In our series of letters from African writers, Ghanaian journalist and former government minister Elizabeth Ohene explains why clock-watching in Ghana is a waste of time.

When Japan's Olympics Minister Yoshitaka Sakurada was forced to make a public apology after arriving three minutes late to a parliamentary meeting, I wondered how many ministers of state here in Ghana thanked God they were not Japanese.

It is accepted practice in Ghana that public officials are late to functions. Indeed, they are expected to be late.