Features
Let us remember Kofi Annan
Kofi-Annan
There is a popular saying in Akan that ‘Onipa yε ade a, ᴐsε ayeyi’ which literally means any person who does a good thing de¬serves praise. Hence, Ghana¬ians in general have a culture of remembrance.
That is why Ghanaian names like Nana Yaa As¬antewaa, King Osei Tutu I, Okomfo Anokye, King Asamani, King Tackie Tawiah, Kwame Nkrumah, Jerry John Rawlings among others are but only a few of the names that stand tall amongst the numerous illustrious sons and daughters of mother Ghana.
They contributed im¬mensely to the progress of our beloved nation. These are names of our heroes and hero¬ines that will hardly be erased from our memories.
Nevertheless, Kofi An¬nan was one of such famous Ghanaians whose popularity extended to the length and breadth of the globe. It was therefore, no wonder that the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II conferred on him the high traditional title of ‘Bo¬sumuru’ Kofi Annan, when he was alive, for making not only Ghana proud, but also the whole of black skin Africa and beyond.
Now, let us learn who Kofi Annan was: Born in Kumasi, Ghana, on April 8, 1938, his parents were Henry Reginald Annan and Victoria Annan; both of blessed memory.
Brilliant as he was, young Kofi Annan was educated at Mfantsipim Secondary School, Cape Coast where he success¬fully completed his courses of study.
In 1958, he gained admis¬sion to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.
In 1962, the United Na¬tions Organisation, otherwise known as U.N.O. employed him as Administration and Budget Officer.
In the course of time, he became Under Secretary General for the U.N.O peace keeping programmes.
His long service and experience in the U.N.O, coupled with his high sense of brilliance and integrity enabled him to gain absolute confidence of the U.N.O body to be the first person to be appointed from the U.N.O staff as Secretary General of the U.N.O.
He served for a two-term period in office, from 1997- 2005 and became the seventh U.N Secretary General since its inception in 1945.
Bosumuru Kofi Annan had great passion for human rights advocacy which was his greatest legacy for the world. This unfolded in two of his last addresses he gave at the meetings he addressed which I had the opportunity to cap¬ture on television documenta¬ries telecast to viewers.
The salient points of the addresses have been present¬ed below for the benefit of readers as the lifestyle of this eminent citizen of the country needs to be emulated by our present generation.
In his capacity as the sev¬enth U.N Secretary General and a former post-graduate student of Massachusetts In¬stitute of Technology (M.I.T), he spoke eloquently about the following.
Boston Class of 1997
1. He applauded those who stood behind them both physically and spiritually to enable them; then as students in 1997 to successfully pursue their courses of study.
2. Whilst a student of the Institute, he learnt manage¬ment skills that helped him to achieve his goal.
3. In his days in the Insti¬tute, there were no women amongst them but happily as he was speaking on that day, there were several women amongst the latest batch of the students present.
4. According to him, to live is to choose and one has to choose wisely. He considered any challenges that came to him as ways of finding means to improve his life.
5. He lamented about suf¬fering of humanity, especially children dying of hunger due to wars in countries like Cam¬bodia and other places.
6. He continued that, in 1996, the U.N General Assem¬bly applied a ban on weapons of scourge but in spite of that, other states were seeking means to bring back these weapons of devastation of human lives.
7. Education: Being a role model to the African youth education, he advocated for universal education of our children. He held the view that it was not necessary that all children should obtain University Education.
He said other children could be given skillful edu¬cation like trade, technical; so that after their course of study, they could establish their own works or industries.
Addressing U.N workers in a country
He said he was so happy to be with them. That the U.N members are to reach out to the people. We talk of a glob¬al village. We need to have common values. As citizens of global village, we need to reach out to the people; ie in our communities, we should come together to do things that can improve our commu¬nities.
As individuals, we are not powerless. We have power when things are getting out of hand. We should come to¬gether to make things better to improve the lives of our communities.
We need to listen to one another for our own educa¬tion; and concerns of others must be adhered to. It is always rewarding to share experience with others. Real peace building is prevention of conflict or violence. We should find out how to ensure young people are well repre¬sented in political administra¬tion of our countries.
Kofi Annan’s last interac¬tion with Ghanaians; cap¬tured on Joy TV on Saturday, 15/09/2018
“We need to build strong teams. When they are em¬powered to work and they shine, you as a leader will also shine.”
In hard moments, you look for support from your team, both physically and spiritu¬ally. Life starts from home, school, communities, locality, district, region, nationally and internationally. Therefore, in our own locality, when there is something wrong, we should all come together to share ideas to enable us solve the problem.
Quotes of Kofi Annan
• “Any attempt to change clause of veto power of the seven U.N.O Super Na¬tions of the Security Council, could generate acrimony, antagonism and animosity.”
The Seven Veto Power Super Nations of The U.N.O are Britain, America, Canada, Germany, France, Russia and China
2. “Whereever we live it is ideal to confront ignorance with knowledge.”
• “I have always be¬lieved that on international issues, the leaders must lead. We have the means of dealing with political issues if only we have the political will”
Interventions
1. He was responsible for certifying Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.
• He helped to settle the dispute between Cam¬eroon and Nigeria over the Bakasi Peninsular awards: In 2001, he was awarded Noble Peace Prize jointly with the U.N.
He was also awarded the Indira Gandhi Order of the Star of Romania and several other awards.
Death and funeral
He died in Bern, Switzer¬land, on 18/08/2018, at the age of 80years. His mortal remains were flown to Ghana.
The Government held a befitting state funeral in his memory from September 10 -13, 2018, at the forecourt of the State House, Accra, Gha¬na. May his soul continue to rest in eternal perfect peace in the bosom of his maker, Amen.
Marriage:
He was survived by a wife, Nane Kofi Annan and two children; Kojo Annan and Ama Annan.
Tributes
• By former President of the U.S Mr Barak Obama
“Long after he had broken barriers, Kofi never stopped his pursuit of a better world and made time to motivate and inspire the next genera¬tion of leaders.”
• By Rev. Bro. Pious Agyeman:
Bosumuru Kofi Annan brought honour not only to Ghana but Africa in general. His vision was without peace, there cannot be progress for humanity.
Hence, he called for co-operation among countries of the world and that human rights of all persons of the world regardless of race or colour must be principally upheld.
• He gained the high re¬spect of both the members of the U.N and countries of the world despite his black Africa skin.
By a concerned citizen, J.K Tetteh- Kpodjie
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
Today, I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland, with a focus on Mr Joseph Osei Amoah.
Mr Amoah is one of the senior members of the Ghanaian community in Finland and a top member of the Ghana Union Finland, an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
He is an active and a well-respected person in the Ghanaian community in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah moved to Finland in the mid-1990s, and he has lived in Helsinki all this time.
Accomplishments and honours
It is important to recount accomplishments as part of the success stories of the personalities of Ghanaian descent in Finland in order to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
Mr Amoah holds a Master’s degree in Demography from the University of Helsinki. At the time he came to Finland in 1994, he had majored in Economics at the Bachelor’s level at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Sometimes affectionately called “Chairman” in the Ghanaian migrant community, Mr Osei is a former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) branch in Finland, assuming office around 2015, a few months after the branch was formed, until 2019 when he did not run again for the elections. He helped to bring vibrancy into the NPP Finland branch.
Religious life
Mr Amoah is a prominent member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland. In spite of his busy working life and other responsibilities, he remains a committed member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland.
He plays a key leadership role in the church, which is attended by many Ghanaian migrants and other African migrants, Finns, and those of other nationalities.
His position in Asanteman Finland
Mr Osei Amoah is an outstanding member of the Asanteman Finland, where he is the Gyasehene, a prominent position as a sub-chief in the Asante (and Akan) royal hierarchy, in the functioning of the traditional authority systemgenerally in Ghana.
The Asanteman Finland is an association formed purposely with the aim of supporting each other as well as to ensure unity among its members and others outside of the group.
One of its top priorities of Asanteman Finland is to display the Asante culture in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah finds this as very important since by upholding the traditional culture and heritage, the association enables its members and especially the young ones to get the chance to learn and appreciate Asante and Ghanaian cultural values. They do this through rites such as marriage, the naming ceremony, and death and funeral rites, which makes the people to learn more of their provenance and not forget their origins.
“My point is that, by displaying the traditional heritage it helps people to learn more about their provenance. For, I think it will be embarrassing to go home and see that even the young ones have much knowledge about how to perform certain rites whilst those of us in the diaspora may be deficient in understanding those practices”, he argued. It is also very important for the young ones who are born in Finland to learn what the culture of their original society is, he continued.
The Finnish educational system
Mr Osei has a lot to say about the Finnish educational system, which he sees as very good. “When we came to Finland, education was free. There were library books and manuscripts readily available in the library, and one could print or make as many photocopies as possible for your studies. There was more flexibility. One could read books and write exams on them for the necessary grades in order to complete your studies”. In his opinion, Ghana could learn much from the Finnish system, which is one of the best in the world.
He said the only initial challenge he found in Finland was how to master the Finnish language, without which it was difficult to get a job befitting one’s status after the studies. But things have changed today and there are many English courses so it is easy to study and get a job that matches your studies, especially in the area of ICT, he said.
His role in the Ghanaian community
Mr Osei Amoah has been very active in the Ghanaian community, as I have indicated earlier. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has played a leadership in many functions organised by the Union, as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
Mr Amoah has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths and has also been part in settling various kinds of conflicts between opposing parties or persons. In conclusion, I would say Mr Osei Amoah has succeeded in embossing his name in the golden pages of visionary Ghanaians in both Sweden and Finland.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
