I recently came across a few articles talking about corruption and the siphoning off of funds meant for Covid-19 support, and I was mad. For me, that’s just foul. In a post written by Mushtaq Khan and Pallavi Roy, I read in shock about instances of “padding in procurement contracts, leakages in distribution, Read More
3 Leadership Lessons from Business and What They Mean For Us in International Development
Part I – Lessons from The Hard things About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz “Sometimes an organization doesn’t need a solution; it just needs clarity.”― Ben Horowitz, The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers Ben Read More
AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THINGS BETTER: GHANA’S TOUGH CHOICES AFTER THE VIRUS
This post is an excerpt from a bigger piece I wrote reflecting on COVID-19 and the tough choices Ghana will need to make in addressing the virus. Such is why I started this blog. Read the full post here. Ghana’s President, like South Africa’s, has, over the past couple of weeks received no Read More
When being an expert doesn’t quite make you the expert
When being an expert doesn’t quite make you the expert. In thinking about international development associations, groups, and organizations, I always wonder what makes people qualified to be called experts. A lot of the things we focus, on, cherish and show off seem to run contrary to the actual help that is Read More
Is International Development Still Important and a Good Career Path?
Is international development dead, a good career path, or even still important? Let’s find out… Him: So what do you do? Me: Well, I work in international development. I want to help make the lives of the poor better. Him: What does that mean? What do you want to do? Read More
We don’t have to do it alone: Lessons from Asia for Ghana
For Ghana, like other African countries, the Asian experience is instructive. There is a lot to be learned, built on, and challenged. It’s about time the country became more than the six-decade-long ‘hope of Africa’ poster child. In November 2019, I attended a book review of The Asian Aspiration (see Read More
FINDING SPACE TO THINK: “SHOULD I OR SHOULD I NOT?”
“Well you’re an impostor” “While the impostor syndrome is not unique to women, women are more apt to agonize over tiny mistakes, see even constructive criticism as evidence of their shortcomings, and chalk up their accomplishments to luck rather than skill. They often unconsciously overcompensate with crippling perfectionism, overpreparation, maintaining Read More