The agreement between the VW company and Ghana govt, a deal gone badly

In as much as I agreed the 2020 elections in Ghana should be based on performance, track records and vision into the future, I do think that we must lift the bar for the debate about the achievement and track records of President Nana Addo and President Mahama’s because Ghana deserves better.

I have watched with keen interest the display of the VW cars and the rousing jubilation from the president and his supporters. In my opinion is a mediocre achievement and much energy should not be wasted on that because Germany is the higher beneficiary of the VW Company, not Ghana.

I would have wished the bilateral cooperation between Ghana and Germany which led to the establishment of the VW Company in Ghana should have also led to the establishment of a Ghanaian cocoa processing company in Germany where our raw cocoa will be transformed into finish products. Yes, it would have been good if it was a win-win for both countries because just like the demand for cars is high in Ghana, the Germans also have a high appetite for cholate and other cocoa products which I can confirm.

People may argue that the VW company has come to make the prices of cars cheaper for us but my counter to that point is how many Ghanaians can afford the suppose cheaper cars? If making cars cheaper is our priority then we should cut down our import duties because what we pay at the port for clearance of cars in Ghana in most cases is higher than the prices of the cars we bought abroad and shipped to Ghana.

I think that when the benefits of the businesses are in equal percentage to both countries, then we can call it an achievement but as it stands I will simply describe the agreement between the VW Company and Ghana government as a deal gone bad and worth no celebration.