National planning and Dr. Nii Moi Thompson

I just finished watching Paul Adom-Otchere's interview with Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, Director General of the Ghana National Planning Commission, and I have to say I am extremely impressed. Bravo Nii Moi!

There are very rare Economists who seem to make sense and he is one of them. His insult on his fellow Diasporan Ghanaians some years ago on the GLU forum will be dealt with another time. My advice: It takes the right attitude for any Vision or good work to be accepted. Hope he has learned his lessons!

The problem with most of our Economists is that, like most African intellectuals, we seem to think just because we can envision, we can sit at our desks, do the charts and calcuations of what others have done (which is the core purpose of Western classroom education) and our work to society is done. No!!

Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore was a Math Major who went to Law School and he was a problem solver! Ghana can turn around if and only if our Leaders have VISION and are also problem solvers; meaning either identify the challenges or problems or barriers and solve them or hire the right people to solve them. Example: there is an MP who have PhD in Electrical Engineering. Has the Minister ever had a chat with him?! Just asking oo!!

Ghana in 60 years has absolutely no plan and written predictable and reliable Land Title Registration and recordation! I have taken 6 months and still unable to get a simple Land Title Certificate to sell a house I have owned and occupied for 14 years in East Legon. Systems have broken down and all officials ask for are money with no schedule or plan!

How then do you release latent capital invested in real estate (as Prof. De Soto explains in his book "The Mystery of Capital") to deploy in job creative productive activities?

Grand plans are good but HUMAN and FINANCIAL CAPITAL (what my people the Kwahus call dwetire) are needed.

California's Silicon Valley of 50 miles radius and about 4 million people has over $1 trillion GDP and it's all brain work and some good rich uncles here called Venture Capitalists who invest in the ideas of the youth! I have seen it for 49 years!

What does it take to duplicate this in Ghana?

Dr. Kwaku A. Danso
President- Ghana Leadership Union (GLU)
Livermore, California & East Legon, Accra, Ghana