Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

The proposed visa restriction which the British government intends to pilot from November this year in which visitors from some countries including Ghana will be made to deposit a whooping three thousand pounds as guarantee for their return is most distasteful. Other countries to be affected by such a bond include Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. According to the British Home Secretary, Theresa May, these countries have been selected due to the level of abuse of British Immigration laws and high volume of human traffic to the United Kingdom. The move is therefore to deter people from overstaying upon expiry of their visa. According to the Home Office, the policy generally will be expanded to cover foreign workers and students. At the moment, visa to the UK costs between 80 to 800 pounds depending on the type of visitor. Even though the policy has not been finalised yet, it is important to ...

Plastics were first introduced into the Ghanaian environment in the late 1990's in response to the need to enhance the packaging of industrial and domestic products. Since its introduction, plastic use and its indiscriminate disposal by consumers have contributed to the already existing challenge of poor sanitation and pollution of the environment. Not a single day passes in the life of the Ghanaian without using plastics in activities at home, work or school. Food is served in polythene bags, eaten directly from them and then disposed off indiscriminately with impunity into open drains. The result, leading to choked gutters and other health issues including cancer. As such, some individuals have adopted the method of burning their plastics as a waste management approach. Though the situation is extremely worrying, surveys continue to show the widespread nature of open burning of waste across the country e...

 If statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, is anything to go by, then, the future looks bleak especially for developing countries. They currently host 81 percent of the over ten million refugees worldwide. The current refugee population is said to have reached an all time high in eighteen years, as of the beginning of 2012. Fifty-five percent of current refugees hail from Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Sudan and recently Syria. The figures are indeed frightening. Political instability, which culminates into civil wars and until a decade ago acts of terrorism have been identified as key factors that are accountable for forced displacement. The fallout from civil wars and its subsequent dent on socio economic activities are many a time not quantifiable. Thousands of valuable able-bodied men and women are displaced and in many instances, wallow in poverty in foreign...

The country in recent times has unfortunately recorded unprecedented mysterious fire outbreaks which have triggered off so much fear, panic, pain and outrage among the public. What is even more worrisome and intriguing is the frequency of the fire outbreaks especially in major markets. It is a sad situation which has robbed hundreds of Ghanaians particularly women their means of livelihood to the extent of traumatising them. In all these there were graphic pictures which showed the victims weeping inconsolably to express their grief over the loss. The spate of the fire outbreaks continue to send chills running down the spine of most Ghanaians. In all these tragedies our attitudes and reactions were predictable just as they have been anytime a calamity of such scope and degree happened in the country. The rumor mongering machine was set at full throttle while suspicions and groundless conclusions were set at full gear. ...

The announcement by African Leaders to establish a Rapid Reaction Force at the just ended AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is welcome news and should be embraced by all peace-loving people who believe in the principles of democracy. This will help mitigate the rampant rebel security threats across the African continent. Africa's inability to achieve economic emancipation could partly be attributed to these threats due to its repercussion on political and socio-economic growth. Barely 72 hours after the African Leaders' decision was announced, the Nigeria Army and Spy Agency discovered on armoury belonging to the Lebanese group Hezbollah in a warehouse in the city of Kano. There have been concerns that Boko Haram could be receiving backing from al- Qaeda militants in other countries. The discovery has buttressed President Mahama's exclusive intervie...

The June 4 uprising will go down in history as the most significant event that rejuvenated politics in Ghana. Thirty four (34) years ago, a young Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings and a handful of other ranks of the Air Force were held in security cells for their roles in a failed mutiny on May 15. They were released by their colleagues, and this culminated in the over throw of the then SMC II junta headed by General FWK Akufo. Ironically, General Akufo had also come to power through a palace coup which unseated General Kutu Acheampong. Even though short lived, there is a school of thought which hold the view that June 4 placed Ghana on the road to political stability, social integration and economic freedom. Most importantly it opened the doors to people at the grassroots to contribute to the decision making process. The PDCs and WDC...