...Until we have changed the way our government operates and the legislative and executive arms earn the income that suits their input, there will be no change in the life of the ordinary Ghanaian; by that I don't mean only p ... read full comment
...Until we have changed the way our government operates and the legislative and executive arms earn the income that suits their input, there will be no change in the life of the ordinary Ghanaian; by that I don't mean only poor people, but anybody outside politics who is also not a celebrity.
What do I mean by that? Until parliamentarians and ministers stop getting wages that they don't deserve, they will never see any reason why Ghanaians are complaining. If they see the need for all the benefits that they have allotted to themselves to make life comfortable because to them that is the reality of today's economic condition, why do they think that comfort should be denied others outside politics? People of Ghana, your legislators and the executive arm will never change anything to their disadvantage. It is you and I who will have to change the status quo. I'm bringing this up today and I believe people will take it up from here and talk about it till the constitution is amended. The amendment must see a change in the situation where legislators pass bills on benefits that goes to them without any trouble, but refuse to do the same for others. They must not decide how much they earn; that must be decided by the people, and it must go up in proportion with that of the rest of us. The free this and free that must cease. That does not make them feel what we feel, and therefore does not lead to taking sensible decisions to solve our problems. It will also be less attractive to nobodies who resign their jobs to seek greener pasture there only to enrich themselves.
The second issue is the situation where a parliamentarian is given a ministerial appointment yet, continue to be a legislator. Yes, the constitution allows that, but common sense must tell us that it is not proper, and they can never perform efficiently in both capacities. I'm therefore not surprise that things are not working for us. Somebody must talk about this, I have started it. Let's talk and call for a change. We have the power to turn things around. The politicians will not do it, left to them alone.
NENE ODJIDJA 9 years ago
KOFI ATA, YOU HAVE SAID IT ALL. THIS IS A WELL WRITTEN THOUGHT SEARCHING ARTICLE. IT IS WELL WRITTEN, NON-POLITICAL AND QUITE OBJECTIVE. THIS IS THE STYLE OF CRITICISM THAT ENHANCES PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT. AS FOR REV. PROF. ... read full comment
KOFI ATA, YOU HAVE SAID IT ALL. THIS IS A WELL WRITTEN THOUGHT SEARCHING ARTICLE. IT IS WELL WRITTEN, NON-POLITICAL AND QUITE OBJECTIVE. THIS IS THE STYLE OF CRITICISM THAT ENHANCES PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT. AS FOR REV. PROF. MARTEY I MUST SAY THAT HE HAS DESTROYED HIMSELF BY HIS IRRESPONSIBLE UTTERANCES. AS YOU HAVE STATED, IF PROF MARTEY COULD OGANISE AND MOBILISE THE NATION JUST TO PRAY
AND FAST FOR 'dumsor' TO GO AWAY WITHIN 3 MONTHS, THEN WHAT THE HELL WS HE WAITING FOR? BUT THE QUESTION IS--'IS REV PROF MARTEY REALLY HAS GHANA AT HEART AS A LEADER OF A RELIGIOUS ORGANISAION? IS HE REALLY A MAN OF GOD AND IS HE JUST BLINFOLDING GHANAINS WITH HID REV STATUS AND HIS ACADEMIC DECORATIONS I.E AS A PROFESSOR? REV PROF MARTEY HAS NOW PROVED TO GHANAIANS THAT HE HAS NOTHING POSITIVE OR CONSTRUCTIVE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT OF GHANA THAN TO HIDE BEHIND THE BIBLE FOR HIS GREEDY AND IRRESPONSIBLE AND SELFISH COMMENTS HIS CUP IS NOW FULL!
Kwabena Ansa 9 years ago
I don't know whether Rev. Prof Martey did say what you are alleging he had said. However, if it is true that he did say that, I agree with you that he erred miserably.
In the first place, it is clearly stated in the Bible t ... read full comment
I don't know whether Rev. Prof Martey did say what you are alleging he had said. However, if it is true that he did say that, I agree with you that he erred miserably.
In the first place, it is clearly stated in the Bible that (Heavens helps those who help themselves). For that reason, if our leaders would like to sit on their butts with their hands tucked in their ties and expect help from Heavens especially regarding 'dumsor', there is no way the nation's energy problem could be solved.
I might add that, if that is the kind of sound advice that he Rev. Prof Martey has given to Mahama, it is about time he withdraws it because the advice doesn't make sense and illogical. What about wind or solar energy? that is another source of energy that I think the Government should consider too.
Jojo Hammond, New Jersey 9 years ago
Kofi, this is what happens when those who criticize are asked to suggest alternative ways to resolve issues they complain about. If Prof. Martey had kept quiet after his initial criticisms, we would all have assumed that he ... read full comment
Kofi, this is what happens when those who criticize are asked to suggest alternative ways to resolve issues they complain about. If Prof. Martey had kept quiet after his initial criticisms, we would all have assumed that he had an action plan to resolve the energy crisis. He exposed his ignorance when he decided to wade into policy making. Praying to the heavens to resolve some of our earthly problems, is not a policy prescription to be taken serious.
You have said it all with the concrete suggestions you offered here. This should be a lesson to these so-called men of God who decide to wade into policy making. Don't get me wrong, as citizens of our dear nation, the enjoy the same rights the constitution gives us to freely express their views. They will however be subjected the same scrutiny like everyone else should they freely choose to exercise that legal/constitutional right.
Great piece as always !!!
Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK 9 years ago
Kwabena Ansa, I have not alleged that Rev Prof Martey said this or that. I repeated what was reported by the media and I quoted the sources. So far Rev Prof Marty has not denied them. If you did not read the reports you can r ... read full comment
Kwabena Ansa, I have not alleged that Rev Prof Martey said this or that. I repeated what was reported by the media and I quoted the sources. So far Rev Prof Marty has not denied them. If you did not read the reports you can read them on Ghanaweb as archived news.
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
RE: Prof Lungu
Date: 2015-03-22 23:07:24
Comment to: Ghana at 58 - The Crossroad Reckoning!
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's Founding Prime Minister, Dead At 91: Prime Ministers Office:
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first pr ... read full comment
RE: Prof Lungu
Date: 2015-03-22 23:07:24
Comment to: Ghana at 58 - The Crossroad Reckoning!
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's Founding Prime Minister, Dead At 91: Prime Ministers Office:
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister, died on Sunday according to a statement from the prime minister's office. He was 91.
Lee, who served as prime minister from 1965 to 1990, is often heralded as the founding father of modern Singapore -- the man who led the island nation from relative obscurity as a colonial subject to its role today as an Asian leader.
SINGAPORE (AP) — Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of modern Singapore who helped transform the sleepy port into one of the world's richest nations, died Monday, the government said. He was 91.
Lee was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on Feb. 5 for severe pneumonia and was later put on life support.
The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on its website that Lee "passed away peacefully" at 3:18 a.m.
Lee was feared for his authoritarian tactics but insisted that strict limits on speech and public protest were necessary to maintain stability in the multiethnic and multi-religious country.
He guided Singapore for 31 years until 1990, making it into a global trade and finance center.
Lee's legacy includes an efficient government with little corruption, low tax rates to attract foreign investment, excellent schools and safe streets.
He has faced criticism, though, for using tough tactics to consolidate power.
He jailed some political rivals without trial for decades and brought defamation lawsuits against journalists and opposition politicians.
Lee commanded immense respect among Singaporeans, who this year will celebrate the country's 50th independence anniversary.
The Prime Minister's Office said arrangements for the public to pay respects and funeral arrangements will be announced later.
Source:The Huffington Post, | By Dominique Mosberge
(www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/22/lee-kuan-yew-dies-singapore-prime-minister_n_6883518.html )
POSTSCRIPT: Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana would have been 106, as of the passing of Lee Kuan Yew, of Singapore.
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's Founding Prime Minister.
In the 2010 interview with The Times, though, he took a reflective, valedictory tone.
“I’m not saying that everything I did was right, but everything I did was for ... read full comment
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's Founding Prime Minister.
In the 2010 interview with The Times, though, he took a reflective, valedictory tone.
“I’m not saying that everything I did was right, but everything I did was for an honorable purpose,” he said. “I had to do some nasty things, locking fellows up without trial.”
ON RELIGION
He said he was not a religious man and that he dealt with setbacks by simply telling himself, “Well, life is just like that.”
Singapore and Malaysia peninsula used to be a single state – Malaya - until Lee Kaun Yew wrested the backwater island port from Malaya and turned into a modern hub city state par excellence. Today Singapore’s GDP which wa ... read full comment
Singapore and Malaysia peninsula used to be a single state – Malaya - until Lee Kaun Yew wrested the backwater island port from Malaya and turned into a modern hub city state par excellence. Today Singapore’s GDP which was nowhere near Ghana before it got independence in 1965 has grown from nothing to a 100 fold GDP of over $290 billion. A GDP most Ghanaians would be yearning for but only in their dreams.
In 2010, Singapore’s GDP (current prices, US dollars) was US$222.699 billion and its GDP (PPP) was US$291.937 billion.
In 2010, Singapore’s GDP (PPP) per capita was US$56,521.73 – behind Qatar and Luxembourg.
Singapore had the 8th largest current account balance in the world for 2010 at US$49.454 billion.
These are figures five years ago so you can imagine where Singapore currently find herself.
"I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn't be here today" (National Day Rally in 1986) Lee Kuan Yew
Had Kwame Nkrumah completed the SYDP in the early 70’s that would have been our launch pad for the next big thing. Instead the traitors complain of the saboteurs leaders being locked behind bars with the introduction of PDA. Lee who locked up his political opponents at will and ruled with iron fist in a velvet glove was also autocratic. (I am trying to be generous by not invoking the word dictator). Lee who ruled Singapore for 30 years like Suharto of Indonesia, Park Chung-Hee of South Korea all ruled heavy-handed which makes Nkrumah pale against anyone of them. Those whose Mate Meho forebears wanted to forestall or thwart the building of Akosombo dam cannot complain of dum sor today. Had Kwame Nkrumah not been steadfast to build the Akosombo dam it will not be dum sor but dum dum - a total blackout or perennial solar eclipse in Ghana.
Lee’s People's Action Party (PAP) has been in power since the birth of the new nation. What does this tell us?!Stability with growth. A benevolent dictator or autocrat who had his nation at heart that brings prosperity to his country men and women is better than any democratic experiment. What most of this Mate Meho NPP folks forget is democracy is not an event. Look at Iraq and Libya now then you know what I am talking about. It took America a civil war and over 240 years to to get to where they are now. The British Magna Carta which paved way for the parliamentary system in Westminster was written in the 12th century so for the young spoiled elite Brits like PM David Cameroun to think that they can forced down democracy or any of their modern day ideological crusade down the throat of others when it took them centuries to get to comprehend such things as human rights etc is disconcerting to say the least. Most of them have forgotten that only a century and twenty years separates us from slavery- one of the worst atrocity like in human history.
In 2010, Singapore’s GDP (current prices, US dollars) was US$222.699 billion and its GDP (PPP) was US$291.937 billion.
In 2010, Singapore’s GDP (PPP) per capita was US$56,521.73 – behind Qatar and Luxembourg.
Singapore had the 8th largest current account balance in the world for 2010 at US$49.454 billion.
The following are some of the legacies LKY left behind: Source BBC
Mr Lee set about creating a highly educated work force fluent in English, and reached out to foreign investors to turn Singapore into a manufacturing hub.
He embarked on a programme of slum clearance, industrialisation and tackling corruption. He was a fierce advocate of a multi-racial Singapore.
However, Mr Lee also introduced tight controls, and one of his legacies was a clampdown on the press - tight restrictions that remain in place today.
Dissent - and political opponents - were ruthlessly quashed. Today, PAP remains firmly in control. There are currently six opposition lawmakers in parliament.
Other measures, such as corporal punishment, a ban on chewing gum and the government's foray into matchmaking for Singapore's brightest - to create smarter babies - led to perceptions of excessive state interference.
Mr Lee criticised what he saw as the overly liberal approach of the US and the West, saying it had "come at the expense of orderly society".
miracles 9 years ago
You have hit on the right nail,easier said than done,many presby schools are still schools under trees,prayers alone cannot solve problems,there has to be brains and critical thinking to solve dumso dumso.
You have hit on the right nail,easier said than done,many presby schools are still schools under trees,prayers alone cannot solve problems,there has to be brains and critical thinking to solve dumso dumso.
francis kwarteng 9 years ago
Dear Prof. Lungu,
Thanks for reporting Lee Kuan Yew's passing. I wish Mr. G.K. Berko were here to read this. Mr. Berko discussed Lee Kuan Yew in relation to Part 10 of my series "Dr. Kofi Dompere On Kwame Nkrumah's Scienti ... read full comment
Dear Prof. Lungu,
Thanks for reporting Lee Kuan Yew's passing. I wish Mr. G.K. Berko were here to read this. Mr. Berko discussed Lee Kuan Yew in relation to Part 10 of my series "Dr. Kofi Dompere On Kwame Nkrumah's Scientific Thinking."
I hope people, especially the Nkrumah haters, find time to read this before it disappears into the archives. This is my favorite part:
"Lee was feared for his authoritarian tactics but insisted that strict limits on speech and public protest were necessary to maintain stability in the multiethnic and multi-religious country.
He guided Singapore for 31 years until 1990, making it into a global trade and finance center.
Lee's legacy includes an efficient government with little corruption, low tax rates to attract foreign investment, excellent schools and safe streets.
He has faced criticism, though, for using tough tactics to consolidate power.
He jailed some political rivals without trial for decades and brought defamation lawsuits against journalists and opposition politicians.
Lee commanded immense respect among Singaporeans, who this year will celebrate the country's 50th independence anniversary."
NOW GHANAIANS WISH KWAME NKRUMAH WAS LEE KUAN YEW AND GHANA SINGAPORE! Nkrumah and Yew are still the kind of
leaders Ghana and Africa need today!
Thanks, Prof. Lungu!
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
Yes, we read that Berko piece and have it on record!
So, the education must continue!
Thanks, francis kwarteng!
Yes, we read that Berko piece and have it on record!
So, the education must continue!
Thanks, francis kwarteng!
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
Kofi Ata,
Your are too generous with the pastor.
If it was us, if we had time for that silliness, we would have titled our essay, "Prof Martey is a fake Dumsor Rev Prophet? As we all can see, it was the quack of a prophe ... read full comment
Kofi Ata,
Your are too generous with the pastor.
If it was us, if we had time for that silliness, we would have titled our essay, "Prof Martey is a fake Dumsor Rev Prophet? As we all can see, it was the quack of a prophet, Martey, who has exposed your naiveté.
Why, you may wonder?
Well, you, Kofi Ata has forced us to this conclusion because it was you, who, on Tuesday, 6 January 2015, published on Ghanaweb the essay titled "Has the President Joined the False Prophets?"
In that piece, you said among other things, "... The problem will require short, medium and long term strategic policy decisions and effective implementation on generation, distribution, finance, infrastructure renewal, restructure of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), dealing with illegal connections, power loss, corruption by staff, new and alternative sources of energy, pricing and private investor participation..."
On that essay, we commented:
READ: "....The prophetic banishment of dumsor will not bring power to Ghanaians, neither will a ministerial order to end dumsor do the trick. Only action, properly planned, implemented effectively and efficiently will..."
OUR COMMENT (THEN): No other sure-fire ways!
So, Kofi Ata, if you knew those were solutions a mere 2 months ago, why waste our time with "Is Rev Prof Martey dishonest on how to end Dumsor?"
What is all that about your, "... I did not want to be believe that he (Martey) really said what was attributed to him and in a comment said that either he was naive, politicking or did not understand the energy crisis and how to resolve it."
So, we imagine you are generous to a fault because you may also have "faith" that is confounding your analysis of an important public issue. It is obvious to us you may also be one of the "educated" beings who indulge in this nonsense of religion this, religion that, who are in Martey's camp, or similar faith-circles.
You may also be an enabler, plain and simple!
And so, you had to end your Martey essay today with what looks like a strategy to better pad your conscience, with "...Thank God, Rev Prof Martey is only the President of the Presbyterian Church and not President of Ghana...," still oblivious, absent-minded, that it is precisely people like quack Martey who control the vast majority of Ghanaians who, day and night, spend their lives and their conscious selves patronizing these profiteers of religion, and enabling them, as together they wreaking social, economic, and political havoc.
So tell us, Kofi Ata, in all seriousness, who do you camp with?
Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK 9 years ago
Prof, I stared as a Methodist but became Catholic having attended St Augustine's College and St Peter's Secondary School in Ghana. I am still Catholic and attend mass whenever I can. However, I am a critical believer and do n ... read full comment
Prof, I stared as a Methodist but became Catholic having attended St Augustine's College and St Peter's Secondary School in Ghana. I am still Catholic and attend mass whenever I can. However, I am a critical believer and do not share some of the faith's teachings such as no abortion, no birth control, etc. I believe that faith or religion has a positive role to play in society, expect that in most societies, ignorance, poverty and others have made people like Rev Prof Martey and his cohorts to deceive the masses for their own selfish advantage and to enrich themselves.
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK,
At some point, after posting our comment, we thought maybe we had overreacted and did not even deserve a response from you.
So, thanks for the response!
ITEM: We think that you will agree that ... read full comment
Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK,
At some point, after posting our comment, we thought maybe we had overreacted and did not even deserve a response from you.
So, thanks for the response!
ITEM: We think that you will agree that we have a very big problem with respect to religion in Ghana.
As such, we are thinking maybe your should have referenced/cited your own take on the solutions a mere 4 weeks or so ago, to allow readers a better perspective where you stand on the solution(s).
Copy and paste, for instance!
We can all believe in anything by way of faith - that ought to be a personal matter.
However, to claim that we are critical, we need to try to assess matters in the public policy domain with a secular perspective if only be cause many people may not share your faith.
We need to attempt to make that clear to all, without fudging. When we fail, we may end up as just another fanatic who freely conflates the personal with the public, the more successful and powerful of whom "deceive the masses for their own selfish advantage and to enrich themselves."
Again, thanks for your response.
Peace!
kutsii. 9 years ago
Kofi Atta, pls don't worry ur 'salifu' with Rev. Prof Martey's nonsense from the pulpit. We have dealt with him and very soon he will be no more Presby Moderator and spare Presby the disgrace. That Martey Rev. talks by heart ... read full comment
Kofi Atta, pls don't worry ur 'salifu' with Rev. Prof Martey's nonsense from the pulpit. We have dealt with him and very soon he will be no more Presby Moderator and spare Presby the disgrace. That Martey Rev. talks by heart and thinks he will be hailed as a hero or ' nation prophet '. Nonsense
BOY KOFI 9 years ago
I would like to take dumso from scientific perspective.My first point will be on the causes of dumso.We need to understand the reality of "climate change,pollution,deforestation and economic growth".Why is that there is low l ... read full comment
I would like to take dumso from scientific perspective.My first point will be on the causes of dumso.We need to understand the reality of "climate change,pollution,deforestation and economic growth".Why is that there is low level of water in our hydroelectric dams?We need a scientific research here to identify the problem.Somebody will tell me,there is not much fainfall or the rivers are drying up.Ask yourself why?I will tell you that it's the effects of climate change and we need to have a serious look at it.So if this trend continues,are we going to close down all the dams?Can any govt avoid the effects of climate change?If so,what are the alternatives?Thank you.
Speedy Gonzalez 9 years ago
Dams for energy is long gone,we need a new approach.This is the time to be more reliant on science and not prayers.The so called professors in engineering should let their knowledge be counted.We need a creative approach tha ... read full comment
Dams for energy is long gone,we need a new approach.This is the time to be more reliant on science and not prayers.The so called professors in engineering should let their knowledge be counted.We need a creative approach that can provide energy rain or shine and is sustainable.This not about politicians or religious leaders,it is about scientists.Those professors whose only day job is at media stations must be ashamed of themselves,they failed to help their communities and country.
BOY KOFI 9 years ago
much rainfall.Thank you.
much rainfall.Thank you.
Yaw Ohemeng 9 years ago
I will defend Prof Martey here. You do not have to be a professional footballer to know when a team is playing badly. You do not have to be an energy expert (?) to know when a government is at its wits end to end the energy c ... read full comment
I will defend Prof Martey here. You do not have to be a professional footballer to know when a team is playing badly. You do not have to be an energy expert (?) to know when a government is at its wits end to end the energy crisis. Is 3 months a viable time within which to end a crisis that has spanned nearly three years? Yes. Energy is the underpinning of any economy that wants to expand. It is almost unthinkable that any government can permit a whole quarter of erratic power supply, let alone three years.
The cause of Ghana’s ballooning fiscal deficits is inadequate national revenue. Thus we have been borrowing hugely to plug revenue shortfalls. Which one would be a better investment – borrowing to shore up revenue shortfalls or investing in reliable energy supply? The Reverend cannot be called dishonest when he has not been given all these loans. We can only label him as such if he had failed with such opportunity. We can only say his expectations are unrealistic but certainly not call him dishonest.
Kofi presents here a ‘mish marsh’ of what appears to be a solution and thinks he is contributing a policy direction. How much does it cost to purchase and install solar panels that can power an industry? How many of these companies can afford that outlay? How many of them do we need and who is going to manufacture them? How much would it cost in foreign exchange, even though he misleadingly said there would be savings in foreign exchange? How long will it take to train technicians to do the installations? How much do you have to pay them and how much would they pay back in taxes? You are doing the same as you blame the Reverend Minister for.
Let us situate the Minister’s contribution properly. He was complaining about the ‘phantom’ religious war in which politicians were meddling. He opined that they were doing this to divert attention from Dumsor. Then he said if he had the quantum of loans we have contracted (the last time a figure was given, it was $27bn), he would have fixed Dumsor in three months. How much are we going to pay for the temporary barges? A fraction of this amount. Would not it be in order to expect that this should have been done a long time ago?
Those who have hands on knowledge about the energy situation in Ghana say that the problem is not one of lack of generation capacity. They say we have close to 3,000 MW of installed capacity compared to peak demand of 2,000 MW. It appears the whole problem is lack of money to buy light crude oil (given the shortfall in the supply of cheaper gas). Why can’t we buy light crude oil? It is because of debt owed to ECG, which it cannot collect. The largest debtor is the Government of Ghana. The chain then continues downstream – the ECG cannot pay GRIDCO and GRIDCO cannot pay VRA. Hence VRA cannot buy light crude oil.
If Prof. Martey were President, could he not have paid ECG out of the loans we have contracted to free the blockage? It is the question of priorities.
As to whether prayers can end Dumsor, the Adomonline story only gave a quote from Prof. Martey. Did they include the question he was asked to elicit his response? No. That is the trick of Ghanaian journalism. They ask specific questions that attract a certain response, and then use the response only in the story. If a religious minister cannot trust God to end problems, he might as well hang up his cassock. The fact that he asked for wise leaders shows that he appreciates that God uses humans as agents of change. The fact that he spoke about loans indicates that he also appreciates that God helps those who help themselves and that prayers alone are not sufficient.
Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK 9 years ago
Yaw, I am not sure if you just wanted to pick argument with me on my policy proposal. I can assure you that it is realistic and deliverable. I did not ask government to import solar panels but the private sector. Already fore ... read full comment
Yaw, I am not sure if you just wanted to pick argument with me on my policy proposal. I can assure you that it is realistic and deliverable. I did not ask government to import solar panels but the private sector. Already foreign and local companies import and sell solar panels in Ghana.
I also suggested that companies and individuals who could afford the cost of installing solar energy and not all companies and individuals. For example, I heard on Citi FM last week that some companies spend GhC18,000.00 per week on diesel for their heavy duty generators, so just imagine how much those companies have spent so far. Are you suggesting that such companies cannot afford to invest in solar energy?
Part of the foreign exchange the government uses to import crude oil or finished petroleum products which companies and individuals buy (petrol and diesel) for their generators could be reduced if they invested in solar energy and no longer relied on generators and less fuel would be imported by the government. That would be savings, even if small.
I have no comment on your defence of Rev Prof Martey since you appear to have more information on what he is alleged to have said than reported by the media.
Yaw Ohemeng 9 years ago
I certainly would not pick up an argument in vain. The whole world over, solar together with all renewables account for less than 2% of power generation. we make solar seem as the solution; it is not.
There is a lead time ... read full comment
I certainly would not pick up an argument in vain. The whole world over, solar together with all renewables account for less than 2% of power generation. we make solar seem as the solution; it is not.
There is a lead time for large industrial solar installations. What is being imported into Ghana cannot even power heavy domestic equipment let alone industries. We should have the right pespective when offering these solutions.
The government should settle its debt with ECG and the lights would be switched on.
LAK, Tema 9 years ago
The issues raised by Mr. Kofi Ata, as to the policy options for consideration by the Government – to encourage individuals to import solar panels and other alternative energy systems – are pertinent and long overdue. Pray ... read full comment
The issues raised by Mr. Kofi Ata, as to the policy options for consideration by the Government – to encourage individuals to import solar panels and other alternative energy systems – are pertinent and long overdue. Prayer solutions are the modus operandi of pastors and politicians, who find such means as easy ways to hoodwink the poor and vulnerable by doing nothing. Even the Pope would not call for prayer sessions to solve any such ‘Dumsor’ problems in the Vatican, but rather would request his technical staff to search for the most appropriate solution, vis-à-vis the latest state-of-the art and cost effective technical solution. There used to be a time when the Ghana P&T provided telephone boxes at vantage points to enable people to place and sometimes receive calls from those boxes. Today, almost all Ghanaians have mobile phones, thus rendering such call boxes obsolete. Fast forward to a near-future date, when most or all Ghanaians would have installed solar panels, wind turbines or other alternative sources in their homes, such that ECG would no longer spend monies on cables and meters to individual homes, but would only cater for heavy electricity users, such as industries and other SMEs to continue with their businesses and to generate jobs.
If government is determined to solve the Dumsor problem at the individual level, then it must drastically ease or remove all duties and levies for alternative energy sources; those who could afford to bring in the solar lamps, solar panels and wind generators - and associated controllers, inverters, batteries, etc. for individual use – must be vigorously encouraged to do so. Also, the clearance processes from the harbours must be streamlined to minimize delays and costs imposed by the local shipping companies, especially for solar/wind goods to the barest minimum. Let us make solar, wind and other alternative small-scale power systems as common place as we now find mobile phones everywhere in Ghana. Indeed, the Energy Ministry has proposed the distribution of Net-meters - which should enable owners of alternative energy sources to upload excess energy during peak hours to the grid - such consumers would then be credited with reductions in their ECG bills, by letting the meters run backwards, when individuals produce power for ECG. Remember, if only a million of us produce solar/wind energy at an average of 1kW during the peak hours, this would equal to 1000MW – which is about the same capacity as the Akosombo dam!
Yaw Ohemeng 9 years ago
Who invented solar panels? Has individual takeup grown to such an extent that their national electricity companies are redundant? Have we asked why this is not the case? I will leave you to find out but solar and renewables c ... read full comment
Who invented solar panels? Has individual takeup grown to such an extent that their national electricity companies are redundant? Have we asked why this is not the case? I will leave you to find out but solar and renewables cannot solve our problems, especially when we think that individual take up will free the grid for industries.
This still does not shoot the Reverend Minster down. If Government were to pay its debts to ECG, the lights will be on today.
When is the peak hour in Ghana? Do we have one million Ghanaians with the capital to install solar? Do we have the manufacturers to supply the needs of one million people?
I work in the industry and I know these are wish lists.
Prof Lungu 9 years ago
When the average house in Ghana does not have an Air Conditioner, a Refrigerator, or high power Sound Systems, and the average street light needs approx. 6 WATTs LED lamp, how can we be so dismissive of Solar Power/Panels?
When the average house in Ghana does not have an Air Conditioner, a Refrigerator, or high power Sound Systems, and the average street light needs approx. 6 WATTs LED lamp, how can we be so dismissive of Solar Power/Panels?
BOY KOFI 9 years ago
If we don't engage scientists to find lasting solution to our energy crisis,I am afraid we will never get out of it completely.Thank you.
If we don't engage scientists to find lasting solution to our energy crisis,I am afraid we will never get out of it completely.Thank you.
Boakye samuel 9 years ago
You have spoken well. Ghana needs people like u who will be objective on national issues and not politicize it. Keep it up.
You have spoken well. Ghana needs people like u who will be objective on national issues and not politicize it. Keep it up.
MARCUS AMPADU 9 years ago
Dumsor-Dumsor is man created, and by golly, its solution will definitely be anthropogenic, not involving the Almighty. So, we should all do something really fast to to end it immediately.
Dumsor-Dumsor is man created, and by golly, its solution will definitely be anthropogenic, not involving the Almighty. So, we should all do something really fast to to end it immediately.
Abeeku Mensah 9 years ago
Ghana currently produce enough mega watts of electricity to meet current usage and demand but we have had a problem because like a house built without pre-evaluation and analyzed drawing which is bound to have either water an ... read full comment
Ghana currently produce enough mega watts of electricity to meet current usage and demand but we have had a problem because like a house built without pre-evaluation and analyzed drawing which is bound to have either water and or electrical problem throughout the house Ghana is having problem with distribution and ways to counter spikes in demand.
The notion that lowering taxes/VAT on imports would do the trick is an idea that is always thrown out by those in the Diaspora, those in Ghana with money and those in Ghana with family or connections in the Diaspora ready to take advantage of tax free promotions of government at the expense of the mostly poor Ghanaians. Does anyone remember the government tax free 5-year plan on hotels and other hospitality structures? What happened was that people in the Diaspora built their own homes in Ghana and offered them as hotels, motels, lodges and etc to get the tax breaks. How much revenue did government get out of that fiasco relative to the revenue lost by government? How many projects fail to materialize because of the loss of revenue?
How will Ghana's mostly working poor benefit from a tax free import of solar panels? Do the poor in Ghana have homes and pots to piss in? In most nations with all seriousness to energy production and distribution, local governments and or private utility companies work with home owners to buy extra power from homeowner solar energy sources for use by other consumers. But they do so because there is a system that would allow and absorb energy from solar sources. How is the government of Ghana going to take advantage of extra sources of solar energy in private hands? Remember that once dumsor is solved there will be no incentive for excess stored solar power in private homes. People are not going to cover solar panels for a time so they could use stored-up energy.
It gets a little stale, in my book, when every solution in Ghana boils down to if government will reduce taxes on the rich and affluent class. Are these rich folks not the very same folks who build mansions at the end of pot-hole filled streets and even as they sit on their ill-acquired riches still wait on government to spend money to fix roads to their gated communities? We need to have a plan to solve our energy problem by ensuring every piece of existing power generating systems and potential new sources to come on line, private or public, fit in the overall scheme; it is called simply planning. We cannot throw good money after bad.
Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK 9 years ago
Abeeku, in an emergency, time limited tax breaks as per my suggestion could help. Two years will not kill the tax revenue for government. Of course, I am aware that the poor cannot afford but they will also benefit directly f ... read full comment
Abeeku, in an emergency, time limited tax breaks as per my suggestion could help. Two years will not kill the tax revenue for government. Of course, I am aware that the poor cannot afford but they will also benefit directly from such tax policy from the power that those who are fortunate to take advantage of the tax break will not use from the national grid (from the resulting reduced load shedding and less dumsor).
It's because this is an emergency that is why I limited the tax break to only two years and did not look at the long term impact of companies and individuals taking advatage to install solar panels selling extra power back to the national grid. Even if Ghana would need the extra power when more generation come on board, the extra could be sold to other countries such as Togo, Cameroon, etc. This is a win win tax policy.
Regarding those of in the Diaspora taking advantage of another tax break to benefit, no matter which angle you consider this policy, still those in Ghana but unable to take advantage for financial reasons will still benefit by the resultant reduced load shedding from less demand on the national grid, though the abuse by the Disaporians did not cross my mind. The fact is, any tax policy (progressive or retrogressive) would be taken advantage of by some. That should not stop policy makers from considering them when necessary.
I agree with you that the causes of the current domsor is more complex as you mentioned and therefore the solutions will not require just a tax break. It's only one such interim policy measures the government could take.
prof martey 9 years ago
intelligent analysis . i was personally embarrassed wen i heard de supposed professor making dose infantile criticism nd i was even said wen he shamelessly emphasized that all we need to solve dumsor was prayers. i wondered ... read full comment
intelligent analysis . i was personally embarrassed wen i heard de supposed professor making dose infantile criticism nd i was even said wen he shamelessly emphasized that all we need to solve dumsor was prayers. i wondered how he became a professor.
Alberto 9 years ago
Let's just forget about this GAY reverend something something. He hasn't got anything sensible to say. He's just a GAY. No wonder his church has endorsed same sex marriage
Let's just forget about this GAY reverend something something. He hasn't got anything sensible to say. He's just a GAY. No wonder his church has endorsed same sex marriage
...Until we have changed the way our government operates and the legislative and executive arms earn the income that suits their input, there will be no change in the life of the ordinary Ghanaian; by that I don't mean only p ...
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KOFI ATA, YOU HAVE SAID IT ALL. THIS IS A WELL WRITTEN THOUGHT SEARCHING ARTICLE. IT IS WELL WRITTEN, NON-POLITICAL AND QUITE OBJECTIVE. THIS IS THE STYLE OF CRITICISM THAT ENHANCES PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT. AS FOR REV. PROF. ...
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I don't know whether Rev. Prof Martey did say what you are alleging he had said. However, if it is true that he did say that, I agree with you that he erred miserably.
In the first place, it is clearly stated in the Bible t ...
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Kofi, this is what happens when those who criticize are asked to suggest alternative ways to resolve issues they complain about. If Prof. Martey had kept quiet after his initial criticisms, we would all have assumed that he ...
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Kwabena Ansa, I have not alleged that Rev Prof Martey said this or that. I repeated what was reported by the media and I quoted the sources. So far Rev Prof Marty has not denied them. If you did not read the reports you can r ...
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RE: Prof Lungu
Date: 2015-03-22 23:07:24
Comment to: Ghana at 58 - The Crossroad Reckoning!
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's Founding Prime Minister, Dead At 91: Prime Ministers Office:
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first pr ...
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Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's Founding Prime Minister.
In the 2010 interview with The Times, though, he took a reflective, valedictory tone.
“I’m not saying that everything I did was right, but everything I did was for ...
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Singapore and Malaysia peninsula used to be a single state – Malaya - until Lee Kaun Yew wrested the backwater island port from Malaya and turned into a modern hub city state par excellence. Today Singapore’s GDP which wa ...
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You have hit on the right nail,easier said than done,many presby schools are still schools under trees,prayers alone cannot solve problems,there has to be brains and critical thinking to solve dumso dumso.
Dear Prof. Lungu,
Thanks for reporting Lee Kuan Yew's passing. I wish Mr. G.K. Berko were here to read this. Mr. Berko discussed Lee Kuan Yew in relation to Part 10 of my series "Dr. Kofi Dompere On Kwame Nkrumah's Scienti ...
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Yes, we read that Berko piece and have it on record!
So, the education must continue!
Thanks, francis kwarteng!
Kofi Ata,
Your are too generous with the pastor.
If it was us, if we had time for that silliness, we would have titled our essay, "Prof Martey is a fake Dumsor Rev Prophet? As we all can see, it was the quack of a prophe ...
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Prof, I stared as a Methodist but became Catholic having attended St Augustine's College and St Peter's Secondary School in Ghana. I am still Catholic and attend mass whenever I can. However, I am a critical believer and do n ...
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Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK,
At some point, after posting our comment, we thought maybe we had overreacted and did not even deserve a response from you.
So, thanks for the response!
ITEM: We think that you will agree that ...
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Kofi Atta, pls don't worry ur 'salifu' with Rev. Prof Martey's nonsense from the pulpit. We have dealt with him and very soon he will be no more Presby Moderator and spare Presby the disgrace. That Martey Rev. talks by heart ...
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I would like to take dumso from scientific perspective.My first point will be on the causes of dumso.We need to understand the reality of "climate change,pollution,deforestation and economic growth".Why is that there is low l ...
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Dams for energy is long gone,we need a new approach.This is the time to be more reliant on science and not prayers.The so called professors in engineering should let their knowledge be counted.We need a creative approach tha ...
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much rainfall.Thank you.
I will defend Prof Martey here. You do not have to be a professional footballer to know when a team is playing badly. You do not have to be an energy expert (?) to know when a government is at its wits end to end the energy c ...
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Yaw, I am not sure if you just wanted to pick argument with me on my policy proposal. I can assure you that it is realistic and deliverable. I did not ask government to import solar panels but the private sector. Already fore ...
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I certainly would not pick up an argument in vain. The whole world over, solar together with all renewables account for less than 2% of power generation. we make solar seem as the solution; it is not.
There is a lead time ...
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The issues raised by Mr. Kofi Ata, as to the policy options for consideration by the Government – to encourage individuals to import solar panels and other alternative energy systems – are pertinent and long overdue. Pray ...
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Who invented solar panels? Has individual takeup grown to such an extent that their national electricity companies are redundant? Have we asked why this is not the case? I will leave you to find out but solar and renewables c ...
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When the average house in Ghana does not have an Air Conditioner, a Refrigerator, or high power Sound Systems, and the average street light needs approx. 6 WATTs LED lamp, how can we be so dismissive of Solar Power/Panels?
If we don't engage scientists to find lasting solution to our energy crisis,I am afraid we will never get out of it completely.Thank you.
You have spoken well. Ghana needs people like u who will be objective on national issues and not politicize it. Keep it up.
Dumsor-Dumsor is man created, and by golly, its solution will definitely be anthropogenic, not involving the Almighty. So, we should all do something really fast to to end it immediately.
Ghana currently produce enough mega watts of electricity to meet current usage and demand but we have had a problem because like a house built without pre-evaluation and analyzed drawing which is bound to have either water an ...
read full comment
Abeeku, in an emergency, time limited tax breaks as per my suggestion could help. Two years will not kill the tax revenue for government. Of course, I am aware that the poor cannot afford but they will also benefit directly f ...
read full comment
intelligent analysis . i was personally embarrassed wen i heard de supposed professor making dose infantile criticism nd i was even said wen he shamelessly emphasized that all we need to solve dumsor was prayers. i wondered ...
read full comment
Let's just forget about this GAY reverend something something. He hasn't got anything sensible to say. He's just a GAY. No wonder his church has endorsed same sex marriage