WESTERN REGIONAL CHIEFS OUGHT TO SET UP "WESTERN HOLDINGS LIMITED"

Recently, when I learnt that a number of Chiefs from Ghana's Western Region, had accompanied one of the two deputy energy ministers, Hon. F. K. Buah, to Trinidad and Tobago, it immediately occurred to me that someone ought to encourage them to set up a holding company ("Western Holdings Limited"), which would exchange land for projects, with stakes in the companies undertaking those projects. I do hope prominent individuals from the region, such as Samiah Nkrumah, the Awhoi brothers, Kabral Blay-Amihere and F. K. Buah himself, will encourage the region's Chiefs to do so.


It is a far better way to proceed, than the old-fashioned way of Chiefs merely "releasing land" for projects, and later going cap in hand to beg for social amenities from those selfsame entities. More importantly, it avoids the controversy of tribal leaders from one particular region in Ghana, asking for special treatment in the sharing of the national cake. It also enables them to take advantage of the local content law - to which they can point to any investor desirous of partnering Ghanaians.

If some of the dividend payments from the shares owned by Western Holdings were put into an educational fund, for example, to which those with the aptitude to study to tertiary level could apply for full- scholarships, surely, all academically-gifted children from poor families in the Western Region could realise their full potential?

One certainly hopes that rather than ask for special treatment because of the region's abundant oil and natural gas deposits, the Western Regional House of Chief's will consider abolishing the unproductive tradition of Chiefs being presented with drinks by investors seeking stool land, and substitute it with a new and financially-rewarding tradition, in which all such investors give "Western Holdings" a 10 percent shareholding in their projects.

Would employing a world-class management team to run "Western Holdings Limited", not help provide the Chiefs and people of the region with the wherewithal, to pay for the education of the region's brightest children? And if they invest in quality vocational training for the region's children who are not so gifted academically too, as well as provide them seed money to set up micro- enterprises, after their training, surely that will make them productive citizens contributing to Ghana's GDP - and help alleviate poverty in many communities in the region too? Traditional leaders of a resource-rich region must discard the prevalent initiative-killing and insidious begging-bowl mentality, which impoverishes so many communities up and down our country. A word to the wise...

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