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Opinions of Wednesday, 14 April 2021

Columnist: Osumanu Abubakar

Ingenuity, the catalyst for creativity and innovation!

Emmanuel Nimo with his invention Emmanuel Nimo with his invention

Creativity, according to Wikipedia, "is a phenomenon whereby something somehow new and somehow valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary work, or a painting)".

I have come to accept that everybody has their own God-given ingenuity, or if want, talent. However, I think it is just a matter of for the realization of same. People realize their God-endowed talent at different times of their life. Some may not realize their talent at all due to the environmental conditions prevailing.

However, when fortune meets conducive environmental conditions, then necessity dictates that one brings out their talents to fruition for the benefit of the society in which one finds themselves, because it is an unvarnished truth that, for every positive innovation/ creativity, a problem is eradicated.

At a certain point in the annals of Ghana's history, we used to produce our own needs without heavily relying on imported goods. Mr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr, a pan-Africanist, veteran journalist and the managing editor of the Insight Newspaper, makes more graphic when pointed it out that "we were producing radios, we were producing television sets, we were producing refrigerators, we were producing our own fish, we were producing our own shoes, we were producing jute bags, we were producing alcohol and beverages, we were producing matches, we were producing cars, now we do not produce any of these things", during his interview with a World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Mr. Ishac Diwan. There has not been any other version that has refuted or controverted the claims made by the ace journalist since 2011.

In contemporary times, a lot of people are putting their talent to use in varied areas/ fields, inter alia, technology, music, film, sports, literature. Apostle Kwadjo Sarfo has lighted the path with wondrous feat. Recently, a young boy Odartei Kelvin, aged, 18, built his own car from scratch. Imagine what this boy can do if given the necessary push from government and well-wishers.

The main purpose of this article is to draw the attention of the public to an invention by a student of W.B.M. Zion Senior High School in the Eastern region. Master Emmanuel Nimo, who doubles as the school's Boys' Prefect has put in all that is in him into the manufacturing of a multipurpose device that has the potency of roasting, cooking rice, boiling and frying yam, baking of bread, pie and cake.

The device was first put on Facebook by a teacher, Mr. Obeng Effah Moses and was later put on WhatsApp by another teacher, Mr. Oteng Aboagye. Another teacher, Mr. Gideon Amoaning made it more graphic by sharing a video demonstration of how the device works. As a writer, the expression of euphoria and amazement among teachers of the school, given the boy's creation has inspired me to make a publication out of it.

We are asking well-meaning Ghanaians to support such creativities to be polished. Let us help build our young ones for our own future.