Features
Parliament: Any chance for lasting consensus building?
Ghana’s 2022 budget was rejected by the Minority in Parliament on Friday, November 26, 2021. Four days later, on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, however, the Majority Group in Parliament also overturned the decision and approved the policy document. Mr Joseph Osei Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, who presided, said the rejection of the budget by the Minority was null, void and had no effect.
According to Mr Osei Owusu, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin erred in presiding over the rejection of the budget “since there was no clear majority in the House during the proceedings.” Mr Osei Owusu said: “The consequence of this unfortunate error is that, it is void and inconsequential since it was done in violation of Article 104(1) of the 1992 Constitution.”
The Minority also claims that the approval of the budget by the Majority is unconstitutional and “an attack on Ghana’s parliamentary proceedings and democracy”. Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader in Parliament says; “the Majority engaged in a constitutional charade.” From the current tussle in Parliament; we reproduce this feature which was published in The Spectator on April 17, 2021, in this very column. I was privileged to have interacted with the venerable Mr Joseph Henry Mensah on a number of occasions and on varied reflective national issues. Affectionately called J.H. Mensah, the quintessential patriot, was very colourful but a controversial politician in the Ghanaian political history. Indeed, J.H. Mensah was not an ordinary Ghanaian politician. He was an international giant in his field of study; economics.
But more or less, he ended up in public life as a full-time politician; holding different portfolios at different times. He was virtually my father. I had the privilege to host him a number of times; on behalf of the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipal Assembly. And he practically contributed to the development of the municipality when I was the Municipal Chief Executive and he, the Senior Minister in President Kufuor’s regime. Incontestably, J.H. Mensah was responsible for Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s Seven-Year Development Plan. He told me: “I was invited from the United Nations in 1961 to take charge of the Planning Commission of the Development Plan. “Kwame Nkrumah was the Chairman and I was the Executive Secretary.
I wrote the plan. I did not just take part, I was entirely responsible for it.” He said: “I was also the Chief Economic Adviser to the CPP government at the age of 33. And I was acting purely as a professional and not a member of the CPP. I never joined the CPP.” Readers, why am I disturbing you about this great man who died recently and was buried here in Ghana? In the Fanti language, it is said that “tekyerema mporo”. Literally translated; the tongue never gets rotten and that any word that comes out from the tongue, is everlasting.
Most often, we quote outsiders to support our arguments in our national development efforts. But today, let’s listen to J.H Mensah. He says, “consensus building in Parliament is one area that must be developed in our present civil constitutional dispensation.” According to J.H. Mensah, when the Progress Party was in power between 1969 and 1972, there was a great deal of consensus in Parliament. He said: “The late Komla Agbeli Gbedemah and later, E.R. Madjetey who became opposition leaders, had direct access to Dr K.A. Busia’s office.
“And in Parliament, the government involved the opposition in the planning of major policies.” According to him: “This runs counter to the present system where the Minority is left in the dark but asked to support government policies.” Mr. Mensah says: “You can’t use Parliament like a rubber-stamp.
So that anytime you want parliamentarians to vote on something; you drive them like sheep,” stressing that, “this is one of the fundamental defects of the democracy we are practising here.” Readers, as a nation we cannot have consensus by declaration. We can get consensus by discussions; involving compromising and bargaining. And is it happening in our Parliament? Otherwise, why should ballot boxes be kicked and “stolen” in Parliament and ballot papers chewed like tiger nuts? And, for example, why should the approval of the fiscal policy of government and ministerial nominees, become intractable bone of contention in Parliament? And why should the Speaker of Parliament be branded as making Parliament an enclave of top opposition figures and fanatics? And why should the General Secretary of the opposition NDC openly claim that the “incompetence” of the current Finance Minister will inure to the benefit of his party; come the 2024 general election; thus, resulting in his recent approval by the Minority as Finance Minister? In effect, as a nation can’t we enhance the development of consensus in Parliament, besides having our national priorities right? And as indicated by J.H. Mensah; in Parliament for instance, can’t the NPP administration involve the NDC in planning some of its major prolicies? Again, per J.H. Mensah’s example; can’t the leadership of the Minority have direct access to the President’s office? Are the two major political parties in Ghana enemies or opponents? Readers, democracy is more than the sum of its institutions.
A healthy democracy depends in a large part on the development of a democratic civic culture. Culture, in this sense, does not refer to art, literature or music but the behaviours, practices and norms that define the ability of a people to govern themselves. So, as a nation, can’t we develop our own democratic civic culture to govern ourselves?
Contact email/WhatsApp of the author: asmahfrankg@gmail.com (0505556179)
By G. Frank Asmah
Walk into any supermarket in Accra, Kumasi, or Tamale today, and you will see the modern Ghanaian diet packaged as ‘progress.’ You will see breakfast cereals with cartoon mascots, fruit drinks that are mostly sugar and colour, and snacks promising energy and happiness in bright fonts.
Even products loaded with salt and unhealthy fats often wear a health halo labeled as fortified or natural, while the real nutritional risk is hidden in tiny print on the back. This is not just a consumer inconvenience; it is a public health blind spot. Ghana is living through a silent surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
These conditions quietly drain household income and steal productive years. According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, NCDs are now responsible for nearly 45 per cent of all deaths in Ghana.
We cannot build a healthy nation on a food environment designed to confuse people at the point of purchase. Ghana must mandate simple front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) on high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat packaged foods because consumers deserve truth at a glance, and industry must be pushed to reformulate.
Why Back-of-Pack Labels Are Not Enough
In theory, consumers can read nutrition panels. In reality, most Ghanaians shop under pressure, limited time, rising prices, and children tugging at their sleeves. The back label is a relic that requires a high cognitive load to interpret—essentially, the seller knows what is inside, but the buyer cannot easily tell.
This ‘information asymmetry’ is not fair. It is not consumer choice when the information needed to choose well is deliberately difficult to find.
Simple warning labels like the black octagons used in the Chilean Model act as a ‘stop-and-think’ nudge. They do not ban products but they simply tell the truth so people can decide.
Reshaping Our Food Environment
A generation ago, Ghana’s meals were mostly home-prepared, like kenkey and banku with soups and stews. Today, ultra-processed foods have become the norm, especially in urban areas. Children are growing up with sugary drinks and salty snacks as everyday items, not occasional treats.
If Ghana is serious about prevention, we must act where decisions are made—thus, the shelf. Warning labels protect parents from sugar traps and pressure the market to improve. When warning labels are mandatory, manufacturers start to compete to make healthier recipes to avoid the stigma of the label.
Addressing the Pushback
Industry will argue that labels create fear or that education alone is enough. However, health education is slow; labels work immediately. While the informal street food sector is a challenge, regulating pre-packaged goods is the practical starting point because the supply chain is traceable. We cannot wait until the whole system is perfect; we must start where action is feasible.
A 2026 Implementation Roadmap for Ghana
To move from talk to action, Ghana needs this 5-step plan:
- Issue mandatory regulation: The Ministry of Health, Food and Drug Authority (FDA), and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) must define the label format and nutrient thresholds for all pre-packaged foods.
- Simple, bold symbols: Use plain language and clear symbols, such as “HIGH IN SUGAR,” designed for busy families, not experts.
- Transparent thresholds: Adopt technically defensible standards adapted to the Ghanaian diet.
- Transition and enforce: Provide a 12–18 month period for manufacturers to reformulate, followed by firm enforcement at ports and retail centers.
- National literacy campaign: The Ghana Health Service must pair labels with public messages explaining why high salt or sugar increases disease risk.
Conclusion: Truth Is Not a Luxury
Prevention is cheaper than treatment. A warning label costs little compared to the price of dialysis, stroke rehabilitation, or lifelong diabetes complications. A black octagon on a box of biscuits is more than a label; it is a shield for the health of all Ghanaians. It is time to put the truth where we can see it, right on the front.
By Abigail Amoah Sarfo
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Natives of the Kenkey Kingdom were mad with joy. They were still recovering from the hangover of the kingdom’s loss of the African Cup when their spirits were rekindled. Their great warrior, Zoom Zoom, stormed Melbourne and made sure that every Australian refused food. And that was after he had drawn contour lines on the face of their idol, Jeff Fenech.
Not only did the terrible warrior transform Old Boy Jeff’s face into a contour map useful for geography lessons, but he also accomplished the feat of retaining the much-envied super-kenkeyweight title against all odds. The warrior had not been eating hot kenkey for nothing.
The Fight Against Fenech
When Jeff Fenech bit the dust in the eighth round, I was tempted to consider if Adanko Deka could not have faced him in any twelve-rounder, title or non-title bout. Adanko has improved tremendously, and soon he would be facing Pernell Whitaker.
Sincerely, I was pessimistic about Azumah’s man, who the last time took him through twelve grueling rounds of rough boxing. I expressed my fears to my colleague Christian Abbew, alias Gbonyo, who surprisingly had total confidence that the Australian brawler would fall, predictably in Round Five.
Gbonyo gave reasons for his contention, all of which I counteracted using the age factor. Fact is, I didn’t know that contrary to the laws of nature, Azumah was all the time growing younger.
When Fenech fell briefly in round one, I asked my brother whether it was the same Fenech that fought Azumah in Las Vegas. Sure, it was the same Fenech, all out to beat Azumah before his countrymen.
But the African Professor had no intention of making the Australian a hero. As he spun round the desperate Aussie, dancing and stinging out his jabs, it was not too long before I realized that the end was near.
The Eighth Round Showdown
Two minutes into the eighth round, the African ring-master proved to the whole world that he was a true son of Bukom. He himself was cornered, but like the tough nut he is, he managed to break free before overwhelming the panting Australian with several blows that made him crash headlong.
Moments after, the referee, expressing fatherly sympathy, stopped the fight to prevent an obituary. After the ordeal, Fenech’s fairly handsome face was full of newly constructed hills, valleys, ox-bow lakes—whatever. I noticed that his nose was very tired and had a miniature volcano sitting restlessly on it. Obviously, Jeff’s wife will have to nurse that nose back to its normal shape—but I’d advise her not to use iodine, otherwise her dear husband will wail like a banshee.
Reflections on Boxing
Because Mohammed Ali was the kind of boxer kids liked, many school-going kids often entertained the wish of becoming like him. I remember one day when I told my father I wanted to become a boxer, and he advised me to first complete my education to the highest level. Then, if I decided to become a boxer and was knocked out a couple of times, I’d fall back on my degrees and make a living.
Boxing used to be interesting when bouts were fought more with the mouth and tongue than with gloves. You had to brag well, psychologically belittling your opponent before beating him up physically. Mohammed Ali became a very successful pugilist because he also managed to become a poet. He often blew his horn across America, calling himself the “pretty boxer” and opponents like Joe Frazier “the gorilla.”
Ali made a living fighting hard fists like Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, George Foreman, Leon Spinks, and Trevor Berbick. Twice he came back from retirement to fight just for money. It was Larry Holmes who finally pensioned him, and since then the great Ali has never been himself.
The Path Ahead for Azumah
When Azumah nailed Jeff Fenech on the cross and barked almost immediately that he was after the head of Pernell Whitaker, I was happy but concerned. I would have been happier if he had announced his resignation there and then—he would have been more of a hero. Beating Fenech in Australia is more newsworthy than facing Whitaker in the States.
With Whitaker, it might be a little difficult. The “Sweet Pea” is agile, has a crooked body like a snake with diarrhea, and stands awkwardly as a southpaw. He is known for having the fastest pair of fists and the rare ability to dodge punches no matter how close they may be.
Much as I do not doubt that Azumah can take his title, I also don’t want him to retire beaten. I want him to retire as a hero and live a fuller, healthy life.
As Azumah himself said after dishing Fenech, he is now a professor and has something to show for it. Like a true professor, I think it is time he resigned and took up training young talents who could draw inspiration from him and become like him in the future.
Closing Thoughts
I must say that although ageing boxers like Larry Holmes and George Foreman are making a name for themselves, boxing is not like the Civil Service, where you can even change your age and retire at 74. Zoom Zoom has delighted the hearts of the natives, and Sikaman will forever hold him in high esteem—but only when he retires as a hero.
This article was first published on Saturday, March 7, 1992.
