The Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Ghana Education Service (GES) have announced plans to vaccinated Senior High School (SHS) student as school re-opens.  This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye Director-General, Ghana Health Service and Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa Director-General, Ghana Education Service.

The statement reads:

Ghana has been experiencing periodic outbreaks of COVID-19 in Senior High Schools. Fortunately, the Ghana Health Service received approval from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to expand persons eligible for vaccination to include 15-year-olds and above who are mostly in Senior High Schools. This vaccination comes to compliment the already existing COVID-19 preventive protocols such as wearing of face mask, washing of hands with soap under running water and the use of hand sanitizers.

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) working in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), commenced the vaccination of students who fall within the eligibility criteria, but the exercise had to be suspended during the vacation period. The students were however encouraged to get the vaccination in the communities where theylive.

The GHS in collaboration with GES has restarted the vaccination exercise in all schools.

In this vein, vaccination teams have been dispatched to schools to vaccinate students who have not yet been vaccinated. Students who have already been vaccinated are required to bring their vaccination cards to school for inspection.

The Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Education Service is by this release requesting the cooperation of parents and all stakeholders to make this exercise a success.

We count on the continuous support of parents and guardians in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in our schools and communities.

Victims of car accidents may sometimes contribute to their own injuries. Florida’s comparative fault statute is stated in Fla. Stat. 761.81, which provides that a driver’s contributory negligence reduces the amount of compensation received. In Florida, if you were not wearing a seat belt at the time of a car accident, the other driver may claim that not wearing your seat belt contributed to your injuries. This blog post explains the seat belt defense, which is allowed in only fifteen states.

Here is the situation

Imagine being in a serious car accident. Let’s say the other driver is clearly to blame. Perhaps the driver ran a red light or was speeding. You were driving perfectly fine, however, you did not have your seat belt on.

In this scenario, even if the other driver is fully at fault, his or her attorney may argue that you should carry some of the blame because you were not wearing your seat belt. The reasoning is that had you been wearing your seat belt, the injuries you sustained would be significantly less severe. This is an example of the seat belt defense.

The History

In 1992, Harold Ridley was driving his pickup truck when he and his daughter Tabitha, who was a passenger in the truck, were engaged in an intersection collision with a service truck driven by an employee of Safety Kleen Corporation.

Mr. Ridley filed a lawsuit against the Safety Kleen Corporation and Calhoun County. Mr. Ridley alleged that the driver of the Safety Kleen truck went directly through an intersection despite the word “STOP” written on the pavement. Mr. Ridley’s failure to use his seat belt was raised by the lawyer for Safety Kleen Corporation as an affirmative defense.

The case ultimately reached the Florida Supreme Court. The court held that failing to wear a seat belt can be used as an affirmative defense of comparative negligence. Fla. Stat. 316.614 now also contains this rule. The court explained that if a jury considers that a reasonably cautious individual would have put on their seat belt in the same circumstances, it can be considered proof of negligence, which may reduce the amount of damages you are able to recover. As a result, in Florida, a defendant is likely to raise the seat belt defense.

In 2000, a Florida court determined that a defendant must prove three elements to prevail on the seat belt defense. First, the defendant must prove that the driver failed to wear its available and functional seat belt. Second, the defendant must prove that the driver was unreasonable under the circumstances by not wearing its seat belt. Third, the defendant must prove that the driver’s failure to wear the seat belt caused or substantially contributed to the driver’s injuries.

How can someone prove a driver was not wearing a seat belt?

There are a few ways to prove in court that a driver was not wearing a seat belt. First, the testimony of a lay witness can be used to prove whether a seat belt was worn. For example, if someone spoke to the driver shortly after the accident and the driver admitted to not wearing a seat belt, this admission can be used in court for proof. Also, a vehicle technician who specializes in seat belts may be able to provide evidence showing whether a seat belt was worn in a crash. Lastly, oftentimes a doctor, after examining the injuries sustained in the crash, will be able to provide an expert opinion as to whether the driver was wearing a seat belt.

Would I have to pay for an expert to testify?

Yes, but only if you win. A car accident attorney is likely to handle case costs as they arise, deducting them from your part of a potential settlement or court award. It is uncommon for a personal injury attorney to bill a client for costs as they accrue. In a personal injury case, costs and expenses may very well include expert witnesses. They also can include medical records, police reports, investigators, postage and filing fees, depositions, transcripts, and trial exhibits.

This method of billing is called a contingency fee. You only pay your lawyer on the contingency that you win the case. Most car accident lawyers will handle case costs on a contingency.

Conclusion

Florida has a comparative fault statute. Regarding seat belts, Florida’s laws state that if you fail to wear an available, operable seatbelt, and the injuries you sustained could have been lessened had you worn that seatbelt, then you can have your reward for damages reduced. With that said, depending on the facts of your case, the seat belt defense can be complex. Make sure to hire an injury lawyer who specializes in car accidents that will assist you and adequately protect your rights. And remember to always wear your seat belt!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scott Leaser, Esq. is a car accident attorney serving Greenacres, Florida, and its surrounding areas. If you recently were injured in a car accident in Florida, call (561) 559-5048 for a free consultation.

The Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Mohammed Awal has disclosed that the industry will invest over $20 million to improve tourism and arts attractions. (more…)

BezoMoney, Ghana’s leading fintech provider of out-of-the-box financial tools and solutions for young people and the unbanked has launched its new savings platform, BezoSusu.

The platform allows users to make deposits through their mobile money wallets or bank accounts, track and monitor the growth of their money and eventually reach set savings goals. BezoSusu is a part of Bezomoney’s growing portfolio of products and services tailor made to help mainly young people and the unbanked make smart money moves and earn their way to financial freedom.

With Bezosusu, customers who are keen to save, have access to a growing selection of features and  benefits from the wider choice, safety and convenience offered by the platform. Some of these features include; automated daily and weekly deposits to your savings goal, Auto Lock function; track and monitor savings goal; and a whopping 9% interest per annum on savings. The platform also optimizes users’ saving options by allowing deposits via mobile mon ey.

Speaking on the Launch, The CEO, Mubarak Sumaila noted, “Ghana is lagging behind in providing financial products and services for the unbanked and today’s digitally savvy generation. This is a huge market, largely untapped and Bezomoney has positioned itself to disrupt this space and provide a safe, timely, easy to use innovative platform that allows you to grow your money with convenience. The arrival of Bezosusu brings an exciting innovation to this market. Essentially, Bezosusu can do for the savings market what PayPal did for the payments space.”

The platform is robust and has been built by Bezomoney’s world-class tech teams in Ghana and around the globe.

Dawuda Iddrisu, Chief Technology Officer at Bezomoney, explained; “With Bezosusu, we are offering a robust platform that is end-to-end encrypted and prioritizes the data security and privacy of our users. Our platform is super easy to use, intuitive and has a beautiful user interface for our users.”

The launch of Bezosusu is timely given the general post-pandemic climate with many people looking to save and make smarter money choices.

VP of Marketing, Emma Tandoh  said, “With the launch of our Bezosusu platform, we are reaffirming our ambition to provide a new infrastructure for Africa’s growing savings business. We also plan to capitalize on additional partners and bring our vision of upward social mobility to all young people and the unbanked.”

“Of course, today’s launch of Bezosusu is just the beginning: We now plan to expand the product offering on the platform with additional features and benefits over time as we assess what users desire from time to time.  Our digital and offline channels will primarily dominate our launch efforts but we intend to leave no stone unturned to stay visible and create maximum adoption for our product” remarked Head of Marketing, Adwoa A. Nyamesem.

The Bezosusu platform is the digital savings platform of choice and the new way to save, grow and secure your financial future. To sign up for a new account, users will have to visit app.bezosusu.com .

Electronic commerce or e-commerce, popularly known in Ghana as ‘’online shopping’’ has come a long way since the days when we all thought it was just a myth or a way for certain people to be fraudulent. Today, nearly everything we need can be ordered online and customers even have the convenience of staying at home or in their offices to take delivery of such orders. In recent times, online payments have also made it possible to avoid long queues in banks and even reduce the risks of contracting Covid-19. E-commerce has brought convenience, safety and affordability into our lives. However, the contributions of e-commerce to Ghana’s growth and development cannot be narrowed down to only the above-stated benefits. In 2021, Africa’s leading e-commerce platform Jumia impacted Ghanaians with various milestones and activities. Below are a few of them.

FEBRUARY :
Corporate Social Responsibility (Covid-19 impact)
On valentines day, 14th February 2021, Jumia Ghana employees, consumers and partners went on the streets of Accra educating the children, elderly and vulnerable in society about the risks, symptoms and prevention of covid-19. They also distributed nose masks and sanitisers to hawkers and street children at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle bus station.

JUNE :
Making insurance accessible online
Jumia also partnered with insurance group, Hollard Ghana to make insurance policies easily accessible online. The e-commerce company leveraged its technology and network to provide an efficient platform for Ghanaians to purchase Hollard’s general and life insurance products. This new feature is available on the JumiaPay platform and came at a time when the pandemic had affected most people reiterating the need for various types of insurance policies.

JULY :
Celebrated 9 years of e-commerce in Ghana
This was a milestone worth celebrating after 9 whole years of making the lives of Ghanaians easier and better through the internet. This was marked with a mega sale where consumers were given discounts of up to 50% to shop for their essential needs. There were daily flash sales and many giveaways as well.

AUGUST :
Safeguarding our environment
Jumia also partnered with Solar Taxi in Ghana to provide eco-friendly and affordable deliveries to online shoppers. With a shared vision of ensuring a clean and sustainable environment using renewable energy, coupled with the need to keep consumers safe especially during the many waves of the COVID-19-, Consumers who ordered food, groceries and other essential items on Jumia got their orders delivered conveniently and environmentally friendly to their homes or offices by SolarTaxi riders.

SEPTEMBER :
Corporate Social Responsibility (Blood donation exercise)
In collaboration with the Ghana Blood Service and the National Blood Bank, Jumia organized a blood donation exercise at their office in Accra to mark the Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah memorial day. Staff, customers, partners and the general public came in their numbers to donate blood. This was to help increase stock at the National Blood Bank while saving many lives.

OCTOBER :
Launch of e-commerce index 2021
Jumia published its first e-commerce report, Jumia Africa e-Commerce Index 2021 with a Ghana section, which leveraged data from the Jumia platform to illustrate the importance of shopping online in a pandemic context as consumers leveraged Jumia for their needs using their smartphones. The index unearthed a shift in consumer shopping behaviour from more electronics to essential products. This shift was part of a broader economic transformation led by the continent’s young, urban and tech-savvy population. The report was a partnership with UNCTAD, IFC, and Mastercard, highlighting the impact of e-commerce on the African economy.

NOVEMBER :
Supporting preterm babies on oxygen
The e-commerce company partnered with NICU soldiers and Fiona’s Foods to raise funds for preterm babies on oxygen in Ghana. This was dubbed #sconesforlife and the fundraiser was in the form of delivering scones and pies to generous people who bought them at higher amounts than their original costs just to support the project. Every Friday and Saturday, Jumia Logistics Ghana’s delivery agents sent the scones/pie orders to these consumers at no cost of delivery.

BLACK FRIDAY SALE
Jumia in partnership with thousands of sellers and brands offered consumers a wide assortment of products at the best prices. Discounts of up to 90% OFF, daily flash sales and treasure hunts where some lucky winners got the iPhone 13 at 100ghs and other great items at mindblowing discounts. There were also freebies and free shipping to selected areas. This was to ensure that customers enjoy the best deals and excellent services while sellers and brands grow their businesses. Being the biggest online sale of the year, it was an opportunity to also create awareness in Ghana about e-commerce and its benefits in our growing economy.

DECEMBER :
Expedient deliveries and top tier customer service
E-commerce giants Jumia partnered with Ghana Post. The strategic partnership sought to transform the customer experience of Ghanaians with faster and more efficient e-commerce flows. The new partnership supports Jumia’s commitment to leveraging its advanced technology and extensive network to provide a seamless and powerful platform for Ghanaians to purchase everyday needs online. Ghana Post also supports Jumia by delivering packages to consumers via efficient and expedient courier services.

All in all, 2021 was a great year of e-commerce impact. The opportunities and benefits of doing business online are endless. With Jumia’s commitment to improving its technology, 2022 promises to be more successful. Happy new year!