GET YOURSELF A RAHEEM AWAAFO

"What counts in life is not the mere fact we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead"

-Nelson Mandela

This was a message given by him during his birthday which is considered as Mandela's day across the world. Today marks the birthday of one of the best students with regards to leadership and also advocating through articles. He is called Raheem Awaafo

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Falling under the sign of Gemini, people born on June 15 possess an innate desire to learn and explore. These people thrive on intellectual activities  often spanning a wide variety of interests.  Because they are so gifted, they often possess many talents and may attract much attention by showcasing these skills. They are gifted with the act of communication and are talented speakers. They are philanthropic, artistic and above all imaginative.  Although intellectually driven, they are often easy going, good natured and fun to be around. Mr. Raheem Awaafo is not spared from this. He is a great leader, a great writer and above all a great friend to be with.

       On this special day, I want to tell you that I recognize your labour of love as we celebrate you and hope for many more years of useful work for the good of humanity. You are a wonderful leader to the world of yesterday, today, and the future. We thank God for making you the type of person you are today.  Through your effort to make impact on society, you were awarded as the Student Activist of the year at the faculty of Renewable Natural Resources and also KNUST Best Male Writer of 2017-2018 academic year. Plaudits for your good job done Mr. Raheem Awaafo.

     Upon my research you are celebrating your birthday with the King of Egypt: Mohammed Salah, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Erik Erikson the American-German Psychologist to mention but a few. You are an asset to this Continent and precisely Ghana. You are a fantastic role model for all those seeking to understand how to make an impact with their life. Your leadership has meant so much to this school. Don't ever stop fighting for what you believe in. I hope you get to take a short break from your service to celebrate your birthday. You have proven yourself to be a leader of high ethics and morality.

I am writing for two reasons: one to thank you for being a thoughtful and a wise leader that I respect and admire and the last to celebrate your birthday through this write-up.
As you go through this each year, remember to count your amazing experiences not your mistakes. Look to the future and forget your past because the best is still to come. I have been looking for a decent gift to give you on this special day of yours but I can't get you: perhaps love will do.This is your special day and I hope you see this day as more than just a reminder that you are getting older but as an amazing opportunity for you to gather with great friends, have fun and relive all the amazing memories of the previous years. 

Everybody should get himself a Raheem Awaafo
He believe the MASSES MATTER
I feel like asking you this question: why are you single? I am not pushing you into a relationship but I think you are afraid of ladies😬😬 OMAN can relate to that. May you live to be so old, handicapped stall become a necessity and not just a spacious place to do your business. Your birthday is nothing more than nature's way of telling us to sit down and eat more cake!  I am so glad that today is your birthday, and I can eat-I mean share-your cake.  I hate being fat, but I love eating food. Where is your cake Raheem? It is of no surprise that your birthday this year is a national holiday and also Eid celebrations which goes to say that you are indeed a blessing. As people get older, they gain the respect of the people around them. I just wanted to let you know that today, on your birthday, I have all the respect in the world for you.

      I try to give people birthday cards that match their age.  Unfortunately, I could not get my hands on a stone tablet or some ancient papyins. This modern greeting will have to do.
  I will end here by lamenting on the fact that, everyone should go and get a RAHEEM AWAAFO.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAHEEM AWAAFO. GOD BLESS YOU

Amo-Agyei Gideon is a student studying Bsc. Agribusiness Management who believes that, activism is the only tool that can change the status quo.

EDUCATION SYSTEM IN GHANA: A TORTURE

The importance of education to humanity is magnificent. If there has ever been a stage in life that makes us all equal, a stage where a large majority of humans in the society has undergone, then it has to be and, is indeed, education. It has been and will always be an important pillar of our society for development and progress.

    "Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm worker can  become the president of a great nation. It is what make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another"

-Nelson Mandela-

I wish to congratulate those writing the Basic Education Certificate Examination for your dedication and hard work throughout your period of basic school education. This is the period of reckoning. Over 500,000  candidates are writing this year examination of which 263,295 are males and 246,529 are females. There are 8.9% increases over 2017 figure of 468,060. The candidates are to write this examination  within a week of I believe that is an examination torture.

      There is no need to subject a child below 15 years to external examination continually for a week before he or she proceed to a Senior High School, determined by the Ghana Education Service and Ministry of Education. Until recently, children were writing 12 subjects with the same 5-days period. The question is, why this academic torture? Is it surprising that for over 20 years since this examination was introduced by the former President Rawlings, we have always recorded 50% failure every year. This implies that this 50% are unable to further their education at the Senior High Schools and Technical Institution, why should this be the case?
       Peter Hinssen a Belgian technologist naturally high on change called today's education system- mark my words- " Guantanamo bay mental torture". How do you expect a student to give an account of 9 years in basic school within a week? I know student who walk 10km to their district centers to partake in the examination. How do you expect such child to learn and write their examination daily. Some write two papers each day, so the question is, how do we expect such candidate to pass the exams and move on to their next academic cycle?  The sad part among it is, a student can be in a basic school for nine years but will never get a chance to use a common mathematical instrument but when the time comes for them to write an examination these Mischievous Politicians will go to the various schools and share their mathematical instrument with their pictures customized on it. The question I want to ask them is, how will they use what they have any fair knowledge of?

         Must it take a rocket scientist to know that if children have to walk for long distance in search of water when they should be studying, then their passing of the exams will be dependent on the grace of God?
  If over 167 communities in Tatale; together with communities such Kalveo chiana; Otwereso Praso and what have you have no electricity, then will it Not take the grace of God for such children to pass BECE?  If according to UNICEF, more than 1 in 5 children in Ghana is stunted meaning-they do not get the right nutrition to enhance their thinking ability, then will it also Not take the grace of God for such children to pass BECE?
     A child would have to use cutlass in place of a ruler to underline his work in school, then this is sufficient reasonable evidence of the problems on our hands. Not to talk of those who write without furniture and learn without teachers.

  I will end by lamenting on the fact that education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. It is my heart desire that a the end of the examination torture you will come out successfully. You should kindly deceit from examination malpractices.


Amo-Agyei Gideon is a  student studying Bsc. Agribusiness Management who believes that, activism is the only tool that can change the status quo.
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A CERTAIN ECOWAS

"Say "NO” to corruption: it does not fit you! Say “NO” to bad leadership; you don't fit there. Say "NO” to immorality; it will only fake you! Be bold to say "NO” if that is what will take your breakfast away; you will get a sweeter launch pack for compensation sooner."

-Isrealmore Ayiyor-

     Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS), celebrated its anniversary on 28th of May, 2018. Thus, this very Monday. My question here has to do with the fact that, has it achieved its goals or how far has it gone with its obligations?
Economic Community of West African States which is known as ECOWAS, is a regional economic union comprising fifteen independent West African countries. The 15 countries comprises 5 Anglophone countries and 10 Francophone countries. ECOWAS was established on 28th May, 1975, when the treaty of Lagos was signed with its mission to promote economic integration among the region. A revised treaty was signed in Cotonou, Benin in July, 1993. The chairperson of the ECOWAS is Faure Gnassingbe of Togo while Mr. Jean-Claudu Brou is the president of ECOWAS commission. The association was created  purposely to become the most important international economic instrument for economic co-operation and development in West Africa.

     Despite its purpose and its obligation, Mass looting of state funds is very common in west Africa by political office holders and bureaucrats, who see this as avenues to make a fortune for the future. It is only west Africa, precisely Ghana, that a road will be constructed and just within a month the roads will be ravaging. Those who steal state money are not punished, either of this now or in the future, are the catastrophe that slow down development in the community. The difference in the language will continue to pose a limitation to growth, as Nigeria with more than 250 ethnic languages, due to ethno linguistic fraction, there has been civil war in West African nations; the Ghana civil war in 1957 caused by the ethnic problem and closely followed the Nigeria civil war in 1966. Due to this effect, there have been delays in development in the region.

      Anti-government, demonstration, assassination, constitutional changes, coups, governmental crisis, purges, loot and share, riots, election rigging, and political thuggery have been the order of the day. The government policies are not only misinterpreted, but misappropriation of state funds has been very rampant with those in the political class.

"Our evolution depends on our memory. If we keep forgetting the mistake of the past, only to keep reflecting them, then we will never change. Humanity will never move forward, spiritually or morally to become superior beings"

-Susy Keissem-

     African Union officials have accused China of hacking its headquarters' computer systems every night for 5 years and downloading confidential data. The same building was built by Chinese state owned company which was funded by Beijing at the cost of $20m. The report by Le monde said, China had installed hidden microphones in the building and were transferring sensitive information at odd times of day.
Just recently, the president of the ECOWAS commission, Mr. Jean-Claude Bou and the Ambassador of China to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Zhou Pingjian signed for both parties in a bilateral agreement held at the ECOWAS commission headquarters, Abuja.  With the basis of building a new headquarters for the community with the grant worth $31.6 million dollars. Why should we give a contract to foreigners to build our own headquarters? Have we lost hope in our own people? The people we have invested in...... Hmmmm. China is also building a new parliament for Congo Republic and rebuilding the burnt premises in Gambia.  Why can't member nations contribute for the construction of our own headquarters? Early this year, the president of Ghana was moving with a mantra, “Ghana beyond aid”. Can we not spread this mantra into the community by using our own resource to develop Africa and precisely West Africa? We are rather depending on China and Western part of the world to develop our region which is now using dubious means to take over our resources. Nevertheless, despite the challenges facing the regional body, the body may not be seen as a total failure because, there is still room for corrections and hope that it will get better. Borrowing from the words of Chimua Achebe, there is nothing wrong with the West Africans, we can coordinate and perform even better that the European union. If all these things can be effectuate, the leaders should change their mentality. They should believe in the citizens in the region. We should not be repeating our mistakes by continuing to give contracts to foreigners to develop our region.
 Arise the youth of west Africa, precisely Ghana, and move this region forward!

 Amo-Agyei Gideon is a first year student studying Bsc. Agribusiness Management who believes that, activism is the only tool that can change the status quo.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

THE AFRICA WE WANT

Very thankful to slave trade. Else, I would be in AFRICA, nakedly serving a name that does not exist, forcibly marrying a man older than my father and thinking to the conclusion of imperialism.

-A black American Senator in the USA-

     Africa Union is a continental union, consisting of all the 55 countries on the African Continent, extending slightly into Asia, via the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. It was established on 26th May, 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and launched on 9th July, 2002 in South Africa , with the aim of replaying the Organization of African Unity(OAU) established on 25th may, 1963 in Addis Ababa, with 32 signatory governments. They have a motto which says, " A UNITED AND STRONG AFRICA". Today marks the celebration of Africa Union and my question here is, *”do we have the Africa we want"*?

    At its formation, the founding fathers saw the end of colonialism and white minority rule and the start of co-operation among African states as the imperative road to achieve a better life for the people of Africa. Among other aims, the AU also sought to defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of African States. Africa today resembles the past: The continent is still divided along regional borders and tribal and ethnic boundaries-creation of the colonial rulers.
Recently, in a presentation at the African Leadership series,  Prof. Oteino Lumumba lamented that, it was only Africa that was still being referred to by colonial labels based on the identity of the coloniser. Lumumba highlighted terms such as 'Anglophone' ,'Francophone' and 'Lusophone' to mean that Africa is still a sphere of our erstwhile colonisers.

     It is my prayer that, the leaders of this continent will see the need to change their character and find ways and means to see to the development of this continent. Civilization started from Africa, thus, Egypt, but now we should ask ourselves, how far has the civilization taken this continent? In the USA, they make fun on their dinner about Africa. We lost our respect so easily. This continent has been a dumping site/ground for the white men; anything bad for them will be imported here. A continent with high external trade and low internal trade. We are exposed to the highest sun shine, yet we find difficulties in our lighting system. A continent of disruption and corruption. Corruption is the misdemeanor when theft is a felony. The only continent with age barriers to leadership positions. A continent where a President's son alone can be richer than the whole nation; Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea and the rest. A continent where two countries hold almost 60% of cocoa distribution in the world, yet find it difficult to feed its own self. A continent where political parties think only of coming into power but not empowering their people. A continent where its people see themselves as inferior to the white men. Africa is a disgrace! There is nothing to celebrate about Africa if not pastors and over-Christianity. They say, a proud AFRICAN, but I say, a shameful AFRICAN! A continent where the future is dicey.

     "When given the chance, the black man is capable of managing his own affairs ".
-Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah-

Have we been able to manage our own affairs? That is the question our leaders should give answers to, as we celebrate this day. *African Union deserves no celebration*. I am deeply saddened by the state of this continent.  Africa is the richest continent with regards to natural resources, but poorest inhabitants. Africa is a disgrace believe it or not. How long should we be drawers of water? We struggle and struggle to make ends meet, but we still remain where we are. We try to scratch a honest living from our land, but continually they remind us never to forget our role as drawers of water.

   In economy, the AU's future goals include; the creation of a free trade area, a customs union, a single market, a central bank and a common currency. The new leadership has a task ahead of it: They should clearly outline where they are taking the iconic project of African emancipation started by our founding fathers. The emancipation project means total economic independence for Africa. How does the AU position itself to be a critical player in the global arena, rather than being subservient and a receiver of aid from the west and China?
Africa is our continent, the richest continent in the world. I love the black colour. We should stop undermining our culture and our nature and I believe we will all see the Africa we  want.


*I still remain an activist who believes that activism is the only tool that can change the status quo.*
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