THE BOOK 

COVER PAGE 

   MI Publishing                                                                          August 2016, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands  

PRESS RELEASE

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THE LATEST SENSATIONAL AND INSPIRATIONAL

BOOK COMING OUT SOON! IT IS A MUST-READ BOOK!

IT’S WRITTEN BY AN AFRICAN VILLAGE BOY FROM GHANA AND TOGO AND PUBLISHED IN THE NETHERLANDS.

Title: “LITTLE MAWU The Story of my Life”. The author is a creative writer, blogger and poet. He is a bilingual journalist because his father hails from the French speaking country Togo and his mother from the Anglophone country Ghana, both countries in West Africa.

His name Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath is taller than the diminutive author himself. That is the mystery behind the title of the book. His formal education could not travel beyond primary school in French. He could not go to college not because he was block-headed; ironically, he was the only candidate out of nine presented by his village school to have successfully passed the toughest common entrance examination that academic year in Togo in 1972. His inability to go to secondary school was due to his parents’ financial circumstance.

The author’s life could be summarised as “where there is a will there is a way, or as the adage goes: when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” He was inspired by the writings of the great Scottish novelist, Sir Walter Scott who once said: “The best part of every man’s education is that which he gives to himself.”

Thus, out of self-motivation and self-education, the author obtained admission into the Ghana Institute of Journalism, first for Diploma in Journalism and later for Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies when the Institute was then affiliated to the University of Ghana, Legon. His prolific writings in arts and culture and environmental issues over the years, which he still does, help the authorities to adopt certain policies for development in his country.

 Eventually, he was granted scholarship at the age of 50+ to fly to Europe to pursue his Master of Arts Degree in Development Studies in the Netherlands at the outstanding International Institute of Social Studies ISS of Erasmus University Rotterdam at The Hague. Before the airplane touched the tarmac on Netherlands’ soil, the author saw the beautiful and colourful tulip fields. He took out his pen and notebook from his briefcase and then and there composed a poem dedicated to the country entitled Netherlands – Land of Learners (on page 198).

Even the circumstance that led the author to report rather late to ISS, which caused him to miss out on the first term examination was bizarre. On top of that he had to spend almost a whole month in hospital during his studies and yet he was able to successfully complete the course with his 2013-2014 academic year group of graduates. It was a miracle!

Read the book to appreciate the power of perseverance and self-determination in life!

The book will be available in September.

The price is fixed at € 19.99 (excl. VAT, handling & shipping cost where applicable).

The book can be ordered by indicating how many copies are required at:

MI Publishing                                                   In Ghana the price is GH¢ 40.00:

P.O. Box 1566                                                 Contact in Ghana:

5200 BP ’s-Hertogenbosch                              M.K.Abissath (The Author)

Netherlands                                                      P.O. Box TU 111

                                                                        Accra, Ghana

e: mi.biz@inter.nl.net                                                  e: abissath@gmail.com

t: +31-(0)73-6418387                                                 m: +233(0)277414314/+233(0)244773085

“LITTLE MAWU The Story of my Life” – ISBN 978-90-809729-9-5

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SPECIAL POEM 
By Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath

DR DAVID ABDULAI OF TAMALE

TAMALE ARCH-ANGEL

Yes, you are Dr David Abdulai     

Not only Tamale Arch-Angel you are

You are the first Arch-Angel of Ghana

The global Mother-Teresa of Africa

As your Shekhinah Clinic clicks under trees

To save precious lives of needy souls

So shall the Giver of life save your iconic life

In the state-of-the-art clinic on this Planet of strife          

For, “AS ABOVE SO BELOW"!

Dedicated to Dr David Abdulai of Tamale

12/08/2016

Email: abissath@gmail.com

Ghana’s National Protection Policy and Sustainable Development

By Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath

A traditional wisdom in African proverb reminds us that: “Complaints do not eliminate poverty.”

Cambridge Dictionary defines Policy as “a set of ideas or a plan of what to do in particular situations that has been agreed to officially by a group of people, a business organization, a government, or a political party.”

If the above-quoted definition of Policy is anything to go by, then Ghana, as a nation has no problem at all. Should we compile all policy documents formulated by various Governments of Ghana since independence, even the University of California Library, which is said to be the largest in the world, cannot contain them.

Within the last three months alone, Government has launched some of the most profound policies that, if implemented to the letter, the country will be dancing to the “Blue Haven”. Two of the said policies that readily come to mind are the National Migration Policy, launched by the Ministry of the Interior in April, and the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Broadcasting Policy, by the Ministry of Communications in May this year.

The Ghanaian Times has dutifully and faithfully published full page features on some of the   national policies written by this author and others as part of their public education and awareness creation for the benefit of the citizenry. In their views, if the people for whom such policies are made are not aware of them, then it is better they were not formulated at all in the first place.

The purpose of this article is to inform the general public, especially those who are yet know about the launch of another crucial policy, which aims at ensuring social protection of the people of Ghana. The target beneficiaries of this policy are some of the most vulnerable in our society. They include women, children, and people with disabilities, the aged, the deprived, the maginalised and our most unfortunate grandmothers in some parts of our country.

These are hardworking women who are not only discriminated against, but are also baptised and stigmatised as witches for no apparent reasons. What is their crime? That they are old ladies who are going through some biological or physiological changes at a certain stage of their lives? For that matter they must be rejected by their own relatives and abandoned in some camps to face the vicissitudes of life?

 Please can somebody tell those intolerant relatives that we are in the 21^st century Ghana? The other day I saw on television, some of these noble but miserable old ladies insisting that they preferred staying in the witch camps to going back to their relatives to be lynched. What a pity. A traditional adage has it that “when I look after you to grow your teeth, you must also look after me to drop my teeth.” But look at how society is treating these so-called witches. We rarely see the same treatment being meted out to wizards. Why? It is some of the plights of such people that the Social Protection Policy seeks to address. 

 It was Hon. Rashid Pelpuo, Minister of State, Private-Public Partnership, who officially launched the policy document on behalf of the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, on Monday, 13 June this year, here in Accra.  He told the nation that the policy would propel Ghana to achieving the first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ending poverty in all its forms. He added that the formulation of the Social Protection Policy underscored government’s commitment to building a prosperous and equitable society.

But is it possible to end poverty “in all its forms” in reality? There is poverty in America. Nevertheless, the fact that a policy has been formulated to enable citizens to realise their basic right and participate in socio-economic life is commendable. According to Hon. Pelpuo, the policy would further propel Ghana to achieving a substantive inclusion of the poor and vulnerable equitable distribution of national “kenkey”. This is laudable indeed!

Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), Mrs. Nana Oye Lithur, who championed the formulation of the National Social Protection Policy, has opined that this was   the first time the government and the people of Ghana had initiated a holistic approach to the protection of the most vulnerable in Ghanaian society.

She pointed out that her ministry’s vision is to aspire to mitigate and reduce vulnerabilities, close the inequality gap and to ensure total inclusion of all Ghanaians in the social protection basket of the nation.  Mrs. Lithur said the National Gender Policy, which had also been printed in Braille, would also deliver a well co-ordinated, inter-sectoral social protection system that would enable people to live in dignity through income support, livelihood empowerment and improved access to basic services. Is it not fantastic? 

According to the Minister, the policy was  anchored on Ghana’s National Development Planning framework and drew from the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA II 2014-2017), and the Co-ordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (2014-2020) as well as a range of sectoral policies and programmes.

She explained that technical and operational co-ordination of social protection initiatives rested with MoGCSP, supported by the Social Protection Sector Working Group (SPSWG) and the Social Protection Inter-sectoral Technical Committee (SPISTC). It is hoped that such a magnificent policy would not be a still-born baby from the womb to the tomb, but would be nurtured and be put into practical implementation to achieve the intended goals and objectives.

For the purpose of this article, it is relevant to highlight some of the goals and objectives as related in the Policy Brief document for the benefit of Ghanaians:  one of the goals is to promote the well-being of Ghanaians through “an integrated platform of effective social assistance, and financial access to social services.”

With regard to objectives, which can be said to specific, measurable, achievable and time bound, it stipulated that “within the next one and a half decades (2016-2031), it is envisioned that through social protection programmes, poverty would be reduced by half through increased and improved effective and efficient social assistance for poor and vulnerable Ghanaians.”

Another objective that caught my fancy is that, with the coming into being of this policy, “employment opportunities would have been considerably enhanced through the promotion of productive inclusion and decent work to sustain families and communities.” Wompe woyia wopeden? To wit: If you don’t like this what do you want?

In fact, there are some specific objectives or goals technically referred to in the Policy Brief document as “The Social Protection Floor”. They include, “Access to basic essential health care for all, with particular attention to maternal health; Minimum income security to access the basic needs of life for children; Minimum income security for people of working age; and finally, Minimum income security for older persons…”

How do we, as a nation, ensure that the lofty goals and objectives of this policy are implemented to the fullest? Again, it is reassuring that the document itself made provision for some element in the policy dubbed “Ghana’s Social Protections Obligations.” 

For an article of this nature, I wish to state the first paragraph of the said Protection Obligations for record purposes: “The National Social Protection Policy is guided by the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Fourth Republican Constitution. It seeks to provide just and reasonable access of all people in Ghana to public facilities and services and promote respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms…”

No further comments!

The writer works with Information Services Department (ISD) in Accra  abissath@gmail.com

The Significance of Republic Day Celebration in an Election Year

By Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath

President John Dramani Mahama interacting with senior citizens last year

The wisdom of our ancestors is reflected in this simple Ghanaian proverb that says:  “One tree does not make a forest.”

One could imagine at the time our ancestors coined this particular proverb, a forest was forest indeed. But today, due to some human activities such as illegal mining “galamsey”, bush fires and illegal chainsaw operations, even our forest reserves are devastated. And the day the last tree will be gone, the last man on Earth will also be gone.

The objective to this article is not about the value of forests. It is an attempt to underscore the significance of the Republic Day Celebration.  The fact that this year’s celebration is taking place in an election year makes it even more crucial. Why? We are God’s chosen people, destined to serve as torchbearers for others to follow. So, we should never allow politics to divide us for any earthly reasons.

Perhaps, some of our compatriots, especially the youth, may want to know what brought about the celebration of the Republic Day in the first place. Well, on March 6, 1957, Ghana became the first tropical African country to secure her political independence from colonial Britain.  Despite that historic gesture, the British monarch still remained the ceremonial Head of State of the country for another three years.

It was on July 1, 1960 that Ghana’s colonial umbilical cord was completely cut off from the United Kingdom. On that day, the Queen of England who was the Governor General over Ghana for 100 years finally said farewell to us and went home to rest peacefully. And it was on that day that Ghana attained a republican status. It meant that Ghana was fully in charge of her own destiny. Ghana had the right to manage or mismanage her own affairs as our first President Osagyfo Dr Kwame Nkrumah was noted to have stated.

So, this year’s event is the 56^th anniversary. This memorable day in the political history of our country has been designated as Senior Citizen’s Day. It is a day when our revered grandfather and grandmother pensioners are exclusively invited to dine and wine at the State House in Accra and to fraternise with the first gentleman of the land, the President.

A Chinese proverb says, “If you want to honour a man or woman, honour him or her while he or she is alive.” Ghanaian senior citizens must not necessarily die before funeral rites are held for them at the forecourt of the State House. This is why those whose fertile imagination gave birth to the concept of Senior Citizen’s Day to coincide with the Republic Day ought to be commended.  

The significance of the Republic Day Celebration is still being debated among some Ghanaians. Some are of the view that the day has lost its significance because of ravaging poverty, corruption, skyrocketing electricity bills and what have you?

Others think that despite everything, Ghana is an icon of political stability in Africa and has been enjoying peaceful co-existence with all manner of persons regardless of their   socio-economic, cultural, political and religious differences. This phenomenon is rare in some neigbouring nations on the continent, they argue.  

Ghana’s 1992 Republican Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression. So, every Ghanaian has the right to express his or her opinion on issues of national importance. Thus, everybody is entitled to his or her opinion. If for nothing at all, the fact that Ghanaians have the right to designate the Republic Day as Senior Citizen’s Day, is an indication that they are in charge of their own destiny, at least politically if not economically, though.  

The significance of making such a decision must not be taken for granted. If one considers the fact that for over 400 years (15^th – 19^th centuries) the transatlantic slave trade thrived on the African continent, of which Ghana was part. Then Ghana had to endure another 100 years of colonial domination.  Now Ghanaians can decide who should rule over them through democratic principles. And this year, come November, Ghanaians will use their “kokromoti” power through the ballot box and not the bullet to choose their leaders in general elections. This is no mean achievement at all of the Republican status of the country. For this alone some observers think strongly the Day must be celebrated.  

 While the debate on the significance of the Republic Day Celebration continues, for the purpose of this article, I would like to dwell a bit on the value of Senior Citizens’ Day and why priority attention must be given to our senior citizens. In fact, senior citizens can be characterised as the rock upon which sustainable development ought to be constructed for the benefit of present and future generations of the country.

First of all, it is my considered view that a nation that does not have viable youth cannot have noble senior citizens. In other words, if the youth of today are not well educated to become productive employees both in the public and private sectors of the economy then the nation is doomed forever. If the youth cannot contribute to the development of the nation, they cannot metamorphose into pensionable senior citizens in the future. Can you imagine the legacy a criminal or an armed robber senior citizen can bequeath society?

Ghanaian noble pensioners who contributed to the development of the nation must not only be invited to dine and wine at the State House on Senior Citizens’ Day. This celebration must take various forms for them on every blessed day all year round.  As a nation we must recognise the fact that senior citizens are made up of various professionals and experts in their respective fields of specialty.

Thus, Ghana abounds in retiree senior citizens who are medical officers, lawyers, engineers, communicators/journalists, soldiers, police officers, farmers, scientists, civil servants, religious leaders, traditional authorities with wisdom, market women, educationists, health professionals, drivers, kitchen caterers, University professors and so on.  

In some countries, retirees or pensioners are not abandoned to their fate at all. Their knowledge and expertise are tapped in various ways for the benefit of their countries as long as their physical strength will permit them until they cross the Great Sea. For illustration, I will cite only the case of Singapore and make some suggestions for the consideration of the authorities concerned.

In 2004, while on a short training course in Singapore at the then Nanyang Polytechnic, now Technical University in that country, participants were taken to one department of the University known as Knowledge Management Department. In that department only retired civil servants or engineers, or communication specialists and other experts are invited to share their knowledge, skills, experiences and expertise with students.

We were told that whenever the current lecturers were confronted with some technical challenges in invention or manufacturing of some machines, they would invite inventor, the original manufacturers or any retired professionals in that field of expertise to come and tell the students how they solved similar problems during their time.

What was more interesting about the Knowledge Management Department in Singapore was that people who were invited to interact with students did not necessarily have to be retired professors or educationists in the true sense of the word. They were interested in tapping the practical experiences of our senior citizens. Interestingly it was not only retiree professors who were invited for this knowledge management and experience sharing exercises.

 So, for example, the Department could even invite an “illiterate” cocoa farmer who had been very successful in his field to share his or her experiences with students. An old catering officer in a village somewhere could be invited to show students how to cook “apapransa” or any rare traditional cuisine that modern catering officers do not know etc.

By so doing, the senior citizens are kept active and they live longer while at same time adding to the stock of knowledge of their country. Can’t this strategy be adopted by Ghana? I hope some institutions might have been doing so already. But it must be institutionalised as a national policy. Sometimes we wait till doctors embark on strike action before we remember that we have some retired medical officers to fall on. Why?

It is suggested that besides the dining and wining sessions at the State House by senior citizens on the Republic Day, some avenue should be created to give opportunities to capable and willing senior citizens to exhibit and demonstrate their expertise to the public especially the youth, on the occasion or even periodically.   

For instance, a special exhibition or demonstration centre could be mounted at the forecourt of the State House on Republic Day to be dubbed as Knowledge and Experience Sharing Segment of the Day. This exhibition can be one of the pre-event activities leading to the D Day itself. This is where some senior citizens can put into practical application some of their expertise for the benefit of the youth.

  It is suggested that apart from what the state can and must do for our noble senior citizens, corporate Ghana, various professional bodies or associations can also come together and sponsor such events. It would boost the senior citizens’ morale. For all we know some of them who are well to do may even volunteer to offer their services gratis to the less fortunate among themselves for the prosperity of the nation. All they may need is recognition and appreciation.

 As we celebrate the 56^th Republic Day Anniversary and Senior Citizens’ Day in an election year of 2016, lets ensure that our nation continues to enjoy peace and unity for development.

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