It is undeniable fact that the COVID-19 pandemic is the causal effect of a global economic depression (downturn) same as what happened over 100 years ago has contributed partly to the current suffering (hard times) globally. Sir, the measures such as lockdowns, restrictions on movement, border closures, the spraying exercise of public institutions and markets coupled with the provision of logistics and other support were conducted by the State to contain and control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic as a measure to reduce casualties were very unique (incomparable) activities in the history of this Country. Thanks for that godly effort. But, how to restore the economy as a result of the associated massive debilitating effect on the national budget is now a cause to be considered by all. Although the repercussion of the COVID-19 pandemic was global and not restricted to one nation or continent, the extent or damages to a national economy may not be the same for each country in the World just like the number of casualties for instance death sustained were not the same for each country or continent. Furthermore, it is undeniable fact that the Russia-Ukraine War has also weakened and is still weakening the economy of nations globally but unlike the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the associated risks with the Russia-Ukraine War, that is the extent of economic challenges or survival depends on two main factors. Firstly, how the economy of a Country was and is managed to be self-sufficient (both microeconomics and macroeconomics) before the war and during the period of the war as well as the behavior of the citizens especially how productive/items produced (microeconomics) and secondly on the needs of the Country from other nations especially from the area of the war or from the belligerents that is the exchange activities and sort of goods consumed by the citizens especially interest in foreign as against same local products say grains like rice etc. That is to say, the level of independence or dependence on other Nations for needs especially food items, etc because an economic blockade will affect the supply chain of items from the belligerent countries or through their corridor or issues affecting production problems that may affect the dependent nations.
But Mr. President, mismanagement of this great country from the 1980s to date is the major contributory factor to the woes of this great nation endowed by God with rich resources including abundant sunshine and this with the massive arable lands which are interspersed with numerous rivers has made this nation to have a great potential for massive farming of both cash and food crops especially grains like rice production under irrigation. Mr. President, this Country imports rice in large quantities and therefore with great value in foreign currencies but has a better comparative advantage in the production of rice than Nigeria and had a 10 years strategy from 2008 to 2018 for massive production of rice as food security, sustenance or generating of additional employment above all as import substitutions to improve the macroeconomics fundamental (savings and generation of foreign currencies, halting of food price-driven inflation, etc) is yet to achieve the feat made by Nigeria within 6 years from 2014 to 2020. It is also sad that this Country is yet to make good of some rivers for cheap mini-hydro power generation to supplement that of Akosumbo and Kpong Hydroelectric power dams for industrialization, commercialization, and domestic consumption. Below are some areas of concern that need your intervention.
Firstly, I wish to draw your attention to the Mining sector which has been mismanagement since 2006 with the passage of the Minerals and Mining Law 2006 (Act703). The law on Small Scale Mining is ambiguous and needs to be fine-tuned to meet the reality on the ground. Mr. President, Small Scale Mining or Artisanal Mining existed before the arrival of the first group of Europeans in 1471 and it is seen as a global catastrophe in which nations together with the International community and NGOs/CSOs collaborate to help the operators to navigate to alternative livelihood projects or guide them to operate for some time and invest the obtainable income in other business areas and stop the Small Scale Mining activity which is regarded globally by the operators as a livelihood activity given to them by Almighty God as a means to solve their poverty or misery situation.
So, with this situation, Mining Officials of the State are expected to regard Small Scale Mining as a national emergency area due to the likelihood of the operators destroying the environment by diverting and polluting rivers and water bodies, damaging lands including arable lands without reclaiming or restoring the land to almost its original state and the irresponsible abandonment of pits by them which may be death traps if not noticed in time. Other issues include poor regulations or enforcement of laws regulations and poor monitoring or corrupt practice and these give room for the smuggling of gold or a medium for money laundering and other vices.
So, Mr. President, it was and is expected that the State will act as follows (a) ensure the operators operate in the small mining scale sector work in cooperatives of 10 or more Ghanaians only and should be designated as community mining which should be governed at the local level by their leaders who can be held accountable or responsible for any untoward act and governed by the local District Mining Committee with membership as spelled out in the current law but to include the District Police Commander and District NIB Officer and the traditional leaders or their reps to collectively ensure the artisanal mining operation is responsible. (c). Since mining is capital intensive, the State is expected to the interest of Ghanaians or take an interest to support Ghanaians to gain commanding heights in the mining sector by allowing Ghanaian tycoons interested in mining operations to openly collaborate with foreigners with the needed capital (sophisticated technology and substantial cash) to mine for gold by the creation of a third or new nomenclature as a Medium Scale Mining sector, so that they operate with laws and regulations almost similar to that for large scale mining to ensure the protection of the environment and their processing or smelting of gold is guided with metallurgical security codes to ensure the gold so obtained is well accounted for without hoarding or smuggling of the gold to enable the State benefit substantially from the Mining Sector. Hence Mr. President you need to come out with a Medium Scale Mining for Ghanaians to be allowed to collaborate with foreigners since mining is capital intensive.
Secondly, the mismanagement of the Energy Sector by various Administrations since 1982, especially at the time the National Electrification Scheme was launched by the PNDC in 1995 has caused and is causing huge energy sector debt of over US1Billion or so with the vision of 2020, that is the plan for the attainment of 100% National Electrification on the National grid nationwide by 2020, which made Ghana attain about 85% by 2016 with poor transmission (losses due to long-range transmission/acquisition and installation of costly pylons en route and poor) distribution system. This policy was pursued without adequate means/measures to put some areas off the National grid say mini-hydro power stations on some rivers or waterfalls or with renewal energy etc, failure to protect the Osagyefo Barge bought with a US$250Miilion loan by the PNDC and now a scrap or not protecting the potentialities of rivers in Ghana like Ankobra, Tano, and Oti for cheap min-hydroelectric power system and irrigation systems against illegal mining activities by all regimes. The possible usage of these rivers as mini-hydro power stations were studied and planned for action by both the late General Acheampong and the late Ex-President Liman’s regimes to construct mini-hydro powers stations for cheap power to supplement that of Akosumbo hydro powers and that of Kpong hydro powers Dams before and after the Bui hydropower Dam was built.
The plan to use some rivers as mini-hydro powers stations was to prevent the employment of expensive Thermal Plants which burn on distillate or gas also at a very high cost for the generation of power. There was also failure for measures for the reduction of wastages in power utilization (through power saving means, worth stating that President Kofour attempted and saved about 500KW of power but not maintained), another problem was poor cost recovery measures (for example some areas had no meters example Prestea before 2015 and Somanya before 2021), furthermore failure to invest in the elaborate usage of renewable energy to add to the power mix to reduce cost. Likewise the failure to adopt a policy to ensure the vital parts of the national economy such as the industrial sector and commercial sector enjoyed a 24/7 supply of cheap power for their business, so as for them to be in good business and readily pay for the power and so as not to hamper economic growth with the domestic sector on off the grid during prolong dumsor periods. Hence you need to invest in the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam for hydropower, irrigation, and arrest of the perennial destruction of life and property anytime the Dam at Burkina Faso requires spillages stand to see to renewable energy to reduce cost. Work on ways to use the so-called unutilized extra power on the take or pay arrangement in the system to save money.
Thirdly, the economy is about the immense set of inter-related production, consumption, and exchange activities that aid in determining how scarce resources are allocated. So each country sees to the production, consumption, and distribution of goods and services to deliver the needs of the citizenry, which is about scarce or limited resources therefore prioritization of needs and coming out with a choice for the most pressing need or the one that can help generate revenue to recoup the cost and use the revenue to invest in other areas. But the economy of this country has been mismanaged by failure to prioritize the needs of this country by not doing massive investments or budgetary allocation for the transformation and modernization of the Agricultural sector which is a source of livelihood for the rural people hence a sector of employment for 60% of the citizenry, source of revenue or for wealth creation and development an area Ghana that can save and generate foreign currencies through import substitution.
Mr. President, Agriculture as in Proverb 27;23 is the venture that can provide stability and sustenance for the existence of States or Kingdoms therefore mankind. Because with Agric products one can barter for other needs (generation of both local revenue and foreign currencies) or one can feed himself and family (food security) during periods of hardship or food insecurity. Pardon me to give two personnel experiences to drive home, the point of survival through Agric productions as in proverb 27;23, before I expatiate on my submission on the way forward to achieve self-sufficiency, save and generate more local revenue and foreign currencies.
Mr. President, after completing a BSc course in Agric at KNUST, I was posted to Bompata Secondary School for my national service where I was made the Head of Agric Department as well as the Tutor in the Agriculture subject. To make a mark in the name or to the Glory of God, I made the School establish farms in the production of maize and other suitable crops and lucky for the School we had a bumper harvest in maize, etc to the extent before the nationwide bush fire in 1983 so the school depended on her food items harvested on her farms during the 1983 year of suffering in Ghana due to food shortage, etc the school had enough food items from her Farm also in the subsequent year of 1984. COP Maame Tiwa Addo-Danquah was one of the students at the Bompata Secondary School who can authenticate this assertion.
Mr. President, after graduating from the Military Academy, I was initially posted to the Field Engineers Regiment Teshie and later on posted to the defunct Ghana Armed Forces Farms established by the late General Acheampong in 1978. I was assigned to 3 Farm Company Sunyani where I established both maize and Plantain farms in Nkronzah in the then Brong Ahafo Region and hard bumper harvest that helped improve the revenue base of the Unit and sustained the Unit until 1990 it experienced some problems. I became the Commanding Officer of the Unit (CO-GAFF) with the rank of Captain in 1991 at the time the Unit was already earmarked for disbandment due to the State of the national economy and the Unit was then dependent on subventions directly from the Ministry of Finance through the then Secretary of Defence (then Hon Alhaji Iddrissu Mahama) As the CO-GAFF, I protested vehemently against the disbandment of the unit and together with my staff, we worked diligently both day and night that saw the Unit making a reasonable profit (documents including a commendation letter SP SVCS BDE/540/G dated 15 December 1991 from Superior Military Headquarters available to authenticate this assertion. My work with the defunct GAFF gave me the intelligence on how the Agric sector is not getting the right support to help this nation breakthrough.
Mr. President, in July 2003, Heads of African States made the Maputo declaration on Agriculture and Food Security aimed to increase annual national budgetary allocations for agriculture to at least 10% to ensure food security and therefore improve the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). So in 2008, President Kofour came out with the National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS), this was after the IV Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (TICAD IV) in May 2008 and came out with an initiative and launched the Coalition for Africa Rice Development (CARD). So, Ghana subscribed to the vision of the Initiative to double rice production in Africa within 10 years from 2008 -2018. This was aimed at ensuring massive domestic rice production by the year 2018 as well as enhancing quality to stimulate demand for domestically produced rice. So, the subsequent administrations of the late President Mills and ex-President JDM Mahama also bought this vision to ensure massive rice production in Ghana. In 2017 you, President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government launched your flagship agricultural policy that is the PFJ, a four-year investment of GHS3.3bn ($713.1m) nationwide program designed to improve the performance and size of Ghana’s agriculture sector to boost food security and create jobs.
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