Welcome to the third piece under the My Desk series in which I tackle various topics and news items surrounding some concerns of the everyday Ghanaian. Before you continue, refer to the previous post to catch up on the discussions so far.

Ghana has transitioned very fast in the last couple of decades. From governments to policies and even to cultural adaptations. It has fast become a tourism hub for both foreigners and locals alike. A lot has changed in the country and I am glad to witness some of the changes within the last couple of years if not a decade. The last time I was at Madina lorry station for instance, I knew I had gotten the shock of my life. The whole place was cemented. I was not expecting it at all.

We have come a long way because, I believe, we have sold Ghana on the global market directly and indirectly by showcasing our culture through our dressing and hospitable nature. Ghanaians are proud to showcase their culture and Africaness wherever they find themselves. For instance, a friend of mine who recently left Ghana for school in the US tells me how she wears dresses made of African print in the States. She said she was really proud of her country until a few things gave her a cultural shock and she decided to change her style.

Million questions

So what has changed so far as Ghana is concerned? Well, not a lot may have occurred. However, what I can say is that we have changed the way the world views us by churning out great talents who work tirelessly with international organisations to contribute their quota to global development. These talents are also training and developing skills on the continent through humanitarian projects and business ventures.

The digital economy is equally catching up with us and we are leaving no stone unturned in that regard. I must commend the social media enthusiasts such as vloggers, bloggers, journalists, techies, solo travelers and nomads, as well as researchers, for their enormous contributions towards putting the country on the global scene. With that, I’ll like to give a special mention to one of such YouTube vloggers by name Wode Maya, for his awesome videos about interesting sites to visit in Ghana and other African countries.

Digital space

Being in this digital media space also affords us the opportunity to dialogue with other world creators to build consensus on better ways to advance our economy and pitch our camps with other global entities. I will agree that there has been a lot of conversations on building Ghana better and that is what informed this particular post. The digital circle can be widened in order to close the misinformation gap which has left a lot more people in the dark ages. I cannot overemphasize how much of an importance digital skills training and education is if we want a Ghana that is almost like the world superpowers.

Think of China, United States, Singapore, Dubai, and what have you. What do they all have in common? They all have a history of building a seemingly failing economy into the global giants that they currently are. I’ll leave the rest of the story for the top notch economists and world class analysts to come and decipher.

The point I’m driving at is, there is a lot more stones that we have left unturned. For instance, why are our best brains leaving the country to go and find greener pastures elsewhere when other foreign nationals are rather coming in to dig out opportunities right here in Ghana which we are clearly oblivious to.

Adopting the right attitude

As a writer, I can only ask questions and try to profer solutions to some of these challenges. But the question is always going to be what can we do better when it comes to building mindsets and skills required to compete with the global economies. One thing I have been consistent with the past decade of my life is my love for writing. Friends who know me from way back in high school can attest to this. And yes I’m proud of that consistency. Ghana therefore need more consistency with building systems that work.

The further we challenge ourselves, the more development we will be able to chalk. We can decide to build solutions tailored towards our market or work smart to build systems and products that meet international standard.

Competitive urge

We are neither further nor are we nearer to catching up on the global market. We have started on solid grounds by pushing quality education standards at various levels. With more skills development and international collaborations I believe we will be doing much more better than we already are. Years back, I wrote a piece on Legon Botanical Gardens being transformed into a recreational facility and today I’m beyond myself on the innovation going on there. It is clearly raking millions of revenue for government in its current state although it has more room for improvement.

A wise man once told me that the reason why most of Ghana’s youth are not envisioning great things is because they have not been introduced to viewing great edifices. Years later, I cannot agree less with that statement. Nonetheless, I believe we will get there someday. On that note, I am calling on all engineers, architects, town planners, and mayors, to rethink infrastructural planning and focus more on beautification of our towns and cities. Perhaps, for a change the young Ghanaian will see a beautiful country emerging and will want to be a part of developing the new Ghana. So help us God!

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