Ben
The first time I struggled to sell the economic credentials of my country in almost three decades was when I was in New York about six weeks ago. When I looked out the window on my return flight at Kotoka International Airport, my joy about a safe return, as it often is, turned into sadness. This was as we approached the runway. It was distressing to see what one sees when approaching a runway at an international airport in an average modern city. I asked myself, why? Unfortunately, due to the failure of leadership, our current economic crisis has dimmed any hope of accelerating our development. It was a foregone conclusion when the government rushed to raise $2.25 billion from one source after just three months in office. Considering the interest rate, 19.75%, and the redemption premium, I thought the bond had a punitive rate and a prolonged term (duration). There were telltale signs of recklessness from the Ministry of Finance, so I advised them to take a closer look at their proposals.
Youth are becoming increasingly frustrated and helpless because of the state of our economy. My concern is the greed-inspired, divisive, and acrimonious politics that are at the roots of all this. What has become of all the love we shared as one people? I wish we were all committed to building the Ghana our founding fathers imagined.
I am concerned about my “fellow Ghanaians” because I know what suffering is like. I would like to share my views again on our development challenges. A majority of what I have to say is common knowledge and has been said before. Even though some things are obvious, some things should never be overemphasized.
