Some of us long suspected it and it is becoming obvious that many of those who manage our national affairs know very little, if any, about our country.
Some of them, once they drive from their homes located in one of the affluent residential parts of Accra and enter their offices, come to that comfortable conclusion that Ghana is all that they have seen. At least that is what some of their decisions or policies portray.
Few of our policy makers will claim that they were born and bred in Accra, but why they easily forget certain basic facts on the ground is quiet revealing.
About two years ago, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) introduced a new registration procedure for private candidates who sit the November/December West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
All such candidates, regardless of where they reside in the country, were to purchase scratch cards from designated points for on-line registration. Those designated points were very few and you could imagine the frustration the candidates and their parents went through to get those scratch cards at those points.
The next stage of the ordeal began when a candidate had to locate an Internet café and proceed with the on-line registration. The candidate was either frustrated by power failure, system failure, congestion or the jammed website of the WAEC. A registration exercise that should, under normal circumstances, have taken a few minutes could take hours or even several days.
That was generally the case with those privileged candidates in Accra and other big towns who could get access to the Internet, either at home or at the cafes. What about the majority of candidates for whom the Internet was still a technological magic they had heard of but had not set eyes on?
After that traumatic experience, one would have thought that any attempt by WAEC to improve the on-line registration will factor in the predicament of the majority of the candidates. The solution officials of WAEC came up with, which, in their wisdom, will make things easier for candidates, begs the question.
This time, candidates will first go on the Internet and fill electronic forms, after which they receive invoices which they take to designated banks for the payment of examination fees. The designated banks, dear reader, are the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and the Prudential Bank.
“Until you have paid your examination fees to either of the banks, you have not registered and cannot get an index number that you have registered,” Mr Kwaku Nyamekye-Aidoo, the acting Head of Test Administration, told a Daily Graphic reporter.
After securing the index number, a candidate will now go ahead and fill declaration forms, which will be printed alongside the invoice for submission to the nearest WAEC office.
Would it not have been better improving on an old system than introducing a new one altogether which, by all indications, is going to be more cumbersome, time-consuming, frustrating and, therefore, has the potential of alienating a lot of the candidates?
Mr Nyamekye-Aidoo tried to convince the rest of us that the new system would give candidates more room for registration at the nearest Internet café, instead of in the previous situation where the scratch cards were sold at a few points.
Tell me — how many branches of the ADB and Prudential Bank do we have in the country? Tell me — which one is easier to do: To open more branches of ADB and Prudential Bank or to add more sales outlets for the scratch cards?
If WAEC had truly identified part of the problem as limited sales points for the scratch cards, what prevented it from adding more sales points, say, in all district capitals and a few of the commercial towns in the regions? Some supermarkets can also be approached to use their outlets for the purpose.
The Internet cafes, as stated earlier, are still strange to many of the candidates, not through any fault of theirs. So why should they be made to suffer for a problem they did not create? Why should they be subjected to another Herculean task of travelling long distances to locate branches of the ADB and Prudential Bank in order to pay for registration?
Did WAEC take conditions prevailing throughout the country into consideration before settling on that arrangement? Or is it that its officials just concluded that Internet cafes are common all over the country and accessible to every Ghanaian?
Even in Accra, there is a vast disparity between the number of existing Internet facilities and the number of candidates who may want to register on-line. There is the need to modernise but not at the expense of the vast majority of the population who are always consigned to the periphery when it comes to policy formulation and implementation.
I believe we can now appreciate the reason why many public servants resist posting to certain parts of the country, if patriotism means their children cannot even register for examinations.
The registration procedure may sound simple only to those at WAEC. Whatever the consideration went into that decision, it does not favour a lot of our compatriots who are in for another battle for survival.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
WAEC’s on-line registration blues
By Kofi Akordor
Some of us long suspected it and it is becoming obvious that many of those who manage our national affairs know very little, if any, about our country. Some of them, once they drive from their homes located in one of the affluent residential parts of Accra and enter their offices, come to that comfortable conclusion that Ghana is all that they have seen. At least that is what some of their decisions or policies portray.
Few of our policy makers will claim that they were born and bred in Accra, but why they easily forget certain basic facts on the ground is quiet revealing.
In 2007 or so, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) introduced a new registration procedure for private candidates who sit the November/December West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). All such candidates, regardless of where they reside in the country, were to purchase scratch cards from designated points for on-line registration. Those designated points were very few and you could imagine the frustration the candidates and their parents went through to get those scratch cards at those points.
The next stage of the ordeal began when a candidate had to locate an Internet café and proceed with the on-line registration. The candidate was either frustrated by power failure, system failure, congestion or the jammed website of the WAEC. A registration exercise that should, under normal circumstances, have taken a few minutes could take hours or even several days.
That was generally the case with those privileged candidates in Accra and other big towns who could get access to the Internet, either at home or at the cafes. What about the majority of candidates for whom the Internet was still a technological magic they had heard of but had not set eyes on?
After that traumatic experience, one would have thought that any attempt by WAEC to improve the on-line registration will factor in the predicament of the majority of the candidates. The solution officials of WAEC came up with, which, in their wisdom, will make things easier for candidates, begs the question.
This time, candidates will first go on the Internet and fill electronic forms, after which they receive invoices which they take to designated banks for the payment of examination fees. The designated banks, dear reader, are the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and the Prudential Bank.
“Until you have paid your examination fees to either of the banks, you have not registered and cannot get an index number that you have registered,” Mr Kwaku Nyamekye-Aidoo, the acting Head of Test Administration, told a Daily Graphic reporter.
After securing the index number, a candidate will now go ahead and fill declaration forms, which will be printed alongside the invoice for submission to the nearest WAEC office.
Would it not have been better improving on an old system than introducing a new one altogether which, by all indications, is going to be more cumbersome, time-consuming, frustrating and, therefore, has the potential of alienating a lot of the candidates?
Mr Nyamekye-Aidoo tried to convince the rest of us that the new system would give candidates more room for registration at the nearest Internet café, instead of in the previous situation where the scratch cards were sold at a few points.
Tell me — how many branches of the ADB and Prudential Bank do we have in the country? Tell me — which one is easier to do: To open more branches of ADB and Prudential Bank or to add more sales outlets for the scratch cards?
If WAEC had truly identified part of the problem as limited sales points for the scratch cards, what prevented it from adding more sales points, say, in all district capitals and a few of the commercial towns in the regions? Some supermarkets can also be approached to use their outlets for the purpose.
The Internet cafes, as stated earlier, are still strange to many of the candidates, not through any fault of theirs. So why should they be made to suffer for a problem they did not create? Why should they be subjected to another Herculean task of travelling long distances to locate branches of the ADB and Prudential Bank in order to pay for registration?
Did WAEC take conditions prevailing throughout the country into consideration before settling on that arrangement? Or is it that its officials just concluded that Internet cafes are common all over the country and accessible to every Ghanaian?
Even in Accra, there is a vast disparity between the number of existing Internet facilities and the number of candidates who may want to register on-line. There is the need to modernise but not at the expense of the vast majority of the population who are always consigned to the periphery when it comes to policy formulation and implementation.
I believe we can now appreciate the reason why many public servants resist posting to certain parts of the country, if patriotism means their children cannot even register for examinations.
The registration procedure may sound simple only to those at WAEC. Whatever the consideration went into that decision, it does not favour a lot of our compatriots who are in for another battle for survival.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Some of us long suspected it and it is becoming obvious that many of those who manage our national affairs know very little, if any, about our country. Some of them, once they drive from their homes located in one of the affluent residential parts of Accra and enter their offices, come to that comfortable conclusion that Ghana is all that they have seen. At least that is what some of their decisions or policies portray.
Few of our policy makers will claim that they were born and bred in Accra, but why they easily forget certain basic facts on the ground is quiet revealing.
In 2007 or so, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) introduced a new registration procedure for private candidates who sit the November/December West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). All such candidates, regardless of where they reside in the country, were to purchase scratch cards from designated points for on-line registration. Those designated points were very few and you could imagine the frustration the candidates and their parents went through to get those scratch cards at those points.
The next stage of the ordeal began when a candidate had to locate an Internet café and proceed with the on-line registration. The candidate was either frustrated by power failure, system failure, congestion or the jammed website of the WAEC. A registration exercise that should, under normal circumstances, have taken a few minutes could take hours or even several days.
That was generally the case with those privileged candidates in Accra and other big towns who could get access to the Internet, either at home or at the cafes. What about the majority of candidates for whom the Internet was still a technological magic they had heard of but had not set eyes on?
After that traumatic experience, one would have thought that any attempt by WAEC to improve the on-line registration will factor in the predicament of the majority of the candidates. The solution officials of WAEC came up with, which, in their wisdom, will make things easier for candidates, begs the question.
This time, candidates will first go on the Internet and fill electronic forms, after which they receive invoices which they take to designated banks for the payment of examination fees. The designated banks, dear reader, are the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and the Prudential Bank.
“Until you have paid your examination fees to either of the banks, you have not registered and cannot get an index number that you have registered,” Mr Kwaku Nyamekye-Aidoo, the acting Head of Test Administration, told a Daily Graphic reporter.
After securing the index number, a candidate will now go ahead and fill declaration forms, which will be printed alongside the invoice for submission to the nearest WAEC office.
Would it not have been better improving on an old system than introducing a new one altogether which, by all indications, is going to be more cumbersome, time-consuming, frustrating and, therefore, has the potential of alienating a lot of the candidates?
Mr Nyamekye-Aidoo tried to convince the rest of us that the new system would give candidates more room for registration at the nearest Internet café, instead of in the previous situation where the scratch cards were sold at a few points.
Tell me — how many branches of the ADB and Prudential Bank do we have in the country? Tell me — which one is easier to do: To open more branches of ADB and Prudential Bank or to add more sales outlets for the scratch cards?
If WAEC had truly identified part of the problem as limited sales points for the scratch cards, what prevented it from adding more sales points, say, in all district capitals and a few of the commercial towns in the regions? Some supermarkets can also be approached to use their outlets for the purpose.
The Internet cafes, as stated earlier, are still strange to many of the candidates, not through any fault of theirs. So why should they be made to suffer for a problem they did not create? Why should they be subjected to another Herculean task of travelling long distances to locate branches of the ADB and Prudential Bank in order to pay for registration?
Did WAEC take conditions prevailing throughout the country into consideration before settling on that arrangement? Or is it that its officials just concluded that Internet cafes are common all over the country and accessible to every Ghanaian?
Even in Accra, there is a vast disparity between the number of existing Internet facilities and the number of candidates who may want to register on-line. There is the need to modernise but not at the expense of the vast majority of the population who are always consigned to the periphery when it comes to policy formulation and implementation.
I believe we can now appreciate the reason why many public servants resist posting to certain parts of the country, if patriotism means their children cannot even register for examinations.
The registration procedure may sound simple only to those at WAEC. Whatever the consideration went into that decision, it does not favour a lot of our compatriots who are in for another battle for survival.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
THE WELCOME PARTY (JULY 21, 2009)
As we continue to celebrate the successful visit of President Barack Obama to our country, we need to reflect and take stock of our performance during the visit, so that where possible, we make amends and do better in future.
Strangely, the rains which were cited as reason for preventing most Ghanaians from seeing their idol in person at the Independence Square on Saturday, July 11, 2009, have suddenly vanished since Obama’s visit. Indeed Accra experienced one of the brightest days on that day when the fear of the rain forced organisers to send Obama’s intended public appearance indoors. Accra has remained relatively dry since then.
Generally, we can applaud ourselves for being the wonderful hosts that we have always been. President Obama’s visit brought some excitement and high expectations; even though a lot of Accra residents had to suffer in silence for the long traffic they had to endure because of the closure of certain important roads.
Upon reflection, one could realise that some of the roadblocks were not necessary, since they never had any connection to Obama’s movement. Maybe we were just over-enthusiastic about the visit of the world’s most powerful and popular politician and drove ourselves near saturation point to impress our guests and the rest of the world.
The near chaotic situation on the tarmac of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on that Friday night, brings to question whether we need to bring the whole government to welcome such important visitors to our country? Do we have to bring almost all our ministers of state, members of the Council of State, members of the National House of Chiefs to be running into each other just to shake hands with President Obama?
Members of the diplomatic corps, according to diplomatic norm, we are told, cannot afford to miss such an event for obvious reasons. But in our case, do we have to bring virtually the whole Executive, the Judiciary, the Legislature and traditional rulers to perform that function?
In the stampede which was expected, many who had genuine business doing there were hampered and virtually cut off in the process. That also added to the burden of both the local and foreign security operatives tasked with the responsibility of protecting our Very Very Important Personalities.
President Obama’s visit was a very important and significant event which needed to be accorded its full value. That was the more reason why the welcome party should have been, as much as possible, lean enough and well co-ordinated to provide room for full public consumption of the ceremony. It is not for nothing that sometimes, it is said that small can be beautiful.
There are many Ghanaians who will tell you that they never saw President Obama in the crowd at the airport, but rather saw in the main, the faces they are used to on daily basis.
By the way, since when did our ministers and other dignitaries become such expert photojournalists? Here were these Very Important Personalities lined up to welcome President Obama, and from nowhere cameras and mobile phones of all descriptions surfaced and our big men and women were profusely filming the event.
Apart from that being demeaning to their status, those actions posed security risk and could have attracted an embarrassing response from the Secret Service Agents protecting the President of America.
Whichever media organisations contracted our ministers for that assignment did not do justice to our national pride and image. Similar incidents were observed at the International Conference Centre where President Obama delivered his speech on Africa.
Why the local television stations including GTV, the Station of the Nation, could not capture the events for their local audience is still a puzzle. On that Friday night at the KIA, all we were seeing were movements without sounds. We were, therefore, left at the mercy of commentators who were also watching from screens in the studios.
The morning after, and during the Breakfast Meeting at the Castle, we did not hear the national anthems of Ghana and the US that were being played. Good old Edward Faakye, who was running commentary in the studios of Metro TV, demonstrated that he had passed his prime, at least as far as international events such as the visit of the American President are concerned.
He kept on repeating that Obama was the first Black US President to visit Ghana, when there had never been any Black US President apart from Obama. He also failed to do a thorough research work on the man Barack Obama and Ghana/US relations, which information he could have fed viewers and listeners.
Things are changing fast and information is freely available to those who are interested. That was why an important event such as President Obama’s visit, with its international dimensions, should have been handled more professionally and differently from the way commentaries on local football matches are run.
Residents of Cape Coast, who were expected to celebrate the Obama visit almost lost out when protocol and detail security denied them their pleasure. President Obama spent a few minutes at the Oguaamanhen’s Palace and spent a longer time in the Cape Coast Castle, after which he waved to those who could position themselves strategically at the castle precincts and away, he flew.
After the euphoria of the visit had gone down, we need to think seriously about the advice Obama left with us. That we cannot make it by relying on others and we need visionary leaders who will harness our abundant human and material resources towards national development.
During the Cold War era, the US, like the Soviet Union, its superpower rival, benefited from corrupt dictators who paraded as political leaders on this continent. We are happy the world does not need such leaders in the new scheme of things. We can, therefore, just hope that President Obama will display his faith in democracy and governance, by shunning African leaders of the old order still in political control in their countries.
We in Ghana, have won the hearts of the international community for our efforts at democratic governance, even though we ourselves will admit that we are still far from our target. It is like we are in the land of the blind, where the one-eyed person is king.
We are surrounded by countries whose progress in democratic governance is very slow, or even backward, so we can be regarded as champions. However, we shall be making a big mistake if we become complacent and do not straighten and strengthen those institutions that would encourage democracy and respect for human rights.
When it comes to corruption, the difference is not too clear. This is one canker which has sabotaged our national growth. The roads that have become impassable in Accra and other parts of the country after the recent rains were all awarded and paid for from our shallow coffers. A good number of the jobs were not well executed because corrupt politicians colluded with the contractors to share our money and give us shoddy jobs.
The signs of corruption are all over the place — uncompleted projects, poorly executed jobs, flagrant disregard for the building code, putting square pegs in round holes and many more.
We are where we are today, because, as President Obama observed, Ghana, and for that matter most parts of Africa, have not had good, visionary and inspirational leadership over the years. Our salvation, he told us, lies in our own hands and he promised that the developed world, including the US, can only lend helping hands to our own efforts.
That is an advice we must take seriously and stop the begging at the least opportunity. Ghana should not be importing rice from Vietnam and Thailand when the waters of River Volta which should have irrigated the Accra and Afram plains flow wastefully into the sea. There is no justification for Ghana to import tilapia from China. There is no excuse to overflow the shelves of our supermarkets with fruit juices from South Africa and other places when our land is abundant with natural fruits.
We need men and women who can think, who do not look for excuses at the least opportunity and who will be honest with our resources entrusted in their care. We need people imbibed with the can do spirit to take control of affairs and we shall be where we want to be.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Strangely, the rains which were cited as reason for preventing most Ghanaians from seeing their idol in person at the Independence Square on Saturday, July 11, 2009, have suddenly vanished since Obama’s visit. Indeed Accra experienced one of the brightest days on that day when the fear of the rain forced organisers to send Obama’s intended public appearance indoors. Accra has remained relatively dry since then.
Generally, we can applaud ourselves for being the wonderful hosts that we have always been. President Obama’s visit brought some excitement and high expectations; even though a lot of Accra residents had to suffer in silence for the long traffic they had to endure because of the closure of certain important roads.
Upon reflection, one could realise that some of the roadblocks were not necessary, since they never had any connection to Obama’s movement. Maybe we were just over-enthusiastic about the visit of the world’s most powerful and popular politician and drove ourselves near saturation point to impress our guests and the rest of the world.
The near chaotic situation on the tarmac of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on that Friday night, brings to question whether we need to bring the whole government to welcome such important visitors to our country? Do we have to bring almost all our ministers of state, members of the Council of State, members of the National House of Chiefs to be running into each other just to shake hands with President Obama?
Members of the diplomatic corps, according to diplomatic norm, we are told, cannot afford to miss such an event for obvious reasons. But in our case, do we have to bring virtually the whole Executive, the Judiciary, the Legislature and traditional rulers to perform that function?
In the stampede which was expected, many who had genuine business doing there were hampered and virtually cut off in the process. That also added to the burden of both the local and foreign security operatives tasked with the responsibility of protecting our Very Very Important Personalities.
President Obama’s visit was a very important and significant event which needed to be accorded its full value. That was the more reason why the welcome party should have been, as much as possible, lean enough and well co-ordinated to provide room for full public consumption of the ceremony. It is not for nothing that sometimes, it is said that small can be beautiful.
There are many Ghanaians who will tell you that they never saw President Obama in the crowd at the airport, but rather saw in the main, the faces they are used to on daily basis.
By the way, since when did our ministers and other dignitaries become such expert photojournalists? Here were these Very Important Personalities lined up to welcome President Obama, and from nowhere cameras and mobile phones of all descriptions surfaced and our big men and women were profusely filming the event.
Apart from that being demeaning to their status, those actions posed security risk and could have attracted an embarrassing response from the Secret Service Agents protecting the President of America.
Whichever media organisations contracted our ministers for that assignment did not do justice to our national pride and image. Similar incidents were observed at the International Conference Centre where President Obama delivered his speech on Africa.
Why the local television stations including GTV, the Station of the Nation, could not capture the events for their local audience is still a puzzle. On that Friday night at the KIA, all we were seeing were movements without sounds. We were, therefore, left at the mercy of commentators who were also watching from screens in the studios.
The morning after, and during the Breakfast Meeting at the Castle, we did not hear the national anthems of Ghana and the US that were being played. Good old Edward Faakye, who was running commentary in the studios of Metro TV, demonstrated that he had passed his prime, at least as far as international events such as the visit of the American President are concerned.
He kept on repeating that Obama was the first Black US President to visit Ghana, when there had never been any Black US President apart from Obama. He also failed to do a thorough research work on the man Barack Obama and Ghana/US relations, which information he could have fed viewers and listeners.
Things are changing fast and information is freely available to those who are interested. That was why an important event such as President Obama’s visit, with its international dimensions, should have been handled more professionally and differently from the way commentaries on local football matches are run.
Residents of Cape Coast, who were expected to celebrate the Obama visit almost lost out when protocol and detail security denied them their pleasure. President Obama spent a few minutes at the Oguaamanhen’s Palace and spent a longer time in the Cape Coast Castle, after which he waved to those who could position themselves strategically at the castle precincts and away, he flew.
After the euphoria of the visit had gone down, we need to think seriously about the advice Obama left with us. That we cannot make it by relying on others and we need visionary leaders who will harness our abundant human and material resources towards national development.
During the Cold War era, the US, like the Soviet Union, its superpower rival, benefited from corrupt dictators who paraded as political leaders on this continent. We are happy the world does not need such leaders in the new scheme of things. We can, therefore, just hope that President Obama will display his faith in democracy and governance, by shunning African leaders of the old order still in political control in their countries.
We in Ghana, have won the hearts of the international community for our efforts at democratic governance, even though we ourselves will admit that we are still far from our target. It is like we are in the land of the blind, where the one-eyed person is king.
We are surrounded by countries whose progress in democratic governance is very slow, or even backward, so we can be regarded as champions. However, we shall be making a big mistake if we become complacent and do not straighten and strengthen those institutions that would encourage democracy and respect for human rights.
When it comes to corruption, the difference is not too clear. This is one canker which has sabotaged our national growth. The roads that have become impassable in Accra and other parts of the country after the recent rains were all awarded and paid for from our shallow coffers. A good number of the jobs were not well executed because corrupt politicians colluded with the contractors to share our money and give us shoddy jobs.
The signs of corruption are all over the place — uncompleted projects, poorly executed jobs, flagrant disregard for the building code, putting square pegs in round holes and many more.
We are where we are today, because, as President Obama observed, Ghana, and for that matter most parts of Africa, have not had good, visionary and inspirational leadership over the years. Our salvation, he told us, lies in our own hands and he promised that the developed world, including the US, can only lend helping hands to our own efforts.
That is an advice we must take seriously and stop the begging at the least opportunity. Ghana should not be importing rice from Vietnam and Thailand when the waters of River Volta which should have irrigated the Accra and Afram plains flow wastefully into the sea. There is no justification for Ghana to import tilapia from China. There is no excuse to overflow the shelves of our supermarkets with fruit juices from South Africa and other places when our land is abundant with natural fruits.
We need men and women who can think, who do not look for excuses at the least opportunity and who will be honest with our resources entrusted in their care. We need people imbibed with the can do spirit to take control of affairs and we shall be where we want to be.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
The Welcome Party
By Kofi Akordor
As we continue to celebrate the successful visit of President Barack Obama to our country, we need to reflect and take stock of our performance during the visit, so that where possible, we make amends and do better in future. Strangely, the rains which were cited as reason for preventing most Ghanaians from seeing their idol in person at the Independence Square on Saturday, July 11, 2009, have suddenly vanished since Obama’s visit. Indeed Accra experienced one of the brightest days on that day when the fear of the rain forced organisers to send Obama’s intended public appearance indoors. Accra has remained relatively dry since then.
Generally, we can applaud ourselves for being the wonderful hosts that we have always been. President Obama’s visit brought some excitement and high expectations; even though a lot of Accra residents had to suffer in silence for the long traffic they had to endure because of the closure of certain important roads. Upon reflection, one could realise that some of the roadblocks were not necessary, since they never had any connection to Obama’s movement. Maybe we were just over-enthusiastic about the visit of the world’s most powerful and popular politician and drove ourselves near saturation point to impress our guests and the rest of the world.
The near chaotic situation on the tarmac of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on that Friday night, brings to question whether we need to bring the whole government to welcome such important visitors to our country? Do we have to bring almost all our ministers of state, members of the Council of State, members of the National House of Chiefs to be running into each other just to shake hands with President Obama?
Members of the diplomatic corps, according to diplomatic norm, we are told, cannot afford to miss such an event for obvious reasons. But in our case, do we have to bring virtually the whole Executive, the Judiciary, the Legislature and traditional rulers to perform that function? In the stampede which was expected, many who had genuine business doing there were hampered and virtually cut off in the process. That also added to the burden of both the local and foreign security operatives tasked with the responsibility of protecting our Very Very Important Personalities.
President Obama’s visit was a very important and significant event which needed to be accorded its full value. That was the more reason why the welcome party should have been, as much as possible, lean enough and well co-ordinated to provide room for full public consumption of the ceremony. It is not for nothing that sometimes, it is said that small can be beautiful.
There are many Ghanaians who will tell you that they never saw President Obama in the crowd at the airport, but rather saw in the main, the faces they are used to on daily basis.
By the way, since when did our ministers and other dignitaries become such expert photojournalists? Here were these Very Important Personalities lined up to welcome President Obama, and from nowhere cameras and mobile phones of all descriptions surfaced and our big men and women were profusely filming the event.
Apart from that being demeaning to their status, those actions posed security risk and could have attracted an embarrassing response from the Secret Service Agents protecting the President of America.
Whichever media organisations contracted our ministers for that assignment did not do justice to our national pride and image. Similar incidents were observed at the International Conference Centre where President Obama delivered his speech on Africa.
Why the local television stations including GTV, the Station of the Nation, could not capture the events for their local audience is still a puzzle. On that Friday night at the KIA, all we were seeing were movements without sounds. We were, therefore, left at the mercy of commentators who were also watching from screens in the studios.
The morning after, and during the Breakfast Meeting at the Castle, we did not hear the national anthems of Ghana and the US that were being played. Good old Edward Faakye, who was running commentary in the studios of Metro TV, demonstrated that he had passed his prime, at least as far as international events such as the visit of the American President are concerned. He kept on repeating that Obama was the first Black US President to visit Ghana, when there had never been any Black US President apart from Obama. He also failed to do a thorough research work on the man Barack Obama and Ghana/US relations, which information he could have fed viewers and listeners.
Things are changing fast and information is freely available to those who are interested. That was why an important event such as President Obama’s visit, with its international dimensions, should have been handled more professionally and differently from the way commentaries on local football matches are run.
Residents of Cape Coast, who were expected to celebrate the Obama visit almost lost out when protocol and detail security denied them their pleasure. President Obama spent a few minutes at the Oguaamanhen’s Palace and spent a longer time in the Cape Coast Castle, after which he waved to those who could position themselves strategically at the castle precincts and away, he flew.
After the euphoria of the visit had gone down, we need to think seriously about the advice Obama left with us. That we cannot make it by relying on others and we need visionary leaders who will harness our abundant human and material resources towards national development.
During the Cold War era, the US, like the Soviet Union, its superpower rival, benefited from corrupt dictators who paraded as political leaders on this continent. We are happy the world does not need such leaders in the new scheme of things. We can, therefore, just hope that President Obama will display his faith in democracy and governance, by shunning African leaders of the old order still in political control in their countries.
We in Ghana, have won the hearts of the international community for our efforts at democratic governance, even though we ourselves will admit that we are still far from our target. It is like we are in the land of the blind, where the one-eyed person is king. We are surrounded by countries whose progress in democratic governance is very slow, or even backward, so we can be regarded as champions. However, we shall be making a big mistake if we become complacent and do not straighten and strengthen those institutions that would encourage democracy and respect for human rights.
When it comes to corruption, the difference is not too clear. This is one canker which has sabotaged our national growth. The roads that have become impassable in Accra and other parts of the country after the recent rains were all awarded and paid for from our shallow coffers. A good number of the jobs were not well executed because corrupt politicians colluded with the contractors to share our money and give us shoddy jobs.
The signs of corruption are all over the place — uncompleted projects, poorly executed jobs, flagrant disregard for the building code, putting square pegs in round holes and many more.
We are where we are today, because, as President Obama observed, Ghana, and for that matter most parts of Africa, have not had good, visionary and inspirational leadership over the years. Our salvation, he told us, lies in our own hands and he promised that the developed world, including the US, can only lend helping hands to our own efforts.
That is an advice we must take seriously and stop the begging at the least opportunity. Ghana should not be importing rice from Vietnam and Thailand when the waters of River Volta which should have irrigated the Accra and Afram plains flow wastefully into the sea. There is no justification for Ghana to import tilapia from China. There is no excuse to overflow the shelves of our supermarkets with fruit juices from South Africa and other places when our land is abundant with natural fruits.
We need men and women who can think, who do not look for excuses at the least opportunity and who will be honest with our resources entrusted in their care. We need people imbibed with the CAN DO SPIRIT to take control of affairs and we shall be where we want to be.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
As we continue to celebrate the successful visit of President Barack Obama to our country, we need to reflect and take stock of our performance during the visit, so that where possible, we make amends and do better in future. Strangely, the rains which were cited as reason for preventing most Ghanaians from seeing their idol in person at the Independence Square on Saturday, July 11, 2009, have suddenly vanished since Obama’s visit. Indeed Accra experienced one of the brightest days on that day when the fear of the rain forced organisers to send Obama’s intended public appearance indoors. Accra has remained relatively dry since then.
Generally, we can applaud ourselves for being the wonderful hosts that we have always been. President Obama’s visit brought some excitement and high expectations; even though a lot of Accra residents had to suffer in silence for the long traffic they had to endure because of the closure of certain important roads. Upon reflection, one could realise that some of the roadblocks were not necessary, since they never had any connection to Obama’s movement. Maybe we were just over-enthusiastic about the visit of the world’s most powerful and popular politician and drove ourselves near saturation point to impress our guests and the rest of the world.
The near chaotic situation on the tarmac of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on that Friday night, brings to question whether we need to bring the whole government to welcome such important visitors to our country? Do we have to bring almost all our ministers of state, members of the Council of State, members of the National House of Chiefs to be running into each other just to shake hands with President Obama?
Members of the diplomatic corps, according to diplomatic norm, we are told, cannot afford to miss such an event for obvious reasons. But in our case, do we have to bring virtually the whole Executive, the Judiciary, the Legislature and traditional rulers to perform that function? In the stampede which was expected, many who had genuine business doing there were hampered and virtually cut off in the process. That also added to the burden of both the local and foreign security operatives tasked with the responsibility of protecting our Very Very Important Personalities.
President Obama’s visit was a very important and significant event which needed to be accorded its full value. That was the more reason why the welcome party should have been, as much as possible, lean enough and well co-ordinated to provide room for full public consumption of the ceremony. It is not for nothing that sometimes, it is said that small can be beautiful.
There are many Ghanaians who will tell you that they never saw President Obama in the crowd at the airport, but rather saw in the main, the faces they are used to on daily basis.
By the way, since when did our ministers and other dignitaries become such expert photojournalists? Here were these Very Important Personalities lined up to welcome President Obama, and from nowhere cameras and mobile phones of all descriptions surfaced and our big men and women were profusely filming the event.
Apart from that being demeaning to their status, those actions posed security risk and could have attracted an embarrassing response from the Secret Service Agents protecting the President of America.
Whichever media organisations contracted our ministers for that assignment did not do justice to our national pride and image. Similar incidents were observed at the International Conference Centre where President Obama delivered his speech on Africa.
Why the local television stations including GTV, the Station of the Nation, could not capture the events for their local audience is still a puzzle. On that Friday night at the KIA, all we were seeing were movements without sounds. We were, therefore, left at the mercy of commentators who were also watching from screens in the studios.
The morning after, and during the Breakfast Meeting at the Castle, we did not hear the national anthems of Ghana and the US that were being played. Good old Edward Faakye, who was running commentary in the studios of Metro TV, demonstrated that he had passed his prime, at least as far as international events such as the visit of the American President are concerned. He kept on repeating that Obama was the first Black US President to visit Ghana, when there had never been any Black US President apart from Obama. He also failed to do a thorough research work on the man Barack Obama and Ghana/US relations, which information he could have fed viewers and listeners.
Things are changing fast and information is freely available to those who are interested. That was why an important event such as President Obama’s visit, with its international dimensions, should have been handled more professionally and differently from the way commentaries on local football matches are run.
Residents of Cape Coast, who were expected to celebrate the Obama visit almost lost out when protocol and detail security denied them their pleasure. President Obama spent a few minutes at the Oguaamanhen’s Palace and spent a longer time in the Cape Coast Castle, after which he waved to those who could position themselves strategically at the castle precincts and away, he flew.
After the euphoria of the visit had gone down, we need to think seriously about the advice Obama left with us. That we cannot make it by relying on others and we need visionary leaders who will harness our abundant human and material resources towards national development.
During the Cold War era, the US, like the Soviet Union, its superpower rival, benefited from corrupt dictators who paraded as political leaders on this continent. We are happy the world does not need such leaders in the new scheme of things. We can, therefore, just hope that President Obama will display his faith in democracy and governance, by shunning African leaders of the old order still in political control in their countries.
We in Ghana, have won the hearts of the international community for our efforts at democratic governance, even though we ourselves will admit that we are still far from our target. It is like we are in the land of the blind, where the one-eyed person is king. We are surrounded by countries whose progress in democratic governance is very slow, or even backward, so we can be regarded as champions. However, we shall be making a big mistake if we become complacent and do not straighten and strengthen those institutions that would encourage democracy and respect for human rights.
When it comes to corruption, the difference is not too clear. This is one canker which has sabotaged our national growth. The roads that have become impassable in Accra and other parts of the country after the recent rains were all awarded and paid for from our shallow coffers. A good number of the jobs were not well executed because corrupt politicians colluded with the contractors to share our money and give us shoddy jobs.
The signs of corruption are all over the place — uncompleted projects, poorly executed jobs, flagrant disregard for the building code, putting square pegs in round holes and many more.
We are where we are today, because, as President Obama observed, Ghana, and for that matter most parts of Africa, have not had good, visionary and inspirational leadership over the years. Our salvation, he told us, lies in our own hands and he promised that the developed world, including the US, can only lend helping hands to our own efforts.
That is an advice we must take seriously and stop the begging at the least opportunity. Ghana should not be importing rice from Vietnam and Thailand when the waters of River Volta which should have irrigated the Accra and Afram plains flow wastefully into the sea. There is no justification for Ghana to import tilapia from China. There is no excuse to overflow the shelves of our supermarkets with fruit juices from South Africa and other places when our land is abundant with natural fruits.
We need men and women who can think, who do not look for excuses at the least opportunity and who will be honest with our resources entrusted in their care. We need people imbibed with the CAN DO SPIRIT to take control of affairs and we shall be where we want to be.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
ARE WE READY FOR THE TOURISM WINDFALL? (JULY 7)
In the coming days, weeks and months, our country will be playing host to several visitors and international events, which makes it an important place to harvest windfalls from tourism. Coming close is the arrival on Friday, of President Barrack Obama, the third sitting US President to visit this country over the last 11 years. Bill Clinton was here on March 23, 1998, followed by George W. Bush, who arrived here on February 19, 2008 for a three-day visit.
In September, Ghana will play host to the World Tourism Day, an event that will certainly record an inflow of visitors mostly in the hospitality industry. In the past few years, our country has been privileged to be venues for a number of important and significant international events.
In 2007, we celebrated our 50th anniversary in a manner that gave no credit to that epoch and historic event. It was as if there was nothing worth celebrating. In July of the same year, the country hosted the African Union Summit in which the African leaders made high-flying statements about a continental union government. In 2008, we were again lucky to host the 26th MTN Africa Cup of Nations.
These are high-profile international events that could have easily been utilised to advertise the country’s vast potentials and assets. But did we measure up to the challenge? Even though official sources continue to tout tourism as the fourth biggest foreign exchange earner, the tourism sector is woefully underdeveloped. We could not take advantage of these events to make foreign cash because of poor infrastructure.
The first visible sign of our inadequacy is the poor road network from the capital to the places of leisure and pleasure. Apart from the Elimina and Cape Coast castles that can now be accessed by a fairly good road, most of the places that will be the tourist’s haven are ‘hidden’ because it takes a lot of courage and determination to reach them.
The tourist’s disappointment could only be experienced to be appreciated after reaching his/her destination only to realise that apart from what nature has provided to the people of Ghana have not provided anything for their upkeep, comfort and entertainment. Poor souls, they would neither get a decent place to retire their worn-out bodies nor a nice place to relax with friends, not to talk about a place to have a decent meal or drink.
The emptiness at Dodi Island is something that intrigues me. This is a place that is very close to Accra and has money-spinning potentials but remains untapped. The dream of many who have heard of the place is to pay a visit and many social groupings and corporate entities continue to organise excursions for their members to Dodi Island. But the high expectations immediately fizzle out after the desolation hit them in the face. Only the boat ride offers something interesting.
Can we picture what Dodi Island would be like at the weekends if the place was developed with hotel facilities, recreational and amusement facilities for adults and children? The place would have been breezing with visitors, both local and foreign, who would want to savour the beauty of the Volta Lake.
It appears we still think that there cannot be anything more important beyond raw cocoa beans, raw timber and gold ore. Tourism can easily transform the economy of this country and change the lifestyle of our rural communities. And most of the people entrusted with the achievement of that goal know how Egypt or The Gambia did it.
We don’t develop tourism just by holding workshops for chopbar operators in Accra. The greater number of tourists will want to visit the tourist sites buried deep in the country and not walking the streets of Accra which, apart from its people, have nothing to offer the American or European.
We have heard a lot about the Kakum National Park, the Mole Game Reserve, the Paga Crocodile Pond, the Wli Waterfalls, the Tafi Monkey Sanctuary and many others. In all cases, the curious visitor had to beat a hasty return or find him/herself alone in the wilderness. Reaching those places can be nightmarish because of the poor nature of the roads. We need to give tourism development more serious attention than we are doing now.
Recently, a tourism marketing strategy was launched aimed at, according to its initiators, launching Ghana as the prime tourism destination in the West African subregion. It is a laudable idea but what is the guarantee that it will not end up becoming an Accra event, which will not change the tourism map of the country?
Investment in tourism is not about printing T-shirts, cloths and other paraphernalia and parading them on the streets or in the media. Neither shall we achieve much if we get social commentators talking plenty on the radio and television extolling our tourism potentials.
We do not need anyone to tell us that we have beautiful places in the country that can attract tourist. What we need is the development of these places and making sure that they are accessible to the visitor. That means building good roads to these places, providing decent accommodation for those who want to spend a night or two, and making sure that recreational and leisure facilities are available to provide total satisfaction to tourists.
President Obama’s visit is an opportunity to make good money from those who may want to take advantage of the visit to explore the country. But with the rains rendering almost all our roads impassable, where can they go?
The World Tourism Day celebration in Ghana is an opportunity to sell our country. However, as things stand now, it is likely we may end up sending the delegates to the Elmina and Cape Coast castles; show them a few people dancing bare-chested and return home feeling satisfied that we have showcased Ghana to the world. We can do more than that, but we have to change our approach to tourism development, otherwise we should as well forget the windfall for now.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
In September, Ghana will play host to the World Tourism Day, an event that will certainly record an inflow of visitors mostly in the hospitality industry. In the past few years, our country has been privileged to be venues for a number of important and significant international events.
In 2007, we celebrated our 50th anniversary in a manner that gave no credit to that epoch and historic event. It was as if there was nothing worth celebrating. In July of the same year, the country hosted the African Union Summit in which the African leaders made high-flying statements about a continental union government. In 2008, we were again lucky to host the 26th MTN Africa Cup of Nations.
These are high-profile international events that could have easily been utilised to advertise the country’s vast potentials and assets. But did we measure up to the challenge? Even though official sources continue to tout tourism as the fourth biggest foreign exchange earner, the tourism sector is woefully underdeveloped. We could not take advantage of these events to make foreign cash because of poor infrastructure.
The first visible sign of our inadequacy is the poor road network from the capital to the places of leisure and pleasure. Apart from the Elimina and Cape Coast castles that can now be accessed by a fairly good road, most of the places that will be the tourist’s haven are ‘hidden’ because it takes a lot of courage and determination to reach them.
The tourist’s disappointment could only be experienced to be appreciated after reaching his/her destination only to realise that apart from what nature has provided to the people of Ghana have not provided anything for their upkeep, comfort and entertainment. Poor souls, they would neither get a decent place to retire their worn-out bodies nor a nice place to relax with friends, not to talk about a place to have a decent meal or drink.
The emptiness at Dodi Island is something that intrigues me. This is a place that is very close to Accra and has money-spinning potentials but remains untapped. The dream of many who have heard of the place is to pay a visit and many social groupings and corporate entities continue to organise excursions for their members to Dodi Island. But the high expectations immediately fizzle out after the desolation hit them in the face. Only the boat ride offers something interesting.
Can we picture what Dodi Island would be like at the weekends if the place was developed with hotel facilities, recreational and amusement facilities for adults and children? The place would have been breezing with visitors, both local and foreign, who would want to savour the beauty of the Volta Lake.
It appears we still think that there cannot be anything more important beyond raw cocoa beans, raw timber and gold ore. Tourism can easily transform the economy of this country and change the lifestyle of our rural communities. And most of the people entrusted with the achievement of that goal know how Egypt or The Gambia did it.
We don’t develop tourism just by holding workshops for chopbar operators in Accra. The greater number of tourists will want to visit the tourist sites buried deep in the country and not walking the streets of Accra which, apart from its people, have nothing to offer the American or European.
We have heard a lot about the Kakum National Park, the Mole Game Reserve, the Paga Crocodile Pond, the Wli Waterfalls, the Tafi Monkey Sanctuary and many others. In all cases, the curious visitor had to beat a hasty return or find him/herself alone in the wilderness. Reaching those places can be nightmarish because of the poor nature of the roads. We need to give tourism development more serious attention than we are doing now.
Recently, a tourism marketing strategy was launched aimed at, according to its initiators, launching Ghana as the prime tourism destination in the West African subregion. It is a laudable idea but what is the guarantee that it will not end up becoming an Accra event, which will not change the tourism map of the country?
Investment in tourism is not about printing T-shirts, cloths and other paraphernalia and parading them on the streets or in the media. Neither shall we achieve much if we get social commentators talking plenty on the radio and television extolling our tourism potentials.
We do not need anyone to tell us that we have beautiful places in the country that can attract tourist. What we need is the development of these places and making sure that they are accessible to the visitor. That means building good roads to these places, providing decent accommodation for those who want to spend a night or two, and making sure that recreational and leisure facilities are available to provide total satisfaction to tourists.
President Obama’s visit is an opportunity to make good money from those who may want to take advantage of the visit to explore the country. But with the rains rendering almost all our roads impassable, where can they go?
The World Tourism Day celebration in Ghana is an opportunity to sell our country. However, as things stand now, it is likely we may end up sending the delegates to the Elmina and Cape Coast castles; show them a few people dancing bare-chested and return home feeling satisfied that we have showcased Ghana to the world. We can do more than that, but we have to change our approach to tourism development, otherwise we should as well forget the windfall for now.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Obama: A barrier broken
By Kofi Akordor
When news broke that a young senator from the State of Illinois was gearing up to contest the Democratic nomination for the American presidency, the questions on the lips of many included: ”Is it mere adventure, or yet another bout of day-dreaming?”
It began dramatically in 2004, when Senator Barack Obama delivered a fiery speech at the Democratic Party Convention. His oratory was not only impressive, but he seemed to imbibe a lot of wisdom and sophistry in delivery on matters that cut across racial, social and economic lines. The question still remained: “How can the son of a black person from Kenya take custody of the White House, which is the symbol of white supremacy and dominance in the world?”
Obama was not the first black to stake claim to the US presidency. Others like the Reverend Jesse Jackson had blazed the trail but made very little impact in a racially prejudiced country. That was why Obama’s ambition at the time did not sound quite impressive to many, especially the blacks who, bogged down by inferiority complex and knowing the overwhelming racial impediments, gave him very little chance.
When Obama’s campaign gathered momentum, there was very little doubt that Americans were responding to a new awakening. After one of the longest and sometimes acrimonious primaries between Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton, wife of former President Bill Clinton, the former emerged as the choice of the Democrats to contest Republican Senator John McCain for the White House.
November 5, 2008, was a historic day for Africa, when Obama’s victory in the US presidential election was confirmed. It was not one person’s victory in a keen contest but a victory over inferiority complex and racial prejudice. It was a victory which led Africa to cross a serious psychological barrier.
President Obama may not do anything drastic more than what other US Presidents have done or will do for Africa in terms of development aid. However, one thing is clear. The Obama presidency has restored hope and confidence in the African and blacks elsewhere. It has erased centuries of brainwashing, which placed psychological barriers to progress among blacks generally.
The choice of Ghana as his first place of call in sub-Saharan Africa, after addressing the Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt, in June, 2009, did not come as an accident. Ghana had always played a pivotal role in Africa’s struggle against colonialism and neo-colonialism and was instrumental in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which is now the African Union (AU).
The relentless effort of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to affirm the African Personality and to give hope to the Black race had won him as an individual, much respect and placed Ghana on a special pedestal in the international community.
Ghana’s efforts at peace-keeping are well-known and globally acknowledged. From the Congo Crisis in the 1960s, the deserts of the Middle East, Darfur, Bosnia-Herzegovina to the jungles of Liberia and Sierra Leone, Ghana has always expressed its solidarity with people in conflict zones and played prominent roles to restore sanity to distressed parts of the world.
In recent times, Ghana has been able to overcome years of political instability which had been the bane of many African countries, to establish the foundations for strong democratic governance which had seen five general elections and the change of baton from one government to another twice.
The discovery of oil in large commercial quantities in addition to its already known rich mineral and forest resources has made Ghana a prime attraction to many investors and the US cannot be ruled out.
The response given to President Obama’s visit by Ghanaians was spontaneous and ecstatic. President Bill Clinton was well received in 1998, so was President George W. Bush in 2008, albeit on a limited scale. President Obama was like a son returning to the land and so was appropriately given the reception he received. That the Presidents of the last three US Administrations made Ghana their destinations on the continent, is also a revelation that should not be taken for granted. Ghana must ride on and its democracy must grow.
As stated earlier, President Obama may not be able to do more than others before him in terms of development assistance, because of budgetary limitations. He can, however, do something to bring African leaders to order.
Despite strides in democratic governance on the continent, there is still a good chunk of the old order parading the corridors of power on the continent. Some, like Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Paul Biya of Cameroon, are allies of the US, but this continent cannot make headway in its development efforts if its political fortunes continue to remain in the hands of a few dictators and charlatans. In his address to Parliament and other invited guests, President Obama was not charitable to corrupt African leaders who have presided over the collapse of the economies of their countries. Foreign aid, he rightly told his audience, is the not the solution to Africa’s problems, but only a supplement to the real efforts of Africans themselves.
An Obama presidency is a challenge to African leaders to nurture dreams and bring them to fruition. The virtue Obama symbolises is that self-pity, inferiority complex and the feeling of inadequacy should be things of the past.
Can it be said that Africa is ready to step into the limelight and be counted among the global community?
It is a cruel co-incidence that in a week when we were welcoming President Obama, the highest and most influential political figure ever to emerge from among the black race, we should also be mourning Michael Jackson, an icon in the entertainment business. Whichever way one looks at it, it is evident that the Black race has all the endowments necessary for its redemption and it needs just a bit of mental readjustment to register its mark on the world scene.
When news broke that a young senator from the State of Illinois was gearing up to contest the Democratic nomination for the American presidency, the questions on the lips of many included: ”Is it mere adventure, or yet another bout of day-dreaming?”
It began dramatically in 2004, when Senator Barack Obama delivered a fiery speech at the Democratic Party Convention. His oratory was not only impressive, but he seemed to imbibe a lot of wisdom and sophistry in delivery on matters that cut across racial, social and economic lines. The question still remained: “How can the son of a black person from Kenya take custody of the White House, which is the symbol of white supremacy and dominance in the world?”
Obama was not the first black to stake claim to the US presidency. Others like the Reverend Jesse Jackson had blazed the trail but made very little impact in a racially prejudiced country. That was why Obama’s ambition at the time did not sound quite impressive to many, especially the blacks who, bogged down by inferiority complex and knowing the overwhelming racial impediments, gave him very little chance.
When Obama’s campaign gathered momentum, there was very little doubt that Americans were responding to a new awakening. After one of the longest and sometimes acrimonious primaries between Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton, wife of former President Bill Clinton, the former emerged as the choice of the Democrats to contest Republican Senator John McCain for the White House.
November 5, 2008, was a historic day for Africa, when Obama’s victory in the US presidential election was confirmed. It was not one person’s victory in a keen contest but a victory over inferiority complex and racial prejudice. It was a victory which led Africa to cross a serious psychological barrier.
President Obama may not do anything drastic more than what other US Presidents have done or will do for Africa in terms of development aid. However, one thing is clear. The Obama presidency has restored hope and confidence in the African and blacks elsewhere. It has erased centuries of brainwashing, which placed psychological barriers to progress among blacks generally.
The choice of Ghana as his first place of call in sub-Saharan Africa, after addressing the Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt, in June, 2009, did not come as an accident. Ghana had always played a pivotal role in Africa’s struggle against colonialism and neo-colonialism and was instrumental in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which is now the African Union (AU).
The relentless effort of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to affirm the African Personality and to give hope to the Black race had won him as an individual, much respect and placed Ghana on a special pedestal in the international community.
Ghana’s efforts at peace-keeping are well-known and globally acknowledged. From the Congo Crisis in the 1960s, the deserts of the Middle East, Darfur, Bosnia-Herzegovina to the jungles of Liberia and Sierra Leone, Ghana has always expressed its solidarity with people in conflict zones and played prominent roles to restore sanity to distressed parts of the world.
In recent times, Ghana has been able to overcome years of political instability which had been the bane of many African countries, to establish the foundations for strong democratic governance which had seen five general elections and the change of baton from one government to another twice.
The discovery of oil in large commercial quantities in addition to its already known rich mineral and forest resources has made Ghana a prime attraction to many investors and the US cannot be ruled out.
The response given to President Obama’s visit by Ghanaians was spontaneous and ecstatic. President Bill Clinton was well received in 1998, so was President George W. Bush in 2008, albeit on a limited scale. President Obama was like a son returning to the land and so was appropriately given the reception he received. That the Presidents of the last three US Administrations made Ghana their destinations on the continent, is also a revelation that should not be taken for granted. Ghana must ride on and its democracy must grow.
As stated earlier, President Obama may not be able to do more than others before him in terms of development assistance, because of budgetary limitations. He can, however, do something to bring African leaders to order.
Despite strides in democratic governance on the continent, there is still a good chunk of the old order parading the corridors of power on the continent. Some, like Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Paul Biya of Cameroon, are allies of the US, but this continent cannot make headway in its development efforts if its political fortunes continue to remain in the hands of a few dictators and charlatans. In his address to Parliament and other invited guests, President Obama was not charitable to corrupt African leaders who have presided over the collapse of the economies of their countries. Foreign aid, he rightly told his audience, is the not the solution to Africa’s problems, but only a supplement to the real efforts of Africans themselves.
An Obama presidency is a challenge to African leaders to nurture dreams and bring them to fruition. The virtue Obama symbolises is that self-pity, inferiority complex and the feeling of inadequacy should be things of the past.
Can it be said that Africa is ready to step into the limelight and be counted among the global community?
It is a cruel co-incidence that in a week when we were welcoming President Obama, the highest and most influential political figure ever to emerge from among the black race, we should also be mourning Michael Jackson, an icon in the entertainment business. Whichever way one looks at it, it is evident that the Black race has all the endowments necessary for its redemption and it needs just a bit of mental readjustment to register its mark on the world scene.
Monday, July 13, 2009
ARE WE READY FOR THE TOURISM WINDFALL?
In the coming days, weeks and months, our country will be playing host to several visitors and international events, which makes it an important place to harvest windfalls from tourism. Coming close is the arrival on Friday, of President Barrack Obama, the third sitting US President to visit this country over the last 11 years. Bill Clinton was here on March 23, 1998, followed by George W. Bush, who arrived here on February 19, 2008 for a three-day visit.
In September, Ghana will play host to the World Tourism Day, an event that will certainly record an inflow of visitors mostly in the hospitality industry. In the past few years, our country has been privileged to be venues for a number of important and significant international events.
In 2007, we celebrated our 50th anniversary in a manner that gave no credit to that epoch and historic event. It was as if there was nothing worth celebrating. In July of the same year, the country hosted the African Union Summit in which the African leaders made high-flying statements about a continental union government. In 2008, we were again lucky to host the 26th MTN Africa Cup of Nations.
These are high-profile international events that could have easily been utilised to advertise the country’s vast potentials and assets. But did we measure up to the challenge? Even though official sources continue to tout tourism as the fourth biggest foreign exchange earner, the tourism sector is woefully underdeveloped. We could not take advantage of these events to make foreign cash because of poor infrastructure.
The first visible sign of our inadequacy is the poor road network from the capital to the places of leisure and pleasure. Apart from the Elimina and Cape Coast castles that can now be accessed by a fairly good road, most of the places that will be the tourist’s haven are ‘hidden’ because it takes a lot of courage and determination to reach them.
The tourist’s disappointment could only be experienced to be appreciated after reaching his/her destination only to realise that apart from what nature has provided to the people of Ghana have not provided anything for their upkeep, comfort and entertainment. Poor souls, they would neither get a decent place to retire their worn-out bodies nor a nice place to relax with friends, not to talk about a place to have a decent meal or drink.
The emptiness at Dodi Island is something that intrigues me. This is a place that is very close to Accra and has money-spinning potentials but remains untapped. The dream of many who have heard of the place is to pay a visit and many social groupings and corporate entities continue to organise excursions for their members to Dodi Island. But the high expectations immediately fizzle out after the desolation hit them in the face. Only the boat ride offers something interesting.
Can we picture what Dodi Island would be like at the weekends if the place was developed with hotel facilities, recreational and amusement facilities for adults and children? The place would have been breezing with visitors, both local and foreign, who would want to savour the beauty of the Volta Lake.
It appears we still think that there cannot be anything more important beyond raw cocoa beans, raw timber and gold ore. Tourism can easily transform the economy of this country and change the lifestyle of our rural communities. And most of the people entrusted with the achievement of that goal know how Egypt or The Gambia did it.
We don’t develop tourism just by holding workshops for chopbar operators in Accra. The greater number of tourists will want to visit the tourist sites buried deep in the country and not walking the streets of Accra which, apart from its people, have nothing to offer the American or European.
We have heard a lot about the Kakum National Park, the Mole Game Reserve, the Paga Crocodile Pond, the Wli Waterfalls, the Tafi Monkey Sanctuary and many others. In all cases, the curious visitor had to beat a hasty return or find him/herself alone in the wilderness. Reaching those places can be nightmarish because of the poor nature of the roads. We need to give tourism development more serious attention than we are doing now.
Recently, a tourism marketing strategy was launched aimed at, according to its initiators, launching Ghana as the prime tourism destination in the West African subregion. It is a laudable idea but what is the guarantee that it will not end up becoming an Accra event, which will not change the tourism map of the country?
Investment in tourism is not about printing T-shirts, cloths and other paraphernalia and parading them on the streets or in the media. Neither shall we achieve much if we get social commentators talking plenty on the radio and television extolling our tourism potentials.
We do not need anyone to tell us that we have beautiful places in the country that can attract tourist. What we need is the development of these places and making sure that they are accessible to the visitor. That means building good roads to these places, providing decent accommodation for those who want to spend a night or two, and making sure that recreational and leisure facilities are available to provide total satisfaction to tourists.
President Obama’s visit is an opportunity to make good money from those who may want to take advantage of the visit to explore the country. But with the rains rendering almost all our roads impassable, where can they go?
The World Tourism Day celebration in Ghana is an opportunity to sell our country. However, as things stand now, it is likely we may end up sending the delegates to the Elmina and Cape Coast castles; show them a few people dancing bare-chested and return home feeling satisfied that we have showcased Ghana to the world. We can do more than that, but we have to change our approach to tourism development, otherwise we should as well forget the windfall for now.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
In September, Ghana will play host to the World Tourism Day, an event that will certainly record an inflow of visitors mostly in the hospitality industry. In the past few years, our country has been privileged to be venues for a number of important and significant international events.
In 2007, we celebrated our 50th anniversary in a manner that gave no credit to that epoch and historic event. It was as if there was nothing worth celebrating. In July of the same year, the country hosted the African Union Summit in which the African leaders made high-flying statements about a continental union government. In 2008, we were again lucky to host the 26th MTN Africa Cup of Nations.
These are high-profile international events that could have easily been utilised to advertise the country’s vast potentials and assets. But did we measure up to the challenge? Even though official sources continue to tout tourism as the fourth biggest foreign exchange earner, the tourism sector is woefully underdeveloped. We could not take advantage of these events to make foreign cash because of poor infrastructure.
The first visible sign of our inadequacy is the poor road network from the capital to the places of leisure and pleasure. Apart from the Elimina and Cape Coast castles that can now be accessed by a fairly good road, most of the places that will be the tourist’s haven are ‘hidden’ because it takes a lot of courage and determination to reach them.
The tourist’s disappointment could only be experienced to be appreciated after reaching his/her destination only to realise that apart from what nature has provided to the people of Ghana have not provided anything for their upkeep, comfort and entertainment. Poor souls, they would neither get a decent place to retire their worn-out bodies nor a nice place to relax with friends, not to talk about a place to have a decent meal or drink.
The emptiness at Dodi Island is something that intrigues me. This is a place that is very close to Accra and has money-spinning potentials but remains untapped. The dream of many who have heard of the place is to pay a visit and many social groupings and corporate entities continue to organise excursions for their members to Dodi Island. But the high expectations immediately fizzle out after the desolation hit them in the face. Only the boat ride offers something interesting.
Can we picture what Dodi Island would be like at the weekends if the place was developed with hotel facilities, recreational and amusement facilities for adults and children? The place would have been breezing with visitors, both local and foreign, who would want to savour the beauty of the Volta Lake.
It appears we still think that there cannot be anything more important beyond raw cocoa beans, raw timber and gold ore. Tourism can easily transform the economy of this country and change the lifestyle of our rural communities. And most of the people entrusted with the achievement of that goal know how Egypt or The Gambia did it.
We don’t develop tourism just by holding workshops for chopbar operators in Accra. The greater number of tourists will want to visit the tourist sites buried deep in the country and not walking the streets of Accra which, apart from its people, have nothing to offer the American or European.
We have heard a lot about the Kakum National Park, the Mole Game Reserve, the Paga Crocodile Pond, the Wli Waterfalls, the Tafi Monkey Sanctuary and many others. In all cases, the curious visitor had to beat a hasty return or find him/herself alone in the wilderness. Reaching those places can be nightmarish because of the poor nature of the roads. We need to give tourism development more serious attention than we are doing now.
Recently, a tourism marketing strategy was launched aimed at, according to its initiators, launching Ghana as the prime tourism destination in the West African subregion. It is a laudable idea but what is the guarantee that it will not end up becoming an Accra event, which will not change the tourism map of the country?
Investment in tourism is not about printing T-shirts, cloths and other paraphernalia and parading them on the streets or in the media. Neither shall we achieve much if we get social commentators talking plenty on the radio and television extolling our tourism potentials.
We do not need anyone to tell us that we have beautiful places in the country that can attract tourist. What we need is the development of these places and making sure that they are accessible to the visitor. That means building good roads to these places, providing decent accommodation for those who want to spend a night or two, and making sure that recreational and leisure facilities are available to provide total satisfaction to tourists.
President Obama’s visit is an opportunity to make good money from those who may want to take advantage of the visit to explore the country. But with the rains rendering almost all our roads impassable, where can they go?
The World Tourism Day celebration in Ghana is an opportunity to sell our country. However, as things stand now, it is likely we may end up sending the delegates to the Elmina and Cape Coast castles; show them a few people dancing bare-chested and return home feeling satisfied that we have showcased Ghana to the world. We can do more than that, but we have to change our approach to tourism development, otherwise we should as well forget the windfall for now.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Are we ready for the tourism windfall?
By Kofi Akordor
In the coming days, weeks and months, our country will be playing host to several visitors and international events, which makes it an important place to harvest windfalls from tourism. Coming close is the arrival on Friday, of President Barrack Obama, the third US President to visit this country over the last 11 years. Bill Clinton was here on March 23, 1998 followed by George W. Bush, who arrived here on February 19, 2008 for a three-day visit.
In September, Ghana will play host to the World Tourism Day, an event that will certainly record an inflow of visitors mostly in the hospitality industry. In the past few years, our country has been privileged to be venues for a number of important and significant international events.
In 2007, we celebrated our 50th anniversary in a manner that gave no credit to that epoch and historic event. It was as if there was nothing worth celebrating. In July of the same year, the country hosted the African Union Summit at which the African leaders made high-flying statements about continental union. In 2008, we were again lucky to host the 26th MTN Africa Cup of Nations.
These are high-profile international events that could have easily been utilised to advertise the country’s vast potential assets. But did we measure up to the challenge? Even though official sources continue to tout tourism as the fourth biggest foreign exchange earner, the tourism sector is woefully underdeveloped. We could not take advantage of these events to make foreign cash because of poor infrastructure.
The first visible sign of our inadequacy is the poor road network from the capital to the places of leisure and pleasure. Apart from the Elmina and Cape Coast castles that can now be accessed by a fairly good road, most of the places that will be the tourist’s haven are ‘hidden’ because it takes a lot of courage and determination to reach them.
The tourist’s disappointment could only be experienced to be appreciated after reaching his/her destination only to realise that apart from what nature has provided the people of Ghana have not provided anything for their comfort and entertainment. Pour souls, they would neither get a decent place to retire their worn-out bodies nor a nice place to relax with friends.
The emptiness at Dodi Island is something that intrigues me. This is a place that is very close to Accra and has money-spinning potentials but remains untapped. The dream of many who have heard of the place is to pay a visit and many social groupings and corporate entities continue to organise excursions for their members to Dodi Island. But the high expectations immediately fizzle out after the desolation hit them in the face. Only the boat ride offers something interesting.
Can we picture how Dodi Island would be like at the weekends if the place was developed with hotel facilities, recreational and amusement facilities for adults and children? The place would have been breezing with visitors, both local and foreign, who would want to savour the beauty of the Volta Lake.
It appears we still think that there cannot be anything more important beyond raw cocoa beans, raw timber and gold ore. Tourism can easily transform the economy of this country and change the lifestyle of our rural communities.
We don’t develop tourism just by holding workshops for chop-bar operators in Accra. The greater number of tourists will want to visit the tourist sites buried deep in the country and not walking the streets of Accra which, apart from its people, have nothing to offer the American or European.
We have heard a lot about the Kakum National Park, the Mole Game Reserve, the Paga Crocodile Pond, the Wli Waterfalls, the Tafi Monkey Sanctuary and many others. In all cases the curious visitor had to beat a hasty return or find him/herself alone in the wilderness. Reaching those places can be nightmarish because of the poor nature of the roads. We need to give tourism development more serious attention than we are doing now.
Recently a tourism marketing strategy was launched aimed at, according to its initiators, launching Ghana as the prime tourism destination in the West African sub-region. It is a laudable idea but what is the guarantee that it will not end up becoming an Accra event, which will not change the tourism map of the country?
Investment in tourism is not about printing T-shirts, cloths and other paraphernalia and parading in them on the streets of media. Neither shall we achieve much if we get social commentators talking plenty on the radio and television extolling our tourism potentials.
We do not need anyone to tell us that we have beautiful places in the country that can attract the tourist. What we need is the development of these places and making sure that they are accessible to the visitor. That means building good roads to these places, providing decent accommodation for those who want to spend a night or two and making sure that recreational and leisure facilities are available to provide total satisfaction to tourists.
President Obama’s visit is an opportunity to make good money from those who may want to take advantage of the visit to explore the country. But with the rains rendering almost all our roads impassable, where can they go?
The World Tourism Day celebration in Ghana is an opportunity to sell our country. However, as things stand now, it is likely we may end up sending the delegates to the Elmina and Cape Coast castles; show them a few people dancing bare-chested and return home feeling satisfied that we have showcased Ghana to the world. We can do more than that, but we have to change our approach to tourism development, otherwise we should as well forget the windfall for now.
In the coming days, weeks and months, our country will be playing host to several visitors and international events, which makes it an important place to harvest windfalls from tourism. Coming close is the arrival on Friday, of President Barrack Obama, the third US President to visit this country over the last 11 years. Bill Clinton was here on March 23, 1998 followed by George W. Bush, who arrived here on February 19, 2008 for a three-day visit.
In September, Ghana will play host to the World Tourism Day, an event that will certainly record an inflow of visitors mostly in the hospitality industry. In the past few years, our country has been privileged to be venues for a number of important and significant international events.
In 2007, we celebrated our 50th anniversary in a manner that gave no credit to that epoch and historic event. It was as if there was nothing worth celebrating. In July of the same year, the country hosted the African Union Summit at which the African leaders made high-flying statements about continental union. In 2008, we were again lucky to host the 26th MTN Africa Cup of Nations.
These are high-profile international events that could have easily been utilised to advertise the country’s vast potential assets. But did we measure up to the challenge? Even though official sources continue to tout tourism as the fourth biggest foreign exchange earner, the tourism sector is woefully underdeveloped. We could not take advantage of these events to make foreign cash because of poor infrastructure.
The first visible sign of our inadequacy is the poor road network from the capital to the places of leisure and pleasure. Apart from the Elmina and Cape Coast castles that can now be accessed by a fairly good road, most of the places that will be the tourist’s haven are ‘hidden’ because it takes a lot of courage and determination to reach them.
The tourist’s disappointment could only be experienced to be appreciated after reaching his/her destination only to realise that apart from what nature has provided the people of Ghana have not provided anything for their comfort and entertainment. Pour souls, they would neither get a decent place to retire their worn-out bodies nor a nice place to relax with friends.
The emptiness at Dodi Island is something that intrigues me. This is a place that is very close to Accra and has money-spinning potentials but remains untapped. The dream of many who have heard of the place is to pay a visit and many social groupings and corporate entities continue to organise excursions for their members to Dodi Island. But the high expectations immediately fizzle out after the desolation hit them in the face. Only the boat ride offers something interesting.
Can we picture how Dodi Island would be like at the weekends if the place was developed with hotel facilities, recreational and amusement facilities for adults and children? The place would have been breezing with visitors, both local and foreign, who would want to savour the beauty of the Volta Lake.
It appears we still think that there cannot be anything more important beyond raw cocoa beans, raw timber and gold ore. Tourism can easily transform the economy of this country and change the lifestyle of our rural communities.
We don’t develop tourism just by holding workshops for chop-bar operators in Accra. The greater number of tourists will want to visit the tourist sites buried deep in the country and not walking the streets of Accra which, apart from its people, have nothing to offer the American or European.
We have heard a lot about the Kakum National Park, the Mole Game Reserve, the Paga Crocodile Pond, the Wli Waterfalls, the Tafi Monkey Sanctuary and many others. In all cases the curious visitor had to beat a hasty return or find him/herself alone in the wilderness. Reaching those places can be nightmarish because of the poor nature of the roads. We need to give tourism development more serious attention than we are doing now.
Recently a tourism marketing strategy was launched aimed at, according to its initiators, launching Ghana as the prime tourism destination in the West African sub-region. It is a laudable idea but what is the guarantee that it will not end up becoming an Accra event, which will not change the tourism map of the country?
Investment in tourism is not about printing T-shirts, cloths and other paraphernalia and parading in them on the streets of media. Neither shall we achieve much if we get social commentators talking plenty on the radio and television extolling our tourism potentials.
We do not need anyone to tell us that we have beautiful places in the country that can attract the tourist. What we need is the development of these places and making sure that they are accessible to the visitor. That means building good roads to these places, providing decent accommodation for those who want to spend a night or two and making sure that recreational and leisure facilities are available to provide total satisfaction to tourists.
President Obama’s visit is an opportunity to make good money from those who may want to take advantage of the visit to explore the country. But with the rains rendering almost all our roads impassable, where can they go?
The World Tourism Day celebration in Ghana is an opportunity to sell our country. However, as things stand now, it is likely we may end up sending the delegates to the Elmina and Cape Coast castles; show them a few people dancing bare-chested and return home feeling satisfied that we have showcased Ghana to the world. We can do more than that, but we have to change our approach to tourism development, otherwise we should as well forget the windfall for now.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
THE VULTURE IN THE GHANAIAN (JUNE 30, 2009)
Suddenly we all know the source of the problem and the solutions. We have been waiting for disaster to strike then everybody begins to do something to save a bad situation.
Last week, Accra, the nation’s capital, once again came under heavy floods that claimed lives and property. The politicians were as usual busy doing what they know best — putting the blame where it should be and making promises — a process they are likely to repeat next year, since nature’s ways cannot be controlled.
We all know why even the slightest drizzle can cause flooding in certain parts of Accra but we have failed to act sometimes for the sake of cheap politics.
Accra in particular and for that matter most of our towns and cities have problems of choked drains, poorly constructed roads and irresponsible construction of structures on watercourses. All these have something to do with human nature, which could be summed up in one word — indiscipline.
As had been the routine, government officials, while touring the disaster areas in the city, kept on warning those who had defied building regulations to obstruct the free flow of rainwater, thus causing the floods.
They also did not have kind words for officials of the Town and Country Planning Department for sometimes looking the other way while these illegal structures were being erected in a haphazard manner all over the city.
Officials of the Town and Country Planning Department will also tell you that they sometimes bend the rules because of phone calls from powerful voices or notes in the handwriting of people in powerful positions in government.
We are in a crisis so the government must respond accordingly. We have been told an inter-ministerial committee has been set up to identify and demolish buildings and structures on watercourses to prevent further floods. That is well said, what about the implementation? The solution also goes beyond the demolition of a few buildings.
We all know the history of demolitions and decongestions in the country. Attempts in the past to decongest the city or dismantle illegal structures were sabotaged either through opportunism or political expediency.
In 2005 or so, Mr Stanley Nii Adjiri-Blankson, the then Metropolitan Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), did a wonderful job by decongesting the Central Business District of Accra with amazing alacrity.
Residents who applauded the exercise testified that for once they could move freely on the pavements of Makola without winding their way through a dense forest of street hawkers. Motorists, including taxi and tro-tro drivers, were able to transport their passengers without any hindrance and apart from the street hawkers who had been uprooted from their strongholds, every other Ghanaian was pleased that Accra had regained its lost glory and dignity as the nation’s capital.
Just as Adjiri-Blankson’s decongestion and demolition squad was gathering steam and bracing up for more exercises in other parts of the capital, the political propaganda machinery went into motion discrediting the whole exercise. The story was that, the government was out to take food from the mouths of the ordinary people after they had voted the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into power.
Unfortunately for Nii Adjiri-Blankson, there was a forthcoming by-election at the Odododiodoo Constituency in the heart of Ga Mashie, which was already a bad zone for the NPP. You can call it blackmail. And it worked.
On the orders of some heavyweights in the party, the decongestive exercise was stopped and the madness returned to the streets of Accra. We were told the exercise would be repackaged with a human face (whatever that means) and ever since, Adjiri-Blankson managed to stay clear from controversy until his party bowed out of office. The NPP lost the Odododiodoo by-election anyway.
In 2007, an exercise was initiated with a lot of fanfare to demolish 25 unauthorised buildings built on land belonging to the Ghana Water Company Limited and which lie in the Weija Dam watercourses. After three houses went down, the human rights activists and those who read politics into everything went into action. The exercise came to an abrupt end. These two examples illustrate our frustration as a nation whenever we want to tackle a purely national problem.
The truth is, we are reaping the results of years of indiscipline and inaction. We are all talking today because we are still picking the dead and counting our losses. Let the sun dry up the flood waters and, we, like the vulture, shall go back to our evil ways.
We have building regulations that we do not adhere to, thus allowing structures to sprout at any empty space in our cities and towns, not necessarily on the blind side of the city authorities. Our poorly designed and constructed drains are reeling under garbage that blocks the free flow of water during heavy rains.
Warnings such as; ‘Stop Work and Produce Permit’ do not have meaning any longer. Most often, work never stops, not because a permit has been produced or the structure is located on an approved site. The maxim ‘man must live’ always holds sway and with a phone call here and a brief note there, watercourses have been turned into residential areas.
Accra has become flood-prone because over the years, several residential areas have developed without proper layout and those tasked to ensure that the right thing is done will tell you that they have been frustrated in their work by politicians and other powerful persons who should have known better.
It is the expectation of every Ghanaian that the inter-ministerial task force will discharge its mandate without fear or favour. Politicising every national issue should be discarded. That is why it is welcome news that two prominent politicians — Mr Peter Mac Manu, National Chairman of the NPP, and Mr Yaw Boateng-Gyan, Deputy National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) — have called for a non-partisan approach to the decongestive exercise. Not only that. There are many other important matters that could be handled better in the national interest without undue heavy politicisation.
For now, we can only compare our case to that of the vulture, which always pledges to build a house after the first raindrops. We should aim at preventing disaster instead of making repairs after the harm has been done.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
Last week, Accra, the nation’s capital, once again came under heavy floods that claimed lives and property. The politicians were as usual busy doing what they know best — putting the blame where it should be and making promises — a process they are likely to repeat next year, since nature’s ways cannot be controlled.
We all know why even the slightest drizzle can cause flooding in certain parts of Accra but we have failed to act sometimes for the sake of cheap politics.
Accra in particular and for that matter most of our towns and cities have problems of choked drains, poorly constructed roads and irresponsible construction of structures on watercourses. All these have something to do with human nature, which could be summed up in one word — indiscipline.
As had been the routine, government officials, while touring the disaster areas in the city, kept on warning those who had defied building regulations to obstruct the free flow of rainwater, thus causing the floods.
They also did not have kind words for officials of the Town and Country Planning Department for sometimes looking the other way while these illegal structures were being erected in a haphazard manner all over the city.
Officials of the Town and Country Planning Department will also tell you that they sometimes bend the rules because of phone calls from powerful voices or notes in the handwriting of people in powerful positions in government.
We are in a crisis so the government must respond accordingly. We have been told an inter-ministerial committee has been set up to identify and demolish buildings and structures on watercourses to prevent further floods. That is well said, what about the implementation? The solution also goes beyond the demolition of a few buildings.
We all know the history of demolitions and decongestions in the country. Attempts in the past to decongest the city or dismantle illegal structures were sabotaged either through opportunism or political expediency.
In 2005 or so, Mr Stanley Nii Adjiri-Blankson, the then Metropolitan Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), did a wonderful job by decongesting the Central Business District of Accra with amazing alacrity.
Residents who applauded the exercise testified that for once they could move freely on the pavements of Makola without winding their way through a dense forest of street hawkers. Motorists, including taxi and tro-tro drivers, were able to transport their passengers without any hindrance and apart from the street hawkers who had been uprooted from their strongholds, every other Ghanaian was pleased that Accra had regained its lost glory and dignity as the nation’s capital.
Just as Adjiri-Blankson’s decongestion and demolition squad was gathering steam and bracing up for more exercises in other parts of the capital, the political propaganda machinery went into motion discrediting the whole exercise. The story was that, the government was out to take food from the mouths of the ordinary people after they had voted the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into power.
Unfortunately for Nii Adjiri-Blankson, there was a forthcoming by-election at the Odododiodoo Constituency in the heart of Ga Mashie, which was already a bad zone for the NPP. You can call it blackmail. And it worked.
On the orders of some heavyweights in the party, the decongestive exercise was stopped and the madness returned to the streets of Accra. We were told the exercise would be repackaged with a human face (whatever that means) and ever since, Adjiri-Blankson managed to stay clear from controversy until his party bowed out of office. The NPP lost the Odododiodoo by-election anyway.
In 2007, an exercise was initiated with a lot of fanfare to demolish 25 unauthorised buildings built on land belonging to the Ghana Water Company Limited and which lie in the Weija Dam watercourses. After three houses went down, the human rights activists and those who read politics into everything went into action. The exercise came to an abrupt end. These two examples illustrate our frustration as a nation whenever we want to tackle a purely national problem.
The truth is, we are reaping the results of years of indiscipline and inaction. We are all talking today because we are still picking the dead and counting our losses. Let the sun dry up the flood waters and, we, like the vulture, shall go back to our evil ways.
We have building regulations that we do not adhere to, thus allowing structures to sprout at any empty space in our cities and towns, not necessarily on the blind side of the city authorities. Our poorly designed and constructed drains are reeling under garbage that blocks the free flow of water during heavy rains.
Warnings such as; ‘Stop Work and Produce Permit’ do not have meaning any longer. Most often, work never stops, not because a permit has been produced or the structure is located on an approved site. The maxim ‘man must live’ always holds sway and with a phone call here and a brief note there, watercourses have been turned into residential areas.
Accra has become flood-prone because over the years, several residential areas have developed without proper layout and those tasked to ensure that the right thing is done will tell you that they have been frustrated in their work by politicians and other powerful persons who should have known better.
It is the expectation of every Ghanaian that the inter-ministerial task force will discharge its mandate without fear or favour. Politicising every national issue should be discarded. That is why it is welcome news that two prominent politicians — Mr Peter Mac Manu, National Chairman of the NPP, and Mr Yaw Boateng-Gyan, Deputy National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) — have called for a non-partisan approach to the decongestive exercise. Not only that. There are many other important matters that could be handled better in the national interest without undue heavy politicisation.
For now, we can only compare our case to that of the vulture, which always pledges to build a house after the first raindrops. We should aim at preventing disaster instead of making repairs after the harm has been done.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
Kofiakordor.blogspot.com
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