Hot!
Inequality Breeds Poverty And Threatens Peace – Pres Akufo-Addo
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged global leaders help ensure that the progress of the West does not occur at the perpetual expense of Africa and other poor parts of the world.
Speaking at the sixth edition of the Paris Peace Forum on Friday, 10th November, 2023, in France, President Akufo-Addo, in pointing out the unjust situation asked, to a resounding applause, if it necessary for prosperity in Europe, and in the West, including parts of Asia, to be predicated on poverty in the rest of the world; in Africa and other parts.
He solicited the minds of the gathering to consider the necessity of living side by side, where “we can contemplate a world whereby all of us can live together on this planet in relative comfort, and that some people will not live in super comfort and other people in super poverty,” and said “that challenge to the thinking and the mindset of people, is something that in our generation we have to address.”
Continuing, he said “is it possible for us to create a world where all of us live together on this planet in relative ease? The resources of the world are there, never has there been a time where there has been greater abundance of technology, of wealth; development that we are seeing in many parts of the world, do they have to be restricted to those parts of the world or they can be made in a universal and a global phenomenon?
President Akufo-Addo implied that, with the pursuit of peace primarily premised on shaping age-old imbalances across the world, “these are some of the matters that we are going to have to look at, because if we are going to solve these multifaceted problems, and put ourselves in a position to hand over to the next generation and succeeding generations, a more constructive and better world, we have to deal with these questions.”
He noted further that the multiplicity of the issues confronting the world also requires a multiplicity of responses, stressing that at the heart of all of these responses is a very simple, ancient issue, money.
“It doesn’t change, from century to century, generation to generation, access to capital and to money, and I think that a lot of our energies we are looking at, is how we can frame a new arrangement where the multilateral institutions like the Bank, like the Fund, can play in the process of mobilising the greater resources that the world needs for its development,” he said.
The President has been discussing a wide range on issues including climate action where he defended the constrained position of Africa after being told that some of Africa’s most important resources can no longer be deployed for her development.
He said, “if, indeed, we are being told that these resources that have helped develop other parts of the world are no longer going to be available for our development, how then do we make the transition to the new source of power and development? That our oil, our gas resources which are there in abundance, can no longer be deployed because of its impact on climate change, is a critical issue we have to look at.”
Making a case for innovative, eco-friendly deployment of these resources in a concerted approach to the climate question, President Akufo-Addo indicated that, in respect of whatever reasons are being advanced for this move, the resources for African states, “are not just there, so we have to address the issue of financing the resources for the climate transition in our parts of the world. And even if it is going to be a just and equitable transition, some position has to be found for the manner in which we can then maximumly utilize the resources that we do have.”
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
