Conflict To Thrive With Black Gold In Ghana

After the discovery of another non-renewable natural resource, crude oil, which is

connotatively referred to as black gold, in Ghana, many were the statements made, as

if it has been the only to be exploited ever in the nation’s history.

Many were the renewable and non-renewable natural resources discovered and

exploited, or still remain untapped in Ghana’s economic past. Some of them are

gold, diamond, and cocoa. Others include, timber, bauxite, and human resource,

have all been, abysmally mismanaged to the detriment of a developing country like

Ghana. The present generation of Ghanaians is anxious of the crude oil discovered,

and holds the perception that, the entire economic challenges facing the nation

would varnish into thin air as Ghana would soon attain the Organisation of Petroleum

Exporting Countries (OPEC) status.

Despite years of extracting natural and human resource, Ghana still has to source

budgetary support from the World Bank. The query is, how judicious have funds from

these extractive resources been managed, including those still been exploited, which

gives us the impetus to believe with the black gold we would surely succeed? There

is a sage which says, a bird in hand is worthy two in the bush. Are the gold,

diamonds, cocoa, timber, bauxite and human resource in hand, not worth the oil?

Nevertheless, gold exploitation at Obuasi began almost at the same time with

Johannesburg in the Republic of South Africa (RSA). But, undoubtedly the rate of

development at Johannesburg is worthy a tale to tell. However, the story of Obuasi

is that of despise and desperation. The inhabitants of Obuasi are almost all the

time splitting hair, with AnglogoldAshanti, either ignoring its social

responsibility of exposing the inhabitants to one health hazard, or the other. This

calls on the Ghana Police Service, which often simply represents the calm before the

storm. Then the qualm is who is to control the revenue from the crude oil found in

Ghana? I do not generally believe every Ghanaian is dysfunctional, fractious and

fragile when it comes to managing funds from our extractive resource. But beyond

the spin, the question still remains, how changed are we in order not to fail with

the crude oil as with the other non-renewable resources?

Actually, many have been the resources that have been misappropriated by Ghanaians,

themselves. Ghana has been and will always be wealthy in human resource. This

is, what is use to develop a country efficiently. Ghanaians work with

international organizations like the United Nations, the Economic community of West

African States (ECOWAS), The Commonwealth of Nations, to mention but a few. The

notable personality proud to mention is the immediate past Secretary-General of the

United Nations (UN). Bosomuru Kofi Annan, and the former Legal Adviser at the

Commonwealth, Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu, the current Attorney–General and Minister

for Justice, they are all Ghanaians who have excelled and hoisted the flag of Ghana

proudly high. Equally the current President of ECOWAS, Ambassador, Victor Gbeho, and

the former Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas are all

illustrious sons that Ghana has gifted the international community. Not

forgetting the worthy daughter of the land, Professor Akua Kunyehia, a supervisor

at the International criminal court (ICC) in The Hague, Holland. There are yet,

others to emerge. But, why does Ghana still faces the challenge of managing her

own affairs, considering the magnitude of human resource available to her? This

human resource is of envy to many a nation. Ghana has failed in managing this

envious resource to her advantage. Therefore, what style of management do we take

to the black gold discovered?

In spite of the above, have we thought of diamond at Akwatia, and how it has been

handled? With the human resource at our disposal, we honestly have every excuse to

perform to perfectly achieve all that is there to be achieved in the vision 2020.

We, have no excuse to ruin our own enterprises. An example worth citing of a

mismanaged Ghanaian Public enterprise is Ghana telecommunications (Ghana Telecom).

It strolled under the management of Telecom Malaysia, then to the care of Telenor of

Norway, until it was finally delivered to Vodafone to also try their managerial

skills. Prior to the sale, workers and the entire nation was made to believe, if

Vodafone does not come to save Ghana Telecom, the corporation was on the verge of

collapse. The picture, I seek to present is, if Ghanaians who mismanaged Ghana

Airways are different from the Ghanaians who are to run the affairs of the oil found

then, Ghana is bound to be a success. But, without a

transformation in management style and change in attitude, the black gold would

also become another example of Ghana’s incompetence in managing her own

resources.

Another backbone of Ghana’s economy, without any doubt or second thought, has been

Cocoa, though timber also has contributed emencely to Ghana’s development.

Unfortunately our inability to manage resources appropriety has led to somewhat

embargo on it. Timber firms are asked by the Forestry Commission to plant a tree

wherever one is lumbered. This has not been followed deligently, and our forest

cover is gradually eroding. In terms of Cocoa, the mass cocoa spraying has been

politicised time and again, which often does not help matters. Ghana happened to

be the leading producer of Cocoa in the World. But Ghana has now fallen behind

Ivory Coast. What accounted for this sudden turn of events? What readily comes to

mind is the smuggling of cocoa from Ghana to Ivory Coast, by Ghanaians themselves.

Believe it, Tetteh Quashie is whimpering in his grave, for the reason, the cocoa he

risked to smuggled in to Ghana is been smuggled out by the people

he meant good for.

Forthrightly, Ghana has countless mismanagement past of her own resources. And this

attitude has been carried to virtually every national propriety without checks or

regret. This is still counting, and has cast Ghana badly. How have we pecked

ourselves of cromism and nepolism? What about the almighty “kickback”?

According to Emeritus Professor Ama Ata Aidoo, an eminent Ghanaian writer and

educationist, “The furthest east you run, the nearest west you get” This goes

to explain why Ghanaians must know the development of Ghana is the responsibility

that rest on the shoulders of Ghanaians themselves. A fact we can not run away

from. How long will Ghanaians keep misappropriating resources and running back to

the World Bank? For the reason, when one escape from the iciest north the fellow is

bound to be caught in the tangles of the coldest south. Ghanaians home and aboard

should put their shoulder to the wheel for success to be achieved with the black

gold.

Equally concerning is the fact, crude oil has brought enough conflict in Africa, not

to mention our West African neighbours Nigeria. The Ghana National Petroleum

Corporation (GNPC) should do well to reach agreements and contracts with national

interest at the core.

A Hebrew proverb says, he who is not satisfied with himself will grow. Indeed we

can not be satisfied with our resource management competence; hence there is the

need to change. We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we

harden.

All said and done, we have to succeed, for posterity can not count the black gold as

part of our resources management failures.

Patrick Twumasi

A Journalist.

BA Psychology and Religions

(University of Ghana)