May 2019

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 31 May, 2019 GIMPA – Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration in the recent past has been touted a lot in Ghanaian circles. But those who have seen better days and much wider life exposure have always been much more restrained and circumspect in their acclaim. On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, during the African Curriculum Association conference at GIMPA, Accra, I decided to put some of GIMPA’s much publicised credentials to the test. Within the main conference venue (GIMPA Executive Conference Centre or GECC), I could not get food to buy at midday because the food was forRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 29 May, 2019 POTROG’s decision to direct the Ghana Black Stars’ manager to recall goal scorer Asamoah Gyan back into the national team is ill-advised and shows a nation in a tailspin. POTROG as an attorney must surely know that you cannot place something on nothing; things must be done properly in accordance with the rules and appropriate protocols. When his attorney-general advised him to dissolve the Ghana Football Association (GFA) he went ahead until FIFA stopped him. Now the nation is embarrassed and saddled with a confused Normalization Committee! Even if we win the Africa Cup and theRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 27 May, 2019 Eric Kwakye Darfour, Ghana’s Eastern Regional Minister (RM) has let the country and himself down badly. In the current electricity bill troubles in the Odumase Krobo area, he has deliberately engaged in ethnic stereotyping. It is dangerous and completely unnecessary. We shall not repeat his words here. The incompetent Adom FM journalists or media team who interviewed him also did not ask him to refrain from using his inflammatory words. (You may please search the Twi audio story filed on 23 May, 2019 by Adomonline.com/dorcas abedu-kennedy). Then an equally incompetent Daily Guide yet again uses thoseRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 24 May, 2019 It is with heavy emotions that we heard of conclusion of investigations into the Ghana Banking scandal and the start of formal prosecutions. “People who are supposed to be jailed should be jailed,” said a work colleague as we discussed those allegedly involved, monies lost and shared experiences. It is sad that some of the persons to be prosecuted have at the same time lost monies as shareholders and directors. Many employees have done their owners and directors in by non-adherence to integrity rules. The Daily Graphic newspaper of Accra reports in its 23 May, 2019Read More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH/Joan AGYEKUM-NSOWAH Accra – 20 May, 2019 “Bhim” and “Paahpaah” started as ad libs; they mean nothing except that they fetch money and fame for Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale respectively. The two musicians who both take inspiration from Reggae and Jamaican culture have themed their messages to identify with the struggles of the youth. Even though reggae became more prominent after Ghana’s independence, its core message emphasizes struggles against oppression, initially against White colonialists and then against fellow Black politriKcians, who deposed White oppressors only to perpetuate similar tactics. That knowledge – or rather consciousness – which does not require much formalRead More →

By Isaac Ato Mensah Accra – 17 May, 2019 On Wednesday, Mrs Rebecca Okaikor Akufo-Addo, Ghana’s First Lady, cut a tape to commission a modern Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PICU and NICU) for Korlebu Teaching Hospital. The centre will also take care of Highly Dependent Children. The Ga representation in terms of royals, political appointees, the First Lady herself, and display of culture was clear and excellent, except that my friend Jerry Adjorlolo, the MC, who is Ga-Adangbe, struggled to pronounce Naa Akuyea, a royal’s name. The Ga inflexion is unique in its complexity. A sketch led by a teenage girl from aRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 15 May, 2019 The open air brand new underwear traders in Tudu, Accra often engage in loud risqué banter and sexual innuendo; it is their stock in trade, literally. On Monday, I found myself under a lady’s umbrella as the rains poured down on Accra. Conversations got very personal and it became necessary to announce my journalistic credentials. Still she did not mind giving personal details except that once in a while she asked, “Are you Anas?”. Anas has become a pseudonym in Ghana for undercover journalism. She soon confirmed my details through a bank transaction I made, andRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 13 May, 2019 Tertiary institutions in Ghana are being lobbied by National Accreditation Board and National Council for Tertiary Education to agree to a centralized admissions system. Dr Kingsley Nyarko, Executive Secretary of National Accreditation Board, read a speech on behalf of the Minister of Education which announced the proposed policy. We reproduce below the main body of the speech. SPEECH BY DR MATTHEW OPOKU PREMPEH, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR MANHYIA SOUTH DELIVERED TO THE JOINT FIFTH MATRICULATION AND FIRST CONGREGATION OF ANGLICAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY AT THE NKORANZA CAMPUS IN NKORANZA ON 11THRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 10 May, 2019 On 25 April, the Law Faculty of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) celebrated its 15th anniversary. We say ayekoo to Professor Lydia Nkansah, Head of Faculty, all lectures and students. The theme you have chosen for your anniversary could not have been more appropriate; Law, Science and Technology in the 21st Century. Many of us remember the earlier public commentary about why KNUST will not concentrate on its supposedly core function of training technocrats in science and technology, and leave the study of Law to other institutions. After 15 years, I am impressedRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 8 May, 2019 Exam week is here. In reality, it goes beyond one week. A discussion on metacognition will prove that worries about exam week are inconsequential. At the tertiary level where the exam questions are set and marked internally, during the last two lectures before revision week, many lecturers usually give broad hints as to the topic areas on which the questions were set. So even though we are in exam mode, let us place less emphasis on the exam and think about thinking, learn about learning, and become aware about awareness. Such a contemplation, called metacognition, meaningRead More →