Bolgatanga, through my phone's lenses

Church bells at the Bolgatanga Cathedral

Monument marking the 100th anniversary of the diocese

The Bolgatanga Catholic Cathedral from a distance

Ramsey Sports stadium

Some Pajeros parked outside a church

EPL fixtures at the Black Star hotel

Party time, no?

The ticket that swerved me

If you patronise public transportation in Ghana (especially MMT), you understand the frustrations one can go through.

Buses poorly maintained. Passengers being taken for granted. Blah blah blah.

Yesterday, I had to travel from Kumasi to Sunyani  and decided to pick a MMT bus. The queue I met can only be described as $$##_++@?@&@%@+*!!!

After being in the queue for a long while, a bus arrived. Then I heard my name being shouted after a while. It was a friend who had bought an extra ticket for me! Hmmm, how bad I felt (because I detest folks jumping the queue).

Well I boarded the bus only to realise 'my' ticket had not been bought. Oh charley!
The smart move wasn't so smart after all.

I just got off the bus, and had to move to Kejetia to pick a cosmo jet.

Fuschia -- Clothing & Crafts

In an earlier post, I commented on how Ghanaians have taken to Ghanaian fabrics being used to create crafts such as handbags, wallets, purses, shoes, and of course, great dresses for every occasion.

A number of innovative individuals are really doing a lot in this area.

You can check out Trends and Blends who writes exclusively on fashion.

A lady who is doing a lot in this fashion innovation crusade is Abena Woode of Fuschia Ghana. She is based in Kumasi. As the Innovation Director of Fuschia, she's always on the look out for what steps to take to improve the services and customer satisfaction, Fuschia delivers.

Do check out Fuschia's Facebook page, like it and hold your breath for a surprise this festive season.

Why be ungrateful?

When I tell my friends that I feel -- I know -- I insult God any time I complain about where I wish I was in life, and how 'fucked up' my life is, they seldom get it.
I have been blessed with a lot of opportunities, and have had the pleasure of meeting angels on earth. My sweetest taboo is one of such earth angels.
You see, most folks don't have it 'as easy' as I do. An example is the mother of eight I just met in Adum,  Kumasi. She's been walking through town since morning, begging for alms. Her last two kids are with her -- under the scorching sun.
I asked where her husband is and she says the father of her first four children is dead. The father of the 2nd set of four has refused to look after the children.
I then asked why she is not farming, and if there was a piece of land she could farm on. Apparently, her uncle has sold the land she could have farmed on!
I know there's more I could do to help her, but I couldn't.
One thing for sure though is that, the image of her and her kids would pay in my mind for some weeks to come.

The TWEBA1D hangover

The guys were not very happy about how the exams went. The course was one that they would have loved more, had the lecturer used a 'concept-understanding' approach.
They decided to get over their disappointment and hang out -- joy in brotherhood. They went to a spot by their hostel and communicated with some bottles.
Not satisfied, they decided to go all out and hangout for the remainder of the day, after all, "yɛ bɛ wo nti, yɛ nda?"

All plans to study for the Electronics & Microprocessors paper (due the following day) were cancelled.

Their next stop was another spot. The guys shared stories and discussed issues that were important to them. After about 3 hours, the guys were on the move again.

Their final spot was one that was considered 'family'. The guys did not only drink, but had grasscutter soup as well. They stayed till about 10:30 pm -- just chatting  and sharing future aspirations.

Instead of going home, they passed by a girls' hostel to 'make noise'.  They sang most of their favourite 'jama' songs.

Finally, they went home.

The following morning, most of the guys had hangovers. 'sia!
The paper was at 2pm and so they went to campus, and began to revise their notes. They used approximately 2 hiurs to do that -- 10am to 12: 20pm.

What really is amazing about these guys is that they ALL passed the paper, inspite of their hangover.

Today, they are all working towards their dreams, and are succesful at what they currently do.
The brothers are there for one another, and this extends to all their acquaintances. This brotherhood is for life!

Kofi's dilemma

Kofi has always loved lifelong learning -- education that has no end. After his first degree, he was fortunate to be retained at his alma mater as a faculty intern.
The love for teaching increased and he realised that to really fit this 'penguin' environment, he needed to further his education.
Thus began his frustrations and disappointments.
Just a year into his internship, he had a half scholarship to study at the AIT in Greece. That didn't work out because he didn't have sufficient funds -- someone also commented that he hadn't served for 2 years to qualify for a study leave. Yeah.

The following year, he stumbled upon WrUT by chance -- and got admitted. The requirements for the visa processing saw him go through the offices of the accrediatation board, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Intrgration, and the West Afrca Examinations Council. These were all to legalise his documents!

Then came the pendulum-like convos and movements to the Polish Embassy in Abuja. (This saga would be in a different post).

After his unfortunate encounters with the embassy, Kofi re-examined his 'obssession' with abrokyire education.

'sia.

Why is it that such 'good' chances come his way and do not materialise in the end?
He also felt abandoned by his employers who wanted him to upgrade himself; yet watched on as he 'struggled'.

This year is walaahi year for Kofi. He had wanted -- and still wants -- to leave his current job for a while. Perhaps his kismet is elsewhere, no?
Not putting all your eggs in one basket came in handy too, this year. Kofi is currently at the KNUST, 'upgrading' himself. There's no telling what the future holds, but he's optimistic. He's resorted to live his life as a peacock in the midst of penguins.

I am Kofi. This is my story.

Tadodzinu ka ele asi wo?

Le eƒe akpe deka, alafa asieke, bla asieke vɔ enyi me la, me ditsa yi de nye tɔgbui kpli mama gbɔ le aƒe.
Dzidzɔ yɔ ye ƒe nkeke wo le wo gbɔ. Tɔdi nyewo kpli tasi nyewo fiam lɔlɔ vavã.

Me yi de agble hã - me ƒo dzakpa koraa.
Gake esi me kpɔ agbe si sɔhɛ wo nɔ fafiam la, nye dzi gba.

Sɔhɛ gede wo le edɔ srɔm le egeŋ, vɔ ega vi si kpɔm wo le la, wo va aƒe eye wo'ŋi de ekpemɛ. Tadodzinu deke me le wo si o. Edefu ŋtɔ.
Mlɔeba la, ehia be wo ava ƒo dzakpa afi akpɔ ega akɔyi egeŋ.

ENGLISH:

In 1998, I visited my grandparents.

My visit with them was full of joy. My uncles and aunts showed me real love.

I went to the farm -- and I even cleared a plot of land for planting.

But when I saw the lives the youth lived in the village, my heart was broken. 

Most of the youth were learning a trade in Accra, and visited the village often, but the little earnings they had, they spent on girls, and other 'useless' stuff. They had no purpose. A real worry indeed.

In the end, they had to do menial jobs such as weeding of farms, in order to get some money for their transport back to Accra.

A great metaphor – HTW Empowerment beads

Since Ghana’s Heel The World Shoes introduced their trademark Empowerment beads, it has become a fashion statement (especially) amongst the youth.
I am no different.

My current HTW bead (with 2 REWARDS!)

But underlying this fashion piece is a world-related metaphor some of you (my readers – and fellow youth) might have missed. No juju (voodoo) issues here o!
The ornament is made up of black beads and a gold bead. The black beads represent the trials, disappointments, failures, and all the ‘negative’ challenges one goes through in life. Then comes the gold bead to remind you not to give up – your REWARD is in sight! It’s just as the Bible puts it in Hebrews 10:35 – 36.

My sketch of the metaphor

So whenever you put on the HTW Empowerment bead, be encouraged and cheerful, because your reward after all the b******t you encounter, is in sight.
Some of you may have personal metaphors you identify with, when you wear the HTW empowerment bead. Kindly share them via comments on this post. Thanks
Be fashionable in your own simple way.

Technical glitch, or ...?

When my best friend, Afrakoma, actually bundled my first-ever mobile internet bundle on the Vodafone Ghana service, I was glad. Being a netizen, it was cost-effective for me. It still is (even though I understand Glo offers better value for money, in that regard).

If you use the Vodafone Ghana mobile internet service, you agree that the service isn't always perfect. There've been times when I've tried for over a week to bundle on the service, without success. Connectivity has also been unreliable at most times.

My latest difficulty with the service was a couple of days ago when I couldn't bundle even though I had the required credit.I wanted to bundle 750MB worth of data, which costs GHS15. I therefore called the help center, and was given a number of reasons and methods to use to subscribe:

• I was asked to cancel my old subscription, which I had already done.
• I was told to restart my phone, because my account (with Vodafone Ghana) was to be restarted too.
• I was told to use *125*5# instead of the usual #700#, for subscription.

All that didn't work as I kept on getting the same response. So I decided to add some extra credit, and was finally subscribed to the data bundle I had requested! So, what was the problem?

Here is a Slideshare of some screenshots of the experience.

RiSE3 event in Ghana -- advancing STEM education

Dr. Trebi-Ollennu introducing the students to the surprise rule

This week, I volunteered again – as an on-site support -- at the Robotics Inspired Science Education (RiSE) event in Kumasi. Two days of inspiration and learning. The RiSE is an initiative of the Ghana Robotics Academy Foundation – the brain child of lead NASA JPL scientist, Dr. Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu. The support of the US Embassy in Ghana -- and other donors -- is what has sustained this event, since its inception.

The ladies from St. Louis SHS watch their robot's progress, anxiously

This year’s events held across Ghana is the third. The event is a platform that introduces Junior and Senior High School students to the basics of programming using the Lego MINDSTORMS NXT robotic kit. It’s also an avenue that enhances the teaching of Science, Technlogy, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

The Grain-sorter robot from Prempeh  College

It’s really encouraging to see how these young ones build and programme robots to do their bidding. The highlight for me was the visit by kids from the Institute of Science and Technology in Agogo. Their visit was just to observe the event, but they ended up building an obstruction-detecting robot!

The young chaps from the IST in Agogo

Konongo-Odumase SHS programming their robot

A lot more support is needed to make this event a ‘Christmas’ in our educational system.

Misplaced priority?

Yesterday, I missed Barcamp Kumasi because I had been invited by AIESEC-CUCG to talk to SHS students about my career. This was a major programme of the group for the academic year; I felt glad to be a mentor for my younger brothers and sisters.

I got to the venue and was hugely disappointed -- after a while. The picture below explains why.

The empty auditorium

I found out the heads of the invited schools had not prioritised the event -- after accepting the invitation in person!

"Oh, is it today? I have forgotten o", was a reply from one of the heads.

Here I was, saddened by the fact that, these young leaders are replicating GhanaThink Foundation's barcamps, which are empowering the youth to shape their future -- for free, and such heads of schools are failing to see their impact and appreciate them.

Misplaced priorities?

The foreign AIESEC interns were hugely surprised and disappointed. And rightly so.
I refuse to support the 'excuse' that this is Ghana, and so such actions should be tolerated. If they are, then where comes the change we are working for?

Dangers Posed by Obsolete Chemicals

Last Thursday, the Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University College of Ghana, Prof. James Hawkins Ephraim, gave his inaugural speech as a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The inaugural speech is a tradition of the Academy that sees newly inducted members give a talk on an issue in their areas of expertise.

Prof. Ephraim delivering his speech

The speaker, being a professor of Chemistry chose to talk on the topic, "The Dangers that Obsolete Chemicals Pose to Us."
Below are some tweets that captured the moment. I will do well to update this post with pictures soon.

Only 3% of chemicals used in Ghana ia not imported. That is salt! Palm oil is imported. Hmm #GAASInauguralLecture2013
— Kafui (@Qaphui) June 6, 2013

Classification of obsolete chemicals via Ekow Woode. #GAASInauguralLecture2013 pic.twitter.com/IkzasK55kA
— Kafui (@Qaphui) June 6, 2013

Does #Ghana have laws that deal with the management of chemicals? Yes we do! The challenge is the lack of coordination, & efficiency. #GAAS
— Kafui (@Qaphui) June 6, 2013

Chemicals pose danger to: 1. human health & safety, 2. soil, 3. water resources, 4. general environment #GAASInauguralLecture2013
— Kafui (@Qaphui) June 6, 2013

Options of disposing obsolete chemicals: 1. secure/lined landfills 2. lined lagoons 3. encapsulated facilities #GAASInauguralLecture2013
— Kafui (@Qaphui) June 6, 2013

Recommendations by Prof. Ephraim. #GAASInauguralLecture2013 pic.twitter.com/Iohjpirng1
— Kafui (@Qaphui) June 6, 2013

There's a lot we can do as individuals to help save our environment, and safeguard our health.
Folks like @GreenGhanaian and @QwophiCedi are already on the way. Let's join the cause!
God (will) Bless our Homeland Ghana -- only when we do our part.
UPDATE: Here is a link to the presentation!

Prof. Ephraim with the some members of the CUCG family

Some students from Accra Wey Gey Hey

God, speak to me

I woke up with a start. The time -- 5:02am! I had been 'thinking' in my sleep. Recently, my mind has had a lot to deal with -- a full plate.
All I could say was, "God, please speak to me. Show me the way. I can't give up... ."
I shut my eye and fell asleep again. After a couple of hours, I woke up and started preparing for work.
Then. It. Happened.
I received a text message from my friend Francis. It was a Bible quotation!

Hebrews 10:35 - 36:

³⁵ Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.- New American Standard Version (1995)

It dawned on me. I've been impatient most of my life, and that had made me take
a lot of bad decisions. I've paid for -- and still continue -- to pay for my mistakes.
It's amazing how I expected God to talk to me in an 'extra-ordinary' way, and he chooses my friend. I'm sure missed a lot of His subtle convos as well.
Thank You, Abba. Do increase my faith, so I can be still and know that You are God.

My first draft of a mind map

So I came across the term 'mind mapping' from the creativity class on-line by Stanford University.
It's an approach that I believe is going to help me put a lot of things into perspective. I therefore tried my first draft of a mind map on campus and came out with the diagram below: The above diagram was creatred using the online software from Mind42.

How Tigo can help GhanaIANS derive more value from the Internet

www.biztechafrica.com

It is ‘almost’ (used advisedly) difficult to find an individual without a mobile phone in Ghana today – hyperbole intended. Its proliferation is tremendous. Some folks even have all the SIM cards from the six telecommunication companies in the country. Reason? Customer satisfaction not being met.
Aside the mobile phone influx, the Internet has become a ‘second home’ – and livelihood for some organisations and individuals. These are people who are always on the move, transacting one business or the other, and as such need uninterrupted – but quality – connection to the Internet, via their mobile phones and devices. This is where the telcos come in (with emphasis on Tigo).
Tigo as a telco can do more than it already is doing to get Ghanaians get more value from the Internet, than they already are. To a customer, value has to do with the benefits s/he is receives for what s/he gives up (which is generally money).
Tigo can revise their data plans in a way that allows a user’s bundle to roll over into the next bundle, once the subscription date for the previous bundle expires.  Tigo also needs to educate the public more on their Internet Portal by intensifying their advertisements. The Gift Package that is featured on this portal allows subscribers to buy data packages for friends and loved ones.
Ghanaians can derive more value from the Internet if Tigo could have an online discussion forum to augment their call center. This could also be in the form of web-based direct call back services that could catalogue subscribers’ complaints.
Tigo can also embrace crowdsourcing to generate information and opinions, just as they do with their user focus sessions, which sometimes are limited because of the number of participants. Crowdsourcing would allow a lot more folks to brainstorm on-line, using social media.
Tigo also needs to upgrade their network infrastructure to increase connectivity and accessibility. Their 3.5G modem can should be increased to 4G for high speed data transmission and reliability. More bandwidth would afford businesses that leverage on voice, video and data technologies the opportunity to serve their clients better.
Inasmuch as it is difficult for telcos to beat down their Internet cost, it would be great if Tigo did something about their Internet costs (while upholding quality).
As a number of people are embracing mobile marketing, Tigo can also help mobile advertisers understand and target customers more effectively. Tigo can help such people by offering ‘location-based’ promotions via instant messaging. Subscribers in a particular locality could get a message inviting them to partake in a promo being run by such advertisers, and win prizes.
Even though it seems a number of the older generation do not know how to use the Internet, or appreciate it, they can be taught to accept and use it. Tigo can partner with the government to design special mobile phones and websites for pensioners. This would greatly reduce the stress pensioners go through to access their money.
Tigo can also partner with the Ministry of Education and sponsor the teaching of ICT in basic schools and adult education classes.
References:

• Tigo Internet Portal
• Internet Users in Ghana
• How telcos can seize the IT consumerism opportunity

Typing foreign language accents in a word processor

So I've been trying to study the (Brazilian) Portuguese language for some time now -- still need to learn a LOT! The masculine/feminine articles makes it confusing but interesting. So also is the placement of nouns before adjectives.

I however had a problem when I needed to type Portuguese text in a word processor, until a couple of days ago.

In this post, I share some keyboard short cuts one can use to type accents without resorting to inserting symbols and such.

To do that, one has to use the modifier keys, Ctrl and/or Shift, plus the character that represents the accent, plus the letter which needs the accent.

This is also helpful to those who also study other languages like French, and wish to type words in such languages seamlessly.

Enough said, here are some examples:
Ctrl + , + c = ç.
Ctrl + ' + e = é
Ctrl + Shift + ^ + u = û
Ctrl + ` (under the Esc key)  + e = è
Ctrl + Shift + ~ (under the Esc key) + a = ã
Ctrl + Shift + : + i = ï
Ctrl + / + o = ø

I would like to know your experience. If you have any tricks up your sleeves, do comment below.
I will also like to know your experience with respect to studying a second language.

Obrigado!

PS: I also stumbled upon this tutorial that has more information on the typing of accents in word processors. Enjoy

What is the cost of student life in Ghana?

An important factor students consider in their choice of location for study is the cost of living. What at all influences the cost of living? How much do students spend per month in our institutions?
If you are an undergraduate student in Ghana, please spend a couple of your minutes to take the survey below. Thanks

Do watch this space for an infographic of the results.

Priest for Self or Priest for Christ?

As a young boy, he was attracted to the priesthood. The reverence that came with it, and the cars the priests rode in. He had seen old women who couldn't walk, 'crawl' to greet young priests.
"These folks wield a lot of power", he said to himself. Invincible creatures.
But then he thought to himself, "Am I going to be a priest for self, or a priest for Christ?
A priest for self is the individual who enters the priesthood because of personal gains, or because people tell him, the 'profession' fits him.
A priest for Christ, on the other hand, is an individual with a burning passion for God's kingdom. He seeks to win souls while he works in the Lord's vineyard. This individual had a call from God.
The priest for self had no call  from God, but wants to be part of His workforce regardless.
He's still contemplating which of these personas to choose.

Measure of sprituality?

I then saw the woman move swiftly out of her line, and join the queue going to the Bishop for communion! "A christian mother!", I thought to myself.
This wasn't the first time I've seen such a move in a Catholic Church. Folks abandon queues that lead to people they feel are 'less spiritual'. It seems to me they have a hidden metric for measuring spirituality: Eucharistic Ministers < Priests < Bishops < Arch Bishops < Cardinals < The Pope.
I only wonder if spirituality can be measured. Can it?

Think Ghana...

Do we have an official language in Ghana?
Yes we do -- English.
Do we have a national language?
No we don't -- errm -- yes we do.
No because all Ghanaians do not have ONE mother tongue. We have beautiful languages though.
Yes because, we have GHANA as the national language -- ONE Ghana.
So in all you do, remember our national language Ghana. Celebrate the beauty we have in our diversity.
You. Yes You. Think Ghana.