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Opinions of Tuesday, 24 October 2017

Columnist: Dr. K. Danso

Liberal Arts education is what most societies use to develop their nations

President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

"Liberal Arts students abr3! We take offense to your comment. We need retraction Doc. Lol"

My response to share with all Ghana.

Ha! Haa! Haa! Glad I am waking some of my friends up! At my age I can only go by the data and statistics and then to explain with known and proven theories and hypothesis.

Ghana, like most societies, has never been ruled by anybody with Science/Engineering training; but we see how Singapore progressed with Lee Kuan Yew, a man who graduated in Mathematics before taking Law later.

If I tend to bash Liberal Arts graduates, I make no apologies and actually intend no offense! It is actually an advantage that you Lawyers and Economists and Sociologists are thrust with that responsibility of leadership.

God made it that way and in Ghana, you are all just failing bad!
Can you imagine the MD for GWCL saying yesterday that they are going to start using electronic billing! Are they sleeping on the job all these decades? Come ooon! That man needs 6 lashes on his back.

Can you imagine ECG sending my bill to Kwaku Danso near Lake Side in East Legon! Are the Management out of their mind all these 14 years I have lived there!

That is absolute nonsense! A certain group of people who studied how human society is managed and moves forward are given talented Scientists and Engineers all around the world to use, and they have failed us!! I am so delighted in watching one new elected leader of Ghana called HE NADAA- Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, and pray for him in his vision pronouncements. He saw the vision to appoint and listened to one accomplished Engineer to help them win elections, and then I heard appointed him to head NCA. How about the other areas? We are watching.

Appointing the right people is the first step in implementation of leadership vision. My book on Leadership Concepts and the Role of Government (Danso, K.A., 2007) explains. Can you imagine Prof. Mike Ocquaye, now Speaker, once saying that the Tema Oil Refinery engineers resigning to take jobs in the Middle East was the work of the devil and hence we needed prayers!! I can never forget that. And now he is promoted to be the Speaker of the House.

I am extremely serious in my assertion and trying to find out if it was the British Education! I know most of my friends are on the other side but can I lie to them? No! They ought to sharpen the Vision and Management competency and read about Leadership and how Visions are Implemented to reality! You use the smart boys and girls to do the work!! And you crack the whip! (As my uncle puts it). Period!!

Why do you think after BS, MS and M.Eng., and having worked in Industry and Manufacturing for 15 years and in my own Business for 15 years I decided to study Organization and Management /Leadership for the PhD! The subject was so attractive to me in my search for answers.

It is not an insult to you Liberal Arts boys and gals at all; but if you have Ghanaian geniuses around you and you cannot challenge them, you have failed!! Period!! At Prempeh College in the 1960s 2 of the 3 classes were Science! Kwame Nkrumah told us we were going to be an Industrial nation and he is the only leader we have had who had the formula right! And was he not a Liberal Arts man?

I am sorry but make no apologies at all! It is a serious blemish in education and upbringing if people are paid like American executives to be CEOs of agencies like ECG, GWCL and TOR and Ministers, and
- they fail to put Land data in computer database by the year of our Lord two thousand and seventeen

- They fail to computerize billing systems

- They fail to collect road and bridge tolls and have computerized data accounting.

- They fail to implement electronic and what Dr. Bawumia calls "paperless" systems and for decades allow taking delivery of goods at our ports to be so frustrating and a gruesome task, allowing so much theft!

- They fail to Number Houses and put up Street Names, and have a National ID number for easy computerization and data collection and tax planning! And in addition

- They fail to use electronic payroll systems and allow 57,000 ghosts to be paid for so long

- They fail to monitor the quality of roads and construction work, with no or unreadable road and Highway Signs;

- They fail to have training and licensing of our workers;

- They fail to have account for National Health Insurance levies and jeopardize even the health care delivery system due to lack of data management.

- They fail to detect such crimes and put the crooks and thieves in prison!
Come ooooon

Ghanaians are tired of mediocrity! I strongly support the Finance Minister to totally recalculate the salaries of all CEOs of Agencies and M/M/DCEs to be a base plus commission based on performamce! It is not wise paying people who have no vision or make no accomplishments to implement changes in our society, and be paid $15,000, be given such benefits as $100,000 vehicles, and free petrol and travel and free housing, and sitting allowances! Are we crazy!! (As Americans would out it). They should be ashamed of themselves and all must end now, period.

Let us reward results and accomplishments and give the smart boys and gals the chance!! And in all cases, it is the Liberal Arts boys cracking the whip anyway!

Enjoy your day and 10th month of the year of NADAA.
I take no sides oo! I only pray for our beloved Ghana