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Mugabe Joins Other African Leaders To Celebrate Ghana's 60th Independence Day

Vol 9 Issue 3

March 2017

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Afrikan Post

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Ghana Celebrates 60 Years Of Independence

From the Editor

O u r G r ea tes t G lor y is n o t in n ever f a llin g b u t in r is in g ever y time we f a ll .

We ar e committted to b r in gin g th e commu n ity th e bes t in N ews f r om Af r ica an d th e D ia s p or a . Yo u may als o vis it o u r webs ite a t www.af r ik an po s t.com f or d a ily n ews u p da tes o n Af r ica .

D is cla imer : Th e o p in ion s ex pr es s ed in ar ticles a n d s to r ies in th is N ews pa per ar e th os e o f th e a u th o r s a n d d o n o t n eces s ar ily r ef lect th e views o f Af r ik an Po s t . All co mmen ts an d s u g g es tio n s a r e welcome.

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Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe joined other African leaders to join Ghanaians to celebrate 60 years of independence .

George Bright-Abu Publisher and Editor

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CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

Nigeria Appoints Singer King Sunny Ade As Change Ambassador Pg. 10

Ghana opens consulate in Little Rock, Arkansas Pg. 6

Construction of a National Cathedral to Begin in Ghana

Pg. 9

Wiping Away the Bitterness Pg. 11 Nigeria Shuts Abuja Airport Pg 11 UPDATE

Ghana Advocacy Group Launched Pg. 27

The 93-year-old was joined by Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara. Others included Vice President of Zambia, Inonge Wina; and Togo’s president, Faure Gnassingbé.

Previously known as the Gold Coast, the West African nation enjoys a rich history as the first country south of the Sahara to achieve independence from colonial rule.

Its leader at the time, a strong Pan-Africanist, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, said at the time, “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent.”

Over 30 other African countries eventually gained their own independence in the decade following Ghana’s liberation. Kwame Nkrumah played a key role in the march towards independence of a number of African countries.

Ghana on Monday, March 6, 2017, turned 60 years since it attained independence on March 6, 1957 from British after 113 years of colonial rule. Previously known as the Gold Coast, Ghana was the first Sub-Saharan African country to become independent on the back of Ghana’s first President and his Pan-African ethos, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. The celebration was marked with the traditional march past and parade at the iconic Black Star Square.

The march featured the usual active participation of school children alongside security personnel. Parades were held simultaneously across all the regional and district capitals across the country. President Nana Akufo-Addo took the national salute, delivered a speech of solidarity to Ghanaians and lighted the perpetual flame. In the regional capitals and districts, representatives of the President took the national salute and read the President’s speech. This being a landmark independence celebration, a special committee christened “Ghana: 60 Years On” was inaugurated to oversee the celebration themed: “Mobilising for Ghana’s future.” –

In connection with this, Government released GHc 10,000 to each District, Municipal Metropolitan Assembly (MMDAs), to facilitate activities for the commemoration of Ghana’s 60th anniversary. The celebration has already seen the inauguration of a Presidential Museum, a legacy project to celebrate the Ghana’s icons and national heroes. When President Akufo-Addo lights the perpetual flame on Independence Day, a torch was also lit using the flame. This torch will embark on a relay throughout the whole of Ghana, as one of the key activities of the celebration, and return to its starting point on March 6, 2018.

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana -

March 2017

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Afrikan Post

March 2017

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March 2017

Afrikan Post

Fake News: How Can African Media Deal With The Problem?

At a time when fact-based reporting is increasingly being undermined by fake news, the BBC's Dickens Olewe looks at the lessons for the media in Africa.

"ALERT: Don't fall victim to fake news!"

This is the message that pops up when you visit South Africa's Eyewitness News (EWN) website.

The warning advises readers to be more vigilant about the news they consume.

The message goes on to say that the publication is committed to providing news that is accurate, fair and balanced.

It then links to another page that gives tips on how to spot fake news, with a list of websites it has identified as purveyors of fake news in South Africa.

The publication also invites readers to send in fake stories they come across and those which they are unsure about.

EWN's attempt to fight the spread of false news content is probably a first on the continent.�

Katy Katopodis, EWN editor-in-chief, told the BBC that the publication felt it had a duty to protect the integrity of journalism by educating its audience.

"We have to be proactive to acknowledge the dangers of fake news and to offer our readers advice on how to spot a fake news story," she says.

"At Eyewitness News we believe we need to counter the lies and the fake news with the truth and a reality check.

"We all have a responsibility to disseminate news that is factual and correct."

EWN's fake news guide was implemented last month amid allegations that the governing African National Congress (ANC) had planned to run a campaign to create and disseminate false information to discredit opponents ahead of last year's local election in which it lost many seats.

AmaBhungane, an investigative journalism team, reported that a covert operation dubbed the War Room, was intended to "disempower Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters parties" by using digital media and social media influencers.

The ANC has denied the allegations, with one official accused

of being involved in the planning of the operation describing it as "fake news".

The term fake news, which has been used a lot since last year's US presidential elections, was meant to call attention to falsified news content that was widely shared on the internet, mostly on social media.

Trump 'endorsed by the Pope' An analysis by BuzzFeed released after the US elections found that top fake election news stories generated more total engagement on Facebook than top election stories from 19 major news outlets combined.

The top five stories under this study were positive spins to prop up the candidacy of Donald Trump, including one claiming that he was endorsed by the Pope.

"Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Donald Trump for President, Releases Statement," the article's headline read.

The other stories promoted conspiracy theories about his then challenger Hillary Clinton which some analysts say helped undermine her campaign.

The creation and distribution of misinformation is not new, the difference at the moment is that spreading false information has been incentivised.

Digital publishing platforms like Facebook and Google have built ecosystems that reward clicks on website links and one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to a website is to entice readers with sensational content.

The Macedonian teenagers became infamous after it was revealed they were behind several fake stories shared during the US election, mostly in support of Mr Trump, earned thousands of dollars by getting thousands of clicks on articles they shared on Facebook.

In Africa, several articles have managed to fool many and garnered a lot of clicks for their promoters. Here are a sample of some of the headlines: Eritrean men ordered to marry two wives or risk jail UK Announces Visa Free Entry For Nigeria And Other Commonwealth African Countries Trump says "Africans are lazy fools only good at eating, lovemaking and thuggery" Robert Mugabe says Zimbabweans are "honest people" but "stealing is in every Kenyan's blood".

The allure of getting clicks has seen some publishers take advantage of the interest fake stories generate.

Recently, Kenya's sports website Game Yetu, owned by a mainstream publisher The Standard, lifted a story from Mzansi Live, a fake news website in South Africa with an unlikely claim - that Zimbabwe had sent its female footballers to Brazil to be impregnated by soccer legends there:

Game Yetu tried to keep editorial distance from the article by placing it under the rumours and gossip section of its website.

Ms Katopodis says she is concerned about mainstream publishers pursuing clickbait.

The South African paper editor says that it behoves credible newsrooms and journalists to fact-check stories and promote media literacy.

"I am inspired by how the banking sector has been educating its customers to deal with online scams we should do the same."

While there is nothing wrong with curating content

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to lure readers to read stories on your website, overselling and packaging of news items using misleading headlines does a lot to undermine publishers' credibility.

With traditional revenue sources drying up and with viral content bringing in the money, for-profit media organisations are caught in a conundrum.

Porn warning Huffington Post's South Africa edition exemplified this.

It recently published a handy guide for spotting faking news which included this important advice: "Reputable media houses will have credible adverts on their pages. Fake news sites often have pornographic adverts. That should raise red flags."

However, below the article it had a widget containing a series of fake news stories, including one of US President Donald Trump calling South Africa's President Jacob Zuma "the best ever".

These advertisements are distributed by Taboola, one of the biggest content recommendation sites, which has signed lucrative deals with media organisations the world over.

In a post published after the US elections when fake news sites were under scrutiny, Adam Singolda, the founder and CEO of Taboola, said that the content it distributes is reviewed and that it also has a programme that allows users to flag "deceptive, fake or harmful content".

Ms Katopodis says that in this age of fake news and alternative facts, journalists' role as fact-checking watchdogs becomes more important than ever.

Even as the media and organisations like Africa Check continue to parse news content to determine their veracity, media analysts say it is also incumbent on technology giants such Facebook and Google to, at the very least, stop making the spreading of fake news profitable.

http://www.bbc.com/

Ghana opens consulate in Little Rock, Arkansas

March 2017

Ghana pointed out that, appointing Mr. Sherman Banks as the Honorary Consul, the Government of Ghana took due cognizance of his stature and deep commitment to the development of all men, especially the advancement of Ghanaians he has for so many years been associated with.

During his two-year tenure as the first African-American elected President of Sister Cities International, Mr. Banks co-led peace missions to Egypt and Morocco and worked for the realization of his dream of conducting the first ever Sister Cities International “Islamic Summit – Citizen Diplomacy in the 21st Century” Mr. Asare-Asiedu added.

Mr. Banks has also worked with elected officials to develop agricultural, economic, tourism, trade and political programs in Italy, England, Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Sudan, among others.

To Support Fisheries Reform And Local Fishing Communities FREETOWN, March 24, 2017 — Sierra Leone will receive US$4 million from the World Bank Group’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) for strengthening the national legal and regulatory framework, institutional development, strengthening fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance to reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities. A large part of the funding will be used for supporting coastal communities to have better fishing practices, handling, processing and storing of fisheries products and data collection. Funding will also be provided for livelihoods transfer grants to individuals in fishing communities to better improve livelihoods. (Photo: Parminder Brar, World Bank Country Manager for Sierra Leone)

Funding for the fisheries sector in West Africa has been provided through the West Africa Regional Fisheries Program (WARFP) which is a program covering Cape Verde, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Funding for the Sierra Leone component had been halted in 2014. This grant signals reengagement of World Bank in the fisheries sector.

The grant agreement was signed between the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Momodu L. Kargbo and the World Bank Country Manager, Parminder Brar on 8th February 2017.

The negotiations for this grant were led by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR).

“The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development welcomes this new grant from the World Bank for the fisheries sector, which has proven to be crucial for food security during and after the Ebola outbreak,” said Momodu L. Kargbo, Minister of Finance and Economic Development.

“This grant is a step in the right direction to begin the second phase of WARFP preparation and will help support the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to improve the management and regulation of the fisheries sector to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries resource.”

Long-term economic, social, and ecological success in the fisheries sector requires awareness and behavior change at all levels. The project will help strengthen the capacity at both the Ministry level

and the community level so both the top-down and bottom-up approaches can play important roles.

“The fisheries sector currently provides close to 80% of the protein to the population of the country. This sector has great potential to further increase food, nutrition, employment, and income to Sierra Leoneans,” said Parminder Brar, World Bank Country Manager for Sierra Leone. “Sierra Leone has one of the best fishing grounds in the world that need to be nurtured for harvesting the wealth of the ocean in a sustainable manner. It is good that the Government has taken proactive steps to strengthen the Joint Monitoring Centre and the patrol boat has been active. We look forward to working with the Government to ensure that revenues from fisheries are increased, the artisanal sector and fishing communities are strengthened and illegal fishing is reduced.”

The fisheries sector in Sierra Leone has the potential to bring food security and boost the country’s revenue, as it supports direct employment of around 100,000 people and indirect employment of as much as 10% of the population. The country could sustainably generate US$186 million each year, US$74 million of which can be generated from the industrial segment targeting high value species (demersal).

The West Africa Regional Fisheries Program’s development objective is to support countries to maintain or increase priority fish stocks and the benefits that they can provide to the region, with a focus on benefits for poverty reduction and food security.

World Bank Sierra Leone

Mr. E-B. Asare-Asiedu, Chargé D'Affaire of the Embassy of Ghana, Washington DC has expressed the gratitude of the Ghanaian Government and people for the hand of friendship extended to the country by the United States of America (USA), for the support and cooperation the country has enjoyed over the years.

Mr. Asare-Asiedu said this, when he commissioned the Honorary Consulate of Ghana for the Delta Region in Little Rock, Arkansas on Saturday, February 17, 2017.

The Acting Head of Mission of the Embassy of

On Ghana US relationship, Mr. Asare-Asiedu noted that the relation has grown from strength to strength through cooperation in wide-ranging fields such as power and infrastructure, oil and mineral resources, environmental protection, agricultural mechanization and Human Resource Development.

Mr. Banks appointment, he said, is therefore of great significance as it reflects Ghana’s desire to enhance her bilateral relations particularly in the economic and commercial spheres.

“We have no doubt that with his many years of public service and human development record, Mr. Banks stands ready to help attract the relevant skills and investment so required to Ghana”, he added

Mr. Asare-Asiedu, reassured development partners of Ghana’s continued hospitality and support in providing the necessary environment to facilitate the establishment of business ventures and investments in Ghana.

The Acting Head of Mission congratulated Mr. Banks and wished him every success in this very important assignment and assured him of all the necessary support from the Embassy.

Information Section Ghana Embassy Washington DC

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Susanna Wesley Mission Auxiliary (SUWMA) Donates To Bridgepoint Hospital March 2017

The Susanna Wesley Mission Auxiliary (SUWMA), a ladies association of the Ghana United Wesley Methodist church in Woodbridge, Virginia, has donated assorted items to the Bridgepoint hospital on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. BridgePoint Hospital is a facility which provides care for patients requiring longer hospitalizations in post-acute care settings.

As part of their social responsibility to the community the group donated toiletries and sanitary cleaning materials and socks to the hospital.

Mrs. Florence Agyemang the president of the group said one of the main aims of the group, is to take good care of the poor and needy in society. “it is part of our aim to embark on visitations to prisons, the sick, and the aged as such SUWMA branches all over the world have been involved in similar gestures to their various communities” Rev. Emmanuel Nkrumah who accompanied the group offered prayers for the sick and encouraged them to be of good hope . The presentation was made by Rev. Emmanuel Nkrumah with the Executives, patrons and members of SUWMA.

A Hospital Representative at Bridgepoint Hospital who received the items expressed the Hospitals appreciation for such a loving and kind gesture by the Women’s group.

The Ghana United Wesley Methodist Church is located on 1400 G Street in Woodbridge. Virginia. In 2013 a local branch of The Susanna Wesley Mission Auxiliary (SUWMA) was inaugurated with the following aims and objectives To endeavor to enlist all those women who are not members of any women’s organization.

To instill in the members the spirit of Holiness and Godly living both at home and in the Church and Society.

To enable members to most attention to nurture of children in the Church.

To assist in the Decoration of Chapel or Church premises and Mission House To embark on visitations to prisons, the sick, the aged.

To assist in the training and welfare of Ministers in the Church.

To embark upon literacy education among women who can neither read nor write.

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March 2017

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Statement by Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly on President Trumps Executive Order Release Date: March 6, 2017 For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary Contact: 202-282-8010

“Fourteen years ago on March 1, 2003, DHS was established. We did so as a nation because we needed to rethink our approach to homeland security. Many will recall the conclusions we reached then; that we needed to overcome a “lack of imagination” with regard to the threats we faced, and, second, that we needed to overcome our collective inability to take the dots of intelligence and arrange them into a more comprehensive picture of the threats posed to America and our way of life.

“Though much has changed since then, both in the world and at DHS, it is clear that Americans are not invulnerable to terrorist threats, and that our enemies will exploit our freedoms and generosity to harm us.

“The Executive Order signed today by President Trump will make America safer, and address long-overdue concerns about the security of our immigration system. We must undertake a rigorous review of our visa and refugee vetting programs to increase our confidence in the entry decisions we make for visitors and immigrants to the United States. We cannot risk the prospect of malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives.

“The Executive Order signed today is prospective in nature—applying only to foreign nationals outside of the United States who do not have a valid visa. It is important to note that nothing in this executive order affects current lawful permanent residents or persons with current authorization to enter our country. If you have a current valid visa to travel, we welcome you. But unregulated, unvetted travel is not a universal privilege, especially when national security is at stake.

“The Department of Homeland Security has worked closely with the Department of Justice, the Department of State, and the White House to create an executive order that addresses our information concerns while protecting the homeland and our citizens.

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“The men and women of the Department of Homeland Security—like their brothers and sisters throughout law enforcement—are decent Americans of character and conscience. They are no less so than the governors of our states and territories, of our senators and members of the congress, of our city mayors and advocacy groups. They are sworn to enforce the laws as passed by the U.S. Congress and would be in violation of the law—and their sworn oaths—if they did not do so. We will continue to work closely with our operating components and across government to implement and enforce it humanely, respectfully, and with professionalism.

“I want to thank the President for his leadership on this issue and his steadfast support of DHS’ important law enforcement, security, and counterterrorism missions.”

To read the executive order, please visit the White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/03/06/executive-order-protecting-nation-foreign-terrorist-entry-united-states

For more information about DHS and the executive order, please visit https://www.dhs.gov/executiveorders

8

Nigeria Shuts Abuja Airport

Nigeria on Monday formally announced the temporary closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the capital Abuja.

The airport will be closed for six weeks, beginning March 8, in order repair the runway which is in a shocking state of disrepair.

Reports say the closure could delay the return of president Muhammadu Buhari, who has been in London for medical treatment since January.

Flights are being directed to a smaller airport in Kaduna, 250 km north of Abuja, but, most international airlines have rejected the plan saying its not safe for flight operations and are re-routing flights to Lagos until the repair works are done.

Passengers will be ferried free of charge by a bus on a roughly 3-hour trip guarded by security agents where kidnappings have become recurrent in the past few years.

The Abuja airport is a key lifeline for the west African economy. According to Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper, it recorded 2.26 million passengers in the first half of 2016.

The closure comes at a time that Nigeria’s aviation industry is in disarray and the country is dealing with recession.

Source: africanews.com

US Increases Imports Of Nigerian Crude By 287%

The United States almost tripled the volume of crude oil bought from Nigeria last year, seven years after it began depending less on the country ‘s crude.

This comes as the Shale oil production surged.

Latest data from the US Energy information Administration (EID) shows that the country imported 76.9 million barrels of the country’s oil in 2016.

From a figure of 19.9 million barrels in 2015.

When global oil prices started to fall in 2014, from a peak of $115 per barrel, Nigeria witnessed a further drop in the US imports of its crude from 87.4 million barrels in 2013 to a record of 21.2 million barrels.

For the first time in decades, the US did not purchase any barrel of Nigerian crude in July and August 2014.

According to the EID data, In 2010, the US bought as much as 358.9 million barrels from Nigeria, but slashed its imports to 280.1 million barrels and 148.5 million barrels in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

However, the recent increase in the US imports of Nigerian crude is being threatened as shale oil production gathers fresh momentum on the back of the rally in global oil prices.

The US shale production for March is expected to rise the most in five months as energy companies ramp up drilling, with the EID forecasting that production in seven major regions will rise by a total of 80,000 bpd to 4.87 million bpd.

Global oil benchmark, Brent crude, has been trading above $50 per barrel in recent months, up from a record of low of $27 per barrel in January 2016.

Industry analysts say the rising shale oil production in the US could upend efforts by major producers including the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries to bring global supply and demand for crude back into balance.

OPEC members along with 11 non-OPEC countries had on November 30 agreed to cut their oil production for the first half of 2017, although Nigeria and Libya were exempted due to production setbacks they suffered last year.

Source: africanews.com

Construction of a National Cathedral to Begin in Ghana March 2017

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The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cut sod for the construction of a national cathedral to mark the 60th Anniversary of the country.

The President cut the sod on the morning of the Independence Day at the National Scholarship Secretariat in Accra.

The event was attended by notable men of God in the country including Archbishop Nicolas Duncan-Williams, Pastor Mensah Otabil, Palmer Buckle, Rev Victor Kusi, Past Moderator of the Presbytarian Church of Ghana, Prof Emmanuel Martey, Current Moderator of the Presby Church, Prof Cephas Narh Omenyo and several others.

The Cathedral would serve as a national place of worship and a location for the gathering to hold important religious ceremonies.

Speaking at the sod cutting ceremony, the President expressed the hope that the building would be completed very soon and serve its intended purpose.

Source: http://www.ghanaweb.com

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Court Dissolves Actor Emeka Ike's Marriage

Nigeria Appoints Singer King Sunny Ade As Change Ambassador March 2017

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By Latifat Opoola

Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike and his wife, Suzanne Emma, have parted ways.

A Lagos Island Customary Court, South West Nigeria today dissolved their 17 year-old marriage.

The three-man panel presided over by Chief Awo Awosola, dissolved the marriage in a judgment following a petition filed by Suzanne.

Other members of the panel of judges were: Mrs. Opeyemi Olanrewaju and Mr Kehinde Jacob Olayinka.

"From all evidence before the court, the marriage between the couple had broken down, and it is irreconcilable, consequently, the marriage is hereby dissolved", said the court.

The court granted Emeka the custody of the four children, but ordered that Suzanne should be granted unhindered access to them.

Either Suzanne or Emeka Ike has 30 days to appeal.

The court also received a photocopy of a bank draft of N300 dated July 20, 2016, which the Suzanne used in refunding the bride price, paid to her family during their marriage.

Suzanne in the petition filed before the court accused Emeka of incessant beating, molestation, and torture, which she said she could no longer endure.

But Emeka in his response denied beating, molesting or torturing his wife. He urged the court not to dissolve the marriage.

He also informed the court that his wife had moved out of their matrimonial home five times without any reason.

He also told the court that the only time 'devil' entered their marriage, was when his wife paid for the children's school fees.

Source: http://allafrica.com

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has appointed King Sunny Ade as an Ambassador of the National Re-Orientation Programme "Change Begins With Me."

Speaking in Abuja on Monday when he received the music maestro on a courtesy visit to his office, the minister described King Sunny Ade as an icon and a trail blazer, who has reigned in the music industry for over 50 years without blemish.

Announcing the appointment, he said "we are looking for people like you (King Sunny Ade) that the younger ones can look up to. It's not just that you have been around for fifty years but you have been around for fifty years without any single stain on your part and that is very hard.

"Most people like you would have had one issue or the other that today their integrity would be at stake. Your integrity is as strong if not stronger than when you started. So it would be a pleasure if you can accept to be our Ambassador of the "Change Begins With Me".

"I want the younger ones to look at you and see that you can actually get to the top without cutting corners. That is exactly what you have done. You have never cut corners and you have gotten to the top. "

Alhaji Mohammed hailed King Sunny Ade for promoting the juju music genre to an enviable height with an originality that makes imitating his music an exercise in futility.

While accepting the offer to serve as an Ambassador of the "Change Begins With Me" Campaign, King Sunny Ade pledged to partner with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to move the nation forward.

"You don't need to say much. This is what I love to do and it has been in me. We are ready to do that officially throughout the whole world," he said.

King Sunny Ade thanked the Minister for the uncommon passion he has shown to the entertainment industry, especially in organising the artists to achieve their potentials and contribute to nation-building.

He also thanked the Minister for attending his 70th birthday celebration, which was held recently

http://allafrica.com/

10

Wiping Away the Bitterness

Dr. Miriam C. Gyimah

“For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”

Romans 8:22

H

ave you ever been in a position where you were just disappointed with God? Have you ever experienced deep sadness and disbelief because you felt you had been let down, forgotten or even abandoned by God? If not, I envy and admire your faith, but if so, know that you are not alone, for many of us have felt the pangs of God’s silence and the desperation for His thirst quenching and hunger satisfying living word and hand of divine intervention.

When you pray and wait on God but you do not see His hand moving in your life to alter a certain desperate circumstance, you begin to wonder. When you live your life according to His word and honor His place as your one and only Shepherd, as Abraham did, and a key promise is far too long delayed or unfulfilled, you begin to either ponder if God had really spoken or at times question if He is truly with you. Was Abraham disappointed when for many years the promise of Isaac was not forthcoming? What about Sarah? If they were not disappointed, clearly, they had at one point or another stopped believing of the mythical child or children who would one day make Abraham a father of a mighty nation, countless as the stars in the sky or the sand on the sea shore (Genesis 22:17).

Hmmm.

Abraham and Sarah were not the only ones to have had to wonder about God’s hand in a particular area of their lives.

When Job was viciously attacked in the spiritual realm, resulting in the deaths of all his ten children, the loss of his property and the painful and disgracing disease of his body, he prayed, worshiped and covered himself with ashes, groaning and moaning waiting to hear from God, to be healed, to be delivered, to be justified. How long was this justification and deliverance in coming? Job laid out his argument and questioned God. God, it seemed, had turned His face away from Job, to allow him to suffer bitterly even in his faithfulness. How can one not be disappointed and become despondent?

In the Old Testament book of “Ruth,” Naomi said, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

(Ruth 20-21). Naomi means pleasant, while Mara means bitter. Naomi, a Hebrew woman, who understands the significance of naming, came to a point of disappointment and despondency and found no other solution but to change her name for the worse, because of how life had dealt with her and because she believed God had abandoned her. How could her life be as it had become, if her Lord had not abandoned her?

Naomi, her husband and two sons leave Bethlehem in a time of famine and travel to Moab for a better opportunity of survival. While at Moab, her husband dies and in ten years, both

her sons die while famine finds her yet again in that very land of escape. Naomi is empty, miserable and dejected. She cannot believe that this has become her lot. Upon her decision to return to Bethlehem, she tells her daughters-in-law, whom she is attempting to persuade to return to their foreign homelands that, “the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me” (Ruth 1:13).

Indeed, sometimes the absence of the evidence of God’s hand in our lives or on our situation causes us to believe that His hand has gone forth against us or at least, it leads us to accept that He is not going to respond to our cries or pleas regarding a need or a longing.

As a result, we are left to feel the pain of that rejection and the empty and bitter fruitlessness of our lives, and the dryness of our mouths and throats not to be satisfied by any hope. And so it appears.

I remember that in the last couple of years, although I was still maintaining my relationship with God in worship and service, a part of me felt deeply disappointed with how God had and/or was handling a very important aspect of my life. I prayed, I fasted, I cried and did all I could even as I waited on Him to direct and fulfill His own promises to me. But it appeared that we were at a standstill. God, it seemed, had folded his arms and tossed my issues aside and was not giving any heed to my efforts and prayers regarding this area. I told someone that, when you truly have faith and belief in God and you trust that He will do something and you don’t see Him do it over months and years, it is truly painful and disempowering. It is heart breaking.

Clearly Abraham and Sarah knew God could provide them a child, for after all, they believed He was the only One and true God and creator of all mankind. Undoubtedly, Job’s faith in God was unquestioned, for even God Himself attested of his righteousness.

And poor Naomi, should we even continue about her situation?

My situation was not even near theirs and yet while I endured it, after a while, each time I thought of it, I miserably shook my head and felt a very huge lump in my throat. The pain of swallowing that lump, representing the failure of God’s intervention and deliverance, only brought tears to my eyes and the breaking of my heart into pieces. Why? Because the journey was a painful one.

Sometimes, the Lord would direct me regarding that need and then it appears He would just dump me somewhere in the middle of the way, never enabling me to attain the goal or destination. It was painful and depressing to sense that the Father I loved and Whom I knew loved me and had been there for me on various fronts, was toying with me, playing with my heart strings and simply abandoning me at points along the line, making the journey “unnecessarily” long and laborious and the point of destination uncertain and delayed.

Somewhere deep in my heart, I had hope and trusted that He would bring me through, but over the years, the disappointments of delays, complications, and stagnation layered themselves over the hope and pushed it deep down where it was often suffocating, leading me to sadness, disbelief and depression. It came to a point where I prayed and believed Him to answer certain prayers, but no longer that particular one. It came to a point that no amount of preaching, teaching, praying, worship or praise could penetrate that buried hope and faith. But even when we think or accept that the chains around our situation or us have become unbreakable, we learn that we have missed the mark, for the Bible tells us in the Book of John that, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men; The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (4-5). There is no depth of darkness that his light cannot overcome and there are no fetters that He cannot break.

And so He did.

When you can no longer utter the words to your own needs in prayer, when the pain of your need and desperation have become too burdensome on the heart, spirit and even the tongue, the Bible tells us that “the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Even when you think you are alone or your heart is no longer penetrable, the Spirit of God knows just what word you need and what song will do the trick in breaking down those walls and chains to get to the very heart that belongs to Him. Abraham, Sarah, Job and Naomi could have easily prayed with this psalm of David, “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in

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You I trust; Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me” (Psalm 25 1-2). For me, this psalm, in the form of a song, was the Spirit’s weapon of light and sword that penetrated the layers of doubt and disappointment and crumbled the wall around that subject. If nothing at all, this song was God’s (secret) weapon for me. After the Lord utilizes these words to reach my inner self, I am somehow rebirthed and renewed and live to fight another day towards the attainment of His promise. And even after this episode, the promise is not immediately, but eventually attained.

What is the benefit of God having Abraham wait and labor for so many decades before He gives him the promise of Isaac? How does that benefit Abraham and Sarah, to wait so long when God could have done it many years before? What is the purpose for Job to lose and suffer so much, just to recover and be replenished? We know that in Job’s case, God wagered with the Devil to prove Job’s loyalty to Him, but how did that suffering profit Job? What’s more, how and why was it necessary that three lives, those of Naomi’s husband and two sons, be lost, a famine should near finish her but then through her daughter-in-law Ruth, Naomi would become connected to the lineage of David and eventually Christ? We are on one hand strengthened that our God is sovereign, but we are on the other hand discouraged when we believe that sovereignty for a time, is not in our favor.

Perhaps, Abraham and Sarah would have taken comfort in the words, “For I now the plans that I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11), but I am not sure if Job or Naomi would have, given their ordeal. It is difficult to find the comfort and assurance in those words when you are in the throes of pain. However, their penetrable word might have been, “For we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8: 28).

What we learn from Job and Naomi’s ordeal is that all the pain and suffering were erased with gratitude and joy.

Much like pregnancy, one’s journey can be smooth or complicated with various health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, toxemia, incompetent cervix, bed rest, miscarriage and even still birth. Imagine the emptiness and devastation of carrying a child to term and losing it. And like childbirth, the labor is naturally excruciating with contractions and the painstaking task of pushing the baby through the birth canal, but how might we receive our awaited gift and blessing without that labor? Do we wish that we could skip all those complications and have a bouncing baby in our arms? Of course! But that is not the way the Lord has designed it and we will not know how our path is designed, but we can believe that all those things somehow will work together in the end for our betterment, grounding us further in faith, depositing joy in our hearts and putting a permanent smile on our faces. The very women Naomi told to call her Mara, in the fulfilment of time confessed to her that, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel” (Ruth 4:14). May the name of our Lord Jesus, the Son of God, be famous and praised for all our breakthroughs and answered prayers.

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

Toothpaste Could Do So Many Things.

Check These 20 Amazing Tricks!

Removing Chewing Gum From Clothes With the Freezing Method

Praised on an international scale by parents and teenagers alike, the easiest and most commonly suggested method for removing chewing gum from clothes is freezing. This can be done from the comfort of your own home and, most importantly, is fabric friendly, leaving no trace of chewing gum upon completion. Here’s our 10-step freezing method to remove chewing gum from clothes:

Apparently, your toothpaste can serve numerous other purposes despite brushing our teeth, and we reveal 20 of them.

The following handy tricks will change the way you look at your toothpaste:

Clean your carpet You can clean the carpet by applying toothpaste on it using a sponge.

Dye stains on towels Your toothpaste will help you eliminate the dye stains on the towels, which are quite unattractive.

Silver polish Silver-cleaning products are expensive, so you can replace them with your toothpaste. Rub a bit on the silver to get it shining and bright like new!

Remove car scratches Put some toothpaste on a soft cloth and rub it onto the scratches of your car, and wipe with a clean cloth afterward.

Clean your thermos Your thermos can often smell bad, so you should fill it with hot water and squeeze some toothpaste, shake, and it will be quickly disinfected and clean.

Hang posters You can also use it as glue, by applying a bit on the poster’s corners. Moreover, it is removed easily, so you won’t damage the walls.

Clean your iron Use toothpaste to clean the iron and it will shine like new!Whiten keys on old piano Apply a bit of your toothpaste on the yellow piano keys and they will look whiter than ever.

Dirty hands It is perhaps the best hand wash you have ever tried!

Clean your snickers Toothpastes are extremely helpful for cleaning the dirty and plastic parts on the snickers. Just rub it using a sponge or an old

toothbrush and wait for the effects.

Footwear You can clean your footwear with your toothpaste, and they will always smell fresh!

Stains on tables Use it to remove the stains of cups and glasses on your tables.

Pimples Apply it on pimples to treat them almost instantly.

Ink stains on shirts Apply a bit of toothpaste on the ink stains on your shirt, and leave it to act for 24 hours. Then, just wash it off.

Clean your smartphone Toothpastes also work well when cleaning your phone.

Enamel stains Cleaning these stains with toothpaste will polish the cleaning marks, and leave a pleasant smell.

Car headlights Apply some toothpaste on a sponge and rub the car headlights to clean the accumulated dirt.

Fix CD and DVD Rub some toothpaste onto any scratches on your CDs and they will no longer skip.

Take the clothing item and place in a freezer bag, making sure that the chewing gum doesn’t stick to the bag. This method can be applied to all fabrics.

Seal the bag correctly.

Place the garment in your freezer.

Leave the bag in the freezer for a minimum of two hours.

Remove the bag from the freezer.

Take your garment from the freezer bag and place it on a sturdy surface.

Peel the chewing gum off the clothing as soon as possible to prevent the chewing gum from warming up and reattaching to the fabric.

If you are unable to remove the chewing gum with your fingernails, apply a blunt knife or another blunt object as this will remove chewing gum from your clothes without damaging the fabric – as always, be careful when using potentially dangerous items and angle knives away from you.

The chewing gum should peel off smoothly and without any force.

If traces remain, hand wash the item or place in the washing machine for a final rinse.

How To Remove Chewing Gum From Clothes Without Freezing Them

Freezing is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to removing chewing gum from clothes. There are many other options that can help you get rid of chewing gum without causing any damage to the material. Below are four suggested techniques and products that can be used. Make sure that all garments are washed after applying the following techniques, and that all products are tested on a small piece of fabric first.

Lemon juice. Lemon juice works wonders when trying to remove chewing gum from clothes, is extremely cheap, and causes no damage to fabric. All you have to do is soak the garment in lemon Aviator goggles juice and scrape the gum off with a blunt edge. It is recommended, Apply a thin layer on the goggles to prevent fogging and however, that you wash the garment as soon as possible after clean them well. applying lemon juice.

Hairspray. Removing chewing gum from clothes is simple with These 20 uses are a small part of all the capacity of this cheap method. Apply the hair spray directly onto the chewing toothpastes. Therefore, buy several toothpaste tubes, and gum and it will harden. Then just scrape the chewing gum off. you will have a natural, toxin-free product for various Vinegar. Soak the garment in hot vinegar, then brush or scrape the household uses! gum off gently with a blunt tool to avoid damaging the fabric.

Source: www.myhealthylifevision.ne Mayonnaise. Pour this household condiment onto the chewing gum and work in slowly. The gum should then peel off smoothly.

It's a good idea to wash your clothes a detergent like Persil after treating them with these techniques. You'll be left with fresh clothes and a smile on your face in no time!

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Africa Leads in Creating Resilient Women Entrepreneurs

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better future for their children.

An interesting outcome of the Index is that cultural perceptions of women entrepreneurs in Africa are predominantly positive – at 68.8 percent in Uganda, this is well above the average of 41.3 percent.

“We cannot underestimate the contribution women entrepreneurs make in Africa, more must be done to support them to ensure they are able to sustain and grow their businesses. These resilient business owners are a vital part of a thriving ecosystem, and Africa is showing the rest of the world that they are serious about supporting women in business as it develops a more financial inclusive continent,” concludes Monehin.

Methodology

Index shows Uganda has the highest percentage of women business owners of 54 countries surveyed

Africa – 7 March 2017 – Following the release of the Mastercard Index of Women’s Entrepreneurship (MIWE) today, it was revealed that 34.8 percent of businesses in Uganda are owned by women, making it one of the top performing African countries highlighted in the index.

The MIWE is a weighted index that helps to better understand and identify factors and conditions that are most conducive to closing the gender gap among business owners in any given economy. The three factors include Women’s Advancement Outcomes, Access to Knowledge and Financial Services, and Supporting Entrepreneurial Factors. For the 2016 Index, Mastercard examined 54 different economies around the globe, including Botswana, Ethiopia, South Africa and Uganda.

Uganda scored particularly well in terms of advancement outcomes: the women entrepreneurial activity rate was 100 percent, with its labour force participation rate at 93.9 percent, making the country top in these areas worldwide. Uganda also excelled in sharing knowledge assets with women and providing financial access, with 90.5 percent borrowing or saving to open a business – higher than the 52.4 percent average of other low to lower middle income countries – and a 95.8 percent gross women tertiary education enrolment rate.

When compared to other African markets surveyed Botswana leads the charge with the highest rate of women’s advancement outcomes, at 62.6 percent, and was also rated highest (66.6 percent) for providing supportive entrepreneurial conditions. South Africa earned the top spot for women’s access to financial instruments and knowledge assets in Africa, with 86.7 percent of the populace’s women entrepreneurs having access to knowledge assets and capital.

The Index results revealed that female entrepreneurs in developing countries are driven by resilience, determination and the desire to provide for their families. The findings reinforce that women entrepreneurs are the backbone of economic growth and powerful engines of development and financial inclusion, especially in Africa. Women in these emerging markets tend to tap into local

business opportunities that do not rely on knowledge or innovation alone – effectively allowing them to avoid financial, regulatory or technical constraints.

“The result of this survey collaborates an economic reality in Africa that women continue to overcome formidable challenges to remain a cornerstone of trade and productivity on the continent,” says Daniel Monehin, Division President for Sub-Saharan Africa and head of Financial Inclusion for International Markets at Mastercard.

“To further boost entrepreneurship among women in Africa, Mastercard has collaborated with a number of partners in the public and private sectors in our markets across Africa to drive greater levels of female entrepreneurship and inclusion in the economy. These include Mercy Corps, Youth for Technology Foundation, UN Women and Junior Achievement South Africa.”

According to the Index, some of the main challenges that currently prevent women from venturing into business include lack of financial funding or venture capital, regulatory restrictions and institutional inefficiencies, lack of selfbelief and entrepreneurial drive, fear of failure, socio-cultural restrictions, and lack of training and education.

These constraints are acting as barriers preventing women from starting businesses in the majority of the 54 countries surveyed. For instance, the survey found that even in Australia – ranked seventh overall – the rate of women borrowing or saving to start their own business was only 35.5 percent, below the average of 38.5 percent of other high income economies. In France, another high income economy, that rate was 36 percent while in Ireland it was 30.3 percent.

Although New Zealand topped the Index and was followed by predominantly developed markets based on their robust small and mid-sized business communities, high quality of governance and ease of doing business. Women entrepreneurs in Africa and other developing markets have proven to be equally vibrant, resourceful and innovative in finding opportunities to improve their own lives as well as create a

The Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs tracks female entrepreneurs’ ability to capitalise on opportunities granted through various supporting conditions within their local environments and is the weighted sum of three components: 1) Women’s Advancement Outcomes (degree of bias against women as workforce participants, political and business leaders, as well as the financial strength and entrepreneurial inclination of women), 2) Knowledge Assets and Financial Assets (degree of access women have to basic financial services, advanced knowledge assets, and support for small and medium enterprises), and 3) Supporting Entrepreneurial Conditions (overall perceptions on the ease on conducting business locally, quality of local governance, women’s perception of safety levels and cultural perception of women’s household financial influence).

The index uses 12 indicators and 25 sub-indicators to look at how 54 economies across Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, North America, Latin America and Europe, representing 78.6 percent of the world’s female labor force, differ in terms of the level of Women’s Advancement Outcomes, Knowledge Assets & Financial Access, and Supporting Entrepreneurial Factors.

For more information on Africa’s performance in the 2016 WEI, please refer to infographic.

About Mastercard

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.Mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardAP and @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.

Source: http://www.mastercard.africa.com

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Former Zambian First Lady Laid to Rest

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Nigerian Engineer Handed Written Test At New York Airport

Lusaka — Widow of Zambia's second president Frederick Chiluba, Regina Chifunda Chiluba, has died. Family sources have confirmed that Mrs Chiluba died at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) a. Government evacuated Mrs Chiluba to Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad in India, in November last year, reportedly battling cancer.

Regina Chifunda Chiluba, the widow of second Republican president Frederick J.T Chiluba, has been laid to rest in Lusaka.

Regina, 55, was put to rest at Lusaka's Memorial Park on Saturday March 4, 2017.

Zambians from different spheres attended the burial of the late Mrs Chiluba.

Mrs Chiluba succumbed after a battle with cancer. She is survived by three children.

Former spokesperson for Dr Chiluba, a close ally of the widow, paid tribute to the deceased.

In 2002, the Ndola High Court dissolved her marriage to Edward Mwanza.

She later officially married the late president Chiluba.

At this stage president Chiluba had divorced his wife of many years, Vera Tembo.

The deceased First Lady spent most of her life with Mr Chiluba in courts of law as the latter and herself were dragged into court on allegations of corruption by the Mwanawasa government.

In 2009, she was jailed by a Lusaka magistrate for allegedly receiving government property but was later acquitted by the Lusaka High Court.

A software engineer from Lagos, Nigeria, is claiming that he was made to sit a written test by US airport immigration officers because they weren't convinced he was telling the truth about his skills.

According to social networking site LinkedIn, Celestine Omin, 28, landed in New York's JFK airport last Sunday after a 24-hour flight from Nigeria.

Mr Omin is employed by Andela, a tech start-up with offices in New York, Lagos, Nairobi and San Francisco.

The firm says it recruits "the most talented developers on the African continent" and connects them with tech employers in the US for potential job vacancies. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg visited Andela's office in Lagos last year.

Mr Omin had reportedly been granted a short-term visa to work with First Access, a financial technology company in New York's Manhattan district.

After being asked a series of questions by a US Customs and Border Protection officer, he was taken into a room for further checks.

"Your visa says you are a software engineer. Is that correct?" an officer is reported to have asked Mr Omin.

He says he was then given a piece of paper and a pen and told to answer these two questions to prove he is actually a software engineer: "Write a function to check if a Binary Search Tree is balanced."

"What is an abstract class, and why do you need it?"

Former president Chiluba died in 2010 from a heart condition he had suffered since 2006.

Mrs Chiluba is survived by her children Bwalya, Malama and Mando.

Source:http://bbcnews.com

By Peter Adamu Source:africannews.com

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MD Mom, Held Months In A Notorious West African Prison, Finally Hugs Her Kids

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They learned to do all the cooking and cleaning and laundry that mom always did.

“She did so much for us,” Aminata said.

Their dad, Ebrima Jawara, is a mechanic at Ourisman Honda.

He split his time between work, his daughters’ activities and trying to get his wife home.

The family learned what a force their mother was in their lives.

The hole she left was huge. Aminata drove her little sister to all her activities. Dad’s cooking improved.

“A little better,” Sarah said.

“But that chicken!” he protested.

Ultimately, it was the stunning election of a political outsider, a businessman, that freed Jawara.

After missing her daughter’s prom, awards ceremonies, senior night with the basketball team, the cheerleading competition, countless times the girls needed advice and 318 family dinners, mom finally came home.

Fanta Darboe Jawara, 46, suburban Maryland mother of two, walked out of one of Africa’s most notorious prisons and into the arms of her family at Dulles Airport Thursday night, after nearly a year of hell.

“Every day, you wake up there with fear,” Jawara said. “The mental torture. The physical abuse. One twin bed for two people. One mosquito net for four people. No sanitation. If it was three more months, this would be a different story. I don’t think I would’ve survived.”

But on Friday morning in Frederick, she slept until 10 a.m., woke up in a king bed to hot coffee, a hot shower and her husband and daughters.

“I won’t take anything for granted,” she said, preparing for a weekend of family visits and reunions.

Jawara is a nurse. A volunteer at school who never missed a cheerleading competition or a Muffins and Moms gathering.

Then she took part in a time-honored tradition for American immigrants — she went back home to visit the family she left behind — and lived every immigrant’s nightmare. She was arrested by the oppressive government she left behind, beaten and taken to one of Africa’s most notorious prisons.

This was last April, at the end of her three-week trip to the tiny West African country of Gambia to attend a family reunion. It was her first time back in 11 years.

She’d gone to a bank in the capital of Banjul two days before her departure when a street protest rolled by, and she was caught in a police sweep of all the demonstrators.

She denied being part of the protests, she asked to be released, she tried to get in touch with her daughters. But nothing.

She was sentenced to three years in Mile 2 prison.

His name is Adama Barrow. And his defeat of Jammeh on Dec. 1 was the radical change that led to her return to the United States this week.

“A dungeon,” her uncle, Momodou Darboe said, as he hugged her tight at the airport.

The night their mom was arrested, Aminata Jawara, 18, was at a cast party for her high school’s production of “Pajama Party.” Her sister, Sarah, 13, called to tell her. “She’s not coming home,” she said. Big sister held her crying little sister all night.

They remembered their own trip to Gambia. The checkpoints, the hushed talk. “We had to be careful about what we said to anyone,” Sarah said.

And then, the worst came true.

Since 1994, the small country had been under the rule of President Yahya Jammeh, a man criticized internationally for human rights abuses, especially for his stance on homosexuality.

“We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively,” he said in 2014. He also claimed to have come up with an HIV/AIDS cure made of herbs and bananas.

The United States officially condemned his statements.

Jawara is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Although her family has connections to Gambia’s opposition party, Jawara maintains that she was simply a bystander before she was beaten and locked up.

U.S. State Department officials met with her, attended all her hearings and former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson launched his humanitarian organization, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, into action to try and get Jawara home.

None of it worked.

The daughters organized protests and rallies. They made “Free Fanta Jawara” T-shirts and posters. In Gambia, they knew they would be locked up for doing this.

The new administration released all of the locked-up demonstrators. After another month of negotiations and paperwork, Jawara was headed home.

The girls were anxious Thursday night. They had cleaned the house top to bottom. (On Friday morning, mom did an inspection. She approved.) There were red-white-and-blue balloons, roses, cousins and nephews. They paced after she landed. The lawyers stationed at Dulles to help immigrants came over to introduce themselves, in case there was trouble. The plane landed. No mom.

It was her return, Jawara said, that made her feel most like an American. She was home. And she was free. https://www.washingtonpost.com

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Pete Edochie At 70 Nigeria: New Immigration Policy - Govt Celebrating Nigeria's Movie Issues Travel Advisory to U.S.-Bound Icon Nigerians who have no compelling or urgent reason to travel to the US to postpone their travel plans until the new administration's policy on immigration was clear.

Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement by her Special Assisatant on Media, Mr. Abdurrahman Balogun, said the warning became imperative due to series of reports received by her office.

By Jayne Augoye In honour of the 70th birthday anniversary of the Nigerian film icon, Pete Edochie, we take a look at his landmark achievements, recognitions and why he is regarded as one of Africa's greatest actors.

An actor's actor, Pete Edochie shot into prominence in 1987 when he played the lead role of Okonkwo in an NTA adaptation of Chinua Achebe's bestselling novel, Things Fall Apart. He has since featured in over 200 Nollywood movies and has won many national and international awards.

EARLY LIFE

Edochie was born on March 7,1947 in Enugu State. His father worked in the Nigerian Railways. His parents soon moved to Kaduna where he spent a greater part of his childhood and teenage years.

He had his primary education at Saint Patrick's and Saint James Primary School, Zaria in Kaduna State and later proceeded to Saint John's Secondary School, Kaduna in 1960. He left the school in 1964 to join his father in the Railways.

She said: "In the last few weeks, the office has received a few cases of Nigerians with valid multiple-entry US visas being denied entry and sent back to Nigeria.

By Victoria Ojeme Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has advised Nigerians

"In such cases reported to the office, such affected persons were sent back immediately on the next available flight and their visas were cancelled. No reasons were given for the decision by the US immigration authorities."

Moroccan King Calls Buhari, Seeks to Join Ecowas

He fled the northern Nigerian region in 1966 shortly before the civil war broke out in 1967.

As a young man, three professions fascinated him: journalism, broadcasting and acting. He would later reveal that he has managed to practice all three.

BROADCASTING CAREER At 20, he began his career in radio broadcasting at the Eastern Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. He joined the organisation same day as his wife, Josephine Edochie nee (Obiekwe), now a lawyer.

By 1980, he was formally trained at the British Broadcasting Corporation as a broadcaster, and then started off as a junior programmes assistant.

In 1987 he became the pioneer director of Anambra Broadcasting Service 3 FM Stereo. He retired as a broadcaster in 1988.

He quit the ABS because the government decided to politicise the affairs of the FM station. This resulted in the entire management being asked to move out, including him.

AWARDS / RECOGNITIONS

In 2014, he was honoured with the AMAA Industry Merit Award for his contribution towards the growth of the film sector in Africa. He was presented with a brand new Hyundai SUV car, which was received, on his behalf by his son, Yul. Some of his notable films include, Rituals, 'Oracle,' 'Igodo,' and 'Evil Men'. A member of the Order of Niger, he became a pioneer inductee into the moviemakers' Hall of Fame in 2000.

He also bagged the City People Entertainment Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

Source:http://allafrica.com

By Tobi Soniyi

Adesina said: "King Mohammed VI thanked President Buhari for Nigeria's support in returning Morocco to Abuja — King Mohammed VI of Morocco on the African Union and notified him of Morocco's Wednesday had a telephone conversation with request to join the Economic Community of West President Muhammadu Buhari in London, where the African States (ECOWAS).

Nigerian president is on vacation.

The Moroccan King also expressed his intention to The Special Adviser to the President on Media and make the Rabat-Abuja strategic partnership a framePublicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the call was initi- work for regular consultation and cooperation on ated by the Moroccan monarch.

African issues of mutual interest to both countries.

Adesina said the King asked after the president's health and expressed satisfaction at his level of improvement.

He said the two leaders also discussed the current stage of the Morocco-Nigeria Atlantic crude oil pipeline project.

Buhari, who thanked King Mohammed VI for the phone call, said that he looked forward to deepening relations between both countries.

Queen Elizabeth Honours Ghana’s Zimbabwe: Mugabe Turns 93, Vows to Rule On Despite Health Fears Cecilia Anim

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As part of her 2017 New Year Honours list, the Queen of England has honoured Ghanaianborn UK-based nurse Cecilia Anim with the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Cecilia Anim is currently based in Marylebone and is the President of the Royal College of Nurses. She works as a clinical nurse specialist in sexual and reproductive health at the Margaret Pyke Centre in London, and specialises in family planning and other aspects of women’s health.

She told Accra-based Citi FM in an interview: “I feel greatly honoured and humbled, and I feel that this honour that I received was for all nurses everywhere giving care to patients and making a difference in people’s lives.

“It is an honour for everybody because I couldn’t have gotten there on my own. I had the support of my family, especially my husband, my children, my friends, my colleagues at work, who in their own ways contributed. Above all, to God be the glory.”

She further advised nurses to do the best they can and “make sure the patient is safe in the care you are delivering and also respected”.

She began her education at the St Ann’s Girls’ School before heading for Midwifery training at the Komfo Anokye Hospital, Kumasi, where she worked before moving to the UK and qualified as a nurse in 1977.

Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com/91.3FM

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe turned 93 on Tuesday amid growing concerns over his frailty and failing health.

The ruling ZANU-PF party is to spend about $2.5 million on the birthday celebration, local media reports said.

Opposition parties condemned the events as a waste of money while "93 percent of Zimbabweans are wallowing in poverty caused by his incompetence and misrule", NewZimbabwe.com reported.

Celebrations for the world's oldest national ruler, who has vowed to remain in power, will be held on Saturday at Matobo National Park outside Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second-largest city.

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Several incidents in recent years have highlighted his advanced age - including a fall in February 2015 at Harare airport.

In September of the same year, he read a speech to parliament apparently unaware that he had delivered exactly the same address a month earlier.

Despite growing calls to step aside, his party has endorsed him as its candidate for general elections next year, and he remains widely respected as a liberation hero by other African leaders.

On Friday, his 51-year-old wife Grace claimed that Mugabe would be the voters' choice even after he dies.

Thousands of officials and supporters of Mugabe's She has promised to use a wheelchair to transport him to election rallies if needed.

ZANU-PF party are expected to attend.

Large game animals are often slaughtered for the occasion.

In previous years, Mugabe has reportedly been offered elephants, buffalo and impala for the feast.

'Call to resign must come from party'

Mugabe has ruled out retiring soon, saying that ZANU-PF officials believe there is no "acceptable" alternative.

"The call to step down must come from my party ... In such circumstances, I will step down," the state-owned Sunday Mail newspaper quoted Mugabe as saying in an interview aired late Monday.

"They want me to stand for elections ... If I feel that I can't do it any more, I will say so to my party so that they relieve me. But for now, I think I can't say so," he said. "The majority of the people feel that there is no replacement, a successor who to them is acceptable.

Mugabe came to power when Zimbabwe won independence in 1980 and his rule has been criticised for repression of dissent, election rigging, and for causing the country's economic collapse.

Mugabe has avoided naming a successor, and his party is divided between factions hoping to succeed him.

Grace was appointed head of the ruling party's women's wing in a surprise move that could make her a possible successor.

Another leading candidate is Mugabe's vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Last year, security forces brutally quelled a series of street protests in Harare, a rare public expression of opposition to Mugabe's regime.

According to Bloomberg News, Zimbabwe's economic output has halved since 2000 when many white-owned farms were seized by ZANU-PF supporters, leaving the key agricultural sector in ruins.

Source: Aljazeera

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March 2017

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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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Afrikan

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Ghana Advocacy Group Launched t

March 2017 Page

On February 18, 2017, Kwame Boakye Danquah (Toziah KBD) and friends launched the Ghana Advocacy Group Gag, in Virginia, USA. GAG is a think tank with the objective of conducting research and advocacy on issues in Ghana relating to socio-economic, socio-political policy, health, technology, and cultural understanding.

Its essence is to give a voice to collaborate and help build Ghana by joining forces with Ghanaian expertise from all over the globe. Find out more about their initiatives at GhanaAdvocacy.org

Kwame Boakye Danquah

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Afrikan

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There are things, events etc. that goes on around us, around the globe, and sometimes they occur by the speed of the snap of our fingers. Sometimes these events seem so distant, close to admittedly being an illusion. Until strangely, by whatever means, we start ‘living them.’ Until they come close home, until we start experiencing them. My point, we have to be cautious with our presumptions.

Folks, imagine the life of this individual who society defines as a Prostitute, one whose life is all broken to pieces, one who has lost all interest, her sense of dignity deeply buried down the dark crevices of her being. Break it down, and some or perhaps most of these women have no clue they fall under such an ugly definition, such an unpleasant description. Of course, by their God given instincts, all they are about, the reason they are bent over, being crushed ruthlessly is that they are fending for their families, scrapping for a morsel of bread. Some even to survive. And here folks, I am not even in the slightest degree justifying anything, defending any vice, I am just making a sincere observation.

And so, that said, just for a moment, let’s skip the fact that both players here; the victim and the devourer are both breathing oxygen from the same Source. And just reflect on another scenario; think of a jobless man with a good heart who lacks the privilege of a good education, a situation thrust upon him through a confounding calamity. Expand this, hello, and your guess is as good as mine. Miners die in holes dug in the bowels of the earth, but up above the same ground, their sweat and fear is what we cherish at the Hall of Fame, where the assemblage is a completely different category of humanity, almost Angelic to behold. Of course man must enjoy his sweat. No one is denying this fact. It’s just that some bubbles of sweat are ‘red’ in color, red in pigmentation, borne out of souls crushed, wary and overwhelmed. Ironically, and without a single clue or insight, those beneath the Earth’s crust, in the darkest regions under our feet, largely either consciously or by some strange ‘disease’ are scorned by the sanctimonious above, are declared scum, filth foaming with disgust at the mouth, crooked fingernails brimming with dirt, whilst under the glamor and glimmer of giant chandeliers, brilliant spot lights, the glassy plaques and platitudes are chorused beauti-

March 2017

My Perspective!

fully and awarded into well-manicured phalanges. If only we can spare a thought, not a mere drop of thought, but a well-meaning one. Wouldn’t that be something!

But my beloved friends, here is my enigma, and here, I am scratching my scalp, my forehead burrowed in deep thought “…your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” This is beautiful, great counsel indeed. But let’s do this, shall we? Let’s juxtapose this quote by Steve Jobs alongside the above illustration, the first painting. Where do we draw the line? Are we justified in our condemnation and judgments of others? How do we see the picture of the woman who is going the ‘extra mile’ out of extreme need for survival as against the backdrop of the fine measurements set by society?

And how do we walk this fine line? Let’s drop into this conversation the saintly word called decency or even dignity. Or perhaps self-respect. Where do we draw the line between what could in all consideration be a means of survival, against what is clearly an abominable act of immorality? Does the end justifies the means? What if by having the courage to follow your heart and intuition, by having the nerve to make life or death choices, having the muscle to embark on whatever it takes, you end up being precast in a tasteless brand, incurring the wrath of the ‘good people’ of the society.

Check this out. As humans, our cognitive process of reaching a decision or drawing conclusions, or our mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations, or the capacity to assess situations or circumstances shrewdly, and to draw sound conclusions is a never ending process. It goes on and on and on. It never stops as long as we have breath and sanity. It is a program imbedded in our genes. Which means that, some judgements in so many ways could be spontaneous, without a shred of thought or the benefit of second thought. But people, in today’s fast paced life, a routine spurned on by extraordinary advancements in technology, and brain-like computers, to make time to pause and reflect, in other to alter or modify our presumptions is almost close to impossible. Almost close to zero if not minus. Even our Christian lives, living a life of uprightness and holiness is in itself such a herculean cause that but for the grace of God, we all would fall and tumble by the way side. So folks, can we make God the soul Judge, please. It seems it is the wisest thing to do. The most prudent. In so doing, we may cut ourselves some slack so that we may have the room and time to right our whims and caprices.

The words of this legend goes like this, guess who?

“Life is a long road with lots of signs. So when you are riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality…” may we stay true to ourselves, and always strive to be open minded, willing to learn, working hard at compassion so we can see the divine truth which is that we are all connected through interdependency. One thing salient is that, we should never give up on our dreams, even when nobody else believes they can come true. This is

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not a cliché, I believe, but a real tool we all need no matter what we do in life so we may stay focused on our path, of course the good lord being our guide.

The girl you called fat, she’s starving herself to death, emotionally, spiritually. She’s got Christ alright but the answer to her prayers fades into the horizon with each passing day, fades into each beautiful twilight. It is taking forever. The lady you called a slut, a good for nothing human being; she is a virgin. She is outgoing, presenting a charming yet a seemingly envious disposition, but the invincible wounds of her father’s abuse of her mother is an unseen wall between her marital desires on one side, and consenting to prospective suitors on the other. It is a daily battle, at the subconscious level, and fighting to overcome the panic is hell. The gentleman you made fun of for crying, calling him a cry baby; his mother is dying of terminal illness. He is economically blessed, but where he isn’t, is pain and grief all intertwined. He’s got faith alright, but the mere skeletal image of his beloved mother on the Hospice bed together with others, is shocking, so numbing that the rivulets of tears never ceases from his eyes. The boy you called poor, he has to work every night to support his family. An orphan, who was adopted, his world is crumbling around him because of extreme famine in the land. The young woman you ignored the other day, he’s already being abused at home, by his stepfather, after his biological father run off with another woman.

In a world that is transient in nature, a world where with the snap of two fingers, everything could dissipate into nothingness, into oblivion, isn’t it judicious and prudent to show affection for one another instead of being judges without robes, judges without courtrooms and gavels? The earth is so big, so huge, so magnanimous, and yet our hearts finds it so hard to contain one another other, to empathize. It’s a puzzle to me that our hearts which is so soft and delicate can in a metaphysical way be so hardened, churning out self-centeredness, ego and sometimes blatant arrogance. Deliberately ignoring the plight of the less privileged, the unfortunate, is like throwing a drink in the face of humanity. Morally, it’s reprehensible, and visually, it is not cool, to say the least.

That’s how I see it.

Brethren, this is my piece, this is my perspective.

What’s yours, may I dare ask, respectfully?

Thanks much, and see you next time.

About the Author

William deGraftColeman is a Journalist, a Social Commentator, and founder of Gold Mind Enterprises LLC., in the State of Florida. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Colorado State University. And Bachelor’s degree from the Ghana Institute of Journalism. He is the author of Reflections from Beyond,

March 2017

Importing African Innovation To Silicon Valley: 5 DEMO Africa Startups Compete On Their Own Terms

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entrepreneurs to build global companies.

Successful DEMO Africa alumni include Soko, Flowgear, Spacepointe, Zuvaa, Weza Tele, and Chura.

Soko is a jewelry e-commerce platform that empowers artisans in East Africa. It works with the United Nations and Hollywood celebrities.

Weza Tele, a Kenya-based fintech startup, was bought in 2015 by financial services giant AFB for $1.7 million, according to Disrupt Africa. At the time it was the largest acquisition in Kenya’s history of startup acquisitions.

Spacepointe, a point of sale e-commerce system that allows African SMEs to get online, raised about $1.5 million in the last year, Ozoigbo told Black Enterprise:

Five winning startups from DEMO Africa 2016 are in California this week to compete with tech startups from Silicon Valley and around the world, and hopefully attract venture capital through a series of curated events and activities.

The five winning startups were chosen from 600 applicants on the continent. They’ll compete as part of the 2017 edition of the Lions@frica Innovation Tour.

Organized by the Silicon Valley-based African Technology Foundation, the fifth Lions@frica Innovation Tour is about sharing knowledge with leading Silicon Valley stakeholders, according to a prepared statement. It provides networking opportunities for African startups and their target partners in Silicon Valley.

Lions@frica is a public-private partnership launched by the U.S. Department of State to tap the startup and innovation ecosystems of targeted fast-growing African economies.

DEMO Africa is one of the flagship initiatives of Lions@frica and aims to connect African startups to the global ecosystem.

The five winning 2016 African tech startups are:

ConnectMed, Kenya This online medical practice allows patients to seek treatment for common ailments via video using a web and mobile application. The key executive is Melissa McCoy. MediaBox, South Africa MediaBox is a video-on-demand content aggregation platform that gives viewers an easy way to watch international and local content, both on demand and live over the internet. Key executives are James Muir and Roeland Van Nieuwkerk.

Solstice, Nigeria Solstice Home Energy Solutions offers a simple multi-energy source management and energy control system for homes and buildings using data from integrated hardware/software system to provide clean, reliable and affordable energy solutions. Key executives are Ugwem Eneyo and Cole Stites-Clayton Strauss Energy, Kenya Strauss Energy is a solar energy and manufacturing compa-

ny that produces solar roofing tiles. The company says they’re a cost-efficient alternative to modern solar roof panels. It distributes and sells energy at a reduced price.

Key executives are Tony Nyagah and Charity Wanjiku.

Sortd, South Africa Sortd is a gmail smartskin that expands the functionality of an email inbox by providing users with the option of organizing emails as a flexible set of lists or tasks. Key executive is Rodney Kuhn.

Over the last five years, DEMO Africa alumni have raised $16 million in funding and continue to advance the cause for African-led innovation on a global scale.

Since the inaugural Silicon Valley tour in 2013, 25 African startups have benefited from this transcontinental program that seeks to bridge knowledge gaps, and enable African technology startups to showcase their innovation on a global scale.

“These five startups have been prepared for the tour through a series of learning activities over a two-monthlong virtual bootcamp,” said Aliesha Balde, communications manager for the Lions@frica program. “We want them to engage the Silicon Valley ecosystem on their own terms, but armed with the right tools and equipped with the necessary resources.”

“We are eager to ensure that these five companies successfully assume an ambassadorial role for African innovation,” said Stephen Ozoigbo, managing partner of the Lions@frica Program. “They are re-inventing Africa’s future, and we are supporting their strategic actions to increase their likelihood of success.”

Ozoigbo is CEO of the African Technology Foundation, which is set up as an advisory practice, not a fund.

An ex-investment banker, Ozoigbo worked with Smith Barney, Citi Group, and Morgan Stanley before advising governments internationally on investments, innovation and internationalization.

This work led him to projects involving the White House and U.S. State Department, Ozoigbo said in a Black Enterprise interview. The State Department launched DEMO Africa in 2013 with a focus on getting African

“A lot of these folks are self-taught and do not have the formal training in certain aspects of venture creation and digital entrepreneurship,” Ozoigbo said. “They have built companies on binary codes and learned new skills through the mobile internet.

“If a Silicon Valley technology event is live streamed across the world, there are African entrepreneurs huddled somewhere, watching it and consuming every panel, consuming every fireside chat, taking notes, and then applying those notes to their local context.

“We’re synthesizing the diaspora … When we bring these companies here, we take them around and allow people to know them and what they’re doing, to know the problems they’re solving, see how much they’re raising, then look for creative ways to raise funds for them—whether it’s equity or debt or crowdfunding. We usually like to have a hybrid of sorts.

Our operations also have a distinct gender lens through which we see entrepreneurship on the continent. We are big fans of Women In Tech, and we believe that female entrepreneurs are the backbone of a lot of things happening on the continent.”

Source:t: http://afkinsider.com/

Trivia

Two Things TWO THINGS*********

*Two things that destroy a man;* 1. Living a fake life 2. Lack of focus

*Two things that destroy a woman;* 1. Love for materialism 2. Imitation or comparison

*Two things that destroy friendship;* 1. Lies 2. Back biting or distrust

*"Two things that have no benefit;* 1. Love that doesn't end up in marriage 2. Marriage without love

*Two things that entrench love;* 1. Good habits 2. Honesty

*Two things that enhance charisma;* 1. Trustworthiness 2. Steadfastness in serving God

*Two things that bring about misery;* 1. Disrespect for elders 2. False accusation

*Two things that bring about happiness;* 1. Doing good deeds 2. Patience

*Two things that bring one close to God;* 1. Reading&Studying the Bible 2. Abiding by God instructions

*Two things that make devil to keep away from one;* 1. Be God fearing 2. Avoiding selfishness

*Two things that aid answers to prayers;* 1. Fasting 2. Thanks giving

*Two things that God loves;* 1. Giving 2. Winning souls

March 2017

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There is a Tree in Asia called Chinese Bamboo. Its SEED stays underground for 5 years without germinating but when it does, it grows 50 Feet in 1 week. What is IMPORTANT is not how long it DELAYS but how fast it GROWS. Don't give up on your DREAM no matter how long it stays underground. It's just laying a FOUNDATION to shoot. It's not Dead; Continue watering it. Remember DELAY is not DENIAL. Trust in God; He will RAISE your Banner!

A Girl Returns Home After 5 Yrs.FATHER: (Angry) Where the hell have you been all these years?!GIRL: I was working as a Prostitute in CaliforniaFATHER: What!!! Get out of my house you Whore! I don't want to see u or your face again do you understand?!GIRL: (Crying) Before I go dad, I came to give you $2.5million cheque, and here is 1 million for my brother. I have bought a big house in Los-angels for you with everything in it including a Benz & a Hummer.Bye dad.FATHER: What kind of work did you say you were doing?GIRL: (Crying out loud) A prostitute dad!FATHER: Come and give daddy a hug, I thought you said you were a 'PROSECUTOR'°.

CLASS TEACHER - I returned from work, opened my door and saw 50 million dollars on my bed.

Assuming you were in my shoes, what will you do?" asks the teacher..

STUDENT: I will bite your toes until you faint. I will then come out from your shoes and take all the money!.

TEACHER: Fool! You can't literally be inside my shoes. It's a figure of speech..

STUDENT: You can't literally open your door and see 50 million dollars on your BED! In this Economy? Who will keep it there. That's a figure of impossible speech.-

Meet Edith Masango, Zimbabwe’s First Zambian Pastor Ask Church Members To Kiss His Blind Actress Designer Shoes For Miracle And This Happened Next…

March 2017

Blind actress Edith Masango, 24, said one of the saddest things she has heard was people commending her for a job well done in a film in which she acted but may never be able to watch.

Masango starred in a short film The Colour of Blood as ‘Jane’ which was featured at the just ended Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF).

In an interview with Newzimbabwe, she said she drew comfort from hearing words and sound effects when the film is showing.

Masango defied all odds with the help of her siblings to master and learn script lines by head.

“They (scripts) were not written in Braille; so I had to make my brothers read the lines for me and I had to memorise all off them,” she said.

The story of her life is also stuff for movies.

Edith was not born blind but lost her sight at the age of 20 when she gave birth to her first born child; she was diagnosed with retinis pigmentosa.

“My ex-husband left me and said he can’t live with a blind woman; he has never seen the face of his four year old boy child and has never bothered to come back. The same with me; I don’t know how my child looks likes,” she said.

“For me, that was the end of the world but my mummy took me to her rural home where I got counselling from my grandmother who is also blind; the condition is hereditary.”

ALSO READ 10 Life Changing Lessons To Learn From Lao Tzu Edith said from there she was sent to a rehabilitation centre in Harare where she met her classmates who had far worse conditions than hers.

“That was my turning point and I saw a brighter future ahead of me,” she said.

But how did she end up as an actor?

“I once told my friends, jokingly, when we met a private radio station that I would want to act in drama, theatre or film and I didn’t know that they took that seriously.

“One day, my mother read a text message for me saying I should come and teach someone how to act as a blind person, but instead the director Justice Chapwanya- Mukoena offered me the role and the rest is history,” said Edith.

Her message to other handicapped people?

“Defy the odds; you are just as good as anyone, but you have an extra gift to see beyond a sighted person and we should not be limited in any field.”

For Edith, the sky is the limit. She says she sees herself going far and wishes she could take part in acting roles that send a message about her community.

Lucky for her, she is now employed as a receptionist at Nigel Munyati’s ZIFF Trust offices as she is a trained secretary.

Source: http://howafrica.com/

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This photo currently making rounds on social media shows controversial Zambian pastor Prophet Andrew Egimadu who is popularly known as Seer 1 -allowing his congregates to kiss his designer shoes for a miracle.

The desperate church members bent down to kiss the feet of the Prophet Seer 1 to receive blessings in return.

This has sparked outrage among online users who find the act disgusting. www.howafrica.com

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The World’s Top 15 Richest Royals Updated For 2017!!

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Now 2nd

March 2 0 1 7

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Thailand’s deceased King Bhumibol Adulyadej tops the list with an estimated wealth of $30 billion, according to Forbes.

15) King Mswati III of Swaziland – $100 million

The Swaziland King is worth $100 million according to Forbes; down $100 million of his fortune. The last monarch of Africa took the throne at age 18; he has often been criticized for lavish spending; several of his 13 wives reportedly went on a $6 million shopping spree in summer 2009.

14) Beatrix former Queen of the Netherlands – $200 million Queen Beatrix relinquished the throne on 30th April 2013. The Queen and her children, once held a notable stake in Shell Oil;

13 ) Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Emir of Kuwait – $400 million

11) Qaboos bin Said al Said Sultan of Oman – $700 million Queen of United Kingdom comes Sultan Qaboos bin Said has a 12th on the list with a personal The Sheikh of Kuwait has a net fortune of $700 million. He net worth of £320m ($530m) as worth of $400 million. He has led successful diversifiof May 2014, according to used to be the Foreign Minister cation of economy with Sunday Times Rich List. Queen’s for 40 years, between 1963 and grand objective of reducing fortune are property holdings, 2003, which made him one of the oil sector’s hefty 40% extensive art and fine jewelry. the longest-serving foreign contribution to GDP to 9% Not included are those assets ministers in the world. Best by 2020. belonging to the Crown Estate. known as a strong advocate for The Queen also receives an annuwomen’s right in the Middle al government stipend of $12.9 East. million.

8) Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Former Emir of Qatar – $2.4 billion

7) Hans Adam II Prince of Liechtenstein – $3.5 billion 9) Albert II Prince of Monaco – The royal family of $1 billion Liechtenstein is the wealthiest The current Sheikh of royal dynasty in Europe, this due Qatar rose to the position Prince Albert II is the ruler of following a coup to dispose to ownership of a private bank, the Principality of Monaco and of his father in 1995. He extensive investment and land Head of the House of Grimaldi. was Minister of Defense holding. The Prince and his sibHe is the son of Prince Rainier between 1977 and 1995 lings own between them 100% III and Hollywood darling Grace and has been considered a of LGT Bank, worth over $2.5 Kelly, succeeding his father in progressive leader since his billion. In addition to this they April 2005, although he had have invested a joint $1.4 billion ascension in 1995. assisted in conducting Stare into the Princely Fund, created affairs since 1984. by the bank in 1998 and with a gross return of 486% since then.

3) King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia – $18 billion

Under his leadership Saudi Arabia managed to come through the global recession in a better position than at the start due to government spending and high

12 ) Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom – $530 million

oil production. This policy breakdown has led to an estimated 4% growth in an incredibly tough climate.

Although he passed away in 2015, his estate owns the world’s second largest crude oil deposit of over 265 billion barrels, accounting for a staggering 18% of global reserves. With Saudi Arabia possessing a $727 billion GDP, he had invested $130 billion into unemployment funds and housing projects to counteract the increasing unemployment number in his young country.

6) Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of United Arab Emirates – $4.5 billion

The Dubai ruler is best known for his interest in thoroughbred horse breeding and racing. Many commentators speculate that he is the biggest spender in the history of horseracing, with stables in the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Aside from his interest in horseracing, he has a passion for cars and boats.

2 ) Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei – $20 billion

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has been head of state since 1967. He led his country through the global recession; however with oil reserves expected to last only a further 25 years, his focus is now on diversifying the country’s economy to

10 ) Aga Khan IV- $800 million Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan is the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims. He also chairs the Aga Khan Development Network, which promotes investments in Asia and Africa.

He is a passionate horse breeder and owner, with over 800 thoroughbreds across Ireland and France.

4) Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of President of UAE – $15 billion Al-Nahyan is hereditary ruler Mohammed VI ascended to of U.A.E. capital Abu Dhabi. the throne following his He controls 97.8 billion barfather’s death in 1999 .Royal rels of oil reserve, as well as assets include a number of running the world’s secondnatural resources including largest sovereign wealth fund the country’s only phosphate with assets reported to be mine and a majority stake in $627 billion. His own estimatthe OCP group. The king has ed wealth is a rather modest also met his own ambitious $15 billion in comparison, goal of attracting an annual although he does spend the number of 10 million tourists. majority of his time on his 30acre Seychelles estate.

5 ) King Mohammed VI of Morocco – $5.7 billion

avoid disaster when reserves run out. He is also infamous for his car collection, with rumours he owns over 7,000 cars costing a grand total of $789 million.

According to Guinness World Records his collection has more than 600 Rolls-Royces, 450 Ferraris and 134 Koenigseggs, making it the largest brand collection in the world. In fact, during the 1990s his family accounted for almost half of Rolls-Royce’s global sales as his family looked to add to and diversify their collection.

The #1 Richest Royal is:

1 ) King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand – $30 billion King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away in 2016 after reigning for 64 years, making him the longest reigning monarch in history and the longest serving head of state in the world. He is credited with the social-economic theory of self-sufficiency,

something he developed throughout his long years of study.

He owned a fairly large stake in the publicly listed Siam Cement and Siam Commercial Bank, as well as Deves Insurance which was forced to go private due to the amount he invested. The king made generous contributions to different sectors of Thai society. He was considered to be the second richest head of state in the world.

Forbes List: Top 21 Richest People in Africa 2017 March

2017

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$7 billion more than Egypt’s six billionaires. The richest South African billionaire and the continent’s second richest person is diamond magnate Nicky Oppenheimer, who has maintained a low profile since selling his family’s stake in diamond giant De Beers to Anglo American for $5.1 billion in cash in 2012. Luxury goods tycoon Johann Rupert and retail magnate Christoffel Wiese are tied as South Africa’s second richest and Africa’s fourth richest billionaires, each with a $5.5 billion fortune.

Wiese’s fortune has dropped $1 billion since the November 2015 Africa list, while Rupert’s net worth is down $800 million.

Egypt’s richest billionaire is Nassef Sawiris, whose $5.3 billion fortune is up $400 million since November 2015.

Sawiris runs OCI, one of the world’s largest nitrogen fertilizers. The country’s next richest person is his brother Naguib Sawiris, who was Egypt’s biggest gainer on the list. His net worth increased $700 million to $3.7 billion. In December 2016, Naguib Sawiris announced that he would be stepping down as CEO of his telecom company, Orasom Telecom Media & Technology.

FORBES counts only two female billionaires in Africa: Angola’s Isabel dos Santos – Africa’s richest woman with a $3.2 billion fortune, and Nigeria’s Alakija. Dos Santos is the daughter of Angola’s president, who appointed her as head of Angola’s state oil firm Sonangol in June 2016. Alakija is the vice chair of Nigerian oil exploration company, Famfa Oil.

At 41, Tanzanian Mohammed Dewji is Africa’s youngest billionaire, well below the average age of 63.

He is CEO of conglomerate METL, which his father founded in the 1970s. Eighty-six-year-old Onsi Sawiris of Egypt is the continent’s oldest billionaire and the father of two other African billionaires – Nassef and Naguib Sawiris.

Thirteen out of Africa’s 21 billionaires have self-made fortunes, while the other eight inherited their fortunes.

The 21 billionaires hail from seven countries: South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco (which has three billionaires), Algeria (one billionaire), Angola (one billionaire) and Tanzania (one billionaire).

Our list tracks the wealth of African billionaires who reside on the continent, thus excluding Sudanese-born billionaire Mo Ibrahim, who is a UK citizen, and billionaire London resident Mohamed Al-Fayed, an Egyptian citizen. This year’s list includes only billionaires, rather than the 50 richest people in Africa. We calculated net worths using stock prices and currency exchange rates from the close of business on Thursday, January 5. To value privately-held businesses, we couple estimates of revenues or profits with prevailing price-to-sales or price-to-earnings ratios for similar public companies.

the second year in a row. Dangote is joined by just two other Nigerian billionaires on this year’s list – telecom tycoon Mike Adenuga, who is Africa’s third richest person with an estimated $5.8 billion fortune, and oil billionaire Folorunsho Alakija, who has an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion. Two Nigerians dropped off the Billionaires List this year – oil marketer Femi Otedola, whose net worth dropped from $1.6 billion in November 2015 to just $330 million today, and sugar billionaire Abdulsamad Rabiu, whose net worth dropped below $1 billion in the wake of a weakened Nigerian currency.

South Africa retains its dominance on the Africa List. While the counNigerian cement tycoon Aliko Dangote remains Africa’s richest person for the sixth year running with a $12.1 billion try is tied with Egypt for the largest number of individual billionaires, fortune, despite a nearly $5 billion drop in his net worth for South Africa’s six billionaires are worth a combined $22.7 billion – The number of billionaires in Africa – and the size of their fortunes – continues to drop. On this year’s list, FORBES is only including African billionaires living in Africa, instead of featuring Africa’s 50 richest people. There are 21 billionaires on this year’s list, worth a combined $70 billion. On the November 2015 Africa Rich List, there were 23 African billionaires worth a combined $79.8 billion. That in turn was down from 28 African billionaires in 2014.

We have purposely excluded dispersed family fortunes such as the Chandaria family of Kenya and the Madhvanis of Uganda, because the wealth is believed to be held by dozens of family members. We do include wealth belonging to a member’s immediate relatives if the wealth can be traced to one living individual; in that case, you’ll see “& family” on our list as an indication.

Source: http://howafrica.com

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Your Taxes, Your Money, Your Home Buying

Dear readers,

It’s an exciting time of year during this season. Yes, it is tax season time. To many, this season is an opportunity to reap some financial benefits and possibly receive a lump sum of money from the IRS a.k.a Uncle Sam. I would like to take this opportunity to address a few things to keep in consideration, if you are planning to purchase a home in the next year or two.

Many of the financial institutions/lenders would ask for your tax records within the last two years in order to consider a loan approval. Why are they asking for your tax records?

Because your tax records gives the lender an overall picture of your financial condition and ability to afford or pay the home mortgage loan. The banks would request the entire tax documents not partial. You would be required to provide a signed and dated copy with all pages of the tax records.

What are some of the things the banks/lenders are looking for? The banks and lenders look for the amount of expenses or writes off you have taken to reduce your taxable income. The most common items are “Unreimbursement Employee Business Expense”, and “Business Loses” you have incurred and wrote off. Therefore, it is recommended you minimize your write offs in areas such as mileages, uniforms, due, telephone, marketing etc…

The rule of thumb is, the more write offs you take, the less your taxable income. Here is an example to drive home the point; if you earned $50,000 and you wrote off $20,000 as expense, your taxable income is $30,000, therefore, this is the potential amount that the banks/lenders would base their loan income qualification on. Therefore, it is vital that you minimize excessive write offs. If you need a higher loan amount qualification, you may have to temporary forgo deductions to which you believe up are entitled and pay more income tax so you can show more income on your tax return to qualify for a loan.

Another important point to keep in mind is that, the lenders/banks require you- the borrower to sign a Form 4506-T. This form allows the lender to retrieve a tax transcript from the IRS. Therefore, in essence the tax records or documents you provided to the loan officer/lender should match IRS tax records when your transcript is pulled by the lender/bank. If there are irregularities, your application raises red flag and could be labelled as a fraudulent attempt.

As you gather yourself to prepare your taxes this year, I recommend you keep these points in mind if you envision home ownership in your future plans.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and it has provided helpful information in making your decision to home ownership a smooth one.

For more information about your real estate needs (buying, selling, leasing/renting a house) call me at 571-229-6694 and I will help you get started. Thank you.

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

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Former Nigerian governor jailed for five years for corruption

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A former Nigerian state governor was jailed for five years on Monday after being found guilty of corruption related to procurement of cars while in office, a judge said.

James Bala Ngilari - who was governor of northeastern Adamawa state for seven months until May 2015 - was convicted of awarding a contract for the procurement of 25 vehicles at a cost of 167 million naira ($548,891) without following due process.

Convictions of serving and past government officials remain rare in Nigeria, despite President Muhammadu Buhari making a crackdown on corruption a central plank of his government's approach after taking office in May 2015.

"The only thing is to give you the minimum sentence of five years" Justice Nathan Musa said.

The judge said the conviction would be a warning to serving governors to respect the rule of law.

Ngilari's lawyers said their client would appeal against the sentence.

Ngilari was found guilty of five of the 17 charges leveled against him in September 2016 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the financial crime agency's spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said on Monday.

He originally took office as the state's deputy governor in 2012 but took over as governor two years later following the impeachment of his predecessor. He served for seven months until the current Adamawa state governor won an election in 2015.

www.ghanaweb.com

Ghanaian Girl Representing Africa in 2017 Spelling Bee in the USA

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Lily Tugbah: from Ashaiman to Maryland via Spelling Bee Ghana, South Africa Airways, Ecobank, and Indomine.

Born in Tema but brought up in Ashaiman, Lily’s story is that of perseverance, determination and the will to achieve what looks beyond reach.

Her journey to the top of the Spelling Bee Championship started four years ago when her English teacher in Classes 4 and 5, Naab Jude Aawulenaa, established the spelling club at the school. At the first attempt, no one from Solidarity could reach even the regional competition.

From the beginning of the competition, she was given no chance and to make matters worse, she comes from a town not associated with academic excellence or anything good for that matter – Ashaiman.

Lily Ama Tugbah, the winner of the 10th edition of the Spelling Bee competition, proved all doubters wrong when she correctly spelt the championship word, ‘Baculiform’ to emerge as the most unexpected winner of the educative, informative, exciting and most competitive competition.

After more than eight hours of gruelling competition, through seven rounds, from morning to evening, parents, guardians, colleagues, teachers, judges, organisers, dignitaries from USA, and sponsors stood up and gave Lily a standing ovation for her achievement.

“Most of the time people think because you are from Ashaiman you cannot make it this far. I am going to use myself as an example that nobody is too big or small, neither is anybody better than anybody. If you are serious and stay focused, you can make it,” she said in an interview with the B&FT after her victory.

To underscore the weight of her victory, Lily, --a JHS 1 student of Solidarity International School, Ashaiman– is following in the footsteps of Rohit Sahijwani, Vishal Thakwani and Afua Ansah, students from Delhi Public International School and Ridge Church School, all in Accra.

She receives an all-expense paid trip to the United States to represent Ghana at the 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee, a GH¢10,000 scholarship from Indomie, GH¢10,000 Ecobank Junior Savers account, a trophy, Merriam Webster dictionary and a DStv decoder with free subscription.

Gabriella Ellis, 12-year-old student of the Delhi Public School International was the first runner up and 13-year-old Ewoenam Afetsi of the SOS Hermann Gmeiner was the second runner-up on the night. They will both be travelling to the MultiChoice head office in Johannesburg, South Africa and will also receive other prizes from sponsors.

Each of the 10 best spellers got iLearn tablets and each of the participating spellers received certificates of participation and some products from sponsors. The event was sponsored by Multichoice

promotion of proper usage of English Language, the deepening of education, the enhancement of vocabulary and the boosting of children’s confidence. It is also instilling in students the ability to compete at the highest level.

“We strongly believe that education cannot be limited to only what is taught in the classroom; co-curricular activities must be included in the curriculum,” Eugenia TachieMenson, the CEO of Young Educators Foundation (YEF), said.

“For a decade, we have been at the forefront of helping to But, according to Mr. Aawulenaa, perseverance has been a key stem the tide of falling standards of the English language through literacy, as well as making a case for education factor in reaching where the school has got too. being a priority.”

“When we join the Spelling Bee, the school didn’t have one Lily believes she owes her rise to the top to the grace of speller to reach the national level but we still went to the God and the support of her family and teachers. national event to witness it and take in the atmosphere. Due to that, last year, four of my students qualified for the national competition, with Lily on board but didn’t reach the finals,” he “The secret is studying, learning new words and taking the studies serious. I can finish a book in about two or said. three days. But I can’t stop thanking God and I am very grateful.

My teacher was very firm on me and my team, But this year, with Lily on board again, 13 spellers from urging me and the team to read more books whilst my Solidarity International School qualified for the national event, mum has always helped me with words of encouragewith Lily taking the top prize. It wasn’t surprising when she ment,” she said. was swamped by her colleagues when she got the championship word right.

To her peers from Ashaiman, Lily believes the path is now clear, adding that “I believe I have set a good pace “It has been hard work, determination, and prayer. I am and with seriousness they can also make it and win the always firm on them because I feel sometimes you have to be Spelling Bee.” firm so they will know what is at stake and work hard towards it, and now we have a national champion among us,” he said.

Lily’s proud mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Tugbah, noted that the family has always known what God will do through Now, Lily is heading to Maryland, USA, in a couple of months, to represent Ghana and is hoping to do better than last her, adding that she has never hesitated to get Lily the books she needed. year’s representative, who reached the top 25, a first time for an African.

“Last year, she didn’t do well in the vocabulary test. Even though she spelt her word correctly at the second round, “I feel like I am carrying a big load on my shoulders and, at the same time, I am nervous because I am going to meet other she couldn’t go further but then I saw something in her people but I know that if I am serious and leave everything in and knew she could do well. I wasn’t surprised when she won. the hands of God I can make Ghana proud,” she added.

The Spelling Bee has for the past ten years been a light-in-the- Her teacher has been very instrumental and we give them all credit. For the books for her to read we do not hesitate dark in an era of falling standards of education across the to buy them,” she added. nation.

Organised by the Young Educators Foundation (YEF), an international NGO whose vision is to improve the lives of young people through literacy, as well as champion the course of education in Africa, the competition is transforming the lives of the children who participate in it annually.

With technology and smartphones found in the hands of everyone, these days, including teenagers, the English Language is taking a battering, with the use of phrases and words that cannot be found in any dictionary but surprisingly understood by users.

There have been reports that national examinations, including the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), are recording the use of short-hands and words found only on social media.

The Spelling Bee has, therefore, become a torchbearer in the

To her mother, achieving the victory in Ghana is just a stepping stone to international successes. “We are praying that she will go to the USA and the same God who has led her up to this stage, will glorify his name. We are going to support her financially, morally and spiritually till she brings the top prize to Ghana.”

Source: Bernard Yaw Ashiadey/thebftonline.com/Ghana -

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DC Mayors Office On African Affairs (MOAA) hosts A Celebration of Black History Month

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African Immigration to U.S. Keeps Rising

Alpha Saliou Diallo, a refugee from Guinea, holds his daughter, Aisha, after he became a U.S. citizen in New York City's Central Park, June 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Director Mamadou Samba with the moderator Quito Swann and speakers Nemata Blyden, Elvia Duque, Director Arthur Espinoza, Jr and Shellée M. Haynesworth

On Thursday, February 16, 2017, the Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA) in collaboration with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH), the Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs (MOAAA) and the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (MOLA) hosted A Celebration of Black History Month. As part of MOAA's Multicultural Awareness and Development Program, the evening honored African American, African and Afro-Latino history, arts and culture.

Over 600 people attended the event and had the opportunity to explore historical, cultural, and contemporary ties between African, African-American, and Afro-Latino communities.

Source;The African Beat (MOAA)

A First For Africa: Swahili Added To Free US Language App With 150M Users

A free, mobile phone-based language-learning platform with more than 150 million users worldwide is adding an African language to its 68-course lineup for the first time.

Duolingo, the U.S.-based app, described by Time.com as addictive and videogame-like, was co-developed five years ago by Luis Von Ahn, a GuatemalanAmerican entrepreneur and professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University.

Von Ahn founded reCAPTCHA, which was sold to Google in 2009. It’s that test of squiggly letters most website forms use to make sure you are a human, not a computer.

This allowed von Ahn to pursue Duolingo, his passion project. Language learning wasn’t his goal, he told Time. He was interested in improving education so that people of all social classes could have better opportunities.

Story by Aryn Baker.

Source:: http://afkinsider.com

The United States remains a popular destination for immigrants from Africa, according to the U.S.based Pew Research Center.

The number of African immigrants coming to the U.S. has more than doubled since 2000, Pew said in a new report.

The organization said that as of 2015, 2.1 million African-born people were living in the United States. That number is up from 880,000 in 2000.

Back in 1970, there were just 80,000.

Monica Anderson is a research associate at Pew and the author of the study. She said one reason for the large increase is that many immigrants are refugees from Africa.

She noted that in 1980, only 1 percent of refugees admitted to the United States were from Africa.

Today, that share is about 37 percent.

“That is one major factor that is driving the growth of African immigrants, but it doesn't tell the entire story," Anderson told VOA in an interview.

She said that over the years, certain U.S. areas have developed large, established populations for African immigrants.

One of those is the Midwestern state of Minnesota.

The state is home to about 25,000 people of Somali origin. This is about one-fifth of the whole foreign-born population of the state.

“In different clusters in the U.S., African immigrants are really reshaping the immigrant population there,” Anderson said.

Another example is the neighboring state of South Dakota, which has large refugee communities from Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia. Overall, Africans make up about 15 percent of South Dakota’s foreign-born population, according to Pew.

The top states where African immigrants live are

Texas, New York, California and Maryland.

African immigrants in the U.S. include tens of thousands of refugees from Somalia, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Eritrea, Pew said. But it also includes highly-educated doctors, engineers and others seeking a better life in America.

Randy Capps is the director of research for U.S. programs at the Migration Policy Institute. He said that as of 2013, 38 percent of sub-Saharan African immigrants had a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 28 percent of all U.S. immigrants.

But despite the increases, Africans still make up a relatively small amount of the total U.S. immigrant population. Capps said there are both historical and geographic reasons for this.

“It's a long distance from Africa, and the number of people in Africa with sufficient incomes to migrate that far has been relatively small,” he said.

He added that the path for legal African migration to the U.S. was not fully opened until the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act.

The act, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson, removed immigration quota systems based on national identity. This allowed for immigrants of all nationalities to be accepted equally.

The act also made it easier for skilled immigrants to migrate to the United States.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Salem Solomon wrote this story for VOA News.

Bryan Lynn adapted it for VOA Learning English.

Hai Do was the editor.

Source: http://learningenglish.voanews.com

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Council Of Ghanaian Associations (COGA) in Washington Metro Area Celebrate Ghana @ 60

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COGA Executives

Cutting of Anniversary Cake by Executives of COGA and Special Guests

Winners of Raffle Draw of Two Airline Tickets donated by South African Airways

Dancing Time

Nananom- Community Chiefs at the Event

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Mr. E-B. Asare-Asiedu, ChargĂŠ D'Affaire of the Embassy of Ghana, Washington DC was the Special Guest of honor

Mr. and Mrs. Ofori-Chair of the Event

Cultural Display by Ewe Group

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Africa: International Women's Day 2017

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Young African Women Making a Positive Change

Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 200 million people between the ages of 15 and 24. According to the World Bank, youth account for 60 percent of all unemployed people on the continent, with young women bearing the sting of unemployment as young men are favoured for jobs. Instead of succumbing to fear of these statistics, many young people have taken the entrepreneurship route, turning problems that they encounter in their communities into solution-orientated businesses.

Here is a list of top young African leaders doing great things to transform their communities and their lives:

Global — Every year, on March 8, the world celebrates . It is a day when women in all spheres of life are recognized for their achievements. It is also an occasion for governments, UN agencies, development partners and civil society organizations to reflect on the status of women in all sectors, to assess their challenges and put in place equity measures to promote equality between men and women.

The theme for 2017, at the global level, is "Be bold for change to promote a better working world - a more gender inclusive world". Efforts for this year are focusing on reducing inequalities between men and women within the workplace and also about putting in place mechanisms to improve the working environment, to make it favorable for both men and women.

Measures that are key to ensuring women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work must include bridging the gender pay gap, which stands at 24 per cent globally; recognizing women's unpaid care and domestic work and addressing the gender deficit in care work; as well as addressing the gender gaps in leadership, entrepreneurship and access to social protection. They also should work towards ensuring gender-responsive economic policies for job creation, poverty reduction and sustainable, inclusive growth. Additionally, policies must count for the overwhelming majority of women in the informal economy, promote women's access to innovative technologies and practices, a decent work environment and quality jobs and measures in place to protect women from violence in the work place.

The African Development Bank joins the global community to celebrate the International Women's Day. This year, the AfDB is partnering with the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, UN agencies, civil society organizations and other development partners to mark the celebration of International Women's Day, with a joint event organized in Adzopé, in the Agnéby region, a town located 100 kilometres east of Abidjan, the country's economic capital.

The event will be marked with the following key major activities:

The first meeting of the concertation framework on gender, chaired by the Minister of Women, Child Protection and Solidarity, Côte d'Ivoire, Mariatou Koné;

Conference on the "Women in the working world" on March 9 at the Université Houphouet Boigny (Amphithéâtre A, Centre de Ressources pédagogiques);

Celebration of the International Women's Day at the national level, on March 10 at Adzopé, with the First Lady of Côte d'Ivoire, Dominique Ouattara.

Sitawa Wafula-Kenya

Haneefa Adam-Nigeria

Twenty-four year-old Nigerian Sitawa Wafula is a 31-year medical scientist, Haneefah old mental health activist, phiAdam, gave the popular Barbie lanthropist and entrepreneur doll a makeover. Adam got the from Nairobi, Kenya. As a idea for the makeover after result of a traumatic expericoming across the Barbie style ence at the age of 18, Wafula Instagram page and thought suffered from severe depresthat it would be great to see a sion which resulted in a dual doll in a hijab – an attire that is diagnosis of epilepsy and bipoculturally relevant to her. lar disorder.

Samah al-Gadi-Sudan is a 32year-old Sudanese entrepreneur who won the first season of the popular Sudanese entrepreneurial TV show Mashrouy. The TV show, which first aired in 2013, is devised to encourage young entrepreneurship in the country where over 60% of the population is under the age of 25.

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu from Ethiopia is the founder and CEO of SoleRebels; a footwear company that is the world’s first Fairtrade Certified footwear by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). Alemu started the company in 2004 in Addis Ababa, as a means of job creation for skilled but underemployed artisans, weavers and small farmers in her community while exporting Ethiopian heritage to the world.

Source: https://www.africa.com/

Mabel Suglo is a 23-year-old entrepreneur from Ghana who is the founder of the Eco-Shoes Project, which is an initiative and company that manufactures shoes and accessories from discarded tyres and recycled materials.

Botswana’s Lebogang Maruapula is the regional ambassador for Girl Rising; an international movement which brings awareness on equal opportunities for girls as well as the co-founder of The Goddess Foundation, which focuses on women empowerment for young women through mentorship and education.

Kayli Vee Levitan is a South African copywriter, blogger and co-founder of the successful philanthropic initiative, The Street Store.

Levitan co-founded The Street Store, which is a popup clothing store for the homeless, with her colleague, Max Pazak in 2014.

South African pilot, social entrepreneur and academic Refilwe Ledwaba set the record in 2005 by becoming the first black woman to earn a helicopter pilot license in South Africa, and the first black person to fly operationally for the South African Police Service.