BREAKING NEWS - NJALA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AWAIT SU ELECTIONS DAY

NJALA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AWAIT SU ELECTIONS DAY

As we awaits the 23rd and 24th Student Union Election day, here are few tips that I would love to send out to all Students of Njala University, Sierra Leone. For far too long the University administration and the previous led government of the country seized the opportunity of students not to have an SU body and the affairs of students where led by selected few from student voluntary groups on various campuses and this was against the will and choice of thousands of students. Today, the new management of the University has taken the move to reconsider the ban for student activities (SU groups) on campus and has decided to bring back the lost glory by conducting a student union election this August on both campuses (Njala and Bo). We just hope the elections will be free,fear and without any administrative interference that will jeopardize the peaceful process.

Notwithstanding,  every legal and registered student of the university has a right to vote and be voted for (as per requisite criteria) and none shall be deprived of such exercise. Your voice can be represented via your vote! So vote at freewill and for the right candidate for proper, transparent and accountable representation.

Why Should I Vote?

Here are the top 5 reasons to cast your vote in this year’s SU Elections:

1. It will affect your student experience

The SU Officers that are chosen by you will act and
speak on your behalf for the whole year. This means
that it’s important you choose a candidate who wants
to change and improve things that will affect you as
each candidate will have different ideas about what
they want to change.

2. The SU Officers and all student leaders work hard to make 

improvements for the students at NU

SU Officers are influential in ensuring that you and your opinions are represented to 

the University. This helps to ensure that the changes that you want to see are made.

They also work hard to campaign for things that will improve the lives of students, 

and demonstrate passion and enthusiasm throughout. Voting can help your candidates

pursue their goals to achieve all of this.

3. You have your say

Even if your preferred candidate does not win, having your say in how you want things
to be run is very important. It is a small, but significant way to lead changes within the
University.

4. Ensures that Njala University SU is a fair and democratic student body

The more students who vote in SU elections, the more certain we can be that the officers

have been elected in a democratic way. This means that we know that as many students
as possible are happy with their new officers, and it will mean that the Officers will have
more support behind them when they represent you.

5. Your vote can decide the result

Every candidate works very hard to secure the votes of as many people as possible.
Usually the result is very close, so every single vote counts.

Why are they important?

Students' Union elections are important because it is vital that you have the chance
to vote for, the candidate you feel mirrors your views and will be committed to
working hard for you and the student body. During the Students' Union elections, each
candidate will produce a written manifesto,  this will outline what they would aim to
achieve if elected into their chosen position. Once elected, all representative will be
supported by the Students Union staff team to achieve as many thing they have promised
on their manifesto as possible.

By: Abubakarr Jalloh

@Subscribe to my newsletter for more Updates!
b16a0424e6037614606ce6774abbb5bf2b89acf14cdfc7c782

$1.5 trillion in corporate cash is coming to America

The biggest U.S. asset managers are going head-to-head to win a piece of a $1.5 trillion corporate cash comeback.

That’s the sum companies are expected to bring onshore under the U.S. tax overhaul passed last year, according to Invesco estimates. About $400 billion has already been repatriated, according to the firm.

Overseas, at least one major asset manager is losing out as a result of the changes. Cisco Systems Inc. yanked 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion) from Deutsche Bank AG’s asset management arm, DWS Group, in recent quarters as it repatriated profits, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The loss amounted to 40 percent of Deutsche Bank’s outflows in the first half of the year.

Cisco’s decision underscores the fierce competition among asset managers seeking to capitalize on President Donald Trump’s successful push to upend corporate tax rates -- an effort that’s been criticized as a boondoggle to benefit companies already sitting on piles of cash.

The new law sets a one-time repatriation rate for untaxed cash held abroad -- a 15.5 percent charge on cash and liquid assets, and 8 percent on non-cash or illiquid assets. Payments can be made over eight years. Previously, such funds were hit with the 35 percent corporate tax.

Halfway into the year companies are still only beginning to respond to the changes. But BlackRock Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Fidelity Investments are among asset managers racing to create new strategies for clients who want to bring overseas funds back. Companies face an array of choices ranging from where to invest the money short-term and how to spend it.

“They have a significant amount of cash abroad and there is this window where they can capitalize on repatriating it,” said Jean-Yves Fillion, the chief executive of BNP Paribas SA’s U.S. holding company.

BNP Paribas recently reinforced its transatlantic task force that helps international companies with capital raising and financial strategy, including managing the flow of cash held overseas back to the U.S., Fillion said.

Here’s what some of the top firms are doing:

Fidelity

Michael Morin, head of liquidity management solutions at Boston-based Fidelity, said the firm is helping clients assess alternatives as they repatriate cash to spend on projects, pay off debt, repurchase shares and meet dividend payments.

Fidelity is helping clients determine where to park their money, whether in government or prime market funds.

“Some of our clients have already completed those transactions, but the majority of our clients are still in the process,” Morin said.

The timing for the decision is key in determining what the right investment vehicles are, according to Morin. Fidelity has hundreds of cash management clients, with more than $500 billion in money market funds, according to a company representative.

BlackRock

The world’s largest asset manager thinks it’s in a favorable position, having made several deals to add to its cash management business.

Last year the New York-based firm acquired Cachematrix, a financial technology firm focused on cash management. When the deal closed, BlackRock managed about $400 billion in cash for companies, banks, foundations, insurers and public funds, according to a release. In 2016, BlackRock acquired Bank of America Corp.’s $80 billion money market fund business.

Ellen Bockius, BlackRock’s global head of cash management marketing and U.S. corporate cash sales, said that investors will be keeping a watchful eye over how companies put their tax-related windfalls to work.

Bockius said observers will continue to see “shareholder interest in what these corporations are doing with this cash,” whether that comes in share buybacks, bond repurchases, capital investment or deal-making.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Corporations that had been issuing debt in the low interest-rate environment are increasingly turning around their strategies, said Goldman Sachs Asset Management managing director Jason Granet.

In the past few years American companies “were going to the debt market in the U.S. while building up these huge stores of cash abroad, especially while interest rates were near zero. Now they no longer need to issue debt,” he said.

Expect even more deal-making among cash managers, Granet added.

"It’s not surprising to see moves in our space because of regulation and costs. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more,” said Granet. "For us, we need to invest in technology, and have a broad range of solutions to offer clients."

JPMorgan Asset Management

The firm is stepping in as companies rethink their capital structure, or how they finance their operations through different kinds of funds, said Ted Ufferfilge, global head of client portfolio management at JPMorgan Asset Management.

“People are trying to think through what they want their capital structure to look like,” with short-term bond funds in particular garnering attention recently, he said.

But customization is necessary.

“Everyone wants to change the capital structure of their company, but every company is unique,” added Ufferfilge.