The Executive Director of the Kandifo Institute, Palgrave Boakye Danquah, has indicated that the #FixTheCountry campaign mostly made up of the youth has been one of the most talked abouttopics in recent days where the Ghanaian citizenry are asking the leaders to fix some issues in the country that are making life difficult. He said it will require all Ghanaians, political party leaders among others to help fix the country
According to him, there have been over 500,000 tweets about this campaign that had made it the biggest online protest in Ghana so far but the Ghana Police Service has stopped plans to move this online protest to offline. Others are also of the view that the citizens of Ghana including leaders must fix their attitudes and mindsets if they want to have a better Ghana for all and improve the lives of Ghanaians.
He noted that the late Vice President under the Kuffour administration between 2001 and 2008 launched a campaign against indiscipline at workplaces, on the roads, in schools and in the society which was aimed at achieving socio-economic progress but our leaders, politicians, the media and the citizens of Ghana failed to move this campaign beyond the administration of Kuffour and Aliu Mahama. We failed to give the campaign the needed attention and participation beyond 2008 which was the end of their administration. The late Vice President, Aliu Mahama believed that without positive attitudes and behaviors of Ghanaians, it would be a challenge for the country to achieve the intended socio-economic progress but it is rather unfortunate that we forgot all about the campaign. Fixing the country is not entirely the sole responsibility of the government rather,it is our collective responsibility as citizens of Ghana.
Palgrave Boakye Danquah said the campaign should not be politically biased. ‘The aim must be to bring the attention of not just the incumbent government but the entire political class to the teething issues that are affecting the country. After over six decades that Ghana gained her independence, we have no concrete excuse as to why we are experiencing some of the hardships in the country. This should tell you that fixing the country is a collective thing.
The seven pillars of society must also play a part in ensuring that the country is fixed. The Religion Pillar, Education Pillar, Media, Culture, Business and economic pillar as well as the government must all play their respective roles in ensuring that the country is fixed to get the Ghana that we want. Leaders in all these 7 pillars must see to it that they do the needful in their various sectors. Governments are truly accountable to citizens including the vulnerable and marginalized. People in Government should ensure that most projects which are more beneficial to the citizens are completed before their term of office ends. If the projects are not completed, the political party that takes over should complete the project and not abandon it because it is not their party’s project.
Religious leaders have a profound influence on all societies and many of the people in the world. Throughout history, they have proven to be the primary force for social progress, motivating individuals’ spiritual qualities and empowering them to make sacrifices for their fellow human beings and to contribute to the betterment of their communities.
Education gives children and the youth the knowledge and skills they need to face daily life challenges and take advantage of economic and lifelong learning opportunities. Education happens to be a key driver for reducing poverty, fostering economic growth and achieving social development. It also provides stability, structure and hope for the future.
The media is a powerful force for change in both developed and developing countries. The media has an important role in advancing development agenda and supporting economic role by stimulating consumer markets. Without communication no society can exist, much less develop and even reach to point of survival. Communication is a fundamental and vital process of every society. It is at the core of equitable music.
Economic development is a process of targeted activities and programs that work to improve the economic well-being and quality of life of the society by building local wealth, diversifying the economy and creating and retaining jobs. For there to be economic growth, more work should be put in the business and economic sector. Fixing Ghana is a must for all leaders in the many sectors that drive change.
In April 2021, Kandifo Institute Signed a 5-year renewable Memorandum of Understandingwith the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG).As a think tank, coaching and mentoring the youth happens to be one of our top areas of focus. This 5-year MOU between Kandifo Institute and USAG makes both the youthful think tank and the student union of about 40 member institutions and about 300,000 estimated student number a forceful force. By signing this MOU, we have established a leadership program where trained and experienced professionals of various professions would be linked to selected youth to mentor them in leadership to become better individuals and citizens and to be able to contribute to the betterment of Ghana. These leadership training sessions, we believe would help the youth become responsible adults and have different mindsets towards the development of the country.
This campaign is a good beginning for the change that Ghanaians seek but it should not just be narrowed down as the responsibility of the government. We all have to play our part if we want to see the change that we seek. We all want a better Ghana for ourselves and the next generation but we do very little to see the better Ghana that we want. We expect the country to be fixed by the government when we citizens are not prepared to have it fixed. People are destroying our water bodies with illegal mining (galamsey) and the security service personnelare taking bribes to allow the continuation of this illegal mining while they are rather sent out to stop such operations. How can the country be fixed if citizens have unhealthy attitudes like this?the incident thatoccurred at Kasoa where a young boy was killed by two teenage boys for money rituals would not have happened,if we had strict structures and laws in place. It is so easy for laws to be implemented on the other hand; it is so difficult to ensure they are enforced.
To have the better Ghana that we all want, a Ghana where the lives of an ordinary Ghanaian will live a comfortable life, a country where living standards are affordable, we all have to play our part to be able to get the Ghana we seek for change for the better. Ghanaians must put their political colors aside and contribute their quota to the development of Ghana and the welfare of Ghanaians. Each and every one of us must be active and involved in building our country. Self- government is hard work and requires effort. Action is essential in maintaining the foundations of our democracy no matter which political party happens to take the mantle. The future of development lies in the hands of millions of citizens.
