The battle for survival and the uncertainties of tomorrow – Headaches of the deflated Ghanaian

I watched in emotional exhaustion and unsettlement as a Ghanaian immigrant in the Netherlands, in a burst of spite, made a social media taunt on how his newly acquired Dutch citizenship status had propped him up to a better life than some intellectual big-cheeses in Ghana who are far less paid.

The man in reference asserted that his Dutch passport was of far-reaching value to the quality of life he is living and that, his immigration status had set him apart to achieve better possibilities in life than many Ghanaians living back home who had gone as far as acquiring doctoral degrees but do not have the financial ventilation to live comfortably.

He recited the speedy ease of formal procedure and the economic empowerment he had received which as a result had given amplification to his spending capacity and his general swing at life.

He looked happy, flourished and polished, except, one could tell that the intent of his video was to harvest reactions and present himself ahead of his peers in a bid to appease his academic inferiority complex.

Indeed, it was obvious he wanted to make a little showcase of his current state of being by putting the spotlight on himself while mocking the many labouring citizens of his birth country who are caged in the scantiness of opportunity and littleness of resources.

However, the weightier stones of his expressions highlighted how increasingly challenging it has become to cope in Ghana, as the high cost of living has become resident in the life of the average citizen with the continuous weakening of the spending power of workers.

The latent joy of the 21st-century Ghanaian is shrunk by the pressures of continued limitation as people are hard-pressed to do much more than necessary to cross the line of survival. Their best is often not enough to level up with the demands of the time.

The stout challenges of the average Ghanaian leave little accommodation for peace of mind and ease of existence.

The question remains as to the permanence of the financial exertions on the Ghanaian and whether there are possibilities for transformation.

Many young people in the country have gone through several shades of frustration for the lack of opportunities within the various spheres of endeavour and it is fair to say, some have lost their affection for their own country.

Classically, we have built a national culture that is more embracing of praise than of objectiveness.  Our threshold for accommodating the hard throbbing truth is relatively low and our thirst for acceptance are rather insatiable in the midst of all the lack and deprivation we find ourselves in. Indeed, the state of the nation is not magnificent.

A clear example is the over-politicization that keeps crushing the business climate as selfishness is eating away the integrity of men and women in various key positions that could accelerate economic wellbeing.

Ghana’s business climate does not seem to lay enough trust in indigenous business folk and does not create pathways for sustainable growth and expansion.

Capital assurances are not guaranteed even for local businessmen with outstanding track records and loan security for expansion does not feature much in conversations between firms and state agencies who have the muscle to prop them for growth.

At the state level, the summary feeling among many local entrepreneurs is that the indigenous businessman lacks elementary support that fuels growth for a greater impact on the economy. He is left alone and his survival is dependent on his dexterity.

The sting of the four-year election cycle is the fact that it has been sullied and now creates the avenue for politicians to exchange roles as to who is better skilled at building a stronger private financial legacy while leaving the populace to labour at the expense.

It is the reason for the mounting acrimony towards public officeholders and the growing defiance and disaffection towards the government.

The matter is not isolated in character with the incumbent administration but with the entire political ruling class.

The political duopoly in Ghana is soiled by the dearth of patriotism, lack of empathy, and greed. Fellows of the political class, with each turnover, appear obsessed with beating down the vision of nation-building into somewhat strengthening the stakes of their own parties while trying to secure longevity and administrative legitimacy instead of fulfilling grander nationally beneficial strategies for development.

For example, the current administration’s rather heavy emphasis on minerals development has led to the exploitation of the mining sector by troublemakers whose unmonitored works is hurting the purity of our water bodies.

The question however remains of how long the accumulation of despair would lead to the birth of a dispensation in Ghana where men and women of patriotic resolve and grit will rise and build a national legacy that will stand tall within the League of nations and tell a new Ghanaian story of collective wealth, industrial development and the formation of a new national strategy that will be a defining reference for posterity and for prosperity.

(philonukpa@gmail.com)