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Letter to my undiagnosed self

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Myositis Awareness Month got me thinking…and really, reflecting about a time, before my initial flare-up almost three years ago, when Myositis wasn’t at the forefront of my consciousness—a notion that seems so foreign to me now. I think back to the first time I heard the word “Dermatomyositis”, and actually, it’s a moment I remember very clearly.

I was standing in the hallway of a dermatologist’s office, after weeks of shuttling between appointments with different specialists, when the doctor—who had just gotten off the phone with my rheumatologist—kind of casually said, “Oh, by the way, have you ever heard of Dermatomyositis?” I told her I hadn’t. “Don’t worry, it’s a long, scary-sounding word, and you’ll probably never hear it again, but…”

But, I continued to hear that word.

As it so happened, there would be days, weeks, where it seemed like that word was all I would hear. Months of medications, IVIG, bandaged hands and purple face, and so forth—you guys all know the drill. Months and months where it seemed like the ‘D’ word would define me to degrees to which nothing had ever defined me before.

But what I find myself thinking about now, for the first time, in any detail, is who I was at that moment in the doctor’s office, just before the word “Dermatomyositis” barged its way into my awareness for the first time—how much younger, how much less-informed, how different that guy was from the me that exists today…and what I wish I could tell him that might make the coming journey a little easier.

In honor of Myositis Awareness Month, I figured I’d write a letter to that version of Andy standing there in the doctor’s office, completely unaware of what’s to come. (And while I know this is late, since May was Myositis Awareness month, let’s not forget that since I have Myositis, sometimes I don’t make May until the end of June.)

Dear Andy,

Congratulations! You’re about to get real, real messed up. What’s coming is going to be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before — certainly anything you had made a plan for . . . but, as your future self, having gone through the looking glass and finally finding myself on the mend (at least for now), I’m here to help.

So, here are a few pieces of advice; some will come easy, some hard, and some you’ll ignore altogether, at your own peril—though, that’s kind of how growing up works, I guess.

  1. It’s time to get honest, with yourself and others, at a fundamental level

Hmmm…while perhaps the most important, this is also the one that you’re gonna struggle with more than anything else. Maybe we better come back to this later.

  1. Learn to ask for (and accept) help

This one’s not gonna be a walk in the park either. The fact of the matter is, you’ve just turned 33, and you’re coming off a life without major medical issues and a pretty steady supply of energy, with no understanding why those conditions have both changed so dramatically in recent months or how to conceive of a life with their permanent absence.

Add to this a fairly unhealthy mixture of arrogance, determination, pride, the belief that you need to “be a man and not trouble other people with your business,” or however you want to put it, and it’s a dangerous recipe for someone who thinks he’s going to proceed through this whole thing still running the show on his terms.

In fact—though it may seem silly now—you’re going to tell people very close to you, “I don’t trust any of you,” on more than one occasion; that’s how much you’re going to cling to the idea that you have to be in charge all the time. So let me say this very carefully: you won’t be able to do this on your own.

Start to acquaint yourself with the prospect of trusting the people with whom you’ve chosen to share your life—and who’ve chosen to share theirs back—since you will not get healthy without letting them be in the driver’s seat from time to time.

And, while they won’t always be perfect—no one is—you’ll find they’ll come through for you in ways you never imagined. So let them help you. In fact, you won’t always be able to determine when you need help, and when you don’t, so ask for help asking for help. Which is especially important, since…

Meet DJ Sid: The Mix Meister

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Just a decade ago, the profession of Disc Jockeying (DJ) was reserved for school dropouts or those deemed as aimless in the communities, or what we term in Ghana as ‘kubolor’ boys.

The profession was very much disregarded, partly because of how the industry players at the time carried themselves. Lack of proper communication skills, low level of education and no regard for how one appear to work.

But within a decade, all of these misconceptions have been vastly removed. Today, the profession of a DJ is one that many green with envy. With the like of DJ Black, and DJ Blow, society’s attitude towards the profession has changed drastically.

Now DJs are seen and interacted with much more respect and not just brushed aside as those coming to ‘just play music’.

In actual fact, the smooth transition from Raggae to High life on a turntable is a skill one needs to master to maintain the vibe of an audience, especially a dancing one. In Ghana, the profession, DJ, is gradually taking a positive turn with almost every wedding, party or award event having a professional DJ present.

One of the DJs working hard to entrench the new era of DJing is DJ Sid, christened as Sidney Christian Nii Ayitey Ashong, who is a sensational Ghanaian DJ with a dose of creativity to his credit.

As a graduate of the University of Mines and Technology, DJ Sid, believes that despite the improvement, DJs are still not given the necessary respect and he is working with other players in the industry to rectify the anomaly.

“People don’t realise we spend hours practicing and selecting appropriate tunes for their special events. People do not realise we invest in expensive gears. You get an artiste perform for 30 minutes and he is paid in four or five digits and a DJ stands on his feet for eight hours and is paid in three digits – that’s not fair,” he told the B&FT in an interview.

He believes that the industry needs regulation and proper defence mechanism to protect and support DJs. “There are no clear directions as to what the industry requires of us and what we require of the world and so a regulated industry is what is needed,” he added.

DJ Sid intends to put together the Disc Jockey Union of Ghana – a union to regulate and support Ghana DJs to help clear the stereotypes associated with DJs in Ghana.

“With support from men like DJ Black, I am working tirelessly to help regulate and support Ghanaian DJs. I am bent on improving the reputation of the Ghanaian DJ and always take the least opportunity, especially in seminars and conferences, to speak on why regulation is needed,” he added.

Profile of the man

DJ Sid started his life as a young man from Jack and Jill School for his junior high education before entering Mfantsipim School for senior high education. In his early days in the University, DJ Sid developed a passion for Disc Jockeying, perfected his skill and played at school events.

He has been privileged to experience being a broadcast engineer with Dynamite 88.9FM in Tarkwa and Citi 97.3FM in Accra, where he possessed a mastery of the finest equipments in ensuring the wholesome of audios that are carried over the airwaves.

Passion is said to be the driving force of fulfilment in exploring one’s talent. DJ Sid says he is so passionate about the quality of music and sound for any event mandated to him. He was affiliated to Ghana’s No.1 Showbiz dial – Pluzz 89.9 FM, Accra where he hosted the Friday + 1 Show and the Saturday Nite Live Show.

Understanding the power of words and songs of music, DJ Sid tailors his mixes and playlist to his target audience and makes sure the music is appropriate for the tone and atmosphere of every event. Be it a Radio DJ, Club DJ, Event DJ, DJ Sid has been there and ended up with quite a mixed spectrum of musical influence.

All these have been translated into sets where he picks apart and infuses together all the pieces of music that he loves; beautiful synth work and occasional vocal hooks all on top of a pronounced foot-shuffling house beat.

As the official DJ for Hiplife sensation Keche as well as the Daavi Diva Feli Nuna, DJ Sid chooses to appeal to a more youthful and vibrant crowd. He is also the official in-house DJ for the monthly comedy show; Laughline. He has command over his craft and immaculate professionalism, serving in a range of generations, with his versatile knowledge of music.

It may come as a surprise to you that DJ Sid is an Electrical and Electronic Engineer and Project Manager by training and doubles as an Operations Coordinator for a Mining Support Services Company. Knowing how to set structures to achieve goals, just articulate your request for your event and he will ensure that your experience is a magical, captivating and memorable one.

To DJ Sid, playing those tracks that get you tapping your feet and nodding your head without you realizing it, regardless of genre, tempo, style, or release date; is why he calls himself, The Mix Meister!

To satisfy curiosity, DJ Sid cleared the air about why he decided to venture into the DJ profession even though he is a graduate from the University of Mines and Technology. He said: “DeeJaying is an art; a skill which is mastered and developed into a career. I double as a DJ on the weekends because I believe in life, one must have multiple sources of income.”

He believes education is what helped him stand out among his peers. “I apply managerial strategies to my work as a DJ,” he added.

Local garment industry gets lift …as AGAM is launched

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Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen

Government has assured local manufacturers in the apparel sector of providing the enabling environment to help them attain their vision of becoming the preferred apparel manufacturing hub in Africa for major global brands.

Speaking at the launch of the Association of Ghana Apparel Manufacturers (AGAM) in Accra, the Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, indicated that garment and textiles falls under government’s strategic growth poles and is ready to assist AGAM with market access in order to make them competitive on the international market.

“Garment and Textile is a high volume but low margin industry. The desirability of your products and services by the buyers shall be determined by how efficiently you operate your businesses.

The quality of your products and timeliness of your delivery also influence your profitability and sustenance,” he said.

AGAM is a business network and advocacy organisation with membership exclusively to apparel manufacturers whose chief mission is to promote apparel business interests in the country.

It is also the nation’s largest, apparel-based business advocacy organisation, whose members employ over 3,000 workers and export over US$12million worth of products annually in Ghana.

The CEO of Nallem Clothing, Gregory Kankoh, who delivered a message on behalf of AGAM, stated that the goal of the group is to sustain and develop a thriving industry as well as doubling up their labour force.

“We have a clear target of upscaling our employee figure from 3,000 to 20,000 within the next four years. The agenda is to partner government and leverage on the prospects the industry deserves,” he said.

He also outlined a number of challenges hampering local garment industries ranging from lack of adequate space, lack of responsive financing schemes, and market access.

USAID, financial and sector institutions have pledged to support AGAM in various ways to enable it grow.

The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) presented a GH¢30,000 cheque to AGAM to aid its operations.

GEPA also announced that it will invite six expatriates to come and build the capacity of members of AGAM.

The Ghana Exim Bank has also pledged to assist AGAM with US$10m beginning next year.

Government is reportedly in the process of finalising Ghana’s new Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) export strategy and action plan to boost the volumes of exports to the United States to $500 million by 2020.

 

Embracing your skin with Nokware Skincare

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A beautiful skin is a woman’s pride. It radiates beauty and makes one look and feel confident. Keeping a good skin doesn’t come easy as one needs to engage in daily habits to guard the skin and maintain its natural state.

With issues such as discolorations, uneven skin tones, eczema among others staring in the face, one will go every mile in search for a skin care product that will clear all those issues.For many women, it’s such a relief to find that ideal skincare product that works on your skin.

Also in our part of the world, getting people to appreciate and embrace their own skin tones amidst all the challenges of dealing with skin issues is an ongoing discussion as people still think having a lighter skin is preferable and prettier.

On this premise, Nokware Skincare was recently launched for people looking to find a product that is not only natural and organic but one that encourages people especially Africans to embrace their own skin and natural beauty.

Tutuwa Ahwoi, a Ghanaian and Thato Tau, Motswana both founded Nokware Skin care range of products. Nokware translated in Twi as “Truth” is not just your regular skincare range of products. It is 100percent organic made from the finest ingredients sourced from sustainable local farms in West Africa.

Sharing their journey on starting Nokware Skincare products, Tutuwa explained that while studying in Paris sometime in 2014 they had problems with their skin but couldn’t find any product that worked. Upon using our very own Shea butter and Alata Samina their skin began to take shape and fell back to its natural state. This birthed the idea earlier this year to start a Skincare product to cater to the many people who needed a natural and organic product especially for those living abroad.

Few years down the line, Nokware was launched in September and has since then made an impressive entry onto the Ghanaian market and has been received well by many consumers. The more exciting and hearty bit about the brand is its organic product and sustainable beauty packaging which is increasingly appealing to consumers in recent times.

It has Calabash which is the cut and dried fruit of the gourd plant and is recyclable. The Calabash covers are made from natural jute fibres from the jute plant. The raffia is derived from a palm tree native to tropical Africa and the brown paper is made from the unbleached wood pulp and is recyclable. This certainly makes Nokware products as eco-friendly as possible.

Currently being sold via online and in shops such as Elle Lokko and Juben House of Beauty and Healthy Shops in Labadi as well as some major outlets in Botswana, plans are also underway to begin selling in Nigeria and other African countries.

Tutuwa stated that “Nokware is made for anyone with skin, babies, children, men, women as there is a product for each skin category be it oily skin, dry skin but not for anyone looking to have a lighter skin tone”

Nokware beauty soup product offering comes in four (4) variants namely the Original African Black Soap, Neem Oil Black Soap, Activated Charcoal Black Soap and Shea& Baobab Oil Black Soap all of which are handmade and sourced locally. Other additions introduced include the organic Loofah Body Exfoliator and Sponges which makes bath equally an eco-friendly experience.

As a young brand, challenges are inevitable as Tutuwa mentioned trading among other African countries as one of the hurdles they have had to cross so far. She said “our biggest challenge is getting the product out of Ghana to other countries in Africa where unlike the EU countries, it’s easier to trade among each other; it is very difficult to do same here in Africa”.

She added that Social media has played a significant role since their launch as many orders and purchases were made via their Instagram account.

In the next coming years, Tutuwa discloses that there will be new more additions such as the Shea butter to the range of products while working to make Nokware a global brand. At the core of this is for Nokware Skincare to be available for anyone looking for a natural and organic product that appreciates and embraces ones’ own skin color.

Brightness and the mountain in full prospect: The stunning sight of Cape Town

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After three amazing nights in the Free State, together with the other members of the 2017 SA Specialist experience, we made a three hour road trip to Bloemfontein to catch a flight to the “Mother City”, a more commonly used nickname for Cape Town by locals.

Cape Town, which happens to be the oldest town in South Africa, is a port city that is situated on the country’s southwest coast and positioned on a peninsula just beneath the magnificent, imposing and popular Table Mountain.

After an hour and forty minute flight, we arrived in Cape Town and were welcomed in a grand but an unusual manner. Over thirty of the world’s most iconic bike brand, Harley Davidson together with professional riders lined up just outside of the arrival area of the airport waiting for us to hit town.

Cape Town has its own vibe – from the weather, mood to the people. Arriving from Clarens, it was in fact very obvious and effortless to try and identify the differences. Cape Town has a lot to offer tourists on any day and even for people who have preciously visited the “Mother City”, it is always a totally new experience when they return to the city.

From the airport, we rode through the principal streets of Cape Town for almost an hour before settling at the Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront for a series of fun activities. From a good spot, you could see slowly rotating cable cars climb to the mountain’s flat top, a sweeping views of the city, the busy harbor and boats. After all the fun on the day, we checked into the five-star Westin Grand hotel, next to the Cape Town Conventional Centre.

Designed by Adrian van der Vyver, the V&A Waterfront is a complex situated on the Atlantic shore, Table Bay Harbour. The 123 hectares (300 acres) area has been developed for mixed-use, with both residential and commercial real estate.

The complex houses over 450 retail outlets, including fashion, homeware and curios, to jewellery, leather goods and audio-visual equipment. The V&A Waterfront still functions as a working harbour and fishing boats bring in fresh fish, and larger container ships are towed in by tugboats.

One of the major attractions at the V&A Waterfront is the Two Oceans Aquarium. There are over 3,000 new fishy friends who are swimming to meet your acquaintance such as, sharks, fishes, turtles and penguins. The aquarium raises environmental awareness through high-quality exhibits, conservation and education programs. The more fearless you are, you can attempt to do a shark dive in theI&J Predator Exhibit.

The Wheel of Excellence is another spectacle at the complex. You can get into the skies in one of the 36 fully-enclosed cabins on this 50m high, giant observation wheel (for R70/p). The 20 minute journey affords panoramic views of Cape Town, Paarl, Table Mountain and Robben Island. Feeling a bit flash, you can opt for a VIP cabin, complete with canapés and champagne for a true VIP treatment.

Cape Town caters for the nature lovers as much as the culture enthusiast and the hop-on hop-off bus tour is a great start. The tour grants you flexibility to explore the city according to your own itinerary for an inspiring introductory scene of Cape Town. At the foot of the Table Mountain sits Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, one of the nine national botanical gardens covering five of the South Africa’s six different biomes.

History buffs can head to the Castle of Good Hope to discover the oldest surviving colonial building in South Africa which was constructed in 1666 as a maritime replenishment stadium. Currently, the star shaped structure houses the Castle Military Museum and the Iziko Museum of Cape Town.

Quad Biking also happens in Cape Town and I experienced the mountain trails. The quad bike trails take you through some of the rarest plants on earth and the off road quad tours are perfectly designed for those with a sense of adventure and an appreciation for nature. A qualified field guide leads the quad biking tour group, offering interesting insights as you enjoy your off road quad bike trail through the awesome scenery of this Western Cape region.

A visit to Cape Townis not complete without visiting a winery to have a wine tasting experience. Cape Town is a favourite destination for wine connoisseurs from around the world with some of the best and oldest wine farms in the region can be found right in the city’s back yard.Cape Town is a world renowned wine region, recognized internationally for its fine wines.

While the Cape’s famed winelands have spread to Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschoek and beyond, it all began in Constantia, quite literally Cape Town’s back yard. With a wine-making tradition that spans more than 300 years, the Constantia Valley is the oldest wine-producing region in the Southern Hemisphere, its picturesque farms still produces world class and award-winning wines.

Our adventure came to an end at the Cool Runnings Toboggan Family Park. Being the only toboggan track in Africa, Cool Runnings comes with its sunny skies and warm temperatures. The toboggans definitely don’t run on the traditional snow and ice, Instead, Cool Runnings toboggans run on a stainless steel track, each seating one or two people. Your ride starts with a pull up a steep grassy slope by a hook at the bottom of your toboggan.

From there, your sled is released and you will go down the track with seventeen corners, S-bends and a tunnel. You can control your own speed with a break, but adrenaline junkies can easily reach up to a whopping 40km an hour. The sled will automatically slow down as it comes into the docking station, so you have nothing to worry about except having a good time.

Africa Dialogues marks World Children’s Day with talks by youth

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Eager to make their voices heard, 10 youth from eight African countries will take over the stage in Accra on World Children’s Day to tell the world about the Africa they want to live in, through a series of short, powerful talks.

The 10 girls and boys aged 12 to 19 year old from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo will deliver inspirational talks at the Africa Dialogues event on issues affecting children and youth on the continent, sharing their vision of what they want Africa’s future to be.

“The problems facing Africa affect children first, so they feel the impact of the problems more than the adults,” said Andrew Adansi-Bonnah, 17-year-old from Ghana, who will speak about hunger and malnutrition in Africa. “Giving children a platform to speak on issues bothering them can help to reduce their sufferings. I expect that this event is going to boost up children’s level of motivation and aspirations.”

The event is a collaboration between the People Initiative Foundation and UNICEF to mark World Children’s Day, the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. On that day, a series of global events will see children and youth around the world ‘take over’ key roles in media, politics, business, sport and entertainment to help save children’s lives, fight for their rights and fulfil their potential.

In Accra, the youth will address some of the critical issues facing Africa now and in the future:

  • Hamado Moussa Diallo, 18, from Burkina Faso, will talk about the importance of education
  • Élie Yedou, 18, from Côte d’Ivoire, will talk about a peaceful and hunger-free Africa
  • Fatoumatta A. Camara, 18, from The Gambia, will talk about female genital mutilation
  • Victoria Kweinorki Quaynor, 19, from Ghana, will talk about neglected children
  • Andrew Adansi-Bonnah, 17, from Ghana, will talk about hunger and malnutrition
  • Natasha Adu, 12, from Ghana, will talk about sanitation
  • Hadja Idrissa Bah, 18, from Guinea, will talk about child marriage
  • Fatima Aliyu Gebi, 17, from Nigeria, will talk about the plight and plea of the northern girl child
  • Rebecca Evelyn Deborah Sankoh, 18, from Sierra Leone, will talk about education and development
  • Abra Rosaline Tsekpuia, 19, from Togo, will talk about food security

The youth takeover of Africa Dialogues will be streamed live at http://africadialogues.com during a public event in Accra on 20 November 2017 between 9am and 3pm (GMT). Recordings will later be made available on the Africa Dialogues website.

Abrantie Foundation supports three orphanages

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Abrantie Invest Foundation, the charity wing of Abrantie College of Cosmetology and Fashion, has donated assorted items worth thousands of Ghana Cedis to three orphanages in Accra. The items include beverages, soaps, toiletries, toothpaste, medications, cloths, rice, provisions, among others.

The orphanages are New Life Children Home, located at Nungua, Assurances of Hope for the Needy, and Teshie Children Home, both located at Teshie.

In all, a total of 190 children from the various orphanages benefitted from the benevolent gesture which forms part of the newly launched foundation’s plans to put smiles on the faces of the needy ones within the Ghanaian society.

Touched by the plight of the inmates, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Abrantie College, King David Thompson, decided to go beyond the donation by offering a fully-paid scholarships in fashion designing to the orphans, one of whom will commence school in January, 2018.

The philanthropist who was accompanied by staff of his College noted the need for orphans to be supported to enable them unearth their God given talents. For the beneficiaries, it was all smiles and praises for the Foundation.

CEO of New Life Children Home, Cephas Afotey Mensah and his counterpart, Rev. Enoch Mensah, of Assurances of Hope for the Needy, all expressed their profound gratitude to the Foundation, praying for God to replenish it.

Aseye Amanda Dzokoto wins 2017 Face of GirlEmpowered Business Pageant

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CEO of Mimi’s Touch and National Service Personnel, Aseye Amanda Dzokoto has been crowned the first winner of Ghana’s 1st business pageant dubbed Face of GirlEmpowered (FOGE).

Unlike several other pageants, Face of GirlEmpowered was created to equip participants with requisite entrepreneurial and business skills to enable them kick-start their business ideas and also to position them to transfer their business and entrepreneurial knowledge and skills acquired during the competition to teenage girls and young ladies through training, mentorship, networking and coaching.

The contestants underwent 8 weeks of capacity building in Business Modelling, Business Planning, Leadership and People Management, Financial Management, Branding, Sales & Marketing, Public Speaking & Presentation, Confidence Building & Personal Branding and Mentorship & Coaching.

The final event, hosted at the British Council Accra, had 6 finalists from the 11 shortlisted contestants, doing Presentations on their Business ideas, business acumen and experiences amidst fierce interrogation from the judges made up of Mrs. Evita Joseph Asare (CEO, Evita Joseph Beauty), Mrs. Felicity Ankomah – Sey (Vice Chancellor, Regional Maritime University), Anita Annan (CEO, Aranita Consult) and Mansa Ampomah (Managing Partner of Aerovector Ltd and Chairperson of the grand finale).

The winning business by Aseye was a mobile hair saloon named Mimi’s Touch located currently at the University of Ghana where she currently serves as a service personnel and a past student.

1st and 2nd runners up of the competition were Mabel Essel (School of Social Work Alumnus) and Cynthia Kaminta (alumnus of KNUST) respectively. 6 finalists selected for the program were: Cynthia Kaminta, Aseye Amanda Dzokoto, Ernestina A. Adzei, Mabel Essel, Grace Makafui Kwadam and Francisca Ayi.

Other distinguished women entrepreneurs who attended the event included: Roseline Delali Ashiagbui (CEO, Delchris Africa Limited), Laureen Tsenokpor (CEO, Launaires Consult), Catherine Kirsch, Akua Obenewaa Donkor (CMO, SISU Global Health), Ayisha Awudu Ali (CEO, Shaliwud Ventures) amongst others.

In a statement by the CEO of TANOE, Mr. Ekow Mensah, he was very optimistic that the Face of GirlEmpowered business pageant being a hybrid of a traditional beauty pageant and a business accelerator program, will witness the massive patronage of young women across the country and better position them to build their capacity and knowledge in setting up and running businesses and empowering teenage girls to be independent, entrepreneurial and resourceful in life and in business. He congratulated the contestants for making the pilot a success and massively applauded the effort of the GirlEmpowered coordinator Suzzy Abena Adasu for doing an amazing job amidst overwhelming challenges.

Prize packages for the winner of competition include: Face of GirlEmpowered title (1st Business Pageant Queen), Funding for FOGE Tour/Startup Capital, Business Registration Support, Office Space & Address, Company Website, Speaking Opportunity at Women CEOs Summit by WomanRising, Personal Branding Support Package, Mentorship, Networking Opportunities, Online Branding Campaign, One on One Coaching and Professional Photo-shoot Sessions.

The event was hosted on 11th November, 2017 at the British Council in Accra and saw the patronage of parents, families, and friends of various finalists in the 2017 Face of GirlEmpowered Business pageant.

More information about the Face of GirlEmpowered is available here www.girlempowered.com/foge

The program, organized by GirlEmpowered; a flagship network of The African Network of Entrepreneurs) was supported by iConceptsPR, Wise TV, Odomena Foundation, Awake Mineral Water, Kente Master, Delchris, Shaliwud, Dekocraft, Aranita Consult, Kraftsmen, Kennyville Experience, AngelPhase, PamperDem and Privateline Studios.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE: … consumer feedback

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Daniel Adjei

 

Customer feedback is information coming directly from customers about the satisfaction or dissatisfaction they feel with a product or a service. Customer comments and complaints given to a company are an important resource for improving and addressing the needs and wants of the customer. The information is procured through written or oral surveys, online forms, emails, letters, or phone calls from the customer to the company.

Any company that runs any form of service to people, whether large or small, knows the importance of customer feedback. Equally well-known is the difficulty involved in generating quality customer feedback. As the saying goes, “For every customer who bothers to complain, 20 other customers remain silent.” Unless the experience is really bad, customers usually don’t bother to share feedback about an experience that didn’t meet their expectations. Instead, they decide never to do business with the service provider again. That’s a high price to pay for lost feedback.

Ross Beard writes Customer feedback is so important because it provides marketers and business owners with insight that they can use to improve their business, products and/or overall customer experience. The following are the top six reasons why customer feedback is important to your business.

  1. It can help improve a product or service: Listening to your customers is the only way to guarantee you create a product or service that they actually want to buy. Customer feedback is commonly used throughout the product development process to ensure that the end product is something that solves a customer’s problem or fulfills a need.

The most innovative companies in the world are the best at creating products that meet their customers’ needs and exceed their expectations. Think of Apple, Virgin and Dell.

In today’s competitive business world, these companies who can intertwine product development and customer feedback will be the ones that reap strong competitive advantages, have sticky customer loyalty and earn raving customer advocates.

  1. It offers the best way to measure customer satisfaction: Measuring customer satisfaction helps you determine whether your product or service meets or surpasses customer expectations. Customer feedback surveys help you measure customer satisfaction.

These can be done in person, via email, via the phone or even inside a website or mobile app. Using rating-based questions when you are measuring customer satisfaction will help you track and monitor how happy (or unhappy) your customers are over time.

  1. It provides actionable insight to create a better customer experience: improving the customer experience should be the primary reason you gather customer feedback. The process of winning new business and retaining existing customers is getting harder and harder. Offering an amazing experience that keeps your customers coming back and referring their friends to you is the best way you can stand out from your competition.

To create an amazing experience, you need to ask your customers what they want and use the insight to create a consistent, personalized experience. If you can create an experience that is better than your competitors, your customers will remain loyal and ignore tempting competitive offers.

  1. It can help improve customer retention: Customer feedback offers a direct line of communication with your customer so you can determine if they are not happy with the product or service you are delivering before you lose their business.

A happy customer is a retained customer. By requesting customer feedback surveys regularly, you can ensure that you keep the finger on the pulse. If a customer becomes frustrated or perceives a competitive offer to be better, they will start exploring their options and may cancel their contract or stop doing business with you. By listening to your unhappy customers, you can use the feedback to ensure all of customers have a better experience and continue wanting to do business with you.

  1. It delivers tangible data that can be used to make better business decisions: The best business decisions are based off data, not hunches. Too many times business owners and marketers make big calls based off inaccurate data. Customer feedback is the holy grail of tangible data. You can gather real insight into how your customers really feel about the product or service you deliver.

Use this feedback to guide your business and marketing decisions. If a large percentage of customers suggest a product feature or want an additional customer service channel, listen to them! Your customers are your livelihood.

  1. It can be used to identify customer advocates: Customer advocates are your best marketing campaigns. They offer tremendous value at very little cost. But how do you identify advocates? Customer feedback. When you gather feedback from your customers, advocates are the ones who give you high scores. Contact these customers and build stronger, mutually-beneficial relationships.

Don’t be afraid to ask for a testimonial or referral– more times than not, these advocates want to help you.

Gather customer feedback to improve your business, product, service and experience: Customer feedback shouldn’t be an exercise that you put at the bottom of the pile, outsource to another firm or pawn off to an intern. It’s one of the most important components of any successful business.

Customer feedback provides you with valuable insight into what your customers think about your product or service. This insight can help you create a product that customers want to buy and create an experience that exceeds expectations and keeps customers coming back for more. Remember, there’s never too much feedback – the more the better!

The lost customer is not the only casualty. Studies have shown that each dissatisfied customer typically shares the unsatisfactory experience with 8 to 10 (sometimes even 20) others. With the growing use of social media, it’s not uncommon for negative feedback to go viral and hurt the credibility of a brand.

To address this challenge, companies are finding new ways to engage customers and seek responses. Let’s look at some very effective ways of getting quality customer feedback as shared by Csaba Zajdo:

  1. Provide Proactive Live Chat Support

According to a survey, 44 percent of online shoppers feel the best feature an e-commerce website can have is a live chat. Live chat can address many issues. For example, it can help customers who are unable to locate the items they seek, or answer questions about availability, payment, shipping, etc. Chat support can help a company get closer to its customers by better understanding their needs and challenges. It also helps identify patterns if there are any recurring issues and helps find long-term solutions for those issues.

Online services such as Zopim let you introduce live chats on your website. As with other types of feedback, the quality of your response plays a critical role in achieving optimum results. You should do your best to make sure all customer questions are addressed promptly and with helpful information for your customer. You can increase the efficiency of your online chat by making it proactive: set the live chat window to appear whenever a customer has been reading a page for a long time, for example 20 seconds. According to statistics, proactively displaying the chat window can increase the number of chats by up to 300%.

  1. Get Feedback on Live Chat Session

Just like e-mail surveys, surveys which are sent after you close a ticket in a customer support portal, you can seek feedback after a live chat session has closed. This feedback can include basic questions about whether the chat experience was helpful. This helps you rate the effectiveness of your chat-support personnel. In the case of an unsatisfactory response, prompt action can help you win the customer’s trust.

  1. Provide Dedicated Feedback Forms on Your Site

Provide at least a dedicated feedback email—for example, [email protected]. If there are any complaints, customers can communicate their grievances through this email. This remains one of the most effective methods of generating feedback. According to a survey, 54% of online shoppers preferred this method of interacting with customer service.

You can take this one step further by providing a dedicated feedback form, placed prominently on your website. As a best practice, the forms should include all relevant questions related to feedback, but should not be too long. Whenever possible, provide customers with multiple options. For greater impact, the email address for feedback or the feedback form should be highly visible on the website.

We should ensure that the questions for the feedback are not too long but straight to the point, remember people don’t have time for things they are not benefiting from.

Christmas comes early for Vodafone Broadband Customers

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As part of efforts to continuously appreciate its customers, Vodafone Ghana has announced a special Christmas promotion to offer 30 days of unlimited internet, fun-packed entertainment, free shopping or, fuel to its Fixed Broadband customers.

As part of the promotion, customers who pay two months of their fixed broadband bundle in advance, between now and 31st December will enjoy 30 days unlimited internet browsing and entertainment. Customers who pay three months or more in advance will get free shopping or fuel in addition.

Speaking on the package, Patricia Obo-Nai, Director of Consumer Fixed Business at Vodafone Ghana, said;“It’s a great time to reward our customers for their dedication and commitment to our service. We really do appreciate our customers; this is why we are giving them the chance to enjoy unlimited browsing during this festive season.”

‘’Customers on our Vodafone One package have not been left out of this great offer. From 25th November to 25th December, our valued Vodafone One customers will automatically enjoy the 30days unlimited browsing.’’ she said

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