That Our Leaders Might Have The Wisdom To Let Ghana And Her People Prosper

On 6th March, 2014, Ghana will enter its  57th year, as an  independent and sovereign African nation-state. As a people, we have come a long way and made much progress,  since the end of the colonial era. Much more needs to be done - but we can be proud of ourselves for maintaining the unity and stability of our nation.

It is instructive, that after successfully  freeing itself from the yoke of British colonial occupation of its territory,  on March 6, 1957, Ghana still remains a beacon of hope in Africa.

A peaceful and thriving multi-party democracy, with a vibrant and vociferous media,  Ghana's pluralistic society is unique in Africa. It has evolved into a cultural melting-pot,  in which virtually every extended family clan, in the land,  is made up of a mix of family members from different tribes, who are  united by marriage and blood ties.

 A mostly-tolerant and welcoming people, Ghanaians live in an aspirational society that sets great store by material success. It is this widespread desire to be successful that makes Ghanaians pull back from anything that will tip their nation over the precipice, whenever a political crisis occurs. It has kept Ghana politically  stable - despite the brinkmanship of its mostly self-serving political class.

One's prayer for our homeland Ghana, as it enters its 57th year of nationhood, is that it will be blessed with a ruling elite that is wise and understands the need for sustainable development that ensures a better quality of life for all Ghanaians.

Going forward, one hopes that our leaders will not allow vested interests to force them to reverse policies that benefit the greatest numbers of the Ghanaian populace. Above all, let them initiate policies that will help harness the boundless energy,  and tap the undoubted creativity, of younger generation IT-savvy Ghanaians.

And at a time when global climate change is negatively impacting our country, and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, one hopes that  foolish and shortsighted decisions,  such as the environmentally irresponsible act, of permitting coal-fired power plants to be built in Ghana, will never again be foisted  on  the ordinary people of our country, by the clueless amongst  our nation's  ruling elites.

 Let our leaders also have the wisdom to create conditions for  wealth-creation  in rural Ghana, for example,  by encouraging private-sector entities to  utilise the cutting-edge molecular breeding technology of the U.S. biotech company, San Diego-based SGB - which has enabled the Jetropha 2.0 plant to be domesticated. It yields significantly more seeds than its wild cousins.

 The adoption of the fruits of SGB's DNA sequencing technology, will enable Ghana to have the capacity to develop a biodiesel industry, which  supplies jet fuel to the international aviation industry - by getting unemployed people in rural Ghana to  grow SGB's high-yielding jetropha 2.0 hybrid seedlings,  on marginal land, as well as on land degraded by illegal gold mining and logging, to produce biodiesel from jetropha seeds.

And  were our leaders to launch a nationwide initiative for private-sector  companies and farmer co-ops to grow coconuts in plantations, the humble coconut tree could supply rural  factories along the coast, and throughout the southern half of Ghana, with coconuts for the manufacture of  a cornucopia of products - including coir fibre-based ecoboards, coconut milk,  virgin coconut oil and powdered coconut milk (to name but  a few).

That will create jobs galore and wealth in rural Ghana, would it not?

As Ghanaians throughout the world celebrate their nation's 57th independence anniversary on 6th March, 2014, the prayer of the citiizenry, is that their leaders will have the wisdom to create conditions that will enable Ghana to become a prosperous nation -  whose citizens, particularly the younger generation, benefit from  economic growth that is underpinned by a sustainable and green ethos. Amen.