Hi. So I know this will be a very annoying or interesting post depending on which side of the political divide you stand. But basically, I want to discuss the walk to promote made in Ghana goods that has recently taken place. The first lesson this walk has taught me is that some people need to SHUT UP and learn. Organising events proved not to be too easy for even them.
So we first heard of this walk to support made in Ghana goods as an opposing march to the #occupyflagstaffhouse campaign. It is a shocker. You show support for the President and then claim you are promoting made in Ghana goods. Nice. interesting concept but here are a few questions.
1. Who paid for the walk?
2. Were state funds utilized in anyway?
3. How do we assess the impact of what they have done?
Once we have answers to these questions, I believe we can have a more serious discussion on the matters they tried to push.
But, on the social media campaign for this walk, here is a free lesson: you talk the event on social media, walk the talk and report the walk. You do not talk the walk after it has happened. Bad idea.
It is interesting to know however that #occupyflagstaffgouse really made an impact. At least we got a free made in ghana campaign as an add on.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Friday, July 4, 2014
LOANS, PADS AND FADS: THE TRIAL OF COMMON SENSE IN GHANA TODAY.
hmmmm. I do not know how to begin today's post because there is a lot to talk about. But lets start with the obvious controversial fad now: the m-pad discussions (Mahama Pad discussions). For me, my attitude is not to be too dismissive outrightly of the project. I choose to analyze it further. Fortunately, someone has been kind enough to share the project appraisal from the world bank so I trust that I will be in a better position to comment on it when I am done reading it. Initially, I admit it sounds outrageous and ill conceived but well, I am not the repository of all wisdom so we shall see.
My more pressing concern is the fact that Government intends to spend $4.3 Million on each secondary it is going to build under this loan. If you do a quick check, that about 13.76 million ghana cedis. THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS. IT IS DUBIOUS. How on earth could this have been approved by parliament? In a country where we claim that the price of a six classroom block with ancillary facilities is 350,000 in 2014, what is the justification for a single day secondary school costing 13.76 million ghana cedis? Will the building be coated in gold? Come on. That is way too much.
Aside the obvious outrageous nature of this deal, an even greater problem with the management of the economy is made evident with this proposal. So when it came to setting up an entrepreneurial fund for the country, the managers of the economy thought that 10 million ghana cedis was enough. What is glaring is that that is less than the cost of building a single secondary school. So entrepreneurial development and empowerment in a jobless economy like Ghana's has been given less priority than a single secondary school? Whats wrong with us? Do the managers of the economy understand what it takes to create jobs and help the citizenry get more money in their pockets to pay the ever increasing taxes? What are we trying to achieve? Do they know what they are up to?
I recently accused a government spokesperson of lacking the requisite knowledge to be a board member or to even comment on the matters he was seeking to present himself as knowledgeable on. I was harshly questioned and an attempt was made to ridicule me. But, if indeed the managers of the economy understand what they are doing, why this? What is going on?
My more pressing concern is the fact that Government intends to spend $4.3 Million on each secondary it is going to build under this loan. If you do a quick check, that about 13.76 million ghana cedis. THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS. IT IS DUBIOUS. How on earth could this have been approved by parliament? In a country where we claim that the price of a six classroom block with ancillary facilities is 350,000 in 2014, what is the justification for a single day secondary school costing 13.76 million ghana cedis? Will the building be coated in gold? Come on. That is way too much.
Aside the obvious outrageous nature of this deal, an even greater problem with the management of the economy is made evident with this proposal. So when it came to setting up an entrepreneurial fund for the country, the managers of the economy thought that 10 million ghana cedis was enough. What is glaring is that that is less than the cost of building a single secondary school. So entrepreneurial development and empowerment in a jobless economy like Ghana's has been given less priority than a single secondary school? Whats wrong with us? Do the managers of the economy understand what it takes to create jobs and help the citizenry get more money in their pockets to pay the ever increasing taxes? What are we trying to achieve? Do they know what they are up to?
I recently accused a government spokesperson of lacking the requisite knowledge to be a board member or to even comment on the matters he was seeking to present himself as knowledgeable on. I was harshly questioned and an attempt was made to ridicule me. But, if indeed the managers of the economy understand what they are doing, why this? What is going on?
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
OF OCCUPATION AND DEMONSTRATION: MY HUMBLE REACTION.
For once the middle class of the country left their comfortable homes and offices and endeavoured to get into the streets to vent their frustrations at government. Basically, they are asking that Ghana be made to work again. I personally doff my cap to all demonstrators who ventured forth. The message has been sent.
From the inception of the demonstration to its very end, various members of officialdom, reacted to it. Some were interesting while others were dumb and provocative. A few notable ones will however remain with me.
John 'drama' Dramani Mahama, the president, reacted by saying he has been listening and will continue to listen. My appeal is that whoever advised him to make that statement needs to be sacked with immediate effect. Does the president think what we want in this country is someone who will sit down for crisis to occur and then tell us he is listening? We have our mothers, wives and girlfriends to talk to about our frustrations, his is one too many ear. We want action, we want solutions, we want Ghana to work again not just another ear to listen to us. I guess his damage control specialists will now have to come and spin this one too that his statement was incomplete and that the part of him promising to solve the problems was left out by unscrupulous media men and women who are advocating "regime change".
The least said about Hannah Tetteh, the better. She is one woman I had grown to respect over the years but her recent actions leave a very bitter taste in my mind. I guess the group think mentality of he party has affected her too. Such a sad case.
Dr. Micheal Kpessah White needs to be careful though. I was once with him in a tv discussion show and I walked away with the impression that he was an emotional bag that explodes to spew vitriol once he feels the ruling government is under attack. An otherwise finely educated gentleman, his outbursts will surely leave a large majority of the people think his 'cool dude' attitude is a calculated pretence meant to deceive. For a person who until his appointment as a presidential staffer was always freely sharing his opinions on radio, it is mortifying to realise that he is so intolerant of divergent opinions.
The rest are best left ignored. The principal matter here is that the youth of this country have arisen. I hope this 'arising' will lead to better results.
From the inception of the demonstration to its very end, various members of officialdom, reacted to it. Some were interesting while others were dumb and provocative. A few notable ones will however remain with me.
John 'drama' Dramani Mahama, the president, reacted by saying he has been listening and will continue to listen. My appeal is that whoever advised him to make that statement needs to be sacked with immediate effect. Does the president think what we want in this country is someone who will sit down for crisis to occur and then tell us he is listening? We have our mothers, wives and girlfriends to talk to about our frustrations, his is one too many ear. We want action, we want solutions, we want Ghana to work again not just another ear to listen to us. I guess his damage control specialists will now have to come and spin this one too that his statement was incomplete and that the part of him promising to solve the problems was left out by unscrupulous media men and women who are advocating "regime change".
The least said about Hannah Tetteh, the better. She is one woman I had grown to respect over the years but her recent actions leave a very bitter taste in my mind. I guess the group think mentality of he party has affected her too. Such a sad case.
Dr. Micheal Kpessah White needs to be careful though. I was once with him in a tv discussion show and I walked away with the impression that he was an emotional bag that explodes to spew vitriol once he feels the ruling government is under attack. An otherwise finely educated gentleman, his outbursts will surely leave a large majority of the people think his 'cool dude' attitude is a calculated pretence meant to deceive. For a person who until his appointment as a presidential staffer was always freely sharing his opinions on radio, it is mortifying to realise that he is so intolerant of divergent opinions.
The rest are best left ignored. The principal matter here is that the youth of this country have arisen. I hope this 'arising' will lead to better results.
Monday, June 30, 2014
LOYALTY TO YOUR PERSONAL INCOMES - DESTROYING GHANA.
Loyalty to a political party is not loyalty to a nation. It could actually lead to destroying the nation. And most certainly loyalty to your personal economic well being is not loyalty to the masses. Loyalty to our nation is summed up in our national anthem as being "bold to defend forever, the cause of freedom and of right" and not shutting up everyone who voices discontent because your pocket is being lined.
I have been appalled to read some very disturbing posts and blogs from young persons who claim that we must be loyal to our nation and support our president. I have a simple question for these boys: if I was their boss and I intended to shoot them, will they support me? Their answers will be very revealing.
I pity such persons who in their obvious confusion are attempting to show off their youth bravado in swimming against the tide. But rather than wait for them to be swept away, in the spirit of youthful redemption, I speak these few words to them. They must know if they don't , the following few facts.
1. A president has the responsibility to ensure the well being of a country. The decisions he makes or refuses to make affects the people in so many ways. To mess up an economy and then come back to admit there is difficulty is not enough. To put an economy in crisis and admit there are 'challenges' does not make the cut. People are not looking for admissions; they want solutions. People are loosing their lives, businesses and families while the government waltzes in its admission of 'challenges'. Supporting a president who believes that admissions are enough is destroying the nation.
2. This president through his actions and policies put us all where we are in the first place. When he authorized the excess expenditures that amounted to $4 billion in 2012 to enable him win an election, did he stop to think of how he was going to pay for those monies? When so much money was being spent on freebies like laptops and cloth while priority projects like the Gas Plant and the gang of six roads were being left to rot, was he dreaming? Or wait, it was not his fault, the global economy made those decisions for him? When as Vice President, he was seeking to force the nation into contracts like Stx and the embraer jet, didn't he appreciate the implications of his thoughts? When he gave away those monies to Gyeeda and others was he on Mars? Surely, he knows his actions have caused this so why are you asking us to be loyal to him? For what? we all know that supporting such a president is destroying the nation.
3. I do not know what made these young persons write this: "We must support the President in his work and let institutions like the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) do what they have been set-up to do."
So I am forced to ask: are you guys in this country? When we left the NPA alone, they took our money, rented a $63,000 a month office and sought to justify it. And yes, the president through his chief of staff has moved to quash an attempted investigation into how this happened. GNPC is busy using state funds to sponsor the black stars to disgrace Ghana, when other private entities could have handled that role so we use our monies to help improve the NHIS or some other institution of Public benefit. BOST has decided to let itself be rented by a Nigerian firm with no experience in managing activities like what it does and yes, by all means we should let them be while we rot right? If these agencies had acted and acted right, should we be having the fuel shortage we have? So what are you seeking to do?
The people of this country are not asking for spaceships or free airplanes. We are asking for Fuel, Electricity and Water. Is that took much to ask of from John Dramani Mahama? Must we beg him for these things when we pay all the taxes he increases at will?
And while all of this is ongoing, the president, his vice, ministers, deputies and presidential staffers have paid themselves a whooping 3.48 million ghana cedis in salaries alone. Their allowances and benefits are yet to be added to this figure. Anywhere in the world, that's a very expensive price to pay for incompetence.
I know this whole loyalty to the nation concept is nothing but an attempt to make more money from your panicking superiors who are afraid of the angst of the masses. But please, remember you are helping to DESTROY GHANA.
I have been appalled to read some very disturbing posts and blogs from young persons who claim that we must be loyal to our nation and support our president. I have a simple question for these boys: if I was their boss and I intended to shoot them, will they support me? Their answers will be very revealing.
I pity such persons who in their obvious confusion are attempting to show off their youth bravado in swimming against the tide. But rather than wait for them to be swept away, in the spirit of youthful redemption, I speak these few words to them. They must know if they don't , the following few facts.
1. A president has the responsibility to ensure the well being of a country. The decisions he makes or refuses to make affects the people in so many ways. To mess up an economy and then come back to admit there is difficulty is not enough. To put an economy in crisis and admit there are 'challenges' does not make the cut. People are not looking for admissions; they want solutions. People are loosing their lives, businesses and families while the government waltzes in its admission of 'challenges'. Supporting a president who believes that admissions are enough is destroying the nation.
2. This president through his actions and policies put us all where we are in the first place. When he authorized the excess expenditures that amounted to $4 billion in 2012 to enable him win an election, did he stop to think of how he was going to pay for those monies? When so much money was being spent on freebies like laptops and cloth while priority projects like the Gas Plant and the gang of six roads were being left to rot, was he dreaming? Or wait, it was not his fault, the global economy made those decisions for him? When as Vice President, he was seeking to force the nation into contracts like Stx and the embraer jet, didn't he appreciate the implications of his thoughts? When he gave away those monies to Gyeeda and others was he on Mars? Surely, he knows his actions have caused this so why are you asking us to be loyal to him? For what? we all know that supporting such a president is destroying the nation.
3. I do not know what made these young persons write this: "We must support the President in his work and let institutions like the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) do what they have been set-up to do."
So I am forced to ask: are you guys in this country? When we left the NPA alone, they took our money, rented a $63,000 a month office and sought to justify it. And yes, the president through his chief of staff has moved to quash an attempted investigation into how this happened. GNPC is busy using state funds to sponsor the black stars to disgrace Ghana, when other private entities could have handled that role so we use our monies to help improve the NHIS or some other institution of Public benefit. BOST has decided to let itself be rented by a Nigerian firm with no experience in managing activities like what it does and yes, by all means we should let them be while we rot right? If these agencies had acted and acted right, should we be having the fuel shortage we have? So what are you seeking to do?
The people of this country are not asking for spaceships or free airplanes. We are asking for Fuel, Electricity and Water. Is that took much to ask of from John Dramani Mahama? Must we beg him for these things when we pay all the taxes he increases at will?
And while all of this is ongoing, the president, his vice, ministers, deputies and presidential staffers have paid themselves a whooping 3.48 million ghana cedis in salaries alone. Their allowances and benefits are yet to be added to this figure. Anywhere in the world, that's a very expensive price to pay for incompetence.
I know this whole loyalty to the nation concept is nothing but an attempt to make more money from your panicking superiors who are afraid of the angst of the masses. But please, remember you are helping to DESTROY GHANA.
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