Building The Foundation; Ghana's Development Challenge

Ghana returned to democratic practice in 1992 having undergone several years of military rule. Several governments have come and gone with promises of radical economic transformation and improved standards of living, but the country has witnessed a minimal transformation in all these eighteen years of uninterrupted democratic governance.

The problem? Dishonest leadership! Most leaders have not been truthful with the facts regarding Ghana's development. If they had, we would have cooperated more, sacrificed more, and demanded less.

When Mr. Rawlings transitioned from his Provisional National Defence Council [PNDC] military rule to the National Democratic Congress [NDC] democratic rule, he emphasized the principles of probity and accountability. He, however, failed to keep some of his appointees in check. His government suffered trust issues because he was a military-turned-democratic leader. The metamorphosis was still in doubt as many thought he was being deceptive and may not live up to his word when it gets to time for him to hand over power to a newly elected government. But, he walked his talked in the year 2000 by handing over peacefully to Mr. Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party [NPP], although grudgingly.

Mr. Kufuor took over power and all we heard within his first few months in office was that the economy was in shambles and needed revamping. After some consultations with people who mattered in economics and finance circles, Ghana was declared a Highly Indebted Poor Country [HIPC] in 2002, and a huge burden of international debt was lifted. A new economic foundation was laid before he left office in 2008.

Ghana has drawn several development plans since 1960 but none has 
been fully implemented

The NDC came to power again in 2009 amidst claims of massive corruption in the Kufuor administration. But, contrary to popular politics that pervaded the country at the time, Prof. Mills claimed that the economy was resilient and not as tattered as everyone was made to believe. Some independent watchers were shocked to hear him admit what very few politicians would do within their first 100 days in office! And to back his claim, the economy was rebased in 2010 and Ghana moved from a HIPC to a lower-middle-income country. The inflation rate also moved from double digits to single-digit and was sustained for about two years.

Then, Prof. Mills suddenly passed on in July 2012, and Mr. Mahama who was his Vice President was sworn into office to finish Prof. Mills' term which was left with about five months to the general elections. Mr. Mahama subsequently won that election and was sworn into office but not without a 'fight' with the NPP at the Supreme Court. Ordinarily, one would have expected a continuation of the NDC administration but, Mr. Mahama had his own ideas! He suddenly declared that 'the meat was down to the bone' since much of government expenditure went into the payment of salaries and allowances! He had to institute drastic measures to ensure 'meat was restored to the bone' including limiting payment of salary arrears to three months, freezing employment in the public sector, and stopping the payment of teacher trainee and nurse trainee allowances.

Mr. Mahama, having instituted such drastic measures for the most part of his first term in office, told Ghanaians in a runup to the 2016 general elections that the economic foundation was solid enough and ready for economic takeoff. He subsequently lost the elections.

Then comes Mr. Akufo-Addo, the newly elected President who had claimed that the economy was in shambles whilst in opposition for three consecutive terms. He claimed Mr. Mahama and his appointees were corrupt and that Ghana would have moved forward but for Mr. Mahama and his appointees' corrupt practices. Immediately Mr. Akufo-Addo assumed office, the basket full of promises he made to Ghanaians had to be fulfilled and he must prove himself or be kicked out. He began by implementing the Free Senior High School [Free SHS] policy and also cracked down on illegal mining. Within three years in office, Mr. Akufo-Addo has pulled Ghana out of the International Monetary Fund [IMF] support, and inflation has stabilized from double digits to single-digit again.

We are heading towards another election in December and Mr. Akufo-Addo and his supporters are shouting that the economy is better and growing faster than Mr. Mahama's government. Mr. Mahama, who is contesting Mr. Akufo-Addo for president again, also claims the economy is in shambles and that corruption is more pervasive than was experienced in his first term. Both frontrunners are coming with a big each of promises. Mr. Mahama claims the economy is in shambles and the foundation is very shaky. Mr. Akufo-Addo, on the other hand, also claims the economy has been revitalized and the foundation very solid.

We can only pray to God to give us leaders who are not only good at laying their own foundations but also leaders who can build on already laid foundations of their predecessors and be honest about the true state of the Ghanaian economy without political lenses.

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