Welcome, to the Volta Barracks, Ghana
The Home of the Ancient Order of Field Artillerists
We are proud members of the Historical Brotherhood of
Stone hurlers, Archers, Catapulters, Rocketeers
Now referred to as GUNNERS.
With these impressive, valiant and proud words, the visitor is welcomed to the Volta Barracks, Ho, in the Volta Region. This is the home of the 66 Artillery Regiment of the Ghana Army. The unit came into existence on February 16, 1966 to enhance the fire power of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and was called the Medium Mortar Regiment (MMR), under the command of Captain Ekow Jones.
On June 3, 2003, the unit was upgraded with more artillery weapons, including the 107mm RL, the 122mm Howitzer and the 122mm MRLS and its name changed to the 66 Artillery Regiment. Like any other unit of the GAF, the 66 Artillery Regiment has, as its mission, to protect and defend the territorial sovereignty and integrity of the Motherland.
The unit no doubt, is one of the elite units in the GAF and had and continues to have some of the finest officers and brave men in uniform this country ever produced who have a distinguished record of achievements at both national and international levels.
Officers and men of the 66 Artillery Regiment have left an impressive mark on their peacekeeping operations throughout the world. It will be an arduous task trying to mention names, since there will be that natural tendency of leaving out some important ones.
However, as an illustration, one can, without any fear of diluting the menu, mention Lt General Seth Kofi Obeng, the immediate past Chief of the Defence Staff of the GAF, who, as a Gunner, was one time the Commanding Officer of the then MMR.
The presence of detachments of the unit is always conspicuous at ceremonial parades at the Independence Square in Accra and their home base in Ho, with their heavy guns and, lately, the multiple missile launchers.
Whoever chose the location of the Volta Barracks in Ho has a good taste for scenic beauty. Straddling between Ho-Dome and Takla, which shares boundaries with Hodzo and Kpenoe, the barracks is perched on a hill overlooking the town below.
The first-time visitor cannot but admire the neatly-mowed green lawns which welcome him to the home of the Gunners as he/she enters the wide gates of the entrance to the barracks. Many can only imagine seeing cannons and metal devices designed to kill in a military establishment such as the Volta Barracks. Far from that! Unless you are told, on a normal day you may mistake the barracks for a sanatorium where the sick come to convalesce for its greenery, freshness, neatness and quietness.
The officers and men of the 66 Artillery Regiment have historically maintained a kind of umbilical relationship with the inhabitants of Ho in particular and the Volta Region in general. As the only military establishment in the region with such a huge reputation, the people of the Volta Region have accepted the soldiers as part of them and the soldiers who set foot there hardly think of any other place as home. Ask Lt Col Ekow Jones, the first Commanding Officer of the unit, who virtually became a citizen of Ho.
This natural bond has been strengthened by social activities such as clean-up campaigns and blood donations embarked upon periodically by the soldiers. The Supreme Cannons, which is the resident band of the unit, is always available to satisfy the entertainment needs of the community.
That is not to say there have been no misunderstandings. There were times when revolutionary zeal took the better part of the soldiers who became too harsh on law breakers, especially during the so-called revolutionary era.
Troops from the unit were quick to respond to emergency situations such as the escalation of violence in volatile land disputes between the people of Tsito/Peki and Alavanyo/Nkonya.
The 66 Artillery Regiment is a unit any military establishment will be proud of and the Volta Barracks, the home of the Gunners, should be an attraction to all. Unfortunately, the journey to the barracks can be nightmarish.
I do not know whether it is deliberate to remind the soldiers and members of the public that military work is not a smooth one and, therefore, driving on a well-paved road to the barracks is itself a luxury that should not be encouraged.
I would have settled for this argument if all roads leading to the country’s other military establishments share common features with that of the Volta Barracks. It is a short distance that cannot be more than two kilometres, starting from the Ho-Dome Roundabout.
The road to the Volta Barracks, which houses one of the country’s most powerful military units, cannot be better than a farm road used mostly by tractors which do not deserve a well-tarred road. Nobody driving on that road will have an inkling of the fact that he/she is heading towards a military installation which holds strategic importance to the security of the state. It could be just another miserable road leading to nowhere.
The deep potholes give the impression of a road that has come under a barrage of mortar fire. Heaps of sand and chippings that gave hope that the road was going to be constructed have themselves become obstacles that must be surmounted before grabbing a fair share of the mumbo-jumbo road. This cannot be a question of a lack of funds.
A well-constructed two-kilometre road from the Ho-Dome Roundabout to the Volta Barracks should not be too much for the sovereign state of Ghana which derives pride from it military. For now, the GUNNERS have been neglected and treated with scorn, thereby diminishing their national importance.
The poor nature of the Volta Barracks road is just the story of Ho, the regional capital. I have heard the Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Dzamesi, praising Ho town roads at every opportunity. Well, someone may say something is better than nothing. But for a regional capital, Ho lacks roads. A short stretch of road from the Ho-Dome Roundabout to the Ahoe-Heve Roundabout, which is less than a kilometre, has taken more than three years to construct, without any sign of completion.
Other regional capitals have asphalted dual carriageways. If Ho cannot get asphalt, why not the good old bitumen on its roads? A good road can never be hidden. It will be there for everyone to see and every motorist to drive on. Ho has the potential of becoming a beautiful town that can attract investors and ordinary visitors if only those who have the power will show a little more interest in its development.
There are a lot of roads earmarked for construction, which, when done, can raise the status of the town and encourage more people to invest in it in particular and the municipality in general. A beautiful hotel called Executive Gardens, which had the potential to promote tourism and commercial activity in Ho, has virtually collapsed because those who matter do not see the need to improve the Ho-Adaklu Road and thus open up the hotel to visitors.
Ho has a naturally endowed beautiful landscape and a hospitable people who sometimes accept their fate rather too quietly. Sometimes, out of desperation, the people of the town wonder aloud whether they are part of this progressive nation called Ghana.
The Volta Barracks is actually part of Ho, the Volta Regional capital, and its fate cannot be detached from that of the town. It is, therefore, not out of order to say that the Volta Barracks is suffering from a disease called NEGLECT that has afflicted its mother.
To the officers and men of the 66 Artillery Regiment, good road or no good road, I know they will continue to live by their proud motto: “Once a GUNNER, Always a GUNNER”, and their battle cry: “Where there is ARTILLERY, there is GLORY”.
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Too soon , too late
May 20, 2008
By Kofi Akordor
There was the story of a man who threatened divorce. The woman went down on her knees and family members and friends intervened. Eventually the disenchanted man gave in and husband and wife shared a common marital bed again. A few days into a reunited alliance, the wife, without warning, deserted camp and left a bewildered husband not only lonely but heavily humiliated. The man regretted ever changing his mind. He was now the person at the receiving end.
Ghana has found itself in a similar unpleasant situation today. In February this year, we had a good opportunity to dispense with the services of Claude Le Roy, the Frenchman who was coach of the Black Stars, for non-performance. The coach was to win gold at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament hosted by Ghana and qualify the Black Stars for the 2010 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa. “Host and Win” was the battle cry and that spelt out in clear terms the working agenda for the coach.
We ended up with bronze, which does not matter, seriously speaking, in such competitions. Gold and bronze are never the same. But confused about what SUCCESS is and what constitutes FAILURE to serious-minded people, we thought hosting a tournament and settling for bronze in a year when we were observing our 51st anniversary as an independent nation was an achievement.
Contrary to overwhelming public opinion, which heavily tilted against retaining the services of the Frenchman, a few but powerful people who hold the fate of football administration in the country, buoyed by the support of some people who still do not know the difference between freedom and slavery, decided otherwise. Just as we are about to celebrate the act of serving more the interest of the Frenchman than that of the Black Stars, the man has abandoned us in total disgrace.
Reasons for the coach’s decision have been described as ‘personal’, which is common in diplomatic circles. Snippets of information filtering through the grapevine point to differences over new service conditions and technical matters. The man wants a better salary and complained about the absence of Sellas Tetteh, the Ghanaian former assistant national coach, and Renard Herve, the physical trainer.
If Le Roy is a world renowned coach (as some still ignorantly think he is), why should he worry about a black man who is his assistant being put on another assignment? Is it an admission of the fact that Sellas Tetteh was the man who was doing the hatchet work while he (the coach) took the glory? Is he afraid of exposure as we saw during the Ghana 2008 tournament? Why should he worry about the departure of an expatriate physical trainer? Don’t they have separate agreements and different mandates?
Some of us are struggling hard to come to terms with the philosophy of those who constantly think we cannot register any success or progress without the white man. When it comes to football coaches, I do not find the historical foundations upon which they base their reasoning.
In 1963, barely six years after our political independence, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the Founder of this nation, reasoned that we could not claim independence when others were going to do things for us. He, therefore, encouraged the late Ohene Djan, the then administrator of sports in the country, to invite young Charles Kumi Gyamfi (C.K. Gyamfi, for short) to come down from Germany where he had just completed a coaching course to prepare the Black Stars for the Africa Cup of Nations being hosted by the country.
If Nkrumah were to have a low esteem of Ghanaians or the black man, for that matter, and knowing him to be a leader who abhorred failures, he would conveniently have settled on a foreign coach, more so when Ghana was playing host. Coach Gyamfi proved Dr Nkrumah and Ohene Djan right that what the white man could do the black man was equal and competent to the task, if not even more. Ghana won its first African Cup at that tournament.
In 1965, Coach C.K. Gyamfi again led the Black Stars to defend the trophy in far away Tunis. It was not after 13 years, in 1978, that Ghana won the continental trophy again. For those who do not know, the coach of that victorious Black Stars team was Osam-Duodu, a full-blooded Ghanaian!
In 1982, when Ghana had the honour of winning the Africa Cup again in Libya, the technical team comprised C.K. Gyamfi (Leader), Osam-Duodu and Isaac K. Afranie. Tell me, those drenched in inferiority complex, where is the case against local coaches?
There is always this loose argument that local coaches need to upgrade their technical skills in order to prove equal to the task. Every profession requires constant upgrading and coaching is not an exemption. What yardstick are they applying? Who says only local coaches need refresher courses? Forty-five years ago we won the continental trophy with a Ghanaian coach and we are talking about deficient technical skills today. Are we being fair to ourselves as human beings?
Twenty-six years ago, in 1982, we won the Africa Cup with a Ghanaian technical team so what are we saying today when, even with a Frenchman on home soil, we could only pat ourselves with worthless bronze? The apologists should tell us what more they expect from our own coaches before according them the respect and dignity they deserve.
Another issue those who do not see their way clear without the torchlight of a white man put across is that local coaches cannot stamp their authority on the team. How do they stamp their authority when their appointments are without contracts? How do they exert authority when every member of the FA is a coach, team owner and player agent, seeking their selfish interests?
I challenge the powerful men in charge of the FA to hand over the Black Stars to a local coach, offering him just half of the 30,000 euros they were paying Le Roy every month; let him sign a performance contract so that he sacks himself when he fails; give him the free hand to pick his supporting staff; give him the freedom to select and dispense with the services of players and give him the funds to spend weeks in Europe scouting for players. He will do more than just putting together already well-cooked players and claim glory for their success.
By now it should be obvious to us that most of these foreign coaches are mercenaries who lack commitment and are only interested in the fortunes they make. Are we surprised, therefore, that Le Roy got attracted to bigger salaries and applied for jobs in South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire.
What we should also realise is that the local coach will share in the glory of success as a national and not just for the fat bonus he will earn. In the same way, he will suffer the gloom of failure as any other Ghanaian and he will carry a bigger burden for not being able to stem defeat, something no amount of money will wash away. That is the difference.
Slavery and colonialism ended many years ago and we need to come out of our hopelessness and inferiority complex. We must cultivate the spirit of self-importance and national pride. We should stop making mockery of our independence by making saviours out of dead white men. In our self-pity mentality, we accept everything that had been rejected in their home countries; people who could hardly be mentioned in their countries are given red-carpet treatment here because we lack self-confidence
Yes, we are in a global village, but movement is not one directional. It seems we are so blinded by our own low self-esteem that we are not aware of this.
It is very disgraceful and embarrassing that it took Sepp Blatter, another white man who is the FIFA President, to tell us in the face that foreign coaches are doing more harm than good to the development of football on the continent. Those so-called football experts, Blatter observed, are earning more than they deserve and their skills do not enhance the performance of the various national teams.
Since we respect Blatter so much and appreciate the good things he has done for African football, much against stiff opposition from his compatriots, are we going to honour him by respecting his views and change for the better? We in Ghana have been taught a bitter lesson by Claude Le Roy. Have we learnt it?
May I have the honour of applauding the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, once again for creating a path which we hope very soon others will follow? We are tired of ‘Nana Dr (Prof Emeritus) so and so’. As Otumfuo observed, big titles do not make a good chief. Our traditional leaders should let their light shine and, title or no title, they will glitter in the eyes of their subjects. Otumfuo, thank you.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
By Kofi Akordor
There was the story of a man who threatened divorce. The woman went down on her knees and family members and friends intervened. Eventually the disenchanted man gave in and husband and wife shared a common marital bed again. A few days into a reunited alliance, the wife, without warning, deserted camp and left a bewildered husband not only lonely but heavily humiliated. The man regretted ever changing his mind. He was now the person at the receiving end.
Ghana has found itself in a similar unpleasant situation today. In February this year, we had a good opportunity to dispense with the services of Claude Le Roy, the Frenchman who was coach of the Black Stars, for non-performance. The coach was to win gold at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament hosted by Ghana and qualify the Black Stars for the 2010 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa. “Host and Win” was the battle cry and that spelt out in clear terms the working agenda for the coach.
We ended up with bronze, which does not matter, seriously speaking, in such competitions. Gold and bronze are never the same. But confused about what SUCCESS is and what constitutes FAILURE to serious-minded people, we thought hosting a tournament and settling for bronze in a year when we were observing our 51st anniversary as an independent nation was an achievement.
Contrary to overwhelming public opinion, which heavily tilted against retaining the services of the Frenchman, a few but powerful people who hold the fate of football administration in the country, buoyed by the support of some people who still do not know the difference between freedom and slavery, decided otherwise. Just as we are about to celebrate the act of serving more the interest of the Frenchman than that of the Black Stars, the man has abandoned us in total disgrace.
Reasons for the coach’s decision have been described as ‘personal’, which is common in diplomatic circles. Snippets of information filtering through the grapevine point to differences over new service conditions and technical matters. The man wants a better salary and complained about the absence of Sellas Tetteh, the Ghanaian former assistant national coach, and Renard Herve, the physical trainer.
If Le Roy is a world renowned coach (as some still ignorantly think he is), why should he worry about a black man who is his assistant being put on another assignment? Is it an admission of the fact that Sellas Tetteh was the man who was doing the hatchet work while he (the coach) took the glory? Is he afraid of exposure as we saw during the Ghana 2008 tournament? Why should he worry about the departure of an expatriate physical trainer? Don’t they have separate agreements and different mandates?
Some of us are struggling hard to come to terms with the philosophy of those who constantly think we cannot register any success or progress without the white man. When it comes to football coaches, I do not find the historical foundations upon which they base their reasoning.
In 1963, barely six years after our political independence, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the Founder of this nation, reasoned that we could not claim independence when others were going to do things for us. He, therefore, encouraged the late Ohene Djan, the then administrator of sports in the country, to invite young Charles Kumi Gyamfi (C.K. Gyamfi, for short) to come down from Germany where he had just completed a coaching course to prepare the Black Stars for the Africa Cup of Nations being hosted by the country.
If Nkrumah were to have a low esteem of Ghanaians or the black man, for that matter, and knowing him to be a leader who abhorred failures, he would conveniently have settled on a foreign coach, more so when Ghana was playing host. Coach Gyamfi proved Dr Nkrumah and Ohene Djan right that what the white man could do the black man was equal and competent to the task, if not even more. Ghana won its first African Cup at that tournament.
In 1965, Coach C.K. Gyamfi again led the Black Stars to defend the trophy in far away Tunis. It was not after 13 years, in 1978, that Ghana won the continental trophy again. For those who do not know, the coach of that victorious Black Stars team was Osam-Duodu, a full-blooded Ghanaian!
In 1982, when Ghana had the honour of winning the Africa Cup again in Libya, the technical team comprised C.K. Gyamfi (Leader), Osam-Duodu and Isaac K. Afranie. Tell me, those drenched in inferiority complex, where is the case against local coaches?
There is always this loose argument that local coaches need to upgrade their technical skills in order to prove equal to the task. Every profession requires constant upgrading and coaching is not an exemption. What yardstick are they applying? Who says only local coaches need refresher courses? Forty-five years ago we won the continental trophy with a Ghanaian coach and we are talking about deficient technical skills today. Are we being fair to ourselves as human beings?
Twenty-six years ago, in 1982, we won the Africa Cup with a Ghanaian technical team so what are we saying today when, even with a Frenchman on home soil, we could only pat ourselves with worthless bronze? The apologists should tell us what more they expect from our own coaches before according them the respect and dignity they deserve.
Another issue those who do not see their way clear without the torchlight of a white man put across is that local coaches cannot stamp their authority on the team. How do they stamp their authority when their appointments are without contracts? How do they exert authority when every member of the FA is a coach, team owner and player agent, seeking their selfish interests?
I challenge the powerful men in charge of the FA to hand over the Black Stars to a local coach, offering him just half of the 30,000 euros they were paying Le Roy every month; let him sign a performance contract so that he sacks himself when he fails; give him the free hand to pick his supporting staff; give him the freedom to select and dispense with the services of players and give him the funds to spend weeks in Europe scouting for players. He will do more than just putting together already well-cooked players and claim glory for their success.
By now it should be obvious to us that most of these foreign coaches are mercenaries who lack commitment and are only interested in the fortunes they make. Are we surprised, therefore, that Le Roy got attracted to bigger salaries and applied for jobs in South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire.
What we should also realise is that the local coach will share in the glory of success as a national and not just for the fat bonus he will earn. In the same way, he will suffer the gloom of failure as any other Ghanaian and he will carry a bigger burden for not being able to stem defeat, something no amount of money will wash away. That is the difference.
Slavery and colonialism ended many years ago and we need to come out of our hopelessness and inferiority complex. We must cultivate the spirit of self-importance and national pride. We should stop making mockery of our independence by making saviours out of dead white men. In our self-pity mentality, we accept everything that had been rejected in their home countries; people who could hardly be mentioned in their countries are given red-carpet treatment here because we lack self-confidence
Yes, we are in a global village, but movement is not one directional. It seems we are so blinded by our own low self-esteem that we are not aware of this.
It is very disgraceful and embarrassing that it took Sepp Blatter, another white man who is the FIFA President, to tell us in the face that foreign coaches are doing more harm than good to the development of football on the continent. Those so-called football experts, Blatter observed, are earning more than they deserve and their skills do not enhance the performance of the various national teams.
Since we respect Blatter so much and appreciate the good things he has done for African football, much against stiff opposition from his compatriots, are we going to honour him by respecting his views and change for the better? We in Ghana have been taught a bitter lesson by Claude Le Roy. Have we learnt it?
May I have the honour of applauding the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, once again for creating a path which we hope very soon others will follow? We are tired of ‘Nana Dr (Prof Emeritus) so and so’. As Otumfuo observed, big titles do not make a good chief. Our traditional leaders should let their light shine and, title or no title, they will glitter in the eyes of their subjects. Otumfuo, thank you.
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Friday, May 9, 2008
Welcome, Ghana Correctional Service
By Kofi Akordor
At the passing-out of new prison officers in Accra about a week ago, the government declared its intention to address the poor conditions in the country’s prisons. This should be good news to those who have a fair knowledge of conditions in our prison facilities.
The Prisons Service, like many other public institutions, has over the years suffered under the proverbial ‘No funds’ syndrome and those who know the system very well, will admit that there is very little correction in our prison system.
Overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of learning and training facilities have made the prisons more of concentration camps than centres of reformation.
Last year, Daasebre Gyamena, a very popular Ghanaian musician, came out of a London jail proclaiming that he had, during his period of incarceration, composed a number of songs which were soon to be released. According to Gyamena, while in custody, he took advantage of facilities available to take courses in Information Technology and Mathematics, for which he was awarded a certificate. That is where the difference lies.
In Ghana, very few can claim that they came out of our prisons better equipped than when they went in. Some claim spiritual development, which only confirms the physical deprivations they went through while in prison custody. I must admit that I do not have figures to prove it, but most convicts go back to prisons not because they enjoy conditions there, but mostly because they have improved upon their criminal skills and have very little means to lead decent lives.
The workshops that are to transform the unskilled inmates into a pool of employable talents do not exist or at best, lack the necessary equipment and tools and trainers needed to do the transformation. Those with skills and some level of academic qualifications come out stale and rusty because facilities such as libraries to encourage academic discourse are simply not available in our prisons.
These deprivations and the stigma associated with prison life have seriously contributed to the situation where most convicts come out from the prisons ready to exert revenge on society.
Any programme to reform the penal system and turn the prisons into correctional centres should be applauded. My only problem is that this reform is being tied to a change in name. Our penchant for changing the names of our institutions and ministries as part of improving or transforming them is not only disturbing but intriguing. We are told that a draft Prisons Service Law and Regulations which will rename the Ghana Prisons Service as the Ghana Correctional Service is awaiting Presidential assent.
Do we always have to change names before improving conditions in our institutions and making them more effective and relevant to our needs? We know the problems of the Ghana Prisons Service. We know the solutions do not lie in new names. So why do we think by giving an old institution a new name, everything will change for the better overnight?
Take our educational system for example. We have transformed the primary and middle to the junior and senior secondary schools without seeing the fundamental changes we expect in the system. Quite recently, we went further to the junior high and senior high schools with our changing of names without any improvement (change )in infrastructure, facilities and service conditions. So which should be our concern? Changing names or improving facilities?
We have elevated our polytechnics to tertiary status with corresponding upgrading in facilities, academic structure and service conditions. The agitation by the polytechnic graduates for recognition stems from the fact that much work did not go into the upgrading of the polytechnics before going public with the declaration.
We came to realise rather too painfully that it is easier changing a name than living up to that name. Thanks to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the polytechnics are seeing a lot of improvement in physical infrastructure. But we still have a lot to do to bring them to a level where they can adequately produce the middle-management power of the country, especially in the sciences and technical fields.
Our ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have changed names several times in recent times so much so that it will be difficult for any examiner to attempt posing a question like; “How many ministries do we have in Ghana?” in any examination and expect the students to pass. It will even be more difficult if the students were asked to name those ministries. By separation, attachment or elimination, we have created so many ministries in so short a time as if that is the panacea for our problems.
For just one sector, there have been different ministries. For instance, the energy sector alone has seen many ministries including, Fuel and Power; Fuel and Energy; Energy and Mines and we are still searching. There is, or were once, Ministry of Transport and Communications; Ministry of Roads and Transport; Ministry of Roads and Highways and those readers can remember. These changes are not reflecting on the standard of roads which the ministries are to tackle anyway.
We once had the Ministry of Trade and Industries. It became Trade and Tourism; then Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City (many might have forgotten this); Tourism and Diasporan Relations and those to follow.
What is Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) when agriculture is all about food anyway? With every change in ministerial name comes shuffling of staff, redesignation of officers, and change in name or transfer of departments from one ministry to another.
We have done it so much that sometimes members of the public and the business community do not find their way clear as to which ministry to do business with. A road contractor may shuttle between the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ministry of Transport, for even though it may sound simple, sometimes, one file for a particular project may be in one ministry while another file on the same project may be in the cabinet of another ministry.
Such is our obsession with bureaucracy that we spend more time creating new and renaming ministries instead of ensuring that the existing ones do the right thing. This is the fear I harbour for the Ghana Correctional Service, which is to replace the Ghana Prisons Service. It may end up as a change in name but the service will remain the same. I think it is time we end up somewhere and begin to understand that names do not do the work and creating and recreating ministries will not change our fortunes if our vision and attitude do not change. Somebody may ask; “What is in a name”?
At the passing-out of new prison officers in Accra about a week ago, the government declared its intention to address the poor conditions in the country’s prisons. This should be good news to those who have a fair knowledge of conditions in our prison facilities.
The Prisons Service, like many other public institutions, has over the years suffered under the proverbial ‘No funds’ syndrome and those who know the system very well, will admit that there is very little correction in our prison system.
Overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of learning and training facilities have made the prisons more of concentration camps than centres of reformation.
Last year, Daasebre Gyamena, a very popular Ghanaian musician, came out of a London jail proclaiming that he had, during his period of incarceration, composed a number of songs which were soon to be released. According to Gyamena, while in custody, he took advantage of facilities available to take courses in Information Technology and Mathematics, for which he was awarded a certificate. That is where the difference lies.
In Ghana, very few can claim that they came out of our prisons better equipped than when they went in. Some claim spiritual development, which only confirms the physical deprivations they went through while in prison custody. I must admit that I do not have figures to prove it, but most convicts go back to prisons not because they enjoy conditions there, but mostly because they have improved upon their criminal skills and have very little means to lead decent lives.
The workshops that are to transform the unskilled inmates into a pool of employable talents do not exist or at best, lack the necessary equipment and tools and trainers needed to do the transformation. Those with skills and some level of academic qualifications come out stale and rusty because facilities such as libraries to encourage academic discourse are simply not available in our prisons.
These deprivations and the stigma associated with prison life have seriously contributed to the situation where most convicts come out from the prisons ready to exert revenge on society.
Any programme to reform the penal system and turn the prisons into correctional centres should be applauded. My only problem is that this reform is being tied to a change in name. Our penchant for changing the names of our institutions and ministries as part of improving or transforming them is not only disturbing but intriguing. We are told that a draft Prisons Service Law and Regulations which will rename the Ghana Prisons Service as the Ghana Correctional Service is awaiting Presidential assent.
Do we always have to change names before improving conditions in our institutions and making them more effective and relevant to our needs? We know the problems of the Ghana Prisons Service. We know the solutions do not lie in new names. So why do we think by giving an old institution a new name, everything will change for the better overnight?
Take our educational system for example. We have transformed the primary and middle to the junior and senior secondary schools without seeing the fundamental changes we expect in the system. Quite recently, we went further to the junior high and senior high schools with our changing of names without any improvement (change )in infrastructure, facilities and service conditions. So which should be our concern? Changing names or improving facilities?
We have elevated our polytechnics to tertiary status with corresponding upgrading in facilities, academic structure and service conditions. The agitation by the polytechnic graduates for recognition stems from the fact that much work did not go into the upgrading of the polytechnics before going public with the declaration.
We came to realise rather too painfully that it is easier changing a name than living up to that name. Thanks to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the polytechnics are seeing a lot of improvement in physical infrastructure. But we still have a lot to do to bring them to a level where they can adequately produce the middle-management power of the country, especially in the sciences and technical fields.
Our ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have changed names several times in recent times so much so that it will be difficult for any examiner to attempt posing a question like; “How many ministries do we have in Ghana?” in any examination and expect the students to pass. It will even be more difficult if the students were asked to name those ministries. By separation, attachment or elimination, we have created so many ministries in so short a time as if that is the panacea for our problems.
For just one sector, there have been different ministries. For instance, the energy sector alone has seen many ministries including, Fuel and Power; Fuel and Energy; Energy and Mines and we are still searching. There is, or were once, Ministry of Transport and Communications; Ministry of Roads and Transport; Ministry of Roads and Highways and those readers can remember. These changes are not reflecting on the standard of roads which the ministries are to tackle anyway.
We once had the Ministry of Trade and Industries. It became Trade and Tourism; then Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City (many might have forgotten this); Tourism and Diasporan Relations and those to follow.
What is Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) when agriculture is all about food anyway? With every change in ministerial name comes shuffling of staff, redesignation of officers, and change in name or transfer of departments from one ministry to another.
We have done it so much that sometimes members of the public and the business community do not find their way clear as to which ministry to do business with. A road contractor may shuttle between the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ministry of Transport, for even though it may sound simple, sometimes, one file for a particular project may be in one ministry while another file on the same project may be in the cabinet of another ministry.
Such is our obsession with bureaucracy that we spend more time creating new and renaming ministries instead of ensuring that the existing ones do the right thing. This is the fear I harbour for the Ghana Correctional Service, which is to replace the Ghana Prisons Service. It may end up as a change in name but the service will remain the same. I think it is time we end up somewhere and begin to understand that names do not do the work and creating and recreating ministries will not change our fortunes if our vision and attitude do not change. Somebody may ask; “What is in a name”?
Travelling without seeing
By Kofi Akordor
OUR taxi and tro-tro drivers have a culture of having simple but thought-provoking inscriptions on their vehicles. Some common ones are : “One man no chop”; “Poor no vex”; “No pain no gain’; “Work and happiness’”; “Shame unto my enemies”; “I shall return”; “Friends today, enemies tomorrow”.
Sometimes it is easy to tell what motivated vehicle owners of drivers to inscribe these things on their vehicles. Other times too, it is obvious that the brain behind the inscription is expressing appreciation for a goodwill gesture, denouncing someone for his/her wickedness or simply giving an advice.
Africans generally, and Ghanaians in particular, value words and these simple inscriptions have come to epitomise the African’s appreciation of wise sayings which have useful lessons for all. Among the Ibos of Nigeria, as captured by the great Chinua Achebe in his book; Things Fall Apart, ‘proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten’.
The Ibos are not alone in this regard. This is a common trait among Africans whereby statements are embellished with proverbs, idiomatic expressions and wise sayings to the extent that by the time the speaker ends, the venom in the message would have evaporated. This is especially so if they have to break sad news about death or any other calamity.
These taxis and tro-tros have become mobile signboards which constantly remind us of certain important truths in the world or unmanned pulpits from which divine words such as; “Forgive and forget”, spew out which, when applied in our daily lives will encourage us to do more than we are doing, reform us and generally serve a useful purpose of changing things for the better.
One inscription I find very fascinating is; “Travel and see”. This is quite simple and straight to the point. Why do we have to travel and see? There is a saying, which loosely translated means a child who does not travel always believes his mother’s soup is the best. This means that it is good to travel not only to see things, but to taste, feel and experience other things by other people.
Travelling expands our horizon, deepens our knowledge, frees us from ignorance and makes us wiser. Travelling enables us to appreciate the diversity of nature and gives us the opportunity to learn from the experience of others. If for instance, Community A, has been battling with erosion for years and through travelling, the members of that community have been able to study how members of Community B, have managed their erosion problem, Community A would have benefited from travelling by learning from Community B.
We may realise, as we travel, that what we consider as a delicacy is abhorred by others or vice versa. That manifests the greatness of God the Creator who made all things possible.
The question is; do we really see anything when we travel? Do we admire beautiful things and learn any useful things from our hosts when we travel? Do we carry any positive images of ourselves to our hosts which they may also want to emulate? Or do we only travel and see, admire, enjoy and return to remain in the past?
You may blame ignorance on the part of that innocent child who had never travelled for concluding that his mother’s soup is the best. What about the person who has travelled widely and has seen things done differently? In the example given in the erosion case of Community A, what would be the excuse if after seeing how the people of Community B have solved the problem, they continue to allow erosion to wash away their beautiful towns and villages?
Notwithstanding our precarious finances, our government officials have had their fair share of foreign travels and we expect the nation to benefit from their experiences. Unfortunately as it seems now, apart from personal gains, the nation hardly derives any benefit from the numerous travels by our government officials, from the President of the Republic to the ordinary civil servant at the district level. Sometimes I am tempted to ask myself; what are we trying to tell the rest of the world? You arrive at Kotoka, our only international airport, and a few metres away; the first traffic intersection you encounter is in chaos because the traffic lights are not working? And this is not a once-in-a while situation but a regular daily phenomenon, yet no one seems to care.
We do not need to make reference to the US, Britain, Germany or France, because these are generations ahead of us. Is this what our big men and women see when they step out of their aircraft in Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and other Third World capitals?
Ghana is not alone in the energy crisis so if the traffic lights of others are working, why can’t we ask our hosts how they have been able to solve matters instead of just admiring things with glee and returning home with no determination to change a bad situation for the better.
Our leaders never fail to tell us the impressive things they saw in their foreign travels. What they fail to tell us is how they are going to replicate those beautiful things here. I think national pride alone will dictate that at least some of our traffic lights at strategic and busy intersections will be removed from the national grid and hooked to a solar system.
There is one such traffic light on the Kanda Highway, which since its installation about four years ago has been functioning . A national endeavour to do a similar thing at some of our major intersections will save the nation the embarrassment of the chaotic situations at traffic intersections and the consequent accidents which result in deaths, injuries and destructions to properties. Are we going to hide behind poverty to remain in this jungle, 51 years after independence?
Playing host to certain international events is an opportunity to overhaul existing infrastructure, the building of new ones to serve as a historical reminder of the event as well as creating opportunities for economic, social and industrial growth. Almost all nations use such occasions to build showpieces which showcase the country’s development and boosts its image in the comity of nations.
When South Korea offered to host the 1988 Olympic Games, it took advantage of it to embark on a massive re-development programme for Seoul, the host city and the rest of the country. A new international airport was built far from the city centre with road network to make movement not only easy but pleasant to visitors.
We had a similar opportunity, albeit on a smaller scale when we were hosts to the rest of the continent during the Ghana 2008 CAF Tournament. We could have used the tournament to build a modern stadium at a new site with modern road network, hotels and other modern infrastructure which could open up our capital city and made it ready to host future international sporting events. Instead, we took the short-cut by refurbishing an existing one in an old part of the city where modern development is virtually nil.
We saw the blunder committed when spectators had to park their vehicles as far away as the Children’s Park with the dangers and inconveniences entailed and walk to the Ohene Djan Stadium. That new stadium, if it had been built, could have been a monumental jubilee gift to the nation. In any case an opportunity has been lost.
I read a colleague, Adwoa Serwaa Bonsu’s account of her experience in China, where she visited recently to cover the Miss Tourism Queen International (MTQI) pageant and wondered when we shall stop paying lip-service to tourism development in the country?
From her account, the Chinese are not only concentrating on industry and commerce as they continue to capture the attention of the world. They are making sure that whoever comes to their country for whatever reason goes home with fond memories.
What are we doing here? We have a whole Ministry of Tourism and Diasporean Relations (whatever that means) but try visiting Boti Falls in the Eastern Region and what should be a pleasurable trip becomes a nightmare. When you finally get there, you do not see any addition to what nature has graciously given us free of charge.
Many have heard of Dodi Island and are dreaming of spending a weekend family holiday there. You may join the Dodi Princess operated by the Volta Lake Transport Company at any weekend to the island. Your dreams will, however, evaporate into thin air and you will be left open-mouthed. Here is a beautiful island surrounded by a beautiful lake formed as a result of the Volta Dam at Akosombo. Beyond that, NOTHING. Not even a lonely sign post to welcome you to the famous Dodi Island. And we have a Ministry of Tourism with all its bureaucratic paraphernalia in place.
As it is now, our tourism development does not take the visitor beyond the slave dungeons at the Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle and other such colonial relics. Our beautiful coastline has become dumping grounds for human waste and drug addicts. Our tourism potentials in the regions are not accessible to the locals let alone to foreigners. A few seminars and workshops for hoteliers and caterers here and there, and we are in tourism development.
Are we saying our big men and women, do not see how others are developing the tourism industry in their countries when they travel ouside? Why should our business tycoons and rich politicians decide to go to foreign lands for holidays, when a few days at a mountain resort on the Kwahu or Amedzofe mountains; a weekend on the numerous islands in the Volta Lake after a few hours’ cruise on the lake; enjoying a clean air at the Mole Game Reserve in the north or closer here— the Game Reserve at the Shai Hills will do the trick? The country abounds in many tourism potentials that I need not attempt mentioning here. Those moneys, some of which were siphoned from our national coffers anyway, could have remained here , built the economy and offered jobs to the youth.
All we need is basic infrastructure including good access roads, camping facilities such as lodges and hotels, recreational facilities for both children and adults and adequate information on where to go to enjoy and feel relaxed. When we begin to enjoy the gifts of Nature in our own land , it will not take long before others join to savour a good weather, clean environment and a friendly people. Who knows, we may not even need a whole ministry to develop and promote tourism.
As it is now, we are travelling all right but it is as if we are not seeing anything or even if we see, we do not learn. Is that the reason we are still so far away from those who were in the same trench with us at independence?
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
OUR taxi and tro-tro drivers have a culture of having simple but thought-provoking inscriptions on their vehicles. Some common ones are : “One man no chop”; “Poor no vex”; “No pain no gain’; “Work and happiness’”; “Shame unto my enemies”; “I shall return”; “Friends today, enemies tomorrow”.
Sometimes it is easy to tell what motivated vehicle owners of drivers to inscribe these things on their vehicles. Other times too, it is obvious that the brain behind the inscription is expressing appreciation for a goodwill gesture, denouncing someone for his/her wickedness or simply giving an advice.
Africans generally, and Ghanaians in particular, value words and these simple inscriptions have come to epitomise the African’s appreciation of wise sayings which have useful lessons for all. Among the Ibos of Nigeria, as captured by the great Chinua Achebe in his book; Things Fall Apart, ‘proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten’.
The Ibos are not alone in this regard. This is a common trait among Africans whereby statements are embellished with proverbs, idiomatic expressions and wise sayings to the extent that by the time the speaker ends, the venom in the message would have evaporated. This is especially so if they have to break sad news about death or any other calamity.
These taxis and tro-tros have become mobile signboards which constantly remind us of certain important truths in the world or unmanned pulpits from which divine words such as; “Forgive and forget”, spew out which, when applied in our daily lives will encourage us to do more than we are doing, reform us and generally serve a useful purpose of changing things for the better.
One inscription I find very fascinating is; “Travel and see”. This is quite simple and straight to the point. Why do we have to travel and see? There is a saying, which loosely translated means a child who does not travel always believes his mother’s soup is the best. This means that it is good to travel not only to see things, but to taste, feel and experience other things by other people.
Travelling expands our horizon, deepens our knowledge, frees us from ignorance and makes us wiser. Travelling enables us to appreciate the diversity of nature and gives us the opportunity to learn from the experience of others. If for instance, Community A, has been battling with erosion for years and through travelling, the members of that community have been able to study how members of Community B, have managed their erosion problem, Community A would have benefited from travelling by learning from Community B.
We may realise, as we travel, that what we consider as a delicacy is abhorred by others or vice versa. That manifests the greatness of God the Creator who made all things possible.
The question is; do we really see anything when we travel? Do we admire beautiful things and learn any useful things from our hosts when we travel? Do we carry any positive images of ourselves to our hosts which they may also want to emulate? Or do we only travel and see, admire, enjoy and return to remain in the past?
You may blame ignorance on the part of that innocent child who had never travelled for concluding that his mother’s soup is the best. What about the person who has travelled widely and has seen things done differently? In the example given in the erosion case of Community A, what would be the excuse if after seeing how the people of Community B have solved the problem, they continue to allow erosion to wash away their beautiful towns and villages?
Notwithstanding our precarious finances, our government officials have had their fair share of foreign travels and we expect the nation to benefit from their experiences. Unfortunately as it seems now, apart from personal gains, the nation hardly derives any benefit from the numerous travels by our government officials, from the President of the Republic to the ordinary civil servant at the district level. Sometimes I am tempted to ask myself; what are we trying to tell the rest of the world? You arrive at Kotoka, our only international airport, and a few metres away; the first traffic intersection you encounter is in chaos because the traffic lights are not working? And this is not a once-in-a while situation but a regular daily phenomenon, yet no one seems to care.
We do not need to make reference to the US, Britain, Germany or France, because these are generations ahead of us. Is this what our big men and women see when they step out of their aircraft in Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and other Third World capitals?
Ghana is not alone in the energy crisis so if the traffic lights of others are working, why can’t we ask our hosts how they have been able to solve matters instead of just admiring things with glee and returning home with no determination to change a bad situation for the better.
Our leaders never fail to tell us the impressive things they saw in their foreign travels. What they fail to tell us is how they are going to replicate those beautiful things here. I think national pride alone will dictate that at least some of our traffic lights at strategic and busy intersections will be removed from the national grid and hooked to a solar system.
There is one such traffic light on the Kanda Highway, which since its installation about four years ago has been functioning . A national endeavour to do a similar thing at some of our major intersections will save the nation the embarrassment of the chaotic situations at traffic intersections and the consequent accidents which result in deaths, injuries and destructions to properties. Are we going to hide behind poverty to remain in this jungle, 51 years after independence?
Playing host to certain international events is an opportunity to overhaul existing infrastructure, the building of new ones to serve as a historical reminder of the event as well as creating opportunities for economic, social and industrial growth. Almost all nations use such occasions to build showpieces which showcase the country’s development and boosts its image in the comity of nations.
When South Korea offered to host the 1988 Olympic Games, it took advantage of it to embark on a massive re-development programme for Seoul, the host city and the rest of the country. A new international airport was built far from the city centre with road network to make movement not only easy but pleasant to visitors.
We had a similar opportunity, albeit on a smaller scale when we were hosts to the rest of the continent during the Ghana 2008 CAF Tournament. We could have used the tournament to build a modern stadium at a new site with modern road network, hotels and other modern infrastructure which could open up our capital city and made it ready to host future international sporting events. Instead, we took the short-cut by refurbishing an existing one in an old part of the city where modern development is virtually nil.
We saw the blunder committed when spectators had to park their vehicles as far away as the Children’s Park with the dangers and inconveniences entailed and walk to the Ohene Djan Stadium. That new stadium, if it had been built, could have been a monumental jubilee gift to the nation. In any case an opportunity has been lost.
I read a colleague, Adwoa Serwaa Bonsu’s account of her experience in China, where she visited recently to cover the Miss Tourism Queen International (MTQI) pageant and wondered when we shall stop paying lip-service to tourism development in the country?
From her account, the Chinese are not only concentrating on industry and commerce as they continue to capture the attention of the world. They are making sure that whoever comes to their country for whatever reason goes home with fond memories.
What are we doing here? We have a whole Ministry of Tourism and Diasporean Relations (whatever that means) but try visiting Boti Falls in the Eastern Region and what should be a pleasurable trip becomes a nightmare. When you finally get there, you do not see any addition to what nature has graciously given us free of charge.
Many have heard of Dodi Island and are dreaming of spending a weekend family holiday there. You may join the Dodi Princess operated by the Volta Lake Transport Company at any weekend to the island. Your dreams will, however, evaporate into thin air and you will be left open-mouthed. Here is a beautiful island surrounded by a beautiful lake formed as a result of the Volta Dam at Akosombo. Beyond that, NOTHING. Not even a lonely sign post to welcome you to the famous Dodi Island. And we have a Ministry of Tourism with all its bureaucratic paraphernalia in place.
As it is now, our tourism development does not take the visitor beyond the slave dungeons at the Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle and other such colonial relics. Our beautiful coastline has become dumping grounds for human waste and drug addicts. Our tourism potentials in the regions are not accessible to the locals let alone to foreigners. A few seminars and workshops for hoteliers and caterers here and there, and we are in tourism development.
Are we saying our big men and women, do not see how others are developing the tourism industry in their countries when they travel ouside? Why should our business tycoons and rich politicians decide to go to foreign lands for holidays, when a few days at a mountain resort on the Kwahu or Amedzofe mountains; a weekend on the numerous islands in the Volta Lake after a few hours’ cruise on the lake; enjoying a clean air at the Mole Game Reserve in the north or closer here— the Game Reserve at the Shai Hills will do the trick? The country abounds in many tourism potentials that I need not attempt mentioning here. Those moneys, some of which were siphoned from our national coffers anyway, could have remained here , built the economy and offered jobs to the youth.
All we need is basic infrastructure including good access roads, camping facilities such as lodges and hotels, recreational facilities for both children and adults and adequate information on where to go to enjoy and feel relaxed. When we begin to enjoy the gifts of Nature in our own land , it will not take long before others join to savour a good weather, clean environment and a friendly people. Who knows, we may not even need a whole ministry to develop and promote tourism.
As it is now, we are travelling all right but it is as if we are not seeing anything or even if we see, we do not learn. Is that the reason we are still so far away from those who were in the same trench with us at independence?
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
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