Ghana's move to digital migration is...smart TV!!

Ghana's move to digital migration is...smart TV!!

What is Accra Pictures by Day and Night?

Accra is the capital of the small, West African country of Ghana, which achieved its independence in 1957 from its colonial master, the United Kingdom. It celebrated 50 years in 2007, and is projecting itself fast and furiously as "gateway to West Africa".

It's an exciting city, with its unique problems, but with it close to the Atlantic ocean, and many beaches, who can resist coming here?




April 2006-April 2011:

5 years of bringing readers insights into life in Ghana! Thank you!



Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority, TEMA

Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority, TEMA

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Ordering Food in Accra was Never this much Fun!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Military Cemetery, Accra


As far as I know, there is only one miiltary cemetery in Accra. I came across a website that gives you greater insight into the cemetery's outline and such stuff.

I captured this during the unctad XII conference that ended last Friday.

I was lucky to have done so, considering the significant security contingent around the conference centre at the time.

Great to be back to regular blogging!

Monday, April 21, 2008

UNCTAD XII Diary: Day One: Connected to UNCTAD Wireless

I have spent the better part of the day uploading documents for the UNCTADXII-CSOFOUM.org website, whilst simultaneously experiencing pangs of hunger. Currently located in the heart of the NGO/Press epicentre of UNCTAD XII, with two/three UNCTAD officials to the left of the room I am in, where computers and printers are located. You could say it is the secretariat, for there's plenty of paper and people wondering why their wireless is working with their laptops, yet their desktop computers are not.

Anyway...

The wireless, as you can see from the picture, is connected--at least on my computer! My desktop friends could do a lot better, which they are now in fact, especially after the UNCTAD ICT people came down to help set it up. I find it fascinating that the UN is the only organisation--bar the private sector I guess--where the ICT doodes were suits and ties!

More pictures to come later!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

My Piece on UNCTAD for Ghana's only Sunday Newspaper Sunday World

 
EVERY four years since 1964 when it was established, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has been holding its highest level meeting, where member States make assessments and reviews of current trade and development issues, discuss policy options and formulate global policy responses. The conference also sets the organization's mandate and work priorities.
UNCTAD is in fact an organ of the UN's General Assembly, and seeks to add value by enabling intergovernmental agencies arrive at a consensus regarding the state of the world economy. The last time an UNCTAD conference was held in Africa was in 1996, when it was hosted by the South African government under UNCTAD IX. This year, it is back in Africa-specifically Ghana, where the 12th session of UNCTAD is to take place.

The theme of UNCTAD XII is "Addressing the Opportunities and Challenges for Development" , and comes at what some might consider an appropriate time when the global economy is beset with a number of significant challenges-as exemplified by the rising prices of food stuff, which has been triggered by the interest by the West in bio-fuels; as well as the impact of the US's sub- prime mortgage crisis that saw poor people in America being given loans they were unable to pay back, triggering a crisis of confidence in the credit markets.

The ramifications of these two events have stretched far and wide to even Europe, where not only has the British-based Northern Rock collapsed, triggering its nationalization by the Brown government, but there have been instances of riots in countries as far apart as Haiti, d'Ivoire and Senegal. Against backdrop, it might seem difficult reconcile the fact that there is a commodity boom.

Put into context, these elements an apparent commodity boom, in foodstuffs and general malaise he global economy point to a globalization that continues to create opportunities and challenges. stands to reason that because of civil society organizations (CSOs) particularly keen to make an impact in the outcome of the conference. One way of doing so is at the Society Forum that will take place from 17-19 April in Accra before conference. CSO Forums not new practice
Parallel civil society forums for many years been an important component of UN conferences. Accra conferencee is no exception. civil society, the primary concern bringing collective energies to from all the participants to finalize the civil society statement that be delivered at the opening plenary of the main conference.


Even before the conference, society has already initiated activities that will seek to influence outcome of UNCTAD XII-as exemplified by the many workshops, seminars and forums that will take place in those three days. The tradition has been for CSOs-which incidentally include the media-to unite around common positions that are enshrined in a Declaration that is formally presented to the UNCTAD conference. Here in Accra, the collective statement will be finalized during the 17-19 period. For this reason, the drafting process was started ahead of time so as to ensure the broadest possibilities to input into it.

As for the main conference, the main theme has been framed in a way as to invite Ministers to identify the changes that need to be made to tackle the challenges around globalization, as well as capitalize on the attendant opportunities.

According to one Ambassador Stepenson's outlines on the UNCTAD website, the first sub-theme invites a discussion on how to continue to enhance policy coherence at all levels, including global, regional, bilateral and national.

The second involves examining the new policy environment and how new realities-such as terrorism and climate change-are affecting strategies for the promotion of development; the third is more proactive in the way it which it invites action on enhancing the enabling environment at all levels. Finally, sub-theme four focuses on how to strengthen UNCTAD by enhancing its development role, impact and institutional effectiveness.

In fact, for Ghanaians, the role of UNCTAD might hold resonance not just because there is a general impression that many Ghanaians are unaware of this forty-four -year old UN agency, and therefore a better appreciation

of it can be obtained here at the CSO Forum, but also because there has been a lot of talk about the WTO and its influence of developing countries, including Ghana, but rarely has there been an understanding of how a countervailing influence it can represent to the neoliberalism enshrined in the WTO, where trade matters above all else.

UNCI'AD's edge over the WTO is in the manner in which it consistently undertakes research, policy analysis and data collection for the debates of government representatives and experts. Furthermore, it offers technical assistance that is specific to the needs of developing countries. In the last Trade and

Development Report on regional integration for example, UNCTAD talked about the need for developing countries to be given policy space to develop their own regional integration, simultaneously castigating the offensive launched by the West against poor countries and the tremendous pressure they are often under to sign FfAs.

Regrettably, the report went little-noticed among many Ghanaians. UNCI'AD XII is an opportunity to make a loud noise and re-dress constructive and proactive debates on the imbalance that has been created by forces greater than that of poor countries.
 
ENDs 

UNCTAD XII Hits Accra!

I am sitting in a cyber cafe at the NGO side inside the main UNCTAD XII (http://www.unctadxii-csoforum.org) conference that just opened some almost-two hours ago. The President of Brazil Lula da Silva opened the conference in his capacity as President of UNCTAD XI. After that the new presidentg incumbent John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana opened it, with a long speech that was covered by Ghana Broadcasting Radio Live (http://www.gbcghana.com). The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon also read a rather long speech. I did some digital recording of the two speeches, and hope to upload it as soon as.
 
I am rather impressed by the security detail around and the organisation of the whole set-up so far. I hope the media--unlike at the AU summit last June -- will have plenty to write home about!!
 
There are people -- mostly of the civil society ilk -- lingering around hoping to get access to UNCTAD wireless. The login and password have not been that great for the desktop computers; the laptops, like yours truly connected rather seamlessly.
 
Fingers crossed for the start of a fast-paced week for all participating! More pictures to come for sure!

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

High in the Sky--Can you Spot the Plane in the Accra Sky?


Pictures like this are sobering: looking above the clear-blue sky, seeing a plane with hundreds of people in it in--heading for the airport--and being contemporraneously awed by the technology of the plane (and the brains behind it), whilst equally being reminded about how small we humans are faced against the awesome sky.

I took this picture just behind the A&C Shopping Mall with my Motorola Z6 phone.

Monday, April 07, 2008

The President's "Water Gallons"


I have never hid the fact that poverty in Ghana is well and truly real--even if those under the so-called poverty ladder are associated with what many might consider the "working class".

Whereas in the other parts of the world, the working class will have access to some type of water, in Ghana, the poor working class rarely do, because they are living in areas grappling with poor water provision. The irony of it all is that the so-called middle class has issues with water, too--although it is safe to say they manage a bit better than the former!

The past few weeks, water provision in Ghana has been in the news--and not without reason. A good piece here provides an insight why. It also underscores and re-inforces the need to have water container sellers like these yellow gallons--dubbed "Kufuor gallons"--who are willing to walk miles in the capital to ply their rather-lucrative trade of selling to those who need to store the water they are paying higher to obtain.

Friday, April 04, 2008

Certainly lots of Colour in Accra!


Not much to say. Too much to do. But, do enjoy the weekend!

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Mr.Price -- At Accra Mall

A few weeks ago, I believe it was in February, Mr.Price opened at Accra Mall. I can tell you any time I pass the shop during the evening, the place is quasi-packed.

I couldn't possibly explain why!;-))

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