Sepp Blatter Re-elected Fifa President

Sepp Blatter

Sepp Blatter has been re-elected president of Fifa, football's world governing body, in a vote overshadowed by arrests and corruption allegations.

Mr Blatter's rival, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, withdrew after the first round of voting.

Mr Blatter fell seven short of the two-thirds needed, but Prince Ali opted not to contest further.

Seven top officials were arrested in Switzerland on Wednesday as part of a US prosecution that indicted 14 people.

Mr Blatter, 79, has faced calls to resign, including from UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who said in Berlin on Thursday that Mr Blatter should quit "the sooner the better".

'Current storm'

The vote took place at Fifa's congress in Zurich.

A candidate needed 140 votes to win in the first round.

The two candidates had earlier delivered final appeals to the electors.

Sepp Blatter

Analysis: Matthew Kenyon, BBC Sport

If you read most of the world's media, Sepp Blatter's ability to hang on to power at Fifa is nothing short of miraculous.

After years of negative headlines, the frenzy has reached fever pitch in the wake of the US allegations of corruption - even though Mr Blatter himself has not been implicated. And running through all this is a theme - bemusement that much of the football world keeps voting for him.

Nowhere is Sepp Blatter's support stronger than across Asia and Africa. So why do most of the representatives from those two continents appear to be voting for him again?

Here's about as succinct an answer as you're going to get - from the president of the Nigerian Football Federation: "Blatter feels Africa. What Blatter pushes is equity, fairness and equality among the nations."

We're talking about two things - the first is concrete investment, often literally so. The second is respect.

Source: BBC

Read More

Gov’t Adamant on Pre-tertiary Utility Bills

The Ministry of Education says government has not taken any decision to force students in tertiary institutions to pay utility bills. 

According to a statement signed by the deputy minister of education in charge pre-tertiary, Alex Kyeremeh, government’s policy regarding subsidy on water and electricity for tertiary students still remains the same. 

Rumors of government’s  decision to make students to pay utility bills emerged on March 25 at meeting attended by stakeholders in tertiary education in an auditorium of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).

But the deputy minister asked students to disregard any such rumour about the payment of utility bills. 

It can be recalled that students of the University of Ghana, Legon last Wednesday accused government of trying to use diabolic means to force them to pay utility bills in order to generate revenue to address economic challenges.

The directive comes at a time when the tertiary student body had threated to embark on a nationwide demonstration to register their displeasure over government’s impervious and insensitive intention to shirk its responsibility of payment of utility bills.

The demonstration was also to protest against the implementation of the policy which would have increased the fees of students by approximately GH¢500.00.

Meanwhile, Cabinet has also issued a new directive that all educational and health institutions be exempted from the disconnection exercise currently on-going in some tertiary institutions in view of critical services they provide to the citizenry.

Read More

ECOWAS Launches ECOLink

ECOWAS Commission for Finace Mrs Ramatu and Ibrahima Thiam

The ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) has launched the ECOLink project to boost transparency and accountability in the management of resources for institutions and agencies in the ECOWAS region.

Speaking at the launch of the project last Friday in Accra, El Hadj Ibrahima Thiam, Chairman of the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), stated that ECOLink project would enable ERERA to integrate applications that access standardized enterprise data for all ECOWAS institutions, agencies and offices.

The ECOLink project was initiated by the ECOWAS Commission to harmonize and improve business processes across all ECOWAS institutions and agencies.

“The project is a modernized management system with various parameters, including automated payment transaction that permit electronic processing of requisition, vetting of documents, quotations from vendors, technical evaluation and purchase orders,” the ERERA Chairman said.

Some of the significant benefits of the project for ERERA include streamling time-consuming business processes, improving control over documents, reducing paper work and easing access to information.

He added that through the main development vector that Electricity Power represents, ERERA was promoting interlinks between ECOWAS Members’ production and distribution plants in providing regulatory services, thereby ensuring economic efficiency and investment relevance.

“It is therefore with pride and honour that on behalf of the president of the ECOWAS Commission and all my colleague Statutory Appointees, I wish to pay tribute to our Council of Ministers for its contribution to the initiation, conceptualization, funding and implementation of the ECOLink project, amongst other institutional reforms in the ECOWAS Agenda,” Ibrahima Thiam said.

He disclosed that the project was an Integrated Management System that would reshape administrative, financial, procurement and human resources management in ECOWAS institutions and agencies, adding that it would certainly strengthen ERERA in fulfilling its crucial mandate for the benefit of the respective economies in the region.

Read More

Prince David Osei In One Cast Movie

Prince David Osei

Actor Prince David Osei joins the league of Ghanaian screen actors-turned producers with his upcoming first production titled, Last Night.

The new movie which is expected to hit the big screens very soon is a one-cast movie directed by Andy Boyo and stars the award winning actor, Prince David.

Last Night is a psychological thriller about a radio presenter called Bright Mensah, a drug addict married with a son. He’s a dodgy guy who also deals in drugs but uses his radio programme, ‘Truth and Consequence’, as a front.

He’s not who he really claims to be. After his normal radio session, he is on his way home when one of his numerous girlfriends calls him to pass over for a quickie.

His pregnant wife is kidnapped, same time his girlfriend is locked up in police custody, whilst the mum gets a heart seizure same time.

As if all these were not enough, he is involved in an accident and the next thing, he’s buried alive in a casket. The story begins…

The movie directed by Andy Boyo was shot with crew from South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana.

Last Night will soon be released from the stables of the actor’s PDO Production.

The movie is obviously re-launching Prince David’s career into different areas of the movie industry and catapults him to extreme heights.

By Francis Addo (Twitter: @fdee500 Email: fdee500@yahoo.com)

Read More

Chieftaincy Ministry Reacts To Kpone Story

Henry-Seidu-Daanaa, Chieftancy Minister

The Ministry of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs has asked members of the various traditional councils to disregard any directive from any government machinery which seems to interfere with who is a member or not, of a traditional council.

According to the ministry, government, under the 2008 Chieftaincy Act 759, does not interfere as to who qualifies to be a member of a traditional council or not.

This was contained in a statement issued by the ministry in reaction to an earlier report in which the Regional Co-ordinating Council, led by Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, had ordered Nii Tetteh Otu II, the paramount chief of Kpone near Tema, to remove certain names from the Kpone Traditional Council (KTC) .

The names included Albert Narh, Williams Nuertey Josiah, William Nii Addo and Nii Tetteh Ashong II.

The statement, signed by the ministry’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Gloria Holm-Graves, urged anyone who had an issue with the membership of any person in the Traditional Council to take the matter to the Judicial Committee of KTC or the Judicial Committee of the Regional House of Chiefs or any other competent court of law in Ghana.

“So far as the chieftaincy administrative structure is concerned, the Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) is responsible for the provision of security of the region including its thirteen (13) traditional areas, one of which is Kpone, but not at all the change of membership,” the ministry stated.

Read More

AGI Mad Over Fuel Increment

James Asare Adjei

The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has slammed government over the recent nine percent increment in the prices of petroleum products.

According to the association, the increment could totally collapse industries in Ghana if steps are not quickly taken to address the problems.

The AGI made this known in a statement signed by James Asare-Adjei, its president.

It particularly called on government to, as a matter of urgency, “take steps to prevent business activities from grinding to a halt.”

“The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is deeply worried about the nine percent increment in price of petroleum products, particularly coming in the wake of a worsening economic situation. Businesses are currently under serious pressure from the 22 percent policy rate, erratic power supply, cedi depreciation and the difficulty in accessing bank credit, among others. Businesses can hardly survive under these conditions,” the association stated.

Business operators across the country currently buy fuel at high cost to run their generators, and this would increase the cost of doing business.

The association noted that Ghana was rapidly losing its competitiveness to other sub-regional economies.

“It is worthy to note that the net change in world crude oil prices over the last six months points to a decline. Industry believes a sound monetary and fiscal policy coherence that takes cognizance of the business climate will ensure a stable macro-economic environment to enable private sector growth in the Ghanaian economy going forward,” the association said.

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) on Sunday announced an increase in the prices of petroleum products.

Read More

Demand Accountability To End Power Crisis

Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam

Executive Director of the Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP), Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has called on Ghanaians to hold government to its promise to end the current power crisis.

According to him, government’s plans about a long-term solution to the energy crisis in the next five years should encourage Ghanaians to mount pressure on them and ensure that they deliver on their promise.

Dr Adam made this known at a workshop last Friday in Accra to educate journalists on the issue of corruption in the oil and gas sector and how contracts in that sector are handled, among others.

“Governance is about social contracts. You give them power and you hold them to their promise. The president stood in parliament during the State of the Nation Address and announced about 3,800 megawatts of power he wants to bring in after five years. I beg Ghanaians lets demand accountability. We will not be given excuses in the next five years while we are still in power crisis,” he told a team of journalists at the workshop.

He added that the power crisis would only become a thing of the past if government makes the necessary investment to find other sources of energy and stop relying on Akosombo hydroelectric dam.

“As far as we continue to rely on plants that breakdown all the time and switch between gas and light crude oil, I say that the energy problem will not be solved. We can manage it but we cannot solve it without the necessary investment that we need to move away from Akosombo to bring in fuel-efficient plants and more generation capacity. Governance is about social contracts. You give them power and you hold them to their promise,” the ACEP boss stated.

Earlier this year, the NDC administration announced plans to procure two power barges from Turkey that would generate about 450 megawatts as part of short-term measures to help stabilize the situation.

The workshop brought together journalists from various media houses, as well as  Journalist Against Corruption (JAC), a network formed by Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC).

Read More

Reform Agric Sector- US Ambassador

Gene A. Cretz

United States Ambassador to Ghana, Gene A. Cretz has called on government to undertake reforms in the agriculture sector to make the country a major producer of food.

According to him, some changes in the agriculture sector could make Ghana a major exporter of food products to West Africa and the world in general.

The US envoy made this known at the launch of the Programme for Food Across Borders in West Africa (PROFAB) in Accra last Thursday to highlight the benefits of free movement of agricultural products in West Africa.

“Why is it that US$ 1 billion worth of food products are imported into Ghana every year? I think there is a need for some kind of changes in the agricultural sector. Ghana could become a major producer of food products and hopefully those products that are most wanted by European and American markets, Ghana can become an exporter as well,” Mr Cretz stated.

The PROFAB seeks to promote the harmonization and consistent assessment of the impact of national and regional trade policies in the ECOWAS region.

He added that PROFAB is a great initiative which would strengthen ECOWAS as an institution and foster change in the sub-region.

“By starting this initiative to overcome the obstacles in trade and to address the border issues, the region will be able to become better integrated. We have seen what an integrated group can do- look at the European Union (EU). When countries get together and collectively decide that they want to mutually improve their situation, these are the kind of steps they take. I think this initiative, which would especially result in strengthening ECOWAS as an institution that can really help foster this kind of changes, is very valuable, and we are very pleased and very proud to have worked on this and to participate in future,” he said.

He disclosed that the success of the PROFAB programme would reduce barriers among nations in West Africa and “once you reduce those barriers and allow free flow of goods, the agricultural sectors of those countries will automatically derive the positive benefit from the overall practices that we hope to improve among these countries.”

Dr. Lapodini Marc Atouga, ECOWAS Commissioner in-charge of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, for his part, commended Ghana for playing an important role as a stakeholder in the regional agricultural transactions.

“The development of intercommunity trade in agriculture is envisaged to take up the challenges that West Africa  is facing. First of all, there is a need to strengthen the regional market integration which is considered as a most important element in agro-pastoral produce with the view to improving their productivity and their competitiveness,” he noted.

The PROFAB was put together by the USAID, the Trade Hub and African Partners Network and ECOWAS.

Read More

‘Dumsor’ vigil: History has been made – Sarkodie

Sarkodie

Ghanaian Rapper, Sarkodie has commended his colleagues for holding a successful protest against the crippling power crisis.

Sarkodie, who was one of the main organisers of the event and had supported Yvonne Nelson since she began her campaign on social media had to trade the ‘dumsor’ vigil to record an album with famous American rapper Ace Hood in the United States.

The two time VGMA artiste of the year  in a statement explained that : “a rather tight working schedule in the United States made it impossible for me to be physically present at the gathering.”

Below are details of the statement released by Sarkodie 

Yesterday a bold statement was made. #dumsormuststop went from being just a social media awareness creation campaign to something we are all now proud of.

History has been created, your way, our way.

To Yvonne Nelson, my other colleagues who joined, and the rest of the team that put this together, I want to say a big congratulations.

A rather tight working schedule in the United States made it impossible for me to be physically present at the gathering.

Long live the good people of this country.

Together let’s continue to push for an end to the current electricity supply crisis.

Michael Owusu Addo (Sarkodie)

Sarkcess Music

By: Marian Efe Ansah

Read More

‘Dumsor’ Demo Storms Kumasi….Movie Stars Hit Streets May 28

On Thursday, May 28, there will be no sale of movies anywhere in Ghana as film makers in the country embark on a nationwide strike and a demonstration to be held in Kumasi to protest government’s dismal handling of the continuous electricity crisis.

The demonstration cum sit-down strike is being spearheaded by the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FiPAG) and will be attended by members of the Ghana Actors Guild (GAG), members of the Creative Arts for Change, as well as some of Ghana’s popular actors, movie and stage directors, scriptwriters, editors, producers, makeup artists, soundtrack singers & producers, acting guilds’ members, retailers, marketers, and distributors among others.

“We have decided there would be no production, no acting, no shooting, no directing, no editing, no sale of movie, no distribution of movies and we shall be converging at the Cultural Centre in Kumasi to tell government we are fed up with the mishandling of the power crisis and that it is killing our business,” Executive Director of Movie Africa Productions and member of FiPAG, Socrate Safo, told NEWS-ONE.

Michael Kwaku Ola, Public Relations Officer for FiPAG, has also explained that the May 28 demonstration is strictly apolitical and that organisers would not want any politician to attend in party colours or make partisan statements.

“The film making industry in Ghana relies directly on electricity and this irrational power rationing is killing us. Already government has not helped our industry and if we have toiled to bring our industry this far, what is the sense of government destroying it. Who buys movies when there is no light? How can you shoot by using generators and expect to get the right sound? How can you edit when there is no light? How should we get money to cater for our families? Mind you, we are not like the politicians who get end of service whatever. We live on our own and we are simply asking government to bring back our lights now,” Mr Safo said.

By Halifax Ansah-Addo

Read More