Category: Opinion Piece

What is the climate impact of the Climate Investment Fund?

By:Karoline Teien Blystad and Bjornar Baugerud Climate and Impact Director                            Head of Climate Investment Fund The Climate Investment Fund,managed by Norfund,has received many headlines linked to large amounts of avoided emissions.But how do you calculate how much emissions the fund’s investments actually avoided? If the world is to succeed in limiting the climate crisis, we are running out of time to phase out fossil energy. The good news is that renewable energy is now competitive. The bad…

“We Paved Paradise and Made a Flood”-(By Eddie Yawson)

You see, we all to blame. When you concrete every space on your plot, you do not allow the rains to percolate into the soil. All the rain goes out into the street or drains not designed for it. And it overwhelms the drains. But the drains were never the real problem. We are. We have declared war on soil. Look at any new house in Accra, Kumasi, or Takoradi. The compound is tiled edge to edge. The frontage is paved for cars. The backyard is concreted so “it won’t…

Is Bitcoin Halal or Haram: A Shariah Analysis?

First Published,April,2018. Is Bitcoin halal or haram? Blossom Finance publishes working paper on the permissibility of Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and Islamic finance and concludes that bitcoin qualifies as Islamic money, except where banned by local government, but cautions investors against speculation, ICOs, and investment schemes As fluctuations and volatility continue to rock the cryptocurrency world, Blossom Finance has commissioned and released a working paper exploring the Islamic permissibility of bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and blockchain. The paper concludes that Bitcoin fully meets the definition of Islamic money under certain conditions and is generally…

Building Powerful Nations…Industrial Ownership Matters in Africa, Not Just Jobs!!!

By Dr. Benjamin Acheampong Group President/CVO, Wealth Masters Group,UK. Introduction For decades, many African economies have largely focused on producing employees rather than industrial owners, innovators, and enterprise builders. While jobs are important for economic survival, no nation rises to sustainable prosperity merely by creating workers. Nations become powerful when their people own industries, control production systems, build institutions, and create value at scale. Africa is richly blessed with natural resources, youthful talent, creativity, and market potential. Yet much of the continent remains economically vulnerable because ownership of strategic sectors…

Africa Cannot Drink Potential!!

By: Alice Frimpong Sarkodie,Director – Nobel Heights School Every year on African Union Day, we celebrate our culture, our resilience, our beauty, our resources, and our dreams for the future. We speak proudly of the Africa we want. But this year, the theme of the African Union forces us to confront a painful but necessary truth: A continent rich in rivers should not be thirsty. A continent full of brilliance should not lack sanitation. A continent filled with potential should not still struggle for basic human dignity. The African Union’s…

Using Banana Waste for Accelerating Industrialization…Circularity in Action

By Adrian Villellas,First Published On: May 20, 2026 at 5:00 AM What if the leftovers from your breakfast banana ended up in your T‑shirt, your notebook or even a fruit tray at the supermarket? That idea is moving from curiosity to reality as factories learn how to turn banana pseudostems into a standardized raw material for textiles, paper and bio‑based composites. Studies of circularity in banana farming show that only a small share of the plant becomes food. The rest is biomass that usually stays in the field or is removed as…

Putin’s State Visit To China: Results, Signed Agreements and Analysis

By M. Khatun,First published,May 21,2026 President Vladimir Putin concluded his state visit to China yesterday (May 20), marking what appears to be one of the most productive, forward-looking, and strategically significant Russia-China summits in recent years. The visit generated substantial outcomes across trade, investment, energy, technology, connectivity, and geopolitical coordination, while also reinforcing the long-term trajectory of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership through 2030 and beyond. During the visit, Putin held extensive meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and other senior Chinese leaders. The diplomatic program included closed-door discussions, small-group talks, large-group talks, expanded delegation meetings, personal tea conversations, joint cultural and photo exhibition events, a…

Rethinking BECE in the Era of Free SHS: From Gatekeeping to Placement Reform

By Kofi Asare,Executive Director,Africa Education Watch,Ghana Background Before the introduction of Free SHS, the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) primarily functioned as a gatekeeping mechanism that determined whether a child could progress to secondary education. Admission into second cycle institutions depended heavily on aggregate performance, and for many candidates, BECE effectively separated progression from exclusion. In that context, its broad, high stakes structure was aligned with a system in which access to secondary education was limited and competitive. Emergence  of the Free SHS Policy The Free SHS policy fundamentally changed…

When Victory Becomes Illusion: How Politicians Misjudge Their Success(By-Prof Mamudu Abunga Akudugu)

In the aftermath of Ghana’s 2016 general elections, I recall a conversation with a former schoolmate who was convinced that the New Patriotic Party’s overwhelming victory signaled the political death of the National Democratic Congress. According to him, the NDC would not return to power for at least a generation. I disagreed then, and time has since proven why. What many politicians and their supporters often misunderstand is that electoral victory, no matter how historic, is not a definitive measure of governing success. Rather, it is often a reflection of…

Sustainable Building Materials: Why Middle Eastern Developers Are Moving Beyond Concrete

For decades, concrete has been the default choice for construction across the Middle East. It’s durable, it works in extreme heat, and robust supply chains are established. But that era is winding down. Right now, in 2026, developers are shifting away from conventional materials faster than anyone predicted, and the transition is accelerating.  The numbers are striking. The MEA was the only region in the world to record an increase in demand for green and sustainable buildings in 2025, and that momentum has carried into 2026. While global green construction is slowing,…