Seth J. Bokpe's Ghana Newsreel

A former Finance Minister in the Rawlings regime, Prof. Kwesi Botchwey, has warned that the country will be sitting on a time bomb in the 2016 elections if it fails to create an alternative to the current winner-takes-all system. He also advised that the country used the constitution review process, which began in 2010, to look at the issue. “Everything we have seen about the current political system suggests that it leads to a lot of polarisation which comes from the feeling of the lack of inclusivity,” he told the Institute of Economic Affairs’ Winner-Takes-All Advisory Committee, led by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Archbishop Gabriel Palmer-Buckle. Prof. Botchwey said the country needed a system that would reflect its history, value system, political, legal and developmental expectations. He gave the advice when the seven-member committee paid a courtesy call on him to solicit his views on the winner-takes-all political system in Ghana, which gives executive...

THE Accra Circuit Court threw out a case in which two people have been charged with robbery. The court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, took the decision after the case had been adjourned for more than 50 times as a result of the failure of the prosecution to produce the complainants in the case—Benjamin Nii Boi Tagoe, Eddy Kwadwo Mensah, Emmanuel Kawsivi Tsadi, Michael Appiah and Nana Osei Bonsu, who are all residents of Dansoman and key witnesses. Mr Obiri before dismissing the case, which had been before the court since September 4, 2012, said if the complainants brought the case against the accused persons could not make themselves available, there was no need continuing adjourning the case. Although the prosecution had asked for another adjournment to bring the complainants, the judge flashed a smile, shook his head and asked “to make it the 51st adjournment?” The question induced a long laughter from onlookers in the court. The Facts The facts of the case, the Daily...

The government has directed all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to introduce clocking system in all their organisations by January next year. That, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, said was to enhance punctuality and productivity in the public sector. “While labour is demanding increases in wages and salaries, the government has a duty to demand enhanced productivity. We should know when you come in and  go out; when you go for lunch and return and whether we should be paying you for non-service and evasion of duty or not,” he said. Clocking System A clocking system biometrically captures the time and attendance of workers and it is seen as a better option to the manual time and attendance system in the various MDAs, where workers write the time they arrive at and leave their offices. Job Summit The minister, who was speaking at the launch of a National Job Summit scheduled for September 3-4, 2014, said the m...

Four people who joined hundreds of protesters in the ‘Occupy Flagstaff House’ demonstration were yesterday arrested near the Afrikiko Restaurant in Accra for going against police instructions. While three were released on the way to the Police Headquarters, one was granted a GH¢5,000 bail and asked to report himself at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the Police Headquarters today. The police had cordoned off the Afrikiko Restaurant, which became the alternative meeting point after the police had prevented the protestors from marching on the streets from the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park to the Flagstaff House. The police had ordered that the protestors leave the road, as they were obstructing traffic on the 37 Military Hospital-Accra side of the road but those arrested were reluctant to do so. Just when the police had pushed the arrested demonstrators into a pick-up, Mr Kofi Bentil, the Vice-President and Strategy M...

Policy makers and commercial farmers across the country have met in Accra to deliberate on available opportunities and bureaucratic bottlenecks that affect commercial agriculture in Ghana. Drawing participants from commercial forestry, cereal and oil seed producers, the forum also sought to create the foundation for the development of a comprehensive agricultural investment guide in the near future. Apart from challenges with funding, commercial farmers in the country maintain that there are gaps in the information required by various operators in the sector, both of which need to be dealt with at the highest level of the institutions that play various roles to ensure that an enabling, conducive and transparent environment for investment in the agricultural sector was created. It is in the light of this that the meeting was organised to also increase the knowledge base of commercial farmers and future investors on various rules, regulations and procedures relevant t...

There is a long curve of water and, as far as the eye can see, there are shacks, ramshackle structures, scraps, piles of refuse, dead rats and a dozen children chasing a worn-out football. The water is greenish with multicoloured plastic litters, wood and uncountable worms. Away from the nauseating stench from the greenish pool, a group of shirtless boys are busy at the beach, digging a pit to throw in rubbish tied in plastic bags. Less than 50 metres away from the shore, there are dilapidated buildings whose owners have abandoned them to seek life’s prospects elsewhere. This is not a fable but rather a real life situations at Glefe, a waterlogged slum near Dansoman in the Accra Metropolis. The neighbourhood finds itself an unwelcome neighbour of the violent  sea and trapped in filth because city authorities have not done much to manage the waste in the area. History While its environment is stomach-churning, the meaning of its name is also on the scary side. A habitation f...

A land of pristine natural beauty and spectacular scenery, a dream tourist destination, a terrain that echoes serenity and quietness, aptly describes the imagery of an eco-tourism center tucked in the heart of Ewutu-Senya District in the Central Region.  Lush green canopy of citrus trees —oranges and lemons—give spectacular ambiance to the facility isolated from the hustle and bustle of daily life in our cities.  Verdant grasslands, marvelous mountains and tranquil valleys and mountains make Konkon Wonderland, a cool place to avoid the heat, while enjoying nature’s simplicity. Located about four kilometres off the Kasoa-Bawjiase road, the centre established in 2010 is an antidote to stress-filled sedentary life. Konkon Wonderland is a unique Farm Resort established within a 400 acre farm fields is located in the picturesque village of Konkon in rural Ghana, near Awutu Bawjiase in the Central Region. Whether it is a drive or walk on the dusty road, there are ...

There are two things that come to mind when Krobo is mentioned—stunning beads and Dipo, the rites of initiation of young girls into womanhood. However, there is also a landmark that bears that name and stands tall on the Tema-Akuse road—it is hilly and blends harmoniously with the  green vegetation around it —the Krobo Mountain. On this mountain with steep sides and very few entry points, lived the Krobos for more than 100 years.  It was once the site of a large settlement of Krobo people, who arrived in the mid 1700s and retained the land until July 1892 when they were ejected by the then British colonial Governor, William Bradford Griffith. History According to historians, the Krobos were ejected for a number of reasons, including the fact that being powerful suppliers of palm oil to the colonial powers and other ethnic groups, they hiked prices and for more than six years in the 1840s refused to sell the commodity to the British. That aside, they were accused of re...

On fashion catwalks, it holds the breast firmly on the chest.  Without it, the melodies of a xylophone will certainly be lost to creaky sounds.  In the pito and palm wine bars and when pouring libation to the gods, it is guarded jealousy and held in high esteem—the  calabash—  a versatile utility that has outlived generations and continues to hold its own against modernity. Almost every African folktale or book set in pre-colonial times has the calabash as a regular feature. Its presence is always felt, lurking at the corners of huts and houses or the front and centre of marketplaces. The African calabash is product of the gourd plant. Research shows that the gourd was among the first crops that man cultivated. It is carefully nurtured to turn out perfectly round without blemish. Usually the gourd has to be left on the plant for it to mature before it is plucked and hollowed out to remove the contents; mainly seeds. It is then placed in the sun to dry. With tim...