Sep 12, 2013 at 3:07pm

‘Winner Takes All’ Syndrome In Ghana

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COMMENTARY ON THE WINNER TAKES ALL PHENOMENA IN GHANA

It is often said in Ghana that it is wiser to yield to demands to sell one's mother for power because after attaining the power, one can comfortably get back his or her mother. This demonstrates the might of power in our part of the world. It is therefore not surprising that in Ghana, what has become known as ‘the winner takes all’ politics is pervasive. A political party is either in or out. It therefore came as no surprise to many when at a lecture in 2012 on the topic ‘Democratic Governance in Ghana: 'How Political Polarization may be abated’ a retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe remarked that after winning election, ‘only party faithful become citizens of the country whiles others become foreign nationals’. With absolute control over all the national resources, coupled with the power to go ones way regardless of what others say, and the hypocrisy by supporters to shower praises on victorious politicians even where there is none, political parties justifiably cannot want to be in opposition. Former President John Kufuor hit the nail right on the head when he said that people can do anything to get power or to hold on to power. Power, indeed, is sweet. It is unfortunate that very vital public facilities funded by the tax payer continue to favour power holders. This explains why some people will be in a queue for hours to see a doctor in a public hospital whiles others simply walk in with absolute ease and get whatever services they need. On one occasion, customers at a bank got furious when a young lady described the service rendered her as excellent because she was served immediately she walked into the banking hall. This happened when other customers including some elderly citizens had been in the bank for over three hours without being attended to. Sadly, a security man told the angry customers that the said lady was a minster’s daughter - as though minister’s relatives have an edge over others. Some people simply sit at home and receive appointment letters because they have links with people in government, whiles others carry big files and walk from Ministry to Ministry for months and sometimes years searching in vain for jobs. This has persisted in all governments that have ruled Ghana since Independence. These are some of the issues that explain the tensions and occasional sporadic violence during elections, after all, the winner ‘will eat all’ because he or she has it all.

Calls for a second look at the ‘winner takes all’ syndrome are therefore justified. Indeed, there have been attempts in the past to reduce the powers of ruling governments but these have failed. Admittedly, the decentralization concept that the PNDC intended could have partly solved the problem of winner takes all if it were properly implemented. Unfortunately, the none partisan district level election appears to be a positive step and even under that, the Executive President still appoints 30 percent into the assemblies. We are therefore left with no option than to endure the painful practice where even board members of public institutions are appointed by the Executive President.

Power, like Justice, belongs to the people hence they must have a say in the governance process than merely voting in election years. At the National Constitution Review Conference, no consensus was reached on the mode of selecting Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCE's). For the way forward, the Government White Paper on the CRC, report approves the recommendation that the President will nominate a candidate for approval by a simple majority of the Assembly as DCE. In Municipalities however, the President shall nominate persons who will be vetted by the Public Services Commission for competence after which three nominees will contest in a public election in each Municipality. Mayors in Metropolitan areas will on the other hand be elected by acclamation. These in addition to the fact that the Legislature is not seriously affected by the' winner takes all' syndrome will partly address the problem. To strengthen this, the Legislature must fight to reverse the practice where MP's cannot introduce a Bill into Parliament. Beyond these, there should be a conscious effort to expand the private sector to reduce the dependence on the State for virtually everything including football sponsorship and employment. Until such a time, let us all stop the blame game and contribute our quota to the democratic progress of our motherland, Ghana, by working hard, paying our taxes and exposing nation wreckers.

BY: GEORGE ASEKERE, A JOURNALIST.

Oct 09, 2013 at 1:59pm

Confining Taxi Drivers To Registered Stations

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COMMENTARY ON THE POLICY TO CONFINE ALL TAXI DRIVERS TO REGISTERED STATIONS BY THE AMA

In his book entitled, “Understanding Public Policy”, Thomas Dye, Jewish Scholar in 1991, defined Public Policy as what governments do, why they do it, and what difference it makes. In situating the policy of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, AMA, to ensure that floating drivers are registered and confined to identifiable locations and unions, it is only wise to ask why this and what difference it will make for the drivers and the travelling public. It is true that such a policy if fully implemented will ensure the security of travellers as lost items of passengers could easily be traced to the stations. Again, the practice where taxi drivers defy all odds and amidst all risks stop at any place on the road at any time to pick passengers or bargain for what has become known as 'chatter’ provided police personnel are not around will also be halted. On the other hand such a policy may affect some drivers due to what they claim is the unavailability of stations in the national capital and fear of not making enough revenue for sales. In short, the policy will certainly come with advantages and disadvantages to both policy makers and the general public including the drivers. Over the years, the AMA has successfully failed to implement laudable policies such as decongestion, demolition of unauthorised structures in the city and elimination of hawkers who at the peril of their lives will still criss-cross the roads to sell. These policies are in no doubt technically good because in the end, they will benefit everybody and help avoid needless waste of money in the provision of relief items in times of floods, fire out breaks and many other disasters. On the other hand, they are politically wrong due to votes that may be lost in times of elections thus making the policy cycle ridiculous.

Policy makers in Ghana are fully aware of the numerous advantages that will accrue from the implementation of the Rapid Bus Transit, RBT, system which was originally scheduled to take place three years ago using one side of the Kasoa-Kaneshie-Accra main road for the pilot phase yet, government lacked the political will to go ahead when private transport operators started backing and threatened to vote against the Mills led NDC government. The fear of losing votes by politicians has proved over the years to be factually incorrect at least in Accra thus making the argument by Shakespeare to the effect that there is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so, very relevant. For instance, the demolition of poor structures near the 37 Military Hospital by the AMA during the reign of former President, J.J. Rawlings did not change the party’s fortunes in the election of 1996. Similarly the demolition of wooden structures leading to the construction of the Odaw market at the Kwame Nkrumah Cycle under the J.A. Kufuor regime did not affect the NPP’s fortunes in the 2004 elections. The list is endless. This simply means people who are for good policies outnumber those who for their parochial reasons do not support. In his reaction to activities of white minority farmers, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is quoted to have said ‘this is my country and these are my rules, if you cannot obey them, get out. Authoritative as these words may sound, human beings need tougher rules to do the right things despite talks of democracy. Prof. Gyimah-Boadi of CDD Ghana and lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana has argued that no country in the world developed under democratic rule in the true sense of democracy.

Thomas Hobbes hit the nail right on the head when he remarked decades ago that life will be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short, if laws do not exist. Hobbes argued that it is not even enough for two friendly people to live without laws since one cannot predict the wickedness hidden in the minds of the other. Drivers in the city must therefore obey the AMA’s rules for the sake of sanity and security of passengers. For instance, do we all not advise our sisters and younger brothers not to chatter taxis in the night or refuse to join a taxi with at least two guys already seated during night times? This means all is not well. The AMA is not demanding that drivers forcefully join any transport union. The Assembly has openly said the floating drivers can come together and form a union on their own and operate independently and yet still these drivers are crying foul. Drivers must be told in plain language that in every society rules are not meant to please everybody but the majority which in itself does not pass the test of fairness and equity. In short, limitations on rationality are situational. Already the national capital has been inundated with a lot of people who do what they want as if they were living in a jungle and this cannot be allowed to continue. The AMA must bear in mind that it has the ultimate responsibility of ensuring sanity in the city and should therefore do exactly that regardless of the noise. The Accra Mayor, Alfred Vanderpuye, should not be discouraged by the fact that his name is being mentioned everywhere afterwards no great achiever succeeded without scores of insults, lies and propaganda by opponents. Let us all seriously reflect on the reasons for the AMA’s action on floating drivers, the difference it will make and support the assembly to enforce its policies. Long live AMA, long live Accra.

BY: GEORGE ASEKERE, A JOURNALIST.

 

NEWS COMMENTARY ON THE EFECTS OF ALCOHOL

In one of Julius Caesar’s works, Calphunia, one of the characters stated and I quote " when beggars die there are no comets seen" unquote. This perhaps explains the less seriousness we pay to victims of alcohol who are mostly financially handicapped.

According to the Dis-inhibition Theory, alcohol has a selective depressant effect on the brain particularly the parts that play a role in reasoning and judgment.

The net effect is that people under the control of alcohol sometimes act without thinking about the consequences of their actions.

On the other hand, the Alcohol Myopia Theory argues that people under the influence of alcohol respond quicker to cues and events around them whilst ignoring those that are far from them.

What is important however is that all the theories on alcohol agree that it has a deadly effect on the nervous system. If taken in small amounts, alcohol increases arousal; make people confident, less inhibited and more euphoric.

When taken in larger amounts, it induces depression, causes sleep disturbance and can lead to coma.

Health experts are unanimous the on the effects of alcohol which include minor ones like headaches to major ones such as slowness in the activities of neurotransmitters like glutamate and serotonin which affect learning and memory, heart failures and abnormal behaviours.

Inspite of these effects, the stimulant effect and sometimes deceitful adverts remain the main motivating factor for the increasing popularity of alcohol consumption. Alcohol affects the liver, pancreas and the entire cardiovascular system with women at a greater risk.

The sad aspect is that women who drink pass on the effects to the unborn child. In Ghana there is ample evidence of broken relationships, disintegration of families and untimely deaths as a result of alcohol.

Many lives have also been lost on the roads due to drunk driving. In his wisdom, the wisest king endorsed by God himself, Solomon wrote in Proverbs Chapter 20 that drinking too much makes one loud and foolish.

Unfortunately, Ghanaians on one hand condemn alcohol intake among children and at the same time demonstrate pictorially though falsely that alcohol is simply a sign of good living.

The various advertisements in the media continue to associate alcohol with beauty, success, love and worse of it all, an antidote to all sexual disorders.

The National Media Commission, the Advertisers Association of Ghana, the Food and Drugs Authority and other state agencies, which are supposed to correct this anomaly, look on helplessly.

It is said that what one does when drunk, he/she must pay when dry. This notwithstanding it is an indictment on us all to paint a picture that portrays our loyalty for monetary gains in these adverts at the expense of the potential dangers to society.

The laws of Ghana make it criminal for anyone to send a minor to buy alcoholic beverages or sell alcohol yet this practice goes on day in day out across the country. May be the time has come for the state to take a second look at how alcohol is dignified in the country.

It is pathetic that alcohol affects Ghanaian society every day, yet the talk about drugs seems to be centred on only cocaine. The question as to whether one drinks alcohol or not is immaterial because drinking has a trickle down effects on the entire society.

This makes it mandatory for all to help wage a relentless war against alcoholism. Many are those who have never taken alcohol , but have lost their lives from alcohol induced lorry accidents.

Those who drink in the hope of forgetting their worries or think alcohol is an antidote that soothe anxieties in the face of adversities and difficulties, must remember that drunken days have all their tomorrows, sometimes, with additional health hazards.

The law of sowing and reaping according to Kenneth Copeland is a kingdom law which subsequently governs the earth and all the natural or material matter. Adherents of Eastern religions call it the law of Karma whilst the Holy Bible calls it the Golden Rule.

It is therefore not our duty to judge anyone. One can only say that all things being equal those who have conditioned their minds to remain alcoholics are using unorthodox ways of trying to jump the death cue in life, of which every living being is patiently waiting for his or her turn.

They must make conscious efforts to quit or start preparing their wills, if any, because alcohol is certainly a hidden magnet that attracts anything to hasten death. Those with ears let them listen, for a word to the wise is enough.

BY GEORGE ASEKERE, A JOURNALIST.

NEWS COMMENTARY ON THE NEW YEAR SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON

If the assessment by the Jewish scholar- Yehezkel Dror- to the effect that a public policy is a very complex and dynamic process whose various components make different contributions to it, with the view of deciding major guidelines for actions directed at the future by governmental organizations, is anything to go by, then the Annual New Year School and Conference by the University of Ghana ought to be given the thumbs up.

The University of Ghana has over the years organized the New Year School with or without government support regardless of which government is in office. Instituted in 1948 as the Department for Extra Moral Studies, the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education of the University of Ghana has paid its dues through realistic contributions to the enrichment of Ghana’s economic, political, educational, social and cultural sectors.

The Annual New Year School has in the last 65 years selected themes based on non-partisan national socio-economic challenges facing the country; and participants have arguably handled discussions in the school in the most dispassionate manner.

The Institute has in the last five years deliberated on issues that were aimed to move Ghana to the next pedestal of progress with corresponding results. For instance the school last year discussed ways of improving upon issues on water, sanitation, and hygiene with the view to safeguarding the health of the people with the Executive Chairman of Zoomlion and Jaspong Group of Companies, Dr.Joseph Siaw Agyapong, as the main speaker.

The net effect according to the director of the institute, Prof. Yaw Oheneba-Sakyi, is the construction of landfills and other steps taken to address the health and sanitation needs of the country. Indeed, whatever is needed to move Ghana forward has been largely been discussed in the Annual New Year school.

At the 61st New Year School in 2010, the Chief Justice, Mrs. Justice Georgina Theodora Wood spoke extensive on corruption, bi-partisan long term national development, need to review the 1992 Constitution, transparent and credible power transfer, ethnic politics, proliferation of small arms and many critical issues.

As if she foresaw what was ahead in elections 2012, the Chief Justice, a democratic theorist, called for tolerance and reminded Ghanaians that elections alone does not constitute democracy and asked all to take a cue from post election disputes in countries like Kenya, Cote d’ Ivoire and Rwanda.

Thank God Ghana narrowly escaped in 2013 but that does not mean we will be lucky all the time. Admittedly consensus building among people of diverse backgrounds as well as the platform for dispassionate discussions of national issues devoid of partisan politics that the New Year School provides has contributed largely to the culture of tolerance and deepening of the so called Ghanaian hospitality at least outside NDC/NPP politics.

Equally remarkable is the decision by organisers of the New Year school to use one theme for the next five years. If the words of the man Joseph Gobbels, who is popularly referred to as the father of propaganda that ‘a stupendous lie repeated with zeal eventually gains credibility is true, then how much more will a rational truth repeated with zeal yield?

The Theme Information and Communication Technology-Driven Education for Sustainable Human Development: Challenges and Prospects, which is expected to run for the next five years must yield dividends for at least two reasons: First participants will be coming out with a communiqué annually on how ICT can improve productivity.

Secondly, the world has moved from the Stone Age through to the Industrial and now to the Digital Age for which Ghana cannot and must not be left out. Today, world class Universities in the UK, USA, India and many other countries are using ICT to provide quality education from first degree to PHD through e-learning and the open University system.

According to the former vice chancellor of the University College of Education, Prof. Josphus Anamoah-Mensah, Ghana needs additional 17 Universities with a capacity of 30 thousand students each by 2025 to absorb the teeming number of Senior High School leavers, which translate into building one new university every two months.

Certainly, the current educational system of instruction was built for a generation that is fast fading away and Ghana must adopt ICT to address the educational needs of its people. Available data at the national communication authority indicate that about 26 miilion mobile phones are in use in Ghana.

Surely, these can be used productively in addressing the needs of education. The University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast, KNUST and the University of Education deserve commendations for the hard copy system of distance education.

The Universities offering distance education should therefore consider going digital to absorb more students and complete the task of offering quality and out of classroom direct or face to face system of education.

The Institute of Continuing and Distance Education of the premier University deserves commendation for sustaining the Annual New Year School. Authoritative actors in our body politic should endeavour to scrutinize the findings or communiqué that will be issued and take bold steps to ensure that our economy is ICT-driven for if the whole world is turning into a beast and we are left behind, we will simply be taken for meat.

BY GEORGE ASEKERE, A JOURNALIST

Feb 10, 2014 at 4:04pm

Effect Of Illegal Mining On Environment

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NEWS COMMENTARY ON THE EFFECTS OF ILLEGAL MINING

Worried about the negative effects on mining in all spheres of national life, the government of Ghana in 1989 passed PNDC Law 218 to legalise small scale mining with the aim of checking illegal mining popularly called ‘galamsey’. 25 years down the line, illegal mining activities are at a record high with its corresponding rate of environmental deterioration. Under the law, small-scale miners need to be registered in order to work on land to which they have legal access, and are subject to regulation by either the Environmental Protection Agency or the Ghana Minerals Commission, or both.
Surprisingly, some mining communities such as Bogoso, Prestea, Mpohor, Benso and Damang, where some of the country's gold is embedded are saddled with illegal mining with impunity. Spread all over in mining communities across the country are open pits besieged by unskilled youth, confidently yet ignorantly digging for gold to sell to prospective buyers, without recourse to the dangers being created for themselves, the inhabitants and the environment.
Illegal mining in Ghana, particularly of gold, has become a major issue and raises concerns about water pollution and environmental damage. Last year, hundreds of people, most of them from China, were detained and some later deported as the government began enforcing a law barring foreign nationals from engaging in small-scale mining. As though to insult to our integrity the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yin said China took the issue ‘very seriously’ when he met Ghana’s Foreign Minister last year as part of his four day African tour.
The truth is that until the ABC or fundamentals of the problem is traced; no twist of logic can address it.
The question is how do foreigners get into the mining communities in the first place? Did they fly with those heavy equipments from China or they went straight to the mines without contacting any official? If so what relevance are the Chiefs and the district or municipal assemblies in these areas. Again there have been instances when security personnel cease equipment belonging to illegal miner,s yet no one is told of what is done to some of the seized equipment or where they are kept. Today lots of Ghanaian youth are being prevented from illegal mining without any clearly defined ways of livelihood for them as if we have suddenly forgotten that people can do anything to satisfy their survival instincts. It is disheartening to live in a country where laws seem to be loosely applied to foreigners and rather strictly enforced on nationals particularly the poor. For instance, in the midst of laws coherently codified and well printed in our statute book, a dozen of the Chinese were able to openly use excavators, move into communities and before one realises it, they wreck farmlands and turn local streams into mud puddles.
As far back as 1988 before the cedi was redenominated, the Environmental Protection Council quantified annual losses to the economy through environmental degradation as a result of mining at 41.7 billion cedis, the equivalent of 4% of total GDP. Only God knows the true figures today. Yet we cry that the economy is in crisis when in fact we have what it takes to make life comfortable for all. The impact of mining operations in Ghana both from the large and small scale miners are diverse and quite devastating, since it touches on the livelihood and the very existence of people. In a detailed journal, Akabzaa and Darimani, both PHD holders at the University of Ghana, reported in 2001 that large tracts of land for farming activities had been acquired by mining companies for large scale surface mining operations depriving mining communities of their source of livelihood. Additionally sporadic cyanide contamination of water bodies by large scale surface mining operations and mercury contaminations from small-scale and illegal mining activities are common features of mining communities.
How come that in Ghana the more people research and write, the more laws that are passed, the more equipment seized, the worse the issue of illegal mining becomes? People living in mining communities must rise and say no to illegal mining else they will be the first to suffer any calamity. Everybody in Ghana must be concern about illegal mining, because the effects will one day affect us all. Whether traditional rulers, politicians or so called big wigs are involved or not , should not be an excuse. What is wrong is wrong and must be treated as such.

BY GEORGE ASEKERE, A JOURNALIST

Apr 16, 2014 at 3:56pm

Ghana's Oil And Gas

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NEWS COMMENTARY ON GHANA'S OIL AND GAS

Ghanaians greeted the discovery of oil with elation when the official announcement was made at the Castle, Osu. The President at the time, John Agyekum Kufuor, so optimistic about the prospects called the discovery a 'shot in the arm' that could in his words propel Ghana to the status of an 'African Tiger' in a few years. The national euphoria
continued as policy makers, civil society groups, and analysts raised concerns regarding the challenges of managing Ghana's oil and gas resources. In fact, Ghana's oil windfall is modest by global or even regional standards.

Industry projections put the country's overall oil-resource potential at about 4.5billion barrels. The Jubilee field, which is operated by a consortium led by the Anglo-Irish Tullow Oil and Texas-based Kosmos Energy, has proven reserves of 800million
barrels of high-grade oil. Ghana's current reserves are, therefore, equal to only a tiny fraction of Nigeria's 37.2 billion barrels and Angola's 10billion barrels. That notwithstanding a country of about 25 million people with GDP per capita of about US$ 2,500 per year makes the available resources in the petrochemical industry significant.

The IMF has estimated that revenue from the Jubilee field alone will average around $1billion a year for the next twenty years. This is about the same amount that Ghana seeks as development assistance
annually from the so called western nations. It is true that Ghana is not new to resource wealth. In fact, the country has depended heavily on proceeds from the export of resources such as gold, timber, cocoa and other minerals since early colonial period yet her development
records have not matched its resource potentials.

Conscious of the wealth in the nation's land, many Ghanaians hardly make two decent meals a day, with politicians over the years calling on the people to
tighten their belts. The advent of oil brought normally splintered
civil society into collective action working together with the media, Parliament and many other identifiable groups with the ultimate aim of ensuring effective management of Ghana's hydrocarbons.

The net result is the Civil Society Platform on oil and gas which has over the years
received technical support from Oxfam America, the Revenue Watch
Institute and the World Bank. According to Prof. Gyimah-Boadi of
CDD-Ghana the involvement of organized civil society and the media throughout the legislative process made the development of the initial legal framework for oil governance in Ghana exceptionally participatory and transparent.

The influence of the Oil and Gas Platform is reflective in the final legislative outcomes. Notable provisions of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act which was passed and signed into law in 2011, include clear procedures for custody and
transfer of petroleum receipts between the central bank, as designated custodian, and the government; the mandatory annual transfer of 30 percent of total petroleum revenues into separate stabilization and future savings fund, and the establishment of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee.

Despite all these, details of the oil and gas contracts remain hidden to the public. Again Government has contracted other oil-backed loans, notably the controversial three billion dollar- loan from the China Development Bank secured by
fifteen years worth of oil revenue. This is against the provisions in the Petroleum Revenue Management Law. These decisions must be controlled before they create problems for the country's democratic development. One will therefore call on government to come out and
explain the amount of cedi equivalent that Ghana has raked in from oil and how the revenue has been disbursed. Though the ministry of finance has continuously published details of what the law mandates it, it is common knowledge that most people feel disappointed that with oil and gas in their midst their living standards continue to
worsen by the day.

We must not sit and watch the country's oil suffer the same fate as gold and Timber did. Ghanaians deserve better and must be given exactly that.

BY GEORGE ASEKERE,A JOURNALIST.

The Need For AU To Re-brand Itself

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NEWS COMMENTARY

The AU Day has come and gone, with many asking questions about its relevance in today's global politics, and why the day be declared a
holiday. It must be stated that only five African countries declared
the day a holiday, while the rest and those in the Diaspora marked
the day with activities in remembrance of the toil, blood and struggle of their brothers and sisters, for the political
independence of the continent.

President Kwame Nkrumah and his fellow freedom fighters had a vision of ensuring the independence of all African countries, the formation of an African military command and
a common currency. However the formation of the military high command and the common currency still remain a mirage.

The emergence of daunting economic challenges, diseases, poverty and security threat from extremists call for a rethinking and rebranding of the organisation. After 50 years of existence, AU needs to restrategise and review its mandate for the total unification of the continent in the likes of EU and USA.

For those born in the late 80s and 1990s, the AU may not appear to play an important role in the affairs of the continent, but the fact still remains that the vision of the founding fathers is not completely fulfilled.

On the economic front, the AU and
other sub regional groupings like the ECOWAS, SADC, COMESA are
struggling to assert themselves on issues of the EPA and intra-African trade.

Most African countries especially in the francophone bloc still
prefer dealing with their former colonial master and hardly show
commitment to the cause of the AU. This dichotomy has been and
continues to be a thorn in the flesh of AU. There is also the
unfulfiledl vision in the realisation of a common currency, if not at the continental level but at least at the sub regional level.

The same mistrust is seen displayed on the issue of an African military command that will be empowered to deal with issues of insecurity on
the continent. The Ugandan minister of Justice and president of the Pan-African movement is of the view that instead of establishing bases in certain parts of the African continent, the United States of America should rather build the capacity of the various armed forces
for the formation of the African High military to counter any
terrorist acts.

Unfortunately, this is not the case and it is feared that the US and others world powers have ulterior motives in the establishment of the bases.

Admittedly the continent is plagued with negative traits such as high poverty rate, diseases, conflicts, and corruption. Whether these prognosis are true, remain a challenge to the AU and its member states to confront.

With the evidence on the ground, one will not blame the younger generations, who out of desperation, are compelled to go through harrowing experiences just
to get to Europe and the Americas where conditions are far better.

For the older generation, there is a lot to celebrate, but the onus lies on them to re-strategise by preparing the younger generation to take over the baton for the fulfillment of the total independence of the
continent.

There is the unfortunate perception, that Black people
are incapable of doing anything right. As Africans , we definitely reject such assertions. The odds are damned against us and we have to do everything to prove such sceptics wrong. The flame for African emancipation must be kept alive and the young must be groomed to believe in themselves and achieve what others have been able to achieve.

We must step up the sensitisation of our young people who are being brainwashed to think that the best come from Europe, Asia,
and other regions outside the continent. Our eminent traditional
rulers should be more involved in the realisation of the ideals and vision of the forefathers of the AU.

The AU Summit should stop being a
gathering of heads of state and government, but rather include
African traditional rulers who have the interest of their communities at heart.

It is time as Africans we proved our skeptics wrong by exhibiting
exemplary leadership skills and found solutions to the problems
plaguing the continent. It is only then that any celebration of AU day will be seen by all as a worthy exercise full of relevance to the continent.

GBC