Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, has called on government to take advantage of the ingenuity of young Ghanaians in the wake of COVID-19 to support the country’s industrialisation drive.
He said the pandemic brought to the fore “beautiful stories of ingenuity” of young people inventing solar-powered handwashing sinks and affordable ventilators to beat the virus.
“We expected that some of the allocations that have come in for example, the $1billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) facility, will be allocated to some of these brilliant innovators so that we can start an industry,” Mr Ablakwa stated.
He said this when the Volta Region COVID-19 Technical Team from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presented 40 sets of complete Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Keta Municipal Hospital to support the COVID-19 fight on behalf of their Flagbearer, Mr John Dramani Mahama.
He said government should look beyond the current situation and think about ways to an economic recovery after the country stemmed the tide of the pandemic by putting all the allocations that had poured in into judicious use.
“We have $100million from the World Bank, we have $1billion from IMF, we have $200million from Stabilisation Fund and the National Trust Fund continues to receive all kinds of donations. It is important for government to set aside money to support these young innovators to start up fully and be able to commercialise their inventions,” Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said.
“It does two things. It helps you with the fight to defeat COVID-19 now and then you’ll also in the process, be establishing industries that will create jobs to help the economy even after the pandemic,” Mr Ablakwa said.
Juliet Ibrahim has written an open letter to Iceberg Slim to ask him to stop trying to get her attention after they broke up due to infidelity on his part. Iceberg has admitted that he cheated on Juliet Ibrahim. He keeps talking about their past relationship and recently sang about cheating on his ex. This was the height for Juliet and she initially took to Instagrm to sub him, writing: “My mood when I realized that your only claim to fame was dating me.” In a new post shared today, Juliet decided to be direct and she called Iceberg’s name while addressing the cover to a song he did about cheating. Juliet revealed he’s been sending her emails but it goes to the junk mail. She warned him to stop harrassing her and promised this would be the last time she would be discussing him or giving him her attention. She wrote in her warning to him:
To all my loyal fans and friends, I am only addressing this now because I am fed up of the constant dragging of my name, it has to stop. Enough is enough. –
Iceberg Slim, Our relationship ended 2 years ago as a result of your wayward opportunistic and unfaithful nature. Somehow, you still find ways to publicly get my attention through several means. I made it clear to you when I left you that I have no hard feelings against you and I wish you well as we both move on with our lives, yet even though I’ve blocked you from contacting me on various platforms, you still find ways to reach out or refer to me in posts on your social media pages.
Your emails still come through in my Junk mail and I have no idea why you would expect a response when I made it clear to you that I want nothing to do with you.
You are forgiven, please let me be after this public announcement and move on with your life just like I have.
Refrain from harrassing my life with your narcissistic need for validation. Put a halt to all the Emails pleading for my presence to discuss the past and do seek a professional therapist to help you overcome the trauma you’re currently experiencing. FYI, Singing cover songs about cheating and exes is NOT a form of therapy.
Goodluck in all your endeavours. This is the last time I will answer to any of your posts about me or senseless cover songs directed at me on your social media pages, shebi na cheat you cheat you no kill pesin? Can you now take a bow and exit the stage? This is all stale and I don’t need no more of your negativity and toxicity in, nor around my life now. I choose not to be friends with you for my own sanity and personal reasons so please do refrain from contacting me.
Aidoo-Richard Sagacious https://www.nkaros.data.blog Aidoo Richard Sagacious is a script writer, blogger and a founder of nkaros.data.blog/ (Nkaros Updates). For any associate, contact and interact with him on ….. +233553136439 / +23323 569 9136
As part of measures to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus, motor riders are banned from picking a pillion rider in order to observe the social distancing Protocol.
Over 130 motorbikes have been impounded by the Accra Reg Police Command in and around Tudu, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Ministeries, UTC, Kimbu, Tema Station for breaching the social distancing directive.
Some motor riders who had stationed and soliciting passengers were also arrested.
Speaking in an interview with Peacefmonline , the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Frederick Adu Anim, said the exercise will be sustained as all divisional and district commanders have been tasked to replicate same in their areas of responsibilities.
Minister of Education, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh has denied ever knowing Ghanaian Actor and politician John Dumelo.https://nkaros.data.blog
In an interview with Paul Adom Otchere, NAPO established that he has never crossed paths with the NDC Ayawaso West Wuogon parliamentary candidate.
This happened when the education minister appeared on Good Evening Ghana as a guest. The Minister rained praises on Madam Lydia Alhassan for her efforts to the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency but failed to recognize John Dumelo who also actively supported the constituency in his capacity as a parliamentary aspirant.
When NAPO’s attention was drawn to that, this was what ensued;
Adom Otchere: A famous guy was distributing as well, John Dumelo.
NAPO: I mean the lady
Adom Otchere: Are you referring to John Dumelo?
NAPO: I don’t know John Dumelo.
Adom Otchere: John Dumelo is a famous actor
NAPO: We thank God, I don’t want trouble.
Adom Otchere: He is the parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon
NAPO: Aaaaah? Why did he get one of the free cars?
London (CNN)The world is facing multiple famines of “biblical proportions” in just a matter of months, the UN has said, warning that the coronavirus pandemic will push an additional 130 million people to the brink of starvation.
Famines could take hold in “about three dozen countries” in a worst-case scenario, the executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a stark address on Tuesday. Ten of those countries already have more than 1 million people on the verge of starvation, he said.
He cited conflict, an economic recession, a decline in aid and a collapse in oil prices as factors likely to lead to vast food shortages, and urged swift action to avert disaster
Related Stories Six more persons have tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID 19) in the Central Region as at Tuesday, April 21, the Regional Directorate of Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed.
This brings to eight, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region, which had only one confirmed case and another from Accra being managed in a facility in the region, before the new cases this week.
Dr. Kwabena Sarpong, Deputy Regional Director in charge of Public Health who disclosed this said the patients were contacts of confirmed cases.
He said five of the patients who are not showing any signs and symptoms were being managed in their respective homes with the others receiving treatment at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) and were in stable condition.
According to Dr Sarpong, a total of 107 new suspected cases were recorded as at Sunday, April 19, bringing the cumulative suspected cases from routine enhanced surveillance and returnees to 561 and their specimen had been taken to Nugochi for testing.
He said 238 of the specimen had come out negative with 318 samples pending, while 240 persons had completed their 14-day quarantine period.
Dr Sarpong said an additional 178 contacts were being traced making it a total of seven hundred and eighty-three (783) individuals being traced for specimen collection through enhanced surveillance with the support of security agencies.
He added that one hundred and forty-eight (148) returnees were under mandatory quarantine for 14 days in a safe and secured location.
Coronavirus: Go and hug victims if you don’t believe us – Oppong Nkrumah dares doubters
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has said government will cease the distribution of free food to the poor and vulnerable in society.
He said this is due to government’s lifting of the partial lockdowns in the Greater Accra and Kumasi environs.I
In an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on PeaceFM’s “Kokrokoo”, Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah pointed out that “since the partial lockdown has been lifted, there will no longer be free food.
. . but the free water and electricity which the President assured Ghanaians in his previous address is still in force for three months,” he said.
It may be recalled that government started the distribution of free meals to over 400,000 Ghanaians in locked-down areas amidst the COVID-19 outbreak in Ghana.
The distribution of “food packages and hot meals” was to lessen the burden on poor households for the three-week lockdown period.
In his 7th address to the nation on Sunday, April 20, President Nana Akufo-Addo lifted the restrictions on movement and urged that other measures to curb the spread of the virus be adhered to.
Coronavirus: One of the confirmed cases is a Ghanaian – Oppong Nkrumah
DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzanian President John Magufuli has called on citizens to turn to God and to keep the economy turning, but as coronavirus cases creep up, calls are rising for the country to take stronger action.
While countries across Africa have imposed curfews, partial and full lockdowns, Tanzania has resisted such measures. Schools and universities have been shut but markets, bus stops and shops bustle as usual.
Magufuli, who called for three days of prayer from last Friday to fight the virus, is one of a handful of world leaders still brushing off the seriousness of the disease.
“This is time to build our faith and continue praying to God and not depending on facemasks. Don´t stop going to churches and mosques for prayers. I´m sure this is just a change of wind and it will go like others have gone,” Magufuli said at a church in Dodoma last month. He reiterated his message on Good Friday, last week, saying God would protect Tanzanians from the virus.
Tanzania recorded its first case of coronavirus on March 16 — and in the past week numbers have leapt from 32 to 147, with five deaths. African countries have lagged behind the global curve, and many took fast and strict measures to curb movement, however cases are rising across the continent. “I am not happy about the lack of seriousness by the government, lack of transparency on the data of cases and deaths, and state of denial the president has on the pandemic,” an opposition MP, Zitto Kabwe, who is also the leader of the ACT Wazalendo party, told AFP.
Kabwe has proposed a partial lockdown of Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza and the capital Dodoma, and also a total lockdown of the tourist hotspot and semi-autonomous island, Zanzibar. However, Magufuli has encouraged Tanzanians to continue working as usual, while encouraging them to avoid “unnecessary gatherings”. “Let us continue working hard to build our nation. Coronavirus is not and should not be a reason for us not working. Farmers should utilise the ongoing rains effectively, industrial owners should continue producing and I don´t expect any development project to stop,” he said. “Coronavirus should not be a reason to destroy our economy at all.
” The country´s economy has already been hard hit as tourists who flock to see its wildlife and beaches, have stopped coming. Tourism is the country´s top foreign-exchange earner.
On the streets of the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, citizens say they fear the virus and are doing what they can to avoid it while continuing to make ends meet. “What I normally do is to ensure my passenger washes their hands before getting on the motorcycle. The challenge is that I have only one helmet for passengers, who share it,” said Hemedi Masoud, a motorcycle taxi operator.
He and other so-called “boda-boda” drivers park their bikes in a crowded area thronged by petty traders and pedestrians. “I really fear coronavirus disease and it is risky here but there is no way I can avoid coming. My family needs something to eat and this is where I earn my daily bread,” said Masoud. The government has banned buses from taking more passengers than the number of seats they contain, but this has only created bigger crowds during rush hour.
Like many poor people across the continent — even in countries which are trying to impose lockdowns — staying at home would be a grim option for many Tanzanians. “I don´t pray for lockdown in Tanzania because we may escape coronavirus and die from hunger at home. Life has to go on and God will protect us,” said Anna John, a food vendor in the city.
Miriam John, who sells shoes, said some of her customers did not want to wash their hands but she has “no option because I need their money.” But opposition leaders say the country needs to take more action to avoid potential disaster. “No lockdown because he (Magufuli) wants to save the economy and his flagship infrastructure projects. The lives of our people cannot be repaired but the economy can! Lockdown or get locked out!” the chairman of the opposition party Chadema, Freeman Mbowe, posted on Twitter on Saturday.
Some experts have questioned the approach of lockdowns in Africa, where millions of urban poor live hand to mouth, but instead call for solutions such as mass testing or government support to the vulnerable. Neighbouring Burundi |has also allowed life to proceed as normal. Both countries have presidential elections this year, Burundi in May and Tanzania in October.
President Donald Trump has announced that immigration to the US will be temporarily suspended to protect the jobs of Americans.
The US President made the announcement on Twitter and he hinged the decision on “the attack from the invisible enemy”.
Trump tweeted; “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!”
Though it is still unclear the mechanism President Trump will use to suspend immigration, how long such a suspension could last or what effect this will have on the operation of US border crossings and on those who already hold green cards, the immigration ban generated close to 10,000 reactions less than 25 minutes after the US President tweeted it and it foreshadowed the political fire it will ignite on Tuesday April 19 across the North American country.
The announcement came after the White House insisted that the worst of the pandemic is over and the country can begin reopening.
The US has over 787,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and more than 42,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the pandemic globally.
“It may be that you have come to the country at such a time like this. We are lucky, as a country, to have you as President at such a time as this. Your quote has been the quote of the year 2020, that you can bring the economy back to life but you cannot bring human beings back to life. Very prophetic and very insightful. Mr. President, we congratulate you on these.”
These were the words of the Chairperson of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Sriboe II, on Tuesday, 21st April, 2020, when the Council of State, at the invitation of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, held discussions with the President on the measures being taken by Government to combat the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Congratulating the President on “the very able manner in which you have handled the crisis that has beset this country with the advent of COVID-19”, the Council of State Chairperson added that “your regular broadcasts have really brought a lot of encouragement to the country, and, as if by design or accident, the cloth that you have been wearing has been depicting the mood of the country at that time.”
Expressing the delight of the Council of State at the establishment of the COVID-19 National Trust Fund, Nana Otuo Sriboe II suggested the decentralization of the collection of funds, “so that somebody in an outlandish part of the country can also contribute perhaps through the DCE or the MCE so that his name too will be in the annals of those who came up to support the nation in times of crisis.”
With the Council of State having made a donation of 300,000 examination gloves, a sizeable quantity of surgical masks, and other equipment, the Council of State Chair commended the efforts being made by the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, and all other frontline actors in the struggle.
“I think the fact of the members of the Council of State adorning face masks is an indication that face masks have become a part of the regime of the combat against the virus. We have to accept that this will also mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 and as much as we appreciate the integrity and the good intentions of the trustees of the COVID trust fund, we may make a small suggestion in effect if we could go out there to have the facemask sewn in millions so that every Ghanaian will have the privilege of donning a face mask,” he said.
Nana Otuo Sriboe II continued, “They will be for free, but others may take it and put in a token gesture of some amount as their part of the effort to prevent COVID. I think this will be a better substitute than giving food which may not be going to the intended destination and even negates the principles of social distancing, because if you have face masks and you get closer, distributing the face masks will go a long way to fight the spread.”
Nkaros updates Ghana 