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Contemporary Issues in Foreign Policy, Diplomacy and International Affairs
This is a collection of essays derived from a series of symposia and online webinars hosted by the Council of Foreign Relations- Ghana.
From the inaugural symposium chaired by Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, with addresses by The President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the CFR-Ghana elicits interesting views and opinions from people best placed to be aware of the big picture of contemporary issues in international affairs, particularly from the perspective of how they impact our African Continent.
Totally informative and engaging, sometimes entertaining and mentally provocative, which challenges us all to seriously reflect upon contemporary issues in foreign policy, diplomacy and international affairs.
“The setting up of CFR-Ghana is long overdue and I’m glad that finally it has been done. The Executives and Founding Members are to be commended for this achievement and I wish them the very best of luck in the years to come. “
– H.E President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (President of the Republic of Ghana)
₵150.00 – ₵200.00 -
West to East: My East African Sojourns
West to East is about the author’s experiences in two East African countries, Kenya and Uganda.
After a successful interview in December 2016, the author was offered the appointment of CEO, African Peace Support Trainers’ Association in Kenya. Surprisingly, he developed cold feet. He had to be coaxed, cajoled and “ordered” to take the job in 2017.
The author’s premonition turned right when he arrived in Kenya to find an organization torn-apart by internal/external politics, personality conflicts and without money. The three-year offer ended in less than a year.
For a continent struggling for unity, this experience was unfortunate.
Earlier, between 2008 and 2009, the author had served in Uganda as Senior Military Adviser to former President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique. He was UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Representative for the Lord’s Resistance Army-Affected Areas of Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. A summary of the author’s experience in Uganda is provided.
Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng describes the book as “a good textbook or supplementary-reader for people in all disciplines, but will be indispensable for professional and lay-people seeking information about Peacekeeping and International Multilateral responses to crisis.”
₵100.00 -
Labour Law in Ghana: An Essential Guide
This text is specifically designed to provide an essential guide to the labour law of Ghana. It is a very comprehensive text, covering all aspects of this area of the law, including the distinction between contract of service and contract for services, formation of the contract of employment, termination of the contract of employment, the rights and duties of employers and workers, dismissal of an employee, the distinction between the terms ‘termination’ and ‘dismissal’, as used in the context of employment, strikes as legitimate weapons in the hands of employees/workers and lockouts as legitimate weapons in the hands of employers, occupational health and safety, retirement and pensions and workmen’s compensation.
The author presents the material in a very simple, straightforward and logically coherent manner and this makes reading the text very fascinating. It is an essential resource for all those seeking to get to grips with this fascinating area of law. Lawyers, Judges, HR Practitioners, Trade Union Leaders, Employers and Workers or Employees will find this text an invaluable resource. Lecturers and students of labour law will also find this text very useful as it fully and thoroughly covers the syllabus requirements of the LLB Laws, BA Human Resource Management, MBA Human Resources and related courses.
₵500.00 -
Moments & Memories: My Journey of Grace — An Autobiography
Sharing our experiences in various ways helps us accept the lessons God has for us. These experiences go a long way to help those who read or hear them. I consider myself a beautiful piece of broken pottery put back together by God Almighty for a purpose.
As an Adult, I realised that the challenges I had experienced as a teenager would prove very useful as I worked with young people. When I tell young people that there is nothing they are doing that I have not done before, they look at me with doubt, as if to say, “No, You are just saying that to make us feel better”.
A successful life has within it good things as well as challenges, and the total outcome is based on how we allow the Lord to lead us. Many times we see the hand of God long after the outcome.
This has been my life. This is my story. I hope you enjoy reading and learning from my Moments and Memories.
₵75.00 -
Introduction to the Law of Torts in Ghana (Hardcover)
This book attempts to state the Law of Torts as it should apply in the Ghana legal stem. Article I I of the 1992 Constitution recognises the common law principles as they were received from the Anglo-American common law tradition as part of the Laws of Ghana. Section 54 of the Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459) provides that our courts may in the determination of any issue arising from the common law, adopt, develop and apply remedies from any other legal system based on the Anglo-American legal tradition.
In many contemporary common law countries, for example the UK and the USA, however, there has been an explosion of statutory interventions in the common law. This is reflected in the discussions of the common law principles in the recent editions of textbooks written in those countries. Unfortunately, these statutes are not “statutes of general application,” as this phrase is used and understood in the Ghana legal system. The admixture of these statutes and the common law in these countries makes the isolation of the parts of those books, which are helpful to our causes in Ghana, a major challenge.
This book attempts to isolate what is usable from what is not. The hope of the author and the publishers is that the reader, whether a practitioner or student, will find the principles of torts law, as stated in the book, devoid of the statutory contaminations.
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Inside Out: Autobiographical Memoirs
The author recounts a journey that starts in a small town in Ghana, through an academic and professional career in finance in Canada and the United States, culminating at the Ministry of Finance in Ghana where he served as Technical Advisor to three different Ministers of Finance from different political parties.
The memoirs depict the complexities of decision-making that combine technical know-how with political reality using several instances of policymaking and financial transactions that he led at the Ministry. For the technical reader, the author recounts a 25-year history of his involvement in many key initiatives of financial market development in Ghana.
The sweetener in Inside Out is an interesting case study of how to navigate political transitions and maintain relevance as a senior advisor to Ministers in a “winner-takes-all” political environment.
₵150.00 -
Local Government and Decentralisation in Ghana
Developments since the publication of the First Edition of this book in 2010 have compelled the revision and publication of this Second Edition.
In 2011, the Fifth Government of the Fourth Republic launched a new ‘National Decentralisation Policy Framework’ (NDPF 1) and an accompanying National Decentralisation Action Plan’ (NDAP 1). The Local Government Service was operationalised in the same year, resulting in the migration of over 30,000 civil servants from the Civil Service to the Local Government Service.
Prior to these, the Local Government Departments of District Assemblies) (Commencement) Instrument, 2009, L.1. 1961, had been enacted, allowing for the conversion of the de concentrated Departments at the district level into devolved Departments of the District Assemblies. The Local Government (Urban, Zonal and Town Councils and Unit Committees) (Establishment) Instrument, L.1. 1967, was enacted in 2010. The long-awaited Composite Budget was introduced in 2012.
With the expiry of the NDPF 1/NDAP I in 2014, a new NDPF 11/NDAP 11 was launched in 2015 for the period 2015-2019.
A new Local Government (Sub-Metropolitan District Councils of Metropolitan Assemblies (SMDCs)) (Establishment, Composition and Functions) Instrument, 2015. 11. 2223, was enacted to provide for uniform composition and functions for the SMDCs in all the six Metropolitan Assemblies.
A National Development Planning (System) Regulations, 2016, enacted to support the National Development Planning and Act, 1994, 148. A Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016, Act 925, was passed to establish a Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority and to devolve the Department of Country Planning to the MMDAs.
The disparate laws on local government were consolidated into one Local Governance Act, 2016, Act 936. A new Sports Act 2016, Act 934 and a new decentralised National Youth Authority Act 939 were also enacted.
It is these reforms that the Second Edition of the book has sought to capture, in addition to some elaborations on some of the theoretical underpinnings of local government and decentralisation in Ghana. The sections of Acton Civil Society Organisations and Non-State Actors and Women in Local Governance have been improved. Some aspects of the proposals of the Constitutional Review Commission on local government and decentralisation have been used. Some textual changes have also been made.
₵95.00 -
The Baobab: A Journal of the Council on Foreign Relations-Ghana (Vol 1, No 1 – January 2020)
IN THIS ISSUE
From the President of the Council
Editorial
The Need for a Diplomatic Think Tank
Ambassador James Victor Gbeho
Council on Foreign Relations Overdue
HE Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana
Kofi Annan Biography
Memories of a Good Man from Africa
Amb Patrick Hayford
Getting to Know Kofi Annan
Excerpts from A Conversation With Mary Chinery-Hesse
(Interview by Lady Ann-Essumạn)
Kofi Annan, Africa and the Responsibility to Protect
Ramesh Thakur
Ghana in United Nations Peace Operations, A Tool of its Foreign Policy
Colonel Festus Boahen Aboagye (Retired)
Peacekeeping Experiences, Creating National Bonds
Major General HK Anyidoho (Retired)
Rethinking a New Global Order
V Antwi-Danso, PhD
Partnerships for Peace in West Africa and the Sahel: Challenges and Opportunities
Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas
About the Contributors
Editorial Policy and Guildlines
History of CFR-Ghana
₵50.00 -
Booknook Leadership Pack: My Time My Nation, From the Hut to Oxford, Working with Rawlings, The River in the Sea, Sam (5 Exceptional Ghanaian Leaders)
Get these 5 books by five amazing Ghanaian leaders and enjoy free shipping across Ghana! 5 for 5!
*This Free shipping offer does not apply to destinations outside Ghana
Working with Rawlings
Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings burst on the Ghanaian political scene with a failed military mutiny on May 15th, 1979. On June 4th 1979, following a successful uprising staged by junior officers and other ranks of the Ghana Armed Forces, he emerged as the Chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) which ruled Ghana for three months and handed over to a civilian constitutional government on 24th September 1979. On 31st December 1981, he overthrew the constitutional government and formed the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) as the Government of Ghana. He was elected a constitutional President in 1992 and assumed office as such on 7th January 1993. He served two terms as President of the Republic of Ghana, finally leaving office on 6th January 2001.
Jerry John Rawlings is an enigma. It was a privilege working with him and being close to him. He and I went through many exciting experiences together. I have documented some of those experiences in this book. But there are many other experiences which I have not documented either because they belong to the realm of confidentiality or of privacy. What I have documented, however, is enough to give present and future leaders some ideas about governance at the highest levels; the dos and don’ts of governance; the skills required for governance and the importance of human relations as a leadership trait.
This is not a book about Jerry John Rawlings. It is not a book about Kwamena Ahwoi. It is not a book about the PNDC. It is not a book about the NDC. It is a book about Kwamena Ahwoi working with Jerry John Rawlings; our working relationship; our ups and downs and our joint commitment to building a better Ghana than the one we found it. Somewhere along the line, we drifted apart. This book is about that as well. It is my hope that Ghana’s leaders of today and our leaders of the future will learn some lessons from my account of Working with Rawlings, leaving out the negatives and accentuating the positives.
My Time My Nation: The Autobiography of Prof. George Benneh
Professor Benneh’s life story reflects the promise of the country he serves so faithfully. It captures the anticipation of the pre-independence years, the disillusionment of the forays into military rule, and the integrity of the return to civilian rule with many painful lessons learnt. Indeed, as he recalls his early years with his father on the campaign trail, he presents the mixture of excitement, superstition, and euphoria as the Gold Coast transitions into an independent country ad later the Republic of Ghana.
The author narrates his years of preparation with an impressive roll of mentors and acquaintances — Mr. Gbeho, Professor Steele, Professor Manshard. K.A. Busia, J.B. Danquah, Krobo Edusei, K.A. Gbedemah, Otumfuor Osei Tutu II, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Through out the autobiography the reader is conscious that the astute politician is also an astute scholar—lecturer, researcher, administrator. As he brings his analytical acumen to his performance of his responsibilities as Head of Department, Pro Vice-Chancellor and, finally, Vice Chancellor, Professor Benneh demonstrates a unique ability to move seamlessly between two worlds often considered incompatible.
The autobiography provides a vivid account of an enviable range of experiences from the author’s childhood in Brong-Ahafo region, through conferences in some of the most exotic locations in the world. Yet, he always remains the family man, devoted to his covenant wife, children, grandchildren, wider family and the abiding reliance and trust in his Maker. The autobiography ends with the octogenarian’s tribute to his late father who was his first and best mentor and inspired him reach beyond the sky.
From the Hut to Oxford: The Autobiography of the Most Reverend Peter Kwasi Sarpong (Hardcover)
From the Hut to Oxford clearly shows the huge impact that Archbishop Sarpong has made during his priestly and episcopal minstry, spanning forty-nine years from 1959 to 2008. His impact has been on the Catholic Church in Ghana, education, culture and religion. The relative understanding, harmony and cooperation among the religious bodies in the country – between the Catholic and non-Catholic Christians, between followers of Islam and Christians, etc. – can be attributed in no small measure to his unflagging endeavours in ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue. Happily, his effort in this regard. Happily, his effort in this regard has been universally acknowledged. In a world racked by religious bigotry, dissension and mayhem, he deserves more than a pat on the back. — Most Rev. Matthias Kobina Nketsiah, Emeritus Archbishop of Cape Coast
The River in the Sea: The Autobiography of Akenten Appiah-Menka
The River in the Sea is a story of courage, determination, a clear sense of mission and vision on the part of a rural Ghanaian who, from humble beginnings, has risen to the highest echelon in society as a lawyer, an industrialist, a politician and statesman.It is a welcome addition to the limited literature available on the Ghanaian elite; a must read for all lawyers, politicians, academics and the populace at large.
Sam: A Life of Service to God and Country
Lawyer. Politician. Democracy and human rights activist. Prisoner of conscience. Rotarian. Father. Grandfather.
These are among the many roles Sam Okudzeto is most proud of. In his very easy-to-read memoir, SAM: A Life of Service to God and Country, he describes the journey from his village childhood, through his education in Europe, and finally to his life in the legal profession, politics and civil society of Ghana. As one who personally knew many of Ghana’s founding fathers and giants, and was active in politics during the seminal moments after independence, he offers a unique perspective of the people and events that shaped the history of Ghana and the growth of its democracy. He sheds light on the origins of many issues and shares his regrets such of the boycott by the legal profession during the drafting of the current Constitution in 1992 and the impact that boycott has had on national governance.
In this must-read memoir, he shares many lessons from a life spent on the frontlines of human endeavor. Now in his 80s, and with a life well-lived, Sam Okudzeto hopes that the current generation of Ghana will continue to build upon the foundation laid by his pioneering generation.
“Uncle Sam as some of us know him is iconic. He is larger than life in his profession, his faith and his service to humanity. His memoir deepens our respect for his intellect and joie de vivre and provide steps for us to emulate his rich and blessed life.” – Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, Executive Director, Salt & Light Ministries, Management and Communications Consultant
₵600.00 -
Two Views from Christiansborg Castle Vol II: A Description of the Guinea Coast and its Inhabitants
Selena Axelrod Winsnes has been engaged, since 1982, in the translation into English, and editing of Danish language sources to West African history, sources published from 1697 to 1822, the period during which Denmark-Norway was an actor in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It comprises five major books written for the Scandinavian public. They describe all aspects of life on the Gold Coast [Ghana], the Middle Passage and the Danish Caribbean islands [US Virgin Islands], as seen by five different men. Each had his own agenda and mind-set, and the books, both singly and combined, hold a wealth of information – of interest both to scholars and lay readers. They provide important insights into the cultural baggage the enslaved Africans carried with them to the America’s.
One of the books, L.F. Rømer’s A Reliable Account of the Coast of Guinea was runner-up for the prestigious International Texts Prize awarded by the U.S. African Studies Association.
₵55.00 -
History of Ashanti by Otumfuo, Nana Osei Agyeman Prempeh II (Hardcover)
History of Ashanti is unusual, perhaps unique, in that it provides a long historical account of the great West African forest kingdom of Asante by a ruler of that society. Thus, it is African history written by an African king and his assistants. This is, without a doubt, a very important document for historians of Africa. It has too a much wider resonance at the present time: here the Asante ‘voice’ is speaking directly to all those across the globe who claim ancestral links to the African continent, and who are still engaged in the struggle to define, to strengthen and to assert their identities in a world that long discounted the value, or even the existence, of their historical experience.
₵590.00₵600.00 -
A Rose Among Thorns
Born on 17th September 1952 in Sakyikrom near Nsawam in Ghana’s Eastern Region, Dr. (Mrs.) Felicia Boateng Danquah (nee Akotua) is the third of five children born to her parents, Mr. Jonas Akotua and Mrs. Clara Akotua.
Due to her father’s regular transfers arising out of his employment with the Ghana Health Service, she was educated in different parts of the country, including Walewale and Bolgatanga, before entering the Komenda Teacher Training College (as it was then), where she trained as a teacher. She worked for some time with the Ghana Education Service as a teacher before going into business full-time.
A devoted Christian and Vice President of Jofel Catering Services in Kumasi, Dr. (Mrs) Danquah is married to Lt. Gen. J B Danquah, Ghana’s Chief of Defence Staff from 2005 to 2009 and President of Jofel. The couple have six children.
The year 2022 serves as a confluence of an important trilogy in Dr (Mrs.) Danquah’s life − her 70th birthday anniversary, the 50th anniversary of her marriage and the 40th anniversary of Jofel, one of the most iconic institutional names in Kumasi and an undoubted leader in the catering and hospitality business in the city and beyond.
In this fascinating, yet simple, easy-to-read publication to mark these important landmarks in her life, the author recalls her early childhood experiences and family, particularly her mother Clara, who she adores, and shares the story of Jofel and its evolution to what it is today.
She also shares her perspectives on the values she treasures that she believes have helped her enormously in her Christian faith, her marriage and family, and in building an award-winning business with the support of her family, among others.
A Rose Among Thorns speaks to the challenges of life that most of us can identify with and seek inspiration from in the knowledge that our lives can flourish like the rose even among the thorns of life with God as our helper and beacon.
₵150.00A Rose Among Thorns
₵150.00 -
The Boy from Boadua: One African’s Journey of Hunger and Sacrifice in Pursuit of a Dream
*Available from 7 February 2023
Patrick Asare was born and raised by illiterate parents in the remote Ghanaian village of Boadua. His family was so large and impoverished that not even the earnings from crushing hard work could buy enough food to fill their bellies. No one in the village aspired to be educated beyond middle school.
Until Patrick.
Numerous obstacles stood in the way of Patrick’s yearning for higher knowledge, including gnawing hunger, lack of sleep, and backbreaking daily chores. During school vacations, he toiled in a jungle farm teeming with poisonous snakes and insects.
Dedicating every stolen moment to study, Patrick passed the common entrance exam with flying colors. Despite major setbacks, he kept his eye on the prize. He graduated from an elite secondary school and earned his engineering degree in the Soviet Union during the perestroika era. Finding his way to the United States, he taught Russian and math and eventually obtained a superb education from top American universities.
Patrick’s travels and adventures taught him that, regardless of his hardscrabble childhood, he was a lucky man. He was raised by loving and supportive parents and lived in a society where race was not an issue. Teaching in inner-city high schools alerted him to the particular challenges faced by America’s urban Black youth.
Patrick’s amazing story offers insights, hope, and inspiration to others who face astronomical odds.
₵180.00 -
Spare (Hardcover) – Pre-Order
It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.
For Harry, this is that story at last.
Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.
At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.
Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .
For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.
₵590.00Spare (Hardcover) – Pre-Order
₵590.00
