Obama's Message to Africa: Reiterating the Obvious

A lot of people have asked me what I think about Obama's visit to Ghana, and specifically, his speech to Ghanaian parliamentarians. It's undoubted that his presence in Ghana was a historic one - mainly because he is the first black US president, and Ghana is the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence. It was also a great occasion because in many ways than one, Obama has succeeded in reminding a great number of people, about the possibilities that abound, if they are willing to work hard and take the necessary risks. Now that said, I did have some qualms about his visit, because it represents not only possibilities, but challenges too. I aired similar concerns in my article The Obama Effect & the African Illusion during Obama's presidential campaign . Bottomline is, Obama's successes can only be beneficial to Africans, if we regard them as proof that we can make a difference and be the change we want to see in our world. The moment we begin to conceive this single man as our "savior," our chances of "redemption" will be thwarted. My choice of title for this article might sound pessimistic, negative or downright unappreciative. But before you draw conclusions, let me explain why I honestly believe that Obama only reiterated what we already know.

Obama's speech was right on point and as always, President Obama delivered his speech with the level of eloquence, consideration, emphasis, humor and attitude of a great orator. When it comes down to it however, he said nothing new. Perhaps the only novel thing about his speech was his emphasis on the fact that Africans will determine their own future. "This is a new moment of promise. Only this time, we have learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa's future. Instead, it will be you - the men and women in Ghana's Parliament, and the people you represent. Above all, it will be the young people - brimming with talent and energy and hope - who can claim the future that so many in my father's generation never found." Unlike his predecessor George Bush who promised billions in aid to Africa, Obama stressed that the U.S. would work in partnership with African countries instead of simply pumping dollars into African economies. "But the true sign of success is not whether we are a source of aid that helps people scrape by - it is whether we are partners in building the capacity for transformational change." He introduced the dimension of focusing on the provision of new methods and technology, as opposed to just food or monetary aid. "... why our $3.5billion food security initiative is focused on new methods and technologies for farmers - not simply sending American producers or goods to Africa. Aid is not an end in itself. The purpose of foreign assistance must be creating the conditions where it is no longer needed."

This notion of "transformatinal change" is something that forms the cornerstone of development economics. Heterodox economists like Ha-Joon Chang and Robert Wade have stressed the importance of building capacities for change. According to Chang, "development is more than providing higher standards of living," and is rather the "transformation of productive structire and the capabilities that support it." Mr. Obama touched on some of these capabilities - namely good governance (democracy), opportunity (employment), health, and peaceful resolution of conflict (socio-political stability).

Africans realized the need for them to handle their own state of affairs about 50 decades ago, hence the desire for independence from their colonial masters. Obviously, we have gone through a series of trials and errors which have resulted in our almost stagnant development. But it is exactly this process of trial and error that made us realize the importance of democracy. Obama rightly stated that different countries achieve democracy in different ways. And Ghana is no exception. Even though our semblance of democracy is far advanced than other African countries, there is still a lot to be done. The situation whereby newly formed governments terminate contracts haphazardly because they were initiated by the opposing party results in grievious loss of capital to the nation. I understand that there is the issue of allegiance and what-nots, but at what point are we willing to forgoe the notion of allegiance to this or that political party, and trade it in for allegiance to the nation? Even within our local social setups, the head of a family determines the direction the family will follow, so the need for committed leadership with the interest of the country at heart is undoubtedly imperative.

With regards to employment and opportunities, these not only add to the national cake by way of money, but also lead to general human development which further enhances the chances of future development. With all the buzz about oil in Ghana, there is a lot of promise, but also a lot of danger, and we needn't look further than Nigeria to realize that . When it comes down to the economy, I believe mismanagement is the bane of Africa's existence. We say we don't have money, yet Nigerians were able to raise over half a million dollars towards Obama's campaign? Even with Obama's visit (as with Clinton and Bush), Ghana spent extra money to clean the streets, paint houses and get Accra and Cape Coast in order for his arrival. Economic/business wise, I think it would be cheaper to maintain/clean a premisis regularly than to splurge on one rare moment. And if for nothing at all, aren't the inhabitants of the nation worthy enough of humane environments and treatment? In this era of "green" attitudes, I'm quite surprised that African countries haven't led the way in promoting solar and geothermal energy when we obviously receive greater(if not the greatest) percentages of sunlight than the U.S. and other developed countries. And yes, it is possible to export solar energy. If it doesn't sound believable coming from me, then here's a direct quote from President Obama to assuage your doubts: "From the Rift Valley to the North African deserts; from the Western coast to South Africa's crops - Africa's boundless natural gifts can generate its own power, while exporting profitable, clean energy abroad."

With regards to health, Africa is plagued by many known diseases, and indeed has actually become the poster child for these diseases. From HIV/AIDS to Malaria, it would seem our very senses were being attacked by all the viruses known to man. When people think about health, the first thing they probably think about is a doctor. But pray tell me, how does this doctor get certified to treat his patients. The obvious answer would be education, but that aside, without research, many of the advancements in health and science would not be possible. Sure, many African governments allocate a substantial amount to health and education, but doing this without tying it in with research is backslacking on possibilities. In Ghana, a mere 1% of the budget is allocated to research. If we intend to have healthier and more productive societies, then we need to start thinking holistically. As Lauryn Hill would say, everything is everything. The circle of life extends to our institutions and market sectors - it is a give and take process.

It is often said that is takes hours to prepare a good meal, but merely minutes to consume it. Ignoring socio-economic and political tensions in a nation is like placing a frail egg (development) on one's head and playingampe. Unless you find a way to secure it, it is bound to fall down and break. In my article The North-South Development Divide in Ghana: Why It Could Be Ghana's Downfall , I elaborate on how the "selective development" currently practiced by Ghana - and many African countries - breeds discontent and leads to conflict. We have numerous examples where the neglect of the concerns of specific groups in society impedes the development of that society. Even Malaysia - one of South East Asia's shining stars, and Ghana's one-time counterpart - has had to concentrate on solving its people's racial, ethnic and socio-political issues in order to pursue development.

I hope I have adequately explained to you why I think Obama was just pointing to the obvious. All we need to do is look to our backgrounds and to history, in order to determine what our (common) problems are, and what the likely solutions might be. I am very optimistic about the potential for Africa to develop, and the fact that we have other countries' case scenarios to learn from is a leverage we need to take advantage of. It is however imperative that we realize that nobody is going to do the grunt work. We need to do it ourselves. Although there are people and nations who might be willing to partner with us, at the end of the day, their allegiance lies elsewhere. I believe Obama's presence has jumpstarted our belief in our capacity to do exceptional things, but whether that 0ptimism, drive and passion will be maintained, is up to us. Let's stop living on the promise of tomorrow, and instead build on the possibilities of today. To adapt a line from the movie August Rush, "the solutions are all around us. All we have to do, is look."

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This article was written by Jemila Abdulai and published on the blog site Circumspect.

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Excerpts of Obama's speech taken from the Huffington Post.

Photo Source: Reuters

The North-South Development Divide in Ghana: Why It Could Be Ghana's Downfall

For a long time now, I have concentrated on writing articles that focus on Ghana's development as a whole, without looking too critically at the various factors and elements that contribute to Ghana's inability to accelerate development. Following my independent study research this past year on Ghana and Malaysia's economic development, I realized that specifics are just as important as generalities, and in the case of Ghana, the lack of development in Northern Ghana is one particular factor that greatly hinders Ghana's development efforts. I am Dagomba, hence from Northern Ghana, so I might be a bit biased when it comes to this topic. However, I'll attempt as much as I can to be objective in this article, and although I will talk about how the disregard for Northerners feeds under development, I'll also take it from a case-study point of view, looking at Malaysia, in order to explain why it is imperative that the Ghanaian government quit paying homage to words, and put actual action into motion.

One resists what one cannot understand. I believe that statement to be true, especially when it comes to interactions between Northerners and Southerners in Ghana. Like any minority-majority relationship, the minority tends to know more about the majority, than the majority ever does about the minority, generally-speaking. The ironic thing here is the fact population-wise, the North and the South in Ghana are pretty balanced. So what kind of minority-majority relationship am I talking about? Access to resources and development. Some people might say that Northerners are not entrepreneurial enough, or that the Southern communities of Ghana were able to develop on their own, so Northerners should be able to do so too IF they really want to. I seriously beg to differ. Any Ghanaian who knows anything about Ghana's history knows that Ghana's development was fed largely due to its experience with colonisation. Due to the fact that Ghana's southern states are located close to the Atlantic, the colonists had easier access to these communities and for a great length of time, did not even venture to the Northern parts of Ghana...hence the initial development base of Southern Ghana took place ages before the 'white man' finally set foot in Northern Ghana. Does this mean that Northern Ghana couldn't develop without the intervention of the West? No. Back in the day, Northern Ghana had strong kingdoms and systems of governance just like the strong Southern kingdoms did. The thing however (which many people seem to miss), is that once these kingdoms were given secondary importance in favor of a NATION comprising both the South AND North, then the development of both is the concern of the ENTIRE NATION aka Ghana.

There seems to be many misconceptions concerning who Northern Ghanaians are, what they are about etc. And honestly, I don't blame anyone. What I do not endorse however, is the fact that Ghanaians continually feed into these misconceptions. In many ways than one, Northerners are regarded as second citizens in Ghana. And I'm not just saying this for the sake of saying it. It's the truth, and I have experienced it personally since primary school. Many people would find it surprising that my English was actually good, or that I excelled in school, or that I was even a Northerner and Muslim....because I "don't look like a Northerner." Pray tell me what a Northerner looks like! Trust me, until we take a stand to get to know one another in Ghana, we're gonna remain in the canker of ignorance that feeds underdevelopment. The disregard for Northerners is however not something recent. Although the ancient Ghana tribes had their scuffles here and there, the level of contempt for one another that exists now (although it is less "in your face") did not exist. How did it come about? Colonization. The colonial masters fueled disagreements between the various ethnic groups in order to advance their objectives. The "divide and conquer" methods used all those years ago, are STILL serving their purpose.

If you live in the South of Ghana like I do, its pretty easy to forget about Northern Ghana. Heck, even a bus trip to Tamale takes approximately 10 hours, add the messed up roads and it might take eons. Why should EVERYONE be bothered about Northern Ghana's development? Because at the end of the day, when the World Bank, UN, IMF etc draw up those statistical tables and rank development in various countries, they won't be listing Northern and Southern Ghana separately. They'll be listing Ghana. This is also another reason why its important for the Northern regions to receive their share of the national cake. Our government receives aid and what-not taking into consideration the underdevelopment in these areas, yet they don't even so much as ensure that basic systems are in place?

Let's look at Malaysia. A lot of Ghanaians know that Malaysia and Ghana have similar economic and historic backgrounds, but the actual comparative study on the subject of why their development levels diverged so much is yet to be done (Hence my interest in conducting the study). Ghana gained independence from the British on March 6, 1957 while Malaysia gained independence from the same colonists in August of the same year. Ghana's per capita GDP (total income) was slightly higher than Malaysia's and most people expected Ghana to advance beyond Malaysia, mainly because Malaysia had racial tensions which were lacking in Ghana at the time. Now, well, Malaysia's total income is 13 times that of Ghana, Malaysia is a leading producer of palm oil (which it got from Ghana and other W/A countries in the 1960s), and living standards in Malaysia are generally higher than that of Ghana. One might wonder how this is so, and there are many reasons. The most interesting one to me (and the most relevant to this article) is the fact that right from the get-go, Malaysia worked at resolving its INTERNAL TENSIONS. Malaysia's population consisted mainly of its native Malays and expatriate nationals like the Indians and the Chinese. The first attempt of ensuring that there was racial harmony was the "Bargain of 1957" which created a dual system of leadership with the Malays handling government affairs and the expatriate nationals dealing with the economy. Soon enough however, it was necessary to re-examine this structure since the native Malays felt like they were not getting their share of the national cake (hence, they were generally poorer) There were riots in 1969 due to this discontent and subsequently, Malaysia came up with it's very first development policy, the New Economic Policy (NEP), which aimed at redistributing the national cake and reducing internal tensions.

By all means, it would seem like Malaysia's internal tensions were on a larger scale than Ghana's especially since theirs was across racial lines and not merely ethnic lines. What did Ghana do once it gained independence? Well for one, little or no attention was paid to ensuring that all Ghanaian citizens were on board for the new era. Additionally, Ghana went ahead to "sack" all its expatriate/foreign nationals, for fear that they would take over the economy (and from the news these days, it seems the government is leaning towards the same mistake it made 50-something years ago!).

You might say that these accounts are all good and dandy, but will probably not have any disastrous effect. Please, for heavens sake, don't be blind to whats going on in our own backyard! For one thing, the NPP and NDC use the Northern regions as their pawns whenever its election time, because they need the votes. Yet after they are in power, virtually no attention is paid to the very people who made it possible for them to win the election! The whole issue with the late Ya-Naa is another time-bomb that is waiting to set off. The old king was murdered in 2004 -- 5 years ago! And the culprits have not yet been found? And of course, this is another platform for campaigning when it comes to political parties. As much as it saddens me to say this, if ever Ghana was to have intense civil unrest, it would probably come through this issue. And trust me, if war ever breaks out in Ghana, we will be set back many years development-wise. So why not cut our losses, deal with the issues at hand, develop BOTH the north and south of Ghana, and advance the development that we've all been waiting for for ages?! I honestly cannot comprehend Ghanaian politicians, and what is even more surprising is the fact that the citizenry lets them get away with most of their nonsense. Any Northerner can campaign for development in Northern Ghana, but until our Southern counterparts join that campaign, we are going to be labeled as empty barrels who are just dissatisfied.

How many of you have actually been to any of the Northern regions? And I don't mean going to Paga, or Mole park or any of that. Aside from Tamale and most of the Northern regional capitals, the state of living that our fellow Ghanaians have to go through is simply saddening. And please, don't tell me that Northerners themselves are not prepared for development. Do you think so many Northern porter girls (Kayayo) would head all the way to Accra to go through the stress, disregard, sexual and physical abuse that they go through if they weren't trying to feed their families? If you think Northern Ghana has nothing to offer to Ghana, then you seriously know nothing about Ghana. Shea butter is one of Ghana's key exports. Where do you think it comes from? The beef kebabs you love munching on come from Northern herdsmen, and so much more! Sure, political parties might not think a Northerner fit enough for the Presidency, but in whatever capacities many Northerners find themselves, they work hard. Whether its as the Vice-president, a Minister (as in the case of the late Hawa Yakubu), or your watchman (Where would you be without the security he provides so you and your family might sleep at night?) . It's time we Ghanaians quit playing blind mice and deal with the issues in front of us. If we really and truly do want to advance development, this is something that needs to be addressed head on. Please feel free to leave comments etc, and for what its worth, try to get to know someone from Northern Ghana and re-examine your perceptions. Peace.

MEET THE EDITORIAL TEAM OF LSG - 'JEMILA ABDULAI' & 'ABENA ANOFF'.... WHO ARE THEY...?!?!?

LSG FAM... MEET THE 'EDITORIAL TEAM' OF LSG!!!! :-) THIS IS A LIL SHOWCASE ON 'MS. JEMILA ABDULAI' & 'MS. ABENA ANOFF'... ENJOY!!! :-) WELCOME GIRLS... YOUR PRESCENCE DEFINITELY COUNTS FOR A LOT. WATCH OUT FOR THEIR YOUTHFUL & THOUGHT PROVOKING ARTICLES, INTERVIEWS, & SEGMENTS - COMING SOON!!!! - Lifestylz GH!

JEMILA ABDULAI....

'Jemila Abdulai is the Chief Editor of Lifestylz GH!. She pursued her primary and junior high school education at Alsyd Academy in Accra, Ghana, and later went on to study General Arts at Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. degree in both Economics and French, and currently works as a Conference Assistant at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She intends to pursue an international career focused on development issues, particularly those affecting women and youth. Consequently, Jemila has published numerous articles on development, human rights, women and youth issues in the Mount Holyoke College student newspaper, the MH News; as well as other media outlets like the YOWLI Magazine 2008; the African Executive Magazine online; and her own blog site Circumspect. As an individual who loves writing, it’s not surprising to note that Jemila is also an avid reader and music enthusiast. Her favorite book is “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho, which she considers an “inspiring work of art, which concentrates on simple writing.” Jemila intends to pursue a dual degree in International Development and Journalism at the graduate level, and ultimately aims at establishing a women and youth leadership and career development organization in West Africa.'



ABENA ANOFF....

'Abena Anoff is Assistant Chief Editor of Lifestylz GH!. She attended Ghana Christian International High School where she completed her O’Level education and went on to gain A’Level qualification at Ghana International School. She has graduated from the University of Nottingham with a B.A. in Politics and International Relations. Working presently as a Beauty Consultant, Abena is also pursuing a career in Editorial Journalism. Her passion for writing is evident in her choice of English Literature and Language throughout high school and as a minor in university, as well as on her blog. She is an ardent reader of most things inspirational and enjoys a variety of music genres from Rhythm and Blues (R&B) to Hip-Hop.'

CHECK OUT.... 'CIRCUMSPECT' BY JEMILA ABDULAI!!!!!!

HEY Y'ALL... WHILE ONLINE THE OTHER DAY, I CAME ACROSS A BLOG/SITE THAT IMPRESSED, ENLIGHTENED, AND FOCUSED ON THE AFICAN/GH ISSUES AT HAND... LIFESTYLZ GH PRESENTS - 'CIRCUMPECT' (http://www.mysterieuxe.blogspot.com/) BY JEMILA ABDULAI!!! JEMILA IS AN ECONOMICS & FRENCH STUDENT WHO INTENDS TO PURSUE AN INTERNATIONAL CAREER THAT FOCUSES ON WOMEN & CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. SHE IS AN AVID READER AND LOVES TO WRITE - PARTICULARLY ON ISSUES RELATED TO GHANA AND OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES. IN THE LONG-TERM, SHE INTENDS TO SET-UP AN ORGANIZATION THAT FOCUSES ON DEVELOPING THE THE TALENT BASE OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN IN GHANA AND OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES... WITH THAT BEING SAID, PPL.... GET TO READING... http://www.mysterieuxe.blogspot.com/ CHECK IT OUT Y'ALL!!!:-) JEMILA, LIFESTYLZ GH SUPPORTS U... U GO GIRL....!!!

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AYESHA HARUNA-ATTAH IS SAID TO BE LAUNCHING HER BOOK ENTITLED "HARMATTAN RAIN" SOON!!! AYESHA IS SAID TO HAVE JUST RECENTLY COMPLETED A 9 MONTH WRITING WORKSHOP IN AN INSTITUTE FORMED BY RENOWNED GHANAIAN AUTHOR AYI KWEI ARMAH (KNOWN FOR HIS BOOK, "THE BEAUTIFUL ONES ARE NOT YET BORN"). THE WRITING WORKSHOP CONSISTED OF SELECTED PARTICIPANTS WITH 'BOOK IDEAS'... WERE THEY HANDLED ALL WRITING PROCESSES - BRAINSTORMING, PLANNING CHAPTERS, WRITING, EDITING, BOOK COVER DESIGN, ETC. LOOK OUT FOR "HARMATTAN RAIN" BY AYESHA HARUNA-ATTAH.... COMIN' SOON!!!!! (COURTESY OF CIRCUMSPECT BY JEMILA ABDULAI) U GO GIRL!!!! :-) LIFESTLZ GH ENDORSES YOU... KEEP ON REPPIN GHANA!!!!