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30.07.2014 Opinion

Poor Leadership And Ghana’s Development

By Daily Guide
By JamesQuansah, KumasiBy James Quansah, Kumasi
30.07.2014 LISTEN

FORMER PRESIDENT John Agyekum Kufuor told the whole world recently that the major cause of the under development of Ghana, and Africa in general, is lack of good leadership. In other words, he meant the continent lacks visionary leaders.

'After being in front line politics for over four decades, which culminated in serving the last years as President of Ghana, I came to the final conclusion that the root cause of Africa's under development was lack of good leadership', he said.

Mr. Kufuor, who is affectionately referred to as 'Gentle Giant', made these comments during a programme to outdoor, Prof. Baffuor Agyeman Duah as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the J. A. Kufuor Foundation.

It can be inferred from the former President's observation that African countries, including Ghana, have been electing people—Presidents, Members of Parliament and Assembly Members—with poor leadership qualities into political offices.

In the Christian world, the apostle Paul taught that not everybody could become a minister of God or caretaker of the church. A person aspiring to be a minister of God must qualify for the office.

One of the qualifications is that the aspiring minister must be a good manager or steward of resources including people. Essentially, he must be seen to possess proven managerial competence to supervise his household well.

'He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?' (1 Tim. 3: 4, ESV).

We live in a country where top political leaders mount mammoth platforms and make public speeches, boasting that Ghana is a blessed nation endowed with rich natural resources.

Since 1957 when Ghana attained independence, military officers and civilian politicians have been bragging about having what it takes to put money into the pocket of the poor, in order to change him from zero to hero, grass to grace and nobody to somebody.

With smooth and well-rehearsed orations, the political elites PREACH convincingly to inspire and rouse the enthusiasm and ecstasy of majority of the masses who ignorantly respond with a big 'AMEN'!

Yet, many years after independence, the nation is still poor. Shamefully, its people lack what Abraham Maslow calls physiological needs, including adequate clean water, food, and decent shelter. These constitute the basic needs for human survival.

Ghanaians, a people living 'in a land flowing with milk and honey', continue to complain of lack of potable water and decent meals. Thus, they curse their stars as the future looks bleak to them.

How can state managers continue to say Ghana is blessed with gold, oil, timber, diamond, bauxite, manganese and other natural resources yet cannot feed the 25 million people? How can a father who presides over gold and other minerals and chauffeured in a fleet of four-wheel vehicles fail to provide for his household?

Obviously, Ghana's problem is all about leadership and management. Leadership is everything and everything is leadership. Leaders are to manage the resources entrusted to them for the attainment of success for the improvement of the living conditions of all.

The success of a home largely depends on the ability of the husband to wisely and prudently use the family's resources to provide comfort, first, to his wife and children, and second, to their extended family as well as neighbours.

A responsible poor family will avoid a flamboyant lifestyle and profligate spending. Naturally, it will be parsimonious. Frugality will be its guiding principle so as to avoid waste of resources in order to amass wealth for the family.

Similarly, the triumph of an organization or nation rests on the top management. People who declare their intentions to seek political offices must be distinguished visionary men and women who are selfless, and have the innate capacity to self-actualize for the nation's development.

They should be people with the spirit of Jesus, Moses, and Joshua, who knew and understood their God-given assignments to selflessly rescue their distressed people from oppression and gradually lead them to find all-round prosperity.

Since independence, Ghana has not had a true selfless leader who was prepared to be frugal with the nation's resources. The nation has not had serious-minded field-working leaders wearing the layman's apparel and driving simple vehicles with loyal team members determined to create wealth.

The kind of leaders the nation has had are suit-wearing, ceremonial and flamboyant leaders who like to be seen as people's men, ridding in horse-led four-wheel drive convoys on filthy potholed roads and responding to cheers. Certainly, this is not leadership and patriotism! It is exploitation and egoism.

Within the 57 years of self-rule, military rulers destroyed a number of huge investments mostly owned by private businessmen and women. They arrested, molested and killed wealthy people who were accused of corrupt practices, promising to restore sanity in the system.

Instead of developing and building, the leaders damaged, ravaged and broke down, tearing everything apart. Undoubtedly, these are some of the causes of our current under development.

From 1992, since democratic governance returned to the country, a lot of events have passed under the bridge. Ghanaian politicians have certainly mastered the art of promising!

They have studied, manufactured and rehearsed how to give heart-warming promises to the people for their votes, assuring them of their determination to prudently manage the nation's resources to create wealth for them.

Strangely, politicians' promises of providing gold turn out to be dust, water turns out to be vapour, and affordable houses turn out to be forests and safe havens for criminals. In fact, if a Ghanaian politician promises you brightness, expect a silhouette.

Are you disputing my argument? Have you forgotten about the affordable housing projects that were started under the Kufuor administration so soon? The uncompleted houses, numbering between 4,720 and 6,000 in various parts of the country, are just wasting away whilst people sleep on the streets.

What about the STX-Ghana Government $10 billion housing deal promised by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and many other unfulfilled promises?

Perhaps, party politics has its own governance wisdom. Otherwise, why should a poor government decide to abandon state projects that are near completion and attempt to secure funds to start constructing similar projects in the same country?

What about the startling revelations of dubious judgment debts paid to companies and individuals for no work done at the sittings of the Judgment Debt Commission?

The merciful God blessed this nation with natural resources for the prosperity of its people, but 57 years after independence, poverty is still its identity. What has been the problem? Its leaders have been wasting its resources.

 
By James Quansah, Kumasi
[email protected]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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