Seth J. Bokpe's Ghana Newsreel

Thirty-seven years after it came to the limelight, it is showing no sign of losing its spot as a competitor’s nightmare or an owner’s delight. Call it sleek, rugged and muscled and your description will be apt, but beyond the masculine features, the all-new Honda Accord is about three things--safety, fuel economy and advance technology. When the Honda Place, distributors of the vehicle, launched the ninth generation of the Accord last Friday, it was obvious that Honda’s stingy attitude towards  engine fuel consumption was a unique selling point as Mr Jaideep Puthran, the Brand Manager of the company, could not resist mentioning it over and over again. “Over the years, Honda’s recognised attributes are of an innovator, a dynamic, and a creative brand and it continues to excite us with new designs, models, and features. Our brand does this while making our cars safer, more environmentally responsible and, most importantly more affordable,” he said. The Accord’s...

The weather was hot, the traffic horrible—there was no space to move. Impatient passengers in commercial vehicles filed out of the vehicles convinced that it was faster to walk.  Then the screaming came.  Hawkers bobbling through the traffic to earn their living abandoned their trade to catch a glimpse. Frustrated drivers and passengers in air-conditioned vehicles liven up, opened their doors to check where the commotion was coming from. “Fire! Fire! Fire!”  The screaming continued from the panicky woman standing on the shoulder of the crowded road. Crammed in the gridlock was a battered saloon car with smoke billowing from the bonnet.  It was obvious the car had seen better days. Good Samaritans oblivious of possible explosions rushed with tree branches, fire extinguishers and even a bucket of water to the scene. The bonnet was forced open without much effort but to the shock of many, the smoke was actually steam. In the automotive world, smok...

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has resumed its monitoring of intemperate language on the airwaves project to enhance professionalism and reduce hate speech on radio. The project, which begins today, will have the foundation carrying out daily monitoring of expressions used on key programmes on 26 radio stations across the country. The project, being funded by STAR-Ghana, would be rolled out over the next three months - August 1 to October 31, 2013, and the findings of the monitoring would be issued as weekly reports and communicated to the public through the media to name and shame the culprits. The project would involve the daily monitoring of expressions used by politicians and activists in discussions and comments on the proceedings and rulings of the Supreme Court on 26 selected radio stations across the country. The MFWA introduced a similar project last year ahead of the 2012 election campaign with the aim of cleaning up the airwaves of foul...

The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC) has appealed to Ghanaians to refrain from provocative actions and utterances that have the tendency to breed conflict.   The bishops therefore, endorsed the call by a section of society for the victors in the election petition case not to celebrate after the court verdict, but rather continue their normal endeavours to develop the country. At a press conference to crown its extraordinary plenary held from August 6 to 8, 2013, the Catholic Church’s most important decision-making body in Ghana also made a passionate appeal to Ghanaians to remain calm before and after the Supreme Court’s verdict on the ongoing presidential election petition. It urged the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to accept the court’s verdict in good faith and encourage their supporters to do same. The press conference, which was in collaboration with STAR-Ghana, a non-governmental organ...

Ghana’s largest mobile network, MTN, says it will offer a percentage of its service charge to compensate its subscribers who were affected by network disruptions last week.   An e-mail in response to Daily Graphic enquiries said, “The mobile licence granted by the NCA to all telecommunications operators sets out what the licensee is obligated to do for its subscribers in the event of a planned or unplanned disruption to its service. “We wish to assure our customers that, in accordance with the requirements of MTN’s licence, we will offer a percentage of the service charge to our cherished subscribers who were unfortunately affected by the unplanned network disruption.” Last week was frustrating for millions of MTN subscribers who could not make calls, top up credit or use data bundles. The National Communications Authority (NCA), in response to the service disruptions, directed MTN to compensate its subscribers. The Daily Graphic of Monday, August 20, 2013 repo...

GHANA's largest mobile telecom operator, MTN , has been directed to compensate its subscribers for last week’s massive service disruption. The network provider has, consequently, been asked by the National Communications Authority (NCA) , to submit a compensation plan for all its subscribers who were affected by the poor service delivery — both voice and data. Daily Graphic investigations also indicated that MTN had been slapped with a more than GH¢1 million fine for inaccurately charging for incoming international calls. Last week was frustrating for millions of MTN subscribers who could not make calls, top up credit or use data bundles. But the latest directive runs contrary to the telecom regulator’s position last month, when the Network of Communication Reporters (NCR) urged the NCA to ensure that telcos compensated their customers for bad services, instead of NCA fines. The NCA had maintained that it was difficult to supervise wholesale compensation for cu...

A former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr Joyce Aryee, has challenged African leaders to put the continent’s natural resources to efficient use.   “It is time for African leaders to think inter-generationally in meeting the needs of our people,” she told a gathering of senior-level journalists/editors, civil society activists, and parliamentary select committees engaged in the extractive sector. According to Dr Aryee, the continent’s inability to use its resources to champion the cause of its development is due to inefficiency in the governance system. She was speaking at the opening of the fifth Regional Extractive Industries Knowledge Hub (REIK HUB) in Accra yesterday. The two-week course is being attended by 40 participants from countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Kenya, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Switzerland. The course, which is organised by Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) and GIZ, ...

Public sector players in the minerals industry are meeting in Accra to find ways of reducing the impact of falling gold prices on the Ghanaian economy.   Organised by the Mineral Commission, the workshop is part of a series of brainstorming sessions to ensure that the economic shocks that come with falling gold prices - unemployment and revenue loss - have little impact on the Ghanaian economy. It brought together participants from the Minerals Commission, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ghana Revenue Authority, civil society, and the Bank of Ghana. After a rather interesting two years of soaring gold prices in 2011 and 2012, the price of the powerful metal has taken a nosedive in 2013, forcing the government to abandon proposed windfall taxes. From $1,224.53 per ounce in 2010, the prices rose to $1,571 in 2011 and subsequently to $ 1669 per ounce in 2012. However, in 2013, the price of the precious mineral began its free fall from its historical hi...

Ghana’s democratic credentials is an example worth emulating and a challenge to Cote d’Ivoire,  the Ivorian Ambassador to Ghana and Togo, Mr Bernard Ehui-Koutoua, has said.   “We Ivorians admire Ghana, which is standing out as a model of democracy and peace,” the ambassador said at a cocktail event in Accra to celebrate Ivorian national day. In a speech that touched on the progress of the country after its political hiccup in 2010/2011, Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire relations and Ivorian diplomacy, Mr Ehui-Koutoua said the responsible way Ghana handled the political transition after the death of President J.E.A. Mills and the 2012 elections gave credence to President Barack Obama’s statement that Africa did not need strong men but rather strong institutions. On August 7, 1960, Cote d’Ivoire gained full independence from France, after being a colony for more than 120 years. August 7 is, therefore, packed with cultural activities and parties. Military parades and...