2016 WASSCE results disappointing- NAGRAT.

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has described the recent overall result of the 2016 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) as disappointing and appalling.

The President of NAGRAT, Christian Addai Poku, has attributed the failure to lack of funding in the education sector.

“The major part of the problem has to do with funding for education where you build the school. Do you have enough infrastructures in that school, furniture, library stocked with books? Do you have teaching and learning materials that teachers will not come and cry about chalk, teachers will not come and cry about other teaching and learning materials all over? If we have them we will get the pass, if we do not have them, we get a failure,” he stated.

On whether the argument that the four years system is re-introduced, NAGRAT said, government needs to expand and provide adequate resources.

Mr. Addai emphasized that “the decision of the three or four year system is for the technocrat to decide and not government, where they do a study and come out with trend analysis of the four years.”

He added that the three and four years system should be compared to see which one is best, looking at the resource constraints the country finds itself in.

“Vocational training is not for school drop outs, it is very important that all students pass their Senior High School (SHS) examinations very well,” Mr. Addai concluded.

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef.

Daasebre Gyamenah's burial set for October 14.

Renowned highlife legend, Daasebere Gyamenah, who died on Friday July 29 while on admission at the Korle Bu Teaching hospital in Accra, will be buried on October 14.

The one week celebration which took place at the forecourt of the Omahene palace in Koforidua on Friday was held symbolically after more than a week of the musician’s death.

Reports indicate that Daasebre Gyamenah will be given an Islamic burial. According to the report, the family has decided to release the body to the Muslim community for burial as before his demise he was a practicing Muslim.

Although he was not a Muslim by birth, he became a convert to Islam when he attained adulthood.

His remains will be laid in state before the burial.

Personalities like, Akosua Agyapong, Kojo Antwi and a host of others were present at the one week celebration of the demised legend.

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef

Greater Accra new Executives of MUSIGA Sowrn-In.

 Newly elected executives for the Greater Accra regional branch of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) were sworn-in last week. Elizabeth Tagoe of Tagoe Sisters, gospel singer, Gifty Osei and Shege Stylla are some of the newly elected executives.

Elizabeth Tagoe has been elected and sworn-in as the new Chairman of the Greater Accra regional branch of the MUSIGA. She joins five other musicians who were elected at the regional polls on Wednesday at the union head office in Accra.

The other newly elected executives are; Ras. Appiah Levi as Vice-Chairman, Gifty Osei as Treasurer and Bright Appiah Quaye (aka Joe Eazi) as the Organiser , Alex Oddoi as Welfare officer and dancehall artist Shege Stylla as Secretary.

At the swearing in ceremony, the first Vice President of MUSIGA, Bessa Simons, called for them to provide effective leadership for the branch while ensuring that the union addresses the welfare needs of members.

The outgoing chairman, Nana Kweku Dua, urged the members to be united and maintain the right protocols in all their endeavours.

MUSIGA has organized elections in all the branches except Kumasi which has been postponed to a later date.

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef

Avoid Actions that Undermine judicial and EC power - Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas.

 The special representative for the UN Sec-Gen for West Aftrica, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas,  in his response to a question regarding the petition to the presidency to pardon the Muntie fm trio, has urged government to avoid actions and decisions that will undermine the powers of the Judiciary and the Electoral Commission (EC).

Dr. Chambas said, “the electoral commisison and the judiciary deserve the respect of all Ghanaians. They should be held in high regards and be treated with all the decorum that is required to ensure that they maintain certain respectability in order to play their roles as referees in this electoral competition, cherishing our freedom of speech and our right to freedom of speech in this country.”

“It seems to be a broad consensus that in this season of politics, the expression of freedoms may be exceeding the bounds of decency and acceptability. It is a responsibility for all of us to ensure that things are brought back into balance so people would understand that when they have the privilege of speaking on the microphone and speaking to a wider public, there are some basic knows of acceptability that should be observed,” he added.

The Muntie Fm trios are currently serving their jail term which has sparked calls and petitions to the presidency for a presidential pardon.

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef

Ministry of Education Discourages Protocol Requests.

 Scramble to get into the bests senior high schools in the past has arose a lot of sentiments in the past from the public. This is because some students who do well but are from deprived schools are disenfranchised from the opportunity to study in some of the best schools in the country due to protocol placements.

The issue of protocol placement in well endowed Senior High Schools has been a subject for public discussion in the country for several years. Concerns have been raised over how this system denies brilliant but needy students from deprived schools, access to some of the highly rated senior high schools in the country.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Naa Jane Opoku Agyeman, has in a strong warning stated that the ministry will not tolerate any protocol request for placement as the country awaits the BECE results.

She lamented that the protocol list system was disenfranchising students from deprived school which should also benefit from the opportunity to attend the first class schools.

“Whiles we await the BECE results, we want to explain that the ministry will not tolerate any protocol request. We know our children can learn and pass. We also know we can expand the numbers of high performing schools, hence, all these monies that we are putting into the system. This is a loan that the government will pay. We will do the first phase and evaluate it. We want to see specific results coming out of this, that we can measure. We also want to eventually, ensure that we are reducing our status as consumers and that we are creating. We can create the things too and then maybe take them to other countries,” she said.

She added that their plan as a ministry is to eventually cover each senior high school in the country, which they think is possible with all the three projects coming on. Ghana's significant progress in education includes increasing access to education at all levels, the achievement of gender parity at the primary level, raising the literacy rate of persons under 25 years of age, increasing the textbook ratio from one textbook to three pupils and four textbooks to one child.

She urged stakeholders’, especially, parents and teachers to commit to improving quality teaching and learning in the country to promote sustainable development.

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef.

Dr. Yaw Baah- TUC Sec- Gen Elect.

       

 The 10th quadrennial delegates’ congress of the labour organization held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, has elected Dr Anthony Yaw Baah as the new Secretary General of Ghana’s Trades Union Congress (TUC).

This congress comes after the reign of Mr. Kofi Asamoah, who has served his two four year term.

Before he was elected, Dr Baah was the Deputy Secretary General of the TUC and has served in various capacities in the TUC. He now takes over from Mr. Kofi Asamoah the outgoing Secretary General of the TUC.

Dr Baah, who has worked under the former Secretary General, is expected to improve upon the legacies left by his predecessor getting the structures working and carrying along his leadership.

In his speech, he has pledged not to disappoint the trade union, declaring that they will work with passion to improve the Ghanaian worker's condition.

Other officers elected by the delegates to serve on the national level were; Mr Joshua Ansah, Deputy Secretary General, Reverend Richard Yeboah, Chairperson, Mr. Alex Nyarko Opoku, first Vice Chairperson and Ms Philomena Aba Sampson, second Vice Chairperson.

He made a call to various labour unions to maintain the unity in order to make the TUC formidable to champion the cause of workers.

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef

No Ban on Social Media- GJA satisfied.

 The President of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), Mr. Affail Monney, has expressed satisfaction that there will be no shut down of social media during the election.

The Presidents of GJA comment came after the Interior Minister, Prosper Banni, confirmed in a statement that security agencies have no intention of shutting down social media.

Civil societies groups have raised objections towards the proposal, to close social media channels during the election. The recent pronouncements by the interior ministry have provided and allay fears that there will be a shut down.

Social media will be available on December 7, as this has been the objection by the GJA that it will not be of the country's interest to shut it down. The decision on not to ban social media is a positive move, says Affail Monney.

He emphasized that “the consequences of banning social media far outweigh the dangers of leaving the social media. The options of banning social media should not have been considered in the first place, so we are happy that our stand has been vindicated and what the interior minister has done has proven us right.”

He further said, he has confidence in the interior minister's pronouncement because the minister of interior is a man of integrity, he says what he means and means what he says and by declaring the stance of government to which the interior minister is committed.

He further urged the positive use of social media platforms to minimize its possible dangers.

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef

No Layoff of ECG Workers- Prez Mahama.

Ghana's President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, has assured the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) workers that there would be no lay-off of staffs during and after the implementation of the New Millennium Challenge Compact (NMCC).

ECG workers have expressed their fears and worries that when the NMCC is implemented some jobs would be lost. He gave this assurance at the TUC's 10th quadrennial congress in Kumasi where the new Secretary General of the TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah, was elected.

The President stated that “Ghana is implementing a new millennium compact aimed at injecting fresh resources into our power sector, which has proven to be the actual need skill in our quest for accelerated economic growth. This compact was based on a detailed constraint analysis carried out by high powered team led by Prof Sefa Dede. Based on our agreement under the compact about 500million dollars in grants is to be injected into the power sector to improve generational transmission and distribution efficiency over the next five years. The bulk of these resources will go to improve the organizational and operational efficiency of ECG and I wish to assure organized labour once again as President of the republic that there will be no layoffs or retrenchment in ECG as a result of implementation of this compact.”

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef

Swiss Management Center (SMC) Alumni Rejects Reports That it Awards Fake Doctorate Degrees.

 

The Swiss Management Center (SMC) Alumni has rejected claims by a research carried out by some individuals that the institute has awarded fake doctorate degrees and that they are not accredited.

Their names were mentioned in a report published recently by Dr Tsikata and Dr Doste who carried out the research.

Dr. Andrew Akola, Spokesperson for the SMC Alumni in Ghana has refuted the research report and said that, “the SMC is registered in Switzerland as a higher education provider.

According to him, the SMC is a private higher education institution registered for the reason they are built and they do not conform themselves to any authority for accreditation.

"They also run programs that are not attained in the Swiss system and so by Swiss law we do not require any accreditation by any authority. The Swiss Management Center was although accredited by the European Council of Business Education”.

He went further to say that, “the researchers do not understand the Swiss system, the Swiss system does not require any private higher institution to subject themselves to accreditation and those who do that do so because they want grants from Government.  The SMC is registered in Ghana and can run its business officially and legally and can run its programs in Ghana."

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef

Fake Doctorate Degrees Influx in Ghana.

University, in Valdosta USA, has provided a list of unaccredited tertiary institutions and names of prominent Ghanaians who got their doctorate degrees from these schools.

The report has said that these are not accredited and therefore are not recognized.

Dr P. Armah, the Executive Director for VIAM Africa Center for Education and Social Policy, in an exclusive interview said, “it is as a result of a failure of institutional arrangement to address it and largely so because the national accreditation board has the mandate to regulate and supervise the quality of our education and also the granting of and revocation of accreditation to higher educational institutions. I would largely say that they should properly monitor and regulate the activities of universities that award such certifications to people.”

He further said “there are some requirements from an institution before they can award degrees and that accreditation must come from an accreditation body to an institution.”

An investigative report published by Dr Prosper Yao Tsikata and Dr A. Kobla Dotse titled, The Accreditation Challenges in Transnational Educational Ecology: The Ghanaian Experience has listed out names of those who got this awards.

Here are the individuals who have purportedly gotten degrees from questionable universities in the U.S:

Dr. Hassan Ayariga- Atlantic International University, Hawaii (Not Accredited by OPE, listed as unaccredited by the National Accreditation Board, Faced Consumer Protection law suit for being unaccredited.), Dr. Sherry Ayittey, Dr. Kofi Portuphy, Dr. Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, Dr. Gifty Anti, Dr. Bernard Otabil, Dr. John Kudalor (IGP), Dr. Kwasi Appiah- Dayspring Christian University and Affiliates (Discredited by NAB on September 18, 2014).

Other names in the Valdosta State University's report include:

Aquinas Tawiah Quansah (B.A.) – Almeda College/University ( Unaccredited by the OPE, Boast Council for Distance Education, Interfaith Education Ministry & Association for Online Academic Excellence accreditations, Folded up), Dzifa Aku Ativor (BS.c. & M.A.) – American Century University (Unaccredited by the OPE, Classified diploma mill [Foreign Credits International Experts, 2013]).

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef

Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) deal is Dangerous- Third World Network.

The Third World Network has bashed the haste in which parliament has debated and approved the Economic Partnership (EPA) agreement between Ghana (as member of the ECOWAS) and the European Union (EU).

Dr Yao Graham, the Coordinator of Third World Network who has previously warned that about 40,000 industrial jobs will be lost in the aftermath of signing of the agreement, has cited some clauses in the EPA that are extremely dangerous not only to Ghana, but to member nations who will sign it.

He made reference to a strong case made by the business community representative through the Chief Executive of the Private Enterprise Foundations, an NGO at a business forum held on the 26th of July at the Labadi beach hotel by Daily Graphic, where the business community stated clearly why government should not sign the agreement.

"In every study that have been done about the EPA anywhere it has shown that there are major negative issues. The Ghana government has constantly focused on the few exporters who will benefit from our signing the EPA but have never paid enough attention to putting in the public domain the cost of the EPA, this is why in a way for us, it is extremely regrettable and disappointing", Dr Yao Graham added.

Key institutions and the Trade Ministry have backed this agreement, and thought it will be of an advantage to the people of Ghana and promote trade given Ghanaian exporters 100% access to the European market.

But Dr Graham is of the contrary, stating that, "a 100% access means on paper that you can export anything that you want to the European market, but what you actually export depends on what you are producing and also how those things can compete in the European market; so 100% access is a formal access and that in practice, the businesses. on whose account? The government rushed to sign the agreement because they would have been facing tariffs in the European market. It is small businesses who will benefit and are basically people exporting seafood products, processed cocoa and some other products."

The EPA he stated, is not about people who are producing manufactured goods and not about people producing pharmaceuticals.

He cautioned "we should not focus on the nominal 100% and where we are now." "What are we exporting to the EU and what are we likely to export to the EU? We should rather discuss the cost benefit from where we are starting and not in the abstract."

"We have a concrete reality of an economy which is dependent on producing raw material, we have an economy where our manufacturing sector has collapsed over the years because of trade liberalization, we have an economy where the market where we sell our manufactured products are in the West African regional market. Parliament could have taken note for the fact that Ghanaian Business community has expressed concerns about the EPA, they could have also taken note that Trade Unions have expressed their concerns. Hence the Ghanaians should be considered when signing such agreements," he added.

West Africa’s economic powerhouse, Nigeria, and two other countries – The Gambia and Mauritania – had refused to sign the agreement.

Although Mauritania is no longer part of ECOWAS, it was added to the sub-region for the purposes of the agreements.

The refusal of the three countries to sign onto the EPAs has made it impossible for the implementation to start. This is because the agreements require the signatures of all countries of the region before it can be ratified by the various parliaments of member states.

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef

EC Grants Second chance to NHIS Registrants.

The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has decided to offer a second chance for deleted National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) voters who could not re-register during the last week’s re-registration period.

The EC on Wednesday announced at an Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) that there will be a mop up exercise for the deleted NHIS voters from August 5 to August 12, 2016. It has also planned to commence the continuous voter’s registration exercise from August 19, 2016.

This meets the request by some political parties to the EC to extend the re-registration period to allow those whose names have been deleted to re-register.

The commission further explained that a total of 22,107 out of the 56,772 names deleted from the voters register have re-registered and pointed out the possibility that not all the registrants would come back to re-register.

The Head of Communications at the EC, Eric Dzakpasu, had told journalists last Friday that “there is no possibility that the remaining people will come out to re-register even when the extension is granted.

The extension satisfies the Supreme Court’s ruling directed towards the EC to give opportunity to the deleted NHIS card registrants to re-register.

Hamidu Abdul-Lateef

The Accra Arts Centre: One-stop destination for art works

The Accra Arts Centre: One-stop destination for art works

The National Center for Cultural Art in Accra remains the prime host of priceless crafts of authentic Ghana-made products.
Also known as the ‘Arts Centre’, the arts market is located on the 28th February Road- Accra High Street, along the seafront near Black Star Square.
The center which became very popular in the 80’s for its leisure and entertainment programmes through its "Anansekrom", which used to be held there on weekends.
The center is also noted for providing a first-time visitor with products made from local materials ranging from beads, wood, brass, leather, local fabrics and much more.
For many years, the center has attracted and hosted a lot of tourists and other art enthusiasts to experience and learn about the country’s arts industry.

A walk through the market showed the display of some really fantastic works done by talented folks demonstrating a high sense of enthusiasm. They do this by warmly welcoming visitors and accompanying them to their stalls. Other hawkers, from all corners, also approach visitors as soon as they arrive at the main entrance convincing them to come with them to see what they have in their sheds.
Upon arriving at the entrance my friend and I had not decided which way to go, until a man approached us with a smile saying; “Up ahead is my stall where the real goods are. You don’t want to bother yourself roaming the entire place.”
At the front left of Arts Centre, a sleepy restaurant’s speakers are tuned into a local radio station playing U.S. hip hop and R&B music.
If one is not exhausted by the scrum that welcomes them, they certainly will be amazed with what unique and beautiful items they can find ranging from wood carvings, traditional musical instruments, cane and raffia products, leather ware, gold, silver and bronze jewelry, beads, clay products, paintings to ivory products, and many more. These items are brought to the markets from various parts of the country and also from other countries within the West African sub-region including, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Senegal and Nigeria.

Even though the Accra Arts Centre is not exactly a nice, big and orderly building, but rather a crowded collection of stalls, a first-time visitor is sure to be overwhelmed and persuaded to enter the dimly lit market place exceptionally made the display of arts.
Today, the reason for most of the hundreds of people who visit the place every day is different. They go there to buy or sell in the arts and craft market, located within the premises of the Centre for National Arts and Culture. It is the biggest market for handicraft products in the country.
 The arts and craft market provides employment opportunities for many people. Skills have been developed in carving, painting, designing, metal works to service the market.
The buyers are made up of those purchasing a few items to customers who place orders for large quantities of various products. A lot of buyers are tourists and other foreigners visiting Ghana. The market is in fact one of the most important tourist attraction sites in the City of Accra and in Ghana. For this reason, some important international personalities and delegations that visit the country for official assignments or attend conferences and seminars are taken to the market to see and perhaps buy some of the crafts on display.
Upon arrival, the Regional Secretary, Mr.Kofi Opare- Ntow who we met said the center present a common front in exploring business opportunities and assistance for people. Also, the center ensures that the interest of all customers are severed and protected at all times.
Because the craft market is very old and there's been no investment in infrastructure, the structures housing the exhibits are very dilapidated.
According to visitors and tourist the market is very popular in Europe and America because of the variety and quality of the handicrafts available. Some of them said the items that they purchase are sent home as gifts for their loved ones and relations while others explained that they buy and resell in America and Europe.

My friend and I enjoyed selecting souvenirs at a low prize to take back home. So much so that we returned again for a few last minute things!

By Hamidu, Abdul-Lateef.

Busua Beach Resort.

▪ Busua Beach Resort.


Have you ever visit a tourist sites outside Accra? Well, with my car engine still running I found myself in the outskirt of Accra within a five hour drive. The Busua Beach Resort located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in the Western Region of Ghana, is a nature lovers dream come true. The Busua Beach Resort is about halfway between Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire, and Accra, the capital of Ghana. Busua is in the very heart of the region’s attractions, both natural and manmade. Busua Beach Resort is located 45km’s west of the port city of Takoradi in Ghana’s Western Region.
Busua is one of Ghana’s best beaches and offers the visitor a chance to relax, paddle around in the Atlantic and enjoy some lobster. There are several hotels along the beach front ranging from luxurious to simple. Some of the notable hotels/inns found in this area are the Busua Beach Resort, Busua Inn and the African Rainbow

The beauty of Busua lies in its long sandy beach, its compact size, its popularity with tourists, and its distinctive hotels. Busua is a small and attractive town, and it has a different feel from the other towns and villages of Ghana West Coast. It boasts of a variety of hotel accommodation, small seafood restaurants, and a long sandy beach that is clean and safe for swimming and other water sports.
In fact, Busua is considered one of the safest places along the Atlantic coast for water sports,Local shops are available for purchasing souvenirs, and renting bicycles. The town roads are well-matched for cycling. Busua has several well-trained local tour guides.
Busua has a pool of high class, international standard hotels with a local touch, along with budget accommodation and home stopovers. The first hotel you will see is the double-story Dadson’s Lodge, which provides decent rooms (either self-contained or with clean shared facilities) at low prices. There is a nice atmosphere in the ground floor bar, where food is also served. Behind Dadson’s Lodge is Busua Inn with its self-contained rooms (with fans or air conditioners).
The luxurious Busua Beach Resort, positioned right on the beach, is of international standard. It has attractive landscaped grounds, several swimming pools, children’s playground, conference facilities, and a good restaurant that is open to visitors staying anywhere. It has beautifully furnished single rooms, double rooms, and it also has a few budget rooms on offer.

Upon reaching there, a native told me. ”When in Busua, do as the people in Busua do...” In Busua town, there are several seafood such as lobster, tuna, barracuda, shrimps, and pancake restaurants and bars dotted along the beach. All the hotels serve food, with Busua Inn specializing in seafood and French cuisine. Local dishes are available in the town, upon request. After about 23 minutes of taking a stroll along the beach to view the wonderful nature of the resort. I came across a restaurant and decided to taste their food but a waiter told me I have to book the meal in advance, so that the food will be ready when I want it. Wow! I exclaimed.


 By Hamidu, Abdul - Lateef