Africa’s priorities and development

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• Enock A. Adjei 12 years ago

  It gladdens my heart to read such a great argument. There is no other way i could agree less with your claims. Your claims are well-supported by your fact and proofs by logic. And for your proof by examples on how we can move ...
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  It gladdens my heart to read such a great argument. There is no other way i could agree less with your claims. Your claims are well-supported by your fact and proofs by logic. And for your proof by examples on how we can move forward should political leaders pay much attention to the voices and cries of their people rather than their selfish ambitions are just wonderful. Indeed, this is now one of my favorite arguments.Let us hope for better leaders who will help move these countries forward

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• Vuvuzela 12 years ago

  Yeah, Enoch, I agree with your comments on Arthur's great piece. It's been a while I have not read anything this lucid.
  
  I was on visit to New York and saw the spiteful funeral coverage and the nonsense spewed by our compat ...
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  Yeah, Enoch, I agree with your comments on Arthur's great piece. It's been a while I have not read anything this lucid.
  
  I was on visit to New York and saw the spiteful funeral coverage and the nonsense spewed by our compatriots making it sound as though such shameful time-and-money wasting funerals were instituted as cultural based in Ghana. It was degrading, senseless, in fact words lack to depict the scene.
  
  It is only in Ghana that funerals are held in such esteem, and at home when you criticize the waste, you incur hate vitriol and insults. I have campaigned against for ages against this kind of funerals and all I get is hatred.
  
  We don't have any good image to defend in the West; nothing better happens here in Africa and on top of it all those called to facelift out image are the very ones who become dumb and display very puerile behavior when they have the occasion to speak on our behalf. Even in that coverage, you could see how very uncomfortable those guys felt expressing themselves in English. They shouldn't have conceded those interviews at all.
  
  In an era where scientific breakthroughs are changing other parts of the world, our renowned "men of science" are clueless about everything except money in Ghana. Even those of us who don't [have] certificates have clearer minds and foresight.

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• xyz 12 years ago

  So The poor man from africa is not allowed to celebrate? What is wrong if people have an elaborate funeral? Nobody forced them. Do you know how much people in India invest in weddings? How does their standard of living look ...
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  So The poor man from africa is not allowed to celebrate? What is wrong if people have an elaborate funeral? Nobody forced them. Do you know how much people in India invest in weddings? How does their standard of living look like?
  
  Socially a funeral has a different meaning in Ghana than it has somewhere in Europe. It is a time celebrate the life of the dead person.
  
  And economically it provides lots of jobs. The buiral companies, the tradtional dancers, the DJS, the drummers, the catering servives, the advertising comp[anies and so on and so forth. So i can estimate that thousands of thousands of people have a source of income in the hostile economy of Ghana .
  
  And what is wrong if they feel unconfortable in speaking english?
  First of all they are not english, they are africans. Why are we so ashamed to speak our languages? Do the chinese people pride themselves with the english language . ? NO they dont likewise the French , south koreans. They all have their languages as official languages.
  
  I for one blame our mindsetbthat lets us think that everything good comes from the west

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• Zaaza 12 years ago

  Mr (or Mrs) xyz, I do not think anybody is challenging the rights of Ghanaians to celeberate thier dead, so long as they can afford it. However there are so many instances of families or individuals who cannot or refuse to ca ...
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  Mr (or Mrs) xyz, I do not think anybody is challenging the rights of Ghanaians to celeberate thier dead, so long as they can afford it. However there are so many instances of families or individuals who cannot or refuse to cater for their relations when they are alive and sick etc, but are able to miraculously find the resources to organise lavish funerals.

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• insight to the bone 12 years ago

  we are all witnesses to the lies and maliciously abominable agendas of the ewe mafia ruling by proxy today. in as much as the claim to be wanting to do the right think they are incompetent and amateur in everything they unde ...
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  we are all witnesses to the lies and maliciously abominable agendas of the ewe mafia ruling by proxy today. in as much as the claim to be wanting to do the right think they are incompetent and amateur in everything they undertake to do . half his appointees lack any proper experience and this is their first real job, their actions instead of bringing unity have caused divisions to deepen and even new ones appear . after 20 years of work the npp allowed a fool like kuffuor to rule for 8 years and are now paying very dearly the price of his attempt to impose ahanti domination over the rest of the Akans thus enabling the return of the ndc woe on Ghana. pepeni has copied his partner in crime's style and appointed mainly minority muslim alajihs and ewe mischief s . after this mandate never again will a corrupt , wicked , evil northerner , ewe or ashanti be given the opportunity to lead us no matter what party platform they stand on . the attitude of me and my tribesmen against the Akans and other Ghanaian s will never pass again as its been exposed and we are all now much wiser . yes they will not have an easy ride chopping our money and we will make sure they answer for all their crimes sooner or later

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• LOL 12 years ago

  U CAN NEVER UNDERSTAND AFRICA. THE RICHEST CONTIMENT BUT THE POOREST PEOPLE.GOD HAVE MERCY

  U CAN NEVER UNDERSTAND AFRICA. THE RICHEST CONTIMENT BUT THE POOREST PEOPLE.GOD HAVE MERCY

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• GOLD COAST 12 years ago

  Kennedy unequivocally cries for Africa where the likes of Uhuru Kenyatta and his tribal cabal do not exist (tribalism and tribal hegemony). Yet,he's a die-hard member of NPP - the most tribalistic,violent,neo-colonial and bac ...
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  Kennedy unequivocally cries for Africa where the likes of Uhuru Kenyatta and his tribal cabal do not exist (tribalism and tribal hegemony). Yet,he's a die-hard member of NPP - the most tribalistic,violent,neo-colonial and backward-thinking group ever to trod the soil of Mother Ghana.
  
  Kennedy had a practice in South Carolina and he took a student loan for his medical education - which he has to pay back to Uncle Sam.
  
  Here in Ghana,a medical student's education is paid for by poor taxpayers - including illiterate laborers,fishermen,market women and government workers.A doctor is housed in a government's bungalow and receives a loan for a car,in addition to other privileges.Do doctors receive these goodies in the good old USA - the richest country on earth?
  
  Most Ghanaians are opposed to the "money grab" by the politicians and hope to vote for an amended constitution to jettison the infamous ex gratia awards.Meanwhile,GMA has broken the law by its illegal strike and yours truly hopes the government would stand on its ground and fire all striking doctors - to be replaced by Cuban and temporarily contracted doctors from abroad.It's now a national security matter for the government and the poor citizens of this country(kick them out of the bungalows - they're not indispensable) .
  
  A Nigerian friend of yours truly recently said,"Africa is fucked up",and there are many who will agree.While Europeans,Asians and even Latin Americans are marching forward and unraveling the secrets of the universe,Africans are rather going backwards with feudal institutions like chieftaincy and traditional customs and norms like funerals(which drain resources that could be used to educate the youth),trokosi,voodoo, shrines,polygamy,abuse of women and brainwashing by religious charlatans.
  
  Politics is now the quickest way to acquiring wealth and "fame"in Africa.From Mobutu through Kufuor and Obasanjo,corruption and thievery were the way "to move forward".In Nigeria it is estimated that from independence day to the end of Obasanjo's presidency,more than $400 billion was stolen from the Nigerian national treasury - by soldiers and civilians alike.And in Ghana,Kufuor turned the Castle into a cesspool of corruption (according to Haruna Esseku).He and other NPP honchos also masterminded -together with the EO Group - the $2 billion rip-off under the Kosmos oil deal.
  
  If these two African leaders were in countries like India,Chile,Peru,South Korea,Israel and Argentina,they would
  in jail.But not in Africa,where they're hailed as having "good leadership",and honorary doctorate degrees bestowed in them(Both Kufuor and Obasanjo were rejected by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation for their award).
  
  To move forward,Africa MUST shed its feudal backwardness,ingrained tribalism and tribal hegemony,and debilitating corruption.This can be achieved by strong institutions, transparency and accountability.And above all,by unselfish and patriotic leaders in the mould of Kwame Nkrumah, Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysia's Tunku Abdul Rahman.
  
  PEACE

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• GOLD COAST 12 years ago

  * they would be in jail
  *bestowed on them

  * they would be in jail
  *bestowed on them

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• Agyeman. 12 years ago

  I take exception to your kenyatta jibe and tribal hegemony.I have been to kenya for long periods and i can authoritatively say kenyatta's people have worked very hard to earn their place in political and economic hegemony ove ...
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  I take exception to your kenyatta jibe and tribal hegemony.I have been to kenya for long periods and i can authoritatively say kenyatta's people have worked very hard to earn their place in political and economic hegemony over their other countrymen.They were impacted the most by colonialism,they were the 1st to embrace western education and were jailed the most during british rule.Futhermore the other tribes still hold fast to outdated cultural ways that make it easy for kenyatta's group to be the overlords in kenya.For a group thats only 20% of kenya to be so hegemonic for so long a good bit of blame needs to go to those marginalised tribes also for failing to work hard as hard and being backward as you so rightly put it.This situation applies to Ghana too.

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• Vuvuzela 12 years ago

  Good post Bro. Gives me much pleasure that some of you see and understand.

  Good post Bro. Gives me much pleasure that some of you see and understand.

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• mensah abrampa 12 years ago

  I agree with everything you said except the comments about Kuffuor.There was corruption in the Kuffuor administration but it pales into oblivion when compared to the corruption under the watch of the present NDC administratio ...
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  I agree with everything you said except the comments about Kuffuor.There was corruption in the Kuffuor administration but it pales into oblivion when compared to the corruption under the watch of the present NDC administration, 2008 to date. The present NDC administration has borrowed more money from external sources than all previous administrations combined. Where are the projects or where is the money? You failed to mention Rawlings who ruled the longest time in our political history but had nothing to show for it except for crippling the economy and brutalizing ghanaians. What about the resurgence of corruption under Rawlings watch and the large sums of money that disappeared during his rule?I'm not holding brief for anybody but I'm amazed you were dead silent on the NDC contribution to the rot in Ghana.

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• Kwesi Tsikata Alhassan 12 years ago

  Arthur Kobina Kennedy would make a good leader, but only when he is able to make it as an independent candidate.

  Arthur Kobina Kennedy would make a good leader, but only when he is able to make it as an independent candidate.

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• Kojo T 12 years ago

  Arthur I love. He is in the wrong party though. I once wrote about a 'friend" who was in hospital but no visitors but when another one died it was a beehive of activity. Our priorities are wrong but I have little sympathy for ...
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  Arthur I love. He is in the wrong party though. I once wrote about a 'friend" who was in hospital but no visitors but when another one died it was a beehive of activity. Our priorities are wrong but I have little sympathy for our doctors as it is the same well placed looting the coffers. They talk about pension but have farmers and fishermen got pension?

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• Agyeman. 12 years ago

  Haha,it is all so painfully true.In USA blacks will buy expensive rims to put on a cheap car,they dress expensively but live in the worst housing and retire with the least savings.They have big TV's but the smallest home lib ...
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  Haha,it is all so painfully true.In USA blacks will buy expensive rims to put on a cheap car,they dress expensively but live in the worst housing and retire with the least savings.They have big TV's but the smallest home libraries,they're most behind academically but indulge the most in entertainment.They live shorter lives,are the most unhealthy race but are the least active in healthy lifetstyles.They're overrepresented in entertainment & sports but underrepresented in corporate america and in science & tech worlds.You'll also find them aplenty in clubs & parties but always handful in bookstores.

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• Vuvuzela 12 years ago

  Ha, interesting observation: what is the way forward, then? Are we created to only clown around?

  Ha, interesting observation: what is the way forward, then? Are we created to only clown around?

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• John 12 years ago

  Dr Kennedy is an enigma; he can write provocatively, with thoughtful insights but descends also too often into the gutter politics that have characterized the Ghanaian body politics. He remains one of the few intellectua ...
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  Dr Kennedy is an enigma; he can write provocatively, with thoughtful insights but descends also too often into the gutter politics that have characterized the Ghanaian body politics. He remains one of the few intellectual politicians in Ghana belonging to the out of touch political party called NPP. I hope that we could have few of his kind with a chance to lead the West African nation. The once former student leader who fled Rawlings Ghana remains an enigma.

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• Kwobia-Toronto 12 years ago

  Well spoken.The give me this,give me that mentality is also at the heart of the problem.

  Well spoken.The give me this,give me that mentality is also at the heart of the problem.

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• km akomea-agyin 12 years ago

  Brilliant treatise, mate

  Brilliant treatise, mate

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