Ghana Is An African Paradise

Our nation's many problems notwithstanding,  compared to many nations in Africa, Ghana is a real paradise. It is a veritable beacon of hope in the continent.

Caught in a  massive traffic jam on Easter Monday that stretched all the way from White Cross - three minutes by car along the Mallam-Kasoa highway after crossing  the bridge over the River Densu - to the Bortianor junction traffic lights near the old police barrier, I was struck by the many happy young people singing and clapping their hands exuberantly, in jam-packed minibus, after jam-packed minibus. Ditto jam-packed  taxi,  after jam-packed  taxi.

Most of them  were on their way to the beach resorts at Bortianor. Their zest for life was palpable. Their happiness, infectious. Your average Ghanaian works hard and plays hard. This is an aspirational society in which citizens constantly seek to better their lot. Long may it remain so.

And the fact that in the African context, this is a relatively prosperous country, despite its many difficulties, was evidenced by the many new saloon cars and SUV's  inching their way forward, after every few minutes of waiting, in the heavy traffic - their occupants cocooned in air-conditioned comfort.

As in other parts of Accra, many  new buildings have sprung up in the area - including a privately-owned  specialist hospital,  a plethora of banks, a pizza restaurant and  a Silverbird cinema complex.

 A  €256,885 Ghanaian private-sector credit facility from the Italian government has given a new lease of life to the refurbished Phastor concrete products factory at the entrance to Sampah Valley, near the turning I took to get me back home to McCarthy Hill again -  just before the Bortianor junction traffic lights.

Yet,  anyone who has ever watched and listened  to the endless negativity that is standard fare for current affairs discussion programmes  on television and the many FM radio stations in Ghana, would find it hard to believe that the doom-filled talking-heads who take part in those programmes, actually live in the same country with those  fun-loving young merrymakers on their way to the seaside on Easter Monday.

Watching those happy younger generation Ghanaians - lucky to  have been born, and to have grown up, in a free and peaceful society in Africa - enjoying themselves, I could not help but think of the senseless killings in strife-torn places like the Central African Republic, South Sudan and areas in Nigeria that have suffered from the unspeakable cruelty of Boko Haram,  and contrasting that with the high-spirited young fellow citizens enjoying their Easter Monday holiday trip to the beach in our stable multi-party democracy.

We tend to take a lot for granted in Ghana. It is true that many families are going through hard times.  That unfortunate situation results partly from the effects of the  cyclical nature of trade between interdependent national economies in an era of globalisation. The optimism and good-natured  fun-seeking of the  younger generations shows their confidence in Ghana's future.

 The nation's long-suffering middle-classes, keen to protect the value of their expensive homes and sheltered lifestyles in gated communities, act as ballast. Their moderating influence (vital to protecting their diversified investment portfolios) will contine to keep the country stable.

 Members of our political class (from across the spectrum) would be wise to end their negativity and focus their energies instead on working hard to create the conditions that will  ensure a prosperous future for our homeland Ghana.

A little less high-level corruption amongst our ruling elites would also be welcomed by all Ghanaians. Ditto less pointless ruling-regime propaganda and more attention paid to the task of  fixing the hobbled economy - brought low by reckless government spending during the 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections, and the 70% of total tax revenues paid to a mostly-unproductive public-sector workforce.

Above all, Ghanaians expect those in  leadership positions in  their country,  to commit themselves to ensuring that Ghana continues to be peaceful  and remains an  African paradise. They must not fail us in that regard. A word to the wise...