Ghana’s Struggle for Accountability and Promises Unfulfilled: A Closer Look at The Country’s Challenges
Despite the challenges faced by Ghanaians, they remain resilient in the face of adversity. The struggles of hardworking fishermen who leave their homes from dawn to dusk to make a living are swallowed by the vastness of the sea, much like a shark preying on young fish.
Unfortunately, some leaders have ignored the pleas of the people who entrusted them with power through democracy. Instead of thoughtful governance, they prioritize their own interests, filling their pockets and wardrobes with the hard-earned money of the poor citizens, market women, and disabled shoemakers.
Accountability is a word despised by these leaders. As elected officials, it is crucial for them to be answerable for their actions and fulfill the promises they made to the people who voted for them. However, they shy away from being accountable to the citizens. Ironically, they are skilled at deceiving other countries when seeking loans, only to use the funds for personal gain or establish private companies abroad, in addition to misusing taxpayer money.
Another word that frightens these leaders is demonstration. Demonstrations are a legitimate democratic tool that allows citizens to express their grievances to the government. Unfortunately, the current government perceives protests and demonstrations as attempts to overthrow them. Consequently, the police forcefully suppress these demonstrations, even arresting some participants. The recent FixTheCountry demonstration in Ghana serves as a clear example of this.
The promises made by the President of Ghana and his Vice President, Dr. Mahamoud Bawumia, have burdened Ghanaians across various sectors such as education, health, economy, and telecommunications. However, despite making numerous promises, the Vice President has failed to fulfill any of them.
From pledging to secure a Chinese investment of $18 billion for development in the country to promising that every Ghanaian would have a bank account by the end of 2018, none of these commitments have materialized.
Other unfulfilled promises include the construction of 570 dams in 2017, reducing the corporate tax rate from 25% to 20%, providing incentives for the hospitality and creative arts industries, and giving every senior high school student a tablet.
It is disheartening to note that Ghana leads the competition among African countries in borrowing money from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fund infrastructure projects, particularly road networks.
Despite these borrowings, poor road conditions persist, leading to fatal accidents on the Tema motorway and leaving behind orphans and widows. The borrowed funds, intended for economic development, have not yielded the desired results.
Ghana currently resembles a broken vehicle that requires the expertise of a wise, selfless, visionary, and determined mechanic to fix it. Corruption, violence, theft, and fraud are rampant. Children study on bare floors in classrooms with no prospects for their education.
Pregnant women die due to the lack of adequate clinics and hospitals for safe delivery. Meanwhile, the government imposes taxes on almost everything in the country, including sanitary pads for women, self-taught skills, blogging, and MCing.
It is a distressing reality that Ghana, a country with immense potential, is plagued by these challenges. Addressing these issues requires the collective effort of the government, citizens, and civil society to create a brighter future for all Ghanaians.
