African billionaire Elumelu, Kim, others meet in Ghana to End Poverty

I am not certain if the World Bank chose the University of Ghana as its venue for the ‘Shared Prosperity Forum’ or it’s the other way round, that the University of Ghana invited the World Bank to host its #EndPoverty Campaign on its soil. Does that really matter? Yes?

I arrived at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana at 2:50pm on Friday 16^th October 2015. The Program was billed to begin at 3:45pm and end at 5:45pm, a push ahead of October 17, which is ‘End Poverty Day’ a commemorative day observed by the United Nations.

As i sat, waiting for the program to commence, soulful Jazz rocked, just then, some questions flooded my mental space, one of which recurred over and over:

‘Can we end poverty?’

We were seated inside the Great Hall of Ghana’s Premier Higher Institution of Learning; the University of Ghana, being in the front lines, training people to solve problems. Graphically, poverty resembles that monster with weapons and ammunitions, ravishing homes and causing untold frustrations in alarming proportions. To this end, an army had gathered. A commander from South Korea with Generals from Nigeria, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal. Let the war begin!!!

Pre-commencement

Participants filed into the Auditorium. I spotted some high level opinion leaders, Diplomats and Students.  Slowly, it was getting filled but just about thirty minutes to the commencement, more people, especially students galloped in. Media houses kept busy positioning and repositioning equipment. Joy News, Live Fm, FTV et al.

At 3:44, I took another full scan of the Great Hall and it was filled to capacity with overflows outside. Mind you, this was a rare opportunity for anybody to listen to great minds and capture historic photos of Dr. Jim Yong Kim and his crusaders.

Banner

The mounted banner stretched from one end of the stage to the other, on it was printed the ‘End Poverty’ logo, interspersed with two globes. The ‘End Poverty’ logo was in different colours, which I believe signifies the fight to end poverty was happening in every continent.  I was at the right place at the right time.

 Commencement

At exactly 4pm, Nhyira Addo alias the ‘rainmaker’; Host of Joy fm Morning show mounted the podium. ‘This aeroplane is air-borne’ I said to myself. ‘Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the World Bank Shared Prosperity Forum.....’  His delivery was impeccable; voice? Lively and musical, even finer than what one often heard on radio. Perhaps, radio waves steals some savoury in one’s voice. Maybe?

Nhyira Addo paused for half a second, took a half breathe, scanned the audience and delivered another powerful introduction. This time, It was to invite 2015 Ghana New Artiste of the Year, MsVee; the Natural Girl Dancehall Queen. MzVee is spotted in one of the ‘End Poverty’ T-shirts.

Opening her performance with Bob Marley’s ‘No wo man No cry’, she switched to her ‘Borkor Borkor’, ‘Natural Girl’, ‘Dancehall Queen’  tracks. Me? Was I dancing? (laughs) I had to restrain myself as the temptation to slalom on stage was high, rather, I nodded as she effortlessly cruised from one song to another. It was like one long song with many parts. While she was at it, the dignitaries filed in.

First, Professor Jane Naane Opoku-Agyemang, the Ghanaian Minister of Education at 4pm. Then, Dr. Jim Yong Kim and his Officials at the World Bank, Mr. Makhtar Diop, Vice President of World Bank Africa Region followed almost immediately. Dr. Kim was all smiles, nodding as MsVee performed. Oh such a bubbly man.

Next to arrive was one of Africa’s wealthiest Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists, Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu. Yes, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, The United Bank of Africa, Transcorp, Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and one of 20 Most Powerful People in Africa according to Forbes. He wore a grey Suit with a red necktie and red socks to match. A minute later, the Prime minister of Democratic Republic of Congo was ushered in. Finally came, Mr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of African Development Bank.

Akwaaba (Welcome)

As expected, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Ernest Aryeetey had the honour of giving the first words and rightly so as head of the University. He walked onto the stage with such pride and urgency, offering his appreciation to all for coming. He could have chosen to hijack the stage to talk about himself and the university and what-not from the birth of Adam till the death of Jesus. He chose not to. In fact, His welcome address inspired hope yet did not last more than 120 seconds. Kudos Mr. Vice Chancellor.

Mr. Makhtar Diop was next on the bill. His task was to give an introductory remark. He was quick to express his delights at the strides being made by the University of Ghana in developing leaders for the world stage. The Senegalese Diplomat gave us more than we asked for. How? ‘That the Democratic republic of Congo was a shining example of an African country fighting poverty tooth and nails.

He quickly nailed down the fact that the Democratic Republic of Congo under the leadership of Matata Ponyo Mapon had kept inflation at 1% since 2013, which was at a staggering 53% in 2009, despite the fragility of the country’s economy. Who is this Matata Poyon Mapon?

Enters: His Excellency Matata Ponyo Mapon

Those who did not see the average-height man when he entered the Hall, due largely to the numbers around him (Understandable for the First Gentlemen of every country) waited patiently for this opportunity. Rounds of applause slapped the insides of the Hall as he made his way to the podium. Mr. Matata Ponyo Mapon speaking for almost half an hour explained that his government continues to implement tough economic reforms in fighting poverty and creating wealth. He backed his points with one statistic after the other.

‘Two roads diverged in the wood, and I -

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference’

Robert Frost (The road not taken)

Referring to the above, Mr. Matata Ponyo Mapon shared his motivation in all he did. Hey, Big ups to all lovers of Poetry in Africa!

Enters: Lerato

Lerato Mbele, the South Africa Journalist who works with the British Broadcasting Corporation had been billed to moderate the Panel discussions davos style. She invited the Panellists, Dr. Kim, Mr, Adesina,  Professor Opoku-Agyeman and Mr. Elumelu.

Lerato laid grounds rules. Panellists were encouraged to give short straight-forward answers. Participants were urged to clap in solidarity with opinions from the panellists and to keep a ‘straight face’ when they disagreed with panellists.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang

Lerato punched the Ghanaian minister with the first question ‘What do you understand by poverty and who are the most vulnerable to poverty?’ The Minister in response believed women and children were most vulnerable. She reminded us of Kwegyir –Aggrey in 1923, who said that ‘If you educate a woman, you educate a family’.

Dr. Jim Yong Kim

Dr. Kim who heads the World Bank Group; a Physician and Anthropoligist by training, is such an exceptional brain. His economic insights and ability to speak in a clear understandable manner is enviable. On which groups of people were more vulnerable to poverty, he said:

‘I think it’s the poor child living in and around rural areas between the ages of 0-5’

‘It’s the height of unfairness to relegate children under age five to never being able to learn’

‘Children have to be able to learn anything and quickly we have to dedicate a huge portion of our operations to the achievement of this objective.

Addressing students, Dr. Kim said ‘This is the most important thing i can tell you, the Korea of 1959 is now the Africa of 2015, we talk about Africa Rising but in quiet conversations we hear all kinds of talk about impossible, you know what we hear from the prime minister about DRC lots of people were saying that’s impossible, don’t ever believe and certainly don’t believe it by yourselves’

Mr. Akinwumi Adesina

Mr. Adesina, was more concerned about the essence of agriculture, arguing that, agribusiness and technology is Africa’s best bet at reducing poverty. We were all thrown into laughter when he joked that even doctors advised patients to take their medication after meals, hence the unavoidability of agriculture.

‘65% percent of all the arable lands in the world are not in Asia, Latin America, right here in Africa, great sunshine, great water, cheap labour, you thrown anything up, it comes down, it grows’.

‘Today, Africa, Ghana, Liberia, Cote d’ivoire, Cameroon produce 75% of all the cocoa in the world but we get only 3% of a hundred billion dollar market. I went to Belgium one day and I went to a store and picked up a chocolate, and it was written on it, manufacturers, we’ve been in business since 1863. So I asked the person, do you want to know what i really think, Africa has been doing the wrong thing since 1863’

Mr. Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu

Easy talking Mr. Elumelu agreed that agriculture and agribusiness was the way forward adding. Lerato sought to suggest that young people had less interest in agriculture. Tony disagreed and posited that actual statistics proved otherwise. He then advanced that thirty percent of applicants to the Tony Elumelu Foundation entrepreneurship Program actually needed support to grow their agribusinesses.

‘In recent times, African investments in Africa have now surpassed foreign investments in Africa’

Lerato and Tony

Lerato: How did you get out of poverty to wealth? Five factors?

Tony: Hard work, enabling environment. Discipline, Culture of saving, Long term thinking, Align with people with similar perspectives. And it is the combination of these and more that accounts for my success

Trust me; it’s very difficult, almost impossible to limit the likes of Elumelu.

6pm

The night had been largely a mastermind sharing of ideas. Lerato had hinted by her line of questioning that she was drawing the curtains down. The Ghanaian Minister, being the only woman panellist knew how to make her presence felt when the question fell in her area of expertise; education. She took the bull by the horn when Lerato asked her about a child who doesn’t want to study mathematics because he prefers to be an Artist and still make a great contribution, throwing her fellow panellists and audience into rapturous rounds of applause

She argued that the manner in which science and mathematics has been taught has been the challenge, adding that it formed the foundation, adding the language uses to instruct students have been another barrier.

‘It is those who have taught it who have not taught it well and let me tell you that my ministry has since 2013 retrained almost 2000 science and mathematics teachers across the country’ ...

‘let me use a very practical example, of a child whose mum processes palm oil, from the farm to the oil, if this is not science, then I don’t know what science is’

(Audience charge, giving rounds after rounds of applause) She continued:

‘Take the seamstress who sews for example, she uses a scissors. The scissors is a scientific instrument and the way she cuts her materials is mathematics. If this is not mathematics, then I don’t know what it is’.

(The Hall becomes smaller as the cheers intensify. Dr. Kim and his colleagues can’t hide their excitement)

‘Nothing stopped Korea from using their language, by using their language; it didn’t stop them from making the fridges and phones that we import, because Koreans were taught in a language they understood, the equation picked up. Because we are teaching our children in a language they can’t even follow, we are drawing them back’

*Sweat profusely*---*Wipes brow*---*Drinks water*

Conclusion

The Ghanaian Minister better be ready to answer more questions because the local media landscape and social media will gruel her ideas the hardest way they can, pass it through the magnifying glass and test its strength. Is her proposition on local language as medium of instruction of learning feasible? Now or Later?

As for Lerato, she knew she had reached the climax and that there was no better time to end the conversation than now. Lady and gentlemen, your final comments on how we can end poverty?

Dr. Adesina: ‘Just end it’

Mr. Elumelu: ‘create employment and embrace local value industrial activities

Dr. Kim: ‘Listen to young people and listen to the women' Smart Kim. (Audience erupt again)

Honourable Opoku-Agyemang: Focus on quality education delivered in the right medium.

Announcement

Diplomats are guarded out

Photography and Exchange of pleasantries

Refreshment

I stepped out, hopped on a bus and returned home. Thank you for your time. #spidup

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Effective and Efficient —An unclear dichotomy?

It is very easy to confuse efficiency as the same as effectiveness. There is nothing farther from the truth. The two can quite easily be opposites if we take a closer look. In everyday language, we can easily say a person is efficient and actually mean they are effective.  Hopefully your view will be well-formed by the end of this article and you will begin to look for effectiveness and not efficiency.

Efficient actually means you are good at keeping things the way they are—you meet the standard. There is a system and a standard in place, you follow it very well enough not to upset it. So that most people are in fact efficient (normal or average performers) and form the 80% of the population that keep things the way they are. As long as we remain efficient in what we do, we will get good results but nothing will change. There will be no breaking of new grounds. This is detrimental to human progress as by nature, the world itself is in a perpetual state of growth and nothing stays the same. The mobile phone in your hand has not always been the way it is. It has been continuously changed by effective people who consistently sought to improve.  It is normal for people to be born into the world, live and die. That is normal and a person can get very good at living life efficiently without making any real difference. Efficient leadership therefore, actually keeps us where we are— maintaining the status quo.

Effective on the other hand is another matter altogether. There are certain individuals who’s very presence challenges everyone and everything around them. They know not another way to live but to change things for the better. Such persons are responsible for the progress mankind enjoys. As soon as they become a part of something, that thing must change. It is the reason they are referred to as game changers. These are the effective people— the 10% responsible for raising the bar for everyone else to catch up. They are peak performers.

So that we can easily see what can be described as an effective leader and efficient leader. It is the difference between a person who got into a position and a person who actually lead the way with something they did. Effectiveness is what Jesus meant when he said “you are the salt of the earth”. Salt by nature is an effective change agent. You know immediately when the food is missing salt just as you know when Barcelona is missing Messi. When a person is born into the world, he must leave it improved—something about the world must be better or something of great benefit must come into existence because of his presence.

This then is the difference between being efficient and being effective. Most importantly it is imperative for every one of us to evaluate ourselves regarding our effectiveness. And if we are in a leadership position, ensure that we are true leaders and not position occupiers. What is the nature of your influence on the organization you are part of? How has that group changed for the better since you became part of it? May you receive grace to be the salt of any group you are a part of. May things begin to move because of you.
#spidup #hopemanexhortations

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An unsual portrait of leadership

Peak Performance makes leaders. Peak performers are people who because of integrity with themselves, always function from strength and are always in possession of a vision that others find difficult to comprehend. Because of this, they are often leaders—they chart a new course that others must follow. There appears to be a huge misunderstanding about what leadership really is. Papa Oyedepo described it in the most interesting way and I paraphrase;

most people think leadership is about being promoted or elected into a position.  The answer is more complex than that. It is about doing something more than others in a particular field so that others don’t have a choice but to follow your example. They must fight to catch up with you. You must lead the way by taking humanity to its next level of evolution.

It is not surprising that the proponent of this idea built the largest Church auditorium in the world in a so-called third world country. He epitomizes leadership and he is certainly a peak performer. In this regard, men like Steve jobs can clearly be described as leaders not because he headed an organization, but more because of the nature of the things that came into existence because of him and how people did not have a choice but to emulate. He led the way with the ipod, the ipad and a host of other products. In effect, he had a leadership/Peak Performance mindset because there was nothing he touched that didn’t become the new standard and this appeared to happen by default. Whiles a lot have been said by experts about his leadership style and how others will fail if they followed his pattern; little has been said about his advantage as performance conscious individual. If you always lead, people do not really have a choice but to follow. Creating leading products made him a magnet of people. Everyone is attracted to success, greatness and the visions that make them possible. So much so, that even “Hitler and Stalin” had followers.

I submit to you that; if you lead the way with everything you do, people will not have a choice but to follow. The biggest thing about Steve Jobs may not be his people management skills. Yet those who worked with him are always inspired by his need to break new grounds. For that they are driven enough to follow him and he never failed to bring them to the promise land as long as they accept the challenge of the journey. If Steve is building something, you know you want to see it. Things are not that different for Papa Oyedepo as he has had his fair share of criticism regarding his people management skills. I had the privilege of sitting in a leadership class handled by the Apostle General of Royal House Chapel Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah recently. Those traits were clearly present as his very words left all participants in a challenged frame of mind. He demands everyone to be the best—you have to be stupid to not want to be your best.  The crux of the matter is simple, true leaders by their very need to break new grounds will cause a useful discomfort somehow. But those uncomfortable moments are moments of impartation and those who survive it become leaders in their own right.

So that we can easily see what can be described as an effective leader and efficient leader. There is a difference between a person who got into a position and a person who actually lead the way with something they did. When a person is appointed or elected into a position, we are able to tell whether they maintained the status quo or brought us to a new level of development.

In the case of Africa, we cannot afford any more efficient leaders. We need true leaders as we seem to be stuck in one place barely even meeting the standard.  The nature of any group is a reflection of its leadership. Being stuck in one place in a matter of time transmogrifies into retrogression because nature doesn’t have the space for it. It is the reason why you will soon find snakes in your lawn when you abandon it for too long and find spiders and all kinds of co-inhabitants in your house when you leave it unattended for too long. #spidup #hopemanexhortations

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The Comedian And Platinum Entrepreneurial Solutions Conference 15 : Was It A Success?

There is no doubt that we have entered a new era in Africa; the era of entrepreneurship. A clear indication that people are beginning to take the bull by the horns and blast their way into the next phase of Africa’s prosperity.

Week after week we hear of entrepreneurship conferences happening at one corner of town or the other. Week after week, new businesses are born. Week after week, global leaders emerge. Akosua Konadu Owusu, Platinum Exposure and the Knutsford Fraternity will not be left out of the game changers revolution. Theirs is the Platinum Entrepreneurial Solutions Conference (PESC 15) held at Knutsford University College on 22^nd October, 2015. The conference was billed to begin at 10am.

Knutsford University College is located on Bamako road behind Mensvic Grand Hotel. The University is hidden in the crevice of plush East Legon with a design like one of England’s Old Cathedrals. Painted colour white including the generator that sat at the entrance.

Inside the auditorium; I was amazed by the number of roll-up stands mounted. Akosua’s team had managed to secure sponsorship from Tigo Ghana, ASN Financial Services, Surfline, Kwaku David, Invents, First Capital Plus, America Cola, Rush energy Drink, FiestaGH, Ende, Roots, Indomie, Minimie, T-Best among others. This is by far the largest pool of sponsors I have witnessed for an event of this kind this year. Event organisers will help themselves by seeing Akosua for some tips.

Foster Romanus is in the building!!! The rising Ghanaian comedian hovered around. Initially, I assumed he was billed as one of the mentors for the day; perhaps, there are those who desire to make a living by ‘fooling’ themselves left right centre. I was wrong. He was to be the Master of Ceremony. Akosua paaaa!!! Hahahahahahaha

Mentoring Session

Ato Ulzen Appiah of Ghana Think Foundation; the face behind Bar Camps, Adu Amani of Adu Amani Clothing and Paul Agbai of Invents drove participants through this segment. Ato Ulzen molested his mentoring class with questions, such that when you answered, another was waiting. He’s got some amazing perspectives to raising capital and about understanding your Customer. Ultimately, he advised, ‘start small’ and ‘if your application for sponsorship is rejected, still invite the individual or organization to attend your event.’

We did not have to wait for long before the crème de la crème issue surfaced like in all entrepreneurship gatherings: ‘How to raise capital’. Ato surely knew what was coming. He asked, ‘For instance, if we gave you three thousand Ghana Cedis for your business, how will you use it?’ People’s eyes widened and they became ever alert. A middle-aged man answering said, ‘Ah! This money is too small for my business.’

Like seriously? I almost burst with laughter. There were some pretty answers though. Ato capped the session by sharing how his organization secured funding for the maiden Bar camp. Do contact Ato for details.

Akosua’s Birthday

Foster Romanus then ‘forced’ us to sing happy birthday song for the Lead Coordinator Akosua Konadu Owusu. Foster, fascinated by cute Adu Amani insisted she led the birthday song for Akosua. Ah! Singing too be force? (laughs).  Please come closer, I need to whisper what I’m just about to say.

(Earlier, in introducing Adu Amani, Foster Romanus said ‘Let’s welcome with a round of applause Mr. Adu Amani’. Like seriously? Ms Oyoo Quartey was the other victim of his overdose comedy. ‘Let’s welcome Ms. Oyoo Quartey, Co-founder of Story Foundry). How? Foster? How? It’s Store Foundry ok. Meanwhile, his eyes fixated curiously on the writings in the programme leaflet from which he read. Well?

Keynote Address by Mr. Kwabena Essel; Founder of Knutsford University College

‘By the 18^th century, the whole world moved to the use of machines to do what man earlier did with their hands. Those who took advantage today are called industrialized countries.’ Mr. Essel punched. He spoke at length weaving in and out of history, business, Ages, Psychology, Economic Outlook, Students, Entrepreneurs and the future.

‘See opportunities and think outside the box in solving problems’ was how Mr. Essel brought his train to a halt. The Visionary had spoken for close to an hour admonishing participants. Naa Oyoo Quartey’s task was to be more difficult. How? She needed to win back the attention of those students who felt they had just been subjected to a ‘boring’ doctoral lecture, lengthy? Yes, but any aspiring entrepreneur cannot ignore the admonishing of a successful entrepreneur in the person of Mr. Kwabena Essel who founded the University. What have you founded?

Oyoo Quartey Releases The Brakes and Accelerates

As first speaker of the day, Oyoo Quartey, Co-founder of Store Foundry and a Social Media Enthusiast knew that she had the unenviable task of setting the pace and energy that would mark the event’s success or otherwise. She released the brakes by opting to descend the podium and rather talk with participants. Her point was unmistakable. She had not come to preach.

‘How many of you are doing what you really love to do?’ Oyoo asked. She didn’t expect an immediate answer but to provoke participant’s thought process. Participants adjusted their bottoms in the red couches and sat upright in order to grasp the core of her message . She continued.  

‘We have to learn to kill mediocrity, we have to kill it.’ Oyoo challenged. I mused, ‘eeeii Oyoo, It seems like you have come paaa’. Clearly, she was levelling mental strongholds. Me? Lying? Alright, let me prove it. Oyoo asks two students who the founder of Facebook was. They had no idea. These are university students for God’s sake. She knew she could hit harder and score the goal. Their minds were fertile.

‘A lot of you waste time on social media just chatting your time away’ her sultry voice sank through; one could literally touch the passion which accompanied her every utterance.

‘We have to kill that thing where people say Made in Ghana goods are not good’ Wow, some rhyming. Good! 'We have to learn to talk less and do more, Something that cause people pain and you bring the idea, they’ll pay you for it.’ She took some questions. She was done for the day.

Jesse Jets Off

Foster Romanus in introducing the next speaker said ‘When I began my career as a comedian some years back, people thought I was an armed robber. It was this man who encouraged me and ten years down the lane; I look back and say wow’. ‘It is my singular pleasure to invite Mr. Jesse Agyapong, the Marketing Director of Tigo Ghana.’ Foster announced beaming with smiles.

A well groomed young man in his late thirties took the floor. His first statement was a question cum appeal cum instruction. He asked participants who sat at the back to move forward. Their response was snailish. He makes the appeal again and a third time. Still, the response was snailish. Jesse says, ‘If I fail at persuading you to come forward, I might fail at communicating my simple message to you today.’ Boom! Period!

Jesse takes off without further camaraderie, as if to say ‘Join the flight or join the flight’. In the most practical of ways, Jesse compresses a marketing degree course into a thirty minute presentation.

Using the case of the lanky student of New Century Training School who wishes to start a business in the energy supply sector, Jesse traversed the terrains of Problem identification and Analysis, Customer Identification and Segmentation, Competitive Advantage, Target Consumer Understanding Tool and Marketing Brand Funnel.

I was amazed at how he brought marketing home and explained the concept of ‘A day in the life of your customer’. People like Jesse are needed in classrooms too. No, he is more needed on the field. And to imagine that Jesse has not branded himself a speaker speaks a ton. If he does explore this area, Tigo Ghana risks losing him to full time speaking in the long run.

‘The greatest joy you have is when the customer moves from consideration to purchase your product’...Jesse Agyapong definitely went beyond the consideration stage in the minds of his listeners.

John Armah grabs the Baton

John Armah, Director of the Ghana Centre for Entrepreneurship, Employment and Innovation received the baton with firmly planted feet. He sprints forth with a talk on the essence of having a Business Plan.

‘I thought a business plan was not important until I went into business, so I refer to it being the document that will guide my thoughts’. John’s delivery is a replica of John the Baptist in the Bible. Though I could hand count the number of people in the auditorium, he spoke as though he were addressing a thousand-seater audience. There are those who get discouraged when the crowd they expect to speak with is less by one. He was not bothered by the numbers.

‘If you have the idea but don’t find the people who are ready to pay for it, then you are not in business. The idea is not the success; the business is the success, Let me tell you, ideas exists already, the difference is in how you structure yours.’  John said.

About funding, he opined that, ‘When you don’t have the wisdom to know where the capital is, how do you access it? I did not have a cedi when I started my business. You said you’ve done graphic designing, you have a laptop and you say you are unemployed, fire burn you!’

Not just these, he possesses a rare skill at posing red-hot questions. He asks questions in a way that stops you in your holy tracks, forcing you to go like ‘I think I can do better.’

I advise you get in touch with John for a chat. I intend to do same. In wrapping up, he quoted 1 Corinthians 3:16: ‘I planted, Apollos watered but God gave the increase’. Mr. John Armah, of the Orios Group had planted. Bernard Kelvin Clive was going to water.

Amazon Best Seller Bernard Opens Doors

‘Most of us have lost our true identity. We have lost our identities in the shoes of others. We are in the wrong tracks but we are running very fast. When you look back, beyond your wigs and make-ups, who are you?’, ‘Are you sitting and your heart standing? You are doing one thing but your heart is in another thing’ Bernard asked. ‘I came to resurrect the dead.’ Bernard began with aplomb.

He then took participants through ‘PURPOSE’ which as he defines it mean Passion, Understanding, Resources, Position, Opportunities, Service, and Earn.

Bernard Kelvin Clive plays the ‘Sweeper’ role, a football term for a special kind of midfielder. I can even liken him to the Fernando Torres of Chelsea against Barcelona in 2012 and the Neymar Jnr of Barcelona against Bayern Munich in 2014. At his peak, He is the ‘Zinedine Zidane’ of Branding and Success Coaching.

He operates like the ‘queen’ piece in the game of Chess. He mops up the speech of his colleagues with such mastery that’s been tested of fire, brimstone, water, thunder, lightning and dumsor. No wonder he kept asking participants, ‘When you are naked, when you are naked, when you are naked, who really are you?’ (not physical nakedness though). Bernard is usually the last man to walk off the pitch. He symbolises the embodiment of Consistency and an amalgamation of little things done well.

No wonder he defines himself as ‘the man who opens doors’. He closed the Platinum Entrepreneurial Solutions Conference 2015 but no doubt opened the door of hope for his listeners and friends.

Closing

Yeah! There was a lunch break along the line. I had America Cola drink and 7A unique Pie, while chatting the time away with Adu Amani, Founder of Adu Amani Clothing. (A one-on-one with Adu Amani coming soon and I’m excited already) I used the lunch break to visit the exhibition stands and the items on display were amazing, mostly handcrafts.

The program closed around 4:30pm, only downside being delay in start of event. John Armah according to the programme line-up was to speak at 12:50 but it wasn’t until 3pm before it was his turn. Akosua admitted the delay, apologized and promised to incorporate lessons learnt into their next event.  

I made some new friends including Nana, Laud, Chris and Baaba. Wonderful people trust me. Thank you for staying with us. I hope you enjoyed the read. I’ll love to hear from you and very importantly, your suggestions and feedback. Also, do let us know if you have an event coming up, I’d love to do a special review for you. Spid-up

You can reach me directly at sharkmellon@gmail.com. I blog poetry at sharkmellon.blogspot.com.

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Pizza Wars. Eddys or Papas?

The eating of Pizza does not fascinate me as much as the names of Pizza joints. In Ghana like other west African countries, eating pizza is becoming a craze, a somewhat irresistible crave. Bread and stew? Whew! That’s the funny way some people refer to it. 

Trust me, there are people who eat pizza as much as politicians are daily accused of corruption. It’s that frequent, boy! For others, it’s a ‘dream come true’ on Occasions. No wonder, Pizza joints in Ghana hit the jackpot on holidays. Several see people throng them like Mega Church Crusades and or 31^st December Nights.

Congregants at a crusade drown the stage, in an attempt to catch the Preacher’s attention. Pizza Wait staff likewise witness all forms of threat from ‘congregants’ if their pizzas did not appear the next minutes.

‘Lady, if you need to get into that kitchen  and fan the oven, you better do so because if I don’t receive my pizza in sixty seconds, I will ...’ He doesn’t end his statement before another aggrieved customer jumps in, ‘Hey lady, where is my pizza? You took my money and now you are here doing what ...’ the staff is confused now. She does not know whose question she should answer. The customers are screaming now ‘Where is the manager!!!’

In Ghana, there are two names that lead the chart in the hearts of Pizza lovers. Common! Spare me that look, Its Eddys Pizza and Papas Pizza. My focus is to examine what these figure heads are doing to get your attention, as they fight for a larger chunk of the cake called ‘customers’.  This undoubtedly is a microcosm of Performance. ‘Microcosm, are you kidding me?’ Yes, microcosm. Assessing their performance will ultimately be measured by the level of satisfaction their customers enjoy.

Branches

The headquarters of Eddys Pizza sits on No. 66, Ringroad, the same building where Mr. Harry Zakour has run his famous Bus Stop Restaurant for about thirty (30 years). Eddys Pizza, when it began, enjoyed some goodwill’ as a result of its location on the same premises with renowned Mr Zakour.

Interestingly, the Bus Stop restaurant, which has now a pale shadow of its former self now benefits from Eddys Pizza, which is generally viewed as the ‘People’s Darling’. ‘A good turn deserves another’, they say. How? You buy Pizza from Eddys and marry it with beer from Zakour (for those who take alcoholic drinks).

Papas Pizza, on the other hand, minding their own business at East legon, on the American House Road, suddenly heard a rumour about Eddys, bringing the game to their doorstep, right under their nose; their headquarters. Initially, it seemed a joke.

One morning in 2014, Papas woke up to realise that the Eddys Contingent had set up Camp about 200meters away.  ‘What?’ he exclaimed. A closer look revealed that Eddys had forgotten to come along with a generator (laughs). Like seriously? Going to bake pizza without power?

Papas began to hatch a grander plan. ‘An eye for an eye’. ‘A tooth for a tooth’.  By midyear 2015, Papas had set up on the Ring road close to the Police Headquarters, and ironically named the newest shop ‘Papas Pizza Osu’. Clearly, this is a Tyson and Hollyfield affair.   

Papas Pizza has a branch at Spintex, Eddys Pizza have an ‘Opening Soon’ banner at Spintex, mounted on the building they intend to occupy. Yes, a banner. The question is ‘Are they ready for another bout with Papas on the streets of Spintex?’ If yes, the earlier the better. If no, continued stay ‘Opening Soon’ could damage their general reputation. Opening soon? Hey! It’s almost two years right? What kind of ‘Soon’ is this?

Glo Telecommunications Network, prior to entering the Ghanaian market made all the noise. Remember? However, by the time they actually opened for service, they had developed sore throat from the loud singing.   

Pizza flavours

Papas Pizza manages with about twenty (20) varieties of Pizza while Eddys run twenty-two types. See? However, Papas Pizza has managed to attract John Dumelo, Ghanaian movie star and Businessman (of course, including his followers) to the Papas’ Home. The brains behind Papas have gone the next step to honour him with a J.Melo Pizza. That’s Strategic leveraging. Hold on! Before you run off, Caroline Sampson of Yfm (inside the Silverbird Cinemas, Accra Mall) fame is also on their train.

Which Star is on the Eddys’ train? Does it matter? Eddys have managed to transform the ‘Supreme’ and ‘Meat Lovers’ flavours into some kind of tin-gods. If you try these, you could go bankrupt in your attempt to satisfy your appetite. The only turn-off will be ‘delay’ in having your Pizza baked.  Just visit Trip Advisor for further details. Eddys Pizza. Their website puts ready time at 20 minutes though.  

Customer Service

I cannot say anything about this. Do visit any of their branches on separate occasions. Eddys, perhaps on a weekend and Papas, on a holiday. Your personal experience will be the best assessment of their performances in this area of hospitality. Oh blimey! Forgive me. Pizza eaters constantly leave their reviews on Trip Advisor. You can pause and check them out. Those who don’t take customer service seriously in their business lose out by huge margins and risk collapsing the business.

Staff Attire

Papas Pizza Front staffs are often spotted in Jeans trousers with T-shirt and a Cap to match. Shoes? They wear flats. In my mind, I’m thinking, this aids smart movement in serving customers. In developed countries, this is how Pizza front staff dresses. Talk of Dominos Pizza and Papa Johns Pizza in the United States of America.

Eddys Pizza management, on the other hand, have for a greater part of their existence, preferred to have their front staff don attires that could make anyone mistake them for Bank workers. They often don white or black long sleeves shirt over a pair of black trousers, a necktie and black shoes. Ladies wear black heeled shoes.  This may be the Eddys way of standing out from the crowd, but in a pizza joint, where movement and speed rank topmost; their mode of dressing will be counterproductive.

What have I been saying all along? *Sips Apple Juice* Eddys Pizza and Papas Pizza are in a race, One thinks he has arrived and is gradually losing out, while the other, relatively less popular, continues to push the limits in order to win more customers and conquer new territories. The former thinks he has the customers already while the latter is doing everything to win customer loyalty.

Ooosh! I did not comment on the taste of the Pizzas. *I will be right back. Two hours should be enough*

Thank you for staying with me. I took a break to do some consulting with friends who often patronise Eddys and Papas, so that I could juxtapose their experiences with mine.

Conclusion

Many pizza lovers claim and I agree that Papas Pizza does not taste as nice as Eddys but they are great with their time. Also, a good number of my friends think they have been improving the taste of the Pizzas.

Who is who? Eddys Pizza or Papas Pizza; War Of The Pizza Mongers.

Footnotes

1. Eddys and Eddys Pizza are one and the same though used interchangeable to achieve certain effect.

2. Papas and Papas Pizza are one and the same though used interchangeable to achieve certain effect.

Image Credits

1st image: www.asiagopizza.com

2nd image: www.eddyspizza.com

3rd image: www.santabarbara.com

4th image: www.dailymail.co.uk

5th image: www.papaspizza.com.gh

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In Praise Of Our Ghanaian Foods

To say we're spoilt for choice when it comes to the wide variety of foods we have in Ghana would be a gross understatement!! Words like blessed, advantaged, favored

( and on and on) come into mind as I ponder over all the various staples we have in the country that can readily be combined into mouth watering  and healthy dishes that tickle one's culinary fantasy.

As we travel across the length and breathe of the country, across the various regions, we come across root crops, cereals, grains and a variety of vegetables that come together in culinary harmony to give us dishes that not only stimulate our taste buds but also serve as a befitting answer to our hunger pangs. 

Yam, cassava, plantain, maize, millet and many more are metamorphosed into foods such as 'Fufu' '3tó' , 'Banku', 'Gari', porridges and many more. Rice is reinvented into age- old favorites such as 'Jollof', 'Waakye' and 'Omo Tuo'. Our unbelievable array of vegetables are changed into various stews, soups and sauces that serve as worthy partners to these various preparations.

Wow! What more can a people ask for? It should be a walk in the park, a done deal when it comes to appreciating and utilizing our wonderful foods right? wrong. I would stick my neck out at this point and try to identify 2 major factors that serve as hindrances to us fully appreciating and benefiting from our enormous array of foods.

First, there's the issue of looking down on things that are our own. We sometimes tend to downplay what is typically Ghanaian, and our foods are no exception. Would we be willing to serve our dishes at parties, conferences and other special events? How far would we be willing to go in giving our foods the push and promotion they deserve? Some countries are stuck with monotonous and sometimes difficult to eat foods, yet their citizens patronize them. Let’s utilize what we have.

Secondly, there's that big issue of unflattering myths that surround our foods. Interesting stuff like 'gari' giving eye problems, 'Fufu' making children unable to walk and my all- time favourite, Okro giving waist pains and leading to impotence amongst many other unbelievable stuff are swallowed hook, line and sinker by many people.

These create unnecessary 'fear and panic' which leads to unnecessary avoidance of certain foods. Well, there we have it. Some food for thought (pun intended) and hopefully some praise for our Ghanaian foods. Let’s support our own.

The Writer is Dede Kwadjo, a Dietician/Nutritionist and a member of the Ghana Dietetics Association. She lives in Accra, Ghana. You may reach her directly via Dede.kwadjo@gmail.com

Footnotes

Fufu, Banku, Omo Tuo, 3tó are Ghanaian dishes.

Gari is an African food made from cassava tubers.

Okro is a slimy green podded vegetable grown in the tropics, and which supposedly originated from Ethopia.

Jollof is a popular one-pot rice dish eaten in many West African countries.

Waakye is a Ghanaian dish cooked of rice and beans.

(Source: Wikipedia)

  

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