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CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

Nigerian Lady Serves As Bestman At Her Twin Brother’s Wedding Pg. 28

Madagascar FA chief Ahmad elected as new Caf president Pg. 9

Meet Ghanaian Nancy AbuBonsrah: First Black Female Neurosurgeon At Johns Hopkins Hospital Pg. 14 Our Compassionate Master Pg. 11

Ghana Re-Appoint Kwesi Appiah As Coach Pg 6

UPDATE

Exchange Program Builds Ties Between US and Africa Pg. 27

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Diaspora Business and Trade Conference for Ghanaians in the US

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The Council of Ghanaian Associations (COGA) in collaboration with the U.S, Department of State and the Ghana Embassy organized a business forum themed "Ghanaian Diaspora Engagement" on Friday, March 24, 2017.

The strategic line-up of speakers Included Ms. Alicia Robinson, Principal Trade & Investment Coordinator, African Bureau, USAID, Ms. Jacqueline DesChamps, Business Specialist, National Institute of Standards & Technology –Dept. of Commerce, Mr. Harry Sullivan, Acting Director, Office of Economic & Regional Affairs, Department of State, Ms. Marian Botchway, Portfolio Manager, Export Import Bank and Mr. Kalamogo Coulibaly, Senior International Economist, OPIC.

Ms. Alicia Robinson, Principal Trade & Investment Coordinator, African Bureau, USAID,

Ms. Marian Botchway, Portfolio Manager, Export Import Bank

Ms. Jacqueline DesChamps, Business Specialist, National Institute of Standards & Technology –Dept. of Commerce

Mr. Kalamogo Coulibaly, Senior International Economist, OPIC.

Hon. Ernest B. Asare-Asiedu Charge’D’Affaires-Ghana Embassy

Mr. Harry Sullivan, Acting Director, Office of Economic & Regional Affairs, Department of State

Ghana Re-Appoint Kwesi Appiah As Coach

April

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Milla, Weah, Abedi Other Legends Storm Lagos

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has re-appointed Kwesi Appiah as the coach of the Black Stars.

Appiah, who will also take charge of the national team for locallybased players, has been offered a two-year contract to start work 1 May.

He replaces Avram Grant who stepped down as coach after the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

It is a second stint in charge for Appiah, who led the Black Stars from 2012 until 2014.

Since leaving the Black Stars following a poor World Cup campaign, he has been coaching Sudanese side Al Khartoum.

The Black Stars failed to get out of the group at the World Cup in Brazil and were also beset by off-field problems with players being expelled from the team and a row over pay.

Ghana's first qualifier for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations is in June when they host Ethiopia, the other teams in Group F are Sierra Leone and Kenya with only the pool winners guaranteed a place in Cameroon.

Appiah will also be trying to reach his second consecutive World Cup finals in Russia in 2018.

Ghana currently have just a single point from their two games so far in World Cup qualifiers leaving them five points behind Group E leaders Egypt.

Uganda and Congo-Brazzaville are the other two teams in the group.

No less than 46 African football legends have confirmed their participation in the clash of legends - a Charity /Peace football match being organised by Kanu Heart Foundation and Nelson Mandela Foundation for charitable initiatives.

The match will hold in Lagos on April 29 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

According to a press statement by the General Secretary of the Local Organising Committee of the event, Onyebuchi Abia, the match will feature the greatest gathering of the continental bests.

Among the galaxy of stars will be two former world footballer of the year and European Award winner George Weah of Liberia and Abedi 'Pele' Ayew of Ghana.

Other expected legends include: Patrick Mboma of Cameroon, Benny Mc Carthy (South Africa), Anthony Baffoe (Ghana), Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia), Lucas Radebe and Mark Fish (South Africa) among others.

Also expected are Didier Drogba (Cote d'Ivoire), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), El-hadji Diouf (Senegal), Benjani Mwaruwari (Zimbabwe), Frédéric Kanouté (Mali), Phil Masinga (South Africa), Peter Ndlovu (Zimbabwe), Samuel Kuffour of Ghana and the legendary Roger Milla of Cameroon.

They will be joined by their Nigerian counterparts like Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, Celestine Babajaro, Garba Lawal, Victor Ikpeba, Taribo West, Uche Okechukwu, Peter Rufai, Emmanuel Amuneke and Samson Siasia.

Meanwhile corporate bodies such as MTN, Nigeria Breweries, the South African Embassy VFS Global have indicated their preparedness to be part of this event which the Legends of African are using to make a statement against xenophobic attacks in the African continent.

Source:allafrica.com Source: http://www.bbc.com/

Barack Obama Honours Ghanaian Artiste Okyeame Kwame With Presidential Award

Sierra Leone Pastor Finds Huge 706-Carat Diamond April 2017

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A pastor in Sierra Leone has unearthed a 706-carat diamond, according to the government, in one of the largest precious stone finds ever made worldwide.

The discovery was made by Pastor Emmanuel Momoh in an artisanal mine in the village of Koyadu in eastern Kono district, a government statement said on Thursday.

Multiple award-winning Ghanaian artiste and phi-

lanthropist, Kwame Nsiah-Apau, of career name,

"Okyeame Kwame" has received a United States

Presidential Volunteer Service Award for an out-

standing humanitarian effort.

the former president was a congratulatory

plaque with an inscription, "Outstanding

Humanitarian Service in Ghana".

The artiste expressed his appreciation to

President Obama for the honor and pledged

even greater intensity of his campaign

The award was pinned on him on Sunday 19th

March, 2017 in Ohio by USA’s immediate Ex-

President Barack Obama, in recognition of his

Hepatitis B campaign in Ghana.

The Presidential Service Award, the highest civil-

ian honour is granted to US citizens and perma-

nent residents for their voluntary community serv-

ice towards development.

Starting in 2009, the awardee has in partnership

with MDS-Lancet Laboratories spearheaded and

funded the screening, vaccination, sensitisation of

over 7,000 beneficiaries against the deadly

Hepatitis B disease in his country. The cause,

worth applauding lands him the recognition here-

in.

Presented to him by Dr. Pauline Key, on behalf of

towards ridding Africa of Hepatitis. The OK

management has announced, earlier this year

that plans were advanced to extend their

Hepatitis activations to West African coun-

tries in the ensuing months.

Not long ago, he had received a key to the

city of Cincinnati for the same reason, as

well as an appointment as an iconic figure by

the World Hepatitis Alliance.

OK, bent on inspiring creative difference

takes this laurel in the midst of an over-

whelming public excitement at his recent

music projects, “Best Rapper Alive” and

“Saucing” (which features his children Sir

and Sante).

"A 706-carat diamond was presented to President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma " the statement said.

"Receiving the diamond President Koroma thanked the chief and his people for not smuggling the diamond out of the country," it added, referring to the Tankoro chiefdom where Momoh uncovered the gem.

The diamond will be sold in Sierra Leone with a "transparent" bidding process to the benefit of the community and country, the statement said.

"I have to help the government and my people, so all of us can benefit," presidential spokesman Abdulai Bayraytay quoted the pastor as saying.

Sierra Leone's government has attempted to crack down on cross-border diamond trafficking to persuade foreign investors that "blood diamonds" that fuelled its civil war are a thing of the past.

'Exceptional discovery'

Diamond expert Paul Zimnisky told the AFP news agency that once the gem's quality was assessed it could rank "between the 10th and 15th largest gem-diamonds ever recovered".

The US-based analyst said such a find by a so-called artisanal miner, the term for workers who use basic tools or their bare hands to sift the earth, was highly unusual.

"Most recent exceptional diamond discoveries have been made by large commercial miners that mine very large volumes of kimberlite ore and process it with advanced equipment," Zimnisky said.

Even though diamonds can be found in about a quarter of Sierra Leone, the country of about six million people is one of the world's five poorest nations, according to the United Nations.

http://www.bbc.com/

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Alice Gyamfi Wins Miss Northern Virginia 2017 Scholarship Pageant

It was a great night for Miss Alice Gyamfi, a Northern Virginia resident whose parents are originally from Ghana as she won all 3 awards of the night in interview, talent, and swimwear.

Alice, a former Miss Ghana and graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with degrees in International Politics, International Relations and African Studies is using “Entrepreneurship Breeding Leadership" as her platform which is an initiative that encourages entrepreneurship amongst girls and develops their leadership potential in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) fields Filled with so much talent and natural beauty it would be recalled that in 2014 she came close to winning the Miss Africa USA Beauty pageant in Maryland but made a mark as the first runner up in the competition.

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8

Madagascar FA chief Ahmad Elected as New CAF President

In contrast, Hayatou was led from the auditorium by aides but he told reporters as he departed: "It is not that bad."

Ahmad later added: "When you try to do something, you mean that you can do it. If I can't do it, I never stand.

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Fifa Propose Nine African World Cup Spots

"This is sweet victory. When you work hard for years and months and you succeed, that is great.''

Ahmad, who became Madagascar FA chief in 2003, takes over as Caf president on an initial four-year term, and has promised to modernise the body and make it more transparent.

His first job, he said earlier on Thursday, would be to introduce a new code of ethics and he has also pledged to extend ethics checks on African football officials.

Madagascar Football Association chief Ahmad has been elected Confederation of African Football president, ending Issa Hayatou's 29-year reign.

Ahmad won 34 of the 54 votes in the election, which was held in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Thursday.

The result means a change in leadership for the first time since Cameroonian Hayatou took charge in 1988.

Ahmad, who appeared very emotional, becomes only the seventh Caf president in the body's 60-year history.

The 57-year-old, who goes by a single name, told BBC Sport afterwards: "I can't talk at this time. Only one thing - I thank God, I thank my team.

"We worked hard but we won. That was the first step. The second step is to develop African football.

"Some days I thought I would win - today I didn't (think I would win)."

The result was greeted by cheers at the Caf congress as Ahmad was carried on the shoulders of jubilant supporters to the podium after the result was announced.

The departure of Hayatou is a huge change for African football and the 70-year-old will also lose his Fifa position and his place on the ruling council of world football's governing body.

He had been challenged for the Caf presidency only twice before and both times won with landslide victories.

This time he won only 20 votes, ending his hopes of winning an eighth term in office that would have seen his presidency extend for more than three decades in total.

"His excellency Issa Hayatou has done a lot for African football (but) it is time for him to step back," said George Afriyie, vice president of the Ghana Football Association.

Liberia Football Association President Musa Bility added: "Africa has made an emphatic decision that we are ready for change."

http://www.bbc.com

Fifa is proposing that Africa gets nine automatic places when the World Cup expands to 48 teams in 2026.

That would be an increase from the tally of five places that the continent currently holds.

A tenth African country will take part in a six-nation play-off tournament to decide the last two spots.

Football's world governing body has revealed its plans for how all 48 places will be allocated, with 16 Europeans teams set to qualify.

"The Bureau of the Fifa Council, comprised of the Fifa President and the president of each of the six confederations, agreed on (the) proposed allocation," said a Fifa statement.

The recommendations will be voted on by the Fifa Council at its next meeting on 9 May.

Fifa members voted in January to expand the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, starting with the 2026 edition.

Proposed allocation:

Asia: 8 direct slots - increased from 4.5 (currently 46 members) Africa: 9 direct slots - increased from 5 (currently 54 members) North and central America: 6 direct slots - increased from 3.5 (currently 34 members) South America: 6 direct slots - increased from 4.5 (currently 10 members) Oceania: 1 direct slot - increased from 0.5 (currently 11 members) Europe: 16 direct slots - increased from 13 (currently 55 members) Final two places in 2026 decided by six-team play-offs NB: Currently teams from Asia, north and central America, South America and Oceania play-off for two places hence .5 spots above.

Source:bbcnews.com

9

Bowser Administration Extends Immigrant Justice Legal Services Grants to Ten Organizations

MOAA Joined Mayor Bowser in Awarding the First Immigrant Justice Legal Services Grant

Tuesday, March 21, 2017 Today, in participating in the US Conference of Mayors' Cities Day of Immigration Action, Mayor Bowser announced that her Administration will extend Immigrant Justice Legal Services (IJLS) grant funding to ten organizations in Washington, DC. In January, Mayor Bowser announced that the DC Government would provide up to $500,000 to communitybased organizations, private organizations, associations, and law firms that do legal work for immigrants in Washington, DC. “DC Values did not change on Election Day. The Immigrant Justice Legal Services grant program is one way that my Administration can help support DC’s immigrant community,” said Mayor Bowser. “The District is safer and stronger when residents know and understand their rights, and these ten organizations will help spread the message that our city has their back.”

After a thorough review of all project proposals, the Bowser Administration will extend funding to the following organizations:

AYUDA Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, Inc. Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International Briya Public Charter School Whitman-Walker Health: DeColores Human Rights First KIND Inc. Asian/Pacific Island Domestic Violence

Resource Project DC Affordable law Firm D.C. Immigrants’ Rights Project, which will work in partnership with the Ethiopian Community Center and Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area The ten organizations will be offered a total of $500,000. In the coming weeks, the Administration will finalize grant agreements with the ten awardees, and funds are expected to be released near the end of April.

The funding will support projects that serve DC residents and their family members in numerous ways. Examples of funded projects include:

helping torture survivors and lesbian, gay, and transgender persons – all of whom fear persecution in their home countries – apply for asylum; providing guidance and legal assistance to DC parents as they work to obtain visas or convert green cards to citizenship; representing unaccompanied minors in family and immigration court; and empowering new Washingtonians to escape domestic abuse by guiding them through Violence Against Women Act petitions.

Mayor Bowser’s IJLS program is the first of its kind in Washington, DC, and, while similar programs exist in other parts of the nation, DC’s program has a broader focus on conducting “know your rights” legal briefings and trainings and on helping people navigate affirmative filings and asylum applications.

Exchange Program Builds Ties Between US and Africa April 2017

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The United States is working with a non-profit group to send 26 Americans to Africa to teach and connect with people there.

He hopes to meet with community leaders during his Africa visit. One of his goals is to work with heads of non-governmental organizations to increase communication about civic responsibilities.

Twenty-five young African leaders visited Appalachian State in 2016. Now, MacHarg has been invited by two of those young leaders to travel to Niger and Benin to take part in workshops.

While the research may be useful, Hightower said contact between people may be equally important.

The U.S. State Department’s Reciprocal Exchange program is part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. It was started Another invitee is Rudy Hightower.

Hightower, a former U.S. Naval officer, is a in 2014 by then President Barack Obama as part of doctoral candidate at Ohio State University. his Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).

He is traveling to Ethiopia. There, he will work with Dr. Enque Endeshaw, a psychiaYALI will send 1,000 young people from African trist who wants to improve mental health countries south of the Sahara Desert to the United care services for migrants and refugees.

States. They will spend six weeks this summer at a U.S. college or university.

The two will use computer software models to develop what they call “scenario planThe Mandela Washington Fellowship is the main ning.” They said the models will help policyprogram of YALI. It is based on the idea that makers decide whether a country needs to exchanges of people and knowledge are needed to increase training for psychiatrists or give build ties between the United States and young dietary supplements to refugees. They will Africans. also consider issues like high rates of stress and violence in refugee populations.

The State Department has partnered with IREX, a non-profit group, to help support cooperation The United Nations estimates there are between 27 Mandela fellows and 26 American pro700,000 refugees living in Ethiopia. fessionals. The program will take the U.S. citizens to a total of 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa this “We’re going to try to build some models to month. kind of better explain what’s going on so that policymakers can make better decisions on One of those Americans is Brian MacHarg. He is how to intervene and how to make things director of academic civic engagement at better,” Hightower said.

Appalachian State University in North Carolina.

“We had spent six weeks talking about the connection to the community so this is an opportunity for those fellows to share with their communities,” MacHarg said.

In northeast Benin, he will join Abiona Jean Bamigbade, a Mandela Washington Fellow.

Bamigbade started Education for Development, an organization that supports girls’ education.

MacHarg’s specialty is helping professors use experience-based learning in their teaching plans and building connections with the communities in which they teach.

“I hope I bring something a little bit new in the way of research methods and decisionmaking tools, but more importantly I’ll let them know that Americans haven’t changed,” he said. “America has a lot of compassion and caring for countries throughout the world.”

I’m Mario Ritter.

Salem Solomon reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Our Compassionate Master

Dr. Miriam C. Gyimah

Wouldn’t it be grand to have a master, a lord, that is compassionate towards us? Let’s say certain circumstances have led you to become sold into slavery. Yet, somehow, you end up in the hands of a compassionate individual who not only purchases you with his own resources but cares for you so deeply that he does all he can to unburden and enrich your life, beginning with freeing you. There is such a master who has proven Himself repeatedly to His subjects. He is Christ the Savior and there is no one more compassionate, for He is the master who laid down His life for His servant.

The word compassion, according to Wikipedia, “is the response to the suffering of others that motivates a desire to help them. Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to help physical, spiritual, or emotional hurts or pains of another.” In Latin, compassion means “co-suffering.” Compassion is “more involved than simple empathy; compassion commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering” (Wikipedia). It is no wonder that because Jesus Christ is a compassionate master, the master of mankind, as He is God the creator incarnate, He will have such compassion for His own creation and live a life of co-suffering so that He may ultimately go through His own suffering, “passion.” Passion means suffering in Latin and in the Christianity, what is called “the passion” of Christ is marked by the process and events of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem only to be betrayed and subsequently crucified on Mount Calvary for us all.

The three year ministry of Christ, our ultimate High Priest, was marked with compassion. He was the leader, teacher and master of 12 men whom He loved, prayed for and protected. We know this because for example, we see Him tell Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not…”

(Luke 22: 31&32). Throughout His ministry, we witness the compassion, the “co-suffering” of Jesus. His compassion moves Him to intervene and rescue a woman caught in adultery from being stoned to death, simply telling her, “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). We see Him healing the sick as His compassion once again draws Him to the Pool of Bethesda where He knows that a multitude of ailing people are desperately seeking deliverance from plagues threatening their bodies and lives (John 5). There, He notably heals a man who has been paralyzed for 38 years (John 5:8).

We note the compassion or co-suffering of Christ when we are told that He delivers Mary Magdalene, a known prostitute from demonic oppression, casting seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2). Can we ever forget

the greatest deliverance of demonic possession when Jesus goes to the tombs where a demon possessed man had made his home, because he could no longer abide with everyday people? The Bible tells us that this man was living in the cemetery and roaming about in the mountains because he could not even be restrained with chains, which he broke off himself. This man was spiritually tortured and had turned to crying and cutting himself with stones. But his encounter with Jesus resulted in him ultimately being delivered from thousands of demons from which he gets his name, Legion (Mark 5). This is the compassion of the Christ on display throughout His ministry.

Christ demonstrates His compassion in those three years not only with His teaching about God the Father and the reality and dangers of sin and hell, but also by feeding the hungry, as many as five-thousand through His miracle working power (Mathew 14:13). Important to the performance of this miracle is the back story. When Jesus learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod, He wanted to retrieve in solitude for a while, but a large despondent crowd, also having heard of John the Baptist’s fate begins to follow Jesus from city to city. These people needed to be comforted and strengthened. The compassionate Christ does just that.

The Bible tells us, “when He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick” (Mathew 14:14). “When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the village and buy food for themselves.” “But Jesus said to them, they do not need to go away; you give them something to eat” (Mathew 14: 15 &16). It was upon His instruction that they sought for food and found a boy with three loaves of bread and two fishes, which Jesus miraculously multiplies to feed thousands of people.

And if all these acts of co-suffering are yet not enough, Jesus displays the depths of His love for us through the episode of the death and resurrection of His friend Lazarus.

When He was told that his friend Lazarus was very sick, Jesus was away in a different city ministering and yet again healing the sick. He was determined to tend to Lazarus when He completed his work in that city although returning to Lazarus in Bethany was dangerous since the Jews were seeking to kill Him. After two days, although He then knew that Lazarus had died, Jesus still made the dangerous trip.

Upon His arrival, Lazarus had been dead four days and the people were in mourning. The Bible tells us that Mary Magdalene, Lazarus’ sister, was weeping and “fell at His feet saying unto Him, ‘Lord if though hadst been here, my brother had not died’” (John 11:32). “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled. And He said ‘where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept” (34-35). “Then Jesus deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it” (38). “…He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘unbind Him and let him go’” (43 & 44).

Lazarus’ death in the minimum signifies two important things. The first is that it exemplifies the co-suffering, the compassion, that Christ Jesus has for mankind. Because of His compassion, we see that He risks His life to travel through a town where He is being sought for to be put to

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death. There also, we see how His compassion moves Him to tears, the first and last time it is accounted that He weeps, connecting with our suffering because after all, “for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities…” (Hebrews 4:15). Furthermore, His commanding Lazarus to rise up from death demonstrates His power to go beyond feeding the hungry and poor and healing the sick but raising the dead as well. Lastly, with this first significant point, we once again bear witness that Christ has come to free us from our bonds from death to life physically and spiritually as He commands that Lazarus be loosed from his bonds (44).

The second point of significance with the death and resurrection of Lazarus is the foreshadowing of Christ’s own death and resurrection. Not long after the miracle of Lazarus, the Jewish Passover was upon them and Jesus was to be betrayed, tortured and crucified. Here we see how the compassion for mankind transcends into the passion, the suffering that only He was to endure as the final sacrificial lamb of the Jewish Passover. While Jesus empathizes and alleviates the suffering of others, He alone is to bear the burden of His imposed yet accepted suffering, His passion, to once and for all loose the bonds and chains that imprison mankind to eternal suffering and damnation. He undergoes conspiracy, betrayal, scapegoating injustice, excruciating pain and inhumane treatment though He had the power to halt it all. He accepts His mission and purpose so that the captives would indeed be set free. Because here, He fulfills what He once told His disciples, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John10:11). And He does, even as some of His disciples run away or powerlessly look on bearing witness to His singular suffering. In His passion, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled when he states, “…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). But unlike Lazarus who is raised from death by another, Christ raises Himself on the third day, because He is the author of life and, resultantly, death could not keep Him in bonds. His co-suffering and suffering come to a victorious climatic end!

As we commemorate Easter this year, let us remember to observe it not as just a holiday that provides so many an excuse or annual reason to attend a place of worship. Let’s not simply go through the motions of a historic masquerade. Rather, let us remember how our High Priest was a compassionate master and how He co-suffered with us only to suffer alone so that He might win us into life everlasting with His broken body and His shed blood.

Dr. Miriam Gyimah is available for speaking engagements. You may contact her at newepistlespress@outlook.com

South African Airways Soars With From Accra to Washington Prestigous Awards From Business Traveler Dulles Airport Magazine SA209 Mondays,Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays Departs Johannesburg 5:25PM Arrives in Accra 9:45 PM Departs Accra Accra 10:45 Arrives in Washington 0605 AM the next day

Washington to Accra SA210 Fort Lauderdale, FL (Mar. 20, 2017) – For the 10th consecutive year, South African Airways (SAA), the flagship carrier of South Africa and the continent’s most awarded airline, has been voted by the readers of Business Traveler Magazine as the, “Best Airline in Africa” and “Best Business Class to Africa” in the magazine’s “Best in Business Travel Awards” 28th annual survey.

Business Traveler Magazine’s audience is comprised of discerning, high-frequency business travelers, whose preferences on the quality of travel related product and services is surveyed on an annual basis. For the 2016 awards, Business Traveler readers selected 33 different travel providers in 42 different categories, including best airlines, hotel companies and car rental, both by region and worldwide, plus such categories as airports, loyalty programs and today’s all-important mobile technology.

The features of SAA’s Premium Business Class that have earned the loyalty of global travelers includes 180° fully-flat bed with fluffy down pillows and plush duvets, individual on-demand entertainment systems, gourmet cuisine paired with award-winning South African wines and the welcoming and attentive inflight service that is distinctly and proudly a South African trademark.

These travelers also recognize that South African Airways has a 48-year history of offering convenient service from the U.S. to the African continent with daily nonstop flights from New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport and daily direct service from Washington, DC – Dulles International Airport to Johannesburg, South Africa. SAA also offers service from Washington, DC-Dulles International Airport to Accra, Ghana 4days per week and to Dakar, Senegal 3-days per week. With an extensive network throughout Africa, SAA, along with its regional partners, South African Express, Airlink and Mango can conveniently connect travelers to over 75 destinations the continent.

“We are grateful for the recognition we have received from the readership of Business Traveler,

as they are truly experienced travelers that expect the very best in airline service,” said Todd Neuman, executive vice president- the Americas for South African Airways. “We are proud of the legendary world-class service that SAA employees deliver to our customers, as we strive to be the carrier of choice from the U.S. to Africa, and are honored with the awards that have, once again, been bestowed upon us.”

“Today’s business travelers are smart, savvy, connected and have high expectations of airline service,” said Dan Booth, editorial director of Business Traveler Magazine.

“Congratulations to South African Airways for being consistently recognized among the elite in our industry by your most demanding customer, the frequent business traveler.”

For SAA reservations and flight information, customers, should visit www.flysaa.com, call SAA Reservations at 1-(800) 7229675 or contact their professional travel consultant.

About South African Airways

South African Airways (SAA), South Africa’s national flag carrier and the continent’s most awarded airline, serves over 75 destinations worldwide in partnership with SA Express, Airlink and its low cost carrier Mango. In North America, SAA operates daily nonstop flights from New York-JFK and direct flights from Washington D.C.-IAD (via Accra, Ghana and Dakar, Senegal) to Johannesburg. SAA has partnerships with United Airlines, Air Canada and JetBlue Airways, American Airlines and Virgin America, which offer convenient connections from more than 100 cities in the U.S. and Canada to SAA’s flights. SAA is a Star Alliance member and the recipient of the Skytrax 4-Star rating for 14 consecutive years.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays Departure :Washington 5:40PM Arrival -Accra 07:40 AM Departs Accra 08:40 AM

Arrival Johannesburg 4:30

SA052 Saturday

SA053

Johannesburg 16:55 Accra 21:15

Saturday Accra 22:30 next day

SA056

Johannesburg 06:20 the

Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday Johannesburg 12:50 Accra 1710 Accra 18:10 Abidjan 19:10

SA057

Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday Abidjan 20:10 Accra 21:25 Accra 22:30 Johannesburg 06:20 the next day

Meet Ghanaian Nancy Abu-Bonsrah: First Black Female Neurosurgeon At Johns Hopkins Hospital Afrikan

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Armstrong Medical Education Building at 1600 McElderry St. in Baltimore, Maryland.

In a Facebook post, Abu-Bonsrah said:

What a way to begin the Sabbath! I still haven’t processed it yet but this is such an honor and a privilege to join the department at Hopkins to begin this next phase of my career. I’m so fortunate to have the continued support of my husband, family, friends and mentors. Kwabena and I are excited for what’s ahead! #match2017 #glorytoGod #wemadeit #sevenmoreyears #Neurosurgery #firstfemaleAAatHopkins

There has been an outpour of congratulations from social media.

We wish Nancy Abu-Bonsrah all the best in her medical career.

First black female neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital In a medical rite in the U.S. known as Match Day, where graduating fourth year medical students are given envelopes and find out where they have been matched to continue their medical training in a three to seven year residency program, Ghanaian Nancy Abu-Bonsrah was matched with Johns Hopkins Hospital to specialize in neurological surgery.

https://thisisafrica.me

The match made her the first black female neurosurgeon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Abu-Bonsrah will spend seven more years at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she would get hands-on experience in her field.

Opened envelop on Match Day. Congratulations to Nancy AbuBonsrah Photo: Nancy Abu-Bonsrah/ Facebook

According to the Johns Hopkins news release, prior to Match Day, students complete lengthy paperwork, and onsite interviews with hospitals, then provide a ranked list of their top choices. Hospitals submit a similar list, indicating openings, preferred students, and specialty or generalist preferences. Each applicant is matched via computer algorithm to the hospital residency program that is highest on the applicant’s list, and has offered the applicant a position.

Johns Hopkins students are often matched with their firstor second-choice sites.

Abu-Bonsrah, according the John Hopkins medical news release spent the first 15 years of her life in Ghana and came to Maryland 11 years ago. She attended Hammond High School in Columbia, Maryland and went to college at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, after which, right after her undergrad, she went to Johns Hopkins .

Abu-Bonsrah further stated in the news release that she is very much interested in providing medical care in undeserved settings, specifically surgical care. The Ghanaian hopes to return to her country over the course of her career to help in building sustainable surgical infrastructure.

Her match to Johns Hopkins Hospital for neurological surgery is a dream come true for her. She says she wants to be remembered for serving her community either through providing quality surgical care or mentoring the next generation of surgeons.

Abu-Bonsrah attended Johns Hopkins University school of Medicine alongside her husband, and participated in the Match Day, which took place on the 17th of March. The event took place on the second floor of the Anne and Mike

Nancy Abu-Bonsrah with her husband, Kwabena Yamoah at Johns Hopkins Armstrong Medical Education Building. Photo: Nancy Abu-Bonsrah/Facebook

Joyce Banda Addresses Members of U.S. Congress, Promotes Women's Leadership

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Malawi's former president Joyce Banda on Tuesday, March 21, 2017, addressed some members of the United States Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, United States of America.

She becomes the first Malawian high-profile political leader to officially participate in a panel discussion before distinguished members of the US Parliament since Malawi attained political independence from colonial masters, the British, in July 1964.

In her discussion, Banda shared her own experience in running for political office; the challenges and triumphs of building the people's confidence in democratic institutions; and the positives of female leadership to developing countries.

Banda suggested ways on how the United States government would contribute to preventing and mitigating violence against women in politics.

The former Malawi leader took the opportunity to share the contents of her most recent publication at the Wilson Center titled, "From Day One: An Agenda for Advancing Women Leaders in Africa".

In that paper, Banda addresses the ways in which the girls and women who are born to be leaders are prevented from reaching their potential in sub-Saharan Africa, and proposes recommendations to ensure that more African women are represented in leadership and decision-making in government and elected office across the continent.

Banda was invited to the panel discussion at the US Congress on Capitol Hill by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission to discuss "preventing and mitigating violence against women in politics".

McGovern of Massachusetts, Congressman Randy Hultgren of Illinois, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Congresswoman Ann Wagner of Missouri, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, and Congressman Salud Carbajal of California.

An entrepreneur, activist, politician and a philanthropist, Banda is the former president of Malawi, making her the country's first female president and Africa's second. Voted as Africa's most powerful woman by Forbes magazine and voted as one of the most powerful women in the world by TIME magazine, she is a champion for the rights of women, children, people with disabilities and other marginalized groups.

She is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, a network of current and former women prime ministers and presidents, whose primary goal is to use the symbolic importance of women leaders and the substantive experience of its members to support women's full participation and representation in the political process at the highest levels, and encourage future women leaders.

Banda is a motivational speaker. She has spoken at a number of high-profile international conferences and forums, including the International Conference on Women in Beijing, the American and African Business Women's Africa Conference in London, the Women Deliver Conference in Washington, DC and renowned universities and institutions of higher learning across the globe.

Continuing her tireless work encouraging women to enter political office and championing the rights of women and the disenfranchised, Banda has taken on a She was joined by the former Attorney General Distinguished Visiting Fellowship at the of Guatemala, Dr. Claudia Paz y Paz, Chief of Center for Global Development, jointly with the Leadership and Governance section at UN the Woodrow Wilson Center, where she Women, Begona Lasagabaster, and the brings her invaluable experiences as a leader Permanent Observer of the Inter-Parliamentary in African politics.

Union at the UN, Paddy Torsney. http://allafrica.com The event was hosted by Congressman James

Georgia House Of Representatives Honour Nduom March 2017

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The Georgia House of Representatives has Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company recognised the contributions of Dr Papa Kwesi and Blue Cross Blue Shield in Wisconsin; and a Nduom to economic development and has budget and management analyst at the Milwaukee awarded him as such.

Metropolitan Sewerage District; an associate consultant and one of the six African Americans out A statement from the Georgia House of of over 800 partners/shareholders in Deloitte & Representatives indicated: “Dr Nduom has had Touche; and a tremendous impact on his community through his spirit of service and desire to WHEREAS, Dr Nduom obtained his bachelor, improve the quality of life in the United States master, and doctorate degrees from the University and West Africa.” of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; and

Dr Nduom, a presidential candidate in the 2016 general election in Ghana, serves as the Chairman of Groupe Nduom, which has businesses in West Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

WHEREAS, he has established himself as a capable and intelligent leader in both the United States and Ghana, having helped found the Progressive People’s Party, a major political force in Ghana, and Deloitte & Touche, West Africa Consulting, and as owner of Group Nduom, a multinational Commenting on the honour done him, Dr conglomerate with about 60 companies in Ghana, Nduom stated on his Facebook page: “My sinLiberia, Togo, La Cote d’Ivoire, the United cere and big ‘Thank You!’ to the Ghana Kingdom, and the United States, with his wife, Council of Georgia and the Georgia House of Yvonne; and Representatives. I am grateful for the recognition.”

WHEREAS, his significant organizational and The resolution for the recognition of the busileadership talents, his remarkable patience and ness consultant was sponsored by representadiplomacy, his keen sense of vision, and his sensitives: Thomas of the 56th Thomas of the 39th tivity to the needs of others have earned him the Scott of the 76th Mitchell of the 88th, and respect and admiration of his colleagues and assoDukes of the 154th ciates; and

Below is the full statement from the Georgia House of representatives: House Resolution 509 By: Representatives Thomas of the 56th, Thomas of the 39th, Scott of the 76th, Mitchell of the 88th, and Dukes of the 154th A RESOLUTION Recognising and commending Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, Dr Nduom is a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness; and

WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of this extraordinary individual be appropriately recognised.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY WHEREAS, Dr Nduom has had a tremendous THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the impact on his community through his spirit of members of this body recognize and commend Dr service and desire to improve the quality of life Papa Kwesi Nduom for his many valuable contriin the United States and West Africa; and butions on behalf of the citizens of Georgia and extend best wishes for his continued success.

WHEREAS, he has established a glowing reputation of renown for his dedication and high BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of ideals and has an impeccable service record as the House of Representatives is authorised and an economist, a budget and management anadirected to make an appropriate copy of this resolyst, and a service delivery systems consultant lution available for distribution to Dr Papa Kwesi during the last three and one-half decades, Nduom. excelling as a life insurance underwriter with

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Science-Loving Teens From Ghana And D.C. Geek Out Together

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of Team McKwiny were whispering into each other's ears and holding hands. But they didn't get the grand prize. That went to Team "Big Bang ... Brains of the World!" The students had filled ice trays with soil, added copper wire that was coiled around zinc-plated nails and then poured lemon juice on top.

Their battery produced enough voltage to light an LED. The team now has a chance to pitch their battery to investors; IREX will match up to $10,000 raised.

"The winning soil battery demystifies energy production and storage at a time when battery storage is evolving faster than ever," said judge Jim Egenrieder, director of Virginia Tech's National Capital Region Thinkabit Labs. "And the water filtration system prototype represents what may become part of every household in the future, as we learn to use and reuse precious water resources."

Team McKwiny came in second and plans to keep going. The Ghanaian students hope to apply for funding from nongovernmental organizations to construct their filter on the outskirts of the Winneba Township. They want to put the first filter near a school where students lack access to clean water and sometimes have no option but to use water shared by livestock.

It was a meeting of nerds and sharks.

The self-described "biotech nerds" and "robotic nerds" were seven high school students from Washington, D.C. The eight teens who call themselves "sharks" and flew in from Ghana.

"The shark is a big fish so it means you're big.

Knowledgeable," explains Stephanie Obbo of Ghana, an aspiring medical doctor.

Together, the 15 high schoolers formed a team for the first World Smarts STEM Challenge. That's a science competition run by IREX, a global development nonprofit that strives to promote student enthusiasm for science, tech, engineering and math (aka STEM). Each of the 17 teams had teenagers in the D.C. area partnering with Ghanaians to identify and solve a real-world problem. NPR's Goats and Soda followed "Team McKwiny" — a name that blends D.C.'s McKinley Technology High School and Winneba Senior High School in Ghana.

They had collaborated since September over the internet. The Americans kicked around the idea of minimizing carbon emissions. The Ghanaians wanted to tackle water pollution.

They finally agreed to design and build a water purifier.

Both contingents had a personal stake in the project. The McKinley students found high levels of lead in the Anacostia River that flows through Washington, D.C. And the Winneba students in southern Ghana found pesticides, hospital waste, sewage and other pollutants in a nearby lagoon used for fishing and irrigation.

And because water shortages cause locals to rely on streams and ponds for clean drinking water, more than 100 cases of cholera swept through a neighboring district just in October 2016.

The Ghanaian teenagers proposed using local materials, like leaves from neem trees, to help filter the water. (The medicinal and antibacterial properties of neem leaves and oil have been studied.) The Americans, with no access to neem leaves, suggested substituting cilantro after learning that it removes lead from water — a property discovered by undergraduate researchers in 2013.

Meeting in person for the first time was a little awkward, since being social mattered at least as much as being scientific. American Miara Bonner, wearing a lab coat and hoop earrings, suggested an icebreaker. "What's that?" asked the Ghanaians in unison.

A question-and-answer game revealed similarities and differences. "I also don't like the food at my school," said Cassell Robinson of McKinley. "We have many tribes and festivals to remember the past and sacrifice animals," said Winneba junior Stephanie Obbo. Bonner's jaw dropped. "I did not know any of that." She remembers thinking, "They hunt. They sacrifice.

They don't teach you that in history!"

Their purification device consisted of four interconnected plastic buckets. In the first chamber, the water is filtered through gravel and sand. Then moringa seeds and neem leaves (or cilantro) in the sedimentation chamber extract particles before the water is boiled in a different chamber and then stored. Team McKwiny tested their treated water samples and said they were able to remove contaminants from both fresh and salt water, meeting World Health Organization standards for safety.

"It opens up my eyes that there are a lot of things that are useful out in the world that I just haven't found yet," said McKinley's Megan Richardson.

The goal of the competition is to encourage that kind of curiosity. Especially because few American students are embracing STEM. "Only about 16 percent of American high school seniors are proficient in math and interested in a STEM career," said Rebecca Bell Meszaros, associate vice president for education with IREX. "This program is combining STEM and 21st century skills like problem solving, innovation and cross-cultural communication." She adds that IREX chose to focus the program, made possible by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, in Ghana because the nonprofit has good access to schools with reliable internet.

By Saturday's final event, American and Ghanaian members

In the end, the students didn't just learn about science. The Americans got new insights into life in the developing world. "I didn't know that there are lagoons that people get their drinking water from — the water that they bathe in and wash their clothes in," said Miara Bonner, who hopes to one day become an endodontic surgeon. "I don't like the idea of that. When I heard that, I thought this is the problem we need to focus on."

And the Ghanaians tossed out their stereotypes of Americans.

Belinda Dogbe had the preconception that Americans would be "snobbish, always wanting to be alone, not friendly" — a stereotype that came from Hollywood movies. "I realized we are wrong," she said. "They are very friendly, they are open.

They love to ask questions."

Sasha Ingber is a multimedia journalist who covers science, culture and foreign affairs for such publications as National Geographic and Smithsonian. She can be reached @SashaIngber NPR

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Bishop Kofi Adonteng Boateng Donates Cash and Assorted Items Worth Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000) and to Surviving Victims of the Kintampo Disaster.

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First Lady of Ghana <rs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo commending Bishop Adonteng Boateng, His Wife and Divine Word International Ministry

First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo has commended Bishop and Mrs. Adonteng Boateng of the Divine Word International Ministry in the United States of America, for supporting the bereaved families in the Kintampo rainstorm tragedy.

Bishop Adonteng Boateng and his wife on March 29, donated assorted items and a sum of Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000), to the bereaved families of the 19 students who perished in that unfortunate incident.

The First Lady also thanked Bishop and his wife, for their generosity, when they paid a courtesy call on her, whereas, she encouraged them to do more for society.

The couple expressed their appreciation to Mrs. Akufo-Addo for her warm reception, adding that members of their church were moved to make the contribution, when they heard the sad news.

The tragedy which, occurred on Sunday after at the Kintampo Waterfalls in the Brong- Ahafo Region claimed 20 lives involving students of the Wenchi Methodist Senior High School and the University of Energy and Natural Resources who were there for excursion and research purposes.

The incident happened at the waterfalls following a downpour which hit the Municipality, last week.

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DIET THAT WILL HELP YOU LOSE 22 POUNDS IN 1 WEEK! (IT ALSO CLEANS YOUR ARTERIES FROM THE BAD CHOLESTEROL) • One rusk • An orange • A cup of tea or coffee (without sugar)

Third day

Lunch

• One boiled egg • An orange • Yogurt • Lettuce or cucumber

Dinner

• 125gr of boiled beef • An orange • Rusk • A cup of coffee or tea (without sugar)

Many people, particularly women, tried this diet and they are amazed by their results! Sadly, obesity is among the most significant public health issue in the USA. Excessive weight is linked with increased risk for numerous diseases such as diabetes, some types of cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.

There is no magic wand for weight loss, and many obese people struggle to lose their extra weight. Losing weight is almost impossible without reducing the calories, but the restriction of calories should not be that severe so you are feeling hungry all the time or that you will be unable to obtain the sufficient amounts of important nutrients.

Before starting this diet plan, you need to know that this is a two-week diet plan and you need to consume the same breakfast during the whole regimen. You should eat only one fruit for breakfast: peach, orange, pear, melon, watermelon. And keep in mind that you must not eat grapes or bananas for breakfast.

First day Lunch

• An orange • One boiled egg • A cup of yogurt

Dinner

• Two tomatoes or Two deciliters of cooked tomatoes • Two eggs (hardboiled) • Half a cucumbers or one piece of lettuce • Two pieces of rusk Second day

Lunch

• An orange • One boiled egg • 200ml of yogurt

Dinner

• 125 grams of boiled beef • A tomato

Fourth day Lunch

• 125gr of cow’s cheese • Tomato • One rusk Dinner

• 125gr of boiled beef • Two tomatoes • An apple • One rusk Fifth day Lunch

• 200gr of boiled fish or meat • One tomato • One rusk Dinner

• Half a kilo of boiled potato, carrot or peas

Always cook meat or vegetables without using salt, or add just one pinch of it. Take a break on days 6 and 7 and continue with the diet plan on the 8th day. Don’t drink alcohol, while you are on the diet plan. You are going to lose about 7 lbs. during the first 5 days. Take twoday breaks and repeat the diet plan three times – 5 days and two-day break. This way you will avoid negative side effects and still lose about 30 lbs. If you are truly persistent with the diet plan, except Mondays, your weight won’t return.

Follow this diet plan on Mondays:

• Breakfast: A cup of sugar-free lemon juice • Lunch: An apple and a rusk • Dinner: One boiled egg, 1 rusk and a tomato

You can eat these foods while they are cold or hot – it really doesn’t matter. This is especially important thing to remember – consume the foods in the appropriate order, and never skip a meal!

http://healthylifecenter.net

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Miss Africa USA 2016/2017 Speaks at WACC USA Mentoring Workshop

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West African Community Collaborative (WACC) a collaborative civil association of community organizations; nonprofit, faith-based and direct-service organizations that provide services to the African community in Northern Virginia has for the past year been involved with Series of Parent /Student Workshops for West African Immigrant families at the Walt Whitman Middle School in Alexandria, Virginia.

As part of their Youth mentoring Program WACC invited Miss Africa USA 2016/17, Nereida Lobo to Speak to the Young ladies in the program. Her Presence served as a big inspiration to the participants at Walt Whitman Middle School.

Queen Nereida Lobo the reigning Miss Africa USA hails from the beautiful country of Cape Verde. She is passionate about the education of children.

The Youth were so much inspired as she shared her story about growing up in a disadvantaged community, where she understood fully well what it meant to go to school without basic necessities.

Miss Africa USA 2016/17, Nereida Lobo Speaking to the Young Ladies

The Young Ladies diaplaying their visions on Poster boards

The Reigning Queen and some of the Students

MISS Africa USA with WACC Executives and Some of the Parents

Parents Having an Interaction of Immigration

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Nigerian Lady Serves As Bestman At Her Twin Brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wedding

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Letter from Africa: How Nigerians Obsess About Life In The US April 2017

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ADAOBI TRICIA NWAUBAN

A young Nigerian lady is trending on social media for being a best man.

The young woman who goes by the name Ayobowale Ilesanmi looked really beautiful as she served as the best man at her twin brother's Wedding which took place yesterday, Saturday, April 1st.

Maybe Ayobowale has started a trend that Ghanaian women will follow.

GhanaWeb will be looking out for the daring women who will take this 'Best Man' challenge up.

Source: GhanaWeb.com

Nothing will stop Nigerians from aiming for America, writes novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani. Not even the recent travel advisory by a special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari urging Nigerians with valid US visas to postpone their trips there.

To many Nigerians, America is the Promised Land. A land where clear waters gush and trees flourish with fresh dollar notes, where bees lose their sting and pigs fly.

A land where lame feet are cured and blind eyes are opened, where African accents shed their dense tones and become shrill nasal emissions filled with "R"s and "wanna" and "gonna".

Insurance policy In America, lizards transform into crocodiles. Are you the class dunce? The black sheep of the family? A notorious ne'er do well? Never mind. America will soon change your story. And the next time you visit Nigeria, your entire village will gather to receive you at the airport.

America is also the insurance for a child's future. Many Nigerian couples do not mind borrowing funds to travel and have their babies there, so that the children are instantly issued with the red booklet that is their passport to a better tomorrow far away from Nigeria.

Let's not forget the shopping. America has some of the best goods and experiences that capitalism has to offer.

Nigerians who have it need somewhere to spend their money.

So what if President Buhari's special adviser is right and some Nigerians with valid visas have been denied access to Donald Trump's America?

Thanks for letting us know. Very kind of you, indeed.

We shall simply add the US border officials to the list of principalities and powers that have to be defeated as we journey to this Promised Land, right next to the US Embassy officials that we have been battling with and overcoming for decades.

Many Nigerians narrate their conquests at US Embassy interviews in a manner that must be similar to how David recalled his slaying of Goliath.

"The woman was looking at me," they say. "I looked back at her. She didn't even look at my documents. I kept staring at her. I didn't remove my eyes. Then, she did her face as if she was about to deny me the visa.

Under my breath, I just prayed and asked God to take full control.

"In my spirit, I already knew that the victory was mine.

Suddenly, she frowned and said I should come back for my visa. She didn't even know what came over her. God just took control and turned her heart in my favour."

But don't be fooled by how easy it all sounds. These

conquests - whether for a visitor, student, immigrant or any other kind of US visa - are usually preceded by natural and spiritual preparations.

On the natural side, there are men and women, "agents", who have gained a reputation for their US visa application expertise. Some are consultants, selling advice on what and what not to say in order to nail your interview.

Some assist with the application process.

"If this man helps you fill your application form," people say, "there is no way they can refuse you a visa. He knows exactly what you should write."

Nigerians want to follow in the footsteps of the 51st Ooni of Ife, who visited the US last year On the spiritual side, preparations for a US visa interview sometimes include periods of fasting and praying, or visits to spiritual experts who will command invisible forces in the unseen realm to yank open the doors of America before you.

For, until these gates of brass have been unlocked spiritually, they say, you may attend a billion interviews and fail.

The embassy officials are merely succumbing to forces beyond their control.

While visiting Edo State in southern Nigeria last year, I met a friendly juju priest, known in his community as "Doctor", who claimed that his specialty was ensuring girls taken to Italy for prostitution did not run away without repaying the debts owed to the brokers, the madams, who paid their way to Europe.

He also told me that he assists men to smuggle cocaine successfully through international borders.

"I tell them on what exact day they should travel," he said. voodoo priest, benin "If they follow my instructions, they will never get caught.

On that day, nobody will be able to see whatever it is they are smuggling through."

His spiritual powers purportedly blind the most advanced detectors.

If the rumours of Nigerians being turned back at US borders are true, I imagine that Doctor's services will soon extend to "seeing" and "telling" the exact date one should travel to America, the day when the border officials will be spiritually hypnotised into saying "Welcome to America" with hardly a glance at your visa or passport.

Rather than adhering to any travel advisory, many Nigerians would simply extend their unorthodox efforts, not just to conquering a US Embassy interview, but to crossing border control successfully.

For nothing, not even President Trump, can stand between a Nigerian and his or her quest for a better life.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39268088

April 2017

Inauguration Of Destiny Ministers Network

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• Apostle Joseph Sithole also from South Africa • Apostle Josh Moyo from Australia These Highly anointed Men of God will empower and equip the participants of this conference with information and tools to take Christ to their Communities

7.

Do you intend to incorporate a ministerial training program as part of your core activities?

•

Yes Destiny Ministers Network is planning to start a Bible training Institute.

8.

Where and how do we get to find out more about this organization?

Rev. Dr. Eric Clarke-President of the Destiny Ministers Network

For more information or how to join the Destiny Ministers Network go to our website www.believersdestinynetwork.org or contact.

Rev. Dr. Eric A. Clarke (703) 628-6993 Rev. Ababio Gyebi (301) 526-6199

Destiny Ministers Network was inaugurated on March 25, 2017 at the Church of the Living GodNOVA auditorium in Fairfax , Virginia. The New leaders who will run the affairs of the New Organization ware sworn into office Afrikan Post had the opportunity of interviewing the leadership on the activities of the Association 1. What

is the Destiny Ministers Network? Can you give us a background to its formation

Destiny Ministers Network is a network of Pastors, Ministers and church leaders whose destiny is to continue with the finished work of Christ on the cross. It all began when some few ministers got together and realized how divided, disorganized and disoriented the body of Christ has become.

This group of ministers agreed through prayer to organize and bring Pastors and church leaders together to • Exalt Christ.

• Promote Excellence • Promote Growth in Ministry

2.

•

What is the core objective of this network?

Reviving the Lordship of Christ in the Church and over every nation

• • •

One time membership contribution Yearly Contribution (Dues) We contribute towards programs

•

Yes… it is open to Ministers of all Nationalities

Rev. Edwin Otabil,Rev. Thomas Ofosuhene and Rev. Kwasi Gyimah Inducting the New Leaders into Office

3.

Does membership in this network require any financial commitments?

4.

Is this network open to all Nationalities?

5.

How do you want to impact the Christian Community in America through this network

Faith Family Choir Leading Praises

Through leadership training and conferences Workshops to equip Pastors and leaders for evangelism Prepare Pastors and leaders to deal with current issues that affect churches like Immigration Marriages Finances… etc.

I see you have a program coming up in April 2017. Can you tell us about some of the guest speakers

6.

Yes the Believers Destiny Conference is coming on from Wednesday April 26th – Saturday 29th, 2017 at 6:00pm each night at 1312 Horner Road, Woodbridge Virginia 22191.

Speakers will be • Bishop Hans Mashila from South Africa

Family, friends and Congregants from the member churches

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Trivia

HOW SCHOOL BOYS USED TO WRITE LETTERS TO GIRLS, in the 80s

April 2017

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Robert Mugabe Quotes

GHANA NATIONAL, P. O. BOX 163 ..............................................................8TH JUNE, 1985

Dear Sweet Naa,

Time and ability plus double capacity has forced my pen to dance automatically on this benedicted sheet of paper. I hope you're swimming in the wonderful pool of Mr. Health there.

I am also palambulating in the cool breeze of wellness here.Sweetie pie, the reason why this miraculous thing is happening is because, honey, I love you spontaneously, and as I stand horizontally parallel to the wall and vertically perpendicular to the ground now, I only think of you, since you are a fantastic and fabulous girl put together as fantabulous. I implore you to decipher this my anthem of love oozing out from the innermost pendulum of my thoraxial cavity.Darling, please stop haranguing with the feelings in my heart because I love you more than a snake loves rat. To me each day I start by dreaming of you.

Each time I see you my metabolism suddenly halts and my peristalsis goes in reverse gear. My medula oblangata also ceases functioning.Crazy, crazy, crazy you may say but this is verily veritable. If only you knew what is going on in my encephalon you would prostrate.

That's why I need to see you vis a vis soon for a better elucidation through tete a tete. No hyperbole & onomatopoeia, simple candidness.Only u and me are protagonists in this subtle affair. As I cogitate and ruminate over the last episode, I genuflex before the Omnipotent and implore him to let this affair emulsify.By the way, I was bamboozled, scintilated, exhilarated, and left in a state of prolonged euphoria by the contents of your missive which was quite edifying and exhalting. It left my biochemistry in a paradise-like equilibrium.Empirically speaking, I love u chemically...

I don't ever want to see gloom and doom looming over your angelic live portrait.

Let my appellation be scribbled across your heart, with indelible ink. If any boy tries to ask for your companionship, tell him that u are leased and caveated. I think I have to pen off here, because I still haven't finished studying electrolysis polymerization. But before I evaporate, I like to revitalize your memory with those encapsulating lyrics which proclaim that catarrh is my butter, your piss is my mimbo, the world's greatest lover is me.Catch you later. Sleep tight and don't let those bed bugs bite you because you are too sweet for them. Goodbye for now.Your *❣* slave in love, your pillow, your cushion,

Wife: What are your plans for Easter?*

Husband:*Same as Jesus

Wife: What do you mean ?

Husband: I will disappear on Friday andreappear on Monday!*

Wife:*That's AWESOME

Husband: what about you?

Wife: I'll do like Mary, will get pregnant for my husband when he has not slept with me,

Sometimes you look back at girls you spent money on rather than send it to your mum & you realise witchcraft is real I have died many times. I have actually beaten Jesus Christ because he only died once

We have fought for our land, we have fought for our sovereignty, small as we are we have won our independence and we are prepared to shed our blood.... So, Blair keep your England, and let me keep my Zimbabwe.

We don't mind having sanctions banning us from Europe. We are not Europeans.

“The only warning the African takes seriously is low battery.”

“Some women’s legs are like rumours, they keep on spreading”.

“Some girls have never seen the doors of a gym but look physically fit because of running from one man to another”.

“And to those of you who do not actually go to church but watch it on TV, you will not actually go to Heaven, but you will be allowed to watch it on TV!” “You smoke weed and you take some coke. Few minutes after, you hear ‘chooboi chooboi’ in your head. It’s a set up. The moment you answer, “Yei”!, you are mad.”

“The only public place Ghanaian ladies can be romantic is around the ATM machine.”

“If you are a lady and you don’t respect men, you will end up serving jollof at your younger sister’s wedding.”

“Dear ladies, if your boyfriend did not wish you a happy Mother’s day, stop breastfeeding him”.

“Whenever things seem to start going well in your life, the Devil comes and gives you a girlfriend”.

“I stopped trusting ladies when my class 3 girlfriend left me for another boy all because he bought a sharpener with a mirror”.

“When one’s goat gets missing, the aroma of a neighbour’s soup gets suspicious.”

“Treat every part of your towel nicely because the part that wipes your buttocks today may wipe your face tomorrow”.

“Even Satan wasn’t gay; he chose to approach unclad Eve instead of unclad Adam.” https://www.dailytrust.com

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April 2017

A Coming Together of Budding Ghanaian Entrepreneurs Living Abroad

In 1969 when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon he proclaimed those two footprints to be “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” On March 18, 2017 fifteen budding Ghanaian business and social entrepreneurs living abroad (largely in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey) gathered on the 9th Floor of the Museum of Art & Design for brunch. That was the beginning of a unique experience of discovering and supporting each other; and thinking through engagement with mother Ghana.

The 13 men and two ladies believed they were taking one giant leap for themselves and for Ghana. The event was organized by the effervescent Mr. Charles Nimmo Ntiamoah-Mensah well known as “Mr. CNN” under the banner of his 3G Media, Inc. The author served as the moderator and the event was graced by the hardworking and economic-minded Ghana’s General Consul based in New York CityMr. Bernard Quantson.

The discussions were animated and a sense of connecting with like-minded Ghanaians Living Abroad (GLAs) to excel in business and social enterprise to benefit self, community, and Ghana was palpable.

The 15-cold weather braving souls believe that if they stay connected and share ideas, the moon will indeed be reached and Ghana will benefit immensely.

Dreams cost nothing, actions to realize them cost blood, sweat and tears. They are willing to sacrifice, and call on others to join them. The next meeting will be announced for May 2017 and will be held at the Ghana Mission in NYC. The picture portrays the attendance: From left to right- standing - Kofi Koranteng, Kofi Karikari, Kwasi Twum Ampofo, Kwabena Fosu Oware, Fred Kojo Kyeremeh, Hon. Bernard Quantson, King Ohenew Asumaning, Kwadwo Adu Ameyaw, Dr. Owusu Kizito, Daniel Affum-Darkwah, Bernard Aduse Poku; and seated from left to right - Charles Nimmo NtiamoahMensah, Mary Margaret Edusei, Dr. Kofi A. Boateng, and Gloria Arthur.

The group wasted no time and worked on crafting a statement of mission/purpose. Evoking the example of the immense multi-faceted support of Jewish

Americans to the State of Israel, the group evolved a working draft that states: To offer mutual support for success and promote the socio-economic development of Ghana through the marshalling of human, financial, and material capital; led by Ghanaian business and social entrepreneurs living abroad.

Here is a sampling of the budding business and social entrepreneurs: 1.

Improving Conditions for Orphans and Patients: Daniel Affum-Darkwah leads TADMI, Inc, a NJ based nonprofit organization that has been collecting material to support orphanages and hospitals in Ghana since 2012. Himself a lab technician with connections to major hospitals, Daniel has been able to make TADMI the go to organization to pick up almost new and refurbished hospital supplies. The problem of others in Ghana selling his donated items and the burdens of clearing customs are his persistent headaches. TADMI plans its 4th Annual Fund Raising Gala on April 22, 2017 (www.tadmi.org).

2.

A Ghanaian Engineered Quality Cell Phone: Kwasi Twum Ampofo recently took delivery of the first consignment of his self-designed KTA dual SIM cell phones. The KTA phones are comparable in many features to the best of Apple and Samsung but priced hundreds below at $149.99 (www.ktamobileusa.com).

3.

Pooling Investment Funds from GLAs: Kofi Koranteng, leading Highlife Management LLC, has succeeded in getting Ghanaians to pool funds at a minimum rate of $5,000 for investments with nearly 60 participants paid up. This is an example of one giant leap in getting GLAs to contribute beyond funerals and outdooring (917-292-1067).

4.

Documenting and Sharing GLA Stories Online – Watch out Ghanaweb! Here comes Ghanaian American Journal published by Fred Kojo Kyeremeh of Connecticut. Its mission is to focus on the many accomplishments of GLAs; and track their challenges, contributions to mother and host countries, and serve as a vehicle for connections (www.gareport.com).

5.

GG’s Kitchen -The Tastiest Catering: Based in Yonkers, NY, Gloria Arthur has built a reputation for offering the most original and tastiest morsels

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that can grace tables and make palates love their hosts at any event. Call 914-471-7656.

6.

A Real Estate Deal Maker: Mary Edusei has been selling real estate for 14 years and has three offices in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Valley Stream. If you are ready to buy or sell, Mary is ready to serve you with her army of courteous agents. Call MayJay Property Management, Inc at 917-686-5108 7.

Making YOU Money: Dr. Owusu Kizito as head of InvestiGroup is at the concluding stages of his efforts to raise $3 million with 80% committed to building infrastructure in Ghana. He plans to expand his financial management activities to China. In the meantime, if you need business plans, tax, and management counseling reach out to 908-977-7320- (www.fundinginvestigroup.com).

8.

Engineering to Soccer Scholarships: King Ohenew Asumaning is the man behind the “Denkyem – Give to Ghana” logo. His day job is an engineer with General Electric but his passion is scouting soccer talents from Ghana to gain scholarship admissions to U.S. universities. To date Denkyem has placed 400 youth in schools (www.denkyem.org).

9.

Mr. African Fashion: More popularly known for his fashion label – KWABS COUTURE- Kwabena Fosu Oware an MRI Specialist at the Hospital of Special Surgery in NYC by day, believes in showing off African fabrics and is fully invested in making a name for himself as an avant-garde designer to be reckoned with.

10.

Building the Largest Media House: That is the dream of Kwadwo Adu Ameyaw of NJ. He wants to gather, feed content, and distribute online, TV, and Radio (www.themonteoz.com).

A common refrain from the exchanges was that GLAs generally do not support each other. For example, more than 90% of KWABS customers are foreigners. Hon Quantson praised the group for daring to go beyond culture and funerals to think, and do business since that is the key to Ghana’s long-term development. There are rising opportunities in Ghana that will materialize for GLAs who learn to trust and work together, he added. The attendees on their part bemoaned their country’s visiting officials sidelining them in their rush to court foreign investors when they fail to realize that though not individually wealthy yet, by their reputation and work connections, GLAs are best situated to attract foreign investors to Ghana just as George Owusu and partner attracted Kosmos to successfully drill for oil in Ghana in recent memory.

They live here. They work here. They know the terrain here. Why skip them? Jewish Americans direct where their visiting leaders should go, why do Ghana’s leaders ignore that well-proven track? But first, budding GLA business and social entrepreneurs must know, work, and support each other. Look out for the May meeting.

Kofi Boateng Kofi.aboat@gmail.com

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Afrikan

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April 2 0 1 7

How to Say Thank You in Several African Languages

How to Say "Thank You" in:

English: Thank you

Portuguese: Obrigado (Thank you for a man), Obrigada (Thank you for a woman)

Arabic: S hukran

Angola

Botswana

Setswana: Ke a leboga

English: Thank you

Burkina Faso

French: Merci

Mossi: Barka

Dyula: I ni che

Cameroon

French: Merci

English: Thank you

Cape Verde

Cape Verde Creole: Obrigadu

Portuguese: Obrigado (Thank you for a man), Obrigada (Thank you for a woman)

Libya

Madagascar

English: Thank you

Chichewa: Zikomo

English: Thank you Mali

French: Merci

Bambara: I ni ce

Mauritania

Arabic: Shukran

Hassaniya: Shukram Morocco

Arabic: Shukran

Egypt

Portuguese: Obrigado (Thank you for a man), Obrigada (Thank you for a woman)

Ethiopia

Amharic: AmesegĂŤnallĂ´

Gabon

French: Merci

Fang: Abora

Ghana

English: Thank you

Twi: Me daa si

Kenya

Swahili: Asante

English: Thank you

Lesotho

Sesotho: Ke a leboha

Zulu: Ngiyabonga (Thank you to one person), Siyabonga (Thank you to several people)

Malawi

Cote d'Ivoire

Arabic: Shukran

South Africa

Xhosa: Enkosi

French: Merci

French: Merci

Krio: Tenkey

Malagasy: Misaotra French: Merci

Mozambique

Namibia

English: Thank you Afrikaans: Dankie

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Afrikaans: Dankie Sudan

Arabic: Shukran Swaziland

Swati: Ngiyabonga (Thank you to one person), Siyabonga (Thank you to several people) English: Thank you Tanzania

Swahili: Asante

English: Thank you Togo

French: Merci Tunisia

French: Merci

Arabic: Shukran Uganda

Luganda: Webale

Swahili: Asante

Oshiwambo: Tangi unene

English: Thank you

English: Thank you

English: Thank you

Igbo: Imena

Zimbabwe

Senegal

Shona: Ndatenda (Thank you to one person), Tatenda (Thank you to several people)

Nigeria

Hausa: Nagode Yoruba: E se

French: Merci

Wolof: J erejef

Sierra Leone

English: Thank you

Zambia

Bemba: Natotela

English: Thank you

Ndebele: Ngiyabonga (Thank you to one person), Siyabonga (Thank you to several people

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How to Say Hello in Several African Languages International Calling (Dialing) Codes for Africa How to Make a Phone Call to Africa April

How to Say "Hello" in: Angola

Portuguese: Olá (Hello), Bom dia (Good morning), Boa tarde (Good afternoon), Boa noite (Good evening)

Botswana

Setswana: Dumela mma (Hello to a woman), Dumela rra (Hello to a man)

English: Hello

Burkina Faso

French: Bonjour (Hello)

Mossi: Ne y yibeogo! (Good morning)

Dyula: I ni sogoma (Good morning)

Cameroon

French: Bonjour (Hello)

English: Hello

Cote d'Ivoire

French: Bonjour Egypt

Arabic: As-Salaam-Alaikum (Peace be unto you)

Ethiopia

Amharic: Teanastëllën (Hello, formal), Tadiyass (Hello, informal)

Gabon

French: Bonjour (Hello)

French: Bonjour (Hello)

Malawi

Chichewa: Moni (Hello)

English: Hello

Mali

French: Bonjour (Hello)

Ads Best of South Africa Travel to South Africa South Africa South African Learn a Language How to Travel From Bambara: I ni ce (Hello)

Mauritania

Arabic: As-Salaam-Alaikum (Peace be unto you)

Hassaniya: Aw'walikum (Hello)

Morocco

Arabic: As-Salaam-Alaikum (Peace be unto you)

French: Bonjour (Hello)

Mozambique

Portuguese: Olá (Hello), Bom dia (Good morning), Boa tarde (Good afternoon), Boa noite (Good evening)

Namibia

English: Hello

Afrikaans: Hallo (Hello)

English: Hello

English: Hello

Nigeria

Twi: Maakyé (Good morning)

Hausa: Sànnu (Hello)

Swahili: Jambo (Hello), Habari (How's it going?)

Yoruba: Bawo (Hello)

Igbo: Ibaulachi (Hello)

English: Hello

Rwanda

Sesotho: Lumela (Hello to one person), Lumelang (Hello to several people)

French: Bonjour (Hello)

Lesotho

English: Hello

Libya

Arabic: As-Salaam-Alaikum (Peace be unto you)

33

Malagasy: Salama (Hello), M'bola tsara (Hello)

Oshiwambo: Mwa lele po (Hello)

Kenya

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Madagascar

Fang: M'bole (Hello to one person), M'bolani (Hello to several people)

Ghana

2017

Kinyarwanda: Muraho (Hello)

English: Hello

Updated by Jessica Macdonald on August 12th 2016.

By Anouk Zijlma- Africa Travel Expert

If You Are Calling From:

US and Canada -- dial 011 before the country code.

Europe, New Zealand or South Africa -- dial 00 before the country code.

Australia -- dial 0011 before the country code African International Calling/Dialing Codes Algeria -- 213 Angola -- 244 Benin -- 229 Botswana -- 267 Burkina Faso -- 226 Burundi -- 257 Cameroon -- 237 Cape Verde Islands -- 238 Central African Republic -- 236 Chad -- 235 Comoros Islands -- 269 Democratic Republic of the Congo -- 243 Djibouti -- 253 Egypt -- 20 (For Cairo add 2, Luxor add 95, Alexandria add 3) Equatorial Guinea -- 240 Eritrea -- 291 Ethiopia -- 251 (For Addis Ababa add 1) Gabon -- 241 Gambia -- 220 Ghana -- 233 (Accra add 21, Tamale add 71, Kumasi add 51) Guinea Bissau -- 245 Guinea -- 224 Ivory Coast -- 225 Kenya -- 254 (Nairobi add 2, Mombasa add 11) Lesotho -- 266 Liberia -- 231 Libya -- 218 Madagascar -- 261 Malawi -- 265 Mali -- 223 Mauritania -- 222 Mauritius -- 230 Morocco -- 212 (Casablanca add 2, Marrakech add 44, Fes add 5) Mozambique -- 258 Namibia -- 264 Niger -- 227 Nigeria -- 234 (Abuja add 9, Lagos add 1, Jos add 73) Reunion Island -- 262 Rwanda -- 250 Senegal -- 221 Seychelles -- 248 Sierra Leone -- 232 Somalia -- 252 South Africa -- 27 (Cape Town add 21, Jo'burg add 11, Durban add 31) Sudan -- 249 Swaziland -- 268 Tanzania -- 255 (Dar es Salaam 51, Zanzibar 54) Togo -- 228 Tunisia -- 216 Uganda -- 256 Zambia -- 260 Zimbabwe -- 263

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April 2017

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Your Taxes, Your Money, Your Home Buying ONGA Breaks Guinness World Record for Step 3: How do I know I have a good credit? You will know you have a good credit based on your own purLongest Feast Table chasing power or by your consistency of paying off credit card bills, medical bills etc …or periodically checking your credit report. What is considered a good credit score and qualify to buy a home? A good credit score is sometimes determined by the lender in house qualification guidelines; although there are also federal guidelines that are considered in the loan lending process. Some lenders who finance home buying loans could consider minimum/lowest 580 score or 620 credit score. Of course, the higher the credit score the better, but if you have a 580 credit score, you cannot count yourself out, there is still hope for you to pursue home ownership.

Dear readers,

It is with great excitement to have the privilege and opportunity to ink this article to you. Today, we will discuss “The Home Buying Process”. This is an important topic to discuss because, over the years as a realtor, I have had many clients expressed that, if they knew what they know now, they would have made the decision to buy a home sooner. They wish they had acquired information about the home buying process sooner; as it is one of the greatest investment ever acquired. Therefore, to you my reader thinking about pursuing home ownership venture but have no idea what steps to take, I dedicated this piece to you. What are the necessary steps required to buy a house?

Step 1: Make sure you are credit worthy. What does it mean to be credit worthy? It means that you have established a good credit with the financial institutions such as the banks, credit unions, private lenders etc… It does not matter how much money you have sitting in your account, if you do not have an established credit, it will be difficult or close to impossible to make big purchase such as buying a house or even a car. You need credit.

How do you begin to establish a credit, if you do not have any? I recommend you get in touch with the bank(s) you bank with. I also recommend that you begin by obtaining a credit card with a small loan amount; or you can even inquire at any department store such as Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club or BJ’s , furniture stores, etc.…. Although, departmental store credit cards typically carries higher interest rate, the trick is use the credit card to make small purchases, such as buying gas, groceries etc and pay it off immediately. As you do that, you will build credit over time.

Step 2: Regularly check your credit to see what is taking place on your credit. How do you do that? Every US consumer with Social Security Number has the capability to check your credit status using annualcreditreport.com.

This website allow you to check your credit report FREE once a year. Although, the free report does not give you a credit score, you can purchase your credit score at a fraction-$10 or so. it is important to check what items are listed on your credit report. Any delinquency reported by creditors on your credit report could have an adverse impact on your credit score or your ability to obtain a loan.

Step 4: Now that you know that you have an established credit. The next step is to contact your local bank or credit union to apply and qualify for a loan.

The bank would need some documents from you in order to approve you. Some of the information the bank would ask for are: • Borrower information: Include the name, address, phone number, date of birth and Social Security Number for all borrowers (for instance, you and your spouse). If you’ve been at your current address for less than two years, you may need to provide former addresses for the past seven years.

• Employment information: Provide a history of where you’ve worked and for how long. If you haven’t been at your current job for at least two years, you’ll need to provide information on all employment for the past two years.

• Monthly income and combined housing expense information: List your monthly gross income (how much you make before taxes or deductions) and monthly expenses.

• Assets and liabilities: Include how much you have in bank accounts, savings, retirement accounts and investment accounts, as well as the value of vehicles, homes and other property for assets. For liabilities, itemize all of your current bills, loans and other debts, including current balances and monthly payments. Debts include automobile loans, credit cards, student loans and existing mortgages, including home equity loans. ***Please note that the debts you are being asked to list on the application is also going to be reflected on your credit report when the bank pull your credit report. Be as accurate as possible*** Once you have been pre-approved by the bank/credit union for the loan amount you are looking for, is time for you to contact a local realtor such as myself. I will guide you and help you find a property or your desired home that you are looking for.

I hope this article has provided a wealth of information for you to move from debating the idea of buying a home; into finally making the transition to buy.

Anita A. Bediako- REALTOR® –Licensed in the Common Wealth of Virginia Prince William CountyLocal Expert CONTACT 571-229-6694 Email: borderlessrealestate@gmail.com Borderlessrealestate.com

The ONGA feat beats the current world record for the longest table as the guests in attendance were served with sumptuous local dishes amidst some entertainment.

Promasidor Ghana Limited on Saturday, 25th March went into the Guinness Book of Records with their ONGA brand.

ONGA which is Ghana's leading food seasoning product broke the record for the World’s Longest Feast Table at an event held in Accra.

The event was held at the Black Stars Square and saw over 3000 people throng the grounds to witness the feat.

The World’s Longest Feast Table record was previously held by Afia International, a company in Saudi Arabia.

The ONGA feat beats the current world record for the longest table as the guests in attendance were served with sumptuous local dishes amidst some entertainment.

Officials from the Guinness Book of Records have since certified the record.

Managing Director of Promisador Ghana Ltd, Dirk Laeremans said the event was aimed at showcasing Ghana’s rich food culture especially as the country is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

"Our aim tonight is not just to break the Guinness World Records but also to showcase to the world the business capacity of Ghana’s rich meals."

Participants at Saturdays’ event including children from selected orphanages, were not only part of the history but also treated to rich traditional entertainment; music, and free food.

According to the organizers the feat is one not only for the company but also for Ghana as a country.

"ONGA is very pleased to be a part of Ghana’s development and we hope to make our achievement last a lifetime,” he told journalists at the event.

Richmond Quarcoo

www.ghanaweb.com

Ghanaian Writer Yaa Gyasi Bags $1 Million For Debut Novel

Afrikan

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Ghanaian-American novelist Yaa Gyasi is poised to make a huge splash in the literary world with her debut historical fiction novel Homegoing which has already earned her a $1-million advance from the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

The novel was inspired by a trip to Ghana in 2009, her first since leaving the country as an infant.

According to the Daily Mail, it was on a tour of the former slave-trading fort Cape Coast Castle – "going from the grandeur of upstairs where the slave traders worked to the dungeons below’ – that she realised what she wanted to write about: ‘The idea of placing two people together; the wife of someone above and one of the slaves below.

"I hope it shows that much of what we’re dealing with [the legacy of slavery] didn’t appear out of nowhere,’ she says.

‘When you see things that are happening today, remember to put them in the context of history".

Born in Mampong, Ghana, she is the daughter of Kwaku Gyasi, a professor of French at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and her mother Sophia, who is a nurse.

Her family moved to the United States in 1991 when her father was completing his Ph.D. at Ohio State University. The family also lived in Illinois and Tennessee, and from the age of 10, Gyasi was raised in Huntsville, Alabama.

She completed the book in 2015, and after initial readings from publishers, was met with numerous offers before she accepted a seven-figure advance from Knopf.

Yaa describes the acclaim that bestseller Homegoing has received as ‘completely overwhelming’. Her highlight? The novel is inspiring readers to dig into their own family history. ‘That response from people is really cool.’

Ta-Nehisi Coates selected Homegoing for the National Book Foundation's 2016 "5 under 35" award, and the novel also was selected for the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Award for best first book.

Homegoing is published by Penguin Books and is on sale at a price of £12.99.

Executive Chef Francis Otoo of Ghana Prepares for 2017 Embassy Chef Challenge April 2017

Come May 24, 2017, executive Chef Francis Otoo will make his fourth appearance at the ‘Embassy Chef Challenge’. The over 6ft tall Ghanaian chef saw the Media Preview Dinner event hosted by the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, DC as a great warm up for the May.

On Wednesday March 22, 2017, Chef Otoo joined four other chefs at the Indonesian embassy to show off their culinary skills as they tantalized the taste buds of high ranking diplomats and ambassadors from his home country of Ghana and countries like Peru, Indonesia, Afghanistan and Belgium.

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Chef Francis Otoo made his first appearance at the Embassy Chef Challenge in 2010, two years after it begun in 2008, since then he has participated in 2015, 2016, and will again represent the Ghana Embassy in Washington, DC, where he has been the head chef since 2002.

His Excellency Budi Bowoleksono; Ambassador at the Indonesia embassy in Washington, DC and his wife Reshanty played hosts of the 2017 Media Preview Dinner. The Ambassador, himself a chef, said the culinary art “is not only about food, culinary can bring people together, culinary is a beautiful universal The menu of Chef Otoo at the Media Preview Dinner was ‘Aponkye Nkrakra’ or goat light soup, a very pop- language… it is also a very effective tool of ular and well liked Ghanaian delicacy eaten with ‘Fufu’ diplomacy.” which is made from pounded cassava, yams and or Chefs Creig Greenridge from Barbados and plantains. For the occasion, Chef Otoo chose yams, Claude Tayag of the Philippines walked away which he boiled (to a specific temperature) without with the Judge’s Choice and the People’s pounding and toned down on the spice in the soup.

Choice awards respectively at the 2016 Embassy Chef Challenge. The 2017 Embassy Ambassadors, Diplomats, organizers of Embassy Chef Chef Challenge; a signature event of Passport Challenge, Events DC, other special guests and the media present had a lot of good things to say about the DC’s Cultural Tourism DC, will feature some 24 countries with Africa’s participation jumping Ghanaian chef’s ‘Aponkye Nkrakra’. to four as Kenya, Morocco and Tunisia make TheAfricanDream.net noticed the gentle spicy kick to the chef’s meal, the juicy taste the goat meat brought to their debut appearances alongside veteran participant Ghana. it and the toned-down spice with the tenderly boiled yam. Jan Du Plain of Passport DC said she “could live Find out more about the Embassy Chef with [this Ghanaian chef’s dish] anytime.”

Challenge: an annual fundraising benefit featuring international tastings, awards, entertainIn an interview with TheAfricanDream.net after his ment, and a silent auction at www.culturalpresentation, the executive Chef said he was happy tourismdc.org and get to know Chef Otoo some about the responses received, “to me, it is not just more at www.fransarcateringservices.com about the taste only, the way food is presented in general is also very important, when people see your meal Story/Photo by: Ora Ofori of and the look of it makes them want to taste it then TheAfricanDream.net that’s a win, it’s even more glorious when they comPictures on Page 39 mend you for the deliciousness.”

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President Trump Meets With Egyptian President dead and tens of thousands in jail.

Last year, a UN investigation found that Egypt engages in the continuous persecution of women, human rights activists and journalists.

April 2017

Page

Ivory Coast's former first lady Simone Gbagbo acquitted

Human rights groups estimate that at least 40,000 political prisoners have been detained by Sisi's government.

"Inviting Sisi for an official visit to Washington as tens of thousands of Egyptians rot in jail and when torture is again the order of the day is a strange way to build a stable strategic relationship," Sarah Margon, Washington director at Human Rights Watch, said before the meeting.

US President Donald Trump on Monday April 3rd put concerns about Egypt's human rights abuses aside as he welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to the White House.

Ahead of the meeting, senior US officials had said the issue of human rights violations in Egypt would not be addressed publicly during Sisi's visit, which was widely condemned by rights groups and protesting campaigners.

Speaking to reporters after their meeting, Trump said he strongly backed Sisi's leadership and that they would work together to fight against "terrorism".

"I just want to let everybody know that we are very much behind President Sisi; he has done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation," Trump said.

Egypt's President Sisi to meet Donald Trump "You have a great friend and ally in the United States - and in me," Trump told Sisi, the first Egyptian president to visit the White House in almost a decade.

For his part, Sisi said he appreciated that Trump has been "standing very strong ... to counter this evil ideology".

Egypt is battling an internal conflict in Sinai, and hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and police have been killed fighting armed groups.

Cairo and Washington are expected to forge closer ties under Trump following years of tension under the administration of exPresident Barack Obama.

Obama temporarily halted military aid to Egypt shortly after Sisi led the overthrow of democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013. His administration also repeatedly criticised the Egyptian government's crackdown on political opponents.

Yehia Ghanem, Al Jazeera's Middle East analyst, said that Sisi had sought to visit the White House long before Trump's election as US president last November.

"Sisi believes such a visit to the Oval Office will enhance his legitimacy, which has been a question of doubt because of the way he took over power through a bloody coup d'etat."

'Unforgivable repression'

Since the July 2013 coup, a police crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood - which maintains it is peaceful but has been designated by Egypt's government as a "terrorist" group - has left hundreds

The White House said Egypt's human rights record would be raised behind closed doors, but some analysts raised doubts about the US administration's commitment to focus on the issue.

"I don't think [overall] it will be addressed because I think the Trump administration is for these types of policies that incarcerate 'Islamists' in a place like Egypt and other activists who have been against the Sisi government," Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said.

"The repression in Egypt is, really, unforgivable but the Trump administration is more than happy to do so," he added.

"At the end of the day, the US administration, including under Obama and [George W.] Bush, would not make Egypt an enemy because of human rights - if anything, human rights have always been sidelined in favour of security and other cooperations between the US and Egypt. In fact, between the US and most totalitarian regimes in the Middle East, state interest and security has always trumped human rights."

Financial assistance

As well as meeting Trump, Sisi will see the top officials at the World Bank and IMF, where he will pitch for help with his country's ailing economy.

Egypt has been negotiating billions of dollars in aid from various lenders to help revive an economy hit by political upheaval since a 2011 revolt and to ease a dollar shortage that has crippled imports, driven away foreign investors and hampered its recovery.

The North African country received the first tranche of a three-year $12bn loan deal with the IMF and is expecting to receive the second tranche soon.

The second tranche of a $3bn loan from the World Bank was disbursed to Egypt last month.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

A court in Ivory Coast has acquitted the country's former first lady, Simone Gbagbo, of crimes against humanity.

The charges related to the violence that followed the 2010 presidential poll when her husband, Laurent, refused to accept defeat to Alassane Ouattara.

The majority of the judges dismissed the prosecution's argument that Simone Gbagbo, 67, headed a crisis cell and tried to buy weapons.

She is already serving a 20-year prison term for undermining state security.

Ivory Coast has refused to extradite her to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, where Laurent Gbagbo is on trial for crimes against humanity.

The ICC has issued a warrant for Simone Gbagbo on similar charges.

More than 3,000 people died in the violence after the 2010 presidential poll.

Laurent and Simone Gbagbo were arrested in 2011 after troops stormed a bunker where the pair had taken refuge in the main city, Abidjan.

Source:bbcnews.com

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Resurrection Methodist Church in Collaboration With St. James Episcopal Church at Mt. Vernon Celebrate Ghana @ 60

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Rev. Charles Brockand Rev. Dr. Kwasi Kwakye Nuako

Cutting of Anniversary Cake First ladies of Resurrection Methodist and St. James Episcopal

Rev. and Mrs. Kwakye Nuako

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Ghanaian Youth Serving various Ghanaian Dishes

Executive Chef Challenge Media Preview Dinner

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The Host, His Excellency Budi Bowoleksono; Ambassador of Indonesia to the United States and Jan Du Plain of Passport DC

Chef Otoo introducing the guests to his special Aponkye nkrakra soup

Peruvian Chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Introducing the First Course

The Diplomats and guests being served with Aponkye Nkrakraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or goat light soup

Chef from Belgium introducing the desert for the Night