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Dr. Johnson P. Asiama resigns as gov’t considers two

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The B&FT can authoritatively report that, the Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson P. Asiama, has resigned from his position barely two years after being appointed to the position.

Information available to the B&FT indicates that, the now former governor of the central bank tendered in his resignation on the last working day of 2017 being December 29, a day he was last seen at the central bank and the resignation was to take effect on first working day in the new year, January 2, 2018.

Dr. Asiama’s resignation comes, after earlier media reports suggested that,he had resigned because there were moves by the Government to push him out of office.

The story of his initial resignation was denied by the governor of the Bank of Ghana and the government, who indicated that, he was at post but was on 10-day leave.

President John Mahama appointed Dr. Johnson P. Asiama as the second deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana on April 5, 2016, after Dr Nashiru Issahaku who held the position was elevated to the governorship position when the then governor, Dr Henry Kofi Wampah resigned ahead of his retirement.

Prior to his appointment as the 2nd Deputy Governor of the central bank, Dr. Asiama was the assistant director at the Economics Department of the Bank of Ghana, where he coordinated the work of the Monetary Policy Committee and supported the work of the governors directly.

He holds a PHD (Economics) from the University of Southampton, UK and an MPHIL (Economics) from the University of Ghana, Legon.

Dr. Asiama also previously served as director of the Macroeconomic Management Department at the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) in Lagos, Nigeria between 2010 and 2013.

He was born on May 5, 1968 and joined the Bank of Ghana in 1996.

Who takes over

The B&FT has gathered that, the government is currently considering two names in relation to who joins the team at the Bank of Ghana to occupy the now vacant position.

One of the two is said to be Mrs. Josephine Anan Ankomah, wife of popular lawyer Ace Anan Ankomah who is the Managing Director for Ecobank Gambia.

Though the government has kept the second name under consideration close to its chest, sources within government have hinted of a strong support for Mrs. Anan Ankomah to be appointed as the second deputy governor of the central bank.

Some industry experts have urged the government to quickly name a replacement for Dr. Johnson P. Asiama, the out-gone second deputy governor of the central bank, a decision which is expected in the coming days.

The appointment of a new person to the position of the second deputy governorship position will mean that, the NPP government on assumption of office in January 7, 2017 has replaced the trio (governors) at the Bank of Ghana.

Maternal Health; should be a concern for all

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Maternal death is becoming alarming in recent times that one would wonder if getting pregnant is important because of some complications during child birth.

Some circles have attributed maternal death to witch craft whilst others attribute it to the negligence of some health practitioners during delivery.

Child birth is important in our African society; it brings joy, love, bond between child and mother, adds to the number of people in a family among others.

Maternal death is defined by World Health Organization (WHO) as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes”.

According to WHO globally, from 1990 – 2015, there has been a reduction in maternal deaths worldwide of about 45%. Still, the death rate stands at 800/ day, which is equivalent to 33/hour.

Also, 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries;

Africa – 1:40 and in Europe – 1:3300

Causes of maternal mortality are:

  • Hemorrhage
  • Unsafe abortions
  • Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
  • Obstructed labour
  • Sepsis

Indirect causes include;

  • Anaemia,
  • Malaria,
  • Hepatitis
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Tuberculosis

Mrs. Dorcas Sackey, Western Regional Public Health Nurse in an interview with the B&FT explained that there are so many factors that contribute to maternal mortality, these are;

Delay in seeking care;

  • Poor understanding of risk factors and complications and when to seek medical help.
  • Previous poor experience of health care.
  • Financial constraints

Delay in reaching the health facility;

  • Long distance to health facilities.
  • Unavailability and cost of transportation
  • Poor road network.
  • Geographical location, such as crossing of rivers before leaving a vicinity to access health care.

Delay in providing care;

  • Poorly equipped facilities.
  • Inadequate referral system.
  • Bureaucracy at the health facility.
  • Poorly motivated medical staff.

Advice to pregnant women

According to Mrs. Sackey it is important for pregnant women to make it a point to attend pregnancy school since most education about pregnancy is given there.

They must eat a well-nourished diet daily, take in more fruits and vegetables and minimize salt intake, exercise, rest and sleep.

In addition, they must sleep under an Insecticide Treated Net every night and take the (sulfadoxine pyrimethamine) SP given by the midwife to prevent malaria in pregnancy and discuss her birth preparedness and complication readiness plan with the midwife.

  • Take all Tetanus Diptheria (TD) immunizations as per schedule to get protection from tetanus for herself and the baby
  • Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in pregnancy, especially gonorrhea and syphilis, since these can cause eye problems, birth abnormalities and even death in children.
  • Most women go through pregnancy and delivery normally. However, during delivery, around 15% of all pregnant women develop a potentially life-threatening complication that calls for skilled care.
  • Since one may not know the outcome of pregnancy, it is important to deliver in a health facility because;
  • There’s a wider range of options as compared to delivery outside the facility such as vacuum extraction or cesarean section (CS) if Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery (SVD) is not possible.
  • All medical problems in pregnancy which may complicate delivery such as gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension and others, can be properly managed.
  • The first postnatal visit after discharge from the hospital should be between 24-72 hours, and the second and third, 6-7 days and at 6 weeks respectively.
  • Babies should not be bathed immediately. Bathing should be delayed till after 6 hours of delivery. Adequate warmth should be provided for the newborns.

Postnatal

  • Exclusive breastfeeding, attaching importance to the colostrum.
  • Cord care with appropriate medication (methylated spirit or chlorhexidine).
  • Mother should wash her hands always before handling of baby.

Book Launch

Recently at a book launch on “why do some women persistently prefer traditional birth attendants and domiciliary delivery”( domicilary delivery, is the delivery of a range of personal care and support services to the individual in their own homes) a qualitative study on delivery care services in Chirano and Bekwai sub-districts in the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai district of the western region” explains that a lot of women in the rural areas prefer the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) throughout their childbirth.

Between 2008-2013 TBAs had 76% of deliveries in Chirano sub-district,     in the Western Region,  at Humjibre (a small community located in the Bibiani Ahwiaso Bekwai), 23% deliveries took place at the Humjibre clinic, 36% at other health facilities (outside Humjibre) and then 41% happening under the supervision of TBAs.

The study explored factors existing in the communities that promote TBA or domiciliary delivery and factors existing at the health facilities that hinder increased supervised delivery as well as evaluate the attractive roles of the TBAs that make some pregnant persistently use them.

Findings from the study indicates that;

  • 92 representing 53% of them used only TBAs throughout their childbirth (out of which 75 (82%) were multigravidas (a woman who has been pregnant for more than once) and 17 (18%) being primigravidas (a woman pregnant for the first time).
  • Another 47 (27%) participants who were multigravidas used both skilled and TBAs while the remaining 34 (20%) participants used
    skilled delivery throughout childbirths.

Obed Bangdome Ofori, author of the book and also a staff at the Western Regional Public Health Division of the Ghana Health Service said findings from the studies indicates that;

  • Delivery costs with a midwife at health care facility or clinic were perceived unaffordable.
  • This was motivated by the low economic status of the community members. “Brother, everybody in this world likes good things but we don’t have money. Those whose husbands take fat salaries from the mining company perhaps could afford the cost of delivery by a trained midwife. The midwife wants as many as six Geisha soaps among other which we cannot afford; we don’t bath Geisha soaps so we prefer the TBA who won’t ask for expensive soaps” Madam Theresa Hukpatsi said.
  • Sometimes, labour normally occurred at night and getting a vehicle to the health center or clinic becomes a challenge.

Wayforward

  • The District Health Facilities must urgently review the items requested from expectant mothers during labour and standardize it for all health facilities in the district.
  • An in-service training on inter-personal relations for the midwives could help get more skilled deliveries.
  • Health education strategies are required to increase community awareness about the importance of skilled delivery and the education programmes must also lure attention on relatives and friends of pregnant women since they play central role in the decision of place of delivery.

For good health care delivery to be efficient in the health system in the country, midwives and the nurses must be friendly to their clients so that they can be free to report any challenge they may be going through at all times.

Maternal death is becoming alarming in recent times that one would wonder if getting pregnant is important because of some complications during child birth.

Some circles have attributed maternal death to witch craft whilst others attribute it to the negligence of some health practitioners during delivery.

Child birth is important in our African society; it brings joy, love, bond between child and mother, adds to the number of people in a family among others.

Maternal death is defined by World Health Organization (WHO) as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes”.

According to WHO globally, from 1990 – 2015, there has been a reduction in maternal deaths worldwide of about 45%. Still, the death rate stands at 800/ day, which is equivalent to 33/hour.

Also, 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries;

Africa – 1:40 and in Europe – 1:3300

Causes of maternal mortality are:

  • Hemorrhage
  • Unsafe abortions
  • Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
  • Obstructed labour
  • Sepsis

Indirect causes include;

  • Anaemia,
  • Malaria,
  • Hepatitis
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Tuberculosis

Mrs. Dorcas Sackey, Western Regional Public Health Nurse in an interview with the B&FT explained that there are so many factors that contribute to maternal mortality, these are;

Delay in seeking care;

  • Poor understanding of risk factors and complications and when to seek medical help.
  • Previous poor experience of health care.
  • Financial constraints

Delay in reaching the health facility;

  • Long distance to health facilities.
  • Unavailability and cost of transportation
  • Poor road network.
  • Geographical location, such as crossing of rivers before leaving a vicinity to access health care.

Delay in providing care;

  • Poorly equipped facilities.
  • Inadequate referral system.
  • Bureaucracy at the health facility.
  • Poorly motivated medical staff.

Advice to pregnant women

According to Mrs. Sackey it is important for pregnant women to make it a point to attend pregnancy school since most education about pregnancy is given there.

They must eat a well-nourished diet daily, take in more fruits and vegetables and minimize salt intake, exercise, rest and sleep.

In addition, they must sleep under an Insecticide Treated Net every night and take the (sulfadoxine pyrimethamine) SP given by the midwife to prevent malaria in pregnancy and discuss her birth preparedness and complication readiness plan with the midwife.

  • Take all Tetanus Diptheria (TD) immunizations as per schedule to get protection from tetanus for herself and the baby
  • Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in pregnancy, especially gonorrhea and syphilis, since these can cause eye problems, birth abnormalities and even death in children.
  • Most women go through pregnancy and delivery normally. However, during delivery, around 15% of all pregnant women develop a potentially life-threatening complication that calls for skilled care.
  • Since one may not know the outcome of pregnancy, it is important to deliver in a health facility because;
  • There’s a wider range of options as compared to delivery outside the facility such as vacuum extraction or cesarean section (CS) if Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery (SVD) is not possible.
  • All medical problems in pregnancy which may complicate delivery such as gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension and others, can be properly managed.
  • The first postnatal visit after discharge from the hospital should be between 24-72 hours, and the second and third, 6-7 days and at 6 weeks respectively.
  • Babies should not be bathed immediately. Bathing should be delayed till after 6 hours of delivery. Adequate warmth should be provided for the newborns.

Postnatal

  • Exclusive breastfeeding, attaching importance to the colostrum.
  • Cord care with appropriate medication (methylated spirit or chlorhexidine).
  • Mother should wash her hands always before handling of baby.

Book Launch

Recently at a book launch on “why do some women persistently prefer traditional birth attendants and domiciliary delivery”( domicilary delivery, is the delivery of a range of personal care and support services to the individual in their own homes) a qualitative study on delivery care services in Chirano and Bekwai sub-districts in the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai district of the western region” explains that a lot of women in the rural areas prefer the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) throughout their childbirth.

Between 2008-2013 TBAs had 76% of deliveries in Chirano sub-district,     in the Western Region,  at Humjibre (a small community located in the Bibiani Ahwiaso Bekwai), 23% deliveries took place at the Humjibre clinic, 36% at other health facilities (outside Humjibre) and then 41% happening under the supervision of TBAs.

The study explored factors existing in the communities that promote TBA or domiciliary delivery and factors existing at the health facilities that hinder increased supervised delivery as well as evaluate the attractive roles of the TBAs that make some pregnant persistently use them.

Findings from the study indicates that;

  • 92 representing 53% of them used only TBAs throughout their childbirth (out of which 75 (82%) were multigravidas (a woman who has been pregnant for more than once) and 17 (18%) being primigravidas (a woman pregnant for the first time).
  • Another 47 (27%) participants who were multigravidas used both skilled and TBAs while the remaining 34 (20%) participants used
    skilled delivery throughout childbirths.

Obed Bangdome Ofori, author of the book and also a staff at the Western Regional Public Health Division of the Ghana Health Service said findings from the studies indicates that;

  • Delivery costs with a midwife at health care facility or clinic were perceived unaffordable.
  • This was motivated by the low economic status of the community members. “Brother, everybody in this world likes good things but we don’t have money. Those whose husbands take fat salaries from the mining company perhaps could afford the cost of delivery by a trained midwife. The midwife wants as many as six Geisha soaps among other which we cannot afford; we don’t bath Geisha soaps so we prefer the TBA who won’t ask for expensive soaps” Madam Theresa Hukpatsi said.
  • Sometimes, labour normally occurred at night and getting a vehicle to the health center or clinic becomes a challenge.

Wayforward

  • The District Health Facilities must urgently review the items requested from expectant mothers during labour and standardize it for all health facilities in the district.
  • An in-service training on inter-personal relations for the midwives could help get more skilled deliveries.
  • Health education strategies are required to increase community awareness about the importance of skilled delivery and the education programmes must also lure attention on relatives and friends of pregnant women since they play central role in the decision of place of delivery.

For good health care delivery to be efficient in the health system in the country, midwives and the nurses must be friendly to their clients so that they can be free to report any challenge they may be going through at all times.

Total Ghana crowns Aseda Tour

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Customers across seven regions in the country have benefited from gifts of appreciation from the ‘Aseda tour’ embarked on by Total Petroleum Ghana, a leading Oil Marketing Company in the country.

Speaking at the closing event on 21st December 2017, The Sales and Marketing Manager, Mr. Abdul-Rahim Siddique stated the purpose of the ten-day tour as a means of showing appreciation to customers for their trust in the Total Brand throughout the year.

He explained that the year had been significant following the launch of TOTAL EXCELLIUM range of fuels and the introduction of the B2C TOTAL CARD in 2016. ‘TOTAL EXCELLIUM is already a year old in Ghana and it has proven its effective cleaning capacity, ensuring less fuel consumption and boosting of engine performance’.

He added that the company’s value of each customer propels it to continuously introduce innovative products with the satisfaction of the customer in mind. ‘One of the products that have delighted our customers is the ‘TOTAL CARD, a fuel card for our customers to make cashless transactions and to better monitor and optimize their fuel consumption’. This he said is accessible at many of the company’s service stations nationwide.

Stephen Appiah, the company’s Brand Ambassador, who was present at the event, commended Total Petroleum Ghana for placing customers at the core of its operations. He mentioned Total as a top quality brand hence his association and support of its products particularly TOTAL EXCELLIUM and TOTAL CARD. ‘As a footballer excellence is paramount and I noticed that Total possesses that.’

He also commended the company for other social initiatives they undertake to impact the lives of Ghanaians citing the Total StartUpper Challenge for young Ghanaian entrepreneurs as an example. He noted that ‘TOTAL CARD is free of charge and one gains bonuses each time they load money onto the card; It is therefore of benefit to the customer. Your money is safe and should you lose your card, Total will replace it with the value still intact.’

As a message to customers this festive season, Mr. Abdul-Rahim Siddique encouraged customers to consider the performance of their vehicle through the long and short distance trips. He advised customers to give their vehicles and motorbikes a better performance and reduce the poisonous emissions from their cars by using TOTAL EXCELLIUM and also make payments with the TOTAL CARD to keep their money secure and manage spending.

Recognitions

Total Petroleum Ghana, this year, was adjudged Brand of the Year at the Ghana Oil and Gas Awards (GOGA), Best Customer Service and Best Brand in Environment and Safety at the Chamber of Petroleum Consumer Ghana (COPEC) Awards and was recognised as the Overall Best Quality Company at the AGI Industry and Quality Awards.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko – Year under review

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The Porcupine Warriors because of their past achievements in Africa and the Ghanaian league remain one of the best clubs in the history of Ghana whose name is all over the world.

The hopes and aspiration of Kotoko supporters was raised high when their God- fearing bankroller in the person of Dr Kwame Kyei  Baffour and his able men did all that they could to get the signatures of all the players supporters of the team were itching and yearning for to be part of  the team’s set up.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko the “ wokum apem a apem beba” boys started the  last season’s league on a good note and showed a high potential of winning the league title  until some fans begun to show their displeasure on the 3, 5, 2 formation of the then Kotoko  Coach Dzravko Logurasic. Even though the team was well placed on the league log with same points with Aduana Stars the proud winners of  the just ended  2016/ 2017  Star Times sponsored premier league.

Coach Frimpong Manso was called upon to be a caretaker coach for the Club to help the team score more goals which Kotoko’s fans would have loved to see. His appointment brought some sigh of relief to the supporters because they knew they had a former Kotoko player who knows the philosophy of the team as the man at the helm of affairs. Unfortunately for him his intention to use the 4, 4, 2 or 4, 3, 3 systems which many fans believe could turn things around for the team became disastrous.

It became obvious he had no knowledge about the team’s inability to score more goals and win matches as well. As we all know a physician identifies a patient therapy after careful examination and possible diagnosis.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko begun to drop gradually to the bottom of the league and through a timely intervention by the Chief Executive Officer and his able men who had no option than to go in for another expatriate who knew the Ghanaian football terrain in the person of Steve Polack the current coach of the Club to come into the rescue of the team.

As soon as Coach Steve Polack was handed the coaching job in Kotoko he started visiting his players to have a pep talk with them individually to know their problems to be able to build a strong relationship with them and also to identify their problems and how best he can help solve them to enable him turn the misfortunes of the team around to bring back the smiles on the faces of Kumasi Asante Kotoko fraternity.

He then thought it wise football entails a lot and as such it is imperative to help control the diet of his boys who will do the job on the pitch for him. They took his instructions in good faith and things started improving in terms of results as compared to his immediate predecessor’s era. The only additional player signed for him was Sadiq Adams a talented and experienced striker who started his career with Kotoko on a very good note.

The CEO, management team and leaders of the supporter’s front took the initiative to boldly come out to tell the fans of Kotoko the team is on a rebuilding stage even though they had in their fold experience and   players who had performed creditably in the previous season such as Kwame Boahene, Abass Mohammed, Baba Mahama, Awal Mohammed Muah, Nafiau, Yakubu, Ernest Sowah and many others.

This wonderful pronouncement from the team leadership to supporters did the magic for the team because it made all the angry supporters came  to realize “Rome was not built in a day” and also know the good thought and where Dr . Kwame  Kyei Baffour and his thinker men want to take the team to.

It was commendable to hear from the horses own mouth that he wants to take the team to a different level of professionalism when it comes building structures and modern facilities that befits a big team  whose life Patron sits on a Golden stool.

No wonder work has begun on the Adako –Jachie training grounds to prove to Kotoko fraternity he has come to make the team very attractive to the outside world once again. Supporters after receiving the good news from the CEO had no option than to give the team their maximum support.

Suddenly, the team begun to pick up their pieces together because their supporters had come to realize winning the league title is not the team’s ultimate goal in 2016/ 2017 but to have a formidable team in the coming seasons.

The team was involved in a fatal accident on the Nkawkaw  Highway  which took the life of their deputy kit officer leaving the head coach Steve Pollack, Gordon Ablordey and some players sustaining series of injuries. The team became traumatized and yet they were able to gather the courage to fight a good fight to make sure they don’t end the 2017 season without a trophy.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko was able to pick up their first victory over their arch-rivals Glorious Accra Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara Sports stadium in this year’s UBA President’s Cup by beating them 4-3 on penalties to lift the Cup.

They went ahead to chop the Oak tree in grand style in Tamale Sports stadium to win the MTN FA Cup which automatically qualifies them to represent Ghana in next year’s CAF Confederation Cup . The expectation of the supporters to annex Ghana@ 60 Cup could not materialize as their team drew with their arch- rivals who had won the first encounter on 3-1 aggregate.

So far so good for a team that had gone through hell to have in their basket two trophies. Good work done  (Ayikoo mo ne adwuma pa). It has therefore become expedient for the supporters to continue to rally behind Dr. Kwame Kyei Baffour’s management team, players and Coach Steve Pollack’s backroom staff as they prepare for the up-coming season.

Author: Michael Kessey – (Sports Analyst GCR): 0244548693/0266263399

Ghana Water Company shuts down desalination plant

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In its bid to resolve the challenges with the Accra Desalination Plant that serves Teshie, Nungua and surrounding communities, the Management of GWCL took a decision to put the plant out of operation beginning 1st January, 2018.

Management has as a result made alternative arrangements to serve the supply area from the Accra and Tema Booster Stations.

Hence, from the 1st of January, 2018, Teshie, Nungua and surrounding communities, served by the Desalination Plant, will be served on Wednesdays and on weekends (Fridays to Sundays) from the alternative sources mentioned above.

Affected Areas include, Teshie, Nungua, Sakumuno. Laashibi, Communities 16, 17, and 18, Adogorno, Baatsonaa, Coastal Estates, Greda Estates, Regimanuel Estates, all on the Spintex Road, and surrounding Communities.

In recent times, the GWCL has encountered some challenges with the Management of the Plant, as a result, water flow to the service area has been erratic. Management is taking the right steps in resolving the issues and will request of customers and the general public to bear with the company in these times.

Management of GWCL regrets any inconvenience that this arrangement may cause to our cherished customers. It’s for a good purpose. We are very grateful and appreciate the support of all.

Statoil joins subsea JIP

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Norwegian major Statoil is the latest addition to a Joint Industry Project (JIP) for subsea boosting pumps.

Ask an equipment manufacturer for cheap, light, and strong, and most will tell you it can’t be done. Fuglesangs Subsea, project manager for the JIP, will tell you otherwise.

“We think we’ve cracked the code,” says CEO Alexander Fuglesang. “This project has the potential to deliver improvements in all three areas: cost, weight, and reliability.”

Statoil joins Aker BP, Lundin, and National Oilwell Varco in the DEMO2000 JIP. The project aims to bring the Fuglesangs Subsea Omnirise single-phase booster to market by early 2019.

“Once we eliminated the single biggest problem with subsea pumps, all the other pieces fell into place,” Fuglesang says. That problem was the mechanical shaft seal, the source of 70% of subsea pump failures.

Dynamic shaft seals not only fail all too frequently, they also require a constant flow of so-called barrier fluid, supplied by topside hydraulic equipment and delivered through umbilical lines that can stretch over many kilometers. Traditional variable speed drives also add considerable weight and volume topside, with projected subsea versions looking equally as bulky.

The Omnirise system gets rid of all these elements by employing a patented Hydromag Drive Unit, essentially a combination of a fixed low-speed subsea electric motor, a variable-speed torque converter, and high-performance magnetic coupling.  “The improvements deliver benefits throughout the system,” says Fuglesang, “from eliminating the weakest link and reducing topside and subsea equipment, to enabling cost-effective, standardized and highly modular boosting units.”

In CAPEX alone, Rystad Energy has estimated that Omnirise can provide savings of NOK 150 million on a single-well boosting installation, compared to conventional boosting systems.

With the risk of barrier fluid leakage eliminated, Omnirise promises environmental improvements as well. OPEX is also reduced, with less topside equipment to maintain. And when combined with Seabox, a proven water filtration system, Omnirise can be installed as a fully subsea solution.

“Omnirise is already less expensive, more flexible, more reliable and more environmentally friendly than traditional solutions,” concludes Alexander Fuglesang. “With Statoil’s decades of experience in subsea boosting, the JIP now has the expertise and the muscle to make a good system even better, and roll it out to a global market.”

South Africa train crash: ‘Bodies burnt beyond recognition’

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A passenger train has caught fire in South Africa after colliding with a truck, killing at least 14 people and injuring 268, rescue workers say.

Some of the bodies are “burnt beyond recognition”, Free State Health Department spokesman Mondli Mvambi told South African news site Times Live.

Video footage showed a fire blazing through at least one carriage, near a crushed car and an overturned truck.

Evacuated passengers were seen standing on the roadside with luggage.

The collision occurred near Kroonstad city in Free State province, after the truck failed to stop at a crossing, a passenger told local media.

About 430 passengers were on board, officials said.

‘They didn’t make it’

The driver of the truck tried to flee, but was arrested by police, passenger Seipati Moletsane told the privately owned eCNA news site.

Passengers in the first two coaches were wounded, she added.

“I was so traumatised. I didn’t know what to do. I was looking for a door just to jump out. Every door was locked… All of a sudden, we just saw smoke, smoke, smoke,” Ms Moletsane said.

The emergency services rushed to the scene and battled the blaze on the train, which had been travelling from the coastal city of Port Elizabeth to the commercial capital, Johannesburg.

Officials fear the number of dead could rise, reports the BBC’s Lebo Diseko from Johannesburg.

The disaster management chief for the area, Butler Markes Wayne, told the BBC that his team planned to lift the train to see if there were people under it.

Passenger Tiaan Esterhuizen told the BBC that he and his family managed to get off the train, and he then tried to help three women trapped in the mangled wreckage:

“They were shouting to us: ‘Listen, the baby, the baby!’ We tried to look for the baby but we couldn’t find it.

“We broke down the windows to look [for] it. And then… that same truck that they were in… was full of flames. So, they didn’t make it.”

Image copyright @ER24EMS
Image caption Some passengers managed to escape

The flames became intense, forcing him and others to retreat, he said.

“We used some fire extinguishers the police had‚ but it didn’t work‚” Mr Esterhuizen was quoted in local media as saying.

Trump Bannon row: Lawyers seek to halt book’s release

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Lawyers for US President Donald Trump are seeking to stop the release of a book containing damaging allegations about his administration.

Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House is due for release on Tuesday.

It cites former top aide Steve Bannon as describing a meeting with a group of Russians as “treasonous”.

It also questions Mr Trump’s fitness for office, reports his wife was crying on election night and says Ivanka Trump has presidential ambitions.

The White House has disputed the book’s accuracy. Mr Trump earlier said Mr Bannon – who was sacked in August – had “lost his mind” after losing his White House position.

Among a number of explosive statements, Mr Bannon reportedly said, referring to a Trump Tower meeting between top campaign officials and Russia: “They’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV.”

The meeting, which involved Mr Trump’s eldest child Donald Trump Jr, is being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of his inquiry into possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russia to win the election.

Mr Trump strongly denies any collusion took place.

On his Breitbart radio show on Wednesday, Mr Bannon responded to the president’s criticism by saying he was a “great man” and that he supported him “day in and day out”.

After the president met Republican senators in the Oval Office to discuss immigration on Thursday, a reporter asked Mr Trump if his former strategist had betrayed him. He responded: “I don’t know, he called me a great man last night so he obviously changed his tune pretty quick.”

What did the lawyers say?

The legal notice, which has been published by the Washington Post, demands that author Michael Wolff and the book’s publisher “immediately cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination of the book”.

It accuses Wolff of making “numerous false and/or baseless statements” about Mr Trump and says lawyers are considering pursuing libel charges.

The lawyers base their notice on excerpts of the book published in publications including New York Magazine and ask for a full copy of the book to be sent to them.

Image copyright Amazon

The letter says the book “appears to cite to [sic] no sources for many of its most damaging statements about Mr Trump” and that many claims are made without citing sources.

Neither Wolff nor the publisher, Henry Holt and Co Inc, have yet responded.

The attorney who wrote the letter, Charles J Harder, has been called Hollywood’s favourite lawyer. He represents Jared Kushner, and represented wrestler Hulk Hogan in his case against now defunct news website Gawker.

Mr Harder also briefly represented disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein.

He sent a cease-and-desist letter to Mr Bannon on Wednesday, saying he had violated a non-disclosure agreement.

What’s in the book?

Image copyright AFP / Getty
Image caption Melania and Ivanka Trump feature in various stories

Wolff’s forthcoming book makes many claims, including that:

  • The Trump team was shocked and horrified by his election win
  • His wife, Melania, was in tears of sadness on election night
  • Mr Trump was angry that A-list stars had snubbed his inauguration
  • The new president “found the White House to be vexing and even a little scary”
  • His daughter, Ivanka, had a plan with her husband, Jared Kushner, that she would be “the first woman president”
  • Ivanka Trump mocked her dad’s “comb-over” hairstyle and “often described the mechanics behind it to friends”

The book is reportedly based on more than 200 interviews but some of the book’s excerpts have already been criticised and questioned.

Still, even if only half of what the book contains is true, it paints a damning portrait of a paranoid president and a chaotic White House, BBC North America editor Jon Sopel says.

How has the Trump administration defended itself?

“Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency,” Mr Trump said in a statement on Wednesday.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders dismissed the book as a “trashy tabloid fiction” that she said was “filled with false and misleading accounts from individuals who have no access or influence with the White House”.

A spokesperson for Melania Trump said the First Lady had encouraged her husband’s presidential bid. “She was confident he would win and was very happy when he did,” she said on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the White House said it was banning personal devices, including mobile phones, from the West Wing, citing security concerns.

In researching the book, Wolff said he had been able to take up “something like a semi-permanent seat on a couch in the West Wing” following the president’s inauguration.

Why Africa’s young people are the real winners at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards

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Almost nowhere on earth is football followed as passionately as in Africa. It is loved by Africans from all walks of life across the continent. This week, I am giving the opening address at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards in Accra, Ghana. This has afforded me a good opportunity to reflect on Africa’s relationship with football and how it can help deliver a brighter future for our young people.

I believe we need only look to the Liberian presidential election for a fine example of the transformative power of football. Against the odds, football legend and opposition candidate, George Weah was victorious and today, is President-elect of Liberia, one of Africa’s most popular countries. Weah’s perseverance in the face of an initial unsuccessful attempt is a testament to the endurance football teaches.

Before he was a Presidential candidate, of course, Mr. Weah was an outstanding footballer whose career spanned great clubs like Paris Saint Germain, Marseille, Monaco and even English Premiership giants like Chelsea and Manchester City.

A striker of fearsome reputation, Weah has been described as the greatest footballer to emerge from Africa, confirmed in 1995 when he won both FIFA Footballer of the Year and the highly valued Ballon d’Or. Over a three year period, in 1989, 1995 and 1996, he claimed the top prize of African Footballer of the year, crowning that in 1996 with the African Footballer of the Century award.

The power of a footballer entering frontline politics cannot be overstated, for two reasons. First, it shows that politics is accessible to all, to the ambitious individual who dares envisage a way he or she can contribute to their country’s future. Second, it makes politics interesting and relevant to young people. If our continent is ever to reach its full potential, then it is our young people who are going to deliver it.

Africa’s youth are already shaping today and redefining tomorrow with their creativity, passion and innovation. I believe that the greatest gift that our generation can give them is to continue to provide platforms for aspiration, recognition and inspiration. But the idea of ‘opportunity’ or of ‘potential’ can be an abstract enough concept to adults never mind the younger generation, many of whom have been overlooked by the decisions of governments not to allow funds raised from investment to trickle down into stronger education systems, apprenticeships and advancement.

In football, the notion of opportunity is far from abstract. Football has always been a unifying factor and a great tool for promoting integration and development. But more than that, it is a global currency, a language spoken in the United Kingdom as much as in Brazil, China and Nigeria. And in football we see, most tangibly, the bold young role models and ambassadors of Africa who are inspiring others and have set the pace in their pursuit of excellence.

Of course, we must be careful not to set false expectations. Football is affected by the same attrition rate that applies to other sports in that very many are called but few ultimately make the dizzy heights that many dream of.  President Barack Obama pointed out that youth in the United States may have good role models for economic empowerment and entrepreneurship in the music industry, but that it was unlikely that each child would grow up ‘to be the next Lil Wayne’, so children must also work hard in school. The same can be said of football: not all of our children will grow up to be the next George Weah, Abedi Pele,  Dider Drogba or Jay Jay Okocha, but these role models still offer young people a concrete example of the hard work that goes into the pursuit of excellence.

The example of football goes far beyond the 22 men or women who stand on the pitch for 90 minutes each week. I know this because I have seen the extraordinary depth of support services that go into creating the finished product of a football match, and the transformative role they play when properly looked after.

Over the last year, Aiteo has been supporting sports development in Nigeria, leading a partnership agreement with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to provide financial Support to the technical team of Nigeria’s national team for the next five years. In the months since, Nigeria has won more games than they have lost and has qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Aiteo has also made significant contributions towards developing the local football by underwriting the costs associated with organising the Federation Cup, Nigeria’s equivalent of the English FA Cup, helping smaller teams grow and improve on the national stage.

With coaching roles, training roles, marketing, advertising, commercial partnerships and merchandising roles all part of the infrastructure of a newly-global Nigerian football team, no child need only grow up to be the next Alex Iwobi if they are to benefit from the transformative power of football. If a footballer can become the head of a nation, they why not a football coach, a medic or a marketing executive?

So, when I stand on the stage this week to open the CAF Awards, the winners will be very clear to me before the awards have even been handed out: the true winners will be every young person who sees that event; sees that the eyes of the world are on Africa and that a future for each one of them exists in which they can go beyond their school, their hobbies, their parents, and truly embrace their potential. Because the way we conceive the future sculpts the present.

Winners Announced For 2017 Africa Youth Awards

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Africa Youth Awards, the continent’s most coveted awards for young people have announced the winners of its 2017 awards, which engaged over 140 shortlisted nominees, and received another record voting participation from over 145 countries across the globe.

Nominees spanned across 23 categories and included: 51 females, 73 Males and 17 organisations from 25 countries in Africa and the Diaspora.

Notably voted as the African Youths of the Year are: Farida Nabourema: Togolese Political Activist, Author & Executive Director of The Togolese Civil league and Kwame A.A Opoku: Ghanaian Business Speaker, Serial Entrepreneur & founder of Idea Factory Africa.

Farida Nabourema is a young Togolese activist pushing for political change in Togo. On her blog and social media, she consistently denounces the repressive actions of the Togolese government and calls on young people to act for democratic reform in Togo.

Farida is also the Executive Director of The Togolese Civil League and her advocacy has brought international media attention on the ongoing #Togodebout movement in Togo of which she is one the leaders.

Kwame A.A Opoku is also a Futurist, Global Business Speaker, Serial Entrepreneur, Brand Architect, Personal Branding and Public Speaking Coach. As an entrepreneur, he founded Idea Factory Africa and Mary & Mary Global partners, a leading communications marketing and PR firm with a bank of super creative and talented minds connecting, informing and creating inspiring work.

He is a also a Jury member of the Premium Bank Ghana Startup Awards and co- founded WE FESTIVAL AFRICA a unique platform dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs.

Sharing insights about the award, Prince Akpah: co-founder and President mentioned the overwhelming support Africans from all over the world gave to make the 4th edition of the Africa Youth Awards a success.

He also encouraged both winners and nominees to continue being the light and hope for the continent as they inspire the next generation of young achievers and help create the Mighty Africa we all hope for.

Below is the Full List of Winners

  • African Youth of the Year (Female) – Farida Nabourema (Togo)
  • African Youth of the Year (Male) – Kwame Antwi-Agyei Opoku – Idea Factory Africa (Ghana)
  • Award for Academics – Ngozi Marion Emmanuel – Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State (Nigeria)
  • Advocate of the Year – Farida Nabourema (Togo)
  • Award for Agriculture – Nathalie Kpante Gambah – Choco Togo (Togo)
  • Award for Diaspora Achievements – Yvonne Amponsah – Cummins UK Ltd (United Kingdom)
  • Award for Education- Gabriel Tekpetey – Litac Africa (Ghana)
  • Award for Technology- Camidus (Cameroon)
  • Award Youth Empowerment – Rose Aggrey Mmbaga – Raleigh International (Tanzania)
  • Blogger of the Year – Elorm Beenie – Beeniewords.Com (Ghana)
  • Discovery of the Year – Nadia Owusu – Saving the Arts in Africa (Ghana)
  • Entrepreneur of the Year – Sangu Julius Delle – Golden Palm Investments (Ghana)
  • Fashion Personality of the Year – Maajoa Asabea Yeboah – Asabea Ayisi (Ghana)
  • Health Personality of the Year – Benson Owusu – Quik Medical Consult (Ghana)
  • Leader of the Year – Raphael Obonyo – UN Habitat Youth Advisory Board (Kenya)
  • Literary Excellence – Samuel Tinagyei – Mandate Book Clubs and Street Libraries (Ghana)
  • Media Personality of the Year – Ngwane Hansel Masango – Hansel-Media Cameroon (Cameroon)
  • Musician of the Year – Hanane El Khader (Morocco)
  • Public Servant of the Year – Meshack Omega Omido – Government of Kenya (Kenya)
  • Social Enterprise of the Year – Kente Master – (Ghana)
  • Social Entrepreneur of the Year – Pinkrah Kwaku Kingsley – Community and Entrepreneurial Development Initiative (Ghana)
  • Special Recognition Award- Roselyne Nyakona – Healthcare Rescue Centre (Kenya)
  • Startup of the Year – The Wealth Project Holdings (Ghana)

This year’s award was supported by Avance Media, My Naija Naira, Dream Ambassadors Foundation, College in Ghana, African Youth Commision, WatsUp TV, All for Development, The YCEO, Gabriel Musa and iLead Africa.

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