Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

The bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates holds series of debates for US Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates ahead of each general election. This year, the Commission plans to hold four debates, three for the Presidential Candidates and one for the Vice Candidates. The first of such debates took place early this morning which saw the two leading candidates, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump clashed over jobs, terrorism and race. The debate saw hot exchanges between the lawyer and the consummate salesman, with the host having tough time controlling them. America is an advanced democracy where a good number of the citizens vote on critical issues that affect their lives and their country. The debates also afford the candidates the opportunity to question the credibility, competence and capabilities of their opponents. Such was the case when Mr. Trump indicated that his opponent, Mrs. Clinton lacks the temperament and stamina to be President. As an ast...

THE IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL ACTIONS ON NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Industrial actions continue to be a challenge to the nation. One labour union after the other embarks on this destructive journey to demand one thing or the other. Though strikes date back to centuries across the globe, strikes today, defy common logic especially in our part of the world. Strikes are embarked upon by employees who feel dissatisfied with one thing or the other. It may be poor condition of service or dissatisfaction about pay. In the developed world, strikes are the last resort after all other options have been exhausted. In Ghana, strikes have become the first rather than the last resort for employees especially those in the public sector. The use of the English word "strike" first appeared in 1768, when sailors, in support of demonstrations in London "struck" or removed the topgallant sails of merchant ships at port, thus crippling the ships. In 1917, Mexico according to Wikipedia was the firs...

The declaration of 21st September, the birthday of Ghana's first President Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as Founder's Day, and making it a statutory public holiday continues to generate debate among Ghanaians. Apparently the decision is strongly opposed by some politicians, opinion leaders and well-meaning Ghanaians who are touted as anti-Nkrumaists. It is not certain if the National Founder’s Day can stand the test of time, especially in the event of change of government. It is no secret that NPP that traces its root to the UP tradition disputes the description of Nkrumah as the Founder of Ghana. It will not be far-fetched to think therefore that, if the NPP wins power, it will certainly review the Day, by probably dedicating it to all the members of the Big Six in Ghana's history. There is a point in arguing that one single individual cannot found a country. It is however true that in some instances, individuals play significant roles in the socio-political history of their ...

Not too long ago, The people of South Africa celebrated the 60th anniversary of the march of women against apartheid. This is quite significant because it showed the contribution of women to the attainment of freedom for the people of South Africa. The history of Ghana makes us understand how a brave woman; Yaa Asantewaa, the queen mother of Ejisu, led the people of the Ashanti kingdom in their resistance against the British colonisers, and the protection of what is important to their kingdom; The golden stool. This reiterates the fact that women, directly or indirectly, have played and continue to play major roles in the success story of communities, countries and the world at large. What is however baffling is why women are considered second fidel in society, particularly in our part of the world. Women, when given the chance, can deliver just as men do. For example, in 2009, Ghana, for the first time, had a female speaker of Parliament, Mrs. Joyce Bamford-Addo. It is without doubt t...

The ruling National Democratic Congress over the weekend launched its manifesto for the 2016 election in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region. The event was colourful, spotless and well attended. There is no empirical scientific study to show the extent to which manifestos influence Ghanaians in their voting. It is incontrovertible however that a chunk of Ghanaians vote primarily on party affiliations. A few others are influenced by factors such as tribe, religion, old school and physical appearance. In any case, manifestoes have become an integral part of Ghana's electoral process and every serious political party is expected to clearly spell out its vision for the nation. It should be so because elections must be issues driven. We cannot continue to allow mundane factors to determine people we elect to govern us. That is why it is appalling that the NDC manifesto is coming this late. The manifesto should have been outdoored months ago to afford Ghanaians enough time to scrutinize it...

IMPORTANCE OF FISH IN FOOD SECURITY IN GHANA AND THE NEED FOR SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT Fish is recognized as the most important source of animal protein in all regions of the country. Estimates suggest that over 60 percent of animal protein in the Ghanaian diet comes from fish and the commodity makes it up to 22 point four per cent of food expenditure in all households and over 25 percent of food expenditure in poor households. Certainly, fish is extremely important to Ghanaians for food security, particularly among the poor. The fisheries sector plays a vital role in the national economy contributing approximately four percent of the GDP, provides employment to the labour force and adds to the foreign exchange of the country as well as assists in the alleviation of rural poverty. Regarding foreign exchange earnings, Ghana's fish exports are among the top three most important non-traditional exports. On employment, it is estimated that over 150,000 fishers are engaged in ma...

The Ghana Journalists Association recently held a glittering ceremony to award the country's best journalists. All the winners were deserving and I congratulate them heartily. Looking at the ceremony and the hoopla surrounding it, one may be tempted to describe it as our golden age of journalism.But it is not. I brought to me the image of people celebrating on the deck of the Titanic as it headed for the ice-berg. While for the most part, this is not the era of persecution of journalists and owners like Kugblenu, Thompson, Haruna, Baako, Pratt and Ephson, it is a dark era. Mark my words. This era will not be defined by the work of the great journalists. It will be defined by the MUNTIE contemnors, the insults of women on air, the threatening of ethnic groups and judges, the muzzling of dissent and the cheering or deafening silence that accompanied these. The debasement of our common standards of decency. The bastardization of institutions and the silence or acquiescence of good men...

The outgoing Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, the Right Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, will go down in history as one of the most controversial religious leaders of Ghana. Professor Martey was elected at the 10th General Assembly meeting of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana held in Takoradi between August 6 and 12, 2010 for a six year tenure which is expected to end in November this year. The Presbyterian Church without doubt has contributed enormously to the development of Ghana in all spheres of life. Indeed, the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School, Presec Legon, has been one of the best second cycle Institutions in Ghana since its establishment many decades ago. In areas of health and economic development, the contribution of the Presbyterian Church cannot be under-estimated. It is against this background that it is worth commenting on the recent effusions of the outgoing Moderator of the Church. Prof. Martey at a recent news conference alleged that ...

Literally translating as the “festival of the sacrifice” and also known as the “Greater Eid”, Eid al-Adha marks the end of Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca undertaken by Muslims all over the world. It is distinct from Eid al-Fitr, the festival that comes immediately after Ramadan which was celebrated last month. During the Greater Eid, Muslims commemorate the day Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son but was told by God to kill an animal instead. The celebration symbolises Ibrahim’s devotion to Allah. It honours his willingness to sacrifice his son, as an act of submission to God's command. The Eid sacrifice is a frank reminder of the great expression, not only of Abraham's love for God, but of God's great love for hell-bound sinners in giving his only Son to die for the sins of the world so that some, by forsaking their sin and by trusting in the Son, might be redeemed from the awful wrath of God and become instead, the heirs of his grace. The timing of the ce...

The Church is expected to champion the moral uprightness of the society. The Church is populated with individuals who have divergent political opinions as well as those who are apolitical. It is for these reasons that the Church must at all times, ensure that it balances the interests of its members before coming out on issues of politics. Any act that portrays the Church as standing for one political party, automatically divides the church. The cohesion the church is expected to have is lost. The leadership of the Church should understand that leading the church does not make them the only people who have views and opinions. In seeking spiritual purification, people do not consider the status of those who lead them in the church. This is why Professors would humble themselves before individuals who have not attained a quarter of their level of education. This is because, the anointed is a special person ordained by God. By succumbing to the leadership of the church, we have not subdue...

The rate at which Ghana’s land is being degraded through mining leaves much to be desired. Informal or illegal mining also known as ‘galamsey’ in Ghana dates back decades before the arrival of the colonial masters. This has become a major source of livelihood for persons living in mining communities. Some of these illegal miners are of the view that, the benefit they derive from giving out their land to mining companies is nothing to write home about. Another school of thought has it that ‘galamsey’ provides guaranteed jobs for the youth and reduces crime in those communities. The earnings they make from the sale of their spoils cannot in anyway be comparable to the damage they cause to the environment especially our water bodies. The small scale mining act was passed to legalise small scale mining in a bid check ‘galamsey’. However, the move appears to be yielding little or no dividend as ‘galamsey’ activities seem to be becoming brisk rather than waning as reported ...

A couple of incidents that occurred recently paint a very unfortunate and disappointing picture of the Ghana Police Service. Two suspected armed robbers who attacked a bullion van in Donkorkrom in the Eastern Region were identified as Policemen. Two other Policemen were also involved in a six-member car-snatching syndicate in Accra. It may be recalled that in 2009, there was a proposed ‘Performance Re-engineering Policy’ by which policemen and women were moved to fit into the appropriate positions, on the merit of defensible criteria such as rank, qualification and competence. That was fair enough and the leadership of the Ghana Police Service was commended for the moral courage in taking the right steps, both big and small. The momentum was supposed to be maintained in the implementation of the policy in order to boost the morale of the men and women in the Ghana Police Service. In the midst of all these initiatives, the nation was hit with the news of a recruitment scam...

Since the publication, by AFRICAWATCH, of health records purported to be those of the NPP Presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, there has been a renewed debate as to whether it is imperative for Presidential Candidates to disclose their health status. As a physician, one cannot comment on the health records of people because patient privacy is sacrosanct. It will therefore be unacceptable for one to encourage the practice of improperly obtaining and publishing medical records of people. To be fair to AFRICAWATCH, it must be said however that this is not the first time a newspaper or magazine is publishing the health records of someone. In 1972, US Democratic Vice-presidential candidate, Senator Eagleton, had his records, revealing treatment for Depression with electro-convulsive therapy 20 years earlier, published. This led to a discussion about fitness for office that finally forced him off the ticket. There are two public policy or interest issues raised by the publ...