Ghana News
‘Who Employs You for Sitting in Lectures?’ Renowned Educationist Anis Haffar Slams Ghana’s ‘Archaic’ University System
Renowned educationist Anis Haffar has delivered a blistering critique of Ghana’s university system.
In a recent interview, he described the current education system in Ghana as largely outdated and disconnected from the realities of work and production.
In a wide-ranging interview with veteran journalist Kafui Dey, Haffar attributed a lack of meaningful employment among Ghana’s youth to what they are taught in universities.
“Chale, who will employ you because you’ve been sitting, listening to lectures?” Haffar asked bluntly. “First year, lectures. Second year, lectures. Third year, lectures. Fourth year, lectures. Then they stick a certificate under your armpit and say, ‘go and find a job’.”
For Haffar—an internationally respected trainer of teachers who has worked across Africa, Asia, and Europe—the problem is structural. He argues that many universities in Ghana still operate on a colonial-era model that prioritises theory over application, producing graduates who struggle to answer a basic question from employers: What can you actually do?
His remarks land at a sensitive moment, as Ghana continues to grapple with graduate unemployment, underemployment, and growing frustration among young people who feel failed by the education-to-jobs pipeline.
From Abstraction to Action
Haffar dismissed incremental fixes, such as holiday internships, as insufficient.
“They may be a tentative first step,” he said, “but at the end of the day, we must move from abstractions into the concrete.”
He offered a vivid example from a school training programme where students used chemistry to produce soap. Once the product became real—manufactured, packaged, and sold—chemistry stopped being an abstract subject and became a tool. Some of the students, he noted, went on to explore making toothpaste. Parents bought the soap. Schools bought the soap.
“That,” Haffar said, “is our road to Damascus.”
The point, he stressed, is not to abandon theory, but to anchor it in lived experience:
“At every level, the question must be: what can I do with what I’m studying? If you can’t do anything with it, then think about something else.”
What’s Outside the Classroom Matters
Haffar also criticised classroom practices that ignore immediate learning environments. He recalled observing a lesson on germination where a teacher drew a maize plant on the board—despite a cornfield sitting just outside the classroom.
“Why not go into the field and start there?” he asked.
He likened the approach to the old exam ritual of drawing and labelling a fish on paper—only to later eat kenkey and pepper with an actual fish.
“You have the fish on paper, but the fish is not making sense,” he said. “It’s got to be practical. It’s got to be real.”
Lessons from Asia
Drawing on experiences in Indonesia, Vietnam, and other parts of Southeast Asia, Haffar contrasted Ghana’s import-dependent economy with systems built on local production. In Bali, he described restaurants located next to rice fields. In Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, he recounted eating a full, healthy meal for two—steamed meats, vegetables, drinks—for nine dollars.
“They produce everything,” he said. “No heavy oil. Minimal waste. Affordable food. Meanwhile, we import everything—pay shipping, insurance, interest—and then wonder why a simple restaurant meal is expensive.”
For Haffar, the link between education and production is inseparable. Countries that teach young people to do, not just to memorise, are better positioned to feed themselves, create jobs, and lower the cost of living.
A Provocation, Not Just a Critique
While his comments have sparked debate, Haffar insists his goal is not to dismiss universities outright, but to provoke reform. He argues that education in Ghana—from primary school to university—must start earlier, stay practical, and remain rooted in local realities.
“Start doing something,” he said. “And start early.”
Haffar’s critique raises an uncomfortable but urgent question: Is the classroom preparing students for life—or merely for exams?
Below is the full interview:
President John Dramani Mahama has challenged thousands of church delegates gathered in Ghana’s capital to measure the success of their global congress not by the eloquence of its sermons, but by the lives they transform after the final prayer is said.
“The lasting story of this conference, this congress, will be written in the lives that we touch after the closing prayer,” Mahama told more than 10,000 participants at the opening ceremony of the 10th Triennial Congress of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.
The president urged delegates to return to their home countries with concrete plans to serve their communities — mentoring young people, supporting schools, strengthening health ministries and standing beside congregations serving under difficult conditions.
Faith Must Be Tangible
Mahama argued that faith becomes real only when it meets human need. He offered a vivid portrait of what practical Christianity looks like: a hungry child receiving a meal, a patient treated with compassion, a young person acquiring a skill, a widow finding companionship, and a struggling family receiving support from its community.
He called on the church to give greater attention to the relationship between preaching the gospel and serving people in practical ways, saying the two must not be separated.
“Spiritual authority entails a duty of care,” the president said, stressing that churches must provide safe environments for children and vulnerable people. He warned that spiritual leadership carries a responsibility to protect the trust placed in it through responsible conduct.
A Warning on Youth and Technology
Turning to youth development, Mahama acknowledged that young people today are growing up in a world of extraordinary opportunity, but also considerable pressure. Technology, he said, connects young people across continents while simultaneously exposing them to constant comparisons, misinformation and competing expectations about who they should become.
He urged churches and families to create environments where young people can ask questions freely, receive guidance, develop their abilities and take on meaningful responsibilities. Delegates, he said, should mentor young people by listening to them, offering opportunities for service and modelling integrity.
The president also called on the church to recognise the contributions of women of faith, saying their wisdom, talents and leadership deserve full recognition.
A Call for Global Solidarity
Addressing the global nature of the fellowship, Mahama expressed hope that members with greater resources would find ways to support those with fewer. The fellowship, he said, would grow stronger when its members shared their gifts and stood with one another through difficult times.
He also spoke directly to the responsibility of public office, saying those entrusted with power had a particular duty to serve with humility, honesty and integrity. Faith, he added, should deepen respect for citizens and concern for those whose voices are least likely to reach the centres of power.
Historic Honour for a Pentecostal President
At the ceremony, the World Assemblies of God Fellowship presented Mahama with its maiden Global Leadership Excellence and Trailblazer Award. The citation described him as the first member of the Assemblies of God worldwide to become president of a country — a milestone for the denomination.
Organisers also presented him with a Bible and urged him to allow the Word of God to guide his leadership.
The fellowship honoured First Lady Mrs. Lordina Mahama for her work supporting vulnerable people through her compassion ministry.
Former Malawian President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera also received the Global Leadership Excellence Award. His citation described him as the second member of the denomination — and the first minister of the gospel within the fellowship — to become president of a country.
Prayers for Wisdom and Redistribution
Following the awards, general superintendents and Ghanaian church leaders gathered around Mahama to pray for him. The prayer leader, Reverend Dominic Yeo, the fellowship’s Global Chairman, asked God to grant the president “divine wisdom” and prayed for the continuation of what he described as a reformation agenda.
He also prayed for “a redistribution of wealth throughout this nation so that all Ghanaians will be blessed,” a prayer that resonated beyond the sanctuary walls in a country where economic inequality remains a pressing concern.
A Global Gathering in Accra
The 10th Triennial Congress has drawn more than 10,000 participants to Accra, making it one of the largest Pentecostal gatherings on the continent this year. The event brings together delegates from across the global fellowship, reflecting the denomination’s growing presence in Africa and beyond.
For Mahama, however, the congress’s true significance will not be found in its attendance figures or its ceremonies — but in what delegates do once they return home.
“Faith becomes tangible,” he said, “when a hungry child receives a meal, a patient is treated with compassion, a young person acquires a skill, a widow finds companionship and a struggling family receives support from its community.”
The closing prayer, it seems, is only the beginning.
Gamal Gorkeh Nkrumah, the journalist, writer, and intellectual son of Ghana’s founding president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, has died in Cairo, Egypt, following a prolonged illness. He was 67.
The Nkrumah family announced his passing in a statement released Tuesday, describing it as “a profound loss not only to our family and loved ones, but also to the wider community of friends, colleagues and readers who valued his insight, humanity and unwavering engagement with the great questions of our time.”
According to the family, Gamal Nkrumah passed away peacefully after receiving care at a rehabilitation centre, where he had been recovering from a stroke.
A Life of Intellectual Engagement
Born in 1958, Gamal Nkrumah carved out a distinct identity as a newspaper journalist and commentator, dedicating his voice and intellect to examining the political, social, and cultural forces shaping Africa and the wider world.
Throughout his life, the family said, he remained “deeply committed to the ideals of justice, human dignity, African unity and international solidarity.”
Described as a man of “profound intellectual curiosity, independence of thought and quiet conviction,” Gamal carried forward the legacy of his father in his own distinctive way, while building a reputation firmly grounded in his own principles and achievements.
His passing marks the loss of a respected voice in African journalism and intellectual life, one whose work spanned continents and engaged deeply with the pressing issues of his time.
A Family in Mourning
Gamal was one of the acknowledged children of Kwame Nkrumah and Fathia Nkrumah. He is survived by his siblings: Samia Nkrumah (born 1960), a politician and former leader of the Convention People’s Party (CPP); Dr. Francis Nkrumah (born 1962), a paediatrician; and Sekou Nkrumah (born 1964), a politician and photographer.
The Nkrumah family remembered Gamal “with immense love, gratitude and pride,” stating that “his wisdom, kindness and devotion to the values he held dear will remain an enduring source of inspiration.”
Gratitude and Requests for Privacy
In their statement, the family expressed heartfelt appreciation to all those who stood with Gamal throughout his illness, particularly the medical professionals and caregivers in Cairo who provided him with care and dignity.
They also extended “deepest thanks” to the governments and people of his two countries, Egypt and Ghana, for their generous support.
The family has kindly requested privacy as it mourns this deeply personal loss. Details concerning memorial arrangements and opportunities to pay tribute to his life and legacy will be communicated in due course.
“May he rest in eternal peace,” the statement concluded.
Ghana News
Ohio Court Orders Ghanaian Care Worker to Repay $53,278 After Workers’ Compensation Fraud Conviction
Betty Boateng, 50, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree felony after investigators found she collected disability benefits while working for two in-home care employers
A US-based Ghanaian woman has been ordered to repay more than $53,000 to the state of Ohio after admitting she collected workers’ compensation disability benefits while simultaneously holding paid jobs, authorities announced.
Betty Boateng, 50, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of Workers’ Compensation Fraud, a fifth-degree felony, following an investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Special Investigations Department, the agency said in a news release dated October 9, 2026.
Investigators found that Boateng “knowingly and with fraudulent intent returned to work for two different employers during periods when she was receiving BWC disability benefits to which she was not entitled.”
Evidence gathered during the probe showed she earned wages while continuing to accept disability checks, resulting in improper payments totaling $53,278.40.
Sentencing in Franklin County
On September 23, 2026, a judge in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas accepted Boateng’s guilty plea and proceeded directly to sentencing, ordering:
- A 12-month suspended sentence
- 60 months of community control
- Mandatory reporting requirements
- Restitution of $53,278.40 to the Ohio BWC
- Waiver of fines, with court costs imposed
The case centered on Boateng’s work providing non-medical in-home care services for multiple employers, work she performed while receiving disability benefits she was not entitled to.
“Fraud Hurts Honest Workers”
BWC Administrator Stephanie McCloud said the agency remains committed to protecting the state’s workers’ compensation fund.
“Fraud against the workers’ compensation system hurts honest Ohio workers and employers,” McCloud said. “We are committed to holding accountable those who abuse the system and ensuring that funds remain available for individuals truly in need.”
The BWC urged anyone who knows of or suspects workers’ compensation fraud to contact its Special Investigations Department at 1-800-OHIO-BWC.
A Cautionary Tale for the Diaspora
The conviction adds to a growing list of cases involving Ghanaian nationals abroad facing fraud-related charges in the United States. Ghanaian communities in the US — particularly in cities such as Columbus, which has a sizable Ghanaian population — have increasingly been urged to understand the strict compliance rules attached to public benefit programs.
Workers’ compensation fraud in Ohio can be prosecuted as a felony depending on the amount involved, and convictions typically require full restitution in addition to any criminal penalties.
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