Bright Simons @BBSimons Twitter profile | Pikagi

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Bright Simons

@BBSimons

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Thinker | Provocateur

https://t.co/qMfVybS6cG

Joined May 2010

Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

2 months

Four malls in Ghana and Nigeria, including West Africa's largest mall (West Hills), are being sold by two real estate players - Hyprop and Atterbury's Attacq - at a considerable loss to a lucky buyer: a young, ambitious, pan-African, real estate investor called, Lango. The four

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

27 days

Ms. Richlove Oduro, a student leader (House Prefect) of Nsein Secondary has a theory about education in Ghana: 1. The so-called top secondary schools are "colonial institutions". 2. They don't really "compete" for students anymore. All the smart kids scramble to get into them, &

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Bright Simons

6 years

Africa has 2 female $ billionaires. 1 made her money when she got an oil block from the Govt, and the other when she got the national oil company to run from her father. China has 64 female billionaires. They made their money building companies in tech, retail and real estate

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Bright Simons

2 years

Kwahu dude said to his Boss: "I need a pay raise, 3 companies are after me." After much haggling they agreed on 30% rise. On his way out his boss asked him which 3 companies are trying to poach him. "Poach? Nah. ECG has cut my light. MTN want their qwikloan & I owe fees at IPMC."

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

2 years

35-year-old Ghanaian art phenomenon, Ibrahim Mahama, is BOLD. Invited to mount an installation at Milan's Porta Venezia, he went over & draped the entire structure in jute sacks. As a gateway of commerce dating to Roman times, Porta Venezia got an African marketplace makeover.

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

4 years

For all those who complained about the sound quality of my 5th TED/TEDx talk: remastered, redubbed & re-performed. Same key message: it is not the "substance" of crises that must be studied to guard against future ones, but rather "key generic features".

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

4 years

Interested in the Agyapa Royalties matter, where the Ghana govt is selling forward 49% of the country's entitlement to future gold royalties earnings through an SPV IPO in London? But been too busy to follow the debate? Here's a crash course.

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Collating Citizen Views on Agyapa to Shape Civil Society Advocacy

Ever since the rushed ratification of the Agyapa transaction documents by the Parliament of Ghana on 14th August 2020, Civil Society Organisations have been ...

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

4 years

Every entrepreneur/activist begins with an idea for change, often with the world itself in sight. In time, they come to learn that change is really about power. Only ideas that shift power matter in the end. Worldchanging = Powershifting. Here's my theory:

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

2 years

Ghana's former National Security Advisor says he has counted more Toyota landcruisers in Accra than in Tokyo. He would therefore like to ask if this is a sign of craziness or normality. 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️🤔

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

2 years

How many are even aware that until recently the Ghana Card brand design itself was not even owned by Ghana? That it was owned by a French company & the country had to pay to get it? When Civil Society scrutinises your govt, be grateful. There's a war for the soul of your country.

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Bright Simons

3 years

Fascinating argument: If you pay e-levy of $1.15 billion in 2022, you can demand more accountability from govt. Question: Ghanaians paid $9.5 billion in taxes in 2021. How much accountability did that buy them? Or this is a new bargain? 😊 Gotta love politicians.

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

3 years

The city government of Accra says they were caught completely off guard by this 15-storey tower in the plush airport district of the city. They have informed the developers to remove it quickly because according to their cadastral records, it isn't supposed to be there.

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Bright Simons

5 years

The Ghana Airforce still uses the Fokker-27 400 from the 1960s. The Dutch stopped making it in 1987. It is still defending the "territorial integrity" of Ghana bcos the country has a limited budget. Yet 1000s of 2016 laptops refreshed in 2017 can't be used in the 2020 elections.

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Bright Simons

4 years

Since the Ghanaian Electoral Commission refuses to show professionalism & institutional maturity, sections of the country's Civil Society Movement will independently start tabulating & auditing the disputed Techiman South polls (pink sheets). TRUST CSOs to do a MORE thorough job.

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

1 year

So, this is the classy philanthropist who, without any noisy fanfare, has been paying for the dialysis costs of needy kidney patients in Ghana's Premier hospital. A short holdup in their contributions caused the recent panic. Philanthropy in Ghana is a quiet but powerful force.

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Bright Simons

6 months

The new President of Senegal publicises his asset declaration form in a show of transparency as he doubles down on his anti-corruption campaign platform days after his election victory.

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Bright Simons

3 months

I sincerely can't understand this. Has the ruling party in Ghana completely lost it? Who calls the bluff of Organised Labour in an election year? 😳😳🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

3 years

Ghana's last State-owned carrier: Ghana International Airlines Number of planes at time of collapse: 1 Annual CEO Pay at time of collapse: $220,000 Ethiopian state-owned carrier: Ethiopian Airlines Number of planes in 2022: 133 Avg CEO annual pay: ~$27,000

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Bright Simons

2 years

Dr. Sengeh, Sierra Leone's Education Minister, visits Accra. I'm guessing a quick stopover in Achimota College would be a bit awkward, hey? 😊🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️😉

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

6 years

There are ~120000 homeless people in Accra alone. And an estimated 5.4 million slum dwellers in Ghana. Most of these people have "no fixed address". How do you then tie a national ID system to an untested "digital address"? Do these decision makers understand their own country?

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Bright Simons

2 years

Aerial view of Ghana's National Cathedral. Please, where in the world, much less in the developing world, can a supervising architect take $6 million for a project that is at this stage of construction? A project beset with project management challenges?

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Bright Simons

2 years

Global food & beverage giant, Nestle, distributes $575 in local currency to all local employees in Ghana as a one-off economic hardship cushion in October 2022.

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Bright Simons

2 years

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Bright Simons

2 months

I will be humble & admit it. I was one of the people who were mesmerised by Ghana's Attorney General when he was the Deputy. It was his dogged determination in pursuing the retrieval of the Woyome funds that earned my respect. I thought it was principle & national interest. Now I

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

3 years

AfCON & World Cup Qualifiers 1. Budget Ghana - $25m (2019: $6.3m) Malawi - $1.22m Kenya - $2.8m Nigeria - $26m request by NFF pending (2019 approved: $2.8m) 2. Round 1 Winning Bonus per Player Ghana - $30k Malawi - $1.22k Kenya - $2.5k Nigeria - $5k AfCON 2022 Prize: $4.5m

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Bright Simons

2 years

Ghana has 40 traditional cathedrals. 24 owned by the Catholics. 11 by Anglicans. And the rest by Methodists. It also has at least 124 cathedral-scale christian worship centers. However, for some strange reason, none of them are attracting enough tourists, so a new one is coming.

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

2 years

Civil Society Leaders in Ghana descends on the Country's Auditor General to force a stop to the unconstitutional refusal to penalise officials who waste or misappropriate public funds. Veteran activist & personal lawyer to Ghana's President joins the protestors.

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

1 month

I am very disappointed in the High Commissioner of Ghana in London today. As Ghana's most senior Diplomat in the United Kingdom (and in some ways the country's eyes and ears there), his advice to govt about this Regina House matter is paramount. Yet, rather than let the whole

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

2 years

I am wowed by the daring of Accra's real estate entrepreneurs. Sharp Hostel at Osu offers a nice dormitory with red-and-white floral themes. Cute bunker beds. Shared bathrooms. Plastic bins. Ceiling fan. And tidy pricing of just ~$50 per bed per night. 👏🏽

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Bright Simons

3 years

Journalism in an "Oral Culture" Society.

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Bright Simons

4 months

1/ When the 127-acre Ghana Trade Fair opened in 1967, it was the largest purpose-built exhibition center in West Africa. For decades, it wasn't well look after. But it was still home to many businesses, like Colour Planet. In 2018, it looked like this.

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Bright Simons

2 years

As the Mbappe wave sweeps across Africa, jubilant supporters should do well to remember that he could have been playing for Cameroon. Twice he tried & twice he was rebuffed. And for what? 😏

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Bright Simons

4 years

Kenya is paying $3 per dose for its vaccines (with an additional $0.07 planned for logistics). South Africa paid $5.25. Most EU countries are paying around $2.16 (but becos of volume & bargaining power issues there, let's discount). Why is Ghana budgeting $10 per dose?

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Bright Simons

2 months

Believe it or not, the project on the left (Accra Financial Center by De Simone) & the one on the right (National Cathedral foundation by Adjaye & Associates) both COST THE SAME. 🤔

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@BBSimons

Bright Simons

6 months

1/ Most Ghanaians think that Ghana Card is the greatest thing since sliced bread. They don't know that they are being ripped off. The lack of awareness is a product of "State Enchantment". This essay is the first attempt to de-hypnotise the masses.

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No, Ghana Card is NOT “for” Ghana; it is RIPPING OFF Ghana

This is a fairly long essay, so here is the quick take for those too busy to read. Ghana Card’s main technology asset base belongs to Margins Group, not the government of Ghana. This makes it impos…

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Bright Simons

7 months

Since it is Twitter (X) that landed me in the lawsuit, it is only fair to inform the Twitter crowd that the issues are now fully joined with Fidelity Bank. Public accountability work is a marathon not a sprint. So, let's take it slowly. 🙏🏽

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The People vs Fidelity Bank of Ghana

Everyone on my Twitter timeline knows by this time that in response to a tweet I posted asking ECG to confirm and explain a USD – GHS rate they indicated in submissions to the PURC, Fidelity Bank h…

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Bright Simons

2 years

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Bright Simons

7 months

1/ Since the Fidelity Bank lawsuit in the wake of our attempts to hold ECG to account, many people have reached out offering donations for my legal costs. How generous! But @benboakye & others have an even more powerful idea: a Public Interest Litigation Fund!

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Bright Simons

2 years

Living legends don't fade.

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Bright Simons

7 months

Dark rumours circulating in Accra of a politically exposed Ghanaian bigshot knocking heads with British airport customs about millions of sterling being moved through the UK without the necessary paperwork. Frantic digging for trusted sources all over.

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Bright Simons

11 months

Despite the serious work IMANI did to show that the attempt to hand over Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to Torrentco was dangerous, they rebranded Torentco to TEPL & by executive fiat handed over the national asset anyway! Forcing Ghana's Special Prosecutor to step in. Aaba! 🤦🏽‍♂️

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Bright Simons

2 years

By the way, the software glitches at ECG is a reminder to Ghanaian leaders to THINK CRITICALLY as they continue to push this flawed idea of centralising all civic services in one Ghana Card database. Should a zero day or ransomware exploit occur, the country will shut down!

@BBSimons

Bright Simons

2 years

Queues are building up across Accra as electricity consumers try to load up prepaid credits at the few vendors that appear unaffected by software glitches. Prepaid was brought in to prevent commercial losses due to customer arrears but no safeguards were put in for downtime.

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Bright Simons

2 years

1/ In 1930, the colonial govt of Gold Coast (now Ghana) bought about 5 sq km of land in Achimota, marginally increasing its meagre land holdings, to set up a Forest Reserve. In 2013, the govt transformed the reserve into an Eco-park. This month, the Prez ended the reserve status.

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Bright Simons

26 days

This is the machine govt of Ghana said: 1. Was invented by a Ghanaian company in 2018 2. Costs $113,000 per unit 3. Will kick-out changfangs from the rivers and make galamsey environmentally friendly Actually: 4. It was invented by a South African company (APT) in 2005 5. Costs

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Bright Simons

2 years

Ghana's incoming Agric Minister was once enlisted in the US Airforce. During his vetting by Parliament, the Opposition Minority Leader asked him what his last rank before leaving the military was. The Deputy Speaker whispered that it is "classified". By whom? US or Ghana govt? 🤔

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Bright Simons

3 years

In 2021 Kenya will spend ~15% of govt income servicing debt. Ghana will spend ~45%. Kenya went for an IMF loan of $2.4bn to be disbursed over 3 yrs at a ~2% interest rate. Ghana just borrowed $3bn at an avg rate of 8%+. 200,000 Kenyans are protesting. Ghana is celebrating. 🤷🏽‍♂️

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Bright Simons

3 years

Attempts by the Ghanaian government to force through an unpopular tax on electronic financial payments & mobile money are being resisted by Ghana's resurgent political opposition to the point of fisticuffs in the chamber of Parliament.

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Bright Simons

4 months

1/ Ghanaians are being entertained with another scandal: a free wifi for schools project taken over by a shadowy group called Aguila Holdings. Initially awarded by Ministry of Educ in shady single sourcing style. CSOs visited dozens of the schools & found no free WiFi. 🤦🏽‍♂️

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Bright Simons

4 years

Ghana's EC is simply incorrigible. Which law in Ghana says that if two persons attest that a person is a Ghanaian then they automatically become a Ghanaian? Yet, they will accept a "guarantee form" & reject identity cards issued by recognised state bodies for identification.

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Bright Simons

10 months

1/ Accra Mall is chasing a swanky Burger Joint for ~$170,000 of unpaid rent & $8k of utility bills. The case has shed so much light in an ongoing study of the Accra real estate market. The burger joint was paying ~$10,500 in rent a month. That's a lot of burgers, chips & soda!

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Bright Simons

2 years

Well, note: 1. Ghana waited too long to go to the IMF. 2. IMF doesn't like basket cases. 3. Ghana stubbornly refused to sign on to the DSSI. IMF will insist. 4. It will take weeks to get an IMF staff agrmt. 5. Then the IMF Board has to agree. 6. So this is NOT a short-term option

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Bright Simons

2 years

A Ghanaian court has granted a 10-day "interim order" against a member of Parliament investigating a matter of conflict of interest against a powerful clergy man who served as secretary to the "National Cathedral". Courts should not impede Parliament's public accountability work!

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Bright Simons

4 months

If this new e-gate project uses a single pesewa of Ghanaian money, then it will be the most brazen abuse of @WorldBank money ever in the history of the world. The truth is that the World Bank has paid TWICE for this same project. And recorded the project as complete & successful.

@ghonetv

GHOne TV

4 months

Dr. Bawumia to introduce "E-gate" at Kotoka Airport... #GHOneNews #GHOneTV #NewsAlert #NPP #NDC #ElectionHub #Election2024

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Bright Simons

8 months

Small question. No vex. Why do most Ghanaians ignore the management of the country’s football until there is a tournament. Then they grab a seat, open a beer & automatically assume that since they last paid attention, Ghana must have magically become a great football nation? 🏃🏾

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Bright Simons

2 months

Judging from tweets by @Criticallygh & @gyaigyimii , a shorter version of my piece on Credit Scores & phones might be useful, so here goes: Even though 80% of Ghanaian youth have access to smartphones, many low-income ones do not. Ghana's Veep says all they need is a credit score

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Bright Simons

4 years

Apparently, the Council of State was inaugurated today. This body costs Ghana ~$1.5m/yr minus ex-gratia for its 31 members every 4 yrs. And, since its law was passed in Oct 2020, is now entitled to a full-time Secretariat. Yet, it has no website & publishes none of its reports.

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Bright Simons

2 years

Rumour: Some bum got thrown out of Balme Library yesterday. He was standing by a shelf laughing hysterically. When the librarian went to check, she found that he had taken out all the copies of the Ghana Constitution and piled them up on a shelf in the FICTION section.

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Bright Simons

4 years

Military at collation centers. Military at checkpoints. Military on court grounds. Military to regulate parliamentary procedure in the Chambers of Parliament. Are the civilian political leaders feeling out of their depth in ruling Ghana or what exactly?

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Bright Simons

7 months

You may be thinking that Agyapa is old news. But you should still join this session if: 1. You are really interested in understanding how govt works in Ghana; 2. You want to refresh your skills in tools like cost-benefit analysis, strategic reasoning, & critical thinking. See you

@GhanaCrimes

Ghana Crimes Ltd.

7 months

The much anticipated X Space is now here. Join us tomorrow as we host @BBSimons on our X Space to talk about the Agyapa deal. Co-hosts are @obiMpenaAustine and @ghanamunsemsem_ . Don’t Miss out.

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Bright Simons

2 years

In 2017, the govt of Ghana released a little over $100,000 to operate mental health facilities across the country. It also spent roughly the same amount on each Toyota Land Cruiser released to senior govt appointees to oversee service delivery, including in the health sector.

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Bright Simons

4 years

If you are older than 37yrs, you've lived longer than Bob Marley, Marilyn Monroe, Alexander the Great, the Christ, Jim Hendrix, Lumumba, Brittany Murphy, Princess Diana, Tupac, Eva Peron & Bruce Lee. Clearly, you've had more time than you think.

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Bright Simons

5 years

This talk sums up my frustrations & hopes right now. A. *Solutions* being pushed with little attention to the *ideas* driving them B. Ideas are rarely valueless C. Ideas from places like Africa are marginalised. D. The result: cognitive imperialism!

Bright Simons: To help solve global problems, look to developing countries

To address the problem of counterfeit goods, African entrepreneurs like Bright Simons have come up with innovative and effective ways to confirm products are genuine. Now he asks: Why aren't these...

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Bright Simons

3 months

Reports coming in that following the passage of a national budget opposed by protesters, young Kenyan activists have breached the Parliament & set parts of it on fire. Security chiefs are demanding a "state of emergency".

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Bright Simons

4 years

Just got briefed: Senior Ghanaian medical consultants are apparently furious with top politicians for "toying" with COVID-19, by promoting mass gatherings etc, and yet constantly calling them even when they miss a bowel movement whimpering about fears of infection.

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Bright Simons

1 year

We promised to document for posterity why the Bank of Ghana is guilty as charged. Here you go.

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Why Bank of Ghana is Guilty

A Governor on the ropes Rattled by unprecedented demonstrations against his tenure by Ghana’s political opposition, the governor of the Bank of Ghana described the protestors as “hoolig…

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Bright Simons

2 years

A politically influential Christian preacher who accused state elements of plotting his abduction/assassination has changed his mind. The about-turn came as the country's Vice President visited his church this Christmas & made a generous donation for charitable activities.

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Bright Simons

5 years

Someone tell the Mandarins at the Bank of Ghana: remove the politicians from one of the new cedi specimens & replace them with the late Kofi Allotey, the only Ghanaian theoretical physicist of international repute & first full Professor of Math! Politicos have been given enough!

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Bright Simons

2 years

"Sometimes a constipation of thoughts manifests as a diarrhoea of words."

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Bright Simons

2 months

Think you have heard enough of the ambulance procurement saga? No, you haven't heard the half of it! Brace yourself for the true extent & full overview of the "financial loss".

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Ghana’s ambulance saga is crazier than you think

In December 2021, Ghana’s Attorney General started prosecuting the Opposition parliamentarian (MP) giving the government its biggest headaches in the powerful finance committee mandated with …

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Bright Simons

2 years

British Airways has removed the first class cabin from its flights to Ghana. A group of highly politically connected Ghanaians frequenting the London route is outraged. They have threatened to make a diplomatic incident out of the whole affair if BA persists down this path.

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Bright Simons

3 years

Never a truer word spoken.

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Bright Simons

2 years

When u hear of apocalyptic price increases in places like UK it's like: - Cheap bread selling for 39p instead of 36p (~6.13 to 6.64 GHS) -Fresh milk selling at £1.30 from £1.25 - Weekly shopping from £10.88 to £11.12 Comparing this kind of inflation to Ghana/Zimbabwe is misguided

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Bright Simons

4 years

The posture of the civil society groups that opposed Agyapa remains unchanged: the deal represents taking the little Ghana earns from gold, privatising it in London cheaply so that well-connected people can buy low & sell high. It is a national betrayal.

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Bright Simons

1 year

Ghana Police did not cover itself and the Rulers of the Republic with glory yesterday. And the world took note. 🤦🏽‍♂️

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Ghana police arrest 49 as high cost of living triggers street protests

In recent months, public discontent has been growing in Ghana over the rising cost of living for everyday people.

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Bright Simons

2 months

Advice: when you see a feel-good story from Ghana, DON'T PROBE! Just pray for all to be well. I saw that a Chinese company has partnered the government to build a manganese refinery for $450m. I checked and the company is indeed a big refiner in China. I should have left it

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Bright Simons

2 years

Many analysts have been worried about govt of Ghana running a near-ponzi scheme of constantly increasing borrowing to pay for the escalating costs of growing debt. Turns out it is worse than that. For a while now, the govt has actually been printing money to pay the debt. 🤔

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Bright Simons

2 years

1/ Insurgent Peter Obi beats Bola Tinubu in the latter's home state of Lagos. But that's not the interesting thing. Turnout was just 19%! 1.35 million out 7 million registered voters showed up. In a state supposedly inhabited by 24 million people.

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Bright Simons

2 years

1/ Today, I made a bit more progress in my effort to understand the fascinating surge of the Ghana Cedi against the dollar. I noticed massive buy-sell (bid-offer) spreads of up to 35% in places. This shows that volatility is coupled with low liquidity. Brokers want to buy cheap.

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Bright Simons

7 months

Yes, we await service 1. The dumsor that the people experience recurrently stems from financial mismanagement 2. We will probe anything that allows that to happen. Including ECG FX deals 3. The courts support sound public policy & public interest 4. For the people till we die.🙇🏽‍♂️

@benboakye

Benjamin Boakye

7 months

I understand that lawyers of my friend, @bbsimons , were told today that Fidelity has filed a libel lawsuit over his tweet about ECG buying forex at 13.95. We wait for service. For those of us fighting to prevent Dumsor caused by financial mismanagement, this opens a new WARFRONT.

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Bright Simons

11 months

Everyday we miss you more and more.

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Bright Simons

2 years

A Ghanaian state owned company (GACL) enters a revenue sharing deal with another company (Frontiers). GACL is asked how much Frontiers made from the deal. GACL says it doesn't know. So how does GACL know it wasn't cheated of its share? See why Ghana govt has money issues?

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Bright Simons

2 years

1. Govt must ban import of foreign rice & chicken to protect infant local industries. 2. Govt must ban the telecast & internet transmission of all foreign football games to protect the infant local league. Many Africans support the 1st & reject the 2nd but the logic is similar.

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Bright Simons

2 years

Committee Chair: Minister, we are here to investigate the source of your wealth... Minister: When I was poor, did you investigate the source of my poverty?

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Bright Simons

3 years

The Govt of Gh is waging a PR campaign to convince a sceptical country about its mobile money & fintech tax (e-levy). All sorts of promises about what the tax will do are being made. Netizens have started memes to mock this. Like: "e-Levy will give bald people free hair."

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Bright Simons

4 years

For anything to change, three things must intersect: passion, knowledge and power. The world's problem right now is that, often, those with knowledge have no passion and those with power have no knowledge.

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Bright Simons

3 years

Ghana's largest pension fund, the State-owned SSNIT, per its latest published annual report, has issued corporate loans totalling $300m, of which an amazing $254m have so far gone bad. 🤔

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Bright Simons

3 months

According to the just released OCCRP database, the following Ghanaian politicians have properties in Dubai: ▪︎ Moses Asaga (Parliament) - $133100 ▪︎ Joseph Asamoah (Electoral Commission) - $623,000 ▪︎ Inusah Fusseini - ~$6.5M ▪︎ Anthony Benin (Ecowas Court) - ~$411k

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Bright Simons

10 months

1/ Accra is on edge after 1 of Ghana's fiercest investigative journalists dropped a trailer of a documentary premiering on Monday about a timber merchant who has won a contract to monitor all mineral & oil production in Ghana & be paid a share of every dollar made in sales.

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Bright Simons

2 years

"Heroes aren't heroes because they must, but because they choose."

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Bright Simons

3 years

Just imagine this scenario: The Deputy Speaker of Ghana's Parliament announces to the House, "all that are in favour, say Aye." Then he also leans back, open his mouth & scream as loud as he can. When he finishes, then he smiles, "the ayes have it, members". #WeLoveDrama 🤭😉

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Bright Simons

2 years

There is NOT a single Ghanaian government policy in recent years that when one looks into it carefully, one will not find the long arms of PROCUREMENT. 😒😏😏

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Bright Simons

4 months

IMANI Ghana is investigating what looks like another sweetheart giveaway to Genser Energy. Mines in Ghana that want high-voltage power pay ~28 cents per Kwh. Genser has cut a deal with ECG to obtain power at 8.2 cents per Kwh. Genser's customers are large mines. Do the math!

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Bright Simons

2 months

Delighted! Thanks, Courts! This was a politically motivated case that should not have been brought at all! The sole aim was to disable a tough opposition parliamentary leader who was ensuring accountability of the executive branch, to our delight as Civil Society. 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽

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Bright Simons

2 years

Which reminds me: Sometime in 2006, the animals in the Accra zoo (founded as a private menagerie for Ghana's 1st Prez) were relocated to Kumasi so the Indian govt could build Ghana a prez palace. A new zoo was started in 120 acres of Achimota Forest land. Today, behold its lion.

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Bright Simons

2 years

Nigeria spends on average ~$900,000 on each of its 105 embassies & missions per year. South Africa spends ~$1.2 million on each of its 126 embassies & missions abroad per year. Ghana spends on avg $1.8 million on each of its 60 missions abroad. #AlmightyGhana #ExpensiveState

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Bright Simons

2 years

Is this the driest Ghanaian Christmas on record? I'm shocked by the absence of queues in major supermarkets all this week. Or is it that shopping habits have changed? E-commerce? A return to informal markets? 🤔

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Bright Simons

6 months

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Bright Simons

1 year

Ghana people, it doesn't matter how much judicial eminence is used to obscure this simple fact, in Ghana: A) one can obtain citizenship if either parent is Ghanaian. B) Birth Certs indicate whether or not either parent is Ghanaian. C) Ergo, a birth cert is PROOF of citizenship.

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Bright Simons

5 months

We've been chasing ECG, pursuing CWM matters, fighting over gas value chain issues (a la Genser), probing power tariff proposals, highlighting IPP debt buildup etc etc. I'm afraid I've never seen Ms. Nelson amplify any of that work. Ever. Not even a retweet. Now, why is that? 🤷🏾‍♂️

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Bright Simons

2 years

Abusuapanyin Judas: What's that, Santo? Santo: my car keys. Judas: but you don't have a car? Santo: yes. But the keys were cheaper so I bought them first.

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