This follows reports of defaulting agencies resisting the AMA’s attempts to remove their billboards for non-payment.

[contextly_sidebar id=”j7GL5zcn2fQxfIij3KNgdEoweYyqxARi”]Mr. Dadzie on Eyewitness News stated that, “either they will come and pay our money to us or we will go after them.”

Most of the defaulting agencies are not members of the Advertisers Association of Ghana (AAG), as he noted that only about 10 percent of that Association’s members are yet to settle their debts.

“We have non-AAG members doing the same business and they are the ones who owe the assembly more. Some people like Tecno have so many billboards in the metropolis… we have more than 13 companies in the metropolis who are owing the assembly and the amount is not a small amount.”

The AMA had given the defaulting agencies a week’s notice and they were well aware of the assembly’s crackdown, according to Mr. Dadzie, who added that any possible lawsuits against the AMA would be futile.

“They can’t do that [sue] because a majority of them don’t have the permit from the assembly. Before you can rent a billboard, you have to pass through some processes. You have to apply to the assembly… the majority of them don’t have it [a permit].”

Advertisers Association backs AMA 

The General Secretary of the AAG, Francis Dadzie, is in full support of the AMA’s moves.

He said it was only right all advertisers played by the same rules.

“A lot of them [defaulting agencies] took advantage of the change in government and the political activities in 2016, and went to put the boards there without permits and they continued this year [2017].”

“The AMA comes to our office, they know where we are, and come to collect cheques on behalf of our members. So why should other individuals take advantage of the system and not pay for the same business? It is not fair.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Black Stars will play Teranga Lions in Le Havre on 28 March and then take on the Malians three days later in Paris.

The two matches will help Ghana coach Avram Grant to invigorate his squad despite their excellent showing at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea last month.

“We are looking forward to augmenting our squad for future tournaments,” Ghana FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi told Ghanafa.org

“Coach Avram Grant wants to use the matches in France to observe some players who are excelling for their clubs while keeping the squad in shape for our future assignments.

“Senegal and Mali are one of the top national teams in Africa and playing against them will give us the strong test we need ahead of the qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.”

It would be the Black Stars’ first match since they finished second at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Black Stars are expected to start camping in France on Monday before they play the two matches.

Match details

1. Ghana vs. Senegal
Date: 28/03/2015
Kick off time: 18.00
Venue: Le Havre – Oceane Stadium

2. Ghana vs. Mali
Date: 31/03/2015
Kick off time: 20.30
Venue: Paris – Charlety Stadium

Source: Ghanafa.org

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Several traders, after being ejected from their shops at the Nkrumah Circle, have now set up their structures under the flying beam and along the main road adjacent to the construction site to sell their goods.

Items being sold by traders at the Circle area include; second hand clothing, phones, food stuffs and electrical items.

Speaking to citifmonline.com, most of the traders insisted they have no intention of leaving the area as they had nowhere to go having been displaced prior to the destruction of the footbridge.
“They cannot sack us from here because the chief contractor gave us permission to sell here because he had pity on us. If they sack us, we will come back here because we cannot engage in armed robbery” – she said

Meanwhile, the Safety Officer at the site a contractor on site, Andrew Kofi Amoateng has warned that the refusal of the traders to move from the construction site could result in a possible delay of the project and has called on authorities to intervene since several attempts by contractors to relocate these traders have so far proved futile.

“We have sacked them several times, they go and come back again. When we ask the AMA to take their things away, they will go and bring them back here again.  If something happens to them they will say it is the construction workers. This can affect our schedule because when you block something it is difficult for that thing to move forward.”

About the three-tier interchange at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle 

The Kwame Nkrumah Circle is a key intersection in the major road network in Accra. About 84,000 vehicles use it daily and constitutes a key bottleneck in the major road network that links the suburban areas of Accra to the central business district.

The 74.88 million euro project is being jointly financed with credit from the Brazilian Government and the Ghana Government.

According to the project design, the first of the interchanges will link the Akasanoma Road to the Nsawam Road, around the Vodafone building.

The other interchange will link the Nsawam Road to the Nkrumah Avenue, around the Ghana Commercial Bank building, while the third interchange will link Ring Road Central to Ring Road West.

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The two teams had met earlier in Casablanca last Saturday and played out a 1-1 draw but the Stars were victorious this time around.

The team took the lead in the 13th minute through captain Asamoah Gyan when he tapped home a cross from Jordan Ayew from close range.

But the away side came back into the match when defender Diarra Mohame Lamine scored in the 34th minute. He stroked home his shot after an initial free kick took a deflection and landed in his path to send both sides into the break tied at 1-1.

After the break, Ghana started well and in the 55th minute, the Black Stars were handed a penalty after a shot went off the hand of a Guinean defender.

Midfielder Andre Ayew scored from the spot to put Ghana into the lead. The goal spurred the Guineans into action and they created chances including a 80th minute volley that went just past the goal post with Adams stuck to his spot.

Ghana held on and got a third goal on the break. Defender Baba Rahman run the ball towards the Guinean goal and set up substitute Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu who placed the ball beyond Guinean goalkeeper Naby Yattara.

The win gives Ghana 8 points; a two-point lead over Togo who beat Uganda 1-0 in Lome while Uganda and Guinea are tied on 4 points each.

Teams:

Ghana starting lineup:

Stephen Adams, Harrison Afful, Baba Abdul Rahman, Awal Mohammed, Jonathan Mensah, Rabiu Mohammed, Solomon Asante, Kwadwo Asamoah, Asamoah Gyan, Jordan Ayew, Andre Ayew.

Guinea starting lineup:

Naby Yattara, Issiaga Sylla, Diarra Mohame Lamine, Fodé Camara, Abdoulaye Cissé, Boubacar Fofana, Naby Keita, Ibrahima Conté, Ibrahima Traoré, Camara Abdoul Razagui, Idrissa Sylla

By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post AFCON 2015 qualifiers: Ghana beat Guinea in Tamale to top Group E appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The musician, who is unhappy about the way the team is being treated after the World Cup fiasco, took to Twitter to make a case for the embattled nation team.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, he affirmed his support for the team and asked Ghanaians in general to rally behind the stars and support them in the African Cup of Nations qualifying games.

Come on black stars !! You are still our pride!!

— SONNIE BADU (@SonnieBaduuk) September 10, 2014

I support the black stars !!!

— SONNIE BADU (@SonnieBaduuk) September 10, 2014

I support Ghana BlackStars through good and bad times!!

— SONNIE BADU (@SonnieBaduuk) September 10, 2014

The Black Stars campaign in Brazil was bedeviled by challenges, with the appearance fee row in the lead. Images and videos of Ghanaian players kissing and dancing after millions of dollars was flown to Brazil dominated international media headlines.

The shameful events that occurred in Brazil have incurred the displeasure of many but Sonnie Badu believes that the players deserved every little penny of that amount. He however believes the players should apologize for the manner they handled the situation and move on to winning ways.

That money was due to them!! They worked for it!! Yes the action might be wrong but no smoke without fire! U would do worse ..

— SONNIE BADU (@SonnieBaduuk) September 10, 2014

It’s not easy experiencing your own people wishing you won’t do well and then watching them boo u and cheer ur opponent in ur own home..

— SONNIE BADU (@SonnieBaduuk) September 10, 2014

Weldone guys you are back to your winning ways! Now please render your apology and we move on!! Proud of you!! #ISUPPORTMYOWN

— SONNIE BADU (@SonnieBaduuk) September 10, 2014

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By: Kojo Akoto Boateng/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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One view that pervades all rigorous analysis of the Ghanaian economy is the need to transform the structure of the economy for growth to benefit more people.

Anyone who has studied Ghana’s economy over the past half century would come to one conclusion; the dependence on export of raw materials has to radically change to spur transformational growth.

Exploiting and exporting Gold, Cocoa, Manganese and diamonds have not significantly altered our economic structure, and neither will oil, if all we do is sell it raw and buy the finished product at a higher price.

The Economic Transformation Imperative

According to the Africa Centre for Economic Transformation, (ACET) “Economic transformation will come through diversifying our economy, boosting our competitiveness in world markets, increasing our share of manufacturing in GDP, and using more sophisticated technology in production.*”

In the past few weeks, our country’s leaders have been to Washington to initiate conversations with the IMF on an economic program and sign the much-lauded MCA Compact 2.

To ensure that growth is sustainable and continues to improve lives of many, countries now need to vigorously promote economic transformation.
Ghana’s Economic transformation agenda, is therefore no longer an option, it’s an absolute imperative.

We have to diversify our production and exports and become more competitive in international markets.

Impact over Activity
In his speech at the signing ceremony on Tuesday August 5, 2014, the president stated the achievements and successes of the first $547 million Compact which include:

• 66,930 farmers received training in commercial agricultural practices, enhancing skills and agricultural yield;
• Four (4) Irrigation Schemes were rehabilitated, providing irrigation to 2,435 hectares of agricultural farmland;
• 20 Post-harvest facilities were constructed, providing storage so crops would not spoil;
• Thousands of farmers were provided with agricultural credit, worth US$23.1 m;
• Many roads have been constructed;
• 44 School Blocks were fully rehabilitated, while 206 new School Blocks were constructed, totaling 250;
• all Rural Banks in Ghana and their Agencies were interconnected, computerized and automated; provided with Generators, Computers and Wide Area Network;

This litany of laudable projects implemented under the first compact should neither have been the focus of his speech nor the reason for our optimism.

Activities and outcomes in themselves, no matter how good, do not translate into measurable sustainable impact if these projects are not integrated into a larger plan for sustainable agribusiness.

We should be concerned about the effects the projects have had on the ultimate vision of strengthening the growth of the sector to lift more people out of poverty.
The sad reality is that the growth of the sector fell from 7.2% in 2009 to 5.3% in 2010 and further declined to 0.8% in 2011, 1.3% in 2012 and 3.4% in 2013.*

These numbers in themselves may not mean much, but one cannot help but ask how whether at the very least we shouldn’t have maintained pre-MCA levels of growth in the sector?

We ought to have a plan to consolidate the gains made from laudable projects like the $547 million MCA and link the improved infrastructure and access to credit to measurably sustainable impact in agriculture.

We should also be asking our leaders to point out the real and sustainable impacts of these well-executed projects and initiating activities to consolidate the gains.
Which begs the question; how transformational will this new compact be?

MCA-2 and Power Sector Transformation

The MCA 2 is a sensible idea aimed at restoring the financial and operational efficiency of our power distributors ECG and NEDCO.
But I can bet my last depreciating cedi that merely involving a “credible PSP partner and blocking the leakages in these utilities would not result in the “TRANSFORMATION” of our power sector.

In the power sector, Ghana’s level of generation is a far cry from what it takes to industrialize.

Our generation capacity is presently a bit below 3000 MW but the actual load on average is below 1500 mw.

Our focus must shift from simply announcing how many new power plants we have built to how much power actually reaches the end user.
So far, it has been proved that nations need a reliable power base to industrialize.

The United States produces 3170 watts/capita, Europe 1700, Malaysia 813 and South Africa 900. Ghana’s watts/capita is a tiny 53.

This stark comparison means we cannot afford to just list a litany of projects to make the country an industrial one. The MCA-2 must be linked to a broader plan to massively boost our generation capacity, availability and accessibility.

We can exult all we want about how this compact will transform our power sector, but unless its linked to a thoughtful and aggressive overall plan for sector, transformation will remain a pipe dream.

IMF, Necessary but insufficient for economic transformation

Ghana’s decision to engage the IMF for an economic program has come with mixed reaction.

While some say it’s an admission of failed economic policies and mismanagement, others say it will serve as the stabilizing bedrock needed for economic takeoff.

The IMF prescriptions are sure to include plans to focus on fiscal discipline in the form of smaller budget deficits, fewer subsidies, tax reform, liberalized financial systems, competitive exchange rates, private sector participation and deregulation among others.

These are viewed differently depending on which side of the fence you sit.

Skeptics of the IMF and its policies see them as a part of a neo-liberal agenda deliberately crafted to serve the needs of wealthy countries at the expense of the poor.

They argue for instance that curbs on subsidies and increases in taxes directly worsen the plight of the poor , while privatization, financial liberalization and industrial deregulation work to the same effect by delivering windfall profits to domestic and foreign speculators , by stripping the state of its assets and weakening rules that protect consumers and workers from abuse.

Others however see their policies as necessary bitter pills to be swallowed to put poorly managed economies back on track and argue that the times that Ghana’s books have looked good have coincided with completion of IMF programs.

Whatever your views are on the IMF, what is clear is that their policy prescriptions may be necessary but insufficient conditions for economic transformation.

Many East Asian countries discovered to their chagrin that the kinds of transformation they needed, would not come from the IMF, while Argentina, a long-term darling of the Washington development establishment is still not out of its economic woods (pun unintended).

This situation suggests that Ghana should approach the IMF with great caution and a broader plan.

Way Forward

One can already see the uncanny similarities between some of the conditions in the 2nd Compact and what we know to be the typical policy prescriptions of the IMF, the contentious PSP-partner for ECG/NEDCO requirement being a good example.

We must prepare for the changes that are sure to come from the power sector reforms and create space for competent local participation in areas like distribution franchises, Sub-station infrastructure, Metering and revenue collection and prepayment systems among others.

The twin “reprieves” of IMF program and MCA may be welcome reliefs for this country, but without a well-coordinated plan to diversify our economy, empower our local private sector to drive the development agenda, improve the use of technology in production and reduce corruption to a manageable minimum; our quest to transform Ghana will remain a pipe dream.

*2014 Africa Transformation Report
*Provisional GDP September 2013, GSS

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By: Bernard Koku Avle/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Sierra Leone had asked for permission to play some of its African Cup qualifiers in Ghana because of the Ebola outbreak at home.

The Confederation of African Football said in a statement on Tuesday that Sierra Leone indicated it wanted to move its home ties in the final qualifying round to Ghana.

Caf said the request had been made to Ghanaian authorities and ‘necessary reviews are being undertaken.’

As Citi Sports reported earlier, the GFA have now responded, asking their West African neighbours to deal with the matter at a governmental level.

Statement in full

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has received a request from our brothers at the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) seeking to play their 2015  Africa Cup of Nations qualifying home matches in Accra.

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Sherifatu Sumaila set the Princesses off to a flying start when she scored the all-important goal in the 22^nd minute to hand Bashir Hayford’s side the needed three points, before they face 2006 champions Korea DPR on Friday.

This win puts Ghana in second place, behind Korea DPR on goal difference after the Asian side claimed a 2-1 victory over Finland in the other match.

Addressing the press right after the game, Coach Bashir Hayford hailed his team’s exploits but was insistent nothing was going to come cheap for his side in the on-going competition.

“It was a good game, I appreciated all that I’ve seen tonight. And at the end of the day, the best team won,” said Hayford in Toronto.

“We already learnt our first lesson: in a World Cup, nothing will be easy. We suffered, but we won.” – he added

By:  Benjamin Epton Owusu with quotes from Ghanafa.org/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @BenEpton_

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Members across the country have lamented the high rate of visa denials by the Canadian embassy, insisting it is a deliberate ploy to frustrate the Black Princesses, who are paired in the same group as host nation, Canada.

Others have also attributed this incident to a recent case, where over 100  Ghanaian supporters who entered Brazil as tourists to watch the just-ended FIFA World Cup requested for asylum, citing religious conflict across the country.

The Black Princesses will kick off their campaign on Tuesday, 5^th of August and will be hoping to secure maximum points from their three group games to enable them secure their spot in the Knock-Out stages of the competition.

The demonstration is said to have been organized by the Coalition of Ghana supporters and will commence at exactly 10am at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Accra.

By: Benjamin Epton Owusu/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Ghana’s women doubles team lost to Jamaica in the first round of event by three matches to one at the Scotstoun Table Tennis Centre.

Celia Baah-Danso and Cynthia Kwabi could not get past Shenique Clare and Yvonne Foster but the other female team of Mareen Adom Amankwa and Bernice Borquaye did better in beating Uganda’s Amina Luukaya and Ludia Natunga.

They, however, fell at the second hurdle to Singapore’s Ye Lin and Yihan Zhou by three games to zero.

In the Men’s Singles first round event, Derek Abrefa lost to Philip Xiao of New Zealand by four matches to two.

Felix Lartey was equally unsuccessful in his first round match  as he lost to Malaysia’s Chee Feng Leong by four matches to one.

Emmanuel Commey did not also do well after he lost to Tengteng Liu of New Zealand by four games to zero.

That was the last match in Team Ghana’s table tennis campaign in the Commonwealth Games.

By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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