Administer Ghana For The Good Of The Ghanaian People

"As long as our government is administered for the good of the people, and is regulated by their will; as long as it secures for us the rights of persons and of property, liberty of conscience and of the press, it will be worth defending."

-- Andrew Jackson, seventh U.S. president.

One often wonders whether members of our nation's political class ever consider the possibility that the ordinary people of our nation will not fight to defend Ghanaian democracy, were it to face an existential threat - if they continue to be denied their fair share of the "democracy dividend".

If they want to remain relevant, our ruling elites must ensure that Ghana is well administered - and that the direction the nation takes at any given point in time, is determined by the will of the people.

They must be guided in that regard, by the wise words of the seventh U.S. president, Andrew Jackson, quoted above.

Our leaders must work hard to root out high-level corruption in Ghana - and ensure that good governance principles (in both the public and private sectors) underpin Ghana's development.

A people whose ruling elites give them the distinct impression that they are not remotely interested in protecting the nation's resources, and ensuring that the exploitation of those resources will actually benefit both the people and the nation, are unlikely to fight to protect their country's democratic system, when it is threatened.

That is why it is so important that Ghana's leaders only sign win-win agreements with foreign (and local) investors, to exploit our nation's natural resources. That should prevail in the oil industry in particular, incidentally.

Poverty and democracy do not make good bedfellows. Ghanaian democracy will not survive if there is widespread poverty -  and the younger generation are unable to find fulfilling work and feel overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness.

Ghana's younger generation cannot be asked to continue to  make sacrifice upon sacrifice without seeing an improvement in their personal circumstances.

Let us create an entrepreneurial culture in Ghana by pursuing the right policies - meaning policies designed with an input from targeted beneficiaries from start to finish -  so that each young person in the nation who wants  to, can take his or her destiny in their own hands.

During the celebration of Global Entrepreneurial Week (Nov.17-23, 2014), one hopes that our leaders will think of the plight of Ghana's young entrepreneurs. Ghana's future depends on their success as business owners.

Let's find older generation entrepreneurs who have been successful to mentor the brightest and the best young Ghanaian  entrepreneurs.

Luckily, there is general consensus in Ghana that to prosper, our nation must create an environment in which entrepreneurs  can thrive and create jobs. Business thrives in free societies in which taxes are low, and bureaucrats do not fetter the efforts of entrepreneurs with endless red tape.

Above all, Ghana must be administered for the good of the ordinary people of our nation.

That good governance principle, and the nation's leaders always taking the will of the people into account, in all their actions, must guide those who rule our nation, if democracy is to survive - and a prosperous society is to evolve over time in Ghana. Our ruling elites must always administer Ghana for the good of the Ghanaian people.