Ghana's underdevelopment due to technological gap

Kumasi, July 24, GNA - Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Director of the Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, has identified low level of technological advancement as the main cause for Ghana's underdevelopment. He said this had impeded the nation's ability to achieve socio-economic and industrial breakthrough, which was very much needed to address Ghana's developmental challenges. Professor Frimpong-Boateng was speaking at the launch of the Suame Magazine Financial Irrigation and Investment Project by the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization (SMIDO) in Kumasi on Thursday. The project aims to mobilise and generate income into a common fiscal pool as a Suame Magazine Institutional collateral security from which artisans could benefit. It is also to serve as a mechanism to intercept and customize formal and corporate sector policy opportunities to suit the needs of enterprise development and investment at Suame Magazine. SMIDO designed the project in collaboration with UniBank Ghana Limited, United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Data Bank Ghana Limited to provide access to credit for artisans of the Suame Magazine. Professor Frimpong-Boateng said policy makers should liaise with stakeholders to formulate a comprehensive Information Communication Technology (ICT) policy at all levels of the nation's education to help expose technocrats and professionals as well as the youth to acquiring knowledge in ICT. This, he said, was important to help them become abreast with and

appreciate the dynamics in their respective jobs and fields of study to address

Ghana's developmental challenges. The Cardiothoracic Director further advised Ghanaian leaders to set

good examples in respect of time management. Professor Frimpong-Boateng noted that the nation's inability to

work according to schedule was affecting productivity, stressing that

Ghanaians needed to be given orientation to carry out their activities within the

stipulated time since "time was money". Mr Samuel Sarpong, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE),

charged the leadership of SMIDO to come out with clear cut proposals on the

kind of collaboration they would like to promote with the Kumasi Metropolitan

Assembly (KMA) for its consideration. He was hopeful that this would in the long term put the assembly in a

better position to facilitate investment at the Suame Magazine and to upgrade

the knowledge of the artisans. Mr George Asamoah Amankwah, President of SMIDO, said his

outfit would continue to come out with innovative programmes to enhance the

development of the Suame Magazine. 24 July 09