Features
Construction crew or demolition squad? Part 1
In every society, there are two distinct groups of people – those who solve problems and those who create problems. This reminds me of the days of yore when civics was taught as a subject in Ghanaian schools. And mind you, it was taught at the elementary level. By the way, for the uninitiated, civics is the study of the rights and obligations of citizens in a society. Not just rights as many Ghanaians have come to delude themselves that this is all democracy is about. More importantly, it is about obligations to the state.
I remember civics was my best subject at that stage of my formal education because during terminal examinations, I could easily get 100 per cent. All I needed to recall were the type of citizens and how they behaved. A question or two would almost invariably pop up from that domain. If my memory serves me right, we were told that we had the good citizens, bad citizens, active citizens, and passive citizens, of course, the active and good referring to those who were participating keenly and positively in the process of nation building. We were again told the good ones paid their taxes to help advance their societies.
On the other hand, we were taught that the bad ones, while not contributing anything to the efforts to promote their societies, were also wreaking havoc by their vices, in the process, causing their communities to retrogress. I do not recall the name of the book we were using but I remember how the passive citizen was characterised, in a pictorial representation, as someone sitting on a fence with folded arms while others were busy working hard for their communities to bring about positive change. At least, these only sat on the fence, but the bad ones indulged in all sorts of evil, kleptocracy leading by a mile.
On hindsight, I realise that it all boils down to the Construction Crew and the Demolition Squad. In biblical terms, we might say the Nehemiahs representing the builders, and the Tobiahs, Sanballats, and Geshems characterising the nation wreckers. Where do you belong as Ghana tries, through thick and thin, to move to the level where it will be respected among the community of nations?
As a nation our motto is: Freedom and Justice. Well crafted! But where is the justice after Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and other nationalists led us to snatch, as it were, our freedom from the jaws of the imperialist lions? Where is the justice when the slogan seems to have been implicitly replaced by the unwritten code that suggests that “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others?”
In “Animal Farm”, the satirical masterpiece of a novel by the British author, George Orwell, he writes about the betrayal of other animals by a pig named Napoleon, and its ilk. After the animals chase the farm owner, Mr. Jones out of town for oppressing them, they draw up, as it were, a constitution, described as the Seven Commandments to promote certain principles of the animal community dubbed, “Animalism.” Those principles are as follows:
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy, (that is, humans)
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend
3. No animal shall wear clothes
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed
5. No animal shall drink alcohol
6. No animal shall kill any other animal
7. All animals are equal
Initially, meetings are held on Sundays to plan and regulate life in the commune. But sooner than later, Napoleon and the other pigs cancel all meetings and insist that they will take all the decisions “for the good” of the other animals.
With time, Napoleon and its cohorts assume the air of superiority and arrogate to themselves the role of overlords, breaking all the rules of “animalism” and behaving just like Mr. Jones whose exploitation led to his overthrow.
First, the pigs start to take all the milk and apples for themselves to the exclusion of the other animals. Then, Napoleon and its band of traitors begin to sleep in cozy beds, drink whisky, walk on their hind legs with their chests out, that is, upright as humans, not on all fours any longer, wear clothes, and have a whip in hand ready to rein in noncompliant animals. Napoleon even trains the dogs as bodyguards which are used to charge at perceived rebels or troublemakers. Before long, Napoleon and its notorious gang replace the Seven Commandments espousing “Animalism” with the single code: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
With sorrow of heart, the “common animals” spy on the “elite pigs” through the farmhouse window as they party hard at their expense, with a human friend they welcome into their company. Something else. Now, it is difficult to tell the difference between the pigs and humans. Does it ring a bell in Africa? Does it sound familiar in our body politic? Do you recognise those who have now put on airs; people who had nothing to boast of before they sought redemption in politics and became overnight millionaires? And why not, when no one insists that they should declare their assets as stipulated by the law!
The African-American civil rights leader and trade unionist, Asa Philip Randolph, (1889 – 1979), made a poignant declaration as follows: “Equality is the heart and essence of democracy; freedom and justice, equality of opportunity in industry, in labour unions, schools and colleges, government, politics, and before the law. There must be no dual standards of justice, no dual rights, privileges, duties, or responsibilities of citizenship. No dual forms of freedom!”
Speaking on the same issue, the 19th century British lawyer, judge, philosopher, law reformer, and writer, Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, (1829-1894) remarked:“The only shape in which equality is really connected with justice is this – justice presupposes general rules. If these general rules are to be maintained at all, it is obvious that they must be applied equally to every case which satisfies their terms.” In other words, “what is good for the goose is equally good for the gander.”
As a government where is the justice when the water that the city dwellers use to wash their cars is cleaner, in most cases, than what some cocoa farmers and other rural folk drink? Through no fault of theirs, our brothers and sisters in the rural areas are born with daunting odds stacked heavily against them. They struggle under those circumstances to meet their most basic needs of life – shelter, clothing, food, and water. Unfortunately, whatever help they get is usually piecemeal
The great pan-Africanist leader, Nelson Mandela blared the truth loud and clear when he declared that “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity; it is an act of justice.”But where is the justice when the roads that link the food growing areas and mineral producing regions of the country to the big cities, appear to be in a perpetual state of disrepair? The dangerous roads put the lives of the people there at risk, especially, when they have to transport the critically ill to the nearest health facilities which in most cases, are mere first aid posts. We must be in government with the abiding consciousness that every human life is of equal importance. Otherwise, we have no business being there.
Government after government periodically applies some stopgap measures to improve the situation as if they are giving the people some charity. The most disrespectful aspect of this attitude is that most of the time, these repair works are done close to elections. What do you take the rural folk for? Dummies? No, they are only longsuffering and that should not be misconstrued to be a weakness.
The truth is ad hoc interventions are not the solution. An equitable distribution of projects under the national development agenda is the appropriate option. Besides, we cannot stop the rural-urban drift if we do not make the rural areas attractive enough to stem the tide. This is a basic fact that most of our leaders learnt long ago in their school days. They wrote about it in examinations and got their pass mark, or even an excellent grade. Yet they are not applying it practically. Or you think your script is not being marked any longer in school? The school of voters is scrutinising the performance of elected officials.
Do not forget that a stitch in time saves nine.
Writer’s email address:
teepeejubilee@yahoo.co.uk
By Tony Prempeh
In late 2025 and early 2026, Ghana witnessed a cruel paradox. From Tumu in the Upper West Region to Akomadan in Ashanti Region and Ziope in the Volta Region, farmers harvested abundance only to watch it rot.
This food glut occurred where thousands of bags of maize, rice, tomatoes, crates of eggs and other foodstuffs remain unsold, even as consumers especially in the urban areas complained bitterly about soaring food prices. In Ghana today, success in farming has become a punishment.
Here is the hard truth: Ghana’s food crisis is no longer about how much we produce; it is about how poorly we protect, move, price, and value what we produce. Until we build and fix storage, market rules, processing capacity, and import discipline, bumper harvests will keep bankrupting farmers while cities keep paying too much.
Over the last decade, national policies have celebrated production. Initiatives like “Planting for Food and Jobs” (PFJ) and “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” expanded acreage, inputs, and output. By most metrics, farmers delivered.
Yet the food system beyond the farm gate (storage, transport, processing, pricing, and trade protection) was left to chance.
The result is a broken chain. A maize farmer in the Upper West sells a 100kg bag for about GH¢200, down from GH¢500 the previous year, a 60% collapse.
In Accra, maize products barely reflect this drop. Poultry farmers offload eggs at GH¢40 per crate, while consumers still pay GH¢75. Somewhere between farm and market, value is extracted, distorted, and hoarded.
Reports across food markets show that the greatest margins sit not with producers, but with intermediaries also known as “middlemen”. High transport costs, multiple informal levies, weak farmer bargaining power, and opaque pricing allow middlemen to buy at giveaway prices and sell at premiums. This has led to farmers being financially crippled, unable to recover input costs or reinvest for the next season. Young investors are also discouraged from agriculture due to the little to no profits or negative margins.
Consumers remain trapped in high-price markets despite national food surpluses. Ghana has mastered the art of growing food, but failed at the science of managing it.
Import dependence is also another factor undermining local success. While imports can stabilize prices during shortages, Ghana’s current trade posture actively undermines local producers. The appreciation of the cedi in 2025–2026 made imported rice, poultry, onions, and tomato paste cheaper just as local harvests peaked.
Tomato farmers in Akomadan and Ziope watched their produce decay as markets preferred longer-shelf-life varieties from Burkina Faso or imported paste. Poultry farmers struggle against frozen chicken imports. This is not competition; it is policy neglect.
The impact of these actions will be felt when local farmers lose market confidence and reduce future production, where Ghana exports jobs and value while importing food insecurity and end up sacrificing its long-term food sovereignty for short-term price optics. True food security comes from stable local prices and resilient producers, not volatile imports that collapse domestic systems.
Some argue that imports are necessary to protect the urban poor and keep inflation low. This is partially true but dangerously incomplete. Cheap imports may ease prices today, but they destroy the producer base that feeds the nation tomorrow. Without seasonal import controls, border discipline, and anti-smuggling enforcement, Ghana is locking itself into perpetual dependence and rural poverty.
A protection package Ghana can implement
If abundance is to become prosperity, Ghana must pivot from a production-only mindset to full value-chain protection:
1. Guaranteed minimum price + strategic buffer buying (MoFA/NAFCO/GGC): During peak harvest, the state and credible private aggregators should buy key staples at a floor price based on transparent quality grades. The rule should be clear: when prices fall below a threshold, the buffer buyer steps in; quickly, transparently, and with audit trails.
2. Storage and cold-chain as national infrastructure, not an afterthought (MoTI, MoFA, Assemblies, private sector): Every major producing corridor should have community aggregation centres, warehouse capacity with grading and weighing, cold rooms for perishables including solar-backed cold storage where feasible.
3. Rules-based seasonal import controls (MoTI, Customs, enforcement agencies): Ghana should define import windows for selected commodities, set clear triggers and enforce controls during peak harvest periods.
4. Institutional procurement that guarantees demand (GES/School Feeding, Prisons Service, Hospitals, Security Services): Set district-level procurement targets and mandate institutions to source food locally, especially in harvest seasons. This creates predictable demand, supports farm prices and improves nutrition quality in public institutions.
5. Market transparency and farmer power (digital price dashboards + cooperatives + enforceable contracts): Farmers must have resources like real-time price information by region, standard grading and weights, contract farming frameworks with dispute mechanisms and strengthened cooperatives that negotiate transport, storage, and sales. These resources reduce dependence on exploitative intermediation. When farmers act individually, they are easy to squeeze. When they aggregate, they can bargain.
One more thing: stop treating value addition as a slogan. The promise of “One District One Factory” vision must move beyond political slogans and become the “One District One Processing Plant” reality for our perishable staples.
A bumper harvest should be a cause for national celebration, not financial death sentence to the farmer. Until Ghana fixes the space between the farm and the fork, abundance will remain a curse and the Ghanaian farmer will keep paying the price for feeding the nation.
By: Sophia Komasi
The Ghanaian community in Finland on Saturday, March 14, 2026, celebrated Ghana’s 69th independence anniversary in an impressive event in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland.
The event was organised by the Ghana Union Finland (GUF), an association of Ghanaian migrants in Finland. It was an occasion well attended by many people from the Ghanaian community in Finland, Finns and other nationalities.
The occasion was graced by the Special Guest, Her Excellency Abigail Naa Adzoko Kwashi, the Ambassador of Ghana to Norway with concurrent accreditation to Finland and Iceland.
In her speech, the Ambassador encouraged Ghanaians living in Finland to pursue unity, actively participate in, and support the Ghana Union Finland to build a stronger body better positioned to advocate for its interests and goals.
Also present at the event was the Honorary Consul of Ghana in Finland, Mrs Kati Kivisaari, who has replaced the retired Ms Ulla Alanko. Mrs Kivisaari urged Ghanaians in Finland to remain good ambassadors of Ghana in their lives in Finland.
The event saw the inauguration of new executive members of the Ghana Union Finland. The team was inducted by Elder Samuel Anini, Patron of the Ghana Union Finland.
Earlier, a “royal entry” was performed by leaders of the Asanteman Finland and Mfantseman Kuw and other personalities in their colourful kente attire adorned with ornaments, amidst traditional music and adowa dance to usher in the Ambassador.
Some personalities present at the event were Nana Ekuoba Gyasi Gyimah and other leaders of Asanteman Finland, Mfantseman Kuw Finland, as well as representatives of other Ghanaian ethnic groups.
It was a very colourful occasion with dance and other performances such as poetry recitals. The audience was also treated to tasty Ghanaian dishes such as jollof rice, fried yam, and soft drinks.
Unity and harmony
I see such events, especially the ones marking independence anniversaries, as ample display of unity and harmony in the Ghanaian migrant community as well as in the larger Ghana and Finland relations.
For me personally, whenever I think about Ghana’s Independence Day anniversary every 6th of March, my mind also goes to Finland’s own day on 6th of December. The two dates always give me such a special, positive feeling. As soon as one of the dates ends, I begin a countdown to the other (next) date.
Last year on December 6, 2025 when Finland celebrated its 108th independence anniversary and I participated in two events marking the celebration in Helsinki, I started looking forward to Ghana’s 69th anniversary this year. Now that Ghana’s anniversary is over, I am looking forward to Finland’s 109th anniversary on December 6, 2026. That’s the beauty of it all for me.
Ensuring integration
What I see in all this, especially for Ghanaian migrants in Finland, is the chance for members of the Ghanaian diaspora in Finland to integrate into the Finnish society through such celebrations that are marked by social activities, affiliations and ideas of inclusion.
Inclusion is key to integration, and the two ideas undoubtedly build a sense of belonging. As I previously wrote, Finland sees the role of migrant associations as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice, which is highly appreciated in Finland.
As I keep pointing out, Finland encourages migrants’ participation in the planning of issues concerning the migrants themselves, using such a strategy as one of the efficient ways to improve their inclusion. Thus, there is an enabling environment created within the Finnish cultural ecology that undoubtedly helps migrants to integrate into the host Finnish society. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS COLUMN
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
