The survival of Africa in general out of the 21st century depends on many things, among which an aggressive commercial crusade is essential. Thus, there is an urgent need for a new type of leadership well trained in business management, to lead Africa towards its glorious destiny.
This is so because the current economic reality in Africa demonstrates a dearth of leaders with business management skills to lead the nation on profit, as a result the continent’s economy is crippling. For instance, according to Russian TV report, “Ghana has suspended payments on external debt as an “interim emergency measure,” effectively plunging the debt-ridden country into default, as concerned investors criticized a lack of clarity in the decision.
Between 70-100% of government revenue goes directly towards servicing debts with inflation rocketing as high as 50% in November, while international reserves dropped to $6.6 billion by the end of September from $9.2 billion a year earlier.
Of a total $55 billion public debt at the end of Q3, just over half was external, including $13.1 billion in Eurobonds”.
This alarming fact despite all the available resources in Africa in general and in Ghana in particular, it is inconceivable that the economic situation is dire, making the lives of the poor in Ghana desperate.
In fact, there are other countries that are doing well economically (not relying solely on foreign aid to support themselves) without the same amount of resources as Ghana. For example, a French official was asked why France has no resources when it is among the richest countries in the world. In response, he said we don’t have resources, but we have ideas, and he was partly right. So if France is backed by ideas, Japan is backed by ideas, why not Ghana and Africa in general who have more than ideas – natural resources?
Precisely, the answer lies in our ability to produce leaders trained in business management. Because, whether we realize it or not, governing a country is business management, whose governors must declare the profit at the end of each year. This task can no longer be left to the political theorists, law graduates and journalists with no experience in business management who constitute 99% of our parliaments, we must have a different approach by the middle of this century, concerning the type of leaders to whom we want to entrust the future. It is time to rebuild Africa, it requires a new way of thinking about leadership.