GHANA: FIFTY-TWO YEARS OF HOPE

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath
There is this beautiful Ewe proverb which can literarily be interpreted to this effect: “A newly hatched chick that survives will not lack the opportunity to grow feathers.” The French version of this proverb may be “Tan que je vis jespere” or “when there is life, there is hope.”
Fifty-two years ago (6th March 1957 to be precised), Ghana made political history in tropical Africa. On that day, the Gold Coast became Ghana. How did it happen? At exactly midnight that night, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, flanked by some ambitious comrades of his, mounted a podium at the old Polo ground in the city of Accra and proclaimed:
“At long last, the battle has ended; and Ghana our beloved country is free for ever.”
The visionary Nkrumah then made a seemingly harmless statement which turned out to make him the African man of the 20th Century. He declared, “The Independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African Continent.”
Yes, it is important to tell the true story of the Independence of Ghana so that our children, their children, and their children’s children will know exactly how Ghana became a nation of “Freedom and Justice.” At the time Dr Nkrumah made that legendary declaration, only about eight out of 53 countries in Africa knew what independence was. In West Africa, all the 16 countries were clamped in the jaws of Colonialism. As for South Africa, she was deep in the throat of a hateful and horrible creature called “Apartheid.”
Ghana’s independence was not granted to our forefathers on a silver platter. In other words, our forefathers did not eat to their fill, drink, booze and went to bed and started snoring then someone went and called them to get their independence. “Kpaooo!” “Daabida” “Waalaaii!” Not at all! As a matter of fact, the independence struggle did not start on the 6th March 1957 when that celebrated proclamation was made.
If Osagyfo Dr Nkrumah talked of the end of a battle, we must ask ourselves what kind of a battle he was alluding to. Again, it must be borne in mind that it was not only Dr Nkrumah who single-handedly fought for Ghana’s independence. But he was the locomotive or the vanguard indeed! It is therefore imperative that any time we celebrate the independence anniversary of this blessed land called Ghana, other equally important national heroes must be accorded the recognition they deserve.
For example, homage must be paid to war veterans like Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey who were gunned down like common criminals on 28 February, 1948 at the Christiansburg, Accra. What crime did they commit? They were only going to present a petition to the Colonial Governor of the Gold Coast. They were only fighting for their ex gratia awards after they had been in war front for years.
It was their blood that galvanised the momentum and served as catalyst for the legendary BIG SIX to go for the gold –the INDEPENDENCE. The BIG SIX included Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Dr J.B.Danquah, Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey, Mr. Ofori Atta, Mr. Akufo-Addo and Mr. Ako-Adjei. These were collected and dumped in jails across the country; were they armed robbers? These are among the greatest national heroes we must pay homage to whenever we celebrate the independence anniversary of Ghana. This is why our National Pledge reminds us in part: “…I promise to hold in high esteem, our heritage won for us through the blood and toil of our fathers; I pledge myself in all things to uphold and defend the good name of Ghana.”
Today, as we celebrate the 52nd Anniversary of Ghana on the theme: “Unity and Peace: Pillars for National Development,” the least that we can do is to renew the promise and the pledge to our father and mother Ghana.
Besides the historical and political significance of the independence, what can one say about the economic achievements of Ghana since independence? Even the political journey of the nation since independence has not been all rosy at all. For the uncountable military coup d’états of the 60s, 70s and early 80s had dealt some deadly blows to democratic governance of the nation.
Fortunately, however, since the coming into being of the fourth Republican Constitution of 1992, which was ushered in by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on January 7, 1993, Ghana has been enjoying change of government through democratic elections instead of military coup d’états. This trend of affairs is commendable.
Just last year, 2008, for the first time in her 52 years of nationhood, Ghana scored high democratic marks among nations in Africa when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) another democratically elected Government successfully completed its constitutionally mandated term of eight years and handed over to NDC again. The beauty of this culture of “moko aya ne moko aba”( let someone go for someone to come)is progressive for the advancement of Ghana.
It is against this backdrop that the theme for this year’s anniversary celebration “Unity and Peace: Pillars for National Development” is most appropriate. It is common knowledge that without peace and unity, no meaningful development can take place, not only at the national level but at the District and Regional levels as well. This explains why the people of Ghana must pat themselves on the back for the just-ended peaceful general elections. I say belated Ayekoooo to all Ghanaians! “Mbo - Muaye adie!”
Now that the elections are over, there is the need for the nation to put all political games behind it and focus on national development agenda in unity. First, the leadership of the nation itself must be seen to be interested in peace and unity for national development. Selfishness, partisanship, greed and corruption must be reduced to the barest minimum if not eradicated entirely.
There cannot be peace and unity if political leaders are seen to be interested in their own welfare to the neglect of the majority of the people who elected them into office. The current hullaballoo about proposed ex-gratia awards for ex-Presidents, Members of Parliament and other public holders is a typical example of how political leadership can create disunity and disharmony among the populace leading to agitation and unrest instead of unity and peace for national development. It is gratifying to note that H.E. President J.E.A.Mills is making efforts to use constitutional means to review the whole saga of ex-gratia awards. If this is not done there will be no peace and unity and there will be no national development.
Ghana is not a poor country by nature. It is common place that Ghana is such a blessed land endowed with all kinds of resources including gold, diamond, bauxite, cocoa, timber, arable land, rivers, good rain fall patterns and abundant sun shine all year round. And yet Ghana is endemic with poverty. After 52 years of independence, if the nation’s natural resources had been effectively and efficiently managed, should a Ghanaian child go to bed without a meal? After 52 years of independence, should any Ghanaian child be denied basic education? Something might have gone amiss!
Besides natural resources, Ghana is equally endowed with human resources. She is blessed with some of the best brains in Africa if not in the whole world. One can cite the immediate past UN Secretary-General Busumuru Kofi Annan and others in international bodies to symbolise the human resource base of the country. These are just a few reasons why Ghana could have done better than she has done so far after 52 years of nationhood in terms of socio-economic, political and cultural prosperity.
Now one can speculate that a solid foundation has been laid for the economic take-off of the nation across board. Various sectors of the economy including Agriculture, Education, Health, Transportation, Communications, Investment, Tourism, Foreign Policies, Sports and others seem to be in a better shape today than they were before independence. For instance, the Capitation Grant, National Health Insurance Scheme and the School Feeding Programme and have created opportunity for some school-going children to be in school and be given at least one meal a day free of charge. The new government can improve upon what is in place for national development.
The National Health Insurance Scheme has come to stay, but there is more room for improvement. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is gradually but steadily taking roots in society. Ghana is on the Information Super High Way through the Government of Ghana Portal (www.ghana.gov.gh). Ghana has a comprehensive ICT Policy already in place. The National Portal needs to be revamped to make it a real electronic gateway in the true sense E-Government.
The previous Government started establishing what is referred to as Community Information Centres (CICs) in all the 230 electoral constituencies throughout the country. This is a viable strategy that concretely ensures that ICTs are taken closer to rural people who are in majority in the country. It is hoped the new administration will continue with this project and make it better for national development. Again, the discovery of oil in commercial quantity during the 50th anniversary celebration of Ghana was very opportune for this blessed nation, just to mention but a few.
On Tuesday, February 17, 2009, a delegation of Norwegian oil experts, led by that country’s Minister for Environment and International Development, Mr Erik Solheim, called on the Ghanaian Vice President, H.E. John Mahama at the Castle Osu, Accra. Among other things, Vice President Mahama, disclosed that the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) was being restructured so as to reposition it to make it more responsive to meet government’s programme of making Ghana a wealthy nation in the not too distant future. Naturally Ghana can only become a wealthy nation in the near future only and if only the people of Ghana collectively make Unity and Peace as Pillars for National Development.

DEMOCRATIC MISSION ACCOMPLISHED IN GHANA

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

“If you don’t know death, just take a glance at sleep,” so goes a popular Ghanaian proverb.

Without exaggeration, one can characterise the just-ended 2008 peaceful elections in Ghana as an event that sent the entire African Continent into coma and back. A simple analogy will best illustrate the scenario as it enfolded in Ghana. But it was more traumatic than dramatic!

A ninety-year-old-mother of 53 – Mama Africa, has lost all her other 52 daughters through a plague called democracy. The only surviving daughter – Ghana, became pregnant and was expecting a baby in sixteen days or so, according to the gynecologist in charge –the Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.

Until the hour of delivery, the surviving expectant mother was not only energetic democratically, but was bubbling with vigour, vivacity and vitality. Having had four previous deliveries - elections through natural means the entire globe was expecting noting but another peaceful and natural display of political maturity.

Suddenly, this energetic expectant mother had a heart-attack and was rushed to a hospital and was admitted at the intensive care unit. Then she fell into deep, deep coma. All hell broke loose. Panics seized the entire nation throwing Africa in a state of helplessness and hopelessness.

‘Oh, Ghana, my only surviving daughter in whom I have faith, is this how you are going to end my life?” the desperate Mama Africa lamented. Into the empty air went the dejected arms of the poor woman, whirling and wailing in uncontrollable pain of a mother.

All the cardio specialists cum gyno gurus – international election observers, made up of all races on the face of the earth including, Africans, Europeans, Americans, Asians and Australians gathered at the hospital bedside of this moribund daughter to save her priceless life.

The surgeons were at their wits end. They were more confused than embarrassed. “Shall we undertake a cesarean operation to deliver the dying woman of her unborn baby first, or shall we tackle a heart surgery to correct her heart condition first?” they asked themselves in awe.

Whilst the medical scientists were racking their scientific brains in the theatre, global evangelical and theological specialists across religious boundaries rushed on their knees in shrines, cathedrals, mosques, synagogues and temples to invoke the presence of the Divine Intelligence, the Universal Mind and the Supreme Creator to descend and do something before He or She dies! The Lord spirituals concentrated, contemplated and meditated. They prayed without ceasing indeed! Did God hear their prayers?

Meanwhile, the two protagonists of this whole debacle entangled in tango over political supremacy were the Hon. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party NPP and H.E. Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress NDC. While they were doing their own things, the moribund expectant mother was still under the watchful eyes of the global surgeons.

Then the surgeons decided to perform a cesarean operation to remove the baby from the womb before the heart operation. Just as the leader of the team of surgeons was about to touch the dying woman’s skin with his sharp sterilised knife, she widely opened eyes and burst into cynical laughter.

The “resurrected” woman even had the audacity to query the doctors in the theatre as to why they tied her legs and arms for no apparent reason. In fact, the way she cast a cursing glance at the faces of the surgeons was enough warning for them to set her free unconditionally. Nobody dare utter a word but to take a deep breath and heed a sigh of relief.

That was how the historical and memorable general elections of the year 2008 took place in Ghana. Those who were not physically present in Ghana might have heard of the tribulations of that election but may not be able to imagine the excruciating trauma Ghanaians and all who were in the country to witness the event live went through.

At the end of the day, the presidential candidate of the NDC, Professor John Evans Atta Mills narrowly edged out the NPP presidential candidate, Hon. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, with 4,501, 466 (50.13%) as against 4,478.411 (49.87%) obtained out of the total valid votes of 9,001,478 in 230 constituencies including the now famous Tain constituency of the Brong Ahafo Region after the second presidential run-off.

On Saturday, January 3, 2009, the grey-haired Electoral Commissioner, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, with a head pregnant with wisdom proclaimed in Accra: “…Ladies and Gentlemen: On the basis of the official results given, it is my duty to declare Professor John Evans Atta Mills the President-elect of Ghana.”

On Wednesday, January 7, 2009, the first ever woman Chief Justice of Ghana, Her Lordship Justice Theodora Wood swore the first Professor President of Ghana into office. He is President John Evans Atta Mills. The state sword, which is the insignia or emblem of presidential office, was handed-over to him by the Gentle Giant, Dr John Agyekum Kufuor. He previously took over from President Jerry John Rawlings on January 7, 2001.

Since journalism is said to be the first draft of history, it is imperative to put on record that when the then candidate Akufo-Addo and the then candidate Prof Mills were engaged in a fierce election tug-of-war pulling each other to the breaking point, thereby threatening to plunge the entire nation into a political tsunami, it took President Kufuor to just say a word and our souls were saved.

As Head of State, President of the Republic and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, President Kufuor issued a timely statement which read in part: “…I wish to appeal to all Ghanaians, especially the supporters of the NPP and the NDC, to remain calm and wait patiently for the declaration of the result by the Electoral Commission, which alone has the constitutional mandate to undertake that function.”

Those were the magic words of wisdom and reason which charmed the two combatants and saved the image of Ghana and Africa. Having gone through that excruciating democratic experience, described by some observers as an initiation or a baptism of fire and come out in peace and not in pieces as a nation, never shall Ghana disintegrate because of politics. And that was how a democratic mission was accomplished in Ghana in 2008. May Jesus bless President Kufuor and God bless Ghana!

The Value of Employee Motivation

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

There is this popular Ghanaian proverb: “Wo nni sika a wo se aduro nnye,” which literally translates: “If you have no money then you will say that medicine is not good.”

A quick on-line research using Google search engine gives the following inspirational interpretations of the word motivation.

“Motivation is the inner power or energy that pushes one toward performing a certain action. Motivation has much to do with desire and ambition, and if they are absent, motivation is absent too.

“Actually, motivation is one of the most important keys to success. Lack of motivation either does not bring results or brings only mediocre results, whereas motivation brings faster, better and bigger results.

“Often, a person has the desire and ambition to get something done or achieve a certain goal, but lacks the push, the initiative and the willingness to take action. This shows a lack of motivation and inner drive

“There is no doubt that we live in a money-motivated world. Any amount of human relations cannot compensate for a lack of monetary reward. If the reward is right, good human relations will give that extra zest to a team, motivating them to give of their best efforts.

“The job of a manager in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this the manager should be able to motivate employees.”

On Tuesday, 21^st October, 2008, the Hon. Minister for Information and National Orientation (MINO), Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, made a motivational history in the life of the Information Services Department (ISD) in Accra.

On that day, for the first time in a long memory, the sector Minister put the above-quoted motivational theories or philosophical statements into practical application. This, he did by honouring 21 employees of ISD for outstanding performance at one sitting.

This special package has never happened before since the Department was established by the colonial British government during the 2^nd World War in 1939 to provide information on the progress of the war to the people of the Gold Coast at the time.

What is normally done is a kind of annual get-together whereby one best worker of the year is declared and presented with some gifts. Sometimes due to “some unforeseen circumstances beyond the control” of management the yearly party itself does not take place at all to the annoyance of most workers.

The contribution of employees of ISD to the socio-economic, political and cultural development of this country using the famous Cinema Vans in the remotest and deprived rural communities to inform, educate and entertain people focusing on issues of national interest cannot be overstressed.

Just recently when Burkina Faso was about to open its hydro-dam for spillover waters, the Volta River Authorities (VRA) had to rely on ISD employees , using the Cinema Vans cris-crossing the three Northern regions to embark on intensive public education, day and night to avert a national disaster.

Last year, without any warning, a similar exercise caused a deluge which washed away precious human and animal lives, properties and cultivated farms, which afflicted pain and suffering on our brothers and sisters, resulting in untold hardships to our northern compatriots.

It is against this backdrop that this symbolic Excellence Performance Award Scheme instituted by the Minister to motivate employees of ISD must be commended and appreciated. I say symbolic because, it is not the amount of money that went to the award winners that matters so much but the value of the scheme and the honour, recognition and appreciation given to such dedicated workers of the Department.

“The award is my own initiative to motivate the staff of ISD and demonstrate my confidence in them. Any good manager must appreciate the contribution of the staff to the success of the organisation and the need to reward excellence to attain higher productivity,” Hon Asamoah Boateng opined.

Another statement the Minister made during the award ceremony which was even more inspiring than motivating was that as a Minister, he alone cannot be every where to do the entire job. “I therefore, believe in team work and outstanding performance to make Ghana better,” he noted.

This author totally agrees with the Minister that team work is the best policy to adopt for the progress of any organisation or an institution. For our ancestors say: “One tree cannot make a forest.”

The value of employee motivation through award schemes is indispensable not only in institutions or organisations but also in the life of a nation. Otherwise, the Government would not have instituted national award to reward distinguished citizens across board. And that is why there is National Farmers Day in Ghana where fantastic awards including houses, vehicles, tractors, outboard motors, deepfreezers, television sets and many more are presented to farmers and fishermen on a declared national holiday annually.

And that is why professional bodies like the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) have all instituted magnificent National Award Schemes to recognise outstanding members of their respective associations.

The Ghana Journalists Association, for instance has been upgrading its award schemes year after year since it was instituted over 50 years ago or so. And this year’s award packages at stake are more mouth-watering than ever before. Kudos to the GJA leadership. More grease to their elbows.

As for the Ministry of Information and National Orientation’s Recognition of Excellence Award for Outstanding Performance, it is the prayer of all employees of the Ministry and the Department that the scheme will be maintained and sustained by Minister after Minister till thy Kingdom come! “Tswa, tswa, tswa Omanye aba –Yao!”

Sowing the Seed of ICT in Ghana: “Baah-Wiredu’s computer a child” is fantastic

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

This popular adage that “Rome was not built in a day,” or the famous Chinese proverb which says that “A journey of a thousand kilometers begins with one step” is self-evident.

All Information and Communication Technology (ICT) minded countries such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, India and others, that are becoming super ICT nations on this planet of technology did not achieve their feat overnight. Singapore, for instance, embarked on her ICT revolutionary journey over 30 years ago.

On Tuesday, October 7, 2008, hardworking Ghanaian teachers were rewarded with mouth-watering prizes. The event took place at Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana and coincided with the 14th National Best Teacher Award/World Teachers’Day, celebrated globally. This writer wishes to join hands with the Government and people of Ghana to say a Big Ayeekoo to the Ghanaian Teacher. The days when a teacher’s reward was supposed be in heaven must be over forever. (Somebody say Aaamennn!)

As a matter of fact, Ghana Government must be commended for the magnificent prizes presented to the award winning teachers. The first prize of 60.000 Ghana Cedis which went to Mr Sadique Boateng of T.I. Ahmadiayya Senior High School in Kumasi to be used for the construction of a house of his choice must be motivating enough to lure any youth to want to embrace teaching as a profession. There is still room for improvement, though.

For instance, in the very near future when Ghana’s oil boom takes off, it should be possible for all ten best teachers from each region to be awarded houses at ago Then all 170 best district teachers must be given cars each, too. In view of the key role education plays in national development, and the fact that teachers constitute the foundation upon which all other professionals are educated, only the best should be good for the teacher. Therefore, teachers must be among the best paid professionals in the country.(True or false?)

But what actually motivated this author to write this piece was the revelation by the President of Ghana, H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor, on the day of the award ceremony that very soon all Ghanaian children between the ages of five and 12 in public schools will be provided with personal computers by the government.

The Daily Graphic of Wednesday, October 8, 2008, carried a front page banner headline: “COMPUTER PER CHILD – Govt’s initiative to boost ICT skills in public schools.” According to the story, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States of America (USA), had designed some computers that would enable Ghanaian children to acquire skills in Information and Communication Technology, “which is currently the most critical basic instrument of education world-wide,” the paper stressed.

President Kufuor used the occasion to disclose that the deal for the supply of the computers was negotiated on behalf of the Government by the late Finance Minister, Hon. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu about two years ago. That the very day the creators of these unique machines from the MIT, dubbed “Magic Computers for children” came to demonstrate the computers to him during his recent trip to the US, he received the agonising news of the transition of our beloved Finance Minister. So, in order to honour his memory, therefore, the President said the machines shall be christened as “Baah-Wiredu’s Computer for a child.” Another fantastic posthumous award for a worthy soul.

With this magnificent technological legacy bequeathed Ghana by the affable and humble late Minister, when it comes to write the history of ICT advancement in the country, Hon. Baah-Wiredu’s name shall not be written in water, but etched on the rock of technology. For he had sowed a seed of ICT that shall geminate, grow and produce fruits that shall feed Ghanaian children of today and those yet unborn.

It is most reassuring to learn from the President that the first batch of 10.000 units of the wonder machines are already on the way and will sooner than later arrive in our beloved country. Well, this writer is not in any position to know how these computers will be distributed equitably for the benefit of all public schools in the country. But the country’s educational authorities know best what to do.

Nevertheless, I shall take the liberty to make the following suggestions for consideration:

1. Even before the “magic computers” land on our soil, there must be “magic” ICT teachers who can use the machines to teach the children in the first place. So, if this is not yet done, then one or two experts who manufactured the computers must come down to provide some kind of “Train-the-trainers” programme for ICT teachers in Ghana without delay.

2. Where possible, all public schools in the 170 districts in the country must be supplied with these computers for children. One does not know whether the computers will use electricity power or solar energy or dry cell batteries; so that whether a school is located in a district connected to the national electricity grid or not, the children there must be given the opportunity at least to see and touch a computer in their life for the first time. The truth is that some Ghanaians are yet to see a computer in some parts of our country let alone use one.

3. Some of the Community Information Centres (CICs) that are currently in operation in some of the deprived rural areas in the country must serve as resource centres where some of the computers can be installed for the benefit of school children in those communities. It may be better that way rather than some school heads, suffering from “computer phobia” to dump the machines in some uncompleted buildings somewhere with the excuse that there are no computer laboratories in their schools.

For Ghana to make headway in the global market as far as employment opportunities are concerned the country must vigorously embark on mass production of ICT literates like India and unemployment and poverty shall gradually take care of themselves.

Ghana Must Not Joke With ICT At All

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

An African proverb alerts us that: “A person who travels sees more things than a person who climbs up a tall tree.” Another one says: “What Cat saw and closed its eyes, Dog did not see it before barking at the top of its voice.”

It appears most of us Ghanaians take delight in talking, talking without actually focusing on what we are mandated or supposed to do for the advancement of our beloved country. If one were to do a sort of SWOT analysis of Ghana as a nation, this “Talk-talk No Action” would be one of her critical weaknesses.

On Friday, August 1, 2008, the Daily Graphic wrote a very pathetic editorial headed: “THAT ALL MAY ACCESS WWW.COM” The opening paragraph of that editorial comment even started with the word PATHETIC in capital letters. It reads:

“A PATHETIC picture was painted of the country’s poor Internet use and standing on the African continent, with Ghana placing only ahead of Sierra Leone and Liberia.”

Come to think of it! Ghana, a country that we Ghanaians always claim to be the first in everything and anything in Africa, is sharing a position with Sierra Leone and Liberia in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the African Continent. Did something go wrong somewhere, or have we just not moved from the talking point to the action point yet?

Graphic editorial continued: “This sordid state of affairs should be cause for concern to everybody in the 21^st century when Information and Communication Technology (ICT) rules the world”

The third paragraph opined: “Ghana’s hold on mobile phone patronage, undoubtedly, is high, as every nook and cranny of the country is somehow connected to some of the major mobile networks. Obviously, the high mobile phone patronage should translate into Internet use to make every hamlet of the country become part of the global village in order to share in its joy and benefits.”

The editorial quoted from 2007 World Bank report on the Internet use in the world, which said that, “only 401,300 Ghanaians, representing 1.8 percent of the country’s population of an estimated 22 million, have access to the Internet.”

“The report cited Ghana as one of the African countries with the lowest record of Internet patronage, coming behind South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Senegal.” The question is, how come Ghana, the most peaceful and stable country in Africa should be trailing behind these countries when Ghana has a comprehensive ICT Policy, known as ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) in place?

The editorial also quoted the President of the Ghana Association of Leasing Company (GALCO), Mr Ernest Mintah, to have made reference to the World Bank report and called for the government’s intervention to give more Ghanaians access to the Internet.

“According to him, the government should waive taxes and duties on computers and their accessories to allow for more importation of computers into the country in order to promote the use of computers and the Internet in schools and at workplaces.

“That Internet facilities and access to the personal computers enhance teaching and learning and increase the productivity of business can no longer be relegated to the background. But it is one thing having access to the personal computers and another having access to the Internet.”

This writer finds this point made by Graphic editorial very, very relevant. In countries like Singapore and others where ICT is leading them to become world superpower, they ensure that all pupils and students at various stages of the educational ladder, ranking from kindergarten the tertiary levels, computer and Internet facilities are made available for their studies. In fact, in Singapore, most students do no longer go to school with load of bags hanging on their necks. Students do their home works online and email them to their teachers for marking online.

In Ghana, the situation is diametrically the opposite. The evidence is that on the letters page of the Daily Graphic of the same Friday, August 1, 2008 when this pathetic editorial was written, there was a letter to the editor (page9), complaining about lack of computers in schools in Ghana. That letter, written by one Emmanuel Toklo of Gbawe Cluster of Schools, was captioned: “ICT with no computer?”

The opening paragraph of that letter read: “The academic year that ushers in the new educational system would come to an end on July 31, 2008. The introduction of the new system comes with ICT as a subject of study with a comprehensive syllabus.”

Then the second paragraph lamented: “But after three clear terms have passed, the teaching of ICT remains a theoretical subject such as history and social studies. What is more worrying is that there are no textbooks for the students to use to acquire basic computer literacy and they do not have the opportunity for acquiring practical experience.”

One unfortunate observation this writer has made about Ghana is that some times, if not most times, Government’s good intentions or laudable programmes and plans to help the citizenry is almost always frustrated and torpedoed by some individuals for their selfish end. If Government waives taxes and duties on computers and their accessories as recommended in the Graphic editorial under review, would importers of ICT equipment respond positively and reduce the prices of their goods for the benefit of the ordinary people, especially school pupils and students in this particular case?

Just take the recent fantastic gesture by government in abolishing or suspending taxes and duties on certain food items including rice, sugar, poultry, cooking oil, as well as petroleum products to alleviate economic hardships on the people of Ghana, being experienced globally. Some importers and retailers are taking undue advantage and have the pleasure to indulge in profiteering thereby making nonsense of Government’s magnanimity. Is it fair?

Right now Government has embarked upon the establishment of Community Information Centres (CICs) in all the 230 constituencies to take ICT closer to the door steps of rural communities and deprived zones in the country. There is the urgent need to expedite action on extension and expansion of telecommunications infrastructure to all parts of the country for computer and Internet facilities to reach everybody whether rich or poor.

This explains why this writer wishes to humbly appeal to politicians to minimise talking and politicking and as stated in the Graphic editorial, “that Ghana Telecom should be supported to become viable so that it can extend its land line system to the rural areas.”

I further agree with the last but one paragraph of Graphic editorial which pointed out that: “While we support Mr Minta’s appeal to the government to waive taxes and duties on computers and their accessories to allow for more importation of computers into the country, we also believe that mobile phone service providers which go to the aid of rural areas should be considered for tax rebates.”

As far back as 1997, a South African Minister for Communication predicted that the way ICT was ruling the world, “If you don’t Dot Com, you would be Dot Dead!” And, as Graphic editorial headline puts it, for Ghana to advance in the 21^st century, we must ensure “THAT ALL MAY ACCESS WWW.COM!”

Is Ghana ready for the upcoming oil boom?

Asks Mawutodzi K. Abissath
Oil boom

The traditional wisdom in African proverbs is beyond compare. Listen to this common one: “If you see your neigbour’s beard in flame, you must quickly run and fetch water near your own.”

Ghana is a blessed country in the true sense of the word! Ghana is a very fortunate nation not only in Africa but on the entire planet Earth. In fact, nature is so kind to Ghana that everyday the benevolence and the benediction of the Divine Intelligence are always pouring on her like showers from the heavens. The whole of Ghana is like the Garden of Eden. Delicious fruits, magnificent flowers, beautiful birds, singing melodious tunes in praise of the Creator from dawn to dusk non-stop. It is a land of queens and kings majestically dancing in palanquins from January to December. Ao! Ghana is a country every human being must visit at least once in one’s life!

The only sad thing about Ghana is that, some times, Ghanaians themselves do not seem to appreciate these blessings, let alone place any premium on them. Otherwise, how on earth will any citizen of Ghana dream of walking from Africa through the Sahara desert en route to Europe? Another African proverb admonishes us: “When the treasure is in the sitting room, you don’t need to go to the bedroom looking for it there.”

Ghana is also a very smart country in Africa indeed! In June 2007, when Ghana was at the zenith of her Golden Jubilee Celebrations, God sent his angel to bring a special message to the people of Ghana. That message was simple. The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and its partners including Kosmos Energy of the US and Tullow Oil of the UK broke the news of the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in the offshore Tan/West Cape Three Points Basin in the Western Region of our beloved country.

Strategies

From the day the oil discovery message was delivered to the number one citizen of the land, in the person of President J.A.Kufuor at the Castle, Osu in Accra, the Government and people of Ghana have never gone to bed to sleep. In other words, Ghanaians are not sitting on the fence with their arms in their laps with their mouths gaped towards the blue skies waiting for the honey to drip onto their tongues. (Kpaooo! Daaabida! Waalaaii)!

Ghana Government has ever since embarked on some public education strategies such as campaigns, seminars, fora, symposia, newspaper adverts etc. to alert the citizenry about the discovery of oil and what Government was doing and what was expected of every citizen so that the oil find becomes a blessing and not a curse as is the case in some neigbouring countries in the West Africa sub-region.

In fact a high-powered ministerial committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Advisor to the President at the office of the President was set up to supervise the activities of the oil exploration in the country. Other ministries of that committee include Finance and Economic Planning, Local Government, Rural Development & Environment, Defence, Attorney General’s Department, Fisheries and Harbours and Railways. Besides this committee which is advisory in nature, there is also a technical committee made up of experts from various sectors of the economy including GNPC, Environmental Protection Agency, and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Institute, the Ghana Navy, the Internal Revenue Service and so on.

The first major event Government embarked upon in this regard was what was dubbed, the broad-based consultative initiative on Ghana’s oil and gas industry forum. This maiden forum was officially opened by President Kufuor at the Ghana Institute of Public Administration (GIMPA) on Monday, February 25, 2008, Accra.

Conscious of the fact that Ghana is novice in oil and gas industry, experts were invited from all over the world including Mr Erik Solheim, Minister for Environment and International Development from Norway, to share their experiences with Ghana. A Ghanaian proverb says, “Wisdom is like a baobab tree, one person cannot embrace it.” And another famous Adinkra symbol of Ghana places value on knowledge so much so that it says: “A person who does not know can learn to know.” As a matter of fact, the African University College of Communications, (AUCC) founded by a very simple and humble but wise son of Ghana, in the person of Mr Kojo Yankah has adopted the above-stated symbols as the emblem of the AUCC.

On Saturday, 19^th July 2008, this writer happened to have witnessed the graduation ceremony of that University at their new City Campus at Adabaraka in the heart of Accra. And I bet you, reader, besides the founder of that University, the original African brains with unadulterated African wisdom behind it, you don’t need to be an astrologer like the three wise men of the Christian Bible from the East, to see the star and foretell that an African saviour has been born in Ghana, (not in Israel) to deliver Africans from a mental slavery. The Creator made sure that everything needed to develop scientifically and technologically is right here in Ghana and Africa. (Sorry for the digression.)

As I was saying, since the announcement of oil discovery in Ghana, Government has not been sitting down for manna to fall from heaven for Ghanaians. At the first oil and gas forum, it came to light that petroleum exploration activities actually started as far back as in the 1890s in the Half Assini area in the same Western Region of Ghana. “Records show that there was a small production in the offshore Half Assini area just at the beginning of the World War II. Then in the early 1970s, during the Busia regime, the Saltpond field was also discovered but did not prove commercial enough. In spite of this, it was not abandoned and it is currently producing 600 barrels of oil per day.” This was President Kufuor speaking at that oil and gas forum at GIMPA.

After that forum, the Oil and Gas Ministerial and Technical Committees had embarked on nation-wide tours where similar workshops were held in all the ten regions of Ghana, collating and collecting people’s views and opinions as to how Ghana must manage the oil in order to make life prosperous for every Ghanaian citizen regardless of socio-economic, political and cultural status and geographical locations.

I remember vividly that at one of the fora held at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region or so, someone was reported to have suggested that a special Oil Fund should be established for the welfare of the indigenous people on whose land the oil was discovered. That a special package must be prepared for them; their children and children’s children so that their eyes shall see poverty but their feet shall never step in the land of the poor souls for ever and ever. (Do I hear somebody say Amen?) This strategy of listening to ordinary down trodden’s views to be embodied in a National Oil and Gas Policy for Ghana is commendable to say the least. This explains why this writer thinks that Ghana is a very smart country. This gesture on the part of Government is one of the fruits of democracy and good governance. “Wo mpe woyiaa, wope den?” To wit – if you don’t like this, what do you want? – Common Ghanaian idiom!

Frankly, what actually motivated this author to write this piece was the fact that, besides those official workshops and seminars, which Ghanaians adore and enjoy to the brim, the Management of the Ghana Petroleum Corporation has been serialising a very comprehensive and educative document in the national dailies, namely, the Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times for some time now. I find these pull-outs on the oil industry titled: THE UPSTREAM PETROLEUM INDUSTRY IN GHANA – Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production,” very, very, timely and fantastic indeed!

With this educational material, anybody, especially a journalist or media practitioner who is desirous of writing about the oil and gas industry can educate himself or herself so as to communicate intelligibly about this highly scientific and technological sector of the economy. For instance, it is through this document that this writer got to know the basic difference between Upstream and Downstream Petroleum Industries. Upstream Petroleum Industry simply involves the Exploration, Development and Production of petroleum resources whilst when you talk of Downstream, you are referring to the refining/processing and distribution of petroleum products. All of these measures are indicative of Ghana’s readiness for the forthcoming oil boom in the country.

Suggestion

This writer, would, however, like to suggest that since Ghana is in transition from Oil Importing Country (OIC) to Oil Exporting (OEC) very soon, GNPC and its noble partners, Kosmos Energy and Tullow Oil, should consider organising some special training programme for Ghanaian journalists who may want to specialise in science and technology reporting, with particular focus on the oil industry (they do not necessarily have to be science students, but have the interest in writing about the industry) to start preparing them for the task ahead. This initiative will not only be in the interest of Ghana but the oil exploration firms in Ghana as well.

The Value of Monitoring and Evaluation of ICT Projects in Ghana

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

I am sure you know this popular Ghanaian proverb which admonishes that: “A person who is cutting a path does not know that his back is crooked.” This simple proverb epitomises the wisdom of African ancestors. For, it connotes that an unexamined life is not worth living.

A Zambian Information and Communication Specialist by name Mr Casius Chuma once remarked: “Monitoring and Evaluation is not there to spy on you, but to mirror your development trails.”

On Thursday, July 3, 2008, the Ghana Information and Knowledge Sharing Network (GINKS), a local-based coordinating partner of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) of the Netherlands, orgnaised a half-day seminar for other ICT projects oriented partners including the Ministry of Information and National Orientation in Accra. The theme for the seminar was: “Enhancing Information and knowledge sharing as a tool for project sustainability.”

Dr Lawrence Kannae, Lecturer, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and Madam Martine Koopman, Information and Knowledge Officer, IICD served as main resource persons for the seminar. Dr Kannae’s presentation was on the topic, “Internal Strategies for Monitoring and Evaluating Projects” while Madam Koopman spoke on the topic, “Tips on Monitoring and Evaluation (IICD Pespective”)

Without exaggerating, this writer has participated in several seminars and workshops both at home and abroad in the course of his professional practice over the years, but this half a day seminar on monitoring and evaluation had been an eye opener for him in the true sense of the word. For, at the end of the day, it dawned on me that perhaps, many development projects in our beloved country, fail due to lack of effective monitoring and evaluation strategies.

Dr Kannae pointed out that Monitoring and Evaluation of any development project ought to be considered as a project in itself. Consequently, institutions or organisations that embark on projects in whatever capacity or scope must draw up a complete separate strategy for monitoring and evaluation. In other words, monitoring and evaluation plan must take into account the goals and objectives of the main development project in question. The input, processes, output, outcome as well as the anticipated impact of the project must be taken into consideration.

Monitoring and Evaluation activity must have an objective that is measurable, achievable and time-bound. It must be acceptable to management, relevant with valid data with a separate budget altogether. In fact, Monitoring and Evaluation is about performance, therefore, management must make provision for the necessary resources for its success. These resources include human, logistics and financial. The key stakeholders in the project must not be ignored in the monitoring and evaluation scheme of things or plan.

Another important point Dr Kannae made, which this writer find very, very crucial is communication monitoring and evaluation report. When monitoring and evaluation is conducted to assess the status of a project, a report must be filed and communicated to all concerned. This constitutes what can be termed as project feedback to management, financiers or sponsors of the project in question. One effective way to communicate the monitoring report to stakeholders is the creation of a special forum to reflect on the monitoring and evaluation report.

There could also be seminars, workshops or publication in a journal of such a report. And in communicating this report everybody connected with formulation and implementation of the project right from the secretary, field officers, the project manager, top management staff to the development partners or sponsors must have access to this report for analysis and evaluation. This will enable all concerned to pass their comments, or make suggestions or recommendations for the future plans of the main project.

Methodology

In her presentation, Madam Koopman enlightened participants on the methodology employed by IICD in the monitoring and evaluation of its ICT related projects sponsored in various countries in Africa including Ghana. She made it clear that Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is high on the agenda of many development organisations, including that of IICD.

However, Madam Koopman explained that, while M&E is generally used as a tool to measure results and provide accountability, IICD further introduced M&E for the purpose of learning. She then distributed copies of a leaflet which describes the added value of M&E for learning, how it is organised and what was learned over the years. It was a fantastic practical leaning strategy for all participants present at the seminar.

It came to light that the work IICD is carrying out in various countries is led by guiding principles. One of the most important principles is the local ownership of projects supported by IICD. Apparently the ultimate objective of IICD in supporting development partners is to help such partners be it financially or technically to take charge and be responsible for the results of the activities on the ground. Because of this eventual self-supporting strategy the M&E system designed by IICD is based on the same philosophy that monitoring and evaluation is not “to spy on you” but to help local partners to learn from experiences and to take ownership of their projects and manage them for the development of their respective nations.

In line with its unique approach, IICD makes M&E an integral part of project development and implementation in all of its country programmes globally. Consequently IICD’s Country Programme supports local partners in the developing countries and encourages them to make efforts to implement ICT as a tool for development in various sectors of their economies.

Other unique principles that IICD adopts in M&E methodology include, Marketing principles. The orgnisation came by this principle following a long process of experimenting and discussing the various options, the method of data collection used commercially for marketing purposes. Madam Koopman explained that one good way to reflect on progress is by asking the target group, including end-users of projects such as farmers, teachers or even traders, depending on the nature of the ICT project concerned and the locality in which it is being implemented.

Another important principle is Building trust. The IICD Information and Knowledge Officer related that one of the things IICD had learned over the years was that the term “evaluation” was often met with resistance. Thus to overcome the reluctance of partners and end-users to openly discuss difficulties and challenges, IICD separated the learning process from financial control. “Neither the online questionnaires nor the focus group meetings contain any financial aspects. This is a very strong feature of IICD’s M&E system,” Madam Koopman disclosed.

The technique of using questionnaires and results from focus group meetings over the past years have been immensely helpful in providing insight and creating a reflective tool for IICD’s partners. So far, over 18,000 questionnaires is reported to have been collected with almost 4,000 responses from project end-users. The end-user evaluation for each project is said to be repeated annually in order to learn over time from changes in the data how project cycle could possibly be improved.

The way forward

The IICD Resource Person told seminar participants that in the past years the organisation had accumulated a lot of experience with Monitoring and Evaluation through online tools. Through this strategy, the IICD learned a great deal from impact measurement at the end-user level, which makes it possible for it to see which questions work and which ones do not for assessment purposes.

The IICD hopes to further expand its learning strategy through the M&E. The organisation also looks into how local ownership of the entire Monitoring and Evaluation process can be further strengthened. The ultimate goal is to eventually make it possible for local project partners to learn to own, manage and use the M&E system to do their own learning as a way forward for effective and efficient implementation of sponsored ICT related project for the development of their respective countries for the benefit of their people. It is suggested that the ICT industry in Ghana will take Monitoring and Evaluation aspect of project management seriously the for scientific and technological advance of Ghana.