The nation is churning out "ignorant" politicians – Prof. Akosa

Former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, says politicians in the country do not seek after knowledge, and as a result, the nation is churning out “ignorant” politicians.

Speaking in an interview with Radio Gold on Monday, Professor Badu Akosa wondered where politicians get their information on issues basically concerning the country, explaining “the fact of the matter is that our politicians, themselves, do not learn. I have never gone to any public lecture where politicians have come to listen to experts; Where do they get their source of information? They don’t have time. They don’t read and so on, and so forth. So, unfortunately, we are creating a system where even the politicians, themselves, are as ignorant as the general population.”

He appealed to politicians to challenge themselves by learning and acquiring knowledge from experts in the country.

Also, analyzing the impact of Ghana’s media, he referred the media to the vital role it plays in the development of the economy.

He implored media practitioners to disallow the influx of politicians on their programmes but rather ensure that they use their platforms to champion developmental issues which to him, would be much beneficial to the economy.

He expressed his view saying “I think the media is all too ready to open up to let people share their views…” and due to this, hold programmes which normally are partisan in nature.

This, he said, should be abolished ensuring that issues discussed on the media platform represent the interest of the masses in the nation.

He urged media practitioners to hold public and civil service employers and employees accountable for their actions and inactions by offering them opportunities through the media network.

This he believes is a panacea for the challenges confronting the nation.

To him, partisan issues should be broached on the floor of Parliament but not on the airwaves.

He also called for a ban on phone-in sessions during media programmes, stressing that: “it adds very little to the substantive discussion.”

“I want to see developmental programmes. I want to see the things that are challenging the public servants or the civil servants.”

“We’ve got to a stage where we must hold people who hold civil service and public service office accountable for the work that they do. And whether they like it or not, it should be part of their remit to explain their task, and how they interface with the development of this country to the people…” he concluded.