While some have suggested the enactment of more financial regulations, others have asked for the inculcation of more values in Ghanaian children as a long term solution to the rising incidence if corruption.

A new suggestion making in the anti-corruption debate is that more women should be appointed in corporate and Political circles to reduce corruption.

Proponents of this agenda argue that this is necessary because women are less corrupt than men. They argue that women are more caring and responsible thus making them less corrupt. They also suggest that women fear offending societal norms because of a higher sense of societal good; another reason for which they are less corrupt.

Opponents however argue that women are equally corrupt as men if not more. They contend that since very few women find themselves in corruptible possitions, it creates a false impression that women are less corrupt.

So what do you think?

Are women Less Corrupt than men?

The manifestoes which may have taken a while to be completed, seek to address some of the major problems confronting the country.

They are surprisingly not very different on focal areas and Policy targets.

While some are debating the differences between the strategies outlined by the Parties, some analysts say the Promises are over ambitious and impractical since they are blind to already existent agreements and development plans like GPRS etc.

Skeptics however say the manifesto would not change the future of the country much since Politicians promise only to fail.

Advocates of a bi-partisan development plan or a national manifesto say the first priority of the next government should be to develop a national development plan that takes into consideration all national and Political considerations.

Question: Would the manifestoes for election 2008 offer anything new that the next government can be held accountable to?

You can Post your Comments here…………

I spent last Wednesday and Thursday visiting Kumasi and its environs with my show. As part of the coverage of the 2008 elections, I am travelling across the country to offer Ghanaians all over an opportunity to speak up about the things that really matter to them. I am doing this with the hope that as the Politicians campaign; they would be guided by the demands of the people and hopefully held more accountable.

I arrived in Kumasi by 5:30pm and was rushed into the studios of LUVfm (our local affiliate) for a quick interview and then off to Adum for a test run ahead of the next morning’s show. It took us over eight (8) hours to get a good signal to accra and stream an hour’s test to our JOYfm studios…………..And by the time we retired to our rooms around midnight, we were all broken…….Presenter, technicians and producers.

4am on Wednesday morning we hit the road towards Adum for the much publicized Show. The Hype had been big. The promise had been great. Much was expected especially from the new technology for transmission and from the entire team…….And my objective was simple…….to inquire from the minds of the people of Kumasi, if the NDC was really making in-roads into the Ashanti Region, if the NPP had delivered on its promises to the satisfaction, what really was of interest to them ahead of the December Polls.

By the time I was done by 10am, my heart was filled with a mix of JOY and sadness…………of hope and fear……….and of a real understanding of what matters to Kumasianos…….

A number of events remain on top of my mind days after I returned from Kumasi and would surely make an impact on my life in many ways.

Perhaps the most impressionable was the 90year old man who walked from Kwadaso to Adum in the early morning rain to tell me about the poor state of his pension. With his all white hair and huge lens frames he told me of his years at the forestry department for about 40yrs only to be handed a menial monthly pension at age 90. In his words, if the nation wanted its citizens to sacrifice then it must take the best care of its heroes and pensioners. He was later joined by another pensioner who had heard him speak and had come to corroborate the demands of the old.

Another thing that hit me hard was a group of teachers who came over to show me their payslips saying they were only teaching because there was nothing else to do. The take home pay however could hardly take them to the next town. These young and able men would leave the profession if they found a more lucrative job in Libya and just cannot be committed to the most important job in the world which they do today: teaching tomorrow’s leaders. “I don’t care about NPP or NDC, I just need a leader who will resolve my problem of low salary.”

The workers of the Suame Magazine told me of what they had done for themselves with the desire to improve on their capacities and make them more useful to today’s technological world. They were however disappointed that all Politicians do is to promise. For them too they were looking for leadership that resolves their problems.

At the KNUST campus, students were more concerned about education and security. I must admit that I was very much disappointed to hear students split into an NPP, NDC discussion and replicating what the politicians have always been circling in. In fairness however, students expected government to pay a higher percentage of the cost of tertiary education. Students always expect the quality of education to be improved drastically creating more entrepreneurs and offering more job market relevant courses.

Later in the week the Asantehene granted me audience and a tour of the Manhyia Palace museum. I listened with rapt attention to the admonition of Otumfuo asking me and media practitioners to be more responsible to the public good especially ahead of the December Polls. He asked that we not focus much on scoops and competition but focus more on our gate keeping duties and the role as the fourth estate of the realm. Otumfuo also reprimanded Politicians for inciting violence and pitching Ghanaians against one another. Nana also talked to me about his disappointment in the youth who do the violent bidding of Politicians and expressed his wishes on how he would like to see the 2008 campaign focus on. I had a lengthier chat with the Akyempemhene who also told me about the relevance of the traditional authorities in Ghana’s democracy today. In all, I left Manhyia with a higher regard for the chieftaincy institution and an invitation to return someday.

Interacting with people across the Ashanti region was an eye opener for me. It quickly revealed to me how distant Accra, its politics and personalities are mostly distant from the heartbeart of the peoples across the country. It also revealed to me the folly of many in the capital that all that happens or is said in Accra is the real vibe across the country.

The Ashanti region trip has increased my resolve to ask for more….not just for the middle class in traffic in Accra, but for the son of the poor farmer in Agogo. Its opened me up to the realities of what people expect from us all who have the opportunity to speak on public platforms…..to be their voice and not an elite theorist who has lost touch with the realities on the ground.

I also learnt from Kumasi to relax a bit more and enjoy life………the people of Oseikrom as you may well know, know how to pride themselves in a treat. I hope to return to Kumasi in the future as I travel more out of accra to learn more about my country and its needs.

Jamestown in the Odododiodio constituency has been a hotbed for Political activities since independence and remains one of the swing constituencies in Ghana today. The constituency has produced some of Ghana’s lawyers and speakers of parliament as well as sportsmen.

In recent years however, the constituency has been overtaken by poverty, unemployment, poor sanitation and has gained a notorious image for theft and low education levels.

Scores of residents who flocked the Mantse Agboona for the JOYfm Roadshow told morning Show Host Kojo Oppong Nkrumah that to fix the problems of the constituency are the Provision of Jobs for the locals.

They also say local leadership has failed to unite and liase with central government to resolve the challenges facing the constituency.

While outlining their individual Political agenda, aspiring members of Parliament promised to work together no matter who won the December elections and work together with traditional authorities to solve the community’s questions.

But there questions about whether or not Politicians would ever really put aside Political differences and work in a bi-partisan approach to resolving challenges facing any community.

While the residents of Jamestown applaud their parliamentary aspirants for the commitment, do you think Politicians would ever really live a commitment to operate in a bi-partisan way to solve the problems of the electorate?

Post your comments here.

Many of the conflicts are as a result of unresolved land and skin disputes.

Recently violence in Tamale and Gushegu is reported to have taken a Political nature with supporters of the NPP and NDC attacking one another.

Security Analysts however contend that the violence in Northern Ghana should be blamed on a culture of impunity creeping up in the area. Many reported cases of attacks are left hanging with no prosecutions or sanctions on the culprits thereby encouraging further attacks and retaliatory responses.

Teams of military and Police personnel have been dispatched to Tamale and Gushegu to maintain the peace.

No one is however under the illusion that the presence of the Police and Military on the streets will bring lasting peace.

As Political tensions rise ahead of the December Polls in Ghana, many fear that the situation in the North could get out of hand.

How should the situation in the north be handled?

Post your comments here……………………………..

I thanked the listener for remembering and felt touched that it wasn’t only my programs director and my bosses who were monitoring my work…………but everyone else who allowed themselves to be bothered by radio.

Since then, I’ve been reviewing my work and how I have fared on the job so far. I’m humbled by the many subjects I have had to study – from law to sex preferences and the many interesting people I have met………..Politicians, academics……experts……..world leaders and my listeners and callers. I am also moved by the new learning’s and growths I have experienced.

While I can thankfully say I have grown in many areas or shed off many shells (and acquired some bad traits as well) there is still one thing I struggle with………………..I still take things too seriously.

I was trained as an accountant and worked as a treasury analyst in a multinational company. Everything was done by mail and in planning and review sessions. My first two years of work life were mainly in managing cashflows and overdrafts and managing our credit lines with bankers……………….Not exactly my definition of a relaxed environment. Usually I was required to wear shirts and trousers, sometimes suites and cuff-links. And for anyone who has observed dress code and behavior, it is obvious that what you wear affects how you behave. (Bankers wear suites for a reason)

I grew up with a speech impairment which I recovered from (By God’s grace) by carefully choosing my words and being meticulous in my speech. Till date I still stammer…but I manage it out when I calmly speak my words. The last thing you want to do is to hear me excited…………..or angry……………..I’m embarrassingly unable to utter my thoughts.

But after two years around the bends, I think I am ready for m big break. Ready to get out of my shell some more and ready to let myself loose. Sometimes I want to say something that just crossed my mind or let some thought run. Sometimes I feel like telling some politician “…….that’s not true……..” But often I feel I must be proper………..I must be professional………..I must be politically correct and all.

Throughout this week, I took off my suites and tires…….my shirts and cuff-links. Why? Well………I took them off because I want to relax some more. I want to lay back and put my feet on the table. I want to have a laugh at something I think is funny and say what is on my mind. I want to be me in my living room or sitting among my friends.

One of my colleagues and my Programs Director have been querying my new dress code and why I have been this casual throughout the week. My Boss asked whether my dress code really affects my attitude at work.

It sounds amusing to me as well when I ask “really do my clothes restrict me?” Well, think about it. What is your attitude to work on Friday ………….(when you go to work in your Friday wear or jeans and a t-shirt)? I have come to believe that we all get lighter and bubblier depending on what we are wearing and the mindsets with which we work.

That is why I have decided to put away my suites and ties and dress down to work from now on. (And I hope this resolution lasts.)

I realize that many entrepreneurs dress down to work because unconsciously it gives them the oomph to burst at work and deliver with the excitement. Dress codes go a milestone to affect how we think and our attitudes on the job. And since my objective is to relax some more and make lighter some of the issues we deal with, I am serving notice to all my office colleagues about my new dress code.

I hope to laugh some more and encourage my listeners to be more relaxed and lighthearted as well with some of the issues that affect our country. I hope to get less tight and boxed by the pressure to be formal and sanitized.

I hope to adjust to my new looks…………

Without being bias let us all ask ourselves, “What was the last book we read?” How often we read thrusts our ability to posses knowledge which is ubiquitous, unfortunately we cannot say the same for the obviously dying reading habit of Ghanaians.

What has accounted for our fading if not dead habit of reading?

Time constraint by our busy schedule which may be due to work, school or some other external pressures perhaps could afford us little or no time to pick a book for starters.

Some people blame their parents for not inculcating in them this habit and in some cases for preventing them from reading materials other than academic.

The predominance of local speaking radio and television programmes was not left out. Some teachers are said to teach in the local dialect as according to them students understand better than in English and for this the teacher becomes the only source of information since reading would pose confusion for the students.

Some fingers have been pointed at the media for their sole concentration on politics.

Taking the largest portion of responsibility is the taking over of information technology I.T. as most Ghanaians for that matter would rather obtain information from the internet, television and elsewhere rather than from books for convenience.

Reading is undesirable to many Ghanaians and for some others they just feel too lazy to pick up a book then to talk of reading.

An intelligent question you might want to ponder over is why there is the need for you to read. We must do so to be informed, simply put we need to be abreast of time.

How often do you read?

So tell me, what was the last book you read?

Send your comments here………………………….

Prior to Dr Bawumiah’s endorsement at midnight some party faithful expressed strong disapproval including some other Ghanaians who mostly preferred a female prospective vice president, Hajia Alima Mahama whose name as well as some others like I. C Quaye, Boniface, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Alhaji M.N.D Jawula, whose names popped up early on.

Some young people believe that Bawumia, Nana’s selection who is also a young man presupposes his concern for the Ghanaian youth who have been taken for granted by some other candidates.

Dr Bawumiah’s endorsement has been a surprise to some Ghanaians as his name was not put up initially; even on the democracy polls. Some on the other hand were not the least surprised as they suggested that his many contributions to the nation connotes his eligibility to be Nana’s running mate.

The 45 year old family man and economist after serving as the Head of the Monetary Policy and Financial Stability Department of the Bank went on to become Deputy Governor in 2006.

Will Bawumia choice as Nana’s running mate translate into votes come December?

What do you think?

Send your comments here………………………

Prayer camps have become rife these days especially in some rural area in the country overtaking mental institutions in the treatment of mental illnesses.

People with mental disorders or strange behaviours are pronounced as witches, wizards or have some evil spirit inhabiting them and this is becoming the plight of mental institutions and Ghanaians as well.

The overwhelming popularity of prayer camps questions the accessibility and efficacy of present mental institutions in Ghana. What aren’t they doing right? Perhaps the few mental institutions in the country and their cost not to mention their efficacy.

Divine healers of prayer camps not only diagnose witchcraft or evil spirits but also predict how such a situation develops and how to get rid of such evil, consequently the inhumane treatment in such prayer camps; poor sleeping conditions, the use of shackles to chain inmates to restrict their movement, denial of food and water, forcibly taking strange concoctions without warning of its effect and sexual exploitation allegedly happening in prayer camps violate the rights of victims.

But why would people send mentally ill relatives and others to these prayer camps?

The strong belief in evil spirits is a common characteristic which has been responsible for the rife in prayer camps as any awkward behaviour which usually may be psychological is branded as evil spiritually, first before any other.

Difficult financial situation in a tough economy; with the cost of treatment of mental illness is most at times a burden to families of victims as well as a lucrative avenue for healers and priests who operate prayer camps as a business.

Stigmatization meted out by community members, neighbours, employers and in some cases family members and also strange illnesses in families are some socio-cultural influences. Another underlying factor is the belief in death before your time.

The inaccessibility of conventional psychiatric treatment among the listed above have been responsible for these prayer camps being so popular in the treatment of mental illnesses especially

Perhaps if we knew of much better methods then resorting to prayer camps wouldn’t be an option, this problem of ignorance I will call lack of education. The more people knew about mental illnesses, institutions and treatment meted out at these prayer camps the better.

Are people aware of the treatment given to inmates in these prayer camps when they send family and others away?

So what do you think?

Government explains that GT is in need of massive investment and better management to save it from collapse while critics insist it can raise the needed investment from the Ghana stock exchange or a consortium of banks and hire the needed expertise.

Government sources also hint that the state is in need of urgent cash to pay for crude oil imports following a hike in global crude prices hence the urgent need to complete the sale.

Critics however say that government is selling off the nation’s strategic telecommunication’s asset and for too small a value. Critics also say the sale of the nation’s fibre optic infrastructure (which holds immense potential for the future of telecoms in the future) amounts to selling our eggs.

Parliament on Friday night failed to ratify the deal pushing it back till October when the house reconvenes.

Do you think the sale of GT amounts to selling our eggs?