Features
What a hardworking President! (Part 1)
When we look at the work style of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in terms of his age and ability, it tells us that to be able to go far in any endeavour we need the grace of God to be upon us to advance to very high unparalleled levels that are extremely difficult to attain from the point of view of human physique and effort.
There are those who teased the President when he was the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, prior to the 2016 elections that he would never become President in this country. They humiliated him, attacked, and insulted him and bastardised all his attempts to remain focused and win the presidential elections.
After two unsuccessful attempts in 2008 and 2012, he did not call it quit even though he was advancing in age, decided to take some holidays elsewhere, reflect on his lifestyle, back and front, meditate on God, and then come back in full swing. To say the least, he is the most vilified person in Ghana politics today, but despite this, has embraced everyone into his fold.
THIRD ATTEMPT AND GOD’S PURPOSE
For the third attempt, he still chose Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia as his running mate because he strongly believed that God had a purpose for them and so it came as no surprise when in 2016, he emerged gargantuan victorious with the able support of Dr. Bawumia and the people of Ghana who voted for him.
ENORMOUS PROBLEMS
Since becoming President, he has not failed the nation but worked hard, claiming that he was in a hurry to quickly fix the problems facing the country. The enormous problems were lack of good roads, poor health facilities, lack of ambulance vehicles, difficulties in the educational system, abysmal performance of the agricultural sector, low productivity in mining, destruction of rivers which were a source of drinking water, high unemployment rate, looming banking crisis as well as a collapsing economy, among others.
The President of the Republic was not disturbed by these challenges but was rather encouraged to remain focused and see what he could do for the lovely people of this country. Within the first year of his administration, he reiterated that Senior High School, together with Technical and Vocational School, was going to be free so that parents could have the freedom to attend to other needs of their families.
There was one Nana Diasempa of a village in a remote area in the Bono Region. He was so passionate and kind-hearted that despite the numerous problems that faced him and his elders, he gave every assurance to his people and provided meaningful and practical leadership to them, ensuring that their crops became well cultivated while the rivers around were adequately protected to serve as a source of drinking water for his people. This leadership style, provided by Nana Diasempa, is comparable to that of the current President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo for which reason Ghanaians should be proud of him.
FREE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
When Ghana’s President mentioned that we needed a free educational system, some people did not take him seriously. As if this was a joke, the free educational system was put in place by the Akufo-Addo administration in the light of mounting economic difficulties facing the country. Indeed, some members and supporters of his government even doubted whether the government would be able to carry through its promise but, to the glory of God, this was done.
How was the Akufo-Addo administration able to finance the huge debt that was brought about because of the Free SHS, Vocational and Technical School system? This was made possible by hard work and honesty. Instead of putting the money into their own pockets, the little funding available was spread over the educational system to the great relief of many parents. As a result, some village dwellers, who had no hope of making it to second cycle institutions, especially the elite schools, have found themselves there and are also enjoying from the limited resources of the nation.
HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME
There has also been great improvement in the Health Insurance Scheme. People can now renew their health insurance subscription without seeking physical contact with health insurance officers. All that a person needs to do is to sit in the comfort of his/her home and use his/her phone or computer to renew their registration. The good news is that the number of subscribers has gone up tremendously, indicating that many more people are now benefitting from the Health Insurance Scheme.
Having spoken about using the phone or computer to renew a person’s health insurance registration brings in the issue of digitalisation, a move by the Akufo-Addo administration being spearheaded by Vice-President Dr. Bawumia with assistance from the Minister of Communication, Honourable Ursula Owusu-Ekuful. As a result of digitalisation, application for and renewal of passports have been made very easy and convenient for Ghanaians who need such services. Other services like registration for and renewal of driver’s licence have all been made easy. Again, the use of crypto currency instead of real cedi notes and coins is also coming in to modernise the Ghanaian economy. All these show that the economy is being transformed from its old stage to a modernised one.
In the area of peacekeeping, the government has ensured that our military who go on peacekeeping programmes are given better portions of what is paid to them by the United Nations. This has made our soldiers very happy and are more committed to peacekeeping than was the case in the past. Again, new barracks for the military have been built for our soldiers who need decent accommodation to be able to perform their official functions very well. At Burma Camp, Accra, for instance, new accommodation for some of the soldiers has been built while other places in the country have also enjoyed similar facilities for the welfare of our soldiers.
Apart from the President’s achievements in the educational and health sectors, it is also clear that he has done very well in the areas of digitalisation as well as peacekeeping for personnel of the military. Our soldiers are very happy with him because he has been honest enough to pay them higher figures in terms of dollars compared with what was previously given them.
There are other important achievements that the Akufo-Addo administration has been able to attain. These include his role in African intra-regional trade, programmes in the agricultural sector, healthcare delivery and the establishment of a commodity exchange to support the agricultural sector, thereby helping to boost up growth in this sector. These and other achievements are to be discussed for all and sundry to know the good works which the Akufo-Addo administration has undertaken and is still undertaking for this country.
Many African countries would wish that President Akufo-Addo was their leader, seeing that he would have worked hard and catapulted them from misery to happiness. For this reason, people in Ghana should pay attention to his achievements as has been discussed here and continue to give him the support he needs to make the country a lovely and pleasant place for all Ghanaians and other people who are staying in Ghana.
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
Today, I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland, with a focus on Mr Joseph Osei Amoah.
Mr Amoah is one of the senior members of the Ghanaian community in Finland and a top member of the Ghana Union Finland, an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
He is an active and a well-respected person in the Ghanaian community in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah moved to Finland in the mid-1990s, and he has lived in Helsinki all this time.
Accomplishments and honours
It is important to recount accomplishments as part of the success stories of the personalities of Ghanaian descent in Finland in order to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
Mr Amoah holds a Master’s degree in Demography from the University of Helsinki. At the time he came to Finland in 1994, he had majored in Economics at the Bachelor’s level at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Sometimes affectionately called “Chairman” in the Ghanaian migrant community, Mr Osei is a former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) branch in Finland, assuming office around 2015, a few months after the branch was formed, until 2019 when he did not run again for the elections. He helped to bring vibrancy into the NPP Finland branch.
Religious life
Mr Amoah is a prominent member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland. In spite of his busy working life and other responsibilities, he remains a committed member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland.
He plays a key leadership role in the church, which is attended by many Ghanaian migrants and other African migrants, Finns, and those of other nationalities.
His position in Asanteman Finland
Mr Osei Amoah is an outstanding member of the Asanteman Finland, where he is the Gyasehene, a prominent position as a sub-chief in the Asante (and Akan) royal hierarchy, in the functioning of the traditional authority systemgenerally in Ghana.
The Asanteman Finland is an association formed purposely with the aim of supporting each other as well as to ensure unity among its members and others outside of the group.
One of its top priorities of Asanteman Finland is to display the Asante culture in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah finds this as very important since by upholding the traditional culture and heritage, the association enables its members and especially the young ones to get the chance to learn and appreciate Asante and Ghanaian cultural values. They do this through rites such as marriage, the naming ceremony, and death and funeral rites, which makes the people to learn more of their provenance and not forget their origins.
“My point is that, by displaying the traditional heritage it helps people to learn more about their provenance. For, I think it will be embarrassing to go home and see that even the young ones have much knowledge about how to perform certain rites whilst those of us in the diaspora may be deficient in understanding those practices”, he argued. It is also very important for the young ones who are born in Finland to learn what the culture of their original society is, he continued.
The Finnish educational system
Mr Osei has a lot to say about the Finnish educational system, which he sees as very good. “When we came to Finland, education was free. There were library books and manuscripts readily available in the library, and one could print or make as many photocopies as possible for your studies. There was more flexibility. One could read books and write exams on them for the necessary grades in order to complete your studies”. In his opinion, Ghana could learn much from the Finnish system, which is one of the best in the world.
He said the only initial challenge he found in Finland was how to master the Finnish language, without which it was difficult to get a job befitting one’s status after the studies. But things have changed today and there are many English courses so it is easy to study and get a job that matches your studies, especially in the area of ICT, he said.
His role in the Ghanaian community
Mr Osei Amoah has been very active in the Ghanaian community, as I have indicated earlier. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has played a leadership in many functions organised by the Union, as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
Mr Amoah has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths and has also been part in settling various kinds of conflicts between opposing parties or persons. In conclusion, I would say Mr Osei Amoah has succeeded in embossing his name in the golden pages of visionary Ghanaians in both Sweden and Finland.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
