What If Ghanaians Become Patriots?

Patriotism does not consist in waving the flag, but in striving for our country to be both righteous and strong. We swear on our honor to be loyal to Ghana, our motherland. What is going on around the country demonstrates that Ghanaians have lost sight of the importance of patriotism in our national life. From the presidency to the legislature, the judiciary, public and civil servants, and the last man in the community. Everyone is simply irresponsible. Individual gain has taken precedence over the collective interest of all.

Every morning after salaat, I take some time to reflect on our country, Ghana. The more I do the exercise, the more worried I become. I become perplexed because I don't know where to begin in my quest to find solutions to the numerous challenges that face us as a nation. According to the elderly, the most difficult challenge is excessive partisanship, which motivates the political class to take unnecessary intransigent positions on issues of national concern. The NDC sees nothing positive in NPP leadership, and vice versa.

Some of the problems we face, ideally, can be easily solved with a patriotic mindset. According to the World Bank, Ghana has 20.66 percent of arable land coverage, while China has 12.68 percent. Ironically, Ghana's food imports from China in 2019 totaled US$37.72, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

So, I ask myself, what exactly is wrong with our country? Why should Ghana, which has more agricultural land, need to import food from China? I heard the argument that Ghanaians have an insatiable desire for foreign goods. Really? Where has the patriotism gone? I believe that Ghanaians should love to consume what we produce in order to save our economy from total collapse. In my opinion, businessmen and women are deliberately driving the so-called appetite for foreign goods in order to stay in the import business and make abnormal profit. This viewpoint is supported by importers withdrawing their advertisement from Citi FM after the entity attempted to promote Ghana-made rice.

Many people point to the leadership's lack of confidence in imposing a total ban on imports of goods that Ghana can produce locally. Nigeria banned maize imports in 2020 in order to boost domestic production and stimulate a rapid economic recovery. Many imported foodstuffs can be banned in Ghana. A well-designed policy in this area alone will reduce unemployment and ensure the country's food security.

To give true meaning to our patriotism, we as citizens must first believe in ourselves and what we produce. Let us all go back to our own backyard gardens. This should assure us of chemical-free foods and the passion that goes with farming.

There is still a chance for Ghana to development and it has to be through patriotism.

Zuberu Aliu