Monday, 13th September, 2021

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Page 10BusinessGirls In ICT initiative gets10M cedi boost from MTNMTN Ghana haspresented GHc10million to theMinistry of CommunicationandDigitization as part of its 25th-anniversarycelebrations in supportof the Girls in ICT project.Girls in ICT program is aninternational initiative adoptedin 2012 by all ITU Member Statesincluding Ghana. The program isaimed at exposing young girls toopportunities in the ICT sectorthrough the mentorship workshopand open day programs toprepare them for ICT-relatedprofessions in the future.The first part of the funds waspresented to the Minister of Communicationsand DigitalisationHon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful at apresentation ceremony in Accra.The funding is to coverthe cost of the project over athree-year period to support thegovernment’s efforts to empowerand encourage girls to considerstudies and careers in ICT.Speaking at the presentationceremony, Chief Corporate ServiceOfficer of MTN Ghana, Samuel Koranteng,said “The MTN Group isa signatory to the United NationsWomen Empowerment Principlesand by this, the company haspledged its commitment to theadvancement of Gender Equalityand the Empowerment of Women.It is part of the company’s corebeliefs that everyone deserves thebenefits of a modern, connectedlife and therefore strive to ensurethat men and women benefitequally from ICT.”“Gender Empowerment is akey strategic component of MTN’sCorporate Social Investmentand over the years we have madesignificant contributions in thisregard and because of that, we donot wait until precocious youngDAILY ANALYST Monday, 13th September, 2021girls become seasoned womenprofessionals before taking an interestin them. Our contributionsstart from the grassroots level,”Mr. Koranteng added.The Chief Capital Projects officer,William Tetteh speaking onbehalf of the CEO of MTN Ghanasaid “MTN Ghana remains committedin supporting governmentdevelopment agenda and thispresentation is a demonstrationof that commitment”.Receiving the cheque on behalfof the government, Ministerof Communications and Digitalization,Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful,thanked MTN Ghana for joiningother corporate organizations tosupport the government’s initiativeto empower girls in ICT.She said “The ICT world providesgreat career opportunitiesfor girls if they are given the neededsupport and mentorship. Theinitiative for this year includes abootcamp for girls from rural communitiesin the Western Northregion who are already undergoingprogramming and coding training.The Ministry will consider expandingthe programme to reachmore girls in other regions.”The initiative falls in line withMTN’s vision to lead the deliveryof bold new digital world and itscore beliefs that everyone deservesthe benefits of a modern, connectedlife. In view of that, MTN Ghanahas supported the programmesince its inception with mentorshipprograms as well as cash andkind donations.MTN Ghana is the marketthe Import Declaration Form,”Samson Asaaki Awingobit, theExecutive Secretary of the Associationsaid.“However, we think thisaccusation lacks merit since theauthors of the said report failed tolearn that the GRA and the variousBanks that transact business withthese companies can track anytransaction through the IDF toknow if an importer is under-declaring,”he exclaimed.Bemoaning the negative effectthe allegations have had on thenamed companies, Mr. Awingobitfurther asked the media to becircumspect in reporting suchallegations.“These companies have inleaderin the increasingly competitivemobile telecommunicationsindustry in Ghana, offeringsubscribers a range of excitingoptions under Pay Monthly andPay As You Go Services and MobileFinancial Services. The companyhas committed itself to deliveringreliable and innovative servicesthat provide value for subscribersin Ghana’s telecommunicationsmarket. Since its entry into Ghanain 2006, MTN has continuouslyinvested in expanding and modernizingits network in order tooffer superior services to a broadexpanse of the nation.Mahama economic record woefulThe President of theRepublic, Nana AddoDankwa Akufo-Addo,has described the periodin office of his predecessor,John Dramani Mahama, as anunmitigated disaster, describinghis economic track record whilstin office, from 2013 to 2016, asabysmal.President Akufo-Addo madethis known on Friday, 10thSeptember 2021, in response toquestion posed by the host, inwhich she referenced a statementmade by former President JohnMahama in which he accused thecurrent Government of economicmismanagementResponding to the statement,the President stated that “Iwonder whether this statementwas made tongue in cheek by theformer president. When you lookat the record that this politicalleader, who can accuse my governmentof mismanagement, thereare a few facts that when youput on the table to compare hisperformance and mine, it wouldtell you that if what I am offeringpeople is economic mismanagement.”He continued, “I wonder whatwords should we describe his (Mahama)stewardship of Ghana. Itis an unmitigated disaster, that’swhat I would call him.”According to PresidentAkufo-Addo, under the tenure ofoffice of John Mahama, economicgrowth rate in 2016 stood at 3.4%,the lowest in two decades; with allother macroeconomic indicatorspointing in the wrong direction.“Inflation, when he left office,was 15.4%; today, at the end of July,which are the last hard facts fromthe Statistical Service, it’s 9%. Interestrates are always a good determinantof how the economy isoperating, 32% in December 2016,today, it is 20.6%. We are talkingabout treasury bill decline ininterest rate, we are talking aboutthe trade deficit that was $1.8billion in 2016, to a trade surplus of$2.6 billion at the end of 2019,” thePresident said.He stressed that if these statistics,which, prior to COVID-19, ledto Ghana being one of the fastestgrowing economies in the worldwith a GDP of 7%, “can be consideredeconomic mismanagement”,he then wondered what would bethe description of the economymanaged by John Mahama, whichtook Ghana into the embrace ofthe IMF.Responding again to commentsmade by John Mahama,asking Government to organisean economic forum, PresidentAkufo-Addo stated that “if theeconomic forum is going to be arepetition of the so-called SenchiConsensus, then I think I haveto spare the people of Ghana thissort of development.”He continued, “The SenchiConsensus was an unmitigateddisaster, out of it we went into theembrace of the IMF with all thedifficulties that came from thereand the disarray it pointed to inthe economy of our country.”The President, thus, urged formerPresident Mahama to be waryof commenting on matters to dowith economic management.“He is not on strong groundwhen he is talking about theeconomy. His track record, I amreluctant to use these strongwords, but in normal parlance, Iwould say it abysmal and, therefore,he has no lessons to give meat all in the management of theeconomy,” President Akufo-Addoadded.Importers and Exporters Association debunks tax evasionThe Importers and ExportersAssociation hasdebunked media reportswhich allegedly accusessome of its membersof evading taxes at the country’sports as well as engaging inmoney laundering through porttransactions.This comes on the back ofreports by pressure group, Movementfor Truth and Accountabilitywhich alleged that some importingcompanies especially those inthe Tema enclave are engaged inunder-invoicing, tax evasion andmoney laundering.They cited investigations allegedlydone by the Bank of Ghanamonitoring department, Ministry…money laundering claimsof Finance and other anti-corruptionagencies.According to the group, thecompanies upon getting theirrequest for Import DeclarationForm approved to bring in goodsto the amount requested endedup importing much less than theyrequested.Their report further statedthat a total of over 1.8 milliondollars was transferred to thesecompanies solely for importpurposes, but cannot be tracedbecause they allegedly under-invoicedthe transactions or refused—President Akufo-Addoto pay the required taxes to theGhana Revenue Authority.Some of these companiesmentioned in their allegation includeWE2 Sea Foods, Three Hills,Greensam Enterprise and AlltradeEnterprise.But the Importers and ExportersAssociation said these reportsare misleading and should bedisregarded.“Per the said reports, most ofthe importing companies wereaccused of under-declaring tax byimporting far less of goods theyhad stated and paid for throughternational reputation. They arecausing harm to the companiesand the nation. They are puttingthe country at risk level thatGhana launders money throughimportation. They are impugningthe integrity of the hard-workingstaff of the GRA and the CustomsDivision.”“I strongly believe that if you[the media] pick or intelligence,please try your best to speak toexperts. Speak to people whounderstand trade and their inputbefore you proceed. Go beyond andspeak to the said company thatthe story is about,” he advised.—Citifmonline.com
DAILY ANALYSTMonday, 13th September, 2021 Page 11Salah scores 100thgoal in Liverpool winLiverpool kept pace withthe Premier League’sleading pack as MohamedSalah’s 100thEnglish top-flight goalhelped them to victory at Leeds.The game was somewhatmarred, though, by a dislocatedankle to teenage midfielderHarvey Elliott, who was stretcheredoff following an initiallyinnocuous-looking sliding challengefrom Pascal Struijk thatultimately saw the Leeds playersent off.Liverpool were already firmlyin control of the game by then,though.Egyptian forward Salah wasperfectly placed to tap in TrentAlexander-Arnold’s low crossand give the Reds a 20th-minuteadvantage, with Fabinho bundlinghome the second followinga corner five minutes after theHearts of Oak onSunday afternoonsuffered a 3-2 defeatto Accra Lions FC ina friendly match asthe side continued preparationsfor their campaign in the CAFChampions League.After emerging as Championsof the 2020/2021 GhanaPremier League season, the teamnicknamed the Phobians are setto compete with other championsin the continental inter-clubcompetition.As part of preparations forthe first game of the competition,Hearts of Oak have in thebreak.Sadio Mane had missed anumber of chances in the game,but made absolutely certain ofthe points with a low finish intothe far bottom corner in injurytime.Leeds had their chances too,with Rodrigo firing the best ofthem straight at Alisson withthe game still goalless.But with a man fewer, Leedscould not muster the challengerequired and have now failed towin any of their first four topflightmatches in a season forthe first time since 1958-59.They will also now have todeal with a shortage of numbersin central defence, with Struijkbanned and Diego Llorente limpingoff in the first half to joinRobin Koch on the treatmenttable.—BBCHearts of Oak lose3-2 to Accra Lionspast weeks been training andplaying friendly matches.In another friendly matchplayed at the Accra Sports Stadiumtoday, the Ghanaian championshosted top-flight leaguenewcomers Accra Lions FC.At the end of a very toughcontest, Hearts of Oak has beendefeated 3-2 to Accra Lions at theend of the 90 minutes.The team will have a reston Monday but will return totraining on Tuesday to continuepreparations for the CAF ChampionsLeague encounter againstCI Kamsar next weekend.Ferguson helpedbring Ronaldoback to Man USir Alex Ferguson hasrevealed his role inensuring CristianoRonaldo returned toManchester Unitedrather than joining rivals ManchesterCity.Ronaldo made his seconddebut for United on Saturdayand scored twice against NewcastleUnited in a 4-1 win.Speaking to Viaplay aheadof the game, Ferguson said hecontributed as he didn't wantRonaldo playing for City."I'm excited like everyoneelse, there was anticipation allday yesterday and waking upin the morning. I speak for allsupporters -- it's a great day forManchester United," Fergusonsaid."A lot of people played theirpart [in bringing Ronaldo back]and I contributed knowingthat really Cristiano wantedto come here and that was important.It worked very well."I wouldn't say it's emotionalbut it's exciting for meand a relief because I couldn'timagine him playing for ManRomelu Lukakuscored his first evergoals at StamfordBridge as Chelseabeat Aston Villa tomaintain their unbeaten start.Lukaku kissed the clubbadge as he celebrated hisopener in front of Blues fansafter beating Villa goalkeeperJed Steer on his 15th appearanceat the stadium overall.The Belgian’s clinical finishthrough Steer’s legs came fromCity, I don't think anyone could."That's why we took steps tomake sure he came here and theclub then followed in very welland I spoke to the Glazers and itSportsStamford Bridge goals...as Chelsea beat Aston Villaa precise pass from Mateo Kovacicinside his own half.Dean Smith’s side createdplenty of chances after concedingand managed four shots ontarget, but could not find a waypast Blues goalkeeper EdouardMendy.Villa were punished for theirwasted chances when Kovacicdoubled Chelsea’s lead early inthe second half with a first-timefinish into the bottom cornerfrom Tyrone Mings’ weak backwas done. I think he will makean impact on the young playersin particular, he's got the experienceto handle the occasion."Ronaldo spent six seasons atOld Trafford between 2003 and2009. While with the club hewon eight major trophies andscored 118 goals.The Portugal internationalappeared to be close to joiningCity at the end of the summertransfer window but insteadsigned a two-year deal withUnited from Juventus.—ESPNpass.Lukaku sealed the win forChelsea in injury time with apowerful finish down from theedge of the box.The victory takes ThomasTuchel’s side up to second, andsees the club reach a significantmilestone as they become onlythe second team in PremierLeague history to reach 600wins in the competition (ManchesterUnited have 689).—ESPN
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