Leadership, leadership, leadership!

On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, I was the guest lecturer at the Wednesday Seminar Lectures for MA degree students in International Affairs, at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), University of Ghana, Legon. 

My topic was: ‘Leadership and Decision-Making.’ The interesting discussion we had at the end of the lecture took me back to my July 2020 article written during the COVID-19 lockdown titled, “Criticism is good, but encouragement is better.” Part read:
 

During the week (in 2020), the Ghana Peace/Christian Councils strongly condemned the stabbing to death of an innocent 28-year-old newly graduated trainee-teacher, who was caught in a cross-fire of political violence at Banda Ahenkro in the Bono Region.

This incident reminded me of one of Boxing’s greatest trainers Angelo Dundee.

Among the boxing legends he trained are “the Greatest,” Muhammed Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman.

Asked how he motivated boxers to the highest levels, he answered “criticism is good, but encouragement is better.”

He explained that while he criticised his boxers a lot, he encouraged them a lot more.

He quickly added that constant criticism without encouragement only destroys.

I find Dundee’s assertion even more relevant in this COVID-19 era in Ghana where we either swim together as a country or drown together.

Destructive criticism

Unfortunately, Ghanaians appear not to have the patience they have for foreigners for fellow Ghanaians.

While we bend over backwards to please foreigners even if their activities harm us, we are intolerant and quick to criticise our own, often not constructively. 

Our FM radios and televisions are replete with daily insults hurled by both educated and non-educated Ghanaians of all ages irrespective of status, at fellow Ghanaians.

Ironically, in spite of the malice we dispense so generously, we claim to be a religious people. It is obvious that we only make a show of religion.

Questions

The more I think of Angelo Dundee’s dictum, the more I ask questions like: (i) Why are we so intolerant and hard on ourselves and see nothing good in one another simply for having a different viewpoint?

(ii) Why do we find it so difficult to praise Ghanaians on our achievements, but so easy to find fault and criticise destructively?

(iii) Why have disrespect and indiscipline replaced the traditional values of respect for elders and authority?

(iv) Why has discipline disappeared? (v) Do we really want to survive COVID-19 together? 

National identity

When the interviewer in a radio programme asked a learned man of God what he thought was the strongest attribute of the Ghanaian, he answered “traditional Ghanaian hospitality.”

Asked who the hospitality was directed at, he said, “to foreigners.” However, he could not convincingly explain why Ghanaians direct hospitality to foreigners, but not to compatriots, who only qualify for criticism.

A contributor quoted the old saying, “Charity begins at home” and suggested that if Ghanaians could not be hospitable to fellow Ghanaians, but could be to foreigners, then that smacks of hypocrisy, insincerity and dishonesty.

She asked how a people could be so unkind to their countrymen/women, but shower kindness on foreigners.

Attitude

When asked in an interview in Germany about Ghana’s greatest passion, football, a famous ex-international footballer of a sister African country had this as his summary for Ghanaian footballers: “…flair ...talented …but underachievers.”

He explained that in spite of all the talent Ghana has produced in football, we have not done as well as one would have thought.

He stated, “I know that Ghanaians are so talented and always produce great players.

But they always have issues with coming together as a team.

I don’t know whether it is ego problems, but the big players seem to fight one another.

That is why they are underachievers!”

South Africa 2010

Recently, TV 3 reminded Ghanaians of the painful exit of the Black Stars in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in 2010 with only seconds away from being the first African country to qualify for the semi-finals.

Many non-Ghanaian football lovers I have chatted with attribute this loss to selfishness, ego and indiscipline, and remains on the lips of many Africans.

To them, it is not only Ghana’s pain, but Africa’s pain.

Unfortunately, these negatives and violence permeate society everywhere and appear to reflect what is fast becoming our national character.

Conclusion

In all human endeavours, leadership is the most important single factor, hence the saying: “leadership is cause, the rest is effect!” And leadership is best by example.

Good leaders solve problems, not explain why problems have not/cannot be solved. Angelo Dundee is an example of leadership in boxing. 

Our problems of filth, insulting language, road traffic indiscipline and resultant accidents and casualties, and general indiscipline have long outlived their expiry dates and need to be tackled, and not violence for power!

Let us be mindful that endless destructive criticism based on politics, ethnicity and religion among others takes us nowhere as a country!  Remember Angelo Dundee’s dictum “criticism is good, but encouragement is better!”

With encouragement and effective law enforcement by leadership, Ghanaians will do the right thing for a decent, respectful, safe and disciplined Ghana for accelerated national development.

This will impact positively on our fight against COVID-19.
 

Discussion

What has changed since this 2020 article? COVID-19 is virtually gone, football has sunk deeper and galamsey has assumed centre-stage.

A clip that generated lively debate after my lecture was a quote by Kenyan journalist John Gachie below.

“Vietnam’s President Doanh Chau has taken a bold swipe at African leadership, particularly Kenya’s, accusing them of lacking long-term vision and an execution culture, that continues to stall development.”

“I met with Prime Cabinet Secretary Masalia Mudawadi and President William Ruto in Nairobi.

They spoke with energy about Kenya’s future – investment, infrastructure, public housing, etc.

But, behind the polished language was the plain truth!

There is no execution culture.”

Why does African leadership give ammunition to foreigners to shoot at us this way, with schools under trees, bad roads, insanitary conditions as many wallow in poverty, while the political class flaunts riches?

Leadership, lead by example! Fellow Ghanaians, wake up!

The writer is a former CEO, African Peace Support Trainers Association
Nairobi, Kenya; Council Chairman, Family Health University,
Teshie, Accra
E-mail: dkfrimpong@yahoo.com