Features
Our Political leaders need to tread cautiously in their utterances
Holding a political position in government is noble, sensitive and very important and, therefore, you have to be courteous, sympathetic, respectful and comport yourself in whatever ways you find yourself so that in the long run, you can earn a lot of respect from the very people who made you who you are. You do not have to display arrogance and talk anyhow to the electorate even in times of provocation.
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS FROM POLITICIANS
It is becoming increasingly clear that some of the politicians we gave them our mandate to rule us, are now turning their back on us through their loose utterances, forgetting that without the people, they cannot govern this country. Government of the day does not work in isolation, it is the people whose back you rode to power and, therefore, there is the fervent need to show respect to them accordingly.
The famous US President Abraham Lincoln said in November 19, 1863 that,“Democracy is a rule of the people for the people and by the people”. That simply means democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people. The citizens of the country elect the President to rule the country and the elected President works for the welfare of the people. Nothing should allow the party in power to lord it over the people in a democratic regime.
SEEKING THE MANDATE OF THE PEOPLE TO RULE
It is quite unfortunate that in this beautiful country called Ghana in which the people have accepted democratic governance as the practice, when our politicians are seeking for political power to form a government, they try to adopt and use every available means to convince the people to vote for them, after getting that mandate which they needed most, they completely lose sight of the very people who gave them that power and, therefore, try to lord it over them.
Their behaviours, become completely different from that time they were seeking the people’s assistance, behaving selfishly, serving their own interests, that of their families, friends and cronies and talking loosely and anyhow to the electorate, particularly the youth on whose tickets they rode to power.
Just recently, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, the Member of Parliament for Bekwai, in the Ashanti Region who doubles as the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, our law making institution, was reported to have urged Ghanaian youth to venture into entrepreneurship and stop chasing non-existent white-collar jobs.
According to him university graduates in the country must initiate the process of generating wealth before others support them. His comments came at the launch of the 29th GRASAG Week celebration at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
UNFAVOURABLE STATEMENTS FROM JOE WISE
Hear the astute lawmaker, “Every graduate is going round with a certificate searching for the job whereas the training was able to enable them to create the job. I think it was time we bridged the linkages between the knowledge we have acquired and the wealth in our land. Parliament will continue to provide the facilitation but first thing is that graduates must apply the knowledge they have acquired”.
According to him, even though white-collar jobs are good, the opportunities out there are limited, because only a handful of people with specific qualifications are needed at any point in time.
He dispelled the notion that only people from poor homes acquired technical training skills, adding that the youth must be allowed to venture into professions they had talent to operate effectively rather than force them into areas of education, which might not be suitable for them, and end up jeopardising their future.
REACTIONS FROM THE YOUTH
These unfavourable statements from the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament have infuriated Ghanaian students and graduates from our universities and other tertiary institutions, attracting a lot of bashings with unprintable statements from them describing his comments as most unfortunate, irrelevant, unnecessary and in bad taste, especially coming from no other person than a leading member of government and a lawmaker. Some have questioned how they can create a business account without the basic capital, saying a lot of people even struggled financially to go through university education.
Others are interested in knowing how many jobs he had created as a leader and even with a certificate? A questioner has also put to him to tell Ghanaians how many parliamentarians created their own jobs before entering parliament and whether they have been able to help the few graduates who have been able to set up their own jobs to cut down the unemployment rate in the country?
AGITATED YOUTH
The simple truth is that times are, indeed, very hard and there is total frustration among Ghanaians, especially the youth most of whom are graduates with good qualifications, yet finding it very difficult to secure jobs to fend for themselves. They are so agitated that they don’t want to hear unpleasant statements from our politicians and members of government that will make them more infuriated.
This means that our parliamentarians and members of government need to weigh whatever statements they want to churn out to the public in order not to create disaffection and anxiety among the people, particularly the teeming unemployed youth.
GOV’T SHOULD PROVIDE START-UP CAPITAL FOR BUSINESS
Indeed, creating their own jobs will need an initial capital to start with and as fresh students who have not worked before, how can they raise that funds to set up their own businesses, let alone to absorb others.
They are not magicians to raise funds on their own without any means and, therefore, will need a start-up capital from government to embark on the project Joe Wise is talking about.
Nobody should look down on our graduates because they are people who have been well groomed by our public and private universities with high academic performances.That is why our graduates are highly accepted anywhere beyond the borders of Ghana.
Due to lack of jobs, quite a number of the nation’s graduates, trained with hard earned foreign exchange have travelled to other foreign countries and are in gainful employments to the detriment of our country.
Many are still leaving by day because they do not find hope in our dear country where only few people in responsible positions are enjoying. The current education system of our country, will continue to produce a large number of graduates every year, without the corresponding jobs to absorb them.
THE LOOSE STATEMENTS MUST CEASE FORTHWITH
It was time we put an end to those loose and reckless talks from our leaders and rather to find ways of creating the necessary jobs to absorb the teeming number of graduates who are churned out from our universities every year.
Our law makers should lead the way in enacting pragmatic and effective laws that will find lasting solutions to this monster called graduate unemployment in our country, rather than making all kinds of negative statements to the annoyance of the youth who are so much agitated or incensed.
By Charles Neequaye
Writer’s email: ataani2000@yahoo.com
Today, I focus on the Apostolic Church International in Finland, as I continue with my description of institutions and personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The Apostolic Church International, Finland (or, Apostolic International Association Ry) was established in October 9, 2023. The Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments within the short time that it has been established in Finland, which must be highlighted.
History of the Church in Ghana
The Apostolic Church Ghana originated from the 1904–1905 Welsh revival, officially established in Ghana (then called Gold Coast) in 1935 following connections between a local prayer group in Asamankese (a town in southern Ghana), led by Peter Newman Anim, and the Apostolic Church, UK. There were historical splits in 1939 and 1953, but the Apostolic Church attained autonomy in 1985.
Today, the Church is headquartered in Accra. Last year (2025), it dedicated its new 10-storey headquarters, “The Apostolic Church Tower,” in Frafraha, Adenta West in Accra.
Activities of the Apostolic Church in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland conducts church service on Sundays. The service starts at 11a.m. in the morning and closes by 1 p.m. in the afternoon. There are no other activities during other days for now.
The Minister in charge of the church in Finland is also the Area Head of Italy Area. He is Pastor Daniel Kofi Addison who is the new Italy Area Head, and has just been transferred from UK South Area to Italy Area during the just-ended Council Meeting in March this year. Italy Area comprises Italy, which has 13 Assemblies, Germany, one Assembly, and Finland, one Assembly.
Elder Ebenezer Amoaning-Coffie is the Presiding Elder in charge of the Assembly in Finland. A Presiding Elder is responsible for day to day activities of the church (Assembly) and reports to the District Pastor, or in the absence of the District Pastor, reports to the Area Head.
Achievements
The Apostolic Church International, Finland was officially registered under the Finnish Law, guaranteeing freedom of worship and providing legal foundation for future growth. The church service is conducted in both English and Twi.
The church opens its doors to all people of every nation, especially Ghanaians who are in Finland and other African nationals. Now, the membership comprises Ghanaians, Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans.
The Church and the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the Apostolic Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
Elder Amoaning-Coffie said that the main and primary aim of the church is to bring people closer to God. “We aim to win souls for Christ. We aim to preach the gospel to the world. By propagating the gospel to the people, we are hopeful that they will turn away from any ungodly ways and be good individuals in the community and in society in general”, he stated.
He said that everything is going well so far. A key challenge, however, is how to get more members especially the youth. As a new Assembly, we are in need of instrumentalists, for example. We pray to God Almighty to help us do His work, the Elder disclosed.
Integration
By its activities, the Apostolic Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society. This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process in Finland.
As I mentioned some time ago, the role of migrant associations and groups such as the Apostolic Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
The landscape of the Ghanaian palate is shifting, and not necessarily for the better. In our bustling urban centres, from the streets of Accra to the suburbs of Kumasi, a quiet culinary revolution is taking place; one where the mortar and pestle are being replaced by the pizza oven and the deep fryer. This transition from traditional staple foods like fufu, banku, akple, kenkey, tuo zaafi, and ampesi toward “continental” dishes is more than just a change in appetite; it is a reflection of a deeper social struggle with identity and prestige.
The illusion of modernity
For many, “stepping out” for a meal has become synonymous with consuming foreign cuisine. There is an unspoken social hierarchy where a bowl of Abunuabunu is relegated to the village category, while burgers, pizzas are branded as prestigious choices. We have reached a stage where we equate foreign with modern and local with primitive.
This perception is a dangerous illusion. Our traditional dishes are marvels of culinary engineering complex, nutrient-dense, and deeply rooted in our history. When we choose a processed foreign import over a meal made from local tubers or fermented maize, we are not just changing our lunch; we are eroding the indigenous knowledge attached to our local ingredients and foods.
We need to turn the consumption of indigenous grains and tubers like millet, sorghum, and plantain into a statement of self-worth and national pride.
The cultural and health erosion
Every time a local dish disappears from a restaurant menu to make room for foreign fast food, we lose a piece of our cultural fabric. Traditional Ghanaian cooking is an art that requires patience and skill. By choosing the convenience of foreign fast food, we are raising a generation that may know the taste of a pepperoni pizza but cannot identify the rich, earthy profile of Prekese or the subtle tang of well-fermented dough dishes like corn porridge, banku, etew, abolo, agidi or kamfa, and kenkey.
Furthermore, we are at the crossroads of a nutrition transition. Replacing high-fiber, indigenous crops with calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foreign fast foods is driving a rise in lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and liver disease. We are trading our longevity for 15-minutes convenience or unhealthy diet.
A call for culinary patriotism
It is time for us to appreciate, preserve, and promote our indigenous foods and culinary traditions. We need to be proud of our local dishes, ingredients and cooking methods, rather than relying heavily on foreign or imported foods. We must stop viewing our local delicacies as low-class and start treating our culinary heritage as the high-end gastronomy it truly is.
True sophistication does not come from imitating Western fast food; it comes from innovation and adding values to our own resources. We see glimpses of this potential in the rise of branded Sobolo and the creative use of gluten-free plantain flour in modern baking of flour-based dishes such as bread, cakes, biscuits and others. This is the path forward. We must elevate our local dishes, making them as accessible, affordable, presentable and trendy as any foreign alternative.
To the hospitality industry: Innovate or stagnate
Our hotels and high-end restaurants must lead the charge. They must stop relegating local dishes to the “traditional corner” of the buffet, and apply the same culinary finesse given to imported dishes to our Fante Fante, apapransa, aborbi tadi, fetritoto, akple, abolo, yakayeke, fufu, ampesi, kokonte, wasawasa, tubani, apapransa, mpotompoto, kelewele, aliha, brukutu, pito, and other local dishes. The industry must enhance customer experiences making eating local dishes the ultimate luxury experience for both tourists and residents alike. We must elevate the presentation of our foods by using modern plating techniques to show that a bowl of light soup can be as visually stunning as a French consommé. We need to reclaim our Ghanaian plate before it is too late.
To the policy makers: Let us encourage buying of local ingredients to promote the local food industry and economy. There should be educational programmes and talks about the nutritional and cultural benefits of local foods so that people understand their value.
We need to encourage serving traditional dishes at school programmes, parties, and celebrations instead of only fast foods,
To the Youth: Let us value and appreciate our traditional dishes instead of always choosing foreign foods. There must be balance in our choice of local and foreign dishes. Confidence in our culture encourages others to respect it too. Our local dishes can also be promoted by sharing pictures, recipes, and videos on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to make them attractive and trendy.
Young citizens must learn from their parents and elders how to prepare local meals to keep the knowledge and cultural relevance alive. Local dishes can be modernised to appeal to younger generations and tourists.
Conclusion
We cannot afford to trade our heritage for foreign cuisines which are gaining grounds across the country at an alarming rate. We must disabuse our minds of the perception that anything foreign or imported is better than those locally made. Our health, economy, and identity are tied to the soil. It is time to stop apologising for our local flavours and start celebrating them. It is possible to embrace modernity without losing ourselves and our cultural identity. Let us make the Ghanaian kitchen the heart of our modern identity once again.
By: Marilyn Gadogbe
