Features
Why Ghanaians need to be fed with the truth
Truth-telling is essential for authentic communication to occur and makes genuine interaction between people possible. The truth matters, both to us as individuals and to society as a whole. As individuals, being truthful means that we can grow and mature, learning from our mistakes. Honesty means to develop a practice of speaking the truth throughout life. It is said that a person who practices honesty in his or her life possesses strong moral character, since the person shows good behaviour, follows rules and regulations, maintains discipline, speaks the truth, and is always punctual.
MORAL OBLIGATION
Truthfulness is the foundation on which human relationships are built. Without truth, sustainable success will be impossible in human dealings. The moral obligation as recognised by common sense is that each and every one has to tell the truth always. Some of the benefits of being honest include establishing a closer friendship that will pave the way for greater intimacy, building trust and confidence, having quality friends, less stress, and improved wellness, among others.
The power of always telling the truth, which is more than just honesty, is that it yields a deeper understanding of oneself and elevates self-esteem. In short, the importance of being truthful and honest means not to lie, steal, cheat, or deceive in any way. When we are honest, we build strength of character that will allow us to be of great service to God and others. The Holy Bible says that when we are truthful and honest, we are blessed with peace of mind and self-respect and will be trusted by the Almighty God.
JOURNEY OF TRUTH AND HONESTY
I have decided to take my readers and patrons on this honest and truthful journey because of certain negative developments in our country where some of our political leaders and office holders have tried not to be economical with the truth even though they are aware that the factual aspects of things that are going on are not exactly what they are churning out to the people, and for that matter, Ghanaians who made them what they are today in the society.
BUNCH OF LIES
It is a fact that the people continue to be shortchanged of the truth and deceived by some of our leaders and office holders, who try as much as possible to hide the truths and facts from them and provide them with a bunch of lies. Ghanaians are now discerning, and they can decipher the truth from the lies.
When President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo presented his State of the Nation Address to Parliament recently, he expressed optimism that the government was systematically fulfilling the terms of the staff level agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and expressed confidence that it would secure a deal by the end of March. With the successful process of the domestic debt exchange programme and support received from other creditors, the President was upbeat that Ghana would clinch the $3 billion bailout from the IMF to improve the country’s downward economic situation.
PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT ON IMF
Hear the President: “I am confident that with the cooperation we’re receiving from members of the Paris Club and the People’s Republic of China, which has sent a delegation from China’s Exim Bank to Accra over the weekend to meet with officials of the Ministry of Finance, we shall be able to go to the board of the Fund to finally conclude the agreement by the end of March.”
But according to the Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Ghana was not likely to clinch a deal with the IMF in March and would be lucky to get a deal in April. “Mr Speaker, our President said on authority that Ghana would get IMF Board approval by the end of this month (March). I don’t know who is briefing our President, but Ghana will not be able to get IMF Board approval by the end of this month because even the board documents are not prepared. We need to get China to give Ghana financing assurance and that they are ready to take a haircut, and China has not agreed,” said the Minority Leader.
MINORITY POSITION
The Minority Caucus was of the view that the March 31 deadline to secure the IMF Board’s approval for the loan facility would not be feasible, contrary to the claim by the government, because it has not been able to satisfy the financing assurances regarding the bailout, which include the board documents.
Indeed, many economic analysts, think tanks and international financial organisations have alluded to the viewpoint expressed by the Minority Caucus that meeting the March 31 deadline cannot be possible for Ghana to secure the economic bailout by the IMF. For instance, an international rating agency, Fitch Ratings, was of the view that the IMF’s support for Ghana, would likely depend on the government’s ability to show a path towards bringing the present value of the debt to 55 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
FACTORS TO ENCOURAGE IMF APPROVAL
Germany recently, through her envoy in Ghana, asked the Akufo-Addo-led administration to prune down the size of his government and cut down on waste in the system if, truly, the country needed a bailout from the IMF to revamp its shattered economy. It appears that President Akufo-Addo is adamant about following that advice from the German envoy and is rather criticising him for interfering in Ghana’s internal affairs.
Really, what is happening is that the present government’s appointees, especially those in charge of finance, are not briefing the President well about the true state of affairs of the economy but rather feeding him palpable lies and falsehoods about the IMF deal. They knew very well that it would not be possible for Ghana to secure the IMF facility by the end of March, yet they decided to include it in the President’s State of the Nations Address that was delivered to Parliament recently, only for the President to announce it to Ghanaians.
TRANSPARENT WITH THE PEOPLE
We need to remind ourselves that the country has reached a stage in its development where we have to be truthful and honest with ourselves since we need support from the international community to revamp the downward trend of the economy. The truth must be laid bare to Ghanaians about the true state of the economy so that they will understand what is going on and, if there is any sacrifice they have to make, they will do so willingly and wholeheartedly. Hiding the truth and not being honest with the people is indeed dangerous to the survival and progress of our dear nation.
Now that the President has indicated that the IMF facility would be ready by the end of March this year, Ghanaians are expecting that from the beginning of April, their lifestyles will definitely change because they believe that the economy will start improving gradually, but this is not the case. Even if the bailout is approved in March, as the President alluded, it will take some time before the economy starts bearing fruit. This is what we expect from the President’s appointees: to educate Ghanaians about how the IMF programme will work and not to feed the President with palpable lies to score cheap political points.
ADVICE TO OUR POLITICIANS
This article cannot end well without advising our politicians, especially those at the helm of affairs, to be transparent in their actions, mindful with their utterances, and also to be truthful, honest, and sincere to the people from whose backs they rode to the positions they are occupying. The entire Ghanaian population cannot occupy these limited positions, and, therefore, that is why they are there as representatives of their constituents, or the people. Let the truth and honesty lead our nation, Ghana. Period!
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By Charles Neequaye
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
