The New Ghanaian Newspaper

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10 YEARS OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY (2001 - 2011) VOLUME 11 NO. 9 FREE

Ex-President Kufuor Honored

After receiving the 2011 World Food Prize in Iowa State, Ex-President Kufuor flew to Washington DC to have a conversation with MCC CEO Daniel Yohannes on October 19, 2011, at the National Press Club. This is what Daniel Yohannes had to say about ex-President Kufuor.

“Thank you, all, for joining us for this conversation. I am particularly pleased that Bread for the World President David Beckmann could join us.

And, I am honored to be here alongside President John Kufuor: an outstanding leader, a visionary statesman,the deserving winner of the 2011 World Food Prize,and a friend of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Thank you, Mr. President, for being here.

MCC has had the great opportunity to observe President Kufuor’s work in Ghana firsthand.

When he was elected in 2000, President Kufuor committed himself to fighting hunger and raising the incomes of the people of his country.

He recognized the massive potential that lies in his country’s agriculture industry. Those of us fortunate enough to have visited Ghana know what a beautiful and fertile country it is.

But, Ghana’s agriculture industry Cont’d on page 25

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10TH ANNIVERSARY Banquet & Awards Night

Have you bought your tickets yet? See page 2 for details!

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The New Ghanaian Newspaper invites you to its...

10TH ANNIVERSARY Banquet & Awards Night

AMBASSADOR KABRAL BLAY-AMIHERE

SAXOPHONIST NIYI ADAMS

DEEJAY VEEJAY

MUSIC RABBI KEN APPIAH

Date: Saturday, November 19, 2011 Time: 7:00pm to 12midnight Venue: Hilton Springfield 6550 Loisdale Road, Springfield, VA. 22150

Ticket: $50.00

per head (No Tickets At Door) Guest of Honor:

Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere Chairman of Ghana National Media Commission, Ghana

Music by: Saxophonist - Niyi Adams; Music Rabbi - Ken Appiah; Deejay - Veejay Dinner will be served at 8:30pm prompt

For purchase of tickets and further inquiries please call: 571.577.0937 | 703.901.4277 | 571.435.4576 Come join us celebrate 10 years of serving the community!

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HEALTH WATCH

Editorial

Signs and Effects of Alcoholism When the telephone call came, with an invitation to come back "home" for a visit, I had not heard the voice on the other end in over 20 years. I accepted the invitation and made the trip, not realizing I would be walking into the midst of a family in crisis -- an emotional powder keg ready to explode.

A Family in Crisis One Alcoholic Can Effect Many Lives This unfortunately is a true story about how many lives one alcoholic can effect, and how alcoholism can spiral into a full-fledged family disease.

An Alcoholic in Denial Untreated Alcoholism Can Affect the Entire Family No matter how much they are admonished or scolded, how much encouragement and understanding they are offered, some will never make the decision to stop drinking.

A Family Disease There Is a Reason It's Called a Family Disease She blames herself for the violent outbursts. She lost her temper, lost control and said things that she did not mean. She knew what would happen; this was not the first time he hit her.

The Cycle of Violence 'Don't Worry, It Will Never Happen Again' The brightness of the room causes him to squint and he realizes it's morning -the next day. He says to himself, "If this is Saturday morning, what happened to Friday night?"

The Cycle Continues Repeating Behavior Over and Over The incident of domestic violence that we witnessed in our series "A Family in Crisis" is typical of the physical abuse that occurs in thousands of homes each day.

What Makes Them Stay?

Why Do Victims Stay With the Abuser?

Eh! Here comes trouble!

By the time they are done with you, your flock don finish!

Most people who come in contact with the inappropriate behavior of an alcoholic will simply walk away. But for many others, it is not that easy.

A Progressive Disease It Creeps Up on You Insidiously Over the years -- slowly and insidiously -- alcohol begins to take more and more control in a subtle and stealthy manner until it finally comes to dominate all aspects of the drinker's life.

Passing It On Passing Violence Down to the Next Generation An estimated 75 percent of those arrested for domestic violence report witnessing the same behavior in childhood, and 50 percent say they were abused themselves as children.

Another Child Affected Extreme Behavior Begins to Look 'Normal' Because of the insidious nature of alcoholism, alcoholics and even those around them sometimes do not notice that their behavior has slowly grown more extreme and unacceptable.

The Final Chapter?

The List of Victims Grows for the Alcoholic When alcohol begins to take more control of their lives, many alcoholics find themselves making promises that they cannot keep, buying things they can't afford, and signing contracts they won't possibly fulfill.

The Cycle Repeats The Violence Is Progressive Too When we last visited with our friends David and Glenda they were back together again as a couple and making plans for their future together, in spite of some dark clouds on the horizon.

For help check out the Drug and Alcohol Rehab ser vices website: http://www. drugandalcoholrehab.net or call 1-800515-DARS

10 & Loving It

I’m trying to go back memory lane and recollect my favorite memories of being 10 years old.

I have a running list of a few things I remember when I was ten: at ten, my best friends and I came up with our own sign language, which lasted for weeks till when our teachers almost caught us trading answers - two fingers for A, one for B etc on class exams and tests.

At ten my posse and I also discovered cartoon heroes such as Captain Planet, the then-famous Power Rangers and role-played as crime fighters very much like the mutant X-men super heroes.

We imagined having super powers that enabled us save the world!

Sounds imaginary and heavily laced with fantasy, but now that The New Ghanaian is 10 years old - A Decade of Excellent Service to the Community we, as an organization, are just a giddy, idealistic and excited.

As the newspaper’s publisher since day one, Joseph “Sonny” Vanderpuye, shared with me while we were working on this edition of the newspaper: “The fun has just began, after tweaking and stumbling to learn what works over the past decade, the TNG has a new beginning.”

A new beginning with purpose and honed expertise in the news sharing business, by utilizing multi-platform mediums of keeping you informed.

It is a blessing to have sustained a FREE monthly newspaper that caters to readers across the United States and beyond for ten, joyful, tenuous, challenging, rewarding years!

And to look over the milestone with a hand on our chest in committing to plough forward with more vim, an added platform in radio (www.SunlightRadio. com) and online via our website www. mytngonline.com. We appreciative all

your support and with your continued assistance, YES WE CAN! Akin the role playing in saving the world from evil villains characteristic of 10 year olds our pledge holds, still, as we strive to uplift and inform the community about Ghanaian news, culture & happenings each month, every day and every second on air, online and through print.

We are humbled by our past achievements and encouraged by the prospect of the future to keep blazing the trail.

In a few weeks we’ll be marking the occasion with a dinner and awards night at the Springfield Hilton hotel on Saturday November 19th.

The special guest of honor is Ghana’s former Ambassador to Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone, Kabral Blay-Amihere (the current head of Ghana Media Commision).

Pe r f o r m i n g g u e s t s i n c l u d i n g saxophonist Niyi Adams, The Apostolic church’s elder who established Soul Winners in Ghana and world-wide Ken Appiah, Deejay Veejay and many more.

If you are internet savvy you should look into purchasing your ticket from Eventbrite by typing in this url: www. tng10th.eventbrite.com or if you want to pick up your ticket or have it mailed to you call us at 571.435.4576 / 703.901.4277 to join in the fun.

A decade of excellent service to the community is earned, and we’re proud to wear the 10-years-of-making-a-difference stripes on our shoulders.

PUBLISHER: Joseph “Sonny” Vanderpuye MANAGING EDITOR: Emmanuel A. Gamor SENIOR STAFF WRITER: EDWIN JANNEY

Mr. Press man, I am late for a meeting can you call my office and set up an appointment.

I will be too glad to answer your questions then.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Muriel Vanderpuye Eddie Ekuban (FASHION) CONTRIBUTORS: Kofi Akosah-Sarpong, Jemila Abdulai, Etse Sikanku, Nii Ayertey Aryeh, Rev. C. John Thompson-Quartey, GRAPHIC DESIGNING: Sonny Vanderpuye The New Ghanaian is a monthly publication of MEDIA AFRIKA, LLC, 5515 CHEROKEE AVENUE SUITE 100, ALEXANDRIA, VA. 22312 To advertise or for more info call: 703.901.4277 | 571.435.4576 or send your emails to: tngeditor@gmail.com

Hi Pastor, I have a few questions for you. It has come to our notice that you are now a Cardinal Doctor... Which university or school conferred the Doctorate on you and for what discipline? And where did you get your first degree from?

5515 CHEROKEE AVENUE SUITE 100, ALEXANDRIA, VA. 22312

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GHANA WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS Theme: “Arise, Unite and Shine for the Lord”

Helena Rhabbles

P.C. Appiah

SONGS & PRAISES CONCERT Date: Friday, November 25th, 2011; Time: 7:00pm - 9:30pm Venue: Calvary United Methodist Church 2315 South Grant Street, Arlington, VA 22202 Featuring: Helena Rhabbles; Ebenezer Methodist Church Choir, Maryland; Catholic Community Church Choir, Annandale; Ebenezer Presby Choir, Woodbridge, VA.; P.C. Appiah & Ghana Wesley United Methodist Church and many more AWARD & DINNER NIGHT Date: Saturday November 26th 2011; Time: 7:00pm - 9:30pm Venue: St. Paul United Methodist Church 1400 G Street, Woodbridge, VA 22191 SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICE Date: Sunday November 27th 2011; Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm Venue: Calvary United Methodist Church 2315 South Grant Street, Arlington, VA 22202 Officiating Minister: Rev. Emmanuel Nkrumah. For further details please call: 703.342.7886

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Faith & Community

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Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere

Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere is the Guest of Honor of the upcoming 10th Anniversary Banquet & Awards Night of The New Ghanaian on Saturday, November 19, 2011 Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere is the current Chair man of the National Media Commission, Ghana’s Constitutional body charged with defending and promoting press freedom as well as regulating the media.

H e w a s G h a n a ’s H i g h Commissioner to Sierra Leone from 2001-2005 and Ghana’s Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire (2006-2009). He practised as a journalist for 25 years before his transition to the world of diplomacy.

He has had a varied career; was at one time a director of the Ghana Institute of Journalism; columnist of the Weekly Spectator during which he won the UAC Journalist of the Year in 1981; editor of the Free Press, Publisher/Editor of the Independent, and has contributed to a number of local and international publications.

He was a part-time lecturer at Fourah Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone for three years, finding time aside his diplomatic duties to lecture in mass media for free.

Ambassador Kabral is an editorial board member of the AU HERALD, published by the African Union. He is the author of three booksTEARS FOR A CONTINENTA N A M E R I C A N D I A RY; FIGHTING FOR FREEDOMTHE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN AFRICAN JOURNALIST and BETWEEN THE LION A N D T H E E L E P H A N TMEMOIRS OF AN AFRICAN DIPLOMAT. He was educated at St. Augustine’s Colle ge, Cape Coast and later studied at the University of Ghana, Legon and the London School of Economics. He is a Nieman Fellow of Harvard University and was honoured by the National Association of Black Journalists of the USA with its Percy Qoboza Foreign Journalist Award in 1981. The University of Sierra Leone in 2007 awarded him a Doctor of Civil Law (Honoris Causa) for his contribution to Ghana-Sierra Leone relations and teaching role at the Fourah Bay College.

A former participant in the

prestigious JOURNALISTS IN EUROPE Programme based in Paris, Ambassador Kabral made enormous contribution to the building of democracy and media freedoms in Ghana and West Africa as the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, President of the West African Journalists association and Executive Member of the International Federation of Journalists and Commonwealth Journalists Association.

Ambassador Kabral, a soccer enthusiast, is a member of the Board of Directors of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, one of Africa’s top football clubs, and chairs the Communications Committee of the club.

H e s u p p o r t s L iver p o o l Football Club and loves the poetry and music of Robert Nesta Marley and considers Er nest Hemingway as his favourite writer.

He is married to Esaaba and has five children childrenMarkus, Zandile, Zeba, Yaaba and Viktor Blay’chee.

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A Newspaper Timeline

59 B.C. ACTA DIURNA is published in Rome. Julius Caesar orders the major political and social events of the day to be made available to his citizenry. State appointed reporters, called “actuarii”, gather information on everything from wars and legal decisions to births, deaths, and marriages.

713 MIXED NEWS in Kaiyuan is first newspaper published in China. “Kaiyuan” is the name given to the year in which the paper is published.

1040 In China, Pi Sheng invents printing from movable woodblocks.

1392 Movable copper type is invented in Korea.

1447 Johann Gutenberg invents letterpress printing, a process that will enable the mass production of the printed word.

1501 Pope Alexander VI decreed that printed material must be submitted to clerical authority prior to publication in order to prevent heresy. Failure to do so could result in fines or excommunication.

1556 Venetian government publishes Notizie scritte, a monthly newspaper for which readers pay a “gazetta”, or small coin.

1588 In Cologne, Germany, Michael Entzinger publishes a 24 page newsbook reporting on the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The newsbook’s front page shows a woodcut representing the Spanish Armada sailing off the coast of England.

Although the report came months after the actual event occurred, this is one of the earliest “first reports” of a significant historical event.

1605 Johann Carolus publishes the first printed newspaper, Relation, in Strasbourg, now in France but at the time a part of the so-called ’Deutsches Reich’.

1621 In London, the newspaper Corante is published.

1631 The Gazette, the first French newspaper, is founded.

1639 First American colonial printing press 1645 World’s oldest newspaper still in circulation, Post-och Inrikes Tidningar, is published in Sweden 1690 Publick Occur rences is the first newspaper published in America when it appears in Boston. The editor, Benjamin Harris, stated he would issue the paper “once a month, or, if any Glut of Occurrences happen, oftener.” The royal authority, wary of publications printed without its express consent, suppresses the newspaper after only one issue.

1704 Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe and often recognized as the world’s first journalist, begins to Cont’d on page 10

Niyi Adams I will be performing live at THE NEW GHANAIAN’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY Come let’s join them celebrate 10 years of serving the community!

Saxophonist Niyi Adams is the leader of “Sound of the Word Ministries” located in Bowie, Maryland.

As a producer and songwriter of Christian music, he has produced 3 CDs, "Caution: God At Work," "Chronicles," 'Trust In Jesus," and one live DVD "Intimate Worship Experience." He has also lent his talents to several local and international Christian artists.

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 10 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY Cont’d from 9

publish the Review, a periodical covering European affairs.

1798 A l o i s S e d e n f e l d e r I nve n t s Lithography. Although invented over two centuries ago, offset lithography first gained popularity in the 1960’s, and is now the industry standard.

1803 Australia’s military government publishes the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, the country’s first newspaper. This is only fifteen years after the colony of convicts had been established in Sydney Cove.

1812 Friedrich Koenig invents of the Steam Powered Cylinder Press. In 1814, John Walter, publisher of The Times in London, began to assemble the new press in secrecy, fearing that his pressmen might riot if they discovered his plans.

On the night of November 28, 1814, Walter took his pressmen away from their hand presses with the excuse that he was expecting important news from the continent. He then used Koenig’s presses to produce the entire print run of The Times -- at an output of 1,100 sheets per hour.

1844 Telegraph is invented 1851 Reuters is established 1870s Charles Stewart Parnell uses the Freeman’s Journal to promote the causes of his Irish Nationalist Party.

1880 First photographs appear in a newspaper 1900 Vladimir Lenin founds Iskra, in Leipzig, Germany. This revolutionary newspaper is to become a major tool for Communist propoganda.

1903 Alfred Harmsworth (later Lord Northcliffe) develops the first tabloid newspaper, the Daily Mirror, in London.

The Daily Mirror introduced the concept of the “exclusive” interview. The first was with Lord Minto, the new Viceroy of India, in 1905.

1966 Behram “Busybee” Contractor begins publishing his column ‘Round and About” in the Evening News of India.

Running until 2001, the satirical column became the longest running column in the history of newspaper journalism.

1994 First independent on-line daily appears on the World Wide Web. SOURCES “Britain’s Re gional Press-A Brief History”, The Newspaper Society, Facts and Figures: History of British Newspapers.

Veejay I will be providing music for THE NEW GHANAIAN’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY Come let’s join them celebrate 10 years of serving the community!

Deejay Veejay is one of Ghana’s finest Deejays. Back in Ghana, when he was even in High School, he was acclaimed to be one of Ghana’s best Deejays you could ever find. He was with Skyhawks, Samens, Willie Chii and a few more renowned music providers (better known as spinners then).

Amongst Ghanaians in the US he is said to be the best with over 30 years of experience.

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What They Say: Quotes About Newspapers “Newspapers always excite curiosity.

No one ever lays one down without a feeling of disappointment.”

Charles Lamb, 1833 “Ne ver forget if you don’ t hit a newspaper reader between the eyes with your first sentence, there is no need of writing a second one.”

Arthur Brisbane, c1900 “They used to say man’s life was a closed book. So it is but it’s an open newspaper.”

Finlay Peter Dunne, 1902 “When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news.”

John B. Bogart, Editor NY Sun, 1882 “Newspapers cannot be defined by the second word -- paper. They’ve got to be defined by the first word -- news.”

New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberg, Jr. "People don’t actually read newspapers.

They step into them every morning like a hot bath."

Communications theorist Marhsall McLuhan “’The newspapers! Sir, they are the most villainous, licentious, abominable, infernal- Not that I ever read them!

No, I make it a rule never to look into a newspaper.’”

Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Critic. Act I Scene II "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have government without newspapers, or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."

Thomas Jefferson, 1787 “The newspapers are the ruling power.

Any other government is reduced to a few marines at Fort Independence. If a man neglects to read the Daily Times, government will go down on its knees to him, for this is the only treason these days.”

Henry David Thoreau, US essayist and naturalist, 1906 “We live under a government of men and morning newspapers.”

Wendell Phillips, U.S. abolitionist and orator, 1852 “Most of us probably feel we couldn’t be free without newspapers, and that is the real reason we want the newspapers to be free.”

Edward R Murrow, US broadcast journalist, 1958 “To read a newspaper for the first time is like coming into a film that has been on for an hour. Newspapers are like serials. To understand them you have to take knowledge to them; the knowledge that serves best is the knowledge provided by the newspaper itself.”

V.S. Naipaul, novelist, 1987 Cont’d on page 13

Ken Appiah I will be performing live at THE NEW GHANAIAN’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY Come let’s join them celebrate 10 years of serving the community!

Ken Appiah, the “Music Rabbi” is one of Ghana’s greatest Gospel Artist, providing audience with Praise and Worship music. Along with The Music Rabbi, recognized as one of the most recognized Praise and Worship Artist, his portfolio includes other music genre, including Reggae and Afro pop. Globally, he is the No. 1 Artist for Ghanaian Praise, Worship, Reggae and Afro pop music.

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 12 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Faith

An Open Invitation: RSVP required ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

[Matthew 11:28-30] These words of Jesus from Matthew’s gospel remind me of the famous words of Emma Lazarus, which have been etched on a bronze plaque by the Statue of Liberty, on Ellis Island in the New York Harbor.

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

These word, penned sometime in the late 1880s stood for many years as an American credo; aimed particularly at the recent immigrants who were swarming the shores of this great nation.

These immor talized words rang true to those who had left everything they knew in a world they had left behind to start a new life in a world they knew very little about.

I can’t imagine the fear and trepidation that must have filled the hearts and minds of those early immigrants as they carried their portmanteaus filled

with personal belongings and memories of a world they once knew but had to leave behind for a better life. Can you imagine walking away from your life right now and taking on a new life in an unfamiliar territory?

I suspect for many of us, this is easier said than done; for regardless of how tough our present life is, it is the life we know very well, and so giving it up for something we do not know cannot be an easy move.

Letting go of what we know to embrace what we don’t know or at least, know very little about, can be a very daunting and scary adventure! I am sure none of us would find that experience pleasurable. But as the saying goes: “desperate times call for desperate measures”.

And these are desperate time, aren’t they? One look at our bank accounts or our retirement saving (for those of us who are lucky enough to have one), will send cold chills down our spines. These are desperate times indeed, and again, we are called to take some desperate measures to shore up our losses, and perhaps, count our blessings.

We Christians are called to trust in a higher power that promises to take care of us and make everything right. Thus, the words of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel (above) bear the same

resonance to the words of Emma Lazarus.

Jesus said, “Come to me all you that are weary; take my yoke upon you and learn from me. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Recently, I stopped by Barnes and Nobles on the advice of a friend, regarding a personal issue I was struggling with. I was amazed at the volumes of self-help books that lined the shelves of the bookstore. We live in an age where self-help books abound. There is a book for everything you want to do to help yourself. I am reminded of a popular “Apple” commercial: [whatever you want]… “There is an app for that”!

But how are Christians supposed to live in the face of so many challenges?

Jesus tells us that the truth about our future and our restoration is hidden from the wise (those who wrote those volumes of books) and revealed to the infants (those whose livelihood depends totally on God).

Jesus offers us a better alternative to self-help books; “take my yoke and learn from me”. A yoke is a wooden instrument used to keep two beasts of burden (such as donkeys or horses) in order to pull a load. Wearied as we are

by the weight of the burdens we bare everyday, Jesus offers us an open invitation. The invitation of Jesus is to take him as our yoke mate. His is the other shoulder on which the wooden instrument will be leaning, if we accept the invitation. And when we depend on him to carry our loads, we will learn that nothing in our lives will be able to crush us and keep us down. We will find the rest that our bodies and our souls need to live!

Jesus does not tell a lie. He knows all your burdens and your challenges before you even become aware of them. Jesus is offering you an opportunity to rest your soul by learning from him. This calls for total surrender to the one who knows what suffering is. But of course this is too hard for us in our doit-yourself world.

My friends, the invitation is still an open invitation; there is no expiration date stamped on the invitation, so don’t let the evil one tell you that you are too late. Jesus continues to say to you: “Come to me with your burden; take my yoke; find rest for your soul”. And you know what is weighing heavily on your heart; that inconclusive test results; that ache or pain which will not go away; that feeling of hopelessness and despair; that fear which has gripped us by the

Reverend Father C. John Thompson-Quartey

neck, stifling us from taking bold and courageous steps to change the direction of our lives…

Total surrender to God and to the movement of the Holy Spirit is not something that comes to us easily with our need to be in control. We search for solutions in self-help books because we are convinced that we can do anything by ourselves.

But to turn our lives over to God in total surrender is what the invitation of Jesus in today’s passage is all about!

As one preacher put it: “Total surrender to God is a life “yoked to Jesus under God’s gracious and merciful reign, free from the burden of sin and the need to prove oneself, free to rest deeply and securely in God’s grace” [working preacher]

“Who do you say that I am?”

When I was getting ready to write an article for this issue I was not sure what God wanted me to write but for some reason I knew in my heart it had to be special. In my quiet time a few scriptures came to mind, but I would immediately discard it.

Finally I picked up my bible and opened the book of Matthew chapter 16. As I was skimming through this scripture, my eyes widened as I read verse 15.

Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do they say I am?”

Then I wondered at that question after all what did he care? In the beginning of his ministry he returned from Galilea filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Whilst teaching in the synagogues, the scroll was handed over to Him to read. And Jesus sat down and read: "The spirit of the Lord is upon me,to proclaim the good news, heal the brokenhearted send deliverance to the captives bring eyesight to the blind send away the bruised with deliverance proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord". That was his mission.

Jesus was fulfilling his mission

.If you would go with me down memory lane you will remember that at the river Jordan when he was being baptized, the Spirit of the Lord descending like a dove and God confirmed who Jesus is. God said “This is my son in whom I am well pleased.” So then, may I ask where did this question originate from? Was it because the Pharisees and Sadducees felt he was demon possessed, the son of Beelzebub?

He asks his disciples "Who do they say that I am?” Of course our actions define who we are. People had seen what he was doing and the miracles reminded them of Elijah,the prophetic words of Jeremiah and his fearlessness, John the Baptist."

T hen he tur ned to his disciples and asked "Who do you say i am?"Jesus put them on the spot. I can picture some of the disciples scratching their head and others pretending to be confused why had they not thought of that before? Then Peter opens his mouth and says "You are the Christ meaning you are the anointed synonymous

to the king, but did they not know hat already? They had experienced the anointing, in His presence demons had fled,the blind had seen, the lame had walked, the dead had been raised. He speaks like no one does but we know that already, yet Peter went on to say "You are the son of the living God!" By this time the disciples were saying " How did he know that?, Jesus replied "Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my Father in the heavens."

May I ask who do you say he is? the Muslims he was one of the major prophets, to the Jews he is not the messiah, and to atheist he does not even exist.

I would like us to go to the book of John chapter 1 when the Jews sent the priests to ask John the Baptist who are you?

And he answered “I am not the Christ I am the voice crying in the wilderness prepare ye the way of the Lord...He is the one coming after me whose shoe lace I am not worthy to untie.”

John said to Jesus, behold the lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world. John

confirms that he only baptized with water but the God that sent him to baptize told him anyone whom he saw the spirit descended like a dove and rested on him would baptize with the holy spirit. he said he bore witness Jesus is the son of God. To you, dear reader: Who do you say he is? Do you have revelation of him? Revelation brings understanding and understanding produces access.

Once Peter had the revelation, Jesus said "Simon the son of Jonah. You are Peter and upon this rock, upon the foundation of this knowledge shall my church be built and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it and with this piece of information you have the power to overcome the devil. The spiritual battle has been won before it even started, Alleluia!”

Jesus declares that "Again because this revelation has been revealed, you have the authority to bind anything on earth and it shall be bound in heaven and if you loose anything on earth it shall already be loosed in heaven.” Great authority

Muriel Vanderpuye Call of Esther Ministries has been handed over to God's children." that is Access.

The revelation you have about Jesus will determine your success in your walk with him.

He said "If you see me then you have seen the Father."

Moses on the other hand asked God if the children of Israel asked him who sent him.

What did he have to tell them?

God said "Tell them I am that I am, I am the God that sent you."

To the cancer patient He Cont’d on page 13

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 13 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Open Heaven Connection

General Apostle Edwin K. Otabil G o d h a s g ive n m e a STRATEGIC VOICE for this mid-night hour to communicate with His people who are due for divine elevation, to prepare them to experience the Explosion of Divine Elevation which will elevate them to their rightful place in Christ and enrich them with the unsearchable riches of Christ. If the Grace of God has located you for Divine Elevation this hour, I want you to go with me on this journey into God’s Sufficiency to enjoy the unsearchable riches of Christ that edifies and empowers us for good works.

Your Life is not accident God planned your life long before you were conceived (Jeremiah 29:11) God found a place in history to place us that is why we are where we are today. There are two profound scriptures that reveal our place in history. First is Isaiah 60:1-3: it says that at the time when darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness will cover the minds of people, God will bring our Light of Divine Elevation to make a difference.

When people delete God from their lives, they will be left with darkness. The realm of spiritual darkness is where Satan inhabits.

No one can make progress and advance in darkness. Look at where America is today; we are reaping the fruit of deleting God from our personal and national life. We are groping in darkness, with our politicians making all kinds of noises. But we know America’s solution will come from God raising a STRATEGIC VOICE to speak to the darkness “LET THERE BE LIGHT…”.

This is where you and I are in history.

The second scripture marking our place in history is Isaiah 2:1-3. It says in the last days, God will elevate His House to

become the House of Divine Elevation for all the people to report and grab the Light of Divine Elevation and go forward and do exploits in Jesus Name. We see that in God’s plan; the church will become the most prominent place in the Land where all the people will flow in and flow out with great substance. Explosion of Divine Elevation will begin from the House of God. According to Romans 4:25: Christ died for our Salvation and rose for our Elevation. The Resurrection of Jesus is the sure foundation for our Elevation. The same Spirit who raised up Jesus from the dead will also quicken our mortal body to experience the Explosion of Divine Elevation.

Wherever you are right now, you can thank God for locating you by His Grace to partake of the Coming Explosion of Divine Elevation. Begin to praise and thank God that Jesus death and resurrection is sufficient to change your eternal destiny if you only believe. If you can believe, God can do it again!

For further enquiries, call 571-332-1520 or email manotab@ comcast.net.

Newspaper Advertising Still Tops

by Remnant Media News

When it comes to planning a shopping expedition or making purchasing decisions, adults tend to lean on newspapers to help them prepare their line of attack. Based on a recent survey of 2,502 US adults sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) titled “How America Shops and Spends 2011” newspaper ads still rank number one in driving consumers to shop and in due course make purchases.

NAA President and CEO John Sturm stated, “They are an opt-in media in an optout world, making newspaper adver tising an ideal and effective choice for advertisers who want to reach consumers ready to shop and spend.”

The survey revealed that 4 out of 5 adults, or 79%, of those interviewed admit they “took action” as a result of newspaper advertising in the past month. The “actions” were defined as the following: Clipped a coupon – 54% Bought something – 46% Visited Web site(s) to learn more – 37% Tried something for the first time – 20% Additionally, advertising on a local online edition newspaper ranked second amid

web advertising choices. Nearly 72% of all adults surveyed said they read newspaper preprints and the figure rises to 90% for Sunday inserts. Over the course of 30 days, 79% acted on newspaper preprint advertising. 52% of the adults acknowledged that newspapers are the medium they use to assist in planning their shopping trips or making purchase decisions. Furthermore, 38% of the adults who claimed to be newspaper “non-readers” admitted they had used other forms of engagement in the past week such as checking local store sale ads, clipping coupons, comparing prices, researching movies or TV listings and classified ads, in conjunction with various forms of editorial content leaving this unofficial exposure to add an extra 13% points to the newspapers’ weekly reach.

T he re por t disc losed a ranking of the primary medium for checking advertising: 1. Newspapers – 35% 2. Internet – 28% 3. Ads received via direct mail – 12% 4. TV – 9% 5. Catalogs – 7% 6. Magazines – 3% 7. Radio – 1%

8. None of these Finally, the study found additional benefits stemmed from newspapers that ranked higher than other media such as: Checking for re gular shopping – 41% Supplying ads from stores normally shopped – 36% Being most trustworthy – 36% Rated the best in bringing attention to sales – 38% Being most valuable in planning shopping trip – 36% Prefer red for receiving advertising information – 36% Look forward to this form of advertising – 30% Despite the reduced circulation in newspaper print publications, online editions are on the rise. The NAA reported that an average of 105.3 million people per month visited a newspaper web site during the 4th quarter of 2010 spending 3.4 billion minutes per month browsing the pages. That equals to an astounding 32.3 minutes and 38.9 page views per individual per month. The sites reach 58% of adults age 25 – 35 and 73% of individuals living in households with incomes of $100,000+.

Cont’d from 12

is Christ the Healer, to the wounded he is the Balm of Gilead, to the orphan he is the Father of the Fatherless, to the broken he is the Repairer of the breach, to the prisoner he is the Deliverer To the lost he is your Saviour, to the poor he is your Provider, and to the hopeless he is the Glory and the Lifter up of our heads. Who do I say Jesus is?

He is the only one who died on the cross for me so that my sins may be forgiven.

He is the way, the truth ,and the life and no one goes to the Father but through him. If we claim we are his children and we need to have a revelation of who he is .

We should feel blessed for without him we would have been lost, we would have lived a lie and we would have been spiritually dead but thank God Jesus brought us eternal life.

As Jude put it in verse 24 and 25 Jesus is able to keep us from falling and he presents us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

Cont’d from 11

“Frankly, despite my horror of the press, I’d love to rise from the grave every ten years or so and go buy a few newspapers.”

Luis Buñuel, Spanish filmmaker “I often wonder what future historians will say about us. One sentence will suffice to describe modern man: he fornicated and he read newspapers.”

Albert Camus, French novelist, dramatist, philosopher, 1956 “My doctors told me this morning my blood pressure is down so low that I can start reading the newspapers.”

Ronald Reagan, US President, 1987 “In my view, far from deserving condemnation for their courageous reporting, the New York Times, the Washington Post and other newspapers should be commended for serving the purpose that the Founding Fathers saw so clearly.”

Hugo L Black, Associate Justice, US Supreme Court, on the press’s right to publist the Pentagon Papers, 1971 “Here is the living disproof of the old adage that nothing is as dead as yesterday’s newspaper...This is what really happened, reported by a free press to a free people. It is the raw material of history; it is the story of our own times.”

Henry Steel Commager, historian, 1951 “News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising.”

Lord Northcliffe "If you want to see television stations panic, go to a town where the newspapers are on strike."

Unattributed SOURCES: Bartlett, John. Familiar Quotations, 10th ed., Enlarged and edited by Nathan Haskell Doyle, Bartleby.com, New York, 2000

Jokes

A Soviet journalist walks into the hospital and tells the desk nurse, "I want to see the eye-ear doctor."

"There is no such doctor" she tells him. "Perhaps you would like to see someone else?"

"No, I need to see an eye-ear doctor," he says.

"But there is no such doctor," she replies. "We have doctors for the eyes and doctors for the ear, nose and throat, but no eye-ear doctor."

No help. He repeats, "I want to see the eye-ear doctor."

They go around like this for a few minutes and then the nurse says: "Comrade, there is no eye-ear doctor, but if there were one, why would you want to see him?"

"Because," he replies, "I keep hearing one thing and seeing another."

A newsboy was standing on the corner with a stack of papers, yelling, "Read all about it. Fifty people swindled! Fifty people swindled!"

Curious, a man walked over, bought a paper, and checked the front page. Finding nothing, the man said, "There's nothing in here about fifty people being swindled."

The newsboy ignored him and went on, calling out, "Read all about it. Fifty-one people swindled!"

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 14 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

House of Fellowship Church of God

Different Nations; One Body In Christ On Sundays we worship at: 4101 Pickett Road, Fairfax, VA. 22032 10:00am - 1:00pm On Tuesdays we are on: www.sunlightradio.com 11:00am - 11:30am Come and fellowship where the spirit of God is!

For more information please call 571.278.0012 or send an email to: houseoffellowshipchurchofgod.com www.hofchurchofgod.com

Pastor Josiah & Pastor Joyce Thuku Kambutu (Over 25 years in Ministry)

NEW ERA NURSING & TRAINING SERVICES We offer training in: CNA, CPR, FIRST AID & MEDICATION AIDE at your convenience at two locations.

ALEXANDRIA: 5999 STEVENSON AVENUE, SUITE 401, ALEXANDRIA, VA. 22304 WOODBRIDGE: 14416 JEFFERSON DAVIS HIGHWAY, SUITE 13, WOODBRIDGE, VA. 22191 We also offer: Low Tuition; Help with placement & Easy Financing For more information or to enroll, please call: 571.312.5983 | 571.239.8769 New Era, We Are The Best At What We Do!

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"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, ...that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

Galatians 3:13-14.

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 16 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Funeral Caskets At Unbelievable Prices Do not over pay for a funeral call us before you pay the funeral home!

• We will reduce the cost of your casket or funeral home package by $1,000 - $6,000 • We guarantee to save you money over a funeral casket • We deliver for free to any funeral home of your choice nationwide with 24 - 72 hours • We have sealed caskets for taking bodies to Africa • Funeral homes are required by law to accept our caskets For more information contact: K. Nkansah on Tel.: 571.384.8667 or Email: koby@casketsaver.com

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 17 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Home Going

The Quartey family of Ghana & USA; the Enninful family of Ghana & USA; the Odonkor family of Ghana & USA; Church of the Living God, VA.; Agape Life Ministries, MD. and Lighthouse Ministries, NC regret to announce the death of

Mrs. Josephine Quartey (nĂŠe Enninful) Aged 48 (March 6, 1963 - October 31, 2011) She is survived by her husband: Francis Quartey & children: Albert & Amanda Quartey

WAKEKEEPING: Friday, November 25, 2011 8:00pm - 1:00am Scotchtown Hills Elementary School 15950 Dorset Road, Laurel, MD. 20707

VIEWING: Friday, November 26, 2011 12:00noon - 1:00pm Fairfax Memorial Park 9902 Braddock Road, 22032

BURIAL SERVICE: Friday, November 26, 2011 1:00pm - 2:00pm Fairfax Memorial Park, 9902 Braddock Road, 22032

BURIAL: Friday, November 26, 2011 2:00pm Fairfax Memorial Park, 9902 Braddock Road, 22032 Contacts:

Francis Quartey Pastor Hughes Ernest Dodoo Teddy Ansong Sonny Vanderpuye

- 703.843.6314 - 703.795.9903 - 240.205.1124 - 202.415.9865 - 703.901.4277

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 18 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Ghana

African Dream: Ghana's Patrick Awuah After living in the United States for two decades, Patrick Awuah decided to go back to his native Ghana and set up the Ashesi University in the capital, Accra.

The name of the liberal arts college means "beginnings" in Twi, the widely spoken language of the West African country.

When the university opened in 2001 it had 30 students. Ten years later, it has nearly 500.

"This began while I was at Microsoft. I'd gone to the United States to attend college and then worked at Microsoft," Mr Awuah told the BBC series African Dream.

"While I was there I became a parent and that event caused me to reconsider the importance of Africa for my children and their children, so that's when I really started to think about returning to the African continent and doing something that would help with economic development," he explained.

He said he found Ghana's educational system relied too much on learning things by heart and not spending sufficient time on building up critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

"I felt that if I could get engaged in education and really focus on developing ethical compassionate leaders - that would have a significant longterm impact in this country,"

he added.

Philanthropy plus tuition fees Mr Awuah started by renting a building where he established an admissions office, a library, a computer lab, a classroom and a cafeteria. At the moment, Ashesi University has nine buildings.

The growth was financed through a combination of philanthropy and tuition fees.

Ghana listed 6th among world’s top ten tourism destinations in 2012

According to Frommer’s, it listed Ghana because “Ghana provides a perfect introduction to African travel. True, this small and amiable West African nation lacks the big name draws associated with the continent’s top safari destinations. But for anybody seeking a holistic e xperience that embraces traditional and contemporary cultures as well as beaches and safaris, Ghana’s microcosmic travel circuit is the perfect African primer.”

It continues “Where Ghana really stands out – and the reason it has become so popular with backpackers and volunteers — is its suitability to unpackaged travel. You could spend months, even months, exploring this safe and affordable Anglophone country, traveling as whim dictates, and still find yourself confronted with something different and special on a daily basis.”

The country’s stability as well as center of the slave trade which is also on the heritage trail for African Americans is said to have contributed to Ghana’s listing.

Ghana is listed as one of the top ten countries in the world to visit in the year 2012, according to Frommer’s 2012 list of top destinations released October 26, 2011. The country was sixth on the list.

Frommer’s is one of America’s bestselling travel guide covering over 3,500 destinations. It’s travel guidebook series began in 1957.

Ghana was ahead of London’s Greenwich neighborhood, Girona in Spain and Bay of Fundyin Nova Scotia.

The top ten destinations a r e C u r a c a o ; C h o n g q i n g, China; Fukuoka Japan; Beirut; Ghana; London’s Greenwich neighborhood; Girona, Spain; Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia; Kansas City, Mo; Yucatan Peninsula..

The destination listing, allows travellers to chime in on where they want to go next year, it says.

"The model that we have implemented is that we want to have African money helping to keep this place running, and the African money is earned and comes through tuition so 50-60% of our students pay full tuition. The remainder are getting financial assistance from the college," he said.

The annual operations are run with the tuition money, and what they get through philanthropic donations is used for buying equipment and funding the scholarship programme for students who require financial assistance.

"Philanthropy is helping to fund a permanent campus that we've begun construction on," the Ghanaian entrepreneur told the BBC's Kevin Mwachiro.

He said that the campus project is also partially funded by a loan that the university secured from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an organisation that is a member

of the World Bank Group and promotes sustainable private sector projects in developing countries.

Striving for excellence Mr Awuah considers that dreams without action are not very useful.

"If you have a dream, you should take action, you should seek to implement it," he said.

"To be successful you have to understand that success is not some endpoint. It's a process that you're going through," he continued.

According to him, it is fundamental to do everything with integrity and to aim at achieving one's very best.

"If you proceed that way that anything with your name on it is going to be absolutely spectacular - then it pushes you to strive for excellence and it pushes you to be successful," he concluded.

African Dream is broadcast on the BBC Network Africa prog ramme ever y Monday morning.

“It’s to get people thinking about looking at a new way to see the world,” Frommers.com editorial director David Lytle told the USA Today. “Travel should be inspiring, even as a five-day vacation.”

Ghana has amazing tourist sites such as the Kakum Park, Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, the Castles in Cape Coast and Elminia as well as the Mole National Park and many others in all the ten regions in the country. The country also has health tourist sites like the Holy Trinity Spa and Health Farm located at Sogakope in the Volta Region.

By Ekow Quandzi

Ghana: Floods, doctors’ strike highlighted in Ghanaian media

Accra, Ghana - A devastating flood that hit Accra last Thursday bringing it its wake deaths, destruction, pain, discomfort and yet another reaction by the authorities occupied the media Cont’d on page 20

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 19 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 20 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY Cont’d from 18

in Ghana this week. At least nine people were killed, property, including personal effects, buildings and vehicles were lost as streams, rivers and drains overflowed their banks wreaking havoc. And for the third week running, the deadly strike by doctors was given front-page coverage in the newspapers. The state-owned Graphic had the headline “Perennial Accra floods - 9 die, buildings, vehicles, appliances destroyed.” The story said hours of torrential rain in Accra and its environs on Tuesday night resulted in the annual ritual of flooding in parts of the national capital, claiming the lives of nine people and destroying property worth millions of Ghana cedis. It said sources close to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) indicated that the nine died as a result of being swept away by the floods or through electrocution. The heavy downpour brought almost every activity to a halt and also exposed the poor drainage system in the capital.

Walls were broken, cars overturned and trapped, while wooden structures and even some buildings, particularly those on water courses were destroyed by the floods. Some businesses had to close down because the flood waters had taken over their premises.

Education minister, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu, ordered the closure of schools in Accra and Tema, 25 kms east of the capital, to safeguard the lives of school children.

“President visits flood victims,” was another headline in the Graphic.

The story said President John Evans Atta Mills on Wednesday visited the flood-affected areas to share in the grief of hundreds of people who were displaced and to console the families of those who perished.

He commended NADMO, City Engineers of Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the security services for their prompt response to the disaster.

President Mills expressed concern over the practice of building on water courses and the indiscriminate disposal of waste and stressed the need for more discipline in those areas.

The main story of the Ghanaian Times on the floods had the headline “Accra devastated!”

The newspaper had another story with the headline “President demands action.”

It said President Mills on Wednesday called for a collective national effort to deal with the perennial floods that affect the country.

“We should all work together to comprehensively solve this problem in a non-partisan manner,” he said, adding it was time the nation took measures to address the factors that caused floods t he floods.

The Graphic on Friday reported that following Wednesday’s devastating floods in Accra, President Mills has said the government is sourcing funds to construct storm drains to abate the perennial flooding in the city.

In a story with the headline “Accra to get storm drains”, the newspaper said at a meeting with the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly,

Alfred Vanderpuije, at the Castle on Thursday, the president expressed the government’s commitment to put an end to the perennial flooding which continued to “devastate our people”.

“Accra is growing fast and the central government is doing what it can, but institutions in charge, such as the AMA need to be resourced to enable them to do the work,” he said.

Meanwhile, the newspaper said in another story under the headline “Flood victims count their losses,” that companies and individuals had started counting their losses.

It said those who lost relatives were mourning their dead, while companies and individuals were trying to salvage what remained of their products and belongings and discarding items that had been destroyed by the flood.

The Ghanaian Times also covered the meeting between President Mills and the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly saying the

president announced plans by the government to commit funds to build storm drains in all flood-prone areas in the capital.

The story said the president did not indicate how much would be allocated for the project but according to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly Chief Executive, Alfred Vanderpuije, about 500 million Ghana cedis would be needed.

President Mills said the decision to urgently commit the resourses was informed by the need for the effective implementation of disaster risk reduction measures to prevent or reduce the effects of disaster.

Nigerians now travel through Ghana for lower fares to Europe

At a time players in the aviation industr y are complaining of the lopsidedness in the Bilateral Air Services Agreement between Nigeria and many countries of the world, major European

mega carriers are charging higher air fares from major Nigerian cities including Lagos and Abuja as against Accra, the Ghanaian capital to London and Frankfurt on first class, business class and economy tickets.

A check on major airlines reservation system reveal that Nigerian passengers pay more to travel to European cities including London and Frankfurt if they book their flight from Lagos and Abuja as opposed to booking their flight from the Ghanaian capital Accra.

According to an aviation expert, Mr Chris Aligbe, who is chief executive officer of Belujane Konzults, booking a first class ticket on the Lagos - London route on British Airways on a one way fare will cost a passenger about $5,408 whereas the same booking for a passenger from Accra- London on British Airways for a way ticket which stands at $2,399.

Same flight on British Airways between Abuja-London on one way will Cont’d on page 32

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INAUGURATION OF EP CHURCH OF AMERICA, AT GRACE CHURCH BETHESDA, MD

The Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev. G. Osiakwa

Moderators of Togo and Ghana

Rev. K. Quamson in charge of EP Church, Chicago

Some members of the congregation

Rev. Ministers from sister churches and some traditional rulers

H. E. Daniel Ohene Agyekum shaking hands with Pastor Rev. Vivian Balasu-Addo

Host Pastor Rev. Vivian Balasu-Addo decorated

Church choir with Moderators and Rev. Ministers

Ambassadors of Togo and Ghana

Ministers and dignitaries pose for picture

Cutting cake to mark occasion

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 22 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Asante Association Annual Fundraising Dinner Dance October 1, 2011, La Fontaine Bleue, Lanham, MD.,

Dr. & Mrs. Charles Dankwah

Prof. & Mrs. Samuel Duah

Procession of Chiefs and Queenmothers

Nana Aduanaba

Cultural Display

Chiefs

Akwasi Agyeman, President of Asante Association

Ambassador & Mrs. Ohene Agyekum

Nana Boateng & wife

Ambassador Kobby Koomson

Rosemary Kye & Akwasi Owusu

MCs: Mrs. Adeliade Prempeh, Mr. Osei Antwi & Mrs. Sandra Osei

Fashion Designer Paul Koko and guests

Some ladies of Asante Association

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 23 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Interns Wanted

Media Afrika LLC seeks interns for the following positions for fall and spring terms: EDITORIAL INTERN, GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN, RADIO INTERN AND VIDEOGRAPHY INTERN. Interns must have college credits or at least completed junior year of high school and be on schedule to graduate 2012. Interns hours are flexible based on commitment. Stipends are offered to interns who spend a minimum of 15-20 hours a week. Editorial and Graphic Design interns will have the opportunity to produce original content for The New Ghanaian newspaper and www. mytngonline.com website. Radio interns will have the opportunity to assist in producing original content on internet radio via www.sunlightradio.com website. Videography interns will assist in creating crisp, professional videos for the media house.

Interns should be organized and self-starters. A strong writing background is required, a journalism background is encouraged, proficiency in photo editing and video editing tools are per-requisites and high school applicants may apply. Basic HTML skills and familiarity with content management systems and social media is helpful but not required. Openings are limited and will be filled on a first-come-first-serve basis as we find people who are a good fit.

Editorial intern duties include: • Writing and researching editorial content • Proofreading and formatting content • Assisting staff with administrative duties • Assisting editorial staff as needed on projects Graphic Design intern duties include: • Proficiency in Indesign, Photoshop and newspaper layout • Create simple flyers • Creative, listens to instructions and can take conceptual ideas to paper Videography intern duties include: • Capturing and editing videos in a timely manner • Professionalism during recording and backing up of material • Videography equipment is not a pre-requisite but encouraged.

Radio intern duties include: • Writing and researching news broadcasts to be read • Assisting in managing program slots • Setting reminders for radio jockeys and talk show hosts • Assisting the radio staff as needed on projects Please send letter of interest and resume and (2) two relevant writing samples (need not be published work, though that is preferred) for editorial interns; work portfolio & samples for graphic designers; video samples for videography interns; a letter of interest and resume only for radio interns (clarity of voice is a requirement) to: Emmanuel A. Gamor, Media Afrika LLC, 5515 Cherokee Avenue, Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22312.

Email.: tngeditor@gmail.com Tel.: 571.435.4576

POWER QUOTE

“Your gift is important but your bargaining power will determine the value of your gift.”

Apostle A. Arnolds, Springs Gate Chapel Listen to “Hour of Anointing” on www.sunlightradio.com. Fridays 11:00am Visit us this and every Sunday. 9:30am - 12:30pm 6621-H Electronic Drive, Springfield, VA 22151

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 24 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY Senegal: UN launches task force to help stem drug trafficking through airport

The head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched a task force to boost the capacity of the international airport in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, to intercept narcotics smuggled through the facility, a major air traffic hub in West Africa.

The task force, launched yesterday by Yury Fedotov, the UNODC Executive Director, is expected to improve the effectiveness of the Airport Communication Project (AIRCOP), which is designed to strengthen airport intelligence and information-sharing.

Much of the cocaine sourced from South America and bound for Europe transits through Africa by air and sea, according to UNODC. U N O D C , t h e Wo r l d Customs Organization and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) launched AIRCOP last year to improve intelligence-led policing

at airports and informationsharing among 20 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Europe.

According to a 2009 UNODC report on trans-national drug trafficking and the rule of law in West Africa, up to 100 tons of cocaine could have transited through West Africa in about a five-year period.

AIRCOP aims to establish secure, effective real-time communication and exchange of information among source, transit and destination countries of cocaine trafficking. Under the project, joint air por t interdiction task forces made up of officers from various law enforcement agencies will operate around the clock at 20 international airports.

The Dakar cell will comprise 21 officers from customs, police and the gendarmerie.

“This marks an important step in controlling the flow of illicit drugs, given Dakar’s

important position as an air traffic crossroads,” said Mr. Fedotov. “I urge the international community to provide muchneeded assistance to countries so that they may take full control of their coasts and airspace and investigate organized crime and drug trafficking.”

Fully equipped task forces are expected to help increase the number of drug seizures and the effectiveness of related investigations. They will have access to the international databases of INTERPOL and to CENcomm, a secured system of communications managed by the World Customs Organization and adapted to the needs of AIRCOP. “We must consolidate our effor ts and exper tise with those of our national and international partners, for none of us can win this fight alone.

We should continue our support for enhanced communications and coordination among law enforcement bodies along the transatlantic cocaine route, advanced criminal data services, police training and capacitybuilding,” said Mr. Fedotov.

AIRCOP supports the efforts of the regional action plan of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to address the growing problem of illicit drug trafficking, organized crime and drug abuse in the region. The project, whose cost is estimated at $7.6 million, is funded by Canada and the European Union.

Africa

West Africa: solar panels light up remote villages Frequent power cuts have led people in rural areas of Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal to turn to solar energy for electricity.

Promoters of solar panels say more than 80 villages in Senegal are already benefiting from this renewable energy source; in neighbouring Mali, more than 150 communities are enjoying solar power.

According to solar manufacturer Sustainable Power Electric Company (SPEC), based in Senegal, photovoltaic cells, or solar panels, have been a potential solution for electrification in rural areas for years, with only the relatively h i g h c o s t o f i n s t a l l at i o n preventing widespread adoption in West Africa.

But Mamadou Saliou Sow, director of SPEC , explains that a generous subsidy is now bringing the panels within reach of many more in Senegal.

“A s q u a r e m e t r e o f photovoltaic cells previously cost 650,000 CFA francs (around 1,350 dollars), but with a subsidy from the government of more than four billion CFA (around 8.3 million dollars), we have reduced this. Now one can get

panels and the hardware needed to install them for 300,000, even 250,000 CFA (520 dollars),” Sow told IPS. “And solar panels also have a long life span after installation; they can last eight or ten years or more.”

SPEC manufactures panels with outputs ranging from 50 watts to more than 300W, meaning they can meet nearly all needs. As well as providing lighting in homes and schools, solar panels are powering fridges, improving security, and supporting small collective enterprises and mini-power plants.

In the village of Kidira, in eastern Senegal, not far from the border with Mali, livestock owners were experiencing wor r ying levels of theft.

Amadou Dia, a teacher at the local secondary school, says the villagers turned to solar power to light up their stock enclosures at night.

“People here are mostly livestock herders, but there was a series of stock thefts.

They dipped into their own pockets, contributing 50,000 CFA per household (a little more

than 100 dollars), to get solar lighting,” he told IPS. Shakir Sow lives in the area, but he opted to go it alone. He spent more than a million CFA (2000 dollars) to install solar panels at his house, but he is not complaining at the cost.

“With the installation of a photovoltaic kit, my animals are protected; and my children who are in school can also study thanks to the light. And now we have a television to follow the news. I’m a modern herdsman,” he said.

SPEC also operates in neighbouring Mali, alongside another provider, Sahel Energie.

In Dindiéri, in the east of the country, nearly all the houses enjoy solar energy.

“I spent 680,000 CFA (1,417 dollars) to get my solar panels.

This provides power for the whole house and a bar, as well as two televisions, lamps and two fridges,” said Moutakilou Bangoura, a young trader from Dindiéri.

In Kayes, a city in the west of Mali, some families have opted for solar power even Cont’d on page 38

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 25 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Cont’d from 1

faced a number of challenges. In many rural areas, the poverty rate was as high as 90 percent. The use of modern farming techniques was rare. Much of Ghana lacked the infrastructure to expand agricultural exports. Somewhere between harvest and the marketplace, farmers would lose as much as 30 percent of their yields. Clearly, the odds were stacked against the Ghanaian farmer, who often is a woman.

Implementing Ghana’s $547 million MCC compact was one of President

Kufuor’s strategies to overcome these problems. As you know, MCC partners only with countries that meet strict standards of good governance, that make necessary olitical, economic and social reforms,that are willing to lead their development,that are committed to delivering results that matter to their people,and that demand accountability and transparency. In Ghana, MCC finds such a good partner.

President Kufuor’s leadership ensured that his country met MCC’s high standards for compact eligibility.

And, his leadership was key in laying

the foundation for what is proving to be a successful MCC compact.

Today, Ghana’s compact continues.

It transcends politics, continuing even as administrations change to reflect the will of the people as an effective way to reduce poverty through sustainable economic growth.

Through the Ghana-MCC partnership:We are training farmers and expanding their access to credit.

We are making Ghana more food secure.

We are improving roads so farmers can get their products to market quicker, providing them with an opportunity to

make money.

On my first trip abroad as MCC’s CEO, I visited with a group of pineapple farmers in Ghana who benefitted from the training and infrastructure improvements. Theirs was a region long defined by poverty, but now these farmers are expanding their sales and exploring trade and investment opportunities.

We expect Ghana’s MCC compact to benefit more than 1.2 million people, and raise incomes by more than 690 million dollars. Expanding the agricultural sector has strengthened the economy Cont’d on page 30

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 26 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

OBENG INTERNATIONAL WHOLESALE FOODS In loving memory of DEACON JOHN KWAKU OBENG 1947 - 2009

Two years ago Obeng International lost a great leader, husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.

You were such a blessing to all of us.

You are truly missed and will never ever be forgotten.

We will always love you and you will forever remain in our hearts.

From your lovely wife, children, grandchildren, and in-laws.

Obeng International says a big thank you to all who have continued to support their business after the passing away of the founder John Obeng God bless you and we appreciate your business.

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 27 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

The New Ghanaian 10th Anniversary Partners • MONEYGRAM

• GHANA NURSES ASSOCIATION • ABREMPONG • GADANGME

• ASANTE ASSOCIATION

• BRONG AHAFO ASSOCIATION • WASHINGTON LADIES • ASONA ABUSUA

• THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST

• CHRIST THE KING PRESBY CHURCH, MD • THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, VA • AGAPE LIFE MINISTRIES • OKYEMAN KUO • EBUSUA

• DIAMOND CLUB

• SPRINGS GATE CHAPEL

• WORD HARVEST CHURCH

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 28 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC), FREDERICKSBURG, VA INAUGURAL SERVICE, OCTOBER 2011.

Dr. Saddick Arthur

Pastor Sarsah & his wife Tina being prayed for by Dr. Saddick

Resident Pastor - John Sarsah

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 29 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Presenters

Komla the Odade3 DRIVE TIME SHOW: Week days - 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Muriel Vanderpuye THE WORD: Mondays - 11:30am - 12noon

Rev. M. Asiedu Frimpong TIME WITH THE KING: Thursdays - 11:30am - 12noon

Stago THE BASEMENT: Saturdays - 1:00pm - 3:00pm

CR GOSPEL MUSIC: Sundays - 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Sonny LET’S TALK NOW: Tuesdays - 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Dr. Love LOVE LANE: Mon, Wed & Fri- 9:00pm - 11:00pm

Evan. Harry Agyemang GOD’S PROMISES: Sundays - 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Auntie Araba LOVE LANE: Wed & Fri- 9:00pm - 11:00pm

Elder Isaac Opoku NEW HOPE HOUR: Sundays - 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Rev. Emmanuel Nkrumah WESLEY TIME: Fridays - 11:30am - 12:00noon

Nana Yaa TIME WITH NANA YAA: Saturdays - 12:00noon - 2:00pm

Lawyer Kwaku Ofori RADIO LAWYER: Saturdays - 11:00am - 12:00noon

Apostle Ayvel Arnolds HOUR OF ANOINTING: Fridays - 11:00am - 11:30am

Pastor Josiah Kambutu GOSPEL HOUR: Wednesdays - 11:30am - 12:00am

Joe Mainoo AWARESO: Mondays - 7:00pm - 9:00pm KYER3 W’ADWENE: Thursdays - 7:00pm - 9:00pm ANADWO NKOMO: Fridays - 6:00pm - 9:00pm WOSO KA BI: Saturdays - 8:30am - 11:00am

Pastor Fiifi Ocran AWARESO: Mondays - 7:00pm - 9:00pm CHRISTIAN DISCPLINE: Saturdays - 7:00am - 8:15am PRAYER TIME: Sundays - 4:30am - 6:00am NEW HOPE HOUR: Sundays - 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Rev. Kwasi Gyimah HOUR OF DECISION: Tuesdays - 11:30am - 12noon AWARE3 MU NS3M: Mondays - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Anokyewaa KYER3 W’ADWENE: Fridays - 6:00pm - 9:00pm

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 30 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Cont’d from 25

already. Under President Kufuor’s leadership, Ghana’s agricultural and food sector—the backbone of the economy— grew at an annual rate of 5.5 percent between 2003 and 2008 Growth in agriculture helped Ghana’s overall GDP to quadruple.The poverty rate has been cut in half, from 51.7 percent in 1991 to 26.5 percent in 2008.

And, Ghana is the first country in sub-

Saharan Africa to cut the number of people suffering from hunger by half.

This is the legacy of President Kufuor.

The MCC compact he signed in 2006 belongs to Ghanaians; the people of Ghana worked hard to develop their compact and are now reaping its benefits.

And, Ghana’s performance—both on its programs and on its commitment to policy reforms—qualifies it for a second MCC compact. This is a great accomplishment.

No wonder Ghana is recognized as a model in the region. It’s no surprise that President Kufuor was honored with this year’s World Food Prize. Other countries look to Ghana as an example of what can be accomplished when committed leaders dedicate themselves to making a real difference in the lives of their people.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said that “life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” President Kufuor is a man

who has never been without an answer to that question. We are extremely proud of his leadership, his work on the MCC compact and his dedication to the cause of reducing poverty. And, like all of you, I welcome hearing from him today.”

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 31 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

The New Ghanaian 10th Anniversary Awards Recipients BUSINESSES • R.T. TRAVEL OPTIONS • SMART TRAVEL • B & J TRAVELS • SAHARA OASIS RESTAURANT • K & B AUTO SERVICE • HAWKNAD INDUSTRIES • ULTIMATE HEALTH SCHOOL • MONEYGRAM • WESTERN UNION • NEW ERA NURSING & TRAINING • MAMA BONSU TEXTILES • RAINBOW RESTAURANT • GHANA WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH • CALVARY BAPTIST INT. CENTER • TOUCH UP HAIR GALLERY • AFRICAN LIFESTYLE • ABURI GARDENS • WOODBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL • OBENG INTERNATIONAL • BONIVIA • ERNIE THOMPSON INSURANCE • ELETS • THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST • PRESTIGE TOUR & TRAVEL • ASANKA RESTAURANT • INTERNATIONAL FOODS • PAPA SHEEE TEXTILES • RITEWAY DRIVING SCHOOL • K & K AUTOBODY & REPAIR • ABREMPONG GENTLEMEN’S CLUB • AVALAR REALTY • WORD HARVEST CHURCH • SPRINGS GATE CHAPEL • NANA INTERNATIONAL MARKET • AND MORE...

INDIVIDUALS • NANA ADU GYAMFI • MRS. MARGARET AMPOFO • MS. MARY DAMOAH • JAMES ENOS EDU • SAM ACHUKO • LARRY QUAYNOR • REV. ELVIS ACHEAMPONG • EDWIN JANNEY • REV. C. J. THOMPSON-QUARTEY • EDDIE EKUBAN • HARRY AGYEMAN • DR. CHARLES DANKWAH • MRS. ESI GYENIN • ADOLF AFFUL • AKWASI OWUSU • SAMUEL OWUSU ACHEAMPONG • DR. NICKU MORDI • REV. KWASI GYIMAH • MR. CNN • EDDIE DADIAKO • BARBARA DACOSTA • MICHAEL GYAMFI • PETER AFFLU • PASTOR DENNIS AWUKU • AND MORE...

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 32 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY Cont’d from 20

cost passengers $5,288.

He further explained flight booking between Lagos - Frankfurt on German carrier: Lufthansa Airlines will cost passengers $5,356 for a one way first class ticket, while same flight on the same airline between Accra- Frankfurt will cost passengers $2,399.

On Royal Dutch KLM Airline a one way first class ticket will passengers between Lagos - London $4,236, while same flight between Accra- London will cost passengers $3,787.

The lower fare offering according Aligbe is a strategy by the foreign airlines to get niche passengers on the first class cabin from Nigeria, only to fill it up with lower fare passengers from Ghana.

Investigations further revealed that Nigerians passengers are paying more

for business class seats from Lagos and Abuja to major European cities including London and Frankfurt as opposed to Accra.

On British Airways one way business class fare passengers from Lagos - London will cost $3,685, as opposed to flight booked from Accra - London going for $2,049 for one way fare.

He further explained that Germany Airline Lufthansa business class one way booking from Lagos- Frankfurt goes for $3,981, whereas the same business class one way booking between AccraFrankfurt goes for $2,105.

On the economy seat, passenger booking between Lagos - Frankfurt cost $749, as opposed to same flight one way economy between Abuja- Frankfurt, which goes for $711, but same flight booking from Accra- Frankfurt goes for $1,175.

On Royal Dutch Airline; KLM one way economy booking between Lagos - London cost $1,332, whereas between Accra - London on one way economy goes for $1,284.

Same one way economy flight between Lagos - Frankfurt on KLM cost $1,332, whereas same flight between AccraFrankfurt on economy cost $1,333.

Aligbe explained that such fare offering is already positioning the Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana as a hub for West Africa, with its lower fare offering by foreign airlines.

He explained that many Nigerians now travel through Ghanaian airports where they could get cheaper fares to get to their destination.

According to Aligbe, the only way for the Nigerian government to correct this abnormally is to engage the foreign airlines such that the lopsidedness in fares

could be addressed.

He said: “The threat to Nigeria from Ghana is a very serious threat.

Ghana knows that it does not have the population; they know that the market is in Nigeria.

“Most of the industries in Nigeria have relocated to Ghana, but the market is here. The airline industry market within the sub-region is here in Nigeria.

“Nigerian airlines are dominating the west coast and Ghana wants to exploit this dominance and turn it to its advantage.

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THE NEW GHANAIAN | 33 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 34 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

Sports & Leisure

Ghana handed delicate draw for 2012 Nations Cup Ghana’s Black Stars has been handed a delicate draw for next year’s African Cup of nations to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

The draw conducted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea pitted Ghana alongside, Botswana Mali and Guinea in Group D. Tagged tournament favorites for the biannual gathering, the Black Stars, silver medalist at the last competition in Angola in 2010 will open their tourney account against debutants, Botswana.

The game against Botswana billed for Franceville on Tuesday January 24, takes place three days after the three-week long tournament commences.

Ghana plays West African rivals, Mali four days on before concluding the group with a tie against Guinea on February 1.

The final tournament will be held from January 21 to February 12, 2012.

The Black Stars, four-time champions are among the seven former winners chasing the title Egypt won in 2010.

Below is full draw: Group A (Bata) Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, Senegal, Libya Group B (Malabo) C o t e d ’ I vo i r e , A n go l a , Burkina Faso, Sudan Group C (Libreville) Gabon, Tunisia, Morocco, Niger Group D (Franceville) Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Botswana Source: GNA

Nigerian media feast on dismissal of Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia

Lagos, Nigeria - The firing on Friday of Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia because he failed to take Nigeria to the 2012 African Nations Cup to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea topped all other stories in the country this week. There were also stories on the mounting opposition to government’s moves to remove subsidy on fuel, the growing debt profile and moves by government to rate ministers’ performances.

‘Nations Cup disaster: Siasia finally gets the boot,’ was the headline of the story in the Vanguard. It said that after much foot-dragging, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Friday dispensed with the services of Super Eagles Chief Coach, Samson Siasia, despite his plea for more time to put

together a ‘strong’ team for the future. According to the paper, the NFF Executive Committee o n ly r u bb e r - s t a m p e d t h e recommendation of its Technical Committee which hurriedly met to decide Siasia’s fate after he failed to fulfill part of his contract which was to qualify the Eagles for the 2012 African Nations Cup. The federation had been under tremendous pressure to sack Siasia although Nigerians were divided on the issue. The majority was of the view that some coaches who even qualified Nigeria for the Nations Cup and got to the semi final were given the boot.

One such Nigerian, himself a former coach of Nigeria’s U-17 team and Super Falcons, Godwin Izilein, queried the call for Siasia’s pardon when he couldn’t meet his own side of the contract terms.

The Sun reported the Siasia story with headline ‘NFF sacks Siasia’, saying that the NFF announcement ended weeks of wide speculations about Siasia’s future.

Also under the headline ‘NFF Sacks Siasia’, the Tribune said Siasia’s tenure as the Super Eagles’ coach finally ended on Friday.

The paper recalled that Siasia got the Super Eagles job on 4 November, 2010, beating fellow USA 94 World Cup campaigner, Stephen Keshi, to the job.

Pa r t o f h i s c o n t r a c t demanded that he led the Super Eagles to the semi-final of the 2012 African Nations Cup. Reacting, Siasia said he meant well on the job but accepted the verdict of the NFF. ‘Change is always a process,’ he said, adding ‘I highly respect the NFF, its authority, our leaders, the Nigerian people, their feelings and the nation.

‘I am more disappointed than anybody else that we did not qualify and I say thank you to those who believe in us and stood behind the Super Eagles of Nigeria.’

Siasia, who said the Super Eagles job had taught him a lot of things, wished his successor the best of luck.

It said although the nation’s football ruling body did not announce a replacement for Siasia, it disclosed that the Technical Committee would meet on Tuesday to come up with recommendations to that effect while the Executive Board would sit on Wednesday to ratify and unveil the new Super Eagles Manager.

Prior to Friday’s emergency congress of the NFF, the names of former Super Eagles captains, Stephen Keshi and Sunday Oliseh, had dominated the headlines in the sporting media as possible replacements for Siasia.

While the Punch headline was ‘At last, NFF dismisses Siasia’, the Nation captioned its story ‘NFF sacks Siasia’ and the Guardian said ‘ NFF Sacks Siasia, Uche, Meets Next Week On Interim Coach’.

According to the Guardian, the federation also sacked Super Falcons boss, Uche Eucharia, for failing to qualify for both Maputo 2011 All-Africa Games and the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Uche was technically out of work since her contract with the NFF ended with the Olympic qualifiers.

On the planned fuel subsidy r e m ova l , t h e Va n g u a r d , reporting the story with the headline ‘Opposition mounts against removal of fuel subsidy’, said that eminent Nigerians and leaders of prominent pressure groups, ethnic and religious groups, as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had resolved to fight to standstill, government’s planned removal of fuel subsidy from next year.

At a meeting hosted by er udite jurist and for mer Education Secretary, Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), the citiz ens, drawn from T he Patriots, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Yor uba Council of Elder s (YCE), Pro-National Conference Organisations (PRONACO), NLC, Muslim Rights Concern (MRC) among others, said they could not fold their arms and watch the nation descend into avoidable disintegration.

In its second story on fuel, the Vanguard reported that following mounting opposition, the Federal Government has declared that the removal plan was not yet a done deal as talks with various stakeholders were ongoing.

Government also said it had not fixed a date for the take-off of the measure.

Saying that the ‘House of Reps will block subsidy removal’, the Trust reported on Monday that the lower chamber of the National Assembly would do everything within its powers to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from removing subsidy on petroleum products.

The paper quoted House D e p u t y m i n o r i t y l e a d e r, Suleiman Abdurahman Sumaila, as saying that lawmaker s had uncovered a plot by the government to blackmail them using their governors who will threaten them with recall if they refuse to support government’s policy on the subsidy.

Thisday newspaper also went to town with the headline ‘House May Oppose Fuel Subsidy Removal’, saying that the House of Representatives may vote against the proposed Cont’d on page 38

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 35 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

FASHION

With our first round of snow, we’re into the Fall season already and this is a really exciting part of the year. While the weather is still beautiful and there are so many events, and new things coming out, we are thinking of ways to deck our bodies-deliberating whether to take style over comfort or vice versa.

For this season the trends are: Color: Brighter hues like crimson, neon orange, purple, sky blue and eyepopping tones grace the collections on the runways but a solid fall dress to give your wardrobe the backbone it needs to last you until you’re tired of it, is a black dress.

Fe t i s h : T h i s t r e n d h a s c o m e unexpectedly. The most surprising thing

always popular, but embracing the longer length skirts can look as sexy as mini-s because your sex appeal depends on how you wear your clothes, not the type of clothing you wear.

Prints: The variety of prints this season is huge. Prints with outfits like the girley paisley, bold/ photographic flowers, the leopard and python and many more.

You just need to understand what print you want because it looks or works well with you.

Fur: As with sweaters, fur is the perfect material for the Fall as well. And

it looks chic too. Designers have found a way to make real fur look like fake (faux) and fake fur look like genuine.

FASHION KOTI My dear sisters, if your man is walking around with a hat on that makes him look like a ‘koliko’ (Muppet) please advise him to buy another one and remind him that not every head shape is cool for all hats.

Eeei some of the shapes? hmmmm. Ouch my brothers!!!! Reporting for duty!

Eddie Ekuban Email: eekuban@yahoo.com

is that so many designers have taken it so seriously. Fetish clothing is that which is not worn as the usual wardrobe of people, and is instead worn to create a particular reaction.

Texture Overload: Everything is mixed this Fall. For example, silk with fur and knitwear, sequins and leather, plastic with chiffon and wool etc.

Midi and Maxi skirts: Miniskirts are

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THE NEW GHANAIAN | 36 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

METHODIST CHURCH GHANA CHALKS A “HISTORIC FIRST” IN NORTH AMERICA Story by Ayitey Martins

The Methodist Church Ghana on Saturday, October 1, 2011 chalked a ‘historic first’ with the arrival to assume his ministry, of the Right Rev. Bishop Benjamin Kwabena Asare. (SMC). The Bishop will, primarily, be the Resident Minister of the Ebenezer Methodist Church, Hyattsville, MD. which has, for a long time, been logged as a “one wanted” society in the Methodist Church Ghana Almanac.

At precisely 6.25 a.m. the United Airlines plane bringing in the Bishop and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Amma Asare, touched down at the Dulles International Airport in Washington DC, where a protocol committee of 6 composed of members of the Ebenezer Methodist Church, Hyattsville, MD, (EMC), and the Ghana Resurrection Methodist Church, Alexandria, VA (GRMC) were anxiously waiting.

To be sure nothing went amiss, the committee members, comprising Church Elder Wofa Addai, Bro. Ernest Tetteh, Bro. Nana Dankwa, Bro. Jonas Osei Bonsu, of the EMC, as well as those from Virginia had left their respective Church premises in Maryland and Virginia at 5.a.m. for the Saturday morning drive to the airport. The GRMC group, comprising Bro. Kofi Anan and Sis. Sophia Awuah, linked up with their counterparts. The Very Rev. Dr. Akwasi KwakyeNuako, Resident Minister of the GRMC, Bro. Baffour Amoateng, Caretaker of the Calvary Redeeming Methodist Church of Rockville, MD., were already waiting at the Arrivals Lounge to meet and introduce the Bishop to members of the welcoming party. Also present were Kwesi Orleans-Lindsay and Richard Fiscian of the EMC transportation committee.

After some warm and enthusiastic exchanges of courtesies, the Bishop and Mrs. Asare were chauffeured for the 53-mile drive to the EMC-FRANCES MARSH MISSION HOUSE in Laurel, MD. Very Rev. Dr. John A.K. Bonful, the immediate past chairman of the North America Methodist Mission Churches and Very Rev. Kofi Bart-Martin, the current Chairman, offered the welcome prayers while the members present sang “Bless This House”. There were informal interactions and exchanges of welcome with the Bishop until about 11a.m. when the Bishop and his wife, having now been ushered to their living quarters, retired to have a rest after their long flight from Ghana.

The arrival of Bishop Asare as the substantive Bishop marks the first time that such a high-ranking minister of the Methodist Church Ghana (MCG) has been stationed in the United States and Canada. The Bishop will also serve as the liaison between the North America Churches and the MCG Headquarters.

In addition to being the Resident Minister of EMC, the Bishop will be the direct representative of the Presiding Bishop of the MCG. His concurrent ministerial responsibilities as the Supervising Missions Coordinator (SMC) will cover the following categories of Methodist Churches in the U.S and Canada: Ghana Methodist Churches directly linked to the Methodist Church Ghana, Ghana United Methodist Churches who are members of the United Methodist Church - USA Ghana Methodist Churches within the United Church of Canada, and Ghanaian Methodists in the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Canada and other Christian Churches in North America.

According to a Policy Document adopted at a stakeholders’ conference held in May 2010 at Aburi in Ghana, and which was attended by delegates from all the Ghana Methodist Churches in North America, the vision for this rejuvenation of the Ghana Methodist Churches in the U.S. and Canada will be “to bring freshness and hope into the lives of Ghanaian immigrants and others in North America”. The missionary focus of the Church is “to preach the Christian Gospel and worship in the African and Wesleyan tradition and, selflessly and with integrity, engage in innovative and caring social interventions”. The Churches in the U.S. and Canada, now under the wings of a Bishop as Supervising Missions

Very Rev. Dr. Kwakye-Nuako welcoming the Rt. Rev. Bishop Asare

A section of the EMC Youth Fellowship

Very Rev. Dr. Kwakye Nuako formally welcoming the Bishop and Mrs. Elizabeth Asare. With them is Sis. Ekua Banson, President of the EMC Women's Fellowship.

Bishop Asare administering the Communion elements.

Very Rev. Kofi Bart-Martin sharing the Communion wine

The massed Choirs of EMC and GRMC singing "Meni Otsu?" for the Introit

The Rt. Rev. Bishop Asare

Bro. Ben Andorful

A view of the congregation

Coordinator, will have, as their core values, Integrity, Inclusiveness, Love for one another, Selflessness, Responsibility and Togetherness.

According to the Policy Document for Mission Work in North America, the SMC will endeavor to foster peace and harmony among all Ghana Methodist Churches in North America. And, in matters of ecumenical relations, facilitate communication between the MCG, Cont’d on page 37

A view of the congregation

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 37 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY

THE NEW GHANAIAN 10TH ANNIVERSARY Thanksgiving Service Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011 Time: 10:00am - 12:30pm Venue: Church of the Living God, NOVA 6415 Little Ox Road, Fairfax Station, VA 22039 Special Performance by: Elder Ken Appiah (of Soul Winners Fame) Reception Follows

“Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms”.

Psalm 95:2 For more info please call: 571.577.0937 | 703.901.4277 | 571.435.4576 Cont’d from 36

the United Methodist Church – USA, the United Church of Canada and Ghanaian Methodists in other Churches in North America. Most importantly, the SMC will, in consultation with the Presiding Bishop and the Conference of the MCG, exercise oversight over the character and fidelity of the Ministers of the Church in North America.

Until his nomination and stationing by the Methodist Conference in August

2010, Bishop Asare, who is married with four children, was the Superintendent Minister of the Sakumono Society of the Tema West Circuit. Among his rich and diverse experiences and stationing over the 36 years that he has served the Methodist Church, Bishop Asare served as Bishop of the Akyem Oda Diocese, where he was also the Chairman and General Superintendent of the Akyem Oda District; Bishop of the Obuasi Diocese, as well as being the Superintendent Minister of the Kwadaso Circuit; the Kumasi Circuit and the Gethsemane

Society in the South Mamprobi Circuit.

The Bishop instantly endeared himself to the Leaders and members of the congregation who were at the Mission House to welcome him by his obvious tones of humility and splashes of firmness. Sentiments expressed by many of the members were nothing but high hopes and expectations of reunification and the attainment of peace and harmony among the North America Methodist Churches, and among all the people called Methodist as in the edict of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in John

17:21 “That they all may be one.”

Without a claim to jet lag as a result of the long flight to justify a Sunday rest at home, Bishop Asare, with his loins well girded for his assignment, immediately jumped into the fray and administered the Holy Communion at the Ebenezer Methodist Church the day after his arrival. He was formally introduced to the congregation by the Very Rev. Dr. Akwasi Kwakye-Nuako who was in the pulpit for that day.

THE NEW GHANAIAN | 38 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY Cont’d from 24

though the city is connected to the national electricity grid. They say solar energy is cheaper – and it extends the life of their electrical appliances.

Khalidou Soumaré, an official with the Kayes municipalitiy, told IPS that he has used solar panels in his house for 10 years.

“Back then, people thought that it was a luxury; I was simply fed up with the power cuts, which were also damaging my appliances. I chose solar and I don’t regret it. I no longer have a monthly bill to pay,” said Soumaré.

“What’s still a problem is getting spare parts for the device which stores solar power (in a battery). We used to buy them in Bamako (the Malian capital); now you can get them here, although sometimes the traders try to outdo each other.”

According to Soumaré, there are also non-governmental organisations working to improve access to electricity in rural areas. For example, in 2009 the Monaco Red Cross installed a mini-solar power

plant consisting of twelve 50-watt panels in Kayes, to support the recharging of 400 individual lamps owned by families.

“Each user receives a lamp, and can recharge it at the central point whenever they want for a monthly subscription fee of 700 CFA (1.45 dollars). The revenue from this pays for a technician and for any maintenance,” Soumaré said.

“This approach has the advantage of making solar electricity immediately available to families who don’t have the resources to buy a photovoltaic kit.”

In Boulsa, a village in the Koupèla commune in souther n Burkina Faso, a French NGO called Soleil et Développement (Sun and Development) helped 102 women install solar panels in their houses in 2009. The women have put the electricity to good use, forming a collecting which processes grain for sale. “ S o l a r e n e r g y c a n c o n t r i bu t e effectively to the reduction of household energy bills,” says SPEC director Sow. He believes the world’s energy future is inconceivable without renewable energy, and solar power in particular.

By Koffigan E. Adigbli - Ips Africa

Honoring African Leadership

The United States congratulates Pedro de Verona Rodrigues Pires on being awarded the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.

A former leader of Cape Verde has been honored for his leadership of the archipelago nation, helping transform it from a single-party autocracy to multiparty democracy. The United States congratulates Pedro de Verona Rodrigues Pires on being awarded the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.

The prize, which brings with it an award of $5 million, was created by a Sudan-born businessman to celebrate excellence in African leadership. The funds also serve to encourage leaders of African nations to leave office after their terms expire, and build positive legacies on the continent rather than cling to power. Previous winners are Botswana's President Festus Mogae and Mozambique's Joaquim Chissano.

Former President Pires played a

prominent role in helping his country win independence from Portugal in the 1970s and became its first prime minister. He was elected president in 1991, strengthened the economy, built up the country's tourism industry and led a building program that greatly improved its roads and other infrastructure.

Rejecting suggestions that he change the constitution to stay in office, he stepped down in September after two terms.

Under for mer President Pires, Cape Verde is now widely seen as an African success story. His achievements in strengthening democracy, good governance and economic development make Cape Verde a model for other West African nations searching for an enduring democratic way forward.

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removal of fuel subsidy if opposition parties had their way when the issue came up for debate.

The Guardian headlined its story on the country’s mounting debt profile as ‘Concerns as Nigeria’s debt hits US$ 39.72 billion’. It said that a few years after the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo brought Nigeria out of the Paris and London clubs debt overhang, the country’s debt burden is again assuming a worrisome dimension.

It said that the Senate, the upper le gislative house in the National Assembly, had disclosed that the nation’s debt profile had risen to US$ 39.72 billion.

It put the external debt element at US$ 5.398 billion and domestic debt at 5.21 trillion naira.

This represents a significant leap on the US$ 3.62 billion the Debt Management Office (DMO) presented as the country’s external debt stock at the end of March 2009.

Before the government got the debt relief, Nigeria’s external debt stock in 2004 was US$ 35.94 billion and by December 2006, the amount declined to US$ 3.54 billion.

The Sun and Tribune ran the stories with these headlines -- ‘Nigeria owes 6.02 trillion naira – Senate’, says the Sun and the Tribune called it ‘States are

distressed, says Senate committee’ with the riders ‘Calls for more funds for states, LGs’ and ‘As Nigeria’s total debt hits US$ 39.72 billion’ ‘Ministers may lose jobs over poor scorecard’, reported the Guardian which said ‘The order is clear enough: Laggards, stragglers and slackers beware; there is no more room for you in government!’

The paper said the warning was evident in the submission of Special Adviser to the President on Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, Prof. Sylvester Monye, at a high-level roundtable on Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda.

According to Monye, as part of its quest for greater performance from federal ministries, plans are underway by the Presidency to commit all ministers to sign a performance contract with it.

The bond, which would be backed up with a performance contract policy, was adopted from those currently in operation in the United States, United Kingdom, Malaysia, New Zealand, India, Ghana and Kenya, where government officials are held accountable for what they do or fail to do in office.

Monye stressed that a set of main outcome indicators would be determined by the Presidency on which basis the ministers would be assessed and blamed the failure of governments in the past on the lack of efficient machineries to implement programmes.

Google expanding operations in Nigeria Google says it is hiring in Nigeria and working with the government, businesses and universities to expand Internet access in Africa's most populous nation.

The Mountain View company wants to tap unmet demand in the West African nation where Google estimates about 15 percent of the 150 million people use the Internet, said Juliet Ehimuan, Google's country manager for Nigeria.

"There's a lot of latent demand, people who would get online if they could afford it or get access," Ehimuan said in an Oct. 20 interview. Another 30 percent of the population may be ready to use the Internet if costs are cut and infrastructure improved, she said.

Google has been operating an office in Lagos, the commercial capital, for two years and now has nine employees, Ehimuan said. With offices in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal and Ghana, the company isn't yet focused on producing sales from Nigeria, subSaharan Africa's second-largest economy and the continent's biggest oil producer.

Rising costs led Kimberly-Clark Corp.

- maker of Kleenex, Huggies and other household brands - to report an 8 percent decline in third-quarter net income Monday. It also cut its revenue outlook and the high end of its earnings outlook.

Net income fell to $432 million ($1.09 per share). That was down from $469 million ($1.14) last year. Adjusted earnings of $1.26 per share were in line with expectations of analysts polled by FactSet. Revenue was a bright spot, rising 8 percent to $5.38 billion, helped by a

combination of higher prices and higher sales. That beat analysts' expectations for $5.29 billion.

Strong demand for construction and mining equipment should boost Caterpillar Inc.'s revenue through next year, even as the health of the global economy remains in doubt.

The company's optimistic forecast followed double-digit growth in thirdquarter earnings and revenue, which it reported Monday. The robust quarter and outlook lifted the stock price of the company by nearly 5 percent, a much bigger gain than the broader market.

Sales and earnings at the company, the world's largest maker of construction and mining equipment, give insight into growth and investment around the world.

Caterpillar, which makes everything from black-and-yellow excavators and harvesters to diesel-electric locomotives, earned $1.14 billion ($1.71 per share) between June and September. That was up 44 percent from $792 million ($1.22) a year earlier.

Revenue surged 41 percent to $15.72 billion, and demand for machinery came from across the globe.

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