Gov't To Roll Out Emergency Plans To Address "Dum Sor" - Prez Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has assured Ghanaians that his government is working assiduously to end the national erratic power supply by the end of this year. Delivering his State of the Nation Address on the floor of Parliament Thursday morning, President John Mahama disclosed that the government is rolling out initiatives to salvage the energy sector.

SoNA 2015: Gov't To Construct 200000 Rooftop Solar Systems To End "Dum Sor" - Prez Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that plans are in advance for Ghana to utilize opportunities that solar and tidal systems present to the energy sector. The Ministry of Power, according to President Mahama, will soon roll out a prepaid solar metre scheme in rural areas and other areas in the nation to provide relief to Ghanaians.

"Respect Nana"- Prez Mahama Salutes His Main Political Rival In Parliament

President John Dramani Mahama, in his State of the Nation Address on Thursday, paid homage to the Presidential candidate of the main opposition bench, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. Delivering his address on the floor of Parliament Thursday morning, President John Mahama who failed to recognize the presence of Nana Addo, flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) during his elegant entry into Parliament, however, seized an opportunity in the middle of his speech to rectify his oversight.

The Media Tends To Abuse Their "Freedom Of Sensationalism And Falsehood" - IEA

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) have admonished the media in Ghana not to abuse their freedom as the fourth estate of the nation. Speaking to journalists at the IEA Conference Hall in Accra, a Senior Researcher of the Institute, Dr. Ransford Gyampo noted that the media tends to abuse their "freedom of sensationalism and falsehood."

Prez Mahama Foresees Himself Serving Another Term In Office!!!

President John Dramani Mahama, in his 3rd State of the Nation Address, raised awareness of his second coming in government, come 2016. Delivering a speech at Parliament on Thursday, February 26, 2015; President John Mahama indicated that his reign will not be short-lived as he braces himself for another term in office.

Institutional Heads To Be Sanctioned; Stop Compelling Muslim/Christian Students - Prez Mahama Admonishes

President John Dramani Mahama has warned institutions in the country not to cause any religious friction in the country. Delivering his State of the Nation Address, President John Mahama admonished school authorities to desist from compelling Muslims and Christians to co-exist under strict terms.

IEA Research: Office Of The Prez 2nd Most Corrupt Institution In Ghana

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) claims a recent survey it conducted has shown that majority of Ghanaians have lost confidence in public institutions, with the Police Service and the Office of the President seen as the MOST CORRUPT Institutions in the country. This is the result of a public perception survey conducted by the IEA to solicit the views of the citizenry by assessing the impact that the current economic situation has on them.

Mahama Gov't; Bad Managers Of Ghana's Economy - IEA Research Proves

In line with its goal to promote good public policies, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has conducted a survey to assess the perceptions of Ghanaians on the socio-economic and governance conditions in Ghana. The survey, which was carried out in mid-June/July last year highlighted some major salient issues affecting the Ghanaian citizenry.

There'll Be War In Ghana...Blood Will Flow Like "Water"; Come 2016 - Owusu Bempah

Ghanaians have been advised to pray earnestly without ceasing for the nation or else they will have to blame themselves for the onslaught that is lying in wait for the country, come 2016.

NPP Stalwarts Pin Pratt To The Wall On Kokrokoo...As Insight Editor Accuses Host Of Bias

Managing Editor of the Insightnewspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr was placed in a hot corner by his colleagues from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) onPeace FM's morning show, over some comments he made during the weekend. Kwesi Pratt, who was quoted to have described the NPP "Won Gbo" Dumsor demonstration as "fraudulent", was forced to swallow a bitter pill on the Friday edition of “Kokrokoo” as the NPP National Organizer John Boadu and the party's Deputy Communications Director Anthony Abayifa Karbo sought further clarification on the statements attributed to him (Pratt) on Saturday, 14th February on Radio Gold.

Stop Using Children For Political Ads - Kwesi Pratt

Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, has called on Human Rights Activists in the country to speak against the use of children in political adverts in the country. Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo", Kwesi Pratt asked the Rights' Activists to safeguard children and ensure that politicians do not exploit them to advance their political courses and ambitions.

If Working Hours Are From Monday To Friday; Why Should Schools Fix Exams On Saturdays - Kabila

Former National Youth Organizer of the Convention People's Party (CPP), James Kwabena Bomfeh has called on the Education Ministry to resolve those conflicts of interest in the various institutions. The Muslim Community in the Western Region of Ghana on Friday remonstrated to express their concerns over discrimination against their female students who wear hijab (veils), a traditional scarf worn by Muslim women to cover their hair and neck and sometimes their face.

Sammy Awuku Warns Okudzeto Ablakwa

Sammy Awuku, National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has lambasted the Ministry of Education for attempting to sanction some schools in the capital for allowing their pupils to participate in the NPP "Won Gbo" demonstration. According to Sammy Awuku, it is simply a hypocritical stance on the part of the Ministry.

Osafo Marfo Should Apologize To Ghanaians - Fred Agbenyo

Deputy Communications Director of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fred Agbenyo has dared former Finance Minister, Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo to serve Ghanaians with the original tape of his voice or else eat humble pie. Reacting to the recent leaked tape alleged to be containing the voice of Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo, Fred Agbenyo condemned the tribal comments expressed by the male voice on the tape.

Fred Agbenyo Can Be Ghana's Prez But... - Sammy Awuku

Sammy Awuku

Sammy Awuku has condemned what he believes are diversionary tactics by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to highlight the alleged leaked tape purportedly containing the voice of the former Finance Minister Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Organizer expressed disappointment in leading members of the NDC who seem to be in high heavens over the contents of the leaked tape.

Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo, a Minister in the erstwhile Kufour administration, has recently come under a barrage of heavy criticisms after a tape containing a male voice spewing tribal comments emerged in the public domain.

The voice alleged to be that of Osafo Marfo's is heard wondering why Akan-speaking Ghanaians are not the ones managing the affairs of the nation.

“…You have all the resources, but you have no say in the management of your resources and that is what is happening. Your development depends on the one who has no resources…you can’t say this openly,” the voice said.

After the voice was heard in public, some leading figures in the ruling party have come out to speak against the comments that were poured out.

One key figure is the NDC Deputy Communications Director, Fred Agbenyo, who speaking on Adom FM is reported to have said the ruling party has some secret tapes from the camp of the opposition party.

Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo", Sammy Awuku was alarmed by the posture of the NDC when it comes to leaked tapes.

He recounted some previous incidents where some NDC members had had to doctor tapes in order to put the opposition in a bad light.

Alluding to a tape that was leaked about the Founder and Leader of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Dr. Mensah Otabil and other political figures on the opposition bench, Sammy Awuku was not surprised at the conduct of the NDC over the recent leaked audio tape.

According to him, the NDC has a track record of doctoring tapes, making seditious statements on tapes and later on denying them.

Sammy Awuku however spoke against any tape that may cause havoc in the nation.

Fred Agbenyo

In his conviction, this culture of leaked tapes should not be entertained by the youth in the country. “I am deeply saddened and hurt but I pray the young generation of the NDC will not stray into that path because [Kwami], we’re only part of today (we, the young ones). It’s tomorrow that belongs to us. Ghana will not end today but if we don’t take care and don’t hold our leaders responsible to bequeath a better legacy to us, the youth will be left with a fragmented Ghana (it will be spare parts). We want to drive a Ghana that is a complete car, not a Ghana that is spare parts,” he said. To Sammy Awuku, his colleague Fred Agbenyo should not allow himself to be used by his party for any diabolic activities, so far as the issue of leaked tapes is concerned. He stressed that if he were functioning in Fred Agbenyo's capacity in the NDC; he would have told his party's Chairman not to use him as a medium to perpetuate such things. “I would have told him to let his child do it. Doesn’t President Mahama have children? Doesn’t Portuphy have children? Vice President, doesn’t he have children? If I was the one who was sent to do this, I would have told you to allow your child to do it. Because you see [1] I’m going to put my life on the line. [2] I’m going to put my family on the line and thirdly, my future on the line," he stated because "Fred Agbenyo can become President in the future," Sammy Awuku added.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com

IEA Stresses Importance of Ghana's Agreement With The European Trade Partners

The European Union (EU) is by far Ghana's largest trading partner. 

Exports to the EU accounted for 37% of total exports; imports from the EU also accounted for 42% of total imports. This therefore means that over 70% of Ghana's trade is with the EU.

The Government of Ghana, in previous years, proposed to sign an agreement with the EU to remove tariffs on their products in exchange for cheaper goods from the EU.

Though some critics agitated against the signing of the agreement, some stakeholders in the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) saw it as a good initiative to boost Ghana's trade with her European partners.

During a discussion table at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in Accra at the IEA Conference Hall, the IEA stressed the importance of Ghana's agreement with the European trade partners.

DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY

LECTURER: DR. YAW GYAU

INDEX NUMBER: BACP  2016153

QUESTION: EXPLAIN DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY AS POSITED BY EVERETT ROGERS

This theory as explained by Everett Rogers seeks to establish the process, reasons and to what extent new ideas and technology are spread across a social system.

According to Everett Rogers, Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system (as cited in his book Diffusion of Innovations (3rd Edition); page 5, 6 &7).

The Communication Studies Professor, Everett Rogers elaborated further that the newness of an idea in the message content of communication makes this theory unique since the messages are concerned with new ideas. Rogers also delineated four main elements that influence the spread of a new idea. These are the innovation stage, the communication channels through which the innovation is diffused, time and a social system.

When there is an innovation, it desires to be adopted by an individual, people or organizations. However, there are different types of adopters which are innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards. These adopters at any point in time assess the advantages and disadvantages of the innovation before they adopt it.

This is why diffusion of innovation, according to Rogers, comes into play through a five-step decision making process which is Knowledge stage, Persuasion, Decision, Implementation and Confirmation stages.

For example; in the advent of solar panels to boost productivity, an organization may know such innovation is in vogue but lacks vital information to help it adopt the use of solar panels. Therefore, at the knowledge stage, Rogers argues that the organization is not yet inspired to find more information about the innovation. The innovators will have to be persuasive and this therefore hypes the interest of the organization in the innovation to finds out more information about the new thing (solar panels).

The innovation then passes through the decision making stage where the organization weighs the merits and demerits of adopting the innovation, then determines the effectiveness of the innovation before confirming its usage. During the confirmation stage, as the innovation is diffused through a channel to the organization, the organization now makes a final decision to adopt the innovation to boost its productivity.

Rogers further stressed in his book "Diffusion of Innovations (3rd Edition)" that diffusion of innovation evokes a social change. He stated that when new ideas are invented, diffused and adopted or rejected, leading to certain consequences, social change occurs. The social change however occurs due to certain factors: political, environment, government policies and so forth.

In a nutshell, Rogers expounds that for an individual or organization to adopt a new idea, the person or organization must perceive the idea as innovative and the characteristics of the adopters are also very crucial in diffusing an innovation.

Blame Mobile Phones For Dumsor – Prez Mahama (AUDIO)

President John Dramani Mahama has blamed the current energy crisis in the country on the increasing mobile phone usage in Ghana.

The President addressing Ghanaian community in Gambia where he is on a state visit said the number of mobile phones in the country supersedes the total population in Ghana hence taking a huge toll on the meager megawatts of power in the country.

“Ghana’s population is 25 million but statistics indicates that mobile phone lines in Ghana is over 27 million and these phones are charged every night and this is one of the causes of the load shedding…,” he said.

Police Invite John Boadu And Sammy Awuku?

Information reaching Peacefmonline.com indicates that the National Organizer and National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu and Sammy Awuku have been invited by the Accra Police Command. Though reasons for the invitation are sketchy,Peacefmonline.com is reliably informed that the NPP leaders have been invited for interrogation regarding yesterday's "Won Gbo" Demonstration.

Baba Kamara Isn't Fit To Be National Security Advisor - Kweku Baako

Baba Kamara

Kweku Baako, Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, has expressed strong disapproval of the appointment of Baba Kamara as the new National Security Advisor. The newly appointed National Security Advisor is still under investigation by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) over his alleged involvement in the infamous Mabey and Johnson scandal about six years ago.

PHOTOS: Alan Kyeremateng Joins "Won Gbo" Demonstrators

Alan Kyeremateng

There were strange scenes today at the principal streets of the capital when several aggrieved Ghanaians joined the mammoth ‘Won Gbo’ Dumsor demonstration.

Numerous demonstrators thronged the streets to express their displeasure and frustration with the Mahama administration for failing to resolve the monstrous power crises affecting the entire nation.

PHOTOS: Even "Mad" Man Can Feel The "DumSor"; Join Thousands Of Demonstrators In The "Won Gbo" Demo

Not only did sound men and women throng the principal streets of the capital to express their worry and concerns over the failures of the current administration; a "mad man" also seized the opportunity to tell President John Mahama how he feels about his leadership.

The "Won Gbo" Dumsor demonstration held in Accra on Wednesday, February 18 saw in attendance one of Ghana's finest "mad men".

NDP Supports “Wↄn Gbo” Dumsↄ Demo

The National Democratic Party (NDP) has expressed its support for the anticipated "Dumsↄ" demonstration yet to hit the streets of the nation.

Communications Director of the NDP, Ernest Owusu Bempah says the National Democratic Party (NDP) will stand shoulder to shoulder with the members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) on the "Wↄn Gbo" Dumsↄ Demo.

Nana Addo Will Become President Whether You Like It Or Not

Member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Hopeson Adorye has assured Ghanaians that the party's three-time flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo will by every means win the 2016 general elections. In a post on his Facebook wall, the NPP Communicator chronicled the ages of African leaders who have over the years ascended the Presidential throne against all odds.

Africans Must Unite...Tell FIFA To Go To Hell - Kwesi Pratt

Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt has called on the African continent to unite and tell the World Football Regulatory Body, FIFA, "to go to hell." Mr. Pratt expressed worry over the monopoly that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) exercises over Football Associations in Africa, particularly the Ghana Football Association.

Mahama Ayariga Must Retract His "Useless Questions" Remark And Apologize To Ghanaians - Kwesi Pratt

Kwesi Pratt Jnr., Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, has called on Mahama Ayariga to render an apology to the entire nation over comments he made on radio a couple of days ago. The Youth and Sports Minister, Mahama Ayariga is reported to have lambasted Ghana's media practitioners for asking, what he says, are "useless" questions.

In Ghana, Every Gov't Appointee Is A Thief Until Proven Innocent - Adu Asare

Former Member of Parliament for Adenta, Kojo Adu-Asare has cautioned Ghanaians not to refer to every public servant as a "thief". Hon. Adu-Asare was worried that the general public tend to create the impression that every government appointee is embezzling funds from State coffers.

We Use Our Taxes To Service You To Be Comfortable Ayariga...Accord Ghanaians Some Respect

"We’re servicing you to be comfortable. We use our taxes to make you the happiest man in this country. Everywhere you want to go and sleep, we pay for you. Whatever you want to do, we do for you. So, if we use our taxes to pay you to ensure that you feel comfortable, the least we expect is that you will accord Ghanaians some respect," Atik Mohammed cautioned Youth and Sports Minister Mahama Ayariga over some comments he made on Peace FM's Kokrokoo on Tuesday, February 11, 2015. Atik Mohammed, Policy Analyst of the People's National Convention (PNC), registered his displeasure with the Minister's demeanor towards the media, stressing that he should learn from his predecessors.

Why Is Mahama Ayariga Still At Post, Mr. Prez?

A leading member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has strongly requested an immediate dismissal of the Minister for Youth and Sports, Mahama Ayariga over some seemingly rude comments he passed recently about Ghana's media. Speaking in separate interviews on some Accra-based radio staions, Mahama Ayariga literally flew into a rage for the obvious reason that the media appeared overly-concerned with the budget on the Ghanaian contigent at the just-ended 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Kwami Sefa Kayi

Sports Minister, Hon Mahama Ayariga, on Wednesday morning, sought to clarify several issues sorrounding the Black Stars preparation towards and participation in the just ended Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Equatoria Guinea in interview with ace broadcaster and host of Peace FM's flagship programme "Kokrokoo", Kwami Sefa Kayi. 

The minister spoke at length on the issue of airlifting supporters to the 2015 AFCON, answered questions concerning his Ministry's refusal to make known to Ghanaians the budget for the tournament and parried accusations that the $25,000 reward given each player by the Ghana National Petroleum Coporation (GNPC), the lead sponsor of the senior national team was unnecessary.