Odike offers panacea for troubled economy

Ghana can liberate itself from the current biting economic challenges if people with strong business will are put at the helm of affairs to formulate time-tested policies, develop clear strategic business direction and create a conducive environment for the private sector to thrive.

Akwasi Addai Odike, businessman and 2012 presidential candidate for the United Front Party (UFP) who made the observation, said Ghana could change the face of its economy depending upon the problem-solving capability of the team managing it.

“These are the ingredients that need to be put into a combined effort to address our numerous economic challenges,” the businessman cum politician opined in an interview recently.

In his opinion, until Ghanaians learn to enforce the creation of a pragmatic state policy for national development, politicians would always come, brag and take them for granted.

He said nation building is a process which requires that both the past and present governments unite to implement the national development policy for systematic economic growth.

“So it cannot be on the shoulders of one government. It should be a continuous thing and I believe if I were at the presidency we will formulate a policy for infrastructure, agriculture, industries and rural development,” he said.

All these policies, according to him, would be coordinated into a single national policy to drive the nation to its deserved destination.

In the opinion of Akwasi Addai, successive governments’ interest in engaging in active business ownership and management is one thing that had undermined the nation’s socio-economic development.

The UFP leader said government’s preoccupation should be creating conducive business environment, empowering and facilitating private businesses to flourish in order to create jobs.

He insisted that, in the contemporary governance, government has no business doing business; government has a responsibility to invite private business participation especially in the energy sector for a reliable and efficient energy supply.

He cited the telecommunications and educational sectors of the economy which are providing good services arising out of private sector participation amidst fierce competition between the players.

The UFP 2012 presidential candidate, therefore, urged President Mahama to invite private business entities to invest in the energy sector so as to provide the energy requirement of the country.

He also implored the ruling government to facilitate the acquisition of machinery for the private businesses to add value to the nation’s raw materials, stressing that without manufacturing, the agricultural sector in particular cannot expand.