Selassie Zidah (RBA)

I woke up this morning and realized that it was all a dream. How I pray for that time to come in our generation!

The Author of Cash Flow Quadrant, Robert Kiyosaki, stated in his book that ‘we have presently moved from the era of industrialization to an era of information’. This can be demonstrated in the current trend of communication devices springing up all over the world. In some countries, it has been passed in their policy that every home should possess a computer for every child to use as soon as that child reaches the school going age.

An employer in the modern industry would prefer to hire an employee who at least has the skills to read and write than one who has no book knowledge. This should tell us how much we need to reform our educational system.

When a law is enforced among a group of people at a time they do not see the need for it, they may oppose it; but when they understand its necessity, and even request for such a legislation, it becomes worthier. How can uneducated people grasp the usefulness of a law if they are not educated, not well informed, about it? I concur with Robert Kiyosaki that the informational era is dominating to the extent that information is sold – or at least overwhelmingly available – over the Internet.

In Ghana, we have moved from different government types over the decades, and presently the democratic era lies before us. People need to understand what a country requires, how it can move forward, and who can provide those conditions to that goal, before they can use their vote effectively. The education of people can resolve some difficulties as far as these issues.

Robert Kla stated in his book that our school syllabus must be made more practical and should be written in such a way that the individuals who are trained according to it can handle issues that would emerge 10 to 20 years from today. Currently, I believe our school syllabus is off-track more than 50 percent and it should be modified not by people who are outdated, but by people who know the world trend adequately. Africa without great visionaries is bound to remain the same!

For Africa to move forward we need well-trained teachers, state of the art classroom facilities, and the needed amenities to support the education of the people to the point that they can individually face and solve challenges without the need for foreign aid and dependency. This, I believe, is what our educational system should be able to impact in the people of Africa .

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— On Mon, 7/6/09, Repairers Africa wrote:

Thanks a lot
Fidel Y. Tetteh
(RBA)

BLESSINGS OR CURSES?!

The number eight is regarded as a very important number by many religious groups due to its significance, which cannot be over-emphasized. The number eight is regarded as a number which signifies ‘new beginnings’; on the eight day a child is outdoor in many Ghanaian traditional societies. After the seventh day God rested from His work and the day after, which is the eight day after creation signified a new beginning of man’s responsibilities as the manager of the earth.

The year 2008 was approached by many Christians with the conviction that positive new things will happen to their lives and that of the nation and even Africa as a whole. The discovery of oil was popularized among the Ghanaian populace within this same year. Current trends in Africa confirm that God has indeed shifted focus to Africa; He wants to use the continent to achieve His heartbeat for the World in this season.

The oil-rich West (of Ghana) seems to have given the region a new identity and the nation a new commodity wheels to run her economy. Among the various treasures in the Western region of Ghana is the unforgettable name of the first president of the country, ‘Osagifo’ Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. The Nzema man who fought harder along-side many other Ghanaian nationalists and independent activists for the country has been the pride of the region for decades. But, will the recent oil discovery, which seems to be deliverance for the Ghanaian economy silence the voice of the name of this political hero (Dr. Kwame Nkrumah)?

Africans, and for that matter, Ghanaians are crying for economic liberators and no more past political heroes. The petroleum prices adjustment is even making situations worse as Ghanaian feel deceived by the unrealistic NDC government who promised to reduce petrol prices drastically, whatever that meant.

The western region is now the heart of Ghana’s prospective economic stronghold. What does this means for the locals in the western region whose farming and fishing activities around the on-shore and off-shore oil rich areas is halted, respectively? What does this mean for many unemployed Ghanaians? What does this mean for foreign investors?

With two-hundred and fifty thousand barrels a day or may be more, Ghana has been ushered into the global oil commodity market and many foreign based oil companies are now in the country to tap into this glory.

Many petroleum management schools and it associated activities are springing up in the country recently. This is to build a strong and a skilled Ghanaian labor force to enable the natives of the country to derive more benefits from the black gold economy.

Real Estates developers are no exception in this fortune; many foreigners coming in into the country will need lodging places and offices for the smooth running of their businesses in all peacefulness of mind and efficiency. This means an enormous benefit for them. The westerns region will also be a site for modern social housing apartments, adding beauty and a bit of modernity to the place as aresult of this development (the oil discovery).

Farmers have their place, hotel owners have theirs place, restaurant operators have their place, tailors have their place, taxi drivers and other car rental companies have their place, and security agencies have their place and fishermen too. But, imperatively, the natives of the region will get ready employment opportunities and government must ensure that this happens so everybody will be satisfied. The Niger-Delta crisis of Nigeria, which halted one-fifth of the countries oil production, should be a great lesson for Ghanaians.

The year 2010 will kick start all exploitation activities. About 70% of oil will be exported whiles 40% will be internalized for domestic usage. Ghana consumes about 60,000 barrels of oil in a day, by subtracting 60,000 from 250,000 barrels of oil in a day, there is a promise of a great relief, so to speak, for Ghanaians; both for those who own cars and those who utilizes the public transport system. In addition, many factories that maximize fuel in running factory energy plants like generators and others might enjoy the benefits of low cost in production as they might pay less for fuel. Also, by exporting 70% of our oil for foreign exchange, more dollars will flow into the country as well as other currencies and the pressure on the Cedi might greatly reduce. When, there is less demand on the dollars and its supply is more, its rise over the Ghanaian Cedi, to some extent, will drop and the Cedi will gain strength.

Fingers are crossed and eyes, wide opened. People are watching, waiting patiently on how the government will manage the oil economy. The NDC seems to have contradicted them selves with an unfulfilled idealistic campaign promise. Having failed to reduce the oil prices drastically, they have rather increased it marginally by 30%. It has been reasoned out by many analysts that, it likely for about two years after exploitation begins Ghana my not be ready to enjoy the benefits of its oil, therefore Ghanaians must take note and be patient with the government in case their expectations never actualized in about two years or less after oil productions starts in the country. The problem with Africans is that, we are too impatient and always desire a quick way out of our frustrations and that is why we are so aggressive. we think short-term and not long-term. We prefer treating the symptoms of our problems rather than the causes. Frustration is said to be the mother of aggression, but we must remember that when emotions take grip of the human psyche and begins to control it, reason loses its impetus and the end result is calamity. This is because, emotions must be guided and directed by reason and once reason loses its grip, emotions loses touch with reality yet reason is a deliberate thing. we must deliberateley keep our emotions under control.

It is my belief, that the oil blessings will cut down the unemployment and the under-employment rate in the country and provide the nation with middle income status she wants to attain between now and 2020.

I was glad to have heard that, the current President, Professor J. A. Mills, said that though the oil companies in the country are here to make profit and not run a charity organization, he will also ensure that any agreement between the companies and the previous administration, which do not favor Ghanaians is subject to review and alteration. This is our era as a nation to build a strong economy, alleviate poverty, and create wealth as well as building strong a educational foundation as financial resources to accomplish these things would not be so much of a challenge.

In conclusion, I want to say to Ghanaians that the oil must unite us, enlarge us or bless us, and finally point us to God and His Christ. This is emphatically what God said will happen, when the abundance of the sea is converted unto us in Isaiah 60:5. Some politicians, instead of giving glory to God for the oil discovery have rather used the discovery as a campaign message. They used this message to urge Ghanaians on to vote for them because it was during the period of their governance that the oil was discovered and retaining them in power will birth out many other blessings. I consider this as very unfortunate. I am a non-partisan nationalist and the statements I make in reference to any political party are out of love and concern for the motherland and not out of hatred.

I appeal as well to the Ghana police force and the other security agencies to be very vigilant in all their duties with integrity as their backbone. I perceive that, prostitutes, fraudsters, armed robbers, and other social delinquents are preparing to invade the Western region to tap into the oil economy by making money out of their victims. The western region is already noted for amazing commercial sex activities, and I pray God will manifest His security abilities through the nation’s security forces in ensuring that the Land of Ghana is not cursed by the Black Gold.

Fidel Y. Tetteh
Repairers of the Breach, Africa

The previous administration, under the presidency of Mr. J.A Kuffour, extended the period from three years to four years most probably in response to the increase in poor performance figures among many SHS students in the country, after several final year examinations were conducted. This extension was to enable students cover the syllabi and provide them with more time to adequately learn and be more prepared for success during their final year examination. Yet the reform was instantaneously threatened by aversion and the liability of being repealed when the NDC took power early this year. Many teachers, according to my source of information, are infuriated because if the three-year period is endorsed, all the teaching plans they have spread throughout the four-year program duration will be tampered with. It means teachers will have to readjust their teaching schedules again to fit into the three-year program and this is a source of worry for most of them. Some officials of the NPP and many others consider this reversal as a political instability, a situation (in this instance) where a current government refuses to continue with the work started by a previous administration but rather subjects these works to review and changes that suit their own ideologies.

Every emphasis placed on educational structures and processes is ultimately to raise future producers for the nation. Any country that lacks a productive human resource base will be threatened with economic hardship and its related consequences. So, whether it is the four-year period or rather the three-year period that is more appropriate for S.H.S students, the solution to this particular educational crisis in the country lies in a solid fundamental training given to children right from kindergarten, through primary, to J.H.S. I think that the contributing factor to the recent failure among J.H.S students in the country is primarily due to the poor foundational structures which our primary and J.H.S are established on. It is recorded that, about 60% of Ghanaian students fail to make it to the Senior High School and this is threatening.

A Need To Reform The S.H.S Program

I analyzed the educational situation in Ghana and the contributing reasons why we are not much productive as a country. What I discovered was sad. I came to the shocking realization that public primary and J.H.S form the majority of all schools in the country. This means that a greater percentage of children have their education in the public schools rather than in the private schools, mainly because it is affordable. Yet, public schools are terribly under-resourced as compared to private schools. Some schools have very few teachers with classes containing more students than it is in fact adequate and unqualified teaching staffs. Many public schools have no basic facilities like toilets, staff canteens, library for teachers and students, and many more. Because of these deficiencies, even qualified teachers struggle to give out their best. And let’s not even talk about the monthly salaries of teachers; it is so discouraging! Throughout my life as a Ghanaian, I have never heard of any strike action embarked on by private school teachers; but it has always been the case for public school teachers. So, say, if about 80% of students go through public school education – which is poorly managed – right from primary to J.H.S, how can the majority pass their examination and make it to the S.H.S and subsequently to the Universities or to the Polytechnics? The question I keep asking is this one, “Is it the length of years of studies in a school that guarantee examination success or is it the quality of the tuition that is given?” There is a private school at Teshie-Nungua Estates, a suburb of Accra, where I was amazed to see a science Lab. I am pretty sure that there are many more private schools like that in the country. I personally used to attend a public school where I never even saw a magnifying glass!

I am neither in favour of a three-year nor of a four-year duration S.H.S program. My concerns are rather linked to the following questions: “One, are the fundamental training given to students from primary to J.H.S strong enough? Two, are public schools well resourced with the requisite logistics for excellent tuition and learning in place? Three, do we have science labs in the various J.H.S that can help students to better their understanding of general science and even prepare them for S.H.S? Four, are parents fulfilling their side of the bargain in ensuring that they inspect and help their wards do their extra work when they return from school? Five, are parents concerned about the quality of teaching given to their wards from their teachers? Six, with the increasing number of TV stations, are students being encouraged to learn more?”

The answers to these questions will go a long way to help eradicate the poor performances we encounter in our schools. Free education does not mean poor performance by staff and lack of parental concern for the well-being of their children just because they cannot afford a costly educational system. Equally, Government must not just focus on developing ‘mere literates.’ The priority of Government must be similar to the priority of private school owners who do not just aim to produce people that are merely capable of reading and writing, but people who can indeed reason accurately, analyze assumptions correctly, and relate the outcome of their analysis to society when it comes to solving problems. Education is not complete until it raises pragmatists.

The ultimate aim of Government should not necessarily be to form students who will pass their examination but students who can translate their acquired knowledge into keys that unlock the potential of their own minds and bring out the unique treasures of their minds for the development of the nation.

I would urge that vocational and technical training be attached to the tertiary school curriculum, so as to enable every student to use his or her creative abilities in an effective way. Knowledge is good; but knowledge without skills is tantamount to impotence. The education we receive must not teach us what to think but how to think, and once this is in place, a student will not always depend on the theories and ideas of other men and women, but can always come out with his or her own theories that work. We must not limit education exclusively to the confines of the academia; education is broad, it is both formal and informal and this must be a primary focus of Government and all stakeholders in the education sector. If, as a nation, we neglect the students pursuing an informal education, then we narrow our productivity capacity and, by so doing, are bound to achieve very little.

Fidel Y. Tetteh
Repairers of the Breach, Africa

`View This Poll`

Are Ghanaians Ready For The Hunger Invation?

There are three basic things a people in every nation need: a good representation, welfare, and security. People in any given community must be represented well in Parliament by their members of parliament. The welfare of people must be Government’s first top priority as well as that of anybody who believes in the well-being of humanity. The security of people is even more paramount. But the three elements together ensure peacefulness of mind to work; they ensure safety, economic growth and development, and good living standards in any nation. I would take this opportunity to thank the Ghana Police force for their uncompromising efforts in ensuring that the security of individuals in the country is upheld.

The basic security a person needs in a country aside from all the other forms of security that exist is food security. I think this form of security is the most important of all and at the same time the fuel that activates the other security engines in the nation for an active and effective functioning. Many farmers, food vendors, and other akin workers whose livelihood are directly or indirectly associated with agriculture do not see their activities as ‘security ventures’. Today, I want them to see it as such and be in the know that the total comfort and security of Ghanaians actually rest mostly on their backs and not necessarily on the police. The police have their place but food-related activities are the basics of all security initiatives. Due to the rising food and fuel prices, the weakening of the Cedi as against the dollar, and high inflation rates the nation is encountering, the basic security of the country is under threat.

When food prices increase, the rural landless and the urban poor stand the greatest risk of food insecurity. Though rural farmers in Africa form about 50% of the most indigent people on the Continent, the questions of what to feed on and what to feed their families with have never been a problem for those peasants. It is wrong to assume that Ghana is food secure. Merely because the basic staples, like yam, cassava, plantain, cocoyam, potatoes and others, in addition to some culturally acceptable vegetables and fruits, are available in abundance does not mean the country is food secure. The issue with food security is that food must not just be available but also affordable at all times.

Food security refers to the access to available and adequate food at all times by all people for a healthy and an active life. This means food must not only be available at all times, it must additionally be adequate as well as affordable so that the destitute can access it and afford it altogether. This also means that food must contain all the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for energy, growth and development, and a healthy life.

One of the important indicators of food insecurity is malnutrition. It was accounted last year by the U.N Human Development Report that about 20% of Ghanaian children under the age of five were malnourished. In the Western countries the opposite is true; people suffer from over-nutrition (a type of malnutrition). So as the West face cases of over-nutrition, so-called Third World and developing countries experience too often the canker of malnourishment. Food security is a primary concern for all; and every Ghanaian has a major role to play. This role should not solely be reserved to farmers or the Government. As a matter of reality, all of us are supposed to be farmers of some sort. A small back yard farm will enable a household to decrease the value of its food production deficit and use its food budget surplus to buy additional nutrient-rich aliments instead, like fish, eggs, beans, and fruits, a privilege those without back yard farms do not have.

Food security analysis is an inequality equation; if the value of a household food production deficit is more than the household’s income or budget allocated to food purchase, that household will be at risk of food insecurity. This is because more money must be spent on some particular types of food while other types are neglected so that the household food requirement needs can be met. In this case, food might not be adequate (nutritionally) for that household. The reversal of the equation is true. If the value of food production deficit is low and the income allocated to food purchase is rather high, food becomes more affordable and might only then be adequate, depending on the household’s level of education or preferences. So, the key determinant of food security is not necessarily the abundance of food supply but the purchasing power of the household. This means prices of food is what determines who buys what and who cannot do so. Obviously, the rich are more at the advantageous side since they have strong purchasing power as compared to their poor counterparts. This is what makes unemployment a terrible situation in the country; people might have to steal before they can eat, especially in this season where food prices are skyrocketing.

Farmers who have little sense of morality but are more particularly profit-driven might take advantage of the global food crisis and inflate the prices of their produce to the detriment of the poor. Ghana is not ready for this and I am afraid, if we do not put strong measures in place to ensure that at least, every individual who has access to any piece of land enter a small scale subsistence farming just to decrease their food production deficit, this invader (hunger) will use the element of surprise.

In Senegal, last year, President Abdoulaye Wade lunched a campaign to stimulate abundant food production by all who have access to lands. He urged his Ministers and MPs to cultivate plots of land, and encouragingly many heeded to his call. If it worked in Senegal then it can work in Ghana as well. Government intervention programs on behalf of the poor and even the rich must not only be limited to helping farmers cut down on the cost of production through fertilizer subsidies and lifted taxes. The pathway of President Wade of Senegal is also highly considerable.

The recent oil discovery has activated an expectation of relief for our farmers. Soon, Ghana will be in the position of manufacturing fertilizers, and this means farmers will spend less on fertilizers, hence their cutting down on the cost of production. The resultant effect that would ensue is that prices of farm produce will drop as production cost is reduced due to easy access to fertilizers and petrol to run the engines of their tractors and other farm machineries. Yet in effect, I say this with the hope that Government will subsidize these products for farmers and for others whose activities are indirectly related to agriculture.

Unlike the East African countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and the rest, Ghana might be feeling secured by the seasonal rainfalls. In Ethiopia alone a possible number of over 4 million people are food insecure and 8 million more are under such a threat because the rains are falling offshore, in the Indian Ocean, rather than on the Nation soil. With rising temperatures and little or no rainfall, crops are not yielding their best and the related results are terrible. Ghana seems to have had a change in her climate for some time now. The rains are in early this time round and the weather has been generally fair, which is conducive for agriculture. It is of no wonder to see people who have access to pieces of land planting corn and vegetables. If the rains are not falling in East Africa, it is possible we might also encounter drought due to the current changes in climatic conditions. Therefore, depending on rainfed agriculture, this is not too secure for us. Government and private corporate bodies must invest heavily into irrigation agriculture and tap enough water from the nation’s abundant drainage resources so as to enable crops do well in the event of a drought. Only about 7% of farmlands in Africa are under irrigation and this is no good news! Ghana must add up to the percentage significantly. A long-term drought will throw the nation into anarchy since food will be scarce and its prices will soar extensively. Survival will be for the richest and the well armed in such a terrible situation.

I perceive a coming industrial revolution that will set Ghana at a prominent position in the finished goods market, and not just the commodity market. The nation will begin to export goods like cars, sound systems, and so on to other countries. This revolution will attract more investors than it has evern been expected and the scramble for lands will intensify. Lands will be needed for the construction of big factories and industries as many farmers will begin to focus more on agro-processing plants. This means commercial agriculture will be the desire of many farmers as it will fetch them more money. The problem with commercial agriculture is that, when it becomes the focus of the day it blinds the eyes of many people from appreciating the indispensability of subsistence farming. Can a nation export food (processed and unprocessed) whiles its people starve? I would appeal to the Government to be very vigilant and come up with policies that will protect a significant amount of arable lands for the production of the basic staples that make us self-sufficient as a nation in terms of food. Commercial agriculture is good, it fetches farmers and the Government money; but we must not throw away self-sufficiency for the international market. A lack in self-sufficiency is a food security breach.

One of the key factors that affect food security is population. In recent Ghana, the introduction of the free maternal care program, the free education program from primary to the J.H.S level, and the school feeding program have unleashed a competition of uncontrolled childbearing activities among uneducated and inconsiderate men and women. According to the African Report, the population of the country stands at an amazing 23.4 million.This population growth will subject farmers and the Government to severe pressure to allow an increase in food production. But with more focus on wrong political games than on humanity, I do not think Ghana is ready for this. A basic economic principle of supply and demand means that, when population increase there will be more demand for food (considering also the fact that we will have pregnant women and lactating mothers). And as demand increases and supply decreases, prices of food will soar, the poor and the average Ghanaian will be in danger of malnutrition and possibly death.

In conclusion, I would like to admonish all Ghanaians to bear in mind that we all have a responsibility to guard our families and national gates against any hunger invasion. Government cannot do everything for us and food is not the only thing we need as a nation. We require education, clean water, among other wants, which are also important. We must team up with Government and other private bodies, directly or indirectly, to ensure that agriculture and other gates are well secured. Let us all remember that a nation is as strong as those who serve it.

Fidel Y. Tetteh
(Repairers of the Breach, Africa)

Fidel Y. Tetteh
Repairers of the Breach, Africa