My Ghana Electronic Desk

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE A new report has refuted earlier hypotheses that the global food price crises of 2007 to 2008, was primarily caused by increased demand in rising economies such as China and India, by falling agricultural yields or food stocks, and by futures market speculation. Instead, using recently available data, the new report released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, titled Reflections on the Global Food Crisis, has attributed the crisis to a combination of increased energy costs, growing demand for biofuels, depreciation of the U.S. dollar, trade shocks related to export restrictions, panic purchases, and unfavourable weather. Estimates of the number of people who were pushed into malnutrition by rising food prices in 2007 vary from around 75 million to 133 million, with the greatest consumption losses falling on women and girls, says the report. It adds that countries were particularly vulnerable to rising prices...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Hundreds of millions of people across the world will receive daily updates on the latest international efforts to tackle climate change, as a result of an innovative media support programme made possible through an alliance between Internews, Panos and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). The alliance has already supported more than 100 journalists from 43 developing nations at the past three UNFCCC meetings. This year however, the Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP) has awarded 35 journalists from across the developing world with fellowships to Mexico to provide vital coverage of the annual Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the end of the month, says a statement issued by the International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED). According to the statement, the CCMP programme will enable journalists to report in depth on the negotiations and share their st...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Last Year's Awards Logo CNN International and MultiChoice have officially launched the annual CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2011 Awards, for which winners will be announced at a gala ceremony to be held in Johannesburg , South Africa in June 2011. The competition is open to African nationals who are professional journalists, including freelancers across print, television, internet, photographic and radio media, while entries that qualify should have been broadcast or published from January 2010 to December 2010. Commenting on the Awards which have been held over the past 16 years, Tony Maddox, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of CNN International, said : “ The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards have been encouraging excellence in journalism across the continent for 16 years and are truly a highlight in CNN's editorial calendar. I’m delighted that they continue to grow in stature an...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group , and the Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF), have both invested $1.25 million of equity into Esoko, a Ghanaian technology firm, to assist African farmers increase their incomes. According to a statement announcing the investment in Esoko, the company’s technology will give small holder African farmers and businesses timely crop information that can be shared via text messaging, enabling farmers to increase their incomes. Explaining how the Esokos software works, the statement said it takes advantage of rapidly growing mobile-phone usage in Africa, adding, the technology allows farmers affordable and timely access to market information that can help them negotiate better prices and improve the timing of getting their crops to market. The Esokos software, the statement continued, allows different parties in the agricultural value chain to exch...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE The Economist Group, owner of the weekly newspaper, The Economist , and the leading source of analysis on international business and world affairs, has opened its first commercial office in sub-Saharan Africa. The opening, which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa at the beginning of August, 2010, follows another successful year for The Economist Group, who despite turbulent trading conditions, achieved another record operating profit of £57.5 million during the financial year ending April 2010. Worldwide circulation of The Economist also rose to 1,443,083 in the January-June 2010 ABC period. A press statement announcing the opening of the Group’s new offices says “The Economist Group is seeing a growing interest in Africa and views Africa as a market in which it can make a contribution while developing its own business.” The statement also relayed that an Africa only advertising edition is available to companies wish...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE The Nokia 2690 Leading telecommunications manufacturer, Nokia yesterday announced that Ovi Life Tools, its leading emerging market information service, is now available in Nigeria - one of Africa’s fastest growing economies and the continent’s largest mobile market. The African launch follows hot on the heels of highly successful launches over the last year in Indonesia, India and China. A press release announcing the Nigeria launch said currently, Ovi Life Tools has over 6.3 million users globally, stating that the introduction of the service in Africa further extends Nokia’s reach in emerging markets. Ovi Life Tools offers a wide range of information services covering healthcare, agriculture, education and entertainment, which address the needs of consumers and helps improve their economic prosperity and quality of life, according to the press statement from the world renowned mobile phone device manufacturer . “It is...