by Ruth Aine - 07 February 2014

I grew up reading Nancy Drew, CS Lewis [The Chronicles of Narnia] and Enid Blyton books. I was always fascinated by the way the stories were written. But also I wondered how come my life was so boring and yet these characters, young as I was were so full of drama and adventure. Books helped me to retreat to my small little world where I built dreams and hopes of my own. For a long time, they were my pass time. In High School, I read Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley Twins the novel series created by Francine Pascal. They introduced me to what being a teenager meant. All these books I found in the school library. I usually borrowed and returned after a while and in primary school, each book I borrowed from the library, I returned with a book report. Sometimes I sat in a library for hours reading from there because it was quieter and the ambiance great.

by Ruth Aine - 01 February 2014

I put out a question on social media recently as I was trying to pick a few minds on this topic”. Who are the biggest game changers of our time? The only answer that I got was: “David Moyes, he changed Manchester United's game for worse.” NO, I was looking for 'game changers' per se, but well I got an answer.

That aside: the things that have made a difference in this world are the things that we have grown accustomed to. They are, what we say, we cannot live without. For some they are 'rights', to others they are entitlements. And these are things that we sometimes take for granted.

by Ruth Aine - 20 January 2014

A few days ago I was at a meeting. The usual that take place in air conditioned rooms for about 3 days running. On one of these days, there was a youth panel. The panel was the first ever to be held in about 8 years of these conferences. As the youth spoke about what they believed was their role in society, they kept giving examples of initiatives led and executed by the youth. Majority of these were not self financed. They were donor financed. I remember John Armah who has been termed Ghana's youngest entrepreneur talking about some of the initiatives that he has put in place to support and help youth. One of them is Ghana Center for Entrepreneurship, Employment and Innovation [GCEEI]. This is supported by very many organizations among them, donor organizations.

by Ruth Aine - 07 January 2014

Human development is critical to our conversation these days. Before the year 2000, I remember there being a rumor that the world was going to get a certain shift, and that of course would change the course of everything. 13 years later, nothing has changed in regard to the rumors made.

In September 2000, Fifteen year global targets, labeled the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] were formulated and countries in the United Nations [UN] began to struggle to make their own mark and achieve the goals set. With just 2 years left, some have been met and some have not been met. There is and has been an increase in economic growth in most of Africa, but I must be quick to add that while there is visible economic growth, there is also imminent poverty.

by Ruth Aine - 18 December 2013

Sovereignty is the responsibility to protect. It refers to the authority, or sense of entitlement, deriving from the right of people to protect themselves, either individually or by seeking the safety of numbers. The proper function of a sovereign entity is protection and preservation of life of its citizens.

by Ruth Aine - 16 December 2013

Now is a good time to be optimistic about the future of Africa. We have seen so many emerging trends which not only amplify the Africa Rising or Africa Emerging story but also help us to define who we are and the future that lies ahead.

I am very well aware of the discrepancies that lie within. While we are saying that Africa is rising, there are still issues around who 'exactly' is rising. There is evidence that while most of the countries in Africa are experiencing economic growth, the real per capita income is at its lowest since 1970 and more than 500 million people still live in poverty on the continent.

by Ruth Aine - 29 November 2013

Security has become the talk of the continent. We live in fear of the unknown. Every time that I think of what transpired at the recent Westgate attack in Nairobi, Kenya; my heart beats faster. It is very scary. What happened could happen in any part of the continent. And we would never see it coming. And even if we did, we can never be prepared for the aftermath. The physical and mostly emotional torture thereafter is immense: the impact that it leaves takes a long time to wear off. That all depends on how one is affected. For some, they never get over the ordeal; even if they do it takes longer for some than it does for the others.

by Ruth Aine - 19 November 2013

The I9th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [COP19] is just about to come to an end and soon preparations for COP20 will be underway. The experience that comes with wanting to create new policies concerned with the environment is no mean task. As I read through what transpired during COP19, I realize that it is serious business going down, but I don't see any stern resolutions.

by Ruth Aine - 14 November 2013

Globalization is a good thing……….or not?

Globalization as the integration and interchange of so many aspects in life is responsible for a lot of things. Advances in telecommunications and the use of the internet being one of those prominent. Being able to communicate across boarders and timezones. In developing countries the positive changes brought about by globalization and the negative ones are highly pronounced. Rapid globalization makes competition for resources intense. It is highly extractive. As we see a lot of growth in interaction and economic independence especially in the developing countries, the migration of people is very imminent and so is the movement of investments. The negatives seem to stare us more boldly in the face than the celebrations that we are supposed to be having.

by Ruth Aine - 03 November 2013

In Davos during the World Economic Forum this year, youth unemployment was described as a social and economic time bomb. And indeed it is. Over a quarter of the planet’s young people are neither studying nor working. But there is hope: There is a big opportunity with the use of new technologies and passion. New projects driven by these two factors can help create meaningful work and change lives for the better. For many young people, there is the hope of bringing a new idea to the table and see it come to fruition. They are the entrepreneurs that believe in using the Internet and other new technologies to create opportunities for fellow human beings, including the young.