Setting An Agenda For Development (II)

THE TRIPLE THREAT “Africa is a corrupt continent; it's a continent in chaos. We can't deliver a lot of our systems that we send there. Money is stolen. Now when you have a situation like that, where governments don't really perform consistently, where there's just corruption everywhere, how can you cut through that?” Bill O'Reilly, an American talk show host. This is a common perception perpetuated by right wingers in Europe and America about Africa. It is surprising that many still consider Africa as a single country with a high incidence of corruption, poverty and diseases. The piece is written with the belief that we cannot and should not allow ourselves to be perpetually trapped in vicious cycle of disunity, poverty and underdevelopment. The nation can be developed successfully and this must be underpinned by tolerance, social cohesion and acceptance of democratic values. In the introductory piece to this discourse, some of the underpinning causes of our stagnant developmental effort were considered. An attempt at assessing the immediate past and current national socio-cultural and political situation was made. I received some responses, some extremely vitriolic and impugning on my motive. It is the fundamental and democratic right of each one of us to hold an opinion. Further, I do not claim to know all the answers to the national problems or hold the best viewpoints. However, I was very surprised and mildly frightened by the venom and vitriol poured by some respondents. Someone labelled me as just another Rawlings basher and another took an exception to my reference to the former president as President Rawlings. I am humble enough to admit to my imperfections as human and would be most willing to accept my mistakes if proven to me. However I do not make any apologies for my views and facts I make in the discourse. Facts are sacred and should not be distorted to suit any parochial interest. I have on a number of occasions written to columnist to express points of disagreements with them. Some have become friends and we regularly share our views over issues of national concern. Factual mistakes noted could be pointed out for an apology and retraction. It is strange how some people want to articulate their views but do not expect others to do same and put labels on them. It would be naïve to expect all of us to share the same views or agree on issues but insults, intolerance and blatant hatred of others with contrary views do not augur well in a democratic environment. Secondly, there is without doubt only one president of Ghana and he is President Kufuor. Referring to the former president as President Rawlings is only a sign of respect. He once occupied the high office and according him respect should not be misconstrued for anything else. In a country like the United States, former heads of state are always referred to as Mr. President without any fear of contradicting who is the president at any time. I have heard President George W. Bush referring to the former president as President Clinton. It is reported that the US president insists on being called George W. to differentiate him from his own father, President George Bush. I consider President Rawlings as an important figure in the quest for national development, if he chooses to apply himself to that cause. Perhaps, his shabby treatment of the late President Hilla Limann accounts for how others treat him. President Rawlings can be an important focal point in the development of the country now more than when he was the president.

The Triple Threat to the national development and indeed to our very existence are corruption, diseases and poverty. It is significant that this piece is being written on a day proclaimed as World Poverty Day (24/04/05). The chosen title for the article – The Triple Threat – was inspired by a BBC documentary on Lesotho broadcasted to mark the observance of the day. The threat of weak governance, poverty and disease constitute a major threat no less to Lesotho than to Ghana. It is very important to appreciate the underlying causes of these debilitating factors on our social, economic and political structures and systems. This would help in the search for remedial actions that would put the nation on the path of sustainable development.

Weak Governance

The mention of weak governance always projects the image of corruption. Governance is used here to include not only the political leadership but also the civil, public and traditional authorities. By this we are looking not only at the executive led by the president, but also the parliament, judiciary, the civil and public services, the local government administration and the traditional administration led by chiefs. Arguably the presidency must lead the way in the identification and financing of high priority infrastructure projects and social services to the whole population.

It has been argued in certain quarters that the PNDC/NDC governments should have achieved more in terms of the infrastructural development of the nation. I am however of the opinion that during the period Ghana witnessed some major road rehabilitation/construction, national electrification, provision of water and also the deregulation of the communication sector. These set a major way for a national development programme. The NPP government has by and large followed the course by completing some projects commenced by the NDC and initiating some of their own. Sadly, the two parties are bickering over issues that do not bear on the national developmental effort. The NDC continuously claim the government has failed to acknowledge the projects they initiated. The government on the hand claims the NDC wants to take credit for its (government's) initiated projects. What is important at this time is to ensure that a change in government (democratic, of course) does not bring about the suspension of projects. There should always be continuity in the national developmental effort notwithstanding whichever party is forming the government.

Ghana opted for an executive presidential system of governance. The independence of the parliament and the judiciary is guaranteed by the constitution. Partisanship in parliament should be subsumed in the quest for checking and cooperating with the other arms of government to strengthen the system of governance of the country. Parliamentarians must therefore be supported to perform their roles effectively. Democracy is not cheap in practice. It is an option we have chosen and must therefore accept its realities. Again we must strengthen and resource the courts in the administration of justice. The judiciary must be above corruption and partisanship. The court system should be modernised to ensure speedy, impartial and fair judgments.

The civil and public services constitute another major part of the government machinery. These state institutions must be non-partisan at all times. Over the years they have been politicised and a high perception remains that employment into the services require some form of affiliation with the government of the day. Bribery and inefficiency seems to be a mark of many of these institutions. Corruption in the executive, legislature and judiciary remains largely perceptual. Many allegations remain unsubstantiated and in many cases difficult to prove. However, corruption in the state services is quite high. I have personally witnessed corruption in some of these institutions. I know of cases of corruption in institutions such as the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Water Company, Electricity Company of Ghana, Forestry Commission (and its allied organisations), just to name a few. My wife returned to Ghana to set up a school last year. From October, 2004 she persistently tried to register with the Ghana Education Service, Department of Social Welfare and the Registrar General's Department. As at the time of writing this piece it is only the Registrar General's Department which has issued her with a certificate of registration. The Department of Social Welfare has sent an initial inspection team while the Ghana Education Service has not even responded to the application at all. The GNET system has considerably increased the speed and reduced the incidence of bribery and corruption associated with the clearance processes. This shows how proper systems can go a long way in reducing corruption in state institutions. Local government administration has also been fraught with allegations of corruption. There has been a number of dismissals and the rare prosecution of District Chief Executives and local govt administrators. Currently some localities have publicly called on the President not to re-appoint certain individuals for perception of corruption and incompetence. Some local government officials are laws unto themselves. They disregard laid-down rules and procedures and act in impunity in the award of contracts. Embezzlement and misappropriation of funds have been traced to some local government administrators. Once again, the system of administration should be strengthened to ensure effective checks for the avoidance of such problems. The constitution further gives recognition to the institution of chieftancy. The framers wisely debarred chiefs from active partisan politics. By and large this has been achieved although some chiefs blatantly support one political grouping or the other. The institution however has inherent succession problems which have led to many unfortunate problems. A typical case is the murder of the Ya Na Yakubu Andani. The institution has failed sometimes in the dispensation of justice on traditional issues. The role of some chiefs in land disputes leave much to be desired. Accountability has been virtually nil in some traditional councils. Chiefs can play important role in the socio-economic development of the country. Some chiefs such as the Okyehene, Asantehene and the Agbemofia have taken a leading role in the socio-economic development of their peoples and the whole nation. The institution should be modernised to take active role in poverty alleviation programmes, education, health and civil responsibilities.

It is not enough to bandy around accusations of corruption against the institutions of governance. Such accusations should be supported by proven evidence. Mere accusations destroy the reputation and credibility of the nation. It is the collective duty of all to strengthen and resource these institutions to play their role in making the system effective and efficient. The perception of corruption in Ghana has been going down persistently over the years. Ghana moved from the 70th position of the 2001 Transparency International's Corruption Index to 50th in 2002. This is a remarkably achievement and should be encouraged for further improvement. Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute and a Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General, says in his book “The end of Poverty” that: Ghana is one of the best governed and managed countries in Africa. It is a stable, multiparty democracy with relatively high literacy ... and modest levels of corruption compared with other countries at a comparable income level.

Last year, the former United States Secretary of State, James Baker speaking on the BBC Today Programme in London singled out Ghana as an example of good governance in Africa. The report of the Commission on Africa set up by Prime Minister Tony Blair identified Ghana as a benchmark of good governance and economic development. The government has also committed itself to the African Peer Review Programme. All these bode well for the country and we must capitalise on them to enhance the developmental effort of the country. Diseases: Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Africa as a whole is plagued by malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and many other diseases. Other forms of diseases periodically break out on the continent. The deadly effect of the Ebola virus in DR Congo and the recent outbreak of the Marburg virus in Angola have left a trail of deaths on the continent. Besides malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, Ghana has faced the outbreak of Buruli ulcer and other debilitating diseases.

On leaving office, President Rawlings indicated his intention of leading the fight against malaria. Sadly nothing has been heard about this all important exercise. Fighting malaria is more important than fighting corruption. Malaria remains a major underlying cause of the underdevelopment of the country. It affects almost every Ghanaian once a year. This therefore affect almost every facet of the society; economy, education, health, etc. A child affected by malaria may slip into cerebral malaria, followed by coma and death, if untreated in the course of a day or two. Ghana is unlucky by sheer fate of geographical location. The effects of high temperatures, high number of breeding sites and mosquitoes that prefer humans to cattle made malaria infestation very high in the country. Ghana has not got all the major resources to fight the disease. A national strategy is needed to help in the control of the breeding sites. While efforts are made to eliminate the disease practical steps like household spraying, insecticide-treated nets, environmental cleanliness and anti-malarial drugs should be used in the control of the disease.

President Rawlings could make a major impact in the fight against malaria. Social groups, market women, churches and schools must all be mobilised in the quest to eradicate the disease. The basic steps of environmental and personal cleanliness should be emphasised in major educational campaigns. I recall a BBC programme highlighting an advertising campaign in Ghana emphasising on the use of soap among school children in washing hands after using the toilet. These are important practical steps we must take to fight diseases. Poverty: Causes and Alleviation Ghana like most sub-Saharan countries is poor. Over 25 percent of the population live in extreme poverty. The level of poverty is demonstrated by the number of households chronically hungry, unable to access health care, lacking the amenities of safe drinking water and sanitation cannot afford education for the children and may even lack rudimentary shelter and clothing. Such households usually survive on less than one US dollar a day. It is easy to attribute the cause of poverty to laziness, poor governance and even to spiritual causes.

The underlying causes of poverty can be traced to several factors. A major cause of poverty in Ghana is unfair international trading standards, whereas the country has been compelled to open up its economy to everything, it is not allowed similar access to other foreign markets. Some cultural barriers have also resulted in the high poverty level. Some women have been unfairly deprived of achieving their full potential particularly in the field of education. Food production has fallen in relative and real terms compared to the population. The continuous loss of able-bodied younger people to the cities and the decline in soil nutrient has affected food production. The geographical conditions of the country favour some killer diseases and do not make for easy transportation. Ghana has few navigable waters which are not even developed well to assist in the easier and cheaper transportation of goods and people. Fiscal discipline and economic development have not been sustained over the years. The real and perceived incidences of corruption in governance further worsened the poverty levels of the country. Another major cause of poverty in the country has been high population growth, low life expectancy and high infant mortality rate.

Ghana has a Poverty Reduction Strategy considered exceptionally well designed and argued. The government failed to get the US$8 billion it needed to implement the plan. The donor community would only fund it at around US$ 2 billion for a five-year period. It is noteworthy that these same donors would turn round to blame corruption at the certain failure of the strategy. Africa would never get what it requires to break the poverty barrier. However, we must do our bit by focusing on the right target groups to alleviate the suffering of the unfortunate ones. In Ghana, success of households depends significantly on the economic power of women. The poverty reduction plan should place much emphasis on the co-operative groupings and micro-financing schemes. There are many successful schemes to guide us.

Politicians and opinion leaders should not attempt to deceive the people into a false hope of immediate changes. Poverty reduction and economic development requires sustainable growth. I remember a case of a broadcaster who irresponsibly announced the residential telephone number of President Kufuor and urged the unemployed to call him for jobs he promised during the campaigns. This was just weeks into the presidency. The task of development requires long periods of sustainable growth.

God bless Ghana. Kofi Nyame Thornton Heath Surrey England