Features
Economic impact of Russia, Ukraine conflict
Since the Second World War the world has done all it can to ensure that peace prevails in all countries so that petty conflicts between nations or among nations can be avoided.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case and the world is still frightened with conflicts among nations. We experienced the Iran- Iraq war as well as the US invasion of Iraq following Iraq’s invasion of the tiny country nearby.
INVASION OF KUWAIT
This tiny country, Kuwait, was invaded by Iraq and as a result the US and other interested Western countries thought that the time had come to teach Iraq a lesson. This was the basis of that conflict and subsequent war that took place between the US and Iraq when it was under Saddam Hussein.
Quite recently, the world woke up on 24th February, 2022, to hear about the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It is difficult to understand why a conflict of this nature should emerge when the world has just experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and is now doing all it can to recover economically.
RECOVERY PROCESS
In fact many countries are still going through their recovery process and the world today is faced with serious economic challenges unbearable for many people in different countries. It is against this background that we find it very disturbing when we see the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is very unfortunate but one can see that Russia is trying to flex its muscles to show that it is still in control of affairs when it comes to Eastern European politics. Under the former Soviet Union, Russia was a powerful country.
USSR POWER
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), then a powerful eastern bloc, adopted strategies to fight Western countries which were members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). It is the suspicion of Russia that Ukraine is getting closer to form an alliance with NATO and for this reason should be stopped before things get too late for that country.
Ukraine, on the other hand, considers itself a sovereign country which should not be invaded by another country such as Russia. For this reason, Ukraine, has put up a spirited fight to stop the Russian invasion of their country.
It is said that when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers and so the rest of the world sitting by and thinking about how to recover fully from the COVID-19 pandemic have now been drawn into this needless fight in a number of waves.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
To begin with, the tremendous impact of the conflict is beyond measure in the sense that it has created shortage of crude oil on the international market. The shortage of crude oil is affecting the economies of countries in the world.
In Ghana, for instance, a litre of oil is shooting upwards day in day out and the price will soon be 10 Ghana Cedis or even more. This is, needless to say, seriously affecting the economy of the country in the sense that prices of all other things have started rising.
Apart from Ghana, other countries on the African continent are also experiencing economic difficulties which are adversely affecting the welfare of people. This is not the making of their respective governments on the continent but rather the direct result of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine which has resulted in shortages of oil and the rising prices in the world.
IMPORTS
Apart from oil prices, imports from different parts of the world have also risen very high. This does not affect only African countries but all countries in the world. European as well as America, Asia and all other countries in the different parts of the world are experiencing this adverse impact for which reason prices are going to be unbearable.
This explains why citizens in various countries would have to bear with their governments, seeing that it is not the meeting of any particular government but something disastrous that is affecting the entire world. This calls for every person in the world to come together and think of how to bear with this unfortunate situation instead of simply blaming governments for something they are not responsible for.
PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT
The purpose of government as well as governance is to ensure that life is made better for every citizen. However, in this particular case life cannot be better for everybody when we all know for sure that there are shortages of oil on the world markets and, therefore, pushing up prices that would also make life uncomfortable for us in different countries.
It is for this reason that the world must come together to tell Russia and Ukraine that “enough is enough” and the war must stop. If the war does not stop, prices of goods and services will keep escalating in all parts of the world in this COVID-19 era.
UNFORTUNATE SITUATION
It is very unfortunate that things are happening this way but we do not have to lose hope and fight among ourselves because of economic difficulties. Even if governments are changed the result will not be better because until the Russia-Ukraine war is stopped, the world will continue to experience high prices and this would impact negatively on people in all countries.
When it comes to developing countries whose economies are fragile, we need to remain united so that adventurists will not take advantage of the situation to create instability in their respective countries. It is the expectation. of all countries that diplomatic efforts will be put in place to resolve the issue between Russia and Ukraine so that normal peace can be experienced between the two countries.
PEACE
When peace returns, it will spread to all parts of the world and make life better for each every country and person.
Contact email/whatsApp address of author:
Pradmat2013@gmail.com (0553318911)
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
Attention-Deficit or Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often mistaken for laziness or indiscipline. In consulting rooms across Accra and in reports from school teachers, the pattern repeats: children who are bright but forgetful, parents who feel helpless, teachers who see incompleteness.
Research is clear-Barkley (2015) and others describe ADHD as a difference in the brain’s regulation of alertness, impulse and working memory, not a lack of effort.
The family’s role begins with structure. Regular sleep, predictable meal and homework times, and a simple visual list (uniform → books → water → corridor) provide the external scaffolding of these children need. Praise what is completed—“You opened the book and wrote the first sentence”-instead of rebuking what is missing.
Schools can help by seating the child front-row and centre, giving short written plus verbal instructions, allowing brief movement breaks, using quiet nonverbal cues and, where possible, grading effort and method as well as neatness. These adjustments reduce conflict and raise submission rates without lowering standards.
Couples and caregivers should share roles: one grounds, one pivots, and both protect rest. Shame-“bad parenting, bad child”-needs replacing with fact: different wiring, needs scaffolding.
Outcomes improve not by promises of perfection but by daily routines, clear limits and warmed connection. One homework slot kept, one instruction chunked, one calm repair after blurting-these small wins shift the family climate and let the child be seen beyond the label.
Resource
• CPAC (award-winning Mental Health and Counselling Facility): 0559850604 / 0551428486
Source: REV. COUNSELLOR PRINCE OFFEI’s insights on special needs support, relationships, and mental health in Ghana. He is a leading mental health professional, lecturer, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, renowned author, and marriage counsellor at COUNSELLOR PRINCE & ASSOCIATES CONSULT (CPAC COUNSELLOR TRAINING INSTITUTE) – 0551428486 /0559850604.
WEBSITES:
https://princeoffei22.wixsite.com/author
https://princeoffei22.wixsite.com/website
After two weeks of hectic activity up north, I drove to the Tamale airport, parked the car at the Civil Aviation car park as usual, paid the usual parking fee and boarded the plane for Accra.
Over the last two weeks, I had shuffled between three sites where work was close to completion.
One was a seed warehouse, where farmers would come and pick up good quality maize, sorghum and other planting material.
The other was a health facility for new mothers, where they were given basic training on good nutrition and small scale business.
And the third was a set of big boreholes for three farming communities.
The projects usually ran on schedule, but a good deal of time was spent building rapport with the local people, to ensure that they would be well patronised and maintained.
It was great to be working in a situation where one’s work was well appreciated. But it certainly involved a lot of work, and proactivity. And I made sure that I recorded updates online before going to bed in the evening.
When the plane took off, my mind shifted to issues in Accra, the big city. The young guys at my office had done some good work. They had secured five or six houses on a row in a good part of the city, and were close to securing the last.
When we got this property, unusually, Abena greeted them casually, and appeared to be comfortable in the guy’s company.
I was quite disappointed to hear that, because until the last few weeks, it seemed as if Abena and I were heading in a good direction. Apart from the affection I had for her, I liked her family. I decided to take it easy, and allow things to fall in whatever direction.
Normally I would take a taxi to her house from the airport, and pick her up to my place. This time I went to my sisters’ joint, where they sat by me while I enjoyed a drink and a good meal.
“So Little Brother,” Sister Beesiwa said, “what is it we are hearing about our wife-to-be?”
“When did you conclude that she was your wife-to-be? And what have you heard? I’ve only heard a couple of whispers. Ebo and Nana Kwame called to say that they have seen her in the company of—”
“Well said Little Brother,” Sister Baaba said. “By the way, Nana Kwame called an hour ago to ask if you had arrived because he could not reach you. Someone had told him that Jennifer had boasted to someone that she had connected Abena to a wealthy guy who would take care of her.”
I was beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. So I think Jennifer fed her with false stories about me in order to get her to move to the Ampadu guy. Jennifer must have been well compensated for her efforts.
“In that case,” Sister Beesiwa said, “you should be glad that Abena is out of your way. She is easily swayed. Anyone who would make a relationship decision based on a friend’s instigation lacks good sense. I hope the guy is as wealthy as they say?”
“Who gets wealthy running a supermarket chain in Ghana?” Sister Baaba said. “Our supermarkets sell mostly imported products. Look at the foreign exchange rate. And remember that Ghanaians buy second-hand shoes and clothes. Supermarkets are not good business here. Perhaps they are showing off that they are wealthy, but in reality they are not doing so well.”
“Amen to that,” I said. “I’m beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. So I think Jennifer fed her with false stories about me in order to get her to move to the Ampadu guy. Jennifer must have been well compensated for her efforts.”
She said that David Forson was only an agricultural extension worker in the north who did not have the resources to take care of a beautiful girl like her. And apart from being wealthy, the guy comes from an influential family, so Abena had done much better leaving a miserable civil servant like you for him.
“Amen to that,” I said. “I’m beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. We would be able to sell all five houses to one big corporate customer, and we had already spoken to a property dealer who was trying to find a buyer in order to get a good commission.
That was going to be my biggest break. I had asked the boys to look for a large tract of land on the outskirts of the city where we could develop our own set of buildings, blocks of storey houses and upscale apartments. Things were going according to plan, and I was quietly excited. However, things were not going so well regarding my relationship with Abena.
My buddies Ebo and Nana Kwame had called to say that they met Abena and her friend Jennifer enjoying lunch with a guy, and Ebo believed that Jennifer was ‘promoting’ an affair between Jennifer and the guy. They were of the view that the promotion seemed to be going in the guy’s favour, because only an agricultural extension worker in the north who did not have the resources to take care of a beautiful girl like her.
And apart from being wealthy, the guy comes from an influential family, so Abena had done much better leaving a miserable civil servant like you for him.
“As I’ve already said, I will stop by her place, but I will mind my own business from now. Hey, let’s talk family. How are our parents? And my brothers-in-law? And my nephews and nieces? Why don’t we meet on Sunday? I’m going to drop my bags at my place, and go to see Mama and Dad.”
