Ford Integrates Waze to Enable Hands-Free Navigation for SA Motorists

Waze users in South Africa can now project the app's real-time traffic and navigation service onto the touch screen in Ford vehicles via SYNC^® 3 AppLink^® and control it through voice command. For owners of Ford SYNC 3-equipped vehicles, this allows easier access to features including finding the quickest traffic routes and reporting traffic accidents.

To use, customers simply connect their Waze-equipped phone to the USB port of their Ford vehicle, select the Waze app on the SYNC app drawer, and view the service as it is projected onto the vehicle's touch screen. 

With Ford SYNC 3, users can now conveniently access the app's features on a larger display and direct select feature functionality by voice command through the cars built in speakers and microphone system.

"We are excited to finally be able to enhance the Waze experience for our customers in South Africa, with Ford SYNC^® 3 through AppLink^®" says Doreen Mashinini, General Manager, Marketing at Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.

"With Waze, our customers get the benefits they're accustomed to with the added luxury of experiencing them on a bigger screen," she says.

In addition to the ability to report on heavy traffic and accidents, Ford's integration of Waze includes recent app updates such as talk to Waze, which lets you control the app via voice command.

To deliver optimal driving directions and traffic updates, Waze uses crowdsourcing to gather information about road conditions from all of its users. People simply type in their destination and drive with the app open to contribute data to Waze's community of users. At the same time, people can take a more active role by sharing reports from the road, including notifying the community of accidents, hazards or route changes that were previously unknown.

Accessing and using Waze on SYNC 3 in your Ford vehicle

To access Waze on AppLink in your SYNC 3-equipped Ford vehicle, you'll need to update your SYNC 3 software, which can now be done on the Ford website. Please visit https://www.ford.co.za/technology/sync/ for complete software update instructions and to learn more about Ford's award winning in-car infotainment offerings.

If using an iPhone, you'll need iOS 11.3 or above and the latest version of the Waze app  downloaded on your phone.  Users with Android devices will need Android 5.0 or above.

Apple Car Play and Android Auto are fully supported across all SYNC 3-equipped Ford vehicles.

By: Georgina Otoo

Minerals Commission Board pays courtesy call on Asantehene

The Governing Board of the Minerals Commission led by the Chairman, Samson Kwaku Boafo paid a courtesy call on Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.

The visit was to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his royal Highness as king of the Asante Kingdom.

Mr. Boafo commended the Asantehene for his immense and diverse contributions toward peace, unity and socio economic development of Asanteman and Ghana as a whole.

The delegation presented the Asantehene with cash donation and assorted drinks in support of his 20th coronation celebrations.

In his note of gratitude on behalf of the King, his linguist acknowledged Minerals Commission for its continuous collaborations with the Asante kingdom and for all its endeavors towards the growth of the nation.

Speaking to the media after the presentation, the Board Chairman, Mr. Boafo commended Otumfuo for leadership and exemplary life.

He said “good works need to be appreciated and urged other chiefs in the country to stand out and be sources of development in their communities as has been depicted by Asantehene”.

He added that the contributions of Otumfuo to the nation cannot be quantified and his assistance to Minerals Commission all these years has been enormous especially with a number of mining companies located in Ashanti Region.

Arker Energy sensitises oil and gas suppliers on procurement processes

Arker Energy, operators of the Deepwater Tano Cape Three Points Block has collaborated with stakeholders to sensitise more than 500 suppliers in the oil and gas industry on the company’s procurement processes. 

Other topics treated were Local Content in Procurement, Compliance in the Arker Energy Procurement Process, Tax, Reimbursement, Cash Refund and Withholding Taxes.

Mr Bernard Owusu-Ansah, the Contract Advisor of Arker Energy, entreated the participants, who intend to do business with the company, to abide by all the rules and regulations pertaining to procurement and supplies.

He said Arker Energy had transparent and fair procurement processes, which were done electronically to avoid manipulation.

Mr Owusu-Ansah said issues such as pricing, local content technology, health and environmental safety were paramount when it came to awarding contracts in Arker Energy.

"Once you submit a solid tender you don't need to know someone in Arker Energy before your contract is approved," he said.

Mr Owusu-Ansah said performance reviews were regularly conducted to ensure the effective execution of contracts.

Mr Francis Wajah, an official of the company, who took the participants through Health Safety and Environment in Procurement, said Arker Energy dealt with competent and reliable suppliers as offshore operation was a high-risk project.

He said all products and services delivered must meet standards with a good and robust Health Safety and Environment Policy.

Mr Edward Owusu-Manu, the Supply Chain Manager, who made a presentation on the history of the company, said established in 2018, Arker Energy was rapidly growing its capabilities and would hire competent people to manage its varied components.

He said it conducted business with integrity, respect to culture, dignity and right of individuals everywhere it operated and would comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the country.

It has a workforce of 250 out of which 205 are Ghanaians, he said, and hinted that more supplies were needed in Information and Communication Technology, catering and marine logistics.

Mr Owusu-Manu said the company was committed to contributing to the enhancement of local industries in Ghana through its supply chain activities.

Total Petroleum reinforces customer service at its stations

With customer service as a focal point of its business, Total Petroleum Ghana Limited, a leading oil marketing company in the country, embarked on its regular Top Service week to interact with customers and give them utmost service delivery.

During the week-long activity in March 2019, management and staff of Total Petroleum Ghana Limited visited selected service stations nationwide to serve customers along with their station attendants.

Among other activities, customers enjoyed free under bonnet checks, tire pressure, windshield cleaning and maintenance tips for prolonged vehicle engine life and performance.

The Sales and Marketing Manager of the affiliate, Abdul-Rahim Siddique, who visited Abossey Okai 1 and Korle – Bu TOTAL Service Stations noted that the company had made available a comprehensive line of motorist services encompassing a full range of quality Total Lubricants, TOTAL EXCELLIUM fuel that helps motorists save money, and services like the Café Bonjour, Car Wash Centre, and state- of- the- art Lube Bays to give comfort   to the customer.

‘The company in its drive to offer an environmentally friendly environment keeps refurbishing its service stations to a modernized standard with a touch of innovation. 

For instance, solar kiosks were introduced at selected stations in Accra to offer secure phone charging and WIFI outlets for customers as they fuel up, pick a quick confectionary at the shop or even as they enjoy a convivial moment with friends and family at partner food corners like KFC, Sesnas, Calitos and so forth.’

He added that ‘the customer service week is a unique moment for Total to take stock of the needs of customers and provide them with the desired service.

Established in 1951, Total Petroleum Ghana Limited is a locally listed oil marketing company with over 4700 Ghanaian shareholders.

The company has a retail network of 251 service stations across the ten regions of the country with activities spanning the Aviation, Bitumen and Mining businesses. 

The company provides expertise on engine performance and reduction in fuel consumption through premium quality fuels, lubricants and car care products.

By: Georgina Otoo

Guinness Ghana supports Otumfuo’s 20th coronation anniversary

Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC (GGBPlc) has supported Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s 20th coronation anniversary with GHC90,000 worth of cash and premium drinks. 

The Board Chairman of GGBPlc, Dr. Felix Addo led a high-powered delegation to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on 16th April 2019 for the presentation. During the celebration, Guinness Ghana will also refresh Otumfuo’s guests with their premium and number 1 Scotch whisky Johnny Walker.

Guinness Ghana has a long-standing relationship with the palace following years of operation in its factory in Kumasi.

Presenting the support package to Otumfuo, Dr. Felix Addo congratulated the King for his great leadership and direction for Asanteman and Ghana for the past 20 years and for being an invaluable asset to the people of Ghana; bringing peace and a clear voice of stability in times of trouble.

“We are also grateful for your continuous support for our business - one of the successes of your reign is the provision of a safe and thriving business environment in Asanteman, that has allowed our business, which also sits on your land to thrive. Indeed, Kaase hosts our biggest installation, which underscores the importance of Asanteman to us”.

The company has employed thousands of young people from Kumasi and its environs over the years to produce Guinness Ghana products such as Malta Guinness, Alvaro, Guinness FES, ABC Golden Lager Beer, Star, among others. 

MTN Ghana earmarks US$160m to deploy infrastructure

MTN Ghana is investing over US$160 million into its operational expansion and improvement project in 2019, as against US$144 million last year, its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Selorm Adadevoh has said.

The company, as part of its broad-based expansion drive is deploying 350 new greenfield and 100 rural sites across all regions, whiles 3G network is being rolled out to 277 new site. The fiber rollout will involve 368km fibre-to-site whiles fibre broadband coverage expansion will also cover 45,000 new homes.

Speaking at an Editors Forum in Accra, Mr. Adadevoh, said: “MTN has deployed a total of 1,092 4G LTE sites at the end of March 2019, out of which 600 sites are 4G+ sites in different parts of the country especially regional capitals and key towns and plans for full national coverage is currently ongoing.”

The 2019 expansion which will cover technology development and infrastructure will include rolling out new Long Term Evolution (LTE) sites at over 300 locations and upgrading it to over 2600MHz in 600 collocations as well as existing sites capacity upgrades of  814 of the 2G platform and 560 of the 3G network.

On the growth prospects, he said the company posted a landmark growth for the year 2018 on strong performance on three key service areas which were Mobile money, data, and voice revenues, added that during the year under review, MTN Ghana recorded +60.3% and +30.2% of mobile money and data revenues respectively. While voice revenue surged to 15.1%.

All these contributed significantly to the growth and increased its contribution to total revenue of the company to 17.7%.

The reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin declined year-on-year by 2.2 percentage points to 37.6%, following the introduction of the management fee agreement which took effect on 1 May 2018.

The growth in mobile money, data, and voice revenues were influenced by the huge investments the telecoms giant made into these sections of its operations.

He assured customers of more exciting products and services this year as it plans to invest hugely in technology infrastructure.

“The company cherish the patronage of its customers and that is imperative to give them quality service for their loyalty. MTN will continue to put in extra efforts to come out with innovative products and services that will meet customer needs.”

He used occasion to unveil MTN TurboNet, an instant high speed internet product. “As part of our 4G campaign, we have launched a turbonet as a pilot which allows you to have a wireless box for internet at home. In the past we had to dig fibre in the ground all the way to people’s doorstep but today you can pick up a box in our office and you can plug it at home to have access to internet with fibre”, he stated.

He said though the product had not been commercially launched, over 7,000 boxes had already been sold.

Apart from quality network experience, he said, MTN Foundation was also making significant impact on the lives of Ghanaians through the execution of various projects in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment.