My Ghana Electronic Desk

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE, MUMBAI, INDIA Kofi Annan The immediate past Ghanaian-born United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has been extolled for espousing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during his two-term tenure as head of the world body. Describing him as an astounding and inspiring person, Chairperson of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), Professor Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, said “Imagine the world without Kofi Annan – That would be a world without the Millennium Development Goals, including the sanitation target that brings all of us here in Mumbai.” Delivering her address on the theme “Inspire to Act” via video to a packed global audience on the first day of the first ever WSSCC-led Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene in Mumbai, in the Maharashtra State of India on Monday, October 10, 2011, Anna Tibaijuka, who is also a Minister of State of the Tanzanian Government, stated that another person who had inspired her, was the late Profe...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE, MUMBAI, INDIA World- renowned Indian actor referred to as the King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, has been named as the Goodwill Ambassador for Sanitation and Hygiene at an impressive opening ceremony of the WSSCC Global Sanitation and Hygiene Forum in Mumbai, India. Making the announcement Sunday, October 9, 2011 at approximately 20:45 hrs Eastern Time, organizers of the first ever global forum on sanitation, which has attracted well over 300 participants from all over the world, said Shah Rukh Khan had eagerly agreed to join a campaign to ensure a greater part of the world and India’s population who do not have access to improved sanitation get that access. He has also been named a global ambassador for sanitation and hygiene as part of a United Nations-backed campaign to tackle diseases such as diarrhoea, which is the second-biggest killer of children worldwide. Commenting on his new role, the Bollywood actor said, “It is shameful and tragic that every 30 seco...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Ing. Senyo Theodore Amengor The subsidiary company established by the Government of Ghana to manage the operations of the Ghana Water Company Limited after the exit of Aqua Vitens Rand Limited in June this year, Ghana Urban Water Limited (GUWL), now has a managing director. The new MD, Ing. Senyo Theodore Amengor, who is no stranger to the management of water in Ghana, joined the then Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation (GWSC) in August, 1980 and was posted to the Eastern Region as Projects Engineer till February, 1984. Ing Senyo Amengor is a versatile Civil Engineering professional, specialised in water supply and environmental engineering, with a very rich experience in personnel and financial management and has a thirty-two year working experience in the water sector. Before his new appointment, Senyo Amengor was the Chief Operating Officer for the erstwhile Aqua Vitens Rand Limited and on several occasions acted as the Managing Director. Commenting o...

By EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Mr. Adam Sulley A record number of over three hundred and fifty (350) local and international exhibitors have registered to showcase their latest agricultural technologies and innovations at this year’s Food and Agric Show in Ghana dubbed FAGRO 2011. The unprecedented number, according to the organizers, represents a 70% increase over the number of exhibitors who participated in last year’s show held at the International Trade Fair Centre, Accra in October 2010. This year’s show is slated to take place from October 7 to October 16 at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra under the theme “Beginning with the End in Mind – the Value Chain Process”. According to the Head of Retail Banking of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and Chairman of the FAGRO 2011 Planning Committee, Mr. Adam Sulley, the exhibitors made up of farmers, food producers, traders, manufacturers, producers, policy makers, scientists, agriculturalists and other stakeholders are...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Well known phone manufacturer, Nokia, has released another dual SIM phone on the Ghanaian market known as the Nokia C2-03. The phone, which was launched alongside Nokia X1-01 and Nokia C2-00 recently, is the third of the range of dual SIM phones Nokia has brought to the market. Announcing this in a statement released to the media, the renowned phone manufacturer said Nokia C2-03 comes with Nokia's unique Dual SIM capabilities including features that allow the user to personalise up to five SIM cards. It also boasts dedicated look and feel and an easy swap option that lets users change SIM cards in seconds without having to turn off the phone or remove the battery. The phone also comes with new Nokia Maps with local maps and places of interest being pre-installed. According to Nokia, this means users can view maps and plan routes when the phone is in offline mode, thereby saving on the cost of downloading maps over mobile networks. Commenting on the new device...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Alban Bagbin delivering the keynote address Ghana’s Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has demanded that the youth be given a voice in the country’s decision-making process in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. “Young people should be included in official decision-making processes and all stakeholders should take steps to ensure that the voice of the youth is heard through democratic channels at the local, regional and national levels,” he stated. Delivering the keynote address at the launch of a national inter-schools water, sanitation and hygiene quiz in Accra Thursday, September 1, 2011 under the theme; “Promoting Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Partnership with the Youth”, the Minister added that including the youth is in accordance with Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and applies to rights in general as well as to water and sanitation issues. “Empowerin...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Mr. E. O. Okomeng, Acting MD of Zoomlion Receiving the award Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the leading waste management company in Ghana, has been adjudged “The Marketing Oriented Company of the Year 2010” by the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG)   at the Institute’s   annual awards ceremony in Accra. A citation accompanying the award stated “Zoomlion since its formation in 2006 has become a household name in the provision of environmental sanitation services in Ghana and beyond.”   The citation also mentioned the employment created by Zoomlion, and the foreign countries the company is operating in as part of the company’s achievements. “Your contribution to society in the area of donations, disinfestations, support programmes in the field of health, education and sponsorships are note worthy,” the citation said adding, “Your efforts to make Ghana a clean haven have touched the hearts of Ghanaians and your evaluators who have ranked you...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Mr.Bangryong Kim, Managing Director of Samsung Ghana Presenting a 40 inch LED TV set to Mr.Ransford Tetteh Samsung Ghana will from next year support the Best Journalist in Innovation and Technological Reporting under the annual awards ceremony of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA). The move is to help promote and deepen the interest of journalists’ reportage on issues related to Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the country. This announcement was made by Mr. Bangryong Kim (Brovo), the Managing Director of Samsung Ghana when the Management of the company called on the National Executive of the GJA to formally introduce itself to the association and brief executives on the upcoming Samsung Week Celebrations in Accra. The team, which was led by Mr. Kim, comprised of Ms. Monica Adukpo, the Head of Marketing, Mr. Tetteh Akornor, Product Manager and Mr. Mike Bosompem, Retail Manager of Samsung Ghana. The Managing Director stated that the de...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE The Forest Governance Learning Group (FGLG) teams in Ghana, Indonesia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Vietnam have warned that national plans for REDD+ in their countries could do more harm than good. They maintain that unless such national plans to protect forests are reverted to focus on benefitting the forest-dependent communities, biodiversity and climate, the strategies will be headed for irreversible disaster. Commenting on a report on national forest protection plans, the five FGLG teams said in many countries top-down, government-led plans for REDD+ have been rushed through and focus more on how to count carbon stored in trees than on how to actually implement a system that brings real benefits for communities, biodiversity and the climate. According to the report released last week by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), “tropical countries that seek a share of billions of dollars of climate finance in return for protecting their...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE The General Secretary of GJA, Mr. Bright Blewu receiving the cheque Waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, has presented a cheque for GH¢3,000 to the National Executive Committee of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), towards the 16th Edition of the GJA Awards. Presenting the cheque on behalf of the company last week Thursday, Miss Patricia Ofori Atta, Communications Officer of Zoomlion Ghana Limited , said Zoomlion Ghana Limited was happy to partner GJA in rewarding excellence in journalism and appealed to the media to continue to support the company in its aggressive drive towards waste management and environmental sanitation. She also added that since the foundation of Zoomlion Ghana Limited five years ago, the company has embarked on countless programmes towards the eradication of filth in the country. According to Miss Ofori Atta, the company remains committed towards fighting waste in the country, since one of the ma...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE The Public Procurement Authority (PPA), has cautioned the public that there are some imposters operating under the guise of state agencies such as the Tender Board, Office of the Presidency, Republic of Ghana and operating websites such as www.tenderboard-gh.org, and Ghana Procurement Service with its website at www.ghanaprocurementservices.com. The fraudsters, the PPA warns, are purporting to have been set up by the Government of Ghana, to provide offsite procurement outsourcing solutions, and awarding contracts on behalf of the Government of Ghana. “We are by this notice alerting you of their dealings and advising that no purported contract awards from such organisations should be entertained. Please be advised that Contracts in Ghana are awarded only after an exhaustive tendering process in which the awardees are expected to have participated. Such Tender notices are also put out by the individual Entities and not a Central Agency on behalf...

Mr. Ludovic Falcuo BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE In line with its vision to always lead in new innovations in telecommunications devices and accessories, Nokia has officially launched three dual SIM handsets onto the Ghanaian market. The X1-01, C2-00 and Nokia C2-03, were outdoored at a media launch in Accra today, July 18, 2011. The Nokia X1-01 and C2-00, are presently on the Ghanaian market at very competitive prices of GH¢ 65 and GH¢ 110 respectively, while the third, the Nokia C2-03 is expected to be made available in the next few weeks, says Country Manager of Nokia in Ghana, Ludovic Falcou. The new handsets come with a lot of new exciting features such as loud music speaker for the X1-01, which can play for 36 hours continuously and designed with the youth in mind and an easy swap of SIM on the C2-00, which means a second SIM can be changed while the phone is still on. According to Product Manager of  Nokia, West Africa, Olumide Balogun who took the media through ...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), an organisation working to promote an effectual media in the region, will on August 9, 2011 celebrate a decade of its work of promoting free expression and press freedom in West Africa. The twin event, which is aimed at celebrating the gains of freedom of expression/press freedom in West Africa, will take stock of the organisation’s activities and highlight among other things the challenges of promoting free expression and press freedom in the region. As part of the activities to mark the day, the MFWA will be holding a series of events such as the launch of its anniversary publication, a publication of the record of its work in promoting freedom of expression and press freedom in West Africa. MFWA will also hold a Strategy Planning Conference on Decriminalisation of Media and Speech Legislation, which will bring together key and influential people in the area of free expression and media freedom from ...

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Alhaji Issahaku Saliah speaking at the Mosque The Upper West Regional Minister, Alhaji   Issahaku Saliah,   has commended Zoomlion Ghana Limited   for the good work it is doing in the Upper West Region to   promote the health of the people. He said Zoomlion and the government of Ghana are working towards the same objective of improving the sanitation situation in the country and has therefore called on residents of Wa including the Muslim community, to help keep the country clean and healthy. The Minister was speaking at the Wa Central Mosque last Friday when Zoomlion’s Public Education Campaign in Muslim communities reached that region.                                                     ...