When a baby cries for the first time in this world, and he/she happens to be born in Ghana, they get served a raw deal from the start. First is the likelihood that the baby is born in an under equipped or understaffed medical facility. Then, we do one better by presenting a welcome gift of a debt of GHC5000. With a public debt stock of about GHC142 billion, each member of the country has a rather round portion that could be assigned to them. This is regardless of how young you are or what part of the country you live. It is regardless of the fact that many Ghanaians make less than GHC5000 a year in net salary. Now one may question how and why a country of less than 30 million people with abundant natural resources and a strong work force has such high amounts of debt. The reasons are many, but a key and crucial source is corruption.
With the recent revelations by the controversial investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas on the corrupt practices in football, it is easy to forget the true scale of the problem. The problem is not with football but rather a problem of a system built on impunity and patronage rather than merit and self-worth. The reason Ghana needs to borrow so much money is not because making roads in Ghana is 4 times as difficult as it is in Ethiopia or Botswana. The reason is corruption takes its tax off every single governmental project and initiative.
When the people of Ghana have a portion of their meagre earnings taken away as taxes, it is accepted as a way to fund national growth and development. A way to build a Ghana of which they can be proud; a country with proper schools and equipped hospitals, and safe navigable roads. However, what they get is significantly far from that. In addition, their money goes towards kickbacks and patronage of which they know nothing of. A hardworking public school teacher sacrifices a portion of her salary to fund the extravagant life style of a political appointee. A young Ghanaian medical professional works long and tiring shifts for little pay to fuel the ambition of a corrupt businessman with links to the government.
The same corrupt sensibilities cause not only direct loss of national capital, but also indirectly through absurd appointments. Ghana has done a terrific job in fitting square pegs in round holes. The country is suffering because persons with the requisite skills and experiences are shunned for political apparatchiks. When you have persons working to direct projects of which they have no experience or interest, the country is in trouble. When you have persons past retirement age sticking to national jobs like their birth right, the country suffers. No one can uncover and mend the rot they might have created and no one can bring in fresh ideas. Corruption kills of the ability for 21st century ideas to build a 21st century Ghana.
As more and more money is borrowed by the government and various debt instruments are restructured, remember why it’s happening. Remember why you owe thousands of cedis from your first day as a Ghanaian citizen and send a thank you card to corruption.
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