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Africa must break the shackles of the mindset of impossibility for the mindset of possibility – Dr. Bawumia
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has urged Africa to eschew the mindset of impossibility and embrace a mindset of possibility, for the African continent to get to the levels of developed countries.
Addressing participants of Harvard University’s Africa Development Conference in the United States over the weekend, Dr. Bawumia identified the continuous reliance of ineffective systems in Africa as the bane of the continent’s economic growth and development, adding that the status quo remains because the continent has, for many years, not broken the “shackles of impossibility mindsets”.
“The truth is that while African countries are politically free, we still have a mindset that is shackled by the experience of 500 years of slavery and colonialism,” Dr. Bawumia said.
“For the longest time we have not believed in ourselves. The dominant mindset is one of impossibility.”
Addressing issues stunting the economic growth of the African continent, Dr. Bawumia said the over reliance of raw materials instead of human capital development, as well as lack of effective systems such as identity system, property addressing system, huge financial exclusion and manual delivery of public services are some of the major contributory factors to Africa’s stunted progress.
To address these, Dr. Bawumia noted, Africa must embrace the 4th Industrial Revolution to address these basis system challenges, and more importantly, break the impossibility mindset, which he said is a major hindrance to Africa’s forward march.
“Our generation needs to break the shackles of the impossibility mindset and embrace the mindset of possibility! It is time for us to figure out the best ways to be masters of our destiny, to chart our own path and develop on our own terms. It is Possible!”
Back home in Ghana, Dr. Bawumia has spearheaded Ghana’s successful digitalization drive to address some of the basis system challenges he spoke about at the Conference.
He has, however, faced his own challenges of “impossibility mindsets,” and has often spoken about how pessimists attempted to impede and discourage many of the succesful digital innovations he led, as not possible to implement.
The Harvard Africa Development Conference, brings together high level participants to discuss issues relating to the development of the African continent.
Vice President Bawumia delivered the keynote address as the Guest of Honour.
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
