Circumspecte

I believe deeply that Ghanaians and Africans can make the necessary changes for development. Yes, there are obstacles. Yes, we have day-to-day responsibilities. Yes, times can be tough. But that's not the entire story. We also have stepping stones, passion, inspiring moments, and above all, we have EACH OTHER. In Ghana's case especially, having each other and keeping the peace is probably the biggest factor in how far we have come so far. Yet, if the events (revolutions) this year are any indication, our peace is not guaranteed , particularly when it is sitting on a minefield of inequalities. Enter Northern Ghana. Northern Ghana has probably been exhausted on here, so I won't take that route. If you want to know what my thoughts are regarding why development in the region is in the best interest of ALL Ghanaians, click here . Instead, I'd like to send you a personal invitation to take a step in helping initiate sustainable change in Northern Ghana for Ghana: BarC...

I just got online after an English discussion session with the Italian kids who's family I'm living with. First thing I see? An unpalatable, bloody image of someone who looks eerily like Libya's ousted dictator  leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Apparently, he's been killed. And in his own hometown of Sirte too! Now, with all the unrest going on across the Arab world, I can't say the news is entirely surprising. Then again, after attending a recent lecture on Libya and finding out that some of the media reports aired/published on Libya's unrest might have been concocted, I don't know what to think anymore. Politics they say is a dirty game. Well international politics might need more than a scrubbing or two. One thing the lecturer, Professor Mezran said that really stood out was this: Until Gaddafi's gone, Libya cannot move forward. As it turns out, that chapter in Libya's history had to be closed and now that it has - or is beginning to? - what...

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...

With a participant during the AYGC 2011 Last month I was invited to participate in the 2011 African Youth and Governance Conference as a panelist for the African Youth Economic Forum which took place on August 10, 2011 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel. The conference was attended by over a 100 participants from all over Africa and the forum focused on Education; ICT; Natural Resources & Environment; Employment & Entrepreneurship; and Agriculture as key catalysts for sustaining growth and prosperity in Africa.  All in all, the experience was very powerful and more than ever, it is evident that Africa's youth are poised for action and tired of the rhetoric and 'talk shops' that our current leaders are all too fond of. Case in point: the Ghanaian deputy minister of youth and employment was literally rooted in one spot as participants fired questions at him about HOW exactly government is working to solve the youth unemployment situation. Point blank they told hi...

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...

Finally, the first interview of the Visionnaire Series with Deborah Ahenkorah of the Golden Baobab Prize is all set! Stay tuned for the full showcase right here on Circumspect! In the meantime, here's a small teaser/preview, what I call the "Visionnaire Development Minute", on Debbie's thoughts on, well, development in Africa. Agree, disagree, have something to add? Please do share! Enjoy! Circumspect: How do you think the advent of e-reading will influence Africa’s literary landscape? Deborah Ahenkorah: I think the discourse around e-reading everywhere in the world is so fascinating, because without a doubt, e-reading is the future. No matter how you spin it, it is the future. But what’s interesting about it is how is it going to become the future? What is the process and what path is it going to take for it to get to the future? The western world is far, far ahead of us in that discourse, or in that journey of e-reading from a concept to the reality, like the ...

It's funny to think that after all this time I NOW get why Muslims are encouraged to learn Allah's 99 names .  We have a guest in our home, and according to Dagomba tradition, her name for the first week of her life here on earth is "Saanpaga", which means "Lady guest". The male equivalent, "Saandoo" also means, take a wild guess, "Man Guest". Total ingenuity, I know. Anyway, today Saanpaga will finally get her own name according to Islamic tradition. And during the last 10- and what is deemed the holiest- days of Ramadan too! MashAllah. In addition, as per family tradition, she will get a Dagbani middle name. Yes, her Islamic name will most likely have "tu" affixed to the end as most Islamic female names do.  No, it's not a fad, but rather a grammatical rule, as "tu" serves as a female indicator. Kind of like the French 'e'. My full name for instance, is Jemila(tu) Wunpini Abdulai. Jemila means beauty...