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Why do you blog?

I have always dreamed of Ghana as a welfare state. A country where every citizen can thrive and realize their potential. A country that rewards hardworking citizens and takes care of its vulnerable. A government that prioritizes the economic and social well-being of all.

As a friend puts it, “The dream is that as long as you work, whether as a cleaner or a politician, you ought to be able to take care of your household, afford a decent home and a vehicle if you want one”

To some degree, we are on course to achieve this dream, though there is more to do to guarantee equal opportunities for all and the equitable distribution of wealth (aka the national cake).

In my own small way, I want to share the political ideas/ perspectives I have developed over the years… to provoke public discussion and create awareness on how we can make our country a better place, self-reliant, prosperous, and without the necessity for our young people to “japa“.

In my view, the pillars of such a nation center on four fundamental areas: employment, healthcare, education, and social security.

On employment: We need to transform our national minimum wage policy to a living wage policy (e.g., starting with a minimum wage of GH₵18.15 per hour, i.e., ∼GH₵3000 per month, for casual workers and National Service Personnel). Unfortunately, none of the manifestos of the leading political parties address this issue. The benefits of such a policy on productivity, job creation, and economic growth are widely discussed in the literature and promoted by the UN Global Compact.

On healthcare: our National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is one of the timeless policies that need to be protected at all costs. Irrespective of any citizens’ political affiliation, we need every government to commit to making NHIS better and improving the quality of healthcare and access in both rural and urban communities. This should come with improved infrastructure and better remuneration for our healthcare professionals.

Education: arguably, one of the best government policies in the 21st century is free education up to the secondary school level. Like any social intervention, the Free SHS (FSHS) policy has faced severe challenges, but it is one of the best policies that needs to be protected by all governments. The far-reaching impact and implications of this policy for generations yet unborn are invaluable, with more girls completing secondary education. What needs to be done is to improve the quality of education, provide adequate infrastructure, and provide appropriate conditions of service for teachers and students.

Social Security: Some initiatives have been introduced to protect the vulnerable in our society, such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), introduced by the NPP government in 2008, but the lack of accurate household data has made this challenging to implement. Ghana also has a robust pension scheme. However, the allowance provided under these policies falls short of a living wage for most households, and we need all governments to commit to improving our social security policies, including the introduction of jobseekers allowance for the unemployed.

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