Isaac Ato Mensah (Page 10)

By Isaac Ato Mensah Accra – 4 October, 2019 I honoured an invitation to the Teshie police station Thursday evening and arrived there in the company of a friend. A police officer admitted that he had read some “favourable” police articles on this blog; our mission statement, “…..a moral and intellectual guide…….” was also praised with enthusiasm. Then the discussions reached a crescendo. Officer X offered that from now on, peer-reviewed articles from police officers and other security experts on “security, peace and development” should appear on this blog so that we shall together with the police raise the level of public discourse. “But theRead More →

By Isaac Ato MensahAccra – 2 October, 2019 The Tuesday meeting was rescheduled first at the behest of the police and second at my behest; a new date is still pending. When I was leaving the police station at about 530am after my “arrest” and detention for querying why police will flash a torchlight into my face, the CID officer warned me that he could “not guarantee your safety in front of the gate because armed robbers attack people there!” The Teshie police station is a few meters away from Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre; Military Academy and Training School; and Teshie Military camp.Read More →

By Isaac Ato Mensah Accra – 1 October, 2019 I spent the night of 29 September in a police cell at Teshie; I am now on self recognizance bail and have been ordered to report back on 1 October at 12 noon. What led me there was a personal choice; I have not broken any law. For 20 odd years I have always questioned the police for flashing lights into my eyes and the eyes of other commuters during night traffic duties. And I will continue to do so regardless of whatever they say. And so it happened that on the Teshie Bush Road inRead More →

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 →