Business24 Newspaper 12th February, 2021

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2021

BUSINESS24.COM.GH

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2021

NO. B24 / 158 | NEWS FOR BUSINESS LEADERS

Investor sentiments seen improving as inflation declines

Health Minister-designate Kwaku AgyemanManu at his vetting on Wednesday.

World Bank to provide US$120m for Covid-19 fight

By Eugene Davis ugendavis@gmail.com

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he country is expected to receive a loan of US$120m from the World Bank to help tackle the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.

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Vegetable prices continue to be a key driver of food inflation

By Joshua Worlasi Amlanu macjosh1922@gmail.com

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he latest decline in consumer inflation from 10.4 percent at the end of 2020 to 9.9 percent in January is good for investor sentiments, a senior analyst with Databank Research, Courage Kingsley Martey, has

said.

The decline in headline inflation to within the Bank of Ghana’s medium-term target of 8±2 percent is largely attributable to a slowdown in the growth of food prices such as vegetables, fruits and nuts.

“To start the year with a decline in inflation is good for investor sentiments on the

market, as it would support the decline in treasury yields that we currently observe on the domestic market—and it also deepens confidence in the current monetary policy stance as being appropriate,” Mr. Martey said in an interview with Business24.

Valentine’s Day / National Chocolate Day Publication

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Goldman Sachs warns sub-Saharan Africa faces wobbly recovery from pandemic

By Nii Annerquaye Abbey abbeykwei@gmail.com

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he Economics Research wing of Goldman Sachs, a global financial institution, says countries within the subSaharan Africa (SSA) region would find it difficult to escape the economic and fiscal fallout of the pandemic.

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Editorial / News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2021

Editorial

Celebrating Ghana’s cocoa

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or the past 16 years, Ghana has celebrated the National Chocolate Day. The goal of this noble celebration is to encourage the domestic consumption of cocoa-based products.

Ghana’s cocoa is famed for its premium quality abroad but not much is known about this at home as cocoa consumption remains relatively low among the population.

The decision to mark the National Chocolate Day every February 14 is very useful and has the potential of not only spotlighting the hard work put in by the cocoa farmers but also encourage even more domestic value addition.

Despite the global chocolate industry fetching billions of dollars in revenue every year,

major cocoa producers like Ghana happen to be at the bottom end of the value chain with those adding value to the beans making the most.

While it is encouraging that Cocobod succeeded in getting major buyers of the commodity to commit to paying extra for the sweat of these farmers, it is worth noting that any sustainable approach would have to focus on value addition.

For a long time, cocoa-based products especially chocolates produced in Ghana have lacked variety. Quite apart from that, their packaging also falls below the standards of imported products.

Thus, one of the key benefits of promoting the domestic consumption of cocoa-based products is that it strengthens the

domestic industry and ultimately helps in the creation of more jobs.

It is refreshing to see the sheer number of different locally-manufactured chocolate beginning to take up space in our supermarkets. As these companies enjoy more success in Ghana, they would be emboldened to enlarge their territories by exporting to other countries to take a share of the global industry.

Beyond the global multi-billion chocolate industry, there is also the potential to enhance the cocoa-related tourism sector. This paper believes that executing such a multi-prong approach would benefit the cocoa farmer immensely.

The National Chocolate Week is certainly the way to go and must be sustained at all cost.

Investor sentiments seen improving as inflation declines Continued from cover

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This year, treasury yields across the short end of the yield curve have declined. For instance, the 91-day treasury bill rate has declined year-to-date by 0.27 percentage points from 14.09 percent to 13.82 percent.

Likewise, the 182-day and 364-day treasury bill rates have declined by 0.11 and 0.04 percentage points, to 14.01 percent and 16.96 percent, respectively.

Data from the Ghana Statistical Service indicate that food inflation slowed to 12.8 percent from 14.1 percent in the previous month.

However, this is still above the average over the last 12 months of 12.3 percent. With this rate, food contributed 57 percent to the total inflation.

However, Mr. Martey said there seems to be elevated volatility in food prices since the 2020 lockdown, which is yet to fully diminish from the index.

“Intermittent disruptions to the domestic supply of staples amidst

the COVID disruptions to imports have been significant explanatory factors for the swings in food inflation,” the analyst explained.

“The situation emphasises the need for the authorities to quickly correct the supply-side disruption before it becomes endemic,” he said.

Vegetables continued to be a key driver of food inflation, recording a rate of 20.3 percent, although lower than last month’s rate of 24.2 percent. Fruits and nuts saw a decrease in price levels, recording -5.1 percent inflation, while fish and other seafood inflation was -0.2 percent.

The senior analyst was optimistic that headline inflation

will trend towards the central 8 percent official target by the second quarter of 2021.

“However, the pace of decline in headline inflation could be slightly undermined by the rebound in crude oil prices on the world market, with Brent now crossing US$60 per barrel. This could push up ex-pump prices and pose an upside risk to nonfood inflation,” Mr. Martey said.

Some other analysts have said that the higher-than-expected decline in inflation to within the central bank’s target range is likely to provide strong support for a policy rate cut at the next MPC meeting in March, subject to the outcome of February inflation, which faces immediate risks from higher crude oil prices.

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World Bank to provide US$120m for Covid-19 fight Continued from cover The facility is part of ongoing support from the World Bank Group for more than 100 countries in the fight against the disease.

Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Wednesday, the Minister for Health-designate, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, disclosed that government will soon receive the support.

The additional financing will support the government to scale up its efforts to mitigate the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic and to shore up the economy.

Mr. Agyeman-Manu also revealed that by March, the country will take delivery of

355,000 AstraZeneca vaccines, with plans to procure vaccines for an estimated 20m people.

He said Ghana opted for the AstraZeneca vaccine because it can be stored under normal room temperature, as against other vaccines that require storage under negative temperatures.

Ghana presently has over 6,000 active cases of Covid-19 and has recorded 482 deaths.

The upsurge in cases has forced many government institutions to rotate their staff, with Parliament, where a number of MPs have tested positive, shutting down for three weeks.

The World Bank Group, one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, is taking broad, fast action to help

developing countries strengthen their pandemic response. It is supporting public health interventions, working to ensure the flow of critical supplies and equipment, and helping the private sector continue to operate and sustain jobs.

The Group is making available up to US$160bn over a 15-month period ending June

2021 to help more than 100 countries protect the poor and vulnerable, support businesses, and bolster economic recovery.

This includes US$50bn of new IDA resources through grants and highly concessional loans and US$12bn for developing countries to finance the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

Goldman Sachs warns sub-Saharan Africa faces wobbly recovery from pandemic Continued from cover An analysis published by the firm said while the region may have succeeded in reining in the public health impact of the pandemic, economic gains made in the past two decades are at risk of being eroded.

“Our analysis points to a lagged recovery in sub-Saharan Africa, as domestic growth drivers stay subdued and FDI dries up.

This in turn would slow fiscal consolidation and compound already concerning debt levels.

Without a deeper prioritisation of vaccine rollout and renewed financial support from the international community, the economic gains of the past two decades could be erased by COVID-19,” the global financial institution said.

Early in the outbreak of the pandemic, African countries were tipped to bear the brunt of the effects owing to poor health infrastructure as well as weak economies to shoulder unplanned expenditure to contain the disease.

Despite faring relatively better in terms of confirmed cases as well as fatalities compared with developed countries, the

emergence of a new strain of the virus has coincided with a sharp rising case count and casualties.

“SSA finds itself in a rising second wave and a darkening outlook. Our findings imply that the spread of COVID-19 in SSA is higher than measured and likely to continue. The tools available to fight the disease are limited, with strict lockdowns too costly and the vaccination schedule light and slow,” the analysts said.

“The implications of the second wave of the pandemic would set back the continent’s path to recovery given that domestic lockdowns would restrict the services industry, a key source of growth in recent years, and tourism in particular would continue to suffer.

A lagged recovery does not

bode well for the main economic challenge currently facing the continent, that of a burgeoning fiscal crisis. We recently found that countries in SSA will follow the trend in the Central and Eastern Europe Middle East and Africa region by imposing a significant negative fiscal impulse in 2021.

However, in many countries this consolidation will not be sufficient to arrest a rise in public indebtedness, while risks are skewed to the need for further spending or weaker revenue growth,” they added.

The Goldman Sachs analysts also echoed the Bank of Ghana’s fears that the prospects of government achieving a faster fiscal deficit reduction has been made more difficult following

the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, which requires further unbudgeted expenses.

According to the BoG, Ghana’s fiscal deficit stood at 10.8 percent of GDP as of November 2020—a figure which could rise to about 15 percent if the cost of energy and financial sector reforms is included.

“The prospects of a sharp fiscal correction in 2021 now look unlikely amidst the second wave of the pandemic, which will be requiring additional spending to provide testing, vaccines, etc,” the central bank said when it met last month to assess the health of the economy.

Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister-designate, told Parliament last November that government intends to mobilise more revenue and rationalise expenditure in an effort to reduce the deficit to 8.3 percent of GDP in 2021, instead of the 9.6 percent target he had set in the 2020 midyear budget.

Mr. Ofori-Atta believed that achieving the 8.3 percent of GDP fiscal deficit target in 2021 would help government meet the 5 percent of GDP fiscal deficit rule— set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act—by 2024.

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Inspire new generation of youth to become agripreneurs – AGRA

By Joshua Worlasi Amlanu macjosh1922@gmail.com

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o avert the dwindling fortunes of the agriculture sector, the Regional Head of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Forster Boateng recommends interventions in agriculture that will seek to inspire a new generation of youth to become agripreneurs.

Speaking at the launch of the 4th Agric Students Career Guidance and Mentorship Dialogue Bootcamp (AG-STUD) 2021, Mr. Boateng called for a change of perspective from subsistence to commercial farming in order to attract the youth into agriculture.

The 2017/18 Ghana Census of Agriculture (GCA) showed that in a typical agricultural household, those engaged in farming are aging. At the same time, majority of the youth, between 15-35 years, do not seem to consider agricultural activities as a viable

Key stakeholders at the launch of the 4th Agric Students Career Guidance and Mentorship Dialogue Boot-camp (AG-STUD) 2021

source of employment, as only few are working in the sector.

Only about 29.7 percent of the 2.6 million agriculture households surveyed had youth from the ages of 15 to 35 years actively engaged in the sector.

Experts have said that the contribution of agriculture to the Ghanaian economy could further dwindle, considering the current modes of operation and characteristics of the persons and

institutions engaged in the sector The Regional Head further called for stimulation of income generating rural enterprises options along the value chain that foster the energies and skills of youth all year round and enable them to interact with the, cities and urban centers in some of their business.

Agric Students Career Guidance The Agricultural students’ career guidance and mentorship

dialogue boot-camp which, since its launch two years ago, has witness growth in content and acceptance.

The agricultural bootcamp is designed to inspire and grow agriculture students, beginner agribusinesses and start-ups’ expertise in the entire value chain of agriculture, while also exposing them to the dynamics of the market through education and leadership programs essential for achieving success in agriculture and agribusiness.

The program also inculcates leadership values into the youth, as well as best farm management skills in these beginner farmers, she stated.

This year, under the theme: Growing Futures: Establishing the Agric Youth, Agrihouse Foundation is further reinforcing the sustained growth and development of the agric student by setting up Business Club Units in the institutions as another important part of the programme.

MD of IMF calls for resetting of African economies to recover from COVID-19

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Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said there is need for resetting the African economies to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic to the path of growth.

She said: “bold and immediate action for response, recovery, and reset of African economies.

“Liquidity and financing response is the bridge to vaccines and recovery,” she added.

Ms Georgieva made these observations during a virtual meeting with African Ministers in charge of finance to discuss immediate economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic and convened by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

“The world stands to lose an estimated $9trillion if only the rich get COVID-19 vaccines. 40 per cent of this loss will be in advanced economies,” she said.

The IMF MD urged the Ministers to prepare for a focused and practical discussion during the 2021 Spring Meetings.

“Now is the moment to demonstrate that SDR allocation can be part of a comprehensive support framework, together with debt reduction, debt relief and policy support actions in the countries,” said.

Ms Georgieva noted that ECA’s Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe’s call together with Finance Ministers’ to triple concessional financing was “critical in the spring meetings’ conversations last year.”

During the meeting, the Ministers were unanimous in their call for additional liquidity, $500billion in Special Drawing Rights (SDR), better market access, more concessional resources and an extension in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), given the prolonged nature of the pandemic.

Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s Minister of Finance and Economic Planning-designate said:“We all know that the COVID-19 pandemic will persist for the next 2-3 years. Why are we extending the DSSI for six months and not 24 months?”

He said the cascading effects of COVID-19 were “a frightening thing for a finance minister to witness when they don’t have the means to respond.”

On access to the markets, Egypt’s Minister of Finance, Mohamed Maait, said “there’s a strong case for vulnerable countries to access the markets

at affordable rates to afford essentials such as PPEs and food for their populations.”

Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines was highlighted as an imperative for building forward better.

In addition to vaccine availability, ECA’s Songwe, stated that the issue of distribution and deployment were also worthy of serious attention. And for this reason countries needed additional fiscal space and less austerity.

GNA

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Winners of women’s COVID-19 Stimulus Fund set to receive price packages

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eneficiaries of the COVID-19 Stimulus Fund are expected to be presented with their stimulus packages at a virtual ceremony on Friday, 12th February, 2021, organisers have said.

This initiative is the first of its kind and aims to provide funding and business support to the finalists.

The fund is in response to the economic impact of COVID-19 on businesses, and the Women’s Empowerment and Investment Group (WEIG) commitment to supporting and investing in female-led enterprises in Ghana in partnership with Annan Capital Partners and GUBA. The event is also organized in partnership with Ecobank Ghana Limited and Ozé.

Launched in June 2020 by three serial entrepreneurs, Adeline Akufo-Addo Kufour, Roberta Annan and Dentaa Amoateng, the fund seeks to enhance SME growth by providing funding, infrastructure and skills training opportunities through private sector partnership.

Brains behind Covid-19 Stimulus Fund - Adeline Akufo-Addo Kufour (L), Roberta Annan(M) and Dentaa Amoateng(R)

The initiative attracted thousands of applicants from female entrepreneurs across the country within the agriculture, fashion, e-commerce, health industries. After a thorough review and selection process, 70 candidates were shortlisted after which the final 10 winners were announced in December 2020.

The winners were selected based on certain criteria including: business viability, length of operations, business revenue, industry, social impact and economic value.

The winners include: Henrietta Boateng- Be My Honey Company Ltd – which specializes in agribusiness, Selasi Dzikunu Delse Enterprise Ltd, (skincare and beauty brand), Selina Beebako-Mensah – Selina Beb (fashion), Mariam Twumasi – Herconcessions (Events), Jennifer Asare - Boateng – Alexander Rowe Properties Ltd (Real Estate), Dr. Juliette Tuakli – Child Accra Ltd (Healthcare & Public Health) and Maame Adjei Barwuah – Sweetroots Media (Media).

Others are Duodu Pentila

Patricia – Patbaf Company Ltd, a Waste Management company, Clara Pinkrahsam – Clatural Wear Ltd (Fashion) and Serwaa Emmanuella Gyawu, Ecocent Recycling Ltd, dealers in Plastic Recycling.

Speaking on the need for the COVID-19 Stimulus Fund, CEO of the Women’s Empowerment and Investment Group (WEIG), Adeline Akufo-Addo Kufour explained that the fund was set up to inject capital into femaleled enterprises that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roberta Annan, Founder and Managing Partner of Annan Capital Partners (ACP) underscored the importance of private sector partnership in providing relevant solutions and infrastructure to address the unprecedented challenges SMEs are facing as a result of the pandemic.

The Founder of GUBA, Dentaa Amoateng also reiterated the need to help these female entrepreneurs rebuild and scale up their businesses.

MTN Group drives future-fit workforce solution to match rapid digital change

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TN Group has unveiled its new Employee Value Proposition (EVP) entitled “Live Inspired” to drive agility, flexibility and future fit skills for its workforce.

Learning the lessons of the challenges brought about by COVID-19, MTN has adopted a refreshed, organisation-wide

approach, which involves a move away from older, conventional ways of working and into the ‘new normal’ with confidence and optimism.

“For us, it’s really about the power of choice having recognised that our staff values are motivated by choices and flexibility. It is for this reason

that our EVP is designed to cater to the various personas and preferences that helps people realize their true potential,” says Paul Norman, MTN Group Chief Human Resources Officer.

MTN has entrenched smartworking through principles such as anytime work, anywhere workplace and balanced worklife. Our programmes capitalize on the organic movement towards a digitaladopter mindset and flexi-workforce.

“As technology moves forward and our business converges, we need to do the same with our capabilities.

Having the best talent is as important as having the best network,” Norman adds.

Talent convergence in line with the rapid pace of technological change is the way of the future, driving digital learning consumption

growth indicating a natural shift towards upskilling and reskilling. MTN’s digital aspirations is geared towards accelerating the creation of future capabilities, empowerment and agility at scale.

“The EVP will support our reputation for innovation, customer-centricity and being a company that is driven by people who bring personal commitment and a range of skills and experience together for the benefit of our customers,” says Norman.

He says real growth is inspired by a purpose that advances individuals and impacts on organisations and communities.

We aim to enable opportunities for individuals to be innovative, acquire skills and meaningfully impact on our customers.

MTN’s focus will be to create an inspiring environment for everyone to ‘activate one’s whole self ’. This will be powered by genuine inclusion, respect for diversity, fair rewards, true recognition and personal flexibility to contribute most productively.

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News

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MPS Terminal 3 named key port in new CMA-CGM South America -- West Africa (SAMWAF) service

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eridian Port Services Limited, MPS Terminal 3, has been selected as a key port in a newly upgraded service to West Africa being pioneered by the French Shipping Giant, CMA CGM. The SAMWAF Service will establish a direct link between Brazil, South America and West Africa with Durban, Cape Town and Luanda in the loop. The service is expected to discharge and load both gateway and transhipment volumes.

By this, Tema Port has been chosen to be a transhipment hub extending the connectivity of Tema’s Terminal 3 with the South American trade to Benin and Nigeria (Cotonou and Lagos).

Seven vessels have been put on route for the SAMWAF Service with 5 from CMA-CGM and 2 From Nile Dutch Service. The operated 7 vessels have a TEU capacity in the range of 3,500 with Length Over All (LOA) between 220m and 240m, Beam 32m to 35m and maximum draft of 12m to 12.5m.

Meanwhile, the expected volume per vessel call at MPS Terminal 3 is 1,100 Container Moves (about 1,600 TEUs).

The first vessel on this service is the GH LESTE with voyage 04K83E1MA which loaded in Brazil at the Ports of Paranaguá, Itajai and Santos and currently en route to the port of Durban and

expected to arrive in Tema by 5th March 2021.

“This is welcoming news” said Mr Cyrille Lemee, the Deputy CEO of MPS, who explained that MPS is currently rolling out a new yard strategy that can adequately cater for the transhipment volumes that will arrive on the SAMWAF Service.

Moreover, Mr Lemee revealed that to ensure greater efficiency, MPS has along with its existing infrastructure, technology and equipment also allocated a fixed Berthing Window for this service.

This implies that vessels arriving under this service will be allotted a dedicated weekly Berthing Window (time-slot) where the vessels will be berthed on arrival every Friday 07:00 LT and sail away by Saturday 05:00 LT. Mr Mohamed Samara, CEO of MPS, further indicated that MPS is the first port to introduce the Berthing Window scheme in the sub-region and continues to effectively operate it. This guarantees berthing vessels on arrival and allocating adequate resources to handle the expected volume with high productivity levels.

The Berthing Window Scheme diminished the vessels’ waiting time at anchorage to zero and faster vessel turn around, saving the liner service costs and increasing vessel utilisation

among many others.

“Our tag line has since 2019 been “We Connect, You Thrive”. With this new liner service and many more that we expect to happen, MPS will continue to be a strategic partner for the development of trade and industry providing the various markets an enhanced connectivity within the region and beyond. Our hope is that this unique opportunity with CMA-CGM will be explored by the trade and industry players for maximum benefits.” Said Mr Samara, CEO of MPS. This is not only a significant move for Ghana but also offers great benefits to the continental industry players to expedite the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agenda. Exporters and Importers from Ghana and the other African Countries can now move their goods from the point of origin to opening African markets in a more cost-effective way and shorter time.

Terminal 3 establishes reliable connectivity with several markets in East, South, Central through to West Africa with this service that covers the following Ports and Hubs: Pointe Noire, Douala, Matadi, Libreville, Cabinda, Luanda, Cape Town and Durban through to East Africa.

Surely, Meridian Port Services Limited is on course to fulfil the quest from the onset to establish

the much-needed connectivity between African Ports and the rest of the world.

SAMWAF Service Key Features • The SAMWAF Service will improve the transit time to Ghana by 10 days (33 days from Santos) • Tema Port will be directly connected to several ports in Brazil (Paranaguá, Itajai and Santos) as well as Durban, Cape Town, and Luanda.

• Tema Port-Ghana will have direct connectivity CotonouBenin and Lagos-Nigeria (the biggest economy in West Africa) • The SAMWAF Service is offering a direct link to the trade’s main markets in Africa and South America.

• The SAMWAF Service is connecting Africa’s main trading hubs and will be extended to several other ports through transhipment.

Benin and Nigeria will be offered via Tema.

Moreover, the service will be offered to the following regional ports; Pointe Noire, Douala, Matadi, Libreville and Cabinda.

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Valentine's Day / National Chocolate Day...

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2021 FRIDAY, 12TH FEBRUARY, 2021

BUSINESS24.COM.GH

Cheers to a bite of healthy Ghana chocolate!

By Nii Annerquaye Abbey

Cocoa as a cash crop has served the Ghanaian economy very well, from long before independence. Apart from earning precious foreign exchange, the crop provided livelihoods to farmers, with many using proceeds from the tree to educate their children to become useful citizens.

Over the years, cocoa farmers have laboured behind the scenes without gaining the much-needed recognition they deserve for their efforts in making the country one of the largest producers of the cash crop in the world.

Despite being the second-biggest exporter of cocoa, Ghana’s role in the multibillion-dollar chocolate industry has remained overshadowed by countries that use her raw materials to produce the finest cocoa-based products.

For cocoa farmers to take their rightful place in the national economy, and the country its deserved place in the global chocolate industry, a change of approach is needed.

The National Chocolate Day was launched 16 years ago with the goal of boosting domestic consumption of chocolate as well as other cocoa-based products. It also presented an opportu-

nity for Ghanaians to savour the hard work of these farmers.

It is a known secret that some of the best confectionery makers in the world place a premium on Ghana’s cocoa. That notwithstanding, Ghana-made chocolate barely makes it to the shelves of supermarkets outside of the country.

It appears that Ghana’s focus has largely remained on exporting the raw unprocessed beans, with little attention given to domestic consumption. Perhaps if attention was given to domestic consumption, more locally-made products would find their way into local supermarkets.

Indeed, the benefits of domestic consumption are enormous – ranging from extending the value chain, which provides more jobs, to giving the country extra foreign exchange through the export of cocoa products.

Before the National Chocolate Day was launched 16 years ago, there was no strategic approach to driving the consumption of chocolate or any other cocoa-based products. Through the ingenuity of people like the late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, the National Chocolate Day has become one of the days to look

forward to.

It must be said that the decision to choose February 14, St. Valentine’s Day, as the National Chocolate Day was indeed a masterstroke. Given cocoa’s natural properties, which are known to enhance cardiovascular health, there could never have been a better symbol of love than chocolate, as has been widely marketed for the past 16 years.

Despite its relative success, there is clearly more work to be done to ensure domestic consumption of cocoa increases. According to the COCOBOD CEO, Joseph Boahene Aidoo, the country’s per capita consumption is 0.53 kilograms, which is far below the consumption rate in Europe and the Americas of around 6.6 kilograms per capita.

Speaking at the launch of this year’s National Chocolate Week, he argued that the nation needs to step up its per capita consumption of chocolate and other cocoa products to boost the national economy and reduce the export of raw cocoa beans for processing.

Ghana currently processes about 40 percent of its raw cocoa beans locally, with Cocobod setting a target to process at least 50 percent locally. In re-

cent years, Cocobod in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority has expanded the celebration of National Chocolate Week, which should provide even more opportunity to encourage domestic consumption of cocoa-based products.

One lesson the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted is the need for economies to be self-sustaining. And any plan to drive domestic consumption deserves all the support that one can garner. Apart from the soothing taste of cocoa, its health benefits are enormous and also very useful in the times that we live in.

Cocoa’s antioxidant properties work well to boost one’s immune system – which is very key in mitigating the harm caused to the body by the novel coronavirus.

As we mark the National Chocolate Week, remember: for every bite of chocolate or every sip of cocoa beverage, not only are you protecting the jobs of farmers but you are actually giving your immune system a boost to withstand the ills of this deadly virus.

Do have a good chocolatey day!

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Chocolate –Food for the Ages Few foods have been around as long or are as universally liked as chocolate.

Chocolate is a fruit from the cocao tree. The cocao trees are grown predominately in West Africa, Asia, and South America.

And while the term cocao bean is typically used, they are actually seeds that grow inside large pods on the cocao tree. Chocolate not only tastes delicious; it contains health promoting phytonutrients called flavanols.

History Chocolate is believed to date back over 5000 years to the Mayo-Chinchipe culture of the upper region of Ecuador.

The Mayan Indians believed cacao was a gift from the gods and used it as part of religious ceremonies and funerals.

Chocolate was originally consumed as a bitter drink made by grinding cacao seeds into a paste and then mixing with water, vanilla, chili peppers, and other spices to make a drink.

Chocolate was considered to be an energy drink and to have aphrodisiac and medicinal qualities by ancient Mesoamerican civilizations (areas located in Central America up to central Mexico). Cocao beans were even used as currency for trading for goods such as food. Spanish friars and conquistadors are reported to have brought chocolate to Europe in the 1500’s where it continued to spread.

Chocolate became more affordable to make with the invention of the cocao press by a Dutch chemist in 1828.

The first chocolate bar was made in 1847 by a British chocolate company,

J. S. Fry & Sons. The chocolate maker, Cadbury, is credited for creating the Valentine’s Day chocolate box.

In the 1870’s, a Swiss chocolatier, Daniel Peter, used a powdered milk developed by his neighbor, Henry Nestle, to produce milk chocolate bars. Swiss chocolatier, Rodolphe Lindt, invented the conching machine in 1879 which aerated chocolate to give it a creamy texture and exquisite taste.

People who are sensitive to caffeine should note that chocolate does contain caffeine. The higher the percentage of cocao solids, the greater the caffeine content. Two ounces of dark chocolate contains about 50-60 milligrams of caffeine. For comparative purposes, an eight-ounce cup of coffee contains about 100-200 milligrams of caffeine, depending on how it is brewed.

Health benefits of Chocolate

How chocolate is made

Cocao is rich in flavanols. Flavanols are one of the six main types of flavonoids, plant-based phytonutrients with numerous health benefits. Many plant-based foods and beverages, such as fruits, vegetables, tea, and wine, contain flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidants, meaning they are anti-inflammatory and help protect the cells of our body from oxidative stress.

Antioxidants lower risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Different flavonoids offer unique protective properties.

For example, flavonols, reduce the risk of prostate cancer. While other flavonoids, such as anthocyanidins, decrease risk of lung cancer. Since flavonoids are anti-inflammatory, they have been shown to reduce the cellular response to pain. Flavonoids have also been found to have antibacterial and antiviral properties. Multiple studies found that some flavonoids could prevent cell replication of H1N1 flu, HIV, and SARS.

Many steps are required in the making of chocolate. First, the cocoa seeds are removed from the pod, then dried and roasted. Next, the shells of the seeds are separated from the meat, or cocao nibs using a winnower machine.

The cocao nib is what is put into a refining machine to become chocolate.

The nibs are ground into a liquid, which is called chocolate liquor. During this process, the fat portion, cocoa butter, is separated out. The chocolate liquor is further refined into cocao solids and ground into cocoa powder.

Dark chocolate and milk chocolate are both made from cocao nibs or chocolate liquor. Milk chocolate contains four ingredients: sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder and cocao nibs.

Dark chocolate contains three ingredients: cocao nibs, cocoa butter, and sugar. White chocolate is made from sugar, cocoa butter, and milk powder and contains no cocao nibs. Lower quality chocolate candy may also contain butter fat, vegetable oils, and artificial coloring or flavoring.

Dutch chocolate is made by treat-

ing cocoa with an alkali. This process, sometimes called “Dutch-processed”, causes a significant loss of flavanols.

Chocolate Safety Occasionally a white film may appear on chocolate. This is called “chocolate bloom” and is caused from the cocoa butter or sugar rising to the top of the chocolate. The chocolate still tastes good and is safe to eat since bacteria on the cocao seeds are killed during the roasting process.

Refrigeration promotes chocolate bloom. To remove chocolate bloom, melt the chocolate over low heat while stirring. After melting, allow the chocolate to slowly cool back into a solid.

For best appearance and shelf life, chocolate should be stored in a cool, dry area (65-70 °F) in a tightly sealed container. If stored as recommended, dark chocolate should last up to two years.

Chocolate trends Most Americans report consuming and giving chocolate candy at Valentine’s Day. Despite the COVID pandemic, this Valentine’s Day is not expected to be different. Among those buying chocolate for Valentine’s day, 32 percent report that chocolate with caramel is the most popular variety.

Both Nestle and a Japanese company, Cacao Fruit Chocolate, are producing a chocolate candy that is sweetened with white cacao pulp rather than sugar and will soon be introducing their candy into American markets.

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Interesting Valentine’s Day customs around the world

By Claire WASILWA

February is the month of romance with Valentine’s Day being commemorated all over the world. Loved ones exchange gifts, flowers, chocolates and share meals.

This day isn’t all about flowers though. Different countries and cultures celebrate love in their own way.

Some exchange love spoons while others celebrate friendship, and not necessarily romantic relationships.

Others celebrate their countries’ products to promote trade.

Some follow the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, includes fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery.

Here's a look at how people celebrate love in different parts of the world.

GHANA Every February 14, Ghana celebrates National Chocolate Day. It was inaugurated by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority and Cocoa Processing Company, Ghana Cocoa Board and other stakeholders in 2007.

The aim is to create awareness on the need for Ghanaians to consume cocoa products and help generate more revenue for national development.

SOUTH AFRICA Most couples in South Africa celebrate the day with romantic dinners, chocolates and gifts. However, some people follow the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, from which some

historians draw links with the origin of Valentine's Day. This festival has its roots in the ancient Roman empire, and was observed annually between February 13–15 to avert evil spirits and releasing health and fertility.

However, this festival was considered a pagan rite, so the Roman Catholic Church later abolished it.

Some South Africans however, in an ode to Lupercalia, pin their lover's name on their sleeves.

SOUTH KOREA Couples in South Korea celebrate the day of love on the 14th of each month.

The day of roses is celebrated in May, the day of kisses in June and the day of hugs in December.

Valentine’s Day is celebrated monthly from February through April. On February 14, women woo their men with chocolates, candies and flowers. On March 14, a holiday known as White Day, men return the favour by showering their lovers with chocolates and flowers.

Those who don't have much to celebrate on either Valentine's Day or White Day celebrate their independence by dining on bowls of black noodles on April 14.

PHILIPPINES Apart from the usual tradition of flowers and chocolates on Valentine’s Day, most couples in the Philippines officiate their marriages on February 14th.

Mass wedding ceremonies have gained popularity in the Philippines in recent years, leading to hundreds of

couples gathering at malls and other public areas around the country to say I do or renew their vows.

These huge events are often sponsored by the government as a form of public service.

Lovers exchange unique and beautifully handcrafted wooden spoons known as love spoons to each other.

Since the 16th century, Welsh men curved intricate wooden spoons as a token of affection for women they loved.

BULGARIA

ESTONIA AND FINLAND

According to AdventureFlair, Bulgarians Celebrate Valentine’s Day by pruning vines. They refer to it as The Wine Holiday.

Winegrowers gather and bring fresh bread, fried chicken and wine vessels.

Together they select the king – the best producer of grapes and wine, make him a crown of vines.

For more Bulgarians February 14 is entwined with wine and love. Young and old couples celebrate their love with a glass of local wine.

They believe that if you are in a relationship you can celebrate with your partner, and if you are not you can just get wine drunk.

The two countries celebrate February 14 by honouring both friendship and romantic love. Estonia celebrates friendship day known as Sõbrapäev.

Gifts and cards are given to anyone considered a friend, including neighbours. This is an inclusive day, not just for couples, so family members and friends exchange gifts and celebrate love.

Estonia also has a tradition for single people to ride on the Love Bus in hopes of meeting someone special.

WALES The Welsh don't have to wait until February 14 to let their lovers know how they feel.

The country celebrates its day of love on January 25, which is called Saint Dwynwen's Day, the Welsh patron saint of lovers. This makes her the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine.

On this day, men traditionally gift women with hand-carved wooden spoons. The tradition is based on the notion that Welsh sailors carved designs into wooden spoons while at sea to bring back to their lovers back home.

JAPAN Women in Japan make the first move by giving men gifts. They give out two kinds of chocolate; honmei choco, which is more expensive and often homemade. It is usually given to a special friend as a way of expressing love to that person. Women also prepare bags of giri choco, an inexpensive chocolate, to pass out to friends.

Men return the gesture on March 14, known as White Day. Men gift women with white chocolate and other gifts as a sign of their affection.

White Day is also marked in other Asian countries including Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Myanmar.

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COVID-19: Ghana to experience ‘e-valentine’ Online and social media platforms are likely to host lovers for this year’s Saint Valentine’s Day celebration on February 14, in Ghana.

This follows the closure of pubs, restaurants and clubs to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Despite uncertainties of how the celebration will go with the closure of entertainment centres, managers of gifts shops are aggressively marketing love products through all platforms, with e-commerce, leading arguably.

Ms Shani Khadijah, Chief Executive Officer of Chic Events, a dealer in Valentine’s Day packages, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that he was reaching his clients through e-commerce channels with less physical interactions.

“Most customers now prefer using the e-commerce way of doing business. They usually make payments through mobile money and e-cards, which is even better, because, the virus is fast spreading and there should be less physical interaction to prevent its spread,’’ she said.

Ms Khadijah said despite the closure

of pubs, clubs, restaurants and eateries, clients were still showing great interest in the celebration, some ordering for home deliveries.

“In February last year, COVID was not intense in Ghana so I was advertising on both social media platforms and through physical interactions with people. This year has been different because it is solely an online advertisement and I’m enjoying it. The response is great.”

Ms Khadijah said her sales had sky-rocketed with the “special home delivery” service, which she said young lovers were using a surprise package for their partners.

Madam Yvonne Nuoriyee, CEO of Edible Treats, said she was well prepared for the celebration because she had purchased all necessary items needed for packaging and selling, especially online, due to COVID-19.

“I have already bought all needed items like chocolates, biscuits, drinks

and other edibles for packaging which are selling at a usual pace,” she said.

“I do advertisements on various social media platforms as well and that has made people glued to my packages.

Since the upsurge in COVID-19 cases, we conduct business using e-commerce channels and our customers are now used to it,” she said.

Madam Nuoriyee said to ensure the protection of customers from the virus, packages were delivered to customers through delivery personnel with strict adherence to all safety protocols.

“I wash and sanitise the items properly before preparing the packages for customers. Dispatch riders are also supervised to observe all safety protocols to prevent them from spreading it to customers and vice versa. Customers who purchase from us physically are also supervised to observe all safety protocols before entering the shop,” she said.

Madam Nuoriyee said products

like Boujee, Mi Amor, My Val, BiscChoc Bouquet, Mon Cherie and Money Bouquet, were already “hot cakes”, with many clients being online.

Mrs Shirley Galenku, a Senior Nurse, said she and her husband would celebrate the day online because she would be night duty.

She said she planned to order some gifts to be delivered to her husband and would also engage him online when less busy.

Paul Asante, a Student, said because of the closure of entertainment centres, he would spend the day with his girlfriend in his house but “the fun will be online. We will be checking stuff online and connecting with others.”

The GNA gathered that customised towels, shirts and mugs, diaries, chocolates, wine and teddy bears are in hot demand.

GNA

Gifts shops regaining life as Valentine Day approaches Gifts shops in Ghana’s capital, Accra, are gradually becoming, the talk of town a week ahead of the celebration of Saint Valentine’s Day. The shops, mostly decorated in red colours, are stocked with teddy bears, champagne, flowers and chocolates of different brands.

Madam Naa Aku, who has multiple gift shops at Makola, said, “I am trading in these items because of the Valentine season. The prices have changed and people are not really purchasing

them like they used to but we will still celebrate.”

She said a “love” teddy bear could cost between GHC190 and GHC220 and hopeful sales would pick up before the day- February 14.

Madam Abena Oforiwaa, a trader in chocolates and hampers, said patronage of chocolate was high.

The Ghana News Agency observed that the city was gradually being painted red with ‘love decorations’ at malls and other trading centres.

The fun appears bigger online and on social media platforms with dealers in E-Commerce attracting clients with juicy Valentine gifts.

Each year on February 14, people exchange cards, candy or flowers with their special “valentine.”

St. Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century, but has origins in the Roman holiday Lupercalia.

GNA

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National Chocolate Week: GTA, partners donate chocolate, PPEs to health workers The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), in collaboration with the Cocoa Processing Companies (CPC) and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has donated chocolates and Cocoa products to the Ghana Medical Association (GMA).

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and assorted items were also donated to show love and appreciation to frontline health workers for their timely service in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chief Executive Officer of GTA, Akwasi Agyeman, said the donation was to celebrate the health workers for their illustrious service to the country.

He noted frontline health workers had given their utmost dedication to the country during the pandemic.

He also observed that Covid-19 has “taught us, as a people, the need to adopt local solutions to our local problems.”

“We have realised that as a country we need to produce what we need. This is a reason why as we have partnered with COCOBOD to make the National Chocolate Week a remarkable one,” he added.

Mr Agyeman said the tourism industry had been hit hard in this pandemic, especially in the hospitality industry since travelers and revelers were not allowed to frequent tourist centres.

He, however, advised operators of the industry to abide by safety protocols, adding that, they were collaborating with stakeholders to ensure that

the protocols are observed.

Deputy CEO of COCOBOD, Dr Emmanuel Opoku, said the celebration of the National Chocolate Week was to sensitise the public on the health and nutritional benefits of cocoa.

He said Cocoa was nutritional in boosting one’s immune system and providing vitality.

“Cocoa aside it’s nutritional and health benefits to us, it is paramount to our economic growth as a country,” he said.

Dr Justice Yankson, General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association, commended the GTA and partners for the donation.

He advised the public to play their part in the fight against the pandemic, saying, Covid-19 was real and not a

figment of one’s imagination.

“The best way to protect ourselves was through the observance of the safety protocols including the wearing of nose masks and the washing of hands and practicing social distance,” he said.

The Parties under the auspices of Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture launched the National Chocolate Week on the theme, “Eat Chocolate, Stay Healthy, Grow Ghana”.

The long-week celebration is organised every February 14 to promote the consumption of chocolate and other Cocoa based products.

It is also to gives a healthy orientation to the celebration of Valentine’s Day in Ghana and generate more revenue for national development.

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Tema traders ready for Valentine’s Day celebration With just about three more days to this year’s Valentine’s Day celebration, some traders and shops in the Central Business District of Tema have started preparations towards the day stockpiling the shops with varieties of chocolate.

The day, also known as Chocolate Day in Ghana, helps to boost the

sale of chocolate products, encourage Ghanaians to eat made in Ghana chocolate and people show their love by exchanging gifts.

A Ghana News Agency team tour around the Tema Community One market and other parts of the Central Business District at Tema, between Monday and Thursday revealed that

most traders who sell on tabletops have displayed variety of chocolate products ranging from chocolate bars to toffees, evidently only few people visited the shops, some to inquire of the prices and others to purchase the products.

The shops, mostly decorated in red and white colours, were stocked with

teddy bears, champagne, red flowers and different brands of chocolate products.

In an interaction with a trader called Maame Afia who intimated that sales were a bit slow, but hopeful when the Valentine’s Day approaches, sales should pick up.

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Valentine's Day social custom Valentine’s Day, also called St. Valentine’s Day, holiday (February 14) when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. The holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February.

The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day. It came to be celebrated as a day of romance from about the 14th century.

Valentine's Day is celebrated on Sunday, February 14, 2021.

Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 CE by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus.

According to legend, the priest signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and, by some accounts, healed from blindness. Other accounts hold that it was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop, for whom the holiday was named, though it is possible the two saints were actually one person.

Another common legend states that St. Valentine defied the emperor’s or-

ders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. It is for this reason that his feast day is associated with love.

Formal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s, and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used. The first commercial valentines in the United States were printed in the mid-1800s.

Valentines commonly depict Cupid, the Roman god of love, along with hearts, traditionally the seat of emotion. Because it was thought that the avian mating season begins in mid-February, birds also became a

symbol of the day. Traditional gifts include candy and flowers, particularly red roses, a symbol of beauty and love.

The day is popular in the United States as well as in Britain, Canada, and Australia, and it is also celebrated in other countries, including Argentina, France, Mexico, and South Korea.

In the Philippines, it is the most common wedding anniversary, and mass weddings of hundreds of couples are not uncommon on that date. The holiday has expanded to expressions of affection among relatives and friends.

Many schoolchildren exchange valentines with one another on this day.

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Africa’s digital infrastructure now firmly on investors’ radar

By Arun Varughese, Head of TMT Advisory at RMB

B

ehind the glowing phone screens which provide us with endless access to information, entertainment and connection, lies a hidden digital infrastructure that is now getting far greater attention from investors and corporations given the growing demand for telecommunications in Africa.

Every mobile connection requires data to travel through our devices and to the supporting infrastructure of mobile telephony towers, fibre, data centres and under-sea cables to all corners of the world.

As demand continues to grow in Africa, every component of this value chain must grow in parallel. Given some of the fiscal constraints facing the continent, a significant share of the necessary capital has come from private investors and corporations.

The mobile network operators (MNOs) have in the past typically invested a large proportion of their revenues in the required infrastructure. The likes of MTN and Telkom for example, spend on average between 14% - 18% of their revenue in capital expenditures to both expand and to maintain their infrastructure.

This high expenditure is compounded by the fact that

rapidly evolving technology requires new equipment, denser coverage and more bands of spectrum.

Historically this has been a drain on their cashflow and shareholder returns. To try to enhance their returns, MNOs have begun to spin-off parts of their passive infrastructure such as the mobile towers in order to lower their capital expenditure bill as well as monetise and improve efficiencies in the management of these assets.

In so doing, African MNOs are catching up to a global trend of separating out the passive infrastructure to unlock value. MTN has led the way on the continent by selling their towers to independent tower companies. Telkom has also recently announced that it is seeking investment in Gyro, its tower and data centre portfolio.

A quick look at the company valuations of some of these infrastructure players reveals a large divide. Listed tower companies and data centres often trade at eye watering valuations at far higher levels than MNOs. A sale of these assets can be an efficient mechanism to release cash for growth and provide an uplift to MNO valuations.

In addition to the mobile tower deals, we have seen massive investment in the fibre,

data centre and undersea cable.

Besides the large MNOs, South African private fibre network operators such as CIVH have deployed large amounts of capital to fund the roll out of fibre to the home.

South African datacentre businesses such as Teraco have expanded their operations in line with demand from the hyper scalers and corporates on the continent. We have also seen deep investment in undersea cables from large-scale internet players like Facebook.

Private equity investors have also honed in on this trend and have we have seen a flurry of activity in this space. Actis recently invested in Octotel, the third largest fibre network in South Africa. Teraco, one of the largest data centre operators, was sold to Berkshire Partners and they have recently embarked on a multi-billion Rand expansion plan in South Africa.

In the towers space, Helios Towers successfully listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and American Tower Corporation acquired Eaton Towers, with both companies being sold by private equity funds. All these deals had the hallmarks of great private equity deals with strong growth in the underlying assets, strong value add and ultimately excellent returns. With global

private equity funds holding onto uncommitted capital of around USD1.7 trillion, there is certainly plenty of capital to deploy in this space.

Whilst mobile penetration has increased rapidly across Africa, internet penetration remains low at around 39% compared to the rest of the world which has approximately 63% internet penetration.

With a population of 1.2 billion people, there is vast potential for growth in the telecommunications sector.

The deal flow and investor demand are testament to the sound underlying secular trends in the sector. While concepts such as the fourth industrial revolution are bandied about, telecommunications is undoubtably the foundation for moving us into the next technological era.

Artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud computing, e-commerce, and autonomous vehicles are simply not possible without connectivity.

The space is certainly shaping up to be a beacon for investment on the continent and one that will deliver a success story for all stakeholders, including consumers and investors.

The cliché that data is the new gold may be getting tired, but in Africa, the story is just starting.

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The deception of forwarded messages and links

T

he value of data has led to increasing demand for it. Researchers and innovators need a lot of data of all kinds to bring about new products and services, improve service performance and venture into the unknown to bring about disruptions. There are genuine ways institutions collect data. One of such ways is the use of surveys.

However, people tend to ignore such surveys for several reasons. Cybercriminals and some companies without proper governance structures employ illegitimate ways to get the data they need at all cost. A common and misleading way to get users or people to gather data is through the use of links across the various social media platforms.

A link is a pointer to a record, material, or resource in another location. For example, if I have a music posted on YouTube that I want to share, I will craft a message like this to share on my social media platforms: Hello buddy, have you seen my latest video? Click here to watch it.

You will love this! Most often, we forward links to friends or groups to share presumably worthy information.

However, most people do not read this information themselves to ascertain the authenticity of the forwarded message.

Cybercriminals hide a lot of their nefarious activities within and behind links. Users have no idea what is behind the link.

It is only the programmer who knows what is behind the link. If you are to know that a link is going to steal information from your phone or email, there is no way you will click on it. In order to achieve their objectives on their targets, cybercriminals would wrap their criminal intention and activities with something that is more engaging, very attractive, that draws attention and deceptively appetizing.

Cybercriminals are like journalists. They craft headlines that would entice you to buy a newspaper and only for you to be disappointed with the content.

There are several things that can happen behind a link at the blindside of the user. When you click a link, you are at the mercy of the cybercriminal. There are series of technical actions which can be implemented within or behind a link but are unknown to the user. For a cybercriminal to steal your personal data or invade your privacy, they need your permission to do so. This permission from you is inherently embedded behind the link that has been presented in an enticing manner without your explicit consent.

Usually, behind these links are pieces of computer programs that will collect information from your device. The type of device, model, location, IP address, contacts details, ISP, pictures, etc. Some of these computer programs can be written to target

specific contents on your devices such steal passwords, copy and send pictures from your device.

Some of these links after clicking can download a piece of software on your device such as keyloggers which will send everything you type to the cybercriminal. Some are capable of taking screenshots of your activities and send it to the perpetrator. This is very intrusive and dangerously invade our privacy and poses serious security risks to our personality, digital image, families, and friends.

Do not trust anyone when it comes to links. Treat every form of link, especially on social media platforms with the highest level of suspicion and negative mentality.

Ask people who send this information if they have indeed verified them or visited the links and know their content. Do not forward links because you also got it from some group or think it may be useful. One golden rule to stay safe and also protect your friends and family, group members among other is that: do not forward a link you have not visited yourself or a message you have not read yourself to anybody.

have blocked you on WhatsApp. 2. I have sent you a secret message click here to view it.

3. MTN is giving out free credit.

Click here to get yours.

4. Click on Yes if you love Jesus.

These are just a few of the kind of deceptive messages that cybercriminals craft to engage their targets.

Another way is through the use of online forms popular among them is Google Forms. We are inundated with so many forms and surveys to fill online across all the social media platforms.

From filling a form for COVID-19 financial assistance to new employment opportunities with juicy and unrealistic salaries and bonuses with international travel opportunities.

Do not fall a victim to forwarded messages and links anymore.

They are very deceptive, and it is only the cybercriminal who knows what is behind the link provided. Do not be deceived and desist from forwarding messages you have not read or links you have not visited to friends.

Author: Emmanuel K. Gadasu

They are tricky and easily draw attention with their convincing nature.

For example: 1. Click here to see those who

(Data Protection Officer, IIPGH and Data Privacy Consultant at Information Governance Solutions) For comments, contact author ekgadasu@gmail.com or Mobile: +233-243913077

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Tackling the COVID hunger crisis

By Gordon Brown & Mark Lowcock

T

oday, 270 million people – equivalent to the combined population of Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy – are on the brink of starvation. This number has doubled over the last 12 months.

And it is the world’s children who are suffering most.

An estimated 11 million children under the age of five face extreme hunger or starvation in 11 countries in Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Asia. Of these, 168,000 will die of malnutrition by the end of 2022 unless they receive emergency support. And a total of 73 million primary schoolchildren in 60 lowincome countries are chronically hungry.

Hunger was already on the rise before the coronavirus pandemic, mostly as a result of war and conflict, and climate change exacerbated it. But the secondary effects of the pandemic have created a global hunger crisis.

One reason for this is that COVID-19 has broken the lifeline of school. More than 1.6 billion children have missed time in the classroom since the pandemic began, and nearly 200 million are still not back at school.

Previous crises have shown that school closures carry huge social and economic costs, including increases in child marriage and child labor. Some young people end up paying the ultimate price: complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls aged 1519 in low- and middle-income countries.

Ultimately, crises reverse progress on ensuring that all girls have access to quality education.

Moreover, schools provide many poor children with their only nutritious meal of the day. School closures mean that millions of children have lost their opportunity not only to learn, but

also to eat. Children have missed more than 39 billion school meals during the crisis. Women and girls are often the first to miss meals, and account for more than 70% of people facing chronic hunger.

The damage caused by just a few weeks of missed nutrition can stunt a hungry child for a lifetime, and malnutrition can stunt a country’s economic progress for a generation. So, getting children back into school where they can be educated and fed must be a high priority.

With relatively little money, the international humanitarian system has achieved much.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), for example, feeds around 100 million people per year.

And when COVID-19 severely disrupted commercial airline services, the UN created a logistics system to transport health and humanitarian workers and vital supplies, including food. But a crisis on this scale requires an ambitious plan that involves more than just providing school meals.

Humanitarian organizations can’t do it alone.

At their June summit, the wealthy G7 economies should commission a long-term plan to address rising global food needs. The plan should include provisions for pre-emptive action: building up food stocks, developing insurance as a protection, and supporting developing-country farmers and food growers with long-term investments to help them become self-sufficient.

Policymakers must also adopt innovative ways to generate financing, including guaranteebased facilities that can maximize the use of development aid and private-sector funding, which was at the heart of the 2015 Addis Ababa proposals for financing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Another priority could be a closer partnership between the UN and the World Bank – the

one wholly global organization capable of mobilizing substantial additional resources on a sustained basis.

But there is a very simple, common-sense solution to the immediate crisis: new international money. At least $600 billion in Special Drawing Rights (the International Monetary Fund’s reserve asset) can be allocated to poorer countries.

Leaders and lenders can agree on up to $80 billion of debt relief on the condition that the money goes to education, health, and nutrition. And the World Bank and regional development banks can rapidly expand grants and loans.

With around $10 billion this year, the world could stave off famine in Yemen, South Sudan, northeast Nigeria, and the Sahel. And it could prevent mass hunger – which immediately precedes famine – in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia’s Tigray region, and other vulnerable places.

This may sound like a lot of money. But it’s the equivalent of a dollar a month from each person in the world’s richest economies, and represents a fraction of 1% of wealthy countries’ pandemicrelated stimulus spending.

We need to move quickly. This means giving grants up front to the WFP and leading NGOs like Save the Children to feed hungry children and their families. With only 31% of refugee children enrolled at the secondary level, and just 27% of girls, Education Cannot Wait – which helps displaced children into school and has raised almost $1 billion in its short existence – needs to be fully funded. By directing additional resources to education, we can get 136 million children in some of the poorest and most conflictaffected countries back in school – and help them stay there.

COVID-19 has also exposed another educational divide: two

thirds of the world’s school-age children lack internet access at home, which prevents them from online learning. Today, only 5% of children in low-income countries have such access, compared to 90% in high-income countries.

A UNICEF-led project to connect the world could bridge this gaping digital divide.

The UK government has pledged to play a leading global role in getting all children into school and ensuring that girls receive 12 years of education. But we will not achieve that noble objective unless the G7 summit addresses this issue, in addition to food security.

Time and again, education has demonstrated its power to transform individuals, families, and entire countries.

But chronic hunger can have devastating consequences: cruel and preventable deaths, violent conflict, and mass displacement.

Ignoring the global scourge of hunger is thus not an option.

What happens in the world’s most fragile places has knock-on effects in the most stable countries.

The choice facing world leaders is simple: act now to tackle the hunger crisis, or pay a much higher price later. Immediate action will be cheaper and save more lives than responding only after multiple famines have taken hold and a generation’s missed education has exacted a terrible toll.

About the author Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, is United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and Chair of the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity. He chairs the Advisory Board of the Catalyst Foundation.

Mark Lowcock is UN Secretary-General Humanitarian Affairs.

Underfor

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