FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA IS FREEDOM OF THE PEOPLE

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

Do you know that Ghana is said to be the first commonwealth country in Africa to scrap the obnoxious Criminal Libel and Sedition Law - an act described by the National Media Commission (NMC) as "a triumph for freedom of expression"?

Even the United Kingdom (UK) where the seed of criminal libel germinated during the colonial era just to attempt to padlock the lips of African nationalists, who were using newspapers to spread their messages and agitation for independence, it is reported that this intimidating law is still breathing on the statute books despite the fact that it has not been applied for nearly 20 years or so.

Against this backdrop alone, some freedom lovers are of the opinion that when the time comes to recount the achievements of the NPP government during its first 12 months in power, the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law must be cited among the first, if not the very first:

Historical records of the media in America show that as far back as 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote.- "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers" or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate to prefer the latter".

This is the premium the people of America place on the role of the media in nation building:

Is there any wonder that America is today the only super power of the world? America is not only the most liberal nation on earth, where almost every creature will love to live, but the most advanced politically, economically, democratically, scientifically, technologically, and what have you!

It goes without saying that when a nation allows its people to think freely, imagine freely, concentrate freely, visualise freely, meditate freely and express themselves freely, they tend to develop mentally, spiritually and psychically and eventually bring to the fore, their inner creative power to produce wealth for the prosperity of their society.

The freedom of the media is indispensable for the prosperity of a nation.

In 1993-96, when Ghana's Parliament did not have a credible opposition because the strongest opposition parties boycotted parliamentary elections due to some circumstances beyond their control, it was the Ghanaian media that took it upon themselves to play the role of the opposition outside Parliament.

That was why in those days, the term "rubber stamp" gained-currency and that august house of honourable men and women was commonly referred to as "rubber stamp Parliament". Today, nobody dares characterise Ghana's legislature as "rubber stamp" any longer. For the vibrant Minority are marching the power-packed Majority, word for word, logic for logic and debate for debate. It is fantastic!

If over 200 years ago, America recognised freedom of the press as a sine qua non for human advancement, socio-economic and political progress of that nation, then the sky should be the limit for Ghana so long as constitutional democracy will be protected, practised, maintained and sustained. With only eight months in power out of a four-year first term, it is too early to start singing Hosanna Alleluia in praise of the new government for its total commitment to freedom of the media. But, so far, the government has demonstrated beyond any shade of doubt that it is committed to constitutional governance, rule of law and respect for the freedom of the media.   

          

With the creation of a Ministry responsible for Media Relations, coupled with the repeal of the Criminal Libel and Sedition Law from the statute books, the government has put into practical application the provision of article 162 of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees the freedom and independence of the media in Ghana. The media, generally represent the voice of the people who put the government in place in the first place.

This explains why this writer is of the considered view that the freedom of the media is the freedom of the people. In fact, the Criminal Libel Law was not meant for media practitioners alone. It was there to trap any citizen who might want to express their thoughts. 

   

It is now clear that the Media Relations Ministry has assumed the status and functions of the erstwhile Ministry of Information in a more democratic and pluralistic media environment.

One of its cardinal objectives is to directly link up the media with the presidency. In other words, the ministry is to make it easier for both the public and private media to have direct access to the Executive to enable them obtain first-hand information from the Office of the President in the discharge of their professional duties.

Put in another way, the ministry is to bridge any gap between the government and media personnel who are partners in national development. This was demonstrated when, in April this year, for the first time in the history of the media in Ghana/President J. A. Kufuor was brought face to face with many journalists, both local and foreign, to give account of his first 100 days in office. It was unprecedented in living memory in politics in Ghana.

Today journalists of both the state and the privately-owned media are accredited by the Media Relations Ministry and given equal opportunity not only to be stationed at the presidency to cover local events but to accompany the President on foreign trips to cover international assignments when the need arises.

Today, media men and women are daily briefed at the office of the President either by the Minister for Media Relations and Government Spokesperson, Miss Elizabeth Ohene, or by Mr Kwabena Agyapong, Deputy Government Spokesman, about issues of national interest.

Today, no fair-minded person can accuse the state media of being sycophantic or biased in favour of the lulling government. Journalists of the Daily Graphic, the Ghanaian Times, GBC and the GNA, are all professionals and are discharging their duties professionally, without fear or favour. 

   

This, is reflected in the quality of stories they are publishing or broadcasting, which cuts across the broad spectrum of national development issues such as education, health, agriculture, economy, art and culture, sports and, of course, politics.

So, too, the privately-owned media including the newspapers and the radio stations, cannot be accused of being against, or in favour of everything the government does. Programmes such as "The- Breakfast Show" on GTV, "Hot Issues" "on TV3, “Front Page" on Joy FM, "Agenda setting" on, Choice FM, just to mention a few, are first class manifestations of the advancement of the media industry in Ghana. But it must be admitted that sometimes, in their anxiety to discharge their duties, some media personnel tend to go to the extreme and cause excesses.

However, that is not the reason why journalists must be arrested and dumped in jail like common criminals. This is why the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law has placed the Ghana Government on top, of' all Commonwealth governments as far as freedom of the media and for that matter, freedom of expression and thoughts of the people of Ghana are concerned.

Now it's the responsibility of the media practitioners to reciprocate the goodwill of the government. This is a challenge to all journalists in Ghana. Those who do not know what to do should consult the Code of ethics of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA). But the days when Ghanaian journalists were characterised “docile" beings are over forever.

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.com

NB: This article was first published by Daily Graphic Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

LESSONS FROM THE STADIUM DISASTER

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

Thursday, November 15, 2001

PHILOSOPHICALLY, life itself is an eternal school of learning. And there are two principal ways of learning a lesson in life; either through experience or by the hard way.

So, too, it is common place that there are two kinds of disasters - natural disasters over which, man has no control and man-made disasters, which can be prevented or avoided by prudent living. 

      

Ghana is such a blessed land that hardly experiences some catastrophic natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricane Michelles and Mozambican-like- floods and so on. The nation must be grateful to the Creator for this blessing. But it seems Ghanaians have taken this kind of "cosmic benediction" for granted and have been living reckless lives leading to some of the man-made disasters that have been befalling the nation.

Records from the National Road Safety Commission show that last year (2000) alone, 14,650 motor accidents occurred in this country. Out of this 10,518 people injured and 1,159 souls perished just like that. Why? Simply because some of our people are either ignorant or have deliberately refused to learn from experience or to adhere to a simple instruction that, "If you drink don't drive and if you drive don't drink." Christmas is at the corner and the nation is watching motorists.

On Wednesday, May 9, 2001 in the afternoon, after a downpour in Accra, the two most glamorous teams of the land, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko, went to play a football match at the Accra Sports Stadium. That simple game of sports, which was supposed to be enjoyed by all and sundry, turned out to be the most disastrous tragedy in the football history of the nation claimed 126 lives within a twinkling of an eye. This was a man-made disaster that could have been avoided.

The government must be commended for the matured and wise manner in which the entire stadium disaster has been handled from the day it occurred to the day the Government White Paper was presented, precisely on Tuesday, November 6, 2001, by the Minister for Information and Presidential Affairs, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, at the International Conference Centre  in Accra.

First of all, at the time the disaster occurred, the government had been in office for only five months, no previous experience crisis management of at tragedy of that magnitude whatsoever. Yet, the President of the Republic swiftly exercised his constitutional powers of article 287 (1) and appointed a commission to inquire into the disaster and make a report.

The seriousness with which the Okudzeto Commission went about its task was beyond compare. They must be decorated with national honours for a work well done. The truth is that no human being is perfect, so Ghanaians should not pretend to expect whatever the commission did or whatever recommendations the Government has adopted will be totally perfect.

What is important is for us as a nation to learn how to learn from our mistakes. The day the nation will attain perfection we shall all cease to be human beings. Let's accept the tragedy as a collective karma and deal with it as such.

Another group of people who deserve commendation for the way the stadium disaster was handled is the mass media, especially the FM stations with particular reference to Joy FM and Metro TV: It is recalled that that night it was Joy FM that was covering the event live and calling on people who have cars to move to the Korle-Bu Hospital to convey doctors, nurses and other paramedical volunteers who were ready to assist but were stranded.

When people do well, they must be recognised and appreciated. We should not only take delight in condemning people when they go wrong. Ordinary taxi drivers who helped to convey some of the victims to various hospitals that day must be commended for their spirit of fellow feeling. Above all the generosity demonstrated by individuals and organisations in response to Government's emergency relief fund in aid of the relatives of the victims of the disaster was highly commendable.

Ghanaians are sympathetic "creatures", you know!

The purpose of this piece is not to go over all the recommendations as stated in the government White Paper, which is already in the public domain. One of the recommendations made by the commission and accepted by the government, which this writer finds very insightful, soul stirring and imaginative, is a "fitting memorial to the victims to be erected at a prominent place in the stadium". If we are to learn a national lesson from this stadium disaster, the proposed memorial must serve as a visual monument to prick our conscience whenever we engage in sporting activity.

It is against the backdrop of the above proposal that I doff my hat to the commission for recommending that there should also be "a Living memorial of a stadium development benefit match that will promote good sportsmanship, to be played each year on the Sunday closest to May 9th between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko." This is a fantastic recommendation. Hearts and Kotoko must know that football game is not a war where the objective must be to draw the blood from your adversary's veins. They must educate their supporters, who are the troublemakers.

Some people have criticised the government White Paper for failing to punish hooligans who actually started the whole tragedy. But on page 37 of the Commission's interim report, under sub-heading Spectator Behaviour, it was stated that, ‘The evidence before the commission clearly shows that the general behaviour of the spectators in the North Stand throughout the match was commendable. There was the usual drumming and dancing and friendly banter between the supporters of the two teams.

It, however, stated that, “It is only a few minutes to the end of the match, that a section of the spectators at the extreme left side of the North Stand expressed their dissatisfaction and frustration, at what they perceived to be bad refereeing, by throwing missiles aimlessly into the area immediately in front of them.  These were not directed at anyone in particular and the evidence shows that they did not threaten anyone in the Stand or anywhere else in the arena," it concluded.

For all you know, some of the hooligans who could have been punished might have already met their untimely death among the victims. So, shall we give the hooligans the benefit of the doubt, but strongly warn those of them still alive to learn a lesson from this experience? This is just the view of this author and he is the master of his own opinion anyway. Let the nation take care of the living and move forward.

Furthermore, the White Paper made it clear that in order to carry out the Okudzeto Commission's proposals "effectively, expeditiously and comprehensively," the President has set up a Cabinet sub-committee to ensure their implementation.

The members of the sub-committee include the Hon. Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, the Hon. Attorney-General and Minster of Justice, the Hon Minister of Interior, the Hon Minister of Youth and Sports, and the Hon, Minister of Works and Housing.

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.com

BN: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic Thursday, November 15, 2001.

THE GHANAIAN MEDIA AND THE FUTURE OF GHANA

By Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath

Daily Graphic Thursday, August 18, 2005

HAVE you realised that the wisdom of African ancestors is beyond compare? This is reflected in their ever green proverbs which modern scholars are wont to quote and unquote. Listen to this Ghanaian one: "If you cut your own tongue and chew it up, you've not eaten any meat".

This is lucid, isn't it? One may be tempted to ask: "Which school did our ancestors attend to acquire such insightful knowledge and wisdom?" 

And are modern educated Africans creating new proverbs for posterity to quote? I leave the answers to the meditation of the reader. But I will postulate that if the Ghanaian media set a negative agenda for Ghanaians to use for self-destruction, there will be no Ghana to build as a nation. I will explain presently.

Records show that media work, or journalism in Ghana started in 1822 in Cape Coast.

That was when General Sir Charles McCarthy, the first colonial governor of the then Gold Coast landed in Cape Coast on March 27, that year and within a few days launched an official paper, called the Royal Gold Coast Gazette. (Those who have value for historical facts can read the rest of this story in a book titled : A Summary History of the GHANA PRESS, written by Mr K. A. B. Jones-Quartey, one time of the Institute of Adult Education, University of Ghana, Legon, published by the Information Services Department in 19740).

Based on the preceding fact, therefore, the Ghanaian media, born in 1822 up to today 2005, over 200 years of existence, cannot be described as a neophyte or amateur. And the contribution of the media in Ghana to freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of association and all the freedoms one can think of including, the fight for self-rule, culminating in independence in 1957, cannot be quantified in real terms & a matter of fact, some of the experiences the Ghanaian media went through after independence were even more traumatic than during the colonial era.

At some stage of military and civilian rules, for instance, the Ghanaian media operated under some of the most abhorrent laws under the sun. One of such Laws was the 'late' Criminal Libel Law, which 'died' in 2001, and the obituary of which we are celebrating today with fanfare.

In fact, at some point in the media history of this country, media practitioners were treated like common criminals. For any small human error they committed, or were' suspected to have committed, even without proof in a competent court of law, they were bundled and dumped in jail like accursed armed robbers.

This writer had his own share of that intolerance and absolute display of misplaced power of authority in May 1999.That was even during a civilian rule, so he knows what he is talking about. It was sad indeed! Such a situation did not allow cross fertilisation of ideas.

It did not permit citizens to exchange divergent views so as to arrive at consensus for nation building. That is not how other nations are moving from the ground into the orbit and back with smiles.

Having said all that it is prudent to sound a note of caution to the Ghanaian media, too.

Remember this African proverb which admonishes that, "If you cry for your chicken, you must cry for the hawk, too." To be frank and blunt, the way some Ghanaian media practitioners are operating today is totally unacceptable as far as professionalism goes.

Observers are worried that even though the Ghanaian media are doing tremendous work for the growth of democracy and good governance in the country, 'some of their actions tend to be causing more harm than good to the image of Ghana, especially on the Internet. It appears some media practitioners take delight in fishing out only negative things to project to the world whilst turning a blind eye to some of the good things the nation is accruing, no matter how modest they may be.

One of the consequences of such negativity is the recent heavy fines being imposed on some media houses by the courts in the country. This is very unfortunate. If care is not taken the media may drive the ship of state straight into a ditch. This will be because the ethics of the profession have been thrown to swines.

In April 1994, the media in Rwanda were reported to have been accused of being the initiators of that nation's genocide. The outcome was that over half a million souls perished in a twinkle of an eye. We in Ghana should not pretend to be angels. We are human beings, and as such, we are treading in the forest of errors.

When our fellow human beings commit errors, we must have the courage to correct them and tolerate them. But it is important for the offenders also to be humble enough to admit their shortcomings and offer apologies. When that is done we must move ahead with our development strategies as a nation. After all, perfection is not attained in one incarnation. We must be prepared to agree to disagree as a people.

It has been observed that for a few years now, the nation has been moving from the culture of silence to the culture of negativity. And it is unfortunate that it is the media that seem to be setting this agenda and the entire society is being led into a bottomless pit of negative thinking, negative talking and negative actions. The situation has not been helped by the mush-rooming of Frequency Modulation (FM) radio stations here and there.

It is indisputable the radio stations in Ghana are making a great deal of impact on the development of the nation in terms of dissemination of information for citizens to know what is happening and how they can contribute their views and ideas to issues of national interest. The impact is even more enormous when the platform is created for listeners to express themselves in their own language. It has been a wonderful experience with the phone-in-programmes.

But, this is exactly where the worse problem of negativity is originating from. A radio presenter or a host of a programme introduces a topic, and some people who do not understand or know the first letter of that topic pick up their telephones, call into the programme and start contributing out of context. If the host of that particular programme himself or herself is not on top of the issue at stake, callers are allowed not only to display their ignorance, but also encouraged to slander, castigate and even assassinate the character of innocent people.

This happens often if the topic in question has a semblance of political discussions. In fact, some callers may deliberately want to vent their spleen on their perceived opponents for the sake of it. They normally have a way of saying and chanting all kinds of unprintable words and go scot-free, without any apologies for the shame they deserve.

This is not good enough, especially if the perceived political opponent is not in the studio or on the other side of the line to respond. This is where professionalism in broadcast journalism is called for. If the media practitioner on duty does not know how to cut off or call that particular caller to order, the seed of animosity, which is sown is not limited only to the caller and the personality concerned.

The party members of that imaginary opponent, his relatives and all sympathisers who will be listening in to that particular programme at the material time become involved. This is how, the entire society is being poisoned like a well of water. The psychological result is that everybody's mind is being poisoned against one another.

Eventually, the collective mind of the nation is programmed as the head of a poisonous snake. Then the people begin to develop the tendencies of "BITE ME, I BITE YOU". Ghana is greater than any individual or personality, be it a media man or woman, politician, or ordinary citizen in the street.

In May 1994, on the occasion of that year's Press Freedom Day, Mr Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, called on media men and women throughout the world to practise what he termed as "Preventive Journalism." He was making reference to what happened in Rwanda the previous month and then pointed out that the genocide in that country could have been prevented if Rwandan journalists had engaged in preventive journalism rather than one of hatred.

This writer would like to add his voice to that of the UN boss and appeal to the Ghanaian media to practise a kind of journalism that will guarantee the future socio-economic, political and cultural survival of Ghana. Let's say NO to hatred journalism in Ghana. Anybody with any idea to transform Ghana from the current culture of negativity to a culture of positivity should e-mail me.

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.com

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic Thursday, August 18, 2015.

ONLINE JOURNALISM PRACTICE IN GHANA

By Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath

SATURDAY, JULY 15, 2005

Never forget this African proverb which admonishes us that: "When the rhythm of the drum changes, you must also change the cadence of the dance accordingly".

It is now crystal-clear that Information Communication Technology (lCT) has come to stay. It has 'reduced the entire globe into a miniature community, if you like.

ICT has succeeded in no small measure to change the way mankind does things, from birth to death. You can think of e-birth or e-death that is, giving birth electronically or dying electronically and even be buried online?

But one profession on the face of the earth, the practice of which has been affected positively or otherwise by ICT is journalism. As a matter of fact, ICT has even provided more ammunition for people who are of the opinion that journalism is not a profession in the first place.

The truth is that anybody who can write some kind of essay in English language and put it on the Internet can claim to be a journalist. How can we verify the authenticity of the professional affinity of such a person as far as journalism is concerned? Every trade, including even 'buying and selling' ought to be learned if one must be a professional 'buyer and seller'. How much more this noble profession of the fourth estate of the realm?

ICT has transformed journalism into what is now referred to as 'E- Journalism', or 'Online Journalism', or ‘Web-Journalism’.  Hence, practitioners of the profession who possess the skill or the technical know- how of employing the ICT tools to write news on the Internet and the World Wide Web (www) are now called 'E-Journalists' or Online-Journalists or 'Cyber-Journalists'.

Thus, those journalists who do not know or cannot use ICT tools especially the Content Management System (CMS) or think it is not necessary to learn this new way of  practicing the 'trade' are referred to as 'Traditional Journalists'. You may be a veteran in the profession, practicing journalism for a quarter of a century but you cannot be an online journalist unless you learn the technique of e-journalism.

Let us share some basic knowledge in Online Journalism which some Ghanaian journalists were exposed to recently in Accra as part of capacity building for media practitioners in ICT. The French Embassy in Accra in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) recently organised a short training programme in Online Journalism for 14 journalists from a few media houses including the Information Services Department (lSD) Accra.

The workshop took place at the Advanced Information Technology Institute, Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, near the State House in Accra. It is important for the public to know the difference between this centre and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre at Teshie on the Accra - Tema beach road.

As I was saying, the said E-Journalism workshop was the first of its kind sponsored by the French Embassy in Accra. The resource person by the name Jerome Hourdeaux was a very young E-Journalist of le Nouvel Observateur, one of pure online magazines based in Paris, France. He told us that his media house had another daily newspaper which was in existence long before Online Journalism was born.

In fact, the history of online journalism has it that the very first newspaper in the United States of America to launch an online edition of its newspaper was the Chicago Tribune in 1992, with its version the Chicago Online.

 As for the history of traditional journalism, all journalists know that the etymology of journalism, from the Latin diurnalis was there before Adam and Eve were ejected from the Garden of Eden for defiance, or misbehaviour, or naughtiness, or all of above.  Because we now live in the age of Knowledge Management (KM) and Experience Sharing, (ES) I deem it necessary to share the little we were taught with other colleague Ghanaian journalists who were not at the workshop. Most of the journalists who participated in the programme seemed to be from media houses which were already practicing some kind of Online Journalism.

The new basic technique of writing for the web which we were introduced to is what is known as Blogging. Blogging is simply a new way of creating a personal website which does not involve too many technicalities.            

Unlike the traditional way of developing a website whereby one needs to know (html) or (java script) and what have you, with all ICT jargons, which are confusing to aged-brains, Blogging is easier to grab and create. You can create your own Blog and write articles or any information, including photographs, graphics and other wonderful and beautiful things and upload them on web instantly.

Blog operators are a community of Internet users who create forums for exchange of new ideas and knowledge in ICT. They can chat online. Other important and relevant websites can be linked on Blogs for interaction among users on the Internet.

Online Journalists are now using their own Blogs to link up with other leading media institutions, both printing and electronic, throughout the world. This enables them to enrich the content of their own newspapers or radio and television stations.

Apart from creating personal Blogs as individuals the latest craze is what is known as Corporate Blogging. Organisations and institutions in America and other advanced nations find it easier and cheaper to create Blogs instead of developing normal websites which are rather capital intensive and time consuming. It is also very difficult to manage websites if you are not a technical person. This is why some media houses in Ghana who rely solely on Internet Service Providers (ISP) and Hosts to manage their websites for them sometimes find their sites not being updated regularly.

For example, some state-owned media houses still have J. J. Rawlings as the President of Ghana. Another important ministry still has Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah as the Minister for Education in Ghana on their websites. This is very misleading to foreigners who may visit such websites to obtain information on Ghana. The Blog used by the resource person to introduce the new technique to us at the workshop was in French. He explained that, that was the one he was more familiar and conversant with. He advised us to explore the Internet and discover other Blogs in English by using the Google.com search engine.

However, the one we learned for demonstration at the workshop is this: http://www.over-blog.com. After formulating this address, as URL you will be taken to a web page where you will have to click on 'create your free blog'. Then you will have to register online by giving your name and address; the title of your Blog; the name of your Blog, that is, how you may want your personal website to be known by other web or Blog users.

After going through the procedure, you will have to click on 'I accept' policy agreement that you will not use pornographic materials on the Blog and that you will not indulge in copyright and other illegal online practices etc. Then you will submit your request by clicking on envoyer or send. When your application is approved, you will receive a confirmation through your e-mail address. This implies that you will have to have an e-mail address in the first place.

After you have received your confirmation within a few minutes or so of registration, you may enter your e-mail address and password. You will now be taken to another web page where you can actually create your own Blog.

As explained above, the URL given here will take you to a web page where all the instructions for the creation of free Blog are in French language. There you may click on modules to choose a template of your choice.  When you click on articles, a working page will appear just as compose in yahoo, or hotmail for you to write your article or news and post it online. That is all! To preview your article, just click on apercu at the top right corner of the page.

If you are already familiar with web development, you can easily do this without any problem at all. But if you are a neophyte like me, then you may need some initial guidance.

I am still learning. But if in your estimation, I am a little ahead of you, and you are desirous of knowing this latest way of writing for the web and creating a Blog then I should be obliged to share this basic knowledge in Online Journalism with you.

The truth is that, whether we like it or not, lCThe T is the technological revolution of the 2Ist   century and Online Journalism is the future of our time-honoured profession.

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.com

NB: This article was first published by Daily Graphic on Saturday, July 15, 2005.

THE INFORMATION CLEARING HOUSE COMMUNICATION 
INFRASTRUCTURE TAKES SHAPE

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

Saturday, September 16, 2000. N0. 148013. PRICE: ¢1000

IT is no longer a dream that the 21st Century is for information revolution and global knowledge through Communications Technology. Thus, any nation that fails to put the necessary information infrastructure in place should not blame Jesus if its citizens have no access to information in Heaven.

On. Thursday, September 7, 2000 at the Ankobra Hall within Novotel in Accra, the Ministry of Communications, for that matter Ghana Government launched what was termed a National Information Clearing House (NICH) pilot project.

The basic objective of this project among other things, is to create awareness of the existence of an electronic information and communication channel to facilitate exchange of information between government institutions, private sector organisations, the academia, NGOs and the general public as a whole.

As a matter of fact, it is imperative to put on record that the launching of the NICH was just one aspect of a major country wide programme for Communication and Development in collaboration with other sectors of the economy. Some of the main partners in this country programme include the ministries of Education, Health, Agriculture, Environment, Science and Technology, as well as the Ghana Society of Information Technology, the Internet Society of Ghana and others. The entire programme was under the tutorialship of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) based in The Hague, The Netherlands.

Hon. John Mahama, the Communications Minister who performed the launching event on behalf of his other colleagues told stakeholders in the Information Technology (IT) business that it is the priority of the Government to extend Communications and Information infrastructure to the rural areas for the economic prosperity of ordinary people. He cautioned that in our anxiety to implement Information Communications Technology (ICT) programme a care must be taken in order not to create what he termed as "information" "haves" and "have nots".  There is therefore the need to provide affordable computer literacy, Internet and telecommunications services to our rural brothers and sisters the Minister noted.

According to the Director of International Institute of Communication and Development, the Global Teenager project is committed to stimulating the use of ICTs for the creation of cross-cultural understanding with focus on two-way communication between students in different countries. Its motto is: "Today's Learners Are Tomorrow's Leaders”.

Dr Nii Quanor or NCS, who is also the President of Internet Society of Ghana said that in future multimedia information economy, the places (town, country and region) where bandwidth and Information Technology do not pass will be less developed. "That's what happened to some cities each time railways, roads, air routes, in general where transportation arrived, it influenced development", Dr Quanor said.

One other important aspect of the country programme which was also launched on September 7 was the global Teenager project. Mr Mahama noted that the establishment of the National Information Clearing House project by the Communications Ministry to network the electronic information system between government and the people will greatly enhance access to information by simple click of a button.

He reasoned that if the right information infrastructure is not put in place, information will be available but people will find it difficult if not impossible to access it for development purposes.

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.com

NB: This article was first published by Daily Graphic on Saturday, September 15, 2000.

DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATIONS FOR GHANA

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

Thursday, July 11, 2002, N0. 148572 Price: c1,500

GONE are the days when most governments in Africa used information purely for propaganda purposes. Today, what has come to be known as the "global economy" revolves around the power of knowledge, which hinges on information and technology is often referred to as information

technology

Having recognised the fact that government communication is different from party propaganda, the Ministry of Information and Presidential Affairs has initiated a move to fashion out a new Development Communications Strategy to elevate Ghana unto the altar of global prosperity.

The concept of Development Communications, broadly defined, means using the best tools of communications to reach out to the people, promote dialogue with them, and get their feedback

and support. "We intend to use modern Development Communications techniques to reach out to the people and empower them to take their destiny in their own hands" said Hon Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Information.

This initiative by the ministry has caught the imagination of Ghana's development partners including the World Bank. Consequently, between June 20 and 28, 2002, a four man World Bank delegation led by its head of the Development Communications Unit, Mr Paul Mitchel visited the country. The mission of the delegation was to conduct needs assessment to determine structures in place, and what assistance could be granted to establish an effective and efficient Communications Development system for Ghana.

The World Bank Mission was able to meet with almost all individuals and organisations that matter in the Development Communications business in the country from the public and private sectors of the economy. They included Professional Associations such as the GJA and PRINPAG as well as lEA, CEPA, CDD, IPR, ISSER, NPC, UNESCO, JICA, to mention a few.

For example, the delegation met with the Government Economic Management Team led by the Hon. Minister for Finance, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo. At that meeting, Mr Mitchel told the Economic Management Team that his outfit provides services in key areas, including transparency in governance and Development Communications.

Hon Osafo-Maafo, on his part assured the delegation that the government was not only committed to democracy and transparency but human rights, rule of law and above all, the socio-economic well-being of ordinary citizens. Mr Osafo-Maafo told the World Bank Team that the Information and Presidential Affairs Ministry is the over sight Ministry for Government Information and Knowledge delivery.

He said information flow is vital in two fronts, that is, local and external. External information made available accurately and timely will enable foreign investors to know about -the investment opportunities available in the country. He also stressed the importance of giving timely information to the people to enable them to partake in governance and development.

Due to the importance of development communications, the Information Ministry needs to be supported financially to enable it to perform its very important activities. This entails, among other things, improving the human resource capacity of professional and technical training in modern communication skills for its workers, improvement in the conditions of service to attract qualified and competent professionals into the system and the modernisation and networking of the headquarters with the regional and district information offices.

Provision of new Cinema Vans for the ISD with audio visual and communication equipment to reach out to all rural communities with public education and information as well as getting feedback to government is also essential. If one goes by the World Bank's definition of Development Communications which says increasing consensus between the people and government, and taking a more holistic approach to development issues then, the earlier this new strategy is adopted and implemented, the better  it will be for the economic prosperity of Ghana.

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.com

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic on Thursday, July 1, 2002.

TECHNOLOGY IN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

 By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

DOUBTLESSLY, Africa is one of the wealthiest continents on this planet of abundance in terms of natural minerals sources such  as gold, diamond, uranium, steel, iron, bauxite, copper, as well as oil and natural" gas. Yet Africa is characterised as a poor, hopeless and helpless continent in terms of .hunger," disease, famine, starvation, wars, conflicts and aimless refugees, roaming in the empty forests of the bountiful continent.

On the eve of March 6,1957 when Osagyefo Dr Kwarne Nkrumah proclaimed the independence of Ghana, one other important statement he made among others was that the new nation was poised to prove to the rest of the world that, "the BLACK MAN IS CAPABLE OF MANAGING HIS OWN AFFA'IRS." This was a wonderful proclamation, so to speak. Interestingly, however, almost all the regimes both military and  civilian that ruled Ghana after Nkrumah have cast accusations and counter accusations of mismanagement against one another.

In fact, almost all African leaders have been accused of mismanaging the resources of the continent hence the sorry and messy state of affairs we are swimming in. The question this writer is tempted to pose is the ‘Blackman capable of managing his own affairs’? But don't forget that a Black man in the person of Mr Kofi Annan of Ghana is the virtual president of the world at the moment anyway.

While I leave the reader to meditate upon the above query, it is imperative to point out that

Information and Communication Technology (ICT), especially Timeware technology has now

made it possible for every nation to effectively and efficiently manage its human and material

resources for its own benefit for the advancement of mankind. And Ghana cannot stand and stare. In other words, with Timeware Technology, the Blackman has no excuse to mismanage his affairs in the 21st Century any longer Ghana, one of the most resourceful countries in the world.  

Ghana would not have found herself in the class of Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HlPC) if the nation's human and material resources had not been mismanaged over the years. Whether we like it or not, Ghana is reported to be indebted to the tune of over ¢4 trillion. When the United Nations Agencies in Ghana recently called on the President, Mr. John  Agyekum Kufuor to pledge their support for the new administration, the President was reported to have told them that Ghana did not join HIPC as a political trick or gimmick but as an opportunity to take a breather to pursue medium and long term target. "Man must be practical, so we took HIPC as a reality and must work to turn the situation round", said the President.

In fact he added there is “no pride in declaring oneself poor." It is the considered view of this writer that if Ghana can adopt Timeware Technology in the personnel, time, and resource management in government business, the nation will go a long way and will soon declassified itself from the abominable HIPC. The crux of the matter is that there is too much waste in government business or the public sector.

There are so many ghost names on government pay rolls in various sectors of the economy such as Education, Health, Agriculture, CEPS, IRS and others mentioned in the recent World Bank Survey on corruption in Ghana. Modern technology can help government check some malfeasance and corrupt practices that had caused administration waste as far as salaries and wages are concerned.

Using   Timeware Technology in personnel management in ministries, departments and agencies (MDA) can help Government reduce expenditure or minimise financial crimes.  For instance, if we take a ministry of 500 staff nationwide on average. Then everyday each worker reports for duty for 10 minutes late. It implies that government is "losing 10mn times 500 making 5000 minutes in all for lateness.  And 5000 minutes is equal to about, 80 hours if you divide it by 60 minutes. And if you divide 80 hours by 24 it gives you approximately three days and some hours. In short on the average that ministry loses three days on each working day.

If you multiply three days by 22 working days of the months it makes 66 working days lost in a

month. Meanwhile, all the 500 workers will receive their salaries at the end of the month. Even if government’s minimum daily wage is pegged at ¢4,000 it means that that particular ministry is paying ¢4000 times 66 making a total of ¢264.000 to workers for no work done. And if you multiply that amount by the number of ministries, departments, agencies and other sub vented organisations that are paid from the Consolidated Fund and you will see how much government money is being wasted for no work done.

Apart from money being thrown in the drains, production and productivity are sacrificed on the altar of lateness, truancy, pilfering, and all kinds of negative work ethics to the detriment of the economic prosperity of the country.

One concrete solution to this problem the writer will like to recommend is for government to take a critical look at the resource management of the economy both human and material by adopting a modern technology such as Timeware Technology to revolutionalise the labour sector for the advancement of the nation.

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.com

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic on April 25, 2001.