Renowned Pan-Africanist and entrepreneur, Dr. Kofi Amoah, has voiced dismay over the prolonged economic stagnation experienced in Ghana and other African nations.
Dr. Amoah raised questions regarding why some countries find it relatively straightforward to achieve economic and social progress while African countries struggle.
He highlighted that despite continuous efforts towards nation-building, the desired outcomes have often remained elusive.
Dr. Amoah emphasized the importance of aligning capable individuals with innovative ideas to drive success, proposing the formation of governments of national unity regardless of political party affiliation or tribal identity.
He underscored the urgency of addressing these issues, particularly during the upcoming 2024 election cycle, urging citizens to engage in constructive discussions aimed at finding solutions to the challenges hindering progress in Africa.
Read the write-up below:
SO WHAT’S THE WAY FORWARD, GHANA and AFRICA?
Why is it so uncomplicated and smooth for other nations to get on the path of economic and social development but so difficult for African countries?
SUCCESS LIES AT THE POINT WHERE THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND THE RIGHT IDEAS MEET
This can be made possible in Ghana and Africa if we consider forming govts of national unity with the bright and accomplished minds regardless of party or tribe.
We have been at this process of nation building for quite some time and so far most of the efforts have not worked well for us.
1. Could it be because of the type of governance structure we have copied (Parliament, Judiciary, Executive), with their heavy overhead expenditures?
Parliament make laws that are not implemented to yield the intended benefits to society, neither are they consistently policed to become positive habits of citizens nor properly and promptly adjudicated in many instances by the courts when necessary.
2. Could it be because of the acrimonious and divisive party political system adopted, unsuitable to our still tribally non-cohesive and hegemonist past?
3. Could it be because of the Capitalistic/Free Enterprise practices which hold back our internal production potential due to the lack of adequate capital and the high cost of credit, pulling us towards mega foreign loans whose substantial part is absconded thru corruption and the rest paid to foreign contractors, denying us the sorely needed loan expenditure multiplier effects in the local economy?
4. Or could it be our mistakes in opening up our borders to World Trade Organization, WTO, members to sell anything at any price in our local market whilst we don’t really have much manufactured products of profitable margins to sell to them in exchange, and whilst our local manufacturers cannot also compete in their own local markets with imports due to their inadequate “learning-by-doing” stage that successful countries provided for their local producers in their infancy (US, UK, China, Japan etc)
5. Or have we lost the plot with which all successful nations developed by us continuously selling our mineral resources raw and at pittance prices instead of processing these minerals in local factories to produce high-value products for exports as well as create good-paying JOBS at home for our jobless masses?
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Dr. Kofi Amoah