Great nations are built on the dreams and expectations of ordinary men. Former South African President, Nelson Mandela once said “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all people will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised but if need be, it’s an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
It is against this background that the Springboard, Your virtual University, a motivational programme, has commenced a new series titled “My Ideal Ghana.”
The programme seeks to give guests the opportunity to describe the Ghana they wish to live in. It gives them the opportunity to design the Ghana they wish to live in without any limitations and inhibitions.
Guests on the programme are given 13 thematic areas, out of which they are supposed to choose three.
The 13 areas are unemployment, healthcare, education, sanitation, infrastructure, agriculture, youth, sports, arts culture and entertainment, science and technology, leadership and governance, religion, and social protection.
Guests for last Sunday, November 8, were Chief of Akwamu-Adumasa, Nana Ansah Kwao IV, and the Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana, Legon Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo.
Nana Ansah Kwao chose leadership and governance, education and unemployment, while Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo also settled on leadership and governance, education, and arts, entertainment and culture.
Leadership and governance
On leadership and governance, Nana Ansah Kwao IV, said, his ideal Ghana would be one that the country’s culture influenced its politics.
“My ideal Ghana is where our culture influences our politics. For the black race, competition is not part of our set up; we are a people that cooperate. “Therefore, if we set up a governance system based on competition, the best we can get is a good manager, not a good leader,” he stated.
He said his ideal Ghana would be one where the country got its politics right, stating, “you can’t get anything right; if you fail in the politics, you have failed in everything.”
“My Ideal Ghana is where our politicians cooperate and not compete,” he noted.
For her part, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said her ideal Ghana would be one that had the appropriate governance institutions which promoted continuity in programmes and policies.
Education
Regarding education, Nana Ansah Kwao IV, in his ideal Ghana, teachers would be able to identify students with special needs and provided them with the necessary support that enabled them to succeed.
He said that Ghana would also focus on skills development in its education.
For her part, Professor Amfo, said in her ideal Ghana, education would not only be focused on access but quality as well.
“My ideal Ghana is where we revolutionise our educational system to ensure we are not only producing academic people, but pay due attention to vocational and technical training. It will where educational content and delivery creates critical thinkers, problem solvers, innovators, and people who are technologically adept.
“My ideal Ghana is where our teaching system is able to identify all kinds of talent and nurture them, so no one is left behind. In that Ghana, our educational system would create opportunities for people to explore in order to find themselves right from the early stages,” she stated.
She also noted that in her ideal Ghana, there would be a convergence between skills training and mind training.
Unemployment
On unemployment, Nana Ansah Kwao IV, said “in my ideal Ghana, we would have love for vocation and create employment by the work of our hands.”
Arts, culture and entertainment
Commenting on arts, culture and entertainment, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said her ideal Ghana is “where our arts and culture are well developed, packaged and sold to the world.”
“Arts and culture shape the minds of the people; we must harness and export it,” she said.