Alan's Great Transformation Plan fell short of educational advancement

Alan Kodjo Kyeremanten, a former trade and industry minister in Ghana, has declared his intention to run for NPP flag bearer. This happened after the former minister submitted his letter of resignation so that he may advance his agenda and chase the opportunity to become Ghana's next president.

Though the well-known former minister is a strong candidate in the upcoming election, he will be up against prominent party figures like the vice president in office, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. Mr Kyeremanten decided to address the nation and lay out some of the ideas he would employ to change the country to proclaim his intentions. Although he tried to convey his vision alongside Akufo-Addo's, his Great Transformation Plan (GTP) fell short of describing how he will improve education to support the developmental agenda he intended to push for the nation when given the chance.

Among other things, Mr Kyeremanten proved that under his direction, important economic sectors including agriculture and industry will see growth. He also highlighted the benefits of microeconomics as another tool for lubricating the economy. I wouldn't argue that his aides let him down, but as a leader attempting to lead a country with a strong educational backbone, the former minister should have known better than to make education the main driver of these initiatives he highlighted, particularly in the areas of research, high-quality education, and infrastructure development.

The poor quality of education that develops human resources is to blame for Ghana's economic problems, not failings in microeconomics or industrial development. In academia, successive governments have failed to advance research as a social science tool for growing the important sector of the economy. Once more, the theoretical character of higher education has aided in the development of knowledge-based human resources that find it difficult to apply their theoretical understanding to real-world applications in the workplace. Infrastructure has been the main obstacle at the most fundamental levels of education. The divide between rural and urban students is not only substantial, but it widens yearly.

Every aspect of Ghana's educational system needs to be overhauled to some extent to move to the point where knowledge is not only gained but also applied to change the economy through research and policy-driven skills. In light of this, can we conclude that Mr Kyeremanten's developmental plan was poorly communicated as a result of his omission of a crucial developmental variable? Or should we assume that his campaign is still in its early stages and we must give him the benefit of the doubt? Can we also conclude that a seasoned politician of his calibre isn't prepared to lead the country if a crucial developmental element is missing in his Great Transformation Plan (GTP)? Nevertheless, by making this simple mistake, he has merely exposed himself to his opponent.

BY Isaac Ofori
Demographer, Educator and Human Rights Advocator