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By Isaac Ato Mensah in Accra, Ghana & F.KN. Olympio, Dr. phil. in Trier, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany 26 April, 2020 Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko’s write-up “IS LOCKDOWN THE ONLY SCIENCE-DRIVEN OPTION FOR GHANA?” is typical influencer stuff. It was all anecdotal stuff, wild speculations and dodgy logic from a campaign strategist who was trying to justify POTROG’s 7th Coronavirus address during which the lockdown of Accra, Kumasi and Kasoa was relaxed. Gabby introduced social science into the debate, suggesting that the scientists have no knowledge of social science, or rather that their worldview is so limited that it does not include bread and butter issues. Hear Gabby:Read More →

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By Isaac Ato Mensah/Ekow Arthur-Aidoo Accra – 22 April, 2020 Our article titled “Paul Adom-Otchere: the representational agency of a failed state” has generated much interest, and calls for a sequel. The key concerns include1) is ghana really a failed state?; 2) why focus on Paul and go easy on Zanetor?; and 3) that since that controversial Good Evening Ghana programme (GEG) wounds from the Rawlings era atrocities have been opened. Let us examine these concerns based solely on principles with no malice whatsoever towards any personality. First, we have published numerous articles on this blog with facts, evidence and reason to buttress the pointRead More →

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By Isaac Ato Mensah/ Ekow Arthur-Aidoo Accra – 20 April, 2020 Paul Adom-Otchere’s attack on Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings MP, aired on Good Evening Ghana on April 16 2020 has put him in the social media crucible. We, however, argue for broader institutional reforms which will situate Adom-Otchere’s type where it rightly belongs. His latest “stop misbehaving” commentary – against the Klottey-Korle MP itself shows the pettiness of our journalism, politics, governance and public discourse. Whilst Adom-Otchere was wrong in saying that the MP should have first consulted the gender and social protection minister before issuing her press release, the MP also inappropriately chose to exclusivelyRead More →

On:

By F.K.N. Olympio Trier, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany – 15 April 2020. The consequences of loss of control – blame game here, conspiracy theories there. The novel corona virus originated from Wuhan in the Chinese province of Hubei – that is fact. The Chinese government downplayed early reports of infections including an unusual pneumonia accompanied by fever, headache, and dry, strenuous, repeated coughs without mucus. That is also a fact. The first reported death due to covid 19 also called Sars-Cov-2 by its scientific name occurred on the 11 of Jan. 2020. That is also widely known. That the Chinese first notified the World Health Organisation byRead More →

On:

By Isaac Ato Mensah Accra – 4 April, 2020 COVID-19 has seared itself into our consciousness; sadly people are dying and more people are going to die – we should all know that by now. But the moral imperative to THINK and ACT soundly still appears totally lost on our leaders and public officials. Listen to the airwaves: 1) a USD10.1mn tax break for Zipline drones; 2) opening the Bank Hospital for VIPs and retracting after a public outcry; 3) not providing PPE for Korlebu staff; 4) the new ambulances have mobile ventilators; 5) use of chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine without any reference to the science or data;Read More →

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By Isaac Ato Mensah Accra – 1 April, 2020 From Homer’s Iliad through the Christian Bible, other sacred writings, and in many other faiths and cultures, we are assured that there is always divine intervention. Otherwise why bother to pray? The moral order always enjoined man to do the right thing. His actions must meet the salvific plan of the gods. Today, governments around the world are spending trillions they once made us believe they never had. As my mentor has observed: “Our governments simply did not have the right priorities and they must not be allowed to get away with that again”. Let usRead More →

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By Isaac Ato Mensah Accra – 30 March 2020 The only time I met Oko Dagadu, the veteran broadcaster, was an uplifting moment for minority languages anywhere in the world. The details. One early Homowo season in 2017, Alhaji Ahmed Salim Sowah, my preferred aide de camp at Radio Latenu 96.1MhZ accompanied me to North Ridge, Accra. We entered the home of Amatei Akuete, president of Ga Adangbe Council who succeeded the venerable KB Asante. The Ga Adangbe Council was founded as an independent think tank to promote Ga language and culture. Inside the house we also met Oko Dagadu, the legendary Ga language broadcaster/producerRead More →

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By Isaac Ato Mensah Accra – 26 March, 2020 History tells us that during the 1948 riots, colonial subjects directed protesters away from disrupting a polo match between Europeans and Africans. A group of our forebears were retreating from the Christiansborg Cross Roads demonstration where three ex servicemen had been shot, and this group angry at the colonialists got to the Old Polo Grounds opposite the Supreme Court building. There, Africans prevented their fellow subjects from disrupting the polo match. Were our educated forebears selfish, weak or brainwashed? No, they were educated, enlightened and principled. As a matter of fact, the Gold Coast intelligentsia, politicalRead More →

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By Isaac Ato Mensah Accra – 26 February, 2020 At the 70th anniversary lecture of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in November, Dr. Kweku Rockson, a former Rector of Ghana Institute of Journalism was given advance notice as speaker to define who a journalist is. Unfortunately, he dodged the question. But the reality is that just as the GJA was seeking clarity from an academic who obfuscated, undergraduate mass communication students in Ghana will always corner lecturers, and ask where to specialise. On Monday, Ms X, sitting alone in a classroom cornered me about whether she will be on the right path if she chooses Journalism.Read More →

On:

By Isaac Ato Mensah Accra – 12 February, 2020 Ken Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s finance minister’s strategy of external borrowing while using the GDP as a yardstick of debt sustainability is problematic. This month USD3bn has been added to our sovereign debt; and in March he plans to borrow another USD750million. Often we hear henchmen say: “Keep quiet and let’s listen to expert opinion; Do you know more than Ken?”; his educational credentials are used as a basis to deflect critics. Last week when Frank Laporte, the World Bank Country Director visited the Speaker of Parliament, he reportedly told the Speaker that Ghana’s debt status is atRead More →