Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

Ghana has celebrated its 62nd Independence anniversary. A number of successes have been chalked up during the period. The country has come this far, perhaps not the best of feats by way of democracy, economy and social development. The media undoubtedly have played massive roles in propelling the nation into where it is today. Like the media around the globe, the Ghanaian media have been the reflection of society. It have been the major means or medium through which information is shared. It also provides the much-needed public sphere for national discourse, growth and development. The media in Ghana have been in the forefront in national development even before independence. History has it that, the first President of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, used the media to shape and stir up the people to fight for the liberation of the country from colonialism. Colonial Governors before Ghana’s independence, established newspapers whiles radio was also introduced on the occasion of the Silver J...

The tragic air accident involving Ethiopian passenger jet ET302, a Boeing 737 is pathetic. None of the passengers or crew members was spared. 157 on board the plane perished. A total of 35 nationals were on the ill-fated flight that took a plunge just six minutes after take-off from the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The plane was heading for Nairobi, Kenya. Given the nature of both cities, it is clear most of the passengers were high-level personalities. This is a tragedy of monumental proportions, as persons who boarded the plane to their doom would have rescinded their decisions, if they had known what lay ahead of the flight. It is not the first time a plane had crashed and left horrible tales like the very latest. However, anytime it occurs, it left many of those peripatetic people in fear as they imagine the procedure of death. Plunging from a plane’s altitude leads to a heavy landfall. The fuselage sinks with its contents if it falls in water. Upon impac...

Ghana marks 62nd Independence anniversary with activities to thank God for His blessings upon the nation this week. The event will also be used to acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of the country as it matches on with the banner of freedom and justice as well as prosperity aspiration. The nation’s founding fathers fought a system characterised by propaganda, injustice and insecurity. Ghana today is still bedeviled with these social challenges. The independence of Ghana called for a fight for truth, justice, self-rule and peace. However, after 62 years Ghana is continually attacked by three social evils namely propaganda, corruption and insecurity. These have unfortunately become social lubricants of the ordinary Ghanaian society to the extent that anyone who lacks them is not part of the system. Consequently, the most costly commodities in the Ghanaian social market are truth, accountability, justice and peace. A number of injustices have been meted out to people and for year...

Ghana marks 62nd Independence anniversary with activities to thank God for His blessings upon the nation this week. The event will also be used to acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of the country as it matches on with the banner of freedom and justice as well as prosperity aspiration. The nation’s founding fathers fought a system characterized by propaganda, injustice and insecurity. Ghana today is still bedevilled with these social challenges. The independence of Ghana called for a fight for truth, justice, self-rule and peace. However, after 62 years Ghana is continually attacked by three social evils namely propaganda, corruption and insecurity. These have unfortunately become social lubricants of the ordinary Ghanaian society to the extent that anyone who lacks them is not part of the system. Consequently, the costliest commodities in the Ghanaian social market are truth, accountability, justice and peace. A number of injustices have been meted out to people and for years, ...

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called for the immediate banning of all political militant groups in the country. In his State of the Nation Address, in Parliament, he expressed dissatisfaction with the rampant unleashing violence by these groups, especially for political expediency. His pronouncement has brought some level of relief to the peace-loving people of this country. Political militancy popularly referred to as ‘vigilantism’ in Ghana has put so much fear in people and has, to some extent, tinted the enviable image of the country. The President has not only shown great leadership by directing the two major political parties in the country to find possible means of finding a lasting solution to the menace, but has also with this, positioned himself as the man of the heart of many Ghanaians. He told the entire nation most of whom are in genuine fear to come together, shoulder to shoulder, and be guided by the inspirational words of (the second stanza of) the na...

The commitment of President Akufo-Addo to the socio-economic development of the country has not been beyond doubt since he assumed office about two years ago. Programmes and projects such as Planting for Food and Jobs, One District One Factory, Free Senior High School and the Commodity Exchange platform, among others, are meant to transform the economy through increased output of goods and services as well as orientation towards export for increased revenue and thereby increase the welfare and standard of living of all Ghanaians. In spite of all this, there are still challenges facing the country. On the economic front, for example, there is the need to stabilise the cedi against the major foreign currencies and also to ensure a reasonably satisfactory management of reducing the cost of doing business in the country. It is within the context of these developments that the State of the Nation Address delivered to Ghanaians has focused on the foundations of a sound economy. There is no ...

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages to raise awareness of the crucial role languages play in people’s daily lives. It is the year that nations are supposed to take steps not only to celebrate the immense contribution of their indigenous languages but also to devise strategies to promote these languages for national development. Article 39 of the 1992 Constitution enjoins the State to “foster the development of Ghanaian languages and pride in Ghanaian culture.” By this constitutional provision, the State is obliged to formulate and implement policies and programmes towards the development of Ghanaian languages and cultures. It is also incumbent on the State to ensure that its citizens feel proud of their languages and cultural heritage. However, one wonders if the State is really performing her responsibility as far as this constitutional requirement is concerned. On November 17, 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scie...

There is growing concern among road users over accidents involving presidential motorcades or convoys on our roads. A number of accidents have been recorded as a result of the high speed with which they travel. Last Saturday evening, news broke that the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s convoy was involved in an accident again. The last time he was involved in an accident was only December last year on the Yendi-Tamale road. Whereas it may be argued that these accidents are caused by other road users, it is no doubt that the overspending of the convoy itself is a primary cause. The way dispatch riders shove off other road users while on top speed must be re-examined. Certainly, one does not expect the President or very important personalities, VIPs in a convoy to be the only users of a road at a particular time. In times of  emergencies, ambulances suffer to manoeuvre through heavy traffic to carry people to hospitals while VIPs always get roads cleared for them in non-em...

Financial inclusion refers to the ability of an individual, household, or group to access suitable financial services or products. Traditional Banks started operating in Ghana in the late 19th century. With the introduction of mobile financial services in 2009, the huge gap of Ghana’s unbanked population is being bridged. The drive towards financial inclusion using the mobile phone platform does not discriminate along income, class or age group lines. The mobile money wallet is mainly used to transfer value from one person to another, for payment of goods and services such as airtime, paying for utility bills, DSTV bills, salaries of some workers, taxi fares, micro-credit, savings and micro-insurance. According to the World Bank, mobile money is now arguably the most accessible form of financial service, where about 99 percent of Ghanaians are aware of at least one provider. Statistics from the Bank of Ghana, BoG, indicates that active mobile money accounts increased from 8.3 millio...

The most populous Nation on the continent of Africa, Nigeria goes to the polls to elect a new leader or retain the incumbent on Saturday February 16. Millions of eligible voters will join long queues from Lagos to Calabar and from Abuja to Kano to seal the fate of the leading contenders in this poll. Interestingly, more than 70 Presidential Candidates have signed up with the Country’s Electoral Commission to be part of history. But all eyes will be on the two protagonists for Saturday’s polls; that is President Mahamadu Buhari and Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is actually making a second bid for ‘Aso Rock’, Nigeria’s seat of government. Even before the queues form on Saturday, the two have been going at each other ‘hammer and thongs’. As Buhari’s supporters accuse former vice president Atiku of tainted and deep-seated corruption, Mr. Atiku’s followers think Nigeria cannot continue on the same path of slow progress and ‘corruption massage’. President Buhari, who swept to ...