Michael (B.A) is the Editor-in-Chief of MLD Publications. With an accumulated experience from a myriad of offices in journalism, leadership and business, he brings to bear his dexterity in each edition of the PUBLIC EYE magazine. His “addiction” for anything journalistic has driven him to compile numerous books and articles, both published and unpublished into volumes for ease of “assimilation” by readers who desire information in areas like Communication, Relationships, Attitudes, Leadership and Personal Growth. He has, over the years held a number of national and international appointments, some of which include:

• Member, Ghana Water & Sanitation Journalists
• Member, International Federation of Journalists
• Member, African Editors Forum
• Member, Association of Young Journalists and Writers
• Executive Producer, Campus Vibes
• President, Alliance for Young Leaders, UCC Chapter
• National Co-ordinator for Chapter Affairs, The Telescope Journalistic Network
• Co-founder Self Employed Graduates Association of Ghana (SEGAG)

He has participated in a number of seminars & conferences, some of which are:

• Databank Universities Economic School – 2007
• JCI Public Speaking Championship – 2008
• AYL Leadership Training Seminar – 2009
• Champions Conference – UCC – 2009
• African Collegiate Entrepreneurs, Ghana – National Conference – 2011

He has received a number of awards and honours, some of which are:

• 1st to be inducted to the Hall of Fame of Telescope Journalistic Network
• Honourary Certificate – Alliance for Young Leaders

His hobbies range from reading, through travelling to making friends.

The IEA will in due course announce a new date.

……signed…….

Herbert Krapa Press Secretary

I have decided to suspend immediately the rest of my campaign tour until further notice.

I express my condolences to the First Lady, Madam Naadu Mills and the rest of the family.

I extend my condolences to the government and people of Ghana on the death of the President, and also to the National Democratic Congress party on the loss of their leader.

I call on all Ghanaians to stand united in this moment of national loss and grief.

I pray to the Almighty that he gives his soul a peaceful place of abode.

May he rest in peace.

……signed……

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

NPP 2012 Presidential Candidate

Axim, 24^th July, 2012

24 July 2012              13:16 ET

Ghana’s President John Atta Mills, who was suffering from throat cancer, has died in the capital, Accra.

A statement from his office said the 68-year-old died a few hours after being taken ill, but did not give details.

“It is with a heavy heart…that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana,” the statement said.

Mr Atta Mills has ruled the West African country since 2009.

The BBC’s Sammy Darko, who is at the military hospital in Accra, says Mr Atta Mills’ voice has been degenerating in the last few months.

A presidential aide said the leader had complained of suffering pains on Monday evening and he died on Tuesday afternoon, Reuters reports.

He had returned to Ghana after visiting the US for medical checks, the news agency says.

Mr Atta Mills came to power after narrowly winning against a candidate from the then governing New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, in polls in December 2008.

He was to run for a second term in December.

from:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18972107

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John Atta Mills was born on July 21st, 1944 according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Atta_Mills

July 21st, 1944

7 + 21 +1+9+4+4 = 46 = his life lesson = Age.  68-year-old.

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comprehensive summary and list of predictions for 2012:

http://predictionsyear2012.com/

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The visit of the 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party to patients at the St Martin de Porres Hospital in Ekwe in the Jomoro constituency took an interesting twist when the only bridge linking the hospital was ordered to be pulled down “to be reconstructed”.

Nana Akufo-Addo, Monday, was due to visit patients at the hospital and also to ascertain the state of the National Health Insurance Scheme at the hospital.

According to Herbert Krapa, press secretary to the NPP flagbearer, the campaign entourage used that same bridge the previous day only to realize Monday morning that the bridge was under reconstruction rendering the bridge unusable by vehicles.

“Residents tell us that even this morning some vehicles had used the bridge before we got there,” Herbert added.

The NPP flagbearer had to abandon his vehicle and walked over the bridge and entered Ekwe in order to be able to visit the hospital.

“Nana Akufo-Addo will stop at nothing, to take his message of hope and prosperity to the people,” Herbert said.

On reaching Ekwe and the St Martin de Porres Hospital, Nana Addo apologised to the residents and patients for the inconvenience that the broken bridge will cause them.

He said there’s suspicion that the bridge had been pulled down because of his visit to the constituency, adding that “if it is so, although unfortunate, the inconvenience won’t be for long”.

“Nana Akufo-Addo was particularly worried about the inconvenience that pregnant women and other people on their way to go and receive medical attention would face because of the bridge that has been pulled down,” Mr Krapa said.

As for Nana Addo, even if they remove the bridge itself, he will swim his way to go and meet the people with his message, Herbert added.

Similarly, another bridge that connects Nkroful to Esiama in the Jomoro constituency was closed to vehicular movement upon the arrival of Nana Akufo-Addo on Sunday.

Nana Akufo-Addo and his entourage once again had to cross over by foot to Esiama. A huge crowd waited for Nana Akufo-Addo as he crossed over the “bridge under construction”. The excited crowd were seen waving red cards, which they explained was for President Mills and his government.

Addressing a charged and massive crowd at Esiama, after he has crossed over, Nana Addo said, “the NDC’s better agenda has drowned in deep waters and that is why they have resorted to these frustrated and cheap tactics.”

Yankey, 45, said they are showing the red card to go and stay in the drtessing room “so the NPP can bring us back to prosperity.”

He is confident that the Ghanaian people have seen for themselves what both the NPP and NDC can do and will make the right decision come December 7.

The towns so far visited by the NPP flagbearer and his entourage are Ekwe, Alabokazo, Anyinasi, Nkroful and Esiama.

The NPP leader was addressing scores of people in Shama on Thursday, when he took his ‘hope restoration’ tour to the Western Region.

“President Mills has turned his back on the people, failing to fulfill all the promises he made to them” Nana Addo said.

Nana Akufo-Addo said instead of focusing on improving the welfare of the people, President Mills and his NDC government have been busy enriching themselves.

He questioned how President Mills can continue to say he cares for the people when he has lost touch with their concerns.

“He promised to reduce the prices of fuel, electricity, water, and foodstuffs but under his watch the prices of all these have gone up drastically” Nana Addo said, attracting a loud applause from the crowd.

Nana Akufo-Addo said if God willing the NPP comes back to power, urgent attention will be paid to expanding and modernizing the Ghanaian economy to allow more jobs to be created for the young men and women.

Addressing the concerns of the fisherfolk, Nana Akufo-Addo said “the NPP will bring back the Ministry of Fisheries to help solve the many problems our fishermen face.”

He said it came as a surprise to him when President Mills scrapped that ministry, after stating that he comes from the coast and therefore cares for fishermen.

The price of pre mix fuel, outboard motors and other fishing inputs, according to the NPP flagbearer, have gone up drastically, putting an unbearable strain on fishermen.

“NPP will get closer to you to help solve your problems and make life comfortable for you and your families,” Nana told them.

He also reiterated his commitment to providing free senior high school education for all.

He continued his tour on Friday with a visit to the Mpohor Wassa constituency.

The NPP Presidential Candidate, in 2001, when he was Attorney-General, had responded to a petition from Great Cape Ltd, claiming supplementary interest payments on an earlier 1997 payment.  He agreed with the claims and forwarded his opinions to the Minister for Finance at that time.  Ten years later, in response to a request from Great Cape Company, he wrote to affirm the authenticity of the letter he wrote in 2001.  This is the substance of the NDC government’s July 16, 2012 press conference. 

Nana Akufo-Addo has not been blamed for any wrong doing.  The basis of his opinion has not been questioned.  His conduct has not been faulted.

It is informative to note that the NDC government has conducted several audits of Nana Akufo-Addo’s seven years in office as Minister of state but have not been able to impugn his integrity in public service.

Nana Akufo-Addo is indeed the only Attorney-General to successfully prosecute a cabinet colleague in 2001 on corruption charges.

The big issue is not about whether judgment debts or claims against the state have been settled.  Indeed, judgment debts and claims against the state have been paid or settled throughout (at least) the 4^th republic.  Government under Presidents Rawlings and Kufuor settled some debts and claims.

The payments or settlements during the Mills’ Presidency have attracted much national anguish and condemnation  because some of the payments, involving huge amounts, have been attended by clearly improper and buildering conduct, bordering on the fraudulence, as evidenced by the cases involving Mr. Woyome, C P, Africa Automobile Limited and Isofoton, among others.

The nation wants prosecution of those who have been delinquent and shown inexplicable conduct in safeguarding the monies of the people.  The nation does not want propaganda smoke screens that are put out to confuse rather than to clarify possibly very serious crimes.

Hon. Nana Akomea.

Director of Communication- NPP

They lament that President Mills, who hails from the region has showed total neglect of the region and has sat back unconcerned as the people of the region continue to wallow in poverty, growing levels of unemployment coupled with the spiraling cost of living.

Kwesi Afum, 47, a resident of Dunkwa said “President Mills during the campaign of 2008 promised to reduce cost of living and help make our lives better but as president he has rather brought us unprecedented hardships and we will vote him and his government out.”

These concerns were put across when the 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, toured both constituencies, Friday and Saturday as part of his ‘hope tour’ of the Central Region.

The NPP leader’s visit to the various communities was met with excitement and jubilation as residents took turn to exchange pleasantries with the man most political pundits tout as Ghana’s next President.

Chiefs and community leaders took turns to outline their concerns and disappointments with the NDC government to the NPP Presidential Candidate.

Elders of Dunkwa Zongo pleaded with Nana Addo to improve their living standards when he becomes president.

One resident of the Dunkwa, Alhaji Abass, in his interaction with Nana Akufo-Addo and his team said: “We did a lot to bring the NDC to power but they have neglected us. President Mills said he will care for us but he has not. He promised a ‘Better Ghana’ for all of us but it has only become better for the Ministers, functionaries of the NDC and his friends”.

At Oponso, Buabin and surrounding villages, residents complained about bad road network and collapsing National Health Insurance Scheme.

Nana Akufo-Addo has been assuring the people that Ghana can be put back on the pedestal of growth and development if the right leadership is brought back to build on the solid foundation laid by President Kufuor.

The NPP flagbearer explained that unless Ghana industrialises with the goal of adding significant value to our primary products, be they heavy or otherwise, the country cannot create the necessary numbers of high-paying jobs that will enhance the living standards of the mass of Ghanaians.

“Raw material producing economies do not create prosperity for the masses. The way to that goal, the goal of ensuring access to prosperity, is value addition activities in a transformed and a diversified modern economy,” he added.

He observed that a dangerous future awaits the Ghanaian society if nothing is done about the alarming rates of unemployment.

The NPP leader has also been reminding the people of his commitment to providing free senior high school education for all. He says any county that is serious about reducing poverty levels must tackle the matter of illiteracy, “and that is one of my major priorities.”

Nana Addo’s tour of both constituencies took him to communities such as Dunkwa, Oponso, Buabin, Kyekyewere, Subin, Diaso, Ayanfuri and Ntom.

He assured: “this new agenda is all captured in the NPP’s Northern Development Agenda backed by a Northern Development Authority with a seed capital of 1 billion US dollars to help achieve this paradigm.”

Speaking at the Northern Regional youth forum in Tamale Saturday, the NPP leader said the problems of the north require a focused and committed government with the vision and programmes to modernise and commercialise agriculture in the three northern regions, to create
life-enhancing small and medium scale enterprise. This he said will enhance the economic attraction of the north, create a large pool of good jobs with decent pay as well as guarantee food security for the rest of the country and beyond.

He said Ghana has the potential to become a major producer of goods and services for the West African region and beyond, “if we are able to put to good use our God given natural resources and human talent.”

Nana Akufo-Addo assured the people of the north that an Akufo-Addo-Bawumia team, if elected, would lead the north to realise its economic potential.

After lamenting over the sad fate of the Savannah Development Authority (SADA) , the NPP Presidential Candidate said, his Northern Development Authority (NODA), the original vision that was ‘copied’ by the NDC with SADA, will be implemented as envisaged.

NODA, he said, will be used to transform the three northern regions, improve the lives of the people there and make the north an attractive destination for economic migrants from the south, rather than a major source of domestic emigration which it has been historically.

Nana Addo lambasted the Mills-Mahama administration for reducing SADA, their so-called panacea for the north, into a programme of failed promises, seminars and recycled budget allocations that never materialise.

Unlike the NDC, “We will not sit in Accra and attend seminars upon seminars without doing anything tangible for you when we are given the opportunity to serve you. We will stand by our word and make the necessary investment to ensure that the lives of the people here are transformed for the better. We will not only bridge the gap, we will widen the bridge of prosperity for more Ghanaians, regardless of their geography or social circumstances to cross over,” he assured.

Nana Addo said his government will be committed to a comprehensive, all-inclusive programme of building a society of aspirations and opportunities. His vision for the transformation of the Ghanaian society hinges on the provision of free, quality education for every Ghanaian child and the acquisition of the necessary skills to meet the global economic opportunities and challenges. The NPP flagbearer reiterated his promise of not only free senior high
school education but also quality education.

“Education and skills training is probably the most important source of empowering and providing opportunities to the youth to help drive Ghana’s development and in the process create jobs,” he stressed.

But, to do this, the issue of the teacher must also be a priority of the state, he underlined. Nana Addo explained that his vision to build an educated workforce in Ghana will count on teachers who are well trained, well motivated and adequately paid.

He told the youth of the north about his “Teacher First” policy which, is aimed at ensuring the delivery of an educated and skilled workforce by “a crop of well trained, self confident and contented teachers.”

Touching on the rule of law, Nana Addo said his government would ensure easy and impartial access to justice, adding: “there should be an acceptable basic standard that should apply to all, without fear or favour; whether you are rich or poor, we should all have access to justice.”

He continued, “If we are to build a society of opportunities then we must ensure equal opportunity to justice.”

On Agriculture, Nana Addo said the NPP sees agriculture as a major wealth creation venture for the transformation of the North and Ghana, explaining: “our vision for the agriculture is to modernise the sector.”

The NPP Presidential Candidate added that his administration would invest in agricultural transformation which will constitute a major plank in wealth creation for the people of the north as well as ensuring food security.

Other speakers at the forum included the running mate to Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Mustapha Hamid, Anthony Karbo, Adwoa Sarfo, Samuel Abu jinapor, and Mohammed Amin Anta.

Nana Addo and his entourage have since left the Northern Region for the Upper East Region with the first point of call being the Bawku Central constituency.

Addressing a full house of Chiefs and Queen mothers, Nana Addo said that healthy competition between political parties is a must, so as to offer Ghanaians a choice between different sets of ideas on how Ghana can be developed.

Nana Addo, however, noted that “this should be nothing more, nothing less than a competition of ideas, commitment, competence and solutions. This competition should never endanger the Ghanaian project.”
He said “in our race for economic development, the competition is not with each other, in other words, it is not between NDC and NPP or Dagombas and Kokonbas, Fantes and Gas, or Ashantis and Ewes, or Akyems and Krobos. The competition is with China, with South Africa, Malaysia, Korea, India, Brazil and other countries in the global economic space. We should never forget this.”

The NPP leader told the chiefs and elders that “recently, when I was out of the country in the United States, a great controversy occurred which created a great storm. My party issued a statement on it and I fully endorse the sentiments expressed by my party in that statement, which binds all members of the NPP.”

He continued, “The matter is now before court, and I believe that the public interest demands that we allow the matter to be resolved there, and not continue to fan the issues generated by the statement.”

Nana Addo made it clear that he will not tolerate the use of comments that do not bode well for the unity and oneness of Ghana.

He stressed: “I want to state here, though, with all the emphasis at my command, that I do not have any ethnic agenda to promote, and I will not condone any such agenda.”

On his part, Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of Ho (Asogli) and President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs thanked Nana Addo for taking time out of his busy shedule to come and meet with them.

He said “your reason for coming here Nana, which is to speak on the peace and unity of our country is a very important one I congratulate you on behalf of my chiefs and elders for this bold initiative.”

He said “Nana knows custom and tradition and so he came very well. He came with crates of assorted drinks and cash to support our work in the region.”

Osie Adza Tekpor VII, Osie of Avetime and member of the Regional House of Chiefs, said Nana Addo’s visit is a very strategic and useful one.

“I say it is strategic because you have assured us from your very insightful speech that you are against ethnic and tribal divisions and I commend you for adopting the right attitude”, Osie Adza Tekpor VII said.

He thanked Nana Addo for a very educative and insightful speech on the peace and unity of Ghana.

In his concluding remarks, Togbe Afede XIV thanked Nana Addo for the important visit and powerful message and said he is always welcome to join them. He prayed God’s blessings for the NPP leader and wished him the very best.

Other members of the House of Chiefs present were Nana Soglo Alloh IV, Vice President of the VRHC, Togbe Delume VII, Fiaga of Ve, Togbe Gabusu VI, Fiaga of Gbi, Mamaga Amega Kofi Bra I, Paramount Queenmother of Peki and Mamaga Agbalisi IV, Queen of Akpini, Kpando, among many others.

Nana Addo was accompanied by a strong delegation of leaders of the NPP from the region.

They included Mrs Agnes Okudzeto, Former 1st National Vice Chairperson; Mr Timothy Amesimeku, Former Ambassador to Benin; Elizabeth Ohene, Former Minister of State; Mr Osei Nyame, Former Regional Chairman; Dr Archibald Letsa, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Ho Central; Mr D D Dzorkpe, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Ho East; Ernest Kaiwo, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Ho West; Samuel Ohene; Douglas Woegba; NPP Volta Regional Chairman, Kenwuud Nuworsu and his team of regional executives.

Other leading members of the party present were Mr Dan Botwe, MP for Okere and Mr Boakye Agyarko, NPP 2012 Campaign Manager.

Nana Addo also took the opportunity to donate assorted drinks and GH¢10,000 to the House.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia made the comments when he visited the home of the late Chief of Duori in the Upper West Region and former leader of the United Party, which has today metamorphosed into the New Patriotic Party.

At the residence was the wife of the late Chief, Margaret Dombo, who welcomed Dr. Bawumia and his team. She thanked the team for remembering her husband and his legacy as a stalwart of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition. Also present was the third son of Chief Dombo, Tanko Dombo.

According to the NPP running mate he visited the home of the late Chief to pay homage to his memory and also to seek the prayers of the family for the task ahead.

Dr. Bawumia recalled the formation of the Northern People’s Party citing founding members like Mumuni Bawumia, J.A. Braimah, Tolon Naa Yakubu Tali, Naa Abeifaa Karbo, Imoru Salifu, C. K. Tedem and Chief Dombo who he said formed the Party with the singular purpose of developing the North.

He also recalled how the Northern People’s Party merged with other political groupings into the United Party which metamorphosed into the Progress Party and now NPP.

Touching on the relevance of the work of Chief Dombo and his contemporaries on today’s politics, Dr. Bawumia said that he felt he had a major and sacred responsibility to contribute his all to national development and the development of the North specifically because of the work Chief Dombo and all the other great northern politicians did.

“As I stand here today, I feel a sacred responsibility because the work that Chief Dombo and all the others started has not been completed” Dr. Bawumia added.

He recalled how in 1953, Chief Dombo and his contemporaries who formed the Northern People’s Party presented a resolution to the colonial administration and proposed the Northern Development Committee which sought to open up the North and bridge the North-South Gap.
Dr. Bawumia also mentioned the 8-point manifesto drawn up by the same group for the development of the North in the 50s.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia noted that the gap between the North and the South was still wide, indicating that Nana Akufo-Addo had made it a cardinal pledge that one of his legacies as President would be bridging the gap between the North and the South.

The NPP Running Mate assured the wife and family of Chief Dombo that he and the Party were committed to doing everything possible to keep the name of Chief Dombo alive and to protect his legacy while working toward achieving his vision for the North particularly.

“I assure you that I would do all I can to keep the name of Chief Dombo alive in whatever I do because we are benefitting from his work. This Party owes Chief Dombo a great debt of gratitude and we would keep his name alive”, Dr. Bawumia said.

In his opening remarks Ambassador Carson said he was pleased to meet Nana Akufo-Addo again. He recalled Nana Akufo-Addo’s time as Foreign Minister and paid tribute to him for the important role he played in the first compact of the Millennium Challenge Account. Ambassador Carson said Ghana remains a beacon in Africa for the peaceful transfer of power from one government to another.

Nana Akufo-Addo in his remarks thanked the US government for helping to consolidate democracy in Ghana and Africa. He said he was in the US to meet potential investors and was pleased with the response so far.

Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated that there was a firm consensus among Ghanaians on multiparty democracy as their form of government. He expressed concern, however, about people being intimidated and the tension being generated around the ongoing biometric registration exercise.

Nana Akufo-Addo also spoke about his ideas on how Ghana should use her oil resources to structurally transform the Ghanaian economy, using the Norwegian model as a guide.

The two men also discussed issues surrounding the forthcoming general elections. Ambassador Johnnie Carson said that Ghana has an opportunity to reaffirm her leadership position in Africa by conducting a free, fair and transparent electoral process, which the US is committed to support. He urged the building of institutions and not people to strengthen Democracy in Ghana. He thanked Nana Akufo-Addo for his message, which he said resonated in the US and wished him well in the elections.

Nana Akufo-Addo concluded by saying that he expected a decent campaign and as long as the process is fair, whoever wins the elections will have the support of all Ghanaians.

Nana Akufo-Addo’s delegation to the meeting included Yaw Osafo Maafo, Charles Owiredu and Kwaku Agyei Yeboah NPP USA Chairman.

By Virginia Comolli, Research Analyst

‘This can be Africa’s century,’ Ghanaian presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo told the audience at the fifth IISS Oppenheimer Lecture. A former Ghanaian attorney general and foreign minister, he was speaking on the future of democracy in Africa and the impact of the Arab Spring. But he also took the time to point out that the continent had the world’s second fastest economic growth after Asia, and that strengthening trade and ties across the continent could assist Africa’s self-empowerment.

‘The dividends of democracy cannot be overrated,’ stressed Akufo-Addo, who has been one of Ghana’s leading politicians since the country returned to a multi-party system in 1992. The 2008 Ghanaian presidential elections – in which Akufo-Addo ran as the National Patriotic Party candidate – were hailed by international observers as a model for Africa. They passed off peacefully, despite the extremely close-run victory for National Democratic Congress candidate John Atta Mills, who won by less than 1%.

(Giving a TED talk last year, Swiss-Ghanaian film-maker Jarreth Merz compared Ghana’s position to that which the US experienced during its 2000 presidential elections, but still ‘Ghana honoured democracy and its people’.)

Akufo-Addo said that the events of the Arab Spring showed that democracy was compatible with Islam, despite some claims to the contrary. Many Arab leaders had often used the Islamist threat as a way of seeking international support for their autocratic regimes, but the reality was that democracy was neither alien to Islamic belief nor at odds with African values.

However, he added: ‘The angst and frustration that propelled the protests in the Arab world – in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, in Syria and Yemen – resonate deeply with many Africans. It is a shared sense of arrested opportunities. This young, hungry generation, with a global perspective on opportunities and the aspirations to match, expect their leaders to help deliver social and economic transformation that will have a meaningful impact on their lives.’

Akufo-Addo identified the key factors that undermined African development as: a lack of economic diversification, weak governance, poor infrastructure, and unused  human capital (particularly the underemployment of women and younger people).

He was a firm believer in pan-Africanism, from the north to sub-Saharan regions. Africa should strengthen African regional institutions such as the African Union and ECOWAS. He also suggested the promotion of economic diversification through a stronger intra-regional agenda, allowing African economies to become more competitive and less reliant on non-African imports. Africa had great natural resources and should make the most of its raw materials and minerals. It should focus less on exporting to Europe and Asia and instead expand business relations within the continent.

Of course, better infrastructure would be required for intra-regional trade. A way of achieving better transport routes, for example, would be for African leaders to leverage growing Chinese enthusiasm in the continent to develop infrastructure.

It seemed however, that Africa’s wealth of natural resources was not matched by a confident and educated workforce ready to compete in the global economy. Africans needed to add value to their human capital through education, to which everyone should have access.

Watch the full discussion

It was about 6 am in Nairobi (Ghana was still asleep as Kenya is 3 hours ahead of GMT) on 25 January 2012, and I had just arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport after travelling overnight from Accra. One thing I like about my network provider is their form of roaming: the number works like a local number once you enter a new country. In the past, I could only make and receive calls, but curious as I am, I tried the Web facility on the phone, and it worked!

I logged on to Twitter, and found a message from a friend: Is it true Uncle Atta Mills resigned?

A news website had reported late the previous day that President John Evan Atta Mills of Ghana had resigned his position as the leader of the ruling party. Quoting ‘deep throat sources from the NDC party headquarters’, the website indicated that the President, in handing over his resignation letter to the General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, promised that he would finish his term as the President of Ghana ‘even if all his ministers abandon ship’.

The story went further to state a new flag bearer would have to b e elected, listing potential candidates as the Foreign Minister Mohammed Mumuni (he had said in an interview after being elected as Parliamentary candidate for Kumbungu that he was prepared to contest as a flag bearer, an interview which confused not a few people), the Vice President John Mahama, Ekow Spio-Garbrah, and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, who contested against the President for the flag bearer position in 2011.

I responded to my friend on Twitter: Bro, just arrived in Kenya and reading it on the net. I don’t believe it, but we got to wait for morning to break in Ghana.

I checked on other news-sites and on Facebook. Folks had started discussing the issue, with some already going with the story, and calling victory for the opposition NPP and its leader. This response from a reader was typical: “Uncle Attah (sic) has finally confirmed his one term agenda.”

Some also called for day to break in Accra for confirmation or otherwise.

Of course, the story was untrue.

On 3 February 2012, another leading Ghanaian website reported under the headline “Nigeria Threatens to Leave Africa!” that following the election of Beninois President Boni Yayi as the Africa Union (AU) President, the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria (who, it was reported, contested the position and lost) had threatened to “break away from Africa and form an independent continent of Nigeria”. The website quoted from a press release by one Reuben Abati: “Since Africa does not consider our President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan good enough for the Chairmanship of the Africa Union, then Africa does not deserve our presence on the Continent.”

Further, the site stated that Nigeria had given a 1 week ultimatum to AU to reconsider and make President Jonathan its head, and not bother to try to contact the President as the position of the Administration was non-negotiable.

My friend Seun Kolade posted it on his Facebook profile and surprisingly, some readers took the story seriously! One person commented thus: “What a stupid ideology from a senseless administrator like GEJ and his cabinet. So easy it is to form a continent. What a cluster of fools we have at the realm of governance in Nigeria.” Another comment: “If Nigerians can afford to cope with the clueless GEJ, will AU also falls into the same pit. Abati statement is laughable to say the least… GEJ is living in fantasy and somebody needs to tell him the truth. That is if he will listen…”

In my comment on Seun’s posting, I stated, “Satire, oh and many readers are taking it seriously on [the website]. Is it that most of us don’t have critical reading skills so that we accept everything we read at face value?” Seun’s response was that it’s both lack of critical reading skills, and a poorly developed, or altogether non-existent, sense of humour. “I think most of us will excuse the latter, to some extent,” he continued. “There probably hasn’t been much to laugh about recently. Speaking of Nigeria, for example.”

Of course, the story fed into existing sentiments. And that is what the false stories are crafted to hatch onto. And, oh, there were 345 comments on the said story on the news website, when I checked at the time of putting this article together.

My question remains: Have we lost our sense of satire or did we even have it in the first place? Or, it is rather our lack of critical reading skills?

A couple of weeks ago, in February 2012, news broke about a video which showed the flag bearer of NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo, ‘fondling’ a make-up artist at the state broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). The news made propaganda value for the ruling party, especially, with a deputy minister trumpeting it and others calling for the arrest of the ‘perpetrator’. The incident happened in 2008, in the lead up to the Presidential Elections in December of that year. For me, the first question to ask was: if the issue happened four years ago, and was captured in a film on the 2008 Elections, why hasn’t it become an issue for discussion all these years? Also, would such an incident happen in the full glare of people in the room?

When the lady in question, the supposed victim, was later interviewed, she refused the allegation and expressed surprise that it had become a topic for debate.

2012 is an Election year in Ghana. There will be a lot of propaganda stories, many of which will backfire or be refuted. But the proponents won’t care. Because most people will remember the first shot, not the rejoinder. The political parties will attempt to play on your gullibility quotient this year. Be critical. Read every story twice. Question everything. As my friend Abena Serwaa noted on Twitter, look at the sources of the news you read, as most often, opinions are published as news items. Personally, the newspaper reporting the news has an influence on the amount of salt with which I take the take the story.

One purpose I have this year: to educate my readers to be discerning readers and listeners. Of course, I am mindful of the fact that an election year is the most likely one in which one can be branded. As a writer, the delicate balance is to remain critical yet unbiased.

As Ghanaians, we have to up our critical reading skills. As we read, we need to reflect on what we read and do our own deductions and draw our own conclusions.

Wikipedia defined critical reading as “the opposite of naivety in reading. It is a form of skepticism that does not take a text at face value, but involves an examination of claims put forward in the text as well as implicit bias in the texts framing and selection of the information presented. The ability to read critically is an ability assumed to be present in scholars and to be learned in academic institutions.” I say we should teach it in our homes and on our airwaves. We should teach our children to question. We need to teach them how to be skeptics.

John Steinbeck captures my thoughts well: “A story has as many versions as it has readers. Everyone takes what he wants or can from it and thus changes it to his measure. Some pick out parts and reject the rest, some strain the story through their mesh of prejudice, some paint it with their own delight. “

This year, the politicians and journalists will attempt to buy your mind and influence your thoughts and, hopefully, your voting pattern. Will it be for a pesewa?

About the Writer

Nana Awere Damoah was born in Accra, Ghana. He is the author of 3 books: Tales from Different Tails, Through the Gates of Thought and Excursions in My Mind. Nana started serious writing in 1993 when he was in sixth form and has had a number of his short stories published in the Mirror and the Spectator. In 1997, he won first prize in the Step magazine National Story Writing Competition. His short story Truth Floats was published in the first edition of African Roar Anthology. He is the creator and editor of Story Loom.

By Kwasi Kpodo

ACCRA (Reuters) – Ghanian President John Atta Mills on Monday said he was confident of winning a second four-year term this year though he conceded it had been a painful decision to cut fuel subsidies, a move that has sparked violent protests in nearby Nigeria.

Ghana, the world’s second biggest cocoa producer, posted double-digit growth in 2011, thanks in part to the start up of offshore oil production, and the country is one of the more stable in West Africa.

“We have made visible progress,” Mills told a news conference, highlighting improved access to electricity and education during his three years in power.

“We have been able to maintain single digit (inflation) for the longest time in the history of this country, and interest rates (are) down. I believe the people of Ghana will recognise what we did.”

But he added that his decision in December to abandon subsidies for fuel – a move that raised pump prices by 13 percent – had been a tough one.

“It was very difficult but we had no option because the amount of subsidy we were providing could no longer continue. I wish we had other options.”  Read more…

It is a sad commentary recalling the shallowness of perception, view point and performance of the ‘Team B’ ministers under the Mills run NDC. For once, or more generously, on a most rear occasion, Pres. Mills has taken a stand, albeit populist! Going by the cultural makeup of Ghanaians, it was a dead on safe bet for him to seemingly stand up to David Cameron by repeating his mantra ‘ Yen dzi yen fi3 asem’ or rather ‘Cameron, dzi wu fi3 aeem’! Of course, this was a rare opportunity for Pres Mills to strike a common pose with the electorate, and he lapped it up with relish. His henchmen, with nothing else to brag about in terms of achievement, do not want this euphoric moment to pass by, and thus, the daily discussion this is generating on the airwaves.

Whilst not trying to rain on their parade, it needs to be pointed out the fundamental issues that the NDC propagandists are missing in all this brouhaha.

First of all, in international diplomatic liaisons, being slighted does not necessarily warrant a ‘bull in a China shop’ type reaction. Diplomatic disagreements have their means of resolution. For instance, the Foreign Minister, or if necessary, the President, could summon the British High Commissioner to the Castle for a stern ticking off message to be passed on to the British Prime Minister about the effrontery. After all, we are not talking about an insignificant partner here where the endeavor to maintain cordial relations does not matter. Cameron – and I must add, I disagree with the man and his right wing style of politics – had the effrontery to attempt to blackmail recipient countries of his country’s largess into subsuming their cultures to those of say, the United Kingdom, failing which, the aid cycle would be halted. That said, the reaction of the aggrieved countries should be measured and still leave no doubt as to how sentiments and sensibilities might have been stirred and inflamed. The answer is not the unrefined and undiplomatic response the president issued.

To then expect Nana Akufo-Addo – a man brought up to appreciate the intricacies of international diplomatic shenanigans, especially after having held the Foreign Ministry portfolio for years culminating in Chairing the United Nations General Assembly – to naively follow suit in a populist rather than follow diplomatic protocol, is not only naive, but a cheap opportunistic attempt by the NDC and the likes of Baba Jamal in particular. Nana is not a ‘follow-follow man’!

Secondly, any casual observer of British politics since the right wing Conservative Party scrapped into power in a coalition with the Lib-Dems, would note that this threat by Cameron was an undisguised trap that Pres Mills has fallen into. In his April 2011 budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne in the midst of heinous cuts on spending, actually increased the monies for International Development aid. This was met with anger by xenophobes and such like. Therefore, having with gritted teeth made this gesture towards maintaining ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s dedication and support for the Third World, Uganda’s very public mis-treatment of Gays, coupled with some very public utterances by some Ghanaian Ministers on this matter, presented Cameron with the opportunity to accomplish two things. Being no fool, Cameron knows for sure the attitude of Africans in general towards homosexuality. Therefore, with this inciteful statement, he knew he would either achieve the unlikely succumbing of needy African nations into granting homosexual rights, or, indeed with hold British cash to those countries, and save cash for the British as a result! Winner on either front!

Therefore, to the politically savvy operator, which Nana Akufo-Addo undoubtedly is, Cameron needs to be played at his own game, and that is not in an empty bullish fashion, but along the corridors of No.10 Downing Street. So, for example, Nana Akufo-Addo will be attending the International Democrats Union [IDU] Party Leaders meeting here in London where David Cameron will be hosting. This will normally be the opportunity for leaders like Nana to impress upon Cameron, how he and the nation of Ghana felt about his pronouncement, and possibly extract a retraction or an apology, and I believe Nana will! This is a ‘jaw jaw’ world, not a ‘war war’ world, especially where the war of words is against a far stronger foe. Cameron’s blackmail is certainly condemnably underhanded, but for a person whose political makeup is, ‘might is right’, arrogant Cameron thinks he can get away with it. The matter, I conclude, is not whether Cameron can get away with such clap trap, but rather how to respond to him, and that is where there is a world of difference between the NDC and the NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo. Negotiations and extracting compromises is the reality in international relations rather than populist but ultimately empty war of words!

By: Richard Dombo Diedong

Issues

• The sudden huge publicity surrounding the AG – What and who is behind this?

Madam Gloria Akuffo told Citi News that she was shocked and surprised by the comments made by the Attorney General stating that Betty Mould had a good working relationship with their administration and nobody hounded her out of the office as she claims.

According to her, Betty Mould stayed in office until Nana Addo was reshuffled from the Justice Ministry to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“If she was being hounded then it didn’t show… then she might have survived that hounding until Nana Addo left because I don’t believe that she was been hounded…so if indeed there was any hounding then I am a bit surprised, in fact shocked”

In an interview with Radio Gold’s sixty-minutes programme on Tuesday, March 16, Madam Betty Mould Iddrisu stated that the former Attorney General Nana Akuffo Addo pressured her to leave the Justice Ministry due to her strong affiliations with the then opposition NDC, a situation she said plunged she and her family into lots of difficulties.

However, Madam Gloria Akuffo, who served as Nana Addo’s deputy at the time said that assertion could not be true because Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu and Nana Addo had a very good working relationship which even led to Nana Addo helping her secure a job at the commonwealth secretariat.

“If there was some bad relationship between them, then how could she turn to the same person who was hounding her out and who had put her through so much trouble and distress to give her the reference and intervene on her behalf to get the job which she in fact got?” She queried.

Betty Mould-iddrissu has come under intense pressure from foot soldiers and prominent Sympathizers of the NDC such as former Supreme Court Judge Justice Kpegah to start prosecuting former NPP government officials.

A stinging Editorial by Pro-NDC Ghanaian Lens Newspaper, suggested that the Attorney General was being reluctant to prosecute the NPP officials because she is a close friend to many of them.

Madam Gloria Akuffo told Citi News that such pressures are usually normal at the Justice Ministry.

According to her it was out of a similar pressure that she was instructed by Nana Addo to lead similar prosecutions in some cases.

“I have been there before, in fact it was under such similar pressure that Nana Addo had to instruct me to lead the prosecutions in some of these cases and uncharacteristically as a Deputy Attorney General who should be assisting the Minister in the office, almost on daily basis I found myself going to court and had been turned into a prosecutor. So it is not peculiar to her…I don’t think that it (the pressure) is something that we have to endorse but I’m saying that if she is under going such things, that may account for the type of responses she is making.” She said.

Meanwhile, the office of Nana Akuffo Addo has issued a statement denying Mrs Betty Mould’s claims.

Source: Citifmonline/Ghana

Betty Lies As NDC Cries For Blood

The 2008 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has responded to the vicious lies being peddled against him by Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Betty Mould Iddrisu, who appears to be clutching for a lifeline to secure her position.

Betty had alleged on a Radio Gold programme yesterday that Nana Addo played an instrumental role in her decision to resign from the office of the Attorney-General since she was too prominent a member of the NDC, indicating that, “what happened was unpardonable”, causing unimaginable pain to her and her family.

But hours after making the allegations, the office of Nana Addo issued a statement describing Betty’s claims as not only vicious but convenient lies. While Nana Addo empathized with her predicament, whereby influential persons within the NDC are baying for her blood because of her alleged sluggishness in bringing former NPP government officials to trial, he stressed the belief that “there are more responsible ways of handling the pressure than resorting to unnecessary fabrications”.

Far from hounding her out of office, the statement noted that Betty continued to act as Head of the International Law Division during the entire two-year period of Nana’s tenure as Attorney-General.

Nana Akufo-Addo actually left the current Attorney-General behind at the Attorney-General’s Office when in March 2003 he took up his new responsibilities as Foreign Minister. “Thus, he worked closely with Mrs. Mould Iddrisu and all the other heads of department he came to meet at the Ministry, and she was still at post when he left the Attorney-General’s Office for the Foreign Ministry two years later,” the statement said.

It indicated that even after Nana Addo had left the A-G’s Department, he graciously accepted Betty’s request for a reference letter to support her application for an international job, emphasizing that, “he gave her a glowing reference because he was satisfied with her competence and fitness for the job”.

The statement noted: “she approached Nana Akufo-Addo for a reference in his capacity as her former boss and as Foreign Minister of the Republic, and did not indeed indicate at the time that her subsequent voluntary departure would cause pain to her and her family.
“Apart from giving her an excellent written reference, Nana Akufo-Addo personally lobbied the then Commonwealth Secretary General, Don Mckinnon, on her behalf, as he would have done for any other competent Ghanaian seeking an international position.

When Nana Akufo-Addo was appointed by the then President Kufuor as Attorney-General in 2001, Mrs Mould Iddrisu, then head of the International Law Division, was among the staff he met at the Office of the Attorney General.

Though it was common knowledge that Mrs. Mould Iddrisu was the wife of the former Defence Minister in the previous NDC administration, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Nana Addo resisted calls from certain quarters for him to reassign her to another portfolio within the civil service and even defended his decision to maintain her at post on the ground that he had no reason to believe that her political affiliation was affecting either her professional judgment or her competence.

“Indeed, Mrs. Mould Iddrisu was given additional duties in charge of the de-confiscation of assets,” it added. Unlike the culture of partisan cleansing that competent Ghanaians in the public service have experienced under the current Mills Administration, the statement, “Nana Akufo-Addo stood firm to his principles that insofar as the Constitution of the Republic gave every Ghanaian the right to join a political party of their choice, he was not going to relieve any officer serving under him of their position solely on the basis of their political party membership, affiliation or sympathies”.

This, he said, was because the only relevant consideration was their competence and professionalism and so long as they did not allow their political sympathies to affect their competence, professionalism and judgment, he would work with them.

For this reason, he worked closely with Mrs. Mould Iddrisu and all the other heads of department he came to meet at the Ministry. The statement therefore revealed that Nana could not fathom why Betty told the malicious lies.

Source: Daily Guide/Ghana