End of gerontocracy in leadership in Ghana

The ineffectiveness, inefficiency and failure of leadership in the country is due to the occupation of state positions by old-aged Ghanaians. The youth cherish very much the outstanding prowess in wisdom and knowledge of our elders but the question is “Do they have the requisite energy to do the job?”, because they can deliberate on the topical issues concerning the country but how will the solutions obtained be enforced without putting in WORK which involves a lot of energy in its highest level as statesmanship demands.

The Ghana Civil Service being the single largest employer in Ghana established to replace the Gold Coast Civil Service has been plagued with a number of weaknesses which need to be tackled in order to drive the state into its deserved higher development. Our civil service and public service relationship with unemployment of graduate students (youth) in the country is very intense. Our civil and public service is dominated by workers mostly in their old age nearing retirement and workers beyond the legitimate age to work in the sector which is creating or raising the unemployment rate in the country. This is playing foul on the effectiveness of civil service in their functions also which states specifically states that the service employs graduates from tertiary institution in the country and posts them to sectors of Government operations. At 56, Ghana still has not found a way to utilise the energy of the youth, the young, capable and vibrant youth of the country suffer so many forms of hardships and discouragements in all our educational build-up only to graduate to meet employment opportunities very scarce.

ARISE YOUTH, our beloved fathers have failed and are still failing to lead the country to the promised land, let us relegate them proudly to the sidelines to watch their young, vibrant and energetic ones succeed on the realization of the African vision. Let us work hard to put a smile on the faces of our beloved fathers, which is where the blessing is. The barrier between the youth and state positions must be cleared because the young, visionary, hardworking, vibrant and energetic will put in lot of work when given the opportunity we deserve. Our old-aged fathers lack the ability to put in higher levels of work and can help the state in their higher levels of deliberation through advice, ideas, principles which suits very well in “deputy ministerial positions” tapping into their experiences profitably.

We respect their old-aged experience but we are concerned with the efforts that must be put in to achieve the greater things they did in their youth when they had the chance to. Let us end gerontocracy in our governance and choose ability over past credibility. I believe in the credibility gained from ability than credibility gained from titles in the form of PHDs, Degrees and Masters to mention few. We all know it is about being “able to defend Our Heritage to its fullest heights”.

MR. EMMANUEL OSEI-POKU

POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON.