Blue Jeans Energy Drink has been named best energy drink at the recent Ghana Beverage Awards.

The programme held in Accra last Friday was on the theme “Inspiring Excellence in Ghana’s Beverage Industry.”

The announcement marks a significant milestone for the popular energy drink brand, known for its bold flavour and energizing formula.

Organised annually to celebrate excellence in the beverage industry, the Ghana Beverage Awards recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions across various drink categories.

This year’s ceremony brought together industry stakeholders, government officials, and beverage enthusiasts to honour innovation, quality, and consumer satisfaction.

Blue Jeans Energy Drink stood out among its peers due to its consistent performance in the market, strong consumer loyalty, and commitment to quality standards.

Accepting the award, a spokesperson for Blue Jeans thanked the organisers and consumers, stating, “This award is a testament to the hard work of our team and the trust our customers place in us every day. We are proud to energise Ghana and beyond.”

The award further solidifies Blue Jeans Energy Drink’s reputation as a leading force in Ghana’s beverage space, reinforcing its status as a preferred choice for both energy and refreshment.

The Ghana Beverage Awards continues to serve as a platform to encourage healthy competition, promote local brands, and inspire excellence in Ghana’s thriving beverage industry.

BY TIMES REPORTER

By Eric Yaw Boakye
 
Atebubu, (Bono East), May 6, GNA – The Atebubu-Amantin Municipal Assembly has elected a businessman, Mr Yahaya Dindiok as its Presiding Member. 
 
Mr Dindiok, also the Assembly Member (AM) for the Dobidi Nkwanta Electoral Area had 32 votes representing 72.4 percent of the 44 valid votes cast to beat his sole contender Mr Elijah Denyima, the AM for the Mem Electoral Area who obtained 12 votes. 
 
The election held at Atebubu was conducted and supervised by the Electoral Commission. 
 
In his acceptance speech, Mr Dindiok expressed appreciation to the AMs for the confidence reposed in him and urged them to cooperate with each other, calling for strong collaboration towards bringing the development of the municipality to the next level. 
GNA 
DEN/LAA 

Substantial growth in Gold holdings

Strategic reserve accumulation

President John Dramani Mahama has appointed Prof. Seidu Alidu, Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana, as the new Executive Secretary of the Water Resources Commission.

He brings extensive experience in academia, public policy, and governance to his new position at the Water Resources Commission.

In 2014, he was selected as a Donahue Institute Scholar in United States Political Thought at the University of Massachusetts. He also served as a fellow at the Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA), where his research focused on parliaments and democracy on the African continent.

Prof. Alidu has collaborated with a number of international and local policy institutions and think tanks. These include the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) in Nairobi, Kenya; the Centre for International Development Issues Nijmegen in the Netherlands; the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Sussex; the Institute for Democratic Governance; the Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); the Varieties of Democracy Project at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden; the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College; the German-African Governance Partnership Organization; and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) in New York.

He has published widely in his field, with articles appearing in journals such as Peace Review, Criminal Justice Studies, Transitional Justice Review, Journal of African Political Economy and Development, Contemporary Journal of African Development, and Ghana Studies.

His new role is expected to benefit from this broad-based experience and scholarly background, particularly in guiding water resource policy and governance initiatives.

Prof. Lord Mensah appointed Head of Local Government Service

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, has urged students of Mawuli Senior High School to stay away from drugs and remain focused on their academic pursuits.

Speaking during a visit to the school as part of a nationwide tour to assess the challenges faced by educational institutions, Mr. Nortsu-Kotoe, who is also the MP for Akatsi North, advised students to resist peer pressure and avoid drug abuse, especially the dangerous substance known in street terms as “Red”.

“Stay away from drugs. Don’t allow your peers to influence you to deviate from the path you’ve charted for yourselves,” he cautioned.

“Those who tempt you today won’t be there for you tomorrow when you’re in trouble. Drug abuse will only derail your future.”

Using vivid imagery, Mr. Nortsu-Kotoe described the disorienting effects of hard drugs.

“Some of you may have seen on television how people under the influence of drugs appear to be sleeping while standing. That is not the future we want for you.”

He urged students never to experiment with drugs, even out of curiosity. “If anyone offers it to you to taste, say no. You don’t know what the outcome will be. As young men and women aspiring to successful careers, you must stay focused and determined.”

Highlighting the importance of role models, the Chairman encouraged students to look up to their seniors and alumni as examples of excellence and strive to surpass their achievements. “Let your old students be your inspiration and aim to achieve even more.”

Mr. Nortsu-Kotoe assured the students that the Committee had taken note of their challenges and would push for government intervention. “We are here not just to sit in Accra and assume everything is fine. We came to see and hear for ourselves, and we will recommend to the government how best these challenges can be addressed.”

He also commended the teachers of Mawuli SHS for their dedication and hard work.

“But for them, you would not be where you are today. We appreciate their sacrifices, and we hope you, the students, will also support and respect them.”

The tour forms part of the committee’s effort to directly engage with schools across the country to better inform policy decisions and educational reforms.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

On May 2, The Market Place on JoyNews analysed President John Mahama’s recent comments on boosting the local movie industry.

At the launch of the Black Star Experience on May 1, the President announced that only Ghanaian films will be shown on the presidential jet—a policy he first introduced during his previous administration.

To unpack what this means for the creative sector, culture journalist Kenneth Awotwe Darko joined host Daryl Kwawu to assess the implications.

Watch playback here:

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

President John Dramani Mahama has appointed Professor Lord Mensah, a renowned financial economist, as the new Head of the Local Government Service.

The Local Government Service (LGS), established under the repealed Act 656 and now governed by the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), is mandated to ensure the effective administration and management of Ghana’s decentralised local government system.

Its core functions include supporting effective local governance by providing technical assistance to RCCs and MMDAs, conducting organisational and job analyses, performing management audits to improve service delivery, designing and coordinating management systems and processes, and assisting these local bodies in carrying out their duties under relevant laws.

Professor Mensah, who is a distinguished Professor of Financial Economics at the University of Ghana Business School, brings an exceptional blend of academic depth and real-world experience to the role.

His appointment is expected to strengthen fiscal decentralisation and enhance the financial management capacity of local government institutions nationwide.

He holds a PhD in Applied Economics-Finance from the University of Antwerp in Belgium, an MSc in Financial Mathematics from the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany, and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from KNUST,

Professor Lord Mensah has also built a solid academic foundation that has informed his contributions to financial policy and development discourse across Africa.

He is widely recognised for his research, with publications indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.

He has delivered expert presentations at leading international conferences including the World Finance Conference in Portugal, the Swiss Society for Financial Market Research, and events across the U.S., South Africa, Vietnam, France, and Singapore.

Beyond academia, Professor Mensah has consulted for major institutions such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Bank of Ghana.

He also serves as Executive Director of the African Centre for Development Finance and is a respected voice in Ghana’s economic policy space, regularly featured in national media and corporate circles.

MA

President John Mahama and Justice Gertrude Tokornoo

This is the time of year true friends check on each other and find out their ‘how far’ as they say. Completely absent-minded I called my nephew Eric and said I was on my way to his office only to be told.

‘I am no longer at the Ministries. I have been Reset, and currently at home.’ The word Reset, originally well intended has acquired such a bad odor, people take to their heels hearing reset drums in the neighborhood.

Labor Day greetings are tricky; you never know whether your neighbor is grinning to celebrate his new job; or on a Labor Day, groaning to cope with labor pains.

While scanning various cases countrywide I came across the biggest reset this Labor week: the nation’s Chief Justice who should normally be settling labor disputes, has herself been reset to idle at a Departure Lounge. School children have been told Justice Gertrude is only under suspension.

Among adults, it is known she is at the Departure Lounge. A successor has already been named, nicknamed as ‘Acting.’

But he was last seen dancing in church and thanking the good Lord for kind mercies. For those who knew the youthful days of His Lordship Baffoe-Bonnie, his recent ‘dance moves’ betray his past as an Okpo mate of Mensah Sarbah Hall.

For security reasons, however let me say the good old Justice was well behaved in his student days. Our worry being that if appointed, his date of birth entitles him to only a one-and-half-year tenure as Chief Justice, and those ready with welcome greetings should be prepared to add, ‘Farewell, brand new Chief Justice.’

It is notable however that Getty’s suspension and planned sendoff, has brought several concerned groups to their feet, looking desperately for any grave sins she committed. For once a public opinion poll hurriedly concocted by a mercenary pollster reports a 70% public approval of Her Lordship’s dismissal. That was perhaps inspired by an imaginary mandate in the Constitution such as: ‘The Chief Justice shall be removed by a swift opinion poll across the nation;’ clearly an irrational attempt to trivialize the fourth highest position of the Land.

Unpersuaded, civil society groups are up in arms this week to save the neck of Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, and preserve the dignity of the judiciary: the almighty Trade Union Congress, the Minority in Parliament, the Ghana Bar Association, and others. These are flying protest flags ready to hit the streets to avert a national disgrace. Together with one dissenting voice on the Council of State, the clarion call is ‘JM, Touch not the Anointed.’

By Kwesi Yankah

The reasons are not hard to find. Justice Gertrude is on record as Ghana’s third Female CJ since independence. Should the axe fall, she would be the first dismissed CJ since 1963, when Nkrumah booted out His Lordship Justice Ako Korsah for acquitting suspects in a major murder trial.

The Second and Third Republics saw no such dismissal; and here comes this setback as Ghana’s democracy deepens and the 4th Republic hits the 33rd milestone.

The planned ousting amounts to terrorism on womanhood, the vulnerable, the judiciary, and a stain on that vision that has gifted Ghana the first female Vice President.

Since independence in 1957, Ghana has produced only 12 females out of a total of 89 justices of the Supreme Court, a dismal 13.5% female participation; and here comes this fresh wound meant to humiliate a 62-year old Chief Justice, and mother.

My own lay experience of a judicial disaster that would have triggered a dismissal was 1995: the historic drama on the appointment of Justice I. K. Abban as Chief Justice. The renowned Abban, earlier reputed as a stubborn Electoral Commissioner, received a baptism of fire when as CJ he erroneously jailed a newspaper columnist inserting a new page in his judgment, to balance the equation. The GBA was up in arms challenging Abban’s appointment due to a proven lack of integrity. Happily, my ubiquitous pen chronicled the event those days. Listen to my write hand, February 1995.

‘At the time of departure, the Ghana Bar Association was feverishly looking for red bands with which to bury Justice Abban as Chief Justice. They were going on a sympathy strike in support of the jailed columnist, Mensa Bonsu, and to boycott the courts.

If Abban is watching, he must have realized that he has mounted a throne which may turn out to be more problematic than the Veep’s. The real drama, however, will start if the GBA decides to take the Chief Justice to court.’

Yes the GBA took the matter to court, but failed to have the CJ removed.

The current attempt based on more trivial allegations should fall on deaf ears if Ghana seeks a respectable judiciary. Our President Mahama currently treads on slippery grounds and will not be spared by posterity should he opt to humiliate womanhood to consolidate power. There is every good reason guidelines in the formation of public committees are carefully worded. The golden clause, ‘at least one of whom must be a woman,’ is not a mere cliché. But Justice Torkonoo an astute Judge with formidable credentials is not simply ‘one of whom.’

Listening to a public lecture she gave at a Central University event last year, was breath of fresh air. As child of a teacher she experienced elementary education on various turfs: Tema, Suhum, Winneba, Ajumako, and being a whiz kid, skipped P5. To seal it all, Gertrude attended Motown.

Ask the sages, how many homes ever survived that flippantly sold off the Mother Hen?

Hands off Gertrude.

JM, Touch not the Anointed!

Ghana removes visa barriers

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the country, saying the American movie industry was dying a “very fast death” due to the incentives that other countries were offering to lure filmmakers.

“This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Trump said he was authorizing the relevant government agencies, such as the Department of Commerce, to immediately begin the process of imposing a 100% tariff on all films produced abroad that are then sent into the United States.

He added: “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on X: “We’re on it.”

Neither Lutnick nor Trump provided any details on how the tariffs would be implemented.

It was unclear if the tariffs would apply to movies on streaming services as well as those shown in theaters, or if they would be calculated based on production costs or box office revenue. Hollywood executives were trying to sort out details on Sunday night. The Motion Picture Association, which represents the major studios, had no immediate comment.

In January, Trump appointed Hollywood veterans Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson to bring Hollywood back “bigger, better and stronger than ever before.”

Movie and TV production has been exiting Hollywood for years, heading to locations with tax incentives that make filming cheaper.

Governments around the world have increased credits and cash rebates to attract productions and capture a greater share of the $248 billion that Ampere Analysis predicts will be spent globally in 2025 to produce content.

All major media companies, including Walt Disney (DIS.N), opens new tab, Netflix (NFLX.O), opens new tab and Universal Pictures (CMCSA.O), opens new tab, film overseas in countries such as Canada and Britain.

Shares in Disney, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O), opens new tab, Paramount Global (PARA.O), opens new tab and Amazon.com (AMZN.O), opens new tab were lower in early trade on Monday.

On Monday, leaders in Australia and New Zealand responded to Trump’s tariff announcement by saying they would advocate for their local industries. Some Marvel superhero movies have been filmed in Australia, while New Zealand was the backdrop for “The Lord of the Rings” films.

The British media and entertainment union Bectu called on the government to move swiftly to protect the country’s “vital” film industry.

“These tariffs, coming after COVID and the recent slowdown, could deal a knock-out blow to an industry that is only just recovering,” said Bectu head Philippa Childs.

She said they would also threaten tens of thousands of jobs of freelancers who make films in the UK.
Film and high-end TV production in the UK was worth 5.6 billion pounds ($7.45 billion) in 2024, a 31% increase over 2023, according to the British Film Institute.

The government’s Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

‘LOT MORE TO LOSE THAN TO GAIN’

In 2023, about half of the spending by U.S. producers on movie and TV projects with budgets of more than $40 million went outside the U.S., according to research firm ProdPro.

“I think the most likely consequence is not that more productions will be done outside of America, or more productions would be done in America, but probably that just fewer productions will (be made),” said Scott Roxborough, Europe bureau chief of the Hollywood Reporter.

Film and television production has fallen by nearly 40% over the last decade in Hollywood’s home city of Los Angeles, according to FilmLA, a non-profit that tracks the region’s production.

The January wildfires accelerated concerns that producers may look outside Los Angeles, and that camera operators, costume designers, sound technicians and other behind-the-scenes workers may move out of town rather than try to rebuild in their neighborhoods.

A ProdPro survey of executives found California was the sixth most preferred place to film in the next two years, behind Toronto, Britain, Vancouver, Central Europe and Australia.

Hollywood producers and labor unions have been urging Governor Gavin Newsom to boost the state’s tax incentives to better compete with other locations.

Trump’s proposed movie tariff follows a series of trade conflicts initiated by his administration, which have roiled markets and led to fears of a U.S. recession.

Former senior Commerce official William Reinsch, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said retaliation against Trump’s film tariffs would be devastating.

“The retaliation will kill our industry. We have a lot more to lose than to gain,” he said, adding it would be difficult to make a national security or national emergency case for movies.

By Erica Apeatua Addo

Tarkwa (W/R), May 6, GNA – Professor Richard Kwasi Amankwah, Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, has stated that the institution is utilising Artificial Intelligence (AI) to elevate educational standards.

He revealed that currently AI and machine learning courses were mandatory for everyone who came to the institution regardless of their majors.

In addition, the UMaT intends to put this into practice, not just theoretically in the classroom but also in real-world settings.

The VC made these remarks in Tarkwa when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) inquired about UMaT’s efforts to promote education through AI.

He continued that the University have teamed up with AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine, and they were constructing a state-of-art smart system center fully equipped for them.

“Now whether you are learning mining engineering, logistics and transport or geomatic engineering, you can enter that space and try to see how you can digitize the area.

Even if you are learning history, you should be able to digitize the history, to make it easier for people to understand and appreciate it” he mentioned.

Mr Amankwah revealed that UMaT was currently working closely with the Ghana Chamber of Mines, and that this month, they would start building the Mining AI and Robotics Laboratory, where students would learn how to create prototypes, simulation processes, and innovate solutions for the mining industry and other aspects.

He said by training their students in this manner, UMaT was certain they would bring about positive change and innovation in their respective fields.

GNA

JP/BM