Why Do Ghanaian Employers Require University Education?

Image by nikkorsnapper via Flickr

Yesterday, I had a call from a friend who’s been job-hunting from the middle of last year till now. He’s been lucky to be short-listed for a few interviews but none ever worked out due to the “university degree” menace rocking the nation.

This guy in question is a very practical person when it comes to the field of information technology. He’s just curious to know about the latest IT trends, new software usage, troubleshooting skills and How-to’s but he’s not getting employed. He's studied at one of the best private IT institutions in Ghana and yet, no job. So I asked myself; what is wrong with not having a degree??

Dearest my passionate reader; please help me answer this question that keeps bugging my mind over the above subject.

Question: Why do employers in Ghana demand a prospective employee to have a degree before been employed?

According to a colleague I shared this topic with yesterday; this is how she defines a “degree”. She says; “A degree only shows that a person can follow a set motion of educational learning, but that person might have no common sense or experience at all”.

To some extent, I realized what she said was very TRUE. Do you also agree or disagree with her? This is actually very evident with a lot of people I know who have a degree in Information and Communication Technology, Computer Science and Computer Engineering but absolutely knows nothing. Yes, they know absolutely NOTHING.

Somewhere in August 2009; a week after Maker Faire Africa, a friend asked me to come have a look at his computer because it was acting “funny” and needed to format it. He didn’t even know the steps in formatting a PC, let alone grab an installation CD to start… Would you believe this friend is a graduate from the prestigious University of Ghana with a BSc Computer Science degree couldn’t solve this small problem on his PC?? What is the essence of his degree then?

I know graduates who have first-class honors in the IT field from some of the top universities of Ghana. I randomly asked a few of them to terminate a CAT-5 network cable for use in connecting to a Local Area Network [LAN], and they were like flying to the Accra Zoo for assistance. When asked why they couldn't terminate the cable, their reply was; “We were not taught how to terminate a network cable at the university!” You wouldn’t believe where some of these guys are working now?

Some random girl [a university graduate] who keeps reading my blog and thinks I’m a geeky/nerdy sort of a person because of my passion for tech-stuffs once asked me: “Why is it that I cannot get a job”? My answer to her question was this simple; “You don't have any practical experience in ICT and for that matter, you need to go for ICT professional courses [Cisco, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle or CompTia] in addition to the degree you have. If you have any of the trainings/certifications in those fields, your chances of getting short-listed and a promising job is far higher than only the so called “Degree”.

How would you compare the “whom you know” syndrome currently rocking the nation to the bureaucracy of yester-years?? It seems that with the advent of the Americanized system (the introduction of the CV), people are pigeon-holed into whatever category of work they include on their CV. What is difference between a “Personnel” and a ‘Human Resource” manager? Do you have any idea how your CV is treated when you apply to any of the GSM companies that everyone is dying to work for right after the university??? Buzz me for more fila…!

In conclusion, common sense can never be bought but can be acquired if you so wish for one. Thanks to David Ajao and all bloggers at Ghana Blogging for keeping the aggregator running till now.

Share your views, comments, criticisms and objections here. Those are the reasons why I always sit up every morning to put my thoughts on my blogs for you. Enjoy and hope to see you come back for more....!

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HELP HAITI NOW....!!!

Image by caribb via Flickr

On Tuesday, at 21:53GMT the Caribbean nation of Haiti was hit by its strongest earthquake in more than 200 years, causing what is being described as "a catastrophe of major proportions".

Heavy casualties are feared after numerous buildings were leveled by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Rumors have it that, about 100,000 people are feared dead but that number is yet to be ascertain. Major landmarks, including the Presidential Palace, National Assembly and Port au Prince Cathedral have been destroyed.

I find it very disheartening to think that Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, along with its administrative, health, governance, and diplomatic faculties has been rendered incapable in mere seconds. To make matters worse, the majority of the foreigners based in Haiti - relief and aid workers - have also suffered numerous losses with the UN reporting damages to its properties and possible staff deaths in the hundreds.

“#HAITI” has been a trending topic on twitter until I just realized, it’s no more. My tweets: “I can't believe #Haiti is no more trending on Twitter. Wot's w/ all this useless trending topics? KMT. Pple needs help in Haiti. #HelpHaiti” should let you know how concerned I’m about the situation in Haiti and how willing I’m in spreading more info about ways people can help the survivors of the earth-quake. Even though #Haiti isn’t trending on twitter as at this time, Wyclef Jean’s #YELE is trending on twitter.

In search for accurate blog posts to aggregate from Ghana about the Haiti-Quake, I came across a few posts from members of the Ghana Blogging Group and other blogs worth reading.

Ethan Zuckerman, one of the donors who sponsored my trip to Copenhagen for COP15 and also a great contributor of Global Voices Online [an international citizen media organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of bloggers and other producers of citizen media, with a special focus on the developing world] wrote about how reporters are racing to Haiti to report on the disaster, but voices are already making themselves heard from the decimated city. He also mentioned how Georgia Popplewell has been rounding-up tweets from Haiti on the Global Voice Special Haiti-Quake page.

Georgia is a list person I must say. She has started a list on Twitter, aggregating accounts of people who are posting from Haiti. On her post about “List and the Haiti Earthquake” she mentioned how she can’t live without “LISTS” as they are a way of escaping thoughts about death been described by Umberto Eco. She also wrote about she spent the whole day of Jan 13, following the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti.

I just came across Troy Livesay’s informative tweets and long story blog about new developments in Haiti. She’s really worth following for more updates. From Troy’s blog; “

> Mass graves are being used; the bodies are seen stacked in trucks and around town. Many people will be buried without their families ever knowing where they were when they died.

> Plans are underway to open a clinic to serve our area. We need prayers that the plane is allowed to land with our people and supplies. They are supposed to be able to get in the next 36 hours but we pray that it actually comes to pass. We cannot begin without them.

> Water purification in the form of a safe chlorine product is being made around the clock and will be distributed for people to add to their dirty water source and be able to make it safe to drink.

I have never fully understood the wonder of social networking until now, seriously thank God, for Twitter, Facebook, Skype and all blogging platforms!

Kasja Hallberg-Adu had this to say about social Media and how it’s going to help in the Haiti crisis; “If anyone ever doubted that blogging and tweeting could go beyond navel gazing, I guess today we have evidence of the contrary. Hopefully this access to on the ground information will also make a difference to the Haitian people.

Nsoromma...Child of the Heavens requested, a prayer be said for the good people of Haiti. She writes:

Say a prayer for Haiti please!

Prayers are free, but financially you can help in the following ways:

>> Donation to UNICEF >> Donation to CARE >> Donation to Christian Aid

President Barack Obama and former presidents of the United States; George W Bush and Bill Clinton launched a national drive to raised funds for the survivors of Haiti. Obama has already pledged US$100milion as a relief fund for Haiti.

Yasmeen H. Nsiah [Soap maker from 2009's MakerFaireAfrica held in Accra] have also started a campaign to mobilize donations both in cash and in-kind for survivors of Haiti-quake. She created a group on Facebook; GHANAIAN HELPERS FOR HAITI and posted this info up: “A short code has been set up for the Red Cross in Ghana. Text HAITI to 1990 to donate GHC1.00 to the Red Cross in Ghana or text HAITI to 1960 to give through the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. You can text multiple times!

You can also send your donations through other NGOs. But in order to ensure you're not being scammed, here are lists of reputable NGOs with operations in Haiti with whom you can donate to:

YELE Haiti, Partners In Health, Red Cross, World Food Program, Save The Children and Doctors Without Borders

May the victims of this quake rest in perfect peace…!

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How is a Relationship “Complicated” on Facebook…!!!

I love Facebook and admit I spend a lot of time on there.  It's a personal space for me to talk with my friends and family. I've been noticing a lot of people have the "It's Complicated" Facebook dating status.  It got me thinking; why does a relationship have to be complicated? Better yet, why in the world do you want to be in a relationship that is complicated?

When I see/hear it's complicated I immediately think that individual is in some BS type of situation they clearly don't need to be in or it wouldn't be complicated. What kind of BS situation am I referring to? Well, let's see. I'm thinking of one of the following:

1. Someone is involved with an individual that is married. [Sugar-daddy, Sugar-mommy relationships]
   
2. You're dating someone who isn't quite ready for a commitment, but you are and you're your hanging on hoping they'll change their mind.
   
3. You got cheated on (or you did the cheating) and now your relationship is on shaky grounds.
   

Why do we hang on to these complicated relationships? Are we waiting for a love fairy to come down and magically un-complicate the situation for us?

We are in the New Year [2010], I propose all those with these "It's Complicated" Facebook dating status'; take a real hard look into what's making their situation complicated and determine if this is a situation that is truly good for them and if it's not; have enough balls to end it and move on.

I don't know about you, but it's my goal to live a life that is as uncomplicated as possible.

Who needs the added drama? I certainly don't.

Do you?

Global Voices Online @ 5. View from Ghana

The month of October, 2009 saw me joining Global Voices Online shortly after I had met Georgia Popplewell, who's the director of the Global Voices Online Community. I was introduced to her by Eduardo Avila [Founder and Director of the Bolivian Voices Project] after we had met at Maker Faire Africa which was held in Accra, Ghana from 14^th -16^th August, 2009.

The very first time I heard about Global Voices was during one of Ghana Bloggers monthly meet-up somewhere in Accra. Emmanuel K. Bensah spoke about his contributing to their works from Ghana and I really enjoyed all that he said about them. Since then, I have been looking out for a chance to join the group and also contribute my quota. That chance finally opened in Oct, 2009...

West-Africa's Celebrity Journalist, Ameyaw Debrah once asked me shortly after my post on Blog Action Day; "what Global Voices Online was? Answering him wasn't that difficult at all because I had started writing and contributing. "Global Voices Online is a network of bloggers and citizen journalists mostly who are volunteers that follow, report, and summarizes what is going on in the blogosphere in every corner of the world" was my answer to him.

Of all the authors at GV, Ethan Zuckerman, Solana Larsen & Georgia Popplewell are those whose works/writing inspires me a lot. There's no single day, I am not reading from any them to stay abreast with whatever is happening out there. Before writing this post, I had read about David Sasaki's retrospectives on GV's first 5yrs. It's really worth reading…!

Since Global Voices are made of volunteers [myself] who are self-less and willing to bring the news, interviews and discussions around the globe to your door, a little donation in supporting our works won't be a bad idea at all. You can send all your donations through various means here: Global Voices Donation

Honestly speaking, 5yrs of online presence and keeping people everywhere updated on the latest happenings around the world in different languages is just too much. I feel so elated to be a part of the GVO Community.

Global Voices at 5, many more years of connecting, informing and inspiring is yet to come.

Fresh Air Center @ COP15

The climate negotiations are all but over and we don't have the Fair, Ambitious and Legally binding deal that millions of people worldwide have demanded. But it is impossible to be without hope as our movement has come so far in this short space of time…

Head of States and other World Leaders still have the chance to get this right, but the time is ticking just like the Tcktcktck movement.

At the Climate Change Conference, most NGO's were denied access to the Bella Center but the Fresh Air Center which was started from the very beginning of the summit has acted as base-camp for many media people and NGOs, accredited and unaccredited alike. Situated about a few kilometers from the Bella Center in Copenhagen, the Fresh Air Center is part of Tcktcktck, a global campaign platform designed to bring climate justice organizations together in solidarity. This center acts as the main news hub so that the rest of the world can be connected and informed of the negations' in real time.

I was very happy to be part of the Vancouver crew represented at the Fresh Air Center. Countless numbers of Vancouver people have worked on the Tcktcktck campaign and with other climate justice organizations, so it is really no surprise of their strong presence at the conference. I was star-struck when I was introduced to the Mayor of Vancouver; Mayor Gregor Robertson by my photo-blogger buddy, Kris Krug here in Copenhagen where he is set to attend the Copenhagen Climate Summit for Mayors.

Many other celebrities keeps showing up at the Fresh Air Center day-in, day-out and always get introduced. What did I do to deserve all that, Kris? Daryl Hannah from the following movies, Splash, Wall Street, Roxanne and Kill Bill [1 & 2] showed up on Wednesday night and Steve Rio [main tech-support man from the Tcktcktck campaign] introduced me once again. It been my first time meeting a great movie star like her; I had some funny feelings in my stomach before approaching her. I didn't forget to carry my Ghana flag for the photo-shoot with her. Darryl has a biodiesel El Camino and is well-known climate justice activist.

That same night, Kumi Naidoo from Green Peace Organization took the podium at the Fresh Air Center where he explained his letter for Barack Obama as he made his way to Copenhagen from the White House yesterday. He's a great orator and I like his charisma. He was the one who got me tweeting this phrase at the conference; "We want a Fair, Ambitious and legally binding deal"& "No Deal is a Bad Deal"… I didn't wait for him to finish his talk before I approached him. His name "Kumi" sounded Ghanaian so I asked; if he's got a Ghanaian origin which he responded in the negative but rather linked his name to a Ghanaian sport legend back in the days. He's a South African by birth but had to live in exile in the United Kingdom for a year.

Next was Naomi Klein, a Canadian journalist and Author of "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" and other great books. She also contributed to the writing of the Going Rouge: an American Nightmare book.

Negotiations are ongoing and even though, I am still optimistic of a real deal coming out of the talks, my hopes seems to be fading away gradually. Well, I am keeping my fingers crossed till the last minute.

Bill McKibben writes on the outcome of the "Deal" that the US, China, India and South Africa struck last night.

Full Text of Pres. Barack Obama’s Speech @ COP15

December 18, 2009

Remarks of President Barack Obama - As Prepared for Delivery

UNFCCC Summit. Copenhagen, Denmark

December 18, 2009

Good morning. It's an honor to for me to join this distinguished group of leaders from nations around the world. We come together here in Copenhagen because climate change poses a grave and growing danger to our people. You would not be here unless you - like me - were convinced that this danger is real. This is not fiction, this is science. Unchecked, climate change will pose unacceptable risks to our security, our economies, and our planet. That much we know.

So the question before us is no longer the nature of the challenge - the question is our capacity to meet it. For while the reality of climate change is not in doubt, our ability to take collective action hangs in the balance.

I believe that we can act boldly, and decisively, in the face of this common threat. And that is why I have come here today.

As the world's largest economy and the world's second largest emitter, America bears our share of responsibility in addressing climate change, and we intend to meet that responsibility. That is why we have renewed our leadership within international climate negotiations, and worked with other nations to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. And that is why we have taken bold action at home - by making historic investments in renewable energy; by putting our people to work increasing efficiency in our homes and buildings; and by pursuing comprehensive legislation to transform to a clean energy economy.

These actions are ambitious, and we are taking them not simply to meet our global responsibilities. We are convinced that changing the way that we produce and use energy is essential to America's economic future - that it will create millions of new jobs, power new industry, keep us competitive, and spark new innovation. And we are convinced that changing the way we use energy is essential to America's national security, because it will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and help us deal with some of the dangers posed by climate change.

So America is going to continue on this course of action no matter what happens in Copenhagen. But we will all be stronger and safer and more secure if we act together. That is why it is in our mutual interest to achieve a global accord in which we agree to take certain steps, and to hold each other accountable for our commitments.

After months of talk, and two weeks of negotiations, I believe that the pieces of that accord are now clear.

First, all major economies must put forward decisive national actions that will reduce their emissions, and begin to turn the corner on climate change. I'm pleased that many of us have already done so, and I'm confident that America will fulfill the commitments that we have made: cutting our emissions in the range of 17 percent by 2020, and by more than 80 percent by 2050 in line with final legislation.

Second, we must have a mechanism to review whether we are keeping our commitments, and to exchange this information in a transparent manner. These measures need not be intrusive, or infringe upon sovereignty. They must, however, ensure that an accord is credible, and that we are living up to our obligations. For without such accountability, any agreement would be empty words on a page.

Third, we must have financing that helps developing countries adapt, particularly the least-developed and most vulnerable to climate change. America will be a part of fast-start funding that will ramp up to $10 billion in 2012. And, yesterday, Secretary Clinton made it clear that we will engage in a global effort to mobilize $100 billion in financing by 2020, if - and only if - it is part of the broader accord that I have just described.

Mitigation, Transparency and Financing. It is a clear formula - one that embraces the principle of common but differentiated responses and respective capabilities. And it adds up to a significant accord - one that takes us farther than we have ever gone before as an international community.

The question is whether we will move forward together, or split apart. This is not a perfect agreement, and no country would get everything that it wants. There are those developing countries that want aid with no strings attached, and who think that the most advanced nations should pay a higher price. And there are those advanced nations who think that developing countries cannot absorb this assistance, or that the world's fastest-growing emitters should bear a greater share of the burden.

We know the fault lines because we've been imprisoned by them for years. But here is the bottom line: we can embrace this accord, take a substantial step forward, and continue to refine it and build upon its foundation. We can do that, and everyone who is in this room will be a part of an historic endeavor - one that makes life better for our children and grandchildren.

Or we can again choose delay, falling back into the same divisions that have stood in the way of action for years. And we will be back having the same stale arguments month after month, year after year - all while the danger of climate change grows until it is irreversible.

There is no time to waste. America has made our choice. We have charted our course, we have made our commitments, and we will do what we say. Now, I believe that it's time for the nations and people of the world to come together behind a common purpose.

We must choose action over inaction; the future over the past - with courage and faith, let us meet our responsibility to our people, and to the future of our planet.

Thank you.

Day 5 & 6: We want a Real Deal

I joined a group of climate change activists, bloggers and youth for a candle light vigil at a hall opposite the KlimaForum in Copenhagen. Even though the temperature was very bad, the turn-out was very huge and this shows how people were passionate towards the climate change issue and were demanding for a fair, ambitious and a legally binding deal.

The main reason for the vigil was to stand together in a moment of silence and also tell world leaders that "Now is the time for a Real Deal".

Each of the 1,200 candles held by the participants at the vigil read, "This candle represents 10,000 people who want a real deal", referring to for a fair, ambitious, and binding climate treaty called for in the Tcktcktck petition. However, the vigil was not held inside the Bella Center, where the heads of state from over 110 countries have gathered, as almost all representatives of civil society were removed from the Bella Center some days ago.

Below are photos from the Candle Light Vigil.

Open letter to Barack Obama

Mr. Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
White House, Washington DC
USA

Dec 17, 2009

Dear Mr. President,

Now is the time to give hope more than a voice. As you depart for the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen, I feel compelled to express my hope and desire for the role you will play when you join the other heads of state in reaching an agreement to avert catastrophic climate change: the role you must play in keeping hope alive for many millions of people around the world.

My Name is Mac-Jordan Holdbrookes-Degadjor, I am a proud Ghanaian Blogger with the Ghana Blogging Group and also an NGO activist with Tcktcktck.org, Greenpeace.org & whiteband.org But, most of all, like you, I am a global citizen. I am also a child of Africa.

Like so many people around the world, I was uplifted during your presidential campaign. I had great hope as I listened to you speak to the perils of global warming, and about the promise of a clean energy economy. I was delighted by the promise that the US would return to multilateral engagement. After so many years of denial and inaction by the Bush Administration, you restored my hope that a fair, ambitious and legally binding climate agreement was possible. My hope that a deal which would banish the specter of catastrophic climate change could be struck. I believed and still believe you could be the leader to ensure that happens.

As a child growing up under the strict hands of my father, I learned that it is possible for a leader seeking change to keep hope alive. I also learned that, sooner or later, transformative leaders must make difficult decisions. Tomorrow you will face such a decision. Your choice could change the course of history.

As you well know, no region or nation is immune to the ravages of climate change. Melting glaciers, blazing forests, and acid seas are some of the well-documented ecological impacts of climate change. But too often, we lose sight of the inextricable link between the environment and how real people are affected. It is now estimated that some 300,000 people, mostly the poor and politically disenfranchised, die every year in our warming world.

Water, food, and habitable land are becoming scarcer, compounding human suffering and multiplying political tensions. The latest figures suggest that if we don't act now, as many as one billion people will be uprooted by climate impacts by mid-century.

The poor and voiceless will suffer most; they will be hit hardest and fastest. The unfairness of that pains me. They are the least responsible for causing climate change.

I cling on to hope, because as you have so vividly demonstrated, anything is possible. The prospect of personal leadership at the negotiations allows me to retain some 'audacity of hope' that you will have both the courage and the vision to make history.

This is not a simple political crisis: it is a moral crisis. I want to continue to believe in you Mr President. I appeal to your humanity - please don't condemn the peoples of low-lying island states and the world's most vulnerable countries to uncertainty. Do not let them be wiped off the map.

You have given the world hope that we will finally put this crisis behind us. You have the opportunity to turn hope into action and into reality.

Those from the most vulnerable states face a clear and present danger, but let us be clear, all of the world's 6.8 billion people will suffer from the consequences of unchecked climate change. They need a leader with the courage and vision to act. I pray and hope you are such a leader.

I end by reminding you of something you said often during your campaign. You frequently invoked the powerful words of Martin Luther King: "The fierce urgency of now".

Sadly, according to the science the urgency of now has become even more fierce. I humbly appeal to you to reject the voices of short-term interest, of political expediency and of compromise.

Listen instead to the call of history. Listen to the voices of those most at threat. Listen to the voices of future generations, of our children and grandchildren. Of your children. Of your grandchildren, as yet unborn. Then, please, take the action that you know is needed.

Sincerely,

Mac-Jordan Holdbrookes-Degadjor via Kumi Naidoo [CEO of Greenpeace.org]

Day 4: High-Level Segment

Yesterday, officials from the UNFCCC decided to reduce access to the Bella Center where the Climate Change summit is ongoing for reasons known to them only. This time round, only 7000 observers will be allowed in the building.

Over 45,000 people have applied to attend the conference, three times more than its capacity. An overwhelming number of those who applied arrived on Monday, causing congestion in the area outside the UN venue, which is under the control of the Danish police, and also long delays inside the UN area of control at accreditation counters. The UN accredited a total of around 3,500 new delegates today.

This morning, it was hell for all those who haven’t registered for the summit since it started. Thousands of media, NGO representatives and party delegates have to wait for hours to enter the conference venue. The metro station called “Bella Center” was close down due to the amount of people gathered around the place, therefore making it inconvenient for commuters to alight at and before the Bella Center Station.

I had it real tough yesterday trying to get my accreditation processed. I got to Bella Center at exactly 0550am CET and I happened to be the No.7 in the queue. Gradually, people started coming and the queue also got bigger and bigger. The temperature at that was -1°C and I was actually clad in my warm clothes bought from Kantamanto as usual.

Access to the Bella Center begins from 0800am CET but it was opened at about 0825am CET. Everyone including me was very pissed but we have no choice than to accept whatever comes our way.

Slowly, the crowd moved and it got to my turn at the UN Desk to have my accreditation processed. Guess, what happened here? I know, what you are thinking about now. Yes, just that. My accreditation couldn’t be located in the system… How on earth? Grrrrr…!!!

The most annoying aspect of this was; the UN Agent behind the desk was very rude and not nice to me.

I moved away and decided to seek assistance at the “HELPDESK” designated area. This lady was much nicer and very calm with me. She requested for my passport and my accreditation letter which I gave her. She checked the database and didn’t find my name but said, she’s going inside the main office to cross check. Luck was on my side this time because she came back with a letter for me and a form to fill which I hurriedly did.

This was where, LUCK shone on me. My card was labeled PRESS; meaning I was out of the NGO’s and Observers who wouldn’t make it to the Bella Center from today till the end of the summit because of the presence of the High Profile delegates.

I’m currently at the Bella Center where the High-level Segment attended by heads of States and heads of Government just finished with H.E. Mr. Lars Løkke Rasmussen -Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark, Mr. BAN Ki-moon - Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E. Ms. Connie Hedegaard [COP15 / CMP5 President], Mr. Yvo de Boer - UNFCCC Executive Secretary, HRH the Prince of Wales & Dr. Wangari Maathai - 2004 Peace Nobel Prize Laureate from Kenya.

Day 3 : African Nations Walks Out Of Climate Talks

I attended the “Copenhagen and beyond: Delivering a meaningful deal on Climate Change – the Global Green perspective” talk show at the Orange Hall at the KlimaForum09 yesterday evening with my Global Voices Contributor from the Maldives, Saffah Faroog.

The main speakers for the talk show were Marina Silva, Wangari Maathai, Jose Bove, Christine Milne, Elizabeth May and Catherine Greze. The meeting brought together Green Politicians from across the globe who outlined their views on what a meaningful climate agreement is and how it can be achieved.

With the ongoing UN Climate talks in Copenhagen expected to fall short on delivering a far reach-reaching and binding agreement to tackle climate change, the event also gave a Green perspective on how meaningful and sufficient global deal on climate change can be reached before its too late.

And just a few minutes ago from the Bella Center, where the UNFCCC is been held, African countries raised the "nuclear option" suspending climate talks in protest of wealthy nations' resistance to discuss binding emissions reductions. Though African nations have walked out for the day, they are not leaving the talks permanently.

Friends of the Earth International's Nnimmo Bassey said: "We support African countries' demands for Kyoto targets and mandatory emissions reductions for rich countries. We denounce the dirty negotiating tactics of rich countries which are trying to change the rules and tilt them in their own favor. Developed countries are stalling these negotiations as Africa attempts to move them forward."

A plenary session for all countries has been put on hold because of the breakdown; while Annex 1 developed nations were working to restore talks. But the chances of discussing a continuation of the Kyoto Protocol, wealthy nations contend, remain nil.

The possibility of a summit-ending walkout at Copenhagen China and India both mentioned it last month. Last week, G77 chief negotiator Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aiping walked out of one meeting in protest… I can’t wait to meet Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aiping and have a photo with him.