Daily Heritage December 5

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Inside Dec 5.qxp_Layout 1 12/4/17 10:22 PM Page 7 4TH DECEMBER 2017 TUESDAY CURRENCY PARIS CODE BUYING SELLING US Dollar USDGHS 4.4050 4.6100 RATES Pound Sterling GBPGHS 5.8000 5.9500 Euro GBPGHS 5.2000 5.3500 10 DAILY HERITAGE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH •Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communications Govt to acquire 25% shares in AirtelTigo BY ROSEMOND BOATENG ADDAI Rosemond.adjetey@dailyheritage.com.gh THE MINISTER of Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has said that the government is yet to decide which tool to use to acquire 25% shares in AirtelTigo. According to the Minister, the government has an embedded option to purchase up to 25% of the shares of the merged entity within two years and so the opportunity is there for them to take up that opportunity. She added, “We think that there should be local participation in this industry and it shouldn’t be limited to the big players but also understand that some of their profit must stay here to develop our country in the form of local partners they will get in the next two years.” Mrs Owusu-Ekuful explained that her Ministry is following the process because they do not want any labour agitation to come up. “We are following this process closely but as far as we are concerned all the necessary approval has been granted and they have started their advertisement and programmes,” she said. She added that the merging of the two telecommunications companies would result in a vibrant and quality service delivery at a cheaper cost to citizens. She encouraged even greater consolidations along such lines within the market. Vivo Energy, Engen Holdings enter share transaction VIVO ENERGY Holding BV (Vivo Energy) has agreed to enter into a share transaction with Engen Holdings (Pty) Limited (Engen Holdings), a 100% subsidiary of Engen Limited, in relation to the purchase of shares in Engen International Holdings (Mauritius) Limited (Engen International Holdings) for the exchange of a shareholding in Vivo Energy, with a possible cash element. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval. Upon completion of this transaction, nine new countries and over 300 Engen-branded service stations will be added to Vivo Energy’s network, taking Vivo Energy’s total presence to over 2,100 service stations, across 24 African markets. The new markets for Vivo Energy included in the transaction are DR Congo, Zimbabwe, Réunion, Zambia, Gabon, Rwanda, Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi. Engen’s Kenya operations (where Vivo Energy already operates) are also part of this transaction. Engen Holdings (Pty) Ltd will retain its interest in Engen Petroleum Limited (the South Africa business and refinery) and Engen’s businesses in Mauritius, Botswana, Ghana, Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho, which are not part of this transaction. Mr Christian Chammas, Chief Executives Officer (CEO), Vivo Energy, said the company’s first six years’ shareholders have invested to grow Vivo Energy, increasing its network from around 1,300 to over 1,800 service stations and adding over 400 new and refurbished shops and quick service restaurant offers.” “I am delighted at today’s agreement with Engen, which, subject to regulatory approval, will add a number of new African markets to our business so that we can offer high quality products and services to significantly more customers,” he added. Mr Chammas added that, “Engen is a strong and well respected brand, and complements our existing business. Upon completion of the transaction we look forward to welcoming the Engen team into Vivo Energy and working with them to grow our combined business. Our vision is to become the most respected energy business in Africa. Today’s announcement takes us one step closer to achieving that goal.” Yusa Hassan, Managing Director and CEO of Engen, said “Engen is excited to enter into this strategic undertaking with Vivo Energy, which is clearly aligned with our growth aspirations in Africa. We will seek to build on each other’s strengths from this collaboration for the benefit of our customers across the continent.” Currently with over 1,800 service stations across 15 African markets, Vivo Energy sources, distributes, markets and supplies Shell-branded fuels and lubricants to retail and commercial customers across the continent. Vivo Energy is jointly owned by the energy and commodities company Vitol and the Africafocused private investment firm Helios Investment Partners. Ian Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Vitol, said “Africa is a very important part of our business and we are committed to continuing to invest across the continent. We are delighted to be entering this undertaking with Engen that will add 300 Engen service stations to Vivo Energy’s expanding footprint.” KRIF Ghana launches customer feedback device BY BENJAMIN TANDOH THE EXECUTIVE Chairman of Krif Ghana, Reverend Kennedy Okosun, has urged business entities to pay attention to their customer experience in order to thrive. This, he added, would retain and grow customer loyalty by delivering on-target solutions to satisfy customers’ expectations. Speaking at the launch of its Customer Feedback System device in Accra last Friday, Rev Okosun said factors such as information and communication technology and social media had played a critical role in collapsing markets separated by geography into one single theatre of marketplace. These factors, he explained, had pushed enterprises to make critical choices which would enable them to stick close to their customers. “There is a consensus that customers in the new millennium have become more sophisticated with complex and changing tastes and preferences. “Companies are no longer in the position to guarantee that they can continue to exclusively serve their defined customers in the foreseeable future,” he said. The device, he explained, is destined to revolutionise the customer satisfaction assessment architecture of any user entity when deployed. “The device is ideal for teller performance measurement, showcasing customer focus orientation and guaranteeing confidentiality and objectivity in data gathering. It also serves as an important source for the provision of Human Resource statistics. “KRIF Ghana Limited will provide an example to buttress the position that the Ghanaian- Hungarian partnership is a workable proposition by officially launching a customer feedback system manufactured in Hungary which is both heart-warming and reassuring,” he stressed. The customer feedback system, as explained by KRIF Ghana, is a Microsoft-based device which comes with an innovative design, ease of installation and dependability and can be tailored to dovetail into the peculiarities of any client. The device is noted to have a userfriendly touch screen, tablet-based terminals and optional peripherals such as webcam, keyboard, WIFI, and motion sensors.
Inside Dec 5.qxp_Layout 1 12/4/17 10:22 PM Page 8 WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH DAILY HERITAGE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2017 11 Politics “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind” ― Bernard M. Baruch Make Africa more attractive to end modern-day slavery • Apostle Amoako Atta tells leaders We know those who scrap pro-poor policies – President Akufo-Addo THE PRESI- DENT of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has reiterated that the Free Senior High School Policy, launched this year, on September 12, will be sustained and is here to stay. According to President Akufo-Addo, “I know, and I am sure I am not the only one who has heard the people who are mounting political platforms, speaking on television and radio, and putting up posts on social media hoping and praying for this policy to collapse.” He continued, “We know those who have a record for scrapping pro-poor policies – nursing and teacher trainees will bear testimony. I wish to assure them that Free SHS will be sustained, that Free SHS is here to stay. The overwhelming majority of Ghanaians support the choice that I have made in implementing Free SHS”. President Akufo-Addo made this known on Saturday, <strong>December</strong> 2, 2017, when he delivered a speech at the 60th Anniversary Celebrations of the Kumasi •President Nana Akufo-Addo Academy, in Kumasi. The President stressed that there is no part of Ghana that does not recognise the importance of education, adding that “we have all accepted that education is the best route to moving out of poverty.” He said it is for this reason that he launched the Free Senior High School policy, to ensure that one of the biggest obstacles that stood in the way of access to secondary education, which is cost, is removed. “This has already led to an increase of over 90,000 children, who have entered secondary school this academic year, who would otherwise have dropped out at this stage. Free SHS has lifted the financial burden off parents, and the heart-rending anxiety that accompanies the beginning of every school term,” he said. President Akufo-Addo said he was, thus, surprised that because of political expediency, some would wish and pray for this policy to fail. Nonetheless, the President reiterated that “my government believes that we have a sacred duty to our children, and the generations beyond in ensuring that irrespective of their circumstances, whether of birth, status, class, ethnic or religious affiliations, their right to an education is preserved.” On the teething challenges confronting the Free SHS policy, the President acknowledged that “these would be with any new, bold initiative”. He told the gathering that he was inspired by the famous Chinese adage that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”, explaining that “we have taken that first step in Ghana, and we shall deal with the challenges.” In dealing with the teething challenges, President Akufo- Addo stated that “[the] Government has ordered thousands of mono-desks and bunk beds, as well as furniture for dining halls, staff rooms, computer labs and markers for classroom.” In commemoration of Kumasi Academy’s 60th Anniversary, the President announced that through the Ministry of Education, a vocational centre would be constructed for the school and its library and ICT centre completed. BY PROSPER AGBENYEGA THE FOUNDER of The Lord’s Parliament Chapel International (former Freedom Chapel International), Apostle Francis Amoako Atta, has indicated that the challenge that African countries, including Ghana, are facing as regards the slave trade in Libya can only be surmounted if these nations rise up and build their respective countries and make it more attractive for their citizens. According to him, although people are aware of the barbaric killings and inhuman treatments being meted out to their fellow Africans in Libya, drones of people keep migrating to Libya for greener pastures which they cannot find in their countries. He said, “Why is it that upon all that we are hearing and seeing, people still travel to Libya. It is because probably the conditions here are not good for them, the jobs are not here and it makes it difficult for a university graduate to afford a square meal a day. So what do you expect them to do?” Apostle Amoako Atta, in an exclusive interview with this reporter, also said the time had come for African leaders to stand up and condemn Libya over this shameful modern day slavery and bring them to justice. According to him, Africa, at this time, needs determined leaders that can help build their country, establish industries and create jobs for the teeming youth so as to break the chain of migration and by extension the slave trade in Libya. “When people find comfort wherever they are, they would not think of moving out because they are better at where they are. Our leaders must take the current situation in Libya as a test case for them to stand up and build their nation,” he said. He, however, lauded the Ghanaian government and its leaders for introducing One-District-One-Factory program, which will help create jobs and help sustain livelihoods. But he averred that the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government must be committed to its policy directions so as to achieve better results for the entire nation. “If the 1D1F is sustained and the government ensures that it works perfectly, I don’t think anyone will go to Libya after hearing and seeing what is happening out there. Look, all our people want are jobs and money. Government must open companies, build factories so that everybody will at least be comfortable in his or her own corner,” he said. The Apostle, who himself worked in Libya from 1985 to 1988, also explained that we talk about the slavery in Libya without talking about the cause of slavery in modern day society. He mentioned that what we are witnessing today is the result of the decision our forefathers took to sell us to the whites. “The most potent tool in the hand of the oppressor is the mindset of the oppressed. Libyans always see us as slaves. They refer to anybody with a black skin as slave and that is why they continue to treat us as such,” the Apostle indicated. He said the unfortunate incident of modern day slavery could be attributed to the mistake of our leaders 10 to 20 years ago because they failed to tackle key macroeconomic challenges, including unemployment and poverty that is crippling most societies and the economy at large. “But we fail to ask the question, what really contributes to immigration. Migrants leave their country for elsewhere partly because they feel insatiable in their home country,” Apostle Amoako Atta said. He also said unemployment has been the major factor causing these migrants to flee from their land of to a place they have no idea about. He, however, stressed that in as much as our leaders did not play their part in solving key macroeconomic issues the underlining factor causing what we are witnessing in Libya and elsewhere today would persist. •Apostle Francis Amoako Atta
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Daily Heritage December 5

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