Mahama promises to promote continental trade

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• Kofi. 10 years ago

  Pathological "promisist", John Mahama. No leader has promised so much in history.

  Pathological "promisist", John Mahama. No leader has promised so much in history.

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• Fiifi 10 years ago

  Forget continental trade... JUST SOLVE DUMSOR NOW... Where is you sense of urgency Mr. Prez???

  Forget continental trade... JUST SOLVE DUMSOR NOW... Where is you sense of urgency Mr. Prez???

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• Contemporary Youth 10 years ago

  "I will not hesitate to encourage and recommend this meat company to West African countries, because of the quality and proximity."
  
  He said African countries could succeed in the intra-African trade with the engagement of ...
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  "I will not hesitate to encourage and recommend this meat company to West African countries, because of the quality and proximity."
  
  He said African countries could succeed in the intra-African trade with the engagement of both the state and private sectors and called on all African leaders to step up their collaborations to achieve their continental goals.
  
  Madam Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, Botswanan Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said Botswana had positioned herself properly to export their products to willing African countries.

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• Contemporary Youth 10 years ago

  The country's Meat Commission provides all the meat needs of Botswana and neighbouring countries like Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

  The country's Meat Commission provides all the meat needs of Botswana and neighbouring countries like Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

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• ELINAM 10 years ago

  We in Ghana believed in privatization. We believed the nation Ghana can not own no businesses so in that sense, we deliberately run whatever belongs the nation to the ground to prove that they can not make profit so that th ...
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  We in Ghana believed in privatization. We believed the nation Ghana can not own no businesses so in that sense, we deliberately run whatever belongs the nation to the ground to prove that they can not make profit so that they can be sold to foreigners so that few can get their 10% kick back.
  Now every nation is leaving us far behind in the very game we pioneered through Kwame Nkrumah.
  Ethiopia had left us in the dust with their national airlines, Botswana with meat industry similar to ours in the northern region, right?
  Not even in a 100 years that we could achieve what selfless and non greedy Ethiopians did with a national carrier that was only ten years older than our own Ghana airways. Mind you all these other countries are not angels but they love their country and have innovative minds.
  We think we're cleaver and smart with greed and unpatriotic tendencies but the joke is on us.

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• William Sorkpor, USA 10 years ago

  The headline reads: "Mahama promises to promote continental trade."
  
  As noble as this may sound, the economic principle on which it is premised is detrimental to our beloved Great Ghana.
  
  Question:
  
  How can the preside ...
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  The headline reads: "Mahama promises to promote continental trade."
  
  As noble as this may sound, the economic principle on which it is premised is detrimental to our beloved Great Ghana.
  
  Question:
  
  How can the president talk of promoting free continental trade in Africa; and at the same time suggest that: "individual countries need to leverage areas [in which they have] comparative advantage to realize their dreams." This is dangerous for Ghana.
  
  The doctrine of comparative advantage was coined by David Ricardo, -- the British Economist -- in the early days of the Industrial Revolution to ensure the dominance of Great Britain in manufacturing. It was premised on efficiency of production. In other words: to keep prices low, it was proposed that only the country with the lowest cost of manufacturing a particular good was allowed to produce that good. Since Great Britain was the first to industrialize; it was the most efficient in producing everything. Great Britain was therefore the only country manufacturing everything.
  
  The United States at that time was reduced to producing only rice, cotton, and tobacco, -- agricultural commodities. This created economic disparities between the poor North, - and the rich South that had all the rich farmlands with the African slaves. It was the desperate need of the North to breech the economic disparities, -- through manufacturing -- that led to the American Civil War. The North won the war: that ushered in manufacturing in the United States; and the subsequent freeing of the African slaves.
  
  David Ricardo, and Adam Smith, -- the father of market economics -- trusted free trade to correct any dislocation and shortages that resulted from the doctrine of comparative advantage. They were right for the simple reason that, comparative advantage was used to eliminate duplications in manufacturing across boarders.
  
  The same cannot be said for Africa, -- where the economies are full of duplications across boarders. Let's take cocoa production: Ghana produces cocoa, and so is Ivory Coast. We both sell our cocoa to foreign markets outside Africa. Although Ghana used to be the leading Cocoa producing country in Africa, today that enviable position belongs to Ivory Coast. To extrapolate, it's possible to argue that the cost of production for Ivory Coast is lower than the cost of cocoa production for Ghana. According to the president's premise of promoting free trade, -- i.e., leveraging areas of comparative advantage -- it is open season for Ivory Coast to destroy our cocoa production. It's no wonder that Ghanaian cocoa farmers are smuggling their beans across the boarder with impunity.
  
  With all due respect to the president: economic principles are living entities. They are not just fancy jargons to be thrown around.
  
  Furthermore, we must always endeavor to put our beloved Great Ghana ahead of all others.
  
  May Lord Almighty continue to bless our beloved Great Ghana:
  Amen!!!

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• Kwabena Yeboah 10 years ago

  This man is full of himself. There has been meager 11% inter-trade among ECOWAS states since its inception more than 40 years ago. As the current chairman of ECOWAS, this blabbermouth Mahama should fix inter-trade among ECOWA ...
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  This man is full of himself. There has been meager 11% inter-trade among ECOWAS states since its inception more than 40 years ago. As the current chairman of ECOWAS, this blabbermouth Mahama should fix inter-trade among ECOWAS countries first before turning his attention to the whole Africa.

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• Jazz 10 years ago

  You cannot even solve the basic erratic power shortage plaguing your country but thinking of promoting continental trade? You must be out of your goddamn mind to even imagine stuff like that because you don't have the knowled ...
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  You cannot even solve the basic erratic power shortage plaguing your country but thinking of promoting continental trade? You must be out of your goddamn mind to even imagine stuff like that because you don't have the knowledge as a president to implement that.Your government is full of corrupt, inexperience and self seeking interest motherfuckers running the show. Just stop that crap and let Ghanaians think of something better...foolish man who calls himself a president.

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