GHANA’S PAUDC BID 2015 INTENTION
PAN AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES DEBATING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015
9TH August, 2013
Dear Debating Community,
Debate Ghana Association in partnership with University of Ghana is proud to officially announce our intention to bid for the Pan African Universities Debating Championships 2015. On the strength of hosting two successful nationals, with the recent nationals to be televised on national television as season 1 with 13 episodes of debating and public speaking respectively compensates our organizational abilities. The production from July 14 -21 became the first to be broadcast under the British Parliamentary Debate format in Ghana, Africa and the world. The Association will host the event in partnership with University of Ghana, Legon in the capital, Accra.
The Ghana PAUDC 2015 bid has secured overwhelming commitment to sponsorship from government and non-governmental organizations such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Tourism and Newmont Mining Company and other corporate organizations we negotiating with.
The bid document will make its circulation during PAUDC Nigeria 2013, but until then the following of overview of our proposed bid.
Tournament Details
Audio-Visual Production and Broadcasting of PAUDC 2015:
Upon a successful organization of Ghana nationals in 2012 which was run as a pilot production for television and subsequently the 2nd nationals 2013 being a main production and scheduled for broadcasting in September 2013 convict our field of experience to bid for PAUDC 2013. Our experience is worth sharing with Africa. We don’t stand for complete revolution but reforms building from past events and as such the dissection of policy issues of debaters needs not to end with participants or within the four walls of the host institution but live with the world through a higher platform. If Ghana have achieved this fit why not Africa. The world must hone the benefits of the values of the PAUDC and ultimately influence a wider viewer audience to access policy suggestions while learning. The broadcast of PAUDC will be negotiated with DSTV for viewers across the Africa. Details of broadcasting of PAUDC 2015 will be carried in the bid document.
Media
Our continuous and experienced engagement with the media of Ghana would witness its highest peak. Media platforms are not new to the Association and as such their network would be employed to its fullest capacities. As mentioned, it is through these media channels that our Ghana Tertiary Debating Championships season 1 is showing. Interviews of the Adjudication core and some participants would be arranged with the national broadcaster, GTV and other major private television stations as TV3 and Metro TV. On the continent we are keenly committed as mentioned above to run the PAUDC 2015 event as a television production and commit talks with DSTV in South Africa or Metro TV in Ghana who is on DSTV channel and viewed around the world.
Tournament Experience
Debate Ghana Association has been running tertiary level debating championships, dubbed Ghana Tertiary Debating Championships (GTDC) for the past two years. The tournament is growing in leaps and bounds with the recent year witnessing nationals from Togo, South Africa and Botswana. Both years have been under television production with the first year being a pilot production and the second year a television production proper. Debate in Ghana is coordinated by the Debate Ghana Association. This is made fruitful through network of affiliations with all university debate societies in the country. At the Senior High level national reforms have been initiated and pilot programs on National Karl Popper Debate Championships is started in three regions of the ten regions. Junior high schools have a national league called the Ghana Junior forensic league running under the middle school format from 2010 and have impacted on 1000s students.
University of Ghana is highly recommended for their support for educative programs as this. They have hosted twice the Ghana Nationals and are in a good drive to give participants an epic experience. What better hospitality can you expert from the premier university in Ghana..!
Adjudication Policy
The estimated team cap is 400 with a possibility of increasing to 440 participants. Moreover, the adjudication core will be announced upon the circulation of our bid proposal. We promise high quality adjudication core. The N- 1 rule applies. We will grant institutions initial three team spots on a first come first served basis. The institutional cap of three (3) teams will be upheld and there shall be ESL incorporated in the champs. ESL would benefit more non English speaking countries.
We believe in strengthening what measures have been achieved by the PAUDC Council. We anticipate appointing experienced personality as CA and for our 4 DCAs they will be appointed through an open application process incorporating regional representation balance on the continent. But a slot for exceptional quality regardless of the regional background would not be under-estimated. Details of policies would be made available. Stay tuned.
Flight deals
We have secured commitment and negotiations are underway for sponsorship from South African Airways, Kenyan, Namibian and Aero Contractors (Nigeria) to provide either substantial discount code for participants flying from locations of their operations. We hope to open negotiations with other airlines to enhance participation of the event. Kindly stay tuned for more updates
Accommodation
Newly constructed halls with modern housing facilities at the University of Ghana will be the accommodation heaven for participants. On the University campus and its environs are hotels, guest houses and lodges where preferences can be arranged for observers or university officials.
Registration fee
An approximate fee of $ 120 is the ceiling fee, with a view to reduce it upon securing more sponsors.
Registration policy
We are very ambitious to have increased delegations from Africa and the world. Our registration policy will observe PAUDC Councils institutional 3 slots. But in the event where PAUDC doesn’t indicate a reform to cater for a particular situation arising we would maximize the number of institutions that can attend the champs to make it participatory worthy.
Accessibility
Ghana is in West Africa. It borders La Cote d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and Togo to the east. Ghana is a very friendly country ideal for first time travelers, the people are generally very helpful and welcoming. Tourism is one of the delights of the country. All international flights are through the Kotoka International Airport at Accra the capital. The airport is very busy with airport shuttles and lots of taxis to connect you to other parts of the city including the venue – University of Ghana. University of Ghana is only 5 km otherwise 12 minutes drive from the airport. The city is flourished with entertainment centres to host debaters. We shall provide free transportation for participants from the airport to the tournament venue.
Security, Freedoms, Rights, Associations and the Law
Ghana is a democratic country and believes in the rule of law. The constitution guarantees the rights of individuals, freedom to associate and movement of persons provided they are in the remit of the law like any other nation. The country is a multicultural nation and very tolerant to individual view points. The security of participants is assured and minority interests are protected as always by the constitution. We should have a good champs in 2015.
Visa
For nationals in the ECOWAS region will not require visa to travel to Ghana because of ECOWAS travel protocols. However, other nationals on the continent will require visa and as such they can apply through the nearest Ghanaian High Commission in their country. We are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist participants with immigration issues that may arise.
Meet Our Chief Adjudicator: Dr. Alfred Snider
Alfred C. Snider is the Edwin W. Lawrence Professor of Forensics at the University of Vermont. He has degrees from Brown University, Emerson College, and the University of Kansas. He teaches courses in debate, argumentation, persuasion and rhetorical analysis. He is the Director of the World Debate Institute and the Lawrence Debate Union.
Dr. Snider has spent the last thirty-six years promoting debate and critical communication as an alternative to violence and conflict as well as a method for achieving real democracy and a true civil society. He has done formal debate training in twenty-five countries and has trained debaters from over thirty-five nations at the World Debate Institute’s sessions in the USA, Korea and Slovenia. He has directed the debate program at international conferences in Turkey, Estonia and Slovenia attended by scholars from over thirty-five nations.
Dr. Snider has received every major award given to debate educators in the USA, including the Pelham Coach of the Year award, the Don Brownlee Service to Debate award, the Ziegelmueller Debate Coaching award, the Slappey Diversity in Debate award, the Douglas Dedication to Debate award and the Jacobsohn Service to Debate award. His work in promoting debate has also brought him awards from Emory University, the University of Utah, Cornell University, Binghamton University, University of South Carolina as well as from the National Forensic League and the Cross Examination Debate Association. In the last six years he has been very active in WUDC/BP format debate activities, and has ten times been the training director at the International Debate Academy held in Europe.
Dr. Snider has served as President of the USA’s Cross Examination Debate Association and for the last six years has been the Director of Operations for the National Forensic League’s national high school speech and debate championship, attended by over five thousand people and lasting one week. He has also been the Director of Operations for the World Schools Debating Championships in Washington DC in September 2008, attended by 39 countries. He has directed dozens of debate tournaments in different parts of the world. He has served as a consultant to the Open Society Institute, the New York Urban Debate League, the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues, the History Channel, the Associated Leaders of Urban Debate, the International Debate Education Association, the National Public Policy Forum, Singapore Ministry of Education, Slovenia Institute of Education and DEBATE-Kansas City.
As a debater for Brown University Dr. Snider was third at the USA National Debate Tournament and second at the USA National Tournament of Champions, both in 1972.
Dr. Snider’s mottos include “Replacing weapons with words,” and “Think for yourself.”
More events will be released soon over the next few months, so do stay tuned!
We will launch a website for our bid in January 2014
Please do not hesitate to contact us at enquiries@debateghanaassociation.com , for further enquiries. We also do welcome any feedback you might have to better improve our bid.
We hope to ferry you to the land of the ‘Black Star’ for Ghana PAUDC 2015!
Best,
Christian Lebrecht Malm-Hesse
Prospective Convener of PAUDC 2015
Chief Executive Officer, Debate Ghana Association
Co-founder and General Secretary, West African Debate Board
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