Circumspecte

A couple of years ago I was invited by Albert and Comfort Ocran of Legacy and Legacy to participate in their JoyFM radio show, The Springboard Show. It was great being on national radio and giving insights on blogging, but the most interesting aspect of that experience was my discussion with the Ocrans our our way home after they offered me a ride.  Long story short, we discussed the importance of leadership, professional and self-development in creating a renaissance of sorts in Ghana and on our continent. With innovative initiatives like the Springboard Road Show, Festival of Ideas and the Knowledge Center, Legacy & Legacy is at the forefront of empowering Ghanaians who dare to dream.  The 2014 edition of the Springboard Road Show themed "Repositioning" will kick off from February 1 to March 15, 2014 and will focus on Entrepreneurship, Career and Finance.  The aim? Business coaching and entrepreneurial skills training to 30,000 tertiary student...

“Boldness  has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” – Johann Wolfgang Von  Goethe When ever I get to talking about Ghana and why there’s still hope for our continent and motherland, Ashesi  eventually comes up. Why? It’s the epitome of what Ghana is, could become and will become — if more of us follow that strong conviction to do something more than live our lives; even if it means leaving a US job with Microsoft on nothing but that conviction. I got introduced to Ashesi University during its early days and while I was in high school. My father was a computer science lecturer at the university and during vacation I’d usually tag along with him to “do research”. When I started applying to universities, Ashesi was my top Ghanaian school – even though they didn’t have an IR or economics program. Why? The liberal arts curriculum, the questioning, the critical thinking, the novelty of it all. The Ashesi  students I knew then had at least two years on ...

Originally posted on the London School of Economics Africa Blog -- As Ghanaians head to the polls on 7 December, education has been the principal election issue debated on by rival politicians, but, as Ghanaian blogger Jemila Abdulai points out, a free education does not necessarily equate to a quality education. Jemila Abdulai blogs at  Circumspect . Oil – the word that caused quite a stir in the lead up to Ghana’s 2008 elections. Political parties tried to outdo one another with their grandiose promises on how they would ensure the “equitable” distribution of oil revenues, while politicians launched an entirely different contest – in how many corruption allegations they could level against opponents. But that’s old news. It is 2012 and we have a new election issue over which to crack our brains. Ladies and gentlemen, meet “free education”. Free senior high school (SHS) education made its first appearance onto Ghana’s 2012 election landscape with the launch of the Nati...

Originally published on the blog Women Change Africa -- As the Ghana elections get closer, we thought it would be great to hear from one of our fabulous, smart and beautiful friends of WCA Ms. Jemila Abdulai. Jemila is a woman who is  definitely changing Africa. Amongst her many hats she wears, Jemila is a attaining her Masters in International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, owns and operates a very highly read blog titled Circumspecte which focuses on various issues in Africa, and of course is part of the Ghana Decides team working to help engage youth in Ghana to get involved and vote pre and during elections.  We hope you enjoy and learn about Ghana's elections and women, and be inspired the way we were with Ms. Abdulai. Enjoy!   Like its predecessors, this election is important for young Ghanaian women. The obvious reason is that women form the majority of Ghanaian society and being excluded from the political process could result in polici...

It's been a whirlwind, yet priceless weekend of  BarCampGhana & GhanaDecides . Somehow, this pocket of solitude found me, and I'm having a bit of a moment. Just me and my long-lost friend Tamale (aided by Adele). Special thanks to the awesome BarCamp Tamale and GH Decides teams for getting me home :) -- Photo Credit: GhanaDecides Wunpini: Gaafara (Knocking) Tamale: Kpem nya (Come In) Wunpini: Dasiba (Good morning) Tamale: Nnaa. Nyin nguni nbala (I acknowledge. Who are you?) Wunpini: Mma, a bi bang ma? (Mother, haven't you recognized me?) Tamale: M bihi maa zooya. Bi pam mii kul gor mi. A yuli (I have many children, and many of them travel What's your name?) Wunpini: N yuli Wunpini. Nyini n daa che ka in ba pgem ti ma li, abi tei da? (My name is Wunpini. You told my grandfather to give me that name, don't you remember?) Tamale: Oy, Wunpini. Nyini n bala? (Ei, Wunpini, is that you?) Wunpini: Ing mma, ma nin bala. Ing k...

Over the past couple of weeks my mind has been on Ghana. Not just because I miss eating waakye, and the sun is finally popping up in these parts, but because in about three days, Ghana is gonna mark it's 55th year of independence. Sure, there might be nothing especially groundbreaking about it, and unlike Ghana @ 50, it seems to be relatively quiet this time around, but I think the time is ripe for us to assess ourselves, both individually and collectively, with regards to Ghana and our future. Simply put, what legacy are we creating (if any) and how do we hope to impact future generations of Ghanaians? I share my thoughts through this two-part video blog, and invite you to share yours as well in the lead up to Ghana @ 55 and beyond. Happy (early) Independence Day!

Dear Prospective Graduate Student, After "officially" completing my first semester at JHU SAIS in Bologna, Italy, I figured it might be helpful to share some of my insights with you, especially since quite a number of your counterparts have already approached me in that regard. So, what are the bolts and nuts of opting for graduate school? Well, I don't have all the answers, and I'm certain responses differ with each person but here are some of the main things I have to say. 1. Know Your Status By your status I'm not talking "HIV/AIDS". I'm talking know your legal status in the country you'll be studying in and the corresponding do's and don'ts. Knowing your status should also make it easier to figure out what financial options you have, whether you qualify for certain scholarships, if you can undertake an internship or do some work while studying, all of that. The ideal case would be to know your status before you apply to a gi...

Ciao people! I'm blogging all the way from Bologna, Italy! Beautiful city, interesting experiences so far. This blog was written a couple of days ago and didn't get posted because I got quite self-conscious about what it was about (definitely NOT my grandest moment). But after some thought I decided to post it. I feel it's important to acknowledge both struggles and triumphs, especially if growth is the bottom line objective, and particularly since life does throw us a curve ball from time to time. Alors...I'd say enjoy...but given the subject matter, maybe "I hope this speaks to you in some way" is more appropriate? Here goes.. --   Unplanned "It isn't what you did in the past that will affect the present. It's what you do in the present that will redeem the past and thereby change the future." - Aleph (Paulo Coelho) Le Due Torri - Symbol of Bologna It’s been a week and a day since I arrived in Bologna land, which coincident...

It's my great honor to introduce this young lady to those of you who might not have heard of her, and for those of you who have, to hopefully share one or two things that you probably didn't know about Deborah Ahenkorah and her journey so far. The Visionnaire Series begins. -- Privilege Vs Responsibility At 24 years, Deborah Ahenkorah is living proof of the heights a person can reach just by trying. A native of the Eastern Region, Deborah grew up with her parents in Ghana’s capital Accra. She attended North Ridge Lyceum, and later enrolled at Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast. Consequently, she proceeded on scholarship to Bryn Mawr College in the USA, for her university degree. “I had no reason to want to come back to Ghana. I’m going to America, why would I want to come back to Ghana? But in the four years that I was in school various experiences, you know, switched my mind 180 degrees,” Deborah recounted. According to the self-proclaimed adventur...