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Opinions of Saturday, 20 February 2021

Columnist: Rockson Adofo

If you love Ghana, report the politicians and people sabotaging her prosperity

File photo: Money File photo: Money

Oh fellow Ghanaians, for how long shall we be sitting and watching in nonchalance while a few selfishly greedy individuals sabotage the Ghanaian economy?

There a some people either elected or appointed to serve Ghana in the hope that they will tirelessly help bring about the development of the country for the collective interests of all. However, some of them are unknowingly in their positions not only pursuing their selfish interests but sabotaging the development of the country.

How do they sabotage the country, one may ask? I am going to tell the public two of the instances where some Ghanaians in government or in positions of authority have clearly sabotaged the development of Ghana.

One of my nephews about a year ago told me how he had once gone to Japan and Italy to seek foreign investors to bring to Ghana. He was able to get an Italian businessman who was ready to come down to invest in solar panels and energy production in Ghana.

This man took him around his factory to show how solar panels are made. The man was going to set up a factory in Ghana. He discussed how many people he could employ and the areas where he would supply free energy to the country as social interventions and whatnot.

After agreeing with him on his business plan, the businessman ready to foot the entire bill, my nephew decided to proceed to Ghana from London to make arrangements before the businessman coming to Ghana.

In short, an important person he knew who was working at the Kotoka Airport but now deceased, decided to contact a sector government minister on behalf of my nephew on his intended business.

The man came back later to inform him that the minister is demanding some cash tip running into thousands of Cedis and again, asking to take a 40% share in the company when established, although without himself investing a Cedi in it.

My nephew concluded how stupid the minister was and how foolish he would be going back to Italy to tell the business tycoon the outcome of his trip to Ghana.

He let go his plans. This was during the presidency of former President John Dramani Mahama.

The second one that came to my knowledge only yesterday, Friday, 19 February 2021, is about a Ghanaian with connections to some super millionaires in Dubai. According to my reliable source of information, these Arabs wanted to come to Ghana to invest in estate development, the Ghanaian laws permitting.

In all such cases, the Ghanaians leading the business must go to Ghana to prepare the grounds work before bringing down the prospective investors.

In this second case which has happened under the presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo, it is alleged that the first person contacted in Ghana at the Jubilee House was demanding over twenty thousand dollars (US$20,000) before permitting him to meet the president on his business proposal.

He contacted so many different people who have connections in government but they all wanted their palms greased with Cedi or dollar wad first, before assisting. He then contacted a powerful chief in the hope of getting a better assurance but he was worse.

The Arabs were intending to come for a vast land to put up houses and stores that will be rented or sold out to Ghanaians at reasonably cheaper prices.

On the demands for bribes, the Ghanaian lead contacts often find it difficult to relay the information back to the prospective investors. When tha happens, the intended business falls flat. The business gets abandoned.

Those people asking for bribes to cost the projects being established at all do so at the blindside of the president.

Such businesses if they had come into the country, they would have boosted job opportunities, the development of the country and finally, assisted the president in his development drive.

In conclusion, l shall advise any Ghanaian seeking to bring foreign investors to Ghana but happens to fall into the traps of bribery as stated above, to report it on the social media, disclosing the names of the perpetrators.

Until we name and shame them, they will continue to obstruct the development of Ghana because of their selfish greed.

In future, l will name the persons involved in such dubious acts either with, or without, the permission of those leading investors to Ghana. We cannot sit back with our arms folded around the chest while a few shameless greedy individuals sabotage the development of Ghana contrary to the aspirations of the presidents.