Corruption and Sustainabiliy of Ghana's Economy

Ghana wants to be recognized as an advanced democracy with credible credentials to be emulated by neighboring countries within her African region. While this ambition is highly commendable, the main reasons why Ghana wants to be crowned as such and the direction chosen by Ghanaians themselves to achieve that ambition are not clearly defined or are extremely deceptive.

For example, Ghana wants to be recognized as the only African democracy with long-term practice as multiparty nation with zero war after elections, yet electoral fraud is common among all the parties. Again, Ghana wants to be a gateway to financial hub of West Africa, yet thievery in public service, 'sakawa', conman online dating, code-419, and all the social vices that Ghana is slowly gaining notoriety in, continue at the watch of people who manage the country. These are not nation building strategies.

If Ghanaians uphold the Western foreign definition of corruption as authentic, then corruption can be said to be openly practiced in Ghana that tend to form a mesh or intertwined self-destructive habit hurting the nation. Then Ghana is corrupt! Government is corrupt! The Presidency is corrupt! Public servants are corrupt! The clergy is corrupt! Everybody is corrupt! Even the national constitution, that guides our basic practice in Ghana is corrupt in some of its provisions. Perhaps, it is so because it was drawn by corrupt people!

Constitution that gives overwhelming powers and authority to the president to deal with the nation at the president's discretion, is itself corrupt. Undoubtedly, should a criminal, a murderer, a thief, or an evil-filled individual with huge sums of money to corrupt the nation secures leadership, bloodshed would be the outcome, should we decide to depose such a caricature from the helms of affairs. Under this premise, our constitution can be said to be corrupt!

Twenty something years ago, Ghana started conversations about her ambitions to reach middle income status by the year 2020. Five years close to the targeted year, the debate got lost in the wind and was replaced by conversations about some ambitions to become the gateway for financial hub. Surprisingly, Ghana's manufactured ambitious buzzwords have completely disappeared from national conversations and the nation is plunged into deeper corrupt circles. Caretakers look the other side if corrupt offences involve family members or close relatives.

The discussion here looks at two areas of national interest - Corruption, and Sustainable Economic Development. Let's look at each from their own perspectives then merge the two later on.

Transparency International defines corruption as: "The abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It hurts everyone who depends on the integrity of people in position of authority". From the Biblical context, corruption seems to be generational inheritance that has existed since Adam and Eve's era. Consequently, from our Ghanaian context, corruption becomes extremely hard to define, more especially when we plug into the equation our cultural and traditional practices. For example, certain practices considered normal in Ghana will receive instant jail term elsewhere in overseas, such as the USA.

It is interesting to learn that Imani and OccupyGhana are collaboratively involving Ghanaians in a new initiative to start another line of conversation, this time, on corruption. Their collective initiative is absolutely commendable. For this initiative to be successful and win the hearts and the attention of the nation, we must identify what Ghanaians themselves consider as corrupt practices. More too often, the people presumed to be practicing corruption also talk boldly and publicly about corruption. Thus rendering the war on corruption meaningless.

Define corruption from the Ghanaian perspectives and assign punishment recognized effective by Ghanaians themselves on those perceived corrupt practices. The first line of attack should target the national constitution. More recently, there were conversations about constitutional amendments. A committee was set up to overseer the conduct. Where did that committee end? What were its recommendations?

On the other hand, Sustainable Economic Development, what is it? To sustain means plans and actions that can hold today unto unknown future. Economic, may be any action today that is beneficial to people today and may also be helpful to future generations. Development, is also a strategic or well considered plan of action to improve living conditions.

The International Institute For Sustainable Development, IISD, defines sustainable economic development as that plan of action that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. IISD categorizes it into two key concepts: one, the concept of needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and two, the key limitations imposed by technology and social organizations on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.

In his study, however, this author believes that the definition of sustainable economic development from the Ghanaian milieu, should refer to the notion that the present generation should pursue resource and environmental policies that do not compromise the welfare of future generations. He believes that bad human practices in environmental degradation, such as Ghana's Sodom and Gomorrah damping site, pollution, defecation, open sewage, etc. slow down development. High levels of joblessness inhibit innovation and in turn retard development. Poor educational structure creates cheap, unsophisticated communities that linger behind global standards of economic development.

On a positive side, however, he agrees that quality housing design, good transportation network, readily availablity of water supply, constantly managed electricity supply, and so forth, signify engines of sustainable economic development and are required as the fundamental sources of a serious nationalistic development. Energy is today's top priority. Modern requirement for energy itself demands cleanliness. Clean energy with no emissions or pollution planned within a renewable energy framework, can sustain an economy.

What is it out there that Ghana has now, and wants to develop through the unknown future? If we do not hold onto something valuable, we will always fall for anything, regardless of how useless that thing may be!

In concluding our discussion here, let it be declared that a closed command economy is not innovative and does not develop. However, an economy planned on expansive and innovative track is attractive and impressive in its future developments. Foreign investment into an economy looks at identifiable benefits known from their own countries of origin, such as highways, flyovers, quality restaurants, hotels, easy access to and fro their journeys. Anything that slows down their efficiencies to generate large incomes is not good enough. They usually declare such nations as risky or failed states.

Corruption destroys the entire fabric of national development. Investors who are constantly pestered with begging, pickpocketing, panhandling, dishonest confidantes, and so forth, drive them away. Where do we go from here, as a nation? The constitution should be fixed first. The other method the Mahama-led government can consider in cushioning the nation from corruption or minimizing corruption may be using therapeutic measures to cripple corruptible strands destroying the economic cells of Ghana.

As a matter of urgency, the government must vote a minimum of $1-billion (from the IMF loans or collateralize Ghana oil) to fund Ghana's agrarian economy. Identify about one thousand graduate unemployed, who are naturally motivated to invest in commercial farming in millet, sorghum, or corn which are of high demand on the commodities market. The president has already started talking about state-owned corporations of Nkrumah's era. However, dynamics have changed over time and moreover, with the Thatcherite privatization strategy pervading international borders, Nkrumah's communist statutory corporate investments have outlived their valuable time.

Securitization of $1-billion on one thousand graduate agricultural entrepreneurs, who can employ at least 30 workers each, instantly put 31,000 people to work in farmlands. Each of the entrepreneurs will manage their own loans and workers. They will have to payback their loans with interest over a period set by the contract, hence government has nothing to lose, rather stand to win. The government will have to use its sovereign power to seek for buyers of Ghanaian corn or agricultural produce through African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

By so doing, the do-nothing noise makers in the systems would be slashed into more than half their population and the nation would be spared with lawlessness. Should we discuss the much talked about institutionalization hinted by President Barack Obama during his visit to Ghana? No! That is a different line of discussion altogether, that demands time and space.

However, Ghanaians can develop their own institutions from their community level. We can create our local credit unions, community watchdogs, community centres, and many community-based activities intended to generate incomes to develop their own. By so doing, power would be slowly removed from the hands of corrupt governing aficionados and communities would hold their own destinies. By so doing, communities would design their own laws regulating what works for them. This is the major reason why fifty-one states in the country of the United States have different ways of developing their own communities to suit their own tastes. Ten regions or provinces in Ghana can copy out what works for them.

The term 'corruption' has almost always sounded faimiliar to the Ghanaian. It is corruption allegation that overthrew Kwame Nkrumah's CPP government. It is the same corruption allegations that overthrew Kofi Busia's PP government. The gunman, Jerry Rawlings overthrew Hilla Limann's PNP government because of corruption allegations, that had preceded the military government previously overthrown by the same gunman over the same corruption allegations. Even the same gunman Jerry Rawlings's P/NDC governments were charged with corruption cases.

John kufuor's NPP government was not spared with corruption allegations. So many untold stories about corruption allegations have been buried into his grave with Atta Mill's NDC government. It is not surprising that Ghanaians will level corruption charges against the present government under John Mahama and any future successive governments in Ghana. The Ghanaian general public must be baffled and uninterested in the constant noise making about corruption allegations because they do not have proper meaning to them. This is because those who talk about it do not appear to be sincere. By the way, who is corrupt in Ghana?

Assuming that we selectively eliminate every definition on corruption that affects us directly and our immediate relatives, friends and family, and uphold corruption definition solely on financial misappropriation in public office and government. Either way, it does not make anyone holy and innocent from corruption starring at the nation. So long as corrupt moneys exchange hands, recipients are equally found in complicit of the offence. Our situation has remained the same for this length of time that this author has lived to see Ghana.

There is too much noise at the background. We seem to talk too much about an issue and later on abandon it. Hopefully, the current conversation on corruption initiated by Imani and OccupyGhana officials will take us somewhere. Again, who is corrupt in Ghana?

Konongo Fordjour
[email protected]
Boston, MA