Lifesytle: My Ghanaian dream

Every Ghanaian should have a dream of Ghana. This country would be better only as much as we dream of it. This nation will be the destination of the world only if we want it to be.

My Ghanaian dream is that Ghana will be a land of opportunities where the Ghanaian can manage his own affairs. That we will manage our state-owned institutions and not collapse them eventually. My Ghanaian dream is that one day we can manage our country beyond aid. That we won’t depend on donor support in everything we do, even if it is building a KVIP!

My Ghanaian dream is that we will truly be independent as a people. That sixty (60) years on after independence, our independence will be more than just a tag. That we will be able to produce what we consume and consume what we produce. My Ghanaian dream is that one day we can proudly say that a product of international standard was made in Ghana by Ghanaians but for the world!

My Ghanaian dream is that we will all know that if Ghana will be any better, it depends on Ghanaians. That we would go to work to work and not go to work just because we need to. That we would treat our work (especially civil servants) as our own and not as the government’s own. My Ghanaian dream is that we would go to work to cut down waste and not go to work to add up to the waste!

I have a Ghanaian dream. My Ghanaian dream is that every Ghanaian will know that our productivity in our workplace will either mar or make this country a beauty.

That we would do all within our power to render our service at work to the best of our abilities as we would have had others do for us if it were our company. That we would go to work to work… and not to smuggle company property home. That we would go to work to work… and not to expect tips for services we are paid for!

My Ghanaian dream is that we would treat Ghana as our own. That we would know that this beautiful country is all we have now and will forever have. That we would know that no matter how long we go live wherever we can never be them. That we would know that no matter how well the crow paints itself white, it can never be like the dove. That we would care for state property as much as we care for ours!

My Ghanaian dream is that one day I won’t need to belong to a party to access some opportunities. That I won’t need to be a card-bearing member to enjoy the privileges I need to enjoy as a Ghanaian. My Ghanaian dream is that one day I would be able to have a job with my qualifications and not necessarily because I belong to a particular party. I have a dream that one day this country won’t be divided and ruled by political parties!

My Ghanaian dream is that soon and very soon party foot soldiers won’t lawlessly take over offices they even are not qualified to fill… just because their party is in power. That politics won’t get in the way of governance. That foot soldiers won’t dictate to others as to how to run some institutions because their party won an election. My Ghanaian dream indeed is that we would draw a clear difference between state and party property!

That this nation won’t be polarized along partisan lines. That we won’t discriminate among others ourselves because others don’t believe in our political ideologies. My Ghanaian dream is that the nonsensical canker of political party take-over of state property, even to the extent of others losing their lives, would stop! A nation can’t develop if all we see in others is only the party they belong to.

I have a dream that one day we won’t fall for the politician’s heaven of a promise on earth. My Ghanaian dream is that we would one day vote for those who have this nation at heart… not at stomach. I have a Ghanaian dream that one day the politician would know that he’s nothing without our votes. That he’s a nobody without the people who voted for him. That the only indicator for good leadership is service rendered from the heart with the hands.

Soon and very soon, I hope to see a nation that takes precautions not only after people have died. Kintampo on my mind. My Ghanaian dream is to see a country that invests in the safety of its people. A country that values the lives of its citizens. My Ghanaian dream is that our blood-thirsty tourist sites of a death trap will be revamped just like all other state properties… and not wait until precious lives are lost. We often turn a blind eye to everything until it takes away lives. Bloodshed seems to be the most understandable language of the Ghanaian.

My Ghanaian dream is that we won’t sacrifice our water bodies for other people’s selfish interest. That we would stop ‘galamsey’ in its tracks before we need to import potable drinking water, too. My Ghanaian dream is that we know our priorities? our needs and wants. That we know the rippling effects of our actions today. That we know that our selfish desires today may cost tomorrow’s generation.

I have a Ghanaian dream. I have a dream that our education system will be tailored, first of all, towards our needs. That we would raise a generation of intellectuals who don’t have a PHD yet can solve the common challenges that befuddle us. That the era of professors who can’t even help solve the littlest headaches in their fields would be long gone. My Ghanaian dream is that we would solve the problems we caused ourselves… and not expect someone elsewhere to help us solve them.

I am a Ghanaian just like you. If this nation would be any better, let’s change our attitude? our mindset. I have a Ghanaian dream. I know you do, too.

The writer is a playwright and Chief Scribe of Scribe Communications (www.scribecommltd.com), a writing company based in Accra. Get interactive with him on his Facebook page, Kobina Ansah.