KOFI ANNAN: THE AFRICAN LIVING MONUMENT OF THE CENTURY

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

Daily Graphic, Wednesday, October 24,  2007

Shall we ever be guided by this African proverb? “If the palm fruit of your farm is not meaty or fleshy enough, it is you yourself who must munch it in such a fashion that others may even envy you!”

Ghanaian/African Media

If the Ghanaian Media and for that matter the African Media do not know what is good for Ghana and Africa, other foreign media will dictate to Ghana and Africa what is bad for Ghana and Africa.

On Tuesday, January 23, 2007, the icon of the black race, the torch-bearer of global diplomacy, Busumuru Dr Kofi Annan the Immediate-Past Secretary-General of the United Nations, safely landed on the soil of his mother land, Ghana after over 40 years of selfless and dedicated service to humanity abroad. One had expected that the following morning, almost all of the newspapers in Ghana, if not all at all, would have, for once, devoted their front page banner headlines for the arrival of this Living Monument of our time.

Sadly, however, it was only a few newspapers in his land of our birth saw the triumphant return of this hero of international diplomacy as front page news. (I am just wondering what the Nigerian media scene would have been like, if Kofi Annan had been a Nigerian-born African citizen). This is why this writer wishes to doff his hat to the two leading public newspapers in Ghana, namely the Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times, for demonstrating why Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, established the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 1958 for the benefit of African journalists.

My commendation of the Daily Graphic is even more profound because, apart from devoting the entire front page of the Wednesday, January 24, 2007 edition to the arrival of Kofi Annan, the Paper also wrote an editorial on the matter under the heading “AKWAABA, BUSUMURU!”

Daily Graphic’s Editorial

In this write-up, I will dwell on the salient points of the twelve thought provoking paragraphs editorial of the Daily Graphic that welcomed Kofi Annan to Ghana. It is important to bear in mind that the traditional significance of the expression AKWAABA in Akan and WOEZOR in Ewe is deeper than the English term “Welcome!”

Before I review the Daily Graphic’s editorial in question, it is relevant to say a word of appreciation to the Government of Ghana for having staged what could be described as STATE WELCOMING CEREMONY OF BUSUMURU KOFI ANNAN, led by the President of the Republic, H.E.John Agyekum Kufuor himself on his arrival in Ghana.

Most Ghanaians are only familiar with “State Funerals.” We seem to be a people who place premium on dead bodies rather than eulogising living beings. So when the Ministry of Information and National Orientation officially announced the welcoming programme of the great son of the land and called on all patriotic citizens and well-wishers to be at the airport to give a hero’s welcome to H.E.Busumuru Dr. Kofi Annan to Ghana, it was clear that a national event was at stake. As a nation we should not only wait for our state men and women to die before we give them state funerals. There is a Chinese proverb which says: “If you want to honour a man, honour him while he is alive.” Kudos to Ghana Government.

Amazingly, the first paragraph of the Daily Graphic’s editorial for that day started with a quotation from a book written by a renowned Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe. The title was IN ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNAH. The quote reads:

“The cock that crows in the morning belongs to one household but his voice is the property of the whole neigbouhood.” The Paper continues that the famous Nigerian writer notes that, it is always a source of pride to own the cock which serves the needs of the community, saying, “You should be proud that this bright cockerel that wakes the whole village comes from your compound.” This point explains why Ghanaians should be the first citizens on this planet of heroism and dwellers of the African continent to be proud that Kofi Annan originates from Ghana.

When this writer happened to be in Singapore in November last year, he had to use the name of Kofi Annan, then UN Secretary-General to indicate Ghana on the African map. Apart from Kofi Annan, it was the National Football Team, the Black Stars that I was able to use to tell most people I came into contact with over there where I came from called Ghana. I told those who have never heard of Ghana that Ghana was the only country in Africa whose national team went beyond the preliminary stages in the just-ended world cup in Germany. Then people instantly started shaking my hands saying: “Your country is great!” This is why Ghanaians should not joke with Kofi Annan and the Black Stars at all. He is simply the Living Monument of the 21st Century.

The second paragraph of that editorial made one vital point: “Those who lived in the rural areas appreciate and understand the importance of the cock, especially the one which crows at appropriate times to wake up people to begin their daily economic activities. It is only the lazy who ignores the cock crow.” Whoever wrote that particular Graphic’s editorial deserves a national award. I could not agree more with the Paper on this point.

Today, most people, especially city dwellers cannot appreciate the value of cock crow because of availability of communication technology tools such as radio, television and even wall clocks and watches. People will readily tune in to radio stations at dawn to listen to the voices of radio Pastors than to wait for the cock to crow. The sound some people will expect at dawn is the “korkorkor -korkorkorr” beats of the shoe shine boys in most cities in Ghana today and not the crow of the cock.

Do you remember that when the Network Africa section of BBC wanted to change the cock crow for its signature tune last year or so, the entire continent kicked against it? Even in the Bible, when Apostle Peter proclaimed that he would follow Jesus to the grave, Jesus looked at him and said : “Peter, Peter, I say unto you that even today, before the cock crows once, you will deny me three times!” That was the value of cock crow in those good days.

The third paragraph of the editorial says: “Busumuru Kofi Annan has been Ghana’s gift to the world through the United Nations, which he served with distinction long before he assumed the mantle of Secretary-General.” It went on,” Indeed, he did us all proud when, as the Chief Executive of the UN, he did not feel intimidated and stood up against injustice and unilateralism, even to the extent of disowning the United States in its misguided crusading mission in Iraq.”

That was the humble Kofi Annan of Ghana. And if you are a Ghanaian and you are not proud of this man, then, you may have to go for check-up somewhere beyond this planet. Another wonderful point the editorial made was that : “Busumuru Annan carried to greater heights the image and integrity of Ghana which had been brought to bear on the UN system by our illustrious first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Alex Quayson Sackey, Dr Robert Gardiner, Kenneth Dadzie and E.Y.Amoako (Dr). This is an indication that before Kofi Annan, other sons and daughters of Ghana had played their parts at various stages in the global endeavour.

However, the editorial made it clear that: “He capped it all up when he led the UN to win the coveted Nobel Peace Prize.” The Paper then quotes a Ghanaian adage to the effect that: “A man came to play his part, not to do everything. Busumuru Annan has done his part and we are proud to receive him back home. In typical Ghanaian tradition, as when a cherished person returns home, we say heartily: “Akwaaba, Busumuru Kofi Annan!!!”

Listen to this point in the said editorial: “We are mobbing Busumuru Annan today because when he was given responsibility, he discharged it with a conscience based on cherished and valued principles. We applaud him because he did not bow to pressure, nor did he condescend to any parochial interests.” As a matter of fact, it was this part of the editorial that motivated me to sort of review the entire view of the Daily Graphic of January 24 this year.

The simple question is: How many of us in Ghana or Africa and elsewhere, will be able to discharge our responsibilities with integrity and conscience? If Kofi Annan had not performed his duties as UN Secretary-General with conscience, he would have been devoured by the international media like a lion does to its prey. Do you remember what the international media did to him when his adult son, called Kojo was involved in some so-called oil-for-food saga?

The truth is that Kofi Annan is a human being and as such can err like any human being in the course of his duties. But for some one to work in the UN system for over 30 years or so and then served as Boss of UN for ten years without any concrete evidence of corruption against him, I can only characterise him as an angelic soul. I don’t want to say that he has attained perfection in this incarnation yet. But to paraphrase what God told Noah in the Christian Bible: “If I can find 10 of Kofi Annan’s type on this planet, there will be no more wars on earth.”

Graphic’s editorial therefore postulates that that unique leadership quality, gem, jewel, precious stone of character , demonstrated and exhibited by Busumuru Kofi Annan, “must be a great lesson to us all. Sometimes when people are given jobs to do, there are others who evaluate them positively only on the basis of the many favours they bestow upon certain interest groups, irrespective of whether such favours breach or give dignity to established principles.”

Graphic is of the opinion that it pays for public officials to be motivated and encouraged to discharge their duties with utmost commitment and dedication to the public interest. “More importantly,” it noted, “public officers must be unwavering in the discharge of their responsibilities in so far as they err on the path of the general good. Once they eschew selfishness, they are bound to succeed.”

In the concluding paragraph of that memorable editorial, the Paper wrote: “We are equally thankful to the government for acknowledging the worthy contributions of Busumuru Annan and also for its active participation in the welcoming process. That demonstrates that we recognise and appreciate our heroes. A Hearty welcome! Akwaaba, Busumuru Kofi Annan!!!” the Daily Graphic editorial ended.

Reconciliation

On Thursday, January 25, 2007, a day after the Daily Graphic’s editorial on Kofi Annan, the Paper carried another front page banner headline , screaming with joy: “KOFI’S ,MAGIC AT WORK:- His iconic nature pulls Mills to Castle, first time in six years.” For that day, I must commend all the Ghanaian media for magnificent job done.

If Kofi Annan can use his mere physical presence in Ghana to attract all political opponents including Professor Atta Mills like magnet and drag them to the seat of Government for the first time in half a dozen of years, then you know the kind of soul we are talking about in the man. For that feat, the man must be rechristened as the Paramount King of Peace.

Suggestions

May I make two simple suggestions for the consideration of the nation?

1. The State Protocol must organise a Special Nation-wide tour for Dr. Kofi Annan to visit each of the 138 districts of Ghana. There he must be seen, touched and spoken with  by all school children. The inspiration will be such that in the next 50 years, Ghana may produce more Kofi Annans for the world.

2. The Ministry of Tourism/Tourist Board should create a National Festival of Peace in commemoration of the Triumphant Return of Busumuru to the mother land and the bringing together of all political opponents at the seat of Government.

The day Dr. Kofi Annan will land in the Ewe land, he shall be hailed: TOGBEGA BUSUMURU, WOEZOR LOOOO!!!!! WOEZOR KAKAKAKAKA!!!!!

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

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic, 24/10/ 2007

MOBILE PHONE: A TOOL FOR MODERN FISHERMEN IN GHANA

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

 Daily Graphic,  25/10/ 2005

It is prudent to be guided by some of the thought-provoking African proverbs like this simple one: “A child who has never traveled before tends to think that only his mother knows how to cook delicious soup.”

Long, long ago; and long before the Pyramids of Egypt were built and before Amenhotep IV a.k.a Akhenaton who was the first human being to proclaim monotheism or the concept of One God, passed through transition in 1350 B.C., traditional fishermen went to sea with only two basic tools – a wooden canoe and fishing net. The canoe fishermen then could not sail into relatively deep sea to catch whatever fishes they wanted. They were compelled to spend long days and harsh nights at sea, all in vain like Apostle Peter and his colleagues before they met the Saviour, Jesus the Christ.

Later in the 19^th century, when automobile was invented and mechanical engineering advanced to a certain  degree of perfection, canoe fishermen added one more tool to their implements – the out-board motor. This tool helped tremendously to make sailing swift, fast and very smooth indeed. In fact, fishing became more pleasant and enjoyable. The canoes were propelled by four-stroke engines and fishermen could go as far as they wanted provided there was enough pre-mixed fuel in their petrol tank. The proud fishermen could ride and dive deep into the sea and chase fishes and harvest them in their very “dormitories” even when they were

 in the process of “procreating”.

In Ghana, during bumper harvest seasons, some fishermen had no choice but to dump some of their catches back into the sea to avoid selling them at heart-broken prices at the shore. Why? Because they did not have access to cold store facilities to preserve the extra catches for tomorrow. Further more; they did not have the means to communicate with their agents or customers beyond their immediate communities in advance to determine whether their catches could be sold at competitive prices else where. Thus, they were at the mercy of some unscrupulous middle women fish mongers.

Today, at the threshold of the 21st century, thanks to Information Communication Technology (ICT) particularly Mobile Telephony, fishermen in Ghana have added the fourth most important tool to their fishing equipment – Mobile Phone. Ghanaian fishermen may be characterized as the latest segment of the Ghanaian society, especially in the rural community to join the technological train wagon of mobile phone users.

On Wednesday November 23, 2005, this writer was invited in his capacity as a Journalist interested in ICT or online-journalism or cyber-journalism to join a group of researchers, headed by the Coordinator of the Technology Assessment Project (TAP) of the University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Amos Anyimadu on a study tour of some selected Districts in the Central Region of Ghana with particular focus on fisher folks at Moree.

Without attempting to bamboozle the reader with any ICT jargons such as “VSAT Technology”, “Telematics”, “Mobile telephony”, “Seamless Integration” and what have you, suffice to say that the purpose of the study tour was simply to find out how Information Communication Technology for Advanced Development (ICT4D) policy of the Government of Ghana was impacting on the rural communities in general. In this particular case the research was further narrowed down on how the fishermen at Moree were making use of Mobile Phones to enhance their traditional fishing business to improve upon their living standards.

Moree is a prominent fishing town along the coast of Ghana. It is about two hours’ drive west of Accra, off Accra-Takoradi road a few kilometers away from Cape Coast Township. It is located in the Abura, Asebu, Kwankese District. Moree now has a population of about 30.000 according to the 2000 population census. Even before the research team got to Moree, the team leader, Dr Anyimadu, decided that a stop-over be made at Apam, another progressive fishing town in the Central Region to briefly interact with some fishermen there to see whether the Mobile phone fiver in Ghana has caught up with them, too.

In fact, we reached Apam rather late about 7.30p.m to 8.00p.m. We asked and were directed to the actual area where typical fishermen and women live. The first question Dr Anyimadu asked in the language of the people (Fanti) was whether there was any Communication Centre in the area. A wooden kiosk was pointed out to us. Even though there was no electric light in it, it was operating as a Communication Centre alright.

Central Region fishermen were found to be very open and eager to offer information. As soon as they were made to understand the purpose of our visit in their community at that time of the day, the news spread like bush fires. They were told that we were a team of researchers from the University of Ghana trying to find out whether they had access to mobile phones. If yes, was there any way the communication gadgets were helping them to advance their businesses?

Within a twinkle of an eye, we were invaded by people and any questions put to them were responded to with alacrity. They even offered some information that we did not anticipate. They talked about how they use the mobile phones to check from their agents and customers from various parts of the country where the prices of fish were more competitive.

One revelation we did not know until then was that some fishermen go to sea only to buy fishes from other bigger fishing boats to come and sell. In a nutshell the Apam fishermen are making good use of the Communication Centres and “Space to Space operators” who are operating both fixed lines and mobile phones to enhance their fishing business. Shall I digress a bit?

About 18 years ago, precisely in September 1988, just after 12 months of the establishment of an Apam Community FM Station, I personally went to spend seven days in that town to administer survey questionnaires to a variety of respondents. The survey was in connection with my Project Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Diploma in Journalism of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Accra. My topic was “Communication and Organisation of Rural People for Development: A Case Study of Apam FM Station”. In fact the survey covered Apam and Mannford fishing communities. Even though the Station had been in existence for barely one year at the time, I wanted to know if it was making any impact on the rural people. As a matter of fact, the Apam Community FM Station was an experimental Project of the Ghana Broad Casting Corporation (GBC). The experiment was based on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) concept of Rural Broadcasting.

What was fascinating about the Apam FM Station was that, at that time, Ghana was the second country in Africa (after Kenya), selected by UNESCO to benefit from the Community FM Station Programme initiated by what was known as the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC).The Station was commissioned on September 26, 1987 by the then Ag. PNDC Secretary for Information, Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi on behalf of the then Chairman J.J.Rawlings.

One major benefit that the fishermen derived from that Community FM Station, according to the survey was that, every dawn before they embarked on their fishing expeditions, they would wait and listen to the weather forecast for the day on the radio in their own language before they went to sea. That service the Station was rendering them was more valuable to them than anything else in their vocation or trade. It helped them avoid storms and other unpredictable hazards at sea.

Thus, besides, relevant information, education, entertainment and other motivational programmes that the station was broadcasting to mobilize the rural folks for development as far as communication was concerned, the people were allowed to go to the studio to undertake some unique traditional performances themselves. Today (2005), the Apam Community FM Station is “dead”. The fishermen lamented when I inquired on Wednesday 23 November, 2005 when the Technology Assessment Project team visited the town. Apam fishermen expressed the desire to have their Community FM Station back. According to them, the 10kw transmitter donated by UNESCO has broken down and the Station had been off air for the past seven years or so.

Now, they had to rely on Adom FM in Tema or Peace FM in Accra to listen to the weather forecast. May I take the liberty to suggest that the District Assembly responsible for Apam, the Member of Parliament for that constituency in collaboration with GBC, if possible, should do some feasibility study of the Community FM Station and come up with a proposal for the consideration of UNESCO for technical support to see if that Radio Station could not be revived for the development communication of the rural people?

On Thursday, November 24, 2005, the Technology Assessment Project study team continued with their research findings at Moree. There is one Communication Centre in Moree, called “Shalom Communication Centre”. It has one fixed line. The land line telephone number is virtually known to everybody in the town. With this strategy whoever in the town receives a call from any part of the country through the Communication Centre can be sent for to respond for a fee. The Communication Centre owner also has a mobile phone in addition to his fixed line. There are three other people who are operating “Table-top Space to Space system” in the town. Those who have mobile phones have to search for a suitable location to position themselves in order to receive network connectivity otherwise, their handsets will only be “museum pieces” in their hands. Mobile phone operating companies should not only crowd themselves in Accra and other big cities. They must consider investing in rural communities, too. They will still make profit considering what we saw at Moree.

In an interview with the chief fisher of Moree, Nana Fin and some of his elders, the Mobile phone has become one of the most important tools they are now using to enhance their business as far as the fishery industry is concerned. According to Chief fisherman, he himself has two mobile phones. He himself does no longer go to sea often. Therefore, when his people are sailing, he gives one mobile phone to them to take along. He keeps one with himself at home. With this strategy communication link is established between him and his fishermen at sea.

He explains that whenever there is any problem such as a shortage of pre-mixed fuel or someone falls sick at sea the fishermen at sea use the mobile phone to communicate with him at home. Then he will quickly respond and arrange for solution to whatever might be the difficulty being encountered at sea. Nana Fin is very happy and proud for this dimension brought about in their vocation thanks to Mobile Telephony. He recalls that previously, when his fishermen went to sea for about three or more days without any feedback, he would be restless until they returned safely. “But these days I am always in contact with my people at sea if only they are within 30km to 40km radius away from me. And I am able to know whatever is happening until they come back to shore”, he said with broad smiles in his face.

Furthermore, with the Mobile phone he could verify the prices of fish at various market places at Tema, Kumasi, Koforidua or even Accra before his people land with their catches. Other fishermen spoken to in Moree concurred with the Chief Fisherman. Messrs Kobina Otu, Mark Pratt and Kofi Sarsah, all of whom have one mobile phone each were very proud to possess the modern communication gadget which is making their business more enjoyable. They are calling on mobile phone operators to come and open mobile phone shops at Moree because more people are eager to acquire the equipment as part of heir fishing implements.

Nevertheless, the fisher folks of Moree have one particular problem which is militating against the smooth operation of the canoe fishing industry in the area. According to fishermen interviewed the basic problem is the use of very powerful lights by some fishing trawlers or boats in fishing in their waters. They said this problem has been persisting for over two years now and all efforts made to obtain the attention of authorities concerned to help solve the problem prove futile. They complained bitterly that the use of the powerful lights tends to drive the fishes away from canoe fishermen who are not able to do deep sea fishing. In fact the Chief fisherman of Moree stated that because of this problem the business of women fishmongers in the town has virtually come to an end. “Now our women are leaving for Abidjan, Kumasi and other places because they don’t have work to do in our town” he lamented.

Mr. Kobina Otu, another leading fisherman, put his lamentation in a rather philosophical fashion thus: “Look us,” he chipped in. “We don’t have forest into which we can go and hunt for games or cultivate cash crops like cocoa and so on. Fishing is the only vocation we depend on to feed ourselves, cloth our wives, and above all to education our children. If today others are making it impossible for us to undertake our God-given career, then what are we living for?”, he queried hypothetically. Moree fishermen are therefore, appealing to the authorities concerned to come to their aid by stopping those who are using the powerful lights in fishing in their area of operation.

The Technology Assessment Project has been mandated by the Ghana Office of the World Bank and other partners to undertake a radio production on Information and Decentralized Development. A follow-up forum on Mobile Communication will take place at Busy Internet in Accra on December 5, 2005, while in-depth research findings of the Moree study tour will be published in a book later. Ghana now has no choice but to

embrace ICT to accelerate its development strategy for the prosperity of the nation.

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

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic,  25/10/ 2005

TAKING ICTs CLOSER TO RURAL PEOPLE IN GHANA

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

Daily Graphic, Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Once upon a time, the only means of transport available to mankind were human feet. There was no automobile, no locomotive, no ‘sea-craft’, let alone an air-craft. But then, King Hyena and King Tortoise had to embark upon a long journey to a common destination.

The two friends were to participate in a very crucial council of traditional rulers' meeting that was to adopt a resolution to transform all satellite kingdoms into one mighty kingdom with one supreme King. Of course, they had no choice but to make the trip on foot.

However, because King Hyena was faster than King Tortoise, he left him behind and rushed to the meeting. Eventually the two friends reached their destination and successfully accomplished their mission. There is, therefore, this African proverb which reminds that: "Wherever Hyena will go, Tortoise, too, can go; the only difference may be the time each of them will reach their destination."

Ghana, like Malaysia, Singapore and other technologically minded countries, is today gradually but steadily taking Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) to rural communities so as to bridge the digital divide between the urban dwellers and the rural folks in the country.

One strategy Ghana Government has adopted to achieve this feat is the establishment of Community Information Centres (CICs) in all 138 districts throughout the country. The ultimate goal is to establish the CICs in all the 230 constituencies in Ghana. In fact the beauty underlining this concept is to replicate miniature kinds of Ghana-India Kofi Annan of Advanced Information Technology Centre of Excellence in all corners of the country. No matter how long it will take Government to accomplish this seemingly insurmountable task, the important fact is that Government has taken the first step towards the realisation of this vision and mission.

 It must be borne in mind that those countries like Singapore and others who are leading in this field of endeavour, known as E-Government started their journey almost 30 years ago. So Ghana, too, will get there. In this context, E-Government simply stands for Electronic Government. And Electronic Government signifies Governments providing public services to their citizens electronically or online. In Singapore, Government slogan is: Whatever services that can be provided electronically must be delivered electronically. Simple and short.

ICT Policy

It is relevant to mention in passing that Ghana Government through the Ministry of Communications, in 2003 formulated an ICT policy dubbed, Information and Communication Technology for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD). This policy can be characterised as the foundation upon which Ghana's vision for the information age was built. As a matter of fact the Ghana ICT4AD is the concrete evidence of the government's objective to ensure the availability of quality and affordable access to information and communications services to facilitate the transformation of Ghana into knowledge-based society and technological driven-economy as ratified by the country at the World Summit on Information Society in 2005.

The formulation of the ICT4AD also takes in account the aspirations and the provisions of key socio-economic development framework documents such as Ghana's vision 2020 the First Step; the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) 2002-2004; the Co-ordinated Programme for Economic and Social Development of Ghana (2003-2012). This has been updated within the thee-pronged Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) II development strategy. The focus is to enable Ghana attain her developmental goals faster and more efficiently.

At the time of writing this piece, Ghana Government has drawn up comprehensive Development Action Plans out of the ICT Development Policy. The implementation plans outlined specific areas of focus, dubbed Sub-plans. These include: the E-Government Sub-plan; the Accelerated Human Development Sub-plan; the E-education Sub-plan; the Private Sector Development Sub-plan and the E-Commerce Development Sub-plan.

 Others are the E-Health Sub-plan; the ICT and Physical Infrastructure Development and Roll-out Sub-plan; the Legal, Regulatory, Institutional Provisions and Standards Sub-plan; the Industrial, Scientific Research Drive and Promotion Sub-plan; Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Drive in ICTs ; the E-Security Sub-plan and above all, the ICTs-in-Community Sub-plan; just to cite a few.

It is the ICTs-in-Community Sub-plan which is the special point of reference in this article. This plan is targeted at programmes and initiatives for facilitating rapid deployment of ICTs within the community especially in the rural zones to promote universal access to and the exploitation of ICTs and its resources in the population at large. And one of the concrete measures Government has adopted in achieving this transfer of ICTs to the rural dwellers is the establishment of the Community Information Centres (ICT) in various districts of the country.

CICs

Ghana's Ministry of Communications since 2005 has embarked on infrastructure development of CICs at the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies throughout the country. So far 71 CICs have been established in selected communities. The communities have been selected based on certain existing facilities such as electricity, telephones and so on in those communities.

It is important to underline the fact that the CICs are at various state of development. In other words, not all the established 71 CICs are in full operation yet.

According to survey and evaluation mission conducted by the office of the UNDP in Accra in April, 2007, various CICs are at various operational and functional levels. For example, out of the total number of 71, five have been commissioned (C); eight have been classified as fully operationalised and functional (OF); two are described as operationalised (O); 11 of them are categorised as pending operationalisation (PO) and another 11 referred to as ready, while 34 are placed on status of Civil Works (CW).

It must be noted that some of the terms used here to describe the status of the CICs are more or less technical and can best be interpreted by the technical experts. This writer is only trying to disseminate relevant public information for the benefit of the people of Ghana and beyond, and as such, will not pretend to be an ICT expert at all.

This year (2007) Government is determined to establish at least two CICs with full operational capacity in each of the ten regions of the country before the end of the year. And when we talk of CIC with full operational capacity, we mean a Centre that is fully equipped not only with machines but with the human being with ICT skills and managerial know how, who will operate the equipment and manage the Centre as well.

 In this regard a fully operationalised and functional level CIC must have the following: The physical building itself with electricity and telephone facilities; the Local Area Network (LAN); at least five (5) workstations, that is computers; one Server; one Switch; one Printer; one Scanner and five (5) UPSs. One may ask what are some of the services that a CIC is supposed to render to the community. And I will further probe to know the targeted beneficiaries of CICs in a typical deprived community.

Basically, a CIC has a responsibility to provide not only an Internet cyber cafe services to the community, which is so far, the focus of most CICs visited in April this year. But the CICs are mandated to provide ICT training opportunity to the rural brothers and sisters in the area of basic computer literacy so that they will not see a computer as some ferocious creature ready to devour them whenever they touch it.

Further, the CICs are to support business activities in rural communities by providing marketing information on improved agricultural production and extension services. More importantly, the CICs are strategically positioned to disseminate and educate rural folks on government policies, programmes and projects, especially in the areas of health, education, agriculture, environment, local government by-laws, tourism potentials and investment opportunities in their own localities and how they can tap those using ICT tools.

And the main beneficiaries of CICs among others are the general community members, school children, youth out of school, women and women groups, private business entities, Non-governmental organisations, local government authorities and of course our most venerable traditional authorities.

Stake holders

There are several stake holders or collaborators including the Ministry of Communications, the Assemblies themselves, the UNDP, the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications (GIFTEL) and the Ministry of Information and National Orientation (MINO), who are putting their expertise at the disposal of the CICs to make them really productive and to live up to expectation. There are other indirect development partners, playing crucial roles behind the scenes such as the World Bank, the International Institute for Communication Development (IICD) and others.

MINO for instance, is responsible for the content development and management of the CICs. In other words, it is the Ministry of Information and National Orientation through the Information Services Department that has the mandate to employ its experience in the communication and dissemination of public information and the technical know how in editorial matters of information gathering, processing, packaging and disseminating to the grassroots people in the rural zones through the famous ISD Cinema Vans. Information Services Department also has offices doted in most districts with officers who have the technical know how of sending feed-back to government to assess the impact of its policies on ordinary people in the street.

With the coming into being of CICs it has become imperative for these Information Officers to acquire relevant ICT skills in order to support the CICs in content management strategies. This is where, UNDP deserves tons of commendation for teaming up with Ghana Government by providing technical and financial support in the area of capacity building for MINO in training Information Officers to enable them upgrade themselves so as to add modern technique of information dissemination using ICT tools in addition to their traditional know-how.

Capacity Building

During the first and second weeks of June, 2007, UNDP organised a 'Train-the-Trainer' Course in ICTs for selected 22 Information Officers including some District Information Officers at the Ghana Multi-media Information Centre (GMIC) in Accra. At the closing session of that capacity building programme, Ghana's Minister for Information and Orientation, Hon.Kwamena Bartels (MP), was full of praise to the UNDP for their commitment to supporting Government in achieving its ICT 4 AD goals in the country.

The Minister disclosed that his Ministry had just embarked on a nation-wide recruitment exercise and over 116 additional District Information Officers are expected to be appointed to fill vacancies in the remaining districts where officers are not currently available. He pointed out that the CICs have come to stay and are to contribute to get the people at the grassroots to "be informed and enlightened to enable them make informed choices."

Honourable Bartels stated that a series of ICT capacity building programmes would be lined up for all new Information Officers to be engaged to acquire the requisite skills in content management to enable them discharge their duties effectively and efficiently at the CICs where they would be posted to. He, therefore, placed UNDP on "red-alert" to stand by. As he put it, "Oliver Twist…"

Mr Fredrick Ampiah, Partnership Advisor and Head of Partnership Unit at the UNDP who represented the UNDP Country Director in Ghana was of the view that the entire country was strategically positioned to achieve the time-bound Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015. He noted that, "the initiative of developing ICT capacity within the Information Services Department will not only serve as the foundation for the full utilisation of the CIC concept, but will also go a long way to improve the creation of knowledge based societies in the rural areas where the majority of Ghanaians live."

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

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic, Tuesday, June 26, 2007.

RE-ENGINEERING THE GHANAIAN MENTALITY FOR 2057

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

Daily Graphic,  23/10/ 2007

An African proverb prompts us that: “if Sunday will be magnificent and glorious, it is Saturday that will send the signal.” The year 2007 seems to be poised to be “butubutu paaa.” Ghana will be 50 years old. The golden jubilee fiver is already being felt in the year 2006. But this writer is thinking of the year 2057 when Ghana will be celebrating her 100 years of independence.

Well, there is nothing wrong with celebrating a golden jubilee of one’s country in grand style. But if you take Ghana as your personal loving mother who is celebrating her 50th birthday on sick bed, suffering from, say, a stroke. How will you feel? This is why this writer will like to caution that we should not over jubilate while our mother Ghana has one side of her brain not functioning properly.

The truth is that it is we Ghanaians who made Ghana what it is today; whether good or bad. There might be some external forces that might have contributed to our forwardness or backwardness, depending on your own philosophy of life. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Whichever you are, let’s remember this African proverb which says:

“When you spit on the ground, you don’t collect it back with your tongue.” In other words, in this context, it will not serve us any purpose to engage in blame game. Shall we look ahead and make Ghana a better place to live in in the next 50 years than we have had it in the last half a century?

Wealth

Ghana, by all standards is not a pour country at all. Ghana has been endowed with unimaginable natural resources, such as gold, diamond, bauxite, manganese, even there is some oil somewhere, only we don’t seem to know where and how to extract that oil. Is it in the Keta lagoon or in the lake Bosomtwi? We are not too sure which is which.

Where are the Ghanaian geologists and other relevant scientists? Ghana has cocoa, coffee, cotton and even cashew. Ghana has ground-nut, palm-nut, coco-nut, shed-nut, cola-nut, tiger-nut, and what not? Ghana has arable lands lying fallow from Ningo in the Greater Accra region to Bongo in the Upper East region that can grow any food crop under the sun, such as maize, rice, millet, sorghum, soya beans and other beans.

As for cassava, yam, coco-yam and plantain, even if we plant them on top of the Kwahu Mountains they will yield. Fruits? Ghana has mangoes, oranges, pineapples, guava, avocado pea, bananas, black berets and many more. Livestock? Ghana has one of the most conducive tropical climates on this planet of free air that can breed any livestock from the kingdom of animals. Is it cattle, poultry, piggery or what? Ghana can produce tortoises, ostriches and even crocodiles for export. As for snails, they are roaming in our forests free of charge. We only have to pick them and have sumptuous palm-nut cum “kontomire” soups. “wo mpe wo yi a – wo pe dien?” To wit: if you don’t like this – what do you want in life?

Rivers, you mean? Ghana has some of the most magnificent rivers in Africa. We have Pra River, Densu River, Ankobra River, and others that are yet to be discovered by Mongo Park? As for the Volta River, it started flowing from the belly of land-locked Burkina Faso. When it reached Ghana, nature ordered it to spread its octopus-like tentacles on our soil before heading to the gulf of guinea into the Atlantic Ocean. And it has been flowing all year-round non-stop since the day the Creator instructed it to do so.

But we are still sleeping in darkness because we cannot develop the appropriate technology to convert the running waters into dams for any productive purposes, be it for irrigation of legumes or hydro-electric power for our universities, where engineers are being produced. In Singapore, it took a teenage girl engineer to solve the human waste problem by inventing a machine that converts rubbish into electric power.

Look at Libya; they have no such natural rivers anywhere. Yet they have been able to create an artificial river from under the ground and they are turning their deserts into virgin forests. Even ordinary carrots we have to import them from Burkina Faso for our “wakye” sellers to use. Where are the Ghanaian agricultural specialists? Is something fundamentally wrong with us Ghanaians? Can we take a second look at our educational system again? Ghanaians are capable people by nature. Just take the out-going UN Secretary-General, Busumuru Kofi Annan, as an epitome the Ghanaian.

Now, it appears we cannot solve any simple socio-economic problems on our own. Rather, when the seemingly natural death of the expression “culture of silence” occurred in the Ghanaian vocabulary, everybody was plunged and baptised in the sea of free talks. As a result, almost every Ghanaian has become a “born-again-talking consultant”, working as experts in the talking industry of the country.

Things to watch

As long as we respond to the accolade of the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC), we must take it that Ghana, our beloved mother land, has one part of its body paralysed. The question we must ask ourselves is: Why do we have so much, yet we are so poor? And the majority of our people are taking slave salaries that cannot take them from the bank to their homes? You don’t have to go to Jerusalem to look for the answers. The answers are our mind-set, attitude, behaviours, conducts, actions, deeds, comportments and life style.

 What do I mean? If one person will like to fill his belly to the brim of his mouth while others can starve to hell, is it the best philosophy of life? Greed and selfishness. Corruption, bribery, dishonesty, malfeasance, fraud and narcotic ventures. We must watch these little, little things as we embark on the celebration of our golden jubilee as a nation.

Political corruption, where one person will want to carry the entire national revenue for the year into a canoe and paddle it across the high seas and dump it into a corrupt bank in Europe and elsewhere, so that when he or she is no longer in power, he or she can go and “chop” it alone.

Cultural corruption, where one traditional ruler who has the custody of the land in trust for his people, will want to sell all the lands without thinking of the third generation. Even after selling the lands, instead of investing the proceeds into productive ventures for the unborn youth, he or she will use the money to marry 177 wives and spend the rest on “homeboy” or “kill me quick” or “agban”, popularly known as apketeshie. Why?

Religious corruption, where one so-called “man of god” will use all modern marketing strategies in the name of Jesus, to extort the last Ghana Cedi from the orphans among the congregation. Then he will buy a private jet for himself and his “Osofomami” and be junketing the globe, preaching prosperity minus salvation, while the poor souls resign themselves to a corner in the kingdom of poverty. All this, my brother, makes Ghana what it is today. Do we have to blame somebody for our woes?

It is against this backdrop that I say we Ghanaians need mental re-engineering for the coming 50 years. Re-engineering, according to Dr.Colin Quek of the National University of Singapore, means: “the fundamental rethinking and radical re-design of an entire business system.” In this context, let’s take Ghana as a business entity. To re-engineer, you must re-focus. And to re-focus you must change. When changing, you must know where you are coming from, where you are and where you want to be. The goal of reengineering is quality rather than quantity.

Therefore, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our nationhood in 2007, we should not over-dose ourselves with jubilation and self aggrandisement. We must not plunge ourselves into the sea of champagne and whisky, imported with the scare foreign exchange we must use to develop our agaric sector to produce enough food to feed ourselves and our industries.

Every Ghanaian citizen has a responsibility to help the government of the day to make life a bit more meaningful for all of us. We must change our approach to duty. Our work ethics must change for the better. A situation where we treat government or public property as none of our business must change. That is what I mean by re-engineering of the Ghanaian mentality. Period!

As we jubilate, we must not forget the fact that some other Ghanaians sacrificed their lives to make it possible for us to celebrate a golden jubilee of nationhood in 2007. We must be grateful to them for their efforts. What legacy shall we also leave for those who will celebrate the centenary of our mother Ghana in 2057?

The author works with information services department ISD  abissath@gmail.com

NB: this article was first published by the Daily Graphic,  23/10/ 2007

THE AGONY OF THE GHANAIAN WRITER AT THE FEET OF THE BOOKSELLER

By Mawutodzl K. Abissath

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2006.

Do you remember this popular Ghanaian saying that: "Monkey 'dey' work Baboon 'dey' chop?" It is a very painful experience indeed! You may not appreciate its psychological impact until you are baptised into it. 

Philosophically, creativity goes hand in hand with inspiration while inspiration moves side by side with motivation. Thus, to a certain degree, a creative person may need some speck of inspiration in order to create. And to some extent, some spark of motivation may be needed to ignite the engine of inspiration. All this may depend on the person's own inclinations, anyway.

In Ghana, there is a general perception that Ghanaians do not read. This perception may be real or otherwise. If it is real, then why? There is also a perception that Ghanaians do not write. This may also be true or false. If it is true, then again why? Can a serious creative nation write and read textbooks only? To attempt to provide answers to the preceding rhetorical questions, this writer will like to share his personal experience with the reader about the agony, anguish, ordeal, pain, torture, stress, suffering and woes a Ghanaian writer had to endure not only in the hands but  also at the feet of some booksellers in Ghana.

In order not to jump the gun, it will be more prudent to assert that there are thousand and one reasons why Ghanaians do not write. Socio-economic, political or even cultural factors, as well as the high cost of printing material can be cited. But to this writer, the certificate of humiliation and contempt some book sellers present to writers as their rewards for writing, tends to play a dominant role in the non-writing culture in the country.

In 1994, this author had his first work published after the manuscript had been in hibernation with the publisher for ten years. Yes, ten years. It was a collection of poems for children.

             

As a matter of fact, the publisher gave me a very nice, diplomatic explanation. "You see, as  a rule we don't normally publish poetry because Ghanaians don't read poetry. But we decided to publish your poems because we find them unique," he said. As to whether I gained anything for writing that book only Jesus knows.

As if by design, ten years later, in 2004, another book, this time of African proverbs, which I co-authored with my late friend, Albin Korem (May his soul rest in peace) was published. The manuscript of this book, too, had had to journey from one publisher to another for over seven years with promises to publish it. When we were frustrated and disappointed enough, we decided to publish it ourselves.

This was how and why my friend had to finance the printing of that work. It was only upon taking delivery of the books and sending them onto the market that we got to know the punishment awaiting a writer in the court of a bookseller.

First of all some booksellers will expect you the writer to give them the book on the "sale or return" basis commission of over 25 per cent to 35 per cent or even more. The implication is that, depending on the cover price of the book, you the writer will go hungry and hang yourself while the  seller feeds fat on your sweat.

The truth is that the seller is totally oblivious of whatever energy, time and money the writer might have spent in terms of research, let alone the sleepless nights he might have stayed on his bare buttocks burning the midnight candle to write the book. And while the writer is racking his brain in the night, the seller is snoring in dream land "hornnrrrr- hornnrrrrr- hornrrrrr!"

One bitter experience encountered was the cheating character of some booksellers in this country. While the writer, taking into account the non-reading culture of the Ghanaian, prices his book in such a way that ordinary readers can afford to buy it, some booksellers who are only interested in making undeserved profit will accept to sell the book at the approved discount percentage only to turn round to illegally inflate the price of the book in the absence of the writer.

This selfish attitude on the part of some book vendors tends to drive away even the few prospective readers who may be desirous of buying the book. A practical example is the situation where a book that was priced at ¢65,000.00 was being sold for between ¢75,000.00 and ¢150,000.00 a copy by some bookshops in this land of our death. This makes it extremely difficult for humble Ghanaians to afford to buy the book.

The result is that only a few foreigners and some tourists are able to buy the book. Apart from cheating the public, these booksellers are being unfair to the writer who may want to dispose of the first edition as quickly as possible so as to come out with the next one.

In fact some of the booksellers are so insensitive to the plight of the writer that, they will  laugh and jubilate if the writer goes to commit suicide. Why should this be so? There is an African proverb which says that: ''You must not bite the finger that feeds you." If there were no writers on this planet of interdependence, what will the bookshop owners be selling? Books all over the world are written by writers.

Therefore, booksellers must not wish the downfall or the demise of writers. The day the last writer will die the last book seller will also go to hell. Another unthinkable experience this writer has gone through and continues to go through is the fact that, after some bookshops have actually finished selling the entire stock supplied to them and have taken their legitimate commissions plus their "illegal/immoral profits", they feel reluctant giving the author's little share to him.

Rather, they adopt a "go come; go-come" strategy to humiliate the writer as if he was a vagabond in the kingdom of street beggars. This is mind boggling and not a laughing matter at all, reader!  This author can place his left hand over his heart and the right hand over the left and vouch that Ghanaians are not lazy writers at all.

There are gifted writers in Ghana who can write from January to December non-stop. Just take a glance at the magnificent way some Ghanaian journalists write and you will concur with me that there are brilliant writers in Ghana. But nobody has the appetite to write a book because they dread the verdict awaiting them at the end of the rainbow. It is like writing a book is not only misdemeanor but a first degree felony in Ghana.

My late co-author, Albin Korem, went to his grave with this kind of notion in his heart. When he was alive, he would sometimes rush to my office after going round the bookshops, begging them to pay him in vain. Then he would weep like a child. And I would be consoling him. He could not understand why some bookshop owners would finish selling our books, took their profits whether legitimate or otherwise but refused to pay him his due. Now he is gone and I am dancing to the tune of this uncharitable behaviour of some bookshops in Ghana. Is it fair?

On the other hand, some bookshop owners are not only honest, but kind and loving indeed! They will motivate and encourage you to write more books and supply them to their shops so that they can sell them and get their commission.

God bless such booksellers. But for those who take delight in cheating and frustrating writers, they must go and wash their shame in the Atlantic Ocean. One cardinal truth is that writers will always need sellers to market their products for them. But booksellers can never get books to sell if there are no writers.

While writers can decide to sell their own books the same cannot be said of sellers unless they are writers themselves as well. In some countries, writers do not go round begging for payment of their works. The beauty of the book industry is that if booksellers can focus on selling books and pay writers correctly, fairly and promptly, instead of writers hobbling from shop to shop begging for their own payment, they will have time to sit down and relax. They will then take three deep breaths, visualise, concentrate, contemplate, meditate and receive inspirations from the Supreme Creator so as to create more works for all to enjoy the benefits. 

If Ghanaian booksellers frustrate writers to their graves there will be no Ghanaian writers in Ghana. Ghana will remain a nation of consumers of everything including foreign books.  When will Ghana also start exporting Ghanaian books in drove? Shall we ever be guided by this principle that: "The black hen that lays the white egg must not have its neck squeezed out of the existence?"

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

This article was first published by the Daily Graphic.  Wednesday November 1, 2006.

MARKETING GHANA ABROAD THROUGH INFORMATION

By Mawutodzl K. Abissath

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2002.

AT exactly 12 midnight on Wednesday, March 6, 2002, Ghana would have attained 45 years of nationhood. And even though 45 years is relatively short in the life of a nation, Ghana must see herself as mature enough to manage her own affairs as a sovereign state.

On Thursday, February 21, 2002, Hon Yaw Osafo-Maafo, (MP), Ghana's first Finance Minister of the 21st Century had a unique honour to present Ghana's Power House of Democracy, the second statement of Economic Policies and Budget of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

As a matter of fact, this year's budget presentation ceremony was one of the most fascinating in the true sense of the word, not the least because of the jovial atmosphere in which the event took place.

There were many editors, senior journalists and representatives of almost all leading newspapers both public and privately owned, as well as national and local radio and television stations who were there to throw "journalistic blows" at the Finance Minister.

One journalist queried the Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs as to what was being done by his ministry to promote Ghana overseas. This was the way he put the question: "Jake, we know that you are very good at marketing products. What are you doing to market Ghana abroad, because we know you can do it!"

It was at this stage that Hon Obetsebi-Lamptey disclosed that his ministry had drawn up a comprehensive marketing strategy to sell Ghana overseas. But he was careful not to reveal every thing too early at that forum. So, he told the journalists that very soon, his ministry will make public how the NPP government intends to promote Ghana abroad. Information is crucial for the success of the golden age of business policy, he emphasised. Jake, then pointed his first right finger towards the Finance Minister and said: "Everything I want to do will depend on this man. If I have a fine Action Plan for Ghana, but this man does not give me the money, I cannot do anything."

The journalist who posed the question then pleaded: "Please, please, mister minister, give the Information Minister the money he needs to market our country abroad for us": This added to the fun. It was a very refreshing and interesting encounter. In fact, if politicians can take journalists into confidence and make themselves available for information, there will never be any problem between them.

Ghana can no longer toy with its information sector. Information is no longer only a propaganda tool for governments to use for self aggrandisement purposes.

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

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic, Wednesday, March 6, 2002.