By: Megan Russell (Published 7/15) Professor Kwame Karikari, executive director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) based in Accra, was recently appointed the 9th member and only non-South African representative of the newly formed South Africa Press Freedom Commission. The group, launched Thursday July 7th in Johannesburg, was initiated by Print Media South Read More …
This past weekend I met with a deaf woman named Lydia and her husband Samuel at a small cafe in East Legon. As a hard-of-hearing (HOH) woman learning American Sign Language, I wanted to know what life was like for a deaf person in Ghana. Through some mutual acquaintances, I eventually found my way to Read More …
My internship is at a bi-weekly newspaper called Ghana Sports. I have written a few articles and generally have one posted in each issue, but I also spend a lot of time running errands with my boss, Dan. I have come to expect at some point each morning to hear Dan urgently say, “OK Monica, Read More …
He tapped on my shoulder and handed me a small black bag. I stared back at him with big brown eyes that stretched until my eyebrows touched. Before my coworker could explain, the bag crackled and my boss’s voice came in clearly. I quickly unzipped the bag and pulled out a walkie-talkie. “For you,” Read More …
By Ama A. Amankwah Baafi & Megan Russell (Published 7/11) A senior fellow at the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana has said there is need for a credible and plausible agenda that will effectively resolve contemporary land related issues in Ghana. As a proposal, Dr. George Botchie Read More …
By: Megan Russell (Published 7/11) Oburoni vs. The Fufu You would think that after a week in Ghana I would already have a handle over much of the cuisine. So far I have sampled various dishes of chicken, fish or goat with groundnut soup and banku, a plethora of fruits and vegetables, many combinations of beans Read More …
By: Megan Russell (Published 7/11) Ghana has recently made headlines as the fourth African nation, after South Africa, Egypt and Kenya, to provide the much-anticipated Mobile Number Portability (MNP). The National Communications Authority (NCA) has decreed that as of Thursday July 7, all five major cellular providers, MTN, Vodafone, Airtel, Zain, and Tigo, are required to Read More …
“You are welcome,” said an elderly woman. Wrinkles folded up around her eyes as she smiled at me. As I stepped into the courtyard, she directed me to remove my sandals, lent me one of her head coverings to wear over my hair and poured water on my feet to clean them. When we approached Read More …
The New Crusading Guide By Ariane Kunze Yesterday, at the Engagement meeting on Tobacco Control Bye-Laws, Poverty and Development at the AMA Conference Hall, a plan of action was announced for reducing tobacco use in Accra. The goal of the conference, according to the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), is to help strengthen tobacco control Read More …
“How was your day?” my roommates asked when I arrived home one day this week. As usual, it was hard to come up with an answer. I had spent the day at Anane Memorial International School, the primary school in Nima the group visited our first week here. This time I went by myself to Read More …
By now you faithful readers have learned about the terrors of the trotro. The good news is that all 14 of us here know (more or less) the trotro route to our respective internships and back. And as awkward and wearisome though we feel in these glorified rickshaws, nothing is worse than actually having to Read More …
By: Megan Russell (Published 7/8) Oburoni vs. Accra There are 14 of us journalism students from the United States living here in Ghana for the summer and working at various internships. In our time off we drive around the country in a very conspicuous tour bus wearing our American clothing and taking cheesy, staged group Read More …
The University of Ghana launched a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme in economics for post-graduate students and cut the sod for the construction of a building for the Department of Economics, funded by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) Thursday morning. The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, said the initiative to start the Read More …
A week before I left for Ghana my mother came to Oregon to pay me a visit and help me prepare for my trip. She wrote (and rewrote) list after list of what to buy, how much to take, and how best to pack it. She made sure I had a cure for every ailment Read More …
By Michael Ciaglo and Jamela Akweley THE MINISTER of Health, Joseph Yieleh Chireh, has inaugurated the allied health committee and the health awards planning committee as part of the ministry’s efforts to provide quality health services to Ghanaians. Swearing in the nine-member allied health taskforce, the minister observed that with the increasing number of health Read More …