THE United Bank for Africa (UBA) has opened its North Industrial Area branch with the promise of bringing quality banking solutions to the doorsteps of customers.
The branch, which is the 26th since its inception in the country, is to provide various banking solutions and an array of the bank’s product to its clients.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Managing Director of UBA, Mr Gabriel Edgal, said the bank was in the process of introducing Africards into the Ghanaian market. This is a prepaid card which allows customers to use their ATM cards in all the 19 countries that UBA operates in across Africa.
He said the strategy was part of the bank’s vision of democratising banking and bringing banking services to the doorsteps of everyone.
Mr Edgal said UBA was firmly grounded in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Cameroon and Liberia whilst its presence in key global financial centres, like New York and London, provided it with a platform to give financial solutions to African businesses.
He assured customers of the bank’s commitment to offer world class customer-driven banking solutions to its growing customers, and said the bank’s strategy of a rapid branch roll out was an indication of high level of confidence that the bank’s shareholders had in the development of the Ghanaian economy.
Mr Edgal also mentioned other banking services provided by UBA as Wise-Alert, instant notification of transactions on mobile phones classified as UMobile, UDirect and E-statements, among others.
The Board Chairman of the bank, Mr Kwame Pianim, said the bank had been a leader in customer service since its establishment in Ghana in 2005, and that, that quality customer service was one of the primary goals, mission and vision of the bank.
He added that the bank would continue to expand and roll out more branches to bring world class banking to the doorsteps of its customers.
Mr Pianim said the bank was one of the fastest growing banks in the country with 26 branches and over 500 workers.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
STREET-NAMING PROGRAMME LAUNCHED (PAGE 38, JUNE 16, 2010)
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) is expected to complete work on a draft policy framework on street naming, property and addresses by the end of June this year to pave way for the commencement of the exercise countrywide.
Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, the sector minister, announced this when he addressed the opening session at a day's validation workshop in Accra for stakeholders to make inputs into the draft policy and manual.
The draft manual outlines key elements of the exercise, including policy on street-addressing, overview of the system, detailed implementation activities, institutional arrangements for implementation at the national, regional and district levels as well as technical details.
Mr Chireh said the policy when implemented, would help address the inadequate identification system that had affected revenue mobilisation and activities of agencies responsible for public utilities.
" It is common knowledge that in urban areas like Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Tamale and other major towns in Ghana, many streets have no names, and buildings are numbered anyhow. There is no estimate of how much this is costing the nation but it could run into millions of Ghana cedis per year".
He said the absence of a national policy framework to guide the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) on the naming of streets and numbering of buildings resulted in the adoption of different approaches which had not been in conformity with accepted international practices.
Mr Chireh explained that the policy was aimed at providing a common understanding of concepts and processes involved in street-naming and building numbering.
Additionally, the policy further provides a guide as to how to carry out street-addressing in a settlement, community, city and district.
Mr Chireh said " the manual presents a good basis to proceed, however, there is the need for a broad based consensus on this policy framework".
He advised all stakeholders to co-ordinate and collaborate for the effective implementation of the policy.
Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, the sector minister, announced this when he addressed the opening session at a day's validation workshop in Accra for stakeholders to make inputs into the draft policy and manual.
The draft manual outlines key elements of the exercise, including policy on street-addressing, overview of the system, detailed implementation activities, institutional arrangements for implementation at the national, regional and district levels as well as technical details.
Mr Chireh said the policy when implemented, would help address the inadequate identification system that had affected revenue mobilisation and activities of agencies responsible for public utilities.
" It is common knowledge that in urban areas like Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Tamale and other major towns in Ghana, many streets have no names, and buildings are numbered anyhow. There is no estimate of how much this is costing the nation but it could run into millions of Ghana cedis per year".
He said the absence of a national policy framework to guide the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) on the naming of streets and numbering of buildings resulted in the adoption of different approaches which had not been in conformity with accepted international practices.
Mr Chireh explained that the policy was aimed at providing a common understanding of concepts and processes involved in street-naming and building numbering.
Additionally, the policy further provides a guide as to how to carry out street-addressing in a settlement, community, city and district.
Mr Chireh said " the manual presents a good basis to proceed, however, there is the need for a broad based consensus on this policy framework".
He advised all stakeholders to co-ordinate and collaborate for the effective implementation of the policy.
Monday, June 14, 2010
MTN PRESENTS CAR TO WINNERS (PAGE 51, JUNE 14, 2010)
Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN) Ghana has presented the second batch of 30 cars to the proud winners of the ongoing ‘90 cars in 90 days’ promotion.
The promotion was to build up excitement among football lovers in Ghana towards the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The acting Chief Marketing Officer of MTN, Ms Amerley Ampofo, said the promotion was to reward MTN customers for their continuous loyalty to the network.
The company presented 29 Hyundai 10 and one Hyundai ix35 to the winners, including Mr Alfred Adjei, Mr Godfred Odame Asare and Mr Charles Amedego.
She said the presentation of the cars confirmed MTN’s assurance and commitment to give back to its loyal customers and recognise and appreciate their patronage of MTN services.
“As the FIFA World Cup 2010 kicks off, MTN is proud to continue doing what we committed ourselves to do two years ago,” Ms Ampofo.
She said the promotion also demonstrated MTN’s leadership in the industry and its resolve to build stronger relationships.
With 39 more cars to go, she encouraged all MTN subscribers to join the fun and excitement and win the mega prizes at stake, adding that MTN had put in place stringent mechanisms to ensure that those who deserved to win the prizes were appropriately selected.
A short ceremony was also held at the auditorium of the Accra International Conference Centre to officially launch all the viewing centres set up by MTN and other partners for large screen viewing.
The promotion was to build up excitement among football lovers in Ghana towards the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The acting Chief Marketing Officer of MTN, Ms Amerley Ampofo, said the promotion was to reward MTN customers for their continuous loyalty to the network.
The company presented 29 Hyundai 10 and one Hyundai ix35 to the winners, including Mr Alfred Adjei, Mr Godfred Odame Asare and Mr Charles Amedego.
She said the presentation of the cars confirmed MTN’s assurance and commitment to give back to its loyal customers and recognise and appreciate their patronage of MTN services.
“As the FIFA World Cup 2010 kicks off, MTN is proud to continue doing what we committed ourselves to do two years ago,” Ms Ampofo.
She said the promotion also demonstrated MTN’s leadership in the industry and its resolve to build stronger relationships.
With 39 more cars to go, she encouraged all MTN subscribers to join the fun and excitement and win the mega prizes at stake, adding that MTN had put in place stringent mechanisms to ensure that those who deserved to win the prizes were appropriately selected.
A short ceremony was also held at the auditorium of the Accra International Conference Centre to officially launch all the viewing centres set up by MTN and other partners for large screen viewing.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
BE GUIDED BY RELIGIOUS NORMS (PAGE 51, JUNE 10, 2010)
THE Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, the Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel K. Asante, has called on Christians to be guided by their religious norms in all their doings.
He said it was important that their acts and dealings reflect their religious doctrines for others to follow.
Speaking on the theme, “Return to your first love”, at the sixth biennial delegates conference and Silver Jubilee of the Association of Methodist Men’s Fellowships, the Most Rev. Prof. Asante said,” Believers have lost their zeal for the things of God and have been busy paying attention to worldly possessions.”
“Mankind is becoming lovers of themselves, money boasters, blasphemers and unforgiving. This ungodly attitude poses a lot of challenges to men of God in particularly and the church as a whole,” he said.
He urged Christians to have faith and be committed to the beliefs of the religion to which they belong.
The Most Rev. Prof. Asante called on Christians to be a living testimony to the works of Jesus Christ.
The National Chairman of the association, Mr Richard Stanley Quarshie, said in order to win souls for Christ, the church had allocated GH¢5,000 in the church’s 2010 budget to champion evangelism in the church.
He said the association had also put in place a committee that would put together strategic plans for the fellowship by the end of the third quarter of the year.
He said not much had been done by the fellowship to achieve its goals in 2009 and, therefore, urged the members to be involved in the activities of the association.
For his part, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashietey, said it was the responsibility of the church to seek the spiritual and physical needs of its congregation.
He said it was, therefore, imperative that the church partnered the government to eradicate the negative practices that retarded the growth of the nation.
Nii Ashietey said the Methodist Church had contributed enormously towards national development, especially in the field of education.
He said the Men’s Fellowship had produced and continued to produce members who had brought Christian training and love into the affairs of the state.
He advised the members to participate in social and political matters, as well as provide a useful forum for advocacy and exchange of information.
“The fellowship should re-engineer and broaden its scope to embrace research-based advocacy activities in areas like good governance, justice, human rights, economic and social progress,” he added.
Nii Ashietey donated GH¢1,000 to the association.
The Chairman of I.E. Yamson and Associates, Mr Ishmael Evans Yamson, said most people had failed in their businesses because they veered off the core objectives of those businesses.
He, therefore, advised the fellowship to live up to its objectives in order to keep the fire burning.
Mr Yamson also donated $1,000 to the association to carry out its projects.
He said it was important that their acts and dealings reflect their religious doctrines for others to follow.
Speaking on the theme, “Return to your first love”, at the sixth biennial delegates conference and Silver Jubilee of the Association of Methodist Men’s Fellowships, the Most Rev. Prof. Asante said,” Believers have lost their zeal for the things of God and have been busy paying attention to worldly possessions.”
“Mankind is becoming lovers of themselves, money boasters, blasphemers and unforgiving. This ungodly attitude poses a lot of challenges to men of God in particularly and the church as a whole,” he said.
He urged Christians to have faith and be committed to the beliefs of the religion to which they belong.
The Most Rev. Prof. Asante called on Christians to be a living testimony to the works of Jesus Christ.
The National Chairman of the association, Mr Richard Stanley Quarshie, said in order to win souls for Christ, the church had allocated GH¢5,000 in the church’s 2010 budget to champion evangelism in the church.
He said the association had also put in place a committee that would put together strategic plans for the fellowship by the end of the third quarter of the year.
He said not much had been done by the fellowship to achieve its goals in 2009 and, therefore, urged the members to be involved in the activities of the association.
For his part, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashietey, said it was the responsibility of the church to seek the spiritual and physical needs of its congregation.
He said it was, therefore, imperative that the church partnered the government to eradicate the negative practices that retarded the growth of the nation.
Nii Ashietey said the Methodist Church had contributed enormously towards national development, especially in the field of education.
He said the Men’s Fellowship had produced and continued to produce members who had brought Christian training and love into the affairs of the state.
He advised the members to participate in social and political matters, as well as provide a useful forum for advocacy and exchange of information.
“The fellowship should re-engineer and broaden its scope to embrace research-based advocacy activities in areas like good governance, justice, human rights, economic and social progress,” he added.
Nii Ashietey donated GH¢1,000 to the association.
The Chairman of I.E. Yamson and Associates, Mr Ishmael Evans Yamson, said most people had failed in their businesses because they veered off the core objectives of those businesses.
He, therefore, advised the fellowship to live up to its objectives in order to keep the fire burning.
Mr Yamson also donated $1,000 to the association to carry out its projects.
Friday, June 4, 2010
LET'S EMBRACE INDIGENOUS CULTURAL HERITAGE (PAGE 18, JUNE 4, 2010)
Professor Emeritus J.H. Kwabena Nketia of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana (UG) has said Ghana cannot maintain its identity as a people and a nation, if the country continues to abandon its indigenous cultural heritage.
He said the country had neglected its cultural heritage over the years to copy an entirely “borrowed heritage” from elsewhere.
Prof. Nketia was speaking on the theme: “Our Creative Heritage” at a lecture series organised by the African University College of Communications in Accra.
He said the government, as the custodian of the nation, should make culture a political priority “as Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah did at Independence”.
“The subsequent cultural policies and programmes that issued from it and processes of recontextualisation of traditional culture in contemporary contexts have gone very far, and now call for deeper knowledge and intellectual understanding of our creative heritage and its complex of values, as well as the selection of innovative applications in such contexts that do not compromise our Ghanaian identity,” he said.
He said making cultural heritage a national priority would help to stimulate interest in the critical study and practical application of the techniques and processes that shaped style and modes of expression.
Prof. Nketia is the longest serving director of the Institute of African Studies, UG and a former Director of the world renowned International Centre for African Music and Dance (ICAMD).
He has also served as a Professor of Music at the University of Pittsburgh and has lectured in many top universities in Europe, Asia, the United States and Africa.
Prof. Nketia said: “While I appreciate the importance of the programmatic implications of this, I am anxious that we should not land ourselves in a situation of over-using some aspects of our accumulated heritage without continually bringing new ideas and materials to it through creativity that explores their potential, as well as contemporary challenges.
It is only then that we can periodically move from the centre stage what has become stale or irrelevant through over-use and perhaps store it for a new generation that will find it exciting,” he said.
Prof. Nketia noted that the history, tradition and qualities that a country or society had had for many years were considered as important part of its character.
“That is why not so long ago UNESCO set up an international committee on which some of us were privileged to serve, to define the nature and potential of the world’s intangible cultural heritage and to set up a proposal and scheme for the visual and literary documentation of such intangible cultural heritage around the world, paying particular attention to those in danger of disappearing because of the ongoing technological and social changes taking place in many parts of the world”.
Prof. Nketia expressed the belief that the creation of cultural centres in the communities would give the youth and upcoming generation access to the indigenous cultural heritage of the country.
He said the youth must also be encouraged to be creative, since creativity played a role in preserving the cultural heritage of the country.
“There is the possibility of creating or promoting intercultural and cross-cultural creativity that builds bridges not only between the past and the present, indigenous and foreign forms but also of Pan African sources of Indigenous Heritage.
Until the post-colonial awakening became entrenched, this approach received scant attention from those trained primarily in the Western tradition,” Prof. Nketia said.
Prof. J.H. Kwabena Nketia is one of the most published and best known authority on African Music and Aesthetics.
He said the country had not fully recovered from the impact of missionary and colonial intervention, which devalued traditional arts and their modes of expression.
“What is of greater concern to me is not this modern concept of preservation in museums or promotion outside the particular contexts that sustain such heritage in daily or community life but ways of ensuring that the nexus between creative legacy and the social process that in the past ensured continuity is maintained by mechanisms that recontextualise the learning process so that acquisition of cultural knowledge is not confined to the institutional mechanisms of the past but extended to form a component of contemporary institutional arrangements”.
He, therefore, called on concerned authorities to ensure continuity and performance in appropriate contexts and to institutionalise the transmission process so that all children could acquire this legacy at appropriate stages in their educational career.
He said the country had neglected its cultural heritage over the years to copy an entirely “borrowed heritage” from elsewhere.
Prof. Nketia was speaking on the theme: “Our Creative Heritage” at a lecture series organised by the African University College of Communications in Accra.
He said the government, as the custodian of the nation, should make culture a political priority “as Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah did at Independence”.
“The subsequent cultural policies and programmes that issued from it and processes of recontextualisation of traditional culture in contemporary contexts have gone very far, and now call for deeper knowledge and intellectual understanding of our creative heritage and its complex of values, as well as the selection of innovative applications in such contexts that do not compromise our Ghanaian identity,” he said.
He said making cultural heritage a national priority would help to stimulate interest in the critical study and practical application of the techniques and processes that shaped style and modes of expression.
Prof. Nketia is the longest serving director of the Institute of African Studies, UG and a former Director of the world renowned International Centre for African Music and Dance (ICAMD).
He has also served as a Professor of Music at the University of Pittsburgh and has lectured in many top universities in Europe, Asia, the United States and Africa.
Prof. Nketia said: “While I appreciate the importance of the programmatic implications of this, I am anxious that we should not land ourselves in a situation of over-using some aspects of our accumulated heritage without continually bringing new ideas and materials to it through creativity that explores their potential, as well as contemporary challenges.
It is only then that we can periodically move from the centre stage what has become stale or irrelevant through over-use and perhaps store it for a new generation that will find it exciting,” he said.
Prof. Nketia noted that the history, tradition and qualities that a country or society had had for many years were considered as important part of its character.
“That is why not so long ago UNESCO set up an international committee on which some of us were privileged to serve, to define the nature and potential of the world’s intangible cultural heritage and to set up a proposal and scheme for the visual and literary documentation of such intangible cultural heritage around the world, paying particular attention to those in danger of disappearing because of the ongoing technological and social changes taking place in many parts of the world”.
Prof. Nketia expressed the belief that the creation of cultural centres in the communities would give the youth and upcoming generation access to the indigenous cultural heritage of the country.
He said the youth must also be encouraged to be creative, since creativity played a role in preserving the cultural heritage of the country.
“There is the possibility of creating or promoting intercultural and cross-cultural creativity that builds bridges not only between the past and the present, indigenous and foreign forms but also of Pan African sources of Indigenous Heritage.
Until the post-colonial awakening became entrenched, this approach received scant attention from those trained primarily in the Western tradition,” Prof. Nketia said.
Prof. J.H. Kwabena Nketia is one of the most published and best known authority on African Music and Aesthetics.
He said the country had not fully recovered from the impact of missionary and colonial intervention, which devalued traditional arts and their modes of expression.
“What is of greater concern to me is not this modern concept of preservation in museums or promotion outside the particular contexts that sustain such heritage in daily or community life but ways of ensuring that the nexus between creative legacy and the social process that in the past ensured continuity is maintained by mechanisms that recontextualise the learning process so that acquisition of cultural knowledge is not confined to the institutional mechanisms of the past but extended to form a component of contemporary institutional arrangements”.
He, therefore, called on concerned authorities to ensure continuity and performance in appropriate contexts and to institutionalise the transmission process so that all children could acquire this legacy at appropriate stages in their educational career.
MIDA DEMOLISHES STRUCTURES AT NII BOI TOWN, LAPAZ (PAGE 18, JUNE 4, 2010)
A demolition exercise to pave way for the Tetteh Quarshie Mallam road, has been carried out.
The exercise undertaken by officials of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), affected traders operating between the Nii Boi Town and Lapaz lorry stations.
The unannounced operation took many traders by surprise as their tables, wooden structures, containers and kiosks were destroyed during the exercise.
When the Daily Graphic visited the scene at about 6:25 a.m.,two bulldozers were still at work with dozens of observers on the site to witness the exercise.
A trader, who gave her name as Mama Theresa, told the Daily Graphic that officials did not give them prior notice about the demolition exercise even though they were aware that it would be executed sooner or later.
She alleged that some officials had alerted a few traders of the impending exercise the previous night. “We heard the rumours around 10:30p.m. We all sell here I do not know why officials should tell some people and leave others”.
The exercise also affected some students and workers who depend on public transport to and from their destinations as they did not know where to pick their vehicles.
The exercise undertaken by officials of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), affected traders operating between the Nii Boi Town and Lapaz lorry stations.
The unannounced operation took many traders by surprise as their tables, wooden structures, containers and kiosks were destroyed during the exercise.
When the Daily Graphic visited the scene at about 6:25 a.m.,two bulldozers were still at work with dozens of observers on the site to witness the exercise.
A trader, who gave her name as Mama Theresa, told the Daily Graphic that officials did not give them prior notice about the demolition exercise even though they were aware that it would be executed sooner or later.
She alleged that some officials had alerted a few traders of the impending exercise the previous night. “We heard the rumours around 10:30p.m. We all sell here I do not know why officials should tell some people and leave others”.
The exercise also affected some students and workers who depend on public transport to and from their destinations as they did not know where to pick their vehicles.
DELTA LAUNCHES NON-STOP FLIGHT TO ATLANTA (SPREAD, JUNE 4, 2010)
Delta Airlines has launched its first non-stop service between Accra and Atlanta in the United States of America.
The flight will operate four times a week using a 243-seater Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
The new Delta Airlines flight departs Kotoka International Airport in Accra at 1a.m on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and arrive in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta at 8:45am.
At the launch, the Senior Vice-President of Delta Airlines in charge of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mr Perry Cantarutti, said the airline was delighted to add a second non-stop service as the leading United States airline in Ghana.
He said the gesture would boost the travel and tourism sector between the two nations and to increase travel choice for Ghanaians.
Mr Cantarutti said the airbus was equipped with ample cargo space to provide significant opportunities for freight forwarders and cargo shippers in Ghana.
He said the airline’s customers were looking forward to getting more travel options with the launch of the Accra-Atlanta service.
Delta Airlines started operating in Ghana in 2006 and serves more than 160 million passengers each year worldwide. With its unsurpassed global network, Delta and Delta connection carriers offer service to 355 destinations in 65 countries on six continents.
Delta employs more than 70,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of nearly 800 aircraft.
The Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor said the decision of Delta to operate in Ghana was an indication of the increased confidence of international civil aviation in the country.
She said its new service was also a confirmation of the congenial business atmosphere that was currently prevailing in the country, which, she noted, was as the result of the pragmatic economic policies implemented by the government.
"The aviation industry in Ghana has enjoyed steady, if not phenomenal, growth in recent years as the result of the liberalisation of Aviation industry through implementation of the Open Skies policy in Ghana and in particular with the United States".
Mrs Attivor noted that the Kotoka International Airport and some of the country's local airports would continue to undergo systematic facelift through infrastructure rehabilitation and the installation of new communication navigation and surveillance equipment to meet international standards.
She also called on Delta airline to support the development of the aviation industry in the country.
The flight will operate four times a week using a 243-seater Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
The new Delta Airlines flight departs Kotoka International Airport in Accra at 1a.m on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and arrive in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta at 8:45am.
At the launch, the Senior Vice-President of Delta Airlines in charge of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mr Perry Cantarutti, said the airline was delighted to add a second non-stop service as the leading United States airline in Ghana.
He said the gesture would boost the travel and tourism sector between the two nations and to increase travel choice for Ghanaians.
Mr Cantarutti said the airbus was equipped with ample cargo space to provide significant opportunities for freight forwarders and cargo shippers in Ghana.
He said the airline’s customers were looking forward to getting more travel options with the launch of the Accra-Atlanta service.
Delta Airlines started operating in Ghana in 2006 and serves more than 160 million passengers each year worldwide. With its unsurpassed global network, Delta and Delta connection carriers offer service to 355 destinations in 65 countries on six continents.
Delta employs more than 70,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of nearly 800 aircraft.
The Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor said the decision of Delta to operate in Ghana was an indication of the increased confidence of international civil aviation in the country.
She said its new service was also a confirmation of the congenial business atmosphere that was currently prevailing in the country, which, she noted, was as the result of the pragmatic economic policies implemented by the government.
"The aviation industry in Ghana has enjoyed steady, if not phenomenal, growth in recent years as the result of the liberalisation of Aviation industry through implementation of the Open Skies policy in Ghana and in particular with the United States".
Mrs Attivor noted that the Kotoka International Airport and some of the country's local airports would continue to undergo systematic facelift through infrastructure rehabilitation and the installation of new communication navigation and surveillance equipment to meet international standards.
She also called on Delta airline to support the development of the aviation industry in the country.
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