Business24 Newspaper 25th December, 2020

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

NO. B24 / 144 | NEWS FOR BUSINESS LEADERS

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

Keta Basin undergoes key seismic survey next year

FDA to partner key institutions to support marginalised groups

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By Joshua Worlasi Amlanu macjosh1922@gmail.com

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he offshore Keta Basin will next year undergo a major multi-client 3D geophysical survey as part of plans to draw oil from the Voltaian Basin located in the

eastern part of Ghana, This follows an agreement signed last week between the Petroleum Commission of Ghana and TG-Geopartners to undertake the project.

The project will comprise the acquisition of 14,000 square kilometres of 3D long-offset broadband multi-client seismic

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over open blocks that will be available for application.

This project has been touted by industry experts to help unlock and accelerate the development of what will surely be the next wave of major oil discoveries in Ghana.

he Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has emphasised its resolve to support vulnerable and marginalised groups in the Ghanaian society through partnership with key institutions.

The Authority said it is determined to empower and create alternative livelihood and entrepreneurial skills for young people with the creation of industry growth-enabling provisions for Kayayei (head porters), unemployed youths and young entrepreneurs.

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Editorial / News

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

Editorial

What a year 2020 has been!

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f the year 2020 were to be a stage play, the directors would probably be getting ready to signal for the final curtains to be drawn.

It is been a very difficult and unpredictable year thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. What started as a strange flu outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan later turned out to be a deadly virus that threatened humanity’s very existence.

More than 1.7 million people died from the virus and its complications across the globe.

Our society will never be the same again even as more people are vaccinated against the virus.

As the year draws to a close, we cannot but ponder over some of the few poignant lessons that

the Covid-19 has taught us amidst the pain that it brought.

The restrictions imposed on movement disrupted several supply chains leaving many industries hanging with some yet to even recover. Many Ghanaian businesses, for instance, must come to realization that while it could be cheaper to outsource certain materials from other parts of the world, their production remains susceptible to disruptions if alternative local sources are not developed.

The pandemic also exposed our unpreparedness for the proverbial rainy day.

Governments must live with the thinking that even if Covid-19 is defeated or brought under control, the next pandemic

would always be lurking.

It may not happen within our generation but it would most likely show its face sometime.

Embracing the new normal means that the preparation for the next pandemic must commence in earnest.

There is no doubt that the arrival of the Covid-19 vaccine clears a bit of the cloud the pandemic hanged over 2021.

Humanity has emerged stronger although many casualties were suffered.

Next year promises to be even better.

And from the management and staff of Business24, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Fabulous New Year!

Keta Basin undergoes key seismic survey next year Continued from cover

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The advanced new acquisition and imaging techniques will provide improved illumination of complex structures within the area being surveyed.

Results from such surveys allow oil companies to reduce their exploration risk and help to reduce the time required from license award to drilling wells.

The seismic shoot is scheduled to begin in early 2021 and is expected to take 10 months to complete.

The method being used is estimated as a cost-effective means of acquiring high-quality data as costs can be shared and larger surveys acquired for a better overall view of the prospects than is generally the case with smaller proprietary surveys.

“Whilst the primary play will undoubtedly be the late Cretaceous turbiditic channels found in Jubilee, we are also excited about the possibility of extensive late Cretaceous and Tertiary basin floor fans

containing very large volumes of hydrocarbons, which could exceed the existing discoveries offshore Ghana,” said Thomas Tsiboe-Darko, TG-Geopartners Managing Director.

“Application of our new imaging technologies is

required to improve subsurface understanding and increase exploration success rates. The upcoming new multi-client 3D seismic acquisition programme will help unlock and accelerate the development of what will surely be the next wave of major oil discoveries in Ghana.”

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

FDA to partner key institutions to support marginalised groups Continued from cover According to Gubkatimali, a Tamale-based NGO and the Ghana Kayayei Association, there is an estimated 160,000 head porters in Accra and Kumasi.

This group of often marginalised women and young girls are among the poorest of urban dwellers in Accra, Kumasi with estimated average daily earnings ranging from US$ 1.20 to US$ 2.20 and US$ 3.20 to US$ 5.20 on a good day.

Collaborating with the Purim African Youth Development Platform (PAYDP) the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Government of Canada in this year’s Kayayei Business and Leadership Fair in Accra, Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, Mrs Delese Mimi Darko, said nine out of ten local industries under the purview of the FDA are Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) which are operated by women and young entrepreneurs.

A statement read by Madam Olivia Boateng, Head of Tobacco and Substance Abuse Department of the FDA on behalf of the CEO, noted that there is a strong potential growth for such MSMEs in the food, cosmetics and household chemical sector across the country, adding, “a key demographic group within this sphere of industrial opportunity

is our head porters (Kayayei) who usually operate in the market places”.

The Fair, was to empower the Kayayei, who had gained skillful training to showcase their brand and enlighten other vulnerable colleagues on the need to avail themselves for training opportunities in livelihood development skills to tackle the menace of early child marriage, teenage pregnancy etc.

While Mrs Delese Darko underscored the significance of Kayayei within the economic structure of Ghana, she expressed the FDA’s readiness to facilitate market access and growth of young Kayayei who would venture into entrepreneurship.

“The FDA finds meaning in initiatives such as the integrated model of the UNFPA and PAYDP towards the livelihood empowerment of this vibrant youth, and categorises this sector of Ghanaian women within the framework of MSMEs” she explained.

The Authority acknowledged some Kayayei who, through their zeal and passion for growth, have established their own businesses.

Mrs Darko cited the growth of Amina Shea Butter within the local cosmetic industry as one such example. Amina repackages shea butter harvested from the Northern Region. Her active

FDA stand at the Fair

growth and enthusiasm to meet the competitive demands of the market has birthed all sorts of innovative ideas catapulting in her business success.

Aba’s Palm Oil, which is showing presence on some local supermarkets according to Mrs Darko, has evolved through various support provisions of the FDA. These supports accordingly include, dedicated client service units to assist customers to complete application submissions and the Industrial Support Department of the FDA, offering tailor made capacity building to all levels of industry.

Other key interventions and supports also include the recently launched Progressive Licensing Scheme (PLS) certification

initiative for SMEs, institutional collaboration with the Ghana Enterprises Agency (formally NBSSI), which seeks to partially ease the financial strain of SMEs. In this collaboration, the FDA and the GEA have together absorbed part of the licensing fee of 500 member facilities amounting to GH¢2.5 million.

Other benefits in this collaboration offers businesses appropriate level training in Good Manufacturing Practice, food hygiene practices and good storage practices.

Instructively, there is an increase in MSMEs whose products have received approvals from the Authority in recent years.

Over 250 MSMEs across several manufacturing spectra have benefitted immensely from the technical support offered by the FDA in the regularization of their work operations and the corresponding business growth.

Accordingly, Reverend Aku Xornam Kevi, Executive Director of PAYDP has said the vulnerabilities of girls can be improved and empowered through the change of economic status and provision of alternative livelihood skills when key institutions like the FDA, consistently takes interest in partnerships that build capacity of underprivileged groups in society.

COVID-19: Gov’t to renew Imposition of Restriction Act

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overnment has announced plans to renew the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012), which expired on Tuesday, December 22, 2020.

The legislation allowed for restrictions to be imposed if it is reasonably required in the interest of defence, public safety, public health or the running of essential services; on the movement or residence within Ghana and to restrict the freedom of entry into the country.

Addressing a news conference in Accra, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the Act allowed government to impose COVID-19 restrictions on movements of people, especially in the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi.

He said the COVID-19 technical taskforce was reviewing the legislation to ensure compliance with safety protocols.

Meanwhile, Mr Oppong Nkrumah urged the security agencies to enforce the ban on beaches, nightclubs and pubs as

well as adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols.

He entreated Ghanaians not to patronise beaches and nightclubs during the Yuletide because they were high-risk areas for the spread of Coronavirus disease.

Currently, Ghana has recorded

54,043 positive COVID-19 cases, with 52,777 recoveries/ discharged, representing 97.7 per cent recovery rate, according to Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General, Ghana Health Service.

There are 933 active cases and 333 deaths with 0.62 per cent fatality rate far below the global rate of 2.25 per cent.

Ghana has so far tested 646,697 cases, representing 20,000 per million population and 8.4 per cent positivity rate.

Dr Kumah-Aboagye, said people with hypertension, diabetes and asthma were more prone to infection and at high risk of succumbing to the disease.

Persons between 20 and 49 years are the most infected.

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

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Africa News

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

United States reinstates DR Congo into AGOA trade pact

Tshisekedi’s commitment to bringing about the change the Congolese people desire and deserve,” Mike Hammer, the US ambassador to Congo, said in a statement.

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he Democratic Republic of Congo has rejoined a key trade partnership with the United States that will grant it duty free access to US markets.

It follows a proclamation issued by outgoing US President Donald Trump on Tuesday night.

Washington suspended DR Congo from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) some 10 years ago because of alleged human rights violations under former president Joseph Kabila.

The decision affirms President Tshisekedi’s efforts to reform and strengthen the DRC’s democratic institutions, protect human rights, and fight corruption.

What is the trade partnership?

Since its enactment in 2000, AGOA has been at the core of US economic policy and commercial engagement with Africa.

It provides eligible Sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the US market for over 1,800 products. That adds up to more than 5,000 products

Peace and security

eligible for duty-free access under the Generalized System of Preferences program.

DR Congo’s main exports, copper and cobalt, are included in the agreement but are already tariff-free under the System of Preferences.

Split from Kabila The announcement comes during a turbulent period in the

DRC’s politics.

President Tshisekedi, who has been in office since January 2019, ended a coalition in December which was dominated by supporters of his powerful predecessor Joseph Kabila, who ruled for 18 years.

The move prompted abrawl in parliament with ministers overturning desks and throwing chairs.

“It is recognition of President

“The return of DRC to AGOA is a significant achievement that is a clear manifestation of our Privileged Partnership for Peace and Prosperity,” said Mike Hammer, the US ambassador to Congo.

The United States established the US-DRC Privileged Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in 2019 to combat corruption, protect human rights, strengthen democratic institutions.

The partnership seeks to confront potential pandemics, promote peace and security, build a stronger bilateral relationship, and deliver results for the U.S. and Congolese people. ‘’The reinstatement of AGOA eligibility is another landmark achievement showing the progress made toward our shared goals.’’

Africa News

S.Africa tour operators despair at Britain’s flight ban over virus variant

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British ban on flights from South Africa over a new variant of the coronavirus in the country has punctured hopes of a rebound in the South African tourism industry in the new year, according to frustrated travel operators.

UK officials ordered flights and arrivals from South Africa to be halted on Wednesday after the potentially more infectious variant was found to have reached Britain, which itself is battling to contain another fast-spreading variant.

Tourism is a crucial sector for South Africa, accounting for nearly 9% of its economic output.

Britain is the biggest source of tourism to the country, and the decision to halt flights could dent a much-needed recovery, operators said.

“We realized a massive pentup demand was unfolding for January. But this travel ban is a major setback now,” said Michael Tollman, Group CEO of Cullinan Holdings Ltd. The ban stigmatises South Africa and hits the industry hard, said Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of Tourism Business Council

of South Africa. The council is meeting the tourism minister on Monday to ask the government to raise the issue diplomatically.

South African health authorities say the new variant of the virus, identified last week, is likely behind a surge in COVID-19 infections in the country. The rate of COVID-19 infections will soon surpass the peak hit in the

first wave earlier in the year, they warn.

Elaine Zhou and Claudia Pilz, 27-year-old friends who live in London and are in Cape Town on holiday, said they were worried about how they were going to get home following the suspension of flights.

“It’s worrying because there’s no communication about when it

will open or when it will change,” said Pilz, an accountant.

“It just says your flight has been cancelled, book again, so you are just literally pressing random days and it’s like ‘no flight, no flight, no flight’.”

CNBC

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

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Feature

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in Bethlehem and elsewhere

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ethlehem on Thursday ushered in Christmas Eve with a stream of joyous marching bands and the triumphant arrival of the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, but few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened celebrations in the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

Similar subdued scenes were repeated across the world as the festive family gatherings and packed prayers that typically mark the holiday were scaled back or canceled altogether.

In Australia, worshippers had to book tickets online to attend socially distanced church services. The Philippines prohibited mass gatherings and barred extended families from holding traditional Christmas Eve dinners. Traditional doorto-door children’s carols were canceled in Greece.

On Christmas Eve in Italy, church bells rang earlier than usual. The Italian government’s 10 p.m. curfew prompted pastors to move up services, with “Midnight” Mass starting Thursday evening in some churches as early as a couple hours after dark. Pope Francis, who has said people “must obey” civil authorities’ measures to fight the spread of COVID-19, fell in line. This year, the Christmas vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica was moved up from 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Normally, seats at the vigil Mass are quickly snapped up, by Romans and by tourists, but the pandemic has reduced tourists in Italy to a trickle. In keeping with social distancing measures, barely 200 faithful — instead of several thousand — spaced out in the basilica’s pews and wearing masks, attended Francis’ celebration of the Mass. A row of fiery red poinsettia plants warmly contrasted with the sumptuous cold marble of the basilica.

Francis in his homily offered reflections on Christmas’ significance. “We often hear it said that the greatest joy in life is the birth of a child. It is something extraordinary and it changes everything,” he said. A child “makes us feel loved but can also teach us how to love.”

“God was born a child in order to encourage us to care for others,” said Francis, who has made attention to the poor and unjustly treated a key theme of his papacy.

Celebrations elsewhere in Europe were canceled or greatly scaled back as virus infections

Palestinian scout bands parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally recognized by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, ahead of the midnight Mass, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. Few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened Christmas Eve celebrations. (AP Photo

surge across the continent and a new variant that may be more contagious has been detected.

In Athens, Christmas Eve was eerily silent. In normal times, voices of children singing carols while tinkling metal triangles can be heard all day. The decadesold custom, in which children go house to house and receive small gifts, was banned this year. Groups of children managed to honor the tradition by singing to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis by video link —including students from a school for children with hearing difficulty who performed in sign language.

Throughout the pandemic, one of the hardest-hit churches in New York City has been Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Church leaders say more than 60 members of the congregation — which numbered about 800 before the pandemic — have died of COVID-19, almost all of them part of the community of some 400 who attended services in Spanish.

Despite their own heartbreaks, congregation members — many of them immigrants — donated coats, scarves and other winter clothes for more than 100 migrant minors at a detention center in Manhattan.

While many other New York City churches have resumed inperson services, Saint Peter’s continues to offer its Masses only online. The schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas day included Masses in English and Spanish, and a bilingual jazz vespers service.

In Bethlehem, officials tried to make the most out of a bad situation.

“Christmas is a holiday that renews hope in the souls,” said Mayor Anton Salman. “Despite all the obstacles and challenges due

to corona and due to the lack of tourism, the city of Bethlehem is still looking forward to the future with optimism.”

Raw, rainy weather added to the gloomy atmosphere, as several dozen people gathered in the central Manger Square to greet Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Youth marching bands playing Christmas carols on bagpipes, accompanied by pounding drummers, led a joyous procession ahead of the patriarch’s arrival early in the afternoon.

“Despite the restrictions and limitations we want to celebrate as much as possible, with family, community and joy,” said Pizzaballa, who was to lead a small Midnight Mass gathering later in the evening. “We want to offer hope.”

Thousands of foreign pilgrims usually flock to Bethlehem for the celebrations. But the closure of Israel’s international airport to foreign tourists, along with Palestinian restrictions banning intercity travel in the areas they administer in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, kept visitors away.

The restrictions limited attendance to residents and a small entourage of religious officials. Evening celebrations, when pilgrims normally congregate around the Christmas tree, were canceled, and Midnight Mass was limited to clergy.

The coronavirus has dealt a heavy blow to Bethlehem’s tourism sector, the lifeblood of the local economy. Restaurants, hotels and gift shops have been shuttered.

Rio de Janeiro’s iconic beaches remained open, but a City Hall decree aimed at limiting gatherings prevented drivers from parking along the shore.

Rain also kept beachgoers at

home.

Thomas Azevedo and his 9-year-old son braved the bad weather to set up a small stand, selling beer and caipirinhas made from fresh fruit. By early afternoon, he hadn’t sold a thing.

“It’s not so much the rain; in previous years it was full of tourists at Christmas. This year there’s no one,” said Azevedo, 28.

Australians had until recently been looking forward to a relatively COVID-19-free Christmas after travel restrictions across state borders relaxed in recent weeks in the absence of any evidence of community transmission. But after new cases were detected over the past week, states again closed their borders.

While many places around the globe were keeping or increasing restrictions for Christmas, Lebanon was an exception.

With its economy in tatters and parts of its capital destroyed by a massive Aug. 4 port explosion, Lebanon has lifted most virus measures ahead of the holidays, hoping to encourage spending.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese expatriates have arrived home for the holidays, leading to fears of an inevitable surge in cases during the festive season.

Lebanon has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East — about a third of its 5 million people — and traditionally celebrates Christmas with much fanfare.

“People around us were tired, depressed and depleted, so we said let’s just plant a drop of joy and love,” said Sevine Ariss, one of the organizers of a Christmas fair along the seaside road where the explosion caused the most damage.

AP

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

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Feature

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

The Future of Work Capsules: Becoming a hybrid

professional in the 21st century is a privilege to the business world

By Baptista Sarah Gebu (Mrs.)

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ast week we demonstrated how becoming a Hybrid Professional can put your skills in very high demand. Thanks to all who contacted showing appreciation. This week we want to consider and explore how becoming a hybrid professional can offer a 21st century innovative privilege to the business world. Are you a professional? Do you do so many other things, as in wearing many hats as we literally put it?

What kind of professional identity are you keeping? Help me answer these questions.

How does society classify you instantaneously?

Society has hitherto classified professionals as experts or generalist. What term can appropriately suit professionals who instantaneously can identify with several many other identities by default and to industries and fields of study? Learning to becoming a Hybrid professional is a 21st century business innovation applicable also to culture, produce and professionals alike.

Assuming you have a professional who trained as a medical doctor but enjoys preparing organic drinks or singing and wants to set up on the side to manage that; how will we refer to these professional?. Should this professional drop each title concurrently or switch between its use. How about an accountant with a Technical Vocational Educational proficiency or training as a chef?

Do we refer to this professional as the accountant chef? Becoming a hybrid professional will permit you to assume and do other things you enjoy assuming it’s different from your core primary trained competency. Merging two or more professional identities together and making each identity still coexist without assuming a dominant identity or switching in between its use introduces you to the concept of the hybrid professional program.

As a professional, we cannot usually assume several professional identities aside our main primary identity should we still identify with other secondary and tertiary professional identities. Can the work we do alone help in identifying who we are at a particular time?

Overtime, it is obvious we can merge one and more professional identities together thereby allowing these same several identities to co-exist; instead of for instance assuming only one identity and then switching overtime to another identity.

Becoming that hybrid professional helps you to assume that multiple identity at the same time. This is because; in this 21st century professionals must be open to learning new things to make

them agile. Developing a primary professional career is great but considering the researches point to the fact that, a job for life will not exist anymore as put forward by the ILO’s Global Commission on the Future of Work report and truth be told; there are times that peoples hobby becomes their dominant career or lifestyle and by observation without any empirical research our work colleagues are changing jobs more often these days then it was in the past.

From national service or internship, our work colleagues use to stay some 20-40 years with one organization. But what do we see today? Averagely 2-6years our work colleagues are moving and changing jobs. This could be slowpaced but will happen per research.

This then will introduces us to the generational categorization (Gen X, Y & Z, millennia. and baby boomers).

Aside that, professionals in this 21st century and beyond should be free to explore easily as our identity for now is used to help identity the kind of work we do. Some professional identities include that of Human Resource Professionals, Doctors, Accountants, Bankers, Farmers, Information Technology Professionals, Engineers, Welders, Fabricators, Fashion Designers, Musicians, Pilots and many more.

Assuming we have an Engineer who is great at baking (catering) on the side and wants to develop both. How do we refer to this kind of professional? An Engineer Baker or just and Engineer with a baking career interest? Becoming a hybrid professional helps you to be confident and still stand out tall. In Ghana, the Ashanti’s are denoted of their entrepreneurial skills.

Main reason, an accomplished Banker will be seen to own a vehicle spare parts shop on the side. As we advocate for many professionals to appreciate for instance the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET); it is worth noting that this TVET industry is not meant for school drop outs but a multi-billion industry that can turn our economic fortunes if wellstructured as our whole life evolves around TVET.

Professionals’ poses skills, knowledge in a field, experience in an industry and this could be from two or more multiple disciplines.

These helps professionals poses a unique combination of qualities.

The same happens in the field of science; where scientists combine DNA from different species making the offspring usually possess hybrid qualities form both species.

Hybridity can apply to products, technology, perhaps culture and several other things. Workers meeting the hybrid professional program to assume this title must demonstrate to meet these criteria and more; a. Possessing two or more primary professional identities. b. Identify with a dominant primary professional identity first and skilled at it. For instance a policy maker who is a member of parliament can identify primarily as a dominant professional identity as a politician and a farmer or a singer as the other. c. Ability to easily integrate primary and other professional identities together in a timely fashion without struggle. d. Consciously finding their flow and developing self-fulfillment in managing two or more professional identities pleasurable without struggle.

The benefits accruing to a hybrid professional includes but not limited to; 1. Ability to work easily and freely across all sectors and industry 2. Ability to stay employed at all times, as primary and secondary professions are both being pursued concurrently without fear.

3. Ability to channel one’s energies at developing an integrated professional personality.

4. Inspiring confidence to be a true self and not a copy of another professional.

5. Ability to work across board, develop empathy, selfconfidence and a humane personality easy to accommodate all persons and situation with a broader mindset. I supported one

medical doctor recently to develop and complete a hybrid professional program. According to the medical doctor, the personality has been different and approach to problem solving has been resolute. The doctor enjoys organic farming, as a lover of healthy juices, the doctor practices “juicing for life”. Farming one’s own produce and juice into cocktails. Hoping to develop a career on the side, the doctor realized, later that so much energy and effort goes into organically farming one owns produce. These organic produce easily go bad if not rapidly patronized due to the absence of fertilizers. This medical doctor is more accommodating to farmers now than before.

6. One’s ability to easily integrate all different professional identities and not rather separate these identities or assume a title at a time or in turns.

7. It makes you a professional; one of a kind, different and a real specie difficult to imitate.

Becoming a hybrid professional will put your skills in great demand. Reach out for support in navigating into becoming a hybrid professional, one with class and appeal.

About the author Baptista is a human resource professional with a broad generalist background. Building a team of efficient & effective workforce is her business. Affecting lives is her calling! She is a Hybrid Professional, HR Generalist, strategic planner, innovative, professional connector and a motivator. You can reach her via e-mail on forealhrservices@ gmail.com You can follow this conversation on our social media pages Facebook / LinkedIn/ Twitter / Instagram: FoReal HR Services.

Call or WhatsApp: +233(0)262213313.

Follow the hashtag #theFutureofWorkCapsules #FoWC Season’s greetings!

I wish you a great holiday this yuletide. The year 2020 is very peculiar. I encourage you to look beyond the challenges and count your blessings and be grateful for how far you have come. With determination, hard work and focus you can be sure of a successful year ahead. I am wishing you a happy new year 2021 ahead of schedule.

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

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Companies

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25, 2020

Huawei supports Korle-Bu, Nyaho Dove Foundation with medical supplies

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n the bid to support the fight against Covid-19 in Ghana, Leading ICT Company, Huawei Technologies Ghana has donated medical supplies and technological equipment to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and Nyaho Dove Foundation, the CSR wing of Nyaho Medical Centre in Accra.

The events held on the 16th and 21st December 2020 at Nyaho Medical Centre and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital respectively, saw the donation of medical equipment worth USD 10,000 to each medical facility.

Some items donated at both hospitals include thermometer guns, portable pulse oximeters, plastic disposable aprons, protective googles, hand sanitizers, viral transport medium, clogs, scrubs, water dispensers, and table top fridge for the storage of medication.

Speaking during the donation, the Deputy Director of PR, Jenny Zhou said as a responsible corporate citizen, Huawei beliefs in giving back to the society in which it operates, hence its decision to support the Covid Unit of both facilities to enable them

discharge their duties effectively during the festive period.

Mrs. Zhou further mentioned that as a world leading ICT company, Huawei believes that technology continues to be at the forefront in the battle against Covid-19 hence the donation of tech-enabled devices and medical supplies to help facilitate communication

between frontline workers and the hospital management whiles ensuring that physical contact between patients and nurses are minimized.

Receiving the items on behalf of Nyaho Dove Foundation, Nana Pokua Appafram, Operations Director of Nyaho Medical Centre said “We are grateful to Huawei Ghana for these donated

items which will go a long way to support in improving access to quality health care for our patients and vulnerable persons in the community”.

Dr. Harry Akoto, Deputy Director of Medical Affairs at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) thanked Huawei for the donation stating the KBTH is grateful for the effort made.

“KBTH is very grateful, that Huawei has come to help with PPE’s for our patients and staff.

We are also happy and grateful because this communication gadgets will help with information gathering and storage as well as enhance research as to how the disease is spread.”

“We know this virus is continually changing and so you need to keep track of it, in order to win this fight. We will therefore like to use this opportunity to encourage you to rally behind us, as we continue to fight virus”, he added.

Earlier this year, Huawei donated video conferencing facilities to the Ministry of Health as part of efforts to help combat Covid-19 in the country.

WorldRemit identifies top 20 migrant moments of 2020

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orldRemit, a leading cross-border payments company, celebrates International Migrants Day by announcing its list of the top 20 Migrant Moments of 2020. This list features developments which have had significant impacts on communities across the world.

From the first COVID-19 vaccine to the US presidential election to SpaceX - each of these milestones have been influenced by migrants from around the world. 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of International Migrants Day and the 30th anniversary since the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the International Convention on the Protection of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families1.

WorldRemit has compiled this list to bring attention to all those who have managed to make a positive difference during this exceptionally challenging year.

The company aims to support migrant communities as well as their family and friends every day, whilst celebrating their many successes throughout the year, and for many years to come.

The 2020 list includes: COVID-19 Vaccine: German couple of Turkish descent, husband and wife Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, have been credited with the discovery of the Pfizer/ BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine that is being distributed across the globe.

Senator Kamala Harris: Kamala Harris became vice-president elect following the 2020 US Presidential election. In 2017, she was sworn in as a United States Senator for California, becoming the second African-American woman and first South-Asian American senator in history.

Though she was born in Oakland, California, Harris’ parents emigrated to the United States from India and Jamaica.

Future Stars: WorldRemit and Arsenal Football Club welcomed the winners of the Future Stars competition to London in January.

Chinasa Mandy Ukandu of Nigeria and Luis Alejandro Castañeda from Colombia, won an all expenses paid trip to London to take part in a personalized training program with Arsenal

Football Club’s Development coaches.

Zoom boom: Zoom, the videoconferencing platform which has allowed friends, families and colleagues to stay in touch during Covid-19, was founded by Eric Yuan, a Chinese migrant to the United States. At its peak, the firm counted more than 300 million daily participants in virtual meetings, while paying customers have more than tripled.

Project 8000: WorldRemit was the main sponsor of the Project 8000 programme in Singapore.

Project 8000 is a community outreach initiative to give thousands of handwritten ‘thank

you’ cards to frontline Covid-19 healthcare workers at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) in Singapore, led by student Marion Lee. Deliveroo and DoorDash: DoorDash, America’s most popular meal delivery app, was started by a Chinese American migrant, Tony Xu. Meanwhile Deliveroo was co-founded

by William Shu, a Taiwanese American entrepreneur.

DoorDash has launched a number of initiatives during the pandemic.

In October, it launched the Reopen for Delivery campaign, with the stated aim of bringing together brick and mortar restaurants that have closed due to the pandemic.

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Digital design and creative coding hub in Ghana

By Richard Kafui Amanfu

How to learn coding?

he Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana (IIPGH) in partnership with Code it! from Germany is going to set up the “Digital Design and Creative Coding Hub”.

IIPGH together with its partners, Code it! and Tinker Toys from Leipzig, Germany, are setting up a Digital Design and Creative Coding Hub in Ghana’s capital Accra. The Hub is meant to be a showroom for tools and concepts for digital learning and creative work.

The tools and concepts will be accessible to everybody who is interested and will be taught through training and other events. The project is supported by the “Creative Resources” program of the German Federal Foreign Office.

The idea for the hub emerged from a meeting and conversations between Code it! and IIPGH. Both initiatives are united by the goal of inspiring children and young people for computer science and programming. To achieve this goal, the Hub will be used to conduct workshops on programming on a regular basis and train educators and multipliers.

When learning a new language, we learn how to communicate with others using a new language but also how to express ourselves differently. Learning to code is traditionally focused on writing software for businesses - writing programs to speed up processes or creating business applications.

Those approaches do not work well with kids and younger adults.

Today there are new approaches to teach programming with an emphasis on how to express oneself and to create art with a computer. This is called Creative Coding.

T

Why learn about coding and design?

Coding is today much more than just a vocation. In our digitized world coding becomes an integral part of literacy. To be able to understand and to change this world of algorithms one needs at least basic coding skills.

Learning to program is no longer just for computer specialists and software developers. People from many different backgrounds now want to understand the basics of programming, because it is an ever more valuable skill, and it is also fun.

What is Creative Coding?

Creative coding is the artisan side of programming. In creative coding computer programming is used to create something expressive instead of something functional. With a strong focus on creating interactive experiences, in Creative Coding, the program moves past the sequential problem solving found in typical beginner programming and coding courses. In this field of coding artists, designers and creatives apply programming concepts to work in a variety of media, such as 2D/3D graphics, animation, image, sound, and video processing.

The idea of the Hub is to present and teach those new approaches to learn to code and for digital design. So, whether you are a graphic designer, UX/UI (user experience/ user interface) designer, web designer, etc., this program will equip you with fundamental coding skills as a method of expression.

For this reason, an artist, designer, architect, or musician who is interested in how to expand creative skills, or even a computer programmer looking to work in creative applications,

will find this program extremely useful.

Why digital design?

In our world of digital applications, design is now more relevant than ever before. Design is central to make a website or app stand out and to make it accessible and enjoyable. Without a good design, the best software is not likely to be used.

Any kind of design that appears in a digital format (on an app or website), rather than in print (on a physical page), is considered digital design. It is a type of visual communication that presents information or a product or service through a digital interface. Just as graphic design, this encompasses more than simply viewing graphic design on a screen.

To make coding and digital design available to everybody we need new approaches to teaching and learning. Although the situation regarding digital education is similar in both Germany and Ghana, Ghana has a higher need to develop in that area. In Ghana, the digitization of education is still in its early stages.

There is a lack of technical infrastructure - Internet access and hardware, effective pedagogical concepts, and qualified teachers.

With the hub, we will create a showroom in which all who are interested can get to know and try out digital tools (hardware and software) and learn how to use them in schools and other institutions.

In addition to setting up the hub with basic technical equipment notebooks, smartboards, and 3D printers - the project will include a teacher training course lasting several weeks. In this workshop, the learning platform of Code it! and the “Digital Construction Kit” of TinkerToys will be presented, among others.

The goal is to enable and motivate the participants to use the tools in their classroom or in extracurricular workshops.

The experiences gained in these workshops will be used to further develop these solutions.

In the future, IIPGH trainers will regularly conduct these and other training courses at the hub.

The hub shall be established as an integral part of the local educational and creative landscape. To accomplish this, in addition to operating the showroom as a focal point for all interested parties, regular training courses and other events such as lectures and discussions on various topics will be organized. In those events, approaches, and tools from the fields of education, coding, and design will be presented.

At the same time, the hub is intended to initiate and promote the national and international exchange of knowledge and experience between educators and creative professionals. New partners and sponsors from Ghana, Europe, and other parts of the world are to be won for the long-term operation of the hub, who will support the hub financially or materially, e.g., by providing the hub with their own tools and materials.

Interested persons and anyone who develops exciting approaches or tools in the field of digital education and who would like to present their materials at the hub, can reach out to the contacts below. For further details and progress of the project follow our website and social media channels.

Richard Kafui Amanfu – (Director of Operations, Institute of ICT Professionals, Ghana) For comments, contact richard. amanfu@iipgh.org or Mobile: +233244357006

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Five Cheers for 2021

By Mark Leonard

A

lot of chickens came home to roost this year. The COVID-19 pandemic was not some random thunderbolt from out of the blue, but rather a man-made “natural” disaster, holding up a mirror to so many of our bad habits and dangerous – indeed, lethal – practices.

After all, the coronavirus’s transmission from bats to humans was a product of mass urbanization and destructive encroachment on natural habitats, and its rapid spread was a result of overindustrialization, frenetic trade, and contemporary travel habits.

Likewise, the world’s inability to come together to contain the crisis reflects the extent to which governance capacity lags behind hyper-globalization.

Many of these failings were evident before the virus hit, with people in many countries embracing nationalist and populist leaders who promised decisive action in a world that seemed out of control. But though this has been a difficult year, there are at least five reasons to be cheerful about 2021.

The first and most obvious reason is US President Donald Trump’s defeat. It is a relief to be able to wake up in the morning without worrying about what the world’s most powerful person said on Twitter while you were sleeping.

The United States will soon be back in capable hands. In addition to making America more predictable and responsible, President-elect Joe Biden’s victory holds important implications for democracies around the world.

Europe’s own Trumpians –

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Poland’s deputy prime minister and de facto ruler, Jarosław Kaczyński – have already been orphaned by Trump’s political demise. As Europeans look ahead to their own elections – in the Netherlands and Germany in 2021, and in France in 2022 – populist parties will have less claim to be channeling the tide of history.

In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson – a consummate political weathervane – is already shifting with the new political winds.

Following Trump’s loss, he finally fired his populist Brexit guru, Dominic Cummings, and signaled that he would be crafting a new identity for the post-Trump world.

The second reason to be cheerful is that COVID-19 vaccines are on the way. This will allow for a gradual return to normality, and the way they were developed should reaffirm our support for international cooperation. It was nothing if not inspiring to see the first vaccine come from BioNTech, a European Union-funded company led by two German scientists of Turkish descent.

Given justifiable concerns about “vaccine nationalism,” it is important that the people have seen that internationalism, not parochialism, is the path out of this and other global crises.

That brings me to the third reason for optimism: encouraging news on the climate front.

As many commentators have noted, climate change could lead to an even bigger crisis than COVID-19. But following a massive 7% decline in greenhouse-gas emissions this year, we at least

know what is possible. And now that governments have proved capable of spending whatever it takes in an emergency, they will face growing pressure to invest in the technologies needed for a rapid transition to clean energy.

The fourth cause for cheer is the return of faith in government.

COVID-19 has reminded everyone just how valuable competent public administration can be. It also has brought new attention to the need for redistribution.

After the 2008 financial crisis, many hoped that the prevailing neoliberal orthodoxy would give way to social democracy and greater political control over the economy. Instead, we got bank bailouts and other glaring examples of “socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor.”

After a decade of painful austerity and the political upheavals it caused, governments are finally taking more responsibility for public welfare.

Mainstream parties, including the Democrats in the US, are pushing policies to support workers and the middle class, offering hope that structural inequality, which leaves many feeling “left behind” (and thus open to populist appeals), will finally be addressed.

That brings us to the last reason to be cheerful. The pandemic has triggered a reconsideration of the global system. In place of unregulated hyper-globalization, many leading powers are looking for ways to reconcile the appetite for cheap goods, advanced technologies, and other benefits of trade with greater control over domestic affairs. Whether it is talk of “decoupling” in the US, “dual circulation” in China, or “strategic autonomy” in Europe,

long-overdue policy debates are now underway.

Here, I find the European conversation particularly heartening, since it is focused on channeling the desire for more control in ways that preclude self-defeating nationalism. The EU’s quest for sovereignty spans at least five areas (economic and financial issues, public health, digitalization, climate policy, and security), and Europeans have been making good progress in all of them. The creation of a €750 billion ($915 billion) recovery fund shows that countries like Germany are willing to cross their traditional red lines in the interest of solidarity.

Of course, it is too early to declare victory in any of our current battles. Biden will struggle to govern a polarized country in the face of Republican resistance. Delivering vaccines to the entire world will be an enormous logistical challenge.

Competing great powers could yet derail the climate agenda in the lead-up to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.

The threat of recession and new debt crises could exacerbate inequality, auguring a return to more toxic politics. The revival of the European dream will depend on the outcome of highly contested national elections.

But as 2021 nears, things look a lot better than they did just a few months ago. We now have at least five reasons to celebrate the New Year.

About the author Mark Leonard is Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

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