Features
The threat to our future as a nation
The threat facing our future as a nation is not a nuclear reactor disaster or a Tsunami or some natural disaster. What is an imminent threat to our dear nation is the indiscipline of our young people who are the future leaders of our country.
The whole nation has been shocked by videos on social media by students in final year of senior high school who are writing their WASSCE and the unacceptable behaviour they demonstrated.
Teenagers having the guts to insult not just an elderly person, but a whole President of the nation, and having the guts to record and post it on social media, is just mind boggling. It gives the impression that there is a deep-seated underlying issue that has to be addressed in order to resolve this lack of respect for adults in our society.
Since the issue broke out, there has been a lot of talk about what is happening to our youth that has led to the deviant behaviour of these youth. The rationale behind it is that these are the people who in the near future would become adults and not just adults but people who would hold leadership and sensitive positions in this country.
If such people have questionable ethics and moral integrity, only God knows what will happen to our country.
The issue of human rights and the way some people in this country adopt certain ideas has to be critically examined. There is a perception that this phenomenon of human rights in all sectors of our secular and social lives is a contributing factor to the indiscipline being displayed by the current generation.
Those of us who attended school in the 70s and the 80s can testify that the happenings among young people in the primary and secondary schools now, was not happening in those days. It is unthinkable how a student in those days could muster the courage to openly insult an elderly person, let alone the President of the nation.
The agenda of certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is a contributory factor to this problem of lack of proper or acceptable behaviour among our youth. They have been harassing and lobbying government officials as well as Ghana Education Service (GES) officials and teacher organisations to grant certain rights to the school children.
This has resulted in prohibition of caning as a means of correction in schools, contrary to something that even the Bible advocates as a means of correcting the errant child. There is no scientific proof that caning a child as a means of correction or as a punishment for wrong behaviour, will affect him psychologically.
Somehow, they have managed to create this perception and people have bought into it, so all of us have accepted their assertions and have decided not to correct children the way they should. We should, therefore, not be surprised at the way things are going with our youth.
The proliferation of foreign movies is also one of the major causes of the indiscipline attitude of the youth. The culture of the young people in the movies is so alien to ours and it gives our youth the wrong impression that they are being restricted in the way they wish to express themselves.
This begins to cause them to gradually develop a kind of rebellious attitude which ultimately results in the display of wrong behaviour towards the elderly. What they fail to realise is that, the parents of the youth they watch in those movies are frustrated in how to effectively deal with their wards.
The parents in the foreign countries have become frustrated because they are restricted by law on how to effectively guide their children by exercising the right parental control. They cherish some of the methods we in Africa employ in our parenting approach, but unfortunately some people here have copied wrongly and believe that we should give children unfettered freedom.
Peer pressure is another cause of the indiscipline in our schools and this is where we need the cooperation of the teachers and school authorities in general to be up and doing. Peer pressure is a very powerful influence which, if not properly addressed, would cause some students to go wayward.
It is not so serious at the lower levels that is, at the primary and junior high schools. It is more prominent at the senior high school level where the students are in their teens and are psychologically most vulnerable to such influences.
Technological advances have brought in its wake another problem in the form of social media platforms. The internet has provided an avenue for children or young people to be exposed to all manner of negative influences.
The conversation on those media has the potential to influence young people who see them as the new way to speak your mind to the elderly people who they view as always trying to restrict them from speaking their mind.
People use insulting language on these social media platforms almost all the time, especially against political leaders. No wonder the recent incident involving some SHS final year students who put up despicable behaviour of insulting the president.
There must be a review of the disciplinary regime in place in our schools where caning should be reinstated as a means of correction.
The regulations must include a legal action against parents who invade schools to attack teachers who cane their children as part of the normal disciplinary measures when students break school regulations.
These attacks on teachers have negatively impacted on the implementation of discipline in many schools in the country. The teachers as a result of these attacks develop an attitude of nonchalance and, therefore, gloss over the negative attitudes of the students in the various schools.
The wrong antisocial behaviours of the students go on unchecked and these habits degenerate into bad characters and the resultant effect is the display of insulting behaviour.
This get-quick-results mentality that has become imprinted in our mentality as a nation also has something to do with this dishonourable behaviour among our youth. Some of the messages being preached from the pulpit also have something to do with the decadent conduct of our youth.
You hear of preachings that promote the sale of pens which ostensibly have miraculous powers to let students pass their exams. Handkerchiefs and other paraphernalia which when applied can assist one to pass his or her exams are being sold by so called prophets.
Instead of teaching people the value of hard work and that to pass an exam, serious studying is what is required, these one-man-church prophets propagate these false teachings.
The youth have, therefore, been sold a lie and have been conscientised into thinking that there are short cuts to success. When they find out the hard way that there are no short cuts to success, then they become frustrated and vent their spleen on the leaders in society.
The quicker laws are enacted to deal with such so called men of God, the better it would be for all of us, especially the youth.
Laud Kissi-Mensah
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.
