Development: What is the Ghanaian definition? (I)

It is quite easy to notice that the blueprint with which this country’s development stands is currently non-existent. This is evident in the fact that our contemporary political leaders and technocrats have neglected basic systems which could help ensure viable and sustainable development in this country without any fear of future relapse. The reality could be that our leaders have consistently been inconsistent and dishonest with Ghanaians. I boarded a commercial vehicle from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) some few days ago to buy airline tickets for a cousin of mine who was traveling to Europe. Barely two minutes of the journey, had the rain started coming down as though someone had offended the skies. Of course we are in the rainy season so such heavy down pours are not out of place. However, the impact of such heavy rains become manifest when the flash floods begin to expose the country’s level of infrastructure development (or the lack of it). Even the slightest sign of showers of rain tend to peel off the gloss on our so-called infrastructure. We experienced this when, upon reaching the traffic lights on the Liberation Road at the intersection of the Opeibea House and the Silver Star Towers, we were stuck in a pool of floodwater and virtually all the vehicles on that stretch of a supposedly first-class inner-city highway had to stop or use the pavement because the main road was flooded. Torrential rains and flooding have been in the news around the world over the past few days as they have ravaged and paralyzed many parts of Central Europe, the worst in over 500 years. And these are countries with highly sophisticated underground sewerage systems and dikes built decades ago to withstand the ravages of such flooding. The same cannot be said about Ghana. Literally the entire national capital and its surrounding areas become flooded with the slightest drizzle. So, to say that I felt scandalized by the situation I witnessed and experienced on the road to the airport on that fateful wet morning could be too charitable at best; but for the purposes of mass media ethics, it may fit the context. continued