• Sand, Sun & Surprises: A Nigerian Expatriate in the Middle East – A Memoir

    Sand, Sun & Surprises is a personal story told by a Nigerian Professor about his experiences and observations working in, and visiting countries in the Middle East over 23 years. 

    The 316-page memoir includes descriptions of the social life, leisure and religious practices in the region. It captures a snapshot of the socio-economic landscape of Nigeria reeling from the economic depression of the late 1980s and the surprising contrasts with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, societies adjusting to dramatically improved standards of living as a result of their massive oil wealth.

    This book is a compelling read for those who intend to visit or work in the Middle East, or indeed pursue careers outside their countries.

  • Securing that Dream Job: A Smart Guide to a Successful Interview

    In today’s competitive employment environment, it is important that a job applicant has a head start over his/her competitors on the job market. However, there is a general absence of information that would give applicants a bright chance of success at interviews.

    Securing that Dream Job: A Smart Guide to a Successful Interview provides an enlightened guide or a road map to job applicants on excelling at job interviews. The book guides readers through the preliminary steps to an interview, such as writing a concise and persuasive application letter and curriculum vitae. It discusses the mistakes to avoid and also provides useful guidelines to portray oneself in the best possible light by maximizing one’s strengths and minimizing one’s shortfalls or perceived weaknesses.

    The burden of the book discusses recent trends in conducting interviews, physical appearance, courtesies to observe at the interview, composure and attitude. Critically, the book discusses some questions to expect and the approach to answering them. The book does not seek to provide an exhaustive list of possible questions but seeks to mark out the contours on which interviews are generally conducted . This in intended to give the applicant fore knowledge of what to expect; the slippery and tricky areas the applicant must watch out for and how best to meander one’s way through.

    The book concludes with a brief discussion on factors to consider before accepting a new job offer.

  • Swimming Upstream: The Story of Southern Cross

    Kwame Donkoh Fordwor’s dream was realized due to the precision planning which was utilized to develop Southern Cross Mining Limited (SCML), as the company established itself as the first active gold mining operation to be brought to Ghana Since 1937. This came to pass by way of chance associations and the joint efforts of collaborators who possessed different backgrounds and motivations.
    Even with the assistance of numerous people along the way, the inception of Southern Cross was not easy. It required aggressive action and time to fend or larger corporations and fight government officials for the rights and freedoms they felt they deserved.
    Fordwor titles this book Swimming Upstream: The Story of Southern Cross because of the comparisons he draws between himself and the struggles of salmon attempting to reach their spawning grounds. Much like a salmon battling currents, fishermen, and other predators to reach its final destination, Fordwor had to struggle to make his own path and place in history, using keen instincts and good fortune to maintain the competitiveness and success of SCML.
    Swimming Upstream vividly details the rich history of Southern Cross and other gold mining venturers who strived to achieve historical recognition. It is an illuminating work-powerfully written and inspirational to all who are still seeking to make a lifetime dream come true.

  • The ‘Kaya’ Diplomat: Diary Notes of a Ghanaian Diplomat (Hardcover)

    The ‘Kaya’ Diplomat: Diary Notes of a Ghanaian Diplomat is an account of event and episodes that I encountered in my forty-one years of service as a Foreign Service Officer.

    Inevitably, such a story coincides with the life and service of other high-ranking personalities who played a role or directed Foreign Policy of the Republic of Ghana, as our lives crossed. These interactions played a major role in developments in my career and fashioned the Diplomat that I became.

    This is my story.

  • 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

  • The Baobab: A Journal of the Council on Foreign Relations-Ghana (Vol 2, No 2 – July 2020)

    IN THIS ISSUE

    From the Managing Editor

    Editorial

    Members in the News

    Covid-19: 10 Policy Priorities for Africa’s Recovery, Growth and Transformation

    The Eco and West African Monetary History

    Nkechi S. Owoo

    Special Review Essays and Features on: Ghana, Liberia and Africa in Historical Transitions

    Renaming the Gold Coast Ghana

    Kabral Blay-Amihere

    Still Contested After All these Years

    David Owusu-Ansah

    Ghana: The Secession Movement and the Trans-Volta Togoland

    Boni Yao Gebe

    Charles Taylor’s Journey into Exile and Prison

    DK Osei

    Perspectives-Five Decades of Africa’s Development

    KY Amoako

    About the Contributors

    Editorial Policy and Guidelines

    History of the CFR-Ghana

  • The Bold New Normal: Creating The Africa Where Everyone Prospers

    Have you ever wondered what it will take to transform each African country into a prosperous nation where each citizen has a real opportunity to thrive? Africa’s narrative has been shaped by a vision of the future that remains bleak. A vision that says a little more is okay for the African. It is time to challenge and change our paradigm of what great outcomes look like for an African country.

    It is time for The Bold New Normal of an Africa where citizens of each country genuinely have the opportunity to prosper.

    The formula for sustainable prosperity has been tried and tested world over. Why then do we continue to hope that a different method, that has thus far failed the continent, will create sustainable prosperity?

    The Bold New Normal is a timely publication that coincides with the 400th anniversary of the start of slavery: the year of return. 400 years since the unraveling of African began, it is time to piece her back together and focus forward. It is surely the time for The Bold New Normal!

  • The Boneshaker Politician

    The Boneshaker Politician is an autobiography of A.K. Opoku. He narrates how he gave his life to Christ in a dramatic way while travelling in a boneshaker, a wooden truck. He recounts how the Lord used him by way of evangelism and church building and his involvement in an uncompromising undercover politics in the church. Meanwhile he had nursed a childhood ambition of being an active politician.

    With all his “boneshaker” experience, he entered into politics and discovers that it was a different world altogether and bemoans the high moral and the financial entry requirements required of a Christian to engage in active politics. He raises question as to whether exhortations to get Christians involved in active politics is enough. He concludes with his family life and marvels at the art of God where four children of the same parentage and breed have four different characters and ambitions.

  • 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.

  • The Consultant

    **Available from 23 June, 2022

    Consider this book the ultimate ‘How To’ compilation on a work area which has become extremely popular and lucrative in recent years — Consulting. The content of this book reflects the Author’s personal and professional consulting experience spanning over forty years, on work that has taken him to various African countries, the United Kingdom, the USA and Singapore.

    This book’s primary objective is to share the experience of a seasoned professional to promote Consulting as a vocation. It can truly be described as a manual and a set of guidelines for all Consultants. It particularly targets aspiring and young practicing individuals in the field.

    The Author, Dr. Joseph E. Bannerman, describes his work journey so far with his firm, Plan Consult, as exciting , full of dynamic encounters with a host of professionals from different backgrounds, government ministries, departments and organisations within both the public and private sector. His work has resulted in new and reviewed policies of various national sectors to the greater advantage of the beneficiaries of his expertise, of which he is most proud.

    The structure of this book adopts a ‘Project Planning Approach’ which the author calls ‘The Consulting Cycle’ and reinforces its credentials as one’s go-to ‘How To’ directional guide on Consulting. The arrangement of the chapters reflect the rich life experiences of the Author and follows his journey step by step to organically take the reader through advancing progressively in their consulting career.

    The Consultant

    250.00
  • The Credibility Capital

    In The Credibility Capital, the author provides insights into the principles of credibility and the practical journey toward establishing a strong, lasting reputation. From personal branding to business operations and social relations, the book explores how credibility capital becomes a powerful asset; one essential for growth and success. Drawing upon relevant and personal anecdotes from different people, the narrative unfolds to underscore the importance of building an unshakable reputation. In an era dominated by the pursuit of social capital, the book challenges us to question whether we seek true credibility or merely its appearance. It cautions against the pitfalls of wielding any influence without the bedrock of credibility. 

     

    This book prompts introspection about the long-term consequences of habitual white lies and the importance of evaluating the true cost of living a life of pretense. It challenges the reader to consider how the authenticity of a person or endeavor is ultimately determined by the merit of their actions over time.

  • The Dreamer – Komla Dumor: The Boss Player In His Own Words (Hardcover)

    This is a collection of the personal writings of Komla Dumor a young man, very intellectually vibrant, an erudite communicator, a passionate patriot and an emerging Pan Africanist. The book highlights experiences he had had during his worldwide travel pursuing his career as a Broadcast Journalist.

    These essays rekindle hope and offers opportunities for his generation to build on his dream and the dream of the precursors of African Renaissance. This book raises the question about what constitutes his legacy which would lead us to celebrate him. The book shows clearly that Komla was an icon of International Broadcast Journalism working across different platforms. In his writings he exhibited the audacity of faith, from which emerges his unassailable courage to stand on an international digital platform, as an African, telling his own story and stories of old. The book also shows Komla’s stature, versatility in media practice on radio and television broadcasting, as well as the print media.

    Komla was a stage performer with style and substance. His scholarly work was punctuated with extreme humor. In spite of his status, he remained amazingly humble. But the most outstanding passion in his writings was his concern for the future of his country Ghana and the African Continent.

    This book presents balanced images of Ghana and Africa. But implicitly, it compels everyone to ask the question “Are we satisfied with the images we see? He lays the foundation for every Journalist of African decent to insist on accountable and transparent governance. He ends the story on racism, ethnic and tribal divisions showing clearly his uncompromising, progressive rejection of these divisions which have been historically and culturally conditioned and presents a new hope and opportunity for Africans to dream again. Here we have The Dreamer – Komla Dumor: The Boss Player in His Own Words.

     

    Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Komla Dumor Foundation.

  • The Economist Style Guide: A Concise Guide for All Your Business Communications

    An authoritative reference on clear, concise writing

    Witty, concise, and enlightening, The Economist Style Guide is an authoritative resource for all your written communications. Based on the style guide used by the writers for the renowned international business journal acclaimed for its crisp, clear writing, this practical guide offers unerring guidance on grammar, usage, and style in business communications.

    Providing sage advice on writing in general (“Use the language of everyday speech”; “Long paragraphs, like long sentences, confuse the reader”; “Don’t overdo the use of don’t, isn’t, can’t, won’t, etc.”), the Guide clarifies such perpetual questions as: compare with (emphasizes differences) and compare to (similarities) different — used with from, not to or than affect (to have an influence on) and effect (to accomplish).

    There’s also invaluable information on international business terms and abbreviations, political and geographical facts, units of measurement, currencies, trade classifications, differences between American and British English, and much more.

    In today’s high-speed business environment, the ability to communicate clearly, accurately, and concisely is essential to professional success. The Economist Style Guide has become the reference of choice for business people everywhere who need practical, authoritative advice on how to improve their written communications.

    Developed from the style guide used by those who work for The Economist—the international business journal renowned for its writing excellence—this handy resource provides easily accessible answers to the numerous questions of usage, grammar, and style that frequently arise in the course of a business day.

    Offering invaluable guidance on the principles of good writing, The Economist Style Guide defines commonly misused words and expressions, and explains the correct use of punctuation, abbreviations, capital letters, and more —all illustrated with an abundance of amusing examples.

    As an aid to those engaged in international business, the Guide supplies a wealth of handy reference material on such areas as units of measurement, political and geographical terms, currencies, trade classifications, differences between American and British English, and much more.

    Whether you are dashing off a quick e-mail message or preparing a formal report, The Economist Style Guide will help you hone your language skills and sharpen all your business communications. It is an indispensable aid to clarity and precision that will prove its value again and again as the reference book you’ll keep within reach whenever you write.

  • The Einstellung Effect

    We become unable to consider other solutions when we think we already have one that works, even though it may not be accurate or optimal. It leaves us cognitively incapable of differentiating previous experiences with the current problem. So we may solve a problem but we don’t actually INNOVATE.

    Einstelung is a German word that translates to setting, mindset, or attitude. The brain attempts to work efficiently by referring to past solutions without giving the current problem much thought. It’s stuck in a mindset. We apply previous methods to a seemingly similar problem instead of evaluating the problem on its own terms. This effect presents itself across various disciplines and skill levels. Whether we know it or not, we all experience it.

    This book explores INNOVATION like never before.

  • The Fear of Failure: An Autobiography

    From Agomanya in the Eastern Region of Ghana, a 65 year old J. P. Adjimani narrates his life and how his fear of failure spurred him on instead of derailing him. In his autobiography, the biochemist unravels why he was never promoted to be a professor despite having a 28-year admirable career in Ghana’s premier university, University of Ghana.

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