Law Professor & Dean @UPSALawSchool | Legal Practitioner | Managing Partner - Axis Legal Ghana | AfBar & CLA Leadership
Accra, Ghana
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The EC’s position on the request for an audit of the register is baffling & even troubling! For even if they deny the merit of the claims, audits by their nature confirm or refute allegations, and for a constitutional body whose mandate is rooted in perceptions of fairness and neutrality, it is in its own interest and that of Ghana’s that it dispels, not fight, allegations of a bloated register through an audit
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Their cause was just and the mission right ! They gave up their lives for us to live in an envt. devoid of of toxins. Now is the time to crush the acts of env’tal criminals & say truly never again! Fathers, husbands, patriots, sons, they rose to the cause of national service and paid the ultimate price. Their deaths cannot be in vain! #RIP
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Why is there no national monument dedicated to the 13 -year old girl who innocently gave her life in the cause of serving the nation when the bomb went off in kulungugu? Why has she been cleaned from the pages our history?
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He was overthrown, & short-termism, greed & ethnicity have since blighted a country…
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What is the strategic importance of tax waivers for companies that it should dominate gov’t. biz & stall parliament in the dying embers of an administration? For a country sinking in debt with interest payments soon to restart, this is puzzling & leaves questions hanging!
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The right to demonstrate is a constitutional right & the police must meet a higher threshold in court to prevent one. Seems to me however that the courts demand no threshold of proof. As presently applied by the court, it seems that a simple statement of inconvenience or inability to oversee on the part of the police will suffice. If not reversed, the right to demonstrate may become a “ privilege” which is hardly granted at this rate.
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The delayed release of WASSCE results is symptomatic of deeper crises in the educa’tnal sector. Low morale of teachers, politi’zation , under’invstmnt & deficit in facility, etc reflect a system that has been toyed with & we may be on a dangerous precipice! !
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A permit from the police is NOT required to demonstrate. A person wishing to demonstrate must merely NOTIFY the police. Where thy object to it they must secure an injunction to stop it and a failure to NOTIFY is also not a crime
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The establishment of a team to plan the national economic dialogue is an important step to building an enduring economy beyond one driven by political pressures & factors! A beleaguered economy demands holistic & long term thinking !
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Debt driven dev’t has become a race to the bottom by the 2 parties. It is easy! Borrow billions and claim to have built the most infrastructure. Voters will reward them without realizing that they the voters bear the pain of future payment. It’s lazy governance & needs to change
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If party loyalty, clan & tribalism continue to drive voter choices in 2024, then electorates should not complain about bad governance for the next 4 years. For the choices between “us” & “them” should only be between policies and not pre-defined identities unrelated to dev’t.!
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FIFA’s protection of FAs tend to breed corruption in Africa! It is utter nonsense to privatize Football Associations while recognizing teams raised as representative of nations. FAs have become the safest places for corruption without accountability guaranteed by FIFA
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For nearly 30 decades, we have mocked technical education and consigned it to second class preference. We have emphasized rote learning and theory. Ghana had continued to import middle level technical handymen as youth unemployment grows.
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Rather than fight AI, what if Ghanaian universities embraced the reality of a future where students will inevitably use tools like chatGTP to write better essays and undertake research? Where grading & assessments will move from its more than half -a -century armchair of lazy conservatism? Can we for once move ahead of others rather than play late by suppressing our students until the train is long gone before Ghana/Africa realizes that the future belongs to those who make it?
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Elections are won by neutrals not loyalists. Yet when in gov’t., parties prefer loyalists as beneficiaries of the goodies of governance! For the average voter, elections have merely become a period of choosing the next batch of party beneficiaries-a real danger to our democracy
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Hon. Haruna Iddrisu’s vetting today should inspire hope in a new dawn for educational policy! The nominee’s composure in the face of policy interrogations & his tested ministerial experience should come in handy in a sector in dire need of leadership!
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The police are not duty-bound to inform or seek the permission of the speaker before effecting an arrest of an MP.The authority of the police to arrest extends to everyone except the President. An MP can only evade an arrest if he is on his way from or to Parliament .
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IGP Dampare may be new in his seat but he has shifted something in the gears of policing dormant for decades. When the police merely acts because it is activated by third persons, it ceases to champion the rule of law. Under Dampare impunity is in danger
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There are two categories of institutions in the constitution; institutions whose bases rest in power, ( executive, parliament, armed forces), & institutions whose bases rest in credibility, ( judiciary, EC, auditor general). For the EC, perception should matter more than reality. That is the justification for audits even if contested. More transparency cannot be bad!
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Whenever the EC introduces a complexity in voting/counting, it introduces a doubt! Recollation, far from the center of the original votes creates big doubts! For an institution whose mandate is rooted in perception of “disinterestedness”, the EC’s bullish posture is puzzling!!
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Ghana’s courts have sided with the police on matters affecting the right to demonstrate. The courts have taken allegations of manpower shortfalls & security concerns on a face value without much factual basis evaluation. In essence “notice” has become “ permit”
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Who does your MP represent? You? The Party? Or himself? Experience has shown that Ghana’s MPs see themselves as enforcers of party’s dirty biz, while representing themselves in the end. Think about that at the polls as you select party loyalists.
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When politics such as ours is devoid of ideology and principle, lineage and patronage dominates. For actors, insults and a lack of public decorum becomes the very essence of political talent. In the meantime the democratic dividend continues to elude the many who adopted it
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Yet again we elect a President on the 7th but WITHOUT a national blueprint on education, energy, the economy, agriculture & food security, youth development, poverty, trade, etc! We continue to stagger from term to term divided! This can’t be the path to dev’t. #Unsustainable
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Prez. Mahama’s re-engagement of disaffected Sahel states is bold and sensible! National interest should lead foreign p’cy & there can be no higher priority than maintaining the trade and security relations Ghana has with these countries! Preventing coups cannot be based on sanctions
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The concept of “ majority” & “minority” sides in Parliament are not constitutionally recognized; they are creations of parliamentary law & practice. Can they legitimately be the subject of a declaration of unconstitutional violation?
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Its campaign season yet again! Financier-state capturers are heavily investing in candidates. Ghanaians are just watching on! Soon elections will be over. Soon financiers will seek to reap! AND soon we will cry “bloody corruption”. Good Governance?? It’s a vicious cycle!
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In December we are not only electing a president; we are choosing an administration. Hangers-on who will be privileged for the next 4 yrs than you the voter. Think about that when choosing your president and the party he represents
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No educational policy based on memory and predictive question capabilities can train students for today’s world. Ghana’s educational model needs a policy overhaul to make it fit for purpose
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Identity-based voting is the reason for political non-performance. Where parties know that their support is grounded in ethnicity, strongholds and unflinching voter loyalty, they have zero incentive to perform. Voters cannot support poor performance while complaining about it
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The Supreme Ct. decision in the 2020 election that the EC commissioner can elec not to testify promotes the wrong constitutional plcy. As the chief returning officer paid from public funds, testifying in lawful petitions forms part of her work the pfmance of which is mandatory
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1. Coach
2. Formation
3. Team cohesion
4. New legs including arda
5. Team philosophy: brinkmanship & comebacks
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Admission by the former deputy speaker of Parliament that committees of Parliament may refuse to work unless “ facilitated” by executive payments is deeply disturbing! Unless Parliament is determined to assert its independence, money will control parliamentary oversight
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Yesterday, UPSA Law was honored with the presence of the Ag. CJ as it commissioned an ultra-modern moot court facility for the training of the next generation of lawyers! The pomp & circumstance of the moment climaxed a historic day!
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Should the Supreme Court worry about allegations of political alignments? Yes it should! For an institution vested with the authority of finally determining who wins the December elections, the perception of its doing justice is as important as it’s actually doing justice!
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For a P’lment that is obsessed with passing delicate legislation’s thru’ certs. of urgency, it is disappointing that on the issue of mining in forest reserves, P’lment insists on pre-laying procedural niceties. In the meantime, the poisoning continues!
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Ghana is teetering on the brink of “trust bankruptcy”. From election to election, promises fail without apology, & the fruits of power are privatized to the benefit of loyalists —questioning the essence elections & the conferment of power! A window may be closing & quickly I fear
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Partisan voting produces partisan leaders! Electorates cannot continue business as usual, heedlessly supporting parties while complaining of bad governance in-between elections. Electoral input=governance output
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Sad truth of ‘92 Const. is that Parliament only exists in theory. In practice, MPs rep themselves, the executive, their parties & vested interests. In December, electorates must demand an executive willing to free & grow Parliament & representative democracy!
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The Prez just presented his last State of the NATION address! But did he address a NATION? Did he care if there was one? A gov’nance system which thrives on division-an “us” & “them” only benefits the ‘ leaders’ and the core needs of nation building will remain unmet! #contestedlegacy
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From crippling public debt to painful budgets, Parliament is the missing link in the defense of citizen interests! Until electors pay equal attention to the election of MPs, & MPs see themselves as obligated to the state and not the party, good governance will continue to elude
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Introducing my indefatigable Vice Dean! Dr. Francisca Kusi-Appiah is helping drive an agenda that continues to propel the UPSA Law School
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What is the cost of mandatory English language pass into universities? Technically gifted students and math prodigies have fallen by the wayside and talents lost. Our educational system needs serious introspection and direction
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Excessive transparency cannot be bad in any election! If elections are won at the polling station as declared by the SC then it makes all the sense to increase and NOT decrease transparency levels at the Polling Stations! Limiting coverage of the process is unprecedented and problematic
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When politics creeps into policy, technocrats implement irrational decisions as though they are automatons. The GES’ insistence that schools reopen with no food & against CHASS’ advise defies logic, & toys with the lives & health of a generation of future leaders.
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Complaints about criminal justice manhandling occurs because govts. encourage the impunity of their own while in office. Perhaps if govt. held their officers & allied actors to account while in office, they would better handle the process as they desire and would have no cause to complain about theirs being manhandled by succeeding govts.! When accountability is deferred any moral grounds of complaints gets lost by those who feel targeted.
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Whenever candidates are compelled to pay high filing fees, the EC worsens the financial plight of parties & exposes them to manipulation of financiers—the next generation of corrupt actors. Filing fees has no basis in the constitution for an institution that publicly funded!
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When elected leaders indulge in bad governance & misrule, they become destabilizing influences on the state. More dangerously, they expose the country to the brutalities of the masses and adventurers who lie in wait! Ghana should seize the moment in Dec. against closing window
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Confirmation hearings of newly appointed justices are designed to help introduce the nominee to the nation. His jurisprudence, temperament, legal finesse, moral quality, and the promise he brings to the apex court. When confirmation hearings get bogged down in political trivia, the nation misses its chance on the nominee eternally!
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Recent revelations about decisions taken in the dying days of the last administration show that there exists a rent economy around the issuance of licenses. Regulatory capture is the worst form of state capture & how we address this will reflect on progress towards G. Governance!
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Of what use is Ghana’s tertiary educational model fixated on retentive memory & rote learning in a creative world? In the age of AI, retention & reproduction of what is learned will cease to be necessary human activities in 5 years, & this endangers the Ghanaian graduate. It is time for a radical shift & fundamental rethink of Uni. attitude to align with a changing world. lest Ghana(Africa)become(s) ripe for the new generation of aid inspired by inaction in the face of looming danger!
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When politicians see offices as trophies not responsibility, their desire for service is limited. The dominance of patronage in our politics undermines the service of our leaders & our own capacity to hold them to account!
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Uni. lecturers who reward students for reproducing what they are taught while punishing critical questions & perspectives only substitute prior student ignorance with the teacher’s dogma! Upon graduation, the student only awakens in the real world where he is jolted into a new reality ill-suited to preconceptions. Uni’s. need to ditch the pejorative “ivory tower” tag by adapting to the new reality of disruption & fast-paced evolution in which settled theory is yesterday’s knowledge not sellable in today’s world!
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What does the recent heavy defeat of NPP MPs tell us abt voter sentiment? Tells us that voters equally blame NPP MPs for the acts & failings of the gov’t. & perhaps rightly so! Huge loans approved, no checks & acc’tabity for corruption complaints! Verdict on gov’nce by collusion
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For a justice system overburdened by backlog of cases and excessive delays, how do we defend the fact that lawyers and judges continue to go on vacation during which period courts are closed for more than 2 months? Can justice wait?
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The huge powers vested in the president shows that the framers of our constitution contemplated a philosopher king-wise, knowledgeable, altruistic, competent. For a fractious, acrimonious and self-seeking people we have been, this has proven to be a tragic miscalculation
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How do promises being doled out by aspirants square with austerity spending agreed with the IMF come 2025? Significant illiterate voters vrs economic realities produce jarring politics & policy
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Ghana’s recent experience at gov’nce shows that sloganeering politics not backed by blueprints fails! It further highlights the need for us to move past divisive politics aimed at exploiting voter frustrations for parochial party interests. Politically driven dev’t. is no dev’t.
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Let those who put themselves up for service NOT kill or cheat to serve!
#Godblessthehomeland
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Parliament’s rejection of the loan arrangement shows that a sleepy Parliament is inimical to the public debt profile of Ghana. Yesterday Parliament policed!
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At UPSA Law, minimum standard is excellent! Introducing our state of the art moot court facility launched by HL the Ag. Chief Justice on Monday!
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The constitution provides that the state shall provide an “ adequate means of livelihood …to the needy”. So, beyond the conventional spat over who is better on the microeconomic indices, electors should change the gauging indicators & assess the candidates on whose policies are better on
- safety nets
-poverty eradication
-sustainable job creation
-inclusive leadership & wealth creation
-quality skills training, etc
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Utterly delighted to finally announce the dawn of new heights at the UPSA law school…
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Do politicians condone crime? You would think not! So why then do parties rally around officers or state officials accused of crime & attempt obstructing criminal processes ? If the assumption is that he is innocent, then why preempt his fair trial & his opportunity to disprove the offence?#Counterintuitive!
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We took the pledge by promising on our HONOR! So why has corruption proven so endemic in our national life? Is it because there was truly no HONOR on which the pledge was made in the first place? Perhaps it is time to look in the mirror as Ghanaians, renew think & renew!
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Great experience for criminal law class of the UPSA Law School at the Supreme Court today
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The tragedy of African democracy is that it stops after elections. While the ballot ends, the process of elections continue and the new cycle of campaigning starts the day after. Divisions & political recriminations endure. Dev’t. never starts
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The explosive allegations made against certain heads of SoEs and agencies, if established , should definitely put to rest any arguments against the depoliticization of their appt. & privatization of some. The AG should be commended for spotlighting them for accountability as these “sub-political” actors have often hidden under the radar of public scrutiny! The fact that accountability has to happen only when govt. changes is the real worry that should engage us all! Are sitting governments complicit in ransacking the state?
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Today, the UPSA Law School hosted the Governor of the BoG on its QBR platform where he spoke on the Cedi as a legal tender! Brilliant & informative exposition on issues of regulatory policy and interventions that continue to stabilize and strengthen the cedi in a historic way
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How do we explain the abject failure of the police to enforce the laws against the pollution of water bodies? How do we rationalize the financing of our political actors by crooks behind the pollution of our water bodies and the creeping poisoning of us all? Has Ghana crossed the threshold of state capture by criminal elements with money to buy the soul of our state? And do we even care?
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A presidential transitions is here with us again! And by law, all boards will be dissolved. All heads of institutions terminated. A clean slate every 4 yrs. Discontinuities every 4 years! Worsened by mistrust & disloyalty, governance in Ghana dies with its gov’t.
#Unsustainable
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Excited to lead the editorial board of the Afrika Law Review as I look forward to impactful & pathbreaking legal scholarship in Africa.
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With the raging heatwave across West Africa & Ghana brought on by climate change, is it time to rethink costly concrete buildings in a region not prone to typhoons or tonadoes but day and night time heat?
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What role should the military play in election security? NO front-end role! Election policing is domestic security and the military can only play a back-role when called upon in clear cases of incapacity on the part of the police. Any intervention otherwise violates the Const.!
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It is humbling but deeply encouraging to note that for the second time the Supreme Court cited my book on constitutional law. The latter referencing was in the case of Kwame Baffoe v AG in relation to the need for interpretive clarity in the boundaries of law & decision making.
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