The dance hall artiste tweeted this morning that it was not right for Ghanaian musicians to be less represented at the awards which was held in Ghana at Accra International Conference Centre on 4^thDecember, 2017.

According to Samini, a law that allows for 70% local content and at least 50% representation of Ghanaians at international programmes held in the country, should be passed.

“I am starting a campaign today and I hope it gets to the LAW makers. Ghanaians want 70 percent of local content on our airwaves and 50:50 share of performance time on any international platform mounted here on our soil.This is to help us also sell to the world “ourown” craft,” he tweeted.

He went ahead to admonish the President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bice Osei Kuffuor to help petition parliament in this regard.

“MUSIGA president pls take this to parliament for us oooo. We need change NOW chale … aaah. HOW,” added.

The ‘rain god’ responded to a claim by a follower that Ghanaian musicians were not given prominence at the award ceremony because they were not ambassadors of the headline sponsor Aiteo.

“I performed in 2006 or so at Glo caff awards .. I wasn’t an ambassador then .. you point is ?? Lol. I’ve actually performed in Nigeria several times as the only Gh act on the bill.. how can this happen any where in the world lol,” he said.

A lot of people including the founder of Danquah Institute, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko have also bemoaned the seeming sidelining of Ghanaian artistes at the Aiteo CAF Awards.

“Instead of treating us to some good Ghanaian performances, as well, CAF decided to populate the stage with Naija ones plus others, including a Nigerian artiste who was dressed as if he lost his way to the gym. I hear he is called Wizkid,” he wrote on Facebook.

Ghanaian artiste Efya opened the programme with a rendition of Ghana’s National Anthem and Kidi did the last performance.

There were other African artistes on the bill, predominantly Nigerian. The event saw performances from Nigerian Afro dance hall act, Patoranking, Flavour, Phyno, Olamide, Wizkid and Toofan from Togo and Fally Ipupa from Congo.

Ghanaian dance hall kingpin Shatta Wale who was billed to perform was did not make an appearance on stage last night.

The issue of giving Ghanaian artistes more prominent in the scheme of this things has been topical among stakeholders of the music industry for some time now.

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By: Kwame Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to them, government has done little to increase local participation in the sector, despite the implementation of the Local Content Law, which seeks to promote the maximization of value addition and job creation through the use of local expertise, goods and services in the petroleum industry value chain.#

Speaking to Citi Business News on the sidelines of the Third Africa Oil and Gas Talent Summit, National Coordinator for the summit, Yeboah Sarha, said government must create more schemes to train locals to take advantage of opportunities in the downstream and upstream sectors of the industry.

“Government should invest more in training the youth and locals in the oil and gas industry, this will help deal with unemployment and also give us better value for our money in the country’s oil sector.”

He added that, government should also build the capacity of Ghanaians by sending them for attachment programs outside the country.

“We can work with the industry players for them to work with Ghanaians outside some of their companies. For instance if people are sent to places like Houston or other places, these are areas where Ghanaians can go and work and government will foot the bill so that the people can gain experience and come back and work within the industry”, he suggested.

About the summit

The 3rd Africa Oil and Gas Talent Summit (AOGS), is under the theme, ‘Digital Workplace Transformation for Africa’s Energy Future.’

The summit also brought together participants from across the continent.

A key feature of this year’s summit were the roundtable sessions and expert presentations with delegates and exhibitors, made up of Chief Executive Officers of Exploration and Production and Service companies, Ministers of state and directors of oil and gas, energy and power companies, and Local Content Managers.

The AOGS is an annual event that brings together African operators, service providers and regulators to power-up their digital workplace strategies – particularly in a time when the industry is seeking innovative strategic responses to a lower-forever oil price future.
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By: Anita Arthur/Citibudsinessnews.com/Ghana

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The Local Content legislative Instrument 2204, was passed to among other things to ensure active participation of indigenous Ghanaians along the entire petroleum value chain.

Speaking at the commissioning of a Mechanical and Welding Workshop at the Kikam Technical Institute at Kikam in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region,  Mr. Armah Buah, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Ellembelle Constituency, noted that “…in terms of direct jobs, approximately 7,000 people have been employed in the upstream [petroleum] sector, comprising of 5,590 Ghanaians and 1,350 expatriates. out of the 474 companies registered with the Petroleum Commission, 321 are indigenous companies and 46 are joint venture companies.”

A substantial amount of the US$4 billion spent on the Tweneboa Enyera Ntomme (TEN) Project from 2010 to 2016 according to Mr. Buah, was spent in the country.

Contracts issued to indigenous Ghanaian service providers according to him, were also in excess of US$221million, about 73 percent increment compared to the US$ 128million for 2015.

Mr. Buah, who was optimistic of more gains under the local content LI in the years ahead, expressed the commitment of the John Mahama-led administration towards making local content and local capacity building the cornerstone of the Ghanaian oil and gas industry.

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Pentagon is assessing the results of Monday’s operation before releasing details, a spokesman said.

However a US official quoted by the American media said “a senior al-Shabab operative” had been targeted.

The al-Qaeda-linked group lost control of Mogadishu to an African Union (AU) force in 2011 but still hold many southern and central areas.

“We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information as and when appropriate,” Pentagon spokesman John F Kirby said in a statement.

The American action comes after al-Shabab rebels attacked a detention centre in Mogadishu on Sunday, in an apparent effort to free other militants detained there.

Somali officials said all of the attackers, as well as three government soldiers and two civilians, were killed.

The Pentagon and the US state department have supported the 22,000-member AU force that drove al-Shabab from their former strongholds in the capital and other urban centres.

The militants continue to carry out bombings and assassinations in the city.

Al-Shabab fighters want to overthrow the internationally supported Somali government and frequently attack government targets as well as neighbouring countries that provide troops to the AU force.

The group said it carried out last year’s attack on the Westgate mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in which at least 67 people were killed.

Source: BBC

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Local elites and communities in remote areas protect pirates because they lack an income, it adds.

Foreign navies have a strong presence around Somalia in order to keep shipping lanes safe.

This has led to a decline in attacks off the Somali coast, with the UN estimating that about 40 people are still being held by pirates.

At the peak of their activity three years ago, the pirates held more than 700 crew members and more than 30 ships.

‘Import centre’

The World Bank estimates that pirates netted more than $400m (£230m) in ransom money between 2005 and 2012.

Somalia has been a largely lawless state since the fall of long-serving ruler Siad Barre in 1991.

Warlords, religious groups and clans have been fighting for control of Somalia.

The study, by the University of Oxford and King’s College London, says Somalia witnessed a surge in pirate attacks when territory was contested or elections took place.

This suggested the behaviour of clan leaders in Somalia was similar to that of politicians in Italy and Taiwan, who extended protection to criminals when they needed extra funds to further political ambitions, the study adds.

“Local communities support pirates when there isn’t a better alternative income stream,” said Federico Varese, a co-author of the report based at the University Oxford.

“By improving the infrastructure of Somalia, building new harbours and roads to link the remote areas to trade routes, our research concludes that poorer communities would be less likely to resort to piracy,” he added.

People in Somalia’s north-eastern city of Bosasso cut ties with pirates once the economy grew, the study says.

“As the city regained its importance as a major trading port for livestock and an import centre for the wider region, pirates were no longer tolerated – pirate hostages were freed and pirates were imprisoned by the local clan leaders,” the study adds.

Source: BBC

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Three of the attackers were killed and a fourth captured, the minister added.

Al-Shabab fighters entered the compound in the capital, Mogadishu, on Tuesday before being driven out by African Union (AU) and government forces.

This was the second assault on the heavily fortified compound this year.

The police and intelligence heads – Abdihakim Saaid and Bashir Gobe respectively – have been replaced with immediate effect, said Information Minister Mustafa Dhuhulow.

The militants have vowed to step up attacks during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was not at the palace at the time of the attack.

Al-Shabab said 14 government soldiers had been killed in the assault but government officials have not referred to this claim

The raid started with a suicide bomber detonating a car at a barrier near the entrance to the compound, after which the militants attacked from two directions, correspondents say.

At a press conference at the palace after the attack was repelled, Mr Mohamud said the government would not be intimidated by al-Shabab.

“I say to them, you will not kill us, and nor will you demolish our spirit,” he added.

Some 22,000 African Union troops are helping the UN-backed government battle al-Shabab, which wants to create an Islamic state.

Al-Shabab lost control of Mogadishu in 2011, but often carries out attacks in the city.

The group has vowed to step up attacks during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

On Saturday, a suicide car bomb exploded near the parliament building, killing at least four people.

–

Source: BBC

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An al-Shabab spokesman said fighting was ongoing, but a government official told the BBC the attack was over and the militants had all been killed.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was not at the palace at the time.

The al-Qaeda-aligned al-Shabab group lost control of Mogadishu in 2011, but often carries out attacks in the city.

The group has vowed to step up attacks during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

On Saturday, a suicide car bomb exploded near the capital’s parliament building, killing at least four people.

The BBC’s Mohammed Moalimu in Mogadishu says President Mohamud was attending a function at the residence of the UN special envoy to Somalia, near the airport.

A large contingent of the Somali military police accompanied him, leaving the presidential palace, known as Villa Somalia, mainly under the protection of African Union soldiers, he says.

The presidential palace is the seat of government and many top government officials live and work there.

It is not clear if the prime minister and speaker of parliament were in the compound when it was attacked.

“We have entered the so-called presidential palace. We have now captured some parts of the palace and fighting is still going on,” al-Shabab spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told the Reuters news agency.

The spokesman said that 14 government soldiers had been killed in the attack.

However a government official, who asked not to be named, told the BBC the situation was now under control and that attackers had all been killed.

He declined to comment on the number of casualties.

‘Bullets flying around’

A security official told the AFP news agency that there were at least nine attackers involved in the raid and all had been killed.

The raid is believed to have started with a car bomb at a barrier near the entrance to the compound, after which the militants attacked from two directions, he says.

Halimo Nure, a local resident, told AFP that bullets were “flying around”.

“There is shooting and gunfire, there are also explosions like they are using grenades.”

Al-Shabab militants staged a similar attack on Villa Somalia in February when a car bomb exploded at the gate of the presidential palace, followed by a fierce gun battle inside.

A high-level meeting on how to beef up security in the capital was held at parliament on Monday night, a statement from the prime minister’s office said.

Despite losing Mogadishu and other key cities over the last three years, al-Shabab still controls many smaller towns and rural areas of the country.

Some 22,000 African Union troops are helping the UN-backed government battle al-Shabab, which wants to create an Islamic state.

Source: BBC

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The women were arrested in Buale, about 300km (185 miles) south-west of the capital, Mogadishu.

BBC Somali analyst Mohamed Mohamed says it is rare for al-Shabab to carry out such mass arrests.

The al-Qaeda-linked group controls much of southern and central parts of Somalia.

The women were arrested in the market, taken away and warned before being released.

Because it was their first offence, they were not punished but they could be whipped in public if caught again.

Our analyst says the temperature can reach 35C (95F) at this time of year and so many women preferred to wear lighter, traditional clothes than those approved by al-Shabab.

The women were told to wear a niqab, which covers all of their body and face, leaving just a small slit for their eyes.

Al-Shabab, whose name means “The Youth” in Arabic, advocates the strict Saudi-inspired Wahhabi version of Islam.

They have stoned to death people accused of committing adultery and amputated the hands of thieves.

A UN-backed government, aided by African Union forces, has pushed al-Shabab out of the country’s main cities but it continues to stage deadly attacks there.

Source: BBC

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Explosions and gunfire were heard and witnesses reported seeing bodies.

Somali police were joined by African Union troops as they engaged the attackers.

Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, once controlled large areas of Somalia but was pushed out of major cities in 2011 and 2012.

However, it is still able to mount complex attacks. It has frequently targeted the UN-backed parliament.

A car bomb outside the gates of parliament exploded shortly before midday local time (09:00 GMT), followed by more blasts and bursts of gunfire.

“The lawmakers and the other workers were rescued as soon as the car bomb exploded. But the terrorists are still firing from inside a mosque nearby,” the Reuters news agency quoted a police colonel as saying.

Four police officers had died, he told Reuters.

It is not clear whether gunmen managed to get inside the building on Saturday.

An al-Shabab spokesman told the AFP news agency: “The so-called Somali parliament is a military zone. Our fighters are there to carry out a holy operation.”

African Union (AU) troops from the 22,000-strong Amisom security force joined the Somali army in fighting the insurgents around parliament, an Amisom spokesman said.

Operations were continuing at 10:30 GMT, he said.

Somalia has experienced almost constant conflict since its government collapsed in 1991.

With Mogadishu and other towns now under government control, basic services such as street lighting and rubbish collection have now resumed.

Many Somalis have returned from exile, bringing their money and skills with them.

The parliament in Mogadishu – which operated as a transitional assembly from 2004 to 2012 – has been attacked several times, including in 2009 and 2010.

Last month, a Somali parliamentarian was blown up and another shot dead in separate attacks.

In February, al-Shabab militants attacked the presidential palace in Mogadishu, leaving at least 16 people dead.

Al-Shabab, whose name means “The Youth” in Arabic, advocates the strict Saudi-inspired Wahhabi version of Islam.

Source: BBC

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