Liyonzy

The brightly coloured plastic jugs once played a vital role transporting water during Ghana’s droughts. Now, they’re creating a new environmental catastrophe of their own. Seas of discarded yellow, blue and white containers – referred to locally as “Kufuor gallons” after the water crises endured under president John Kufuor in the early 2000s – have…

The world is changing. Fast. Over the past 20 years in my home country of Ghana, poverty levels have been halved, child mortality has declined significantly, and strides in governance have helped make it one of the leading democracies in Africa. I’ve witnessed this progress as a member of parliament, government minister and, most recently,…

Ghanaian professors are calling for a statue of Mahatma Gandhi to be removed from their campus because they claim he was racist and considered Indians to be “infinitely superior” to black Africans. A statue of the Indian independence leader was unveiled at the University of Ghana in June by the Indian president, Pranab Mukherjee, who…

The Pan African Farmers’ Organisation (PAPO) delegation, led by its President, Theo de Jager, has paid a courtesy visit to the Bank Group in Abidjan, to explore areas of collaboration with the Bank. The delegation held a series of technical meetings with the Bank’s Agriculture and agroindustry Department (OSAN), the Civil Society Organisation Division (CSO).…

At his Leaders’ Summit on Refugees last week, President Barack Obama called for a renewed commitment to protect and empower women and girls, who are often the most vulnerable and forgotten members of refugee and displaced communities. ISIS and Boko Haram’s atrocities are some of the most sensational and widely publicized examples of the risks…

The increased demand for gold by Chinese traders has worsened illegal artisanal mining in the rivers of Ghana, leading to massive destruction of the water bodies. The Ghanaian authorities seem to be unconcerned. Before long, unless something drastic is done, people will lack clean water for use. When I was attending middle school at Kyebi,…

Most issues discussed at the UN are matters of life and death to residents of the global south, especially Africa. Yet beyond the long ceremonial speeches by African leaders at the General Assembly, African voices are marginalized at the UN’s top decision-making organ, the Security Council. There is a need for spirited advocacy for better…