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When it comes to the vagina, there are three basic things every woman knows: You don’t need to douche, every woman has vaginal discharge, and ultimately, nothing can get lost in the vagina.

Lady parts have capabilities that are more than meets the eye, and can tell a plethora about our sexual health. Like any other body part, the vagina is just another part of us, so it seems logical to get well acquainted with it.

1. DOUBLE THE PLEASURE, DOUBLE THE FUN

The clitoris has around 8000 nerve endings. That's double the 4,000 nerve endings that are on the penis.

Keep reading for more facts about the incredible female reproductive system!

2. PLENTY OF ROOM

The average vagina is 3-4 inches long, but the vagina can expand by as much as 200% when a woman is sexually aroused. That means most lady parts can accommodate even the most well-endowed man.

3. FIDDLE HER DIDDLE

Only about 30% of women have orgasms from intercourse alone. Most women who do orgasm during sex are doing so through stimulation of the clitoris.

4. THE SHARPEST OF SWORDS

The word "vagina" comes from the Latin root meaning "sheath for a sword." Ouch.

5. THE HAIR DOWN THERE

Though the hair on your head can live up to seven years, pubic hair can only live for a few weeks. That's why it doesn't grow to braided ponytail lengths. Thank goodness for that!

Condoms are not an effective way of preventing all STDs, because the vulva are still able to touch the skin of the scrotum. Be extra choosy about your sex partners!

Vaginas can, and sometimes do, fall out with age. It's called&nbsp;pelvic prolapse, and basically the vagina turns inside out and hangs between your legs. Luckily, it is totally fixable. (This is what happened to the&nbsp;woman who was reported as an alleged witch who fell out of the sky in Madina)

Sharks and vaginas have something in common! They both contain squalene, a substance that exists in shark livers and vaginal lubricant.

9. GET THE JUICES FLOWING

You're actually normal if you don't ejaculate during orgasm. Though some women do, "female ejaculation" is most likely just fluid from the paraurethral glands or urine.

It's normal to let out vaginal farts (known as "queefs" or "varts") during sex.

This amazing body part can bring about intense pleasure, annoying pain, and even another tiny human being. In short, it's pretty awe-inspiring. That's why we think it's crucial to stay on top of everything going on below the belt. Need a primer? Read on for all the fascinating facts:

Here are some fun facts about the vagina you should know

Ringier Ghana Limited, part of <a href="http://radp.africa/" id="cbd0ec7a-dada-51f1-97f3-bdf1dc393fb3">Ringier Africa Digital Publishing</a> (RADP) and Chamber of Commerce and Industry France Ghana (CCIFG) organised a Business Breakfast on digital marketing strategies on the 5th of December, 2018 at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City to promote digital innovation which has an impact on increasing brand visibility and sales.

The event was attended by over 100 business executives from diverse sectors in corporate Ghana.

Participants at the breakfast session were enlightened on new and emerging approaches to in the digital landscape, current and functional trends in online branding and advertising, how to engage with target audience, and deriving and analyzing results from marketing campaigns.

Mr Ibukun Onitiju, Country Head, Sales &amp; Director of Digital at RADP started the training session with a discussion on two main marketing strategies, the “pull and push strategies”, as well as the need to own, pay for and earn any type of media for use in marketing.

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He then walked participants through each step of The Buyer’s Journey and its impact on brand visibility.

Mr. Onitiju also touched on the major channels of marketing such as email marketing, social media marketing, mobile marketing, website &amp; analytics. Concluding his session, he discussed how to identify ideal customers with a focus on the Buyer Persona approach.

The second session of the presentation was led by Mr. Moritz Boullenger, Chief Technical Officer of RADP who presented on Analytics on social media. He mentioned the added advantage of animated adverts in today’s digital age as this type of advert increases interaction rate.

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Mr. Boullenger elaborated saying “these ads engage, entertain, provide more information and awareness.” Wrapping up his presentation, he gave some tips on how to get started with data analysis through concentration on content and audience.

Mr. Sena Quashie, Head of <a href="http://play.rdm.africa/" id="44e7fb30-abd6-56b3-a652-78dce5710e5f">Play Studio</a> at RADP took stage to make the third presentation on Content Creation. This presentation concentrated on how to use content to reach the right customers.

Sena Quashie, Head of Play Studio at RADP took stage to make the third presentation on Content Creation for Marketing

He started off saying content creation is the most effective form of inbound marketing because it produces better branding awareness and increases retention from customers.

He also gave some tit bits on how to create epic content by setting goals, knowing the audience and using the right format. According to Mr. Quashie, “consumers want content, not ads”.

The last presentation was given by Kobby Adu-Tutu, Senior Digital Strategist and Head of Agency Relations at RADP. His presentation focused on integrated marketing.

Kobby Adu-Tutu, Senior Digital Strategist and Head of Agency Relations at RADP giving his presentation focused on integrated marketing.

He begun by comparing the tastes and preferences of the traditional and digital generations and establishing the fact that inasmuch as the world keeps evolving, there is still the need to satisfy the specific needs of both generations.

Following an elaborate case study on Ghana that he shared with participants, he recommended using a mix of all type of media to reach specific customers.

The breakfast meeting was followed with an engaging Question and Answer session.

The breakfast meeting was followed with an engaging Question and Answer session and a networking session

The event forms part of Ringier Ghana and CCIFG’s combined effort to provide its network, an outlook of the growing Ghanaian digital economy, through marketing and how it can be used to improve business activity.

Ringier Ghana educates CCIFG members on Digital Marketing Strategies

Nestlé’s launched MAGGI Yelo Pèppè, a unique online nutrition education series to celebrate contemporary African cuisine and promote healthy lifestyle with an Exclusive Premiere in Accra.

The thirteen-week programme highlights the numerous challenges that modern African women face when finding balance between providing nutritious and healthy food for their family and the demands of a modern life.

Speaking at the event to launch the show, Anita Erskine, one of the lead casts in the show spoke on how much she had learned from being a part of it.

“Prior to #YeloPèppè, I hadn’t paid attention to how much salt, sugar or oil to use. As a mother, this series helped me to do that, and to teach my kids how to do same,” Anita Erskine said at the event.

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MAGGI® has been inspiring millions of women to use local ingredients to cook healthy-tasty meals for their families through its highly successful nutrition roadshows.

With its Yelo Pèppè Series, MAGGI® partnered Google’s YouTube and collaborated with Ghanaian Award-Winning Film Director and Writer, Shirley Frimpong-Manso to bring Central and West African audience the richest video content possible.

Representatives of Publicis Ghana, who were listed as creators of the show stated, “We got an idea to create an online series about women in Africa and what they are doing everyday of their lives."

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The Series adopts a new and innovative way to connect with modern consumers who are increasingly active on Social Media, affirming the fact that healthy cooking can be exciting without having to compromise on taste.

Yelo Pèppè, a 13-week show highlights the numerous challenges that modern African women face and was launched at Fiesta Royale on Friday.

Nestle MAGGI launches new show with exclusive premiere

The series, which is both in French and English will be airing on YouTube and other social media assets of the brand and will stretch over thirteen weeks.

In a brief shared with media houses, Nestle noted that the programme would highlight the numerous challenges that modern African women face when trying to balance providing nutritious and healthy food for their family, with all the other demands of a modern life.

This is line with the brand message of Maggi, which has been inspiring millions of women to use local ingredients to cook tasty meals for their families through its highly successful nutrition roadshows.

With its Yelo Pèppè series, Maggi is adopting a new and innovative way to connect with the modern consumers who are increasingly watching online video content.

Maggi has also partnered with Google (YouTube) and collaborated with Ghanaian award-winning film director and writer, <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/search/shirley+frimpong" id="c197fb84-6f1a-5906-9d56-d94f6857ec7e">Shirley Frimpong-Manso</a> in promotion and creation of the programme respectively.

The weekly programme will also link the viewers to a whole world of extra content such as beloved African recipes dressed with a healthy twist, lifestyles discussion groups and nutrition tips created in collaboration with some of the best regional food influencers and Nestlé nutritionists.

<a href="internal:/article/8572749" id="f06e89ca-c268-5e39-81bf-00568cb8d5af">Yelo Pèppè - Trailer</a>

Dominique Allier, Business Executive Officer for Culinary at Nestlé Central &amp; West Africa, said: “Maggi is committed to promote homemade wholesome cooking with local ingredients. We want to connect with more than 10 million people on the importance of eating a nutritious diet, adopting healthy lifestyles and maintaining a sense of wellbeing.”

The first four episodes of the show and complementing content are already live on YouTube and Facebook.

Nestle has introduced a new web series called Yelo Pèppè based on healthy nutrition and educational themes.

Nestle's outdoors new web series to promote healthy nutrition in Africa

The foreign exchange market can be very profitable for an investor, and this is why more and more forex traders appear every day. Nonetheless, each trader needs a forex broker for guidance and help, but it is not that simple to find one.

While there are numerous forex brokers, the real problem appears when you have to select a good one, as it can be challenging to make a choice. This article will attempt to make things easier for you, and we will share some tips which should help you find the best forex broker.

For a forex broker, there are a couple of things which are mandatory. He or she must be registered with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cftc.asp" id="ede7e486-8e05-5222-b5d4-14a46b74898e">CFTC</a>) as a Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer and Futures Commission Merchant. Additionally, a forex broker must be a member of the National Futures Association (NFA)

The CFTC is an independent government agency, and it regulates the options markets and commodity futures in the United States of America. It is essential for a forex trader to be registered with them, as the goal of CFTC is to "protect market users and the public from fraud, manipulation and abusive practices related to the sale of commodity and financial futures and options, and to foster open, competitive and financially-sound futures and option markets."

The NFA is another organization that regulates the futures industry in the United States. It comes up with specific services and rules which are meant to protect the entire market, as well as its members.

There are numerous currencies you can choose from, but when it comes to forex trading, you should focus on the most important currency pairs. These are the Euro/US dollar (EUR/USD), the British pound/US dollar (GBP/USD), the US dollar/Swiss franc (USD/CHF) and the US dollar/Japanese yen (USD/JPY). When you choose a broker make sure that the pairs you are interested in are included.

If you are looking for the <a href="https://fxdailyreport.com/forex-brokers-south-africa/" id="a841a926-7a8f-5e5d-bebb-98efc12caa40">best SA forex broker</a>, you need to know all the details about the account. For example, when it comes to commissions and spreads, some brokers might charge a specific percentage of the spread, while others charge no commissions but have larger spreads

You should also take into account the policies for deposits and withdrawals. There are certain brokers who allow the holders of the account to fund it via PayPal, via ACH payment or online with a credit card. In some cases, even bank, personal or business checks are allowed, as well as wire transfers.

The initial deposit is also something that varies depending on the broker. You can fund a forex account with a small initial deposit, and there are numerous brokers who offer mini, standard or micro accounts which have different deposit requirements.

As forex trading does not have any breaks, customer service should be available all the time. You should also check if you can call your broker at any time of the day or if you would have to deal with an auto attendant.

Each trader needs a forex broker for guidance and help, but it is not that simple to find one.

A small guide to finding the best forex broker

Public spending on healthcare enhances the efficiency of healthcare services and boosts health outcomes, and therefore, establishing a robust health financing system has been a priority among many countries worldwide. However, increasing health expenditure has been challenging even among wealthy countries because of frequent economic recession and rising healthcare costs. In low-income countries, public healthcare spending has been relatively low, despite the potential benefits that could be achieved in regard to health outcomes.

The little public healthcare spending that happens in these countries is mainly financed with insufficient tax revenues, internal and external loans and restricted foreign grants. Other healthcare funding sources available are either private or out-of-pocket payments, fee-for-service and private health insurance schemes.

In the past two decades, Ghana has experienced rapid economic growth, along with the increase in spending on health. Since 2001, the country has increased its public healthcare spending by 11%, which is 15% higher than the accompanying increase in government revenues. Concurrently, there has been a tremendous population growth over the past decade with at least 65% of the populace expected to be urban dwellers by 2030. With this growth in population coupled with ageing, rapid urbanization and increasing adoption of sedentary lifestyle, there could be a shift in focus from communicable diseases (CD) to non-communicable diseases (NCD), which would place further pressure on the scarce healthcare resources.

The positive association between increased healthcare spending on health outcomes has been shown in other studies. Nonetheless, there has to be a reassessment of the impact of healthcare spending in tandem with public healthcare policies on health outcomes. This writing presents an overview of healthcare expenditures and health outcomes in Ghana and compares the baseline information in terms of the three health outcomes since the implementation of policies on maternal health and the national health insurance.

Total health expenditure is defined as the measure of the sum of revenues collected from different sources and comprises general, private and out-of-pocket. In Ghana, general expenditures rose after 2003 and slightly decreased in 2008. Apart from Ghana’s socioeconomic problems, this decrease could be attributed to the global financial crisis. Yet compared with neighbouring countries such as Togo, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana seems to have performed better in its commitment to health. The general government health expenditure increased from 53 per capita US$ in 1995 to 60 per capita US$ in 2014.

Both private and out-of-pocket expenditures were high between 1995 and 2004 but declined after 2005. The introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2004 could have resulted in high general healthcare spending and a reduced share of private and out-of-pocket spending.

Although private and out of pocket expenditures have declined over the years, the financial protection in Ghana has been inadequate. Some of the determinants of increased out-of-pocket expenditures are inadequate health insurance coverage and poverty. Government’s investments have not been enough to meet the rising healthcare costs.

Funding inadequacy has therefore fuelled hospital commercialization. Thus, hospitals are compelled to increase service prices to generate funds for maintaining medical equipment’s. It has been predicted that high out-of-pocket expenditures on healthcare will continue to have a devastating effect on the socioeconomic status of households unless pragmatic steps are taken to address the prevailing challenges.

Another factor that may have contributed to the high out-of-pocket expenditures is over-dependence on foreign aids and grants for financing healthcare. External sources rose from 1999 but declined after 2003. A study that analyzed data from the World Bank suggested that remittances to developing countries, including Ghana, reduced by 5.5% (US billion) in 2009. Workers’ remittances to Ghana also reduced from US million in 2008 to US million in 2009.

From 1995 to 2014, the life expectancy of Ghanaians has increased steadily. Life expectancy at birth increased from 60.7 to 64.8 years. Expenditures on healthcare as a share of per capita total healthcare expenditures show a positive association with life expectancy at birth. Other studies not limited to Ghana that investigated the association between public healthcare spending and health outcomes have reached similar conclusions. The increased life expectancy may be attributed to several factors, such as new medicines and vaccines, good governance, education, social structures, income distribution, environmental changes and lifestyle changes.

Maternal mortality accounts for 14% of all female deaths, making it the second leading cause of female mortalities in Ghana. Before 2000, it was estimated that between 540 and 650 mothers died for every 100,000 live births in Ghana. With this high maternal mortality rate, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) implemented several policies that can help improve maternal health and reduce maternal deaths. First, there was the introduction of an antenatal care policy and a safe motherhood initiative. These policies had a limited effect on maternal mortality. Financial inadequacies and preference for unskilled maternity care services were major contributors for maternal mortalities. Therefore, the Ministry of Health (MoH) introduced the delivery exemption policy in 2003 to provide free maternal delivery and reduce the financial constraints associated with using skilled maternal services. The inclusion of the free maternal care policy in the NHIS has been beneficial. The number of mothers registered in the NHIS rose from 421,234 in 2008 to 754,648 in 2012, and on-going participation growth is evident. The policy covers normal deliveries, assisted deliveries, caesarean sections and management of complications arising from maternal deliveries. Ghana improved its maternal care by increasing the skilled care coverage from 47% in 2003, 55% in 2010 and 68% in 2015. Because of these policies, maternal mortalities declined to 350/100,000 live births by 2013 and 319 deaths in 2015. Although the implementation of these initiatives have improved access to medical care, maternal mortality in Ghana remains high. When compared with some states within the West African region, Ghana seems to have performed well in terms of reduction in maternal mortality rates. For example, maternal mortality per 100,000 live births in the selected West African countries are: Mali (587/100,000), Guinea Bissau (547/100000), Guinea (679/100,000), Burkina Faso (89/100,000), Niger (553/100,000), Togo (368/100,000), Nigeria (814/100,000) and Cote d’Ivoire (647/100,000). However, comparing maternal mortality rates (per 100,000) in selected developed countries such as UK (9/100,000), Australia (6/100,000), Canada (7/100,000), Italy (4/100,000), Germany (6/100,000), USA (14/100,000) and Japan (5/100,000), the maternal mortality rate in Ghana is high and unacceptable. Similarly, Ghana’s maternal mortality rate is high compared to Singapore (10/100,000), Malaysia (40/100,000) and China (27/100,000). Several factors can be attributed to this: inadequate healthcare facilities in rural areas, preference for traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and lack of funds for transporting emergencies to better-resourced hospitals. An inadequate data set for the medical history of expectant mothers also impedes proper healthcare investigations. Further, maternal mortalities are fuelled by limited access to contraceptives especially among women residing in the rural areas. Contraceptive use can assist in preventing unwanted/unplanned pregnancies, allows adequate spacing of pregnancies and limits the incidence of unsafe abortions.

More research on ways to improve the quality of life of expectant mothers after caesarean sections and maternal experiences after childbirth should be a priority while at the same time, efforts should be strengthened to scale up health impact interventions that will increase deliverability in health facilities. For mothers that do not have health insurance especially those in the rural areas, medicines for treating sepsis and preterm births and vaccines against infections should be affordable and easily accessible.

The National Health Insurance Scheme policy

An estimated 150 million people globally experience financial hardship after accessing medical care through out-of-pocket payments. Therefore, protecting the poor from catastrophic healthcare spending has become a priority in most countries. Ghana spearheaded a community-based health insurance scheme (CBHIS) experiment in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The scheme covered only 1% of the population and failed to improve the accessibility for the poor. A more inclusive national policy led to the enactment of the National Health Insurance Law in 2003, which was later referred to as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2004.

The inception of the NHIS has offered enormous benefits to the populace and presently covers 95% of all diseases in Ghana. Active members in the scheme have risen from 2.5 million in 2004 to 8,885,757 million in 2012 and 10,145,196 million in 2013, covering 38% of the entire Ghanaian population. Insured individuals pay half the cost of their healthcare treatments and, thus, have greatly reduced out-of-pocket expenditures. Available data shows an increase in outpatient department cases, pharmaceutical usage, prenatal care, delivery services and maternal healthcare services.

Despite these important achievements, a high proportion of the populace (often rural citizens) are yet to enrol because of poverty, as they are unable to afford the NHIS registration fee. This implies that universal health coverage has only become a vision. For instance, poverty-stricken regions in Ghana, primarily in the upper west, upper east and northern areas, have recorded low enrolment in the scheme compared to urban areas.

A major problem facing the healthcare system is finance, and this is partly attributed to the Government of Ghana’s (GoG) low fiscal capacity and commitment to health. For example, the government spent 4.9% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare in 2009 and increased it to 5.2% in 2012. As a result, Ghana could not honour the Abuja Declaration pledge where governments promised to allocate 15% of their GDP to health and obviously, the insufficient budgetary health investment could not meet Ghana’s rising healthcare needs. The MoH also reported that budgetary allocation on healthcare rose from GH¢771 million (US million) in 2011 to GH¢1750 million (US million) in 2012. Nonetheless, this increment was inadequate and has not made a significant impact. On the other hand, financial obstacles amidst incessant financial losses have largely affected the smooth running of the NHIS. In 2012, the total revenue accrued by the NHIS was GH¢773.83 million (US million) and total expenditures were GH¢788.32 (US million), representing a net deficit of GH¢14.49 million (US million). By 2013, the total revenue has increased to GH¢904.3 million (US) while the total expenditure was GH¢1001.10 million (US million) representing a net deficit of GH¢96.80 million (US million).

Besides inadequate funds for public health, financial mismanagement is a major setback for achieving improved health outcomes. Adequate public spending on healthcare alone cannot improve health outcomes because it needs to be accompanied by proper financial management. The trend in the Ghana healthcare system does not show adequate financial management. An estimated 36% of healthcare expenditures are wasted due to inefficiencies and financial misappropriation. Presently, millions of dollars are still lost due to rising costs and corruption. With appropriate financial management, the government could save at least 36% of its total expenditures, which is enough to pay approximately 23,000 nurses.

Ghana has been facing a shortage of healthcare personnel. The doctor-to-patient ratio was 1:10,000 in 2010 and 1: 9,043 in 2014 while the midwife to patient ratio was 1:1077 in 2010 and 1:1374 in 2014. More concerning is that the distribution of the health workforce is largely skewed to the two popular urban cities in Ghana: Accra and Kumasi while rural hospitals have few and less well-qualified health personnel. Consequently, the few health workforces are compelled to work for extremely long hours without rest amidst poor working conditions. This results in substandard healthcare with most health workers feeling that they are not being rewarded for their efforts. The exodus of healthcare workers to developed countries, a concept known as ‘brain drain’, has therefore become prominent. It is reported that more than 57% and 24% of doctors and nurses, respectively, are working abroad.

A study has also shown that the number of hospital beds is low, and Ghana has not shown enough commitment to increasing key resources and infrastructure. Medical equipment and logistics are generally inadequate for the enormous number of patients that access the health service. Additionally, transportation and communication poses are formidable challenge throughout the country. This leads to delays in getting to healthcare facilities with the situation even worse in the rural parts of the country where most districts do not have ambulance services to attend to emergencies. Increased pressure on limited resources and equipment is often the case, and consequently, many patients are denied access to proper healthcare.

There should be adequate investments in district and local hospitals to improve early disease detection and facilitate early treatment. Adequate incentives, such as affordable housing, vehicle allowances, scholarships for aspiring medical professionals among others can encourage healthcare personnel to stay instead of leaving for better opportunities abroad. Like the University of Health and Allied Sciences that was set up to solely train health professionals, more of such institutions should be set up across the country to increase the total health workforce. Concurrently, existing healthcare institutions should be expanded and equipped with state-of-the art facilities to improve healthcare delivery. There should be an increase in health revenues, better approaches for resource mobilization, tax exemptions on medical/diagnostic equipment and logistics, and strengthening public-private partnerships all of which will help bridge the funding gab and limit the impact of external resource decline.

While the government is trying and looking for approaches to accelerate the enrolment of vulnerable people to the scheme, useful alternative will be to adopt the voluntary insurance scheme such as the one introduced by the Chinese Government (fastest/largest developing country in the world) in 2002. In this scheme, rural dwellers are allowed to voluntarily enrol while the scheme is supported with funds from private institutions, local government and the central government. Utilizing this innovative scheme, 72 million people that make up 83% of the entire rural population were insured and it has hugely reduced the economic burden of diseases among rural dwellers in China.

As stated previously, NCDs have hugely affected health outcomes leading to several premature deaths. Some of these deaths could have been prevented or perhaps delayed with the correct health education or health literacy. This is where the concept of predictive, preventive and personalized medicine (PPPM) comes in. On the one hand, PPPM promotes the recognition of people who are intermediate in health and disease-suboptimal health and thus able to identify them (e.g. using screening tools) prior to clinical manifestation. In such individuals, the potential progression to NCDs can be reversed with appropriate intervention. On the other hand, a unique characteristic of PPPM is to ‘identify the right patient, treat him or her with the right therapy with the right dose at the right time’. A person’s quality of life whether healthy or patient is influenced by multiple determinants such as environmental, economic, traditional and behavioural factors. PPPM takes into consideration all these factors and thus providing a holistic platform for healthcare givers/professionals to treat and manage diseases. Therefore, PPPM should be the next direction to improving healthcare in Ghana.

Hospital commercialization and the high level of uninsured individuals should not be politicized but should instead provide an overarching direction for increasing the utilization of healthcare services for all. There should be specialized healthcare agencies set up and tasked with regulating the allocation of healthcare resources within the sector. In other words, the government should strengthen these agencies and also set up independent anticorruption bodies to prevent financial mismanagement. Probity, transparency and accountability should also be priorities of the government and the healthcare sector so that citizens can hold the government accountable.

I conclude that the challenges of the healthcare system in Ghana can be ameliorated by (1) further investments in health, (2) establishing new health institutions and expanding existed ones, (3) providing incentives to discourage the exodus of health workers, (4) introduction of PPPM for managing and treating NCDs and (5) alternative insurance schemes for vulnerable groups. This, coupled with the will of the government to curb misappropriation of funds, will be important to realizing better health outcomes.

All views expressed herein remain that of the author, Kojo Yedu, a L200 student – Physician Assistant Studies at University of Cape Coast and are solely his. You can contact the author via

Ghana’s healthcare expenditure has increased over the past two decades. Increased healthcare expenditures are required to enhance the acquisition of better hospital resources that may improve healthcare.

A perspective on Ghana’s healthcare expenditure, policies and outcomes

The screenings were offered from the company’s concept store in Kumasi.

The 2018 World Hypertension Day theme was “know your numbers”.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

The “know your numbers” campaign aimed to encourage people to get screened to ensure they are aware of their blood pressure and what they can do to maintain it.

Residents of the Amakom community who participated in this year’s World Hypertension Day with Betway Ghana were grateful for the chance to receive world-class medical attention.

The Assemblyman for the area, Stephen Ofori was optimistic that the screenings would become an annual event and that Betway’s initiative would encouraged other corporate entities to follow suit.

This is not the first time Betway has offered services and funding in support of improved <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/search/healthcare" id="46f163c1-c957-5b3e-bf52-37c70d08768f">healthcare in Ghana</a>.

The company recently supported the Princess Marie Children’s Hospital in Accra on World Malaria Day with mosquito nets and other medical supplies. Besides education, health practitioners ran a series of tests such as blood sugar level, BMI, Hepatitis B and BP monitoring for participants.

READ ALSO: <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/8381436" id="3c9f3733-1e2b-5e23-a465-69ec77e86cc1">Stephen Appiah returns from West Ham visit</a>

<a href="https://pulse.com.gh/search/betway" id="857fb6e0-c93f-5633-a78e-c7eb6fa96ba3">Betway, Ghana’s premier sports betting provider,</a> has joined with a number of stakeholders to offer health screenings to the public this World Hypertension Day.

Betway marks World Hypertension Day with health screening

Telecom operator, AirtelTigo Ghana has partnered with Ericsson to consolidate and upgrade its network infrastructure.

The agreement with Ericsson includes end-to-end consolidation and managed services for the AirtelTigo Network. AirtelTigo will be able to expand coverage to all parts of the country, including rural areas.

At a press briefing to announce the partnership, the Chief Executive Officer for AirtelTigo, Roshi Motman, said: “The main benefits of the network upgrade to our customers are — nationwide coverage, fast internet speeds and superior voice quality.”

She was confident that Ericsson was well resourced with both the latest technology and expertise to do the consolidation and upgrade the network to world class standards.

Rafiah Ibrahim, Head, Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said: “We continue to partner with customers and take on the prime integrator role in complex multivendor integration and deployment projects. As Airtel and Tigo embark on what promises to be an exciting new chapter in the Ghana telecom space, they have selected Ericsson as their prime and preferred network integrator. This new partnership enables us to help the operator pave the way towards 4G and eventually 5G network evolution in Ghana.”

READ ALSO: <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/8363039" id="5478d5d6-aeb9-5e19-b2f1-dc8ddffb65d4">Dr Bawumia launches Mobile Money payment interoperability system</a>

The partnership will enable AirtelTigo to unify its network assets between former Tigo and Airtel and provide customers with fast internet experience and superior voice quality.

AirtelTigo partners Ericsson to consolidate and upgrade its network in Ghana

Betway Ghana Brand Ambassador, <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/search/stephen+appiah" id="765bf91d-7925-5542-a08e-f09c4283d052">Stephen Appiah</a> has returned to Ghana after a week-long visit to English Premier League Club West Ham United.

Earlier this year <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/search/betway" id="16885f53-d233-5add-9bc1-b9b2d360004a">Betway </a>announced a partnership with the former skipper of the Ghana Black Stars.

At the announcement, Betway Ghana hinted that the partnership deal was not solely for Betway’s benefit but to expose Stephen to a global network of football partners that will help him develop his own skills to become a world class coach.

The trip which was fully sponsored by Betway Ghana included sessions with the academy and coaching staff to help improve on his overall coaching knowledge.

Stephen was given a tour at the London Stadium and also had the opportunity to see the West Ham United play Manchester City live.

He also met with the Manager of West Ham United, <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/search/david+moyes" id="1b556739-5930-525d-bb08-e3b19e28249b">David Moyes</a> as well as some players from the West Ham United team. West Ham’s excitement at Appiahs visit was clearly evident in the presentation of a custom west ham jersey emblazoned with his number 10 by club legend Steve Lomas on match day.

The former skipper’s visit to West Ham is ultimately envisioned to impact positively on the state of football management in Ghana which is in line with Betway’s aim of contributing to the development of sports in Ghana. It is anticipated that the current technical coordinator of the black stars will be able to contribute new learnings from the trip towards national team preparations.

Stephen Appiah's trip which was fully sponsored by Betway Ghana included sessions with the academy and coaching staff to help improve on his overall coaching knowledge.

Stephen Appiah returns from West Ham visit

All eyes were on the daughter of Highlife legend Pat Thomas and Naa Doddo of Wulomei, Nana Yaa as she made her way to the podium to pick her 2018 VGMA Lifetime Achievement Award; she was the first awardee for the night.

Next on stage was Kelvinbwoy who showed off his prowess with his astounding confidence as he took over the cover band to introduce BHIM Music group CEO and musical sensation Stonebwoy.

Stonebwoy’s performance was nothing short of exciting and perfect. The way he commanded the attention of the crowd is a lesson for other artists to pick up. All through his hit songs including ‘Bawasaba,’ Enkulenu,’ ‘Come from far’ and ‘Dirty enemies,’ the crowd responded to every lyric whole heartedly. His bowing out statement was motivational and inspiring as he toned it down to, “Nobody for bore. If you win, win; if you no win, go home.”

Kevin Promise took over from the hyped up crowd after Stonebwoy’s performance rocking his usual casual outfit with a white towel. He thrilled the fans with an acapella rendition to hit single ‘selfish.’ It was only right for him to end his act with ‘Oh year.’

After the standards had been set for the night, it was up to Kidi who called out Odo to thrill the fans with ‘Confusion’ by the Fadama boy, Kuame Eugene. The delivery was well coordinated and in tune to the round of applause of the guests <a href="https://yen.com.gh/" id="ed52f0be-6404-539b-8b64-88311ef497c8">according to the source.</a>

The most anticipated reunion of the decade, the ‘praye group’ had all three members on board. But before performing their hit single ‘Angelina,’ the fans were in for a treat as three plus size women made their way to the stage and pulled off some jaw dropping moves that made most of the stands stand on their feet.

South African blue eyed boy Nasty C was next up to the delight of the crowd. He dropped some of his hit singles with killer rhymes and punch lines. Most of the revelers were amazed by the talent the star had. It was the performance that made the night.

Who said the night was all about musical performances, Fancy Gadam made his way to the stage with his usual high fashion sense. A northern created rhythm came on as the star began making some serious dancing moves. His performance was unique since other performers used a live band but for him all he needed was his voice.

A standing ovation was given to Kwesi Arthur who had bagged the Hip Hop song of the year as he charged up to perform hit song grind day for a spectacular performance. The ladies in the house had their eyes glues on him as he tore his shirt while performing the song showing off his physique.

Based on Ghana news today, below is a comprehensive list of the winners and the awards they took home:

Reggae/ Dance Hall Artiste of the Year

Hiplife/Hip hop Artiste of the Year

Fancy Gadam ft. Sarkodie (Total cheat)

2018 VGMA Lifetime Achievement Award

As the results continue to unfold, we will keep you up to date.

Stonebwoy’s performance was nothing short of exciting and perfect.

VGMA ’18 Live Updates: awards that have been received so far

Some of the most astute investors, political observers, tech gurus, and global business leaders have noted that the 21st century belongs to Asia.

This belief is underlined by the assumption that Asia is going to grow at a breakneck speed over the next decade, displacing other regions to take pole position.

However, growth without swift reforms, job creation, innovation, a vibrant startup ecosystem, and quality talent isn’t sustainable.

The last Startup Genome report on startup ecosystems around the world, published in 2017, concluded that interconnectivity, sharing of ideas and resources, capital movement around the world, smartly designed accelerator programmes that help startups find a nurturing ground for their ideas, are key to startup innovation and sustainability.

<h1>Why Asia-Pacific Is the Golden Goose Right Now?</h1>

Asia Pacific has been drawing the attention from the world’s biggest venture capitalists since the beginning of 2010. With China and India offering an alternative growth story to the slowing US and Europe, most investors are turning to Asia for stability.

The fact that quality talent at a relatively low price is accessible from an ever-widening talent pool makes this region unique.

In 2017, Asia contributed to almost a third of the global GDP. According to some estimates, by 2050, Asia will control more than half the total wealth generated in the world and take back the preeminent position it held before the Industrial Revolution.

At its current normalised growth rate of over 5% p.a., it is already growing at almost 1.5-2 percentage points over the rate at which the world is growing. With reformist governments making a push for technological innovations, and rapid capital infusion, this growth is expected to become more pronounced in the coming years.

<h1>Countries in Asia Pacific That Offer Most Support to Startups</h1>

Startups in countries like China, India, Singapore, and Israel among others seem preordained to reach the pinnacle over the next decade or so because these countries sit at the core of the growth story that is slowly unfolding across the world.

Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, and even Sri Lanka are following suit. The following is the list of countries in Asia Pacific that have been extremely supportive of startups.

Controlling almost 14% of the global economy and with a pro-industry government which has no qualms about foreign capital participation, China bulldozes its way into the list, thanks to the sheer size of its economy and demographics.

The country is slowly trying to migrate to a consumption-led economic model. Often seen as the manufacturing capital of the world, China has realised though that its aging heavy-industry players may not be able to service the engines of its economic development much longer.

It is, therefore, imperative that it focuses more on technological innovation rather than just manufacturing.

Beijing and Shanghai debuted on Startup Genomes’ list of top 20 cities for startups last year at 4th and 8th respectively. The country has 40 unicorns i.e. startups valued over US$1 billion, second only to the US, proving its success in nurturing its startups.

China unveiled its Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy in 2016 and grabbed headlines when Apple invested US$1 billion in Didi Chuxing, China’s very own Uber, the same year.

It has some of the world’s finest universities that offer a vast talent pool which is industry-ready. With more and more coworking spaces coming up, entrepreneurship seems to have caught on the imagination of the commoners.

With almost 35% of its population aged between 20 and 44 according to the latest census report, India stands at a sweet spot currently. Despite high unemployment and quality of talent issues, it continues to foster some of the most successful startups like Flipkart.

Bangalore, the country’s Silicon Valley, has seen top foreign companies make a beeline to benefit from cheap labour and relatively low cost of doing business. The government at the centre is trying to galvanise the economy with mass skilling programmes and encouragement for entrepreneurs through programmes like “Startup India”.

Bangalore managed to occupy the 20th position on Startup Genomes list in 2017. Despite problems like lack of a proper ecosystem, a mentality to go global, and adequate infrastructure, startups like <a href="https://www.bankbazaar.sg/" id="d0d8900f-643a-5fd4-8708-bba4185060b9">BankBazaar</a>, Big Basket, and Ola have shown that India offers a good breeding ground for the right startups.

Israel may have a population of less than a million but that doesn’t mean that it suffers from a shortage of talent or ideas. Tel Aviv, had occupied the 6th position on Startup Genomes list last year as a result of a very high startup density and comparatively low exit rate.

The country houses the research and development centres of over 300 multinational companies, giving it ready access to the cutting-edge technology. The startups also benefit from the active support from the government and the local industry.

The country also has some of the topmost universities. This means, startups can hire extremely polished talent, even from a relatively small pool, although it may sometimes be time-consuming.

Israel has managed to connect with other booming startup ecosystems around the world, ensuring that funding and talent won’t possibly run dry.

This small city-state has the largest pool of quality talent. The cost of hiring is also relatively low. With a per capita that exceeds US$50,000, Singapore has everything that a developed economy needs. The government is constantly trying to create a more conducive environment for over 42,000 startups operating in the country.

Agencies like Startup SG and SGInnovate are well-resourced and try to create synergy between these companies by helping them find the right tools, people, and funds at the right time.

Grab, Singapore’s Uber, has raised almost US$750 million from Softbank over the last few years, making it one of the sweetest success stories.

Although the country lags behind peers in terms of early stage funding for startups, especially after the initial round, and also in terms of exit rate, it makes up for it through government support and foreign collaborations that provide a steady source of talent and funds.

The <a href="https://www.bankbazaar.sg/" id="57260426-55df-5d4f-9163-9d6f580c91db">personal finance market</a> acts as a reflection of how well a country is doing economically. By gleaning information from it, you can have an accurate understanding of the funding opportunities and the size of the market available.

With China and India offering an alternative growth story to the slowing US and Europe, most investors are turning to Asia for stability.

Best countries in the Asia-Pacific region for startups

Kojo Manuel is set to release his first single with BBnZ artistes, <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/search/kojo+cue" id="e45ce96d-0f55-516f-bb60-83cbdb4e784a">Kojo Cue</a> and <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/search/lil+shaker" id="5a9d6289-adc2-53a1-9e3c-83edece6f93c">Lil Shaker</a>.

READ ALSO: <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/7576190" id="595d74a3-aa85-53fc-b37c-e25dbaf3c3a9">Hip-life artist said he is working hard to win BET award in 3 years</a>

After releasing their Pen &amp; Paper Album last year, the duo have made a lasting impression on music Ghana and beyond.

<a href="internal:/article/4263408" id="0c035302-fd71-506d-974a-795ef3a1b847">One-on-One with Lil Shaker</a>

Pen &amp; Paper was a hip-hop project and thus will be exciting how they would affect a club banger like Akpa Show which will be released on 22nd April.

READ ALSO: <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/7685735" id="2c50e1b3-49ad-59e4-8360-eed897f19b29">10 best Ghanaian music albums of 2017</a>

After few years of hosting some of the biggest events in Ghana, Kojo Manuel also known as Manny Yo, is set to share his passion for music by releasing this project before the end of 2018.

The song, titled Akpa Show is the first single off his Manny Yo project.

Kojo Manuel readies his first single with Kojo Cue & Shaker

Moderated by Journalist and Television News Anchor, Nana Aba Anamoah, the panel discussion was led by the CEO for AirtelTigo, Roshi Motman and High-Performance Coach and CEO of Allure Africa Limited, Dzibordi Kwaku Dosoo.

READ ALSO: <a href="http://pulse.com.gh/7758357" id="ac7a619b-3a13-5d3a-bd91-bf77be1dd2c1">The most stylish female Ghanaian CEOs of 2017</a>

Opening the session, some of the Women in AirtelTigo shared their thoughts on the theme ‘Press for Progress’ and also shared their journey – both professional and personal experiences.

<a href="http://pulse.com.gh/search/roshi+motman" id="6fadbc95-9988-5440-ad8c-a7ebc5fc71f1">Roshi Motman </a>thanked the women for their commitment to AirtelTigo and their patience in managing the changes that are currently on-going in the business following the merger between former Tigo and Airtel.

Sharing her own personal example and observation she said women often undervalue their talents and asked employees to be bold and step forward for leadership roles.

She pledged that AirtelTigo is committed to diversity and inclusion and as the company harmonizes its policies and processes, it will adopt only best practices from either former Tigo or Airtel.

Dzibordi Kwaku Dosoo, encouraged women to bring their partners into the conversation so they can find a good balance between life at work, home and beyond. “It is important for us to bring the men into the conversation, they are married to working women and play a big role in pressing for progress.

She encouraged Women in AirtelTigo to consistently improve on their competencies so they can take up leadership roles across the business and elsewhere.