Ofori Atta’s business empire has so much influence on gov’t agencies- Minority  

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The Minority in Parliament are calling for the resignation of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta   over what they term “willful breaches of Ghanaian law, guidelines and processes in the issuance of US$ 2.25 million bond.

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice(CHRAJ) launched investigations into the processes leading to the issuance of the bond following allegations of Conflict of Interest against the Finance. Even though CHRAJ report largely exonerated the minister, it noted some breaches in the transaction, prompting the Minority’s call for the Minister’s resignation.

In a statement, the Minority said CHRAJ in its summary of key findings, at pages 133 and 134 of its report, noted several breaches of constitutional and statutory laws—as well as regulations and official guidelines governing the issuance of bonds.

“It is our contention that based on these willful breaches of Ghanaian law, guidelines and processes in the bond issuance, the Finance Minister has made his continuous stay in office untenable and we hereby demand his immediate resignation or dismissal and subsequent prosecution, the statement said.

The minority also wants government agencies to fend off influence from businesses owned by the Finance Minister.  

“The Government and its agencies (Flagstaff House, BOG, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Public Services Commission (PSC), Head of Civil Service (OHCS) etc.) must take steps to curtail or eliminate the grip of Enterprise and /Databank Groups on Government business” the statement said.

 

Below is the full statement

MINORITY STATEMENT ON DAMNING FINDINGS AGAINST FINANCE MINISTER

ON CHRAJ IN US$ 2.25 MILLION BOND INVESTIGATION

INTRODUCTION.

On 29th December, 2017, The Commission on Human Rights and Administration Justice (CHRAJ) released its report on the investigation conducted into a complaint brought by Mr Brogya Gyenfi (petitioner) in the wake of the issuance of the infamous US$ 2.25 million bond in March this year.

We note that, despite initial strenuous denials by the respondent, Ken Ofori-Atta (Minister for Finance), CHRAJ in its report agrees largely with the position we stated earlier on this saga. We had stated from the very beginning that the bond issuance did not follow due process and seemed hurried to accommodate special interests.

CHRAJ in its summary of key findings, at pages 133 and 134 of its report, noted several breaches of constitutional and statutory laws—as well as regulations and official guidelines—governing the issuance of bonds. . These findings include but are not limited to the following:

DENOMINATION OF THE BOND.

We questioned the denomination of the bond, given the events that are described in the report and the substantive interest of a single non-resident investor. The Minister had been emphatic about his denials of the issuance but CHRAJ notes that:

“The 5-year,7-year,10-year and 15-year bonds issued in March/April 2017, were domestic bonds (cedi-denominated) and opened for non-resident investors, but the statement issued by the Ministry of Finance on 3rd April,2017 misled the public into believing that the bonds were dollar denominated. The MOF, on realizing that the statement it issued on 3rd April, 2017 was inaccurate, removed it from its website but at the time of this decision, the MOF had not yet replaced it with the more accurate statement”.

IMPROPER USE OF ISSUANCE CALENDAR.

It is clear from the report that the attempt to rush the 2nd Quarter Calendar for Bond issuance to cover for inept issuance failed miserably. Was there an attempted cover-up? The Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Bank of Ghana (BOG) used the traditional BOG auction and tap-in (used for liquidity) methods instead of the book-building for medium term bonds. Moreover, the “tap-in” was used for bonds that did not exist. CHRAJ notes that:

“The issuance calendar for the 1st Quarter did not include the issuance of 7-year and 15-year bonds, the trading of which concluded on 31st March, 2017 which is within the 1st Quarter calendar period and NOT the 2nd Quarter calendar.”

“On receipt of the 2nd Quarter Issuance Calendar at 12:31 pm on 30th March, 2017, the BOG made announcements to the public on the reopening of 5-year and 10-year bonds, with an indication that Bids must be submitted electronically through the Auction Module not later than 2:00pm, on Thursday March 30, 2017 and settlement will be on MONDAY APRIL 03, 2017”.

“This contradicts the BOG’s own rules requiring the BOG to announce periodically but not less than a week before an auction, the amounts and specific details of the financial instruments available (in this case the 5-year, 7-year, 10-year, and 15-year bonds) at the next auction and their maturity profiles.”

BREACH OF PERIOD OF ISSUE.

Again, BOG and MOF breached the time required for notice—a lapse that we cannot excuse. We note that the two institutions as well as their joint book runners (JBRs), bond advisers and officials had been using the procedure since 2015. CHRAJ notes that:

“In terms of the 7-year and 15-year bonds, the BOG gave only one (1) day notice to the market on the availability of the 7-year and 15-year bonds prior to the commencement of trading, instead of two weeks required for new products under the BOG Guidelines”.

PARLIAMENTARY APPROVAL.

CHRAJ also ruled that the Minister did not comply with section 56(1) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921). Besides the provisions of the new Act, the CHRAJ position is justified by the fact that the Prospectus and processes used in 2016 should not have been used to support the new categories of Bonds. CHRAJ notes that:

“The terms and conditions of all government borrowings shall be laid before Parliament and shall not come into operation unless the terms and conditions are approved by a resolution of Parliament in accordance with article 181 of the Constitution”.

PRIOR NOTICE GIVEN TO SOME NON- RESIDENT INVESTORS.

In our earlier intervention on the matter, we used the word “virtual” advisedly to describe what in our view looked like a Private Placement. The CHRAJ report found that the Bookrunners in the bond issuance sent information to some investors before the Ministry of Finance requested the Bank of Ghana to issue the bond notices to the markets.

More grotesquely, the report further noted that additional information about the bond issuance was sent to investors before the Ministry of Finance released the 2nd Quarter issuance calendar.

Who were the beneficiaries of the leak, prior to an auction that also curtailed the period of notice? Note also that JBRs and some advisers were excluded from the issuance of one of two parallel bonds.

Was there prior communication and discussion of terms and conditions, given that the communication may have been specific with respect to bond details?

CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

On the issue of conflict of interest, we are surprised that the Minister and surrogates continue to portray complete exoneration by CHRAJ when the Commission found that:

“the Finance Minister’s extensive interests in the securities market through shareholding in several companies that operate within the sector, some of whom were contacted by the Bookrunners on this particular bond, always raises the potential for conflict of interests.”

DECLARATION OF ASSETS

Of the gravest concern to the Minority, is the staggering revelation in the CHRAJ report that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, concealed his interests in a number of financial institutions in his asset declaration forms filed after his appointment.

According to the CHRAJ report, documents from the Registrar-General’s department show clearly that Hon. Ken Ofori Atta was a shareholder in Data Bank Financial Services Limited, Data Bank Brokerage Limited and Data Bank Financial Holdings Limited. However, the Finance Minister failed to state in his asset declaration forms presented on 12th March, 2017 to the Auditor-General, that he had shares in the last three companies.

Specifically the Commission stated at page 120 of the report that;

“It is observed that the Respondent had other assets which he did not disclose in his Assets Declaration Form. They include his interests in Databank Financial Services Limited and Databank Brokerage Limited”

This constitutes a willful breach of Section 7 of the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998 (Act 550).

The Minister’s actions also contravene Section 251 of the Criminal Offenses Act (Act 29, 1960) which deals with deceiving a public officer.

 

Government Securities (G-Secs)

The report quotes the meaning of Government Securities (G-Secs) from the Bank of Ghana (BOG) Guidelines as follows (page 11 of report):

“) G-Secs (bills, notes and bonds) constitute direct, unsecured and unconditional obligations of the Government of Ghana. The principal and discount/interest on G-Secs will be charged on the Consolidated Fund.”

The question is whether all the Bonds (5-year; 7-year; 10-year; and 15-year) that constitute the US$2.5 million in the two (2) issuances meet these conditions. The next 2 paragraphs will show why the Minority in Parliament continues to harbour and express some doubt in this regard.

DOCUMENTS SUPPORTING THE BOND ISSUANCE.

It will be recalled that the Minority requested that the Minister for Finance furnish the house with the terms and conditions for the issuance of the Bonds, as required by the Constitution. During his appearance before Parliament in 2017, he defiantly noted that this information was “market sensitive” and insisted that it could not be disclosed.

We now know from the CHRAJ report that the documents supporting the Bond issuance were (a) in respect of the so-called “tap-in”, the 2016 Prospectus issued under the auspices of the former Minister; and (b) BOG guidelines for its Auctions. Since these documents are already in the public domain—and more crucially satisfy the BOG definition for G-Secs—then what did the Minister mean by “market sensitive” information that could not be released?

TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

Immediately after the Bond issuances, we drew attention to allegations that some or all of the Bonds may have terms and conditions relating to issuance or maturity that could be unprecedented, harmful to public interest and, therefore, not likely to meet the BOG definition for G-Secs.

The Minority will like to call on CHRAJ to release any further documents that may be in its possession to satisfy or deny this public curiosity. In the absence of any such additional document or documents being in the possession of CHRAJ, Parliament or CHRAJ must compel the Hon. Minister, MOF, BOG or CSD to release them to the public.

VIRTUAL PRIVATE PLACEMENT

As noted earlier, we are of the view that the Petitioner and the Minority used the word “virtual” advisedly, its meaning being clear we did not seek to state categorically that there was a private placement. We will draw that conclusion or otherwise when we are assured that all documents relating to these public bonds are in public domain.

Nonetheless, we still stand by our cautious assertion that the Bond issuance to Franklin Templeton (and, most likely, others) was close to a private placement—as explained by MOF, JBR and BOG officials in the CHRAJ report.

As noted earlier, we know from the CHRAJ report that some investors had privileged knowledge of the Bond issuance before the official notice became public (page 135).

Secondly, given that some Primary Dealers (PDs) and also Joint Book Runners (JBRs) had prior undisclosed relationships with investors who put in bids, did any prior contact involve a discussion of terms and conditions for the issuance? For confirmation, CHRAJ needs to follow the trail of communications and movement of funds closely to settle this question.

APPEARANCE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST

We have already quoted CHRAJ on the matter of likely conflict of interest by the Hon. Minister. In addition, we draw broader attention to some matters relating to this matter, as concerns continuing relationships between Trevor Trefgan or Franklin Templeton (FT) and Databank or Enterprise Group as well as staff of the latter who are now doing official government business.

  1. a) General

First, we note that CHRAJ relied heavily on FT’s website to come to its conclusions. We believe that a better option would have been the US and EU official securities bodies (e.g., US Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC) since another petition is pending before these bodies. Second, it is important to put the pieces together at this stage in order to take that broader view of the appearance of conflict of interest in dealing with Enterprise and Databank Groups. As noted, several ex-officials (or current?) of Enterprise or Databank Group are now deeply involved in Government business, including Bond issuances.

  1. b) Databank/Enterprise employees

It is now known that the Hon. Minister has about 16 ex-Databank/Enterprise employees who are firmly embedded in the Ministry of Finance and some of its agencies. Have all these officials resigned formally from their substantive posts in these private firms and do they intend to revert to post after they leave Government?

Of immediate relevance: were they involved in the Bond issuance since we are told in the CHRAJ report that some of the JBR/PDs, acting for the Ministry, issued an invitation to Enterprise/Databank? Were they beneficiaries of the communication that went out to some investors prior to the official release?  We are not told whether CHRAJ interviewed any of these staff, some of who we are told are in Director Positions at MOF.

  1. c) The Sanlam Group transaction

Third, we noted some months back that, shortly after the Bond issues in March 2017—June 2017, to be precise—Sanlam Group of South Africa sold its insurance interest in Enterprise Group to Black Star Holdings Ltd. We are told in the Statement relating to the transaction that Sanlam will continue to have a presence in Ghana. We already know the involvement of the Hon. Minister in Enterprise, so we will not belabour the point.

However, we also know that a Deputy Minister of Finance had or has interests in Black Star Holding Ltd, also related to Leapfrog, another firm mentioned in the Statement. The Statement emphatically describes and quotes Trevor Tregfarne (of FT fame) as the Chairman of Enterprise Group. Further, no less a person than Mr. Keli Gadzekpo, then CEO of Enterprise Group and current Member of the Board of Bank of Ghana (BOG) was the one touting the deal on public media.

Does Mr. Gadzekpo recuse himself from government business involving the Enterprise and Databank Groups? This question is also relevant for the 16 or so Databank staff that the Minister has placed in strategic positions at the Ministry of Finance and its agencies.

CONCLUSIONS.

  1. a) Minister must resign

It is our contention that based on these willful breaches of  Ghanaian law, guidelines and processes in the bond issuance, the Finance Minister has made his continuous stay in office untenable and we hereby demand his immediate resignation or dismissal and subsequent prosecution.

  1. b) Violation of CHRAJ Law

This would also be without prejudice to any other actions that can be taken pursuant to relevant sections of Act 550 which provide for a compliant to be made to CHRAJ in respect of violations of the Assets Declaration law.

We hope that despite President AkufoAddo’s practice of extreme nepotism and cronyism through the appointment of dozens of his family members, friends and known business associates into government, he would not allow familial considerations to hinder the performance of his sacred duty to the people of Ghana.

Rather, he will take appropriate action to ensure that his cousin and Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, faces the full rigors of the law.

Failure to do this would completely invalidate his claims about fighting corruption.

We wish to serve notice that in the event that President AkufoAddo allows his judgment to be clouded by his blood relations with the Finance Minister and refuses to act in accordance with theGhanaian law to remove him from office within 14 working days from today, we shall invoke a motion of censorship in accordance with article 82 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana to remove him from office as soon as possible.

  1. c) Vindication

It is the considered view of the Minority that the adverse findings contained in the CHRAJ report vindicate our position that the US$ 2.25 Billion bond issuance was fraught with irregularities and did not comply with Ghanaian law.

We also demand that;

(a) the Government and its agencies (Flagstaff House, BOG, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Public Services Commission (PSC), Head of Civil Service (OHCS) etc.) must take steps to curtail or eliminate the grip of Enterprise and /Databank Groups on Government business;

(b) CHRAJ must continue to follow some of the leads we present in our Statements; and

(c) Parliament must revisit the issue of its mandate in relation to making public, all the terms and conditions for this particular Bond issuance to close the chapter on this matter. Otherwise, we should not be surprised that it will continue to fester, not die.

Hon Haruna Iddrisu

Minority Leader

 

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com

Three GHA employees in court for allegedly stealing GH¢1.2 m

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Three employees of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) in the Brong-Ahafo region have been arraigned before a Sunyani High Court, Commercial Division “A” for allegedly stealing GH¢1,288,824.00 revenue generated from two toll stations in the region.

Pleas of the accused, Messrs Rexford Bosompem, a Senior Accountant, Amidu Adams, a toll collector and Michael Bediako, a toll supervisor, were not taken by the Court presided over by Mr. Patrick Baye.

The Court however remanded Bediako, a retired supervisor at the Bechem toll station into prison custody to reappear on Thursday February 15, 2018.

Adams and Bosompem were not in Court when the case was called on Monday.

The presiding Judge however ordered their sureties who represented them to produce the two accused at the next hearing.

Though prosecution was not heard, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) investigations revealed that in May 2016, the Financial Division of the GHA embarked on an exercise to reconcile toll revenues collected at all toll stations nationwide with the toll lodgments at GCB bank.

In the process, the Division discovered some purported lodgments of toll revenues for a couple of months from Bechem and Fiapre toll stations had not reflected on the Bank statements of the designated Road Fund bank account with the GCB.

With suspicion, the GHA directed its Internal Audit Division to conduct a special toll revenue collection and lodgment audit for the period January 2013 to April 2016 at the two toll stations.

The GNA gathered that Bosompem and Adams allegedly failed to lodge an amount of GH¢730,498.00 being part of toll revenues collected at the Fiapre toll station into the Road Fund Account with the bank, whilst Bediako did not lodge an amount of GH¢55,352.50.

The accused persons however, managed to get 230 pieces of forged GCB deposit slips as evidence of their bank lodgments to the Finance Division of the GHA.

A report was made to the Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Command and the accused were subsequently arrested and granted police enquiry bail.

GNA

Paris gets its first sex doll brothel

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France’s first sex doll brothel has opened in Paris for randy customers who prefer the feel of plastic over the touch of a real woman.

The sex club has several rooms and customers are offered the services of a silicone model instead of a prostitute.

Pictures from inside the brothel show four different dolls of different shapes, colors and sizes dressed in skimpy lingerie, while the rooms are adorned with images of other sex dolls.

It comes after Britain’s first sex doll brothel opened, offering customers a “try before you buy” service.

Last week, a pop-up sex doll brothel opened in Amsterdam’s red light district — paid for with taxpayers’ money.

The unusual brothel was opened by the hosts of the TV show “Spuiten en Slikken” (“Shoot and Swallow”), a controversial show about drugs and sex on Dutch public television.

The TV hosts tried to lure in tourists to have sex with one of the dolls, which would cost them $37, during the one-day event.

According to spokesman Thijs Verheij, the show tries to find out if the world is ready to have sex with a doll and to compare the experience to having sex with a real human being.

Verheij said: “Scientists state that in 30 years, it will be very normal to have sex with a robot.”

“With this experiment, we want to run ahead of this and investigate how people see it now.”

Recently, a survey found that one in five Germans said they would like a robot sex doll and more than one in 20 say they could even fall in love with one.

Since it was reported in the summer of 2017 that sex doll Fanny was attracting more customers than real-life prostitutes at the Kontakthof brothel in the Austrian capital, Vienna, the sex doll craze has taken Europe by storm.

Many other brothels in Vienna bought silicone sex dolls from Japan, while in the German city of Dortmund, the first-ever sex doll brothel opened.

With a similar business having since opened in Barcelona, and an exclusive shop in Vienna only selling silicone life companions, an increasing number of people are wondering what sleeping with a doll would be like.

Not everyone is convinced that the sex doll craze will really lead to an increase in sales or brothel visits.

Computer and business scientist Oliver Bendel, who deals with questions of IT and machine ethics, said: “It will remain a niche.”

According to Bendel, there is still a taboo when it comes to sex dolls even if research shows that many Germans would consider buying one.

Bendel said: “In the meanwhile, sex toys are openly discussed. But love balls and dildos are not left everywhere in plain view. And where do I hide a sex robot from my partner?”

Austrian psychologist Gerti Senger explained why some men are more interested in sleeping with sex dolls instead of a real woman.

She said: “First, the man can do anything with the doll. Second, every intention is turned off, which can be a factor with a prostitute.”


New York Post
 

I need a serious manager – Kofi Kinaata

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Last week, news came out that hiplife artiste, Kofi Kinaata and his management, High Grade Family, had parted ways after a five-year relationship and from all indications, the decision was a mutual one.
Now Kofi Kinaata is putting himself out there as he tells Showbiz that all he needs is a serious manager who would push his career to the next level.

“ I really don’t need a manager with a lot of money but a serious minded manager who understands me and has good plans for me,” the Confessions hitmaker said in an interview last Friday.

According to him, had money been his motivation, he would not have been with the High Grade Family because he had very good offers from well off people before he signed with High Grade. 

“I always tell people that money is not everything. I would prefer a broke manager who has connections and believes in my dream to a rich manager who doesn’t have any connection,” he said.

On whether there were some labels he was considering joining, Kinaata said a number of people had suggested Zylofon Media to him. “If the terms and conditions with Zylofon Media are cool, why not, I will gladly move there.”

He was however certain that he won’t be going back to High Grade although he was grateful for the time he spent with them.

“I won 15 local and international awards through High Grade Family but for now our contract is over and I have moved on. I don’t think I would like to go back,” he said.

Talking about his music, Kofi Kinaata, who is known for other popular songs like Sweetie Pie, Susuka, Time No Dey, Made In Taadi and Oh Azaay said he hopes to do better this year.

“I released a couple of songs such as Single and Free and Last Show last year but they did not get much attention. This year will be fantastic because I am collaborating with other musicians on a number of songs,” he stated.

Graphic Showbiz

“Anyone who invokes curses attracts a fine of 10 bags of cement” – Chief warns  

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The Chief of Gyankobaa in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ashanti Region,  Nana Obofuo Atwimakwa Boakye-Darkwa ll, has warned his subjects to desist from the practice of invoking curses.

He further warned that, anyone who flouts the order will be slapped with a fine of 10 bags of cement.

The chief issued the warning at a fund raising ceremony to support the construction of an ICT   center for the Gyankobaa School. 

Nana Boakye-Darkwa ll explained that,  the  Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei- Tutu, urged him "to do something" about the unhealthy practice (invoking of curses) when he was being enstooled  at Manyhia some months ago. 

He added that invocation of “curses” was dangerous to society and that measures  be put in place to discourage the evil practice.

Hitherto, residents were fined five bags of cement for flouting the directive, but the chief said the current “10 bags of cement” fine   is intended to rapidly discourage the practice.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Prince Osei Tutu
 

Grave robbers steal albino body buried in 2016

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Suspected "ritual killers" in Western Zambia have exhumed and stolen the body of an albino, reports the state owned Times of Zambia.

Police have so far caught one suspect and are hunting for two others, the paper adds.

The suspected grave robbers are believed to have exhumed the body of an albino person, who was buried in 2016.

The newspaper did not say whether the person was male or female, or how old they were when they died.

However, it said that relatives of the deceased noticed on Sunday that the grave had been tampered with and reported the matter to the police.

Police instituted investigations and found that the casket together with the body, were missing.

Western Province Police Commissioner Charles Lungu said investigations revealed that the deceased was buried on 4 August, 2016.

Ritual killings in Zambia are less common than in some other African countries, but in common with those areas, some Zambians believe albino body parts can be used for rituals to create wealth.


BBC

Chelsea strike £18m agreement with Arsenal over transfer of Olivier Giroud

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Chelsea and Arsenal have reportedly come to terms over a transfer fee for France international Olivier Giroud, per The Telegraph.

The Gunners are keen to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this month after losing Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United, but the deal is thought to be hinged on whether or not BVB sign a replacement, with the German side having placed their crosshairs on Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi.

Chelsea's search for a brutish target man could soon come to an end, with several journalists reporting that the Blues have agreed an £18m fee for the French forward. They had pursued AS Roma hitman Edin Dzeko in recent weeks, but negotiations fell through after they refused to meet his wage demands, as well as his contract length request.

Giroud, on the other hand, does represent good short-term business for Chelsea at that price. He is a potent scorer with years of Premier League experience and despite his age, can still compete at the highest level.

The 31-year-old has been at the Emirates since 2012 and has scored 105 goals, along with 41 assists, in 252 appearances for the Gunners.

Arsenal were intent on avoiding more business with a Premier League competitor in this window and would have much preferred to move him to Dortmund, but the striker's desire to remain in London has seen the Blues come close to an unlikely signing.

Batshuayi is now expected to join the German side on loan, but with Arsenal set to play on Tuesday and Chelsea also in action on Wednesday, it could make things difficult, especially for the Blues, who are without the injured Alvaro Morata.


90 Mins

Akufo-Addo's tribute to Hugh Masakela

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I had to come, and came from the AU Summit in Addis Ababa on my way back home to Accra, so I could express my condolences to Barbara and his family in person.

Coming here, it was difficult to believe the news. But being here, at this service, it is clear to me that the news is, indeed, true. Masakela is gone, Masakela is no more. All that energy, all that vitality, all that zest for life, (what the French call joie de vivre), all that infectious sense of humour, all that loud laughter, all that love of beauty in all its forms, all that passion and belief in a higher destiny for mankind, especially for the African people, all that charisma – they have all been extinguished. That is the way of mortal man. We each have our beginning, we each have our ending. It is what you do in between that matters.

What an amazing life he lived, and did virtually everything he wanted to do. We met a long time ago, nearly 50 years ago. Predictably, for both of us at the time, it was at the bar of Keteke, then the hottest night club (or disco, as they were then being called) in Accra. He was already a legend – “King Kong”, and “Grazing in the Grass” had seen to that. But, he wore none of that. Simple, straightforward, he exuded fun and warmth. Many drinks later, we became firm friends, and looked out for and saw each other at various clubs across the world – New York, London, Paris, Lagos, Abidjan, Lome – wherever we were together, we would meet and party. Nobody partied like Masakela.

From the beginning, that is what I called him – Masakela – and he called me Nana. It never changed. For some reason, I could never come to terms with Hugh or Bra Hugh. He was Masakela, unique and compelling.

He bore his exile with dignity. He never lost his belief that the inhuman system of apartheid would be dismantled, and that South Africa would, one day, be free. And he did his best to ensure that happened. He was one of the most prominent of the South African exiles, who kept the struggle alive before the eyes and conscience of the world, and he did it largely through his wonderful music. Trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, his voice – he made beautiful music out of each of them. And when his idol, the iconic Nelson Mandela, greatest of all Africans, walked out of prison, his joy was without end. I came here to visit with him when he returned home, and that was my first experience of South Africa. He took me to the recording studio in downtown Johannesburg, where he had recorded in the old days with Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim), and the others. In fact, on the day we went, the new diva, Sibongile Khumalo, was actually in the studio, and he introduced me to her.

I was fortunate in my friendship with him and his great friend, that other great figure of African music, Fela Anikulapo Kuti (Fela Ransome Kuti of earlier years). They made exhilarating company, and left me with marvellous memories. One such was at dawn, in Lome, capital of Togo, when, after leaving the nightclub ‘Z’, we went to the beach, behind the Sarakawa Hotel, and, sitting on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea, looking out across the Atlantic, Masakela played for us for one hour. It was like a song of praise to all that was beautiful on our African continent. Even Fela was moved, and every time I think of it, it brings tears of joy to my heart.

His love of Ghana was such that he became a Ghanaian, and, for me, a member of my family. My wife Rebecca, my sister Mamaa, her daughter Khadija, my brother Bumpty, his wife Irene, our mutual friend Sabah Bedwei Majdoub, Joe Ampah, his widow Rosalind, and the talented Accra musicians – Francis Fuster, The Todd brothers, Frankie and Stanley Todd, Sol Amarfio, the late Faisal Helwani, the outstanding Ghanaian music producer – we were all his family, to whom he remained faithful to the end. He even married, for a time, the lovely Ghanaian woman, Elinam Cofie. South Africa will always have to share Masakela with us in Ghana, and, indeed, with the rest of Africa.

There are some people who cross your life, and you know that it is a privilege to share the same time and space with them. Masakela was one such. I feel truly privileged to have lived at the same time as him, and to have been blessed by his friendship.

Last year, he did what we had both talked and dreamed of for decades – he played at my inauguration, as President of the Republic of Ghana, on 7th January, 2017. He played on two occasions that day – at the official lunch, and at the wonderful party my brother gave for me and my wife, Rebecca, that evening, both, unforgettable occasions. Indeed, several diplomats told me, on the news of his death, that that was the first and only time they heard him in flesh, a memory they would always cherish.

I am reluctant to quote Shakespeare – he wrote some 500 years ago, and has since been extensively quoted. But the reason for that is his mastery of the English language, which allows him to find the appropriate words for each occasion. This is how Mark Anthony described Brutus, one of the conspirators against Julius Caesar:
“This was the noblest Roman of them all. All the rest of the conspirators acted out of jealousy of great Caesar. Only he acted from honesty and for the general good. His life was gentle, and the elements mixed so well in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, “This was a man.”

Masakela, you were the man. Rest in perfect peace. God bless.

Damirifa Due.

Nana.

Johannesburg, 30th January, 2018.

President George Weah cuts salary to confront 'broken economy'

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In one of his first acts as President of Liberia, George Weah announced he will cut his salary by 25% as part of an effort to confront his country's "broken economy."

"In view of the very rapidly deteriorating situation of the economy, I am informing you today, with immediate effect, that I will reduce my salary and benefits by 25%," Weah said on Monday in his first State of the Republic address.

Weah, a former professional soccer star in Europe, was sworn in as President of the West African nation last week. When he took office from his predecessor, Ellen 
Johnson Sirleaf, it marked the first time in recent history that power has been transferred from one democratically elected leader to another in Liberia. Sirleaf took office in 2006 as Liberia's first elected female president, and was re-elected in 2011. Before her tenure, Liberia was embroiled in civil war for years.

In his first address to the National Legislature on Monday, Weah stressed the dire economic situation facing Liberia.

"Our economy is broken, our government is broke, our currency is in free-fall, inflation is rising, unemployment is at an unprecedented high, and our foreign reserves are at an all-time low," Weah warned.

The nation of 4.6 million people, which was founded by freed slaves from the United States in the 19th century, has long struggled to alleviate poverty. It endured a 14-year civil war that ended in 2003 and in 2014 faced an Ebola epidemic that killed over 4,000 people.

Weah remains a footballing legend and is considered one of the greatest Africans to ever have played the game. He played for several European clubs including Monaco, PSG, AC Milan, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Weah announced that the forfeited portions of his salary would be given back to the government and allocated as needed.

"I believe that it is appropriate that we should all make sacrifices in the interest of our country," Weah announced.

CNN

Teen mum let baby starve slowly to death while she went out partying for WEEK

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A teenage mum who left her baby starve to death while she went partying for a WEEK with friends has been jailed for six and a half years.

Little Egor was just skin and bone when his rotting body was found – but his eyes were still wide open in terror – a court in Russia heard as his mum , Viktoria Kuznetsova, was sentenced.


The court heard that Kuznetsova, 17, had planned to kill her nine-month-old baby boy when she started college.

The teen, from Rostov in northern Russia showed no emotion while her sentence was announced in court.

Kuznetsova waited until her husband left for military service before abandoning the child at home alone in a pram where he starved to death while she went partying.

She stayed in various student dorms for a week and only returned once to give water to the dog but ignored the wasting baby.

The judge ruled that the cause of death was dehydration and starvation.

"When the baby was found inside Viktoria's house he was already dead, though his eyes were still wide open from terror," the judge said.

"According to investigators the baby was literally skin and bones.

"An autopsy showed the baby's internal organs shut down one after another because of lack of food and water."

Neighbours became concerned when they hadn't seen either Kuznetsova or Egor and called police, According to reports, Kuznetsova had told friends the baby was with her aunt.

She had even taken to social media to boast of hanging out with "Nastya" while her baby was dying.

She reportedly confessed to police and said she had tried to give the child to an orphanage when he was a month old – but he was later returned.

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