The President of the Africa Development Council, Ing. Dr. Atsu Sogbey, has criticised the current leadership, attributing the handling of natural resources by private entities to poor leadership.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse, Dr. Sogbey asserted that “the kind of shares the state owns in its enterprises is tantamount to anchoring the state to die.”
“Ghana barely has enough shares in all its natural resources. We have 5%, 10%, and the private sector has about 80 something percent. We have not anchored the economy, and for that matter, our currency has become paper,” he told host Elton Brobbey on Tuesday, June 18.
He added “In Ghana, we have various natural resources and a constitution set up to protect these under the presidency, but at the moment, none of these is in the hands of the country. It is in private hands, and that is poor leadership.”
He cited an instance where a significant stake in Ghana Telecom was sold to a private entity.
“It started during Kufuor’s regime when Jerry Rawlings came out and established Ghana Telecom under the chairmanship of Colonel Anyidoho. Ghana Telecom grew, and we had the Ghana Telecom University. The only thing is that when it was getting to the end of the tenure, they asked which one should we sell, and they sold Ghana Telecom.”
Reflecting on these issues, Dr. Sogbey, stated that Africa as a continent is missing effective leadership, adding that one does not need a PhD in leadership to lead.
Dr. Sogbey also lamented that the current leaders in the country are selfish, unlike previous leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, who were selfless.
“The kind we are having now are so selfish. They want to rule, and at the end of their rule, they buy the state and go home,” he said.