Features
What a hardworking President! (Part 3)
Real leaders are those who are able not just to fight for political power but make use of it in a positive manner to promote socio-economic growth and development and at the same time overcome difficulties that confront them to preserve the interest of their people which they hold and regard as paramount.
President Akufo-Addo has proved to be such a leader, and this explains that despite all the challenges during his campaign to become president, he worked hard and stayed focus to attain his ambition in life with his political career.Indeed, he is one of the greatest leaders that the country has ever produced and will go down in history as the one who, riding on the presence of former President J.A Kufuor, has made history by propelling the country into a higher standard of living.
The achievements of President Akufo-Addo in the health and agricultural sectors are there for all to see except for professional opposition members who unfortunately would not want to credit him with anything good even though his practical achievements are being enjoyed by all and sundry.
HEALTH SECTOR
Every constituency has been given at least one ambulance vehicle and some hospitals to improve health care delivery. In all, 350 brand-new well-equipped ambulances with well-trained personnel have been provided for the districts and hospitals throughout the country. Again, drones have also been brought in to help in the distribution of essential drugs to all parts of the country to ensure that no one is left out in health care if only people are able to act early enough to save lives in our hospitals.
Also, the government’s programme, Agenda 111, under which many hospitals are to be built at the regions and the districts are also being rolled out. The purpose is to ensure that each region has its own full-fledged hospital as well as ones for the districts. In addition to all these, some hospital beds have been distributed to many of our health facilities. This is noble and deserve the blessings of God.
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Government’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic was also remarkably impressive. In March 2020, when the disease was first reported in Ghana, the government took immediate steps to ensure that its people became protected. Electricity and drinking water were provided free of charge to Ghanaians. The free water helped the people to regularly wash their hands in line with what the government wanted them to do. The electricity provided free of charge also helped the people to iron all dresses before wearing them since there was the need to ensure that everything, including dresses, was well sanitised before use.
Government is fighting hard to ensure that the COVID-19 vaccines are also produced locally. Prof.Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has submitted a report with his committee to government on how to go about it.
PREVENTING BANKING CRISIS
To speed up national economic development, certain steps were taken for rapid economic growth as a way of improving upon the welfare of the people. Once such step was a strategy to overcome a looming banking crisis in the country. Many of the banks operating under the previous government, that is, the NDC did not have the required level capital to operate as expected. What had happened in other countries such as Lebanon and others could have also occurred here because the banks with capital below the required levels would have not been able to satisfy their customers’ withdrawals.
To resolve the issue, the Akufo-Addo administration withdrew the licences of such banks and reorganised the banking sector. Those banks that were too small to operate on their own were joined together to operate as one entity as can be seen in the example of Consolidated Bank of Ghana (CBG) which is now doing very well.
The confidence required in the banking sector has risen high and all these are helping the economy to boost up at a faster rate. This, together with other policies, account for the reason Ghana is ranked among the fastest growing economy in Africa and the world. Another achievement related to this is the relative stability of the Cedi. Matters would have been worse if government had not taken these steps to rectify the situation.
FASTEST INTERNET SPEED IN AFRICA
Another issue related to smooth economic growth is the fact that Ghana had been rated as the country with the fastest internet speed in Africa. According to a Speedtest Global Index for the top 10 fixed broadband categories in the first quarter of 2021, South Africa, Madagascar, Egypt, Senegal, Seychelles, Morocco, Congo, and Burkina Faso were ranked behind Ghana. Additionally, Ghana was ranked 79th in the world for the Speedtest Global Index with the speed of 53.28 Mbps, which was the fastest in Africa. This has helped in a way for the economy to develop at a faster rate because modern economies are linked to a fast-speed internet system.
CONSTRUCTION OF MORE ROADS
The Year of Roads, declared in 2020, is still being continued for 2021. The good news about the Year of Roads, including that of this year is that asphalt overlay is in progress for Accra roads and regional capitals. This means that major cities to enjoy the overlays would include as has been pointed out, Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Sunyani and Bolgatanga, among others.
Alongside this is the construction of interchange networks in various parts of the country such as Pokuase, Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange, Takoradi, Kumasi and Tamale. Therefore, the country has been uplifted in a pleasant manner as far as road infrastructure is concerned. If this does not constitute a good mark of good governance and economic growth, then what else can it be?
FIGHTING AGAINST CORRUPTION
The government is fighting hard against corruption. A new Special Prosecutor has been appointed to make corruption as unattractive as possible. He has begun to work in an assiduous manner and very soon the country and the world would begin to see the positive results that come out of his endeavour.
Conscious effort is also being made to guarantee peace and security in the country. In fact, Ghana today has been ranked the first most peaceful country in West Africa and remains the second most peaceful country in the whole of Africa. It is this credential of being a peaceful country that attracted the AfCFTA secretariat into the country. It is the same reason that President Akufo-Addo has been chosen as ECOWAS chairman for two consecutive terms.
IGNORING PROPAGANDA
Many Ghanaians are complaining about facilities they lack in their communities such as good drinking water, electricity, telecommunication facilities, clinics, or hospitals etc. These are being provided in a systematic manner so as much as we want people to draw the attention of government to their community needs, they should also bear in mind that this is a government that is committed towards the good of the people and that if we don’t allow it to complete its project successfully, we may all live to regret later. For this reason, no one should be influenced by any form of propaganda to turn his/her back against the government.
President Akufo-Addo appears tireless in his desire to fix the problems of this country looking at how energetic he is as if he is only forty (40) in age. This is what the Akufo-Addo administration has planned for this country, so do we support him or not?
The answer is not far-fetched and that means that we all need to support him no matter what!
Contact email/whatsApp of author:
Pradmat2013@gmail.com (0553318911)
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
