At this point talking about the state our beloved country has been plunged into seems hardly worth the effort anymore. You should know how bad things have become when ‘things are hard in Ghana’ has assumed the mantle of a cliché, but every time you think we cannot hit another low this government of ours surprises us in a whole new way.
Through all the hardship, incompetence and corruption one thing I have noticed is that there is a big problem with misplaced priorities in this country. It manifests in so many ways, but every time there is a problem facing us, you can be sure we would be looking at the option least likely to bring a lasting solution.
I wish I could say it is limited to those in authority, but sadly it isn’t. We see it in the ordinary Ghanaian as well, in our haste to apply spiritual connotations to every little setback, in our stubborn reliance on divine intervention, in our love of shortcuts that in the end cause five problems way bigger than the initial one.
The worst manifestation of this problem, which led me to pen this piece, is when we have problems staring us right in the face but then ignore them and attempt bigger plans which frankly are folly if the initial problem is not solved yet.
Exhibit A: John Dramani Mahama during his recent visit to the US, somehow found the platform to tell the world Ghana plans to export electricity to Nigeria and other countries within the sub-region.
I don’t know whether it is a problem of delusion or obliviousness, but the notion that Ghana has the capacity to handle its electricity needs and those of any other countries in addition is extremely laughable.