Editorial
Congrats farmers, continue to work hard to feed our dear nation!
This year’s National Farmers’ Day is to be celebrated in Cape Coast, the Central Regional capital, to honour farmers who have been working hard over the years to ensure adequate output of food and raw materials for the country. Even though farming comes in various forms and is considered vital in economic development, the youth of today find it unattractive because it is perceived as too difficult and challenging. It is important to note, however, that people who have embraced farming over the years have been able to create wealth for themselves and the country as a whole. Apart from being able to produce food for the people of this country, they are able to sell their produce to earn some income. Farming may be in form of cultivation of crops, fishing and aquaculture, cultivation of crops for
export, as well as agro processing. The theme for this year’s National Farmers’ Day is: “Planting for Food and Jobs – Consolidating Food Systems in Ghana.” The theme is very important for a number of reasons. In the first place, Planting for Food and Jobs as a programme has helped this country tremendously. The country is able to feed itself and even export some of its foodstuffs to neighbouring countries. It is, therefore, necessary to continue and strengthen this programme so that adequate food supply will be
available for the country. Secondly, output in the agricultural sector should not remain in the raw form but processed further to let the output stay for a longer time. This way, other young people can take advantage to process it and add value to it. Here, the value chain can consist of a series of opportunities that can be exploited by people to create more jobs for the youth. One such opportunity is the establishment of storage facilities for the produce in the agricultural sector. Another one will be the provision
of transportation systems to help in conveying of the produce from place to place. It is important to ensure that every effort is made by the government to encourage all those who want to engage in serious farming. This is the only way to encourage the young ones to go into it. Apart from crop farming, we must also show interest in aquaculture so that different kinds of fish can be produced to feed us with balanced diets and make us healthy. As farmers are being encouraged through the various awards presented to them over the years, Ghanaians must see farming as an option that can serve as a means of livelihood to compete with white collar jobs. The Spectator congratulates farmers throughout the country and urge them to continue to work hard to feed our dear nation.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to draw the attention of the authorities to the deplorable state of the road at Bortianor Hills in the Ga South Municipality, and the serious effect it is having on our environment and our health.
The road has been in a terrible condition for years. It is full of deep potholes, gullies and loose stones. When it rains, the entire stretch becomes muddy, flooded and completely impassable. Cars get stuck, school children wade through dirty water to get to school, and pregnant women and the sick struggle to get to hospital.
When it is dry, the situation is even worse. The dust is unbearable. It covers our homes, our food, our clothes and our shops. We breathe this dust every day. Many residents, especially children and the elderly, are now suffering from cough, catarrh, asthma and eye infections.
What pains us most is that some time ago, a contractor came and applied only the first coat on portions of the road and then left. Since then, there has been no improvement. That first coat has already been washed away by the rains. In fact, the road is now worse than it was before, because the loose gravel and the broken edges have created more dust and more erosion.
The environment is suffering too. Because of the bad road, tanker trucks and heavy vehicles that bring us water and building materials have further destroyed what is left of it. The drains are choked, rainwater has no proper channel, and erosion is eating into people’s plots and foundations. The dust and noise have killed the peace of this once quiet community.
Bortianor Hills is a fast-growing community. People are building, paying taxes, paying property rates and contributing to national development. We do not deserve to live in this condition.
We are therefore appealing to the Ga South Municipal Assembly, the Department of Urban Roads, and the Ministry of Roads and Highways to come back and complete the road. If a contract was awarded, let it be enforced. If the contractor has abandoned site, let a new one be engaged. Silence is not acceptable.
Good roads are not a luxury. They are life, health and dignity.
Resident,
A significant shift in Ghana’s diaspora policy is highlighted by the first Open D.O.O.R. Dialogues, which move the emphasis from transient heritage tourism, such as the 2019 Year of Return, to a planned, 10-year framework for long-term repatriation and economic integration.
Although the project highlights the African diaspora’s enormous developmental potential, the conversations reveal a persistent conflict between high-level political goodwill and the practical, bureaucratic reality that returnees must deal with.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs correctly notes that the diaspora is more than just seasonal tourists; it is an important source of investment, innovation, and talent transfer.
According to Dr. Collins Rawlings Nyunyonyame, institutional fragmentation rather than a lack of motivation is the main obstacle to sustainable return. Long-term settlement is deliberately discouraged when potential returns confront unclear bureaucratic procedures across many agencies, such as immigration, foreign affairs, and diaspora affairs.
A crucial operational step is the demand for a centralised platform for diaspora opportunities and efficient collaboration. Grand policies run the risk of failing at the implementation phase if there are no clear, uniform processes for citizenship, business registration, and property acquisition.
Ghana can increase local industries, close skills gaps in specialised fields, and attract foreign direct investment by drawing in wealthy or highly qualified diasporans. The state must, however, strike a balance between these incentives to avoid unintentionally marginalising locals, especially in highly competitive industries like urban real estate.
In order to feel like they belong and have the chance to “Build Home,” returnees need civic security and legal clarity. Practical deterrents include things like complicated land tenure regimes, friction between dual citizenship, and expensive import charges on personal belongings.
The shift from a “Year of Return” to a “Decade of Repatriation” necessitates extensive integration at the community level. For repatriation to be successful, everyday economic and social partnerships between returnees and local communities must take precedence over scholarly and ministerial discussions.
The Open D.O.O.R. Dialogues accurately point out that emotional appeal is insufficient for the next stage of diaspora engagement. Ghana’s policy needs to change from cultural welcoming to a highly organised, seamless institutional ecosystem if the concept “Come Home. Stay Home. Build Home.” is to become a reality.
