Africans and the concept of

Essentially, development is bringing factual knowledge via

INSTITUTIONS to the benefit of as many people as possible. This means

development is an institutional affair.

Politics then, is the art of transforming society via institutions to

better the lives of the people. No government can be successful

without functional institutions. It is via institutions that the

overarching good policies of government are conveyed to meet the

demands of the people. It is essentially the bridge, palindromically

linking the government to the governed.

Institutions are built and managed by men in leadership positions for

national development. No matter the inherent frailties of men, being

it intelligence, psychological or emotional, institutions are built to

consciously subdue and work around them and ensure development.

Not project them consciously or unconciously and, directly or

indirectly to the detriment of the nation. In other words,

failure....institutional failure must reducibly be confined to become

the exception and, not the rule. This is because institutional failure

adversely affect both the government and the people. Though it affects

the people more than the government.

However we can learn from human beings on other continents that had

demonstrated repeatedly and continues to do, that, what is needed to

make institutions functional for realization of national development

is not absolute knowledge and perfect humans. But a factually working

operative knowledge and honest, competent and rationality-driven men.

In the parlance of politics driven by institutions, transparency is

honesty and achieving results is competence. And rationality is

ensuring the masses benefit from the institutional transparency and

its positive results.

That is all. But interestingly enough and somehow it does not appear

to us like that in Africa, not to even the men in leadership positions

in this institutions. It seems we believed absolute knowledge and

perfect men are the requirement for functional institutions for

national development.

And because there are no absolute knowledge and perfect humans in

nature hence Africa, African institutions; the bridge linking the

government and the governed are justified to fail the masses. It even

make sense to us...Ghanaians and Africans.

When that make sense to us and continues to do, it only implies and

confirms our deepest lack of understanding the importance of

institutions. Institutions are meant to subjugate the frailties of men

and maximize the best in us for the betterment of all.

Until Africans do that......which no other race can and will do for

us, sustainable development shall continue to elude us on this

continent. The continent will be like a moon reflecting the light of

development from other continents in lieu of generating its own, that

shall be sufficient to as possible as on the continent.

We all want to see this naturally and humanly resourced continent

called Africa develop, at least to our satisfaction. The realization

of that lies in us demanding more from our institutions

intellectually, socially, politically, philosophically and above all

scientifically.

Our understanding of the concept of human institution in Ghana and

Africa fundamentally endangers our collective developmental

aspirations. Because it imprints and promotes selfishness, mediocrity,

corruption and incompetence among other detrimental attitudinal

debilities which eventually characterize our institutions, as normal

and acceptable to both the government and the governed. And we put it

neatly and nicely as, THIS IS HUMAN INSTITUTION.

Seshie, Stanley

Email: seshiehanku@gmail.com

Whatsapp...0508951323