Still Thinking

STILL THINKING…..

STRIPPING

IT DOWN TO MY LEVEL….

Just

in case you have a difficulty with leaving your old ideas in “OLD GHANA’S

COFFIN”, I’ve good news for you. There is an opportunity for you to invest

principled and globally–tested ideas we have failed to use in the past, but

relevant to these times, into the building of the “NEW GHANA” estate. It’s all

about the final transition period from the “OLD” to “NEW”.

Anyway,

just thought I’d swing some thoughts your way to ponder over this weekend at

home, at your funeral gatherings, at your weddings, naming ceremonies, political

meetings, religious meetings, chop bars, your various hangouts including “Pork and

Chinchinga”, “Omo Tuo”, “JAZZ Houses”, “Pubs”, chilling spots as well as your

beach, sight-seeing activity and after church and mosque communion.

Doesn’t

it make logical sense that with our astronomical levels of unemployment, we

should pursue the principle of “Expanded Economic Activity” that stimulates

specifically targeted areas and creates jobs rather than focus on “Growth

Figures”. The reality is that economic history globally has proven that you can

have “Jobless Growth”. And Isn’t our economy structured as an economy of an

already developed nation when in reality we are not? “We get head?”…”We get

thinking?” lol

Still

using my head, it is my considered opinion that our sharp focus should be on the

number of opportunities that would create jobs at all levels, especially the

youth, women, the unskilled, the masses, create small businesses, give tax

revenue to the state, reduce crime, stabilise and strengthen families, as well

as develop technologies.

What

specific structural changes or redefinition of our economy should we embark on

as a nation to realise expodential growth and meaningful job creation?

What

kind of thinking, posture, planning, strategy and concrete action should

characterize this structural change to ensure it attains the best results?

My

candid opinion is that our economic development since Dr Kwame Nkrumah exited

the “Hot Seat”, has been embarrassingly timid, with wobbly movements of

resurrection just within the beginning of the 4th Republic till now.

It is time we challenge ourselves to strategically and forcefully break out of

this never-ending-cycle of failure, to pursue an ambitious, globally-competitive

vision, bold new ideas, and put in place new growth poles as well as effective

implementation planning. It is time to unleash our dormant untapped potential

to produce and supply the kinds of volumes required to enter major agricultural

produce markets around the world, and provide an alternative to some industrial

products imported into Ghana as well as those imported by other West African

countries from around the world. Off course the government of the day has the

duty to intentionally stimulate domestic demand for products of our existing

and new industrial drive. Lets’ cut out the slave thinking, excuses, and think

through and beyond possibility into achieving. We must strategically position

ourselves as a nation diligently at work to make a better life for itself.

We

must progress from despair to hope, transform possibility into reality and

ideals into facts. We should take big decisions about concrete strategic

objectives.

Planned

democracy is when a nation takes a deliberate strategic decision based on

factual research of its strengths, weakness, and culture, to develop and

operate a democratic system suitable to it as a means of achieving set

objectives, ultimately reaping tangible benefits. “NA GOOD DEMOCRACY WE GO CHOP”??

“IT MUST BRING BETTER FOR OUR POCKET AND LIFE”!! All the democratic and good

governance accolades we proudly carry around our necks should result in big

time economic benefits. The “GATEWAY TO WEST AFRICA PROJECT” should have been

the catalyst for our economic revolution because of our God-given Geo-political

strategic positioning. International Geo-politics is all about making yourself

relevant. It’s all about strategic thinking, strategic interests, strategic

alignments and alliances as well as strategic action.

Where

is our robust national fundraising (capital formation) strategy)? Where are our

robust national tourism and national business development strategies. Where are

the new generation think tanks? Where is our extraordinary courage and capacity to

go big time?

When

a hungry lion appears in the compound of your high-walled house, and you

are

faced with a life-threatening challenge, you don’t throw your hands up

in

despair. The dangerous situation should make demands on your untapped,

underutilised

potential and challenge you to harness energies from within you to scale the

high wall you normally would not attempt scaling. In the process of

scaling the

wall, you could set a new high jump record (a new invention, innovation, value

addition). Confronting, engaging and surmounting challenge is

interesting and

exciting, a culture that must be and remain with us. The naked reality

is that,

we are endangering ourselves by our “BUSINESS-AS-USUAL conduct in this

fast,

complex and ever-changing global-spirited world. Urgency should be a

daily dose. and may I remind you that the road to failure is paved with excuses.

Fellow Ghanaians, we are in real danger and

the earlier we woke up, the better!

Moving

on……how about a vision of Ghana that transcends political parties? China’s

Chairman Mao admonished politicians to be statesmen. He went on to explain that

politicians talk and never deliver but statesmen mean what they say and deliver

what they say. He further counsels all leaders to unify their people, accommodate

even those who offend them and bring minority groups together. Finally he

stresses that leadership should not be populist. It is policy that should be

populist.

I

have serious issues with Ghana’s political world…..the structure of political

parties, mentality and conduct of actors, processes for the choice of

candidates relative to a 21st century progressive national

development agenda, the quality of candidates, the devalued mediocre standards,

the irrelevant, useless, and globally embarrassing public utterances.

Massa,

and are you not sick and tired of the same empty clichés “We are working on

it”, ”Plans are far advanced”,”Government is concerned”, It is in the

pipeline”,”We will form a committee to look into the matter”,”We are

investigating”, “We are doing our best”, “We cannot solve a commonsensical

problem because we have meagre resources and the national cake has to be spread

all over”, when common sense leadership calls for daringly getting the bull by

the horn to solve the problem, offering clear direction, taking concrete

decisions, effective mobilization, inspiration and challenging ourselves to

attain higher heights. Why do our leaders make us feel and look hopeless and

helpless ?

Another

illogical Ghanaian enterprise that

reflects reverse acrobatics, is society's call on politicians to avoid engaging

in corrupt practices (KICK BACKS, KICK FORWARDS, & SIDE KICKS) yet making

pressured demands that are way above the financial means of the same

politicians. Oh Ghanaians…..”SIKA”, “CHAMBER POTS”,”SCHOOL FEES”,”SANITARY

TOWELS”,”FUNERAL EXPENSES AND CONTRIBUTIONS”,”CHURCH AND MOSQUE DONATIONS”,”BILLS

FOR DELIVERY OF BABIES”,”PAYMENT OF RENT ADVANCE”,”MEDICAL BILLS”, "VISA MONEY",

“BLACK MAIL

DEMANDS” and “VOTE BUYING CASH”. NA WHERE THE MONEY GO COME FROM? The late

President Stevens of Sierra Leone once said “GOD GO PAY ME IN POUNDS AND

DOLLARS AND E GO COMMOT FROM YOUR POCKET”. What hypocrisy and comedy!!

That

fact still remains that the citizenry will demonstrate patriotism and strong

nationalism only when the leadership which shapes the national

character, sets

the best example to give them the moral leverage to drive down the

message

forcefully to change the mess we find ourselves in. Leaders must show

the way, go the way and do the way. It is a pity that most of

our politicians are in politics for all the wrong reasons. Politics is

not a

job but rather community service. It is the passion to improve the

quality of

life of a people, and anyone whose intention is to make big money out of a

career in politics, is in the wrong profession.

After three decades of pursuing poverty reduction programmes, we have only

changed her dress from the past. She is still around in her new outfit,

very visible when you encounter her. Poverty that used to be in pockets, is

increasingly out on the streets.

Ghanaian

politicians should realise that “POOR”, ”DEMORALIZED”, and ”FRIGHTENED” people

constitute a “HOPELESS” people and HOPELESS PEOPLE DON’T VOTE!!!

Its game-changing time from a focus on poverty reduction to new wealth creation.

We

are moving forward….. The concept of security in the 21st century is

changing, getting sophisticated and more realistic. The focus is on farming

security, food security, job security and energy security. Lets’ save this long

story for another day.

Still

thinking……The USA has a “National Police”, “State Police” and “County Police”.

Can we for purposes of effective and level of visible policing, decentralize a

portions of the Ghana Police Service to constitute a District Police Service

that would function, receive its funding, re-numeration, logistical support and

accommodation within the community from the district assembly under the

DCE/MCE. Obviously, the District Police Commander would operate from the

district assembly’s offices. My thinking is that this concept would take the

form of the USA County Police who live amongst the people and know them by name

and address. The community would in turn be very willing to invest in the

service because they have direct benefit from it.

Apart

from the USA that operates this type of policing structure under a Federal

State System, many Unitary States have “National”,”District”, and

”City/Town/Village”Police Service….so we could copy that model.

Oh, and can't we have standard modules for building police stations?

A

Chinese adage goes…..”If you plan for a year, grow rice; If you plan for a

decade, plant trees; But if you plan to build a formidable nation, you must

educate and train the youth”.

As

we march towards revolutionary industrialization, an incentivized system for

internship, attachment, on-the-job training, community entrepreneurship

training, skills development and general mentoring for the youth must be put in

place. The culture of vacation employment must be developed.

Hey,

Isn’t it exciting to see young people making their voices heard these days in

Ghana? We must teach and make them to think for themselves….THE TIME CATCH OOO...

THE TIME CATCH!!

New

capabilities including the internet are good tools for development, but it

takes responsible people to positively benefit from their use. In Ghana, there

are 3 million users of the internet and I think we can do better by using this

tool we failed to think to create in the first place.

The

questions that arise though are (a) What opportunities do we create with it?

(b) What are the challenges (c) How do we surmount the challenges?

The

danger though is a new sickness called “DIGITAL DISTRACTION”. This sickness,

especially found in social networking, is distracting people from production at

work, spending quality time in relationships, corrupting many, breaking

marriages and more. Check out www.alibaba.com and see the money people are making

there. Watch it!

As

my thinking begins to go slow but still on, I want to agree with Egya Atta

President that the growth of traffic is overtaking road expansion. Whatz the

solution thinkers? Hmmm.... and inspirational landscaping?Ehe, just remembered that

we have no rain water collection system nor community technical aid systems.

Social, Economic and Environmental transformation can be achieved with a change in

our mindsets, through new forms of collaborative inventiveness, by

acquisition of new competencies, inspirational leadership, and above

all, with people who are wiling to implement change at all levels of

society.

My

weekend leadership quote :” Strong leaders are able to build and maintain the

confidence and trust of their people in order to overcome national paralysis. A

paramount value of leadership in turbulent times is that, it helps the

citizenry see clearly and act decisively”

To

all of you my co-radio listening addicts….Especially “Ko Kaa””We ti mi - Wa ka

mi”….think of the effect of all the senseless and useless noise on the airwaves

in the process of exercising your right of freedom to reach out to other

discerning minds? How about the effect on money (investment cash) attraction from

the global

world.Its

all about team work in nation building……and here I land…..

“There were four people in a nation

named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. The task of nation building was

given to them to be done and indeed everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was

sure somebody will do it, but Nobody did it. Anybody could have done it but

nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was everybody’s task.

Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but nobody realised that Everybody

wouldn’t do it. It ended up that everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what

Anybody could have done”

We have been shaking our bodies for far too long in this nation. It is time to shake

our heads.

YESSSSSSSSSS

WEEEEEE CAN!!

Charles

Sam, Golden Future Promotions Tel :

+233 (0) 244 685689 Email : goldnfuture@yahoo.comFacebook : Charles A. Sam Gfp

THINK

AND SPREAD THE WORD “THINKING” TO ALL