Making Kantanka Even Greater: An Assessment Of A Pro-Manufacturing Activity In Ghana

Manufacturing activity can best be described as an extremely scarce phenomenon in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We often describe it in the simple future tense when talking about it in our part of the world. For example, “we will become industrialized in the next ……years” or “we hope to achieve ‘X’ amount of manufacturing jobs in the near future” and what crowns it all is, “it is still in the pipeline and we will soon realize it”. Wow! For me, the simple reason why all these ambitions have not yet been attained is, we have pushed all of them into the pipeline and the poor pipeline is now choked. We need a massive National Cleanup Day to unclog the pipeline. Rome, indeed was not built in a day, but the fact remains, it got built (more about that in another piece). I do not intend to join the bandwagon of naysayers who enjoy mudslinging our motherland for all its failings and problems. I must confess, I used to be a faithful disciple of such group but have now come to appreciate the wisdom in the saying “it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness”.

Our motherland has been in birth pains for so long; she’s been longing to see the day she will bring forth her destiny child called “Growth and Development”. But at long last, she can sense some glimmer of hope. We are currently seeing the burgeoning of young and talented young Africans who are transforming the landscape of Africa bringing about a new wave of thinking and hope. There are even some who are old but have never given up on their dream of seeing the motherland attain her rightful place in the world. One of such relentless figures is Apostle Kwadwo Safo, the leader of Salvation Church Ghana (also popularly known as Kantanka). He prides himself in being the Star of Africa. The name Kantanka is a household name in Ghana and other parts of SSA. His ingenuity and prowess in terms of technological development have impressed a lot of people in our beloved country. News about him being granted permission to go into full scale production of his cars was widely celebrated in Ghana a few years ago. Many young Ghanaian patriots began nursing the idea of patronizing his products to boost his business.

Such an impressive initiative you may presume should receive the unflinching support of the entire country. Sadly, the man has been maligned, ridiculed and derided as a joker. Yet, he has never backed down on his aspirations. Now we are seeing his hard work and persistence paying off. Despite his success, his detractors have not ceased from bashing him even though they themselves virtually contribute nothing to the affairs of our country. Frankly, I admire Kantanka’s tenacity in the face of opposition especially, from the intellectual community. With that I say kudos to you Apostle Kwadwo Safo. You are an inspiration to our generation.

Nevertheless, I sincerely feel there is something really missing in Apostle Kwadwo Safo’s exploits. Being blunt for lack of the right phrase, I call it a misguided focus. No doubt, Apostle Kwadwo Safo is doing some incredible stuff but, I feel he could have a much greater impact on his generation and this country for years to come. I personally believe the focus of his manufacturing activities must be reexamined. My main reason for saying that is based on the premise: supply is most successful when it meets a corresponding demand. Apostle Kwadwo Safo is supplying a product in a country which generally, has a low demand; largely due to low income levels (along with low purchasing capacity) of 2 most of her citizens. Many people certainly desire to own a car and even in some cases, desperately need one. However, such desire or need just remains a dream for the majority of people in their entire life time. This implies, regardless of how lofty Kantanka’s efforts are (such as the making of SUVs and other sophisticated gadgets), the market for such products will continue to be low. What then is my suggestion?

I relate my suggestion to the boom of the automobile industry in the USA. Among the contributors to such feat was Henry Ford. Though, this man did not invent the automobile, he is arguably credited as making it popular in the world. During Ford’s time, automobile was largely seen as the preserve for the rich. The ordinary man could not afford to own one because they were so expensive. But Ford came out with a revolutionary idea; make automobiles such that every average American family could afford. And he achieved that by cutting every possible cost while still prioritizing safety. According to history, Ford’s original car, the Model T, was not only affordable and popular, but also highly profitable for his company to the extent that it broke records for auto sales and profit at that time.

Despite these achievements, some of Ford’s allies (who were mainly interested in making more profits) advised him to consider making cars that will appeal to only the rich in society. However, Ford, stuck to his initial idea by claiming that, the best way to maximize profit in his business was not to appeal to the small American upper class at the time, but, to appeal to the millions of ordinary American workers that sustained the economy. Though Ford is remembered for his contribution towards mass production in the world, what endeared him most to people was his modesty and deep care for the masses; “he didn’t want to have the car loved by the rich; he wanted to have the car loved by everyone”. The masses also responded in kind by patronizing his car which eventually made him one of the richest and greatest Americans in the 20th Century.

Such success story is what I am trying to draw some parallels from. My belief is that, if Apostle Kwadwo Safo could mimic Henry Ford’s strategy and ideology, without a doubt, he would emerge as Ghana’s (and possibly Africa’s) Ford in this modern era. There is a lot of potential for development and profit making in the country which cause me to think this way. For example, Ghana’s population is largely youthful and growing, which signifies a potential market for automobiles and other technologies. Also, agriculture remains as the top single employer in the country. Many depend on agriculture for their livelihood and sustenance. Yet, due to myriads of problems such as lack of efficient farm implements and inadequate transport facilities, Ghana realizes far less than enough from agro-production to meet the needs of the country. If one of these problems is resolved, Ghana could witness an African version of an agricultural revolution.

And this is where I believe Apostle Kwadwo Safo could emerge as the Ford of Ghana. For instance, rather than producing luxurious gadgets that could only be patronized by the few rich in society, Kantanka could focus on making affordable but innovative and efficient farm implements (tools better than hoes and cutlasses). His firm could also produce cheaper and durable vehicles that are adaptable to the unfriendly terrain in most farming areas in our country. Along with that, he could partner with local financial institutions to establish a credit system that will allow farmers to own these products through a hire purchase scheme. Such steps if applied, will not only relieve farmers of the burden of huge initial capital investment, but will also make farming more attractive to many people. Moreover, adopting more efficient farming implements will also boost productivity and make farming in general less laborious. The vehicles for example, will greatly minimize post harvest losses and thereby increase the earnings of farmers. These in turn will have lots of positive ramifications on the economy of Ghana. When the above happen, Apostle Kwadwo Safo could enjoy a sustained demand for his products which will in turn manifest in greater fortunes for him and his offspring.

Recent successes being enjoyed by the motorized tricycle assembly plants in Ghana clearly support the above assessment and proposition. Motorized tricycles are now very popular all over the country particularly, in the three northern regions due to their comparative affordability and durability. They are used for a vast variety of activities like carting farm produce from farms to market and moving other goods and services around. Such a boom in the tricycle business strengthens my conviction about why Kantanka needs to reexamine his business focus. For I am positive that, if he does give some consideration to the above proposition, his place in the history of Ghana will be even greater.

NB: Although this article, focuses on Kantanka, I submit that, the argument presented could be applied to any similar business venture.

Written by Nathaniel Dede-Bamfo, PhD.
(Based on a previous article on my personal blog).
Texas – U.S.A