About Me

Sefah Ato WelbecK, a former student of Central University College. He read Economics (major) and Agribusiness (minor) with emphasis in international trade and finance, Project Management, Statistics, Logic and Economic thoughts. He also holds a certificate in Petroleum Economics (oil and Gas) from institute of chartered economists of Ghana. And an EMBA in Accounting and Financial Management. His favourite quotes include- The success of our lives lies not in never falling but in rising whenever we fall- anonymous. Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today- Plato. Success is the complement of wisdom at old age. But wisdom is the complement of success at young age (own coined statement). Do not believe the man who says the hippopotamus isn't an ugly animal (Ugandan proverb) Welbeck is a freelance copywriter social sciences, general merchants, construction and real estate development. He also writes for free for private and government institutions upon request. His writings cover broadly on monetary policy and inflation targeting; political economies and Liberal Arts.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Why is tuition fee in the Private Universities higher--as compared to Public Universities?

Thesis: Private institutions charge is on the rise because they cover a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular activities. As such, not only do they help to impact a humor (comply with something/mood) of sensitivity into persons but also to form character and to transform persons to become better persons in society.

Introduction: Education in Ghana started time immemorial and way back in the days of colonialism and imperialism by the white people.
Christian missionaries introduced Western-style education to Ghana in the 18th century. The University of Ghana, at Legon (near Accra), was Ghana’s first university, established in 1948. (Microsoft ® Encarta 2009)
Private universities came into being with the sole aim of primarily supplementing the very few public universities built by the government. They had the aim of accommodating the backlog enrolling in the public universities, which then had and is still having the lowest capacity and number to absorb these numerous peoples and to inculcate into persons broader range of academic disciplines.
Currently, private universities which was once outmatched and outnumbered by public universities as in the early years of 1958(University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast) have now outnumbered the public universities, and making it way farther the education history.
Nonetheless, with the growing number of private institutions in the country, there have been a number of raised concerns concerning their ways and their financial sphinx. These concerns themselves are backed by rhetoric that: Private institutions are only for the rich because of the high cost of their services; Private institutions are there only to exploit and to make questionable profit?
From all angles, private universities are highly-able, recognized and uplifted by all. This is based on the number and kinds, adequacy and currency of resources (Professor-lecturers, Professo, lecturers, Doctor-lecturers, Consultants, Managers, computers) they have. Most universities have adequate resources that best fit the capacity of students. The strength of private institutions is also deduced from the currency (how old or new) of resources at their disposal. All these factors amount to the high cost in attending a private institution.
However, due to some basic logical fallacies and arguments and counter-arguments, one may be hastened to say that private universities are far better than public universities which indeed is not very much true.
Undoubtedly, there are some factors that make private universities not inexpensive than public universities in relation to cost and why the rise in their charges. These factors include:
· Nature of tuition/education/Environmental soundness(quality services delivered)/
There is this typical and anonymous old adage which says that: if you want the best you go to the best. Private universities have qualitative modes of training (Analogy).The level of education in every private university is sound and qualitatively good. This is evident in the number of enrolled students which is proportional to the capacity of the institution.
Recently, a survey analysis was taken by…and ranked Central University College 56th in Africa and best in Ghana(3rd place).Some of the assumptions that they used in their analysis were based on the

· Number of Students enrolled
Comparably, the number of students enrolled annually in private universities to that of the public universities is pretty alarming. In public universities, the average class size is between 200-400 whereas that of the private universities is between 100-120 on the average. This causes congestion and mental nervousness in a class at the same time making it very difficult for the tutor/lecturer to ask for limitless number of questions.
· Level of Brain-drain
Most universities (private and public universities) are affiliated to universities abroad.
· Comfort-ability(class-size,
· Demand
For years now the level of demand for private universities has risen over time. And it should be noted that the higher the demand for a certain kind of good or service the higher the price tends to go. There is more demand for private universities because of the quality and good knowledgeable students they produce.
· Opportunities
Education is all about gaining knowledge and applying the knowledge in the society, community. In view of that, private universities normally have a wide range of selected subjects per person. In the first year, students are introduced to so many kinds of fields ranging from Business to Psychology, History to political Science, Medicine to linguistics, Religious studies to arts and the many.
Indeed, these in the broader sense help to prepare and to equip the student with the pre-requisites and an appreciable level of knowledge about the world around him.
· Abroad Institutions’ affiliate.
For a university to be an affiliate to an oversea university comes in many forms of advantages. Some of these advantages include: international recognition, inflow of aids/support in the form of finances, logistics, and moral support.
Private universities are not operated by governments though many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on the region, private universities may be subject to government regulation.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Monday, March 22, 2010

When Visionless Leaders Rule.

WHEN VISIONLESS LEADERS RULE
In writing this piece I have concurred to a dictum or two which I think shall be of great help to us and to also bring out the real meaning this writing is intended to put across.

Kwame Nkrumah (1st President of Ghana) said “Let us unify ourselves in policies and in action".

The current president of Ghana Prof. E. A, Mills also said that, “fellow Ghanaians, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. Kwame Nkrumah built a good Ghana; let us also unite to build a better Ghana".

It sometimes saddens my inner being whenever I see the leaders of the land backsliding and co-mingling with what needs not to be done.
It is about time the leaders of the land knew how to set their priorities right and good.

Look, we the youth of today have been adviced to provide some sort of solutions to a problem whenever we do criticize, and I am so much glad to have gotten one or more solutions which I think when adopted would help to bring all our problems to minimal.

In view of this, I need to judge fairly void of any bias, since to be true to others, then you must have first of all being true to yourself because

"The highest duty of the writer is to remain true to himself and to let the chips fall where they may".-Anonymous..

The fact is that, the leaders of the land do not know how to set their priorities right and to set them to benefit at least the majority of the people.

They have no idea of separating needs from wants. The leaders do not even know that-in everything, it is always "first thing first".

The first president of America, the man with the integri procedamus,on the day of his inaugural ceremony did say that, he is not going accept or take anything in the form of a token which signifies or praises his presence for being in the office of the presidency.

Yes indeed, he never took any dollar or cent from any citizen or from the tax payer's money. He said the presidency is a call to service and not an imposition. He said it is a voluntary work, and for a reason, would not in any way charge an amount for it.

Down here in Africa, Ghana for precision, the leaders debate and argue strongly over who is to get what and what is to get to whom. This is much evident in the debate over the tale of longer days as in the "ex-gratia".

When there are so many dieing bodies down in the streets of our motherland, they have sought to confide in kalabuleism and the rest.

When, over hundred years since the inception of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Pantang), its pipe lines have never been changed.
Thus in itself is causing a very huge problem, economically and socially to the nation aside the normal bustling of huge water shortages in the country to the detriment of the over-accommodated number of mentally-deranged people admitted there.

Yet, we do celebrate the world's water day.

I strongly think there is no reason to celebrate this event amid our dirty and stinking problems of water bazaar

We have not being able to reduce our maternal death rate by 75%,1 out of every 4 persons do not have a square meal, but about USD25million is to be used to construct new offices for the parliamentarians of the land.

First thing first. Most politicians all over Africa are politically insane and corrupt.

This is because once they get into office, all of a sudden everything of theirs tend to change, from their attitude to their way of living, which indeed can not move the nation any further, regardless of the number of measures the very few moral ones are able to put in place (never forget where you come from and for that matter where you were born).

Aristotle once said that, and I paraphrase: those who hold on to power as an end in itself is inimical to the pursuit of the public interest, and accordingly, to good governance".

Where the leaders need to construct roads to facilitate the efficient and smooth transportation of goods, you see them talking about their salaries.

Where they need to think about how to create employment for their citizenry, they waste the whole day sitting under fully air-conditioned rooms with their girlfriends

Our leaders do not have any thing good for us the youth of Ghana. If they do, I do not think they would be taking $800million as their benefit when people at 'kORLE BU" (government built hospital) are suffering from common water, food and even where to lay their heads.

In fact, our leaders have all failed us. They failed us in advance even before the very first day they cling unto their respective positions.
Now, where do we go from here?

In a society of this sought, the only best alternative move for the less-privileged, the poor, unemployed and the rest is to weird themselves with arms and to fight for survival. Cos' if our leaders are refusing to think like leaders then they need to suffer the consequences of the pain inflicted indirectly on the populace.

This reminds me of a typical saying by Edward Blyden (an ideologist of Pan-africanism), that: we need thinkers, thinkers of great thoughts. We need leaders, born leaders of men.

Time immemorial, Africa has had very few good and dedicated leaders with a vision who undoubtedly are for the interest of the people.
Many also thought that, being in power is an end to poverty and struggle but that is not so. Zimbabwe’s Mugabe and Libya's Muamar Gardaffi are typical examples blaspheming the good name of Africa.

Their major argument is that, because they have relieved the nation from the strong arm of imperialism and colonialism, they should be the rightful persons to lead till.

In fact I was so much perplexed the very day I heard President Mugabe referring to himself as being above the constitution of his own land.

I sometimes weep in my room.
As I type now, my heart is very heavy, why?, because I do not think that the youth of today in Africa have a future and I do not also think the leaders o f our land do have us in mind. No future for the youth, no life. You need to stand up for your own survival.
We are much filled with despair.

It is only the very little ones born with golden spoons in mouth, and those whose parents have happened to give them sound and quality education that have better dream and hope.

May God save Africa and may God save us all.
In reading the book “The man of the people" by Chinua Achebe (one great African writer).I found a much thoughtful and pro-founding statement which made me thought for nearly close to an hour figuring the actual meaning of the true-life meaning of the statement itself.

He said and I paraphrase, “In our time we had a saying. This was the only saying you would ever hear from the mouths of elders and elders, and about soaring and making it in society-(whom you know).

Education in Africa has very little or no value at all. Education becomes useless after you have toiled the length and breadth of their lands about how to make it life, when suddenly it is time to face the job market with difficulty just because-it is all about whom you know.

I wish not for a return to colonial rule but should it happen I would just thank my God.
I am a patriotic AFRICAN; nonetheless, Africans are not ready to govern themselves.

The only mistake that the colonial master did and for that matter failed to realised was the typical saying “Let the people think they govern and they will be governed".-William Penn(1644-1718

Majority of Africans felt that they were being exploited and for that fact have to rebel against the strong arms of theirs.

I totally side with Lord Action when he said "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely".
Because of the absolute clinging to power in my continent, everything is gone haywire. Justice is buried in a sack.
And guess what, they as well expect to see peace and justice. The Nigerian men will say-Lailai.

Never, “Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice anywhere"-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr.

Corruption! Corruption!! Corruption! In Africa we eat under corruption, sleep under corruption, and wake up from corruption.

We do everything under corruption. According to the African Union, corruption alone cost Africa USD148billion a year.

China once pledged Africa $1obillion in low-interest loans over the next three years. This is miserable, the misest thing that should ever happen to a nation.

We also receive $25billion as aid from the West, all to no avail.
Yet, we say we want to develop.

The leaders of Africa should be aware that whatever thing they do, thinking because it was done in the bedroom (Secrecy), they would not be caught.

I strongly believe that "one day, one day-monkey go go market e yo,na e ebi say e no go fit return(One day, at the market, information reaching the corrupt would be that, his time for judgment is come. Then he shall advice himself as to whether to abide by wisdom and not to return home or to return home.
Whatever you do, there will always come a time when someone will look you up-either to thank you or to kill you".-Gen. I. K. Acheampong (A president of Ghana)

A man was once asked whether he does pray for the nation, he said “I look at the leaders and I pray for the nation”. When the leaders are visionary, there is no problem, but when they are not, then I bow down my head in total sorrow to pray for them.

It is just like the captain controlling the rudder. If he or she is inexperienced then all are likely to register their names at the places for the death.

God bless Ghana, God bless Africa and may God bless the world, most of all, God bless me, and may he also bless every woman.
More especially; my mother and my girlfriend.

Amen and Amen
Uncle Ato. (This piece is yet to have its second editing; any difficulty in reading is deeply apologized. One is free to use any part of it in his/her writings)

Monday, March 15, 2010

Nationals to find beauty?

NATIONALS TO FIND BEAUTY?(Our Newees,Oil and Gas in Ghana)
We have, oh! Yes we have, but nationals to find beauty?
Numerous lacking advantages from numerous natural resources ranging from Gold to Salt
Primary commodities, with very little or no value
Very low percentages as returns to fill our heavy bellies while the foreigners of the land take the most of
Yet, we boast of oil when we have not been able to seal our leakages

Oh! Nationals to find beauty,
When hundred years of mining in Ghana there has never being any mining policy
(A legal document, a guiding principle/program/dogma) which defines how a country’s mineral resources are used for national development)
Inviting outsiders call, for imperialism which I fear less but for his brother Neo-colonialism woe to me
What has really gone wrong?

National to find beauty in the newly discovered oil,
To be started by whom when the leaders of the land engage mercilessly in corruption, foreigners
May not neo-colonialist stand for us
May not interlopers bump in unto our shores, and into our internal affairs
But should they do, then, blame no one other than the elders of our motherland


More emphasis is given to our dream oil which is yet to be exploited
Not to say a bird in hand is worth hundred in the bush
But I will say it cos’ the elders of our motherland are noted for their indecisiveness
Visionless leaders, yes visionless policy makers and so-called lobbyist

People (leaders) who do not know the difference between needs and wants
And thus cannot separate these two instead co-mingling them haphazardly
Needs are chosen over wants all in the name of government discretion
Poor I, under the influence of unwittingly misleading leaders of my land, doomed me

Have you not heard many a time that no man can dance with a praying mantis?
Have you not heard also that no one can dispute the forest with a rat?
Yet we say we want to get to where they have gotten to and to be like them
When we have not realized even half the benefits from our already owned resources
But, when did oil booming and boning become a thing of present in the mist of former resources

Nationals to find beauty?
Nationals to find beauty in our education?
Beauty in our Basic necessities(Health,Shelter,Security and Food)?
Beauty in our life-style and for the nation’s economy?


When the pipe-lines of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital has never being changed in over 100yrs
When nuclear power which is proved to be environmentally friendly to the efficient usage of energy consumption is unknown on our soil
When politics on my land is all about the winner takes all, and whichever political party that comes to party must find fault with his predecessors
When politics on my land is noted to leaving uncompleted projects by their predecessors to go down unkempt

Nationals to find beauty?
When the share from the oil will be GHP17 as income per capita (the share every individual will achieve)
Less than 21% as our total share from our own resource
Thank God, because the percentage from the mining sector did not even exceed 6.9% in 2008
What can we do, when our leaders, failures cannot form alliances, coalitions to inter-trade within our own continent because of their selfish gain.
Oh! This reminds me of what Aristotle said concerning politicians that “those who lust for personal power as an end is itself inimical to the pursuit of the public interest, and accordingly, to good government.”

I pray against imperialism and neo-colonialism cos’ they do not interest mother Ghana
I pray against nihilism and guerilla wars on my soil
I pray against the strong dictatorship and the influence of our aiders
Cos when they come, needless to say, our elders can do nothing

How dare you refer to the tainted teeth of the fetish priest
Who are you to probe the your aiders as to whether what course they are embarking upon
Remember, no one can look at a newly born baby without a smile
And you cannot be smarter than the smartest

Beauty already exists and can be exploited
Beauty lies in our hawkers who are sacked from the street with very little or no allotment
Leaving them to live in aw, indirectly telling them to pick up arm and any other vice for their survival
Beauty already lies in our Art industry (The National Culture) where almost nothing happens

In our festivals void of any chieftaincy disputes and boycotting, there we can find beauty
Beauty in the form of tourist patronizing our traditional festivals and paying a fee to have a feel of our culture
Beauty already lies in our politics
Where corruption does cost the nation not less than GHC1, 500,000 annually .
If we can be sincere and loyal to Ghana our motherland, and to be patriotic to Kwame Ghana our Father
Then we can soar like the master eagle

Beauty lies in the eyes of the simple and the prudent
The committed and the loyal
God bless us all, and God bless Mother Ghana
Amen.