Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

Since the day the white man came to our land and told us that our ways were bad while his ways were good, we have all been making efforts to become like him by learning his ways. Before the white man landed on our seashores, our people had their own ways of teaching and learning. The blacksmith’s son learned the trade from his father. The son of the fisherman, became an expert fisherman just by observing how the “old man” did it. We had our own schooling. When the white man came and instructed us to learn his ways, he only provided us with knowledge. It was very much unlike our way of learning, which came with not just knowledge, but wisdom and intelligence. I have seen fools who have chains of papers conferred on them for having acquired knowledge. Oh yes, I have. If beards signified intelligence, the goat would have been a genius. But we all know that the only time a goat shows any ingenuity is when it comes to the subject of sex. The goat makes no distinction between a neighbor, ...

Dear Nyaba, I was there seven yam festivals ago, when the members of the elephant family who were then in the position of opposition in the house of lawmakers, walked out of the house when the then national chief rose to address the people of the chiefdom about the state of the chiefdom. It was on the 22nd day of the 2nd month of the 13th year of the 2nd Millennium. I was also there when the people of the umbrella, who now find themselves sitting in the position of opposition in the house of lawmakers, walked out just when the current national chief rose to address the chiefdom. It was a few minutes past the 10th hour of the 20th day of the 2nd month of the 20th year of the 2nd millennium. Seven years ago, whilst the people of the elephant walked out from the chamber of the house, they held in their hands, placards that read “stealers”. That word “stealers” made me cringe. I will explain later. Thursday, February 20, when the people of the umbrella decided to walk out, they di...

The State of the Nation Address is the single most important national speech by the president every given year. The address is expected to give a report or account on programs and projects announced in the previous year,  account for the current state of the nation and offer plans, programs or ways to address current problems and issues affecting citizens. The state of the nation address is also expected to inspire the nation, shape and appeal to national values, provide a broad vision for the nation, galvanize the nation into action or carry them along. Here are some brief takeaways from this year’s State of the Nation Address. Broad Overview This was a fairly straightforward state of the nation address. No grand rhetoric, no grand plans, just enough statistics, no sweeping policy except to declare 2020 as the year of roads. It was not excessively heavy on statistical detail but neither was it inspiring. The president did not sound divisive or partisan but definitely used t...

Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is one of the economic indicators that show whether the country is making economic progress or not. However, a section of the public believes that GDP does not reflect in the everyday life of the people and therefore African governments should stop touting GDP and other economic indicators as achievements. This is because it is a narrow way of looking at the situation. Another school of thought believes that GDP and other economic indicators reflect directly on the life of the people if citizens of the country can assess basic social amenities such as hospitals, schools, water, electricity and roads. These are made possible by the economy and are also measured by the indicators. If people go to hospital and they are not turned away because the government is not owing the NHIS, the economic indicators are having a direct impact on the citizens. Construction and rehabilitation of roads by government is also an indication that there is improvement in the eco...

Trade unionism exists to promote the interest of workers. The recognition of trade unionism in the world today is as a result of persistent and consistent fight against employers who in the past acted against the interest of the workers. As a result of this anti-workers stance, many of the workers came together to fight for their interests as a result of which they have now been recognised as legitimate entities that ought to be given recognition in the scheme of things. Even though trade unionism is good when utilised in the right way, it must be done within the framework of the laws of the country. If national laws are not obeyed, the result will be chaos and employers including government cannot have the peace to galvanise their resources to give decent salaries to workers. Quite often, labour officers feel the best way to have their grievances resolve successfully is to break the law and organise their workers not to obey the leadership of employers. Employers, including governme...

The globally acclaimed organization, the World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”, in honour of the 200-birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale born on the 12th of May 1820. This among other things is to showcase how nurses are central to addressing a wide range of health challenges and focusing on the true value of nurses to the world. Traditionally each year, the International Council of Nurses leads the celebrations on International Nurses Day on 12th May, as a memorial of Florence Nightingale’s birth. This year is unique because the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as: “The Year of the Nurse and Midwife”. However, to the 2017 graduates of Public Trained Nurses and Midwives, “The year of the nurse and midwife” is a cliché. Over 40 thousand graduate nurses and midwives are home, unemployed two years after their national service. To them “the year of the nurse and midwife” is dystopia. Florence Nightingale’s thought a...