Speaking at the closing session of the three-day African Prosperity Dialogues in Accra, Mr Ankomah lamented the systemic failure to implement homegrown research, which he said allows preventable problems to persist unchecked.

According to him, the root of the problem lies in the burial of revolutionary ideas within tertiary institutions. While Ghanaian students are producing solutions to the country’s most pressing technological and engineering challenges, these innovations often remain confined to university archives.

“I believe that the solutions to most of our science, technology, and engineering problems already exist, generated and germinated by our brilliant students, but buried in university archives in theses and research projects that identified real challenges and proposed workable answers,” Mr Ankomah said.

To bridge the gap between academia and industry, he proposed a policy shift away from traditional grant-based research toward a commercially viable enterprise model, urging the government to move from being a passive observer to an active facilitator of innovation.

His recommendations for advancing innovation include:

• Campus-Based Incubators: Establish hubs on every university campus to connect student researchers, industrial players, and venture capital.
• Intellectual Property Protection: Launch a nationwide drive to patent local innovations, ensuring Ghanaian intellectual property is legally protected and commercially exploitable.
• Industrial Alignment: Direct policies to require both state and private sectors to prioritize local research for engineering solutions.
• Institutional Equipping: Provide modern laboratory and digital infrastructure to prevent brain drain and nurture local talent.

Mr Ankomah’s intervention comes at a time when Ghana seeks to reduce its “triple dependency” on external actors for security, social systems, and raw material processing. He argued that patenting and commercializing university research could create a self-sustaining cycle of wealth creation and reduce reliance on imported technology.

“Governments must act as facilitators, creating incubators on every campus, linking students, industry, capital, and policy. Protect intellectual property, patent innovations, turn research into enterprise, and make science and engineering attractive, respected, and rewarded,” he concluded.

Participants at the African Prosperity Dialogues praised the call for reform, noting that Africa’s industrialization under the AfCFTA framework hinges on the continent’s ability to protect and commercialize its scientific advancements.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View, Ankomah addressed concerns from Parliament and the public about the future of the OSP, suggesting a review of Article 88(3) and (4) of the Constitution, which outline the prosecutorial functions of the Attorney-General.

He observed that the Attorney-General’s Department, which previously handled corruption and economic crime before the creation of the OSP, has long struggled with the complexities of high-level cases.

“In my view, Parliament passing the OSP Act is the biggest concession that, when it comes to corruption and corruption-related offences, the AG’s office has not done well,” he said, highlighting the sophisticated nature of economic crimes and the robust legal defenses often deployed by accused individuals.

Ankomah proposed combining the purpose behind the OSP with the institutional stability of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the criminal prosecution arm under the Attorney-General. A central part of his argument is the need for a politically insulated prosecutorial authority.

“We cannot trust any government with criminal prosecutions because we see that it favours their friends,” he stated, citing instances where incoming administrations quickly issued nolle prosequi orders to halt ongoing prosecutions—actions he said undermine public confidence in the justice system.

His recommendation involves detaching the entire criminal prosecution division of the Attorney-General’s office and merging it with the OSP and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to establish a fully independent National Prosecutions Authority.

Ankomah emphasized that the proposed authority should be led by a civil servant and enjoy judicial-grade independence, secure tenure, financial autonomy, and strong protection from political interference.

“Yes, the police will still investigate crime, but this office will be the authority to prosecute so that we can be sure there is minimal political interference,” he added.

Omane and I were seated next to each other, and after a few awkward moments of saying ‘hello’ to each other, we started chatting. We were getting on famously, teasing and laughing like long-lost buddies.

We ignored the few barbs we had tossed at each other after the Occupy Flag Staff House demonstration in 2014, as well as the curious stares from other mourners.

Of course, the conversation turned political. He had deep concerns about Ghana’s electoral system.

As we chatted about that, we touched on a very unlikely scenario: could the two of us work together to ask questions and seek answers about long-lasting electoral reforms? I also expressed my deep concerns about the nation in general.

I found myself telling him about how frustrated I was with the whole nation-building process. Before we parted, he politely asked for my number. I obliged, not really believing that he would get in touch. Surprise, surprise; he did.

That evening, between 5:50 pm and 5:52 pm, he forwarded some material to me, explaining his concerns about the electoral process. Then he added: ‘Good evening, Kojo.

There’s still hope, don’t leave hope.’ I responded that ‘hope is gone.’ We laughed over that by exchanging some funny memes and emojis.

We didn’t chat again until 25 April 2024, when I had delivered a speech at the Vice Chancellor’s awards ceremony at Legon.

Somehow, I felt the need to forward the video to him because my speech (Rock The Blessing: Time No Dey) contained more hope than I had expressed to him.

I wanted him to know that maybe his encouragement, ‘don’t leave hope’, had yielded some fruit. He must have watched the video because he responded, ‘Thanks, and congrats ’.

Then on 19 May, he sent me more material on his concerns with Ghana’s electoral system. He was quite passionate about that.

At dawn on 25 May, I sent him an inspiring speech by Shruthi Kumar for Harvard’s Commencement 2024. He quickly responded, ‘Thanks. But old man must be sleeping o .’ I responded with my old mantra: ‘Sleep is for the weak.’ He responded: ‘A compelling case aptly articulated in style.’

I responded further that ‘my fuller rendition is: Sleep is for the weak, those with little to wake up to, and those who can afford it,’ to which he responded with a ‘.’

We chatted on and off after that. He would send me materials on the electoral system. I would send him press releases by OccupyGhana, especially on Galamsey.

On 13 September, I forwarded to him this: ‘This is random information. Do with it as you please. Today, the kids of those egyabas who teased you for being dadaba are dadabas. Yesterday’s proud egyaba is today’s dada, not egya.

So all along, if like them, get some, and they will like…completely random information. ’ His response was: ‘ Is this an allegory? I’m just asking on behalf of Nana Addo and Bawumia ’ I responded: ‘hahahaha. As I said, completely random information ’ We exchanged some funny memes and ended it there. That is the closest we ever got to discussing party politics.

On Christmas Day 2024, he must have been busy with the political transition, yet he was sufficiently gracious to send me a Christmas greeting from his family (attached). I responded (attached).

When we exchanged happy new year messages, I also sent him some absolute nonsense (attached). We exchanged some more funny memes and emojis at this.

Later on 17 January, I sent him a flyer of the impending launch of the Company Law book I had co-edited. He responded with two raised thumbs. I added that ‘I saw the fake appointment.

I hope the proper one comes through soon.’ He was uncharacteristically coy about that and sent just ‘.’ On 21 January, when the proper appointment was announced, I sent him, ‘Finally, congrats.’ He became Minister of Defence.

We continued with our on-and-off chats, some serious stuff but mostly lighthearted banter. Curiously, never an argument, just mutual, decent respect.

On 19 March, I sent him a flyer inviting him to participate in the Achimota Speaks Program that evening, which was on the Free SHS Scheme. We shared deeply personal stories about the educational choices we had made for our children and why we had made those choices.

He, like me, had three kids, although mine are much older than his. At the end, he somehow felt compelled to apologise that he wasn’t going to make it to the program: ‘Regrettably, I have a tight schedule today.’ Of course, I knew he wasn’t going to be there. Later that night, I sent him a video of the event. We didn’t chat again after that.

Today, after hearing incredible news about the air crash, at 12:54 pm, I sent him a hopeful ‘Good afternoon.’ This time, and unusually, there was no response. Then I knew… because he always responded.

Always. Worse, all I saw was a single tick that showed the message had been sent but not read.

Maybe I’m still holding on to hope that he’ll respond, although I know he won’t… or can’t. But in just a year and three months, after just one meeting at a funeral, we found and forged a connection that showed there is more that unites us than divides us: our shared humanity. I am certainly going to miss a man I met only once and miss our ‘unlikely’ exchanges, ‘secret’ chats, and friendly banter.

I will make time to condole with the family, his spouse, and the three kids he spoke with me so deeply and fondly about.

Farewell, Doc, and may the Lord grant you eternal rest and may what you strived to achieve inspire us to embrace our common humanity and strive for a brighter future… ‘DON’T LEAVE HOPE.’

Source: Ace Ankomah

Pursuant to the court’s orders, Mr Ankomah published the notice of entry of judgment and penal notice, together with the order for substituted service, in the Saturday, August 2, 2025, issue of the Daily Graphic.

Mr Ankomah won the defamation suit against Mr Taylor in 2020 after the latter accused the lawyer of being part of a plot to discredit and disgrace Nana Appiah Mensah, the embattled Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Menzgold, the defunct company alleged to have been involved in a Ponzi scheme.

Substituted service

Substituted service is a procedure allowed under the rules of court, specifically the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rule, 2004 (C.I.47), and used to serve court processes on parties who have evaded personal service, or when it is difficult to effect personal service.

The order for substituted service was granted by the court, presided over by Justice George Aikins Ampiah-Bonney, following a motion by lawyers for Mr Ankomah, led by Thaddeus Sory.

“It is hereby ordered that the Plaintiff/Applicant has leave of the court to serve the Defendants with the entry of judgment, penal notice substituted by a one-time half-page publication in the Daily Graphic,” the court ordered.

Defamation suit

In 2019, Kevin Taylor, in one of his videos on social media, claimed that Mr. Ankomah was part of a scheme by a Dubai-based minerals firm and some top members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to destroy the embattled CEO of Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah, also known as NAM1.

Subsequently, Mr. Ankomah filed the defamation suit on the grounds that the allegation was without basis and a calculated attempt to destroy his hard-earned reputation.

Again, he said, the allegations had caused him “hatred, ridicule, discredit, contempt, vilification, reproach, great distress, and emotional trauma.”

Despite numerous efforts to serve Mr. Taylor, including through substituted service, he failed to attend the trial, leaving the court to enter a judgment in default of defence against the defendant.

The breakdown of the damages was GH¢2 million for general damages; GH¢500,000 for aggravated damages, GH¢400,000 for damages, and GH¢50,000 as costs.

The court also ordered a perpetual injunction to restrain the further publication of the material and asked the defendants to publish an apology within 14 days, as well as a mandatory injunction compelling the defendants to remove offending material within 14 days.

In awarding the damages, the court held that it took into consideration how widely the video was circulated and the malicious nature of the accusation.

It further held that it considered “the insults to the plaintiff by other persons following the publication of the matter (naming some of those persons), Taylor’s “malevolence,” “spite,” and his “reprehensible conduct” and “egregious conduct,” and held that those attitudes “offend the court’s sense of decency.”

Addressing the legal risks associated with online communication, Mr. Ankomah underscored the critical importance of verifying content before sharing it online, as this could have potential legal ramifications.

He was speaking at a Media Executive Breakfast organized by the Africa Media Bureau (AMB) on the theme: “Ethical Considerations and Risks in Programming for Social Media: Responsible Election Reporting.”

“On the internet, if it is too good to be true, it is too good to be true,” Mr. Ankomah emphasized, urging media houses to exercise restraint and diligence in their reporting.

He explained that with the rapid spread of information facilitated by social media, unverified posts could have far-reaching consequences, including defamation and costly legal battles.

Citing a personal experience to illustrate the potential harm of misleading headlines or posts, even when the underlying content is innocuous, Mr. Ankomah recounted how a seemingly harmless video of him playing a piano at an airport went viral, misinterpreted by captions that were unrelated to the video’s content.

Today, he said, damage from libel was presumed because of the reach of social media, and millions could access false or misleading content within seconds, as the courts were beginning to award heavier damages for such cases.

Mr. Ankomah, who referenced key cases in Ghana’s legal history where the court awarded significant damages for copyright infringement and cyber libel, urged social media users to be mindful of the potential harm of their posts.

He called on media houses to adopt robust social media policies to regulate the use of their platforms and ensure compliance with the law.

“Monitor your content closely…If it looks inappropriate, delete it. Explicit consent is required to use copyrighted material, and when in doubt, don’t use it,” he advised.

Mr. Ankomah, also a Senior Partner of Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah, speaking about the legal implications of child protection laws, data privacy, and unauthorized electronic communications, warned that actions such as publishing indecent images of minors or using personal data without consent could result in criminal prosecution.

He urged all stakeholders, including political parties, to refrain from posting unverified content in their quest for public engagement as Ghana prepared for the crucial December 7 polls.

“Take a moment to think. Wait for 24 hours. Verify the facts before putting it out there,” he advised.

Dr. Aurelia Ayisi, Lecturer at the University of Ghana, expressed concern over the challenges posed by digital technology to the integrity of journalism and the credibility of information, calling for the need for a collective, multi-stakeholder approach to combat misinformation and rebuild trust in the media.

She pointed to the re-democratization of media brought about by digital spaces, stressing that while this development had allowed for greater participation in information dissemination, it had also blurred the lines between professional journalists and citizen content creators.

“While it’s all well and good to think that people can distinguish truth from fabrication, that is not always the case. The integrity of truth itself is under question,” she said.

She emphasized that misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation had created an environment where even accurate information could be manipulated to mislead.

“We are living in a post-truth era,” she explained, and “although the truth exists, it is buried under an avalanche of misinformation and distorted narratives. Malinformation — where true information is presented in a false context — poses one of the most significant threats to journalistic integrity today.”

Dr. Ayisi highlighted the critical role of information, digital, and media literacy in addressing these challenges, stating that despite widespread access to mobile devices and social media platforms, many users lacked the literacy skills to evaluate the credibility of the information they encountered.

Dr. Ayisi acknowledged that journalists were working in an increasingly difficult environment, where the demand for speed often conflicted with the need for accuracy, emphasizing that “getting it right has become even more paramount.”

While she acknowledged that finding comprehensive solutions may be idealistic, Dr. Ayisi called for progressive efforts to address the crisis of misinformation.

The Africa Media Bureau (AMB), a pioneering media organization dedicated to elevating the media landscape across the African continent, believes that a dynamic and robust media industry is essential for Africa’s progress and global engagement.

ALSO READ:

• Strong institutions need strong men to work – Ace Ankomah on IGP Dampare

• Ace Ankomah sends message to elected leaders

Convener of Occupy Ghana, Ace Anan Ankomah, has declared that the battle against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, has been decisively lost.

In an assessment, he attributed this failure to the government’s lack of decisive action and repeated disregard of warnings about the unchecked spread of illegal mining activities.

During an interview on Channel One TV on Monday, September 30, Mr Ankomah expressed frustration over the government’s inability to produce concrete results in tackling galamsey, despite numerous promises from officials.

He emphasized that, the government has consistently ignored urgent calls for stricter enforcement of mining regulations, allowing illegal operations to thrive.

Mr. Ankomah’s remarks come as concerns mount over the environmental destruction caused by galamsey, which has severely polluted water bodies and ravaged forest reserves across the country.

He called for a comprehensive, focused approach to solving the issue, criticizing the reactive measures that have defined the government’s response so far.

The legal practitioner also urged civil society and the public to remain vigilant in advocating for responsible mining practices and environmental conservation.

Without a unified effort to dismantle the networks enabling illegal mining, Mr. Ankomah warned that the prospects for restoring Ghana’s natural resources and protecting public health are grim.

“The only positive is that we lost this fight to ourselves, so we can sit down and fix it. We’ve lost it. Some of the images we’re seeing are horrifying. They weren’t like this when we first visited Tarkwa in 2016, or even in 2022. When you fail to regulate, everyone digs in. Now, it’s not just local kingpins; foreign players with money have entered the fray. It’s a free-for-all, and we’ve opened the doors wide,” he insisted.

Source: Adomonline

READ ALSO:

• Stop galamsey to protect public health – Breast Society of Ghana warns
• Galamsey: Complete mining ban would harm compliant firms – Ace Ankomah
• Over 50 students and teachers in Ashaiman educated on Gender-Based Violence

Mr Ankomah declined to serve on the committee, where he was to serve as the Vice Chairman, with the Vice President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mark Addo serving as the Committee Chairman.

The formation of this committee follows the removal of Chris Hughton from the coaching position after the Black Stars’ early exit from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament. Despite overseeing Ghana’s qualification, the team managed to secure only two points out of a potential nine.

The committee’s primary responsibility is to recommend a qualified coach to the Executive Council of the Football Association.

Other members of the committee include Professor Joseph Kwame Mintah, the Director of Coaching Education at the GFA, Opoku Nti, a Ghanaian football legend, and William Caesar Kartey, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

In related news, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has announced that the deadline for submitting applications for the coaching role is set for February 2.

READ ALSO

• Appoint a competent coach for Black Stars – GFA told

• Ace Ankomah withdraws from committee to search for new Black Stars…

And it’s because several of us haven’t developed the mentality that confronts adversity.

The missed penalties

I was in the stadium when two penalty misses happened. (1) Messi’s miss against Poland. (2) Dede’s miss against Uruguay.

I noted 10 uncanny parallels. (1) Both Argentina and Ghana lost their first games (2) Both Argentina and Ghana won their second games (3) Both Argentina and Ghana needed to win their final matches to be certain of qualification (4) Early in the game, both Argentina and Ghana had penalties (5) The captains of the two teams stepped up to take the kicks (6) Each captain wore No 10 (7) Each captain is left footed (8) they targeted the same side of the keepers (9) they missed (10) the immediate impact was pain

But

Argentina won by two goals while Ghana lost by two goals. Why? What happened between the penalty misses and the win and loss? That is where I think the difference in the national attitudes to failure lies.

Penalty misses happen in football. Naturally. But my concern is what happened after the immediate adversity of a penalty miss.

And on that, I saw amazingly contrasting attitudes among the Argentine and Ghanaian players and fans.

Almost as soon as Messi missed his penalty (and as the few Poles in the crowd celebrated), as if it was expected, and definitively rehearsed, the 30,000+ Argentine fans rose to their feet, chanted Messi’s name and repeatedly bowed to him. At 90 minutes they rose again to sing a song that I’m told, thanks the team for showing up to play, win or lose.

With the support, the team rose from the ashes of the penalty miss, Messi rose and engineered the win that Argentina required.

Ghana?

We gasped in pain. Then both players and fans slumped. The stuffing was knocked from us. We froze. The spirit left us. Anger became the immediate emotion. The insults began. Shouting at the players. Insulting the GFA.

Every attempt to revive the spirits of the supporters fell flat. Uruguay scored two quick goals. It was only when the team started playing well in the second half, that some fan support resumed. But it was too late. Adversity won. End of story.

Guys, we cannot live our lives as if nature owes us success all the time. We cannot live our lives expecting everything to be good. We cannot repeatedly rely and depend on miracles. Several times, we will fail. That hurts. But our mental attitude and how quickly we pick ourselves up, are what will determine whether the next step is a victory or another defeat.

My brother and friend Kobina Andah (we call him ‘Hagler’) has a diagnosis that I agree with. Hear him:

“On the cheering etc, we’re spontaneous and organic in our investment, whereas what you witnessed [with Argentina] is intentional and scientific.”

In our lives and in all we do, we need to invest in and develop a mental attitude that anticipates adversity and prepares for how we will deal with it when it comes. Our desire to bounce back must be intentional and deliberate. Fake it, if you must. But bounce back, we must.

One of my most favourite borrowed saying is this:

“Real supermen (and women) don’t leap over buildings in a single bound… they take small, determined steps consistently over time.” – Anonymous.

We need to learn those small steps, those determined steps, those consistent steps, and those time-bound steps.

One of my all time best movie scenes in the 1993 classic Cool Runnings between Yul Brenner and Junior Bevill:-

Yul Brenner: Look in the mirror, and tell me what you see!
Junior Bevill: I see Junior.
Yul Brenner: You see Junior? Well, let me tell you what I see. I see pride! I see power! I see a bad-ass mother who don’t take no crap off of nobody!

Yesterday, the team on the pitch failed us in the stands and the nation. But we in the stands also failed them and the nation.

May today be the first day that we begin those small, determined, consistent and time-bound steps. That’s how we build the mentality that prepares for, expects, anticipates and confronts adversity.

And while at it, look in the mirror, Ghana. We have been too reticent a ‘Junior’ for too long. There’s nothing wrong with a little more self-confidence and a little more swag and a little more arrogance. Not empty arrogance, but that measured arrogance that comes with knowing who you are and what you are able to do.

Maybe one of the several things Ghana needs now are some bad-ass mothers who don’t take no crap off of anybody. And the ‘nobody’ includes life and its curve balls!

They call me ‘Ace’.

This was at a ceremony held on Tuesday in the auditorium of the academy in Accra with Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in attendance.

The former journalist was inducted together with a First Deputy Bank of Ghana Governor, Dr Maxwell Opoku-Afari and other distinguished scholars who have excelled in the fields of Arts and Sciences.

They were inducted into fellowship by the President of GAAS, Emeritus Professor Samuel Kofi Sefa-Dedeh.

The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1959 on the initiative of Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Its aim is generally to promote the pursuit, advancement and dissemination of knowledge in all branches of the sciences and the humanities.

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At the time it was established, the academy was the first in Black Africa.

By all means receive your end-of-year prophecies, whatever the source. All the IGP is asking for is a careful process of COMMUNICATING the prophecy.

If the content of the prophecy is one that is “LIKELY to cause fear and alarm to the public or to disturb the public peace,” just be circumspect how you communicate it if you must communicate it at all.

No one is going to arrest you if you called the subject of the prophecy and communicated in private. If, say, there’s going to be an earthquake that will kill people, no one can prosecute you if you called the authorities and communicated it.

However, if you decide to blast such a prophecy from your pulpit in your church (which is a public place), and/or carry it live on social media, you could be prosecuted.

Remember, all they have to show is LIKELIHOOD (possibility/probability) of causing fear or harm or disturbing the public peace.

Happy new year.

FYI, you do PCR test before you board the plane to come here. When you get here, we do the antigen test here. If you test positive, whether true or false, you will go into quarantine. In three days we will do the PCR test. If you are cleared, that’s okay. Or not, we handle the situation.

Don’t bring your pharmacy distributed free lateral flow test here and come and compare it to anything. And the lady insulting everyone was even doing the test wrong.

It’s that simple. If you don’t want our protocols, please stay where you have chosen to stay, work and pay taxes!

Don’t come and insult us. The whinging and whining and insults are too much!’

Read his romantic letter below:
HAPPY 50TH TO THE PRINCESS WHO KISSED THIS FROG
“She’s got more faith in me than a beach got sand
And I like to tell her…
That I’m forever indebted, forever indebted to her cause….” sang R. Kelly in When A Woman Loves.
From the first day we met in early 1985 when we were just 17 and in 6th Form, it was bound to last. The stars were aligned:
You in Gey Hey. Me in Botwe.
You sang. I played.
You the beauty. Me the beast.
You the princess. Me the frog.
We chatted a lot and wrote loads of letters to each other.
We finished High School and came home to Accra. Me in my mum’s one-bedroom flat at Kanda. You in your dad’s huge house at Abelenkpe. Soon we were inseparable. We went everywhere together. We would walk from Kanda to Circle and even to 37 because we had a lot to say. Ok. You did, and still do, most of the talking. I met your mum. But I didn’t have the “confi” to meet your dad. I kept staying away.
Our results came. We didn’t only pass. You topped Gey Hey. I topped Botwe. Then I had the confidence. I met your dad, the soldier, the General. He was all schmaltzy and warm. He teased me over the old yellow Opel Rekord that I drove. Anyone who teases me must like me. I felt so welcome that I wondered why I stayed away. He never stopped teasing me.
Then my dad died. And you were there throughout as I mourned the shock from which I have never recovered. As Legon beckoned, I don’t even remember proposing. It was as natural as our next breath. We pledged to explore marriage at some point in the future. That’s as “romantic” as I could get. Charley, it must feel like a business, right? I apologize for being all head and precious little heart.
In Legon your room was my refuge and hiding place. It was also because there was always food to eat. We got on like a House on fire and fought like kittens. We broke up like 1000 times. (We still break up from time to time.)
Our dates were broke and pathetic. I would calculate every pesewa to the T. I remember us eating chicken tandoori at that old Indian place in Osu. I had to gari for a few days after that. I wondered what you saw in this broke-ass guy when you had “better” options. I still do.

Legon was done. You went to work with Ecobank. I went on to Law School. National Service followed. I remember the day I called you to say my scholarship to Queen’s uni had arrived. After screaming your delight, you said, “we must get married.” It wasn’t a request. It wasn’t a demand. It was the next, natural step.
We got traditionally married before I left. Within 9 days of returning to Ghana the next year, we had the wedding. Then 3 amazing kids in 5 years.
I have known you for 33 years and been married to you for almost 25 breathless years. Ad3n? You haven’t allowed me a moment to catch a breath. You are always there. Even though work has sent you to far away Banjul, you are still here and there and everywhere. You torment me in Accra, harass Nia in Worcester, pester Paps in Newcastle and hound Hemmie in Tema. All at the same time. You still determine when bills get paid and even what I eat on a daily basis! Yes, you still OWN and RUN the home AND THE KITCHEN even from Banjul. I am President of this venture. But you are the Vice-President and you occupy every ministerial portfolio. My One Woman Thousand.
Maybe life would have been easier and gentler for and kinder to you if I wasn’t your husband. I know that you have let “juicy” professional opportunities pass because of me, what I am and my loud mouth. You think I dunno. But I do. Yet you choose to nail your flag to this unsteady mast.
I hardly do or say this, I know. BUT THIS MUST BE LOVE.
When I think back, I can see what you have made me. On my parents’ foundation, you have built a strong man. You hugged the beast and kissed the ugly frog. I am not sure that I turned out to be a prince. But you are responsible for what I have become. I am still useless. I brought your gift to Banjul, wrapped in brown paper.
You see, I rarely think about how my life would have been without you. Wow. Scary thought.
Happy 50th, Kitty.
PS. Yes. You will spot all the typos.

The main critique is that I am relying on “technicalities.” Often people use the word “technicality” as a synonym for/to “I disagree.” But if you disagree, state that, on the same basis. What does the law say?

And this is substantive law, not even procedural law. How do I explain this? Simply, you swim or sink on the evidence. That’s not a technicality.

The essence of what I have written is that from reading the Senior State Attorney’s memo (and by way of full disclosure, I discovered only yesterday that she had been my student at the Law School), she was clearly asking for evidence that would stand in court. She wasn’t going to go to court and be humiliated by the judge and defence lawyers for the refusal, failure or neglect of the police to provide evidence that must be beyond reasonable doubt. Simply, where was the evidence that would tie THESE 8 (and none others) to the court invasion, which at my first count, constituted as many as 15 separate crimes?

Have we forgotten the disastrous Ya Naa murder trials so soon? They walked. And the equally shameful stadium disaster trials? They walked. And, oh, Tagor et al were also jailed only to be freed on appeal on the same ground? Is our collective retributive spirit somehow placated when people, possibly the real criminals, are arrested and tried with huge publicity and then freed for lack of evidence? Or are we going to demand that the evidence-gathering authority (THE POLICE) should do a good job before the State Attorneys are thrust before the court?

Do we know of the other “technicality” called “autrefois acquit/convict”, aka “double jeopardy” aka “you cannot be tried twice for the same offence,” by which if these guys had been tried and freed on the threadbare to no evidence, they could never be tried again even if we subsequently got proper evidence?

Reading the memo, the ‘poor’ state lawyer was given a plucked bird and then asked to go to court and identify it. She said “no.” I would have said “hell no!”

I agree that the buck stops with the police. And, maybe people are just discovering how poorly some things are done in this country.

I also agree that the government gets to carry this can. No pity from me. But all isn’t lost yet. Let the police do what they can do best WHEN they decide to work. And if they still can’t find the evidence, they should explain to Ghana what they found or did not find, and why. Then we can judge them.

The law, as I know it, is an OBSTINATE ASS.

My mouth has fallen. Typo police, over to you.

According to him, until the Police is able to find evidence of guilt against any of the suspects, the AG cannot win a case against them in court.

“I have read the memo signed by the Senior State Attorney in Kumasi. It was a cry for help. She was basically saying “guys, we got zilch. Nothing. Zip.
Nada. Zero. Nobody.” Can I break it down some more? She said the case presented to her had worse chances than that of an ice cube in hell.

“It wasn’t her job or that of the Attorney-General to go investigating the matter and fishing for evidence. That is the work of the police. If the police give you nothing, you can’t do jack. Guys, a case is only as good as the evidence that backs it,” he wrote on Facebook.

Below are details of the comments by Ace Ankomah

And so I am probably going to disappoint myself and several other people with what I am going to write about the Kumasi Delta discharge. But my head must speak on this matter, and not my heart.

I can remember the several times that I have had to look at the potential client sitting across the table, willing, prepared and able to pay anything for the case, but having to tell him/her that “I am sorry we don’t have a case. We don’t have the evidence to back your case up. We can sue; but we will lose. I am sorry about your situation. But the reality is that the law doesn’t really care about your truth. The law only cares about what you can prove. If what you can prove, leads us to the truth, that would be perfect. But for the most part, your real truth alone may not win the day if it isn’t backed by evidence. Evidence, even false evidence, beats the truth if truth has no evidence.” Or words to that effect.

Sometimes we are able to build the case from this weak position. But more often than not, it really is a dead end. Sad story. Sadder: a broken person just walked out of my office. Saddest: money just walked out of my pocket even before it entered.

Guys, trying a criminal case isn’t a walk in the park. In civil matters, the case is proved based in the “preponderance of evidence”, which simply means “whose evidence has the greater weight? Who has the more convincing evidence? Whose evidence is PROBABLY accurate or the truth?”

But in a criminal trial, the standard of proof is way higher, way bigger and way heavier: “beyond reasonable doubt.” This is based on the strong presumption that the accused is “innocent until PROVEN guilty.” To rebut that presumption, the prosecution’s evidence must meet this standard: that we cannot derive any other logical reason or explanation from the facts, but that the accused committed the crime. Thus any doubt is resolved in favour of the accused and often, all the lawyer has to do for the accused to walk, is to raise doubts.

I have read the memo signed by the Senior State Attorney in Kumasi. It was a cry for help. She was basically saying “guys, we got zilch. Nothing. Zip. Nada. Zero. Nobody.” Can I break it down some more? She said the case presented to her had worse chances than that of an ice cube in hell.

It wasn’t her job or that of the Attorney-General to go investigating the matter and fishing for evidence. That is the work of the police. If the police give you nothing, you can’t do jack. Guys, a case is only as good as the evidence that backs it.

So let the police get back on the beat and bring something that ties some people to the offence. Till then, leave the AG and the Senior State Attorney alone.

You guys watch way too much crime and legal soaps on TV. This ain’t no NCIS, Law and Order, LA Law, Matlock or Suits.