• 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)

     

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  • Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651)

    The Six  Hundred and fifty-first ACT of the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana is an Act to amend and consolidate the laws relating to labour, employers, trade unions and industrial relations; to establish a National Labour Commission and to provide for matters related to these.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • International Relations: An Introduction (AsanteBrako Political Series)

    International Relations: An Introduction provides a broad and comprehensive account of issues encountered in the discipline for both under-graduate and graduate students, as well as beginners who are interested in the study of the discipline. Crafted in a lively, clear and highly accessible introduction to international relations and the key concepts in the discipline, the book is designed systematically to build a solid foundation and an effective understanding of concepts, principles, practices and theories of international relations.

  • 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

  • A Life of Vicissitudes (Hardcover)

    These are highlights of heady days and heydays of experiences in a life and its living.  It is a riveting and captivating account of extraordinary happenings to an individual of complex character and disposition with luck and lots of luck. The story is a journey of unmasking the masked. It’s a person’s recollections of life’s vicissitudes as lived by him from earliest experiences, along with insights into student leadership, workings of a military government, chieftaincy, tinges of Akan feminism and writing a newspaper column.

  • Realigning and Repositioning Africa: Confronting Challenges and Charting its own Courses in the 21st Century

    One of the challenges facing the continent of Africa is the continued marginalization it experiences in terms of its global political, economic and socio-culutral significance.

    This book, based on a collection of original essays from academics in Africa and across the African diaspora, seeks to address some of these concerns by positing Afri-centric expositions. The central theme of this book is the need for African perspectives and solutions to tackle African challenges, and for the realigning and repositioning of Africa.

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