September 2019

By Isaac Ato MensahAccra – 27 September, 2019 The development of an academic course for Online Journalism (OJ) in Ghana has been fraught with serious problems. At the School of Information and Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, which is the foremost graduate level mass communication school in Ghana, the course is not taught. Some private universities are fast developing and teaching OJ. Interestingly, whilst UG has not started the course for whatever reason, GIJ that it mentors teaches a course with very similar content at the masters level under the brand name “Multimedia Journalism”. Some educational administrators of an undergraduate OJ course have complainedRead More →

Accra – 25 September, 2019 Mustapha Diyaol Haqq, a young Ghanaian app developer was among 40 students who received scholarships to study at BlueCrest College (BCC), Accra. We reproduce below Mustapha’s response at the scholarship awards ceremony held on 30th August 2019 at the BCC auditorium. The Chairperson, Honourable members of the high table, members of staff present, invited guests, fellow students, ladies and gentlemen. Good afternoon to you all. I am extremely humbled to be a recipient of this special award. I am grateful to the Scholarship team of BlueCrest College for giving me this opportunity to further my education in this noble institution.Read More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 23 September, 2019 The recent speech by Otumfuor Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, at the UN General Assembly’s High Level Forum on Peace, has generated controversy. Now let us begin with some facts that will help contextualize the issues in contention. The Otumfuor means literally the owner or source of power. He has another title, Busumuru, “He who is like a deity”. Interestingly, Ghana’s Chieftaincy Act 1971, section 41 specifically mentions “the Asantehene and Paramount Chiefs”; Divisional Chiefs; Sub-divisional Chiefs; Adikrofo [plural]; and such other Chiefs not falling within any of the preceding categories,” as types of chiefs. TheRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 20 September, 2019 The Aljazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein has just spent his 1000th day in prison. His arrest by Egyptian authorities is widely linked to reporting news about the former Egyptian leader and the Muslim Brotherhood – a body that has been classified by the present administration as a terrorist organization. Initial charges of “incitement against state institutions and broadcasting false news with the aim of spreading chaos” were dropped. On the occasion of the 1000th day of his detention, aljazeera.com gave the following update:“In May, an Egyptian court rejected an order by the state prosecutor to release himRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 16 September, 2019 There are newspaper articles that my mentor will classify thus: “Fit only for living room chatter; public discourse demands more intellectual rigour”. Elizabeth Ohene – the veteran jouurnalist, writing in the Daily Graphic on 11 September, expressed dismay that Ghanaians expect people who are moving up the social ladder and political appointees to dress “grand” and “look the part”; she equated it with profligate spending and hence immorality. There is nothing wrong with being expected to “look the part”. There is absolutely no logic that can link looking the part with “expensive” dressing or grooming whichRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 11 September, 2019 Augustine Addo, Director of Member Services of Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana, granted a very shocking interview to Citi 97.3FM on Eye Witness News on the evening of 6 September. Questioned about the four audit firms the ICAG has fined for poor audits in the banking scandal matter, Addo said that the audit firms that were fined and the individuals who work for them are very competent, and therefore people should “have faith in them”. He stated: “They’ve handled about 100 files in a year and if these small infractions are detected we should withdraw theirRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 9 September, 2019 Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, MP, aka NAPO – Ghana’s Minister for Education (MOE) has written a letter with reference number SCR/DA 198/470/01 and subject “Reports of tension on the campus of KNUST” dated 5th September, 2019. It is addressed thus; The Chairman University Council Kumasi There is no salutation, and no courteous signing off. Please, surely the Minister at MOE(!) must be careful not to negate the serious work being done by our overstretched and poorly appreciated teachers in instructing their legion of (?double track) students on how to structure a formal letter properly. The devilRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 6 September, 2019 The Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG) has released a report on their probe into the Ghana Banking Scandal – after one full year! So yet again, true to form – as happens in ghana every week, at least one high public official or institution does or says something that raises more questions than provides answers; this time it is the ICAG…..and a few others. The ICAG report details “errors” committed by auditing firms – not individual auditors – against International Accounting Standards (IAS) and recommends punishment in the form of huge monetary fines, but onlyRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH 5 September, 2019. BlueCrest University College has opened up to community participation its online radio that was initially restricted only to student practice. At the same time Ms. Sreemoyee Thapa Dasgupta, the Head of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, has announced Isaac Ato Mensah as the new Station Manager. “We are henceforth forming a BlueCrest Radio Club,” stated Dr Anand Agrawal, Rector of BlueCrest College at a meeting last Thursday called to discuss the new direction for BCC Radio. “We are inviting the general public to join and the club will be modelled on the best university clubs anywhereRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 2 September, 2019. The directive by Ambrose Dery, Ghana’s interior minister, that traffic police should carry arms is dangerous. It’s only value is to boost police morale. But it could also easily be the beginning of many more gun battles in an indisciplined nation with millions of unlicensed light weapons and porous borders. Yet again, our underachieving politicians have resorted to knee-jerk reactions aided by woefully ill-prepared special assistants who cannot dare disagree with their bosses on the basis of facts, evidence and reason. “The police will be provided with bulletproof equipment, vests and helmets to enable the policeRead More →