Ghanascope

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

        Long before Mr. Pianim outed himself and former President Kufuor as bona fide players in the swashbuckling and extortionate pay of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), I had suggested the fact of not being the least bit surprised were I to shortly learn of Mr. Kufuor having heartily voted for then-Candidate Atta-Mills in both rounds of the 2008 presidential election. (more…)

By: Eric Kwasi Bottah alias Oyokoba

Kang Duk-soo, second from left, STX Group chairman, shakes hands with Robert Abongo, Ghanaian minister of water resources, works and housing, after STX won a $10 billion order from the African government to build 200,000 homes there by 2015. The signing ceremony was held at STX’s headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of STX Group

Ever wondered why a party that ruled continuously for 19 years, (11 of which under absolute dictatorship), would not talk about the achievements of its own founding father and patron saint – Togbe Avaklaso Rawlings, but will shamelessly reach into a different era and forcibly grab and tout the achievements of one of its competitors - the CPP and its founder, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as if it is their own whilst ignoring their own record; you have got to know that party is all hats and no cows as Texans are wont of saying. (more…)

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

        I saw him rudely push aside one of the members of his Ghanaian technical team and was momentarily taken aback. And then I quickly surmised, without any prompting whatsoever, that, indeed, Ghana’s European-looking coach likely shared the same ethnic/cultural and/or nationality as the members of the Serbian national team which the Black Stars had just defeated in their World Cup opening match by a lone goal, secured through a penalty kick when a smart-alecky member of the Beli Orlovi mischievously presumed to be able to readily get away with subtly handling the ball in the 18-yard box. (more…)

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

       Were I to make a wish list of the most distinguished Ghanaian statesmen and politicians that I would like to meet, Mr. Akenten Appiah-Menka would definitely top the list. On occasion, I have regretted the fact that throughout my 5-year stay in Oseikrom (Asantemanso), I never got the chance to meet the man. (more…)

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

            Those of you who have regularly been reading my media fare for a remarkable temporal span ought to know, by now, that I am absolutely no fan of “Tarkwa-Atta.” Interestingly, a few readers have written E-mails taking exception to an article that I wrote and captioned “President ‘Chimp” in a Balancing Act.” For one correspondent, the concern had to do with the fear of losing a huge chunk of my audience – something I have never seriously considered, since most of the chat-room comments to my articles (largely personal and abusive) often have no relevance, whatsoever, to the subject of my discourse. (more…)

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

            The actual title of this piece ought to have been as follows: “Ghana Is Still A Colonial Outpost For Afropeans.” This is because it deals with an issue that is systemic and more far-reaching than the attitude or (mis-)behavior of any highly positioned state/government official may seem to suggest. (more…)

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

            The Nigerian magazine Businessdayonline.com’s recent assertion that “30 percent of Ghanaians working in the United States” entered the country on Nigerian passports (See “30% Ghanaians Working in US with Nigerian Passport” Ghanaweb.com 6/7/10), is the kind of clinically retarded journalism that one wishes that no group of name-worthy media professionals practiced in twenty-first century Africa. (more…)

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

            In the wake of the publication of the inability of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to determine the cause of the February 14, 2010 conflagration that, reportedly, reduced the private residence of longtime Ghanaian strongman Jeremiah John Rawlings to bare steel beams and rubbles, several prominent citizens have taken issue with the nation’s chief fire quenchers. (more…)

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

            Campaigning for New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidacy in the Upper-Eastern towns and cities of Binduri, Tongo and Bolgatanga, among several others, recently, Mr. Alan Kyerematen is reported to have asked his supporters and sympathizers “not to rely on past election results as a guide to determine who they choose to lead the party” (See “Yenim Wo Firi Tete Cannot Win Elections for NPP – Alan” MyJoyOnline.com 6/10/10). (more…)