Bolga East District Assembly approved David Akologo Amoah as DCE
David Akologo Amoah, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s DCE nominee for the Bolgatanga East District, has received massive approval from members of the Bolga East District Assembly. A total number of 22 assembly members who were qualify and present during the elections, voted massively in favor of Mr. Amoah’s nomination as District Chief Executive for the newly created District. According to Mr. Amoah, he is ready to work with all residents of the district regardless of their political background and called on them to fully cooperate with him in the management of the affairs of the district in order to bring the needed development to the area. Before now, David Akologo Amoah, has been the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Bolgatanga East Constituency Chairman. He is taking over from Mr. Emmanuel Abole as DCE for the Bolgatanga East District. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
UER: Nabdam District Assembly Members Rejects President Nominee Agnes Anamoo
Agnes Anamoo, who is looking for reconsideration as the Nabdam District Chief Executive (DCE) has been rejected by the Nabdam District Assembly members, as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s nominee. According to the unfortunate event, the assembly members, who were constitutionally mandated to approve or disapprove her nomination on Thursday, September 30, 2021, disappointed her by failing to give her the accurate endorsement needed. Out of the total number of 19 Assembly members who cast their votes, 12 voted in favor of the nominee’s approval, while the remaining 7 voted for her disapproval. The nominee, however, required 13 votes of the 19 cast to meet the threshold – at least two-thirds of the total votes cast – for her confirmation. However, according to the constitutional rules of assembly engagement, the members are to reconvene in the next 10 days for another election to decide her fate. President Akufo-Addo will, however, be compelled to nominate a different person to replace her if the assembly rejects her in 3 different elections including the just-ended one. Agnes Anamoo, who has served as DCE of the area since 2017, is among the few MMDCEs who have been retained by the president. The committee which vetted the MMDCE’s applicants, in its report recommending her to be retained, stated “Ms. Agnes Anamoo, performed creditably well as the DCE and nurtured the party. She has an in-depth knowledge of party issues and has considerable local government experience to continue to advance the party’s fortunes in Nabdam”. Meanwhile, is unclear what could be the cause of the tremendous rejection witnessed during Madam Agnes September 30, 2021 unsuccessful endorsement. Even though, the governing party have started a blame game and hand pointing among themselves. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly members blessed Rex Asanga with straight endorsement
Rex Asanga MCE nominee for the Bolgatanga Municipality has received a unanimous endorsement by members of the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly. Per the endorsement, a total number of 39 Assembly members, involving 27 elected and 12 appointed, voted on Thursday, September 30, 2021 to approve him as the presidential nomination for Bolgatanga Municipal. However, expressing his gratitude after the endorsement, Mr. Asanga, said the overwhelming endorsement of his nomination shows the assembly’s readiness for development. “By this overwhelming endorsement the Hon members of this August house have once more risen to the occasion and demonstrated their maturity, independence of mind and bought a as well as bier love for the Municipality and in particular its development and forward match,” he said. The new MCE opined that his endorsement was “a demonstration that members of this august house put the development of the municipality above their respective partisan political interest I promise not to let them down and will in particular build on this show of solidarity and support to act as unifying force so that we can work to achieve the desired goal of bringing development to the doorsteps of our respective communities”. He also expressed gratitude to President Akufo Addo for the confidence he has reposed in him to man the capital of the Upper East Region. The 2-time Parliamentary candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party for the Bolgatanga Central Constituency takes over from Joseph Amiyuure who is said to have failed to clearly articulate the party’s achievements in its first term during his vetting. Mr. Asanga, who is a development economist, has been touted for his enormous contribution to the development of the Bolgatanga Municipality in particular and the Upper East Region as a whole through his Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). However, many in the municipality trust Mr. Asanga will do better in terms of development in and around the municipality. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
MTN ranked as Africa’s most valuable brand – again
For the second year in a row, MTN Group has been named the most valuable African brand in the Brand Finance Africa 150 rankings, which assigned the group a brand value of US$2.7 billion – US$1.0 billion above the next most valuable brand. A report on the 2021 survey’s findings states that “the telecoms giant dominates on home soil too, this year holding onto its decade-long reign as South Africa’s most valuable brand”. Brand value is defined as the “net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market”. Brand Finance Africa said the value of the continent’s top 150 brands fell by a combined US$5.5 billion in 2021, largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic creating uncertainty and impacting brands’ ability to do business as usual. In 2020, it had assigned MTN a brand value of US$3.3 billion. MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita said the latest accolades were achieved thanks to the hard work of MTNers across the continent and their commitment to bringing to everyone in 17 African markets the benefits of a modern connected life. “We are both humbled and inspired by the confidence our customers and broader stakeholders continue to place in the MTN brand. At the core, a brand is about exceeding promises, expectations and delivering true value,” Mupita said. “MTNers know this is the work that needs to be done every day, everywhere, as we remain focused on our core belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life.” Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
2Africa Extended to the Arabian Gulf, India, and Pakistan – Now the Longest Subsea Cable System in the World
The 2Africa consortium, comprised of China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC, announced today the addition of a new segment – the 2Africa PEARLS branch – extending to the Arabian Gulf, India, and Pakistan. This extension will bring the total length of the 2Africa cable system to over 45,000 kilometers, making it the longest subsea cable system ever deployed. Now connecting three continents, Africa, Europe and Asia terrestrially through Egypt, 2Africa creates unique connectivity by adding vital landing locations in Oman (Barka), UAE (Abu Dhabi and Kalba), Qatar (Doha), Bahrain (Manama), Kuwait (Kuwait), Iraq (Al-Faw), Pakistan (Karachi), India (Mumbai), and a fourth landing in Saudi Arabia (Al Khobar). The new 2Africa branch joins recently announced extensions to the Canary Islands, the Seychelles, Comoros Islands, Angola, and a new landing to south-east Nigeria. As with other 2Africa cable landings, capacity will be available in PEARLS landings at carrier-neutral facilities or open-access cable landing stations on a fair and equitable basis, encouraging and supporting the development of a healthy internet ecosystem. To further support a burgeoning global digital economy, the expanded system will serve an even wider range of communities that rely on the internet for services from education to healthcare, and businesses, providing economic and social benefits that come from increased connectivity. As announced in May 2020, 2Africa was planned to directly bring seamless international connectivity to 1.2 billion people. Today, with 2Africa PEARLS, 2Africa will be providing international connectivity to an additional 1.8 billion people–that’s 3 billion people, representing 36% of the global population. Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) will deploy the new system utilizing new technologies such as SDM that allow the deployment of up to 16 fiber pairs, double that of older technologies and bringing greater and more cost-effective capacity. About China Mobile International Limited China Mobile International Limited (CMI) is a wholly-ownedsubsidiary of China Mobile, mainly responsible for the operation of China Mobile’s international business. In order to provide better services to meet the growing demand in the international telecommunications market, China Mobile established a subsidiary, CMI, in December 2010. CMI currently has over 70 terrestrial and submarine cable resources worldwide, with a total international transmission bandwidth of 98T, and more than 180 PoPs. With Hong Kong, China as its launchpad, CMI has significantly accelerated global IDC development, creating a strong network for data centre cloudification. Leveraging the strong support by China Mobile, CMI is a trusted partner that provides comprehensive international information services and solutions to international enterprises, carriers and mobile users. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China, CMI has expanded its footprint in 37 countries and regions. For more information, please visit www.cmi.chinamobile.com. About Facebook Founded in 2004, Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Over 2 billion people use Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Messenger every month to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what is going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them. Facebook is defined by its unique culture – one that rewards impact. The company encourages people to be bold and solve the problems they care most about. The phrase “this journey is 1% finished” reminds the company’s teams that they have only begun to fulfil Facebook’s mission. As the company evolves its journey to bring the world closer together, it stays true to the same core values to guide the way it works and the decisions it makes every step of the way: be open, be bold, move fast, focus on impact, and build social value. For more information, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/facebook/about/. About MTN GlobalConnect GlobalConnect is a Pan-African digital wholesale and infrastructure services company, and an operating company in the MTN Group. GlobalConnect manages MTN’s international and national major wholesale activities, in addition to offering reliable wholesale and infrastructure solutions for fixed connectivity and wholesale mobility solutions that include international mobile services, Voice, SMS, signalling, roaming and interconnect. The MTN Group launched in 1994 is a leading emerging market operator with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world and is inspired by the belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. Embracing the Ambition 2025 strategy, MTN is anchored on building the largest and most valuable platform business, with a clear focus on Africa. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code “MTN”. For more information, please visit www.globalconnect.solutions – https://www.mtn.com About Orange Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 42.3 billion euros in 2020 and 139,000 employees worldwide at 30 June 2021, including 80,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 263 million customers worldwide at 30 June 2021, including 218 million mobile customers and 22 million fixed broadband customers. The Group is present in 26 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services. In December 2019, the Group presented its new “Engage 2025” strategic plan, which, guided by social and environmental accountability, aims to reinvent its operator model. While accelerating in growth areas and placing data and AI at the heart of its innovation model, the Group will be an attractive and responsible employer, adapted to emerging professions. Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com About stc With its headquarter in Riyadh, stc group is the largest in the Middle East and North Africa based on market cap. stc’s revenue for 2020 amounted to 58,953million SAR (15,721 million US dollars) and the net profit amounted to 10,995 million SAR (2,932 million US dollars). stc was established in 1998 and currently has customers around the globe. It is ranking among the world’s top 50 digital companies and the first in the Middle East and North Africa according to Forbes. It focuses
Connecting the unconnected: GSMA case study celebrates Digital Smart success
The GSMA, the association representing mobile operators worldwide, has singled out MTN Digital Smart for a case study on how digital literacy programmes can make a real impact in promoting mobile internet usage. The report – published by the GSMA’s Connected Society programme which focuses on underserved population groups in developing markets – evaluates MTN’s pilot Data Smart campaign in Benin and Cameroon. “Analysis of MTN transactional data showed a significant increase in data usage among customers who received the digital skills training…Customers started to apply the knowledge and skills they learned to use mobile internet,” it says, noting that in both countries, Digital Smart resulted in trainees’ average revenue per user (ARPU) more than doubling for all user categories. Among smartphone users trained, ARPU and mobile data usage more than tripled. Describing how MTN has “made digital inclusion a core part of their growth strategy and embedded this commitment in their CHASE framework”, the GSMA reports that Digital Smart drew on materials from the Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit, an easy-to-use toolkit developed by the GSMA for first-time mobile users. Launched in 2018, MTN’s CHASE framework guides us in our work to extend digital inclusion by overcoming the five key barriers to mobile internet adoption: coverage, handsets, affordability, service bundling and education and ease of access. “An important part of the campaign is meaningful use of cases based on customers’ needs and interests, that make mobile internet relevant and applicable to their lives,” the case study says. “For example, in an area where a cinema recently opened, agents showed customers how to watch trailers for the films on their phones.” In 2019, an MTN Digital Smart pilot reached some three million people and the many lessons learnt were used the following year to bring digital literacy to 18 million individuals in eight countries: Benin, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Conakry, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda. According to the case study, “Running the Data Smart campaign required considerable resources at both the group and operating-company level. MTN’s hybrid approach, which included remote delivery methods alongside traditional face-to-face training, ensured the campaign continued to reach scale even during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The case study features photographs of MTN brand ambassadors reaching out to the public in crowded markets, in rural areas, restaurants and offices. There is even an image of a brand ambassador climbing a ladder to access a customer’s hard-to-reach home. The case study concludes with the key takeaways which others who are serious about digital inclusion can use. These recommendations include the importance of localising content, making it easier for individuals to remember and share what they’ve learnt, and using all available channels and media. “The partnership between the GSMA and MTN on the Data Smart campaign has had a substantial social and commercial impact,” the report comments. MTN Group General Manager Customer Experience and Digital, Irshaad Gouse concurs: “The education element is absolutely critical to our Dual Data strategy and overall commitment to creating shared value as part of MTN’s Ambition 2025 corporate strategy.” “Enabling people to understand the relevant opportunities that being connected brings them and how it cannot just support, but fundamentally change their lives for the better, is key,” he adds. Our Dual Data approach aims to provide access to customers across different segments within our markets, addressing the urban-rural divide as lower income and/or rural customers make up around 70% of market. In 2021 Digital Smart is continuing to reach out to millions across Africa, to fundamentally change their lives through the power of mobile. Read More: MTN Data Smart Case Study About MTN Group Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers. We are inspired by our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code ‘MTN’. Our strategy, Ambition 2025, is anchored on building the largest and most valuable platform business, with a clear focus on Africa. www.mtn.com Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Is Big Brother Naija ‘satanic’? —By Greg Odogwu
Without any ado, I think Big Brother Naija is a programme carved out from God’s agenda for Earth. And for those who do not believe in God, it is the authentic man-made mechanism to prepare us for a future where existential transparency is the order of the day in a unitary global government. Presently, we live in a world where satellite surveillance is a reality, and everybody’s innermost secrets are already known by forces yet unseen. They watch our every move like the boy on the beach watches ants play inside his sand castle. Yes, Big Brother is here already. But before going further, one may ask, what exactly is satanic? The dictionary specifies three different meanings: “of or characteristic of Satan”; “connected with Satanism”; and “extremely evil or wicked”. The first and second denotations seem irrelevant here, because the programme is neither affiliated to Satanism nor evocative of the image of Satan – minus the Illuminati symbol of the all-seeing eye, which is based on conspiracy theory anyway. So, this leaves us with the third definition. From the standpoint of morality, the show is arguably “very wicked”. But we already live in a wicked world. Recently, a former BBN housemate, Gifty Powers, called for the termination of the reality TV show which she tagged as “satanic”. The lady, who was a housemate in the second season of the show in 2017, said that the BBN is keeping youths in unhealthy competition with one another. She was quoted as saying: “Big Brother Naija needs to be shut down entirely. I wish I knew what I know now. BBN has kept lives in competition. BBN is satanic… Number 1 thing the devil does is to manipulate the weak.” Miss Powers’ elucidation on the meaning of “satanic” is instructive. It is dog-eat-dog rivalry. The creators of the show set a huge amount of money as trophy, and this makes the participants go all out to scheme against one another, in order to survive to the very end. This reminds me of THE movie “13 Sins”. In the flick, an individual is approached by unknown interests, and given instructions on tasks to perform in order to gain incremental monetary rewards, running into millions of US dollars. The tasks are very sinful and distasteful, and in some cases, criminal. But because of the cash reward, none hesitated to sin. This is the true picture of the world we live in. People are tempted to do all sorts of unprintable things to survive. Nobody really cares; it is all about greed, violence and lust. This is the Big Brother signature. Now, let us understand the anatomy of the BBN show. Big Brother Naija, formerly known as Big Brother Nigeria, is a Nigerian reality competition television series, based on the Big Brother television franchise, in which, contestants, called “housemates” or “HouseGuests” live in a specially constructed isolated house and compete for a large cash prize and other material prizes at the end of the show, by avoiding being evicted from the house by viewers who vote for their favourite housemates to remain in the house. The first season of the show aired in 2006, the episode that brought the present host of the 2021 edition, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, to limelight. But the Big Brother concept is not an indigenous one. It began in the Netherlands in 1999 as a Dutch reality competition television franchise created by John de Mol Jr., and later syndicated internationally. The name is inspired by Big Brother from George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the housemates are continuously monitored during their stay in the house by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones. As of 15 August 2021, there had been 504 seasons of Big Brother in over 62 franchise countries and regions. The title of many Spanish-language editions of the programme is translated as Gran Hermano. In my mind, the global reach of the reality show is enough to tell us that there is an agenda behind it. But while some people would beat their chest and vow that it is all about mainstreaming immorality in the wider global society; I believe there is an existential, if not divine, dynamic behind this controversial show. Going from the origin of the concept in the book by Orwell, the theme is about creating a microcosmic global village where people grab all and bare all, under one almighty overseer. There is nothing hidden. From your inner thoughts to your external actions, everything is profiled, analysed and rewarded. It is a setting already depicted in religion’s Holy Books. Those who wish to serve God must serve in truth and in spirit, being ready to bare all intentions and deeds, no matter how sinful. The only difference between Big Brother Earth and Big Brother Heaven is that the audience are humans not angels, and the reward is temporal and not eternal. That brings us to the conspiracy side of the game. If there is a Bible-friendly meaning depicting a gathering of God’s children under one heavenly government, there is a probability for an alternative narrative – a gathering of Devil’s children under one earthly government. Therefore, embedded in Big Brother could be an actual agenda to prepare earth citizens for the envisioned one world government of the so-called anti-Christ. More so, when one crunches these variables against the backdrop of another Orwell-like futuristic author, H.G. Wells (author of War of the Worlds). War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel published 1898 in London. It is one of the earliest stories to detail a conflict between mankind and an extra-terrestrial race. The opening paragraph is shockingly suggestive of an unseen Big Brother-like group of beings watching all of us on earth. “No one would have believed, in the last years of the nineteenth century, that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space. No-one could have dreamed that we were being scrutinized, as someone with a microscope studies creatures that