Towing Levy: An Unnecessary Public Debate

Following public protests, the executive arm of government has decided not to implement the above LI, passed in 2012-5 years ago.

As part of the now hibernated law, vehicle owners and motorcyclists were supposed to pay compulsory annual fees, tied to the acquisition of road worthy certificate, to cater for towing services. Fees per year for both commercial and non-commercial vehicles, depending on tonnage, range from GHȻ20 to GHȻ 200.

The abandoned mandatory towing levy is one that shouldn’t have been a subject of discussion in the first place, just like many other “petty” issues we have come to spent countless amount of time and energy on. 

The subject is petty, not because there is no value in preventing road accidents by hauling off disabled vehicles from our roads, but it is petty because it was brought about due to lazy thinking.

If a vehicle breaks down, shouldn’t the owner be responsible for any financial inputs needed to take it off the street? So we can’t we resource the police (or any other competent institution) to receive the applicable charges from the owners of these broken down vehicles, and tow them off our roads. 

Proprietors who default would have their vehicles impounded, and pay extra fines when they need their properties back.

Governments in Ghana need to get serious, and fix straightforward problems without unnecessary public circus.

EPL Matchweek 2: 5 Talking Points

The second round of matches in the English Premier League has come to an end. There was victories for Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester, whilst Newcastle, Arsenal, West Ham and were beaten. Here are the 5 key issues that shaped the week’s actions.

Marcos Alonso inflicts more Wembley woes unto Spurs: the Spaniard has had to live through the summer with speculations of the signing of Juventus ace, Alex Sandro to unseat him. But on the day that Chelsea were missing several of their stars, Alonso came big for his side. His sweet free kick in the first half and a good finish at the depth of the game lifted the Blues to a London derby win over Spurs in Wembley (a makeshift home side that Spurs has lost 9 out of its previous 10 fixtures at)

Arsenal not good enough: the Gunners picked 3 points from their first game of the season with late winner against Leicester City, but at the Britannia Stadium, there was no salvation for Wenger and his charges. They were beaten by debutant, Jese Rodriguez’s lone goal. All Wenger has to show for the night was the avalanche possession (77.3%) they won on the night

Chicharito’s heroics overshadowed: Javier Hernandez opened his scoring account for the Hammers at the St. Mary’s on Saturday, but West Ham could not hold on for a point, as Charlie Austin stole all 3points for the Saints in injury time. Slaven Bilic’s men had to fight from a man and 2 goals down, after Marko Arnautovic earned himself a reckless red card. Chicharito pulled his side back into the game with a double, only for his efforts to be wasted in the last minute.

Mourinho and his troops continues to march: a breath-taking second half display left Swansea decimated by a rampant Manchester United side. It took a while for Mourinho’s men to break down the Welsh side, but when Bailly broke the deadline, there was no turning back. Lukaku, Pogba, and Martial added a goal apiece as United won in style. Mourinho means business

Sterling stands up to Rooney: Wayne Rooney scored his 200^th EPL goal at the Etihad on Monday Night Football. The night looked set to go in Everton’s favour after Kyle Walker was dismissed in the first half. But City fought back in the second half, and finally got an equalizer through a classy volley by Raheem Sterling.

  

Creating New Regions Does Is No Guarantee For Development

This week, the Council of State has formally informed the president of the “substantial need” for new regions to be created. The council was making its formal presentation on a petition that has been forwarded to it by the president. 

The ruling NPP campaigned on the topic during the 2016 elections, for which reason the president establish an entire ministry, Ministry of Regional Re-Organisation and Development to oversee the process.

The president will now proceed to establish a Commission of Enquiry to look into the merits of establishing new regions. 

A referendum shall then be held for the people affected by the matter to vote on. The constitutional requirement is for 50% of the electorates to vote, out of which 80% should give approval in order for a new region to be created. Quite clearly, there is still some way to go.

The primary reason for which new regions (possibly six) is being touted is for the sake of development: this assertion is highly laughable. There is nowhere on earth that development is brought about by drawing imaginary lines. 

Demarcating lands into boundaries does not suddenly close the huge infrastructural deficits in the nation; it does not automatically produce a first class transportation system; it does not build industries; it does not grow agriculture; it does not eliminate corruption; it does not birth a strong health and educational sector; and it certainly does not create jobs.

The idea that new regions bring development is a big misconception brought about due to sentiments. People want to see their capital cities close to them. They want to share the same region with persons of common heritage.

Ghanaians desire development, but to reach that development, we have conceptualise the wrong means-creation of new regions. 

It makes sense why claim we vote for development, yet nothing changes. We keep using the wrong metric. 

$1m Flagstaff House Donation: President Akufo-Addo Being Managed By Incompetent Hands

President Akufo-Addo received a cheque of $1m from the Indian government. The purpose of the gift, which was donated by the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, is to be used for the renovation of the Flagstaff House.

Whenever I look at the image of the president displaying the cheque on social media, I begin to ask myself, why would the handlers of our president put up the country for international embarrassment by modelling the first gentleman of the land in front of cameras with a $1m gift? 

Couldn’t anyone else but the president have accepted this donation on his behalf? Do I take it that none of the numerous ministers of state was available to receive this money? Not even the Chief of Staff or any of her two deputies?

Receiving $1m by the president may not come across as a big deal, but the truth of the matter is that it is utterly demeaning: it challenges the pride of every Ghanaian, home and abroad. Elsewhere, a head of state would not even make the time to meet over $1m, but here in Ghana, its heaven and earth.

This episode in the seat of government is a good demonstration of our mediocre and shameless way of acting.

The earlier the managers of the president understand that the president is not just flesh and blood, but the symbol of the entire nation’s sovereignty, the better.

To The Contrary, Teacher Licensing Is A Step In The Right Direction

The National Teachers Council (NTC) of the Ministry of Education announced that teachers will now have to pass a special examination before being granted the licenses to teach. The license is to undergo periodic renewable every 3-5years. 

The announcement has met huge public outcry. The influential National Association of Ghana Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has kicked against the policy as well.

Many reasons have been adduced for the public discontentment with the policy. Many have pointed out that the mess in the educational sector of the country is far more than certification of teachers. Others too have labelled the policy as an accident waiting to happen, given our impressive track record for mishandling things.

However, l am of a divergent opinion. Teachers form an important part of our educational sector. Their role cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, any effort to improve upon the quality of teachers should be a welcomed one. 

All over the world, to be a professional means something more than being a graduate. A lot of premium is played on professional licensing schemes for that matter. The situation cannot be any different in Ghana. 

It is an indisputable fact that licensing of teachers will contribute significantly towards the qualitative improvement on teachers. Teachers would be compelled to give off their best, knowing very well the risk of losing out on their employment if they are not to standard.

Admittedly, the answers to the problems of our educational system are bigger than a licensing scheme. And l am very sure the policy makers are very much aware of the situation. 

However, the many deficiencies of our educational sector doesn’t make the proposal of licensing an idea of non-relevance- to the contrary, it is a good step in the right direction. 

Diego Costa Is Complicating Matters For Himself

Chelsea striker, Diego Costa has found himself in an unwanted situation at Chelsea. The Brazil-born Spanish attacker revealed that he received a text message of dismissal from his Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte. Conte has generally tried to shy away from the brouhaha over Costa. 

On occasions that he spoke on the subject, he suggested that Costa has been in the known since January a summer move was in the offing. Costa’s preferred destination is his former club, Atletico Madrid, who have been banned from registering a player until January, 2018. 

Even if a move to Atletico succeeds, Costa has two options. Either sit out until January, 2018 to begin playing competitive football or be loaned out for six months.

Costa has been a good servant to Chelsea since his £35m move from Atletico Madrid to the Blues in 2014. He has led the club to two EPL titles with 59 goals in 120 appearances. 

But his current status as persona non grata at the Stamford Bridge has been exacerbated by his actions. Costa has made it his prime motive to frustrate Chelsea and Conte. He has refused to return to the club after he was initially given an extended one week break from pre-season. 

The club has made it clear that their wish is for Conte to return to London, get himself match fit, and make himself available for selection, as his contract with the club prescribes. 

Yet Costa isn’t interested. He prefers to remain in Brazil and holiday around. He went to bars, restaurant, and any place go-able. Occasionally, he teases Chelsea by flirting with Atletico and Mourinho. 

In a spectacular style, Costa visited a local circus in Brazil and was invited to take part. He obliged, took to stage and performed alongside a clown. What is a professional footballer doing in Brazil partying whilst the season has begun?

Conte’s decision to dismiss his star man over a text message is totally unacceptable, but Costa also has a contractual responsibility to conduct himself in a professional manner. 

Military Training For National Service Personnel: Is Ghana Going To War With North Korea?

During the Public Account Committee sitting, the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul revealed that plans are underway for national service personnel to undergo a six months military training as part of the national service scheme.

The Minister added that the military conscription begins for 10,000 national service personnel next year with the hope of gradually expanding the numbers until all national service personnel can be absorbed.

As usual, fanatics of the NPP have begun defending the announcement made by the Minister. But the legitimacy of an action is not denoted by the amount of twisted defence it is given. 

The usefulness of a deed is actually in its rightness. And to determine rightness, one would have to know his or her priorities, because there are many right things that could be done, yet only a few are appropriate.

For the Minister of Defence in current day Ghana to suggest that mandatory military training is necessity is very disheartening. Quite clearly, the top man doesn’t understand his priorities-and that of his nation. 

The last thing a country bedevilled with problems all over should think of is a military jamboree. 

Why am I even surprised? The exercise would enable top government officials to present bloated budgets and siphon a substantial amount into their personal pockets.

It may be constitutional for national service personnel to undergo a six months military training, but don’t we have sanitation laws too? Don’t we have laws on access to education, and healthcare? Which laws don’t we have?

Ghana is not going to war with North Korea, and we don’t need to spend millions (possibly billions) of dollars-as observed in huge amounts spent by other countries in running similar systems- on an unnecessary endeavour, except it is for the purposes of create, loot, and share.  

Kofi Annan Thinks African Leaders Are Not Enlightened, And I Agree

Former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan delivered a lecture on leadership and public service dubbed “an afternoon with Kofi Annan. During his speech, the international icon touched on various issues pertaining to democracy and leadership in Africa.

One particular statement that keeps reverberating in my heart is his standpoint on leaders in Africa: “unfortunately, Africa has had too few enlightened people of this kind”, in reference to “true democratic leaders who understand that they are at the service of the citizens, and not the other way around. Leadership is a service. Leaders must understand that they hold power in trust of the people, and it can also be taken away”.

Even though the statesman may have been speaking in pure terms of democracy with respect to transfer of power, I cannot help but apply Mr. Annan’s assertion on a wider scale.

Firstly, his expression, “…Africa has had too few enlightened people [leaders]…” gives an unequivocal understanding that majority of African leaders are unenlightened, they are ignorant.

I wish to continue from where Mr. Annan left off. Africa leaders are not only unenlightened on matters of democracy, but they are uneducated on the concept of leadership-political-as well.

To African leaders, leadership is all about occupying power, and harnessing state resources to the benefit of their political affiliates.

African leaders do not understand the challenges of poverty, huge infrastructural deficit, high rates of illiteracy, ballooning unemployment, weak public institutions, and so on and so forth.

My fear is that it is not only for lack of understanding of our problems that African leaders are victims of, but also, they are actually clueless on how to solve these problems.

The only thing the African leader is enlightened on is how to resonate with the unsuspecting populace and climb to reign. In instances where they lose their ability to deceive majority of the citizenry, they take to force, and impose themselves on the people against the people’s will.

Thank you, Your Excellency Kofi Annan, for reminding us of the awful reality. Nothing may change, but at least African citizens will grow to accept day by day that the continent is been governed by incompetent hands.   

EPL MatchDay 1: 5 Takeaways

 The English Premier League is back. The league kicked off in typical pulsating style on Friday night with a 7 goal thriller between Arsenal and Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium. Saturday saw defending champions Chelsea, and this season’s favourite Machester City in action amongst five other fixtures. The weekend fixtures ended on Sunday with two heavyweights, Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester United in action. Here are 5 key talking points from the league’s first round of matches.

Burnley swallows Conte and his boys: Chelsea came second best to Burnley in their first game of the season. A first half collapse at Stamford Bridge left Chelsea 3 goals and a man (Cahill) down by half time. Even though Conte was able to rally his charges to set up a thrilling second half, a late red card to Fabregas worsened matters for the champions. The only bright spot though was Morata’s goal and assist on his debut. 

Déjà vu for Arsenal and Liverpool: Arsene Wenger watched on hopelessly as his side sailed in 3 goals against Leicester City on opening day. Less than 24 hours later, Jurgen Klopp was also on the receiving side of 3 goals from Watford. To both coaches, it feels like the same old story. Arsenal leaking goals in abundance, and Liverpool dropping points against lower ranked teams. Wenger would surely be the happier of the two managers though, as his side secured a late winner.

Guardiola gets the job done: City is one side that has been heavily tipped to win to league this season, mainly due to the massive investments the club has made during the summer transfer window. On Saturday, Pep led his charges against newly promoted Brighton and Hove Albion, and successfully came out with 3 points and a clean sheet. It was a laboured win, but it’s a winning start to the season.

Huddersfield brings memory of Leicester: newly promoted side, Huddersfield Town brought premier league seniors, Crystal Palace unto its knees in a 3-0 humbling game. No one would have predicted this result, and it brings a timely reminder of Leicester City’s fairy tale title win two seasons ago.

Mourinho sends title warning: during the late afternoon kick off on Sunday, Mourinho and his men sent an emphatic message to fellow title contenders by making light work out of West Ham at the Theatre of Dreams. 

Majestic Matic! 🙌

The stats behind Nemanja's Man of the Match display: https://t.co/d9xIHJhXeO pic.twitter.com/PkX1sU9yJH

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 13, 2017

From the first blast of the whistle to the last, United were relentless, as they laid siege to the Hammers goals. The aggression, tactical discipline, and clinical finishing United put on display is a clear message of what the club wish to achieve this season; win the league. 

National Hullabaloo On Komenda Sugar Factory Is Demeaning

In March 2016, H.E John Dramani Mahama revamped the broken down Komenda Sugar Factory. The plant was original built by Ghana’s first president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in the 1960s. The restoration of the factory cost $35m, funded using an Indian government facility.

Fast forward August 2017, the factory is making headlines. Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Robert Ahomka Lindsay told the Public Accounts Committee of parliament “the sugar you tasted was processed sugar bought by government. We have never put sugarcane through the full system of the factory”. 

The subject has gained national prominence. It is being discussed on mainstream media and social media alike.

I wish to put on record that in my opinion, the Komenda Sugar Factory was a political tool. Its resurrection may have been a good idea, but it wasn’t based on any proper business model. 

The degree of pump and pageantry associated with its inauguration is one that still hurts my feelings. And I am even more hurt that the current government is making concerted efforts to make political gains out of this same Komenda Sugar Factory.

In a world that a messaging application, WhatsApp was bought for over $19bn, it is a big shame that an entire nation is squabbling over a $35m project. These days, even a footballer costs £200m. 

So why the noise on an investment that is incredibly meagre compared international standards? 

Shouldn’t the debate (and subsequent resolution of issues) on this factory be left to the local authorities of the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem District? Or our high ranking government officials do not have any work doing so they prefer to quarrel over petty topics?

The manner in which we celebrate mediocrity in Ghana is increasingly becoming a disorder. The earlier we wake up, the better.

Extending School Day Length: Pros vs Cons

During the National Education Sector Review forum held in Accra, the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh complained about the closing time within Ghana schools. He therefore called for an extension of the normal 2pm closing time to 4pm. “School closes too early in this country. At 2pm, parents from farms are not back from work, so why can’t schools close at 4pm” the Minister said.

Generally, school day length varies from one country to another. Ghana finds itself in a category of countries that run on 7hours per day school length. If Hon. Opoku Prempeh’s suggestion is to implemented, then Ghana would join countries like Kenya and South Korea whose school day interval runs from 7am to 4pm. Indeed, a country like France even ends its school day at 5pm. So it is not new for schools to run into the latter hours of the afternoon.

Whilst the national debate rages on over whether or not the closing time of schools should be extended. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of whatever choice our policy makers settle on.

Firstly, extending the closing time would increase academic performance of students, provide students more avenue to socialise with peers, enable more extra curricula activities in schools, and increase the likelihood of parents picking up their wards from school. 

With the addition of two hours to the school day, students will get the chance to be taught challenges concepts into details. Also, teachers can give more class exercises to students and supervise them provide solutions. 

Extra period means extra academic work. In addition, more time spent in school implies that pupils will have for hours for themselves to make acquaintances amongst themselves. Building social networks does not only help build one’s self esteem, but it could serve as a life time. The more hours provided by the extension could also afford the space for more courses that are strictly no academic to the syllabi of students.

To the contrary, the nation is going to have to make more expenditure. Already, the Ghana National Association of Teachers have begun calls for government to pay teachers more if she wishes to extend the school hours. 

Also, there are more chances of children receiving negative peer influence from their colleagues. In addition, children are going to spend more and more times in an uncontrolled environment like school, where parents do not have direct oversight, a situation that makes youngsters who have not developed a matured sense of decision making vulnerable.

The dice has been cast. For now, one can not tell where it falls. But whatever final result we produce with regards to the subject of extension of school hours, there are going to be merits and demerits. 

9 Premier League Golden Boot Contenders

The English Premier League (EPL) is back. Arsenal and Leicester City set the tone for the season with a 7 goal thriller at the Emirates Stadium, in which a late goal by Olivier Giroud gave Arsenal the first 3 points of the season. Just like any other season, the big name forwards will be competing amongst themselves for the honour as the top scorer. Here are my nine (in no particular order) picks for the golden boot award.

Harry Kane: the Tottenham hitman has won the golden boot in the previous two campaigns, and he is seeking to make it three in a row. Kane has become one of the most feared forward in England. His ever improving attributes make him one of the fore runners for the prize of top scorer.

Romelu Lukaku: the man closest to Kane last season in the race to become top scorer will be at it again this season. At Manchester United, he gets to play with better players, and that means more chances to score. One problem Mourinho’s side faced last season was their inability to kill off lesser fancied teams. In Lukaku, United has the man to get them the goods.

Sergio Aguero: the Argentine striker had a mixed season in 2016/17. Problems with injuries, and lack of trust by his manager prohibited him from reaching his true potentials. Some even thought he would be offloaded by Guardiola. However, Kun Aguero is still at Manchester City, and with the amount of quality that will be playing behind him in the likes of De Bruyne, the two Silva, Gundogan, Sane, Sterling and others, Aguero will certainly not be starved of chances, provided he can fend off competition from Gabriel Jesus and be Guardiola’s first choice.

Alexis Sanchez: Arsenal’s wantaway attacker had his most prolific season in front of goal last season with 24 goals. And he is set for bigger impact, if he remains at the club. Arsene Wenger insists the Chilean is going nowhere, and Sanchez may have to play out the final year of his contract. He will do so as a contender for goal king.

Alvaro Morata: the EPL newcomer is set for a major challenge this season. He is not only expected to lead the line efficiently for the defending champions, he is also expected to prove himself as a worthy successor of fan favourite, Diego Costa. But Morata has seen it all on the big stage. If he can adapt quickly to his new environment, and banish the demons of the number 9 on his back, he will be a success.

Jamie Vardy: the English striker has already opened his account for the new season, with two goals. And more is expected from him. When he is on a good run, he is an absolute nightmare for defenders. Two well taken goals on Friday Night Football against Arsenal is a depiction of what V9 is capable of doing.

Javier Hernandez: Chicharito is back to the EPL. And he is back with a mission to accomplish-prove that he can be the main man of his side. After playing the role of a bit part player for Manchester United under Fergie, Chicharito has gone to Germany to learn the act of being the main man, and he is back to England to do just that with the Hammers.

Wayne Rooney: he may be on the decline, but his knack for goal hasn’t eluded him. The England and Manchester United legend has returned to his boyhood club, Everton, and he has the opportunity to win that one trophy he has not won in his illustrious career, the EPL golden boot.

Alexander Lacazette: having finally made his much awaited move to London, things got off to a merry start for the French forward. He buried a glancing header less than 5 minutes into his debut, and helped his team edged out Leicester. If the former Lyon attacker continues with his swift adaptation to the EPL, his name will be amongst the top of the scoring chart come May, 2018.

EPL 2017/18 Predictions: Manchester United To Win League As Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton Miss Out On Top 4

By now, you may already be aware that the EPL is back. The world’s best brand of league football returned in style on Friday night with an entertaining game between former champions Arsenal and Leicester, an encounter in which Arsenal edged out 4-3 winners courtesy Olivier Giroud. Here are my predictions for the new season: the champions and top four teams.

Title winners

Predicting a league like the EPL is an arduous task. Moreso, in this season where things promise to be the most competitive in recent memory. I am inclined to think that the title will go to Manchester. Pep Guardiola has shown to make the best of recruits thus far in the summer window, making them huge favourites for the title. 

Mourinho’s impeccable record of winning the league in his second seasons means he can not be ruled out, couple with some purposive signings he has made so far. I do not see Chelsea retaining the title, because their oppositions are much stronger (as compared to last season), and Chelsea will be further occupied due to European football. Also, the fact that no team has successfully retained the title since 2009 makes it less likely for Chelsea to do so. 

Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Everton will all put up a fight for the title, but they are just not strong enough to come top after 38 rounds of matches. Spurs have not made any significant investments so far, and it looks likely that their story for this season will be like that of the previous two. 

Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal, is going to be the same old Arsenal. They are just too inconsistent to win the EPL at this stage. Liverpool and Everton will give it a shot, but they lack the firepower and winning habit to remain top at the end of the season. My verdict is falls in favour of Manchester United. Jose just doesn’t miss in his second season. And track record of winning the EPL will make him succeed at the expense of Pep Guardiola and other fellow contenders.

Top four

The race of the top four is going to be heated. Very heated. All the seven title contenders will be in the mix. But I see United, City, Chelsea, and Spurs making the cut, placing first, second, third, and forth respectively. These four sides look much more concrete than their peers. 

On the case of Liverpool, the imminent move of Coutinho to Barcelona will leave a hole too big in the Merseyside club to fill. Also, Klopp’s side would need some major investments in defence and midfield to become a team to beat, not forgetting their goalkeeping problems. 

Whilst for Arsenal and Everton, their sides are relatively weaker compared to the sides of their top four rivals.  

Dear Senior Minister Osafo Marfo: Is The Public Sector Really Full?

On Monday, during the Ghana Economic Forum, the Senior Miniser, Yaw Osafo Marfo was quoted as saying “the public sector is full in terms of employment [and] we can’t employ anybody in the public sector”. The veteran politician even threatened that “perhaps we may have to even lay off some [workers]”.

The above assessment by the Senior Minister sent shivers down the spines of many Ghanaians. In a nation that youth unemployment is the biggest trial, the last thing citizens wish to hear is a gloomy comment by a man whom many consider as the third-in-command of His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration.

The situation is even more hurtful when one recalls that the NPP campaigned massively on the high rate of youth employment during the 2016 elections. The NPP is mainly in power because it was able to convince Ghanaian youths of its readiness to provide jobs for the people.

Therefore, the sudden change in narrative of the party comes with huge concerns. Did the party deceive Ghanaians merely to capture power? Is the government overwhelmed by the challenge of resolving the unemployment menace?

But the big question on my mind; is the public sector truly full? I wish the Senior Minister could give further and better particular on his definition of “full”, because l am at sea. 

How is the public sector full whilst Ghana’s doctor-patient ratio of 1:15,259 is way below the World Health Organisation’s recommended ratio of 1:5,000? The situation is the same with other categories of health workers. Interestingly, there are huge scores of health workers sitting idle and unemployed at home. This is just the case of the health sector. 

The same can be said of the educational sector. The human resource levels of our state security services need major expansion in both quantity and quality. One is met with the sight of a staff member working in the capacity of two, three, four, and more workers in our various state agencies. Clearly, there is an employment deficit in the public sector.

No amount of political tongue-twisting would convince me that the public sector is full. Perhaps, the argument government ought to make is that she is incapable of meeting economic requirements of employing more hands.

It is worth noting that Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo pointed out that private sector growth is necessary to reduce unemployment. Sure, but it doesn’t warrantee government the right to deceive the citizenry instead of ensuring the employment deficit in the public sector is duly arrested. 

I believe the Senior Minister knows that the responsibility of plugging the human resource gap in essential sectors of our economy like health, education, security, etc can not be placed solely on the shoulders of the private sector.

Dear Senior Minister, please come again. The public sector is not full, you are only trying to run away from responsibility.  

UEFA SuperCup: 5 Talking Points

Credit: twitter/ChampionsLeague

The UEFA Champions League winner, Real Madrid and the EUFA Europa League winners battled out in the heat of Skopje for the bragging right as Europe’s champions of champions. Zidane’s charges ended the night with another silverware. Here are the five major talking points from the encounter.

Huge gap between Real Madrid and Manchester United: these two clubs are arguably the most prestigious teams in their respective countries, both in rich history and major sporting honours. However, the night in Macedonia is a good demonstration of the enormous gap currently between Real and United. United’s players were playing catch up in the entire first half, by the time they woke up, the game was almost dead.

Matic a major coup: one United player who came out of the encounter with his head held up high is Nemanja Matic. The Serb put in a commanding performance at the heart of midfield against Madrid’s world class performers in Isco, Modric, Kroos, Casemiro, even though he has been with the squad for barely a week. Why Chelsea let him go remains a puzzle to be solved.

Masterful Isco is back: disco Isco is how social media calls him these days, and it is easy to see why. His composure in possession, sleek touches, jaw dropping skills, exquisite movement are all a sight to behold. The Spanish midfielder was at his typical best, as he tormented United’s defence all night long. He capped off his brilliant display with a sweet finish.

Business as usual for Zidane: within a period of 18months in the job as a coach, the French icon has moulded himself into one of the most feared managers in the game. After taking over from Rafael Benitez, Zidane has swept every major trophy on offer. He made history by being the first manager to lead a team win the ULC back-to-back in its current format, an achievement he complemented with a la liga trophy for the Los Blancos in 5 years. And now, he has added a second Super Cup to his trophy cabinet. Zidane is a serial winner.

United’s finishing headache continues: one situation that United fans have come to dread so much is the sight of seeing their side in a dangerous situation, and failing to punish their opponents. Twice in the first half, poor decision making in the final third cost Mourinho’s side. Pogba had the chance to pick either one of two dangerous passes, yet he opted to go solo. Also, instead of Lukaku running into the box for a tap in, he decided to give the advantage to the Blancos by interfering with play from an offside position when an interception on Kroos fell nicely in Herrera’s path. In the second half, both Rashford and Lukaku missed glorious chances.

  

When Harry And I Took To The 2017 Nneka World Changers Summer Camp

On 7^th August, 2017, I had the privilege to impart nearly 1,000 participants during the Nneka World Changers Summer Camp 2017, organised by the prestigious Nneka Youth Foundation. The session on “Creativity and Problem Solving” was jointly facilitated Harry Akligoh (a biomedical scientist and STEAM enthusiast), and my good self. The opportunity was brought about due to the vision of Gameli Adzaho, a STEAM (Science, Technology, Education, Africa, Media) pacesetter and founder of Global Lab Ghana, to add more community action to the online oriented GlobalLab Ghana.

Co facilitator, Harry Akligoh

Overview of Nneka Youth Foundation

Nneka Youth Foundation is a Ghanaian based non- profit organisation founded by Mad. Cecilia Fiaka in 2012. It has served 9,000+ youth rural Ghana since its inception. Nneka offers education, enrichment, and life building opportunities for the young.

A signature project of the foundation is the annual Nneka World Changers Summer Camp. This year’s edition was held at the Nneka Youth Development Centre, Ve Agbome in the Volta Region. the camp begun on 30^th of July and ends on the 25^th of August.

Four different batches of participants make up the camp. It runs from Monday to Friday, and another group of participants come in for the next week. Thus, the camp lasts for four weeks, and trains four different batches of participants. About 1,000 participants make up each group.

The summer camp comprises of educative and exciting activities like educative talks from different professional fields, interactive group discussions, arts and crafts, in-door and out-door games, group challenges, reading and spelling bee, talent shows and many more.

Presentation highlights

Our 4-hour demonstration was aimed at equipping the participants with skills of that would enable them confront daily problems they encounter, and devise solutions to them. My counterpart, Harry took the students through the powerpoint presentation. He touched on social impact, and its importance to society. 

Also, he comprehensively tutored the audience on the creative way of solving problems using design thinking model. The design thinking model consists of three main components: understating, exploring, and materialising.

Afterwards, l steered the audience to watch videos of two adolescents who have adopted innovative means of solving problems in society. Kelvin Doe AKA DJ Focus and Richard Turere have received international attention by building radio transmitter and farm defence mechanism respectively. 

In addition, a seven bullet question was discussed with the students on the inspirations they have taken from the videos, and how they can also come up with their own ideas to address challenges in their various communities. The campers came up with intriguing responses.

Furthermore, to seal the knowledge we passed unto the audience, each group was tasked to identify common problems in their respective communities, and solve them using the approach we taught them.

Before we departed, we left the supervision of the project in the hands of the teachers in the camp. We are optimistic that these young ones will return to their various communities, and begin implementing solutions.

Founder's Day Debate: Let Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Enjoy His Glory

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has successfully rekindled the debate over whether or not Ghana has a Founding Father or Founding Fathers. 

In an epic style, the party organised a lecture- delivered by the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Michael Aaron Ocquaye, under the topic “4^th August; Ghana’s Day of Destiny”-to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC). The crème de la crème of the NPP were in attendance, including President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and former president John Agyekum Kufuor.

There have been suggestions that the topic is irrelevant at this point in time, where Ghana has much more important issues to tackle than a debate over Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s status as the Founding Father of Ghana. But it is an important topic we ought to discuss, because the last thing we wanna lose is our genuine history, when everything else in the nation seems to be in disarray.

It goes without saying that the lecture is part of a well-designed NPP master plan to reduce (or perhaps entirely wipe out) the illustrious role Nkrumah played in Ghana’s independence struggles. In recent memory, President Akufo-Addo laid down the marker when he conveniently ignored Nkrumah in the 60^th anniversary Independence Day celebration speech delivered by the first gentleman of the land. 

The NPP’s utmost desire is to see the image of Nkrumah sacrificed at the expense of the Danquah-Busia tradition and her affiliates.

Amidst all this grand ploy to strip Nkrumah of his title, it has become clearly evident that the gigantic image of the Osagyefo still haunts the NPP. The NPP still doesn’t want to accept how a poor boy from Nkroful achieved what their over pampered intellectuals couldn’t achieve, even so, when this unassuming character chalked this achievement within an unprecedented period of time. 

The hatred felt by the then leaders of the UGCC, which has evolved into current day NPP is the same level of rage that the current cohort of NPP functionaries feel towards Nkrumah. As such, they are hell bent on destroying the man’s legacy.

There is the lame view that the movement for independence was initiated by the so called UGCC founding members. My simple question is, and so what? Again, fingers are pointed towards the fact that Nkrumah’s plane ticket to return from England to Ghana to serve in the capacity as secretary of UGCC was funded by the UGCC. Yet again, l ask the question, and so what? 

How many times have we not seen so many initiatives started by several persons, yet they fail to achieve their set targets? Since when is it that if you pay your child’s lorry fare to the university, then it means the degree to be awarded should be in your name? What makes the case of UGCC and its founders different? 

Yes, they started a political movement, yet it was the ingenuity of Nkrumah that won us independence. Infact, l dare so that the founders of UGCC did not believe in their capability to attain freedom for the then Gold Coast, for which reason they were hiding behind their “self government within the shortest possible time” mantra.

Nkrumah, full of vision came into the picture, and did what everyone thought was impossible. He took the game to a whole new level. What is the guarantee that UGCC would have won us independence? Even if they did, it would surely not have been the same 6^th March, 1957 Ghana Independence as we have come to know it. So why are we making noise about a possibility, whist we have a result to celebrate?

There are many other ways for individual Ghanaians to climb high, and attain a status more befitting than that of Nkrumah, in the annals of Ghana’s political history. If and when that happens, that person’s glory will be based on merits, not mere propaganda and brain washing. Until then, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah remains Ghana’s most darling boy, and for that matter, the Founder of the nation. 

Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid: 5 Talking Points

Real Madrid has drawn first blood in the UEFA Champions League quarter final encounter against Bayern Munich. A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo crushed Arturo Vidal’s opener. Here are the main talking points from the game played at the Allianz Arena.

Ronaldo resurrects: Cristiano Ronaldo has not scored a Champions League goal since September 2016. To the Los Blancos all-time top scorer, the situation was an unfamiliar territory. However, he has put to bed all questions over his form by notching a brace. Cr7 didn’t just nailed the Germans, he did so in a historic style-by being the first ever player to reach of century of goals European clubs competitions. The legend lives on.

Vidal nullifies himself: Arturo Vidal was at this usual combative best in the encounter. He opened the scoring with a powerful header, only to miss a crucial penalty at the stroke of half time when a poor refereeing decision gave the Bavarians the opportunity to steer clear in the tier.

Bayern’s Spanish nemesis: according to Opta “since lifting the trophy in 2013, Bayer lost 6 of their 21 knockout games in the UCL-5 of them against Spanish opponents”.  All the big three Spanish clubs of enjoyed victory over Bayern in the knock out games of the UCL since 2013. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico and now Real Madrid (again) constantly keep haunting the German giants since Bavarians triumphed over Dortmund in Wembley.

Martinez puts Ancelotti in a tight corner: within a period of 173seconds, Javi Martinez got booked twice, thus receiving his marching orders. The Spanish player’s indiscretion has cost his team dearly and left his coach in a precarious state. Ancelotti’s success at Bayern would definitely be judged based on his progression in the UCL, as his club enjoys monopoly in the Bundesliga. Ancelotti returns to his former club, knowing very well that he has to go all out against a club with devastating counterattacking arsenals.

Zidane in a comfortable lead: the mentee over staged the mentor. The French icon continues to shame his critics. Many thought he was appointed as a Real coach merely on his pedigree as a club legend but not for his managerial prowess. But over one year in the job, Zidane may just be the man to lead a club to retain the UCL for the first time.

If Mental Illness Were Ebola

The recent surges in suicide cases has brought the light unto Ghana’s mental health care system. The embarrassing fact of the matter is that mental illness and suicide have always been with us. The national attention that suicide has received is purely down to the influence of the media. Suicide is not a new thing to Ghana. Mental illness is one that we are all prone to, even the experts in the field-in a little less than two years ago, my lecturer in the discipline of mental health committed suicide.

We are behaving like mental health is a new subject to us. It has been established that one out of every four persons have a mental problem. So the recent media reports of suicide is barely a tip of the iceberg. Mental health is a very broad topic and l can not exhaust all of it one writing-not even in a lifetime.  But one thing that all Ghanaians should be ashamed of is the poor state of mental health in the country. In 2001, the World Health Organisation conceived the slogan: “No Health Without Mental Health”. Therefore, every solid healthcare system is one that has mental health as an integral part. However, the same can not be said of Ghana’s health situation. Mental health is virtually absent. 

In theory, Ghana has a great mental health outlook. Ghana’s Mental Health Act 846 of 2012 was touted as one of the best there is in the world. Unfortunately, our mental health system is only on paper. Five years after the enactment of the Mental Health Act, not a single penny has been released by government towards the funding of the statutory Mental Health Authority. 

How do we expect to build a robust and comprehensive mental health system whilst the motherboard of mental healthcare is living at the mercy of meagre and sporadic donations from NGOs? Are we going to leave the much talked about deinstitutionalisation of mental health care in the pipeline? When will the right and adequate infrastructure of mental health be provided? Who will take serious the issues of severe shortage of human resource in the mental health industry? When will Ministry of Health begin to remunerate mental health staffs accordingly to their expertise? There are a million questions l could ask.

The outbreak of the ebola pandemic in fellow West African nations has shown us how desperate and pragmatic we can get as a country in safeguarding our health. At the mention of ebola, makeshift quarantine centres were raised all over the country. At the mention of ebola, contingency funds were established. At the mention of ebola, special personnel were deployed on standby. At the mention of ebola, stakeholder crisis meetings were being convened all over. At the mention of ebola, stringent security measure were being put in place left, right, centre. 

So what is the crime of mental illness victims? Why cant priority be given to mental health? We need an urgent revision of our priorities before mental disorders prove to us that there is a disease, far more dangerous than the much dreaded ebola.

The Blood In The Veins Of Suicide

It's interesting how suicide cases are being recorded across the world and Ghana has got its perfect place in that record. It's not surprising however, judging from the fact that within a space of two weeks, five of this glorious acts have been committed.

What we do know is, these cases; KNUST student, Legon student, a JHS 2 student in Akyem, a 30-year-old driver in Half-Assini and a young man from Old Tafo in Achimota were all reported cases. What about those that have not been properly documented and reported? They were perhaps hidden under mercy of shame.

Statistics in Ghana have shown that five persons commit this act every other day. It has been projected to shot up in the coming years.

Another interesting fact of these five cases, as we have know to be, is that most are occurring in the segment of education.

It speaks a lot about our educational sector. There is an incredible positive correlation between education and suicide cases in Ghana.

Look, education is a great adventure which anyone who has taken part in, will be very proud of.

However, the acknowledgements must be given to the challenges it poses to the individual traveling it's path.

Before an individual commits suicide, it is believed to have emanated from the psychological spheres of the person. Some individuals have a high vulnerability to stressors and with a little exposure they resort to such acts.

Undoubtedly, education presents most of such stressors to an individual.

Before you get your first degree in Ghana, you might have probably spend about 16 years in the classroom. The University which was introduced to, as it were, develop intellectual capabilities, has suddenly joined the race with the SHS and JHS for the "sitting in classroom all day" mantra.

Students scarcely have time for themselves to relax their minds. Lecture notes are being packed on them and there is little or no space between lecture hours. Students at this level are being treated us primary kids, where they are always preoccupied with stressful activities.

The most suicidal part of all of these is that, students are required to provide, sometimes verbatim, from the packed lecture notes and the limited time under which they are tutored, preventing them from expressing themselves. The moment they hear of Interim Assessment or quiz, there you will see students becoming so tensed up and jittery.

With all these, it becomes apparent that students with high vulnerability to stressors will definitely resort to commiting suicide. Sometimes you can't help but to think that the University managements deliberately do such things; packed lecture hours.

Gone were the days where you go to lectures, at most, four times in a week. Aside that, you have a lot of time within the day to develop your interest in a particular activity which takes much away the boredom and the pressure; igniters of suicide actions.

Mental health now needs to be told in a better context. What's the use if, lectures are being packed on students yet, they are required to give vivid account of all that transpired in such limited times. Meanwhile, such students will probably be taking a course in mental health, which makes them aware of how dangerous stress can be to their lives. It's such devastating!

The issue becomes worse when students themselves do not take delight in social activities.

What do we see, again, this days?

The moment they say Hall week celebration, SRC week celebrations and the likes, you will find students hiding behind the connotation that, "oh I'm a Christian", "ooh my books". University managements are even kicking against such mind relaxing and social activities. Such programs have been inserted into the school's calendar, for a very useful purpose and so it's surprising how these days the attitude towards such events are dwindling.

It's high time we got to realize that such gatherings help minimize, to the extreme, the boredom of persons and we've got to campaign for it as such.

It has become obvious that, most people embarking on this journey of education wouldn't land at the apex of the path taken.

A good example Komla Dumor of blessed memory, who started as a medical student but ending up as one of African greatest journalist.

In his case, he could have easily committed suicide after failing his final examination as a medical student in Nigeria and was withdrawn from the school.

But you know what, life gives more avenues of possibilities than you can think. That's the more reason extra curricular activities should be much encouraged in our schools.

He moved to Ghana, where he studied a totally different course in Business and later to journalism.

It's all about the excitement or better put, the satisfaction you get from what you do. Ones you get satisfied over what you do, suicide will be your last option to think of. Gradually, we will help to eradicate this canker in the environment.

Help campaign against suicide.

Help transform our educational sector.

Help send Ghana to the permanent site.

By: Richard Mawunyo Dartey - University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS-HO)

5 Lessons From The US Election: Including A Very Clear Message To African Youths

Donald John Trump emerged victorious in astonishing style in the 2016 US elections. His victory came at the expense of accomplished politician, former secretary of state and former first lady, Hillary Clinton. Trump is president-elect courtesy the electoral college even though he trailed Hillary in the popular votes. Here is my five takeaways from the results:

Donald trumps over a united enemy: the 2016 American elections was a historic one. All the pollsters and the media as well as the international community were unanimous in their support for Hillary Clinton.  However, Donald Trump pulled a major coup. He defied all the odds and prevailed even though the entire world was against him.

A clear message to African youths: Trump’s stunning victory is an obvious message that Americans have sent to the world: America first. Africa, especially the youth, need to pay particular attention- the days of dependence on the West is over. The young generation of Africa have the huge task of banishing the negative image bestowed upon us, and turning the fortunes of the continent around. In order to harness the limitless potentials of Africa, a systemic changed is needed. Students’ leaders and students have a unique role to play in shaping the new Africa. These crop of up and coming leaders have to do away with the routine mismanagement of resources and affairs, which is mainly brought about by rapacity. We can reach the point where our students do not have to run abroad for masters, PhDs and greener pastures. Through hardwork and diligence, the world will respect Africa.

Systems matter: the electoral college system of democracy in America denied Hillary Clinton her chance to be president even though majority of the citizens casted their ballots for the former secretary of state. The system favoured Donald Trump who had the required number of electoral votes to win, making redundant the over half a million more votes that Hillary Clinton accrued in the popular votes.

Missed prophecy: many are the accurate predictions Prophet TB Joshua prophesied in the past. But a single miss was carried on the airwaves as if that was his final examination. The popular preacher came in for enormous criticisms on both social media and mainstream media. The situation was dire that even colleague preachers did not spare the Nigerian pastor.

Africa the biggest loser: president-elect Donald Trump and his enmity towards Africa is no secret. In the book of the property tycoon, Africa is the bedrock of gargantuan corruption, laziness, thuggery and purposelessness. It is very unlikely that the Trump will change is his long held disparaging perception on Africa. As such, Africa is should gear up for some unfriendly relationship with the United States throughout Trump’s tenure as president.  

Mawunyo Writes: State of discombobulation- Ghana's case

Welcome to Ghana, a country where the peace and the stability is being taken for granted. A country where wrongs are being turned into a civil right. A country where the spirit of truth is far from fetch. A country, as we have come to believe, where the citizens are unconcerned.

Come to think of it, why will a hugely resourced country like ours be dependent on under-resourced countries for financial aid? Gold, timber and bauxite, just to mention few are the resources that this country can boast of. So "I can't think madness" when everyday, we have to be worrying ourselves to understand why we go to borrow. If you tell me you do not care about this, then you have been coffered on with political glaucoma.

Walk the streets of Accra during the day. You will find a number of street lights beaming at your face. Watch carefully beside the Highways, alas, a stream of pipe born water, flowing freely. So you think you don't care about all this? You must be from another world to think so.

Come down to our public universities. Each day, government and university authorities have the displeasure to talk about which of them must foot the utility bills. The first time I heard this, I wondered what the country is being turned into. We have failed as a society, to regulate the usage of this utilities yet we are quick to push the burden on someone else. Can you imagine how judiciously these resources can be managed, should the students be required to pay for their own utilities bills?

We have been practising same methods over and over yet expecting to get a different result. What a world! Thomas Edison, who also played a major role in the invention of electric bulb, once said, he had tried to invent electric bulb using 999 ways but failed. When asked why, he simply said, that gave  him 999 ways of not producing electric bulbs, hence he must try a new method.

Wait, before I digress into other issues, the decision now rests on us individuals to think positively about this country. Imagine how this country will be if we all play responsible roles and take responsibility for our actions. Just extend your little concern to your neighbor next door. You think he or she doesn't need that advice of yours? If he or she tries to ignore you, however, let him or her know that his or her right ends at the doorsteps of someone. In fact, explain to him to understand. We are very careless of our actions in this country. 

Can you imagine someone turning on the fun in his bed room, yet sitting in the hall watching television. While watching the television, he is seen busily reading newspaper with his radio loudly on. This is a complete mismanagement of resources.

We cannot live in a society where one does what pleases him. We must regulate and be regulated. The laws are there but are not being enforced. You think it needs only a competent court of jurisdiction to do the enforcement? No! You can also enforce it. This is done by serving as a watchdog over your neighbour, correct him while he goes wrong. And be ready yourself, to accept corrections.

Interestingly our grandparents never had statutory laws, yet they were able to fairly regulate their available resources. One would say probably because they added some elements of spiritualism. It worked so perfectly that the mother of principle and procedural believes, science, could not explain. The argument is, the dark days are over so those things cannot apply. Yes, we cannot go back to those days but we can manage our behaviours. And only this, can give us the freedom that we want as a country.

The writer of this article is Richard Mawunyo Dartey, a student of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho.

Barcelona v Manchester City: Key Talking Points

credit: getty

Pep Guardiola had a night to forget on his second return to the Camp Nou. A clinical Lionel Messi hat trick put the citizens to the sword and maintained Barca’s 100% record in Europe’s premier competition. Here are the five key points in my post match commentary:

Man City at the Messi of Barca: Leo was at his quintessential best during City’s visit. The Barcelona legend scored his 37^th career hat trick and his team’s first three goals of the night. He also won a penalty-which Neymar missed- and assisted the Brazilian’s goal a few minutes later. Even though the Catalans were not at their imperious best, the diminutive Argentine took matters into his own hands: City fans will be grateful that he elected against taking the spot kick.  

Unrepentant Guardiola punished: the tactician opted for philosophy over effectiveness which saw him pick Kevin De Bruyne over Sergio Aguero to lead the line of the Blues attack. It was a ruse purposefully aimed at dominating ball possession. To the contrary, Barca were more interested in what will earn them the three points instead of a ceremonious display.

Bravo’s petulance: the Chilean is one of the very experienced champions between the sticks, and for a goalie of his standing, his decision to handle the ball outside his area could best be described as cantankerous. It is more so confusing when one gets to know that Bravo knew that his action could only lead to one thing-a sending off.

Greater Barcelona squad depth: both Alba and Pique were taken off early in the encounter due to injuries, but Barca did not have to worry much as there were Lucas Digne and Jeremy Mathieu as substitutes. Bearing in mind that Sergio Roberta, the first choice Barca right back was also on the treatment table, a victory and clean sheet (which was partly down to the efforts of Ter Stegen) is a very good sign. More importantly, Luis Enrique will not be saddled with the same problems he faced in the previous season, where his players were fatigued at the business end of the season. 

Liverpool-Manchester United: 5 Talking Points

The eagerly anticipated match ended in a stalemate in an encounter that was nicknamed #RedMonday. Here are the 5 impressions the game left on me

1. United frustrate Liverpool: at the end of the game, Liverpool only had 9 attempts, something which is incongruous to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Indeed the 2 shots by Liverpool in the first half was the club’s lowest in a home game in over a decade. All these were due to the solid defensive set up by Mourinho to limit the strengths of Liverpool
2. Referee comes through unscathed: the media was all over the FA for appointing Anthony Taylor to officiate this game, looking at his Manchester roots. However, the ref was able to perform creditably under huge pressure. Even though the Old Trafford faithfuls would feel aggrieved by certain penalisation of their players, the official’s performance was certainly devoid of any controversies.
3. Under par Pogba and Ibrahimovic: the Red Devil’s two big stars were expected to come to the party, however, things didn’t go exactly as they would have loved. Pogba was largely anonymous in the game, even in his prefer role as an attacking midfielder. Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic contrived to miss United’s best opening of the game: worked by Pogba.
4. Imperious Herrera: Ander Herrera was in a superb form on Monday evening. The Spaniard was all over the pitch with a high intensity performance. You can call him the Kante of last season. His efforts- including a season high interceptions of 11, according to opta- were rewarded with a befitting man of the match award.
5. Sturridge subdued as De Gea steals show: the Liverpool marksman could not get a shot on target during an hour of play, which eventually led to his substitution. In real fact, the former Chelsea man had only one touch in the opposition’s box. To the contrary the man Sturridge was expected to keep busy, De Gea was on top of his game with two fine saves, first a low dive to his right to deny Can and a fantastic right handed stop to deny Coutinho a wonder-winning-goal.