Bernard Avle interviews Dr. Bossman Asare, the deputy chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana on issues related to the new voters’ register.

In this interview, Bernard sought to know whether Ghana needed a new voters’ register or not.

Some political parties and civil society organizations believe that Ghana does not need a new register. The EC has also been accused of not engaging key stakeholders appropriate but Dr. Bossman Asare says the EC is ready to engage political parties opposing new voters’ register.

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This is the first time it was held at a bigger venue, Fantasy Dome at Trade Fair in Accra, and also aired on DSTV.

The 2019 Decemba 2 Rememba concert paraded the top Ghanaian artistes such as Kofi Kinaata, Fameye, Kuami Eugene, KiDi, Kelvynboy, Okyeame Kwame, Praye, Adina, Tulenkey, Dope Nation, Krymi and Camidoh.

The show started with Voice Factory winners, Cleck Boyson, AJ Sam and Araba singing their renditions of several Christmas carols.

In September Genevieve Antwi-Nuamah, known in showbiz as Araba, was adjudged winner of the Season 4 of Citi TV’s Voice Factory.

She beat off competition from Ayjay Sam, Cleck Boyson and Idara (who placed second, third and fourth positions respectively) to win the ultimate prize of GH¢10, 000.

Their performance was followed by Highly Spiritual artiste Krymi who also did songs from his repertoire including the recent ‘Dwe’ which features his lable mate, Mr Drew and Sarkodie.

Camidoh followed with his performance keeping the auditorium alive with his energy.

Adina, the only female musician on the bill of Citi FM’s Decemba 2 Rememba concert was in her element during her performance at the show this year.

The ‘Sika’ hit maker performed songs like ‘Fakye’, ‘Too Late’, ‘Makoma’, ‘Killing Me Softly’, among others.

The ectastic audience could not help but dance to her bangers.

One artiste that has endeared himself to music lovers with his craft within a short period is Tulenkey.

He has been able to win the hearts of music fans with songs they can easily relate. It is therefore not surprising that he could wow the audience at he concert last night.

Comedian OB Amponsah, mounted the stage to entertain the audience with his rib-cracking jokes. His entry with Emelia Brobbey’s infamous song ‘Fa Me Ko’ set the tone for his presentation.

He was able to win the hearts of the patrons as he dropped one funny joke after the other.

A few months ago, OB Amponsah earned a lot of spurs for himself after sending patrons of Lords of the Ribs comedy show in Nigeria into a frenzy.

This was followed by another awesome perform that had President Nana Akufo-Addo in stitches at the 2019 Club 100 Awards.

The optometrist has also performed at programmes such as Night of Laughs and Music, Easter Comedy Show and Voices in My Head, among others.

There were also amazing performances from Fameye, Kelvynboy, KiDi and Dope Nation.

Perhaps the most surprising moment on the show was the appearance by comic actor Mmebusem who came on to do a skit on the essence of giving and sharing especially during this festive period.

Kuami Eugene proved on the night that he is really a rock-star! He rocked! He kept patrons on their feet throughout his performance. One could feel the totality of his craft as he dazzled on stage with his awesome dance moves, vocal ability and agility.

Typical of his quest for perfection, Okyeame Kwame put up an epic performance at the 2019 Decemba 2 Rememba Concert.

Clad in his locally designed outfit, he performed a repertoire of his songs, with the support of the Afro Harmony band.

Okyeame did songs like Woso, Faithful, M’asan Aba, Kokooko and One Gallon.

He also invited on stage the former President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bice ‘Obour’ Osei Kuffour to perform ‘Killing the Game’ with him.

From Takoradi, came the Fante Rap God, Kofi Kinaata. Having had hit songs over the years and particularly with his ‘Things Fall Apart’ this year, it was not surprising he was given an effusive reception from the audience.

He also proved his mettle, entertaining the revelers to their relish. Kofi was on stage with the usual masquerders that characterise typical Christmas in Takoradi.

Praye were the last to perform. Even without the Choirmaster (who was absent) the other two were able to give their fans their best.

As part of their act, they even brought on stage veteran hiplife artiste T-Blaze and internet model Pamela Odame.

The biggest moments on the night were the DJ sessions with DJ Mingle and DJ Jayjay.

These two Citi FM DJs kept the groove alive with their eclectic selection of songs.

This year’s concert was hosted by AJ Sarpong, host of Brunch in the Citi on Citi FM (also host of Hall of Fame on Citi TV) and Ato Kwamina, co-host of Traffic Avenue on Citi FM (also co-host of 30 Minutes on Citi TV).

#D2R2019 was put together by Citi FM with support from Citi TV and The Year of Return.

It was sponsored by Coca Cola, taste the feeling, and had Edern Security as the official security partner.

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On this edition of the Citi Breakfast Show, Bernard Avle and the team hosted Kofi Kinaata.

They talked about his music career, life in Takoradi and the unique expressions of Takoradi, and the official Christmas Party – Decemba 2 Rememba.

Kinaata performed some of his hit songs live on the show and explained the inspiration behind his music.

The post Citi Breakfast Show, Tuesday, 17th December, 2019 appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

GMA beat over 29 other international PR agencies to win the much sought-after award. The event witnessed winners from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, Middle-East and Pacific.

GMA’s recognition was based on the use of innovative ideas through its subsidiary, YFM, the number one urban radio station in Ghana to champion a creative internal communication campaign dubbed #YVENGERS that effectively engaged personnel across the company.

YFM, the award winning radio station wanted to strengthen the team bond and spark some excitement between DJ’s, Presenters, Technicians and Management among others with the #YVENGERS Campaign. The campaign was initiated a week to the premier of the the Avengers Infinity War Movie to target staff and patrons of YFM on social media where artworks of most employees of the company were designed to depict a character from the Avenger Movie franchise.

The #YVENGERS campaign engaged over 4,000 young Ghanaians on Twitter who found the artwork interesting and continued to talk about it after the campaign. #YVENGERS was number one on the trend list for the first week and among the top five during the second week.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global Media Alliance, Mr. Ernest Boateng, who received the award in Barcelona on Friday 19th October 2018 said, “the award which was made possible by our innovative staff, is another achievement in the journey of this company. Team bonding among the staff of GMA has also contributed to our great journey. GMA promotes such qualities through fun filled campaigns and being recognized internationally for this, makes us all proud to be a part of the GMA family.”

Mr. Boateng dedicated the award to all staff of the company for their contributions in growing the company. GMA has over the years been recognized both locally and internationally, for its outstanding contribution in the PR and Media industry.

On his part, Eddy Blay, Programmes Manager for YFM commended the team for the recognition, adding, “We are elated on being recognized with an International award. We are truly humbled and honored to win in this category. We dedicate this award to all our audience and social media followers for their support to the Station.”

The annual IPRA Golden World Awards (GWA) initiative, established in 1990, recognizes excellence in Public Relations practice worldwide in a variety of categories. Recipients of the award take particular pride in the recognition granted to their entry as meeting international standards of excellence in Public Relations. It fulfills this aim through networking opportunities, its code of conduct, and intellectual leadership of the profession. With several years of experience, IPRA, recognized by the United Nations, is now present throughout the world wherever Public Relations is practiced.

GMA is an Integrated Communications and Media Company with over 20 years experience in PR, Events Management, Digital Marketing, Broadcasting (YFM, Happy FM and e.tv Ghana), Creatives and Production.
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Source: Global Media Alliance

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As a result, commercial banks also bear greater responsibility to their customers in earning interests on such deposits.

The latest banking sector report by the Bank of Ghana shows that deposits accounted for 62.5 percent of the banking industry’s assets as at December 2017.

According to the central bank’s data, total deposits went up by some 6.67 billion cedis between December 2016 and the same period last year.

For the twelve months period, total amounts deposited with all banks amounted to 58.28 billion cedis.

This is up from the 51.66 billion cedis recorded in December of the preceding year.

84.2 percent of all deposits came in as domestic currency while the remaining 15.8 percent came in foreign currency.

Borrowings by commercial banks also came in as the second source of funding for commercial banks accounting for about 16 billion cedis of the funding needs of the banks.

By this, commercial banks were able to raise money for their operations from short and long term instruments.

Although income from loans to customers dropped between December 2016 and the same period last year (46.4 percent in December 2017, from 50.7 percent in December 2016), it perhaps still leads as income generating source for banks.

A situation, the central bank attributed to the drop in lending rates as well as the rising Non Performing Loans.

Meanwhile, the share of income from investments (both short and long term) increased from 33.5 percent in December 2016 to 38.0 percent in 2017, justifying the shifts in banks’ portfolio preferences despite declining money market rates.

Also, the money that the banking industry made from fees and commissions such as ATM card use dropped from 10.6 to 10.2 percent between the twelve month period.

While ‘other’ income, recorded a marginal increase from 5.2 percent to 5.5 percent during the period under review.

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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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According to the Bank of Ghana, the businesses constituted 80.6 percent of loan default attributable to the private sector for last year compared to the estimated 7.9 percent of loan default attributable to the private sector recorded by foreign businesses.

This is among the key findings of the Banking sector report for January this year.

The report catalogued operations in the banking industry as at December 2017.

Between December 2016 and the same period last year, the total loans that banks offered to their customers increased from 35.4 to 37.66 billion cedis.

The Bank of Ghana’s report also put the banking sector’s non-performing loans (NPLs) at 8.58 billion cedis as at the end of last year compared to the 6.14 billion cedis recorded in the preceding year.

Even though loan disbursements to both indigenous and foreign private sector businesses went up for the period, the local private businesses defaulted most in terms of repaying the loans.

Of the ninety-four percent loan default attributable to the private sector, indigenous private enterprises accounted for as much as 80.6 percent of total NPLs in December 2017 compared with a share of 78.9 percent in 2016.

Their foreign counterparts on the other hand, managed to bring their percentage of loan default down to 7.9 percent from 13.2 percent in the preceding year.

Meanwhile the public sector’s contribution to the industry’s NPLs increased from 3.2 percent in December 2016 to 5.7 percent in December 2017.

It is however not certain, what factors accounted for the inability of local businesses to repay for loans contracted from banks.

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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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This is because the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has explained that the reduction will only reflect on the bills of consumers when they make their second purchase of credit for electricity for April.

The latest also follows the shift of the implementation date of the tariff reduction from March 15, 2018 to April 1, 2018.

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) on March 5, 2018, announced a reduction in electricity tariffs of between 17.5 and 30 percent for residential and commercial consumers to ease the burden of the high cost of electricity in the country.

The power distributor had earlier explained that the implementation date of 1^st April was due to its monthly billing system which could not immediately effect the change after the announcement in March.

Though some of ECG vendors had earlier told Citi Business News that the reduction had not been effected on April 1^st, a vendor at Circle confirmed to Citi Business News the situation has changed as of Tuesday, April 3^rd.

“The subsidies have started reflecting, unlike yesterday when you came here to check. So for today I can confirm that it has started reflecting”.

The Public Relations Officer for the Accra East Region of the ECG, Isaac Nurris Ainooson also explained to Citi Business News that consumers should see the reduction upon their second purchase this month.

“We told customers that when you vend on the 1^st of April , the first vending would aggregate your consumption for the whole of March and would give you the credit refund due you from the 15^th to the 31^st of March”, he stated.

He added, “so those who went to our vending points to deposit money for the first purchase, some of them saw the tariff as in the subsidies and all that and in the second vending, whatever is due you from the 15^th to the 31^st of March will be given to customers”.

But one customer who spoke to Citi Business News at the ECG vending point in Osu said she has been left disappointed after making her first purchase in April only to realize that the tariff reduction has not reflected on her purchase.

“Every month I pay one hundred Ghana cedis but now I pay more than that, I came today to purchase credit hoping to see the tariff reduction on my receipt but unfortunately for me, it’s the same just like the old ones, so I will have to wait until my next purchase”.

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By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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Secretary of the Senior Staff Association of BOST, Ekow Sey claims that some Bulk Oil Distribution Companies (BDCs) and highly placed individuals, who form the cartel, have since October last year (2017), prevented BOST from importing petroleum products into the country.

Speaking to Citi Business News, Mr. Sey warned of dire consequences if nothing is done to break up the growing cartel within the petroleum sector.

“As we speak now, BOST is the only entity that has been given the mandate to ensure that we keep strategic stock for the country.  The question we should ask ourselves is that a state company that has been given such a huge responsibility, why is it that from October till date people are trying so hard to put obstacles in our way to bring in petroleum products for strategic reasons. For fuel insecurity, I can’t speak about it in detail but you can make some analogy and draw some inference and get your answer.”

Mr. Sey also highlighted the difficulty BOST faces in maintaining the needed level of strategic stocks of petroleum products, in the face of attacks from the cartel.

“The BDCs have no mandate to keep strategic stocks for the country. So they can dispose of any products they have. But in the event that there are issues and we run out of petroleum products, who is going to ensure that we have strategic stocks for the country? It is only BOST, and once we are not allowed now, with impediments and some obstacles being put in our line of operation, it is very clear that very soon there’ll be fuel shortage within our pumps and within the market.”

In an earlier statement to express their displeasure at developments within the petroleum industry attributable to cartels, the Senior and Junior Staff Associations asserted that the great cartel has been in the system for long and will only be suppressed when the President, the Vice President, Chief of Staff and the Energy Minister understand the important role that BOST can play to bring petroleum prices down.

“Government should know that in the deregulation petroleum regime like ours without any giant governmental agency playing a role;  even if the government removes all taxes the private sector which now controls the industry will replace it with profit in a smart way leaving the ordinary consumers in their vulnerable state; hence reducing taxes is not the ultimate option,” the statement added.

On the part of Mr. Mampaya, the Chairman of the Junior Staff Union he categorically stated that in most cases those in right positions to deal with the problems are given wrong advice.

He cautioned that if the government ignored their advice, “this great cartel whose members have made themselves kingmakers can worry the government in 2020 election because the ground is being prepared for that.”

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By: Bobbie Osei/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

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The TIN, according to the GRA, is aimed at uniquely identifying potential taxpayers to broaden the tax base.

The Authority has, in recent times, announced that all Ghanaians working must acquire a TIN to fulfill the Revenue Administration Act (RAA), 2016, Act 915.

Some of the institutions that will require TIN are the DVLA, RGD, Passport Office, GRA, Lands Commission, Law Courts, Ministries, government departments, agencies, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.

Addressing journalists at a press conference, the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti warned that institutions mandated to check the TIN must do so before transacting businesses with the public.

“One cannot transact business with these institutions if one does not have the TIN. One cannot clear goods from the ports, register land documents with the Lands Commission, obtain a Tax Clearance certificate from the  GRA, open a bank account, register your company, and obtain payments for jobs or contracts done for government,” he stressed.

He added that without the TIN, a person cannot file a case at the courts, bid for contracts from government agencies, conduct business with any ministry, departments, agencies, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.

Mr. Nti explained that this is to help increase the number of people currently issued with TIN; a total of 1,090,338 people.

He disclosed that the GRA has already held series of meetings with the key institutions that must help inspect the TIN to ensure the smooth operations of the policy.

“These institutions have been requested to modify their forms to include a field for the provision of TIN. Consequently, GRA expects the institutions mentioned above to demand the TIN of their clients before transacting business with them,” he said.

Sounding a word of caution, Mr. Nti stressed that refusal to inspect the TIN will mean a breach of the law, which will attract the necessary consequences.

He explained that to get the TIN, “one only needs to pick a registration form from any GRA Office, complete and attach the necessary coloured photocopies of a Driver’s license, National Identification Card, Voter’s Identification Card, or a passport and submit at  no cost to the GRA.”

He stated that it is important for Ghanaians to pay their taxes since that is the only way government can redistribute wealth to cover the poor and vulnerable in the society.

“I think we must be tax compliance because that is the only way we can be part of the state and demand development from government. Everybody working must make it a point to pay their taxes.”

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By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

The post You can’t do business with gov’t without TIN – GRA warns appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He said the government would continue to support education through various reforms in the district and the country as a whole.

Mr Sackey, who was speaking at the 80th anniversary of Nyanoa Methodist Basic School at Nyanoa announced that the school would soon be placed on the school feeding programme.

The Nyanoa Methodist Basic School was established on March 2,  1938.

The Member of Parliament for Upper West Akim Constituency, Mr Derek Ohene Assifo Bekoe, urged parents to show commitment towards the education and welfare of the pupils.

The Nyanoa Circuit Supervisor, Mr Emmanuel Teinor commended the performance of teachers and the pupils for the increase in the school enrolment and appealed to the education directorate to reduce the congestion in the school.

Mr Eric Amofa, the headmaster of the school, called for collaboration among stakeholders and support for the school children.

He appealed for the provision of more classrooms as most of the classes were congested.

The school has a total of 550 pupils, with 420 in the primary level and 130 in junior school. 

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Source: GNA

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