Is This How We Build A Nation/ Continent?

Note: This write up does not have any hidden intention of attacking anyone or government but to provide a pathway for change. Please read to the end.

We don't; speak words at problems, throw money at them and neither do we color them in our quest to having them addressed. In some situations, we overlook them with excuses. The best politicians do is intervention instead of holistic and robust structures to prevent their recurrence (eg. floods, light outs etc) or buying new instead of maintenance. Is that how to build a nation? We only give Nurses allowances to school and they sit in the house for a number of years after graduation before they are posted to work. They get to the hospital and do not even remember what causes malaria nor what is used to take temperature.

Political leaders make huge promises to canvass massive votes and "kill for votes" but do otherwise as they blamed sitting governments at the time, they were hungry for power.

As a developing continent, there is limited or no vision for upcoming engineers, 'tons' of them graduate and join the brain drain pool: seeking for greener pastures abroad as nothing incentivizes them to remain useful in their homelands. Let's remind ourselves that, for every 20, of Africans who go to stay abroad, there are 5 of the likes of future Dr. Thomas Mensah's (Father of fiber optics working in America), Dr Trebi-Ollennu’s (working at NASA since 1999 and has risen to become the Chief Engineer of Robotics at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and other giants of the American and European economies. Our education system is one that is just to keep students busy for a period and divert social pressure on government, it is certainly not one that has a plan to equip students with practical knowledge, but to be grouped into "bundle of classes" (Chew and Pour Intelligence) whiles our companions somewhere are looking about real problem solving and simulations, critical thinking, entrepreneurship and business management, AI, project based curricular etc. we are doing what computers are supposed to do "memorizing" and discouraging our talents. We need a proper orientation and bridge. Industries continuously complain of practical skill gap in Universities rendering student’s unemployable. Just consider this analogy: Where is the correlation? After reading English from Primary, including WASSCE certificate with an A1 in English to University and all other subjects undertaken in English, you are still required to write English proficiency exams to make you admissible in a school/University abroad. What then is the quality of our education system? We will be more vulnerable and will have no value at "our prison break" if we don't take hold of our own lives to learn and develop but depend absolutely on policy makers, my colleagues!!!

Before the first discovery of oil, we had cocoa. Nkrumah did so well with the limited and unavailable huge budget, but we have lasting dividends from his investments. There are even no archaeological remains of yesterday's projects, if any then available in traces. We barely produce lesser results even with these resourceful discoveries (Oil, Lithium, Bauxite etc.) and current potential. Where is the clean account of the 3 billion barrels of sweet crude oil discovery in 2007? and what provides us motivation to drill the newly discovered oil again in Ghana by Aker Energy also of commercial/economic value?

Our streets are flooded with municipal solid waste and chiefly - plastic waste. It is projected that by 2050 the ocean will be more of plastics than it will contain fishes. Germany, Sweden and other countries see waste as a resource and are greatly championing the course of waste to energy: energy recovery. I know for a fact that; one ton of waste can generate as much electricity as one third of a ton of coal. We haven't made enough provisions or attempts to entrench our fossil fuel by leveraging on renewable energy investments. Whiles others are importing waste to run their power plants we are still struggling with managing it. Sweden alone imports 800 tons of garbage from other countries to fuel its district heating plants-the most extensive network in the world and has totally banned landfills in the entire country, we are now building landfills whiles it is the least option on the waste management hierarchy. Ghana's president has renewed his commitment to; make Accra the cleanest city in Africa, institute one district one factory, make Ghana beyond aid and other plausible ideas: I look with optimism that these would survive the test of time and be nationally pursued/inscribed as national hallmarks prerequisite for nation building that will remain sovereign and pursued by all successors, because they all want to be pioneers and captains of their own ships.

We have come far as a country/continent to remain glued to the basic things, enough of those tales. Let us relate on shoulders with other developed countries/continents to remain relevant and grow beyond the basics: there is a need for a resurgence of hope, let's chatter a more sophisticated, rigorous and feasible course to create legacy. It shouldn't be popularity of decision but general acceptance and involvement of citizens. Immediately they win an election with a term of 4 years, they start campaigning for the next election/term right in the second year so they lose the objective to focus on grounded policies that can be sustained for the next decade. Let's forget immediate gratification and focus on ultimate satisfaction. We must take deliberate actions to deter political leaders from mixing leadership with dirty politics. Today, our district, metropolitan and municipal assemblies cannot run successfully, smoothly and effectively because the central government has promises to fulfill and so governance is skewed. Is that the democracy that was defined as "for the people by the people?" Certainly not!!! Fallacy, whimsical, capricious and blatant lies fueled by corrupt intents!!! There is a need for an intentional effort to improve and sanitize the quality of our politicians and to enable them fully understand the effects of their actions, decisions on lives and until we are able to have one who is so passionate and not power drunk, our colonial masters will mock us. It's about time that voters do not make financial requests before voting but diligently in fulfilling their national responsibility will vote for a leader who has the nation at heart but not one who is baiting for a catch and jeopardize the destiny of the unborn generation. It should not always be about us, but the greater and common good of society. We shouldn't look out for orators: enough of the powerless talks but envisage people who have track record of positive growth and have the capacity to impact lives, one who isn't willing to win power at all cost at the expense of us and would not want to win votes through vigilantism nor even accept votes from people of such background. Let's all with concerted action annihilate all unwarranted 'politrickcians' from our political streams to protect our public purse. In fact, we do not need carbon dating or autopsy research to tell how harmful and destructive their existence in governance is to the development we aspire to see. We need people with integrity, unwilling to compromise on their moral values and lead a fidel and transparent service with every single citizens interest at heart. We have come a long way to fail!!!

We need a government that will rub shoulders against decadence and shuns degenerative engagements and discussions.

It's about time we have the political willpower, dire framework and pragmatic effort with an unabated vision to deliver and lead transformation that will inspire the contemporary generation to be hopeful in a new dawn. Let's renew our commitment and be mindful of our new identity as agents of transformation. Let's join hands to heal our countries and our continent. I hope that one day: The politically acclaimed stable macro-economy will reflect in the daily lives of its citizens. Africans will dominate in solving their own problems and engineer scalable solutions to the lasting webs of slums, floods etc. it encounters. That the gap between the rich and the poor will be bridged through an articulated economy. I see sustainable and inclusive development in which you are a signatory to, and that we are reconstructing the soul of our nations which is a model to other nations and continents. America was not cooked in Heaven. Thank you.

Written by BRIGHT AMANFUL, popularly known as resurgence (0501430810)