Features
Economic Performance: Some Indicators
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• Much work has to be done in all sectors of the economy to establish a
strong base for rapid growth
The economic performance of every country, whether sound or unsound, depends on a number of factors which may indicate whether the economy concerned is resilient or fragile.
An economy may be very strong or resilient and will be able to withstand unfavourable pressures from external sources. In the same way, a very weak economy may not be able to withstand pressures from unfavourable external conditions.
Similarly, an economy with an average performance may be able to withstand some shocks coming from both internal and external sources but at the same time, able to lay a strong foundation that can stimulate growth in the economy in the coming years. Such an economy may not be described as very resilient but will be seen as strong enough to generate adequate growth and on the average show that the economy is not weak after all.
Various descriptions have been given to the economy of Ghana. While some so called economists have described Ghana’s economy as weak, others, on the contrary, see it as strong or above average and can perform better going forward into the future.
Is the economy of Ghana weak or resilient, taking everything into consideration? When we speak of taking everything into consideration, we are referring to its industrial base, the agricultural sector, transportation, education system and the nature of other sectors that can influence economic performance.
Any objective mind that looks at the economy of Ghana will agree that for now, the economy is not strong enough to withstand external pressures such as the effect of the Russia-Ukraine war as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In spite of this the economy of Ghana cannot be described as weak.
This is because a good foundation has been laid for the economy despite the numerous challenges the country faces. It is these challenges that have led to inflation and the depreciation of the Cedi a few months back.
If for nothing at all, the implementation of 1 District 1 Factory in line with government’s industrialisation agenda is meant to lay some strong foundation for the country. The problem is that the effect of this programme cannot be felt immediately but, rather, in the future. If people look at the future and conclude that conditions are not good, they will be making a miserable mistake. Thus, in this sense, a strong foundation has been laid for the country and this will bring in the needed positive result in the near future.
Another strong foundation that has been laid for the country by the Akufo-Addo led government can be found in the health sector. We believe that Ghanaians have not forgotten about the numerous drones that have been brought into the country to help in the distribution of medicines to remote places in the country.
Until the drones were brought, areas that were far away suffered from numerous deaths due to lack of essential drugs to fight against snake bites and also absence of blood needed by certain patients at very critical points in their lives. The drones have been brought in for a good purpose and they are playing a positive role in the health sector.
As if this is not enough, efforts are also being made to ensure that there are enough hospitals in all parts of the country, whether urban or rural and whether at the regional level or at the district level. Again, 307 ambulances have been brought in to strengthen the health sector and save precious lives that could easily have been lost if such ambulances were not available.
As we speak today, every constituency in this country has at least one ambulance while at certain regional places, the ambulances available are not less than three or four. This shows that under such conditions, the health sector has been made stronger than before and going into the future, things will be very comfortable compared with previous times.
One other factor that cannot be overlooked is the introduction of Free Senior High School as well as Free Technical Vocational Education and Training for students in our second cycle institutions. Students are not just going in for the general type of education as was seen previously but also technical and vocational training which will help to build a strong technical labour force to meet the needs of the country.
When the labour force is made varied in this way, it means that the technical and vocational needs or otherwise can be met at any point in time. This is what will lead to strong growth in the coming years.
A strong foundation has also been laid for the agricultural sector. The implementation of programmes such as Planting for Food and Jobs and also for export has made things favourable to the country as far as food security is concerned.
Under the COVID pandemic, people in this country were easily fed because food was available compared with other countries that had to beg other nations to get food to meet the needs of their people. This is another indication showing that as a country, Ghana has done well in this direction.
To be able to facilitate rapid economic growth, there is the need to build a sound transportation system to help in the movement of goods and services and people across the length and breadth of the country. Under the agenda of “Year of Roads”, massive infrastructure in form of roads have been put up in areas of the country more than any other government has been able to do in this country.
However, we still need to do more in this sector and this calls for the building and rehabilitation of roads in the food growing areas. When this is done, food items can easily be transported from the food producing areas to the food consuming centres.
All in all much work has been done in all sectors of the economy to establish a strong base for rapid growth in the country. Economic development is a process that takes time and ought to be carried out in a consistent manner to establish a bright future for the economy. This is what is being done so the fundamentals of the economy have been set right.
When the Vice President, Dr. Bawumia, made the point that “if the fundamentals are weak, the weaknesses will be easily exposed”, he was quoted out of context and unfairly attacked by his political opponents who see nothing good about what the government is doing. Now that these fundamentals are being built and strengthened for our future lives, we need to commend the Vice President as well as the President himself and the entire government for a good work done.
Seeing in this light, therefore, a good foundation has been laid for the country compared to the previous shaky government that was in existence previously for which reason the Vice President made that statement.
Today, government has decided to cut down on imports by 40 per cent with effect from this year and it is believed that this will continue until the imports are reduced to an insignificant percentage to make the economy of the country very strong.
With the laying down of a strong foundation it will be wrong to say the fundamentals are weak as was seen in previous times and that as we go into the future, rapid economic growth will be attained to make life far better. It is in light of this that every citizen in the country ought to play his/her part in order to help move the country forward and make economic life better for all.
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
*Contact gmail address/ whatsApp number of author:
Pradmat201@gmail. com/0553318911
Features
Confronting newborn abandonment in Ghana: When a cry for help is heard in a dustbin – Part 2
The root causes: It is never just one reason
My years of counselling at CPAC show me abandonment is rarely an act of malice. It is the tragic endpoint of seven overwhelming distresses:
1. Severe maternal mental illness —The hidden emergency
a) Clinical Postpartum Depression (PPD): This is far beyond “baby blues.” It is a severe mood disorder that can appear weeks to months after birth. Due to a massive drop in hormones, extreme sleep deprivation, and emotional exhaustion, the mother feels deep sadness, worthlessness, and complete emotional numbness towards her baby. Picture: A new mother sits by her bed all day, staring blankly. Her baby cries for hours, but she cannot lift her hands to carry the baby. She whispers, “This baby would be better off without me.” She does not hate the baby; she feels she has completely failed as a mother.
b) Peripartum Psychosis (Postpartum Psychosis): This is a psychiatric emergency. Rare but extremely dangerous, appearing suddenly within the first 2-3 weeks after delivery. The mother completely loses touch with reality. She hears commanding voices telling her to abandon the baby, or believes the baby is possessed by an evil spirit or is a “spirit child” who will bring a curse. Picture: A mother genuinely believes she heard a voice saying, “Leave this child at the crossroads at midnight or your family will die.” She abandons the baby not out of hatred, but because her broken mind believes she is obeying a higher spiritual order to save her family.
c) Pre-existing untreated Schizophrenia: This is a chronic, severe mental disorder that existed before the pregnancy. The stress of pregnancy and labour shatters her fragile coping. She suffers from paranoid delusions — believing people want to poison her and the baby — flat affect (zero facial expression), and grossly disorganised thinking, making it impossible to plan how to feed or clean a baby. Picture: A young woman whose family called her illness “spiritual attack” instead of taking her for medication wanders away after delivery, completely forgetting she even gave birth, leaving the infant behind.
2. Extreme socio-economic deprivation: For many girls in some parts of Ghana such as Kasoa, Madina, or Bekwai, poverty is not a statistic; it is a daily panic. No money for antenatal care, no money for hospital delivery, no money for baby diapers or formula. When a mother cannot feed herself, the thought of feeding another mouth feels impossible. Some mothers say, “I left her where someone richer would find her, because I could not watch her starve to death in my hands.” It is a distorted act of survival.
3. Intense societal stigma and shame: In Ghana, pregnancy outside marriage, teenage pregnancy, or pregnancy from rape can bring extreme family rejection. The girl is called “spoilt,” beaten, banned from church, or sacked from school. The fear of bringing shame to the family name is heavier than the fear of police. So she hides the pregnancy for 9 months, delivers alone, and abandons in secret to protect her family’s “honour.”
4. Paternal abandonment — The Man Who Ran Away: Behind almost every abandoned baby is a man who vanished. He says, “It is not mine,” or “Abort it,” and switches off his phone. The mother is left utterly isolated — no emotional, financial, or social support. She is criminalised alone, but the abandonment started with him. Psychological research shows paternal denial is one of the strongest predictors of maternal panic and newborn abandonment.
5. Substance abuse disorders: Alcohol, tramadol, and other drug addiction impair the brain’s executive functioning — the ability to plan, judge consequences, and process emotions. A mother struggling with addiction may give birth in a highly intoxicated or withdrawal state, unable to comprehend the needs of the newborn, leading to neglect and eventual abandonment.
6. The spirit child cultural phenomenon and superstition: In some remote pockets of Northern Ghana and even in few parts of Central and Ashanti regions, public health research shows babies born with congenital deformities, severe disabilities, or whose mothers die in childbirth are branded as “spirit children” or cursed. In extreme instances, families, under cultural pressure, mandate that such babies be exposed or abandoned at shrines or bushes. This is not mental illness, but a harmful cultural belief system that still kills.
The invisible wounds
On the baby: Risk of death from hypothermia, sepsis, and infection. Survivors suffer Anaclitic Depression and Failure to Thrive due to lack of touch. As adults, they battle Reactive Attachment Disorder, chronic mistrust, and identity crisis — “Why did my mother leave me in a dustbin?”
On the mother: Lifelong hidden grief, intense guilt, chronic PTSD, depression, and elevated suicide risk. A prison cell does not heal this.
On the nation: Overburdened orphanages like Osu Children’s Home, draining health budgets, and overworked Social Welfare officers.
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“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; no one seeks God. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. For there is no difference; – Rom. 3:10, 21-22. (NIV)
Introduction
Dictionaries define righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” Such behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or uprightness. The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, both describe His own character and constitute the plumb line by which He measures human righteousness.
The bad news is that true and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own; the standard is simply too high. The good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because “ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21. This is an amazing truth. On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
Establishing our hearts in righteousness
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” – Proverbs 4:23
According to the above verse in Proverbs, our heart is the source of our life. Our life flows from our heart. The Holy Spirit resides in the spirit of the born again Christian. So there is a strong influence of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the new-born Christian. But our heart is also comprised of our soul. As Christians we can choose to focus our soul on the Lord, or on evil things. If we focus on corrupt, immoral, and evil things our heart will be affected detrimentally. It will cause our heart to be crooked or wicked, instead of straight or righteous. So the Scripture says to keep, or guard, our heart. It is wise to protect our heart as what we allow to dominate our heart will inevitably become the fruit, or influence the outcome, of our lives.
One way to approach life is to continually ask the question, “How will this decision or action affect my heart?” Everything we do, every thought we entertain, everything we watch, read, or listen to, shapes our heart. Therefore, the future prosperity of our life will flow from how well we care for our heart.
Think of everything you do, every moment of time, as a seed. We have been given responsibility for choosing which seeds to plant in our heart. What will you grow in the garden of your heart? What seeds will you choose? Our heart is our garden, and our life is the fruit of our garden. So next time you are tempted to dwell on a bad thought, think, “Do I want this seed to grow and manifest in my life?” Next time you are tempted to indulge in a sinful action ask yourself, “Do I want the extension, or fruit, of this sinful action to be what I am known for?”
God gives us the freedom to plant whatever we like in our garden. God loves us regardless of the good or bad choices we may make in our lives. You may be reaping the fruit of some poor choices right now. And God is still saying, “I love you.” But He has wise advice for us; He desires we have a good life. He says, “Guard you heart with all diligence.” This Hebrew word translated ‘diligence’ conveys the meanings of: prison and guard (ibid). A superintendant of a prison is very particular as to what goes in and out of his prison. A prison has very tight security. Just as a superintendant watches over his prison, so we should also supervise our heart (our lives). We should exercise meticulous security with regards to what enters into our heart. Actually, even what comes out of it, as the Scripture says, “ Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” – James 1:19, as “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” –Matthew 12:34b.
If what goes into, and what comes out of, our heart determines the success of our lives, what is the first important principle to establish in our heart? “In righteousness you shall be established;” – Isaiah 54:14
Righteousness is the key foundational truth we need to first establish in our heart. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” –Matthew 6:33. Notice Jesus said, “His righteousness”, not our own righteousness. We have to seek and understand God’s righteousness. Isaiah 54:14 says, “Their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” God’s righteousness comes from God, not from within us. Humans cannot make themselves God’s righteousness, as all humans have sinned and are therefore inferior to God. God’s righteousness is a gift from God: “ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21
Righteousness, or right standing with God, has been attained for us through the exchange Jesus made on our behalf. Jesus took our sin and gave us His righteousness. God’s righteousness is imparted to us when we are made a new creature in Christ – 2 Corinthians 5:17. This righteousness is a gift from God and undeserved by us: “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”- Romans 5:17
Through our faith in Jesus’ blood, shed to remit our sins – Romans 3:25, God imparts righteousness to us by His grace. We actually become a new righteous creation, fully identifying in Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and ascension. This is the foundational miracle we need to understand and have established in our heart. All the other miraculous promises of God come the same way, by God’s grace through faith. Righteousness must be established in our heart for us to truly have faith to receive our rich inheritance in Christ. Jesus has been made unto us righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). We are now “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us”. – 2 Corinthians 1:20
Establishing our minds in righteousness
God expects that, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be radically changed. In Romans 12:2 He tells us, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
This transformation is to be a metamorphosis, of a magnitude at least comparable to that by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. He expects us to become totally different.
Scripture uses many different images to express the change that should occur: We become “a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.“ – 2 Cor 5:17. It is almost as if we become a new species. Scripture speaks of the “first Adam” who was earthly and fell into sin, and the “second Adam” (Jesus Christ) who was sinless and holy – Rom. 5:12-19; 1 Cor 15:44-49.
We are “made new in the attitude of our minds” – Eph. 4:23.
We “put off our old self” and “put on the new self” – Eph. 4:22,24; Col 3:9-10.
We “live by the Spirit” and not by the flesh – Gal. 5:16; Rom 8:13.
We become “instruments of righteousness” rather than “instruments of wickedness” – Rom. 6:13.
Each of these metaphors, in a different way, emphasizes the magnitude of the change that is expected. Each is dramatic and astonishing in itself; their cumulative effect is even more powerful. We are talking about a tremendous transformation. It should be visible to others, but its internal effect should be far greater than what others can perceive.
The goal of this transformation
What is the goal of this metamorphosis? Scripture states it in a number of different ways, which overlap and can be seen as different ways of expressing the same basic concept. Scripture often does this, because our minds are inadequate to comprehend, and our language inadequate to express, the full scope of God’s revelation to us.
To be continued!
Stay blessed!
For further inquiries please contact us on Tel Nos. 0243588467 or 0268130615
Email: saltnlightministries@gmail.com
Website: saltandlightministriesgh.org
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