EDITORIAL: This Partnership Is Encouraging

Ghana has been touted as a lower middle-income country since 2007. Unfortunately, however, its people do not live that accolade, as every conceivable item is imported, from tooth pick to used clothing, used cars, used lorry tyres and used cooking utensils, compelling some social commentators to refer to Ghanaians as people clothed in other people’s rags.

This is a sad commentary, but that is the reality on our streets, in our markets, offices, communities and homes. The paradox of our situation today is that about four decades ago, Ghana used to be a net exporter of many items that it imports today, such as rice, maize, palm oil and electricity.

Our first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, as part of his government’s import substitution policy, established many factories throughout the country to process raw materials into finished products for local consumption and for export. His government also encouraged the private sector to establish many businesses, although it was considered a socialist regime.

The Accra North Industrial Area, which today boasts warehouses for imported rice and other items, used to be home to many factories that employed thousands of skilled and unskilled labour.

The Ghana Industrial Holding Company (GIHOC) was established by President Nkrumah to produce many items for local consumption and for export, as well as give employment to many people.

During the National Redemption Council (NRC) regime of Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, the government introduced many interventionist policies to address the economic challenges facing the country. Notable among those policies was the Operation Feed Yourself programme in which every available space was cultivated for the production of all kinds of food crops.

That programme was so popular with the people that some students even abandoned the lecture halls to work on sugar cane and other plantations.

Also in the 1970s, all kinds of motor assembling plants were established to assemble all types of cars. Some local companies were able to put together vehicles such as Boafo to help traders and other business operators to carry their goods to and from the marketing centres.

Along the line, however, the unbridled liberalisation in the 1980s led to the neglect of all these productive processes for the importation of items that, ordinarily, we could produce locally.

It is against this background that we welcome the collaboration between the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organisation (SMIDO) and its external partners, the Aaardschap Foundation of The Netherlands, to assemble cars at the Suame Magazine in Kumasi.

The Daily Graphic is aware of the capacity of the Suame Magazine and the skills of the artisans there to fabricate all kinds of engine parts to assemble vehicles. All that they need is encouragement and motivation by banks and the government with credit and other forms of support to realise their full potential.

Ghana abounds in human and material resources which, if well tapped by the government and its development partners, can move the country to a middle-income status in no time, at which point the resources could be used to create wealth, employment and prosperity for all.

The Daily Graphic calls on the government and the banks to identify potential growth poles in the country and nurture them for the development of the country.

The time to act is now and the latest collaboration between SMIDO and The Netherlands firm should be encouraged for the mutual benefit of the partners and Ghanaians.

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