"NO JOBS! NO MONEY! NO HELP!“
Ghana is considered democratically a model country in West Africa but looking at the present governance from certain perspectives things are not moving the right way. The Ghanaian people are wondering why that the politicians are rubbing their eyes to do better.
Under normal circumstances Ghana could be a very proud country referring (among others) to our natural resources and stable economic growth - despite the global financial crisis. Ghana is Africa's Darling. Barack Obama has ennobled the country already with his visit. And at the World Cup in South Africa, Ghana's Black Stars have written history.
With the help of the government Ghana could feed itself through Agriculture and become, if not the first, one the first countries in Africa to halve poverty and hunger. Records and reports on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) shows that even in Ghana (Gold Coast) - is not everything that glitters is gold. We have to realize that something is really wrong in the country and we first need to find out where the problem lies in the Mills government. Poverty and hunger must be halved through our own initiatives.
Ghana must for instance invest more in the development of agriculture to increase our food production per capita, at least 80 percent. With increase in productions such as rice, plantain, yams, cassava vegetables and fruits, Ghana would rely very less on imports.
Since the recent reform of the Cocoa Exchange in Accra, Ghana a cocoa exporter on the world market is well positioned. The small-scale farmers earned much better on their beans but they still need more assistance from the government to double their production.
Severe deficits in education, many children instead of going to school have to work in Ghana under the most adverse conditions. Education for all will hardly be achieved under such uncontrolled situation in the country. Education in Ghana is still mostly limited to the big cities. Construction of schools and paying teachers salaries in rural areas still leave much to be desired.
Many children in the country die because they lack essential immunizations, too many mothers die in childbirth, malaria is and remains the major scourge of AIDS in the country. The policy appears in the light of the sobering facts somewhat perplexed. The Chairman of the Development Commission of the Ghanaian government is looking for answers. “Involvement was always present, and all those responsible had probably good intentions but good intentions alone lead just far to good results." The government must act now to reverse the wrong policy to cut better with the Millennium Development Goals.
Ghana has a reputation to lose in West Africa if the government keeps sitting down, The President must therefore address the failing development goals now. Ghanaians hoped in President Mills, in 2009 elected to the highest office but now the expectations are unrealistic to the President, exactly this invocation of miracles tell a lot about the helplessness of the Ghanaian politician, for too long Ghanaians should have basked in Ghana's successes. Politicians do not even take that important and think about the millions of Ghanaian people facing economic hardships in the country. "NO JOBS! NO MONEY! NO HELP"
Nevertheless, Millennium Development Goals should BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN PARTY POLITICS. The government (as already promised) must make Ghana a better country, at least with the revenues from our oil and gas business.
FRANCIS TAWIAH (Duisburg - Germany)
