Leadership, Governance and Public Life

The recent controversy surrounding comments made by the Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, should concern every Ghanaian who cares about the independence and credibility of our democratic institutions. The issue is not simply whether the Chief Justice intended to make a political statement. It is whether, given the office he occupies, his choice of words […]

Today marks one year since Ghana lost eight of her own, dedicated government officials, a party leader, and military personnel, in a helicopter crash that fell out of a clear sky and into the heart of a nation. They were travelling from Accra to Obuasi for a programme connected to the fight against illegal mining.

I have already written about the wisdom in Robert Greene’s first law of power, the counsel to avoid making a superior feel threatened by your talent. There is genuine strategic value in restraint, and I still believe that. But there is a version of this principle that worries me, not the individual practising discretion in

Robert Greene’s first law of power counsels restraint. Never outshine the master. Let those above you feel secure in their position, because a superior who feels threatened by your talent will rarely reward it. More often, they will find a way to punish it. There is real wisdom in that observation, and I will not

Power does not create character. It reveals it. Give authority to a person of genuine character and you will see service, patience, and the courage to make difficult decisions for the good of others. Give the same authority to a person who was never prepared to carry it, and you will see something else entirely:

Leadership is built on influence, not intimidation. Yet one of the greatest mistakes some leaders make is believing that people who fear them are loyal to them. They mistake silence for respect, obedience for commitment, and compliance for trust. These are not the same. Fear can make people follow instructions. Only trust makes people follow

Entrepreneurs deserve recognition for the role they play in society. They identify opportunities where others see obstacles. They take risks that many people are unwilling to take. They invest their savings, endure uncertainty, create products and services, and, perhaps most importantly, create jobs. Every thriving business began as someone’s idea. Without entrepreneurs, many communities would

Fighting Over Another Person’s Property: An African Reflection on Inheritance, Entitlement, and Legacy There is a scene that plays out with uncomfortable regularity across African homes, family compounds, law courts, and WhatsApp family groups. A man or woman spends the better part of their adult life working. They wake up early. They go to bed

One of the most searching tests of any governance framework does not manifest during periods of institutional prosperity, strategic expansion, or celebrated achievement. It manifests, with unrelenting clarity, at the moment when leadership must transition from one generation to the next. Institutions that project outward confidence, operational vitality, and strategic coherence frequently discover their most

There are some battles in life that are easy to understand. When people fight over land, we understand why. Land has value. When families fight over inheritance, painful as it may be, we understand the attraction. Wealth changes lives. When politicians spend millions of cedis campaigning for public office, we may disagree with their methods,