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All set for virtual Ghana Beverage Awards 2019
The planning committee of the Ghana Beverage Awards (GBA) has announced that all is ready for the fourth edition of the awards to be organised virtually in adherence to the stipulated COVID-19 protocols and to ensure the safety of all its stakeholders.
GBA 2019 will be streamed live on TV and online on 13th June, 2020 at 6pm.
Under the theme, ‘Inspiring excellence in Ghana’s beverage industry’ the awards aim to promote both local and foreign beverages as well as the participation of small-scale beverage enterprises in Ghana.
Nominations were closed to the general public and all beverage companies in February this year with voting for the prestigious product of the year award ending on 20th March.
The Chief Executive Officer of Global Media Alliance Group (GMA), Mr Ernest Boateng who spoke on the preparedness of the awards committee ahead of the awards said, “We are ready to organise a seamless event which will celebrate the hard work of all the players in the beverage industry in the year under review. We also want to assure our patrons that the virtual awards will maintain the world-class standard they and our stakeholders are used to without losing the prominence and prestige associated with the awards.”
He said in a lead up to this year’s awards, a beverage industry tour was organised for the GBA board to visit nominated companies to familiarise with their work and practices, adding, “This initiative is one of the new activities, which was introduced in the build-up to the 2019 Awards Night.”
Mr Boateng said GBA this year had introduced two new categories; Local Beverage Advertisement of the Year and International Liqueur of the Year.
The addition of the new categories, he said was to acknowledge feedback from stakeholders, particularly consumers who have been instrumental in the nominations phase, adding that the Local Beverage Advert of the Year Award went to the brand in the year under review that was enjoying massive public appeal with its creative publicity.
The Ghana Beverage Awards is organised by Global Media Alliance and supported by the Food Research Institute (FRI) under CSIR, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Consumer Protection Agency and the Food and Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG).
BY TIMES REPORTER
All 6 US crew members on refueling aircraft that crashed mid-air are confirmed dead, bringing total US killed in action to 13 during Operation Epic Fury.
Earlier report from the US Central Command(CENTCOM) noted that four out of the six had passed on.
However, in an update, they have confirmed that all 6 crew members have died.
The crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq.
The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury.
The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, CENTCOM noted that the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.
They added that identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission has announced a reduction in electricity and water tariffs for the second quarter of 2026.
According to the Commission, electricity tariffs will reduce by an average of 4.81 percent while water tariffs will go down by 3.06 percent.
The new tariffs will take effect from April 1, 2026.
In a press release issued on March 13, 2026, the Commission explained that the review forms part of its quarterly tariff adjustment mechanism which allows it to reflect changes in key economic indicators that affect the operations of utility service providers.
It noted that the quarterly review considers factors such as the exchange rate between the Ghana cedi and the United States dollar, the rate of inflation, the cost of fuel used in electricity generation, and the mix of electricity generation sources.
The Commission indicated that it applied a projected weighted average exchange rate of GHS11.1931 to one United States dollar for the second quarter of 2026.
This represents a 6.78 percent reduction from the previous quarter rate of GHS12.0067 to one dollar.
It explained that a three month average inflation rate of 4.17 percent was used for the review period, which reflects a downward change of 47.87 percent compared to the previous quarter.
The Commission further stated that the weighted average cost of gas used for power generation increased slightly to 8.0988 dollars per MMBtu, representing an increase of 2.84 percent from the previous rate.
It added that the electricity generation mix for the period remains unchanged, with 20.90 percent coming from hydro sources and 79.10 percent from thermal generation, as outlined in the 2025 Multi Year Tariff Order.
The Commission explained that these adjustments are meant to maintain the real value of tariffs so that utility service providers remain financially stable while continuing to deliver reliable services to consumers.
It announced that, for the first time, a commercial electric vehicle charging tariff has been introduced to support the transition to green energy.
According to the Commission, the new tariff is expected to encourage the growth of electric vehicle charging services in the country.
By: Jacob Aggrey
