Clegg, described as one of the country’s most celebrated sons, had been fighting pancreatic cancer since 2015.
His manager for 30 years, Roddy Quinn released this statement:
It is with immense sadness that we confirm that Jonathan (Johnny) Clegg, OBE OIS succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 66 on the afternoon of 16 July 2019 at his family home in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Of the seven times that Nigeria has played in this losers’ final, the Super Eagles have never lost a third place match at the AFCON.
It was like that in Ethiopia in 1976 (against Guinea), Ghana in 1978 (against Tunisia), Senegal in 1992 (against Cameroon), Mali in 2002 (against Mali), Tunisia in 2004 (against Mali), Egypt in 2006 (against Senegal) and Angola in 2010 (against Algeria).
Will Coach Gernot Rohr and his wards keep tradition going or would enter into record books as the first generation that failed in that task of bringing home to football-mad Nigerians what is now termed ‘Golden bronze’ as consolation?
With that less than convincing display from the semi final clash with Algeria last Sunday, not even the incurable optimists amongst Nigerian football fans is ready to wager a bet on this 2019 Eagles. They are simply not convincing in all departments.
This perhaps may make the encounter with Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles another moment of anxiety for our countrymen (and women). It is bound to be a feisty confrontation of Eagles as the Tunisians appear more convincing to walk away with the consolation third place medals at the end of hostilities at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo this night.
However, if Rohr is able to tinker with his team for the Eagles to be able to lift their game to the level that saw them crush both Cameroon and South Africa, perhaps that may assuage the anger of Nigerians calling for his sack.
Nigeria, in her 18th appearance at the Cup of Nations, has made the semi finals for the 15th time – a remarkable record of almost always getting to the business end of the championship. The country has failed to reach the semi finals only thrice before: 1963 (debut, in Ghana), 1982 (Libya), 2008 (Ghana).
Of the 15 times Nigeria has made the semi finals, the Eagles have gone ahead to win the title three times, picked up the silver medals four times and won bronze medals seven times.
According to Arc. Dr. Ekow Sam, Consortium Coordinator, in a statement said “Your Excellency, first of all, Sir David Adjaye who is the Principal Architect of Adjaye & Associates, to the best of our knowledge, is not licensed or registered to carry on the profession of an Architect under the Architects Decree, 1968 (NRCD 357) as amended. He is not a member of the Ghana Institute of Architects. Furthermore, neither himself nor Adjaye & Associates have been registered by the Architects Registration Council pursuant to the Architects Decree (NRCD 357) as amended.”
At the close of nominations, Mr Iddrisu, 49 years and four-term MP filed as a sole candidate for the Tamale South Constituency and will be declared unopposed.
This will be the fourth time at the party level that he had been returned unopposed.
Asked about his political secret why he had always gone unopposed, Mr Iddrisu said: “I can only express my gratitude to the chiefs, opinion leaders and the good people of Tamale South, especially women and youth for their continuous growing faith and confidence in me”.
“I am incredibly humbled by the massive show of support and I want it to reflect in massive turnout and support for John Dramani Mahama and myself during the 2020 general election.”
He said with the current hardship, poverty and unemployment that have bedeviled the country Ghanaians have no alternative than to vote back the NDC to power.
Mr Iddrisu, a former Minister of Communication in the John Mahama-led administration, has been credited a number of innovations during his tenure.
These include the introduction of the Mobile Number Portability, mandatory sim registration aimed at fighting anonymous crime.
Whilst serving as Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Iddrisu masterminded the streamlining of the Second Tier Pension Regime and tactically handled the most difficult industrial conflicts the country had witnessed.
He further superintended over the first ever codified conditions of service for all health workers and introduced the labour market information systems.
As Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Iddrisu changed the focus of the Export Development and Agricultural Fund, transforming it into the Ghana Exim Bank.
According to Mr Iddrisu, whilst as Trade and Industry Minister, he formulated policies that simulate support for local entrepreneurs, introduced the Ghana Commodity Exchange, and built the Export House and Tamale Irrigation Development in the Upper East Region.
In Parliament, the Minority Leader has held numerous leadership positions including Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications and also, the Minority Spokesman on Communications when the NDC was in opposition.
He was involved in preparations towards the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and participated in the Tunis Summit in 2005. He has also been present at International Trade Union, Commonwealth Trade Organisation and other international information communication telecommunication fora.
He is currently a member of Ghana’s delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Global International Parliamentary Union.
In charting his political career, Mr Iddrisu played a very active part in student politics and was president of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) from 1996-1997.
He has been the National Youth Organiser of the NDC and now a member of the National Executive Council.
She further expressed Israel’s desire to support the Ashanti Region in the area of agriculture.
According to the Ambassador, Kumasi host many Israeli businesses including technological development activities, saying: “We are planning to see the springing up of investments in the coming years in the region.”
She made the statement during an interaction with some journalists in Kumasi on Wednesday.
“I am happy that the King of Ashanti, Otumfuo Osei Tutu and the government are keen on cooperation between the two countries.”
She said the two countries can do a lot together to develop the Ashanti Region’s potentials, pointing out that “Israel believes in the potential of Ghanaians, hence the construction of a new embassy in Ghana was an indication of a symbolic relationship between us.”
“We think the potential in our relationship is huge, it is not a mere coincidence that we decided to have a new economic trading office in Ghana, and also invited President Akufo-Addo to Israel,” she added.
On health, she said Israel had commissioned two neonatal units at the Kumasi South and Suntreso Hospitals, which had saved 1,400 babies in 2018 and this year.
She noted that “four medical doctors and a nurse from Israel are training doctors and nurses in the two hospitals towards improving healthcare of the citizenry.”
The call was to afford her the opportunity to familiarize herself with the workings of the council, and also to discuss issues of mutual benefit for her country and Ghana as a whole.
Among the issues discussed at the meeting which was held behind closed doors were trade facilitation, governance and security.
Present at the meeting which lasted well over-one-and-half hours were the Chairman of the Council, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, Mr Sam Okudzeto, Nana Owusu Nsiah, Paa Kofi Ansong, Mr Stanley Adjiri Blankson, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, Dr Margaret Amoakohene, Mrs Georgina Adepa Konadu Kusi and Nana Appiah Nuamah II.
In his welcome address, the chairman of the council, Nana Otuo Siriboe said it was an honour to receive the Ambassador to their outfit.
He explained that the council was cut in the mode of the US senate and though it was as rich and resourceful, it was blessed with the needed manpower to perform its duties.
Nana Otuo Siriboe explained that the council was of a 25-member council made up of 11 nominees appointed by the President, 10 members each elected from the then 10 regions and four ex-officio members.
He said they acted as the mouthpiece of the larger society in proffering critical advice to the President.
On her part, Ms Sullivan said the visit which was under her behest was to help deepen relations with the council and also understand how it operated.
She said the meeting would afford her the opportunity to know where the two bodies could collaborate for the mutual benefit of their respective countries.
According to him, some heads were simply refusing to comply with the laid down regulations of good governance and the protection of the national purse.
“The biggest challenge facing the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) as an anti-corruption investigatory and prosecutorial body in spite of all the powers conferred upon it is not the President who promised the people of Ghana to establish the Office but the heads of institutions who simply refuse to comply with laws designed to ensure good governance and to protect the national purse by fighting corruption,” he stated.
Mr Amidu made these allegations in a write-up published in Accra yesterday.
Among other things, he said, the “heads of institutions wantonly disregard statutory requests made by the Office for information and production of documents to assist in the investigation of corruption and corruption-related offences, in spite of the fact that the President has on a number of occasions admonished them on such misconduct.”
Failure to address these impediments, he explained, would make the fight against corruption less successful and render the OSP a defeated establishment.
He said the Office would sue institutions which fail to honour requests for documents and information through the Attorney General to compel them to release documents to help in investigations.
“The OSP Act empowers the Office to enforce the production of information and documents in the courts against any public institution that fails or refuses to honour the lawful request of the Office. This Office can also go to the High Court to compel heads of institutions to obey the laws that support the fight against corruption. The consequence will be that in accordance with the civil procedure rules this Office will have to sue the Attorney General as the representative of the State.”
He stated that some agencies, whose names he did not mention in the write-up, were bent on “interfering and undermining the independence of the OSP by deliberately running concurrent investigations falling within the jurisdiction of this Office with on-going investigations in this Office for the sole purpose of aborting investigations into corruption and corruption-related offences.”
Although the OSP was working to fight corruption, he said some malfeasance had affected the ability of this Office to deliver on its mandate, particularly when it must depend on some of these very institutions for seconded staff until it employs its own.
“What is worrying to this Office as an anti-corruption investigation and prosecutorial agency is the refusal of heads of institutions to take steps to enforce basic rules of discipline governing their institutions even when they know that their officers are under investigation, have been cautioned, bailed, and eventually even charged with corruption and corruption-related offences.”
Heads of agencies, Mr Amidu, said, have refused to interdict public officers who were under investigation as required under the law.
“Unfortunately, the experience of the Office of the Special Prosecutor is that when it comes to fighting corruptions and corruption-related offences, heads of institutions think that the rules on interdiction and/or indefinite leave of public officers do not apply to corruption and corruption-related offences.”
Mr Amidu urged the public and civil society organisations to support work of the Office and put pressure on the political elite to obey the laws that enable the Office to achieve its mandate.
In an interview with Ghanaian Times, Vitus Azeem, an anti-corruption crusader, urged the Special Prosecutor to submit the names of the heads of institutions hindering the work of the Office to the President to call them to order.
He said most of the heads of institutions were under the control of the Executive which could order for cooperation or face sanctions.
On the matter of interdiction of public officers under investigations, Mr Azeem called on the Special Prosecutor to draw the attention of the heads of institutions to the provision on interdiction and educate them on its applicability.
As a public official with the mandate to end corruption in the country, he said, he understood the frustrations of Mr Amidu on the lack of cooperation from the heads of institutions and called on Ghanaians and civil society groups to fully support the Office in realisation of its objectives.
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The unveil comes three years after the Charismatic Evangelistic Ministry, Reverend Steve Mensah and partners launched its flagship program Dubbed Day of Help in Accra.
The Day of Help program over the years has seen the church and its partners providing Persons Living with Disability some support to get them going. On the 27th of August 2016, Persons Living with Disability converged at the independence square to receive Free Medical Care, Food Supplies, Clothes, Home supplies and many more. A similar event was held at the same venue in 2017, and in 2018 the Day of Help program was organized in Tamale in the Northern region.
It has been the long standing dream of Rev Steve Mensah to expand the help given to Persons Living with Disability to a more strategic and long term solution.
This led to Reverend Steve Mensah envisioning a community where Persons living with Disability get to live in decency among others.
The launch of CEM Ability Village over the weekend has been in the offing of CEM for the past three years and those who attended the event were excited and marveled about the size and scale of the dream and what it will take to achieve it.
The First phase of the CEM Ability village is estimated at $85 million and will be a community which provides Persons with Disability with Free and/or heavily subsidized medical care, education, vocational training, housing and many more.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Ghana National Council for Persons Living with Disability, Mr Yaw Debrah was full of praise for Reverend Steve and the church and indicated the commitment of the council to support the project through to its execution. He called on well meaning Ghanaians to reach out to support persons with disability and the project.
On her part, Ms Farida Bedwei a Ghanaian software engineer and co-founder of Logiciel, a fin-tech company in Ghana charged the state to stop ticking boxes in its approach to dealing with issues relating to Persons with Disability. She stresses the point that Persons living with Disability have a lot to offer if the right environment is created. Getting this right will take more than understanding the plight of PWDs, it will require the financial and non-financial support of both the state and the private sector.
The occasion was also graced by the Minister of State in charge of Gender, Children and Social protection, the Honourable Cynthia Morrison. The minister who doubles as the Member of Parliament for the Agona West Constituency charged parents dealing with Children living with Disability to be guided by faith knowing that a lot can be done by each individual despite the challenges. She stated government’s commitment to ensuring that persons living with Disability are given the needed help to enable them succeed in life.
Taking his turn at the Program, The former president of the Republic of Ghana. H.E John Mahama encouraged citizens to support Persons with Disability. He indicated that Persons living with disability are to be supported and not pitied. He stated his willingness to support the idea and the vision of Reverend Steve Mensah of creating a modern community for Persons with Disability.
As part of his message for the unveil, Reverend Steve Mensah re-stated his commitment to supporting Persons living with disability. In an emotionally delivered message, he charged the church and the government to ensure that no one was left behind. He used the occasion to invite the investor community, private companies, charities, NGOs to join hands with CEM to ensure that the vision sees the light of day.
Other invited guest who graced the occasion include:
In 2011, Chinese troops were deployed on the African continent for the first time. Back then, the government in Beijing had dispatched a frigate to the Libyan coast to monitor the evacuation of 35,000 Chinese citizens from the war-torn country.
Today, some eight years later, the presence of Chinese soldiers has become commonplace, at least in parts of the African continent. For example, some 2,000 Chinese troops are currently involved in UN peacekeeping missions in African countries like South Sudan and Mali. And it was in Djibouti, strategically located on the Gulf of Aden on Africa’s east coast, where China established its first foreign military base in 2017.
The Chinese government now intends to expand its military cooperation with the continent. To this end, China’s Defense Ministry has invited African army chiefs to a summit in Beijing, running from July 14 to 20.
Last year, the Chinese capital hosted a meeting of high-ranking military attaches and army representatives from virtually all African countries. If the available press bulletins are anything to go by, there is one issue that will clearly dominate the agenda this week: peace.
From ‘defense’ to ‘peace’
The focus of the talks has shifted increasingly toward safeguarding peace, Cobus van Staden of the South African Institute of International Affairs told DW. And a summit name change also points in that direction. In 2018, African delegations were in Beijing to take part in the China-Africa Defense and Security Forum.
This year’s invitation dropped the “defense” heading, instead replacing it with “peace” — a shift of Chinese priorities toward a stronger commitment to peacekeeping on the conflict-ravaged continent, said van Staden.
By contrast, political analyst Lina Benabdallah, who studies China’s Africa policies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina in the US, does not attach a deeper meaning to the name change. In 2018, the Chinese had simply intended to test the water with a first round of cooperation talks, she said. This time, they were setting up an official panel of increased distinction, said Benabdallah.
Safeguarding economic interests
China is predominantly interested in consolidating its presence in Africa, Benabdallah told DW, for instance through intensified collaboration with the African Union, more police and military training exercises and more peacekeeping troops. This is also where the military base in Djibouti plays a crucial role.
For China, however, Djibouti doesn’t just carry military significance. The small nation on the Gulf of Aden is also a strategically important hub for President Xi Jinping’s economic signature project, the Belt and Road Initiative.
The port of Djibouti is the starting point of a new railway line to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, a line financed and constructed by China. Similar construction projects are to make sure that, in future, railway lines will be operational across all of eastern Africa. China, Benabdallah said, will also use this week’s forum as an instrument to safeguard its economic interests on the continent.
More peace through weapons?
Arms are another key issue on the agenda. In recent years, China has turned into a major weapons and equipment supplier for Africa’s armies. According to van Staden, Russia is still the No. 1 arms supplier in Africa, but China ranks second.
The Asians wish to position themselves as supplier of affordable but advanced military technology, Benabdallah said. This despite the fact that in 2018, China’s Xi backed the African Union objective of implementing a ceasefire across the continent by 2020.
Benabdallah pointed out that other powers, like Russia and the US, were also trying to enforce their military and economic interests in Africa. This harbors dangers, but also opportunities, she said, adding that the smart way to proceed was for African heads of state and government to ensure that they make their decisions as independently as possible. If they didn’t, “other governments could interfere too much,” she said
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