TOURISM: Duasidan Monkey Sanctuary

Trying out a selfie. Didn't work out well. :-)

Duasidan is a community in the Dormaa District of the Brong Ahafo Region in Ghana. It is approximately 10Km along the western end of the Dormaa-Gonokrom Road. Do keep an eye out for the Customs check point. The road to the community is immediately after it (on the left).
The sanctuary, which is a small forest preserved as an ancestral grove, has three species of monkeys:

• Campell’s monkey (Kwakuo in Akan)
• Spot-nosed monkey (Ahenhema in Akan) and
• Olive Colobus monkey (Asibe in Akan)

The monkeys were discovered by the ancestors of the community, over a century ago. They are considered sacred and therefore are not to be harmed, or killed by anybody. To paraphrase the words of a guide at the sanctuary, “If you plan to kill, or harm any of the monkeys, you won’t live to execute that plan.”

Female Campell feeding her young

I've got my eyes on you, tourists!

The community has a number of objectives which personally I think would go a long way to develop the community, while placing the sanctuary (launched in 2007) at par with its sister sanctuary at Buabeng-Fiema. These include:

• Building a guest house to accommodate and entertain tourists
• Seek financial help from NGOs and the District Assembly
• Solicit technical assistance from the Wildlife Division and Government.

What is my GROW Model?

Credit: Coaching Journey

Yesterday, Barcamp CapeCoast had a discussion on the theme, “Equipping the Youth to plan their Future Today”.

It was a successful, insightful programme – as ALL Barcamps in Ghana are.

The main speaker at the event, adviced barcampers to find out who they are, and what they want to be while in school. I suggested further, that attendees do a stakeholder mapping, by asking family and friends to tell them the qualities they see in attendees. This will help attendees understand how they are wired, thus pursing stuff they are passionate about.

"I will advise that you find who you are and what you want to be while in school" - @niiobodaisquire #bcCapecoast pic.twitter.com/McL9IQGgEA

— #Ghana #NVDay15 (@Barcampghana) September 12, 2015

Stakeholder mapping is KEY. Helps u understand how u r wired. Ask family/friends 2 tell u ur abilities #bccapecoast https://t.co/MxooL2DALV

— Kafui (@Qaphui) September 12, 2015

In this post I share how we can apply the GROW model to achieving our visions/plans.

So, let’s say I want to be a Data Scientist, what do I do?

Goal - How SMART is my goal? How would I know I’ve succeeded in achieving my goal?

I want to be a Data Scientist by December, 2015. I would know I’ve succeeded when I’m able to perform data analysis, and create visualisations that contribute to development (in health, education, and other sectors of interest).

Also, being useful to organisations, either as a freelance data scientist, or in-house data analyst will indicate my achievement of my goal.

Reality – What is currently happening in my life (work/school/home)? Have I already taken any step towards my goal? Does this conflict any other goal that I have?

My job gives me enough time to pursue this goal if I want to. As a student, you’d have enough time too. This goal fits perfectly into my career development plans, so no conflicts there. I’ve got basic statistics, mathematics, and programming skills. Currently, there are a number of books and online courses I could use to help me achieve my goal. However, I’m not doing that because I spend a LOT of time on social media, instant messaging, and watching TV Series. I am yet to take any step to achieve my goal.

Options - What else can I do, differently? Any constraints with this option(s)?

Based on my current reality, I can reduce the time I spend watching TV Series and movies. I will take online Data Science courses available on Udacity, edx, and Coursera, while reading books and blogs on the subject.

I will find datasets, or create my own, and use them in personal projects, thus creating a portfolio.

I will also join Data Science groups, forums online, and contribute to them.

A constraint would be the availability of reliable internet connectivity, and constantly motivating myself when progress is slow.

Will – What do I need to do now, and when? How can I keep myself motivated? When do I review my progress?

I look forward to dedicating 4-6 hours a week, to study Data Science (including the R and Python programming languages). While studying, I will also use the Pomodoro Technique to help me be focused on my studies.(This app switches off internet data while you use it).

I will do well to contribute to Data Science groups I will join, frequently. I will review my success weekly. I am sure my plan of action will yield 90-100% success rate.

It is my hope this helps someone out there as it has helped me – and still does.

Do share your thoughts via the comment section. Thanks

Why my (2) barbers cannot charge me equally

Credit: Pinterest

Some days ago, I overhead a conversation where a rep of an institution had tried to justify why his outfit was charging its customers a certain amount for services rendered.

He compared his institution to another that delivered far better services than his.

His mistake.

You see, I've got two barbers who are good at their jobs. They both deliver the same services, but the quality of their service delivery, differ.

The first one has an air-conditioned salon, nice sitting area, with newspapers and magazines, and a fully stocked fridge of customers' favourite drinks.
He uses smaller clippers, rather than razor blades in trimming the edges of customers' hairs. Instead of the 'usual alcohol' used by the second barber after a shave, he uses Nivea's after shave. He disposes off the heated towels used on cleaning clients' head before applying hair cream to it. He's got a back up electricity power system that ensures customers are attended to, even when dumsɔ hits.

My second barber doesn't have these investments to enhance his service delivery. He therefore cannot charge the same rate as my first barber.

In service delivery, we are sometimes tempted to charge rates based on what our competitors charge, without doing.a proper homework on improving our services to match the rates we are charging.