Babies in mining areas born with deformities due to mercury in water bodies - Scientists

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Transcript

00:00:00 Day two of the week is here.

00:00:01 It's a Tuesday morning and we're so glad.

00:00:04 Every morning when we come your way

00:00:06 and you allow us into your homes

00:00:08 and onto your portable gadgets,

00:00:10 be it your phone, tablet, phablet,

00:00:13 whatever it is, your computer,

00:00:14 we're grateful that you're connecting with us this morning.

00:00:17 Be sure to stay with us all the way till 10

00:00:20 when Bernice and I hang our boots on this network

00:00:23 for the day.

00:00:24 But from us to you, we love you.

00:00:26 Thank you for joining.

00:00:27 So coming up this morning,

00:00:28 it's quite the list we have for you.

00:00:30 And in the course of the news review,

00:00:32 if you're wondering, yes,

00:00:33 I'm going to be getting into some of what

00:00:35 Mr. President said yesterday in the MEPA area

00:00:39 and what my take is on it.

00:00:40 But you can expect more on Friday.

00:00:43 For now though, I'll be serving you the news shortly,

00:00:45 right after which in the news review,

00:00:48 I'll be joined by Afil Mone.

00:00:50 He is former president of the Ghana Journalists Association.

00:00:53 And right after that, sports as always

00:00:55 with Muftau Nabila Abdelaye.

00:00:57 Then we get into one of the most potent problems

00:01:01 in this country, Gallamce.

00:01:03 Scientists are warning of the possible presence

00:01:05 of some poisonous metals, heavy metals,

00:01:09 in some food crops and fish

00:01:10 from mining prone areas of the country.

00:01:14 The Environmental Protection Agency

00:01:15 found high concentrations of mercury in fish

00:01:18 from the Tano River tested in 2022.

00:01:22 Now similar tests conducted in some leafy vegetables

00:01:25 and herbs found they absorbed disturbing concentrations

00:01:29 of heavy metals.

00:01:29 And guess who ate them?

00:01:31 You and I, we ate them.

00:01:34 These are contained in the latest hotline,

00:01:36 Trust Africa Multimedia Documentary,

00:01:38 Poison for Gold produced by Erastus Asaridonko.

00:01:42 We'd have a conversation on this all important matter,

00:01:45 your health, my health, the health of future generations

00:01:48 with Dr. Abdul Wadud Momin.

00:01:51 He is senior lecturer, School of Mines,

00:01:53 University of Energy and Natural Resources

00:01:55 together with, it's been a while since we had Elizabeth Va,

00:02:00 executive director, Ghana Environmental Advocacy Group

00:02:02 and Darrell Bossu, who is actually

00:02:04 a deputy executive director of Arosha Ghana.

00:02:07 And on that beat, I'll also take the conversation

00:02:10 to somewhere in the Western region

00:02:11 where pristine water bodies land

00:02:15 are also being infected by the plague of Gallamce.

00:02:19 But then we get into our second conversation for the day.

00:02:23 Banis Abubaydou Lansa will be on that beat.

00:02:25 And the Spouses of Heads of Missions in Ghana

00:02:28 and international organizations is getting ready

00:02:30 to host its very first diplomatic fashion gala

00:02:33 in efforts to support a range of local charities

00:02:36 that benefit Ghanaians in urgent need.

00:02:38 It comes on this Saturday, the 21st of October

00:02:41 at the Kempinski Hotel, Goko City here in Accra.

00:02:44 We'll be hearing from Naomi Mochizuki,

00:02:46 spouse of the Japanese ambassador to Ghana

00:02:49 and president of the Association of Spouses

00:02:52 of Heads of Missions and International Organizations

00:02:55 together with Robert Owen Jones,

00:02:57 spouse of the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana.

00:03:00 They'll be joining us on that beat.

00:03:01 And after that, you know how it gets.

00:03:04 Bum, bum, bum, bum.

00:03:05 We'll be getting into the National Science

00:03:07 and Math Quiz groove and we've got the last

00:03:09 of the quarterfinal contests.

00:03:11 You don't want to miss that.

00:03:12 Stay tuned, stay with us.

00:03:14 We've got it all right here on the AM Show.

00:03:17 My name is Benjamin Akaku.

00:03:18 I'll be right back serving you the news.

00:03:20 (dramatic music)

00:03:23 Thank you so much for staying with us.

00:03:42 Let's get into the news now.

00:03:43 And in our first story, we start with news

00:03:45 with the story of a 53-year-old man

00:03:48 who is among those displaced in the floods at Meppa.

00:03:52 Paralyzed from the waist down,

00:03:54 Tarz Dika is seeking help from the authorities.

00:03:58 He's unable to access the emergency medical center

00:04:00 set up for flood victims at the St. Kizito Senior High School

00:04:04 because he's lost his National Health Insurance Scheme card.

00:04:08 Carlos Kaloni has more on that story.

00:04:11 - Senior High School, which is serving as one of the centers

00:04:16 for the affected flood victims of Meppa.

00:04:19 There are a number of people here,

00:04:21 I mean, the aged, the sick, children, and all that.

00:04:25 So we have Mr. Lebene, who is a 53-year-old man

00:04:30 to share his story with us at this particular safe haven.

00:04:36 So how long have you been here?

00:04:38 - Five days.

00:04:40 - How did you even get here?

00:04:42 - They just carried me with a boy to brought me here.

00:04:47 - Who brought you here?

00:04:50 - My sister Stella Dika, she brought me here.

00:04:54 - We see your health is not the best.

00:04:57 Do you mind sharing with us what actually is wrong with you?

00:05:00 - Yeah, actually, from my waist to my leg,

00:05:05 I have a problem, I can't walk, I can't sit down.

00:05:09 When I want to sit down,

00:05:11 I make myself like this before they put a chair on me.

00:05:16 That's all.

00:05:17 After the chair, then that means I'm going to bed flat.

00:05:22 After how many hours?

00:05:24 Six hours, five hours, if I'm tired,

00:05:27 then I can come like this again.

00:05:30 - How long have you been in this situation, this condition?

00:05:32 - Oh, one year, six months.

00:05:34 - What really happened?

00:05:36 - Oh, just my waist, my waist coughing.

00:05:39 When I went to the hospital,

00:05:41 I come back within three days time,

00:05:44 then that's all, I can't walk again.

00:05:46 - So now that you're here at the safe haven,

00:05:48 what can you tell us?

00:05:49 Have you received any help from the NADMO, the assembly,

00:05:54 in terms of your condition?

00:05:55 Have nurses come to look at you

00:05:57 and attended to you and all that?

00:05:58 - Actually, the nurses or the doctor, there's nobody.

00:06:03 But actually, the NADMO or the government,

00:06:06 when they brought the thing,

00:06:08 we are a lot of printing, almost 6,000 people here.

00:06:12 If you don't get, it's not the my fault.

00:06:15 So you also can brought your food

00:06:19 from market or any place to eat.

00:06:22 - Is that to say you did not get some?

00:06:23 - Yeah, I'm not getting because I'm here.

00:06:26 When the food come, they just run there.

00:06:28 When you come, the safe is finished.

00:06:31 There's nothing.

00:06:32 Almost three days ago, about 53 people inside the room,

00:06:36 they will give us five kilo on the rice, oil,

00:06:40 tinapar, three tissue, three soup,

00:06:45 and one cup, that's all, from three days.

00:06:51 About 53 people in one room.

00:06:53 So we are suffering.

00:06:56 - All right, so earlier we heard from the DCE and NADMO.

00:06:59 They told us that they are making arrangement

00:07:01 for the sick and the aged, persons like you,

00:07:04 so that nurses will attend to you here at the safe haven.

00:07:08 Tell us if you've had any experience

00:07:10 meeting any doctor or nurses here.

00:07:12 - Nobody.

00:07:13 I didn't see any nurse, doctor to come here.

00:07:18 I hear that they just bring,

00:07:20 is it first aid at the last of the room there.

00:07:25 They just come and tell us.

00:07:27 But I don't have health insurance.

00:07:31 So unless you pay money before they take care of you.

00:07:35 Actually, I didn't went there.

00:07:38 - Now looking at the conditions here, mosquito bite

00:07:41 and all that, share your experience with us in the night.

00:07:43 What happens?

00:07:44 - Mosquito there, from 4.30 to 5.00.

00:07:48 If you don't put the nets, you can't.

00:07:51 So actually we have plenty.

00:07:52 I was here, if the rain is coming too,

00:07:55 unless I shift, they can eat this one.

00:07:59 But the mosquito is not easy.

00:08:02 It's not easy.

00:08:03 So actually this one is not for me to, somebody help me.

00:08:07 So I need the help for that mattress,

00:08:10 and then the nets, and the pillow.

00:08:14 Actually my problem with the wheel,

00:08:17 I can sit and go here and come back.

00:08:20 It's sitting like this 24 hours.

00:08:24 It's my problem, I have a problem.

00:08:27 - Thank you so much for speaking to us here on "Join You."

00:08:29 So that's the story of 53 year old man,

00:08:33 Lebanese who has been here for about five days.

00:08:36 He's paralyzed from the waist,

00:08:38 and due to the situation is unable to move

00:08:41 to get some help as and when the NADMO officials

00:08:45 come to their aid here to share relief items to them.

00:08:50 In our next story, a senior lecturer

00:08:55 at the University of Ghana, Dr. Lily Penker,

00:08:58 wants women to frequently check their breasts for lumps

00:09:02 in order to identify any signs of breast cancer early

00:09:05 and seek treatment.

00:09:07 She says more than 50% of breast cancer patients

00:09:12 die due to late reporting.

00:09:14 Now she made the call at a breast cancer awareness walk

00:09:17 and the launch of Nufflfest in Accra.

00:09:21 Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer

00:09:25 among women globally, accounting for 12.5%

00:09:28 of all new animal cancer cases worldwide.

00:09:32 It is the most prevalent cancer in the world

00:09:35 with approximately 50% in developing countries

00:09:39 such as Ghana.

00:09:40 More than 50% of women who are diagnosed

00:09:43 with the condition end up dying.

00:09:46 Dr. Lily Penker says it is due to late reporting.

00:09:51 - So breast cancer in black women

00:09:53 or women of African descent is disproportionately higher

00:09:57 than you see in other populations and also more aggressive.

00:10:01 So the issue here is most cases in Ghana,

00:10:05 in parts of West Africa, present late at the hospitals.

00:10:08 So that contributes to the higher mortality rate

00:10:12 that we see.

00:10:13 So essentially the whole point of Nufflfestival

00:10:16 is to appreciate breasts and that will encourage people

00:10:20 to take care of them and therefore, you know,

00:10:23 examine them so when there are issues of,

00:10:25 so that we can detect early.

00:10:26 Because the whole point of raising awareness

00:10:29 is to ensure that breast cancer is detected early

00:10:32 for early treatment.

00:10:34 - October has been set aside as Breast Cancer Month globally

00:10:38 to raise awareness about breast cancer,

00:10:40 promote early detection, support those affected

00:10:44 by the disease and raise funds for research,

00:10:46 prevention and treatment.

00:10:48 Georgina, a breast cancer survivor,

00:10:51 shared her story while advising women

00:10:53 to take care of their breasts

00:10:55 and also be aware of their breasts.

00:10:57 - I had this unusual pain in my breast that I ignored.

00:11:03 I ignored till like three weeks.

00:11:06 Then I felt the breast and I realized

00:11:09 there was an unusual lump in there.

00:11:11 Naturally, I didn't know it was breast cancer

00:11:14 or it could be breast cancer.

00:11:16 So I resorted to self-medication for three months

00:11:19 before I eventually went to the hospital.

00:11:22 I had to do further investigations and the reports came.

00:11:27 There was still cancer in the conserved breast

00:11:29 even after the chemotherapy.

00:11:32 So I had to go on to have the whole breast removed.

00:11:36 My advice is early detection and breast awareness.

00:11:41 Let's be breast aware.

00:11:42 If you know your breast, you'll be able to detect

00:11:45 any abnormality in time.

00:11:47 And if you detect the abnormality in time

00:11:50 and you report to the hospital

00:11:51 and you are confirmed to have breast cancer,

00:11:54 once it is detected early,

00:11:56 the costs you bear during treatment even is reduced.

00:12:00 And of course, you may not even have to go through

00:12:02 all that some of us went through.

00:12:04 - The NewfulFest campaign is an initiative

00:12:07 by the West African Center for Cell Biology

00:12:10 of Infectious Pathogens, Pemka Lab

00:12:13 and Little Cow Consulting.

00:12:15 The year-long campaign seeks to raise awareness

00:12:18 about breast cancer among students

00:12:20 of the University of Ghana

00:12:22 and also make them breast cancer ambassadors.

00:12:25 Dean of Students at the University of Ghana,

00:12:28 Professor Rosina Tremanting,

00:12:30 bemoaned the increasing number of breast cancer cases

00:12:33 among younger girls and further advised them

00:12:36 to be mindful of activities

00:12:38 that predispose them to breast cancer.

00:12:40 - You know, in the past,

00:12:41 before you could hear that somebody had got breast cancer

00:12:45 or any form of cancer,

00:12:46 the person may be in their 60s or 70s.

00:12:50 But now it's presenting in younger people,

00:12:54 mainly because of the change of our diets, our behaviors.

00:12:58 We don't walk much, we don't do much exercise.

00:13:02 I'm the Dean of Students of this university.

00:13:04 When I was a student, we walked to every lecture theater.

00:13:08 Now the students go with shuttles,

00:13:10 with Uber, with taxis.

00:13:12 And so they are not doing much exercise.

00:13:15 The kinds of food they are eating is different.

00:13:17 They don't eat, they eat more processed foods.

00:13:20 And so the cases of cancers are increasing.

00:13:25 And so it is good to let them be aware of it

00:13:30 right from the stage.

00:13:32 So especially with the females,

00:13:35 they can check their breasts

00:13:36 whenever they are, you know, having their bath,

00:13:40 whenever, so that it can be detected early

00:13:44 because survival rate is high when it is detected early.

00:13:49 - Some of the participants of the awareness program

00:13:51 spoke to Draw News.

00:13:53 - Okay, so I'm here to raise breast cancer awareness.

00:13:55 Breast cancer is one of the challenging issues

00:13:58 that affects about 99% of women and about 1% of females.

00:14:03 So as a result, I'm here to raise awareness

00:14:05 for breast cancer in order for people to get

00:14:07 an early screen for early detection to save more lives.

00:14:10 (crowd shouting)

00:14:13 - Let's talk education now.

00:14:18 As the Ministry of Education says,

00:14:20 it is committed to supporting initiatives

00:14:23 that envision a future where every Ghanaian child,

00:14:26 irrespective of their socioeconomic background,

00:14:28 has access to quality education.

00:14:30 It is currently running a partnership with Lead for Ghana,

00:14:34 a non-profit group which has created

00:14:38 a fellowship of volunteer teachers

00:14:39 who will be deployed to 50 senior high schools

00:14:42 across the country to augment the number of tutors,

00:14:45 training students in the areas of science,

00:14:47 mathematics, English, and information technology.

00:14:50 There's more in this report.

00:14:52 - The Training Institute for Non-Profit Organization,

00:14:55 Lead for Ghana, will deploy its newest cohort of fellows

00:14:59 to 50 senior high schools across the nation

00:15:02 to augment the number of students training

00:15:04 to become tutors in the areas of science,

00:15:07 mathematics, English, and information technology.

00:15:11 Addressing journalists on the sidelines of an event

00:15:14 to commission members of the fellowship,

00:15:16 then advisor to the Minister of Education,

00:15:19 Professor Mark Adom Asamoah, lauded the initiative

00:15:23 while indicating the ministry's commitment

00:15:26 towards the training program,

00:15:28 which is in line with achieving quality education.

00:15:32 - With Lead for Ghana, what we are doing with them

00:15:36 is we have allowed them to bring in some graduate students

00:15:41 who are being taught and taken through

00:15:44 the various rudiments of teaching and learning.

00:15:48 And the Ghana Education Service

00:15:51 and the Ministry of Education is supporting them

00:15:54 through some of our collaborators.

00:15:57 And one of such collaborators is Titel.

00:16:00 Titel is dealing with funding from MasterCard Foundation.

00:16:05 And it is helping us do training

00:16:07 for those who will be teaching

00:16:10 and leading our children in the schools.

00:16:13 - To address the ongoing challenges,

00:16:15 Lead for Ghana says it is implementing

00:16:17 a holistic youth capacity development model,

00:16:21 which addresses and provides both short-term

00:16:24 and long-term solutions that will proactively impact

00:16:27 educational and student academic outcomes

00:16:30 in pre-tertiary schools across the country.

00:16:33 Daniel Doce is the Chief Executive Officer of Lead for Ghana.

00:16:38 - What Lead for Ghana does is to recruit

00:16:41 Ghana's best and brightest recent university graduates

00:16:45 and young professionals, train them,

00:16:47 and then deploy them to go and live for two years

00:16:50 in rural communities to serve as teachers,

00:16:53 but also to serve as community leaders.

00:16:55 The reason we do this is because we want

00:16:57 the next generation of leaders in this country

00:16:59 to really understand the challenges

00:17:01 within the educational ecosystem.

00:17:03 So after the two years,

00:17:05 when they start getting to leadership positions

00:17:07 across all sectors in the country,

00:17:09 the decisions they make and the policies they make

00:17:11 would come from experience and not necessarily from theory.

00:17:15 - The Ministry of Education says it is committed

00:17:18 to supporting initiatives like Lead for Ghana.

00:17:22 We envision a future where every Ghanaian child,

00:17:25 irrespective of their socioeconomic background,

00:17:28 has access to quality education.

00:17:31 With Lead for Ghana taking the helm in senior high schools,

00:17:34 I am confident that we are several steps closer

00:17:37 to realizing this dream.

00:17:39 Kary Ngobin's report, read to you.

00:17:42 (crowd chanting)

00:17:44 - Well, it's a wrap for the news,

00:17:48 but before we get into the news review,

00:17:49 we're going to leave you

00:17:50 with the National Science and Math Quiz.

00:17:52 Pope John's Senior High and Minor Seminary

00:17:54 is returning to Winning Ways

00:17:56 after booking a seat in the semifinals.

00:17:59 The 2023 Eastern Regional Champions

00:18:01 beat St. James Seminary and Ibri-Presby SHS

00:18:05 to make the historic return.

00:18:07 Jacqueline Ansomaye-Ibua caught up

00:18:08 with the Dasibres of Pope John SHS.

00:18:12 (crowd chanting)

00:18:14 - Well, I was still here with Pope John's Senior High School

00:18:22 and on the second day of the quarterfinal,

00:18:25 they just made it to the semifinal.

00:18:27 Just as you hear behind me, they are super excited.

00:18:30 But I have one student I spoke to during the 1A stage.

00:18:33 Share with me how you feel.

00:18:35 - I'm overwhelmed.

00:18:37 I mean, the Lord has done so much for us,

00:18:39 bringing us here and taking us on to the next level,

00:18:41 which is the quarterfinals.

00:18:42 Which is the semifinals, sorry.

00:18:44 I'm just overwhelmed.

00:18:45 I'm so happy. I'm so happy.

00:18:46 - Are you too happy to speak?

00:18:48 - Too happy to speak.

00:18:49 - Now, tell me about El Regreso.

00:18:51 Tell me more about it.

00:18:53 - El Regreso means- - John.

00:18:54 - El Regreso means they come back.

00:18:56 So, the previous year at Pope John,

00:18:57 we were not able to move ahead.

00:19:00 But this year, we are coming back for the trophy.

00:19:02 We are moving on.

00:19:03 - Speaking before a contest,

00:19:05 bragging, all those things are not necessary.

00:19:08 So, I just wanted my boys to give up.

00:19:10 We just trust in God and hope for the best.

00:19:13 - I have an old student here that I spoke to earlier.

00:19:16 He was expressing so much confidence in his students.

00:19:21 How are you feeling right now, knowing all that you said?

00:19:23 - Highly elated.

00:19:25 I am very much glad.

00:19:27 In fact, well, I'm not even jubilating

00:19:29 because we won over St. James,

00:19:31 but just because we won.

00:19:33 Yeah, because St. James is not a match.

00:19:36 Yeah.

00:19:36 - Yeah, well, yeah, initially you said it.

00:19:38 But moving forward, what are the expectations for-

00:19:41 - When it started, it was quite some way,

00:19:42 but then we knew that regardless of what happens,

00:19:45 we'll still see it through at the end of it all.

00:19:47 - Were you scared at a point when it started?

00:19:49 - I wasn't scared because-

00:19:50 - Because at the margin, it wasn't, when it started-

00:19:52 - It was like Jesus in the boat.

00:19:54 He slept because he knew that there was a great outcome

00:19:56 at the end of it all.

00:19:57 Yes, so there's no, I didn't fear at all.

00:20:02 Because I-

00:20:03 - What should we expect from Pope John's Seminary

00:20:05 Senior High School moving forward?

00:20:06 You are just a step away to the semis,

00:20:08 then to the finale.

00:20:09 And what should we expect from Pope John's?

00:20:11 Will there be a comeback?

00:20:13 - Of course.

00:20:14 Like I told you earlier on,

00:20:15 this year we're actually taking the trophy.

00:20:18 We are waiting for Eastern Region.

00:20:20 It's been a while since Eastern Region,

00:20:22 we took the trophy home.

00:20:23 But then this year, we're actually taking it.

00:20:25 We are avenging, today you realize that we came to avenge

00:20:29 St. Peter's, right?

00:20:30 Yes, from Eastern Region.

00:20:31 So we are moving forward with that vigor, just like that.

00:20:34 - This feels like a comeback because this is like

00:20:36 the second time since 2001.

00:20:39 It's been a very long time.

00:20:41 How do you feel about this?

00:20:43 - Semis, we're already at the semis.

00:20:44 - Yeah, you are already at the semis.

00:20:46 But this is the second time in so many years.

00:20:48 - Okay, so you see, we set sail.

00:20:50 Now, in fact, we are beginning from here.

00:20:52 And right after, yeah, it's like since 2017,

00:20:55 we've been in the quarterfinals.

00:20:56 We've always been going home in the quarterfinals,

00:20:59 quarterfinals, quarterfinals.

00:21:00 So now that we've gotten to the semis

00:21:01 and we even get to the final,

00:21:02 it's going to continue forever.

00:21:04 - You heard from the Eastern Regional Champions,

00:21:06 Pope John's Seminary, qualifying to the semifinals

00:21:10 with some 48 points today in the second day

00:21:15 of the quarterfinal stage of the National Science Democracy.

00:21:18 We are right here at the Sarah Mensah Auditorium

00:21:22 for the National Science Democracy.

00:21:24 I am Jacqueline Ansemaya-Boie.

00:21:26 (upbeat music)

00:21:48 - In some 24 minutes to the top of the hour,

00:21:49 thank you for joining us here on "The Joy News."

00:21:52 It's time for the news review,

00:21:53 and I'll be introducing my guest to you shortly.

00:21:55 But before we get into that,

00:21:57 yesterday I was listening to another story of a young man,

00:22:00 not even 40, who has prostate-related issues.

00:22:05 I keep saying it, you don't want to get there.

00:22:07 You don't want to be there and realize,

00:22:09 oh, I've become a statistic.

00:22:12 And that is why you ought to get yourself checked.

00:22:15 If you're a woman, maybe there are things going on

00:22:17 as far as your fertility is concerned,

00:22:19 and you think, oh, I'm not seeing any signs,

00:22:22 so everything is A-okay, only to find out someday,

00:22:26 maybe when you're trying to give birth,

00:22:27 that there have been many issues.

00:22:30 Don't wait, don't fall victim.

00:22:33 Make your way to Endpoint Homeopathic Clinic,

00:22:35 and they are offering you screening services

00:22:37 for prostate issues and fertility issues in women for free.

00:22:41 So why not take advantage of it?

00:22:43 You can locate them here in the crowd,

00:22:45 Spintex opposite the Shell signboard.

00:22:47 The School Master Chronometer

00:22:48 are here behind the Angel Educational Complex.

00:22:51 Takara De Anaji State, Temaa Community 22,

00:22:53 Techiman Hanswa, and Isiyama in Zuma.

00:22:56 If you'd like to reach them on phone,

00:22:57 which I seriously proffer you do,

00:23:00 the lines are 0244-867-068,

00:23:05 or 0274-234-321.

00:23:15 Endpoint Homeopathic Clinic, the end to chronic disease,

00:23:18 but just the start of the newspaper review.

00:23:22 Joining me, my senior man,

00:23:25 former president of the Ghana Journalist Association,

00:23:29 Afe Oboni.

00:23:30 Good morning, sir.

00:23:31 - Good morning.

00:23:32 - Thanks for coming.

00:23:33 - It's a pleasure.

00:23:33 - It's always beautiful, this part of my week,

00:23:36 when you come into the studio.

00:23:38 - Thank you.

00:23:39 - I love it.

00:23:39 And you know, the feel is different

00:23:41 when you are virtually connecting with us

00:23:44 and when you're here.

00:23:44 - Yeah, it's like a person-to-person contact.

00:23:46 - Yeah.

00:23:47 And who has been sewing your clothes, though?

00:23:48 - A young guy in our church,

00:23:50 I've seen him about any time.

00:23:52 - Oh.

00:23:52 - Yeah.

00:23:53 - Oh, he's doing a marvelous job.

00:23:54 - Thank you so much for the compliment.

00:23:56 - What's his name, or do you know the name of his--

00:23:57 - His nickname is Oman.

00:23:59 - Oman.

00:24:00 At least we give a few shouts to Oman for doing a good job.

00:24:04 So right before we get into the papers,

00:24:05 two issues I want you to look at.

00:24:07 We spoke about the UTV incident.

00:24:09 Not too soon after that,

00:24:12 the political parties, in fact, another political party.

00:24:15 - Another political party.

00:24:16 - And it's interesting, it's NDC, MPP, all the,

00:24:19 well, they are the biggest parties,

00:24:20 but that one too decided to show us Pepe.

00:24:24 And then we had that female, you know,

00:24:26 journalist at City FM, City TV, assaulted.

00:24:30 That's one.

00:24:31 Then yesterday, you are,

00:24:34 you are much more of a senior citizen than I am.

00:24:37 Some of us look up to people like you.

00:24:40 Correct me if I'm wrong.

00:24:42 When a president is reading the oath of allegiance

00:24:47 to all of us, swearing in,

00:24:49 I hear things like, and I'll be this and that

00:24:51 to all manner of people and all of that.

00:24:53 So yesterday, when I heard Mr. President,

00:24:55 you know, in the Volta region talking about

00:24:58 if I were to pay attention to votes and stuff like that,

00:25:02 I shouldn't even be here because, you know,

00:25:06 you people don't vote for me.

00:25:07 And the way his references,

00:25:09 (speaking in foreign language)

00:25:10 and you, you, and I found it disrespectful.

00:25:14 I found it not dignified of the people,

00:25:17 especially when the people are already crushed.

00:25:20 - Traumatized.

00:25:21 - Traumatized.

00:25:22 And the seed of politics germinated there.

00:25:26 This is me.

00:25:27 I don't know what you think on those two issues.

00:25:29 - You know, the president did caution against

00:25:33 politicization of the whole disaster.

00:25:36 And,

00:25:37 but he came across as someone who rather do no politics.

00:25:44 That's how I saw it, because he said,

00:25:47 the area, people in the area do not vote for him.

00:25:52 And so, in essence, you know, he,

00:25:56 so, I'm still wondering what informed the decision

00:26:03 to raise this issue of people in the area,

00:26:07 you know, who are against his party and all that.

00:26:10 I think should have gone straight to announcing

00:26:15 the relief message he had for the people in that area,

00:26:17 instead of referring to politics.

00:26:19 Maybe he said it in a joke just to,

00:26:21 he said it just to serve as an icebreaker.

00:26:26 But, did him across.

00:26:27 - He went on to re-echo that.

00:26:30 - Yeah, yeah.

00:26:31 - Someday they would vote for him and his party.

00:26:33 - Yes, yes.

00:26:34 - I felt it was just out of,

00:26:35 and sometimes I ask myself, really,

00:26:37 do people script these things for him,

00:26:42 or does he say them off the cuff?

00:26:43 Because, honestly, the number of people

00:26:46 who reached out to me yesterday,

00:26:47 expressing angst at those words,

00:26:50 and I could understand them.

00:26:52 So, I actually, honestly,

00:26:54 when people reached out to me at first,

00:26:57 I hadn't, you know, I had a long day yesterday.

00:27:00 I hadn't taken a look at it.

00:27:02 And I told them, "Oh, I doubt he said that.

00:27:04 "I'm sure it's."

00:27:06 Then I went, so I came on our group page,

00:27:09 followed, and then watched the video,

00:27:11 listened to the audio, and I was aghast.

00:27:15 I was really, wow.

00:27:18 - So, I also listened with all consumer attention,

00:27:24 and tried to square the tone of the message

00:27:30 and the substance of the message.

00:27:32 So, I came to the conclusion that

00:27:33 President Trudeau have raised the political issues.

00:27:38 We all know that voter regime is predominantly NDC,

00:27:43 and, as I said, the truth of the matter,

00:27:47 it's not enough justification for saying it,

00:27:49 even though it is true.

00:27:50 What's the point in saying it at that time?

00:27:53 - And the City FM incident, the journalist?

00:27:59 - Um, um, NDC, many people have come to the conclusion,

00:28:04 but what happened at the NDC, Green Tarka, Regina incident,

00:28:11 has reinforced the perception that NDC and BP are the same.

00:28:18 This is the inevitable.

00:28:22 - This one happened just a few days after

00:28:23 we had been condemned. - Just a few days.

00:28:25 - And the NDC had condemned the UTV act.

00:28:29 - NDC had condemned. - Can you imagine that?

00:28:31 - Interesting.

00:28:32 - In this instance, of course,

00:28:33 the NDC also came out to condemn this,

00:28:35 but you can't tell me that you're condemning something

00:28:38 and someone else is doing the same thing,

00:28:40 but then you're part.

00:28:41 - Interesting, so, fate has a way of exposing

00:28:44 the two parties.

00:28:45 So, we have a long way to go in punishing

00:28:51 perpetrators of attacks against journalists

00:28:56 in their line of duty.

00:28:58 And I also listened with disbelief,

00:29:03 the fines imposed on the attacks who invaded UTV.

00:29:10 - Oh, the 2,400 also. - 2,400.

00:29:14 - One person within the party will pay for them all.

00:29:18 - Certainly, yes.

00:29:19 - Like you're going to say, a slap on the wrist.

00:29:20 - A slap on the wrist, a slap on the wrist.

00:29:22 So, the hearts of evangelists of press freedom

00:29:27 and apostle democracy are bleeding profusely

00:29:33 from what the court did.

00:29:37 It's again, reinforces the perception

00:29:40 that we are not serious in dealing surgically

00:29:43 this issue of attacks against journalists.

00:29:46 And the democracy, we suffice at the end of it all.

00:29:50 The media is in theory and rooted in practice

00:29:54 that democracy is impossible without the media.

00:29:57 And the Ghanaian media, whether you like it or not,

00:29:59 are the oxygen of our democracy.

00:30:02 So, if our democracy strikes cause of arbitration worldwide,

00:30:05 it's because the media have brought this fact.

00:30:08 And why do you turn your guns on the very people

00:30:12 who get our democracy taken?

00:30:15 And then ensuring that all others

00:30:17 enjoy their fundamental human right.

00:30:19 So, an attack against journalists

00:30:22 is not only an attack against the media,

00:30:24 but also an attack against the very soul of this nation.

00:30:27 So, as we speak, the soul of this nation

00:30:29 is still bleeding from the attacks perpetrated

00:30:32 by the attacks who invaded UTV.

00:30:34 So, we are also watching what will pan out

00:30:40 of the attacks who invaded the NDC primaries

00:30:45 at the Apatia headquarters.

00:30:48 The courts should come and should show

00:30:51 that they are also concerned,

00:30:54 deeply concerned about attacks against journalists.

00:30:57 I believe if the attacks had happened to lawyers or judges,

00:31:02 the facts would have been different.

00:31:05 So, we expect any perpetrator of attack against journalists

00:31:10 to be punished within the fullest extent possible

00:31:15 under the ambit of the law.

00:31:17 Well, we are where we are.

00:31:22 They would say the fourth estate,

00:31:23 the bastion of our democracy and all of that,

00:31:26 and then end up beating us.

00:31:27 We have numerous examples within, right here.

00:31:31 People who have been beaten, traumatized.

00:31:34 People who have been beaten.

00:31:34 - Because of Latifu Gisu.

00:31:35 - We now have Latifu Gisu.

00:31:37 My other colleague, Emmanuel Ante.

00:31:39 You know?

00:31:42 And then we complain when our press freedom rankings dip.

00:31:48 - Yeah, yeah.

00:31:49 - Anyway.

00:31:50 - As for next week.

00:31:50 - And it's going to continue dipping.

00:31:51 - Yeah, yeah.

00:31:52 - With all of this, it will continue dipping.

00:31:53 - Yeah, it will dip.

00:31:55 - Anyway, let's get into the papers.

00:31:56 I have the Daily Graphic, the Finder newspaper,

00:31:58 and the Economy Times.

00:31:59 What do you have?

00:32:00 - The Disaster Times.

00:32:03 - Yeah, Ghanai Times.

00:32:05 - I see the Daily Guide as well.

00:32:06 - Yeah, Ghanai Times, Daily Guide.

00:32:08 - The New Crusading Guide.

00:32:09 - New Crusading Guide.

00:32:11 - Okay, so where are you starting from?

00:32:13 - Of course, the story of the moment,

00:32:15 the disaster in parts of the Volta and Eastern regions.

00:32:21 Certainly, a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions.

00:32:27 And we are told that 26,000 people have been displaced.

00:32:32 And NADMO has done everything within its capacity

00:32:36 to settle a number of them.

00:32:39 - With all its logistical constraints.

00:32:41 - But we are told that as many as 20,000 are yet to be--

00:32:45 - 6,000 have found somewhere to settle,

00:32:48 but 20,000, that's like a drop in the bucket.

00:32:52 That's like another four times the number.

00:32:55 - Four times the number.

00:32:56 And the President visited there,

00:32:58 and as you said, he was in the limelight of the media.

00:33:03 But the first shot of declaring a state of emergency,

00:33:06 which has been a clarion call of so many people,

00:33:08 including MP for Nongtong, Okuju-Toa-Mlakwa,

00:33:13 I believe the declaration of a state of emergency

00:33:19 would have given the states--

00:33:21 - Yeah, because then that triggers certain other actions--

00:33:26 - Actions, yeah.

00:33:27 - And possibilities.

00:33:27 - Possibilities, yeah.

00:33:29 But we are told that the Ministerial Committee

00:33:31 will not end at distributing food items to the victims,

00:33:36 but they'll take a long look at how best to settle people

00:33:40 in the low-lying areas so that the disaster

00:33:44 will not visit them in the future.

00:33:46 But we have watched and prayed,

00:33:49 we expect the media to keep this issue on their front-burner

00:33:53 and ensure and push officials to match their promises

00:33:58 with action, nothing but action.

00:34:00 And we are also told that the nation has saved

00:34:03 as much as 36 million cities after payroll audits.

00:34:08 And this was the Ghana Times has highlighted

00:34:13 this on the front page.

00:34:14 And yesterday, Sami Jemfi of NDC was as strident

00:34:19 as ever in tearing to pieces the defense

00:34:25 by the Attorney General on the Niger-Maligny report

00:34:28 by Professor Frimpong Boateng.

00:34:30 - What do you think of it?

00:34:32 Mention was made of Donald N. Tsua and certain things,

00:34:36 and whether even if the substance wasn't enough

00:34:41 to trigger certain court actions,

00:34:44 whether the response of it's empty,

00:34:47 it's nothing useful and all of that,

00:34:49 was the way to go in a country that supposedly

00:34:53 is fighting Gallupsy.

00:34:54 What is your take?

00:34:57 - I'm inclined to believe that political interests

00:35:01 in this instance has overshadowed the need for justice.

00:35:06 And anti-corruption agencies, activists

00:35:11 will not be satisfied by the act of clearance,

00:35:19 so to speak, by the Attorney General

00:35:26 and this again reinforces the perception

00:35:31 that we are not serious in fighting corruption

00:35:35 and fighting Gallupsy.

00:35:36 The fight against Gallupsy is far from being won.

00:35:42 We have a very long way to win the fight against Gallupsy

00:35:46 because we tackle it from the branch and not the root.

00:35:51 And the root approach will entail dealing

00:35:55 with the financiers, dealing with well-known people

00:35:58 who invade forest areas, desecrate, feed farts

00:36:03 on initial resources and then go scot-free

00:36:08 because of the apollocate lineage.

00:36:11 So let's have a--

00:36:12 - The same way those who assaulted the UTV staff

00:36:17 are getting a slap on the wrist.

00:36:18 It's the same story.

00:36:19 - Yeah, it's so disgraceful, so disgraceful.

00:36:23 It's so, so, so disgraceful.

00:36:25 - So what we are telling them is, you know what?

00:36:29 You can do Gallupsy once you're a party member.

00:36:32 There are ways of going about it.

00:36:34 Or if you want to go and assault any journalists

00:36:36 and all of that, batter them, do whatever.

00:36:39 I don't know, maybe we're waiting for someone

00:36:41 to lose some teeth or something.

00:36:43 Or worse, get maimed before we do something.

00:36:47 - It is a supreme price.

00:36:48 Ameswale died and four years on,

00:36:52 no one has been charged, let alone prosecuted.

00:36:57 - It's a disgrace.

00:36:59 - On two occasions, his predecessor president

00:37:02 said emphatically that the killers of Ameswale

00:37:07 would be found.

00:37:09 We were told some time ago by the police

00:37:11 that eight people had been arrested

00:37:12 in connection with Ameswale's murder.

00:37:15 But nobody had been prosecuted.

00:37:19 And again, this also, it's featured every year

00:37:24 in the Red Press Freedom Index reports.

00:37:28 And so we shouldn't be surprised if once again,

00:37:31 precipitously we decline on a new table

00:37:35 of free media systems in the world.

00:37:39 And I don't know what should be done

00:37:42 to unearth the killers of Ameswale.

00:37:46 We met the IDP about two years ago

00:37:49 and he did promise that,

00:37:52 but he said a new unit had been created

00:37:56 to tackle some of these unresolved issues.

00:37:59 And two years down the line, nothing has happened.

00:38:03 So again, we expect the media,

00:38:05 you know, an attack against one journalist

00:38:08 is an attack against all journalists.

00:38:10 So as you said, we are under siege

00:38:15 and we have weapons to fight back.

00:38:18 So we expect the media to mobilize

00:38:21 and then fight back the attacks

00:38:24 against our perceived enemies,

00:38:26 really perceived enemies.

00:38:29 - Anyway, any other stories you'd like to look at in there

00:38:31 before you get into the daily graphics?

00:38:33 - VRA, Assuring Flag Meetings,

00:38:37 and good news for Cecilia Dapa,

00:38:40 the other day she claimed that she was

00:38:45 suffering from lack of funds deficiency.

00:38:53 And OSP has ran into aid by defusing

00:38:59 but three of her accounts,

00:39:01 we are saying five of her accounts,

00:39:03 but three are still under suspicion.

00:39:05 So we'll see what will pan out.

00:39:08 And Crusading Guide, MPP tags and a convicted fine

00:39:13 for again, this laughable false ruling.

00:39:16 And yeah, and these are the main stories

00:39:21 we have on the front pages of Daily Guide,

00:39:27 Crusading Guide, and Bad Bane News, again, in Chinese.

00:39:31 - All right.

00:39:35 Anyway, so let's get into the daily graphic newspaper.

00:39:38 Budget won't increase public spending,

00:39:41 that's according to Ken Oforiata.

00:39:43 Nation hosts First Africa Cinema Summit in November.

00:39:46 Dam spillage, 26,000 displaced.

00:39:49 President's pledges relief support.

00:39:51 And Utah calls for overhaul of accreditation regime.

00:39:54 Kicks against five new universities.

00:39:58 And there's payroll monitoring saves nation

00:39:59 over 190 million Gala City.

00:40:01 17 institutions in the crowd,

00:40:03 weighs 36.11 million in five months.

00:40:06 So let's get into some of the details.

00:40:09 We've spoken about the situation in the Volta region

00:40:13 and the president's infamous comments.

00:40:16 We'll leave it there.

00:40:18 But let's get into bits about the economy and education.

00:40:23 So I'll focus on pages 13 and 16.

00:40:28 Budgets won't increase public spending, okay?

00:40:32 That's according to finance minister Ken Oforiata.

00:40:34 The government has given an assurance

00:40:35 that it will restrict itself to budgeted expenditure,

00:40:38 irrespective of 2024 being an electoral year.

00:40:42 The minister of finance, Ken Oforiata,

00:40:43 gave the assurance at a meeting in London yesterday

00:40:46 with holders of Ghana's international bonds,

00:40:48 said in spite of 2024 being an election year

00:40:53 or electoral year,

00:40:54 the government will stay within the IMF supported budget,

00:40:57 which would be presented to parliament later next month.

00:41:02 Four months after implementing the post COVID-19 program

00:41:05 for economic growth, back to IMF program,

00:41:07 Ghana's economy is beginning to see some stability

00:41:09 with GDP growth averaging 3.1%

00:41:12 in the first half of the year.

00:41:14 Inflation, which reached a 22 year high of 54.1%

00:41:18 to December 2022, has also declined to a 12 month low

00:41:23 of 38.1% in September.

00:41:27 These are the metrics that are used to measure,

00:41:30 at least, whether there is progress.

00:41:32 But the ordinary man will always tell you

00:41:34 that if you go out there, the price of fish,

00:41:38 the price of kenke, the price of everything,

00:41:40 is still, that's the problem

00:41:42 with allowing your economy to go bonkers.

00:41:44 Because what it does, prices never go down, really.

00:41:49 So all these things that I've mentioned,

00:41:52 macro level, they look good.

00:41:54 But on the micro level, people are bleeding.

00:41:58 I really don't see the difference, me,

00:42:00 between when we're at 54.1% and now.

00:42:04 The dollar may have slipped to 11 point something

00:42:07 and be held constant from a high of about 16, 17,

00:42:11 but still the cost of getting anything in this country

00:42:15 is absolutely inhibitive.

00:42:17 - The fact is that our economy is still buffeted

00:42:21 by cost of living crisis,

00:42:25 vitally bitter cost of living crisis.

00:42:28 Even with IMF to our rescue,

00:42:29 our economy is still on the ropes

00:42:31 and this is their reality.

00:42:33 And as you said, as the mantra goes,

00:42:37 for never, for never, prices of goods and services,

00:42:41 prices of basic goods and services do not come down,

00:42:45 they always rise up.

00:42:46 So it's not enough to ban these figures,

00:42:51 but what is important is the cost of living

00:42:55 of the other Ghanaians.

00:42:56 And many Ghanaians are really under economic pressures.

00:43:00 So we need to focus our attention,

00:43:03 sharpen our focus on this crisis

00:43:07 and not play to the guy.

00:43:10 - Well, let's get into some other stories.

00:43:14 On that same page, payroll monitoring saves nation

00:43:16 over 190 million Ghana cities.

00:43:19 And the public sector wage bill

00:43:20 has seen a significant reduction

00:43:22 since the commencement of the nationwide

00:43:24 payroll monitoring exercise in April this year.

00:43:27 The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has stated,

00:43:30 "The CEO of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission,

00:43:32 "Benjamin Arthur, at a press briefing in Accra yesterday,

00:43:34 "disclosed that data from the comptroller

00:43:36 "and accountant general's department

00:43:38 "revealed that the total wage bill

00:43:40 "for just July and August reduced by 190 million Ghana cities."

00:43:46 He explained that the wage bill for July

00:43:48 witnessed a 6% reduction over that of June,

00:43:51 resulting in a cost saving of 178.36 million.

00:43:54 Now 17 institutions in Ghana

00:43:57 wasted 36.11 million in just five months.

00:44:01 How will a country like this ever make any progress?

00:44:05 Look at this.

00:44:07 You remember there was a time when shockingly,

00:44:09 the finance ministry, which is supposed to be

00:44:12 the center of, responsible, the citadel

00:44:17 of responsible financing processes and management,

00:44:22 itself had people on the payroll

00:44:24 who were taking, I think someone was taking almost 20,000,

00:44:27 another person about 13,000,

00:44:29 another person almost 10,000 for years.

00:44:32 And these people didn't even work there.

00:44:34 - And it's strange, again, it reinforces the point

00:44:38 that the data are not whiter than white,

00:44:41 no, purer than pure.

00:44:43 So, but workers,

00:44:45 come to look at it from a broad perspective,

00:44:49 workers are very aggressive in demanding what you give them.

00:44:53 And some of these workers are the perpetrators

00:44:57 of fraud against the state.

00:44:59 And again, this is a new one, it's clean,

00:45:01 we all falling short of the glory.

00:45:04 And so, whoever demands equity must come clean hands.

00:45:11 This is my synoptic.

00:45:12 - Not the synoptic gospel, but your synoptic comments.

00:45:17 Anyway, and then finally, the last story I'll do

00:45:20 from the daily graphic.

00:45:21 Utah called for overhaul of accreditation regime,

00:45:25 kicks against five new universities.

00:45:27 The University Teachers Association of Ghana

00:45:29 has kicked against the decision

00:45:30 by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission

00:45:33 to suspend the accreditation of new academic programs

00:45:36 for public universities in the country.

00:45:38 It has further criticized the intention of the government

00:45:40 to establish five new universities,

00:45:42 demanding that the funds be channeled

00:45:44 into electoral welfare

00:45:46 and expansion of existing infrastructure among others.

00:45:49 I couldn't agree with them more.

00:45:51 Why?

00:45:52 We already have for our population,

00:45:55 we have a good set of public institutions,

00:45:58 but a number of them are facing severe challenges.

00:46:01 They are hemorrhaging,

00:46:03 a number of them are quasi independent.

00:46:07 So they depend partly on government,

00:46:08 they do their own things.

00:46:09 They have IGFs and all of that.

00:46:11 A lot of them, even the biggest ones,

00:46:13 including the University of Ghana are bleeding.

00:46:16 Why not focus resources on making those ones

00:46:20 even more world-class, even stronger,

00:46:22 and they will naturally,

00:46:24 because look at UG, UST and the others,

00:46:28 they pull along the smaller ones that are affiliated to them.

00:46:32 So in a way, they will now bring those ones

00:46:35 up to a certain level.

00:46:37 We always like starting new things

00:46:40 when even the old ones

00:46:42 have not been given the necessary support.

00:46:44 I agree with you, Tag on this.

00:46:45 - Yeah, sometimes we prioritize quantity over quality.

00:46:50 The reverse should be the case.

00:46:56 Quality should always come before quantity.

00:47:00 In everything, quality first, and not quantity.

00:47:06 - Well, let's get into your last paper.

00:47:09 Oh, okay, so were you done with the daily guide?

00:47:12 You started--

00:47:13 - Yes, I did daily guide.

00:47:14 We look at the level of fines imposed

00:47:16 on the tax we've made.

00:47:18 And then some IGFs,

00:47:21 tearing apart of autonomous defense.

00:47:26 - Okay.

00:47:27 - And then, we have peer audit we've done.

00:47:30 And then, so maybe you can,

00:47:35 contempt case, another interesting case.

00:47:37 We are doing a contempt case against EC.

00:47:40 We had on November 24.

00:47:42 Again, Watchers of Democracy and Human Rights,

00:47:48 are all years, and we need to see

00:47:55 what verdicts will come from the court

00:47:59 on the contempt case slapped on against the EC.

00:48:05 EC officials claimed that they were all in the field,

00:48:09 so there was somebody to receive the contempt.

00:48:13 - Yeah, yeah.

00:48:17 And they directed that their lawyer--

00:48:19 - They directed the lawyer and all that.

00:48:21 And Jemaine said the EC,

00:48:23 a chairperson is a lawyer,

00:48:27 and a lawyer abiding citizen.

00:48:29 Many people disagree with her style,

00:48:33 but I know she means well for the good people of Ghana.

00:48:36 And I believe she will not dance,

00:48:41 she will dance to the dictate of the law,

00:48:45 and not do anything which will bring more discredit

00:48:48 to the under pressure EC.

00:48:50 - Ah, well, we'll see how that goes.

00:48:55 The final newspaper, for me,

00:48:58 I've got to the point where, for some things,

00:49:01 it becomes even difficult as a citizen,

00:49:04 because I keep looking at what other countries are doing,

00:49:06 even countries we like to compare ourselves to in Africa.

00:49:09 I see what they are doing,

00:49:10 and then I come here and I look at certain things.

00:49:12 In recent times, I've been traveling quite a lot

00:49:14 within the sub-region.

00:49:16 And I keep asking myself,

00:49:17 apart from a few things that you would see here,

00:49:21 are we really that better?

00:49:24 And sometimes I get afraid,

00:49:26 and then I hear of the young people leaving in droves,

00:49:29 and it just breaks my heart.

00:49:31 It's such a departure.

00:49:33 I've also been reading some books recently

00:49:35 by Osagifo.

00:49:37 And when I contemplate his dream, his vision,

00:49:41 and then I look at where we are,

00:49:43 it breaks my heart.

00:49:45 - Osagifo, even in death, is the greatest gift,

00:49:50 political gift, the almighty God gave to the people of Ghana

00:49:53 even though he was a jester like Jesus Christ.

00:49:56 But with the confidence of time,

00:49:59 he's proven that he can face.

00:50:03 There's a very different between--

00:50:05 - He is definitely primus inter pares.

00:50:06 - Yes, certainly, yes.

00:50:08 Certainly, yes.

00:50:09 Certainly, yes.

00:50:10 - Let's get into the Finder newspaper.

00:50:13 2024 budget should scrap three taxes,

00:50:15 reduce import duties.

00:50:17 That's according to Fabag.

00:50:18 There's also 16 UTV studio invaders

00:50:21 find 2,400 Ghana cities.

00:50:24 Signed bonds of good behavior.

00:50:28 Bravo, government.

00:50:29 Bravo.

00:50:30 - And something continue to strike cause of laughter.

00:50:33 - Yeah, no, this is a show of great, you know,

00:50:37 this is a great show of,

00:50:39 I don't even know.

00:50:42 This is a great show of will to deal with the situation

00:50:49 and ensure that the media has a voice

00:50:52 and is protected by the president

00:50:54 who is always touting the rule of law.

00:50:56 This is such a wonderful sign.

00:50:58 - Mr. President, bravo.

00:51:00 Bravo to you.

00:51:00 2,400 Ghana cities.

00:51:02 And then a sign, you know, signed bonds of good behavior.

00:51:05 - Sentenced to occupy an ignoble place in history

00:51:10 as one of the most laughable verdict

00:51:13 ever pronounced by the court.

00:51:14 - Congratulations, Mr. President.

00:51:16 Congratulations, judiciary.

00:51:18 You've done a fantastic job.

00:51:20 You've done a great service to the Republic of Ghana.

00:51:23 - Great service.

00:51:23 - A great, no, they've done a great service

00:51:25 to the Republic of Ghana.

00:51:26 Of course, what you sow is what you reap.

00:51:30 - We pray that you don't reap.

00:51:33 - Government can save 36.1 million Ghana cities

00:51:36 in terms of compensation of 17 educational institutions.

00:51:39 That's the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.

00:51:41 President sympathizes with flood victims.

00:51:45 And let me look at the story on page 11

00:51:48 because we've done most of the other stories.

00:51:51 And so the CEO of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission

00:51:57 Benjamin Althaei has said that government

00:51:58 has the potential of saving the national coffers

00:52:01 about 1.2% of its expenses from the payrolls

00:52:04 of 17 institutions in the educational sector.

00:52:07 He said a monetary exercise carried out

00:52:09 by the group on these 17 institutions

00:52:12 showed that government could save some 36.1 million

00:52:15 if it took measures to correct certain identified anomalies.

00:52:19 It ties into the other story I read,

00:52:21 but it also tells you about the things

00:52:23 we could do proactively rather than

00:52:26 reactively to ensure that.

00:52:28 I always say that even with the Auditor General's reports

00:52:30 and all of that, with our system in the country,

00:52:33 it's after the fact when the thing

00:52:35 has been perpetrated, done, usually.

00:52:39 Why don't we have mechanisms in place

00:52:41 to stop the thing from happening

00:52:43 or even in the process of happening?

00:52:46 - Year after year.

00:52:48 - Do you remember the backlog and how now

00:52:50 they are even trying to catch up?

00:52:52 Because it's always retrospective.

00:52:54 It is never on the point of when the thing is being done.

00:52:59 So we'll always keep reporting,

00:53:01 oh, this person has done this,

00:53:02 and then we don't need to jail people.

00:53:04 We need the money to run the country.

00:53:06 - We need the money.

00:53:07 - Simple.

00:53:08 - So what is chronically difficult for us as a nation

00:53:11 to prevent certain things from happening?

00:53:13 I don't think it goes, an ounce of prevention is better.

00:53:17 - Than a pound of killing.

00:53:18 - 2024 budget, scrap three taxes,

00:53:22 reduce import duties, far back,

00:53:23 says to the Food and Beverage Association of Ghana

00:53:26 has called on the government to remove three taxes

00:53:28 and levies imposed on food juices and drinks.

00:53:30 These are COVID-19 levy.

00:53:33 I still can't think far

00:53:34 why we're still paying the COVID-19 levy.

00:53:36 From what I hear, we are the only country in the world

00:53:38 still paying the COVID-19 levy.

00:53:41 Another one to clap for this administration.

00:53:43 Thank you for the COVID-19.

00:53:44 - And that levy has been spewing revenue for the nation

00:53:48 to plug certain loopholes.

00:53:49 - In this economy and where the people are.

00:53:53 - So they say the COVID-19 levy,

00:53:55 the growth and sustainability tax

00:53:56 and the expanded excise tax.

00:54:00 We have to go in just about some two minutes.

00:54:03 So I'll just read the headlines.

00:54:04 Economy Times, government projects higher GDP growth

00:54:06 for 2023, I already brought you that story.

00:54:08 Policy rate tightening to ease.

00:54:12 That's with a recent drop in headline inflation

00:54:13 by 200 basis points.

00:54:15 And if you are on a loan in any bank

00:54:18 or any financial facility, around this time,

00:54:20 - Hellish. - You would know that.

00:54:22 If there's something beyond hellish,

00:54:24 you would have experienced that.

00:54:26 Even people with fixed terms, surprisingly,

00:54:29 have had their terms tweaked.

00:54:31 And I'm like, wow, wow.

00:54:33 It's been crazy.

00:54:34 - So if the economy is doing well,

00:54:36 then it should reflect in the banking rate.

00:54:38 It's as simple as that.

00:54:40 - And Ghana's fiscal deficits,

00:54:42 the GDP to improve by more than half in 2023.

00:54:45 Well, I think we'll have to draw the curtains here.

00:54:47 Any final thoughts for us?

00:54:50 - Again, the landmark ruling by the court.

00:54:54 We applaud the Alakra.

00:54:56 - Akau Pao.

00:54:57 It has really touched you.

00:54:58 - Certainly, yes.

00:55:00 - 2,400 Ghana cities.

00:55:02 And signing a bond.

00:55:05 You know, I fear for this country.

00:55:07 We've become so politicized,

00:55:10 and I'm saying this post the ruling,

00:55:12 and anyone can take me on for whatever they think.

00:55:15 You remember the incident where a judge

00:55:17 was chased out of her court?

00:55:19 Do you remember?

00:55:20 - Again.

00:55:21 - Do you remember that?

00:55:22 - Yeah, Nkumasi.

00:55:22 - You remember where seven youth were gunned down,

00:55:26 killed in cold blood in the Ashanti region?

00:55:28 - Sure.

00:55:28 - And later we're talking about compensation for them.

00:55:31 Impunity.

00:55:32 - Impunity.

00:55:33 - Has become the order of the day.

00:55:35 - And what about impunity?

00:55:36 If it's not tackled from the root,

00:55:38 then it ignites, you know,

00:55:42 every energizing cycle,

00:55:43 which then becomes hellishly difficult to uproot.

00:55:47 So,

00:55:49 it is what it is.

00:55:51 - Back to the Lafabo,

00:55:52 vetted from the court.

00:55:53 - God bless our homeland, Ghana,

00:55:58 and make her great.

00:55:59 - And strong.

00:56:00 - And strong.

00:56:01 Thank you, sir.

00:56:03 - You're welcome.

00:56:04 - Thanks for coming.

00:56:05 - Thanks.

00:56:05 - And that's how we cap off the news review this morning.

00:56:07 This segment brought to you by Endpoint Homeopathic Clinic.

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00:56:40 Bringing us to the end of the news review

00:56:42 and the start of sports, up next.

00:56:45 (upbeat music)

00:56:48 - Let's do sports here on the AM Show

00:57:09 with me Mufti Abdullahi.

00:57:11 On Wednesday dawn,

00:57:13 the Black Stars will come up against

00:57:15 the United States of America

00:57:16 in the national friendly in the US, Nashville.

00:57:20 Well, the senior national team of Ghana

00:57:23 lost to Mexico on Saturday

00:57:26 and Chris Hughton has called on the boys

00:57:29 to respond against the USA.

00:57:31 - Is that it's exactly the same message for the players.

00:57:37 Is that what we don't want

00:57:40 is that we don't want to leave this international camp

00:57:45 with two poor results.

00:57:49 And so the result of that is always,

00:57:53 it's always that you are looking for a reaction

00:57:56 from the team in the second game.

00:57:59 And if you are able to get the right reaction,

00:58:04 which I'm quite sure that we will from the team,

00:58:07 then it gives you a better possibility

00:58:09 of putting in a performance

00:58:11 that can get something out of the game in the second game.

00:58:13 So certainly it's you,

00:58:16 what you have to do is you have to learn

00:58:18 from the things that you didn't do so well in this game,

00:58:21 the things that lost us the game

00:58:24 and endeavour to put them right in the next game.

00:58:27 - And as you saw in your shot there,

00:58:31 isn't it quite interesting that the Black Stars

00:58:33 will arrive in flight

00:58:34 and they have two buses waiting for them.

00:58:36 This is because the Ghana Football Association

00:58:39 apparently chartered a flight

00:58:41 and they had every single member

00:58:44 within the Ghana football ecosystem,

00:58:46 as well as some media men,

00:58:48 and followed them to the USA.

00:58:50 So they went there via a chartered flight

00:58:52 and they had to order many buses

00:58:54 so that they could get everyone on board

00:58:57 to their destination.

00:58:58 Now let's talk about the Executive Council

00:59:01 of the Ghana Football Association

00:59:02 and for the Premier League representatives,

00:59:05 we see up here,

00:59:06 a former Black Stars captain and a coach,

00:59:09 now the head coach of the Sudan national team.

00:59:12 He was voted onto the Executive Council on October 5th

00:59:16 when the GFA assembled in Tamale

00:59:18 for his extraordinary Congress.

00:59:21 And according to Dr. Randy Abe,

00:59:25 Kwezi Apia comes with a world of experience

00:59:27 he believes will help the Executive Council.

00:59:30 - Well, Kwezi Apia is a legend,

00:59:34 is a legend as a player.

00:59:38 A captain of the Black Stars.

00:59:40 He's done a lot for this country

00:59:44 and even as a coach, I mean,

00:59:45 he worked with me.

00:59:48 The first ever international trophy

00:59:52 that I won as a chairman of a national team

00:59:55 was with Kwezi Apia.

00:59:56 The All Africa Games in Maputo in 2011.

01:00:01 And so he brings a lot on board.

01:00:05 I mean, from a player's perspective

01:00:07 and from a technical and less perception.

01:00:12 And don't forget that he also currently

01:00:14 is a part of the Kodokwa administration.

01:00:17 And so I think that he also brings

01:00:20 a different perspective on the table.

01:00:24 - One thing that caught my eye was that

01:00:26 in this election,

01:00:27 there was only one woman who took part in the elections

01:00:30 and it was Mrs. Gifty Owari Mensah.

01:00:32 In terms of gender, you know, inclusivity,

01:00:35 what do you make of it?

01:00:36 - I mean, it's a shame.

01:00:40 And it only means that we need to work harder.

01:00:45 And guess what?

01:00:46 We've even been able to achieve this

01:00:48 because through legislation,

01:00:51 we've decided that it's only women

01:00:53 who can vie for this position.

01:00:54 But even when it comes to women's football,

01:00:56 you see that about 99% of the owners of the clubs

01:01:00 are male.

01:01:01 And a lot of people who even work

01:01:04 in that part of the industry are male.

01:01:06 And so if we had even opened it up,

01:01:09 I'm sure that maybe a woman could not even have come through.

01:01:14 And so you'd even realize that

01:01:16 as part of even deepening this,

01:01:18 in the reforms that we have embarked on

01:01:23 with respect to our statutes,

01:01:25 we have been looking at make some changes,

01:01:27 bringing in the position of a second vice

01:01:31 and letting that position be just for a woman.

01:01:34 And so we're trying,

01:01:35 what we need to do is that

01:01:36 we need to perhaps be a bit more deliberate.

01:01:40 Same way that deliberate act has brought a woman

01:01:45 at all costs onto the escrow,

01:01:47 maybe we need to do a lot more

01:01:49 and to try and get a lot more women

01:01:51 to contest the other constituents.

01:01:56 So you're talking about Premier, Division One, RFA,

01:01:59 the constituent bodies.

01:02:03 I mean, we need to try and encourage a lot more women

01:02:06 to get involved and also to put themselves up for elections.

01:02:09 - The Ghana Premier League and the Great Olympics

01:02:13 came up against Accra Lions on Tuesday,

01:02:17 on Monday rather, at the Accra Sports Stadium.

01:02:20 And they won that game by three goals to zero.

01:02:23 - Samu Ojima for the Lions is giving away possession.

01:02:28 Agama goes down from the tackle of Shaukan.

01:02:31 (crowd cheering)

01:02:34 Akese lays one for Enchi.

01:02:39 And Afo fails to deal with it first time.

01:02:41 Now he makes the mistake and Michael Yabua scores.

01:02:44 Olympics up by one nil.

01:02:47 Pure goalkeeping error at Olympics takes full advantage.

01:02:51 Michael Yabua puts the Dade Club ahead

01:02:54 in the capital derby.

01:02:55 It's Olympics one.

01:02:57 Accra Lions nil at 10 minutes at the Accra Sports Stadium.

01:03:00 (crowd cheering)

01:03:03 Again, they've lost possession in a very dangerous area.

01:03:08 Here is Agama, can't go past Yima,

01:03:10 but he still has possession.

01:03:12 Akese wants it.

01:03:13 He goes to Enchi instead.

01:03:14 Enchi, great play from Enchi.

01:03:16 Back to Akese.

01:03:17 Good ball to find the goal scorer, Yabua.

01:03:21 Now he finds Osei.

01:03:22 Osei shoots from the tight angle.

01:03:24 It's the second goal.

01:03:25 Again, it's Michael Yabua.

01:03:27 The rebound from Yabua after Michael Osei's effort.

01:03:31 Not dealt with again properly by Afo.

01:03:33 Olympics get a second in a space of two minutes.

01:03:36 It's Olympics two.

01:03:37 Accra Lions nil.

01:03:39 Apiga gives possession to Yabua.

01:03:42 Natmeg's Apiga.

01:03:43 Here is Yabua trying to set up Enchi,

01:03:46 but it's a tackle from Shao Kahn.

01:03:49 That referee give your knee coffee whistles

01:03:52 and flashes his yellow card

01:03:54 to take a free kick for Great Olympics.

01:03:56 That's the Natmeg from Yabua.

01:03:58 Now he tries to go past his marker.

01:03:59 Sends one to Enchi and Shao Kahn.

01:04:02 Seems to have gone for the man and not the ball.

01:04:04 - It's all about that press from Olympics.

01:04:06 We spoke about the fact that it's Emmanuel Enchi

01:04:09 against the wall.

01:04:11 The rebound is gone in

01:04:12 and Great Olympics have their third goal.

01:04:15 Emmanuel Enchi makes it three for Olympics.

01:04:18 - It looks dreadful, dreadful for Accra Lions.

01:04:21 But then the initial free kick

01:04:23 goes or comes against the wall

01:04:25 and then it's Enchi again,

01:04:27 who just finishes with his left foot.

01:04:30 A strong one.

01:04:32 And Daniel Afu just couldn't do anything about that.

01:04:35 For a team that has scored just a goal

01:04:38 before match day five.

01:04:40 - And three goals for Great Olympics

01:04:43 against Accra Lions at the Accra Sports Stadium

01:04:46 on Monday afternoon.

01:04:48 And Ghanaian swimmer, Christian Dia,

01:04:51 he has been given the World Aquatics Scholarship

01:04:55 There's more in the following report.

01:04:57 - Joy is written all over Christian's face.

01:05:02 He has been granted a lifetime opportunity

01:05:05 to enhance his development in Thailand

01:05:08 for the next 12 months.

01:05:11 The swimmer was so overcome with joy

01:05:14 that laughter bubbled uncontrollably

01:05:17 rendering him momentarily speechless.

01:05:19 (Christian crying)

01:05:23 - The first thing I got to greet my coach first,

01:05:26 Coach VB.

01:05:27 I've done the most work for me.

01:05:29 (Christian crying)

01:05:31 Okay.

01:05:39 Yes.

01:05:42 - The 18 year old is one of the baddest swimmers in Ghana.

01:05:48 Having represented the country

01:05:50 at various swimming tournaments.

01:05:52 His hard work did not go unnoticed.

01:05:55 - To showcase him to the world,

01:05:58 to Ghana as a whole,

01:06:00 and for our swimmers to know that

01:06:05 what they are doing is not in vain.

01:06:07 The harder they try, the better they become.

01:06:12 These are some of the privileges that we get

01:06:14 when they are able to put themselves forth

01:06:17 for the country and for themselves as well.

01:06:22 - Christian's passion for swimming

01:06:24 was evident from the age of nine.

01:06:27 His coach narrates the story of how he was discovered.

01:06:31 - And I remember as small as he was, nine years,

01:06:36 he didn't have money to pay for the usage of the facilities.

01:06:43 So what I saw him doing was he comes to the poolside

01:06:50 and comes to pick some of the refuse,

01:06:55 the rubbish around the pool.

01:07:01 After which, when he finishes,

01:07:04 one instructor, I mean someone,

01:07:06 will tell him, "Okay, come and let me show you how to swim.

01:07:12 "Let me teach you how to swim."

01:07:14 And that is how Christian learned how to swim.

01:07:19 So upon learning how to swim, he comes to the pool,

01:07:24 helps with the daily cleaning of the place,

01:07:28 and then he gets an opportunity to swim.

01:07:32 So I think one of the days I saw him in the pool swimming,

01:07:36 and I was like, "Oh, this guy has some good strokes.

01:07:41 "He's a potential.

01:07:43 "Why don't we add him?"

01:07:45 The club was then just one year,

01:07:48 so I spoke to the president of the club,

01:07:51 then Professor Ite, who said, "Okay, let's bring him in."

01:07:56 - Christian will be the second beneficiary of the scholarship

01:08:01 after national record holder Abeku Jackson.

01:08:04 The swimmer was warned not to take the opportunity

01:08:07 for granted.

01:08:08 - Abeku was led by an example.

01:08:11 We had a second opportunity,

01:08:13 so he too should go there, not as Christian,

01:08:16 but as an ambassador of Ghana swimming

01:08:19 to also pave way for other swimmers,

01:08:22 to also pave way for us to get more and more

01:08:24 of the scholarship so that other swimmers who are upcoming,

01:08:28 who are also looking up to him,

01:08:30 will also get the opportunity to get into the environment

01:08:33 that he gets to.

01:08:35 - As Christian steps onto this new chapter,

01:08:38 he carries not just the weight of his dreams,

01:08:41 but also the hopes of those who aspire

01:08:44 to tread the waters of triumph.

01:08:47 Haruna Mubarak for Joy Sports.

01:08:50 - This is our wrap up for AM Sports here with me,

01:08:53 Muftahu Nabila Abla,

01:08:55 the leadership of Ghana Football Association.

01:08:57 They have paid their last respect to former chairman

01:09:00 of the Ghana Football Association, Alajie M. Ndiyejaula,

01:09:04 who died in the USA earlier this year,

01:09:07 and the GFA president and the marketing manager

01:09:10 of the Ghana Football Association,

01:09:12 as well as the Greater Accra Regional Football Association

01:09:15 chairman, Samuel Abouabri.

01:09:17 They were all at the grave site of the former chairman

01:09:22 of the Ghana Football Association

01:09:23 to pay their last respects to him.

01:09:25 We'll have details of that in our subsequent bulletins.

01:09:28 This is our wrap up for AM Sports here with me,

01:09:30 Muftahu Nabila Abla.

01:09:31 You can head on to myjoyonline.com

01:09:33 and read some more sports stories.

01:09:36 (upbeat music)

01:09:38 Meet Baby X, preserved in formalin

01:10:02 at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science

01:10:05 and Technology for observation.

01:10:07 He or she is not your normal baby.

01:10:12 Baby X is deformed.

01:10:15 It has no genitals.

01:10:17 It has six fingers and six toes and a malformed head.

01:10:23 This baby was discovered by Professor Osei Sampini,

01:10:28 a pathologist, scientist, and a senior lecturer

01:10:32 with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science

01:10:34 and Technology.

01:10:36 - The first case I've had was in the Western North,

01:10:41 which is Bibiani to be precise.

01:10:43 Mother was sent to the labor ward.

01:10:47 She couldn't make it, so she died.

01:10:49 And you see, whilst the person dies,

01:10:51 usually the doctors will not go ahead

01:10:53 to do cesarean section.

01:10:56 The baby and the mother are sent to the morgue.

01:11:00 And then another person comes in to remove the baby.

01:11:06 - This was after the autopsy to separate the baby

01:11:09 from the mother, who died before delivery.

01:11:13 - The baby or the foetus that was in the mother's womb

01:11:16 was deformed.

01:11:18 Deformed in the sense that the baby had multiple limbs,

01:11:22 including, I'm talking about upper and lower limbs.

01:11:27 The eye was not well formed, fused together.

01:11:34 He had no sexes, that is, there was no identifiable sex.

01:11:38 Generally, I mean, medicine we call dysmorphic,

01:11:44 where you could not see anything that makes the baby,

01:11:47 if he had been even born,

01:11:50 would have lived comfortably in life.

01:11:54 - Professor Sampene traces the cause of the deformities

01:11:57 to heavy concentrations of lead, mercury, and cyanide

01:12:02 found in the placenta.

01:12:04 - Mercury, cyanide, lead, and arsenic, yes, in that order.

01:12:09 They were all there.

01:12:14 They were all there.

01:12:15 Of course, in some appreciable concentration

01:12:19 that could be damaging to the normal function

01:12:24 or the normal development of the DNA, the baby,

01:12:28 and so on and so forth.

01:12:30 Why is it in the placenta?

01:12:32 Naturally, to be in the baby,

01:12:33 because the placenta is the only means

01:12:35 by which the baby gets his feed.

01:12:37 Even the oxygen the baby gets is from the placenta.

01:12:41 Everything that the baby gets was in the uterus

01:12:45 is from the placenta.

01:12:47 - Baby X is perhaps the strongest proof ever

01:12:51 of how heavy metal contamination

01:12:53 can alter the developmental stages of a fetus,

01:12:57 leading to extreme deformation in babies.

01:13:00 - I was surprised because medicine evolves.

01:13:05 People have done studies in some of these things.

01:13:08 So if you see them in the literatures,

01:13:12 the books that you read, the biology books,

01:13:14 the pathology books, anatomy books,

01:13:17 the histology books and all those things,

01:13:19 sometimes we see them, we feel these are things

01:13:22 that are just because, that they are just like toys

01:13:25 or something that do not exist.

01:13:26 People's, I mean, imaginations.

01:13:29 But when I saw it, then I realized that yes, it's true.

01:13:33 - Baby X's preserved body is a grim presentation

01:13:37 of an unseen danger lurking in the midst of communities

01:13:41 affected by irresponsible mining

01:13:44 and the selfish pollution

01:13:45 of the Ghanaian environment for gold.

01:13:48 Professor Sampine has so far seen and tested

01:13:53 four of such babies with extreme deformities.

01:13:57 He has similarly found disturbing levels

01:14:01 of lead and mercury in all of them.

01:14:04 - I had a similar call to go and get another one done.

01:14:08 That was in Central Region, Dinka Hospital.

01:14:12 And the same thing was found.

01:14:13 Then comes other cases in the Ashanti Region,

01:14:18 where another one was also found

01:14:22 to be in a similar manner.

01:14:24 And then the Western Region again,

01:14:27 where another one was also found.

01:14:29 Then I realized that there should be some correlation here.

01:14:33 And that correlation is what?

01:14:36 The spillage of what?

01:14:40 Any pollutant, any form of pollutant

01:14:42 into the ecosystem where we need to actually address.

01:14:47 Then I decided, look, let me just now

01:14:51 get all the placentas labeled.

01:14:54 Parts of the babies, these fetuses, parts, organs,

01:14:58 like the kidney, the liver, these vital organs,

01:15:01 let me just take bits and pieces of them

01:15:04 and then do some work, laboratory work around it

01:15:09 and see what could be the reason.

01:15:13 - He concludes that this is a grim reality

01:15:16 of a possible widespread catastrophe

01:15:19 which needs further public health research

01:15:22 on a large scale.

01:15:23 - The conclusion is that heavy metals are in the system.

01:15:27 - Irresponsible mining generates talines,

01:15:32 a by-product of the sluicing process in extracting the gold.

01:15:36 These are done haphazardly without a recourse

01:15:41 to environmental safety and protection.

01:15:43 Consequently, the heavy metals in the talines

01:15:48 are released into water bodies,

01:15:50 the soil, food chain, surface, and groundwater.

01:15:54 This type of uncontrolled mining introduces

01:15:59 naturally occurring poisonous heavy metals

01:16:02 into water bodies like the pra.

01:16:04 The Environmental Protection Agency

01:16:08 in its research conducted on fishes

01:16:11 in the Tano River in 2022

01:16:13 revealed alarming levels of mercury.

01:16:17 - EPA, we are also into research.

01:16:20 - Dr. Jackson Edea Nyantechi is the half original director

01:16:24 of the Environmental Protection Agency.

01:16:27 He spoke at a transformational dialogue

01:16:30 on small scale mining organized by the

01:16:33 University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyane.

01:16:37 - In fish samples that were taken from River Tano,

01:16:39 at the Tano area there,

01:16:42 I thought I was just doing something simple.

01:16:46 But when I realized the levels of mercury

01:16:48 in the fish samples, I became so alarmed.

01:16:51 I looked at the levels in the fish muscles,

01:16:55 the head, the gills, the eye, and the bones.

01:16:59 The highest concentration was in the gills.

01:17:01 The bones were also there.

01:17:02 So since then, I have stopped eating

01:17:05 the head of the fish as well as the bones.

01:17:07 I only eat the muscles and that is it.

01:17:10 - There's an actual link between heavy metal

01:17:13 found in the soil and food.

01:17:15 Dr. Albert Kombinamensa is a research scientist

01:17:19 with a PhD in heavy metals in mine affected tailings

01:17:24 and soil, forest, water, and land degradation.

01:17:28 He reveals the link between these poisonous metals

01:17:32 and food grown from these areas.

01:17:35 - I collected samples from Obuasi,

01:17:37 areas that are contaminated with arsenic,

01:17:41 with cadmium, with lead and copper.

01:17:44 And we cultivated the soil in a pot in a greenhouse.

01:17:49 In fact, there were alarming concentrations

01:17:51 of heavy metal that were accumulated in the lettuce.

01:17:54 (upbeat music)

01:17:56 - And this is exactly how we are poisoning ourselves

01:18:11 for gold.

01:18:13 The scientists have given us their warnings.

01:18:16 We're seeing all of these things happening,

01:18:19 children being born.

01:18:21 And at first they felt, our medical people felt

01:18:24 it was maybe some nature at work

01:18:28 with some disparities in there.

01:18:30 But you see children with extra limbs,

01:18:33 genitalia among others not properly formed,

01:18:37 head not properly formed, among other parts of the body.

01:18:40 Then you take samples from the placenta

01:18:43 like was done in one instance,

01:18:45 and you realize, whoa, what is happening here?

01:18:47 High concentrations of all of these heavy metals,

01:18:51 mercury, lead among others.

01:18:54 Then you collect other samples,

01:18:56 go through the same process and realize

01:18:58 from different parts of the country,

01:19:00 Galam Singh, illegal mining is killing us.

01:19:05 The venom of it, we're feeling.

01:19:07 You may sit in a cry and say,

01:19:10 but the food you consume, the fish you consume,

01:19:14 the leafy vegetables, wherever they come from,

01:19:17 we are all getting poisoned for gold.

01:19:21 And that's why we're having this conversation this morning.

01:19:23 Our guests, Dr. Abdul Wadud Momin,

01:19:27 Senior Lecturer, School of Mines,

01:19:29 University of Energy and Natural Resources.

01:19:32 We also have Elizabeth Aluwa Vah,

01:19:37 Executive Director, Ghana Environmental Advocacy Group.

01:19:40 It's been so long since I spoke to Elizabeth.

01:19:43 It's really good to have her.

01:19:44 And later we'll also have an interaction with Darrell Bossu.

01:19:49 And there's something I'll get into

01:19:51 as far as the Western region is concerned

01:19:54 and what is happening there.

01:19:55 But let me say a very good morning to Elizabeth Vah,

01:19:59 who joins us virtually.

01:20:01 Elizabeth, good morning.

01:20:03 - Good morning.

01:20:05 - It's so good to have you.

01:20:07 It's been a long time.

01:20:09 I don't know, what have you been up to

01:20:11 as far as protecting Ghana's environment is concerned?

01:20:14 - Yeah, nice talking to you.

01:20:17 It's been a while,

01:20:18 and I wish we didn't have to meet on these topics.

01:20:22 I've just been after one item after the other.

01:20:27 Currently, there is a prospecting license

01:20:30 that has been issued for mining

01:20:33 of the Amanzule Conservation Area.

01:20:36 - That's exactly what I was talking about

01:20:37 that I would get to.

01:20:39 - I grew up on the Amanzule,

01:20:40 and so I am just, you know,

01:20:43 I haven't been able to sleep the past few days.

01:20:45 We've gotten quite a number of signatures.

01:20:50 So we're going to be sending it to the Minerals Commission.

01:20:53 We have to get a hold on this kind of man-made destruction

01:20:58 of ourselves, our environment,

01:21:00 and now our future generation.

01:21:03 It's...

01:21:05 - So I am doing this to my director for the day,

01:21:10 Ashi Levi.

01:21:11 I am sending him a photo of that area.

01:21:14 If not, we can get a photo

01:21:16 of the Amanzule Conservation Area, okay?

01:21:21 I'm putting it to him out there.

01:21:23 He is directing, he's my boss.

01:21:25 I want people, there's this aerial view of the place.

01:21:28 Doc, Dr. Momen is in the studio.

01:21:31 Let me, let me, there's this aerial view.

01:21:33 Look at that.

01:21:34 And we'll try and put it on your screen.

01:21:36 That is what we're allowing people to go and mine in.

01:21:40 With the few pristine resources we have

01:21:45 when it comes to water bodies.

01:21:48 Now, even that place, we're allowing,

01:21:50 we're giving out concessions to go there.

01:21:53 - Yeah, let me just explain that.

01:21:57 It's not the exact place,

01:22:00 but you know rivers take their sources from somewhere.

01:22:03 So the beautiful one you see along the coast in Nzuma

01:22:07 is actually taking its source from small streams

01:22:12 up the, closer to the Ancobra, within that area.

01:22:16 Yes, and that is why it's called

01:22:17 the Amanzule Conservation Area.

01:22:19 Once you hit there, the next day you see,

01:22:22 the river you see so nice is gone.

01:22:25 There wouldn't be any mining in it,

01:22:27 but it's being polluted from the source.

01:22:29 The same way that the Joint Lagoon,

01:22:32 there's no mining in the Joint Lagoon,

01:22:34 but because Tano is polluted from Samariboi,

01:22:38 Joint Lagoon is now a total polluted pond.

01:22:43 - Well, I guess what we're looking for

01:22:50 as a nation eventually we'll find.

01:22:52 Dr. Muhammad, thank you for joining us in the studio.

01:22:56 Your take on this, I mean,

01:22:59 it's also been a while since you joined us

01:23:01 for a conversation.

01:23:02 If I were to ask you the state of illegal mining,

01:23:06 the state of getting better in the fight,

01:23:11 you know, Mr. President has been going round

01:23:14 and he often touts how much we are doing.

01:23:17 What is your reading of that situation

01:23:19 before we get into the nitty gritty?

01:23:21 - Thank you very much for having me this morning.

01:23:25 And it's a privilege to speak to Ghanians

01:23:27 and discuss such a pertinent issue.

01:23:29 The picture that you just showed me,

01:23:33 I flew over that site only two days ago.

01:23:36 - Over there two days ago.

01:23:37 And we have that picture.

01:23:38 I think we can just put it, that's it, that's it.

01:23:41 That's the area.

01:23:42 It may not be specifically,

01:23:43 but that's the area we're talking about.

01:23:45 - Yes, and I have no doubt I'm telling you

01:23:47 I flew over there just two days ago

01:23:49 and I had a live aerial view of the inflows of water.

01:23:54 And I agree with Elizabeth when she says

01:23:56 that there is no mining concession at that place,

01:23:59 at that point.

01:24:00 - At that point.

01:24:01 - That you see, but you would find

01:24:03 that the concentrated water with heavy metals

01:24:07 are actually flowing from upstream channels.

01:24:09 - They will eventually get there.

01:24:11 - Yes, that's what I will agree with you.

01:24:13 And that is not a mining concession.

01:24:15 And I would want to say that Minerals Commission

01:24:18 has no idea.

01:24:19 I'm not actually doing the upgrading,

01:24:21 but Minerals Commission has no idea

01:24:23 about what is happening over there.

01:24:25 - Shouldn't they?

01:24:26 - They should.

01:24:28 They have monitoring schemes in place.

01:24:30 But sometimes you see, we have to come to terms

01:24:33 with the fact that illegal mining is a criminal activity.

01:24:37 Some of us say we shouldn't criminalize them,

01:24:39 we should formalize them.

01:24:40 But those who go outside the formalization processes

01:24:44 are actually criminalizing their own activities.

01:24:47 So if we look at it in that perspective,

01:24:50 criminals are always ahead

01:24:51 of the security intelligence, right?

01:24:53 By the time I was with Dr. Tony Obie,

01:24:56 former Minerals Commission CEO,

01:24:58 and we discussed this,

01:24:59 by the time you spot them at a particular place,

01:25:02 they have advanced to the next stage of development.

01:25:05 And it's really difficult

01:25:07 for the Minerals Commission to track them.

01:25:09 So the US Embassy, together with Department of State,

01:25:13 US Department of State,

01:25:14 came into some collaboration with UMAT.

01:25:18 And they invited us to discuss

01:25:20 how we could come up with technology inventions

01:25:24 to actually help in the tracking

01:25:26 and reporting of these activities.

01:25:28 So as you rightly said,

01:25:29 we could use the satellite data, satellite imagery,

01:25:32 to track the origin of the source of pollution,

01:25:36 and then be able to actually create a buffer

01:25:39 around communities that are likely to suffer

01:25:42 from contamination downstream,

01:25:44 from upstream polluters.

01:25:47 That's the illegal miners upstream.

01:25:49 And we are coming up with so many ideas

01:25:52 as to how we can do this,

01:25:53 and even make the information public.

01:25:56 Share with media houses like yours,

01:25:59 that at any point in time,

01:26:01 near real-time analysis and reporting of these activities.

01:26:04 We share with you,

01:26:05 you run them just as you have just run this one,

01:26:07 and I'm confirming that I've flown over the area

01:26:10 in the last two days.

01:26:11 It is likely that we would have technological revolution

01:26:16 to actually inform citizenry

01:26:18 and the best course of action to take.

01:26:20 Let me recall the words of Chief Andane,

01:26:25 the former CEO of Stambic Bank.

01:26:27 When this year he came to address as the keynote speaker,

01:26:31 Ghana Mining and Energy Summit.

01:26:33 He said that if government and if all the powers that be

01:26:38 do not take a concerted action,

01:26:40 he's going to lead a revolution of chiefs,

01:26:44 a revolution led by chiefs,

01:26:45 to fight against illegal mining.

01:26:48 But I can also assure you that all hands are on deck.

01:26:52 - I'll tell you for a fact,

01:26:54 people like Dr. Kenneth Ashigbe.

01:26:57 - That's right.

01:26:57 - You know the pivotal role.

01:26:59 Someone was speaking to me recently

01:27:01 and telling me about the frustrations he is going through.

01:27:05 So you tell me about the Minerals Commission

01:27:07 and this body and that body.

01:27:08 I'll tell you for a fact that yes,

01:27:10 while in many instances these groups,

01:27:12 and I'm not singling out anyone, may try,

01:27:15 there are also instances where they know very well

01:27:17 and they turn a blind eye.

01:27:19 You know why?

01:27:20 Because of politics.

01:27:21 - Yes.

01:27:22 - And because of other things that happen.

01:27:23 I mean, look at what happened

01:27:24 to the Professor Frimpong-Watting reports

01:27:29 and everything else.

01:27:30 Of course, it took even two years gathering dust

01:27:32 before we got wind of it through a leak and everything.

01:27:35 So the question,

01:27:36 and I think I'll put it to Elizabeth as well.

01:27:38 The question I am posing then is,

01:27:41 month on month you said you wished

01:27:43 we wouldn't even be here having this conversation.

01:27:46 Do you see any progress at all

01:27:49 when it comes to the fight against illegal mining?

01:27:52 And I want us to use that to situate the conversation

01:27:55 on poison for gold,

01:27:58 where we actually see the palpable effects of this.

01:28:01 Elizabeth.

01:28:02 - Yes, thank you.

01:28:05 Not from official though.

01:28:08 From official sources, I've only seen the usual talk,

01:28:13 you know, the nice things,

01:28:14 and then nothing happens on the ground

01:28:16 or on the ground is the opposite.

01:28:18 I sit here and I get pictures,

01:28:22 videos of champhans being driven,

01:28:25 placed on the washing machines,

01:28:27 placed on trucks on the way to Nyamebetwe,

01:28:31 different places in the Njera area,

01:28:35 in the Lembel area, in Zuma East.

01:28:38 I sit here and I get them.

01:28:40 The question is, what are our police

01:28:44 and all those people who are supposed to be responsible

01:28:47 for those areas doing?

01:28:48 So from official, no.

01:28:51 But I am seeing a lot of interest from communities

01:28:56 as we bring these issues to the attention.

01:28:58 Like I told you, the Emenzule issue,

01:29:02 we took it up like three days ago,

01:29:05 and already I have almost 700 signatures

01:29:08 on the petition that we are getting ready to send

01:29:11 to the Minerals Commission.

01:29:13 I've informed our allies, I've informed our king,

01:29:17 and they are all looking at what they can do

01:29:19 to make sure that the Minerals Commission

01:29:22 is put on notice, as well as the EPA and the concessionaire.

01:29:26 So the people in the communities are waking up,

01:29:30 and I am hoping that this very, very educative

01:29:35 and informative documentary that Erastos has done,

01:29:39 and this young man, God bless him,

01:29:41 is translated into our local languages

01:29:46 and shown in every home in our communities.

01:29:49 Once they see it, they see that it's no longer theoretical,

01:29:53 but it's actually reflecting in the deformed babies,

01:29:58 in dying mothers, in men who are having

01:30:03 neurological disorders.

01:30:04 I think they will advise themselves.

01:30:08 So we need to take it to the people

01:30:10 and let them fight for themselves,

01:30:12 because official, though, I don't know.

01:30:14 I don't see why the Minerals Commission

01:30:17 would sit in Accra and give the Emenzule Conservation Area

01:30:21 as a prospecting, a place to prospect for gold.

01:30:25 And now they want to go and see for themselves.

01:30:28 Now, isn't it a bit too late?

01:30:31 Couldn't they have done that earlier on?

01:30:33 Shouldn't they know which place in Ghana

01:30:36 is open for mining?

01:30:37 If even you say that they are doing a good thing

01:30:40 in terms of properly monitoring

01:30:42 and holding the people that they license to task.

01:30:47 If they don't, but they just sit and cut,

01:30:50 you know, they just take a piece of Ghana

01:30:52 and say, "That's your concession."

01:30:54 Well, that's not helping the situation.

01:30:56 People are dying here.

01:30:58 - People are dying here.

01:31:01 And now I want to, you know,

01:31:04 narrow it down to Poisoned for Gold.

01:31:07 You see everything in that hotline documentary,

01:31:09 which aired, the full-length thing airing yesterday

01:31:13 at half past eight.

01:31:14 And you look at what is happening on the ground

01:31:19 vis-a-vis what the authorities supposedly are doing,

01:31:23 and then the stark health implications.

01:31:29 Babies, children, malformation,

01:31:33 elderly people, concentrations of these and them.

01:31:37 Even we're told that for some of them,

01:31:39 like Mercury and the rest,

01:31:40 it may not be physical contact or anything.

01:31:43 Some of them are inhaling these things into them.

01:31:47 Inhalation.

01:31:48 Mercury, from what I gather, is even a,

01:31:52 it's a metal, but it's one of those,

01:31:54 it's a liquid metal,

01:31:55 depending on how you categorize it.

01:31:57 Imagine inhaling this and what it's doing to our bodies.

01:32:02 What is your reflection on Poisoned for Gold?

01:32:06 - I think it captures it succinctly,

01:32:11 what we are doing to ourselves.

01:32:13 And, you know, as a mother,

01:32:16 a mother who lost a baby,

01:32:18 and also an environmental advocate,

01:32:20 I just, I've been so down since I watched that yesterday.

01:32:25 And that's why I'm saying that it tells the message.

01:32:29 It tells it so well.

01:32:31 Maybe everything we've said,

01:32:33 if people wouldn't even hear it,

01:32:36 they must at least see that little boy,

01:32:39 boy or girl, you can't even tell,

01:32:41 that didn't make it just because his mother

01:32:45 or her mother happened to be in a place where the country,

01:32:49 her country could not protect her.

01:32:53 You see, especially in the communities downstream,

01:32:58 you go to the downstream of Ancobra and the fishermen,

01:33:02 the men are fishing in that polluted sea and river.

01:33:06 That's what they are going to end up consuming.

01:33:10 They're going to be selling it to you and I,

01:33:12 but they are living by that polluted river.

01:33:17 You go to Tano, the same thing.

01:33:19 All the people along those areas,

01:33:21 there are human beings, fellow Ghanaians,

01:33:24 like the president likes to say,

01:33:26 and we are poisoning them to death on a daily basis.

01:33:29 Look at the kidney dialysis situation in the country.

01:33:33 - Yeah.

01:33:34 - I didn't even know that we had this many kidney situation

01:33:39 and this many people suffering from kidney failure.

01:33:43 I didn't even know that.

01:33:44 But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

01:33:47 And it's only going to get worse.

01:33:49 This is a public health emergency.

01:33:52 If the destruction wouldn't touch people,

01:33:56 the public health emergency should.

01:33:59 And it's about time that we spoke up for the people

01:34:02 who have no voice and are at the very,

01:34:05 very receiving end of this.

01:34:07 - Let me come into the studio, Doc.

01:34:11 You watched it, right?

01:34:13 - Yep.

01:34:13 - Your takeaways.

01:34:17 - It's really a sad situation we have found ourselves in.

01:34:20 Sometimes it is not good to actually disclose

01:34:24 all that we have uncovered,

01:34:25 because you do that, you frighten a lot of people.

01:34:28 People will not even want to eat food made in Ghana

01:34:30 and even produced in Ghana.

01:34:32 - But maybe we should get to the point

01:34:34 where we paint the stark reality to the people.

01:34:37 Like the Ghana Water Company had a point saying,

01:34:39 look, processing water is becoming so difficult.

01:34:42 In some instances, they are processing mud,

01:34:44 to get, because this is contaminated.

01:34:46 And look at now, what is,

01:34:48 they are no longer using the other alum and the rest.

01:34:50 They are using polymers at extra cost.

01:34:53 Maybe that is what it will take

01:34:54 to get people to realize that, you know,

01:34:57 we all, maybe I'm benefiting a little,

01:34:59 but this is the national scale

01:35:01 and this is what it's doing to all of us.

01:35:03 - Yes, as Shias a little bit has rightly declared

01:35:05 that it's a national public health emergency.

01:35:08 If we tell you the amount of mercury concentrations in soil

01:35:13 and in water, but across the country,

01:35:15 not just the examples that you are showing,

01:35:17 it's so alarming.

01:35:19 My colleague did a study across almost previously

01:35:23 the 10 regions in the country, now 16 of them.

01:35:27 Every region, she sampled about three to four communities.

01:35:32 Two communities that host Galamsey, illegal mining,

01:35:36 and three more communities that are actually

01:35:39 in the vicinity of these communities, host communities.

01:35:42 And it has been found that even testing the urine

01:35:46 of people who live outside Galamsey communities,

01:35:49 there was a lot of mercury concentration

01:35:51 in the urine of people.

01:35:52 So you can imagine where we are heading towards dialysis

01:35:55 and the population's numbers of people

01:35:57 that are actually potentially kidney patients

01:36:02 in these communities that are even not hosting

01:36:04 illegal mining.

01:36:05 - Which will put a lot of pressure on the health system

01:36:07 that already is not even standing on its feet.

01:36:10 - Exactly.

01:36:11 - Where already health professionals

01:36:12 are leaving the country in droves.

01:36:14 - Now talk less about those who even live

01:36:16 within the vicinity of illegal mining

01:36:18 and those who actually practice it through inhalation

01:36:21 and through food, through vegetables,

01:36:23 and also through water.

01:36:25 So we will end up in a situation where we have to import food

01:36:29 from foreign countries, like other countries

01:36:31 like Burkina Faso, where we used to even supply food,

01:36:36 which is even an arid country that cannot actually,

01:36:40 that could not produce food.

01:36:41 Now we have to depend on them for at least good food.

01:36:45 Otherwise, there's no region except in the North,

01:36:50 Northeastern, Northern regions,

01:36:51 and then O2 regions that do not actually host

01:36:54 illegal mining activity.

01:36:55 Every other region that hosts illegal mining activities now,

01:36:58 if you sample five communities from there,

01:37:00 even those that do not host,

01:37:03 but are neighborhood to practicing operation sites,

01:37:07 there is no confidence that you will not find

01:37:11 any mercury concentrations in these areas.

01:37:13 Apart from mercury also, the other thing is cyanide.

01:37:16 Interestingly, where do we get the,

01:37:19 where do the miners get the mercury from?

01:37:21 Because I know, you and I know--

01:37:22 - And I know, mercury is not something

01:37:24 that you can just go somewhere and go and purchase.

01:37:26 It's not like that.

01:37:27 - I went to a village in the, what do you call it,

01:37:31 in the Boli district,

01:37:32 and I had discussions with the illegal miners.

01:37:34 They told me, "Look, we always say

01:37:36 "they use mercury on site, they do not.

01:37:38 "They don't have the capacity to actually buy mercury

01:37:42 "from the market in Ghana,

01:37:43 "and the restrictions that are in place

01:37:46 "prevents them from buying mercury."

01:37:48 - Exactly.

01:37:49 - But what happens is that they trade mercury.

01:37:51 Burkina Faso come to trade mercury with them for gold.

01:37:55 And if we can soften some of these restrictions

01:37:59 and allow them to be able to register

01:38:03 for mercury under regulations,

01:38:05 it's better than the illegal routes

01:38:08 through which Burkinabes and Ivorians

01:38:10 bring their mercury into their country.

01:38:12 But to purchase mercury in Ghana is really expensive

01:38:14 and very deterring to illegal miners.

01:38:17 Yet we find concentrations,

01:38:19 and actually it's ubiquitous across all Glamsy sites.

01:38:23 No one can say they do not.

01:38:25 Very scary.

01:38:27 The situation on the ground is really very scary.

01:38:30 And I can assure you that you go to restaurants,

01:38:32 you will not even want to eat food from the restaurant.

01:38:35 Because most of them are actually harvested

01:38:38 from countryside communities

01:38:40 that are actually mercury-laden on the farmlands.

01:38:44 - Elizabeth, and now we know that even the Volta,

01:38:49 some portions of it,

01:38:51 there have been, apart from sand winning,

01:38:53 there are some places where there have been attempts

01:38:56 to engage in illegal mining.

01:38:58 If the Volta also gets impacted,

01:39:00 then I think that would be game, set, and match.

01:39:03 - Yes.

01:39:04 And the doctor said that some of the pictures

01:39:08 are, we don't want to show them.

01:39:12 I am for showing it all.

01:39:13 That's what was done with cigarette, right?

01:39:17 Even now in Canada,

01:39:19 cigarette sticks have so many warnings on it.

01:39:24 Sometimes with pictures of a shriveled or damaged lungs.

01:39:29 I think we have to show them.

01:39:32 I think we have to show it to people.

01:39:35 People have to see what they are doing to themselves

01:39:38 and what we are allowing them to us.

01:39:41 So we should show them.

01:39:44 We should show them what it is,

01:39:46 because that's the reality of so many.

01:39:48 Regarding the Volta,

01:39:52 I mean, I just, I don't know what to say.

01:39:56 This country, like this is a national emergency.

01:40:01 This is a security situation.

01:40:05 Because our worst enemy,

01:40:08 if we were at war with a different country

01:40:11 and they did this to us, they would have gotten us.

01:40:14 But we are watching, our army's watching,

01:40:17 our interior ministry, our government,

01:40:20 our president is watching,

01:40:22 and we just say nice things

01:40:23 and our country is being run over.

01:40:26 Professor Frimpong-Buateng came up with a report.

01:40:29 This man headed this inter-ministerial committee.

01:40:33 And we are treating that report like it's just somebody

01:40:36 just collected a few things

01:40:38 and strung them together and sent them out.

01:40:40 - We are told it is empty,

01:40:42 that it has nothing in there worthy of pursuing.

01:40:46 That's what we've been told, empty.

01:40:48 - We have so much on the ground to show

01:40:50 that this is not just empty, empty things.

01:40:53 Erastos shows you specific forest reserves

01:40:57 that were ravaged before some people got their license

01:41:01 to even go in there.

01:41:02 And as to why someone would be given a license

01:41:05 to go ravage a forest reserve,

01:41:08 I still can't wrap my mind around it.

01:41:10 We now have LI-2462.

01:41:14 I mean, it's like even when we are in the emergency,

01:41:16 we keep killing.

01:41:19 LI-2462 virtually allows the powers that be

01:41:25 to give out concessions in forest reserves.

01:41:29 And there are no restrictions

01:41:31 as to how much of the forest reserve can be given,

01:41:34 whether the people they've given it to

01:41:37 need to reforest or not.

01:41:41 It's like, why open the gates

01:41:44 when you can't even hold the little things

01:41:47 that you're supposed to hold inside?

01:41:51 So I don't know where we are headed.

01:41:54 I don't know what it is that we actually intend to gain

01:41:58 from this self-destruction.

01:42:00 And I'm looking forward to the day when,

01:42:03 fortunately, we have some of these things documented,

01:42:06 when we will be able to bring people to justice,

01:42:11 like on behalf of all the people,

01:42:14 both living and dead,

01:42:16 and even that fetus that you showed,

01:42:18 for the destruction and the loss of life

01:42:21 that has been caused them by their own state.

01:42:23 - Thank you.

01:42:24 Well, I would want to add something

01:42:31 to what Elizabeth has said.

01:42:33 I personally have proposed over the days that,

01:42:37 look, we have to see the use of mercury

01:42:42 as a narcotic case,

01:42:44 where we have to start tracking the roots of mercury

01:42:47 into the country and out of the country,

01:42:50 and also the roots of trade of illicit gold.

01:42:55 And that is one of the ways

01:42:56 that we can actually save the situation.

01:42:58 Talking about Professor Fumbo-Watensky's case,

01:43:02 I just read on newspapers three days ago

01:43:06 that even the OSB is writing to the Chief Justice

01:43:10 to ask for a judge that would actually hear the case

01:43:14 that he has filed during the investigations.

01:43:16 - Yeah.

01:43:18 Well, we can also talk about the real impact on our land.

01:43:23 You made mention of,

01:43:27 I don't know whether it's Elizabeth who made mention of,

01:43:29 you made mention of our leafy vegetables,

01:43:31 among other things that we are producing.

01:43:33 We talk about the impact of the water

01:43:35 because it seeps into,

01:43:37 of course, it is the same water from the rivers and others

01:43:40 that irrigate the land.

01:43:43 That's why usually along the banks of any river

01:43:46 or water body,

01:43:47 you would find that the greenery there

01:43:49 is pretty lush and everything.

01:43:52 They are seeping into everything that we are eating.

01:43:57 And like you mentioned,

01:43:59 we may get to the point where we need to import

01:44:02 from our neighbors because we've contaminated our land.

01:44:05 Our neighbors have had cause.

01:44:07 I think Burkina Faso, the others have had cause

01:44:10 at a point to complain about what we are doing

01:44:12 to our water bodies

01:44:13 because they are affecting their water bodies.

01:44:15 All of these water bodies have sources

01:44:17 and they go to other places like the Nile.

01:44:19 - It's avarice.

01:44:20 - So, what per these studies

01:44:24 have been the impact on the land?

01:44:27 You've spoken about the water bodies.

01:44:28 How about the land itself, samples?

01:44:31 Can you share a bit more on that

01:44:33 on the back of poison for gold?

01:44:34 Because your people also engage in this.

01:44:36 Is there any such study that has been conducted?

01:44:39 - Yes, if I had known that you would ask me to give,

01:44:43 I would have given

01:44:44 because I have some of them on my laptop.

01:44:46 I would have shown them on screen.

01:44:49 For people--

01:44:49 - These are land.

01:44:50 - Yes, land, contaminated soils.

01:44:53 Soils that are actually dominated by heavy metals

01:44:57 in concentrations.

01:44:59 - So it means if you plant anything there,

01:45:00 the plants will naturally absorb these?

01:45:02 - Yes, and the natural vegetation

01:45:05 there is actually disappearing

01:45:07 and new vegetation that is resistant to the heavy metals

01:45:11 are now appearing on most of these farmlands.

01:45:13 So that is why you would go to communities

01:45:16 that were previously agrarian.

01:45:19 Now they complain that farm yield is dwindling,

01:45:22 is fast disappearing in favor of farming seasons

01:45:27 because of the presence of these heavy metals in the soils.

01:45:31 So they introduce different breeds

01:45:34 and species of vegetation on the land.

01:45:37 So when you plant crops,

01:45:40 those new breeds introduced a species of crops.

01:45:45 I mean, plants take the nutrients,

01:45:51 the soil nutrients that the crops for food

01:45:55 required to do well on the soil.

01:45:58 So it cuts across almost all the mining areas

01:46:01 in the country that people, farmers themselves

01:46:04 are actually finding weird

01:46:06 that all of a sudden they find themselves

01:46:10 facing low yield on cropping season

01:46:13 and also animals are dying.

01:46:16 The animals eat the vegetation.

01:46:18 The pasture that the animals depend on

01:46:20 are all actually sucking these metals from the soils.

01:46:25 And the soils also are leading with these through the water,

01:46:29 both underground water flow and surface water runoff

01:46:34 that come to deposit, wash the heavy metals from site,

01:46:37 downstream to farmland areas.

01:46:40 And all of the soils on the surface

01:46:42 are poisoned with these heavy metals.

01:46:44 And the plants actually suck the heavy metals from the soil

01:46:48 and the animals eat the plants.

01:46:50 And so we had reported cases from farmers

01:46:53 that for whatever reason, sometimes superstitions.

01:46:58 People believe that other people

01:46:59 are actually poisoning their animals.

01:47:04 Lo and behold, they have come to find that

01:47:06 through our studies that look,

01:47:08 it is as a result of heavy metal contamination

01:47:11 on the soils and on the lands.

01:47:13 A lot of lands are becoming barren now

01:47:15 because the original native vegetative cover

01:47:19 is all disappearing as a result of contamination

01:47:22 of the soils on the surface of the land.

01:47:24 And you will not only put that to crops and farmlands.

01:47:29 And as I actually mentioned on trees.

01:47:31 Now, look, if you go to most of these areas, even buildings,

01:47:36 those days you would have blocks

01:47:38 that are used to construct buildings

01:47:40 and you would find about 50 years old buildings

01:47:43 and the blocks are still neat and intact.

01:47:46 Now you plaster a wall,

01:47:48 a fresh wall that has been constructed for just a year.

01:47:52 You come to find that the whole wall is wearing down.

01:47:55 What is happening?

01:47:56 Because all the soils have actually been contaminated

01:48:00 with heavy metals that they are no longer able

01:48:03 to hold together cement and other--

01:48:06 - They're no longer viable for all of those--

01:48:08 - For construction.

01:48:09 So it's as a result of the heavy metal concentrations.

01:48:13 - Well, we are getting to in this country.

01:48:16 And you know, Elizabeth, I have heard of studies

01:48:20 and read different documents that point to the fact that,

01:48:24 interestingly, while the South Americans,

01:48:27 I don't know whether it was swallowing shoot

01:48:29 or one of those diseases,

01:48:30 but they wiped out cocoa farms in Brazil.

01:48:34 You know, Brazil at a point was the second largest,

01:48:36 you know, producer of cocoa.

01:48:37 And then it slipped all of those in South America.

01:48:40 Now the South Americans are heavily getting into it.

01:48:44 Their advantage, swathes of land, fertile soil,

01:48:48 large hectares, and they're going into it.

01:48:51 And they've been catching up

01:48:52 over the last 10, six years coming forward.

01:48:56 We are at risk and we don't even realize it.

01:48:58 Come to Ghana and because of the soil losing its quality

01:49:03 on the back of Galamsey and all of that,

01:49:05 a farmer can now farm an entire acre.

01:49:08 And what they get from it is infinitesimal

01:49:11 compared to maybe how many years or decades ago.

01:49:15 And we are sitting down.

01:49:17 So it's destroying everything.

01:49:18 And even our cash crop is also suffering.

01:49:22 You know, it struck me.

01:49:23 I want to run this by you.

01:49:24 In the documentary, there is a Galamseyer

01:49:28 who somewhere in there, you know,

01:49:31 he is drinking the same water he's polluting.

01:49:34 And he says, "Yebe wunti yenna."

01:49:36 How much more education do we need on this

01:49:41 for people to realize that

01:49:43 we are literally killing ourselves?

01:49:45 - Yes, thank you for the question.

01:49:49 At a point when people or some people

01:49:52 have become so adamant,

01:49:55 I think then it's borders on criminality.

01:49:58 Because it's one thing destroying yourself.

01:50:02 It's another destroying someone else

01:50:05 and a whole suite of people

01:50:07 who have nothing to do with your self-imposed destruction.

01:50:12 So we have to be able to differentiate between the two.

01:50:19 There are so many people who through no fault of theirs

01:50:22 happen to live in these communities.

01:50:24 And they are virtually at the mercy of these Galamseyers.

01:50:28 Not just the Galamseyers,

01:50:32 even the legalized small-scale miners.

01:50:36 Because they don't do anything different

01:50:39 from what these guys are doing.

01:50:41 And many of these people are helpless.

01:50:44 They don't even know who to go and report to.

01:50:49 The security service, the police in those communities

01:50:52 are compromised.

01:50:55 The DCs, everybody along the chain of leadership

01:50:59 in these communities, most of them are compromised.

01:51:03 So we need to be able to isolate those

01:51:06 who have decided to go on a suicide mission.

01:51:09 Probably put them all in a particular place

01:51:11 and let them do whatever they want to do with themselves.

01:51:15 But for the sake of the Galamsey population--

01:51:18 - What do you mean by that,

01:51:19 put them all in a particular place?

01:51:21 Is that incarcerate them?

01:51:22 Or is it put them in one place and say,

01:51:25 okay, you can destroy this place,

01:51:27 but you destroy yourselves as well?

01:51:29 How exactly, what exactly do you mean?

01:51:31 - Yeah, someone like that young man,

01:51:34 I don't know, yes, I put you on such a nipper.

01:51:37 I don't know what else you would tell this young man

01:51:41 to let him change his mind.

01:51:43 I had the privilege of talking to one young man

01:51:46 when I started this.

01:51:49 And he had brought three of his brothers

01:51:52 to come and join him in this gold smeltering business.

01:51:55 And when I spoke to him,

01:51:57 ran him down all the things that he's doing to himself,

01:52:01 he stopped.

01:52:02 He said he was using whatever little money he has

01:52:05 to go and get a taxi and then run it.

01:52:07 He sent his brothers home and all that.

01:52:09 Some people can be changed,

01:52:12 but those who have put themselves like kamikazes,

01:52:17 we let them, maybe either they get incarcerated

01:52:20 or we create, we carve out a space for them

01:52:23 and leave them all in there

01:52:25 to do whatever they want to do with themselves.

01:52:29 But the majority of our people shouldn't suffer

01:52:32 because some people just will do anything for money.

01:52:36 And the sad thing to me is,

01:52:38 the real people who enjoy the money from our gold

01:52:40 are living in penthouses in Dubai.

01:52:43 - Exactly.

01:52:45 - That is what hurts me.

01:52:47 Because look at the guy that was being interviewed

01:52:50 by Rastas.

01:52:52 This guy that has done galaxy for so many years

01:52:54 and now almost about to die,

01:52:57 has nothing to show for it.

01:52:59 So I don't know what will make someone decide

01:53:02 that even though this will kill me,

01:53:04 I'm going to do it because I will get a few cities

01:53:07 to buy food to eat today.

01:53:09 - But something will tell you,

01:53:11 you remember the Nkuranza incident

01:53:13 where some police officers were seen begging

01:53:15 some alleged galam sayers.

01:53:17 And we're told that one of those,

01:53:19 in the footage actually owns

01:53:23 multi bedroom entity that he even runs as a hotel

01:53:29 or something of the sort.

01:53:30 The point is, we shouldn't collectively suffer

01:53:34 for someone's singular greed.

01:53:37 And my problem is the fact that like,

01:53:41 Doc in the studio mentioned,

01:53:42 these people cannot purchase mercury.

01:53:45 There are political figures involved.

01:53:47 Some of them will be able to get the mercury

01:53:49 for whoever is running things on the ground for them.

01:53:53 Rastas himself will confirm that there are instances

01:53:57 where you go to certain places

01:53:59 where the IMCIM back then was,

01:54:01 and you'll get a call,

01:54:03 no, this place, a person is involved,

01:54:06 please move out and all of that.

01:54:09 Our political actors, our leaders,

01:54:12 some of our chiefs and all of that

01:54:14 are in bed in cahoots with these people.

01:54:17 What, I mean, sometimes I just get to the point

01:54:20 where I think it may take something really radical

01:54:25 to stop this.

01:54:26 And Elizabeth, we've been told

01:54:27 that even if we stopped all of this today,

01:54:30 our water bodies, it will take us about a century

01:54:32 for them to get anything near to what they were before.

01:54:37 And we're still going on.

01:54:38 Growing up, some of the textbooks I would see,

01:54:41 you would see the river and Cobra,

01:54:42 the river Pra and they were all, look at them today.

01:54:45 I mean, what will it take to bring this menace to an end?

01:54:49 Because obviously I'm putting my presidency on the line,

01:54:52 has not yielded anything.

01:54:54 - It's leadership.

01:54:58 It all comes back to leadership.

01:55:01 Without the right leadership,

01:55:02 we will keep going around in circles.

01:55:05 If we really, really, really want to stop this,

01:55:10 we can't stop it.

01:55:12 But without the right leadership,

01:55:13 we are not going to get anywhere.

01:55:15 Because even the Awulai of Aksin,

01:55:19 Awulai Atibukusu said during the Kundun Festival,

01:55:24 he made a statement that the politicians

01:55:29 have hijacked this such that even when you arrest somebody

01:55:33 and you make all that noise about them destroying your land

01:55:36 and you get a call that way,

01:55:39 (speaking in foreign language)

01:55:41 So there is so much, so many interested parties,

01:55:46 so many people who don't want this country to do well,

01:55:51 hiding behind these people

01:55:53 and really, really responsible for the destruction.

01:55:56 With the right leadership that says,

01:55:58 I want my country back,

01:56:00 I want us to be able to get a hold on this,

01:56:03 they'll be able to arrest the main kingpins

01:56:06 behind the destruction.

01:56:07 Once you cut the head,

01:56:09 the tail and the body will not survive.

01:56:12 Then the people who genuinely need employment,

01:56:15 we can always find something different for them to do.

01:56:18 The land that we are destroying can be a source of,

01:56:23 producing most of these spices

01:56:26 and other things that the world needs.

01:56:28 Coconuts is now one of the big things

01:56:31 that people in the Western world are craving for.

01:56:35 There are so many things we can do with our land,

01:56:37 with the right leadership that says,

01:56:40 no matter what, we are not destroying ourselves.

01:56:42 Things will change.

01:56:44 And our chiefs as well.

01:56:45 So now even with the Nzuma, the Amanzule one,

01:56:50 like we have told our chiefs, our ulites,

01:56:54 and we're expecting them,

01:56:56 we're expecting the Nzuma Mali Traditional Council

01:56:58 to come up with a statement.

01:57:00 It's about time they came together,

01:57:03 stood up and spoke up for their own land.

01:57:05 Otherwise, there's no reason why people should become poodles

01:57:10 to whichever political regime is in place.

01:57:13 These guys come in only four years at a time

01:57:15 and we have to vote them to power.

01:57:17 So you, the chiefs, you, our nananum, our kings,

01:57:21 you are the guys, you are the people,

01:57:24 the men and women who must hold on to your communities.

01:57:29 So there can be a way around it

01:57:34 if we genuinely have the right leadership to direct this.

01:57:37 - You know, there was such a time when calling yourself

01:57:42 Ghanaian came with a lot of pride.

01:57:45 It still does in a way,

01:57:46 but you look at what we're doing to ourselves.

01:57:49 For you, Doc, this is how far we've come.

01:57:56 I do not know what it will take because nothing has worked.

01:58:00 - I want to refresh our memories back to the days

01:58:02 of the colonial rule.

01:58:04 In 1933, the British rule actually banned the use of mercury.

01:58:09 And these are some of the things they envisaged

01:58:15 and that brought the ban of mercury.

01:58:18 And this law has been repealed in 1989.

01:58:22 And we only allow the use of mercury for gold processing,

01:58:26 but it's more scale mining.

01:58:28 - So you say 1933, that's 90 years ago.

01:58:31 - Yes.

01:58:32 - And you banned it.

01:58:33 Today, yes, we are in different ways

01:58:36 allowing it to take a foothold.

01:58:39 - No, it was repealed by the PNDC law 217.

01:58:41 - I don't disagree.

01:58:43 I'm saying that through our actions and inactions,

01:58:45 we're allowing it to take a foothold.

01:58:46 It's not about the banning.

01:58:48 You mentioned how difficult it is to secure mercury.

01:58:50 - Yes.

01:58:51 - But through our actions and inactions,

01:58:52 is it in use or not?

01:58:54 - It is.

01:58:55 - Is it destroying our environment or not?

01:58:56 - It is.

01:58:57 So I'm trying to suggest that the first step I feel now

01:59:02 there may be repercussions to that,

01:59:04 but we just have to ban mercury for now completely

01:59:07 because the law currently allows the use of mercury.

01:59:10 - Quick question.

01:59:11 The major mining entities, they don't use that, do they?

01:59:15 - The large scale mining companies don't use mercury.

01:59:17 - Exactly.

01:59:18 It's the small scale ones that have to use it to, you know.

01:59:21 So if we ban it, then of course,

01:59:24 the entire value chain goes.

01:59:25 - No, it doesn't really go.

01:59:27 That is backed by law.

01:59:28 - Yes, of course.

01:59:29 The value chain for the trade and use of mercury

01:59:34 for all processing can actually be deleted from the system.

01:59:39 There are other equally viable options for all processing

01:59:43 without the use of mercury.

01:59:44 They only tell you that mercury is the most efficient

01:59:47 among all.

01:59:48 There are other metals that are equally poisonous,

01:59:51 but are not actually attractive in use now.

01:59:54 That can be used.

01:59:55 We have also discovered-

01:59:57 - Maybe you shouldn't mention their names

01:59:58 to give people any ideas.

01:59:59 - No.

02:00:00 So, and the technologies are also now available for,

02:00:05 I mean, for the processes of gold

02:00:08 without actually the use of mercury.

02:00:10 I have done work with the, for the Minamata Convention,

02:00:14 which seeks to actually discourage the use of mercury.

02:00:17 And we've been actually simulating

02:00:20 and discussing technologies that can actually be used.

02:00:24 And that's why I strongly suggest that, look,

02:00:27 it is about time that Ghanaians and government,

02:00:30 now if you say government,

02:00:31 we are literally referring to politicians

02:00:34 who are actually giving this all kinds of,

02:00:37 I mean, demoralizing this from citizenship, right?

02:00:40 And patriotism in the fight of the use of mercury

02:00:44 and also in the fight against illegal mining.

02:00:48 But if the true media channels can actually advocate

02:00:54 the complete ban of mercury out of the system

02:00:58 to repeal the 1989 PNDC law 217, it is better for us.

02:01:02 Then we can begin to head for natural recuperation

02:01:06 and remediation techniques of the polluted

02:01:09 and already contaminated water bodies and soils.

02:01:12 That is the best way I think we can go about this.

02:01:16 Yeah.

02:01:16 - Well, thank you for those thoughts.

02:01:19 I'll give each one of you some 20 seconds to wrap.

02:01:21 Elizabeth, any final thoughts you'd like to share?

02:01:24 - Just on Dr.'s point,

02:01:27 I thought we were signatories to the Minamata Convention.

02:01:30 So why we'd still allow mercury into our country

02:01:34 and for it to become a big issue,

02:01:37 it all boils down to the enforcement side of things.

02:01:42 In the country, we have very, very beautiful,

02:01:46 lofty laws in our books, but do we really enforce them?

02:01:50 That's another topic.

02:01:53 What last words do I have?

02:01:56 If this, we keep saying that if this particular expose

02:01:59 doesn't get Ghanaians to sit up, then nothing will.

02:02:03 Then we go to the next, we go to the next.

02:02:05 Erastos continues to do this wonderful service

02:02:10 to our country that the EPAs,

02:02:13 the various organizations and arms of state should be doing.

02:02:20 Now, what do we do with this information?

02:02:23 My plea is that we make this available

02:02:26 in all the various languages.

02:02:29 And we get GTV to really get some rights

02:02:33 to show this in every community in the country.

02:02:36 Show the pictures as they are.

02:02:38 Show that little baby that couldn't see the light of day

02:02:42 with the six fingers, no honors, and all of that.

02:02:45 Let people see that a mother died

02:02:48 because her placenta was virtually broken down

02:02:51 by all the mercury concentration inside her.

02:02:54 Let people know that when there's Ghalam Se in their

02:02:57 communities, it's not just the people in the trenches

02:03:00 that are killing themselves.

02:03:01 The entire community is at risk.

02:03:05 - Right.

02:03:06 Thank you, Elizabeth, for, you know,

02:03:09 whenever I have these conversations,

02:03:10 they just dampen my mood, honestly.

02:03:12 They leave me, final words, please, shorter, if you can.

02:03:17 - Yeah, so let me quickly say that

02:03:21 Ghana has just submitted our national action plan

02:03:23 to the Minamata Convention Secretariat.

02:03:26 - Action plan?

02:03:27 - Yeah, national action plan.

02:03:28 - National action plan.

02:03:29 - That's right, yes.

02:03:30 - Action plan.

02:03:31 - Yes, please.

02:03:32 And through the Minister of Environment,

02:03:34 and our actions are actually yet to be implemented.

02:03:37 I'm yet to see that.

02:03:38 But I would also want to bring our minds back

02:03:42 to what pertains in DR Congo.

02:03:45 In DR Congo, it's a mess situation where no one cares.

02:03:50 Anyone who owns a concession, illegal mining is outrageous.

02:03:55 - We don't want to get there.

02:03:56 - So that's why I say let's refresh,

02:03:59 let's take our minds to what's going on in DR Congo,

02:04:02 and we will advise ourselves.

02:04:03 You were telling me of what we have seen in Liberia.

02:04:08 All of this are just a conglomerate of hazard

02:04:13 that is going on in DR Congo,

02:04:15 because the issue of illegal mining and the use of mercury

02:04:20 has escalated to levels that no one can control.

02:04:24 And the government has actually given up.

02:04:27 There's no way any political party,

02:04:30 whether they are interested or not,

02:04:32 can actually manage the situation now in DR Congo.

02:04:35 We don't want to get there in Ghana.

02:04:37 Thank you.

02:04:39 - Ghana, no.

02:04:40 (speaking in foreign language)

02:04:44 It's our job to do, and if we will not do it,

02:04:50 I guess we should not complain someday.

02:04:52 If the very things we dread happen,

02:04:56 hopefully we don't get there.

02:04:58 Hopefully not.

02:05:00 Well, those who joined us for this conversation,

02:05:02 Dr. Abdul Wadud Momen.

02:05:04 He's a senior lecturer, School of Mines,

02:05:06 University of Energy and Natural Resources.

02:05:09 We also had Elizabeth Aluwa Vah,

02:05:12 Executive Director, Ghana Environmental Advocacy Group.

02:05:16 Thank you so much for joining this conversation.

02:05:18 Up next, the spouses of heads of missions in Ghana

02:05:21 and international organizations

02:05:22 are getting ready to host

02:05:25 their very first diplomatic fashion gala

02:05:27 in efforts to support a range of local charities

02:05:31 that benefit Ghanaians in urgent need.

02:05:33 We're talking about the 21st day of October, Saturday.

02:05:37 Well, we'll be giving you quite some insight into that

02:05:40 as we host the guests for that conversation.

02:05:42 Bernice Abubaydu-Lanza is up next on the AM Show.

02:05:46 (upbeat music)

02:06:06 - Hello there, good morning to you.

02:06:07 Thank you so much for joining me

02:06:09 on this edition of the AM Show.

02:06:13 And that was a very important conversation

02:06:15 Benjamin Akako had there

02:06:17 on the terrible impact of illegal mining.

02:06:22 But now I'm just gonna zoom into our next conversation

02:06:25 and it's one that will interest you.

02:06:27 Now, the spouses of heads of missions in Ghana

02:06:30 and international organization

02:06:32 is getting ready to host

02:06:34 his very first diplomatic fashion gala

02:06:37 in efforts to support a range of local charities

02:06:40 that benefit Ghanaians in urgent need.

02:06:42 Now it comes off on Saturday, the 21st of October

02:06:45 at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra.

02:06:48 And this morning I've been joined by Robert Owen Jones.

02:06:51 He's a spouse of the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana

02:06:55 and Akofa Wallace.

02:06:56 She's a diplomatic fashion gala committee member.

02:06:59 Welcome.

02:07:00 - Thank you, Bernice.

02:07:00 - And it's such a pleasure to have you here.

02:07:02 Thank you so much for joining me this morning.

02:07:04 I am just curious 'cause usually,

02:07:07 we know that diplomatic groupings do a lot,

02:07:11 but fashion gala, charities, what's all this about, Robert?

02:07:15 - It's an excellent question.

02:07:17 So the association has existed for some 40 years.

02:07:22 It has members from every single inhabited continent,

02:07:25 Africa, of course, South America, North America,

02:07:30 Europe, Australia, well, we're a continent.

02:07:33 And in those 40 years, it's always been engaged

02:07:37 in supporting charities as we can.

02:07:41 It's a way of giving back when we're living here

02:07:44 as guests of Ghana.

02:07:47 But this year we decided to step it up

02:07:49 and have a new initiative and really seek to raise

02:07:54 a substantial amount of money for charity.

02:07:56 And we're gonna do it

02:07:57 through a diplomatic charity fashion ball.

02:08:00 - That's interesting,

02:08:01 but that's not to say you haven't done anything.

02:08:03 You just want to be more conspicuous this time, right?

02:08:06 Akofa, you're working with a team.

02:08:08 Tell us how this fashion gala is gonna look like.

02:08:11 Who are those involved?

02:08:13 And how much are you hoping to raise at the end of the day?

02:08:15 - Well, we really were ambitious with our efforts

02:08:19 because we, as a collective, realized that, you know,

02:08:22 we have a good network of people.

02:08:24 We've got the diplomatic community

02:08:26 and the Ghanaian community.

02:08:28 And, you know, let's bring them together

02:08:30 for benefit of others.

02:08:33 Our focus really is SDGs,

02:08:36 the Sustainable Development Goals

02:08:39 for health and for education.

02:08:42 So we're focused on raising ambitiously

02:08:46 250,000 Ghana CDs at least for the benefit

02:08:51 of five select charities in the first instance.

02:08:54 Thankfully, we've beaten our goal at this point in time,

02:08:57 thanks to our sponsors and our friends and supporters.

02:09:02 And we're going to then distribute

02:09:04 as needed after the event.

02:09:07 And so it's a night of glitz and glamor

02:09:10 with working in collaboration

02:09:12 with the African Fashion Foundation as well,

02:09:15 who have seven designers that they work with here in Ghana

02:09:20 who will be showcasing their fantastic designs on the night

02:09:24 alongside our international designer for this year,

02:09:28 a Moroccan designer, which Robert can tell you more about.

02:09:31 - Right, Robert, this international designer.

02:09:33 What should we know about that designer?

02:09:35 - Well, let me say a few things.

02:09:37 I'll start with the Moroccan designer.

02:09:40 She's a fabulous designer called Hasha

02:09:43 and she has her brand, Burda.

02:09:45 She lives in Ghana at the moment

02:09:47 and she is using that experience

02:09:50 to develop the themes of her work.

02:09:52 So when you see her collection,

02:09:54 it's a blend of Ghana, Morocco,

02:09:57 but actually the broader West Africa.

02:09:59 It's a very interesting approach to fashion.

02:10:04 And all of the designers are doing innovative things.

02:10:09 I am a very passionate photographer

02:10:14 and I've had the opportunity to photograph designers

02:10:18 and fashion around the world.

02:10:20 And I've had the opportunity now to see

02:10:22 all of the collections that the designers are preparing

02:10:26 for this weekend's gala.

02:10:28 I'm so impressed.

02:10:29 I mean, the level of innovation is incredible.

02:10:33 The level of excellence of the design

02:10:36 from the Ghanaian designers is incredible.

02:10:39 And we're very fortunate to work

02:10:41 with African Fashion Foundation,

02:10:43 whose mission is to support and promote Ghanaian fashion.

02:10:48 And in addition to our primary objective

02:10:52 of raising money for charity,

02:10:55 we have this strong objective of ourselves

02:10:58 trying to promote and help young Ghanaian artists.

02:11:01 - That's impressive.

02:11:04 Because I mean, at the level at which you're taking it,

02:11:07 it's early days here at ACOFA,

02:11:09 but do you hope that this will probably translate

02:11:12 into a bigger fashion festival?

02:11:14 You know, something of the sort?

02:11:15 - Well, you never know.

02:11:16 Let's see how Saturday goes.

02:11:18 And let's see what the feedback is from our guests.

02:11:22 We're expecting about 250 people for a sit-down meal.

02:11:25 We can't be more thankful for the generosity

02:11:27 of our sponsors, the reason we've been able

02:11:31 to do all of this.

02:11:32 Firstly, starting with the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast Accra.

02:11:36 I mean, they've been absolutely fantastic

02:11:37 with their support and giving us the ballroom for the night.

02:11:42 And plated service for our guests.

02:11:45 Amazing support for these charities

02:11:47 who are the final beneficiaries of this.

02:11:50 We've got to thank the Mohinani Group of Companies,

02:11:54 MTN, Japan Motors, Meridian Apartments,

02:11:58 and Don Emilio, Johnny Walker, and Bank of Africa.

02:12:05 Without their support and their belief in us

02:12:08 as volunteers for this,

02:12:11 we couldn't have put on this show on Saturday.

02:12:14 What will happen in the future is we hope

02:12:18 that we are going to continue to use our privilege

02:12:22 and our skillset and knowledge of Ghana

02:12:25 to benefit the most vulnerable amongst us.

02:12:29 And that's gonna continue to be our goal,

02:12:31 no matter what shape and form this fashion gala takes.

02:12:36 - There are many ways to raise funds,

02:12:38 but why did you settle on a fashion gala?

02:12:41 - So, I think, I mean,

02:12:44 we've done many different activities in the past,

02:12:47 and the inspiration simply came

02:12:51 from having seen some young Ghanaian fashion.

02:12:55 And as a group, we meet regularly.

02:12:58 We meet at least once a month,

02:13:00 and we're talking about this is incredible innovation

02:13:03 in design coming out of Accra.

02:13:05 What can we do to support it?

02:13:07 So we thought, well, we can harness this

02:13:09 for our efforts to raise money.

02:13:11 And the Kempinski Hotel, I mean,

02:13:14 as soon as we raised the idea with them,

02:13:16 very, very generously came in and offered us everything,

02:13:21 the location, everything.

02:13:22 So that really makes the task of raising substantial money

02:13:26 for charity much easier.

02:13:28 - Fantastic.

02:13:28 So, Akof, I heard you speak about 250 guests.

02:13:32 I'm sure it's limited seating, probably by invitation.

02:13:36 - It is, it is. - But if there's somebody

02:13:37 watching us, somebody who believes in supporting

02:13:41 the most vulnerable, they may like to work

02:13:44 with your association, probably in the future.

02:13:46 How do they get in touch with you?

02:13:48 Are you open to working with organizations

02:13:52 that do these kind of things?

02:13:55 - I mean, yes, I think that what we wanted to do

02:13:58 with this event, because it's unique for us,

02:14:03 and first time we have raised funds to this amount,

02:14:08 is to take heed of how the event goes

02:14:14 and how much we can give to charities,

02:14:16 and then see where future support can lie.

02:14:21 And also what we can do, like you said,

02:14:23 in collaboration with other organizations in Ghana.

02:14:28 Right now, we don't have, per se, an organization,

02:14:32 or a headquarters, or anything,

02:14:35 but I'd urge anyone who would like to get in touch

02:14:39 and learn more, potentially call through your lines,

02:14:41 and then you can forward the details to us

02:14:44 in the first instance.

02:14:46 We're just absolutely thankful for the support

02:14:48 we've had up to date, and we're excited about Saturday.

02:14:51 - All right, Robert, anything you'd like to add to that?

02:14:54 - I might just add that, of course,

02:14:56 people can help the charities directly,

02:14:59 and the charities that we're going to support

02:15:02 out of this particular event are incredibly worthy.

02:15:05 So I'm going to read them out,

02:15:08 just to make sure I get all the titles correct.

02:15:11 But Aburi Presi Primary Library,

02:15:14 - Presi, yeah. - Creation.

02:15:16 So they're, sorry. (both laughing)

02:15:19 Autism and Intellectual Development Difference Network,

02:15:22 Intervention Network, Breast Care International,

02:15:25 their Ghana chapter, Hope for Africa,

02:15:29 and the Orthopaedic Training Center.

02:15:31 And they're all dear to us.

02:15:35 The Orthopaedic Training Center is really dear to me.

02:15:37 When you see the help that they give to disabled children

02:15:42 and have been doing it for so many decades,

02:15:45 it's incredibly worthy.

02:15:47 So we are very, very proud to be able to help them,

02:15:50 and everyone can help them.

02:15:53 - Yeah, right, fantastic.

02:15:54 And just a little bit of you being a passionate photographer,

02:15:58 do you do it professionally, is this the hobby?

02:16:00 - No, I do it professionally as an art.

02:16:03 And this is not my first time

02:16:07 photographing fashion in Ghana,

02:16:09 but I must say I'm just so impressed,

02:16:14 just so impressed with the quality of the designers

02:16:17 and the professionalism.

02:16:18 It's really been an incredible experience.

02:16:21 And I photograph fashion in Europe,

02:16:23 elsewhere in Africa, Australia, et cetera,

02:16:25 and the standard is high.

02:16:28 - Well, thank you so much for being in Ghana,

02:16:30 and thank you most importantly for making an impact.

02:16:33 All the best on Saturday.

02:16:34 That program will be hosted by our very own Doreen Andor.

02:16:38 And hopefully we'll see pictures online, right?

02:16:40 For those who cannot be there.

02:16:42 We'll get to enjoy the fashion.

02:16:43 I'm looking forward to seeing

02:16:45 the beautiful designs you spoke about.

02:16:47 So my mind is just wondering,

02:16:49 okay, what is it, are these abstract designs?

02:16:52 You know, what exactly is it that is exciting Mr. Owen?

02:16:56 So hopefully we can see the photos, right?

02:16:58 - I know you want to wrap up,

02:16:59 but you can absolutely see the photos.

02:17:02 And I've already taken about 300 professional photos

02:17:06 of the fashion.

02:17:07 One of the great things to say is,

02:17:09 is real diversity between the different designers

02:17:12 and the way that they approach fashion.

02:17:14 And there's a common theme.

02:17:16 I can see that none of it is fast fashion.

02:17:18 All of it is very bespoke, mindful fashion.

02:17:23 I don't want to, well, I don't want to single out

02:17:26 any particular designer.

02:17:28 I will mention that we have one designer,

02:17:31 Elisha Boy, who does upcycling.

02:17:34 Everything's made from found objects in the environment,

02:17:38 plastic or pre-loved clothing.

02:17:41 And, but when you see his designs, they're incredible.

02:17:44 Really, really impressive from Ghana.

02:17:47 - Thank you so much.

02:17:48 And once again, we wish you all the best on Saturday.

02:17:51 I have been speaking to Akofa Wally's

02:17:54 Diplomatic Fashion Gala Committee member

02:17:56 and Mr. Richard Owens.

02:17:59 He's spouse of the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana.

02:18:03 And they've been telling us about this wonderful,

02:18:05 they have, idea they have as the spouses of heads

02:18:10 of missions in Ghana international organizations,

02:18:13 putting together this fashion gala,

02:18:15 night of glitz, glamour, beauty.

02:18:17 One that will allow even our artists to express themselves.

02:18:21 It's an opportunity for Ghanaian designers

02:18:24 to showcase their talents that they have.

02:18:26 So this is also to support charities here in Ghana,

02:18:30 most importantly, and they have just given us

02:18:33 the wonderful idea of doing so even as individuals.

02:18:36 So why not think about it as an organization,

02:18:39 as an individual, you can support a charity today.

02:18:41 But if you're looking for anywhere to put in your support,

02:18:45 we know what's happening in parts of the world

02:18:48 in Eastern regions.

02:18:50 And here we're collecting, you know, food items, grains,

02:18:54 anything you have that can support our brothers

02:18:56 and sisters in the affected communities

02:18:58 due to the dam spillage is most welcome.

02:19:01 And so you can reach our offices,

02:19:03 you can drop your items, toiletries, anything, water,

02:19:07 we just need to get them help while we can.

02:19:10 You're watching the AM show, I'll be back with more.

02:19:12 Do stay.

02:19:13 (upbeat music)

02:19:15 (upbeat music)

02:19:18 (upbeat music)

02:19:20 (upbeat music)

02:19:23 (upbeat music)

02:19:26 (upbeat music)

02:19:28 (upbeat music)

02:19:31 (upbeat music)

02:19:33 - Thank you so much for staying here on the AM show.

02:19:36 And when you hear that song, you know,

02:19:37 we are all about the National Science and Maths Quiz.

02:19:40 You're still at the quarterfinal stage.

02:19:43 Yesterday, the contests were interesting.

02:19:45 I remember that one particularly between Osetitu

02:19:48 and Opukuware Senior High School.

02:19:50 It was left to the last questioning

02:19:53 for the winner to be determined.

02:19:55 Today promises to be also exciting.

02:19:57 I'll be telling you the schools that will be competing,

02:19:59 but you know that as always,

02:20:02 we are helped by some generous, generous organizations

02:20:06 to bring you the live coverage

02:20:08 of the National Science and Maths Quiz.

02:20:10 And this morning I've been joined

02:20:11 by Retail Manager of Royal Film,

02:20:13 Richard Edujemfi, Royal Film is one of our new sponsors.

02:20:17 Hello, Mr. Edujemfi, good morning to you.

02:20:18 Thank you so much for joining me.

02:20:20 - Good morning.

02:20:20 - Right, so the National Science and Maths Quiz

02:20:24 has been on for about six years,

02:20:26 for about, sorry, 30 years.

02:20:28 Tell me about Royal Film.

02:20:32 When you decided to join the National Science

02:20:34 and Maths Quiz and why?

02:20:35 - Thank you.

02:20:37 My name is Richard Edujemfi,

02:20:39 Retail Manager as you rightly said

02:20:40 for Royal Film Ghana Limited.

02:20:43 The management of Royal Film Ghana Limited

02:20:47 feel obliged to share in this responsibility

02:20:50 to equip our youth to learn, research,

02:20:55 and then come up with solutions

02:20:58 and reach up to the heights,

02:21:00 the highest heights,

02:21:01 heights that we never even ventured to go.

02:21:05 We feel it's our duty to help them

02:21:09 because of this age, you know,

02:21:12 we are in this age of artificial intelligence

02:21:16 and you need to give them that scientific basis

02:21:21 before they will be able to achieve.

02:21:23 - Fantastic, so how long have you been a part of the NSMQ?

02:21:26 - We joined a couple of years ago.

02:21:30 - Wonderful, wonderful.

02:21:31 Thank you so much for helping us do this.

02:21:33 But tell us more about what Royal Film has on offer,

02:21:37 what sets you apart on the market?

02:21:40 - Yeah, as I said in my interlude,

02:21:44 we feel we are part of the whole show

02:21:48 and we have products that we have put on the market.

02:21:53 Before I go there,

02:21:57 National Science and Mars Competition

02:21:59 is the competition that will always have our support.

02:22:01 - Thank you for that.

02:22:02 - Yes, yes.

02:22:03 Yeah, Royal Film is a whole Ghanaian company

02:22:07 which was established in 2013.

02:22:10 After discovering a unique formula,

02:22:13 we have been manufacturing high quality

02:22:15 film products for our customers.

02:22:18 We all know how it feels when your mattress sinks

02:22:22 or sucks when you sleep on it

02:22:23 and the feeling when you wake up

02:22:26 or how it feels when you spend a lot of money

02:22:29 on a "nice" sofa only to discover after a couple of weeks

02:22:32 that you've been tricked.

02:22:34 Yeah, tricky.

02:22:35 Or worse still, to find out that you really didn't have

02:22:38 that spine problem, but your mattress gave you that feeling.

02:22:43 Ghanaians have labored a lot

02:22:47 and it was surprising they found solace

02:22:51 in buying used mattresses.

02:22:54 They didn't care where they came from,

02:22:56 whether they came from the prisons or the hospitals

02:22:58 or all those horrible places I don't want to mention.

02:23:02 I'm delighted to introduce to you

02:23:04 Royal Film's high, high density HHD mattresses.

02:23:09 They are firm, they are smooth

02:23:14 and they will take care of your backbone.

02:23:17 Our unique formula together with our quilted material

02:23:19 covering makes our HHD mattresses stand out among the rest.

02:23:24 They do not sink, they do not shrink

02:23:27 after several years of usage.

02:23:28 In fact, they are so firm that your weight

02:23:32 is evenly distributed on the supermarket.

02:23:36 And then you wake up rejuvenated.

02:23:38 For customers who don't want their mattresses so hard,

02:23:43 we have the high density, the HD range too,

02:23:48 that is comfy, plush and takes care of your pressure points.

02:23:53 They are also covered with quilted material.

02:23:56 In short, Royal Film has all you need in a mattress and more.

02:24:00 Our other sales is from your margin.

02:24:02 So Royal Film has added pillows

02:24:06 to the mattresses you buy from us.

02:24:08 When you buy a double size mattress,

02:24:10 we give you two free pillows.

02:24:12 When you buy a queen size mattress,

02:24:14 we give you three free pillows.

02:24:16 When you buy king size mattress,

02:24:19 we give you three free pillows.

02:24:21 And this is for parents.

02:24:23 We have a package for students.

02:24:26 When you buy student mattress,

02:24:28 we have them in five inches, four inches and three inches.

02:24:32 And they are all covered with Macintosh leather.

02:24:34 When you buy one, you get one pillow free of charge.

02:24:38 And our prizes will surprise you.

02:24:41 They are cool.

02:24:43 No wonder we won a lot of awards just as we started.

02:24:50 I can't list them all.

02:24:51 The latest is a gold award

02:24:52 in the 19th Ashanti Business Excellence Award

02:24:55 organized under the auspices of us,

02:24:57 of 246 to the second.

02:24:59 We won the same gold award during the 16th version of it.

02:25:04 And we have a lot of awards

02:25:08 from our corporate social responsibility.

02:25:12 Royal Film is the best for you.

02:25:16 - Fantastic.

02:25:17 Yeah, a well-painted picture

02:25:18 about what Royal Film has on offer for you.

02:25:21 So if you're a parent whose child

02:25:25 will be going to high school,

02:25:26 if you're looking for a mattress to buy,

02:25:28 Royal Film is the option for you.

02:25:30 They will give you a free pillow in addition.

02:25:32 So, I mean, you're using a stone to kill two birds there.

02:25:36 But where can we locate your offices?

02:25:38 Where can we find you across the country?

02:25:40 - We are scattered all around.

02:25:43 In Kumasi, we are head offices.

02:25:45 We are at Asokore Mampong.

02:25:47 We have a magnificent showroom.

02:25:49 Asokore Mampong is about six, seven minutes drive

02:25:53 from K and USD.

02:25:55 We are located in the Barkha,

02:25:58 around the traffic light at Mr. Biggs.

02:26:02 - Okay.

02:26:03 - We are at Ashama Runabout.

02:26:05 We are at Matayeko opposite Malcolm.

02:26:07 We are at Doinna opposite the Metellus Junction.

02:26:12 We are in Sunyane.

02:26:16 We are in Techemine.

02:26:17 - Oh, wow.

02:26:18 You're in a lot of places.

02:26:18 - Yes, yes, yes.

02:26:21 And you can contact us on our main line, 020-227-1000.

02:26:26 That is 020-227-1000.

02:26:33 Or my personal number, 050-922-5927.

02:26:38 - Can you say that again, please?

02:26:41 - 050-922-5927.

02:26:45 - Fantastic.

02:26:47 So we usually find out from our guests

02:26:51 if their schools are still participating in the contest.

02:26:54 Is your school still in there?

02:26:55 - Yes.

02:26:57 - Pemper College?

02:26:58 - Pemper College.

02:26:59 - Okay.

02:26:59 - How did you get that?

02:27:00 - Well, my guest, I have a very instinctive,

02:27:04 (laughing)

02:27:06 instinctive mind.

02:27:08 So, yeah.

02:27:09 So Pemper College is in there.

02:27:11 Last year, you almost had it.

02:27:13 So, I mean, any message you'd like to send to your boys?

02:27:16 - Yes.

02:27:17 - You competed last night.

02:27:18 - Yes.

02:27:19 - And you won.

02:27:20 - Yes.

02:27:21 - Okay, so you're into the semifinals.

02:27:22 - With a huge margin.

02:27:22 (laughing)

02:27:24 - Any message to the Pemper boys?

02:27:26 - Yeah, we are all for them.

02:27:27 We are praying for them.

02:27:29 They should be strong.

02:27:30 They will do it again.

02:27:31 - Right.

02:27:32 Any special packages for the contest from Royal Foam?

02:27:35 - Just as I told you already,

02:27:37 we have free pillows going out for the mattresses you buy.

02:27:40 - Right.

02:27:41 - The King, Queen, and the Double.

02:27:43 And then we have free pillows for the student mattresses.

02:27:46 Yeah, that is what we have for now.

02:27:48 - Thank you so much for joining me this morning.

02:27:50 That was Richard Adujempi,

02:27:51 Retail Manager of Royal Foam,

02:27:52 an old student of Pemper College.

02:27:55 Royal Foam is happily sponsoring this year's edition

02:27:58 of the NSMP.

02:27:59 And Mr. Adujempi has said that they are happy

02:28:02 to extend this relationship for a very, very long time.

02:28:05 So thank you so much to Royal Foam.

02:28:08 So if you're looking for a mattress to buy,

02:28:10 Royal Foam is the option.

02:28:12 And they say, rest assured,

02:28:14 they've got the high, high density, which is the HHD.

02:28:18 They've got the high density for you as well.

02:28:19 They've got it in all the sizes, students,

02:28:21 mattress, double size, queen size, king size,

02:28:25 whatever you want, just give Royal Foam a call

02:28:28 and then they will sort you out.

02:28:31 Right.

02:28:32 So I'll be back to talk more

02:28:34 about the National Science and Maths quiz

02:28:36 and those who are helping us bring you

02:28:38 the live coverage Tuesday.

02:28:41 (upbeat music)

02:28:43 Thank you so much for staying here on the AM show.

02:28:55 When it comes to the National Science and Maths quiz,

02:28:57 it's all excitement.

02:28:58 When we talk about the schools competing,

02:29:01 who the likely winner could be and all that.

02:29:04 And I must say that we are able to bring you

02:29:08 the live coverage of the NSMQ

02:29:11 because of the gracious help of our sponsors.

02:29:15 One of them being DBS Industries Limited.

02:29:19 I've been joined this morning, once again,

02:29:22 James Kwil-Kusenu is Sales and Marketing Manager,

02:29:25 DBS Industries Limited.

02:29:27 He's to my immediate left.

02:29:28 And Kelvin Muziah is General Manager,

02:29:31 Sales and Customer Service, DBS Industries Limited.

02:29:34 You're welcome, gentlemen.

02:29:36 I just want to let all of you know

02:29:39 why I had such a big smile on my face when we came in

02:29:42 because Kelvin's school is still in the competition

02:29:47 and that's Persec Lagon.

02:29:50 And they are hoping to make it what, the eighth?

02:29:52 - Yes, our goal is great.

02:29:53 (laughing)

02:29:56 - Well, we've got our fingers crossed.

02:29:57 We'll see how it, 'cause Persec is competing today.

02:30:00 You know that.

02:30:01 That's the last contest for today.

02:30:02 So when we finish, I'll give you the opportunity

02:30:06 to send a message to your boys.

02:30:08 Hopefully they don't disappoint you.

02:30:09 But let's talk about DBS Industries Limited.

02:30:12 You've been giving us wonderful, quality,

02:30:16 colorful roof sheets, trusses.

02:30:20 And then you recently introduced the concrete products

02:30:25 into the mix.

02:30:26 So for somebody who's hearing DBS for the first time,

02:30:30 do you mind telling us what DBS is about

02:30:32 and what you have on offer?

02:30:34 - So good morning.

02:30:35 I just want to wish all listeners and audience

02:30:39 a very good morning.

02:30:40 And for DBS, it's becoming a one-stock shop house.

02:30:45 When we talk of roofing and concrete, we have it all.

02:30:49 So for the roofing, we have the Molding Softlock.

02:30:53 We have the IBR, which is the Inverted Box Roof.

02:30:57 We have IDT, which is the Industrial Dip Trough.

02:31:01 We have shingles, and we have EWTOWS.

02:31:05 EWTOWS is an aluzing material,

02:31:09 which has an aluzing base with a stone-coat finish.

02:31:12 So aside everything, we have steel trusses.

02:31:15 So one will ask, "Why steel trusses?"

02:31:18 I think it's a material which is made of light steel.

02:31:22 So in that case, it doesn't exert much weight

02:31:25 on your building, and it has water and fire resistance.

02:31:28 And finally, we have our concrete products,

02:31:30 being the blocks, being the pavement blocks,

02:31:33 being the ready-mix concrete.

02:31:36 And that's for people who are doing really large projects

02:31:40 who need the concrete, you know, sent to their site and all that.

02:31:43 Let me find out from you, Kelvin.

02:31:46 The NSMQ has been running for 30 years,

02:31:48 and as far as I can remember, at least with our live coverage of it,

02:31:52 DBS has supported us.

02:31:54 Why is DBS interested in the NSMQ?

02:31:57 First of all, thank you for having me.

02:31:59 So the NSMQ is...

02:32:02 I think it's one of the huge things

02:32:07 that, you know, it gets the interest of all Ghanaians.

02:32:10 It's kind of like the Black Stars play.

02:32:12 I get it.

02:32:13 Yes.

02:32:14 It's like when that period comes around,

02:32:18 everybody is watching, everybody is interested,

02:32:21 especially when your school is also competing in this event.

02:32:25 And it's nice, you know, giving these kids the platform

02:32:29 and the coverage to show what they can do

02:32:31 and what their schools are also about.

02:32:34 Yeah, and talking about the platform,

02:32:35 you don't want to underestimate what this does for many of the students.

02:32:41 I can talk about, you know, the young girl, her name just escaped me,

02:32:46 who was part of the contestants for Kitasco last year.

02:32:51 Lamini, I think that's her surname.

02:32:54 -Francisca. -Francisca, yeah.

02:32:55 Thank you so much.

02:32:56 And she is studying abroad as a result of your help

02:33:01 together with the other sponsors.

02:33:02 And we're projecting her on the screens.

02:33:05 Hitherto, you would see the NSMQ after the event

02:33:09 because it would be broadcast, you know, when the event was over.

02:33:12 And then sometimes those timely interventions didn't come.

02:33:14 So you're perfectly right.

02:33:15 It's such a huge platform.

02:33:17 And so we can't say thank you enough to DBS

02:33:20 and all of you who make it possible for us to bring the live broadcast.

02:33:25 But there are special discounts from your company.

02:33:31 And sometimes when we say these things,

02:33:32 you think that it was just for the fun of it.

02:33:34 You may just want to give them a call.

02:33:35 They'll be putting their numbers out shortly

02:33:37 and you would experience what I'm talking about.

02:33:39 But what are the special offerings this year?

02:33:41 Any special NSMQ, you know, tailored discounts or packages for our audience?

02:33:48 Yeah, I think we are doing something more than a discount.

02:33:51 We are probably wrapping up the year, so we are running a reduction

02:33:55 sales on all our products.

02:33:58 Oh, yeah.

02:33:59 So it's huge. It's more than a discount because when we are talking of discounts,

02:34:03 we'll be talking about 5%, which I think is very minimal.

02:34:07 So we are doing a reduction sales.

02:34:09 OK, if you're if you're building a house, working on a project,

02:34:12 you need concrete material, you need trusses, you need roofing materials.

02:34:18 DBS Limited is the company to call.

02:34:21 They're doing a reduction sales.

02:34:23 James says that they are wrapping up the year.

02:34:25 It's October. We are almost done.

02:34:27 So we need to wrap it up all quickly.

02:34:29 But I'd just like for you to share your contact details.

02:34:33 Anybody who would like to call.

02:34:34 Do you do payment plans and packages?

02:34:39 You know, someone may be working on a huge project

02:34:42 and may say that I may not have all the money upfront.

02:34:46 Do you allow for, you know, installment payments and all those kind of things?

02:34:50 Actually, we don't do payment plans, but we have a lot of packages

02:34:55 when one would like to move or buy new products,

02:34:58 would like to come on board, have a personal chat with us.

02:35:00 Then we can introduce you to some of the packages that we have on board for you.

02:35:04 OK, please throw in the numbers and how we can contact you.

02:35:07 OK, OK.

02:35:09 We are 0244 84444.

02:35:15 0244 84444.

02:35:19 And we also have a toll free number.

02:35:21 That is 0800 626262.

02:35:27 0800 626262.

02:35:31 So, yes, you can contact us on any of these numbers.

02:35:34 And yes.

02:35:36 Fantastic. And where are you located?

02:35:38 I mean, if someone wants to walk into your offices instead of calling you,

02:35:41 where can we find you?

02:35:42 So we're on the Spintex Road, right next to Papaya.

02:35:46 Spintex Road, right next to Papaya.

02:35:47 And we also have a branch at Sapeman.

02:35:50 That's close to the China Mall.

02:35:52 OK. Yes. OK.

02:35:54 So outside the Sapeman, we are also in Kumasi,

02:35:57 which is 050 600 4242.

02:36:02 Then we have a branch in Takradi as well.

02:36:04 So they are contacted 050 600 4141.

02:36:09 So you can contact us.

02:36:10 So we have a branch also at Sunyane and Tamale as well.

02:36:13 Right. Across the country, they are.

02:36:14 And Kelvin Mouzai, General Manager, Sales and Customer Service,

02:36:18 DBS Industries Limited.

02:36:19 He's to my far left.

02:36:20 And James Kwau Senu is Sales and Marketing Manager at DBS Industries Limited.

02:36:27 And Kelvin's school will be contesting much later today.

02:36:30 That's Prasek Legon.

02:36:31 They are defending champions.

02:36:33 I don't know if Kelvin decided to wear this blue because it's

02:36:36 It's on purpose.

02:36:40 It's on purpose, eh?

02:36:41 Because I was thinking to myself, no, this guy wore this blue

02:36:44 because it fits the Prasek Legon colour.

02:36:47 But I'm just giving you the opportunity, right?

02:36:50 Your boys want to make it the eighth trophy.

02:36:52 You're the leaders on the on the charts, right?

02:36:56 Let's see if any school can upset you this year.

02:37:01 What were the message to your boys?

02:37:03 Oh, you should just keep doing what you are doing.

02:37:05 A lot of people are tired of us winning, but we cannot be tired of winning ourselves.

02:37:10 But did you watch your last contest though?

02:37:12 Yes.

02:37:13 It was quite tight.

02:37:14 It was quite tight, but you know, when you start off like that,

02:37:17 it's just about getting your groove and then, you know, getting warmed up.

02:37:20 Honestly, was there any point you felt like, because I was watching

02:37:24 and at a point I was like, this may be tough for Prasek.

02:37:27 Yeah, after the problem of the day, I think they got four out of ten.

02:37:31 I was like, that had me raising my eyebrows, but I know the boys will perform today.

02:37:36 All right, let's see how it goes much later today.

02:37:39 Let me run you through the contests of the day.

02:37:42 We have Tamale SHS, St. Augustine's College and Keta SHS.

02:37:47 This one is a good one because Keta SHTS has shown that they are a force

02:37:55 to reckon with again in this year's competition.

02:37:57 In fact, scoring one of the highest points, 70.

02:38:02 And so we'll see how that one goes between St. Augustine's College, Tamale SHS and Keta SHTS.

02:38:09 Then the next one will be between Kumasi Sec Tech and Yilo Kropo SHS and Infantapim School.

02:38:17 Then we will have GSTS, Accra Academy and Prasek Ligon.

02:38:23 This one looks to me like it's going to be an Accra, Prasek thing.

02:38:27 Everybody will try to prove their dominance.

02:38:29 But this is the station to be on today as we bring you the live coverage of the National Science and Maths Quiz.

02:38:36 Once again, let me say a very big thank you to DBS Industries Limited for helping us bring you the live coverage of the National Science and Maths Quiz.

02:38:44 I'll be back with more. Do stay.

02:38:46 [Music]

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