Hot!
We should not look down on technical education – Dr J.B. Danquah Esq.
Dr. Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah
It is unfortunate for some Ghanaians to relate technical education to the weak minds.
This notion, according to legal practitioner and Chief Executive Officer of Joevide Company Limited in Kumasi, Dr. Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah, grand-nephew of Dr. J.B. Danquah (of blessed Memory), does not hold water.
“Secondary School is not the only means through which someone can go to a university,” he stressed.
The legal practitioner who held technical education in high esteem early in his life saw it (technical education) as one of the possible paths he could take, wholeheartedly to attain his dream.
As a result, he opted for St. Paul Technical School (SPATS) at Akyem-Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region and Studied Block Laying and Concreting (BLAC).
Basic Education
Dr. Danquah ESQ attended Kyebi Presbyterian Primary as well as Kyebi L/A Experimental then to Koforidua Wisdom Preparatory and later to the Koforidua Junior High School (JHS) as the pioneer of the Experimental System.
And after JHS, his class mates went to secondary school but he stuck to his father’s pieces of advice and went to a Technical School.
“My father told us that every child of his must be able to feed himself and live meaningful life after school.
Lawyer Dr. Danquah said that his father considered technical education more important because anybody who attended a technical school in those days could easily get employment compared with secondary school leavers.
“In my father’s opinion, it was easier for a technical school leaver to get a job than a Secondary School Form Five (5) leaver,” he said.
He further stated that true to his father’s advice, he (Dr. Danquah) did not become a wayward child when his father died in 1983 because he (Dr. Danquah) was already in a technical school and spent all the holidays at construction site working to earn an income for his upkeep.
“I was always at the construction site carrying blocks and mortar for a living following the constructive advice of my father to go to a technical school,” he emphasised.
He says that “one can attain the highest educational qualification in this world through other means rather than secondary education.
Dr. Danquah said that in the course of his sterling performance at the various sites, he realised that there was a brighter chance for him to be a Supervisor or a Site Engineer one day if he could further his education to put him on a higher pedestal in this technological world.
“I have never regretted in doing a technical course. Technical education is the foundation of the developed economy in the world,” he stressed.
Further Education
To enjoy the benefits of technical education, the C.E.O of Joevide Company Limited weighed the available options and entered the Takoradi Polytechnic, now Takoradi Technical University, and obtained Ordinary Technician Diploma in Building and Civil Engineering which broadened his horizon in studying Mathematices, Building Construction and Drawing, Properties of Material, Land Surveying, Workshop Practice and Technology, Structures and Design as well as Elementary Quantity Surveying.
The aforestated subjects could make Lawyer Dr. Danquah decide to work in the building industry or otherwise.
Work Experience
The hardworking C.E.O. of Joevide Company worked at Sae Sadelmi as Quantity Surveyor, Limex Bau (a German Company) and with his firm technical background, he came into contact with some quantity Surveyors and Civil Engineers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
He said that by dint of hard work coupled with his background in technology appreciated by the Resident German Director of Limex Bau, he rose to become the Chief Engineer of the company in a matter of three years.
But he later resigned and established his own company by name “Joevide Company Limited” which had undertaken several road and building projects as the main contractors and sub contractors in various parts of the country.
Some of his company’s clients are Goil, Total, Consar, Getfund, some Municipal Assemblies, DANIDA, Ghana Highway Authority, Department of Feeder Roads, AGDECO (a British Company) and MSF Construction among other reputable organisations.
He joined lecturers from selected technical universities who had been granted permission to pursue their Master’s Degree at HAN University in the Netherlands after which he decided to read law ie LLB and LLM at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.
During his studies for his two Master’s degrees, his Dissertation earned him Doctor of Business Administration in Leadership and strategic Management (Honoris Causa).
Advice
Dr. J.B Danquah Esq. advised the youth to see perseverance as the key to whatever one wants to achieve in life. He again urged the youth to heed to wise counsel as there was no short cut to success.
He is married to Mrs. Vida Danquah and they have Kojo Katakyie, Kofi Kantinka, Kwesi Kokroko, Nana Yaw Obrempong and Nhyira Mamfoah as their children.
By Castro Zangina-Tong
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
