Ghana Becoming a Developed Nation — Part 1

I am one of those Ghanaians who believe that Ghana can become a developed nation like South Korea or Singapore, and so I have decided to do a series on how we can transform our nation from where we are now to where we ought to be.

This country has approached the IMF about 17 times, simply because our economic health as a nation is not up to scratch. It is a historical fact that when Ghana became a Republic, we were economically better off than some of the countries popularly known as the Asian Tigers. However, about two decades later, they had overtaken us and are now considered developed nations, while Ghana lags far behind.

A careful study of the factors accounting for the rapid development of those countries reveals one important element common to all of them: morality. John Locke once said, “The strength of society lies in the moral integrity of its citizens,” and until values like honesty, accountability, and patriotism become the norm, our desire to become a developed country will remain elusive.

After independence, Ghana, under the leadership of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, embarked on a plan to develop the country. Factories were established, and although some were sited in locations chosen for political reasons, the country was largely on track. Dr. Nkrumah himself was not corrupt.

The problem arose from appointing individuals in government who lacked patriotism and engaged in corruption. Instead of cracking the whip, the leader prioritized friendship and loyalty over moral integrity, and this marked the beginning of our troubles. Corruption, like a virus, spreads quickly if left unchecked. Soon, heads of government institutions and industries started to act independently, and the growth expected from national plans never materialized.

There were, however, a few shining examples of patriotic and upright leaders, such as Kofi Baako, the Minister for Defence and a confidante of Dr. Nkrumah.

The lessons we can draw from nations whose GDPs were at par with Ghana in the early 1960s but have now left us behind emphasize the enforcement of rules, regulations, and laws to guide national actions. We need a leader in the mold of Dr. Nkrumah who will strictly punish anyone engaging in corruption. An immediate step is separating the office of the Attorney General from that of the Minister of Justice.

This is the first essential step toward establishing a system that can effectively fight corruption. As President Obama once said, Ghana does not need strong men but strong institutions. If we put effective systems in place by removing the Attorney General’s Office from the influence of the Executive, we will make significant headway in stopping the leakages from our national coffers.

We must also use digitalization to establish systems that make corruption difficult to execute. Digitalization reduces human interaction, which often facilitates corruption, and provides a traceable footprint that allows culprits to be identified and dealt with severely, making corruption costly and unattractive.

NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’

By Laud Kissi-Mensah

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