Savanna News
Innovative ExGlo Foundation Sparks Positive Change In 2 Towns
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ExGlo Foundation shines Bright.
In a spirit of giving and teaching how to fish, ExGlo Foundation once again stepped out into the regions. This time around, the beneficiaries were the Tamale Girls Senior High School in the Northern Region & Srafa D/A Basic School/community, in the Central Region. As an organization operating on the principle of meeting the real needs of people, the activities in these two regions were based on a needs assessment conducted earlier in the year.
ExGlo Foundation has previously been involved in paying school fees for students from deprived communities, donating school supplies such as tables and chairs for staff and students, health screenings and talks, career guidance, and equipment for processing raw materials such as shea nuts, among other things. The foundation continues to strive in diversifying its impact projects and supporting livelihood ventures.
ExGlo Foundation in Tamale
The needs assessment found that young girls in Tamale had a high tendency to start their own businesses after high school when they are not able to continue their education. However, with little to no skill acquisition, this desire did not always materialize for people who lacked financial resources. ExGlo Foundation was there to fill that hole by teaching these girls for free.
ExGlo Foundation in Srafa
The situation for the Srafa community was different yet precarious. In a farming community, girls unable to pursue higher education join their parents on the farms to support themselves and their families; and given that farming is a seasonal occupation, the women become idle when the season is over. With most women being housewives, skills acquisition could put them on the path equip to financial freedom.
The Goodies ExGlo Foundation delivered
The ExGlo Foundation team visited these two regions on different dates; on the 12th of November 2022, students of Tamale Girls Senior High School received their skills training in Liquid Soap and Bead making.
The ExGlo team later travelled to the Central region on the 18th of November 2022 to visit the Srafa Community. The visitation was in 2 phases. The first phase was the donation of some essential needs of their basic school to facilitate learning as well as the provision of materials to enhance good menstrual hygiene. Items donated to the school included markerboards, sanitary pads, towels, soaps, African print cloths (to cover themselves with it in the washroom when changing), dozens of panties and a cupboard was delivered.
menstrual hygiene items can be kept. ExGlo foundation also repaired the spoilt hand wash basin in the washrooms and fixed the markerboards as well.
The second phase involved the entire community, but primarily the women. They were taught how to make shampoo, liquid soap, and pastries, which was a huge success. The women were equipped with these skills to help them generate extra income to support themselves and their families.
This year’s Skills Development Training was sponsored by St John’s Hospital and Fertility Centre, Tantra Hill roundabout, as part of their corporate social responsibility, Best Western Premier, Accra Airport Hotel, and other benevolent people, ExGlo once again moved to impact lives. Special thanks to all who supported making sure these two programs were a success, especially Mr Michael Sandow Ali (the chairman of the board), Mr Abeiku Aggrey Santana, Prof. Joshua Y. Abor, Prof. Mrs Vera Fiador, and other family & friends.
Despite targeting the Central Region, Northern Region, Upper East Region, and Upper West Region for the Skills Development Training of 2022, ExGlo had to limit the number of locations to 2 due to financial constraints. However, the organization continues to seek support from the general public, other NGOs, and organizations to help execute this cause and reach out to more beneficiaries.
ExGlo has been dedicated to ensuring that vulnerable people in the rural areas of Ghana, especially the Central Region, Upper East, Upper West, and Northern Regions, enjoy access to decent education, healthcare, and sustainable livelihood projects to improve their lives. This mantle it has carried since 2012 has always been timely and ingenious.
This year’s Skills Development Program was coordinated and led by Ms. Nancy Abena Manko, the project manager for the foundation, with oversight provided by the Executive Director, Dr. Patience Aseweh Abor.
Volunteers for this year’s projects were;
Ms.Priscilla Wiah
Ms. Hannah Ampomah
Ms.Winifred Bakari Soale
Ms. Rahama Issahaku
Ms.Jennifer Yaa Andorful Wilson
Nana Tawiah Gaisie
Mr. Kwesi Ohene-Djan
Mr.Samuel Quansah
Mr. Moses Quarshie
Ms. Alberta Koffuah
For support, donate, or seek further information, please contact;
infoexglo@gmail.com
0264234016/0245581612
www.exglo.org
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Ataman Nikita is Ready with Still Here
“Still Here” is the final decision by Richard Azunre, aka Ataman Nikita, to pursue music professionally. It is not the first song he has made, but #thesavannaonline can authoritatively say that this is the start of the musical journey to bring an alternative voice that soothes Ghana Music.
Ataman Nikita is a lecturer and a Systems Administrator at the Bolgatanga Technical University. Even though he has been dabbling in music most of his life, he appears to be finally deciding to pursue music as a profession. People familiar with Dr Pushkin’s music will recognize a familiar voice in many song hooks and choruses: Richard Azunre’s voice, aka Ataman Nikita. He is also Dr Pushkin’s brother.
The Story of “Still Here”
“Still Here” is the story of persistence, consistency, and staying true to oneself. It reminds us of a story we are all familiar with: slander, unbelief, and broken promises by people who would rather see us in squalor.
What is music if it cannot ignite an emotion?
This amazing piece of music created by Ataman Nikita, Strongman, and Dr Pushkin is a great tune and a song that speaks to each soul. Being scathed by commentary from haters is a choice. A person is indeed capable of damning such comments and charges.
This collaboration was birthed by Dr Pushkin’s desire to collaborate with other artists who appreciate his craft and are willing to do joint songs to complement their respective talents.
Strongman won the Best Rap Performance category at the 2024 Telecel Ghana Music Awards with his song “Rap God”. Interestingly, that win was not surprising. However, the time it took to win such a prestigious award is the surprise element for a peerless career that started in 2010. Strongman has been a major force to reckon with since he burst into the limelight after winning “Focus Fm Freestyle Friday” in 2010. Then he won Kfm Freestyle Saturday in 2011 and “Tha Next Big Thang in GH Hip-Hop sometime in 2012.
He eventually joined Sarkodie’s Sarkcess Music, working with several other artists to drop hit after hit. When his contract ended, and he chose to start his label, Strong Empire, fans felt uncomfortable due to the tough nature of Ghana Music. To prove everyone wrong, he has released monster hit songs with an impressive catalogue of rap songs. He has also been able to navigate through the music scene despite being independent. Many have attempted to swipe at him through music and slanderous commentary, but he has always slayed. The last major lyrical swipe came from Medikal, and everyone knows how the Mayanka boy did back2back he unleashed rap bars that Medikal could not fathom.
Dr Pushkin’s 2024 thus far
Working with Strongman was inevitable for an artist like Dr Pushkin as he stayed true to his beliefs. Many rappers have turned singers. However, Strongman has found a way to stay relevant and on point with his highly dense Rap songs. This feature was, therefore, another instance of “real recognize real”.
Still, Here is the Dr Pushkin’s 6th single for 2024.
The revered Dr Pushkin is in Ghana for a conference on Khaya, a language recognition and translation App. He is also here for a Ted Talk at Kumasi’s Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. As part of the visit to Kumasi, Dr Pushkin visited his alma mater, Opoku Ware Secondary School, to mentor students. All of the above is due to his second hat, which carries the name Paul Azure. Dr Pushkin is also known as Paul Azunre in Tech circles; he is often regarded as the GOAT of Ghana’s Brilliant Science and Maths Quiz program, where he helped Opoku Ware SHS win the title in 2002.
Dr Pushkin is a fast-growing person of interest due to his unique combination of music and his role as a top developer of the Khaya language recognition and translation app.
“Still Here” basically says that when the odds stack up against you, remaining firm and resolute, albeit ingenious, is paramount.
The song is currently available on all digital platforms.
Ataman Nikita is currently working an album set to be an explosion of Talent. We will keep you informed on this amazing singers journey. Way to go Ataman Nikita
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What is Khaya AI nhyAImu Conference all about?
nhyAImu is a conference that AI enthusiasts in Ghana and West Africa must attend. It is the brainchild of NLP-Ghana, Algorine Inc., and Academic City University College of Ghana. The objective is to interact with the general public on several topics centered on artificial intelligence and innovative Khaya AI.
The exceptional AI App and capabilities
If you desire AI that facilitates language translation and speech recognition with Africa as a priority, Khaya AI is your solution. Aside from the personal use of the impressive product created by Algorine Inc. and NLP-Ghana, Khaya AI allows integration into other web-based applications. This feat has set it ahead of its contemporaries, including Google Language Translator.
Khaya AI prioritizes recognition, speech translation, and text-to-speech translation between African languages and English. The application currently has 10 African languages as it strives to add more. The languages currently on the App are Twi, Dagbani, Ewe, Fante, Ga, Gurune, Kikuyu, Kimeru, Luo, and Yoruba.
Practical usage is based on the right prompts as an artificially intelligent product. While it is an easy-to-use application, accuracy, being the desire of users, requires more knowledge of how it works. Also, people with other web-based products who want to integrate Khaya AI require knowledge of how to do so.
All in all, the application is a simple tool that doesn’t require any knowledge of coding or anything very technical.
What to Expect at the Conference
NLP-Ghana, one of the leading forces behind the application, has teamed up with Academic City University College on a seminar to expose the features and usage to all. The event is scheduled on the Academic City Campus around Haatso-Agbogba in Accra.
The lead developer of the App, Dr. Paul Azunre, aka Dr. Pushkin, will be the main speaker for the day.
The nhyAImu conference will, therefore, cover topics that include the following:
Introduction to Ghana NLP and its mission
Overview of engineering pipelines emphasizing MLOps
Detailed demo and guidelines on using Khaya AI’s APIs
It is scheduled for Wednesday, June 12th, 2024, from 10 am to 12 pm; nhyAImu will focus on ‘Unveiling the future of African Languages with the Khaya AI.’
How to Register
You can register to participate via this link; https://bit.ly/nhyiamu
Registration is Free.
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Afara’nga is here.
Kundivi Mahama, formerly Zazzy, has released yet another beautiful composition. The song, Afara’nga, furthers his agenda to dominate as a live performer with an enviable repertoire. Afara’nga is currently available to stream across all digital music platforms.
The song is off his yet-to-be-released album, scheduled for late 2024.
Kundivi Mahama’s Stature
Kundivi Mahama, who resides and operates from the Upper East Regional capital, Bolgatanga, is one of the top five vocalists in the region. His stature is undoubtedly high. His dexterity as a lyricist, vocalist, and live band performer remains peerless. His consistency as a stellar musician remains his call to fame.
In the last few months, he has been on a streak; he released songs that offer fans an idea of what to expect on his album. The songs released have so far exhibited the characteristics of a world star in the leagues of the Youssou N’dours, Angelique Kidjos, and Wiyaalas.
Songs from his Album Released so far
Afara’nga follows Yineme, featuring Soorebia, Sheiwuna, and Taafama, which have solidified his rise. Other songs like Pon Dem Case and Echanga also make listening unforgettable.
The Above songs marked his journey when he rebranded from Zazzy to Kundivi Mahama. The new persona came with his desire to bring back the sound and rhythms of Uppers International Band, which reigned in Ghana from the late 1960s to the early 2000s. He pursues this feat with the touch of an original self; thus, fans get a feel of two worlds.
According to Kundivi Mahama, Afara’nga is a tribute to the Uppers International Band.
A more detailed profile about the life and music of Kundivi Mahama is coming soon.
CHECK SAFE WAYS TO TRAVEL AROUND NORTHERN GHANA HERE
Ataman Nikita, readies his sound with Still here
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