Today let us continue with the series on My Desk which has been going on for sometime now. The previous post tackled what we can do to make Ghana better. In today’s post, I hope to dissect Ghana’s ranking in Press Freedom and how we could possibly link it to a future ranking in Creativity and Innovation. So with your indulgence, let’s have a discussion on My Desk. Shall we?

Global rankings

Recently, it was announced that Ghana ranked 60th in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index after falling thirty places. The latest ranking is said to be one of Ghana’s lowest in the last 17 years after Ghana ranked 66th in the year 2005. A lot of factors have been cited to have caused the recent downgrade. Ghana’s press freedom has indeed seen a lot of challenges over the years which needs to be tackled. By the way, today we are not going to delve so much into press freedom. Let us look at where Ghana stands in terms of creativity and innovation.

China

China teaches children to be innovative and to create with their hands. Right from birth, you are taught skills which will propel you to be a creator, building amazing technologies that can compete on the global market. In Africa, the creativity of most children is stifled. How then can they grow up to become great inventors? Did you know that there is the Global Innovation Centre for Children in China? That is how far they have taken their knack for creativity to. So what are we waiting for as a country?

Business takeover

I remember once watching a video of a young lady who relocated to Ghana from the UK. She spoke so highly of Ghana and how with little endurance, one can turn fortunes around. The highlight of that interview for me was her narrative about how she went to study for an MBA with other foreign nationals. According to her, the students, most of whom are from Europe, envisaged going back to Africa for business takeovers. Most of these students had parents who owned businesses in Africa and so they were in school to learn how to better manage these businesses in order to take over from their parents. What an eye opener this interview was, especially for me.

No wonder

These world super powers are training the next generation of thinkers and innovators who are ready to compete on the global job scene. And what are our own children doing? What are our youth doing? Are we ready for the next future of science, innovation and technology? For instance, how is the automobile industry shaping the next generation of car manufacturers? The health sector? Tourism, arts, and culture sector? Yes, there need to be huge concerns as to how our citizens will catch up with the rest of the world in terms of innovation.

Admiration

I really admire young Ghanaians who are at the forefront of science and technology in Africa and across the continent. They are the real movers and shakers who are carrying the hope and dream of the African continent. Those young startups, those tech labs and hubs for ideation and innovative thinking are my favorite places. The tech enthusiasts, the inventors, the ones going out of their ways to pitch Ghana to the international market; those are the real innovators and we must not take them for granted.

The young diasporas who have come to give back to society and to impart knowledge on those of us who are left behind are the real MVPs. I am particularly grateful for the ones who have relocated and are back to their roots, especially those who have made it a point to make a change in their respective fields, by becoming changemakers. I really doff my hat to those who are specifically creating employment for young people and helping them to utilize their skills for the betterment of the economy.

Smart work

Hardwork is never the goal for me. I believe in working smart. I also believe that the right forms of delegation and negotiations can save us enough time to deal with hardwork. In ‘obimanso’, to wit abroad, things move rapidly because the system is well structured. Over here, in Ghana, we are still bookkeeping and joining long queues for processes that only require one click from a desktop in the comfort of our homes and offices. How then can we compete with the fast paced global economy?

Next steps

I’m sure that gradually we are on the path to innovation and globalization. However, to get to the point where we can manage the economy ‘Beyond Aid’, we need to break away from the ‘colo’ mentality and embrace technology and innovation at all levels. We need to teach our young people to take up careers that impact global innovation. There is the need to encourage young people to think outside the box and to solve challenging problems at all levels of the economy.

As I put an end to this piece of my mind, the question still remains, where does Ghana rank in the global creativity and innovation index after ranking 60th in World Press Freedom Index? Share with me some solutions on how Ghana can rank top position for Global Innovation alongside the world super powers.