About Me

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I am a business reporter with Daily Guide and Business Guide newspapers published by the Western Group of Companies. I was a general reporter when I joined Daily Guide in 2006, but along the line I realized the need to specialize. So I found business reporting as the best area to specialize and I have been on the desk for about four years now. Since I started reporting on business related issues my interest has being in the areas of telecommunications, the extractive industry (ie. oil, gas and mining), and the Small and Medium scale Enterprise (SME) sector. I have a page dedicated to SMEs in the weekly Business Guide newspaper were I write features on the SME sector in Ghana. In view of this I was adjudged the best SME reporter for 2009 during the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) awards in 2010. This has further motivated me to pursue development driven stories which will help change policies and enhance the livelihoods of Ghanaians. I am a member of the Ghana Journalists Association and an executive member of the Network of Communication Reporters (NCR) in Ghana.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Driver Screws Man's Eye



By Esther Awuah

A road rage between two drivers on the Kaneshie-Mallam Highway in Accra has led to a partial blindness of one of the drivers.
A ‘trotro’ driver, David Asiedu, plying Accra-Twifo Praso route, allegedly stabbed Opoku Darko, another driver, in the eye, over the right of way on the busy Kaneshie-Mallam road on Tuesday, November 22, 2011, damaging one of his eyes in the process.
David has been remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit court presided over by Judge Doris Bempong when he appeared before the court last Thursday.
The court refused to grant the accused person bail and asked him to reappear on December 21, 2011.
Narrating the incident to DAILY GUIDE, Opoku Darko said he was on his way from Accra to Kasoa on November 22, around 8pm, when upon reaching Odorkor Tipper, a 207 Benz bus was trying to change its lane into his.
He said the 207 bus, driven by the suspect David Aseidu, could not successfully change its lane, thereby hitting the side mirror of his Kia mini truck.
Opoku said when they both got down to assess the extent of damage, Aseidu, without any provocation, pierced his left eye with a screw driver, and ran away, abandoning his vehicle.
According to Opoku, he bled profusely.
Opoku added that “with the help of some passengers in my car, we reported the case to the Odorkor Police who gave me a medical form to take to the hospital, while they headed for the accident scene.
“I was later told the driver absconded from the scene while I was being taken to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for surgery on my eye.”
He stated that Aseidu, the following day, reported himself to the police and was arrested.
He was later granted bail and processed for court last Thursday.
However, when DAILY GUIDE contacted Aseidu, he denied piercing Opoku’s eye with a screw driver, saying he rather punched him with his fist.
It is not likely that Opoku’s sight can be recovered, according to doctor’s report

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Fake Nokia Importers Lose Out

By Esther Awuah

Importers and retailers of fake Nokia phones will from next year fail to reap the benefit of their nefarious business.
This is because the world’s leading mobile phone manufacturer is embarking on a massive sensitization programme to educate Nokia users on the dangers of using fake mobile phones.
The company explained that it wants users to know the health and economic implications of using fake phones.
Ludovic Falcou, Nokia Country Manager in charge of Ghana and Senegal, disclosed this at “Nokia Media Meet and Greet” event held in Accra under the theme: “The dangers of counterfeit Devices.”
Mr. Falcou noted “fake mobile devices are manufactured from substandard component containing dangerous chemicals (lead & mercury) and do not follow safety standards.”
He stated that economically fake phones negatively impact the Ghanaian economy.
“Importers of fake mobile devices typically avoid payment of taxes and levies thus creating huge income losses for the government,” he added.
Mr. Falcou indicated that the development needs to be critically looked at since it is capable of discouraging foreign direct investment as international companies are likely to direct their investment elsewhere.
He advised people to look out for the 12 month Nokia warranty logo on the box when purchasing Nokia phones.
“Beyond this, all genuine Nokia devices purchased in Ghana are covered by a one-year warranty. The Nokia warranty starts from the date of purchase and it guarantees the user of repair at no cost and even replacement in the event of malfunction,” the Nokia boss announced.
He cautioned Nokia users to take full advantage of the numerous applications available on Nokia store including Music, videos, games and navigation, which is only available on genuine Nokia devices.
Osagie Ogunbor, Head of Communications Nokia West Africa, said the use of fake mobile phones is a global problem because most of the users cannot identify genuine ones.
He said Nokia Ghana is going to embark on massive advertising and media campaigns to sensitize Ghanaians on the need to purchase genuine phones.
Nokia is the world’s number one manufacturer of mobile devices in terms of market share.
Beyond its leadership status as a manufacturer of devices, Nokia is fast becoming a leading solutions provider in the converging Internet and communications industries providing internet services that enable users to experience media, messaging, maps and games.