The ordinary Ghanaian

In this beautiful country of ours, the social class comes in many types. We have the elite, middle and lower class, and the average and poor class.

The average and poor class are what I’d want to consider as the ‘ordinary’. When I say the ordinary Ghanaian I referring to the Ghanaian with no special or distinctive features; the normal people, the common people; I mean the women at Mokola selling us the colorful nutritious vegetables and fruits to revitalize our strength; I mean the gentlemen at the sea who makes sure we have our daily fresh fish to boost our taste; I’m touching on our brothers at Tudu that help us to look good in our offices and on the streets; I mean our uncle’s at Kwame Nkrumah Circle that make sure we get our quality phone’s and standard repairs; that’s what I meant when I say the “ordinary Ghanaian”.

Based on the statistical blazon on economical technocrats in the nation, a sophisticated population with economic knowledge is under average. It seems many Ghanaians are impuissant to interpret the immense lexicon used by our leaders.

Now supposing the Finance Minister had this to say while reading the annual budget in the August House of Parliament. “The reports we’ve garnered on the micro and macroeconomics are troubling”. How many ordinary Ghanaians will get the import of this message? We are given figures and words that the ordinary Ghanaian wouldn’t be able to understand or interpret.

Maybe they are not part of the country, which is why the absence of clear communication; and information dissemination to them aren’t still a great concern. Sad!

Let’s talk about Gross domestic product (GDP). From personal experience, if you weren’t a business student in secondary school, you are likely to find it difficult to understand what it actually is. Literally, GDP is the total monetary or market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific period of time.”

And I doubt 70% of the ordinary Ghanaian knows what this means, though they might be contributing and practicing it. They are so unaware of the technicalities of the GDP. Why would you share an unknown message to an ignorant person while the message is full of unknowns?

Furthermore, legal interpretation and communication have been in a lamentable state. Buying and selling is the most practiced form of business in Ghanaian society, but how many of these buyers and sellers are aware of the “Sales of Goods Act 1962”? The Sales and Goods Act 1962 is made up of nine parts, containing eighty-four(84) laws which include the interpretation of basic business dialects.

The Sale of Goods Act is an important law for consumers because it provides many rights and remedies. These statutes have been made to cushion the business environment, promote peace and protect both consumers and suppliers.

But how could they practice the laws, if the communication and interpretation of the existence of the law have been made sophisticated and incomprehensible in the ordinary Ghanaian markets?

Contemplating on this issue, I think the ordinary Ghanaian deserves more details about the economic, socio-cultural, technological, political, legal, and ecological environment of the country.

For they too are part of us.