Who will deliver Ghana from Ghanaians?

More than five decades after this country attained independence, some Ghanaian politicians and intelligentsia were still blaming Great Britain for Ghana's underdevelopment. It was argued that the sole aim of the colonial masters had been to exploit the mineral and natural resources of the country for their benefit.

To this end, they had deliberately imposed a mono-culture, cocoa, on the country; they had also made her a producer and exporter of raw materials instead of building the factories that would have transformed these raw materials into manufactured products with value added. They had concentrated all infrastructural development in the exact locations where the country’s raw materials were to be obtained, and in the major towns linked to them.

Then suddenly, happily, it must have dawned on us as a people, that we had had our destiny in our own hands for over half a century and that we had no one else to blame but ourselves for our predicament.

"We have the right to manage or mismanage our own affairs," our first President had declared jubilantly, defiantly; and we have succeeded in mismanaging our own affairs big time! Ghanaians have pillaged and plundered the resources of this country pitilessly and mercilessly, and continue to do so with reckless abandon.

The political office holders led the way, demonstrating that political office was for amassing wealth and self-enrichment, not for service. The civil/public servants soon followed suit. Inward-looking and self-serving, they became as arrogant and conceited as their political masters with whom they were in cahoots in plundering and looting the state coffers.

Moreover, these political, administrative and business leaders have often ganged up with foreigners to rob the nation in every way conceivable. So at this point in time, it is Ghanaians, more than foreigners, who have brought the country to its knees. 

Is there hope for Ghana?

From every point of view, Ghana is in a rat hole and needs to be pulled out of it. In our estimation, the task ahead of any group of leaders is gargantuan. 

Prayer for servant leader

For several years now, some Ghanaians have been praying for God’s intervention in the affairs of this nation. We have been entreating God to give us a leader with the combined attributes outlined in Exodus 18: 21-22(a) and Acts of the Apostles 6: 3. We were seeking one who is competent and, by training and experience, has prepared himself for the task of leading this country to its God-ordained destination; that person must also be one who fears God and is resolved to serve the people of Ghana, not to lord it over them.

In short, Ghana needs a servant leader. This servant leader must be a trustworthy man who hates dishonest gain, i.e. a man of integrity, incorruptible, honest and full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.

Beyond these biblical virtues, we have been praying that our servant leader would be one who is fired by a genuine sense of patriotism and nationalism, filled with courage and the vision to transform this country using democratic means and the rule of law; such a servant leader would inspire Ghanaians with his selfless, altruistic and exemplary leadership.

We asked for a servant leader who has profound respect for our traditional and religious leaders but would not allow them to unduly interfere with his government; a servant leader who would pick his ministers and close associates based on proven competence, incorruptibility and integrity; people who have bought into and share his collective vision values and goals. We were indeed asking for a Ghanaian Lee Kwan Yew.

Fulfilment of the vision

As these aspects of the “Job Specifications and Qualifications” of the President began to crystalise in our minds, we began to wonder whether we were not asking God for the impossible? Could he be one of the presidential candidates out there campaigning? As the campaign progressed, it became increasingly evident that one candidate was somehow satisfying these criteria.

The extraordinary talent and competencies of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his incorruptibility and integrity were already well known. Indeed, in 2008 and 2012, he had presented himself as the one best suited for the job and expected the electorate to vote for him. 

An economist and a reputable lawyer who for decades had been at the forefront of every human rights struggle in this country, he had also served with distinction in two key positions: as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, and later as Foreign Minister in the Kufour Administration.  Yet, somehow, he failed to win the presidency. 

The eight years’ wait was for him like being in the “refiner’s fire”. He returned to the Ghanaian electorate a different man, with a renewed heart for service and a deeper faith in God. His message was also different; entreating the Ghanaian people to allow him to use his knowledge and God-given talent to serve them. His humility and spirituality were increasingly evident.

Besides, he resisted the temptation to be drawn into insulting his opponents focusing on the issues, telling the electorate what he proposed to do for them. Gradually, it became clear that he fitted the job description perfectly.

Was God performing a miracle right before our eyes? For the greater miracle, however, we would have to wait for December 7, 2016.That day and the days that followed demonstrated God’s love for this country as one after the other, plans to subvert the election process and declare someone else as winner were thwarted. Besides, the resounding victory of Nana Akufo-Addo rendered any of those plans irrelevant.

One key campaign promise that Ghanaians are looking forward to in earnest is the fight against corruption and the subsequent retrieval of hundreds of millions of Ghana cedis from those who have stolen them from state coffers.

In this regard, the announcement that an Office of a Special Prosecutor would be set up to deal with cases of corruption of public officers is welcome news. Several top officials in the previous government could be found culpable in this.

Ordinary Ghanaians are expecting, above all, that any members of President Akufo-Addo’s Administration who fall foul of the law would face its full rigours. Sanctioning members of his entourage would be the litmus test of his resolve and sincerity in the fight against corruption. It would send a clear, unequivocal message to all and sundry.

Conclusion

It is generally recognised that Ghana has more than adequate resources to make a great success and even leapfrog some of the Asian Tigers like Malaysia and Thailand.

So far, voracity, incompetence and mismanagement have characterised the majority of Ghana’s leaders who have ruined this promising and potentially great nation. It would take less than a decade to set her off on the road to economic growth and prosperity.

With visionary, honest, dedicated and selfless leadership, Ghana would be truly the star it is destined to be and rise like the eagle Aggrey of Africa predicted it would.

The nation now has that servant leader; President Akufo-Addo. While we look to the future with great hope and confidence, we also trust and pray that he will live up to expectation and fulfil all the promises that his new administration offers.