in Ghana. Lots of startuppers are beginning to discover the immense benefit social media can be in building their brands, customer base and increasing sales. App developer, turned doughnut maker Francis Kofigah is the CEO of Doughman Foods. When he was asked what’s an app developer doing selling doughnuts, his answer was that “I get asked that question several times. I like doughnuts. I like to have them with pineapple juice. I just love them”.

According to Francis, a friend got him doughnuts from town and it tasted really good. So he asked for it a second time, but it was out of stock. He got so surprised because it was only 9am and so he thought there was opportunity in there. He decided to do a little research on how to make doughnuts, got a team together and kick started it.

For his first day in business, they wondered how they were going to sell. That was the challenge. “We got these paper bags put the doughnuts we made in and decided to go from shop to shop to tell people about our doughnuts. Some wanted to taste, some others rejected because they didn’t know the brand. In fact we got several rejections”, he said.

Did he feel like giving up then? Oh yeah he did. He really did. He had invested a lot of money in it and people were just tasting without paying for it. So they devised a plan to rather market their doughnuts on social media and they targeted specific personalities they thought would push their product. It worked.

Francis Kofigah

So under a year, they have moved from doing 20 to 30 pieces a week to doing hundreds. That’s because they got some social media influencers to share their posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Calls were just coming through and the market just shot up! Today they struggle to meet requests because they are overbooked.

Let’s bear in mind that Francis Kofigah is a technology guy. He develops apps among others. How does coding and doughnut relate? People ask that a lot. But because he is a techie, it is rather helping his business. He uses the knowledge he has acquired to promote his business. So what’s the future for Doughman? Well they aim to deliver all over Ghana.

Currently they run their delivery service only here in Accra. “Who knows we could even become a popular name in West Africa if you give us another year” – that is the belief and dream of the young man.

Stories like this are compiled on www.jump.com.gh and offer a good source of materials to inspire young people and young entrepreneurs.

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