Editorial: Essien And Co Must Invest Here, Too

Almost all the foreign-based Black Stars players who were in the country last week receiving well-deserved praises from their country folk are back training with their clubs. They have gone back to justify why they should be paid thousands of dollars every week for their clubs.

In fact, a player like Michael Essien earns in excess of an estimated $2 million a year. This followed the premiership champions’ then club record fee of $47 million paid to Lyon for the Ghanaian midfielder’s services.

Players like Sulley Ali Muntari, Stephen Appiah, John Mensah, John Paintsil, and others, are likely to see their income going up as agents and clubs stamp on each other to sign up these World Cup revelations.

All these big soccer earners have financial advisers. Unfortunately for Ghana, those advisers usually have even less knowledge of the investment opportunities here in Ghana than the players they are working for. Ghana is, therefore, losing out and so are the individual players.

Our foreign-based players’ mode of investment in Ghana usually goes beyond home ownership for themselves or their parents. Any real investment opportunities we expect of them usually come after their retirement from professional soccer. Pioneers, such as Abedi Pele and Tony Yeboah are prime role models of achievers who have brought their money back home to invest. Sammy Osei Kufour may be the only one of the current crop of players to have shown some initiative at home with his high-rise building near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle However, our checks show that the typical high earner abroad invests his money there. He will only put about $50,000 in a local account for spending, which he tops up as and when it goes down!

But, there is every reason why they should invest more and more here. First, the returns are far greater here than what they can ever receive there and the macro-economic stability now being enjoyed in Ghana ensures that their pennies and cents are safe. Secondly, it is just the patriotic thing to do.

Ghana, the African lion, is roaring. Ghana’s stock market is ready, but it needs all the equity it can get. For example, the annual yield of Databank’s Mfund, in not-so-good a year is 13.64 percent (latest yield). That is way above the average yield in all the major European bourses.

The 91-Day bill opens this week at 10.08 percent. The 2-Year Note and 3-Year Bond are quoted at 15.8 percent and 16 percent respectively. The 182-Day and 1-Year Note remains stable at 10.91 percent and 15.5 percent respectively. Similar fixed rate instruments in Europe fetch between 2 percent and 7 percent. Where then is your bread better buttered and jammed, Michael?

There are also very good companies on the Accra bourse, performing remarkably well. The latest to trade shares is Ecobank Ghana, a subsidiary of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, a banking holding company with 12 subsidiaries across West and Central Africa – a prime example of what can be achieved in our region. But, there is also Benso Oil, British American Tobacco, Camelot, Cocoa Processing Company, Sam-Woode, Aluworks, Trust Bank, SG-SSB and Stanchart. Then, there is also Fan Milk, Unilever, Produce Buying Company and Starwin. Ayrton has also arrived.

Our economy is growing. Our currency is stable. But, those who can, must help sustain this growth. Databank Research projects that barring any external shocks, single digit inflation would end the year at 9.5 percent; this helps to stop earnings from depletion.

Databank expects that the economy will continue to improve as inflationary pressures continue to subside and economic activity spurs ahead. “The challenge however, is beyond improvement in the macroeconomic indicators, but in the ability of these economic milestones to translate into tangible changes in the living standards of the average Ghanaian,” it says.

This requires also a conscious effort from Ghanaians abroad, including our foreign-based players, to graduate from sending money home to build houses and look after dependents, to raising the equity profile of our local industries. If recorded private inward transfers alone between January and March this year was as high as $1.46 billion (a 52 percent rise over the same period in 2005), then it just goes to show how much more our compatriots living abroad can do to boost this economy. Let us play closer home to get a bigger roar from the lion.