Features
X-mas: Prudent expenditure needed
One of the glorious events that has captured and attracted the minds of many people, both Christians and non- Christians, is Christmas which signifies the birth of Christ who descended from his Father in heaven to this earth to suffer and save men and women in the world.
There are some non-Christians who even celebrate Christmas in a special way more than Christians themselves. This is good because it shows that irrespective of our religious beliefs, there is always the need to recognise that there is someone who came unto the world to save mankind.
REFLECT ON CHRIST
Christmas is a period to reflect on Christ not just about His birth but about His entire life on this earth and how He preached the good news to turn away people from their sinful life in order to live good lives and to bring quality life as deserved by all men and women created in the image of God.
Throughout the world, people celebrate Christmas in various ways. Indeed, Christmas serves as an occasion in which people send messages of joy to friends and relations everywhere.
NORM OF CELEBRATION
Apart from church services, people celebrate the occasion with their families as well as friends or even non-friends in the neighbourhood. This has become the norm of celebration in the world.
As part of the celebration, a lot of attention is focused on the preparation of special meals for visitors who may come and visit us at home. Sometimes, friends and relations visit places of interest such as the beaches and other interesting sites as part of their excursion to various parts of the country.
While it becomes necessary for certain people to embark upon travelling expedition, inside or outside the country, many a time, people prefer to spend Christmas in their home country or towns. Whatever it is, some high expenditure is incurred as a result of travel or visits to places of interest.
SPECIAL MEALS
At the same time, it is interesting to note that special meals are prepared to serve visitors and to make them happy.
This is not to say that it is only during Christmas that special preparations are made and expenses incurred to make people happy and to let them feel special during this occasion.
TOUGH TIMES
With the COVID and the Russia-Ukraine war, many parts of the world have been greatly infected with problems that have made people uncomfortable particularly with regard to our social and economic life.
Parents are finding it very difficult to finance the health needs of their family members as well as their own children. In other words, economic life has become very difficult, tough and unbearable in the world today.
There are many people who find it very difficult to make ends meet. They include people in both developed and developing countries.
DEVELOPED WORLD
In the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France and other parts of the developed world, life is not easy and there are times when commodities considered precious are rationed among consumers.
It is also important to note that people sometimes travel long distances to buy fuel so as to be able to move their vehicles to places that they may need to go. In Mexico for example, we are told that people drive all the way to border areas with the US to buy fuel at cheaper prices.
What this means is that all over the world, things have become unbearable. There are many people who even think that probably the events of today signify the end of the world even though this may not be the case because in times past, many similar difficult situations had been encountered.
GERMAN EXPERIENCE
During the 1st and the 2nd World Wars for example, the entire globe at the time experienced terrible growth. One country that suffered terribly during the 2nd world war was Germany. In Germany at that time, inflation was far higher than what is being experienced in Ghana today.
The money in Germany lost its value to the extent that people had to carry huge sums of money in their bags to be able to buy certain products including basic necessities. It was simply very difficult to even come across basic needs of life so conditions at that period became more difficult than is being experienced in Ghana and many other African countries including the very terrible economic conditions being encountered in certain parts of the world.
LIMITED FINANCIAL RESOURCES
When these conditions emerge, it becomes necessary for every person to keep his or her financial resources well and put them to the best economic use. In other words, needless things ought to be overlooked by way of expenditure. It is only essential products, including basic medicines that ought to be bought whenever necessary.
It is often said that we have every opportunity to do whatever we like in this world yet only the essential and needful ought to be undertaken by way of expenditure. If this is done, it will go a long way to help reserve our limited financial resources so that we can survive the present financial conditions and overcome the challenges we are facing today.
This is achievable. If this is the case, then we need to work rigidly and assiduously towards achieving this goal to make life better for us all.
MEASURED EXPENDITURE
In view of the economic difficulties being encountered in the country, other African countries and also the rest of the world, it has become necessary for every person to become very circumspect when it comes to expenditure on goods and services so as to be able to preserve some financial resources for the family.
Measured expenditure is what is needed today. Unmeasured expenditure in times of plenty or abundance should be made to wait until we see great improvement in our economic conditions.
What is important in these difficult times, is to avoid unnecessary expenditure and only undertake expenditures that are necessary. Some of the expenditures that are necessary are those we cannot do without such as medicine, food and shelter as well as clothing.
PREVENTIVE HEALTHCARE
When it comes to basic medicine, we cannot look on when people are sick so we will have to cough out money to cater for those who are sick.
Medical care is expensive so it is important for us to practise preventive healthcare.
Preventive healthcare is where we make special efforts to prevent sicknesses from coming our way in order to stay healthy throughout the period. If we observe basic personal hygiene and keep our surroundings clean, we can be healthy and prevent diseases from attacking us. Choked gutters ought to be desilted. Again, the water we drink must also be clean so that infection of diseases cannot be possible in our lives.
Other preventive health measures ought to be observed so that we will not throw away money on diseases that can be prevented.
HEALTHY BALANCED DIET
One other way of staying healthy is by having enough rest at all times and also eating good food. Eating good food does not necessarily mean eating expensive food. What it means is that we need to go by healthy balanced diet such as gari, beans and fried plantain and some of our delicious local meals that are not expensive.
It is some of these local meals that help us to stay healthy. We also need to avoid excessive sugar, salt, and fat and oil. If we are able to keep away from these things, we will stay healthy and avoid using the little money we have for medical care.
AVOID EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL INTAKE
Again, it is important to avoid any other thing that can make us sick such as excessive intake of alcohol. Excessive alcohol may result in destroying certain organs in the body such as the kidney, the heart and other internal organs.
It is generally known that we need to meet our basic necessities of life. These basic necessities are food, clothing and shelter.
With regard to food, the point has already been made that we need not necessarily eat expensive foods that may not even be healthy. Rather, what we need is healthy balanced food to make us strong and healthy, keeping us away from falling sick.
LOOK DECENT
In the case of clothing, we need to be content with what we already have. We must avoid the purchase of expensive clothing in order to impress upon friends and neighbours during this Xmas season. The important thing is to look decent in your clothes but not to buy expensive clothes to mark the occasion.
Another basic necessity of life is shelter. We must learn to live in simple houses and put in simple furniture and other items that may be needed in the house.
MODERATION
Cars are good because they serve useful purpose but we need to go in for simple ones that do not consume too much fuel especially at this time when fuel prices are very expensive all over the world. Here in Ghana, it is not very easy to buy fuel regularly for our vehicles.
For this reason, when it becomes necessary, we may need to park our vehicles whenever necessary and walk some distances in our neighbourhood. We may have to join public transport such as buses and other commercial vehicles so that our cost of living can be minimised.
These are measures that can be taken by ourselves, without any compulsion, so as to be able to save some money for ourselves.
We need to do all these to make our Christmas celebration more meaningful to show to the world that we make judicious use of the little resources we have to make ourselves happy. This is how we can celebrate Christmas in a simple way.
Email address/whatsApp number of author:
Pradmat201@gmail.com (0553318911
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
After a heavy rain in Accra, the story Ghana repeats itself is easy to see. Drains overflow, streets turn into streams, and families are forced to wade through waist-deep, dirty water. When the floods finally recede, they leave behind more than just mud; they leave a tangled net of sachet wrappers, takeaway packs, and plastic bags that trap our neighbourhoods.
At the same time, in our homes and markets, piles of cassava peels and spoiled fruits rot in open bins, attracting pests and emitting foul odours. This is not just a nuisance; it is a national economic failure. The plastic blocking our drains and the organic matter that could restore our soils are both being treated as rubbish when they should be treated as resources.
Ghana is at a crossroads. We can continue the “take–make–waste” culture that floods our neighbourhoods, damages public health, and drains local government budgets. Or we can choose a practical, Ghana-ready circular approach: reduce plastics at the source, collect what remains efficiently, and separate organic waste so it becomes compost and bio fertiliser for farming. If Ghana harmonises plastic reduction with urban nutrient cycling, we can solve two national problems with one coordinated system cleaner cities and stronger food security.
The unseen link between plastics, floods, and food prices
Plastic pollution is often framed as an environmental issue. But in Ghana, it is also an infrastructure and public health problem. When drains are choked, flooding damages property, disrupts business, spreads disease, and increases the cost of city management. Assemblies spend scarce resources on emergency desilting and clean-up money that could have improved sanitation systems permanently. But the link does not end there. Our waste crisis is now feeding our food crisis.
Most of what Ghana throws away is not plastic. A large fraction is organic waste biodegradable material that should never be mixed with plastics in the first place. When organics and plastics are mixed in the same bins and the same trucks, everything becomes “dirty”: plastics are harder to recycle and organic matter becomes contaminated and unusable for compost. The result is a lose–lose system where nothing returns to productive use.
This matters because Ghana’s soils are tired. Farmers across the country complain about declining fertility and rising fertiliser costs. If our cities were capturing organic waste cleanly and converting it into high-quality compost or bio fertiliser, that material could return to farms as soil amendment improving yields, reducing dependence on imported inputs, and strengthening resilience. In other words, the waste we bury today is the fertility we import tomorrow.
Why the current approach keeps failing
Ghana’s waste system is still largely designed for “collection and disposal,” not “collection and recovery.” That is why, even when clean-up campaigns happen, the problem returns quickly. We are treating symptoms, not the system. Three structural failures keep recycling and composting from scaling:
1) We do not separate waste at the source: once plastics, food waste, and other refuse are mixed together, it is expensive and often unsafe to sort
2) We have weak accountability for packaging; plastic producers and major distributors profit from packaging, but the cost of cleanup is left mostly to assemblies and taxpayers. That imbalance is unsustainable.
3) We don’t link waste recovery to strong end-markets: recycling and composting only survive when there is steady demand: manufacturers buying recycled plastics and farmers or institutions buying compost. Without guaranteed markets, recovery systems collapse.
The good news is that these failures are not destiny. They are policy choices and can be corrected. To make this real, Ghana must adopt a practical two-stream approach:
- Stream 1: Dry recyclables (plastics, metals, cartons)
- Stream 2: Organic waste (food and green waste for composting)
This separation is the bridge that connects plastic reduction to nutrient cycling. When organics are kept separate, compost becomes cleaner and safer. When dry recyclables are not soaked in rot and liquids, recycling capture becomes easier and more profitable.
A Five-Point Policy Package
1. Make Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) real
Producers and major importers of plastic packaging must help fund its collection and recovery. This is not punishment; it is responsibility. EPR should require: registration of major packaging producers/importers, clear recovery targets, audited reporting, and a ring-fenced fund that supports collection, sorting, and recycling infrastructure. When producers share the cost, assemblies are less overwhelmed and recovery systems become financially viable.
2. Launch citywide source separation starting with pilots that actually scale.
Assemblies should begin with high-impact zones: markets, institutions, and dense neighbourhoods. Keep it simple: two bins (dry recyclables and organics), predictable collection days, community education in local languages, enforcement that is fair and gradual (warnings first, then penalties). The aim is not to punish households; it is to create a new normal that makes sorting easy and consistent.
3. Build composting and bio fertiliser capacity and guarantee offtake to agriculture.
Separation only matters if there is a destination. Ghana should invest in: municipal composting hubs, private compost enterprises, and quality standards to protect farmers from contaminated products. Most importantly, link compost to demand. Government agriculture programmes, district assemblies, and farmer cooperatives can create an offtake market so compost plants do not die from lack of buyers. This is where waste policy and food policy meet.
4. Integrate the informal sector properly because they are already doing the work.
Waste pickers and informal collectors are not a problem; they are part of the solution. Any serious circular strategy must include: contracts or cooperative arrangements, PPE and basic health protections, fair pricing systems at sorting centres, and training on safe handling. If we ignore the informal sector, we lose capacity. If we formalise them without respect, we create conflict. Integration must be practical and dignified.
5. Use public procurement and incentives to grow circular markets.
Circular systems need buyers. Government can help by: prioritising products made with recycled content where feasible, supporting local manufacturing of recycled plastic items (pipes, bins, furniture), providing tax incentives or concessional financing for recycling/composting businesses, and rewarding compliance and innovation instead of only punishing failure.
Final Statement
Ghana’s waste crisis is not only about litter; it is about lost opportunity. Plastic can be recovered. Organic waste can be composted. Jobs can be created across collection, sorting, processing, logistics, and retail. Assemblies can spend less on emergency clean-up and more on permanent sanitation. Farmers can access local soil amendments and reduce vulnerability to imported input shocks. But none of this happens by accident. It requires alignment: environmental regulation, local government action, private sector investment, and agricultural offtake all moving in the same direction. We do not need more sympathy speeches after floods. We need systems that prevent the next flood, reduce the next disease outbreak, and rebuild the next harvest. A circular Ghana is not a dream. It is a decision.
By Lawrencia Yeboah-Duah
There was quite a decent crowd at the Beach Club. The boys were already seated, and two waiters were standing by them, taking their orders. We also placed ours, and joined the conversation after introductions. ‘
So madam’, I said as I turned towards Kwakyewaa, ‘What are you studying in France?’ ‘Actually, I just completed my Diploma in Building Decoration. I studied Land Economy at KNUST, and whilst on a visit to France I met a school mate who was studying in a Design School, and after some discussions I also enrolled on the course’.
‘That is very interesting. So what aspects of building design did you cover?’
‘Well, naturally I studied some general aspects of buildings, then I concentrated on the fittings and other things that make them look nice’.
‘Very interesting. Perhaps you can give me a few interesting design ideas. When are you going back?’ ‘In two weeks. I need to go and find a job’.
‘I will need to talk with you at some length, before you leave’.
‘I didn’t know you were into buildings. First I learned that you were into agriculture, but yesterday Esaaba said you were rather into development work in the north’.
‘Esaaba is very correct. I have been in development work in the north for three years. But I need to discuss a building project I’m doing in Accra’.
‘Anytime. I will be very ready to help’.
After quite a bit of dancing, we decided to call it a night, and I took off with the two ladies for the ride home. ‘David’, Esaaba said, ‘thanks for a wonderful evening. What a lovely place’.
‘Yes indeed’, Kwakyewaa said. ‘Nice place, nice band, and beautiful environment. Many thanks, David’. ‘If you have really enjoyed it as you say, then let’s do it again’.
‘We promise!’ the two ladies said as if on cue, and broke into laughter.
‘David, when do you want to have the discussion you mentioned?’
‘Anytime convenient to you. How about lunchtime on Monday? I can pick you up around eleven-thirty’. ‘It is fine. I don’t have anything planned for Monday. I will be looking forward to it’.
‘I got to the house on Monday as planned, and was about to step out of the car when Kwakyewaa came out, followed by Esaaba’. ‘Esaaba’, I said, ‘I thought you would be at work at the pharmacy at this time’. ‘I should, but I stayed home to do a report for our head office. I am on my way now. I will get off at the roundabout’. ‘I will drop you at the office, but before that, you are joining us for lunch’.
‘Okay Bernard. No objection’.
‘Now, Esaaba, I need to mention this. Has Abena informed you that our relationship is over?’
‘She hasn’t told me in black and white, but I get that impression from her body language and some of her utterances. For example, I was surprised that she was going out last Friday with Jennifer when you came to the house. You had been out of town for a while, and I thought she would want to spend time with you’.
‘We haven’t sat down to discuss this, but as you said, her utterances and body language were a little unusual, but I now have confirmation that she is seeing someone.
Quite a number of people have seen them together, and she used to ask me some funny questions about my work. I hear she has been saying that I am not doing any development work, but I’m rather an agricultural extension officer, and that she has met a wealthy person who can take care of her. She’s free to believe or say anything she likes, so I won’t bother to discuss it with her. I think she would prefer that.
‘I’m surprised she hasn’t said anything to us. Perhaps she believes that because of our relationship with you, we would not approve’.
‘Maybe, but it’s her life. She’s free to do what she wants. But she can’t stop me from coming to spend time with you guys’
I dropped Esaaba at work, and drove to the office. Kwakyewa greeted Eva and Robert, and after offering her a seat, I introduced them. ‘Now Kwakyewaa’, after my B.Sc. Economics degree I did an MA in Project Management, and got a job as Project Manager with the EU, based in the north. It has been a very enjoyable job, and fortunately well paid. Soon as I started, my mentor advised me to find some run down or uncompleted buildings in prime areas, buy them and, after fixing them up, put them up for sale.
I have done several, and I have now bought a block of six houses. I have just started the process of fixing them. Now, I would like you to take a look at the block, and offer me some advice. First, take a look at these documents’. I opened a page on my laptop and placed it in front of her.
‘Wow, this is very interesting. You know, I did similar work for a firm in France. When can we go to the site?’ ‘Right now. Eva, would you like to join us? I know Robert is expecting some visitors.’
We spent over two hours at the site, with Eva and I, offering answers to her numerous questions. Finally, we arrived back at the office. ‘This is really exciting, and very impressive. I would like to make some suggestions, on design, painting, and landscape’. ‘You start work tomorrow. Eva or Robert will pick you up, and drop you after work’.
‘Okay. I will try to do as much as I can before I leave’.
‘You are assuming that I will allow you to leave in two weeks?’ She broke into great laughter. ‘Shall we get a drink before I drop you?’ ‘Of course. Let’s talk in some detail about the project. So you are a very big man. Does Abena know about this?’ ‘No. We had a good relationship until she started spending time with Jennifer. She changed completely, so I quickly lost interest’. ‘Maybe she would not have taken that decision if she really knew the kind of person you are’.
‘I think I gave her enough indication, but she is easily swayed by appearances. She and Jennifer were always talking about rich people, well dressed people, stuff like that. I resent that. I also like the good life, but I prefer a low profile’.
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