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Comprehensive Celebration of Ghana@60 in Toronto-Canada

Ghanaian Community in Manitoba marks Ghana@60

By Joe Kingsley Eyiah and Jonathan Baah Annobil, Toronto

Community members at flag raising ceremony at City Hall with Councilor Michael Ford, Florence Akunnor, Ag Head of Mission and Consul-Gen. John Bosco

The celebration of the golden anniversary of Ghana’s independence in Toronto was well planned and executed over two weeks! It spanned from March 4 to March 19.

The architects of such elaborate celebration

were the GhanaianCanadian Association of Ontario (GCAO).

On Saturday, March 4, the festivities started with a gospel concert organized and directed by the youth wing of the GCAO at the Living

Word Assembly of God Church in Toronto.

The function was well attended by the Toronto Ghanaian community and friends of Ghana including the youth, Chiefs, Pastors and a Minister of State.

Those who addressed the gathering were the Ghana Consul General in Toronto, Hon. John Bosco and the Canadian Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Hon. Kristy Duncan.

Groups and individuals who performed at the concert included the Living Word Youth Choir, Bella T, Drew Anderson, Higher Faith Group, Rocky Prempeh, Daisy Agyeman, Kwabena Dwomoh, Felix Baffour and Elvis Yeboah. They sang and prayed for Ghana!

The following day, Monday, March 6, was very cold in Toronto.

Pg. 3

From Dr. Michael Baffoe, Winnipeg

cont’d on pg. 7

Community Elders, Mrs Stella Kankam, middle, assisted

by Ben Nortey, rigfht and Dr. Ishmael Bruce, left, cut the Independence Anniversary Cake

Ghana’s 60th Independence Anniversary was celebrated by the Ghanaian Community in Manitoba with series of high profile events in the provincial capital, Winnipeg. cont’d on pg. 50

Complaints Against Ghana’s Missions Abroad Addressed at Toronto Town-Hall Meeting Consul General in Toronto Announces 3-day Waiting Period for Visa

By Dr. Michael Baffoe, Winnipeg, Emmanuel Ayiku and Edmund Agbeko, Toronto

Th e c o m p la in ts an d misgivings that have been raised against the attitudes of the officials of Ghana’s missions abroad have been mounting and very troubling.

The Ghana Consulate Office in Toronto is no exception! For a long time, visitors intending to travel to Ghana had to deal with only the Ghana

High Commission in Ottawa for all consularrelated needs. Being the heartland of the Ghanaian community in Canada, as well as the largest City in Canada, the need was felt for a “branch office” of the Ghana Mission in Canada or a full-fledged Ghana Consular Office in Toronto. cont’d on pg. 6

From left: Emmanuel Duodu, Nadia Adongo, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, Bernard Antwi Bosiako, (Chairman Wontumi), Florence Akunnor and John Bosco Kpebesani

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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

Celebrating Ghana’s Adulthood

Complaints Against Ghana’s Missions Abroad Addressed at Toronto Town-Hall Meeting cont’d from pg. 1

EDITORIAL Publisher / Editor Emmanuel Ayiku Contributing Editors Dr. Michael Baffoe Joe Kingsley Eyiah Director of Operations Comfort Ayiku Community Reporter Jonathan Annobil Winnipeg Bureau Dr. Michael Baffoe 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 2256 Sheppard Ave. Suite 202 Toronto, Ont. M9M 1L7 Tel:(416) 916-3700 Advertising Fax (416) 916-6701 Internet: 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 2256 Sheppard Ave. Suite 202 Toronto, Ont. M9M 1L7 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 acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage

Across Ghana and in Ghanaian communities around the world during the month of March, 2017, Ghanaians and persons of Ghanaian heritage have been celebrating 60 years of the attainment of nationhood by Ghana.

Sixty years is enough time to claim maturity.

In Ghana, the retirement age from active working life is 60 years when workers go on “pension”. To all intents and purposes therefore, Ghana has matured as a nation, ready for “pension”. However, we wish to say that mature nationhood life begins at 60 years. Ghanaians underscored this fact when they gave themselves an early birthday gift in December 2016 when they elected a new government, different from the one that had been ruling them over the previous eight years.

This action by Ghanaians signified the fact that they wish to change course as a nation.

They thus entrusted their destiny and that of the nation to new managers hoping that they take the nation on a new path to their cherished dreams. The new “managers” of the Ghanaian Nation have been in office for about 60 days and so far, we can say that it is so good. Ministers of State, their Deputies and other officials for various aspects of the nation’s life have been appointed by the new “Headman”, the President.

The new President has been on record many times, before and after he became President, as saying and vowing to protect the public purse. He has admonished his appointees to live above reproach. Specifically, he has warned that public service is just about that, “service” and that anyone who is looking to make money in politics and in his government, should look elsewhere. We wish to take up this challenge of the new President, Nana Akufo Addo and to say that all Ghanaians, including us at the Ghanaian News, will be keeping a close eye on the performance and behavior of the Presidents’ people. We admonish them to eschew the arrogance which has been typical of Ghanaian politicians over the years. They should live above reproach and avoid the canker of corruption that has been the bane of Ghanaian politics and public life.

Ghana, and its resources, are not some sacred cows that anyone who finds himself/ herself closer to the centers of power in the country can go milk anytime they want with no consequences. It has been sad to observe over the years that many of our politicians and public office holders make no distinction between public resources and private resources. They take and utilize these public resources anytime, any day, anywhere they want without shrugging to think that these are national resources. The end result has been the poor and miserable state in which the nation Ghana currently finds itself.

We wish the new Government, the President and all his appointees well. We will support them in their noble and honest endeavors geared towards the good of the nation.

However, we shall also be on the constant lookout to expose any wrong-doing that we unearth. We advise the President to make good on his pledge to sanitize the public service. That will surely receive the total support of the Ghanaian people.

Since the commissioning of the Ghana Consulate Office in Torontoby the then First Lady, Mrs. Theresa Kufour in 2002, there have been series of ConsulGenerals and staff who have been posted from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Accra to man the Toronto Consulate office. We would hasten to add that some of these officials have performed their duties with respect for the communities they serve here in Toronto. Some have displayed humility and dedication to their work, bearing in mind that they are the face of the Ghana government and Ghana here in Toronto. Others have displayed the exact opposite: arrogance, disrespect and inconsistencies in their policies and attitudes to work.

There have been occasions when visitors to the Consulate Office in Toronto have complained bitterly about the poor service and disrespectful attitudes they have endured at the hands of the Consulate staff in Toronto. Some have complained about the inflexibility of the Consulate’s rules.

The designated role of all Consulate Generals’ offices is to promote trade and investment from the host City, in this case the City of Toronto, to Ghana. Other Consular services like the processing and issuing of Entry Visas to Ghana are supposed to be a minute part of what the Consular Offices are supposed to do.

The application for, and processing of Entry Visas to Ghana has been the focus of much complaints against the Ghana Consulate in Toronto, as well as in other cities in Britain and the US. Not only have people of Ghanaian origin frequently complained of the attitude and work habits of the Toronto Ghana Consulate Staff over the years: there have been even more bitter complaints from non-Ghanaians who have had to deal with this Consulate office.

In terms of visa applications, the Toronto Consular office requires a oneweek wait time for processing. This is surprising since the main Ghana High Commission in Ottawa has a turnaround processing time of five days or less, if you send in the application by courier. We shudder to think of what at all is in the visa processing at the Toronto Consular office that requires a whole one week to process a single visa application.

We have a recent bitter complaint from a client who applied for a visa to Ghana from the Ghana Consular Office in Toronto for an emergency visit to Ghana. He pleaded with the Consular staff for just a day, after waiting for six days for them to issue his visa. They refused, insisting that the regulation is for one week, seven days!! In the end, he missed his flight and had to pay an additional $420 to rebook his flight.

Why this inflexibility? Couldn’t the Consular office have charged him an

extra processing expedited fee instead of subjecting him to this unnecessary stress, inconvenience and costs?

These complaints against Ghana’s missions abroad and the Ghana Consulate Office in Toronto in particular, were vehemently expressed during a recent town hall meeting held in Toronto by the Ghanaian-Canadian Association of Ontario (GCAO) to crown the celebration of Ghana@60 in the city.

Addressing issues regarding the difficulties in obtaining Ghanaian visas and passports, the Consul General of Ghana in Toronto, Honorable John BoscoDery-Kpebesani advised Ghanaian-Canadians living in Canada to see the offices of the Ghana Diplomatic Missions as their very own, and urged them to seek assistance anytime the need became paramount.

He said, “As diplomats working with the Ghana High Commission in Canada, we have set rules and guidelines which aid our work; some are based on our discretions and for others, we will have to refer to Accra for more guidelines. In our quest to help serve our constituents or clienteles in getting a visa for an example, we have enrolled an expedient service that enables us to issue visas within a 24 hour period, but I must also stress that, there are specified requirements one will have to fulfill to enjoy these services.

“Everything informative regarding acquisition of a Ghana visa and passport are on our website but we have noticed that, some people come to the mission with very aggressive attitudes [to the front desk] which makes it difficult on our part to explain the need to have the needed requirements in accessing these services, although I admit that, the majority of our clients are Ghanaians and in these instances, we are more flexible with these government-issued requirements. However, it is important to state that, we are here as your servants and we will do everything there is to assist our clients in the best possible ways that we can.”

He then announced that the wait-time for visa would henceforth be 3 days!

We welcome such an announcement and call for a harmonization of the consular services between what obtains at the Ghana High Commission in Ottawa (the head office) and the satellite offices across Canada, and more especially at the Ghana Consulate offices in Toronto.

The complaints and negative perceptions about the Consulate from the public are getting louder and we are advising and appealing to them to sit up and respond positively to these complaints and concerns. It will be in everyone’s interests: for Ghana, for the Ghanaian community here in Toronto, for the image of Ghana and the Consular office,among the general Canadian population and in the interest of the Consulate staff themselves.

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Comprehensive Celebration of Ghana@60 in Toronto-Canada cont’d from pg. 1 Despite the bitter winter, a cross-section of Ghanaians living in and around the commercial capital of Canada, Toronto, gathered at the City Hall to raise the flag of Ghana to commemorate the 60th birthday of Ghana.

They included the Acting Ghana’s Head of Mission, Mrs. Florence Akonnor; the Consul General of Ghana in Toronto, Mr. John Bosco; the Executives of the Ghanaian Canadian Association of Ontario (GCAO); Chiefs and Queens of the Ghanaian community; the Old Ghanaian Soldiers Association of Toronto and Cpl. George Mintah of Canadian Forces Environmental Medicine Establishment, Toronto ; the Ghanaian Ethnic media; some local Ghanaian businesswomen and some youth of our community. Also present were representatives from City Hall headed by Councilor Michael Ford of Ward 2 Etobicoke North riding.

After a brief welcome address, the Consul General invited Mr. Joe Kingsley Eyiah to offer a prayer to begin the ceremony. The Ghana national anthem was then played while the Ghana flag was hoisted

by the Consul General and Mrs. Florence Akonnor, Acting Head of Mission aided by the President of GCAO, Mr. Emmanuel Duodu with the Ghana Exservicemen Association of Toronto on guard.

The Acting Head of Mission to Canada, Mrs. Florence Akonnor on behalf of Ghana’s mission addressed the function.

She used the occasion to briefly trace the path of Ghana’s struggle to independence from British colonial rule; and the significance of the flag raising ceremony.

MrsAkonnor mentioned that the struggle for independence started with a protracted nationalist campaign launched by our forebears in the then Gold Coast in 1947.

She said, “A turning point of the nationalist struggle was when Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory came on board the struggle, with radical political ideas after twelve years of study in USA and Great Britain, to advance the process of independence for the Gold Coast.” That, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was able to mobilize popular support to declare independence, and re-named the country GHANA after the ancient

Ghana Empire!

On the importance of the flag raising ceremony, she said, “On 6th March, 1957 a new Ghana was born and the British flag, the Union Jack, was lowered for the last time, and a new national flag Red, Gold, Green with a Black Star was hoisted to symbolize freedom and right to self-determination. This event brought great excitement and hope that has endured among Ghanaians to date.”

Mrs. Akonnor then thanked the Mayor of Toronto, John Tory and the Toronto City Hall for giving Ghanaians in the city the exceptional opportunity and honor to hoist the Ghana flag on the Courtesy Pole of the City of “this dynamic and culturally diversified City of Toronto.”

Councilor Michael Ford, on behalf of Mayor Tory and the City of Toronto praised Ghanaians living in the municipality for their contributions towards building viable communities within Toronto. He then likened the 60th Independence Anniversary of Ghana to that of Canada’s 150th Independence Anniversary this year and asked for greater co-operation between the two countries which

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The support will focus on sexuality education, improving reproductive health services and investing in family planning and contraceptives, Trudeau said, adding that the new funds double Canada’s current investment.

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of contracting sexually women but his team transmitted diseases, he managed to get Donald Trump on side with a added. joint announcement on female entrepreneurs in “Like men, women Washington last month should be able to choose; — the brainchild of to choose when they want Trudeau chief of staff to start a family, how big Katie Telford. their family should be and who they want to start that family with,” Later today, Trudeau Trudeau said. will also watch 338 young women — one “My friends, our for every riding in the ambitions can’t be country — take seats in bounded by our borders. the House of Commons Women and girls around as part of Daughters the world are counting on of the Vote, a program countries like Canada to aimed at encouraging help lead the way.” their involvement in leadership, government Trudeau, a self-described and politics. feminist, has refrained from commenting Trudeau has promised to directly on the new U.S. promote gender equality president’s remarks on at home and abroad, but advocates for the rights of women and girls say he still has a lot of work to do.

They are calling for more subsidized child care spaces, a national strategy to end genderbased violence and a new law to ensure men and women get equal pay for work of equal value.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stands to leave following an event on International Women’s day in Ottawa, March 8, 2017. (Photo: Adrian Wy l d / T h e C a n a d i a n Press) The Canadian Press

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AG report uncovers evidence of bid-rigging on some city contracts Romeo-Beehler also identified several regional patterns in the awarding of bids, which she said could indicate that some contractors have agreed not to compete with one another in specific neighbourhoods.

Auditor General Beverly Romeo-Beehler studied $594 million in contracts that were awarded between January 2010 and June 2015 and found that in many cases there were “red flags” that she says should raise concerns about the potential for bid-rigging.

In District 4, which includes all of Scarborough, the analysis revealed that a single company was awarded every contract in the eastern part of the district between 2010 and 2015 while another company was awarded every contract in the western part of the district.

In one such case, RomeoBeehler identified a bid where one contractor’s quoted price was “exactly 10 per cent” above another contractor’s quoted price on 44 different line items.

“Although we cannot be certain, based on the patterns, one would question whether there was an arrangement between Contractor A and Contractor B to split the contract work in District 4 between themselves,” the report states. “This segregation of contracts has existed for a long period of time. City staff in charge of tendering and managing the contracts could provide no plausible explanation for the apparent market domination and split by two contractors in one specific district.”

Romeo-Beehler said that she also identified other instances, where a contractor would submit an exceedingly high price for one line item in a given bid and then a lower price for the exact same item in another bid.

She said that could be an example of cover bidding, wherein contractors submit token bids that are priced deliberately high in order to give the impression of competitive bidding.

The report goes on to suggest that some contractor could be refraining from bidding on certain contracts in exchange for “some sort of benefit, including being a subcontractor on the project.”

“Submitting an exceedingly high price on one line item in one bid and a very low price for an identical line item in another bid could be a red flag,” the report states.

It says that there is a particularly “high risk” of that sort of behaviour in District 4, where there was a much lower number of unique bidders compared to other parts of the city.

In fact, District 4 only had four unique bidders during the time period studied with two of those bidders winning 93 per cent of the contracts. A third contractor bid on 86 per cent of contracts but never once won.

“We are not asserting that these are cover bids. However, given that it could be a red flag when a contractor bid multiple times but never or rarely won, staff should have looked into these cases and reviewed the bids carefully to determine if there were any anomalies,” the report states.

Mayor ‘extremely troubled’ by findings In a statement issued early Wednesday morning, Mayor Tory said he is “extremely troubled” by the auditor general’s findings.

Tory added that he has been assured the staff “have already taken steps and will take further steps to make sure there are proper measures in place to stop potential bid-rigging.”

“There have been a number of personnel changes in the offices in question during the period of the investigation and I trust city staff will take

whatever additional measures are necessary to ensure that the identified mismanagement and misconduct are addressed and won’t be repeated,” he wrote.

“To ensure the lessons of this audit are learned, I will be receiving regular updates from City Manager Peter Wallace as he conducts an ongoing review of all areas covered by this audit.”

Speaking with CP24 later in the day, Tory said that police were notified as soon as the auditor general started to see indications of bid-rigging on some contracts.

Parties found guilty of bidrigging can receive fines of up to $25 million and or a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

“The bottom line is that this is getting cleaned up and that big changes are being made to get rid of and replace the people who have done this, most of them have actually left,” Tory told CP24.

The report makes six recommendations, all of which the city has promised to implement.

The recommendations are as follows: - Staff develop and maintain a database of tender, contract, and sub-contracting information for all construction contracts in order to proactively monitor and detect potential bid rigging.

0% Interest

- Training is provided on bid rigging, including preventive controls and red flags, to city purchasing and divisional staff who are involved in tender preparation or contract administration.

- The Director, Purchasing and Materials Management Division, adopts a practice of keeping the identity of prospective bidders who purchased the bid documents confidential.

- A policy be introduced to ensure staff members involved in procurement or contract management have up-to-date and clear understanding of the city’s conflict of interest policy and procedure requirements, as it relates to the procurement process, and their application, as well as providing periodic refresher training.

- The General Manager, Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n S e r v i c e s Division, reviews and enhances the current processes for quality control testing and progress payments for road resurfacing contracts to ensure adequate segregation of duty and independence.

- That the audit report be forwarded to other relevant dity divisions and dity agencies and corporations which acquire contracted construction services on a regular basis for information. Cp24

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12

The Ghanaian News March 2017

FOCUS An Open Letter to President Nana Akufo-Addo: A Close Look at Some Educational Policies in Ghana

By Joe Kingsley Eyiah, OCT, Brookview MS, Toronto Dear Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to formally congratulate you on your ascension to the presidency of our loved motherland, Ghana. It is said that, ‘uneasy lays the head that wears a crown’ so I know that as the President, you have a lot on your plate to accomplish as far as the development of Ghana is concerned.

Definitely, you can’t do it all alone hence the need for the citizens of Ghana (wherever we find ourselves) to put our heads and hands together to build our nation.

As an educationist trained in Ghana, I was delighted to hear you point out in your first address to the nation that, ‘education is the key to national development.’

You are right, Mr. President!Obviously, education is the biggest enterprise in any civilized society.

Granted the fact that education is one of the most important tools for national development it becomes

the responsibility of any progressive government anywhere to provide and promote sound educational policies as well as infrastructure that will help its people to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to develop their potentials. The founding President of Ghana, Dr. Nkrumah understood this very well. He therefore expanded the opportunities for all Ghanaians to have some education. There was the mass education for adult Ghanaians who were above school-going age. More importantly, the formal sector of education in Ghana then saw rapid development under President Nkrumah.

A lot has befallen the

education system in Ghana since Dr. Kwame Nkrumah left the scene.

Good policies but poor implementation as well as bad policies based on ‘selfish political ideologies’ and naked corruption have over the years crippled the smooth growth of the education sector in our country.

It is now your turn to make education more meaningful in and to the development of Ghana.

I need not to remind you that it is through sound educational policies (taking local needs into consideration) and ensuring their effective implementation at all levels of the education ladder that you can achieve such task for Ghana. Though I no longer work in Ghana, I am still a citizen of Ghana and continue to write to influence education in Ghana from time to time, especially in the area of Teacher Education since that has been my major field of study and work (I rose to the rank of Assistant Directorin the GES before leaving Ghana in 1995). I am also still

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working in Canada as an Elementary Teacher and I love being an educationist.

Mr. President, I will like to comment on two of the educational policies that our new government in Ghana is pursuing. These are the free Senior High School (SHS) education and the restoration of allowances to teacher trainees.

The free SHS education is good for it would definitely enable many citizens to gain access to education at that level. However, you would agree with me that ‘in this world there is nothing free!’

(My apologies to Hon. Kennedy Agyapong at the Toronto TownHall meeting on March 19, 2017). Even in the Christian world when we shout that, ‘Salvation is Free!’ we know that though salvation has been made free for us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, it has been heavily paid for by God. The Bible says, ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son….’ God sacrificed His ONLY SON, Jesus Christ for our salvation!

And the blood of Jesus that saves us from all our unrighteousness is sustainable! Sir, I hope you have done your homework very well on the sustainability of free SHS education through the years. And that it will not be a burden on our national economy which is in ailing position. Thank you sir.

Anyway, is SHS

education going be ‘free’ for students in boarding schools such as Achimota, Nfantsepim, Prempeh College and the like? I know that in Ontario-Canada, High School education is free everywhere. For, the schools are community based and students commute between home and school every school day. However, parents who choose to send their children to boarding Schools such as Upper Canada College pay some fees. Is Ghana’s free SHS education just tuition free and not boarding school free?

How does a parent who lives at Oguakrom and wants his brilliant child to attendAchimota School in Accra but is not capable of paying the boarding fees charged byAchimota benefit from the free SHS policy? Don’t we need more community based SHS reasonably furnished to acceptable standard to make SHS education ‘truly free and fair’ for the citizenry no matter where they live in the country? Please, let’s beware of the creation of ‘Animal Farm’ with our free SHS. I trust you will guard against such trend!

Oh, lest I forget! Mr. President, I think to make our free SHS more meaningful to the student, I would like to see more attention paid to the student at the primary school level to effectively lay a strong and formidable foundation for the student’s learning journey to the

high school and beyond.

Good! Do I hear you say yes? And that the teacher who facilitates learning in the classroom is more important here?

This brings me to the issue of allowances for teachers in training. I am afraid the allowance might attract ‘wrong’ people who love money more than teaching into the teaching professional.

I am talking from experience as a former teacher-trainer in Ghana.

Why not make loans and scholarships (from District Assemblies) accessible to teacher-trainees and put more money rather into the salaries of teachers to enable trainees who successfully complete their teacher education to comfortably pay back their loans or work in the districts which supported them during their training?

Also, we need to ensure that candidates with the necessary entry requirements are picked by our Principals for the Teacher Training Colleges. Let us cut the ‘goldfields’ in the admission of teachertrainees to our Colleges where allowances become baits for insincerity and corrupt practices. Ouch!

I did not mean to hurt anybody, however, the true at sometimes hurt. Sorry!

Mr. President, thank you for lending me your ears.

Please beware of the ‘little foxes’ in our educational system. I will write to you again. Meanwhile, I wish you good health, wisdom from above and God’s blessings.

Yours truly, Joe Kingsley Eyiah (CITIZEN)

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

13

Let’s Rally Behind Akuffo Addo’s Presidency – Kennedy Agyapong

By Edmund Agbeko, Toronto

The Member of Parliament for Assin Central and renowned businessman, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has urged the Ghanaian community in the diaspora to remain positive about the prospects of President Nana Addo Dankwa AkufoA d d o ’s g o v e r n m e n t determination in changing the fortunes of Ghana, after the economy was plugged into massive chaos under the watch of Ex-President John Dramini Mahama.

The maverick politician who joined members of the Ghanaian-Canadian community for a town hall meeting in Toronto recently, urged them to have optimism in what he described as a ‘positive testimony of change’ blowing across the length and breadth of Ghana, enabling Ghanaians to finally have a feel of relief after the National Democratic Congress’ [NDC] eight-year reign came to an end. In the December 2016 Nana Akufo-Addo defeated

John Mahama by a whopping 53.85% during the country’s presidential elections.

The town hall meeting held at the auditorium o f t h e A p o s t l e ’s Continuation Church at 10 Belfield Rd in Etobicoke, brought together a large number of individuals from the GhanaianCanadian community, predominantly within the Ontario province.

Accompanying the Legislator firebrand for the event was also the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s Ashanti Region Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), and invited diplomats from the Ghana High Commission, which included the Acting High

Commissioner, Mrs. Florence Akunnor and the Consul General of Ghana in Toronto, Mr. John Bosco Derry Kpebesani.

Rot In Mahama’s Corrupt Government Kennedy Agyapong said the fortunes of Ghanaians were going up in smoke under the incompetent leadership of John Mahama, which was hit with scandals upon scandals during his presidency. He also claimed the ex-president’s administration was characterized by corrupt practices involving his siblings coupled with the dubious awards of contracts. Hon. Agyapong promised to dig deep into all of them in his quest to help retrieve the money for the state in the coming days.

The word corruption was never far from the lips of the Member of Parliament for the Assin Central area as he was baffled with John Mahama’s nineday wonder of fighting corruption in Ghana, especially when his

leadership was spanked with numerous sagas that hit the Ex-President’s tenure in governance; notably the Smartty’s Bus branding saga, GYEEDA & SADA Scandals, Alfred Agbesi Woyome scandal and the everpopular Mahama ‘Ford Expedition’ gift scandal.

He remarked, “What he [John Mahama] did in power was extreme wickedness, which saw an outrageous rise in corruption in the system, especially when he was telling the whole world he was winning the fight against corruption in Ghana. You need to fear the name Mahama because he is wicked and collapsed the economy of Ghana with corruption.

The impunity of some high level of corrupt

activities also from certain individuals was unheard off. Take former Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Stephen Opuni as an example, who was engaged in misappropriation and embezzlement of COCOBOD funds. If we don’t punish these people for their wrong doings, NPP officials will come and do the same and Ghanaians will vote against us. The documents in my disposal clearly show that, these NDC appointees and functionaries were simply on a mission to wreak the economy of the country. ” Invest In Ghana Kennedy Agyapong nonetheless urged the gathering at the event to help build Ghana by investing in the country

to enhance the country’s economic fortunes.

He said Ghanaians in the diaspora have a bigger opportunity to take advantage of the business-friendly policies of the NPP government and said, “the best times to invest in Ghana are now.”

He said, “You have to start making your minds in investing in Ghana because President Nana Addo is laying the right foundations again to grow the fortunes of the country again. The NPP has numerous plans to help build Ghana economically but at the same time, we will also count on your co-operation to support these efforts through your investments.

“Remittances from Ghanaians living abroad have become a very important component of Ghana’s economy but I will urge you to go a step further by establishing more businesses that would bring a lot of employment to the unemployed as well. It is not only foreign investors that we are pursuing after but our lovely country needs all of you. ” He continued, “Canada for instance has a vibrant i n d u s t r i a l e c o n o m y, of which most of you [Ghanaian-Canadians] play different vital roles to the contribution of such a stable industrious environment. With the professional relationships that you have developed with your numerous rich years of experience in various establishments, I am optimistic foreign investors will be more enthusiastic to invest in our country if they see Ghanaians leading the

way.”

Ghana’s Future Under President Akufo-Addo Despite a large number of people from the GhanaianCanadian community during the town hall meeting expressing their outrage over the huge number of the 110 ministers appointed by President Akufo-Addo, Hon. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong was guarded in his response to the public brouhaha that has greeted the President’s appointment of ministers to help him govern the state.

He said, “I must admit personally that, I share the same sentiments that you do have over the huge number of ministerial portfolios that he [President Nana Addo] has named but I will hold on to my reservations for now and judge them by their output because, if these numbers indeed are going to transform the

country overwhelmingly, then it will be well recommendable.

“Nevertheless, President Nana Addo has explained that the problems facing the country demanded such a bold and ambitious measure to address them but like I stated, we can only condemn or applaud when we access their contributions to the growth of the economy via their numerous work obligations in transforming the economy for the good well-being of the majority of the citizenry.”

Kennedy Ohene Agyapong also refuted impressions that he was interested in a ministerial position in the Nana Addo’s led-government, as taking up a position in government was not going to give him the space to properly handle his several business affairs.

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Federal Budget 2017: Trudeau Government Unveils Its 2nd Federal Budget OTTAWA — The future is coming at you, fast, and the Liberal government says it knows you’re getting anxious — and potentially angry.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau delivered a federal budget Wednesday that aims to get Canadians ready for a changing world and potentially shield the Liberals from the forces that brought U.S. President Donald Trump to power.

“Everyday folks who work hard to provide for their families are worried about the future,” Morneau said in his speech to the House of Commons as he tabled the 2017 federal budget, the second since the Liberals formed a majority government in 2015.

“They’re worried that rapid technological change, the seemingly never-ending need for new skills and growing demands on our time will mean that their kids won’t have the same opportunities that they had. And who can blame them?’’ Morneau said.

After setting up the doom and the gloom, Morneau spoke of the good news: Canadians have always been able to adapt to changing circumstances.

The budget, which projects a deficit of $28.6 billion this coming fiscal year, including a contingency reserve, is designed to help them get there.

It includes about $5.2 billion for skills development as the government plans to help Canadians adapt their education and employment training to a diversifying economy at a time when the lower price of oil has meant the natural resource sector can no longer be counted on to provide jobs — or sustain

federal revenues.

Measures include letting outof-work Canadians go back to school or receive new job training without having to give up their employment insurance benefits, a pilot project to test ways to make it easier for adults who have already been in the workforce to access student loans and grants and doing more to promote careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to young people.

The Liberals do not just want to help Canadians find jobs in the future. They also want to try and bring that future about.

The budget commits nearly $3 billion to support innovation over the next five years and promises to develop an innovation and skills plan that will target six sectors the Liberal government see as good bets for spurring economic growth and creating well-paying jobs: advanced manufacturing, clean technology, the agrifood sector, digital industries, clean resources and health and bio-sciences.

As the Liberals work to ensure everyone can find a job in the new economy, they are also giving a boost to many who were left behind by the traditional one, such as women and those from indigenous communities.

The budget commits $7 billion over the next decade to help increase access to affordable child care, will allow women to begin maternity leave earlier and provides more financial support for those caring for an ill or aging relative — all seen as ways to help increase the participation of women in the workforce.

The budget document, for the

first time in Canadian history, also includes a section on how many of its measures impact men and women in different ways, with a promise to do a deeper gender-based analysis for the 2018 budget.

While this budget is relatively thin on net new spending, all these new promises still come with a cost, especially since the federal government is still footing the bill for the gigantic, ongoing commitments from last year.

Canadians can expect a fivecent increase in EI premiums in fiscal 2018-19, up to $1.68 per $100 of insurable earnings, with some of that additional cost coming from the measures that will give more people access to benefits.

The government is also looking for savings in other ways that will hit the pocketbooks of many Canadians, by eliminating the public transit tax credit, raising the tax on alcohol by two per cent — beginning Thursday — and changing the rules so that ride-sharing businesses, such as Uber, are subject to the same sales taxes as traditional taxis.

The deficit still remains nearly three times the $10-billion limit the Liberals promised in their campaign platform and while the budget’s projections show it shrinking over time as the government expects economic growth to pick up steam, there is still no official word on when they expect to get back to balance.

This budget also removes a pledge to reduce the ratio of federal debt to GDP over the course of their mandate, which, after busting past their promise to eliminate the deficit by 2019, was the only fiscal target they had left. The Canadian Press

Internal review questions number of diplomatic passports Liberal government reviews potential problems with diplomatic and special passports

passports,” says an accompanying slide show, marked “secret.”

Federal officials are raising questions about whether Canada should be issuing so many diplomatic passports each year, including some to retired officials who perform no diplomacy.

The briefing says “highprofile stakeholders” might be “resistant to the perception” of no longer being eligible.

The problem arises from “unclear, inconsistent or outdated eligibility provisions,” according to an internal document from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which runs the passport program.

A formal review of the program began in 2015, under the Conservative government, and continues today under the Liberals, with a set of clearer rules expected by next year.

Progress has been s l o w, p a r t l y b e c a u s e o f “sensitivities surrounding eligibility for diplomatic

“Some stakeholders also view their diplomatic or special passport as a symbol of prestige or a guarantee of certain immunities or privileges abroad.”

CBC News obtained details of the review through a request under the Access to Information Act. About 9,500 diplomatic passports, with their distinctive red covers, are in circulation, though only about 7,000 are held by employees of Global Affairs Canada, the department in charge of Canada’s embassies, high commissions and missions abroad. Some 2,800 new ones are issued each year.

The rest are held by a broad range of others, including spouses or children of former prime ministers or of former governors general.

Outdated rules The current rules were set in 1956 by the federal cabinet under the Diplomatic and Special Passports Order, which has not been substantially updated in more than 60 years.

In the meantime, eligibility has been gradually expanded through a long series of socalled ministerial instructions.

There are now more than 50 such instructions; many no longer relevant or consistent with other rules.

‘There were occasional, isolated cases of … misuse’— Spokesman for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Adding further complexity are so-called special passports, cont’d on pg. 17

Child Care, Maternity Leave benefits to receive billions in Canada’s Budget OTTAWA — The federal government plans to spend $7 billion over the next decade to help ease the burden of child care costs, part of a slew of new long-term spending targeting Canadian families.

The details outlined in today’s federal budget suggest that spending could create 40,000 new subsidized daycare spaces nationwide by 2019, the year the Trudeau Liberals face reelection.

The measure is one of several the Liberals are enacting as part of a push to get more women into the workforce and ease lingering financial concerns about how families can pay their bills.

The budget extends parental leave to 18 months by spreading 12 months worth of payments over that time, and letting expecting mothers claim maternity benefits up to 12 weeks before their due date, an increase from the current eight-week period.

Those measures, among others, will require an increase in employment insurance premiums that workers and employers pay starting next year.

The Liberals’ second budget also expands eligibility for student loans so part-time students, adults returning to school and students who support families can access funding to help them more easily enter or re-enter the workforce. The Canadian Press

One child or youth suffers gunshot injury each day in Ontario: study TORONTO -- Firearms injure a child or youth almost every day in Ontario, say researchers, who analyzed hospital records to determine which groups of young people are most at risk for gun-related accidents or violent assault.

Their study, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found there were 355 firearm injuries an average each year among children and youth, about one quarter of which resulted in death.

“Three-quarters are unintentional, so these are accidents that happen, and about 25 per cent are intentional or assault,” said senior author Dr. Astrid Guttmann, a pediatrician at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.

When the researchers looked at provincial hospital emergency room records for gun-related injuries, they found Canadianborn youth, particularly males, had the highest rates of unintentional firearm injury -- 12 per 100,000 people versus about seven per 100,000 for immigrant males.

But when it came to firearm injuries due to assault, immigrants and refugees were at much higher risk than their non-immigrant counterparts.

Refugee children and youth were 1.4 times more likely to be shot than Canadian-born residents of the same age, while

immigrant children and youth from Africa were almost three times as likely and those from Central America almost four times as likely to be a victim of a firearm assault, the study found.

Males in all three groups were at highest risk of suffering a gunshot injury, said Guttmann, chief science officer at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, which collected the data.

“When we looked at unintentional injuries, children who live in rural areas are more likely to suffer one of these injuries,” she said. “And when we looked at immigrant versus long-term residents -the majority of whom would be Canadian-born -- immigrants are much less likely to be injured in accidental shootings.

“We know from other (research) literature that children who live in homes where there are guns are more likely to have an accident with a gun, and we certainly know there are more guns in households in rural areas.”

In contrast, firearm injuries due to violent assault tended to be clustered in low-income neighbourhoods in urban centres, where immigrant and refugee children and youth often live when they arrive in Canada, Guttmann said. cont’d on pg. 16

The Ghanaian News March 2017

List of taxes abolished and reviewed by government

Ghana-born medical student achieves milestone at top US university

The business community in Ghana will heave a sigh of relief following government’s announcement of key taxes it has abolished, while others have been reviewed.

A lot of Ghanaians are sharing on social media the news that Ghana-born medical student Nancy Abu-Bonsrah is to become the first black woman to be trained as a neurosurgeon at the prestigious Johns Hopkins medical school in the US.

The cancellation of the taxes, most of which affects businesses in the aviation, finance and real estate industries, are aimed at providing a friendly environment for businesses in the country.

She was awarded the accolade at the end of last week when medical students found out in the matching process where they were going to be sent.

Some have suggested that she is the first black f e m a l e n e u r o s u rg e o n a t Johns Hopkins, but that is slightly jumping the gun.

The university told BBC Africa Live that she will be a neurosurgical resident

Below is the list of taxes that have been abolished and reviewed by the government.

Nancy Abu-Bonsrah

adding that “she will not officially be a neurosurgeon Abolished until she completes her residency in a few years”. – 1 percent Special Import Levy; Nancy Abu-Bonsrah moved to the US from Ghana with – 17.5 percent VAT/NHIL on her parents when she was 15. financial services; bbc.com

Ghana to export labour The government is exploring the possibility of exporting labour to countries with scarcity in their labour requirements. The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Mr. Ignatius Baffour Awuah, made this known at the launch of a job summit in Accra last Thursday.

H e s aid the government was seeking to collaborate with countries that required professionals in certain critical job areas to implement the initiative.

“We want to see if there is the possibility of formalising such a venture of exporting labour from Ghana to other countries.

“We are churning out more professionals such as teachers.

There are so many countries that hitherto were not learning the English language, but are now doing so due to globalisation.

We c a n , t h e r e f o r e , t a k e advantage and export our professionals to go and work in other countries,’’ he said.

The job summit attracted a cross section of the public, including queenmothers, women entrepreneurs, the clergy, female students and organisations with focus on women’s welfare.

M e n t o r s h i p Mr. Awuah, who launched the summit, urged women entrepreneurs and leaders to mentor young women and encourage them to aspire to greater heights.

“All they need is for someone to mentor and encourage them.

The pressures, temptations and difficulties of the day can overshadow aspirations of young ladies. At this time they need mentorship and direction,’’ he stated.

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Reverend Dr Ashie Ocansey, the Founder of Nekotech Centre of Excellence, a nonprofit organisation that provides training for young women, explained that the summit was to empower women to become entrepreneurs and also equip them with employable skills.

“We always talk of gender parity and yet people complain that there are no women to fill certain jobs. The summit is meant to instil a ‘can-do’ spirit in women and to let them know that they are the architects of their future,’’ she said. Graphic.com.gh

Call Us First The Ghanaian News 41 6 - 9 1 6 - 37 0 0

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by local authorities; – 17.5 percent VAT/NHIL on selected imported medicines, that are not produced locally; – Initiate steps to remove import duties on raw materials and machinery for production within the context of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) Protocol; – 17.5 percent VAT/NHIL on domestic airline tickets; – 5 percent VAT/NHIL on Real Estate sales;

– Taxation, the gains from realisation of securities listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange or publicly held securities approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Reviewed – Reduce National Electrification Scheme Levy from 5 percent to 3 percent;

– Excise duty on petroleum;

– Reduce Public Lighting Levy from 5 percent to 2 percent;

– Special petroleum tax rate from 17.5 percent to 15 percent;

– Replace the 17.5 VAT/ NHIL rate with a flat rate of 3 percent for traders; and

– Duty on the importation of spare parts;

– Implement tax credits and other incentives for businesses that hire young graduates. citifmonline.com

– Levies imposed on kayayei

200 Ghanaians join class of dollar millionaires in 2016 - Report Two Hundred Ghanaians joined the elite class of dollar millionaires in 2016, raising the tally of the High Net worth Individuals (HNWI) with US$1million or more to 2,900 people from 2,700 in 2015.

According to the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2017, of these, 10 individuals joined the ranks of those worth US$10M+.

There was, however, no addition to the ultra-high-net-worth pool of those worth US$430m+ and the centre-dollarmillionaires worth US$100m+.

The results are contained in the 2017 edition of the Knight Frank Wealth Report which was launched in Accra in partnership with Stanbic Bank’s Wealth and Investment unit.

Even though this year ’s edition is the 11th, it is the first to be launched in Ghana by the leading independent global property consultancy.

The wealth report provides a unique perspective on global investments trends and investment strategies of high net worth individuals around the world.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Andrew Shirley, Editor of the Wealth Report, said the financial service was the main industry from which HNW Ghanaians have acquired their wealth.

“It is the primary source of wealth for 24 per cent of local

HNWIs. Other important industries for them include real estate and construction (16) per cent, fast moving consumer goods (13) per cent and mining/ agriculture (1 0 ) p e r c e n t , ” h e s a i d .

The report found out that wealth preservation, capital growth and succession planning are the three most important factors that high net Ghanaians consider when making wealth management and investment decisions.

The three factors are deemed most important as uncertainties linger on in global and local economies.

Respondents to the Attitude survey say wealth preservation (79 per cent), followed by capital growth (68 per cent) and the succession planning (56 per cent) were key concerns for Ghana’s rich.

The attitude survey results are based on responses from almost 900 of the world leading private bankers and wealth advisors, and 10,000 clients across Africa.

Commenting on the launch of the report, Head of wealth and Investment at Stanbic Bank, Mr. Benjamin Mensah, said as part of a holistic wealth management proposition, Stanbic Bank wealth and investment had created an association with Knight Frank throughout Africa to offer clients access to world property experts as we see real estate as a major asset class.

“ We c o n t i n u e t o s e e a n evolution of the HNW market in recent years and in the needs of our clients. With increasing sophistication, challenging markets, growing regulatory changes, wealth management has had to evolve,” he said.

Mr. Mensah said the Bank’s main focus was on helping clients to continue to generate and preserve wealth by providing them with the best breed investment solutions.

“Our wealth management philosophy centres on managing, growing and protecting the generation wealth of our clients and their families.

In addition to trust and other Succession Planning Structures, our leadership academics are designed to equip our clients and their families on the best practices for the transfer of generational wealth,” he said.

He said the junior leaders (10-12), young leaders (1317) and the future leaders (18-24) and the women’s wealth Academics were aimed at equipping families with the financial skills to ensure the successful management and transfer of wealth from one generation to the next.

On education, wealth managers and advisors for Ghana HNWIs believe more clients are choosing to send their children overseas 47, per cent compared to a 28 per cent global average and 47 percent across Africa.

Graphic.com.gh

16

The Ghanaian News March 2017

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

Canada’s tough stance on permanent residents and other non-citizens involved in criminal activities Pursuant to section 27 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of Canada (IRPA), a permanent resident has the right to enter and remain in Canada, subject to the provisions of the Act. And there is a stipulation in the Act that, permanent residents, like any other nonCanadians, could be subject to deportation if they are convicted of a serious offence in Canada.

The nature of the offence committed and the length of sentence imposed in respect of the offence, would primarily determine the fate of a convicted permanent resident. A permanent resident of Canada may become the subject of a deportation order if convicted of an offence in Canada that is punishable under an act of Parliament by a potential penalty of at least 10 years of imprisonment

(regardless of actual sentence), or if sentenced to more than six months of imprisonment for any federal offence.

Section 36 (1) of the Act states that a permanent resident or a foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality for (a) having been convicted of an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least 10 years, or an offence under an Act of Parliament for which a term of imprisonment

of more than six months has been imposed; or (b) having been convicted of an offence outside Canada that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by a maximum term of punishment of at least 10 years, or (c) committing an act outside Canada that is an offence in the place where it was committed and that, if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable by a maximum term of at least 10 years.

Thus, under the new rules, for convictions within Canada, permanent residents will be deported without access to any appeal if they are sentenced to prison for 6 months or more for a crime, and also if they are convicted in Canada of an indictable offence punishable by a

One child or youth suffers gunshot injury each day in Ontario: study cont’d from pg. 14 The study, which examined health records for millions of Ontario children, teens and young adults between 2008 and 2012, found immigrants from Africa and Central America accounted for almost 70 per cent of assault-related gun injuries.

The researchers did not include suicides in their analysis.

Dr. Natasha Saunders, a pediatrician at Sick Kids and the study’s lead author, said there has been little Canadian research on children harmed by firearms, and most of that has focused on those who have died.

“Death is clearly a devastating outcome, but near-misses are also a devastatingly significant issue,” said Saunders, noting the study looks at both gun deaths and injuries, which in some cases can lead to severe disabilities.

“It is our hope that understanding the numbers will contribute to efforts that are already being made to reduce the number of victims of both unintentional firearm injuries in Canadianborn children and youth, as well as firearm assault in subgroups of immigrant children and youth.”

The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS), which on Monday issued updated recommendations for

preventing firearm injuries among young people, says 635 children and youth under age 24 died between 2008 and 2012 from accidental and intentional gunshots, including those that were self-inflicted. Ninety-four per cent of victims were male.

Among 15- to 19-year-olds, more than half were suicides, while among 20- to 24-yearold, about the same proportion were homicides. For children under age 15, there were 15 suicides, 10 homicides, seven unintentional deaths and two whose cause was undetermined.

Dr. Katherine Austin, who co-wrote the CPS document, said she was pleased to see the Toronto researchers went beyond firearm mortality statistics and looked at data on injuries.

“Every family, rural and urban, should be screened for gun ownership,” the document states. “Parents who decide to keep a gun in the home should be counselled to store firearms unloaded, with a trigger lock or in a locked container, and separate from ammunition.”

The CPS also urged all levels of government to bring in stricter gun controls.

To reduce the availability of firearms to youth, the organization is calling for several measures, including strategies to curtail illegal importation of firearms into Canada, especially from the U.S., and tighter restrictions on semi-automatic firearms.

Over the five-year period, Ontario hospitals treated almost 1,600 young people for gunshot wounds.

Austin said there is a pervasive belief that Canada doesn’t have a problem with firearms, primarily because the level of gun deaths in the United States is so “spectacular” in comparison.

“That’s a lot,” said Austin.

“Can you imagine any other consumer product that caused one serious injury a day over a period of five years?”

“It’s like being shorter than (NBA star) Wilt Chamberlain,” she said of measuring Canada’s firearm death rate against that of its southern neighbour.

The CPS position paper says doctors and other health practitioners can play a critical role in preventing firearm injuries and deaths by warning parents about the risks of guns being accessible to youth.

But take the U.S. out of the equation, and Canada ranks fourth highest out of 22 industrialized countries (after Finland, Austria and France), said Austin, citing a 2010 study.

The Canadian Press

maximum sentence of at least ten years regardless of the sentence imposed.

Also, under the current Immigration Act (IRPA), if a permanent resident or a protected person is under a stayed removal order by the IAD for reasons of criminality and he is convicted of a serious criminal offence with a potential sentence of at least 10 years or an actual sentence of over six months, the person will have his or her stay of removal cancelled by operation of law, and the appeal will be terminated.

who is neither a permanent resident nor citizen of Canada is convicted in Canada of an indictable offence or of a hybrid offence (which is an offence that may be punishable by way of indictment or summarily), the person may become the subject of a deportation order.

It’s necessary to bear in mind that a sentence of six months or less does not bring a permanent resident status holder within the zone of deportation if the maximum penalty for the offence in respect of which he is sentenced is less than 10 years of imprisonment.

Non-Canadians – permanent and temporary residents - who reside in Canada must know that no matter how long they might have lived in Canada, if they are convicted of a ”serious crime”, they could lose their immigration status and be deported. It is necessary people in such situations hire criminal lawyers who have a wide knowledge of immigration law. The law on criminality and immigration is very complicated and it is important to get legal advice on such issues whenever necessary.

Visitors, students, temporary workers and other residents in Canada who are neither permanent residents nor Canadian citizens may be referred to collectively as foreign nationals. The threshold for deportation of these people is lower than that for permanent residents.

Regardless of the length of the sentence, when a person

James A. Kwaateng is an Immigration Law Practitioner with offices located at 168A Oakdale Road, Suite 4, Toronto, Ontario For a thorough discussion of your immigration and associated legal issues, you may contact him at telephone number (416) 743-2758 for an appointment.

U.S. Ambassador Launches Ghana Integrity Initiative Consortium Corruption Survey USAID supported the Ghana Integrity Initiative and its local partners SEND Ghana and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition to conduct the survey through its Accountable Democratic Institution Systems Strengthening activity, which aims to increase the accountability of institutions ACCRA, Ghana, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Ghana Integrity Initiative, the Ghana AntiCorruption Coalition, and SEND Ghana released “Corruption Is Eating Us Up: A Call to Action,” a survey on citizens’ knowledge, perceptions and experiences of corruption today in Accra. U.S. Ambassador Robert P. Jackson joined members of civil society, the Ghanaian government, and the private sector at the launch event, at which attendees discussed the survey’s findings and ways to combat corruption in Ghana.

We applaud the commitment the Government of Ghana has made to fighting corruption USAID supported the Ghana Integrity Initiative and its local partners SEND Ghana and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition to conduct the survey through its Accountable Democratic Institution Systems Strengthening activity, which aims to increase the accountability of institutions. The survey polled 17,996 Ghanaians in 50 districts in all 10 regions of Ghana about their understanding, perception, and experience with corruption in various institutions. The survey found that nearly two-thirds of respondents believed that corruption was on the rise, with a cont’d on pg. 32

The Ghanaian News March 2017

17

Trudeau defends women’s right to choose on International Women’s Day and investing in family planning and contraceptives, he added.

OTTAWA -- Justin Trudeau’s self-proclaimed feminist bona fides were on full display Wednesday as the prime minister known for his genderbalanced cabinet and support for equal rights showed his government’s support for International Women’s Day.

Women and girls around the world routinely have their reproductive rights violated, including by being subjected to gender- and sex-based violence, as well as “harmful practices” such as female genital mutilation.

To mark the occasion, Trudeau announced $650 million over three years for sexual and reproductive health projects around the world and fielded pointed questions from a House of Commons filled with young female delegates from the country’s 338 ridings.

a U.S. president many around simply cannot contribute and the world have branded as a cannot achieve their potential,” Trudeau said. misogynist.

And he gave an impassioned defence of a woman’s right to choose an abortion -- a message of particular resonance in the wake of his recent meeting with

“For far too many women and girls, unsafe abortions and lack of choices in reproductive health mean that they either are ... at risk of death or else

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

The funding -- twice Canada’s current investment on reproductive health -- will go towards promoting sexuality education, improving services

Equality starts with giving women the confidence to compete - and win I’m often asked what we can do to reach true equality -- a world where women and men were equally represented in everything from government to business.

If I had to pick one single thing we could address, I’d say confidence. Simply put -- men have it. Too often, women don’t.

It starts very early. When I was growing up, we didn’t have a lot of mentors or even positive role models, showing us that women could compete and win in any field they chose.

For me, the role model I did find was on TV -- Mary Tyler Moore, who played a woman in a male-dominated industry who succeeded on her terms.

She gave me confidence that I could do the same. But then as now, she was the exception, not the rule. And that’s a shame, because it undermines confidence.

I see this when we’re talking to bright, accomplished women about running for office.

Women who could make a real difference in government.

We’ve had some success moving towards equality in government. Forty per cent of my cabinet is made up of women, as are 50 per cent of the civil service, including a woman at the head. The speaker of the legislature, chair of our government caucus and the head of BC Hydro - all women.

And every single one of them is in that position because they deserve to be.

In business, government, or anything else, it starts

with giving young women the confidence that they can compete - and win.

But when I approach women and ask them to consider running for office, they say, “I don’t know.”

They worry they don’t know all the answers to every question, about their other responsibilities to their family and job, and they worry that someone else would be better suited or more qualified. They don’t have confidence in themselves.

When I ask a man, they say “it’s about time.” They can’t believe it took us so long to ask.

Confidence matters. And if you don’t think a premier can struggle with confidence... try standing next to Kate Middleton and not having second thoughts about your appearance.

That’s the culture we grow up in. We’re bombarded with messages, both implied and overt, that what really matters is how we look.

On this International Women’s Day it’s important to celebrate and recognize successful women. Young women, girls need to see others succeeding in fields that traditionally have been dominated by men.

It’s important for young women to see other women in politics and government. It’s important for young female athletes to see women cheered in packed stadiums and arenas. And it’s important to connect bright, budding young entrepreneurs with mentors who can show them the path to success.

If you don’t think there’s a barrier, consider this: in the United States, there are more CEOs of Fortune 500 companies named John, than there are CEOs who are women.

Take a moment, and let that sink in.

We c a n c o n n e c t y o u n g businesswomen with the support, experience, and knowledge to help reach the next level. Or, we can encourage more young moms to name their daughters “John.”

In business, government, or anything else, it starts with giving young women the confidence that they can compete -- and win.

This is important, because we’re all better off when women succeed. Not because women are better at making decisions than men, or that women care about different things than men.

It’s important because women bring different experiences to the table. Whether that’s the cabinet table, or the boardroom of a company responsible for thousands of jobs -- I think you’d want the benefit of the biggest range of experience you can possibly get.

We need to work together to make sure the next generation of young women have the confidence to know they have the same opportunity -- and the same right -- to find a seat at that table.

Maybe even at the head. The BLOG

They also run a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, he added.

“Like men, women should be able to choose; to choose when they want to start a family, how big their family should be and who they want to start that family with,” Trudeau said.

“My friends, our ambitions

can’t be bounded by our borders. Women and girls around the world are counting on countries like Canada to help lead the way.”

Indeed, it was through a joint Canada-U.S. initiative to promote and foster women in business, reportedly the idea of Trudeau chief of staff Katie Telford, that observers say enabled the federal Liberal government to connect with a White House that few were convinced would listen.

That initiative, which saw Trudeau himself sitting elbowto-elbow with Trump’s own daughter Ivanka, allowed a president who’s famously unpopular with women to borrow a little of the prime cont’d on pg. 28

Internal review questions number of diplomatic passports cont’d from pg. 14 which have green covers and are issued largely to National Defence employees for work overseas.

About 45,000 special passports are in circulation, some held by retired officials who no longer work in government — such as former lieutenant governors, former heads of missions, and Privy Councillors who have long since withdrawn from public life.

Some 9,850 special passports are issued each year, including to MPs, senators, premiers and speakers of legislative assemblies.

The passport program collected $3.5 million in fees to issue diplomatic and special passports in 2014-15, more than enough to cover operating costs of $2.3 million. But most of those fees — $225 per passport — are paid indirectly by taxpayers, with departments such as National Defence and Global Affairs picking up the bills.

And some diplomatic passports are issued without charge to former prime ministers, former governors general, former ministers of foreign affairs, former lieutenant governors and others, including their spouses.

The latest review follows an earlier examination of the program ordered by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in October 2010.

Earlier that year there were two incidents in which an MP and a former cabinet minister separately used their green passports for personal travel to Mexico, and were turned back by Mexican officials in a politically motivated visa dispute with Canada.

The review is also examining the numbers of special passports,

with a green cover, being issued each year, about 9,850. Most go to National Defence employees and military members, but some go to provincial officials and others as a courtesy. (cic. gc.ca) No immunity The Minister of Foreign Affairs issued instructions for the proper use of such passports in 2011.

“There were occasional, isolated cases of the misuse of the special and diplomatic passport,” said IRCC spokesperson Faith St-John.

Among the rules: holders of such passports cannot use them for travelling on personal business, but must instead carry the standard blue-cover personal passport familiar to most Canadians.

Diplomatic and special passports are valid for up to five years, and must be returned to the passport program after they’re no longer needed.

Both types of passports confirm the bearer’s identity and official role with respect to Canada.

But, contrary to what some may think, they don’t convey any diplomatic perks.

“Neither the special nor the diplomatic passport convey any privileges or immunities to their holders,” said St-John.

“Diplomatic immunity can only be provided via diplomatic accreditation from a foreign state.”

She also cautioned that the status quo is an option.

“It has not yet been determined that this review will ultimately result in any type of changes,” St-John said in an email. An implementation timeline for any changes and a vehicle for changes have not been set.”

CBC

18

The Ghanaian News March 2017

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HERstory in Black shares the experiences of Ontario 150 women who excel in their field By: Pearl Ayimah, Toronto On February 28th, a night of celebration was held at CBC Toronto headquarters.

The celebration followed the completion of a digital photo series titled ‘HERstory in Black’, which captured the life and experiences of 150 women from various industries including Entertainment, Health, Sports, Technology, and The Arts to name but a few. The photo series was the idea of Emily Mills who runs a women’s network called ‘How She Hustles’. The intent of the photo series was to recognize Black women of today, from and around Ontario and was the first of its kind in Toronto, proving to be a truly ‘her-storic’ moment that is now part of our history.

The celebration started off with the introduction of the 150 women that were ushered in by the sounds of a beating drum. Opening remarks were made by Emily Mills followed by performances by D’bi Young (Artistic Director of ‘The Watah Theatre’) and Jully Black (Toronto R&B Singer & International Recording Artist). The night also included a photo retweet of the 150 women by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Included within the photo series was Pearl Ayimah, who had the opportunity to meet other Ghanaian-Canadian women, and networked with many other diverse women from Toronto. Some

women within our community honored were: Eugenia Duodu (CEO; Visions of Science Network for Learning), OhenewaAkuffo (Olympian, World Medalist, Wrestler), and Nana Aba Duncan (Radio Host/Producer at CBC Radio) NakiOsutei, (Exec. Talent Director at CIBC), Roslyn Kufuor (freelance associate producer at CBC, former assistant programmer at the BBC, Aisha Addo (Founder &Mentor at The Power To Girls Foundation, CEO of DriveHer) Hon. Jean Augustine, former Ontario Fairness Commissioner and the first African Canadian woman elected to the Canadian House of Commons who also tabled a motion in Parliament for the celebration of Black History Month to become a reality was called upon to give a word of encouragement to the 150 honoured women. This event was well-placed as an end to black history month, followed by Ghana’s 60th year of independence, Canada’s 150 th year of Confederation and Women’s International Day. Pictures and information of all 150 women are available via CBCs website: cbc.ca/ herstoryinblack Amanda Paris of CBC was the MC for this great event.

Emily Mills

Ohenewa Akuffo Pearl Akosua Ayimah

Eugenia Duodu Catherine Addai

Nana Aba Duncan

Aisha Addo

Roslyn Kufuor

Naki Osutei

20

The Ghanaian News March 2017

MoneyGram International celebrates Ghana @ 60 in Toronto MoneyGram International joined the Ghanaian community in Toronto in the celebrations of Ghana’s 60th anniversary dinner-dance in Toronto.

At the MoneyGram stand during the event there were promotions that

encouraged Ghanaians in Diaspora to send money back home to families, friends and loved ones. The program was sponsored in part by MoneyGram International.

MoneyGram Representative at the event

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Ghanaian Women’s Fasting and Prayer Conference

15th Anniversary Celebration Theme: ...that Everyone To Be SAVED And Come To Full Knowledge Of The TRUTH”

1 Tim 2:4

May 17th - May 22nd 2017 VENUE: Ghanaian Presbyterian Church , 51 High Meadow Place (Finch/Signet) SPEAKERS:

Programs Wednesday: 7p.m. - 9 p.m.

Opening Service - Unity in Christ Speaker: Rev. Ama Owusu

Friday: 7 - 9 pm Title: Emotional Health Speaker: Rev. Isaac Takyi DeGraft

Thursday: 7 - 9 pm Title: Mental Health Speaker: Dr. Michael Adjabeng

Saturday: Community Picnic Venue: Presbyterian Church Premises Time: 12 noon to 6 p.m.

MONDAY: MAY 22nd 2017 (Victoria Day Holiday) Speaker: Rev. Boniface Keelson Tme: 9 a.m. - 12 noon

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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Ghana to build first international paediatric cancer centre An International Paediatric Cancer Centre, the first of its kind in the world, is to be built in Ghana as a center of excellence in cancer care on the African continent.

The centre is the first step of a broad global initiative being undertaken by the Eugene Gasana Jr. Foundation to enhance the rate of cure of cancer in children, through increasing access to comprehensive cancer care.

Dr. Tanya Trippett, President of the Eugene Gasana Jr. Foundation, made this known on Monday, March 27, 2017, when she, together with a delegation from the Foundation, paid a courtesy call on the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The 94-bed state-of-the-art, according to Dr. Trippett, will also serve as a teaching facility for medical professionals in Ghana and the continent, with the infrastructure of the hospital also designed to meet high international standards for delivery of quality cancer care for children.

She also revealed that the centre will factor in lodging facilities for patients and parents, in addition to the recruitment of visiting international medical professionals to aid in training of medical professionals in the delivery of high quality care.

Four of such centres, Dr. Trippett stated, will be built across the world in four other continents, with the centre in Ghana being the “flagship project.” The project, she added, will be completed within two years.

President Akufo-Addo, on his part, thanked Dr. Tanya Trippett and the Eugene Gasana Jr. Foundation for the gesture of their visit, and for making Ghana the first country in the world for the setting up of this “critical piece of infrastructure.”

Describing the project as a “brilliant idea with immense benefits for our country”, President Akufo-Addo noted that the International Paediatric Cancer Centre will “bridge the gap in the field of cancer care of children” in Ghana and in Africa. Starrfmonline.com

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Akufo-Addo reveals source of funding for free SHS

President Nana Addo Dankwa AkufoAddo has tasked church leaders to impress upon their members to be hard working and desist from over reliance on miracles for success.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was at the 90th anniversary of the Krobo Girls’ Senior High School in the Eastern Region over the weekend, shedding further light on the free education programme.

The president reiterated h i s g o v e r n m e n t ’s resolve to roll out the free SHS policy from the 2017/2018 academic year.

Religion cannot be an excuse for laziness - Akufo-Addo

President Nana Akuffo Addo said government will use “the proceeds from our natural resources, as captured in the ‘Asempa Budget’, to help educate the population to drive our economic transformation”.

Though the source of funding of the policy was settled by the Minister of Finance, Ken OforiA t t a , o n T h u r s d a y, March 2, when he read the 2017 budget statement, it appears part of the proceeds from the country’s oil H e e x p l a i n e d t h a t : resources may also be “Instead of the revenues used for the rollout. from our mineral and oil resources ending up in This will then support the hands of a few people, an earlier indication I am of the firm belief b y S e n i o r M i n i s t e r that the most equitable Yaw Osafo Marfo that and progressive way of the Heritage Fund will using these revenues is b e u s e d . M r O f o r i - to educate and empower Atta had stated in the o u r p o p u l a t i o n ” . budget statement that government will use annual budget funding amount (ABFA) to fund the free SHS policy.

“It is for this reason,” he added, “that my government has indicated that it will fund the cost of Senior High School for But speaking at the 90th all, beginning with the anniversary of Krobo intake of the 2017/2018 Girls’ SHS on Saturday, a c a d e m i c y e a r . ” President Akufo-Addo

The president clarified that free SHS will also cover agricultural, vocational and technical education.

He also indicated that teachers will not be left out in the grand scheme to get a majority of the population educated.

“For us to make a success of our education policy, we must pay attention to teachers.

It is only a crop of welltrained, self-confident and contented teachers that can deliver the educated and skilled workforce we require to transform our economy.

Government intends to restore the teaching profession to the status it once enjoyed, and make it an attractive career choice.” 3news.com

Trudeau defends women’s right to choose on International Women’s Day the service I give with everything I do,” Trudeau said.

cont’d from pg. 17 minister’s credibility.

It even earned both Canada and the prime minister an unprecedented mention during the president’s recent address to Congress.

Also Wednesday, Trudeau delivered remarks to a Commons filled with young women as part of Daughters of the Vote, a program aimed at encouraging female involvement in leadership, government and politics.

The prime minister acknowledged his wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, whose Instagram post the previous day -celebrate boys and men who treat girls and women with respect, she urged Canadians -- prompted a social media backlash from critics who thought it an inappropriate message for International Women’s Day. “She has shaped the person I am and

Both men and women have a role to play on equity issues, and men who do not identify as feminists should be challenged, Trudeau said.

“If we recognize there is an imbalance in the world, that men have more power than women and that’s wrong, well we have to convince men to use that undeserved power to fix that power balance,” Trudeau said.

“We need to be strong about it. We need to be convinced about it.”

Before the day was over, however, the inboxes of Liberal supporters were pinging with a reminder of the realities of workaday politics.

The Liberal party sent out a fundraising email signed by Gregoire-Trudeau, pleading for help elect more women to Parliament. The Associated Press

Call Us First The Ghanaian News 416916-3700

“These days, we are in danger of getting things out of balance and allowing our lives to be taken over completely by a narrow interpretation of religion. Hard work, cleanliness and respect for the law used to be important attributes of religiosity. Hard work, the preacher men used to tell us, pays dividends,” he said.

“We were urged to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s and to God what was God’s. Miracles occurred, but they were not everyday occurrences.

We were urged to work hard and that was the basis of success.”

Mr. Akufo-Addo, who was addressing

an international conference on entrepreneurship organised by the Methodist University College on Monday, March 27, said individuals should not sacrifice hard work for other unfruitful ventures and depend on a supernatural forces for success.

“We take out a week for every funeral and expect our businesses to thrive because we invoke the name of the Almighty,” he added.

“I mention this, simply, to make the point that there is the need to keep a proper balance at all times. As it’s said in the Holy Scriptures: ‘A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.’ …We cannot and should not continue to hide behind religiosity to indulge in the habits that have characterised our attitude to work.” classfmonline.com

Comprehensive Celebration of Ghana@60 in Toronto-Canada cont’d from pg. 7 won their independence from the same colonial masters-the British, to bring development and political as well as economic freedom to our peoples wherever they are.

A poem crafted on the Independence was performed by Nana Yaa Yeboah, author, spoken word artist and storyteller, at the function. The vote of thanks was rendered by Wofa Yaw Nyarko, the immediate past President of the GCAO. The Church of Pentecost, Toronto Chapter, in collaboration with the GCAO organized a First Aid and CPR workshop on March 11, for the Ghanaian community.

Led by Gifty Owusu, a registered nurse the workshop educated attendees on emergency First Aid and CPR at home. The program was attended by a crosssection of the Ghanaian community in Toronto.

A grand durbar of Ghanaian chiefs and queens in the Toronto Ghanaian communitywas held at the Royal Museum of Ontario (ROM) on March 12 to commemorate the 60th Independence Anniversary of Ghana.

The occasion was used to display the cultural pageantry and richness of Ghanaian culture in the heart of Toronto.

The program which was hugely attended by many people of all walks of life as well as school children was sponsored by the City Hall and the ROM. This event was very colorful and splendid. It was covered and broadcast on the main television channel in Toronto known as CTV. The grand finale or climax of the celebrations

was a mammoth dinner cum dance organized by the GCAO at the spacious Verdi Banquet and Convention Hall in Mississauga near the Toronto Airport on March 18. Special guests of honor were Hon Kennedy Agyapong who is the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Bernard AntwiBosiako popularly known in Ghana as Chairman Wontumi who is the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party, Madam Florence Akonnor who is the Acting High Commissioner of Ghana to Canada and; the Consul General of Ghana in Toronto, Hon. John Bosco Dery-Kpebesani.

The guests took turns to bring their greetings and congratulated the GCAO and the Toronto Ghanaian community for such a magnificent celebration of Ghana@60.

Hon Agyapong and Chairman Wontumi were specially recognized at the dinner for their political efforts in fighting corruption in Ghana Awards were also given to the following people for their immense contributions to the Toronto Ghanaian community over the years: 1. Wofa Yaw Nyarko as the immediate past president of the GCAO. 2. Mr Nyame of New Era Stores and Elder Appiah Kubi of Sankofa Radio for spearheading the campaign for funds to help with health care cost for the community.

3. Apostle Anokye Manu of the Apostles Continuation Church for allowing GCAO to use their premises for community activities at no cost.

There was also the swearing in of new executives of the GCAO by Honourable Justice Barnes of the Ontario Supreme Court.

He was supported in that ceremony by the Advisory Board of GCAO. Side attractions of the night included the rendition of national patriotic song by the Choir of Ghana Presbyterian Church of Toronto and raffle for a gas cooker donated by Open Box Store and 2 air tickets to Ghana (round trip) donated by Brussels Airlines.

D.J. Shorty and, Flex and his life band entertained dinners/dancers to melodious music to the delight of all.

The chairperson for the night was Michael Ansu who is the President of Onkar Travels in Toronto. In his vote of thanks, the new President of GCAO, Emmanuel Duodu praised the Toronto Ghanaian community and the organizors, especially the youth volunteers, for their support and hard work in making the 2-week celebration of Ghana@60 in Toronto very successful.

The program was hosted

by Elder AppiahKubi and Anna Aidoo.

A town-hall meeting with the guests from Ghana was called by the GCAO at the auditorium of the Apostle Continuation Church at 10 Belfield Road on March 19, a day after the dinner gala, to write the Toronto Ghana@60 Declaration for the President of Ghana, Nana AkufoAddo! The attendance at the Town-Hall meeting was massive. (Read about it elsewhere in this newspaper)

Akufo-Addo places indefinite freeze on purchase of new vehicles President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has placed a moratorium on the purchase of new vehicles by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

A letter written by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, dated March 21 said the ban holds until further notice.

MDAs have been directed to make use of the “existing fleet of vehicles in their respective transport pools.”

Speaking to the issue on Joy FM’s Newsnite programme Monday, Deputy Chief of Staff, Samuel Abu Jinapor said the ban was necessary in order to channel the resources that would otherwise have been used for the purchase of vehicles into the implementation o f g o v e r n m e n t ’s “ambitious” projects.

“Capital expenditure is used for purchasing vehicles, but in this budget, the President wants to spend it on M a d a m O s e i - O p a r e , the productive sector of however, noted that the economy,” he said. in extraordinary circumstances, MDAs He said the President that want to procure new wants the way things vehicles “shall seek for and are done to be changed obtain the prior express because the nation is written authorisation.” living in extraordinary times. “These are The directive comes n o t n o r m a l t i m e s . ” on the back of missing 208 state vehicles which Mr Abu Jinapor said the was blamed on former President has been using a government officials of vehicle purchased in 2007 the National Democratic since his investiture and C o n g r e s s ( N D C ) . has not found the need

to purchase a new one.

“That’s what he has been riding in [and] he is working to ensure that we manage the resources of the country judiciously,” he added.

He said until there i s a r e v i e w, t h e moratorium remains a policy of the AkufoAddo-led government.

President of policy think-tank, IMANIGhana, Franklin Cudjoe, has described the development as “good news.”

He said the ban is indicative that the Akufo-Addo government wants to make do with the vehicles in the pool of the Presidency.

“We should be grateful for small mercies,” he said, wondering why government needs over 700 vehicles before it operates. Myjoyonline. com

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Reify to the rescue Andrew Prempeh is a young man on a mission. The 2016 political science graduate of York University has a burning passion to correct some imbalances within our society.

So often we see the pattern;; an ethnic group or nationality start a trend or create a market for themselves. It fast becomes successful. After a while other people outside the group with bigger financial power and shrewd business acumen jump on the wagon and gradually take a huge chunk of customers from the originators or actually kill them off.

Example is the market for typical Ghanaian items like food, clothing and accessories. These “outsiders” usually have access to huge capital and are franchise experts who are able to offer huge discounts on a consistent basis.

That is where Andrew Prempeh comes in with REIFY. He is focusing his vision on what matters most, the bottom line. To make Ghanaian consumers save money when they patronise Ghanaian owned businesses and also make such businesses grow and retain their clientele base. It is a win win module for all parties. Successful Ghanaian organisations will better support the Ghanaian community at large.

The Ghanaian News sat with Andrew Prempeh for this interview.

Question: Tell us a bit of your background. Upbringing, family, schooling, what inspires you, Answer: I was born in Toronto. I moved to the city of Vaughan in my adolescence.

Attended York University after completion of highschool where I studied Political Science for years. I find inspiration from those who have been able to create services or systems which have been used to address social problems. I believe we were all gifted with the capacity to affect positive change in the world.

Q: What is REITY and how will it work?

A: REIFY is an exclusive discount membership program that connects consumers with a network of Ghanaian and other Afro-Caribbean businesses within the GTA. It is a unique, yet simple system where members show their card at participating companies to gain access to set, discounted prices when they shop throughout the year. REIFY members have the exclusive right to lower prices when they patronize companies in partnership with the program.

Q: Can you add more specifics for potential subscribers to fully understand this unique concept?

A: Reify is a community of discounted pricing which allows its members to shop at its wide range of businesses. Through this membership you can save on everything; from groceries, to beauty supply, and even shipping! This program makes it beneficial to patronize Black-Owned businesses. By using localized Blackbusinesses within the program you lower the cost of living in an era of inflation.

Q: When are you rolling out the program and which organisations are on board?

A: It is an annual program which officially begin this coming April. The companies in partnership with the program range from grocery, shipping, auto repair, retail, and other professional services that go as far as personal fitness training. There are over 30 companies that are on board. Afrocan Foods, Makola market, Ceektex Textiles, Black Star Fast Shipping, Road to Glory fitness just to name a few.

Q: If the number of businesses who subscribe to REIFY grow beyond 200, the back of the card would not be able to accommodate the entire list. Have you thought of that?

A: Yes, I have. If Reify is blessed to grow to a number where all companies will not to be able fit on the physical card, it will be a minor issue that would be remedied by the other platforms of information made accessible to its members. Members will be provided with an information brochure and will also be able to check for participating companies on the website. Most importantly the general public would be able to identify companies in partnership with Reify because they will see authentification stickers and banners within each store.

Q: How are you funding the project?

A: The project is funded solely by the companies that are in partnership with Reify.

It is something which the Ghanaian business community and I have built ourselves.

Being a community initiative we have self-financed. This is significant because it not only denotes our economic freedom, it removes the barriers in decision-making that will allow the program to adapt to the needs of both its members and network of business owners.

Q: What are some of the difficulties you faced at the beginning and the challenges confronting you now?

A: Some difficulties I have faced in the beginning of the program were in the realm of communication. My command of the indigenous languages such as Twi, Fante, Ga is poor which greatly diminished my ability to explain the vision I had to some business owners. Although it is imperative that I improve such, my love for Ghana and its people runs deep and a language barrier isn’t much in relation to what this project could mean for its people. I also had to brand the initiative in a way where it would be perceived as something to benefit the community as a collective rather than another product to be bought and sold. Now it is just the matter of logistics. My burden now is to ensure that the effects of this program will be as far-reaching as possible.

Q: Where do you envision REIFY two years from now, and what are your plans for the future?

A: In two years I pray that Reify becomes one of the largest networks of AfroCaribbean enterprise within Canada. With success Reify can become more than a discount program, it can become a pool of resources from which the community can benefit from. Not only will it help to lower the cost of living, it would also provide services that would enhance the livelihood of the Afro-Caribbean community.

Scholarships, personal skills training, open forums, food bank programs are some

Solomon Aremu (left) of Ghanaian News with Andrew Prempeh

of the many avenues that the Reify program can use to enhance and uplift the Black community in a socially meaningful way.

Q: What in your opinion are the main issues mitigating against the Ghanaian, African and Black communities in Toronto presently and how they could be addressed?

A: For the most part the Black community has done well for itself. It is very important to highlight the successes we have for that is the only way in which we can create a model to continue moving forward. One of the issues that diminishes the growth of the Black community is its lack of centrality. There are many Blacks that have excelled in the areas of business, education, entrepreneurship, and so on, but unfortunately such growth is not experienced as a collective. Although we do a great job of “raising the bar” it is time to also “raise the floor” and open doors for others within the community so that the growth and success of blacks becomes a collective experience. Centrality is important because it not only creates strength; it creates the stability necessary to address many of the other problems within the community.

On the business side of things, economic centrality is important because it would lower the net overhead costs of our businesses. Having a business community that is comprised of sole-proprietorship and small businesses makes it more difficult to make large investments into a store’s inventory, which directly increases the unit pricing that our owners purchase at. An adverse affect is that the products they sell may be priced higher than others within the same market. Having centrality in the areas of grocery, beauty supply, and textiles would do well to lower the overhead cost of these businesses and in turn lower prices for its consumers.

Q: Any further comments?

A: Definition of Reify: To make an abstraction a real thing. In my own terms it means to “make the imagined possible”. The Reify initiative aims to take the idea of economic autonomy within the Afro-Caribbean community and convert it into a real thing by providing materials necessary to build our community.

The Ghanaian News March 2017

31

Community Information Celebration of life of Emma Ama Duoduwaah Nyarko mother and sisters of Emmanuel Yankson a.k.a. Joe (USA) Dora Nyarko (Toronto) and Mrs. Cecilia Annin (USA) respectively held at Manhyia Palace on Saturday March 25, 2017

Canada Cell: 647-280-8597 Tel: 647-708-2052 USA Cell 1-917-306-0073Tel: 1-914-652-7191 Ghana Cell: +233244-672052 Tel: +233332195630 Web: www.saharaherbals.com Email: atosahara@yahoo.com

32

The Ghanaian News March 2017

When shall we overcome?

By Thaddeus Ulzen MD As I do at every annual commemoration of our hard won independence from colonial subjugation, this year I waited for our newly elected president to share his thoughts and reflections on our history and our promise to the younger generations.

I had little doubt that the NPP would win this last election. They presented a populist message somewhat at variance with their general right of centre views. That’s just fine because politics is about accommodation and adaptation. That is where the NDC dug their deep grave.

They were not listening to the people and their intense weariness with the culture of corruption which the NDC had elevated to an art form. As a nation, we have struggled with this blot on our national psyche from the First Republic as is evidenced by Nkrumah’s Dawn broadcast to the nation in 1961.

Mr. Akuffo-Addo brings a long history of activism and patriotism to this office and it is hoped that he will bring about a different paradigm on law and order through institutional transformation, emphasizing application and enforcement of the law. This will bring pleasure to the ordinary citizen, who has been robbed of his or her privileges for so long by thievery by state officials on a grand scale. I hoped his address would also inspire Ghanaians to exercise the responsibilities of citizenship and to a large extent he was successful at this.

The challenge is moving from vision to mission and translating that to everyday reality. By this, I mean Ghanaians are yet to feel that their government has their core interests at heart. I agree with the president that we could have done a lot more in 60 years than we have done.

Our “classmates” Malaysia, Singapore, India and South Korea are industrial giants and orderly societies. The time for excuses and blaming the “white man” are long gone. Our mates are running and we are lurching along from one unachieved expectation to another.

I have written in the past about John Mensah-Sarbah’s pivotal legal victory and what it has meant fundamentally to our freedom. However, historically the chiefs have corrupted their collective position as

true custodians of the land in many circumstances and have diminished the value of Mr. Mensah-Sarbah’s legacy. Our history curriculum has failed today’s youth. They are largely ignorant of our history and the many heroes who live within its pages. The new minister of educationhas his work cut it for him. This is true for all the holders of high office today for theirs is a job of reconstruction. When your best days of effective government are in the distant past, that’s not good.

Though overall, the president’s history lesson was instructive, it was sadly informed by a degree of partisanship which did not serve his office and the nation well. We all know Kwame Nkrumah did not start the drive for independence but history unfortunately remembers victors and glosses over the contributions of losers.

That is the human condition.

Kwame Nkrumah is revered globally for his singular achievement of leading black Africa into an era of freedom.

It is discordant that some in Ghana are consistently trying to view his global achievements through a narrow local political lens. He had his faults. I have never believed he was a good manager of our economy after winning freedom. He was however, a successful political intellectual and tactician and won 4 straight elections in 1951, 1954, 1956 and 1960 as evidence of this. Those are the facts. The president mentioned the Preventative Detention Act (PDA) but doing so without mentioning the National Liberation Movement (NLM) and its ethnocentrically influenced terrorist and murderous activities was a failure to put the PDA in its proper historical context. What are we to make of the assassination attempt on Nkrumah in 1955 and the subversive activities against the young government in 1958

by Messrs. Apaloo, Amponsah and Major Awhaitey? Where is the national monument to the ordinary citizens murdered by the NLM for their political beliefs? There is equally nothing in remembrance of the innocent victims of the PDA. The remembrance of these unsung heroes in unity is what might help the nation heal.

In the light of all this, I find the plan to rename the Flagstaff House misguided

and politically unwise. The majority of Ghanaians are not clamouring for this. That should inform the president that it is not a national priority.

The White House has been expanded, renovated and rebuilt many times over the last 300 years by both Democratic and Republican administrations. It is still the White House. The name Flagstaff House is rather neutral and matter of fact, simply identifying it as the office of those who serve the flag of the nation.

The moves to transform Founder’s Day to Founders’ Day are equally troubling. We must desist from litigating the past and let history stand as it is, with lessons to guide us to a better future.

I am not partisan on these issues as my dear departed mother was a staunch UP member and my late father was a CPP man though as a dyed in the wool public servant of the

Republic, he never publicly acknowledged this until his demise.

Some of my cherished early childhood memories are those of accompanying my mother on Sunday visits after church, to Mrs. Mabel Dove to inquire of any news of her former husband JB Danquah, who was then in detention. It was only in retrospect as an adult did I realise the nature of these visits. I am forever grateful to her for granting a 9 year old boy this window into our national history.

We are one nation, one people and historically all the major political traditions have achievements and failures to reckon with but it is time for each tradition to take stock of its own errors so we can heal as one family with one indivisible destiny before God. For the next 4 years, that task of continued national healing rests squarely on Nana

Akuffo-Addo’s shoulders and he has but a small hill, not a mountain to climb to make this a reality. The president should take the high road and focus on transforming our business processes and the economy.

We have found the proverbial political kingdom so let’s get to work and stop litigating the past and build a more unifying and prosperous future rooted in Ghanaian citizenship at all levels. We are almost there.

God bless our homeland Ghana!

T. P. Manus Ulzen is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the University of Alabama and Author of Java Hill: An African Journey – A historiography of Ghana tulzen@yahoo.com www.javahillelmina. wordpress.com Twitter: @thaddeusulzen www.javahillelmina.com

U.S. Ambassador Launches Ghana Integrity Initiative Consortium Corruption Survey cont’d from pg. 16 majority reporting corruption in a number of institutions such as the health system, the education system, and the police. In more hopeful news, the survey also reported that 85 percent of respondents said they would get involved in the fight against corruption, while 77 percent said they believed ordinary people can make a difference in the fight against corruption.

“The United States is working with ministries,

local government bodies, and others to strengthen systems to increase transparency. We applaud the commitment the Government of Ghana has made to fighting corruption,” said Ambassador Jackson at the launch. He said ordinary citizens were the best defense against corruption. “I have seen firsthand the power of committed citizens to hold those in power accountable,” he said. “I believe success begets success, and as more citizens realize they can successfully

prevent corruption, waste, and fraud, more and more people will refuse to tolerate it.”

Combating corruption is a top priority for the U.S. government. Through USAID, the U.S. government works with civil society organizations and communities to increase their capacity to advocate against and report corruption.

Distributed by APO on behalf of Embassy of the United States - Accra - Ghana.

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How to Navigate Today’s Real Estate Market What if I told you that just a few weeks ago, a condo in Liberty Village came on the market in the morning. I booked an appointment with one of my clients to see it that evening once they were off work. By noon, the unit sold for over asking. Around the same time, I was caught up in a battle with 12 other offers for a unit that was under 500 square feet.

This is the current reality of Toronto’s real estate market. Gone are the days where a client has the time to decide whether or not they want the property.

There’s hardly any time to negotiate and barely any time to event think.

Properties in Toronto are selling and selling fast, which means buyers must be able to keep up or get left without a deal.

Navigating the Toronto real estate market can be frightening, but it doesn’t mean you have to sit on the sidelines

and wait. There’s ways to get in the game right now and secure a home for your future without feeling overwhelmed.

This is as real in life as it is in real estate. As a buyer, by the time you get to the point where you walk into a home, you must already be fully prepared to make an offer. That means you’ve secured your mortgage approval, you are familiar with the area the property is located, and you know exactly how much you are willing to pay to make this your home.

The fact is, there is not time for debate. You must be able to decide quickly if a property suits your needs and be willing to make an offer on the spot.

my clients never get too emotionally attached to any one property.

Getting attached leads to you overpaying and having feelings of remorse. While I understand it may be difficult not to feel some kind of connection to a home you absolutely love, my advice is always to keep your heart and your wallet separated.

Unfortunately, the last thing a seller wants to see is a bunch of conditions, especially when they have multiple offers to consider. A home inspection and status certificate are standard, but including extra asks such as financing conditions should be eliminated and really shouldn’t be

needed if you’ve already taken care of preapproval ahead of time.

You want to create the simplest and most direct path to a seller saying yes, and that means creating the path with the least resistance.

The market has changed in this city, and if you want to own a property, then you need to change with the times. I meet so many buyers or potential buyers who are intimidated by Toronto real estate. The thing that these people don’t realize is that properties come onto the market everyday. If you are patient, persistent, and prepared, I have no doubt you’ll find a home that fits your needs and your budget.

The key is to work with a real estate agent that knows their stuff. These are not the times to be working with part time agents who are only available after 5:00 p.m.

You just don’t have the luxury of time anymore.

Partner with someone

who can give you useful insights on properties, who understands pricing so they can help you place strong offers, and who will stick it out till the end through the disappointments that come with looking for the perfect home.

I know buyers don’t like hearing this, but the fact is that if you want a home in Toronto, be ready to pay over asking. That’s just the reality of the market.

However, I would advise

Ghanaians in Hamilton celebrate Ghana @60 By: Emily Bolyea-Kyere The Ghana Association of Hamilton in collaboration with Ghana Schools of Dreams hosted an incredible gala celebration of sixty years of Ghana’s independence, Ghana@60, on Saturday

evening at Michelangelo Banquet Centre in Hamilton, ON. Master of Ceremonies, Dora Anie, Founder of Ghana Schools of Dreams, set the tone for an evening of appreciation and remembrance. The event began with sisters Page Kyere

Consul-General John Bosco

(8 years) and Ava Kyere (6 years) singing the Canadian and Ghanaian national anthems.

Comfort Afari, President of the Ghana Association of Hamilton, gave a hearty welcome address

to all special guests.

Ghana Consul General, John Bosco Dery-Kpebesani, brought greetings from Toronto, ON and spoke to the nearly 200 guests about his hope for

Ghana. His message reminded Ghanaian-Canadians about the importance of bringing the knowledge they have acquired through education and their professions, back to cont’d on pg. 41

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

30 Days of Prayer and Fasting ends at The Apostles’ Continuation Church The theme: “ Overcoming Life Conflict” Exodus 2:15 Apostle Charles Anokye Manu was the preacher Congregation

Apos. Charles Anokye-Manu

Elders Financial team

Pastors, Deacons and Elders

Women Leaders

Congregation

Congregation

Media crew

New elected deacons Congregation

Ushers

New members

Music ministry

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Community

y in pictures

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

PEOPLE AND PLACES Apostle Dr. Emmanuel Anthony Owusu, National Head of the Church of Pentecost Canada cut the sod to begin work on its new church complex on Sunday March 19, 2017

1st birthday of Rhea The Primate of Anglican Church Canada, the Donkor, daughter of Most Rev. Frederick James Hiltz worshiped with the Ghanaian Anglican Church of Mr. & Mrs. Donkor Toronto Sunday March 19, 2017 celebrated at 27 Candy Cres.

Brampton on Saturday March 25, 2017

10th wedding anniversary of Mr. & Mrs. Prempeh a.k.a. Sky P.

Celebration started on Saturday March 25, 2017 at 5 Rowntree with dinner dance and thanksgiving on Sunday March 26, 2017 at Evangel Assembly of God Church at Rexdale Ave. Toronto

Brookview Student Honoured at ETT AntiRacial Discrimination Dinner in Toronto Firdaus Shallo, an African Canadian student of Brookview Middle School in the Jane/Finch area of Toronto was among six students selected by the Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) for honours at this year's ETT Elimination of Racial Discrimination Dinner.

The function was held on March 23, 2017 at the Holiday Hotel at Yorkdale. It was addressed by the Honourable Jean Augustine who was the first Black woman to be elected to the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa. She congratulated the award recipients for their various contributions to eliminating racial discrimination in their various schools. Hon. Augustine encouraged all to stand against wrong in society as was done against Apartheid in South Africa some years ago.

Other dignitaries who graced the occasion included our own Jojo Chintoh, a veteran journalist who worked for CP24 in Firdaus Shallo with the sponsors of the the 90s.

Dr. Doris Ferguson Award.

Firdaus Shallo (middle) surrounded her father (on her right) and the Principal of Brookview (on her left) and Teachers after her award

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Ghana@60 in pictures Toronto

Justice Kofi Barnes

Mrs. Florence Akunnor Acting head of mission Bernard Antwi Bosiako receiving an award from Eric Nyarko

Councilor Michael Ford presenting a citation to Consul-Gen. John Bosco

Dancing Time

Patrice Malacort, Brussels Airlines rep. (2nd Left) with the 2 winners (3rd & 4th, L) of the airline tickets with Michael Ansu (3rd right) Sylvester Gyebi(2nd R) and Nana Sasraku La-Kumi

Obenfo Sasraku presenting an award to Apostles’ Continuation Church

Hon. Kennedy Agyapong receiving an award Emmanuel Duodu

Pouring of libation by Prof. Akrong

Executive members and council of elders

Ga chiefs, queens and elders with consul-gen. Bosco

Nananom with Zippora Prempeh, Miss Ghanaian-Canadian

Nananom with Consul-General John Bosco

Cross section of Nananom sitting in state at ROM

VIPs at Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

List of Akufo Addo Ministers

FINANCE Ken Ofori-Atta

ENERGY Boakye Agyarko

DEFENCE Dominic Nitiwul

AGRICULTURE Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto

FOREIGN AFFAIRS REGIONAL Shirley RE-ORGANIZATION AyorkorBotchwey Dan Botwe

TRANSPORT Kwaku Ofori Asiamah

WORKS & HOUSING Samuel Atta Kyea

INVESTMENT & BUSINESS DEV’T Ibrahim Mohammed Awal

RAILWAYS DEVELOPMENT Joe Ghartey

EDUCATION Dr. Matthew OpokuPrempeh

SENIOR MINISTER Yaw OsafoMarfo

INTERIOR Ambrose Derry

ROADS & HIGHWAYS Kwesi Amoako-Atta

TOURISM, ARTS & CULTURE – Catherine Afeku PLANNING Prof Gyan Baffour

ATTORNEY GENERAL Gloria Akuffo

LOCAL GOVERNMENT Hajia Alima Mahama

GENDER, CHILDREN & SOCIAL PROTECTION OtikoAfisaDjaba

NATIONAL SECURITY Albert KanDapaah

MONITORING &EVALUATION Dr. Anthony OseiAkoto

HEALTH KwakuAgyemang Manu

LANDS & NATURAL RESOURCES COMMUNICATIONS John Peter Amewu Hon. Ursula Owusu

INFORMATION Mustapha Hamid

AVIATION Cecilia Dapaah

TRADE & INDUSTRY Alan Kyeremateng

ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng

EMPLOYMENT & LABOUR RELATIONS Ignatius Baffuor Awuah

SANITATION & WATER RESOURCES Joseph Kofi Ada

SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT INITITIAVES Mavis Koomson

. FISHERIES &

YOUTH & SPORTS Isaac Asiamah

AQUACULTURE Elizabeth Afoley Quaye

. CHIEFTAINCY

& RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS Kofi Dzamesi

PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu

INNER CITY & ZONGO DEVELOPMENT Boniface Saddique

NPP Montreal Chapter Holds Victory Party From Staff Reporter, Montreal The Montreal, Canada Chapter of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held a celebratory victory party at 415 St. Roche Avenue in Montreal on Saturday March 4th, 2017. The Get-Together was to celebrate the astounding victory the parent political party in Ghana recorded at the last Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Ghana in December 2016 which brought the party and its Presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to power after eight years in opposition.

Speaking to the revelers, the local Chapter Chairperson, Nana Osei Agyeman commended the party faithful for the extraordinary hard work and generous contributions of party members and businesses in Montreal they all put in towards ensuring the victory of the cont’d on pg. 45 Group picture of NPP Montreal Chapter members

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Frankly Speaking Obsession with “proper” English in Ghanaian life should stop By: Dr. Michael Baffoe, Winnipeg, MB

There is a certain character trait and behavior among Ghanaians that has taken roots but does not augur well for our national development. It is the obsession by so-called educated people about speaking proper English or proper “grammar”. The Land of Our Birth boasts of many ethnic groups who speak different languages. Officially, about ten different languages are recognized and spoken on the radio and television networks in the country. Some of these are: Akan (a collection of many dialects of the Twi Language) that is spoken by a number of ethnic groups in Southern Ghana. The Akan group consists of Asante, Akyem, Denkyira, Assin (who speak the pure Twi dialect). And there is the Fante (who speak a “sweet” version of the Twi, anglicized to some extent because of their contacts with the European colonizers, and Gomoa (a rural version of the Fante language).

On the mountains to the northeast of Accra are the Akuapems who speak another dialect of the Akan language. And there are the Brongs in the middle belt to the north of the Asante Region who also speak a dialectic version of the Akan language.

In the Greater Accra Region that has the national capital, there is the Ga language and the Dangbedialect spoken by the rural Ga people as well as the Krobo ethnic groups in the Eastern Region. In the Western Region, there area number of ethnic groups who speak different languages and dialects. There is the larger Nzema Group and others including the Aowin, Ahanta, Sehwi, and others, but Nzema is officially recognized as a major ethnic language and spoken on the radio and television. In the Volta Region, we have the larger Ewe ethnic group that spans through Togo, Benin and the western part of Nigeria in Ogun state. There are various variations of the Ewe language spoken in the Volta Region of Ghana.

In the Northern Region, there are a multiplicity of languages and dialects of the major ethnic groups: the Dagombas, Mamprusis. Gonjas, Kokomba, and Nanumba. Officially the following languages from the Northern regions are recognized and spoken on the radio and television: Dagbani

(of the Dagombas), Dagaare, Gonja, Hausa and Kasem.

All the above underscore the fact that the nation Ghana abounds with rich linguistic capital. The Akan language that is spoken by the ethnic groups named above is spoken across about sixty percent of the total land mass and population of Ghana, and it is understood by nearly eighty per cent of the population. In fact, if some unscrupulous politicians from the early 1980s had not deliberately whipped up tribal sentiments and stirred up hatred among certain ethnic groups in the country, it would have been to the nation’s linguistic advantage for purposes of national development to have encouraged the development of Akan as a national language. But this has not happened because some very dishonest politicians have attempted to whip up ethnic and tribal divisions for political purposes.

Countries like Germany and China have all developed fast and strong because they stuck to and defended their national languages which are used in education, innovations, discoveries and development.

We in Africa,and especially in Ghana, and Kenya, have taken great pride in embracing and sticking to the language of our colonizers, the English language of the British. In fact, we take so much pride in the use and speaking the proper and “correct” form of that colonizers’ language that we laugh at our own people if they do not speak an impeccable form of the English language; what is called, proper grammar. We have taken this addiction to the English language to absurd proportions that some people do not want to speak English in public if they know that people will laugh at them for not speaking “proper” grammar.

I have tended to gloss over this nonsense for a long time, but an incident that happened early this month, during the 60th Independence Anniversary celebrations in Ghana, has compelled me to comment on this nonsense of Ghanaians’ obsession with speaking English grammar.

During the gathering of Chiefs and the people, including school children, of Akwatia in the Eastern Region, the newly-elected Member of Parliament for the area, Ms. Mercy Adu-Gyamfi delivered a speech to the gathering, in English, when she could have spoken to the gathering in the local Twi language which everyone at the gathering could have understood. But she was compelled to speak in the English language, as “protocol” demands. This woman’s formal educational is as a graduate from the former Middle School (Form Four) Leaving Certificate.

She is a self-employed business person running a very successful hairdressing salon in Akwatia.

During the last elections in 2016, the NDC candidate for that constituency and their Regional party executives were mocking Ms. AduGyamfi as a “mere” and “common hairdresser”, and stupidly accused her of “not knowing how to prepare soup”. This last stupid accusation came from the Eastern Regional Chairman of the NDC, a buffoon called

Bismarck Tawiah. How on earth did preparing tasty soup, become a qualification for contesting elections to Ghana’s Parliament? But the NDC shamelessly propagated this allegation on Ms. AduGyamfi.

In the end, the “mere hairdresser” who doesn’t “know how to prepare soup” beat the powerful and incumbent NDCMember of Parliament and former Deputy Information Minister, Mohammed Ahmed Baba Jamal with 21,433 votes representing 57.21% of the votes cast to 15,905 votes representing 42.45% for the incumbent, the all mighty MP, Baba Jamal, who I believe, knew how to “drink soup”.

Baba Jamal has never come to terms with his humiliating defeat at the hands of this “mere hairdresser” who “does not know how to prepare “tuozaafi” and he has been looking for ways to embarrass her. So he was the first to pounce on the fact that Hon. Mercy AduGyamfi did not speak “proper” English” during her independence day address at the Akwatia gathering. And this stupidity was quickly seized upon by some media houses in Ghana who had a field day mocking the Member of Parliament.

I have therefore taken the liberty to listen to the taperecorded English speech of the MP so many times. There is absolutely nothing wrong

with it. But because she did not speak with a “white man’s accent” through her nose, she is being roasted for not speaking “proper English” And the sad and ironic part of this is that the mocking of the MP was being spearheaded by a number of female radio and television presenters on some of the radio and television stations in Ghana on March 8, ironically “International Women’s Day!!

This is sad. I thought that particular day is supposed to be used to celebrate the achievements of women and to support initiatives for the empowerment of women around the world. On these scores, we failed miserably in Ghana by our attacks on this woman, whose only “crime” was not speaking the colonizers’ language through her nose.

What a shame!!

I am strongly admonishing all Ghanaians to be proud of our own local languages. We should encourage our people, especially our children to speak it and speak it well. That is the bedrock of our culture.

This misplaced and demented obsession with speaking proper grammar of the colonizers’ language should stop. It does not in any way help in our national development. We should be encouraging the learning, speaking and writing of our national languages instead of putting down people who do not speak our version of the colonizers’ language.

Ghanaians in Hamilton celebrate Ghana @60 cont’d from pg. 33 Motherland Ghana, to help fuel the country’s continued progress.

Local dignitaries also joined the celebration. Monique Taylor, Hamilton Mountain MPP, brought greetings from Andrea Horwath, leader of the Provincial NDP, along with a congratulatory certificate to commemorate sixty years of independence. Matthew Green, Hamilton City Councillor showed his support by donning his kente cloth from a trip he made to Ghana, along with a certificate of recognition from the Mayor of Hamilton, Fred Eisenberger.

An impressive cluster of Ghanaian culture included the legendary Orkestra Gatigo, led

by Larry Graves, and special guest Ghanaian master drummer from the USA, François Kofi Akotuah. Shara Weaver,

instructor of West-African dance, dazzled the crowd with her traditional dancing after travelling from Ottawa, ON to join the festivities. DhayZelle Danso shared a traditional Kumdum dance from Nzema in the western region of Ghana.

One of the highlights of the evening was a three-part fashion show, organized by Sally Bonsra, which included the royal garbs of Kings and Queens in various kente styles and designs, as well as a show of traditional Ghanaian clothing and accessories.

The keynote address by Dr. Isaac Odame, world renowned sickle cell researcher and physician at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto was a powerful recount of 100 years of Ghanaian history pre-independence and the significance and deliberate

actions by the leaders who made it all possible. He invigorated the crowd by simply telling the story of Ghana’s independence.

He told of the importance of the occasion to Ghana, Africa, and people of African descent from around the world. Ghana’s Independence from British colonization bolstered Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. To end the evening, Collins K y e r e , Vi c e P r e s i d e n t , recognized the hard work and dedication of all the volunteer committee members who made the event possible. From there, DJ Shorty from Toronto, ON, had the crowd on their feet, dancing the night away.

With local venders, a cultural display of art and artifacts, and a table full of raffle prizes, Ghana@60 in Hamilton, ON was a huge success.

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Coming Soon—Commemorative Bank Note for Canada’s 150th

Olivia Akpari

Call

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Us

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Tel: 905-565-0059 Fax: 905-565-0559

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On 1 July 2017, Canada will mark 150 years of Confederation, and this milestone will be commemorated in many ways. For its part, the Bank of Canada will mark this anniversary by issuing a new commemorative $10 bank note that will be broadly available

by Canada Day 2017.

Commemorative notes, while unique, are circulating notes that can be used for payment just like all other notes issued by the Bank. But some Canadians treat these bills like little pieces of history.

The Bank, which produces Canada’s bank notes, has issued only three commemorative notes to mark important milestones in Canada’s

history.

In 1935, a $25 note was issued in honour of the Silver Jubilee of King George V. In 2015, a variation of the $20 note recognized the historic reign of Queen Elizabeth II. And in 1967, a special $1 note celebrated Canada’s centennial.

Many will remember the events that marked this important milestone for our young country.

Perhaps you, or someone you know, have held on to a 1967 $1 bill.

Anniversary celebrations are now ramping up again!The design of the special Canada 150 polymer note will be unveiled soon.In deciding what images to include on it, the Bank turned to Canadians for help.

For the first time ever, the design process began with an invitation toall Canadians to propose ideas. This open call for suggestions, followed by a nationallyrepresentative survey, asked Canadians to suggest themes and subjects to represent Canada on a note celebrating its150th birthday. A subsequent survey then asked Canadians to rank these themes in order of preference. Focus group testing also took place to gather impressions on the designs.

The suggestions that the Bank received through these processes inspired the bank note’s content and design.And now cont’d on pg. 61

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Tel. (416) 743-2758 Fax: (416) 743-7027 168A Oakdale Rd., Suite 4, Toronto, Ontario, M3N 2S5.

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View Point

Community Concerns

Assessing your relationship: Are you a positive contributor or the negative contributor?

Paying attention to issues that can ruin your marriage/relationship.

By Golda Abena Quayson People in love enter into marriage/relationships with high hopes for a happy future, but with the divorce rate in the world today estimated to be about 50 percent, many couples find their hopes in shatters.

Marriages/relationships tend to survive when both partners have a deep commitment to the relationship and when they both avoid actions likely to damage the relationship.

One of the major things that couples do that ruin their marriagesisTaking their Spouse for Granted.

Failure to recognize your spouse’s efforts and strengths causes hurt and disappointment. Taking a spouse for granted stems from an attitude of entitlement. These selfish s p o u s e s d o n ’t s h o w appreciation for anything their spouses do. They never give compliments and complain often.

Failure to Communicate Clearly.

Bad communicators aren’t good listeners. They don’t pay attention and aren’t interested in what their spouses say. They frequently interrupt and second-guess what they think their spouse intends to say. Dedicated spouses communicate openly and honestly. When spouses don’t say what they really mean -- saying “yes” when they mean “no” -- trouble often follows.

Couples/partners need to communicate openly and effectively with respect.

Broken Promises. Most couples start off nicely with lots enthusiasm and promises, but fail to keep it up and fall behind. These broken promises erode trust between spouses and shift behaviours. Whether you agree to pick up the dry cleaning and then forget or refuse to follow through with a plan to move to another city, broken promises suggest a lack of commitment to your spouse. This is particularly deadly when you promise to keep a spouse’s secret and betray the confidence of your spouse/partner.

unhappiness. Most people play these blaming games as a sign of weakness or preventing themselves from fully committing to the relationship.

for disaster. Name-calling and physical violence are almost guaranteed to end your relationship.

Refusing to Correct Faults. This behaviour projects an attitude that claims, “Take me as I am, flaws and all,” demonstrates selfishness.

This shows you don’t care enough about your partner to make an effort to correct your shortcomings, even when you know your spouse is dissatisfied. Some others do no wrong, they are ‘Miss/Mr Perfect” and there is no room for change. These people do not learn anything from their past experiences or learn anything new. They are stagnant in their life style.

Another area that destroysrelationships is Criticism and Sniping.

Criticizing your spouse, especially in front of others and even children, is damaging. If you never give compliments, complain frequently about what annoys you and demand changes from your spouse, the marriage/relationship will suffer. Comparing a spouse unfavorably to an ex is particularly harmful if you are in a new relationship. This attitude does not give you room to grow and be happy in your relationship.

Another area that is even more harmful and this can break your relations easily isLying and Cheating.

Good relationships are based on trust, so dishonesty is usually a deal breaker. Lying about past relationships and current finances are particularly damaging to the relationship. Cheating on your spouse is a definite sign of betrayal, especially if you cheat with your spouse’s best friend or family member Dirty Fighting. Bringing or another person. up past transgressions d u r i n g a n a rg u m e n t Blaming Your Spouse. escalates the negativity. I m m a t u r e s p o u s e s Sentences starting with, w h o d o n ’ t a c c e p t “you always” and “you responsibility for their never” usually antagonize actions usually have the other spouse. Making problematic marriages. a big deal out of small They never apologize for i s s u e s , t h r e a t e n i n g their mistakes and blame divorce/breaking up/ their spouses for their keeping your distance shortcomings. They make and dragging family excuses for their bad m e m b e r s i n t o y o u r behavior and accuse their disputes are all recipes partners of causing their

Withholding Sex. Most of the time one partner will withhold sex due to some reason best known to her/ him. Physical intimacy binds partners together.

Denying this aspect of marriage/relationship can erode the foundation of your relationship. It also increases the likelihood of your partner seeking a physical relationship with someone else.

Communication is the key in this area to resolve some of the issues and must be taken seriously when your partner brings some concerns to your attention. Do not ignore it if you are interested in the relationship.

No Fun together.Couples who don’t engage in fun activities deny themselves the opportunity to bond more deeply. Keeping your life completely separate from your spouse and cultivating new time-consuming interests that exclude your spouse are harmful to the relationship. It is important for couples to set aside time to be alone and focus on each other.

Find opportunities to laugh together. Couples have to learn to have a common interest,and to do fun things together, travel together, plan activities like boat curies, movies and other fun things which both couples can enjoy together. Again, couples must learn to accommodate their partners’ interest and participate in it.

I believe most of these habits are formed and it is hard to break them, but when it comes to relationships it is important to aim at surviving it more than breaking it if is doable.

The key here boils down to proper communication.

Try not using words like; “Always”, always, implies a sense of rigidity and righteousness,”Never.”

“Never” implies a sense of hopelessness a n d f i n a l i t y, ” B u t . ” “But” implies a sense of manipulation and a lack of integrity. When you use “but,” you negate whatever was said before. It invalidates your message and turns a positive statement into a negative one. It’s a conjunction that does not lend itself to building trust, credibility and intimacy. Similar words to avoid include “however” and “although.” It is not too late to make amends if you fall into any of the categories mentioned above.

Doris Osei Bonsu, Crisis Counselor, Toronto

Overcoming Insecurity in Relationships

I’m driving him away, I just know I am,” she sniffed. “It’s just that I love him so much and I can’t bear the thought of losing him!” Emma had been badly hurt before by her former cheating fiancé.

Once bitten, twice shy. Part of her knew that her new man was decent, caring, and honest, but the emotional bit of Emma felt that it was “just a matter of time” before things went wrong.

“If he’s quiet I actually start panicking!

I’m thinking: What’s he planning? Is he going to finish with me? Has he met someone else? If I don’t know exactly where he is I get suspicious.

He constantly has to reassure me. What can I do?”

Insecurity spoils relationships. Insecurity drives people to become too ‘clingy’ or needy and this creates problems.Feeling insecure in a relationship is natural up to a point, at least until the relationship “settles”. Let’s look at this in more depth:

Relationships: A security issue When we enter an intimate relationship, we can feel very emotionally vulnerable; especially if we have felt let down or hurt in previous relationships. A number of questions run through our mind in rapid succession: •

Will they reject me?

• Have I done something to upset them?

• This is just too good to last!

These are the typical thoughts and feelings of the chronically insecure partner. Being insecure is a whole lot of hard work. So what does it involve?

Seeing problems where none exist When we become anxious about anything, we start looking for signs of things ‘going wrong’ (nervous flyers look out for signs that the aircraft is in trouble). And, of course, we usually find what we’re looking for, even if it isn’t really there at all.We perform constant monitoring: “Do they look fed up? Why did they say that? Who’s this other person they’ve mentioned? Should I feel threatened? Are they less attentive?

Why did they pause after I suggested we meet up?” All this is exhausting.

Emma said she had often felt inadequate

and “not good enough” to be with her current partner. She couldn’t possibly understand what he could see in her.

She also told me she had ended many previous relationships because of her insecurity. “It felt easier for me to end it before they did!” Walking away rather than risk the pain of feeling abandoned can seem the easiest thing to do. But we all need the comforts and support that intimacy can bring us. So what can you do if insecurity is blighting your relationships?

1) Stop confusing imagination with reality Making stuff up and then believing it is a sure-fire way to self-torment.The insecure flyer will hear the normal mechanism of the air conditioning and twist it within their imagination to signify impending doom via crash and burn. They’ll imagine the bored look on an air steward’s face to be barely concealed terror because, “He must know something we don’t!” The overimaginative flyer may even fantasize the sound of the landing gear coming down is an engine falling from the plane. They scare themselves by assuming what they imagine represents reality.

There are normal ‘mechanisms’ to any relationship. There are ebbs and flows and mood changes, moments of intimacy and closeness and comfortable spaces.

These ebbs and flows are normal.

Wanting to be absolutely close and intimate all the time is like wanting an aeroplane to never make a sound or a movement.

It is normal to question situations to be sure of our bearings and to be assured of our safety and to overcome our genuine fears. However, if we make it a habit by constantly dreaming about trouble waiting in the wings to happen, we can never build a steady and stable relationship. Constantly suspecting that your partner is doing something wrong is a sure sign of your own personal insecurity. It may be you that is the problem and not your partner.

Next time you feel insecure, ask yourself what it is you are imagining. Write it down on paper under, ‘Stuff I am making up in my head.’ Being able to distinguish between what you imagine and what is actually happening is a massive step toward self-assurance. Which neatly links to...

The Ghanaian News March 2017

Ask The Doctor

Lifestyle

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

45

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

Childhood Vaccinations in Ontario: The When & How What is a Vaccination?

Childhood immunizations (vaccinations) help the immune system build resistance to infectious diseases.

Children are given vaccines containing tiny amounts of viruses or bacteria that are dead, weakened, or purified.

The vaccines prompt the child’s immune system to produce substances (antibodies) to destroy or attack the virus or bacteria, to prevent disease. The child’s immune system stores the information about how to produce those particular antibodies, and responds if the child is exposed to that same virus or bacteria in the future.

Vaccines are generally given by injection (needles or “shots”) and some are given by mouth. Some vaccines target only one disease, while others target more than one, and are administered according to specific schedules that usually start when a child is two months of age.

Why are Childhood Vaccines So Important?

Our society depends on everyone working together to make sure that all of us can be safe.

Vaccinating your child will not only protect their health but help to protect the health of our community, especially those people who cannot be immunized. These include children who are too young to be

vaccinated, those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons (for example, children with leukemia), and those who cannot make an adequate response to vaccination. One of the ways you can play your part is to make sure that your child gets the right shots at the right time.

In Canada, vaccines to prevent several common diseases are recommended, and are publicly funded for children in all provinces and territories. If you have young children, you should check with your doctor, healthcare provider or local public health authority to make sure they are getting the right shots at the right time What is the Recommended Vaccination Schedule?

The vaccine schedule is designed to ensure that children receive vaccines at the best time to protect them from infectious diseases. The following scheduled is based on recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).

The schedule is updated every year, and changes range from the addition of a new vaccine to tweaks of current recommendations.

Given the schedule’s complexity and frequent updates, it can be challenging for parents to stay on top of which vaccines their children need and when. Use this guide to find out which vaccines your child needs now and which vaccines are coming up.

If your child misses a dose of a vaccine, ask your child’s doctor about scheduling a catch-up vaccination. If you are ever unsure about which vaccines your child needs, don’t hesitate to ask the doctor. You might also ask about combination vaccines to reduce the number of shots in a single visit.

Age 2 months At age 2 months, a series of several vaccinations usually begins. Vaccines are generally combined to reduce the number of shots.

1. Rotavirus vaccine, first dose (given orally). * 2 doses to be completed by 6 months of age) * Some Rotavirus vaccine brands may require 3 doses.

2. Diphtheria and tetanus, polio, pertussis (whooping cough), Hemophilus influenza (Hib) (five-in-one vaccine), first dose * Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), first dose Age 4 months

NPP Montreal Chapter Holds Victory Party cont’d from pg. 40 party in the elections.

He noted that the party leadership in Ghana have acknowledged the positive contributions of the party chapters in the diaspora especially in the last elections.

Many Diasporan chapter members and executives, including some from the Montreal Chapter adopted constituencies in Ghana, Kpong Katamanoso and Savelugu where they channeled a lot of logistics and financial support to ensure victory

for the party.The Montreal NPP Chapter adopted two Constituencies in Ghana, the He singled out for praise Mr. Charles Frimpong, a Shipping Agent in Montreal for the great assistance in shipping for free to Ghana a lot of supplies and logistics the Montreal Chapter sent to support the party activities towards the elections.

The Chairman for the celebrations, Mr. Richard Donkor, on his part thanked members for their

hard work and appealed to them to continue to work hard, not only to win future elections but to contribute to support the new government to make Ghana the country we all aspire it to be.

Also present at the celebrations were some past executive members including Nana Asumadu Duah the past chairman and Auntie Ataa of Marche D’Afriquewho was chosen as the “Mother” of the party Chapter in Montreal

At age 4 months, follow-up doses of the vaccines administered at 2 months are usually given. Check with your child’s doctor about catch-up vaccinations if your child is behind schedule or has missed any doses of vaccines.

1. Rotavirus vaccine, second dose (given orally) 2. Diphtheria and tetanus, polio, acellular pertussis ,Hemophilus influenza (Hib) (fivein-one vaccine), second dose 3. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), second dose Age 6 months At age 6 months, a third round of vaccinations is given. A yearly seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine also is recommended beginning at age 6 months and continuing through age 18 years.

1. Diphtheria and tetanus, polio, acellular pertussis ,Hemophilus influenza (Hib) (five-inone vaccine), third dose 2. Influenza vaccine (two doses one month apart for any child less than 9 years and having influenza vaccine for the first time otherwise it is once a year) * Some children considered to be at high risk for some diseases may need a 3rd dose of Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) Ages 12 months * Measles mumps, rubella-first dose (threein-one vaccine) * Meningococcal conjugate-C * Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) Page 3 * Influenza vaccine (two doses one month apart for any child less than 9 years and having influenza vaccine for the first time)

Age 15 months 1. Varicella (chickenpox vaccine)-first dose 2. Influenza vaccine (two doses one month apart for any child less than 9 years and having influenza vaccine for the first time otherwise it is once a year)

Ages 12 years (Grade 7) 1. Hepatitis B (2-dose series) 2. Meningococcal conjugate vaccineACYW (MCV4), one dose 3. Influenza vaccine, once a year

Age 18 months 1. Diphtheria and tetanus, polio, acellular pertussis ,Hemophilus influenza (Hib) (fivein-one vaccine), fourth dose 2. Influenza vaccine (two doses one month apart for any child less than 9 years and having influenza vaccine for the first time otherwise it is once a year)

Ages 13 years 1. Human Papillomavirus (HPV-4) (3-dose series) currently funded for girls only (It is approved for boys and girls) 2. Influenza vaccine, once a year

Ages 4 to 6 years The final doses of Diphtheria, pertussis(whooping cough) measles, mumps , rubella and varicella(chickenpox) vaccines are usually given before a child begins kindergarten.

1. Diphtheria , tetanus, polio and pertussis vaccine, fifth dose 2. Measles-mumpsrubella-varicella vaccine,(four-in-one) second dose 3. Influenza vaccine (two doses one month apart for any child less than 9 years and having influenza vaccine for the first time otherwise it is once a year) Ages 7 to 10 years Children who are behind schedule or have missed one or more doses of vaccines may need catch-up vaccinations.

For example, children who haven’t been fully vaccinated against pertussis need a dose of Tdap. Ask your child’s doctor if your child needs any catch-up vaccinations.

1. Influenza vaccine, once a year

Ages 14 – 16 years 1. Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (three-in-one vaccine) Then Every 10 years 1. Tetanus,diphtheria (two-in-one) In collaboration with: 1. Dr Mark Awuku, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Western Ontario, Windsor Campus And 2 Mrs. Tachiwa Barima Murray, MSc, BAHSc, CPHI(C) Epidemiologist, Toronto Public Health, Toronto References: 1. Health Canada Bulletin: Nov 24, 2011 2. National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) Recommendations, 2013 3. Mayo Clinic Housecall, July 2013 4. Editorial Advisors: 1. Dr Mark Awuku, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Western Ontario, Windsor Campus.

2. Mrs. Tachiwa Barima Murray, Epidemiologist, Toronto Public Health

Call Us First The Ghanaian News 416916-3700

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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“When you check your bank statement at the end of the month and you see all of these fees, what are they?

Why are they there? Are you aware of them? Did you agree to them?” says Toronto-based financial planner Shannon Lee Simmons.

“Did you agree to it, knowing what you agreed to?

That’s the big question.”

Canadians paid an average of $216 annually in bank service fees in 2015, according to Statistics Canada.

That money may go toward paying for monthly banking services or for add-on surcharges such as e-transfers or overdrafts.

Others may be less obvious, Simmons warns.

“In modern days, where a lot of services are turning into subscriptions and what-not, little sneaky fees have a way of automatically [being applied to] your chequing account or your credit card without you even knowing it,” she says.

“You want to see what charges are happening automatically for services that you didn’t think you signed up for.”

Here are some fees to be mindful of when scanning a statement or signing on with a bank.

Many banks offer to drop monthly chequing account fees so long as the customer maintains a minimum balance in his or her account. In recent years, that minimum has increased to as much as $5,000 depending on the account.

But, a consumer might pay a price for maintaining a high minimum, according to a 2014 report on banking fees from the watchdog Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. FCAC says a customer may face “opportunity costs,” which some might see as an indirect fee.

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Overdraft fees, assisted phone banking costs, paper billing surcharges — the devil’s in the details of an unchecked bank statement, a financial expert says.

“I bumped up credit cards, overdraft or account types just because of the pressures,” said a former TD employee.

Tel: 416-916-6675

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Canadians paid an average of $216 annually in bank service fees

A recent CBC News Go Public investigation revealed that employees from Canada’s five big banks — RBC, BMO, CIBC, TD and Scotiabank — felt pressured to upsell and trick customers in order to meet demanding sales targets.

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Money kept in an account just to maintain a minimum balance might have earned more elsewhere, such as a high-interest savings account, FCAC says cont’d on pg. 61

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Attacked Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator unhurt – Police The Police say the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator attacked by a pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) group known as Delta Force Friday is “doing well.”

Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) in sprinter vehicles and motorbikes, Joy News’ Ashanti Regional Correspondent, Erastus Asare Donkor has said.

PRO of Ashanti Regional Police Command, ASP Yaw Nketia, said George Adjei has seen physicians and has been discharged and cleared of any harm from the attack.

The men manhandled and pushed the security coordinator, until the policemen who escorted the attackers rescued him.

“What I can add is that the security coordinator came to the regional headquarters to submit his statement. He is doing well,” he told Dzifa Bampoh on Joy FM’s Top Story programme.

More than 200 men affiliated to the governing NPP attacked the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator in their attempt to drive him out of the office. Information gathered by Joy News indicates the men were followed by a police pick-up with five armed policemen.

They then drove into the

At the end of the altercation drops of blood were spilled on the staircase leading to the RCC. There was no arrests.

Delta Force has been outspoken in its opposition of Mr Agyei’s appointment, insisting a party person has to be given the position. It contends it cannot work with Mr Agyei because he has ‘not been part of the struggle’ to deliver victory to the NPP in the 2016 elections.

The group had earlier petitioned the Regional Minister, Simon OseiMensah and other senior NPP officials to heed

47

We don’t owe President AkufoAddo any apology - Delta Force

its call but nothing has been done about it. The F r i d a y ’s a t t a c k w a s aimed at registering their displeasure about Mr Agyei’s appointment.

New Patriotic Party (NPP) vigilante group, Delta Forces has stated that they do not owe President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo any apology for their raid at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council.

Meanwhile, the police say the blood spilled on the RCC floor was not that of Mr Agyei, but rather one of the attackers who was injured during their “illegal operation.”

Vice Chairman of the group, Akwesi speaking on Adom Fm’s Morning Show “Dwaso Nsem” on Monday said they will continue tormenting the Security Coordinator till President Akufo Addo appoints a new person.

“I don’t think we owe the president any A S P Ya w N k e t i a apology. We have not thought about it explained they have for now. What have we done wrong commenced investigation because they could not apprehend any of the men. Even though some police men were said to have escorted the Delta Force, ASP Nketia suggested that no official sanction had been given for any policeman to provide escort for that demonstration which turned violent.

that we should apologize”, he asked.

When reminded by the host that their conduct was usurping the powers of the president who appointed the embattled regional security coordinator and smacks of disrespect, he said “why did they not say we were disrespecting them when we risked our lives to campaign for them to win power” He revealed that the leadership of that the group has no regrets in raiding the RCC and throwing out Mr George Agyei and will repeat it should he go back to the office questioning where cont’d on pg. 60

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

49

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Manitoba’s Government and Legislature Honors Ghana’s Independence From: Dr. Michal Baffoe, Winnipeg History was made in the Province of Manitoba on Tuesday March 14th, 2017 when the Provincial government and members of the Legislature honored Ghana’s 60th Independence Anniversary. The move was initiated by the MLA for Logan, Hon. Flor Marcelino, when he read a Statement during the sitting of the Legislature. The statement paid glowing tribute to the Ghanaian Community in Manitoba for their positive contribution to the development of the Province.

Special mention was made of the contributions of the Ghanaian Community to the mobilization and organizing of the African Community in the Province.

After the Statement was read by Hon. Marcelino, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Myrna Driedger moved for the adoption of the statement and a recognition of a section of the Ghanaian Community who had been invited to the public gallery. It was a very moving moment and emotional sight as all members of the

cont’d from pg. 1

Hon. Flor Marcelino, MLA for Logan, Winnipeg poses with representatives of the Ghanaian Community in Manitoba at the Provincial Legislature on Broadway Avenue Legislature including the Premier, Hon. Brian Pallister rose in a prolonged standing ovation for Ghana to the

delight of the Ghanaian delegation who cheered and waved from the public gallery.

Ghanaian Community in Manitoba marks Ghana @ 60 in Grand Style

The Community kicked off the celebrations in grand style on Monday 6th March, 2017 when members of the community gathered at Winnipeg City Hall for a historic raising of the Flag of Ghana. The emotional, flag-raising ceremony was performed by the Mayor of the City of Winnipeg, Mr. Brian Bowman and Ghanaian Union of Manitoba President, Margret Yeboahwho were flanked by a number of City Councilors. cont’d on pg. 61

Winnipeg Mayor, Brian Bowman speaks at Ghana FlagRaising Ceremony at Winnipeg City Hall on March 6, 2017 flanked by Community President Maggie Yeboah and City Councilors

Stella Imolorne, left presents a “Thank You’ Gift to Key Note Speaker, Dr. Jagdish C. Khatter

Winnipeg Mayor, Brian Bowman speaks at Ghana Flag-Raising Ceremony at Winnipeg City Hall on March 6, 2017 flanked by Community President Maggie Yeboah and City Councilors

A re-enactment of the Independence Declaration at the Old Polo Grounds on March 6, 1957. Dr. KwabenaOseiBonsu, third from right, plays Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah

The Ghana Fetish Priest, played by Coffieman, invokes blessings for the community and the Ghanaian Nation

Community Revelers

Anniversary Committee Chair, Dr. The Ghana King, played by Kwesi Bruce, sits in state surrounded by his Michael Baffoe, middle, with some dancers and elders Community Ladies, Stella, Emilia

The Ghana Union Community Choir were on hand to entertain the Independence Revelers

The Ghanaian Community youth join the Ceelebrations

Independence Dancing Time in Winnipeg

The Ghanaian News March 2017

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Ghana @ 60 celebrated in Montreal in grand style

By Edem Dzirasah, Montreal, Quebec

As part of Ghana at 60 Diamond celebration, Montreal’s Ghana House Inc. organized a parade on the 18th of March 2017. A large number of Ghanaian community members participated in this historic event as it was the very first time a parade was organized by the Ghanaian community in Montreal for such an event. Ghanaians took the parade routes in their colorful traditional clothing holding Ghana flags. Canada and Quebec flags were also on display.

The parade moved along to tunes of Ghanaian patriotic songs as well

as other traditional songs popularly known as “gyama” in the Ga dialect.

The parade started from corner of Wiseman and Avenue Jarry in Parc-Ex, all the way to the Jarry Sports complex where speeches and admonitions were delivered by Community leaders who advised members to work together.

The event culminated with a food and clothing donation to Dans La Rue, an organization that has been helping the homeless and at-risk-youth since 1988. The community donated several boxes full of well sorted out used

ambassador to Canada in Ottawa) among others were in attendance.

The Ghanaian Association of Montreal wishes to use this opportunity to thank all Ghanaians and well-wishers who helped in diverse ways to make this celebration a success. Special thanks however, goes to World Remit for their sponsorship for this event.

clothes; and several boxes of assorted non-perishable food items. The community plans to continue with the donations all year round.

The Celebrations were crowned by a wonderful dinner and party at the Riverdale High School. Her Excellency Mary Deros, Councilor of Parc-Extension area and Nana Adjei (representative of the Ghanaian

Ghanaian community parading through the streets of Montreal Councilor Deros, Nana Ewuraba I and Nana Kwarteng

Cake cutting

Fashion Show

Nananom

Ghanaians in Vancouver Mark Ghana’s 60th Independence Anniversary with Gala

By Staff Reporter, Vancouver, BC

Ghanaians in the Province of British Columbia in Canada celebrated Ghana’s 60th independence anniversary with a sold-out gala March 18 at the Executive Plaza, in Coquitlam, a suburb of Vancouver.

More than 300 people attended the gala, including a contingent fromthe

Ghana Association of Greater Seattle, local dignitaries and politicians, as well as representatives of local African and Caribbean associations.

Highlights of the evening included a slideshow on the history of Ghana, a video on Ghana’s independence story, a fashion show, and a cultural (adowa)

dance.

The hall reverberated with spirited applauses as young models from Alicsiastyles and Lillian O’Brien’s African Fashions, showed off beautiful African clothes by NaanaBadsy Fashion.

Auntie Vic’s Golden Girls entertained the revelers with adowa dance, a popular cultural dance of the Asante ethnic group of Ghana. cont’d on pg. 61 Richard Lee, Deputy Speaker BC Parliament presenting citation to Dr. Charles Quist Adade

Linda Reimer Cutting of anniversary cake

Wilfredo J. Perez Bianco, Consul-Gen. of Venezuela in BC

Members Legislative Assembly of BC

Dance Time

The Ghanaian News March 2017

53

Ghana Friendship Association of Edmonton (GFAE) celebrates Ghana 60th Independence Anniversary on Saturday March 4, 2017

At the dinner

Revellers

Dance, Dance, Dance

Ghanaian Canadian Association of Calgary’s Ghana@60 celebration in pictures

Mayor Naheed, Margaret Adu, President and Sam Sarbah

Cpl. Raul Espinosa (R) Margaret Adu, (C) and Insp.

Michael Watterston cutting the cake

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Archie Adams (2nd L) Abena Boadi and Margaret Adu

Hon. Irfan Sabir, Minister of Community & Social Services

Ga Cultural Troupe Adehyeman Cultural Dancers

Invited guests

Revellers

54

The Ghanaian News March 2017

The Ghanaian News March 2017

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

FOOD AND RECIPES Compiled by Nana Ama

Homemade Easter Bun

JOLLOF RICE - 6 servings

For 8 Serving(s)

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS 400g - Rice 200g - Onions 2 tbsp - Powdered Shrimps 400g - Fresh Tomatoes (Blend) 1/4 ltr. - Cooking Oil 1 ltr. - Water 200g - Tomato Puree 2 Stock Cube 1 tbsp Powdered Pepper 1/2 tbsp Mix Spice 1 tbsp Mill Ginger/Garlic Salt to taste

METHOD:

2 ounce(s) Grace Margarine 1 bottle(s) stout 1/2 cup(s) wine 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla 1/2 tablespoon(s) Grace Browning 1 tablespoon(s) Grace Guava Jam 1 medium egg (optional) 8 ounce(s) dark sugar 1 pound(s) counter flour 1 teaspoon(s) nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt 1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon powder 1 tablespoon(s) baking powder 1 tablespoon(s) mixed spice 1/4 pound(s) mixed peel, chopped 1/4 pound(s) raisins, soaked

Method

1. Prepare tomato gravy with cooking oil by adding chopped onions, tomato puree and shrimps powder.

2. Add mill ginger and garlic with all dry ingredients 3. Cover to cook for 5 minutes 4. Add water to the gravy and leave to boil 5. Add rice, stir and correct the seasoning and cover to cook for 15 minutes.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Melt Grace Hello Margarine and allow to cool, then add stout, wine, vanilla, Grace Browning, Grace Guava Jam and beaten egg (if used).

Stir in the sugar and mix until all the granules are dissolved.

Mix together all the dry ingredients then add the chopped mixed peel and raisins.

Combine liquid mixture with dry ingredients and mix well.

Scrape the batter into a greased loaf pan 12”x4”x3”.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool on a cooling rack.

ACCOMPANIMENT: a. Grilled Chicken, Meat or Fish gravy b. Boiled vegetable or salad

To Glaze: Combine 2 tablespoons honey with two tablespoons water and bring to a boil; remove from flame and use a pastry brush to apply it over the surface of the bun.

To Serve: Serve with slices of cheese.

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Disaster! Tree kills 20, injures 30 revelers at Kintampo Waterfall Twenty people are confirmed dead and about 30 others injured at the Kintampo Waterfall in the Brong Ahafo Region where a tree has fallen off the top of the waterfall to the ground.

Several others are feared trapped and personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service and the Police have arrived at the scene to rescue the victims.

The deceased are believed to be mostly students from the Wenchi Methodist Secondary School who

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The Kintampo Police, which confirmed the late Sunday afternoon accident to TV3 correspondent Larry Paa Kwesi Moses said the injured have been sent to the Kintampo Municpal Hospital for medical attention.

A storm was said to have caused a huge tree on top of the waterfall to drop down the ground of the fall where revelers were swimming. 3news.com

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Security Coordinator was obstinate, he caused his own brutality Police Commander The Ashanti Regional Police Commander DCOP Ken Yeboah, has disclosed that the newly appointed Regional Security Coordinator George Adjei who was brutally assaulted by Delta Force refused to heed to police advise and that of his colleagues.

The police PRO said the Regional Security Coordinating Council (RCC) in Kumasi where the event took place is well protected by the police.

‘Nobody should entertain fear, we are going to provide security for everybody’ he assured.

He said Mr Adjei was cautioned about the group’s move after gathering intelligence asking why he didn’t heed to their advise not to go to his office on the planned date of the assault.

Speaking with Lantam Papanko on Ultimate Breakfast Show, DCOP Yeboah stated that the assault could have been prevented if the Regional Security Coordinator had listened to their warning.

Delta Force, a vigilante group of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Friday physically assaulted Mr Adjei claiming he is an ‘outsider’ who is not known by members of the party in the region.

‘We gathered intelligence on March 23, 2017, that some people were trying to attack the officer, he personally came to me in my house, and I warned him that he in view of this, he should stay away from the office, and then we see what we can do by providing security, and then he refused. He said he was going to be in the office, and I told him not to, and he said he was going to. And I told him I will provide security and the next morning I provided security for him, in all about 30 policemen

According to him, the five suspects arrested will soon be arraigned before court. ultimatefmonline.com

Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ken Yeboah

and then we sent reinforcement at the gate. The guy is a factor, he must admit, assuming he had taken the advise, this thing wouldn’t have happened,’ he fumed.

DCOP Yeboah said the region would have recorded the untoward if the police which were over powered by the Delta Force numbering over 200, had fired bullets and tear gas.

‘If the police had used bullets, ammunition or tear gas, am sure we would have had casualties, the best approach was to rescue the man from the place, and that was exactly what we did,’ he stated.

We don’t owe President Akufo-Addo any apology Delta Force cont’d from pg. 47 he was when they were Mohammed Seidu who suffering in the trenches. invested close to one million Ghana Cedis in “ We d o n o t k n o w logistics and other things him…..Where was he with the promise he was when we risked our lives to be made the regional campaigning. Our leaders coordinator. Why did asked us to look for a they bring an unknown sponsor and so we settled person to occupy the position”, he asked.

He indicated that it is not possible for them to risk their lives while some sat in the comfort of their airconditioned offices only to be rewarded with the sweat of those who toiled.

“We don’t know Mr. George Agyei and he didn’t contribute to the victory of the party and so we don’t need him.

In fact, we don’t regret attacking him at all and we will continue to storm the place and torment him till he is changed” he said.

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“Our leaders promised to bring someone who understands us and that person is Mohammed Seidu. He supported us when we were all fighting for the victory of the party in the 2016 general elections and so we were shocked to hear that one Mr. Adjei has been appointed and approved.

We don’t need him” he stressed. mynewsgh.com

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

61

4 money-saving reasons you should check your bank statements cont’d from pg. 46

you have 10,000 other things to do on your to-do list?” she says.

“More important is the accumulated interest that consumers could have avoided had they used their money to pay down outstanding debt instead of maintaining a minimum balance in their chequing account.”

But she warns, the fees add up over time and consumers should make their banking choices carefully.

Consumers can protect themselves by being direct with their bank, Simmons says.

“Remember that you’re a customer,” she said. “Shop around and be prepared. Take an afternoon and make a point of actually paying attention to it.” CBC

“Always ask a question of ‘What can I do to pay no fees?’” she said, noting that many banks will offer options that allow fees to be waived if you also have a taxfree savings account or another type of product.

“Don’t be afraid to ask what you need to do to get free banking.”

Telephone banking in many cases will qualify as a self-service transaction, meaning a customer won’t pay an additional fee.

But some financial institutions have created a second tier of assisted phone banking, for which there is a charge, warns FCAC. “When a consumer speaks to a live customer service representative, the transaction is now defined as assisted,” the FCAC report said. “This type of transaction is not covered by chequing account packages and is subject to a range of new fees.”

Beware the overdraft option, Simmons says, warning it can lead to a vicious cycle of spending and not saving.

At first glance, it may seem like paying an additional $4.00 a month to protect yourself when you slip out of the black and into the red. It might also appear valuable as a way to avoid a non-sufficient funds fee — and perhaps an associated ding to the credit score. But Simmons says the cumulative costs are high.

“Overdraft protection is such a dangerous game in the first place and it’s so expensive,” she says.

“There almost becomes a dependency on it because if you use it a few times, then you get into a situation where you’re always paying back your chequing account and you’re never really getting ahead… Overdraft protection is basically saying, ‘I can’t afford what I’m trying to pay for.’”

Simmons warns the same advice applies for credit cards with generous debt limits.

A reasonable rule of thumb, she suggests, is to limit overdraft and credit card debt to what can paid off within one or two pay cheques.

Sending money via email transfer may be convenient but consumers who haven’t subscribed to plans without unlimited transactions should be prudent. Some banks charge about $1.00 to $1.50 per transaction.

“Most people are sending money that way these days and so the fees can creep up on you,” Simmons said.

The FCAC report, which surveyed Canadian banks, said that email transfers are higher than other service fees.

“For most financial institutions, the charge per email transfer is 50 per cent higher than the fee assessed on in — branch transactions, withdrawals from banking machines or telephone transfers.”

Consumers should be mindful of a host of other surcharges such as paper billing, withdrawing money from another bank’s ATM, or printing a statement update at an ATM. Simmons says customers should do their research and question the bank about items on their statement that are puzzling or that they don’t use.

“Sometimes the charge seems minute so are you really stressed about $10 when

Ghanaian Community in Manitoba marks Ghana @ 60 cont’d from pg. 50 th

On Wednesday 8 March, 2017, the Community held a two-hour Information Session and Symposium on Ghana at an auditorium at the University of St. Boniface in the French Cartier of Winnipeg. The night’s events included a presentation on the historical development of Ghana dubbed “Ghana: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”. The panel m e m b e r s w e r e D r.

Michael Baffoe, Dr. Ben Ofori and Mr. Anderson Asuah.

A documentary on Ghana from the colonial times through the declaration

of Independence to the present Fourth Republic was shown.

On Saturday March 11th, 2017 the celebration was capped with a grand Independence Banquet at the Ballroom of the Canad Inns Celebrations Center on Regent Avenue. About 350 people including Provincial politicians, City Councilors and members of the African community were present at the Banquet which showcased a display of rich Ghanaian culture.

A rebranded “Big Six” of Ghana’s Independence movement re-enacted the

declaration of Ghana’s Independence at the Old Polo Grounds in Accra on March 6th, 1957. Dr. KwabenaOseiBonsu played the role of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, First Prime Minister of Ghana.

The celebrations reached a final big crescendo on Tuesday march 14th, 2017 when the Ghanaian Community were invited to the Manitoba Provincial Legislature where a Statement was read honoring Ghana’s 60 years of nationhood

by Hon. Flor Marcelino, MLA for Logan.

Ghanaians in Vancouver Mark Ghana’s 60th Independence Anniversary with Gala cont’d from pg. 53 “It was one of the best I have seen us do. The location, the food,the music,the shows, the number of people attending both young and old, all made the occasion a grand one.

Congratulations you made Ghana proud,” remarked Mr. George Piprah, Honourary Consul-General of Ghana in British Columbia.

In his welcome address, Dr. Charles Quist-Adade, president of the GhanaianCanadian Association of British Columbia, paid homage to the architects of Ghana’s independence, including the “Big Six, the kings and chiefs—and ordinary Ghanaians, who in various ways, big and small.”

D r. Q u i s t - A d a d e observed that these “valiant compatriot died so we may live. They sweated, toiled and shed their blood so we may reap the fruits of liberty, even if that liberty is still tainted and bitter. “ He singled out Ghana’s

pioneer president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah for his heroic leadership in the independence struggle, his uncompromising fight for human freedom and dignity, African unity and development.

Reiterating Nkrumah’s ideas on freedom, Dr. Quist-Adade noted that there is no price to liberty and that “although the price of freedom may seem so costly, Ghanaians are better off as a free people to manage or mismanage our affairs than to be ruled by someone else.”

He concluded by calling on the current and future generation of Ghanaians to take up the mantle of economic liberation of their country.

A goodwill message from the Ghana High Commission in Ottawa was read by Mr. Piprah.

It noted that Ghanaians in Canada are in a strategic position to help in the socio-economic transformation of the country on account of their professional expertise and experience.

“The body of knowledge and experience you have gained in multi-faceted socio-economic matters could accelerate the national development transformation of Ghana if they are plowed into the national development agenda.”

In her speech read on her behalf by Honourable Linda Reimer, MLA for Port-Moody-Coquitlam, Premier of the Province of British Columbia, Christy Clarke praised Ghana as “a strong and proud country and a place of religious tolerance, peace and innovation.”

Goodwill messages were delivered by Guest of Honour, His Excellency, Wilfredo J. Perez Bianco, Consul-General of the Republic of Venezuela in B.C., MLAs Hon. Richard Lee, Deputy Speakerand MLA for Burnaby North, Hon. Raj Chouchan, Assistant Deputy Speakerand MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds, Hon. Bruce Ralston, MLA for Whaley, and Hon. Jane Shin, MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed.

Coming Soon—Commemorative Bank Note for Canada’s 150th

cont’d from pg. 42

the commemorative notecarefully incorporates many Canadians’ ideas that best represent the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Details

about

the

design, security features, the number of commemorative $10 notes that will circulate and how to obtain them will be announced soon.

In the meantime, think about what makes you proud to be Canadian as the 150th celebrations get underway.

Visit www. bankofcanada.ca/ banknotesto learn more about bank notes and follow the Bank on Twitter (@ bankofcanada) for the latest news on the Canada 150 commemorative bank note.

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62

The Ghanaian News March 2017

PLACES OF WORSHIP DIRECTORY Ghana Methodist Churches in Canada

I AM ALPHA & OMEGA MINISTRY INT'L

( SOCIETIES UNDER THE GHANA METHODIST CONFERENCE)

We invite you to worship with us

The Superintendent Minister-In-Charge

Church Service:

invites you to worship with us

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

Toronto Society

Bishop John Mensah

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

Place of Worship: 19 Penn Drive, North York, Ont. (off Finch Av./Milvan)

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

Tel: 416-419-6671

EVANGEL ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH NEW ADDRESS 314 Rexdale Blvd. Etobicoke, Ont. M9W 1R6 Tel: 416-242-7950 Fax: 416-242-8573

Calgary Methodist - 403-603-2864 Edmonton Methodist - 587-336-1223 Ottawa Methodist - 613-823-2291

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

Church Activities

Pastor in Charge

Rev. Milton Offei

Sunday School: Church Service: Sunday Evening: Wednesday Bible Studies: Friday Prayer Meeting:

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.

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

416-614-7771

Very Rev. Joseph Owusu Atuahene

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

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.

Friday Night Prayer: 8p.m.-10p.m. Pastor Eric Amoah Location: 4 Racine, Unit 9

(Kipling/Rexdale)

Email: info@disciplesrevivalchurch.org www.disciplesrevivalchurch.org

Redemption Faith Church

SUNDAY SERVICE - Morning - 10:00 am

Invites you to worship with us at 1485 ALBION ROAD (Albion/Kipling)

Mid-Week Service

Tel: 905-495-1936 Fax: 905-495-1937

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

This is a loving and caring Church that preaches and teaches the whole counsel of God. A place where the word of God is backed by strong anointing to bring Salvation, Healing and Deliverance to all people who believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST

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

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

Rev. Dr. Stephen Ofori-Darko

CHURCH ACTIVITIES: Sunday Search the Scriptures - 12 noon - 12-45 p.m.

Church Service - 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Fridays - 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Bible Study, Intercession & Deliverance

FOOD FOR LIFE

The Ghanaian News March 2017

63

Bringing the Gospel to our Community by Rev. Isaac DeGraft Takyi The Christian’s role in solidifying a country’s independence It is easy to be independent when you’ve got money. But to be independent when you haven’t got a thing, that’s the Lord’s test. Mahalia Jackson Ghana@60 and Canada@150 but we will focus on Ghana for now. Ghana is considered one of the more stable countries in West Africa since its transition to multi-party democracy in 1992.Formerly known as the Gold Coast, Ghana gained independence from Britain in 1957, at 12 a.m. on March 6, Kwame Nkrumah declared Ghana’s establishment and autonomy as the first Prime Minister of Ghana and on July 1 1960, following the Ghanaian constitutional referendum, Nkrumah declared Ghana as a republic and became it’s first President.

The BBC in their 1957 news report on the celebration of Ghana’s independence, focused on the conversation that took place between the powers that be, of which I bring the following excerb sc pt: The British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, in His speech welcoming Ghana’s move to independence said: “The government and people of Ghana have set their hands to a great task. We are confident whatever may be the

the prosperity of the country.”

difficulties which will face them they will maintain and develop the principles of tolerance and freedom which are inherent in our parliamentary system.

We shall give them all the help we can.”The Duchess gave a speech, setting out the Ghana Government policy.

She also read out a personal message from the Queen to the people of Ghana.In it she said: “The hopes of many, especially in Africa, hang on your endeavours. It is my earnest and confident belief that my people in Ghana will go forward in freedom and justice.”

In reply, Dr. Nkrumah, among other things, said: “My government fully realises both the advantages and the responsibilities involved in the achievement of independence.

It intends to make full use of these advantages to increase

From the speeches one realizes that Britaingave the assurance of their support after admitting the enormity of the task ahead. The Queen emphasized that, the entire continent of Africa had its hope in Ghana’s success. Dr. Nkrumah did not only fully realise the advantages of being independent but also the responsibilities of the citizenry.

It is these responsibilities or roles that this article desires to bring to the attention of her esteemed readers.

To ensure the stability, development and the prosperity of a country the believers like any other citizen is admonished by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans to: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive

Ghanaian Presbyterian

his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is

far gone; the day is at hand.

So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires”Romans 13:1-14 English Standard Version (ESV) As Christians let us solidify the country’s hardearned independence by our prayers, yes, but beyond that, Paul desires that we must be obedient and respectful to authority, be of good behavior, do the right things, pay our taxes, pay our revenues, respect the rule of law, honor the right people, love people not just projects or properties. As Christians,we must be the light, drawing people to Christ. We shouldn’t be thieves, drunkards and womanizers, among other vices, but putting on the Lord Jesus Christ always.

The country’s hope of true independence is in Christ and Christians. Let us arise and solidify our country’s independence through our work, walk and words.

Living Word

Church of Montreal

Assembly of God Church (Affiliated with P.A.O.C.)

139 Millwick Drive Toronto, Ont. (Steeles/Islington) Tel: 416- 741-6285 Fax: 416- 741-0133

Minister: Rev. Stephen Azundem

Services: Sunday 10:00AM – 1:00PM Divine Worship Service Wednesday 7:00PM – 9:00PM Teaching Service (Bible Study) Friday 7:00PM – 9:00PM – Prayer Service

Tel (office): 514 278 8109 Tel (Cell): 514 660 2422

1345 rue Lapointe St. Laurent, QC, H4L 1K5 Location: At the Corner of O’Brien and Poirier.

Email: livingwordag@bellnet.ca Senior Pastor Rev. Isaac Takyi DeGraft

Church Activities

Sunday Early Morning Prayer: 8:30 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.

Tuesday Prayer: 10:00 a.m-12 noon

Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Friday Prayer 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Last Friday of the month“All Night Prayer”):

7:30 p.m.-12 mid-night Youth Service (Fridays): 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Departmental Meeting (Every other Sunday): 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Ghana Calvary Methodist United Church, Toronto Tel: 416-614-6110 647-341-7305 Email: gcmuc.org Invites all Christians to join us to worship and glorify the Living God

Worship Schedule: Sunday Church Service - Akan: English Service

- 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

-

10:00 a.m. - 12 noon

Friday

- Prayer Meeting: - 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Saturday

- Organizational Meetings Choir Practice, Singing Band Practice

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:

Res. 416-740-6963 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

Harvest Christian Church Invites you for a wonderful time with the Lord

Auxilliary Minister Rev. Samuel Victor Mpereh

-

647-770-8440

Venue of Worship 65 Mayall Avenue, Toronto, ON Tel: 416-614-6110 Email: gcmuc.org Hamilton Society Stoney Creek United Church (Chapel) 1 King Street West, Stoney Creek, Hamilton Contact: 289-244-5914, 289-700-6815, 289-698-1388

Worship Hours Sundays (Mornings) 10 - 12:45pm Wednesday (Bible Study) 7 -8:30 pm Friday (All Night Prayer) 8-10:30pm Rev Moses Sarpong

Come and Experience the power of the Word Join us at 196 Toryork Drive(Corner of Weston/Finch)

Tel: 416-743-2507

It’s Harvest Time So Reach Out And Make A Difference

It’s A Great Commission!

Apos. Dr. Emmanuel Anthony Owusu National Head

The Ghanaian News March 2017

65

The Apostolic Church Int'l.

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

THE APOSTLES'

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

CONTINUATION CHURCH INTERNATIONAL (CANADA)

168 Rexdale Blvd.,

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

Etobicoke, Ontario, M9W 1P6 Church Office 416-740-1979 Field Secretary: Pastor Cyril Williams - 416-875-9616 Apostle Charles Anokye-Manu

Lighthouse Assembly of God Church

SERVICE TIMES:

2017: LIBERTY IN THE SPIRIT 2 Corinthian 3:17

SUNDAY SERVICES: 10:00 am-1:30 pm Ghanaian Service WEEKDAY SERVICES: Wednesday - Bible Studies Friday - Prayer Service LOCATION:

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm 7:00 pm -9:00 pm

42 Steinway Blvd. Unit 1&2

Tel: 416-740-1200 Fax: 416-740-6435 lighthouseag@outlook.com Website: http:/www/lighthouseag.ca www.lighthouseagtoronto.org

Rhema Power of Grace Chapel Int'l

Worship Service Bible Studies Service All Night Service Deliverance

Toronto

63 Howden Rd., Unit 'F' Scarborough, ON, M1R 3C7 Pastor In-Charge: Pastor Ohene Kena Tel 647-850- 0142 Fax 416-945- 9445

Sunday - Divine Worship - 10a.m. - 1p.m.

Wednesday - Bible Studies 8p.m. - 10p.m.

Friday - Prayer / Deliverance - 7p.m. - 10p.m.

Contact Lines: Tel: 416-321-2796 (Pastor's Res) 416-747-9225 (Church)

Cell: 647-921-2414

Tel: 514-271-9083 Pastor-In-Charge: John Arhin

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

Immanuel Assembly of God Church, Scarborough Sunday School: 9:30am -10:30am Church Service: 10:30am - 12 noon

350 Deerhide Cres, North York, ON Rev. Bishop Joe Bonnah

378 Cremazie East Montreal, Quebec, H2P 1E5

Scarborough Assembly

Place of Worship:

Founder &Pastor-in-charge

Montreal Assembly

10 Belfield Road Tel: 416-247-6629

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

Days And Time of Worship

- 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

Pastor-in-charge: Rev. Boniface Keelson

(Hwy 27/Steeles) Toronto, Ontario, M9W 6Y6 Email:

Website: www.apostlescontinuation.org

Rev. Douglas O. Ansah Pastor-in-charge

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.

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

The Apostolic Church Int’l Canada Inc.

(Currently, the only Ghana affiliated Apostolic Church in Canada)

Heaven In My Heart Ministries 100 Penn Dr, Unit #3 Rev. Eleanor Adu-Anane, Oversea and Founder MRE, ECE

Tel, 647-892-9412 Fax: 905-846-6257 E-mail eleanoraduanane@yahoo.ca

Time of Worship: Apostle Dr. KwabenaAkufo Supervising Apostle

Reverend Festus Ofori Senior Pastor Services

Sunday Worship Service 10am-1:00pm Wednesday Bible Studies 7:30pm-9:30pm Friday Prayer Meetings 7:30pm-9:30pm Contacts Us: 312 Rexdale Blvd, Etobicoke ON M9R 1R6 Major intersection Martin Grove www.theapostolicchurchcanada.org Email:apostolicchurchcanada@yahoo.com

Wednesday: Bible Studies 7:00pm to 8:30pm Friday: Prayer Meeting 8:30pm to 11pm st 1 . Friday of every month: All Night Prayer Meeting & Deliverance 9pm to 2am Saturday: Youth Meeting: 2pm to 4pm Choir Practice: 3pm to 5pm Sunday: Christian Education: 9am to 10am Celebration: 10:30am to 12:30pm

Rev. Mrs Eleanor Adu-Anane MRE, BA, RECE For Counselling & other matters contact the Pastor

647-892-9412 or 905-846-6257 E-mail: eleanoraduanane@yahoo.ca 100 Penn Drive Unit #3, North York, Ontario Canada. M9L 2A9

Tel: 647-607-5124 / 416-274-3378 416-897-4742

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Mathew 5:6

Come and taste the power of Christ.

Mailing Address: 2 Berwick Avenue Brampton Ontario, L6Z 2P6,

The Ghanaian News March 2017

67

Welcome Home Evangelistic Ministries Affiliated with the Evangelical Church In Canada

Gen. Overseer & Founder: Evang. & Prophetess Winnie Manu BRE, M. Div.

Worship Celebration Services Sunday Worship Celebration: 10 a.m.

Wednesday: Bible Studies - 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Friday: Intercessory Prayer Meeting 8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Friday: Youth Night - 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Healing Service: Last Sunday of every month

Place of Worship Cheyne Middle School 236 Queen Mary Drive Brampton, ON L7A 3L3

Contact Info: Tel: 647 210 7057 Fax: 905 495 4789

Christian Hope Ministry Int'l Invites You All To Come Worship With Us Apostle-in-charge: Apostle Twumasi Ankrah

Tel: 647-344-6726 Cell: 416-200-2453 TIME OF WORSHIP: Sunday 10:30 am - 1:30 pm Tuesday 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Friday 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Apostle Twumasi Ankrah

VENUE: 1177 Finch Dr. #20, North York "And these signs will follow those who believe, in My Name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them, they will lay hands on the sick , and they will recover. Amen (Mark 16:17)

"COME AND EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF GOD"

Transformation Centre Assembly of God Church, Mississauga Join us on Sundays for worship at: Venue: Clarkson Community Centre (Margaret Marland Room) Address: 2475 Truscott Drive, Mississauga, Ont (Southdown Rd/Truscott Dr. on Winston Churchill Blvd/Truscott Dr.

Time: 10.00AM-1.00PM

Website: www.wheministries.org

Email: whemtoday@gmail.com

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"

Praise Temple of Christ International Snr. Pastor: Apostle Osei-Bonsu 336 Gary Ray Drive @ Signet Worship Schedule 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

Contact: Pastor Isaac K. Bonful Tel: 289-814-5482 Email: transformcentreag@yahoo.ca www.transformationcentreag.ca "...Be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Romans 12:2a

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

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

Around the Ghana Sports Scene

with Jonathan Baah Annobil

FA chief Ahmad elected as new Caf president Ahmad is held aloft after being elected Caf president Madagascar Football Association chief Ahmad has been elected Confederation of African Football president, ending Issa Hayatou’s 29-year reign.

Ahmad won 34 of the 54 votes in the election, which was held in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa on Thursday.

The result means a change in leadership for the first time since Cameroonian Hayatou took charge in 1988.

Ahmad, who appeared very emotional, becomes only the seventh Caf president in the body’s 60-year history.

The 57-year-old, who goes by a single name, told BBC Sport afterwards: “I can’t talk at this time. Only one thing - I thank God, I thank my team.

“We worked hard but we won. That was the first step.

The second step is to develop

African football.

transparent.

“Some days I thought I would win - today I didn’t (think I would win).”

His first job, he said earlier on Thursday, would be to introduce a new code of ethics and he has also pledged to extend ethics checks on African football officials.

The result was greeted by cheers at the Caf congress as Ahmad was carried on the shoulders of jubilant supporters to the podium after the result was announced.

In contrast, Hayatou was led from the auditorium by aides but he told reporters as he departed: “It is not that bad.”

Ahmad later added: “When you try to do something, you mean that you can do it. If I can’t do it, I never stand.

“This is sweet victory. When you work hard for years and months and you succeed, that is great.’’

Ahmad, who became Madagascar FA chief in 2003, takes over as Caf president on an initial four-year term, and has promised to modernise the body and make it more

Ben Nunoo Mensah elected as President of Ghana Olympic Committee G h a n a We i g h t l i f t i n g Federation President, Ben Nunoo Mensah has been elected as the new Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) leader after ousting incumbent Prof. Francis Dodoo on Wednesday at the Alisa Hotel.

Nunoo Mensah had 33 votes with Dodoo getting 28 votes of the total beating the former Olympian by just five votes.

Dodoo, who has been at the helm of affairs of the Olympic governing body since 2011, was vying for a second term but has been dethroned by the former treasurer of GOC,.

In other portfolios Paul

GFA urged to hire local coach for Black Stars job

The departure of Hayatou is a huge change for African football and the 70-year-old will also lose his Fifa position and his place on the ruling council of world football’s governing body.

He had been challenged for the Caf presidency only twice before and both times won with landslide victories.

This time he won only 20 votes, ending his hopes of winning an eighth term in office that would have seen his presidency extend for more than three decades in total.

“His excellency Issa Hayatou has done a lot for African football (but) it is time for him to step back,” said George Afriyie, vice president of the Ghana Football Association.

Liberia Football Association President Musa Bility added: “Africa has made an emphatic decision that we are ready for change.” BBC Sports

Local media reports suggest several expatriate trainers have applied for the job Ex- Ghana player Wllie Klutse wants the Ghana Football Association to consider appointing a local trainer for the vacant Black Stars coaching job.

The GFA are in search of a new trainer for the job which became vacant this month following the departure of Israeli trainer Avram Grant.

Local media reports suggest several expatriate trainers have applied for the job but Willy Klutse wants the FA to look at a local trainer for the job.

“We have seen lots of white

coaches, I think it is time we give the Black man a chance as well,” he spoke to Ghana Sports Newspaper.

“I believe when a Ghanaian is given the job he can do it better, we saw what Kwesi Appiah did when he was given the chance.

“I believe in the local coaches, there are lots of them in the local League and even outside the country.”

Reports indicate about 60 coaches have applied for the vacant job.

Source: Myjoyonline.com

FIFA bans Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey for life

Ben Nunoo Mensah

Atchoe has been elected as the first vice, incumbent Richard Akpokavi retained his position as secretary general, Frederick Otoo Lartey elected as treasurer and will be deputised

by Theophilus Wilson Edzi. sportsworldghana.com

T h e F I FA D i s c i p l i n a r y Committee has decided to ban the Ghanaian match official Joseph Odartei Lamptey from taking part in any kind of football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) at national and international level for life.

The official was found guilty of breaching art. 69 par. 1 (unlawfully influencing match results) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ qualifying match between South Africa and Senegal on 12 November 2016.

Further information concerning the South Africa v. Senegal match in question will be provided once the decision becomes final and binding.

On the other hand, all charges against the Ghanaian match official David Lionheart Nii Lartey Laryea, whose behaviour had also been the subject of investigations, were dismissed by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.

FIFA follows a zero-tolerance policy on match manipulation and is committed to protecting the integrity of football. As a result, FIFA will continue with its ongoing efforts to combat match manipulation through a variety of initiatives, which include the monitoring of international betting and a confidential reporting system with a dedicated integrity hotline and e-mail address.

Source: fifa.com

The Ghanaian News March 2017

Exclusive Interview with World Remit The Ghanaian News Publisher, Emmanuel Ayiku conducted an interview with two Executives from World Remit, the online money transfer service. They were Richard Meseko, Country Director for Canada and Ben Leong, Public Relations Manager from U.K. The interview took place at Hilton Double Tree in downtown Toronto, Leading money transfer app, World Remit is rapidly accelerating the switch from offline to digital remittances in Canada, announcing that its Canadian customers are sending nearly 60,000 transfers every month, according to Richard Meseko, Country Director for Canada who isbased in Quebec City.

World Remit is an online service that lets people send money to friends and family living abroad, using a computer, smartphone or tablet. It’s a convenient, low-cost alternative to traditional money transfer companies that use high street agents and charge high fees. Money can be received as a bank deposit, cash pickup, mobile money, or mobile air time top-up.

World Remit’s service is available to senders in 50 countries. It offers transfers to more than 120 destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. World Remit is the leading sender of remittances to Mobile Money, connected to 34 different services in 26 countries.

Mobile money enables people in developing countries to instantly receive vital remittance payments on their phones instead of making long journeys to collect cash from foreign exchange agents.

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Canada is World Remit’s third largest market. World Remit’s top receiving destinations from Canada are the Philippines, Nigeria, India, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Ghana. Andrew Lee, President at World Remit, comments “It is natural that Canada as a techsavy nation with a large migrant population is at the forefront of the switch from offline to digital money transfers. Canada is central to our growth plans as we look to consolidate our position as the world’s leading digital money transfer service.”

According to Ben Leong, “we live in a world of instant global communication. Yet the business of sending money abroad has remained stuck in the past. Many money transfer companies still make their customers visit an agent and fill-out bits of paper.

And despite the inconvenience, their rates are often punishing”, he said.

World Remit brings money transfers online – making the whole process quicker, easier and more secure.

“We are committed to tackling the industry’s high-fees culture by giving people a low-cost alternative”, Lee emphasized.“And because we understand the importance of staying connected, World Remit enables people to send mobile airtime top-ups.

Our goal is to get your money – to your recipient – however they want it – whenever they need it”, he said.

World Remit also recognizes that the way people use money is changing.

Millions of people now rely on Mobile Money services instead of bank accounts, so World Remitoffer transfers directly to them.

Richard Meseko,World Remit’s

Richard Meseko, WorldRemit Country Director Canada, Ben Leong, Public Relations Manager UK and Emmanuel Ayiku, Publisher Ghanaian News Photo by Jonathan Baah Annobil, Toronto

Country Director for Canada also commented that more than one in five people living in Canada, nearly 8 million individuals, were born outside of this country, many of whom support family members overseas. More and more are now turning to World Remit as they discover the ease and convenience of sending money via our app instead of queuing at money transfers agents.”

World Remit was founded in 2010 by Ismail Ahmed who was an advisor to the United Nations as he helped companies comply with tough new money transfer regulations introduced after the 911 terrorist attacks. World Remit is backed by leading Silicon Valley investors, Accel Partners & Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV). Globally World Remit customers send more than 500,000 transfers every month.

History of World Remit Ismail Ahmed first saw the opportunity to improve money

transfers while at university. Studying in London, he needed to send money to family members in Africa. Every transaction meant an epic journey across the city to an agent who charged a small fortune in fees to send modest amounts of money.It seemed wrong to Ismail that an industry handling billions of dollars every year should deliver such poor service to its customers. Even then, he knew that change was needed.

Over the next years Ismail worked with a number of remittance businesses as well as international policy makers.As an advisor to the United Nations, he helped companies comply with tough new money transfer regulations, introduced after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In 2010, Ismail decided that the time and technology were right to shake-up this stagnant industry and he founded WorldRemit. The rest is now history, the current on-going success story of World Remit.

The Ghanaian News celebrates 20 years of service to the community 1997 - 2017

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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The Ghanaian News March 2017

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