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How the wedding of Joe Appiah and a British lady stirred the world in 1953

How the wedding of Joe Appiah and a British lady stirred the world in 1953

February 5, 2020
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Running a small business is demanding. Each day presents challenges that can affect your cash flow, your customers, and your ability to grow. Amid these demands, it is easy to lose sight of long-term financial priorities. However, businesses that last are not only those with good products or strong customer service. They are often the ones with better financial habits. This article outlines seven essential points that will help SMEs manage their finances more effectively, reduce risk, and plan for growth. 1. Start with a Clear Financial Plan A good financial plan gives direction to your business. It helps you set targets, allocate resources, and make informed decisions. Start by defining your financial goals. These should be SMART - specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and tied to timelines. For example, you should determine how much revenue you need each month, what level of production or service delivery is required to meet that target, and how you intend to achieve it. 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Many small businesses struggle in this area due to time constraints, limited expertise, or a lack of systems. However, proper record-keeping should never be overlooked. It supports internal decision-making, strengthens external credibility, and improves your ability to respond to opportunities or risks. Business owners can start by gaining basic knowledge of accounting principles and tools. Training employees in simple record-keeping practices also helps to build internal capacity. In some cases, it may be worthwhile to engage professionals who can help you put the right systems in place and prepare essential reports at a cost that makes sense for your business. 3. Choose a Banking Partner Aligned with Your Goals The right banking relationship can make a real difference to your business. A bank like Absa Bank is more than a place to keep your funds. It is a partner that can support your operations, guide your financial planning, and help you take advantage of growth opportunities. Begin by understanding your business needs. These might include working capital support, payments and collections services, or trade finance. Once your needs are clear, assess whether your bank offers the right mix of services, accessibility, and expertise. Your banking partner should make it easier to run your business, not harder. They should share your ambition to grow, be responsive to your concerns, and provide solutions that are tailored to the stage your business is in. A strong banking relationship will give you confidence and peace of mind as you build your enterprise. 4. Deploy Effective Payment Solutions Revenue is the foundation of every business and the way you go about collecting it is key. In today’s economy, customers expect fast, simple, and secure payment options. If your business only accepts cash, you may be turning away potential sales without realising it. Providing customers with flexible payment options is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity for growth and long-term relevance in a digital economy. Offer customers alternatives such as instant bank transfers, mobile money, card payments through point-of-sale devices, or more innovative solutions like Absa Mobi Tap to improve your customer experience and increase your reach. These methods reduce delays, enhance transaction security, and demonstrate professionalism. 5. Meet Statutory Obligations Promptly Every business has legal and regulatory responsibilities. These include filing and paying taxes, submitting Social Security and National Insurance Trust contributions, and meeting other sector-specific requirements. Complying with these obligations on time helps you avoid penalties and disruptions. It also builds your business’s reputation and improves your standing with financial institutions and regulators. To stay compliant, you should adopt a legal structure that suits your business model and goals. You may also wish to seek legal or tax advice at key points in your journey. Planning ahead for obligations such as annual tax payments or quarterly filings ensures that you are not caught off guard. Meeting your statutory responsibilities consistently is a mark of a well-run business. 6. Manage Your Risks Running any business involves risk. These risks may include delayed payments from customers, unexpected costs, economic downturns, or even natural disasters. For small businesses operating with limited resources, such events can be difficult to absorb. This is why risk management must be part of your financial routine. Start by identifying the main risks that could affect your business. Put in place basic measures to protect your operations. This could mean setting aside emergency reserves, purchasing insurance, or diversifying your income streams. Being proactive about risk does not eliminate uncertainty, but it helps you stay in control when challenges arise. It also signals to lenders, partners, and customers that your business is prepared and resilient. 7. Separate Business and Personal Finances It may be tempting to treat your business account as your personal wallet, especially in the early stages. However, failing to separate your business and personal finances can lead to confusion, tax problems, and credibility issues. As a business owner, you should pay yourself a fixed salary. Avoid withdrawing funds at random or covering personal expenses with business income. If you invest personal funds in the business, document it properly as a loan or equity contribution. Keeping your finances separate helps you maintain clear records, assess business performance accurately, and present your enterprise in a more professional light to partners, banks, and regulators. At Absa Bank, we believe that strong financial habits form the backbone of every successful enterprise. 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Home Feature

How the wedding of Joe Appiah and a British lady stirred the world in 1953

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How the wedding of Joe Appiah and a British lady stirred the world in 1953

How the wedding of Joe Appiah and a British lady stirred the world in 1953

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Joe Appiah from Gold Coast (now Ghana), the first Ghanaian to marry (Lady Peggy Cripps) from the British Empire`s Upper class.

Early Life

Mr. Joe Appiah, born Joseph Emmanuel Appiah on Nov. 16, 1918 in Kumasi, was known as Joe in politics and used the shorter name as the author of several books.

He was a Ghanaian lawyer, politician and statesman born in Kumasi to Nana James Appiah and Nana Adwoa Akyaa, members of the Ashanti imperial aristocracy.

His father was a schoolmaster, Methodist leader, traditional nobleman and, finally, Chief Secretary of Asanteman, a position his son would also subsequently occupy.

Joe Appiah was educated at Wesley College, Mfantsipim, and the Middle Temple.

Marriage Life

How the marriage between Joe Appiah and Peggy Cripps stirred the world in 1953

In 1951, Joe Appiah met Lady Peggy Cripps at a student dance. She was the daughter of the Right Honourable Sir Stafford Cripps and Dame Isobel Cripps.

she was born on May 21 1921. Peggy Cripps was then working for an organisation called

Racial Unity, after having lived in Moscow, where her father was a British ambassador, and in Tehran, where she worked for the British army (railways).

In 1953 in London, Mr. Appiah, a law student from a prominent Ashanti family in what is now Ghana, married Peggy Cripps.

It was then unheard of that an African will dare to marry a white lady from the British upper class family.

When it was announced that the 32-year-old Peggy was to marry a black man, every Colonel Blimp in the Empire was horrified.

Disgusting! That was how the apartheid South African minister of justice, Charles Swart described the marriage between Joe Appiah and Peggy Cripps.

During that period in Britain, interracial marriages were largely absent and a white girl who was seen out with a black man was deemed not “respectable”.

It was reported that Kwame Nkrumah (who would later be Ghana’s first president) was

supposed to be Appiah’s best man, but George Padmore, the Pan-Africanist, journalist and author took up that role.

At the Church of England ceremony, the bride wore a gown of mother of pearl-embroidered silk brocade.

The bridegroom, a Methodist, wore a tribal ceremonial garment – similar to a toga – of yellow and green striped silk.

This sensational love affair inspired the 1967 Hollywood comedy-drama movie “Guess

Who’s Coming to Dinner ” starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, and featuring Hepburn’s niece Katharine Houghton.

Return to Gold Coast

How the marriage between Joe Appiah and Peggy Cripps stirred the world in 1953
Joe Appiah,Peggy and their four kids

Their firstborn child, Prof Anthony Kwame Appiah (now world renowned Professor of

philosophy and co-editor of The Encyclopedia of the African and African-American Experience ), was born in London in 1954, followed by three daughters.
The Appiah family returned to Ghana in late 1954. Soon after, Joe Appiah’s friendship with Nkrumah was ruined.

Mr. Appiah was for several years the personal representative in London of the Ghanaian

leader, Kwame Nkrumah, during the campaign for independence of what was then the Gold Coast. It became independent from Britain as Ghana in 1957.

But Mr. Appiah broke with Mr. Nkrumah and became prominent in the West African nation’s political opposition.

He was a member of the Ghanaian Parliament when he was arrested and detained, under the Preventive Detention Act, in 1961 and 1962.

He joined the National Liberation Movement party and won the Atwima-Amansie seat in 1957.

From 1970 to 1972 he was chairman of a new opposition party, the Justice Party, formed in 1970 through the merger of the country’s three opposition parties.

At that time, he was also president of the Ghana Bar Association.

Under later national leaderships, He went on to become Ghana’s representative at the United Nations in 1977 and 1978 and held other official posts.

Works of Peggy

Meanwhile, Peggy learned the language of the Asante, Twi, and became conversant with

their folklore which influenced her to write several books such as Yao and the Python

(1971); The Children of Ananse (1968); Why There Are So Many Roads (1972); Ananse the

Spider: Tales from an Ashanti Village (1966); Kyekyekulee, Grandmother’s Tales (1993) and The Lost Earring (1971).

Her last major work was a collection of 7,000 Asante proverbs entitled Bu Me Be (Tell Me a

Proverb) which she co-authored with her son Kwame, and Ivor Agyemang-Duah, currently information officer at the Ghana high commission in London.

At the same time as immersing herself in Asante art and culture, Peggy Cripps became a

philanthropic figure in Kumasi and founded, with the assistance of her children, a school

for the disabled at Jachie. She also contributed to the education of many children in Kumasi.

Death

Joe Appiah died in Accra after an illness and was buried at the Tafo cemetery at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana July 8, 1990.

Peggy Cripps bought a plot at Tafo cemetery in Kumasi, so that when she died, she would

not be sent back to England, but be buried next to her husband, who died in 1990. She died in February 11, 2006.

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