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Vol. 25 No. 12 December 2021

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The Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE) is partnering with a growing network of business advisory experts to help Black Entrepreneurs create thriving businesses By Emmanuel Ayiku, Toronto, ON

In an interview with the Ghanaian News, FACE CEO Tiffany Callender made this known. FACE, a coalition of Black-led organizations with a mission to support Black business owners, was selected by the federal government to implement the $160 million loan program in partnership with several financial institutions. Since August last year, FACE has approved over $10 million in loans through the fund. The Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, administered by FACE, now connects Black business owners with three companies that offer business support services and business training. MNP, one of Canada’s largest national accounting, consulting and tax firms, has agreed to provide services that will include a pro bono element, as well as business training services. Deloitte and marketing and sales software company HubSpot are the other two companies providing their expertise to Black entrepreneurs. Callender says the growing number of businesses partnered with FACE strengthens their commitment to empowering Black entrepreneurs by providing access to funding, mentorship, financial planning and business training. “These partnerships are part of a desire to offer more than just loans. While access to capital is important, having access to resources, knowledge, and expertise will amplify the impact of this capital.” According to Callender, Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs face systemic barriers in starting and growing their businesses, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this. A recent study from the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) revealed that

of what we’re doing here in terms of our partnerships — providing support and guidance to entrepreneurs to get them to the state where they are ready.” Callender says proper due diligence is vital and that the loan approval process takes time, but it is important to ensure the longevityof this historical fund. Notably, FACE started in 2020 at the beginning of thepandemic to help Black-owned businesses. According to Callender, FACE looked at the emergency programs rolling out from the Federal government, particularly CEBA and noticed the criteria of eligibility to access emergency loans were difficult and confusing. “We knew that it would not reach out to Black businesses. Why? Because we understood that there is a strange and difficult relationship that exists Tiffany Callender between Black founders and owners with financial COVID-19 has impacted its members harder than institutions, we are underrepresented in those members of the Canadian Federation of Independent institutions as clients as well as human resources.” Business (CFIB). For example, just 10 per cent of Black Business and Professional Association Today, in partnership with the Government of Canada, businesses were fully open during the height of the FACEcontinues to create opportunities for Blackpandemic, compared to 20 per cent of CFIB member owned business with its Black Entrepreneurship Loan businesses. On top of that, 80 per cent of BBPA Fund, notably the fund helps Black business owners member businesses reported not having cash flow with access to capital investments, working capital, or additional business resources for expansion. On compared to 30 per cent of CFIB members. top of that, FACE partnered with several other major With access to information, support, resources, organizations to help further its mission of providing networking opportunities, mentoring and financial Black Canadians with the resources, knowledge, backing, Black entrepreneurs will be better positioned and confidence to operate successfully as Black to manage and operate successful businesses through entrepreneurs. the pandemic and beyond, Callender says. FACE Amplifying wealth for Black Canadians.For “Many Black business entrepreneurs are not prepared more information: website: www.facecoalition.com to take on a commercial loan, and that’s a huge part info@facecoalition.com | 1(855)560-FACE (3223).

The Ghanaian News December 2021

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The Ghanaian News December 2021

EDITORIAL KEEPING YOU IN TOUCH WITH NEWS FROM HOME AND LOCAL COMMUNITY ISSUES

EDITORIAL Publisher / Editor Emmanuel Ayiku Contributing Editor Joe Kingsley Eyiah Director of Operations Comfort Ayiku Community Reporter Jonathan Annobil Local Community Reporter Mickson Addo The Ghanaian News Publishes news and comments from the Community, serves Ghanaians across Canada with good source of information is committed to give good community Journalism The Ghanaian News is published in Canada by The Ghanaian News Corporation Editorial Office 1111 Albion Road, Suite 103 Etobicoke, Ont. M9V 1A9 Tel:(416) 916-3700 Advertising Fax (416) 916-6701 Website: www.ghanaiannews.ca E-mail: cayiku@gmail.com info@ghanaiannews.ca $1:00 per copy Subscription costs $66.00 for one year. including postage U.S. and foreign subscriptions costs US$120 per year. Letters to the Editor We encourage your feedback and value your comments. Please feel free to write to us. keep letters to a maximum of 200 words, include your full name, Telephone # and mailing address with all correspondence. Address your letters to the Editor The Ghanaian News 1111Albion Rd., Suite 103 Etobicoke, Ont., M9V 1A9 Tel: 416-916-3700 or Fax: 416-916-6701 or e-mail us at info@ghanaiannews.ca Articles appearing in various columns of the Ghanaian News are intended to generate civil and informed public discussions. You do not have to agree with opinions expressed by the writers. That should encourage you to write to express your own views. This is the way we generate lively and civil discussions in the community. Rejoinders are not forums for personal insults and we want readers to adhere to these principles.

We are grateful The year 2021 just came to an end and we are gradually embracing the year 2022. As we look back of the year that has ended our minds are clouded with the many deaths (around 80) of both young and old people in the Toronto Ghanaian community along last year. Such deaths could not be attributed to gun violence alone as we saw some few years back among our Ghanaian youth population in Canada. There is therefore the need for us to take good care of our health as individuals in our growing community. As we all know, the year 2021 has been a difficult and challenging year due to COVID-19 and now the new Omicron. Unfortunately, we are saddened by the loss of our friends and love ones in our community. May their souls rest in perfect peace. Back home in Ghana as well, COVID-19 made already bad situation worse which has brought untold hardships and even deaths to many Ghanaians in our homeland. The situation at home is very gloomy, unemployment, the economy is in down turn, politicians in parliament fighting their opponents. The year experienced political and economy instability. The ‘dumsor’ in the country, it is hoped that the ‘dumsor’ (acute power shortage that affect Businesses /Establishments and Communities) in the country would gradually end as the year ends. We are counting on the government, the politicians, civil servants as well as every Ghanaian to join hands in turning the dire situation into joy and prosperity for motherland, Ghana. At the Ghanaian News, we are counting the blessings that God has poured on our community during the year in spite of the hardships we have had to go through. With the COVID-19 Pandemic that brought Businesses and Establishments to a downturn. While we encourage our community businesses to strive for higher heights, the Ghanaian News wish to use this opportunity and this editorial to strongly advise and appeal to our community members to consciously and strongly patronize the businesses in our various Ghanaian communities here in Canada. As we welcome a new year, 2022, we encourage all our community members to unite their efforts and actively participate in events in our community that are aimed at making us a better community. Let us shun apathy and embrace engagement to move our community forward. We are therefore grateful to God for His provisions throughout the year and also, wish to extend our sincere gratitude to all our community members who have continued to support us in various undertakings to bring improvement to our communities here in Canada.

Message from Ghanaian News

Emmanuel Ayiku

We are delighted to have seen the end of another year and the dawn of another. We all know, the year 2021 was a difficult and challenging year due to COVID-19, but in all the Lord has seen us through but unfortunately we are saddened for the loss of our friends and love ones from our community and our Land of birth Ghana. May their souls rest in perfect peace. It’s indeed out of God’s Grace that we’re here today and we thank God for that and hope for the best to come as we welcome the year 2022. On behalf of the Ghanaian News I thank all our community members, our valued advertisers, as well as well wishers and supporters in the mainstream Canadian society for supporting our efforts throughout these difficult times. It is in this sprit that we say thank you during this festive holiday season, we wish you all Happy New Year, peace, good health and prosperity in the coming New Year 2022. Please stay informed about the vaccine and do not be swayed by negative information, go for your vaccination, practice and continue to observe all the safety COVID-19 protocols. We need herd immunity. Please stay safe and healthy GHANAIAN NEWS SALUTES YOU ALL Emmanuel Ayiku, Publisher/Editor

The Ghanaian News December 2021 7

Essential services across Canada hit by staff shortages due to COVID-19 Emergency services in many major Canadian cities are facing staffing shortages due to a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, with police, ambulance and fire all scrambling to redeploy and bolster their ranks. The highly transmissible Omicron variant is already forcing small and large business across Canada to close their doors as infected or potentially infected employees are forced into isolation. But staff shortages are also becoming an issue for some emergency services. For example, many police services across the country are reporting higher levels of their front-line officers away because of illness or isolation caused by COVID-19. “There’s a lot of concern and it is having an impact,” said Tom Stamatakis, national president of the Canadian Police Association. Not all cities are impacted. The Vancouver Police Department said Wednesday it doesn’t have any current concerns with staffing levels. But in Winnipeg, the city’s police chief announced on Wednesday that he was declaring a “state of emergency” for the Winnipeg Police Service as it now faces “some real challenges ahead.” “The current COVID-19 situation has significantly impacted our staffing resources,” Chief Danny Smyth said in a statement. Of the roughly 1,900 police service employees, there are currently 90 active COVID-19 cases with 170 personnel on COVID-19related leave, he said. The state of emergency declaration allows him more leeway in redeployment of officers to shore up the ranks of general patrol.

“To minimize disruption to emergency services, Calgary police have started to redeploy officers from other areas of the organization to support the front-line workers who are already stretched thin prior to this wave of COVID-19,” she said during a Wednesday morning news conference.

Erin Madden, a spokesperson for Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, said in an email to CBC News that around five per cent of their workforce have confirmed COVID-19.

“One case comes in positive and then within a couple of days we have three or four or five or six other guys that were in close contact in the same station that develop symptoms and also test positive,” he said. “So it’s presented unique staffing challenges that I don’t think we’ve ever had to face before.”

“The department continues to monitor the situation closely, and thus far has been able to cover This will impact other services that most staffing shortfalls through Staffing shortages are being are provided by Calgary police, overtime,” she said. dealt with through voluntary and including proactive community mandatory overtime and, in some policing, youth intervention and situations, bringing back those who In Nova Scotia, Charbel Daniel, were infected only five days after support services, as well as the executive director of provincial increased length of investigation for they’ve been in isolation, he said. operations with Emergency some offences, she said. Health Services, which operates the province’s ambulance system, However, Stamatakis of the said in an email to CBC News The executive director of provincial Canadian Police Association said that “there’s no doubt we are operations with Emergency Health that so far, despite the police staffing feeling similar pressure on our Services, which operates the Nova shortages, he hasn’t yet heard of staff resourcing and scheduling as Scotia’s ambulance system, says massive cases of infection that have other frontline healthcare providers they are also feeling pressure on affected deployment. in Nova Scotia and jurisdictions their staff resourcing (Tom Ayers/ CBC) around the world.” As for the staffing shortage’s actual The Omicron surge has led to a impact on the public, it will probably major disruption for workforces In Edmonton, Chief Joe go unnoticed “in the sense that across Canada, including health- Zatylny of Edmonton Fire Rescue your first arriving fire truck is care staff, police and firefighters, Services said on Wednesday that probably going to still arrive in and experts warn this could only be almost five per cent of the force’s more or less at the same time,” Ross front-line firefighters are currently the beginning. 1:58 said. off work because of COVID-19. Zatylny said they will backfill using “I think the way it’s affecting off-duty staff to make sure “we can “But the second, third, fourth, fifth deployment at the moment has been meet our core service demands.” or the extra fire trucks that would managed either through redeploying show up at an incident. Those are resources or having people come in the ones that are going to arrive In a statement, Vancouver Fire on overtime,” he said. from a little bit farther away.” Rescue Services said: “We are definitely seeing higher numbers of For the most part, he believes police staff off but are still maintaining our Earlier this week, Matthew Pegg, the will always have the resources to response capabilities for the City of City of Toronto’s general manager deploy to 911, life threatening, and Vancouver.” of emergency management, said safety-type calls. But there may be their firefighters are being sent no capacity to send units to less first to low-priority calls to ensure serious crimes, he said Chris Ross, president of the paramedics are free to respond to Montreal Firefighters Association, calls involving serious injury or said that since the start of the “You redeploy your resources, requiring transport to hospital. pandemic, about 325 members have you start collapsing units, follow tested positive for COVID-19. But up units, investigative units. But close to 200 of those have been in “Response times, particularly for the problem with that is that work low priority calls, may increase the last two to three weeks. doesn’t get done and it just sits from pre-pandemic levels,” he said. there,” he said. CBC “Which then undermines the likelihood of successfully investigating and ultimately prosecuting.”

Other cities are also facing shortages among their police staff. In Edmonton, about eight per cent of police services staff are away because of COVID-19.

Along with police, COVID-19 is also impacting the staffing levels of firefighters and paramedics in some cities.

And in Calgary, the city’s police service currently has the highest number of coronavirus infections among employees since the start of the pandemic, according to Susan Henry, chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA).

Montreal firefighters help a man out of a seniors residence following a fire in April. The surge in COVID-19 cases has presented unique staffing challenges, says the city’s firefighter’s union president. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

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Scientists explore Thwaites, Antarctica’s ‘doomsday’ glacier A team of scientists are sailing to “the place in the world that’s the hardest to get to” so they can better figure out how much and how fast seas will rise because of global warming eating away at Antarctica’s ice. Thirty-two scientists on Thursday are starting a more than two-month mission aboard an American research ship to

investigate the crucial area where the massive but melting Thwaites glacier faces the Amundsen Sea and may eventually lose large amounts of ice because of warm water. The Floridasized glacier has gotten the nickname the “doomsday glacier” because of how much ice it has and how much seas could rise if it all melts - more than two feet (65 centimeters) over hundreds of years.

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Because of its importance, the United States and the United Kingdom are in the midst of a joint $50 million mission to study Thwaites, the widest glacier in the world by land and sea. Not near any of the continent’s research stations, Thwaites is on Antarctica’s western half, east of the jutting Antarctic Peninsula, which used to be the area scientists worried most about. “Thwaites is the main reason I would say that we have so large an uncertainty in the projections of future sea level rise and that is because it’s a very remote area, difficult to reach,” Anna Wahlin, an oceanographer from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said Wednesday in an interview from the Research Vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer, which was scheduled to leave its port in Chile hours later. “It is configured in a way so that it’s potentially unstable. And that is why we are worried about this.” Thwaites is putting about 50 billion tons of ice into the water a year. The British Antarctic Survey says the glacier is responsible for 4% of global

sea rise, and the conditions leading to it to lose more ice are accelerating, University of Colorado ice scientist Ted Scambos said from the McMurdo land station last month. Oregon State University ice scientist Erin Pettit said Thwaites appears to be collapsing in three ways: - Melting from below by ocean water. - The land part of the glacier “is losing its grip” to the place it attaches to the seabed, so a large chunk can come off into the ocean and later melt. - The glacier’s ice shelf is breaking into hundreds of fractures like a damaged car windshield. This is what Pettit said she fears will be the most troublesome with six-mile (10-kilometer) long cracks forming in just a year. No one has stepped foot before on the key ice-water interface at Thwaites before. In 2019, Wahlin was on a team that explored the area from a ship using a robotic ship but never went ashore. Wahlin’s team will use two robot ships - her own large one called Ran which she used in 2019 and the more agile Boaty McBoatface, the crowdsource named drone that could go further under the area of Thwaites that protrudes over the ocean - to get under Thwaites. The ship-bound scientists will be measuring water temperature, the sea floor and ice thickness. They’ll look at cracks in the ice, how the ice is structured and tag seals on islands off the glacier. Thwaites “looks different from other ice shelves,” Wahlin said. “It almost looks like a jumble of icebergs that have been pressed together. So it’s increasingly clear that this is not a solid piece of ice like the other ice shelves are, nice smooth solid ice. This was much more jagged and scarred.” The Associated Press

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FOCUS Omicron & the School Year: Let’s make our schools safe to protect students as they go back to in-person learning. By Joe Kingsley Eyiah, OCT, Brookview Middle School, Toronto-Canada Omicron? What is that? Why is it so frightening and altering our way of living as we go back to school and work after the Christmas break? The foregoing questions have come to live with us, especially as parents and educators. Since 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the smooth teaching and learning at our schools. We have seen unprecedented school closures during the academic years; online or virtual learning for even elementary students at the detriment of their mental as well as social development and the undue stress that teachers and parents have had to go through to support their students/ children learning. Simply put, the two immediate past school years have suffered huge gap in students learning and academic achievement. And as if the 2021-2022 school year were going to be better for students learning in the classroom, then Omicron suddenly appeared in the world to shatter such hope! WHAT IS OMICRON? Omicron is the latest or recent variant of Covid-19. The World Health Organization declared Omicron (or B.1.1.529) as the new variant of the coronavirus which was reported on November 24 in South Africa. That, it is “of concern”! The newly-detected Omicron variant is the predominant strain of Covid-19

in the world. Though milder than the deadly Delta variant, Omicron spreads faster putting great stress on the health care systems in many countries. For example, Covid-19 case counts across Canada have been rising rapidly over the last couple of weeks, fuelled by the Omicron variant. GOVERNMENTS ARE STRUGGLING WITH DECISIONS TO CONTROL THE SPREAD OF OMICRON: Starting Wednesday, January 5, 2022, all publicly funded and private schools in Ontario Province of Canada have been directed by the Ontario government to move to remote learning until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations.

A week before this directive, the Ontario government defying pleads teachers’ unions and opposition parties had emphatically announced to the public that Ontario schools were to return to in-person learning on January 5 instead of the original date of January 3 after the Christmas break. The government had then prided itself in giving School Boards in the province 2 days to improve ventilation in classrooms and supply educators/ school staff as well as students with C95 face masks to ensure safety in the schools before schools return to brick and mortar learning. What a shabby decision! Earlier on January 2, 2022, the President of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT), Jennifer Brown had officially written to the Director of Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Colleen Russell-Rawlings, on behalf of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto requesting that the TDSB remain closed and not reopen sooner than January 12th to improve the health and safety protocols and systems within the schools. She cited the following among others as reasons for the request: - To help minimize a potential surge following holiday gatherings - To ensure that all staff and students receive N95 masks in advance of student arrival; - To establish better lunchtime protocols for staff and students, given the high transmission rate of Omicron - To establish a concrete plan shared in advance with the staff about how to deal with unfilled absences - To ensure that HEPA filters are

distributed throughout the school in all public spaces - To procure enough PCR tests for all staff and students In addition, a delayed return to school gives more time for the TDSB to comply with the OHSA 25(2)(h), “take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker.” THE IMPACT OF OMICRON ON IN-PERSON LEARNING FOR STUDENTS: Thus, students are forced to go back to online learning. The logistics of devices for students who need computers and reliable internet in their homes to be able to successfully participate in the online learning have become a nightmare for many parents and school administrators in particular. Scientists are working to determine how well existing treatments for COVID-19 work. Based on the changed genetic make-up of Omicron, some treatments are likely to remain effective while others may be less effective. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Vaccines remain the best public health measure to protect people from COVID-19, slow transmission, and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging.” Let’s take vaccinations being offered in the various communities seriously to prevent the fast spreading of the Omicron variant among the populations and provide make our schools safe for our students to return to in-person learning.

The Ghanaian News December 2021 11

This unparliamentary behaviour must cease! By Edmund Agbeko, Toronto, ON The events of January 7 and December 21, last year, in the Parliament House of Ghana have made the country a laughing stock in the eyes of wellmeaning Ghanaians and on the international front. The chaotic scenes that heralded the election of the Speaker of Parliament at the beginning of the year resulting in the Ghana Army storming Parliament to restore order was an aberration, to say the least. If the events of January 7 was a shock to Ghanaians, then what happened in the chambers of Ghana’s parliament on December 21 was an affront to the sensibilities of decent members of the various constituencies who voted these MPs to represent them in parliament. The brawl, kickboxing and karate session exhibited by the parliamentarians over disagreements on the E-levy must be condemned in no uncertain terms. I do not want to wade into the argument over whether the E- Levy is beneficial or not to Ghanaians; it is up to the MPs to negotiate settlement of the matter in a more amicable and civil manner than what they sold out to Ghanaians and the prying eyes of the international community. I concede that our parliamentarians are human and therefore susceptible to frailties and weaknesses associated with every human being, however, being in that enviable position as

the same time CPA from the

representing the African Region.

This, certainly, is a great personal achievement as a Ghanaian MP, and an achievement for Ghana’s parliament. In this regard, one can only sympathise with the Majority Leader when he admits that the events of December 21 in the chambers of Parliament were not only ‘embarrassing’but also ‘shameful’. an honourable member of Ghana’s Parliament, we expect them to maintain cool heads even in the face of extreme provocation. Let us not forget that Ghana’s democracy, even though young, is one of the best on the continent and even in the world. Our Fourth Republic has witnessed almost 30 years of smooth parliamentary democratic governance; the most enduring of all the parliamentary democracies in the country’s history. The peaceful back to back transfer of power from one government to the other since the inception of the Fourth Republic is a jewel in our crown. In August this year, the Majority Leader, Mr. Osei Kyei- Mensah-Bonsu, was elected by the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) as the Association’s Acting Vice-Chairperson and at

In October last year, Ghana’s Parliament proudly and successfully hosted the second extraordinary session of the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) Parliament in Winneba, the first to be held outside Accra. These and many more such achievements place Ghana among the best of the best in everything within the sub-region and in Africa as a whole. In the wake of this, it is incumbent on all current members of Ghana’s parliament to be decorous in conducting business in a more civil manner than what we witnessed this year. Disagreements could be resolved without daggers being drawn. Taking entrenched positions on issues will only lead to stalemate and failure and Ghana will be the loser. The current composition of Members of Parliament in the chamber of parliament (NPP 137; NDC 137) leading to a hung parliament, is a blessing in disguise. It presents an opportunity to improve on the negotiation skills between incumbents and the opposition; to make concessions and float new ideas around for consideration. What are some of the lessons learnt from this unfortunate incident? For once, the hung nature of our current parliament and the resultant chaos that unfolded during debates on the floor of parliament means that ordinary Ghanaians can no longer be taken for granted by the majority caucus in parliament who in previous parliaments bulldozed their way through with their numbers during debates on critical national issues. What this means is that the majority and the ruling party ought to swallow their ego and descend from their ivory tower in order to negotiate with the minority on critical issues of national interest. Once this is done, government business could be adopted and passed without much stress.

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On the part of the minority, they need not be overly hardlined to impress their party faithful or put a spoke in the wheel of the majority unnecessarily to display vain sense of ‘machoism’. That could be counterproductive and may boomerang right in their face when the tables turn in 2024. While playing the role of a watchdog,

the minority must do so responsibly in holding the ruling government in check without risking grinding the entire nation to a halt by their actions. Recently, the Congress of the United States of America, after long painful debates and wrangling, passed the 1.2 trillion dollar bipartisan infrastructure bill which will enable the United States to develop and modernise their ageing infrastructure. Even though it was as contentious and tense as our E-Levy, in the end, reason and civility prevailed over anarchy and fisticuffs. Theirs is a more mature democracy and we can only learn from them. Secondly, television footages of the unfortunate incidents show that young male MPs were mostly involved in the brawl. This sends wrong signals to the general Ghanaian community that young male MPs are inexperienced and violent. This perception may affect the chances of other up and coming young male Ghanaians who would want to represent their constituencies in the next parliament if such ignominious behaviour is ever put up by our Parliamentarians. Don’t forget that the electorate in Ghana is growing more sophisticated and unpredictable each election year. A clear example is the hung parliament we have currently. Thirdly, while it is admitted that MPs of both the majority and the minority in parliament hold the interests of their political parties in high esteem, being overly partisan and selfish at the expense of national interest plunges the country into a state of inertia. The legislature should know that national interest should override partisan interest at all times notwithstanding their diverse partisan loyalties. The image of Ghana’s parliament is bruised and battered by their regrettable actions. It was bad on January 7 and worse on December 21. In order to save face and repair their sunken image, it would not be out of place if the leadership of parliament (majority and minority) hold a joint press conference to render an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for inflicting such abhorrent and repugnant act on us. This is a simple act of admitting fallibility and to show to all that our MPs are human after all. To this end, our ‘honourable’ Members of Parliament have the chance to redeem themselves on January 18, 2022 to do the needful and spare us the agony of witnessing another chaos when parliament resume sitting to tackle the vexed issue of the E-Levy. They cannot fail!

The Ghanaian News December 2021

In 2021, Healthcare in Sub- Africa CDC says severe Saharan Africa accelerated lockdowns no longer tool to contain COVID-19 like never before The pandemic illuminated gaps in healthcare infrastructure across the continent By Eyong Ebai Our purpose at GE Healthcare is to improve lives in moments that matter, and we do so by partnering to help deliver more sustainable and accessible precision healthcare. It has been a year to the day since I started my new role leading the GE Healthcare business in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The year has continued to experience heightened anxieties, further lockdowns and personal losses. The effect on economies, education and healthcare systems in Sub-Saharan Africa continue to be felt and are exacerbated by what can be described as discriminatory vaccine policies and travel restrictions on many African countries during the emergence of Omicron variant in recent weeks.” As a result, countries, businesses, and individuals have been forced to adapt. The pandemic illuminated gaps in healthcare infrastructure across the continent. With grounded flights and closed borders. It impacted people’s ability to travel for quality care, which brought a focus on filling those gaps closer to home. Plans were developed to bolster healthcare infrastructure in every Sub-Saharan African country so that communities would have access without needing to travel. Now, we have an unparalleled opportunity to have the biggest impact on healthcare infrastructure in generations. We have political and economic focus, a faster decisionmaking culture, and the opportunity to implement digital and artificial intelligence-enabled solutions that can bring better healthcare to more people. Funding is also being made available by local and global financial institutions that have invested millions of dollars in the healthcare sector this year to create opportunities and arrive at the right solutions to save lives. Accessibility is one of the main issues in SSA. What changed this year was the speed in which key projects were delivered in both the public and private sectors. As part of our ongoing commitment to provide quality healthcare, GE Healthcare contributed to a number of major projects this year. We inaugurated a first-of-its-kind comprehensive Cancer Center with Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital (KUTRRH). The Center will provide lifesaving equipment along the cancer care pathway – from screening and diagnosis to staging to determining treatment. The Duchess International Hospital also opened in Lagos, as a multi-specialty privately-owned hospital. GE Healthcare completed the delivery and installation of equipment with a full range of solutions for improved healthcare across Nigeria. In Uganda, the first Afri-Egypt Health diagnostic center opened through a partnership between GE Healthcare and AFRIPHARMA. The center includes potentially lifesaving equipment to better serve the surrounding communities. Finally, we continued to deliver on our services contracts across SSA.

Africa’s top public health official said on Thursday that severe lockdowns were no longer the best way to contain COVID-19, praising South Africa for adopting that approach when responding to its latest infection wave To accomplish all of this, and continue our success into next year, we have driven by the Omicron variant. been focused on our local workforce. Localization is the best strategy for long-term success because local teams are invested in their own communities. Our employees have the resilience, drive, and ability to overcome tremendous obstacles. In the past year, traditional business models were largely torn up and thrown out the window. Instead, we found creative thinking, flexibility, and the ability to figure things out in record time were implemented to adapt to the new environment – and this approach continues to be met with success.

The pressure of quick decision making made a difference for and motivated individuals within the organization as nothing else had in the past. Decisions that historically took months had to be done within days and being in crisis management mode actually made us perform better. If I look back over the last year, I would say there were very few bad decisions made. Instead, we reduced bureaucracy and focused on what matters. Since COVID, we have learned to look at things in a lean way, cutting out the waste. I think it challenged how a business operates, and the healthcare infrastructure across SSA benefitted. Improving lives in moments that matter SSA has seen incredible growth and serves as a market where healthcare can ‘break new ground’ in terms of innovative models and solutions. Across the continent, GE works as part of an ecosystem to deliver tailormade services that look beyond just technology to offer solutions and make a positive impact. The focus is always on partnerships and the patient. They are at the center of everything we do as we work to help clinicians make more accurate diagnoses, reduce incidents of disease, and improve outcomes. To me, in 2020, we were laying the groundwork – monitoring and doing our research on how to adapt to change and new challenges. 2021 was a year of action, speed, and innovation. Looking ahead, we must all work together to rise to challenge and I can see that all the stars are aligned. In the coming years I expect to see the biggest ever improvement in healthcare infrastructure to date. This will be accelerated further by the actualisation of the African Continental Free Trade area, which will have a significant impact on accelerating trade across the continent. This is expected to be a game-changer for development ambitions, especially for the healthcare sector over the medium term. It provides a unique opportunity to promote inclusive growth and accelerate the post-pandemic recovery. We have done solid work this year, and we are poised for success as we look to 2022. We are improving lives in moments that matter for communities that matter, and that is truly a reason to be proud. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GE Healthcare.

“We are very encouraged with what we saw in South Africa during this period where they look at the data in terms of severity (of infections),” John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), told a news conference. “The period where we are using severe lockdowns as a tool is over. We should actually be looking at how we use public health and social measures more carefully and in a balanced way as the vaccination increases.” South Africa experienced a steep rise in COVID-19 infections from late November, around the time it alerted the world to Omicron, with new infections peaking in mid-December at an all-time record. But new cases have since fallen back, and the government did not resort to strict restrictions as it did during previous infection waves given early signs that the bulk of Omicron infections had been mild. It even loosened rules before New Year’s Eve. Nkengasong added that he feared that COVID-19 could become endemic on the continent given the slow pace of vaccination - a prospect many global scientists already talk of as a given. “Unless ... by the end of this year the continent actually scales up its vaccination to above 70% or 80%, my worry is that we might ... be into a scenario where COVID becomes endemic,” he said. Experts believe COVID-19 cannot be eliminated and will likely become endemic, meaning it will always be present in the population to some degree, such as the flu or chickenpox. Less than 10% of Africa’s population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the latest Africa CDC figures show, with many countries initially struggling to access sufficient shots and later battling to get them into arms. There has been a 36% average increase in new cases reported in Africa over the last 4 weeks, with an 8% average increase in new deaths. (Editing by Alison Williams and Nick Macfie) Reuters/ Alexander Winning

Tens of thousands of people flee Cameroon as violence spreads There are now around 100,000 people, the vast majority of whom are women and children, living in around 20 informal sites Over the past few weeks thousands of people from Cameroon have crossed the Logone and Chari rivers to find refuge in Chad due to ongoing violence. There are now around 100,000 people, the vast majority of whom are women and children, living in around 20 informal sites. We are mobilising teams in response, to provide care for people in need. “The first inter-communal conflicts between Mousgoum fishermen and Arab herders in Cameroon began in August this year,” says Jessie Gaffric, MSF head of mission in Chad. “For a few weeks, we organised mobile clinics to provide basic healthcare to 11,000 refugees in Chad, before the situation calmed down.” However the violence resumed suddenly and brutally, as it did on 8 December in Kousseri, a Cameroonian town on the border with Chad’s capital N’Djamena due to tensions over agricultural, pastoral and fisheries resources, which have not been resolved. Forty-three people were injured by knives, bullets or arrows. Twenty-five of them had to be hospitalised in N’Djamena because of the lack of appropriate care in Kousseri. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

The Ghanaian News December 2021 13

SAME HEAD, NEW CROWN* Emancipating Today’s Woman By Gifty ANNOBIL, New York, NY

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The world today is extremely loud on who a woman should be. In the beauty industry, advertisements are created with unrealistic images of beauty. Clearly, a particular definition has been socially established for every woman to fit in or be seen or termed as odd. The spotlight is largely on body types and appearance which have resulted in anxiety and low self esteem among many women the world over. In the 21st century labor market, women are still left behind with issues ranging from pay disparities to discrimination at levels of corporate leadership. It is said that, women have to work twice as much as their male counterparts to prove themselves worthy of leadership positions within respective work places. The church, portrayed as a safe haven, can also not be exempted from this particular issue. Women are bombarded with the powerful PROVERBS 31 sermon all year round. Unfortunately, same is not continuously said of the opposite gender to equally do as is expected of them to invest some value into their person and character. On the back of this, even the laziest man in church believes his gender alone qualifies him for a ‘PERFECT WOMAN’. The preparation for a life long commitment like marriage has been physically centred instead of mentally centered. It is obvious that the sexy underwears, perfumes and concoctions we invest in to preserve our genitals have still not able to secure our homes. The extreme schedules of dieting and workout have equally failed woefully. We may not want to talk of the disappointments from 21-day dry fast

most religions leaders recommend as solutions to marital problems. Now, do not get me wrong. I believe in the power of prayer and fasting but far beyond that, we must understand that recommendations from these religious observations must be diligently followed or rendered useless. Expressly, we are all gathered around the tower of Babel. The chaos and confusion is highly evident. Ironically, it has also become a case where the men are labelled as prizes and the women are tagged as hunters who have to show what they have to win these prizes. A look at all these firmly affirm that there is no need in even blaming the men when we equally go every crooked length to give them things they have not even demanded for. There is no way a prize for a competition can partake in the game. Men can only enjoy the show. It is only when there is shortage in production that demand increases! For us to establish that demand, we surely have to reduce the production of such unhealthy excesses. Dear ladies, our task is to evolve and not devalue_Gifty Annobil

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The Ghanaian News December 2021

IMMIGRATION AND SOCIAL ISSUES By: James A. Kwaateng, B.A. (Hons), LLB (Hons)

PRINCIPAL DETERMINANTS OF VALID MARRIAGES FOR IMMIGRATION SPONSORSHIP PURPOSES Unlike parent-child relationship, marriages and adoptions are principally non-biological. The origin and continued existence of relationships like marriages and adoption are proved by documentation and by some other means other than biological. One should not expect authorities, including Canada Immigration, to summarily presume that relationships like marriages and adoptions are legally valid and genuine. Thus, in the eyes of the Immigration, a legally valid adoption or marriage is not necessarily a genuine relationship and vice versa. The onus of proving the legal validity and genuineness of such relationships is on the applicants.

refusals are based – directly or indirectly - on issues related to the previous marriages. In situations where partners separated as soon as the sponsored relative obtained permanent residency, there is the suspicion of marriage of convenience. Also, cases of multiple marriages are sometimes singled out for special treatments. Incidents of multiple marriages within “unreasonably” short period of time are causes for concern.

Marriages of convenience appear to be on the ascent and it is becoming a matter of great concern to immigration officials. Immigration authorities have accordingly raised the level of assessment, investigations and procedures of spousal sponsorships. Canada Immigration has the resources to do their work and it would be a sad mistake for one to underestimate or overlook their investigative powers. Prospective sponsors should seek the advice or assistance of a One should not underestimate competent professional whenever the investigative capabilities of necessary to avoid unnecessary the Immigration. The Immigration frustration, delays and costly authorities store past information appeals in your sponsorships. for future use and reference. For that matter, applicants must draw their counsel’s attention to past and present information they might James A. Kwaateng is an have provided the Immigration that Immigration Law practitioner with could be relevant to their cases. offices located at 168A Oakdale Applicants should be truthful and Road, Suite 4, Toronto, Ontario consistent with the information For a thorough discussion of your they give to their counsel and to the immigration and related social Immigration. The effectiveness of a and legal issues, contact him at counsel could be severely limited by telephone number (416) 743-2758 non-disclosure of facts, inadequate cooperation, untruthful disclosure for an appointment.

resident in Canada for immigration sponsorship purposes when the divorce is issued from a nondomiciliary court where the decree is recognized by the law of domicile of the parties provided either of the spouses was ordinarily resident in the foreign jurisdiction for one Canada Immigration would year immediately preceding the recognize marriage for immigration application for the divorce. purposes only when the marriage in question is valid under the laws of The Canadian laws require two the jurisdiction where the marriage people who contract marriage took place and under Canadian not to be related by whole-blood, law. Customary marriages may half-blood or by adoption. Also, pose some problems but if the to be recognized for immigration marriage is done in accordance purposes, foreign national spouses with the laws of the jurisdiction must be 18 years of age. Section and inconsistency where the marriage took place, 117(9)(a) of the Immigration Canada Immigration may not have Regulations excludes spouses under serious concerns. Proxy marriages the age of 18 years from family – be it civil or customary – are class membership. currently unacceptable in Canada for Immigration purposes. Section The legal requirements aside, a 5(c) of the Immigration Regulations marriage must be genuine in order have been amended to read “both to warrant immigration sponsorship parties are to be physically present at consideration. Several factors the time of the marriage ceremony” such as multiplicity of marriages while section 117(9) states that if and common-law relationships, one of the parties was not present, duration of previous marriages, then the foreign national is not period of courtship, degree of considered a member of the family interdependence, amount of time spent together, level of knowledge class. of each other’s relationship Generally, Canadian laws would histories, knowledge of and require a married couple to have a contact with extended families of marriage certificate by following the parties, financial support and the necessary legal procedure. The communication all combine to laws require previously married determine genuineness of a marital applicants to be legally divorced relationship for immigration and before they marry again. Canada sponsorship purposes. Immigration would generally Some cases of sponsorship recognize a foreign divorce for two partners who are ordinarily

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The Ghanaian News December 2021 15

Canada reaches $31bn deal in indigenous child welfare case The long-running legal battle began with a complaint filed to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) in 2007 by the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, which alleged that the child welfare system It’s the largest class-action settlement in was discriminatory. Canadian history. Nine years later, the CHRT ruled against the The agreements-in-principle, announced federal government and ordered that it offer on Tuesday, sets aside funds for both compensation payments worth C$40,000 for each indigenous child forced to leave compensation and reforms. their home to access services. The figure In 2016, a tribunal ruled that Canada had is the maximum allowed under Canada’s underfunded First Nations children’s Human Rights Act. services compared with those for nonThe Canadian government, however, filed indigenous children. its own legal challenge and argued that the Canada has announced C$40bn ($31bn; £23.6bn) in compensation for indigenous children and families harmed by the onreserve child welfare system.

court was wrong to award the payouts. At the time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his cabinet wanted to “make sure we’re getting compensation right”. The $20bn in compensation includes funds for First Nations children on-reserve and in the Yukon, a northern territory, that were removed from their homes between April 1991 and 31 March of this year. Over 215,000 children, not including family members or caregivers, are believed to be up for compensation. Another $20bn has been set aside to

overhaul the First Nations family services programme. This includes funds to support indigenous adults transitioning out of the child welfare system and to help develop services aimed at keeping families together. “The enormity of this settlement is due to one reason and one reason only - that’s the scope of the harm that was inflicted on class members as a result of a cruel and discriminatory First Nations family and child welfare system that Canada has now finally taken major steps to overhaul,” said David Sterns, an attorney with Torontobased law firm Sotos LLC, which has represented First Nations plaintiffs. “It is our sincere hope that this money will provide some comfort to each member of the class and help them with a difficult process of rebuilding their lives.” Census data shows that more than half of the children in Canadian foster homes are indigenous, despite them making up less than 8% of the country’s child population. New legislation - passed in 2019 - affirms indigenous peoples’ right to enact jurisdiction over child and family services in their own communities. On Tuesday, Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, said that work remains to be done to help young First Nations citizens and their families. “We will continue working with the parties so that future generations of First Nations children will never face the same injustices, and can thrive, surrounded by their loved ones, languages and cultures,” he said. The deal is expected to be finalised in the coming months. BBC

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The Ghanaian News December 2021

Why are so many vaccinated people getting COVID-19 lately? 1 day ago Why are so many vaccinated people getting COVID-19 lately? A couple of factors are at play, starting with the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant. Omicron is more likely to infect people, even if it doesn’t make them very sick, and its surge coincided with the holiday travel season in many places. People might mistakenly think the COVID-19 vaccines will completely block infection, but the shots are mainly designed to prevent severe illness, says Louis Mansky, a virus researcher at the University of Minnesota. And the vaccines are still doing their job on that front, particularly for people who’ve gotten boosters. Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine still offer strong protection against serious illness from omicron. While those initial doses aren’t very good at blocking omicron

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The Ghanaian News December 2021

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The Ghanaian News December 2021 19

CENTRE FOR PLANT MEDICINE RESEARCH (CPMR) Mampong , Akwapem, Ghana With Dr. Kofi Bobi Barimah Ag. Executive Director By Emmanuel Ayiku, Toronto, ON Dr. Kofi Bobi Barimah a Ghanaian Canadian of Brampton is the Ag Executive Director of the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) at Mampong, Akwapem. Prior to that he was the Foundation Dean of the Faculty of Public Health & Allied Sciences at the Catholic University College of Ghana-Fiapre where he served as its foundation Dean from 2007-2013. He was the Director of Research & Consultancy at the Ghana Technology University College for four years. Dr. Barimah served as Co-ordinator of the Centre for Health Systems & Policy Research (CHESPOR) at GIMPA when he was appointed as a Visiting Lecturer during the 2014-2015 Academic year. The Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR)was established in 1975 by the government of Ghana through the vision and initiative of Dr. Oku Ampofo, a renowned medical practitioner, an artist and Pan-Africanist. Today, CPMR is an agency of the Ministry of Health set up under the Specialist Health Training and Plant Medicine Research. Dr. Kofi BobiBarimah indicated that the CPMR has contributed in national policy development and implementation by the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Department (TAMD) of Ministry of Health and Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC). He observed during its 45th Anniversary in November last year that, “ the centre is the first of its kind and excellence in research and practice of herbal medicine in Sub-Sahara Africa., the Vision of the Centre is to make herbal Medicine a natural choice for all” and the Mission is “to gain the highest recognition for research and development of herbal products that meet the exacting needs of both patients and industry, through innovative scientific research and productive partnerships”. He went on to say that, the object of the Centre is to research into plant medicine for the promotion, encouragement, extension, transfer and application of scientific research knowledge and development in the field of plant medicine Dr. Barimah highlighted some of the activities at the centre: 1. Quality, safety, and efficacy assessment of herbal products for herbal manufacturers and herbalists. 2. Modern clinic offering clinical consultations, diagnostic/laboratory services and herbal dispensary stocked with products developed and developed at the Centre. 3. Formulation and production of herbal extracts for industrial partners. 4. Raising of medicinal plant seedlings for sale to out growers 5. Documentation of ethnopharmacological data on Ghanaian medicinal plants.

Lastly, he said “we take enormous pride in our abiding relationship with the Traditional Medicine Practitioners (GHAFTRAM) and other stakeholders. They are a never-failing source of knowledge and to them we are eternally grateful. As we continue to celebrate our existence, we pray to realize in the near future our vision of making herbal medicine a natural choice for all humankind on the globe. Currently, CPMR is exploring the possibility of marketing our Food and Drug Authority Dr. Kofi Bobi Barimah approved Essential Herbal Medicines in line with Health Canada’s protocols and guidelines for the importation of 6. Publication and dissemination food supplements and herbal medicine. of research results in peer-review Major Achievements of the Centre: journals. 7. Training for medical herbalists, The Centre continues to make traditional medicine practitioners, significant achievements towards the realization of our vision of “making students and other stakeholders herbal medicine a natural choice for He said “The quest to provide all”. This is manifested in the following good quality healthcare has been a scenarios; preoccupation for all human societies since time immemorial. This has 1. During the COVID-19 era our evolved from the adoption of psychic daily patients’ attendance at the Clinic means through apothecaries to modern increased from the average 70-80 per allopathic medicine. Through all these, day to 100-140 per day. the use of plants (and plant derivatives) 2. Collaborating with KNUST for has been a constant presence as a Clinical trial for COVID-19 patients source and means of healing using NIBIMA The use of plant medicine occurs within 3. Collaborating with Traditional and the context of traditional medicine in Alternative Medicine Directorate Africa and is practiced by herbalists (TAMD), Food and Drugs Board and who are believed to be well versed GHAFTRAM for the implementation and knowledgeable in herbs and other of the inclusion of essential herbal natural products and their medicinal medicine list into the NHIS 4. Collaborating with relevant uses. stakeholders and researchers for This has made the vital work of protocols and procedures for documenting the works of the conducting Clinical Trials. practitioners and conducting cutting 5. Introduction of two new herbal edge research into the safety and products for general wellness and efficacy of these medicinal plants even wellbeing and potential as an immune more critical. It is particularly so in this booster for the management of era of green revolution and the increase COVID-19. in demand for natural products.” Dr. Barimah obtained his Bachelor He said, “Here at the Centre for Plant of Arts degree in Psychology from Medicine Research, we are committed the University of Ghana, Legon; his to leading the charge for the effective realization of the full potential of Master of Science degree in Rural plant medicine to serve as a source for Extension Studies from the University health and wealth for Ghanaians and of Guelph, Canada; his Master of Arts degree in Community Psychology humanity in general”. from Wilfrid Laurier University, According to Dr. Canada; his Doctor of Philosophy in Kofi Bobi Barimah, For over forty Public Health from the University of years, the high quality researchers have Aberdeen, United Kingdom. He has conducted significant studies aimed research and teaching experience on at uncovering the benefits of plant three continents: Africa (Catholic medicine whilst probing their safety University of Ghana, University and efficacy. of Ghana, GIMPA (Ghana), Ghana University College) The Clinic serves thousands of clients Technology Europe (University of Aberdeen) every year from Ghana and beyond and has been known as a model herbal North America (Wilfrid Laurier Ryerson University, clinic. Theproduction facility also University, produces over thirty different herbal Canada; University of Guelph, products dispensed at the centre Clinic Canada). He has several publications and dozens of other clinics and retail in health promotion and community points around the Ghana. A point development in peer-review journals worthy of note is that this year alone, coupled with presentations at reputable more than 20 Canadians visited our global conferences. Dr. Barimah is the principal author of clinic for various health problems. the book TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

IN GHANA (2018) and a co-author of a new book SOME COMMON MEDICINAL PLANTS OF GHANA to be launched in February this year as part of 45th Anniversary Celebration of CPMR. He is the Editor-Chief of the International Journal of Technology and Entrepreneurship. Before relocating from Canada to Ghana in 2003, Dr. Barimahhad over 12 years’ experience in Health Promotion and community development in the non-profit sector both at the managerial and grassroots levels in Canada. He was the Research & Profile Development Manager at the Ontario Association of Youth Employment Centres, Toronto, Canada. He served as the Ag. Executive Director of the Jane-Finch Concerned Citizens Organization; Centre Manager of the Rapport Youth Centre, Brampton, as well as a Course Instructor at Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto. He is currently a Contract Academic Staff at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada and teaches Health and Psychology related courses. Dr. Barimah have received numerous Awards. In November 2018, Dr. Barimah received an award for PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE from the Ghanaian Canadian Achievement Awards Program in Canada and received a citation from the House of Commons (Canadian Parliament). He is also the recipient of the 2002 YMCA Peace Medallion Award, Brampton, Canada. Dr. Barimah’s commitment to both national and community service is based on the World Health Organization’s indication that humankind’s capacity to control our health becomes ineffective when we cannot bring basic resources, such as food, shelter, working conditions, and personal relationships under control. As a member of the Rotary International, he has continued to be actively involved in the development of any community that he finds himself in. As an effective and strategic Fundraiser, he has raised funds for many educational institutions, NGOs and diplomatic missions such as the Ghana High Commission in Canada and the Mother & Child Community Development established by Mrs. Theresa Kufour, the former First Lady of the Republic of Ghana. Dr. Barimah was a member of the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) and the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research (CCGHR) respectively that have now merged as Canadian Society for Global Health. Dr. Barimah has served on the Governing Boards of Food & Drugs Authority and the Traditional Medicine Practice Council respectively in Ghana as well as the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research. He is the immediate past National Secretary of the Ghana Psychological Association and a member of the Canadian Psychological Association.

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The Ghanaian News December 2021 21

Toronto child under the age of 4 dies with COVID-19

Toronto Public Health confirmed Thursday that a child under the age of four has died with COVID-19. The public health agency said it can’t release more details due to privacy rules, but offered its condolences to the child’s family. The tragedy comes as Ontario doctors again warn pregnant people to get vaccinated so their newborns have some degree of immunity. Toronto Public Health also restated how important vaccines are to blunt the worst of the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is being driven by the highly-transmissible

Omicron variant.

province has seen the deaths of several young “As COVID-19 continues to spread in our city, people who contracted the virus during the including the dominant Omicron variant, we urge course of the pandemic. all eligible Torontonians to get a first, second or third dose of vaccine as soon as you’re able to Medical experts still stress that COVID-19 protect yourselves and others, and especially the remains a relatively mild illness for the vast vulnerable members of our community,” it said majority of children. However, a recent rise in hospitalizations among youth is likely tied, in a statement. at least in part, to the Omicron variant’s rapid Children under the age of five aren’t eligible to spread. receive COVID-19 vaccines in Canada at this Some physicians are also seeing early signals that time. Omicron’s infection pattern — often impacting It remains rare for children to get seriously the airways more than the lungs — may hit some ill after contracting COVID-19, however the kids harder than adults. CBC

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The Ghanaian News December 2021

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The Ghanaian News December 2021 23

M A K O L A Tropical Foods THE SUPERMARKET IN THE HEART OF ACCRA-GHANA IS NOW HERE IN THE HEART OF TORONTO QUALITY FOODS

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The Ghanaian News December 2021

New African King Meat Shop Under New Management

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The Ghanaian News December 2021 25

The Ghanaian News December 2021

Desmond Tutu: South Africa anti-apartheid hero dies aged 90 the way the world remembers, and celebrates, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace prize laureate who helped end apartheid in South Africa, has died aged 90.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the churchman’s death marked “another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans”. Archbishop Tutu had helped bequeath “a liberated South Africa,” he added. Tutu was one of the country’s best known figures at home and abroad. A contemporary of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, he was one of the driving forces behind the movement to end the policy of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by the white minority government against the black majority in South Africa from 1948 until 1991. He was awarded the Nobel prize in 1984 for his role in the struggle to abolish the apartheid system. Tutu’s death comes just weeks after that of South Africa’s last apartheidera president, FW de Klerk, who died at the age of 85. Archbishop Tutu was a contemporary of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela (r) President Ramaphosa said Tutu was “an iconic spiritual leader, antiapartheid activist and global human rights campaigner”. He described him as “a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead. “A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world.” The Nelson Mandela Foundation was among those paying tributes, saying Tutu’s “contributions to struggles against injustice, locally and globally, are matched only by the depth of his thinking about the making of liberatory futures for human societies. “He was an extraordinary human being. A thinker. A leader. A shepherd.” Former US president Barack Obama described him as a mentor and a “moral compass”.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu It is impossible to imagine South Africa’s long and tortuous journey to freedom - and beyond - without Archbishop Desmond Tutu. While other struggle leaders were killed, or forced into exile, or prison, the diminutive, defiant Anglican priest was there at every stage, exposing the hypocrisy of the apartheid state, comforting its victims, holding the liberation movement to account, and daring Western governments to do more to isolate a white-minority government that he compared, unequivocally, to the Nazis. When democracy arrived, Tutu used his moral authority to oversee the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that sought to expose the crimes of the white-minority government. Later he turned that same fierce gaze on the failings, in government, of South

Africa’s former liberation movement, the ANC. Many South Africans today will remember Tutu’s personal courage, and the clarity of his moral fury. But as those who knew him best have so often reminded us, Tutu was always, emphatically, the voice of hope. And it is that hope, that optimism, accompanied, so often, by his trademark giggles and cackles, that seems likely to shape

Known affectionately as The Arch, Tutu was instantly recognisable, with his purple clerical robes, cheery demeanour and almost constant smile. He was not afraid to show his emotions in public, including memorably laughing and dancing at the opening ceremony of the football World Cup in South Africa in 2010. Despite his popularity though he was not a man who was loved by all. He was very critical of the African National Congress (ANC) government in the post-apartheid era, when, at times, he felt it was misrepresenting South Africa - even warning in 2011 that he would pray for its downfall over a cancelled visit by the Dalai Lama. In response, the national police commissioner Gen Bheki Cele told Tutu to “go home and shut up”. “He is not a vice-Jesus Christ,” he said. Ordained as a priest in 1960, Tutu went on to serve as bishop of Lesotho from 1976-78, assistant bishop of Johannesburg and rector of a parish in Soweto. He became Bishop of Johannesburg in 1985, and was appointed the first black Archbishop of Cape Town the following year. He used his high-profile role to speak out against oppression of black people in his home country, always saying his motives were religious and not political. After Mandela became South Africa’s first black president in 1994, Tutu was appointed by him to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up to investigate crimes committed by both whites and blacks during the apartheid era. He was also credited with coining the term Rainbow Nation to describe the ethnic mix of post-apartheid South Africa, but in his latter years he expressed regret that the nation had not coalesced in the way in which he had dreamt. BBC

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Barrack Obama, former US President

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela former South Africa President

The Ghanaian News December 2021 27

State funeral for Malawi’s first First Lady

Mike Kofi Attobrah Passes Away in Montreal The untimely death is reported in Montreal Quebec of Michael Kofi Attobrah on Tuesday 7th December, 2021. He was 66 years old. He is survived by mother Margaret Abena Ampfowa, wife Mrs. Georgina Attobrah, 3 children, Kwame, Jeffery & Jenifer Attobrah and 2 grandchildren, Mavis Attobrah sister and 4 siblings. Mike was for some time the distributor in Montreal, Quebec of the versatile Ghanaian Newspaper. Mike will be buried in Montreal. May his soul rest in perfect peace.

President Chakwera described her as “selfless” and “caring ”The first Malawian woman to hold the position of First Lady, Anne Chidzira Muluzi, has been laid to rest. Mrs Muluzi died of cancer at a hospital in Kenya on 28 December at the age of 69. She was wife to Malawi’s second President, Bakili Muluzi, but was the first woman to hold the position of First Lady because Malawi’s first president, Hastings Banda was not married. Banda lived with personal secretary Cecilia Kaedzamira for most of the 30 years he was Malawi’s president and gave her the title of Official Hostess. The funeral ceremony was presided over by President Lazarus Chakwera,

who granted the former First Lady a state funeral with full military honours. The late Anne Muluzi was very highly regarded for being a mother figure who preferred to take a back seat and not engage in partisan politics in a country where no less than three former First Ladies at some point served as parliamentarians. Her funeral was a national event attended by leaders from different religious denominations and from across the political divide. She is survived by a son, Atupele, who is president of the opposition United Democratic Front, a party his father led when he was Malawi’s president between 1994 and 2004. BBC

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The Ghanaian News December 2021

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The Ghanaian News December 2021 29

Erin O’Toole urges accommodations for unvaccinated Canadians amid Omicron wave Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said Thursday those unwilling to be vaccinated against COVID-19 should be accommodated through measures like rapid testing, as health experts warn the lightning-fast spread of the Omicron variant threatens to overwhelm hospitals. Ontario is reporting an uptick in hospitalizations and days ago made the decision to keep school-aged kids learning from home for at least two weeks, which Doug Ford’s government said was to take pressure off the healthcare system. Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says of the 319 patients in intensive care, 232 of them are not fully immunized against COVID-19 or have an unknown status, while 87 are double-vaccinated. Mandatory vaccination policies have proven to be a difficult issue for O’Toole to navigate, even within his own caucus, as some of his MPs have refused to confirm their status. Some Tory MPs forcefully condemn vaccine mandates as threatening people’s livelihoods and violating their medical privacy. O’Toole came out as opposed to vaccine mandates during last year’s election campaign and on Thursday accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of fuelling vaccine hesitancy by attacking those who haven’t yet received their shots. Trudeau said Wednesday that Canadians are angry at those who refuse to be vaccinated because they are filling up hospital beds, causing cancer treatments and elective surgeries to be put off.

Starting Friday, education and child-care staff in the Greater Toronto Area can book priority shots at the International Centre in Mississauga. The province says further clinics will be set up “urgently” across on Ontario, in addition to existing clinics in Toronto and Ottawa that already have dedicated access for these staff. Premier Doug Ford announced Monday that schools would go back online for at least two weeks due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Child-care centres have remained open, even though the children who attend them no longer qualify for tests if they get sick. The province also provided an update Thursday about how it will deploy more

Canada’s trade surplus widened for a sixth straight month in November, easing worries around the economic impact of the British Columbia floods, and providing further evidence the economy was building up strength ahead of the Omicron surge. The gap between the value of exports and imports was $3.1 billion in November, the largest in 13 years, compared with $2.3 billion in October, Statistics Canada reported on Jan. 6. Merchandise exports increased 3.8 per cent to $58.6 billion, and imports increased to a record $55.4 billion. Both figures were influenced by COVID-19 medication, including exports, as a large shipment was imported for labelling and packaging before being shipped back out.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole speaks during a news conference responding to the federal government’s COVID-19 response, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Justin Tang

Still, there was evidence of solid demand beyond the idiosyncrasies of the

The Conservative leader says he refuses to criticize people who aren’t vaccinated and believes “reasonable accommodations” should be provided to them, like those who work in the trucking industry, to avoid service disruptions and labour shortages under mandatory vaccination policies. “There is going to be as much as 15 per cent of the population that is not vaccinated.” Canadians should be proud that most of the population has been immunized, O’Toole said, adding the medical experts he’s spoken with say the way to reach those who haven’t is through education and addressing their anxieties. “In some cases,” O’Toole said, “you will have to try and find reasonable accommodations between keeping people safe and people not losing their job, losing their home, not being able to provide for their kids. I don’t think that position is irrational when people’s lives are on the line.” The Canadian Press

COVID-19 patients in Ontario ICUs top 300 as government scrambles to get education workers booster shots Ontario announced Thursday it is accelerating booster shots for education workers as well as providing N95 masks to those working in child-care settings, as well as changing the rules around who is eligible for a rapid antigen test.

Canada’s trade surplus swells to 13-year high, signalling economy stronger than expected

rapid antigen tests that are set to soon arrive from the federal government. At a news conference Thursday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should assume they are infected and should self-isolate. “Testing is a luxury,” he said, adding there is a global shortage of rapid tests. Hospitalizations, ICU admissions climb Meanwhile, hospitalizations and admissions to intensive care of Ontarians with COVID-19 both climbed again There were 2,279 people with the illness in hospitals, up from 2,081 the day before and a 136 per cent increase from the same time last week. The pandemic high of 2,360 hospitalizations came on April 20, 2021. Similarly, there were 319 people with cont’d on pg. 40

global trade in vaccines. Exporters of chemicals, energy and lumber all posted impressive gains, a positive for a country that counts on international demand for its goods and services for a significant amount of its wealth. “We had the trade surplus rise to the strongest it’s actually been since the global financial crisis. So, a very positive result indeed,” Stephen Brown, senior economist at Capital Economics, said in an interview. The Bank of Canada will take the data as another indication of the strength of the economy as it tries to sort out when to begin lifting interest rates. Royal Bank of Canada deputy chief economist Dawn Desjardins suspects the economy has built up enough momentum in the last half of 2021 to help it through any impacts imposed by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. “I don’t necessarily think this is going to be sufficient enough to see (the Bank of Canada) pivot away from the idea that the economy no longer needs these extraordinarily low interest rates,” Desjardins said of the spread of COVID-19 and the central bank’s response. Exports from B.C. declined eight per cent in November, when epic floods and landslides impeded access to the Port of Vancouver, the country’s main gateway to trade with Asia. Bay Street economists had assumed the disruption would cause Canada’s export momentum to stall. However, an 11-per-cent jump in exports from the rest of the provinces outweighed B.C.’s troubles. Exports of chemicals, plastics and rubber products rose 14.7 per cent, while energy exports continued to climb at 2.8 per cent, a seventh straight increase in 2021. Consumer goods imports continued to rise as well, climbing 5.2 per cent. Imports of metals increased by 7.3 per cent after falling 8.2 per cent in October. Though imports grew overall, there was a 3.4 per cent decline in electronic and electrical equipment and a 0.8 per cent drop in machinery and equipment imports, an indication domestic business investment took a hit that month, Brown said. The floods, which stalled freight lines and cut off highway access, likely played a part in larger supply chain disruptions across the globe that affected firms’ ability to purchase electronics and equipment that month. Still, it’s a small worry, overshadowed by the reconstruction effort and indications from close to half of businesses surveyed by the Bank of Canada that they intend to invest more over the next year. “As soon as these products are available, (firms) are going to start investing,” Brown said. “Because of the strength of the fourth quarter, some of that weakness we’re going to get in January and February isn’t going to be as much of an issue. Financial Post

The Ghanaian News December 2021

PEOPLE AND PLACES King Kwadwo Kwarteng Dedicated at St. Andrews Catholic Church By Jonathan Baah Annobil, Toronton, ON

King Akwasi Kwarteng and wife Yaa Fremah dedicated their son King Kwadwo Kwarteng at the St. Andrews Roman Catholic Church,2547 Kipling

Avenue, Etobicoke, on Sunday December the dedication was held at the Manhyia 12, 2021. The ceremony was officiated Palace Convention Centre, 95 Eddystone, by Fr. Alex Osei assisted by Deacon North York. Joseph Owusu Afriyie. Reception after

Baby Kwadwo Kwarteng with parents (middle) and Godparents

King Kwadwo Kwarteng being baptized by Fr. Alex Osei

Tom Rakocevic donates Christmas parcels to kids of the GCAO’s Homework Club By Joe Kingsley Eyiah, Toronto Tom Rakocevic, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) representing the riding of Humber River—Black Creek through his personal secretary, Evelyn Boachie, donated assorted toys to the kids of the Ghanaian Canadian Association of Ontario (GCAO) Homework Club during this year’s Christmas festivities. The gifts which were parcelled nicely were received on behalf of the kids for distribution by the newly elected 2nd Vice President of GCAO, Ms Mary Akuamoah. The presentation (all Covid-19 protocols observed) took place at the Apostles Continuation Church premises at 10 Belfield Road in Etobicoke-Toronto on Sunday, December 19, 2021. Present at the function were Mr. Eyiah (Principal); Ms Mavis Terkper (volunteer) and some parents of the kids of the Homework Club. Ms. Mary Akuamoah, the newly elected 2nd Vice President of the GCAO distributing the parcels to the kids

Some parents and GCAO Homework Club principal Mr. Eyiah receive the parcels on behalf of the students

Some of the students proudly displaying their gifts

The Ghanaian News December 2021 31

Vanessa Oforiwaa Manu’s Life Celebration By Jonathan Baah Annobil, Toronton, ON

The celebration of life of Vanessa Oforiwaa Manu was held at the Apostles’ Continuation Church International Church Banquet Hall, 10 Belfield Road, Etobicoke, on Saturday December 18th,

2021. Interment was at the Queen of Heavens Catholic Cemetery, Woodbridge. She was 18 years and is survived by father, Mr. Thomas kwaku Manu, mother Mrs. Felicia Agyeiwaa Manu and sisters

Chief mourners at the high table

Parents of Venessa with well-wishers at the funeral rites

Hilary and Heather. Thanksgiving service was at the St. Andrews Roman Catholic Church, 2547 Kipling Ave. Etobicoke on Sunday 19th December, 2021

Parents of Vanessa, siblings and Ebusuapayin Buster (r)

Thomas K. Manu (centre) with well-wishers at the funeral rites

Retired Principal Matron of Ghana and wife to veteran Ghanaian SDA Pastor, Emilia Bonnie passes away suddenly in Toronto By Joe Kingsley Eyiah, Toronto, ON

Madam Emilia Bonnie, a retired Principal Matron of Ghana and wife to veteran Pastor Ebow Bonnie of the SDA Church who became permanent residents of Canada in 2018 passed away suddenly in Toronto on Sunday, December 5, 2021. The couple were scheduled to visit Ghana the following day. She has left behind her husband, Pastor Ebow Bonnie, 5 children-Pastor Joojo Ghartey Bonnie, (UK), Nana Joe Ahinsan Bonnie (UK), Dr Kofi Ahumkah Bonnie (Canada), Mrs Maame Afua Mensah Yeboah (Techiman), Mrs Myrtle Obaa Yaa Achiaa Boateng (Canada) and 14 grandchildren. She was 74 years old. Funeral arrangements will follow later. Ghanaian News send our deepest condolences to the family. May her soul rest in perfect peace until the Resurrection Morning Amen.

The Ghanaian News December 2021

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The Ghanaian News December 2021 35

Akwasi Frimpong ‘broken’ after Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics dream hit by Covid Akwasi Frimpong was hoping to “leave a legacy” after competing in Beijing Ghanaian skeleton bob racer Akwasi Frimpong says he is “broken” after a positive coronavirus test effectively ended his hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The 35-year-old, who finished 30th on his Olympic debut in Pyeongchang in 2018, revealed he was isolating with mild symptoms after testing positive last week. “It’s painful not being able to fulfil my dreams, with all the time, energy, money and things I’ve sacrificed,” he told BBC Sport Africa. “The timing is not good. If I had a competition two weeks later maybe I’d still be feeling weak but have a chance to slide.” Frimpong, who is fully vaccinated, is set to miss this week’s two Intercontinental Cup events in Altenberg and the World Cup in Winterberg. He still requires points to have a chance of competing at Beijing 2022, with the Games beginning on 4 February.

Akwasi Frimpong

“Other Africans around the world would be able to have an example and know ‘if he can do it, I can do it’.

“I have always been a positive person but this is out of my control,” he said. “This was my last shot.

“I was really hoping to finish the job I have started and go to Beijing 2022, especially as I am way much more competitive than I was four years ago.

“For my hopes to be able to test negative, there has to be a lot of magic. The most important thing now is trying to get healthy.”

“If I was going to go to Beijing, I had a shot to be able to be in the final. That is another legacy I wanted to leave behind.

Utah-based Frimpong, a former sprinter who also has Dutch nationality, is frustrated he will not get the chance to race in China and inspire future generations to take up winter sports.

“I don’t come from a winter sport background, and it’s an uphill battle for me financially to get the support I need to compete with the best in the world. I still pushed through and worked hard to put the hope of people on my shoulders and never gave up.”

“You want to compete with the best in the world, show what you are capable of and leave a legacy behind that is inspiring and motivating,” he said.

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The Ghanaian News December 2021

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The Ghanaian News December 2021

Hotel owner, 4 others charged with murder of American IG model; granted Ghc500k bail A hotel owner Bright Udiagbe alias Big Slim who doubles as a businessman in the hospitality and entertainment industry and four of his employees have been arraigned for the murder of an American strip dancer Julie Williams. The five who appeared before the Kaneshie District Court are on two counts of Conspiracy to commit Murder and Murder. But, their pleas have been reserved. The Magistrate, Mr. Stephen Tabiri admitted them to bail in the sums of 100,000 each with two sureties, one of whom should be justified. This put the combined bail sum at GHc500, 000. The rest are Susan Azor (A2), 32, a trader and an employee of S1, Gideon Kwaofio (A3), 31, a Cook and Receptionist, George Nisor (A4),35, a Gardener and Odoi Laryea (A5) a Security guard. They are all employees of RAYPORSII Hotel located at Abelemkpe-Acera The to

case has January

been 25,

adjourned 2022.

In court on Wednesday, January 6, the defence lawyers represented by Robertson Kpatsa for (A1 and A2) and Gregory Asiedu for (A3, A4 and A5 separately argued that the facts do not support the charges and so should be granted bail. They urged the court to exercise its discretion and grant the accused persons bail. It was the case of the Lawyer for A1 &2 that, one of his clients paid for the Autopsy report and other reports done by the police and also paid the hotel bills for the days the deceased stayed in the hotel. While opposing the grant of bail, the Prosecutor Chief Inspector Lawrence Anane said further investigations are needed.

dancers were introduced to A1 in LagosNigeria by a friend known as Williams alias DAPO who requested A1 to employ them at his Firefox night club in Lagos. The Prosecutor said, that same year, the three-strip dancers including the deceased worked for A1 for four weeks on a commission basis at his Firefox nightclub in Lagos, Nigeria but after the Christmas festivities they went back to the United States of America. The

plot:

In December 2018, the prosecutor said, A1 again invited the deceased to Lagos, Nigeria to work for him and after the festivities, she went back to the United States of America. He said, in 2019 and 2020, because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the deceased was not invited by A1 as usual. In November 2021, A1 then invited the deceased to Nigeria to work for him. Chief Inspt. Anane said the deceased arrived in Nigeria on 26/11/2021, at the time A1 was in Ghana making efforts to officially open Tunnel Lounge Restaurant and Firefox Night Club in Acera. “The deceased after working in A1’s night club in Nigeria for about a week was invited to Ghana by A1 to help him open his new lounge and restaurant in Ghana,” the prosecutor told the court. Positive

COVID-19 test:

He told the court that, “on December 3, 2021, the deceased arrived in Ghana with a single-entry Nigeria visa. The deceased tested positive for COVID-19 at the Kotoka International Airport and was taken into isolation at Ave Maria hotel located at South Legon.”

He also argued that the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case and cannot grant them bail.

He explained further that, “on 06/12/2021, the deceased tested negative for COVID-19 and was picked up from the Isolation Centre by A1.

He argued further that, they are still Investigating and may gather more facts as time goes on, and they will interfere with the Investigation when granted bail.

“On the same day, A1 gave money to A2 to book a hotel for the deceased and A2 took the deceased to RAYPORSH hotel in Accra located in the same vicinity she lives.

The court presided over by His Worship Stephen Tabiri after listening to the parties granted them bail on grounds that, the facts do not support the charges.

“The deceased lodged in room 101 for a week and checked out from the hotel on 12/12/2021 at 12 noon to travel back to Nigeria but could not travel because of visa issues.”

Brief

He told the court, “The deceased returned to the hotel around 2:00pm same day and checked into the same room 101. On 13/12/2021, A3 claimed the deceased was not served breakfast because she did not respond to the telephone calls made to her room,” he told the court.

facts:

The brief facts of the case as presented to the court by the prosecution were that, the Deceased Julie Diane Williams, 37, was an American National, and a strip dancer at nightclubs.

Morgue for preservation and autopsy. “On 29/12/2021, C/Supt. /Dr. Osei Owusu Afriyie, the Police Pathologist conducted post mortem examination on the body of the deceased and indicated that the cause of death was unnatural but awaiting toxicology

cont’d from pg. 29 COVID-19 in ICUs. That’s up from 288 patients the day before and 119 more than last Thursday, when 200 needed intensive care. According to Critical Care Services Ontario, 53 more adults were admitted to ICUs on Wednesday. The province has said it will soon begin publishing data that differentiates between patients admitted to hospital due to COVID-19, and those who test positive for the virus while in hospital for unrelated reasons. The Ministry of Health told CBC News late Wednesday that data collection from hospitals for this initiative began last week and that the public reporting will “likely start in the near future.” COVID-19 patients in Ontario hospitals and ICUs The health ministry also recorded the deaths of 20 more people with COVID-19, the most on a single day since June, 2021. Ontario’s official death toll now stands at 10,272. Toronto Public Health confirmed this morning that a child under the age of four had recently died with COVID-19 in the city. The province reported at least 13,339 new cases of COVID-19 today. As Ontario recently changed its guidelines to significantly limit who qualifies for a PCR test, the case total for today is likely a drastic undercount of the real situation. Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table estimates that roughly one in five cases are currently being confirmed by the province’s testing regime. For the 59,241 tests that were completed, Public Health Ontario reported a positivity rate of 29.2 per cent. It is the ninth straight day positivity rates have been higher than 25 per cent. Nearly 100,000 more test samples are in the backlog waiting to be completed. According to Ontario’s long-term care minister, outbreaks of COVID-19 are hitting homes in almost all public health units, with staff absences of between 20 and 30 per cent in some areas. Rod Phillips said there are currently outbreaks reported in 186 homes in 30 of the province’s 34 public health units.

Black

Chief Inspt. Anane said, Susan Azor (A2), 32, a trader and an employee to A1. He told the court that, Gideon Kwaofio (A3), 31, is a Cook and Receptionist

He said, “on 14/12/2021 at about 7:30 am, the staff of the hotel in an attempt to serve the deceased breakfast called the room phone several times but there was no response.

He said, George Nisor (A4),35, is a Gardener whereas A5, Odoi Laryea is a Security guard.

“The management checked on the door and found it unlocked. They entered the room and found the deceased unresponsive on the bed and reported to Police.”

According to Public Health Ontario data, there are also outbreaks in 118 retirement homes, 110 hospitals — by far a pandemic high — and 178 education and child-care settings.

Police

hospital::

Hospitals urge pregnant Ontarians to get vaccinated

He said, a team of Investigators rushed to the hotel and took the deceased to the Police hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival by the medical staff on duty.

A group of Ontario hospitals is urging anyone who is pregnant to get vaccinated against COVID-19, citing recent infant hospitalizations due to the disease.

“The body was deposited at the Police Hospital

Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children,

He told the pretty that, A3, A4, and A5 are all employees of RAYPORSII Hotel located at Abelemkpe-Acera. He said the deceased and A1 have been in a working relationship for the past five years. He told the court that, in December 2017, the deceased and two other American ladies by names: Sky and Diana, all strip

14:

The prosecutor said, “Throughout that day, nobody checked on the deceased although it was known that she had not gone out of her room.”

He added that “based on the verbal post mortem report by the Pathologist, the five suspects who are highly suspected to have a hand in the murder of the deceased were arrested. Investigations are still ongoing.” starrfm.com.gh

COVID-19 patients in Ontario ICUs top 300 as government scrambles to get education workers booster shots

According to him, Bright Udiagbe (A1) alias Big Slim, aged 47, is a businessman in the hospitality and entertainment industries. The prosecutor said, A1 owns a hotel, restaurants and nightclubs in Nigeria and Ghana.

December

and Histopathology examinations to give the actual cause of death.”

He said he expects the number will continue to rise with the highly contagious Omicron variant spreading in communities at record levels. Staff absence rates range from 20 to 30 per cent in some of the hardest-hit areas and the ministry is in contact daily with homes that are struggling, he added.

McMaster Children’s Hospital, CHEO, the children’s hospital for the Ottawa area, and Kingston Health Sciences Centre made a joint statement on the issue Wednesday. “No one wants their little one to be sick in hospital, let alone for COVID-19,” the statement said. “For this reason, as well as for the health of the pregnant individual, we are encouraging anyone who is pregnant and eligible for vaccination — as well as all eligible members in their household — to get vaccinated.” The group said six babies younger than 12 months have been admitted to Hamilton and Ottawa facilities because of COVID-19 since the middle of December. “Previous to that, it was a rare occurrence that an infant was hospitalized for COVID-19 infection,” the statement said. All infants admitted to CHEO in Ottawa had unvaccinated mothers, the statement said. The group of hospitals said infants’ immune systems have difficulty fighting disease especially without maternal antibodies transferred during pregnancy from vaccination. Their statement cited research out of the Ottawa children’s hospital that has shown no adverse pregnancy outcomes in Ontario from COVID-19 vaccines. Despite that, the group said vaccination coverage has remained lower among pregnant people than the general population. “We strongly support ongoing efforts to better understand the reasons why some pregnant individuals are not being vaccinated; this could help inform approaches for education that are tailored to the needs of specific communities,” the statement added. It also said pregnant people should reach out to health-care providers with questions or concerns about vaccination. The call from hospitals came as the highly contagious Omicron variant prompted stricter provincewide public health measures aimed at slowing down infection and hospitalizations. Officials have said the unprecedented number of infections is causing staff shortages in key industries including healthcare. But public health has acknowledged that the full picture of the virus’ spread is not known because tests are now being restricted to those considered at high risk from an infection. Two children under the age of five have died from COVID-19 in Ontario within the past three weeks, according to the latest provincial data. It also shows that 38 Ontario children in the same age range have been hospitalized from the virus over the same period. Children younger than five are the only age group currently not eligible to for COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccinations for children between the ages of five and 11 began in November. As of Wednesday, that demographic had the lowest vaccination rate in the province, with 44.5 per cent having received first doses and two per cent with both shots. CBC

The Ghanaian News December 2021 41

The Ghanaian News December 2021

The Ghanaian News December 2021 43

What is ‘flurona?’ Coronavirus and influenza co-infections reported as omicron surges

. New Year, new coronavirus term?

Many people around the world kicked off 2022 by searching for more information about “flurona,” after Israel reported that two young pregnant women had tested positive for both the coronavirus and the flu. Doctors have long been concerned about the potential impact of a “twindemic” - with influenza cases rising as covid-19 cases threaten to overwhelm hospitals - and called on people to get flu shots and coronavirus vaccinations. On the other hand, “flurona” refers to when one person has both respiratory infections at the same time - which health officials say is a possibility as cases of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus surge this winter across the world. Here’s what we know so far. - Are cases of flurona new? After two young pregnant women tested positive for both the coronavirus and influenza in Israel, many local and global media outlets dubbed it “flurona” in headlines. The Sun, a British tabloid, swiftly branded the coinfection “double trouble.” While the word is relatively new and rising in popularity, cases of flu and covid-19 co-infections are not. And flurona is not a distinct disease, but refers to when a person has been infected with both viruses. Flurona instances have been detected in countries including the United States, Israel, Brazil, the Philippines and Hungary, some even before the term was coined. Instances of the co-infection were reported in the United States almost two years ago, according to a report from the Atlantic. In February 2020, a man entered a New York hospital with a severe cough and fever. At the time, the city had not officially reported any cases of the coronavirus. The patient tested positive for influenza and was then tested for the coronavirus. Weeks later, results confirmed that he, along with three family members, had contracted both viruses. - Where has flurona been reported? There have been other recent occurrences in the United States. A Houston teenager was forced to spend Christmas Day isolating in his bedroom after contracting the coronavirus and the flu at the same time. Alec Zierlein, who had been vaccinated against the coronavirus but not the flu, was also tested for strep throat, but results confirmed he had just the former two infections, which he described as being “like a mild cold.” After his diagnosis, Zierlein told ABC News that he was not aware the coronavirus and the flu could stack “up on one another” and that he would, in the future, get a flu shot as a precaution. A health official in the Philippines has also said that such co-infections are

not unusual. Edsel Salvana, a member of a technical advisory group to the national health department, said the country’s first covid-related death stemmed from a joint case in early 2020. Salvana told reporters that the early pandemic patient, a Chinese national, had covid-19 and influenza B, as well as streptococcus pneumonia, according to local outlet ABS-CBN. An initial case report showed that the patient, who was the world’s first known covid-19 death outside of China, had a fever, cough and chills. “It’s an unfortunate confluence of events that you are exposed to two pathogens,” said Salvana, who reminded the public to get vaccinated for the flu and pneumonia. Hungary has also identified at least two flurona instances in recent weeks, broadcaster RTL reported Monday. As was the case in Israel, both patients were described as young and about 30 years old. And Brazil is battling an out-of-season flu outbreak just as omicron cases are starting to rise. Health officials there have confirmed six instances of flurona across three states. Rio de Janeiro’s municipal health secretary, Daniel Soranz, told Spanish news agency EFE that 17 more cases were also under investigation. In one occurrence, a 16-year-old tested positive for both viruses but had light symptoms, which his mother attributed to his being fully vaccinated against both viruses, she told Brazilian media. - Is flurona more common this year? In Israel’s Beilinson Hospital, where doctors recently diagnosed the two pregnant women with both infections, cases of the coronavirus are rising amid the omicron outbreak along with cases of influenza A, according to Arnon Vizhnitser, the director of gynecology. In an interview with The Washington Post, Vizhnitser said that while cases of the flu were scarce last year, perhaps because of more stringent lockdown measures and social distancing, they are roaring back. “This year is different from last year. Now we have another challenge,” he said, predicting that co-infections would probably continue to occur. Some countries are on track to be hit much harder by the flu this year, while strict measures to control the spread of the coronavirus appeared to have largely prevented the “twindemic” scenario in 2020. That’s the case in the United States, which had record lows as covid surged last winter but is now seeing rising flu cases. Europe’s flu season is also just starting - and likewise expected to be worse this year. Vizhnitser said both pregnant women had the same symptoms and were given treatment to reduce their fevers. Both were immediately placed in isolation before they eventually

returned home with healthy babies. According to Vizhnitser, only one of the women had been vaccinated against the coronavirus. She had also been boosted. The other patient had not received any form of inoculation against either virus. Pregnant patients visiting Beilinson, the Israeli hospital, are being tested for both viruses if they have symptoms on arrival. Some medical workers, along with people over 60, in Israel, which is aggressively ramping up its vaccination program, are being offered a second booster. - Are flu and covid together more dangerous? While many countries track coronavirus and flu cases, there appears to be little data on how many people have them at the same time. As more reports surface about co-infections, health experts and doctors stress that coronavirus and flu vaccines remain the best way to protect against severe infections. “If you are vaccinated, the disease is very mild,” Vizhnitser said of both the coronavirus and flu. “Women who

were not vaccinated [against covid] were very sick.” It’s also a possibility that some patients will not be offered tests for both infections, with hospitals around the world using different approaches to treating and diagnosing patients. - What are the symptoms of flurona? The coronavirus and influenza are respiratory infections, which can cause similar symptoms such as fever, coughing, fatigue, runny nose, sore throat and diarrhea, along with muscle and body aches. Both infections can be fatal, although the severity of each diagnosis depends largely on an individual’s immune system. Health workers, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions are more at risk for each virus. The World Health Organization notes that the viruses are also transmitted in similar ways, through droplets and aerosols that can be passed on by coughing, sneezing, speaking, singing or breathing - which is why masking to protect others, is widely encouraged by officials. Washington Post

Provinces to receive large shipments of rapid tests this month: prime minister Federal officials are adding more COVID-19 rapid tests to Canada’s arsenal as surging infections from the Omicron variant push some public sectors to the brink. Health care is facing serious pressures around the country because frontline staff are unable to work as they wait for delayed test results or are isolating with infections. Other sectors, including education and recreation, are also noting significant staff shortages. Load Error In Manitoba, the Winnipeg Police Service declared a state of emergency Wednesday. The service said 170 personnel were booked off on leave related to COVID-19. Calgary police also warned of staffing pressures after 36 members tested positive and an additional 35 members were in isolation. Ontario, Quebec and other provinces recently shortened the length of isolation periods for infected people by half to five days as a way to offset the impacts of similar staffing situations in a multitude of sectors. Many jurisdictions are also looking to the swell of rapid tests expected to be delivered in the coming weeks to tackle the infectious Omicron variant while keeping the economy functioning.

Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said 140 million tests are to be distributed to provinces and territories on a per-capita basis this month. That’s four times the number delivered in December, he said, and would allow every Canadian to have one test per week in January. However, each province is distributing the rapid tests differently and not everyone has the same access. Ontario’s pop-up model for rapid tests has been widely criticized for having long lines and not nearly enough supply. The situation has played out similarly in other provinces where there are significant delays to getting lab test results, but no widespread way to get or purchase rapid tests. The federal Opposition accused the Liberal government of failing to get rapid tests to Canadians. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole suggested Canada Post could have been used many months ago. “Before Christmas, it was like the ‘Hunger Games’ trying to get a rapid test in Canada,” O’Toole said during a Facebook Live Wednesday. “There should have been hundreds of millions of these tests being used already over the course of the last year.” The Canadian Press

The Ghanaian News December 2021

PLACES OF WORSHIP DIRECTORY

Ghana Methodist Churches in Canada ( SOCIETIES UNDER THE GHANA METHODIST CONFERENCE) The Superintendents Minister-In-Charge invites

you to worship with us

Toronto Society Place of Worship: 69 Milvan Drive, North York, Ont. (Finch Av./Milvan)

416-743-4555 (Office) 905-216-2323 (Residence) Day and Time of Worship:

Very Rev. Joseph Owusu Atuahene Minister-in-charge

Edmonton Methodist

Sunday: Bible Class Meeting: 10:00 a.m. - 10.30 a.m. Church Service: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Jericho Hour Prayer Meeting 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Wednesday Mid-day Prayer - 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Friday: Bible Teaching/Prayer Meeting 8:00 p.m. - 9.00 p.m. Saturday Organizational Meeting: 6.30 p.m. - 9.30 p.m. Sunday Brampton Prayer Meeting 8:00 p.m.

587-336-1223

Redemption Methodist Church

Ottawa Methodist 613-823-2291

Vancouver Methodist 416-833-1615

Location: 955 Wilson Ave., Unit 12, North York, ON

Weekly Service Schedule: Monday 7 pm - 8 pm Online Bible Study: Thursday 7 pm - 8:30 pm, Prayer Meeting Friday 7:30 pm - 9 pm Divine Service, Sundays 10 am - 12:30 pm Contacts: Agnes Donkor - 647-881-4808, Felicia Owusu - 647-533-1093, Grace Kubi - 647-608-5373

In Montreal at: Place of Worship: 6870 Rue de Terreborne, Montreal, Que, H4B 1C5

Day and Time of Worship Sunday Divine Service: 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Friday Prayer Meetings: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Contact: Rev. Joshua C. Doughan - 514-542-0871

Hamilton Society Stoney Creek United Church (Chapel) 1 King Street West, Stoney Creek, Hamilton Contact: 289-244-5914, 289-700-6815, 289-698-1388

Very Reverend Albert K. Appiah, BETHANY METHODIST CHURCH-BRAMPTON PLACE OF WORSHIP1A KNIGHTSBRIGE ROAD (Senior’s Lounge) Sunday Divine Service 2PM-5PM Online Prayer Meeting Fridays at 8PM -9PM 416-800-4317 Code # 9632581 Contact: Robert Frans (289-541-5579) Felix Gyimah (289-931-8443)

SERVICES ARE CONDUCTED FOLLOWING THE TRADITIONAL GHANA METHODIST LITURGY. PLEASE COME AND JOIN US. WE HAVE A PLACE FOR YOU. GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU

FOOD FOR LIFE

The Ghanaian News December 2021 45

Bringing the Gospel to our Community By Rev. Isaac De-Graft Takyi

THE CHRISTIAN IN 2022:LIVE LIKE CHRIST “Panic not, fear not, worry not, blame not, complain not, condemn not and criticize not, BUT Trust God, Love God and Have Faith in God” —Isaac DeGraft Takyi If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes. —Andrew Carnegie Welcome to 2022. The beginning of each year witnesses a lot of people coming up with new resolutions for their lives. For example, many promise themselves to lead, relate, love, serve and work-out differently than they did last year. Others resolve to be effective, efficient and productive in life and business. I may not know what you might be thinking ofat this time of the year. But I would like to encourage and challenge you to take your destiny into your hands and trust the Lord God to help you LIVE. My one word for the year is L.I.V.E.What is your one word, if you have any, and if you do not have one yet, kindly prayerfully select one.Living in a world that seems to be still going through a pandemic, with varied variants of the viruses mutating so fast, leaving, people with fear, panic, sick, and sadly, even death. How do you live in a new year in

Let your words, walks, works and Where there is no prophetic vision, ways be in sync. Make them vibrate the people cast off restraint, but with the same frequency. blessed is he who keeps the law. — Proverbs 29:18 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his “For the Lord God does nothing ways crooked will be found out.— without revealing his secret to his Proverbs 10:9 ESV servants the prophets. —Amos 3:7 ESV. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the EVANGELIZE: Share your faith treacherous destroys them.— with Christ. Be bold about it. Tell people about Jesus the only mighty Proverbs 11:3 ESV God to save. Jesus is the way, the such a way as to maximize the life The righteous who walks in his truth and the life. that God has given to you? integrity, blessed are his children • We live to make people hear This is how I’m going to do it and after him!—Proverbs 20:7 ESV and fear the Lord our God trust that you can join me do thaton the basis of the acronym: VISION:What is God impressing on your heart? What do you see Their children, who have not L.I.V.E: LEAD. INTEGRITY. in the world that you have to known, will hear and learn to VISION andEVANGELIZE make right?What mental picture fear the Lord your God, as long of your future do you see? as you live on the land which you LEAD YOU very well. Do are about to cross the Jordan to whatever you can to be a better possess.”—Deuteronomy 31:13 you. Read the right books;make • Live your life by the dreams the right friends;think the right and visions the Lord gives But you, keep your head in all and pure thoughts;serve with pure situations, endure hardship, do the you motives;self-educate daily and love work of an evangelist, discharge genuinely. And he said, “Hear my words: If all the duties of your ministry. —2 Let no one despise you for your there is a prophet among you, I Timothy 4:5 youth, but set the believers an the Lord make myself known to We are therefore Christ’s example in speech, in conduct, him in a vision; I speak with him ambassadors, as though God were in love, in faith, in purity. —1 in a dream.— Numbers 12:6 ESV. making his appeal through us. We Timothy 4:12 ESV implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. —2 Corinthians Do your best to present yourself 5:20 to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. —2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. — Titus 2:7-8 ESV INTEGRITY: Be a person of your word. Be a person of character. Let your yes be yes and your no be no.

The Ghanaian News December 2021

Disciples Revival Church Healing & Deliverance Centre Rev. Dr. & Rev (Mrs) Charles Mantey Founders/Senior Pastors

416-614-7771 Email: info@disciplesrevivalchurch.org www.disciplesrevivalchurch.org

SUNDAY SERVICE - Morning - 10:00 am Mid-Week Service Wed: Bible Study & Prayer: 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm Friday: Youth Service 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Friday: Adult Intercessory Prayer - 7:00 - 9:00 pm For deliverance & healing, come to Disciples, a Church that caters to your needs Do visit our website and sign up for the Pastor's monthly newsletter

www.disciplesrevivalchurch.org

30 Gordon Mackay Rd, North York, ON, M9N 2V6

The Ghanaian News December 2021 47

CHRIST REDEEMER CHURCH

Pastor-in-charge: Pastor Eric Amoah Tel: (416) 748-1242 Cell: (416) 300-9970 Church Services Sunday Service: Bible Study: 10 a.m.-11a.m. Worship Service: 11a.m. - 1p.m. Wednesday: Bible Study 6:30p.m.-7:30p.m. Pastor Eric Amoah Friday Night Prayer: 8p.m.-10p.m. Location: 14 Haas Rd. , #100, Etobicoke, ON, M9W 3A2

EVANGEL ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH 314 Rexdale Blvd. Etobicoke, Ont. M9W 1R6 Tel: 416-242-7950 Fax: 416-242-8573 Church Activities Sunday School: Church Service: Sunday Evening: Pastor in Charge Wednesday Bible Studies: Rev. Milton Offei Friday Prayer Meeting:

Transformation Centre Assembly of God Church, Mississauga Join us on Sundays for Worship at: Venue: 161 Lakeshore Road W, Mississauga, ON Time: 10:30am—1:30pm

I AM ALPHA & OMEGA MINISTRY INT'L We invite you to worship with us Church Service:

Sunday Worship: 10.00a.m. - 12.30 p.m. Wednesday Bible Studies: 6.00p.m. - 7.30 p.m. Friday Prayer Meeting: 7.00p.m. - 9.00 p.m.

JESUS Loves You

Contact: Rev. Isaac K. Bonful Tel: 289-814-5482 Email: transformcentreag@yahoo.ca Website: www. transformationcentreag.ca

Invites you all to come worship with us Venue: 95 Eddystone Ave unit 4 North York, ON Time of worship: Sunday:10am - 1pm Wednesday bible studies 7pm - 9pm Friday Prayer / Deliverance 7pm - 9pm

Pastor Joseph Nash Sarfo Founder & Pastor-in-charge

The thief cometh not , but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.11.l am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Amen. John 10 :10-11

Tel: 416 667-9763 cell 647 500-4415 / 647 718-4819 / 416 300-4258 Email:pastorjsarfo@gmail.com I encourage you to join us in worship regardless of your situation the power of God is available to make you whole

Bishop John Mensah

NEW LOCATION 100 Penn Drive, Unit #6, North York, Ont.

Tel: 416-419-6671

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind… “Rom.12:2a

Good Shepherd Prayer Ministry

10a.m. -11:00a.m. 11a.m. - 1:30p.m. 7p.m. - 8:30p.m. 7p.m. - 8:30p.m. 7p.m. - 9:00p.m.

Bethel Prayer Ministry Int'l Do you desire to experience the power and the presence of God demonstrated in your life? Do you want to experience the marvelous work of God's grace in your life? Then, Bethel Prayer Ministry International would like to invite you to visit their church where the word of God is preached powerfully to release the power of God in your life. Pastor Dennis Awuku COME AND YOU WILL BE BLESSED Senior Pastor

Contact:

Cell. 416-400-8211 Church 416-642-0390 Worship Hours: Sunday Service: 9am - 1pm Tuesday 9am - 2 pm Consultation Wednesday: 7pm - 9p.m. Friday: 9pm - 12 pm Saturday (Prayer Warriors) 6pm - 8pm Location: 52 Carrier Drive, Unit 12, (Albion/Hwy 27)

Etobicoke, Ont., M9w 5S5

The Ghanaian News December 2021

THE APOSTLES'

The Apostolic Church Int'l.

CONTINUATION CHURCH INTERNATIONAL (CANADA)

The Apostolic Church International (Toronto Assembly) is a Branch of The Apostolic Church in Ghana

North American Headquarters: 10 Belfield Road Toronto, Ont., M9W 1G1 Tel: 416-247-6629 Fax: 416-247-5308

Apostle Nii Aryee (Area Supt. Canada-Wide)

Meeting Schedule Sunday (Worship) Wednesday Teaching Service Friday Prayers Friday: Monthly All Night Service Saturday : Movements -

- - - -

10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Field Superintendent contact: 416-454-6141 (cell) 905-913-2037 (Res)

168 Rexdale Blvd., Etobicoke, Ontario, M9W 1P6 Church Office 416-740-1979 Field Secretary: Pastor Cyril Williams - 416-875-9616

Immanuel Assembly of God Church, Scarborough

Rev. Douglas O. Ansah Pastor-in-charge

Sunday School: 9:30am -10:30am Church Service: 10:30am - 12 noon

LOCATION Don Montgomery Community Centre 2467 Eglinton Ave. E. Scarborough, Ont., (Kennedy/Eglinton Subway Station) For more info contact:

647-880-4216

Email: immanuelscarborough@gmail.com Website: immanuelaog.ca.

Rhema Power of Grace Chapel Int'l

Invites all Christians, Non-Christians and members of the community to join us worship the Great Jehovah

NEW Place of Worship:

135 Oakdale Rd, North York, ON Days And Time of Worship Sunday Divine Worship Twi Service - 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Multicultural Service - 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Wednesday - Midweek Service Friday - All Night Service

Rev. Bishop Joe Bonnah

Founder &Pastor-in-charge

8p.m. - 10p.m. 10p.m. - 1a.m.

Contact Lines: 416-321-2796 (Pastor's Res) 416-747-9225 (Church) Cell: 647-921-2414

Apostle Charles Anokye-Manu

Website: www.apostlescontinuation.org

SERVICE TIMES:

Worship Service Bible Studies Service All Night Service Deliverance

- Sunday 10:30 a.m. Wednesday 9:00 p.m. - Friday 9:30 p.m. - Saturday 4:00 p.m.

Worship With Us At These Branches In Canada

Toronto

10 Belfield Road Tel: 416-247-6629 Scarborough Assembly 63 Howden Rd., Unit 'F' Scarborough, ON, M1R 3C7 Tel 647-850- 0142 Fax 416-945- 9445

Montreal Assembly

378 Cremazie East Montreal, Quebec, H2P 1E5 Tel: 514-271-9083 Pastor-In-Charge: John Arhin

Contact: Res: 450-687-4916 Cell: 514-654-6178

Church of Christ Ghanaian Congregation Greater Toronto Area Matthew 16:18

Sunday Service: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Contact Information Adu Kwasi 647-745-8074 Brother Acheampong 416-671-4268 Sam - Ghana House 647-867-2020 Brother Agyenim Boateng 647-656-9905 Brother Ato Essel 416-728-8574 Brother Samuel Asamoah 647-867-0945 Nana Samuel Owusu Boakye 647-892-9251

New Church Address 8500 Tobram Rd. Unit 46, Brampton (Tobram/Steeles)

All Are Invited

The Ghanaian News December 2021 49

Glory Pentecostal Ministry of Toronto Pastor-in-charge: Rev. Rockson Owusu Atwima - 416-708-7742

Invites all Christians and Non-Christians to join us to worship the Almighty God WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday Regular Service 11:00 am to 1:30 pm Tuesday Prayer and Healing Service 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Friday Prayer Night 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm

PLACE OF WORSHIP 230 Eddystone Ave., #207, North York, Ont. M3N 1H7 We are more tan our conquerors Romans 8:37

"Come and see the manifestation and the power of the Holy Spirit at work"

Lighthouse Assembly of God Church

Snr. Pastor: Apostle Osei-Bonsu

THEME FOR YEAR 2020:

336 Gary Ray Drive @ Signet Worship Schedule

“PRAYER AND THE WORD” Acts 6:4 SUNDAY SERVICES: 10:00 am-1:30 pm Ghanaian Service Pastor-in-charge:

WEEKDAY SERVICES: Rev. Boniface Keelson Wednesday - Bible Studies 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Friday - Holy Ghost Service 7:00 pm -9:00 pm LOCATION:

Praise Temple of Christ International

Sunday Worship - 10 am - 12:30 pm Wednesday - Bible Study - 7 pm - 9 pm Friday - Prayer Meeting - 8 pm - 10 pm Second and last Friday of each month All Night Prayer Meeting 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Apostle Osei Bonsu

42 Steinway Blvd. Unit 1&2 (Hwy 27/Steeles) Toronto, Ontario, M9W 6Y6

Tel: 416-740-1200 Fax: 416-740-6435 Email:

lighthouseagtoronto.org

lighthouseag@outlook.com

Pastor Appiah Jacob

For information call: 905-840-7387, 647-208-1093 416-209-9136, 647-710-2573

The Ghanaian News December 2021

Blood test may one day predict severe pregnancy complication A blood test may one day be able to predict whether someone who is pregnant will develop a serious blood pressure disorder months before symptoms show up. Preeclampsia happens in around 1 of 20 pregnancies, usually in the third trimester, and can cause organ damage, stroke and preterm birth. Pregnancyrelated high blood pressure disorders are among the leading causes of maternal death worldwide. Although the blood test is still being developed and won’t be available for a while, doctors and parent advocates say it could someday save lives. Bekah Bischoff of Louisville, who developed preeclampsia during two pregnancies and now helps others who’ve had the condition, said she was diagnosed late in the third trimester both times. While pregnant with her son Henry in 2012, she found out she had a very severe type called HELLP Syndrome at 36 weeks. He was delivered that day. She nearly died. “Just think about all the chaos and the heartbreak and all the trauma, really, that went with it that could have been avoided if there had just been a simple test that could have been done,” she said. The experimental new test involves detecting and analyzing chemical messages - a form of RNA - from the mom, baby and placenta. It would allow doctors to spot indications of preeclampsia as early 16 to 18 weeks into the pregnancy, before the appearance of symptoms such as high blood pressure, swelling and protein in the urine. Research published Wednesday in the journal Nature found that the test, being developed by the South San Francisco-based company Mirvie, can correctly identify 75% of women who go on to develop preeclampsia. “It’s often in the first trimester that a lot of the onset of the condition happens biologically,” although symptoms show up late in pregnancy, said Maneesh Jain, Mirvie’s CEO. Detecting preeclampsia after symptoms arise “leaves you very little time to address the challenge. And it’s mostly crisis management.” Diagnosing preeclampsia now involves testing urine for protein, measuring blood pressure, and doing other tests if it’s suspected. Treatment can involve bed rest, medication, monitoring at the hospital or inducing labor near the end of a pregnancy. Earlier studies have also suggested circulating RNA could predict preeclampsia. But authors of this study looked at a large and diverse data set, analyzing RNA in 2,539 blood samples from 1,840 women in the U.S., Europe and Africa to get a better sense of how a test could work. After

the RNA messages were detected, a computer analyzed them for patterns. Although the test “robustly” predicted preeclampsia in those who got it, the study said, there were also some people it predicted would get the disorder who did not. Dr. Thomas McElrath of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, the study’s senior author, hopes the test could also be used for the early detection of other pregnancy complications, such as gestational diabetes. Scientists said Mirvie’s approach reveals the underlying biology of healthy pregnancies. And by understanding what those normal RNA “profiles” look like, researchers say they can find early indications of risks for other problems when these patterns differ in particular ways. More research is needed to look closely at how the test might detect these other conditions, they said, and to further validate the preeclampsia results. Jain said it’s too early to say when the test might be available to the public, but he may have a better idea of timing toward the end of the year. McElrath is a scientific advisor to Mirvie and has an financial interest in the company, as do some other authors of the Nature paper. Some are inventors on patent applications covering detection or treatment of pregnancy complications. The study was paid for by Mirvie. Dr. S. Ananth Karumanchi with CedarsSinai in Los Angeles, who has done extensive research on preeclampsia but was not involved with the Nature study, said detecting the condition early would allow doctors to make simple adjustments such as giving women low-dose aspirin to delay the onset of preeclampsia. “There’s no question there’s a clear unmet medical need,” Karumanchi said. Looking at the data in the paper, he said, the scientists’ method “appears to be better than the current sort of methods that are being used around the world.” If validated by other studies, “there would be clearly a need for something like that.” Bischoff, who now works for the Preeclampsia Foundation, agreed. When she was about 5 months along with her son, she said, she felt drained of energy and was gaining more weight than she thought she should be. But when she asked people on her medical team about these sorts of problems, she recalled, she was told things were normal - like many of the other women she’s met who have had preeclampsia. A blood test, she said, “would take out that barrier of having to fight to be heard.” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP

If you are still wearing a single layer cloth mask ‘ditch it,’ head of Ontario’s science table says If you are using a single-layer cloth mask to protect yourself from a new COVID-19 variant that is believed to be more than six times as infectious as Delta “ditch it, full stop.” At least that is the message from the scientific director of Ontario’s Science Advisory Table, who tells CP24 that there is likely a need for higher grade masks amid the threat posed by Omicron, particularly for frontline workers. “One thing which is really important to realize is if you have a single layer cloth mask ditch it, full stop,” Dr. Peter Jüni said. “The minimum would be a double layered cloth mask that has been washed before so that it is denser and filters better and really fits well. Even better than that a medical mask below and the cloth mask on top and then it depends on your (exposure). If you are a bus driver for example it makes sense even to think about better protections.” For much of the pandemic, government officials have resisted acknowledging that COVID-19 is transmitted via aerosol spread insisting that it was spread by droplets. But on Wednesday Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore told reporters that he is concerned that there could be “much more aerosol spread” with Omicron compared to previous strains of the virus. Public Health Ontario also issued an advisory on Wednesday recommending that all healthcare workers treating suspected COVID-19 patients should wear respirator masks, which is a higher grade of mask than they were previously provided with in most circumstances. The advisory says that the evidence did not support a significant protective effect of N95 respirator use over medical masks when caring for patients with suspected COVID-19 infections prior to the emergence of Omicron. But it said that it is “unclear at this time if there is a change in the infectiousness of aerosols as a possible explanation for the increase in transmissibility” associated with the new variant, underscoring the need for caution until more is known. The order does not impact health-care workers who are not believed to be coming into contact with COVID-19 patients, despite concerns previously raised by the Ontario Nurses’ Association in a court challenge in which they pushed for access to N95 masks. Speaking with CP24 on Thursday, Jüni said that COVID is an “airborne disease” that is “transmitted through the airborne route” and we “need to acknowledge that in our protection.” His comments come in the wake of science table co-chair Dr. Adalsteinn Brown telling reporters that the “highest quality mask you can get is useful” amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. The science table currently estimates that cases involving the Omicron variant are doubling every 2.2 days due to its an increase infectiousness. “It’s an airborne disease – I think that’s clear,” Brown said earlier on Thursday. “I think there’s broader questions that should be addressed about types of masks and so on and I think there’s guidance coming out on that shortly but that is a question for the chief medical officer of health.” Ontario’s official guidance currently recommends that members of the public wear “non-medical masks or face coverings” only. It states that medical masks, including N95s, should be “reserved for use by health care workers and first responders.” Federal guidance published last month recommends respirator masks for anyone at greater risk due to the circumstances of their job or immune compromised people. Chris Fox, CP24

Call Us First The Ghanaian News 416-916-3700

Ask The Doctor

Lifestyle

By: David Yaw Twum-Barima, MD, MSc, FRCPC

The Ghanaian News December 2021 51

This column is devoted to answering your questions on health and discusions of diseases which are common among the African Canadians.

Tips for Healthy Snacking For your Children drip-free items.

Again kids are at home.because of Pandemic. In most households both parents are at work during the day and children are left under supervision of a baby sitter or an older sibling. It is always a good idea to take some time to plan for your kids while you are out there working. Let us start with snacking. Snacking is a major pastime for many kids — and it isn’t necessarily bad. Snacking can help your children curb hunger throughout the day, as well as provide energy and nutrients. But the quality of your children’s snacks is key. Consider these tips for healthier snacking. Many of these tips may sound unfamiliar to the appetite of the average Ghanaian adult but remember that these are the types of foods your kids are more likely to encounter in their school cafeteria or while playing with their friends. 1. Give your kids a say. Offer comparable choices, such as regular or frozen yogurt, celery or carrots, whole-grain toast or whole-grain crackers, apples or oranges. Better yet,

4. Don’t be fooled by labeling gimmicks. Foods marketed as low-fat or fat-free can still be high in calories. Likewise, foods touted as cholesterolfree can still be high in fat, saturated fat and sugar. Check nutrition labels to find out the whole story.

recruit your children’s help at the grocery store when you’re selecting snacks or in the kitchen when you’re assembling snacks. 2. Designate a snacking zone. Restrict snacking to the kitchen. You’ll save your children countless calories from mindless munching in front of the TV. 3. Make it quick. If your children need to snack on the go, think beyond a bag of potato chips. Offer string cheese, yogurt sticks, cereal bars or other

5. Go for the grain. Whole-grain snacks — such as whole-grain pretzels or tortillas and lowsugar, whole-grain cereals — can give your children energy with some staying power. 6. Out of sight, out of mind. If the cookie jar is full, your children will probably clamor for cookies. But if there aren’t any cookies in the house, fresh fruit or raw veggies may seem more appealing. 7. Play with your food. Ask your children to make towers out of whole-grain crackers, spell words with pretzel sticks, or make funny faces on a plate using different types of fruit. Use a tablespoon of peanut butter as glue. 8. Think outside the box. Offer something new, help your children to develop a taste for fruits such as fresh pineapple, cranberries, oranges, apples, banana etc. 9.

Revisit breakfast. Many breakfast foods — such as low-sugar, whole-grain cereals and wholegrain toast — make great afternoon snacks.

10. Sweeten it up. Healthy snacks don’t need to be bland. To satisfy your child’s sweet tooth, offer fat-free pudding, frozen yogurt or frozen fruit

bars. 11. Pull out the blender. Use Make your own snacks with healthy products such as skim milk, fat-free yogurt and fresh fruit . 12. Promote independence. Make it easy for older children to help themselves. Keep a selection of ready-to-eat veggies in the refrigerator. Leave fresh fruit in a bowl on the counter. Store low-sugar, whole-grain cereal in an easily accessible cabinet, and stock fruit canned or packaged in its own juice in your pantry. 13. Remember your leftovers. A small serving of last night’s casserole might make a great snack. 14. Drinks count, too. Offer your children plenty of water between meals. Liven it up with shaped ice cubes, a crazy straw, or a squirt of lemon, cranberry or other fruit juice. 15. Keep it safe. Make sure your children’s snacks are age appropriate. Never give foods that pose a choking hazard — such as nuts, raisins, whole grapes or popcorn — to children younger than age 4. 16. Practice what you preach. Let your children catch you munching raw vegetables or snacking on a bowl of grapes. 17. Be patient. Your children’s snacking habits may not change overnight. Look for positive changes over weeks or months. Teaching your children to make healthy snack choices now will set the stage for a lifetime of healthy snacking. Start today!

PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS. SO LET’S TALK CALL GHANAIAN NEWS 416-916-3700

The Ghanaian News December 2021

Around the World Sports Scene

with Jonathan Baah Annobil

FIFA explains decision to dismiss South Africa protest against Ghana I’ve let my people down – Richard Commey apologies after defeat to Lomachenko

FIFA has explained in a detailed report, their decision to dismiss South Africa’s protest against Ghana. South Africa lodged a protest and complained about the conduct of Senegalese referee Ndiaye Marguette following Bafana Bafana’s 1-0 defeat against Black Stars in November last year.

Richard Commey loses to Lomachenko by unanimous decision Commey expresses disappointment in performance against Lomachenko

The defeat, as a result of a controversial penalty, ended South Africa’s hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The South Africa Football Association in their protest accused the Ghana Football Association of manipulating the result of the match and wanted a replay. However, FIFA Disciplinary Committee dismissed SAFA’s case and ruled that their case was inadmissible, without providing details and an explanation in early December 2021. A month after their ruling, FIFA furnished SAFA with detailed explanations as to why their protest against Ghana was thrown out of the window. FIFA provided the clarity that SAFA failed to meet three procedural requirements in their protest which includes,

Ghanaian boxer still confident of becoming twotime boxing champion

not even read the our technical report You cannot protest referee’s decision.

Former IBF Lightweight champion Richard Commey has apologized to Ghanaians after losing by a unanimous decision to Vasiliy Lomachenko in their fight on Saturday night.

It was a complaint against the conduct of the referee and we believe the referee manipulated the outcome of the game. We will look at the situation and let the public know of our final decision,” he added.

Lomachenko, 33, dropped Commey to the canvas in the 7th round but the Ghanaian was able to beat the count and continued till the end of the fight.

The Bafana Bafanas of South Africa (i) no written protest was submitted to the match commissioner, (ii) the Protest was not lodged in a timely manner, and (iii) no protest fee had been paid. South Africa responded by saying they are weighing their options on whether they still want to pursue their case. SAFA CEO Tebogo Motlanthe said: “It was a complaint and not a protest and that’s why we took the matter to the DC and not other FIFA channels.

They did merits of argument. over a

Ghana, meanwhile, awaiting the play-offs draw which will be conducted this month. Ghanasoccernet.com

Ghana coach Rajavac settles on final 28-man squad for AFCON- Kudus Mohammed included

And that includes four homebased players- Dreams FC duo of Philemon Baffour and Isahaaku Fatawu, Great Olympics striker Maxwell Abbey Quaye and David Abagna, who captains Real Tamale United. All four goalkeepers picked for the tournament will be marking their debuts. Ghana are scheduled to play defending champions Algeria in a pre-tournament friendly on Wednesday, 5 January before flying to Cameroon.

According to him, Lomachenko took advantage to knock him, the moment he lost focus. “I think the moment I dropped down I took my off for just a second and boom, that was it. I could have stayed focused all along. He is a great fighter and I did what I had to do, he is a great fighter,” the 33-year-old stated. Commey who had said prior to the start of the fight that he wanted to win to inspire young prospects in Ghana disclosed that he was not pleased with his performance. He stated, “I’m proud of my people, I fight for them and I love them so much. It’s just hard for me to take it, because I feel I’m the only one representing them now.” “I thank God that I’m good, I’m not hurt, nothing happened to me so glory to God.” The Ghanaian who is still optimistic of becoming a twotime world champion added that “The aim and ambition are still the same I want to be a two-time champion. As far as my people believe in me, I will always represent them.” Ghanaweb

2021 AFCON: I doubt Black Stars can win title Coach JE Sarpong

But injured Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Kudus Mohammed, who is yet to report the team’s camp base in Qatar has been included.

The squad includes 18 players who will be making in the continent’s flagship event for the first time.

In his ringside interview after the fight, Richard Commey expressed his disappointment for failing to win the bout. He said, “I fight for my country, I fight for my people, I let them down. But I believe I’m

Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac finalized his 28-man squad for this month’s Africa Cup of Nations after omitting two players- Felix Afena Gyan and Salis Abdul Samed-from his provisional squad.

A Ghana FA statement read: ‘’AS Roma youngster Felix Afena Gyan and Clermont Foot midfielder Salis Abdul Samed missed out on the final list for the tournament which kicks off on Sunday, January 9, 2022 in Cameroon.’’

The Ukrainian boxer went ahead to secure a victory by unanimous decision at the Madison Square Garden in New York to inch closer to reclaiming his lost titles.

going to come back stronger.”

Black Stars The Black Stars have been drawn Khalid Abdul Mumin (Vitoria de in Group C alongside Morocco, Guimaraes, Portugal) Gabon and Comoros Island. MIDFIELDERS: Baba Iddrissu Ghana will be making their 23rd (Real Mallorca, Spain), Edmund appearance and have won the on Addo (Sherif Tiraspol, Moldova), four occasions in 1963, 1965, Thomas Teye Partey (Arsenal, 1978 and 1982. England), Mubarak Wakaso (Shenzhen, China), Mohammed Ghana’s squad for 2021 Africa Kudus (Ajax Amsterdam, Cup of Nations: Netherlands), Daniel Kofi Kyere (St. Pauli, Germany), David GOALKEEPERS: Joseph Abagna (Real Tamale United), Wolacott (Swindon Town, England), Abdul Manaf Nurudeen FORWARDS: Abdul Fatawu (Eupen, Belgium), Richard Attah Issahaku (Dreams FC), Samuel (Hearts of Oak), Lawrence Ati Owusu (Al-Fayha, Saudi Arabia), Zigi (St. Gallen, Switzerland) Kamal Deen Suleymana (Rennes, France), Dede Ayew (Al Sadd, DEFENDERS: Andy Yiadom Qatar), Joseph Paintsil (Genk, (Reading FC, England), Philemon Belgium), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Baffuor (Dreams FC), Baba Palace, England), Richmond Abdul Rahman (Reading FC, Boakye Yiadom (Beitar England), Gideon Mensah Jerusalem, Israel), Maxwell (Girondins de Bordeaux, France), Abbey Quaye (Great Olympics), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City, Benjamin Tetteh (Malatyaspor, England), Alexander Djiku Turkey) Ghanasoccernet (Strasbourg FC, France), Jonathan Mensah (Columbus Crew, USA),

Former Asante Kotoko and Ebusua Dwarfs coach, J.E Sarpong has said that the Black Stars cannot win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] title. The senior national team having won the continent trophy four times will be hoping to win their fifth title in Cameroon. Milovan Rajevac and his side have been in camp in Doha ahead of the tournament which kicks off from January 9 to February 6. The 63-year-old will have a full complement of his team today at their training camp. The Serbian who is on a oneyear renewable contract has been tasked by the Ghana Football Association [GFA] to win the trophy. However, the former Great Olympics gaffer says the Black Stars cannot win the trophy and will be surprised if the team makes it to the quarterfinals stage of the tournament.

“I doubt Ghana can win the title in Cameroon,” the veteran gaffer told GTV Sports Plus. “If the team reaches the quarterfinal stage of the tournament, that would come as a credit for the team,” he added. Milovan Rajevac has named his final 28-man squad for the 33rd edition of the Afcon. The Black Stars will kick start the tournament against giants Morocco on Monday, January 10 before taking on Gabon and Comoros in the other Group C matches. Ghana will play a friendly International against African Champions Algeria on Wednesday, January 05, 2022, at the Education City Stadium in Doha to wrap up preparations before the team flies to Yaounde on January 7. Milovan Rajevac led the Black Stars to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola where Ghana lost 1-0 to Egypt in the final. FootballGhana.com

The Ghanaian News December 2021 53

Beni Boo Styles WELL MADE - WELL PRICED Fashion plays an important role in society, the global economy and in individual expression. It influences how we position ourselves in the world and how we perceive others. Africa is the world’s largest continent with 54 countries, so fashion trends are varied and differ from coast to coast as well as with each designer and brand. But there are countless universal trends used in African fashion that are admired around the world and African fashion or fashion in general not only for women but men are just trendy and stylish as it comes these days so fashion houses pay attention and design clothes men can look good and feel good in from kaftans to dashiki to African suits . Here are some hand crafted designs from Beni Boo Styles well made - well priced

Manager, Beni Boo Styles 1-416-732-0902 Beniboostyles@yahoo.coo www.Beniboo.com Sewing Studio on St. Clair W.

The Ghanaian News December 2021 The Ghanaian News March 2019

416-844-9161 / 416-916-3700

The Ghanaian News December 2021 55

FOOD AND RECIPES Compiled by Nana Ama, Toronto, ON

Beef Grill Khebab Ingredients

Tuo Zaafi with Ayoyo stew 10 qts Ayoyo leaves

Marinade Ingredients: 1/3 cup olive oil 1/3 cup soy sauce 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar 1/4 cup honey 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 qts Salt Peter (Potassium nitrate)

Kebab Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs top sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes 1 large bell pepper 1-2 medium red onions 1/2 to a pound button mushrooms About 20 bamboo or wooden skewers

1 qt Fish seasoning

Method

2 qts Salmon

1 cup Powdered Fish 1 cup Powdered Okro 2 pinches Dawadawa 2 qts Pepper 2 qts Onions 2 qts All purpose spices 4 qts Meat (Beef) 1 cup Palm oil 3 qts Tomatoes 2 qts Herrings

1 Marinate the meat: Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and add the meat. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours or even overnight. (Heck, I've kept the meat marinating for a couple days, still great.) 2 Soak skewers in water: Soak the wood or bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. This will help prevent them from completely burning up on the grill.

1 cup Cassava flour 1 cup Corn flour

Method 1

Chop the ayoyo leaves into smaller sizes. Boil water, add chopped onion, powdered fish, powdered okro and dawadawa. After 5 minutes add ayoyo leaves and salt peter

Don't cover, stir continuously until ingredients become very soft. Add salt and seasoning. Allow to simmer for 3 minutes and soup is ready. Cut meat into desirable sizes. Wash and put meat in big saucepan over moderate heat.

One way to do this safely is to put the piece that you are trying to pierce on a cutting board, and then push the skewers through the piece to the board.

Blend onion, ginger, garlic and add to meat. Add salt and seasoning and cover meat to steam for 5-10 minutes Heat pan over medium high heat until hot and then add the olive oil. then add the chicken

Using double skewers will help you turn the kebabs on the grill. If you keep a little space between the pieces, they will grill more evenly.

Fry on one side until browned and then flip. Brown the second side and then transfer the meat to a bowl. Add chopped onion and garlic and saute until tender and starting to brown.

Paint the kebabs with some of the remaining marinade.

Add grinded pepper, tomato puree and stir intermintently. Wash salmon and herrings. Then add to stew. After 6-10 minutes, add spices and allow to cook.

3 Grill on high, direct heat: Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is, and how done you would like your meat, turning occasionally.

Taste for salt and add some chopped onions. Finally add fried meat and allow to simmer for 3 minutes.Fetch some corn flour and add cold water. Then mix thoroughly to form a solution.

4 Let rest: Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Boil enough water and add corn flour to cook for 5-10 minutes. Fetch some of the solution into a separate bowl. Mix dry corn dough and cassava dough and Add mixture bit by bit to the boiling corn dough and stir thoroughly to prevent any lumps.

Ingredients

Add the corn dough solution you fetched aside to the Tuo Zaafi to make it soft and stir. After 15-20 minutes of stirring the Tuo Zaafi, you turn of the heat.

2 tins of plam nuts paste

Serve Tuo Zaafi with stew and soup.

3 Thread the meat and veggies onto the skewers: Cut the vegetables into chunks roughly the width of the beef pieces. Taking care not to poke yourself, thread the meat and vegetables onto double bamboo skewers.

PALMNUT SOUP

2 large tomatoes 1 large size onion chopped

KAKLO

salt and pepper to taste

400g - Riped Plantain (soft)

500g fish and or meat

Ingredients 100g - Onion

2 small size salted fish

50gm - Wheat Flour

(optional)

1/2 tbsp - Salt

1 tablet cabe maggie

1 tbsp - Cayenne Pepper

8 large Okro (optional) 4 large garden eggs (optional)

1/2 tbsp - Mill Ginger 2 tbsp - Sugar Method 1. Wash and peel plantain

Method

2. Blend into a pulp

1.Prepare fish/meat, chopped onions, salt and tomatoes and simmer

3. Add mixed spice and mill ginger and gradually incorporate in flour.

2. Mix palm nut paste with warm water and strain the liquid through a strainer.

4. Add sugar and salt

3. Add liquid to the simmered meat/fish and the other vegeables and spices. 4. Allow the soup to simmer to the desired thinkness. 5. Skim off the excess oil from the top of the soup 6. Take it off the fire, serve with fufu, banku, kenkey, rice, yam etc.

5. Scoop and fry in moderately hot oil until golden brown in color 6. Drain and place on a kitchen paper. ACCOMPANIMENT: Bambara Beans, Red Red or Bean Stew

56 The Ghanaian News December 2021

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