Business News of Thursday, 2 September 2021Source: ghanaiantimes.com.ghWith exactly four months to the end of the year 2021, the Ghana Cedi is expected to experience further marginal depreciation against the U.S. Dollar, following a recent period of weakening, an economist with Databank, Courage Martey, has predicted. So from where we are, it would not be out of place to see the Cedi recording some more depreciation,” he said in an interview with citibusiness news in Accra yesterday. The Ghana Cedi began the year 2021 trading at G.H. ¢5.76 pesewas to a dollar, showing no depreciation for the first six months. These indicators show that there is scope for the depreciation of the Cedi beyond where we are today,” he said.

Business News of Thursday, 2 September 2021Source: thebftonline.comThe Institute of Directors-Ghana (IoD-Ghana) president, Rockson Kwesi Dogbegah, has said that corporate governance training should be made mandatory for both the public and private sectors so that they function effectively in their various institutions. He noted that the tussle often observed between the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Board Chairman, especially in state-owned institutions, result from a lack of good orientation toward board business. In July 2021, when the finance minister disclosed that SOEs were not demonstrating good corporate governance, some 47 of those SOEs since 2016 have failed to submit their outstanding financial statements in blatant contravention of the law,” Mr Dogbegah bemoaned. He urged them to be good ambassadors of corporate governance, take their duties seriously and help promote the culture of good corporate governance wherever they find themselves. Meanwhile, IoD-Ghana and IoD-Zimbabwe have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen relationships across the continent.

The development dialogue was on the theme “National Development Banks and Sustainable Financing in Ghana”. The panelists generally acknowledged that a well functioning national development bank (NDB) can play a role in filling major financing gaps. Government in May this year signed an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for €170 million for the establishment of Development Bank Ghana (DBG). Prof. Peter Quartey, Director of ISSER, in a presentation at the event stated that if the development bank is to succeed, it has to be devoid of political interference. The CEO of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), Dr. John Mensah, speaking as a panelist at the event, said the bank was excited about the new development bank.

Making the revelation at the inauguration of new GIISDEC board members, Farouk Mahama underscored the need to boost efforts towards mining, processing and production of steel to spur Ghana’s industrialization drive. “In 2020 alone, Ghana’s importation bill of iron & steel and its articles stood at GH¢2.9 billion and industrialization in most developed countries have thrived on the back of the iron and steel industry,” the Board Chair revealed. “These resources when developed will be a major foreign currency earner for the country, enrich our steel industry, engender prosperity, leapfrog our economy and stimulate growth,” Mahama pointed. We will hit the ground running by embarking on Mineral Resource Estimation of Ghana’s iron ore deposit across the country,” Farouk Mahama said. He also assured that by the end of 2024, the board members of GIISDEC will ensure they put Ghana on the map through a developed iron and steel industry.

General News of Thursday, 2 September 2021Source: 3news.comThe University of Cape Coast has been ranked Number One university in Ghana, by the 2022 Times Higher Education annual rankings. To be ranked in the Prestigious World University Rankings; Universities must publish at least 1,000 papers in reputable publications in a five-year period – between 2016 and 2020 for the 2022 rankings. In 2016, we removed this arbitrary limit on the number of participants and the number of ranked universities jumped to 981. This year, we are pleased to congratulate the 1,662 universities that met the criteria and so appear in the World University Rankings. Image: Times Higher Education World University RankingsLouise Richardson, vice chancellor of Oxford University, told Times Higher Education: “My colleagues and I are absolutely delighted to have achieved the top ranking again.

According to Kwame Oppong, Head of Financial Technology and Innovation at the central bank, the digital currency can be deposited on smartphones, smartwatches as savings. In an interaction with Joy Business, Oppong revealed the central bank as part of its pilot of the digital currency will also see persons without smartphones gain access to their savings. It’s also important to mention that because it's digital, you can save beyond cards; you can also save it on smart devices such as smartwatches, smartphones. You can save [e-Cedi] on any device that is a smart device,” Oppong explained. The rollout of the digital currency for Ghana is expected to deepen the country's cash lite agenda which will complement other electronic payment systems such as mobile money.

GhanaWeb monitored comments he made on the September 1 edition of Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme where he called for a forensic audit into COVID spending. “COVID became an avenue to create, loot and share, if you read the Audit report and other things we will be revealing soon, look at what happened to the Sputnik V dubious vaccine issue,” he stated. “The Embassy is there, we have an ambassador in Russia, deal directly with the manufacturers, we will not. He is worried over recent disclosure that government used over 100 million dollars for face masks and other pandemic response supplies. “So my brother, we hear there were over 100 million dollars for face masks and my brother….

General News of Thursday, 2 September 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.com• Kwabena Yeboah has declined some political offers• First was from former President JA Kufuor as deputy sports minister• Second from the late JEA Mills also for the same positionDuring the presidencies of former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and John Evans Atta Mills, Kwabena Yeboah was offered a deputy ministerial job and he declined. According to him, he did not think that it is only through a ministerial position that an individual can play a role in this country. Kwabena Yeboah told Nana Aba Anamoah on the September 1 edition of ‘Starr Chat’ that, “I do not think that you need to be a minister to play your role in this country. So, a lot of people think that if you are offered that position, you intend to go there and make some money,” he stated. To him, politics is only a clash of ideas and all in an attempt to serve the people but “most African leaders come to fill their pockets and bellies” and not to serve the people.

Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 2 September 2021Source: atinkaonline.comThe Ghana Police Service is embarking on a special project to reduce crime and as such has deployed more officers on the Buipe-Tamale-Kintampo road to fight armed robbery and other crimes. Two armed robbers were shot dead in an anti-armed robbery operation by the Police at Ntoaso in the Eastern Region. He said some robbers had dominated the Buipe-Tamale-Kintampo road, tormenting traders and drivers on the way, killing one international journalist. Meanwhile, ACP Samuel Kwesi Ofori stressed that, "We are sweeping that corridor with intensive operations from that side to Walewale. “We are also looking at Mankesim, Begoro and others to ensure that the robbers stop worrying people on the road.

He subsequently produced a campaign poster showing the photo of Hardi Adams when he announced plans in 2020 to contest the NPP Parliamentary primary in the Gushegu Constituency. Hardi, he added, has since threatened the woman in question as well as producer of ‘The Seat’ programme parading his ‘powers’ by way of being wealthy and a northerner. Annan said a lot of unscrupulous people were using the Presidency as a rag on the floor. He further disclosed that Prince Hardi had refused to appear on the programme to explain allegations leveled against him. A purported check produced by Net2 ostensibly to repay his indebtedness to the stranded woman confirmed that the signatories were members of the said group.

Kwabena Yeboah said, “it is most unfortunate that clubs in Ghana continue to heavily rely on juju. I have heard some players emphasize that juju works in football.”He said he has no patience for people who talk about juju working in football because it is so “stupid, it’s only a dead brain who will believe that juju plays football. It is something that we should not countenance at all.”Yeboah further indicated that it must be condemned with no uncertainty in terms of the notion juju plays football. Football has grown so scientific that, teams are spending huge sums of money investing in their infrastructure, their diet, paying players well, buying best materials…”He stressed that it is very "backward" for anyone to think that juju plays football. "Juju plays no role in football."

The report, representing 27 Municipal and District assemblies, showed that whiles 477 girls went back to school pregnant, 214 had given birth. The Eastern Regional Statistics Officer of GES, Mr Godfred Dzeke, disclosed this during a review meeting of the Back-to-School Advocacy Campaign in Koforidua. He explained that all the 33 MDAs in Eastern Region recorded teenage pregnancies, but at the time of collation of the report, six districts had not submitted their reports. The Eastern Region recorded a total of 1,018 teenage pregnancies in 2020 and ranked the second region with the highest number of teenage pregnancies after Ashanti Region. She debunked the notion that the campaign would encourage more girls to get pregnant, adding, preaching prevention and abstinence were part of the campaign.

General News of Wednesday, 1 September 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.com• A London-based journalist was killed by armed robbers in Ghana• BBC reports that his body is to be repatriated• Police in Ghana say they have arrested suspects in connection with the caseThe body of Syed Taalay Ahmed, the international journalist who was killed by suspected armed robbers while in Ghana, would be repatriated on Wednesday. So far, the Ghana Police Service said they have killed two suspects and arrested four others in connection with the case. According to the Northern Regional Police command, the incident occurred around the Mpaha Junction on Monday, August 23, 2021, at 7pm. They were traveling on board a Toyota Hiace vehicle with registration number GT 7405-16. The armed men then robbed them of their mobile phones and an unspecified amount of money and fled.

The court however remanded the 36-year-old nursing mother, Mavis Amponsah, carrying a year and half old baby. The Judge upheld the argument of the Defence counsel and ordered for the plea to be taken. The Prosecutor stated that on August 28, 2021, at about 9:30pm, the deceased allegedly accused the wife of infidelity resulting in an exchange of words that degenerated into a fight. The judge granted the 15-year-old accused person Ghc10,000 bail with two sureties by virtue of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2003, however, remanded the accused mother. The Defence Counsel hinted at making a formal application for bail for the accused woman.

This comes after she was lambasted by individuals on social media for posting a picture that reveals the current state of the actress who is still recovering. But reacting to the numerous insults on social media, Ayisha has tagged Ghanaians ungrateful; adding that she has spent a huge sum of money to support the actress. According to Ayisha, she does not deserve such a cold attitude from Ghanaians after helping Moesha when everyone else deserted her. Ayisha Modi however revealed her real intentions for supporting the actress;“Throughout my life it was strangers who looked after me. The 31-year-old actress was captured in an earlier suicide attempt video that went viral on social media.