IGIHE

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  • David Moyes Admits United are Lagging Behind this Season

    David Moyes Admits United are Lagging Behind this Season

    {{David Moyes admits Manchester United have not earned the right to claim a Champions League place this season. }}

    United are 11 points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool and facing the prospect of missing out on the Champions League for the first time in 19 years .

    Moyes and his men have 12 games left to try to avoid that fate and snatch fourth spot, with Moyes conceding they have not been good enough this season.

    “At the moment it’s still a long way away,” said Moyes. “We’re well off the pace to reach it, but we have to keep going, win and hope that teams slip up.

    That’s all we can do.” “You have to earn that right to be there. We’ll have to earn that right. We haven’t earned that right to be at the top this season and have to do better.”

  • ICC ‘Expert’ Witness a Hoax – Kibaki Aide

    ICC ‘Expert’ Witness a Hoax – Kibaki Aide

    {{Former Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki’s Private Secretary Nick Wanjohi has denied allegations by the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecution’s expert witness, Herve Maupeu, that over 500 members of the Mungiki sect were massacred under the former president’s tenure.}}

    Wanjohi not only described the allegations as unfounded but malicious as Kibaki had instead sought to “rehabilitate and integrate” members of the sect.

    “The allegations attributed to the ‘expert’ amount to nothing but prima facie witchcraft and reckless mischief bereft of any iota of objectivity. Such allegations are best treated with a generous serving of salt and the contempt they deserve,” Wanjohi stated.

    Wanjohi questioned the Frenchman’s expertise on Kenya’s socio-political affairs urging that his testimony be taken in the context of an “intellectual poseur.”

    “Though described as an ‘expert witness’ he has made several far-fetched and laughable allegations about Kenya. His ‘expert advice’ begs immediate correction and placement within both context and perspective,” he restated.

    Free Universal Basic Education and the Youth Fund, both began during President Kibaki’s terms in office, he said, were fine examples of President Kibaki’s attitude toward the youth.

    “His administration was concerned with such groupings as Chinkororo, Baghdad Boys, Angola-Musumbiji and Mungiki. The ultimate aim of this initiative was to enable members of such groupings to positively participate in nation-building alongside everybody else,” Wanjohi stated.

    On Tuesday, Maupeu told the ICC in the case facing Deputy President William Ruto and former radio presenter Joshua arap Sang that former security minister, the late John Michuki, orchestrated the “massacre” of Mungiki because he believed they wouldn’t vote for him or Kibaki in the 2007 general election.

    “In March 2007 various police forces massacred all the groups that appeared to be Mungiki in Central Province so by the end of 2007, the Mungiki had very little mobilisation capacity,” he testified.

    It was however not the first time such an allegation had been made with The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) raising the same concern in 2009.

    An accusation the Kenya Police Force, at the time, denied at a time when Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, Professor Philip Alston, was finalising a report on extra-judicial killings.

    {capitalfm}

  • Man Convicted for Stealing Church Money

    Man Convicted for Stealing Church Money

    {{In Ghana, a Church Protocol Officer, who forged the signature of his church leader and succeeded in siphoning money totaling GHC14,000.00 was on Friday convicted by an Accra Circuit Court.}}

    Foster Nii Ayi Smith is said to have forged the signatures of Prophet Stephen Mensah, Founder and General Overseer of Power Miracle International Church at Kaadjanor in Accra and stole monies from the various accounts of the church.

    Smith stole cheque book leaflets of Access Bank, Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and Unibank Ghana Limited in order to carry out his nefarious acts.

    Charged with seven counts of forgery and seven counts of stealing, Smith pleaded guilty.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP ) Peter Nsoh said the complainant was Prophet Mensah the Founder and General Overseer of Power Miracle International Church at Kaadjaor in Accra.

    Smith is a protocol officer of the same church. In January this year, Prophet Mensah asked his secretary to obtain bank statements from Access, ADB and Unibank.

    After obtaining the various bank statements, ASP Nsoh said it was detected that Smith had forged the signature of Prophet Mensah and withdrawn GHC14,000.00 on different dates at the various banks without the consent of the complainant.

    A report was made to the Police and Smith was arrested. In his cautioned statement Smith admitted withdrawing only GH 6,000 cedis from the various accounts.

    {agencies}

  • Gambia’s President Says Gays Like Malaria-Causing Mosquitoes

    Gambia’s President Says Gays Like Malaria-Causing Mosquitoes

    {{Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has said his government will fight gays in the same way mosquitoes are fought.}}

    “We will fight these vermin called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes; if not more aggressively,” he said.

    The remarks were contained in the President’s speech Tuesday marking the country’s 49th Independence Day.

    President Jammeh vowed homosexuality would never be tolerated and in fact would attract the ultimate penalty since, he said, it was intended to bring humanity to an “inglorious extinction”.

    He added that his government would not accept any friendship, aid or any other gesture that was conditional on accepting homosexuals or the so-called LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals).

    “As far as I am concerned, LGBT can only stand for Leprosy, Gonorrhoea, Bacteria and Tuberculosis; all of which are detrimental to human existence,” the President said.

    He stated that Gambia would not spare any homosexual and that no diplomatic immunity would be respected for any diplomat found guilty or accused of being a homosexual.

    “We will not accept diplomats that are homosexuals,” President Jammeh warned.

    The Gambian leader said no amount of blackmail, smear campaign or bullying tactics would make him deviate from his position and allow those “marauding locusts to loot our natural resources to our own detriment”.

    {africareview}

  • Rwandan Business Delegation in Ghana For Investment Avenues

    Rwandan Business Delegation in Ghana For Investment Avenues

    {{Mr Benjamin Gasamagera, Chairman, Rwanda Private Sector Federation has expressed the readiness of business people in Rwanda to invest in Ghana in efforts to boost trade relations between the two African countries.}}

    He said businessmen in Rwanda were also ready to learn from their counterparts in Ghana and to explore business opportunities for investment.

    Mr Gasamagera said this in Accra on Friday when a 32-man delegation from the Rwanda Private Sector Federation paid a courtesy call on the leadership of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).

    He noted that the development of Africa’s economy largely depended on Africans, hence, the need to improve on investment and trade relations among African countries.

    He commended Ghana for its conducive trade prowess and environment which had enticed them to visit, learn and to explore avenues for cooperation.

    He said the Federation had a membership of 10,000 and had served as the mouthpiece of private businesses in Rwanda, advocating for favourable business environment.

    Mr Gasamagera said due to the Rwandan Government’s commitment towards creating good business environment, one could register his or her business within six hours in the East African country.

    “Rwanda is also recognised as the most competitive and best place to do business in East Africa due to our Government’s commitment to the private sector”, he added.

    He expressed the readiness of the Federation to explore all business avenues and learn especially, the mining sector as Ghana was seen as a mining hub on the continent.

    He intimated that a lot of measures had been put in place by successive Governments in Rwanda to ensure that the country was never plunged into civil war again as happened in the 1990s.

    This, he said, was to make the country attractive to potential investors and to ensure that the country continued to enjoy peace.

    “We also have flights which visit Ghana about five times in a week thereby boosting transportation between the two countries,” he added.

    Dr Seth Adjei Baah, President, GCCI, said the visit by the Rwandan delegation would help establish mutual cooperation and partnership that would deepen trade and economic ties between the two countries.

    “For now there is virtually little we can talk about in terms of trade between the two countries as in 2010 Ghana exported to Rwanda,” he said.

    He said Ghana exported only $18,000 worth of goods to Rwanda in 2012 according to statistics available to the GCCI.

    He lauded Rwanda for the operation of its national airline, RwandaAir and the subsequent decision of the airline to fly to Accra, as a strategic move that could ease trade and investment barriers between the two countries.

    He cited agriculture, and agro-processing, construction of infrastructure, real estate development, tourism, telecommunication, ICT, oil and gas, mining and quarrying as some of the investment opportunities that they could explore in Ghana.

    Dr Adjei Baah expressed hope that the meeting between the two organisations would help to strengthen partnership between the two countries and also bring about economic and social benefits by creating trade and employment to improve the standards of living of people in both countries.

    Mr Denis Karera, Honorary Consul of Ghana in Rwanda, expressed the readiness of the Consulate to assist any Ghanaian who wanted to do business in Rwanda.

    To cement the trade relations between the two organisations, the leadership of GCCI and the Rwanda Private Sector Federation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to that effect.

    Seth Adjei Baah
    {myjoyonline}

  • KIA Motors & Dana Motors to Build Assembly Plant in Nigeria

    KIA Motors & Dana Motors to Build Assembly Plant in Nigeria

    {{South Korean motor company KIA Motors and Dana Motors Ltd have signed an agreement to set up a vehicle assembly plant in Nigeria within two years.}}

    Jacky Hathiramani, managing director of Dana Motors, and Homer Kim, an official from KIA Motors, signed the agreement in a bid to improve the West African country’s auto industry.

    KIA’s decision to set up the plant in Nigeria followed the launch of the Nigerian government’s latest auto policy, which raised import duty on fully built cars to 70 per cent from 22%.

    The policy will attempt to discourage vehicle importation and encourage local production. When fully implemented, the policy will aim to create a number of employment opportunities and wide range of technologically-advanced manufacturing opportunities.

    Hathiramani said the new policy would set the stage for a new era of industrial, micro, small and medium enterprises development in Nigeria.

    Based on data from the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 400,000 vehicles (300,000 used and 100,000 new), valued at US$3.4bn, were imported in 2012 alone.

    {africanreview}

  • Construction Begins on Obama’s US$21 billion Electrification Project

    Construction Begins on Obama’s US$21 billion Electrification Project

    {{The multi-billion dollar project titled Power Africa begins with solar and wind installations, and seeks to double electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa in the next five years.}}

    Of 800mn people in sub-Saharan Africa, two-thirds have no access to electricity.
    Andrew Herscowitz, coordinator for Power Africa, said, “Power infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa suffers from massive degrees of under-investment as compared to the developed world.”

    Power Africa, which was announced last summer, is coordinating efforts on six countries- Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tanzania to add 10 gigawatts of electricity generation capacity.

    This is meant to increase electricity access by at least 20 mn households. Wind farms in Kenya and Tanzania, and a solar project in Tanzania are among the first few projects earmarked.

    Based on findings by the International Energy Agency, sub-Saharan Africa needs more than US$300bn to achieve universal electricity access by 2030.

    The six countries shortlisted for Power Africa have averaged a combined investment of just over US$3bn a year in their electricity infrastructure, according to statistics by the World Bank.

    However, the US electric power industry, in 2012, recorded capital spending of US$90.5bn, according to the Edison Electric Institute.

    The White House stated that the Obama administration will provide more than US$7bn in financial support and loan guarantees, as well as the support and expertise of 12 US government agencies.

    Private investors have agreed to contribute more than US$14bn in loans, loan guarantees, and equity investment.

    Power Africa is being projected as a new model of foreign aid by fostering collaborations between US government agencies and corporations. “We’re taking all our tools and working together on common goals,” said Herscowitz.

    For example, Tanzania’s standard power purchasing agreement was for 15 years, but in order to obtain financing, one solar power deal needed a 20-year agreement. Power Africa helped convince the government to make a 25-year deal, claims Herscowitz.

    The initiative is also rooting for financial transactions to push key reforms to stimulate private sector investments in these six countries.

    {africanreview}

  • Egypt May Reinstate Ban on Fans After Super Cup Clashes

    Egypt May Reinstate Ban on Fans After Super Cup Clashes

    {{Egypt’s interior ministry will review its decision to lift the ban on fans attending matches following clashes at Thursday’s Super Cup between Al Ahly and CS Sfaxien in Cairo.}}

    Trouble flared shortly after Ahly’s 3-2 victory when some of the club’s fans attacked security forces, leaving 25 police personnel injured.

    “After the end of the match, section of the fans chanted anti-police slogans before hurling water bottles, seats and fireworks at the forces who were securing the game,” the interior ministry said in a statement.

    “On their way out, the fans have also torched a police vehicle and two civilian cars … 10 officers and 15 conscripts were injured as a result. The security forces managed to contain the situation and arrested a number of rioters.”

    About 30,000 Ahly supporters had flocked to Cairo Stadium to cheer on their side in a carnival atmosphere that turned sour at the end.

    Egyptian authorities have recently lifted a crowd ban in African competitions but kept it intact in the domestic league, where all matches are being played behind closed doors.

    The interior ministry said it may put on hold any plans to allow the fans back to the stands following Thursday’s troubles.

    “The ministry is currently reviewing its decision to lift the crowd ban,” the statement added.

    There is bad feeling between Ahly’s hardcore fans, called Ultras, and the interior ministry. The fan group has accused the ministry of complicity in Egypt’s worst football disaster, which left more than 70 Ahly supporters dead in Port Said in February 2012.

    Intermittent clashes have since occurred between the Ultras and the security forces.

    {wirestory}

  • Coup leader Rajoelina Rules Out Seeking Madagascar PM role

    Coup leader Rajoelina Rules Out Seeking Madagascar PM role

    {{Andry Rajoelina, Madagascar’s former president and coup leader, announced on Friday that he would not seek to become prime minister, a decision that could ease political tensions in the country that have driven away investors and hurt the economy.}}

    Rajoelina is at the heart of a power struggle that has stoked five years of turmoil in the nickel-producing Indian Ocean island.

    In January, his ally Hery Rajaonarimampianina took over the presidency, promising to woo investors. Rajaonarimampianina was voted into office the month before in what were the country’s first presidential elections since a coup in early 2009.

    Rajoelina had said he might seek to lead the new government, a position backed by his political coalition MAPAR, which holds a majority in parliament and whose full name translates as “Together With Andry Rajoelina”.

    But he has now ruled himself out.

    “After analysis, I decided not to hold the position of prime minister… this is the wisest decision,” Rajoelina told a news conference.

    His withdrawal could help turn a page in Madagascar’s relations with investors, and end a political crisis that has sharply slowed economic growth.

    The World Bank has said the next step of forming a government is crucial and that resumption of normal lending hinges on the appointment of a new prime minister.

    Rajoelina, and the man he ousted in the coup, Marc Ravalomanana, were barred from standing in the presidential elections under the terms of a deal brokered by regional African states meant to end the political turmoil.

    The World Bank expects Madagascar’s economy to grow by 3.7 percent this year, accelerating to 4 percent in 2015.

    wirestory

  • Ghana Funeral Begins for BBC Presenter

    Ghana Funeral Begins for BBC Presenter

    {{Mourners gathered to pay their respects to the man Ghana’s president called “one of the country’s finest ambassadors”.}}

    Funeral ceremonies for BBC TV presenter Komla Dumor, who died last month in London at the age of 41, have begun in his home country of Ghana.

    As is customary in Ghana, they are taking place over three days.

    The funeral service itself will take place on Saturday in the forecourt of State House in the capital, Accra.

    One of Africa’s best-known journalists, Ghanaian President John Mahama said the nation had lost one of its finest ambassadors.

    “He was very passionate about Africa, he was very passionate about Ghana; I think Komla is one of the gifts we gave to the world,” Mr Mahama told the BBC.

    BBC