Unforgivable Sins of Ghana’s poor state of development

Ghana’s development efforts are of great concern to every well-meaning Ghana,  let us put the jokes aside and begin to do the super right things now so that posterity that not blame us after we are gone. Ghana is so anxious to develop and move from a middle-income country to a developed country yet there are certain negative attitudes hampering the realization of this goal. Efforts at improving the economic fortunes of Ghana lies in the hands of her citizens and leadership in politics and industry with education, technology and innovation playing critical roles in achieving the illusive dream of a desperate nation in sub Sahara Africa.

Ghana as a nation dreams of achieving higher levels of modernization in all aspect of nation hooUnforgivable Sins of Ghana’s poor state of developmentd, from education, industrialization, improvement in Agriculture, health and technological advancement.

Development in Ghana

Ghana’s development efforts commenced way back in the days of the gold coast as a colony and the 10 years’ development plan of Sir
Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg then to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah whose vision for the future has long been messed up by successive governments leading to minor leaps and progress slowed by corruption, self-interest seeking politicians and the lack of visionary and transformational leaders in our political landscape. The needed modernization has eluded us for long.

However, after 62 solid years of independence, Ghana is still struggling to be economically independent with a diversified economy. Sadly, efforts at modernizing the nation continue to suffer setbacks. We continue to struggle to tap into the endless opportunities offered by science and technology. Even when we embrace technology, we still somehow, fail to achieve the enviable feet of countries that have used the same technology to excel.

Modernization Theory of Development and Ghana’s path so far.

Ghana’s path to development since the reign of Nkrumah has been based on the modernization theory of development which requires that a country such as Ghana should go through five important phases to become a powerhouse in the world economy.

According to Rostow’s modernization theory which he propounded in 1960, countries that want to develop or modernize their economies must move from their traditional society (substances agriculture living) to , The Pre Conditions of take-off (modernization of Agriculture) , Take-off (Industrial revolution), Drive to technological maturity, and finally the attainment of  High levels of mass consumption.

Research has shown that Ghana has evolved through the traditional society phase to the pre-condition to take off phase however; Ghana is stack in the middle where she is expected to take off.  Political instability and military takeovers over the past 62 years have not been the only factors that have slowed us down but , poor political leadership, an education system that has lost touch with industry and technology, lack of or poor planning, the absence of big-picture thinking, self centered leadership,  the unpardonable lack of self determination and the spirit of inferiority complex among many citizenry, and very bad attitudes toward work are some of the hindrances that Ghana has internationally and unknowingly laid on her own path to development.

62 years in the life of a country like Ghana should be a time to celebrate our industrial revolution yet, we are only celebrating “Kenkey parties”. Every Independence Day celebration is an opportunity to spend millions of Ghana cedis on celebrations that do not yield any in terms of development.

Haven locked up ourselves and failed to take off; we are struggling as a country to match countries like Malaysia, Singapore and the likes who gained independence around the same time we gained ours.  We are almost 45 years behind these countries in terms of development. Indeed “Age is not maturity” Ghana’s independence has continued to be meaningless because we have failed to hold onto the vision and big picture thinking of our forbearers.

Ghana’s development efforts and industrialization today

Many have drifted to Accra from the hinterlands with no jobs to do in Accra hence the increase in social vices, drug usage and the ever flourishing quick money mentality of the youth just to avoid the frustrations the economy throws at them.

Ghana is yet to reach her full potential as far as massive industrialization is concerned. The Ruling government headed by President Nana Addo promised Ghanaians one factory in every district ahead of the 2016 general elections however, Ghanaians are yet to begin to experience the full benefit of this promise which government is taking too long to fulfill. The lack of planning and innovation at the time of the promise can be said to be a major reason for the delay hence government was unable to hit the road running after winning power but no matter how long it takes, we must continue to believe it is possible and work at it.

What is the way forward to Ghana’s Development efforts?

The economy of Ghana is producing virtually nothing, human resource is going waste and the scare resources needed for development have several pressing needs on the scale of preference of the nation. If Ghana will shine through the dark nights of today, we as a country must embark of massive infrastructural development, industrialization, adoption and adaption of technologies and best practices across the globe.

The state of mind of the Ghanaian must be reframed to think positive, attitude toward work, education and technology must be improved. We need leaders who do not only know how to think big, give nice speeches and paint the big picture of where they want Ghana. We need those who have the right attitude and conviction to transform this nation from the state of nothingness to a modern Ghana by walking the talk. Do more talk less and let your work speak for itself.

Our development must aim at rebranding our cultures; do away with all destructive cultures that are hindering our mental development and self-belief. We need to emerge from the dungeons of self-imprisonment and challenge ourselves. Let our education system, impact positively on our skills, technology, and national character.  If we are modernizing Ghana, let us modernize all the cultures, attitudes and that retard growth.

Ghanaians at all levels must know that we have lagged behind for too long. This does not however mean we cannot get it right and to the top. Ghana must set realistic goals, plan and think big, be committed to the plans and the ambitions of the nation.

Let us build this nation together as a big super team without using politics to destroy brilliant ideas and efforts of others. Let us all be accountable to the people of Ghana and ourselves as individuals. Also, let us work hard to improve and modernize our agriculture sector and industries. Let us not forget to revamp our communication and transport facilities as a nation. Ghana must work now!!! or else we can not forgive ourselves.