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

 Ghana goes digital for sustainable economic development

By Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath

  From Analogue to  Digital  Television 

A simple African proverb advises:  “If your friend is more handsome than you are, admit it and praise him.” Both of you will be happy and support each other.

Once upon a time, there lived Hyena and Tortoise.That was even long before the sun started rising from the east and setting in the west. Hyena and Tortoise were neither friends nor enemies. But none of them appreciated anything good about the other.  

One day, Kweku Ananse who was the Governor of the animal kingdom, invited all dwellers of the kingdom for an international conference that would be beheld in his palace. Hyena and Tortoise were to attend this conference where very important issues relating to sustainable development were to be discussed. Otherwise their children would perish through hunger and starvation.

Hyena and Tortoise had to travel for three days to reach the conference venue. At that time the only means of transport available was “AD One, One” that is, walking.  There was no horse, no bicycle, no car, no ship, let alone an airplane.

Because Tortoise knew that he was not fast enough in walking, he set off four days before the conference day. He knew it would take him three days to get to his destiny and needed at least one extra day to take some rest and prepare himself very well for the main event so that he would not dose off and snore during the conference session.  

On the other hand, because Hyena also knew that he could run faster than all the animals in the kingdom, he waited and set off two days to the conference. On the way, he saw some delicious carcass and said to himself: “Let me sit down for a moment and enjoy this delicacy before I continue with my journey.”

Just as Hyena was about devouring his feast, another Hyena appeared from nowhere. Then another, and another and they started fighting over the meal. Hyena spent the entire day fighting but could not even get a morsel of the meat to eat. He became so exhausted by the time the fight ended that he could not get enough energy to run as fast as he could have done. Hence, Hyena could not to reach his destination before the conference started. The doors were locked when Governor Kweku Ananse entered the conference hall. Sometimes, over confidence does not pay.

The object of this article is not to tell a story to children by the fire side. But to commend the Ministry of Communications, (MoC) the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Digital Broadcasting Migration Committee (DBMC) for officially launching Ghana’s Digital Migration Publicity Campaign recently.

It is imperative to underscore the fact that, Publicity Campaign for such a crucial national event cannot take place without a broadcasting policy. Such a policy then becomes the rock upon which the entire broadcasting structure must be built for national development. As a developing country, Ghana cannot and should not allow the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution that has reduced the entire world into a miniature community to pass by.  

In fact, Africa as a whole must no longer sit down with hands in lap, staring into the empty air for the Information revolution to pass by as the industrial revolution did a couple of centuries ago. This time around, posterity will not forgive the Continent for negligence of responsibility.  It is against this background that the formulation of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Broadcasting Policy before the launch of Digital Migration Publicity Campaign was in the right direction.

It is relevant to enlighten Ghanaian youths that it is over 80 years since broadcasting started in Ghana. It was precisely in July 1935 when our colonial master, the British, introduced a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) relay station in our capital city Accra. That station was code-named radio ZOY.

There was nothing like the now defunct Radio Eye, established by Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby aka Tarzan, Joy FM, Radio Gold, Peace FM, or what have you?  At that time broadcasting in Ghana was mainly radio, and Radio Ghana was the champion. The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) was the only and supreme broadcasting station in the country, monopolizing the airwaves.

It was only the state that owned and controlled radio stations. The word competition did not exist in the broadcasting dictionary in the country. As for television broadcasting, it is a baby industry. It was born as recently as 1965. That was, eight solid years after Ghana’s independence in 1957. So, even those who were born a year after independence were older than television broadcasting in Ghana.  Television broadcasting at the time was in black and white. Colour television was introduced in 1985 and most of the children born in the 1990s may not have watched black and while images on a screen before.

Since 1965, what is technically referred to as “Terrestrial Television broadcasting in Ghana has been in analogue.  Records show that it was in 2008 that a pilot terrestrial Digital Video Broadcasting system (DVB-T) was installed by GBC here in Accra.

As narrated in the story above, Ghana knew that she could not technologically run as fast as some advanced nations (Hyena), so she started gradually but steadily as (Tortoise).  Ghana set off on the journey from analogue to digital broadcasting destination slowly. In 2010, GBC launched a DVB-T transmission network in Accra and Kumasi. That was how Ghana started the process of migration from analogue broadcasting to Digital Migration Television (DTT).

Various Governments since independence were cautious and prudent but progressive in this regard. One of the objectives is to ensure that the DTT process was well coordinated and organised systematically. To this end, a committee of experts known as Digital Broadcasting Migration Committee (DBMC) was set up. Through the work of this committee, Government hit the ground running with DVB-T2 transmission in 2013. There is no doubt that, like Tortoise, Ghana will slowly but surely reach the digital television-broadcasting destination before the appointed time.  

Dr Edward Omane-Boamah, Ghana’s Minister for Communications who officially launched the DTT Broadcasting Policy recently, informed the nation that Ghana’s migration from analogue to digital broadcasting would be carried out in phases, “with the ‘switch on’ of digital transmission, preceding the ‘switch off’ of analogue transmission on September 21, 2017.” The policy document can easily be accessed on the Ministry’s website http://www.moc.gov.gh/images/Articles/Draft-DTT-Policy--2016.pdf.

The 1992 Republican Constitution does not allow any institution to do things as they please. The Ministry of Communications and its Agencies cannot wake up one morning and dictate to Ghanaians how the DTT Broadcasting Policy must be implemented. “Kpaooo!”

Legal and Regulatory Framework had to be put in place first. This is one reason why sometimes people with revolutionary spirit feel a bit frustrated. According to the Policy, certain existing laws, policies and regulations that must guide the effective implementation of the digital policy ought to be amended accordingly.

The DTT Policy document identifies the following among other things:  

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation Decree, 1968, (NLCD 226); the National Media Commission Act, 1993, (Act 449); the National Media Commission Policy, 2000; the National Media Commission Broadcasting Standards, 2000; the National Media Commission Guidelines for local language broadcasting, 2000 and the National Communications Authority Act, 2008 (Act 769).

The rest are the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775); the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772); the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011 (LI991) and the National Telecommunications Policy, 2005.  As you can see, democracy goes hand in hand with patience. This is why, as a nation that has adopted democratic principles, sometimes, we should not be too harsh with ourselves.

Another major objective of the DTT Policy as underlined in the policy document is to guarantee the availability of all existing terrestrial analogue television stations in digital formats in at least their current existing coverage areas. In other words, when the policy is fully implemented, no television stations will be denied or deprived of extending its broadcasting services to its current coverage areas. That is my layman’s understanding of that objective.

The objective that fascinates me most states: “To free up relevant spectrum of economic value from the broadcasting service for telecommunication and other services of value to the state. If I understand this objective right, then Ghana should be better off economically with the implementation of the DTT Policy.

As a developing country, Ghana must ensure that all  available natural resources including all factors of production,  be it land, sea, air as well as “relevant spectrum” are put to productive  use for sustainable economic development for the prosperity  of present and future generations of our beloved mother and – Ghana.

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) in Accra.