The way we were, the way we are and what the future holds

It was heartening to read recently that Ghana ranked 40 out of about 120 odd countries rated on the “Global Peace Index”. We were the highest ranking sub-Saharan country. This makes us the most peaceful African country, second only to Tunisia according to this recent ranking. Sometime last year, we also rated ourselves as the happiest people in Africa and 3rd happiest in the world. All of these indices suggest that Ghana is one of the greatest spots to find oneself on God's great earth. How as all of this come about? There are no simple answers. Those of us who often deal with first time visitors to our country, never tired of hearing our guests express how astounded they are about how peaceful, friendly and progressive this young nation is.

We have come to this place in our history and development by building institutions which support and promote civil progress against significant odds, first from without and now mostly from within. We are at a point in our development, in which our future is squarely in our own hands. Whether we continue to develop along the path of peace and continued respect for the integrity of our citizens or whether we degenerate into the mediocrity that hangs like a sword of Damocles over the rest of our continent rests only on our own shoulders and so it should be. Neither Nkrumah nor Danquah can come back and help us with this. We can glean from our history that no matter how misguided any leader may have been in the past, most were motivated by an abiding love of the nation.

There are many views espoused about what is critical for the successful continuation of economic growth and social progress in a country like ours. These views are held with so much passion that it is often impossible to have a meaningful debate without being dragged down into the mud of personal attacks and the like. The 2008 elections are likely to be highly emotional because many of the contestants are from the generation who experienced the beginnings of the institutions that have been the bulwark of the relative peace we enjoy today. They also see it as a last chance to consolidate their nostalgic dreams of a great nation from their earliest years of life. Many will say that “in the good old days” our institutions actually functioned. So have we really made that much progress?

Nostalgia for the past is a good thing if it inspires us to do better for the future. Gone are Black Star Line, Ghana Airways, GNTC and other parastatals. We are now in an era in which the task of governing is rooted in creating a peaceful and predictable environment in which individual Ghanaian entrepreneurs can build the mega companies of tomorrow. The great institutions like the parliament, judiciary, the police force, the educational system, the armed forces, our health services will have to rise to a level of excellence greater than that which existed in the early days of our nationhood. This is so because we have rapidly become a larger, more complex and dynamic society.

The greatest internal obstacles to continued peace and development are corruption and mediocrity. A national consciousness which has not internalized excellence as its central attribute will not serve as well. Many of our institutions like the Public Service are in need of serious reform and the magnitude of the repair needed on that engine of state is not to be underestimated or we will pay dearly for it for years to come. Everyone is concerned about our energy crisis. This is an example of a situation where excellence eluded us in the search for a sustainable solution. The level of discourse on this central economic issue continues to be fragmented, incoherent and unduly politicized.

How much energy do we consume now? How much will we consume when our population hits 40 million? How much of this energy is consumed by cars? How much of it is consumed in homes? How much will industry require given our current growth rate? Should we seek to devolve energy production and management to the local level? Many smaller rivers and their tributaries can be harnessed to provide hydroelectric power after the necessary environmental impact studies. Mega projects are not always the answer and they tend to undermine a people's ability to take ownership of their resources and manage them effectively. Then we also need a dispassionate examination of other sustainable options, being nuclear, solar, wind, bio-fuels etc. and how we might combine them over the long term.

What legacy of leadership will we bequeath the next generations? Will it be one of mediocrity or excellence; Rational discourse or emotional ranting; Population-based long term planning or perpetual crisis management; Corruption or integrity in public life; Peace and security or chaos and crime? Today we all decry the rising tide of gun –related crime. Our ability to sustain peace in our communities is being undermined by an illicit drug trade and pervasive corruption in our law enforcement agencies. If we do not hold our public officials to the highest standards of probity, the lives of innocent citizens will be wasted. With that loss of life goes our image as a peaceful nation deserving of a growing reputation as a most sought after destination for world travelers and investors. Our very future is at stake.

Recently China executed a high ranking public official (the former head of its Food and Drug Administration) for corruption and incompetence. They have come to understand the problem. Do we get it?