Ghana Rising Hearts: Michael Addo

Paulina Opoku-Gyimah says: Where do I start? 6’2 plus hunk of a man, model Michael Addo is hot stuff!!! I spied him via the MOT Model agency mainboard and just couldn’t help myself –thus, just had to share. I don’t know much about this brother –only what we all see here…… that he is gorgeous and &*^$$%%@>*&%$£ (whatever could I be thinking)…..and would love to see him on this years must-go-to-event GFDW (Ghana Fashion & Design Week) catwalk. For more info or to book Michael Addo: http://www.motmodel.com/ or via twitter at: https://twitter.com/MikeAddo

About to get married, why not let Pristine Cleaners take care of all your cleaning needs…..

Paulina Opoku-Gyimah says: Have you ever had one of those experiences, where you’ve just been to the sooo called ‘wedding-of-the-year’ –you soooo can’t remember what the bride wore –but can distinctly recall being roped into cleaning up the hall at around 1.30am –when you’re tired and ready for bed!!!

It’s such a shame but without proper planning and cleaning arrangements all some folks remember about some weddings (and other major events) is not what the bride wore, or the best man’s speech or the beautiful wedding cake –but being handed a black dustbin bag and having to clean up the banqueting hall after a said wedding. And that’s sooo not what any blushing bride wants their guests to remember about her ‘big day’. Well Pristine Cleaners Ltd, a smart cleaning company based in north London has the solution and offers an ‘after party Cleaning Service’ that covers the whole of London.

Available at a minutes notice, 24 hours a day,  7 days a week and from as little as £15 an hour per person depending on how big your wedding venue is, Pristine Cleaners will take care of your cleaning needs “doing all the hard work so you” and your guest don’t have to.

Pristine Cleaners has a large team of friendly professional police vetted cleaning staff and provides a host of hassle free cleaning services at a minutes notice, 24 hours a day including: residential and commercial cleaning, after builders and end of tenancy cleaning, a key holder service and much more.

Remember, you may have the venue, the caterers, the florist, the dress and the invitations have all been sent out but have you made any cleaning arrangements? Don’t allow the ‘cleaning’ to be the lasting memory of your gorgeous wedding day contact Pristine Cleaners via: http://www.pristinecleaners.co.uk/

Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pristine-Cleaners-Ltd/159167160907910T Twitter: https://twitter.com/PristineLtd

Ghana classified as ‘High Risk’ country and ordered to pay £3, 000 'Cash Bond' per visitor to enter the UK from November 2013…….

Title: Visitors from India and other 'high risk' countries in Asia and Africa will be forced to pay £3,000 cash bond before they enter UK

• Plans by Home Secretary mean visitors lose their cash if they overstay visa
• India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to be targeted
• Pilot scheme will later be extended to cover work permits and student visas

Tens of thousands of visitors from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria will be forced to pay a £3,000 bond to be allowed to enter Britain.

They will only get the money back once they leave the country in a bid to end abuse of the visa system.

Home Secretary Theresa May said the intention was to make the immigration system more ‘selective’ and deter people from ‘overstaying’ once their visitor visa has expired. In the long-term, she hopes to extend the Australian-style bond scheme to also include foreign workers and students.

The idea will be welcomed by backbench Tory MPs, who have been urging the government to take a tougher line on immigration to combat the threat of UKIP.

But it is likely to face legal challenges on the grounds that – because it targets only people from so-called ‘high risk’ countries – it is discriminatory.
There are also fears it may lead to countries such as India making British tourists pay a similar bond.

The scheme will be piloted from November, for people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Ghana. They are being targeted because of the high volume of visitor visa applications and relatively high levels of abuse.

Mrs May said: ‘In the long run we’re interested in a system of bonds that deters overstaying and recovers costs if a foreign national has used our public services.’


 

 

The £3,000 bonds are part of Mrs May's plans to bring annual net migration to under 100,000 by 2015


Immigration bonds have been repeatedly considered by ministers over the years, but have never been successfully introduced.

Labour abandoned its own plans for a £1,000 bond in 2008 amid an outcry from migrant rights groups.

They claim the policy is discriminatory as it does not apply to people from countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said the idea was ‘unworkable’ and ‘impractical’.

Mr Vaz, an ex-Foreign Office minister, claimed it would not deter people from trying to stay on after their visas ended, and said the targeted countries would be ‘likely to retaliate’.

The policy has the backing of Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg. He suggested the introduction of bonds in March, though was proposing the level should be fixed at £1,000.

The move will require a change in the immigration rules but not a vote by MPs.

Source/Credit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2346756/Visitors-India-high-risk-countries-Asia-Africa-forced-pay-3-000-cash-bond-enter-UK.html

The Next Big Thing: Irene at B2 Model Agency….

Irene’s States

height: 5'10, bust : 34b, waist:24, hips:34, dress:4, shoe: 9, hair: black, eyes brown

Paulina Opoku-Gyimah says: It’s been a long time since I got excited about a Ghana based model –and Irene on the books of Ghanaian supermodel Belinda Baidoo’s B2 Model Agency is it...

There’s something of the Grace Sarfo about her, -her skin is sooo beautiful.

I don’t know much about Irene but according to her model card –she stands at a high-fashion 5’10 and if the feeling I have in my gut is anything to go by, Ms Irene is going to be a hit… pray she makes it outside of Ghana –and into the beyond and hopefully onto this year’s GFDW (Ghana Fashion & Design Week) catwalk..

To book Irene visit Belinda Baidoo’s Accra based B2 Model Agency –the only true international modelling agency in Ghana at http://www.b2models.com/

Iconic Moments/ Photography: Joy Frempong and OY band by Nana Kofi Acquah

Photo Credit: courtesy of  Nana Kofi Acquah

“Today, I want to share two colourful photographs with you :). Yes, I am back to my colourful self. The first one is of the band OY.  Lovely band. It was really a pleasure meeting and photographing them… but what even excited me more is one of their songs “Life is like a market place”.  It was what inspired this photo shoot. How I wish we all will always remember that life is like a market place, you come, you look, you chat, you buy, you go and another person comes, looks, chats, buys and goes. Nobody stays in the market place forever.” Nana Kofi Acquah

 

Paulina Opoku-Gyimah says: There’s a real yummy eye popping explosion of colours and spice and zing to this incredible, scenic and iconoclastic photo of experimental Swiss/Ghanaian singer Joy Frempong from the band OY.

A Ghana Rising fave, Joy Frempong (please see past post)  is beautifully attired in a riot of high-end clash of patterns and prints –sitting slap bang in the middle of my favourite part of any market, –the bend-down-and-pick-me section or the "broni we wu" bit --is a fashion stylists dream.

I love this photograph!! Celebrated Accra based photographer Nana Kofi Acquah has managed to capture Joy Frempong’s respect for her ‘people’ –market trader’s et al and given us the gazer a real feel of the pulsating hassle and bustle of Accra’s eclectic markets. For more info about Nana Kofi Acquah visit: http://africaphotographer.blogspot.co.uk/

 

For more info about Joy Frempong and her band OY visit: https://myspace.com/oyrempong
https://twitter.com/Oymusic

Music: Mohammed Alidu

 

Do LIKE via: https://soundcloud.com/mohammedalidu/01-zomnilanisala/

 

Paulina Opoku-Gyimah says: I’ve spent this afternoon listening to Mohammed Alidu’s sweet, sweet music –really it is medicine. If music can be elegant - Mohammed Alidu’s is it. Plus Mr Alidu is very easy on La Ghana Rising Blog's 'eyes'....

I don’t how he manages to do it but I can hear every instrument and feel every note. How to describe his music…without using that ‘World Music’ tag, a tag that quite frankly bores me to death and reminds me of all those dead ‘new’ African wooden art that litters Ghana and beyond!!!

Ok…let’s see… Mohammed Alidu’s music is starlight sparklingly earthy but not in a ‘we-are-running-after-goats-in-the-African-heat-way, –not that there’s anything wrong with that if you know what I mean, but in a more modern, relevant, sexy Africana we-are-chilling-with-a-glass-of-wine-on-Bojo-beach-in-Ghana way –if that makes sense!!!

Uber chilled and hitting the spot for a relaxing afternoon with my little man on our balcony (its been raining on and off) - Mohammed Alidu’s soothing sounds had my Jojo stop his …errrmmm –noise (this doesn’t happen often) and reflect (mercy) whilst drinking his ‘real’ lemonade ---and any music that has that kind of effect on little Mr Opoku --is alright with me.

Do listen out for the beyond fabulous ‘Zomnilanisala’, ‘Only Love’, uber Afro-funky ‘Baby you Know’ and Kete which I feel would make very good catwalk music --and download them and much more via: http://www.mohammedalidu.com/

 Listen and download Mohammed Alidu‘s sweet music via: http://www.mohammedalidu.com/listen/

https://soundcloud.com/mohammedalidu/sets/land-of-fire

 

The Abraaj group snaps up Fan Milk International.....

Title: Abraaj: a fan of milk

A lot has been written about the potential of the African consumer but there’s not been exactly a flood of deals to demonstrate investor interest.

Well, here’s one: the Abraaj group, one of Africa’s larger private equity groups, has snapped up Fan Milk International of Ghana. It’s a vote of confidence for the west African country, which has seen consistently high growth over the last few years, and for the region in general.

Abraaj has bought up 100 per cent of the dairy producer and distributor for an undisclosed sum but Mergermarket (owned by the FT group) reported: “a source confirmed that the deal for the entire company is worth more than the shares on the GSE”. Fan Milk International had a market capitalisation 676.63m cedi ($335m) on the Ghanaian Stock Exchange – so a price of around $350m is not out of the question.

That would make it the largest ever private equity deal in FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) in Sub-Saharan Africa, outside South Africa, according to Abraaj.

According to Mergermarket, “a Ghanaian banker familiar with the deal said other PE firms such as Actis may have also expressed interest in Fan Milk, but were outbid by the price Abraaj offered, the banker said, declining to elaborate.”

Fan Milk International is west Africa’s leading manufacturer and distributor of frozen dairy products and juices, and operates Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Ivory Coast, Benin and Burkina Faso. It was established over 50 years ago and has built a regional manufacturing and distribution cold chain network, as well as a portfolio of convenience food and beverage brands that are sold through 31,000 outlets. The company sells over 1.8m items daily in the region.

With a potential reach of over 250m customers, Fan Milk’s appeal is clear, especially when combined with growth in the region.

Source: Bloomberg

Shares in Fan Milk Ghana, the African listed unit, jumped in late January to mid February, rising from around Ghs3.5 to Ghs5.2. Research from Databank back in February suggested the shares were overvalued, giving a target price of Ghs3.83. In its full year 2012 results, Fan Milk made Ghs36.4m on turnover of Ghs147m ($73m).

The Abraaj Group is one of the largest and most active private equity investors in Africa, having invested $2.2bn in 69 companies. Arif Naqvi, its founder and group chief executive, said in a statement: “Africa is witnessing the rise of a burgeoning middle and consumer class, so the acquisition of FMI is an extremely exciting and compelling investment opportunity. FMI’s portfolio of leading consumer food brands perfectly complements our African investment strategy.”

Although, as Preben Sunke, chairman of Fan Milk international’s board of directors noted: “Running a business in West Africa is no mean feat. Changing legislation, daily power cuts and economic uncertainty are all part of everyday life.”

An interesting word of warning for the new owners.

Credit/Source: FT at  http://blogs.ft.com


Please note.. Do read the rest via: http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2013/06/19/abraaj-a-fan-of-milk/#ixzz2Wx1QonYr