August 2019

By Isaac Ato MENSAHAccra – 28 August, 2019 Professor Ransford Gyampo’s article with the title “African elections thrive on fame and popularity” published on ghanaweb.com on 26 August, 2019 is not airtight. In a society where according to Ghana’s Ministry of Education, the average publication per lecturer per year is 0.5 or one publication every two years, any publication by a faculty member is welcome and should be carefully appraised. We must read them keenly since some of the students, ( – if they read!), that employers will hire would have been influenced by such perspectives and precepts. Let us examine the thinking behind theRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 26 August, 2019 Arnold Boateng resigned last week from the board of Ghana’s National Youth Authority, with a curiously worded letter. He alleged wrongdoing and yet refused to disclose details on grounds of an “oath of secrecy”. “It all beggars belief,” my mentor concluded in exasperation. “An oath of secrecy does not cover wrongdoing or illegality.” To those who might want to debate what an oath of secrecy is not: Will you accept that Bank of Ghana officials refuse to disclose to a judge details of the banking scandal because they swore an oath of secrecy? The position ofRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 22 August, 2019 Senyo Hosi, Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors is the latest to criticize the poor state of education in Ghana. A video of his comments has gone viral. Prof. Peter Quartey, also an alumus, in his response to Hosi’s scathing criticism said that they the lecturers do “think” but “the students do not read”. Interestingly, Prof. Ransford Gyampo, a UG lecturer, who has been relentless in advocating academic freedom has responded to Hosi, telling him in a write-up, “I wasn’t there else I would have stopped you, trust me,” and suggesting furtherRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 19 August, 2019 Last weekend Ga Mashie celebrated the Homowo (Hɔmɔwɔ) – the festival for hooting at hunger. On Saturday, Nuumo Blafo, the priest of the Blafo deity of Asere (Asɛrɛ) in Ga Mashie invited his friends to celebrate with him at the Asere ancestral home in Ga Mashie close to Usher Fort, Accra. The home has been in existence for over 300 years. Blafo is a deity the Asere took from the Akwamu in a compromise deal. The Ga gave it to Nii Oto, Otublohum Mantse to assist him during a war. The Otublohum people are the AkwamuRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 14 August, 2019 Last weekend at the 2nd Eastern Regional Ghana Journalists Association awards, the Okyenhene charged journalists to “speak truth to power”. We have in the recent past quoted DM Ofori-Atta, his spokesperson in the “Atewa Range Forest Reserve” article, “Okyenhene ɔse ɔnkasa biom,” meaning, “The Okyenhene says he won’t speak about the Atewa bauxite matter again”. But his message in Koforidua was clear and powerful: journalists should speak truth to power! What is he to do again when he has cautioned forcefully and tactfully against mining bauxite in a natural, protected, internationally recognized, West African Rainforest withRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Takoradi – 12 August, 2019 The recent death of Toni Morrison, 88, the revered African-American novelist and Nobel Prize winner has motivated us to revisit the debate about qualification for a teaching position in Ghana’s universities. This August, as a new semester begins, many lecturers are losing their positions because they are a “skirt and blouse”. As per the policy of our National Accreditation Board (NAB), “Skirt and Blouse” simply means your bachelor’s and Masters and or PhD are in different disciplines. And by NAB standards, you cannot teach undergrad students in your PhD field because that is not what youRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Takoradi – 9 August, 2019 The recent ill-advised comments by prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi have enraged the whole nation. But sadly stereotyping is not at all uncommon in Ghana. Many people place strange labels on Ashantis, Fantes, Ewes, “Northerners”, “Southerners”, soldiers, policemen or Whites; they make sweeping conclusions without any basis. What Ghanaians should learn from today is what my mentor has always said: “Academia and practice can never be divorced from each other”. Next time you declare something sweeping or even particular about say teenagers, give your audience “a reference point…..a chapter and verse” as my mentor has always insisted.Read More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 7 August, 2019 The Ministry of Education of Ghana (MOE) is hosting an education week from 6 to 9 August at La-Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra. “No one can fool us; nothing good is going to happen to education in Ghana” are the true words from my mentor. The so-called development partners including USAID who are supporting the government of Ghana deliver its education policies are certainly clear that no one can fool them either. Does anyone expect frank discussions about Ghana’s education – and with what consequence? Does anyone remember the injustice meted out to the Nigerian ProfessorRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH/Augustine WILLIAMS-MENSAH Accra – 5 August, 2019 At this time of the year, many organizations undertake half year reviews (H1), and so let us today reflect on the theme of death. What has death got to do with half year reviews? Well, in practical terms, some people will get fired for poor performance; there will be job losses; and others will decide to move on. In this sense, death has a symbolic meaning beyond the literal which many fear. But to the just and faithful, death has no terrors equal to the stain of falsehood and dishonour. Therefore, if you have toRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 2 August, 2019 Jon Benjamin (JB), a former British diplomat to Ghana, has given a Twitter mention of Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, who has served as Queen Elizabeth II’s equerry since 2017 – and social media has gone gaga. But the tweet only confirms that on the subject of Ghana, JB dabbles in trivia as his path to relevance. No doubt, JB is quite popular among social media fans; he was also quite vocal when he served the Queen in Ghana. An analysis of his Twitter handle reveals these facts – JB has the flag of Ghana associated withRead More →