Would Ghana ever produce something?

It is with great distress that I put down this piece. Always when I rush downtown to work seeing all these vendors and young folks on the street, at the harsh mercy of sunshine and rain, my heart only gets heavier. There are no jobs for the teeming youth or any sustainable means of income for the 8-5 regulars who are employed.

If I may quiz, how did we get here as a country that started so well after independence as a beacon of hope to other compatriots in the same struggle from Western dominance?

The big question is, if they are gainfully employed, will they be on the streets? If they had choices to choose between working in one company or the other, would they be in the traffic selling dog chains, pure water, and fan yogurt as they watch death scare them in their face?? We all know the answer. A quick prayer to say for them each time you pass by is that God keeps them safe from our careless drivers.

Bothering on whether Ghana will ever produce something or not, I would rather not have any long discussions about how we had failed ourselves by mismanaging our natural resources. And I will equally not go into the debates of 1D1F.

How can a country that used to produce about 63% of the world’s cocoa back in the 60s be now producing below average? It’s quite funny we now watch Cote d’Ivoire set the pace and take better prices in the world market. I thought all along we had the finer beans compared to any other country in the world. Do our farmers not deserve better for their toil? Must everything be the bane of politics in this country?

For the gold and bauxite issues coupled with the influx of Chinese on our “tea rivers,” that’s for another day.

Instead of producing materials and results, they are only good at describing our problems and masters of playing the blame game! The other day, they played it smart saying it was COVID-19 that has led to the backdrop of the economy. Tons of taxes were then thrown at ordinary citizens.

After COVID, a quick one also came through. It was surely about the Russia-Ukraine imbroglio. Who cares? They told us we don’t understand the complex nature of how African economies are lopsided and do not have much say in negotiations on the world stage. But if all you know is throwing out your gold and cocoa for processing by the West and you can’t refine your gold and produce your own Milo or Richoco you can’t have a say of course.

You have no balls! But how can you have a say when you can’t manage the affairs of your country by producing just one finished good for use by your citizens let alone for export? Share with me. Is there any homegrown company that produces matchsticks?

Where are all the manufacturing companies set up by Nkrumah? Is Valco doing so well?

How about the Komenda sugar factory??

To our team of politicians, please start producing something; produce results, or you know the exit. Ghanaians are getting more wiser. And that’s one uniformity I have realized from our aged and the post-millennial babies. Their conscience won’t be bought any longer.

Why am I ranting too much in your head as you read this article?

Hell yes, it’s about the recent tomato and onions that ballooned in prices. Go to that onion market at Gomoa Dominase and ask for the price of onions per sack. In my honest opinion, if you can’t produce much, produce something with the little you have.

What is the use of all these arable lands in our homeland? What is the use of the plows and farm machinery owned by our politicians?

Why was the planting for food and jobs rolled out in the first place? I want to know.

Now Niger is in turmoil and Ghana is catching cold. We have lots of questions to answer. Did the Navrongo tomatoes go on extinction? Hurriedly they have been in the news again. No fresh tomatoes and onions on the market and yes the blame game continues… it is because of the Coup in Niger.

Will Ghana ever be serious enough to start something from somewhere? Can we carefully roll out an agricultural development plan with short-term and long-term goals that are devoid of any governmental interference to feed ourselves, to say the least, since it is too hard for us to support engineers like Katanka on a large scale? This is a question for the gods.

For a second my dear reader, think about the challenges we are faced with as a nation. You will come to a firm conclusion that most of our problems are inherent in the fact that we have only done little towards true production.

Which in my dictionary is producing goods from their raw state through to finished goods. But yes we can start from somewhere. Our budding young folks who are making strides in tech and inventions should be given the utmost support to reach their optimum of birthing something new. If we can have the political will and dedication from citizens to be real producers of something we shall wax great in an economy where we shall never come to think of aid.

And hey before I miss this, John Dumelo, don’t stop that commercial farming, the ginger is good for the soul. Kennedy Agyapong, I am inspired by your biggest cold store production in West Africa. And oh yeah, Anthony Dzamefe of Caveman Watches, I do love your fine product. And to all those smart tailors who did all the special orders for the nose mask during COVID, we appreciate you a lot.

Keep hopes alive. Shalom Ghana.

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