AS YOU LIKE IT

           SENSITIZE WA TO THE USE OF CRASH HELMET Wa is the capital town of the Upper West region of Ghana. Motorcycle has been the predominant means of transportation by the inhabitants as about 90 percent of the populace both young and old can boast of a motorbike. I visited the region and I realized that vehicles are minimal and one can only dodge the exorbitant fares charged by taxi drivers who will be willing to ply roads which vehicles won't pursue by purchasing a motorbike. The use of the motor bike is indeed making transportation very flexible. The problem however is that most of these motorcyclists and the persons they carry do not wear crash helmets. They have ignored completely the need for a crash helmet putting their lives and those they carry on the bike in danger. Some of the inhabitants admitted the importance of a crash helmet but sees it as an unnecessary cost since after all, they can ride their bikes to their destin...

                  STOP THE PARTISAN POLITICS It is a scar on the conscience of Ghanaians as partisan politics takes away the once patriotic and national identity even in the face of the practice of a high profile democracy, there was chaos and heckles in parliament during the third state of the nations address by the Atta Mills’ government. The tempo at the house last Thursday was not the best as both the majority and minority party all wanted to prove their worth. Watching the minority described the state of the nations address as bad and “half empty”, while the majority described it as “Half full”, harmless and not intended to upset or offend. This actions are not healthy for the Ghanaian political system and posterity will judge us if we fail to show a sense of patriotism in addressing and redressing issues. Ghana is still struggling to sustain the peace she has earned and if parliamentarians and ministers representing t...

               LETS DONATE MORE BLOOD Blood donation is very important in maintaining Ghana's workforce and vibrant economy. The oxford advance learners dictionary defined the blood donor as a person who gives some of his or her blood to be used in the medical treatment of another people. Unfortunately there are no adequate voluntary donors and this have caused the National Blood Bank(NBB)  which supplies blood to families in order to save live to run out of stock. News of shortages of blood at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital in Accra and recently the Konfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has only come to serve as a warning to the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) to sit up and put in place an efficient blood collection and processing strategies to bring this problem to an end. I believe the shortages should also serve as an alarm for all potential donors to donate blood when we are not sick. All one has to do is to brin...

        BRING WA SPORTS STADIUM TO STANDARD I traveled to the Upper West region of Ghana and I managed to visit the regional sports Stadium in Wa. I was filled with grief after I had combed the entire area in an attempt to locate the stadium only to be directed to an extreme end of a cracked wall with no sign post indicating the venue as a sports stadium. I was rather greeted with what seemed like a cemented surface darkened with dry cell as a chalkboard where names of teams to play for the day are written for people to take notice. Perhaps I would have complained about the signpost and depart quietly but on seeing the pitch, tears almost dripped down my eyes. Just like those days when we used to play football at the outskirt of the town, the Wa sports stadium is driven to a mere compound fortunate to have some green grasses grown on it with a cracked wall to protect the kicked balls from falling into the soup of the inhabitants. I asked myself, is th...

                 GIVE GIJ HER FAIR SHARE The story of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) is embarrassing. It is embarrassing not because the Institute has not paid its dues to the country and the continent at large, but because after fifty-two years of  training journalists and media practitioners all over the continent, GIJ is still where and how it was at the beginning. To a fresher, it sometimes looks unfortunate at first, but after few semesters you get used to it.  But the more you know the exploits of the Institute, you begin to equate that transformation with maturity,and this is where the greater disappointment comes in. The neglect of one of the first communication training institutions on the continent is unacceptable, especially when one looks at the critical role the GIJ has played and continue to play in the social, economic and political life of this country. The neglect of GIJ is not because th...

Story by Daniel Lartey A visit to the Achimota bus terminal may depict an ultra modern GH¢ 16.5 million facility which has a capacity for 800 hundred vehicles, a police station, a clinic, four 20- unit toilet facility and 10 canteens. Other facilities are electronic destination boards, waiting sheds for commuters, offices for local drivers unions and close circuit television cameras to rack illegal activities. Research has indicated that the station by all standards is the biggest on the West coast of Africa. But has this natural pride served its purpose?  Is it being utilized by the people? Many have said that the station is a thing of beauty, so artistically designed and in such orderly manner that it is easier for one to find a vehicle to his destination without difficulty. Once again I ask, is this assertion true? In many towns and cities, a bus terminal is a hub of so many activities like social interactions and provides linkage to other destinations. The story however is n...

                                              GHANA INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM                                            TOPIC: WHY STUDENTS PREFER READING INTERNET NEWS TO READING PRINT NEWS. BY                     DANIEL LARTEY (DCSM 2012039)                                        ...